Sunday, September 30, 2007

Christchurch

I made it to Christchurch, NZ after a surprisingly uneventful trip. A little Benadryl helped me sleep 8 of the 12.5 hours from LA to Auckland. All of my bags arrived, which was a big relief.

Christchurch is just as I remember it and I instantly fall back into old, familiar habits: making dinner plans with people to meet at the Dux for dinner, strolling along the Avon river on my way over to the fish and chips place, wandering around Cathedral Square watching the tourists snap photos. The only change I've noticed is that one of my old haunts, the Asian food court where you could get a ton of food for a very reasonable price, appears to be under construction. There's no indication of where it moved, so it looks like I'm S.O.L.

Tomorrow morning we head out to the Clothing Distribution Center (CDC) and try on our gear. We're scheduled to fly to the ice on Wednesday. There is a flight going out tomorrow morning. I really hope they make it because if they boomerang, then our flight gets pushed back. The more backed up we get, the less time we have to set things up when we get down there. I'm starting to realize that time is of the essence.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Down to the wire...

I'm back in Minneapolis after successful trips to Phoenix and Lincoln this week. Phoenix was a personal trip. The Bogotron invited me down for some R&R and let Mike and Margie cook for and entertain me. Lincoln was a work trip. We got a lot of stuff sorted out, and also ended up realizing there's a lot left to do. That's OK, though. As the Kiwis are fond of saying: "No worries." On the vaguely work-related front, PSICAT has been getting a lot of attention recently so that's rewarding.

Tomorrow Elizabeth and I have a fair amount of packing and errands to run before we head our separate ways on Saturday. Tomorrow is also my last chance to get some decent food. I'm going to miss my Chipotle burritos, so I'll probably have to stop and have one for lunch. I also think I'm going to cook some halibut steaks with a pineapple salsa for a nice, romantic dinner.

On Saturday I fly to Los Angeles by way of O'Hare, so that will be about as fun as a kick to the head. Last year I almost missed my flight to New Zealand because nothing ever gets out of O'Hare on time. I hoping for better luck this year. I'm also hoping I win the seat lottery on the flight to New Zealand. If I get stuck middle-middle, you can bet I'm going to be taking advantage of the complimentary beer and liquor.

In Christchurch, I'm staying at the Windsor Bed and Breakfast. I stayed there last year and it was great. The owners are really nice and it's centrally located for easy walking to places. My two planned stops are this hole in the wall fish and chips place I found on my first visit to NZ and the Dux De Lux for a few beers.

I know a lot of people are following the blog again this year. If there's something you're curious about or want to see, drop me a line via email or the comments and I'll do my best to put it in a blog post. I also have a few invites for Dopplr, so if you do a lot of traveling yourself or have an intense burning desire to know where I am, let me know. Cheers.

Thursday, September 20, 2007

On the road again

Today marks the beginning of my 3 month traveling tour. The North American portion is making stops in Phoenix, Lincoln, Minneapolis, and the always lovely LAX. The abroad portion includes stops in New Zealand and Antactica, my home during October, November, and half of December. If you need to get a hold of me before the 29th, email and cell phone are your best bet. After the 29th, email or snail mail. This blog should receive regular attention, so if you're just interested in what I'm up to, check back. Cheers.

Saturday, September 15, 2007

Dr. Dobbs in Print!


I got a welcome surprise today--they ran my article in the print version of Dr. Dobbs as well! My two copies arrived this morning. I had to snap a few photos:


Friday, September 14, 2007

Antarctica Bound (almost)

Where has the summer gone? I walked outside this morning and shivered because the temperature was in the 40s. Which is rather silly considering where I'm going in two weeks, the weather will be far colder.

It's been a long time since I last posted here. I've been doing a lot of traveling recently for work, so I haven't been home all that much. In the last month and a half, I've been in Lincoln, Tallahassee, and Germany. And then next two weeks are shaping up to be no different. I'm heading out to Phoenix to see my uncle on the 20th. I return to Minneapolis on the 24th and then turn around and head to Lincoln for the 25th through the 27th. I'm home on the 28th and then leave for Antarctica on the 29th. Fortunately Elizabeth has been and continues to be a good sport.

Work has been progressing at a fast and furious pace. There's a lot of stuff that I'd still like to get done before I ship out. Every one, particularly in the Science Management Office, has been working their tails off to make this season even more successful than last year. I'm just thinking we shouldn't have set the bar so high with last year's success! :)

In other news, Dr. Dobb's Journal published an article I wrote about PSICAT. It's a good introduction to the internals and technology behind PSICAT.