Close To Departure

Well, I've been cleaning up my apartment for the last couple hours and packing for my trip! I thought I'd have an easier time packing but it turns out I like to pack way more for leisure than business. I'll email a picture of my packing skillz to my posterous page ;)

I watched Dark Knight on IMAX last night. I won't give anything away, but man, it was awesome. I was really worried that it couldn't live up to all the hype but it was just so well done. The acting by Heath Ledger was so good it was scary (and morbidly sad), and there were some visually breathtaking scenes as well. I would recommend seeing it on IMAX if you have the choice. I went to the showing at the Metreon at 8:30pm and there was already quite a line when I showed up at 7:30pm. Waiting in line wasn't too bad though, and they started letting people into the theatre around 8:05pm. I can't even imagine what kind of money they're going to make off the DVD.

Feeling excited and a little anxious about heading out tomorrow morning. I haven't been on a real vacation in quite awhile now, I suspect it'll take a few days to really decompress and start relaxing. Bought a red bikini at a great local SF shop called "Zoe Bikini" today though...my first non-black swimming suit! :) Zoe was super nice and very patient with my absolute indecision.

Okay, happy week to all!

Quick Update

I went to see Feist at the Greek Theatre last weekend, I thought she was awesome live! She's got a beautiful voice and had this manual light projector show going on in the background that was really cool. I think some might see it as too distracting but I thought it complimented most of the music really well.

Trying to squeeze in as much tennis and working out as possible before I leave on Saturday for vacation. I'm worried that I will turn back into a blob after 9 days of vacationing but hopefully there will be a lot of walking and healthy eating involved to make up for it. Except for Bologna, of course, where I plan to eat as much prosciuttio, truffles and burrata as possible! :)

I signed up for a posterous account today because my friend Prasanna suggested it and he takes beautiful pictures of his books that make me envious. You can check it at [my name].posterous.com :)

Hey Fly Clear, Aren't You Supposed to Make My Life Easier?

I had to call Clear support about a month ago to request that my primary authorization be changed from the fingerprint to the retina scan because my fingerprint wasn't matching most of the time. It took about 2 weeks to get the card made on their side, and I'm still waiting on actual delivery of it. What really pisses me off though, is getting my old card rejected while I'm trying to take my 4th flight of the week. The last thing I need right now on a Thursday afternoon is hassles at the airport.

On a lighter note, I heart Portland. I went there earlier this week and stayed the night in downtown. I love how walkable it was, it reminded me a little bit of Boston crossed with San Francisco. I tried to make it to Powell's bookstore but got sidetracked by Nordstrom's before dinner. Oops! Next time I will be sure to hit it though.

T-9 days until vacation takeoff!

Things That Make You Smile

I have to share this YouTube video because it made me laugh and smile like crazy. Hope you enjoy it!



Here's Matt's website if you want to watch more fun times, I really liked the outtakes too: http://wherethehellismatt.com

NYTimes wrote a great article about it: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/08/arts/television/08dancer.html

Planning a Vacation is Hard Work

I have spent so many hours researching Croatia, ferry routes, flight schedules, island cities, mileage points, credit card points, hotels, b&bs....aah!! I know, I shouldn't complain about planning a vacation, but damn it's a lot of work. I think I have figured out a way to use credit card points to pay for nearly all of my flights, which is awesome because airfare is ridiculously expensive right now. Here are the places I will hopefully be hitting: Bologna, Pescara, Hvar, Brac, Split, Trogir, Plitvice National Park, Zagreb. Too ambitious? Help me pare the list!

Also, I think I promised updates on a few things:
1) Hertz Lost and Found - I did get back my broadband card! They were willing to send it to me but I ended up having to drive through Orange County a couple weeks later so I just picked it up at the airport.
2) Buying from Zappo's was great. They upgraded the shipping method so that I received the shoes 3 days after ordering them online. I'm still on the fence on the shoes but I guess I need to decide soon whether they're a keeper.
3) Haven't received my bags from Tumi yet. I'm hoping that the backpack I bought will be enough for all my travels through Croatia though. :) Too ambitious? We'll see! If I do end up using just my backpack, I'll include a pic of my expert packing job in an upcoming post.

Big congratulations to my friend Brian who is newly engaged!

Next Stop: Chicago

Google, I Think You're Wrong

I just had my first ridiculous Google Maps moment! Currently planning a vacation to Europe and trying to figure out the best way to manage combining Italy and Croatia together in 8 days. I was going to hit Tuscany and then fly to Croatia, but the flights are super-expensive so I thought I'd explore hitting the eastern side of Italy (Bologna, Venice, etc?) and driving to Croatia instead. Check out this sweet path that Google Maps advised me to take for driving from Split to Dubrovnik in Croatia:



I think I might take my chances on the 4 hour drive within Croatia instead. :)

BTW - I need advice/recommendations on Italy and Croatia. Things to do, cities to visit, places to stay! I'm very much looking forward to getting out of the country and turning off the Crackberry.