It's a love-hate relationship

Ariel, I maintain my position that your blog does not like me. It sabotages me. It makes me jump through ridiculous hoops. It drives me crazy. I try to post, it gives me errors. I try to comment, my words disappear. I try to sign in, it tells me it can't remember who I am! And yet, I keep coming back. What lies has this blog been told about me?

Around the world

40 days from now I'll be sitting in the exact place I am now, although for a different reason. (I'm sitting in the DFW Terminal D Admirals Club, runway side, next to the windows).

My company is sending me on a 19 day around the world trip -- London, Krakow, Prague, Dusseldorf, Bangalore, Pune, Kuala Lumpur, and Tokyo (with other sundry stops in between).



In some respects, it's exciting, because I've never done anything like this. I'll tick off four more countries and 8 new cities around the globe. But, I'm going to be apart from my beautiful wife for 19 days, and when I return I'll either be insane or nearly dead (more than likely, a bit of both). The cool part is I'll see Eastern Europe for the first time, and I'll be in a Muslim-majority country for the first time. Oh, and I'll see Jeremy and probably drink too many awamori's with him in Tokyo.

Anyways, out of the next 8 weeks, I'm on the road for 6. Yipee.

Check this out

As requested by Lindsey, a post to make you smile. Check out the Olympics video on my friend's blog, here:
http://patience-please.blogspot.com/
I looooove the upside-down split!

And on a less cheerful note, you all suck for living more than 5 minutes away from me. I need to borrow someone's husband so i can have a date for a wedding next month. Thanks to 1 wedding i was in and 2 that were kindly arranged to be held during an oh-so-rare period of boyfriend-having, this will be the first time i'll be attending alone. Though probably not the last! Where is Peaches when i need him?

Bananas

Some news for those of you who knew him, for those who helped me chase the chipmunks he brought home, for those who juggled him. After nearly 16 years of a well-traveled life, Bananas was put to sleep yesterday. He was aging, but feisty until a month or so ago when his kidney disease began to worsen. He was loved by many and was a constant friend. He is already tremendously missed here. Sorry for the downer of a post, but I thought some of his old friends might want to know. Someone else please post something happy soon.

Well, that sucked

So I was taking a stroll through Google Maps today. As a dumb game, I like to test myself to see if I can still navigate to some place by just looking at a map -- even when I've only taken a cab there before and never paid attention to a map in the process. I was trying to see how close I could get to Mr. Banzhaf's house in Sugamo (200 feet, close enough to find what I'm looking for, in case you are wondering), and I realized that there is a Google Street View of his house. With one click of the button, I was there staring lovingly at his quaint mailbox again.

Anyways, I figured I'd find the rest of the Font of Nothing crew. Zip, nada. Not one of the remainder (whose homes I have been to) are on Google Street View. We are; but the Purdue contingent's Street View stops about 1000 feet before you are at casa Madden. Levittown doesn't even exist, nor does Norristown.

I guess this post is more about what total lack of coolness I have, and what a nerd I am.

August at West Hill Lake

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KIALHHTDfQ

Last weekend we took Penny to her Great-Aunt Sue's house on West Hill Lake in New Hartford. This was her first experience at a lake, on a canoe, and swimming with mommy. Unfortunately, when Grandma visited on Saturday it rained in the afternoon, so we sat around as Penny entertained us by climbing into and out of the chair. This video is of a proud moment of hers, climbing into the chair and asking if we all saw what she did. She only says a few words, let alone any sentences yet, but the look on her face and what she says is priceless.

Festivals

It's festival season here, and much of the population of Tokyo is breaking out its yukatas and jinbei, buying all the beer and snacks it can carry, and braving the vindictive humidity and humorously long lines to sit in crowds of many tens of thousands enjoying the fireworks/shrine floats/excuse for beer. I've cleverly been avoiding the 2-hour lines to the trains by bicycling an hour each way, although that doesn't do much for the heat.

Andrew may look all tough with the insanely more grueling PMC, but try doing that in geta through crowds of drunk people.