the Zoo Biz

The most important invention of the 20th century

2012-01-16T15:57:00.001-08:00

What is the most important invention of the 20th century? There are a handful of very obvious candidates: the computer, the cell phone, and the television. These were all clearly revolutionary devices that have changed the way we live our lives. Most notably they have all shrunk the world and been major factors in the way we receive information. Another obvious candidate is the Internet, which is difficult comprehend the scope of it's impact at such an early stage. However, I think a strong argument can be made for an invention that has changed our lives more than any of these items. In fact one might say that were it not for this invention the technological landscape as we know it would be vastly different. The item I am thinking is likely something you see on a daily basis, but do not interact with. You are directly affected by it's existence, but probably have never touched one. It's beauty does not lie in it's complexity, but rather it's simplicity. I am referring to the intermodal container. What is that, you ask? These are the standard sized, corrugated metal containers that travel by train, truck, and ship all over the world. In 1955 a former trucking company owner designed the first container and this design continues to be used today in ports around the world. Previously containers were made of wood and were difficult to stack. Malcolm McLean's container was certainly stronger than the wooden ones and solved the problem of how to lift containers securely by incorporating a simple locking mechanism on each of the containers eight corners. With the advent of containerization that was sturdy and reliable there would be a surge in imports and exports. "Made in China" might never have existed without the intermodal container or it at least wouldn't have existed at the price point that it does now.

A cultural experience

2011-12-31T17:17:00.000-08:00

The other day when we were on our way back from Los Angeles the HyWy, her brother, and I met her second cousin and his wife at a restaurant in Sunnyvale. Now this was a true cultural experience. This restaurant was some sort of cultural anomaly where different aspects of different cultures existed though not exactly in harmony. Upon entering the restaurant on the right side there was what could GENEROUSLY be described as a playpen, but in most people's perspective it would be a wooden jail. Imagine a small 3ft by 8ft rectangular space with wooden bars preventing kids from escaping. The inside of this wooden jail was filled with all manner of random toys. As a child I would look longingly at the play area in a McDonald's and it is safe to say that any child that comes to this restaurant looks on in fear as they are banished to the wooden jail. From there we sat down and waited for the rest of our party to join us. After a few minutes I realized I was having flashbacks of smokey dance clubs, I was holding my chai as though it was a vodka and sprite, and unknowingly I was bobbing my head. Alas not only were we in a suburban Indian snack restaurant frequented by families, but if you closed your eyes you were 21 in a hip hop dance club checking out members of the opposite sex while trying to look cool holding your horrible tasting adult beverage. You might wonder how they managed to transport us back to a time so long ago. The key was the music. No we weren't bumpin' to the oldies. Rather we were bumpin' to the latest reggaeton mixes from Pitbull (for those that don't know he's as unruly as his name suggests). Pitbull's lyrics are not family friendly, but they are under the radar enough that to unsuspecting aunties and uncles he comes across as that "funny sounding doggy rapper...no not that Snoopy man...the other one." For maximum effect repeat the part in quotes in your best Indian accent. Once our waiter arrived he took our order on an iPad, which they even used to run our credit card. The restaurant had an app for ordering, tracking, and payment all on one iPad. Lastly, I think that they must have spent all their money on their fancy wooden jail and iPad ordering system, because the lighting was literally falling off the wall. A whole number of sad looking tube lights clung to the wall like rock climbers hanging off of Half Dome. So there you have our Sunnyvale cultural experience. I encourage anyone who happens to be in the area (Joker and Mrs. Joker) to stop by.

Should everything be for sale?

2011-12-28T17:20:00.000-08:00

Almost two months ago I attended a Saturday lecture series with my dad at Stanford where one of the topics was about the ethics and morality of markets. The basic question that was posed was whether everything should be for sale. The speaker talked about how in some country a cheating person can pay a service to provide an alibi to their spouse or significant other about where they were on a particular night. There were other examples, but this idea came to mind last weekend while the HyWy, her brother, and I were in Los Angeles. We went to a theme park and as is the trend in theme parks everywhere these days you can buy passes for the front of the line. I'm surprised this revenue stream didn't exist when we were younger. Back then everyone waited in the same line and the only people that went faster were those that got there earlier. It seems that once the park squeezed the last bit of money they could they invented a new way to get more money by having people pay to cut in front of others.

At what point will everything cease to be for sale? I wonder if one day police officers will carry around credit card machines to allow traffic law violators to pay on the spot with a credit card (so there is no possibility of bribery) and if they do so they could pay less money than those who wait for a court date and/or traffic school. I guess if people are willing to pay for something a market will be created.

The Help

2011-12-07T20:51:00.001-08:00

I just finished reading The Help last week and I thought that the book was very well written and seemed to do a good job of documenting the lives of its characters. Our copy of the book suggests a rather long comparison to To Kill A Mockingbird, but I don't think this book is anywhere near that level. The stories and characters evoke comparison, but Harper Lee's writing was something else all together. There were times that I felt like Kathryn Stockett was a big bogged down in the details when she could have been focusing on the characters and emotions more. There has been some controversy around the book being a "feel good white girl's" story and I think that definitely applies to the movie, but not so much the book. One suggestion was to balance the book with a reading of Eudora Welty's Where Is The Voice Coming From?. I thought that was an interesting exercise as both Stockett and Welty present different views of the same historical event, the murder of Medgar Evers.

The thing that stuck with me through everything, ultimately, was what an evil woman Hilly Holbrook was. Without going into detail Hilly Holbrook is the main antagonist in the story (it could be argued that society was the main antagonist) and to put it mildly she is a bitch. I have no doubt that people as racist as she was and worse were present in Jackson at that time, but what really made her despicable was how conniving and manipulative she was. A friend asked whether the book was violent or had any sexual abuse in it and I told her no, but I felt like the actions of the women to each other was harder to read. For some reason the emotional torment that people exact upon each other is far more difficult to cope with than the physical torment. In the end I was left feeling that in my personal literary history Hilly Holbrook is likely one of the top 10 worst villains.

In a way I feel bad that my primary takeaway from the story was the misdeeds of a white woman when the worst part was the mistreatment of the black maids.

Do you understand Love?

2011-12-07T20:36:00.001-08:00

It has been quite a while since I have posted and I have certainly had the itch to write. It's been obvious that something has been missing for me, but the problem is that I just haven't found anything to write about. I didn't want to force a post. Today, however, the HyWy posed an interesting epiphany that she didn't truly understand love. I thought about that and it occurred to me that I think I have an understanding of romantic love, but what about Love in the broader sense? The Love that we hold for those we know and don't know. The Love that I try to give to the universe.

I never put much thought into the distinction between romantic love and Love. A sensible question might be what is there to understand? The two types of love are the same in that they are given and received unconditionally. They aren't truly the same though. Romantic love is rooted in our feelings for each other. It develops, grows, and (unfortunately) can be lost. Love on the other hand is in all of us (some more than others). I believe that Love is born within everyone and in some it develops, but in others it is buried. Not everyone may have the good fortune of spending the rest of their lives with someone that they have a romantic love with and this can easily sound depressing. Everyone has the power to find the Love within themselves no matter how deep. Reading what I am writing I feel like I sound like a self help guru or some wavy person espousing an abstract theory. I believe that Love is rooted in unconditional acceptance and selflessness. Further thinking is required in order to truly understand it, but this is just the beginning.

The tradeoff

2011-11-04T18:36:00.001-07:00

My coworker and I are working on a project where we have to calculate the amount of natural gas that is discharged to the atmosphere whenever a compressor station (or part of it) has to be blown down, which has led us to some interesting findings. A blow down occurs when work needs to be done on part of a station and the pipeline and/or equipment needs to be purged of it's natural gas. The gas can't feasibly be collected and used as the profit to expense ratio won't justify it. As a result the gas will be released to the atmosphere. This raised some interesting questions. Most importantly how relevant is the quantity of gas that is released. Without getting into the specific numbers what we found out is that the quantity of gas released is 3300 times less than the daily methane production of the world's termite population. It is also far far less than the global cow population's methane emission. What we need to calculate is how many cows or termites equate to the amount of methane a blow down emits.

This led to a conversation between my coworker and I about the effectiveness of hybrid cars. We found out that 16 supertankers (the huge quarter mile long ships with a capacity of 14,000 containers) emit enough sulphur as the entire global car population. Now I know there are likely questions about whether the time frame of this, but I don't know if that matters. A lot can be gleaned from this statistic. The most obvious things that I take are that if we want to save the world it won't be through the purchase of a hybrid car, but rather through the consumption of local products. Naturally there are things (most obviously electronics), which are difficult to source locally. However, there are the obvious things that are consumed in higher quantities (clothing, cosmetics, paper products, etc.) that are relatively easy to source locally. What is the point in getting a hybrid if everything you purchase is made in China? At that point you are probably doing more harm than good, but you feel good about it driving around in your hybrid. Another side to the hybrid story is that the amount of toxic materials that go into producing the batteries negates the benefit of better gas mileage. That's where the question of the tradeoff comes into play. Is it better to produce gas or produce toxic batteries? It's not a simple answer. Certainly not buying hybrids won't change much, because the cadmium and lithium used in their batteries is used in computers, cellphones, tablets, TVs, and video game systems all of which are incredibly disposable. Even recycling is increasingly questionable when our recycled paper is shipped to China (on one of the supertankers) to make new paper products. Still I stand by the idea that recycling electronics and buying locally (as much as possible) are the best places to start.

The Wire

2011-10-03T21:19:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend I finished the last episode of the last season of HBO's The Wire. It was an amazing series to say the least. They did what I always say a series should do and that is kill strong characters. During Lost I made a strong case that it would show a real commitment to pushing the audience's emotions by getting rid of one of the favorite characters and my friends would give me a hard time. Lost did it in a sense when they wrote off one of my favorite characters and I think that episode was incredible. The Wire did this repeatedly as some of my favorite characters were written out, met untimely demises, or had other misfortunes fall upon them. That was what made the show so amazing. They were willing to take those risks as writers. The story I read was that one actor was told they had good and bad news for him when they gave him the role. They said that your character only gets X number of episodes (the bad news), but the wrote an amazing death for the character (the good news). In the end there were some happy endings and several sad endings. One of the sad endings really left me feeling empty as the character was so human and giving, but in the end life doesn't recognize the beauty in people when it gives and takes. The best part about The Wire was that it told stories about the lives of people. It did this without sugar coating, without glamorizing, and without protecting us. The show raises a number of interesting questions and issues. For example, if there is no violence from drug dealing then is it still bad? Or how far can one person push a city until they demand answers? There are so many more, but I don't want to give away too much. Let me know if you decide to jump into the show.

We are the 99 Percent

2011-10-03T20:37:00.001-07:00

I stumbled upon this website the other day. Reading the posts on this site breaks my heart. I don't know what to say much less what to think. I feel selfish, but one of the only things I think is to be grateful for everything we have. I can safely say we are NOT the 1%, but I'm confident that we are not nearly as bad off as the people posting to this site. The scariest part about the economic situation today is that people across all demographics are affected.

Have "they" won?

2011-09-14T22:55:00.001-07:00

About two years ago I wrote a post about the experience of being racially profiled. I don't know if I was actually racially profiled, but that was what it felt like. The post was really about whether I was willing to undergo that kind of treatment in return for the "heightened" security that it would supposedly bring. Two years later I'm reconsidering my position.

In the last few weeks I have read two articles that have made me really think about what it means to be terrorized. I have never been afraid to fly. I wasn't afraid to fly before September 11th, I wasn't afraid to fly one month after the attacks, and I wasn't afraid nearly 10 years after the attacks. After reading about one woman's ordeal on a flight this year on September 11th I realized that while I haven't been afraid of an attack what I am afraid of is being profiled and the aftermath of that. The aftermath of being wrongfully profiled is that you are in the system and this will be on your record. This is does not just go on your record, but it also has the potential to affect your family. Another story about the mall cops at the Mall of America in Minneapolis profiling those who are behaving suspiciously mentioned that though innocent the 11 page report on 'suspects' will remain in the "records for decades".

In the wake of September 11th many of stated that the fear that paralyzes Americans from traveling is a sign that the terrorists won. I don't agree. What scares me more is the potential to end up having my life turned upside down, my wife and parents having their lives turned upside down, and all for nothing after which we are for the rest of our lives "persons of interest". What is the solution to dispelling this fear? Better intelligence? A rational thought process before assuming that three random brown people sitting next to each other on a plane are suspicious? At what point does rationality give way to complacency? Does the evidence guide the suspicion or is the instinct the guide? I don't know the answers to these questions, but what I do know is that now as a young(ish) brown man I have second thoughts about flying and IT IS NOT because of terrorists, but rather because of the climate of fear perpetuated by the media, the government, and the misguided assumptions of fellow citizens.

The Voice of Westwood One

2011-09-10T14:18:00.000-07:00

If you listen to sports radio or the standard album rock station in any major city chances are you've heard "The Voice". On sports radio The Voice does the voiceover imaging for the NFL on Westwood One. On album rock stations The Voice does voiceover work for most major monster truck shows. In other places around the country there are other promos that you'll find The Voice, but these are the most prominent ones that I can think of. The Voice has the deepest most unnatural sounding voice I have ever heard. Clearly The Voice undergoes extensive processing to make this completely bizarre voice. I first noticed The Voice last year during the start of March Madness and thought about how odd it was to use. My speculation on the marketing director's thinking is that the deep unnatural voice works with big manly sports like football or monster trucks. The funny part is that today I heard a promo with The Voice for a show dedicated to fantasy football picks. My disdain for fantasy football is something for another post, but using The Voice seems like beyond overkill. Why does there need to be an overly deep voice talking about how to pick starters for fantasy football? Maybe I should get The Voice to do my voicemail.

10 years later

2011-09-10T12:39:00.001-07:00

How the world has changed in ten years. Ten years ago one could go to an airport gate and watch loved ones arrive and depart. Today dropping or picking someone up at the airport amounts to little more than a drive through. Ten years ago terms such as TSA, Homeland Security, and threat level did not exist in the minds of the majority of the population. Today these words affect everyone who travels anywhere by plane. Ten years ago we the major effect on the global economy was the technology bubble bursting. Today the technology bubble is but a figment of our imagination as the real estate bubble burst, the banking crisis, the European debt crisis, the American debt crisis, and the general economic decline all dominate the conversation. Ten years ago the last war of memory was a short lived one in the early 90s, Desert Storm, brought by Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. Today a whole generation has grown up in the shadow of the War on Terrorism, the War in Afghanistan, and the War in Iraq. Ten years ago if your skin was brown it wasn't of much distinction. Today if your skin is brown you might hear comments such as, "are you one of those Iraqis?" Or, "do you know any terrorists?" Ten years ago families lost loved ones, friends lost each other, and a generation lost it's innocence. Today many have moved on and many are trying to move on.

External monotony tempered by internal evolution

2011-09-02T09:26:00.000-07:00

The HyWy and I were exchanging some emails the other day and we got on the topic of monotony in our daily lives. Interestingly as a working professional one of the things we most rely on is routine, but at the same time it is one of our greatest enemies in the fight to enjoy what we do. For example, we often rely on routines to ensure that we do everything that needs doing from chores to tasks at work, because it makes our lives easier and more organized. Conversely if we submit to the routine so much our lives feel boring and bland. "All I do is go to work, come home, eat, and go to bed. My life is so boring." To break up the routine we will take classes, hang out with friends, go out, go on vacations, go to the movies, etc. I just spoke with someone after a long time and they told me that nothing is going on in their just typical family life and the family routine. The weariness was evident in their voice. This made me think about what is stagnant in our lives: our external circumstances or our internal evolution?

My parents are going to an abbey in Europe for a day and that got me thinking about the monastic life. Arguably the monastic life is the most externally boring lifestyle, especially from the perspective of a fast paced city living corporate type. After all the monastic life from the physical standpoint is not very different from the corporate drone working, eating, and sleeping. The major difference is the presence of internal evolution. The corporate drone doesn't feel this and attributes it's absence to the monotony in their life. Knowing that there are spiritual giants out there that live equally if not more mundane lives than me makes me realize that the thing I fear most is not daily monotony, but internal stagnancy. To that end I think the way to promote internal evolution is through cultural experiences, continued education, and new experiences. The obvious question being if we use these opportunities for individual growth then how does a monastic grow considering they are often not afforded these opportunities. I would argue that they don't need opportunities for growth, but that they grow by being. Ultimately reaching that state would be my goal in this lifetime or the next.

The mindful pedestrian

2011-09-02T08:29:00.001-07:00

The other day while driving with the HyWy I noticed something that really annoys me and the HyWy suggested that I blog it. As I write this I feel like I have written about it before, but I can't find the post. Anyways I can't stand it when a pedestrian runs to cross at a crosswalk, but then walks at the critical moment. For example you are stopped at a red light and the crosswalk timer is running out. Approximately 2-3 seconds from running out a pedestrian runs to the intersection. In this example the road is say 2 lanes each side and a median so it will take about 10 seconds to cross. Once in the intersection the pedestrian strolls on through the intersection ignoring the fact that the light has turned green and now cars are waiting to move on. The pedestrian ran to start crossing the street, but then walked at the critical moment (when the cars were waiting). Naturally there are plenty of exceptions to this (elderly or disabled people moving slowly through an intersection), but there are a number of situations where this happens just as I have described. An addendum to this that I see all the time is when a car is waiting to turn right and a pedestrian crosses half the crosswalk in a straight line and then the other half walks diagonally such that they reach a point farther down the sidewalk than if they had continued in a straight line. I have done this, but try to avoid doing this if there is a car waiting on me so I understand why one would do it. However, when there is a car waiting the pedestrian is essentially taking the longest route to the sidewalk so the car has to wait the longest time possible.

Now by no mean am I saying that drivers are always in the right or for that matter that I'm always doing the right thing as a pedestrian or driver. These are just two situations I encounter regularly enough that they make me pause and think. They make me think enough that I try to be mindful of the drivers when I'm a pedestrian keeping in mind the things that annoy me.

2011-08-18T21:22:00.001-07:00

In the interest of full disclosure the following post is not necessarily about anyone, but rather the broader spectrum of people that I have encountered. It is written from a space of frustration, but not impulsively and thus has been thought about several times before the writing. Lastly it might offend you.

Which is better: a fake person who is worried only about whether they hurt your feelings or someone who is real but doesn't necessarily tell you what you want to hear? By better I mean, which do I prefer. I prefer someone who doesn't sugarcoat what they tell me. If I'm in a bad mood or going through something and they are happy I don't want them to listen to me because they feel bad for me. I don't want to talk to someone just because they think I'll feel bad if they tell me they don't want to be brought down by me. I'd rather someone tell me that they are really on top of the world right now and don't want to listen to me. I might tell them I don't like that or that they've further pissed me off, but at least I won't be venting to someone that is just nodding their head in aimless approval. Feelings though important are irrelevant if someone is not genuine. To be fake disrespects me and if I'm disrespected what difference does it make how I feel? I want my friends to be there genuinely. Not all of my friends are like that. I'm not going to call anyone out nor am I going to tell people if they are being fake. Everyone has the opportunity to be real with me. If what I'm going through in my life is hard for one to understand or doesn't interest them or whatever then tell me. I'd rather know that and keep that in mind than believe that someone really cares. Frankly in this day everyone is so busy that the extent of hanging out amounts to a beer and catching up. I want more than that. I care about what my friends are going through in their lives and I want others to care about what is going on in my life. I don't want to have the same mundane conversation: we went here, we did this, we saw this, we read this, and we are going to do this. Do people really care about what is going on my life? Or do people just want to know where I travel, what movies I watch, and what books I read?

The Rollercoaster

2011-08-14T17:51:00.000-07:00

The anticipation as we head to the unknown.

The fear of what the outcome may hold.

The anxiety in the middle when there is no turning back.

The sadness at the end knowing the ride is over.

This is no rollercoaster.

This is life.

Roads? Where we're going we don't need...Roads.

2011-08-06T08:52:00.000-07:00

Last night a big group of us went to see Back to the Future at the Paramount in Oakland. I hadn't seen the whole movie in a long time, but I would say that it along with Indiana Jones and Star Wars were the defining movies of my childhood. There are some others such as Blues Brothers, but that came out when I was too young to remember the rest of these released within my recollection. Anyways I was nervous to go see a movie that I had such fond memories of, because in the past when watching childhood favorites again they fail to move one in the way they did as a child. Back to the Future exceeded any expectations I had. I think it was actually better now than it was when I was a kid. The jokes were funnier. There were references that made more sense. There was dialogue that I understood. For example, as a kid I would always ask my parents what a 'reefer addict' was and they would say a drug addict. It never made sense, because in my school drug class we never heard about reefer. This wasn't an integral part of the movie, but something that stuck out. The HyWy made a good point about seeing the movie as adults we can understand how Marty goes back in time and his perspective on his parents changes. Along with the things that were experienced differently there were the things that were still cool if not cooler this time around. The skateboard chase and the Johnny B Goode scenes were hands down my favorites as a kid and I'm happy to report that they were just as cool today. I was surprised how much of the dialog and little details I still remembered. So after walking out of that theater I remembered what it was like to be a 10 year old that thought Marty was the coolest guy.

RIP Big Man

2011-07-31T15:13:00.000-07:00

This post is a month or two late, but I wasn't sure where this photo was. About 10 years ago a I started getting into Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. I ended up seeing them in concert about 3-4 times over several years. I remember being in awe of Clarence 'the Big Man' Clemons. He seemed to have a larger than life stature. He was the epitome of cool. He always dressed cool and had the swagger to go with it. At the shows everyone loved him. His solos were great and he always got the biggest applause. I never expected to meet him, but there he was a few years ago at a Grammy Event that I was volunteering at. I was a bit surprised that he wasn't significantly taller than me, but he was definitely larger than me. We didn't chat or anything, but he was incredibly nice and obliging. I was very impressed at how cordial and friendly he was. He was one of the few rock stars that I have met in person and he a far nicer person than I would have imagined. In mourning his passing many are thinking of the loss of a great musician, but I mourn the loss of a great person.

The latest

2011-07-24T10:09:00.001-07:00

After having dinner with our homies the other night I thought I should post periodic updates on the blog of the latest movies, music, and books that I'm into . There was a point that I would post brief reviews of things I had read or watched, but I haven't done that in a while. So thanks to our friends (shout out to the Bel-town Crew!) for the inspiration for this post.

Books

-Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman - After reading (and posting) about Gaiman's Sandman series I picked this series of short stories on a whim. Fair warning several stories in this collection are quite sexually graphic. However, what I liked most about it was that Gaiman tells adult versions of childhood fairytales. These are fairytales without happy endings or told with a darker twist. The stories were short and very fulfilling so it made for good reading when I was constantly picking up and putting the book down.

-A Murder of Quality by John Le Carre - Growing up I heard a lot about John Le Carre from my parents and recently I saw a preview for the film version of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, which reintroduced him in my mind. This was the first and smallest John Le Carre book I found so I started with it. Unlike the bulk of his writing, which is spy novels this was a murder mystery. It was very interesting and flowed well. The plot was simple and straightforward, but that allowed me to focus on Le Carre's writing style. The style is methodical and detailed, which also allows the suspense to build as one feels they are there.

-The Triple Agent: The al-Qaeda Mole who Infiltrated the CIA by Joby Warrick - I heard about this on the radio and it's the next book on the horizon. The title is pretty self explanatory, but the book is apparently exhaustively researched and tells the story in greater detail than the CIA report of the event that left 7 agents dead.

Movies

-Whip It - We just saw this last night and it was a good movie. It was a standard feel good lighthearted movie with a happy ending about a girl, Ellen Page, who gets into roller derbies.

-Black Swan - This is the ballet movie with all the press from last year. The plot was very strange and the movie was a bit slow. Natalie Portman, however, killed it with her performance. I love Natalie Portman and this is one of her best performances that I can recall.

-Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest - A documentary about the legendary hip hop band. From what I hear it is good for non hip hoppers as it has a good humanistic angle also. The soundtrack is a throwback to the 'golden era' of hip hop so I'm excited for this.

-Harry Potter - The last Harry Potter was the best in my opinion. Well that is the last two. This movie felt incomplete and I think that is because it was. It together with the first part was one movie that had to be split at some point, but that aside the two movies together are the best of the series. They are both dark and intense serving as the perfect final showdown.

Music

-Thievery Corporation - I'm excited to see this duo in concert again. I don't know how to explain them. They span a wide variety of genres: dub, acid jazz, Indian Classical, hip hop, Middle Eastern, etc. They have a rotating group of singers and musicians on stage with them as they perform with a lounge groove.

-The California Honeydrops - My old coworker heard this group at a bar and said they were good. I have to look into them, but I'm sold when I saw that they are into R&B, gospel, New Orleans jazz, and blues.

-Esperanza Spalding - The first jazz musician to win a best new artist Grammy. I listened to some of her stuff when she got her Grammy last year and I'm intrigued. She is coming to town and tickets are 20 dollars, which is enough to get me in the door.

Silence is golden

2011-07-24T09:23:00.000-07:00

While on the road last week something that was definitely absent from my life was silence. One might think that spending several days in a small town by one's self would provide ample opportunities for silence, but unfortunately that wasn't the case. At my job site I was surrounded by heavy machinery and industrial equipment constantly running. During the drive to and from work I without fail had the air conditioner on high almost the whole way. Once I returned to the hotel I had the air conditioner on the entire night, because if I turned it off for any amount of time the heat would slowly creep back into the room. In the end the only place with quiet was when I returned home to all the usual distractions of daily life.

The evolution of field work

2011-07-21T08:53:00.001-07:00

While making my not too long, but often quiet journey to my site I reflected on how similar this experience is compared to trips my dad would make to a site in Tonopah, Nevada. There are many similarities: long drives, hot weather, long days, and many nights in hotels. There is one major difference: connectivity. The world has changed so much since the early 80s and it is when I’m in a remote location that I appreciate the change the most. Today I have a GPS to navigate me to my hotel and site. Today I have a cell phone to talk to people as I drive. Today I have a satellite radio system to listen if I lose the terrestrial radio signal. Today I have my laptop and wireless adapter to bring my office with me wherever I go. Today I have a digital camera to instantly show coworkers what the work looks like and they can mark up my photos with changes that we can do the next day. Today I have video chat (though I haven’t used it) to talk with the HyWy if I wanted. If anything my trip is a lot more cushy than my dad’s. I certainly have a newfound respect for his trips to Tonopah, Nevada.

A return "home"

2011-07-21T08:52:00.000-07:00

At some point during or after my travels to Arizona it occurred to me that I had returned to the state of my birth for the first time since leaving (not counting layovers in an airport). This isn’t exactly the homecoming I envisioned, but it’ll do for now. I don’t know how many people reading my blog understand what Arizona is like, but I’ll try to paint a picture based on my limited view. Arizona has a very unique natural beauty. It has the desert landscape that the southwest is known for, but at the same time it also had some water areas that are equally beautiful. The town that I’m staying in reminds me of Daytona Beach or Panama City (both in Florida) in that it primarily survives on the vacationing public. I’ve seen license plates from as far away as Mississippi. There are a lot of over tanned large people wearing tank tops and flip flops. That might seem a bit judgmental or even stereotypical, but that is what I see. One thing I find ironic is when I go into a bar it is hard to find something other than ‘domestic’ or ‘all American’ beers. Coming from the Bay Area I love my microbrews and local beer. The beers of choice out here are Miller, Coors, and Budweiser. I wonder if everyone who talks about only drinking a ‘good old American’ beer realizes that all three of those brands are now owned by two multinational conglomerates that also own a whole host of other very recognizable brands. Another thing I noticed out here and I was very excited to see was an actual roadrunner. Yes I was definitely thinking about Coyote and Roadrunner cartoons. Needless to say the roadrunner in reality is a very underwhelming little bird, but he did move quite fast as he skittered across the road. Just as I lost track of him I noticed that he even had the little tuft of feathers sticking up like in the cartoons. So my brief and limited view of Arizona.

The end of an era

2011-07-16T09:00:00.001-07:00

As we prepare to go to see the final Harry Potter film today I can't help but think back on 'pre Harry Potter' days. I remember the first time I heard about Harry Potter was around when the first movie came out. Being in my final year of college I wasn't connected enough to the demographic that Harry Potter was directed toward to have been aware of the books prior to that. A friend was well aware of the movie and as such I got sucked into the world. I don't remember when I first started reading the series, but I remember reading the first several books in rapid succession as they were all available in paperback. Over the next ten years we (the audience) have had the remarkable opportunity to literally watch as the actors and characters grow up in front of our eyes. I don't think anything on this scale has ever occurred in cinematic history where literally millions of people have been present to follow this change. There is an entire generation of Harry Potter children who were probably in elementary school when the first book came out and are now in college, but this defines their childhood. During my childhood the closest thing to this was Star Wars, but even that spanned only a few years and the actors were all adults. Recently an article I read pointed out that unlike many series the Harry Potter series will stand the test of time, because it exists in it's own world and as a result is constrained by dating itself with fashion or gadgetry of the moment. I look forward to the day when I might be able to read the Harry Potter series to someone in the next generation of fans.

In the presence of life

2011-07-16T07:42:00.001-07:00

Yesterday a group of friends and ourselves had the opportunity to bear witness to an acquaintance's final moments. This person is someone whom we have carpooled with numerous times to Wednesday nights and as a result of the two hour roundtrip journey have spent a significant amount of time with. She is nearing the end of a fight with cancer. As we discussed going I told the HyWy that I was somewhat nervous and scared having not been in the presence of a person in this position, but at the same time I acknowledged that whether I was scared was irrelevant we were going to provide peace and comfort for someone as they prepared to transition. I was incredibly moved by the entire experience during which this person was asleep the entire time and we listened to her spiritual friend explain what she was going through. I realized how incredibly humbling it is to be in one's presence at that moment in their life as they are sharing (consciously or unconsciously) the final moments of an entire lifetime with our little group. To see someone so physically weakened, but (from what I'm told) mentally very strong and cognizant means to me that she is aware that people are seeing her at her most vulnerable. I don't know if everyone would be willing to be seen in their most vulnerable moments, but I realized that the benefits of being surrounded by good people outweigh the discomfort at them seeing you in that moment. I know for certain that we will find ourselves in this position again in our lifetime and I hope it is not anytime soon, but I take comfort in the fact that I learned a lot about life and that will help me the next time around.

Even bugs want shade

2011-07-13T19:01:00.002-07:00

It’s 5AM and I drag myself out of bed to go to work. My morning ritual is considerably shorter since I don’t shower. What’s the point? In less than 4 hours I will be sweating so much that the shower will be but a distant memory. As I smear myself with sunscreen I develop a new appreciation for those that work in extreme locations. I’m only on my second day of work in the blistering Arizona desert heat and I can’t imagine how people do this on a daily basis. The ‘cold’ spell that is coming through means the temperature is 100F at a minimum. As I drive to work I think this is the first time in my life that I’ve relished the morning hours. The 5AM to 11AM (maybe noon) time is the best part of the day. The afternoon is the absolute worst. My job is to wait until someone has a question or needs me. So if my day is uneventful that means no one had problems or questions, which in a sense is a good thing. For my sanity it’s a bad thing. Extreme temperatures combined with nothing to do give someone a lot of time to just think. Yesterday as we grabbed a moment’s rest in the shade I noticed the crickets scatter as we walked over. Then after we had sat down they slowly inched their way back until they were just out of the sunlight. Out here even the bugs look for shade.

My 'gay' socks

2011-07-13T19:01:00.001-07:00

I’m sitting in at the restaurant bar in complete exhaustion after my first day on site. It’s been 12 hours, I feel disgusting, and I’m barely awake. I’d love a beer, but I’m so exhausted the thought isn’t very exciting. All I want is my food to come, to go take a shower, and to go to bed. The bar has a constant flow of regulars and the barmaid banters jovially with each. She keeps an eye on me and periodically directs conversation my way to make sure I’m still awake. Leaving the bar is a group of four people: two husbands and two wives. One of the husbands tells the barmaid that his daughter was mocking his dark socks pulled halfway up his shins with his dark sneakers. He proceeds to tell the barmaid that he was instructed to roll/push them down and that is how they should be worn. Upon doing this we are treated to the farmer tan caused by spending the whole day outside with socks pulled up. The barmaid intervenes and points out that since he’s worn them all day pulled up they should be pulled up. His wife notices me and asks my opinion observing that I seem like someone who “knows how to dress”. Bear in mind that I’m wearing jeans, work boots, and a grey long sleeve shirt. The husband asks whether he should be wearing “gay socks that come to my ankles and have little balls on the back of them”. In a fit of embarrassment the wife begins to chastise the husband out of fear of having offended the outsider, myself. I can’t keep myself from laughing at the situation and I agree that he should wear ankle socks. The husband keeps referring to them as “gay socks” and the wife continues apologizing while saying “ not that there is anything wrong with it.” I’m certainly not in the Bay Area anymore and it’s hysterical.

Safety is our number 1 priority

2011-07-13T19:01:00.000-07:00

The site I’m working at is a natural gas compressor station just in California across the Colorado River from Arizona. One third of the natural gas demands for the ENTIRE state of California flow through this station. To say this is a critical location is putting it mildly. The safety precautions that one takes when working around natural gas are quite interesting. For example when trenches need to be dug for pipelines on site no mechanical equipment can be used. Yes you read that correctly. No front loaders, no dozers, nothing. All the digging is done by hand. Not just done by hand, but using only shovels. They can’t even use a pickaxe if the going gets tough. The reason being the danger of hitting an existing line. The crew I’m with dug several hundred feet of trench that way over a 3 month span. On the opposite end of the spectrum natural gas crews routinely WELD on a gas line that is in operation, which is called hot tapping. This is based on the idea that in order for fire to exist three things must be in place: fuel, an ignition source, and a spark. With two of three there is no fire. For example, you can create sparks all day in air and you get no fire. Conversely you can run a gas burner all you want, but without the spark you don’t get the fire. So what the welders do is weld on the line as long as there is no gas escaping. This is difficult to imagine, but a spark in a line full of gas will not cause an explosion. Sometimes safety comes in an unexpected way.

Sin City

2011-07-13T19:00:00.000-07:00

As I walk to claim my bags my two of my five senses are assaulted. There are enormous monitors everywhere flashing ads for shows, there are flashing lights coming from the slot machines, there are sirens and whistles blowing to announce winners, and then there are the usual airport announcements. I can’t help but wonder in amazement that there must be such a market for gambling that there are slot machines in the baggage claim and rental car center. I rarely spend more than a half hour in both locations and my only concern is getting out of there. Yet here are devices that are specifically designed to keep you there.

Las Vegas is an interesting town. Every time I visit I am perplexed by its existence. It truly is a giant playground.

When I rent my car I check the radio and hear nothing, but that is expected as the rental car center is underground. Once I hit the freeway I’m dismayed to find out that in a city full of noise at all hours I’ve found the silence in the one place I don’t want it: my car. My speakers are not working or not connected properly. Alas it’s 7pm and all I want to do is get to the hotel. I think of all my friends who upon hearing of my solo travels encouraged me to keep an iPod with me to play music. What does one do in this situation? With iPhones I’m sure everyone has their music on their cell phone so they would likely just listen that way. Pandora won’t work out in the middle of nowhere. I’m lucky if I have a cell phone signal. Once again I’m left alone with my thoughts, which are broken up as I call friends and family. The drive back should be more quiet as it will be too early to call anyone. There is definitely something enjoyable about hitting an open road that is not an interstate and just driving.

To get to my job site I have to drive a stretch of Route 66. I’ve never done this before and I didn’t expect my first time would come in this way. Route 66 is synonymous with road trips and music. After driving down from Vegas with no radio this is one moment I miss some rock and roll. The road is quite bumpy and rough. It runs almost parallel to the interstate in this area. One of the days on my way from the site I will stop and imagine what it was like 50 or 60 years ago when the route was in its heyday.

Reflections on Idaho

2011-07-02T09:51:00.001-07:00

After almost a month of being back I just emailed out my photos from my Idaho trip. I sent the link pretty quickly so I couldn't figure out who to send it to...what I'm saying is if you want to see them holla at me.

The last month has given me ample time to reflect on why I took the trip and what I thought of Idaho. There have been many questions about why Idaho and I think the best answer I have is that with the exception to Montana I have been to every state around Idaho (Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, Nevada, and Utah) and they were all beautiful so it stood to reason that the same would be true for Idaho. Idaho was nothing short of amazing. Outside of extreme sports people most people don't make a conscious decision to visit Idaho and as a result it was very 'empty'. Often I would drive on roads for an hour or two and not see anyone. After a hike one morning I had lunch overlooking an enormous valley, which I think probably looks exactly the same as it did 150 years ago when the pioneers came through. I loved the solitude and tranquility of being out on the road.

More than anything I was amazed at how much I enjoyed traveling on my own. There was much discussion and concern (by my mom) about what I was going to do on my own. The truth is that I wasn't really on my own. I had plenty of company at night when I would get back from my travels and go out to eat with my hosts. I loved the freedom of being out on my own. The first chance I got when driving from Boise to Twin Falls to make a random choice and take a local farm road I jumped on it. It's not that when traveling with the HyWy I can't make random choices as much as we make them together. It's hard to explain to others that have never done it.

By the time the trip ended I was ready to come home and 'rejoin' society, but not before deciding that I want to take this type of a trip every year. Perhaps next year I will go somewhere even more random like North Dakota:).

Unraveling the 'secret' code

2011-06-23T19:06:00.001-07:00

In the interest of full disclosure this post has nothing very secretive divulged in it.

In my new position I do work for a major utility company. As a part of one of our projects we are doing a number of installations around the area that involve unearthing buried pipelines. I have never done pipeline work in an urban area so I didn't know what it would entail as far as permitting. One of the major things that we have to do is develop a traffic plan (i.e. how will traffic flow when we rip up the street), but before we can do that we have to figure out where we are going to work. We have an approximate idea, but often times there are so many other buried things in the area that it pays to do some additional backchecking. For example, I have a situation where we might have to shut down part of an intersection (not a major one), but we also might able to do the work in the shoulder. We need to get a better feel of where our line is and as it turns out where other buried things (fiber optic, sewage lines, water lines, electricity, jet fuel, etc.) are located. It turns out in order to figure out where other things are you call a service "USA". They are a consolidator that keeps track of who has underground things in what area. So after you call them they tell their subscriber list that you are going to dig in that area. You've seen the 'call before you dig' signs? Well those call USA. After the call you mark your digging area and then the various other companies send representatives to mark their lines or whatever is underground. So now we are at the point of this post. I've always walked around urban areas and seen spray painted markings on the ground. They are in different colors and almost always have the tag "USA". I figured they had to do with underground things, but I couldn't figure out the purpose. They are the markings of other companies notifying people where their stuff is. White paint is the proposed excavation, yellow is gas/oil/steam/chemical, green is sewer, blue is water, red is electric, and orange is cable. So now I find myself driving around looking for markings on the ground to see what is going on. And thus I have unraveled the 'secret' code of underground excavation.

The hypocrisy of National Geographic

2011-06-14T22:53:00.001-07:00

For over 100 years National Geographic has promoted geography, world culture, archaeology, natural science, and environmental conservation. I take exception with their promotion of environmental conservation while at the same time promoting a 24 day around the world journey by private jet. I don't understand what part of that is environmentally conscious. They state on their website that they have converted a jet that normally accommodates 233 people to accommodate 'just 78 people'. Even if I factor in guides and emergency personnel the fact that they are transporting less than 40% of the plane's capacity is absurd. Of course the plane uses less fuel (since it is not flying at capacity) and an argument could be made that were all 78 passengers to use commercial flights they would have generated more emissions. However, those flights would have existed otherwise and this is one flight that exists on a charter basis. I'm not even going to get into the aspect of how this trip completely misses the local color by affording it's travelers the utmost in luxuries, because I think that is what these travelers seek. I just think that it is irresponsible and hypocritical for a company that promotes environmental conservation to also promote what is one of the most excessive vacations I have ever heard of.

Reuniting with the outcasts

2011-06-05T01:02:00.001-07:00

I thought I had written a post on a book that I had read courtesy of the HyWy, but I can't seem to find it in my archives. Anyways a few years ago I read the book Outcasts United, which was about a soccer team of refugee kids in an Atlanta suburb. They use soccer to bring them closer together and bridge different cultures.

While traveling Idaho I stayed with a CouchSurfer that was writing a series of articles (and eventually a book) about the experience of ethnic Nepali refugees who were kicked out of their Bhutanese homeland. Her particular interest in this story stemmed from the influx of refugees into her small Idaho town, Twin Falls. This was the last story that I expected to stumble upon while traveling around Idaho. My vision for my trip was one of introspection and rejuvenation, but at the end of it the most memorable part was talking with refugees that have only been in the US for a month. What struck me was how enthusiastic, positive, and pumped up they were. Considering their situation; being kicked out of their home more than 20 years ago, spending those 20 years living in a camp while being told that you aren't from Nepal or Bhutan, and eventually moved to a new home in a completely foreign land; I don't think you could find a more charged individual if you looked at a kid starting his first varsity football game and itching to sack the quarterback. In today's society it seems that we bemoan the immigrant population for stealing jobs, but in all honesty I don't think those that complain the most vocally would want to have anything to do with the work that these people are willing to do. The standard argument against refugee relocation to the US is, "if we can't help our own people why are we helping others?" It's a difficult argument to make that if there is a dollar to be spent by the federal government on a school down the street vs. refugees thousands of miles away, which is better. However, what I do know is that when I saw how much drive these individuals have I know that we are truly investing in the future of our own country as they become permanent residents and eventually citizens. What scares me is whether the process (red tape, racism, etc.) will drain them of their positivity and leave them jaded. The other scary possibility is that people see the positivity as naivete and find ways to exploit it. In the end I guess the only thing to do is hope and connect with other refugees to show them that not everyone is unhappy to see them here.

Sawtooth Range

2011-06-03T17:20:00.000-07:00

The Sawtooth Mountains. You can see where they got their name.

Petit Lake

2011-06-03T17:18:00.000-07:00

Petit Lake against the backdrop of the Sawtooth Mountains.

Beastly hike

2011-06-02T17:19:00.000-07:00

The view from the midway point of the most beastly hike that I have ever experienced.

Lava flow

2011-06-01T21:59:00.000-07:00

I love the texture when it is in black and white.

Lava tube

2011-06-01T21:57:00.000-07:00

This is a cave formed by a lava tube at the Craters of the Moon park.

Picture postcard

2011-05-31T20:02:00.000-07:00

Not sure if any caption is necessary.

This was how they rolled

2011-05-31T20:01:00.001-07:00

This is a replica of a wagon that settlers would have used to get to California in the late 1800s.

Shoshone Falls

2011-05-30T20:54:00.000-07:00

This waterfall is taller than Niagara Falls! What now Canadians?

Sand Dune

2011-05-30T20:52:00.000-07:00

There are sand dunes in the middle of Idaho. Who knew? Now you do.

Malad Gorge

2011-05-30T20:50:00.000-07:00

I saw the barely saw sign for this and quickly exited off the freeway to see this huge gorge.

Awesome

2011-05-29T19:14:00.000-07:00

A year in the life of...

2011-05-03T14:55:00.001-07:00

As 31 rolls into 32 I was thinking back on what the last year brought. One of the most significant changes in my life has been my interest in indoor rock climbing. Specifically I've gotten heavily into bouldering. I started climbing regularly about a year ago in January after I recovered from my epic return from India. Since then with significant help along the way I have in just about 1.5 yrs moved up 4 grades. I also took part in a friendly competition and placed in the top 10 out of 300 competitors for my skill level. I just managed to complete my first two routes at the next grade 2 days before my birthday, which was an awesome present.

The HyWy and I took a roadtrip with some friends last year and went camping in Lassen National Park. That was a memorable return to something I haven't done in years. What made it more memorable was how cold we were the first night because we had difficulty getting a fire going. I didn't get to do as much traveling with the HyWy last year as I would have liked, which is something we are hoping to change this year with trips to the Avenue of Giants and Yosemite. I did have work travel that got me to Santiago and Peru. While in Peru I was able to go to mountains near 4000m elevation, which was the highest I have ever been...hehehe. We did have several Atlanta trips over the last year, which were a lot of fun and allow us to do more fun things that we miss. I had a great time hanging out with my brother in law at the Sweetwater brewery and look forward to going back there.

Thanks to a friend and some fortunate opportunities I got into digital photography significantly after shooting a friend's brother's wedding. That led to the HyWy and I buying a new camera, which we have both enjoyed learning about.

Another experience that I will look back on fondly was dancing at my cousin's wedding. The HyWy agreed to do a couple dance where she started off the performance and I came in at the end. I've done very few dance performances in my life and this was hands down the best experience. Everyone complimented me on my dancing and let's just keep it real we know who really deserved that credit.

I haven't had the opportunity to go to too many concerts, but I was really glad that the HyWy and a friend were able to join for a Robert Randolph show at the Fillmore. That was one of the most upbeat exciting shows I have seen in a while.

Finally, after several years of searching the most significant change in the last year was that I have decided to leave my job. The last 6 months have been very difficult for a number of reasons, but the job hunt was the hardest part of it. There were several near hits in the job hunt, but nothing that was quite right. I look forward to the next step in this journey.

Thank you all for being a part of this and it humbles me greatly to know that you take time out of your day to read my thoughts.

Songs in the key of life

2011-04-23T00:44:00.001-07:00

For some reason the other day the HyWy and I were at home and the name of a song that I really enjoyed in high school popped in my head. In this day of YouTube it's a matter of key strokes before I could find the video of the song, which lead me to really think about the songs that I feel defined particular times of my life. These are not necessarily my favorite songs, but the songs that I really enjoyed at that time in my life.

Late elementary school/early junior high - Mary Mary (by Run DMC) - Run DMC was one of the first groups that I learned about and I have no idea who introduced me to them (or how I found out about them). I'll never forget being in 5th or 6th grade and getting the album Tougher Than Leather. I would play it repeatedly and this was one of the songs that stuck in my head.

Junior high - Raise Your Hands (by Bon Jovi) - I remember being in junior high and memorizing at least half of the songs (Raise Your Hands, Let it Rock, Livin' on a Prayer, You Give Love a Bad Name) on Slippery When Wet. My parents would make fun of me running around singing these songs like I was Jon Bon Jovi. My friend who was about 3 years older than me introduced me to them. I still remember the lyrics and this album still rocks!

7th grade - Mysterious Ways (by U2) - My first concert was the U2 ZooTV Outdoor Broadcast at the Oakland Coliseum. I don't remember the setlist or anything, but just being speechless. This song is my earliest U2 memory as they played this song and The Edge's future wife bellydanced on stage.

8th grade - And Justice for All (by Metallica) - I was in 7th grade when Metallica's Black Album came out and that was when I first heard about them. I remember listening in awe to the stories from my friend who saw them their double bill show with Guns 'n Roses. However, my introduction into Metallica didn't come until 8th grade when I got the And Justice for All album from a classmate. I bought it off of him and I listened to this song repeatedly. I still remember being in awe of the drums during the chorus.

High school - Dazed and Confused (by Led Zepplin) - This was my first Led Zepplin album and to this day listening to the first few songs takes me back to high school. I remember always begging my parents to take me to the Blockbuster Music store where you could listen to CDs in the store. For me the gateway bands were Metallica and U2. From there for some reason I started a backwards progression that has stayed with me for the rest of my life. I always wanted to know who influenced the band that had my interest at that moment. At the start of college I had tracked Led Zepplin's influence back to the post-War blues musicians such Muddy Waters, BB King, Freddie King, Albert King, etc.

Senior year - The Freshman (by The Verve Pipe) - This was the song that kicked off this post. This is one of two songs that take me right back to my senior year. I hadn't heard this song in years until the other night and I was amazed that I still remembered the lyrics like yesterday. I think it's interesting that despite getting deeper into classic rock at this point I was still plugged into the current crop of artists. Another interesting thing about this song is proof that I have never paid attention to lyrics. The HyWy listened to this for the first time and immediately knew what the song was about, but though I knew the lyrics by heard I had no idea. Clearly I've always been one to listen to songs for the musical content and to me the lyrics are merely another 'instrument'.

Senior year - Semi Charmed Life (by Third Eye Blind) - The second of two songs that remind me of my senior year. I can still remember how 'cool' it felt to drive on a hot night in Houston with the windows down and this song blasting. Funny thing about both of these songs is that they are both about very heavy topics and this one has a very upbeat melody.

College - The Longest Time (by Billy Joel) - I was in a fraternity in college and part of our assignment as pledges was 'serenading' the sorority classes. The experience was both miserable and mortifying. However, I still remember going through the practices and this was the song.

College - Midnight Rider (by the Allman Brothers Band) - This was my first introduction to the Allman Brothers Band, whom I would consider one of my favorite bands. I had the opportunity to volunteer as an usher at an Allman Brothers concert in Atlanta while I was in college and I just didn't know enough about the band at that point. The only thing I remember is being disappointed that they didn't play this song. Hearing this song I can remember hot Atlanta nights, cold beers, and sitting on the porch just listening to music.

2nd and 3rd year of College - Wash It Away (by Black Lab) - This was the last 'new'/indie/rising band that I remember enjoying. Since then I have gotten more into genre specific (blues rock) bands, but I have never really gotten into indie music again. My friend turned me onto this group when they were playing a small club in Atlanta. We were working together at our co-op job and both of us enjoyed music. This song reminds me of hanging out with her, going to the Vortex for burgers, and working while my friends were in school. I still have this album and love every song on it.

Fall 2003 (last Fall in Atlanta) - Yeah! (by Usher) - Some of the best times I had in Atlanta came right before I moved away when I was unemployed. My friends (the HyWy too) and I would go to one club every Saturday night. We had guest passes that would get us in for free and we would buy a few drinks there. Sometimes the nights got expensive, but it was fun. This was the song that ruled the airwaves then and I was making unsuccessful attempts at flirting with the HyWy. An odd choices, but this is one of our 'songs'.

2003 - On the Turning Away (by Pink Floyd) - I was well aware of Pink Floyd by this point in my life, but I don't know if I knew this song very well. This was the first song, which I consciously understood the lyrics to. I think it was because I was at a point in my life where the strongly connected and resonated with me. I remember singing this acapella in front of some friends (who are probably reading this) and being terrified.

2006 Return to the Bay - Tell Me When To Go (by E-40) - Oddly enough after I returned to the Bay I started getting into hip hop a lot more than when I was in Atlanta. About a year and half after I returned the hyphy movement took off and one of the anthems from that was this song. You couldn't drive through Oakland without hearing this song.

There are so many songs and artists that aren't represented here. Perhaps there will be a Part 2 for this post. I should make a mix CD with all of these songs on it.

A tribute

2011-04-15T10:07:00.001-07:00

Sitting in a meeting today I received a call from the HyWy, which I decided to take as I was curious what she might be calling about. With sadness in her voice she said that she was walking from our apartment to work and noticed that workers were cutting down a big tree on a hill down the street from our apartment. As soon as she said 'the tree' I knew which one she was talking about. The picture below from Google StreetView shows the tree in question.
As you can see there was ample shade provided and the nice branches, which were not very high off the ground that were perfect to climb up on. Both the HyWy and I would regularly visit the tree together or alone to sit in it's shade and in it's branches. The branches provided a nice spot to look at the lake and feel secluded when I had a long day or a lot on my mind. For me the tree was a refuge. Just this past weekend I sought refuge and the only reason I didn't go to the tree was because there was already someone there. I look back with sadness on what was my last interaction with the tree and today without any warning it was taken from us. The interesting thing is that I wouldn't characterize myself or the HyWy as ones who would typically be moved by this. However, there was something about this tree and the HyWy put it best when she said it reminded her of her childhood. With it's removal we ourselves become more removed from the innocence of our youth.

A Smile Card experience

2011-04-14T22:53:00.000-07:00

Eight years ago I met with a group of friends and one of the results of that meeting was the concept of Smile Cards. Since then the project has blown up far more than any of us would have imagined. However, the one thing that I have never experienced is a "random" Smile Card experience where I saw a stranger with one of these cards. The night of the Ikea furniture assembly from the previous post the HyWy and I went to dinner at a neighborhood pizza joint, which we had never been to. We sat down in exhaustion and just wanted to eat our food. While waiting for our order the next customer came in and sat down by himself with a book across the aisle from us. I was standing at the counter waiting to get a refill when the HyWy got my attention and gestured towards this customer. Immediately my attention was drawn to his bookmark, a Smile Card. I cannot describe the feeling I felt then. It was a blur of emotions and flashbacks through eight years of meetings, design iterations, experiments in kindness, tags, stories, and connections. I wanted to ask the gentleman how he came across the Smile Card, to connect with him, and tell him my story but then I thought the beauty of the moment didn't need to be clouded with all of that. The serendipity of the moment was the perfect complement to the serendipitous feeling I get when tagging someone with a Smile Card.

The Ikea Relationship Test

2011-04-12T08:46:00.001-07:00

On Saturday the HyWy and I went to Ikea and bought a rather large wardrobe to help us utilize our closet space better. The wardrobe came in 3 boxes and the total weight was over 200lbs. Once we got it home we spent 4-5 hours putting it together, which reminded me of several past experiences putting together Ikea furniture for relatives. Most often what has happened is that I have visited someone that had bought some Ikea furniture and the wife didn't want to be involved in the building process. In some cases the wife had tried and out of frustration differed and other times she just knew better. Seeing as this was our second Ikea experience, but I don't recall if I was part of the first build I was curious to see how we fared in the Ikea Relationship Test.

The Ikea Relationship Test puts two or more people in what is arguably one of the most frustrating experiences, that doesn't involve life and death decisions, and how they respond in that situation is very telling of their relationship. The Ikea instructions, in case you have never had this experience, have no text (other than numbers) and require you to notice any little detail regarding alignment of parts. Before starting to work on the wardrobe the first thing we did was unpack everything and sort out all the screws, bolts, dowels, etc. Then every step of the way we both conferred the instructions and asked the other for confirmation. Finally when steps didn't require two people one of us would work on one thing and the other was in the other room working on something else. In the end it was the quickest assembly of furniture (of that size) I have ever experienced. The key to stressfree Ikea assembly (and good relationships) is simply in constant communication, attention to detail, and most importantly not fighting for control.

Why am I angry?

2011-04-11T22:08:00.001-07:00

Today I had a doctor's appointment at 4:50PM, which was for an eye problem. The ailment is nothing severe, but mostly causes me discomfort and has been a bit frustrating. When I scheduled the appointment last week I thought it curious that they would schedule so close to the end of the day, but I didn't question it. On my way to the appointment today I made a wrong turn after leaving from work a little bit late. After realizing my mistake and correcting it I didn't make it to the appointment until 5:05. I ran in and was promptly met with the classic response, "the computers are all turned off and we can't take you." I was so furious. I asked the lady what the point was of taking appointments at 4:50PM if they can't meet them if someone is late. Doctors routinely miss appointments with patients, but we accept it as we hold the weak hand. This is all besides the point. After I walked out in a huff I called the HyWy and released a fury of words that can't be published on this blog. I didn't feel better. I started my drive home. For 15 minutes I fumed. I didn't ask the most obvious question until I was halfway home, "why am I angry?" To be honest I knew as soon as I figured out that I was lost that I wouldn't have been taken. I could have skipped the appointment and saved myself the frustration. I went to the appointment, because I still had hope. I was angry not because they didn't take me, but because they didn't empathize with me. It would have helped tremendously if they had just said they understood, they would try to see if they could get me checked in, etc. They could have just gone through the motions, but just the words was what I needed to hear. In that moment I didn't want to feel like a number or just "that guy". This is what I think is lacking the medical profession. The doctors see so many patients that they can't have personal relationships with each and that is understandable. The staff are so overworked that they don't see the opportunities to make a difference by a small act. A small act of kindness can go a long way.

On cooking

2011-04-07T13:00:00.000-07:00

The HyWy and I embarked on a culinary adventure last night that took a bit longer than expected, but was worth it. We made homemade pasta without the benefit of the fancy machine to roll. Needless to say it was difficult. While making it the HyWy mentioned how she's become "high class" and only likes homemade pasta now. I argued that appreciation of homemade things does not necessarily make one high class. Though homemade pasta requires more time it is probably cheaper and the same can be said for most homemade items such as cookies, biscuits, etc. The reason people don't do it themselves or from scratch is a lack of confidence in their skills and they place a higher value on spending time doing other things. There is nothing wrong with placing more value in spending time with your family or on other projects. However, from a financial perspective I would say one is more high class if they can afford the luxury of premade goods. I consider it a luxury to be able to eat out and similarly it's a luxury to be able to afford biscuits in a can. In the rural south where soul food rules and biscuits are ever present I highly doubt they consider it a luxury to have homemade buttermilk biscuits. Nor did our grandparents consider themselves high class if they made things from scratch, because that was the only option. Anyways the point of this rant is that getting back to the basics in cooking does not signify anything more than having the time and the skill to do something well.

Lead by example or lead with an iron fist

2011-04-07T12:48:00.001-07:00

There is a big crackdown in California for the month of April on texting and cell phone usage while driving. This post will be short so I can quickly type it before I get on the freeway...I'm kidding. Anyways I've seen a number of cars pulled over in dead stopped traffic, which leads me to believe they were using their cell phones. I think this is a worthwhile effort and I'm doing my part to stay off my phone while driving. What I don't understand is the police using their phones while driving. I regularly see police and highway patrol officers using their phones while driving and I want to know how citizens are supposed to feel about that. What kind of message does that send when the enforcers don't obey the rules? That does not only apply to phones, but safe driving. I'm not referring to police responding to an emergency, but I regularly see police speeding (without sirens), changing lanes without signals, stopping at a red light and then driving off, and worst of all using their sirens ONLY to drive through lights. What this tells me is that "since we enforce the rules they don't apply to us." I wonder if there is even a protocol to report this and whether anyone would even take it seriously. The point of the rules is safe behavior from all regardless of who they are.

My love/hate relationship with March

2011-03-26T13:31:00.001-07:00

I have a love/hate relationship with March and a bit of April. Every year at the end of January we start to receive our tax documents and so begins the miserable process that is doing your taxes. I know that my parents will read this and wonder as they often do about why I am so miserable doing my taxes. I think it is because I don't like codes, all the forms, the endless paperwork, and most of all it makes no sense to me. I tend to get frustrated when things don't make sense and finances are one of those things, which is why I'm an engineer and not an accountant. At the same time I LOVE March and April, because it's tournament time for the NCAA and for that you can reference an older post:). Will continue doing taxes and watching my games...such is a love/hate relationship.

Ridin' Solo

2011-03-13T20:43:00.000-07:00

The other night I went to a concert by myself, because I really enjoy the band and I couldn't find anyone else that wanted to go. Prior to the show I went to dinner with a friend and we started talking about doing things on our own. I think it's safe to say that if I wanted to do anything badly enough I would do it. I've been to bars, clubs, concerts, movies, and restaurants all by myself. I think one of the few things that I have not done is take a trip by myself (not work related) and that is high on my priority list. My friend talked about her apprehensions or lack of interest in doing some of these things on her own. To be fair I can't say I regularly go (or have interest) in going to a dance club by myself. The one time that sticks out in my mind was when I was Singapore and wanted to go this famous club, but didn't have anyone to go with. What I found is that when it comes to techno/trance/house music no one really dances together so it wasn't that big a deal to go on my own. I think it would be more strange to go to a hip hop club by myself. On occasion I've gone to a bar by myself when I want to have a quiet drink and be alone with my thoughts. I think the common thought is that going to a bar by yourself means that you are a loner or a recluse or an easy target for a cheap pick up line. I think if one selects the right bar on a weeknight the experience can be very enjoyable. People routinely go to cafes to have a coffee and people watch and I think the same can happen in a bar. On several occasions I've sat at the bar enjoying my drink just watching the world go by and I end up in a very interesting conversation with the bartender or other patron. Situations like these I feel are harder to come by when you are with another person, because your focus is on socializing with your companion. The timing of this conversation was very appropriate, because I just took a test from TMS that concluded (among other things) that I'm a reasonable balance between an extrovert and an introvert. What I learned from this test was that an introvert is not necessarily anti-social and an extrovert is not necessarily a social person. I think it comes down to my enjoyment of watching life happen combined with my strong interests. In the case of the concert I was there to see a band perform and having companions wouldn't have been a big deal because there isn't much socializing happening during the show. However, when there was a break in the sets I was the one standing around wondering what to do.

Follow the beat

2011-03-09T07:11:00.000-08:00

The HyWy and I caught part of a performance of Stomp this weekend in Atlanta. It's been quite a while since I last saw a performance of Stomp. After the show was over and the performers came out and did a bit of an encore. During the encore one of the performers would clap his hands to a simple beat, "Clap Clap CLAP" or "Clap CLAP Clap Clap Clap". The audience would follow and predictably the patterns became more complicated. This is where it started to get interesting. It was amazing how well a group could work together. I have seen groups of 4-6 people work well, but not a group of a thousand plus that had never met each other. The performer would clap out a beat of 7 or 8 beats and everyone would follow in sync. If the beat was complicated even if it was less beats overall people might lose it, but as long as it was simple everyone kept up. This wasn't just people keeping pretty good time this was spot on so that the entire audience stopped at the same time. I'm not suggesting that there is some sort of bigger connection here, but really thinking about how our brains work with patterns and as a group.

Anonymity and Royalty

2011-02-26T15:04:00.000-08:00

The HyWy and I saw the King's Speech a while back and there were a few scenes that just stuck with me. They weren't anything spectacular, but what they represented was a tremendous shift in the role of media. One scene showed the Queen driven more or less unescorted to the doctor's office. The second scene saw the doctor and the King walking through a park again unescorted. What struck me about these scenes was not only that the royals were unescorted, but that they were also unrecognized. Less than 100 years ago the primary monarch in what was (and still is) arguably the most important monarchy in the world could walk down the street in the largest city in the country they preside over WITHOUT being recognized. Since then the progression of media has been exponential to say the least with the global acceptance of the camera, mass media, television, digital media, computer, cell phones, and finally mobile media. Forget about a monarch going down the street unrecognized the average person can go from unrecognized to a global phenomenon in about a year with the right backing.

Forgetting what it means to be alone

2011-02-26T14:09:00.001-08:00

I was listening to a piece on the radio the other day about a book (whose title I don't know) that talks about the proliferation of social media and the impact it has on individuals spending quality time alone as well as on our feelings. In this day of instantaneous communication it is difficult to truly experience your feelings. Instead of taking in the moment (good or bad), processing it, and then sharing it the cycle is somewhat reversed with the sharing coming first, then perhaps processing it, and then at the end reflecting back on it. For example, when there is good news to share the first reaction is to Tweet or Facebook it to tell our friends, which is not necessarily a bad idea. However, I question the motive behind the need to share when it becomes a reaction rather than a desire to include people in our lives. This leads me to the question about whether social media is a tool, which means our lives drive the use of it OR is it becoming something that drives our lives due to the incessant need to share. Do we control the social media or does it control us?

A moment

2011-02-12T07:24:00.000-08:00

I'm writing this story mostly because it was a brief moment in our lives that I feel encompasses the laughter and joy we share. There are many of these types of moments, but I just wanted to take note of this one for our memories.

The other day I picked up the HyWy from work and we were driving through the town on surface streets stuck in traffic. At a light, oblivious of those around us, I leaned in to get a quick peck on the lips. The HyWy feeling playful teased me a bit with a confused look and asked, "oh you want a kiss?" With a look of rejection I turned back to face the traffic and the HyWy noted that people were laughing at us. I asked who and she pointed out a female passenger in the car next to us in the back seat who had watched this 'drama' play out. She was trying not to be obvious, but was laughing. I looked at her and gave her my best pouting face to show my sadness for the rejection. In sympathy she nodded. Then all three of us enjoyed the moment and laughed. The beauty of this was it was an entirely wordless interaction with someone next to us as our windows were up the whole time. After we drove away I did get my kiss:).

O' Canada!

2011-02-12T07:17:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned we were in Toronto for a wedding and I realized how much I really like Canada. I've always liked Canada and the people, but this was about understanding how Canadians are different from Americans. Both Canadians and Americans are fiercely patriotic and proud of their heritage. However, the Canadian approach is more subdued and understated. Americans wear their pride on their sleeves and anyone that questions it will be told, "go #$%* yourself!" I'm not sure why either of the citizens are the way they are, but this is just my observation.

Reliving life

2011-02-11T09:02:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago the HyWy and I were in Toronto for my cousin's wedding. While there we met another cousin who is 19 and just started college last fall. Talking with my younger cousin made me reflect on my own life at that age. I have memories of things that were going on for me then, but I began to think how interesting it would be to relive life with the perspective that one gains with age. I'm not saying that I'm old and wise, but rather I think my views on situations and circumstances would be different if I realized what was really important. For example, in talking with my younger cousin about her potential career choice (a path that I wish I had embarked on) I thought about how things might have changed if I was there to give myself the same advice. In essence I guess I'm longing for the age old wish of every adult to relive their childhood.

On anonymous acts

2011-02-11T08:57:00.000-08:00

My friends and I are part of a movement to promote acts of kindness (AOK) through Smile Cards and one of the central ideas behind Smile Cards is anonymity. The anonymity of one's act can come in different ways. The two most obvious ways are by doing an act for someone you don't know even if they know you did it or doing an act for someone you know and they don't know that you were behind it. For example, helping a stranger change their flat would be the first and the second would be gifting a friend something in the mail. I had a conversation with an author a month or so ago about a third level of anonymity. Typically HelpOthers promotes the sharing of stories as a way to inspire other people to perform their own acts. However, in the third level of anonymity and the most difficult is to perform an act of kindness without telling anyone or sharing the story. In our conversation the author and I felt that sharing our acts creates both a sense of excitement and attachment. The person doing the act often becomes attached to the reaction of those that they are sharing the story with or if they story is online the number of comments that are made. A truly selfless and anonymous act of kindness comes with no attachment or expectation for return from the recipient AND the universe.

The transparency of energy: where does our power come from?

2011-01-19T21:50:00.001-08:00

The HyWy and I watched part of a documentary on coal power plants in America, specifically in Appalachia, called Burning the Future: Coal In America. One part of the energy market that the documentary really made me think about is where does our power come from? Almost 45% of the total power generated in the US comes from coal according to the Department of Energy. As awareness about the environmental impact of various power generation methods grows so does the desire to have the power plants far from our homes. At some point it becomes a case of out of sight out of mind, because for those of us living in the major cities we are simply not confronted with massive power plants in our daily lives. I think there needs to be a level of transparency in the energy markets, which would allow consumers to understand the true source of our energy. As consumers the strongest tool we yield is our ability to curtail or cut our consumption, particularly during peak consumption periods. In the middle of summer when everyone is turning on their air conditioners and the primary power plants are at their capacity the additional power plants that are often brought on just for that one day are usually coal power plants. Not only are they coal power plants, but they are aging inefficient coal power plants. If there was greater transparency to promote awareness of where our power came from and greater public awareness of these peak power plants it might encourage people to control their usage. I understand that the specific data about what power plant feeds what area is sensitive information for the stability of our infrastructure, but some general information would be immensely helpful. Imagine if you got your power bill and it said that your breakdown was: 30% from coal, 40% from nuclear, 30% from solar, and 10% extra during peak periods from coal peak plants. This might spur people to direct their protests at the appropriate industry, it could inspire them to curb their consumption, and it might go so far as inspiring people to make their homes more efficient.

The paradox of success

2011-01-15T09:51:00.000-08:00

We saw a very interesting movie, The Fighter, last night and it made me think about the paradox of success. The core of the story was around the rise of boxer near the end of his career. The movie is based on a true story and the boxer's brother is the one training him. The boxer's brother, Dickey, lives his life based on the single greatest success in his life, when he defeated Sugar Ray Leonard. Of course a victory like that is a major milestone in someone's life, but it shouldn't be what defines them. Naturally this is easy for me to say, because I don't have something that consider to be a defining moment in my life that is unique. However, it was interesting to see how 15 years after that moment Dickey continued to relive it and in doing so let it consume him. I have read about people who get equally absorbed in a major failure and how it redefines who they are. To some extent this is what happens with winners of mega jackpot lotteries. So the title of this post refers to the paradox that comes with success as one's major success has the potential to ultimately undo them if they don't find a way to keep it in perspective and under control. Keep in mind that I'm not suggesting that every successful person experiences this type of paradox, but just that it is present in the shadows of success.

The first post of the new year

2011-01-01T01:14:00.000-08:00

As the HyWy and I were driving home this evening she pointed out something that I had never thought about: the purpose of New Year's celebration. It seems obvious, but why celebrate the new year? I'm not trying to rain on people's parade, but just trying to understand this a little more. The HyWy had a more philosophical point, which hopefully she can elaborate on or correct me on in the comments. However, I think her point was that the Western calender is not particularly rooted in any cosmic change (like the Lunar calender) so what is the significance of January 1? We both also agreed that if it wasn't for the presence of calenders then the passage of time would be minimally focused on. By demarcating a single day as the end of one measure of time and the start of another we also create an idea of past and future, which leads people to look to the future and look back upon the past. I have read articles about rural tribal cultures, which have no measure of time beyond the sunrise and sunset so when meeting someone they just wait at the appointed location (which sometimes works out to be several days). The mere idea of waiting at a location for someone for more than 1 hour is near appalling to most of us. Anyways back to my original point, which is in our current calender where did the significance of January 1 come from? My research has led me to conclude that January 1 was decreed the start of a new year during the rule of Caesar and the Romans. There are two reasons as I understand it: one corresponds to first day consuls would enter office and the second says that Caesar felt the start of the year should be in the month of January, which is named after the Roman god Janus. Janus, the god of doors and gates, had two faces, one facing forward and the other backward, and thus would be symbolic as we 'enter' a new year. Interestingly during the Middle Ages it seems that the start of the year corresponded to a major Christian date (birth of Christ, Easter, etc.), but William the Conqueror moved the date back to January 1. Ultimately the Gregorian calender was adopted by decree of Pope Gregory XIII (hence the name) and that differs slightly from the Julian Calender (of Julius Caesar, hence that name), but the both agree on the start of the year.

So after that slightly abbreviated history lesson I find it interesting that we celebrate a day, which is an arbitrary assignment for the start of the year to correspond with government officials taking their offices 2000+ years ago, a god in an ancient religion that is no longer practiced, and without any true significance to modern society.

The ghost of Christmas Future

2010-12-22T14:57:00.001-08:00

Sitting at my desk minding my own business my cell phone just rang. I looked at it to see a random local number on the caller ID. Normally I would ignore it, but since the number was local I picked up thinking it might be someone I don't know actually trying to get in touch with me. Imagine my surprise when a preteen voice exclaimed out to me after I said hello, "hi Dad?" In the nanosecond that followed I saw what could one day be my future and even pondered a number of impolite, snarky, and amusing responses. Instead I simply responded, "sorry you have the wrong number."

What is responsibility?

2010-12-20T21:54:00.001-08:00

I was listening to a podcast about finding one's purpose in life and I also read a blog post about tipping that led me to this post. The podcast proposed that the question in my title and wondered about whether responsibility was defined as fulfilling societal obligations or by fulfilling one's desire. By desire I'm not referring to buying a pair of shoes that you really want, but seeking out your bigger purpose. The blog post was centered around the common practice of tipping those that regularly aid us in our daily lives (doormen, hair stylists, postal delivery people, garbage workers, etc.). The poster's argument was framed around doormen in NYC who provide a service and are not paid particularly well for often going beyond the call of duty and helping out residents. The poster argued that in appreciation for their services doormen should be tipped handsomely at year's end and one commenter argued that the doormen should instead get "a real job". This brings me back to my original question what constitutes responsibility and similarly what defines a "real job".

Are we as individuals responsible to the conventions of society? Am I an irresponsible member of society if I'm 45, renting, single and working as a barista? I would likely be considered to not have a "real job". However, what if I was 45, renting, single, a recovering addict, and working as a barista? In that case I think I would be viewed as someone who was doing a good job to turn their life around and was on the track towards positive change. Perhaps the question is how long had I been a barista. Maybe a responsible member of society is one who is paying taxes and law abiding. However, if they do that, but are not being true to themselves while living a life as a corporate drone then are they sacrificing personal responsibility for societal responsibility? Does earning a college degree equate to responsibility? As my coworker asked me this past week, how many engineers can a country really have before it no longer matters? The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that in 2006 there were 1.6 million EMPLOYED engineers in the US. So I would estimate the number would be near 2.5 million if you factor in unemployed, engineers that are not working as engineers, and retired engineers. Maybe the idea of responsibility comes down to my personal definition regardless of what the societal definitions are around me. A very inspirational family in my life with 6 members has at any given point only 2 or 3 people who are in full time employment. I consider them to be the benchmark of responsibility and 'real job holders'. They are all tax paying and law abiding, but they are also holding true to themselves. There is an adage in engineering that you can only get 2 out of 3 options: good, fast, or cheap. In my life right now I think there are also 2 out of 3: societally responsible (law abiding), self responsible, and self indulgent. If I plan to be societally responsible and self responsible then I need to find another career path, which means I cannot indulge in the things that I always want. If I want to be self indulgent and self responsible then I possibly will not be a good citizen. If I'm going to be a good citizen and indulge myself then I will not be true to who I am and that is where I am right now.

Random observations

2010-12-16T19:12:00.001-08:00

I had a few thoughts, but none of them will stand on their own in a post so they are just a few random observations.

-I was surprised the amount of Indian influence in South America this time. I saw Mahindra trucks, a Bajaj shop, and a Bata store (though technically Bata isn't an Indian company, but I associate them with India). I even saw enclosed three wheel scooters that were nicer versions of the rickshaws that we use.

-It is interesting to see how small South American people are. Or perhaps it's us Americans who are raised on a diet of 3 glasses of milk a day that are larger. I've had the same observation in India, but for some reason it surprised me somewhat in South America.

-The features of Inca descendants are very striking and noticeable. It is surprisingly easy to tell who comes from a family that was mixed with Spanish blood at some point and who is strongly descended through the Incas.

-Who knew that there were so many varieties of corn? As a typical American I'm used to seeing white, yellow, and the few assorted colors during Thanksgiving. However, for the most part all the kernels are the same size. In South America the kernels are enormous. I might have even blogged about this during my previous trip to Peru, but it merits a second mention.

Trip to site

2010-12-16T08:44:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I made my first trip to the site of an as yet to be built project. The project is about 3 years from being a recognizable mine and about 5 years from operation.

The drive up started at 7am when we went to the project office in town. If there is one thing that Peruvians love to do it is fill out forms. I have filled in so many forms with my name and passport number you wouldn't believe it. So we checked in to announce our intention to go to the site. Mines are notoriously paranoid about photos and cameras so we had to declare that we had two cameras with us. Ultimately no one actually checked the camera with the paperwork so we could have gotten away with not saying anything. However, as my coworker said this is the difference between security and the illusion of security. Anyways about half way through the drive we departed from the main (paved road) and embarked on the most bone jarring drive I have ever experienced. I did a drive similar to this earlier this fall, but it was only a 5-6 miles and it was flat. This was uphill, single lane, and I felt like I was riding a paint shaker. Yesterday evening my legs ached from having to brace myself so rigidly. The purpose the seatbelt served during this ride was to make sure I stayed in my seat during each bounce. Everyone has heard the stories of the precarious drives in South America as they fly around hairpin turns and this would have been like that, but it was physically impossible to do more than about 10mph. Upon arrival at the site there was more checking in and paperwork. Then we were finally on the property.

These mine properties are enormous. To provide some scale the largest ski resort in North America (Whistler Blackcomb) is 32 square kilometers, the city of Oakland is 202 square kilometers (land and water), and this mine's neighbor is 251 square kilometers (it is also the second largest gold mine in the world). So this conveys how enormous an area we are looking at. One of my proposed lines will be 2km if it goes the short way and 6 if it goes the long way. So we spent the day driving around the property and comparing topographical maps to what we could see. Topos are interesting, because on paper seeing two lines that are close together with 10m increments is one thing, but when you see it in reality you realize that's a cliff.

I thought the altitude would be hard for me, but other then making it harder to walk from point A to point B it wasn't that bad. It was incredible to think that we were about 300m shy of the elevation at the peak of Mt Shasta. Based on this description it might seem as though I was in the Andean peaks, but it didn't look all that different from the hills in the Bay Area.

Eventually we finished up and began the bone jarring journey home. I will post a few photos once I get back.

Infectious laughter

2010-12-14T12:27:00.000-08:00

I'm back on the road for a few days visiting a mine site. In preparation for that I had my physical this morning. I don't think I have ever received a physical in a foreign language. It was somewhat difficult, because I know the basic spanish words and I also know engineering words, but not medical terms. I made it through without any issue. The funniest part was when I had my first EKG. I have never had an EKG so I didn't know what to expect. The two tiny Peruvian women explained that I had to remove any metal from my person or clothing. Then I had to take my shirt off. Bear in mind that it's pretty cold (50ish in the morning), the building wasn't heated, and they had doors wide open. Then they wanted me to lay down on this bed and one lady started smearing the gel on my chest. Then she took little suction balloons squeezed the air out of them and stuck them to my chest. Perhaps they don't get very hairy people here, because she was having trouble getting them to stick. About this time I couldn't take it anymore. Between the cold temps, the cold gel, the suction things, and them smearing gel where i feel ticklish I just started giggling. It was very funny. I held it as long as I could and then I just started laughing. They laughed also, but I couldn't explain to them why I was laughing.

The evolution of education

2010-12-04T21:53:00.000-08:00

Most of my posts are usually rants about something that annoys me. However, today I'm just blown over inspired by something that I thought I would write about it.

During my parents generation a basic education could be expected by children at almost any societal level. However, beyond the basics people started to be filtered out based on income level or societal status. To me this peaked during with college and regardless of how interested you were if you didn't have the money your accessibility to the information was drastically cut. The same more or less exists today with people being boxed out of pursuing a college degree by cost or maybe their own academic limitations. However, there are two new tools that I think are truly changing the face of education. The first is the Khan Academy. Started by Salman Khan (not that one), who has had the best quality higher learning possible, he seeks to provide quality education on any topic for free in the form of YouTube videos. These tutorials extend through just about any topic from basic addition to calculus to chemistry and even history. There are also lessons for the math topics so that one can test their understanding. Naturally this isn't meant to replace traditional schooling, but it serves as an amazing supplement, refresher, or substitute (for those that are outside of the school system). The second is iTunes U. iTunes U is literally a library of lectures and seminars on anything from the foremost experts and thinkers on the topic. Do you want to learn about the history of a place you are going to visit? It's there. Did you read about a seminar on energy that Stanford was having? It's there. Do you want to learn about African American history from top professors around the country? They are there. I know I sound like an advertisement, but this is something amazing in my mind. My iPod has long since fallen into disuse, but this is certainly reason to resurrect it. As I prepare for a business trip where I will be spending a lot of time traveling I am definitely searching to build my playlist of lectures and podcasts.

To tie this back to my original point the degreed form of higher education is still not perfectly accessible to everyone. However, the material that is taught in those institutions is rapidly being made more and more accessible.

The dilution of the word "friend"

2010-11-10T09:43:00.000-08:00

Conventionally a friend is someone who you hang out with, do things with, help out if they need it, and enjoy spending time with. Obviously the degree to which we are friends with different people varies on a number of things, but I think the first sentence is true for all of my friends. The advent of Facebook or social networking websites in general has, in my opinion, significantly diluted the word friend to include just about any random person that you have any interaction with. Previously if I met someone at a party or somewhere and we discussed meeting up the act of simply connecting was a filter to determine who really wanted to hang out. If someone said that they wanted to hang out simply as a courtesy they would likely not make a strong effort to get in touch, which is fine by me. Now with the prevalence of social networking everyone immediately connects on Facebook, most often, and sometimes will do so during the initial meeting. Jimmy Kimmel had an interesting monologue about people who have several hundred to a thousand plus friends on Facebook. He pointed out that your true friends are those that will come out if you post, "moving today can anyone come and help?" My true friends are probably no more than about 50 people and can be determined by checking who I call, text, and email (in that order) most frequently. There are probably also a couple of dozen people that I don't have regular communication with that still fall into the true friend category.

What is higher education?

2010-10-29T21:22:00.001-07:00

Living in California we know an enormous number of extremely smart people. I feel like there is a greater concentration of smart people here than in other parts of the country. There are 3-4 world class education institutions within a 40 min drive of our apartment, there are dozens headquarters of companies on the cutting edge of their industries in the area, and there are several major research laboratories developing the next generation of technology so it is no surprise that we meet so many brilliant individuals in the Bay Area. But I'm not trying to brag about the people I meet, but rather contrast my disinterest in education with their interest in education. I feel like my experience in a technical college left me with little or no interest in organized education. We have several friends that take classes for personal growth and many that take classes to elevate their careers. I myself have taken classes to work towards a career change, but those seemed more like vocational training classes. The few classes that I have taken for personal or career development after college I have struggled to maintain any interest in. The HyWy made a good point though that she feels I learn best independently by absorbing what I stumble upon on the Internet. I highly doubt that I will ever have the interest to pursue further organized education programs, but my thirst to learn more about certain topics will likely never be quenched. As the HyWy has pointed out the trick is to find the way that works best for me and indulge myself that way.

What makes art? The tools or the artist?

2010-10-03T21:09:00.000-07:00

As a photographer one of my biggest pet peeves is when people tell me that they want a nicer camera so they can take 'better' pictures. I believe that if someone is good at art regardless of the tools that are used their talent will show. I'm not speaking to anyone's artistic abilities, because I'm also a firm believer that with a few simple tips anyone can take amazing frame-worthy photos. When I first started taking photos that I thought were good they were with a standard point and shoot camera, but eventually I moved to a better camera. I switched to a better camera not because it would make my photos better, but it would allow me more control over my own photos. Once someone learns the way to control the parameters of a camera they can make their own photos better with a better camera. I think learning the basic techniques and developing your eye with a simple camera is the best way to start. The artist is the one who makes the art good.

True Blood

2010-10-03T20:56:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago I decided to watch the first season of True Blood which I borrowed from a coworker. I doubt anyone on this blog will watch the show, but if they do stop reading this post as it has some episode spoilers. For those that don't know the series is about the coexistence of vampires and humans in a small parish of Louisiana. The humans have found that the consumption of vampire blood has hallucinogenic and euphoric effects, which results in it being an illegal drug.

One of the characters on the show is a wavy granola Berkeley type hippie. She goes on about the interconnectedness of life and Gaia. This already proved annoying to me, but what killed me about her was when she started taking vampire blood as a mind opening and expanding substance. The way she acquired her drug was by capturing a vampire who lives a rather isolated life. He keeps to himself and doesn't interact with others. The girl keeps the vampire tied up in a basement and periodically extracts blood for sale and consumption. She justifies her enslavement by saying that he is not alive and therefore can't be a slave. This level of hypocrisy was the most disturbing thing about the show. I know shows and movies are written such that they play with our emotions, but I've never been made to feel so furious at a show. I think what angered me more is that I'm sure people in reality would believe this. It bothers me that a distinction is made in order to justify slavery and that someone would be so blind as to not realize that such a fine line separates them from their slave. By stealing another's blood the girl is in essence a vampire herself.

Journeys (Part IV): What is reality?

2010-10-03T20:54:00.001-07:00

This is the last post in the series started from my reading part of Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino.

I'm paraphrasing what Calvino wrote, we all must reserve space in our hearts for that which we are and that which we dream to be. Both are assumptions. One is necessary, but not yet reality and the other is dreamed, but exists only while the moment exists.

This reminds me of a thought that I really like from a movie called Waking Life, which questions whether we are sleeping walking through reality or wake walking through a dream. In both thoughts the question is raised about how we perceive reality. Reality is necessary, but what is our awareness in that reality. Conversely in a dream the only 'reality' that exists is in that moment. So what is this moment?

Journeys (Part III): Past vs. Present

2010-09-19T12:21:00.001-07:00

In keeping with the theme of the previous two posts I'm writing this based on a passage from Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino.

Paraphrasing what Calvino wrote he states that if a person is shown two photos: one of a city in the past and the second of the city in the present the viewer must prefer the past to the present to avoid offending the owner. However, a fine line is being walked, because the viewer must balance their preference in admitting the beauty and prosperity of progression shown in the present photo while also lamenting the loss of innocence shown in the past photo. To me this seems that we are increasingly seeking growth in the name of progress, expansion, and development all things that equate to success. Once in the future with the realization of these goals we lament the past, the loss of innocence, and simpler times.

As children many would look to the future, imitate adults, 'play house', and we often couldn't wait for the next phase of our lives. As kindergartners or preschoolers we are praised for being 'big kids' and regaled with the promise of elementary school. Following elementary school the process takes on a life of it's own as we look to the upper grades and eventually to the prospect of middle school or junior high. Once in junior high seeing our siblings or friend's siblings we watch in awe the 'cool' of the high schoolers. In high school we are taught to dream big and plan for the future, because college is around the corner. College, often thought to be the 'best times of our lives', might be on of the few times where if we are lucky we took the time to really enjoy the experience mostly because many do not want to 'join the real world'. Once we leave college after undergraduate studies or post graduate we likely get married and begin families of our own. At some point in the later phases of all of this (during college or after) everyone begins to reminisce and often lament about their childhood and simpler times. "It was so much easier back then. I didn't have so many responsibilities." Some will now learn to embrace life and really enjoy every moment and others will spend the remainder of their lives trying to regain or capture what made our lost childhoods so wonderful. In short as children we look longingly toward adulthood and as adults we wistfully remember our childhood.

Journeys (Part II)

2010-09-18T20:44:00.000-07:00

This post doesn't have much to do with it's title, but it is continuing with the theme from the previous post about things that I resonated with from a book I read.

In each new place does one find again a past of theirs that they did not know they had? The foreignness of what you no longer are or no longer possess lies in wait for you in foreign unpossessed places. I think this is the essence of travels. Through our travels we discover parts of ourselves that we didn't know existed or more importantly we rediscover parts of ourselves that we have lost. Nearly 10 years ago I was an engineering student that traveled to visit my parents in Singapore. On that trip we took a family vacation to Cambodia and a small nearly imperceptible moment on that trip has forever changed my life. As we wandered the ruins of Angkor Wat I took a photo. At the time I didn't consider myself an artist and never had. I didn't think I could match the artistic talents of my aunt who creates beautiful paintings and 3-D art pieces, my cousin who also paints beautifully, or my mom who has made amazing stained glass lamps and pieces. After I returned home and developed my photos I found something amazing my photo was beautiful. The lighting was right, the angle was right, and the colors were perfect. Suddenly I found I could artistically express myself and I embarked on a journey in discovering photography. The amazing part about that photo was it was taken with the simplest point and shoot camera. I found a past of mine that I did not know I had in Cambodia.

Journeys

2010-09-18T16:42:00.001-07:00

The next several posts are all somewhat related, but at the same time unrelated. What does that mean? I started reading a book, Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino, which was about the fictitious conversation between Kublai Khan and Marco Polo as the latter describes the cities he encounters on his explorations to the former. There were some interesting thoughts which I gleaned from the book and I'm intermingling into the aforementioned posts.

Do we move forward with our heads turned back? Do our journeys only take place in the past? To me this is asking whether while we move forward are we fixed on our past. Do we live in our past despite embarking on a bright future? Does our past constrain us? Sometimes I think that our journeys forward are only meant to serve as means to right our past or forgive our past transgressions. For better or for worse I think our past has made us who we are and though our actions in the past may not have been admirable we cannot let them dictate our future. Naturally this is easier said than done.

This afternoon we watched a powerful, albeit at times hokey, movie called My Name is Khan. This movie is a Bollywood movie that was filmed in San Francisco, which was the driving factor behind my wanting to see the movie. Anyways without giving away too much of the movie it ever so slightly touches on the idea of forgiveness following an extremely grievous act. Of course it is far easier for me to preach about forgiveness from the comfort of my life where all is well, but it is a heavy burden to bear if you hold onto the pain of that act. I'm not saying to not hurt or grieve, but forgiveness is the key to continuing on our journey. The roots of hatred, anger, and animosity are in our past or actions that have hurt us and the only way to live with our heads turned forward is through forgiveness.

A little boy's dream (Part 2)

2010-09-16T12:22:00.001-07:00

In June while on assignment in Vancouver I blogged a post about how awesome it was to watch a construction site in operation. Over Labor Day the HyWy and I were in San Diego for fun and there were two things that I wanted to see: the San Diego Zoo and the USS Midway. The zoo brought out the HyWy's inner child and it was great watching her get excited about the animals. The next day it was my turn and I was so excited to be on the aircraft carrier. Two years ago I toured the USS Hornet in Alameda, which was impressive but nothing like this. The Hornet was a WWII era Essex Class aircraft carrier and the Midway is a post WWII, Vietnam/Gulf War era Midway Class aircraft carrier. As far as I can tell the Midway is the largest publicly accessible aircraft carrier, which was a big part of why I wanted to tour it. I was just blown away by how enormous these ships are. The cliche is that they are a city at sea and I can see that firsthand. It was as if I was a 10 year old all over again itching to run all over the ship looking in each corner. In the moment I was very aware that I felt like a kid again, but then I thought perhaps my excitement is because I'm a mechanical engineer. Naturally this I really understood how the majority of the ship worked, which was amazing to me. I was able to explain the propulsion system to the HyWy, I understood the emergency wiring, and the takeoff procedure for the planes.

The aircraft carrier is one of the few places that I know (maybe the only one) where engineers are cool. The fighter pilots are basically engineers as are the officers in charge of getting them off the carrier and back safely. Picture this a 5 year old kid is asked in his kindergarten what his dad does. He responds he goes to his office and sits around doing nothing all day. This actually happened and that kid acknowledges years later that while his dad did important things it was not easily distilled to a kindergartner's understanding and hence 'boring'. So now you can imagine my vindication as a now 'boring' engineer when I realized somewhere there is a kindergartner whose dad is an engineer, but the kid tells his teacher that his dad helps planes takeoff a carrier in less than 3 seconds. That is so cool.

Have you ever had any problems with the police or immigration?

2010-09-03T11:23:00.000-07:00

This was the question that was posed to me on my return from Santiago. I stopped off in Toronto to visit family for an overnight and then headed back to San Francisco. Ironically the last time I was annoyed by the security at an airport was also in Toronto.

Anyways this time I went through the "regular" line and thought I was good until as I was trying to go to Customs I was informed that I should go into a side room. I looked around as I was informed this thinking that the agent was referring to someone else, but it was clearly yours truly. The side room was overflowing with hopelessness as students, new immigrants, or foreign travelers sorted through their stories. One student had all his paperwork out, another person had recently changed passports, and the problems went on. It seemed strange to me, at 530AM, that I would find myself in this room, because I didn't share anything in common with these people. At the counter I began to get the third degree. Where are you coming from? Santiago. Where are you going? Toronto. Where do you live? California. How long are you here? One day...doh! The agent asked to see my return ticket. This is where it got good. I didn't have a printout of my ticket. It's an electronic ticket why would I have a copy? He suggested I check my PDA or smartphone. Little did he know that he had one of the least technologically forward people in front of him. I informed him that I didn't have such a device, but my ticket was only in my email. He asked if I could pull it up. I told him that I didn't have access unless he had a suggestion. He scoffed at what he assumed to be a request to use his computer, but what was in reality a jab at blocked off wireless service in this side room. We moved on. What "company" are you traveling with? The obvious answer to me seemed to be the name of my employer. He looked confused and restated the question. I responded with an emphatic, "did you mean what AIRLINE am I traveling with?" If you are dealing with weary travelers getting off a 10+ hour flight, half awake, and often speaking broken English it might be good practice to have patience and phrase your questions in the simplest most obvious way. The flip side is that I should have patience for him b/c he's probably been working 12 hours talking to a bunch of frenetic travelers. However, that is a fault of the system...too few workers = tired/snappy workers. Anyways we finally reach the end of our stalemate with the agent stating that he needs my ticket and conceding when I give him my uncle's name and wrong place of birth. The conclusion was later reached that I was deemed suspicious for only being in the beautiful city of Toronto for one day.

What is a salad?

2010-09-03T11:17:00.000-07:00

In my mind a salad is a reasonably healthy food option, which contains a majority of vegetables. There is often a dressing involved to give flavor to the mostly raw vegetables. The reason I ask this question is because I was in a fast food restaurant the other day and noticed their nutrition facts. I enjoy reading this to see what is at either end of the spectrum. In my mind a salad belongs at one end of the spectrum, but I think that I place it at the wrong end. I never thought that the most unhealthy item on a menu would be the salad. The two salads on this menu had the most calories of anything on that menu. Naturally these salads break my "definition" of a salad by including fried meat (chicken strips, fried chicken, fried shrimp, or some related item) and they usually have a significant amount of dressing. The HyWy made a good point that the serving sizes were not considered so a 300 calorie small item might contain more calories/oz than a 900 calorie larger item. The funniest part in all this is to see the people who are watching their weight order "healthy" and get a "salad".

A milli a milli

2010-08-19T17:02:00.001-07:00

For those that don't follow hip hop the title of this post is a reference to a song by Lil Wayne in which the background chorus has someone chanting "a milli" or a million dollars. Another song has the Yung Joc talking about, "a couple grand". Last but not least is Travis McCoy singing about how badly he "wants to be a billionaire." Please note that I've added links to all of the songs if you want some more context. Anyways in Chile the Chilean Peso exchange rate is 1 dollar to 400+ Pesos. So the prices for everything are listed in astronomical quantities. I have 10000 peso notes in my pocket. You can see where this is heading. I walked by a store today and I am dead serious the sign literally translated to "Everything inside for 1000 pesos." In Spanish the sign was even funnier, because 1000 is "mil". That was a moment I wished I had a camera to show all the cheap stuff that you could get for a "mil". Somehow the Mil Store doesn't have the same ring as the Dollar Store. After I walked by I was thinking about the above mentioned songs and how they can't possibly have the same appeal here where you "drop more than a G on a drink". I laughed to myself with images of rap stars attempting to "make it rain" when "making it hail" is more appropriate given the amount of bills necessary.

En Santiago

2010-08-18T12:34:00.001-07:00

Well I'm in Santiago for a few days so I thought I should put out a few dispatches. A bunch of random thoughts from the trip and a few about Santiago.

First maybe I'm naive, but I didn't realize that so many people are down with popping some sleeping pills, having some booze, and then getting on a long flight. I had heard my friends talk about it and I figured it was just them. At the airport I heard a couple talking about it and saw some others "prepping". I see the advantage and even attempted to take some sleeping pills, but they were largely ineffective. I managed to sleep about 4 hrs, which was good solid sleep. I still had to deal with another 7 hrs of flight time. Somehow I'm still reasonably awake right now and dreading the crash that will happen later tonight. I'm not sure how I will manage to stay awake until dinner as many places here don't open until 8 or 9.

Why are people SO self absorbed that they can carry entire phone conversations while practically yelling into their phone. Don't know what I'm talking about? Look around you when you're waiting to catch your next flight. If you are in any major city during the week you're bound to see the "important and powerful" businessman/woman carrying on a conference call on their Blackberry (on Bluetooth also) while tapping away on their laptop. Don't get me wrong I have done all of the above (conference call and laptop) in the last month, but I can't imagine I'm as loud as most of these people. I was in the middle of a terminal in San Francisco where American Airlines had tons of flights coming and going (so massive crowds, kids, PAs, etc.), but I could still hear and follow clearly the conversation this guy was having 10 ft away from me.

Have you ever noticed some random person in the airport and wondered where they are going or what their story is? I think about that and how after that moment when I see that person I will almost certainly never see them again in my life. What I think is most interesting is when I see a person and then they end up on my flight or even more amazingly right next to me. The story this time was when I went to enter the security line a young Indian kid (early 20s) dressed in street clothes thanked me for visiting the US and wished me a good journey. I immediately started laughing, because he was doing this to everyone for a reaction. He immediately started laughing too. I then noticed that his friend, another young Indian, was laughing and waving to a young kid (their cousin, friend, etc.) whom I presumed they had seen off at the airport (or maybe just thanked for visiting the US). The kid ended up in my security line and even got in trouble with the security woman. I didn't pay much attention, because she was just another traveler and there must have been at least a dozen flights leaving in the next hour. Once my flight started boarding she turned up again. On the plane she was seated right behind me. However, the story ends there and at my connection she was no longer there. I wonder what her story was and more importantly who was the random guy thanking me for "visiting"?

Santiago is an interestingly mixed city. It mixes the modern western look with parts of India. It mixes urban with enormous mountains 40km away. It mixes European culture with South American culture. I see a lot of similarities to other places I have been or maybe it's just the more places you go the more they look the same.

Coming Soon: Superbad IN 3-D!!!!!

2010-08-14T07:07:00.001-07:00

Ok that's not really going to happen, but the way things are going it might. I feel as though EVERY single movie these days is coming in 3-D. I think 3-D is cool, but I don't need to see everything that way. I would even like a choice with some of the movies that "are supposed to be watched in 3-D". The other night we went to see Despicable Me (in 3-D :P) and the funnier part was how amazed some of the people around us were. I don't consider myself "with the times", but I've seen 3-D movies before in Disneyland or wherever and this was really no different. I expect the ooing, ahhing, and reaching out to "touch something" from 10 year olds not from a middle aged person. What's even more frustrating about 3-D is that it's significantly more expensive than regular, which is another reason I think they should be offered both ways. The HyWy and many other people's problem with 3-D is the damn glasses. I can't believe it's 2010 and we're using something that is one step further than the cardboard red and blue lens glasses of the past. We should easily be using some cover that goes over the whole screen instead of crappy plastic glasses. So there you have it...I hate 3-D (most of the time).

Hey Joe!

2010-08-05T14:10:00.001-07:00

Steven requested a retelling of a classic story from my days at the sporting goods store.

We had a call in customer who would call to ask about BMX bikes in stock. The problem was that he never made good on his calls and he took up valuable time that we could be selling on the floor so the all of us would fight to avoid taking his calls. A typical call would go like this:

Sales Associate: Ski Bike and Marine how may I help you?
Joe (in a rapid fire delivery reminiscent of an over caffeinated or meth addicted individual): Yeah hey this is Joe.What kind of BMX bikes do you have in stock?Do you have any Haros?I love Haros.Do you have any camo bikes?I don't want no pink bikes.Do you have any with pegs on them?
SA: Hey Joe. Let me see what we have.
(attempts made to solicit other associates to check and take the transferred call at another phone).

This would go on often for 15 or 20 minutes. One day Joe actually came in and even bought a bike, but I wasn't there to witness this. I was there to witness Joe return a week later to try to return the bike. As I stood there I saw a mid 40s black man sweating profusely in shorts and a t-shirt with a shaved head and a sweatband ride up to our department. He attempted to tell us that he had wrecked on this nice high end BMX and thus wanted to return it. If we had taken it back then we would have never been able to resell it so my manager was trying to get out of taking it (knowing full well that there was no reason for Joe to want to return it). We noticed that the bike had undergone an upgrade. The crankset (pedal and big sprocket connected to the chain) had been upgraded to a very nice 300 dollar crank (probably about half the value of the bike). We told Joe we'd take the bike as is and he said he needed his crank back and we told him that it gets returned as is or not. He gave in. Another time he came in babbling on about how he was an architect and had designed a building down the street so he wanted to buy a 500 dollar gas powered scooter. He bought it and took it home. He came back a few days later trying to return it with gas in it claiming that he couldn't store his new scooter in his building. We told him that we couldn't take a return with gas in it and off he went again. I wonder what Joe is up to these days.

Excuse me is that a gun in your bag?

2010-08-04T17:28:00.000-07:00

An odd title for a post that I'm writing while waiting for a flight,
but that was the scene that played out in front of me in security.
Not quite the way you think though. I watched a young couple plead
with the security staff over a water pistol, that in their defense
looked nothing like a gun, which was in their carry on bag for their
young son. This scene brought back images of another young father
coming back from Arizona with a toy pistol, that incidentally looked
much more like a real gun, for his young son. That was a long time
ago and that young father admitted that he neglected to move said item
to his check in. That was also more than 10 years before 9/11 so
times were less strict, which is why it blew my mind that in this day
and age a passenger would conscientiously try to argue to be allowed
to bring their water gun on the plane. Eventually the mom conceded
and left the toy, which the did not seem to bother the son in the
least. Perhaps when he grows up and sees a similar scene play out
he'll remember his water gun.

Taking a roller coaster ride down memory lane...

2010-08-04T17:22:00.001-07:00

On our most recent trip to Atlanta the HyWy and I took a roller
coaster ride down memory lane. I say that instead of the usual
'stroll down', because at one point the HyWy said that it was an
overwhelming amount of memories. In my case I only went to two places
on memory lane, but in her case we visited her high school, one
elementary school, and several apartment complexes from younger days.

After I got out of college I was unable to find employment and worked
at a sporting goods store on and off for a few years. After I
relocated the chain of stores was sold to another company. Since I
left Atlanta I had never been back to the store I worked in, which was
an enormous 3 floor or 60 ft tall building. One night I happened to
be in the neighborhood so I decided to stop by and see whether the
interior had changed under new ownership. I was amazed to see that
other than a few small shifts the store was essentially the same. All
the departments were in the same places and my department looked
unchanged after nearly 8 years. It was a very surreal feeling to walk
the floor that I knew so well. Everything felt familiar, but none of
it felt right. It was a bit like trying on something you haven't worn
for years that you haven't exactly outgrown. Riding in the elevator
and touching the buttons for the floor I could feel myself flashing
back to the end of a long shift. Looking down from the upper floors I
remember hanging out with other associates and shooting the BSing to
pass the time. Those were fun times, but I'm glad that that article
of clothing doesn't feel right anymore.

What items define our generation?

2010-07-17T09:01:00.001-07:00

As I went to sleep last night I was thinking about what the definitive items are of our generation. The three items that I came up with were a CD, a cell phone, and an email address. I think everyone I know has or had at least one of each of these. Then I started to get more specific and I realized that we don't fit many of the more specific details. Almost everyone I know has a Facebook account (including my parents) so that could easily be considered something definitive about this generation. A good number of our friends have iPhones, but not as many as have Facebook. I could make a case that social media itself is something definitive and then we could include all the "previous" Facebooks (Myspace, Friendster, etc.) and even current trends like Twitter. In any case I think this all goes back to the email address. I still remember my family's first email address: madhatt285@aol.com. In 1992 we were using probably a 14.4k modem to dial up to AOL and internet browsers barely existed. Now all of the aforementioned sites function off of your email address. It is amazing to look back on our short lifetimes and realize how much things have changed.

What is a sport?

2010-07-11T08:46:00.000-07:00

According to the Oxford English Dictionary the word "sport" means:

An activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.

To me it seems that the things that make a sport a sport are skill, physical exertion, and the act of competition. Naturally for sports that are more subjective and requiring judging of style some set of guidelines must be established in order to determine the winning competitor. Anyways where I'm going with this is this short piece for E:60 that I saw on Parkour. I find it interesting that there is so much discussion against why parkour and there is even a mention of rock climbing not being a sport. I think that if rhythmic gymnastics, figure skating, or any other Olympic sport that requires judges awarding points for artistic performance can be a sport than so can parkour. Another point that is made that anything that you can do while eating is not a sport to which the very appropriate response was have you seen baseball. One of the first comments that the anti-parkour lady makes is that do people not have anything better to do with their day than jump off buildings. That blind argument can be made the first time someone sees anything new. Anyone with an Indian grandmother has probably heard them say while watching basketball, why don't they give them all balls so they don't fight over one? American football is the most glaring example of is there nothing better to do, but it just so happens that it is ingrained in our culture. If American football was reinvented today the complexity of the game would greatly diminish it's ability to succeed. The height of this argument comes when the anti-parkour lady (who happens to be black) states that parkour is something that white people do and there are no black people that would take part in this. Obviously she is making a gross generalization, because some of the most influential traceurs (practitioners of parkour) are black. Whether black people participate or not is a topic for another post, but what she was driving at is that it is not something that interests her race. She is probably the same person that would have argued that before Tiger Woods black people weren't interested in golf or before the Williams sisters they weren't interested in tennis. I think that should be the goal of ESPN to open our eyes to a broader variety of things, because they have the means to make them known to us. Well I digress. Watch the piece if you have time and decide for yourself whether you think parkour fits your definition of a sport.

Most Valuable Helper

2010-06-25T18:02:00.000-07:00

An eloquent tribute to a larger than life figure that I remember seeing play at my first NBA game. I wish more players embodied his spirit. Original article here.

Most Valuable Helper - Op-Ed Columnist

By Nicholas Kristof

Sports stars often make headlines with spectacular misconduct, and they don’t use their celebrity enough to make the world a better place. But every now and then, along comes a star as gifted ethically as athletically — and I’m thinking now of one of the greatest basketball players ever.

Certainly not one of the best shooters, for he averaged only 2.6 points a game. But Manute Bol, at more than 7 feet 6 inches tall, was a moral giant who was unsurpassed in leveraging his fame on behalf of the neediest people on earth.

Bol died on Saturday from a noxious mix of ailments, exacerbated by his insistence on working in Sudan to build schools and forestall a new civil war. Bol’s great dream was to build 41 new schools across Sudan (he admired the first President Bush, hence the No. 41).

It’s a lofty dream, particularly because he is no longer around to speak at fund-raisers. It’s almost as inconceivable as the dream he had when he was an African cattle-herder aspiring to play in the N.B.A. — and this too can be a slam-dunk, posthumously, if his fans help out.

If each admirer chipped in the cost of a ticket to just one game, if each of his former teams agreed to match donations, if a few current and former N.B.A. stars agreed to stand in for Bol at fund-raisers, why then schools would sprout all across Sudan.

The first of Bol’s 41 schools is now approaching completion in his childhood village, said Tom Prichard, executive director of Sudan Sunrise, the charity that Bol used to build his schools. Forty to go.

Bol grew up herding cattle. Twice he ran away in hopes of attending school, but he never got much formal education. He moved to the United States and played in the N.B.A. from 1985 to 1995, setting a rookie record for blocking shots. He was a curiosity, the tallest player in the league when he started.

As Bol began playing before large crowds in America, his homeland exploded in violence. Northern Sudan waged a savage war against the South, costing roughly two million lives. American officials and news organizations mostly looked the other way, but Bol worked passionately to ease the suffering.

One summer, Bol button-holed more than 45 members of Congress, trying to get them to pay attention to the slaughter. He donated most of his basketball wealth to help the people of southern Sudan, and he flew into war zones to highlight their suffering. Sudan bombed camps that he visited, perhaps in an effort to assassinate him.

Some 250 people in his extended family were killed in the war, Bol estimated, many of them by Sudanese soldiers from Darfur. Yet when the Sudanese Army turned on Darfur in 2003, he was one of the southern Sudanese who led the way in protesting the slaughter in Darfur.

Bol envisioned co-ed, multifaith schools in which Christians in southern Sudan studied alongside Muslims from northern Sudan. Darfuri Muslims have been helping to build the first school, in Bol’s hometown of Turalei, a two-and-a-half day drive from the nearest paved road.

Robert McFarlane, a former national security adviser to former President Ronald Reagan, traveled late last year with Bol to Turalei and gushes about what a “giant heart of gold” Bol had. Mr. McFarlane told me: “The people of Turalei almost worshiped Manute for his commitment to make schools available for their kids.”

Critics sometimes derided Bol’s kooky publicity stunts, like participating in a celebrity boxing match or putting on ice skates to become the world’s “tallest hockey player.” Bol shrugged off the scorn because he seemed to care less about his dignity than he did about raising money for schools.

Bol made his American home in Olathe, Kan., and a local paper, The Kansas City Star, made a larger point a few weeks before he died:

“Bol symbolizes an unfortunate side of our sports obsession and how we measure the worth of those who play,” The Star noted. “The best athletes get the love, most times regardless of what they do away from sport. Bol, doing the work of a saint, is largely ignored.”

A new civil war may be brewing today in Sudan: The South is expected to secede early next year in accordance with an international treaty, and many fear that the North will unleash war rather than lose oil wells in the South. President Obama and his administration have been weak and ineffective toward Sudan in ways that make another horrific war there more likely. We can only hope that President Obama and his aides will be bolstered by Bol’s gumption and moral compass.

Bol will never be able to cut the ribbon at the schools he dreamed of. But we can pick up where he left off. In a world with so much athletic narcissism, let’s celebrate a Most Valuable Humanitarian by building schools through his charity, www.SudanSunrise.org.

Have you heard this one (Part 2)??

2010-06-24T21:36:00.002-07:00

A SKINNY INDIAN GUY WALKS INTO AN ELEVATOR...

...following 7 grandmothers. Again the odd one out this time going up to our floors the grandmothers all were fumbling for their keys to trigger the elevator to go to the right floor. They were going to the 3rd floor and I was going to the 8th. One of them asked me where I was going. Before I could respond the others chimed in, "he's going to his room!" Without missing a beat another responded, "why? Do you want to join him?" Naturally there was much laughter and I didn't really have an opportunity to counter with anything and to be honest I was somewhat speechless.

Though both of the above incidents sound as though they are jokes I assure you that I can't make up stuff like this.

Have you heard this one (Part 1)??

2010-06-24T21:36:00.001-07:00

A SKINNY INDIAN GUY WALKS INTO AN ELEVATOR...

...and is greeted by 7 big guys all wearing black. I was the only person wearing any color (red and orange). There were four guys wearing Daisy Duke style cutoff shorts, sneakers, fake (?) long brown hair, sleeveless leather jackets without shirts, and headbands. The remaining guys were dressed more "normally" in jeans and black tshirts. I was immediately asked whether I was "going to the Iron Maiden concert?" As if my appearance (slacks, dress shoes, dress shirt) didn't give it away I responded that I wasn't. They proceeded to jovially discuss how they planned to sneak various illicit items into the concert. Outside the hotel it was madness in the streets with numerous metalheads making their way down the street to the GM Place. I reflected on the situation and thought that if I had the choice to be randomly outside a concert before or after that was either a large hip hop show (Snoop, Dre, etc.) or a large metal show (Metallica, Iron Maiden, etc.) I think I would rather find myself at a metal show. If metal fans get drunk and angry they pretty much just fight and if I'm sober and caught nearby I can easily get away from the situation, because it mostly involves fists. Conversely if the same situation happened outside a hip hop concert I can't be sure, but I would be very wary that there would be a gun pulled out very soon. Naturally these are big generalizations and people get fatally injured at metal shows all the time and there are countless safe hip hop shows, but this was my thoughts.

The perils of sharing dessert...

2010-06-20T21:37:00.001-07:00

There are two perils, as far as I can tell, with sharing dessert that I have run into. The first was really more unfortunate for the HyWy, because often I would get carried away in my enjoyment of our shared dessert and she would find it more than halfway finished. Now I've learned to eat slower and also periodically check in to see how she's doing. The second peril as I found out tonight is not so much about sharing, but rather what happens when your "sharer" is not present. I ordered a dessert tonight and got about halfway through it when I realized I still have to finish the other half. Perhaps I should have thought ahead and portioned some out for the person sitting next to me;).

Brazil v. Ivory Coast

2010-06-20T16:02:00.001-07:00

I met up with a few Couchsurfers to watch the Brazil match this morning in an area of town known as Commercial Dr. It's similar to the Mission in that they are both very international. The masses of Brazilians heading to the bars was amazing. They had flags as capes, hats, and the rest of the get up. Cars would drive down the street honking at them and they would cheer. We ended up at a bar that would only let the exact number of people in that there were chairs available. I've never heard of a bar/pub doing that. We moved our tables out from the corner so we could better see the TV and we were repeatedly chastised by the waitresses. Anyways once the match started the Brazilians were vocal with every touch and positive move that their side made. There was a small contingent of Ivory Coast support or maybe they were anti-Brazil. In the end the Brazilian fans came off a bit pompous though as they taunted the Ivory Coast fans and even flashed "L" hand gestures. Don't get me wrong I'm all about talking smack, but that usually happens when there is history between the teams or when friends are involved. I'm not really in favor of taunting random strangers in a bar supporting a team we don't have a rivalry with. Regardless though it was fun to watch the match in a bar full of fans and everyone cheering. There was definitely one shared enemy at the end of this one and that was the referee whether for Kaka's second yellow or the double handball of Fabiano.

Bowen Island

2010-06-20T15:49:00.001-07:00

After a week of rather crummy weather it warmed up dramatically on Saturday so I went ahead with my plan to go kayaking on Bowen Island. Getting there was a bit of an ordeal has I had to take an express bu, which was almost an hour and then wait at the ferry terminal for ferry that came once an hour. As it turned out I arrived just as the other ferry had left so I had an hour to wait. The ferry ride was only about 20 minutes and once on the island the kayak rental place was right there.

The funny thing was that the kayak rental guy swore up and down that he was convinced I had more experience in kayaking than I was letting on. I told him that I had kayaked once or twice. He didn't believe me so I told him that the first time was in Jamaica up and down a beach (doesn't really count) and then once in the Bay Area. We had a river tour in Belize, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't a traditional kayak. He finally concluded that I had a confidence about me that suggested I had been more.

Once I got out onto the water it was exhilarating to be such a small boat in such an enormous body of water and surrounded by mountains. The water was calm in the protected cove and even for a while once I ventured out to the next bay. However, as soon as I got into the unprotected waters it started to get pretty choppy. The owner told me to stay 15 meters or so off the shore. The next thing I knew I looked up and I was easily several hundred meters off the shore, because I had cut across the bay and not along the shore. When I decided to turn around I saw an enormous ferry starting it's 20 min journey over to where I was heading. I knew that he would reach at the same time I would so I meandered about so as not to get in his way. The return trip was against the wind so I was really fighting and man could I feel it in my core. The shop owner said that if you are sore in your arms from paddling you're doing it wrong so I guess all my kayaking "experience" paid off.

Where do you look in your hometown?

2010-06-20T15:28:00.000-07:00

In a new city I can't help but look all around me as I walk down the street. I look at the buildings, the stores, the people, the streets, the cars, the parks, the signs, etc. I've noticed that people tend to stare straight ahead when they walk in Vancouver, but I think that that is because this is what they are used. I've been thinking about what I do when I walk through San Francisco and I think sometimes I look around, but for the most part I stare ahead. I know that after doing the same commute for months or years there might not be anything new to see, but the commute is never the same twice so there's always something to see. Here's to looking like a wide eyed tourist in whatever city I am in.

How Friday unfolded...

2010-06-19T18:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday after I got off work I thought I would walk back to the hotel and perhaps soak in the hot tub. As soon as I walked out of the building and onto the main street I saw tons of people on the sidewalk. It turns out that the power had just gone out and everyone was walking out of the stores/restaurants trying to figure out what was going on. At the hotel the power was also out so I thought I would do the only logical thing: have a beer. Inside the bar one of the barmaids that was not working was hanging out with one of the regulars and I sat near them. The regular, Gary, made a reference to working in a "studio". As anyone that knows me well knows the minute I hear the word "studio" my ears perk up. I asked Gary what he does and it turned out that he works as a recording engineer in the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Company) TV and radio studio that was a block away. Over the next 10-15 minutes as his friends/coworkers came through I met a lighting guy and someone who travels with the Canucks to do sound for hockey games. Then Gary offered to give me a tour of CBC studios, which I naturally readily accepted. Once we finished our drinks we walked over to the second or third largest studio in Canada. We walked in from the loading bay where he pointed out one (the TV one) of the two mobile rigs that the CBC uses, but the mobile audio rig was out for a gig. From there we went into one of two stages similar to what I imagine the Letterman Show or the Tonight Show would be recorded on. There were a set of bleachers for an audience of a couple hundred to sit and there was a band doing a sound check for a concert on Saturday. Gary showed me how they route the sound from the mics to a splitter, to the live mixer, and then upstairs to the TV control room. I had never seen a live TV control room so he explained how the master control operator takes direction from the director and assistant director. We also saw the enormous lighting grid on the ceiling and how the lighting supervisor can select lights to use. From there we went to the post production studio that handles the audio for the TV broadcast. Then Gary took me into a series of rooms that they use for radio dramas. The rooms were filled with foley (sound effect) props; it was something straight out of A Prairie Home Companion. There were sinks, a bathtub, a set of stairs with two different surfaces, doors of all kinds, two sets of stoves, etc. Next we saw where Gary works (he's been with the CBC for 35 years), which was a live room where they have concerts that are recorded for live release on CD, live radio broadcast, etc. Next week the Jazz Festival is in town so Gary was saying that he has a lot of shows set up. In the control room Gary pulled up some live recordings he has done and put them up on the studio monitors (speakers). Man did the sound amazing! We talked about their recording methodology, equipment used, etc. The last area we toured was the news area and that was AMAZING. I've always seen the news, but never seen a news studio. Funny after living in Atlanta for 7 years I never toured the CNN studios. The CBC studio has double studios of EVERYTHING because they have one for the French broadcast and one for the English broadcast. I saw the news studio, teleprompters, news desk, weather desk, and all the radio booths. Once we were done with the tour Gary mentioned how the band that we saw rehearsing was going to have a concert on Saturday evening and if I wanted to come they seemed to be short on audience members. Unfortunately I spent the day kayaking so as I write this I'm too tired to move from my bed.

However the adventure doesn't end there. Parting ways with Gary I started to head toward Gastown where I intended to eat dinner. Along the way I walked by a guy and two girls when the guy asked if I knew how to to get to the "Night Market." I confessed to him that I didn't as I wasn't even from the area. He asked where I was from and we started talking. He introduced himself as Lee (or Leigh) and introduced the two girls (whose names I don't remember). Leigh explained that the night market was a outdoor evening Chinese market in Chinatown. When I told him where I was going he informed me that we were heading away from the direction I needed to head and I told him that was fine and I'd walk with them for a while. When we found the night market Leigh ran into several groups of people and introduced me as his new friend. The night market was ok and it kind of reminded me of all the stores in SF Chinatown setting up a market. Eventually I told Leigh I was going to go back to my search for food and we went our way.

The thing that sticks in my head about these chance encounters was how as the HyWy pointed out this is what traveling is really about...meeting new people and having new experiences. I'm glad that even on a work trip somehow I've had some real experiences. Today and tomorrow are more adventures, but that's for another post.

TMI Facebook/Twitter

2010-06-16T22:23:00.000-07:00

Last August I wrote a post about the cell phone crutch and the last few months I have seen people Tweeting or Facebooking in random situations that leads me to write a somewhat connected post.

In a reasonably high profile situation recently where a group of us were together for a few hours and had the opportunity to bond I noticed one of the players repeatedly checking her Facebook. I don't think any set of circumstances allows me to justify the public checking of your Facebook. What could possibly be going on there that is more important than talking with the people in front of you? I feel like this instantaneous form of communication is actually distancing people more as they spend so much time 'connecting' that they forget the real true connections in front of them.

On occasion I check in on a few Twitter feeds to see what someone said about a soccer match or if there is any new bouldering routes at my gym. As with most things I read if I see something on a page of interest then I click that link, which sends me down a rabbit hole of links. One twitter feed I found had an individual talking about how they can't believe how many people get in touch with them in a night to see where they are going. I think Twitter feeds people's self importance. They look on their Twitter and it says that 500 people are following them so they feel more important. Someone told me that they think 95% of tweets are garbage and a few actually are relevant and useful. I agree.

Two down one to go

2010-06-16T22:14:00.000-07:00

While in Vancouver I find myself without two things that I use so regularly their absence leaves me feeling a little lost.

The first is my cell phone. I'm sure I can find a way to get service in Canada or I can probably just use my phone to text, but as luck would have it I forgot my cell phone charger. Instead of freaking out, buying a new charger, or worse yet getting a cheap phone and inserting my SIM into it I took the simplest way out and turned my phone off for the duration of my trip. In the past few days I have noticed small ways in which I "miss" my phone. Can't remember the name, address, or phone number of a restaurant? I can't just GOOGLE text anymore. Need to know the time at some random moment walking on the street? Probably doesn't really matter because other then being on time to work I have nowhere that I need to be on time to. How do I get in touch with the HyWy or people I want to meet? They call the hotel or email me.

The second item is my car. I'm not as much lost without as getting used to the idea of not even being in a car. Usually when we go to India I don't drive for a month or so. When I was in Peru I was taking taxis everywhere. In Vancouver I haven't set foot in a car since Monday. That is practically unheard of in my life.

Now the thing that I need to separate myself from is my laptop, but that is much harder than it seems as I actually need it at this point.

A little boy's dream

2010-06-16T16:42:00.000-07:00

I can't believe the amount of development going on in Vancouver. It's as if every block has some construction going on, which makes me wonder how they managed during the Olympics. I'm sure that most if not all of this work wasn't going on then as it would probably really snarl the traffic.

Across the street from our office is a standard high rise apartment size plot of land which is in the first phases of construction. They have just laid the foundation and are working on the first and second floors it seems. To me this seems like every little boy's (and perhaps some little girl's) dream. I could spend endless hours just watching out the window as the crane turns and moves concrete into place to set the supports. We are literally across the street so I can see the crane operator from our 5th floor windows as he skillfully maneuvers the enormous boom from about 10 stories up. For years I had never seen one of these cranes operate up close and wondered what it looked like. The other day as I stood there he was moving the concrete drum forward and it almost looked like it could come crashing through our windows (that would have been disastrously cool). The one thing our offices lack right now are tables and chairs set right in front of the window where we can sit with our lunches and watch our childhood dreams.

Dispatches from the Field: Vancouver, Day 1

2010-06-14T20:49:00.001-07:00

So I found out last week that I was going to have to come to Vancouver for 10 days starting today. In many ways this is a better assignment than my previous one in Lima, but in other ways it is worse and this is purely from personal perspective. Regardless I figured that another long term assignment of sorts means I should resume my blogging of interesting things.

The morning started at the airport with the Netherlands/Denmark World Cup match and was emblematic of one of the reasons I'm excited to be going to Vancouver. I enjoy being in another country during the World Cup to see how people get more worked up than in the US. Strangely enough 8 years ago during the World Cup I was in Toronto. At the airport it was fun to see how there were a few passengers interested in this game, but all the staff in the restaurant were watching and discussing the weekend games.

My arrival into Vancouver was uneventful and I made my way to the office after dropping off my bag at the hotel. Lunch was the most blog worthy part of the day as my coworker took me Japadog. The best way to describe the food at Japadog is that it's a traditional hot dog joint running head first into a sushi restaurant. I'm sure some of you are thinking, "raw fish with a hot dog? Ugh!" But this was more seaweed, radish, soy sauce, etc. with a hot dog. I'm sure most still are not sold and I was skeptical. However, I was won over by the reasonably good ideas that they concocted. However, the real funny part was that once I placed my order with the tiny Japanese girl she yelled it out to her compatriots in a barely intelligible JapEnglish hybrid and her compatriots yelled it back in confirmation. The staff of the little hole in the wall restaurant seemed to actually be having fun in the middle of their Monday lunch hour madness. One girl accidentally threw her pen across the room while working and just burst out in laughter. I feel that this kind of combination of jovial and high pressure atmospheres don't really exist in the US.

Another thing that caught my eye was the number of small restaurants in Vancouver. This isn't something new, because on numerous trips to Toronto it blows my mind the number or restaurants that there are. I've been to New York and I'm sure that there are more restaurants in New York than in either Toronto or Vancouver, but for some reason it doesn't feel like that is the case. Every block seems to have a kabab/falafel shop, Chinese food, Japanese food, pizzeria, and sandwich shop. I long for the days when my home office has this kind of food selection nearby.

That's all for now. More tomorrow.

So long and thanks for the memories...

2010-05-10T11:35:00.001-07:00

For the past 2.5 months the HyWy and I have been trying to get a new car, because the Celica has pretty significant repairs required and with my parents in town a 4 door car is more practical. While we have been looking I've been pushing to just get rid of the Celica, but now that the buyer is practically knocking on the door I can't let go. The Celica was my first car that was my car, because prior to this the wagon I had was left to me by parents when they moved overseas. It was the first car that I picked. The Celica has been with me through plenty of good times and a few bad ones. I know exactly how it feels on certain turns that I drive regularly. I know the perfect position to drive when I'm tired. There is a spot on the steering wheel that is well worn from my repeatedly holding it in that same place. We've taken it to LA, Oregon, Tahoe, and several coastal trips. I was driving it on the Bay Bridge when I saw an accident happen right in front of me and come to a rest within inches of my bumper. It was the car I drove the HyWy in when I surprised her and proposed to her. It was the car we drove around to look at wedding venues. We were sitting in a parking spot above our neighborhood Trader Joe's when the HyWy found out about the passing of her cousin. We drove to a meditation center to sit in pray/meditate when I found out about the passing of my uncle. It was the car my little niece rode in and exclaimed, "Wheeeeee!!!!" as we descended San Francisco's hills. It was the car that the HyWy entered with a new engagement ring while a friend sat and realized in the back seat what happened and started screaming. I picked the HyWy up from the airport when she moved here in this car and it also took us to the airport before our wedding. My parents have stuffed themselves in the car and driven it around. People have complained about being stuffed in the back and have even tried to stuff an extra person in the back (not possible). I've gotten 3 tickets (2 stop sign and one illegal left turn) in it. On stressful days at work I've sought refuge in the car in the form of a nap, a book, or sports talk radio. I learned how to change the oil, replace bulbs, and about the diagnostic connector on this car. I've watched sunsets and sunrises over the Bay in the car. The list goes on and on, but as the end draws near it will be only thing I keep.