tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89977522024-03-20T10:30:00.770-05:00Lost In AustinThis blog chronicles the thoughts and experiences of a non-native Austinite, trying to figure out life, Texas, and himself.DBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17369892095680917493noreply@blogger.comBlogger285125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997752.post-45991018025604985672009-01-03T10:28:00.002-06:002009-01-03T10:59:41.009-06:00The End of History?Well, so much for posting on a more regular basis. The list of things that have happened in the last seven months that failed to prompt me to write has been pretty stunning. Both personal and worldwide events have made me think, "I should write a post about that", only to be followed by, "I'll get around to it later."<br /><br />Maybe the most significant is also the most obvious: Barack Obama is going to the White House. The event that finally made me to decide to start this blog was the re-election of Bush in 2004. I'd been following the race closely, and was deeply disturbed that so many of my fellow Americans believed this man was the one to guide us through such troubled times, both foreign and domestic. I have not been happy to have been proven correct in my beliefs that Bush was both incompetent and uninterested in his own Presidency, beyond the power it gave him.<br /><br />We have a fresh start coming in a couple of weeks, and yet the next President will face the most difficult challenges since World War II, at least. It's hard to comprehend how much will have to be done to prevent things from getting any worse, much less improve them, but there are bright spots to be seen. In college, I read a book called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/End-History-Last-Man/dp/0380720027"><span style="font-style: italic;">The End of History</span></a>. Can you imagine?<br /><br />In other news, I'll be getting married this year, and traveling back to Australia for the honeymoon. I'm quite looking forward to it, as is my lovely lady. We've spent the last few months of 2008 remodeling the house after my former roommate and his wife were married and moved out. It turned out great, even as there's more to do (immediately after I finish posting this, and beyond). We hope to show it off to friends by the end of January.<br /><br />I thought about closing this blog at this point, as I seem to have less to say that I care to share with the world. In the week of Christmas that I was isolated from the internet, I can't say that I missed it much, and I've already given my opinion about enough topics to fill a syllabus. Time is a lot more precious to me these days, and if I'm going to spend it writing, I want it to be writing "work", that is, the type of writing that I went to school for: poetry, stories, screenplays, maybe I'll eventually get to one of those novels in my head.<br /><br />But I decided not to take the blog down, because who knows what the future holds? I may not want to post once a month, or even once a year, but there will still be things I want to say, and this forum is all mine. Why give it up entirely if I don't have to? I've always been one who prefers to open doors, not close them. That hasn't changed, and I hope it never will. An open door is an invitation.DBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17369892095680917493noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997752.post-31673108184134519212008-05-22T18:24:00.003-05:002008-06-26T22:38:42.389-05:00For shameRon Rosenbaum has an <a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2191906/pagenum/all/#page_start">unusual article</a> up at Slate today that touches tangentially on a topic I've been meaning to write about for some time. The article is about "liberal guilt" and questions why there isn't a corresponding conservative guilt over slavery and the attendant racism and discrimination that persists to a lesser extent today.<br /><br />A few years ago, I was courting a young woman who was a native Texan. She once told me about how her high school had flown a Confederate flag until it was ordered by the government to take it down, and how offended she was. The students and parents of her school were almost totally united, so she said, in their belief that they had the right to fly that flag, if it weren't for the few black folks who complained and took the school to court.<br /><br />I'm not a native Texan, and my home state of Indiana was a Northern state, and towns near where I grew up were even attacked by Morgan's Raiders during the Civil War. I don't believe that disqualifies me from disagreeing on this point, but if you do, feel free to stop reading.<br /><br />What she and many other (white) people believe, especially those from Southern states, is that, because it is a part of their heritage, the Confederate flag should be flown above the institutions that serve them, like court houses, schools, and the like. A slogan seen every once in a while in this part of the country is "Heritage, not hate." What they don't admit, probably not even to themselves, is that hate is a part of their heritage, and to those African-Americans whose family history and economic prospects were shaped by slavery that flag is a symbol of hate.<br /><br />So what?, they might ask. More people want the flag to fly than not, and this is a democracy. The problem with this reasoning is that individuals already have the right to fly the flag on their property as much as they want. But those institutions that are forbidden to fly it are forbidden because it represents the Confederacy, which sought the dissolution of the very country those institutions now serve and are a part of. Our state and federal buildings, including schools, fly the flag of the U.S.A. because it won the war. The Confederacy lost, and its symbols have no place in the governmental representation of the U.S.A., which serves black and white alike.<br /><br />Some people still argue the Civil War wasn't fought primarily over slavery, largely because to admit the truth is to acknowledge the shame that comes along with it. They are wrong because none of the other factors they cite as causes would, individually or collectively, have led to war, and slavery, with or without those other factors, would inevitably have, if it was allowed to continue.<br /><br />It is appropriate to feel a measure of guilt when faced with the reality that your lot in life has come in part at the expense of someone else's, whether or not you yourself had a hand in it. Everyone would like to celebrate the culture they come from without reservation, but those that do are turning a blind eye to those events and people who don't deserve to be celebrated. As <a href="http://lostinaustin.blogspot.com/2005/02/on-flags-and-freedom.html">I've noted before</a>, it is appropriate to be ashamed of people who do shameful things without remorse or apology. Look at Germany, which has spent decades atoning for the sins of the ruling class over a handful of years in the 1930's and 40's. Slavery in America lasted 400 years. Why is anyone surprised that this stain is still present, and in need of work?DBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17369892095680917493noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997752.post-29310243078084845802008-04-16T19:54:00.002-05:002008-11-06T21:02:25.334-06:00Milestone<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2zEt2hxVcRfCnnFKgcq_LZFDYkBHu1cY3LYmwI92ZuaAbvXLxgIO3QJHrWBw_NgNFempqLY80DUdpnkiXP4oTeOKrGKKn_A7bExIvVNd2um8yAu72uSoNQ4s7BowwLq09-Uxd/s1600-h/0415082154.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2zEt2hxVcRfCnnFKgcq_LZFDYkBHu1cY3LYmwI92ZuaAbvXLxgIO3QJHrWBw_NgNFempqLY80DUdpnkiXP4oTeOKrGKKn_A7bExIvVNd2um8yAu72uSoNQ4s7BowwLq09-Uxd/s320/0415082154.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5190011444156107762" border="0" /></a>DBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17369892095680917493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997752.post-39194653750691316812008-03-06T18:08:00.002-06:002008-03-06T18:57:14.541-06:00Dungeons and Dragons and great writersGary Gygax died Tuesday. As the more subsequently involved of the two creators of the role playing game <span style="font-style: italic;">Dungeons and Dragons</span>, he's responsible for many an hour of reading and playing with my friends as a teenager and college student. It wasn't always D&D I was playing (<a href="http://www.aquest.com/index.html">Adventure Quest</a> was the local scene at Purdue), but without it so much of the fantasy adventure genre as I knew it simply wouldn't have existed.<br /><br />My introduction to D&D, as is the case with many of my interests, came by way of my cousin Jim, who owned most of the rule books and quest modules, as well as the novels based on the game. I would borrow them and read them cover to cover, even the parts meant only for the Dungeon Master because I couldn't resist. Some of the books have spawned the most fun and engrossing video games I've ever played, the <span style="font-style: italic;">Baldur's Gate</span> series and <span style="font-style: italic;">Neverwinter Nights</span>. Then there were misfires like the live action movie, the less said about the better, and the animated cartoon (which Gygax had a big hand in). I remember just one scene of one episode of the cartoon, and I probably watched the whole series, which didn't last long.<br /><br />Of course, with the success of the <span style="font-style: italic;">Lord of the Rings</span> films, fantasy is enjoying a renaissance at the moment, but when I was growing up it was more likely to get you labeled a nerd or draw disapproving looks from the folks. There were stories going around at the time of kids who believed they <span style="font-style: italic;">were</span> the characters they played, and when the character died they killed themselves. This was actually a myth based on a couple incidents where people did kill themselves, but not because they were delusional, rather they lost characters they had spent so much time on, building their experience and abilities, that they were distraught to lose all the "work" they had put into them (and likely depressed, too). Maybe a subtle distinction, but not the same thing. Picture a writer who's only copy of his manuscript gets destroyed before anyone could read it and you'll get the idea. For some players in that age range, the characters they ran in D&D were more like friends, or works of art.<br /><br />Another of the stereotypes about role-players was the dressing up in costume, which I was surprised to find when I got to college was a real phenomenon, one I engaged in on a couple of Halloween adventures put on by a club I was a member of at Purdue. "Cosplay" is now a big deal at conventions of all kinds.<br /><br />Wikipedia has a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TSR%2C_Inc.">great article</a> on TSR, Inc., the company Gygax helped build and run to get D&D out to the geeks of the world, well worth a read. His success despite adversity is an inspiration to all of us writers who'd like to change the world.DBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17369892095680917493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997752.post-8710687468313728122008-02-18T18:44:00.003-06:002008-02-18T18:50:53.397-06:00ProgressI just finished changing my oil for the first time since <a href="http://lostinaustin.blogspot.com/2007/02/getting-dirty.html">last year's fun</a>. I use synthetic, so it only has to be done once a year. This time, there was not a drop spilled (on the floor). As Ralph Wiggum would say, "I'm learn-ding!" I also had to replace a headlight, which took about five minutes. As opposed to the hour it took last time, which was also the first time I'd done that particular bit of maintenance. Feeling pretty proud of myself tonight.DBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17369892095680917493noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997752.post-14009232755031494722008-02-17T11:25:00.003-06:002008-11-06T21:02:25.500-06:00Bling<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggi3KNutpNogqGHeUmywxbZ4I-xK7D-4pZoEo9y1FFnKKbd6gPoYODTuo3zgEhSe4Q-GVYw1wLlqjb37VBosunPxdOmC2eK3QpdeYsosEyQ-luw3H7i_hHgXwneCJ4If4DMsce/s1600-h/0208081947.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggi3KNutpNogqGHeUmywxbZ4I-xK7D-4pZoEo9y1FFnKKbd6gPoYODTuo3zgEhSe4Q-GVYw1wLlqjb37VBosunPxdOmC2eK3QpdeYsosEyQ-luw3H7i_hHgXwneCJ4If4DMsce/s320/0208081947.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168001800356711426" border="0" /></a>DBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17369892095680917493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997752.post-1867872811387013412008-02-17T11:23:00.001-06:002008-02-17T11:25:33.533-06:00AnnouncementOn Valentine's Day, I proposed to Becky and she accepted, marking a turning point in my life. I couldn't be happier to have her.DBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17369892095680917493noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997752.post-9917781554886172422007-12-11T19:21:00.000-06:002007-12-11T19:36:28.723-06:00Holiday cheerIt's been a while since I posted, lots going on. This is one way of putting off studying, which I'm out of practice for. Went to Colorado with Becky to meet her folks, which was fun but short. I only had a weekend but had a great time. I even played some blackjack in an Indian casino, which was the only hotel in town. <br /><br />Went camping in November, again, but it was quite a different experience. We shared a campsite with a group of Polish friends singing pop songs all night and drinking loudly. Before and after that was pretty cool, though. Got to play some guitar and find a tick crawling up my leg for the first time in years. The lake was beautiful in the morning sun.<br /><br />Last weekend, Becky and I drove up to Dallas to see Jim and Lyndon, and I even got to see Tobey for a little bit. We watched <span style="font-style: italic;">Beowulf</span> in digital 3-D, which was cool. It wasn't the best weather for traveling, but we didn't have any real problems. I'm bringing her home to meet the rest of the family for Christmas, which will be at my folks' place this year. I can't wait for vacation.DBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17369892095680917493noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997752.post-12687694165575240342007-10-25T18:17:00.001-05:002008-11-06T21:02:25.665-06:00It must be said, these are really odd carrots.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxo6I0vMQYuVsMtA7UA4AARepfMWYefncoLRYG5-6LxhuEriNK5b-7c2L9kz9Kb0GieBBodkx1OGpZLeNlYjRXtTZMmDKNMZ7VM49NpW36PoTHNYnREeqiEzsokTow-kks_oZD/s1600-h/1019071802.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxo6I0vMQYuVsMtA7UA4AARepfMWYefncoLRYG5-6LxhuEriNK5b-7c2L9kz9Kb0GieBBodkx1OGpZLeNlYjRXtTZMmDKNMZ7VM49NpW36PoTHNYnREeqiEzsokTow-kks_oZD/s320/1019071802.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5125417636435118178" border="0" /></a>DBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17369892095680917493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997752.post-60549967194445921342007-10-25T18:15:00.000-05:002008-11-06T21:02:25.877-06:00One tomato, cha-ching.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivuRd3sLoqDkMWmq2DpN4YzKqyUM9UtA2ybQryVCfk0JdIqO9zTzqWD30UMojOegvLxGkBmaW3axzB7yIVWYQ4lqMIL3Hz6P0g44WZqvPLqgiHIa4Z5XLL3jBAkH9RExAgN_hf/s1600-h/1017071729.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivuRd3sLoqDkMWmq2DpN4YzKqyUM9UtA2ybQryVCfk0JdIqO9zTzqWD30UMojOegvLxGkBmaW3axzB7yIVWYQ4lqMIL3Hz6P0g44WZqvPLqgiHIa4Z5XLL3jBAkH9RExAgN_hf/s320/1017071729.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5125417400211916882" border="0" /></a>DBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17369892095680917493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997752.post-85551092966095211282007-10-25T18:07:00.000-05:002007-10-25T18:19:42.603-05:00October sightsOctober is coming to an end, and I'm ready for a little Halloween reverie. I'll be going as a pirate, and Becky will be my gypsy queen. I hope the little kiddos of the neighborhood are ready for it. We'll be handing out candy and maybe offering the neighborhood a little surprise...<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">muhuhahaha</span>!<br /><br />In other news, the garden that largely refused to produce now stubbornly refuses to die. We now have no less than three little green tomatoes, as well as a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">jalapeño</span>. After a period of yellowing, the tomato vines have turned green again and continued to bloom. Above you'll see the one that ripened and went great on a couple sandwiches last week. Also, I'll put up a scaaary picture of our mutant carrots for everyone to chew on.DBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17369892095680917493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997752.post-13078969555251239152007-10-01T21:36:00.000-05:002007-10-01T21:41:45.144-05:00Garden's stateThe summer's winding down and so is our garden. After months of anticipation and one false start, we now have one healthy tomato. We've also managed to grow half a dozen jalapeños and at least one more cucumber (for a total of three). I dug up a couple of the healthy carrot plants only to find they're still smaller than the sweet potatoes were. Still no sign of green peppers, the onions were gone mid-summer, and no basil either. We're still seeing a green bean here and there. But let me tell you, those jalapeños are good on a pizza.DBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17369892095680917493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997752.post-85690212852713660212007-09-24T12:33:00.000-05:002007-09-24T12:48:51.487-05:00ACL Fest againAnother ACL Fest has come and gone, and this one didn't disappoint. It was the first time Becky attended, and she was duly impressed by the crowds. Some highlights this year were Ghostland Observatory, Billy Joe Shaver, Regina Spektor, Reverend Horton Heat, and Butch Walker and the Let's Go Out Tonites. Bjork was strange, as expected, and the Killers and Blue October put on shows equal to their albums, but nothing surprising. We brought chairs, the first time I've done that, and didn't get there until 3-4pm Saturday and Sunday, but didn't miss many acts I wanted to see, and didn't suffer from exhaustion like I have in the past. Bob Dylan played some of his hits, although he didn't allow closeups on the Jumbo-trons. Still, I'm glad I got to see him. It wasn't too hot, and it didn't rain, so I was happy.DBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17369892095680917493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997752.post-16935824885558393372007-09-18T21:29:00.000-05:002007-09-18T22:02:54.277-05:00Lord of the Wheel of TimeI found out yesterday that over the weekend Robert Jordan (aka James Oliver Rigney, Jr.), possibly my favorite writer, passed away over the weekend. He was working on the final book of his <span style="font-style: italic;">Wheel of Time</span> series, the 12th book. At least two of those books reached more than 1,000 pages, and none of the paperbacks is less than 700 pages.<br /><br />This is sad news, not just for his family but for his millions of fans. I remember the first time one of his books debuted at number one on the New York Times best seller list, Entertainment Weekly got one of the character's names confused with her profession, and had to print a correction in the next issue, undoubtedly due to passionate reader response. I believe each subsequent book has also topped the list, but they haven't made any more mistakes reporting it. For all their popularity, his books have continued to feel like a well-kept secret among his fans.<br /><br />Around the midpoint of the series, I read Jordan claimed to have written as many pages of notes on the world and characters of the series as he had published in the books themselves. It's my hope his estate will publish some or all of these when the series is completed, which it undoubtedly will be, either by a family member or another author (see: Frank Herbert's <span style="font-style: italic;">Dune</span>). It's a good sign that Jordan reportedly told the entire story of the ending to his family before his death, so between that and his notes I hope for a truly great ending to the <span style="font-style: italic;">Wheel of Time</span>, as the author intended.<br /><br />It's true, as many online fans have griped, that the second half of the series has suffered from a decline in quality, of the pacing if not the writing, but Jordan's accomplishment in the first six books has earned him a rightful place in the ranks of the greatest fantasy and sci-fi writers of all time. And even if the later books don't live up to the promise of the first, there are still flashes of greatness woven throughout them, and he had set the bar awfully high anyway. The end of book six, <span style="font-style: italic;">Lord of Chaos</span>, is simultaneously the most thrilling, horrifying, and heartbreaking I've ever read, complete with an edge of your seat final page that leaves me begging for more every time I re-read it.<br /><br />Rest in peace, and thanks.DBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17369892095680917493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997752.post-69898123243224778512007-09-04T22:05:00.000-05:002007-09-04T22:32:13.188-05:00The big tripThe big news I've been putting off writing about is my trip to New York City a few weekends ago, which went off without a hitch. Aside from our flight back to Austin being delayed, and me not bringing the right shoes for all the walking we'd be doing, things couldn't have gone better. <br /><br />I'd been wanting to see NYC for several years, even hoped I might get sent to a conference there for my previous job, but things kept coming up. When Becky told me her plans to go with her roommate, I asked to tag along and she agreed.<br /><br />We stayed in what's usually an off-campus apartment for Juilliard students 64th St. When class is out for the summer, they rent them to tourists for cheap (one bedroom, one bath, pull out couch, TV, oven, fridge, microwave - $120/night). We got to check in early, so we had more time than expected to look around the first afternoon. We used it to walk Central Park for a few hours, then did some shopping at the corner store to stock the fridge with breakfast and sandwich stuff for the next four days, followed by <span style="font-style: italic;">Phantom of the Opera</span> that night. Afterward, we walked to Times Square and had a couple Long Island iced teas before a cab ride back.<br /><br />The next couple days are a blur of touring the streets, all kinds of notable buildings and landmarks, back to Times Square for more pictures and shopping. Friday it rained pretty consistently once we got to Little Italy in the afternoon, so we retired early that night only. Saturday was absolutely beautiful. On Sunday, we met some friends of Becky's for lunch and convo, and saw the oldest pub in the city, McSorley's. That night we went to the top of Rockefeller Center despite the cloudy conditions, and got ten minutes of clear weather for pictures. Even surrounded by clouds, the city was impressive from that vantage point. They had to kick us out to close.<br /><br />Our last day was less eventful, simply because we'd run so hard to see everything since we got there. We went back to the library to see inside, since it was closed the first time we walked by it, and got some shots of the U.N. building and the rivers, then back to New Jersey for our flight home. We got in after 1am, and I had to work the next day. I took more than a hundred photos, supplemented by almost 400 of Becky's. Thanks, babe!DBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17369892095680917493noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997752.post-63539202782086311382007-08-30T19:05:00.001-05:002008-11-06T21:02:26.084-06:00Sweet potato harvest.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis2a-eWAsKEiqXshX_5lcWbK_xxh9QBPfTJ1ClonkOxTUNDI3eZ3lOtFQVRE0v20xHHmp3JcwiwzlMyyq2vpnHxr1ZKCUsDGh4QEzO7XENdZf_Am7QnIVwnznC5NLzpljcsyZu/s1600-h/DSCF1689.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis2a-eWAsKEiqXshX_5lcWbK_xxh9QBPfTJ1ClonkOxTUNDI3eZ3lOtFQVRE0v20xHHmp3JcwiwzlMyyq2vpnHxr1ZKCUsDGh4QEzO7XENdZf_Am7QnIVwnznC5NLzpljcsyZu/s320/DSCF1689.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5104649303742766578" border="0" /></a>DBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17369892095680917493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997752.post-46495546645806706642007-08-30T18:59:00.000-05:002007-08-30T19:04:59.785-05:00SummertimeSo it's been a while since I posted, but I've got some more coming this weekend. This afternoon I spent half an hour digging up half of our sweet potato plants. As you can see in the picture above, I was a little disappointed. Also, because I was wearing a jacket to save my arms and neck from the mosquitoes, by the time I was done I was totally soaked in sweat and had to relax in the a/c for a while to recover. Tonight we're doing burgers on the grill, and I'd hoped for sweet potato fries. Maybe next month.DBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17369892095680917493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997752.post-44921227637347171252007-07-05T19:46:00.000-05:002007-07-06T13:52:24.630-05:00Travel Diary - Day 35Date: 7/5/97<br />Weather: sunny and warm<br />Place: L.A., Dallas, Chicago, Cincinnati<br /><br />I got up and down for breakfast, but there had been some kind of mixup because they had put my meal last night on my room bill with the phone call and movie. I got it taken off at the front desk, then got the breakfast buffet and hoped they didn't screw up again and put that on my bill. When I got to Dallas, I found out my flight had been canceled to Cincinnati, and I could go to Chicago then down and be home sooner than wait for the next Dallas flight (to Cincinnati), so I did that. I had that choice from L.A. and should've taken it. When I got to Cincy, no one was there to meet me so I got my other bag. Then everybody showed up and I went home.DBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17369892095680917493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997752.post-52901363315504726662007-07-04T13:18:00.000-05:002007-07-06T13:46:39.887-05:00Travel Diary - Day 34Date: 7/4/97 (again)<br />Weather: sunny and warm<br />Place: Papeete, L.A.<br /><br />I got very little sleep both because of the meal times and the fact that we had less night due to traveling east (Author's note: we crossed the international date line, so I got to see July 4th twice). I've drank so much Coke lately I'm going to have to stop for a while. I had a glass of champagne on the plane, but the coffee counteracted it. Once again, I'm stuck in L.A., due to Air New Zealand's error in transfer times when booking me. Since it's their fault, the hotel room, which is at the Sheraton, is free, as are dinner and breakfast tomorrow. I had a New York sirloin. I've got a king size bed again, and this is a bit better than the Holiday Inn was last time, with a refrigerator and other things. I couldn't resist ordering a movie. I watched the fireworks from my window.DBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17369892095680917493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997752.post-35104656460874856402007-07-04T13:12:00.000-05:002007-07-06T13:17:53.474-05:00Travel Diary - Day 33Date: 7/4/97<br />Weather: sunny, cool<br />Place: Auckland, Papeete<br /><br />I was an early riser yet again this morning, and took the 9:30am tour of Auckland. It was a great day for it, but unfortunately it only lasted three hours. The afternoon tour was longer, but it didn't end until 3:00pm, and I had a 4:00pm shuttle to the airport. I got to the most visited building in the southern hemisphere, a museum housing art and war stuff, along with Maori cultural artifacts, and the largest crater in Auckland, which was covered in grass inside and out and used cows to mow it by grazing. I was lucky to be at the airport so early, since my flight was delayed three hours and I got a seat on another one.DBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17369892095680917493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997752.post-20841332000757140072007-07-03T21:39:00.000-05:002007-07-03T21:44:57.229-05:00Travel Diary - Day 32Date: 7/3/97<br />Weather: cloudy and cool, some rain<br />Place: Taihape, Auckland<br /><br /><br />I got up and made it to the gas station where I would be picked up an hour early. This time the guy did not even pull in, he just stopped across the road and I dragged my bag over to him. It was a long day of driving up the eastern side, so it was nice to get some different scenery. We only stopped briefly for lunch, and it was raining at the time. It was dusk by the time we got to Auckland, and I decided I'd take a tour of the city tomorrow. I got a single room and a free beer card, so I went up to the bar on the top floor of the hostel. There was a pool competition for mixed couples, and on my second try I met a girl who agreed to play. She was from Colorado and had just flown in this morning. We played pool across the street instead.DBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17369892095680917493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997752.post-55133728216020576862007-07-02T21:34:00.000-05:002007-07-03T21:39:25.877-05:00Travel Diary - Day 31Date: 7/2/97<br />Weather: cold and rainy<br />Place: Wellington, Taihape<br /><br />I got up for my 7:30am bus and packed in the dark, then I got a cup of coffee at the cafe in the hostel. Unfortunately, I was not informed that today was one of the two days of the week that River Valley did not get a Kiwi bus. I was literally the only one there aside from the staff when my ride dropped me off. Since it was raining and I couldn't go horse trekking, I went sheep herding for an hour or more. I've never climbed hills so steep and pathless as I did then. The sheepdog was cool, and Jeff brought along his daughter. Luckily, I got a ride back into town and got a $12.00 hotel room in a bar/hostel. I went to bed early.DBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17369892095680917493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997752.post-21854238516874217042007-07-01T21:28:00.000-05:002007-07-03T21:34:00.152-05:00Travel Diary - Day 30Date: 7/1/97<br />Weather: cloudy and cold<br />Place: Wellington<br /><br />I saw Con Air last night before turning in early. I got up and had a candy bar for breakfast, then watched a little TV. I found a bunch of people from the bus in the kitchen, and we talked for a while. Everybody was doing their own thing, so I got lunch and started walking to a shopping mall. Before I got near it, I found a magazine store and spent almost five hours reading about news in entertainment and other stuff. I couldn't believe it when I saw how much time I'd spent in there. They started closing the place, so I got supper and went back to the hostel. We all watched videos and ER, then went to a bar for a final drink together.DBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17369892095680917493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997752.post-39306645217075197242007-06-30T21:20:00.000-05:002007-07-03T21:28:32.671-05:00Travel Diary - Day 29Date: 6/30/97<br />Weather: partly sunny<br />Place: River Valley, Wellington<br /><br />I had a cup of coffee and a couple of s'mores for breakfast, then took entirely too long getting my full-body wetsuit on for whitewater rafting. Once we got to the river, we carried the boats down to the banks and got a crash course in rafting. The water was unexpectedly deep, even in the narrowest places. The scenery we got to see convinced me that New Zealand is the most beautiful place on Earth, even without seeing the south island. Plus, river rafting was the only way to see it. It was otherwise inaccessible and untouched. We jumped off 9 and 10 meter high ledges into the freezing water and got stuck 90 feet after taking over (Author's note: The guide got out of the boat and let the newbies try to negotiate some rapids ourselves. We got wedged on a rock and the boat filled with water, so he had to make his way through the rapids to us just to get us unstuck). After a shower, we drove to Wellington with no stops.DBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17369892095680917493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8997752.post-44603937094252031042007-06-29T21:14:00.000-05:002007-07-03T21:20:04.794-05:00Travel Diary - Day 28Date: 6/29/97<br />Weather: partly cloudy<br />Place: Taupo, River Valley<br /><br />I had a bit of the free breakfast at the hostel before we left this morning, which was unimpressive. On the way to River Valley, we stopped at a ski lodge for a hike. It was absolutely gorgeous scenery, with mountains on either side when we weren't in the forest walking along a creek. There was also a waterfall that was surrounded by ice where it entered the pool, which was a sacred Maori site. The lodge is tucked away in the middle of nowhere without a TV or radio, but it was charming. The showers and toilets are outdoors, and everyone sleeps in the same room in connected beds. I made s'mores after the $7.00 meal that didn't include a drink but tasted home cooked, and read and played cards.DBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17369892095680917493noreply@blogger.com0