Everyone should "Wrap it Up" in Thailand: February '11

Shout-out this month to: Everyone in Thailand or SE Asia. This section was not intended to be a negative shout-out, but so far, I'm 2 for 2 on pissed off shout-outs. Whatevs. I'm jealous. There, I said it. I want to be in SE Asia with everyone else. All of this #teamchiangmai CRAP (read BULLSH*T) has got me down. Reading the countless bloggers who seem to be congregating in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam makes me...

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Why You Should Never Send A Package to Spain

Ok, well that's a bit dramatic, I guess. But here's the story. Before I left the US in January 2011, I knew I was going to be starting a job with horses once I got to Spain. I had no intention of carting all of my riding gear through Canada, Japan, Ireland and mainland Europe before I arrived in Spain so I pre-packed a box and asked my mom to send it to me when I gave her the green light. In February, she sent the package which...

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Use Your iPhone Abroad - Keep your Arm and Leg

Last February, I wrote a post detailing how to use your iPhone while traveling internationally. That post brought in over 50% of my traffic for 2010 and as such, I've decided it's a good idea to revisit such an important travel topic.A Note for Verizon Wireless iPhone Users: Unfortunately, this beginning of this post is essentially irrelevant for you. Verizon uses CDMA technology and not GSM which means you do not have...

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Life Lessons Learned from the Sunscreen Song

So you probably all remember it. That lame ass song that littered the radio circa 1999. I remember hating it, turning the radio to a different channel as soon as it came on and wondering who in the world was listening to that crap. Now I know. I was reintroduced to the song on the most amazing roadtrip of my life by my friend Mark. Mark, in his "I’m 2 years older than you therefore I am wiser" state decided he would enlighten us...

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Day Drinking and Dock Damage

So, by this time I'm sure you're thinking, "so Abbey, when you're in the US, do you do anything besides visit old friends and drink too much" and to you I say... No, not really. You are correct. But it makes for interesting reading, right? This past weekend, I accompanied one of my best high school friends, Dave, up to his lake house as it was the first nice weekend after the giant SnOklahoma Blizzard of 2011. We had heard rumors of...

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Egyptian Christians Protect Egyptian Muslims

Ya ya ya, I know. I'm all inspiring this week. Call it a mood, call it an influx of stuff I want to support. Whatever. I like this. It's a photo taken in Egypt during the protests that ended last week. During one of the demonstrations, Egyptian Muslims were called to prayer and in an effort to protect them, Egyptian Christians formed a human sheild in a ring around them. I'm a sucker for religious tolerance. And even though...

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Be a Whistleblower for Peace – Falling Whistles

If you’ve ever met me in real life, you may have noticed this. But I have a whistle. And I wear it, um, every day. Like literally everyday. It’s as much a part of me, I feel, as anything. I wear the whistle, not only because I think it makes me look cool and hip, but also because it stands for something much bigger than me. I remember back to a sunny (like there’s any other kind) day in my Santa Monica apartment. A great friend of...

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Why Being Bribed Doesn't Suck

When I returned back to Tulsa from Fredericksburg Monday late afternoon, I pulled into a snow covered driveway only to get a gigantic blast from my past. For sitting in the garage inside my parent's house was a damn near exact replica of the car I had driven from the day I turned 16 up until my early 20's. It is the car I love, dream about and wish I had never sold. It's my baby. And sitting there in the garage sits...

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