I Just Had the Best New Years Ever, No Doubt About It.

I have to tell you about my night. I thought I had a date for tonight but for whatever reason she did not contact me. No worries, the Universe always has a plan, you and I should, know that by now. So without a date for the evening I was in the flat alone, again not a big deal as I have done about 8 NYE alone. But this one was special. At 00:00 I went outside (-5c) and witnessed one of the greatest events of my life. From my balcony I have a great 180 degree view of the city. Not only is tonight special because it is new years eve but also because Slovakia's Independence Day. Add to that the historic event of full entry in E.U. with the adoption of the Euro currency. This is the second time I have been in a country that has changed currency to the Euro. The first time was Jan. 2002 when I was in Ireland and the first 16 (I think) countries adopted the Euro. Some of you might think, so what, big deal, but for me to be part of a historic event (fully automatic gun fire right outside now, that's a bit much, don't think guys?) So what I witnessed was 20 minutes of fireworks all over the city. To my far right view I watched the fireworks from Old Town and the main celebration for the country. And from that point to 180 degrees to my left the city was filled with hundreds of different people setting off their own fireworks. It was amazing, I could not even begin to do it justice trying to describe it. I didn't even want to leave to get my camera, mainly because I didn't want to miss any of it but also I knew that I could never capture the true feeling of what I was seeing and if I can't give you on film what I see in my brain I don't take the photo. I just can't capture the feeling of being there in person. I am sorry you missed it but for me it was magic. Pure and Simple. It also did another thing. It restored my hope in the future not just for me but for everyone. I believe now more than ever in the internal goodness in people and I think that these troubling times we have ahead, will show that more than anything and will touch people in ways they did not know possible. Some say I am to much of an optimist but I believe that one person can change the world if they really believe that they can. So that is what I will do, I will change the world for good because one person can and will change the world, because it is what I want. If any of you want to help me all you have to do is believe that you can and then we will. Much LOVE to all of you. I feel it trust me.

Have Great New Year

2008 - What Can I Say...

all in all, a great year. Sure it was not the easiest year at certain points compared to others I have lived in recent memory but still on balance a really great year. And I would not have changed any of it. Everyday I feel like I have been able to learn something I didn't know the day before that helps improve my life. Some people told me that I am too optimistic and positive all the time, well all I can say is this, it works for me so I will continue feeling this way. It can work for you only if you believe in it. It's easy, ask me and I can tell you how.

Some highlights from this year.

I got to visit 9, yes 9 countries this year.
Slovakia
Austria - a few times
Turkey - twice
Sweden
Great Britain
Ireland
The Czech Republic
The Netherlands - 4 times :-)
France

I meet so many great people this year and have formed friendships with some that will last a lifetime.

I had one of the best summers at camp this year and I was able to put together a slideshow for the kids that is going to be hard for me to top next year. Yeah I'm bragging but I knocked it out of the park this year. (I am working on getting it uploaded to the web for non campers to see but it's a huge file)

But most of all I learned more about myself in the last year and hope that in 2009 I will continue this quest. Trust me the more you know about yourself and exactly who you are, the happier you become.

I wish all of you the best for the new year and thank you for following me. Remember followsean.com is more than a web site, it's a way of life.

Greetings from Istanbul

I am having a great time here. The only problem is the weather has been crappy and not worth taking photos when it is overcast all the time. I will hope I get some sun in the next two days. If not such is life, I will have to return in the future to get the photos I want. I know exactly where I want to take them but without the right light it is not worth lugging 25lbs on my back all day. If something is worth doing, it's worth doing right.

I would like to thank Zeynep and Irem for taking the time to spend with me and taking me around the city. Thank you both.

I will update you guy in a few days when I get home, I hope I will have photos to post so hope for sun.

Merry Christmas To All

I just wanted to say Merry Christmas to all my loyal readers.

I am about to leave for a four day trip to Istanbul. I should have internet access and will try to post while I am there. I am really looking forward to seeing my Turkish friends and seeing more of the city. The weather looks like it might be ok for the first 2 days so I will see.

And again, I hope everyone has a magical Christmas.

I Believe I See A New Bus Coming for Me

I am not positive but I think I see a bus with my name on it coming towards me. Again, I am not positive but I have a good feeling and my eye sight is very good. I will see as the bus gets closer but right now it seems to be about 8 days away. That may sound strange but make perfect sense to me.

I am sure that some of you who have been reading my stuff will get what I am talking about for the rest of you the best I can tell you is read my post about "the bus".

Remember, it is your universe and if you can learn to control even just a little bit of it you will be amazed at what can happen. If you think such things are impossible, then for you they will be impossible. But for me I prefer to think anything is possible and so far it works.

I also want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year since I may not post in the next few days.

Photos From the Party in Prague

Prague Party

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Need Storage Space - Call This Guy

The Best Birthday Cake Ever

I want to thank my flatmates, Maria, Eva and Katka for giving me the best cake I could have ever dreamed of. Girls, this is why I am your houseboy, because you do things like this for me. Do you know how hard it will be for anyone to ever top this cake.

What you are looking at is one of my favorite pizza's of all times, The Mexicanna bez Kukurica (without corn) from Pizzeria Tiffany. (300m away from the flat.) It is salami, hot chilies and hot sauce. It is spicy and most people have trouble with how hot it is but I can't get enough heat.

It was such a surprise for me I had to share it with everyone.

Pavol Sipos is My Hero

Pavol found my wallet and passport in the taxi I had been in. Since it did not have my contact info for Bratislava in it, it took him a few days to track me down. He found a card to the car rental agency I use and asked if they had a phone number for me. They where able to give him Kate's phone number and he called her and got the address and brought it back to me.

For that I will make sure I do something very special for him and his girlfriend. He did not speak English but was able to explain to me enough for me to understand how he found me. I will never be able to thank him enough.

Thanks to you who also were praying for this to happen, it did because of you.

Cleaning Up My Mess

I got some good news this morning when I called the Embassy. I will be able to apply for a new Passport right here in Bratislava, which is great. I have my Birth Certificate and an old Passport being FedEx'ed to me hopefully by Tuesday or Wednesday at the latest. It should only that 5-6 working days for them to process it and get it back from the States. Since I am not traveling in the next few days it is not a problem that I don't have a Passport.

My credit cards are all being replaced and I should have all of them by next week sometime. My ATM card will show up Tuesday I hope. I do have some cash on hand and my flatmates all have cash so it is not a problem, it just sucks not to have anything. I really do feel like a man without an identity right now and it is not a feeling I want again.

The upside is with a new Passport they really have know idea just how long I have been in Europe so for me I feel as if I was able roll back my odometer back to 000000 and start fresh again here. That is the great thing for me about Vienna airport, when get to Passport control, they just open stamp it and hand it back.

I will keep you updated as things progress. Thanks for those who pray for me and send me positive thoughts, trust me I know they work.

So My Bus Has Broken Down

The good news is help is on the way to get the bus going again. Thanks to my mom and step-dad who are sending me what I need.

So what happened, the simple answer is I lost my wallet and passport last night. I got way to drunk and lost it in the cab home. I made some bad choices last night and will pay for them now. It sucks but there is nothing I can do to change things so I will learn a $600.00 lesson. (cost of new passport, fedex cost for new cards, new card express fees, $240 for my flight I can't use now, etc.) The Ryanair experience taught me to wait for the good, and not to focus on the negative. So I will see what happens because I will not go to Amsterdam as planned on Monday. I hope to be able to visit Prague on Friday but I will not know until I call the Embassy on Monday to find out exactly what I need my mom to mail me so I can apply for a new passport. Loosing it sucks because I had so many stamps from so many places. But I remember them all and have photos so it is not the end of the world. I hope having a photocopy of both my passport and drivers license will help things along but I am prepared to fly home for a few days and get a new one if I really need to but I am almost sure I will be able to get a replacement in Vienna.

So lesson learned: Don't get so drunk you leave your wallet and passport in the cab.
Ok that's it in a nutshell. I will keep you posted.

My Plans For December Are Starting To Come Together

I have made my travel plans and they are as follows.

I hope to be in Kremnica Friday the 5th of Dec. and stay the weekend with Joey, Martina and other friends. Returning to Bratislava on Sunday the 7th.

On Dec. 8th I will fly from Vienna to Amsterdam. I will stay until the 12th. It is my birthday gift to myself. What can I say I love the city and if it was not so expensive I would move there for 3 or 4 months to really get to know it as well as I want to. For those who have never been I recommend you put it on the list of places to visit. The best way I can describe what I enjoy about it, is this; take the multicultural aspects along with great museums, great food, etc. about New York City and put it on a small scale. 600,000 people compared to 8 million in NYC. The lack of really tall buildings in the city center is also one of the great things about it. You could walk from one end of the city to the other in less than an hour and a half. I am hoping to get lucky and have it snow just a little while I am there. I would really like to have a Winter series of photos from Amsterdam.

On Dec. 12th I will fly to Prague and visit with my former flat-mate Eva. Her Birthday is the 6th but we are going to celebrate it on the 12th. My current flat-mates and a few others will take the train from Bratislava to Prague for the weekend. We will all then return by train on Sunday afternoon.

Then I have booked a flight to Istanbul on Christmas Day and will stay for 4 days visiting friends. I am really excited to go back to Istanbul. To me it is the jumbo size version of NYC and this is why I enjoy it. But that many people is somewhat overwhelming to me sometimes.

I hope but am not sure I will be back in Kremnica for New Years Eve. But if that doesn't work out then the dream would be to return to a tiny little town on the western coast of Ireland called Doolin but only if my friend Kelly flew over to celebrate it with me. And would require me to fly Ryan Air again, not something I want to do. We had a great time there in 2001 and always said we should do it again some day. The third choice would be Amsterdam of course.

I hope it stays this way but if it changes it changes. I hope to keep you posted.

My New Favorite Toy...

The Slingbox Pro - google it

The thing is great, I can watch live TV or from a Tivo (still the greatest thing EVER) at my Dad's house over the internet anywhere I have a high speed internet connection. I will see how it works in Slovakia. If it works like I think it will making watching Giants games simple. I will keep you updated.

For any of you who travel and miss seeing local coverage of sports and news while you are away from home, the Slingbox Pro is for you. The Solo is also good but spend the extra 20 bucks for the Pro, if you can find one. (I got so lucky to get mine but again, the Universe puts me where it needs me when it needs me there.) It was easy to hook up and setup , the only extra I needed was a wireless adapter. The kind the work on the Xbox 360 works with it and it was the easiest and cheapest solution to get it connected to the house wifi. It just plugs into the network port on the back of the Slingbox. That took about 3 minutes to setup with a PC before connecting it to the Slingbox. After making the connections in the back of the box I plugged it in and worked perfectly. You download the software (Mac or PC) and it walks you through setting up the the Slingbox. It took less than 10 min. but I was taking my time, mainly because I was amazed how cool it was and easy to setup. I then spent the next two hours just playing around with settings and basically went into super geek mode. I have tested over the internet and it works great. the faster your internet connection the better.

A special thanks to Dad and Janet for letting me set it up in there house. Dad, enjoy watching the races on your laptop.

I Leave for Home Soon

I have been in the States for the last 11 days visiting friends and family. I had a great time but I am ready to get back home in Bratislava. What can I say, I miss being a houseboy. The NY Giants game was great and I had a great time hanging out with Jason. (J - I told you that you would love having a Mac.) It was great to see the newest edition to the family, Conner. I got a chance to visit with my friend Kelly in D.C. She took me to a great little local place near her house called the Red Derby. I am now in NJ at my Dad's house until I leave tomorrow. I fly out from JFK at 6pm and should be back in Vienna around 9am. I can't wait.

My New Favorite Quote

A government big enough to give you everything you want,
is strong enough to take everything you have.
-Thomas Jefferson

I Am Back In America

I flew in yesterday afternoon in to Newark and meet up with my friend Jason, who flew in from Virginia. We just got back from the Giants - Cowboys game. Nice win for the Giants!!! (sorry Jason) We will drive to Richmond tomorrow morning. I will stay in Richmond at least a few days before heading back north. I have not decided if and when I will stop by Camp. I will see what things I need to get from the cabin and decide later if it worth the drive to get what I need. I am also thinking about visiting my brother Ben in Vermont, I would like to visit to see the renovations he did on the house that I lived in 2 years ago. I will then spend a few days in New Jersey before flying back to Slovakia for the next five months.

Yup you read that correctly, I will not be back for five months. I plan on a two week visit in early April. Over the next five months I am going to study, study, study. I am really into the idea of learning to speak Slovak, even though I know it is one of the hardest languages to learn. I really like living there and I need to be able to communicate with everyone not just the younger people who speak English. Plus I really want to see if I have the stones to actually do the work I need to do for me to learn the language. As most of you know, for me, school and studying rates slightly higher than getting kicked in the nuts while holding a baby. I will let you know how it goes.

Amy MacDonald - This is the Life

I saw this last night and instantly loved it. It captures my last year fairly well. I always enjoy waking up and seeing who had to stay on the couch after a long night out. The early 20's are some of the best times in life, that's why I never gave them up. Grow up only when you have no other choice, to do so before then is just foolish.

Amy MacDonald - This is the Life

Oh the wind whistles down
The cold dark street tonight
And the people they were dancing to the music vibe
And the boys chase the girls with the curls in their hair
While the shy tormented youth sit way over there
And the songs they get louder
Each one better than before

And you're singing the songs
Thinking this is the life
And you wake up in the morning and your head feels twice the size
Where you gonna go? Where you gonna go?
Where you gonna sleep tonight?

And you're singing the songs
Thinking this is the life
And you wake up in the morning and your head feels twice the size
Where you gonna go? Where you gonna go?
Where you gonna sleep tonight?
Where you gonna sleep tonight?

So your heading down the road in your taxi for four
And you're waiting outside Jimmy's front door
But nobody's in and nobody's home 'til four
So you're sitting there with nothing to do
Talking about Robert Riger and his motley crew
And where you're gonna go and where you're gonna sleep tonight

And you're singing the songs
Thinking this is the life
And you wake up in the morning and your head feels twice the size
Where you gonna go? Where you gonna go?
Where you gonna sleep tonight? (x5)

Where you gonna sleep tonight?

My Afternoon in Vienna

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I spent the afternoon with my friends Mary, Eva, Lenka and Frankie (Milan really, but everyone calls him Frankie.) in Vienna. We walked around the city just looking at sights and taking pictures. I found out on this trip my great little Canon S60 camera has given up the ghost, the CCD is toast, such is life. We stopped at a cafe for a coffee and then came back to Bratislava for an quite evening just hanging in the flat drinking wine and talking. I will wait for another day with good weather and take the train back. It is about 20 bucks round trip and takes less than 50 min. The city is like no other European city I have seen. The picture of the girls on the tree are three of my four flatmates, Kate being the other, now do some of you understand why I am living here.

You Woke Up This Morning..

so no matter whatever happens today, it is much better than the alternative. I will say this, today we might find that the entire bus system shuts down and everyone is forced off the bus at a stop the are not ready for or prepared for. Don't worry, another bus is on the way, it may be a short bus and the ride may suck, for a long time, at least you are still riding a bus and that is always preferred to the endless dirt nap.

I am not sure exactly when but I feel by Tuesday for good or bad the die will be cast. So remember this, tomorrow is just a future yesterday and tomorrow always seems to take care of itself. Plus you really have no control over it so why worry, there is always sunshine after rain.

DON'T PANIC*

*but keep your towel on you. (for my Hitchhiker's Guide fans)

I Am in the Mood to Write

And for someone who is a bad writer to begin with, this is a dangerous combination, you have been warned.

So what exactly do I want to write about? I wish I knew, I only know that the words are not exactly what want them to be. I want them to each be a snippet of my brain that allows, even just one of you, to understand the absolute wonder that is this chemical soup I like to call my noodle.

I hate the fact I am not a writer because a good writer can do this with the ease of, of, shit I can't even give you a decent metaphor for something as easy as a, see I am still stuck. But that's not important right now what is important is my fingers keep hitting the keys with some type semblance of rhythm or pace. Again the chemical soup is happier when I can achieve this but it is not easy. It doesn't help that I dropped out of my typing class back in high school. But at least my fingers continue to move. So if I was to just start thinking out loud would that improve things; doubtful. (you like the semi-colon, I am never sure exactly where to put them but I see other writers do it, so why not me. To me a semi colon is like fine china, only used rarely and treated with respect. Again I was not the most attentive student in school. To me, grammar is for people who color inside the lines; pussies. See I did it again.) I have also decided that my use of "colorful language" in my blog, which is something I have thought about because of my younger readers, will continue to be used. They know what the words mean already and use them as well so who gives a shit, really. And if you are offended by such words that is your issue not mine. But I am willing to help you get over it. Again my fingers keep moving so we will see where the bus takes us. And there it is folks, it's the bus, that's what I am going to write about. Thanks to my friend Barbara who helped ladle this little pearl of wisdom out of the "soup". By the way, some have said the the words "Cellar Door" are the most beautiful in the English language but I think "Metaphorical Paradox" is better. Chew on that for a while.

The Bus
Ok I will try and explain this the easiest way I can. Life is a journey, you are being driven on this journey in a bus. The key thing is you are not driving the bus, even if you really want to, you can't. That thing in your hand right now that you think is a steering wheel, is just a kids toy you put there thinking it would let you drive the bus. Trust me the driver is locked in his compartment and you are not really allowed to speak to the driver. (These are not my rules, there is a sticker on his window that says, "don't talk with the driver".) Stay with me, I will get to my point, it just might take a bit to get there. The driver knows where he is going but he does not tell you where, the best you can do is look out the front of the bus and see what is coming at you, the only problem is at best you can see 15 seconds down the road. The problem with doing this is, to see down the road you have to get up from your great seat in the back which has a glass bubble top that gives you great views of what is all around you and you go to the front of the bus, which has only a view of what is in front of you. Now the only thing you can see is your future and only a few seconds of it as it goes flying by you. It is hard to figure out where you are because you can't focus on the things going by, it's to fast. But most people (I guess 80% of the population) stay in the front of the bus and some even bring their toy steering wheels with them because they think that it works better in the front of the bus. These are also the people who ignore the sign that say don't talk with the bus driver. So now they are trying to drive the bus by looking only to the future and missing life as it passes them by. Then they get angry because the bus isn't going where they think it should, again you are not driving the bus, get that into your head. This anger comes from fear, the fear that you have no control over your life. Guess what, you don't, your not driving the bus, get it? Move back to your good seat and enjoy the view. Here is the part most people have trouble with. Somethings the bus you are on stops and the driver tells you to get out and wait for the next bus that has your name on it. Sometime you don't want to get off the bus you are on, you might like the bus you are on or you might be scared to get off the bus because you are not sure where you are. You have to get off the bus, even when it scares the crap out of you, the next bus will show up. But if you sit on the bus you never see how many other buses with your name on them go driving by. They may be even better buses with better views but you miss them. Sometimes the stop is in a remote place and you think if I get off this bus, it is going to leave and I have no idea when the next bus is coming. Well live in fear and let it rule your world or get off the bus and face your fears. Odds are, it's never as bad as you think it is and for every fear you can get over only helps you later deal with fear and finally remove as much of it from your life as you can. The next bus almost always shows up as soon as you conquer your fear and step off the bus, that is why there is no posted bus schedule, you are the one who sets the schedule, that is the control that you have. Sometimes the bus stops and you find yourself in a transfer station and there are may different buses with your name on them. Take your time in choosing because they are always coming and going. And they can go in so many directions it is hard to choose but a choice is needed so you don't get run over by one of them. So to sum up, stop trying to drive the bus, and get off the bus when it stops, especially when you really don't want to.

Ok that's enough for now, the soup is happy.

I Had a Great Weekend in Kremnica

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I went to visit my friends Martina, Joey and Barbara at Joey's weekend cottage in Kremnica and we had a great time. The cabin right now has no running water or electricity but it really doesn't matter when you are with good friends. At least there is an outhouse with nice views. Joey and his friends and family have helped him take what was once just a small cabin and increase it's size over 4 times as large now. What you don't see in the photos is the 30m, steep walk up to the cabin. Bringing materials up here can be a huge pain. I am amazed at how much they have gotten done in just over a year. When it is finished it will have running water, electricity, kitchen and a bathroom. It also is very private and has very good views. My brother Ben would really appreciate the "yankee" use of any material to save money. (Joey takes old shipping boxes from work to use as sub-flooring and other things.) While it is not 4 star living, I love the place and hope to have one of my own one day in Hybe. I have the spot picked out now I just have to buy the land from the farmer who owns it and start building.

Life in Slovakia

I decided that since I am trying to get 1 year temporary residency here I should follow all the rules and do what I am supposed to. Any visitor who is staying in a private home is required to imform the police about them being in Slovakia and how long they plan on staying. You should do this in the first three days after you arrive. So I missed that window. But I went to the American Embassy on Tuesday just to let them know I am in the country and I got emergency contact info, which is always nice to have.

They said I had to go to the local police station in my area of Bratislava, Petrazelka. I was not sure exactly where I needed to go but I had remember a building that I one day saw many police walking in and out of about 1km away from my building, so I figured I would walk back over there and check it out. It turns out not to be a police building, strike one. But as I was looking around I asked a guy if he could tell me where the nearest police station was. He wasn't sure but told me not to worry, he would make sure I found it. He got the location of the police station then it was a question of which buses to take. So he hoped on one bus took it a few stop and got out and waited for the next bus, which took us a few more stops. Jackpot, we found the police station. He head in and Paul, my guide, asks were I need to go to register. The man behind the counter said we had to go to special police station for foreigners and he gave us directions, strike two. So we got back on the bus went back to the first bus stop we had gotten off at and started walking. We had to walk about 500m until we got lucky and looked right and found the place, jackpot. We walk around to the front of the building and found out it is closed on Thursdays, strike three, I'm out.

I walked back to my building, thanked Paul for all his help and came home and started thinking just how fun it is do deal with former Soviet Bloc governments. At least I know how to get there tomorrow.

The Ireland Collection

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Guess Where?

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Like it's hard to guess where I would go.

A Basic Lesson Learned Again

For those how don't think that this journey is not a learning experience is missing out on real life. I have just been taught a lesson I have been taught many times before but sometimes seem to forget because it is right in front of my face.

So what is the lesson?
"What you may think is bad now may in fact be a very good thing. You just have to look for the good in any situation."

How did I learn this again?
Easy, the Ryanair snafu. I was so mad and angry because of what happened last week. And so for the last week I have been thinking about it and all it does is get me angry when I do. What good is that doing me? I can't change it so why do I let it get to me. Because I am stupid sometimes and forget what I have learned. But I should know to look for the positive in any negative; there are always two sides to any situation. Even if the situation looks completely black you will find a small area of brightness that if you can focus on that it will soon become the only thing you see. The blackness fades away.

When I was sitting in the Shannon Airport getting mad at Ryanair and trying to change my tickets and everything a guy walks up to me and asks me if my laptop is connecting to the internet because his was having problems. Me being the geek that I am had to help him. I loaned him a network cable so he could connect and check his email. His name is Andrew, he is Irish but is married to a French woman and lives in France. If I remember correctly he owns a language translation service company in addition to a few things he has his hands in, a few other small businesses. We then spent the next few hours talking about life, travels, family and random stuff. He was also great in helping me relax about the complete hosing I was taking from Ryanair. Well it turns out that he contacted me and has invited me to visit him when I visit France. Now if I did not have a problem with the flight, then I don't get to meet him and don't have someone to show me parts of France. Having a local who can show you there hometown and surrounding areas is the only way to travel. Case in point, my trip to Istanbul, without Irem to show me around I would have never seen 95% of what I got to see in that city and because of this I will return to Istanbul because there is so much more to see. It also had a side benefit for her, she is again proud of her city because of how much I enjoyed seeing it. So I will visit Andrew sometime in the next few months and see what lessons I might learn from him and hopefully I can teach him something.

I just need to remember, even when things look bad the Universe puts me where I need to be, when I need to be there.

It all works out in the end, it always does.

The Istanbul Collection

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This is a collection of my favorite shots of Istanbul.

Istanbul Day 2 Photos

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Istanbul Day 2

WOW, all I can say is WOW.
Irem took me to a tower, who's name escapes me now but it was a vantage point I had dreamed about for taking pictures. When you see the panoramas I will put together you will understand what I am talking about. When we got to the top I spent the first 5 minutes just looking around and saying WOW. I was so blown away by the views of the city. It really made me understand how huge this city is. I am sure I will return to Istanbul in the future. The place is amazing and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys traveling and learning about different cultures. I them spent the evening with Irem and a few of her friends for drinks and good conversation. I really enjoyed visiting her University campus, it has amazing views of the asian part of the city and a beautiful bridge. I was I had better hotos but because of the time of night it was very hard to get a few good shots. Photos to follow soon.

An email from a friend

The following is an email I received from my friend Jake, I asked his permission to re post it here for others to read as I feel it is important to share.

Subject:"Tomorrow is an illusion"

Often times I have heard Sean speak those words and I try to keep them in the back of my head during the day to separate the bullshit (work and schedules) from the meaningful (family, friends and good times) moments in the day. Sunday, those words resurfaced.

Char and I have made a great new set of friends who a month ago moved to Savannah from Alabama. Kim and Nathan are 33 years old and have 3 beautiful children (2 girls ages 8 and 5 and a son age 3). Nathan is an anesthesiologist in town and Kim cares for the family. Nathan, a huge Bama fan, flew to Alabama for the football game Saturday and went out with 2 friends after the game. When no one heard from him Sunday morning, his friends said to try the bar where they had left him the night before. The police found him dead in the backseat of his car (sleeping one off we think). The police are still investigating. He leaves behind his wife and 3 kids.

Sunday, Char drove Kim and her kids to Atlanta and I followed in my car to bring Char home. We met their friends in Atlanta who drove from Birmingham to take Kim and the family the rest of the way and Char and I returned Sunday night.

Just a few comments of many that day to put things into perspective. As we were loading the car Sunday, Allison (age 5) asked me not to forget Daddy's shoes. I guess she has heard her dad say that to her over and over in the past. As I was loading clothes into the car, a pair of dress pants fell off the hanger. I didn't think too much of it, but as I was putting the pants back on the hanger, I realized these were not just a pair of slacks, but the pants Nathan would be wearing in the casket. To make matters worse, Kim was insistent we brought Nathan's Jeep keys so he could drive the Jeep back home after the funeral. She wasn't connecting that his car was at the Jacksonville airport and that Nathan was dead. Absolutely pitifully to see anyone go through this.

Sorry if I got you down or if I am rambling but I just needed to get a few things off my chest. Times like these really reaffirm whats important in your life. You guys make me and my life better. Tomorrow IS an illusion. How true!

Enjoy your life today and be thankful for all the good things we have.

Jacob