The most frequent complaint constructive criticism I receive from blog-to-real-life friends and long-time readers who have been with me and this blog since the start is that I rarely write about my personal life these days. Sure, my travel tales are usually first person—you’ll rarely see a round-up or SEO-targeted post around these parts—but there [...]
10 Most Memorable Travel Moments
February 23, 2011 By 52 Comments
I usually shy away from listicles but a) it’s my birthday!, b) this is a fun one and c) I really want to win Gran Tourismo’s Feburary competition…so here goes. 1. Trekking with gorillas—and nearly being trampled by a “teenager”—in Rwanda. 2. Smuggling political refugees over the Italian border under my bed bunk in a [...]
What You’re Worth
January 17, 2011 By 111 Comments
A few months back, a well-known band came to me via their publicist wanting me to promote an event they’re sponsoring. It was a cool concept, in a fun place, and it would allow me to check another item off my Life List. The kicker? They weren’t going to pay me for my time or [...]
The New Year’s That Wasn’t, Part II
January 10, 2011 By 37 Comments
After the lights finally came back on, SVV threw in the towel. “This night isn’t going to improve after all. I’m taking a shower and an Ambien and going to bed,” he proclaimed. SVV and Ella, partying it up on New Year’s Eve in Nanconnah, Tennessee So I went back to devouring Mockingjay as much [...]
The New Year’s That Wasn’t, Part I
January 5, 2011 By 47 Comments
In theory, it was a good idea. We delayed our return to California until New Year’s Eve as a) it was hundreds of dollars cheaper than flying on the 28th, 29th or 30th and b) NOBODY flies on New Year’s Eve. (This theory was supported when I checked the seating chart for our two flights [...]
In 2010
January 3, 2011 By 40 Comments
For the past two Decembers in 2008 and 2009, I’ve done year-in-review posts. This one comes to you in January, as I was flying in Dec. 31, but I didn’t want to miss the chance to recap my 2010 for my own amusement, mainly because I have a short-term memory and tend to forget to [...]
Shiny and New
December 22, 2010 By 23 Comments
No, your eyes don’t deceive: It’s true, after more than three years of a bright pink space, Camels & Chocolate has undergone Extreme Makeover: Blog Edition. Out with the old… …in with the new. My awesome cousin John, who runs his own web marketing and social media company out of Nashville, is the brain behind [...]
Being a Tourist in Your (Former) Town
September 28, 2010 By 30 Comments
SVV and I returned from a bit of an impromptu trip to New York at midnight last night. It’s weird because while I spent a couple years in the Big Apple, I feel like it’s slipping away from me. Sure, I navigate the city on auto-pilot, knowing exactly how to get from point A to [...]
Trampin’ Around
September 20, 2010 By 37 Comments
The single greatest thing about living in San Francisco is there is literally anything under the sun you could ask for by way of activities within the city’s 49-square-mile confines—from an aerial tour via passenger blimp to fulfilling a childhood dream of bouncing around in a room full of trampolines. And you know by now how much [...]
How to Gorge Yourself on Chocolate for $3.33
September 16, 2010 By 17 Comments
What do you get when you mix a perfectly sunny California day, one Moose, 30 tickets for chocolate samples and a monkey with a camera? Well, other than one wicked bellyache, you have the recipe for my Sunday afternoon. I’m a huge fan of Groupon—enough so to put a free banner on the side of [...]
