Birds in Zlate Moravce

It was a great day today. The sun was out and it got up to 2 degrees C and humidity is low so I went out to try and find some of the Hawks I see when I am out driving. I saw at least 6 different Hawks today alone in a 10km stretch of road I like to drive.

Christmas in Amsterdam with Barbora

Christmas in Amsterdam

I am going to spend 4 days in Amsterdam with my Slovak friend Barbora over Christmas. She is living and working in London, we will meet on Tuesday the 22nd and stay until the 26th. This is her first trip to Amsterdam and I am looking forward to showing her some of my favorite places in the city. I am looking forward to seeing the city at Christmas time and I am hoping to get fresh snow just one night for photos. I need the current weather system to stall just 24 hours and I think it will happen.

So what else is new?

Really, not much, I have not had many classes this month, busy schedules, people sick, end of year stuff. Things will return to normal by mid January. I have spent the last three weeks pouring over the Climategate issue. I am still deciding if and when I will post my opinions and things I have found. I want just a little more time to put everything together in an easy to understand and highly sourced post that I hope is able to only present facts and not just opinion.

I will post some photos if I feel they are worthy while in Amsterdam if not don't expect to read anything until after Christmas.

I hope all of you have a safe and wonderful Christmas and New Year.

Remember,

I Love You,

and there is nothing you can do about it.

Yes YOU.

New Neural Net Upload

Sometimes it takes just a tiny spark to light a fire.
My friend Zuzka Bakova provided the spark today, thanks Zuzka, I needed it.

Today marks the third day in a row that this bright yellow thing, I think is called the Sun, has replaced the normal solid grey that covers the sky. It has made a big difference in my mood. This is my third Fall in Slovakia and I now see a pattern emerging, things are nice until about the middle of October then the Sun goes on vacation for a month or two. Now it has returned but since it his busy season in the southern hemisphere he doesn't get as many chances to visit us here in Central Europe. I am also noticing a correlation between the taste of Vodka and the amount of sunlight, the less sunlight the better it tastes, further research is needed and is underway.

I would like to say I have so much to write about since my last post, I would like to but I can't. Not because I don't want to upset anyone or I am hiding something but really it is because not much has gone on in the last few weeks. I have gotten into a routine and it is boring. But boring in the sense of it is not interesting to write about, I don't find my life boring, while it is not super exciting it is fine for me.

So I will write about my plans for the future or more accurately what I would like to do. I looked into visiting my step sister Jean Marie and the rest of her family in Italy for Thanksgiving but I was unable to come up with a plan that was both cost effective and time sensitive, these two factors are important and I was unable to come up with a workable plan so I had to forget it. That leaves Christmas and New Year to plan. I have a few options I am looking into. The first is a repeat of last Christmas with a return to Istanbul for Christmas. The second is a trip to Amsterdam for Christmas with the possibility of my Slovak friend Barbora, (she lives in London) meeting me there. The third is a combo trip to London then Amsterdam, this would give me the chance to also visit with Zuzka and Milos (if they are in the UK at that time). The forth option is to stay in Slovakia and spend Christmas and New Years with Joe and Martina in Kremnica. I need to make up my mind in the next week so I can book flights and such if needed.

Some other bits and pieces.
Snoop Dog is getting big and I enjoy having him. (Yes he is a he, my skills as a vet suck. - see my first post about snoop)

I found out I am in fact able to register my car in my name, but I have to go through the process of changing my address, which is not a simple or quick process, then I will get the car in my name.

I am still waiting and waiting and waiting for one judge to put a stamp on the contract for the sale of the cottage I am trying to buy. I really did not expect it to take this long but as long as it is done before early spring I will be fine. I want to get started on the renovations as soon as the weather permits in the Spring.

That's all I can think of.

Why I Am NOT in Amsterdam

Amsterdam Again

It is time for me to return to Amsterdam, it has been about 4 months since my last visit. I was able to get a super deal and got round trip airfare and 3 nights hotel for $345.00. At that price it is hard not to go. I am hoping only for clear skies, I don't care if it is cold, I am hoping for some night shots that I have been planning since my last visit. (right now there is a 60% chance of rain for all three days) I leave on the 3rd and return the 6th. I will let you know how it goes.

Oh yeah, I love you and there is nothing you can do about it.

It's Time to Feed the Mojo Wire.

So the words I promised all so long ago. What can I say I am just lazy, well that is not accurate, lacking my muse has been the main problem coupled by a case of U.M.S. (ugly mood swings) that I have seem to have turn a corner on, thus the words.

So this is going to be as close to straight from the noodle as possible, I find it is just easier to write this way. The trip to america was a great time to say the least. martin, joe and i had a super time traveling the east coast on the 15 day tour. that is a good a place as any to start.
we land in newark on labor day the 7th of sept. in the afternoon. my brother tim had a town car waiting for us to drive us to my dad's house. (much love to Spaz for that and the many other things he takes care of for me on that side of the atlantic. dude i do appreciate it.)

grammar and other rules have been thrown out the window for this one, i will try and correct the major spelling errors but other than that forget it, just let it go, the english language is changing so fast that the style i now write in will someday be looked at as old fashioned. it will be sad i admit but it will happen, back to the story

fuck my clock needs a battery, hold on, wait oh that is why, never mind. it has no battery for a reason, (yes jake, it is right where you would expect it to be) the new flat is fucking with me some. more on that later but i need a few seconds to contemplate the clock and its significance in my life. i am not just speaking about time in a general sense but more in the is it only man made sense. thus the overlapping hands.

OK that was time well spent even while i listen to the brazilian bubble gum beauty sing her truth, yes i can admit i dig shakira, she's my debbie gibson of the new millennium. my mac keeps fixing my spelling mistakes for me thus making life that much easier

so we hung out in NJ with my dad and Janet in Chester for the evening. we woke up on tuesday morning and started the drive to virginia, with a quick stop at abbess of maines so joey and martina could buy a new camera for the trip. we then drove the 5.5 hours and arrived in richmond in the early afternoon. we hung out for a while with my mom and steve, we then headed into town to show them the west end, (sarcasm on) i have never been so proud (sarcasm off) just to make it totally clear to people why i do not live in america anymore, the west end of richmond, hey guys rome is burning. I was waiting for it to rain frogs when i was there, while i am not a religious man by any stretch of the imagination but that place is going to be the first place god decides to blot out first, is smitten the word i am looking for? as my english skills continue to decline with age and lack of proper use. so anyway we went to the most authentic restaurant i could think of was Mexico in Innsbrook, i know it is like going to the heart of the beast and dinning on the earthly delights of the the the word i cant think of place that represents everything that makes me understand how ignorant i once was and how much i still have to learn. do you have any idea how long it takes to deprogram yourself from all the bullshit you have been feed since birth? welcome to my world, a no stop questioning of everyone of my motives and actions, not always in real time but always reviewed, thus the insomnia. but the food was great. We then went home for an early night as the jet lag was still messing with us. we awoke the next morning, late, if i remember correctly and we went into richmond to show them carytown, VCU (and may i just say, what the fuck VCU, what happened to that part of the Fan? it was I nice place that people lived in, that felt open and welcoming, now i feel so boxed in and the lack of the old neighborhood feel is long gone, way to go, you get smitten third, NOVA is second, you fucks deserve it and you know it. nova= northern virgin, for those who don't know) yes my proclivity to use the work fuck today is also a bit of a surprise to me as well but the slovak bad words i would like to use are hard to translate sometimes and fuck covers most of it with little fanfare and even less need for long winded explanations like this one about fuck, this negating my previous hypothesis. basically fuck you VCU administration. I may not speak for the masses but there are many of us VCU dropouts who hate to see what is happen to the school that accepted just about anyone.) we had lunch with my friend carol ann at Dot's Back Inn, in the north side of richmond for what i now consider the best place I know to get a cheeseburger, google it and go. (extremely smoker friendly), we hung out some with carol ann the we then spent wednesday evening at my sister jennifer house with her husband and there 4 kids, my brother kevin his wife and his 4 kids, my brother macro his wife and their 3 kids my sister betsy and her 2 kids my mom and my step dad for a typical family meal. It was a great time and the kids loved playing with joey. we then spent that evening hanging out with Jason at his house before coming home. We did some more exploring of richmond on thursday morning before having an early dinner with some family and we headed to DC to visit my friend Kelly for a few days.

DC was cool and it was great to have Kelly's place to crash in. we got up and started to do the typical touristy things one does in DC. We started at the White House, my first visit, and got lucky and saw the presidential motorcade returning to the white house, the amount of support vehicles was amazing, at least 20 others in the motorcade. we then headed to the WW II memorial then down the reflecting pool to the lincoln memorial, over the the Vietnam memorial, a quick cab ride to the capital, worth the 10 bucks for the 6 min ride, it beats an hour walk. then we went to the museum of native america which was really lacking in north american native american history. If i want to know about south american native americans i will go to south america, enough said. we then had dinner with kelly at a local restaurant that was very good then back to her house for an early evening in chatting. The next morning we awoke to drive out to Dulles airport and the new Air and Space Museum, (so worth the trip, it was the highlight of my trip to DC and Joe and Martina both loved it. If you have kids take them, get there early and plan on a whole day and even then you will feel you wished you had more time. they close at 5pm.) i am going to cook a pizza, not that you would need to know that but sometimes the fingers just keep going an the brain says fuck it you are typing at a speed not known to you before run with it pony boy run with it, natures first green is gold, stay golden pony boy, i am going to get feed.

we headed to NJ and the beach house in Bay Head saturday night as we where going to the Gaints / Redskins game the next day. Know i have to tell you when we were in richmond at the short pump mall Joe saw a shop called Redskins, now keep in mind when Joe thinks redskin he thinks native americans and this is a shop with native american goods he can buy. I was unable to keep him from going in, it was too late, the hook was set and from that point on Joey and Martina became redskins fans, even me telling them over and over again that the redskins suck but this did not deter him as a matter of fact he take much pride in his redskins tshirt he found. but they still suck no matter how much he likes them, dan synder has to go then the can be good again. so the four of us, kely is also a die hard deadskins fan so I was looking forward to all three of them dealing with the loss that was about to beset them. it was a 4pm game and we got to the stadium before 2 so we could tailgate, we got a great spot on the grass right next to the entrance / exit. both joe and martina were surprised by the tailgating but i explained that that was sometimes more fun then the game. the giants won, of course and I enjoyed that for what it was worth. the four of us stayed at the Sheraton next to the stadium. I also drove in to Hoboken that night with kelly to go visit a friend of mine Ben who is a Stevens Institute as some kind of biochemical genetic engineer or so other next generation shit that is way over my head. put it this way, the kid is wicked smart and crazy talented. I got a view of manhattan at night I had never experienced and wished I had brought my camera with me, and if was not so late when I returned to the hotel I would have gone bcd that night but knew we had a long drive ahead of us in the morning and needed to get some much needed rest.

week 2 begins on monday morning as we leave the stadium complex and head north towards camp. The NY throughway south of albany is fairly bland but once you get a bit north on the northway and you skirt the western edges of the adirondack state park past lake george and we went up to the Blue Ridge rd, rt. 2, so worth the drive but it is better to go west to east from long lake for this drive, east to west is not as scenic. we then came past long lake to blue mountain lake, my favorite of all the lakes i have been to in the park, which is quite a lot. we then made it to camp in the late afternoon where we meet up with T, John and Dave and had dinner at Dakkers. It was great to catch up with them an hear all the stories about camp this year. i do feel bad for mike who did the driving this summer with all the problems with airport runs. I hope next summer when I return everything will run like clockwork, we shall, as always, see. the next day I packed up a few things I wanted to bring with me, mainly my nintendo ii. I have missed it these last two years. we then headed to bethel NY, the site of Woodstock, as Joe was very keen to see it. I was also interested to see if the field was small like I thought it would be, in my brain after seeing the movie it feels like a great expanse but haven worked with wide angle lens for sometime now I have learned how to resize wide angle images in my head. it field is in fact much smaller than you would think. the photos kind of give you an idea as I tried to give you a true to life view of the place and shot at 50mm, the closest to the human eye. we then continued south and drove to Newton to show them the dealerships and have diner with the last of the family martina and joey had yet to meet, tim, aka Spaz, and his wife and 3 kids. we then headed back to the beach in NJ for the rest of the trip.

just to let you know this is 3 hours of writing so far. it would be so much quicker to tell you on video but i would want to write it first anyway instead of off the cuff which i would skip from place to place leaving you with half processed ramblings of an addled brain but enough of that back to the beach.

this was now tuesday night and we settled in for the next 6 nights before flying out the next monday. to be honest the next few days tend to blend together so instead of when, which is not really important i will just tell you you the what. we, well me, i dragged them along to best buy as i loaded up on electronics i wanted to get before returning to the very expensive E.U. I picked up a tom-tom gps which i love having here and a video projector, for both future teaching uses, it now serves as my 8 ft wide TV and computer monitor. Once I get internet in the flat, more on this later I will post photos. it was also a great purchase that i got a great deal on. we did some more shopping for them and got the gifts they wanted to get. we then spent the next few crappy weather days doing much of the same, shopping, eating out at local places for the atmosphere and playing the Wii, Sean White snowboarding with the balance board is way cool and joe says feels very realistic to actual snowboarding. part of me has been wanting to play for the last hour but i need to get this shit out of my head and off of my plate as I have other things that are demanding that brain space. a promise is a promise and jake is jonesen' like a mother fucker for words, the stats don't lie. but i need to finish this up in the next 30 minutes or else i am ea.ting in to sleep time before a early and long day tomorrow. we then drove in to see ben again and get photos of the manhattan skyline at night but i forgot the camera mount for my tripod at the house like an idiot so my photos did not even come close to what i wanted or hoped for. but it is the first place i am going when i return. for that matter i want to return to ireland to visit santa in the off season, (are you lost, look at my ireland slideshow for the man with 3 dog, then you will understand.) and amsterdam while I am thinking about it, so anybody who wants to go, tell me when and i will meet you there, 30 hours notice is plenty for me, ask my friend matt, thats all i needed for my last trip in july. time sean, time, focus.

so we hung out in Bay Head hoping for good weather and hanging out with my friend sophia. (in my world she is a pure blue, and blues are hard to find let alone a pure blue, she is special, you figure that out about her as soon as she smiles at you. hard for me to explain colors to you guys but everyone i know has a color, some change but most are what you are, me, i am a yellow, but enough of that.) we had a super time even though it was cold and raining most of the time, we made the best of it and it was also nice to slow down after the 8 days we had just had.

we flew out on monday night returning to vienna on tuesday morning. I got my car from my friend Vrbo's flat and if I remember correctly I drove them back to Zlate Morvace that afternoon. I then return to bratislava and my flat in the middle of no where for bratislava standards, it is a long bus ride to get anywhere except the VW plant a few miles down the road. I was happy to have my car. but getting the car into my name was not going to happen no matter what i wanted so I decided to just have it put into joe's name which is just as good. But a few days later my starter shit the bed as noted before. it took me a week until i could get someone I trusted would not rob me blind like the porsche dealer in bratislava wanted to do. it limited my driving as I had to make sure i parked in a location that allowed me to roll down hill to jump start it or at worst a open flat area for me to push it, which after 3 tries always started when i was alone. in the end 130 bucks for a fixed starter new oil and other minor issues resolved, i am happy i have a local guy i can trust to fix it, the guy is like rainman with cars. i don't question it, just enjoy the fact i have him to take it to for any future issues. I spent these next 2 weeks getting back on european time and finding a new flat in Zlate Moravce, which i was able to do with joe and martinas help. it is nothing special but it is big and cheap compared to what i was paying in BA. I am having some problems getting internet here but they are problems which i created so I am dealing with it the best i can. every two days i go to intro, the big city 25 minutes away and to the big new mall which has free high speed net. in about 1.5 hours i can download a few hours of the latest tav shows i like, grab some food, check email and then head home to watch what i downloaded. I also have internet over my cell phone now but it is at best 5k - think dial up, so gmail takes 2 minutes to load but i can at least check it now.

shit 10 minutes to my deadline

i drive the hour and 45 mites to BA on tuesdays and thursdays to teach, i am finished by 2 pm both days and on tuesday I finish at 1:30 and am only 45 min back to ZM. the drive can be a pain with traffic some mornings but i enjoy the drive and have really missed not having a car for 2 years. I am listen to stuff on my ipod i forgot i had, a lot of zeppelin, which is nice.

As for the cottage i am trying to buy, i am waiting on a judge to put a stamp on the paper and i can pay the man and it will be mine, i also want this off my plate as the reconstruction in the spring will need the space. I will update you as soon as i know something. if for some strange reason it does not go through and I can't buy the place then I will know what the universe is telling me but until then the signs are still unclear on the path ahead of me, the only thing i know is this, it's mine to enjoy the view, it is my job to give you the best description as i can, here i feel i have failed but the photos should make up for it, now go look at the slideshow again.

3 minutes to spare,
i am done, much love

I Know I Promised Words But..

I have been going non stop since I have returned. My car's starter motor has decided to shit the bed. On the upside, I have a new huge flat in ZM and by next Friday I should have closed the deal on my cottage. I promise I will write more but until I have time to really write something worth reading I will not waste yours or my time.

Panorama's

Click for larger versions.

Photos First, Words Second

So Much to Tell You..

but no time to write about it. We are having a great time, taking lots of photos and I will write about all of it and post photos and slideshows when I get back home, I promise.

Hang in there.

Let the Fun Begin

Martina, Joey and I are now at the Vienna airport about to board the plane to begin our journey. We have 12 hours of nicotine free traveling ahead of us. :) I am hoping my download of Mad Men from last night finishes before we board.

More when I get in tonight.

What A Week

I am not sure how I really feel about it other than this morning I understood that it is not for me to worry about, they are things I have little or no control over so I will not allow this "course correction" (setback is the word I would have used yesterday.) to bring me down. Just to give you some background, I moved from the flat I have lived in for the last two years and have moved to a temporary flat 20 minutes outside of the city the second issues is trying to register my car in my name. There appears to be a new law in Slovakia that will not allow me to register a car because I have not lived here for 5 years. I am trying to get the exact law in question but the Relocation Firm which is helping me is also as confused by this as I and promise me they will figure out a way. The car issue is more of an typical government red tape issue i had not expected but should have. The real issue has been the move. I finally got it this morning, that I had spend the better part of 2 years there and I felt as if I was just starting to become part of the community and really knew the in's and out's of my little section of Petrzelka. Most people will never be able to understand why I love the place so much but it was the location and view from the flat that made it so special to me. I will also miss the people who have come and gone through those doors who I am not sure I will see again, life is funny they way people enter and exit your life sometimes. But right now as I write this I feel better because I will have the memories of so many great people and times in that flat. My only hope is the new tenets take my advice and keep the great energy the place has going.

So what is next for me? Monday I leave for the States with my friends Martina and Joey for a 15 day trek around the Eastern Seaboard from Richmond to D.C. to New Jersey for a Giants / Redskins football game, up to Camp then to the Beach House for a few days of relaxing and day trips into NYC. I will see about updates as I go but most likely I will not post much for a few weeks but be sure to check bak often just in case. Remember the site is Ad free so the only one who profits is my ego when i get my site hit report.

My New Car

1996 Audi A4 TDi 170000km
ABS - Airbags - Leather
CD - AC
Other than the rims, (spinners maybe?) I love it.

Update

So my permit is only good for one year, which sucks as I was hoping for a 2 year but no worries, renewal is just a formality and payment and I get to stay another year.

Waponi Woo ver. 2.0 was picked up today.

I should have a car by early next week. (I am looking now at an 1998 Audi A4 TDi)

And the cottage should be mine by the end of September.

Snoop Dog is growing at a rapid rate. I took her to the vet today for a quick check up and she is doing fine.

I will spend the weekend in Myjava for a Ska and Reggae festival.

That's all for now, I am busy and have shit to do. Later....

It's Official!!!

I am a legal Slovak resident now for two years. The papers have been issued and I pick them up on Wednesday. I can't tell you what a relief it is to have this done and off of my plate. The stress of wondering if anyone was ever going to figure out I had been here for 2 years illegally before I got my working and living papers.

Now what is on the agenda for me.
1st - Waponi Woo ver. 2.0 (don't worry if you don't understand, it means something to me, it is a promise I made to myself when I first got here.)

2nd - VW Golf TDi for around 3000 euro (the conversion rate of $1.42 to 1.00 euro is killing me)

3rd - Close on the sale of my cottage in Kremnica

4th - Find a place to rent in Kremnica while I am renovating the cottage.

Ok I need to get going as I have a ton of stuff I can now start in motion, things that have waited to long for this day.

More to follow.

I Have a New Girl in My Life

I meet her at Joey and Martina's cabin last Friday. I could not believe it, I saw her, we both walked up to each other, I reached out to touch her and it was like magic. Total love at first sight. She followed me up to the cabin and we have been together ever since. My pet name for her is Snoop Dog or Snoopy. She is soooo cute.

Photo of her..

Please feel free to leave comments or ratings. I always enjoy reading them.

Hi

Can't Sleep

So I Am Still Waiting....

I hoped that my visas and other documents would be finished by now. I misjudged the pace of government work in Slovakia but really I knew I was kidding myself to think it would be done by the end of July. So now I am hoping for the 15th of August. That is a more realistic date. Of course I could be wrong. These last few months have been stressful for me (remember - my level of high stress may be very different from yours, it's about perspective.) because I have many plans that are on hold until I get the temporary residency papers and working papers. The first thing I will do is buy a car, a VW Golf TDi. I am spending to much time in Kremnica not to get one and the TDi gets great milage. The other thing is the cabin, I want to start the reconstruction as quickly as I can. Even though I will not get electricity until December I want everything ready to go by then. I plan on selling my Honda when I return in September, there is no reason for me to keep it as I will be here for the next two years at least.

So what else? I am sitting out on the balcony smoking and writing as the rain gently falls on this cool gray day. I have not decided exactly where I will land on September 1st when I have to move out of my flat in Petrzelka. Part of me is thinking of making the move to Kremnica then and finding a small flat to rent for 6 moths to a year while I take care of the cabin renovations. But this will only happen if I get my papers by the 15th. I want to be positive I can stay before I make that move. If I still have not heard by the 15th I will concentrate on finding a temporary place to live for 1 month and still keep Kremnica on the back burner in case the paperwork does come through. But again I am hopeful that everything will all fall into place exactly when and where it needs to. We will see.

OK time for me to get some lunch, I will see if I am up for writing more later.

Ok today is better

Yes some days are not perfect in my life.

Tomorrow will be better.

Thanks Zeynep

My Turkish friend Zeynep came to visit me for 6 days. It was great to see her but most of all it was super to be able to show her Vienna and parts of Slovakia. We took over 700 photos over the last 6 days and I am currently working on a slideshow for her and you. We spent a day in Vienna, a few days in Bratislava but the highlight of the trip was the weekend in Kremnica. She was not expecting to go to such a place and she loves it as much as I do. I am not kidding when I say the place is magical to me. I also took her to a student party at HoPa which was fun for me to show her Uni. student life in Slovakia. We spent alot of time at night also walkng around Kremnica and Bratislava taking photos. Since the flowers have gone I have taken to my next favorite type of photography, over-exposed night shots, you will see what I am talking about when I post the video.

OK back to work on the slideshow.

Pohoda Video

I am still not ready to write about it yet, but this has helped me deal with some of it.

Pohoda Photos

Words to follow...I will get to it I promise.

It's Not Much, But At Least It Is Something

So it has taken me forever but I need to give you something to read, you have been very patient. So over the last few weeks I have been to Amsterdam and Kremnica and will go to a 3 day Music Festival tomorrow so I know if I don't write it now it will be another week before I get to it. So I am going to give you broad overview and will fill in the details later if I feel like it.

So Amsterdam, what a great time. It was super to get to see my friend Matt and I was so glad he wrote me about meeting him there. I was able to show him and others he works with my favorite parts of the city. We did a lot of walking around the city center and eating and drinking. The cool thing was because we are so far north it stays light so late your body is not sure what to do because you feel tired but it is light outside so you think it is earlier then it is.

The UFO, I am not sure exactly what it was but someone caught it on tape and put it on youtube. What I say was just one large bright orange light in the sky but I was cold and tired and had to pee and was close to my hotel so I only looked at it for about 30 seconds before I figured it was not doing much and I just kept walking. I did have my camera but it was all packed away in my bag and without my tripod it was not worth taking photos.

I was in Kremnica again last weekend and had a great time. I was the only one in the cottage Sunday night and it was so nice just to relax with no phone (battery was almost dead so I had it off) no electricity and a nice fire in the fire place and Bob Marley on the iPod. I had dinner in town (minestrone soup) came back to the cottage and chilled out for the evening.

Tomorrow I will go to the 3 day Bazant Pohoda Music Festival with a bunch of friends. I have no idea what to expect but I am really looking forward to it. I will let you know how it goes and hope to have photos to go with it.

Photos From Amsterdam

Here are some of the photos I took this weekend in Amsterdam. I had a great time and will write about all the things I did and saw, including a UFO.

(Yes a UFO)

Quick Amsterdam Update

I am having lunch in a cafe near my hotel and wanted to let you know I will have lots to write about. I am have a great time and the weather has been great so I have only been taking notes so I can write later. I may have some time tonight and for sure tomorrow so in the next 36 hours you should see the start of the words and photos.

Until then, class dismissed.

On My Way to Amsterdam

Just sitting in the Vienna airport waiting for my flight. I am so excited about this trip mostly because it happened so quickly and everything has fallen right into place for me, almost as if I wanted it this way. How could that happen? How can you make the universe give you exactly what you want? Easy, ask for it.

Time to board the plane, see ya....

Heading to Amsterdam for the Weekend

A friend of mine wrote me last night that he will be going to Amsterdam for a few days and wanted to know if I wanted to meet up with him. So at 2 am I started to look at flights and hotels, the price was about $800 for everything for 4 days of fun. It was a bit more than I was thinking about spending so I decided to sleep on it. So when I woke up 6 hours later I decided to double check it because at $800 it was a bit much for me to justify for 4 days (but it is Amsterdam). Well the Universe wants me in Amsterdam because when I checked again I found that the price had dropped to $380 for my flight and hotel room so I booked it and will leave tomorrow morning around 10:00 am and return on Tuesday night at 8:00 pm.

The weather looks like it is going to be perfect for the weekend so I hope to take a lot of photos. I have also sent an email to my friend Andy who lives there and I hope to be able to spend some time with him.

I can't wait!!!!!

I Like Woody's Idea

Yes We Are Stupid - Yes All of Us

What have we learned in 2,064 years?

"The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled,
public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be
tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should
be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt. People must again learn to
work, instead of living on public assistance."

- Cicero - 55 BC

So, evidently nothing..

New Photos of My Cabin

I have some new photos I took of the outside and inside of the cabin

Before cutting the grass

After cutting the grass

Front door

Kitchen

Living room / Bedroom

Toilet

Where the stairs and shower will go, trust me it will work.

And that is it, it is small but when I add two more floors for living and sleeping it will be perfect. I will take it from 250 sq ft to about 750 sq ft when I am done and it will sleep 5 - 6 people.

My Video of Istanbul

Click The HQ Button then Full Screen

I have had this video for some time on youtube but I forgot to post it here, so sorry for the delay but enjoy.

So Now I Understand

That the things (people, places, events, vsetko (everything) ) that has happened to me over the last few months that I did not understand, have and will continue to be the creation of my brain. And that all I need to do is be patient as my universe aligns to my wishes. (Are you still waiting for wish to come true? Are you focused on the right part of the wish? - Only the good and nothing else.)

Don't believe me, to bad it is easy to do once you understand the secret. And now that I have seen in action for myself the power that I have within me to not only change but to create my universe I have no reason to ever to return to the past. I now know that what I have felt and known for all these years is in fact the end product of those thoughts and feelings and now that I have greater control over it I will focus even more on those few things I want in my life and not think about anything else. I control what I control and nothing more.

Remember - good things happen to me because I want good things to happen to me, bad things do not happen to me because I don't want bad things to happen to me. It is as simple as that. Start that way, it is how I started and it made all the difference.

HOPA, Name-day and Other Things

HOPA = Horsky park student housing and one of the best places to party in Bratislava.

Name-day = A European tradition, like a birthday for your name.

Other Things = Kremnica

So yesterday, June 24th was my name-day in Slovakia. It is not Sean but John and since Sean is Irish for John it is the same. I spent my evening with a few friends who have just graduated from University (congratulations Vlado, Hopik and Katarina) so it was time to party in HOPA. (Then again it is always time to party in HOPA.) I was there until about 3am and had a great time. I got to meet and speak with a ton of new people. And it is always fun to watch Vlado get drunk and grab girls asses all night.

I know this comes as a big shock to most of you but I will go to Kremnica this weekend. I am not sure if the weather is going to be good but that really doesn't matter in Kremnica, what matters is the people I get to hang out with. I think we will have a full cottage this weekend which I love because I get to make chicken fajitas for people who have not had them yet. For me I have no plans other than just chillin' and sleeping. I have had a cold for about 3 weeks now and would really like it to go away.

That's all I have for you now. Have a great weekend everyone and thanks for stopping by.

Photos from Myjava

My friend Ara took some photos this weekend as I was not in the mood for taking any. (The weather had a big effect on this.)

So here is the link to the photos.

It was a Folklore Dance Festival that was a lot of fun inspite of the rain. The tent I got from Tesco for 8 euros held up well in the heavy rain, as long as I did not touch the sides of the tent I stayed dry. It was also great to meet somemany new great people this weekend. I have to thank my friend Martina for everything and everyone she has introduced me to in Slovakia, without her and Joey in my life I am not sure if I would have stayed here long enough to find out this is where I want to spend my life. Dakujem Mata.

I will be in Kremnica again this weekend and every weekend I can this summer. I will keep everyone updated on the progress of the cottage.

Other things that are going on, I have a visit from my friend Turkish friends, Zeynep in July and Irem in August. I am looking forward to showing them not only Slovakia but Vienna, Budapest and Prague.

I will return to the USA in September with my friends Joey and Martina for a 2 week stay. I plan on taking them to Virgina, Washington DC, Camp, NY City and the Beach House in New Jersey. It should be a great visit.

Ok that is enough for now I have other things to take care of. :)

Later dudes....

Lessons Learned UPDATED

I had been struggling all day with an issue I just could not figure out. Why the Universe presented me Thursday with what seemed at the time, a view into a dream I have been wanting to turn into reality, only to show me on Saturday (very, very clearly, which is what make it suck so much) that it was in fact taking it away from me. This sucks, plain and simple, the question is why? But it is not for me to question, I must accept that this is all out of my control and the Universe will do what it wants with me, whether I want it to or not. The lesson learned is I only let this bother me for 16 hours (this is a big improvement for me) before understanding that I have no idea what will happen next because of it, but if the past is an indicator, it is going to be worth the cost I payed today.

Live and Learn my friends.

UPDATE: So a few of you have asked me for more infomation about what I am talking about. The simple answer is no, I will not tell you. I sometimes write things here that are for me and me only and I use them as reminders to myself. When I post anything there is so much I don't post because of many different reasons, somethings I have to change because I know who reads this stuff, sometimes I tone things down as not to apear completely crazy, sometimes I am afriad I will shock someone so you get what you get and nothing more. Sorry but my reality, my rules. (some of you have guessed correctly (my mom knew but she is my mom and knows me as well as I know myself) but it is not about the cottage, that will happen.)

Life is Good

So another weekend in Kremnica. I can’t even begin to tell you how good I feel when I am here. While I will miss Camp this summer, Kremnica is the best analog I can find and will enjoy spending my summer rebuilding my cabin. (No, I have not bought it yet but I am in the process. I need to make sure I can get my papers before pulling the trigger but it will happen. And yes it will happen because I want it to. Have you not figured that out yet?) I have been here almost as much as I have been in Bratislava this month. This week I came back on Tuesday with Joey and we had a great night hanging out and talking. I am amazed at the improvement of his English over the last 6 months. We were able to talk about much more complex issues then in the past. They are slow conversations but still good. I need to keep reminding him to slow do because his brain gets so far ahead of his mouth sometimes. His English will progress at a much faster rate then my Slovak but I am learning. My vocabulary has not improved but my pronunciation and a reading are becoming much better. I tell my students the best way for them to speak a new language is to master the pronunciation first. If the other person knows exactly the words you are trying to say, they are then able to put them into the correct order and tense for you. But if you mess up the pronunciation it changes the meaning and you never what might happen. Like if you went to a restaurant and asked the waiter for a fork and mispronounce “fork”. (Fun for the waiter.) So I am now working more on my pronunciation then new vocabulary. I did get a great dictionary a few weeks ago that has been my main lesson book lately. It is a Slovak dictionary with big pictures, it’s for little kids and it is the best book I have found. It has both English and Slovak sentences about each picture which is helping me learn a little about sentence structure in Slovak. Unlike English word placement is not nearly as important in Slovak, which is another lesson I keep drilling into my students heads. If you misplace a word in english it can change the whole meaning of a sentence and can cause confusion.

SIDEBAR

I am currently in a cabin with no electricity and no internet but still able to write this. Thanks to the nice people at Asus and Apple computers for making great laptops. The Asus 1000HE was the best purchase I made in the last year. I get over 9 hours of battery life out of it. (even more if I only use it for music) And my Apple is good for at least 4.5 hours. Having the ability to run into town for a meal at the Modrý Cúckor (the Blue Cat) and get an hour of power and internet and BOOM I am back in business for at least a 50% battery charge is a nice luxury and a chance to have a good pizza or the best Minestrone soup I have ever had. (Currently enjoying a slice of leftover pizza from lunch today.) (Now I am in the Modrý Kocúr ordering dinner, the slice was good and I wanted soup only to find out they don’t have Minestrone soup tonight, which sucks, so I am going with a salad, I will let you know how it is.)

So my plans so far for the summer will be to get everything settled with the purchase of the cottage and start to do the renovations needed. As I said before it has running water but no electricity. I will add the second floor and raise and change the roof line. I will have drawings in the next few weeks, if my friend John has the time to draw them up for me. The question is where I put a balcony but right the south facing wall makes the most sense. I am also toying with the idea of rigging some kind of swing that will allow me to hang about 30 feet in the air hanging out like a bird in a tree with a great view to look at. (Mom, I will make safe, remember safety is no accident.) (By the way, my salad came and it is very good.) The cabin has a toilet already but I might change it. There is a space for a shower but I am not sure about my septic system size so I might go with an outside shower. And if any of you have had the wonderful experience of the outside shower you know what I am talking about. But this presents issues in the winter for me as I plan on being able to use the cottage year round. The other thing I will need is a small kitchen but that should be easy to put together (think Ikea) with a small fridge and oven and small area for a sink and work area. I will have a better idea of what I want to do once I get inside and see what exactly is already there and what I need to change.

So what are my other plans? My Turkish friend Zeynep will come to Bratislava sometime in late July for a visit. I would like to meet with my friends in Amsterdam at some point but I think I will wait until late September for that trip. I am going back to America in early September and will stay for a few weeks. My friends Joey and Martina are looking into coming with me, which would be super as I want to show them NYC, DC and the Beach House. I am starting to plan the Half Way to St. Patrick’s Day party we like to have every few years with my S.P.D. gang. Other plans include a 3 day music festival “Pohoda” in Slovakia, I will go with a bunch of people and am really looking forward to it. Next year we want to get a vendors license and sell chicken fajitas from a trailer. There is no Mexican food here and it is cheap and easy to make, I smell a big opportunity :) .

So that brings you somewhat up to date, there are other things and people I want to write about but I have yet to get the muse to get those together into cohesive thoughts worth writing yet. You will get them as soon as I do. It is not up to me.

Think Positive, Be Positive.

I Am Dropping Off the Grid For a Few Days

I will be back in Kremnica for the weekend. I will be speaking with the cottage owner and the head of the local cotage association this weekend. But I will also be studying my Slovak, as I am starting to make some progress I want to continue it. I hope everyone has a great weekend and thanks for stopping by.

The Cabin

So here are some photos of the cottage I am looking to buy.

It is about 15.5 ft by 15.5 ft with a basement and I will add a "A" frame roof with a 3 foot knee wall for a second floor sleeping area thus giving me about 500 sq ft of living space, plus another 180 sq ft basement for storage.

This is looking directly East at the cabin

The front door is on the North wall but I might move it.

The back East wall

South side wall

The front terrace

Front Window

Looking West to my neighbors.

The side yard patio

The View

This is taken from the bottom of the property look back up towards the cottage which is hidden behind the trees.

Another Super Weekend in Kremnica

Wow, all I can say is wow. I had such a great time with everyone this weekend. Topics to be covered in this post are, Food, Friends, a Cottage, seeing Stars on a night full of clouds and rain and anything else I can come up with.

Friends:
While the weather was not perfect, we got lucky and Saturday turned out to be a great day. When we arrived on Friday night we spent most of the time putting things back into the cottage Joey had to remove to put down the new tile floor, which looks great and really makes a difference in the feeling of the place. I wanted to cook pasta for everyone but we were all to tired and it was about 10pm by the time we got everything put away so we could relax in comfort. On Saturday Martina, Joey and Zuzka (Joey's sister Susan) spent most of the day cleaning just about every inch of the cottage and putting everything into it proper place. It looks great now, they did so much work it was amazing.

SIDEBAR - I have not talked much about Zuzka before but the easy way to describe her is she is the female version of Joey (which is super), always has a smile on her face and is always willing to do whatever work is needed. I have started to call Joey "The OX" (vôl or býk) because the guy just keeps working non stop. You put the two of them together and they make an amazing team.

I did a little work but, I had other things to take care of. :) Sometimes it is better to stay out of the way then trying to help and only causing more confusion. (That's my story and I am sticking to it.) I did help Joey build a new table for the kitchen. The guy created a great table in about 40 minutes using some 2x2's and some plywood. All with only a hachet and chain saw and some big ass nails. The table came out great and Martina liked it so much she doesn't want it to be temporary like they had planned. At about 4pm we went into town to get a late lunch (or early dinner, your choice.) I had the best Minestrone soup I have ever had. The bowl was huge and I was not able to finish it all. After that we went to do what I had come to Kremnica for, to find myself a cottage to buy. The quick answer is, I found one. Now to tell you about it.

The Cottage:
I have been talking with Martina and Joey about wanting to find a cottage near them so we could be neighbours (susedia). While we had talked about it before we had never gone looking for a place. I have been thinking about it so much the last month, it has been my main focus of my energy to make it happen. (Those of you who don't understand that part about focusing my energy, here is the easy answer, think about what you want to happen in your life and it will happen, if you know how to focus that energy correctly. It has taken me 9 years learning how to do this and it is not something I can just write about and explain easily, sorry, but just try it yourself, you will figure it out, it works if you let it and you believe in it. No faith in it then it will not happen, faith in your energy is the one key to making things happen in your life. (Remember my mantra, Good things happen to me because I want good things to happen to me. Bad things don't happen to me because I don't want bad things to happen to me.) Back to the cottage.) So for the last month I have been thinking about not only what I would want in a cottage and also where I want it located. To me I needed small place, maybe 250 sq ft. (23 sq m) or so, something just a little bigger than my cabin at camp. I wanted something that was a in need of some repairs so I could make some changes I would want to and also to keep the cost down. I also wanted a place that had running water and electricity if possible but the water was the more important of the two for me. Electricity has not been run to any of the cottages near Joey so I knew that going in. They are trying to get electricity run to the area in September this year or April of next. I don't mind not having electricity but it does make life a little easier. The other things I wanted from a cottage are a good view and close to Joey and Martina. I have been behind Joey's cabin to pee and have seen the path up the hill from his place but never went up it and looked at was up there. I never felt like climbing up the steep hill the 20 feet to see. But when I would picture in my head what I was looking for, the location was the main thing I focused on. I keep thinking it would be great if I could get cottage further up the hill behind Joey's place. The best option was directly behind him so I would also have the forest to the right of my cottage without the chance of others building there in the future and a short 200 feet or so walk to his place. As it turns out the one and only place in Joey's area for sale now is exactly where and what I wanted and pictured in my head. (And yes I believe my energy made that happen. If you don't believe it, that is your issue, enjoy a life you let others control for you puppet.) It will need a new roof (my taxi driver John (yes I have a personal taxi driver, he is nice, his english is very good and he is always there when I need him.) has offered to also be my architect, as he is an engineer and likes to do this kind of work.) and some other minor repairs but the roof is not a problem as I plan on changing the roof line to add a sleeping loft to the cottage. It has running water, a nice bonus as it will allow me to provide water to Joey's cottage. I did not get a chance to look inside as it was locked but it is a 4m x 4m building with a basement of an unknown size. It is on about an acre of land and has about 6 terraces for planting gardens (I plan on planting Strawberries and Blueberries) on the hillside going towards Joey's place. The elevation change from the top of the property to the bottom is steep. Joey has spoken to the son of the woman selling the cottage and he wanted to make some improvements and wait for electricity to be run before really selling the place. So we have worked out a fair price for the place as is now. It is now just a matter of going back and meeting with him to have him show me everything that I was not able to see when we looked at it on Saturday. If I find no major problems I will begin the process of buying the place. I hope to be able to say by July First I will own a cottage in Kremnica. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Shit: (hovno) - I need to run out for a while so I can finish right now. (Sorry Mata, but I had to visit HOPA (HOPA=Horsky Park student housing aka Dorms.), you understand :) Vlado says hi and wants to put in a beer tap if I get the cottage. How was the movie?) I promised Martina I would have this done by the time she got home from the movie but as you see I had to unexpectedly (thanks Google for the correct spelling. Boze! (God)(And I teach English)) visit some friends tonight. Which turned out to be a great night. (Dakujem (Thank you) KK) I will deal with my love of parentheses at a later date. (But I do love them so. (Almost as much as HOPA, what can I say, I like hanging out with University Students, they have the most fun)) YBN (Why be Normal)

Food:
It was a good weekend for me and food. I cooked a late dinner on Saturday for Joey Martina and Zuzka. They had never had Chicken Fajitas before and Martina said it was the best chicken she had ever had. (Dakujem Mata :)) Joey and Zuzka also loved them as well. (Bratislava's first mobile Fajitas Kiosk is in the works as I type.) Joey liked them so much he and Mata had one each for breakfast the next morning. Then on Sunday we went to visit Martina's family (plus Joey got to play football (soccer) with his friends. Like I said he is "The OX") so I could make my version of Penne Parmesan Carbonara (Italian version of Halusky) for everyone. Again everyone enjoyed it. (I give it a 7 out of 10 but I am my own worst critic. But I know I can make it better next time.) I plan on returning to visit Martina's family on Thursday night (I am going to speak to Martina's little sister Dominika's High School English Class on Friday) and will introduce them (Martina's family, not the students, in case that was confusing.) to the Fajitas. (Sammy, I will try and not make them to spicy. And I want a hockey game rematch! :) )

Stars:
So how can you see stars in Kremnica when it is raining? Easy go upstairs in Joey's and Martinas cottage turn off the lights, lie down, turn on Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd and enjoy the galaxy Joey created with glow in the dark stars. I was really very cool and will get better as soon as we find glow in the dark paint.

So that shuld bring you up to date and after 6 hours of writing I am done. (yes it takes me that long to write but I want to make sure I cover everything I want and say it in the way I want. unfortunatly it is not always an easy conversion from my brain to written word. Thus my love of parentheses. :)

Big Post in Less than 18 Hours

I have been writing it for 3.5 hours so far, from 5:30 pm until 7:30 pm (missing time = HOPA) then from 12:30 am until 1:40am and I am tired (that may show in the writing :) ) so i will finish it tomorrow when I get up. I got some good coffee (kava) and will enjoy some in the morning to get me motivated to write.

I promise it will be worth the wait, I am going old school (think New Zealand Style Posts I did) on this one, or at least trying to make it worth reading.

Dobru Noc, Sladke Sny (Good Night, Sweet Dreams)

The Harsh Reality.....

I am posting this song specifically for two friends of mine from Virginia. (as a matter of fact they maybe a few more than two but these two I have known for longer than I can remember and I have run out of ways to get through to them.) I will not say who but if they happen to come here and listen and read the lyrics to it, they will know it is for them. The heart of it is this, they are both in relationships that they should not be in and they both know it. It is not me who is singing this to them but I know out there is a guy who really wants to say this to each of you, a guy who is so much better than who you are with now, and you both know I am right. Get your shit together and get out of the situation you are in. Do what ever it takes. If not, don't complain to me later about you wasted your life. Sorry to be so harsh but I don't know what else I can do.



Blue morning, blue morning,
Wrapped in strands of fist and bone
Curosity, Kitten,
Doesn't have to mean you're on your own
You can look outside your window,
He doesn't have to know
We can talk a while, baby,
We can take it nice and slow

All your life,
Is such a shame, shame, shame
All your love,
Is just a dream, dream, dream

Are you happy where you're sleeping?
Does he keep you safe and warm?
Does he tell you when youre sorry?
Does he tell when youre wrong?
Well I've been watching you for hours
It's been years since we were born
We were perfect when we started,
I've been wondering where we've gone

All your life,
Is such a shame, shame, shame
All your love,
Is just dream, dream, dream

Well I dreamt I saw you walking,
Up a hillside in the snow
Casting shadows on the winter sky,
As you stood there, counting crows

One for sorrow, two for joy,
Three for girls, and four for boys,
Five for silver, six for gold,
Seven for a secret, never to be told

There's a bird that nests inside you,
Sleeping underneath your skin
Yeah, when you open up your wings to speak,
I wish you'd let me in

All your life,
Is such a shame, shame, shame
All your love,
Is just a dream, dream, dream
Open up your eyes,
You can see the flames, flames, flames
Of your wasted life
You should be ashamed

You don't wanna waste your life, baby
You don't wanna waste your life, now, darling
You don't wanna waste your life, baby
You don't wanna waste your life, now, darling
You don't wanna waste your life, baby
I said you don't wanna waste your life, now, darling
You don't wanna waste your life, now, baby
You don't wanna, you dont wanna waste your life, now, darling

Change, change, change
Change, change, change
Change, change, change

I walk along these hillsides in the summer, 'neath the sunshine
I am feathered by the moonlight, falling down on me
I said I walk along these hillsides in the summer, 'neath the sunshine
I am feathered by the moonlight, falling down on me
I said I will walk along these hillsides in the summer, 'neath the sunshine
I am feathered by the moonlight, falling down on me
I said I will walk along these hillsides in the summer, 'neath the sunshine
I am feathered by the moonlight

Change, change, change
Change, change, change, yeah
Change, change, change
Oh, change, change
Yeah!
Oh, change, change, change
Whoa, change, change, change
Change, change,
change, change,
change, change,
change, change, change

The Complete Raleigh Set List

I can't stop watching the "Driving Song" video so I just downloaded the whole show just so I could hear the rest of the song because the video stops after ten minutes and there is another 10 minutes that they continue to jam.

One of the great things anout Panic is they offer their shows for they fans to purchase. You can also get one of the many bootleg versions for free of the net, which the band have no problem with but for 10 bucks a show I get a sound board recording.

And this a "sick" set list. I am so jealous of Jake and Char who where at the shows that weekend.

If you are new to Widespread Panic and would like a recommendation for 3 shows to download, this is the first I would recommend. The next is Washington DC Show from April 6th 2007 and the 2005/6 New Years Eve show from Atlanta. That was my first show and blew me away. The DC show is still my favorite set list ever.

Enjoy

Widespread Panic 4/26/08 Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, Raleigh, NC Click below to preview tracks from this show DOWNLOAD THIS SHOW

I Have Insomnia and I Don't Care

I am in such a great mood, I don't care if I don't get to sleep tonight. My muse (Ann Marie Callhoun - from the video below, that violin gets my brain all kinds of worked up to write. I am watching it over and over again) has returned with a vengeance and I feel the need to write something. I have no idea what is about to be written but I am as excited as you are, with the anticipation of such words that they flow like the sap of the maple trees in spring. (verbal bullshit, just for fun :) hey, the spirt moves in all things.)

So why don't I care that I can't sleep? Simple I am way to happy to want to sleep. I had a great day today. I got a lot of things done I have been wanting to do but kept putting off for other more pressing matters. (I know, what pressing matters do I deal with? Well, plenty Mister! at least they are to me) Then to top things off I had two great classes tonight the second being better than the first. I am not sure if it was the caffeine from the Dr. Pepper at 5pm to start the class or what but I "En Fuego" tonight. (At least until right after class, and for some reason I dropped the ball, but rest assured I picked it back up and got my head back in the game soon afterwards and finished the night strong.) I took the easier route this evening after dropping the ball but that is nether here nor there. The night is over and nothing can take away from it now. Plain and simple, super day, I hope for the same tomorrow and everyday forward.

So it is not the verbal Picasso I was attempting to paint but it conveys the feeling I wanted to share and that, for me, is enough. And for you, I leave you with this. If you are the one person who also feels great, I am happy. If not, I still thank you, because enough of you come visit me everyday I feel I do owe you at least something new to read every now and again.

I also wrote something earlier tonight that I had never written and never expressed but had always felt and I think it is important enough to continue writing a bit longer. this: Truth Feeds Love
Think about for a bit. Now try and live it. I could continue writing but I won't because I want you to deal with those three words on your own without my own judgements to cloud yours. I hope they will make a difference for someone.

(Total time to write 37 min or 4 viewings of "Driving Song" from below)

Thanks Doc

A quick shout out to my friend Don Cash for his layout advice. Doc, as you can see you were correct, I think it looks much better. It is amazing what one little line of code will do to the look. Keep the ideas coming, I need all the help I can get. Most of you might never notice but if you think you know what Don told me to change, put it in the comments, you could win a prize. (Doc, no hints please)

Back To Kremnica :)

I will be going back to Kremnica this weekend. I can't wait, even with a weather forecast calling for cooler temperatures and rain all weekend, I don't care. This means most likely I will not take many photos this weekend but you never know, it is still early and the forecast can and does change. A positive outlook is always better than a negative one. (That's Today's Lesson - so learn it, live it, love it.)

RANDOM VIDEO INSERT
Currently watching this as I am writing. (She is my Muse today)
Hit the HQ button then Full Screen for the full effect.
I think my Friends Jacob and Char where at this show but I am not positive. (Jake - Comment Please)


So back to writing. My plan is to speak with a few locals my friend Joey knows in Kremnica about finding a cottage for me to buy in the area. I figured out the feeling of the place and I now know why I love the area so much. It has the same positive energy I feel when I am at camp and a few other select places around the globe. It is a quick two and a half hour drive, 15 minutes less if you time it right to avoid the "Rush Hour" (/sarcasm) of Bratislava, Nitra and other bottle necks on the road. The terrain and climate is very similar to Vermont or New Hampshire which I think it appeals to me so much. The town itself is very pretty, especially at night, at least for me. There is a ski mountain less than 15 minutes away for winter fun, the large natural mineral springs feed pools around the area open up to beat the heat in the summer. A few in the area are thermal spa's so year around relaxing in the pools if you want.

According to Martina the cottage is a mess because everything had to be moved in order for Joey to lay the tile floor last weekend. So first order of business will be cleaning but after that it's time to relax. I will keep you updated, well as updated as is normal for me. There is order in chaos.

Facebook - A Necessary Evil

It kills me because I hate the new layout so much. But the truth is, everyone I know has moved to using Facebook for instant messages, so if I want to be able to stay in contact with certain friends I have to use Facebook chat. The one thing I have been able to do is use Digsby as a IM client on my PC that lets me login to Facebook chat without having to go onto Facebook's page. (Now I have setup lists and things but it is the layout more than anything that has driven me away with such fear and loathing.) But because of this people still think I am on Facebook all the time I still get requests and other crap I don't care about. But for some it is the only way they know how to contact me. The best way is always come here and look on the right side of the page for the Digsby Client and see if I am available to chat. I try and keep my status current so you know when I really am in front of the computer.

On the positive side, Facebook is a great contact book. And that's all I am going to say about that.

Of course most of you came here because of my status update on Facebook, yeah sorry about the obvious hypocrisy involved, but a necessary evil I guess.

Enjoy and Bookmark the page for an easy return. New changes coming soon.

So Let Me Catch You Up, Sort of.....

Sorry for the lack of posts lately but I have been busy the last few weeks with teaching and spending the last 2 weekends in Kremnica. I have a slideshow done but I am having some upload issues with it that I am working on now. YouTube is being a pain about the music in it (sure it is copy-written music but what about fair use?) so I am trying a few other sites to see which will give me the best quality.

Kremnica - What can I say except I love hanging out in the cottage with everyone. Over the 13 days I have spent 7 in Kremnica just chillin', eating, smoking, chatting, drinking, shooting photos and spending time with some super friends. My friends Martina and Joey's cottage is (my Muse has left me and I am lacking the words to even begin to describe the energy about the place and the people I get to spend time with. I am about to try an old trick to see if I can summon her back. Until then I got the video to upload so enjoy.)

Amsterdam Slideshow

Back to Kremnica for the Weekend

So I will be offline for a few days.

I Am Back From A Great Weekend!

I had such a great time hanging out with old friends and making new ones this weekend. I would like to thank Joey and Martina for having me this weekend. I took about 400 photos and will post some of the good ones when I get a chance. I also have an idea for a post about: Perception is it in fact, reality? But more on that later. Time to eat while the photos load in to my laptop.

More stuff soon, I promise.

I Am Dropping Off the Grid For 3 Days

I am spending the weekend in Kremnica with friends and will have no power or internet until I return home Sunday. I should have some nice photos to share when I return.

Cau

Sean is tired and going to take a nap.

Some New Features

I have added a live chat feature to the blog, now you can chastise me in real time for not updating often enough. I am also going to add a online poll feature again. But I am checking into which service I want to use. Also it is time for me to update the look of the blog. So I am asking for your input, let me know changes you would like to see. Or if you have a site you like already send me the link, if I like it I will steal it for my page, that's the great thing about the net.

If you are going to use the chat please change your nickname so I know who I am chatting with.

Don't Just Color Outside the Lines...

In fact don't accept the coloring book that was given to you. With it you will always feel like you have to color inside the lines. Do the smart thing find a blank coloring book and define your own lines, that is how dreams come true. Plus it is more fun to look at. (for those with a lower than average IQ, Coloring book = your life.)

P.S. For those in the know, I have pulled that batteries on the clock again and don't plan on returning them for a few days. ;) It's springtime and maybe "the bean" will grow again.

If that P.S. made no sense to you, don't worry it is a very targeted message.

For That Moment

After clicking the play button, click on the HQ button on the bottom right for a better version.
Then click the Full Screen button next to HQ.