Vicki

a.k.a. Daniel
a.k.a. Danny Boy

Vicki is the successor to Kathy, our Garmin C330 that retired last year prior to the England trip. A versatile and reliable addition to the TRS family, Vicki was named after the robot on the television show Small Wonder (although the spelling is different since the acronym does not apply). Vicki is equipped with Bluetooth, an FM transmitter, an MP3 player, a photo viewer, text to speech, and maps of North America and Europe. She can also alter her voice to sound like her colleagues from around the world. Her favorite impersonation is her British counterpart, Daniel. I never leave home without her. Or him.

Hal Genovese

a.k.a. Halloween Genovese
a.k.a. Halapeno
a.k.a. Mr. Peno

Perhaps one of the most well known Road Scholars, Mr. Peno is certainly the most well traveled. I first met Hal when Jen brought him home from Barnes & Noble. It was after Halloween and since he was clad in an orange Jack-O-Lantern costume, he was on sale. It turns out the costume is permanent, so he's often seen wearing his blue "Daddy's Little All Star" onesie, which provides a more all-season Cosmopolitan look.

Hal is a consummate tourist and in addition to a multitude of domestic destinations, he has traveled abroad to England, Spain, Italy, Ireland, Greece, Turkey, Germany, and Austria. TRS is proud to consider him an official Road Scholar and I wouldn't be surprised to see a few books with his name on them sitting on the shelves of his Alma Mater someday soon.

Meghan Gamble

a.k.a. Nurse Meghan

a.k.a. Thelma

a.k.a. My High School Prom Date

It was tough deciding on just one picture for Meghan's TRS profile that embodies all of who she is.I could have used our prom picture, the one where I left my sunglasses on, at her request.  Or I could have used the one where she and cohort "Louise" came to visit me at Cal Poly, sporting purple nail polish and showing off the ability to tie a cherry with their tongues.  Or there's the most prevalent picture of Meghan I have, with her mouth wide open in an expression that says "that is SO not true!" Or how about the one of Meghan in Switzerland, wearing pajamas and glasses and painting her nails while a fellow CDE counselor lay beside her, passed out drunk?  Meghan is definitely one of our more...robust...Road Scholars.  She is also the world's greatest procrastinator, which is why I think this one sums her up nicely.  I took it while we vacationed together in Venice after our summer at TASIS.  While you can see Meghan calmly taking it all in, what you can't see is what she's supposed to be doing.  I can promise you it isn't what she's doing at the moment...ever.  TRS is tickled to count her among the ranks, the only Road Scholar with more stamps in her passport than me.

What Happens In Texas Was Lucky To Get Here In The First Place

Ever since we moved to Texas, we've noticed a bit of a lag in receiving mail from the United States Postal Service. It's most noticeable with greeting cards. An event will pass and a family member will call to ask us if we got the card. We'll say "no" and then about a week later the card will show up.

This lagging mail phenomenon (LMP) was most apparent earlier this year when my grandfather sent me a check. Actually, he ended up sending three checks. I have yet to receive two of them. Then, in May I went on a business trip to Macon, Georgia. Preparing for the trip, I noticed my corporate credit card was about to expire. I called the credit card company to find out when I would be receiving my new card: "Oh that would have gone out in March". They ended up canceling the card and issuing a new one.

We finally got that credit card that was sent in March. It came Friday. This is what happens to mail in Texas.



Here's the letter printed on the outside of the plastic bag they sent us our mail in. I've added my comments in parentheses.

Dear Postal Customer:

The enclosed was found loose in the mails or has been damaged in handling in the Postal Service (no kidding).

We realize your mail is important to you and you have every to expect it to be delivered intact and in good condition (I would certainly hope so!). The Postal Service makes every effort to properly handle the mail entrusted to it. However, occasional loss or damage may occur (ya think?).

Our organization handles over 177 billion pieces of mail annually, (and sometimes fire happens) and depends on mechanical systems to process this large volume. Loss and/or damage can occur if envelopes are not sealed, mail is insecurely enveloped, or envelopes contain bulky enclosures (did they just blame this on me?).

The Postal Service is committed to the improvement of our processing methods to minimize occurrences such as the enclosed (so do they carry fire extinguishers on their trucks now?). We appreciate your concern over the handling of your mail (concern? this isn't concerning, it's outrageous!) and sincerely regret the inconvenience you have experienced.

Sincerely,


MANAGER DISTRIBUTION OPERATIONS
San Antonio Processing & Distribution Center

Katerina Voitik

a.k.a "Kat"

Like my friend Teresa, I also met Kat at Cal Poly while working for ASI. In 2004, a year after I graduated, Kat decided to "study abroad" in New Orleans, Louisiana. Once again, I discovered a talent in one of my friends of which I was not previously aware. After a few of Kat's email updates to friends and family, I asked her if I could help with distribution. "Kat In The NO" was the first official "blog" TRS ever syndicated. I previously relied mainly on the email distribution list to tell my stories, sometimes posting the updates on the trs web site along with pictures. Kat In the NO introduced TRS to the blog format and we thank her for it. Ironically, a year later, Hurricane Katrina (which is how Katerina is pronounced by the way) would make a name for itself in the history books.

Read the Adventures of Kat In the NO

Teresa Hoffman

I met Teresa at Cal Poly working for Associated Students Incorporated (ASI). As graduation loomed closer for both of us, I began looking for a job and Teresa applied to the Peace Corps. As I departed for Lugano, Switzerland to work with very privileged children from around the world, Teresa left for Uganda to work with kids with some very different needs than what I would experience. Just before she left, Teresa started sending out Road Scholar style email updates to her friends and family.

I knew Teresa for five years before we parted ways, and I always knew she was an extraordinary person. What I didn't know is that she is also an extraordinary writer. After her first couple of updates, I asked her if she would mind allowing me to syndicate her updates to the TRS mailing list. As you might imagine, Teresa's experiences in Uganda tend to be quite different from my experiences in places like New Jersey or Lugano, but occasionally she does find herself in some very TRS style dilemmas--like the bank ATM that wouldn't let her have her money. All of her experiences will touch your heart and I recommend taking some time to read about Teresa's journey. She's never traveled personally with me or Chris, so I can't bestow official Road Scholar status on her, but Teresa is certainly the Most Honorable of the Honorary Road Scholars.

Read About Teresa In Uganda

Chris Pasley

Chris and I went to high school together in Southern California, but it wasn't until we got to college and roomed together Freshman year that we really became friends. Chris has the distinction of being the only other "original" Road Scholar. He helped kick off TRS with the Year 2000 Road Trip Extravaganza! in the summer of 2000. Since then, he has traveled with me in England and Spain, and been an avid supporter of all things TRS (he even wears his Y2KRTE shirt from time to time). You can read more about Chris in the About TRS section.