Starbucks...worst coffee in the Southern Hemisphere

There was plenty of good coffee in NZ and Australia, but you couldn't find it at Starbucks. For whatever reason the brew there was really weak. In other food news, you can't find good peanut butter there either. It's kind of a chicken and egg thing, do Australians not like peanut butter because they don't have any good brands to buy or do they not have any good brands because no one buys peanut butter?

We made it!

More than 26 hours later, we're home. Everything appears to be fine ... we got all our bags, and in a strange twist of timing, even though we all took different flights, Dan and Tilly met us in the airport and gave us a ride home! Turns out we had a couple of other celeb spots, too ... John Rhys-Davies was in Sydney (he has lost so much weight, I didn't think it was really him, but Laurel and Tilly swear that it was). And Tilly saw Courtney Thorne-Smith on her flight to Seattle. (Why did we see mostly hyphenated celebs?)

Almost to Seattle ...

Another hour, and then we're on the last leg of our flight to Seattle. Hard to believe, but we were actually in Fiji about 12 hours ago ... just the airport, unfortunately.

Celebrity Spot!

Right off the plane in LAX, a new celebrity spot: Adam Sandler. Not exactly my favorite celeb, but hey, a spot's a spot. He was trying to be "noticed but not noticed" in sunglasses, t-shirt, shorts, ballcap -- in fact, him staring at me like he knew me was the only reason I even bothered to look at him, so concerned was I with the logistics of transferring from international to domestic. No one else noticed him, but he smiled when he realized that I had recognized him. Hey Adam -- you're putting on weight.

The Henry Gift

Whenever we go somewhere, I enjoy picking out a "Henry Gift" for my 3-year-old nephew Henry Hale (he is not really my nephew, but maybe as close as I'll come if my brother doesn't get movin' on that score).

On this trip, it is a Kaola puppet. I hope he likes it!

More important, I hope his mom likes it -- my last gift to him was several colorful containers of Play-Doh, which he immediately smooshed together into a large black lump (plus a large amount of it ended up ground into the carpet), which didn't go over too well with her, but he liked it.

Taronga Zoo

On our last full day Down Under, we visited the Taronga Zoo ... it was pretty nice, except for when the bird pooped on my head. And most of the animals were asleep.

We leave tomorrow at 12:35 p.m., stop in Fiji for four hours, then head to LA and finally Seattle, arriving at 6 p.m. on Saturday, giving me a day and a half to unjetlag before heading back to work on Monday.

Laurel, of course, doesn't need to worry about work but will have to get back into her full workout schedule, as will I ... although two weeks of almost constant walking have kept us up-to-date on our exercise, pretty much!

Bridge Climb!

We climbed to the top of the Sydney Harbor Bridge today. It is very safe and not as scary as it looked from the ground. They make you take off your clothes (imagine that happening in America!) and put on a very flattering jumpsuit. You can't take anything up but your sunglasses, which you put on a lanyard so they don't go flying off. You also wear a radio and a big safety rope that is clipped onto the railing at all times. It is a pretty easy walk, and you mostly just go up, have some photos taken, and come back down -- but the whole experience takes about 3.5 hours. Then they sell you a CDROM of the pictures for $65 AUS. It was fun! See the previous posting's photo album for the shots.

Thursday in Sydney

A photo album of our second day in Sydney, including the Bridge Climb, more bats photos, and some random night shots of Sydney Harbor attractions such as the bridge, Luna Park, and of course the Opera House.

Bats: The movie

I walked down to Sydney's Botanical Gardens while the ladies were out shopping (Thursday is the late shopping night in Sydney when the shops close at 9 p.m. instead of 5:30, for some reason). Once the sun goes down, the bats wake up, and it is LOUD and a little bit unnerving. (Warning, the video is 2.5 megs).

Sydney: Day 1 Pix

Uploading them via dial-up was painful, but at least I'm now caught up on my photos: Our first full day in Sydney.

Zorb pictures

Click here for some more pictures of the Zorb adventure.

Rotorua pictures, finally

I figured out why I couldn't get my pictures uploaded -- I'm running out of space on my host! (Plus dial-up sucks). Anyway, here are some pictures of Rotorua, the thermally active tourist stop south of Auckland in New Zealand.

Skype: Worth the hype

If you're traveling, especially internationally, get Skype ... it is a "voice over IP" program that turns your computer into a phone. If you have high-speed net access, it is better than using a hotel phone or your cell -- at only 2.5 cents per minute to call a landline, or free to call another computer with Skype, it is cheaper than most forms of calling. And with a cheap headset, you can't tell the difference from a regular phone. Another good option that we're using is a prepay SIM card for the country you're in ... cheaper than international roaming by far!

Sydney is cool

We're having a great time in Australia -- wish we could stay longer. I'm sitting outside of a small cafe that happens to have wireless internet access (the cafe is closed, but the wireless is still on). We did a harbor cruise today, I got a massage, we saw parrots and BATS, got lots of pictures ... and the day isn't over! Tomorrow, we're going to do the bridge climb -- walking up the outside of a huge bridge over the harbor. Can't wait to have a stable enough connection to upload all the pix!

Good Day from Sydney, Australia!

We made it to Sydney, where we will spend the rest of our vacation before heading back to Seattle. We left Auckland at 4 a.m. and fortunately were able to get into our hotel here early, so mostly I've just slept. Laurel has done some investigating and said this is "more her kind of town" than Auckland, even though NZ was nice.

The hotel has internet access via ISDN (remember that?) at a massive 49.2 kbps. Oh well.

Zorb-a the geeks

We're back in Auckland for a night before we head to Sydney, where we should have better net access (I'm leaning against the hotel window to hit a wifi hotspot right now!)

We had a great time in Rotorua, and I have some really nice pictures to upload when I can. For now, take a look at the ZORB:

The ZORB is a big plastic ball that you get in and roll down a hill! Laurel did it first and I got up my nerve to do it the next day. I was screaming all the way down! We have movies and lots more pix coming.

Rotorua, NZ: Stinky, but fun

We're in the geothermal area of Rotorua, New Zealand. It's a pretty popular tourist/weekend spot, but it smells of sulfer (though not as much as we'd been led to believe; it is pretty understated). Net access is pretty limited, so I can't post my pix; that'll wait till we get to Sydney. So far today, we've shot at clay pigeons (Dan was nearly 100% ... I was about 30%), did some off-roading, shot some arrows, and drank some blueberry wine. Now, we're off for MUD BATHS!

Exclusive pictures of XBOX2 -- and XBOX3!

Sorry ... just a couple of custom-painted cars in front of the Microsoft offices in Auckland, New Zealand!

The sub

Microsoft New Zealand (and other pix)

Flat white, long black, All Blacks, Tall Blacks

What all that means, in black and white:

• Flat white: A double-shot latte
• Long black: A double-shot Americano
• All Blacks: Local rugby team
• Tall Blacks: NZ Olympic basketball team (I'm not kidding -- I wish I was).

Horseback riding map and data

Click for topo map

I had my Garmin Foretrex 201 GPS on during our horseback ride. Of course, it ran out of batteries due to my neglect in charging it, but I got half the ride (and the ride back was nearly the same, although with a slightly different route to allow some new views).

Some data points for the one-way trip:

• Total time: 3:14:44
• Distance: 7.61 miles
• Speed: 2.3 mph

Our hotel looks like a boat

And the Sky Tower is right up the street.

City tours

Pictures from the bus and boat tours that we took yesterday. We're toured out!

Horses

Dan and I went horseback riding with Victoria, the daughter of one of the conference attendees here. It was fun, but a bit long at five hours.

Pictures here include a stop at "Goat Island" for the view.

The weather, fortunately, was not rainy at all (it was predicted to be very heavy rain), but it was quite cold and windy.

Wednesday (I think)

So today Dave is off for some horseback riding with Dan and Victoria (the daughter of someone attending the conference from the US). I (Laurel) am enjoying a sleep-in and planning on some shopping later. So far, Auckland is about as "foreign" as Vancouver, so not at all. Other than people driving on the "wrong" side of the road (and the fact that I haven't spotted a GAP yet) we could be anywhere. There are multiple Starbucks within walking distance of the hotel so no withdrawals here. Dave had something called a Flat White at Starbucks - it seemed to be a latte, which was also on the menu. I didn't try it, but I'm guessing from the name it was either a latte with no foam or with all foam. The city is beautiful. If I weren't from a another port city myself I would probably be even more impressed. As we have been told several times by now 1/3 of the entire population of NZ live in the Auckland area. And 1 in 5 Kiwis have a boat. And they increased the capacity of a bridge connecting Auckland with a suburb with a contraption called the Nippon Clip-on (can we get one of those for 520?). These are facts you pick up when you take not one but two city tours (one by boat) in one day. In honor of our trip abroad we're watching SkyNews instead of CNN.

It's (below) freezing in there ...

Some pictures from the Minus 5 bar in New Zealand, near our hotel. Minus 5 refers to the temperature in the bar area, which was actually -6 Celcius at the time we went in. You get a parka, some gloves and boots, and up to three drinks (one "free" with admission of $20). It is rather small and lame, and not that cold. You can only stay in there for 30 minutes, but I didn't stay that long as I wasn't drinking. Reportedly, the drinks are pretty weak, but they are in cups made of ice, so they literally have no cleaning bills.

I'm feeling the pressure

And it is GOOD. The water pressure in the shower here is incredible. Nearly blew me across the room. I figured this was big enough travel news to blog about.

Flame-broiled

I know McDonald's isn't flame-broiled, but I liked this picture anyway:
It's some weird rock sculpture in downtown Auckland that sometimes spews water and sometimes flame, and it just happens to be near a McDonald's.

GPS

Just in case you need to find us, the lat/long of our hotel is: S36.8396767 E174.7657967

This just in!

Starting to post some pictures of the trip. These are from the balcony of our hotel room: Pix.

We're in NZ!

Wow, the Hilton Auckland is really nice. We're here, it is 7:05 a.m. on Monday ... 13 hours of travel is harsh, so we'll probably just rest today.

Oingo Boingo

Why do I always end up at the one terminal in the airport with almost no wifi access? And why is the only choice always Boingo, which has terrible access and high rates??? Oh well -- as you can see, it does work. Sitting in LA with my laptop in the one tiny zone of coverage I can find.

Punta Gorda

When I was a kid visiting my grandparents, no one had ever heard of Punta Gorda. Lots of folks have heard of it now!

Sounds like my grandparents (and aunt and uncle who live nearby) are doing fine, physically, but their house is likely totaled. The lived in a mobile home park, which was a pretty nice retirement community. The structure is still around, but the carport is gone and their windows are blown out, so the house is filled with water.

My Uncle Joe reports that parts of the park are just completely gone.

Hurricane

My grandparents live in Punta Gorda, Florida, one of the places hit hardest by Hurricane Charley ... fortunately, they were evacuated yesterday and are sleeping in the bank where my uncle works tonight. No idea yet whether their home survived, though!

Services down while we're gone

While we are in New Zealand, my computer at home will be offline. That means the Find Dave service will be offline (it wouldn't work anyway, as the service is tied to my AT&T cellphone account, and that isn't going to work down under). My "Spot Sender" service will go dark. The streaming webcam will mostly be off, but if we find highspeed net in NZ, I'll broadcast from there (my laptop has a cam). The office webcam is also off, although a cached picture from right before I turned the computer off will appear to the right.

What a week!!

If you're wondering why it's been a while since my last blog I'll tell you.... As you know Dave, Laurel, Dan and I are headed to New Zealand tomorrow. Unfortunatly while they're basking in all thier vacation glory the first week, I will be working. It's always a big push here in the office prior to these meetings so not much time has been spent on really thinking about vacation. I have three CEOs I answer to in addition to my own boss, who will all be at the meeting. Plus, as you know, I chipped a tooth, managed to get it filled, became my step grandfather's legal guardian, began the search for a nursing home, took the practice LSAT while attending LSAT prep classes, lost three pounds and became a guest blogger all in one week!!

Phew...Calgon, take me away.

(I wonder if they still make Calgon?!?)

Laurel's running log for Wednesday, August 11

Laurel's run at 1:24 PM on 8/11/2004:

• Time: 00:41:46
• Distance: 4.11 miles
• Average speed: 5.91 mph
• Average pace: 00:10:09 / mile
• Calories: 465

I'm cutting myself some slack on the slow pace of this run. There were some hills involved, and I was carrying a Camelback full of water.

Run was in Seattle, WA, United States.

Satellite map:

Street map:

Luna Bar reviews

I picked up some new Luna bar flavors to try out yesterday. The results:

• Chai Tea - best of the bunch, interesting
• Orange Bliss - OK, lime and lemon are both better though
• Dulce de Leche - Bad. Really disappointing. Starts out good, but has an aftertaste of (swear to God) CAT FOOD.

5000!

Visitor 5000 finally hit -- someone found this site on a Google search for "picture blog" (usually, folks find it while searching for "gillette m3 power razor") ... I never thought I'd get very "into" blogging, but I have ... and I certainly never thought I'd have 5000 visitors to the site in less than five months!

4999

Eagerly awaiting visitor number 5000 to my site ... getting close!

Adding MapPoint maps to the running blog

Laurel's run at 5:01 PM on 8/7/2004:

• Time: 00:22:53
• Distance: 2.19 miles
• Average speed: 5.73 mph
• Average pace: 00:10:28 / mile
• Calories: 217

Run was in Seattle, Washington, United States.

Satellite map:

Street map:

No weather data?

If you're wondering why my home weather system says "no data" over on the right of the blog, that's because Laurel's new GPS gizmo uses my one and only serial port -- as does my weather station. It's a pain to crawl back there and switch them around, so I just haven't hooked the weather station back up. I'll do that eventually, when I move the GPS connection to my laptop instead.

Tilly's mush mouth

Although this says that Dave posted this, it is actually Tilly just using my AudioBlogger account.

Laughing gas makes for a great lunch hour!!

I was thinking of the Lee press on nails commercial the other night when I flossed a little too vigorously and part of my filling came out, "Damn, a chip! Why tonight!?!" I went to the dentist this am to see what they could do, seeing as how we leave for New Zealand in five days!! As it turns out they could take me right then. A little laughing gas, two series of shots to numb the pain, C89.5 blasting through the headphones and an hour and a half later I was feelin' fine with the chip filled in and a poofy feeling face.

Laurel's running log for Monday, August 09

Laurel's run at 11:08 AM on 8/9/2004:

• Time: 00:23:24
• Distance: 2.56 miles
• Average speed: 6.57 mph
• Average pace: 00:09:07 / mile
• Calories: 301

Run was in Seattle, Washington, United States.

New Zealand, here we come!

Less than a week until we arrive in New Zealand!

We're heading down under with Dan and Tilly -- she works for APEC, and they are having a conference there. So while she works, we get to play!

I thought that traveling with her would mean that I get diplomatic immunity, but no such luck.

Our plans are to stay in Auckland most of the first week, then move on to the resort city of Rotorua after Tilly's conference is over. We'll fly to Sydney, Australia, for part of the second week. Then it is home via Fiji (where we will only stay for 4 hours).

I plan to take a ton of pictures and make as many posts as I can (not sure what the internet situation will be like, but I'll have my laptop).

I'm trying not to make too many plans, just hoping to relax. We do have an appointment to go horse riding, but that's about it.

TerraServer rocks!

What a great service TerraServer is! ... I was able to put the finishing touches on the running log ... now whenever Laurel runs outside, I can just import the data and pop it up to the blog without a problem. Going to have to encourage her to run outside more!

Laurel's running log for Saturday, August 07

Laurel's run at 5:01 PM on 8/7/2004:

• Time: 00:22:53
• Distance: 2.19 miles
• Average speed: 5.73 mph
• Average pace: 00:10:28 / mile
• Calories: 217

Run was in Seattle, Washington, United States.

Let me start by...

thanking the powers that be for allowing such as novice like myself to be a guest blogger. (For those who don't know me please see the recent posting of photos taken during the Rodina anniversary celebration and you'll see my many faces.) I come to you via the technology of dial up. While I've never blogged before I did promise to keep it clean for the sake of those who may be viewing the site. However, I cannont say things might not get a little colorful after a couple of evening cocktails. Stay tuned people.

Dishsoap + dishwasher =

New guest blogger: Tilly

Please welcome Tilly as a guest blogger. Pretty soon, "Dave's Stuff" will have to become "Dave and Friends"!

The next step ...

... is to create a map with TerraServer showing the actual route she took! Don't know how long that will take.

A little more data

Figured I could pull a little more data out of Laurel's forerunner gadget:

Laurel's run at 5:01 PM on 8/7/2004:

• Time: 00:22:53
• Distance: 2.19 miles
• Average speed: 5.73 mph
• Average pace: 00:10:28 / mile
• Calories: 217

Notes on Laurel's running log

The post below was auto-generated by a tool that I wrote to read in the XML files created by Laurel's Garmin Forerunner! Whenever she runs, we can post the data very easily to the blog.

Laurel's running log for Saturday, August 07

Laurel's run at 5:01 PM on 8/7/2004:

• Time: 00:22:53
• Distance: 2.19 miles
• Calories: 217

Pictures of dinner (and yet more belly dancing)

Click here for a photo album of our dinner at Marrakesh in Seattle ... featuring belly dancing from an actual paid dancer as well as Andrew (who did earn $1). I tried to avoid using the flash, which is pretty rude to use in a restaurant, so that's why the pictures are a bit fuzzy and grainy -- my new "vibration reduction" lens came in handy!

Birthday and anniversary

Happy Birthday to dhale (famed creator of the subhead about "blogs as bell-bottoms" on this site), and happy anniversary to Dan and Tilly (11 years!) ... pictures of the anniversary dinner are upcoming.

Laurel's Run

Laurel got the Garmin Forerunner 201, which is a neat little wrist-worn GPS unit with special features for runners. Using USAPhotoMap software, it is very easy to convert the output of the Forerunner into a map like this (Laurel's first big run outside in Seattle, along Alki Beach):

But what about me? Well, I love GPS and huge watches, so you'd think I'd love this, too. I don't run, though. So I'm getting the Garmin Foretrex 201, which is similar to the Forerunner but has more navigation features and less running features. I plan to wear it in New Zealand to be able to combine location with my photos!

Taste the Rainbow

Got this cool picture today from West Seattle's fishing pier:

Photoshop is fun

I liked this picture (I wonder why ... not quite sure), but didn't like the distracting folks in front of the water feature. So mouse over to see them just go away.

It's totalled.

I'm on the phone with the motorcycle service department ... the bike is, in fact, totalled. $10,546 worth of parts and labor to fix it, mostly because the frame is bent.

Desktop publishing

Remember when desktop publishing was a big deal? I even had my own newsletter, and almost lived in Kinko's ... I wish they had then the service they have now, where you can upload PDF files and get them the next day! And they look great, too ...

SnapNPost is dead again

Well, you get what you pay for -- nothin' ... time to write my own moblogging service. I have some ideas ...

Of course ...

... moments after I blog about it, they are back online ... they were down for more than a day, though. Welcome back, SnapNPost!

Moblogging and infomercials?

I use SnapNPost.com for my moblogging ... or at least I used to. It seems like they have gone belly-up, or at least AWOL. Attempting to find out why, I looked up the last Google cache of their page (July 24), but they have no email contact on their "contact us" page, so I called the phone number provided. It was for an infomercial company. Strange. Time to find another service.