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PARIS !!!!!  

12 members have voted

  1. 1. Should I move to Paris?

    • Yes
      9
    • No
      1
    • I don't know.
      2


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We spent it at our friend's house, just talking and snacking and having fun. We watched the ball drop but didn't watch most of the pre- or post-show because my parents don't know who any of the performers are XD

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  • 2 weeks later...

This trip is an around the world adventure. We left Memphis and dead-headed to Indianapolis, then flew to Anchorage, Alaska. The morning we arrived in Anchorage it was nice and warm, but that evening, the snow started and anywhere else in the USA, it would be called a blizzard, but in Alaska, it was just "heavy" snow. As we got ready to depart early the next morning, there was quite an accumulation. From Anchorage we flew to Taipei, Taiwan. The weather was quite foggy and did not allow us a view of the countryside so I was a little disappointed. Unfortunately we had a short layover and left at noon the next day, but I hope to return. From Taipei, it was a short flight of and hour and twenty minutes to Hong Kong. Again, fog blocked any chance of seeing any scenery. Today it is still foggy. There is absolutely NO view. Grrrrr. Finally I get a room with a view and... NO view, except fog. Well, we have another day here and then we are off to Paris. Paris is one of my most favourite cities, so I am quite excited. When I can get a picture of the view without the fog, then I will post both pictures so you can view the difference.

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Feeling somewhat better... my food probably will not be digested for another year.

 

But... to answer your question, the reason for the delay in Thanksgiving dinner... I was in China or somewhere in Asia the days before, on and after Thanksgiving day. Then came our busy schedule, known as peak, then January, followed by some craziness in my schedule and that brought me to my "alternate Thanksgiving Day". I knew that I had some time to rest up and also the sell by date on the turkey was happening, so I figured... no time like the present.

 

Anyway, I must admit, that it was really delicious. After returning from the gym today, I had to indulge in seconds. :rolleyes:

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Haha, that's great! Thanksgiving is an awesome holiday, since the meal is a major part of it, it's like you have Thanksgiving for several days because of leftovers.

 

My parents came to visit, and we (myself, my brother, his girlfriend, and my parents) often go out to eat when they do. We all craved dim sum, but of course, no dim sum in this area, so we went to the nearby Elephant Bar after a couple of failed searches for open sushi places.

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:lol: Eat your heart out. :lol:

 

I have had so much dim sum that I am turning into one. :)

 

If you want, I can always FedEx you some directly from one of my stops in Asia.

 

By the way, is that Elephant Bar located in the ground floor of a local hotel? I think we stay in a hotel downtown that has an Elephant Bar along the street near the lobby.

 

Last night I dumped out the remaining gravy, dressing, cranberries and kept the turkey for sandwiches and soup. Today I started my "after Thanksgiving" diet.

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I think I am starting to turn into a turkey. The last part is in slices for turkey sandwiched and today I took the carcass and lots of really great chunky vegetables and made chicken vegetable soup. Tomorrow I will continue simmering it for the second day. Then it should be rather tasty. Of course, I must been lucky, because this evening we had a cold front pass with lots of rain and the temperatures dropped, so soup will be good.

 

As for the dim sum... next trip over to Asia, I will bring my lunch box with my freezer packs and FedEx you a bunch. :lol:

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Found out that I am able to upload pictures again... Hooray!!!

 

As we were wandering around Hong Kong, we made a detour through this mall called K11. As we were about to exit, there was this art called Toast Art that I thought was really interesting. Here it is. Totally comprised of toast. And no... eating it is not an option.

Toast Art.jpg

 

Now for the pictures from my Room in Hong Kong.

Foggy...

Room 1563 - Foggy.jpg

As it was starting to clear, Smoggy...

Room 1563 - Smoggy.jpg

 

Glad I could get those pictures posted. :)

They are a little oversized, but I wanted you to be able to get a close up of the details.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Alas, The board is dead. REVIVE!!!!

> :[)

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*wakes up from a nap*

 

Hello Topazia... how's life treating you?

 

I have been doing home projects. My vocabulary is increasing with every stupid piece of plastic that is used in plumbing. After a few years it ends up falling apart and it will not come off whatever it is that you are trying to remove it from. For example, the spray hose that is part of the kitchen sink started leaking. AND, we are having a little rodent problem. Something, and it's baby or babies, come to the kitchen and leave a couple poops in the left hand sink. So, I started searching for the opening where the rodent might be entering. I pulled out the refrigerator, the stove and attempted to pull out the dishwasher. Anyway, once these were out, I had to vacuum and wash the floor before putting it back. Not finding any holes, I moved to under the sink. While I was there, I decided to change out the spray hose. Well, this blossomed into buying a new faucet and changing everything. Anyway, now I have a new kitchen faucet, spray hose and I still have not found out the location where the rodents are entering the kitchen.

 

Perhaps a motion activated camera will help.

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Tonight I am going to begin a little adventure... I am heading to London for a Comic Con. The author and illustrator of The Mouse Guard, David Petersen, will be at this convention and I would like to attend and perhaps pick up a commission. The show time for the flight is at 02H00 with a 04H00 departure from Memphis Internation Airport.

 

There will be ongoing updates so you can follow along with my trip.

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That does sound fun! Sorry about your rodent problem. I've never had a problem like that so I have no suggestions.

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Lots to report, I was unable to access my computer due to a blonde disease...

*cough, cough*

 

I could not remember the log-in for my laptop. The super-uber expensive app I got for my iPhone that allows you to access your computer from anywhere in the world is wonderful... just as long as you can remember your computer system's log in. And, due to the fact that I have not had to use that in over one hundred million years, I could not remember the log in name. This is after I had some computer geek do some work on my computer and after paying him, I had to go back and rechange everything he did, the one thing I forgot to do was change my user name back to what I originally used. For some reason he did not like it.

 

The reason I had called him in the first place was to access the depths of my hard-drive for data that I had deleted. Well, he could not do that, but decided that he did not like that way I had set up my laptop, and decided to redo everything. AAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH! So, I spend two hours after he left, restoring my laptop to exactly how I had it originally, but for some reason, I forgot to change back my log in username and now I can not remember it.

 

So... I will be posting a brief poorly written account of my adventures along with pictures. Those are going be downloaded as soon as I finish my posts.

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yay!

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Tonight. I had to charge my camera battery. The battery should be fully charged shortly. Usually I have a second battery, but for some reason, I have misplaced it. It always has a home in my camera bag, so I am at a loss as to where it disappeared to.

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that is a lot of guests.

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If you scroll down to the bottom on the very first board page, you are able to click on (See full list). This will take you to where everyone is lurking. What is really amazing is the fact that people are truly in the topics and not just in the community page. Your topics, Mega Wolf, seem to draw quite a bit of attention. :rolleyes: At the moment, 12H17 Newark, New Jersey time... there are 84.

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Okay... on the way up to Anchorage from Memphis, I took some incredibly wonderful pictures... that all came out blurry. :(

We were able to see the Aurora Borealis and it was absolutely beautiful. Of course, never leaving home without my trusty camera, I tried to take some pictures. Unfortunately, there was just not a whole lot of light up there and I was unable to hold the camera still enough while the shutter was open. It had to stay open quite a long time and the airplane was just a tiny bit bumpy creating the "Northern Green Blur", I will try and post some pictures later today. You have been warned, they will not be good.

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NEWS FLASH !!!!!!!!!

 

iPad 3 has been delivered to my house! Of course, I am sitting in Anchorage having coffee, but I am excited to get home tonight and open the box. FedEx is the best in the industry and I just checked on line to see that the delivery has been completed.

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There's a few guests here at the moment. 6, actually. It's an entertaining idea that there are hundreds of people lurking on our conversations. I wonder who they are. The Northern Green Blur sounds like a bizarre film. :lol: Tell me how the iPad 3 is, I was thinking about getting one.

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First... pictures of some icicles in Anchorage. As you can guess, it was really, really cold.

 

Anchorage Icicles.jpg

 

Anchorage Icicles 2.jpg

 

Anchorage Icicles 3.jpg

 

Now some pictures of Aurora Borealis, which is also known as The Northern Lights.

 

Aurora Borealis.jpg

 

Aurora Borealis 2.jpg

 

Aurora Borealis 3.jpg

 

Please remember, these were taken up at altitude and the air was a little bumpy. You will notice that the stars are a little blurry.

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Hey guys ^.^!

 

I dunno if you remember me, its been some years since I've been to this site, but I had a sudden inspiration to see how things are doing here. Hope you all are doing well. Horatio, no suprise to see you still around :lol:. I'll stop by again soon. Until then!

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I'm doing pretty great! I'm at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York studying Physics. It's crazy to think how I remember coming here in 4th grade, and now I'm in college. That officially makes you guys my oldest correspondents sans family ^.^! How about you guys? I see you're travelling Horatio. Just seeing some sights?

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Poly Tech is a fantastic school!!!!! Congratulations!!!!! Physics is an incredible major!!! I am so very impressed!!! How is it going? Jesse is up in Connecticut working on his advanced math degrees, Jesusfreak is a teacher, Mega Wolf is a music major, -Kat- is studying graphic arts, Lexxscrapham is out on the west coast studying and working, Topazia is enjoying the sun studying and working, Leguan had a work/study year long adventure in Australia; and I could go on and on. As for me, there is not much change... still flying. I have to make a living and this is the best flying job there is. I am seriously considering moving to Germany for about four years to work. It just so happens that I would be living and working in the same city as Leguan. What amazes me is how everyone has grown up and moved into a new phase of their life encountering new challenges and more excitement. So, as things change, they stay the same. :) I certainly hope you stop in and keep us posted. I am so very proud of you and just how much you are achieving! Congratulations on getting into a great school and good luck in your studies.

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Wow, nothing like an old friend stopping by to remind you of how life keeps happening, right? It's funny, before major social networking sites, we had these forums. I remember when most people didn't really use the internet much for talking and our group was actually pretty special for having our regular interactions. :lol: Most people still had the "stranger danger" mentality, even with something like HD, but our regular posters knew this was pretty safe. And look at where many of us are! We're out and about in the world, doing some pretty interesting things. ^_^

Anyway, glad to see you here Hamster Luver, catching up is always fun.

 

Also, Horatio, blurry or not, those are some great pictures!

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Thanks!!! I have one more picture to post, and at first I could not figure out what the lights were, but then I remembered we were passing a Delta jet going the opposite direction and you can see his red, green and two white lights in a blur. :lol:

 

You are absolutely right about how where we are today and how are lives have changed. Good point.

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I thought there might be some more of the Aurora Borealis in the picture with the oncoming jet, but hardly any shows up. Anyway, I thought it was kind of interesting with both white lights and the navigation lights in red and green.

Delta Jet.jpg

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I thought there might be some more of the Aurora Borealis in the picture with the oncoming jet, but hardly any shows up. Anyway, I thought it was kind of interesting with both white lights and the navigation lights in red and green.

 

Delta Jet.jpg

 

It would have been a much better picture if there were stars and lots of the Aurora Borealis in the background. As it is now, it is not really any good, except to show how an oncoming airplane looks at night. By the way, we turn on our white lights to show each other where we are. Sort of a common courtesy to the other guy.

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I'm doing pretty great! I'm at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York studying Physics. It's crazy to think how I remember coming here in 4th grade, and now I'm in college. That officially makes you guys my oldest correspondents sans family ^.^! How about you guys? I see you're travelling Horatio. Just seeing some sights?

 

I have a friend at RPI studying Physics too! At least I think she is... That'd be funny if you knew her.

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I thought there might be some more of the Aurora Borealis in the picture with the oncoming jet, but hardly any shows up. Anyway, I thought it was kind of interesting with both white lights and the navigation lights in red and green.

 

post-678-0-69227300-1332456384_thumb.jpg

 

It would have been a much better picture if there were stars and lots of the Aurora Borealis in the background. As it is now, it is not really any good, except to show how an oncoming airplane looks at night. By the way, we turn on our white lights to show each other where we are. Sort of a common courtesy to the other guy.

 

How far away would you say that plane is in the picture Horatio?

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I thought there might be some more of the Aurora Borealis in the picture with the oncoming jet, but hardly any shows up. Anyway, I thought it was kind of interesting with both white lights and the navigation lights in red and green.

 

Delta Jet.jpg

 

It would have been a much better picture if there were stars and lots of the Aurora Borealis in the background. As it is now, it is not really any good, except to show how an oncoming airplane looks at night. By the way, we turn on our white lights to show each other where we are. Sort of a common courtesy to the other guy.

 

How far away would you say that plane is in the picture Horatio?

 

The plane was within a mile. As the closure speeds are so fast, I could not get another picture of him as he had passed underneath us.

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Horatio! For my "Transport Industries" class I had to do a thirty minute presentation with my group comparing FedEx and UPS and was thinking about you while doing it!

 

And you did not contact me???????????? :o Your Transport Industries class would be a class that I would really love taking! It would have been fun to hear what the clsss was saying about both of these two companies. Did you get an A+++++++?

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I'm doing pretty great! I'm at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York studying Physics. It's crazy to think how I remember coming here in 4th grade, and now I'm in college. That officially makes you guys my oldest correspondents sans family ^.^! How about you guys? I see you're travelling Horatio. Just seeing some sights?

 

I have a friend at RPI studying Physics too! At least I think she is... That'd be funny if you knew her.

 

Despite the fact that it isn't big school, I'd still say I probably don't know her. I'm a freshmen, so it seems unlikely that unless she is too that I would know her. That would pretty crazy though... tiny world.

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Those icicles are huge! The winter before last, we had one on our house that went from the gutter to the ground XD

 

And the northern lights are always beautiful~

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- Kat -.... I appreciate you looking. I cannot imagine an icicle that goes from the roof to the ground... too large to think of!!!! I am thinking of exactly how cold it had to be, and for how long, for that icicle to form. Way, way, way too long for me!!!

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TBFOF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am thrilled to see you! Good timing! You could have posted your friend's name as she is over 18. It would be interesting if Hamster Luver knows her.

So does that mean that sharing our own names is acceptable, or is that still frowned upon? ......Unless you manage to sneakily get it past you like Lauren/xMyOwnMindx's friend (or whatever her name was) did, which is how I found her and Toto. o_O Whoops.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well, it connected us in other places, but it didn't really that much. I don't really contact outside of HD anymore. :lol:

It's really my regular life that has gotten me too busy.

 

I... what?

Well, it connected us in other places, but it didn't really that much. I don't really contact outside of HD anymore. :lol:

It's really my regular life that has gotten me too busy.

 

I... what?

...I forget sometimes that I'm not having a one on one conversation with Horatio and I need to quote things. :lol:

See Horatio's post right before the "pillow fight day" one and that post will make more sense. XD

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I totally missed this whole week! My flights went between Memphis - Anchorage - Indianapolis - Paris - Newark - Memphis in about one week and all I could do between layovers was sleep and try not to get sick. Horrors! I lugged around my laptop and the only thing I managed to do was plug it in to charge it at all the different places. But now that I am back in Memphis, I am feeling much better. Just in time to start another eight days of reserve. :o

The whole board is like a timecapsule. It's ridiculous how much I grew up on here...

 

Welcome back!

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Well, it connected us in other places, but it didn't really that much. I don't really contact outside of HD anymore. :lol:

It's really my regular life that has gotten me too busy.

 

I... what?

Well, it connected us in other places, but it didn't really that much. I don't really contact outside of HD anymore. :lol:

It's really my regular life that has gotten me too busy.

 

I... what?

...I forget sometimes that I'm not having a one on one conversation with Horatio and I need to quote things. :lol:

See Horatio's post right before the "pillow fight day" one and that post will make more sense. XD

Knowing how busy you are, I totally understand. This board, other than work, is about the only place I visit as well. The other social boards take up way too much time. Time which I do not have to allocate visiting there. Besides, here it seems more like close friends.

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Well, it connected us in other places, but it didn't really that much. I don't really contact outside of HD anymore. :lol:

It's really my regular life that has gotten me too busy.

 

I... what?

Well, it connected us in other places, but it didn't really that much. I don't really contact outside of HD anymore. :lol:

It's really my regular life that has gotten me too busy.

 

I... what?

...I forget sometimes that I'm not having a one on one conversation with Horatio and I need to quote things. :lol:

See Horatio's post right before the "pillow fight day" one and that post will make more sense. XD

Knowing how busy you are, I totally understand. This board, other than work, is about the only place I visit as well. The other social boards take up way too much time. Time which I do not have to allocate visiting there. Besides, here it seems more like close friends.

 

Agreed. Doesn't matter how long it's been, I can always find a warm word here. :)

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Well, it connected us in other places, but it didn't really that much. I don't really contact outside of HD anymore. :lol:

It's really my regular life that has gotten me too busy.

 

I... what?

Well, it connected us in other places, but it didn't really that much. I don't really contact outside of HD anymore. :lol:

It's really my regular life that has gotten me too busy.

 

I... what?

...I forget sometimes that I'm not having a one on one conversation with Horatio and I need to quote things. :lol:

See Horatio's post right before the "pillow fight day" one and that post will make more sense. XD

Knowing how busy you are, I totally understand. This board, other than work, is about the only place I visit as well. The other social boards take up way too much time. Time which I do not have to allocate visiting there. Besides, here it seems more like close friends.

 

Agreed. Doesn't matter how long it's been, I can always find a warm word here. :)

 

It's comforting, isn't it?

Even if everything else goes south, I feel like I'll always have a support system here.

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I never knew we were so popular with search engine bots XD

 

What do you want to know? I'm afraid I haven't taken a class in years but I'll see what I can do XD

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This past weekend, I was in Cambridge, England, with a side trip to the Duxford Air Museum and another side trip to London. I am really tired now, which is not so good because I need to start reserve at midnight.

 

Overall the trip was great until I stepped off the curb and got hit by a speeding bicyclist. Dumb move. Totally my fault. The street is a one way street for motor vehicles, traveling towards me, and I was on the left side of the street. Well, there was this really crazy guy on the sidewalk ahead and I did not want to walk past him, so, I forgot to look behind me and stepped into the bike lane. KABOOM! At least I did not knock the bicyclist off her bike, but I am certain that I shook her up a bit. Well, her bike pedal hit my ankle squarely on the bone and took much of my skin and fur off above the ankle. There was an incredible amount of pain. Now I am much better, although I still feel quite dumb. By the way... these bicyclists travel at very high rates of speed.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I hope by now your ankle is feeling at least somewhat better :)

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Thank you for the good wishes. Yes, it was the same ankle. And it still hurts!!! I feel really dumb!

 

And for other news... my beloved laptop is dying.

*cries*

 

The Internet connection is gone, or should I say reduced to about 2%. I guess after six years, it is time for my precious laptop to retire into the computer home for well used electronics. Now I have to get a replacement and of course, Apple is talking about a new operating system coming out this summer, so I now have to wait. I already miss my laptop and it still has lots of non-internet use left.

 

*cries*

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have my dad's old work laptop as my only computer. He has this tendency to take insanely good care of things, so he was pretty much the last person a couple of years ago to have a functional laptop as old as this one. At that point, his work made him replace it, along with making him get a Blackberry so he could receive emails on the weekend. I'd like to note that this computer is literally 10 years old now, it's from 2002, and somehow still functions. I would imagine that it probably won't function for much longer. :lol:

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I am a firm believer that if you take good care of things, they will last a long time. Well, that is if you do not buy them at Wal-Mart, then they will last. You will be shocked with what I am about to say... I still have my Apple IIci from the early 1990's and it still functions perfectly. The use is for word processing as the memory is really small, but it still works fantastically.

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I definitely had donuts! Well, to the pleading of my boyfriend. It was a lazy day, and that morning he kept asking me for about an hour until I finally went around the corner to get some. :lol:

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Tomorrow I am leaving for Anchorage, and the nice part about this trip is the fact that we are flying in the afternoon. A daylight trip!!! After spending a day in Anchorage, we fly to Newark, followed by a day in Summit, then on to Memphis. After I return to Memphis, I am off for two weeks on vacation days!!!!

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Whoa... big news!!!!! I just found out that I will be carrying a bear on the airplane from Anchorage to Newark on the 13th. This is really exciting to me! Of course, pictures will follow. Today I plan on making sure all my pictures are downloaded from my camera, my batteries and spare batteries are fully charged and I have a second flash so that it does not flash in the bear's eyes. This is going to be a terrific flight!!!!!

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The bear was sooooooooo adorable. It was so much fun feeding him. What I learned was that the bear uses his nose to actually grab things and move them into his mouth. So there was no chance of me being bitten. I still am excited by the bear.

 

Kodiak Bear.jpg

 

The bear weighs about 280 pounds at three years old and will gain another 500 to 600 pounds by the age ten.

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The bear had been orphaned at nine months and rescued by this Alaska Wildlife organization. Usually the bear cubs stay with the mother until age three. Anyway, this bear was fortunate enough to be found and then cared for until his third birthday. He is now on his way to a wildlife center in Sweden, The center spend several millions on creating a natural habitat for him with lots of acreage and even a stream. When a bear is orphaned, they do not have the skills to kill the food it needs to survive and most often starves to death.

 

This particular bear had been used in a colour study to see if he could recognize different colours. For example, he was taught that if he saw a red square of paper, he should raise his right paw and if he saw a green piece of paper to raise his left paw. He could actually tell the difference between the colours and would raise the correct paw every time. This study is attempting to distinguish what colour clothing humans should possibly wear to help avoid bear encounters.

 

Anyway, we fed him fruit and cheese from the airplane catering, plus some juice in his water bowl to help him stay hydrated.

 

Really exciting.

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Poor bear, I'm glad he'll be going somewhere where he'll be able to live a safe and happy life! He sounds pretty smart so I bet he'll do fine.

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Well we haven't set anything on fire just yet, the fourth isnt' for another 6 days XD We went and saw a fireworks show last Saturday, though, that ws fun~ Lots of pretty new products this year! I'm not sure which ones we bought though.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Traveling is a wonderful way to learn about the world. If I was going to give people advice, it would be to take a year off after college and get a job somewhere else in the world, Peace Corps, teaching English in a foreign country, something... just to get out and see how the rest of the world lives. This experience is so very enriching and makes you a much better candidate for a job. For example, TBFOF learning Mandarin or Cantonese will be extremely marketable in the job market, and actually have an advantage when it comes to a job search.

 

SleepoverFanatic52!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

How wonderful of you to stop by!!!!!!!

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Well, my schedule for December was just published. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! I leave for Narita on the 20th and spend Christmas traveling between Narita, Japan and Shenzhen, China. I get to the hotel late on Christmas night and then spend the next two days there. The bad news is that this hotel is where I experienced the worst food poisoning of my life... so I am not so anxious to eat anything there. I return home late on the night of the 27th and head back out on the morning of the 30th back to Narita. I spend New Year's Day traveling between Narita, Japan and Hong Kong and have a return flight on the 3rd of January. Oh well, I had hoped not to work all the holidays, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Eve, but oh well. C'est la vie.

 

Tomorrrow I get to try and trip trade for a trip much earlier in the month, but I am certain that I am not the only one trying to get off Christmas. Let's see what happens. Wish me luck!!!

 

 

Sorry I haven't been here and don't know the answer to this, but why are you everywhere??

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Well, my schedule for December was just published. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! I leave for Narita on the 20th and spend Christmas traveling between Narita, Japan and Shenzhen, China. I get to the hotel late on Christmas night and then spend the next two days there. The bad news is that this hotel is where I experienced the worst food poisoning of my life... so I am not so anxious to eat anything there. I return home late on the night of the 27th and head back out on the morning of the 30th back to Narita. I spend New Year's Day traveling between Narita, Japan and Hong Kong and have a return flight on the 3rd of January. Oh well, I had hoped not to work all the holidays, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Eve, but oh well. C'est la vie.

 

Tomorrrow I get to try and trip trade for a trip much earlier in the month, but I am certain that I am not the only one trying to get off Christmas. Let's see what happens. Wish me luck!!!

 

 

Sorry I haven't been here and don't know the answer to this, but why are you everywhere??

 

Yes why do you get to travel to the neatest places?

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  • 2 weeks later...

The good news was that it connected you all in other places, the bad news was that it connected you all in other places, therefore no need to come here.   :(

 

Wait, people know each other in other places now?

 

Sometimes this happens, where people figure out other people on other social media locations.

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Well, my schedule for December was just published.      GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!  I leave for Narita on the 20th and spend Christmas traveling between Narita, Japan and Shenzhen, China.  I get to the hotel late on Christmas night and then spend the next two days there.  The bad news is that this hotel is where I experienced the worst food poisoning of my life... so I am not so anxious to eat anything there.  I return home late on the night of the 27th and head back out on the morning of the 30th back to Narita.  I spend New Year's Day traveling between Narita, Japan and Hong Kong and have a return flight on the 3rd of January.  Oh well, I had hoped not to work all the holidays, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Eve, but oh well.  C'est la vie.

 

Tomorrrow I get to try and trip trade for a trip much earlier in the month, but I am certain that I am not the only one trying to get off Christmas.  Let's see what happens.  Wish me luck!!!

 

 

Sorry I haven't been here and don't know the answer to this, but why are you everywhere??

 

Why am I everywhere? I wish I knew? :lol: No, I am everywhere for work.

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Well, my schedule for December was just published.      GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!  I leave for Narita on the 20th and spend Christmas traveling between Narita, Japan and Shenzhen, China.  I get to the hotel late on Christmas night and then spend the next two days there.  The bad news is that this hotel is where I experienced the worst food poisoning of my life... so I am not so anxious to eat anything there.  I return home late on the night of the 27th and head back out on the morning of the 30th back to Narita.  I spend New Year's Day traveling between Narita, Japan and Hong Kong and have a return flight on the 3rd of January.  Oh well, I had hoped not to work all the holidays, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Eve, but oh well.  C'est la vie.

 

Tomorrrow I get to try and trip trade for a trip much earlier in the month, but I am certain that I am not the only one trying to get off Christmas.  Let's see what happens.  Wish me luck!!!

 

 

Sorry I haven't been here and don't know the answer to this, but why are you everywhere??

 

Yes why do you get to travel to the neatest places?

 

Sorry to not reply earlier, but I get to travel to the neatest places because that is my job.  I am a Captain on a B-777 for FedEx.  My job opens doors to places that are extremely interesting.  The only bad part is that, as this is work and not a holiday, I do not get to stay and do the tourist things.  I can get in one or two tourist things now and then, but mostly I try and visit museums and art gallerys which can be accomplished in a day or afternoon.

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The good news was that it connected you all in other places, the bad news was that it connected you all in other places, therefore no need to come here. :(

 

Wait, people know each other in other places now?

 

Sometimes this happens, where people figure out other people on other social media locations.

 

Then I'm on the case.

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The good news was that it connected you all in other places, the bad news was that it connected you all in other places, therefore no need to come here. :(

 

Wait, people know each other in other places now?

 

Sometimes this happens, where people figure out other people on other social media locations.

 

Then I'm on the case.

 

I was just trying to sound dramatic.

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Well, my schedule for December was just published. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! I leave for Narita on the 20th and spend Christmas traveling between Narita, Japan and Shenzhen, China. I get to the hotel late on Christmas night and then spend the next two days there. The bad news is that this hotel is where I experienced the worst food poisoning of my life... so I am not so anxious to eat anything there. I return home late on the night of the 27th and head back out on the morning of the 30th back to Narita. I spend New Year's Day traveling between Narita, Japan and Hong Kong and have a return flight on the 3rd of January. Oh well, I had hoped not to work all the holidays, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Eve, but oh well. C'est la vie.

 

Tomorrrow I get to try and trip trade for a trip much earlier in the month, but I am certain that I am not the only one trying to get off Christmas. Let's see what happens. Wish me luck!!!

 

 

Sorry I haven't been here and don't know the answer to this, but why are you everywhere??

 

Yes why do you get to travel to the neatest places?

 

Sorry to not reply earlier, but I get to travel to the neatest places because that is my job. I am a Captain on a B-777 for FedEx. My job opens doors to places that are extremely interesting. The only bad part is that, as this is work and not a holiday, I do not get to stay and do the tourist things. I can get in one or two tourist things now and then, but mostly I try and visit museums and art gallerys which can be accomplished in a day or afternoon.

 

I wish you could get to stick around longer, but that still sounds like you're really super cool.

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Oh my goodness!!!!! SleepoverFanatic52, then TopBanana!!!! I thought being in the typhoon in Shanghai would get my attention, but seeing you both appear is much, much more exciting!!! I could never be happier than to see old faces reappear!!!!! WOW!!!

 

When you travel for work, it sometimes can get old. For example, you do not always get the opportunity to go and sightsee. Then sometimes you arrive at the destination and all you want to do is get a shower and head to bed. We flew from Shanghai to Paris, had a nineteen hour layover in Paris before an eight hour flight to Delhi. On my layover, the only thing I was able to do was take a shower, have a couple cups of coffee, sleep (sort of), eat a salad for dinner, sleep some more, get up, take a shower, then head back to the airport to fly. Here I was in one of the most terrific cities in the world and I slept through it. :( Then there are places where you do not want to eat much as getting sick is a very high possibility. In one country we fly to, there is a placard next to the sink in all the hotels we stay in, that indicates that the water is undrinkable. Bottled water is the only option. But before you say, that is easy, consider this, no ice in your glass, no brushing your teeth without using bottled water and if you have ever opened your mouth in the shower, and water entered, this too could make you sick. Think not getting more than two seconds away from a bathroom. Another consideration is, no salads or anything that may be washed or rinsed with local water. I love salads, but there are some places we travel where I am ultra cautious and lettuce, raw vegetables and other types items are not on my plate. Once you have had a case or two of food poisoning, you become quite attentive. You also have to consider food items where local water may be added and the item may not have been boiled or cooked. Then there are just the other food items that may be bad. Consider that you may encounter bad shellfish or something that is not fully cooked, with organisms that impact your system in ways you never thought possible. I have been so sick that I thought dying might be a better option. Think being in the bathroom where you wanted to both sit on the toilet and lean over the toilet at the same time, and you do not trust getting medicine from the local pharmacy because you cannot read the box, cannot speak the language to explain your situation, plus you are too sick to leave your room and realize that the location where you are located has a reputation for counterfeit pharmaceuticals. Dying seems like a much better option. Now for the good aspects, you get to see places that you probably never have traveled to, seen things you most often do not see on the travel channels or in books, and experienced the people first hand. There are many other things to consider before traveling to a different country. One action that can have you arrested and land you on jail is to wear a religious object such as a cross, in Saudi Arabia. There is no such freedom like we have in the U.S.A.. If you are wearing such a piece of jewelry, this is a violation of law and you could go directly to jail. In Singapore, you will NOT chew gum in public. Lots of other little customs, laws and cultural ways that you must be aware of before you travel. There is no such excuse as "I did not know". There are other little things that could land you in jail such as taking a photograph of something that is not approved by that country. Let us imagine that you are traveling down the highway and you see a military troop carrier, with troops in the open back. You snap a great photograph. In some places, you have just committed a crime. A vey big ooops. One that your parents might spend a long time trying to get you released and back home. The one thing that Americans do not consider is just how fortunate we are to be able to live life as we do. Not that there are not other great places in the world with lots of freedoms, but there are also places where you have no freedoms. For instance, there are places where women are second class citizens. A woman must be dressed in a certain method and may not be out alone, unescorted, after a certain time at night. If the woman is caught in either of these situations, a man may commit a crime qgainst her, such as violence or sexual crime, and nothing will be done to the man who committed the crime. The thought behind the law is that the woman was asking for trouble. No one considers that she may be retruning home from working a late shift that ends after dark.

 

Anyway, these are some of the things to consider before traveling. That being said, I totally believe that traveling the world, meeting other people from other countries and seeing the sights is something that everyone should experience. Traveling is one of the best experiences of my life. You can experience other countries in a number of ways. One such method is to get a job with a language school and teach English. The school does not want you to be able to speak their language. Let us say you are in France. The language school may have courses teaching English to business people teaveling to an English speaking country. They offer a rapid course to help these people learn English in a short time period. Here you step in. What the school wants is that you only communicate in English, forcing the student to think in English. If you spoke French, and the student asked a question in French and you replied in French, then the student would not be forced to ask the question in English. So, if you do not speak the language of the country, then you are a better candidate for employment. Another option is an au pair. You can get a six month, year or longer, job looking after someone's children. Yes it is sort of a nanny position, but you learn the language and as these are families with relative wealth, you most often get to travel with the family. Another option is to save money and travel at your own expense. Youth hostels are cheap places to stay and you will meet a number of interesting people, but this costs you money which is extremely hard to earn. The good news is that you have an asset to place on your resume. One option that young people usually reject is the military. I am not suggesting to enlist in the army or navy, but to consider the reserves. This gives you an education in a career field, you may travel and you are only giving up a weekend a month and a couple weeks in the summer. If you do not have a job, this is a great option. And if you believe that you cannot follow orders because you are a free spirit, then you have your eyes closed. Working a job is quite often more restrictive and disciplined being in the military because the company is the one paying you and you are disposible. The last option is something such as the Peace Corps.

 

Well, I have rambled enough. We are here in Delhi and depart tomorrow back to Shanghai and the rainy weather.

 

More to follow as rhe company has suggested we do not leave the hotel. So I am here. :lol:

 

 

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So, if you do not speak the language of the country, then you are a better candidate for employment.

 

Well, but only in this special case you mentioned. In most cases, it's a good idea to know at least a bit of the local language. France is a very good example.^^ Check out "Do You Speak English? - Big Train - BBC comedy" on youtube. There's quite a bit of truth in it. :D

Even though you guys are quite lucky with English being your mother tongue which is kind of a "lingua franca" nowadays and quite a few people in other countries are able to speak English, this is not always the case. Additionally, I experienced that people really appreciate a lot if you show interest and try to communicate in their language. Like the French. I tried English- failed. I tried German- failed. I tried to remember a bit of the French which I learned at school- great success.

 

As for the other things, you're absolutely right. Some countries have laws appearing really strange to somebody who grew up in "western" cultures. You just have to be prepared and accept the local habits. Always keep in mind that you are the foreigner and you also were not happy if some stranger would come, not accepting your local rules. If I can't accept it, I simply stay away. I would never travel to quite a few Arabian countries where really basic human rights are violated, for example.

For "traveling beginners", it is advisable first to stay in the "western culture" or countries which are close to it. I would say Singapore, for example, is quite western. You just have to know some of their laws, but it is really easy and safe to visit. They even speak English. :D

Especially for young people, I can absolutely recommend to spend a longer period of time (like 1 year) abroad. This really opens your mind for quite a few things and you even learn a lot about your own country. Like appreciating things which you always took for granted but also seeing things which could be improved a lot.

For those who don't know, I'm speaking from experience and even though there were some downsides, going for a "working holiday" was definitely one of the best decisions which I made in my life. I spent one year in Australia and New Zealand, with stopovers in Thailand and Singapore.

You U.S. guys are a bit unlucky that your government doesn't support the working holiday scheme. That's a number of bilateral agreements between countries, granting young citizens of each other country a 1-year working visa so that you can earn some money since traveling is expensive. For example, as a German citizen I can get this visa for Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan (I don't need any visa for E.U. countries, just in case you're wondering why there aren't any European countries on the list). And vice versa, citizens of those countries can get the same visa for working in Germany.

Even though you can't get this type of visa, there are still other opportunities for young U.S. citizens. Au pair for example and probably others which I don't know about. It's really worth a try.

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Leguan, thank you so much for your real life experience. You are absolutely right when it comes to traveling to other countries, to know some of the language. The basics, hello, good bye, please, thank you, and some other small phrases are important. I make it a point to learn a few words and I have found the same experience you have, that it goes quite a long way towards a good experience in that country. To also know some of the mores and customs of each country also make a good impression.

 

No one can tell others of the value of work-experience travel, unless they have done exactly as you have. Thank you so much for your post!!!! I hope that people put this thought in their minds for something to do.

 

Regarding language problems in other countries, what works well is the iPhone translator app. :lol: My colleague and I were at a restaurant in Narita and I wanted some of this fresh tofu that they make. I had tried to explain what I wanted in English, and no one spoke anything but Japanese. Then I remembered my translator program and used it. The waiter loved it and we got the fresh tofu we really wanted. This app makes the hard communications of words and phrases that you might not normally learn, at a touch of the screen.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have a problem that needs good advice. I have some DVD's that I want to put on my iPad, but they do not give you a download option. No matter how I try, I am unable to download them onto my laptop to transfer them onto my iPad. Does anyone know of a good app that would allow me to accomplish this? Thank you!!!

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A friend of mine told me to use that, but when I searched I must have separated the two words and I came up with something that was for bills, finance or money management. My brain never told me to delete the space. UGHHHHH... those blonde genes sometimes get into the way. The I found another app that had handbrake, but it was a SoundExpress Cubic Studio with thirteen sounds... one of which is a handbrake. Is this a computer app and I am looking in the wrong place? I have been looking at the iPhone and iPad apps. My search methods need to improve. I have now refined my search using your suggestion. Thank you!!!

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Okay... we have a very, very big problem. I have been "playing" on my iPhone searching for one app and finding other apps that I simply cannot live without. Of course, I think some of these apps we load onto our iPhone are just something to occupy our interest and most often the novelty wears off. Good thing the ones I downloaded are free, but I did get a new app that is for work. The NOAA weather radar. It looks like it will show worldwide weather radar coverage. That would be really terrific. The radar coverage I have now is only for the USA, so I am really excited.

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Thank you sooooooooo very much SleepoverFanatic52!!! I searched for "use" as you suggested and voila, I found it. My first mistake was to look for it in the iPad or iPhone apps. I found it for the computer. You are a genius!!! Thank you so much! I purchased some exercise DVDs, and I wanted to put them onto my iPad. When I called the company that sells them, they said they block it from being downloaded because they do not want people to share them. My goal was just to have them on my iPad, and not have to carry all the DVDs when I travel, so this is perfect!!! Thank you again.

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I would like to hear opinions of this:

 

What do you think of businesses that advertise if you "like" them on Facebook, they will do ________fill in the blank_______.

 

I do not want to voice my opinion until someone else voices theirs first.

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Very smart. What scares me is the enormous amount of data they are collecting. You have to wonder what they plan to do with all that information. In our town, there were two young people who were breaking into houses, the police learned their identity through facebook, using the facebook recognition software. Good news for the citizens, bad news for the criminals.

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This past Saturday, I went to the Baltimore Comic Con. My tickets were for both days, but my flight had changed and I only was able to attend one day, so...

I walked so much that by the end of the day my legs hurt, I was exhausted and I had the best time of my life!!!

 

Saw David Petersen, author and illustrator of The Mouse Guard and Jeremy Bastian, author and illustrator of The Cursed Pirate Girl and was able to pick up a commission. Even though I had to leave after only one day, I was thrilled at having been able to attend!!!

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