DIY LED Lanyard Build with WS2812B and Raspberry Pi
DIY LED lanyard build using WS2812B strips and Raspberry Pi, with parts, power lessons, and assembly tips for wearable conference projects.
· 4 min read
Tag: travel
To our Friends, Family and those in between,
This is the time of year I electronically dust off the addresses of friends and acquaintances, old and new, and ask myself over a cup of hot chocolate, "Do they still live there? How much is postage these days? Do I even know how to write something that isn't my signature? This is to overwhelming. Maybe I'll do it next year." This is also where we'd have a picture of our family in front of a christmas tree showing how big Kara has grown and with a message about how great this year has been. Fortunately, our lives have been so blessed that one picture couldn't possibly summarize everything that we've experienced this year. So, I present to you this e-essay/card where you can click on links so we both reminisce on what's happened to the Falgout Family in 2011. Early on, I reconnected with my family through my long forgotten Falgout family tradition of a bonfire on NYE, as well as celebrating Kara's birthday in our new Falgout family tradition: Cupcakes! We also got to meet Kara's namesake celebrity, Katee Sackhoff. And a few other celebrities! Kathy and I also had a joint birthday celebration which resulted in the best surprise of my 35 years on this planet and an amazing party. But that's not to say life doesn't have its falls, with screams of laughter, fear and excitement. In fact, one of my favorite accomplishments of the year was the Trebuchet Contest. Which also had it's own falls, laughter, fear and excitement. Somewhere mixed in all this was a trip to Italy, which I had promised Kathy for many years. And we discovered that even thousands of miles away, international cultures have more in common than you think. For the first time, since moving into the Plano, we participated in Halloween. Verdict: Cute! I also picked up bowling, which I found out I can be quite good at if I put my mind to it (read: Don't drink as much). And who in Dallas could forget the Mavericks finally winning the NBA Championship! This year was also a resurgence in our friend's fertility! 12 of our friends are on their way to starting their own families this year. (I sometimes think of ourselves as the Baby Making Hipsters of our friend's circle.) Looking back, it's amazing to see all that has happened this year. It's an extremely blessed and fortunate life. And it's enriched by all of our friends and family which support and encourage us and our wacky lifestyle. Thanks and here's to outliving the Mayan's expiration in 2012! -Tommy, Kathy and Kara Falgout
Techno-Geek-arama
Jason, Neil and I were invited to speak at the PHP track for the Tulsa Tech Fest It made for a fun road trip as well as a really good lesson learned for trying to code while presenting. In short: Don't. Too many things can go wrong and the unexpected will always happen. The presentation I gave on MySQL Scaling and Growth can be found here. Thanks to everyone for the support and feedback provided.
· 1 min read
I want to live everywhere.
THAT bridge Originally uploaded by SnoopyKiss Every time I come back from Denver, I rave about how I want to move there. After Germany, it was the same…
Of good times, friends and dances.
Rollercoaster rides happen all the time in life. I've gotten to the point where I can see mine coming, so I have some time to either tense up, or throw my hands up in the air and go Wheeeeeeee!!!! Getting laid off the day I came back from work was a shock to my timeframe, but completely expected. I have once again, left a company with a stable application that will make/save them millions of dollars. My thanks? Enough good karma to last me through an apocalypse or two and an even better job. This time, I'm going to Yahoo! YahooooooOOOOOOooOO! My business cards will say "Technical Yahoo", which is about as true to life as it gets on paper for me. For my time off, I'm getting my road trip and dancing in by hanging out in Denver for a week. At the same time, learning about the wonderful effects of high-altitude and alcohol. If I don't move to Germany, let's hope I make it out here. -- Snoopykiss is kinda embarrassed it only takes one Smirnoff Ice up here. Kinda.
Standards
When you go outside your routine, you often expect to see new ways of doing things. However, when you embark on a journey to completely remove yourself from everything you've grown accustomed to, you learn that the standards which you've held to and which you have been held to, are just part of your environment. Example: To have a family and kids, you should get married. 4 weeks of vacation is a lot. Racism is pervasive. French are rude. Hitchhiking is unsafe. Planes rides are more expensive than trains. Trains and buses are for low-class travel. You can't eat fried food every day and lose weight. Arabs hate America. These were all ideas and standards I had hardwired into my brain that I believed before I this trip. Everyone of them was proven wrong. While I'm willing to believe that meeting the hospitable Frenchies was a fluke, I don't believe that any of these I listed are "exceptions that prove the rules". These are all ways we have grown up to believe, because America and it's amazing citizens live in a bubble! It's time to challenge that which we've always accepted to be true. I invite everyone to give up on the idea that it "HAS TO BE THIS WAY". I believe that we think we know everything already and we've given up on one of the most important questions of our lives: Why? May 16th, on my plane back to Dallas. Sad that my trip is over. Happy that my new life has begun.
Yea Stuttgart! I made it!
After traveling from country to country, mostly staying in the same location for only 1 night, it's amazing how peaceful familiarity can be. It doesn't matter that you sleep on a leaky air-mattress, or that it's with a cousin you haven't seen in about 2 decades, and his wife and his good friend who you've never met before. It's comforting because it's family. While working for his restaurant, I also had no problem pitching in every change I got. Assemble a grill. Make a peanut sauce for 150 people. Setup a room for a banquet. Come up with a Panini menu item (one of my favorites). Why? As I told Cousin Bill, "Because blood works harder than money." Lydia, Bill's wife, wisked me around Stuttgart on my last day and we ran into one of her Louisiana friends. Not a Coonass, mind you, as she lived too far north, but still an interesting person nonetheless. I also found out that one of Lydia's cousins is the lead singer of Pink Martini. And apparently, she is as beautiful as her voice; such that one of her German female friends is quoted as saying, "I think I'm turning Lesb-ish." For dinner, we were served by a Gay Asian waiter, speaking German. Swing Heil, indeed. May 16th, in the Gatwick (London) Airport, realizing that I haven't journaled in a while.
Sometimes, France Piss Me Off
If you want to see a beautiful city with centuries of culture and history, Paris is your place. Last night, Kathy and I went to see the Eiffel Tower at night and were surprised with a colorful lights display of the tower as well. I even gave in and splurged on a French meal. It was actually good, but not as good as ours. We went to sleep, present to the undeniable romance of the city. However, the next morning was filled with anxiety as we body-checked a local, jump turnstiles, and snook on the train because the line to get our free tickets to the airport was too long and only one person working the entire booth. I finally saw Kathy to her flight out and even wept to myself after she was gone. (Go ahead...Say it. Awwwwwwwwwww.) I then headed off to find a train to Stuttgart to meet up with my Cousin again. Even though my Eurorail book told me that there's a train from Paris to Stuttart at 6PM, the French wouldn't give me the tickets for it as they said the route wasn't there. This was after getting passed around to 3 different booths. I then tried to tell my Cousin to tell him that I wouldn't be getting there till midnight, but none of their Wireless Access Points would let me create a new account. So I tried the phone booth, but had so many problems dialing his number that my credit card got a "Denied" error. I finally got on the train to Stuttgart, but I found out that the section of the train I was in wasn't going where I wanted. I had to go about 10 cars up. Sometimes paranoia pays off, who knows where I'd be otherwise. But please, don't get me wrong. France is a great place, and the Paris Metro is one of the worlds most efficient. But the rest of it is like trying to get your Driver's License at the DMV. "You've filled out the wrong paper. Go over there, fill out the Red form with the Blue top and then get in line D." But in a foreign language I haven't used in 5+ years. May 5th, on a train from Paris to Stuttgart. I hope.
Losing your Girlfriend
As they say, breaking up is hard to do. But one thing that's worse than losing your significant other is losing your significant other in Paris. Thankfully, after checking my email at the airport and getting the correct airline, and therefore the correct Terminal, I found a very relived Kathy and all was well. We then embarked on a whirlwind tour of Paris, where I introduced her to one of my favorite places and foods on the planet. Paul's and their Tart Citron (lemon tart). We've also stopped for Croissants and Pain au Chocolates (like a croissant, but with chocolate inside. Don't even bother trying to imagine how good it would taste, until you get to Paris. Our feeble minds can't come close to it's buttery, chocolate-y goodness.) Brief Rant: Outside of their pastries, I can't stand most French food. I think their meals are over-complicated and nothing on their menus are even remotely interesting to me. Paris was where I learned about the deliciousness of Indian food. And I think that's more ironic than anything Alanis Morissette had to talk about. Right as we got to the Eiffel Tower, it rained, so we went to the hotel and crashed. Next morning, more croissants, pain au chcolates, and Eiffel Tower. Unfortunately, I didn't have the forethought for a corkscrew, so our Picnic had to wait. We then did some train hopping and after changing my mind about 3 times we planted ourselves in the peaceful city of Portonson, 9km from Mont St. Michel. Due to some amazing luck, we found a small house in a camping grounds with a petting zoo, heated pool, wireless internet and a porch facing the sunset for an inexplicably low price. All this, and a bottle opener! So, we had our picnic while watching the sun set over the French countryside. C'est magnifique! After sunset, more rain. The next morning we set off for Mont St. Michel au velo (on bikes). It was a superb journey that ended with sheep and the beautiful "island". We explored it for a while and then decided to join the rest of the Frenchies and walk onto the sand during the low tide. We had a lot of fun getting our feet dirty in the quicksand. And then, more rain. Another Brief Rant: The French take off for everything. They seem to love not working as much as their wine. The abbey of Mont. St. Michel was closed because the 1st of May is a bank holiday. To put it in perspective, the devout Catholic country takes off for May Day, originally a Pagan Holiday. We then jumped off to Switzerland and as many times as I've been here, I always see something completely new. This time we spent some time in one of Europe's largest Transport museums, were you got to explore the entire place on scooters. We then migrated to the land I plan to retire and die at, Interlaken, Switzerland. We went to the top of Schliterhorn, where there was a revolving restaurant featured in 007's "Her Majesty's Service". We then came to some of the most amazing waterfalls I've ever witnessed. They're glacial waterfalls that etched themselves through the caves of a mountain. At night, there was a beautiful fireworks show that had something to do with the economy. It's good to be Swiss. They seem to have it all. The beautiful landscapes, people, waterfalls, and the chocolate. Oh dear lord, the chocolate. May 5th, on a train from Lausanne to Paris
Italian Fatigue
Cinque Terra deserves all of the underground praise that it gets. It's 5 coastal cities, originally settled by monks, which provide stunning views of the Mediterranean Sea. And if you know anything about European monks, they were the original "Kings of the Hill". I got to Monterosso, the first of the Five Cities, and decided to do some exploring. And using my trusty axiom, "When in Europe, always go up." I came across a very old cathedral and a spooky graveyard. Normally, I'm a huge fan of graveyards, but since it was close to midnight and I started reading Bram Stoker's "Dracula" that day, I high-tailed it back to the main city. You can jump across each of the cities by either train, boat, or a hefty hike. Being adventurous, I woke up the next morning ready to hike my way through this. 2 hours, over 400 vertical feet of staircases later, and only one trail completed, I committed the train schedules to memory. Each of the towns retain their local dignity and charm, while the tourist become part of the backdrop, and just provide an excuse to open up more restaurants. It was intriguing to quickly notice the difference between the Italian and the American tourist. Even though they were hiking up a mountain, the Italians still maintained their dignity and fashion with their larger than Texas white belts and signature oversized sunglasses. They were hiking, and dammit, they were going to look good doing it too. The Americans? We looked like Wizards trying to be muggles. As I write this, my legs are weary, but they only have a short time to recuperate as I'm meeting up with Kathy in Paris tomorrow morning. I picked up a bottle of local white wine and we're going to have a picnic near the Eiffel Tower. Who said Coonasses can't be romantic? April 28th, on a train from Genova to Milano.
Busted Dreams
I love Legos. I've never stopped loving Legos. On the hypothetical deserted island, I'd have a crate full of Legos. In fact, it's pretty disappointing for me that on this trip yet, I haven't been to LegoLand yet. But this story isn't about Legos. It's about how playing with Legos all the time inspired me to grow up into an Architect. But with one careful sentence, that dream bubble was popped as I was told, "You need to know how to draw." Trust me when I say that my camels resembled a bowl of asparagus more than any creature, that even might have ever lived. It was from this moment, that I gave up on becoming an architect. Besides, a software architect has just as much fun and it pays better. However, my burning flame to create was never completely put out. Recently, with the help of Kathy, I've discovered my passion for food. I've even gone far enough to create dishes that have their own names like "Coonass Chicken and Taters". So, when I found out that a cousin of mine, living in Stuttgart, Germany is opening up his own restaurant, I jumped on the opportunity to be put to work and learn some of the trade. My cousin, Bill Butler is an outstanding person. While his presence can be intimidating at first (he served in Afghanistan, taller than me and strong build), he's takes care of his employees and has earned the respect of everyone there. It's a sizable kitchen on a military base. All of the customers are in the Service, or family of someone who is. So, of course, all of the bartenders are young, cute, buxom girls. I tell ya, the guy knows how to run a business. He's also supported by his great wife Lydia and his childhood buddy Brian who all live together in the same place who all put in a lot of effort into the business. In the kitchen, I listened to about 50 different stories from the 76 year old black man, who's only answers to 2 names. T and Mr. T. In the few hours I got to spend next to him, I learned enough about cooking to keep my brain full for days. I worked for about 12 hours and loved it. I learned a lot, assembled a grill, made a Thai peanut sauce for 150 people, chatted with some great people, was in the company of Americans, and got paid with alcohol. Which made getting up the next morning all the harder to leave for Cinque Terra. I haven't decided yet, but I'm thinking of coming back here once my rail pass ends. Although, the thought of working harder during my vacation, than I do back home does make it a tough decision. And the fact that you come home from the restaurant hungry, makes it even more confusing. I think my friend's Greg's shirt sums it up the best: Indecision is the key to flexibility. Back to Legos. As I matured and cooked more, I entertained the thought of opening my own restaurant. But after seeing everything that goes into it, I believe that bubble has popped once again. But that's ok. I love what I do, and I now have developed an strong respect for those who chose that path. And the path I choose for myself now leads me to Cinque Terra. And a Panini. April 27th, on a train from Zurich, Switzerland to Milano, Italy.
German Pigeonholes
As you can imagine, Germans are quite concerned with their image. Their BMW and Mercedes-Benz are beautiful pieces of machinery that are known for their style and precision. Many Germans are also frustrated with one of the typecasts. But it's not what you're thinking. You can't do a tour without here without touching some piece of Nazi, WWI or WWII past. Strangely enough, there are still some historic locations which has a Swastika-ish mark a door or someplace hidden. But even those are being removed as part of a strong image reconstruction by the gov't and the people. But no matter how much they work, they will never be able to get rid of the Bavarian stereotype of Leiderhosen, Bratwurst and Beer. It's Munich, the capital of Bavaria, a South-East region, that has given Germany it's festive spirit, world-renouned beer, and funky pants. And as joyous as the people are, and as beautiful the beer gardens are (which don't seem to be as much of a garden, but more of a huge picnic area to keep the drunks together), and as tasty the food is, if you talk to most Germans, and ask they why they don't wear the funny clothing, they'll roll their eyes and think to themselves, "Good Lord, not again". Or whatever that would be in German. It was here that Octoberbest was started as part of a wedding ceremony, which took on a life of it's own as an anniversary party, and is now celebrated world-wide. I wonder if I can do the same with my Food and Spirits Party. I was adventurous and determined enough to try a radler, a Bavarian concoction of beer and either soda or lemonade. But my efforts backfired as I think I offended the entire bar when I turned it down all 3 of the hefty samples that was poured for me. I'm not sure if they threw the rest away (which is a sacrilege) as I sunk my head in shame as one guy behind the bar shouted, "But Bavaria Beer is the best!" Yes, sir. Even I'm confused why this Texan just can't get the taste of beer. I've been Smirnoff Ice free for over 1 month. I thought that would help. I also met up with a fellow Louisianian, who was one of the tour guides for Mike's Bike Tour, which I highly recommend if you get the chance.
All Aboard...the Night Train!
After spending the night with my newfound Dutch friend, Henk, I learned how perfect Ikea fits into the European home. Amsterdam is a beautiful and decadent city with sightseeing in the morning for the grey-hairs and enough sex toys and shops to make my mom blush. Not that it would take much. Speaking of Momma Falgout, I met up with her, Uncle Bill and Aunt Bobby in Amsterdam and we were off to the Van Gogh museum, Anne Frank house, mini-boat tour and the always International, Hard Rock Cafe. They just finished an Old People's Cruise seeing the blooming Tulips. Now before you wonder why you'd cross-country travel just to see flowers, trust me. Even I was impressed by these flowers. This coming from someone who won't grow anything unless you can eat it. We stayed in the Victoria Hotel, a former Gestapo HQ, and woke up at the butt-crack-early time of 6AM for our personalized tour by Sergio, one of my new favorite people. He entertained us as he took us around the Rembrandt gardens, one of the oldest windmills (1637), the Peace Palace, the Boobie Bridge, the Clogs and Cheese store, and a restaurant where we tasted raw herring. Tasty, but disgusting texture. He also tried picking up a few women for me, but I told him I had a girlfriend. He just smiled in way that could mean many different things in a country where prostitution is legal. And he did this, all the while sounding like a cross between Borat and Fernando from the Grand Theft Auto game. As soon as we got back, I jumped on a night train to Copenhagen where I met up with some Vancouverites and a Sweed. Hopefully, the rocking back and forth of the train will give me a good nights sleep opposed to rolling off the top bunk. I'm still feeling ill, but I refuse to let the sickness win...even though when I blow my nose, it looks like a leprechaun died inside me. I'll get him all out. Maybe I just need to drink more. April 22nd, 9:14AM, on the tail end of the Night Train to Copenhagen.
Berlin Bug
As is common with many exchanges, I walked out of it with a smile on my face and sick the day after. I was glad to get out of London, quick trip to Paris and then off to Berlin. Berlin is a beautiful city that has worked very hard to remove the dark scar of Wars long past. And it's done a fantastic job. I hobbled my way to a bike tour around Berlin in the morning only to find out that our guide was sick and hospitalized. Most of us waiting around went our separate ways, but me and this guy from S. Korea walked around and chatted. He used to be in the Korean Military and after some discussion about my favorite Korean movie (Attack the Gas Station), he actually has done PAGOOO!!! It's been validated! This actually does happen! He had to stick his hands behind his back, and then balance himself using only his head and the tips of his toes with his butt in the air, making a perfect upside-down V. Try this at home. I'm sure you'll be amazed at how difficult it really is. Afterwards, we parted as I went back to the hostel, crawled into my top bunk and crashed for about 12 hours. When I crawled down, I woke up the person below me, I apologized and realized, it was the same Korean guy from yesterday. Crazy! We laughed about this and then headed back out to the bike tour area again for another chance. It was lead by a spunky Sweed who told us the story of the Berlin Wall collapse and how (if the story is true. I'll have to Wikipedia it) it was all 100% unintentional. There was a plan to remove travel restrictions between East & West Berlin; however, it was part of a long plan with practically impossible hoops to follow, years worth of paper filing, and an outstanding cost to the process. But during the press conference, the leader of East Berlin only read some part of his news notes and permanently removed travel restrictions. And thus the wall collapsed. Le oops! I'm now heading to Amsterdam where I'm going to spend a night with the other guest I met from LLX. Gotta love the Lindy housing network. Tomorrow, I meet up with my mom who's visiting the Netherlands for the Budding of the Tulips. One interesting note of national profiling I've learned is that our Swedish tour guide would get scowls and rougher service when she'd talk in English with a slight American accent. But when she told them that she was from Sweden, they immediate apologized. It's amazing how much Bush is really hated outside of America. It makes me sad that America has created such disdain. (Many of which have currencies stronger than ours. Sorry guys, but the almighty American dollar isn't worth much out here.) I hope that we can mend this international relationship soon. I also found out that the Germans really don't love David Hasselhoff. It was just that one song. Riiiiiight. April 19th, on a train from Berlin to Amsterdam
London Lindy Exchange
My second International Exchange has been a great adventure. Although, there are some differences which struck me as odd. One I wish I would have learned before coming is that it's common to dance with the same partner for two consecutive dances. This was a bit of an ego deflator as I thought I was so good that all these girls asked me for a 2nd dance, but it's just the way that they roll here. There's a bunch of good dancers here, so it wasn't a problem, but so many times I found myself finishing the dance with one girl, hearing the next song come on and then wanting to find another follow to dance with, but sticking with the same one. Not a complaint, mind you. Just different. The other is that this Exchange is dance event first, and a social event second. I've been to so many exchanges by now that it's quite the opposite for me now. People dance, and if they sit down, they look at everyone else dancing. Noone's grouped together, pouring each other drinks, no cliques hanging out together. Just dancing. Once again, not a complaint. I danced my butt off at this exchange, when I've been drinking at all of the others. There was no arse-slapping either. Well, at least till I noticed it was missing. Few things will catch you off guard like saying, "You know, there's no ass-slapping at this exchange." And then having your Asian dance partner say in her Australian accent, "Yeah! I like that!" Definitely not a complaint. I've also seen more ariels and Zoot Suits today than in the last 3 years of my dancing. I guess just like what's cool in America hit Europe years later, what's lost fashion travels just as slow. Ok, this one's a complaint. :) There were a few snacks for us and one guy said in his perfect English accent. "There's such a wonderful selection! This is quite exciting!". My internal dialogue was, "No. If some girl just took her top off and started running around, THAT would be exciting. This is just fruit and candy." It's amazing what we find amazing. April 15th, 5AM in the same Flat in London
Modesty
Even inside Europe, there seems to be different levels of modesty. Currently, I'm sharing a room with an English woman and a guy from Amsterdam, Hank. Needless to say, I was quite surprised to see Hank walking around in nothing but his tidy blackies and no shame. He's a pretty fit guy, so I respect that. I don't think our English host would be caught dead like that. And the night before, I shared a hostel room with 2 middle-aged women from Sweden. One just wore a pair of undies and I got flashed some post-prime boobies. I think it was accidental. I HOPE it was accidental because she also invited me to stay at her place if I went through Sweden. I also had an interesting conversation with an Australian regarding American and it's Sexual Confusion. Case in point: More often than not, if a couple has been together for a while, they've had sex. It's pretty much a given in this day and age. However, there is still a social stigma on living together. Also, in America we can show the top, the bottom, the left, the right, then hand-held, the leather-clad, the compressed, and the tasseled boobie, but for the love of all that is holy! DON'T SHOW THE NIPPLE! We can show a man getting cut in half, brains throw across everywhere, blood splattering on other people. BUT DON'T SHOW THE NIPPLE! April 14th, in a Flat in London
Email -> Blog
I've had a few people ask me what I thought about the different cultures. Here's a compilation of their questions/answers: --What do you see about different cultural conversations? That's a very interesting question which seems to be universal across everywhere in Europe, but subtle differences between each country. I've found that I can make friends really easy by saying I'm from Dallas, Texas (Ah!!! TEEX-ASS!, as they say) and then singing the first 4 notes of the Dallas, TV show theme song. They usually finish the rest. I was worried that when I got here, they would not like Americans because of the Bush. However, they do have a strong distinction between Bush and the rest of Americans. No matter what, they still love our culture. And when they tell me they can't stand Bush, I tell them that we have something in common. That seems to create an even stronger bond. I haven't witnessed the "Americans are rude" conversation much. Previously, I was aware of the "French are rude" conversation, but almost all of the French guys I've hung out with have been extremely friendly. I'll be able to provide some more info on that when I get to France in the next few weeks. Both the Socts and the Irish love drinking. It's a form of socialization and bonding that seems to be deep rooted into their culture. It's a really beautiful thing to be able to walk into a pub and be talking to a stranger in about 5 minutes. I'm a fan of the smaller towns as I find more interesting and warm, friendly people there. Like all big cities, you've got people involved in their agendas and schedules. While in the smaller areas, I've had people stop their yard work to talk to me and share ideas. --- Conversation between me and my sister: me: The Dollar's really not worth much here. It's 2:1 ratio for here and the Pound. So, everything costs 2x as much. I had a $15 burger. And it wasn't blow your socks off amazing. Michelle: That really sucks, but what are the girls like? me: The frenchies are gorgeous. I've met a few beautiful English women, but all the other guys seem to think that English aren't that attractive. The Scotts aren't as attractive, but the Irish are better. But almost all of them have great butts. Right now, my ranking system is Scots -> Irish -> England -> French. Michelle: didn't know you were a but man me: I'm not. But I'm constantly walking around and when you're following people, it's what you notice. P.S.: While some people might take offense to my physical attractive ranking system, I will have to say that the people I love the most and think are the best in the planet is in the reverse order. (i.e. The Scots are #1 in my heart.)
No Beer for Me
If 10 years of Texas hadn't converted me to a beer drinker, then I figured 2 weeks of Ireland and Scotland, would be my last shot. Nope. At least I got into Ciders; so it's not a complete loss. Kathy's not disappointed tho, as she still got someone to drink fruity drinks with. I did refrain from ordering a Smirnoff Ice tho. It was like being in the Garden of Eden! Speaking of running around naked, I didn't walk around in a Kilt and/or tromp around the Highlands of Scotland in the buff. It was freggin' cold. Maybe next time. I'm definitely coming back and bringing my...well, lack of inhibition. Stop. Change. Start. I'm sharing a room with a guy named Lindy and most of my shirts are from Lindy Exchanges. He said that he's never seen his name on that many shirts before. I knew that when I came to Europe, that there would be a language barrier. It's bound to happen. I just figured that it would be between me and the French or the Germans. Not with the Irish or the Scots. As much as I love those people, trying to listen in on their conversations is like performing Calculus with a slide rule. Both leave you wondering, "People actually act like that?!" April 11th, 2007 - Kilarney, Ireland
My mum would be proud
On Easter Sunday, I visited not just 1 church, but 3 of them! She doesn't need to know about the pub afterwards, but I think she'd be more at ease with me participating in that part of the Sunday Catcholic tradition. After a great trip around Dublin and then seeing the Cliffs of Mohr, I'm resting my weary feet in Killarney. A small town with some great pubs and traditional music. On my way here, I made friends with some more Americans (one from Tulsa, even) and yet another German. Funny enough, the german guy was the closest I've seen to a leprechaun here yet. Maybe I need to go in search of more rainbows. Speaking of rainbows... --Snoopykiss wants to go to Candy Mountain. And to bed.
Those Crazy Frenchies
I arrived in Glasgow (Still in Scotland) after finding a hostel w/ wireless Internet (Yea modern world!). The walk there proved to me that Scotland does have a modern city with a drag, complete with a KFC, women wearing too much makeup and a sidewalk band...Singing the blues. With a Scottish Accent. And a touque. snicker Yeah, it was pretty funny. I'm just now getting a chance to take a breather after going clubbing with my French roommates. As much as they loved dancing to Bee Gees and other Disco hits, I was surprised that when the club played Saturday Night Fever on the screen, they all thought it was Grease. Even if I go to sleep now, they'll wake me up when they finally come back from dancing. That's ok, I'll just curse them out in Pig Latin and that'll freak'em out. -- Snoopykiss est rester vivant
A bit o' Catchup.
I've barely been here a week and already so much has happened. Good lord, this is not a boring adventure. (I never took a shower until the 5th day.) After spending about ...Ok, the fire alarm just went off...some Spaniards just burnt their meal. Not a boring adventure at all. After spending over 16 of my first 24 hours on this trip traveling, I found myself in Edinburgh. Screw England. I wanted to see Scotland! I want hills! And lively music! And meet women who can drink me under the table! (Yes, they do have Smirnoff Ice here, but I've restrained myself from buying any.) But only after taking a leak in the "Lou of the Year". This is the time of year when Hen Parties (Bachelorette Parties) emerge. The happiest, Pissed, Mad Women you'll ever meet. I made friends with a few and they loved hearing the stories about Texas and having an uncle with an alligator farm. Apparently, arse slapping is just as common here as it is in America. I then jumped on a tour bus, guided by Duncan, through the Highlands of Scotland, the 23 mile long Loch Ness, sheep, sheep, sheep, and enough whiskey to make you go blind. The bus returned and I knew that I had to go back. Who knows how many pints later, I jumped to Inverness. A beautiful city with a lot of character, a small castle in the middle of the town and Scotland's largest music pub (3 stories with different music in each story). A Hen Party later, I made a few more friends and even met another guy from Dallas, Texas. Back at the Hostel, I hung out with a few Spaniards that almost had me fall off the top bunk bed laughing. (Ask me the difference between Regular Porn, and Asian Porn.) One of the best lessons I learned from Rick Steves was that if you want to enjoy Europe the most, chat up with the locals. I constantly asked them for their recommendations and everyone kept pointing back to the Isle of Skye. The next day, I did one of the craziest things so far. Long story short, the best place to see a sunset nearby was back at Eilean Donan Castle, about 8 Miles back. The bus driver told me that it would be too long to wait for the next bus, and that I should hitch it. ... "Hitchhike?" "Yea." "Is it safe?" "Sure. I hitched 500 miles one time." "... Um. ... Ok." So, I started walking and threw my thumb out. (Sans towel) About a mile later, I got picked up! It must have been pretty creepy for them as I was absolutely beaming because this was such a new experience for me. But they were fine with it. The driver used to hitch all the time when he was young. I got dropped off right at the castle, next to another hitcher who I swapped out with. I got my pictures, learned some history, even chatted with a set of English kids to seemed quite taken by a Texan that would talk to them. I got back to the hostel and chatted with some friendly Germans who were driving around the Isle of Skye and next thing I know I've got plans for a day-trip with them tomorrow. The Isle of Skye is the epitome of what I imagined Scotland to be. Sheep, Beautiful mountains, jagged cliffs and tiny roads. Most of the roads are only fit one car. So, they have humps so that one car can pull off to the side. Crazy. Tomorrow morning, I take a bus to Glasgow to see some more beautiful cemeteries and the end of my Scottish trip. Next to Switzerland, this is my favorite. So many wonderful, friendly and inviting people. It's almost like my Grandmother raised everyone of them to be so great. I haven't tried on a kilt yet, nor have I tried haggis. I'm adventurous, but not with my meats.
Highlands of Scotland
Nothing brings people together like being confined in a small environment, all with the same goal. Korean, Russian, Romanian, Canadian, and even a Texan Coonass. Things I learned today: "Botched Job" comes from an engineer (Botch) that created a bridge in Scotland that later fell and killed 75 people. Never trust a Cambell "Blackmail" is a Scotish term. I forget what it means, but it's something about paying for something (mail) with sheep that are somehow blackened. "Attack the Gas Station!" (One of my favorite Korean movies, and the inspiration for my car's name, PAGO!!!) caused a big problem in Korea, because all sorts of kids took after the movie and started attacking gas stations. Pago can also mean, "Hit the car in front of you!" The Highlands of Scotland are BEAUTIFUL. Monty Python Locations I saw today: The "What is your Quest?!" bridge (Actually, the bridge is gone now.) The castle where the marriage scene is "performed". The one with the curtains. I enjoyed the Highlands so much that it's now the next leg of my trip. Now if you excuse me, I've got a showing of Braveheart to go see. (Make sure I tell you the story of how much the Scots love that movie.) -- Snoopykiss wants to go running naked across a mountain now. But damn, it's cold.
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is gorgeous. Although, a bit cold, even for this Coonass who likes it like that. Backpacking is an amazing experience where you get to learn a lot about yourself and other people. However, it does get a bit...well...lonely. So, I went up to the bartender and told him about my problem: I'm here to visit Ireland and Scotland, but...I don't drink beer. After a few shocked looks, and having to indeed verify that I was a Texan, he eased me into a decent cider. I then struck up conversation with a Scotsman right next to me and we chatted for a while till I got drawn into this "Hen Party" (i.e. Bachelorette Party), where one of the girls was so Irish (i.e. drunk) that I think I introduced myself to her 3 times. Europe is a great place. All it takes is saying you're Texan, and then singing the first 4 notes to "Dallas" and you've got insta-friends. Tell them your uncle has an alligator farm, and they'll never let you out of their sight. I'm up bright and early now to head out to do a day trip to Loch Ness. Makes me wish I brought my squid shirt. P.S. I went to bed early, and woke up to the sound of a girl coming into my bed room. (It's a 6 person, dorm-style room with private curtains for each bed.) At first, I thought some lucky guy had made a friend and wondered if this would be more like college than I was hoping for. Then more women came in and I realized that I was the only guy in here. It's an awkward experience hearing a woman undress knowing that she probably has no idea you're there. Seriously.
Kamikaze UK
At some point, I'm sure I'll actually get to see Europe. But currently, it feels like I've done nothing but travelling. 8+ hours by plane to London, 8 hours by bus to Edinburgh. On my way here, I realized that it had been about 3 day since I last brushed my teeth... But ... I'M IN FREGGIN' SCOTLAND!!!!! Details and pics to make you hate me later.
I have arrived!
Airport Castle Originally uploaded by SnoopyKiss. I've made it to London! What's next? Dunno.
I'm going!!!!!!
Europe in 2005 15.jpg Originally uploaded by goldmember@gmail.com. Ok, after years and years of telling myself that if I ever got laid off from Nortel, I…
TAGXORED!
tag, tag, tag, tag, tag, and tag Originally uploaded by mjutabor. Matty got me. Four jobs I've had Popeyes (cook, cashier, fluffer) Shrimp Boat helper…
Stick to to the Man Tour: Day 5 & 6 (Chicago -> Toronto -> New York -> Boston)
Chris Sleeping Originally uploaded by SnoopyKiss. Canada. That Maple Leaf place. America's Attic. (You don't go up there very often, but when you do,…
Stick it to the Man Tour: Day 1 (Dallas -> Tulsa)
Kum and go Originally uploaded by SnoopyKiss. Got to Tulsa. Highways here look like my kindergarden drawings. Hwy 75 turns to 69 then to Indian Turnpike…
Things you learn when you travel
Blurting out "Speaking of Jesus" is quite an effective way to transistion between two completely unrelated subjects. If ever there is a position which seems impossible, but amusing, I will always enlist my friends to help me try it out. I will never get tired of some people saying "w00t". It's ok to say "For the Love of Booty" to some girls. I do crazy things when I drink. The difference between my friends and my aquaintences are the number of inside jokes and band names we've come up with. "Underwater Ass Seizure", "No Funk For Tommy", "Suzi Bites and Nibbles" ALWAYS have your camera ready. I do crazy things when I'm sober.
Midgets and Siblings and Portland, Oh my!
Pop: Portland. Yup, that's where I'm at right now. You steal my best friend long enough, I'm bound to fly up there and visit him. While waiting for my vacation to kick into 6th Gear, I'm listening to about the largest iTunes collection I've seen so far, and am in envy of Lee's iPod. Sooon...After my new hardwood floor. Pop: Siblings. My sister (unflattering picture forthcoming), came to visit me with her rugrats and hubby. It was great seeing her again and make up for all of family time that we've missed out on. Another trip to 6 Flags was in order and I've learned that the power behind a woman with an expired ticket and determination can make it through those gates. Push, Pop: Europe canned. Soooonn...after hardwood floor and new kitchen. Pop: Midgets. TMBG concert: Good! Getting free tickets to Midget Wrestling in addition: Mo' Betta! Shift: Perl I think I've been doing too much of it. I'll leave that on the stack for another day. --SnoopyKiss thinks that he might have found [the only job](http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/TorontoSun/News/2004/07/27/558388.html ) better than his curent one.
Happy w00t Year!
Last year, I resolved to: "Not make any New Years Resolutions." I'm not sure if I either totally succeeded, or completely failed. So, this year, I decided to put some effort into this. About 2 minutes later, I sneezed and the feeling went away. Due to a number of fortunate events in my life, I have found myself evolving and breaking out into those areas I have, for so long, ignored and passed over: Being a Normal Human Being. Cooking: My first experience in this arena actually happened on New Years Eve Eve, where I completely surprised myself and Angelica with my ability to make a really good flank steak. These directions were provided in the new steak knives I got for X-mas. Spending X-mas with the family: I didn't tell my family I was going to Louisiana tuntil the last minute because the drive there makes me regretful of ever leaving Europe where one can drive 30 mph over whatever speed you think might be appropriate. God Bless Lee and his desire for adventure to spend X-mas with a bunch of coonasses. I also got to take a few cool pictures too! Work on the house: I've LOOKED at new wallpaper. That should could for something. Trying new dishes: From my new diet, I've been eating Oats long enough to know that they won't kill me. Maybe asparagus won't either. I'm also really happy to say that I have fully recovered from the parties. I think I've apologize to everyone who deserved it too. :)
That's me in the closet.
Too many things have happened since I've last posted for me to describe in any great length, so here's the 5 minute ramblings: Most of the Falgout Family came into town to visit. I even got Charles, my nephew, to come out dancing. I never knew I could have so much fun pimping out my own nephew for dancing. :) Had Thanksgiving dinner with my family...at IHOP...at 9AM before they left for Cut Off. Got stuffed into a closet. snicker After two weeks of no returned calls from Brooke, finally heard from her on Thanksgiving day. We talked about what happened and how I didn't hear from her in such a long while. She promised to call me...a few days later: still haven't heard back from her. I'm STOKED about the Naughty or Nice party coming up on the 20th. It's just less than 2 weeks away and I've already got 40+ people confirmed. There's gonna be prizes, a DJ, a Blues room and a visit from No-Pants Santa! I finally took a non-Lindy Exchange trip! Goddess Kathy found me cheap-ass tickets to Denver which I could not pass up, so packed up some warm clothing and jumped my butt over to Colorado. It's there that I met a whole bunch of Yehoodites I'd talked to before and most amazingly, Jen Hohnstein! Some might have heard my "First Kiss" story (aka, "Tommy, I'm so drunk I can't find your mouth."), well Jen was an instigator of that immortal night. After her Freshman year of Tulane, she dropped off the face of the Earth and I ran across her while dancing in Boulder! I even got to play with myself! I got a new girlfriend. Long brown hair and blue eyes. I know that they care; because, it shows in my call log. His name's Rob. :) Sorry Christine, but I found him first! He knows how to make me do "Man Swivles." (Just kidding mom!) My Strong Bad CD came in...and I'm so glad the Cheat's not dead. What's one to do when you've been living in your house for over 2 years and a package comes for the previous owners that got shipped back due to a Custom's failure?
Hey! That's my uncle!!!
http://www.msnbc.com/news/967824.asp?0cl=c3&cp1=1 Imagine my shock when I got a short message from my mom with the above link asking me to check it out for a surprise. For those that have read the entire article, I’ll let you know that it’s true. Yes, some of my uncles hunt alligators, and one has even bitten my dad on the hand. And a nasty scar, it did leave. Apparently, my Uncle Bill on my mother’s side joined in on fun that same hunting trip and found a friend. They also got an 11 ½ footer. Growing up in Cut Off, I knew that no one in their right mind would have ever heard of my hometown. However, as I’m venturing out and meeting more people, I’m surprised to find that it’s not as obscure as I previously thought. At least…not since “she” made it popular. (And no, I don’t think I know her. I might be related to her and might even recognize her better when I see her, but not offhand.) Some people ask if I ever miss Cut Off, and will want to move back. Sternly, I tell them “NO”. Growing up there and everything that happened has molded me into the person I am today, for which I’m grateful. But being allergic to your entire hometown? I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. Ok, maybe one person. --Snoopy Kiss is feeling kinda nostalgic…Ok, it’s gone now.
A delicate combination of fast music, blues, and all out insanity.
As Seattle has been one of the most talked about Lindy Exchanges out there, I pondered...who am I to pass up such a great opportunity such as this? Apparently, about 200-300 people had that exact same thought. or maybe some deviation of that thought. or maybe it went along the lines of "Wow, there's going to be some kick'arse women/men there!" (Including the infamous Skadoo) or "Hot Damn! I feel the need to dance to some 200+ bpm song while totally experiencing the whole tribal rhythym." or maybe it was just subconcious that anyone who is anyone should be there. It was all of that and a bag of really finely cooked salmon. Hosted by the lovely, talented, and sexy Mrrree and her beau Jeremy, I was able to browse the finer locations of Seattle, from their balcony. Completely, on a whim, on Thursday night, I attended a performance workshop by Zah-Zu-Zay (2002 American Lindy Hop Championship winners) which we later performed that night. I was also "properly introduced" to the Meghan/Mrreee combo of Seattle fame. After some food and going through my 3rd or 4th wind, I was ready to crash. Which, I did. Quiet successfully, I might add. The next morning, another Dallas-ite, Heather Leigh Smith, and I went roaming around downtown Seattle for some dancing with the local band "Dusty 45's". Later on...there was more dancing. And even after that...even more dancing. Next few days...guess what? More dancing. Random blues-ing. There was also some beach side activities and cutting up that happened about every time I heard someone scream out, "Tommy! Come over here...and bring your camera!" Oh yeah...lots of good naughty-ness with the Austin Lindy Exchange paddle. We also got to visit the famous Pike's Fish Market. One of my favorite dances was in the heart of Seattle, where some "Got Milk?" advertisement campaign tried setting up a concert across the street from us, but they only lasted 30 seconds, because they knew that they couldn't compete with the entertainment provided by 200 people from all over the world (Including France and Australia, let alone 6 people from Texas!). That place is also where I think that I got the best picture of the exchange. It's also where Will finally got to invoke his revenge on an old water fight from the Salt Lake City Exchange. Thankfully, Melissa's a good sport.
The Avalanches
Earlier this week, I found out that one of my favorite bands, "The Avalances" was playing at the Red Jacket on Friday. "Oh my Gosh! I've gotta get all my friends together to partake in this grand musical concert." So, I squandered up my friends "Lee", John, Eric and Bill. Part of the core gaming group that gets together at either my or Bill's parents house. Anyway, most of the group meets at my house and we pile into my Saturn for a quick trip to "The Jacket". We sit back and have a good time with some cheap drinks only to hear those dreaded words, "The Avalanches will not be playing tonight." NNNNOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! You people have no idea how much I've been waiting for this. How much I've been anticipating this! How much effort into making sure that my butt was inside the Red Jacket so that I can get primo stage viewing for the only concert that I've ever took an active role in organizing a group to go see! Gahhhh! Thankfully, I was with friends. Not just any friends, but friends that I KNOW that I will have a good time with...no matter where we are. So, we decided to go see "Signs", the new M. Night Shyamalan flick. (What's cool is that he is a major character in the film.) We showed up 5 minutes before it started. Which is very interesting, because a large portion of the movie was about what type of person are you: Someone who believes that luck is just luck or Someone who believes that everything happens for a reason. I, myself, am a person who believes that everything happens for a reason. Now, I don't know why the Avalanches show was cancelled, but I admit that I had a GREAT time tonight. And I also believe that everything worked out so that we could see the very last showing of "Signs" at Cinemark that night. Now I don't know if my belief is "The Truth" or whatnot, but I do know that it gives me hope. When things aren't looking so well, it's good to believe that there's some reason that it's happening. Besides, I don't think anyone knows "The Truth", therefore, you're just making it up from your perspective. Might as well make up something that will forward you. And believing that everything happens for a reason does keep hope alive for me. With that logic...you're reading this for a reason. Know why? I don't. I just have faith that you are.
VLE 2003 (Hey! It rhymes!)
Some hobbies are expensive. Some cheap. Others, like swing dancing are cheap, but if you really want to go crazy with it, they can get really expensive. But now that I think about it, I'm sure you can say the same thing about every hobby. So, nevermind. My latest expense, justified towards redeveloping the growth of the world economy, was my trip to Vancouver for the Lindy Exchange. As some of my close friends know, one of my deep dark secrets is that I have a Canadian Fetish. I don't know why. I just seem to be drawn to them. I call it "Eh-dar". (Speaking of that, look at what I found!) In any case, while I was there, I had some really amazing dances. All too many to single out. (Mostly because I'm afraid that I'd forget someone. I'm also really bad with names. So, chances are, if I danced with you, told you "Thank You.", I probably enjoyed it.) While I was at it, I finally purchased new clothing! Something I don't believe I've done in about 6 months. (Check out the Gallery for pictures of the city and of the dance.) Unfortunately, there weren't too many quotes at the exchange, but I updated the quote page, with other mindless ramblings. In other news, my Pool of Pudding Pictures have become quite the rave. I'm getting calls from managers really high above me asking for the password to get in. --Just a boy looking for your love.P.S. I love my friends. They're insane. But not insane like this.
5 Years already?!
Didn't I move to Dallas just a few weeks ago?Didn't I start working for Nortel the day after that? Didn't I just buy my house?! Then what the heck is this email saying that I'm getting a gift for my 5 years of employment?!!! Hopefully, that doesn't mean that I'm getting old. Because that would probably require me settling down, getting married, having little rugrats, and being "responsible." I've successfully avoided all of that so far, and I plan on continuing to do so. I plan on having a small taste of this whole, "family" thing coming soon as my house will soon have it's "maximum family stability factor" tested when Melissa stays here for a few days before heading back to Maryland, and my mom and dad come to visit and bring my two nephews, Charles and Evan. Yes, I will be good to see all of them; however, I'm not sure how high my "family tolerance" meter goes to. I bet that it'll be pushed to 11. The Utah Swing Exchange is getting more and more on my mind as the time nears. Yea! I used to think that I would get some of my best new pics at Utah, but I'm starting to think that the prize winners can be the expressions I get when I tell them that I'm going to Utah to dance. "You're going to Utah...to dance?! They have music over there?""You mean, you don't know these people and you're going to stay with them?" I should have my pics from my second trip to the Scar. Renaissance Faire up soon. Word to the wise: Don't go when raining. Blah.
Lindy Gras 2003: This ain’t your average exchange
Now that I have been exposed to the deep, dark underground that is Swing Exchanges, I will admit that I have become addicted. On Feb 14-17th, I danced and partied my arse off in New Orleans for their first exchange, Lindy Gras. I was hesitant to make the 8 hour drive there, since I waited too long to get tickets at a reasonable price, but Greg and I later decided that we’d make the hike together. We finally arrived at our David’s (our host for the weekend) very shag-a-riffic house around 7PM. Equipped with a dry sauna, pool, and a Jacuzzi, I knew that this should would be perfect for crashing after the 1-5AM after hours dance parties. At this point the party was Gene, Dan, Craig, Greg, Helen, David, Jeff, and myself. Needless to say, Helen enjoyed the ratio. But we had a problem. We were hungry. David, once again, had the great hookup because there was NO WAY we were going to find a restaurant with a decent wait time on V-Day…on a Friday night. So, we went to a club with a live band and some home cooked jambalaya for a $7 cover charge. I was in heaven. Let the dancing begin. With full stomachs we headed out to the Registration/V-day dance not too far from my Alma Mater, Tulane. Met some people. Danced some dance. The generous people of New Orleans even put on a “Dating Game” skit for our amusement. But then the real dance fever came out…at the after-hours Pajama dance. I was in my comfortable “Suga’ Daddy” regalia while others donned more fitting nightware. Oh yeah, watch out for the Killer Frogs. Not all were able to hang in till the bitter end, but some tried. The following morning, David took us out to Jaegers on the Lake, for some good eatings. It had been too long since I’ve had boiled crawfish, so I was quite content. Thankfully, we didn’t get into too much trouble since Jeff was harassing our waitress and she swore that we just let him loose out of a Psychiatric Institution. But my food craving were not to be completely satiated until I got my beignets. Man, I miss Café du Monde. Back in college when I had the only car, I would be my friends’ beignet/car pimp. If they needed a ride, they would have to feed me. Café du Monde was the standard payment. Strolling around New Orleans, we felt the urge to visit Coyote Ugly. Who knew that we’d find so much good clean fun? (Complete with the down home hospitality.) Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves quite a bit. Even Helen and Jeff. Thankfully, Jeff didn’t mind us sticking him in the trunk since we didn’t have much room in the van by then. Back to dancing! We arrived just in time to watch them crown the King and Queen of Lindy Gras. Lo and behold, the Queen was Dallas’ own Jamie! But before heading out to the After Hours party for some more 1-5 dancing, Andre, Greg and I decided to be boys and visit Bourbon Street for some sights. Believe it nor not, my favorite was the disproportionately sized truck. Timing was apparently on our side, because right as we got back Andre jumped into a Birthday Jam for him and a few other Lindy Gras’ers. But not everyone knew that it was Andre’s Birthday. J Afterwards, Jeff and Atalanta did a good job of stealing the show. (FOCUS, Jeff!) …sleeeeep… My mom and sister (on left) were in town, so I went to the Olive Garden and had lunch with them. Let’s hear it for free food! J I then drove like a demon to Lindy in the Park. Here’s where I’m going to get all sentimental on ya, so just brace yourselves: Growing up, I was always the social outcast. Everyone poked fun at me, and I didn’t seem to fit in anywhere, except with the other outcasts. Even then, it didn’t always feel right. When I went to college, I didn’t really do much. I stayed inside, played on my computer, rarely partied, and only drank once or twice. Needless to say, I’m making up for it now. So, when I was dancing in Audobon Park, right across from Tulane, it was a truly spiritual experience for me. It was a testament to how far I’ve come. How much I’m enjoying life. How rich of a life, I now have. And how very grateful I am. I’m really happy with how some of the Park pictures turned out. But then again, some of the best pics are done with the cooperation of Mother Nature. Good dancing too, next to a lake. Just had to make sure that I didn’t fall in, or do a swing out and find my partner all dripping wet. (And not in a good way.) This was the "say goodbye" dance for lots of people. Nap time. Then the last dance of the schedule: Rock and Bowl. Take an old fashioned bowling alley, add some very tired, but party hardy swing dancers, and a DJ, and you’ve got Rock and Bowl. (Plus a little celebrity endorsement.) A brief, but fun finale to the scheduled dances… And that’s when the cat’s got let out of the proverbial bag… Bourbon Street. World renowned for it’s drunken fests, parties, good music, great picture ops and dancing. Now add people who know how to get drunk, get their party on, deal only in the best of music, love attention and traveled hundreds of miles to dance…that might give you some small sense of the intensity of the night. I could write an entire journal entry just on Sunday night, but I’ll only give highlights. Some dude asked to see girls boobs. Got punched in nads. Hard. Andre went in search of a Pimp Daddy Hat Heard my favorite Teenage Lipstick Lesbian Russian Band, Tatu, playing at the Cat’s Meow. 6 person Charleston Lindy Bombing every 2 blocks Andre’s Hat gets around Pat O’s Piano Bar Revelries Mary and her dips LindyChef gives HyprChick a B-day dance. LindyChef tries to re-enact his stripper experience and dances for LindyPhil. Jeff strikes a pose Piggy Back Body Rolls Needless to say, this was one of the grandest times of my life. It’s two days later and I’m still trying to catch up on all of my sleep. Some of the more memorable quotes of the weekend were: “What better way to say someone you love than with beer?””Say it with a lager.” (After the lights came on at 5AM and people were screaming and running away) “We’re like roaches!” “Munbah netch kha””You read my thoughts!” “Full contact Lindy Body Shots” Insight: “Demons are spawned from (chocolate) Jeff’s loins.” On a church outside sign: “Stop Drop and Roll doesn’t work in Hell.” “Hey Baby, wanna go out?””Save your breath for your inflatable date.” ”She cancelled.” In reference to Jeff’s loins:”Bring the Devil out.” ”Is that what you call it?” Heard from someone who needed to talk to a fellow Lindy Hopper that was driving away:”Stop the wedding!!!” “There will always be auta’s, shoulda’s and woulda’s” Count the boobs: “If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them both.” Spoken by the lead singer of the Blues band after mentioning that it was his birthday:Murmur from the crowd. “I’m a pussy?! Oh, a pieces.” On kissing: “Have y’all kissed yet?””Not officially.” “Don’t hate the player…hate the game.” “Sometimes, it’s good to be the bitch.” “This weekend raised the bar. But then again, the bar is now at lesbian booty.” Passing by a cop from Venus, TX: “I’ll be damned. There is a guy from Venus.” I wish I had a more profound ending to this story, but all I can come up with now is: Thank you, New Orleans. Now I’ve just gotta get myself ready for my own “Food and Spirits” party this Saturday and practice giving Penalty Shots. Then, another possible trip back to New Orleans for Mardi Gras. Phew. It’s a good and busy life. Gotta love it. And when I got back, my new toy was waiting for my at my doorstep. I'm so happy. You can see all of the pics here, and the best of the pics here.
Lindy Gras a cometh
For those still not aware of my new habit of going to Lindy Exchanges, get used to me mentioning them. I should be hitting quite a few this year. The latest one which I am preparing myself for tonight is Lindy Gras, hosted in one of my old neigborhoods of New Orleans. Most of the dances will be right by alma-mater, Tulane. I’m really looking forward to it. Although the drive (Yes, I’m driving there instead of flying), will be quite an 8 hour hike which I’m not looking forward to. Thankfully, I’ve got Greg to keep me busy. Plus, I just found all of my missing MP3 CD's! Yea! Each CD is about 11 hours of music, so we’ll never run out of music. Yarrr! I’m also planning another trip down to New Orleans in two weekends for the classic celebration of Mardi Gras. This time, George, Lee, Michael and I are planning to make the journey. I’m not sure how that will turn out since George is our more “pure” friend joining us. I wonder how his brain will handle the massive visual breast intake. Will it fry his brain? Or will Pat O’s do it first? Planning a trip to New Orleans always concerns me. Living there for 4 years and hearing about your friends getting mugged, I’m always the cautious one, watching my step. I hope that this will be a safe time for me and my fellow Lindy Hoppers. May God keep us safe. Especially through this time of international tension. I hope that no crazy guy decides to bomb New Orleans while we’re there. Pray for a safe trip for me. Dancing like there’s no tomorrow,Moi. P.S. I also have the pictures from Matt Weyandt's 80's B-day party up. It was a total blast, dude. Complete with Rubix Cube cake and almost working Atari's.
So far, So good
New Years are always interesting times. Finding out that Dick Clark is still alive, people are coming off of the X-mas hussle and bussle, there are more drunks on the road, people are cheerier than X-mas, and of course, the opprotunity to clear off the slate and start new. Interestingly enough, the gathering I was at for NYE didn't turn on the TV until the very last minute of 2002 and ended up counting down the seconds in Spanish, because we didn't have time to change the channel. Afterwards, they had a Spanish Ska band which was interest capturing. I'm proud to say that I don't feel as if I have anything that I need to wipe off, but do have some new directions I'd like to take my life. And although I am typically against resolutions, because I think that they don't amount to nothing. This year, I've taken on some ones that I look forward to rather than feel would be a burden: Attend at least 3 Swing/Lindy Exchanges. (I've already registered for SoFLeX, Dallas will be a given, and Denver looks really cool.) Learn to cook something new once a month. Travel more. (This goes hand in hand with the Exchanges.) So far, the 2003 is going well. I spent Jan 1st taking two movies off of the Movie List, vegging out, waking up to the smell of cooking pancakes, played some disc golf and had some of the best hot dogs on Earth. All that an I've started to develop a taste for NPR, which I listened to. Some of the things I think will happen next year is that I will have owned my house for two years. I will probably be roommateless for the first time in about 3 years. Lee will be graduating and probably move to some far away city. I'll miss the guy. And I plan to install a hardwood dance floor downstairs. That'll be fun. But in the grand scheme of things, who knows what will happen. All I know is that I plan to enjoy it extensively. In the words of Roooth Acosta, "Bring It On!"
Falgout Family Food Festival
Every so often, my parents realize come to visit me in Dallas. And every so often, my place gets cleaned like it never has been before...my laundry is also done and neatly folded with matching socks...some put off household chores are done...my freezer is stocked with seafood...and the world-famous Falgout Family Food Festival. On the menu this time was: Shrimp Fetachini - prepared by Mom (The photographer) His Masterfully prepared Brie - Lee A Tossed Salad - Allison ??? Chocolate and Fruit Dessert - Valerie Squash Casserole - Rachel Kickin' Green Beans - Rusty (also some White Wine) Apricot Bars - Sarah There was not a single bit of food that was not completely enjoyable. The conversation was good too, as Sarah retold the "Jergen's Story", and my dad, and Lee, and Lee's dad was able to converse with Valerie who is originally from France. The other great thing is that Mr. Sushi Matt and I will be able to eat like kings for a very long time. Rusty also brought over "French Connection" and we were able to knock another movie off of the enormously big "Movie List". The golden generation of the party were remenicent, but the rest of us were quite bored. The pictures that my mom took can be found here. Ca c'est tres bien! (except for the big pile o' dishes)
A few of my favorite things...
Jean Reno and Luc Besson. You put these two guys together and you know only good will come of it. The latest installment of their blessing to the rest of us people is the movie "Wasabi." As is typical with my latest set of favorite movies (About a Boy, Attack the Gas Station, Amelie, etc.), this is a foreign (French) comedy. I used to think that I would never be interested in foreign comedy, because very little of it actually made me laugh. However, this one really got me good. What also makes this movie especially great was that I kept seeing pictures for it while I was in France and wanted to see it, but the whole "Non-English-Subtitles" part kept me away. So, when my friend Lee said that he scored two free tickets to it, I knew that my time had come. Lee, Liz (Lee's sister), Matt and I made a stop to what Lee refers to as the Happiest Place on Earth -- Chipotle. Mmm...Burritos. For those that aren't familiar with Chipotle, they make Burritos. And not just any Burritos. God's Burritos. If you haven't had one yet, then DON'T run out the door yet. Wait a few more hours till you're really good and hungry, then go! The thing about them is that their Burritos are so big that they beep when they back up. And like all good food places, it's not just the food, but the atmosphere which makes it king. Just go see for youself. You'll be glad. Oooh...parents are coming soon. Gotta make the invitations for the Falgout Family Food Festival! Good night, Chief! Good night, McCloud!
Those Special Words that Mean So Much
In this society of uncertainty and insecurity of ones future, there are always those little things that managers can say to you that have you realize that they're not going to lay you off anytime soon. Today, I heard those special words... Working in Nortel's 3rd Generation Wireless Department (3G/UMTS/Wireless Data), I'm developing this script which will be able to configure their servers automatically in a matter of minutes. You see this, is a big deal, because many times, it takes people hours if not days to configure their switch properly. So, needless to say, this is a BIG deal. And I'm the brains behind the operation there. Anywho, I'm doing all of my development on this separate workstation I have in my cube. And everything pretty much resides on it. I was talking to my manager today about future roles for me and he said that he wanted documentation of everything, because "If you were to die tomorrow, we'd be screwed." (If you haven't caught on by now, those are the Special Words I was referring to earlier.) Some people might think that's morbid. Some people might think that means I've got more work to do. Some people might get a power trip from that...but Me...I think that's AWESOME! (Ok, maybe I enjoy the power trip a tad, but that's ok.) You see, I have now proven my value to the company, and future productivity now is vested in my staying with Nortel. Now yes, I know that once I'm done with this project, that I can be canned, but I've also got a few ideas up my sleeve that I can prevent to management for future job security. :) Feeling good about myself and looking forward to the Studio 54 party on Friday-Me.
Will you be my HO tonight?
First off, the title is the beginning of a very interesting story that goes against everything mom brought me up learning. It started off with me going swing dancing at the Sammon Center for the Arts where there was going to be a costume contest. Some of the people there looked really good while some looked really evil. (The front of her T-shirt says, "Evil" in blood read.) Of course, I got decked out as Disco Stu and rocked the casba. My friend Andre then approached me about heading out to the Lizard Lounge for some good happy time at a "Pimp and Ho Costume Contest" Never turning down an opprotunity to shake my groove thang, I happily joined him and his girlfriend. But I was lacking one essential piece of the puzzle. A Ho. So, I turned to this really charming girl I just met and blurted out, "Will you be my Ho tonight?" After not being able to get in touch with her friends who she was supposed to hang out with for an after party, she grabbed my arm and I took off...complete with my wench ... err...ho at my side. The Pimp and Ho Contest was more than a specticle worthy of wating in the outside drizzling cold for. Some of the people were totally self-expressed in their Pimp-Daddyness. There was even a female pimp, that was quite the Mack Mamma. But they were all infinitles compared to the Mack Daddy of the Pimp Daddies. He won first prize. And then came the Ho's: If you can pay close attention to these next few pictures, you will see that just about every male fantasy was present on stage. Heck, there was even two girls that flashed. You like Zebra's? They had them. Transvestites? Yup. Them too. Overall it was a great time. My legs are definitely in pain from the football, earlier today, the hours of swing dancing, club dancing and standing around. Thankfully, I had little enough sense to say, "Hey, Maybe I should take a break." and went out dancing instead. The rest of the night was spent discussing Europe, Programming HTML, dancing and francais parlant avec Miss Scarlet. (My Ho for the night.) Life is grand, n'est pas? Click here if you want to see the whole album.
Countdown to Hallowween
Many years ago, some friends of mine and I created a monster. This monster has become known throughout the globe as Disco Stu. Disco Stu, some say, is my alter ego. But I tell you, ladies and gentlemen, that Disco Stu is more than an alter ego. He's a modern Disco diety. And all the women worship him. Anyway, two years ago, Disco Stu signed up for a costume contest at Kempi's night club...and won!...$500 smacks! Needless to say, everyone was impressed by this feat. But Stu knew that it was from the power within. The following year, while I was living in Paris, my good friend Patty K., took over the contest by wearing a costume caked in blood and bobbing birds, imitating the movie "The Birds" and walked out of Kempi's half a grand richer. Needless to say, she's been bragging about it for almost 365 days so far. Well, those bragging rights are about to be over, because Stu's back in town. Here's a bit of banter back and forth that Patty and I had regarding the upcoming Kempi's Hallowwen party this year: Patty (via Mary Muldoon): You will EAT MY DUST and the feathers too. Tommy: WOMAN! You betta RE-CO-NIZE!!! Just wait until the Mothership of F-U-N-K comes landing on your doorstep. Then we be seeing who be eatin fethas! Patty: **Okay Mr. Funkmeister - we'll just have to see who RULES ! I got fresh birds, and word has it - they eat FUNK for lunch! And they'll be plenty hungry come Halloween eve! We're out for Bloooooood Baby!** Tommy: **From the Eastside to the Westside, everybody knows that when I shake my Southside, the women start going Tommyside. There ain't NO way, you'll be getting your hands on my green. It's mine, and you betta get it through your skull, honeychild. Peace, Love and Fro's, Mr. O. (as in the Big One.)** As you can tell, this will be an awesome place to be at on Hallowween. If you're interested in joining us, let me know.
My Car!!! (Toga Party)
So many events...so little time that it happened in...I'll try to be as brief as possible, but good Gaud!...So much happened. It started off with a Birthday Party invitation from my friend Suzyn, who was throwing a Toga party with another friend Celena A. Diamond. Determined to not make the drive by myself and to brind my favorite partying and travel companion, I informed Lee that he was going to be joining me on this trip. Since he had such a crappy week beforehand, I knew that this would cheer my main man up. The plan was to leave after Lee left work and I would pick up the clothes (For the Toga) and other materials (laurel and grapes for women to feed to us) for our little adventure. I did forget to get Suzyn a b-day gift, so we stopped by Carl's Corner, TX to find an appropriate gift. After much searching, I found what I was looking for..."A Carl's Corner Toothpick Holder.", some beef jerky and a postcard exaggerating the size of the crickets in Texas. After picking up some alkeyhol beverages, and more grapes we arrived. Before walking into the party, Lee and I donned our new attire and "ran on up in there!" to be the new lives of the party. Little did these inhabitants of the Toga Party know that their night was going to change because we were now there. I immediately joined up with a few of my friends, and maaaaadddd partying ensued! They started to dish out birthday wishes and cut some apparently good cake soon after we got there. It was great to see some of my old friends, Cathy, Suzyn, Cecilia (Sorry if I spelled your name wrong there.), and Celena (the awesome hostess of the evening.) As well as meet some new ones who's names I don't remember...but faces I shall never forget: (Thankfully to my trusty digital camera) "Cowboy boots Toga girl", "Scary Neighbor Jimmy", "Girl with Cool Shoes", "Girl not wearing a Toga but kept with tradition by going Commando", "Guy mixing Mardi Gras and Toga Party", "Anthony...Alfred...Author...whatever.", "Holly and Paula." Here are some other really good misc pictures that I can't afford to pass up: "God Bless photography", "Lee wanted me to destroy this picture...So here I am putting it on the Internet.", "Dude! I just totally grabbed your ass! I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to do that...and I did a really poor job. If you want me to make it right, you can come back and I'll do it again.", "Gaudess luv.", "Umm...your toga's too small.", "The picture of the night.", "It's good to be Emperor", "Uhh...umm...I'm sorry...were you just saying something? I got distracted.", "I see Toga People." After many, many hours, the party died down...That was at about 3-4AM. Then, little by little, people started to trickle off. And then there were 10...More talk...more chatting...more people leaving. And then there were At which point, Lee and I started mellowing the party out by telling our tales of The Polyphonic Spree, and how we think they are God's Gift to music. (They're going to be in Austin on Sept 14, so Austinites BE THERE! Lee and I might be making a trip down there again to experience this.) This, plus a few of our other amusing stories and Lee's huge lexicon kept the group entertained for quite a while. Suzyn and "Anthony...Alfred...Aurthor...whatever"'s left...And then there were 4. More music, more chat...And then it was 7AM. "Uh guys...wanna go get some breakfast?" So, we then performed a sacred "Prayer of extinguishing the Tikki Torches and thanking the Party Gauds who bestowed many fortunes on us these past hours." and dragged our tired butts (At this point, it was myself, Celena, Lee and Eric) to Kirby's for some omlettes and more entertaining stories. Since I had to be back in Dallas for 2PM, I figured that we would roll on outta Austin. By this time, I was VERY braindead and asked Lee to drive the way back. I kicked the chair back and took a short nap. I was then woken up by the sound of my tires screeching. My immediate thought was, "It's going to be ok, we'll stop in time." Then...WHAM!!! Forward motion throws me into my seatbelt and I am now looking (very closely, mind you) at the rear end of a white Chevy. Not good. We pulled off into a bank parking lot and assessed the damages. Thankfully, NOONE was hurt. The guy in the truck had no visible damage, except for a bent plug, which they can probably take a wrench to. My car had a new cleft lip. We were able to bend my hood down a lot and even though there was some fluid leakage, the car was drivable. Thankfully, we were able to make it back to Dallas w/o the car overheating, simutaneously combusting, or just plain stopping. The trip back was much more somber than the one coming, but towards the end, we were back to our normal chipper selves...at least as chipper one can be w/o sleeping for 36 hours, driving for 7 of them, and partying for 10 of the rest. That and we discussed our new line of shirts involving our favorite catch quotes, "Qui est ton papa?!", "And...WWHHHEEE!!!!", , "PIE!", which we might get Celena to design. Final analysis: Party...GOOOOODD!!! Driving.....BAADDD!!! Still, a great time was had by all and I'm looking forward to doing it again...just this time in Dallas. :) Here's a link to the entire album of pictures I took at the party.
Mary's Married.
You can find my picture album for this, here. The prize winning photograph. Yesterday, along with about 70 other people, I witnessed the marriage of someone very near and dear to me and someone who I believe will cherish and love her for the rest of his life. Congratulations Mary and Richard Ameredo. (sp?) I used to think that only women thought about things like this, but I then started thinking about my own marriage. Who would it be? How would the wedding be? Who would be my best man? Would Pastor Bill do the sermon? Where would it be? If I plan to get married, then I better find a church here to call home, else I'll be looking pretty out of place having the marriage in my house, because I'm not a member of any other church. In any case, I realized that I was thinking too much and by that time the wedding was over and Sonny came out from behind us playing bagpipes, indicating that the ceremony was over and that we were supposed to get to downtown for the reception. The reception was one of the most fun I have had in a very long time. It started off with an open bar. (And it ended with taking a bottle of champagne and going to Zeitman central (where I find myself now) and talking all about Europe and my adventures there.) There were a lot of Landmark people there and of course, we were all VERY self-expressed and later owned the dance floor. I found myself very tipsy at the beginning from two bottles of wine and no food in the last 6-8 hours. I was enjoying myself very much, but very cautious every time I walked near the beautiful cakes, afraid that I would become the token clumsy fool that tripped into them after paying more attention to a beautiful woman walking by me than my own feet walking in front of me. Even in my "more than tipsy, less than drunk" state, I was able to avoid disaster and certain embarassment. I will admit that I look forward to my wedding. I look forward to meeing the person that I will intently look at with both eyes in front of an audience of about a hundred people and say, "I do." and then know that for the rest of my life, this woman will light me up, turn me on, make me do the "Dance of Joy" for as long as we both shall live. Yes, I know that like any relationship, my marriage will go through hard times. It will go through REALLY hard times. Hell, it'll go through times where I will wish that I had that device in Men in Black where I would forget the about everything; however, I KNOW that I have the tools to make the relationship work. And if I can find someone with tools of her own, I think we'll be set for life. Marriage...How 'bout them apples. NOTE: I finally wrote down my My Theory of It. Please read and comment.
Pics of London
The pictures from London , some exporation of the nightlight of Paris with dad (including the Moulin Rouge) and Interlaken w/Bern are now up! Story coming soon.
Interlaken Part 2
NOTE: Pictures are not up yet. Check back in a few days. That's also why the entry is short, because I use the pictures to remember what I've done. My dad and I started our adventure right after work on Friday and borded the Eurostar, which provides a 3 hour train to London using the famous "Chunnel" which connects England to France by a tunnel underneath the English Channel. We got into Waterloo station (where Napolean suffered his defeat from the English.) and got a taxi to a nearby hotel. We started off our next morning by getting on a "Hop on and hop off" bus tour (which I am convinced is the best way to explore a city) which took us around all of the major tourist areas of London for a reasonable price. We hurried up to see the "Changing of the Guards" at Buckingham Palace and was able to get right up to the gate and prepped ourselves for some really good pictures. By the time 11:40 rolled around we got curious why with their "Military precision" they hadn't started. We then saw the sign which said, "The changing of the Guards will be Tomorrow at 11:30." Frustrated, we walked back to the bus station and started back on our tour. The rest of the day was without much adventure, mostly due to the rain and the cold which bothered us. We did, however, take a rivership cruise on the Thames river and under London and the Tower Bridge. We finished it off by seeing Tower Bridge (which is not London Bridge. London Bridge is actually much smaller.) at night, a beautiful sight to behold and going to eat at a Greek restaurant where they didn't serve wine, so we went to a store and got ourselves a bottle to bring in. Soon...sleep. Note: One of the Beetles, George Harrison died the day before. This is important later. For the next day, we made it back to Buck Palace because I wanted to see the guards. The streets were then packed like Mardi Gras and finally the guards and the band came out to begin the cerimony. The changing took quite a long time and then the band organized themselves in a semi-circle and started to play a Beetles melody as a tribute to the late Beetle. I didn't know most of the song, but was able to recognize "Yellow Submarine" and "Hey Jude". At the end, the band got a loud applause and dad said that he was glad that we came. Afterwards, we jumped back on the bus and saw the rest of the city. We then also saw Shakespear's globe and the Tate Modern museum. All in all, a good time was had by all. Next weekend, Interlaken Switzerland again!
Another Coonass in Paris
Today, miracles of miracles, M. Barney "I don't need to travel." Falgout landed in Ch. de Gaulle airport to visit his son and explore Europe. There were a few issues, like the airline putting him on an earlier flight from New Orleans to Houston because there looked like there might be delays and then the flight from Houston to Paris being late and then woman on the flight to Paris behind him kept hitting his chair because she claimed that she didn't have enough space. However, all is now good. He was even feeling generous to give a metro performer some change (American quarters), which we had a good laugh over. The plan for this weekend is either London or a walk along the western coast of Italy through 5 small towns there. As is usual with my travelling, I will decide the day of. A bientot!
Thanksgiving in Europe
If you haven't read yesterday's jounral entry, please do so now, because otherwise, you might be lost... I sure am glad that I went to the Thanksgiving banquet at the church. They were having a huge American festival. Complete with turkey, mashed potato(e?)s, gravy...the whole kit and kaboodle. Since I came in late and most every seat was taken except for the volunteers, I volunteered to stay and help clean up afterwards. Something I was more than happy to do so that I could enjoy the atmosphere as long as possible. The dinner was good and the people were friendly. I had no problem making myself at home with second servings of dark meat and mashed potatoes. I make a few more friends including one Indonesian girl who experienced Thanksgiving for the very first time. I later found out how hard she had to work to persuade her father to allow her to come to Europe to study since women over there VERY rarely move away from home at such an early age. (I'm beginning to see how interesting other cultures are and how differently they work than Americans. We are quite free.) One of the other girls, German, who I had met before, was quite "open" and had no problem putting her fingers on my plate to remove some of the strings from the cooked turkey as I was eating. My thoughts went from shock to amusement as I repeated my mantra which has kept me sane these past weeks: "That's just how they do things." This journey in Europe has been very interesting as I continue to see life and other people's reality as just that...another person's reality. For her, it's ok to put fingers in another person's plate. Funny, eh? I got home and packed up for this weekend, still not sure of where I will go, but backing warm. To finish off about last weekend, the next day I got ready to go paragliding again and luckily, we took a different route so I was able to see some different, beautiful scenery, including a city that's in the Guiness book of World Records for being the longest city in the world (7km). Nervous, I walked behind a house, made some yellow snow and then syched myself up for flying in nothing but a parachute. (Tandem, of course). Giglo strapped oursevles to the parachute, told me to run off a cliff and then... We were off!!! I'm flying! I'm really flying!!! Everything below me looked so small. The view of the lakes was mystical...A few minutes into the flight, I hear the question, "You like tricks?" "Sure!" "WE GO LEFT!!!!" Little did I know that "tricks" meant barrelling down towards the earth while listening to the altimeter beep off the number of meters we had left before we hit the ground. I truly had the experience of being in a plane, which was spinning on an axis right before a crash. I was so horrified and excitied that I couldn't move. However, I knew that I was in the hands of a professional and was really enjoying myself. When we stopped circling around, my heart and breath caught up with me and I felt the adrenaline rush finally hit my head. Whoo!!! And to imagine I'm thinking of going back for skydiving or canyon jumping! :) Then, all to shortly, we landed. We both thanked each other for the experience and he dropped me back off at Balmers. I then rested for a while and read some of Anne Frank's Diary and talked to some of the people that just came back from skydiving and canyon jumping. One of the guys had a smile on hit face that you could scrape off. "That was the wildest thing I've ever done!", he exclaimed. After the rush wore off, I went touring around town and had a LOT of fun at this restaurant called Bebbie's. Where the waiters sing along with the radio and are extremely cheerful and friendly. They also ring cow bells for children. Oh, one thing about Europe which amazes me is how they allow their pets to come into the restaurants with them. It's just commonplace. Finally, my journey was over and it was time for me to head back to Paris. I vowed, tho to come back and spend another weekend in Switzerland, most likely in Interlaken, because I am amazed by it's pure beauty and naturality. Oh yeah, and the chocolate's good too. :)
Thanksgiving
As the previous entries describe, last weekend, I spent it in Interlaken (which means between lakes), Switzerland which is in the middle of the Swiss Alps. After getting enough courage to do a trip by myself and hearing enough about Interlaken I bought tickets for my humble journey to Switzerland. On the way to the train, I was stopped by two American girls who were also on their way from Paris to Interlaken and had missed their two previous trains and wanted me to take a picture of them in front of the train as proof. I was quite amused. So, I took their picture and went on my way. After various layovers, I got off the train and into Interlaken only to realize, "I haven't booked a hotel." Luckily, I found the same two girls and asked if I could bum a ride with them to whatever hotel they were going to. I later found out that they were going to a hostel instead. (Quick note: Hostels are usually for college aged kids that are backpacking all over Europe can stay for CHEAP prices $16-20/night in a dorm type room.) So, around midnight on Friday night, Balmer's became my new home for the next two days. I walked inside and was warmly greeted by an Astralian girl who had check in soon before me and was sitting down with a bunch of other college kids in front of the fireplace drinking beer. "Quite a cozy atmosphere," I thought. I then went about the check in procedure and opted for the single room since I figured that my budget allowed for it. :) 40 CHF/night (~$20) I went up to my room, dropped my bags and headed off downstairs and joined everyone for a house raid and interesting time with their cactus. After a few drinks and a few more friends, I headed off to bed. The next morning, I had a great view of the houses around the area and got to explore more of Balmers. Early morning, I signed up for paragliding, because I wasn't ready for ski diving yet. That was going to be tomorrow. So, before the pickup time, I explore the beautiful city of Interlaken. There was a grand casino. (yes, those are clouds in the background, not my camera). I also took an impromptu nature hike. And soon, I was supposed to go paragliding, so I trotted back to Balmers. In the truck ride there, were the two girls I met in Paris, and 4 other girls ready to be thrown into the air. The ride there and back was simply amazing!!! It was truely a winter wonderland. We took the cable car, to the top, above the clouds and had an even better view. The 2 Parisien girls went first and the 3 other girls and I waited behind. We walked around until we found a great slate of snow and I said, "This is the 2nd time EVER that I've gotten to play with snow." "REALLY?!!" The girls said. So, they showed me how to make a snow angel. I was quite happy. I even got to be a kid again. Afterwards, the girls and I made love notes to our admirers back home. (Jen, someone and someone. I wish I was better with names.) Two of the paraglider pilots came back (one apparetly couldn't make it) and the other two girl went and Jen and I stayed behind and had Swiss fondue for lunch. About an hour later they were ready again and we trekked to the top of a high point and Jen and I hyped ourselves up to do what others have told us to do for a long time...go jump off a cliff! And unfortunately, the weater did not permit us because there were too many clouds which would not allow for a safe landing...I asked them about waiting and they said that it could take until tomorrow. So, sadly, they walked back down. (I decided to roll down the mountain instead since I was still enjoy playing in the snow.) I then enjoyed the ride back home and chilled out with everyone else for another night at the hostel. ... DANG! I'm going to update this tomorrow, because I want to make it to a Thanksgiving dinner! Check back tomorrow for the rest!
Pre-Balmers time
Fortunately, I got my pictures up... Unfortunately, I'm sick. I'll explain the pictures soon...to sum it up, I stayed in a youth hostel for ~$30 a night for a private bedroom. I also met tons of great people who were mostly college kids that were studying in Europe and backpacked during the weekend. I also knocked off another item on my list...paragliding...those are the pictures where you're looking between my thighs. Everything was beautiful; however, I didn't get enough sleep, so I think that's why I'm not feeling good. I'm outta here. Night.
Mr. List
Amsterdam pictures are up!!! (Check out: Itchy Bitchy, and my new hero, who's diary I am now reading: Anne Frank) So far all of my trips have been to the stereotypical Classic European cities...Paris, Vencie, Siena, Florence, Chamonix, Salzburg, etc. However, this past weekend, I feel as if I went to the "New Orleans" of Europe: Amsterdam. Amsterdam is a major city in the country of Neatherland. It's a very hip place where the gas stations play techno, the streets are lit up by neon signs and even grandmas wear fashionalbe coudoroy jeans. It's also where you can find the famous "Red Light District" and smoke majaraunia legally. I knew that I wouldn't partake in any of those activities (I can almost hear my mom giving a sigh of relief right now.); however, it was on "My List" of things to see. (On this trip I got to see how everyone has a "My List" This is a list of things which they want to experience in their life before they die. Skydiving, be married, and watch your kids go through the same hell that you did with them, are a few examples. My list is a lot more conservative than most; however, I still have a few wild things to add to it: paragliding, sky diving, bungee jumping, etc.) I also consider myself an open person and was able to just be with the idea of prostitutes standing in a window, wearing next to nothing, putting on a show for some guy with about $50 looking for a good time. However, one scene blew my mind: I'm chilling with some friends in the red light district with our backs up against the walls, talking to each other and facing the prostitutes in front of us and then I notice this girl crouched down to my left, reading a book. Since it was really cold outside, I figured that she didn't do this for fun, but hey...this is Amsterdam. A few minutes later, one of the curtain's in front of my goes back, an a guy walks out, and then the girl gets up, waves to the prostitue, the prostitue waves back, and the girl grabs onto the arm of the guy who just came out and they walk off down the street arm in arm. I know that I'm assuming something here; however, that just blow my mind! Also, while in Amsterdam, I wore my black trenchcoa, black shirt and my new Oakley sunglasses. My friends said that I looked like the "White Shaft". However, to the locals, I apparently looked like someone who was into the white stuff. No, not Anthrax. Cocaine. I was approached 4 times by someone wanting to sell me some coke. All in all, not much else exciting happened while I was there. I didn't enjoy myself there as much as the other places; however...it was on the list. What's your List?
Speeding on the Autobahn
More pictures! Innsbruck and Salzburg, Struttgart and the Porche Museum, and Venice I recommend reading the story first, tho. Normally, I would give a long spiel about how much travelling I did this weekend; however, I'll try to keep it short…just like my attention span This past Thursday was All Saints Day, which the French have off. So, Ankur, Nilaksh and I decided to take Friday off and go to Rome and explore Italy. We started the trip around 9AM, Thursday morning. We never got to Rome. Using our Internet provided driving directions, we started and found out that our trip takes us through Switzerland. Slight problem. Ankur and Nilaksh are from India and need a Visa to get in. After getting turned away by the border guards, we tried finding the Swiss Embassy, but to no avail since everything was closed due to the holiday. Frustrated that we could no longer use our directions we started plotting a new course…Venice. We realized that to do this, we would have to go north of the Swiss, through Germany and Austria. And that's what we did. Up unto this point I had not driven yet; because the car was a standard, which I don't know how to drive. I decided to stop letting that hold me back and took the wheel in Germany…on the Autobahn. I had a quick lesson and started driving…fast. Reaching speeds of 170km/h, I was quite happy. That was until I passed a cop car and they pulled me over. "Guten tag…. … … Sprecken se deutch?" …some dialoge… He almost sounds like a Japanese guy scolding me. "You were going 100. 20! The speed limit is … 80!" "Really?!" (Plays the dumb American role.) He then goes back to his car and comes back. "Normally…100 marks! But I let you go. Drive carefully!" Completely amazed that after only driving on the Autobahn for 30 minutes, I was stopped for speeding, I decided that my driving mojo is no good here and I handed over the car to someone else. We arrived in Italy around midnight, and Venice around 1:30AM. We got lost and finally found a hotel on the outskirts of Venice. The next morning we got up and took the train into Venice. We couldn't find any place to buy tickets, so we just hopped aboard without paying. Venice is beautiful. A bit smelly tho. We visited San Marco square. I even made some new friends. We then took a gondola ride around Venice and saw some beautiful scenery. It's amazing how everything is surrounded by water. Once we had our fill of Venice, we jumped in the car and headed to Innsbruck, Austria home of the 1964 and 1976 Winter Olympics. Unfortunately, there was no snow around, so we looked around the quaint Austrian town and saw some statues and monuments and paid tribute to someone great who has allowed this amazing exploration into the world happen. (Thanks Cecil!) We then moved moving onto my FAVORITE part of the weekend: The Swarovski Museum! Swarovski is the leading crystal manufacturer in the world. Their museum entrance was a giant head with water coming out of the mouth. The entire place was sparkling and full of crystals. They also had a dome of mirrors where I had too much fun with my camera. Outside they also have a labyrinth of hedges and a blue crystal in the middle. I was like a little kid playing again. The scenery from there was also amazing. We then gathered up our souvenirs and decided to visit Salzburg. Home of Amadeus Wolfgang Mozart, a castle, and people play on a VERY large chess board. We got there late, so we rushed up to the castle and almost collapsed when reaching the ticket booth only to find out that they only took cash and we had no marks or shillings. Thankfully the US Dollar is the most accepted currency in the world and we were able to get through. (Thanks Ankur!) We toured the castle and found an interesting story about the Salzburg people and why they're called "Bull Painters." Exhausted, we drove to Struttgart, Germany where one can find the Mercedes-Benz and Porche museum and where we found the MOTHER of a hotel. This place had 2 casinos, a concert hall, a dance club, a movie theatre, an Irish pub, about 10 restaurants and 5 bars. Amazingly enough we pooled our resources we were able to manage a double room in a business suite (The brought in a separate bed for me.) and our view was amazing. Being inventive, I decided to make my bed on top of the conference table where I had a nice view of the Mercedes-Benz museum. We got up and drove to the Porsche museum, saw a few cars (Some fancier than others, and some speedier than others) and then headed back to Paris. When we finally made it back to Versailles we had traveled about 3300km (~2000 miles) and through 5 countries. What a trip. So, I tried to make this a small entry; however, as you can tell, so much happened that it's almost impossible to keep it brief. Who knows what next weekend will be like!
Chamonix
Yes!!!! My pictures are finally uploaded! (Chamonix, Paris, Italy) This past weekend, I ventured out to the French Alps at Chamonix, France. It was an immensely beautiful sight. In fact, I even said, "Some people say that there's no God, or don't believe in any type of higher power. However, I look at this and say to myself, there's no way anything this beautiful cannot have been created by God." Chamonix is a valley town, filled with valley people who know how to enjoy life. They are very relaxed and friendly people that wear all types of sporty clothes. From what we could tell, they make most of their money off of tourism and skiing. (We visited during the off season, so there was very little activity.) Highlights: Chamonix also had a concrete luge which was a lot of fun, once I learned how to operate my board. And when I finally did learn how to operate it, I ended up going too fast and falling off, scraping myself and my leather trenchcoat. After rolling around for a while, I gathered myself up, got back on and continued luging away. While Ankur, Nilaksh and I were walking around at night trying to find out way back to the hotel, a car pulled over and a guy and girl dressed in preppy uniforms came out and asked for our ID's. I looked at their shirt and it said, "Gendarderie". I figured they were with the law since noone else would stop us, but I wasn't quite sure. So, I asked...Dressed in his turtleneck sweater he said, "No, I just wanted to play Tennis." It took us a few seconds to realize that it was a joke. After telling them that we were looking for our hotel and that we were on touring while working here in America we asked where our hotel was he told us that we had to actually climb over Mont Blanc to get to the hotel. This guy was funny! We finally finished up everything and after talking to them we thought it was great that we had light and easy French cops to harass us. For a very long time, I have been looking for a way to truly express how much I hate mornings. I have an extremely hard time waking up and getting ready. Well, on the way back from a night club in Chamonix, I found what I've been looking for. It's a shirt with Calvin of Calvin and Hobbs yawning and "Je hais le matin" (I hate mornings) on top. Perfect!
Couscous
One thing I realized I left out from yesterday's log was that on Wednesday, I went to a Couscous restaurant. Couscous is considered an original French food that's almost like rice and soup, but with a French twist. Not knowing what that French twist really was, I decided to have dinner the only way that I know that the French have dinner...with wine. Those that know me well, know that I VERY rarely drink wine. Only on special occasions. And I had already been in France for about 2 1/2 weeks, and I had not ordered wine yet. This was going to be my first time. Guess what. Apparently, I had walked into the ONLY restaurant in all of France that doesn't server wine. Very confused, confounded and amazed, I ordered a coke and enjoyed my couscous. I finally did get my "wine fix" last night right before I went out "swing dancing". That in itself isn't a great idea, because if you know anything about partner dancing, you know that you want to be completely sober. Luckily, I was able to pull off some moves at the "Slow Club" and not tick off any of the French there. Reality check: I went swing dancing in Paris! Whoo hoo! Every now and then, I have to do reality checks with myself, because I forget where I'm at and how awesome this really is. It's real easy to take it for granted. Adieu.
Get Lost!
For those of you that just want the answer to this question without having to read the whole story, here it is: GET LOST! Now here's the story: Wednesday was not a good day for me. I had some Italian food and went "swing dancing" the night before. When I got home, my stomach was not feeling good so I went to sleep. When I woke up the next morning, I couldn't go more than 5 feet away from the toilet before having to go back towards it. I then called into work and said that I wouldn't be coming in. I then crawled back into bed hoping for the pain to go away. At 2PM I was awakened by room service who wanted to come in and clean the room. Since I was in a dazed mood I said sure and thought that walking outside might do me some good since my stomach stopped aching. Figuring it would be a waste to spend a day in Paris and not exploring, even though I was sick, I decided to go to the Louvre. When I got there, it was closed because the workers were on strike. Of all the dumb luck. Since I was feeling weakened by my more unforunate events, I decided to go back to the hotel in hopes that the french maids were done with my room. Not knowing where I was, I took random turns knowing that you're always 5 minutes away from a metro station in Paris. My first turn lead me to a very interesting Metro station. (picture coming soon) I walked towards it and thought it was very cool. Behind that station was a historical monument. Once again, very cool. At this point, my curiosity was starting to overpower my weakness. Behind that was a lavish garden with kids playing soccer and perfectly aligned trees. I kept going straight towards what looked like another shopping district and ended up pretty much a dead end. And at the dead end was a statue that's probably older than dirt. So, the moral of the story is: When you're in Europe, the best thing to do is: GET LOST! Why? Because you'll always find something interesting. And even if it's a dead end, there'll be a 500 year old statue of a naked woman there. You can't lose. I was also approached by a pimp last night. It's the 2nd time in a week. What gives? Cheers, love and humanity. Tommy.
The strangest thing
It has taken me a while to get over the homesickness, frustration over how to handle life and all of it's issues; however, I think that I'm over the big hump. Thanks a lot Mary, for the wonderful coaching. Saturday was the first day for me to go out and fully explore Paris in all of it's beauty. And, as luck would have it, it rained. However, I was not going to let that bring me down. I donned my coat and umbrella and strided on our of the Hotel Mecure and to the Arc de Triumph via the Metro. Standing in front of it, gives the impression that the entire city of Paris was built to accompany the Arc. Outside of the huge circle, where the Arc lives, is a driving area where the streets which are perfectly symmetrical, aligned and beam from the middle like a perfectly cut pizza. I did not go up, because I knew that I would rather wait until I could see it on a sunny day. Strolling down the Champs d'Ellises, I bought a French shirt, and some CD's (One from my favorite French rapper, MC Solaar. Yes, I have picked up even the music here.) I then trotted over to the Eiffel Tower, where I decided again to wait until it was a clear day to visit the top of. I then walked around aimlessly, trying to get lost and find some more beautiful sights until I grew tired and headed home. Here is where the loss of being alone really hit me. I walked into my hotel room, delighted that I had seen all of these amazing sites, but sad that I had noone to share it with. I had also been contemplating the relationship with Terri quite a bit during my walk and I realized what I really wanted. I wanted Terri walking with me, arm in arm, as we toured the Eiffel Tower. I wanted to kiss the woman I'm tell everyone about in the "Jewel of Europe". I wanted to spend time in one of the world's most romantic city with "My bandcamp girl". However, I had hurt her earlier in the relationship, and the wounds were still fresh, so there was nothing I could do. After getting on the phones and talking to my mom and Mary (Thanks girls!), I was reinvigorated and decided to do something I had never done before. Go to a caberet! Moulin Rouge already had their last show, so I opted for the one in the brochure, Crazy Horse. What threw me for a loop was the number of Asian couples and women that were there. George told me that he went to Moulin Rouge with his family, so I figured it wasn't too raunchy. The experience was somewhat erotic, but I actually enjoyed the magician the most. Overall, if you're looking for an interesting experience, check one out, but it's not meant as a "peep show" or anything of the such. Since I took the last show, the Metro was closed so I had to either walk home or take a taxi. "It's Paris! Go walk!", I told myself. So, I popped in a CD in my player, and trotted down the Parisian roads at 2AM. That's when it hit me: I'm in Paris. I've got friends and family supporting me here. The hotel and food is paid for! I'm listening to Daft Punk, a great dance band. Life is good. At that point, life looked different. Rather than trying to rush home because it was 2AM and I was in a foreign city at night, I took my good ol' time. First, I walked to the Eiffel Tower and saw it at night. (The lights were off.) Then I moseyed on home, not caring if I was going the right way sometimes, and many times I wasn't. Along the way, I walked by a homeless person sleeping in the doorstop of a restaurant. Being that I was feeling like I was on top of the world, I figured that my heart couldn't go by ignoring that. And the more I walked away from him, the louder the thoughts in my head got. So, I turned around and gave him the change in my pocket. I then walked back home some more and realized that for as good as life has been treating me, about $2 was not enough of a gift to "pay it forward". So, after trying to push those thoughts for a few minutes that I should just keep on walking, I turned around again and gave him everything I had. This life has been too generous for me to not give SOMETHING back everywhere I go. I then walked away with a clear conscience, knowing that he would use that money more preciously than I. I arrived near home around 3AM and since I was hungry, I stopped by the Hippopatamus, a jive open till 5AM. I definitely wasn't prepared for what was inside. Inside the Hippo, you can tell it's a busy place. And at 3AM, the line was long. I waited around, trying to keep myself busy and trying not to pay too much attention to the punk kids that were occassionally yelling at each other. However, I couldn't tell if they were doing so jokingly or not. (They're speaking in French.) It wasn't until an older lady who was behind me told one of them something and then he went up to her right in her face and I swear he was cursing her out. The 6' black bouncer didn't pay much mind to them until they started duking it out. At first it was fairly contained until one of them kicked the other into some of the other tables and shattered the light fixture. They kept going at it to the point where they threw treys and glasses at each other. One even tried breaking a glass bottle to hit another with. Me and the old lady ran to the back of the restaurant, hiding, but still watching with a curious eye. Well, the bouncer threw them out and the police came. The manager told us that were waiting in line to leave because it was closed. Still hungry, but not wanting to completely leave the action, I went across the street to a windowed area. Inside, they were playing "Bohemian Rhaposody". Amused that they were playing American music, I started mouthing the words, "Scatamoosh! Scatamoosh! Will you do the Van Damn Go!" I looked around and saw a guy mouthing the words too. We smiled and I thought it was funny and then sat down. I then turned around and he made a motion for me to come sit down by him. I figured, "What the heck." I walked over to him and asked, "Tu parle englais?" shakes his hand "A little" So, I sat down and had a really interesting conversation with him. Apparently, he has been all over the world, Pakistan, US, London, etc and is a teacher. (A very social one too.) He spoke to me in the English he knew and I spoke to him in the French I knew. The only thing that bothered me was that the cautious part of my brain was working overtime. "When will he stiff me with the bill?" "What if he puts something in my drink?" "How do I know that he's not a psycho-killer?" However, I kept giving up those thoughts so that I could enjoy myself in this new position I found myself in. After a while, said he was leaving and got up and paid his share of the bill. I said goodbye and thought to myself, "Wow. That was definitely interesting." So, there you have it folks. Life for me is never boring. Nor will I allow it to be. It's too precious. It's too short. Live it up.
Paris stuff
Last night, I had dinner with some friends who went exploring Rome at the same time Hemang and I went exploring Siena. On Tuesday morning, we had heard that they were still stuck in Italy, because they didn't have their Passports. To further complicate the matters, one of the guys is Pakistan. (This'll give you a small taste of the rest of the story.) On Wednesday morning, we were really worried about when they were going to come back. And on Thursday morning, we were releaved that everyone was ok. You can check out the entire story at: Your Passport, and why you should never leave a country without it. (Especially at these times and if you're Pakastani.) This weekend, I plan to explore Paris. I've been living here for about 2 weeks and I haven't been able to explore this place much. I'll take care of the big attractions, like the Arc, Tower, Versailles, etc. Also, it might be the first time I go touring by myself. It will be a new and interesting adventure. Even though it's still October, I keep thinking ahead towards X-mas and how I would so enjoy having Terri and my family come visit me in France. It would truly be a great experience. A bientot!
Sienna
This morning, I came back from my trip to Italy. It was an interesting, frustrating, tiring, majesticly beautiful, and bad luck weekend. We started off by taking a train to Florence, where Hemang and I talked to this half French/Italian guy who was very cool; later joined by a group of female travellers looking to explore Italy. I couldn't sleep that well, (surprisingly enough) so I went to the dining car and wrote a letter to Terri, who I began to miss very much. When we left the train, we jumped to a bus to Siena. Siena was exquisite! The hotel right in front of the bus stop was "The Jolly Hotel", where Hemang and I dropped our bags and showered. We then had lunch in the Piazza while marvelling at the wonderful view. We began exploring the "Piazza" (an open area in about the size of a city block) and "Domo" and walked to the top of the Piazza's Great tower for what is called the best view of Italy. I started to carve my initials in the bell at the top, when a German couple asked me if I thought that the bell needed that. Shocked, amazed and embarrassed, I stopped. (If you see the letter "T" in the hanging part of the bell in this area, that's ME!) When we got down, we decided to join the people lying down in the piazza and took a nap on the bricks. Rested, we went back to the hotel to prepare ourselves for sundown. At 7PM in Siena, something amazing happens. Everyone comes out to walk on the major rode. EVERYONE! And then they come out dressed in their most fashionable attire. Men dressed in suits. Women dressed as fashion models. It was like a mile long runway with everyone showing off. Truly amazing! Hemang and I stuck around till about 1AM chatting and having some of the best gelato (Ice Cream) in the world! For the next day, we were going to explore San Gimangino, another small hill town in Italy. That city was on top of a hill, which offered a truly majestic site. We did some shopping, eating and exploring. That's where it all fell apart. See: "All I want is to go to Paris...is that so hard?" It's now 1AM, and I'm at Nortel, waiting for Hemang to finish his stuff, so we can go to bed. We're waiting for someone else to finish up over here, so that he can drive us back because the train workers are on strike and there aren't that many trains going to Montparnarse. Ciao!
The world will miss you, Bill Jemison IV
Yesterday, I discovered my favorite part of this buisness trip so far: The laundry service. Hemang and I are planning to go to Italy this weekend, so he recommended getting all my laundry done so that I can pack it. So, I put my dirty laundry in two bags and brought them downstairs. When I came in from work yesterday, there they were: Bright, Shiny and New. My underware was neatly folded with tags, my socks were matched together by pair. My shirts were even ironed and clipped to a cardboard square! My jeans were on a hanger and my "travel pants"...the pants that have seen more cities that some people's luggage, with all of it's holes, loose threads and crinkled pockets were ironed and maybe even starched! The only thing I could say that even came close to how I was feeling was, "Wow! That's worth the price of admission!" I would definitely go on more buisness vacations if it meant having someone else do my laundry and fold and iron it like that! Other than that, things are really shaky. My roommate situation is sticky right now and Terri sent me an email which has got my world in a swirl. I'm beginning to see how big of a jerk I am to people. Lots of times, I do inconsiderate stuff. Stuff, I'm sometimes not even aware of. Stuff, where I may have good intentions, but something else happens. If you're one of those people I've hurt or offended, I apologize. And finally, the pastor's son at my church passed away after fighting a lengthy illness. He was a friend of mine, close to my age, and the epitomy of dignity, intelligence and acceptance. The world will miss you, Bill Jemison IV.
Indian Incidents
Yesterday was definitely and interesting day, worthy of a story. Check out: Indian Incidents for more info. On the train ride to work today, I realized that one month ago today, the WTC was attacked. It seems like such a long time ago, yet I can still remember standing in my living room, watching TV and seeing the second tower collapse on live TV. Material possessions come and go. Life is precious. All you have is "Now". Live it up. Hemang and I are talking about going to a Depeche Mode concert tonight. I was hesitent at first, but since I realized that this will be a once-in-a-lifetime chance, I couldn't pass it up. --- Later --- Depeche Mode is a no-go. Since Hemang and I are going travelling tomorrow to Italy, we're going to take it easy tonight.
I forgot my Palm
Hemang and I bought tickets for this weekend to go to the small villas in Italy. I can't wait! This is what I've been looking forward to...not the big cities, monuments and museums, but the beautiful scenery. I'm so jealous of me. :) One mistake I made so far was to leave my Visor (read: My life) in the restaurant tonight. When I got home (did I say HOME?!) I realized this and walked back to the restaurant. I couldn't figure out how to tell the doormen I forgot something, so I used a line I remembered from Better Off Dead - "Je suis tres stupid." and made the motion of leaving something and walking away. The got a good laugh and directions to the bartender. I did the same for her after the waiter from my original table told her that I forgot my Visor. She laughed. I guess self-depracating humor is universal. :) I'm beginning to learn the RER and metro system. Thankfully, I'm a quick learner. I'm also grateful for Hemang who's been a great help to me getting around and his ideas for travel inspire me. Soon, I will be adventuring a la Falgout. I saw the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triumph for the first time last night while eating dunner at a really expensive restaurant in the Chanz de Lizze (sp?). They had people salsa dancing in the bottom of the restaurant, and if I knew the dance any better, I would have grabbed someone and started dancing. However, when I go swing dancing (I found a swing club) I will live it up.
Coonass in Paris
So! I finally made it to Paris. This is just a quick note before I head off and do some real work in Nortel. Thank you all for your support and I will keep all of your updated on my adventures. I've seen some interesting sites! Love, sunshine and disco dancing, -Me Here are some excerpts from my journal which I started on the flight to France: Now, for the future. Where will I go in the next 2 1/2 months? What adventures will I experience? How will I grow? A lot of people are afraid to fly nowadays. I completely understand their fear; however, I don't share the same fear as them. As I just learned, I am most frightened by the sound that the airplane toilets make after those few seconds of silence after pressing the flush button. Push Button ... ?? ... Is it working? ... WWWHHHOOOOSSSHHH!!!! I realized today that the relationship I have with my pilot is the same I have with my doctor. I know that I'll hear from him in the beginning and in the end. However, I want as little interaction from him in between. Heh heh. The growth has already started, and I haven't even touched down yet. I realize that I've chosen to remain or pretend to remain innocent or ignorant in certain areas of my life. In 'Paris Inside Out', one of the first things I read was: "Wisdom is acquired only through the gradual shedding of innocence." So, I've been stunting my growth in those areas by deciding to stay innocent. Interesting.
Dreams Fulfilled
Every now and then a dream pops into the mind. Usually, the dream is killed off through cynicism and resignation..."You can't do that." "You don't really want THAT, do you?" "Get real." And sometimes, through the sheer power of determination and the power of committment, the dream wiggles and squirms it's way out of those thoughs and into the world. Two dreams of mine which I gave up on a while ago are now coming true. Own a house I am in love with. All expenses paid travel. Funny, now that I look at that, I think to myself...a year ago, I didn't think those were possible...ESPECIALLY at the same time. On May 29, 2001, I closed on my house. It is a beautiful, split level house which overlooks a park, has a beautilful garden, 4 bedrooms, 2 living rooms, and a beautiful kitchen. On October 6, 2001, I am leaving for France to work there for 2 1/2 months. I have no idea what to expect when I get there. Rude French? Not knowing the language as well as I would like? Another flight disaster? However, I will not be deterred by any of these thoughts. I am about to embark on a journey into a foreign country. And with it, I plan to embark on a journey into my soul. Who am I? What do I want to do with my life? What's next for me? In the words of my best friends, Lee: "It's all good, baby!"
The start of it all.
So, This is the beginning of it all. Soon, there will be discussions about the trips and adventures in foreign and distant lands. (France, Cancun, Cozimel, Mediterranian, etc.) And then...Tommy'sTubCam.com. It all begins here. Stay tuned for details and drop a line if you have other suggestions! "If all of life's a stage, who do I talk to about getting some better props?"