So when I got all unpacked from my trip, and I do notice a bit of a smell hanging on all my clothes that faintly reminds me of the smell in my hotel room in Chennai. I never did figure out what it was, but I strongly suspected mold or mildew.
I packed the shawls I bought in my suitcase for the journey home. They sat in there with my dirty clothes for the 20+ hour ride home, which had been soaking up all that good stuff in the hotel room all week. So the combination of mildew and old Jeff sweat made for an interesting musk.
I gave one of the shawls I brought back in my suitcase to Vanessa, because I knew she would like one and I wanted to thank her for being so great about watching Jester all this time that I couldn't. She said later she noticed the "odd" smell and is now trying to overpower it with yummy smelling stuff. I wonder which smell will win out in the end.
I should probably air out the rest, but I think it adds a unique character to them that you just couldn't have gotten any other way. Hope you all are having happy olfactory adventures. Ciao.
Friday, March 31, 2006
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
No more jet lag
I think I'm finally back on schedule. I caught up on my sleep Sunday and Monday and actually woke up at a decent hour today. Vanessa came down yesterday and brought Jester. He seemed really excited to be at the house again and was happy to see me. I love having him back for awhile. I took him on a nice long walk this morning in the park and he seemed to enjoy sniffing around his old territory again. He woke me up a couple of times last night running outside to chase whatevers, but I didn't mind I was just happy knowing he was here. I really missed that little guy.
Its back to work for me now. I wonder if I still have a desk.
Its back to work for me now. I wonder if I still have a desk.
Sunday, March 26, 2006
April Fool
I swear I must have been born on April 1st instead of the 25th. Its like a cloud of confusion constantly surrounds me and can sometimes effects others in my vicinity. I do some really dumb things in spite of being paid to be a "smart guy". So I was wrong about the whole daylight savings time change over and have done some historical editing, but there was good reason for me to think it was. At SF airport when I finally got my laptop set up again I switched the timezone because it still thought it was in Europe. Well the EU observes spring daylights savings time on March 26th, so my computer had already adjusted. When I changed to Pacific time it stayed an hour ahead, which I think is a bug in the WinXP clock. I kind of freaked out when I noticed what time it said because my watch which I had adjusted on the flight in said I still had plenty of time until boarding, but my laptop thought I should be boarding already. Due to my cloud of confusion the first person I happened to ask about daylight savings time was from Sweden and therefore confirmed that I needed to adjust my watch forward. Despite all that I was still able to get on my plane and get back to Eugene safely. If it had been in the Fall I might have missed my plane by an hour.
So I'm home again and it feels really good. I was tired, but still stayed up to watch one of my "new" DVDs. The quality is noticeably poor on my big TV, but what do I expect for less than $3.00 a pop? Oh well.
I didn't do much of anything today. Actually I slept for a good 12 hours. Felt great, really needed it. Now its time to unpack and do some grocery shopping and all that domestic stuff. I'm planning on taking tomorrow off work as well and ease into work on Tuesday.
I'll keep updates coming when there's something new to share, but the India portion of the blog has come to a close. Thanks for reading. Ciao.
So I'm home again and it feels really good. I was tired, but still stayed up to watch one of my "new" DVDs. The quality is noticeably poor on my big TV, but what do I expect for less than $3.00 a pop? Oh well.
I didn't do much of anything today. Actually I slept for a good 12 hours. Felt great, really needed it. Now its time to unpack and do some grocery shopping and all that domestic stuff. I'm planning on taking tomorrow off work as well and ease into work on Tuesday.
I'll keep updates coming when there's something new to share, but the India portion of the blog has come to a close. Thanks for reading. Ciao.
Saturday, March 25, 2006
Safe in San Francisco
Almost home. I arrived in San Francisco at 5:10, and thankfully my suitcase managed to get here too. I had to pick it up and go through customs and then recheck it. Thankfully it wasn't too busy here on a Saturday afternoon. I was able to get some sleep on the plan since the Economy Plus seats on UA have enough room so I could stretch out under the seat in front of me. For some reason I had a whammy put on me today and everyone was spilling things on me. The stewardess threw some ice on me while she was making someone else's drink, the guy next to me spilled his leftover rice and chicken on me when they were picking up the trash, and again someone dropped a jacket on my head while they were getting something else out of the overhead compartment. I wonder what Hindu god I angered on my way out of India receive such punishment.
On the way to my connecting flight I remembered it was my last chance to exchange my rupees so I looked for a map that would point me in the right direction before I got too far. I didn't find anything informative so I figured the international terminal would have one and I was headed in the other direction towards domestic flights. I figured I should ask someone before walking all the way to the wrong terminal. The guy I asked told me there was an exchange counter at the domestic gate hub so I thanked him and continued on my way. I got through the last security check-point and reached the hub only to find that the exchange counter was closed and a sign said to go to the other one at the international terminal. I should learn to follow my instincts more. I only had 650 rupees left, about $16.00, so I decided it wasn't worth going through 2 additional security checks and a long walk.
While waiting for my flight I had a vodka-cran and a burrito and then went in search of a power outlet. I finally found one attached a pay phone so I'm camped out by it now. This laptop's greed for power seriously compromises its portability.
Well, its time to go, my flight boards in 10 minutes. Cheers.
On the way to my connecting flight I remembered it was my last chance to exchange my rupees so I looked for a map that would point me in the right direction before I got too far. I didn't find anything informative so I figured the international terminal would have one and I was headed in the other direction towards domestic flights. I figured I should ask someone before walking all the way to the wrong terminal. The guy I asked told me there was an exchange counter at the domestic gate hub so I thanked him and continued on my way. I got through the last security check-point and reached the hub only to find that the exchange counter was closed and a sign said to go to the other one at the international terminal. I should learn to follow my instincts more. I only had 650 rupees left, about $16.00, so I decided it wasn't worth going through 2 additional security checks and a long walk.
While waiting for my flight I had a vodka-cran and a burrito and then went in search of a power outlet. I finally found one attached a pay phone so I'm camped out by it now. This laptop's greed for power seriously compromises its portability.
Well, its time to go, my flight boards in 10 minutes. Cheers.
Fortifying at O'Neills
Mmmm, I'm sitting here in O'Neill's at Heathrow airport in London pounding down a Full English House breakfast complete with sausage, bacon, toast, mushrooms, baked beans, eggs, and a tomato and washing it all down with a delicious Guinness. I still have about an hour before they even announce which gate my flight to San Francisco will be leaving from, but my battery only has 40 minutes left in it. Fully charged it lasts a whopping one and a half hours max. Not too impressive.
So as you may have guessed I didn't have any troubles getting packed, checked out of the hotel and onto my flight out of Chennai. The lines were long at the airport, but I got there plenty early. We took off around 4:15 in the morning and I was already falling asleep. Unfortunately I woke up for the first meal, I shouldn't have bothered. The fruit tasted rotten, the sausage was like jerky and the "omlette" could have been used as a sponge to mop up the juice I managed to spill when the guy next to me dropped his bag on my head while he was getting into the overhead compartments. I only managed to stomach one bite of each before pushing it all aside. The only consolation was the two free glasses of wine I had with lunch. At least British Airways softens the blow of being packed into steerage by supplying free booze. United Airlines could learn a thing or two from them.
I passed the rest of the time trying to watch the in flight entertainment without sound since the headphone jack on my chair was broken. Luckily the Bollywood film showing had subtitles, but watching them all dance and sing without a soundtrack just managed to inhance an already bizarre experience. The only accompany sound was the incessant crying of babies. I distracted myself with some Kakuro puzzles and writing down the names of European cities I might like to visit on my next trip as I saw them pop up on the map as we passed overhead.
Batteries about to die again, so I better sign off. Cheers and I will see you all soon.
So as you may have guessed I didn't have any troubles getting packed, checked out of the hotel and onto my flight out of Chennai. The lines were long at the airport, but I got there plenty early. We took off around 4:15 in the morning and I was already falling asleep. Unfortunately I woke up for the first meal, I shouldn't have bothered. The fruit tasted rotten, the sausage was like jerky and the "omlette" could have been used as a sponge to mop up the juice I managed to spill when the guy next to me dropped his bag on my head while he was getting into the overhead compartments. I only managed to stomach one bite of each before pushing it all aside. The only consolation was the two free glasses of wine I had with lunch. At least British Airways softens the blow of being packed into steerage by supplying free booze. United Airlines could learn a thing or two from them.
I passed the rest of the time trying to watch the in flight entertainment without sound since the headphone jack on my chair was broken. Luckily the Bollywood film showing had subtitles, but watching them all dance and sing without a soundtrack just managed to inhance an already bizarre experience. The only accompany sound was the incessant crying of babies. I distracted myself with some Kakuro puzzles and writing down the names of European cities I might like to visit on my next trip as I saw them pop up on the map as we passed overhead.
Batteries about to die again, so I better sign off. Cheers and I will see you all soon.
Friday, March 24, 2006
Farewell Chennai, you were good to me
I'm actually sad to be leaving Chennai. Things turned out much better than expected, the work went well, and everyone seemed to enjoy meeting me and talking with me. Keval was great, and did everything possible to make my stay enjoyable. I owe him a huge thanks.
Today we went to Pizza Hut of all places for lunch, although it had an Indian twist to it. I get a kick out of how even the most low brow of fast food restaurants here have wait staff to take your orders and bring your food. Labor here is plentiful and cheap. Every restaurant and bar has more than enough people on staff to keep you taken care of.
I finished up when we got back to the office by leading everyone through fixing a bug from the bug hunt queue. I managed to work through a full example and fix a bug in just under an hour. I was pretty pleased with myself. I hope the stuff I worked through with them will come in handy at some point.
We finished up at 16:30 and had one last cup of tea on the balcony and said my good-byes to everyone and told them to look me up the next time they were in Eugene. They asked me what my favorite part of India was and I had to say it was the crazy streets and all the traffic. I just couldn't get over it, every ride was a harrowing adventure for me.
After work Keval and Hussain took me out shopping. First we hit Ricky Road, full of electronics shops and in a basement we found the DVD shop. We had to wait for a bit while a couple inspectors were assured that they didn't have any DVDs in the shop left, and then the shop keeper busted out the catalogs. I picked out 17 that looked good at 150 rupees a pop. Keval haggled the guy down to 130 apiece which is about $3.25. Not bad. He took my list and sent his runners off to collect copies from his hidden store and they came back a short time later and packaged up my purchases. I paid the man and headed out with my bag of goodies.
From there we went to the massive Spencer's mall. Its like 5 gaint malls in one spread across 4 floors. There were tons of little shops in here, and I was a little overwhelmed. I was on a mission for new shoes and some shawls so we got right down to it. I found some decent shoes but couldn't get them in my size after hitting 5 different shoe stores so I gave up. The first shawl store was trying to overcharge me, but we eventually found a place with a decent starting price that we could haggle down on. Keval once again worked his magic and haggled them down from 450 a piece to 350. It was fun to watch "I was here last week and you charged me 300" "No sir, 300 is impossible, this is a difficult business" "These shawls are low quality and we are buying so many" "I cannot go lower than 400, sir, it is a complicated market" "350 and that is more than they are worth!". After haggling there were no hard feelings and everyone was friends. I think we are missing out in the U.S. on this rich and rewarding tradition. There isn't enough haggling going on. After that we were all getting tired of shopping so we headed out.
We dropped Hussain off so he could meet up with some friends and I said good-bye. Keval took me out for a few drinks at Sparks and we sat and chatted. I had a great time and worked my way through 3 blue lagoons. After that he dropped me off at the hotel around 10:30 and I shook his hand one last time. I confirmed my ride for 1:00 and headed up to the room.
Its time to take a quick shower and pack before my ride gets here in half an hour. I probably won't get a chance to post again until I am in Eugene. Hope everyone is well and I will talk to you all again soon. Ciao.
Today we went to Pizza Hut of all places for lunch, although it had an Indian twist to it. I get a kick out of how even the most low brow of fast food restaurants here have wait staff to take your orders and bring your food. Labor here is plentiful and cheap. Every restaurant and bar has more than enough people on staff to keep you taken care of.
I finished up when we got back to the office by leading everyone through fixing a bug from the bug hunt queue. I managed to work through a full example and fix a bug in just under an hour. I was pretty pleased with myself. I hope the stuff I worked through with them will come in handy at some point.
We finished up at 16:30 and had one last cup of tea on the balcony and said my good-byes to everyone and told them to look me up the next time they were in Eugene. They asked me what my favorite part of India was and I had to say it was the crazy streets and all the traffic. I just couldn't get over it, every ride was a harrowing adventure for me.
After work Keval and Hussain took me out shopping. First we hit Ricky Road, full of electronics shops and in a basement we found the DVD shop. We had to wait for a bit while a couple inspectors were assured that they didn't have any DVDs in the shop left, and then the shop keeper busted out the catalogs. I picked out 17 that looked good at 150 rupees a pop. Keval haggled the guy down to 130 apiece which is about $3.25. Not bad. He took my list and sent his runners off to collect copies from his hidden store and they came back a short time later and packaged up my purchases. I paid the man and headed out with my bag of goodies.
From there we went to the massive Spencer's mall. Its like 5 gaint malls in one spread across 4 floors. There were tons of little shops in here, and I was a little overwhelmed. I was on a mission for new shoes and some shawls so we got right down to it. I found some decent shoes but couldn't get them in my size after hitting 5 different shoe stores so I gave up. The first shawl store was trying to overcharge me, but we eventually found a place with a decent starting price that we could haggle down on. Keval once again worked his magic and haggled them down from 450 a piece to 350. It was fun to watch "I was here last week and you charged me 300" "No sir, 300 is impossible, this is a difficult business" "These shawls are low quality and we are buying so many" "I cannot go lower than 400, sir, it is a complicated market" "350 and that is more than they are worth!". After haggling there were no hard feelings and everyone was friends. I think we are missing out in the U.S. on this rich and rewarding tradition. There isn't enough haggling going on. After that we were all getting tired of shopping so we headed out.
We dropped Hussain off so he could meet up with some friends and I said good-bye. Keval took me out for a few drinks at Sparks and we sat and chatted. I had a great time and worked my way through 3 blue lagoons. After that he dropped me off at the hotel around 10:30 and I shook his hand one last time. I confirmed my ride for 1:00 and headed up to the room.
Its time to take a quick shower and pack before my ride gets here in half an hour. I probably won't get a chance to post again until I am in Eugene. Hope everyone is well and I will talk to you all again soon. Ciao.
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Last day in India
Good morning all,
I just finished a big breakfast in my room while I catch up on some email and such. This week went by amazingly fast. Although its not over I have to admit that it turned out much better than I feared. Some things were as I expected, but many things were not.
I fly out at 4:00 tomorrow morning and I plan on getting there with plenty of time to spare. I will probably just stay up tonight and catch a ride over at 1:00 or so. I will sleep on the 11 hour flight to London.
Not much else to share today. I looked into Dublin but it was dead. Not surprising seeing how the rules posted outside the club pretty much prohibit all types of fun. I decided to get a bite to eat and a glass of wine at the outside grill by the pool. I had some grilled chicken, naan, and a black bean gravy, with a glass of domestic red. It was very satisfying. Then I came back to the room and listened to some podcasts before calling it an early night. My stomach woke me up around 3 am, but other than that I got plenty of rest.
Keval just called and will pick me up soon. I hope to make today a short one. Ciao.
I just finished a big breakfast in my room while I catch up on some email and such. This week went by amazingly fast. Although its not over I have to admit that it turned out much better than I feared. Some things were as I expected, but many things were not.
I fly out at 4:00 tomorrow morning and I plan on getting there with plenty of time to spare. I will probably just stay up tonight and catch a ride over at 1:00 or so. I will sleep on the 11 hour flight to London.
Not much else to share today. I looked into Dublin but it was dead. Not surprising seeing how the rules posted outside the club pretty much prohibit all types of fun. I decided to get a bite to eat and a glass of wine at the outside grill by the pool. I had some grilled chicken, naan, and a black bean gravy, with a glass of domestic red. It was very satisfying. Then I came back to the room and listened to some podcasts before calling it an early night. My stomach woke me up around 3 am, but other than that I got plenty of rest.
Keval just called and will pick me up soon. I hope to make today a short one. Ciao.
Sick of my own voice
I just finished up my longest day so far. We fell behind a bit on my syllabus earlier in the week and so I pushed through and caught up today. I think we will try to make tomorrow a short day. We've covered most of everything I felt is important. The system is just too large to do full coverage in 40 hours.
Keval was busy with meetings all day so Bhargavi, Sweta, Hussain and Krishna took me out to lunch. We had a good time chatting and ate an excellent meal, although service was very slow. I wasn't in any hurry to get back to the office, so it worked out.
I took the time to get a shot of everyone on the ThomsonNOW team and post their pictures and names for folks at home. I just now finally learned everyone's names, although my pronunciation still makes people giggle.
I'm looking forward to being done tomorrow. I asked Keval what we should do for my last day and we made plans to go shopping. Apparently I can get some decent shoes and clothes for cheap here. I'm also curious about this place he says I can get very cheap and "authentic" DVDs.
Got to go grab some dinner, and maybe check out Dublin tonight. Ciao.
Keval was busy with meetings all day so Bhargavi, Sweta, Hussain and Krishna took me out to lunch. We had a good time chatting and ate an excellent meal, although service was very slow. I wasn't in any hurry to get back to the office, so it worked out.
I took the time to get a shot of everyone on the ThomsonNOW team and post their pictures and names for folks at home. I just now finally learned everyone's names, although my pronunciation still makes people giggle.
I'm looking forward to being done tomorrow. I asked Keval what we should do for my last day and we made plans to go shopping. Apparently I can get some decent shoes and clothes for cheap here. I'm also curious about this place he says I can get very cheap and "authentic" DVDs.
Got to go grab some dinner, and maybe check out Dublin tonight. Ciao.
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Razor burn has a new meaning
My face is very sore today from being burned so shaving is a painful experience. I've been using sunblock since Tuesday, but I think its too little too late.
So last night they moved the guest party from Dublin to the G2 Lounge. I checked it out, grabbed a beer and found a seat up on the second floor. Hip hop videos were playing on a projection screen and a large TV was showing the Hulk movie. Not much going on, lots of businessmen gathering in small groups and doing whatever it is they do to make money. I finished my beer and headed back to the room to prepare for the next day of presentations.
My project build got hosed at some point yesterday so I had to check out a new build from CVS, but being remote and over a slow connection it took several hours. I left it running before I went to the lounge and it was still going until late. I didn't manage to accomplish much more useful than getting back to where I was the day before. So I packed it in and hit the sack.
I don't really have anything planned for today or tomorrow. Not feeling too inspired right now. I'm very much looking forward to being done with this week and on my way home again.
So last night they moved the guest party from Dublin to the G2 Lounge. I checked it out, grabbed a beer and found a seat up on the second floor. Hip hop videos were playing on a projection screen and a large TV was showing the Hulk movie. Not much going on, lots of businessmen gathering in small groups and doing whatever it is they do to make money. I finished my beer and headed back to the room to prepare for the next day of presentations.
My project build got hosed at some point yesterday so I had to check out a new build from CVS, but being remote and over a slow connection it took several hours. I left it running before I went to the lounge and it was still going until late. I didn't manage to accomplish much more useful than getting back to where I was the day before. So I packed it in and hit the sack.
I don't really have anything planned for today or tomorrow. Not feeling too inspired right now. I'm very much looking forward to being done with this week and on my way home again.
Blessed by Lakshmi
I posted some new pics from my visit to Ashta Lakshmi, which I learned means the 8 Lakshmi. It is a temple celebrating 8 different incarnations of Lakshmi, the wife of the god Vishnu. Idols depicting these incarnations are on the different levels of the temple and facing each of the cardinal directions.
I was instructed to remove my shoes before entering the temple grounds, but the guards were not at the front gate to tell me not to take pictures so I was able to get away with taking a few. Entering the temple I was led around the base of a stone flag pole which protruded through a hole in the ceiling and finally to a central shrine with idols depicting both Vishnu and his wife Lakshmi. A holy man was there who helped me perform a ritual involving waving my hand over a candle and crossing my face. Then I held my cupped hands out to receive some scented water which I was to sip and then spread over my head. He then turned and walked up the steep stone stair case to the next tier, and I followed. From the top of the steps I caught a glimpse of the Bay of Bengal over a balcony of the temple and also could now see the top of the stone flag pole, but a metal guardrail prevented me from going that direction, instead it lead me around the corner to where the holy man was waiting at the next shrine. Here I received my forehead dot and an engraved conical metal cap was placed briefly on my head. I continued around the walkway and was greeted by a second holy man tending yet another shrine. He also performed the ritual with a metal hat and then gave me a lotus blossom. I followed the path around back to the front of the temple and was able to walk out onto the balcony and take a few pictures. From there I continued up another steep flight of stairs to the top of the temple. There was one last shrine at the top devoted to the incarnation of Lakshmi that promoted wealth.
Keval and Bhargavi tried their best to explain the different aspects and stories behind the statues and give me a better sense of the functions of the temple. I listened with much enthusiasm but very little understanding.
Work was someone short today since we left early in order to catch the temple when it was open. I led the team through some of my topics and answered questions from 11:00 - 16:00 with a short break in the middle. Since I had eaten a sizeable breakfast I didn't feel the need to take lunch, but I did have a cup of the delicious spiced tea that comes out of that magic little yellow box out on the break porch. I got back to the hotel by 17:30.
Everytime Keval pulls into the Park Sheraton lot to drop me off we have to go through a quick car bomb check. An attendant with an angled mirror mounted on wheels and low to the ground stops us and then checks the underside of the car before letting us pull up to the front doors. Its always done in the same almost ritualistic way although the attendant changes sometimes. Just one of the many services available at the Chennai Park Sheraton Hotel & Towers.
Once I dropped off my stuff in the room I went back downstairs to grab something to eat. Most restaurants are closed after the lunch hour and don't reopen until 19:30 or later for dinner, but Cappucinos is open all hours for guys like me. I gave them a second chance and this time ordered an Indian meal. It was rather good, chicken in tomato gravy, steamed rice, and some baked beans. Not so spicy, so my stomach should be okay tonight.
Going to go check out the scene at Dublin tonight. Hope there will be some people there, it was dead the other night. Later.
I was instructed to remove my shoes before entering the temple grounds, but the guards were not at the front gate to tell me not to take pictures so I was able to get away with taking a few. Entering the temple I was led around the base of a stone flag pole which protruded through a hole in the ceiling and finally to a central shrine with idols depicting both Vishnu and his wife Lakshmi. A holy man was there who helped me perform a ritual involving waving my hand over a candle and crossing my face. Then I held my cupped hands out to receive some scented water which I was to sip and then spread over my head. He then turned and walked up the steep stone stair case to the next tier, and I followed. From the top of the steps I caught a glimpse of the Bay of Bengal over a balcony of the temple and also could now see the top of the stone flag pole, but a metal guardrail prevented me from going that direction, instead it lead me around the corner to where the holy man was waiting at the next shrine. Here I received my forehead dot and an engraved conical metal cap was placed briefly on my head. I continued around the walkway and was greeted by a second holy man tending yet another shrine. He also performed the ritual with a metal hat and then gave me a lotus blossom. I followed the path around back to the front of the temple and was able to walk out onto the balcony and take a few pictures. From there I continued up another steep flight of stairs to the top of the temple. There was one last shrine at the top devoted to the incarnation of Lakshmi that promoted wealth.
Keval and Bhargavi tried their best to explain the different aspects and stories behind the statues and give me a better sense of the functions of the temple. I listened with much enthusiasm but very little understanding.
Work was someone short today since we left early in order to catch the temple when it was open. I led the team through some of my topics and answered questions from 11:00 - 16:00 with a short break in the middle. Since I had eaten a sizeable breakfast I didn't feel the need to take lunch, but I did have a cup of the delicious spiced tea that comes out of that magic little yellow box out on the break porch. I got back to the hotel by 17:30.
Everytime Keval pulls into the Park Sheraton lot to drop me off we have to go through a quick car bomb check. An attendant with an angled mirror mounted on wheels and low to the ground stops us and then checks the underside of the car before letting us pull up to the front doors. Its always done in the same almost ritualistic way although the attendant changes sometimes. Just one of the many services available at the Chennai Park Sheraton Hotel & Towers.
Once I dropped off my stuff in the room I went back downstairs to grab something to eat. Most restaurants are closed after the lunch hour and don't reopen until 19:30 or later for dinner, but Cappucinos is open all hours for guys like me. I gave them a second chance and this time ordered an Indian meal. It was rather good, chicken in tomato gravy, steamed rice, and some baked beans. Not so spicy, so my stomach should be okay tonight.
Going to go check out the scene at Dublin tonight. Hope there will be some people there, it was dead the other night. Later.
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