Around the world..

I'm addicted to the travel channel.. even more so than mind-numbing reality television. One of my favorite travel show hosts, I recently found, blogs about her shows (through the travel channel of course) so I share the link (http://travel.discovery.com/tv/samantha-brown/passport-europe/journals/journals.html) when its a boring day at work, a lazy Sunday afternoon and you just want to escape where you are.

p.s. another favorite is Anthony Bourdain, which I will eventually post a long blog about because he's just that great.

Shhh.. I have a secret!

Last December, GC and I spent a wonderful night at the home of a dear friend of his for dinner. On the coffee table was one of the most fascinating books I've had the pleasure to stumble upon. It's a series by author Frank Warren in which he has asked people to submit, anonymously, their secrets via postcards. It appears that the outcome from that request has been overwhelming since there is more than one book published. The postcards, be it funny or emotional, are all very powerful and one of the best coffee table books for discussion.

Here is the blogspot as well: http://postsecret.blogspot.com/

Frank Warren's Introduction to A Lifetime of Secrets
(an excerpt from Amazon.com)



When I told my father I was collecting secrets from strangers for an art project, he didn’t know what to think. I tried to explain how the thousands of secrets that had been mailed to me were more than mere confessions. They could be beautiful, funny, sorrowful, inspiring.

"But, Frank," he asked, "why are you soliciting secrets from strangers, and why would anyone tell you a real secret?"

I invited my father to fly out for a PostSecret art exhibit in Washington, D.C., where hundreds of the postcards were on display. More than 15,000 people came to see the secrets, and my father was there, day after day, to hear many of their transformative stories. Some people told me they recognized a hidden part of themselves on a stranger’s postcard. Others shared personal experiences of how talking about a painful secret had helped heal a lifelong relationship.

The exhibit came to an end and I took my father back to the airport to catch a red-eye flight home. During our drive we passed through a long dark stretch of highway when my father broke the silence by asking me, "Do you want to know my secret?" He bravely recounted a traumatic childhood experience. When he finished, we had a true talk that gave me a richer understanding of my father and recast our relationship.
• • •

For A Lifetime of Secrets, the fourth PostSecret book, I've selected postcards that show how secrets can reveal a momentary impulse or haunt us for decades and arranged them by age to follow the common journey we all take through childhood, adolescence, adulthood, maturity. Stretched over a full lifespan, the secrets expose the meaningful ways we change over time, and the surprising ways we don't.

The postcards narrate childhood stories that have never been spoken; they voice the guarded confessions of our parents and grandparents. They confirm that our rich interior lives are not defined by how old we are, and that with aging comes not only loss but also the possibility of grace and wisdom.

The following two secrets arrived in my mailbox the same week. The postmarks on each card were different, but when I posted them together on the PostSecret website (www.postsecret.com) they seemed as though they could have been written by the same person at two different points in her life.


I am a junior in high school. I have good friends and a loving family. I am smart. I am a good athlete and musician. But I would trade all that in if it meant I would be beautiful.
I spent my high school years believing I was UGLY. I just went through a photo album that had pictures of me over the last 20 years. Turns out I was/am kind of cute. No more wasting time on thinking otherwise.
• • •
When I give PostSecret presentations at college campuses, my hope is that people I have never met will be inspired to change their lives through the secrets and stories being shared. Not long ago, at one of my talks, it was my life that was changed, and the secret that inspired me came from a stranger in the front row.

I began my presentation by handing out blank postcards to everyone in the auditorium. I invited each person to anonymously write down a secret on a card and then pass it on. For the next hour, the postcards circulated and were read silently multiple times. At the end of my talk, I asked if anyone would like to stand and read the secret they were holding at that moment. A man in the front row stood up and haltingly read:

I wish I could apologize to my younger brother for the way I treated him growing up.
He sat down and exchanged a long look with the young man next to him. After more volunteers read aloud some of the other secrets that had been passed around, I collected all the cards. The man in the front row handed me the postcard he had read from, and the two men walked out together.
His postcard was blank.

I have witnessed many times how the courage of sharing a secret can be contagious. When I realized that the man had been pretending to read someone else’s secret and that the person he had left with was likely his brother, I was inspired.

Growing up, I was not an ideal older brother. As an adult, I have wished for an opportunity to apologize for some of my actions but did not want to open old wounds. I have not shared this secret with my brother . . . until now.

--Frank Warren
About the Author

Frank Warren is a small business owner who started PostSecret.com as a community art project. Since November 2004 Warren has received more than 150,000 anonymous postcards. The website won two Webby Awards in 2006 and this year was named Weblog of the Year at the Seventh Annual Weblog Awards. The PostSecret project also received a special award from the National Mental Health Association for raising awareness and funds for suicide prevention. Warren lives in Germantown, Maryland, with his wife and daughter.

We made the stride..

Last Sunday, GC and I participated in the Cancer Society event to raise money for breast cancer. We walked five miles through Central Park on one of the most beautiful days so far. Many (or all rather) know why this is such an important cause for me, and I tried to do walks as much as I can in memory of my mother. It's crazy that over 15 years have gone by, and still no advance in the fight other than early detection. No exciting stories, sadly.. it was more of somber day for me than anything else, but combined GC and I raised $250 to donate to the Cancer Societ for Breast Cancer research. enjoy the beautiful pictures of Central Park. If you'd like to see more, they're up at http://kodakgallery.com/emilyprovansal.

Who me?

I have a really bad habit of sending out links of the crazy things that facinate me. So instead of jamming up loved one's in boxes, I thought I'd just go ahead and add them in here- be it daily, hourly or as the urge strikes me.

Another example of "what could be better than this.." comes from Daily Candy today- and if you don't subscribe to this news letter, you need to. It has the greatest events, latest fashion and craziest concepts i.e. Scratch & Sniff Wallpaper.




October 26, 2007
Follow Your Nose
Scratch & Sniff Wallpaper



Whoever smelt it, dealt it.

And you’ll gladly own up to being the culprit when you get a whiff of Flavor Paper’s scratch and sniff wallpaper.

The appropriately named Fruit Cocktail Collection offers three options: Bananas, Cherry Forever, and Tutti Frutti, with Magnolia and Vanilla on the way.

How’s this genius concept reach fruition? Fragrance oils are microencapsulated into microscopic porcelain balls, which are then dipped in water-based adhesive and applied by silk screen to the paper. When scratched, the balls — which number in the millions — pop and release the fragrance.

If your sniffer’s especially astute, the smellologists can create a custom scent that pleases your schnoz and apply it to the paper of your choice. You’ll have to commit to six rolls, but they donate partial proceeds to the Human Rights Campaign.

So go on. Supply it.

And don’t deny it.

Available online at rarechic.com. To request samples, e-mail samples@flavorpaper.com. For more information, go to flavorleague.com.

On a happier (much funnier) note...

Now if we could only market this in America..



The Japanese ninja skirt that turns into a Coca Cola machine to ward off attackers
by DAVID GARDNER - More by this author »Last updated at 08:47am on 23rd October 2007

You've heard of hiding in plain sight.

Well, a fashion designer has come up with a more colourful way for worried women to blend into a busy street to elude a pursuer.

We've had mini-skirts, skorts, pencils and midis. Now there's the vending machine skirt.

It's definitely not the real thing, but Aya Tsukioka's skirt doubles as a disguise to make the wearer look like a Coca Cola machine.


Ms Tsukioka, 29, unveiled her design in Tokyo by claiming she hopes it will help ease women's fear of crime.

She lifted a flap on the skirt to expose a large sheet of cloth printed with the familiar bright red Coca Cola logo.

By unfolding the sheet and stepping to the side of the street, she showed how a woman walking alone could hide behind it to outfox a potential attacker.



Her deluxe model even boasts four sides for a more complete cover.

The experimental clothes designer has already sold 20 of the £400 hand-sewn vending machine skirts and it hoping to market the design worldwide.

She says the idea was inspired by a trick used by Japanese ninja assassins, who cloaked themselves in black blankets so they couldn't be seen at night.



If the fizzy drink machine seems a little elaborate, not to mention impractical, she has also come up with the 'manhole bag' which is supposed to look like a sewer cover when you put it down so unwitting thieves walk right by without noticing it.

For children, she has a backpack that transforms into a fire hydrant.

While British women might prefer to take self-defence classes, Ms Tsukioka said: "It is just easier for Japanese to hide. Making a scene would be too embarrassing."

She admits that making the switch from skirt to vending machine might prove a little tricky "especially when your hands are shaking".

But she told the New York Times: "These ideas might strike foreigners as far-fetched, but in Japan, they can become reality."


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=489110&in_page_id=1811

A prayer for mi familia

This week has been a devasting week for my home town. The wildfires in San Diego County have been the worst since I was a sophmore year of High School. I pray for Sherri and my father, who's asthma is so bad he can't leave the house even when asked to leave because the smoke is so bad. I pray for my uncle who is the Chief Firefighter helping to put an end to all this. My grandma who lives alone and all my friends back home, their families and loved ones who have evacuated. It's hard being so far away, and so helpless.

Please...I'm from California!!

Because its just that great.. and true!

You know you’re from California when/Californians are better because:


You can wear sandals all year long (Rainbows is a popular brand, not a phenomena of nature).

You know how to effectively carry on a conversation in Spanglish.

You can say "like," "for sure," "peace out," "chill" and "fo sho" and not sound ridiculous.

You know what real cheese tastes like. Happy cows come from California.

You don't get snow days off because there’s only snow in Mammoth, Tahoe, Shasta, and Big Bear. Here, we get “heat days,” where school gets cancelled and everyone heads down to the beach.

The beach is the natural alternative for any activity planned. You average at least 5 visits a week.

You know 65 mph really means 100.

When someone cuts you off, they get the horn and the finger and a high speed chase because we don’t mess around on the road.

Our Governor can kick your Governor’s butt. He is the Terminator.

You can go out at midnight…in fact, your night is just beginning around that time…

You judge people based on what area code they live in, and when asked where you're specifically from, you give your area code with pride.

You make fun of stupid tourists who come and unnecessarily crowd your beaches, wear socks and shoes on the sand, and steal your parking spots. You also want to fight anybody who isn’t a local that steals your waves.

We don't stop at stop signs... we do a "California roll;" No cop no stop baby! We are also experts at getting out of tickets.

You can get fresh and REAL Mexican food 24 hours a day.

All the TV shows you "other" states watch get filmed here. And most reality show personalities are found here. We are simply more entertaining.

We're the Golden State. Not the Cheese State. Not the Garden State...GOLDEN!!!

We have the prettiest girls and the hottest guys.

We have In-N-Out (Arizona and Vegas are lucky we share that with them).

We have the most representation in the House of Representatives, which means our opinion means more than yours, which means we're better than you.

The best athletes come from here; our professional sports teams are the most competitive and entertaining to watch.

We got Disneyland…the Happiest Place on Earth. Sure there’s Disneyworld, but it’s HUMID there.

We call it soda, not pop.

Oh, and no one from California calls it Cali... that's how we know you're not from around here.

The fastest part of your commute is down your driveway.

It’s called the Freeway, not the Interstate, and it consists of at least 4 lanes of fast-moving cars. Anything less than that is simply a highway or a lame road.

Your point of reference for directions =Toward the ocean and away from the ocean.

Eating out is a way of life.

Our monthly house payments exceed your annual income.

You drive to your neighborhood block party.

Your family tree contains "significant others."

More than clothes come out of the closets. We are the most open-minded.

Tanning salons go out of business because we get tan the REAL way. Fake baking is ridiculous.

Big sunglasses, tapered jeans, and vintage clothes are considered fashionable.

Anything below 60 degrees is considered “sweater weather.”

When you can't fit a meeting in with someone because you’re totally booked, you must "do lunch."

“Getting coffee,” “eating Sushi,” and “shopping” are status-oriented activities.

Rather than animal crossing signs, we have signs hosting little families running across the border. Apparently EVERYONE wants in our state.

It's barely sprinkling outside and there's a report on every news station: "STORM WATCH!"

Your coworker has 8 body piercings and none are visible.

Your high school sociological make up looks similar to the United Nations.

You don't care what race people are because you're too busy wondering what gender they are.

You have a very strong opinion about where your coffee beans are grown and can taste the difference between Sumatran and Ethiopian.

A really great parking space can totally move you to tears.

Gas costs $1.00 per gallon more than anywhere else in the U.S.

Regular sightings of celebrities is not a big deal because they live here.

Everyone has lap dogs.

You pass an elementary school playground and the children are all busy with their cell phones or pagers.

Most everybody else comes to OUR state for vacation. We are just blessed to live in paradise year-round.

Interesting...

I was fortuntate enough to have the following blog piece forwarded over to me. I found it extremely interesting given what the Republican party has brought upon themselves over the past couple years, and for one, really can't disagree with the point made below. I encourage anyone reading this blog to think about it in terms of your everyday life.

http://www.radosh.net/archive/002056.html



By their fruits ye shall know them

The Fox News bloviators are trying to gin up some outrage over Barack Obama's refusal to wear an American flag pin on his lapel.

But it won't work, because this debate is actually already a very familiar and largely settled one, particularly among the conservatives Fox apparently wants to reach. Many "real Americans" already agree with Obama's choice, and those who do not still accept it as a reasonable decision, not grounds for vilification.

To understand how this can be, read what Obama said and imagine that instead of talking about a flag pin, he's talking about a tacky Jesus t-shirt.

I decided I won’t wear that pin on my chest. Instead I’m gonna’ try to tell the American people what I believe what will make this country great and hopefully that will be a testimony to my patriotism... I haven’t probably worn that pin in a very long time. I wore it right after 9/11. But after a while, you start noticing people wearing a lapel pin, but not acting very patriotic. Not voting to provide veterans with resources that they need. Not voting to make sure that disability payments were coming out on time.
My attitude is that I’m less concerned about what you’re wearing on your lapel than what’s in your heart. And you show your patriotism by how you treat your fellow Americans, especially those who served. You show your patriotism by being true to our values and our ideals and that’s what we have to lead with is our values and our ideals.

During the two years I spent researching Rapture Ready!, I heard over and over again this exact same argument against the ostentatious, thoughtless or hypocritical donning of "witness wear." Obviously many people do choose to wear their faith on their shirts (or I wouldn't have much of a book), but even they would acknowledge that this is not enough — and that it doesn't matter if someone else chooses not to, as long as they have Jesus in their hearts and reflect him to the world.

Obama, of course, is himself a devout Christian, and the language he so confidently uses here — "testimony," "values," "what's in your heart" — pretty strongly indicates that his feelings about displays of faith are informing his opinion about displays of patriotism. And Iowa audiences will easily pick up on that same language in making their decision about whether or not this is really an outrage.

Santa Monica, Santa Barbara and a 'lil Solvang

Being the nerds that we are we decided to check out Solvang. I for one, have never seen it but thought it might be cool to check out.. worse comes to worse, I figured we could just go to Santa Barbara. We ended up in Solvang on a Wednesday afternoon, along with the rest of the senor citizen tour groups. Needless to say, we walked around..tested some wine and then headed back down the mountain to Santa Barbara. The next morning we putz'd around Santa Monica, always beautiful. More fun shots up at http://www.kodakgallery.com/emilyprovansal.

p

Viva Mexico!

One of the things that I miss the most back in New York is the amaaaazing Mexican food in California and the random trips to Mexico. Last week, GC, Tiara, Nick and myself all traveled down to Puerto Nuevo for some fresh Lobster. Just to show you how great Mexico is.. we got fresh Lobster, soup, salad, chips with fresh guacamole and very very spicy salsa, one margarita, and one shot of tequila for a grand total of.... $12.00. How do you beat that!? Tiara's mom and her boyfriend met up with us down in Puerto Nuevo and we also took GC to explore Rosarito before heading back up to San Diego. Another great highlight was the vendor who makes fresh sipping tequilla- not my style, but the boys loved it. I felt like I was in an episode of Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations.
(more pictures are up at http://kodakgallery.com/emilyprovansal)

Foooootttball!

First trip to see the LA Galaxy play. One Beckman sighting.. no Posh. But they were the first So Cal team to finally win a game that weekend!!

Padres!

Another great day in San Diego and GC's very first Padres game in SD! Sadly, the Padres lost the game that night but hey at least they gave us a fireworks show! (ha! I wanted the Sunday gift of the lunch box.. please.)

Home Sweet Home

GC and I are here sitting at the airport, not ready to end our trip back from California. Our trip started last week with a trip home to San Diego to see the fam, friends and show GC more of Southern California. We flew out on the new Virgin America... amazzzzing! I don't think I can fly any other airline again (well I guess if they are cheap enough) But that weekened we also met up with good friends for some drinks, laughs, midnight beach run, and good 'ol filibertos!