Having grown up in Oregon just a few hours’ drive from the coast, a trip to the beach at least three or four times a year was something to which I grew accustomed, though never weary. My siblings and I spent the days building forts among the driftwood logs, hunting for washed-up treasures, building sand castles and sculptures, playing in the (cold!) waves and warming ourselves by a fire as we munched on s’mores. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t love to sit and watch the waves rolling into the shore or crashing dramatically against the rocks, and I’ve never slept better than within the sound of the breakers and the scent of the ocean air.

There were a few times in my adult life when I found myself living far from the sea and unable to just hop in the car for a quick drive to enjoy its soothing presence. How I missed the long walks on the sand and the calm I felt with nothing but the sound of the waves and the wind in my ears! My girls seem to feel that same pull of the tides. Their favorite family vacations include our many trips to the beach; and even now, when Jenny comes home from college in Chicago, she always requests that we squeeze in a day or two at the coast.

Having just returned from a few days by the sea, I’m feeling the benefit of my brief stay there and reminded how good it is for me to make the time for those interludes of quiet. Although the weather can often be stormy and extremely wet at this time of year, this time there was barely a breeze, the temperatures were in the 50s, and the sun even peeped through the high, thin overcast on occasion. It gave me the chance to take  comfortable, long walks up the sand and pause for some lengthy stretches to just sit and watch the breakers rolling in. I’m never bored seeing how the water swells up and builds into a curling, green glass wall and then tumbles over in seeming slow motion into foaming, pounding surf. It offers an opportunity to empty the mind and think of nothing at all or a background against which to tackle some knotty problem without the interference of any other distraction.

So I’ve returned home to a week full of deadlines, appointments and obligations, but renewed in spirit, body and soul. And when life gets hectic, I’ll recall those peaceful moments by the sea until I can visit there again.

– Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader 

My husband and I have spent the last few days on the central Oregon coast, and whenever we’re in the area, there are a couple of restaurants that we always try to visit. One has been operating for several years, but the other has only come on the scene in the last two.

We stumbled upon Andaman Thai Cuisine in Lincoln City quite by accident about a year ago. It’s in an unprepossessing strip mall right off of Highway 101 in town. At the time we were just looking for a quick dinner; and considering the location, we expected no more than your typical fast, pedestrian Thai food. We were more than pleasantly surprised at the tasteful, soothing decor inside, the gracious warmth of the owner/chef and sometime server, and were really blown away by the beautifully presented and fantastic food.

Considering the state of the economy this past year and the difficult time eateries located on the tourist-dependent coast can have adjusting to the boom-and-bust flow of business there, we weren’t sure we would find Andaman still operating when we next returned to the area. But it seems that others have found their way there and are equally impressed, and we were pleased to drop in Thursday night for more delicious dining. Patay Kaplan greeted us warmly, brought us a fragrant pot of black tea with lichi and sweetened lightly with agave, and added a few crisp rolls of a coconut-flavored cookie. We enjoyed a couple of appetizers before digging in to our entrees. Every dish is artfully arranged, the flavors are unique and delicately balanced, and the food is piping hot (temperature-wise). Harry likes his dishes fairly spicey while I prefer to go more mild. I’ve found that can often equate to “bland” in many restaurants, but not here. One doesn’t sacrifice satisfyingly complex flavor when toning down the heat. We chose to take home a dessert from the adjoining Tigerlily Tea and Dessert Bar and were equally impressed with the beautifully constructed, layered confection. If only we could relocate this fabulous restaurant to our home town!

Located in Depoe Bay, a smaller community a dozen miles south of Lincoln City, Tidal Raves serves up fantastic seafood and an assortment of other dishes, many exhibiting a pan-Asian influence. Perched on a cliff just above the waves crashing against the rocks below, the restaurant’s bland, compact street side face belies the great views and warm, elegant dining room inside. We’ve always found the service to be friendly and efficient and the prices ($10 to $25 for entrees which include a choice of soup or salad) beyond reasonable, especially considering the quality and compared to the prices of other high-end restaurants in the area. Last night Harry returned to two of his favorite dishes: a bowl of smoked salmon chowder followed by green curry with halibut. He kindly shared a bit of each with me, and I can attest to the amazing flavors and rich textures of each. I chose the house salad with shrimp and wild grilled salmon with crab risotto — heavenly! We shared a dessert of a warm apple-pecan cake with a creamy caramel sauce and drove back to our room through the misty night completely warmed and satisfied.

While we are always up for trying new places in some of our old haunts, it’s always nice to know that we can also return to our tried-and-true favorites for a reliably great meal. 

– Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader

Last week, I started my first graduate school class. When the professor announced in the first class that we would be watching a documentary, I jokingly thought to myself, “Maybe this grad school thing would be easier than I thought!”

The 2002 documentary, The Stone Reader, is the story of two men - Mark Moskowitz and Dow Mossman. Moskowitz is a filmmaker and a great lover of books. As a teenager, he read a New York Times book review of Stones of Summer by Dow Mossman. He attempted several times in his life to get through the book, but he never could — until the late 1990s. He once again picked up his copy and started reading. This time, he was inspired. He loved the book and looked for more books by Mossman. He found nothing; no record of Mossman — it was as if he vanished off the face of the earth after his first critically-acclaimed novel failed to find success.

The Stone Reader is about Moskowitz’s quest to track down Mossman and find out what happened. The documentary chronicles virtually everyone involved in the book publishing process — from his teachers to his agent to the book critic to the publisher and book jacket designer. Moskowitz even interviews the photographer who took Mossman’s photo for the inside flap. Does he find Mossman? Well, I won’t give away the ending, but the documentary is a great choice for anyone who loves to read.

It also offers a glimpse into the life of authors. As these men and women put their hearts and souls into their characters and plots, they can begin to lose themselves. Many never achieve critical or monetary success, and sometimes the pressure is just too great. It’s more common than you think to have one-book authors. Some of the greats only wrote one book — look at Harper Lee and To Kill A Mockingbird. The documentary is just an overall look at reading, publishing and authors.

On Wednesday, J. D. Salinger, author of Catcher in the Rye, one of the most beloved and iconic books of all time, passed away at the age of 91. Salinger is a perfect example of the above. He followed with short stories and novellas. He refused movie options. And he went on to live a semi-reclusive life in New Hampshire.

Check out The Stone Reader if you have a chance. It offers the opportunity to take an inside peek at the literary world and gain a new perspective.

– Kim Krol, eFlyer editor, circulation and public relations executive

This weekend I am going to see The Lion King with my parents and boyfriend. When I learned that this will be my boyfriend, Sean’s, first Broadway show, I thought to myself of all of the shows I’ve ever seen: Jersey Boys, Wicked, Spamalot, Phantom of the Opera, Chicago, Rent and Les Miserables.

In sixth grade, before I ever had any interest in Broadway, I came home from school and started channel surfing until I came across a PBS special celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Broadway musical Les Miserables. The special was about halfway over, but I found myself completely mesmerized by the music. It was Eponine’s solo number, “On My Own,” sung by Filipino Broadway star Lea Salonga, that had me hooked. I was in love with the music and desperate to learn the whole story.

For about a week, PBS aired this special, and every day I would run home and try to catch it from the beginning so I could tape it on VHS. Each day I would tape a bit more and learn a little more of the plot until I finally had the entire performance on tape, available to view as much as I wanted. I watched it every day, learned the music and the story and shared it with my family. It wasn’t long until my parents and sister jumped on board with my new obsession. I bought a copy of Victor Hugo’s novel and started reading it.

Finally, one summer,  I was sitting in my room when my dad called me to the bottom of the stairs. I remember him taking a long pause and looking at me before he finally said, “We’re going to see Les Miserables on Broadway in New York.” I was speechless. I had never been to New York City, and I had never seen a Broadway show. The rest is history!

I can only hope that Sean’s first experience on Broadway will open his world to a whole new love of music and performance.

– Courtney Centeno, account executive

On April 25, 1976, the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Chicago Cubs in a game that was overshadowed by an act of patriotism by Cubs’ centerfielder Rick Monday. Monday saved the U.S. flag from being burned on the field by protesters. This heroic act catapulted Monday into the national spotlight.

On June 10, 2008, my friends and I were in Los Angeles for a game between the Cubs and Dodgers. I took the opportunity to interview Monday, who ironically became a broadcaster for the the Dodgers. I used that interview to produce a GT blog during the week of July 4th. Much to my surprise, the blog was read on the air by David Stein of Sporting News Radio.

Last Thursday, I was in New York for GT’s annual awards event. Midway through the night, my pants zipper broke. I returned to my room to try and fix the problem. After a few futile minutes, I gave up and put on jeans. I figured it was dark in the party room and I wasn’t the main focus anyway.

As I re-entered the party, I heard publisher Fran Gallagher make a comment about a blog, followed by a recording of Stein reading my blog on Rick Monday. I had no idea what was happening when Kim Krol (GT wunderkind) summoned me to the stage.

I arrived at the stage just as Fran announced me as the winner of the Globility award. Then I promptly tripped going up the stairs, only to have actor (and awards presenter) Terrence Howard save me from tumbling off the stage.

If you see any pictures of the moment and I look a bit stunned and disheveled, I was. Two weeks ago I wrote about meeting Terrence Howard. I had no idea it would be under these circumstances.

Fran Gallagher defines globility as: the quality of being open to world of cultures and experiences. I can honestly say, writing this blog has definitely given me plenty of wonderful experiences.

In a former professional life, Laurie encouraged me to take opportunities when presented with them. I took her advice in getting the interview with Monday. The experience turned out to be magical, ending with me accepting the Globility award.

I admit, Fran has been open to some of my offbeat blogs, although he ribs me incessantly about them. I hope I have rewarded his trust. I plan on continually seeking out interesting stuff. I am grateful for every reader and all comments.

– John Wroblewski, distribution specialist, blogger and Globility award winner