A Day in the Life of a Techie – Post Las Vegas
Ideas, dreams, and long things-to-do lists are bumping around in my head. Most of my ambition for the past month has been preparing for the 2010 Revelation Software User’s Conference in Las Vegas. There is a nice article along with some pictures on the Revelation.com website.
There are more pictures and stitched panorama images waiting for posting to my blog. As one of the designated photographers I took the opportunity to try out some of those “advanced” features on my camera. The end result, nice pictures, most of the pictures of me with my eye’s closed (I sense the flash), and some pretty cool shots. What’s even better, I figured out how useful the correct metering setting is (i.e. 1/4 of the pictures were not the best :).
So much could and should be said about the Revelation Conference and Las Vegas but it comes down to this – you should have been there for yourself.
After spending almost 5 days in the desert my nose was able to smell the color green when I landed in New Jersey. What a rich and wonderful smell.
But just for the record – I came back from Vegas just as chaste, a little wiser, and immensely thankful.
2010 Washington D.C. Cherry Blossom Festival Panorama Pictures
The 2010 Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington D.C. was amazing. The trees were prime and the weather was beautiful. Sporadic breezes would send a cascade of white petals falling through the air. The crowd under the trees made it impossible to take any close multi-picture panorama images. All of the images were taken free hand from a distance and then stitched.
Below are several stitched panorama images. Click on the image to view it full size in a new window.
Wide panorama of cherry blossoms looking north from Kutz Bridge.
West view of tidal basin with cherry blossoms at either edge of panorama.
JFK Grave in Arlington Cemetery During 2010 Cherry Blossom Festival.
There are a couple more pictures to stitch and post, check back later in the week to see them.
Protected: If I Had the Chance I’d Ask the World To…
Dance.
Sunday night, I’m sitting in Starbucks, and still smiling ear to ear as I think back on the past weekend. I feel guilty for admitting it but I had a wonderful weekend and I hope, and believe, it was a blessing from the Lord. It seems contrary to what I think to consider it a blessing and I’m still sorting it out in my mind – but for the moment all I can say I summed up in this poem:
Happy The Man by John Dryden
Happy the man, and happy he alone,He who can call today his own:He who, secure within, can say,Tomorrow do thy worst, for I have lived today.Be fair or foul or rain or shineThe joys I have possessed, in spite of fate, are mine.Not Heaven itself upon the past has power,But what has been, has been, and I have had my hour.
The weekend started some time around Thursday. On my own compunction I put in several early mornings at the office and ended up staying until 6. The testing on the SQL connector was going slow and I found myself getting agitated with the work. The sense of accomplishment was’t forth coming and I was continually evaluating if what I was working on – the testing method – was fruitful. A continual reminder, “It’s not my place to produce, I must break” was required to keep my perspective straight.
Friday at 5 I found myself in a difficult tech call that was going nowhere fast. Lots of ideas, but little progress, the only consolation was the tech on the other end was helpful.
George bedoya called out of the blue while I was on the line, I couldn’t talk but he had 5 tickets to the Nets/Magic game and he offered them to me. Wow! I couldn’t decide but said I’d finish the call and get back to him. While on the call I was googling around finding some details on the game, locations, etc. It was at the Izod center @ 8 PM.
It was after 6 by the time I finished the call. My energy was gone and without a companion(s) for the game I called George and regretfully turned the tickets down. I locked the office, got in the truck, and headed to stop and shop. While picking up the makings for a mushroom sandwich I called Luke just for the heck of it. He didn’t go to Monadnock with the rest of the guys but he had previous plans to go Dancing with Heidi to support Hope’s trip. I was disappointed that I hadn’t heard about it but at this point I was beat and didn’t care. Oddly enough he knew of someone who was a Nets fan… Particia. Whoa… He just happened to be at the Illian house where Patricia was. At this point I’d go for broke and while walking around the grocery store Luke walked in and gave his phone to Patricia.
I blurbed out the short story about getting the tickets, turning them down, and being beat, but if I could get the tickets would she like to go? She hemmed and hawed and explained that she would like to but Ruppa, her friend, was having a birthday in the city and she was obligated to go. I pushed a little bit because she didn’t want to go but she couldn’t say no. So she said she would think about it and call me back. No problem, so I ended the call, checked out of the store, and then headed home.
Do I find the directions and get ready in the off chance she says yes? Or do I do what seemed sensible and make dinner? Hmmm Maybe I’ll look at the directions again incase she says yes. It was after 7 and the game would start at 8. I decided to at least shave and check the directions. The phone rang and she emphasized she would like to go but couldn’t get out of the Birthday. She could come for a while but then would leave to go to the city for her friend’s party. Then she floored me, how would I like to go to the party with her? *gasp* i was beat, I actually kinda hoped she would say no, but the thought that she might actually say yes was a thrill and it wound me up.
Do something that scares you every now and then. Thankfully the thought of asking a woman out on a date is still exciting – the thought Patricia would say yes was invigorating. Despite being tired, the thought was engaging… What the heck, why not. I said yes. Nothing ventured nothing gained.
Despite the fears present , not knowing how to get there, will traffic be bad, will she have a good time, what will the club be like, I stepped out and said yes. The adventure has fully commenced. *heart beats faster*
She needed to get ready, I needed to get ready, and get the tickets, and fill the truck with fuel. I dressed up , wearing the egg plant shirt, black slacks, and pin stripe vest. muscle shirt underneath with the top button undone. No chest hair to show but I thought I looked good.
i drove over, picked up the tickets from George and got his confirmation on the route to take. By the time I was leaving George’s house Patricia called and I headed over to pick her up. I should have enough gas.
Luke was busy working and we exchanged pleasentries. Hiedi was waiting inside and we talked for a few minutes while Particia finished primping. She stepped out and was wearing jeans and a blouse with frills around the neck and cuffs. Nothing fancy but respectable and she looked wonderful. She has a natural beauty about her and while she is attractive she doesn’t make overly desirous of her. That doesn’t make her any less beautiful, it is just personal taste. I must say I’m captivated by her eyes and the little wisps of black hair that grow on her side burns. They look like brush strokes painted by a master. Her hair is full and black, it crowns her head and compliments he aspect.
We left the Illian home and headed out down the parkway, hwy 80, turnpike south to 16w. The trip was fast tand traffic was light. I was so surprised. I was even more surprised that she was a regular at the IZod center and had been at a Maddona concert and a game not too long ago. We had light conversation and I regailed her about last weeks adventure in the city going to the Celtic Woman concert.
We made a complete loop around and the complex. The game was well underway and apart from a short wait at a distant parking lot we made it without a problem. She wanted to park with easy exit so we could make it into the city before midnight.
We marked in lot 2C and caught the shuttle to the arena. We were seated around 9:15… just before half time. The seats were half way up the upper level, they weren’t great seats but they weren’t bad either. I was surprised to see how small the court looked… I remember it bigger on TV.
Patricia was a Nets fan and she filled me in about how one of the players, Yiu, was horrible and it was proved because he missed a number of shots. One of the magic once played for the Nets and was hitting a bunch of 3 point shots. The only scoring the Nets were able to do consistently was from the free throw line.
The game was mildly exciting but the Magic were cleaning up the Nets. I found that Patricia can wistle, and wishtle heard. She puts her fingers in her mouth and if you don’t cover the ear closest to her….. … say what? yeah, loud.
Conversation was light and the silence was comfortable. I was calm and enjoying myself, I got the same vibe from her.
We stayed through half time and left after the 3rd quarter. It was just after 10 PM when we left the seats. They were shooting shirts into the crowd and we stuck around to see if any came our way. surprisingly patricia has snagged a couple of the years, she is quite the memorabilia collector.
We left the stadium and I collected on of the free posters on the way out of the stadium. The shuttle bus to our section was waiting and we were on the way to the lot in no time. The first stop was a lot that seemed out of the way but several people got off. The bus continued and then just drove past where our stop was… I wasn’t the only one who noticed and one of the guys on the bus queried the drive… he accidentally missed it. Whops, Don’t worry, he hasn’t had any beer, one of the guys echoed. Poor driver got a fun jeering. He made a quick loop around the stadium and we were off the bus and into the car within no time.
Patricia knew right where to go, we hopped on 3 West and took it to the Weehawken exit, last exit before the Lincoln tunnel. She guided me right there and thankfully traffic was still light and we made good time. We found a parking spot, at her direction, right along the road that I pass through on the Westwood bus. The city was brilliant and I was tickled to actually be standing there watching the brilliant city scape. I parralell parked, Patricia had to stand outside and guide me in because I was a bit far from the curb… I think its the first time I’ve parrallel parked the truck.
We locked up and crossed the street. THe buss was a minute away and we were back in a warm vehical in no time. She was chilled so easily and I frequently heard how cold it was. It was cold but not so cold it was uncomfortable.
The buss took us through the tunnel and stopped next to the Port Authority station. We walked around the block and inside to the subway. She knew the route fairly well and all the connections were easy. On the subway we talked and I was surprised to find out how much she did in the city, crossed the brooklyn bridge, staten island ferry, to the far end of the subway… about the onlything I could think of that she hadn’t done was visit the UN. I was rather envious.
We talked on and off and had pleasant conversation about the city and adventures. I asked most of the questions but she volunteered bits of information and turned out to be a wonderful travelling companion. I hope she felt the same way.
We switched subways lines and ended up coming up on madison at 28th street. We were there shortly after 11 and her friends were waiting in line. The line wasn’t very lunch, maybe 24 people. I didn’t get a chance to look around after the introductions. Ruppa, Projan (her BF) and two sisters were there. Apparantly a mix of 4 girls and 2 guys was a good mix and we were ushered in with almost no wait. I was really spoiled. Once inside I had no idea what to think, the club was swanky and very nice. There were already people inside, most of them guys, and the music wasn’t playing yet. We went downstairs and coat checked our coats. Dang, I was low on cash and only had $20 left. I should have went to the ATM in addition to the gas station.
It was slow to begin with, The girls caught up and we made light conversation around the group. Projan ordered drinks and I had a coke. I nursed it along for a long time, I wasn’t sure how the whole process of ordering from the bar worked and I didn’t want to break the bank. Particia didn’t have anything right away and the others had different mixed drinks.
We stood in a circle and chit chatted, after a short while 3 other friends showed up. Majen, her room mate, and another girl that reminded me of Duella from BSG showed up. All of the women were very attractive in a modest and exotic sort of way. Everyone was dressed up and looking good. All of them were middle eastern/ indian enthnicity.
Someone came up to the girl standing across from me and started to make small talk. I couldn’t hear what was being said because the music started to play and conversation was difficult to have, even with the person standing nextt o me. I could read the facial expressions of the person and he was trying to pickup Ruppa’s friend. After a minute she brushed him off and he walked away. We moved around and someone brought more drinks, when we reassmbled into the circle again he walked back and Ruppa’s friend gave him a gruff answer and turned her back towards him. When I figured out she was seriously not interested his facial expression was one of “Yikes, Crap, I’m about to look like a fool, and he high tailed it away.”
Various people took pictures and I was in a couple of them, I didn’t want to be a third wheel but everyone seemed obe having a good time catching up with each other. Very girlly but also fun and different. Projan and I talked a bit and I just tried to fit in. By the time we really started talking the music was playing loud and conversation was impossible. We were standing in a circle kinda grooving to the music.
Some of the people moved onto the dance floor. One guy was wearing a leather cowboy hat with a leather vest and pants. I didn’t see it at first but he had a LED belt that scrolled “rough ride” across the buckle. It was commical and very sad. he had smooth moves and was very fluid. A number of the guys were smooth and most of the women were even smoother. Some of the people were grinding but most of them were just grooving in place. I wasn’t exactly sure how to dance, Particia and a couple of her friends were sooo smooth and girated in place like they knew what they were doing, well they did. Problem was, I didn’t want to dance to feminen but I managed to do my own thing to the beat of the music. It was a little too urban for my taste but by the time we moved onto the dance floor it was a little more dance/eurodance and I was having a blast moving. Projan and Ruppa dance close kinda having fun getting down low. The rest of the women kept the circl and did their moves. I don’t know how to explain what my thing was but I enjoyed moving my hips and slidding my feet. Projan didn’t really dance but he put his arms out and kinda did the gansta type move and moved his chest to the beat. By the end of the evening my hands were chest high and I was doing kinda the same. I didn’t really know the songs and I found the content objectionable but the music was so lound and the groove was soo good that I didn’t care and I just moved to the music. I didn’t really dance with Patricia but we were all in a circle grooving. It was soo much fun.
At one point before the move to the dance floor some guy came up and spoke in my ear, what was my name, where did i live, yadda yadda, did I want more access to the club… were the girls my lady friends… I think he was just looking for an in trying to promote himself. I think being the guy in a girl of 5 beautiful women was a stand out. A lot of the guys were standing around, eyeing up the women, those who were paired up danced and some of them danced closely. It was a fair mix, there were slutty looking women and so/so looking guys. It was a mix of all types. Some of the guys were casual, others were dressed up in vests and ties.
The cowboy left at about 1 AM , alone I think. Some of the people dancing were pretty explicit and dancing like I only saw in the movies. There wasn’t any nudity or grouping but the dancing wasn’t my style or to my liking. Everyone in our group was super cool grooving so awesome, They seemed to just sync with each other and I found myself grinning at the thought of being in a night club with 6 beautiful women moving to the beat.
I hadn’t looked at the clock until almost 2 AM. I was surprised to see how quickly time passed. I hadn’t sat down since getting off the subway. I was soo stoked. Patricia asked if I wanted to go and I actually delayed and said we could stay a while longer. i think SHE wanted to go but I wasn’t ready yet. We agreed on another 15 minutes and I danced a bit more. It was starting to get croweded and people were bumping into us as they entered/exited the dance floor. Someone dropped a glass and the bubble burst and I was ready to go.
I went down and collected my hat and coat and Patricia’s coat. Up to the dance floor and said our good byes. I could see it in some of her sister’s eyes, they were getting tired. I was wide awake but the mood was disappearing.
We walked outside into the night and caught a cap to port authority. We talked and I asked her about the guy who propositioned her, what he said, how she responded. I couldn’t hear anything from the conversation but he practically had cut in between us while on the dance floor.
We made it back to the port authority building and onto the bus where we waited for the driver. It wasn’t a NJT transit bus but a local commuter bus through the tunnel. Conversation was light and enjoyable.. peacful moments of silence as we chatted about events from the evening.
We made it back to the truck after 2:30. I convinced her to stand for a short minute along the edge as we looked out over the city through the brisk night air. It was beathtaking and I would have loved to just stand there but after about 30 seconds of silence I made a fun gesture and exlaimed, Ok, long enough, and we sprinted to the truck. We hopped in and before we took off, I noticed something on the wind shield. My surprised, my first parking ticket! I thought it was funny and Patricia felt awful. 58 bucks for parking in a local only zone between 1 am and 3 am. Ack! We went down the street, pulled a u turn and saw he traffic cop. We stopped and talked to him, clarified the ticket, and drove off. Over route 3 up the GSP and back to Westwood.
Patricia felt aweful and I assured her it was alright and it just added to the sense of adeventure. The evening was spectacular and I shared how I’ll tell the story of my first trip to the city night club with a beautiful brazzilian . I’ll add extra emphasis on standing, in the cold, looking out over the city scape for so long that we got a parking ticket. After all, time slows down when its cold outside :)
Mean while, I was gritting my teeth, the low fuel light came on shortly after leaving and when I got onto the GSP I was wishing I had filled up. I was rather alarmed that I might be stuck on the GSP out of gas at 3 AM. I didn’t let Patricia know until we got off the GSP that I had to stop for gas, I might have made it to her place but I’d have been walking back to mine. Fortunately the station was open and I fueld.
I tried to convince her to go for breakfast with me and then stay up for another hour to see the sunrise…. she wasn’t insistent on not but she did object slightly. I didn’t push the issue but I was wound up and just ecstatic at the adventure.
Truck filled, we drove back to the Illian’s, I wasn’t sure how to say goodnight but I stopped infront of the house and we said our goodnights, I hope I emphasised again what a wonderful time I had, and I think she said the same, but I don’t remember. I do remember that she leaned over and we did the cheeck to cheeck and she said thank you.
I went home, hungry, not having eaten since lunch, and made my mushroom sandwich. It was 4:30 before I fell asleep. Oddly enough i only slept until 8, went back to sleep for another hour, and then started my day.
Thinking back I’m not sure what to make of the adventure. It wasn’t a fantasy, going to a night club, but it was something I have always wanted to do, it was exceptionally enjoyable because of the group I was with. Going alone or to pick someone up isn’t something I would imagine I would do. In some ways I feel ashamed because of the music but on the other hand the evening worked out so well that I feel it was a blessing. I didn’t lust after anyone there and was turned off by some of the overtly raunchy actions and dress. However, everyone in our group was very respectible.
The evening was an awesome adventure, unexpected, uncertain, and ultimately exciting. Having had the pleasure of escorting a beautiful and charming woman like Patricia was a dream and the fact she brought me to my first night club was a thrill that I’m not ashamed of but feel conflicted about liking.
Maybe the whole experience was for the Lord to show me what it was like, look but don’t touch, see but don’t get involved. Maybe I’ll leave New Jersey to go back to Michigan with memories of all these experiences that I’ve only seen in the movies.
I woke up the following morning, feeling a tad lonely, having had such an exciting and enjoyable experience but finding myself reveling in the experience alone was sad. It could be easy for me to become attached to the thrill and excitement… but like anything it could be abused. For now, it made me give thanks for the experience and the enjoyment of a wonderful time.
Trouble With Tigers
The trouble is, they pounce even harder from trampolines.
Tips I Learned For The New York City Subway
Just a couple tidbits I learned while trying to figure out the New York Subway.
- Referring to a particular line by its color instead of the alpha or numerical designation you immediately let every local around you know that you have no idea what you are doing.
- Know the last stop on the line you want to take.
- Uptown and downtown, get it straight. North, South, East, and West mean nothing. Streets and Avenues.
- Local trains can help you get to the next stop if your train hasn’t arrived.
- Express trains that follow the same path but have a different designation can be used as long as there is a all trains stop along the same path where you can catch the local. Otherwise, you’ll pass your stop and end up back tracking.
- Streets can have west and east designations. Sections of Manhattan could be “X West Xth Street” or “X East Xth Street”. 5th Ave is the east/west divider.
Good Luck!