Garth's World

April 2007 trip overseas

Garth — Sun, 13 May 2007 21:11:44 +0000

In my most recent trip overseas, I…

Walked down Abbey Road and ate a meal at a friend’s home overlooking Abbey Road Studios, where the Beatles recorded most of their albums.

Ate Italian food at a table full of sailors on an island in the Gulf.

Enjoyed beautiful spring days with snow-capped mountains circling the horizon.

Flew in six types of aircraft in 96 hours.

mach zehnder modulator

Attended a BBQ without all the usual BBQ fare but lots of other highlights such as: camels, falcons, lobster tails, ice sculptures, henna artists, and princes.

Circumnavigated a country to see an underwhelming castle. Got three speeding tickets in the mail from the traffic cameras for the trouble (two were within 5 minutes of each other — the other 20 minutes prior).

Learned about the French Foreign Legion from one of their former commanders.

Had to make way for His Highness.

Where do your taxes go?

Garth — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 20:20:04 +0000

Here is a cool visual display of where your tax dollars go. This only represents the discretionary budget that the President submits to Congress every year. Entitlement programs such as Medicare and Social Security are not included even though they are a huge part of the taxes we pay.

Definitely

Garth — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 19:11:56 +0000

I will admit it. I think good spelling is important. Please correct me if you ever see anything that looks wrong on this site. One word people are excellent at spelling incorrectly is definitely. Apparently, someone takes spelling this word even more seriously than I do. They have devoted an entire website to the word. Pretty funny.

Wagering on the election?

Garth — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 13:59:00 +0000

Yes, you can. Check out Slate, which is keeping track of several websites that allow you to wager (or invest if you will) on different candidates and their chance/price/odds. You can follow the trends in these over time on Slate’s page. Many, including DARPA, belive prediction markets are very effective at predicting events, much like publicly traded stocks predict the future of corporations. In fact, the prediction markets were, over time, excellent at predicting President Bush’s win over John Kerry.

Test pre-schoolers pass but you will fail

Garth — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 12:29:37 +0000

Check out this link. I failed and guess you will as well.

Measuring your runs

Garth — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 04:32:59 +0000

Have you ever wanted to plot a course for a run but wanted it a little more exact than driving your car using your odometer? If so, this is the site for you.

It uses Google maps, and you can plot an exact course using waypoints to measure out an exact course. I just did it for a 5K course on Bayshore.

GMaps Pedometer

March 2007 overseas trip

Garth — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 03:59:40 +0000

Traveled to 5 countries in 8 days covering 19660 miles, averaging 102 miles per hour

Passed the water taxi desk to pick up my rental Ford Focus

Missed our exit on the autostrada

Got the chills in a medieval wine cellar

Landed during the worst time of day into the most dangerous landing zone in the world

Drove after midnight through wet, terror-filled streets

Flew in 4 different aircraft models over the course of 12 hours

Had a sandwich in a palace, kangaroo in a villa, burrito in a tent, stir fry in a warehouse, and Indian at my seat in business class

Drove through vineyards in two separate countries – one where the growers are famous for the wine and one where they killed for it

Human Clock

Garth — Sat, 17 Mar 2007 13:04:34 +0000

As a photographer, I love this site. The site continually updates with a new time and picture. I am going to have to find a good time to add one of my own.

Check it out here

Crying in movies

Garth — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 23:02:46 +0000

The first time I cried in a movie was junior year in high school. Unfortunately, I saw this movie in History class, Sergeant York. Immediately after watching this movie, we watched Yankee Doodle Dandy, where I cried again. Crying in school was not ideal, but luckily the lights were out and half the class was asleep. Both were proud and patriotic movies, where I cried out of happiness (and both won their leading actors an Oscar). The next movie I really cried in was of a similar tone, A Few Good Men. Are you seeing the theme for my future? I must have at the age of 17.

After all those (and a few others along the way), the movie I cried the most in was a recent one…Stranger than Fiction. As in the other movies, this was a happy cry. This was one of best movies I have seen in years. It may have gotten away from the patriotic military theme, but it caught another theme for me — I watched it on the plane.

Poetry for life

Garth — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 22:33:12 +0000

A very smart man I work with read my blog and, in response, sent me this poem. Thanks, sir.

May 24, 1980

I have braved, for want of wild beasts, steel cages, carved my term and nickname on bunks and rafters, lived by the sea, flashed aces in an oasis, dined with the-devil-knows-whom, in tails, on truffles.
From the height of a glacier I beheld half a world, the earthly width. Twice have drowned, thrice let knives rake my nitty-gritty.
Quit the country that bore and nursed me.
Those who forgot me would make a city.
I have waded the steppes that saw yelling Huns in saddles, worn the clothes nowadays back in fashion in every quarter, planted rye, tarred the roofs of pigsties and stables, guzzled everything save dry water.
I’ve admitted the sentries’ third eye into my wet and foul dreams. Munched the bread of exile; it’s stale and warty.
Granted my lungs all sounds except the howl; switched to a whisper. Now I am forty.
What should I say about my life? That it’s long and abhors transparence.
Broken eggs make me grieve; the omelet, though, makes me vomit.
Yet until brown clay has been rammed down my larynx, only gratitude will be gushing from it.

– Joseph Brodsky

I hope to write my own poem when I am 40. Until then, this blog will be my practice and part of my gratitude. As for transparence, there is not much more than putting my life out for you to read here. Maybe that is one difference between 33 and 40 and is where Mr. Brodsky and I will differ…for now.