C Ya, IKEA!

Hurray! I'm on vacation! Man, do I need it, too....

Work has been BUSY lately -- and the added responsibilities since getting
the promotion have taken some getting used to.

But, there are some signs that things are improving on the work front. (My
latest little logistics coup will definitely help.)

In the meantime, though, a little R&R.... We fly tomorrow a.m. (pre-dawn!)
and arrive around 12:30 p.m. In Chicago. We'll have Sat, Sun and Monday (St
Patrick's Day!) nights in the city. Good food, museums, some barlife at
night.

Then, on Tuesday, we'll make the 6-hour drive up to Door County to see my
family, including my new nephew.

Should be a great trip (except for the cold), and will give me some time to
relax (and burn in those new earphones.) Watch here for updates!

- T

Zen

"Zen: A school of Mahayana Buddhism that asserts that enlightenment can be attained through meditation, self-contemplation, and intuition rather than through faith and devotion..." [thanks, Answers.com]

I wonder how Buddhist monks sitting in a monastery in China would feel about their school of thought being used to market headphones to this non-Buddhist Westerner?

But with the amount of time I've been spending with my earphones in my ears lately (music and driving are my two favorite ways to reach inner calm), and considering the amount of stress I've been under lately, it seems fitting that the earphones I bought today (after some web comparison shopping) ended up being the Creative Zen Aurvanas. [Again with the Buddhist tie-ins.]

They were compared favorable to Shures and Etymotics costing $30-50 more -- and so far seem to be just what I was looking for. Good, clear mid-range, some decent (but not dance-floor level) bass and a mild treble.

And maybe the monks wouldn't be so upset with the marketing. I feel more calm and introspective already -- plus, they're made in China.

- T

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Welcome To The World, Luke

My brother-in-law Rob called at 6:45 this morning to let me know that my 2nd nephew is here! My sister is doing well and Luke is healthy and large. (Picture to follow.)

Amazingly, after only one hour, my sister Becky called me herself. The cesarean went really well, she was a bit shaky but fully alert and ready to talk to her favorite (ok, her only) brother.

She had the baby's details: 9 lb 11 oz and 19 1/2 in. She was choosing his first little baby cap while she was called from her hospital bed -- white with baby blue trim. (Fashion first.)

So, congratulations to my my sister and brother-in-law. They've done a wonderful job raising my first nephew James and I have no doubt that they'll be just as successful this time around.

Welcome to the world, Luke.

- T

OMG WTF!

ITN - Tuesday, March 4 05:08 pm

Padded lampposts are being trialled in a London street to protect inattentive pedestrians.

A pilot scheme has been launched in Brick Lane after it was found to have the highest number of 'walking and texting' injuries in the country.

A study carried out by 118 118 found one in ten people has hurt themselves while focused on their mobile phone screen.

The charity Living Streets is so concerned that it has teamed up with the directory enquiries service to test a scheme to wrap up the nation's lampposts.

A poll will be carried out on Brick Lane to gauge the response of locals.

If successful, the concept will be rolled out in Birmingham, Manchester, and Liverpool.

------------------------------------

One in ten Brits have injured themselves while texting? Dorks.

Wow. If this story is true, it's really sad. And funny.

- T

An Excellent Day in the Mountains

Got out to Mt Laguna today with a friend. The day was great -- good weather, fairly clear views, peacefulness and intelligent conversation. I couldn't have asked for a better Monday.

You'll find a link to all my pix on the right -- or click the post title above to go directly to the photo album.

- T

YouTube Night @ Mike & Matt's

We had a blast last night at Mike & Matt's.

What was going to be a small group for beer and movies turned into a big,
fun, relaxed gang of guys watching YouTube videos and eating ENORMOUS
pizzas!

Thanks for hosting this get-together -- a fun way to wind down at the end
of the week.

- T

"The Land That Time and San Diego Forgot"

Back in December, we took a trip out east on Highway 94. It was like time-traveling to the early 20th century. Small mom-and-pop stores, large ranches, the rail bridge over the two-lane highway.

If you live in San Diego, you might forget how far east this county really stretches -- and how much history there is here. It's worth the time to explore if you get the chance.

[Click the post title to reach this gallery.]

- T

"Davey's Place for Food and Fun"

Dave is great at getting people together -- and introducing the many and varied people in his circle of friends to each other.

If you ever get tired of Odd Designs, we could always start up that bar/restaurant we talked about during a former life.... You bring the firefighter paraphernalia and I'll bring my charm and brawn! It's sure to be a success!

[Click the post title to link to the pictures!]

- T

3-Month-Old Pix

Work, travel, work, daily life and some fun time spent with friends -- there, you're caught up.

Enjoy the snaps I took back in December when the waves were big and the surfers came out to enjoy them.

- T

Happy New Year!

A very happy, healthy and prosperous new year to everyone!

Hard to fathom that 2008 is already here and we haven't agreed on what to call the decade: The Aughts, The Naughts, The Zeros? "Ah, I remember The Zeros. Those were the days. Nothing like the dull years after 2020 -- The Boring '20s...." [sorry for the lame joke]

Thanks to Steve and Henry for providing a wonderful party venue and to the various DJs for the great music last night. The mood was decidedly calm and relaxed, the lighting wonderful and the company was warm and pleasant.

Here's a somewhat dated but very funny article I found online today. I promptly sent it to my dad, Jüüüüüürgen.

- T

Mt Laguna

Took a drive today out to Mt Laguna in the Cleveland National Forest. There was snow on the ground and thick fog rolling in over the mountains. Beautiful.

I stopped to take a few pictures at an overlook that looks down into Storm Canyon towards Vallecito Valley. Click here to see a map of where I was when I took this shot with my Treo.

- T

Ali: Muhammad's 'Best Teddy Bear Friend Forever'

If you've seen a news program, newspaper or news website in the last two weeks, you know about Gillian Gibbons. She is the elementary school teacher from England who accepted the challenge of moving to Sudan to teach children, only to be sentenced by the Muslim-ruled government for letting her students name a class teddy bear Muhammad / Mohamed / Mohammad / Mohammed / Muhammed / Mahommed / Mehmed / Mahomet / Mehmet -- you choose your favorite transliteration. (How could there NOT be a standard translit for such a common name?!)

Somehow, what is supposed to be such an "important", "proud" and "holy" religion (Islam) felt SO threatened by a TEDDY BEAR that they had to IMPRISON a 54-year-old teacher and threaten her with lashings and execution!!!!

I would laugh and laugh at the silliness of such a religion and at any follower who felt this way - - if the situation hadn't been so dire.

And don't think I am only pointing and laughing at Islam. Recently the Catholic Church and its "Catholic League" have been imploring people not to see the new movie "The Golden Compass". Is their mythology SO weak and tissue-paper-like that the mere viewing of a fantasy movie will tempt thousands or millions of devout Christians away from god?

Wow. These religions have set up some pretty unstable Potemkin Villages that can be destroyed by a teddy bear and his CGI polar bear pals....

["See, ya got yer American League, yer National League and yer Catholic League -- they play the worst baseball of all, what with their cassock baseball uniforms."]

- T

Laughlin and Oatman

Work is getting in the way of my blogging and photo-posting.... I've got hundreds of new photos to sort through and post to my Picasa site -- in the meantime, here are two shots from our trip to Laughlin, NV / Oatman, AZ last month. Loved it and looking forward to going back sometime!!
- T

Ungrateful SOBs

Below is a quote from (and a link to) a great essay written by an ex-Coast Guard yeoman.

Have you ever seen a TV news story where someone is saved from some great calamity by a firefighter or policeman who put his or her life at great risk to save the poor sod -- only to have that person not thank the rescue worker, but rather thank God...?

• In contrast, I have heard a number of people exclaim, "Thank God you came." I wanted to puke every time I heard that. A god had nothing to do with my crew and me being there. A god was not helping us save them at the risk of our own lives. Our skill, training and luck is what saved them, not some mythical being. There were times when I heard the "thank god" phrase that I wanted to throw them back and see if a god really would answer their prayers. But I'm a humanist, and human beings are more valuable alive and growing than floundering in the sea. Nevertheless, some days, the temptation was great.

- from "The Work Gods Are Too Busy to Tend To" by Karl E. Taylor

A heartfelt thanks goes out to anyone in a dangerous line of work, who puts himself or herself on the line for others.... Whether you hear it often or not, know that your hard work is appreciated by most of us.