A shot of the Casa Rio Restaurant.

The Riverwalk appears especially festive at night.

A quieter section of the Riverwalk, near the La Villita section.

Labels: pictures, travel

San Antonio is wonderful.

Do you like to eat? Drink? Watch people?

Do you like to do all of these things while relaxing on the lushly-landscaped banks of a narrow canal filled with dark jade-green hued water?

If so, you must come here. Plus, the locals are warm and friendly. The Riverwalk is charming and gorgeous, like an American Venice, only without the stank.

I have been so relaxed and happy for the past few days. This is the first time in a while I've felt like I was truly on vacation and not rushing around like a nut, although we did do quite a bit of sightseeing.

Sigh. I fly home tomorrow afternoon and I'm soooooo sad to be leaving.

Plenty of pictures to follow, once I'm settled at home again.

Labels: opinions, travel

San Antonio rocks. And I never want to come home.

Labels: opinions, travel

It just occurred to me that I never did post any of the handful of pictures that I took while in Los Angeles in July. Since I was really only there for about 18 hours, with seven hours accounting for sleep and three hours in an interview, I didn't get much of a chance to sightsee.

I did, however, take some shots at my hotel, the Millennium Biltmore, which was faaaaaabulous. Please excuse some blurriness--I was exhausted after the six-hour flight and famished. Not a good combination for me, if you know me. Also, these pictures are yoooooge. Sorry!

Off we go:

The lobby was cavernous and stunning with its ornate Art Deco style.




I stayed on the tenth floor, otherwise known as the Concierge Level. Just as I checked in, the complimentary Happy Hour in the Club Room had ended. Drats. But I did get to enjoy a very fancy and free breakfast there the following morning. This is a shot of the stairwell from the tenth floor, which I took on my way to my room at check-in.



And here's a shot of my room. The bedding was probably the comfiest I've ever slept on in my life.



Tough life, isn't it?

Labels: pictures, travel

Just nothing of interest to share lately.

Well, not entirely true. I'm going to San Antonio in about a month and looking forward to that. Plan on seeing the Alamo, and we're staying in an absolutely fab hotel right on The Riverwalk! I will report back on whether everything truly IS bigger in Texas.

Also planning a long weekend in Colonial Williamsburg for later in the fall.

Sigh. I love traveling. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.

Labels: blah, travel

...and all I got were these couple crappy pictures.


OMG OMG OMG OMG!!! It's Dave's tour bus!



...and there he goes, making a beeline for the entrance to the arena with nary a glance in my direction. So close, yet so far...



At least Taylor Hawkins was nice enough to stop, say hello, and smile for my camera!

Labels: bitching, Foo Fighters, music, pictures, sheer insanity, travel

Just got back from the penultimate show of this Foo tour.

Unfortunately, I got COLD BUSTED at the door with my Nikon (man, is ANYTHING going my way lately???). So I had to turn around and take it back to the car. Damn.

The show was okay but I think they're just tired! Their last show is tomorrow night at the Meadowlands. Dave's voice is sounding worn down.

I do have a teensy bit of good news, though: in true stalker form, I sat outside the stage door of the venue this afternoon for almost three hours, waiting for the guys to come to soundcheck. The Huz was with me almost the entire time (thanks honey! You're the BEST!).

At around 3:30 p.m., two tricked-out tour buses pull up right next to us. Dave and Chris pop out of the first one and go straight into the arena. Didn't even look in our direction--and there were only about seven fans standing around outside.

Nate, Pat Smear, Rami Jaffee, and Taylor hopped out of the second bus. I yelled hello to each of them, and they posed for a picture for me! Taylor was especially nice.

I also got a picture of me and Sean Cox, their guitar tech. Very cool guy!

Here's the sucky part: later in the afternoon, I accidentally deleted the GREAT picture of Pat and Rami. I am so pissed at myself!

I still have a nice shot of Taylor smiling for the camera, and two shots of Mr. Grumpy--er, Grohl--making a beeline for the stage door.

I'll post the shots in the next day or two when I get home. My inlaws claim to have high-speed internet here, but I suspect otherwise. Plus, their mouse is pretty much shot and that is seriously aggravating me now. I can't work under these conditions! /diva rant

Labels: bad news, concerts, family, Foo Fighters, good news, marriage, music, pictures, sheer idiocy, sheer insanity, travel

I'm sooooo looking forward to seeing Mr. Grohl and Company again.

This will be the third show from this tour that I've attended.

And the first time I've ever paid actual face value for a Foo Fighters concert ticket.

Have a great weekend, everybody!

Labels: concerts, Foo Fighters, music, pictures, travel

I made it to the finalist round of the interview process with Company X!

This afternoon I received my itinerary from the HR rep of the company. I'll be flying nonstop to LAX on July 8, meeting with several managers from different departments within Company X on July 9 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., and flying home later that day. What a whirlwind! And here's where I'll be spending the night...lucky me!

As far as the actual meeting goes, I have been given a case study regarding a fictional company's retirement plan. I have to give a 15-minute Powerpoint presentation on plan investments, participant education, plan design, and fiduciary liability, and finalize it by making recommendations on how to improve the company's 401(k) plan.

I almost can't believe I made it to this point. I'm very, very excited but nervous!

Labels: goals, good news, travel, work

Cause I just got news that I'll be going to L.A. in two weeks!!!!!!!!

More later. :-)

Labels: goals, good news, travel, work

Tonight while doing some photo cleanup on my laptop, I came across this picture I took while walking through Savannah's Lafayette Square. If I were better already in Photoshop, I'd be able to get rid of the cars in the background, which I think are distracting.

Maybe after I get better at PS, I'll refine the picture and repost it here.

Labels: hobbies, pictures, technology, travel

I hate the Philadelphia airport.

Whatever happened to the glamour and romance of air travel in Philadelphia? It seems like every other airport I’ve been in (including Newark!) is a cleaner, more efficient place. Our airport reminds me of a third-world Greyhound bus terminal. The facilities are always crowded and filthy, the dining options are less than appetizing, and the employees are surly and incompetent.

Let me give you my latest example of the Philadelphia TSA employees’ incompetence. We arrived at PHL on Thursday morning to fly to Fort Myers. The security lines weren’t actually too long, which pleasantly surprised me. As we approached the x-ray machine, I removed my shoes, sunglasses, and hoodie, took my laptop out of my backpack, and placed everything in the gray bins to be scanned.

As soon as I stepped through the metal detector (which I passed though with no problem), one of the TSA employees who obviously suffered from a Napoleon complex asked me to step away from the line.

I glanced over at The Huz and rolled my eyes.

Little Napoleon said he needed to “test” my shoes.

I shrugged. Testing for what, I have no idea. Anthrax? Gunpowder? Who knows?

Then he asked me if there were any sharp objects in my purse.

“No,” I replied. “Go ahead and look.”

He started rifling through my purse and, seconds later, confiscated my Chapstick (which is a solid, not a liquid).

I wanted to ask what the problem was with having Chapstick in my purse, but I knew that if I opened my mouth, my problem with authority would’ve become immediately evident and things would’ve gone south from there. So I remained silent.

Then he took my $20 freaking MAC Viva Glam V Lipglass from me! I have gone through countless security lines in airports across the country, including PHL, and never once have gotten any problems with lipgloss!

This is just how my luck works, people. My most expensive (and favorite) lipgloss gets taken from me. But it gets better.

Little Napoleon gave me the option of returning to the end of the line and going through security again, this time putting the Chapstick and lipgloss in a clear ziplock baggie for scanning. I looked back at the line, which had grown exponentially longer than before, and I declined.

Fuming, I put my shoes back on, shoved my laptop into my backpack, put my hoodie back on, and headed with The Huz for our gate.

We stopped in the restrooms on the way to the gate, and it was then that I realized that Little Napoleon and his idiotic TSA cohorts had failed to identify and confiscate an enormous box of matches in the front pouch of my backpack. Obviously I couldn’t be trusted with expensive cosmetics, but a potential source of fire? No problem!

Dipshits.

Labels: bitching, Illadelph, opinions, sheer idiocy, travel

Here's a slideshow of my pictures from the wedding of our friends Matt and Jill. They were married Friday evening on the beach on Marco Island, Florida. It was such a beautiful, intimate ceremony.

Congratulations to you both, and thank you for letting us share your special day with you!

PS - I'm a little disappointed by the quality of these pictures as they appear in the video, but the original JPEGs came out crystal-clear. I don't know why the pictures don't show up that well here, though. Sorry!

Labels: friends, marriage, music, pictures, technology, travel

If you ever have the opportunity to visit Naples or Marco Island on Florida's Gulf Coast...DO IT!

I don't know this guy; I just thought it would be a cool picture. He had no idea I was even there with my camera.

Looking across an inlet at the Delnor-Wiggins State Park beach. The water was fabulous. We spent quite a bit of time in the Gulf this afternoon, and I don't even like being in the ocean!

This might be my personal favorite of all the pictures I took in Naples, underneath the Naples Pier.
Shore birds abound here. I saw HUGE pelicans (second in size only to the great California condor), sea osprey, egrets, herons, and of course, seagulls.

Labels: pictures, travel

Perhaps my imagination is running wild, especially after doing all that recent reading about the haunted graveyards of the South.

Just for the hell of it, about fifteen minutes ago I started scrolling slowly through my pictures of the First Unitarian churchyard in Charleston again...the unedited, raw footage. I took about sixty pictures there. I got to the twenty-second or so photo and blew it up on my screen, and I SWEAR....I see a man's face in it.

I'm SO not joking.

After staring at this picture for about ten minutes now, I'm still trying to decide if my eyes are just playing tricks on me. But I can clearly make out a man's face in this picture. It's disembodied, which is the strange part...that is, if you don't consider the fact that there's an image of a person who wasn't actually THERE in my picture to begin with strange.

Anyway, I can clearly make out an almost full frontal view of his face. I see his hair and high forehead, his eyes, his right ear, a mustache and possibly a beard, and the fact that he appears to be smiling. But he's not looking at my camera.

I am one of the most cynical people you will ever meet...Cayman, you can vouch for me on that one. However, I seriously believe there is SOMETHING in this picture.

I'm posting the original, unretouched picture here. The only thing that I have changed in this picture is the color; I changed everything except where I see the "face" to black and white. I still don't think it's large enough to see well here, but click on the pic and tell me what you think. Remember, it's a disembodied head/face, and it kind of blends in with the tree trunk in the picture. Yet the facial features are still SO. DAMN. CLEAR. to me.

Am I nuts?

Labels: opinions, pictures, sheer insanity, travel

I like cemeteries, especially very old ones.

I was a little bummed that we didn't get a chance to visit the famed Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah, but we did swing by a beautiful graveyard behind the First Unitarian Church in the heart of Charleston, so well-camouflaged that supposedly most of the locals don't even know of its existence.

If I ever felt compelled to join a religious congregation, I would totally be down with the UU. But I digress.

This particular graveyard is the locale of many ghost legends in Charleston. You can read about them here and here. The second link also features a creepy (and probably Photoshopped) picture of a spirit wandering in the cemetery.

I took plenty of pictures during our stop here, but sadly, no mysterious shadows or glowing orbs of light appeared in my shots.

Labels: history, pictures, travel

On Sunday afternoon, we drove about 100 miles north from Savannah to Charleston. Our first stop was the Magnolia Plantation on the Ashley River. We took a house tour and a tram tour of the grounds. It was amazing. There is an array of wildlife on the plantation grounds, and the tour guide told us that a local ornithologist had identified over two hundred species of birds on the property last year.

If you're spending any time in the Charleston vicinity and have a few hours, I highly recommend checking it out. There's also a self-guided walking tour through swamplands, a petting zoo, and extensive gardens.

Here are some pictures.




The live oak-lined driveway to the plantation house.




Slave cabins on the plantation grounds.


Many peacocks wandered around the petting zoo area. This one in particular seemed to enjoy posing for me.




Here's a shot of Bubba, the resident male gator of the plantation.


Fred, a great blue heron.

Labels: animals, family, history, pictures, travel

I'm in Charleston tonight, but wanted to post a couple pics I took in Savannah yesterday.

This place was fantastic. The gardens, town squares, fountains, architecture...everything is so charming, unlike any other place I've ever visited. The sweet aroma of wild honeysuckle perfumes the air. Spanish moss drips from the limbs of the enormous live oaks that line the avenues of this small city. I'm only sorry that we weren't able to stay longer. There are tons of great photo opportunities here that I didn't have the chance to explore, due to our tight schedule.

Labels: family, pictures, travel

I really haven't had a hell of a lot to say lately.

The trapezius spasms have returned with a vengeance, so I'm trying to spend as much time away from the computer as possible. For the better part of the past two weeks, my right shoulder blade has been burning. It feels like it's going to explode. I had a fabulous massage on Friday after work that did help. In fact, it helped so much that I bought a massage package, so I have three more hour-long sessions to look forward to.

The annual Mother/Daughter Trip is coming up soon. We're flying into Jacksonville, renting a car and driving up to Savannah, spending the night there, and then driving the next afternoon to Charleston, SC. I can't wait! I'm really excited to take pictures all over these sister cities. I'm planning on picking up a copy of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and quickly reading it, so that I'm well-prepared for the Savannah leg of our trip. I did read it once, back in the mid-90s, but I'll be damned if I can remember much about it.

Work has been hectic, per usual. Nothing even worth writing about there. But I have kept my promise to myself about leaving promptly at 5 p.m., and I'm amazed by how much stuff I get done at home in the evenings as a result of that!

In two weeks, I'll be heading downtown to try and get some shots of the Dad Vail Regatta, Philly's annual collegiate boat race on the Schuylkill River. I usually go down there and hang out for a few hours most years; I love the energy of the college kids who are competing in it. Not to mention checking out all those young, muscular rowers. I don't recall the guys looking like that when I was in college!

I'll leave you with a picture that I took about ten days ago in my backyard. It's hard to believe that these bare-branched trees are now bursting with bright-green foliage. Spring has sprung and I am so happy!

Labels: books, family, hobbies, Philadelphia, pictures, sports, travel

So I booked one yesterday.

Just a long weekend in May in Savannah, GA and then driving to Charleston, SC. I've always wanted to see both places, and since they're considered "sister cities" I figured why not just do it?

Shortly after that, we're going back down south for a wedding on Marco Island, FL. We're going to stay an extra day after the wedding and do a tour of the Everglades.

I'm pretty excited about both trips, but honestly...May still seems so far off, and I'm trying not to let my anticipation distract me from all the stuff I have to accomplish at work first.

Labels: good news, travel