Dublin, IRELAND

This blog will be updated with pictures and stories of my epic 50 hour trip to Dublin Ireland. Stay tuned. Updates will come in on or around the 11th December 2009. I apologize I cannot update while on the road. Follow me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bgrimm

I have a little extra time on my hands. I don't recall the specifics but the flight from Boise was really late. There was a 2 inch layer of fresh powder coating the entire Treasure Valley. The runway and aircraft was no different. There was an exception for the window in seat 6A it had a particularly thick layer of ridgid ice block my view of the white tarmack. That made no difference to me as I closed my windowshade and fell into a deep slumber. Most mornings I would wake up to a beverage service. This morning I awoke to the captain saying that de-icing was nearly finnished. We would depart shortly. I arrive in Pheonix 11 minutes before the Philly flight departs. Not a chance. I'm not in Boise anymore. Gates are miles apart today. I get rebooked for the next flight to Philly. For now things are fine. I still plan to reach my Dublin flight in time tonight.

Leave me a Voicemail.

The art of disguise:

The art of disguise:
beware your lane choice at the airport. Frequent fliers are some of
the slowest passengers in line at the checkpoint. They appear to have
their shit together but in reality they are masters of disguise.
Your probably wondering what i'm talking about. Let me explain.
I have categorized frequent fliers into a few groups.... Of interest to
me are the deceptively slow. They always use the First Class line for
ID check. As they approach the decision point of screening they pause.
Deciding which x-Ray to clog up with their crap. As the get to the tables provided at the entry of the x-ray they begin to un-pack. Their nice neat stack of excess baggage grows to engulf the table just like a plate of dehydrated peas covers your plate as it laps up newly introduced water.

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California

I had a great trip to California this October.

Nuclear Power v Death Star

Obama hails UN's vision for 'nuclear-free world'


Photograph: Emmanuel Dunand/AFP
Barack Obama presides over a UN security council meeting on nuclear weapons. Photograph: Emmanuel Dunand/AFP
Julian Borger
guardian.co.uk News Thu 24 Sep 2009 15:42 BST
Obama hails resolution as a milestone along the way to 'a world without nuclear weapons'
Barack Obama today hailed a UN security council resolution on disarmament and non-proliferation as a milestone along the way to "a world without nuclear weapons".
Today's resolution calls for the nuclear weapons states to ratify a ban on nuclear testing - something the US senate has yet to do - and negotiate a new treaty to stop the production of fissile material.

        -----------------------------

In a related story. President Obama has purchased a non-nuclear weapon. The Death Star. Here is a video of it's current location over San Francisco. In addition to the Destructive Death Star the US has aquired many other Star Wars weapons.
Footage is captured in the link below.  
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfqDVP_0O0c

A walk....

MINI Cooper Portland

LEG E.W. on facebook!

LEG Energy Works on Facebook

Uncomfortably reclined

Although there are many things that are arguably worse. On the rare
occasion that the following happens to you. I feel confident that, at
that very moment of realization, you will agree. There is no greater
disappointment while flying.

The moment has finally come to press the shiny silver button and
activate the long awaited RECLINE feature on my seat back. But wait,
nothing happens. System failure! In an effort to further understand
what is causing my strife I try again. Still, nothing. I look at the
seat next to mine to gain perspective on the dilemma in 17B. Why is my
neighbors seat broken? Seemingly more forward than a seat back
should be. So I pull on the top of my seat to try and break it too. I
now come to discover the worst. I WAS RECLINED! It is going to be a
long decent to landing.

In all honestly things can be going great. Check in can be like a
warm breeze on your cheek. TSA security checkpoint can feel like your
own private security team. Boarding can be flawless - the only delay
caused by another gentleman ushering me to proceed while I say, "no,
you first".

Beware. Now that this great fortune has been bestowed upon me three or
four times. I feel confident saying; mark my words. There is no
greater disappointment while flying. There is something worse then
poor service. Even worse then a delay or stained shirt. During all of
these inconveniences you have a choice about how to proceed. But a pre-
reclined seat concurs the human spirit and torments the sub-
conscience in ways you can only imagine. As tempting as it is to land
with my seat reclined, I pass. The vicious cycle comes to an end with me.

WN terminates timetable.

Three days ago WN announced that this is their last production run of their now infamous reading material, the timetable.

Collect them while you can! They will soon be gone forever.

I just wanted to let you know WN is getting rid of their timetables. Here in Boise we read them religiously like the Mormons read the Book of Mormon. When things start heating up at the drive-in or in the bedroom. I always reach for my WN Timetable to cool things off. I keep one in the center console and another on the night stand. I travel with another one. They will be missed greatly.

Green Army Men

When my family became the owners of our current house they immediately discarded of the green grass in the back yard. Ever since the lawn was put into remission it has been a gold mine of artifacts. Each time it rains, little bits of plastic find their way to the surface. There are the normal tidbits of chewed up Frisbee and chipped plastic from an old bucket. What captures my attention is the little Green Army Men. I captured snapshots of what I found this past week. They had an owner with a creative imagination.

Gardening

I don't claim to know much about gardening but I can share a little about hard work. I was satisfied with the garden last year and I didn't break my back preparing and planting. This spring I put in a few extra hours and I plan to see results because of my effort.

Pictured left are four upside-down planters containing three tomato plants and one Super Serrano hot pepper. These were planted on Cinco de Mayo 2009. To the right are their progress as of June 15 2009. All the plants have fruit and are growing daily.

Below is a youtube walking tour where I stroll through the yard and show the variety of plants.



Later in the year I will give you a glimpse of the garden in full bloom.

Yin & Yang shake hands

This morning I did chores at a friends house. Pulling weeds, and getting the pool ready for summer. Many people think it's hard enough to get your own chores done. Why help a friend? The long term payoff of today's work will be that I can swim there in the summer. In the short term it may have paid back in spades. Here is my account of immediate gratification as a result of doing a good turn.

The story begins upon entering the Meridian library on Cherry lane. As I entered through the automatic doors I was greeted by a member of the staff. Not uncommon in a library. I asked if electronic media was kept behind the counter. In Nampa it is kept behind the counter. I could tell from the parking lot that I was not in Nampa anymore. The young lady directed me to my media sorted by last name at an un-supervised bookshelf beyond the counter. Almost to quickly, I found my last name. Or was it? It was not what I had requested; two Beatles CD's. Next to the Beatles was Mario Galaxy; more my style. Who was this other "Grimm" at 555-1390? I'm tempted to call. I dismiss that thought because cell's are prohibited in a library. Because I strongly believe that lines are for suckers I step up to the self check-out and exit through the automatic door without delay. What comes over me next is a euphoric sensation.

Before I exit the second automatic door. The hair on my neck stands up and my senses are heightened. In that clean, well lit, fully staffed, family friendly facility was an experienced that can only be described as joy with a capital J-O-Y! My brain had not yet figured out that I was experiencing joy from my new favorite library. My mind became concerned it could be chemicals messing with my brain. My friend had installed a new water filter in their refrigerator only hours earlier. I turned to look for a fresh source of water. As if by magic a fountain was only steps away. Was I in the matrix? Had I made that fountain exist? This was too good to be true!

Refreshed, I stepped toward the exit. I was at the threshold to the outside world. Literally standing in the doorway. I stopped and turned around in my tracks. I had caught, out of the corner of my eye, a glimpse of a coat rack. On any other day this would have meant nothing. But today, only minutes earlier, I had called to check in on my jacket that I forgot at the aforementioned friends house. Now there was an empty coat rack? The similarities were un-canny. I decided to capture this moment in a photograph.

In addition to capturing the coat rack - there is a clear view to the parking lot. In this parking lot there will be no collisions. I'll explain the significance of that statement because it is cornerstone to understanding my visit here today.

I was previously a customer of the Nampa library. I may have visited there without incident on occasion. I do not remember those visits. What I do remember are the police who visited me. The first time they visited I was traveling 32 in a 25 zone with no safety belt. The cloaking device (I can't discuss details) on my truck prevented the officer from writing a speeding ticket. I was cited for the passive restraint. I just wanted a book about alternative energy. The second visit by the police is where I draw sharp contrast to the parking lot pictured above. My horn blares. The truck in front of me drives another four feet striking my bumper. The driver claims I have a bad attitude and calls Nampa's finest. How am I supposed to react? To my recollection, I have never been hit while in my parked car. I digress. Long story short the parking lot was treacherous and bad vibes surrounded my visits to the Nampa branch. I make every effort to avoid that parking lot. I have even walked the three miles from my home just so my pick-up could stay safely parked in my driveway.

Unique and glorious about the parking lot in Meridian is the alignment of the marked spaces. There are only one set of spaces on each aisle. There is no chance of a car backing into your parked car. As you can begin to understand. There is a lot of symbolism in a simple picture. My afternoon does not end here. I continue homeward bound.

I will compound the remaining joyful events that can be summarized into the category cheap*.

• 50% off a personal flotation device(PFD) at Joe's
• 70% off a Timex watch that controls my iPod at Joe's
  
• A restroom at Costco, just in time.
• Discovering self check-out on it's first day at Costco
• The blender lady at Costco offering to squeeze my sweets*
  
• Using self-checkout(Fram's help was invaluable), with no line, on its first day.
• Buying honey** to sweeten my morning coffee.
  
• $10 Coscto Cash card converted into gas for my truck.

So all-in-all it turned out to be a pretty good day. So go out there and do something good today!

key:
* - not sure how that conversation began or what she meant, unless her tone was insinuating...
** - Product of USA & Canada, Distributed from WA. briefly rained on my parade.

Lazy boy in the sky

Although there are many things that are arguably worse. On the rare occasion that the following happens to you. I feel confident that you will agree. There is no greater disappointment while flying.

Over half way through the flight. The moment has finally come to press the shiny silver button and activate the long awaited RECLINE feature on my seat back. But wait, nothing happens. System failure! In an effort to further understand what is causing my strife I try again. Still, nothing. I look at the seat next to mine to gain perspective on the dilemma in 17B. Why is my neighbors seat broken? Seemingly more forward than a seat back should be. So I pull on the top of my seat to try and break it too. I now come to discover the worst. I WAS RECLINED! It is going to be a long decent to landing.

In all honesty things can be going great. Check in can be like a warm breeze on your cheek. TSA security checkpoint can feel like your own private security team. Boarding can be flawless - the only delay caused by another gentleman ushering me to proceed while I say, "no, you first".

Beware! Now that this great fortune has been bestowed upon me numerous times. I feel confident saying; mark my words. There is no greater disappointment while flying. There is something worse then poor service. Even worse then a delay or stained shirt. During all of these inconveniences you have a choice about how to proceed. But a pre-reclined seat conquers the human spirit and torments the sub-conscience in ways only imagined. As tempting as it is to land with my seat reclined, I pass. The vicious cycle comes to an end with me.

Walk in Palisades Park

"Do a good turn daily"

Today I found a cell phone on the street. I called the contact "mom" and asked her if she had a daughter or son who may have lost their cell. She said she had a daughter. Then, she changed her mind and told me she had a son. That didn't bother me I knew she was protecting her daughter. The Boy Scout Slogan is "do a good turn daily". A friend of the girl who lost her phone called a short while later. A few minutes later I saw the kids up around the bend ahead of me. I am glad the owner was reunited with her phone. Now go do your good turn.

Here is a bit of what I know about Skype...

Information is based on experience with Mac computer using intel processors.

1. Download skype on your home computer and iPhone. Create a user name and password. This allows unlimited free calling to and from other Skype users only.
2. A Skype subscription (or skype credit) is required to make out going calls to mobile phones and landlines. There are three subscriptions offered. I recommend the us-canada plan. There are also mexico and world subscriptions available depending on your calling needs. A link to subscription page is here - http://www.skype.com/allfeatures/subscriptions/uscanada Note: a subscription gives you a voicemail account so skype callers like Katherine can leave you a message but you still need an on-line number to receive calles from landlines and cell phones. See step 3.
3. The subscription gives you 50% off an online number which skype calls "skypein". Pick an area code and phone number and purchase the skypein number for specific period of time. I recommend buying the number for a 1 year period. A link to the online number is here. http://www.skype.com/allfeatures/onlinenumber
4. Login to skpe and begin making calls.

TIPS:
1. Add contacts to skype by selecting "contacts" from the toolbar then select "import contacts.." be sure "address book" is selected and click "OK"
2. Don't buy skype credit! Skype gives you $1 to begin but if you can avoid sending text messages to cell phones then you will not need credit unless you are making an international call.
3. If you have friends in a foreign country but they don't call you because it is expensive... Then you should consider buying a "skypein" or online number in their area code. I think you can have up to ten(?) numbers. Then your friend can call a local number and you can answer the call anywhere in the world with you computer.
4. You can receive calls on your skype application with your iPhone ONLY if you are logged into the skype application and have it open. However, Skype includes free call-forwarding with your subscription/online number therefore you will be able to have calls forwarded to your cell phone.

YELP

Classy dinner?

For those of you who are looking for a fun way to make your bland/cheep/trashy dinner a little more classy; this is for you. Do you ever find yourself sitting down to another bowl of chili or noodles and thinking(to yourself), is this trashy? Well one simple addition to your diet will instantly convert trashy to classy. Wine! Wine will transform that trashy meal to classy in one to three cups. Yes I said cups, not glasses. If your eating noodles or chili for dinner you probably don't have wine glasses that's OK! Even a Styrofoam cup of wine will make you classy. It's true, try it for yourself tonight.

quote of the day 30 Sept, 2007

"You think your the only Mike in the world?" -Eva

This quote is mis-categorized and has no place in my blog. However, it will remain here until a future date that I find a more appropriate place for it to reside. The previous location of this quote was on the back of a time card. The time card was in a box. The box was on the floor of my room. The room was in my parents home. There are only two people who will understand the humor of this quote. The first is myself and second, well, Mike. Duh - right. Eva would not appreciate this but it is of course, accurate.

Another air travel confession

To the girl sitting next to me in 11b from Portland to Boise yesterday afternoon. I want to apologize that I pretended to sleep the entire flight. If I had looked in your direction I am afraid I would have drooled on your shoulder. The Paris Hilton perfume you were wearing was intoxication. I was scared too look at you because I had built you up to be the girl of my dreams. You smelled that good. I was enamored by your delicate scent. It was hot like a summer rodeo. It was also pleasant that your scent overpowered the smell of booze on the breath of the two ignorant pricks behind us. While your scent was intoxicating. The pair in row 12 was simply intoxicated. I thought "inside voices" applied to any enclosed space? Their boisterous behavior bothered both our peace and tranquility. I felt they were irritating many of the passengers with their passive aggressive attempt to control the tone of the flight. Recreating a line in a movie made by a flight attendant is not funny. Listen up dude; we know the seat belt needs to be fastened. I felt much more relaxed after fully reclining my seat back into the face of the profane prick behind me. I sensed the amusement you gathered from their, lack of, response as your puckered posture settled to one of a princess passenger. That was quite fitting for someone smelling as fragrant as you.

Confessions of air travel

To the guy sitting in seat 13A from San Jose to Portland this morning. Although my assigned seat 11D was perfectly fine. Even above average because a pretty girl was in 11E. I could not help but notice the extra 8 inches of leg room in seat 13B. It is very difficult for me to sleep with my knee pressed against the tray table. I just want to appologize for invading your personal space when I swapped seats, seconds before the flight attendant made their final seat count. I could tell from your shifting in your seat and grunting that you were dissatisfied. Next time use your words. Perhaps you would have talked me in to returning to the seat by the pretty girl. I just want you to know I slept like a baby. Thanks for the company.

Brads blog

Welcome to Brads blog. This is my first blog post and this is not a test.