Dear readers, it’s time for a roundup of topics that just aren’t big enough for their own posts. I’m just going to jumble them all together. Enjoy!

It’s Olympics time. Woo! I don’t understand people who profess not to love the games. You may not like every event — bobsled, ice dancing, whatever — but how can anyone not love the whole Olympic ideal? Me, I particularly enjoy the nordic events, especially biathlon.

DiabetesMine interviewed skier Kris Freeman, the first type-1 Olympian in an endurance sport before the 30km cross-country race and afterward — I think he’s my new role model. They’re both great reads for any athlete with diabetes.

Freeman was “pissed” about going hypo during the 30km race, but he was “really, really pissed” about a bad ski choice during the 15km. I’m sure he will rock the 50km on Sunday!

Thinking of Canada, Lisa and I went to Montréal early in January. It was sooo cold (-14ºC for a high). How do people live that way? We went to see a J. W. Waterhouse exhibit at the Musée des Beaux Arts. While there, we ate some great food — check out Paris Crêpes on the corner of Ste. Catherine and Crescent — and I enjoyed the city’s polyglot lifestyle.

(And as for art: Last week the MFA installed its first painting in the new Americas wing. I can hardly wait!)

While we were in Montréal, I procured a bit of Francophone music. 90% of Canada’s population may live within 100 miles of the border that sees the most commerce between any two nations; but it’s almost as if there’s a Mounty-patrolled iron curtain separating the US from bootleggers French music. You can find a little bit on iTunes, but it’s hit or miss. Here are some names to look for: A.D.N., Amadou & Mariam, Marie-Luce Béland, Daniel Bélanger, Carla Bruni, Cali, Camille, Caracol, Les Charbonniers de l’Enfer, Cœur de Pirate, Les Cowboys Fringant, Étienne Drapeau, Dumas, Mylène Farmer, Grimskunk, Indochine, Kaïn, Karkwa, MC Solaar, Prototypes, Mara Tremblay, etc., etc., etc. The CBC nominated the top 50 Canadian francophone bands from this decade if you need more choices.

We also saw “Up in the Air” a month or two ago. Definitely recommended. It stars George Clooney, opens with a fabulous sequence of arial footage, uses a version of “This Land Was Made for You and Me” by Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, and has a really strong story line. From time to time, I feel a bit like intern George’s character — at least I share his attitude toward flying, but certainly not his brand loyalty (though I do have my preferences). But I’m not very savvy when it comes to getting the most of my air travel dollar, which is why I’ve been reading the Cranky Flier’s web log.

Are you going on a trip anytime soon? Need reviews of places to eat, stay, visit? The Times gives a rundown of where to go online and in-print to figure where to go in real life. They mention TripAdvisor.com, IgoUgo.com, Oyster.com, and printed guidebooks. I’m starting to use TripAdvisor for hotel reviews, but books and magazines are still my destination for where to go and how to get there. Give me glossy pictures, a travelogue, and a map or two and I’ll be ready to pack my bags.

But my travel dance card is kinda full for a little while. I actually can’t believe how much I know about where I’m going in the coming years. Australia in just over three months. Bicycling in Provence, France sometime next year. England (and maybe Paris) in 2012. It’s not what I usually do . . . but I’ll take it.

More substance to come soon, I promise.

read more from this topic.....

If you have to travel a long distance by plane, Etihad Airways’ Diamond First Class Suite might be the best way to go. Of course the round-trip fares from JFK to Sydney are around $20,000 (per person) for our travel days, or roughly 15 times the cost of our Qantas economy class seats. . . .

Of course, the ultimate way to go is private charter jet. At roughly $10,000 per hour of flight time, that’s another 10 times more than Etihad.

Update: So what do you get for a measly $4,000 or $5,000 more by upgrading from economy to business class? Well, the Cranky Flier recounts a recent experience on Air New Zealand: faster check-in, shorter security lines, a nicer departure lounge, free drinks to wash down your Ambien, a personal concierge, a seat that turns into a bed, and (presumably) better food choices.

read more from this topic.....

What do I know about Australia? Other than the stereotypical — Sydney Olympics and Opera House, Aborigines, Uluṟu, Great Barrier Reef, Aussie Rules Football, kangaroos, killer koala bears, cuddly crocodiles, stinging jellyfish, and beer — so far my experience has been limited to film and music:

Men at Work, INXS, Olivia Newton John, Air Supply, Crowded House, Liam Finn, Nick Cave, Midnight Oil, Kylie Minogue, AC/DC, Helen Reddy, Keith Urban, Divinyls, Hoodoo Gurus, Jet, Wolfmother. (And Savage Garden . . . uh, I’ve been trying for decades to forget them. Thanks for nothing, Wikipedia.)

“The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert,” “Strictly Ballroom,” “Mad Max,” “The Piano,” “The Proposition,” “Rabbit Proof Fence,” “Flirting,” and of course “Crocodile Dundee” and the “Crocodile Hunter.” Fortunately, I have forgotten most of “Joey.”

Basically, I know next to nothing about the real Australia. But that’s all going to change, because we just bought our tickets to Australia. Yup, we’re taking a four week vacation to Oz for most of June. That should be plenty of time to get thoroughly steeped in Aussie lore and customs.

How are we going to immerse ourselves in this not-so-foreign culture? Well, despite the fact that none of y’all gave us any advice on what to see in Australia, and even though most of my coworkers said that we should go to New Zealand instead of Australia, we’ve worked out a basic itinerary. It starts with a l-o-n-g 23-hour trip from Boston to L.A. to Sydney. We’re going to spend a few days in Sydney; and hopefully soaking up the sun at the beach will help us fight jet-lag. (Sydney is 15 hours ahead of Boston.) Then a comparatively quick plane ride (or two) will take us to Darwin, where we’re renting a camper-van and hitting the big national parks in the Northern Territory — Kakadu, Litchfield, Nitmiluk, Watarrka, Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa, and maybe even West MacDonnell — as we drive to Alice Springs over a couple weeks. Personal and marital happiness will probably require staying in one place for a little while in something other than an RV, so we’re spending a week on or near the Great Barrier Reef. Then back to Sydney for a couple days before another 22-hour flight home.

Fun, fun, fun!

(While compiling those lists, I saw that there are SEVEN volumes of “Australia’s Deadliest Destinations.” We probably won’t be watching any of them anytime soon.)

read more from this topic.....

Australia is big.

I keep telling myself to imagine someone who’s visiting the US for three four weeks. At almost three million square miles, it’s about the same size as the contiguous 48 American states. You’d be a fool — or, at the very least, quite disappointed — if you tried to visit it all at once in such a short time.

And yet, it’s about as far away from here as you can get. And while I’m sure it’s a place we’d love to visit more than once, the distance doesn’t help with thoughts of moderation.

So Lisa and I need your help. If you were going to spend three weeks in Australia, what would you do? Just so you know, we like cities and nature and people and good food.

(While you’re pretending you’re us, pretend that you went through the mental trauma of buying a swimsuit last weekend so that you can start lap-swimming in a couple weeks so that you can swim with confidence while snorkeling and not be “that guy” at the beach . . . the slightly tubby American who repels beachgoers and needs saving by the lifeguard. That is to say, the Great Barrier Reef and Sydney’s beaches are on our list of “must do” things.)

read more from this topic.....