A quote from Obama on science:
"The truth is that promoting science isn't just about providing resources," he said. "It's about protecting free and open inquiry. It's about ensuring that facts and evidence are never twisted or obscured by politics or ideology. It's about listening to what our scientists have to say. Even when it's inconvenient."
And here is the article on npr that it came from should you wish to read the whole thing: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=98564233
I'm just happy that it looks like we are actually going to turn back towards science and rationality with the next administration. Maybe we can turn all the bad around, at least to some extent instead of watching ourselves continue to spiral downward.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Friday, December 19, 2008
TDTESS
A few notes on The Day the Earth Stood Still 1951 vs. 2008 for those of you interested. First things first. Should you go see the new version? Well, its not the best movie ever, but it certainly isn't the worst. If there is nothing at the theatre you'd like to see more, then TDTESS is a fine option, but if you are debating, probably go ahead and see the other movie on your list and save this one for dvd. That said, the movie is interesting to compare to its 1951 counterpart. There is a lot about the two movies that is very different, however a lot of that is more surface and of the times than the main underlying themes. In both the death of the human species is impending because of our own actions. The reason that we are found to be a threat by the alien species is different between the two movies and is a really great example of what was on the mind of the collective conscious in 1951 and what is on our minds now. In 1951 it was nuclear war (the aliens were worried we might cause extraterrestrial destruction with our new rocket power), now its environmental degradation of the Earth (the aliens won't let us continue to destroy life on Earth so we have to go). Although I think the switch in focus is interesting and the environmental state of the Earth is an issue of concern, they could have stayed with nuclear power as a threat because it certainly still is.
A second similarity is the ineptitude of the American government in each movie. Both the 1951 and 2008 government react with force and it just makes things worse. Instead both movies hold up the world's scientists as the light of hope and reason amongst the thugs who run the government. One possible problem with this classification of people is that the scientists were the ones who actually created the nuclear and rocket power of concern in the first version...and science and tech is responsible for a lot of the emissions/pollution etc. threatening our world. So, perhaps scientists are not as pure as the world of this movie suggests.
Differences of interest - The role of women in the two movies. In the first, the main woman is a secretary to a scientist. In the 2008 our main women are a top scientist and the secretary of state or defense...I don't remember which. Obviously women are more liberated in the roles that they are allowed to have in modern society. We don't have to be secretaries or teachers or nurses. Also of interest is the makeup of the two families who figure in the storylines. In the 1950s we have a white mother with biological son. In the new version we have a white mother with a black step son. Family structure has become non-traditional (almost to an extreme in that the author has decided on both a step and interracial family) in the modern movie, reflecting the modern world. Then there is, of course, the tech. The modern robot is a lot more versatile (although I didn't really like the initial design when it appears on the screen). Instead of having a beam of light that turns things to slag, it dissolves into microbugs that devour through man and man-made objects.
In the end, I'll give them points for reinventing the classic, however, I do wish that there was more new stuff instead of vaguely recycled content available.
A second similarity is the ineptitude of the American government in each movie. Both the 1951 and 2008 government react with force and it just makes things worse. Instead both movies hold up the world's scientists as the light of hope and reason amongst the thugs who run the government. One possible problem with this classification of people is that the scientists were the ones who actually created the nuclear and rocket power of concern in the first version...and science and tech is responsible for a lot of the emissions/pollution etc. threatening our world. So, perhaps scientists are not as pure as the world of this movie suggests.
Differences of interest - The role of women in the two movies. In the first, the main woman is a secretary to a scientist. In the 2008 our main women are a top scientist and the secretary of state or defense...I don't remember which. Obviously women are more liberated in the roles that they are allowed to have in modern society. We don't have to be secretaries or teachers or nurses. Also of interest is the makeup of the two families who figure in the storylines. In the 1950s we have a white mother with biological son. In the new version we have a white mother with a black step son. Family structure has become non-traditional (almost to an extreme in that the author has decided on both a step and interracial family) in the modern movie, reflecting the modern world. Then there is, of course, the tech. The modern robot is a lot more versatile (although I didn't really like the initial design when it appears on the screen). Instead of having a beam of light that turns things to slag, it dissolves into microbugs that devour through man and man-made objects.
In the end, I'll give them points for reinventing the classic, however, I do wish that there was more new stuff instead of vaguely recycled content available.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Friday, November 14, 2008
Plan 9.2
I looked the movie up on wikipedia to see if they had some info on why its the worst movie ever made. Now that I've read about all the mistakes - which I did notice some of - I'm starting to agree that maybe its the worst...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plan_9_from_Outer_Space
My favorite oops which I noticed but didn't really grasp is that the resurrected old man is actually played by someone other than Bela Lugosi for most of the film and that's why he walks around with a Dracula cape raised over his arm and covering his face half the time!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plan_9_from_Outer_Space
My favorite oops which I noticed but didn't really grasp is that the resurrected old man is actually played by someone other than Bela Lugosi for most of the film and that's why he walks around with a Dracula cape raised over his arm and covering his face half the time!
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Plan 9
So...last night I watched Plan Nine from Outer Space. It's a movie whose description on netflix includes the following: "one of the most popular cult classics of the 20th century, a two-time winner of the Golden Turkey Award for Worst Film and Worst Director of all time." So, I was really excited for something awesomely terrible...instead it was just random and rather boring. I'm not sure why this is a cult classic or why its considered one of the worst films ever. Sure its pretty bad in many many ways - script, acting, screen composition - but I'm actually surprised that people give it as much notice as it gets. To me its the kind of movie that would just fade away into obscurity, bad enough to be forgotten, but the bad wasn't really interesting enough to be remembered. But hey, that's just my thought on the matter. Maybe there are some special reasons why this one has been remembered.
I'm sitting here trying to think of the worst or most random scene in the movie and I'm not coming up with anything too vividly. I did spend most of the movie wondering why the supposed corpse of the old man's bride is so young compared to him...also, why were they buried in vampire clothes? And why do the corpses, who are not vampires, move around like vampires. (The answer to this one is probably because two of the corpses are played by Bela Lugosi and Vampira who usually did play vampires - but still, they aren't vampires in this one and shouldn't have moved like them.) So, yes, it really is bad, nothing works quite right. Ed Wood really was not meant to write or direct or produce.
I'm sitting here trying to think of the worst or most random scene in the movie and I'm not coming up with anything too vividly. I did spend most of the movie wondering why the supposed corpse of the old man's bride is so young compared to him...also, why were they buried in vampire clothes? And why do the corpses, who are not vampires, move around like vampires. (The answer to this one is probably because two of the corpses are played by Bela Lugosi and Vampira who usually did play vampires - but still, they aren't vampires in this one and shouldn't have moved like them.) So, yes, it really is bad, nothing works quite right. Ed Wood really was not meant to write or direct or produce.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
SFX
I think the reason that I love old scifi and b-horror movies is the special effects. It's amazing what they were able to do without the aid of computers in the decades before computer generated effects and characters became the norm. Tonight I watched the Invisible Man which was based on H.G. Well's novel. It was made in 1933 and the effects are simply amazing. How do they turn a man invisible? Not with the aid of a computer which I think often results in an effect too perfect, not gritty enough to be real, but by erasing the head and hands of an actor wearing pajamas. I suppose that it involved a green screen etc. The effects certainly weren't state of the art, but I find them more realistic in the end.
One of my favorite movies of this old scifi/fantasy/mythic genre is Clash of the Titans. The stop-motion claymation monsters that special effects wiz Ray Harryhausen was able to conjure up for this and many other movies of the period are simly amazing. Sure they aren't smooth and perfect, but the fact that its clay and someone spent that much time painstakingly making it work is amazing. One of the things that I strongly believe made LOTR work as well as it did is that so many of the effects are either not done with CGI or are based on the work of real actors who are then translated into CGI characters. Gollum works because he was based on a real actor who acted out the scenes while his motions were captured for the computer. Pans over scenery like the tower of orthanc work because its actually a big model with intricate detail not computer generated scenery.
I do appreciate a lot of what modern technology can give to the realm of movies, but am certainly attracted to the way that things used to be done. It's so much more fun to be amazed by the sophistication of effects that were created without the aid of computers and try to figure out exactly how they were accomplished. And yes, sometimes the effects are quite terrible and that makes the experience of watching these kinds of movies even more fun. You can shake your head at the sheer campiness of the monsters and the acting. So whether the stories are great and the acting good, or the stories mediocre with laugh-out-loud "scary" monsters, I declare my love for pre-computer scifi movies!
One of my favorite movies of this old scifi/fantasy/mythic genre is Clash of the Titans. The stop-motion claymation monsters that special effects wiz Ray Harryhausen was able to conjure up for this and many other movies of the period are simly amazing. Sure they aren't smooth and perfect, but the fact that its clay and someone spent that much time painstakingly making it work is amazing. One of the things that I strongly believe made LOTR work as well as it did is that so many of the effects are either not done with CGI or are based on the work of real actors who are then translated into CGI characters. Gollum works because he was based on a real actor who acted out the scenes while his motions were captured for the computer. Pans over scenery like the tower of orthanc work because its actually a big model with intricate detail not computer generated scenery.
I do appreciate a lot of what modern technology can give to the realm of movies, but am certainly attracted to the way that things used to be done. It's so much more fun to be amazed by the sophistication of effects that were created without the aid of computers and try to figure out exactly how they were accomplished. And yes, sometimes the effects are quite terrible and that makes the experience of watching these kinds of movies even more fun. You can shake your head at the sheer campiness of the monsters and the acting. So whether the stories are great and the acting good, or the stories mediocre with laugh-out-loud "scary" monsters, I declare my love for pre-computer scifi movies!
Friday, October 31, 2008
Business Witch
Today, in honor of Halloween and to protest the fact that our Museum is having its board meeting on this most fantastic of holidays, I'm sitting at work in a business suit and a witch hat. I put it on upon arrival this morning and am not taking it off until I have to get into my car again much much later this evening....and then it'll go back on again for a party, but then I'll be party witch instead of business witch. Much more fun.
Book Catch Up:
1. Blindness - I actually took this one to Europe with me this summer and spent a good bit of bus time reading it. Not my most favorite book, but an interesting exploration of humanity and what might potentially happen to it in the face of a debilitating epidemic. I'm not sure that if the world were struck by sudden blindness people would really react the way that they do in the book, I guess I hope that most people have more goodness in them and more bravery. It seems to take an awful lot for some of the characters to react to some of the terrible things happening to them, but I have never been and hope to never be in situations they find themselves in, so I cannot really say what the normal reaction would be. A note on the structure of the book - there are no quotation marks or paragraph brakes to show when people are speaking so its a little hard to follow at points, you just really need to be paying attention. Oh, and despite its very crappy reviews, I actually thought the movie did a pretty good job at capturing the book. I am not sure that it would be appreciated as much by non-readers of the book though.
2. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius - Okay, so I'd heard from a few people that this book was fabulous so I decided to give it a try. Honestly, I was so put off by the pretentiousness of the title that I wasn't really into reading. If someone is going to call their work this, it better damn well be good. And....it was alright. I had trouble with the narrator - I wanted to feel sympathy for him because of the loss of his parents and his being left to raise his younger brother, and sometimes I did, but sometimes I just really disliked him. Again perhaps its a problem of never having been in similar situations, but I suspect my reactions to it all would have been significantly different. So maybe it was a difficult read because the narrator and I are at different places on the personality spectrum. Definitely some interesting writing techniques where he weaves fiction into the nonfiction (in ways that you can tell its fiction so it works just fine).
3. The Twilight Series - I really enjoyed this series and would recommend to fans of young adult fiction and/or vampires. I felt a connection to a number of the characters throughout the books and was pleased that the series ended with more than what could have been the obvious conclusion - the main character becoming a vampire - there is a lot more there which is nice. I'm not saying that the book doesn't have its obvious moments - you definitely can see a number of things coming before the characters identify them themselves. Fun and fast, of all three here, my favorite.
I can't remember if there was anything else in there so I guess we are all up to date!
Book Catch Up:
1. Blindness - I actually took this one to Europe with me this summer and spent a good bit of bus time reading it. Not my most favorite book, but an interesting exploration of humanity and what might potentially happen to it in the face of a debilitating epidemic. I'm not sure that if the world were struck by sudden blindness people would really react the way that they do in the book, I guess I hope that most people have more goodness in them and more bravery. It seems to take an awful lot for some of the characters to react to some of the terrible things happening to them, but I have never been and hope to never be in situations they find themselves in, so I cannot really say what the normal reaction would be. A note on the structure of the book - there are no quotation marks or paragraph brakes to show when people are speaking so its a little hard to follow at points, you just really need to be paying attention. Oh, and despite its very crappy reviews, I actually thought the movie did a pretty good job at capturing the book. I am not sure that it would be appreciated as much by non-readers of the book though.
2. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius - Okay, so I'd heard from a few people that this book was fabulous so I decided to give it a try. Honestly, I was so put off by the pretentiousness of the title that I wasn't really into reading. If someone is going to call their work this, it better damn well be good. And....it was alright. I had trouble with the narrator - I wanted to feel sympathy for him because of the loss of his parents and his being left to raise his younger brother, and sometimes I did, but sometimes I just really disliked him. Again perhaps its a problem of never having been in similar situations, but I suspect my reactions to it all would have been significantly different. So maybe it was a difficult read because the narrator and I are at different places on the personality spectrum. Definitely some interesting writing techniques where he weaves fiction into the nonfiction (in ways that you can tell its fiction so it works just fine).
3. The Twilight Series - I really enjoyed this series and would recommend to fans of young adult fiction and/or vampires. I felt a connection to a number of the characters throughout the books and was pleased that the series ended with more than what could have been the obvious conclusion - the main character becoming a vampire - there is a lot more there which is nice. I'm not saying that the book doesn't have its obvious moments - you definitely can see a number of things coming before the characters identify them themselves. Fun and fast, of all three here, my favorite.
I can't remember if there was anything else in there so I guess we are all up to date!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Design Work
I'm feeling a little guilty for not posting in forever, so I thought I'd take a moment at work to post and let you all bask in the glory that is designing fun things like booklets and postcards and all the other weird things I get asked to do. Today's and yesterday's project was turning a very boring two-page text heavy list of PRI facts into a nice little booklet that someone might actually be inclined to read.
Voila -
Just a few more changes to make. Oh and the pics in the document are by Rachel Philipson, J. Casciano, and others. Wheee!
Voila -
Just a few more changes to make. Oh and the pics in the document are by Rachel Philipson, J. Casciano, and others. Wheee!
Monday, October 6, 2008
Giving in
Soo....turns out that M wanted to color her hair too....so I gave in and now I'm a kind of red that sometimes appears purply or coppery depending on the light. It's called "rosewood." I probably should have left it, but too late now. It'll wash out in about a month which is good because I'm not sure I'm in love with it.
In other news....um...got a whole lotta nothin. Maybe later!
In other news....um...got a whole lotta nothin. Maybe later!
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Saturday
It was beautiful this morning, so after dragging myself out of bed and through the shower, I decided to take a walk down to the lakeshore. It turned out to be a bit chilly sitting around by the water, but it was definitely worth it. At a leisurely pace it takes me round about a half hour to walk down. Wish I could have been on one of those sailboats!
After returning from the lake, I decided that it was project time - I've been itching to dye my hair or rearrange furniture or redecorate. Dyeing the hair is out for now because it really is a nice color right now and I really should stop going random colors because of a seeming need for change. Number two was out because, well, there really isn't any other possible way to arrange the furniture in my apartment because of the placement of doors and windows. So number three it was. This is what I accomplished -
1. All my knitting/crochet in a nice new green bin. Also moved a huge pile of books off the table I'm sitting at to my bookshelf which I opened up a shelf of by putting a bunch of old college stuff into another bin.
2. Scrumptious dinner - Chili Chicken Tacos with a few modifications i.e. keeping most of the spicy out of the recipe. The chicken was cooked in my dutch oven for two hours and it shredded apart superbly! Yum. The Heineken is for another recipe that I'll probably make tomorrow but it only calls for one bottle, so I guess I'll just have to drink the other five - oh darn!
After returning from the lake, I decided that it was project time - I've been itching to dye my hair or rearrange furniture or redecorate. Dyeing the hair is out for now because it really is a nice color right now and I really should stop going random colors because of a seeming need for change. Number two was out because, well, there really isn't any other possible way to arrange the furniture in my apartment because of the placement of doors and windows. So number three it was. This is what I accomplished - 1. All my knitting/crochet in a nice new green bin. Also moved a huge pile of books off the table I'm sitting at to my bookshelf which I opened up a shelf of by putting a bunch of old college stuff into another bin.
2. Scrumptious dinner - Chili Chicken Tacos with a few modifications i.e. keeping most of the spicy out of the recipe. The chicken was cooked in my dutch oven for two hours and it shredded apart superbly! Yum. The Heineken is for another recipe that I'll probably make tomorrow but it only calls for one bottle, so I guess I'll just have to drink the other five - oh darn!
3. Stripped a wall in the main room to ready it for new wall decorations - looks kinda lonely right now... This was accomplished while listening/watching to Fellowship. Wizards and Hobbits and Dwarves, oh my!
4. Also put together this little beauty - collage o' my Europe trip. Yay!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Table for One
Yesterday I actually went to the gym and then came home and cooked for myself. It hasn't been easy to cook for myself lately, its just not as fun to cook and eat alone as it is to do so with other people, so I'm likely to just pop something frozen into the microwave, but I'm trying to do better and last night was a success. I had salmon, potatoes and onion, and green beans. I even had a glass of red wine and dessert - no fat chocolate pudding with peaches. And I stayed within my weight watchers points limit for the day! Pat on the back for myself.
I think I was going to write more, but I got sidetracked (nicely) with an hour long chat with my college bud, M, so I think that is it for tonight - more later!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Gala the third
This week is lead up to the gala week...and overall things are falling into place pretty well. There are, as always, a few loose ends that threaten to drive me absolutely crazy, but I'm trying to keep the scorpion queen reined in unless absolutely necessary. Let's see how well I do.
This will be my third gala with the Museum and, as my office wife can attest, things are more organized than ever. I can't help it, I just want everything to be organized, where it needs to be, easy, and perfect. The gala is never perfect, but I do my best to try and make it so. This year marks a number of interesting firsts for the gala - we are having an open instead of cash bar, having a magician and caricature artist, starting earlier in the evening....and we still have plenty of tickets left for sale. Ouch. Anyway, for those that are there, it should be a great time and although we may not quite reach our goal short of miracles, we have made a profit for the annual fund, so that is good!
I think one of the major problems that we face in this town is the sheer number of non-profit organizations out there looking for a piece of the donor pie...and right around this time of year is when the largest all tend to hold their big fancy galas. I imagine that if I was in the position to be a donor I wouldn't particularly desire to go to a fundraiser every weekend. So, we'll be looking for new ideas about the event and possibly investigate a change of season as we debrief after this year's event.
It's so strange that we haven't even had the event and I'm already beginning to move on from it. At work, I seem to be doing more related to the November board meeting and other upcoming projects than I am for the gala. Time never stops in anticipation of a big event, there is always something else to get started on.
This will be my third gala with the Museum and, as my office wife can attest, things are more organized than ever. I can't help it, I just want everything to be organized, where it needs to be, easy, and perfect. The gala is never perfect, but I do my best to try and make it so. This year marks a number of interesting firsts for the gala - we are having an open instead of cash bar, having a magician and caricature artist, starting earlier in the evening....and we still have plenty of tickets left for sale. Ouch. Anyway, for those that are there, it should be a great time and although we may not quite reach our goal short of miracles, we have made a profit for the annual fund, so that is good!
I think one of the major problems that we face in this town is the sheer number of non-profit organizations out there looking for a piece of the donor pie...and right around this time of year is when the largest all tend to hold their big fancy galas. I imagine that if I was in the position to be a donor I wouldn't particularly desire to go to a fundraiser every weekend. So, we'll be looking for new ideas about the event and possibly investigate a change of season as we debrief after this year's event.
It's so strange that we haven't even had the event and I'm already beginning to move on from it. At work, I seem to be doing more related to the November board meeting and other upcoming projects than I am for the gala. Time never stops in anticipation of a big event, there is always something else to get started on.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Quest...
...for happiness. Life has been tough this summer and fall, but I'm ready to stop moping and be a happier healthier self. So, here's to October being my birthday month and the birthday month of some of my favorite ladies. Lets make it awesome.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
European Wonder - Part 5
Day 10 - The Sea!
In the morning we hop on a bus that will take us across a very long bridge to the islands that make up the city of Venice. As we reach the outskirts, the bus parks and we get off to wend our way through the labyrinthine streets and bridges to St. Mark's Square. Our tour leader tells us that maps are fairly useless here, instead we should try to follow the occasional signs to Venice's landmarks and let ourselves get lost. There are no road vehicles in this city, traffic is by foot and by water only. In St. Mark's square we catch our gondola ride. The gondolier takes us through small roadless canals, under bridges, and through the grand canal. He even sings a little. The gondoliers strike me as a funny lot, chatting to each other as they pass, taking cell phone calls, all while maneuvering between other boats and down narrow ways.
Candice tells us that not too many people actually live in Venice anymore, mostly tourist wander the streets which are lined with shops selling Venetian lace, blown glass, and fancy masks. After the gondola ride, we take a guided tour of the main island, mostly just around the central square. We keep to the shade as much as possible because it is still boiling hot. We see the Bridge of Sighs, the basilica, and the sea. Just seeing salt water in motion makes me me relax. After the tour we see a short lace making demonstration and then head to the Rialto bridge for shopping and lunch. Later, we take a crowded vaporetto on the grand canal back to where the shuttle bus will meet us and return to the campground.
Day 11 - Clouds arrive
It's an early morning on the bus. We are headed to Austria and there are a lot of people hoping to sky dive, so we hope to arrive early enough to let them. Unfortunately, as we travel north we encounter the first poor weather of the trip. It begins to cloud over, get windy, and then the rain starts. By the time we get to Austria, skydiving has been canceled and paragliding is in jeopardy. It turns out that the only extreme sport to go forward, the cheapest option, is Canyoning...and I am signed up. We take two van taxis out to the shop where they dress us in wet suits and climbing gear. Then we head up to a gorge...and rappel down into it next to a waterfall. We jump into plunge pools, slide through chutes, and rappel some more. Cold, scary, and too short, but overall fun. I, of course, had been getting a cold on the way to Austria and now it begins to take over. After a few whiskey cokes in the basement bar, I turn in somewhat early.
I found my pirate in the Austrian Gasthof
Day 12 - The Rhine
It is again a bus day, this time we are off to the Rhine Valley in Germany. When we arrive, we check into a medieval castle that has been transformed into a modern hostel. It is actually a bit strange, the outside and inside do not match whatsoever. The view from the castle hill is quite lovely. We are surrounded by vineyards that cling to the steep slopes. In the evening, we get back on our bus which drives us down the river a ways to a beer stein shop and a cuckoo clock shop. On the way we see a number of other castles, some in use, some in ruins. I would have loved to have time to explore them. But, alas, the rhine is just a way-stop to our real destination, Amsterdam. We spend some time in the stein shop where Steph spends an absolute fortune. I just get a large one for me and a smaller one for my dad. After shopping, the bus takes us on to a campsite where the proprietor, Hermy, is going to have us do a wine tasting of local wines. We sip out of large shot glasses. H. turns out to be a riot. After that we head back up the river to the narrow streets of the town we are staying in and are off to bed.
Day 13 - Cheese & Windmills
Off to Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The weather clears up for a bit as we arrive at our cheese & clog making demonstration just outside of the city. I revel in the cool crisp breeze as we step off the bus. The temperature has plummeted as we have moved northwards through Europe. The farmer who gives the demonstration is quite a character. As with all the men in Europe who have given us demonstration, he invites all the ladies to the front and wants us to get up nice and close. He also speaks a dozen or more languages, making us feel rather uneducated. The cheese is quite tasty but I opt out of purchasing anything at the shop and instead go back outside to wait for everyone else to finish up.
We head onward to our hostel where we check in and then have some free time to explore and get dinner before heading on to our evening entertainment. We soon learn that walking in Amsterdam can be hazardous to your health. The roads are shared with bicycles, cars, and trams. The bikers are particularly crazy. We head down to a touristy district and have dinner at an irish pub. Amsterdam feels a lot more like a city in America to us than some of the other places we have been, still it is quite different from home.
For our evening, we are taking a quick tour with Candace through Amsterdam with our final destination a sex show in the red light district. Two drinks are included with admission which is probably a good idea because I end up right in the front row next to the stage where the ladies proceed to do their acts including a candle show, writing on an audience member holding the marker down below, pulling a ribbon out of it, live sex with one of the ugliest men I have seen, and a banana show. More than anything else, it was funny. Then we wended our way through skinny alley to see the ladies in windows and that was about it for the night.
Day 14 - Iffy weather
In the morning we take a bike tour of the city. I think I am going to be run over several times, especially when I get stuck behind some of the people from our group who really cannot ride bikes. It starts to rain about halfway through and I am the only one whose bike is not equipped with a rain jacket. Thanks. So, I get wet along with having a head cold. Not my favorite excursion. The guide tells us that it rains almost every day in Amsterdam. Would have been nice to know before going out.
After the bike tour, we head out to the Anne Frank House where we have to wait in line for some time. But, the wait is worth it. The museum is laid out extremely well. Definitely a must see for those visiting the city. We also visit the Van Gogh Museum which is also interesting but way too crowded with people. For dinner we meet up with our group again and head to the Sea Palace, a floating chinese restaurant. Dinner is followed up by a canal cruise where I proceed to get incredibly toasted on red wine. When we alight from the cruise, we head to a bar where it happens to be karaoke night. We meet a fellow guy from CT, drink more, and I am eventually left behind when Sarah decides that she needs to take the also incredibly toasted Steph home. Luckily, some of the other tour girls are still in the bar and I make my drunken way home with Candace.
Day 15 - Ick
Bus to Brugges then to Calais and the ferry back to Dover. Incredibly hung over, I barely make it through the day alive.
Day 16 - London Part 2
We wander London for the second time and see the outside of the Tower of London, the Globe Theatre, and a few other highlights. We wander over the London Bridge, by the London Dungeon where tons of people are lined up the street in both directions to get spooked. Funds are running low, so we don't actually do much, just walk around. We end the day by walking through Trafalgar square, having dinner, and heading back to the hostel.
Day 17 - Flight
Flight from hell, well, ok, not quite that bad, but we leave an hour late because of problems packing the plane. When we reach America, there are terrible thunderstorms in New York and JFK has been closed, so we end up landing at a smaller airport where we get refueled and wait. After a few hours we take off again and are finally able to land at JFK. All in all, we spend about and extra four hours on the plane. Fun. But, we are back.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
European Wonder - Part 4
Day 8 - Whirlwind Roma
In the morning we catch the bus into Rome as far as it is allowed to go then hop onto the city's underground system to travel the rest of the way to Vatican City, our first stop of the day. Rome's subway system is extremely simple compared to most other big European cities we have visited, just two lines that cross in a t. Apparently, there are far too many ruins that one would run into in the process of trying to create more lines. We emerge outside the Vatican walls and head over to the Museum for our early morning walking tour. After a short wait (sorry all in the non-group line which we bypassed) we were issued ear buds and receivers and were off on our marathon. Our guide turns out to be an Aussie and quite cute, but he rushes us through two hours of halls. Tomb, statue, tapestry, ceiling, mural, trompe l'oeil, it all passes in a whirl.
We finally arrive outside the Sistine Chapel and prepare to go inside. The floor is absolutely mobbed with people craning back for a good view of the famous ceiling. The chapel is actually quite small and is impressive, but you can certainly see more detail from looking at close range photography of the images than from standing far below. After the chapel we head on over to St. Peters Basilica. I take a look at Michelangelo's famous Pieta which is now behind glass because it was smashed by someone several years ago and subsequently repaired, do a quick circuit of the basilica, and exit to wait for my clan. After 15 minutes I'm beginning to seriously wonder if I've been left behind but it turns out that SB, SJ, and K can spend a rather long time wandering around a church. We take a quick look into the shops, pose in front of some Vatican guards in over the top costuming, then hop in a taxi to get over to the Colosseum.
At the Colosseum, we join a tour group to gain faster access to the place and learn some interesting tidbits...all of which are later contradicted by what our Top Deck tour guide tells us about the Colosseum on our walking tour of Rome...who to believe? Our walking tour after the Colosseum consists of seeing the ruins of the Roman forum, the Victor Emmanuel II monument (the man who united all the italian city states into Italy), the Pantheon, the Trevi fountain, and the Spanish Steps. We throw coins over our shoulder into the fountain, the first for a wish, the second which means we will come back to Rome, and a third if you want to marry a Roman. I opt out of throwing the third coin.
Oh, and did I mention the absolutely wilting heat? All of Italy turns out to be a sauna. My suggestion is certainly to go in a cooler part of the season!
Day Nine - Where art thou Romeo?
We board the bus for another day of travel, this time to Venice with a stop in Verona. Verona is a cute town with a working coliseum - they stage plays etc. in it. We wend through the streets filled with designer shops to a small courtyard which purports itself to be the home of Juliet's balcony. I have no idea of the historic accuracy of this claim...apparently the play was based on actual families from Verona...but lets just say I'm a tad bit skeptical.
Anyway, the courtyard features a statue of Juliet with rather shiny breasts. Legend has it that if you rub her breast, you'll find your true love. So, of course I did it. Who doesn't want to find that true love...of course I'd rather not end up all star-crossed and dead over it! Then on to Venice where we arrive at our campground on the mainland and are introduced to Venice's persistent mosquitoes. Bug spray most definitely required. A novelty of the cabins here turns out to be air-conditioning our first and last of all our accommodations. In the evening we dress in toga for a "toga party" at the bar. The party is interesting but after a short while I retire from dancing for a cold shower and sleep. One can only take so much dancing in weather that is bordering on the heat of hellfire.
Full pics (of which there are many from Rome) available here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/atreides22/sets/
Monday, August 25, 2008
European Wonder - Part 3
Day 5 - The Jungfrau
Today, Aug 2, is my brother, B's, birthday. Instead of being home to celebrate and/or give him a singing telegram phonecall, we are ready to take our optional excursion up the Jungfrau - the highest peak in Europe. Candace tells us that it'll be cold up there so we all bundle up with a ton of layers, tanktops, tshirts, longsleeve shirt, light fleece, and rainjacket. I even use my sarong as a scarf. We catch the cog railway in Lauterbrunnen and begin our 1.5 hour ascent. As we get farther and farther up the temperature does indeed begin to plummet and we are all grateful for the extra layers not necessary down below.
We travel through Alpine meadows amidst the sound of chiming bells, cowbells that is. The meadows are littered with cows out to pasture, each one with a large bell fastened around its neck. The meadows are beautiful with all sort of small wildflowers. The views are amazing as well. Eventually the train enters a tunnel into the mountains and we continue on in semi-darkness until we reach our destination perched at the top of the mountain.
We emerge into glaring sunlight bouncing off the glacial snows and marvel at the fact that its the middle of summer and we are surrounded by a winter vista. We spend some time sledding, wander through an "ice castle", take tons of photos from above the clouds, and send postcards from the top of Europe. A truly lovely way to spend the day. After descending on the train we went through town where S&S bought Swiss Army Knives - apparently you can only get them in green in Switzerland. Then back to the camp where we had a dinner of fondue, pork chops, divine potatoes, and veggies.
Day 6 - Its Leaning...
Another day of much driving - we are on the way to Italy. In the afternoon we end up in Pisa to see the leaning tower. The stop will last about a half hour so its run off the bus, run through the bathrooms, and run to take a few pictures of the tower. SJ takes the quintessential tourist photo of herself "holding up" the tower. Back to the bus and we continue on to Florence, or Firenze, as it seems to be called here.
We are staying in a camping village where we are staying in metal cabins. Not too bad, but certainly not the kind of camping I am used to out amongst the trees. In addition to the tents, campers, and cabins, there are several restaurants, a pool, dance hall, bars, and more. Truly a city unto itself.
Day 7 - Florence then to Roma, no Firenze, no Roma...are we going the right way?
We begin the day with a walking tour of Florence which is interesting, but most of the details slip before I have a chance to write them down. The center of the city is very beautiful with old buildings and statues throughout. We see the Medici palace and a copy of the David statue. Because its a Monday all of the Museums are closed, not that we really have enough time to explore any. The Duomo in Florence is the most ornate thing I've ever seen in my life. Impressive, but almost like marble threw up all over the structure. (Sorry for those of you who love this type of decoration, its just not my cup of tea).
A quick lunch followed up by more piling back onto the bus to move on towards Rome. We are scheduled to have an evening walking tour of the city. After a while we get off the highway, turn around and head back toward Firenze (Florence), then we get off again and go back towards Roma....after a good deal of circling we end up in a parking lot near Rome's airport. Our driver is lost and out of driving hours. Wonderful. Needless to say, we miss the walking tour and after some cell phone discussions acquire directions to the campsite. This turns out to be the last straw directions wise and we'll receive a new driver for the rest of the tour...one who manages to not get lost a single time.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
European Wonder - Part 2
Day 3 - Parisian Adventures
Today we experience our first trip breakfast, which will come to be fairly representative of the entire trip. Croissants, bread, and ham and cheese....a little strange, and monotonous by the end of the trip, but not overly bad. All of us are wishing for smoothies or egg sandwiches or sugared cereal by the end of the adventure. After breakfast, we all pile onto the bus to be dropped off either in the Place de la Concorde or by the Eiffel Tower. We choose the latter because we are taking a bike tour that begins from the tower. Our first task upon arriving is to supplement breakfast with crepes. The man makes them fresh right in front of us, absolutely delicious!
The bike tour turns out to be led by a young guy from Texas and partway in Steph points out that all of the bikes has little name tags. Turns out I'd picked the Guinness bike :-) We see everything from the Eiffel Tower to les Invalides, to a thrilling ride in front of traffic at the Place de la Concorde, to the Tuileries and the Louvre. We stop for lunch in the Tuileries gardens at a garden cafe. Expensive, but lovely. Biking is actually a really nice way to see the sights in Paris, I'd recommend it to anyone going there.
After the bike tour, we decide upon a trip out to Notre Dame Cathedral which seemed easy enough. Unfortunately the line was partially closed and we had to try for a bus and some walking. We make it eventually and spend some time wandering around the cathedral. My favorite thing about cathedrals is usually the ceilings. I love to look at the arches and how they constructed the huge vaults. The buildings are so impressive, especially because they were constructed so long ago.
Once finished with Notre Dame, we decide to head on over to the Rhodin Museum. It doesn't look all that far on the map and the metro we'd need is the closed one, so we decide to walk. An hour and a half later we arrive. Ooops! At least I navigated successfully and we didn't get lost once...it just took longer than expected. The ladies I'm with take a wander around the gardens and then sit down while I continue to explore and take pics. We think with the Thinker too. The hands on many of the statues are so real. The Gates of Hell was another impressive piece. They were just writhing with images.
Then we were off to the Champs de Mars to meet up with our tour group for a picnic by the Eiffel Tower followed up by a Cabaret performance at the Paradis Latin. This was seriously amusing, especially after the half bottle of red wine I consumed. Topless ladies prancing around the stage singing, a trapeze artist hanging over the heads of the audience, buff guys in ridiculous costumes, and a ton of random settings and props. The most memorable is a future number where an alien comes down from the ceiling in a full on space ship. Magnificently Crazy.
Day 4 - The Road to Switzerland...is confusing
We rise early to hop on the bus for the rather long trip through France to Switzerland. Actually there will be a number of days devoted almost entierly to the bus, a fact that none of us really thought about when we booked the tour. Of course, a number of the trips end up being longer than expected because we have been given a green driver with a propensity for getting lost. We end up having to backtrack in Switzerland and arrive at the campground at least an hour overdue.
When we do arrive, we discover that we are staying in some lovely cabins in a breathtaking Alpine Valley. Dinner is amazing, some Swiss dish I've forgotten the name of. Its also Swiss National Day so there are fireworks which boom off the surrounding mountains. The group retires to the campground bar after dinner to celebrate and a good number procees to get completely trashed. Apparently in Europe, music is a good 10-20 years behind what we tend to listen to over here. All they had in the juke box was 90s techno, which although amusing quickly got old and I soon escaped to sleep. That is until the arrival of our more lively roommate who stumbled in sometime in the wee hours of the morn.
For more photos, visit my flikr site here http://www.flickr.com/photos/atreides22/sets/
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Pics!
Ok, here's Days 1-3 of the tour (London, Dover, and Paris).
Enjoy!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/atreides22/sets/
I hope the link works right - lemme know if there are problems seeing things!
Enjoy!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/atreides22/sets/
I hope the link works right - lemme know if there are problems seeing things!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
European Wonder - Part 1
Day One – Get to London
We arrive at Newark airport in the later afternoon, anxious for our plane that is scheduled to leave around 9 p.m. It is my second time traveling across the Atlantic, SJ’s too, but for SB it is a first. Waiting is my least favorite of activities. I always just want to get it over with, unfortunately a plane ride is nothing but waiting – waiting to get on the plane, waiting to take off, waiting to land. The trip was not the best – I was unable to sleep and when we had a turbulent landing after a less than appetizing in-flight dinner I almost spewed.
Nevertheless, the three of us emerged into London alive and exhausted at about 9:30 a.m. local time. We were determined to get on local time despite it being the wee hours of the morn at home so we tubed up to the hostel, dropped our bags, and were off to lunch at Wetherspoon. Now, in London instead of finding a nice sign that tells you to either seat yourself or wait, like at most places at home, the restaurants we ate at in Europe left this particular piece of information a guessing game. It turned out here that you seated yourself and ordered at the bar. So, to start things off right I had a strongbow cider, burger, and “chips” aka “fries” if you live in America.
A tangent on money for a moment – what’s with all the coins England? Pounds, two pounds, 50 pence, 20 pence, the list goes on and on. I still have pounds of pounds in coinage left kicking around because no one will change them back! It was certainly different to be somewhere where coinage is still a big part of money transactions, not at all like here where the most common thing is to use plastic or throw a 20 at the cashier.
After lunch, we headed back to the tube to travel off to Westminster. We managed to make it off the tube despite all falling asleep at different moments because of the soothing motion. Our first stop was Buckingham palace which I wasn’t all that impressed by. It was no medieval castle – more businessey, modern, and stiff looking to me. But we did see some guards in funny hats. Completing our photo ops there, we moved off in the direction of Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, and Parliament. We also took a trip on the London Eye – a massive ferris wheel giving great views of Westminster and the city. It was a bit of an adventure to get on and off – the wheel doesn’t stop so you just have to leap on while its going around…don’t trip! After the eye it was back to the Globetrotter hostel for dinner and sleep because of exhaustion and a very early 5 a.m. wakeup in order to meet up with the tour group.
Day Two - Hellllo Ladies!
Up early to meet the tour group and get on the road - first stop, Paris! The three of us drag our bags down to reception, check out, and discover that our tour group is made up of 40 girls and 6 boys, two of whom proceed to seemingly not speak for the rest of the tour (they were Korean and I don't think their English was all that great). Anyway, I hadn't realized that I'd signed up for the sorority tour. So much for vacation romance :-P
The tour participants are Americans, Aussies, Kiwis, Koreans, Vietnamese, English, Canadian, and more. Our trip leader, Candace turns out to be a delight, fun and infinitely patient with the a group of sometimes rowdy 17-30 somethings.
The bus takes us from London to Dover where we board a ferry for Calais. The cliffs are pure white, amazing. During one of the world wars the people burrowed caves into the cliffs to hide people and even a hospital. We land in Calais, France an hour and half later where we all pile onto the coach that will be our second home for the next two weeks. We choose the back of the bus for our slot. After a full day of travel, we arrive in Paris around 6 p.m. We "enjoy" a rather poor dinner - the vegetarian option turned out to be just Green beans and fries - then take a bus tour of the city. Our first stop is Monmartre where we ascend the steps to the Sacre Couer. Magnificent views. We also see the Opera House, Place de la Concorde, Champs D'elysees, Eiffel Tower, Moulin Rouge etc.
Full on pics soon to be available via flickr once I figure everything out! Stay tuned.
We arrive at Newark airport in the later afternoon, anxious for our plane that is scheduled to leave around 9 p.m. It is my second time traveling across the Atlantic, SJ’s too, but for SB it is a first. Waiting is my least favorite of activities. I always just want to get it over with, unfortunately a plane ride is nothing but waiting – waiting to get on the plane, waiting to take off, waiting to land. The trip was not the best – I was unable to sleep and when we had a turbulent landing after a less than appetizing in-flight dinner I almost spewed.
Nevertheless, the three of us emerged into London alive and exhausted at about 9:30 a.m. local time. We were determined to get on local time despite it being the wee hours of the morn at home so we tubed up to the hostel, dropped our bags, and were off to lunch at Wetherspoon. Now, in London instead of finding a nice sign that tells you to either seat yourself or wait, like at most places at home, the restaurants we ate at in Europe left this particular piece of information a guessing game. It turned out here that you seated yourself and ordered at the bar. So, to start things off right I had a strongbow cider, burger, and “chips” aka “fries” if you live in America.
A tangent on money for a moment – what’s with all the coins England? Pounds, two pounds, 50 pence, 20 pence, the list goes on and on. I still have pounds of pounds in coinage left kicking around because no one will change them back! It was certainly different to be somewhere where coinage is still a big part of money transactions, not at all like here where the most common thing is to use plastic or throw a 20 at the cashier.
After lunch, we headed back to the tube to travel off to Westminster. We managed to make it off the tube despite all falling asleep at different moments because of the soothing motion. Our first stop was Buckingham palace which I wasn’t all that impressed by. It was no medieval castle – more businessey, modern, and stiff looking to me. But we did see some guards in funny hats. Completing our photo ops there, we moved off in the direction of Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, and Parliament. We also took a trip on the London Eye – a massive ferris wheel giving great views of Westminster and the city. It was a bit of an adventure to get on and off – the wheel doesn’t stop so you just have to leap on while its going around…don’t trip! After the eye it was back to the Globetrotter hostel for dinner and sleep because of exhaustion and a very early 5 a.m. wakeup in order to meet up with the tour group.
Day Two - Hellllo Ladies!
Up early to meet the tour group and get on the road - first stop, Paris! The three of us drag our bags down to reception, check out, and discover that our tour group is made up of 40 girls and 6 boys, two of whom proceed to seemingly not speak for the rest of the tour (they were Korean and I don't think their English was all that great). Anyway, I hadn't realized that I'd signed up for the sorority tour. So much for vacation romance :-P
The tour participants are Americans, Aussies, Kiwis, Koreans, Vietnamese, English, Canadian, and more. Our trip leader, Candace turns out to be a delight, fun and infinitely patient with the a group of sometimes rowdy 17-30 somethings.
The bus takes us from London to Dover where we board a ferry for Calais. The cliffs are pure white, amazing. During one of the world wars the people burrowed caves into the cliffs to hide people and even a hospital. We land in Calais, France an hour and half later where we all pile onto the coach that will be our second home for the next two weeks. We choose the back of the bus for our slot. After a full day of travel, we arrive in Paris around 6 p.m. We "enjoy" a rather poor dinner - the vegetarian option turned out to be just Green beans and fries - then take a bus tour of the city. Our first stop is Monmartre where we ascend the steps to the Sacre Couer. Magnificent views. We also see the Opera House, Place de la Concorde, Champs D'elysees, Eiffel Tower, Moulin Rouge etc.
Full on pics soon to be available via flickr once I figure everything out! Stay tuned.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Europe!!!
Going to Europe on Monday!! Wheeee! I am sooo excited to have three weeks off from work. I even left early today. I haven't had this luxurious a vacation in two years and I have missed having a summer. Updates upon my return with lots o' pics!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Book catch up
It's been awhile since my last book post, so here's a quick run down of what I've been reading:
The Dark Labyrinth by Lawrence Durrell - I really enjoyed this one. The novel is very much character driven rather than plot driven. We meet and explore the histories of a diverse group of people drawn together by a vacation to the island of Crete...where disaster awaits. A book sale find I was very happy with!
The Society of S by Susan Hubbard - Readable but not great - its a twist on vampire lore. Unexceptional and I can see why it was on the sale rack at Borders. If you are into vampires, give it a go as light summer reading. If you aren't into vampires don't bother.
The Last Days of Dogtown by Anita Diamant - This was really great. Sad, but well written and I was drawn through the text. As with Labyrinth, the tale is a collection of character's personal histories all drawn together by the locale - Dogtown. For those against any type of supernatural happenings in their reading, this one would be my recommendation for you - its straight up historical fiction.
Anthem by Ayn Rand - This was a short read that I accomplished in the park this evening - I think it took about an hour and a half. Interesting but not my favorite - its in the 1984 genre. It also gets preachy at the end. I'm all for individualism and wouldn't want to live in a world with a collective "we" like in the book - but it is interesting to think about. Is giving up a self worth ending war, inequality, and strife? Do the benefits of security outweigh the monotony and seeming meaninglessness of the lifestyle described in the book? Pluses and minuses on both sides of the equation.
I've also been reading Mythology by Edith Hamilton - learning about Greek Gods etc.
That's it for now, ta!
The Dark Labyrinth by Lawrence Durrell - I really enjoyed this one. The novel is very much character driven rather than plot driven. We meet and explore the histories of a diverse group of people drawn together by a vacation to the island of Crete...where disaster awaits. A book sale find I was very happy with!
The Society of S by Susan Hubbard - Readable but not great - its a twist on vampire lore. Unexceptional and I can see why it was on the sale rack at Borders. If you are into vampires, give it a go as light summer reading. If you aren't into vampires don't bother.
The Last Days of Dogtown by Anita Diamant - This was really great. Sad, but well written and I was drawn through the text. As with Labyrinth, the tale is a collection of character's personal histories all drawn together by the locale - Dogtown. For those against any type of supernatural happenings in their reading, this one would be my recommendation for you - its straight up historical fiction.
Anthem by Ayn Rand - This was a short read that I accomplished in the park this evening - I think it took about an hour and a half. Interesting but not my favorite - its in the 1984 genre. It also gets preachy at the end. I'm all for individualism and wouldn't want to live in a world with a collective "we" like in the book - but it is interesting to think about. Is giving up a self worth ending war, inequality, and strife? Do the benefits of security outweigh the monotony and seeming meaninglessness of the lifestyle described in the book? Pluses and minuses on both sides of the equation.
I've also been reading Mythology by Edith Hamilton - learning about Greek Gods etc.
That's it for now, ta!
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Meme
Ms. Doublegknits posted this and told us readers to consider ourselves tagged - so here are my answers.
1) What was I doing 10 years ago?
Lets see - 10 years ago was 1998 so I was in the summer between high school and middle school. I recall nothing specific about this summer. Ooo...wait, later in the summer would be my first experience with marching band - the show was a couple of Chuck Mangione songs - I can still hum the theme of one of them. :-)
2) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today?
Well, the day is almost over so for the rest of the evening my to do list will be
1. go home
2. make dinner
3. hang out with T
4. surf the internet
5. go to bed
3) Snacks I enjoy
Oh man, snacks are awesome - chips and salsa, ice cream, cookies, saltines, cheese, hummus
4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
1. not work a regular job
2. buy a house - preferably on some kind of waterfront
3. support museums
4. travel everywhere
5. Take all kinds of music/art/design/whatever seems interesting at the moment classes
5) Places I have lived:
South Windsor, CT
Ithaca, NY
I have not moved much.
6) Jobs I have had:
Sandwich Maker - Blimpies
Sales Associate - Linens and Things
Sales Associate - Sears
File Runner - Curtis 1000
Dining Hall Wench - Ithaca College
Technology & Writing Consultant - IC
Research Dept intern - National Geographic
Development intern - PRI
Development Operations Manager & Membership Coordinator - PRI
Consider yourself tagged.
1) What was I doing 10 years ago?
Lets see - 10 years ago was 1998 so I was in the summer between high school and middle school. I recall nothing specific about this summer. Ooo...wait, later in the summer would be my first experience with marching band - the show was a couple of Chuck Mangione songs - I can still hum the theme of one of them. :-)
2) What are 5 things on my to-do list for today?
Well, the day is almost over so for the rest of the evening my to do list will be
1. go home
2. make dinner
3. hang out with T
4. surf the internet
5. go to bed
3) Snacks I enjoy
Oh man, snacks are awesome - chips and salsa, ice cream, cookies, saltines, cheese, hummus
4) Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
1. not work a regular job
2. buy a house - preferably on some kind of waterfront
3. support museums
4. travel everywhere
5. Take all kinds of music/art/design/whatever seems interesting at the moment classes
5) Places I have lived:
South Windsor, CT
Ithaca, NY
I have not moved much.
6) Jobs I have had:
Sandwich Maker - Blimpies
Sales Associate - Linens and Things
Sales Associate - Sears
File Runner - Curtis 1000
Dining Hall Wench - Ithaca College
Technology & Writing Consultant - IC
Research Dept intern - National Geographic
Development intern - PRI
Development Operations Manager & Membership Coordinator - PRI
Consider yourself tagged.
Monday, June 30, 2008
the Ander-Berry Wedding
So, last weekend (June 21) a group of us PRI peeps caravaned off to Canandaigua, NY to celebrate the mariage of Scarlet Lily and her beau. I was feeling a little anxious because of work and all on my way out, but the simply gorgeous surroundings soon put me at ease and let me relax. The setting really was lovely.
The view from our condo - just lake forever, we were right on the water. I wanted to stay for the rest of the summer, but they made us checkout on sunday! I arrived Friday afternoon, having left work early and spent some time chilling with Ben watching Lost Boys before the rest of the crew showed up. We had a lovely "welcome" party at the hotel later in the evening with the engaged couple.
Then Saturday, after a somewhat late rise, we headed out to Canadaigua center to tour some fancy gardens. It was a lovely day until just about an hour and a half before the wedding when we all watched a great big thunder storm work its way down the lake. Luckily it was short lived and the wedding was saved! Everyone looked lovely including the bride:
They were both so smiley - a great couple! I'm so glad I got to go and share the day with them. Here is a view from the wedding location - I think I might steal it when I get married!
Good food, good drinks, great dancing! Here is Alicia and my first pic with Mrs. Berry!
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