June 1, 2008
travel is always fun

Shannon -> Limerick

let's see. first the woman who checks your boarding pass before you go through security was joking with her friend on whether or not she should let me through. i was there so early, i wasn't stressed out nor worried, however neither was i amused. then of course they had to go through my luggage, because in my frantic packing i had put my shampoo in my carryon. i apologized to the guy, because really i am sorry: my hair is going to be totally unmanageable until i get back to the states.

the flight was mostly uneventful. i'm pretty sure there was always some light visible through my window, or at least i could always see a glow on the horizon. as we began our initial descent, i thought i could see patches land below. looking more closely, this was actually little pockets of fog. when we did reach land, the fog continued, occasionally completely obscuring the ground.

as we approached the runway to land, the fog must have been pretty thick, because moments before we would have entered it, the engines accelerated and we started climbing again. apparently the pilot couldn't see the runway lights. we sat in a holding pattern for at least half an hour, perhaps an hour, before they tried again. if they missed it this time, we'd be diverted to dublin, which would be great for most of the people on board, but of course this time i have a hotel booking in limerick for a few days. however, i wouldn't mind taking an extra train trip from dublin to limerick, so i was hoping we didn't land.

now that i didn't want to land, of course we did, and the idiots in the back started clapping.

i tried to get money from an atm at the shannon airport, but they can't handle PINs with more than 4 or 6 digits. the airport also doesn't have any drinking fountains. i found a bus to limerick, where i wandered around for almost an hour before i found my hotel, waited for them to get a room ready (it was still only 9 or 10 in the morning), and took a nap.

June 2, 2008
limerick, day 1

Limerick

there is a church bell that rings 38 times at 9:44. i haven't the slightest.

i enjoy having a kindle. i read in people's park, which is quite lovely, if not a little small. there were lots of kids playing in the playground, and people walking about. it turns out today is a bank holiday here, which explains why so many shops are shuttered, and why the city is so deserted. at least, that's the explanation i'm hoping is correct. i'll find out tomorrow.

i read in the afternoon as it rained again for a while, and spent a few hours booking future travel plans. after dinner i mostly finished up the rest of my trip's travel, although the rail trip from holyhead to london remains unbooked. i tried several of the booking agents and they all managed to fail - either they didn't accept US zip codes, or the visa check failed (likely because they didn't present the address correctly). i should have enough time at the station after getting off the ferry to get tickets, though, so i'm not worried.

June 3, 2008
the morning in which i attempt to run

Limerick

since i took my long run on saturday, before my flight, i probably should have run monday. but i was not yet feeling that adventurous, and figured i'd be walking around the city enough that it wouldn't be too bad to skip another day.

today i was ready to run. my program said today was to be a track day, and after a bit of searching, i found the university of limerick has an outdoor track. it's about 3 miles away, which is a little longer than i'd like, but that was ok. there were two routes that i could see on google maps; one on a somewhat major road, and the other along a canal and the river. it's really difficult to tell what either would be like just from google maps, but on the nike+ site i found someone's route that went along the canal and river, and ended up at the track. perfect.

i went out, and for the most part the paths were excellent; restricted to bicycle and pedestrian. unfortunately, i never found the track (i was close!), and just ran back instead. it was a long enough run that i'm not worried about it. i'll probably do a shorter run along the path tomorrow morning before my train (if i can manage to wake up early enough).

June 3, 2008
i am not the live 95fm banker

Limerick

now that today wasn't a holiday, the city was much busier. it was nice having more people around. having dinner at a table by yourself in a full restaurant is one thing, but it's pretty ridiculous when you're the only person that doesn't work there.

after getting a muffin at a bakery, i was reading in a small park near king john's castle when two different people came up to me to ask if i was the live 95fm banker, maybe fifteen minutes apart. it was really strange the first time; i had no idea what she was talking about. she explained the whole thing to me, so i was much less surprised when the second person asked. i was hoping this would go on all day, but unfortunately those two were it. if only i had known about this thing when i first got here, i could have paid for this vacation using my in-depth knowledge of the city. that and the fact that he was probably the only other person walking around on sunday and monday.

in news news, i have been avoiding my regular internet news sites, and haven't watched any tv or anything, so i have no idea what is going on in the world. even if there was something newsworthy that everyone was talking about, i have not had much luck deciphering the local accent and would have no clue when merely overhearing. i guess the last of the primaries was today, and i (hopefully) won't find out about the results until i get back. i've resigned myself to the fact that this won't be the case, but it is fun imagining myself "losing" two weeks of the world.

it's 10 pm and it's still light out, but it's just not the same as paris. i am super glad i wrote the names of those places; i'll try to hit them up next week (________ that this trip is almost exactly three years after that one).

June 4, 2008
diesel trains are gross

Limerick -> Dublin

now this is more like ireland i remember: soaked during my run, soaked during my walk to the train stop, and drizzled on during my walk back from dinner.

the train ride was pleasant enough, but i was feeling tired and unadventurous this evening. after the early dinner, i stayed in and finished off nonzero (by the moral animal guy); it's truly sad because he goes on and on about all these great things about the world and civilizations, and then the one-two punch of 9/11 and the bush administration come along and ruin everything. fortunately he has a bunch of articles and essays on those things on his site that i will have to go read another time.

it's a little weird to be back in a large city, i find myself a little surprised at how much limerick had grown on me. there is way too much for me to do or see here that i have no chance of getting a good handle on it all, so i might spend some time at the zoo tomorrow. i can't tell if that's worthwhile or not; certainly some parts of this city are quite touristy, and the liffey, while a storied estuary, is no seine.

well the point of being in dublin is to see radiohead friday, so anything else i do is going to be a let down anyway.

my hotel is in a great location, as it is right by the light rail that brought me from the train station, the heavy rail that will take me to the radiohead show, and buses for the ferry to wales that i'll spend my saturday morning on. or if i just want to go home tomorrow, the bus to the airport is nearby, too.

i think this is why i picked this place (it certainly wasn't for the non-flushing toilet).

June 5, 2008
dublin, day 1

Dublin

i was far from the only person who thought of going to the zoo today. horde after horde of unruly school groups, each in their matching uniforms, were screaming from exhibit to exhibit. i have never seen such dreadful beasts in my entire life.

the zoo itself was ok. i don't recall any especially remarkable exhibits, but as a whole it wasn't bad. there was a heron perched above me, and i didn't know this about them, but both of their eyes can look down around their head. it makes sense.

all those animals made me hungry, so i found a fish & chips place. unfortunately, it was drizzling and i could find anywhere to eat (it was takeaway only), so by the time i got back to the hotel they had gotten a little cold. but it was still awesome. and they were not kidding about it being fish & chips - it was literally half a fish.

i went to another bakery and had an awesome raspberry scone, then became tired of the rain and went to see indiana jones. it was terrible.

since i had gotten an all-day luas pass, i decided to see some of the city and took it to the end of the line. it was quite a trip, but pretty enjoyable and comfortable.

June 6, 2008
radiohead: dublin 1

Dublin

the plan for today was to run along the liffey (there was about a mile of pedestrianized former-docks right near the hotel), then head back to the chipper and bakery from yesterday, then head over to the castle and wait in line for hours.

the chipper didn't open until 12, i had to stop back at the hotel to pick up (unnecessary) earplugs, and then i went exactly the wrong way out of the dart stop and promptly got considerably lost. fortunately the band was soundchecking, and i was able to follow the music to the entrance. but the result of all this was that i didn't get in line until about two or two-thirty (i think?) and was not, in fact, first (although the line was not long). however, the ground was wet, and it was sprinkling on and off. everyone around was either speaking italian or too musically pretentious even for me. that is to say, they like arcade fire. so i just read my kindle.

eventually they moved us to yet another pen, as the band did a second sound check. we stood there, packed like sardines, for an hour or two? eventually they let us in, and of course i get in the ticket checking queue where she needs the volume raised on her little palm pilot ticket scanner thing. but i ran (until the frightening security guards emphatically yelled not to) and was maybe 5 or 6 people deep, a little to the johnny of thom.

all that will be said of the opening band is that they somehow combined the worst of bjork with the worst of arcade fire. needless to say, they were a hit.

right before radiohead were due to come out, we got another brief rain shower, and then behind us formed a full rainbow, with almost a complete second arc. ok, i was excited.

unfortunately the show, for me, was only ok. i have a few theories for this:

1. i was tired
2. i'm seeing them five more times this summer, plus twice next week, so this show isn't "it" (this happens with jsb tours, too)
3. it just wasn't loud enough (often a problem with being so close to the front + center)
4. the setlist was a little blah (although it was cool to see a thom-only premiere!)
5. some songs were ruined by these two idiots who came pushing and shoving through the crowd but were not permitted past us. unfortunately, this meant that they stuck around where we were. i do not know what sort of drugs the one guy was on, but they were quite effective. eventually they got the hint that they should leave.
6. near the end of the first set, some large (when compared to gangly radiohead fans) irish guy in a black pink floyd t-shirt pushed through the crowd and started yelling at everyone to stop recording, and to put their cameras away. he then tried to take this one guy's camera, but it was strapped to his arm. he seemed a little too... "in your face" even for this group of security guys (most had at least one large scar on their face), and it became clear to everyone that he was in fact, not with security. he had a brief conversation with the security guys, and that seemed to satisfy them, but everyone pulled their cameras back out. he stuck around for a few more songs (although it was pretty obvious that he was not exactly a fan), but when the security guys seemed to come around looking for him, he slinked back into the crowd. i suppose he was trying to steal people's cameras or something?
7. joe and nat and ettore weren't around.

but oh well. reckoner was great, and of course being in dublin they played how to disappear, which is so great live, but they didn't play jigsaw (which they didn't play at either of the boston shows last time around), or planet telex...

there was a little bit of the rough stuff during my iron lung and paranoid android near the end. it occurrs to me that perhaps i am getting too old for this, and should just stay at home and listen to them on records.

oh and then i paid 2.50 euro for a cup of water. easy come, easy go.

but seriously, an ok radiohead show is better than anything else in the world.

June 7, 2008
so here we are (again)

Dublin -> Paris, via Holyhead & London (with add'l changes in Crewe, Birmingham, & Northampton)

well, i made it. it was quite an interesting and challenging journey, but i am perhaps too tired to write about it now. notable things that make travel fun:

1. i missed the bus to the ferry; had to take a 10 euro taxi to the terminal.
2. it was fortuitous that i had been unable to purchase the UK rail segments online, for i misunderstood their pricing, and would have paid 2x as much instead of just getting a return fare.
3. so, they are doing some rail maintenance in england so i had to take a "coach" from birmingham int'l to northampton. of course this will be done by my return trip, which i get to do direct london -> holyhead
4. there are two tube routes that go from euston to st pancras, and of course the one decided to take was shut down for construction. 50-50 chance on that.
5. dinner at the train station was something called a pasty? i entered under false pretenses thinking some sort of confections were to be had but it turned out pretty ok.
6. i could have made the 19:00 eurostar to paris if i wasn't an idiot.
7. when everyone at a metro stop goes for the elevator, even those without luggage or strollers, you should do that too. i lost count of how many flights of stairs i lugged my suitcases up. it is some sort of miracle that, at the last moment, i decided against lugging my guitar with me. i wish i had decided before the last moment, and given it to the movers, but see above wrt. idiocy.
8. i think the dublin westin was like 1800 euros a night, so i didn't even look at the prices here. i am staying at an awful comfort inn near sacre coeur ("no lift" was the advice from the doorman, with a laugh), but i am unable to complain. i am in paris.

two days, two more metro systems (dublin dart (they don't have one for luas there) and london underground) (plus the SF ones which i hadn't yet added):

-- metro.b3co.com

tomorrow: adventures. tonight: sleep.

June 8, 2008
paris, day 1

Paris

today was perhaps the most perfect day i could hope to imagine. i arose somewhat later than i had suspected, as i had not changed the timezone on my ipod (my phone has been off since i left). after navigating the diminutive shower, i was off for adventure.

there are a lot of small markets, cafes, and brasseries in the vicinity of my hotel, but i wanted to walk around a bit first. i didn't set out in any particular direction, but i assumed i'd eventually make my way to Ile de la Cite, Jardin du Luxembourg, or Champs-Elysees, where i ate exactly three years ago tonight.

i settled on a cafe with some open tables (but not by any means empty) overlooking a church (not the notre dame or anything). despite riding the metro last night, it was not until the first sip of my citron presse that i was really and truly in paris. first came some mozarella, tomatoes, and basil, which was lovely, and then my crepe super mixte - a crepe with some sort of cheese and ham mixed in, and a sunny-side-up egg on top. this was not how i expected the egg to arrive, and in my previous trips, this style of egg may have been unwanted, but as of the past few years it is in fact my preferred vehicle for egg delivery (providing phil's deviled eggs are not in the vicinity). it was all quite delicious, and soon after i continued my walk.

unfortunately, it was sunday again, so many shops &c. were closed, but i did find an open bakery and had a coffee flavoured eclair (i didn't know it was this flavor when i ordered it).

i continued to walk around, trying to not just stay on larger streets, but eventually made my way to the seine and notre dame and all that business. this was after much walking, and i could use another break, so i sat down at one of the little cafes in Jardin des Tuileries and had another citron presse. i would have had a crepe or some sorbet, but the waiter never came by again. which was perfectly fine as well, as it was nice to sit and read for a while.

i spent the rest of the afternoon walking around, sitting and reading a chapter or two, and trying to find an atm which can handle eight-digit PINs (of which i finally found one). finally, it was late enough for dinner, so i found my way over to chez Clément. it was getting a little chilly out, so there were ample free tables outside, which i'd prefer anyway.

i do not know the name of the dish i ordered for an appetizer, but it was a goat cheese something with tomato something. what arrived was unexpected: it almost looked like a little tart, consisting of (cold) roasted/grilled zucchini, peppers, mushrooms, and then the cheese, with a pleasant tomato sauce.

i believe it to have been good at the time, but it paled by comparison to the main course. i wish i had seen the french menu, but its english title was duck delight: one duck something, one duck leg, and one duck sausage, with some sauce and mashed potatoes. duck has become one of my favourite dishes, despite my previous troubles, but this was almost certainly the most delicious i have had. i could probably have this for every meal the rest of my life and not grow tired of it (although it's likely i'd soon need a larger belt).

the dessert was not extraordinary, but this was no time for regrets; the meal, and day, was already a success.

previous trips abroad, both with others and alone, had brought a lot of anxiety esp. wrt. eating and getting around, but today was completely relaxed and effortless; a real joy. it's only the first day here and already i'm wishing for another week here, or even not leaving at all. oh well.

a brief walk & metro trip and it's back at the hotel to rest up for more radiohead tomorrow. perfect.

June 9, 2008
radiohead: paris 1

Paris

i ended up back in the same square as yesterday for breakfast, and decided to try a different place. success! they had croque monsieur on the menu. i stumbled through ordering, and made do with tea to drink.

unfortunately, the croque monsieur was not the classic baguette that i remember; this was a grilled, open-faced variety. i ate it disappointingly.

after wandering around for a few hours, i decided it was perhaps time to check on the line for the show. i stopped in a little bakery to get some food for the line, and they had some baguette-based croques. but when it became clear that i didn't speak french, the woman made the other girl take my order, and it was clear she was not interested. this made me feel pretty bad, i don't know.

there was already a bit of a line when i got to the arena around 1 or 1:30. i sat down and started reading my kindle. it was terribly hot, and i didn't have any water or anything. somehow the hours passed, and we were let into the venue. i was way up front, possibly even closer than friday night, and again no pit.

the wait was excruitiating. it was hot, everyone was crammed in, i was thirsty, and wouldn't mind a trip to the bathroom. i decided that this just wasn't that much fun - tomorrow i wouldn't wait in line like this. i toughed it out for the opener, but since my mind was made up for tomorrow, i gave up my prime spot and headed to the concessions and restrooms.

it turns out that you can see well enough from the back of the floor, and in fact the sound is better than when you're up front. it's not as fun in that crazy sort of way, but then again you can move your arms around you without hitting people, and when they play the national anthem you can sneak off and get a drink without having to wait in line.

and exiting was a breeze. i think i was back in my hotel room, after riding two metro lines, in less time than it took to even get to the dart station in dublin.

as for the show, the first half was basically the same as dublin, but then morning bell, exit music, street spirit, like spinning plates, and finally open pick/jigsaw falling into place... a great show.

June 10, 2008
radiohead: paris 2

Paris

i was reading reviews and comments about last night's show, when i noticed some lint, or perhaps a feather, floating around in front of me. i blinked, and then it was gone. i realized immediately: magic smoke!

i quickly disconnected the power from my laptop, and turned it over, to see if the battery was on fire. it seemed fine, but a quick inspection of the power cable yielded the culprit: there were some melted bits about.

i found the address of what i thought was an apple store near montparnasse, and headed to the metro.

upon surfacing, i again did not look at a map, and again instinctively turned the wrong way, and wandered about for an hour or two. fortunately, i wandered into Jardin du Luxembourg and read a bit.

eventually, i found the "fnac" store - rather like a best buy. i eventually spotted the power bricks, and made my way to the checkout queue, with not a little dread; i was pretty sure they weren't going to speak any english. fortunately, credit card transactions aren't too complicated, and i was out without a hitch.

i stopped at a brasserie for some lunch, still apprehensive after yesterday's bakery incident, and, well, found the service a little wanting. the food was ok, though, and quite welcome after not having dinner last night and walking around all morning looking for the apple store.

it was the afternoon, so i was a little tired, so went back to the hotel for a little nap. after i went out to walk around and try to find dinner before the show. i was really feeling out of it, though, and sat down at a brasserie only to be told they were only serving drinks. well, this did it, and i ended up just getting some orangine & fanta, some chocolate, and bread. it was quite good and filled me up, and then i went to the venue.

it was right around 8 pm, when bat for lashes was likely just going on, and there was still quite a line out. i sat down and read for a while, until the line finally settled down around 9, which was about when i was planning on going in. eighteen minutes later, radiohead went on.

i was in the back again, relaxed, and enjoying my last show for quite some time. the best set list so far, with airbag, pyramid song, dollars and cents, how to disappear, super collider, jigsaw... during the second encore, two people to my left were screaming out in terribly english for karma police and idiotque; they played them both.

again, in the hotel after the show in 30 minutes.

June 11, 2008
the super metro trip

Paris

it's worth getting a nike+ account just for the access to its running route library. almost anywhere in the world, you can find a route that someone else enjoys running enough to spend the effort of entering it in. i settled on this route. it was fine, although the diesel exhaust and cigarette smoke is getting a bit old.

today's goal was to ride all of the metro and tram lines. here was my route (it's easiest to see with the "terrain" view). i didn't quite hit all of them on that trip, but i picked up the last two on the ways to and from dinner.

highlights of the trip were stopping by the tour eiffel (well, that's not really a highlight, just something i did) and the T2 and T3 lines. the T1 is much older than these new lines, and goes through a less wealthy suburbanish area, notably near some hospitals. there were some young children with some awful coughs on my packed tram, and i'm sure i will catch some horrible disease from this trip. this tram ride was slow, long, and the car squeaked horribly when turning.

the T2 and T3 lines are very new trams, not unlike the luas, and were a joy to ride on. the T2 takes wealthy la defense workers to the RER line (no coughing children here) following the river on a dedicated right of way.

lunch was back to the place i ate at the first day, but instead of the crepe i ordered they brought me an omelette with cheese and ham (but no egg on top, i guess because an omelette already has egg in it). i am not a big omelette fan, but this was a great omelette.

dinner was at the fabulous le train bleu. initially, i was worried that i was not quite dressed up enough for it, but my fears were not warranted. to start, i ordered an asparagus, mango, and lobster salad.

or at least i thought it was a salad.

what was soon placed on my table was a small glass, a shot glass, with some greenish mousse-like thing. this is what i ordered? €34 for one ounce of mousse? ok, i better take this slow, and enjoy it.

i thought i could taste the asparagus, and some lobster, but the mango was nowhere to be found. it was good, i guess, although not quite worth €34. i consoled myself with the thought that at least i'd get a funny web post out of this.

then the waiter brought me my salad.

i still don't know what that first thing was - it wasn't on my bill, and i couldn't find anything about it on the menu. i have no idea what was in it; i just hope it's not some practical joke the kitchen plays on americans.

the main course was some sort of lamb thing. it was pretty good, although i may have enjoyed watching the waiters make tableside beef tartar for the other tables more.

dessert was fabulous: framboises sur sable choco-sel, sorbet framboise (raspberries on a chocolate shortbread, raspberry sorbet). i briefly considered ordering a second one, but decided just to sit around a while and enjoy being in paris.

June 12, 2008
paris, the last night

Paris

picked up a proper baguette-croque at the bakery by my hotel, just perfect. since i'd been reading a tale of two cities, i decided to check out some of the neighborhoods mentioned in the book. i took the metro down to bastille, and walked around. this morning was cold, and a little rainy, so i couldn't stop anywhere to read, but i wish i had spent more time in this neighborhood. maybe the next trip.

i ended up in the little park near the nation stop, watching some amazing clouds roll in and fly overhead. eventually, i decided it was just too cold, and headed back to the hotel for my sweatshirt. when i got out, it was really warm and sunny, so i walked up to sacre coeur. this is what i'm talking about.

dinner at la coupole, of course. i toughed it out with the french menus this time, and managed to order something not unlike a beef kebab. i didn't know it was going to be like that, because they didn't call it a beef kebob, but that's ok. i almost ordered something else, until i my spanish class memory kicked in, and i recognized pieds. people at the tables to the left and right of me ordered that, and i'm glad i didn't.

in retrospect i wish i had switched these evenings, as la coupole was a bit of a let down after le train bleu, but it was still a lovely way to end the non-travel part of my trip.

June 13, 2008
the traveling

Paris -> Holyhead, via London

two more croque baguettes, one to eat up at sacre coeur and one to save for later. in the afternoon a crepe with confiture de lait, since i had never heard of that before. then, the travel begins.

the first leg was back through the chunnel to london, and then another to holyhead, this time without any transfers. the trips were uneventful, as train rides are wont to be.

i have a three hour wait until the 2:40 am ferry.

June 14, 2008
life changes, vol. III

Holyhead -> San Francisco, via Dublin

so i've decided to move to san francisco. while the actual decision to do this was pretty quick, it's something i've been kicking around for a while. as someone who can't, or at least won't, drive, the living options in this country are somewhat limited. given that i hate new york and was already living in boston, even moreso. plus, i have a bunch of friends there already, with seemingly more moving there every month.

but to get there i have to first endure a three hour ferry across the irish sea, and then an 11-hour flight. this is a ridiculous amount of time to spend in an airplane, but i've been in cars for even longer trips. i don't know, it's still dumb.

that plane must have been full of fuel. i have never been in an airplane that accelerated so slowly during takeoff. otherwise, it was a boring flight. i can't believe i made it through without losing my sanity.

there was a brief moment of excitement, though. we were coming in for a landing, at one- or two-thousand feet, and then they kicked up the throttle, and pulled up, just like the landing in shannon. i looked out, and saw a southwest jet going across our path, and another plane nearby as well. the pilot came over the PA saying ATC put them a little close to some other traffic, and we circled around for another approach.

i dropped my bags off at a friend's, then met up with him at dolores park. had i really just moved here? i don't have an apartment. i have two suitcases and a backpack. wait, i've done this before.

June 15, 2008
i've never called another timezone home

since i no longer live on the boston marathon course, i'm unsure of the distances, but i ran for three hours, more or less. this city certainly has some great views, like that of downtown from marine drive near crissy field.

went on my first trip over the golden gate bridge over to san rafael. we had dinner at a puerto rican place. it was good, but it was no match for my grandma's cooking.

June 16, 2008
life changes, vol. IV

today i started my new job at VMware, Inc.! although i'll be working from their awesome downtown office, i spent most of today in palo alto at new hire orientation. i felt a little old, as many of the people also starting today were interns. they were talking about schools and exams, and that time feels so very long, long ago. i can barely remember any of it.

June 22, 2008
today i ran to the ocean

awesome.

June 25, 2008
life changes, vol. V: the final chapter

well, i did it: my days of being homeless are now behind me. i'm currently sitting on an inflatable mattress in my new apartment in SF. while i looked at a few places the last time i was here in... april, this was the first place i looked at since arriving for good. it's not the ideal place i was imagining, but there are some nice things about it (right next to golden gate park (and its track), hardwood floors, and it's on some 24-hour (electric) bus routes. also, there are three bicycle shops along the short walk from here to the nearest muni stop.

i'm sure it'll feel like home in no time once my stuff gets here.

i'm still a little unsure of what to make of my time in boston. the woman who was "helping" me when i was looking at towels and pillows and stuff asked where i was moving from, and then said something about being a bostonian. i certainly never felt like one; how long does it take? am i going to feel like a san franciscan? i don't really see that happening; when i walk around i'm constantly imagining some terrible earthquake, and i imagine that to be a san franciscan that sort of thing shouldn't faze you.

anyway, today has been a long day so i am going to sleep.

June 26, 2008
the kindness of strangers (yet again)

against all intuition, i've decided to go with comcast for internets. but shame on me if i'm gonna let them make any money off of renting me a cable modem. i was going to take the muni home, but decided to take a new bus line to a best buy nearish my apartment instead. i ordered it over the internet before i left, and figured it would be ready on time. i had change from lunch for bus fare, so headed out for an adventure.

except that i left the change for the bus on my desk. i don't have the thing that lets me in after 6:30, but i did have another dollar, so i'd just have to eat that fifty cents. lesson learned.

the bus finally came, and as i'm getting ready to board, a non-crazy guy asked if anyone had change for a five. i said i had a dollar, and he offered to trade me his $5 for it (ok, maybe he was a little crazy), but i said nah just take it. i boarded the bus and sat down in the back, because that's how you get good stories about crazy people.

so the guy sits down behind me, and hands me my dollar back. since i had put in $2, my extra $.50 counted towards his fare, and so, yeah. he introduced himself, saying his name was jacob. he does computer stuff and plays guitar a little bit.

my best buy experience was as awful as i had imagined. i need to find somewhere to eat.

June 29, 2008
torn

post-consumerism is annoying. i feel like supporting some local credit union would be a good thing to do, but ing's checking account beats the pants off the one i was looking at. with a $50k account, ing's interest rate is higher than their savings account, or even icu's checking. honestly, like i don't already know what i'm going to choose. at least i'm going to (try to) do groceries at the nearby mom-and-pop corner market...

i went mattress shopping for the first time in my life yesterday. first, i went to a mattress store and it was super shady. they guy was willing to match any price i named, but only if i got it this weekend, because monday was their new month and he'd need approval from some of his uppers. i had forgotten to take my notepad with me, so i asked him to write down the stuff about the bed, and he said he couldn't write down the low price. i could smell the desperation his breath, though.

(when i was getting sheets and pillows at nordstrom's the other day the saleswoman said their westin mattresses were going to be 25% off - although not the $200 delivery fee, and would still be 4-6 weeks)

anyway i walked around a bit then went home to do a little research. i thought it was basically the bed i wanted, and about as much as i figured on spending, but wanted to see what others were selling it for. instead, i found page after page detailing the dark, putrid underbelly of the mattress industry. probably the best of them was on slate (thanks, awesomebar!). while i'm not sure how serious they were about putting the mattress on the floor, the rest seemed like decent enough advice. with this in mind, i set out anew to macy's, of all places.

now, an aside: you're not allowed to have food or beverages on the buses here, but apparently they make an exception if the food is rotting in a trash bag. not only that, but it was blocking the aisle, which has to be some sort of safety violation.

for some reason, the salespeople at macy's left me alone for the most part. they kicked me off one bed that i'd been on for a while, because someone else wanted to try it, not entirely unreasonable. they didn't try to push me into picking one nor did they hover over me. i talked with my friend phil who was at some airport, since i haven't talked to him in a long time. eventually i decided that they were all pretty comfortable, so i just got the cheapest simmons they had. i think it was $200 less than at that other place. i went and asked the sales guys who wanted to make their easiest commission of the day, and was soon on my way home to begin the last five nights on the air mattress.

incidentally, while on the phone with phil, i/we came up with the idea of a mattress store that does double-blind mattress testing. you get to go in a room, and sleep on a sheeted mattress, and the people behind the scenes do some sort of binary search or something to find a few you like. then, you can find out their prices, and pick the one you want. i would love to destroy the industry like that, but i don't really have any interest in actually running a store. maybe it's time to start working on sim mattress salesman tycoon?

i ran about 26 or 27 miles this morning, and am feeling pretty ok. mango gatorade is pretty tasty stuff.

June 30, 2008
i liked me better before i sold out

so, last week i ordered me some comcast. they gave me a 9am to 11am window. here is how it went down:

9:00 I am sitting in my apartment, ready for the cable guy!
10:55 My phone rings. Cable guy is heading over; it'll take about 30-45 minutes.
11:05 I do some research on the internet, and discover comcast's on-time guarantee.*
11:10 Comcast phone rep says i should see a credit for the $100 install (!!!) on my next statement.
11:15 Cable guy shows up.
11:25 After doing who-knows-what in the basement, he comes up and says it should be working. It isn't working right away. He goes downstairs to get a modem out of his truck, and by the time he gets back the modem has a link.
11:30 After closing my firefox and system preferences, he can't figure out how to open safari (i wish i could have seen phil's face had it been his firefox that was closed). The guy is trying to type one-handed, and is fat-fingering everything. he stumbles through the wizard and i create my comcast.net account.
11:35 The wizard thing starts spewing javascript errors. We close it, and cannot get past that point in subsequent attempts. All urls are redirected to some comcast setup page (he determines this by randomly selecting a link from my history), which tries to download a .dmg image. that returns a 403 error, but of course he didn't figure that out.
11:40 I figure up Vista in a VM (should have done that in the first place), but we basically get the same results. Tech support is having problems, i don't know.
11:55 He gives up and says I should call later today or something. I sign a piece of paper that says i am satisfied with the work done, even though it is clear that i am not.
12:00 I click on the "For Technicians" link on the redirect page, and start its stupid wizard.
12:05 I am on the internet.

* GUARANTEE MAY NOT BE AN ACTUAL GUARANTEE

this was actually the first time i was home for a cable modem install, but i have learned some valuble lessons, such as do not let them touch your computer. i just rued again.

in other news, people in wheelchairs were on both of my commutes today. i guess that's what happens when you live next to a hospital.