Vanessa at Shakespeare's birthplace
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Friday, December 31, 2004
Europe Day 5 London to Brussels (Belgium) to Neuss (Germany)
I’m on the Eurostar train going 175 mph as I write this, but let me tell you about my uneventful morning first. We woke up at 5:00 this morning, or at least that’s when the alarm went off. After some lat minute packing we checked out of the hotel, made our way to the tube, and headed toward Waterloo Station. We made it there with minutes to spare, and jumped on the train. The seats on the train are very similar to an airline. After maybe an hour of going normal speeds (under 75 mph) we entered the Chunnel. My GPS kicked in just a couple of minutes before we went in, but has been working fine ever since.
Vanessa slept all of the way through the Chunnel, and with only minutes before we leave France, she will have slept all of the way through France as well. She did wake up for about 45 seconds to tell me that it was “cool” we were on a train going so fast, but I know she just said it for my benefit. In another 45 minutes we should be getting off of this train and eating lunch somewhere near the station in Brussels.
It took us while to get our bearings at the train station in Brussels. Once we realized there was only one ATM in the entire station (big station) we headed over there. Most of Europe uses the same currency now (the Euro). In England they still use the British Pound. We left England with only 6 Pounds (about $11.00), which was really good planning. The best way to get currency when you travel is through ATM’s. If you exchange real money, then they charge you extra or give you a bad rate. Once we had money, we were ready to eat. Vanessa found a place that served sandwiches, so we go a couple to go. They had a nice enclosed waiting area that we ate in and took the things out of our luggage we would need for the next train.
This time we are traveling in first class. It is included on our Europass (except for a small reservation fee for the high-speed train. Fist class is nice because the seats electronically recline, they have an electric outlet (my laptop needed recharging), and you get a small meal with a drink. The seats are also wider and provide a little more legroom. Although this is a high-speed train, we only went full speed for a short time. The rest of the time we have been traveling through small towns and tunnels at round 60 mph. We just crossed the border into Germany and have stopped in the town of Aachen.
Our next stop will be Cologne, where we will call my friend Sebastian. I’m not sure if he is meeting us in Cologne, or if we are taking the train to Neuss (about 30 minutes north), where he lives. The ground outside the train is covered in snow. I am looking forward o seeing old friends and relaxing for a couple of days. I am also looking forward to finding internet access where I can upload the first five days of our trip to my blog. J
Once we arrived in Cologne, I was happy. Everyone around me was speaking German, and I understood most of it. We didn’t see Sebastian, but it a large train station. We set off to find a bathroom and a payphone. Vanessa had some trouble with the bathroom, because it was a pay toilet. All she had was large bills, so I had to ask for change. Once that was taken care of, we set off to find a payphone. We tried calling Sebastian for 20 minutes, but to no avail. For the most part we kept getting error messages, but I couldn’t understand the recording. After a while we decided to catch the next train to Neuss (the city where Sebastian lives).
Once we arrived in Neuss, I was ecstatic. I knew exactly where I was and Vanessa and I walked to Sebastian’s’ parent’s (Mr. And Mrs. Rosen) store. They have a nice hair salon in the heart of the city. When we entered the store I saw Mr. Rosen and my old English teacher, Mr. Bertram. Mr. Bertam was my English teacher when I went to school in Germany. I still remember he gave me a “B” on a paper I turned in. I wrote three times as much as anyone else, but I used the word “inferior” instead of “superior”.
Sebastian’s dad told me (in German), that Sebastian was in Cologne, and he was there to meet us and show us around. Oops. They reached Sebastian on the cell phone and I explained the mistake. Quick note… Sebastian’s parents do not speak any English, nor does his grandmother. So, anytime I am explaining something they said, the conversation will be in German. Whenever I talk with Sebastian it is mostly in English, so Vanessa can understand (Vanessa does not speak German). When we are all together we speak in both and Sebastian or I translate to Vanessa or his parents. Got it?
Anyway, it was going to take Sebastian about an hour to get back to Neuss, so Mr. Rosen took Vanessa and I back to their house (about 10 minutes away). I learned we would be sleeping at there house, which is where I lived when I went to school in Germany. Sebastian has a small apartment over the hair salon. Sebastian’s dad brought us into the house and immediately started bringing out a platter of cookies and crackers, tea, and offering all kinds of food. We had a strained conversation for about an hour. You know how it is when you have nothing to say? Try doing that in another language for an hour. After an hour the doorbell rang and I was so happy that Sebastian was there, but it was actually Sebastian’s sister, husband, and three kids. They were only there for about 5 minutes, before they had to leave, but by listening to the conversation between Mr. Rosen and Sebastian’s sister, I learned Sebastian was not coming to the house, but that we would be leaving in about an hour to meet him, and many others at the salon, where we would then go out for dinner.
After that, Mr. Rosen disappeared for about 30 minutes. I figured he was hiding from us, but once he came back it was apparent that he had changed into a jacket and tie for dinner. Oops. I had a feeling that might happen, so I told him that Vanessa and I had to change and that we would be back in 10 minutes. We rushed downstairs and changed into some nicer clothes.
We drove to the salon and as we pulled up I saw Sebastian. Mr. Rosen parked on the sidewalk (no this is not allowed) and we all got out and greeted each other. Within minutes, Mrs. Rosen, Mr. Rosen, Sebastian, and his grandmother were all ready to get into the car. One problem, it is a hatchback and only fits 5. So, Mr. Rosen drove, I was in the passenger seat (because I am so tall), Mrs. Rosen, grandma, and Vanessa were in the backseat, and Sebastian crouched behind the backseat (he is 31 years old).
We went to the Skihalle, which is actually pretty cool. It is a huge indoor skiing park. The slope is almost ½ mile long and maybe 50 yards wide. It is all build on a giant ramp. It’s too hard to explain, so you should check out the internet site to get an idea. Upstairs they had a nice restaurant. After a stein of beer, we headed upstairs for dinner. We had to wait a bit for Mr. Bertram (the English teacher), Sebastian’s sister, and her husband to join us. We had a great time and the food was fantastic. Vanessa tried two beers, but only ended up drinking a little (maybe one stein total). Sebastian and I had about 5 steins of beer, plus a shot of something really strong. I was drunk.
We were at the restaurant for a good 3 hours. On the way out of the restaurant Sebastian and his sisters husband approached Vanessa and I and Sebastian said, “We have a rubber made”. What? Sebastian’s English is normally really god, but he actually meant to say, “We made a robbery”. They had swiped the beer steins for us as souvenirs. The sisters’ husband thought his mistake was hilarious (even more so when Sebastian pulled a rubber out of his wallet).
On the drive back to the Rosen’s house it was just Mr. And Mrs. Rosen, Vanessa, and me. Fortunately, my German is 10 times better when I’m drunk. Unfortunately, I was so drunk that everything was spinning. That stopped after a couple of miles, and I was able to impress the Rosen’s (and myself) with my use of the German language and my ability to remember where everything in town was. One we got back to their house we sat in the living room for a little bit. The framed print I had mailed arrived earlier in the day so they opened it. They were very happy and said I had done too much. If I only had the time to tell you everything they have done for me in the past. I could never do enough to thank them.
After some small talk Dad brought out the Uzo. This stuff is deadly. I told Vanessa this moment would come. For those of you who don’t know, Uzo is super-strong liquor from Greece and it tastes like licorice. Vanessa hates the taste of licorice, but she was polite enough to do the shot. Afterwards, she promptly washed it down with water.
That’s enough writing for one day! After that we went to bed. Long day.
Vanessa slept all of the way through the Chunnel, and with only minutes before we leave France, she will have slept all of the way through France as well. She did wake up for about 45 seconds to tell me that it was “cool” we were on a train going so fast, but I know she just said it for my benefit. In another 45 minutes we should be getting off of this train and eating lunch somewhere near the station in Brussels.
It took us while to get our bearings at the train station in Brussels. Once we realized there was only one ATM in the entire station (big station) we headed over there. Most of Europe uses the same currency now (the Euro). In England they still use the British Pound. We left England with only 6 Pounds (about $11.00), which was really good planning. The best way to get currency when you travel is through ATM’s. If you exchange real money, then they charge you extra or give you a bad rate. Once we had money, we were ready to eat. Vanessa found a place that served sandwiches, so we go a couple to go. They had a nice enclosed waiting area that we ate in and took the things out of our luggage we would need for the next train.
This time we are traveling in first class. It is included on our Europass (except for a small reservation fee for the high-speed train. Fist class is nice because the seats electronically recline, they have an electric outlet (my laptop needed recharging), and you get a small meal with a drink. The seats are also wider and provide a little more legroom. Although this is a high-speed train, we only went full speed for a short time. The rest of the time we have been traveling through small towns and tunnels at round 60 mph. We just crossed the border into Germany and have stopped in the town of Aachen.
Our next stop will be Cologne, where we will call my friend Sebastian. I’m not sure if he is meeting us in Cologne, or if we are taking the train to Neuss (about 30 minutes north), where he lives. The ground outside the train is covered in snow. I am looking forward o seeing old friends and relaxing for a couple of days. I am also looking forward to finding internet access where I can upload the first five days of our trip to my blog. J
Once we arrived in Cologne, I was happy. Everyone around me was speaking German, and I understood most of it. We didn’t see Sebastian, but it a large train station. We set off to find a bathroom and a payphone. Vanessa had some trouble with the bathroom, because it was a pay toilet. All she had was large bills, so I had to ask for change. Once that was taken care of, we set off to find a payphone. We tried calling Sebastian for 20 minutes, but to no avail. For the most part we kept getting error messages, but I couldn’t understand the recording. After a while we decided to catch the next train to Neuss (the city where Sebastian lives).
Once we arrived in Neuss, I was ecstatic. I knew exactly where I was and Vanessa and I walked to Sebastian’s’ parent’s (Mr. And Mrs. Rosen) store. They have a nice hair salon in the heart of the city. When we entered the store I saw Mr. Rosen and my old English teacher, Mr. Bertram. Mr. Bertam was my English teacher when I went to school in Germany. I still remember he gave me a “B” on a paper I turned in. I wrote three times as much as anyone else, but I used the word “inferior” instead of “superior”.
Sebastian’s dad told me (in German), that Sebastian was in Cologne, and he was there to meet us and show us around. Oops. They reached Sebastian on the cell phone and I explained the mistake. Quick note… Sebastian’s parents do not speak any English, nor does his grandmother. So, anytime I am explaining something they said, the conversation will be in German. Whenever I talk with Sebastian it is mostly in English, so Vanessa can understand (Vanessa does not speak German). When we are all together we speak in both and Sebastian or I translate to Vanessa or his parents. Got it?
Anyway, it was going to take Sebastian about an hour to get back to Neuss, so Mr. Rosen took Vanessa and I back to their house (about 10 minutes away). I learned we would be sleeping at there house, which is where I lived when I went to school in Germany. Sebastian has a small apartment over the hair salon. Sebastian’s dad brought us into the house and immediately started bringing out a platter of cookies and crackers, tea, and offering all kinds of food. We had a strained conversation for about an hour. You know how it is when you have nothing to say? Try doing that in another language for an hour. After an hour the doorbell rang and I was so happy that Sebastian was there, but it was actually Sebastian’s sister, husband, and three kids. They were only there for about 5 minutes, before they had to leave, but by listening to the conversation between Mr. Rosen and Sebastian’s sister, I learned Sebastian was not coming to the house, but that we would be leaving in about an hour to meet him, and many others at the salon, where we would then go out for dinner.
After that, Mr. Rosen disappeared for about 30 minutes. I figured he was hiding from us, but once he came back it was apparent that he had changed into a jacket and tie for dinner. Oops. I had a feeling that might happen, so I told him that Vanessa and I had to change and that we would be back in 10 minutes. We rushed downstairs and changed into some nicer clothes.
We drove to the salon and as we pulled up I saw Sebastian. Mr. Rosen parked on the sidewalk (no this is not allowed) and we all got out and greeted each other. Within minutes, Mrs. Rosen, Mr. Rosen, Sebastian, and his grandmother were all ready to get into the car. One problem, it is a hatchback and only fits 5. So, Mr. Rosen drove, I was in the passenger seat (because I am so tall), Mrs. Rosen, grandma, and Vanessa were in the backseat, and Sebastian crouched behind the backseat (he is 31 years old).
We went to the Skihalle, which is actually pretty cool. It is a huge indoor skiing park. The slope is almost ½ mile long and maybe 50 yards wide. It is all build on a giant ramp. It’s too hard to explain, so you should check out the internet site to get an idea. Upstairs they had a nice restaurant. After a stein of beer, we headed upstairs for dinner. We had to wait a bit for Mr. Bertram (the English teacher), Sebastian’s sister, and her husband to join us. We had a great time and the food was fantastic. Vanessa tried two beers, but only ended up drinking a little (maybe one stein total). Sebastian and I had about 5 steins of beer, plus a shot of something really strong. I was drunk.
We were at the restaurant for a good 3 hours. On the way out of the restaurant Sebastian and his sisters husband approached Vanessa and I and Sebastian said, “We have a rubber made”. What? Sebastian’s English is normally really god, but he actually meant to say, “We made a robbery”. They had swiped the beer steins for us as souvenirs. The sisters’ husband thought his mistake was hilarious (even more so when Sebastian pulled a rubber out of his wallet).
On the drive back to the Rosen’s house it was just Mr. And Mrs. Rosen, Vanessa, and me. Fortunately, my German is 10 times better when I’m drunk. Unfortunately, I was so drunk that everything was spinning. That stopped after a couple of miles, and I was able to impress the Rosen’s (and myself) with my use of the German language and my ability to remember where everything in town was. One we got back to their house we sat in the living room for a little bit. The framed print I had mailed arrived earlier in the day so they opened it. They were very happy and said I had done too much. If I only had the time to tell you everything they have done for me in the past. I could never do enough to thank them.
After some small talk Dad brought out the Uzo. This stuff is deadly. I told Vanessa this moment would come. For those of you who don’t know, Uzo is super-strong liquor from Greece and it tastes like licorice. Vanessa hates the taste of licorice, but she was polite enough to do the shot. Afterwards, she promptly washed it down with water.
That’s enough writing for one day! After that we went to bed. Long day.
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3:24 AM
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Europe Day 4 – Stratford upon Avon
Vanessa and I woke up early this morning (6:00 am). We needed to walk about a ½ mile to the train station so we could catch the train to Stratford upon Avon. Stratford upon Avon is Shakespeare’s birthplace and where he is buried. Once we arrived at the train station we spoke to the lady at the ticket window, which is when we discovered the train no longer left out of this station, but instead went out of a station nearby. We jumped on the tube (no jokes please) to get to the proper station. We arrived with about 30 minutes to spare. The train is comfortable and moves fairly fast, 75 mph according to my GPS). Unfortunately it stops quite often, so it will take about 2 ½ hours to go the 100 miles.
I am a little frustrated with my GPS set-up. The United States mapping software works perfectly. The Europe mapping software detects the GPS sensor is attached, but it is not relaying any of the information. So far I am using a combination of the two. The US mapping shows Europe, but without any detail. I am hoping to have this figured out before we need to drive in Germany. It will still be okay, but it will be much easier with the GPS.
We spent the day walking around Stratford upon Avon. It was a nice sunny day and it’s a really nice town. We visited Shakespeare birthplace, his daughter’s house and his granddaughter’s house. It was about as exciting as it sounds. We were disappointed when we reached the church he is buried in. They were closed. Everyone else around us seemed a little upset as well. We didn’t have time to pout, because we had a tour of the Royal Shakespeare Company starting soon. The tour was pretty good and allowed us to go into the theatre, backstage, and on the stage of two Shakespeare theatres that are back to back (share the same backstage).
After the tour we were starving. It was 2:30 pm and we hadn’t eaten lunch. We walked down one of the streets until we found a little French restaurant. I had a Steak sandwich on a baguette with a glass of wine. Vanessa had French Onion Soup (the best she had ever had, with the best cappuccino she had ever had. The garlic bread sticks weren’t that great. Afterward we ordered Crepe Suzette for desert. It was a crepe with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top and covered with an orange sauce and some slices of orange on the sides. Damn good!
When we left we only had about 10 minutes before the train left (oops!). We walked as fast as we could. We couldn’t see the train ant the station, but trains in Europe are always on time. Exhausted and with our lungs burning we entered the train station. I was about 30 feet in front of Vanessa. Sure enough, the train was there, but on a different set of tracks. I ran up the stairs to cross to the other side of the tracks. The train was already loaded and only two doors remained open. I stood in the doorway hoping they wouldn’t close the door with me standing there. Vanessa appeared and we both jumped onto the train. We collapsed in our seats and the train pulled away. Close one. If we would have missed the train, there was another one leaving two hours. It was a two hour ride back on the train. Vanessa and I watched the movie Dodgeball on the laptop to pass the time after playing cards for a while. There is a part in the movie when a kid gets hit in the head with a wrench. Vanessa hadn’t seen the commercial, so she started laughing hysterically. Everyone in the train turned around to see what was going on (we had our headsets on so they couldn’t hear). Watching her laugh made me start laughing and my laughing made her laugh even harder. We were both crying. After about two minutes of this we settled down again.
After going back to the hotel we went downstairs to get dinner. I had a Hawaiian pizza and Vanessa had some Penne Pasta with pesto sauce. It was pretty good. Afterwards we headed up to the room to pack.
I am a little frustrated with my GPS set-up. The United States mapping software works perfectly. The Europe mapping software detects the GPS sensor is attached, but it is not relaying any of the information. So far I am using a combination of the two. The US mapping shows Europe, but without any detail. I am hoping to have this figured out before we need to drive in Germany. It will still be okay, but it will be much easier with the GPS.
We spent the day walking around Stratford upon Avon. It was a nice sunny day and it’s a really nice town. We visited Shakespeare birthplace, his daughter’s house and his granddaughter’s house. It was about as exciting as it sounds. We were disappointed when we reached the church he is buried in. They were closed. Everyone else around us seemed a little upset as well. We didn’t have time to pout, because we had a tour of the Royal Shakespeare Company starting soon. The tour was pretty good and allowed us to go into the theatre, backstage, and on the stage of two Shakespeare theatres that are back to back (share the same backstage).
After the tour we were starving. It was 2:30 pm and we hadn’t eaten lunch. We walked down one of the streets until we found a little French restaurant. I had a Steak sandwich on a baguette with a glass of wine. Vanessa had French Onion Soup (the best she had ever had, with the best cappuccino she had ever had. The garlic bread sticks weren’t that great. Afterward we ordered Crepe Suzette for desert. It was a crepe with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top and covered with an orange sauce and some slices of orange on the sides. Damn good!
When we left we only had about 10 minutes before the train left (oops!). We walked as fast as we could. We couldn’t see the train ant the station, but trains in Europe are always on time. Exhausted and with our lungs burning we entered the train station. I was about 30 feet in front of Vanessa. Sure enough, the train was there, but on a different set of tracks. I ran up the stairs to cross to the other side of the tracks. The train was already loaded and only two doors remained open. I stood in the doorway hoping they wouldn’t close the door with me standing there. Vanessa appeared and we both jumped onto the train. We collapsed in our seats and the train pulled away. Close one. If we would have missed the train, there was another one leaving two hours. It was a two hour ride back on the train. Vanessa and I watched the movie Dodgeball on the laptop to pass the time after playing cards for a while. There is a part in the movie when a kid gets hit in the head with a wrench. Vanessa hadn’t seen the commercial, so she started laughing hysterically. Everyone in the train turned around to see what was going on (we had our headsets on so they couldn’t hear). Watching her laugh made me start laughing and my laughing made her laugh even harder. We were both crying. After about two minutes of this we settled down again.
After going back to the hotel we went downstairs to get dinner. I had a Hawaiian pizza and Vanessa had some Penne Pasta with pesto sauce. It was pretty good. Afterwards we headed up to the room to pack.
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3:23 AM
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Europe Day 3 - London
We rolled out of bed at 7:30 am this morning. After the same breakfast, we headed to the tube station again. The first thing on our agenda today was to tour the Tower of London. It was much colder than we anticipated and we paid for it. I am guessing it was around 30 degrees and the wind was blowing. I had on a T-shirt and sweatshirt. Vanessa was wearing a turtleneck and light jacket. We went on a tour with a Yeoman (Beefeater) who showed us around the grounds for 45 minutes. He was really entertaining and filled us in on the history of the tower. The Tower of London is also where the Crown Jewels are kept. Whoever designed this exhibit was smart enough to put a moving platform in front of the most of the items. This kept the tourists moving (against their will) and allowed everyone to see the jewels. Most of the exhibit was the crowns, scepters, and a lot of gold platters. It is overwhelming and you just can’t accept that there are that many diamonds and gems on one crown (but there are). I’m too tired to write any more detail about the history of the Tower, so follow the link if you would like to learn more. After 4,945 stairs, some amour, and more history, it was time to go.
My feet started hurting much sooner than anticipated. By noon I was already walking slowly and favoring my right foot (the one that was broken). From the Tower of London we took a bus. I knew the bus went by St. Paul’s Cathedral (our next stop), but I wasn’t sure where it stopped. Luckily the bus stopped directly in front of it. Vanessa was less than excited to be there, but I wanted to see the inside and walk trough the crypts. My feet were hurting again, so after 10 minutes I was ready to go. We found an Italian restaurant to have lunch and rest our feet.
Afterwards, we caught a bus to Horse Guards. This is a less known place, but it has the same guards that are at Buckingham palace. Two of the guards are on horseback, and another one stands. I was al little disappointed in all of the tourists touching the horses and the guards. When you know how well trained these young men are, how much they go through to get to do this, and how much of an honor is it to be in such a position, it is sad to see tourists walking up and being so disrespectful. I have no problem with standing next to them and taking a picture, but don’t touch them and don’t touch the horses. Okay… I’m over it.
The last thing on our list for the day was a 90-minute tour of Westminster Abby. The tour started at 3:00 pm and we arrived about 15 minutes early. What I didn’t know as that today the last tour was around noon and there was a service starting at 3:00. I did a lot of research on the internet (using the official Westminster Abby site) and I didn’t see anything about this. The only way they would allow anyone in the church was to go to the service. Vanessa and I decided to sit through the service, just so we could go inside. It was only 45 minutes long, but it was a L O N G 45 minutes. The choir would start a song and I would think to myself, “This won’t be long, the song is only 4 lines long.” Well, it took them 30 seconds to sing each word!
After the service we made our way back to the tube station, stopping to take pictures of Big Ben (yes, I know that’s the name of the clock bell). Our plans for tonight are to go to a restaurant next to our hotel. It looks very friendly and like they really good food. I’m planning on having fish and chips. I think I have had 7 cups of tea in the last 2 days. I’m looking forward to going to Germany were I can drink beer all day!!! Tomorrow we are off to Stratford upon Avon to see Shakespeare stuff. Yippee.
My feet started hurting much sooner than anticipated. By noon I was already walking slowly and favoring my right foot (the one that was broken). From the Tower of London we took a bus. I knew the bus went by St. Paul’s Cathedral (our next stop), but I wasn’t sure where it stopped. Luckily the bus stopped directly in front of it. Vanessa was less than excited to be there, but I wanted to see the inside and walk trough the crypts. My feet were hurting again, so after 10 minutes I was ready to go. We found an Italian restaurant to have lunch and rest our feet.
Afterwards, we caught a bus to Horse Guards. This is a less known place, but it has the same guards that are at Buckingham palace. Two of the guards are on horseback, and another one stands. I was al little disappointed in all of the tourists touching the horses and the guards. When you know how well trained these young men are, how much they go through to get to do this, and how much of an honor is it to be in such a position, it is sad to see tourists walking up and being so disrespectful. I have no problem with standing next to them and taking a picture, but don’t touch them and don’t touch the horses. Okay… I’m over it.
The last thing on our list for the day was a 90-minute tour of Westminster Abby. The tour started at 3:00 pm and we arrived about 15 minutes early. What I didn’t know as that today the last tour was around noon and there was a service starting at 3:00. I did a lot of research on the internet (using the official Westminster Abby site) and I didn’t see anything about this. The only way they would allow anyone in the church was to go to the service. Vanessa and I decided to sit through the service, just so we could go inside. It was only 45 minutes long, but it was a L O N G 45 minutes. The choir would start a song and I would think to myself, “This won’t be long, the song is only 4 lines long.” Well, it took them 30 seconds to sing each word!
After the service we made our way back to the tube station, stopping to take pictures of Big Ben (yes, I know that’s the name of the clock bell). Our plans for tonight are to go to a restaurant next to our hotel. It looks very friendly and like they really good food. I’m planning on having fish and chips. I think I have had 7 cups of tea in the last 2 days. I’m looking forward to going to Germany were I can drink beer all day!!! Tomorrow we are off to Stratford upon Avon to see Shakespeare stuff. Yippee.
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3:22 AM
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Europe Day 2 - London
This morning we woke up at 7:30 am. We had left the window open a half inch, because the room was a little stuffy when we checked in. Since it dropped below 30 degrees during the night, the room was a little cold. Breakfast was included with the price of the room, so we headed down to the restaurant for another try. The “English Breakfast” was really good. I had eggs, sausage, ham, toast, orange juice, tea, and a banana. Vanessa had the same, except instead of a banana she had frosted flakes (in case you were wondering).
We had our warm weather gear on and we headed off to see London. With the help of a nice lady at the tube (subway) we purchased our all-day tube tickets and headed to Waterloo Station. We purchased our Eurostar train tickets for the 29th (when we go to Brussels) and then caught the tube back to Baker Station. That’s where Madame Tussaud’s is. While we were standing in the queue (English for line), the fire alarm went off three times. After they evacuated the building for about 10 minutes they let everyone back in again and we started posing and taking pictures with celebrities (sort of). Alfred Hitchcok tried to grab Vanessa’s breasts (no really, I have a picture), and J-Lo let me grab her butt! Who would have thought?
After a disagreement about whether or not we should take a tour bus (Vanessa won), we took the tube to Westminster Station. We poked our head out of the station long enough for me to say, “Look honey, it’s Big Ben”, and we were off on the tube again. This time we were off to Tower Bridge Station. I was a little disoriented, so we went the long way to get to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. Along the way we walked along the Thames River. It was a little cold (maybe 40 degrees) and we were hungry, so we stopped at a little pizza restaurant. It turns out t was in the guidebook as one of the better places to eat in London, but not expensive. As much as I wanted a pepperoni pizza, it was called the “American” and I refused to look like an uncultured dimwit. So instead I ordered “La Reine” which had ham, mushrooms, and olives. Vanessa had a slice along with a salad and some garlic dough balls. All water here is served in bottles, so you really have to ration is when you ware drinking, or your check will increase substantially. Lunch was good and a good price.
Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre was fairly interesting. It isn’t the original (which burned down) in the 1600’s, but it was an exact replica built the exact same way. We both enjoyed it, but Vanessa was in her element (she’s a theatre teacher in case anyone didn’t know). After ward we stopped at Starbuck’s (there’s one ever block) and ordered a large hot chocolate and some toffee for the walk back to the tube station. It was getting dark (3:30 pm). After another tube ride we headed back to the hotel to get more winter clothing. Our feet were already hurting and we still had a walking tour to go on!
I had seen a sushi restaurant featured on several shows, so we asked the concierge for directions. “Just up the street, turn right and it’s on the second floor”. After walking for what seemed like a mile, we found it. We walked in and they sat us at the sushi bar, which is a 60 meter long conveyor. I picked up a plate of salmon sushi going by, and was halfway through eating when Vanessa noticed something. There were only about 6 plates left on this huge conveyor, and the staff was cleaning everything up. It was 5:30 pm. Vanessa asked about the situation, and they indeed were closing and were not making anything else. We were a little upset. I paid my bill of $4.00 (they didn’t charge us for the water), and promptly set-out to find another place to have dinner. We ended up eating dinner at a Chinese food restaurant called “Poon’s”. That’s right, I said it and I have a picture to prove it. Dinner was okay, but nothing to brag about. We caught the tube again for a 20-minute ride to the London Hill Station. That’s were we met for the Jack the Ripper walking tour.
This tour happens every day, rain or shine, and there was roughly 100 people there. We split into 3 groups for a 1 ½ hour walk through London. We went to several of the spots where the women were killed. It was very informative and definitely worth the $20 (for both of us). I never realized how gruesome these murders were (uteruses cut out, intestines removed and placed on the shoulders, throats cut to the spine. Pretty bad.
My feet were DEAD by this point. We had to walk another ½ mile to the tube station and finally got back to the hotel around 10:00 pm. Strange interesting stuff about the United Kingdom: Volume measurements are stated in metric (liters, etc.) and distances are stated in standard (miles, feet, etc.).
It’s now 11:30 pm and time for me to get some sleep.
We had our warm weather gear on and we headed off to see London. With the help of a nice lady at the tube (subway) we purchased our all-day tube tickets and headed to Waterloo Station. We purchased our Eurostar train tickets for the 29th (when we go to Brussels) and then caught the tube back to Baker Station. That’s where Madame Tussaud’s is. While we were standing in the queue (English for line), the fire alarm went off three times. After they evacuated the building for about 10 minutes they let everyone back in again and we started posing and taking pictures with celebrities (sort of). Alfred Hitchcok tried to grab Vanessa’s breasts (no really, I have a picture), and J-Lo let me grab her butt! Who would have thought?
After a disagreement about whether or not we should take a tour bus (Vanessa won), we took the tube to Westminster Station. We poked our head out of the station long enough for me to say, “Look honey, it’s Big Ben”, and we were off on the tube again. This time we were off to Tower Bridge Station. I was a little disoriented, so we went the long way to get to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. Along the way we walked along the Thames River. It was a little cold (maybe 40 degrees) and we were hungry, so we stopped at a little pizza restaurant. It turns out t was in the guidebook as one of the better places to eat in London, but not expensive. As much as I wanted a pepperoni pizza, it was called the “American” and I refused to look like an uncultured dimwit. So instead I ordered “La Reine” which had ham, mushrooms, and olives. Vanessa had a slice along with a salad and some garlic dough balls. All water here is served in bottles, so you really have to ration is when you ware drinking, or your check will increase substantially. Lunch was good and a good price.
Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre was fairly interesting. It isn’t the original (which burned down) in the 1600’s, but it was an exact replica built the exact same way. We both enjoyed it, but Vanessa was in her element (she’s a theatre teacher in case anyone didn’t know). After ward we stopped at Starbuck’s (there’s one ever block) and ordered a large hot chocolate and some toffee for the walk back to the tube station. It was getting dark (3:30 pm). After another tube ride we headed back to the hotel to get more winter clothing. Our feet were already hurting and we still had a walking tour to go on!
I had seen a sushi restaurant featured on several shows, so we asked the concierge for directions. “Just up the street, turn right and it’s on the second floor”. After walking for what seemed like a mile, we found it. We walked in and they sat us at the sushi bar, which is a 60 meter long conveyor. I picked up a plate of salmon sushi going by, and was halfway through eating when Vanessa noticed something. There were only about 6 plates left on this huge conveyor, and the staff was cleaning everything up. It was 5:30 pm. Vanessa asked about the situation, and they indeed were closing and were not making anything else. We were a little upset. I paid my bill of $4.00 (they didn’t charge us for the water), and promptly set-out to find another place to have dinner. We ended up eating dinner at a Chinese food restaurant called “Poon’s”. That’s right, I said it and I have a picture to prove it. Dinner was okay, but nothing to brag about. We caught the tube again for a 20-minute ride to the London Hill Station. That’s were we met for the Jack the Ripper walking tour.
This tour happens every day, rain or shine, and there was roughly 100 people there. We split into 3 groups for a 1 ½ hour walk through London. We went to several of the spots where the women were killed. It was very informative and definitely worth the $20 (for both of us). I never realized how gruesome these murders were (uteruses cut out, intestines removed and placed on the shoulders, throats cut to the spine. Pretty bad.
My feet were DEAD by this point. We had to walk another ½ mile to the tube station and finally got back to the hotel around 10:00 pm. Strange interesting stuff about the United Kingdom: Volume measurements are stated in metric (liters, etc.) and distances are stated in standard (miles, feet, etc.).
It’s now 11:30 pm and time for me to get some sleep.
posted by Page at
3:20 AM
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Europe Day 1 – Los Angeles to London
2:30 a.m. – London Time
I’m over Utah right now going 540 mph at 33787.46 feet. Although United provides a TV that shows this information, I have my GPS receiver suction-cupped to the window and I am following along on my laptop. I am watching the movie Elf on the TV. So far, so good. Vanessa and I met a woman while we were waiting in the airport. I made the mistake of asking if she was going home for the holidays. She started crying as soon as I asked her. I have that effect on people sometimes. It turns out she flew to Southern California to visit her mom and daughters for Christmas. Her boyfriend stayed behind in Portland. Well… he died on Wednesday of some massive blood clot in his brain. At least that’s what the medical examiner thinks at this point. I guess he felt a flu coming on earlier in the week, but nothing else was wrong with him. Sad.
I was able to get our seats changed to the exit row so we have about 8 feet of legroom. I was hoping they would let us go in the business or even first class since they are less than half full. No one was in the Christmas spirit or I didn’t know the secret password.
The stewardess told me I will have a challenge trying to find places to eat after we land (Noon on Christmas day). I’m sure something will be open. Doesn’t anyone go out for Christmas dinner?
8:30 am – London Time
Were now rocketing over Greenland at 670 mph. According to the United information screen we have a tailwind of 140 mph. It’s also telling me that it is –90 degrees Fahrenheit outside at this altitude. If I have to open the emergency door, I think I’ll put on my jacket first. Vanessa and I took a couple of sleeping pills after dinner. I think I got about 3 hours of sleep, but it felt like I just dosed off for a couple of minutes. We have about 3 hours to go before landing. I am going to try and stay awake. The dinner was actually pretty good. Brie cheese w/ crackers, a roll w/ butter, salad w/ vinaigrette, grapes, water, a choice of lasagna or beef w/ mashed potatoes. Vanessa had the pasta and I ordered the beef. We were both surprised at how good it tasted, but our expectations were pretty low.
Later on…
After landing it turned out the train I was expecting to catch into town wasn’t running, event though everything I had read said it would be. Instead we jumped on a bus, which was fine. It took us to the same place as the train would have and we walked less than half mile to the hotel. The luggage was heavy, but it was tolerable. We each ended up taking a wheeled carry-on and a backpack. The hotel is nice, but our room is barely larger than the size of a cabin on a cruise. If you haven’t been on a cruise, our room is roughly 8’ x 15’ including the bathroom. We are only sleeping there, so it isn’t bad.
We were pretty hungry, so after setting down our stuff we headed back to the lobby to grab Christmas dinner at the restaurant in the hotel. They had a set menu for Christmas and the first thing I noticed was the price. We don’t mind paying extra money for a good meal, but $65 per person seemed a little steep especially when you consider the food and they service we received. For the first course, I had some thinly slice honeydew melon and some crap in a half fig. I’m not sure what was in the fig, but it wasn’t that good. Vanessa had some duck liver with some orange stuff on a cracker. Yummy!!!
For the main course we each had sliced turkey gravy, 2 tiny sausages wrapped in bacon, to small scoops of stuffing, some potato chunks, carrots, and brussel sprouts. That wasn’t bad. For dessert I had some tart raspberries in a crunchy shell. Vanessa had some raison cake with white sauce on it. We both had water. Trust me, it wasn’t worth the money. They wouldn’t give me change, so… no tip. Darn.
We went back to the room. It was only 4:00 pm (the sun had set), but we were tired. We took a nap until 7:00 pm and watched TV until 10:00 pm. Long day.
I’m over Utah right now going 540 mph at 33787.46 feet. Although United provides a TV that shows this information, I have my GPS receiver suction-cupped to the window and I am following along on my laptop. I am watching the movie Elf on the TV. So far, so good. Vanessa and I met a woman while we were waiting in the airport. I made the mistake of asking if she was going home for the holidays. She started crying as soon as I asked her. I have that effect on people sometimes. It turns out she flew to Southern California to visit her mom and daughters for Christmas. Her boyfriend stayed behind in Portland. Well… he died on Wednesday of some massive blood clot in his brain. At least that’s what the medical examiner thinks at this point. I guess he felt a flu coming on earlier in the week, but nothing else was wrong with him. Sad.
I was able to get our seats changed to the exit row so we have about 8 feet of legroom. I was hoping they would let us go in the business or even first class since they are less than half full. No one was in the Christmas spirit or I didn’t know the secret password.
The stewardess told me I will have a challenge trying to find places to eat after we land (Noon on Christmas day). I’m sure something will be open. Doesn’t anyone go out for Christmas dinner?
8:30 am – London Time
Were now rocketing over Greenland at 670 mph. According to the United information screen we have a tailwind of 140 mph. It’s also telling me that it is –90 degrees Fahrenheit outside at this altitude. If I have to open the emergency door, I think I’ll put on my jacket first. Vanessa and I took a couple of sleeping pills after dinner. I think I got about 3 hours of sleep, but it felt like I just dosed off for a couple of minutes. We have about 3 hours to go before landing. I am going to try and stay awake. The dinner was actually pretty good. Brie cheese w/ crackers, a roll w/ butter, salad w/ vinaigrette, grapes, water, a choice of lasagna or beef w/ mashed potatoes. Vanessa had the pasta and I ordered the beef. We were both surprised at how good it tasted, but our expectations were pretty low.
Later on…
After landing it turned out the train I was expecting to catch into town wasn’t running, event though everything I had read said it would be. Instead we jumped on a bus, which was fine. It took us to the same place as the train would have and we walked less than half mile to the hotel. The luggage was heavy, but it was tolerable. We each ended up taking a wheeled carry-on and a backpack. The hotel is nice, but our room is barely larger than the size of a cabin on a cruise. If you haven’t been on a cruise, our room is roughly 8’ x 15’ including the bathroom. We are only sleeping there, so it isn’t bad.
We were pretty hungry, so after setting down our stuff we headed back to the lobby to grab Christmas dinner at the restaurant in the hotel. They had a set menu for Christmas and the first thing I noticed was the price. We don’t mind paying extra money for a good meal, but $65 per person seemed a little steep especially when you consider the food and they service we received. For the first course, I had some thinly slice honeydew melon and some crap in a half fig. I’m not sure what was in the fig, but it wasn’t that good. Vanessa had some duck liver with some orange stuff on a cracker. Yummy!!!
For the main course we each had sliced turkey gravy, 2 tiny sausages wrapped in bacon, to small scoops of stuffing, some potato chunks, carrots, and brussel sprouts. That wasn’t bad. For dessert I had some tart raspberries in a crunchy shell. Vanessa had some raison cake with white sauce on it. We both had water. Trust me, it wasn’t worth the money. They wouldn’t give me change, so… no tip. Darn.
We went back to the room. It was only 4:00 pm (the sun had set), but we were tired. We took a nap until 7:00 pm and watched TV until 10:00 pm. Long day.
posted by Page at
3:18 AM
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0 Comments
Thursday, December 23, 2004
European Vacation
Tomorrow, we are leaving for our trip to Europe. This will be my third trip and Vanessa’s first. Aside from a couple of last minute things to do before we leave, everything is done.
We will be gone 17 days, from December 24th to January 9th. I am hoping we will only need to take 2 carry-on bags and 2 backpacks. It will make train hopping much easier. I purchased a Rail n’ Drive pass which allows us 3 days of unlimited train travel in Belgium, Germany, and Austria, along with 4 days of rental car use. Yes, I will be driving on the world-famous Autobahn. People of Germany: Beware! It will be raining and snowing, so I will probably be driving with white knuckles as Vanessa works the GPS maps on the laptop.
We will be spending most of our time in England (4 days) and Germany (12 days). Vanessa will have the pleasure of experiencing France from the train as we zip through it at 186 mph on our way to Belgium and on to Germany. Her experience of Belgium will be lunch near the train station as we wait for our next train. “Hurry up and soak in the culture!”
I will have the laptop so I can update my blog as we go along a la www.rightonbro.com.
We will be gone 17 days, from December 24th to January 9th. I am hoping we will only need to take 2 carry-on bags and 2 backpacks. It will make train hopping much easier. I purchased a Rail n’ Drive pass which allows us 3 days of unlimited train travel in Belgium, Germany, and Austria, along with 4 days of rental car use. Yes, I will be driving on the world-famous Autobahn. People of Germany: Beware! It will be raining and snowing, so I will probably be driving with white knuckles as Vanessa works the GPS maps on the laptop.
We will be spending most of our time in England (4 days) and Germany (12 days). Vanessa will have the pleasure of experiencing France from the train as we zip through it at 186 mph on our way to Belgium and on to Germany. Her experience of Belgium will be lunch near the train station as we wait for our next train. “Hurry up and soak in the culture!”
I will have the laptop so I can update my blog as we go along a la www.rightonbro.com.
posted by Page at
7:46 AM
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2 Comments
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
$16 for a crappy haircut?!?!
I hate getting my haircut. Let me reword that. I hate finding a place to get my haircut. I am always in a good mood once I get my haircut. When I was growing up my parents would take me to whatever discount hair place that was in town. For many years it was The Haircut Store in Diamond Bar. When I was 16, I moved to Germany and lived with a family that owned a very nice hair place. I didn’t learn a lot about haircuts, but I did learn that quality haircuts could make a huge difference. When I was in college, I found a great place in Diamond Bar that was perfect. The guy who owned it was just a little older than me and he did a great job. When I moved away from Diamond Bar, I had trouble settling on a new place. I have tried many and occasionally thought I had found a new place, but something bad always happens.
I was going to one place for a while. It was even open on Sundays!!!! It was a true barbershop that gave haircuts for $7.00. The guy I went to was a Hispanic gangster guy, had tons of tattoos, would use a pneumatic air gun to blow the excess hair off, and would use an old back massager from the 50’s on my shoulders after he was done. Perfect! Very manly. Well, the owner thought this guy was sleeping with his wife, which he denied. Anyway, he was fired. I tried going back a couple of times, but they didn’t follow the hours posted. The sign said they closed at 4:00 pm. I would get there at 2:15 pm and they would be closed. I gave up.
My hair is thick and grows very fast. I should get a haircut every 3 weeks to keep it looking decent. It has been 5 weeks now. I tried to go to one place yesterday. It was a discount chain and they wanted to charge me $16. The guy in diamond Bar charges $15, but that’s a good haircut. I always tip him $5 extra because he remembers me, asks me about stuff he remembers about me. I may have to start driving to Diamond Bar again.
Regardless, I am not as bad as my dad. He has been going to the same guy for almost 30 years. He will not get his hair cut by anyone else. The guy doesn’t even have a shop anymore, so my dad goes to his house. I think it will be traumatic when my dad moves to Thailand next year.
I was going to one place for a while. It was even open on Sundays!!!! It was a true barbershop that gave haircuts for $7.00. The guy I went to was a Hispanic gangster guy, had tons of tattoos, would use a pneumatic air gun to blow the excess hair off, and would use an old back massager from the 50’s on my shoulders after he was done. Perfect! Very manly. Well, the owner thought this guy was sleeping with his wife, which he denied. Anyway, he was fired. I tried going back a couple of times, but they didn’t follow the hours posted. The sign said they closed at 4:00 pm. I would get there at 2:15 pm and they would be closed. I gave up.
My hair is thick and grows very fast. I should get a haircut every 3 weeks to keep it looking decent. It has been 5 weeks now. I tried to go to one place yesterday. It was a discount chain and they wanted to charge me $16. The guy in diamond Bar charges $15, but that’s a good haircut. I always tip him $5 extra because he remembers me, asks me about stuff he remembers about me. I may have to start driving to Diamond Bar again.
Regardless, I am not as bad as my dad. He has been going to the same guy for almost 30 years. He will not get his hair cut by anyone else. The guy doesn’t even have a shop anymore, so my dad goes to his house. I think it will be traumatic when my dad moves to Thailand next year.
posted by Page at
8:19 AM
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1 Comments
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
Boxes, Puffy Taco's, and cookies
Yesterday, after work, I went to the post office to mail one of the presents to Germany. I don’t normally send anything in the mail, so I just brought the framed print with me to the post office. I knew they probably didn’t have a box that would fit it, but I thought it was worth a try. Nope. They suggested Staples, which didn’t have the right box either. After one more stop, I finally found what I wanted at a U-haul moving center. After $22 I had the right box, tons of Styrofoam peanuts, and some foam things that protect the corners. I’ll try and ship it again today. Right next to the U-haul center was a restaurant called Arturo's Puffy Taco. That's all I have to say about that.
We watched Vanessa’s cousin Sarah last night. She was only at our house for 3 ½ hours. She didn’t say a word for the first hour she was there, then for the last hour she was bouncing off the walls. Very cute kid (6 years old), but every time she comes over I start questioning my decision of wanting kids. It really sucks not being able to watch what you want on TV. She was unhappy, because we were watching “Cheaper by the Dozen”. She owned the DVD, she had already seen it many times. She wouldn’t talk though, so I turned on the Miami vs. Patriots game. I cant’ believe the Patriots lost. Amazing. After 30 minutes of watching football and with Vanessa’s help (more on that below) Sarah started talking and asked if we could watch something else. She wanted to watch Monster House. I had already seen the episode that was on, but I compromised and watched it, because I remember how boring I was watching sports when I was a kid.
I noticed something about Vanessa last night that I have seen her do many times, but I always thought of it as a weakness rather than a quality. Sarah was not talking and refused to do much of anything. My reaction after several attempts to get Sarah to open up was to just ignore her and to stop trying to please her. Vanessa on the other hand kept talking to Sarah, asked her to make cookies with her, and kept asking her questions. After a half hour of this, Sarah opened up and started talking. As I was watching this, I realized Vanessa does this for me too when I am in a bad mood. It something no other girl I dated has been able to do. It really is a quality and is part of what makes Vanessa a great wife, cousin, and teacher.
I woke up at 3:45 this morning. I went downstairs and watched some TV so I wouldn’t fall asleep again. I watched the season finale of The Wire. What a great show. It took me a couple of episodes to get into it, but now I'm hooked. So far it looks like it will be raining and snowing for most of the trip with highs in the 40’s and lows in the 20’s. We have a lot of cold weather gear from our trip to Banff, Canada last year, and I bought some new mini umbrellas the have an auto open/close feature. Only 3 more days!
We watched Vanessa’s cousin Sarah last night. She was only at our house for 3 ½ hours. She didn’t say a word for the first hour she was there, then for the last hour she was bouncing off the walls. Very cute kid (6 years old), but every time she comes over I start questioning my decision of wanting kids. It really sucks not being able to watch what you want on TV. She was unhappy, because we were watching “Cheaper by the Dozen”. She owned the DVD, she had already seen it many times. She wouldn’t talk though, so I turned on the Miami vs. Patriots game. I cant’ believe the Patriots lost. Amazing. After 30 minutes of watching football and with Vanessa’s help (more on that below) Sarah started talking and asked if we could watch something else. She wanted to watch Monster House. I had already seen the episode that was on, but I compromised and watched it, because I remember how boring I was watching sports when I was a kid.
I noticed something about Vanessa last night that I have seen her do many times, but I always thought of it as a weakness rather than a quality. Sarah was not talking and refused to do much of anything. My reaction after several attempts to get Sarah to open up was to just ignore her and to stop trying to please her. Vanessa on the other hand kept talking to Sarah, asked her to make cookies with her, and kept asking her questions. After a half hour of this, Sarah opened up and started talking. As I was watching this, I realized Vanessa does this for me too when I am in a bad mood. It something no other girl I dated has been able to do. It really is a quality and is part of what makes Vanessa a great wife, cousin, and teacher.
I woke up at 3:45 this morning. I went downstairs and watched some TV so I wouldn’t fall asleep again. I watched the season finale of The Wire. What a great show. It took me a couple of episodes to get into it, but now I'm hooked. So far it looks like it will be raining and snowing for most of the trip with highs in the 40’s and lows in the 20’s. We have a lot of cold weather gear from our trip to Banff, Canada last year, and I bought some new mini umbrellas the have an auto open/close feature. Only 3 more days!
posted by Page at
7:54 AM
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3 Comments
Monday, December 20, 2004
Another invention brought to you by Page...
Friday night, Vanessa and I went to Wood Ranch BBQ for dinner. The service was less than stellar and it gave us some time to create a new invention. It's called the Tip Clock. You set the tip at the amount you would normally give for great service. Every time you find yourself with an empty glass, unable to eat while you are waiting for something, or waiting forever for the bill, you start the clock and the tip starts counting down. The waiter/waitress can actually watch their tip disappearing.
I kept to my schedule Saturday and woke up at 4:30 am on Saturday. Ugh! The only reason I was able to stay awake is because I knew I had to pick-up my dad at 6:15 am to go to the airport. We flew up to San Francisco again. This time we had some extra time, so we rented a car and went to Pier 39. It wasn't crowded, which made it nice. We had some coffee and I found a couple of things I can give to Sebastian and his parents when I visit them next week. I still have a couple of things to buy, but the bulk of it is over.
The 49er game was fun, but they suck so much. You know your team is in last place when: 1) The stands are only 60% full. 2) The 2nd string quarterback sucks so bad that the fans are yelling out the 3rd string quarterback's name. 3) The Redskin fans are louder than the 49er fans, because there are more of them. My dad spotted a Redskins fan a couple of rows down who had a California license plate around his neck that read: 1SKNFAN. My dad dared me to sneak up behind him and change the "1" to a "4". I laughed so hard I got hiccups.
Sunday, I woke up at 6:00 am. I spent the morning catching up on my Tivo recordings. Vanessa went to Pasadena to see the Nutcracker with her mom, aunt, and cousin. I went out to run some errands and buy a watch. I ended up getting a nice watch, but it took me forever to choose one. I have realized lately that I don't feel like making decisions. This seems to come and go in waves. A watch is a big decision for me, because it needs to be casual and formal, functional, and stylish. It says something about your personality. I used to have 4 watches, so I could choose what look I was going for, but none of them are working now. This watch will be fine and I was reaffirmed when Vanessa told me she liked it. I probably could have gotten it for cost since it's Kenneth Cole, but I didn't have time to wait.
This will be a busy week for me. Vanessa and I are watching her cousin Sarah tonight. Tomorrow we are going out with Ed and Tiffany. Wednesday we are going out with Albert and Keith. Thursday I have an appointment for my foot. Friday we leave. It should go by fast.
I kept to my schedule Saturday and woke up at 4:30 am on Saturday. Ugh! The only reason I was able to stay awake is because I knew I had to pick-up my dad at 6:15 am to go to the airport. We flew up to San Francisco again. This time we had some extra time, so we rented a car and went to Pier 39. It wasn't crowded, which made it nice. We had some coffee and I found a couple of things I can give to Sebastian and his parents when I visit them next week. I still have a couple of things to buy, but the bulk of it is over.
The 49er game was fun, but they suck so much. You know your team is in last place when: 1) The stands are only 60% full. 2) The 2nd string quarterback sucks so bad that the fans are yelling out the 3rd string quarterback's name. 3) The Redskin fans are louder than the 49er fans, because there are more of them. My dad spotted a Redskins fan a couple of rows down who had a California license plate around his neck that read: 1SKNFAN. My dad dared me to sneak up behind him and change the "1" to a "4". I laughed so hard I got hiccups.
Sunday, I woke up at 6:00 am. I spent the morning catching up on my Tivo recordings. Vanessa went to Pasadena to see the Nutcracker with her mom, aunt, and cousin. I went out to run some errands and buy a watch. I ended up getting a nice watch, but it took me forever to choose one. I have realized lately that I don't feel like making decisions. This seems to come and go in waves. A watch is a big decision for me, because it needs to be casual and formal, functional, and stylish. It says something about your personality. I used to have 4 watches, so I could choose what look I was going for, but none of them are working now. This watch will be fine and I was reaffirmed when Vanessa told me she liked it. I probably could have gotten it for cost since it's Kenneth Cole, but I didn't have time to wait.
This will be a busy week for me. Vanessa and I are watching her cousin Sarah tonight. Tomorrow we are going out with Ed and Tiffany. Wednesday we are going out with Albert and Keith. Thursday I have an appointment for my foot. Friday we leave. It should go by fast.
posted by Page at
7:45 AM
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3 Comments
Friday, December 17, 2004
Office Christmas Party
Today was the Christmas Party at work. Everyone worked until 12:30 when the party started. The company had a tent set-up in the parking lot, which sounds cheesy, but it was nice. The tent was probably 40 feet wide and 200 feet long. The theme was Fiesta, which doesn’t say “Holiday’s” to me, but whatever. It was decorated very nice. It was amazing to see the transformation of the women I work with for this party. They went for the miniskirts, 5” stilettos, hair teased, full makeup, and low shirts.
There were two DJ’s (working together), virgin pina colada’s and strawberry margaritas (in addition to other drinks), a churro vendor, good food and an ice cream bar. Again, it sounds cheesey, but it was nice. There was a dance contest with $1,000 going to the winner, who happened to be a janitor who crossed-dressed as a woman for the dance. There was something very creepy about him. There was one other guy that danced dressed-up like a woman, but the first guy was CREEPY. Like I think this guy does this at home.
They must have given away 50 prizes in a drawing. Not crappy stuff like at Mike’s party, but Sony TV’s, iPods, X-boxes, Air Hockey tables, a high definition TV, a cruise to Mexico, a trip to Vegas, etc. I didn’t win anything (I never do), but everyone else received a $50 bill. I am really grateful for this, since I know this comes directly out of the owners’ pockets.
Saturday, I am flying to San Francisco with my dad to watch the 49rs lose. It will still be a fun trip. Sunday, I will be running around like crazy trying to finish up things before our trip to Europe (next Friday). I still have to figure out what I am going to buy for Sebastian and his parents!!!
There were two DJ’s (working together), virgin pina colada’s and strawberry margaritas (in addition to other drinks), a churro vendor, good food and an ice cream bar. Again, it sounds cheesey, but it was nice. There was a dance contest with $1,000 going to the winner, who happened to be a janitor who crossed-dressed as a woman for the dance. There was something very creepy about him. There was one other guy that danced dressed-up like a woman, but the first guy was CREEPY. Like I think this guy does this at home.
They must have given away 50 prizes in a drawing. Not crappy stuff like at Mike’s party, but Sony TV’s, iPods, X-boxes, Air Hockey tables, a high definition TV, a cruise to Mexico, a trip to Vegas, etc. I didn’t win anything (I never do), but everyone else received a $50 bill. I am really grateful for this, since I know this comes directly out of the owners’ pockets.
Saturday, I am flying to San Francisco with my dad to watch the 49rs lose. It will still be a fun trip. Sunday, I will be running around like crazy trying to finish up things before our trip to Europe (next Friday). I still have to figure out what I am going to buy for Sebastian and his parents!!!
posted by Page at
5:38 PM
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Thursday, December 16, 2004
Well, it's not the last time I'll be wrong.
The owners decided to push my project back 2 to 3 months. I new this was a possiblity, but I was fairly sure it would be approved today. The good thing is they recognized the importance of the project and said it was something that needs to be done.
In response to Avid Fan's comment: I am a Warehouse Management Systems Project Manager and I work in the apparel industry. I am responsible for designing and implementing technology and procedures in the warehouse to improve productivity.
In response to Avid Fan's comment: I am a Warehouse Management Systems Project Manager and I work in the apparel industry. I am responsible for designing and implementing technology and procedures in the warehouse to improve productivity.
posted by Page at
1:37 PM
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0 Comments
Yawn...
I’m sure you won’t believe me, but I have actually been busy at work. After six months of meetings, presentations, and research, today is the day that my project will be presented to the owners for approval. This week has been hectic while I am putting together last minute information, ROI (Return on Investment) projections, and collecting references. The project is to install a new Warehouse Management System. This will control all of the product in the warehouse, direct all of the workers, control the procedures, and track productivity. This new system does amazing things that only people like my dad and I can appreciate. I am confident the project will be approved even though the initial estimate is $100,000 over our spending goal.
Last night Vanessa and I had eight friends over for dinner. We have been meeting at James and Steve’s place every Wednesday for a couple of months now (except for the last two weeks). This time, we decided to have everyone over to our place. I would have never imagined the laptop computer and the Tivo would become the favorite things at the party. It was a great meal and consisted of crackers with Gouda cheese, pot stickers, jalapeno poppers, mozzarella sticks, taquitos, delicious steaks, vegetables, mashed potatoes, and 4 types of cheesecake. There was also potato salad and macaroni salad, but we forgot to take them out of the refrigerator. Everyone brought something. It think we went through 6 or 7 bottles of wine. We finished the night watching a show on Discovery about men with breasts (not implants, just overactive glands). Pretty gross.
I woke up a little tired. I have been trying to wake up 15 minutes earlier each day, so I will be more accustomed to the time change when we go to Europe. Today I woke up at 4:45 AM. By Christmas Eve (the day we leave) I will be waking up at 3:00 AM, which will still be 11:00 AM in London. I am not a morning person, so I’m sure next week will be tough.
Last night Vanessa and I had eight friends over for dinner. We have been meeting at James and Steve’s place every Wednesday for a couple of months now (except for the last two weeks). This time, we decided to have everyone over to our place. I would have never imagined the laptop computer and the Tivo would become the favorite things at the party. It was a great meal and consisted of crackers with Gouda cheese, pot stickers, jalapeno poppers, mozzarella sticks, taquitos, delicious steaks, vegetables, mashed potatoes, and 4 types of cheesecake. There was also potato salad and macaroni salad, but we forgot to take them out of the refrigerator. Everyone brought something. It think we went through 6 or 7 bottles of wine. We finished the night watching a show on Discovery about men with breasts (not implants, just overactive glands). Pretty gross.
I woke up a little tired. I have been trying to wake up 15 minutes earlier each day, so I will be more accustomed to the time change when we go to Europe. Today I woke up at 4:45 AM. By Christmas Eve (the day we leave) I will be waking up at 3:00 AM, which will still be 11:00 AM in London. I am not a morning person, so I’m sure next week will be tough.
posted by Page at
8:22 AM
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1 Comments
Monday, December 13, 2004
GPS, playing with poo, and the 49ers!
Friday, I left work early and headed home. Since I was going to be home earlier than normal, I decided to stop by Fry’s. I have been looking for a GPS receiver and software for our laptop for a couple of weeks now. I have wanted a GPS system since I first used one in a Hertz rental car in Washington D.C. about 4 years ago. I really didn’t want to spend a lot of money on one at this point, especially since I will probably have one installed whenever I get another car. My excuse to get one now is our upcoming trip to Europe. We will be driving for four days through Germany and a GPS system will be very helpful. To make a long story short, I found mapping software for Europe and a separate application which has maps for all of North America and comes with a GPS receiver that connects to the laptop via USB port. It works really well. Vanessa and I practiced using it Friday night when we drove to a Christmas party.
Saturday, Vanessa had a mega test she needed to take in Cypress. The test started at 7:30 AM and she finished around 1:30 PM. Since she was gone for most of the day I spent the day with my parents. I trimmed a palm tree outside of my mom’s house. I had to use one of those tree trimmers, which is basically a saw on the end of a 15 foot pole. That took about an hour and was exhausting. Afterward I headed to my Dad’s work to help him clean the fish tank in his office. After an hour of playing with fish poop it was time to drop off my dad and head home. Vanessa and I went out for dinner at the Macaroni Grill. They cover their tables with butcher paper to make the tables easier to clean. Vanessa and I kept getting paper cuts from the butcher paper. I have been to a Macaroni Grill about 15 times now and this has never happened, but we both had to be careful so we wouldn’t lose too much blood.
Sunday, I watched the 49ers dominate the Cardinals (okay, we won in overtime after losing a 25 point lead). Regardless, it was an exciting game and it was fun screaming at the TV with my dad. Vanessa’s mom, Aunt Beth, and Cousin Sarah came over to create calendars for Christmas presents (www.shutterfy.com). I created a calendar of our honeymoon pictures a couple of months ago and they are nice. Afterward we hot our favorite sushi spot (Yoshi’s) for dinner. We finished the night in front of the TV watching the Survivor Finale. I won’t give it away, but I was happy with the winner.
Saturday, Vanessa had a mega test she needed to take in Cypress. The test started at 7:30 AM and she finished around 1:30 PM. Since she was gone for most of the day I spent the day with my parents. I trimmed a palm tree outside of my mom’s house. I had to use one of those tree trimmers, which is basically a saw on the end of a 15 foot pole. That took about an hour and was exhausting. Afterward I headed to my Dad’s work to help him clean the fish tank in his office. After an hour of playing with fish poop it was time to drop off my dad and head home. Vanessa and I went out for dinner at the Macaroni Grill. They cover their tables with butcher paper to make the tables easier to clean. Vanessa and I kept getting paper cuts from the butcher paper. I have been to a Macaroni Grill about 15 times now and this has never happened, but we both had to be careful so we wouldn’t lose too much blood.
Sunday, I watched the 49ers dominate the Cardinals (okay, we won in overtime after losing a 25 point lead). Regardless, it was an exciting game and it was fun screaming at the TV with my dad. Vanessa’s mom, Aunt Beth, and Cousin Sarah came over to create calendars for Christmas presents (www.shutterfy.com). I created a calendar of our honeymoon pictures a couple of months ago and they are nice. Afterward we hot our favorite sushi spot (Yoshi’s) for dinner. We finished the night in front of the TV watching the Survivor Finale. I won’t give it away, but I was happy with the winner.
posted by Page at
8:35 AM
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3 Comments
Friday, December 10, 2004
What a job…
I have to say that I enjoy my job. Most of the other companies didn’t do anything extra for their employees. Really, this is the first company I have worked for that goes out of their way to do special things for the employees. Today, for instance, we gathered everyone to drink eggnog, eat cookies, and decorate a Christmas tree. This included everyone from management to the lowest ranked warehouse worker. This isn’t our holiday party, just something we did today for about 45 minutes. The holiday party will be much more elaborate. I am told they raffle off all sorts nice prizes, but even if you don’t win, they give you $50 cash.
The last two weeks have been slow. We haven’t received any trucks and have shipped very little. Yesterday I came in late because of my appointment and left about 30 minutes early. Today I am leaving as soon as I am done with this entry. It’s nice. Some of you may be used to this type of thing and expect it, but I really appreciate it.
The last two weeks have been slow. We haven’t received any trucks and have shipped very little. Yesterday I came in late because of my appointment and left about 30 minutes early. Today I am leaving as soon as I am done with this entry. It’s nice. Some of you may be used to this type of thing and expect it, but I really appreciate it.
posted by Page at
1:04 PM
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2 Comments
Thursday, December 09, 2004
My cast is off!!! ...sort of.
This morning I went to the podiatrist (yes, more foot news) to get my 3rd cast taken off and have more x-rays done. I was so confident it had healed that I took a shoe for my right foot (the broken one) so I could walk out of his office wearing my own shoes. WRONG! It’s still broken. It’s healing, and there is bone growing, but it’s not quite ready yet. The good news is that rather than a fiberglass cast, I now have a removable cast which is much more comfortable. I can take it off when I need to (shower) and it is easier to walk in. This will also help to strengthen my ankle muscles, which haven’t been used in 6 weeks.
I will probably still need to wear it while in Europe, but anything is better than a fiberglass cast. The doctor is still a little weary and says I should be extremely cautious. If anything moves or pops before I get back from our trip, then I will need surgery. I guess outdoor ice-skating in Munich is out of the question now.
Work has been going well. I spent most of Wednesday in a conference room watching a presentation. We are in the process of selecting a new Warehouse Management System and we will make our final decision next week on which vendor to go with. In January I will begin planning with the vendor for the installation and training. Don’t be jealous. We can’t all be Warehouse Management Systems Project Managers…
I will probably still need to wear it while in Europe, but anything is better than a fiberglass cast. The doctor is still a little weary and says I should be extremely cautious. If anything moves or pops before I get back from our trip, then I will need surgery. I guess outdoor ice-skating in Munich is out of the question now.
Work has been going well. I spent most of Wednesday in a conference room watching a presentation. We are in the process of selecting a new Warehouse Management System and we will make our final decision next week on which vendor to go with. In January I will begin planning with the vendor for the installation and training. Don’t be jealous. We can’t all be Warehouse Management Systems Project Managers…
posted by Page at
1:21 PM
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0 Comments
Monday, December 06, 2004
Are you SIRIUS?
Saturday, my dad met me at Radio Shack to pick out my Christmas gift. Before I go any further, I despise Radio Shack, but they had the best prices on Sirius radios. Anyway, we each picked out the same radio, car adapter, desktop radio (boom box), and 1-year subscription. It was very generous of him and I am thankful.
Sunday, he came over to watch the 49ers lose to the Rams. The 49ers are now 1-11 so I am having trouble getting excited about the games. During halftime we logged onto the Internet to activate the service for our radios, but it proved to be more complex then we first thought. We ended up calling Sirius on the phone and had them set it up. After the game I spent some time fiddling around with it, but didn’t get to really enjoy it until this morning. I now have the radio on my desk a work and I am enjoying going through all of the stations (around 120 so far). The car installation will need to be done professionally, so I will wait a week or so before getting around to that.
The only problem with satellite radio is you need to have the antenna in view of a satellite. In a car this isn’t a problem, because you mount the antenna on your roof (that’s what those strange looking bumps are over some car’s back windows. In the house however, this can pose a problem. The antenna is the size of a deck of cards with 20 feet of wire to attach it to the radio. They suggest mounting the antenna on the roof or by a window facing north or east. Thankfully, my office has a large window facing north, so I can get a great signal with the antenna still attached to the radio.
I am really looking forward to January 2006 when Howard Stern will be going to Sirius. That is what really sparked my interest in satellite radio. I am looking forward to listening to what I want without having to worry about FCC censoring. Since Howard Stern made the announcement, Sirius Stock has tripled.
Other great stuff... Every NFL game with the score on the display, every NBA game with the score on the screen, Eminem's own channel, Raw Comedy, unedited songs, traffic every 4 minutes, 30 presets, and song search (it will remember the song you like and tell you when it's on).
Sunday, he came over to watch the 49ers lose to the Rams. The 49ers are now 1-11 so I am having trouble getting excited about the games. During halftime we logged onto the Internet to activate the service for our radios, but it proved to be more complex then we first thought. We ended up calling Sirius on the phone and had them set it up. After the game I spent some time fiddling around with it, but didn’t get to really enjoy it until this morning. I now have the radio on my desk a work and I am enjoying going through all of the stations (around 120 so far). The car installation will need to be done professionally, so I will wait a week or so before getting around to that.
The only problem with satellite radio is you need to have the antenna in view of a satellite. In a car this isn’t a problem, because you mount the antenna on your roof (that’s what those strange looking bumps are over some car’s back windows. In the house however, this can pose a problem. The antenna is the size of a deck of cards with 20 feet of wire to attach it to the radio. They suggest mounting the antenna on the roof or by a window facing north or east. Thankfully, my office has a large window facing north, so I can get a great signal with the antenna still attached to the radio.
I am really looking forward to January 2006 when Howard Stern will be going to Sirius. That is what really sparked my interest in satellite radio. I am looking forward to listening to what I want without having to worry about FCC censoring. Since Howard Stern made the announcement, Sirius Stock has tripled.
Other great stuff... Every NFL game with the score on the display, every NBA game with the score on the screen, Eminem's own channel, Raw Comedy, unedited songs, traffic every 4 minutes, 30 presets, and song search (it will remember the song you like and tell you when it's on).
posted by Page at
9:06 AM
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4 Comments
Friday, December 03, 2004
The king of all sandwiches!
Last night after Vanessa’s play we went to dinner at Katella Deli in Los Alamitos. It used to go here occasionally when I worked at Marriott and the food is always fantastic. This is where I was first introduced 2 years ago to the Monte Cristo sandwich. For those of you who have never tried a Monte Cristo sandwich, you are not true Americans. “Monte Cristo” should be a synonym for gluttony.
A Monte Cristo starts innocently enough as a ham and turkey sandwich with Swiss cheese. The sandwich is then cut into quarters (usually triangles), dipped in batter, deep-fried, and coated with powered sugar. It is especially good when consumed with strawberry jelly. It tastes amazing and trying to find a restaurant that serves one is difficult. Many people have tried the Monte Cristo at the Blue Bayou in Disneyland. I have not, but I may need to make a trip to Disneyland just to compare.
A Monte Cristo starts innocently enough as a ham and turkey sandwich with Swiss cheese. The sandwich is then cut into quarters (usually triangles), dipped in batter, deep-fried, and coated with powered sugar. It is especially good when consumed with strawberry jelly. It tastes amazing and trying to find a restaurant that serves one is difficult. Many people have tried the Monte Cristo at the Blue Bayou in Disneyland. I have not, but I may need to make a trip to Disneyland just to compare.
posted by Page at
9:24 AM
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0 Comments
