OMG, I broke Brian. He won’t stop crying!\
Ok, I didn’t really break him, but it is true that he won’t stop crying, which is unusual for him. He is being such a baby. Sheesh!\
Kevin is never allowed to leave again.
Author: Kevin Lawver
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Kevin returns when?
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Stuck at home
Kevin is in France right now, enjoying the fine food, people, culture, and scenery. I was supposed to be with him, but my little baby cousin is getting married tomorrow. (Eeek, she is too little to get married! No matter that she obviously isn’t!) Both grandmas were planning on going to her wedding, so they wouldn’t be available for watching the kids. I told them, ever so graciously, “Go to the wedding. Its fine. Go.” It turns out though, that neither grandma is going. Harrumph! My mom couldn’t go to the wedding because of the effects of Katrina. So, I blame Mother Nature for me not being in France. Yea, I am not sure how logical that is, but you know, I am not in France, so I get to blame whomever I want 🙂
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Bonjour!
I’m in France!! This post would have a picture of Mandelieu at the top, but I forgot the USB cable for the camera (because I’m smart). Other than not sleeping at all on the plane (I tried, laws yes, I tried), the trip was fine. I met Molly at the airport after her flight from London and we shared a ride to the hotel. I’ve no driven in another country! It wasn’t all that scary, other than stalling the car a couple times (mushy clutch and the fact that I haven’t driven stick in months) and a mad rush to find change for the toll. We got off the highway too soon and ended up winding our way through Cannes, and then had a lovely drive along the beach until we saw the big R on the side of the hotel.\
I stayed up until 8:30, and woke up for good around 4:30. Now, I’m just waiting a little while until breakfast, and then it’s time for Nerd-a-palooza 2006! -
Someone Gets Interviewed
My pal Daniel interviewed me on his blog, and asked a lot of questions about web standards, web 2.0, and CSS. Go check it out
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Lucky With Food
It’s been a good trip, both work-wise and, more importantly, food-wise. I’ve had some great meals this week at some of the coolest restaurants in Mountain View:
- Hobee’s – I love breakfast places, and Hobee’s is one of the best I’ve ever found. Great hashbrowns and coffee cake that will make you forget your troubles.
- Los Charros – Thanks to Kristin’s suggestion, I got the best carnitas I’ve had since leaving Tucson. Good carnitas (shredded pork, sometimes flash fried right before serving) are hard to find.
- Frankie, Johnny and Luigi Too – Good Italian food, and the dutch apple pie is to die for. If you go, get the sausage bread and the veal scallopini.
- Sylvia’s – On Castro street, wow, some really really good Indian food. Best butter chicken and lamb roganjosh I’ve ever had. I wonder if they’re open for breakfast…. I could go for a dosa.\
It’s on a plane this afternoon and home. My ankle survived the trip pretty well, although I’m not looking forward to the plane. My ankle needs a good session with ice and electrocution, which hotel ice is just not doin’. I stood too much yesterday while giving my two presentations (well, one with Arun) and now it’s pretty stiff. Oh well, I’ll know better next time.\
Oh, and I think I’m going to Hobee’s again for breakfast this morning unless I can find a Mexican place open for breakfast. I’m jonesin’ for a breakfast burrito.
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About The Headphones
Thanks to everyone who gave me advice on headphones. I realized that since I have a little time before my flight tomorrow morning, and that the west coast has Fry’s Electronics, I’m gonna go see what I can try out there. Why are there no Fry’s on the east coast? We’re stuck with Circuit City or Best Buy, which is why I buy almost everything electronic or computer-related online.\
Update: I ended up buying a little pair of over-the-ear JVC’s at Fry’s last night (Roger had to catch a plane, so we left a little early and went to Fry’s before dinner – Sylvia’s in Mountain View – awesome Indian food). They were cheap, but they’re not ear buds, and they’re small. I’ll let you know how it goes. I maybe I just need a bigger backpack… -
In Need Of Headphones That Travel
I tried earbuds from the iPod. I can’t keep them in my ears unless I’ve jammed them into my ear drums and the covers always come off. I’ve tried my old over the ear cheap-o headphones. Yeah, they’re small and portable, but the sound quality sucks. I have a pair of noise-reducing headphones, but they’re so large that if they’re in my backpack, nothing else is in my backpack (think old-school studio headphones).\
So, frequent travelers, what do you use? Have you found a good pair of (ideally noise-reducing) small non-earbud headphones that have good sound quality and are small enough to fit in a backpack side pocket with your iPod?\
Oh, interweb, help me solve my dilemma before I spend 12 hours in a plane! -
And So It Begins
Thus begins the Spring Travel Bonanza! It got off to a good start last night with dinner @ Taqueria Los Charros with my brother, Kristin, Jessa, Valerie (from AOL), Arun (also from AOL), and Michaela (yep, you guessed it). The food was great (mmmm, carnitas), and the company was excellent. Even though I’d spent 6 hours crammed in the window seat of a plane that apparently had no ventilation, it was a lot of fun.\
It’s been a great week so far. My appointment with Dr. Ankle went swimmingly. He says I’m doing “super” and am doing all the right things. He says my ankle looks good, and other than some knee pain (left knee, which he says is probably tendonitis from favoring that leg for the past 7 months or so), which I’m getting looked at next week, things are moving along nicely.\
Then, I got my annual review, which went even more swimmingly. I got a promotion! I’m no longer a Senior Software Engineer. I’m now a Principal Software Engineer, which is extremely cool. I already wrote about my standards story. I’m thinking of writing my AOL story, because it’s pretty crazy. I’ve been with the company almost 11 years, and that still shocks me every time I think about it. To think where I started, and where I am now (and where I plan on going – the triangle’s not the only thing I’m planning on turning on its ear), it still boggles my mind.\
Back to the Spring Travel Bonanza… I’m in Mountain View this week, then next Saturday, I leave for France to attend the W3C Tech Plenary, where I’ll get to hang out with Arun, Mr. Glazman and Molly (and all the rest of the CSS guys, hi guys!). Then, four days after that, it’s off to SxSW and then home for a little while. Then, it’s (probably) off to XTech, WWW2006 and then who knows?\
I like frequent flyer miles… -
Watch TV All The Time
No, really, I have a job and don’t watch TV all the time, but there are a few shows that are on too often that I wish I could spend more time watching. Some of these I’m sure you know, but there’s a new one in there.
- The Daily Show: They’ve been on a roll the past couple months, and I feel bad when I miss an episode. But, four days a week is just too much for me to keep up with.
- The Colbert Report: I’ve watched The Daily Show since the very beginning (you know, the Kilborn days), and I love it. But, I think Stephen Colbert’s show may be winning my heart. It’s the funniest thing on TV, and Stephen Colbert pulls off “arrogant jackass” better than the people he’s parodying. It’s perfect satire in a time when we sorely need it.
- Pardon The Interruption: It’s on five times a week, which is way way too much. I love the banter between Tony and Mike, and I can’t help it but Tony’s bad jokes make me giggle. It’s a great way to catch up on sports without having to sit through the whole 90 minutes of SportsCenter (and there’s rarely anything about NASCAR or hockey, which makes me happy).
- Brainiac: This is the new one. I just noticed it on G4 this weekend, and it’s hilarious. Think Top Gear for the Mr. Wizard crowd. It’s hosted by Top Gear‘s Richard Hammond, and it’s funny in a ridiculous British way. It’s got zany experiments and hot barely clothed British chicks playing with explosives. What’s not to like?\
So, set your TiVo and prepare to waste a lot of time. I know I have.