redwheelbarrow

Feb 6, 2012

Feb 6, 2012

Had to visit doc in the box today for sinuses. It was quick. Really quick. A shot of steroids and a z pack and I'll be hustling in no time.

The area south if Oklahoma City is an urban sprawl with no distinguishing features save a uniquely low profile trained from years of bombardment from wayward tornadoes.

Tomorrow, we fly to Kansas City. Then to Chicago. Then drive 200 miles to Iowa City. Hope the snows not to bad.

'til then.

Jan 31, 2012

The last day of the month finds me still in D. C.

It's been a nice place to visit but there is something so fake about it too.

I'm staying next to the Watergate building and it is as if it's laughing at the facade of what Washington is supposed to be about.

Kind of like when you've seen a report regarding Cuba. . . and the official government says everything is peachy and the peoples are happy and they have video footage to prove it. But you can see in their eyes that the people are sad and forced to look happy.

I suppose you can't please everyone, but in D. C., the floor is polished while the subfloor is rotting away.

There was an exhibit of the Titanic disaster at the museum the other day and the most interesting part for me was how the paper headlines per-sinking touted how magnificent and unsinkable the ship was. Hubris at its best. Thinking something doesn't make it true.

I admit I'm biased here. The Internet is slow thus tainting my feelings at the moment and I'll be back in a few weeks to be amazed at the wonder that is D. C.

Thad

Smithsonian

Dc is a huge place with so very much to see. Today jenn and I went to the American history and natural history museums. It was amazing!!!!!! It is easily possible to spend years here looking at all this stuff. Tomorrow I hope to visit some art museums.

Cheapest alcohol in the country?

The Hoosier state. Lots of farmland and corn fields. A vast openness that tugs at ones inner desire to drink heavily and smoke whatever is around. Where hotels vie for customers by advertising their complementary "drink and social hour". And why not? Liquor is so readily available and affordable here. So much so that at the checkout aisles in stores where normally candy bars and gum reside there are combo packs of handles of bourbon coupled with two-liter coke for $12.99.

That's ridiculous. I wonder what the mean drinking age is around here.

It is confounding to think about how I've been getting ripped off all these years.
If I just had that money back.

I realize there are differences in the quality of alcoholic products in general. The "best value" I observed was a GALLON of vodka for $9.99!!!! What a deal. Now the higher end libations were more expensive but still far less expensive than back home.

Happy New Year!

The new year is upon us whether we like it or not. Resolutions are good on any day of the year as long as one really is sincere on changing habits. Just saying something aloud or writing it down won't make any significant change in my life.

These are my resolutions for this year.

1. Build a more meaningful relationship with my family and friends.
2. Write something everyday.
3. Stop being afraid of what people think.
4. Make better decisions when choosing what to eat.
5. Do some kind of quality physical activity everyday.

A short but sweet list I pray you good luck in 2012.

Miami

TRAFFIC:  Traffic is bad.  If one didn't have to drive anywhere here it might be the perfect place to experience.  Driving is laborous at best.  It takes an hour to get anywhere.  In my opinion there are too few interstates/elevated hiways to bypass the suburbs.  Signage is grossly lacking as unless you know where it is you'll never find it.  There are "islands of neighborhoods" surrounded by mall after mall after shopping complex.  Targets litter the streets.  Only 1 Wal-mart spotted.  In many areas stores are stacked on top of each other with parking decks.

HOMELESSNESS:  I suppose places like Miami are really geared towards the homeless.  There are multiple bridges/alleys to live under.  There are multiple ponds, lakes and streams to fish from.  Your never that far from the beach.  There are millions of resturaunts to eat out of dumpsters and there is always a corner on which to pan-handle.  I am impressed with the use of homeless to pass out flyers at intersections.  Someone has even provided them with yellow vests that display advertisements for local resturarants and law firms. 

FOLIAGE:  The presence of palms of various types are truely unforgettable.  The coconut palms and palmettos are ever present everywhere.  I really enjoy just looking around at all the landscaping and comparing it to the dullness of back home.  I suppose those here would like to see the leaves change colors but the constant threat of a coconut falling and killing you gives Miami a little edge that's hard to beat.

I think that I could live here given the financial freedom to not have to leave my home to work.

Message to Springfield:   Get ready for me.

Poem (11-12-2011)

"as i'm waiting to leave"

i've taken in the essence of you

the days have been quick-blurred

scenes have imprinted in me

the look and force of your sun

a mix is an understatement

lost to those who judge

soul is in abundance

a deeper love prevails

in me

Why David Allen Coe should have been a travel agent

(side note:  one of the best DAC songs ever!)

Rolled into Boston Late Friday night. The streets are laid out in a completely random ADD pattern that is confusing at best.   I absolutely love an urban environment.   Being able to walk to everything you need or catch the train to some other part of the city is very appealing to me.  Of course you are completely screwed if there is some sort of disaster or epidemic due to the concentration of people. You'd never see the zombies coming for you.

I really wish Birmingham could have that urban feel to it but its way too disconnected from reality to make that kind of commitment to being a better "city".   But, I digress.

Our friends took us just up the street to a tapas restaurant.  Life experiences like these help me break out of my shell.  The Chimay and Sangria helped that along I suppose.  I really wish I could tell you the different foods we tried, but it was all a blur, I remember lamb sausage, croquettes, muscles steamed in ginger and garlic, rare filet in some kind of gravy, sangria, no the best sangria ever and, oh yeah, tiramisu.

I can't wait to see the Harvard/Princeton Football Game today.  Should be fun.

roll tide!

Walking through Princeton Campus

It was about a 4 mile total hike from the hotel through campus and back, but the scenery and the company were top-notch.  I was a little surprised to see a mixture of architectural styles along our walk.  Buildings dating back hundreds of years next to relatively new construction.  It appeared they were building a new stadium along the way for whatever reason-quidditch perhaps.  The campus was also empty, in their defense it was 9 in the morning, but I though I'd at least see students walking around on their way to study or something. 

Our hotel is just next to the old Delaware Canal (seen below in 1934) which was used to move goods across the state.

To get to campus we crossed the canal and walked along the old "tow path" towards the Washington Road Bridge across Lake Carnegie (as in Andrew Carnegie, as in $$$$$$$)

The path was beautiful and reminded me of how life must have been like here years ago before pavement and hustle and bustle of life.

 

Crossing the Washington Road Bridge you get a good view of the lake and Princeton's boating facility.

 

Some Random Buildings and Statues from around Campus.

 

 

 

 

 

We eventually made it to the "main street" of Campus-- Nassau St.  There were tons of shops and cafes along the route.  There were much more people in this area of campus and it even got pretty crowded in areas. 

We saw many foreign tourists there and the funniest thing was these two asian gentlemen having way too much fun taking pictures of themselves holding a payphone receiver up to their heads.  I guess they don't teach microbiology where they are from.

Walking further down Nassau we came upon Michael Graves Design Group.  It was in a really busted house.  Below is a photo from target.com of a $10 toilet plunger designed by these people next to the house/business that may have designed it--really??



 

interesting. very interesting.

 

All in all I really enjoyed the campus.  I just hope that my children will be intellegent enough to attend, but grounded enough not to go.