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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> <head><script type="text/javascript" src="https://web-static.archive.org/_static/js/bundle-playback.js?v=7YQSqjSh" charset="utf-8"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web-static.archive.org/_static/js/wombat.js?v=txqj7nKC" charset="utf-8"></script> <script>window.RufflePlayer=window.RufflePlayer||{};window.RufflePlayer.config={"autoplay":"on","unmuteOverlay":"hidden"};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://web-static.archive.org/_static/js/ruffle/ruffle.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> __wm.init("https://web.archive.org/web"); __wm.wombat("http://mamamusings.net:80/archives/cat_travel.php","20060206155736","https://web.archive.org/","web","https://web-static.archive.org/_static/", "1139241456"); </script> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="https://web-static.archive.org/_static/css/banner-styles.css?v=p7PEIJWi" /> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="https://web-static.archive.org/_static/css/iconochive.css?v=3PDvdIFv" />  <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"/> <title>mamamusings: travel Archives</title> <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736cs_/http://mamamusings.net/styles-site.css" type="text/css"/> <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="RSS" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/index.rdf"/> </head> <body> <div id="background"></div> <div id="banner"></div> <div id="bannertext"><h1 class="name">mamamusings: <span style="text-transform: lowercase;">travel</span></h1> <h2 class="name">elizabeth lane lawley's thoughts on technology, academia, family, and tangential topics</h2></div> <div id="blog"> <div id="menu"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/">Back to Main Page</a></div>  <h2 class="date">Wednesday, 7 December 2005</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="001186"></a> <h3 class="title">reflections on home</h3> <p>The boys and I got back from Rochester late (very late) last night. Part of me feels like I'm home today; another part feels as though I just left home behind. It's an odd feeling--to be not-quite-at-home in either city.</p> <p>This ended up being a stressful visit--trying to squeeze months' worth of visits and dinners and meetings and conversations into a handful of too-short days. My apologies to all the people I didn't have time to really spend time with on this visit--especially <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.it.rit.edu/~sxj/">Steve</a> (who helped save the day in my mom's class!) and <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://fairlyrealistic.com/">Eric</a> (who's going to be stuck packing up a box of things I left in my office, without even having gotten to see me while I was there).</p> <p>I had some amazing home-cooked food while I was there--<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://weez.oyzon.com/index.php?/weezblogtemplates/comments/1478/">Weez's eggs benedict and home fries</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.it.rit.edu/~tah/i">Tona's</a> delicious enchiladas, Jenny's always-wonderful potato kugel, and my Mom's signature homemade crepes for breakfast. As rushed as I was, I felt loved and welcomed by friends and family, and it was a good reminder of why we've grown so fond of Rochester. It's the people, stupid! (It was also nice to spend some time in my <span class="caps">RIT </span>office, with its enormous window. One of the few things I don't like about my working environment at Microsoft is how little natural light I seem to encounter on most days.) Rochester is definitely where I'm most connected to friends, family, and community, and it was wonderful to see the people I care about while I was there. But being back in Seattle really makes me happy, too--the mountains are a big part of that, but so is the fact that I'm taking a lot of an enjoyment in the work that I'm doing and the people I'm working with.</p> <p>Many thanks to the people who sent get-well wishes for my grandmother. I'm delighted to report that she seems to be doing much better--they've stopped the internal bleeding, and rehydrated her, and it appears that her kidney function is returning. When I spoke to her on the phone before we left (Alex had a cold, so visiting seemed unwise) she sounded cheerful and alert--a big change from how she'd been when I saw her a few days ago. I'm hopeful that she'll be back in the nursing home within a few days, and from there back to the assisted living facility where she feels so much more at home.</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 04:49 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/12/07/reflections_on_home.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/12/07/reflections_on_home.php#comments">Comments (1)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/12/07/reflections_on_home.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_family.php">family</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_friends.php">friends</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_rochester.php">Rochester</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_seattle.php">Seattle</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Tuesday, 29 November 2005</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="001181"></a> <h3 class="title">eastward ho!</h3> <p>Tomorrow morning the kids and I will head east to Rochester, where we'll be spending a week in our old stomping grounds. It will be odd to be home but not home--someone else is living in our house, so we'll be staying with my mom while we're there.</p> <p>The boys are pretty excited about seeing their friends. Me too.</p> <p>I'll still be accessible via the usual email, <span class="caps">IM, </span>and phone contacts. Wifi in my mom's house, wifi on campus, wifi in most of the coffeeshops I frequent there...</p> <p>While there I'm hoping to reinvigorate my lab at <span class="caps">RIT</span>--in my absence, its been dormant, and I have some ideas for things the folks I left behind could be working on. I'm also hoping to foster more interaction between the <span class="caps">RIT </span>social computing club and the lab, as well as perhaps getting our public workshop plans back on track.</p> <p>I've also printed out a substantial stack of research papers that I'm hoping to get through on the airplane--in hopes that the kids will be able to amuse themselves reasonably well with books and gameboys while I read (I hope, I hope, I hope....).</p> <p>I'm planning to be around the <span class="caps">RIT </span>campus on Thursday and Friday, exact times to be determined (I have to work around the array of doctor's appointments that the boys and I have while home...nothing serious, but we've waited to deal with myriad small problems until we were back with our regular health care providers). If you want to get together, drop me a line and I'll see what I can work out.</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 11:00 AM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/11/29/eastward_ho.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/11/29/eastward_ho.php#comments">Comments (1)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/11/29/eastward_ho.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_rochester.php">Rochester</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Sunday, 13 November 2005</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="001169"></a> <h3 class="title">boston bound</h3> <p>I'm packing today for a short trip to Boston, where I'll be participating in the Corante/Berkman "<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.corante.com/events/ssa/index.php">Symposium on Social Architecture</a>." I'm looking forward to meeting some of the other participants in the symposium--folks I know of but haven't met, like Kaliya Hamlin, Zephyr Teachout, Andrew Rasiej, JD Lasica.</p> <p>Taking the redeye out tonight, and a night flight home, so there won't be any great aerial photos. But I realized this morning that Boston is one of the few big cities in the US that I haven't visited as an adult, so I'm going to be sure to do a little sightseeing on either side of the symposium itself. So there will be photos, oh yes. Just not from the airplane.</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 11:30 AM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/11/13/boston_bound.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/11/13/boston_bound.php#comments">Comments (5)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/11/13/boston_bound.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Thursday, 3 November 2005</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="001165"></a> <h3 class="title">airplane window photos</h3> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.flickr.com/photos/liz/59464222/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://static.flickr.com/29/59464222_24051c0fc5_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="Seattle sunset and clouds from airplane" style="padding-right: 5px; float:left; border:none; "/></a>On my way home from Internet Librarian I had to fly through Salt Lake City, Utah. I was flying in the late afternoon, and got some nice photos from the airplane window in both Utah and Washington. They needed a little cleaning up (cropping, and an occasional "enhance" in iPhoto, nothing significant), so I didn't upload them immediately. I had a little time during lunch today, so I captioned and tagged them and uploaded to <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.flickr.com/photos/liz">Flickr</a>.</p> <p>Enjoy!</p> <p><br clear="left"/></p> <div class="posted">Posted at 01:24 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/11/03/airplane_window_photos.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/11/03/airplane_window_photos.php#comments">Comments (0)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/11/03/airplane_window_photos.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Sunday, 23 October 2005</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="001137"></a> <h3 class="title">portola plaza's awful internet access</h3> <p>So, I'm staying at the Portola Plaza in Monterey, which is the hotel that the conference organizers are putting me up in. With any luck, however, I won't be staying here again.</p> <p>For $9.95/day (payable in advance for the whole stay, presumably so I won't get so annoyed with them that I change my mind about paying for access midstay), I get a 36-inch ethernet cable tethered to the desk. (Forgot to bring a wifi access point with me, alas, so I can't extend my reach.</p> <p>No wifi in the public areas or the rooms, the clerk told me. But out of habit, I checked for open networks when I got into my room. Found three--"Lower Lobby Front," "Lower Lobby Middle,' and "Lower Lobby Rear." So, of course, I tried getting online with one. Here's what I got:</p> <p><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://mamamusings.net/archives/portolaripoff.gif"/></p> <p>?!?</p> <p>$1/minute??? $300/day???? With the caveat that of course that includes absolutely no technical support or guarantees of reliablity?</p> <p>Feh.</p> <p>Color me <em>very</em> unimpressed.</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 09:59 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/10/23/portola_plazas_awful_internet_access.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/10/23/portola_plazas_awful_internet_access.php#comments">Comments (7)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/10/23/portola_plazas_awful_internet_access.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Tuesday, 27 September 2005</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="001124"></a> <h3 class="title">new york state of mind</h3> <p>It's funny the things that stick in your mind about a place, and the ways those memories are triggered. Taking the shuttle from <span class="caps">JFK </span>into Manhattan, I looked out through the window at the rain-slicked streets and reflected lights and was transported back to a similar shuttle van ride I took before I'd graduated from high school. It was startling how vividly I recalled the moment--I was on my way to the airport that time, and was trying to figure out how to ask a guy to a school dance when I returned home.</p> <p>That kickstarted a series of disjointed memories of New York trips. There was the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.poynter.org/article_feedback/article_feedback_list.asp?user=&id=56972">Internet World conference in December of '93</a>, where I first saw a professionally-made graphical web page (it was the <span class="caps">O'R</span>eilly <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.littlechair.com/web/gnn/">Global Network Navigator</a>, or <span class="caps">GNN</span>), and had the immediate sensation that I was looking at the future of information. There was the first trip I took to <span class="caps">NYC </span>after living in Tuscaloosa for a while--it felt <em>so good</em> to be in a real city that time, to see the energy and buildings and lights. There was the trip with Gerald to see Little Feat play two shows at the BB King blues club.</p> <p>I really do love New York. I love the greengrocers on the corner, with their brightly-colored produce contrasting with the gray buildings. I love the proliferation of international restaurants, the halal hotdog vendors, smorgasbord of personal styles, the lights and the noise. I wouldn't want to live here...I like having a house, a yard, green space nearby. But I don't want to give up my visits, either, because they always end up making me feel just a little more alive.</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 12:01 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/09/27/new_york_state_of_mind.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/09/27/new_york_state_of_mind.php#comments">Comments (6)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/09/27/new_york_state_of_mind.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Monday, 26 September 2005</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="001123"></a> <h3 class="title">things to do while traveling</h3> <ul> <li>cull inbox (made serious progress on this)</li> <li>work on tomorrow's slides (yes, I'm a chronic procrastinator...)</li> <li>gaze out window (the cascades were gorgeous, but it's been mostly cloudy since then)</li> <li>listen to selections from Song's music library (currently enjoying Better Than Ezra)</li> <li>feel grateful (once again) for my wonderful Etymotic earphones</li> <li>wonder why the large woman seated on the aisle looks so sour (who knew you could purse your lips disapprovingly even while you sleep?)</li> <li>consider reading novel for book group (didn't get any further than consideration; funny how "needing" to read something makes it instantly unattractive)</li> <li>read obligatory mindless magazines (today's purchases: People, O, and Redbook)</li> <li>try to decide whether for a 48 hour trip it makes more sense to try to keep my mind thinking it's on <span class="caps">PST </span>rather than <span class="caps">EST </span>(not sure I can really control this, though)</li> </ul> <div class="posted">Posted at 09:25 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/09/26/things_to_do_while_traveling.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/09/26/things_to_do_while_traveling.php#comments">Comments (1)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/09/26/things_to_do_while_traveling.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_idle_thoughts.php">idle thoughts</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Monday, 15 August 2005</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="001113"></a> <h3 class="title">whirlwind weekends</h3> <p>The downside of working at Microsoft during my sabbatical is that I lost my summer vacation. I've gotten spoiled by the long summer break that comes with an academic job, and the opportunity it gives me to travel and relax with my family.</p> <p>This summer we're trying to take advantage of the beautiful Pacific Northwest, but we're mostlly limited to weekend trips. Last weekend we went to Mount Rainier National Park, where we spent Saturday exploring the Sunrise area of the park, Saturday night at a lovely resort on Crystal Mountain, and Sunday driving to and hiking in the Paradise area of the park. It was a great way to spent a couple of days, but it would have been nice to have stayed longer. (<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://flickr.com/photos/liz/sets/761504/">Photos </a>available on Flickr.)</p> <p>This past weekend we did a package trip to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, through the Victoria Clipper company. (<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://flickr.com/photos/liz/sets/761514/">Photos on Flickr</a>.) The package included round trip for the four of us between Seattle's waterfront and Friday Harbor, a 2.5 hour whale and sea-life watching trip, and a 1-bedroom suite at the Best Western. We booked it on Thursday of last week (when there were no hotel rooms to be found), and they were able to fit us in. The cost was a good bit higher than it would have been for us to have taken the Washington State ferry from Anacortes to Friday Harbor, and done the whale watching and hotel separately--but in this case, it was worth it because we were able to book at short notice.</p> <p>The down side was having to get to the ship by 6:45am for check-in and boarding. The kids were tired and crabby, the lines were long, and the check-in process was incredibly inefficient. The boat was packed, and we couldn't find seats near a window, so our views were limited. (I tried going up onto the top deck, but at 25 knots on a cool morning, that's a pretty cold place to be. And it was packed, too.) All in all, it was far from a luxury cruise. There was limited food service--sandwich baskets, hot dogs, etc. We brought coolers with food and drink.</p> <p>The whale watching wasn't as great as I'd hoped, either. We saw several whales from the 3 pods of orcas that inhabit the area, but they stayed pretty far away from the boat, and didn't surface much. The boys were tired and crabby from too many hours on the boat (7:45-11:30 for the trip there; 11:30 to 2:00 for the whale watching). That's where the issue of having only a weekend really rears its ugly head--we tried to cram too much into one day, and ended up with understandably unhappy kids.</p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.flickr.com/photos/liz/34149093/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://photos21.flickr.com/34149093_1fefa18401_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="Inside Serendipity Books" align="left"/></a> Sunday was lovely, however. We slept in, then headed into town at around 11am. We ate at charming local restaurants where the service and food were both great, and did some shopping. Friday Harbor reminds me a lot of little coastal towns in New England, like Wellfleet on Cape Cod, and I loved being there. The kids found a toy store (Osito's) that had a great selection of items, and ended up buying some adorable stuffed animals and tiny "lucky pigs" as their souvenirs. I foundthe best used bookstore I've been to in ages--Serendipity. It's run by a retired school librarian, and both the selection and the ambience were wonderful. She's living my dream!</p> <p>We got in line early for the boat ride back, so we got better seats, a booth near the window with a plug nearby for the kids' gameboys. And it was warmer, so going up top was more enjoyable.</p> <p>All in all, two lovely weekends, with totally different views of the area. We enjoyed them both a lot--and I'm just sorry not to be able to take more leisurely vacations so we can explore these places more thoroughly.</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 06:36 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/08/15/whirlwind_weekends.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/08/15/whirlwind_weekends.php#comments">Comments (3)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/08/15/whirlwind_weekends.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_seattle.php">Seattle</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Thursday, 28 July 2005</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="001107"></a> <h3 class="title">trip cancelled</h3> <p>I won't be traveling to the UK this week after all.</p> <p>Apologies to all whom I'd planned to get together with. Another time, I hope.</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 08:42 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/07/28/trip_cancelled.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/07/28/trip_cancelled.php#comments">Comments (2)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/07/28/trip_cancelled.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Tuesday, 26 July 2005</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="001106"></a> <h3 class="title">oxford/london plans</h3> <p>My UK trip is fast approaching, and I'm having to start to think about logistics.</p> <p>I get into Heathrow late Saturday morning (a direct flight from Seattle, in fact!), and will be going to the rental apartment in London that I'm sharing with my colleague--<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.scala-house.co.uk/">Scala House</a>.</p> <p>Sunday we'll take the train into Oxford for the symposium we're presenting at (leaving my colleague's partner to play in London during our absence) and will stay in Oxford through Wednesday midday. Then we'll take the train back to London, and will stay in the apartment through Sunday, when we all head back home. (I leave early on Sunday morning. Blech.)</p> <p>So, what night is good for a London blogger/geek get-together? Should we use this post as a gathering point?</p> <p>--<br/> <strong>Updated 2:11pm</strong></p> <p>I'm going to be meeting Tom Coates on Thursday night, at a time and location as yet to be determined. Will provide more details here as I have them.</p> <p>I may be going to visit <span class="caps">MSR</span> Cambridge Labs on Friday--still working that out.</p> <p>Looks as though I'll be meeting Foe for coffee on Saturday.</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 09:58 AM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/07/26/oxfordlondon_plans.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/07/26/oxfordlondon_plans.php#comments">Comments (3)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/07/26/oxfordlondon_plans.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_conferences.php">conferences</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Monday, 11 July 2005</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="001099"></a> <h3 class="title">upcoming uk trip</h3> <p>I'll be going to the UK in a few weeks--I leave Seattle on Friday 7/29, and return on Sunday 8/7. Flying into London, then hopping a train to Oxford, where I'll be presenting my <span class="caps">NSF </span>grant research at <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.clahs.vt.edu/WIT/conference/">Crossing Cultures, Changing Lives: Integrating Research on Girls' Choices of IT Careers</a>. That lasts through August 3rd, after which I'll head back to London for several days.</p> <p>While I'm there, I'm <em>really</em> hoping for a blogger meetup of some kind. There are a lot of people "across the pond" whom I'd love to meet (or see again)--<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://chocnvodka.blogware.com/">Suw Charman</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://plasticbag.org/">Tom Coates</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://weblog.garyturner.net/">Gary Turner</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://boingboing.net/">Cory Doctorow</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.gapingvoid.com/">Hugh Macleod</a>, and others.</p> <p>Another stop will (probably) be the Microsoft Research office in Cambridge.</p> <p>I'm excited about the trip (and happy that I was able to find a direct flight from Seattle to London!).</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 06:17 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/07/11/upcoming_uk_trip.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/07/11/upcoming_uk_trip.php#comments">Comments (13)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/07/11/upcoming_uk_trip.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_research.php">research</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Friday, 24 June 2005</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="001090"></a> <h3 class="title">leaving home and coming home</h3> <div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.flickr.com/photos/liz/21220450/" title="photo sharing"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://photos17.flickr.com/21220450_008e72f57d_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;"/></a> <br/> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.flickr.com/photos/liz/21220450/">Our new view!</a> <br/> Originally uploaded by <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.flickr.com/people/liz/">mamamusings</a>. </span> </div> We left our Rochester home at lunchtime, and arrived in our Bellevue home at 8:30 local time...which was nearly midnight in Rochester.<br/> <br/> The weather was perfect for flying, and we were on the left side of the plane--which meant Alex got a lovely view of Mt. Rainier coming in.<br/> <br/> We picked up an SUV at the airport (thank you, Microsoft!), and I managed to find my way to the key pickup spot in Redmond, and then to the apartment in Bellevue (with a brief stop along the way for matching strawberry frappuccinos). We were exhausted by the time we got in, but when we opened the door we were greeted by this spectacular view. Wow.<br/> <br/> On the down side, both of us seem to be having allergic reactions to the carpet cleaning chemicals they used here, the apartment is *really* small (no more than 1000sf, tops, with double beds in each of the two bedrooms, and a very tiny living room), and we seem not to have packed any of Alex's underwear or socks. <br/> <br/> All things considered, those are pretty manageable problems. And hey...I found an open wifi network, so that makes everything look a little bit rosier. <br/> <br/> And now, to bed. <br clear="all"/> <div class="posted">Posted at 12:55 AM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/06/24/leaving_home_and_coming_home.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/06/24/leaving_home_and_coming_home.php#comments">Comments (8)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/06/24/leaving_home_and_coming_home.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Wednesday, 22 June 2005</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="001089"></a> <h3 class="title">down to the wire</h3> <p>Just over 24 hours until Alex and I get on an airplane headed west.</p> <p>We've got our temporary housing assignment--we'll be at an apartment complex called "<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.rent.com/apartments/washington/seattle-tacoma-and-vicinity/bellevue/438858/">The Seasons</a>" near Bellevue Square, in a 2-bedroom penthouse apartment with a view of the lake. (They were very apologetic about the fact that no 3-bedrooms were available, but what we're getting sounds lovely.)</p> <p>Best way to reach me will continue to be via cell phone--I'll be keeping my Rochester cell number while in Seattle.</p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://weez.oyzon.com/">Weez</a> and Sally helped me pack boxes yesterday, and <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.eloyd.org/blog/">Eric</a> helped Gerald move the old washing machine out of the basement. Today is suitcase-packing and kids-room-cleaning day. Got the windshield fixed on my car yesterday, and sold it to a friend today, and she'll pick it up tomorrow--one less thing to worry about. Friends have picked through the unsold garage-sale goods and taken the best of the lot home with them. <span class="caps">VOA </span>will pick up what's left sometime next week. Alex is having his friends over this afternoon for a going-away swim party, after which he's going to a friend's birthday party--all in all, a good note for him to leave town on. And I'm doing pretty well. I feel as though I should be more stressed than I am--it probably helps that I know that whatever I don't get done in the next day Gerald will have a week to finish up.</p> <p>Expect more blogging once we get to Seattle, and lots of Flickr photos as we explore our new home.</p> <p>See you on the other side...</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 10:55 AM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/06/22/down_to_the_wire.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/06/22/down_to_the_wire.php#comments">Comments (5)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/06/22/down_to_the_wire.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_sabbatical.php">sabbatical</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Sunday, 12 June 2005</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="001069"></a> <h3 class="title">fun things to do upon arrival in seattle</h3> <p>Alex and I will arrive in Seattle the evening of June 23rd, and we'll have almost two weeks before I start work on the 5th. I'm looking for suggestions--what are the most fun things that he and I can do together during those weeks?</p> <p>Top of the list right now is a visit to Pike Place Market, where he's really looking forward to watching the fish get tossed around, and eating fresh brioche at the french bakery. But I know there have to more things that will be fun for him, and I'd love to hear from people with kids (or grandkids, or friends) that age who can give us a good list. If there are web sites associated with your suggestions, feel free to link to them, so that Alex can do some exploring in advance.</p> <p>Thanks!</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 04:02 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/06/12/fun_things_to_do_upon_arrival_in_seattle.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/06/12/fun_things_to_do_upon_arrival_in_seattle.php#comments">Comments (11)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/06/12/fun_things_to_do_upon_arrival_in_seattle.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_kids.php">kids</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_sabbatical.php">sabbatical</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Thursday, 19 May 2005</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="001061"></a> <h3 class="title">it's all over but the bubbling (and the kvetching...)</h3> <p>Done, done, and done. With grading, that is. Final essay exams, weblog posts, homework questions, chat participation. I've made my list, and I've checked it twice. I had a number of students who did <em>really</em> good work this quarter. And, unfortunately, several who ignored a large part of the course requirements and are likely to be extremely displeased with their grades. Tomorrow morning I'll electronically "bubble in" their grades, and then brace myself for the onslaught of "how could I get a..." that will result. By waiting until tomorrow to formally submit the grades to student records, I delay the grade announcement emails until tomorrow night, <strong>after</strong> commencement (though the students can see their final average via the courseware gradebook function if they look). By then I may have recovered sufficiently from grading-induced sleep deprivation to manage the barrage gracefully.</p> <p>Part of why I haven't been posting recently is that I've been busy--end-of-quarter work, faculty meetings, 72 hour trips to the west coast, taking care of a sick husband, etc. But part of it has also been that overall, life is good, and that isn't really fodder for interesting blog posts. Christine Lavin, one of my favorite singer/songwriters ever, has a song called "<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.christinelavin.com/00100912pdmmth.html">Please Don't Make Me Too Happy</a>," with these lyrics:</p> <blockquote> Please don't make me too happy<br/> Because if you do<br/> My songwriting will suffer<br/> From the bliss you'll put me through<br/> Nothing's quite as boring<br/> As two people this in love<br/> We'll be so blinded by the stars in our eyes<br/> We won't see the stars above</blockquote> <p>There's something to that, really. Angst is a great source of creativity, and I've been awfully short on angst lately.</p> <p>The LA trip was lovely...had lunch with <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://radio.weblogs.com/0108247/">Allan Karl</a>, and dinner with with someone I've known since kindergarten, but had fallen out of touch with. I also met with folks from <span class="caps">USC'</span>s Annenberg Center about a potential collaborative grant project, and then got to go to the pre-<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://weblogs.usc.edu/ssaw/"><span class="caps">SSAW</span></a> party before heading back home.</p> <p>I think I'm still in denial about the upcoming move, despite the fact that it's less than a month away. That's going to have to change, soon.</p> <p>We're mulling over car purchase/leasing options, as well as house refinancing options, as well as necessary home repairs before we leave. Ack. While next year we'll be in good shape financially, the dual salary won't start 'til July, and there are going to be a lot of expenses before then. We've got some juggling to do over the next few weeks to make it all fall into place.</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 10:26 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/05/19/its_all_over_but_the_bubbling_and_the_kvetching.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/05/19/its_all_over_but_the_bubbling_and_the_kvetching.php#comments">Comments (6)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/05/19/its_all_over_but_the_bubbling_and_the_kvetching.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_conferences.php">conferences</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_teaching.php">teaching</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Wednesday, 11 May 2005</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="001060"></a> <h3 class="title">packin' up and movin' out</h3> <p>Headed to the airport for a two-day trip to <span class="caps">LA.</span> I arrive at 10pm tonight, head back out at 10pm Friday. Weather looks lovely, so I'm packing a bathing suit, and will try to find a few hours to sit by the pool tomorrow.</p> <p>Rainclouds are moving in here, alas. Crossing my fingers for clear skies at my son's party at the Red Wings game on Saturday night.</p> <p>Will be trying to focus my mind back on research and writing on this trip. I've let a lot of that slide recently, but it's time to start thinking in polysyllabic terms and endnotes again...</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 04:47 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/05/11/packin_up_and_movin_out.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/05/11/packin_up_and_movin_out.php#comments">Comments (2)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/05/11/packin_up_and_movin_out.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Thursday, 28 April 2005</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="001052"></a> <h3 class="title">making the most of jetlag</h3> <p>Home at last, home at last!</p> <p>Got in this morning at 9am, then crashed hard in bed for a few hours until the boys came home from school. After that I finished prepping for the <span class="caps">AWC </span>workshop and headed to campus.</p> <p>The workshop was fun to do, and was well-received. I managed to stay coherent for the whole thing, happily.</p> <p>Now I'm home, wide awake, trying to convince my body that it's really past bedtime. So far my body is not persuaded by my arguments. So perhaps I'll try to assemble some of my thoughts from the ten days I just spent in Seattle. A mini-blogging blitz, followed (I hope) by a good night's sleep in my own bed.</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 12:14 AM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/04/28/making_the_most_of_jetlag.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/04/28/making_the_most_of_jetlag.php#comments">Comments (0)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/04/28/making_the_most_of_jetlag.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Friday, 22 April 2005</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="001046"></a> <h3 class="title">working on the road</h3> <p>I'm terrible at doing work from home when I'm traveling. When I'm away, I'm focused on the things in the new environment--in this case, Microsoft activities. It's easy to forget that back home, people are waiting for me to get things done. It takes an effort to remember that home isn't in a state of suspended animation until my return.</p> <p>So, today I'm going to focus on <span class="caps">RIT </span>work. Grading, finishing up details on the upcoming lab workshops, and grant research. It's beautiful here today--through my hotel room window I can see blue sky, green trees, and mountaintops. The temperature's in the 60s. But I'll be spending the day in my room, not out in that pretty day.</p> <p>Must. Work.</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 01:46 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/04/22/working_on_the_road.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/04/22/working_on_the_road.php#comments">Comments (2)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/04/22/working_on_the_road.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_productivity.php">productivity</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Tuesday, 19 April 2005</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="001044"></a> <h3 class="title">well-earned downtime</h3> <p>While the piles of <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.flickr.com/photos/liz/9875688/">schwag</a> and <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.flickr.com/photos/liz/9876262/">lovely hotel room</a> (with cushy <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.flickr.com/photos/liz/9876499/">bed</a>) may seem very generous (and it is), it's important to remember that <span class="caps">MSN </span>essentially got a bunch of really smart people to come in and serve as unpaid consultants for two days. And it was a pretty intense two days.</p> <p>While we can't talk about product specifics, we can talk about process. We started out with too many powerpoint presentations, and too much marketing speak. The inevitable <span class="caps">IRC </span>backchannel sprung up after a few too many <span class="caps">PPT </span>slide decks, and much levity ensued during particularly dry spells. There were a number of people (champs and msn folks) who were a little upset about that. But I pointed out to one of the organizers that the people most active in the channel were <em>also</em> among the most engaged and interesting participants in the live discussions. If the people in the backchannel had been passive participants in the other activities, I could see some reason for concern. But just as in academia we have to focus on outcomes--are our students learning?--in meetings we need to learn to do the same thing. If your audience is participating, don't begrudge them the occasional escapes.</p> <p>The reality is you can't demand people's attention for 11 hours straight, which is what happened yesterday. (Breakfast started at 7, we were scheduled to leave campus at 5:45pm.) So people escape to a "virtual hangout" when they can't (or don't want to) process what's going on in the physical room. And if the escapes escalate, or become disruptive, there may well be reason to rethink what's happening in the real-world environment. You're getting a message that your audience isn't connecting to what you're trying to tell them--figure out the cause, don't just attack the symptom.</p> <p>To their credit, the <span class="caps">MSN </span>folks paid attention to what we suggested for changes, and implemented them fast. Day 2 was (a) shorter, (b) much more interactive, and © significantly lacking in backchannel activity. (Thanks, Osh and Sean!)</p> <p>After the much more intense interaction of today's meeting, and the always-enjoyable trip to the company store, we came back to the hotel. There's a geek dinner in Bellevue tonight, but I just don't have the energy to interact with a group tonight. I think I've exceeded my 48-hour geek quota. So I'm enjoying a few hours of well-earned downtime. I walked down to Pike Place Market tonight and got dinner (savory and sweet pastries) from a french bakery, then ate them in a little park. Then I came back to the hotel, opened a bottle of wine, and have been catching up on mail and a few blogs.</p> <p>Unfortunately, my powerbook is showing signs of imminent collapse. Applications aren't responding, and I'm getting nervous. So tomorrow my plan is to head down to the market early in the morning, get a brioche from that lovely bakery, and then catch a bus to University Village where one of the Seattle Apple Stores is located. I'll see if one of their genius can run some disk voodoo on my system and make it happy again. If not, it may have to go off for repairs, and I'll make do with the tablet PC I brought along.</p> <p>I do have to say that the tinier tablet has been convenient. I need to start playing more with the ink-based apps, too. And at the MS store I picked up a copy of Streets and Maps 2005 with a <span class="caps">GPS </span>adapter. It should be really cool to have while touring around town this week, and even cooler when I head west from Rochester this summer en route to Seattle. I figure I can give my 8-year-old the tablet with the <span class="caps">GPS</span>-enabled map and never again have to answer the "how far are we" question. (I do need a port replicator and external drive for the machine, though, since I can't even install the stupid software on the machine as it stands. Bet I can find someone on the MS campus to help me when I'm there Thursday, though!)</p> <p>I'm debating whether or not to head to Sin City tonight with the remaining champs and a few msn staffers. I'm tempted, but I'm also tired. And I would like to get an early start on the Mac repair pilgrimage tomorrow...the bakery opens at 7am, and the Apple Store opens at 9:30. It's a 30-45 minute bus ride (depending on when I leave), so if I get my coffee and brioche early, I can be there when the store opens. That may be my best option.</p> <p>Plus there's the minor detail of midterms to finish grading before Friday...yeah, I think I've convinced myself that a 9:45pm movie (that's after midnight in Rochester time) isn't a great idea tonight.</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 11:17 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/04/19/wellearned_downtime.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/04/19/wellearned_downtime.php#comments">Comments (6)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/04/19/wellearned_downtime.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Monday, 18 April 2005</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="001042"></a> <h3 class="title">sleepy in seattle</h3> <p>I arrived this afternoon in Seattle for a ten-day tour of duty. Three days for <span class="caps">MSN</span> Search Champs v2, followed by four days of shore leave, and then three more days for Microsoft Research's Social Computing Symposium.</p> <p>The first half of the stay is in the W Hotel in Seattle...and I'm a total convert. Luxury everywhere, from the featherdown beds to the soft robes to the high-end bath products to the cushy, comfortable window seat. (Photos on Flickr tomorrow, probably.)</p> <p><span class="caps">MSN</span> Search has been as generous this time as they were last time, from the accommodations to the goodie-packed bag to the lovely reception this evening. If they're trying to make a good impression, it's definitely working.</p> <p>What's more impressive than the money being spent, however, is the genuine interest in our opinions being evidenced by the <span class="caps">MSN </span>staffers mingling at the reception. It remains to be seen how much of what we say gets acted on...but my gut tells me that we're not just being humored here, that this isn't just about buzz.</p> <p>At any rate, while it's only 10:15 here in Seattle, my internal clock knows it's way past bedtime. So I'm going to slip into the oh-so-luxurious 350-threadcount sheets on my bed, and try to get some sleep before my 5:30am (ack!) wake-up call. (6am online chat with my students, followed by a 7am breakfast and 8am bus to <span class="caps">MS...</span>)</p> <p>I left my Mac power adapter at home, but my husband is shipping it out tomorrow. In the meantime, I'll be using my Tablet <span class="caps">PC, </span>which is a perfectly functional machine but doesn't have iPhoto. I have two fully charged batteries for the PowerBook, so I should be able to upload photos tomorrow night, assuming the hotel network remains stable (which it's been thus far...)</p> <p>We've been promised network access tomorrow during the sessions, so I'll blog to the extent that the <span class="caps">NDA </span>allow. And now, sleep....</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 01:09 AM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/04/18/sleepy_in_seattle.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/04/18/sleepy_in_seattle.php#comments">Comments (0)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/04/18/sleepy_in_seattle.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Wednesday, 13 April 2005</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="001041"></a> <h3 class="title">through a tourist's eyes</h3> <p>Last week, Gerald and I went to see a wonderful concert by the Blind Boys of Alabama. The concert was at a venue we hadn't been to before, a place called German House, which is in a city neighborhood called <del>Corn Hill</del> South Wedge (thanks, Alan). Neither of us had been in <del>Corn Hill</del> South Wedge before, and it was somewhat disorienting to get out of the car in a completely unfamiliar landscape--as if we'd travelled to another city. It got me thinking about how many parts of Rochester I just don't know as well as I'd like, and how many interesting and beautiful things I've missed because I don't take the time to really explore the place I live.</p> <p>Today on my way back from a downtown meeting I skipped the interstate and took local roads back to campus, driving along the Genesee river, past the Mt. Hope Cemetery where Susan B. Anthony and Frederic Douglass are buried, and through some beautiful riverside parks. Then I called Gerald and said "I know what I want to do for my birthday on Saturday!"</p> <p>I want to be a tourist, right here in town. I want to start the day with breakfast at the public market. I want to walk around downtown and take pictures of the beautiful architecture. I want to walk through Mt. Hope Cemetery. I want to go to Eastman House and admire the photographs, and the Susan B. Anthony House to remember that I live in a city that's always been home to great women. Maybe visit the zoo and the adjoining Frederic Law Olmsted park.</p> <p>So that's my birthday plan. Friday night dinner and drinks with friends; Saturday wandering the city with my family and my camera. Then Sunday morning I'm outta here, headed for back-to-back meetings in Seattle.</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 04:34 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/04/13/through_a_tourists_eyes.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/04/13/through_a_tourists_eyes.php#comments">Comments (10)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/04/13/through_a_tourists_eyes.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_family.php">family</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_rochester.php">Rochester</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Friday, 1 April 2005</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="001034"></a> <h3 class="title">relocation stress reduction</h3> <p>We're getting closer and closer to moving time--my official start date at Microsoft Research will be 7/5/05, which means I'll be moving in about 2-1/2 months. Ack!</p> <p>We'll be renting out our house while we're gone. Rather than moving our household goods cross-country and then back again (a non-trivial expense), however, we're going to try to simplify the process as much as possible. We'll be storing our furniture and many of our possessions--some of it in the basement, and the rest in climate-controlled storage at <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.storetodoor.com/">Store-to-Door</a>--they drop off a bunch of storage "vaults" in your driveway, you pack them up, then they cart them away to their storage warehouse. Neat idea, and reasonably priced. It means we don't have to rent, drive, and unload a truck...just cart things out to the driveway and pack them up.</p> <p>We'll ship our personal belongings to Seattle--clothing, housewares, linens, kids' toys, a few books, some electronics. We'll rent furniture while we're there, which doesn't look like an outrageous expense, and purchase a few pieces for the kids's rooms while we're there.</p> <p>Microsoft is being quite helpful with the relocation process; while the relocation benefits for visiting researchers aren't quite as generous as those for <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://blogs.msdn.com/jobsblog/archive/2004/12/08/278600.aspx">new full-time hires</a>, they're better than most people get for a sabbatical year, and I'm <strong>so</strong> not complaining.</p> <p>Since I'll be in Redmond for a couple of professional activities in April, Gerald's going to come out and join me from 4/20-24 and we're going to look for an apartment or townhouse on the eastside. I've done some poking around online, and it looks like there are a lot of options. We want the Lake Washington or Bellevue school district because of their good support for homeschoolers. We also want an apartment complex with a fitness center and pool and playground for the boys. Rent.com shows a lot of places that meet our criteria, and I suspect the Microsoft relocation folks will have suggestions, as well.</p> <p>Alex and I will probably drive out to Redmond in mid June in my car, with Gerald and Lane following in the van at the end of the month. That gets both our cars out there, since we'll need them, but doesn't involve two kids traveling together. And it means I can get there early enough to settle in a bit before starting work, without forcing Lane to leave before the school year is out--something I'd promised him he could do.</p> <p>So, it's getting more real all the time. And the "oh my god how will we do this" is giving way to "this is going to be so cool"--which is a very good thing.</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 01:15 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/04/01/relocation_stress_reduction.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/04/01/relocation_stress_reduction.php#comments">Comments (5)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/04/01/relocation_stress_reduction.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Tuesday, 22 March 2005</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="001022"></a> <h3 class="title">return to redmond redux</h3> <p>In addition to the Search Champs meeting I just posted about, I'll also be in Redmond next month for <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://research.microsoft.com/workshops/SCS2005/"><span class="caps">MSR'</span>s Social Computing Symposium</a></p> <p>Since the two events are less than a week apart, I'm planning on spending the intervening time in the Seattle area to scout out housing options. (July 1st is getting closer and closer...) Would love to get together with Seattle-area friends and fellow bloggers while I'm there!</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 08:52 AM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/03/22/return_to_redmond_redux.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/03/22/return_to_redmond_redux.php#comments">Comments (5)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/03/22/return_to_redmond_redux.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <div class="blogbody"> <a name="001021"></a> <h3 class="title">return to redmond</h3> <p>I've received an invitation to participate in the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://blogs.msdn.com/msnsearch/archive/2005/03/14/395380.aspx"><span class="caps">MSN</span> Search Champs v2 </a>meeting next month in Redmond. So far, I've determined that <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.docuverse.com/blog/donpark/EntryViewPage.aspx?guid=2d47011d-2311-4780-9f92-f724b23d9416">Don Park</a> and David Weinberger were invited back but can't attend, that <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://weblog.burningbird.net/archives/2005/03/14/search-champs-and-timing/">Shelley Powers</a> was invited but declined, and that <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://archive.scripting.com/2005/03/12#When:5:37:00AM" rel="nofollow">Dave Winer</a> isn't attending this time.</p> <p>The guy who writes <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.palmsolo.com/2005/03/penn-teller-and-msn-search-champs-v2.html">PalmSolo</a> (whose name escapes me at the moment) is returning this time. I know that <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://halleyscomment.blogspot.com/2005/03/msn-search-champ.html">Halley Suitt</a> is going, and I heard that Loïc LeMeur was going to be there as well.</p> <p>Who else? They say they were shooting for more diversity this time (I was the only person there last time who wasn't a white male), so it will be interesting to see how successful they were.</p> <p>(And before you ask, no, I don't know how you can get invited. I'm only an invitee, not an inviter.)</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 08:50 AM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/03/22/return_to_redmond.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/03/22/return_to_redmond.php#comments">Comments (4)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/03/22/return_to_redmond.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_technology.php">technology</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Friday, 11 March 2005</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="001017"></a> <h3 class="title">my trip to dubai - sightseeing</h3> <p>(This post is the second in a series on my trip to Dubai)</p> <p>I've finally gotten the photos uploaded to Flickr, and have grouped them into two albums--one for <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.flickr.com/photos/liz/sets/157831/">sightseeing</a>, the other for the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.flickr.com/photos/liz/sets/157847/">conference</a>. In general, photos are a better way to talk about what you've seen, so for more narrative I suggest looking at those photosets and reading the descriptions.</p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.flickr.com/photos/liz/6309647/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://photos5.flickr.com/6309647_6adf402ded_s.jpg" width="75" height="75" alt="Spice Souk" style="float:left; margin-right: 5px; border: 1px solid;"/></a>I slept surprisingly well the first night (the Benadryl probably helped), and woke up just in time to shower and grab breakfast with Sabra before they closed down the buffet. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.flickr.com/photos/liz/6308436/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://photos7.flickr.com/6308436_0771d3db66_s.jpg" width="75" height="75" alt="Water Taxis (Abras)" style="float:right; margin-left: 5px; border: 1px solid;"/></a>We then had the hotel book us on a "Big Bus" tour of the city, which was an excellent way to see key sights quickly. We stopped for a while at the Dubai Museum, and then took the walking tour of the gold and spice souks, and an abra (water taxi) ride across Dubai Creek, the canal that runs through the city. It also offered stops at several of Dubai's 57+ shopping malls.(They're also constructing the largest mall ever, The Mall of the Emirates, a 2.4 million sf facility which will include <em>indoor skiing</em> along with other attractions--it's due to be completed by this September!)</p> <p>I stopped at one of the malls on the way home, just to browse a bit, and to see if I could find a <span class="caps">USB </span>cord for my camera (I did, at Carrefour, for 15 dirhams...about $4). Prices are a mix--top label items and electronics didn't seem to be priced much lower than in the states, but there's a huge selection, and no sales tax or duties.</p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.flickr.com/photos/liz/6310052/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://photos5.flickr.com/6310052_785d63bd4b_s.jpg" width="75" height="75" alt="Another Dhow Passing Us" style="float:left; margin-right: 5px; border: 1px solid;"/></a>We returned to the hotel at about 5, and made reservations for a dinner cruise on a traditional dhow, which turned out to be a lovely way to spend the evening. For only 100 dirhams (less than $30 US), we had a multicourse dinner served to us on the upper deck of a lovely traditional boat, which spent over two hours cruising from near the airport to the mouth of the Creek and back. The food was wonderful, and it was a great experience. (It did get a little chilly out on the water, but they had ponchos available for anyone who needed them.)</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 02:55 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/03/11/my_trip_to_dubai_sightseeing.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/03/11/my_trip_to_dubai_sightseeing.php#comments">Comments (0)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/03/11/my_trip_to_dubai_sightseeing.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <div class="blogbody"> <a name="001016"></a> <h3 class="title">my trip to dubai - airplanes and hotels</h3> <p>There's so much I want to say about the trip I just took to Dubai, so much that I've really got to split it up into multiple posts for it to make any sense. Rather than chronological, they'll be content-focused...this post will talk about travel issues, but others will cover sightseeing in Dubai, the American University there, the women who spoke with me at the conference, and the women I met who attended the conference. For photos of all of those, see my Flickr photosets on <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.flickr.com/photos/liz/sets/157831/">Dubai</a> and the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.flickr.com/photos/liz/sets/157847/">Woibex conference</a>.</p> <p>I would have had plenty of time to get <em>most</em> of these written during the 14-hour trip home, but I was greatly hampered by the truly awful economy-class seats on the Emirates <span class="caps">A340 </span>airplane.</p> <p>My original itinerary to Dubai had me going from Rochester to Philadelphia, Philly to Frankfurt, spending 7 hours in Frankfurt, and then continuing to Dubai. I nixed that, and asked them instead to book me on a direct flight out of <span class="caps">JFK, </span>and arranged for my own travel to <span class="caps">JFK.</span></p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.flickr.com/photos/liz/6316071/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://photos7.flickr.com/6316071_11e160d59a_t.jpg" width="100" height="75" alt="Emirates Economy Class 2" style="margin-right: 5px; float: left; border: 1px solid;"/></a>I'd heard a lot of good things about Emirates, and about the <span class="caps">A340 </span>that they fly on the <span class="caps">JFK </span>to Dubai route. Having now spent over 26 hours on that plane (12.5 going out, 14 coming home), I have to say that it is, without a doubt, <strong>the</strong> most uncomfortable airplane I've ever had to travel in. To begin with, the seats are designed in such a way that even wearing boots with heels my feet don't touch the floor.</p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.flickr.com/photos/liz/6314779/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://photos4.flickr.com/6314779_4325319724_s.jpg" width="75" height="75" alt="Emirates Economy Seat Storage" style="margin-left: 5px; float: right; border: 1px solid;"/></a>Then there's the total lack of space under the seats (almost every seat has some kind of metal container attached underneath it), and overhead compartments too shallow for most bags. What makes it even worse is the extreme tightness of the rows. Normally I don't have much trouble with this, because I'm such a small person--I don't need a lot of leg room. But on the <span class="caps">A340, </span>when the person in front of me reclined, I was left with less than 3" of usable space on the tray table for my laptop--so it ended up pressed into my stomach, with the screen at nearly a 45˚ angle towards me. (Yes, Scoble, I know...I should have had my tablet with me. But this is the first time I've <em>ever</em> felt this cramped on a plane.)</p> <p>This Emirates <span class="caps">JFK </span>to Dubai route does have two redeeming qualities. The first is the surprisingly good food (and free drinks, though I've avoided those in an attempt to fend off jetlag), and second is the <strong>excellent</strong> in-flight entertainment, which offers hundreds of movies and TV shows in on-demand format. On the way to Dubai I watched a number of US television programs, and then towards the end of the trip watched my very first Bollywood movie--<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0347304/">Kal Ho Na Ho</a>. I loved it! As a result, on the way home I totally binged on Bollywood flicks. I watched <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0346723/">Chalte Chalte</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0396563/">Dil Ne Jise Apna Kaha</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0347473/">Main Hoon Na</a>, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0348172/">Tehzeeb</a>, and <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0337578/">Baghban</a>. The result? I'm totally hooked. I'm going to have to find a place in Rochester that gets them in regularly (or sign up for a by-mail <span class="caps">DVD </span>rental service--do any of them have a good selection of Bollywood films?).</p> <p>My <span class="caps">JFK </span>to Dubai flight arrived right on time, and the trip through immigration and customs was amazingly quick and easy. The hotel--the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.rotana.com/aspx/Hotel.aspx?HotelId=8">Al Bustan Rotana</a>--had arranged a shuttle pickup for the two of us who'd arrived on that flight (the other being Sabra Brock, a wonderful woman with whom I spent a lot of time this week), and so I was at the hotel by 10:30. Because Sabra and I were booked into the "Club Rotana" floor, we were directed upstairs to the private check-in--which I mistakenly assumed would mean <em>expedited</em> check-in. Instead, we sat in the Executive Lounge for nearly 45 minutes before receiving our keys.</p> <p>The rooms themselves were nice, though not extraordinary. The hotel advertises wireless access in public areas, and wired in the rooms. What they don't advertise is the <strong>outrageous</strong> price--$7/hour, or $40/day. And the per hour has to be purchased in full-hour blocks--you can't use ten minutes, then come back two hours later and use the remaining time. (Happily, the conference organizer agreed to pay for my Internet access.) It was also a very assymetrical connection, with decent download speed but awful upload times. That made it difficult to use Skype as my primary method of calling home--the quality and lag time were too unreliable. And it took me until the third day to discover (after extensive online searching) that the only way to connect to <span class="caps">AIM </span>was by changing the port that my client used from 5190 to 5191.</p> <p>I was also unable to find an accsssible wifi network in the conference venue, the otherwise spectacular Burj-Al-Arab hotel. All in all, I was less than impressed by the limited accessibility of network infrastructure throughout Dubai. JiWire showed only five hotspots in the entire city--and considering the size and technological aspirations of Dubai, that's not very impressive. (I was able to grab a wifi connection in the airport when leaving--a free network was leaking out of the first class and business class lounges.)</p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.flickr.com/photos/liz/6315528/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://photos3.flickr.com/6315528_ae318f489d_s.jpg" width="75" height="75" alt="Coffee, Tea, and Wine in Hotel Lounge" style="margin-right: 5px; float: left; border: 1px solid;"/></a>Some nice aspects of the Al Bustan Rotana included the free breakfast, high tea, and cocktail hour (three free drinks and plenty of food) in the Club Rotana lounge, and several excellent restaurants. I ate at the buffet restaurant for lunch (it featured a chocolate fountain for fondue), and had dinner one night at the Lebanese restaurant. There was also a Thai restaurant there that came highly recommended, but I didn't have a chance to eat there on this trip. Oh...and the fresh flower and sleep-related quotes I found each night on my pillow were a lovely touch.</p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.flickr.com/photos/liz/6315970/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://photos3.flickr.com/6315970_ff6bf88833_s.jpg" width="75" height="75" alt="Dubai Duty Free 7" style="margin-left: 5px; float: right; border: 1px solid;"/></a>On the return flight, I got a chance to see why people rave about the Dubai Duty Free shops. Pretty spectacular. And if what you're looking for is the kind of t-shirt, keychain, stuffed animal souvenirs that one wants to bring home to kids, the prices are very good. (Prices on electronics didn't seem any lower than US discounters would offer, though I didn't get into detailed</p> <p>All in all, it was a good travel experience. No delayed flights, no lost luggage, no hassles in customs or immigration in either direction. And as you'll read in the posts to follow, the overall experience was well worth any discomfort suffered en route.</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 02:47 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/03/11/my_trip_to_dubai_airplanes_and_hotels.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/03/11/my_trip_to_dubai_airplanes_and_hotels.php#comments">Comments (5)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/03/11/my_trip_to_dubai_airplanes_and_hotels.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Wednesday, 9 March 2005</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="001015"></a> <h3 class="title">dubai update</h3> <p>There are occasional moments in my life when I look at what I'm doing and marvel at the unlikeliness of it. Today I had one of those moments.</p> <p>I was eating lunch in the restaurant of my hotel in Dubai, enjoying a dessert of fruit and patries dipped in chocolate from a fountain on the dessert table. As I ate, I was entering information from a stack of business cards into my address book--including one from the Belgian Minister of State.</p> <p>Wow.</p> <p>I've posted a bit about the extraordinary day I had yesterday over on misbehaving.net, and am starting to write a much longer travelogue for posting later tonight.</p> <p>I have nearly 200 photos to upload, but I haven't been able to get any of the Flickr uploading tools to cooperate, so most of the images will have to wait until I return tomorrow evening.</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 09:18 AM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/03/09/dubai_update.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/03/09/dubai_update.php#comments">Comments (1)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/03/09/dubai_update.php#comments">TrackBack (1)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Sunday, 6 March 2005</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="001014"></a> <h3 class="title">safe and sound in dubai</h3> <p>Flights lasting over twelve hours are never fun, but flying from <span class="caps">JFK </span>to Dubai on Emirates was surprisingly tolerable. I'm now safely ensconced in my hotel room at the Al Bustan Rotana hotel, where the bed looks <strong>very</strong> inviting right now.</p> <p>Network access here is outrageously priced (about $7/hour, or $35/day), so I won't be online as much as I'd planned. And I foolishly forgot the <span class="caps">USB </span>cable for my camera, so photos will have to wait 'til I return.</p> <p>There are already good stories to tell, and I'll write them offline for posting when I have a chance. For now, a hot bath and then sleep are my primary goals. Tomorrow I'll be sightseeing with a fellow speaker, Sabra Brock, and then finishing my presentation prep in the evening. Tuesday is the conference, and then Wednesday I'll be spending some time with a good friend's cousin--she's in the IT program at the American University of Dubai, and I'm looking forward to finding out more about that program.</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 02:29 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/03/06/safe_and_sound_in_dubai.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/03/06/safe_and_sound_in_dubai.php#comments">Comments (1)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/03/06/safe_and_sound_in_dubai.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Saturday, 5 March 2005</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="001012"></a> <h3 class="title">thank you, virgin atlantic!</h3> <p>I'm sitting in Terminal 4 at <span class="caps">JFK, </span>eating an unhealthy dinner of <span class="caps">KFC </span>chicken strips, and taking advantage of the free Wifi coming out of the Virgin Atlantic lounge, above me.</p> <p>My flight for Dubai leaves in two hours. I have a window seat, which is good. I have the phone number of a friend's cousin in Dubai, which is also good. I have a comfortable neck pillow, a fully-charged iPod, several magazines and books, and 12.5 hours to kill.</p> <p>See you on the other side...</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 09:12 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/03/05/thank_you_virgin_atlantic.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/03/05/thank_you_virgin_atlantic.php#comments">Comments (0)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/03/05/thank_you_virgin_atlantic.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Friday, 4 March 2005</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="001011"></a> <h3 class="title">pre-trip panicking</h3> <p>Tonight and tomorrow are packing days. I'm a little panicked, because I've left everything 'til the last minute. But I'm excited, as well, about the opportunity to see Dubai. Everything I've read about it indicates that it's an incredible city.</p> <p>I was hoping that they'd put me up in the hotel where the conference is being held--the truly breathtaking <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.burj-al-arab.com//">Burj-Al-Arab</a>. Alas, I'll only be there for the conference itself on Tuesday. The hotel I <em>am</em> staying at, however, looks quite nice--the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.rotana.com/aspx/HotelFacilities.aspx?HotelId=8">Al Bustan Rotana</a>, which is near both the airport and a <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://216.25.85.145/waficity/cleospa_index.html">spa</a> that I hope to hit on Monday to refresh myself upon arrival!</p> <p>A good friend here in Rochester has relatives in Dubai, and I'm hoping to connect with them while I'm there--it's always so much better to see a new country through the eyes of a local.</p> <p>The hotel has high-speed access (or so it says), so I expect to be regularly updating the blog, as well as uploading photos to Flickr.</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 05:41 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/03/04/pretrip_panicking.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/03/04/pretrip_panicking.php#comments">Comments (0)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/03/04/pretrip_panicking.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Sunday, 27 February 2005</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="001009"></a> <h3 class="title">home again, home again...</h3> <p>So much for my travel plans today. The later flight was delayed, and I finally had them rebook me for an early morning flight and went back home. The boys were happy to see me, at least. And I got to play a little Katamari. Now I'm off to bed, since I'll be up at 4am to try again. :/</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 10:00 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/02/27/home_again_home_again.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/02/27/home_again_home_again.php#comments">Comments (0)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/02/27/home_again_home_again.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <div class="blogbody"> <a name="001006"></a> <h3 class="title">delta blues</h3> <p>It's getting easier and easier to see why major airlines are getting their butts kicked by companies like JetBlue and Southwest.</p> <p>I'm sitting in the Rochester airport, where Gerald and the boys dropped me at 12:30--with plenty of time to catch my 1:55 flight to Atlanta. The Delta line was extremely, worrisomely long--long enough that I wondered if they'd had to cancel a flight since I left the house (I'd checked online). But the prominently placed display screens showed my flight with an on-time departure, so I patiently waited my turn. And waited. And waited. Because they kept calling Cincinnati passengers up to the front of the line--guess being there on time doesn't pay.</p> <p>When I finally did get to the desk agent, he informed me that my flight had, indeed, been cancelled due to weather. But they were "having problems with their computers," which is why there was no public indication of that fact (which would have saved me the 45 minute wait in line, since I could have called Delta on my cell phone and made alternate arrangements).</p> <p>The next flight out isn't until 5:45pm, and it's not fair to Gerald and the boys for me to ask them to come get me again and go through the goodbyes once more. So I've settled myself into the Frontier Business Center at the airport, in a passably comfortable chair, with free wifi and power. I've got a giant latté from Finger Lakes Coffee Roasters, and enough work (and neglected blogs) to keep me busy for a while.</p> <p>This trip kicks off a busy month; I'll be in Atlanta for the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.nvhainnovations.org/2005/index.htm"><span class="caps">NVHA</span> Innovations conference on Social Network Media</a> (with some <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.nvhainnovations.org/2005/speaker_bios.htm">other great folks</a>). I get back on the 2nd, then leave on the 5th for Dubai, where I'll be speaking at the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.woibex.com/">7th Woibex Women in Business Conference</a>. I return from Dubai on the 10th, and then leave again on the 12th for <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://2005.sxsw.com/interactive/"><span class="caps">SXSW</span>/Interactive</a>, where I'll be moderating a panel entitled "Spam, Trolls, Stalkers: The Pandora's Box of Community" with panel members Jay Allen, Cam Barrett, Jason Kottke, and Steve Champeon.</p> <p>The plus side of all of this for, you my online friends, is that I'll be online and available to write and chat a whole lot more than usual. Expect to see me on <span class="caps">AIM </span>a good bit, and for blog posting to increase a bit.</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 01:45 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/02/27/delta_blues.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/02/27/delta_blues.php#comments">Comments (3)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2005/02/27/delta_blues.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_conferences.php">conferences</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_curmudgeonly.php">curmudgeonly</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Sunday, 12 December 2004</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000949"></a> <h3 class="title">first trip to the middle east!</h3> <p>It looks like I'm going to be taking my first trip to the Middle East next year. In early March, I'll be traveling to Dubai to speak at the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.woibex.com/">7th Woibex Women in Business Conference</a>.</p> <p>I've waited to say anything about this until I was relatively sure it was going to happen; now that they've put <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.datamatixgroup.com/index2.asp?page=woibex/w_speakers.asp?id=161">my photo and bio</a> up on the site, however, I think it's safe.</p> <p>The conference is being held at the spectacular <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.burj-al-arab.com//">Burj Al Arab hotel</a>--I haven't gotten details yet, but I'm hoping that's where they'll be putting me up while I'm there.</p> <p>When I was first contacted by the organizers, I was a little concerned about traveling to the Middle East, but from what I've read since then about Dubai, it's a remarkably progressive and technologically forward-looking country. Wired Magazine did <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.07/dubai.html">a feature article on Dubai</a> in July, and it really piqued my interest in the country--not just in its commitment to technology and business development, but also in the status of women there:</p> <blockquote>Dubai also stands in contrast to the Saudi kingdom in another Arab-world indicator, the role of women. Where Saudi women are still waiting for the right to drive, Dubai women play a pivotal role in society. "My success means success for other women here," says Sheikha Lubna al Qasimi, the <span class="caps">CEO </span>of Tejari, an Internet business-to-business procurement firm, noting that women form 65 percent of Internet City's workforce.</blockquote> <p>The fact that they're running a conference on women in business is a pretty strong indication of the importance and value of women in their culture and economy, and I'm looking forward to having an opportunity to talk with from the area about their experiences and their uses of technology.</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 11:54 AM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/12/12/first_trip_to_the_middle_east.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/12/12/first_trip_to_the_middle_east.php#comments">Comments (6)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/12/12/first_trip_to_the_middle_east.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_gender.php">gender</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_technology.php">technology</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Sunday, 28 November 2004</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000933"></a> <h3 class="title">meteora photos</h3> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.flickr.com/photos/liz/1761015/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://www.flickr.com/photos/1761015_10ce21df97_m.jpg" width="186" height="240" alt="Panoramic view of monastery and rocks" style="float: left; margin-right: 3px; border: 1px #000 solid;"/></a>I'm in the process of uploading 142 more photos to <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.flickr.com/photos/liz/">my Flickr account</a>. (Thank goodness I upgraded to Pro level!) This batch is all from our second day in Meteora, where we climbed up to four of the six working monasteries--Holy Trinity, St. Nicholas, Rousáno, and St. Stephen.</p> <p>It's hard to describe how beautiful Meteora is, and how worth the climb it is to go to the monasteries. (Even Alex thought so!) You don't have to climb from the very bottom--mountain roads take you up much of the way. We were glad, however, that we had George to drive us--the roads are a bit scary, and having a driver with an excellent car and good knowledge of the area made a huge difference.</p> <p>I very much want to go back to Meteora, and spend more time in the monasteries. I found it a very spiritual experience--the combination of the isolation and the extraordinary views creates a perfectly peaceful contemplative environment.</p> <p>One of the reasons I took so many photos was to try to convey a sense of the enormity of the area--the height of the rocks, the placement of the monasteries, the town down below, the views across the valley to the Pindos mountains. It's hard to capture all that in a static rectangle, so I had to hope that the collection of images would do better than any single picture could manage.</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 02:29 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/11/28/meteora_photos.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/11/28/meteora_photos.php#comments">Comments (0)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/11/28/meteora_photos.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Saturday, 27 November 2004</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000932"></a> <h3 class="title">photos from greece on flickr</h3> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.flickr.com/photos/liz/1733031/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://www.flickr.com/photos/1733031_a3aa074227_m.jpg" width="240" height="160" alt="Parthenon from below" style="float: left; padding-right: 3px; border: none;"/></a>I've started the process of selecting and uploading photos to Flickr. You can find them <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.flickr.com/photos/liz/tags/greece/">here</a>.</p> <p>Each one is tagged, as well, so if you want only photos of <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.flickr.com/photos/liz/tags/athens/">Athens</a>, or <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.flickr.com/photos/liz/tags/meteora/">Meteora</a>, or <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.flickr.com/photos/liz/tags/delphi/">Delphi</a>, or the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.flickr.com/photos/liz/tags/acropolis/">Acropolis</a>, or my <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.flickr.com/photos/liz/search/tags:alex,greece/tagmode:all/">beautiful son</a>, you can limit it to that.</p> <p>I'm only about halfway through the process, so there will be more later today and/or tomorrow. <br style="clear: left;"/></p> <div class="posted">Posted at 06:14 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/11/27/photos_from_greece_on_flickr.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/11/27/photos_from_greece_on_flickr.php#comments">Comments (0)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/11/27/photos_from_greece_on_flickr.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Friday, 26 November 2004</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000931"></a> <h3 class="title">sometimes irony is not so sweet</h3> <p>Know what this is?</p> <p><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://mamamusings.net/images/report.jpg" height="566" width="400" border="1" hspace="4" vspace="4" alt="Greek Police Report" title="Greek Police Report"/></p> <p>It's an official Greek police report. For my stolen cell phone. Which was taken from my coat pocket while I was at the EasyInternet cafe on Syntagma Square on Wednesday night, writing about how much I loved Greece. <sigh></p> <p>It's not a disaster--it had a prepaid Greek <span class="caps">SIM </span>in it with only €4 of credit left, and my mother cleverly purchased trip insurance before we left which will probably cover the cost of replacing it. My US (Cingular) <span class="caps">SIM </span>was locked up with my passport in the hotel safe, and is ready to be put into a new phone when I get home, so my phone number won't change. It was not an ideal note on which to end an otherwise lovely trip...but it did provide fodder for a blog entry on what happens when someone steals something from you in Greece.</p> <p>In order to file for reimbursement, one has to have an official police report. The phone was taken at about 8pm, but I didn't discover it was missing until we returned to the hotel, around 9:30pm. If I'd been smart, I would have looked in our travel guides and discovered that Greece has a 24-hour telephone "tourist police" line that I could have called for assistance. As it was, the people at the front desk directed me to the closest Athens police station, and assured me that the four-block walk was quite safe at night. (It didn't <em>feel</em> that way, walking down darkened narrow streets, just after having had something stolen, but nothing untoward happened en route.)</p> <p>When I arrived at the police station, a uniformed officer posted outside who spoke no English finally understood my pantomime of a pickpocket and directed me to the fourth floor. Apparently they begin numbering at -1 in that building, because I had to climb five flights of stairs to get to the fourth floor, including two floors with jail cells full of boisterous young men.</p> <p>Upon arriving at the correct floor, I found 7-8 young men dressed all in black, some with police jackets, all gathered in one office laughing and talking and smoking. They finally seemed to realize I wasn't going away, and one who spoke limited English got the basic story from me. He spoke at length with the men in the room, who somewhat reluctantly cleared their gunbelts and jackets from one of the desks and found a chair for me to sit in. Then one of the officers (and <em>not</em> the one with good English) began to fill out the paperwork. He asked me for my name (first asking me to say and spell it, then asking for my passport), my parents' names (you'd think at age 42 that would be irrelevant, but apparently not here), my date of birth, my current address, etc. He stopped after every few words to chat with his friends, take a few more drags on his cigarette, and occasionally re-read what he'd written, mumbling aloud to himself. While he did that, a few of the men passed around my passport, leafing through the visas to see where I'd been.</p> <p>After taking about 30 minutes to fill out one sheet of paper, he then handed another sheet to me for me to fill out--which included all the same information! I stifled my irritation, filled it out, and handed it to him. Then he compared what I'd written, what he'd written, and my passport.</p> <p>Finally, after all the paperwork was done, he told me I'd have to come back the next morning at 8am to get my copy of the report. I headed back to the hotel, arriving around 11:30pm, and went to sleep.</p> <p>This morning, Alex and I set back out for the police station (I was hoping that having a beautiful, blue-eyed, blonde boy along with me might speed things up a bit). I was directed this time to the 3rd floor, which was four flights up, where a sullen young woman told me that the report wasn't ready, and that I should come back tomorrow. "I can't," I told her, "I'm leaving in two hours for the <span class="caps">US.</span>" She sighed heavily and told us to wait in the hallway. Twenty minutes and two trips up the stairs later, she had an official "copy" (hand-written, as you can see, not a photocopy) of the report for me, which cost me €0.45.</p> <p>As I said to Alex, however, we're pretty lucky to have had a trip where that was the worst thing that happened. Nobody got hurt, nothing irreplaceable was lost, and it didn't cause any significant disruption. Our trip home was relatively easy and uneventful--the planes left on time, we made our connections, there were no nosebleeds or additional run-ins with pickpockets. We're home now, and tomorrow I'll start uploading the photos to Flickr. Stay tuned!</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 12:27 AM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/11/26/sometimes_irony_is_not_so_sweet.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/11/26/sometimes_irony_is_not_so_sweet.php#comments">Comments (6)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/11/26/sometimes_irony_is_not_so_sweet.php#comments">TrackBack (3)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_curmudgeonly.php">curmudgeonly</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Wednesday, 24 November 2004</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000930"></a> <h3 class="title">update from greece</h3> <p>We're having an <em>amazing</em> time here--Meteora was beyond description, and even a short visit to Delphi was wonderful. We're back in Athens, where our Internet connectivity continues to be awful, so I'm not going to try to upload any of the over 400 photos I've taken this week!</p> <p>Tomorrow afternoon we start the long trip home, and I'll amuse myself by writing lengthy illustrated blog entries telling some of our stories.</p> <p>I am surprised by how limited Internet options are in hotels, and how little wifi there is in the city. I sense that there may be growing opportunities for those of us with strong Internet and social software skills in this area, and I'll be keeping my eyes open for those!</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 01:06 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/11/24/update_from_greece.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/11/24/update_from_greece.php#comments">Comments (2)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/11/24/update_from_greece.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Sunday, 21 November 2004</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000929"></a> <h3 class="title">a sunny sunday in athens</h3> <p>Traveling with an 8-year-old has its ups and downs, especially when it's his first trip overseas...</p> <p>After breakfast, we set out for some sightseeing, starting with the Monastiriki flea market. As we entered, we saw an organ grinder who was singing a strangely moving high-pitched song.</p> <p><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://mamamusings.net/images/grinder.jpg" height="444" width="449" border="1" hspace="4" vspace="4" alt="grinder.jpg" title="grinder.jpg"/></p> <p>From the market, we went to a cafe near the Ancient Agora, where Alex unfortunately burned his tongue on the hot chocolate. That set the tone for the next few hours. We walked around a bit, but his mood deteriorated, and we ended up taking a cab to Syntagma Square (near our hotel). It became clear that he was getting homesick, so we decided to take him for a familiar happy meal lunch (again), which helped a bit. Then we took a cab to the olympic stadium near the National Gardens, followed by a visit to the Temple of Zeus. While we were there, Alex wanted to play with some stray puppies, and I vetoed that idea--which sent him into a bit of a sulk. Happily, with the combination of Alex and Athens, even sulks can be quite photogenic!</p> <p><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://mamamusings.net/images/sulk.jpg" height="491" width="449" border="1" hspace="4" vspace="4" alt="sulk.jpg" title="sulk.jpg"/></p> <p>At that point the only way to cheer him up was to take him to an Internet cafe, so we spent an hour at an overheated but reasonably priced spot near the hotel, and then spent an hour or two relaxing in the room.</p> <p>For dinner, we tried to go to a restaurant that had been recommended to us, called O Platanos. It was no small task to track it down, but when we finally found it we discovered it was closed on Sunday night! So we wandered back down through the Plaka and ended up at a restaurant on Adrianous called ΥΔΡΙΑ. The waiter treated Alex like royalty, and the food was really wonderful--it was the first big, healthy meal Alex had eaten since we arrived. Good rolls and butter, Greek salad, and <em>giant</em> grilled shrimp in a delicious sauce. We capped that off with baklava topped with ice cream and chocolate syrup. I adore baklava, and Alex loved the ice cream, so we were both happy. (And I was even happier when the good red jug wine we'd had with dinner was followed by a complimentary after-dinner retsina...mmmm!)</p> <p><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://mamamusings.net/images/shrimp.jpg" height="300" width="450" border="1" hspace="4" vspace="4" alt="shrimp.jpg" title="shrimp.jpg"/></p> <p>Tomorrow morning, we get picked up bright and early by <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.greecetravel.com/taxi/">George the famous taxi driver</a>, and we'll take our two day trip to Delphi and Meteora. No posts between now and when we return Tuesday night, I suspect. But we're <span class="caps">SMS</span>-enabled if you <em>must</em> get a message to us.</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 02:24 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/11/21/a_sunny_sunday_in_athens.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/11/21/a_sunny_sunday_in_athens.php#comments">Comments (0)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/11/21/a_sunny_sunday_in_athens.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Wednesday, 17 November 2004</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000926"></a> <h3 class="title">is swapping sims really simple?</h3> <p>Okay, in preparation for the trip to Greece I started looking at cell phone options. The idiots at Cingular won't let me use international roaming until I've had my phone for a year (what bozo thought up <strong>that</strong> policy??), so that won't work--and would be prohibitive expensive, anyhow.</p> <p>Via Matt Barrett's incomparable <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.athensguide.com/">Athens travel guide</a> I found information about <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.greecetravel.com/phones/">Greece Travel-Phones</a>, which rents cell phones and will deliver them to your hotel--but I wasn't sure I'd be able to get one with a cameraphone and <span class="caps">MMS </span>messaging, which I'd really like (mostly so I can post camphone photos from Flickr while we tour).</p> <p>A little more online poking around led me to think that the best option is to purchase a pre-paid <span class="caps">SIM </span>card in Greece and use it in my Motorola v400 quad-band <span class="caps">GSM </span>phone. I checked with Best Buy (where I purchased it), and they told me it's unlocked--which is backed up by most of what I've seen on the online phone forums. I couldn't find anyone with a <span class="caps">SIM</span> I could test it with, so I'll have to take their word for it.</p> <p>I sent email to the address provided for <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.greecetravel.com/phones/">Greece Travel-Phones</a> and got an immediate reply from the owner, who was extremely helpful. They do sell prepaid <span class="caps">SIMS, </span>and can deliver it directly to our hotel. He provided me with rates and options, and I was able to pay with PayPal. Yay! We'll be able to receive calls on the phone for free (011-30-693-970-0752, if you want to chat while we're there!), and outgoing calls, <span class="caps">SMS, </span>and <span class="caps">MMS </span>are reasonably priced. I bought it with €20 worth of credit, which I suspect will be plenty for what we need.</p> <p>So...for those of you who travel internationally more than I do--is this likely to be a fairly simple process? Do I really just put the new <span class="caps">SIM </span>in and instantly have a Greek phone number? Are there any pitfalls I should know about? Any suggestions would be welcome, particularly if they're sent before I leave at lunchtime tomorrow!</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 04:33 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/11/17/is_swapping_sims_really_simple.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/11/17/is_swapping_sims_really_simple.php#comments">Comments (11)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/11/17/is_swapping_sims_really_simple.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_technology.php">technology</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000925"></a> <h3 class="title">getting ready for greece</h3> <p>Haven't been writing much this week because I've been swamped with end-of-quarter grading--alas, I'll have to find an Internet cafe (or test out the international capability of our departmental AT&T dial-up accounts) in Athens this weekend to finish projects submitted on Thursday, but if I've got to grade, doing it in Athens beats doing it in Rochester!</p> <p>We leave tomorrow afternoon, and will arrive in Athens at midday on Friday (Rochester to Dulles, Dulles to Frankfurt, Frankfurt to Athens), and will stay in Athens through Sunday night. Monday morning we'll be picked up early by <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.greecetravel.com/taxi/">George the famous taxi driver</a>, who'll be our guide for two days in Delphi and Meteora.</p> <p>While I'm looking forward to Athens, I'm particularly excited about seeing Meteora and its famous monasteries. I've been collecting <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://del.icio.us/search/?search=meteora">links with photos and descriptions</a> over on del.icio.us, and I can't shake the feeling that this is someplace that I'm somehow meant to see. Here's a photo from one of the tourism sites:</p> <p><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://mamamusings.net/images/meteora.jpg" height="374" width="500" border="1" hspace="4" vspace="4" alt="Meteora Monastery" title="Meteora Monastery"/></p> <p>I'm trying to convince my 8-year-old to blog the trip (the way Lane did when we went to Japan), but he's reluctant. So I've set up a <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.lawley.net/greece/">trip blog</a> for all three of us (Alex, my mom, and myself) and we'll be posting photos and narrative there. (The photos will be posted first on <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.flickr.com/photos/liz/">Flickr</a>, of course, so you can keep an eye on that as well.)</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 12:41 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/11/17/getting_ready_for_greece.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/11/17/getting_ready_for_greece.php#comments">Comments (4)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/11/17/getting_ready_for_greece.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_family.php">family</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_kids.php">kids</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Monday, 1 November 2004</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000911"></a> <h3 class="title">who's going to cscw?</h3> <p>Sunday I leave for Chicago, where I'll be attending the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.acm.org/cscw2004/"><span class="caps">ACM CSCW</span></a> (computer-supported collabortive work) conference. The <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.acm.org/cscw2004/prog_technical.html">technical program</a> runs Monday through Wednesday, and I'm speaking on a panel that danah boyd put together Wednesday. The topic is "<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.acm.org/cscw2004/prog_technical.html#TheUseofDigitalBackchannelsinSharedPhysicalSpaces">The Use of Digital Backchannels in Shared Physical Spaces</a>," and the list of other participants on the panel is great.</p> <p>I've skimmed through the list of speakers, and recognize a few names from both the literature and from the Microsoft social software symposium back in the spring. Who's going that's not speaking?</p> <p>And what's the chance of a blogger meetup in Chicago while I'm there? In addition to seeing the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://flickr.com/photos/akma/1170905/">information highwayman and his faithful sidekick</a>, there are a few Chicago bloggers I'd love to meet (or see again). I'll be there from Sunday afternoon through Wednesday afternoon, staying at the Hilton--and at present, I have no evening plans.</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 12:16 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/11/01/whos_going_to_cscw.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/11/01/whos_going_to_cscw.php#comments">Comments (6)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/11/01/whos_going_to_cscw.php#comments">TrackBack (1)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_conferences.php">conferences</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Monday, 25 October 2004</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000902"></a> <h3 class="title">waiting for my midnight plane to georgia</h3> <p>Yes, I'm taking the redeye home tonight--my flight leaves for Atlanta at 11:56pm.</p> <p>Happily, I'm not stuck in <span class="caps">LAX </span>right now, perched on an uncomfortable chair near an impossible-to-find-outlet, paying by the hour for wifi. Instead, I'm in a soft, comfy chair at the Westin near <span class="caps">LAX, </span>taking advantage of Simon Phipps' hospitality--we're sharing the network connection over his Airport Express, and I'm streaming <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.amazon.com/o/asin/B0002F7I9Y/internettraining/ref=nosim/">Genius Loves Company</a> over it to his portable speakers.</p> <p>We had a lovely day today. First we went to the Apple Store at the Grove, and then had a nice brunch at a nearby restaurant and did some retail therapy at the Nordstroms next door.</p> <p>From there, we drove south until we got to Long Beach (<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://radio.weblogs.com/0108247/">Allan</a>, so sad you're not around this weekend!), which was more polluted and less picturesque than I'd hoped. It didn't satisfy my ocean craving very well, so we headed north to Santa Monica instead.</p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/images/DCP_2872.JPG" onclick="window.open('https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/images/DCP_2872.JPG','popup','width=1776,height=1164,scrollbars=no,resizable=yes,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=yes,left=0,top=0');return false"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://mamamusings.net/images/DCP_2872-tm.jpg" height="100" width="152" border="1" hspace="4" vspace="4" alt="Arlington West" title="Arlington West" style="float:left"/></a>When we got to the beach near the pier, the first thing we saw was a memorial to soldiers killed in the Iraq War. It's a temporary memorial, put up every Sunday by volunteers.<br/> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/images/DCP_2868.JPG" onclick="window.open('https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/images/DCP_2868.JPG','popup','width=1800,height=1200,scrollbars=no,resizable=yes,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=yes,left=0,top=0');return false"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://mamamusings.net/images/DCP_2868-tm.jpg" height="100" width="150" border="1" hspace="4" vspace="4" alt="Memorial Signs" title="Memorial Signs" style="float:right"/></a> There's one cross (and some stars and crescents) for each soldier killed. There's also a posted list of all the names of those killed, and photos of each.</p> <p>They provide pieces of paper and pens, as well as rubber bands and fresh flowers, and ask people to write the name of a soldier on the paper, and then use the rubberbands to attach the name and the flower to the crosses.</p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/images/DCP_2875.JPG" onclick="window.open('https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/images/DCP_2875.JPG','popup','width=828,height=1198,scrollbars=no,resizable=yes,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=yes,left=0,top=0');return false"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://mamamusings.net/images/DCP_2875-tm.jpg" height="100" width="69" border="1" hspace="4" vspace="4" alt="Boy at Memorial" title="Boy at Memorial" style="float:left"/></a> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/images/DCP_2881.JPG" onclick="window.open('https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/images/DCP_2881.JPG','popup','width=1480,height=995,scrollbars=no,resizable=yes,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=yes,left=0,top=0');return false"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://mamamusings.net/images/DCP_2881-tm.jpg" height="100" width="148" border="1" hspace="4" vspace="4" alt="DCP_2881.JPG" title="DCP_2881.JPG" style="float:right"/></a>I wrote the name of one young man, and attached it to a white cross, along with a red flower. Then I watched as many other people did the same thing. It was clearly an emotional moment for many of them. It certainly was for me.<br clear="all"/></p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/images/DCP_2895.JPG" onclick="window.open('https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/images/DCP_2895.JPG','popup','width=1769,height=1138,scrollbars=no,resizable=yes,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=yes,left=0,top=0');return false"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://mamamusings.net/images/DCP_2895-tm.jpg" height="100" width="155" border="1" hspace="4" vspace="4" alt="Santa Monica sunset" title="Santa Monica sunset" style="float:left"/></a>The rest of the afternoon was more cheerful, however. We wandered the pier for a while, then had a nice dinner at a restaurant there, and watched the sun set over the beach--which wasn't spectacular, but was still quite pretty. Then we headed over the Westin, and I'll catch a shuttle to the airport soon.</p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/images/DCP_2885.JPG" onclick="window.open('https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/images/DCP_2885.JPG','popup','width=1381,height=929,scrollbars=no,resizable=yes,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=yes,left=0,top=0');return false"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://mamamusings.net/images/DCP_2885-tm.jpg" height="100" width="148" border="1" hspace="4" vspace="4" alt="Simon in Santa Monica" title="Simon in Santa Monica" style="float:right"/></a>I'm so glad Simon and I ended up with a free day in the same place at the same time--it was a lovely way to spend a sunny Sunday, and I'm feeling relaxed, refreshed, and ready to head home (even if it is on the redeye).</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 12:11 AM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/10/25/waiting_for_my_midnight_plane_to_georgia.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/10/25/waiting_for_my_midnight_plane_to_georgia.php#comments">Comments (2)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/10/25/waiting_for_my_midnight_plane_to_georgia.php#comments">TrackBack (1)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_friends.php">friends</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Sunday, 24 October 2004</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000901"></a> <h3 class="title">ichat synchronicity</h3> <p>I had a lovely dinner last night in <span class="caps">LA'</span>s Chinatown with Annenberg grad student <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://richard.hodkinson.org/">Richard Hodkinson</a>, which reminded me of how much fun it is to spend informal social time with people who share some of my intellectual passions.</p> <p>When I got back to my room, I started thinking about how I was going to get to the ocean on Sunday--it would be criminal to fly to LA and see nothing but sidewalks and conference rooms. I was feeling sad that so few of my LA-based friends were in town this weekend, and that I wouldn't have someone to chat and banter with as I wandered.</p> <p>Before I turned the computer off, though, I took a quick look at my buddy list, and discovered that my good friend <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.webmink.net/">Simon Phipps</a>, with whom I almost never cross paths in the real world, had an iChat status line that read "Ventura, CA".</p> <p>For those of you who don't know California, Ventura is just north of LA--about an hour away in light traffic. I immediately pinged Simon, and discovered that not only was he there, but that he also had all day Sunday free before flying to a business meeting on Monday. Woohoo!</p> <p>So later this morning he's going to drive down to <span class="caps">LA, </span>pick me up at the hotel, and we're off to play at the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.apple.com/retail/thegrove/">Apple Store</a> (I've never been to one, can you believe it?) and the shore.</p> <p>To me, that's the best part of social software. Not the use of the tools themselves, but the way they facilitate opportunities in the "real world." Without <span class="caps">IRC </span>and <span class="caps">AIM </span>at the symposium, I probably wouldn't have ended up having dinner with Richard. And without the tagline on Simon's iChat account, I'd never have known that we were close enough on this trip to actually spend time together. But because of those social software tools, my trip to LA has been immeasurably enriched.</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 02:39 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/10/24/ichat_synchronicity.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/10/24/ichat_synchronicity.php#comments">Comments (0)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/10/24/ichat_synchronicity.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_friends.php">friends</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_social_software.php">social software</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Tuesday, 12 October 2004</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000893"></a> <h3 class="title">irresponsible parenting has its rewards</h3> <p>We took the kids and a friend to Letchworth State Park (south of Rochester) yesterday, and I took a <em>lot</em> of photos. It's hard to resist, especially at this time of year.</p> <p>At the south end of the park, above the Upper Falls, there's a railroad bridge called the Portage Bridge. It's a working bridge, and as such is of course off-limits. It's up pretty high, too, as you can see.</p> <p><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://mamamusings.net/images/bridge1.jpg" height="333" width="499" border="1" hspace="4" vspace="4" alt="Portage Bridge" title="Portage Bridge"/></p> <p>When the boys questioned me about the "No Trespassing" sign, I assured them that it referred only to cars, and we made our way up onto the trestle. There were plenty of other people up there, as well...we weren't the only trespassers, by a long shot. And before you get too worried, there's plenty of space on either side of the tracks--if a train had happened to come by, it would have been very scary but not deadly.</p> <p><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://mamamusings.net/images/bridge2.jpg" height="333" width="499" border="1" hspace="4" vspace="4" alt="Boys on Bridge" title="Boys on Bridge"/></p> <p>The reason the boys look so excited and happy is because of the view that we had from the bridge (not to mention the pockets full of pebbles they tossed down into the river gorge).</p> <p><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://mamamusings.net/images/bridge3.jpg" height="333" width="499" border="1" hspace="4" vspace="4" alt="View of River" title="View of River"/></p> <p>So yes, I broke the law. But it was worth it. And the whole day was a great reminder of how beautiful an area we live in.</p> <p>(If you want to see all the photos from the day, I've put them in a <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.flickr.com/photos/liz/sets/21421/">Flickr Photoset</a>.)</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 12:38 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/10/12/irresponsible_parenting_has_its_rewards.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/10/12/irresponsible_parenting_has_its_rewards.php#comments">Comments (14)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/10/12/irresponsible_parenting_has_its_rewards.php#comments">TrackBack (1)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_family.php">family</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Friday, 8 October 2004</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000891"></a> <h3 class="title">i'm going to greece!</h3> <p>So, the mystery birthday gift from my mom to my son yesterday was tickets for a trip to Athens over Thanksgiving--and I'm going, too!</p> <p>We leave November 18th, return on the 25th. And I am <strong>so</strong> excited! I've never been to Greece (although I did spend a year in Malta as a teenager, while my dad was on sabbatical).</p> <p>Suggestions, ideas, etc are more than welcome. I'd <em>love</em> to go see the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.magicaljourneys.com/Meteora/meteora-discover.html">monasteries in Metéora</a>, but I'm not sure it we can manage to fit it in. (Anybody know how long the bus ride from Athens is? Or how scary/dangerous/difficult the driving would be if we rented a car?)</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 11:39 AM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/10/08/im_going_to_greece.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/10/08/im_going_to_greece.php#comments">Comments (7)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/10/08/im_going_to_greece.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Wednesday, 29 September 2004</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000882"></a> <h3 class="title">stabilization</h3> <p>Ever since my brother-in-law's death last December it feels like I've been on a constant rollercoaster (one designed by Escher, apparently, that goes mostly downhill). Every time it felt like things were looking up again, there was an unexpected plunge. Serious illnesses, too many deaths, more loss than I was really able to deal with effectively. One friend told me it felt as though when Howard died last year I'd gone away, and that I'd never really made it all the way back. And she was right. The most recent bad news--of Dave's death last month--felt like the last straw, and it knocked me completely off the tracks.</p> <p>So it's with some relief that I'm able to report today that not only have we been tragedy-free for several weeks now, but that I've actually started getting things done again! A lot of people had started to worry about me, because I'm normally a pretty responsible person--I finish projects, I meet deadlines, I stay in touch. Recently I hadn't been doing any of that.</p> <p>Since Sunday I've managed to grade 35 papers and 24 web sites, finish a grant project summary for <span class="caps">NSF, </span>do some serious planning for a workshop I'm helping to coordinate next month at <span class="caps">USC, </span>coordinate travel plans for my trip to Seattle next week, have fun teaching my freshmen unix commands (really!), and spend some quality time with my family at the <span class="caps">RIT </span>pool. As Lane would say, "Boo yah!"</p> <p>One of the best parts of getting caught up is knowing that I don't have to dread opening my email inbox, because I'm no longer trying to avoid people who need things from me.</p> <p>The timing of this stabilization is particularly good, because my fall travel season is about to start...Seattle (Microsoft), then LA (Annenberg), then Chicago (ACM <span class="caps">CSCW</span>). And then a still-secret trip to a very cool place over Thanksgiving, which I can't blog about until after my younger son's birthday. :)</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 03:08 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/09/29/stabilization.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/09/29/stabilization.php#comments">Comments (2)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/09/29/stabilization.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_family.php">family</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_idle_thoughts.php">idle thoughts</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Monday, 27 September 2004</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000879"></a> <h3 class="title">microsoft "search champs"</h3> <p>On Sunday I'm leaving for a short trip to Redmond, where I'll be part of a new advisory group ("Search Champs") that Microsoft is forming to provide feedback on their <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://search.msn.com/">search engine</a> development.</p> <p>Back when I was more active in the library profession, I once heard a wonderful conference talk by Herb White. He was bemoaning the trend in libraries to teach end-users how to do complex online searching so that they'd discover "the joy of searching." "I have no joy of searching," he said. "I have joy of <em>finding</em>!"</p> <p>Those of us who chose to go to library school really are different from most other people, in that we <em>do</em> have "joy of searching"...it's the hunt that's fun for us, not the catch. We're like the housecat that triumphantly drops the dead mouse on the doorstep--we don't want to consume it, we just want to show you how good we are at tracking it down. So I'm not the typical search engine user. I'm interested in the high-end functionality, the little-known <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2003/11/03/internet_librarian_30_search_tips_in_40_minutes.php">tips</a> and <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2003/11/03/internet_librarian_greg_notess_on_google_gambol.php">tricks</a> that let you find elusive materials quickly.</p> <p>I'll be curious to see who else turns up in this "search champ" group. They aren't releasing the names before we arrive (privacy issues, apparently, though the privacy will be moot once we all meet face to face...), so I have no idea who they're targeting for advice. (If you're going, feel free to "out" yourself here!) I'm not 100% sure how I ended up on the list, though I suspect that <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://radio.weblogs.com/0001011/">Scoble</a> may have had something to do with it, since he was copied on my original invitation.</p> <p>There's an <span class="caps">NDA </span>involved in this, natch, but I'll blog what aspects of it I can without violating any confidentiality. Process, at least, if not content. Oh...and I do tentatively plan to hit the Redmond/Seattle-area blogger meetup next Tuesday night.</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 02:33 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/09/27/microsoft_search_champs.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/09/27/microsoft_search_champs.php#comments">Comments (10)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/09/27/microsoft_search_champs.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_librarianship.php">librarianship</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_technology.php">technology</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Wednesday, 8 September 2004</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000863"></a> <h3 class="title">3-2-1 contact</h3> <p>It is indeed <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://weez.oyzon.com/index.php?/weezblogtemplates/its_showtime_folks/">showtime, folks</a>. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://weez.oyzon.com/index.php?/weezblogtemplates/this_is_the_story_of_minnie_the_moocher/">Like Weez</a>, I'd forgotten how much I enjoy being in the classroom, especially when teaching the web design classes I enjoy most.</p> <p>And on the professional front, interesting activities are just ahead. A social software workshop at <span class="caps">USC, </span>a visit to Redmond, and an <span class="caps">NSF </span>workshop in October; the <span class="caps">CSCW </span>conference in November.</p> <p>Summer was a good and healing hibernation period for me, but I find that when I'm not regularly interacting with colleagues--in person, not just online--my mind is less active, less creative, less productive. Being around my <span class="caps">RIT </span>colleagues re-energizes my teaching self, and being able to travel this fall to see colleagues with whom I share research and writing interests is re-energizing my research self.</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 03:23 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/09/08/321_contact.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/09/08/321_contact.php#comments">Comments (2)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/09/08/321_contact.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_research.php">research</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_teaching.php">teaching</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Sunday, 5 September 2004</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000862"></a> <h3 class="title">last day on the road: west virginia to home</h3> <p>No photos this time...we didn't stop for sightseeing on this last leg. We just wanted to get home. And we're awfully glad to be here. It was lovely to sleep in our own beds last night, and shower in our own bathrooms this morning. It will be wonderful to keep clothes in closets rather than suitcases.</p> <p>The best part of vacationing at the end of August is that down south the kids are already back in school, so parks and tourist attractions are blessedly uncrowded. The worst part is that when you get home, you have little or no re-entry time before the start of school. We've got clothes to buy--for Lane, who's outgrown nearly everything, and me, who needs a little wardrobe pick-me-up for first week confidence boosting. We've got school supplies to acquire, for both the kids. And we've got schedules to juggle so that we can figure out who's driving who to music lessons, swimming lessons, Japanese lessons, etc. (Our kids aren't over-scheduled, really. Lane takes cello and Japanese on Saturdays, and will have ten weeks of swimming this fall. Alex may take viola this year, and will swim as well. We're big fans of unscheduled play time, and don't expect to turn regimented anytime soon.)</p> <p>Most importantly, I've got to switch my brain out of vacation speed and back into professional gears. Dinner and course prep tonight with Weez is a good way to ease into it. Tomorrow I'll have to hit the office, even though I'm not teaching 'til Tuesday, just so I can clean up, get organized, and start the necessary headshift.</p> <p>And now we're off to Sunday brunch at mom's. She's been missing the grandkids while we've been gone. And we'll be seeing Masako, as well, our gracious and generous hostess from Tokyo, who's here for her annual 6 month stay in the states.</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 10:19 AM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/09/05/last_day_on_the_road_west_virginia_to_home.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/09/05/last_day_on_the_road_west_virginia_to_home.php#comments">Comments (0)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/09/05/last_day_on_the_road_west_virginia_to_home.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_family.php">family</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_teaching.php">teaching</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Friday, 3 September 2004</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000861"></a> <h3 class="title">on the road again: tennessee to west virginia</h3> <p>A long day of driving today. We left Gatlinburg after an awful breakfast at our hotel, the Park Vista. The views from (and of) the hotel were lovely, but that's about all I can say for it. It's somewhat run-down, and the breakfast buffet was truly terrible.</p> <p>We made two sightseeing stops along the way. First at the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.southernregion.fs.fed.us/gwj/mr/">Mount Rogers National Recreation Area</a> in Virginia. We had hoped for another stamp for Alex's passport, but it turned out they weren't <span class="caps">NPS</span>-run--they're Forest Service, instead. So we got a hat pin for him, instead, and got back on the road.</p> <p>The next stop was at the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.nps.gov/neri/home.htm">New River Gorge National River</a>, where the views were breathtaking. (And we did acquire a stamp for the passport there, as well as a regional sticker and another hat pin.)</p> <p>The bridge, built in 1977, was the longest arch bridge in the world until last year, when Shanghai built one that surpasses it. But it's still quite beautiful to behold.</p> <p><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://mamamusings.net/images/bridge.jpg" height="600" width="400" alt="bridge"/></p> <p>Now we're safely ensconced in the Holiday in in Bridgeport/Clarksburg, <span class="caps">WV.</span> The rooms are small and overpriced (it's Labor Day weekend, and the fall festivals are in full swing), but there's free wifi in the rooms and the restaurant food was passable.</p> <p>Tomorrow's the last leg of our journey, and barring any travel disasters I should be posting from (and sleeping at) home tomorrow night. w00t!</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 09:12 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/09/03/on_the_road_again_tennessee_to_west_virginia.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/09/03/on_the_road_again_tennessee_to_west_virginia.php#comments">Comments (5)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/09/03/on_the_road_again_tennessee_to_west_virginia.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_family.php">family</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Thursday, 2 September 2004</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000860"></a> <h3 class="title">on the road again: alabama to tennessee</h3> <p>Tonight we're in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, home of some of the world's cheesiest tourist attractions, as well as some of the most beautiful mountains.</p> <p>We took an aerial tram up one of the mountains, and admired the view down into town for a while. I posted a couple of cameraphone photos on <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.flickr.com/photos/liz/">Flickr</a>, and will upload digital camera shots when we get home. After that, we hit the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.ripleys.com/movingtheater/">Ripley's 4D Moving Theatre</a> (The movie you ride! 2 Thrilling shows!), much to the kids' delight.</p> <p>Now we're back in our hotel, which has lovely views of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, where Alex got his <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/4434/passport.html">National Park Passport</a> stamped this afternoon. The stamp is the third one he's received--the first was at Mammoth Cave, and the second at Gulf Islands National Seashore. He's also collecting commemorative pins at each of our stops on this trip, and has quite a collection on his favorite baseball cap--which itself was a souvenir from the Metropolitan Museum of Art on his last trip with Grandma.</p> <p>Tomorrow we'll work our way up to West Virginia, stopping briefly along the way at the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.nps.gov/neri/home.htm">New River Gorge National River</a> for another passport stamp, and a look at some of the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.nps.gov/neri/panorama.htm">spectacular views</a>.</p> <p>Saturday will be the last leg of this very long trip. I adore my family, and am so glad to have had this time to spend with them. But 24×7 can be hard on everyone, as can long hours of highway driving, and I'll think we'll all be very glad to be back in our own home again.</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 10:28 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/09/02/on_the_road_again_alabama_to_tennessee.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/09/02/on_the_road_again_alabama_to_tennessee.php#comments">Comments (1)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/09/02/on_the_road_again_alabama_to_tennessee.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_family.php">family</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Tuesday, 31 August 2004</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000859"></a> <h3 class="title">the long road home</h3> <p>We left the beach this morning. The condo's owner had told us before our trip that the day you leave is always the prettiest day, and it's so sad. Not so for us. We left in a torrential downpour, so bad we could barely see the road. It made it a lot easier to bid farewell to the beach.</p> <p>First stop on the drive home was the family farm, which I've abandoned for the evening after discovering <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.eclipsecoffee.com/">Eclipse Coffee</a> a charming coffeeshop and bookstore in Montevallo with free wifi! It seems to have a primarily collegiate clientele (University of Montevallo), and it's pretty entertaining listening to the students complain about homework loads while I work on my <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.it.rit.edu/~ell/index.php?content=schedule">syllabi</a> for next week.</p> <p>Now that MT 3.1 has been released, I'm preparing to put out a 3.1 compatible version of the courseware. If you'd like to use it, you should install 3.1 (the educational license is quite reasonably priced for unlimited sites, or you can do the free version for one site), and then the TypeMover plugin. I'll distribute the courseware as a single file that can be installed using TypeMover in one easy step, rather than as a bunch of separate template files and instructions for configuration. Yay!</p> <p>I've got a couple of classes running under 3.1 already for this quarter. No big changes in operation just yet, but I expect to release another version later this fall that incorporates more of the nifty features of 3.1, like dynamic templates and subcategories.</p> <p>As we head north I'll be posting more pictures, and trying to shift my head back into a more professional and research-focused space. Blogging should pick up by next week. In the meantime, I'll be seeking out connectivity on the road and checking mail as we go.</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 09:01 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/08/31/the_long_road_home.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/08/31/the_long_road_home.php#comments">Comments (2)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/08/31/the_long_road_home.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_courseware.php">courseware</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_teaching.php">teaching</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Thursday, 26 August 2004</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000858"></a> <h3 class="title">good morning</h3> <p><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://mamamusings.net/images/sunrise.jpg" height="366" width="550" alt="sunrise"/></p> <div class="posted">Posted at 09:16 AM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/08/26/good_morning.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/08/26/good_morning.php#comments">Comments (3)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/08/26/good_morning.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Tuesday, 24 August 2004</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000857"></a> <h3 class="title">on the road again: alabama to florida</h3> <p>(This was written yesterday morning...)</p> <p>One night in Birmingham at my stepdaughter's house, four in Randolph at the Lawley Farm. Now we're back on the road, headed to a week of relaxation on the beach in Navarre, Florida. The boys are in the back seat, playing Super Smash Brothers Melee (ah, the luxury of a built in video system with hookups for a game console), I'm in the front seat with several fully-charged batteries.</p> <p>We didn't have much Internet connectivity on this trip. I was able to check email occasionally on my mother-in-law's dial-up connection, and last night Gerald and I went to dinner in Montevallo and made a brief stop in the parking lot of a cafe with free wifi. The cafe was closed, but their network was running, so I took advantage of it to grab the developer's beta version of <span class="caps">MT3.1 </span>so I could work on the courseware this week.</p> <p>While it was nice to see family in Alabama, it was also difficult in some ways. There's something about being in a parent's house that brings out the ten-year-old in all of us, and that's often not a good thing. Being in recovery helped us deal with those stresses much better than we have in the past, however, and unlike our trip two years ago, we're headed down to the Gulf already in pretty good spirits.</p> <p>Much as I'd like to spend this next week doing nothing but soaking up sun and salt spray, September's rapid approach has me thinking about work. I actually had my first teaching nightmare in a long time last night. In it, I watched from my office as my colleague <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://weez.oyzon.com/">Weez</a> led a masterful class, which ended with the students singing and swaying with her gospel-style. That would have been fine, except the students that went into the classroom after her class sat there for 90 minutes before I realized that I was supposed to be teaching them--I'd somehow confused the times on my schedule, and thought I was teaching at 6 rather than at 4. I rushed into the classroom as they were beginning to leave, most of them angry and demanding refunds of their tuition. Ugh. (Weez thought this was pretty funny when I recounted it to her...I haven't yet gotten to to that point.)</p> <p>So there's a balance to be struck this week. Some rest and relaxation, certainly. But also a gradual ramping up of intellectual activity--work on the grant research, and course prep (not to mention memorization of my teaching schedule!) so that the re-entry shock next week isn't too great.</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 09:41 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/08/24/on_the_road_again_alabama_to_florida.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/08/24/on_the_road_again_alabama_to_florida.php#comments">Comments (3)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/08/24/on_the_road_again_alabama_to_florida.php#comments">TrackBack (2)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_family.php">family</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_recovery.php">recovery</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Thursday, 19 August 2004</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000856"></a> <h3 class="title">travelogue: rochester to alabama</h3> <p>Well, we're finally in Alabama, where we've got cable modem connectivity. We've had a lovely three days of camping and exploring (and driving, which was less fun), with no access save an occasional cell phone signal. (And not even that while in caves, of course.)</p> <p>If you're interested in a short photo essay of our trip thus far, read on. I'll upload more photos (I took <em>a lot</em> on this trip) to Flickr later this week.</p> <p>The first day of travel was the longest...we went from Rochester to Delaware, Ohio, just north of Columbus. We'd hoped to rent a yurt at Delaware State Park, but the yurts were in a part of the park closed for renovations, so we ended up with a tent campsite instead. I couldn't believe how much stuff Gerald had managed to pack into our van!</p> <p><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://mamamusings.net/images/Campsite.jpg" height="271" width="500" alt="Campsite"/></p> <p>We bought a new tent for this trip, and it was gloriously spacious. Not only was it tall enough for even Gerald to stand in easily, it easily housed two small air mattresses for the kids and an almost-luxurious queen-sized version for us.</p> <p><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://mamamusings.net/images/Tent.jpg" height="272" width="408" alt="Tent"/></p> <p>The camping area was quite nice. Lots of paved areas for the boys to ride their scooters around...</p> <p><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://mamamusings.net/images/Alex-Scooter.jpg" height="611" width="300" alt="Alex-Scooter"/></p> <p>A short hike to a very pretty reservoir...</p> <p><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://mamamusings.net/images/Reservoir.jpg" height="272" width="408" alt="Reservoir"/></p> <p>And a nice campfire area for the mandatory ritual of cooking s'mores. (We cooked dinner--steak and salmon we'd brought from home--over a propane camp stove.)</p> <p><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://mamamusings.net/images/Smores.jpg" height="388" width="300" alt="Smores"/></p> <p>In the morning, Gerald packed up camp while I took the boys to the Olentangy Indian Caverns nearby. I enjoyed the cave tour more than they did, but they had fun doing faux "gem mining" afterwards--they give the kids a big back of sand and dirt that's spiked with a few gems and crystals. They have to dump it into a pan and sift it out in a trough of running water. A bargain at $3.50 considering how much fun they had doing it, and how delighted they were by their little found treasures afterwards.</p> <p>After lunch we headed south, arrving at Mammoth Cave National Park at dinnertime. We stayed in some lovely rustic cottages right next to the visitor center, which was extremely convenient. The two-room cottage we stayed in (only $52/night after taxes) had four beds and its own bathroom and shower. We crashed early that night, then got up in the morning and did the Discovery Tour of Mammoth Cave. (No photos, because I didn't realize that camera bags were forbidden, and I didn't have a pocket appropriate for my camera.) That's the shortest, easiest tour they give. I was disappointed to find out that neither of my boys were big on caves, so I did the afternoon "Frozen Niagara" tour myself. That tour used a newer, man-made "airlock" entrance--only about twenty people can enter at a time between the two doors, so as to preserve the proper balance of air in the cave system. From there you take 300 stairs down into the cave (you go out an easier path, however).</p> <p><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://mamamusings.net/images/CaveEntrance.jpg" height="450" width="300" alt="CaveEntrance"/></p> <p>The Discovery Tour had been all dry cave areas, but the Frozen Niagra tour included some spectacular wet cave areas with amazing flowstone formations and various stalactites and stalagmites.</p> <p><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://mamamusings.net/images/Flowstone.jpg" height="320" width="300" alt="Flowstone"/></p> <p>That evening we took a scenic cruise on Green River, which was really lovely. Here's one shot I took while sitting out on the bow of the boat.</p> <p><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://mamamusings.net/images/GreenRiver.jpg" height="272" width="408" alt="GreenRiver"/></p> <p>In addition to the caves (365 miles of them) and the river, the park has some beautiful above-ground trails. I got the boys to do a little walking with me, but most of my hiking I did on my own. I'd forgotten how much I like walking alone in the woods. (Don't worry, I told Gerald my route in advance, and estimated the time it would take, so he'd know where to send help if I needed it. Which I didn't.) A few of the trails I wanted to hike had been closed by a storm last month that had apparently downed over 400 trees in the park...and I saw a lot of evidence of that damage even on the open trails.</p> <p><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://mamamusings.net/images/DownedTrees.jpg" height="272" width="408" alt="DownedTrees"/></p> <p>One of the trails I took was to what they call the River Styx Spring...an opening where an underground river emerges from the caves and flows down to the Green River. It didn't look much like its mythic namesake.</p> <p><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://mamamusings.net/images/RiverStyx.jpg" height="272" width="408" alt="RiverStyx"/></p> <p>All in all, it was a very enjoyable way to make the trek down to Alabama. Last night we stayed with Gerald's older daughter, and tonight we'll be out at his mother's house just outside of Lawley, Alabama. Then maybe some camping this weekend (weather permitting), and we're keep our fingers crossed that tropical storms will avoid the Panhandle area next week.</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 09:11 AM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/08/19/travelogue_rochester_to_alabama.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/08/19/travelogue_rochester_to_alabama.php#comments">Comments (8)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/08/19/travelogue_rochester_to_alabama.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_family.php">family</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Wednesday, 11 August 2004</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000855"></a> <h3 class="title">trip planning</h3> <p>We're gearing up for the long drive down south, and are going to try to enjoy ourselves as much as possible along the way. Towards that end, we're reviewing <span class="caps">AAA </span>maps and guidebooks, and have settled on two stopping points en route to Birmingham.</p> <p>First stop will be outside of Columbus, Ohio, where we plan to visit the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.olentangyindiancaverns.com/">Olentangy Indian Caverns</a>. We're thinking about camping that night at <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/parks/parks/delaware.htm">Delaware State Park</a> (which is in Ohio, natch). I'm particularly intrigued by the "<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/parks/camps/options/yurts.htm">Rent-a-Yurt</a>" option there.</p> <p>From there, we'll head down to <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.nps.gov/maca/index.htm">Mammoth Cave National Park</a>. I've never been there, but it looks really interesting. We'll spend one or two nights there, possibly at a campsite or cabin, and then do the last leg down to Birmingham.</p> <p>After a few days in Alabama visiting with family, and possibly a day or two of camping at <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.llbean.com/parksearch/parks/html/516lls.htm">Lake Lurleen</a> (if the weather isn't too stifling...ha!), we'll head down to Navarre, Florida, where we'll spend a week at a condo owned by Gerald's cousin. Bliss. We've stayed there once before, and loved it. Lovely pool, direct beach access. If only the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2004/hurricanes/">hurricanes</a> will stay away for a few days, it will be perfect!</p> <p>Expect lots of photos along the way...a few here, but most over on <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.flickr.com/photos/liz/">Flickr</a>.</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 11:17 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/08/11/trip_planning.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/08/11/trip_planning.php#comments">Comments (6)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/08/11/trip_planning.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Thursday, 29 July 2004</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000844"></a> <h3 class="title">holy crap, we bought a new van!</h3> <p>One minute we're talking about how we really ought to think about replacing rather than repairing our aging, ailing 1991 Mazda <span class="caps">MPV.</span></p> <p>The next we're signing on a 2-year lease (at a surprisingly low cost) for a <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.edmunds.com/new/2004/honda/odyssey/100395364/researchlanding.html?tid=edmunds.n.prices.subnavheader..2.Honda*">2004 Honda Odyssey EX</a> complete with built-in <span class="caps">DVD </span>system.</p> <p>Ay-yi-yi.</p> <p>No buyer's remorse, but some buyer's incredulity!</p> <p>It's a gorgeous van, though. Silver with gray interior, lots of nifty bells-and-whistles. And significantly safer than the ancient van we've been using, which makes me feel oh-so-much better about our upcoming trip to Alabama.</p> <p>Will post photos after I pick it up tonight...</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 12:09 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/07/29/holy_crap_we_bought_a_new_van.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/07/29/holy_crap_we_bought_a_new_van.php#comments">Comments (1)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/07/29/holy_crap_we_bought_a_new_van.php#comments">TrackBack (1)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_family.php">family</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_news.php">news</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Saturday, 26 June 2004</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000826"></a> <h3 class="title">music that hath charms</h3> <p>Thanks to <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.themorningnews.org/archives/stories/the_livejournal_of_zachary_marsh.php">ecto</a>, it only takes a click of a button to tell you that I'm currently listening to <strong><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playlistId=2472159&#38;selectedItemId=2472114">Ghost In This House</a></strong> from the album <em><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playlistId=2472159">Live</a> (Disc 1)</em> by <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.google.com/search?q=%22Alison Krauss + Union Station%22">Alison Krauss + Union Station</a>.</p> <p>But that doesn't quite communicate the sublime quality of Krauss' voice, or the way her music transports me--in this case from a lonely hotel lobby to a small slice of paradise.</p> <p>I think a lot of people avoid Allison Kraus and Union Station because they're a bluegrass band, and not everyone's a bluegrass fan (me included). But do yourself a favor and listen to her rendition of the song above, or to her version of <em>Baby, Now That I've Found You</em>, or <em>When You Say Nothing At All</em>.</p> <p>And now I'm off to grab some food and catch a cab to the San Jose airport. Tomorrow morning I'll be home again. And glad to be there, too.</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 10:19 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/06/26/music_that_hath_charms.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/06/26/music_that_hath_charms.php#comments">Comments (2)</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/06/26/music_that_hath_charms.php#comments">TrackBack (1)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_music.php">music</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Tuesday, 22 June 2004</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000824"></a> <h3 class="title">fixin' ta go</h3> <p>My southern stepdaughter tutored my friends last year in the art of southern leavetaking. "Fixin' ta go" was a central phrase in that tutorial--since then, it's become a symbol of drawn-out, sociable preparations for departure around here. (<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://weez.oyzon.com/">Weez</a> even uses it as one of her <span class="caps">AIM </span>away messages...)</p> <p>At any rate, I'm fixin' ta go to Santa Clara tomorrow morning, to attend (and speak at) <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.pulver.com/supernova/">Supernova</a>. I leave Rochester at 8:15am, change planes in Chicago, and arrive in San Jose around 12:40pm. I've downloaded a slew of entertaining audiobooks from <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.audible.com/">Audible.com</a> to amuse me en route. Still on the to-do list are backing up the computer, finishing laundry, and packing.</p> <p>See you in sunny California...</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 03:07 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/06/22/fixin_ta_go.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/06/22/fixin_ta_go.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_conferences.php">conferences</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Monday, 7 June 2004</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000812"></a> <h3 class="title">an open letter to alex patout</h3> <div class="quote"> Dear Mr. Patout- <p>I'm writing to express to you our disappointment with the dinner we had at <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.patout.com/">Alex Patout's Louisiana Restaurant</a> in the French Quarter on June 3rd. We chose your restaurant to celebrate our eleventh wedding anniversary because we had fond memories of the excellent food and service we'd enjoyed there a decade ago--it appears, however, that over time both have suffered declines in quality.</p> <p>The service was friendly and fast--but a bit <em>too</em> fast. We felt quite rushed, and had no sense of a leisurely, well-paced meal. Although we ordered both appetizers and dessert, the time from our seating to our departure was slightly under one hour; this is good for turnover and revenue enhancement, I'm sure, but it's less than ideal for diners wishing to relax and enjoy their meal. We don't often spend $100 on a meal, and when we do, we generally look forward to the entire dining experience, not just a quick succession of plates.</p> <p>Our food was good, but not spectacular, and most certainly not of a quality commensurate with the cost. The crab and corn bisque was bland, and my lump crabmeat dish had an alarming number of shell fragments. We had substantially better (though comparably priced) meals at other restaurants in town during our stay--particularly <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.emerils.com/">Emeril's</a> and <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.danteskitchen.com/">Dante's Kitchen</a>--which made the shortcomings of our meal at your restaurant all the more apparent.</p> <p>I hope that we simply caught your staff and your kitchen on a bad night, and that our experience wasn't indicative of the current overall quality of your restaurant. I suspect, however, that on future visits to New Orleans we will find other places to celebrate special occasions.</p> <p>Sincerely,</p> Elizabeth Lawley<br/> </div> <p>--</p> <p>When we booked our reservation online, we received a confirmation email from "Alex Patout <info@patout.com>"--which may or may not have actually come from the chef himself. That's the address to which I sent the above message. If I receive a reply, I'll post an update.</p> <p>--</p> <p><strong>Update, 6/17</strong></p> <p>Since I had not received a response, I followed up with another email yesterday. In it, I pointed out that I'd posted the letter on my site and that it was now showing up in the top ten results for "Alex Patout." I received this response today:</p> <blockquote>Dear Ms. Lawley,<br/><br/>I apologize that we did not write to you at your email address. We, instead, wrote a letter to your New York address. We hope that you have it by tomorrow. I will check back with you then. We have had so many problems with our server that we don't leave anything to chance anymore.<br/><br/>Thanks for your patience.<br/><br/>Marcia Patout<br/> Alex Patout's Louisiana Restaurant</blockquote> <p>I'll update again when I get their answer.</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 07:59 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/06/07/an_open_letter_to_alex_patout.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/06/07/an_open_letter_to_alex_patout.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_curmudgeonly.php">curmudgeonly</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_food.php">food</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Thursday, 3 June 2004</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000810"></a> <h3 class="title">minor travel miracles</h3> <p>I'm writing this from our hotel room in New Orleans (free WiFi! w00t!), after arriving here on a flight that left Rochester on time at 6:05am. That it left on time is not miraculous, but the fact that we were <em>on</em> it is.</p> <p>We were the picture of organization last night. We dropped the kids off with their respective friends, packed our bags, printed out our boarding passes from the web site, charged the batteries for all devices (phones, cameras, computers) and set the alarm for 4am. We figured we'd get up, shower, grab some food, park in the satellite lot, and be at the airport by 5am. Good plan, no?</p> <p>Slightly <em>after</em> 5am this morning, Gerald shook me awake, telling me that the alarm hadn't gone off. "We'll never make it!" I shrieked. "Why not?" he responded.</p> <p>I resisted the impulse to slug him (I've never been much of a morning person, even in the best of circumstances--which this clearly wasn't). Instead, I jumped out of bed, crammed my toiletries into the top of my carry-on, pulled on the travel clothes I'd left at the foot of the bed, ran a comb through my hair (not that it helped; I look like Medusa in the morning...Gerald quite wisely offered me a hat), grabbed my computer bag and a <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/03/19/cult_member_and_proud_of_it.php">Vanilla Diet Coke</a>, and followed him out the door.</p> <p>We pulled out of the driveway at 5:15, and pulled into the airport parking garage at 5:25 (this is one of the many times I'm deeply grateful that we live in a small, easily navigable city). Normally we'd park in the $3/day satellite lot, but time didn't permit that--insted, we found a decent spot in the $8/day parking garage, a two-minute walk from the terminal. Since we'd pre-printed our boarding passes, we headed straight for the security checkpoint at the gates.</p> <p>They seem to have ramped up the security procedures at <span class="caps">ROC, </span>and Gerald's <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.entnet.org/healthinfo/snoring/cpap.cfm"><span class="caps">CPAP</span></a> bag came under closer scrutiny than usual. After repeated passes through the xray machine, they managed to unearth the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.leatherman.com/products/tools/mini-tool/default.asp">tiny Leatherman tool</a> that he'd tucked into his shaving kit bag many moons ago. He's flown twice with it in there, not even realizing he had it along. It's gone now, alas, but that was a small price to pay. (On a side note, after all the horror stories I've read in past months about rude and self-important airport security personnel, I was impressed with the courtesy and friendliness of the people we dealt with today; the man who unearthed the tool apologized several times to Gerald for having to take everything out--while Gerald simultaneously apologized for having put the tool in there.)</p> <p>Despite the ten minute Leatherman-induced delay, we made it to the gate by 5:50am, where they accepted our pre-printed boarding passes even though they'd accidentally been printed on glossy label stock and were slightly smudged. (Don't ask; we don't know how the label stock got in the printer either.)</p> <p>So here we are now, safely in <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.grenoblehouse.com/">the hotel</a>, getting ready to nap, shower, and have some mandatory coffee and beignets at <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.cafedumonde.com/">Cafe du Monde</a>. Tonight we'll have our anniversary dinner at <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.patout.com/stlouis.html">Alex Patout's</a>, a restaurant that we ate at back in July of 1993, right after we were married.</p> <p>So far as I can tell, the only things I managed to leave behind were my jewelry (other than what I'm wearing), my watch, my library copy of <em>Mind Wide Open</em>, and my newly-purchased Frommer's guide to New Orleans. Not bad, all things considered. Here's hoping that the rest of our anniversary--and our weekend--is as successful (but less stressful).</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 11:46 AM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/06/03/minor_travel_miracles.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/06/03/minor_travel_miracles.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Tuesday, 1 June 2004</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000809"></a> <h3 class="title">computer archaeology</h3> <p>A few months ago, we split the boys out of their large, shared bedroom into smaller rooms of their own--that meant consolidating everything from our office/study and our guest bedroom/library into their former room. We took the easy path then, and simply piled everything in the larger room so that we could expedite the boys' moving process. This week I started tackling the boxes and piles and drawers of stuff that stand between us and a combined office/guest room.</p> <p>My husband and I are both computer geeks, and have been since before we mett. We're celebrating our eleventh anniversary this week, and I think we've saved every disk, device, and cable that we've purchased in those eleven years.</p> <p>I should have take some pictures as I cleaned yesterday--I'll try to get some today. There's an entire dresser drawer full of phones--most corded, a couple of cordless. There's a file drawer full of telephone cords and accessories. There are bags full of cable adapters--9-to-25-pin, 25-to-50pin, male-to-female, yada yada yada. There are parallel cables, <span class="caps">SCSI </span>cables, and serial cables. There are oldstyle AppleTalk network adapters. There's a staggering array of power adapters and cords. There's also another entire drawer of AV cables and accessories, which I left for Gerald to sort out.</p> <p>And disks? You don't want to know. Cartons of not just 3.5" floppies (400K, 800K, and 1.44MB) but also of ancient 5.25" disks. Zip disks, Jaz disks, old internal hard disks. I got lost in nostalgia for a while, looking at the old floppy disks. Original system disks for my 1984 128K Mac (and MacPaint and MacWrite, as well). Early versions of classic software programs, from games (Zork, Hitchhiker's Guide, Wizardry) to utilities (Suitcase 1.0, DeBabelizer, and EndNote 2.0). Backup disks from consulting projects I worked on back in the early 1990s. Piles of font disks...I was a fontaholic for a long time. Clip art and stock photos (I'm going to try to recover some of that).</p> <p>I've thrown away bags of clearly broken or unusable stuff, but I'm left with so much more that we need. It kills me to throw away cables that I spent $50 for years ago, or perfectly functional two-line telephones. So I'm going to call around and find out if there's anyplace that would like these as a donation.</p> <p>Today I start on the books. Visual Quickstart books on Fireworks 2 and Flash 4, early versions of <span class="caps">O'R</span>eilly internet-related books, <span class="caps">ASP</span> 3.0 tutorials, and ColdFusion manuals (from back in the Allaire days). Oy.</p> <p>Thursday morning we leave for a long weekend in New Orleans--we'll celebrate our eleventh anniversary with dinner at one of my favorite restaurants (<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://patout.com/stlouis.html">Alex Patout's</a>), and then attend the wedding of friends on Saturday. We're staying at <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://grenoblehouse.com/">Grenoble House</a>, which looks quite lovely. Don't know how much blogging I'll be doing, but you never know...</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 11:38 AM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/06/01/computer_archaeology.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/06/01/computer_archaeology.php#comments">TrackBack (1)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_technology.php">technology</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Saturday, 24 April 2004</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000785"></a> <h3 class="title">states i've spent time in</h3> <p>Doing my map of visited states was a little harder than doing <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/04/24/countries_ive_visited.php">the countries</a>. I started out with the criteria of "have spent the night there," so as to avoid including states I'd only flown over or walked through the airport of. However, I realized there were a number of states that I'd traveled visited on day trips (like Mississippi, when I lived in Alabama) that really seemed like they should be included, so I put those in as well.</p> <p>The resulting map is interesting...clearly I've traveled a lot in the states, but I've not spent much time in the great plains. And I don't know how I managed to miss Wisconsin <del>and Delaware</del> when I visited all <del>their</del> its neighbors. Strange.</p> <p><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://world66.com/myworld66/visitedStates/statemap?visited=ALAZARCACOCTDCDEFLGAILINIAKYLAMEMDMAMIMNMSMONVNHNJNMNYNCOHPARISCTNTXVTVAWAWV"/><br/> (<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://world66.com/myworld66">Create your own personalized map of the <span class="caps">USA</span></a> on the World66 site.)</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 11:05 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/04/24/states_ive_spent_time_in.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/04/24/states_ive_spent_time_in.php#comments">TrackBack (3)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000784"></a> <h3 class="title">countries i've visited</h3> <p><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://www.world66.com/myworld66/visitedCountries/worldmap?visited=CAUSBSJMMXPRLCATFRDEITMTNLSKCHUKVACNJP"/></p> <p>So I've been to 19 countries, which is only 8% of the countries in the world. Lots more traveling left to do. I've never been anywhere in Africa or South America or the South Pacific.</p> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.world66.com/myworld66">Create your own visited country map</a>, courtesy of the MyWorld66 site.</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 04:16 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/04/24/countries_ive_visited.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/04/24/countries_ive_visited.php#comments">TrackBack (4)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div> <h2 class="date">Sunday, 28 March 2004</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000767"></a> <h3 class="title">msp: topping the list of airports i hate</h3> <p>I take back <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/03/17/never_a_dull_moment_in_the_life_of_a_frequent_flyer.php">everything bad I said about Dulles and its "mobile lounges." </a>After suffering through a change of planes at Northwest's hub in Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP), I've placed that airport at the very top of my "must avoid at all costs" list.</p> <p>It's a beautiful airport, actually. A stunning array of restaurants and shops, many of which are quite artistically executed, and most of which are well-targeted to travelers. (Lots of bookstores, gadget stores, even a "get it here, return it at the next airport" DVD rental place.)</p> <p>But getting from point A to point B--which is what a hub, after all, is supposed to <em>facilitate</em>--was a huge f***ing pain in the a**. (Unseemly words obscured as part of a probably futile attempt to keep my site off the "banned list".)</p> <p><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://mamamusings.net/images/msp.jpg" height="211" width="202" alt="MSP diagram" style="float: left; padding-right: 5px;"/>I arrived at very end of terminal B, and had to transfer to a flight leaving from <span class="caps">F14.</span> This involved 20 full minutes of walking at a very brisk pace, aided by an endless stream of moving sidewalks. No shuttles from terminal to terminal--they're all connected. Which means you walk. And walk. And walk. And walk some more.</p> <p>As I walked, I was treated to a view of a monorail-like conveyance outside the window, but there were no clues (in signage or on airport maps) as to where one might enter and exit said conveyance. So instead, I sullenly watched it zip past me a few times as I navigated the endless corridors to my destination.</p> <p>Once I did arrive at the gate, I was delighted to see large signs proclaiming the availability of wireless access--just select the <span class="caps">SSID </span>"concourse," said the signs. But my Powerbook didn't think it was so easy. "There is an error joining the network 'concourse'," it told me. I tried turning off my airport card and turning it back on. No luck. I restarted my computer. Still no luck. The network taunts me from the menu, so close and yet so far. Uploading of the posts I've been churning out since I left my house will have to wait 'til I get to the hotel in Seattle.</p> <p>I did manage to snag an exit row window seat with a little extra leg room. Unfortunately, it comes standard with a seatmate whose elbows are the most prominent part of his body, and who figured there was not much point in taking a shower before an early morning cross-country flight.</p> <p>Did I mention that I'm <em>really</em> tired of traveling?</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 03:16 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/03/28/msp_topping_the_list_of_airports_i_hate.php">Permalink</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_curmudgeonly.php">curmudgeonly</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000766"></a> <h3 class="title">silver linings</h3> <p>I'm getting better at this traveling thing (though not more enthusiastic about it). Packed in about ten minutes flat last night, into a suitcase small and light enough for me to hoist into the overhead compartments without assistance (now that they hand-screen checked luggage, it's <em>immeasurably</em> faster to go the carry-on route). Everything I need in route easily accessible from the backpack. Magazines for when the computer needs to be stowed, three fully-charged batteries for when it doesn't, and good-quality Sony earbuds for music and/or Audible audiobooks. (This year for my birthday I want some <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.shure.com/earphones/eseries_e2c.asp">Shure <span class="caps">E2C </span>sound isolating earphones</a>. Actually, I <em>really</em> want the <span class="caps">E5C'</span>s, but there's no way I could justify buying--or using--$500 earphones!)</p> <p>Even more effective, however, has been my new power-blogger online/offline tool setup. Between <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://fondantfancies.com/shrook/">Shrook</a> for reading blogs and news offline, and <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.kung-foo.tv/ecto/">Ecto</a> for writing posts offline, I'm finding airport and airplane time ideal for catching up on both reading and writing. (More about Shrook <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.corante.com/many/archives/2004/03/28/aggregators_pro_and_con_present_and_future.php">in my <span class="caps">M2M </span>post</a>...) I can mark posts for later review in Shrook, then respond and link to them in Ecto...all without a network connection to be found.</p> <p>I'm also rediscovering magazines--the print kind. They're a lot lighter to cart around than, say, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.amazon.com/o/asin/0380977427/internettraining/ref=nosim">a hardcover copy of <em>Quicksilver</em></a>. When I'm not traveling, I seldom have time to read them, but on these recent trips I've realized that I've become far too accustomed to getting my content online--and have missed a lot of great writing as a result.</p> <p>On my last trip, I passed over <em>People</em>, and instead bought a copy of <em><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.theatlantic.com/">The Atlantic</a></em>, intrigued by the cover image and headline "Dispatches from the Nanny Wars," and the story listed below it, "<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/2004/03/flanagan.htm">How Serfdom Saved the Women's Movement</a>, by Caitlin Flanagan." A book review that turns out to be a full-length, fascinating essay on working women and domestic labor, it was worth more than the price of the magazine (and will probably result in a lengthy post to misbehaving.net this week). But an added bonus was the range of great writing in the issue--from <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/2004/03/mann.htm">a chilling story on Rumsfeld, Cheney, and their Reagan-era Dr. Strangelove plot to subvert presidential succession in the event of a catastrophe</a>, to the delightful "<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/2004/03/wallraff.htm">Word Fugitives</a>" column on the last page, in which readers recount situations in need of a simple descriptor, and others write in with brilliant suggestions (e.g. "the phenomenon wherein a mechanical or electronic device, having gone on the blink, resumes working perfectly while the repair person examines it"--which yielded suggestions of <em>devious ex machina, deus hex machina, afixia, refixicidivism, rekaputulation, on the wink</em>, and <em>hocus operandi</em>.</p> <p>So yes, I'm tired of traveling, tired of airports and airplanes and hotels and shuttle buses and unshakable coughs and not being with my family. But I'm also grateful for the opportunity to sit quietly and be offline--reading, writing, or just staring out the window.</p> <p>Expect heavy, rather than light blogging on this trip, particularly now that I've mastered this Shrook/Ecto integration act. The <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://research.microsoft.com/workshops/SCS2004/">symposium</a> I'm headed to will be full of interesting people, ideas, and conversations, and I'll do my best to report my take on it while I'm there, here and on <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.corante.com/many/"><span class="caps">M2M</span></a>.</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 03:10 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/03/28/silver_linings.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/03/28/silver_linings.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_technology.php">technology</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div> <h2 class="date">Saturday, 27 March 2004</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000765"></a> <h3 class="title">microsoft social software symposium</h3> <p>My colleagues and students (not to mention my family) have been making pointed comments lately about my absence. And while I'm worn out from traveling, and tired of being away from home, the last few months have been a great opportunity to extend my contacts in the technical world, and get a sense of what other people are doing and thinking about in emerging technologies.</p> <p>Tomorrow morning I leave at the crack of dawn for my last scheduled trip this spring--I've been invited to the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://research.microsoft.com/workshops/SCS2004/">Social Software Symposium</a> that's being held by the Social Computing group at Microsoft Research (along with <span class="caps">IBM</span> Research and FX/Palo Alto).</p> <p>There've been <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.lazycoder.com/weblog/index.php?p=48">some complaints about the invitation-only nature of this gathering</a> , which is understandable. There's always an inclusion/exclusion issue when you try to keep a popular activity restricted in terms of size in order to enhance the quality of interaction. I know I was bummed not to be at FooCamp, or at Clay's social software gathering a while back, but I was still glad to be able to see the ideas that emerged from both.</p> <p>I am <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://radio.weblogs.com/0133184/2004/03/26.html#a94">delighted to find</a> that the symposium will be recorded, and the recordings made publicly available--and that those of us attending will be allowed/encouraged to blog and otherwise disseminate what's going on. I'll be blogging while I'm there, and hopefully using what I hear and learn to inform the things I'm working on curricularly and that I write about online (here, and <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.corante.com/many/">there</a>, and <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://misbehaving.net/">there</a>).</p> <p><em>Private note to <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.scottkoon.org/journal/">Scott Koon</a></em>: I would like to think that I don't smell <em>only</em> of "<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://scoblecomments.scripting.com/comments?u=1011&#38;p=7095&#38;link=http%3A%2F%2Fradio.weblogs.com%2F0001011%2F2004%2F03%2F26.html%23a7095">soap and old books</a>," though as a librarian and a mom, I know that I probably do carry the permanent scent of both. And while I haven't met many of the people who'll be at this symposium, I know for a fact that danah boyd, Clay Shirky, and MImi Ito are all pretty far from most people's ideas of stuffy Ivory Tower academics! :)</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 01:24 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/03/27/microsoft_social_software_symposium.php">Permalink</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_conferences.php">conferences</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_social_software.php">social software</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Thursday, 18 March 2004</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000760"></a> <h3 class="title">bounce</h3> <p>Got home at 1am on Wednesday morning...less than 48 hours later, I'm back in <span class="caps">DC.</span><br/> Tomorrow I'll spend the day at <span class="caps">NSF, </span>evaluating proposals for funding. Home again tomorrow night. I am <em>not</em> cut out for this kind of life.</p> <p>To make matters worse, I seem to be sharing a hotel floor with dozens of teenagers, here on some kind of school trip. Happily, I'm at the end of the hall, far form the elevator and the vending machines. Perhaps I'll get a little sleep. Perhaps not. Good thing I brought that cough syrup with codeine.</p> <p>On a side note, traveling to DC requires one to be bombarded with scary messages. In Pittsburgh, an armed guard checked IDs at the door to the plane, and the captain announced that we would not be able to stand up at all during flight, since by the time we finished our take-off, we'd be 30 minutes from <span class="caps">DC, </span>and we'd be required to stay in our seats for that 30 minutes.</p> <p>On the Metro in from the airport (aside: What was I <em>thinking</em>? It would have been well worth the $10 for the cab to avoid the lengthy wait for trains...), there were several announcements telling passengers to "help avoid what happened in Madrid--if you see a bag on the floor, kindly ask others around you if belongs to them; if not, report it immediately to transit police."</p> <p>Makes me glad I live in a relatively obscure city these days.</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 11:23 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/03/18/bounce.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/03/18/bounce.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div> <h2 class="date">Wednesday, 17 March 2004</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000758"></a> <h3 class="title">never a dull moment in the life of a frequent flyer</h3> <p>So I got safely to Dulles...where, as expected, things didn't go according to anybody's plan. Here's a peek into my evening. As Dave Barry says, "I am <em>not</em> making this up!"</p> <p>You'd think that transferring between flights on a single airline would be pretty straightforward. Not at Dulles. I arrived in D terminal, and had to leave from A terminal. However, they don't have shuttle buses from D to A at night, so instead I had to ride from D to C, and then from C to A. During each ride I got to listen to a chirpy recording of a female voice saying "Thank you for riding in this Dulles airport mobile lounge! This method of travel reduces your travel time and exposure to inclement weather, as well as allowing you an unobstructed view of airport operations and a wide range of aircraft here at one of America's busiest airports." Whose bright idea was it to try to make this airport bug seem like a feature?? "Mobile lounge," my ass.</p> <p>After twenty minutes of riding "mobile lounges" and walking endless corridors, I finally arrived at my departure gate...at what I thought was moments before departure. But what I saw at the gate was lots of unhappy people milling around, and a small army of gate agents were looking confused and distressed. I heard vague mumblings from passengers about not wanting to volunteer their seats.</p> <p>Gerald had already called to tell me that there'd been a foot of snow in Rochester already, and that I should plan on taking a cab home rather than trying to dig my car out of the satellite parking lot, so it occurred to me that volunteering my seat for an overbooked flight on a snowy night might be very wise--theoretically, I'd get a free ticket, a hotel room, and a flight out in the morning. What wasn't to like? (You sense trouble coming, don't you? Of course you do.) I elbowed my way up to the desk and offered up my seat, and the inarticulate agent thanked me and added my name to the list.</p> <p>After a few minutes, the captain appeared, and announced that the weather was still acceptable for landing in Rochester, but was forecast to get worse. We could leave, but there was a possibility we couldn't land, which meant they were required to have two backup airports, which meant they needed more fuel. More fuel means fewer passengers, so not only were they oversold, they also had to leave with empty seats. (*Big* kudos to the captain for actually coming out to the gate and telling people this. It's amazing how a little honesty and face-to-face communication can defuse an angry crowd.)</p> <p>So now I'm thinking I'm guaranteed a quiet night in a DC hotel, and flight home in daylight when the storm is over. I started feeling relaxed. I shouldn't have.</p> <p>At this point, I overheard a gate agent tell a woman that there were <strong>no</strong> hotel rooms in the area, due to weather cancellations and local events. (No, I didn't believe her either. But that's irrelevant.) They'd offer an extra $50 in addition to the usual vouchers to compensate, she said. Ack. I started mentally going through my head, trying to figure out who I knew in DC that would be willing to put me up for the night. (Yes, Jared, you're the first one who came to mind, since as I recall your new house is very close to Dulles! But I don't have your phone number, dude. You need to send me that.)</p> <p>Now, anyone who travels regularly knows how this kind of thing goes. They start with the people who've volunteered. They make a few announcements to get more volunteers, gradually upping the ante. Not these guys. They never acknowledged that a group of us had already <em>offered</em> to give up our seats. Instead, they announced that they were going to board the flight <strong>one person at a time</strong>, by name, using frequent flyer mileage status and check-in time as their ranking tools. <span class="caps">WTF</span>?!?</p> <p>Ten minutes later, with 20 angry people still waving their boarding passes and demanding to be let on the plane, they called my name to board. "Are you sure?" I asked..."I did volunteer." They waved me on board, while the angry mob at the gate scowled at me.</p> <p>I walked through the sliding doors, and was confronted with three possible directions I could walk. There was no sign of a gate agent to direct me. (They were all too busy standing at the desk looking confused, it seems.) "Is my plane behind door number one, door number two, or door number three?" Suddenly one set of doors opened to a darkened exterior hallway, so I took a chance and headed that way. At the end of the walkway, confused tarmac workers asked me why so few people were ocming through. They clearly didn't believe me when I told them how boarding was being handled, then asked for my boarding pass. I handed to them. "Why do you have the whole thing?" they asked, looking at me suspiciously. "Nobody asked me for it," I replied. Looking appalled, they tore off my stub, and motioned me towards the Canadair regional jet on the tarmac. I climbed aboard.</p> <p>A few minutes later, I was followed onto the plane by a young man clutching a cell phone. "Dad, I swear, that's really what they're doing. No, I'm not kidding. Dad, they really <em>are</em> boarding people by name. I don't care, Dad, that's what they're doing!" He finally hung up, and settled himself in the seat next to me.</p> <p>Thirty minutes later, as they finally prepared to close the doors, the flight attendant made an announcement. "I know y'all have had a rough evening, so tonight we're going to play a little game I like to call "boarding card bingo." Anybody every played this before?" Silence. "Okay, here's how it works. I have... [she looks in the galley]...seven bottles of red wine, seven bottles of white wine, five bud lights, six buds, and...uh-oh, this will cause some fights...four heinekens. When we land, I plan to be fresh out of all of those. I'm going to collect your boarding cards and drop them in this bag. After we take off, I'll pull cards and you get your choice of what's left, no charge. Drink it fast, it's only a 40 minute flight to Rochester!" After a moment of stunned silence, the airplane erupted in laughter.</p> <p>(Now, those of you who know my stepdaughter Erin can simply imagine Erin at age 45 with dark hair, and you've got a spot-on vision of this flight attendant. It was spooky.)</p> <p>A few moments later, she came down the aisle, collecting our cards. When she got to the row behind me, she said "Okay, y'all are in the exit row. Hush up now, and listen." Then she rattled off the exit row speech ("are you able, here's what you have to do, etc etc") faster than the fedex guy in the classic fast-talking commercial. I have never heard anything like it. All of us in earshot were listened in disbelief. When she finished, we broke out in a rousing round of cheers and applause.</p> <p>The flight was uneventful after that. We landed safely in a very snowy city, and trickled out to the terminal. Before we disembarked, I handed my card, with my blog address, to the young man next to me. "Give your dad--and your professors at Geneseo--this address if they don't believe your story, okay?" (Blogs as fact-checking mechanisms; shades of Accordion Guy and the New Girl, no?)</p> <p>Gerald had instructed me to call a cab to take me home, rather than trying to dig my car out of the lot, so I went to the taxi stand. There were 15 other people there, and no taxis to be seen. Ugh. So I decided to hop the shuttle to the lot, and hope for the best. Bad idea. She pulled up in front of my car, and my nifty new remote starter did absolutely nothing to elicit signs of life from the car, which had a 2' snow drift behind it, as well. After a few other tests made it clear that the car was dead as a doornail, I headed back to the airport and got in line for a taxi.</p> <p>At about 1am I paid the cab driver the extortionate fare he'd demanded to take me home in the snow, and dragged my sorry self in the door of my house. And ten hours later, I'm starting to feel almost human again.</p> <p>Was sxsw worth all that? I think so. But I hope it doesn't become an annual travel-from-hell ritual, that's for sure.</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 11:38 AM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/03/17/never_a_dull_moment_in_the_life_of_a_frequent_flyer.php">Permalink</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_humor.php">humor</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Sunday, 7 March 2004</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000750"></a> <h3 class="title">suzuki-sans</h3> <p>As I sit here on the interminably long plane ride home, organizing my photos from this amazing trip, one thing really stands out about our experience in Japan--the enormous generosity of our hosts in Tokyo, Masako Suzuki and her husband Akitoshi.</p> <p><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://mamamusings.net/images/suzukis.jpg" height="370" width="450" alt="Masako and Akitoshi Suzuki"/></p> <p>The picture shows Masako and Aki in front of some of Aki's most treasured possessions. He's an avid collector of antiques and art, and these are some of his most beautiful items, which he gave us a private showing of the morning we left Japan.</p> <p>My mother met Masako over ten years ago during a 3-month stay in Tokyo, and they've stayed close friends since then. Masako, a retired teacher, comes to the US for about 6 months of every year to study English and explore the country, generally staying with either my mother or my sister on her trips. She's really become a part of our family--my kids know her better than they know many of their aunts and uncles. When my mother stays in Tokyo, Masako is a wonderful and generous hostess...and that hospitality was extended to me and to Lane on this trip. Not just through the offering of living quarters in her house (though that in and of itself was a wonderful gift), but also through the time, energy, and expense she invested in us during our stay--from wonderful restaurants to the indescribable experience of a hot springs resort in Hakone to the hand-written directions she provided us with each time we needed to venture out.</p> <p>It's interesting now, contrasting our time in Shanghai with our time in Tokyo. We were quintessential tourists and foreigners in Shanghai--even with a friend to show us around, the hotel experience is very removed from day-to-day life in a big city. But even though Tokyo is just as foreign a city to us (and Japanese just as foreign a language, to me at least), Tokyo felt welcoming and comfortable. Not many first-time visitors to Japan get the experience that Lane and I had, living in someone's house, visiting with their friends. We didn't get the "Lost in Translation" experience, by a long shot. There was no sense of disconnection, of disassociation.</p> <p>On Tuesday night when I went to Dan Gillmor's Tokyo bloggers meeting, I spent some time talking with Gen Kanai, and told him a bit about our trip. He noted how unusual it is for visitors to Tokyo to get a chance to see inside a Japanese home--and we were given that opportunity not just once, but five times during a ten day stay.</p> <p>In large part because of the hospitality shown to us in Tokyo...by Masako and Aki, by Joi and Mizuka, by Tokuko and Yoshioh and Hajime, by Inego and Eri and Jim and ado, that I'm now planning to apply for a fellowship in Tokyo for the 2005-2006 academic year. I fell more than a little bit in love with the city and the people there, and I hope to be able to spend more time there, combining my research and my interest in the culture...and trying to repay some of the kindnesses shown us during this visit.</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 04:05 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/03/07/suzukisans.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/03/07/suzukisans.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Friday, 5 March 2004</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000749"></a> <h3 class="title">homeward bound</h3> <p>We leave at the crack of dawn tomorrow for our long trip back home. Shanghai to Tokyo, Tokyo to Detroit, Detroit to Rochester. Our longest flight leaves Tokyo at about 1pm on Saturday, and arrives in Detroit at about 11am the same day, which is a bizarre time-traveling feat that I understand rationally but am boggled by anyways.</p> <p>Lane's been a trooper, but I think he's really ready to head home...as am I. Hard to believe that classes are starting Monday. It won't be an easy transition back to real life for any of us, I suspect, but it was well worth it.</p> <p>It's been an amazing trip, and I'll do some retrospective blogging on the return trip, with more details on both Tokyo and Shanghai. I'll leave you with this picture, taken this evening from our hotel window.</p> <p><img alt="nightscape.jpg" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://mamamusings.net/archives/nightscape.jpg" width="449" height="210" border="0"/></p> <div class="posted">Posted at 08:43 AM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/03/05/homeward_bound.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/03/05/homeward_bound.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Thursday, 4 March 2004</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000748"></a> <h3 class="title">goodbye tokyo, hello shanghai</h3> <p>Wow.</p> <p>My son is sick of hearing me say it, but...wow.</p> <p>I was sad to leave Tokyo, but Shanghai is an extraordinary city, and I'm so glad we're getting a chance to see it.</p> <p>Not much time to blog details now, but <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://lawley.typepad.com/photos/shanghai_day_1/">I've posted a mini-album of today's highlights</a>. More later.</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 05:03 AM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/03/04/goodbye_tokyo_hello_shanghai.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/03/04/goodbye_tokyo_hello_shanghai.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Monday, 1 March 2004</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000746"></a> <h3 class="title"><del>poisoning</del> feeding pigeons in <del>the park</del> kamakura</h3> <p><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://mamamusings.net/images/DCP_1809-tm.jpg" height="400" width="266" alt="Lane feeding a pigeon in Kamakura" style="float:right; padding-left: 5px;"/>We had a great trip to Kamakura this weekend, where my former student Kotaro Ai and his wife Midori--along with their 3-year-old daughter Yuki and their newborn son (whose name I have, to my dismay, forgotten)--gave us a wonderful tour.</p> <p>This was one of the high points of the trip for Lane, in large part because of Kotaro's generosity. In addition to spending most of Saturday showing us around, he arranged for rickshaw rides for us--which was a wonderful experience for all of us, but especially Lane.</p> <p>After the rickshaw ride, we went by train to see the Great Buddha (Daibutsu) of Kamakura, which we also really enjoyed.</p> <p>Kamakura is really beautiful, and I hope we have a chance to return again to explore it further.</p> <p>I'm exhausted now, having <em>finally</em> finished my grading (w00t!), so I'm off to bed (it's midnight here in Tokyo). Tomorrow I'm off to meet <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://kung-foo.tv/blog/">Ado</a> for coffee in Akasaka, then back to Kawaski to pack our bags, then back to Akasaka for <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://weblog.siliconvalley.com/column/dangillmor/archives/010036.shtml#010036">Dan Gillmor's Tokyo blogger gathering</a>.</p> <p>I'll try to find some time in there to write about our wonderful (for me; not so great for Lane) trip to the hot springs in Hakone. In the meantime, here are <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://lawley.typepad.com/photos/japan_trip/">some photos from Kamakura</a>.</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 10:23 AM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/03/01/poisoning_feeding_pigeons_in_the_park_kamakura.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/03/01/poisoning_feeding_pigeons_in_the_park_kamakura.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Thursday, 26 February 2004</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000744"></a> <h3 class="title">japanese hospitality</h3> <p>One of the reasons that I've not had time to write is that since we've arrived, we've been welcomed into the homes of so many friends. Between travel time, visiting time, and eating time, there's not much time left for anything else. What follows is a bit of a travelogue of our trip thus far, complete with a selection of family-focused photos.</p> <p><img alt="Me, Lane, Joi, and Mizuka at Joi's house" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://mamamusings.net/archives/joihouse.jpg" width="250" height="375" style="float: right; padding-left: 5px; padding-top: 5px;"/> When we arrived at Narita airport on Sunday evening, <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://joi.ito.com/">Joi</a> was there to meet us. We must have been quite a sight, tired and rumpled and jetlagged! Happily, there are no photos of that. He took us directly to <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://joi.typepad.com/photos/inbamura/">his beautiful new house</a> in Inbamura, about 20 minutes from the airport. After we had some tea, we ate a spectacular dinner that Mizuka had cooked for us. I was honored to find out that we were the first dinner guests that they'd had in the new house--those who follow us are in for quite a treat!</p> <p>After dinner, the three of us bathed in <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://joi.typepad.com/photos/inbamura/morebath2.html">Joi's enormous and beautiful black marble tub</a>, which left us feeling a lot more human. In retrospect, we of course should have bathed <em>first</em>, which would have given Joi and Mizuka more time to prepare the meal, and made us much more presentable. In my defense, I can only say that Lane was <em>very</em> hungry, and since I hadn't really slept on the flight, I wasn't thinking as clearly as I should have been. Sorry for my lapse of etiquette, Joi!</p> <p>It was really nice to finally meet Mizuka, who is a really lovely person--both in personality and in looks.</p> <p>The photo on the right is one that my mom took of me, Lane, Joi, and Mizuka right before we left his house for our hotel near the airport. Not a great photo of me, but we'll chalk that up to jet lag, okay?</p> <p>We spent Sunday night at the Hotel Narita Excel Tokyu, which was quite nice. Amazingly (to me, at least), we fell asleep around 10pm, and slept through right until 8am. We've slept normal (for Japan) hours since then, as well, so jet lag wasn't a huge problem (although the first few nights we did get very tired early in the evening).</p> <p>Monday morning we used Takkyubin (baggage delivery service) to have our bags sent ahead to our friend Masako's house, and then set out by train to meet Masako at her friend Tokuko's house (near Kanamachi station) for lunch. When we arrived, we found that Tokuko, her husband Yoshioh, their son Hajime, and their grandchildren Yuri (age 3) and Kotaro (age 6). We had a lovely lunch, followed by snacks that seemed to arrive every 15-20 minutes for the next several hours. Lane got to play a children's card game with Yuri, which involved Kotaro reading syllables aloud, and the players finding and claiming the card with that character on it. The adults were exceedingly impressed (although Lane was chagrined to lose at least one game to a 3-year-old), and Hajime insisted on taking Lane to a bookstore and buying him some basic picture and dictionary books to help with his studies.</p> <p><img alt="japanesegame.jpg" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://mamamusings.net/archives/japanesegame.jpg" width="400" height="300" border="0"/></p> <p>Near dinner time (still full from all the food we'd been given), we headed out for Masako's house, which is in Kawasaki. Turns out that's a two hour trip from Tokuko's house, and by then Lane and I were starting to fade. The portion of the trip on the Odakyu line was quite a challenge for us, since that's a <em>very</em> crowded line, especially at rush hour. By the time we reached Masako's house, we were <em>exhausted</em>, and after a bath for Lane (who's already developed quite a taste for Japanese baths) we collapsed into our futons and slept until 9 the next morning.</p> <p>After rising, we had a quick breakfast and headed back out again, this time to Setagaya to visit my mom's friend (her "Japanese daughter") Eri and her 16-month-old son Mickey (Miki?). Eri's small apartment was a more realistic view of Tokyo living quarters than any of the spacious homes we'd seen at that point, but it was homey and she made us feel very welcome. She took us out for lunch--to a noodle shop, at our request--and then fed us a variety of western-style Japanese cakes, and other sweets at her house. She also bought Lane a stash of Japanese candy. We had a really lovely time.</p> <p>After Eri's house, we returned to Masako's home for dinner, where she treated us to a wonderful meal of shabu-shabu. For this meal, a propane-based stove is placed on the table, and on it is a large dish of broth in which various vegetables are simmering. Thinly-sliced beef is provided, and each person picks up a piece and drops it into the simmering broth, using the chopsticks to move it around. Because it's so thin, it cooks very quickly, and then you dip it into one of several sauces in front of you (my favorite was an orange-flavored vinegar).</p> <p>On Wednesday, we headed off towards Shinjuku in the morning, because we had an 11:30 reservation for a formal Japanese lunch with Masako and her friends Tokuko and Inego. The meal was spectacular. (And yes, those of you know me well, I really did try everything. Even the green things. I have witnesses.)</p> <p><img alt="Formal Japanese lunch with friends" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://mamamusings.net/archives/formallunch.jpg" width="449" height="301" border="0"/></p> <p>Lane got a "kid's meal," but it wasn't your typical American kid's meal! (He may not look enthusiastic in that photo, but he was. And he ate most of what he was given. His culinary adventurousness far surpasses mine in many ways, which delights me.)</p> <p><img alt="kidlunch.jpg" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://mamamusings.net/archives/kidlunch.jpg" width="300" height="386" border="0"/></p> <p>After lunch, we got on the subway to go to Ginza for some shopping, and to get bento (boxed meals, basically) to take to the Kabuki-za theatre later. When we got onto the train, Lane was amazed and delighted to see that his all-time-favorite store, Build-a-Bear, had purchased all the advertising in the entire subway car to announce their 2/14 opening of a Ginza store. Lane had been so patient for so many "grownup" activities at that point that I agreed. The ads made me laugh...the one running along the side of the car showed bears holding subway handholds just like the ones in the train we were on. (From left to right, that's Ineko, Masako, my mother, and Lane.)</p> <p><img alt="Build a Bear ad in Ginza subway" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://mamamusings.net/archives/bearsubway.jpg" width="450" height="300" border="0"/></p> <p>The department store experience in Ginza was a little overwhelming. The food section we were in was loud and crowded, with people behind the counters shouting out sale prices, and many people pushing their way through. We got our food, then rushed to the 4:30 Kabuki-za performance. The show was wonderful, but Lane was getting tired at that point, and by 7:30 we were ready to start back on the 90 minute trip home.</p> <p>So that brings up to today, which is one of the few unstructured days we'll have here. Lane and I are catching up on blogging, I'm doing some grading while Lane does homework, and my mother and Masako are meeting with someone about a book translation project. Tonight we'll cook a western style dinner for Masako.</p> <p>Tomorrow we'll visit Masako's brother and his family. Saturday we're off to Kamakura, where my former student Kotaro Ai and his family will be giving us a tour of the area. Sunday we go to <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.hotel-okada.co.jp/">Hotel Okada</a> at the Hakone hot springs, where we'll spend the night and then return Monday morning. We've then got two unplanned days, after which we'll leave for Shanghai for three days...and then we head home.</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 02:01 AM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/02/26/japanese_hospitality.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/02/26/japanese_hospitality.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Wednesday, 25 February 2004</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000743"></a> <h3 class="title">size matters</h3> <p>No, not <em>that</em> kind of size.</p> <p>I knew Toko was huge. Everything you read about the area emphasizes that...how it's really an amalgamation of cities rather than one, how the density of buildings and people is staggering.</p> <p>But reading and hearing about it is nothing like experiencing it. I've been to all of the major US cities--New York, Chicago, <span class="caps">LA, DC,</span> Miami, etc. With each, there's a clear sense of city center, and gradual lessening of density and urban feel as you spread out. Here, it feels like city everywhere you go, and the city goes on forever. You can be on trains for literally two hours to get from one very urban part of the city to another.</p> <p>And as a person under five feet tall, it's also mind-altering for me to be in large crowds of people <em>my size</em>. Those of you up there in the average US height range can't understand this, I suspect, but to suddenly be in an environment where everything <em>fits</em> me is very strange. I can touch the ceilings in some public places. I can change lightbulbs without standing on tables. I can reach the hanging hand-holds in the subway trains.</p> <p>When the two sizes meet--the enormous crowds of small-sized people--it's very different for me than being caught in a crowd of people all a foot taller than me stateside. It's cramped and crowded and pushy--but it's manageable in a way that large crowds normally aren't for me.</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 10:42 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/02/25/size_matters.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/02/25/size_matters.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000742"></a> <h3 class="title">update from japan</h3> <p>Yes, I have actually fallen off the edge of the earth...or, at least, traveled to the other side of it.</p> <p>We arrived in Japan on Sunday night, and have not had much free time since then. We've been waking early, spending the days visiting friends and enjoying Japanese hospitality and cuisine, and arriving exhausted in the evening. Because we have only one computer to be shared among the three of us (mine, since I was the only one willing to carry one while traveling), I've had no time to blog--only to check email, and to respond to the most urgent messages.</p> <p>Today (it's noon on Thursday 2/26 here) is the first day we've had a chance to simply relax, so after letting Lane have the morning to catch up on <em>his</em> blog, I'm finally getting a chance to post to mine.</p> <p>Lane's blog (<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://lane.lawley.net/">http://lane.lawley.net/</a>) has been a very successful experiment. He's using it to communicate with his fourth-grade class in Rochester, and so far they're all off to a great start. Not only does it make it easy for him to share with the class what's going on here, it also makes it equally easy for the class to respond back to him. Because it's not a closed conferencing system, anyone can see Lane's posts and his classmate's responses. And it will serve as a record of his travels here, long after the trip is over. It's been wonderful to watch him writing; I doubt he'd have been willing to keep a personal journal, but because the blog is a conversation with his friends, it's much more of an incentive to write. His teacher has been wonderfully supportive, giving the kids class time and extra computer lab time to read Lane's blog, do research on Japan, and ask him questions.</p> <p>I'm still overwhelmed by all that I've seen and experienced thus far, so I'll be breaking my travelogue up into separate pieces. Between that and grading, today will probably be a mostly online day, for the first time since I've arrived. It's a pity, because the weather is <em>gorgeous</em> today, but I really do need to deal with the demands of the online world for a bit, before I re-immerse myself in the marvels of Tokyo and its surroundings.</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 10:20 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/02/25/update_from_japan.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/02/25/update_from_japan.php#comments">TrackBack (1)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Saturday, 21 February 2004</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000741"></a> <h3 class="title">wild <del>blue</del> gray yonder</h3> <p>Off we go.</p> <p>Sitting in the Rochester airport, about to board our flight to Detroit. Three hour layover there, and then we're Tokyo-bound. I think it really just hit us (me and Lane) last night that this was really happening.</p> <p>Traveling with Lane is a treat...having an enthusiastic, articulate 9-year-old along changes the way everyone around us reacts. It's hard not to smile when you see him radiating excitement.</p> <p>He'll be blogging this trip; once he starts posting (perhaps during the layover in Detroit, if we find WiFi), I'll link to him from here. We're going to use his blog as a way for him to communicate with his fourth-grade class in Rochester while he's gone--he'll be able to post photos and stories, and they'll be able to comment and ask questions.</p> <p>We're fully wired on this trip; Lane has his GameBoy and a brand new game (Sword of Mana). I've got my powerbook (with two extra fully-charged batteries), and my iPod (with two unabridged books downloaded from Audible.com; Orson Scott Card's <em>Ender's Game</em>, and Margaret Atwood's <em>Oryx and Crake</em>.</p> <p>They're boarding, so off we go.</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 09:07 AM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/02/21/wild_blue_gray_yonder.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/02/21/wild_blue_gray_yonder.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Wednesday, 18 February 2004</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000739"></a> <h3 class="title">packing panic</h3> <p>So it's slowly dawning on me that we leave for Tokyo in <em>three days</em><img src="/web/20060206155736im_/http://mamamusings.net/archives/Ack" alt=""/> Ack!</p> <p>I can't put off the packing decisions any longer, obviously. Time to start picking out suitcases and deciding what to put in them.</p> <p>Those of you who've been to Tokyo and/or Shanghai...any tips on things that I <em>must</em> bring with me? Things that would be difficult or impossible to acquire there if I forgot them? Things that would make our lives significantly easier on the incredibly long plane trip from Detroit to Tokyo, or after we arrive?</p> <p>I did a self-serving thing in my graduate web design class this quarter, and had their group project be a travel guide to Tokyo and Shangai. Some of the groups provided some useful "pre-flight checklist" material, which is great. But I also want to tap into the amazing groupmind of readers on this site. I know some of you have travelled to these countries before, and I'd love to have the benefit of your hindsight as I'm making plans...</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 10:42 AM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/02/18/packing_panic.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/02/18/packing_panic.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div> <h2 class="date">Wednesday, 11 February 2004</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000736"></a> <h3 class="title">stop. breathe. bask. write.</h3> <p>I realized this morning that I was starting to burn out on conference and professional time. I went straight through for nearly 18 hours yesterday...starting at 7am over the conference breakfast, hitting 4 sessions in the morning, going to the conference lunch, then 4 more sessions, then dinner with conference-goers, then 2 evening session, ending after 11pm.</p> <p>So today I'm slowing down, and finding some time for myself. I skipped a couple of morning sessions (though I did go to hear <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://conferences.oreillynet.com/cs/et2004/view/e_sess/4797">Marc Smith's great talk</a> at 8:30), had lunch with <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.meskill.net/weblogs/">Judith Meskill</a> and her friend Estee in the sports bar, and now I'm basking in the sun on the steps of Horton Plaza, where I've discovered a free wifi hotspot. Sitting in the sun--in February--is quite a luxury for those of us who live in the great frozen north, so it's doing me a lot of good to spend these few free minutes soaking it up.</p> <p>I will go back for some of the presentations this afternoon, including a demo of Wallop by <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.misbehaving.net/2003/11/lili_cheng_and_.html">Lili Cheng</a> that I'm really looking forward to. Then I'm having dinner with <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://blog.digitaltavern.com/">Allan Karl</a>, which I'm also looking forward. And I end the day with the women and tech <span class="caps">BOF...I </span>have no idea who, if anyone, will be there. Hope it won't be an empty room, but if so at least it means I can get to sleep a little earlier.</p> <p>More later today--or perhaps tomorrow--with some of my thoughts on what I've heard here, and the ideas that have emerged in my between-meeting chats with interesting people here at the conference.</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 05:42 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/02/11/stop_breathe_bask_write.php">Permalink</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_conferences.php">conferences</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Saturday, 10 January 2004</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000707"></a> <h3 class="title">chinese visas - help!</h3> <p>We leave for Japan in less than two months, and the last leg of our trip is a three-day stay in Shanghai. But <em>only</em> if we get our Chinese visas before then!</p> <p>I've found a lot of information online, much of it contradictory. It appears that you can no longer get visas by mail--you have to bring passports (and photos, and money, and confirmation of travel itineraries) in person to the Chinese embassy, or have someone do it on your behalf (friend, travel agent, etc).</p> <p>Obviously, there's no Chinese embassy here in Rochester. There's one in <span class="caps">NY, </span>but I really can't swing a trip there before we leave. There's one in Toronto, and I could probably get up to Accordion City for that, but I don't know for sure if US citizens can use the Canadian embassy for this.</p> <p>So, I'm looking for voices of experience here. If you've had to get a Chinese visa from another city (post-9/11), and have advice, I'd love to hear it. Or if you know of a <em>reliable</em> service in NY (or another major city, like DC or LA) that will take our passports and money to the embassy, pick the passports back up, and mail them back to us, that would be great, too.</p> <p>This is not something I want to trust to a Google search--but I am hoping to leverage the weak ties to world travelers that I have through this blog!</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 09:43 AM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/01/10/chinese_visas_help.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2004/01/10/chinese_visas_help.php#comments">TrackBack (0)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Tuesday, 30 December 2003</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000693"></a> <h3 class="title">travel plans for the new year</h3> <p>It's going to be a busy, busy first quarter for me, it seems.</p> <p>A trip to Chicago in January to do some consulting.</p> <p>A trip to San Diego in February to speak at <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://conferences.oreillynet.com/cs/et2004/view/e_sess/4706"><span class="caps">O'R</span>eilly's Emerging Technology Conference</a>.</p> <p>The much-anticipated <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2003/11/09/asian_travel_plans.php">Asian trip with my mother and son</a> in late February/early March.</p> <p>And I've just agreed to be on a panel ("Streetwise Librarians and the Revolution in Public Information") at <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.sxsw.com/interactive/"><span class="caps">SXSW</span> Interactive</a> in Austin in March.</p> <p>Whew. I'm tired just looking at that. :/ Every one of them is a trip I'm really interested in making, but in the aggregate, it's a daunting itinerary for someone who much prefers sleeping in her own bed...</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 11:25 AM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2003/12/30/travel_plans_for_the_new_year.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2003/12/30/travel_plans_for_the_new_year.php#comments">TrackBack (1)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_conferences.php">conferences</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div>  <h2 class="date">Sunday, 9 November 2003</h2> <div class="blogbody"> <a name="000639"></a> <h3 class="title">asian travel plans</h3> <p>E-mail from my mother:</p> <blockquote>I booked it...Rochester to Narita Feb. 21, Tokyo to Shanghai March 3, Shanghai to Rochester March 6. Whee!</blockquote> <p>That's for her, my son Lane, and me. We're pretty excited!</p> <p>Suggestions for must-see places and people in Tokyo and/or Shanghai welcome. We'll be staying with a Japanese friend in Tokyo, so it won't be a strictly tourist's view of the city. And my mom has spent a good bit of time there, so between her and our hostess, we won't be completely stuck in tourist mode.</p> <div class="posted">Posted at 02:03 PM | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2003/11/09/asian_travel_plans.php">Permalink</a> | <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/2003/11/09/asian_travel_plans.php#comments">TrackBack (1)</a> <br/> categories: <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://mamamusings.net/archives/cat_travel.php">travel</a> </div> </div> </div> <div style="position: absolute; top: 135px; left: 125px; z-index: 4"><img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736im_/http://mamamusings.net/images/tinycafe.jpg" alt="Liz sipping melange at Cafe Central in Vienna" border="0" width="80" height="96"/></div> <div id="links"> <div class="side"> <p><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060206155736/http://www.it.rit.edu/~ell/">Work 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