Just checking some things out…
Tech
For the Birds?
I have a little “downtime” today and one of the longstanding missions has been undertaken. I am exploring Twitter today.
I am not a Twitter hater, though i do not foresee it being terribly useful in my personal life. I expect that most of the common objections one may have about the function of Twitter can be handled through a judicious use of settings and options.
I decided to check it out (and have been meaning to do so) for business purposes. Like many other forms of social media, i do believe that this can be a great tool if used properly. Given that i do not know what my next job will entail, and that loads of IT experience and expertise are a large part of my sellable skill set, i thought it would be good to become more familiar with this tech in advance of needing to be able to effectively implement it for a client.
I am listed under my name, gmail address, and/or the handle “guthluc”.
Your input and shared experience are most welcome!
Unrelated PS – the new sleeping pad is awesome!
Back to the Run – and other news
I ran 1.8 miles, pace 9’17”. It was a nice experience to be back out there. The weather was confusing. We had a lovely bright and sunny day in the 40s that could even feel like 50 when the wind died down. As soon as i was dressing to run, clouds rolled in and blocked the sun. I dressed warm and was fine half the run and hot the rest. Them’s the breaks.
The shuffle feature worked out well for me today with a dash of T-Rex to start things off, into Soundgarden 4th of July, into Fugazi Faucet Squared. I was hoping to get to 2 miles today, but i did make it all the way back into my neighborhood. Not too shabby after an unintentional break.
When i uploaded to nike i decided to check back in with the goals section. It is actually kinda neat. I only have two data points since establishing the goals, but it tells me at a glance how i am doing comparatively. I am only one run behind, though almost 3.5 miles behind. The pace goal may also be tough to meet – but if i keep up with the conditioning, i might make it. If not, i will keep striving for it. As a refresher, the pace goal is 1 mile, under 9′ pace, 4 times, by March 20.
In other news, i had a great experience at REI today. I came to REI late, mostly because they were never located nearby. But after doing some outfitting there last summer, i am converted. I took leaky Big Agnes with me and a clerk and i inspected it together and agreed that it was the valve. I did not have my receipt, but they found the purchase through my member number. They did not have any more of the same model, but they did have a similar product by Thermarest. I was initially bummed as the Thermarest was an additional 40 beans. But, i have been on the floor for two nights and wanted that streak to end. If i don’t like it, i can take this with me to another REI on my next NOVA trip and exchange it there and get my loot back. That’s good service!
After many hours of creation, my dad and i finished editing my new, four page resume tonight. I have sent it out to the necessary parties and am excited about the next steps. The finished product is actually pretty good. I like it better than the one-pager by far. I will change out what is on the RAI website and make this one downloadable as well, but i do not have the mental energy for that tonight. If you are burning with curiosity, let me know and i will put it in your hot little hands!
Perhaps i shall have some more time and energy to write tomorrow.
Sleep well people of the interwebs!
More odds and ends
I do have several substantive posts either brewing in my head or shaping up in outline form – but have not had/used the time to get that stuff down. Brief highlights follow…
I had an awesome meeting in the DC region with a family friend high up in “Big Consulting Firm”. I got some excellent practical advice on the job hunt in general and pursuing a job with this company. Also got some great intel on other good possibilities with firms that we know are hiring right now. This firm wants a fairly exhaustive long form resume, so i have spent the past few days turning my one-pager into a 4 pager. Final edits to happen momentarily and then get sent out.
I may have to position myself somewhere in NOVA/DC for a week or so to be more prepared/available for meetings, and i have some things in the works for that – though input an/or floor space is appreciated.
Speaking of floor space, Big Agnes has an undetectable leak somewhere 🙁 It has been getting worse the past week and Thursday, when i woke up at 4 to get ready for the trip to DC, my back was killing me. She is less than a year old. She has been backpacking twice and spent a grand total of 2 nights in use in the woods. She has acted as my portable mattress for about two weeks. I cannot find the receipt, but hopefully i can still get some help at REI. That trip will happen today after the resume edits.
Another time sucker – i found where you can play the Original Legend of Zelda online! I loved this game and spent many many hours playing it with my dad back when it came out around 1986. But i think the Nintendo folks have a Microsoft bias even in online gaming! I have not gotten the game to load in Chrome. I can play in Firefox, but the graphics are just jerky enough to get you occasionally killed. It works very well in Seamonkey. But – in all of these, the java applet mechanism that allows you to save your game and quit your browser and come back in later – that does not quite work out. I can see a java screen flash momentarily with the save code, but it goes away very quickly and i have not been able to actually recover a prior game. I tried just leaving the game on pause. This worked out well on the overnight in Seamonkey. (The Mac still goes to sleep and manages the power well.) I have not tried Safari yet – but i might, just as an experiment.
The brief return of snow put a kink in my renewed running. I was eager to go, but the roads were a little too slushy/icy. It looks good for today though! I have kept up with the daily stretching and at least once daily (though frequently twice daily) floor exercises. I have been increasing my reps as well. I am up to 18 push-ups, 55 crunches, 55 leg lifts, and 50 twisty crunches. I am still weighing in at 187.
Hope you all out there participating through the series of tubes are rocking out.
“Whatever you are, be a good one.” Abe Lincoln – via Mike Birbiglia
Gulash – another mash-up
I have been playing with the scheduled release of blog posts and liking it. If you do not know, you can write entries and choose when they will be automatically published. This is awesome for me given that i go through droughts of not writing and then writing four or five posts at once. Now, i can spread those out. It is a little difficult to deal with both tense and timeline issues, but i think it is worth it. I released two or three posts via the scheduler Fri-Sun.
A little job news – one of the places i applied that i was excited about was the Apple Store at the local mall here in Millersville PA. They are revamping their Business Team (which is a great and necessary idea) and have some openings. It has been a week and i have heard nothing. I did go in the day after i applied online and spoke to one of the managers briefly just to verify that they were still looking as the post had been up since september. It was a nice chat and i left feeling positive.
There is an up and a down side. The up is that i do not really want to stay in Pennsylvania. I was serious when i applied and i would take the job if they offered it today, but i would want to learn and position myself to move before next winter. The down is that i do not understand why i did not get any contact. I felt like my package was good. Some of the folks in the store know me, a few managers, lots of floor staff, the Business guy, and the Regional manager. I am considering contacting my Business sales guy to try to set something up to find out what happened. Not so much to be begging for a job there, but to learn what was wrong to help me in the future. Did i make some gross error i am unaware of? Is it the pitfall i have found many times – overqualified? Is it the employer second guessing the applicant game of ‘he can’t really want this job, he’s been a CEO!’
The other facet of concern – I also applied for the same job in Georgetown as well as a job one rung up in the business division also in Georgetown. Those jobs i am very interested in, and i have a bud in Apple throwing a good word my way. Probably the Apple thing is not going to work out right now, but that is OK. I have some other consulting leads and am setting up meetings for this week (and next if necessary). I do plan to go into the Georgetown Apple store though while i am down NOVA way. I can probably make much more money consulting, but i imagine that i would be happier working at Apple.
State of the Blog – I believe it is about time to kick it back into gear with the move to a self-hosted blog. I did seriously slow down on that effort, but i hit an unusual wall. I could not make the self-hosted site work on the free space at godaddy. I read that many people had the same problem, and a few people made it work. That was only designed to be a temporary stage anyway, as it would include godaddy banners at the top of each page.
I have been working on a post about Malcolm X (and a little about Martin Luther King Jr.) and some decent ideas hit me while walking this morning and i used the voice memos thingy on the iPhone to capture them. I wanted to intersperse these voice clips with text in the entry, but you cannot upload mp3/m4a on a free blog hosted through wordpress. The upgrade package to be able to post audio is about $20.00 a year. Not bad, but if i have to pay, i would rather pay to host it myself and get the rest of the features that i am missing and the additional customization.
But – all that will have to wait until i get a new job. I refuse to spend money on my blog while under-employed!
The Malcolm entry is probably going to stay in draft form for now. It is too important to me to not craft it well, and that is going to take some more time, and i need to get back to other things.
For now let me just say that i hope we all take a minute to remember Malcolm today (he died on Feb 21, 1965). If you do not know much about Malcolm, i encourage you to learn. One of the best places to start is here!
If you know some about Malcolm and have a negative opinion, i encourage you to read this!
More Running and Gadgets!
Despite a return to colder weather and loads of wind, i nabbed another run late this afternoon.
1.7 miles – 9’15” pace
I did slow down going up the hill, but i made it up and made it almost back into the neighborhood.
While running, it was my breath that felt taxed near the end. My legs felt great. As soon as i switched to walking, my breath was fine and my legs began to burn a bit. But the cool-down walk and then stretch session calmed that down.
It is early to speculate, but i think that having a more dedicated and slightly more rigorous program is helping this time around. I must say that the music is definitely helping as well.
I do not expect that this will have an impact, but i did set some goals inside the nike+ online thingy where your numbers go. I just set the same goals there that i have in my head, but we’ll see.
The big reveal – i want to run at least every other day – so 14 times in 4 weeks. I want to be running a minimum of two miles – so 30 miles in 4 weeks. I want to run better than 9 minute miles – so 4 miles under 9 minute mile pace in 4 weeks.
Them’s the goals for now.
Back to the tunes. Today also started out with RPG “Right On”. This is the first track on the running playlist, so each run starts with it before the shuffle thingy kicks in. At least i think that is how it works, today is only the second time i have ever used shuffle. But i am ok with that. I love all the RPG songs, and this is one they played back in my era also.
I had to skip a few tracks (too slow – need to edit list) and then “Like Suicide” kicked in. Not just a good song, lots of great memories. I went to a show at American University in DC during the Superunknown tour around 94(?) with one of my good friends/love interests. Let’s just call her Marie. I was desperately hoping for them to play “4th of July”, which they did not but they did play “like suicide”. The “sad” songs always call to me. They do not make me feel sad, depressed, or suicidal or anything like that. They just resonate better with me. I think it may be similar to the Metal effect for me. People used to ask if playing loud angry metal made me extra aggressive. Truthfully it has the exact opposite effect on me. I left all that at the show and got filled with peace. Anyway – it was a great show and has many great memories attached to it.
Earlier in the day, my dad told me about an email from Emirates Air. He had qualified for one of a few free flights or some really nice upgrades, but they all expire on Feb 28th. The stuff on Emirates is all business related and we are partners and my pop is a nice guy, so we looked at the options together. Neither of us can use this before the 28th so we looked at the other ways to spend the miles. The cash equivalency is always poor, but you can get stuff you want for “free”. In 7-10 days, 2 iPod shuffles will arrive. My pop wants his for the gym and i will love to clip mine on for the running. Thanks Emirates!
PS – i highly recommend that you go back and re-listen to Ratt! Both Out of the Cellar and Invasion of Your Privacy really stand the test of time!
2011 Legs!
I had a great run today. 1.59 miles. 9’28” pace. I felt like i could have gone further, but i made it up the hill without slowing down too much and decided to quit while i was ahead. Hopefully this will leave me cramp free tomorrow and ready to run again.
It was sunny and pleasant, about 60 degrees and i ran in shorts and a T. There were several other runners out there doing it and not a few nice looking ladies. Given that this is a little college town, with a high school almost on the campus, it would be wise to verify whether or not these gals could even drive – but i have always been a fan of nice scenery on a run.
I made a change for this running season – headphones! No i did not buy any more equipment, i just used my gear to add music to the mix and i think that helped me out. I stayed mentally loose instead of focusing only on the run and the pain and the pace.
I used my good ole (new-ish) Dr Dre in-ears. I slapped on my winter ear warmer thingy and that kept the gear secure. Which looked something like this:
I made a “running” playlist, loaded that onto the old 120 GB iPod classic and set out with that just in my hand. About half a block in, i slipped the iPod down my shirt, and that worked great for cord management. I had no cord or road or footstep noise. I also slapped on the super light Ironman sunglasses i got before Mexico. My Nike+ gear still works fine.
Back to the mentality – I enjoyed the ‘now’ of the run and was not trying to escape the experience. But having something else to help give my thoughts a nudge was nice. I followed thoughts brought on by the changing tunes. I am an album guy, but i did something i have never done before and would not ever do under other circumstances – i used “shuffle”.
So far, the “Running” playlist has albums by:
RPG – Ratt – Iron Maiden – Wolfmother (*Note – listen to “Dimension”) – the only two White Stripes tunes i like – T Rex – The Stooges – Soundgarden – Pixies – Nirvana – and Metallica
It kicked off with RPG “Right On”, then The Stooges “Gimme Danger”, into Nirvana’s “Nevermind”. I had a lot of thoughts of Richmond and being on the road with RPG through the first two tracks and then – with just the first notes of Nevermind, into my head pops, “Because i am crippled and i wanna listen to Nirvana!” Which was interesting since i just re-loaded the first four seasons of Friday Night Lights onto my computer to begin a re-watch in preparation for April 15th, the NBC premiere date for the final season.
Good times!
*Note – we stay spoiler free over here at The Bone of Contention so keep your direct tv season 5 secrets to yourself – for now 😉
More from the Spam Bin
I hope to write some more substantial entries soon. It has been difficult to find the time and motivation in the middle of job hunting. For now, we revisit the Spam Bin!
There were three new entries today with two standouts. One was the normal, poorly written/translated deal that goes something like this – ‘i stumble onto you thoughts and they are like thoughts i wish would fall from my head. Back come will i for plus plus’.
Then there were two new and innovative approaches to Spam – though both were still poorly written. The first of these went something like this – ‘i come your blog to find inspired. I find this not. You waste time and seek attention only with things you could fix if you want.’ Now let’s be clear – this could totally apply to me, and almost every other ‘first-person’ blogger. There may even be some entries in my blog that would warrant this admonition – but this was intended to be posted as a comment to the entry on Meditation. I think that is probably the least self-involved and self-indulgent entry on the whole blog. And, the email address of the “person” who tried to post this was something like [email protected].
The final example for today was a new form of clever. “I left a comment on your blog one time and signed for mail about replies. Now i get mails 4 times in the day about comments. This every day and all are Spam. Can fix so no more will this happen?” Wow – it almost got me for a micro-second. But the good side of having an obscure blog with an incredibly small readership – i know everyone who has an approved comment personally, and i also am ‘signed for mail about replies’ so i would be getting those same messages. But still – a nice attempt.
I do welcome comments of all sorts and would approve and share comments that presented less than flattering impressions of me and the blog. If you ‘come my blog to find inspired’ and find only a whiny self-indulgent fellow, comment away and i will share it – so long as you are a real human and not a spammer, phisher, or other nefarious electro-being. I have to protect my two dedicated readers, 10 regulars, and the other 10-20 people who sometimes drop in…
Time Out for – Materialism and Sounds!
Breaking tradition by not burying the lead – I splurged and bought the Dr. Dre Beats Tour in-ear headphones and I am quite pleased.
I believe I have mentioned that I tend to live in headphones while in the US. For about 15 years I bought $20 Koss over the ear studio style cans and loved them. The sound was decent, they were comfortable, they had a nice long cord with in-line volume control, and when I eventually broke them (about once or twice a year), they were not too expensive to replace.
This became problematic once I got the iPhone. I did not want to have to carry multiple devices, or multiple headphones (and I cannot hold a phone to my face – I just can’t do it), so I started trying out in-ear phones with in-line mic and controls. I have no idea if the standard Apple buds sound good or not because they will not stay in my ears for more than 3 seconds. I got some Skull Candy Full Metal Jackets (FMJ) and I loved them. They were super comfortable. The braided cord inspired confidence in terms of longevity and lack of tangles. The sound was very good as well – over a wide range of musical styles. I let my dad try them and he also really liked them.
I gave him my pair before he left for a business trip and I got a new pair. Without doing anything strange or pulling on the cord – one of the speakers was dead inside of 4 days. When my dad got back from his trip, one of his speakers was dead also. We got them both replaced and had the same problem inside of a week. I then tried the 50/50s and got the Smokin’ Buds for my dad. The 50/50s lasted about 3 weeks before one speaker went dead. Just like the FMJs, the fit was nice and the sound was good, but they broke.
My dad’s Smokin’ Buds lasted about 5 weeks, and they were much less comfortable than the others. They also did not sound as good.
I found a pair of Body Glove buds that sounded decent and were in between Smokin Buds and FMJs in terms of comfort – but the cord is weird. It is much shorter on one side than the other which causes a lot of strange tension and pulling.
Then I found some really decent Sony’s. Good comfort, decent price (about 30 bucks), reasonable sound. I gave the Body Gloves to my dad.
I have been through 3 sets of the Sony’s – one I gave to my dad (he lost the Body Gloves), one broke when I stepped on them, and one I still have as a back-up set.
I decided to try something else and jump up a quality class because while the Sony’s are decent – they do not seem designed to handle a wide range of music. They have no low-end at all. I am not a bass-a-holic, though I do listen to The Rap Music. But you do not have to listen to rap to both need low-end and miss it when it is absent. I noticed the problem with the Sony’s while in Mexico listening to some of my favorite Cuban music. Some of the low-end is bass and bass style traditional stringed instruments, and some is simply deep tones from hand-drums. Similar problems arose listening to ‘Kind of Blue’, some of my Indian chant/mantra tunes, and even Gymnopedies 1-3. (This is not the version I have but the closest I could find in terms of feel and tempo – though the tone is not as rich as the recording I use.) On the lowest volume setting possible, the low tones were starting to make the speakers rattle in that “we will die if you keep this up” kinda way. (I leave my EQ flat.)
After reading tons of reviews, and some in-store talks, I decided to give Dre a shot, partially because I really love the sound and comfort of the Beats Studio Cans. (They are cheaper at apple – and to me the sound and comfort kicked the crap out of the V-Moda Crossfades – and I ain’t tryin’ no mo Skull Candy.) I also still like Monster cables and most of my problems have involved crappy cables. I was concerned about the negative side of the reviews of the Tours that reference the longer style of the buds and difficulty many people have with the fit and comfort. But Apple gives you 2 weeks to return no questions asked, so I decided to check it out.
* The new Bose in-ears get high marks from everyone on sound and comfort. I love Bose, but I decided not to try those because they are not “noise isolating”. Part of the point of all of this for me is to build my own little cone of mobile privacy and silence. So models that advertise that you can still hear your surroundings are not for me.*
I loved the sound right away. I started with the standard medium tips. I have tried every tip for every ear bud I have purchased and it is always the middle one that works best for me. On the second day, I tried the rest of the tips, finally trying the smallest set.
The smallest set is the answer for me. Reading the manual and learning the little trick to how to properly seat these in your ears to get a good seal also helped quite a lot. (Online download version – despite all the crap in the case and a partial manual, the full instructions on how to put these beasts in your ears were not included.)
On about the 4th day, when I had the buds out of my ears, my ears were a little itchy. I was conflicted because I was really enjoying the phones and they were comfortable while on, just uncomfortable when not on – oddly enough. Since I had 2 weeks, I decided to stick with it, and try the Bose if that weird feeling did not go away. The manual does say that there is a break-in period and that seems to be true.
After about 6 days, my ears felt normal and great with the buds in or out, and they sound even better now than they did before.
I have been trying to both be careful and use them normally. So far, no problems. I wear them on my dog walks through the streets and in the woods. There is no ‘cord noise’ as you move. Because of the way they make a seal over your ear canal, I can sorta hear/feel my footsteps in my head. That has lessened over time as well. I don’t know if it is getting better, or if I am getting used to it and just filtering it out.
Because of how they do fit in your ear, and the bud build design, they are definitely not for everyone, but if you need new ear buds with iPhone compatibility and in-line mic that treat your music right, and you are ready to drop some coin, and you can get them from a place with an ironclad trial period, check these out!
* They may not work with all iPhone cases. I am an Otter Box guy, and they do work with the Otter Box – provisionally. Because of the design of the plug, you would only be able to have the cord extending out towards the back of the phone. This may not mesh with how you use the phone clip and/or slip it into your pocket, bag, etc. The flap that plugs the audio input hole on my Otter Box broke off many months ago so I have the option to have the cord extend to the front of the phone – which happens to mesh perfectly with how I use the clip and fit the phone in my pocket. You would not be able to turn the cord to the side left or right with an Otter Box. If you roll without a case, or use a much less substantial case, this may not impact your situation. Also – I am on the iPhone 3GS – I don’t know how this would play out with an iPhone 4.
Mexico Update #5
Tulum – January 3, 2011
December 31st – Playacar to Tulum
This was my third ride on the Collectivo, and the first time I had to wait for an extended period of time to catch one. The stop was right across the highway from my hotel and it did take about 45 minutes before the right one came along. Most of the vans that stopped were local traffic and did not go as far as Tulum. Eventually a big bus pulled up. I asked the driver if he went to Tulum and he said yes. 30 pesos. Light air-conditioning. Big nice soft seat. It was a good ride.
I had a little more information about how to find my pension hotel than I had for the trek to Playacar. I had a little map and some directions from both the bus station and the post office. The bus I was on stopped at the main bus station so I thought this would be no problem. 30 minutes later, it was clear to me that my map was inaccurate. I stopped for a cervaca and asked a guy how to find the post office.
This led me to the other side of the main highway and I walked for another 40 minutes or so. I knew I was close. I could feel it, but I could not find the place. Also, once you leave the main road, there are no more street signs, so it is difficult to locate a particular intersection. I also never found the post office. I had just about given up. I was heading back to the main road to catch a taxi – even though it would only be like a 4 or 5 block ride, I needed to find my new home and take a shower.
I decided to ask in a little corner store. They had no english and my spanish is rather limited. After asking about the location of the intersection got me nowhere – I mentioned the name of the hostel. I thought it would do no good. If they had no english, what would “Mama’s House” mean to them? But they did know it – it was actually across the street.
The people at Mama’s House are fantastic – both the staff and the other travelers. My room is perfect, breakfast has been super, drinking water and the internet are free, and they fixed a special evening meal to celebrate new year’s. I told them I was vegetarian when I arrived and they have been great about that. The first breakfast was toast and an apple. Very fine, and more than I expected since the staff was still up partying when I went to bed at 3 AM. The second day was soft tortillas filled with chocolate and bananas. Today was eggs with onions and some kind of green bean, re-fried beans, toast and an apple. For the celebration meal they made the rice plain and had a huge dish of sauteed veggies.
I had gone out to eat before hand because I was hungry and I did not yet know how they would respond to the needs of a vegetarian. But I wanted to be social and eat something since they had gone through the trouble. All the guests were in the courtyard, as well as the staff and some family friends. I sat in one of the few empty seats near the end of the line of tables that were pushed together for the occasion, and this was another fantastic accident in a long line of beautiful chance encounters that this trip has presented to me. The people I sat with were super. We had a really nice time talking together.
Near midnight, Mama, Ilana, brought out a tray with many cups filled with sparkling wine and 12 grapes each. We turned on the tv for the countdown. They ring the bell 12 times at midnight, and you are supposed to eat one grape each time the bell sounds, and then drink your wine when you finish the grapes. This was not an easy task. It would have been difficult anyway, but these were huge grapes and seeded. I made it through three with the bells and then had to slow down. A few people made it through all 12 “on time”. There was lots of hugging and smiling and some nice salsa dancing. It was a beautiful way to ring in the new year. I do not know where the tradition comes from – some of the guests were European, some Greek, some Mexican, some from other South American locations – but many people formed a circle and poured shots of Rum into a plastic cup. The game was to pick up the glass and take the shot without using your hands. I sat that one out and just watched – but it was fun all the same. It was like some reverse limbo game.
Around 6 of the guests were headed to the beach for late night party action. My new friend Yuri was going with them and they strongly encouraged me to go as well. I was actually amazed that I even saw midnight and opted out of that trip. I know they had a great time (we did not see Yuri again for almost two days – so you know he had a good time hanging with the beach people).
I still have more exploring to do. I have walked to the beach and for a long distance headed south. People tell me that the beach to the north is different both ecologically and in terms of the sorts of crowds that choose to go there. I have not explored the town much yet and I do intend to go look at the pottery today.
I have spent the evenings with Yuri’s family and had a fantastic time talking with them. It is really amazing to me that this is the second time in one trip that I have met a collection of 5 other people and really liked them all together and individually. That never happens to me. But I have a new family (also 5 people) in North Carolina now through the Barcelo Maya! I have two great Canadian friends also from the Barcelo Maya! And now another new family in Washington State.
Maybe it is more “me” than even I suspect. I have been pretty closed off for several years now. Some of it was culture shock at being back in America after so much time abroad. Some of it was my inability to really share or talk about my experiences overseas because I had not internally reconciled the difficulties I faced personally and in business. But, I also just do not often meet many people that I feel that deep internal resonance with. Hopefully you will recognize what I am attempting to describe. When you connect with someone and your spirits seem to hum or harmonize together and you get so excited when you talk together that you can feel it like a chemical release in your brain and your blood and you get tingly, or sparkly.
I could count the number of people I have ever felt that way about on my hands and toes. For the people that i still feel that way about, I do not need both feet. And now, on one trip I have found that thing with at least 8 more people. I have enjoyed everyone, but you do not get sparkly with every person. And 8! That is an amazing number to me. 8 in a lifetime would be fantastic. 8 in one trip – 8 in one 3 week trip – it is astounding.
Anyway, I am having a lovely time. I will probably write some more today, but I thought it would be best to go ahead and get some updates out there.
Some Random Notes from Yesterday –
Traveling Equipment –
I did a pretty good job packing for this trip. I have used everything that I brought with me, which is nice. I do still wish that I had less stuff, but I am not sure what I would choose to leave behind. For weight considerations, a transition to the iPad would have been a good move. That would have cut down significantly by replacing my 15” MacBook Pro and 6 Mass Market paperbacks, one hardback, and a heavy Trade Paperback.
The Most Useful Items:
- Dictionario! This should be one of the obvious, self explanatory items like ‘sunscreen’, but most of the people I have seen do not have one.
- The really thin plastic bags you put your veggies in at the grocery store – I brought 6 or 7 of those. The main purpose is for paper back books. I figured this one out many years ago. If you put your books in a thin bag, it is much less likely the they will be damaged in your suitcase on the plane, or in your shoulder bag as you trek around town/beach.
- Quart sized Freezer bags! I brought about 25 with me and they have been invaluable – keeping things organized in my shoulder bag, protecting items from sand, water, rain.
- 25 feet of really light hiking cord for a clothesline – great cord, easy to tie half hitches to quickly vary the tension and drop of the line. Reflective! I just brought the line with me and bought clothespins here for cheap.
- My new suitcase. I got a Delsey hard-sided (though still flexible) case that qualifies as carry-on. The zipper is good and “self-repairing” and the case seems water-proof. The wheels and handle are quite sturdy and have definitely been put through the paces on this trip. It did great on the 2 mile trek around Akumal over mixed pavement, stone, and dirt paths. It did great on my strange 3 mile trek through Playa Del Carmen trying to get from the Collectivo dump point in Centro to my hotel in Playacar. It has a built-in TSA approved lock which has been great. I have not had a safe everywhere, and have not used them where available. I do agree with the arguments for using the safes, but you still have to have faith in the staff. Someone on staff knows how to open the safe and re-set the lock. When I leave the room, I put my computer backpack inside the suitcase and lock that. Sure, someone can take the whole suitcase, but that is more conspicuous and you can only spend so much time worrying about your gear.
Technical Side Note – I have been using Pages ® on this trip instead of Word ® and I like it. It does all the stuff that I like in Word, but much less of the automated tasks and auto-formatting that I do not like in Word. I imagine that I will still have to use Word for collaboration on work projects, but for my personal use, Pages wins. The button to toggle into full screen mode is awesome!