word!

The vacation was a whirlwind, but fun. Everyone says we packed in quite a bunch of things for the full week we were gone. Flew into San Fran Sunday night, and drove north through the city and Golden Gate up towards Wine Country. Next day toured Budweiser Beer & Jelly Belly factories and Wine country that afternoon. Wine country was hot and after a bit, it got boring with all the places that wanted to take your money for anything wine-related. That night headed south and met with my friend Nicole (she was the one I visited out in MI last summer). Headed to Yosemite for the next full day. Communed with nature, hoards of tourists and sickening mountain roads. Next day toured gold mining history, a current gold mine and a awesome cave. After that drove into Silicon Valley, where we saw Yahoo, Google and Apple to varying degrees. All were in office/industrial parks, with no real touristy type stores, save for Apple. We actually walked into Google’s campus and checked out their front office. Elyssa was scared about security, but we didn’t meet any until after we walked off the property! My highlight for sure.

Next two days were spent in SanFran. Did self-guided walking tour that Friday, walking a few miles from downtown/Chinatown to Fisherman’s Wharf. Good lot to see that day. Went on Bus tour the next day and out to Alcatraz that afternoon.

Was a very good trip, one I’m glad we took, even if we planned a good chuck of it on the fly!

What’s your power move?

I feel so selfish for enjoying Ze Frank and The Show for the past year. What a hilarious young man. Too bad he’s only doing his show for one year. What started out on March 17,2006 will shortly end later this month. I am sad for this, but as Ze has said, it’s to make it all worthwhile, not like the OC. But I also really liked Rocketboom when it was hosted by Amanda Congdon; but alas neither is now good without the other.

I really can’t wait to see what this Ze character will do next Tech related, but I’d watch for him.

Good ol’ German Technology. Great Video. Link

For joy!

I have once again found a watch that I had purchased shortly after I began college in 1998. This might not be a big thing, but this particular watch has been lost a few times on my part since then and I have always found it again. I’ve had to replace the band. This all for a cheap $10 timepiece from Walmart.

But what is more odd/interesting is that the watch still has the same battery it had when I bought it. I think that’s a record of some sort. Close to 7 years on the same battery? Yeah, pretty remarkable. No, it isn’t a solar watch either. It’s only acts up a bit once in a while when it gets wet, which is dumb, because it sports a “water resistance” to 30 meters, but I highly doubt that would work real well now.

After reading about certain celebrations held on April 20th of this year 2005, I thought I had to recount my experiences with the date.

A few years back, when I was in college, I had the great honor of learning what 420 meant in and of itself. It seems to me that the exact year may have been 2000, but I’m not sure. I had went over to the apartment of a few friends that I had gone to high school with and had not seen probably since then. Being typical college kids, they were into experiencing all the joys of partying and the like. I just remember a lot of munchies, incessant reruns of SouthPark , and funny shaped metal pipes.

All the guys said they were making a point to stay up to 4:20 am, but were lax on details as to why this was such a crucial time, although it seemed entirely feasible given the male collegiate lifestyle. So, being interested in being part of this endeavor, and having not seen the Southpark movie, I obliged their request to hang out til this time.

Little did I realize until the fateful time arrived that 420 itself was a reference marijuana and that was a universal holiday and reason to light one up. Also how odd that they used those oddly shaped metal pipes to partake in these festivities. Ah, you live, you learn.

This holiday also heightened my awareness of the ‘neat’ graffiti that miracously appeared on Hwy 111 north of Nicollet one year, say sometime in April and was subsiquently redone the next year.