A Troubled Bridge over Water

This rickety-rackety bridge charges money for people to cross. It
seems like I should be paid from some thrilling reality show to cross
it.

Coke in the Jungle

On Wednesday, we went on a tour that hiked through the jungle through
a village to see a beautiful waterfall area. I can't remember the name
of it now, but it was breathtaking.

During our lunch break, there was a Laos woman selling drinks and
chips. To my surprise and contentment, she had Coke Zero. I find it
hard to beleive that the Laps and Hmong people are concerned about
their weight, but it worked out well for me.

This continues to show that there are no undiscovered places on the
planet anymore. All has been changed by tourism to some degree, no
matter what your Lonely Planet book says.

Coke Zero has beaten you there.

Please Feed the Monks

In Luang Prabang, monks begin their day accepting alms for daily food.
This feeds the monks and helps the giver earn karma credits. While
some may see this as a touching gesture, it is a works-based salvation
(like most other religions). Christianity differs in this regard. Food
is given because there are hungry people, not for any intrinsic, other-
worldly gain.

Aside from the theological issues, this event was too touristy
with scores of Europeans shoving cameras into the faces of the monks.

Don't worry, Kristie was not one of them.

A View from Above

We became quite adept at navigating across this Hanoi intersection
that we were mistaken for Vietnamese.

Did you know that on my first trip to Vietnam in 2005, I was hit by a
motorbike?

A Breakfast Loaf

My pmlette today came with a side of bread--a whole loaf. Crispy and
light, this bread was like cotton candy.

I suppose this is a perk of French colonization.

Espresso Machiatti

We found a great Italian restaurant with real live Italians here in
Hanoi. Now, off to the Army Museum to see some Communist propaganda.

Kristie at Breakfast

Drinking incredibly strong coffee at our hotel.

Fighting Vietnamese Mopeds

It is a sport trying to cross street. We had two great noodle dishes
for lunch and dinner.

Welcomed in Hanoi

We finally arrived in Vietnam, and we were greeted with delicious
mango welcome drinks.

Starting Line

We are off for our trip to Hanoi, Laos, and Bangkok. It started well
with Sky Parking, a service where you drive your car to the departure
dropoff and a guy comes to take your car. When we return, he'll return
it when we leave baggage claim. The car will be detailed as well. Not
bad.

Off course, we could be a couple of American suckers and it's in the
chop shop now.

Typhoon Sushi

As the typhoon approaches, Kristie and I are the only ones in the
restaurant.

12 Months of Wasted Money

Who wants this? It's worse than a funny kitties calendar.

Kristie's Photos in Okinawa

Here are a few pictures that Kristie took yesterday with her new camera. I think this guy could set a new fashion trend in America.

It's been nice to be back home here.

Life Lessons from Google Reader

I had a folder titled "Fun" to include light-hearted blogs. I opened
it today and found this judgmental message.

Have any good suggestions for fun blogs?

Rollin' in McMinneville

Last weekend, we went to Hotel Oregon in McMinneville, Oregon, for a weekend with Eric and Maria. Kristie and I went there years ago for our anniversary, and have wanted to return. We made reservations in March, and we were excited to spend the time with our friends.

We did a bit of wine tasting, including this place in Carlton, Oregon. Cana's Feast had a view that reminded us of Tuscany. We played a couple of games of bocce ball. I think I won all of them. It must be the Italian in me.

At night, we watched Julie & Julia, a movie that I'm a bit embarrassed that I enjoyed. I never thought that my interest in Julia Child would be piqued by a movie.

Sotomayor!

Sotomayor: Biased, partisian, and probably a little race-elitist. Is
this the best choice for a Supreme Court Justice? Bad pick, Obama.

A Philly Macchiato

Walking around the Italian area of Philly, I found this cool coffee
shop where I ordered a macchiato. It reminded me of my many trips to
Italy. Not the taste or the atmosphere, just the ordering of many
macchiato.

From Okinawa to Denny's

I'm in Denny's waiting for Joe to come eat breakfast. My trip to
Seattle was unexpectedly extended when my car broke down on the
highway. It's been a fun trip with Kristie's folks, and they haven't
kicked me out yet!

I'm pleasantly surprised with how good Denny's coffee is. Have I been
away from the U.S. too long?

At Wilco

I'm currently waiting for Wilco to start their set. Who cares about
opening acts?

My Coffee with Steve Wozniak

On my way back to Portland from Salt Lake City, I ran into Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple Computer. For those hardcore Apple fans out there, this is a big deal.

We chatted for awhile because I invited him to coffee. We went to Starbucks, and talked technology for about an hour. It was the geekiest time I had, and I mean that in the best possible way. I had a bit of a hard time following him, partly because he was talking over my head, and partly because I kept chanting in my head, "I'm talking to Steve Wozniak! I'm talking to Steve Wozniak!"

Steve (can I refer to him by his first name now?) was a friendly, animated guy with lots to say about what he has done and what he is doing. He works with a company called Fusion IO, as well as participating in a Segway Polo Team, and he prints his own money (!). He took out a pad of two-dollar bills, uncut, and told me he sells them for $5. I wanted to ask further, but I was afraid that I'd get involved in a counterfeiting sting operation. He talked briefly of Steve Jobs and his pot-smoking days at Reed College. I thought about asking about how Jobs screwed him out of the Atari Breakout money that could have cost Apple an early partnership with Intel, but I decided against it. Steve Jobs is quietly recovering with a new liver, and I'd hate to jinx the man.

We had a nice, uninterrupted conversation until some little kid asked, "Were you on Dancing with the Stars?" Steve said that he was, and the mom took a picture. After that, many others came up to have their picture taken with the guy from Dancing with the Stars. This barrage of fans stopped the nice flow of our conversation. Stupid fans... At least I knew that he was the Apple cofounder. (All fans think that they, and they alone, are the special fans unlike the others!)

This was one of the best experiences I've had in some time. It sure beat my playing around on my iPhone. Rather, I went right to the source!


Steve had on this strange watch with tiny hourglasses. I should have asked him about it.

A View from My Hotel

Here's a shot from the lobby of our hotel in Utah. It's a great place.

My Hell

5 children sitting within 2 rows equals many frustrating moments ahead
on this flight from Tokyo to San Franscisco.

I wish they had kid-free flights. I'd give up my bag of peanuts if
that was possible.

Getting Abe's Mail

I am often confused with Abraham Lincoln. It must be the height. Or
the hat.

Another Reminder to Avoid Twitter

Jared from Subway in Okinawa

He spoke today in our school. All this talk about junk food made me want a Little Debbie oatmeal pie.

I wanted to shake his hand, but I was afraid that it would smell like baked bread.