In Training

I’m currently in El Segundo for training in SQL queries (mostly filling in the gaps with what I’ve self-taught over the last few years and learning a lot already after one day).  What I’ve remembered is how much I don’t like LA or the area.  It’s a nice enough place visually, but it just feels so stuck up.  Even here about a block or two from LAX, things aren’t that great, but the mood is that this place is better than everywhere else.  Some buildings are nice, some are run down.  Cars are mostly beat up.  The people don’t look happy, at least when I see them (admittedly, it could be me, but I doubt it as I have a very cheery disposition). None of this is bad except that the atmosphere is one of “everything is fine, ignore that over there, look at this really cool thing we’re doing over here and ignore what’s really going on over somewhere else that we won’t even mention lest we reveal what things are really like.”

Compared to Miami, well, there isn’t a comparison.  And I can say that having been in both places within two months of each other.  Things are nice in Miami, but people are just there and don’t actually seem to care how good it looks, just that things are pleasant and fun and relaxed.  LA seems to have this desperate need to be thought of as hip and so fails miserably at actually being hip.

Just my observation today.  I may change my mind by the week’s end.

Safe and Sound

I’ve arrived in Miami safely for my business trip.  The flights were smooth and the connection was made easily.  My first experience getting a connecting flight also didn’t end with losing my luggage, so that was nice.

Thanks to everyone who texted me, emailed, left comments, sent a facebook message, or contacted me in other ways.  It was really a treat to land, turn on my phone, and find several emails and messages come in right then wishing me well.

Miami is probably a beautiful city, but I haven’t seen it in the light yet, so I’ll let you know.  But Dallas/Fort Worth is freaking brown, flat, and dry looking.  And thank God for the Skyline there or else we would never have made the connecting flight going from Terminal A to Terminal D in thirty minutes.

UPDATE: It’s morning here now (4:30 back home) and the sun is rising over the ocean.  Freaking me out a bit, actually.  But the city looks gorgeous.  Turns out that my hotel room looks out right over the water towards Miami Beach (which is across an inlet from me to the left, to the right is open ocean).  And to anyone back West who is wondering, the Atlantic looks very much like the Pacific, just spanning the wrong horizon.  I’m definitely a West Coast guy today and Tolkien had it right when he put Mordor in the East.

Downtown SF

I arrived safely in San Francisco.

One hour at 10,000 feet in the air to cover 600 miles. 30 minutes tops traveling along and under the Pacific Oceans. 500 feet of walking to my hotel where two VERY attractive women checked me into my room and gave me cookies, of all things (I’m just glad to have spoken coherently while I was at the front desk, butthe cookies were very nice, too).

I walked from my hotel to Fisherman’s Whar in about 30 minutes. It took 45 since I stopped to say hello to Grace Cathderal along the way. Up Nob Hill and back down snapping pictures the whole way (to be posted on my return). A good training walk for the hike in September. Total distance is probably about two miles one way. I walked nearly three with the sight-seeing at the Wharf. I’ll try to grab dinner there on Thursday when I can get there at a better hour for it.

Took the cable car back. $5 for a one way pass! I’ll be seeing about something a bit better priced tomorrow since my seminar is at the top of the hill. It’s a good walk, but not one I want to sweat through before the conference.

The city itself is nice. I like London better, but this is close. Some people aren’t as nice, but there are more people my age and so it feels slightly more comfortable.

I don’t think that I’ve ever seen so many ads for iPod, though. The entire BART station near my hotel must be sponsored by Apple or something.

I’m looking forward to a good day tomorrow. Hopefully I’ll also get to do some more sight-seeing and grab some chocolate to bring to my friends back home. Requests for flavors may be accepted if you comment in a timely fashion…

San Francisco

I’ll be headed to San Francisco next Wednesday for a seminar for work. I barely know the area, but my hotel is on Powell (don’t know the cross-street).

Anyone know some good places around there for lunch and/or dinner? Nothing fancy, just good food and pleasant atmosphere.

Back on the Mainland

We returned from Catalina without too much adventure (that I’m aware of).  I had a great weekend relaxing, talking with friends, reading, thinking, examining my life a bit, and generally recharging.  There’s probably lots to tell, but I’m still digesting some stuff.

In the meantime, here are some photos I took.  I stuck with black and white photos this time around.  I just like it better.  I feel like I can express things better without the color.  Go figure.  Only a couple are color and you’ll see why.

Enjoy!

Going Dark

I’m out on Catalina Island this weekend. There may be Wi-Fi some day, but not where I’m going. Not yet (unless there’s something they aren’t telling me). Even if there were, I wouldn’t bring the laptop I don’t have. This is my weekend to relax, rest, do some reading, get in some photography of a beautiful place, and maybe recharge a good bit.  In other words, no blogging from me until Sunday or Monday even if I could.
See you on the flip side. Or there. It’s a small world.

Fear Mongering Commentary

Rex Hammond has some good words about the fear mongering going on today with the terrorism and security threats going on.

Who needs terrorists causing terror when we have the evening news?

Found via Scripting News.

End of a Week

My week is over.  Yup, tomorrow I’m heading to Disneyland with some folks to get my weekend off to a good start.  I’ve had a pass to Disneyland for just over a year now, but this will be the first time I go to spend a whole day there.  Lately I’ve been going to ride a couple of rides, meet up with a friend at Downtown Disney, then go home.  In all, about 3-4 hours a pop.

Tomorrow is a full day and I’m excited about that. :)  The only disappointment is that I won’t be going on Star Tours.  Every time I go on that ride lately, I get a migraine a couple of hours later.  That makes me sad, but I honestly don’t know if the others in my group would want to go on that ride anyway.

Good weekends to everyone reading this!  And prayers for friends of mine stuck in Oxford as the airline situation works itself out in the next day or two (hopefully not longer than that).

Oxford Walking Tour on YouTube

In honor of the folks currently in Oxford enjoying good beer, a beautiful city, and at least one night at the Eagle and the Child, I took a video I made of photos from a walking tour of Oxford, UK and posted it on YouTube.  Enjoy!

That International Flavor

Found a nice quiz about how various countries do table/dinner manners. Pretty interesting, some of it, though the one about China wasn’t true when I was in Chinatown. Then again, every time my plate was nearly cleared, my host piled more food on it. Since I thought I had to finish everything on my plate or insult them, I ate an unhealthy amount of food that night.

Enjoy!