It is our last evening in Nice. Tomorrow, the wife and I travel by train to Milan and then it is on to Paris (via night-train the following night).
Nice has been absolutely wonderful (besides one rainy morning). It is true that women sunbathe topless on the beaches here in the south of France, but they are mostly old women. Very old. Just awful, I tell you. On a similar note, I finally went swimming in the Mediterranean Sea (hint: it is saltwater).
We went to a place in the countryside the other day called "Turtle Village," anglicized by me of course, where we witnessed a whole lot of turtle sex. Yes, we have video. Oh man, so much to blog when I return.
Being out of the country has left me without a clue of the political goings-on, and news in general. (I would really like to know if an earthquake has leveled my home in the bay area or not. Would I even hear about it? Fingers crossed.) The big news of the day (I guess), following a quick review... Bush may be misleading about Iraq (surprise, surprise) and a southern Senator may be a racist (oh my god, no 'effin way).
Blog later.
I will try to take advantage of this free computer (read: free internet access) in the hotel, while I can.
Barcelona is an absolutely beautiful city, and is much more cosmopolitan than I had expected. Food is relatively cheap, the public-transport is unrivaled (anywhere), and the city is "small" enough to walk a great distance. The bad parts... well, let's not discuss those few insignificant items (not yet; that is what the post-honeymoon blues are for). We have one more full day in Barcelona, then it is on to Nice... (And, hopefully, some Mediterranean sea swimming.)
Oh, a little side: the video my wife and I created for our wedding (low quality w/ sound)...
Blog later.
Wedding on Saturday,
An absolute perfect day.
Sunday on a plane.
Monday on a train.
Tuesday in Spain.
On to Montserrat (for the day).
Borrowing my sister-to-be's laptop while staying here at the Marriott (high-speed internet access included with stay) has allowed me to catch up on a few things -- my dwindling checking account, my ever-increasing credit limit, and a few other odds-and-ends.
My fiancee (I will only be able to say that for one more day) and I are in the home stretch -- we met the priest (for the first time), picked up my tuxedo (it needs alterations) -- but there should be time for a dip in the hotel pool tonight.
Yesterday, I met my brother, an architect for the esteemed Michael Graves & Associates, at their offices on the periphery of the Princeton campus. I received a behind-the-scenes tour of the product division's new digs -- very cool. Some of the products make it fun to call and tease my brother while shopping at Target, although he doesn't have anything to do with the products division or the infamous "blue egg."
My brother and I ate at the Panera Bread sandwich shop, and on the way out of town I passed the Lawrenceville prep school, which my brother had informed me a few years ago was the site location for the film School Ties. But the bastard was wrong.
Blog later.
I told you it wouldn't last.
Last minute preparations for the wedding are underway -- reception favors, phone conversations with the photographer and deejay, as expected. Nothing crazy to report... yet.
I missed the hoopla over yesterday, the one very very nice thing about being three hours out of your time zone. The one really bad thing: football starting at 1pm. What the hell is that all about? Where do you people find the time?
Blog later.
They say baseball is a metaphor for life. And if that is not what "they" say, then I'm saying it.
I was in attendance for my last A's game of the season this past Tuesday (the A's lost 5-4 to the Rangers). I went to the game with a few buddies of mine and I was able to podcast (albeit illegally) from the confines of the Oakland A's coliseum as part of the growing A's Superfan Network. The broadcasts, however, became relatively controversial, with respect to the content and language used, and I was forced to quickly cut transmission several times. Therefore (although the podcast files -- all eighteen of them -- are out swimming the internet stream as I type for anyone to listen), I will be putting together a compilation of the best moments, including the live podcast of Frank Thomas' 30th home run of the season, an interview with a local transient, as well as all sorts of the politically-incorrect barbs that you have come to expect (and enjoy). Good stuff, trust me, because that will have to wait until I return.* Alright, alright... here's a taste. (Yep, that's him.)
* I will be on a brief four-week hiatus (let us call it a sabbatical; yes, I like that) for my coming wedding and subsequent honeymoon to the Spanish and French Mediterranean coast, plus Paris). As my fiancee said, "You are not blogging during our honeymoon." Of course; but I plan on blogging the ceremony. No, I'm kidding. But I will be in Philadelphia all next week (chilling with my brother and sis-to-be) so there may be a post here-and-there, and my wife and I will just have to wander into an internet cafe at least once in Nice, right? It is bound to happen. (What is the longest that you have gone without checking your email? Thought so.) Blog later.
It appears that CBS News anchor Katie Couric is considering my classy idea for her sign-off...
Image: CBSNews.com
I don't get to the local part of the Sunday paper until Wednesday.
As an engineer, I have dealt with regulatory agencies, including local governments, on several types of projects. I had also interned for my hometown Town Engineer during the summers and winters as an undergraduate student at Syracuse. So I am somewhat familiar with (or "accustomed to" may be more appropriate) these types of things. The following is an excerpt from the "What's Not Working" feature in last Sunday's San Francisco Chronicle. The debate is over the apparent road surface decay of the Great Highway along Ocean Beach and what this reveals is yet another fine example of classic government "Um, we don't feel we should pay for it" syndrome...
"We contacted San Francisco Department of Public Works spokeswoman Christine Falvey, who initially thought that the road might be in her agency's jurisdiction. But after researching the matter, she says that stretch of road 'isn't in any of our databases as accepted by the city for maintenance.' She says they are now working with the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, who has jurisdiction over the beach and other nearby facilities, to find out whose responsibility the road is."
How is that tedious research coming along? Are you telling me you couldn't have figured this one out by publication time? Quick, appoint a task force.
CBS News is soliciting suggestions for a new sign-off statement for newly-minted anchor Katie Couric. My idea...
Peace. (Hand-gestured peace sign optional.)
Who said I'm not sensitive?
If you had thought my ramblings on my dentist's recent suicide was "too much," Josh Marshall has raised the bar by blogging his father's passing. I'm telling you, the little guy just cannot win.
