After picking Duke to go all the way in the NCAA pool (out of misguided loyalty), I thought that ol’ Hawkins would be drummed out and in last place. Nope – still in first! Now I just have to root for a collapse of Memphis, UCLA, UNC and Kansas.
March, 2008
21
Mar 08
I feel so ashamed
I ordered an iPhone.
Phew, I feel so much better. It felt good to get it off my chest.
In my defense, it’s a refurb 8gb model and I’m going to immediately unlock/jailbreak it so I can use it on T-Mobile.
So you’re asking yourself – ok Mr. Apple-hater, why on earth did you badmouth it and get it? Well, when you’ve got over 1 TB of movies and tv shows to watch, sometimes you don’t want to take out the laptop. Plus, I needed a spare unlocked smartphone so I can use a local SIM when I’m overseas. And when the firmware support is out to support Microsoft Exchange, I think I can use this as a tax write-off because when our executives find out, they’ll immediately want corporate email on their iPhone – hence, it’s for work. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Anyway…
It’s hard to sometimes rationalize my technology purchases. I bought a $60 flashlight today “just cuz.” The notion of me wanting something shiny and new is always persistent. I like bleeding edge, and I’ll put up with the stumbling blocks if I can have the new gadget as soon as it rolls off the line. I don’t *need* any of this, I just want it.
20
Mar 08
Cairo geekery
For those who know me, I’m a good little planner. I love to plan and map out everything. I’m sure Tim and Holly were like “holy shit” when it came to India because it was laid out well in advance.
Anyway, I’ve started to build my own Google Mashup of the trip to Cairo (Luxor’s coming soon) so people can see where I’m going and what the hell I’m doing when I’m there. Plus I can take my KML file and make GPS waypoints out of them (and other POI’s too.) Since I will be geotagging a lot of the trip, it never hurts to have them. Keep checking back as I decide where I’m going to check out while in Cairo.
19
Mar 08
Oh Obama!
You know, it’s hard being a conservative in Chicago. We don’t exist for the most part, and those who are in prominent positions are flat out douchebags (hello Illinois Republican Party!) So for me to rip on the Chosen One – the junior senator from Illinois is akin to taking my life into my own hands. Well, not really – but hey, who loves embellishment?
I like Senator Obama. He’s a young, charismatic guy who seems like a genuinely likeable guy. But that’s about it. He hasn’t done anything for the State of Illinois since he was elected into office. And I admit – I voted for the guy in 2004, mainly because I couldn’t stomach the debacle with Jack Ryan and Alan Keyes and how that turned into a first rate clusterfuck. He won me over with the “aww schucks” mentality and how he promised that he wouldn’t run for President in 2008 because he’d spend the first year learning how the phones worked (or something like that – I can’t recall things said in the Tribune 3+ years later). But he’s all about “the change” – the smart people ask “the change to what? What’s your plan?” However, your typical blind Obama supporter won’t be able to list a single accomplishment in the Senate or in the Illinois Senate.
I did find it funny that with his speech yesterday, he draped himself with the US flag in the background but at the same time, doesn’t wear one on his lapel. So much for him being proud of his country.
It’s not about race, it’s about accomplishments. And as for the junior senator from Illlinois, he’s got none that warrants a second term in office, let alone a shot at being the President.
18
Mar 08
Just wanted to say hello…
to my avid reader at the University of Chicago. Email me and say hello.
18
Mar 08
Gibraltar News Of The Day
While I’m in bed moaning like a circus seal because of my dental work today, I decided to catch up on the local happenings in Gibraltar.
Apes continue to cause nuisance at Catalan Bay and Both Worlds
Complaints from residents of Catalan Bay and Both Worlds about the nuisance posed by the apes running rampant in the area continue to flood the offices of the GSLP/Liberals at Watergardens, the Opposition has stated.
The latest complainant has apparently informed the Opposition that a lady was attacked by apes at Both Worlds and that one of the bags she was carrying was snatched away by one of the apes. Another complainant talks of delivery vans being invaded by apes as they drive through with much of the merchandise carried destroyed or thrown out of the van, continued a spokesperson
“Reports of apes entering homes also continue to reach us.”
“The GSD said during the election campaign that they would continue to monitor and control the ape population so that they would cease to pose a nuisance or a danger to citizens.
“Over five months have gone by since then and things seem to be getting worse on the East Side, not better.
Just when you think your neighborhood has had it share of weirdness just think that it could be worse – the local Barbary Apes could be stealing your food and coming into your house.
11
Mar 08
You Must Choose
Ok, so I’ve narrowed down my next trip to one of three locations:
1) The Middle East. You might ask, Nick, how’s your Arabic? Awful, but it’s getting slightly better. I also know good profanity in Farsi.
2) The US. Indianapolis, Nashville and perhaps Raleigh/Durham NC (well, Camp Lejeune…), anyone? What would I do? I’m not sure. Walk around, take photos and be a tourist.
3) Go on a cruise. I figure, why the hell not? I’d surely meet some interesting people, be forced to relax and enjoy the sun and fully immerse myself in the cruise culture. Plus my Blackberry wouldn’t work at sea and that might be a good thing for once.
I’m going to let you guys choose for me. Why not? I figure that if I send you a postcard, that means I like you and will value your input.
8
Mar 08
Revisiting Harry Lime in Vienna
Feb 24:
I got up early at 4am and took the Metro over to Keleti station so I could catch my train to Vienna. The station itself is small compared to Gare du Nord in Paris or Waterloo in London, but still manageable. I had some gyros for breakfast (really – when is it a bad time for gyros?).
After 3 hours, I took a hike from the Westbahnof to the Ringstrasse and took a cool walk through the MuseumsQuartier. I always thought I’ve seen enough architecturally interesting buildings in my day that I would have to be seriously impressed in order to get a rise out of me, but this certainly took it to the next level. I figured that I had a limited time, otherwise I would have wanted to visit every museum (museum geekery is cool). However, I pressed on and kept walking. I did have this grand plan of tracking my walk and overlaying the photos like I did in Istanbul but screwed that up. My bad. After I screwed that up, I did stop off for some Zipfer beer and currywurst, which is always a good time.
I did get to walk by the Cafe Mozart, featured in The Third Man. I did also get to take the Ferris wheel, made famous by The Living Daylights and Before Sunrise. After that, I started to take the Metro back towards the Ringstrasse and stopped at a place called Espresso and had a pint of Schremser Zwickl. I also caught this rather disturbing sign of a store:
After giggling for 20 minutes and just generally enjoying a walk around and soaking up the cafe culture (and melange, mmmm….) I found myself enjoying a quiet pint of Schloss Eggenberg and drinking Julius Meinel coffee. It was fun just to relax and do nothing and read and soak up an atmosphere along with the cigarette smoke. Before I knew it, it was time to head back to Budapest and crash since I was running on fumes, caffeine and Haribo gummies for most of the day.
So was it worth it to walk around Vienna for 8 hours? Of course. Would I go back? Definitely, but I’d need to save my shekels. I did find out that it was €1.40 for a postcard stamp, which made it sort of sucky to send postcards out.