When they first came out, I thought daytime running lights were stupid. Either turn them on or turn them off. People should be capable of judgement. But they aren’t. Americans anyways [1]. Dawn, cloudy, marine layer, drizzle, and every damn car on the road these days is gray, white, or black [2], and they all […]
I keep running into self-designated “trad” [1] climbers at well-known sport crags. They make their disdain of this bastardization of their religion clear [2] but so many of their friends do it, and seem to have fun, they grit their teeth and give it a try. But never let you forget that this isn’t “real” […]
Tagged climb, climbing, rant, sport, tradEveryone has a recipe for getting over jet lag. Food, timing of meals, entraining sleep before leaving [1], not eating on the plane, blah blah blah. And believe me, I have suffered from the jet lag. I have read a shitload of books at 3 am, and faceplanted uncontrollably more than once in the cleanroom […]
Tagged jet lag, travelI want smarter maps. Maps that work like I use them. Surely these use cases must be true for techbros too, even if they are taking the Apple bus [1]. Directions only if there’s traffic: I know where I’m going. I don’t need directions. Just tell me if I should change my route because of […]
You know what the funniest thing about Europe is? If you ask for a gin and tonic, you get a little bit of gin poured over a lot of crushed ice, and a small bottle of tonic water. You get the right proportion of gin-to-tonic exactly one moment; from then on, you’re drinking gin-flavored watered […]
I’ve been off climbing in one of my favorite places in the world. I might have some pix – I haven’t uploaded them yet to see, but given that it was pretty cloudy and wet and I was with someone who was completely and actively uninterested in my desire to make art, I didn’t take […]
So I work for a rather well-known private university, which runs a rather well-known research center, funded largely by a government organization with a FLA, rather than the usual TLA. As part of the budget disaster known as “sequestration,” but which is really an ongoing decline over the last several years, this FLA organization decided […]
No matter where I go, or how lost I look, or how out of place I appear to be, and in spite of a complete inability to speak the native tongue, people ask me for directions.
It’s got to be some sort of scam that I can fly to Europe, at no extra cost, with two checked bags, a laptop bag, and a personal item (camera gear), no problemo, but then when I turn around and fly home with exactly the same things on the same airline, it’s 50 euros for […]
Sally
I get to drive a lot of different cars. Whatever Hertz has to offer for zillion-mile Gold or whatever my status is called. These are typically nicer in Zurich than they are in Munich. Mercedes, Rover, BMW (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 – no 6 as yet), Audi, Jaguar, vs. Peugeot, Skoda, Citroen, etc. […]
Tagged car, hertz, mustang, travel