Blizzards: Good for snowboarding, bad for driving February 26, 2010

The northeast is facing the most incredible snowfall in years.

Snow up to my waist

Some areas are getting three feet of snow, and snow drifts are topping six feet. Many are without power, and others are finding themselves unable to leave their houses because mountains of snow are blocking their cars and driveways. Semi-trucks are finding themselves “jack-knifing” going over slippery mountains, and others are just driving into snowbanks. Even my family

A few accidents on the mountain

and I were stranded in Vermont yesterday because of it. Fortunately, the road to Mount Snow was open, and we witnessed the best snow conditions of our lives, with at least two feet of freshly fallen powder on the mountain.  So instead of worrying about work today or tomorrow, just drive to your nearest mountain and see for yourself. (The video is a few weeks old, and I don’t know the guys but they’re pretty good.)

Party in the name of God February 24, 2010

An average Carnival Costume (SurfersVillage.com)

The people of Brazil know how to party. Their famous Carnival celebration began on February 13th, and ended on the 16th, Fat Tuesday. Carnival began, many years ago, as an “act of farewell to the pleasures of the flesh” before one would have to abstain from all pleasures for lent. Today, it is known for its excessiveness, in regards to pretty much everything. There’s tons of dancing, block parades, and loud music. Their famous Samba parade involves eccentric and scantily clad dancers doing their thing from around 9 p.m. ’till sunrise the next day. Did I mention this one week alone accounts for 80% of the annual beer consumption in Brazil?

The parade in the Sambadromo in Rio (rio-carnival.net)

Up in the air February 22, 2010

It’s been about two years since I’ve gone international, so I think it’s about time. I talked to my dad about some potential places and these are the places we narrowed it down to:

Please help me pick, I can’t decide!

Mount Everest

The Galapagos

Mount Kilimanjaro

The first big trip February 12, 2010

Big Ben

My freshman year I decided to go to Europe. I got a job at Blazing Bagels, a cafe of sorts, and saved my money for a year. That July, my lovely Aunt Urs and I flew to England, and traveled throughout Europe for about four weeks. We saw unbelievable things, met unforgettable people, and spent way too much money. Overall, it was a great trip, and a lot more happened that what I thought would.

What it’s all about February 12, 2010

Hello everyone, I’m Karen, and I have a very long list.  A few years ago I was given this book on 1,001 things to do before you die, and it got me thinking about what I wanted to do with my life. Well soon enough, I wrote my own list of things and although I’ve been able to cross a few things off, it’s still getting longer. Some of the things are short term, like making crème brûlée; while others, like going to all seven continents, take a bit more time to accomplish. Either way, I want to write about what’s on this list and what it’s having me experience. So if you have any suggestions as to what I should add to it, just let me know!

Hello world! February 10, 2010

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