Back in Columbus Ohio again, this time to enjoy a specifically organized Adult’s only Halloween.
In costume as Skipper from Gilligan’s Island, we get to trick or treat, no tricks or scary places actually. Just lots of treats, shots and drinks at most locations, where were all set out on a map of 16 places on Beck Street.
I discovered Jello Shots, which I had a number of to zero negative effective.
Plenty of photos on SmugMug
For the second year now in New York, I have been able to photograph the 9/11 WTC memorial lights.
In 2007, it was one of the most striking photographic events of the year, this year it didn’t disappoint.
My intention this year was to photograph from the other side of Manhattan in Brooklyn, and to also to get at close as possible to the lights. I achieved both, and was happy with the output.
I was disappointed to find however, that the lights are not located at the WTC site, infact they are some 10 blocks away to the south.
More photos to come, but a few samples are available at my SmugMug photos
Yesterday, I experienced with 105,000 other fans, an Ohio State University (OSU) win over local rival Ohio University in Columbus Ohio. I was one of the sea of red at the horse shoe. You can find all my photos over at SmugMug.
Well it depends which gallon you are referring to.
The question came from a recent discussion with my Mother regarding the cost of fuel. Because Australia uses litres I had to convert the US price of Gallons to Litres. This is where the problem begins because as a child I grew up knowing that 1 Gallon was 4.5 litres. Australia used an imperial system until 1966, and while I was not around then, living on a farm there were many legacies.
The problem is, as usual the USA has to be different from the rest of the world, their gallon is infact more complex. Using the official Wikipedia definition:
Only in America is there such complication!
I got to spend today in Central Park following a look at a NY apartment. Met up with some friends, and met some new people, played some frisbee and enjoyed the summer ambiance. I kept having “Central Park in May” run around in my head. My walking got me to see many things. Some highlights.
All my photos at Memorial Day Central Park NY 2008.
Plenty of sun baking, look at those turtles.
And a few humans as well.
Children and animals.
A Roller Party in the park.
Flowers.
Water Sports.
Other Sports.
And the general park surrounds.
And a guy playing two trumpets, who would have figured that?
Last year I started taking photographs of Vehicle Number Plates. No specific reason why, more something to pass the time. I was more interested in special number plates, and I’ve collected onces such as “LINUX”, “POSIX”, “POLICE”, “SOCCER”, “MOO”, “GOLFNUT”, “MYSQL1″, “BUG OFF” (On a VW Bug), “BMW NOT”, “GO SOX” (from 2 different states), “HOT AIR”, and “MMMMMUD” to name a few.
It took about 4 weeks to get 48 states in the US when I started. The 49th came several months later, and this was West Virginia. Today, many months later I got the 50th state - Wyoming (the least populist state). WOOT!
You can find a view of the 50 states here.
Diary: 4th April 2008
It’s Friday and normally while some people would be happy it’s the end of the work week, it’s been far from a memorable day.
The day first started sleeping terribly, and then with the confirmation that yesterday between leaving my hotel and arriving at my new apartment I’d lost something. I’d only determined this late Thursday night. A small bag of personal items, those effectively on my nightstand at the hotel. Two personal visits to the hotel, double confirmation of the vehicle and checking office to no avail. This has caused great distress, not just for the inconvenience and replacement cost, but because some personal items are un-replaceable, and indeed include things given to me from somebody else. It also included my current medication, which I was then forced to visit a doctor, too new to have German health insurance so paying as a private patient, just to get a prescription and then get that filled.
At my new employer things have not gone to plan regarding the upcoming MySQL Conference with a key new relationship caught up in unnecessary red tape.
I get an email from a former MySQL colleague passing through Hamburg, which is great, so was looking forward for meeting, but a subsequent canceled flight ruined that, at least until a later date. A supportive phone call from another former MySQL employee and friend from elsewhere in Europe and another email from yet another good friend and former colleague, good news in a otherwise bleak day, and yes it’s raining again in Hamburg.
Navigating around my Macbook now is also becoming more frustrating the more I use it. Things I could do under Linux I simply can’t do now. Such as resizing a window from any side. In the Mac you have go to the bottom right corner. Alt-Tab between windows really annoys me, as the same program with multiple windows, say Firefox or Thunderbird, requiring Alt-Tab, then Alt-~. You also have to release the Alt key between these operations. Combined with my laptop keyboard having the ~ key at the top left, and the attached USB keyboard having at the bottom left just another annoyance. Not yet read to write a hate list for Mac, but it’s not in my good books, still I’ll never go to Windows so my options are limited given the investment I’ve made now.
The day ended with my supplied USB Modem card which seemed to work fine when configured at the office (how I now wonder why), now not working. Requiring to re configure the device on my Mac provided a fruitless exercise. Re-installation multiple times and reboot no luck. The backup plan was to call Vodafone for technical support, first nobody with English could help me, I had to leave my number for somebody to call me back. This proved unsuccessful as then with a Mac I was told this was too specialized and somebody would call me back on Monday. Realizing I’ve got emails I’d like to write, photos to upload, blog posts to write and being effectively stuck technologically annoying on a Friday night. Combined with a TV but only German speaking languages on every station, happy, happy, joy, joy. Finally a radio station that’s playing English songs, and German ads, so I guess that’s one way to solve the annoying ad problem. Thinking to myself, I really should start on my German lessons I paid good money for.
Why do you try the same thing multiple times seeking a different result. XKCD has a brilliant cartoon (to the right) on this called The difference. Because with computers and software you get a different result. You know after multiple times and different errors, with seemingly the same configuration each time, then a connection, long enough to automatically disconnect. Convinced now that something is right, a few more disconnects and reconnects and it’s stable (no software changes). Try a few websites (like Hamburg Weather at weather.yahoo.com and the Hamburg Train map at wikipedia.org failing, the most recent bookmarks. What the? Just as I’m about give up, I try gmail.com and it works. Also google.com works. My blog doesn’t work. yahoo.com doesn’t work. Skype doesn’t work, emails doesn’t work. So either Google is doing something right, or they have no taken control of the internet.
It’s 10:30pm and outside I can hear and just see fireworks. If only I’d known I would have investigated some more. Back to my lack of connectively. This USB HSUPA modem or the connected network is useless. Is this a sign. On that note it reminds me that yesterday I went to the vodafone store, checked out the 1 Euro phones (note I don’t have a Euro key on my US keyboard), make my request at work, and lone behold, that particular Sony Ericson model is not available under the business plan. Plenty of others, like 10 different Sony Ericson models alone. Why, oh Why.
Time to finish up this draft post in my email client for now, getting a little sick of the very general 70s and 80s music on this radio station. I remember last time I was here the radio station on the bus to/from Kiel was a classic rock station, I’d commented to others it was excellent. If only I knew then I would be back and working in Germany I’d paid more attention to the frequency.
Diary: March 31st 2008
November 3rd 2006 I started my US Adventure. Today, I end it. It is unexpected, it is at a reasonable financial and personal cost, it’s certainly not a small endeavour but life is what you make of it, and I can’t reach my goals of lifestyle without moving on (change of country not generally necessary but that my best option now).
In Terri Urwin’s famous words that helped me get to this, “Life is like a book, and this is the next chapter.”. This chapter will end, a new one with start, the “German Experience”. My love of New York, the people and friends and the desire to live here remains, but it will be a journey elsewhere before I return. How long, I am unsure.
My impending chapter can be sub-titled “High Risk, High Reward”. I’ve received great support from personal friends, something I could no do without in life, today or tomorrow.
Stay tuned!
It’s been a hectic last few days, but I’m in the final stages of exiting the country and this chapter of my US Adventure.
Everything is packed, stored or now checked in luggage. As I sit in the President’s Club at Newark Airport, only the low lying cloud and rain now can dampen my likely impending departure in just 2 hours.
Diary: Wed 26th March 2008
My impending exit from the US is rapidly approaching. Yesterday/today sorting out moving, many things on the list like mail redirection, change of addresses, packing etc. I’m leaving it to the last day of my visa obligations (10 days following end of employment) to vacate the country.
My US Adventure is almost at an end, my German Experience about to start.
One always has two paths, either to stay on the path you are going or elect to go a different way.
I have chosen the later.
It’s not a matter of right or wrong.
Only time will reveal what wisdom be gained or opportunity lost.
One can stand on the path and think what could be, or one can act and be what could be.
I have chosen the later.
Many will watch, and some I trust will follow or chose their own path.
But to be the pack, is to never see what could be.
Comfort with potential opportunity or high risk for high reward.
I have chosen the later.
Diary: 21st March 2008
I am now officially gainfully unemployed, my last day at MySQL being today, and as such my US Adventure is coming to a close.
Drinks and dinner with friends last night in celebration brings a great sense of freedom in what I can achieve in the world, in my world and so I embark onto a new high risk, high reward opportunity, he hard work I hope leading to the lifestyle I’d like to live.
I love New York, this is my home, and I hope and expect that I’ll be returning home again soon.
I had the chance to actually watch some television over the weekend. You have 200+ channels with the Time Warner cable extended HBO package and you never get any time.
I got to see the last 30 minutes of my present favorite animated movie, Over the Hedge. If you have not see this, I must recommend this movie, it’s so funny. I look very closely at animation these days. The music score, the shadows, colors, depth of field is all detail easily missed when enjoying the movie and the story line. Animation movies are also made for adults by adults, the added benefit is children can easily watch and enjoy and not get the specific details. Still one of my all round technically brilliant animated movies is The Lion King.
I also got to see most of We are Marshall. A most impactful movie of a true story of tragedy that I believe is told well. I actually ended the weekend again only seeing the last part, but of my favorite movie called Lorenzo’s Oil. It was never a blockbuster, but a true story of the devotion and love of parents for their child and all children. A movie I recommend.
I stood tonight at the NW corner of 29th St and 5th Avenue in New York, with tears streaming. Even now, I’m deeply moved by my impending words.
New York never ceases to amaze me, I truly love just walking the streets, going places I’ve not gone before, seeing things I’ve not seen before. Tonight, with day light savings and returning home at 6:30pm from work enabled one of days I’ll not forget.
A church stands on this corner, that’s nothing special for New York, but on the fence around the church I’m drawn closer. As I move towards this I see ribbons, yellow and blue, and I’m drawn closer to see what are name tags on these, and names on these ribbons.
What brings an extreme emotional response that I don’t feel I’ll forget in such a long time, is not the names, but the ages. 19,21,22,24,26. It took some time to even find an age of 39, older then me. For these are the names, and ages of the lives lost in in Iraq, thousands of them, lives cut short, people who did not live as long as I lived now. Again, I have to reach for the tissues. I have many things I wish to do tonight, but this striking image of Prayers for Peace has made it’s intended mark.
I am fundamentally opposed to any and all wars. Why can’t the world live in peace. Do we have to destroy life and love to realize it’s too late and humanity ceases to exist. I think I’ll need to write more on this as time and reflection permits.
As I’m writing I’m drawn to remember the words to the song “Tie a yellow ribbon around the old oak tree, if you still love me…. then something about seeing one hundred yellow ribbons”.
How do we make a difference in this world, how does one person influence others, how can we make the world a better place. I came up with the following quote on 16 August 2006, some 600 blog posts ago.
