Tie Me Down to this blog.

Traffic, sometimes it can be fun to play in it.

2010-08-17T15:30:00.007-05:00

With the announcement of the new AYCJ pass, I've gotten a lot of traffic to this personal blog in the past 24 hours.

I really haven't updated things in the past several months since I have been traveling. I was in Peru in December, Ireland, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, and Jerusalem in March/April and just got back from a trip to Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand a couple of months ago.

I'm a professional photographer and aspiring travel writer/photojournalist, so feel free to take a look at past trips and events and contact me if you have any questions. I love sharing my past experiences and travel knowledge.

Some pictures can be found at my new site ; PerihelionPhotography.com though most pictures can be found at fa cebook.com/mikeblitch

Here is the best link to read solely about my AYCJ experiences: http://mikeblitch.blogspot.com/search/label/AYCJ

Safe travels, blue skies, and eternal golden hour light!

Here are some various sites hosting some of my travel photos:

http://gigapan.org/gigapans/most_popular/?q=mblitch - Gigapixel sized panoramics
http://www.panoramio.com/user/373335 - GPS tagged photos displayed via Google Earth
http://picasaweb.google.com/mblitch - Various albums

Michael J. Blitch
mblitch@perihelionphotography.com

The cliffs around the crashing sea, unsolved and endless, wait for me.

2010-06-18T00:49:00.006-05:00

Trip date 3/27/10

After an early start, we headed off with a guide for a day through Galway and on to the cliffs. We briefly checked out the cathedral and the famous harbor swans, quite photogenic, and leisurely drove through the countryside. We made a few stops along the way including Dunguaire Castle, one of the most photographed castles in the world. After a few stops along the roadway to take in other sites, including a seemingly vast lunar landscape, we made it to the Cliffs of Moher. Instead of going to the normal tourist route, our guide had is park along the road just before the cliffs and walk through a local field. He was also a skydiver and we had been talking about BASE jumping the evening prior, and wouldn't you know it but just as we were walking by we saw someone leap from the cliff. We set up at a beautiful spot to take in the views and enjoy a few Polish beers while I played around with my panoramic robot. It was slightly hazy, so the pano didn't come out as clear as I would have liked in the distance, but the overall effect is still there. It was a great way to relax for the day and we got to see quite a few astounding views and take in some neat experiences.

Cliffs of Moher Gigapan; http://gigapan.org/gigapans/49339/

If I have seen farther than others it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants. - Issac Newton

2010-06-16T01:24:00.000-05:00

Trip Date 3/26/10

After a nice bread and breakfast stay-over, the first stop of the day was famous Giant's Causeway. I had seen these kind of formations previously when I was in California visiting Devil's Postpile National Monument many years ago. We arrived early enough to avoid the mass of tourists since the bus was not yet operating. It was a decent downhill hike from the visitor center to the basalt formations, but with the bright sun and cool crisp air, it was quite enjoyable. It was fun to walk among the hexagon columns and take in the view. Just a day or so prior to my departure for this trip I got a photographic robot designed for use in taking very detailed panoramic photos. The Gigapan Epic Pro robot was designed to allow a professional level DSLR with long lens be used to take numerous overlapping pictures to be later stitched together using processing software. I would go on to make several gigapixel sized panoramic pictures on this trip (http://gigapan.org/gigapans/most_popular/?q=mblitch), however this would be my first attempt.

Here is the panoramic, pannable, picture of Giant's Causeway; http://gigapan.org/gigapans/49111/

God made whiskey so the Irish wouldn't rule the world.

2010-06-15T21:51:00.000-05:00

Trip Date 3/25/10

After the driving yesterday, it was nice to plan to stay in the area. After waking up to a morning rain, it was decided to bypass the morning bar, and head straight to the source, the famous Bushmills Whiskey Distillery. On a cold North Sea day, what better to warm up than a tour of the warm factory among the cooking ingredients and warm post-tour liquids? We were taking through various parts of the facility by someone who seemed to have been doing this a long time and seemed to quite intimately know his whiskeys. After the tour we were able to try various whiskeys, including a 12, 16, and 18 year old samples. Never having ever consumed the stuff, I really wasn't sure what to expect. The straight shot was of course strong, but mixed with a little Coke or even water, it was much more smooth and easier to take on. I was once given a bottle of 18 year old Whiskey by my friend Alina and at the time didn't recognize the distinction, but after trying them, I can now definitely differentiate between the years and see why the later products are so much more expensive.

After leaving the distillery we headed to Ballintoy Harbour to see and smell the sea before scurrying of to Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge. This is a famous tourist site in Northern Ireland and definitely a pretty spot. Because it was a but rainy, there were very few people there, which allowed us to play around and on the bridge as long as we liked without interruption. Normally there are so many people there that it is impossible to get clean pictures, much less pause and enjoy the view. By the time we walked the path, the rain and all but stopped. It was actually kind of fun to bound across and check out the island on the other side and we hung around for quite a while taking pictures for other folks and just playing around in general before heading back. Though it was a bit foggy, on a clear day one may easily be able to see Scotland.

After swinging low, the next stop was nearby Kinbane Castle. It wasn't in my guide book, but I had already put into the GPS the coordinates after having seen the location on Google Earth. It was my first ever real castle experience. Though there was not a lot to it, the experience was pretty exciting due in part to the still remote nature of it and the fact that so few people probably get down to this point.

I'm not racist. I don't even own running shoes.

2010-06-15T21:36:00.003-05:00

Busy day of completing a few projects, running around town, and finally getting back to running. I did my 20th run at the weekly Four Green Fields running club 5K event that is held every Tuesday evening at 6 o'clock. This was a nice run in part because of the dolphins that were playing and feeding along the Bayshore Blvd seawall. Interspersed along the sidewalk are alcoves with staircases to enable people that 'fall in' a way to get out. Apparently one of the dolphins had chased a large fish onto the staircase that cornered itself on a shallow step in attempts to keep away. The dolphin could not quite beach itself enough to get the fish, so it kept going back and forth to try to force the fish to make a break for it, which it did. I didn't see the result of the chase one the dolphin took off after the sushi snack, but the process of solving the problem and rooting it out was pretty interesting.

Marine Fundraiser and Solar Promotion

2010-06-04T23:20:00.000-05:00

The most cooperative man in this world is a dead man. - Bela Oxmyx

2010-06-02T08:24:00.003-05:00

Getting back into a theater kick, I've been able to check out Wicked, Mary Poppins, and, after last night, "Dead Man's Cell Phone" at the TBPAC. The Weekly Planet has a review here. It was a nice little performance with a couple of technical hiccups during the review showing (but entertaining enough to check out. Though I still very much enjoy larger productions, I still want to look more towards smaller shows.

Favorite line from the show, said to woman getting slightly older; "even if you're 39, remember your eggs are 40".

A mans home may seem to be his castle on the outside; inside, it is more often his nursery.

2010-03-26T22:52:00.000-05:00

After leaving the swinging bridge, the next stop was Dunluce Castle. This was to be my first honest to goodness castle experience, and it is a doozie. This nearly epitomizes the idea of an old European castle used in the feudal age. It was well situated on the cliffs and even had a somewhat secret way into a sea cave directly underneath by which emergency escapes might be made if necessary. After parking we first walked down the road, hopped a fence, and trudged across a field to set up the camera system so I could get in another detailed panoramic shot. The wind was pretty strong, so the quality of the pano isn't as good as I had hoped, but it still it gives as decent a representation of the awesome view. After taking the automated shots we heading into the castle and explored for a while before having a nice lunch at the local cozy eatery and then heading off to meet with some friends of my travel partner, Alina.

Dunluce Castle Gigapan; http://gigapan.org/gigapans/52178/

You know it's summer in Ireland when the rain warms up.

2010-03-25T19:06:00.001-05:00

Travel isn't just a state of place, it can be a state of persona as well as a state of mind. The more I have experienced of this world, the more I want to see and do. The past couple of years I've really picked up the pace in terms of exploring my world and trying to not only find myself (the walkabout never really ends) but to also simply become more aware of the surroundings. Over the past couple of months, a few grand opportunities came up that I could not easily forgo in terms of travel opportunities. So, after spending a fair amount of time researching via Google Earth, blogs, and wiki-pages, I heading out for the next adventure. Yesterday morning found me at Tampa Airport once again to head out. I left Tampa at 2:45, stopped briefly in Atlanta, and then boarded the red-eye flight to Dublin. I landed around 6AM, passed through customs pretty easily, and met up with Alina, my travel partner for the next week. We had mat at a skydiving function last July lives in Ireland currently. After dropping off some stuff and getting cleaned up, we headed out of town. The first quick stop was the site of the Battle of the Boyne. There really wasn't too much to the site other than a clear field and interpretative center, so after wandering aorund for a short time, we headed off to Newgrange.

New grange is a World Heritage Site and basically a prehistoric monument built as a burial and religious site. The inner chamber was designed such that light from the rising sun during the winter solstice hits the floor and thus lighting the space. Visitors get to see this effect during a tour through the use of electric lights. While only one of the mounds was open, it was a fun enough experience and my first opportunity to see the truly expansive green hills of the famous Irish countryside. On the way towards Belfast, the car tire had a blowout, and while there was a jack in the car, a lug wrench was not to be found (vehicle ownership 101). Fortunately within 10 minutes a kind gentleman stopped by, brought out the right-sized socket wrench, and we were switched over within a few minutes.

We got into Belfast just around dark to explore for a little bit. Even though there were no borders, immigration control offices, or even signs, Northern Ireland is still technically governed by the British Government and United Kingdom, so I'm going to count this as the next country ticked off the list. After parking, we walked the water front a bit along the Lagan Weir and pedestrian bridge at the floodgates. After taking a few shots at the clock tower, we meandered over to the Belfast Wheel, which is a smaller copy of the 'London Eye'. It, unfortunately, ceased operations a couple of weeks later (April 2010). After dinner we barely made it to the parking garage as the last employee was leaving and convinced them to generously allow us out, otherwise it might have been a cold night on the streets. As it was, we headed towards Bushmills and found, again at the last moment as employees were leaving, a place to stay at a the Causeway hotel. When we arrived the place was closed, but wandering around the building I found an employee just about to leave while tossing out the rubbish. It was a very exhausting day starting at 6AM and ending just before mid-night and was nearly cut short many times with just minutes to spare, but was all-in-all a good start of a trip.

When art is understood by everybody, it will cease to be art

2010-03-07T21:47:00.004-05:00

I was going to go climbing today, but my ankle is a little wonky from the adventure race Saturday morning and general exhaustion of the race, beer fest, and late night party. I did, however, make it over to the Gasparilla Art Fest downtown. While trying to get a bit more involved with my own interest in photography, I was most wanting to see the different styles of artists. One of the things I started to realize, never have had any formal art and design training, is that the framing or packaging of the art, especially photography, is almost equally critical to the success of the subject matter.

If the mind were exercised as much as the mouth, we would be a race of geniuses.

2010-03-06T22:37:00.008-05:00

Today I participated in the Great Urban Race. This was an urban adventure race that involves solving numerous clues with a partner, finding the particular locations, and then completing them all before making it back to the finish line. I got in a little early so I could scout out the are a bit for clues and get a general layout of the place. I grabbed breakfast at Centennial Park at the weekly market event and then picked up a trolley/bus pass before heading over the Gaspar's Grotto. I set up my netbook with the Wi-Fi so as soon as the clues could be opened we could research the answer and make a plan of attack. after solving what we needed to get started, I took a picture of some of the puzzles and riddles and e-mailed them to friends to aid in the research.

Our first stop was Centennial Park where we had to find the 'Immigrant Family' statue. It was much more crowded than just a few hours prior as there was some kind of event going on at the same time, so it was a bit chaotic weaving in and out of the crowd while dodging other racers as well. We weren't even the first to get there since people in the park seemed to be caught up with what was happening and simply pointed the way to anyone with a race bid. Next we had to head downtown. The streetcar was packed, so we figured the best thing would be to just hoof it to the next clue and take the streetcar back in the afternoon. There were three of the clues in a short distance with challenges. We had to do a team bike partnership, find a particular 'Earth Energy' sculpture to take a pic, and then complete a blindfolded beanbag toss in a game called 'cornhole'. After that it was across the Kennedy bridge, cutting through to Platt, and then on to Hyde Park where there were several challenges, surfboard riding, drop off a purchased water bottle, soccer challenge, and smoothie eating. From there it was a straight run back to the Convention Center and then take the excruciating slow streetcar back to Ybor and then on to the finish.

Overall our team came in 21nd out of over 300 teams, meaning we qualified for the national event later this year. My partner was more of a jogger than a runner, but put forth a great effort and picked up things when we needed. Overall we did a great job and had a lot of fun. After that was finished we headed to beer fest to meet up with some friends and enjoy a few hours of beer sampling. I headed over to Carrollwood for a friend's birthday party with a 'crazy hat' theme for more drink, food, and games before finally making it back after 2AM.

Isn't the Department of the Interior, in charge of everything outdoors?

2010-03-05T19:44:00.003-05:00

Attended the Outdoors Expo and Boat Show at the Floride State Fairgrounds to attend a fossil hunting talk that was given by Teresa Hattaway. It had been a while since I have been fossil diving, but after the talk I chatted with Teresa for a while about diving spots and experiences. Venice Beach, just south of Sarasota, is a well known location I used to pretty often to pick up shark teeth, however my biggest scores were in the Cooper River area of Charleston several years ago. I also saw Ed Ciesla, the operator of the first dive shop that hired me to do some teaching when I first became a dive instructor back in 1998. He still runs the Woods and Water SCUBA and Scout shop in Brandon and was conducting 'Discover SCUBA' classes in the portable pool that had been set up.

I'm not in my right mind. It's out cavorting nude in the mud.

2010-03-04T11:26:00.000-05:00

I attended the Nude Nite Tampa Art Expo during the opening night of the multi-day event. I wanted a chance to work in a darker environment as I learn more about the lighting, ISO, and aperture advantages of my new camera. I try to be unobtrusive and prefer to take photos without the flash whenever possible. The atmosphere of the old trolly barn created a great location for just such an event. the whole Tampa Riverwalk project is coming along quite well even though this location will not be developed for several more years. Right near this location is the site of a sunken civil war vessle that is just starting to be excavated. I attended a talk at the Reefseekers Dive Club a few months ago that provided details of the wreck and how the property owner was surprisingly embracing of the archeological project and hoped to integrate it into future site plans as a historic site.

Additional pics hosted through Picasa: http://picasaweb.google.com/mblitch/TampaNudeNiteArtExpo

Luxury Out Loud

2010-02-25T19:49:00.003-05:00

Local evening fashion show produced by Erica Gerbolingo and held at Mangroves in the South Tampa area.

War is a series of catastrophes that results in victory.

2010-02-17T18:56:00.004-05:00

Took a few shots on board the American Victory ship next to the Fl Aquarium. Still playing with HDR, but looking to expand to some faster lenses, better strobe, and a full-frame camera sometime soon.

Be Kind: Take an astronaut to launch this week.

2010-02-11T13:50:00.010-05:00

After a couple of delays, the SDO launch finally took place. It was kind of exciting to be able to take part in the media process with the other attendees. The Atlas V rocket was able to liftoff without any delay through a clear sky. Right at launch time a rainbow developed as the rocket took off with an astounding view of some visible concentric rings that spread out as it punched through the cloud layer and went supersonic. A lot of people were excited to see the real mission finally start and eagerly anticipate the data that will be coming out soon. I think I even captured a few shots right as the rocket went supersonic. You can just barely see it over the nose of the craft in the top few shots.

Here is a link to some replays of the launch itself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qvX9ZeSys8&feature=related

If thanks were fishes, I'd buy you an aquarium.

2010-02-11T02:20:00.003-05:00

Instead of heading straight home, I want to the Fl Aquarium for a little bit to take a few pics and hang out to attend an event at the new Greek restaurant at Channelside. Since I had a little time to spare I walked around and got a few shots killing time.

It is in fair weather that you prepare for foul.

2010-02-11T01:02:00.008-05:00

As a last event of the day I headed over to the Fl State Fair for a little but to get in some night shots. Even though there was no admission for this evening, the crowds were extremely light, presumably due to the cold weather. I wanted to get in some light trail shots and also see if any of my photos won anything in the photo competition.

I submitted five or six shots of various categories and received two awards. One ribbon was an 'honorable mention' for a mosaic I created of Yellowstone's Morning Glory hot pool (all the tiles were unique photos taken in national parks). I also did get a '2nd place' ribbon for a photo I took in Venice, Italy in May of 2009. Although I took the photo myself (actually waited in the spot for over an hour to get just the right framing) and did my own editing, I was merely emulating a photo I had seen of a one-time favorite photographer of mine.

Update: Added a few day pics from a revisit to the fair a couple of days later (2/14/09)

Clairvoiant meeting canceled due to unforseen events.

2010-02-10T13:13:00.005-05:00

Everyone arrive at the Kennedy Space Center visitor Canter early in order to load up and get transported to the viewing area. Being invited guests, NASA set us up at the Saturn building viewing area, pretty much the closest location one can be to the shuttle pads. The SDO module aboard the Atlas V rocket was being launched from the Air Force side, but we still had a good location. Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperating and the launch, even after being pushed all the way to the end of the launch window, had to be canceled and pushed to the next day. After getting back, we had the day to do other activities. I ended up catching one of the IMAX 3D movies, participated in the Shuttle Launch Experience (not nearly as good as the EPCOT Mission to Mars simulator) checked out the other exhibits, and had lunch with some of the other correspondents.

Media is the plural of mediocre

2010-02-09T17:00:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago I signed up to take part in an event being held at Kennedy Space Center. As part of public awareness, NASA had hosted several Tweetup events in the past where active members of the social application, Twitter, were invited out to learn about the organization, specific mission, and get access to the compound. The intent was to help spread awareness among the public of the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) by utilizing people that are active in social interaction, education, and photography and giving them enough access to share their experience. the past events had a large number of participants, however for this event only 15 people were going to be selected to take part. When registering, I had to provide writing samples, links to my accounts, and other information of my past experiences. Though I don't know what criteria was used, I was fortunate enough to be selected to take part in the event.

On Feb 9, the group first met up just outside the visitor center to collect our access badges, greet fellow participants (through various exercises), and tour the facilities. The correspondents each had various skills and experiences. We had several correspondents that were astrophysicists, some teachers, various NASA employees, and even an ex-shuttle technician. Everyone had been active in the Twitter and blogging mediums. Over the next three days, everone would be busy with tours, updates, and briefings.

Pics taken during 3 Day event: http://picasaweb.google.com/mblitch/SDOTwitterLaunchEvent#

I'm going to take you on a scenic tour and show everyone the beauty that is you

2010-02-09T12:45:00.004-05:00

We were all loaded up into a bus and driving around the NASA compound and even were given proximity access to the shuttle pad. We took several closeup shots of the VAB and even stopped by the Saturn building for a quick walk around before heading to the visitor center to attend a press briefing. At the briefing several of the head administrators as well as some mission designers and specialists were available to answer questions and convey some information about the program.

It was great to be able to get some access to the general non-public tours and locations. The #SDOisGo twitter hash tag was getting constant use through the day as the correspondents constantly updated the world with the up-to-the-minute information.

I'd like to say more but I've run out of time and space.

2010-02-08T04:30:00.001-05:00

After the previous morning's scrubbed launch, I finally got to see NASA's STS-130 mission of the launch of Endeavour. It went up right at 4:14AM and was a lovely sight. Tomorrow starts the activities related to the launch of the SDO module aboard an Atlas rocket that is hopefully scheduled to be sent up around 10:30AM Wednesday.

Video recorded by my Olympus camera

Video recorded by iPhone 3GS

When you're up to your hips in alligators, you forget the original project was to drain the swamp

2010-02-08T03:59:00.001-05:00

After the shuttle launch, I caught up on some reading at the library and did a little exploring and geocaching around some of the various parks, including nearby Kars Park where I found a few sunning alligators on the trail.

KSC walk

2010-02-08T02:00:00.000-05:00

Kayaker Philosophy: Turn over and smell the fishes.

2010-02-07T12:44:00.006-05:00

BRA friends Dave, Esther, and I drove over to the Oak Hill area yesterday (just north of Titusville) to go paddling with the FLOAT meetup group. The plan was to paddle out 3 miles or so to an island campsite, pitch the tents, and then wake up early to view the night shuttle launch of the STS-130 night launch at 4:39 AM. It was a bit blustery of a paddle out, but the 35 members of the group seem to have made it without a problem. We all found plenty of space to spread out, cooked dinner, and sat around the fire chatting and drinking a bit before heading to bed. Everyone was up early anticipating the launch, however less than 10 minutes before it was to go up the official determination was made to scrub due to too low of a cloud ceiling.

Paddling pics: http://picasaweb.google.com/mblitch/KayakingCanaveral2010

I believe in nothing that I cannot touch, kiss, embrace... The rest is only hearsay. - Edward Abbey

2010-02-07T10:06:00.000-05:00

I spent the rest of the afternoon checking out Canaveral National Seashore and the Indian mounds of Seminole Rest and picking up a NPs stamp before later going to Merritt Island to a friend's house to watch the Saints triumph in the Super Bowl. The next few days I'll be able to stay at a friends house in Titusville so I can take part in a special media correspondent program at Kennedy Space Center as part of the Solar Dynamics Observatory launch.

If you're getting run out of town, get in front of the crowd and make it look like a parade

2010-01-30T19:38:00.005-05:00

Today was the annual Gasparilla day parade in downtown Tampa. After looking at the gloomy forecast, I almost didn't go,but decided to brave the rains and join the festivities. I took my camera, as usual, however the light was just horrible, so nothing really came out right (maybe I'm just become more selective of my shots now). I did get to see one of my old friends in the parade, but missed seeing the floats for a couple of other people I knew. After the parade was over I rode the bike along the Riverwalk area and then headed back to the Aquarium where I had parked.

What is known to the rest of the world as 'bait'.

2010-01-29T23:40:00.003-05:00

Top 10: Rules of Sushi Etiquette

Next time you sit down at the sushi bar, impress her by ordering - and eating - like the Japanese do.

By Ken Galloway, Gear Correspondent

Page 1:

Whether or not you’ve ever been to Japan, there’s no doubt that you’re aware that they do things quite differently over there.

Why do they bow so often? Why are they so great with technology?

This top 10 list will not answer those questions. What it will do is arm you with 10 etiquette tips that will allow you to integrate seamlessly into any authentic sushi-eating situation. Master these and everything else will fall into place.

Kampai. (Cheers.)

Page 2: Kneeling while eating

Remember Kerri Strug? She was the American gymnast who took gold on a broken ankle at the 1996 Olympics. Ever want to be more like her? Then try sitting “seiza”-style without dropping a single piece of sushi.

Seiza is when you sit in a semi-kneeling position with your butt cheeks rested on your Achilles tendons. It originated in the era of samurais in order to honor the others sitting with you, but because it can numb your legs pretty quickly, many Japanese people today have chosen to ignore this piece of etiquette.

If you break out the seiza at a table full of Japanese people, however, they will be extremely impressed.

Note: This only works at restaurants that offer traditional Japanese seating. Do this while sitting in a chair and you will look like a moron.

Page 3: Say "Itadaki masu!"

There is no English equivalent to saying “itadaki masu,” as it is a combination of “looks great!” and “OK, I am now commencing my meal.”

Say it before your first bite to express your gratitude for the food you are about to consume and Japanese girls will find you adorable.

Page 4: Never pour your own drink

One of the best things about going for sushi is the gigantic bottles of Kirin, Asahi or Sapporo beer

Keep in mind, however, that these are not meant to be consumed quickly in a brown paper bag like an Old English, but are meant to be consumed quickly while sharing with others.

Pour everybody else’s drinks first, then coyly place the bottle on the table. Another attentive person at the table should jump at the opportunity to pour for you. Not only is this a much more social way of drinking, but it also promotes heavier alcohol consumption. Win-win. that accompany your meal. And since the Japanese invented the dry brewing process, they are all delicious and refreshing.

Page 5: Order omakase-style

No matter how much you know about sushi, the chef knows better. He (women’s hands are believed to be too warm to prepare sushi) knows what’s fresh, and what’s in season.

Omakase is when you leave it up to the chef what you are served. Not only does this ensure the freshest fish possible, but sushi chefs take great pride in their omakase selections, so you know that you are getting the best that the house has to offer.

In addition, a huge pet peeve among sushi chefs is the fact that Westerners often order exclusively tuna and salmon. Get the omakase to show that you know what’s up, but be warned that this knowledge will set you back more than the tuna and salmon would.

Page 6: Waribashi (disposible chopstick) snapping 101

A high-end sushi restaurant would never be caught with disposable chopsticks, but if you find yourself in a place that does use them, this does not mean that civility should break down. Snap your chopsticks while holding them horizontally for maximum gentleman points.

This tradition originated for practical reasons, because the type of establishment that serves “waribashi” in Japan would often be very crowded, and snapping horizontally cuts down on your chances of elbowing someone in the face. Although this tradition is not that practical in a North American setting, the sushi etiquette lives on.

Page 7: Don't pour soy sauce on your rice

Don’t do it! You may be tempted, but don’t pour soy sauce on your rice. Japanese people take a ridiculous amount of pride in their rice. Just try serving them Chinese rice with their sushi and see how happy they look. It’s all about the texture and the subtle flavors of the grains, so if you add soy sauce to the mix, you will appear to be destroying something beautiful.

We have a lot of friends who can’t seem to eat white rice without their precious soy sauce, so we can understand the urge, but consider this: Do you want to be seen as a destroyer of beauty?

Page 8: Don't plant your chopsticks in your rice

Ever see the movie Mr. Baseball, starring Tom Selleck?

Great flick.

Remember the scene where our mustache-sporting hero plants his chopsticks in his rice? Remember how the entire table practically jumped across the table and tackled him? Ever wonder why?

In Japan, visiting the graves of ancestors is an important part of life. People sweep up around their family graves, leave flowers and also leave bowls of rice with -- you guessed it -- chopsticks sticking out of them. Unless you are a ghost or a zombie, doing so in a restaurant is a bad omen. But then again, Tom Selleck can do no wrong in our book.

Page 9: Don't pass food from chopstick to chopstick

Similar to Tom Selleck’s blunder, passing food from chopstick to chopstick is another cardinal no-no in sushi etiquette.

Partly due to Buddhist influence and partly due to space constrictions, the standard way of laying the dead to rest in Japan is by cremation. Contrary to popular belief, however, cremation is not exactly a neat and tidy process. After the burning, it is traditionally up to the core family members of the deceased to sift through the ashes and separate what remains of the charred bones from the rest of the matter by passing them from one pair of chopsticks to another.

Therefore, if somebody tries to pass you a piece of sushi with their chopsticks, hold out your plate in order to avoid the bringing up of painful memories and awkwardness.

Page 10: Don't leave bits of rice in your bowl

It’s easy to forget that 65 years ago Japan was a war-torn nation. Food was so scarce that many people had to resort to eating grasshoppers -- or whatever else they could find. Since people would have killed for a bowl of rice, to have left even a single grain in a bowl would have seemed extremely bourgeois.

Although today’s Japan would be almost unrecognizable to someone from that time and place, the aversion to wastefulness lives on. In addition, finishing the last grain of rice is also a way of paying homage to a worthy chef.

Page 11: Finish your meal with, "Gochi-so-sama-deshi-ta."

Saying “gochi so sama deshita” is the equivalent of saying “Wow, what a feast that was!” Although we wouldn’t deliver such a compliment unless truly deserved, it is standard protocol to say so after every meal in Japan.

Say it to your sushi chef and he will likely bow to you. However, if you visit a Korean-run Japanese restaurant (there are a ton of these), the chef might just squirm awkwardly.

But if the chef is hardcore, he will respond by saying “osamatsu deshita,” which basically means “I’m sorry I couldn’t have provided a superior meal” -- even if, in his mind, he knows that he may have served you the best sushi you’ve have ever had.

Compound Meter: A place to park your car that requires two dimes.

2010-01-24T13:19:00.004-05:00

The newest Riverwalk park project officially opened today. The Curtis Hixon Park was a $45 million dollar revitalization of the old site of the Tampa Museum of Art. A few years ago the museum was closed down and much of the area was razed. I once had a virtual geocache (goecaching spot that did have a physical hidden container) called 'All the world's a cache' at this location that had to be archived for a while since it was unknown if the amphitheater would be saved, however it was fortunately spared as part of the new park. The new museum will open in a few weeks, but the park itself will get immediate use since it it the termination point of the Gasparilla Pirate parade next weekend.

There are no secrets better kept than the secret everybody guesses. -- George shaw

2010-01-23T11:58:00.000-05:00

" ... at what point has someone betrayed you enough to make you stop keeping their secrets?"

You should not need or want to reveal old secrets
if there was ever trust among two people,
however you are not obligated to take on any more.
If you cannot keep the secrets of your past,
how can you be trusted to keep the secrets of your future?

A symphony is not played merely to reach its end.

2010-01-22T09:49:00.003-05:00

Since I haven't seen any kind of a cirque show in a while, I headed to St. Petersburg's Mahaffey Theater to listen to the Florida Orchestra preform with the Cirque de la Symphonie. This is a traveling show that has cirque-style performers do their acts while the local orchestra plays pieces chosen by the guest conductor. The idea is to create a visual boost that is complimentary to the music being played. I was able to snag a last-minute third row ticket that proved to be a great spot to take in the visual performance. The first half was a great blend of classical works, while the second seemed to regress more to popular culture music, including a piece I recognized by John Williams and used in one of the new Star Wars films. Overall it still worked and the sellout crowd seemed to enjoy the show.

Sometimes it is not about finishing a marathon, it is about even starting.

2010-01-10T15:14:00.011-05:00

I finished my first marathon today. This was another one of those things on my life list to accomplish at some point, and now after the fact I am glad I did it. I had a chip-time of just under 4:40 for the 2010 Walt Disney World marathon. I would like to say that it took a lot of preparation and planning, but truth be told I wasn't nearly as trained as I should have been. Though I run just about daily, I only do about 4.5 miles or so, which doesn't lead to a lot of long term endurance. For me, this run ended being just over twice my longest previous ever straight run. I made it to WDW on Saturday afternoon to get my race packet at the health expo and once that shut down for the evening ended up just staying in one of the remote parking areas nearby to car camp for the evening. I had my cold weather sleeping bag, plenty to drink, and a comfortable position. One thing I've loved about my Xterra truck is that a twin sized inflatable bed fits perfectly in the back. At 3AM I headed over to the EPCOT parking lot to drop off my bag for the end of the race and head over to the starting point for a 5:45AM race start. Although a bit chilly, the chemical heat packs I brought along really helped keep my hands toasty.

The first part was pretty easy. I wanted to maintain a 10 minute pace the whole course so I wouldn't over expend myself and had to keep myself from trying to maintain a normal 7:30 pace. It didn't take long before the first pieces of throw-down clothing came off, including a pair of very warm flannel bottoms (among an awesome set of 4 others I had at home) and were left behind. The first part of the course went under the Spaceship Earth ride at EPCOT and around the back area before heading of the long road towards the Magic Kingdom. At one point after just passing mile 2 I dropped my glove, only to realize it after a hundred feet and needed to run back to find it in the dark. I almost thought of leaving it since I was feeling warm, but am glad I did going back to search and retrieve it since towards the end winds had picked up, and as my energy level dropped I need it to keep my hands usable. I wasn't feeling any pain at all until right at mile 12.5 when my left knee decided to let itself be known for just a few minutes. It wasn't bad until right after it settled down the right knee starting to complain a bit, before easing off. Unfortunately they apparently started colluding and right at mile 14 they both decided to go on strike for the rest of the course. From that point on, even a 10-15 second stop to take a picture or make a quick pee break resulted in some pretty excruciating pain for the next 45 seconds after I started off again. I took advantage of every sport drink/water station as I wanted to keep well hydrated. I took a single Motrin every 5-6 miles along with an energy gel packet (which were pretty good and very easy to digest) and never really felt a wall in terms of plummeting energy. I was getting slightly punchy at one long road stretch and actually could not remember how long a marathon was, 24.2 or 26.2 and had to ask another runner. The most difficult stop by far was a 15 second bathroom stop at mile 20 after which the pain shooting through my knees lasted for a little over a full minute of running. Had I not been in the middle of nowhere with no shelter from the wind or any resources at hand, I'm not sure if I would have wanted to continue, but after things calmed down I resolved to not stop until it was all finished. There were a few nice banana, energy gel, and even a chocolate bar stations that surely helped keep the energy levels up. After starting the race I realized that I had forgotten my ear buds, so I didn't have any music for the entire course, which actually didn't end up being that bad. I had a lot upon which to reflect upon the previous year and was able to release a lot of pent up energy and emotion so I can hopefully make this a fresh year's start. The course continued through the Animal Kingdom, and though I knew I wouldn't because of their being too cold, I wish I had seen one of the old happy monkeys on trail, even if just a fleeting glimpse. We went past the Tree of Life and the Everest ride and on to Hollywood Studios. There the trail went by the Tower of Terror, though the backstage tour, and down the streets out the front entrance. The last bit seemed to be the longest as we shuffled along the Boardwalk and then into the rear of the World Showcase and loop the entire lake and past Spaceship Earth on last time and then on to the nearby finish line.

As I type this just a few hours after completion, I'm actually feeling pretty good. My knees are pretty stiff and when I stand it feels like Tonya Harding had clubbed me a few times. To pick things up I have to bend over like a giraffe with my legs spread in a wide stance. Except for a decently impressive blister the size of a gumdrop, I'm otherwise doing well. I don't see any evidence of losing a toe nail this time, yet, which from just personal observation of others makes me sure I don't want to go through such things. At mile 20 I was thinking that if Philippides had dropped dead at that point I would have been finished.

I'm contemplating doing the Gasparilla Marathon in a little over a month and seeing if I can greatly improve my time since I won't be taking pictures or updating Facebook during the run, maybe; but we'll see. It was nice to have spectators and general supporters out there yelling encouragement such as "You're looking good and doing great". Now I know they were lying since I must have looked like crap, but white lies are alright on occasion. I'm also going to have to trust the official chip time. I started my GPS a minute before going through the start line and then stopped it as soon as I crossed the finish line and I had a display time of 4:35, distance of 26.56, and average pace of 10:20.

When I finally got back into the car I was shocked at the crud on my face that made me look like I had been through an ice storm on a king crab fishing vessel. Apparently this was all just salt accumulated from the evaporated sweat. Seeing the amount of the stuff on my face made me glad that I forced myself to stay hydrated, even if it did necessitate a few painful stop/restarts. The run wasn't nearly the hardest thing I've endured in the past year or so, but it was at least somewhat satisfying for me to feel that I really can push myself hard and simply deal with the pain when necessary. Yeah, I needed that.

Here is the track as recorded by my GPS device. You can download the .gpx file and open it with Google Earth to see the entire course. Disney 2010 Marathon GPS Track

If you don't know where you are going, any road will take you there. - L.C.

2010-01-03T14:57:00.006-05:00

I attended one of the last performances of 'Wonderland: The Musical' at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. I was accompanied by a close friend that I had been glad to host and had been showing around Tampa a bit before they return home. This production was the world premiere for the new show that will be soon traveling to Texas and possibly Broadway at some point. This was the first musical to be created under the 'Broadway Genesis Project' that is designed to help generate new shows and has the goal of producing at least one new one each year. Most of the show was initially produced in Tampa and contributed a great economic role to the area. The show almost had a feel of the movie 'Hook', the remake of 'Peter Pan' with Robin Williams, in that the title character seemed to have lost their way and their memory of their childhood past and were forced back into that world to return to save or find their child. It had been chilly all week, so I even had my first coffee in probably a year just to help warm up a bit. While I'll never be a regular drinker, the occasional latte may not really be that bad. I really enjoyed the performance and am excited about other upcoming shows, especially Wicked in another month.

Happiness is good health and a bad memory.

2010-01-01T10:50:00.007-05:00

2009 - The Year of Peripeteia

2010 - ?

Save the Manatee - kill a boater

2009-12-30T14:34:00.000-05:00

A visiting friend, Jason and I, decided to take a quick road trip to see the manatees. A few years ago I took Jason kayaking at Crystal River, but we figured it would be best to just stay in the area since he would be leaving shortly anyway. with the cold weather, there were plenty of manatees around that were taking advantage of the warm water discharge from the TECO power plant. Besides these large animals, there were also some hammerhead sharks that were swimming around and occasionally jumping out of the water. It was warm enough the day we went that I'm sure many of the animals had gone out foraging for food, but there were still dozens around to check out.

One more off the list.

2009-12-17T19:27:00.004-05:00

I just got back yesterday from a 9 day trip to Peru to hit the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. I had a great time, but am fairly swamped with several projects right now, so it may be another week or tow before I can update the pics (I still have the second half of my my 20 day September trip to post including Costa Rica and Seattle), so hopefully I'll have a little more time later. In a nutshell, this was one of my top 5 destinations, and I'm glad to have had the chance to do it. for personal reasons it was bitter-sweet for a year's end. Anyway, I'm glad to have done it and simply wonder what the next adventure might be.

People who spell chili with two L's probably keep llamas for pets

2009-12-09T15:02:00.004-05:00

Cusco Day 2

This morning I got up early to walk around the city for a while at random. After walking through the main square and cathedral, I headed up the hills to Sacsayhuamán. It was pouring rain when I get there and I didn't have the time to really walk around the ruins in detail, but I was able to get an enjoyable view of the city and overall feel of the area.

While some of the others of the group were shopping, I had to unfortunately spend part of my day dealing with a luggage SNAFU involving the bag containing my camera and a few other essentials that were left in Lima, but fortunately everything was eventually settled, so I was able to enjoy the rest of the city. After getting my good camera back, I headed visit the Coricancha, the site of one of the most important temples in the Inca empire. The Church of Santo Domingo was built on the site, using the ruined foundations of the temple that was destroyed by the Spanish in the 17th century, and shows how Inca stonework has been integrated into the structure of a colonial building. Major earthquakes have severely damaged the church, but the Inca stone walls, built out of huge, tightly-interlocking blocks of stone, still stand thanks to the sophisticated stone masonry. I wandered the area for quite a while, eventually coming across the markets and other various places off the beaten path.

Here are links to all of the (mostly unedited) pics taken on the trip. I recently upgraded my Picasa Web Album space, and figured I might as well use it. There are about 3500 pics total in the first three albums. Peru album 1 Peru album 2 Peru Album 3 Peru HDR

Llama: The Other, Other Burger

2009-12-08T16:07:00.005-05:00

Day 1
Cusco

Earlier this year I started to get involved with a meetup called the Tampa Adventure Group. I had attended a few various events and had rumors of a trip to the Inca Trail being planned. This was one of my top 5 destinations to visit, so I kept an eye on the calendar and made sure to snag a spot as soon as it became available. So after traveling from Tampa and overnighting in Lima, we made it to Cusco on the 8th for two days of acclimation to the high altitude at 11,000 feet before starting the Inca Trail. Most of the day was spent just wandering around the city, dodging people selling trinkets, art, etc, and taking in the sites.

Here are links to all of the (mostly unedited) pics taken on the trip. I recently upgrade my Picasa Web Album space, and figured I might as well us it. There are about 3500 pics total in the first three albums. Peru album 1 Peru album 2 Peru Album 3 Peru HDR

Even when you're running the world, you can't get off.

2009-11-26T12:34:00.002-05:00

I decided to participate in the annual Turkey Trot in Clearwater as my Thanksgiving activity. I had some dinner plans for the afternoon in Sarasota, but wanted to get in a good run. This was my first 10K since the Midnight Run in Dunedin July 4th (it seems most of my big runs are on holidays sometimes). This run was just a few days coming off of the Florida Ragnar Relay race across the state, but I was able to do a somewhat decent time of 52:16.

Civilization is a race between education and catastrophe.

2009-11-22T14:33:00.006-05:00

This weekend I joined members of the Brandon Running Association in a relay race across the state called the Florida Ragnar Relay Race. There were about 100 teams of 10-12 competing in a race from Tarpon springs to Daytona Beach. I had heard about the event in previous years through friends, but since I started taking running seriously in April, I wanted to start doing a few more events. Normally when I run alone, even in a race, it is easy to not push too much, but I found myself going forth as much as possible since I didn't want to let down anyone in the team. I got a personal record in terms of race times for each of my segments, essentially a 5K and two 10K portions. We had a very strong overall showing among our team member with only one realy injury casualty, Stacy. During an early morning part, she took a hard spill that scrapped up her knees and hands, but was still able to finish off strong. Overall, of 105 teams we came in 24th with a total time of 30 hours, 23 minutes, and 26 seconds for a distance covering 191 miles.

I had personal records for each of my legs, as recorded by my GPS.
Leg 1: ~5K (3.2 miles) 23:40
Leg 2: ~10K (6.6 miles) 52:45
Leg 3: ~10K (6.1 miles) 51:23

Before I left for Peru, my running coach asked me to put together a video for the team party using photos and videos taken by out members. I have put together a few small videos in the past, but this is the first one that is of any length, so I hope it comes out ok.

Looking beyond the embers of bridges burning behind us.... -Pink Floyd

2009-11-17T12:30:00.002-05:00

Can a burned bridge ever be rebuilt?

The expert is a person who avoids the small errors as he sweeps on to the grand fallacy.

2009-10-30T16:37:00.003-05:00

I caught this on video when driving to the Lutz area down Dale Mabry Highway, just north of Tampa. I simply had to catch up and try to get this on video. One must commend the efficient use of all applicable carrying capacity. The remainder also seemed to double as a highway sweeper unit.

Trash Hauling FAIL or Highway Sweeping win?

All photos and video CC-by-sa @mblitch

Snow is nature's way of telling folks to come to Florida.

2009-10-28T12:23:00.000-05:00

As soon as I got back from my AYCJ trip, I got a call from the property director for the corporation for whom I was working until the end of July when I lost my position. They were still working on grants and hoping to at some point find another full-time position for me, however in the meantime, they wanted to hire me for a particular consulting job. The company had 1800+ housing units throughout a two dozen properties around the state. Only one or two people in the company had ever actually been to all, or even most, of the sites, so they wanted me to visit each on and take photographs of the interior and exterior areas of each place and even some portraits of residents for potential future use. So within a few days of getting back, I was on the road once more, this time on a job to shoot pictures around the state. I had to visit most of the major cities in the state including Gainesville, Lake City, Jacksonville, Cocoa Beach, Miami, Sebring, Ft. Meyers, Ft. Lauderdale, and multiple sites around Tampa and Clearwater. It was actually kind of fun to get the chance to use some of my skills and provide the service. Though I cannot post any of those pictures here due to NDA and copyright retained by the client, but I was able to take a little bit of time between driving stints and take some shots of roadside Florida. I was able to visit Ft. Caroline National Monument to get my park passport stamp for that site and even get in a training run with the local H3 group in Ft. Lauderdale. To add to the adventure a bit I used the little tear drop trailer for sleeping so I could be on site at first light whenever possible in order to get the best shots outside. The new wide angle lens I picked up a few months ago was excellent for getting inside pictures without having to deal with stitching things together and the resulting ghosting artifacts.

Appreciating the milieu of life.

2009-10-18T23:32:00.008-05:00

AYCJ HDR Photos
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2390361&id=5026895&l=e3237b01d5

AYCJ Day 1-5
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2403202&id=5026895&l=3793db4935

AYCJ Day 6-10
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2403477&id=5026895&l=34a48e44b8

AYCJ Day 11-15
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2405419&id=5026895&l=be5e899acb

AYCJ Day 16-22
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2427847&id=5026895&l=367b879ab7

AYCJ Day 23-30
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2428883&id=5026895&l=e8602cdbaf

Close to home, feeling so far away

2009-10-09T01:17:00.005-05:00

Day 31
Home

Since my flight originated on the last day of the pass, I was still traveling via a red-eye flight to NYC and then a last segment home to Tampa. As far as I know, I was the first person to start utilizing the pass at 6:50AM EDT on the first day of the pass and started my last flight at 11:55 PDT on the last day of the pass. I arrived back home at 11:50 EDT on Oct 9th.

Overall I had 14 different flights, visited 6 different states, 2 other countries (both for the first time), traveled with 4 other people at various times, and made several friendships. Overall it added up to 1 lifetime memory. It was nearly all a great experience. I met and hung out with a lot of good folks and get to see a vast majority of things that I had always wanted to witness. Highlights would be Niagara Falls, Rocky Mountains, Olympic National Park, Victoria, ziplining Costa Rica, and walking the Freedom Trail. I'm not sure if I would do it again if the pass was offered next year since I think there is more of the world I want to see first, but it is definitely something I'll remember for a long time. I do wonder, what is next?

The quality of our thoughts is bordered on all sides by our facility with language.

2009-10-08T00:46:00.010-05:00

Day 30
Seattle

After nearly 30 days of traveling, this was my last full day to be a tourist. I stayed near Granville Island overnight in Vancouver and walked around the various shops as they began to open in the morning. I picked Chris B up and we made out way south back towards the US and made a quick stop at a small Canadian town called White Rock for lunch and a drink. When we got to the international border the guard started asking a few various questions; who are you, how did you meet, etc, and merely shook her head as we both jumped into a long-winded explanation of the AYCJ Jetblue pass, our coordinating through Twitter, and such. It was funny to have a large border crossing here with official check points, duty free shops, customs, etc, however we were able to stop, just after passing the security stuff, through at a park just a block away was literally on the border with the only barrier a 3 feet wide ditch and a sign marking the imaginary border boundary.

We headed back through to Seattle where I dropped him off once again near Gasworks Park so we could do out own thing. I headed over to the Experience Music Project for a while. While I enjoy music, I'm not so into the memorabilia, so I was more interested in the science part of the museum. After that building closed down I walked over to get a few pictures of the iconic Space Needle before driving around a bit and visiting the grave site for Bruce and Brandon Lee. after walking through the parks for a while I joined Chris B at a nearby bar doe a last bit of dinner and sushi meal. After finishing up, it was time to head to the airport for some final flights to get home. We were luck enough to be able to book a flight right at 11:55PST so that it would still count as part of the pass, thus giving us a full day in the city.

If everyone has an axe to grind, then get rich sharpening them.

2009-10-07T00:04:00.008-05:00

Day 29
Vancouver

After leaving Victoria I stayed overnight relatively close to the next, and last, auto ferry that would take me to the mainland of Canada and just north of Vancouver. After arriving I headed over to Grouse Mountain to do the famous climb there called the Grouse Grind. This is a tough climb as it involves a 2,800 ascent to the top. Once at the top, I walked around a bit to check out the Grizzly Bear enclosure and various open spaces that are filled with skiers during the snow season. I hopped the gondola back to the parking area and then headed into the main city. After going over the Lion's Gate Bridge, I parked near the hostel where Chris B was staying and grabbed a shower, dinner, and a few drinks while waiting for him to show up.

When I was crossing the border into Canada, they asked if I had any firearms with me. I said, `Well, what do you need?' -- Steven Wright

2009-10-06T20:23:00.012-05:00

Day 28
Olympic National Park, Victoria Canada

I got up early so I could quickly make my way over to Sol Duc Falls for an early hike and get in some last shots of the park before having to reach the auto ferry to Victoria, Canada. This was the second time I had been to the county in nearly as many weeks, the first when I crossed the Rainbow Bridge at Niagara Falls earlier in the trip. After finally clearing customs (and being selected for random screening and having to open everything in the car), I had lunch at a nice brewery restaurant on the water. I drove around town for a bit taking in some of the sites such as the Parliament Building and various architecture. I parked on a waterfront parking area and talked to some SCUBA divers suiting up and learned a bit about the kind of underwater scenery that there was in the area. After driving around a good bit more I headed back into town to get some dinner and a few drinks at some of the local hole-in-the-wall places. Victoria was one of the most beautiful cities I've come across. Clean, well situated, nice people, etc. It is fair to say I was pretty impressed with the area as it kind of reminds me of Charleston in some weird way.

Olympics: Official Sports Marketing Division of Coca-Cola

2009-10-05T17:43:00.005-05:00

Day 27
Seattle, Olympic Peninsula

I was up relatively early to get a few pictures and head out before weekday traffic got too bad. I took a few shots of the Freemont Troll and then the art district for a few pics around the statue of Lenin. I headed north and then got my ticket for the auto ferry ride to the Olympic Peninsula on the Edmonds Ferry. While waiting I was able to find a nearby geocache and get in a couple of shots of some passing Boeing airplane fuselages being carried by train. After getting back on land I drove through Port Gamble and some of the other old small company timber towns. After going over the Hood Canal floating bridge, kind of cool in that much of the bridge does indeed float on pontoons and the span retracts to allow for traffic, I headed towards Port Angeles and the Olympic National Park visitor center. I made a quick stop at the Dungeness River Bridge Park for a few pictures. After getting my park stamp, I took a hike to Hurricane Ridge in the park before also checkout out one of the side roads for some pretty stunning vistas. I was able to enjoy watching some of the deer population walk around and get in some decent shots. I wish I had more of my camping gear with me as this park would be an astounding place to visit for a week and do some more serious hiking. I doubt I'll ever really have the chance to come back, but it was worth checking out.

2009-10-05T15:59:00.007-05:00

Day 27.5
Olympic Peninsula

Part 2 -
There were too many pictures that I wanted to post for Olympic National Park, so I had to add another entry.

How do you know it's summer in Seattle? The rain's warmer.

2009-10-04T15:44:00.009-05:00

Day 27
Seattle

Originally Chris B and I were going to travel together again in Seattle, but after a week in Costa Rica and another 3-4 days in Oregon, we decided to just do our own thing. We still had the same flights going in an out already booked, so I gave him a lift in my rental car into downtown Seattle. Once again the Google Maps app on the iPhone made navigation very easy. I could just plug in the site I wanted to visit, such as a particular landmark and it made all the calculations. Chris and I ended up walking around Pike's Market a bit to check out the famous site, had dinner and a few beers before parting ways. Though I didn't realize it at the time, we walked right past the 'original' Starbucks coffee shop and did think it strange that a gaggle of people were having their picture taken in front of a generally nondescript location. I walked around the market for a while and went to the Seattle Central Library to get a few shots before heading to Gasworks Park. This park was a great place to enjoy the sunset and look out over the water onto the cityscape. fortunately I was blessed with clear, though cool skies and never did experience any of the typical dreariness for which the area is known.

"Roamer, Wanderer, Nomad, Vagabond, Call me what you will."

2009-10-01T15:35:00.003-05:00

One of the reasons I planned to being town for a couple of days was to recharge my batteries, get clean, and attend the Metallica concert at the Ice Palace in downtown Tampa. this was one of my favorite groups growing up and I'm glad to have gotten another chance to have seen them.

If you cannot take it with you, how are you expected to pay Charon to cross Styx?

2009-10-01T15:02:00.004-05:00

Day 22-26:
San Jose

Pretty much another day of travel. We had to take a fairly early start so we could make it by the mid-afternoon auto ferry (my first) off the peninsula and back towards the mainland. Just about we got off the ferry and headed towards San Jose, I started feeling a dry throat and a little achy. I had coordinate the past few days with some ex-Boston hashers that owned a Galileo Hostel in the capital city to set up a whitewater rafting trip, but apparently the stress of traveling and running around finally caught up with me. I subsequently spent the day asleep in bed while my group hit the river. I apparently did miss out too much since the area was in a drought, so there really wasn't much of a river to run, but I'm sure I would have still enjoyed a chance to do something different like that. We flew into Orlando and after settling up all the accounting for the week, parted ways for our own paths. I had an astoundingly good time on this portion of the trip and wouldn't have had nearly as good a time by myself. We each brought something to the trip, got along, and still enjoyed doing our own thing for a while whenever we wanted. My father was kind enough to drive to the Orlando airport to pick me up, so it was nice to be back in the states once again. I definitely needed to sleep in my own bed for a bit, completely wash my gear, and body, and plan the last portions of my trip.

A man wholeaps off cliff jumps to conclusion.

2009-09-28T14:18:00.006-05:00

Day 21:
Montezuma

I got up early to do a little running around the town before everyone else got up and took a little while to walk a few trails. Later, the group decided to relocate to Santa Teresa Beach so Jessica could take some surfing lessons. Chris, Mike, and I headed back to a waterfall hike near Montezuma and spent the day crawling through the jungle trying to find that place. It took several hours but after following various trails, and getting separated we finally met at the top of a pretty glorious waterfall. It was here for some reason that I decided to make my first attempts at cliff diving since we were probably 40 feet above the water (about 2 seconds of free fall). The pool itself was the top of another even larger waterfall. We all made a couple of attempts, and it wasone of the scariest things I've ever done. We headed back to the hostel at Santa Teresa surfed and swam a little bit before dark and grabbed some dinner.

I never receive bills to pay; there's a CRC error in my ZIP code!

2009-09-26T11:47:00.011-05:00

Day 19:
Monteverde, Costa Rica

We got up early this morning and, with several other travelers staying at the hostel, were picked up by a shuttle bus to go check out the Extremo Canopy Ziplining tour. This little activity ended up being a blast. After harnessing up we took various ziplines through the canopy area. I had a lot of fun getting in some photography of the people sliding around and doing various activities. Besides simple zipping across cables, there was also a rappelling station and even a swing, the finale involved one that was 1km long at at a height of 180 meters. I got to meet Julie and her brother and friend who were all together touring Costa Rica. We really had a great time getting to know each other and would have loved to travel a bit more, but unfortunately the schedules just were not able to merge. I took too many photos of the canopy tour to post, so I've uploaded them to my Picasa Web Album; http://picasaweb.google.com/mblitch/CostaRicaExtremoZiplining

Based on some information in Chris's book, we also headed for some waterfall hike after getting back to Monteverde that we were eventually able to find. We had to rush to make it to the waterfall before dark, swim for like 5 minutes, and then walk back in the blackness. A lot of hassle, but still a fun little adventure. We decided to stay here one more night to get rested up before heading to the coast.

" " <--- sorry, my blog title was stolen.

2009-09-25T11:28:00.008-05:00

Day 18:

After getting up in the morning we decided to hit one of the local swimming holes and take a dip for a while. Chris got directions and it was pretty easy to find and we had a good time on the rope swings and bouldering or climbing the waterfall. Unfortunately the car got broken into a second time with the GPS being stolen this time, so after dealing with the police report (necessary for the insurance) we decided to get the hell out of the area. We tried not to let this ruin the feeling for the country and felt it was just very unfortunate to have to deal with that kind of reality. The plan was to head to an area known for the ziplining, so we finally settled in a small town called Monteverde.

Once we left La Fortuna, we almost never saw pavement again. Most of the roads were pot-hole filled dirt pathways and we were lucky to even see gravel. I did all the driving for this trip and had a fun time, but it was amazing as to how long it took to get somewhere that would have seemed to be close on a map. Most of the time in the country seemed to be just driving since it would take about 4 hours to get from one location to the next. Once we got to Monteverde we walked the town for a bit, grabbed dinner, and signed up for a zip lining excursion for the next morning.