July 17, 2008
i know you don't care but...

i've fixed it up as best i can for now, and have made a release of Gom 0.2.

since it's been a while, i'll refresh your memory:

What is Gom?

Gom allows you to write GTK applications using JavaScript, an HTML-like widget layout syntax, the standard W3C DOM interfaces, and jQuery.

Gom is on the Web! http://ilovegom.googlecode.com/

next up has to be XMLHttpRequest.

i've been working at vmware for about a month now, and i don't think i've gone to the same place in the city for lunch twice yet. that is certainly something.

July 16, 2008
gtk 3: a case for gom!

one of the original goals in starting the gom project was to be able to write gtk apps without succumbing to the inherent problems of using gtk's apis. with gom, you already only interact with objects using their properties, and instead of silly, implementation-specific api calls you get to comfortably surround yourself with the beautiful w3c dom standards you already know and love from the web.

and if those aren't enough layers of abstraction from X or Quartz, you can always throw your favorite javascript library on top of it.

all this, and you don't need to deal with building on different platforms and distributions!

at least that's the idea.

last night i finally checked in those changes i mentioned. i then went late into the night trying to track down numerous refcounting and garbage collection. getting close.

July 14, 2008
another day, another pregnant friend

i don't know what's wrong with all my friends. i mean, i'm pretty sure i could count to 28 in like, first grade. it's not that hard, people!

July 13, 2008
getting there

it is quite vexing that the first three hours of a run can be so splendid, and then the final hour so wretched (yes, pbs is showing pride & prej again).

the next three weeks of training are fairly inconsequential and will hopefully be without incident. there isn't much more i can do but wait it out, and we'll see if i trained hard enough. yesterday, i would have said "yes" but today i'm not so sure. of one thing, however, i am certain: i will not be riding my bike home from work the week before the marathon. i could feel the effects of the hills thursday and friday; in fact these hills are for the birds.

for the first time in almost seven weeks, i am typing this at my desk. the bookshelf is now stocked with books as well; i have an office! four boxes remain unopened (roomba, scooba, rock band, guitar hero II), while four more boxes of wires and doodads remain. it could be said that i am done unpacking; the rest is "merely" putting things away and cleaning up.

tomorrow i will put up my art and there will be no mistaking: this is my apartment.

now it's time to go wallow in bed for a few hours, rueing the day i ate five packets of caffeinated gu.

July 12, 2008
pbs here is weird

i mean, would 'gbh ever show big? and was it really 20 years ago?

anyway today i had all the foods i love the most, in preparation for my insane run tomorrow. breakfast was two of the following: eggs, toast, bananas, and glasses of milk. dinner was a ton of pasta, a banana, and two more glasses of milk. i don't know what it is about these foods, but they make me feel happy from the inside out.

of the boxes that i will actually be unpacking, five seven remain unopened, and there's another 4 or 5 full of wires and stuff that haven't been unpacked. just about all the furniture is put together (somehow i managed to get my desk together by myself today), and it's starting to feel a little like home. i need to get some sort of bike rack, because storing my bike in the bathroom isn't going to cut it if i ever have guests.

i got a crazy messenger bag today. it is wicked orange.

July 10, 2008
living on the edge

i've taken a bold stance in my new apartment, one i don't ever remember taking before: i'm just running dhcp on the airport router, and not running a nameserver.

this is part of my new initiative, to have at most one computer running. this is a new direction for me; who knows where it will lead.

(of course, there will still be a tivo, slingbox, and two (down from five? (!!)) airport expresses always running...)

unpacking is going well. the boxes that will never be unpacked are starting to trickle into the living room closet, their final destination. i am starting to accumulate a huge mound of "wrapping" paper in the breakfast nook office. i don't know what to do with it.

i cycled to the office today, and it wasn't nearly as scary as i feared. however, the hills coming home are moderately fierce. it has occurred to me that perhaps i should wait until after the marathon is over before i make this a regular occurrence.

July 9, 2008
an agreement in principle

i just had my first glass of raw milk. a whole gallon of this stuff costs sixteen american earth dollars. they do take care of the little things, though; they include a whole teat in the bottle as a garnish.

if the tie doesn't fit, you must acquit?

i read a bunch of books on my kindle while i was in europe. here is a brief list:

1. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - Philip K. Dick
2. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
3. Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny - Robert Wright
4. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
5. A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
6. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
7. Through the Looking Glass - Lewis Carroll
8. The Memoirs of Barry Lyndon, Esq. - William Makepeace Thackeray

i haven't quite finished the last one there, because i have been reading the sf chronicle (i'll give you a minute to groan. go ahead, i'll wait. the thing is, the times just doesn't have enough articles on public transit or earthquakes). anyway, for one reason or another, i've managed to highlight the following articles:

"We must embark on a national mission to eliminate our dependence on foreign oil and reduce greenhouse gases through the development of alternative energy sources."

---

Fisher acknowledges that he is not well known, has never built a skyscraper before and hasn't practiced architecture regularly in decades.

---

A study released earlier this year by a group found that increased driving as a result of sprawling development in the next few decades will overwhelm any gains from increased vehicle fuel economy and use of low-carbon fuels like biodiesel.

---

For McCain and Obama, the economic message should be that "we can't make (Americans') house value go up and gas prices go down, but we can improve education, work on alternative energy and invest in infrastructure. And probably if they weren't in the middle of the campaign, they would be a lot closer on doing that."

---

A security researcher revealed a flaw Tuesday that makes it possible for a hacker to take control of the Internet.

anyway, time to do dishes.

July 8, 2008

i slept so terribly last wednesday night and was doing moving stuff etc. so i didn't go to the track last thursday. i told myself i'd do the workout friday, but apparently there is some sort of massachusetts zone in the park, and the track was actually closed for independence day.

so whatever, i skipped it. today was the last day at the track before the race, and i'd say it went well (12x800m):

1. 3:05
2. 3:03
3. 2:58
4. 2:55*
5. 3:02
6. 3:02
7. 3:03
8. 3:08
9. 3:05
10. 3:08
11. 3:02
12. 2:58

(* = new PR)

and then after work i almost missed the late shuttle back to the city and had to run to catch it and that wasn't fun.

i'm finally feeling like i'm turning a corner in the unpacking. i think there may have to be a craigslist firesale after all, if phik doesn't claim my shuttle first.

i am so tired and want to sleep so badly but i am going to be an adult and go wash that one dirty knife i used to butter my toast.

July 6, 2008
i should just write a script which twits these whenever i post, one sentence per minute

i forgot how much fun riding my road bike is.

five miles of my run this morning was spent along the beach. there were hundreds of washed-up jellies. it was gross.

there was also one huge seal (or sealion?). it was even more gross.

July 4, 2008
one happy camper

someone at work mentioned vala this week, or at least asked what i thought about it, so i had to mention how awesome gom is, with the caveat that it is broken right now and crashes when the GC runs. i basically haven't touched it since april, when i first hit this bug, and have had no luck tracking it down.

and that's pretty embarrassing. so i tried to fix it, now that i have unpacking to put off.

patch one wasn't too difficult to track down once i started reading some of the code where i was getting the failed assertion. it was the classic passing an int instead of a jsval (even though my getter func doesn't look at that field; it just returns the "tiny" id):

Index: src/libgom/gomjsobject.c =================================================================== --- src/libgom/gomjsobject.c (revision 57) +++ src/libgom/gomjsobject.c (working copy) @@ -602,7 +613,7 @@ JS_DefinePropertyWithTinyId (cx, ctor, &enums->values[i].value_name[4], enums->values[i].value, - enums->values[i].value, + INT_TO_JSVAL(enums->values[i].value), gom_js_object_get_enum, NULL, JSPROP_READONLY | JSPROP_PERMANENT); }

for the other, i pulled out all the stops, from hardware watchpoints to malloc debuggers, to that awesome gdb trick, to not installing a linux vm to use valgrind and refdbg on. i went back to the tried-and-true method of littering code with printfs, and narrowed it down to someting with the Event.target field. eventually i realized that while i had written a great finalizer for my base class, none of the subclasses chained up the finalize call, which led me to return dirty, used, and freed objects later. my classes have a lot of this now:

Index: src/libgom/gomjsevent.c =================================================================== --- src/libgom/gomjsevent.c (revision 57) +++ src/libgom/gomjsevent.c (working copy) @@ -34,6 +34,12 @@ #include <glib.h> +static void +gom_js_event_finalize (JSContext *cx, JSObject *obj) +{ + GomJSObjectClass.finalize (cx, obj); +} + JSClass GomJSEventClass = { "Event", JSCLASS_NEW_ENUMERATE, @@ -44,7 +50,7 @@ (JSEnumerateOp)gom_js_object_enumerate, JS_ResolveStub, JS_ConvertStub, - JS_FinalizeStub + gom_js_event_finalize }; static JSPropertySpec gom_js_event_props[] = { { NULL } };

tomorrow, instead of unpacking my dishes and glasses so that i could make dinner, i will remove all the cruft from my tree, and finally make that third release i've been wanting to do for three months.

also, if i didn't fix this bug i don't think my mind would let me sleep tonight, so i am doubly excited. wooooo WOOOOOOOOOOOO!

July 3, 2008
for reals i moved

this would be the part of my journey where i feel at home - i get to sleep in my own bed, even though it's in a different apartment, in a different city, on a different coast. but this isn't my bed, it's a new one. so, nothing's the same.

as a bonus for taking the day off for moving stuffs, peach came to the city and we got to hang out for a little. neither of us could remember seeing each other since i was here before i started at novell, but it couldn't have been three years. could it?

i barely got 4 hours of sleep last night, in two shifts, but i managed to have a funny dream. i was trying to get away from having damaged a teacher's car with a tree (long story), and i remembered i could just go to my room upstairs (as in, i was in my mom's house). the bed up there had blankets, and was covered in clean laundry that needed to be folded. i will leave as an excercise for the reader to find all 8 levels of wish-fulfillment in that one.

July 2, 2008
having it both ways

while signing up for the ing checking account, i discovered that they don't allow deposits to ATMs:

Deposit paper checks - You can also deposit paper checks one of two ways:

1. Deposit the check into your linked checking account then move it to your Electric Orange...
2. Mail in checks

that seems lame. the credit union checking account doesn't seem to have a direct-deposit activity requirement like one of BoA's checking accounts (although i suppose i could have it deposit only $1). BoA's other checking account doesn't have a direct deposit requirement, and has a lower minimum balance than the credit union, but at least the latter pays interest and doesn't give BoA any more of my money.

so, at least for a little while, i'll keep the credit union account. anyway, i suppose it can't hurt to have a little emergency fund tucked away.

in a little under 12 hours, the movers should be here filling my new apartment with way too much stuff i don't want anymore, and a few things i do want. i am looking forward to playing my keyboard. i am also looking forward to having a blanket, because i am tired of being woken up at 4am by my own shivering.

speaking of beddings, i may also have my new mattress in 14 hours or so. i am excited for that. i am less excited by the logistics; if the movers aren't done by the time the mattress delivery people arrive, i don't know what's going to happen. if they double park, the electric buses (lka trackless trolleys) may have difficulty getting around, and the last thing i need is for more bus drivers to be mad at me.

when i got to work this morning, there was a paycheck sitting on my desk. it has been a long and expensive month.

tomorrow is back to the track for a brutal 6 x mile workout. after that, there's only one more track workout before the race. i should go to bed.

July 1, 2008
around and around

ok, this is lame, but it's still a thing. i like resetting the chronometer on my watch before i go out for a run. if i had a bad run yesterday, resetting it means that it doesn't matter, i can go have a good run today. if i had a good run yesterday, that doesn't matter anymore either: today's run is what counts now. whatever.

today was my first day at the track since i moved into my new place, and i did enjoy the fact that it's 10-15 minutes closer, not to mention being all downhill (on the way there). today's workout was great (10x800m):

1. 3:04
2. 3:03
3. 2:58*
4. 3:00
5. 3:03
6. 3:07
7. 3:09
8. 3:09
9. 3:10
10. 2:58*

(* = new PR)

(previously)

unrelatedly:

Freeing up space on our highways increases the flow of traffic and saves commuters' time, money, and gasoline.

-- Wendell Cox

ok, i call bs on that. freeing up space on highways increases the number of other people who can now drive on highways, slowing down traffic, and wasting commuters' time, money, and gasoline.

despite these lies, it is difficult for me not to be excited about being able to vote on some sort of train initiative this fall. i mean, what's the worst that could happen?

i recommend checking out the rendered stills. but the ones of anaheim suffer my typical complaint about these things: why are those people in the park? i mean, i could understand it if there were awesome shipping containers there, but if it's like a certain other park i never saw any people in there's just some smelly river and nobody lives nearby.

also i wish we could build things out of something other than glass.

June 30, 2008
i liked me better before i sold out

so, last week i ordered me some comcast. they gave me a 9am to 11am window. here is how it went down:

9:00 I am sitting in my apartment, ready for the cable guy!
10:55 My phone rings. Cable guy is heading over; it'll take about 30-45 minutes.
11:05 I do some research on the internet, and discover comcast's on-time guarantee.*
11:10 Comcast phone rep says i should see a credit for the $100 install (!!!) on my next statement.
11:15 Cable guy shows up.
11:25 After doing who-knows-what in the basement, he comes up and says it should be working. It isn't working right away. He goes downstairs to get a modem out of his truck, and by the time he gets back the modem has a link.
11:30 After closing my firefox and system preferences, he can't figure out how to open safari (i wish i could have seen phil's face had it been his firefox that was closed). The guy is trying to type one-handed, and is fat-fingering everything. he stumbles through the wizard and i create my comcast.net account.
11:35 The wizard thing starts spewing javascript errors. We close it, and cannot get past that point in subsequent attempts. All urls are redirected to some comcast setup page (he determines this by randomly selecting a link from my history), which tries to download a .dmg image. that returns a 403 error, but of course he didn't figure that out.
11:40 I figure up Vista in a VM (should have done that in the first place), but we basically get the same results. Tech support is having problems, i don't know.
11:55 He gives up and says I should call later today or something. I sign a piece of paper that says i am satisfied with the work done, even though it is clear that i am not.
12:00 I click on the "For Technicians" link on the redirect page, and start its stupid wizard.
12:05 I am on the internet.

* GUARANTEE MAY NOT BE AN ACTUAL GUARANTEE

this was actually the first time i was home for a cable modem install, but i have learned some valuble lessons, such as do not let them touch your computer. i just rued again.

in other news, people in wheelchairs were on both of my commutes today. i guess that's what happens when you live next to a hospital.

June 29, 2008
torn

post-consumerism is annoying. i feel like supporting some local credit union would be a good thing to do, but ing's checking account beats the pants off the one i was looking at. with a $50k account, ing's interest rate is higher than their savings account, or even icu's checking. honestly, like i don't already know what i'm going to choose. at least i'm going to (try to) do groceries at the nearby mom-and-pop corner market...

i went mattress shopping for the first time in my life yesterday. first, i went to a mattress store and it was super shady. they guy was willing to match any price i named, but only if i got it this weekend, because monday was their new month and he'd need approval from some of his uppers. i had forgotten to take my notepad with me, so i asked him to write down the stuff about the bed, and he said he couldn't write down the low price. i could smell the desperation his breath, though.

(when i was getting sheets and pillows at nordstrom's the other day the saleswoman said their westin mattresses were going to be 25% off - although not the $200 delivery fee, and would still be 4-6 weeks)

anyway i walked around a bit then went home to do a little research. i thought it was basically the bed i wanted, and about as much as i figured on spending, but wanted to see what others were selling it for. instead, i found page after page detailing the dark, putrid underbelly of the mattress industry. probably the best of them was on slate (thanks, awesomebar!). while i'm not sure how serious they were about putting the mattress on the floor, the rest seemed like decent enough advice. with this in mind, i set out anew to macy's, of all places.

now, an aside: you're not allowed to have food or beverages on the buses here, but apparently they make an exception if the food is rotting in a trash bag. not only that, but it was blocking the aisle, which has to be some sort of safety violation.

for some reason, the salespeople at macy's left me alone for the most part. they kicked me off one bed that i'd been on for a while, because someone else wanted to try it, not entirely unreasonable. they didn't try to push me into picking one nor did they hover over me. i talked with my friend phil who was at some airport, since i haven't talked to him in a long time. eventually i decided that they were all pretty comfortable, so i just got the cheapest simmons they had. i think it was $200 less than at that other place. i went and asked the sales guys who wanted to make their easiest commission of the day, and was soon on my way home to begin the last five nights on the air mattress.

incidentally, while on the phone with phil, i/we came up with the idea of a mattress store that does double-blind mattress testing. you get to go in a room, and sleep on a sheeted mattress, and the people behind the scenes do some sort of binary search or something to find a few you like. then, you can find out their prices, and pick the one you want. i would love to destroy the industry like that, but i don't really have any interest in actually running a store. maybe it's time to start working on sim mattress salesman tycoon?

i ran about 26 or 27 miles this morning, and am feeling pretty ok. mango gatorade is pretty tasty stuff.

June 26, 2008
the kindness of strangers (yet again)

against all intuition, i've decided to go with comcast for internets. but shame on me if i'm gonna let them make any money off of renting me a cable modem. i was going to take the muni home, but decided to take a new bus line to a best buy nearish my apartment instead. i ordered it over the internet before i left, and figured it would be ready on time. i had change from lunch for bus fare, so headed out for an adventure.

except that i left the change for the bus on my desk. i don't have the thing that lets me in after 6:30, but i did have another dollar, so i'd just have to eat that fifty cents. lesson learned.

the bus finally came, and as i'm getting ready to board, a non-crazy guy asked if anyone had change for a five. i said i had a dollar, and he offered to trade me his $5 for it (ok, maybe he was a little crazy), but i said nah just take it. i boarded the bus and sat down in the back, because that's how you get good stories about crazy people.

so the guy sits down behind me, and hands me my dollar back. since i had put in $2, my extra $.50 counted towards his fare, and so, yeah. he introduced himself, saying his name was jacob. he does computer stuff and plays guitar a little bit.

my best buy experience was as awful as i had imagined. i need to find somewhere to eat.

June 25, 2008
life changes, vol. V: the final chapter

well, i did it: my days of being homeless are now behind me. i'm currently sitting on an inflatable mattress in my new apartment in SF. while i looked at a few places the last time i was here in... april, this was the first place i looked at since arriving for good. it's not the ideal place i was imagining, but there are some nice things about it (right next to golden gate park (and its track), hardwood floors, and it's on some 24-hour (electric) bus routes. also, there are three bicycle shops along the short walk from here to the nearest muni stop.

i'm sure it'll feel like home in no time once my stuff gets here.

i'm still a little unsure of what to make of my time in boston. the woman who was "helping" me when i was looking at towels and pillows and stuff asked where i was moving from, and then said something about being a bostonian. i certainly never felt like one; how long does it take? am i going to feel like a san franciscan? i don't really see that happening; when i walk around i'm constantly imagining some terrible earthquake, and i imagine that to be a san franciscan that sort of thing shouldn't faze you.

anyway, today has been a long day so i am going to sleep.

June 22, 2008
today i ran to the ocean

awesome.

June 16, 2008
life changes, vol. IV

today i started my new job at VMware, Inc.! although i'll be working from their awesome downtown office, i spent most of today in palo alto at new hire orientation. i felt a little old, as many of the people also starting today were interns. they were talking about schools and exams, and that time feels so very long, long ago. i can barely remember any of it.

June 15, 2008
i've never called another timezone home

since i no longer live on the boston marathon course, i'm unsure of the distances, but i ran for three hours, more or less. this city certainly has some great views, like that of downtown from marine drive near crissy field.

went on my first trip over the golden gate bridge over to san rafael. we had dinner at a puerto rican place. it was good, but it was no match for my grandma's cooking.

June 14, 2008
life changes, vol. III

Holyhead -> San Francisco, via Dublin

so i've decided to move to san francisco. while the actual decision to do this was pretty quick, it's something i've been kicking around for a while. as someone who can't, or at least won't, drive, the living options in this country are somewhat limited. given that i hate new york and was already living in boston, even moreso. plus, i have a bunch of friends there already, with seemingly more moving there every month.

but to get there i have to first endure a three hour ferry across the irish sea, and then an 11-hour flight. this is a ridiculous amount of time to spend in an airplane, but i've been in cars for even longer trips. i don't know, it's still dumb.

that plane must have been full of fuel. i have never been in an airplane that accelerated so slowly during takeoff. otherwise, it was a boring flight. i can't believe i made it through without losing my sanity.

there was a brief moment of excitement, though. we were coming in for a landing, at one- or two-thousand feet, and then they kicked up the throttle, and pulled up, just like the landing in shannon. i looked out, and saw a southwest jet going across our path, and another plane nearby as well. the pilot came over the PA saying ATC put them a little close to some other traffic, and we circled around for another approach.

i dropped my bags off at a friend's, then met up with him at dolores park. had i really just moved here? i don't have an apartment. i have two suitcases and a backpack. wait, i've done this before.

June 13, 2008
the traveling

Paris -> Holyhead, via London

two more croque baguettes, one to eat up at sacre coeur and one to save for later. in the afternoon a crepe with confiture de lait, since i had never heard of that before. then, the travel begins.

the first leg was back through the chunnel to london, and then another to holyhead, this time without any transfers. the trips were uneventful, as train rides are wont to be.

i have a three hour wait until the 2:40 am ferry.

June 12, 2008
paris, the last night

Paris

picked up a proper baguette-croque at the bakery by my hotel, just perfect. since i'd been reading a tale of two cities, i decided to check out some of the neighborhoods mentioned in the book. i took the metro down to bastille, and walked around. this morning was cold, and a little rainy, so i couldn't stop anywhere to read, but i wish i had spent more time in this neighborhood. maybe the next trip.

i ended up in the little park near the nation stop, watching some amazing clouds roll in and fly overhead. eventually, i decided it was just too cold, and headed back to the hotel for my sweatshirt. when i got out, it was really warm and sunny, so i walked up to sacre coeur. this is what i'm talking about.

dinner at la coupole, of course. i toughed it out with the french menus this time, and managed to order something not unlike a beef kebab. i didn't know it was going to be like that, because they didn't call it a beef kebob, but that's ok. i almost ordered something else, until i my spanish class memory kicked in, and i recognized pieds. people at the tables to the left and right of me ordered that, and i'm glad i didn't.

in retrospect i wish i had switched these evenings, as la coupole was a bit of a let down after le train bleu, but it was still a lovely way to end the non-travel part of my trip.

June 11, 2008
the super metro trip

Paris

it's worth getting a nike+ account just for the access to its running route library. almost anywhere in the world, you can find a route that someone else enjoys running enough to spend the effort of entering it in. i settled on this route. it was fine, although the diesel exhaust and cigarette smoke is getting a bit old.

today's goal was to ride all of the metro and tram lines. here was my route (it's easiest to see with the "terrain" view). i didn't quite hit all of them on that trip, but i picked up the last two on the ways to and from dinner.

highlights of the trip were stopping by the tour eiffel (well, that's not really a highlight, just something i did) and the T2 and T3 lines. the T1 is much older than these new lines, and goes through a less wealthy suburbanish area, notably near some hospitals. there were some young children with some awful coughs on my packed tram, and i'm sure i will catch some horrible disease from this trip. this tram ride was slow, long, and the car squeaked horribly when turning.

the T2 and T3 lines are very new trams, not unlike the luas, and were a joy to ride on. the T2 takes wealthy la defense workers to the RER line (no coughing children here) following the river on a dedicated right of way.

lunch was back to the place i ate at the first day, but instead of the crepe i ordered they brought me an omelette with cheese and ham (but no egg on top, i guess because an omelette already has egg in it). i am not a big omelette fan, but this was a great omelette.

dinner was at the fabulous le train bleu. initially, i was worried that i was not quite dressed up enough for it, but my fears were not warranted. to start, i ordered an asparagus, mango, and lobster salad.

or at least i thought it was a salad.

what was soon placed on my table was a small glass, a shot glass, with some greenish mousse-like thing. this is what i ordered? €34 for one ounce of mousse? ok, i better take this slow, and enjoy it.

i thought i could taste the asparagus, and some lobster, but the mango was nowhere to be found. it was good, i guess, although not quite worth €34. i consoled myself with the thought that at least i'd get a funny web post out of this.

then the waiter brought me my salad.

i still don't know what that first thing was - it wasn't on my bill, and i couldn't find anything about it on the menu. i have no idea what was in it; i just hope it's not some practical joke the kitchen plays on americans.

the main course was some sort of lamb thing. it was pretty good, although i may have enjoyed watching the waiters make tableside beef tartar for the other tables more.

dessert was fabulous: framboises sur sable choco-sel, sorbet framboise (raspberries on a chocolate shortbread, raspberry sorbet). i briefly considered ordering a second one, but decided just to sit around a while and enjoy being in paris.

June 10, 2008
radiohead: paris 2

Paris

i was reading reviews and comments about last night's show, when i noticed some lint, or perhaps a feather, floating around in front of me. i blinked, and then it was gone. i realized immediately: magic smoke!

i quickly disconnected the power from my laptop, and turned it over, to see if the battery was on fire. it seemed fine, but a quick inspection of the power cable yielded the culprit: there were some melted bits about.

i found the address of what i thought was an apple store near montparnasse, and headed to the metro.

upon surfacing, i again did not look at a map, and again instinctively turned the wrong way, and wandered about for an hour or two. fortunately, i wandered into Jardin du Luxembourg and read a bit.

eventually, i found the "fnac" store - rather like a best buy. i eventually spotted the power bricks, and made my way to the checkout queue, with not a little dread; i was pretty sure they weren't going to speak any english. fortunately, credit card transactions aren't too complicated, and i was out without a hitch.

i stopped at a brasserie for some lunch, still apprehensive after yesterday's bakery incident, and, well, found the service a little wanting. the food was ok, though, and quite welcome after not having dinner last night and walking around all morning looking for the apple store.

it was the afternoon, so i was a little tired, so went back to the hotel for a little nap. after i went out to walk around and try to find dinner before the show. i was really feeling out of it, though, and sat down at a brasserie only to be told they were only serving drinks. well, this did it, and i ended up just getting some orangine & fanta, some chocolate, and bread. it was quite good and filled me up, and then i went to the venue.

it was right around 8 pm, when bat for lashes was likely just going on, and there was still quite a line out. i sat down and read for a while, until the line finally settled down around 9, which was about when i was planning on going in. eighteen minutes later, radiohead went on.

i was in the back again, relaxed, and enjoying my last show for quite some time. the best set list so far, with airbag, pyramid song, dollars and cents, how to disappear, super collider, jigsaw... during the second encore, two people to my left were screaming out in terribly english for karma police and idiotque; they played them both.

again, in the hotel after the show in 30 minutes.

June 9, 2008
radiohead: paris 1

Paris

i ended up back in the same square as yesterday for breakfast, and decided to try a different place. success! they had croque monsieur on the menu. i stumbled through ordering, and made do with tea to drink.

unfortunately, the croque monsieur was not the classic baguette that i remember; this was a grilled, open-faced variety. i ate it disappointingly.

after wandering around for a few hours, i decided it was perhaps time to check on the line for the show. i stopped in a little bakery to get some food for the line, and they had some baguette-based croques. but when it became clear that i didn't speak french, the woman made the other girl take my order, and it was clear she was not interested. this made me feel pretty bad, i don't know.

there was already a bit of a line when i got to the arena around 1 or 1:30. i sat down and started reading my kindle. it was terribly hot, and i didn't have any water or anything. somehow the hours passed, and we were let into the venue. i was way up front, possibly even closer than friday night, and again no pit.

the wait was excruitiating. it was hot, everyone was crammed in, i was thirsty, and wouldn't mind a trip to the bathroom. i decided that this just wasn't that much fun - tomorrow i wouldn't wait in line like this. i toughed it out for the opener, but since my mind was made up for tomorrow, i gave up my prime spot and headed to the concessions and restrooms.

it turns out that you can see well enough from the back of the floor, and in fact the sound is better than when you're up front. it's not as fun in that crazy sort of way, but then again you can move your arms around you without hitting people, and when they play the national anthem you can sneak off and get a drink without having to wait in line.

and exiting was a breeze. i think i was back in my hotel room, after riding two metro lines, in less time than it took to even get to the dart station in dublin.

as for the show, the first half was basically the same as dublin, but then morning bell, exit music, street spirit, like spinning plates, and finally open pick/jigsaw falling into place... a great show.

June 8, 2008
paris, day 1

Paris

today was perhaps the most perfect day i could hope to imagine. i arose somewhat later than i had suspected, as i had not changed the timezone on my ipod (my phone has been off since i left). after navigating the diminutive shower, i was off for adventure.

there are a lot of small markets, cafes, and brasseries in the vicinity of my hotel, but i wanted to walk around a bit first. i didn't set out in any particular direction, but i assumed i'd eventually make my way to Ile de la Cite, Jardin du Luxembourg, or Champs-Elysees, where i ate exactly three years ago tonight.

i settled on a cafe with some open tables (but not by any means empty) overlooking a church (not the notre dame or anything). despite riding the metro last night, it was not until the first sip of my citron presse that i was really and truly in paris. first came some mozarella, tomatoes, and basil, which was lovely, and then my crepe super mixte - a crepe with some sort of cheese and ham mixed in, and a sunny-side-up egg on top. this was not how i expected the egg to arrive, and in my previous trips, this style of egg may have been unwanted, but as of the past few years it is in fact my preferred vehicle for egg delivery (providing phil's deviled eggs are not in the vicinity). it was all quite delicious, and soon after i continued my walk.

unfortunately, it was sunday again, so many shops &c. were closed, but i did find an open bakery and had a coffee flavoured eclair (i didn't know it was this flavor when i ordered it).

i continued to walk around, trying to not just stay on larger streets, but eventually made my way to the seine and notre dame and all that business. this was after much walking, and i could use another break, so i sat down at one of the little cafes in Jardin des Tuileries and had another citron presse. i would have had a crepe or some sorbet, but the waiter never came by again. which was perfectly fine as well, as it was nice to sit and read for a while.

i spent the rest of the afternoon walking around, sitting and reading a chapter or two, and trying to find an atm which can handle eight-digit PINs (of which i finally found one). finally, it was late enough for dinner, so i found my way over to chez Clément. it was getting a little chilly out, so there were ample free tables outside, which i'd prefer anyway.

i do not know the name of the dish i ordered for an appetizer, but it was a goat cheese something with tomato something. what arrived was unexpected: it almost looked like a little tart, consisting of (cold) roasted/grilled zucchini, peppers, mushrooms, and then the cheese, with a pleasant tomato sauce.

i believe it to have been good at the time, but it paled by comparison to the main course. i wish i had seen the french menu, but its english title was duck delight: one duck something, one duck leg, and one duck sausage, with some sauce and mashed potatoes. duck has become one of my favourite dishes, despite my previous troubles, but this was almost certainly the most delicious i have had. i could probably have this for every meal the rest of my life and not grow tired of it (although it's likely i'd soon need a larger belt).

the dessert was not extraordinary, but this was no time for regrets; the meal, and day, was already a success.

previous trips abroad, both with others and alone, had brought a lot of anxiety esp. wrt. eating and getting around, but today was completely relaxed and effortless; a real joy. it's only the first day here and already i'm wishing for another week here, or even not leaving at all. oh well.

a brief walk & metro trip and it's back at the hotel to rest up for more radiohead tomorrow. perfect.

June 7, 2008
so here we are (again)

Dublin -> Paris, via Holyhead & London (with add'l changes in Crewe, Birmingham, & Northampton)

well, i made it. it was quite an interesting and challenging journey, but i am perhaps too tired to write about it now. notable things that make travel fun:

1. i missed the bus to the ferry; had to take a 10 euro taxi to the terminal.
2. it was fortuitous that i had been unable to purchase the UK rail segments online, for i misunderstood their pricing, and would have paid 2x as much instead of just getting a return fare.
3. so, they are doing some rail maintenance in england so i had to take a "coach" from birmingham int'l to northampton. of course this will be done by my return trip, which i get to do direct london -> holyhead
4. there are two tube routes that go from euston to st pancras, and of course the one decided to take was shut down for construction. 50-50 chance on that.
5. dinner at the train station was something called a pasty? i entered under false pretenses thinking some sort of confections were to be had but it turned out pretty ok.
6. i could have made the 19:00 eurostar to paris if i wasn't an idiot.
7. when everyone at a metro stop goes for the elevator, even those without luggage or strollers, you should do that too. i lost count of how many flights of stairs i lugged my suitcases up. it is some sort of miracle that, at the last moment, i decided against lugging my guitar with me. i wish i had decided before the last moment, and given it to the movers, but see above wrt. idiocy.
8. i think the dublin westin was like 1800 euros a night, so i didn't even look at the prices here. i am staying at an awful comfort inn near sacre coeur ("no lift" was the advice from the doorman, with a laugh), but i am unable to complain. i am in paris.

two days, two more metro systems (dublin dart (they don't have one for luas there) and london underground) (plus the SF ones which i hadn't yet added):

-- metro.b3co.com

tomorrow: adventures. tonight: sleep.

June 6, 2008
radiohead: dublin 1

Dublin

the plan for today was to run along the liffey (there was about a mile of pedestrianized former-docks right near the hotel), then head back to the chipper and bakery from yesterday, then head over to the castle and wait in line for hours.

the chipper didn't open until 12, i had to stop back at the hotel to pick up (unnecessary) earplugs, and then i went exactly the wrong way out of the dart stop and promptly got considerably lost. fortunately the band was soundchecking, and i was able to follow the music to the entrance. but the result of all this was that i didn't get in line until about two or two-thirty (i think?) and was not, in fact, first (although the line was not long). however, the ground was wet, and it was sprinkling on and off. everyone around was either speaking italian or too musically pretentious even for me. that is to say, they like arcade fire. so i just read my kindle.

eventually they moved us to yet another pen, as the band did a second sound check. we stood there, packed like sardines, for an hour or two? eventually they let us in, and of course i get in the ticket checking queue where she needs the volume raised on her little palm pilot ticket scanner thing. but i ran (until the frightening security guards emphatically yelled not to) and was maybe 5 or 6 people deep, a little to the johnny of thom.

all that will be said of the opening band is that they somehow combined the worst of bjork with the worst of arcade fire. needless to say, they were a hit.

right before radiohead were due to come out, we got another brief rain shower, and then behind us formed a full rainbow, with almost a complete second arc. ok, i was excited.

unfortunately the show, for me, was only ok. i have a few theories for this:

1. i was tired
2. i'm seeing them five more times this summer, plus twice next week, so this show isn't "it" (this happens with jsb tours, too)
3. it just wasn't loud enough (often a problem with being so close to the front + center)
4. the setlist was a little blah (although it was cool to see a thom-only premiere!)
5. some songs were ruined by these two idiots who came pushing and shoving through the crowd but were not permitted past us. unfortunately, this meant that they stuck around where we were. i do not know what sort of drugs the one guy was on, but they were quite effective. eventually they got the hint that they should leave.
6. near the end of the first set, some large (when compared to gangly radiohead fans) irish guy in a black pink floyd t-shirt pushed through the crowd and started yelling at everyone to stop recording, and to put their cameras away. he then tried to take this one guy's camera, but it was strapped to his arm. he seemed a little too... "in your face" even for this group of security guys (most had at least one large scar on their face), and it became clear to everyone that he was in fact, not with security. he had a brief conversation with the security guys, and that seemed to satisfy them, but everyone pulled their cameras back out. he stuck around for a few more songs (although it was pretty obvious that he was not exactly a fan), but when the security guys seemed to come around looking for him, he slinked back into the crowd. i suppose he was trying to steal people's cameras or something?
7. joe and nat and ettore weren't around.

but oh well. reckoner was great, and of course being in dublin they played how to disappear, which is so great live, but they didn't play jigsaw (which they didn't play at either of the boston shows last time around), or planet telex...

there was a little bit of the rough stuff during my iron lung and paranoid android near the end. it occurrs to me that perhaps i am getting too old for this, and should just stay at home and listen to them on records.

oh and then i paid 2.50 euro for a cup of water. easy come, easy go.

but seriously, an ok radiohead show is better than anything else in the world.

June 5, 2008
dublin, day 1

Dublin

i was far from the only person who thought of going to the zoo today. horde after horde of unruly school groups, each in their matching uniforms, were screaming from exhibit to exhibit. i have never seen such dreadful beasts in my entire life.

the zoo itself was ok. i don't recall any especially remarkable exhibits, but as a whole it wasn't bad. there was a heron perched above me, and i didn't know this about them, but both of their eyes can look down around their head. it makes sense.

all those animals made me hungry, so i found a fish & chips place. unfortunately, it was drizzling and i could find anywhere to eat (it was takeaway only), so by the time i got back to the hotel they had gotten a little cold. but it was still awesome. and they were not kidding about it being fish & chips - it was literally half a fish.

i went to another bakery and had an awesome raspberry scone, then became tired of the rain and went to see indiana jones. it was terrible.

since i had gotten an all-day luas pass, i decided to see some of the city and took it to the end of the line. it was quite a trip, but pretty enjoyable and comfortable.