Preparing for an onslaught

Wow.  Just wow.  Kos said it best.  You don't need a license to be a parent, but this couple makes you wish you did.

www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hNXg5FqcqZg1KUgf6PNrmnRRk-4wD9545JFG0

Please take a moment to join me in wishing Happy Birthday to soprano1 today.

Waiting for a new image to upload to the ASA firewall at a client site. The 8.03 software update is a whopping 8MB so it takes a shitload of time to upload to the flash. And since the equipment is located in a place I had to wait to get into, I get to reboot the sucker while people are, ya' know, actually trying to use the T-1 connection. I really hate having to do that.

Waiting....

Just being a troublemaker so you don't have to.

http://forums.fark.com/cgi/fark/comments.pl?IDLink=3762495

Remember when your mom and dad told you that there was a right time, and a WRONG time to make inappropriate jokes? Yeah, it seems the President wasn't really paying attention.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/2277298/President-George-Bush-%27Goodbye-from-the-world%27s-biggest-polluter%27.html?funny=not

I can think of a few folks on LJ for whom this is truly not satire. Some of my personal favorites.

“I can’t believe my mother sold all my old fencing equipment. Honestly…I’m livid.”
“Ugh - the contractors keep throwing cigarette butts in the koi pond.”
“What do you mean you don’t have ginger ale?”
“I mean it feels good to buy organic, but would it kill Whole Foods to stock Diet Coke?”

http://www.whitewhine.com

Haven't posted in awhile. Pull up a chair and stay a bit. I can offer you a glass of water or a refreshing Fresca.

This American Life is one of my favorite radio programs and the past week's episode is probably one of the best they have ever done. It manages to provide one of the best soup-to-nuts overview of the Global Credit Crisis(Trademark) and how the whole subprime mortgage market contributed to it. Here's a link for those of you not subscribed to the podcast.

http://www.thislife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=355

But how can this possibly be wrong?

But I've added some additional pictures to my Ficker account.  Here's the link again:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/37568363@N00/

There may be some duplicates that I need to clear out first.  Yesterday was a pretty amazing day.  Imperial Palace, Ghibli Museum, cats sitting on perches in the subway.  My feet are aching, and I need some chow.  Ugh, and Romney won Nevada.  What I really need is strong coffee.  I'll post the details later. 

It's day 5 of Asia Tour 2008, and I am in Tokyo, Japan. As I predicted, I way behind in updating this blog. I still have high hopes that I can make this a continuing effort after the trip by posting regularly, but I know myself a little too well. Hong Kong was a blast, but work intruded into the fun and became complicated. I ended up working several late nights and not seeing quite as much of the city as I had hoped. One highlight was going up the Peak Tram which is a cool, nausea inducing experience.  Big payoff at the end is a spectacular view of the city.  I had a fair share of very yummy Chinese food which is quite different than what we think of in the United States.  I had a Hot and Sour Soup that puts all others to shame.  This clears the sinuses of yourself and your dinner companions.

I've also discovered the power of Skype.  Skype is a fantastic software package that let's you make voice and video calls over the Internet for free.  You can even use it to dial land line phones and cell phones at ridiculously low rates.  It has allowed me to converse on a fairly regular basis with soprano1 and DS during this trip without paying for long distance international charges.  Got a broadband connection?  Get this.  Seriously, get this now.

I've now spent one full day in Tokyo and I can tell right away that I absolutely love this city.  It's big.  Big like New York City big.  But it retains much of a small feel by the myriad of neighborhoods and distinctive areas.  I've barely scratched the surface and already I have seen so many amazing and unique sites I can't count them all.  I've also really gotten into the feel for things.  People bow.  Alot.  You bow.  Alot.  And it really is a wonderful feeling.  People show deep respect to each other in even the smallest of interactions that you can't help but be impressed.  When you are so used to being treated with polite indifference that Americans encounter every day, it is incredibly eye-opening to see a society where the exact opposite takes place.  Mind you, I'm not naive.  I'm sure that I'm seeing things through rose-colored glasses, but man, is the view pretty right now.  I've managed to break out what little Japanese I learned off my Pimsleur audibook, and it's a good thing.  Unlike Hong Kong, not everybody speaks English fluently.  I wish I knew more.  I'm fascinated by the signs, television shows, and would really like to know more of what is being said.

I met with my clients this morning, and while there was some polite consternation on their part as to the work on I am here to do, after talking it out we seemed to meet an agreement.  They took me out to lunch in an authentic restaurant where the food was simple, but sublime.  They complimented me on my admittedly sparse knowledge of custom and my skill at the use of chopsticks, so I felt really good about that.  We were very concerned that this was going to be the most difficult part of the trip business-wise, and in fact, the opposite seems to be the case.  Tomorrow I will be returning to the client to continue work, and then  taking off for the weekend to do some serious sight-seeing.  On Saturday, my dream comes true.  I am going to the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka.  That will be ground zero for presents, so get your requests in now.

To make things simple, I'm going to post all my pictures to my Flickr account.  Follow the link here to see everything I have taken to date.  Bookmark it, because that will be my weapon of choice in documenting the trip.

Sayonara,
Tom

Well, I made it. A fifteen-hour flight is definitely a haul, but the flight was made bearable by the outstanding first class service on Air Canada. I'm spoiled now. I can't really imagine what it must be like flying coach for that long. The fact that I could stretch the seat out to a full bed recline and sleep (even though I didn't) makes the hours mostly melt away. Let's see. I watched Bourne Ultimatum twice (awesome), Superbad once (just meh), and the same two episodes of The Office a few times over. Superbad came highly recommended, and even though there were a few times I laughed, gross-out comedies just don't seem to do it for me any more. *Sigh* Getting old, I guess. Big thrill on the flight was looking out the window of the bathroom and seeing the polar ice caps. Miles and miles of ice and snow.

Hong Kong is a very scenic city. As you come out of the airport, it looks a bit like the San Francisco area with these mountains and hills behind what I guess is the suburbs. Massive apartment building dot the hillsides. Then you come into the central city and beautiful Kowloon Bay. See the picture below for a panoramic shot from my hotel room. Very impressive looking, although I will say it looks better at night. There is a clear distinction between the older parts of the city and the gleaming highrises, and age has not been kind to the older buildings. After checking in to my hotel, I took a shower and rest and then headed out to explore the surrounding area.

The Sheraton is right in the Nathan Road area, which has a large chaotic area devoted to shopping. There are some extremely expensive boutiques with all the Western luxury names, and then there is an expansive area that is like old Times Square and 8th Avenue in NY. Lots of places selling real and counterfeit electronics and watches, noodle places, massage parlors, etc. It's fun to walk around and people watch. Most everyone speaks a combination of Cantonese, English, and a mixture of other dialects I didn't recognize. I pledged to eat natively while on this trip, so I grabbed a skewer of some round balls from a small stand. The Cantonese speaking folks seemed to like it, so I gave it a go. No idea what it was, but I suspect squid balls. They were kind of chewy, but tasty, especially with the very spicy hot sauce. It's been 10 hours since and I haven't thrown up, so I think my stomach is up for this go-for-broke approach. :)

Along with me is David's Webkinz basset hound, Love. Love has been an excellent travel companion and is thoroughly enjoying the trip, although I've had to remind her that the mini-bar is off-limits. That can of Pringles doesn't come cheap, ya' know. We will do some more sightseeing tonight and get some pictures. For now, I have to head downstairs, get some breakfast, and actually do some work for my client. Hopefully, the technical project will go smoothly and I can enjoy some time in the city.

Flight was completely uneventful which is just the way we likes it. I'm sitting in the Maple Leaf Lounge completely oblivious to the usual drudgery of air travel. Love is enjoying the trip, especially the free food. No doubt about it, business class is the only way to travel.

Like the late great Vice Admiral James Stockdale, this rhetorical question will likely elicit reactions of confusion, rather than insight. It is not in my nature to be especially forthcoming in my feelings, nor to offer others a glimpse into the minutiae of my life, yet I feel a strange sense of longing to connect with others outside of my usual forums.

My lovely wife, soprano1, seems to find LJ as a kind of cathartic release. An outlet to share joys, hopes, fears, frustrations, political rants, etc with a largely supportive audience.