Just a thought….why doesn’t facebook put a function/link in place where you can see how much it would cost (airfare/hotel/etc.) to visit a friend for a week or weekend based on where you and your friend are? (0) #
Paul Kedrosky has the great idea of emptying browser tabs by making a post of them. Here’s to making this a habit:
As someone who used to travel a lot for work, and still has to travel relatively frequently, this article really hits home. As a nation, we are becoming way too complacent about our government and it’s actions. (0) #
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been out around the island taking pictures. I’ve put together an album of the better ones:
I think this might be one of the best ways for me to consistently update this site. Obviously, I’ve neglected posting on here, but photos might be the best way to get back into it. The better of these captures have been put on flickr as well.
As I go through all the stuff I’ve accumulated (part of moving to another country), this article from Paul Graham is very fitting. (0) #
As promised, here is an update/write-up regarding my visit to Bermuda a few weeks ago….
The first thing you notice (or at least I did) when driving from the airport are the brightly colored houses. Green, yellow, pink, red….they have them all. Most houses are kept up very nicely, and the contrast between them and the blue sky and water is amazing. The second thing you notice is how green the island itself is. There is plant life everywhere.
The cab ride from the airport to downtown Hamilton is about 20-30 minutes, depending on traffic. One interesting part of the drive is the roads; very narrow and half the time you are fenced in by a 10-20 foot high rock wall. Oh, and they drive on the left side of the road (that will take some getting used to). As a result, nearly every cab I was in, and most cars I saw, had the left hand side mirror either damaged or completely broken off. Humorous indeed.
The place I stayed at was “different”….it was basically a studio apartment attached to this lady’s house. The room was very small, with a twin bed, a mini-kitchen, and a bathroom. Overall comfortable and clean….she even had a free wi-fi connection. Some of the people at the office thought it was an absolutely horrible place to stay at, but it was just fine for three days.
Hamilton is an unique city; everyone is very nice and the city has a certain “coziness” to it. All the buildings are no taller than the church (local law), and very tightly packed together. Oh, and everything is expensive, as I’ve been told and read about numerous times. The one bar I went to on Wednesday night after dinner hadn’t even heard of a “drink special.”
Most expats get around on scooters, so I’ll probably buy one of those when I arrive on the island. It’s kinda funny to watch people ride around on a scooter in business clothes, but you get used to it.
Another interesting thing is the island has all these tiny frogs that chirp and make lots of noise throughout the night. Didn’t take me any time getting used to it, since I kinda grew up with that at my parents house. Some people at the office said they go away in the “winter” because the frogs are hibernating, but either way it won’t affect me much.
Hmmm….what else. Bars and restaurants seem normal, other than being expensive. I don’t think I saw a main course/meal less than $15 for lunch or dinner, and I know I didn’t pay less than $5.00 for any drink that I had.
Based on the brief visit, I think I’ll like living there. Oh, and there are pictures. Who’s coming to visit first?
I know I’ve been very bad at updating the gallery with pictures, but I’ve put up three more albums:
So…that’s it for the picture update today. Now that I have this Macbook, have better software for processing images, and don’t have to use multiple computers for getting the pictures uploaded, I should be updating more frequently.
Short post, but as discussed earlier, I’m moving to Bermuda in August. I’m currently visiting Bermuda right now for meetings with clients and the local office; will write more and have pictures in a full post soon. (1) #
I like mine with lettuce and tomato, Heinz 57 and french-fried potatoes, big kosher pickle and a cold draft beer, good God almighty which way do I steer for my, cheeseburger in paradise….
Well, if your name is Joe Budzynski, you steer to a tiny island about 650 miles off the coast of North Carolina, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean:
I’ve been working for several months now on finding and securing an opportunity with my firm for an international assignment, and Bermuda is the location I am going to. I will be leaving sometime around the third week of August, and plan to stay for about two or three years. The only hiccup that can prevent me from going would be problems with my work permit application to the local government in Bermuda, so I am keeping my fingers crossed. But, for all intents and purposes at this time, I am moving there.
Why, might you ask? I’ve become more inclined over the past year or so to move away from the Metro Detroit area, and I’ve always had it in the back of my mind that an international assignment would be great (both personally and professionally). I missed out on the opportunity to study abroad while in college, and it’s one of the very few things I regret. As a result, when a great firm offers opportunities to pursue international assignments, I wasn’t going to let them pass by.
So, that’s the big news in my life at this time. I will be around Metro Detroit for the next couple months, then spend the first couple weeks in August visiting family and friends before I leave. I’ll also be sorting through my belongings and figure out what to take with me and what to leave behind. Many thanks to all those who helped me find, pursue, and decide on taking this opportunity; you know who you are. Thank you!
Well, I’ve been on vacation for the past week. No, I didn’t go anywhere. The past two or three months have been crazy with a lot of travel for work, but overall it was a good time. As a result, I’ve been able to post a lot of pictures that have been taken over the summer. Here they are…
Not much else to report. Spent most of the week watching movies and hanging out with friends I haven’t seen in a while. Also, I’m moving in a couple weeks, so that should be interesting.
I’ve been down in Tennessee for the past week for work. As a result of that, I was able to spend another weekend in Nashville. I also spent a weekend here last March, so I had done a lot of the touristy things (and taken lots of pictures) during that visit.
Friday night, I got into town around 5:30 PM, and went to the Doubletree Hotel. Very nice hotel, apparently they just spent a few million dollars on remodeling, and it showed. Didn’t have much of a plan for things to do, so my night was spent barhopping among the different watering holes on Broadway. I was actually able to catch the Tigers game at Bailey’s….too bad we lost :-/
Saturday was spent mostly around the hotel actually. I went to breakfast at The Pancake Pantry, which has the best pancakes you’ll ever have. After getting back to the hotel, I found out it was way too hot for wandering around downtown by going to a souvenir shop on Broadway. Ended up watching a movie on TV and working out at the hotel during the afternoon. My cousin (Brad) called me around 4:30, and we went to dinner at a sports bar near the Gaylord Entertainment Center (where the Predators play).
After dinner came the Tennessee Titans vs. Atlanta Falcons NFL game (a few pictures were taken). Somehow my cousin was able to snag us a couple tickets to his company’s suite, so that was really cool. The game itself wasn’t that exciting….no real big plays, crowd wasn’t real into it, etc. Tennessee lost the game, 20-6. After the game, went for a couple drinks at a bar on Broadway, nothing exciting.
Sunday was a great day….woke up early and went to The Pancake Pantry again, but this time with Brad and his family: Michelle (his wife), Max (son), and Spencer (son). Amazing food (as always), so that was good. Max and Spencer were funny, and it was great to see them all again.
After breakfast, I went back to the hotel and packed up my stuff. The Hermitage was next on the list of things to do. It’s the plantation/mansion that was home to the seventh President of the United States: Andrew Jackson. Only a short drive from downtown, it was great to visit. A little warm to walk around outside, but that really didn’t effect my experience. I took some of the best pictures of the trip while there, so take a look if you want. Overall, a great historic place to go, I’d recommend it to anyone visiting the Nashville area.
After finishing a tour of The Hermitage, I headed down to Franklin, TN for a visit to Brad and Michelle’s house. It was a surprise when I called them during the drive there and Brad told me I was going to have dinner with them! It wasn’t quite ready when I got there, so Max entertained me with some Sponge Bob flash games….very amusing actually. For dinner, we had some really good herb chicken, corn on the cob, and salad. To top it off, Michelle made the best dessert: shortbread cake, whipped cream, and fruit. Such good food…
After dinner, I had to head back to Jackson, TN. Long drive (2+ hours) from Franklin, but that’s ok. It was a great weekend in Nashville, and I’m looking forward to visiting again. I don’t know what else there is to do, but I know there is plenty going on in that city. Good times!
Can we just nominate the Department of Homeland Security and Transportation Security Administration? (0) #
Great article from The Register concerning the ability of terrorists to mix chemicals for a bomb. Maybe we should restrict our elected officials from watching action movies. (0) #
I’m sure everyone has heard of the flight that got diverted today. If not, read here. The obvious implication is that I would not have been to upset with being diverted to Boston, since the Tigers were playing there tonight.
However, it boggles my mind how horrible air travel has become. I would like to run through a brief list of items that the TSA recommends you not attempt to bring through security:
Excuse me, but did the TSA make a policy of hiring idiots for monitoring the security gates? I can imagine the dialogue between a would be terrorist and TSA agent at the security gate with these items could go something like this without these rules in place:
TSA Idiot: Hello sir…umm…you have quite a large bag of hair gel and medicinal gel caps there. What do you need that for?
Ali the Bomber: Ummm…(starting to sweat)…well….I very sick, and my hair requires much gel after removing my turban.
TSA Idiot: Well sir, your flight is only 75 minutes…
Ali the Bomber: Allah told me to bring them with me.
TSA Idiot: Oh, well then, that’s perfectly acceptable.
I can see it now: the next plot will involve strands of the terrorist’s clothing being laced with plastic explosives and the detonator being a watch. So, after the authorities ban all clothing and any other reasonable items you could take on a plane (not too far to go, eh?), we’ll all be sitting next to each other in our birthday suits.
Joe's posting presence over the past three months...
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