15 September, 2009
14 September, 2009
One Year Later
For those of you interested, Boston.com has a good entry for the 1 year anniversary of Hurricane Ike in Galveston. I know it's something I won't forget.
09 September, 2009
More Pictures
If anyone is interested, I’ve uploaded my pictures of my trip to Playa del Carmen / Tulum and Caye Caulker.
08 September, 2009
Cruise
I made it back after being gone for a little over a week. That was a great vacation and was just what I was hoping for.
Most importantly (to me), I got to do / see a lot of stuff I've never done before. I got to:
This is the most obvious. I'd recommend a cruise to most people. It can be not-too-expensive and most things are taken care of for you. You just have to show up.
Empty deck about an hour before sunrise
A cruise is generally what you want to make of it. They have plenty to do on the ship if you want to be active, or you can just lounge.
As for off-ship activities, they have a ton of pre-selected activities for everyone. Of course, I ran from those as fast as possible to create my own adventures.
This is obvious as well, but I've never done it before.
Sunrise on day 3
This was my first individual outing. Part of the excitement was that I only had a few hours to do this and get back. If I didn't make it in time, the boat would leave without me. (they don't hold a boat with ~2,500 people for one idiot that can't read his watch)
Beaches of Playa del Carmen
That was compounded by not even docking on the same landmass that I wanted to visit. To get where I wanted to go, I had to:
1) Take a taxi to another port
2) Take a water taxi from Cozumel to Playa del Carmen (~30 minutes)
3) Get to the Tulum ruins (~45 minutes south of Playa del Carmen)
Of course, I could have taken a bus for that last step. Instead, I used a common form of public transportation in Mexico--the local van.
This is how it works: a company drives several minivans from one location to another. If you want a ride, you just flag them down and get in. When you get to your destination, you tell the driver and get off.
It's the same general theory as a bus, but they run all the time and are very cheap. My ride from Playa del Carmen to the Tulum ruins was about 45 minutes and only cost about $3.
Main temple at Tulum
The ruins were amazing. Very well preserved, but you aren't allowed to climb through them.
One of the other reasons I wanted to visit these particular ruins was for the beach and swimming. That beach was beautiful and the water was perfect.
Beach at Tulum ruins
I made it back to the ship 15 minutes before departure. That's a little close, but that was my schedule.
This was the adventure I was most looking forward to. Via Lonely Planet, I learned about a key off of the coast of Belize that sounded like somewhere I wanted to visit.
Caye Caulker
Caye Caulker is a 45-minute water taxi ride from Belize City. There are only about 1,000 residents on the island and it's small enough that there aren't any cars.
This is a tiny little island that generally only well-traveled backpackers visit. I don't think I've ever visited a more quiet and relaxing place.
View of west coast
I walked up and down the length of the island in about 20 minutes and then laid in a hammock at the Lazy Lizard for a couple of beers. I think I'll go back there.
My new favorite spot
I was able to do several other things new to me (snorkeling, airboat ride through the Florida Everglades, hold baby alligator and croc), but I probably need to wrap-up this overly long post.
I'll just say that this has strengthened my resolve to travel more and take more risks. It was the risky parts of this trip that I'll remember forever.
Most importantly (to me), I got to do / see a lot of stuff I've never done before. I got to:
...take a cruise
This is the most obvious. I'd recommend a cruise to most people. It can be not-too-expensive and most things are taken care of for you. You just have to show up.
A cruise is generally what you want to make of it. They have plenty to do on the ship if you want to be active, or you can just lounge.
As for off-ship activities, they have a ton of pre-selected activities for everyone. Of course, I ran from those as fast as possible to create my own adventures.
...be far enough out to sea that I can't see land
This is obvious as well, but I've never done it before.
...visit Mayan ruins
This was my first individual outing. Part of the excitement was that I only had a few hours to do this and get back. If I didn't make it in time, the boat would leave without me. (they don't hold a boat with ~2,500 people for one idiot that can't read his watch)
That was compounded by not even docking on the same landmass that I wanted to visit. To get where I wanted to go, I had to:
1) Take a taxi to another port
2) Take a water taxi from Cozumel to Playa del Carmen (~30 minutes)
3) Get to the Tulum ruins (~45 minutes south of Playa del Carmen)
Of course, I could have taken a bus for that last step. Instead, I used a common form of public transportation in Mexico--the local van.
This is how it works: a company drives several minivans from one location to another. If you want a ride, you just flag them down and get in. When you get to your destination, you tell the driver and get off.
It's the same general theory as a bus, but they run all the time and are very cheap. My ride from Playa del Carmen to the Tulum ruins was about 45 minutes and only cost about $3.
The ruins were amazing. Very well preserved, but you aren't allowed to climb through them.
One of the other reasons I wanted to visit these particular ruins was for the beach and swimming. That beach was beautiful and the water was perfect.
I made it back to the ship 15 minutes before departure. That's a little close, but that was my schedule.
...visit a tiny, secluded island
This was the adventure I was most looking forward to. Via Lonely Planet, I learned about a key off of the coast of Belize that sounded like somewhere I wanted to visit.
Caye Caulker is a 45-minute water taxi ride from Belize City. There are only about 1,000 residents on the island and it's small enough that there aren't any cars.
This is a tiny little island that generally only well-traveled backpackers visit. I don't think I've ever visited a more quiet and relaxing place.
I walked up and down the length of the island in about 20 minutes and then laid in a hammock at the Lazy Lizard for a couple of beers. I think I'll go back there.
I was able to do several other things new to me (snorkeling, airboat ride through the Florida Everglades, hold baby alligator and croc), but I probably need to wrap-up this overly long post.
I'll just say that this has strengthened my resolve to travel more and take more risks. It was the risky parts of this trip that I'll remember forever.
08 August, 2009
Sup?
As Candice has pointed out, I've been a bit neglectful of the blog. You'd think that since I don't have a job anymore, I'd be updating this on a daily basis. Apparently not.
Let's see if I can get a few updates in one long post...
The Plan
I want to spend less time working in a crappy, faceless cubicle and want to spend more time traveling. I don't want to live in the southwest anymore. And while I could completely change careers, I'd like to still be able to earn a respectable living.
So, as of now, the working plan looks like this:
1) Get 2 specific technical certifications that should make my services in demand.
2) Fix-up the house and find a management company to lease and manage it for me.
3) Find a consulting company that will give me a job (using the skills learned in #1) that has me traveling as much as possible.
I don't plan to really limit where I look for a job (except for TX, OK, KS, etc..), but I'll probably focus in the Chicago, D.C. and Seattle / Portland areas. Where I finally land will probably be determined on where I can get a job.
Fam
Last week, my brother's family came to stay with me for a few days. 5 women and me in my house and running around Houston. That was an experience.
My sister-in-law has the drive and energy that I wish I had. Anytime you travel with her, you see a lot of stuff, but you'll be wore-out by the end of the week. (a good thing as far as I'm concerned)
One of my sister-in-law's travel goals is to visit all of the Presidential Libraries. I'd already been to President Truman's outside of Kansas City. This time we went to President Bush's (Senior). It was pretty good, but I think one of the highlights for me was seeing (and touching) some sections of the Berlin Wall.
After a few days of running around the Houston area, we headed over to San Antonio. While there, we saw Sea World where I got to feed / pet some dolphins and watched Shamu do his show. It was more impressive than I expected.
And the entire family managed to get soaked more than a couple of times. I felt like a little kid.
We also stopped by the San Antonio River Walk (and ate at Dick's--the most vulgar restaurant I've been to), saw the Alamo and some old Spanish Missionary sites.
But the real reason for the trip was Lackland AFB for my nephew's BMT (Basic Military Training) graduation.
If I was younger, I'd give serious thought about joining the military. The exactness and discipline really appeals to me.
What Now
Well, I'll probably spend the weekend studying for those certification exams. I think an old friend is in town, so we'll probably grab some dinner. And it looks like dad is coming into town sometime soon to help me work on the house.
Nothing exciting, but enough to keep me kinda busy.
BTW: never make pancakes from the mix. You can make buttermilk pancakes from scratch without much extra effort and they will be as good if not better than anything you've ever had. Yum!
Let's see if I can get a few updates in one long post...
The Plan
I want to spend less time working in a crappy, faceless cubicle and want to spend more time traveling. I don't want to live in the southwest anymore. And while I could completely change careers, I'd like to still be able to earn a respectable living.
So, as of now, the working plan looks like this:
1) Get 2 specific technical certifications that should make my services in demand.
2) Fix-up the house and find a management company to lease and manage it for me.
3) Find a consulting company that will give me a job (using the skills learned in #1) that has me traveling as much as possible.
I don't plan to really limit where I look for a job (except for TX, OK, KS, etc..), but I'll probably focus in the Chicago, D.C. and Seattle / Portland areas. Where I finally land will probably be determined on where I can get a job.
Fam
Last week, my brother's family came to stay with me for a few days. 5 women and me in my house and running around Houston. That was an experience.
My sister-in-law has the drive and energy that I wish I had. Anytime you travel with her, you see a lot of stuff, but you'll be wore-out by the end of the week. (a good thing as far as I'm concerned)
One of my sister-in-law's travel goals is to visit all of the Presidential Libraries. I'd already been to President Truman's outside of Kansas City. This time we went to President Bush's (Senior). It was pretty good, but I think one of the highlights for me was seeing (and touching) some sections of the Berlin Wall.
After a few days of running around the Houston area, we headed over to San Antonio. While there, we saw Sea World where I got to feed / pet some dolphins and watched Shamu do his show. It was more impressive than I expected.
And the entire family managed to get soaked more than a couple of times. I felt like a little kid.
We also stopped by the San Antonio River Walk (and ate at Dick's--the most vulgar restaurant I've been to), saw the Alamo and some old Spanish Missionary sites.
But the real reason for the trip was Lackland AFB for my nephew's BMT (Basic Military Training) graduation.
If I was younger, I'd give serious thought about joining the military. The exactness and discipline really appeals to me.
What Now
Well, I'll probably spend the weekend studying for those certification exams. I think an old friend is in town, so we'll probably grab some dinner. And it looks like dad is coming into town sometime soon to help me work on the house.
Nothing exciting, but enough to keep me kinda busy.
BTW: never make pancakes from the mix. You can make buttermilk pancakes from scratch without much extra effort and they will be as good if not better than anything you've ever had. Yum!
16 July, 2009
Update
Well, it's been a somewhat busy week or two.
First, I just want to say that if you ever have a chance to camp in south Texas in July, don't. Not unless you want to punish yourself.
This is the gator that I almost tripped over. Neither Adam nor I saw it until we were about 8 feet away. That will really wake you up.
But, all in all, it was great to spend a couple of days living a simple life. When I get to a cooler climate, I gotta do more of this.
We also got to look through the telescopes at the George Observatory. We got to see globular cluster M13 and the Ring Nebula. It was darn cool to see them in person.
Secondly, and on the same theme, if anyone asks you to help roof in Oklahoma in July, don't do that either.
Oh man, that was hot. I had to keep remembering to take lots of breaks and I've never drank that much water in my life. (but because I did those two things, I didn't have any problems)
The heat was unbearable. But it was great to spend time with family. I'd loved to have stayed for longer, but I needed to get back home.
Now I've got to kick it into gear and get the house prepared to go on the market. It's been too easy for me to get lulled into not getting much done during the day. I'm still in "work mode" where my time at home is relaxation time--not work time.
First, I just want to say that if you ever have a chance to camp in south Texas in July, don't. Not unless you want to punish yourself.
This is the gator that I almost tripped over. Neither Adam nor I saw it until we were about 8 feet away. That will really wake you up.
But, all in all, it was great to spend a couple of days living a simple life. When I get to a cooler climate, I gotta do more of this.
We also got to look through the telescopes at the George Observatory. We got to see globular cluster M13 and the Ring Nebula. It was darn cool to see them in person.
Secondly, and on the same theme, if anyone asks you to help roof in Oklahoma in July, don't do that either.
Oh man, that was hot. I had to keep remembering to take lots of breaks and I've never drank that much water in my life. (but because I did those two things, I didn't have any problems)
The heat was unbearable. But it was great to spend time with family. I'd loved to have stayed for longer, but I needed to get back home.
Now I've got to kick it into gear and get the house prepared to go on the market. It's been too easy for me to get lulled into not getting much done during the day. I'm still in "work mode" where my time at home is relaxation time--not work time.
09 July, 2009
Up next...
Ok, so I'm sure most everyone knows by now that I got laid off. I can't say that it was a bad thing. In fact, I'm convinced that in the long run, this will have been the best thing that's happened to me in a while.
But that doesn't mean it's not scary as hell right now. I got a severance package and some savings to float on, so there doesn't seem to be any immediate danger.
So, the question is: what now? I've got a ton of options, and I think I've settled on a basic plan.
I've never felt particularly attached to Houston or Texas. Yeah, the people are generally nice and the cost of living is low, but it just doesn't seem to "fit" me.
So I'm heading out of the southwest. I've been thinking about a few places, but the two top contenders right now are Chicago and Portland. (but I welcome any other suggestions)
I've been to Chicago a couple of times and really enjoyed it. And it doesn't hurt that I've got Adam to guide me on the lay of the land.
I might meet Adam in Portland in a week or two and check that place out. It sounds like a good fit for me, but I'm worried that I won't be able to find a job there.
Oh yeah, as far as jobs go, I think the general plan is to go ahead and get another programming job so I can get a semi-regular paycheck coming in and some benefits.
I've got a whole other plan that starts at that point, but I'll post that later. The focus now is to figure out where I want to go and get stuff closed-up here in Houston. (I'll probably see about getting a management company to lease my house)
Lastly, I wanted to give a big "thanks" to Adam. He's been hanging about my house since I got laid off. (strange timing) He had to listen to me gripe and moan about all of this stuff for almost two solid weeks. He had to listen to me lament no longer having a paycheck. He had to endure countless rhetorical questions about what I can / should do. And the man was a trooper--he never complained once. (although I'm fairly sure that if I had a gun in the house, it would have been a very different story)
So, thanks Adam for helping me through the (hopefully) worst part of this process. And thanks to everyone else for their ideas and advice. It's more helpful than you imagine.
But that doesn't mean it's not scary as hell right now. I got a severance package and some savings to float on, so there doesn't seem to be any immediate danger.
So, the question is: what now? I've got a ton of options, and I think I've settled on a basic plan.
I've never felt particularly attached to Houston or Texas. Yeah, the people are generally nice and the cost of living is low, but it just doesn't seem to "fit" me.
So I'm heading out of the southwest. I've been thinking about a few places, but the two top contenders right now are Chicago and Portland. (but I welcome any other suggestions)
I've been to Chicago a couple of times and really enjoyed it. And it doesn't hurt that I've got Adam to guide me on the lay of the land.
I might meet Adam in Portland in a week or two and check that place out. It sounds like a good fit for me, but I'm worried that I won't be able to find a job there.
Oh yeah, as far as jobs go, I think the general plan is to go ahead and get another programming job so I can get a semi-regular paycheck coming in and some benefits.
I've got a whole other plan that starts at that point, but I'll post that later. The focus now is to figure out where I want to go and get stuff closed-up here in Houston. (I'll probably see about getting a management company to lease my house)
Lastly, I wanted to give a big "thanks" to Adam. He's been hanging about my house since I got laid off. (strange timing) He had to listen to me gripe and moan about all of this stuff for almost two solid weeks. He had to listen to me lament no longer having a paycheck. He had to endure countless rhetorical questions about what I can / should do. And the man was a trooper--he never complained once. (although I'm fairly sure that if I had a gun in the house, it would have been a very different story)
So, thanks Adam for helping me through the (hopefully) worst part of this process. And thanks to everyone else for their ideas and advice. It's more helpful than you imagine.
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