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November 10, 2009

Wednesday night, I’m flying to London to visit one of my best friends in the world, Parisa, and her fiance Tim. I’m going under the auspices of helping Parisa plan her wedding and decorate her apartment, but really I just miss her. And I miss London: I studied abroad at UCL during my junior year, and I haven’t been back since. I booked my ticket a few weeks ago, but I just learned about the amazing deals being offered over at British Airways through November 19, 2009…and am currently regretting my airline pick. Alas.

In November, British Airways is holding a “World Sale” to promote flights and packages from the US and Canada to destinations throughout Europe, the Middle East, India, and Africa. They’re offering flights to London from $229 each way and flight+hotel packages from $659, and the sale includes unbelievable destinations such as the Maldives ($608 each way) and Madrid ($205 each way). If you customize a package to fit your holiday, you receive 2,000 bonus BA miles when you book. My dream destination is Cairo (pictured above) - I have some Egyptian ancestors on my father’s side, and was pretty much obsessed with Egyptian culture throughout my elementary school years. I have always - always - wanted to see the pyramids. One day.

My college roommate, Catherine, constantly flew British Airways because her father was a pilot for the airline, and often gushed about their service. BA’s “Upgraded” experience includes 200+ “On-Demand” options, complimentary food & beverage service worldwide, a comfortable in-flight experience with ergonomically designed seats and eyeshades (I love when I get those on flights), destination guides to help you plan your trip, and “MetroTwin,” an online community that’s intended for use by travelers between NYC and London. Next time Parisa needs help planning a wedding (TOTALLY kidding, love you Tim!), I’m flying BA.

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November 10, 2009

Check out Beerdude.com for detailed instructions on how to brew your own pear mead (you need orange blossom honey, pear juice, wine yeast, water, and assorted brewing instruments). Yum.

You can also go here for a list of places to buy mead online. Some Costcos, Safeways and Whole Foods Markets also carry the stuff, but call ahead to check first.

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November 10, 2009

Kendrick and I stopped in to Casellula for some olives and cheese on Sunday night, and he tried their chili-infused mead (I took one sniff and not-so-politely declined). Mead is pretty hard to find nowadays, but such an interesting addition to a drink menu: made with honey and water (via fermentation with yeast), mead is sometimes referred to as “honey wine” and varies dramatically in terms of taste and alcohol content (it usually hovers somewhere around the alcohol content of a strong wine, but can be distilled to brandy or liqueur strength).

Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat called mead “the ancestor of all fermented drinks,” while Claude Levi-Strauss declared it a marker of the passage “from nature to culture.” Maybe I should give it another try? Next time I’ll have one without the chili infusion, thanks.

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November 10, 2009

I was in awe of honoree Jane Aronson, an adoption medicine specialist and head of the Worldwide Orphans Foundation (WWO), and was brought to tears by the video depicting her life’s work: helping to find loving homes for orphans around the world. Dr. Aronson was visibly emotional upon accepting her award from Katie Couric, and only became even more so when Couric brought up thirty or so international children whom Aronson had helped to place in American homes to join her on stage. It was a beautiful tribute to a beautiful woman.

To learn more about Dr. Aronson’s work with the WWO, click here.

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November 10, 2009

Megan and I in the lobby of Carnegie Hall, waiting for the ceremony to start. Yep, we both wore black one-shouldered outfits…but hers was a jumpsuit, while mine was a dress. So: totally different. Kind of.

My grandma used to play piano in Carnegie Hall, but I’ve never been (the closest I’ve gotten has been ordering $16 egg salad sandwiches at the Carnegie Deli across the street). It’s stunning, and I felt so honored to be able to attend this event.

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