Archive for the ‘General’ Category
Besides the crazy heat, I had a lot of fun exploring Alexandria, also known as Old Town, Georgetown and a couple places in the Smithsonian. I was also able to meet two beautiful ladies during my exploration and it was nice being, and having, company.
Now, it’s all work as I attend demos of the conference here for work. So far so good, though they have packed the entire day for the next 2 days.
Here’s to hoping I’ve got some time to meet more people and/or have some time to relax after the day’s talks.
No, this is not the wondrous tale of The Hobbit. Rather, it will be the beginning of a personal adventure. A trek across a large expanse of land, making a few pilgrimages along the way. Untold experiences to be had and maybe a bit of loot. An adventure indeed, lays before me and such exploration must be shared. So, thankfully, a trusted ally will embark on this crazy trip with me.
We will start our journey in the city of angels, Los Angeles. From there, we will travel up to Seattle and spend a few days there. With our quest complete, we will return to Los Angeles. There will be some stops along the way. I intend to scribe our adventures and misadventures as well as capture the moments with a camera. Hopefully, I shall be able to post my words as often as I can.
One week and a half to go, yet there still remain some things I need to gather for the journey. I will be a busy, busy bee.
Last night’s walk, while taking the same amount of time as previous walks, sped by quickly. Nothing of note lay on the pathways, no new people met and the sky was a distant companion. As I walked back towards home, I realized there was no wind. That made things hotter than before and no soothing breeze as I crossed the overpass linking my neighborhood with the relatively new one.
Due to the routine of the sights, I let my mind wander more. I had picked up the book Dies the Fire by S.M. Stirling and, nearly done with it, replayed the story in my mind. Imagine our everyday world without the use of electricity or even gunpowder. All of civilization crumbles, thousands perish from the sudden absence of technology and even more die from starvation and disease.
Firearms no longer work, governments collapse and the only law is that of the strongest. Is it a person’s true nature to turn cannibal or sadistically evil? Perhaps. Just as well for those that nuture and protect.
The book had allowed a past fancy become more defined and made me reflect on all the gadgets I’m addicted to as well as hobbies I’ve indulged in that could contribute to survival. I say this with a chuckle that I would probably be one of the near dying.
Accompanying such thoughts was a grand playlist the iTunes’ Genius had assembled from “Streamside” by the Album Leaf. Pearl Jam and Tori Amos followed and the near ethereal performances brought to light that even readily avaiable music would also be gone. A protangoist in the book was a musician and the morale boost of her singing was tremendous.
The evening closed silently as I reached home, shutterring the thoughts that such an event, while slim, was possible. I had found a new book series that would stimulate my brain with not only a wonderful story but also musings of what could be.
Yes, I bought the second novel in the series.
Last night’s walk was particularly uneventful. It was just the usual suspects doing their own exercising, with two groups of people walking that I haven’t seen before. There were random litter invading people’s lawns instead of anything attempting to bar my path. Even the sky assumed an easily forgettable posture. A similar theme of routine played on my iPhone, starting with “Nemo” by Nightwish and a few more songs from them, followed by t.A.T.u, Avril Lavigne, 10 Years and Metallica. The routine aspect being there were multiple songs by each of them.
The dull in extrasensory stimuli paved the way for my mind to wander. The neighborhood that is the scenery for much of my walk is populated with houses in the mainland, wood-built style, with half-circle constructs to provide ventilation for the attic. At least the style is reminiscent of the mainland than most other houses I’ve seen around the islands. In any case, those half-circles began to appear like slightly amused cyclopian eyes that would watch my progress. Nothing in the realm of horror, mind you, instead more like a Looney Toons episode. As the wind blew gently down the street, I envisioned cartoon-like tendrils, denoting the wind, frolicking about.
Such is the weirdness that goes on in my head.
Last night’s walk was good. I’m starting to consistently walk the three miles in 45 minutes. I began the walk with The Corrs, “Somebody for Someone” and Genius didn’t let me down. Although, I didn’t really care for the No Doubt song that popped on, which I can’t remember. I think it came between Jewel and Dave Matthews, both were pretty slow songs. On the way back home, however, Chumbawumba came on out of the blue and that was a needed burst of adrenaline.
While the extra energy didn’t make me any faster than the others who were doing their exercise (mostly they were jogging or running), it was still nice. I have begun to notice who the regulars are, or at the very least, the ones that are out there nearly every day. It really isn’t the time to socialize, but the odd nod or verbal greeting is nice. My constant silent companion, the sky, kept things cool but could not hide the personal pan sized box of Little Caesar’s Pizza that tried to block me from the sidewalk. No embarrassment from my companion at all.
The sky wasn’t blushing, instead there was a sheet of blue-gray clouds with a sparse break somewhere in the middle where the last of the sun’s brilliance shown. The edges of the sheet of clouds were tattered in a way that made me think of cotton pillow stuffing. Perhaps it was a sign of my impending early turn in? As a matter of fact, it wasn’t. I ended the night at around one o’clock in the morning.
It was a pleasant evening, but I long for colder climes. My affection for Alaska resurfaced and my slumber was filled with a bright, yet cloudy sky and white-capped mountain peaks just beyond weathered homes and heavily garbed people eating ice cream to warm up. Le sigh.
