Plugging "Beyond the Epic Run" on the Radio

YouTube won't let you post anything longer than 10 minutes so the above videos are both 9 minutes long. First watch this one above then the following underneath this paragraph.

PilotGirl made it to the Fred Dicker Show" this morning! He graciously invited me on to talk about my company and the recent work I've done traveling the globe. It was my first radio interview so I came off a little clumsy, even forgetting the name of a theater but recovered when buddy Bob called during the commercial break.

You'll hear that and a few other flub-ups but overall the goal was to pitch a documentary I helped shoot called "Beyond the Epic Run." I've blogged about it before and the radio show goes into some detail but if your really interested you should join me in NYC this Monday evening.

It's a free screening of a fabulous full-feature adventure of a couple who literally ran around the world between 2000-2005. That's 37 countries, 25,400 miles and 6 continents despite snake bites, malaria, getting hit a car, war-torn areas of west Africa, seething weather and more.



Incredibly Serge and Nicole Roetheli shot all their own footage - that's 80 hours in places like India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Australia, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal, Morocco, Argentina, Chile, Brazil, the United States and more. Some of the commentary you'll hear in the film include Dr. Joy Brown (radio show host), Amby Burfoot (Runners World Editor), Kevin Rooney (boxer/trainer) and Tom Dreeson (comedian).

It's showing at the Anthology Film Archives Theater on 2nd Ave Monday, March 2nd at 7:30pm. There are plenty of seats to go around and you can't beat the price. For more information, check out Beyond the Epic Run and I'll see you there!

Vixen vs. Videographer

Leave it to YouTube to pick the worst frame in the entire sequence! Quick, push play to get past my turtle face!!!

The contest for the "Best Job in the World" closed today. Call for entries in 18 countries are over. Hundreds of thousands of entries poured in last minute. Now comes the time for biting nails and pacing corners.

If you read my blog than you know I tossed my name into the ring 2 weeks ago. And, though Queensland advertised the gig as a 6-month vacation to feed fish and skim a pool, this candidate knows better.

Dad still barks that "Nothing in life is free" including this dream job. When asked what I'd do if I won my response is "Well, I'd work my friggin bleep off!"

Everyone knows it's a long shot, no different than winning the lottery or in my case, getting married (bitter Valentines residue wearing off).

But, while most of my pals are convinced the judges will pick a bouncy, bodacious, 23 year old with perfect teeth, skin and eyes, I'm Polly-Anna hopeful that skill will play a factor. Skill in shooting, editing, writing and all things PR-friendly are riding in my favor.

If it's proven that this contest was based purely on backroom beauty and excessive exposure, well then, no harm done. It's back to the freelance pool I go, ever wiser of wasting time when pitted against Barbie-in-a-bikini.

Virgil's House

Good buddy and Saratoga native Bob had to show me his favorite new hangout after our assignment finished yesterday. Like a kid in a candystore, Bob darted across Lake Street straight into Virgil's Coffee House to showcase his find.

"And they also have wine tastings, beer tastings and coffee tastings!" said an anxious adolescent.

It truly is beyond adorable, a throwback to Grandmas and super quiet for a reason. While the rest of the world is connected to the internet, this Luddite-inspired cafe boycotts high tech. So banish that Blackberry, lock your laptop and put away the PDA, this is a technology-free zone.

Creature comforts like vintage furniture, monopoly board games and silver, china and ceramic coffee mugs decorate the inside. Owner Jim Hahn says he's been collecting furniture, dishes, games, puzzles and all sorts of décor since he lived with his grandparents as a teenager.

It's like one big consignment shop; there's even a Victrola, a giant chess set and puzzle pieces waiting to be played. Friends helped Jim and his partner Kathleen Quartararo tailor the look and feel.

The mission is to benefit the community by buying local, brewing better and savoring silence. It's been open since 2007 and so far so good.

It's located across from the Parting Glass, next door to two semi-new but fabulous restaurants, TizNow (named for a race horse) and Scallions.

Craigslist to the Rescue

The recession is hitting home. The freelance world has been brutal on PilotGirl so I posted an ad in Craigslist the other month looking for housemate #2. Fortunately, I have the luxury of filling several bedrooms rather than selling my house or my business.

My new housemate is wonderful, just like the first! She bailed on the financial world 3 years ago and became a nurse. Albany Med was the only hospital hiring so she packed up her belongings and moved north. P.S. Albany beware, she bought a car and drove for the first time in 16 years!

The driveway is full of cars and the house is packed with professional women struggling to stay afloat. Make that 3 career-oriented gals, 1 occasional Mutti and 1 occasional sister. I laugh that I might need to learn how to flip pancakes because it's feeling more and more like I run a B&B.

Come Friday, Dad and Stepmom will be bunking on the pullout for 3 days. Hey, I say the more the merrier as long as the dog approves.

Taking in strangers is a far cry from what I envisioned life would be like when I was a love-sick girl at 15, 25, even 35yrs but isn't that what makes life so irresistible? We all start off wanting to play by the rules and conforming to expectations but when that fails we tip-toe out of our comfort zone and rewrite the blueprints.

Recession? Bring it on Baby!

Cartoonists Trigger Trip to Rhinebeck

A profile piece on my favorite television show, "Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood", triggered a trip to Rhinebeck on Monday.

Cartoon couple Liza Donnelly and Michael Maslin ink for the New Yorker but live in Rhinebeck.

If you've ever skimmed through the magazine I'm sure you've seen their work. Other hilarious reads include the newest, "Cartoon Marriage: Adventures in Love and Matrimony" and last years "Sex and Sensibility: Ten Women Examine the Lunacy of Modern Love in 200 Cartoons."

Both are the perfect panacea to relationship woes.

Anyhow, if cartoonists can find inspiration in a town torn between FDR's Hyde Park and the intellectual brain pool of Bard College than it has to be special.

Mutti and me started our day off feasting on fried food at Terappin Bistro, a restored First Baptist Church built in 1825.

It was hyper busy with congregates lining up out the door. My prayers were answered when I opened the menu to find my favorite west coast dish: deep fried mahi mahi wrapped loosely inside 2 piping hot tortillas with a side of yellow rice, veggies and sour cream. The BBQ duck quesadillas with mango chutney was also a blessing in disguise for Mutti.

Afterward we peddled the streets for red tag sales.

Shops with fabulous window displays like Paper Trail, Cabin Fever Outfitters and Hammertown Barn (fine furniture) lured us inside. There are buildings on the National Register of Historic Places like the Quitman House and the 1766 Beekman Arms. The brick and clapboard hotel is the oldest continuously operated Inn in America.

And, my personal favorite, a classic red barn emporium, filled with 60 antique dealers including one selling this unique triangular shaped drawer cabinet. My Dad who has collected and sold antiques for years had never seen anything like it. This piece was built in 1890 and will be scooped up for under $1000.

Past the Upstate Film Theater, crossing over busy Market Street and catching a hint of coffee in the air, we retired at Samuel's coffee shop.

Inside I got just what I was hoping for - equal parts chai latte complemented by hangings of local cartoonists work.
I asked about Danny Shanahan, another local cartoonist whose work is displayed near the front window. The cute red-haired barista found my inquiry ironic.

"Seems so everyone in town is talking about cartoonists today", he said.

"And why not? The popularity for sketchpad doodling and laugh out loud humor is exactly what this country needs", I think to myself.

The barista suggested a quick peek into Oblong Books and Music to find the funnymen.

I duck in briefly but an autograph was not to be had today. Maybe the next time I tour one of the most charming towns in Dutchess county.

With Love From Russia on Valentines

Who knew I could be tickled pink on Valentines Day? A holiday made to make single people feel lonely, desperate and bitter. But today I found out the anecdote to receiving red roses - receiving an Emmy nomination!

Benita Zahn, health reporter for WMHT-PBS and anchor of WNYT-NBC affiliate and I just scored a 2009 New York Emmy® Award Nomination for our half-hour special on the Albany-Tula Alliance.

A year ago we flew to Russia to produce a PBS program on health care. We were invited by the not-for-profit Albany-Tula Alliance. We filmed inside hospitals, colleges and special schools for children with Autism.

We quickly discovered how difficult it's been for Russians to escape their past. They still face economic and social challenges from the Cold War and battle revolutionary reforms that Western societies take for granted. The Albany Tula Alliance helps to bridge those gaps and provide the trading of advice and opinion by leading medical experts.

The Emmy announcement is not without stiff competition though. WCFE/Mountain Lake PBS, WABC-TV and Thirteen/WNET are also up for the Emmy in the category of health and science. All will be decided at the Gala Awards Ceremony on Sunday, March 29. Be watching online at NY EMMYS.

The Geek Shall Inherit the Earth

The recession went unnoticed at NYC Comic Con this weekend as thousands of horny, pimple-faced adolescents swarmed the Jacob Javits Center floor. They bought up what seemed like millions of comic books, action figures, collectibles and high-priced original comic art.

I was curious so I sneaked past security and found comic nerd-vana. Boys of all ages were swapping X-men comics for Japanese Anime and googling pretty girls dressed like Superwoman, Lara Croft and Aeon Flux. It was a feast for the freaks!

Outside I found Chewbacca, Stormtroopers, Spock and the Joker posing on 9th ave for photo-ops with The Village Voice.

I love sci-fi just as much as the next person but I can't help recalling the S&N 1986 "Get A Life!" skit with William Shatner. Some of these misdirected geeks look like they haven't seen daylight in months. Others are obviously here to poke fun, me being one of them.

Acquired Tastes in Travel

Come Sunday, I decided the only way to meet anyone worth propositioning PilotGirl to was to swallow my pride and stand in the autograph line. It was a most humbling moment.

30 minutes and hundreds of fans later, I pitched "PilotGirl" in record time to Andrew Zimmern and then Samantha Brown. Both are hosts of tv shows on the Travel Channel and both seemed genuinely interested in working with a female DP.

For those who don't watch cable TV, Samantha Brown hosts programs that include Girl Meets Hawaii, Great Hotels, Passport To Europe, Passport to Latin America, Passport to Great Weekends, Samantha Brown's First Cruise and Great Vacation Homes on the CTV Channel.

Andrew Zimmern wanders the globe searching for the strangest and most unusual cuisine a location has to offer. Live river eels, raw blue fin tuna, poisonous stonefish, raw sea squirt, eel, tuna eyeballs, octopus egg, turtle blood cocktail, snake ice cream, pig's windpipe, raw horse meat, squid ink soup, raw goat testicles, you name it, he eats it. The show is called Bizarre Foods and it's not nearly as disturbing as it sounds. Eating a cow uterus is just a hook to discovering a country's culture.

The NY Times Travel Show was a huge success for GoNomad and PilotGirl. It's a useful partnership and all the better that I can be friends with some of the nicest writing pro's on the planet. Be sure to stay glued for information on our next appearance in the Big Apple when the Adventure Travel Expo is in town.

NY Times Travel Show Highlights

I'm hanging with my writing buddies from GoNomad this weekend; Max, Kent, Paul, Cindy and Lil at the New York Times Travel Show. It kicked off on Friday, next door to the sold-out NY Comic Con, at the Jacobs Javits Center. Freaks and geeks needing their sci-fi fix with a touch of travel can hang between the two, that is if they have tickets.

Attendance for the largest comics convention on the Eastern seaboard are sold out beyond capacity but tickets are still going for fabulous travel rants and autograph signings at the Times Show. I caught glimpses of TV show hosts Andrew Zimmern, Rick Steves, Samantha Brown and Joseph Rosendo on Saturday.

PilotGirl would be wise to pony up some business cards for these celebs in the very rare chance they need an extra shooter. But, try as I might to bend the ear of Samantha Brown, her Gestapo kept close vigil and laughed at my efforts. I really need a savvy salesman to help me with my approach.

If your in the city, check out the booth right behind the Greece Sponsor. I'll be showcasing several minutes of travel shorts on a big monitor and passing out tips and tricks. See you soon!

Scholastic Surroundings

Princeton University was one of the last Ivy-League schools on my must-see to-do list and I can happily say that after today, Pennsylvania and Cornell are the only two left. It was just a fleeting glimpse from the inside of a beat-up BMW but it made the scholastic check-off.

I'm on assignment in New Jersey with Adam, Lisa, Matt (a younger version of Brad Pitt) Adrian and myself. After a long marathon stretch of shooting we dined at a favorite hang-out for business execs called the Triumph Brewing Company. Men of all ages (and sexual preference) lined the 2 lengthy mahogany bars while servers invited us to try samples of fresh brewed beer on tap. I milked a Vienna dark amber lager until the apps arrived.

Adam misspelled rumors that Princeton is expensive. Of course it is expensive but affordable to most because nearly every student goes on scholarship and research grants. In fact, it's rated as one of Ivy League's most generous academic institutions in terms of financial endowment. It was founded in 1865, fourth in longevity after Harvard, Yale and Pennsylvania. Adam goes on to inform me that the Ron Howard movie, "A Beautiful Mind" (2001) was filmed here as was "Scent of a Woman" (1992),"I.Q" (1994)and "One True Thing" (1998).

Not sure why I have this fetish for visiting the "Ancient Eight" or even the "Seven Sisters"; Barnard, Radcliffe, Smith, Mount Holyoke, Vassar, Bryn Mawr and Wellesley but the castle-like architecture is most certainly one the reasons. From gothic revival archways, cloisters and formidable spires to pink weeping cherry trees, gargoyles and dusty libraries, old colleges are ageless in beauty.

Warm Karma and Cold Ice Cream

Even during a snow storm it's never too cold to slurp a shake at "Emack & Bolio's" parlor on Delaware Ave in Albany.

You can't miss it; it's the cottage house with the little white picket fence out front and colorful signage. It sits on the corner of St.James Place across from Albany's Historic Registry Fire House and the St. James Church.

Locals are lucky; all they have to do is walk here with their kiddies and canines in tow. Dogs are welcome to wait on the porch while Emack preps them a special sundae featuring a biscuit buried under 2 scoops of vanilla frozen yogurt.

Parking can be tough with over-grown snowbanks, slippery pavement and fire trucks coming and going but it's worth the fuss. Inside you'll find latte's brewing, warm pastries and a toasty fireplace with cushy chairs and free wi-fi.

The vibe on weekends is the best. There's just enough room for acoustic trios to sound off in the coffee lounge and further, in the back, is space reserved for local artisan Christine Shea. Her creative gallery sells original mosaic picture frames, mirrors, wall hangings, birdhouses, tabletops, even lazy susans.

The atmosphere and philosophy is much like Ben & Jerry's: fun, groovy and socially conscious. The chain was even named after two homeless people.

But, Emack started in Boston 3 years before B&J opened in Burlington and unlike B&J, Emack decided not to go international and sell their franchise to a large corporation. Music Lawyer Bobby Rook and a bunch of his famous musician friends still stick to their roots making sure peace, love and fabulous ice cream dominate their shops. Good for them and good for us.

Unlike Starbucks, that consistently pour only half-full cups, unless I complain, Emack fills everything to the rim, spilling some if that means more for the customer. Winter is a great time to visit because there are no queues and you can score your sweetie a box of chocolate-dipped strawberries for Valentines this February.

So step right up and pair your steaming hot chocolate fudge drink with a scoop of Caramel Moose Prints, the official store mascot. Your taste-buds will love the two extremes.

P.S. Another scoop - while eaves-dropping on a conversation I heard that this gem will be multiplying in an area mall soon. Be on the look out!

Emack & Bolio's
366 Delaware Avenue
Albany, NY 12209
Sun - Thur : 11 am - 10 pm
Fri and Sat: 11 am - 11pm
(518) 512-5100