Best recap yet of the election aftermath...
Obama Win Causes Obsessive Supporters To Realize How Empty Their Lives Are
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
All Hail Dear Leader of New American Soviet Republic...
Come on, it had to be said :-) Just prepping the ground for when the "wealth gets spread around"....
Pass the Pepto...
Uugggghhh. The unthinkable has happened. We have our first real live Manchurian president. Yippee. I am reduced to hoping that somehow he will now NOT turn out to be the product of his very limited professional resume, socialist education, and Marxist upbringing. I'll try to be an optimist. He'll have my prayers.
Ah well. Carter brought us Reagan. But only after 4 tough years of 21 percent interest rates, 10 percent inflation, and 12 percent unemployment. It'll be a long four years...
Weird and sad for me to realize that the next time we get to pick a president, Andrew will be a SENIOR in high school. Poor kid.
At least over the next four years my new favorite website will get even more funny...
www.thepeoplescube.com
Ah well. Carter brought us Reagan. But only after 4 tough years of 21 percent interest rates, 10 percent inflation, and 12 percent unemployment. It'll be a long four years...
Weird and sad for me to realize that the next time we get to pick a president, Andrew will be a SENIOR in high school. Poor kid.
At least over the next four years my new favorite website will get even more funny...
www.thepeoplescube.com
Settling in for a long exciting night...
OK OK. It will only be exciting if McCain/Palin pulls this off. If they don't, it will be the exact opposite of exciting. According to Agi, who knows communism firsthand, an Obama victory will signal the very apocalypse. She is in near shock, unable to fathom how any American could vote for the guy who is campaigning on & for: wealth redistribution, open distain for the Bill of Rights, reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine (see ya later Rush!), vastly increased tax rates, and the most naive foreign policy of anyone since George McGovern.
So. It might be a long night. I am trying to see the bright side of this. Sure we would cede control of the entire federal judiciary to redistributionist, activist liberals for the next 40 years, but on the other hand, it took 4 years of an idiot peanut farmer to get us Reagan.
We'll see....
So. It might be a long night. I am trying to see the bright side of this. Sure we would cede control of the entire federal judiciary to redistributionist, activist liberals for the next 40 years, but on the other hand, it took 4 years of an idiot peanut farmer to get us Reagan.
We'll see....
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Bring Me a Shrubbery!
Another sweet day. Arguably the best so far of the trip. After a 2 1/2 hour drive to Edinburgh, we toured the MASSIVE Edinburgh Castle--home to a rich history of historificalicious Scottish characters including Robert Earl of Bruce (of Braveheart fame) and Mary Queen of Scots. From a size/scale perspective, this is right up there with the Tower of London as one fo the coolest, awe-inspiring places I've visited in Europe.
It sits on a HUGE outcropping of eons-old volcanic rock, as shown below:
Looking up at this thing, I could imagine how wet-your-pants intimidating it must have looked to the invading English.
The view from the castle over the city and North Sea was equally cool:
the castle itself was incredibly interesting. Similar to the Tower of London, it did a fantastic job of trying to portray what life was like in the castle during "ye olden times". I'm certain they couldn't actually replicate the smell of the period, but the displays and 'living dioramas' in the prison area, regiment garrison, great halls, cathedral, chapels were all superbly put together.
In walking through their displays and dedicatory shrines to soldiers past, I really enjoyed reading of the history of our Revolutionary War from their perspective. Found out that quite a few American "POW's" from the revolutionary war were housed there alongside their compatriots of the period from Holland, France, and Denmark.
And I even loved the name of the "pub" up in the castle:
"Red Coat" Cafe. Ha. Takes me back to my Johnny Tremain-reading days.
After finishing up in Edinburgh, we leadfooted it out of town to reach Doune Castle before it closed. Doune Castle, you say? Everyone who recalls Bring Me a Shrubbery! The Knights of Niiii, or tossing a cow over the wall knows the significance of this place--one fo the most recognized sets from The Classic..... Monty Python & the Holy Grail.
And I have to say--this visit kicked all sorts of arse! It really made my trip...
We got there just as they were about to shut the doors for the day. As we just made it in, we actually had the run of the castle to ourselves--three of us able to fully check this place out, sans crowds, screaming babies, or anything else. The castle is one of the coolest castles I've been through--it is kinda hard not to become 14 again when exploring the place, easily imagining how cool it would be to live in a place such as this. Unlike most other "guided" or restored castes I've been through, this one was virtually all open for exploration, with only a very small section roped off.
I could actually go all the way up to the roof, and from there, the views, late in the day at dusk, were pretty stunning. Don't tell the wife, but I actually took advantage of the solitude to skirt around the barriers and climb up to the highest points of the roof, where only knee to waist high ramparts separated me from the green grounds a couple hundred feet below. The views tell it all!
This coolest pic ended our 40 minutes there, and made the 3 hour drive back to Balazs's apartment in the dark (and snow) totally worth it....
Tomorrow its our wind-down-get-ready-to-go-home-day. We may spend our last bit of time this week back up in Aberdeen, hanging out with other friends from work who have just arrived for their HUET training course.
Aaron
It sits on a HUGE outcropping of eons-old volcanic rock, as shown below:
Looking up at this thing, I could imagine how wet-your-pants intimidating it must have looked to the invading English.
The view from the castle over the city and North Sea was equally cool:
the castle itself was incredibly interesting. Similar to the Tower of London, it did a fantastic job of trying to portray what life was like in the castle during "ye olden times". I'm certain they couldn't actually replicate the smell of the period, but the displays and 'living dioramas' in the prison area, regiment garrison, great halls, cathedral, chapels were all superbly put together.
In walking through their displays and dedicatory shrines to soldiers past, I really enjoyed reading of the history of our Revolutionary War from their perspective. Found out that quite a few American "POW's" from the revolutionary war were housed there alongside their compatriots of the period from Holland, France, and Denmark.
And I even loved the name of the "pub" up in the castle:
"Red Coat" Cafe. Ha. Takes me back to my Johnny Tremain-reading days.
After finishing up in Edinburgh, we leadfooted it out of town to reach Doune Castle before it closed. Doune Castle, you say? Everyone who recalls Bring Me a Shrubbery! The Knights of Niiii, or tossing a cow over the wall knows the significance of this place--one fo the most recognized sets from The Classic..... Monty Python & the Holy Grail.
And I have to say--this visit kicked all sorts of arse! It really made my trip...
We got there just as they were about to shut the doors for the day. As we just made it in, we actually had the run of the castle to ourselves--three of us able to fully check this place out, sans crowds, screaming babies, or anything else. The castle is one of the coolest castles I've been through--it is kinda hard not to become 14 again when exploring the place, easily imagining how cool it would be to live in a place such as this. Unlike most other "guided" or restored castes I've been through, this one was virtually all open for exploration, with only a very small section roped off.
I could actually go all the way up to the roof, and from there, the views, late in the day at dusk, were pretty stunning. Don't tell the wife, but I actually took advantage of the solitude to skirt around the barriers and climb up to the highest points of the roof, where only knee to waist high ramparts separated me from the green grounds a couple hundred feet below. The views tell it all!
This coolest pic ended our 40 minutes there, and made the 3 hour drive back to Balazs's apartment in the dark (and snow) totally worth it....
Tomorrow its our wind-down-get-ready-to-go-home-day. We may spend our last bit of time this week back up in Aberdeen, hanging out with other friends from work who have just arrived for their HUET training course.
Aaron
Monday, October 27, 2008
Loch Ness....minus the Nessie...
Just got back from visiting the famed Loch Ness, up in northern Scotland along the coast near Inverness. Alas, no sign of Nessie the water beast in those calm deep waters. From the looks of the gift shops however, not being seen can still translate into a sizable amount of trinketry for sale.
The drive up was amazing. One thing I've really noticed about Scotland--IT'S FRIGGIN' EMPTY! Nothing but tiny roads winding through dark green countryside, populated only by hoards of sheep and the occasional cow. We literally took the main road from Ballater to Inverness, and it involved having to pull over to the side in order to let oncoming traffic pass us.
Inverness was only 72 miles away, but in order to get there we had to cross up and over the Scottish Highlands, and it took us almost three hours to do so. We saw three distinct weather systems in one day--it went from sunny in Ballater that morning, to a BLIZZARD in the highlands, to rainy cold along the coast at Inverness as we drove past to Loch Ness. At Loch Ness the cold rain & misty fog parted and after an hour of being there, the sun shone again. BEAUTIFUL, capital B.
Some pics:
Glenbuchat Castle--near Ballater
Countryside outside Ballater, driving toward Inverness
Scottish Highlands - only 25 miles from the previous picture, and a few hundred meters above sea level!
Castle Urquhart, along Loch Ness...
Me in front of one of the towers of Castle Urquhart...
Balazs at the Loch...
Castle & Loch Ness behind it...
Postcard-perfect Loch Ness....
Parting look at the Castle and its greenery--emphasis on GREEN...
Tomorrow we are headed to Edinburgh to see the most famous castle in Scotland--Edinburgh Castle. Dwarfs everything else.
As it is only 102 miles away, it should only take 4 hours to drive there--but should be the prettiest four-hour drive I've seen in my lifetime. We'll see how it compares to the previous winner--the four hour stretch of coastal highway between Split & Dubrovnik, Croatia....
Aaron
The drive up was amazing. One thing I've really noticed about Scotland--IT'S FRIGGIN' EMPTY! Nothing but tiny roads winding through dark green countryside, populated only by hoards of sheep and the occasional cow. We literally took the main road from Ballater to Inverness, and it involved having to pull over to the side in order to let oncoming traffic pass us.
Inverness was only 72 miles away, but in order to get there we had to cross up and over the Scottish Highlands, and it took us almost three hours to do so. We saw three distinct weather systems in one day--it went from sunny in Ballater that morning, to a BLIZZARD in the highlands, to rainy cold along the coast at Inverness as we drove past to Loch Ness. At Loch Ness the cold rain & misty fog parted and after an hour of being there, the sun shone again. BEAUTIFUL, capital B.
Some pics:
Glenbuchat Castle--near Ballater
Countryside outside Ballater, driving toward Inverness
Scottish Highlands - only 25 miles from the previous picture, and a few hundred meters above sea level!
Castle Urquhart, along Loch Ness...
Me in front of one of the towers of Castle Urquhart...
Balazs at the Loch...
Castle & Loch Ness behind it...
Postcard-perfect Loch Ness....
Parting look at the Castle and its greenery--emphasis on GREEN...
Tomorrow we are headed to Edinburgh to see the most famous castle in Scotland--Edinburgh Castle. Dwarfs everything else.
As it is only 102 miles away, it should only take 4 hours to drive there--but should be the prettiest four-hour drive I've seen in my lifetime. We'll see how it compares to the previous winner--the four hour stretch of coastal highway between Split & Dubrovnik, Croatia....
Aaron
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Love me some Scotland...
Greetings from sunnythenrainythenstormythenwindy then sunny again Scotland. I've just wrapped up my HUET training (Helicopter Underwater Evacuation Training) on Saturday. It was the most fun I've had in a while. Still can't believe sometimes I am getting paid for this.
A year ago I never thought I'd be spending a few days strapped in a helicopter fuselage mounted on a rotating gimble, getting dunked into water tanks and spun around, over and over again. We did it fully kitted out in the cold water gear we'd be wearing on a flight over the North Sea. The suits have these cool breathing apparatuses called "re-breathers" that work as little mini oxygen providers--basically you rip open the front pouch on your jacket, bite onto the dive tube, take a huge breath and blow into it, inflating a small chamber. That one breath then actually provides you enough oxygen to breathe fairly normally for about 30 seconds---enough time to hopefully exit the helicopter that has so helpfully crash landed into frigid water where, in normal clothing, you'd get hypothermia in about 3 minutes. Naturally in all flights over water, we'll be in cold water wetsuits that could provide about 8 hours of protection
Also loads of training on deploying inflatable life rafts, rescue boats, etc... THOSE were cool. Absolutely nothing like you'd find in your average sporting goods store. really cool equipment.
We ran the tests with the breathers, without them, upside down, rightside up, breaking out windows, no windows, all variations of the same thing--hauling arse out of a downed chopper in the water.
Loads of fun--there was also the mandatory first aid training and training on another apparatus called the "SkyScape", basically a 50 meter long tube of kevlar netting that can be rapidly deployed from the rig floor to the ocean--essentially the last ditch escape mechanism from a damaged/burning rig 150 feet above the ocean. AWESOME. Capital A.
Basically I am now certified to work in the North Sea for the next four years. Booyah.
As luck would have it, my brother in law Balazs lives about 40 minutes SW of Aberdeen, in a little village called Ballater. Its very near the Bamoral Castle (Royal Family summer home) and is also where the Scottish Highland Games finish up ever four years. A cool little area. I'm staying with him, along with two of my traveling classmates, for a few days, so we can take in as much of Scotland as we can.
Scotland is green. I mean freakishly greeny green. Hurt-your-eyes-in-the-summer green. Haven't seen this much green since Oregon, and--as I am told--this doesn't even currently compare to how green it is during the summer months. I guess I'll have to come back sometime in the summer with Agi to experience that.
As it is, I've seen all sorts of weather in the lat week. Clear skies one day, total storms the next, followed by mild rain and wind, then clear skies again.
We spent last night here in Ballater at Balazs's pad, and had dinner at the restaurant where he works.
Awesome little homey Italian restaurant "La Mangiatoia". Great food.
This morning we woke up briht and early and took a stroll around the outskirts of town--thankfully had some sunshine, whereas yesterday was pretty stormy.
Walking along a river footpath that runs along the town.
Yours truly posed artfully along the same river, definitely sullying the view with the haggard, bleary-eyed face that screams out "yes-I-just-woke-up-and-haven't-showered-for-two-days"...
AHA! I knew it! even the uppity Scots have trailer parks! I jest--this is less "trailer park" than "guest-housing-for-persons-visiting-the world-famous-golf-course-nearby". Still, I was pretty surprised to come around a bend of the river and see some trailers...
Also on my walkabout I stumbled onto the rarest of finds--something tourists in Europe have to search hi and lo for--an old church. If there is one thing Europe just doesn't seem to have enough of, it would be old, beautiful temples that date from the middle ages. Who knew?
Most of all, I'm just happy to be able to hang out with Balazs again for a few days--haven't seen him since February, when he came out here to work. Cool guy! I know Agi misses him terribly, so I'd like to just take this moment to say....NEENER NEENER NEENER! I'm hanging out with your bro! In Scotland! Kidding aside, its been a great trip so far, and I am looking forward to jetting around the countryside on Monday checking out Loch Ness, the castle at Inverness, and seeing a beautiful countryside dotted with lots of sheep.
Later!
A year ago I never thought I'd be spending a few days strapped in a helicopter fuselage mounted on a rotating gimble, getting dunked into water tanks and spun around, over and over again. We did it fully kitted out in the cold water gear we'd be wearing on a flight over the North Sea. The suits have these cool breathing apparatuses called "re-breathers" that work as little mini oxygen providers--basically you rip open the front pouch on your jacket, bite onto the dive tube, take a huge breath and blow into it, inflating a small chamber. That one breath then actually provides you enough oxygen to breathe fairly normally for about 30 seconds---enough time to hopefully exit the helicopter that has so helpfully crash landed into frigid water where, in normal clothing, you'd get hypothermia in about 3 minutes. Naturally in all flights over water, we'll be in cold water wetsuits that could provide about 8 hours of protection
Also loads of training on deploying inflatable life rafts, rescue boats, etc... THOSE were cool. Absolutely nothing like you'd find in your average sporting goods store. really cool equipment.
We ran the tests with the breathers, without them, upside down, rightside up, breaking out windows, no windows, all variations of the same thing--hauling arse out of a downed chopper in the water.
Loads of fun--there was also the mandatory first aid training and training on another apparatus called the "SkyScape", basically a 50 meter long tube of kevlar netting that can be rapidly deployed from the rig floor to the ocean--essentially the last ditch escape mechanism from a damaged/burning rig 150 feet above the ocean. AWESOME. Capital A.
Basically I am now certified to work in the North Sea for the next four years. Booyah.
As luck would have it, my brother in law Balazs lives about 40 minutes SW of Aberdeen, in a little village called Ballater. Its very near the Bamoral Castle (Royal Family summer home) and is also where the Scottish Highland Games finish up ever four years. A cool little area. I'm staying with him, along with two of my traveling classmates, for a few days, so we can take in as much of Scotland as we can.
Scotland is green. I mean freakishly greeny green. Hurt-your-eyes-in-the-summer green. Haven't seen this much green since Oregon, and--as I am told--this doesn't even currently compare to how green it is during the summer months. I guess I'll have to come back sometime in the summer with Agi to experience that.
As it is, I've seen all sorts of weather in the lat week. Clear skies one day, total storms the next, followed by mild rain and wind, then clear skies again.
We spent last night here in Ballater at Balazs's pad, and had dinner at the restaurant where he works.
Awesome little homey Italian restaurant "La Mangiatoia". Great food.
This morning we woke up briht and early and took a stroll around the outskirts of town--thankfully had some sunshine, whereas yesterday was pretty stormy.
Walking along a river footpath that runs along the town.
Yours truly posed artfully along the same river, definitely sullying the view with the haggard, bleary-eyed face that screams out "yes-I-just-woke-up-and-haven't-showered-for-two-days"...
AHA! I knew it! even the uppity Scots have trailer parks! I jest--this is less "trailer park" than "guest-housing-for-persons-visiting-the world-famous-golf-course-nearby". Still, I was pretty surprised to come around a bend of the river and see some trailers...
Also on my walkabout I stumbled onto the rarest of finds--something tourists in Europe have to search hi and lo for--an old church. If there is one thing Europe just doesn't seem to have enough of, it would be old, beautiful temples that date from the middle ages. Who knew?
Most of all, I'm just happy to be able to hang out with Balazs again for a few days--haven't seen him since February, when he came out here to work. Cool guy! I know Agi misses him terribly, so I'd like to just take this moment to say....NEENER NEENER NEENER! I'm hanging out with your bro! In Scotland! Kidding aside, its been a great trip so far, and I am looking forward to jetting around the countryside on Monday checking out Loch Ness, the castle at Inverness, and seeing a beautiful countryside dotted with lots of sheep.
Later!
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