well, since my last post i've done a bit of travelling... to Paris, back to the States, and to Malta. All of the trips were great, and i'm looking forward to more travel opportunities... but it is nice to be home for a few weeks...
Paris:
Mostly, it was cold. And the city was actually quite dirty... and yes, the people were sort of rude. Unlike most popular tourist cities, Paris did not make an effort to post signs, menus, etc in languages other than French. We did okay... finding places to eat, and ordering mostly sandwiches. Our hotel was a dump. Just thinking about how crappy it was makes me shivver (so if you're going to Paris, I can recommend a place to NOT stay).
Since i was so busy with work, I didn't have a lot of time to research things to do. So we started out doing the main tourist things within walking distance of the hotel. Then we decided that we could see more (and see different things) by taking one of the open top bus tours. We did see more, but we nearly froze to death in the process.
We also took the train to Versailles. The line for tickets there was very long (2 hrs), then the line to get in was long (another hour)... and on the inside, while it was super beautiful, you weren't allowed to take photographs, and you were ushered through the rooms like sheep. Some rooms I didn't even get to see the exhibit because there were so may people pushing me through. Overall, after spending 3 hours in line, we were only inside the palace for an hour. By the time we got out, we were too tired to walk through the gardens (but lets face it, it was winter, and they aren't spectacular at that time of year anyway).
The best part of the trip was having dinner at Chartier's. We had read in our guide book that it was a neat place, and that if you go there alone, you would be seated with others. So, as a couple, we did not expect to be seated with anyone else. Wrong... the place really only had 4-seater tables... so we were paired with another couple. They were just as thrilled about having to spend their "romantic" dinner with another couple as we were (much sarcasm). But through the course of the night, we got to know the couple, and became quite friendly. They live in London, and we exchanged numbers in order to get together sometime.
To see pictures of our Paris trip click: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=160b7u6w.c03kozuo&x=0&y=2xtkig
States:
Getting to visit with my family was nice. I got to be my sister's first houseguest! She and her fiance just bought a house! It was cool seeing how her life is coming together. And I took a few days to visit with some friends in Maryland. Again, it was good seeing everyone... but because of a work trip to Vegas, there were still some dear friends that I didn't get to visit with this time. The rest of my time back in the States was pretty uneventful. I relaxed and did a lot of shopping. Just what I like in a vacation... The ride home was eventful, though... the winds in London were super high when we tried to land... i thought the plane was going to come apart! after the first attempt failed, we tried again... and again, the plane shook like i've never felt before... finally, the pilot decided it was too risky, and we diverted to Amsterdam. That would have been okay, if we hadn't been forced to sit on the plane on the tarmac the entire 3 hours we were there. Eventually, we made it back to London, and I was glad to be home.
Malta:
The trip to Malta was a little rushed. Having just returned from the States on Monday, leaving on Friday for a 2 day trip wasn't the best idea. But it was nice to get to see the sun for a few days. The weather was just right - not so hot that you had to wear shorts... and not so cold that you needed a coat. We also did one of the open top bus tours there too. In less than 3 hours, we were able to cover the major part of the island. It wasn't very beachy, but since I'm not a fan of sand, that didn't bother me. I enjoyed learning the history of the island and seeing the architecture more than anything.
Pictures from the Malta trip can be seen by clicking: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=160b7u6w.1lh0kbj4&x=0&y=-hud64x
Like I said, I am glad to be home for a bit. It's springtime here in England... and I'm enjoying seeing the flowers in bloom, and all the bunnies hopping around. Yay Spring!
Hope you all have a wonderful Easter!
Tuesday, 18 March 2008
Tuesday, 29 January 2008
pictures
I think this link will take you to the online gallery where my pictures are shared. And if it doesn't work, just leave me a comment and I'll send you an email to "invite" you to view the pics... enjoy...
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=160b7u6w.cje1qp3s&x=0&y=l5b1bl
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=160b7u6w.cje1qp3s&x=0&y=l5b1bl
Yes, I know, I’m a slacker…
I could use the excuse that I was just too busy to update my blog, but that’s not entirely true… I had plenty of time to veg out on the couch watching movies, or dorking off on Facebook, so really, I had time to update here… I just didn’t.
Anyway, a lot can happen in 3 months. Here’s a brief recap:
In November, I got to know our next-door neighbors a little better… I locked myself out of our house, and they were nice enough to let me hang out in their home until the property management company could bring a spare key. The neighbors were super nice, and gave me the rundown (i.e. gossip) on the neighborhood.
Also in November, Chris and I went to Belgium. We spent the Thanksgiving holiday in Brugge. It was a very quaint city, and had lots of beautiful architecture. The weather was very nice for being outdoors (well, it was cold, but at least the sun was out), so we walked around the city quite a bit. We also got to visit an amazing ice/snow sculpture exhibit! And, of course, you can’t talk about Belgium without mentioning the chocolates… they were amazing! *drooling*
December brought happiness and some sadness. A few days before Christmas, Chris found out that he was accepted to Test Pilot School. It’s a great program, and super career boosting for him… but it’s in California, and he has to report in June of ’08. So there was the happiness of him getting accepted, and the sadness of me just getting here, and having to leave already. But, to throw a wrench into the works (like always happens with us), I had applied for a great promotion with my job, and shortly after Christmas, I found out that I was being chosen for the promotion… but with the stipulation on the promotion was that they were looking for someone who would be around for at least a couple of years. So, happiness – I got a kick ass promotion; sadness – I’ll be here while Chris goes to California.
Despite our conflicting careers, we still managed to have a great Christmas. It was our first together (even though we dated for many years, this was the first time we were actually together on Christmas). I decorated a little bit… it was nice to have an actual fireplace upon which to hang the stockings… and I even made the traditional Christmas dinner (but in two nights, because it was too much food for just one night). I still missed getting to spend the holiday with my family, but it was nice to be with Chris, and start our own traditions.
New Year’s Eve was quite fun, as well. We attended a party at one of the local pubs. It was a costume party (here they call it “fancy dress”). The theme was Red Carpet (movie stars and characters), so Chris and I went as The Tin Man and Dorothy. We had a great time, though I must admit that not having the big countdown was sort of anticlimactic. Everyone was just standing around, and then we heard Big Ben ringing over the radio, and that was it. It was the new year. We all held hands, sang Auld Lang Sine, took a sip from a communal cup of whiskey, and there were kisses all around. Definitely different that what I’m used to.
And for our latest adventure, Chris and I have just returned from Switzerland. We spent a few days in the cute little town of Adelboden. It was exactly what you would imagine a small alpine village to look like. And the mountains were amazing. Chris did some snowboarding, but I mostly just loafed around our cabin, and explored the town. I definitely need to brush up on my foreign languages, because you never know when you’re going to be somewhere where hardly anyone can speak/understand English. It was an adventure trying to communicate with the cabin’s keyholder, to let her know that we would be checking out early. It’s a good thing we bought a handy German phrasebook in the airport. We probably butchered the language, but at least we tried.
Well, this definitely wasn’t a “short” recap like I was hoping for… but there was just so much to tell. I guess that will teach me not to wait too long between posts. I was going to include pictures, but there just wasn’t room. I will add lots of pics to my Kodak Gallery, and I’ll post the link for everyone to view.
Anyway, a lot can happen in 3 months. Here’s a brief recap:
In November, I got to know our next-door neighbors a little better… I locked myself out of our house, and they were nice enough to let me hang out in their home until the property management company could bring a spare key. The neighbors were super nice, and gave me the rundown (i.e. gossip) on the neighborhood.
Also in November, Chris and I went to Belgium. We spent the Thanksgiving holiday in Brugge. It was a very quaint city, and had lots of beautiful architecture. The weather was very nice for being outdoors (well, it was cold, but at least the sun was out), so we walked around the city quite a bit. We also got to visit an amazing ice/snow sculpture exhibit! And, of course, you can’t talk about Belgium without mentioning the chocolates… they were amazing! *drooling*
December brought happiness and some sadness. A few days before Christmas, Chris found out that he was accepted to Test Pilot School. It’s a great program, and super career boosting for him… but it’s in California, and he has to report in June of ’08. So there was the happiness of him getting accepted, and the sadness of me just getting here, and having to leave already. But, to throw a wrench into the works (like always happens with us), I had applied for a great promotion with my job, and shortly after Christmas, I found out that I was being chosen for the promotion… but with the stipulation on the promotion was that they were looking for someone who would be around for at least a couple of years. So, happiness – I got a kick ass promotion; sadness – I’ll be here while Chris goes to California.
Despite our conflicting careers, we still managed to have a great Christmas. It was our first together (even though we dated for many years, this was the first time we were actually together on Christmas). I decorated a little bit… it was nice to have an actual fireplace upon which to hang the stockings… and I even made the traditional Christmas dinner (but in two nights, because it was too much food for just one night). I still missed getting to spend the holiday with my family, but it was nice to be with Chris, and start our own traditions.
New Year’s Eve was quite fun, as well. We attended a party at one of the local pubs. It was a costume party (here they call it “fancy dress”). The theme was Red Carpet (movie stars and characters), so Chris and I went as The Tin Man and Dorothy. We had a great time, though I must admit that not having the big countdown was sort of anticlimactic. Everyone was just standing around, and then we heard Big Ben ringing over the radio, and that was it. It was the new year. We all held hands, sang Auld Lang Sine, took a sip from a communal cup of whiskey, and there were kisses all around. Definitely different that what I’m used to.
And for our latest adventure, Chris and I have just returned from Switzerland. We spent a few days in the cute little town of Adelboden. It was exactly what you would imagine a small alpine village to look like. And the mountains were amazing. Chris did some snowboarding, but I mostly just loafed around our cabin, and explored the town. I definitely need to brush up on my foreign languages, because you never know when you’re going to be somewhere where hardly anyone can speak/understand English. It was an adventure trying to communicate with the cabin’s keyholder, to let her know that we would be checking out early. It’s a good thing we bought a handy German phrasebook in the airport. We probably butchered the language, but at least we tried.
Well, this definitely wasn’t a “short” recap like I was hoping for… but there was just so much to tell. I guess that will teach me not to wait too long between posts. I was going to include pictures, but there just wasn’t room. I will add lots of pics to my Kodak Gallery, and I’ll post the link for everyone to view.
Tuesday, 20 November 2007
When Nerds Collide
no... I'm not talking about Chris and I... "When Nerds Collide" is the latest Peter McKay article that I found too funny not to share:
"Our second son left for college a couple of months ago and took everything with him except a pile of dirty laundry and five huge storage boxes of junk. One reminder of his presence, however, was the monthly science magazine he subscribed to that I've been too disorganized to forward to him.
This weekend, I sat down to page through the magazine, which featured the latest advances in science, technology and physics. I'd never really looked at this magazine when my son was home, and now, with a little bit more time on my hands, I thought I could benefit from a little mental exercise.
In a cruel twist of fate, I was born with the mind of a jock and the body of a nerd. I am neither intellectual nor athletic. You might not know it to look at me: I wear bifocal glasses most of the time, so a lot of people think I'm a big reader. In reality, though, it's just because I have weak eye muscles. Maybe, I figured, if I were to struggle through this monthly scientific journal, I could add a few points to the old I.Q.
After a few minutes, though, I got bored with the articles. Well … point of admission here. I didn't really get bored. I was just lost. One article was about a "microwave emitter that extracts the petroleum and gas hidden inside everyday objects" and another was about startling advances in "holographic data storage." I don't know what these things are, and let's face it, fancy graphics and 3-D diagrams weren't gonna help. Eventually, going through page after page, looking for something, anything, I actually understood, I found myself at the back of the magazine, where they have 10 pages or so of ads aimed specifically at the brainiacs who pay for subscriptions.
Well, at least that was interesting. I might not be able to read the stuff smart folk read, but at least I could see what kind of things they went out and bought. Of course, they had ads for scientific stuff like Bunsen burners and test tubes. I was not surprised to find that there were plenty of ads for laser pointers, microscopes and coin collections. There was an ad for metalworking equipment, necessary, I suppose, for building home robots. And a lot of the ads were for geeky products like geodesic dome houses, radio-controlled toy helicopters and fishing poles that fold down to the size of a pen. I'm surprised there weren't ads for pocket protectors and ultra-high-waisted khakis.
One thing I noticed, though, was that there were plenty of ads trying to take advantage of that creepy nexus where science and lust collide. There were full-page ads for all kinds of pills, herbs and potions that could make you more of a "man," all of them with names I can't actually print in a newspaper. I pictured nutty professors by the score dropping their calculators and picking up phones and credit cards in eager, but slightly creepy anticipation.
I saw plenty of ads for pheromones, "synthesized human sex attractant" chemicals that lonely Poindexters could add to their cologne to attract women. According to one ad, 74 percent of men who used the product increased their sex appeal to women during an 8-week scientific study. (I felt a little sorry thinking about that 26 percent of scientists who were so nerdy that even a dose of concentrated love potion couldn't bring on the ladies.)
On the next page was an ad for "Liquid Trust Oxytocin Spray," a little bottle of chemicals nerds could spray on women to make them more trusting. It would be a lot easier for geeks if they could just find a chemical that made a female's eyesight go blurry and their judgment go haywire, at least for a little while. (Oh, sorry, it's called champagne.)
If all else fails, there was an ad for a tiny little wireless camera, designed, I suppose, for nerds who can't capture women in their arms, and instead will settle for capturing them on their hard drives. It was clear that the geeks of the world are after our women, and they have the technology to take them. It was chilling.
Ladies out there: If a nerd approaches with an amorous look in his bespectacled eyes, don't smell him. And if he pulls out a little bottle of spray, run like heck. If you don't, next thing you know you'll end up housekeeping in a geodesic dome, waiting for hubby to get home from the lab so the two of you can go through his coin collection."
This weekend, I sat down to page through the magazine, which featured the latest advances in science, technology and physics. I'd never really looked at this magazine when my son was home, and now, with a little bit more time on my hands, I thought I could benefit from a little mental exercise.
In a cruel twist of fate, I was born with the mind of a jock and the body of a nerd. I am neither intellectual nor athletic. You might not know it to look at me: I wear bifocal glasses most of the time, so a lot of people think I'm a big reader. In reality, though, it's just because I have weak eye muscles. Maybe, I figured, if I were to struggle through this monthly scientific journal, I could add a few points to the old I.Q.
After a few minutes, though, I got bored with the articles. Well … point of admission here. I didn't really get bored. I was just lost. One article was about a "microwave emitter that extracts the petroleum and gas hidden inside everyday objects" and another was about startling advances in "holographic data storage." I don't know what these things are, and let's face it, fancy graphics and 3-D diagrams weren't gonna help. Eventually, going through page after page, looking for something, anything, I actually understood, I found myself at the back of the magazine, where they have 10 pages or so of ads aimed specifically at the brainiacs who pay for subscriptions.
Well, at least that was interesting. I might not be able to read the stuff smart folk read, but at least I could see what kind of things they went out and bought. Of course, they had ads for scientific stuff like Bunsen burners and test tubes. I was not surprised to find that there were plenty of ads for laser pointers, microscopes and coin collections. There was an ad for metalworking equipment, necessary, I suppose, for building home robots. And a lot of the ads were for geeky products like geodesic dome houses, radio-controlled toy helicopters and fishing poles that fold down to the size of a pen. I'm surprised there weren't ads for pocket protectors and ultra-high-waisted khakis.
One thing I noticed, though, was that there were plenty of ads trying to take advantage of that creepy nexus where science and lust collide. There were full-page ads for all kinds of pills, herbs and potions that could make you more of a "man," all of them with names I can't actually print in a newspaper. I pictured nutty professors by the score dropping their calculators and picking up phones and credit cards in eager, but slightly creepy anticipation.
I saw plenty of ads for pheromones, "synthesized human sex attractant" chemicals that lonely Poindexters could add to their cologne to attract women. According to one ad, 74 percent of men who used the product increased their sex appeal to women during an 8-week scientific study. (I felt a little sorry thinking about that 26 percent of scientists who were so nerdy that even a dose of concentrated love potion couldn't bring on the ladies.)
On the next page was an ad for "Liquid Trust Oxytocin Spray," a little bottle of chemicals nerds could spray on women to make them more trusting. It would be a lot easier for geeks if they could just find a chemical that made a female's eyesight go blurry and their judgment go haywire, at least for a little while. (Oh, sorry, it's called champagne.)
If all else fails, there was an ad for a tiny little wireless camera, designed, I suppose, for nerds who can't capture women in their arms, and instead will settle for capturing them on their hard drives. It was clear that the geeks of the world are after our women, and they have the technology to take them. It was chilling.
Ladies out there: If a nerd approaches with an amorous look in his bespectacled eyes, don't smell him. And if he pulls out a little bottle of spray, run like heck. If you don't, next thing you know you'll end up housekeeping in a geodesic dome, waiting for hubby to get home from the lab so the two of you can go through his coin collection."
For those of you who don't already read Peter McKay, get on it!
Saturday, 10 November 2007
honeymoon adventure
We spent our honeymoon in the Dominican Republic, at the Bahia Principe Resort in Punta Cana. It was a good vacation, but the few days of rain kinda put a damper on the outdoor activities. We did get several beautiful days at the beginning of the trip, and were able to enjoy the beach then. Here are some pictures from our trip:
more pictures can be found at www.kodakgallery.com... but this time, it's under my personal account, so if you would like for me to invite you to see the rest, just leave a comment, and i can send you the link.
more pictures can be found at www.kodakgallery.com... but this time, it's under my personal account, so if you would like for me to invite you to see the rest, just leave a comment, and i can send you the link.wedding adventure...
As promised, here are some pictures from our wedding weekend. More pictures can be found at www.kodakgallery.com... the username/email for viewing our wedding photos is: dupinwedding@yahoo.com... and the password is: duncan. If you have pictures from the wedding that you would like to share with everyone, you can also upload them there.
The Thursday before the wedding, several of us went to Fender's Corn Maize in Tennessee. It was a lot of fun.
For the rehearsal dinner, we decided to do something unique. So instead of the traditional stuffy dinner at a restaurant, we chose to have our wedding party participate in making their own dinner at the Southeast Culinary and Hospitality College. I think everyone had a good time, and it was some really good food (even my sister cooked!!!).
Also, there was a bit of trouble with the paperwork for our officiant. She had gotten ordained online just for our wedding, but somehow, her paperwork and proof of ordination didn't get to us in time for the county clerk's office to approve it. So the day before the actual ceremony, we had to get legally married by someone else (a county approved officiant). Here are some pictures from that surreal occassion:
And now for some pictures from our Wedding Day, Take II:
Again, there are more pictures in the KodakGallery... and if you have pictures from that weekend, we would love to see them, so upload them there as well.
The Thursday before the wedding, several of us went to Fender's Corn Maize in Tennessee. It was a lot of fun.
For the rehearsal dinner, we decided to do something unique. So instead of the traditional stuffy dinner at a restaurant, we chose to have our wedding party participate in making their own dinner at the Southeast Culinary and Hospitality College. I think everyone had a good time, and it was some really good food (even my sister cooked!!!).
Also, there was a bit of trouble with the paperwork for our officiant. She had gotten ordained online just for our wedding, but somehow, her paperwork and proof of ordination didn't get to us in time for the county clerk's office to approve it. So the day before the actual ceremony, we had to get legally married by someone else (a county approved officiant). Here are some pictures from that surreal occassion:
And now for some pictures from our Wedding Day, Take II:
Again, there are more pictures in the KodakGallery... and if you have pictures from that weekend, we would love to see them, so upload them there as well.Thursday, 1 November 2007
Mrs. Dupin
yep... that's me...
wedding was fun... we have an interesting story (but i'm going to leave you in suspense, because i'm too tired now to tell the tale)... everyone had a good time (at least we think they did)... pictures will be coming soon...
honeymoon was good... except for the hurricane... okay, so it was only a tropical storm, but still... actually, it only rained a little bit the last 3 days, and then a lot on the day we left... so it wasn't that bad...
since we've been back, it has been a busy couple of days... our house is a mess... when chris moved everything from the flat into the house, there wasn't really time to put anything away... so now, it's just all in the floor all over the place... hopefully we'll get a lot done this weekend, because my household goods are supposed to arrive on wednesday, and they need a place to go...
that's really all i have time for right now... i'll post more soon... just wanted to let everyone know the wedding went well, and we made it safely back from the honeymoon...
wedding was fun... we have an interesting story (but i'm going to leave you in suspense, because i'm too tired now to tell the tale)... everyone had a good time (at least we think they did)... pictures will be coming soon...
honeymoon was good... except for the hurricane... okay, so it was only a tropical storm, but still... actually, it only rained a little bit the last 3 days, and then a lot on the day we left... so it wasn't that bad...
since we've been back, it has been a busy couple of days... our house is a mess... when chris moved everything from the flat into the house, there wasn't really time to put anything away... so now, it's just all in the floor all over the place... hopefully we'll get a lot done this weekend, because my household goods are supposed to arrive on wednesday, and they need a place to go...
that's really all i have time for right now... i'll post more soon... just wanted to let everyone know the wedding went well, and we made it safely back from the honeymoon...
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