The Exploits of a TurboGeek!

I often do stupid things too, but this isn’t about that.  This is about the stupid stuff that comes out of my mouth that somehow turns out to be worthwhile.

Exhibit A:

A new Irish Pub opened up in town, so a few of us got together to check it out one night.  After we spent some time there and were having fun, I sent out some text messages inviting a few other friends to join us.  After a while, one friend called back to scold me for sending him text messages while he was in class.  The exchange went something like this:

Jeff:  Why did you keep sending me text messages in class?

Me:  How was I supposed to know you were in class?  Why did you keep responding?

Jeff:  Uhh, well we’re on a break now.

Me:  Well come over to this bar, it is fun.

Jeff:  I’m in Class!

Me:  C’mon, it is fun.  They’re giving out free T-Shirts!

Jeff:  No!  I have a class!

Me:  Fine then.

So, we got off the phone, and all my friends laughed because I was attempting to be a bad influence.  Also, because there were no free T-Shirts to be had.  I don’t know why I say these things, but it just seemed like a good thing to say.

About 10 minutes later, the bar Owner walks over and asks us “What size are you?”.  So, we tell him our sizes, and he gives each of us a brand new Guinness Polo shirt.  In the packed bar, he chose to give shirts to the four of us.  Suddenly, I was magical.  We still have no idea why he did this, but I was told that next time I make up a free giveaway, two for one drink specials would be preferred.

Exhibit B:

We stopped at one of the base exchanges today that specializes in selling imported liquor.  Wandering out, a tall slender bottle/box caught my eye.  Canadian Maple Syrup Liqueur…  After a brief discussion about whether or not it would be good ensued.  I decided it might be good on ice cream, so I decided to buy it.  Walking up to the counter, the exchange went like this:

Cashier: Hello.  What can I help you with today?

Me:  I’m thinking about buying this bottle of Maple Syrup Liqueur.

Cashier:  Maple Syrup Liqueur?

Me:  Yeah, I thought it might be alright.  Can I have a sample first?

At this point everyone starts laughing at me.  Liquor shops are not a place one typically anticipates getting free samples.

Cashier:  Hold on, let me check.

At this point everyone looks at me, quite astonished.

Moments later, we all had our taster glasses filled with Maple Syrup Liqueur.  This worked out for the shop too, as it resulted in two additional bottles of liqueur selling off that day.

So, as it turns out, the constant stream of nonsense that issues forth from my head mysteriously finds a way to pay off sometimes…

Howdy,

Yes, it has been a long time since I last wrote.  I know.  I don’t know why I haven’t written, but mostly I just didn’t feel like it.  I guess that is the cool thing about being a grown up, I can just not do stuff I feel like not doing.  You do it too, only about different tasks, so stop being so surprised at me.

Lots has been going on.  For me, there has been work, and much dancing.  I’ve been swimming and running a bit too, but mostly I’ve been trying to live life.  Rich and Liora had a baby (Woohoo for them!) and John and Jen not only got engaged, but set a date for their wedding (Woohoo for them too!).  Donna and Bill had a baby too, though I think technically this happened before my laziatus…  Lee Anne ran at least one more Triathlon (More I think) and Kelly has been having great fun raising Elliott and baking awesome cookies.  Krissy finally managed to visit California, and also moved in with “The Boy” (back in NY, tho).  Woohoos all around there too.  Chandra got a new job that has her traveling the world, and Chryss is an auntie once more.  Mira has been doing more research, and has visited Mexico at least once for some research and some recreation.  A final round of Woohoos there, and also some woohoos for anything cool that happened for anyone that I forgot to mention.

The point is, I know my blog has basically fallen apart, but I’m still trying to keep up with all of you.  I just…  Well…  suck at it sometimes.  Sorry about that.  I think there is probably a longer entry on this topic, but this has to do it for now.

Tomorrow, I’ll be hopping onto a plane and whisking off to Thailand to go on a vacation and see my good friend Scott.  His blog has been sucking lately too, so we’ll be good company.  We’ll probably have a reverse race to see who posts pictures first.  Who do you think will lose?

We’re going to visit Bangkok, some beaches, Kuala Lumpur, Borneo, and Singapore.  Scott did most of the planning, so I’m basically a vacation parasite.  What is cool about this is that a vacation in Southeast Asia that it is a place where a parasite can get one of his own.  Plus I might get to eat some bugs.  Not so sure about that.  I will endeavor to take many photos, and come back with some interesting experiences.  I’m sure we’ll have some fun.

And there you have it.  What started out as a 4 sentence entry about my not writing and warning you all that I’ll be out of pocket for two weeks has turned into a surprisingly long and boring entry.  Woohoo for me too!

I do miss all of you, and I hope you’re all well.  Be safe and have some fun.

Hey,

Me again.  I’m just writing to say “Hi” and that I miss you.  Many of the folks who read this here are also my friends on Facebook.  Those of you who haven’t joined that site yet, might want to check it out.  It has been sucking up much of my time.  In any case, I will try and be more diligent about writing here, but you know how I am.

This weekend, I’m off to the Alps to get some skiing in, and hopefully complete my Outdoor Emergency Care training.  Wish me luck.  Also, be safe and have lots of fun yourself!  Ciao!

Dan

Hey!

Its me!  I’m alive!  The Polar Night Half Marathon, which I ran half of (10km) was awesome!  Norway is incredibly beautiful, and for the first time ever, I was within the Arctic Circle.  The sun did not rise while I was there, and there were only about 4 hours of daylight at all. 2 Hours of almost sunrise, and 2 hours of sunset, it was beautiful.  The race was an absolute blast.  I hope that I shall never forget the feeling of running along the coast of the North Sea, listening to the crash of waves beside me, while Aurora Borealis plays a green ribbon across the sky in front of me.  It was nothing short of mystical.

This first picture is from the night before the race, around 10 or 11 PM.  Steve, my good friend who had told me about the race, and I had hiked for about an hour trying to find some place dark enough to make out the Northern Lights.  Every street in this town was lined with lights, as was the fire-road we eventually found.  Finally, we found a copse of trees and a hillside tho shield us from the streetlights, after chasing the green glow ever north.

During the race, I was treated to an even brighter display than what you are seeing in the above photo.  It was phenomenal, literally.  After the race, and dinner, Steve and I went out to celebrate his birthday, and our successful run.  Steve ran the 20km in 2 hours, and I did my first 10km race in 70 minutes.  I was impressed.  Wandering back to the hotel, I looked up and saw this…

Note: That is my ghostly head in the bottom of the frame, both of these pictures were taken with a three second exposure.  The building at the base of the photo is of course lit by streetlights.  This was so profound in that it was considerably brighter than the lights we had to hike miles out of town to find sufficient darkness to see in.  I love the squiggle wave in the middle of it!

I can’t wait to go back next year!

Howdy,

Well, I made it home for Christmas.  Thankfully, I’ve seen a lot of you recently, and some of you I hope to see again soon. Wherever you are, I hope you’re spending some time with people you love.  I also hope you know that there are people far away who cherish and miss you too   Merry Christmas!