Have More Sun, Please
Posted on | April 27, 2008 at 1:27 pm | 1 Comment
We got a little snow here yesterday…
So I’ve uploaded the final batch of Cancún trip photos to the Flickr trip set. I haven’t posted all the photos we took by any means, but some get rather repetitive. And of course once you get back from a trip and look at the photos you took, you always wish you took more photos of other things. I wasn’t always carrying the camera with me when I should’ve. And yes, there were some photos of the gf (with and without me), but those are classified.
The moon was full for most of the time we were there, and we had one wonderful evening lying out on the lounge chairs on the deck just looking at it shining down on the water. But I didn’t have my camera with me, and I’m not sure a pic of that would’ve come out okay anyway. I’m not very good at night photos.
A couple of additional thoughts on the trip:
The Barceló Tucancun Beach resort where we stayed was not crowded at all, and we never had any trouble finding lounge chairs, either at the pools or the beaches. No trouble finding seats at the restaurants either. It seemed like there were as many or more Hispanic tourists there as American ones, plus the usual folks from Canada and Europe. I’m assuming we missed the Spring Break crowd by a few weeks, which we were thankful for. All in all, it was a good time to go, except for the rough seas.
The hotel was pretty noisy. We faced the Laguna Nichupté side rather than the ocean, and there was some sort of big chiller or other machine out there that produced a constant loud noise. It didn’t bother me much, but it did bother N. I think I actually would’ve been more bothered by staying on the other side, since the ocean itself was very noisy, and that’s a random noise rather than a constant one. Also, the hotel has hard tile floors which echo and amplify all noises, and big wooden doors that always seem to make a loud bang when closing. And of course you have the usual partying cretins in the middle of the night making noise and pounding on doors and such. Luckily there wasn’t much of that though.
We had a long wait at check-in even though there weren’t very many people ahead of us. The front desk staff seems to be a bit overwhelmed, and weren’t quite as friendly as the rest of the staff. The front desk area didn’t appear to be air conditioned (which is maybe why the staff was somewhat surly), so that makes waiting worse. The check-out was a bit of a wait too, although props to them for letting us do a late check-out. And they charged us for exactly what they said they would – no hidden fees or charges or anything.
There were two huge shopping malls within walking distance of the resort. One of them, Kukulcan Plaza was right across the street. It was an indoor mall with great air conditioning. It has some upscale shops, like Louis Vuitton. The other was an outdoor shopping mall down the street a little ways called La Isla. It has a Chili’s and three McDonalds. It also has an interactive aquarium that we didn’t have time to peruse.
We used USA Transfers (thanks, Sue) for private transportation between the Cancún airport and the hotel. I know it probably would’ve been cheaper to just use a taxi, but it was nice to have everything setup beforehand and to not worry about it. They were excellent – Johnny On The Spot!
We’ve been back for almost a week, and no signs of intestinal difficulties! We both avoided drinking the tap water, though N insisted on brushing her teeth using it. I guess she was right that it wouldn’t hurt. We had glasses of water one night in the ala carte restaurant – they insisted it was purified, and it must’ve been.
That’s all I can think of for now, though I’m sure there’s more.
Time to do Sunday chores.
Latre.
Fond Memories Of Violent Times
Posted on | April 26, 2008 at 12:22 pm | 1 Comment
So what are you doing to celebrate the release of Grand Theft Auto IV this Tuesday? Will you be waiting in line at you local Best Buy when the doors open? Will you steal a car to get there? Beat up a hooker and take her money so you’ll have some cash to buy it? The possibilities are endless.
I kid, but I do really want this game and will be buying it this week. Although I’ll probably use a Target gift card I got for Christmas, and I may not buy it right on release day. If it’s like the release of the previous GTA games, all the stores will be well-stocked. I didn’t bother with a pre-order. Heck, this thing is bigger than a major movie release.
So, what am I going to do to celebrate GTA IV Release Week besides buying the game? I’ll be thinking of my late friend Bryce. Part of why I want to get and play the game is because of my memories of those late Friday nights playing GTA III (and later, GTA: Vice City) with Bryce. Those were magical, fun, and humorous (if somewhat violent) times, and I cherish those memories like I do little else. We used to take turns doing the missions, and it was just as fun to watch him play as it was to play myself. It was Bryce who kept telling me that I need to get a PlayStation 3 back when I was considering getting an Xbox 360 – he was a die-hard Sony supporter, and really wasn’t much into Nintendo either. Though I never actually made a promise to him about it, it’s one I ended up fulfilling anyway.
So now I’ll be able to play the game on my sparkling new PS3. One of the main reasons I wanted a next-gen system was for GTA IV (and also Bionic Commando, due out soon). I just can’t wait to immerse myself in Liberty City again and I hope the game doesn’t disappoint. According to this review in the Rocky Mountain News yesterday from columnist (and Kotaku guy) Brian Crecente, the game does live up to the hype. Heck, the guy spent five days holed up in a San Francisco hotel room doing nothing put playing the game, so he must know what he’s talking about.
I do have to admit that the GTA franchise has had diminishing returns for me. I loved GTA III and played all the way through it. GTA: Vice City was fun, but I got bored with it after awhile and didn’t finish it. GTA: San Andreas was just too much – I got stuck on some stupid motorcycle mission and then just stopped. GTA: Liberty City Stories was a bit hard to play on the PSP, so I didn’t get much into that. I never got GTA: Vice City Stories. But I think GTA IV brings enough new stuff to the table to make it interesting again. It really does look like the biggest, best virtual world yet, and I can’t wait to play around in that sandbox. Like the original GTA III, I’ll probably spend just as much time running around exploring and dishing out mayhem as I do completing the missions and such. It’s not just a game – it’s a way of life. Okay, it’s a horrible and violent way of life, but at least that’s different from my real one.
I feel I should add, perhaps needlessly, that’s it’s not the violence and such of the game that attracts me to it – it’s that big open world where you can explore and do anything you want. I love finding new things and new ways to interact with the virtual world. I also like the satisfaction I get from completing missions. But I’m not sure how I’ll ever get through the game without Bryce there at my side, yelling at me to watch out for that cop or to make that left turn NOW!
Latre.
I’m Bugged
Posted on | April 25, 2008 at 6:47 am | 7 Comments
Pet Peeve of the Day: The CW Network has taken to doing large bugs at the bottom of the screen to promote future shows. On non-widescreen standard def showings, I assume the bug is in the bottom right corner, like normal bugs. Although it’s bigger and more obnoxious than normal bugs. But on widescreen/HD showings, the bug ends up being away from the edge and closer to the center. Take this example from last night’s Smallville (click to enlarge):
At least this one isn’t as bad as some of them, since the advertised show Supernatural is not that long a title. You should see what it looks like when the promo is for Farmer Wants A Wife or something like that – the bug reaches up near the vertical center of the screen.
The most obnoxious thing is that the bugs are up there for the entire running time of the episode! And it’s not just Smallville – they’re doing it with all shows. I can’t believe how much of the picture these things obscure and how much screen real estate they take up. Or that someone thought this was a good idea. Die, CW, Die!!
Latre.
Jogged Today: Yes (@ 36°F)
Songs That Came Up On The iPod While Jogging:
- “Jimmy Jazz” (The Clash)
- “Armed Resistance” (The Information)
- “Doin’ It Again” (The Feelies)
- “Blues Inside” (Mighty Lemon Drops)
- “Worlds In Collision” (Pere Ubu)
- “Knock It Down” (Fastball)
- “Remember David” (A Flock of Seagulls)
1080prognostications
Posted on | April 24, 2008 at 6:57 pm | 4 Comments
It’s time for a new “fortune cookie game”, and I’m the one who’s going to start it. This is my one shot at being a big Internet superstar, maybe even bigger than Dramatic Gopher, and I’m going to take it. Please spread this far and wide.
Yeah, adding “…in bed” to the end of every fortune cookie fortune is amusing and can produce some suitable Tsing Tao-aided drunken laughs, but it’s really getting old, ain’t it? Well, here’s my idea to replace that old trope. You know how all the TV network promos and such now add “In HD!” to the end of the spiel? That’s what we should do to fortune cookies! Think about how amusing that is! Let’s take some examples from this very blog:
- Good fortune in love as well as a better position… in High Definition!
- If it seems the fates are against you today, they probably are… in High Definition!
- Cooking is easy. Tasting good is hard. That’s why you call take out… in High Definition!
And here’s some other examples I gathered from around the Internets:
- You were born with a ’sixth sense’ and superb insight… in High Definition!
- You will get what your heart desires… in High Definition!
- You are tasting the sweets of success… in High Definition!
- A secret admirer will soon send you a sign of affection… in High Definition!
- Be on the alert for new opportunity… in High Definition!
- Alway surround yourself with true friends… in High Definition!
- Have a beautiful day… in High Definition!
- You will receive some high prize or award… in High Definition!
- The best lovers make love on a full stomach… in High Definition!
- Find release from your cares, have a good time”… in High Definition!
- You are the master of every situation… in High Definition!
- Your dearest wish will come true. .. in High Definition!
- Your return will be a triumphant one… in High Definition!
- Simplicity and clarity should be your theme in dress… in High Definition!
And finally:
- It could be better, but it’s good enough… in High Definition!
So, there you have it! Doesn’t that make more sense and is funnier than “in bed”? Of course it is! Remember, spread it around! And credit me! I rock.
Latre.
Reading Is Fun With Metal
Posted on | April 23, 2008 at 11:30 pm | 2 Comments
I’m still recovering from vacation and trying to catch up on stuff around the house, so this is going to be short. I mentioned in this post that an additional problem with ebooks, or at least with the way I read ebooks from my Palm T|X PDA, is that the screen is not really made for outside viewing. This was driven home to me when trying to use it on the trip when lounging by the pool. The screen isn’t bright enough, and it also reflects too much. The glare makes it pretty much unreadable. As yellojkt mentioned in the comments to the post referenced above, the Sony eReader does not have this problem. I assume Amazon’s Kindle doesn’t either. The T|X is not optimized as an ebook reader, that’s kind of a by-product, so I can’t fault it too much.
The battery issue came into play too. Even though I recharged the PDA the morning of my flight back to the states, I think I would’ve come close to running out of charge on the 4-hour+ plane trip. Luckily, I finished reading the book halfway into the flight, so I didn’t have to worry about it. But if I had wanted to start another book…
(BTW, the book I finally finished reading was Olympos, which I’ve been working on for a long, long time, like over two years. Review soon, hopefully. I am proud of myself for finishing an entire 700-page ebook, although I do have to admit I read some of it via the old-fashioned hardback version of it.)
So, if I’m going to seriously embrace this technology, sounds like I need a serious piece of dedicated hardware. Although I still think the iPhone may make a halfway decent eReader. We’ll see.
Okay, time for beddy-bye.
Latre.
Feel Feel The Sun
Posted on | April 22, 2008 at 1:39 pm | 6 Comments
I know you all really, really want another entry in the extremely popular Guide To Kayak series I’ve been running, but I have to take a break today. You see, I’ve actually been on an extended weekend getaway with my girlfriend to Cancún Mexico for the past 4 days. We were lounging on the beach and by the pool, away from the Internet and all the worries of life back in the US of A. Those Kayak entries were written in advance. Thanks to Sue for posting them, so that I could stay in competition with Steve for the blogging-every-day thing. No, it’s not cheating. I put a lot of work into those advance entries!
Anyway, we had a really good time. The ocean is beautiful. We stayed at an all-inclusive resort (Barceló Tucancun Beach) and so never had to worry about where our next meal was coming from. The only problem we had was a grave miscalculation of sunscreen application. We got pretty burned our first day out at the beach and the pool (Saturday), and so couldn’t do any more of that the rest of the trip. But since we came back on Monday, we didn’t really lose that much pool time. Plus it gave us some time to check out the surrounding area and do some shopping.
Travel went very smoothly. The only hiccup was a long line at immigration in Mexico on the way down. We had to wait for over an hour. Luckily, the transportation to the hotel that I had arranged was still waiting for us when we got out of the airport. The hotel is kind of showing its age and is definitely not one of the top-tier ones, but the staff was very friendly and efficient and dealt with our few complaints quickly. The Guest Services people kept wanting to bus us down to their property in Playa Del Carmen to do some sightseeing and shopping for a day, but since they were being so insistent and annoying about it, we figured they would try to sell us a timeshare or something once we got down there, so we passed on that. The food ranged from bland to excellent. But mostly I like being able to drink as much as I want without paying anyone. Aside from the sunburn issue, we didn’t have any health issues. But of course we stayed away from the tap water to avoid tourista.
The weather was in the high 70s/low 80s pretty much the whole time we were there, but of course the humidity made it seem hotter. Most of the time we didn’t even need to run the A/C in the hotel room. There were some clouds, but they didn’t stay long and there was no rain to speak of. The ocean was pretty rough, so it wasn’t good for swimming, though I did attempt to beat back the waves with my huge hulking body (see photo). Cancún still hasn’t completely recovered from Hurricane Wilma in 2005 – the beaches are a lot smaller due to the erosion, for example. And the dollar/peso exchange rate certainly doesn’t make a Mexican vacation as cheap or attractive a prospect as it used to be, but it’s still nice a place to visit. All in all, it was a great little getaway, but too short, and I’m not looking forward to going back to work and my normal life tomorrow. I’ve started a Cancún picture set at Flickr. There’s not much there yet, but I hope to add more in the next few days, depending on how long it takes me to catch back up on TV.
Okay, sorry for the interruption. I’ll get back to the Kayak Guide soon.
Más Adelante.