Half of China

The epic post-vacation photo project marches onward.

And so do I, to Big Sur. First camping trip of the year! Bringing my woolies and a warm hat.

Please enjoy some pictures while I'm away:

China (1) The 798
China (2) The Forbidden City
China (3) The Great Wall

Two unexpectedly fantastic things

Forever Stamps
Let's play a game. The one where I'm no longer 28, but magically 90. Ready?

I remember when pay phones cost a dime and stamps cost 20 cents. Not postcard stamps, real stamps. Only a handful of pennies to mail a handwritten letter or a nice birthday card to anyone all over our fine country.

But since my childhood ended and Norman Rockwell moved away, they've been jacking up the price every other month, and suddenly stamps are 41 cents! Ridiculous.

Except for this saving grace: the Forever stamp. Whether you ignore its stupid name or write it all over your Trapper Keeper, you have to admit these expiration-free stamps are the best idea America has ever stolen.

(Thanks, England! And 29 other countries.)

Tilex® Mold & Mildew Remover
OK, in this part of the game, I'm Donna Reed. You can be her doctor husband or the family dog, whatever you're into.

I love my apartment more than most things, but the shower is a serious drag to clean. Not that any shower is fun to clean, but some are easier than others, and this particular shower has an evil brand of tile with a stubborn soapscum/mildew fetish. It just can't get enough.

Until now! After trying quite possibly every brand of tile cleaner available in California, from the most organic to the most chemical-infested, I finally found The One that works: Tilex Mold & Mildew Remover.

Spray it on, give it some privacy for about 15 minutes, then come back and rinse. No scrubbing, no ruined nails, no coughing fits from all those gnarly chemicals.

Don't get me wrong: Tilex is chock full of ingredients people were never meant to inhale. But you don't have to touch them, and that's beautiful. So is my sparkly, sparkly shower.

That "new magazine" smell

Canteen is here! We had launch parties on both coasts to celebrate.

Here's what we looked like at the beginning of the San Francisco event, all frayed nerves and cautious grins:

© Susan Walther

And here we are four hours, 200 guests, countless cheek kisses, several reporters, and one Miranda July later:

no idea who took this picture

For the record, that's a bottle of mineral water. We're just happy because of all those empty boxes—we sold out of copies.

Let us now praise traveling women

In a jetlagged haze, sitting on the runway for two hours at JFK yesterday, I gave a mental salute to my friend Amy. She'd taken off from the Philly airport earlier in the afternoon for her Next Big Move: Buenos Aires.

I remembered how it felt lifting off from Boston to Paris, about this same time three years ago. Preparing for it is irrelevant, no matter how well or how much you think you have. The magnitude only hits when you're in the plane: a cocktail of ecstasy and fear, served neat.

I remembered that I meant to write this post two weeks ago, when Amy and Catherine and I had dinner in the Mission. These two are my travel ladies, the ones who get it.

They met years ago just after Catherine returned from her round-the-world trip, while Amy was planning hers. I worked with Amy at Avalon, where we put in long cubicle hours while patiently plotting international moves. Catherine and I first joined forces in Paris, when she passed through my apartment for an all-too-brief cheese coma on her way to Italy.

When we met this time, Catherine had flown in the night before from Jazzfest in New Orleans. I was recovering from Kyoto and Beijing, gearing up for New York. Amy was passing through for goodbyes in Maine, Oregon, and California while packing for Argentina.

Unquestionably, we are women on the move. Nostalgic for what's passed, giddy for what's coming up.

We counted countries—30 between us so far, with only four overlaps—and were sorely disappointed at the total. So much left to do!

Wanderlust and wine go well together, even better with friends who already have more stories than we could tell each other in a lifetime. And it's not like we're getting close to done.

Hey Amy, the next story is all yours. Here's to safe travels, gentle transitions, and the unmatchable high of not knowing what happens next—except that we'll be coming to visit.

Japan highlights

Happy to report that all my Japan photos are up now, courtesy of the BCS.

But in case you're not in the mood for long posts, here are my 10 favorites. No particular order, no explanations, just some pretty pictures.

Meet the BCS

It's still a work in progress, but I'm pleased to introduce the BCB's shiny new companion photo blog:

The Business Casual Shutterbug

Please stop by to see my first few sets of pictures from Japan.