July 25
[ Taken June 22, 2008 | Some kind of odd plant at the Oxford Botanical Gardens | Oxford, UK ]
Some random things going on here right now...
Kitten time:
Kitten time is whatever time in the wee hours of the morning that the kitten decides you have slept long enough and that it is time to jump up on the bed and play, play play. Kitten time was much earlier then usual this morning... shortly after 4am. I think. Kitten time is usually at the more reasonable time of 5:30ish. Closing the bedroom door is an option, I suppose, but that would probably result in more noise and drama (kitten wailing and scratching at the door to be let in) then kitten time itself.
Sad tomatos:
One of the two potted tomato plant on the back deck has two fruits on it, one of them is almost ripe. The other one has a single unripe fruit and a few straggly looking flowers. By the time I actually get to eat any of the tomatos from these plants they will be the most expansive (cost of seedlings + cost of big huge pots + cost of potting soil + cost of those wire mesh cage things to support the plants + cost of a bunch of other things that I have probably forgotten about by now) they will be the most expensive tomatoes that I have ever eaten... so they had better be damn good. I think that in the future I will just stick to buying those cellophane packages of tomatoes from the grocery store...
New phone:
My new phone arrived yesterday evening. Wheeee! I got the Pantech Duo. I like it a lot so far. Already, though, I think that the keys in the qwerty keyboard are a bit too small, and I would like a bigger screen. So I may end up upgrading to the Tile after all. However, given the fact that I have been using the Duo for all of a half day so far, I think that I will give it a bit more of a trial.
July 20
[ Taken June 21, 2008 | Vaulted arch at Christchurch | Oxford, UK ]
I am in the market for a new phone. I have had my current phone for about two years, and it has started to behave in a less then reliable way... so, time for a new phone. Plus, my contract has expired, so it is the perfect time to get a discount on a new phone and a new contract at the same time.
This time around, I think that I would like a smartphone. It is time that I spent a touch extra money and got a phone that can do a lot more then just place and recieve calls and texts. There are two phones that my carrier offers (I think that I will just be staying with AT&T as I have no problems with their service, and I can get a discount on plans through LexisNexis) that I am trying to decide between - the Pantech Duo and the AT&T Tilt. Essentially, I want a PDA/Blackberry, but I sure as heck don't want something that looks like a PDA/Blackberry. Both of my choices would be perfectly fine and adequete for my needs. I long slightly more after the Tilt, because I like the larger screen and the fact that the keyboard is hinged so that you can adjust the angle of the screen however you like. I just need to decide if a larger screen and being able to adjust the viewing angle, plus the "its really cool" factor, are worth the additional $100 price tag. As much as I long after it, I suspect that frugalness will prevail. I can be amazingly cheap when it comes to spending money on myself sometimes... Besides which AT&T does have a 30 day return policy, so if I get the Duo and then decide that I don'l like it as much as I had hoped, then it will be a fairly simple matter to upgrade to the Tilt...
July 17
[ Taken June 22, 2008 | Water Lily in the Oxford Botanical Gardens | Oxford, UK ]
My favorite summer drink (other then a cold beer... such as something light like Orange Blossom or Pete's Strawberry Blonde) is what I refer to as a glass of ice. It is easy to make... just take a glass and pack it to the brim with ice cubes from the freezer, then fill in the cracks with cold water. Enjoy. I don't enjoy tepid drinks of any sort. If it is meant to be hot, then I want it scalding. If it is meant to be cold, then I want it as close to frozen as I can get it and still be able to drink it. I am kind of a freak like that...
Driving down a few of the many streets in my rather sprawling neighborhood on the way home from work today, I drove past nine houses with "for sale" signs in front of them. Ouch. Not a good thing. Some of those "for sale" signs have been up for a quite a while now, and some of the houses are very obviously already empty. Again, ouch. Economic times in Dayton are not happy times right now. I wish that things would start to get better soon, but I honestly don't hold out much hope that they will.
July 14
[ Taken June 22, 2008 | Grotesque at Christchurch | Oxford, UK ]
I have in my possession two different e-readers - the Sony e-Reader and the Kindle from Amazon. I am going to be reviewing them for my group at work, which pleases me because I have been thinking vaguely about picking up an e-reader (it is so hard to travel with the number of books that I need to see me through a typical trip) for a little while, and now I have the opportunity to test drive them.
Though I do have to admit that I wasn't so much asked to do the review as I asked... persistently. I had heard rumors that the two devices were floating around and simply tracked down the current caretakers and offered to write up usability reviews of them in exchange for a week or so of playtime. Not a bad bargin, I think...
Since one of them - the Sony e-Reader - had simply been sitting in someone's desk drawer gathering dust, I have to wonder if people wouldn't be too broken up if I forgot to return it... naw... that is only wishful pondering. Though maybe it would be for sale for a cheap price if I asked nicely... Hmmm....
Anyway, I will play with them and then join the scads of people who have written up their own reviews.
July 13
[ Taken June 22, 2008 | Bridge of Sighs, Magdalen College | Oxford, UK ]
[ Taken June 22, 2008 | Radcliffe Camera | Oxford, UK ]
It can be tough coming back from two weeks of overseas travel and fall right into the socialization and activity surrounding a major (4th of July) holiday weekend. There were parties, there were fireworks, there were dinners out, there were guests. It was a little overwhelming. But such is life.
All of my photos of Oxford UK are up on my flickr site. I would llike to be able to direct people to the photos that I took of all of my lovely co workers at the UCD GDO as well, but I was asked to put a privacy filter on those so that only people who are friends/family in my flicke contacts list can see them. I can understand... some people don't like to know that photos of them are available online. And I have certainly take photos that I have not put online due to the fact that I was dead sure that the people in the photos would not be appreciative...
Allow me to take a moment to briefly explain the concept of the GDO. It stands for "Grand Day Out" and, yes, it is a reference to Wallace & Gromit. Since my group (User Centered Design) at work is spread out over 4 countries, 9 cities, and multiple time zones, we get together for one face-to-face conference per year. It is nice to be able to meet any new people in the group, put faces to the voices on conference calls, and in general schmooze, network, catch up, and socialize. This year the conference was in Oxford, UK.
Random items and observations from the trip and the return home:
- It is easy to walk around the city center of Oxford, but a lot harder to walk to it. 2 miles seems a lot further there for some reason...
- Afternoon tea is a great thing
- While wandering around Oxford I saw a car with an "Obama for President" bumper sticker on it
- I love the craft beer you can get at all of the tiny, centuries old, pubs in Oxford
- I love the fact the the ceilings of some of those tiny, centuries old, pubs are so low that I can reach up and place the whole flat of my hand against them without stretching at all
- The fact that UK pubs close between 11 and midnight sucks
- Blood pudding is very tasty
- So is fish and chips, but I already knew that...
- I met my dance teacher at Gatwick airport for breakfast before the flight home. She had been visiting family and we happened to be on the same flight out. The more I travel, the more I find that I run into people like this. Still, even though we had made the arrangements to meet, it was still surreal to be sitting in a UK airport, breakfasting with someone from a completely different context in my life
- Flights just before a major holiday do tend to be rather full, but if you are very lucky you can (as I did) still end up with an empty seat next to you
Note: I still have not completely taken care of all of the trip debris. My suitcase is still on the bedroom floor, for example....