Whatever Comes to Mind

I just got back from my 2 week vacation to the coasts. I was in New York for a week and Los Angeles for a week.

New York was a blast, mainly because I got to meet and see new and old friends. I saw all my favorite bloggers in Brooklyn while attending a fundraiser for a public advocate. We all got drunk and partied like we were old friends. I don't think I've ever partied with people I met online. I had a great time -- Thx bloggers --
I also went to a BBQ in the neighborhood I grew up in. I walked down past the first house I lived in and past a deli I used to frequent. After the partying in the city and Long Island, I went out to Orient Point at the end of Long Island to be with my sister and her family -- I get to see my little niece too. I was there for three days to relax and enjoy good food and family conversation. We took a tour of Long Island wine country on the day I was leaving. I wish I was more into the wine, I got sick of it after a while. When I went back to the city, I had one night to hang out in Manhatten - we ended up at this bar in the East Village -- KGB Bar -- great low key place. I wasn't up for much partying, so that ended my New York experience.

I'll go into the LA experience and more of the New York one when I have a little more time -- right now I'm a little tired.

Check out my pics on Flickr. It tells a little story of the last week and half.

mohawk

From the back

Brooklyn View

stache

Rock Climbing at Sand Rock

I just got 2 traffic violations in Alabama over the holiday weekend. It seems like there were a thousand cops out over the weekend, but I didn't get caught on the highway or city streets. I was tagged on a country road in Alabama on my way to Lake Martin. I was speeding; I always speed on those roads, they beg to be driven fast on. I realized that I didn't have proof of insurance as the cop was walking up to the car. He asks for this slip of paper, which I didn't have, and proceeds to be more concerned with the fact I don't have the paper than with the speeding. I don't think he even mentioned the speeding ticket until I had to sign for it. While I was searching for my insurance card, which is up-to-date, I found my registration card, which states, "proof of insurance provided". Shouldn't there be a system embedded in the car registration that states the car is insured. Cops have computers in their cars to check a nation-wide list of warrants and stolen cars, driver records, car registration. Why can't they have one more field to check insurance. The other reason some people have insurance is because it's the law (I thought Alabama didn't have that law though). Shouldn't insurance companies or the DMV check periodically or get a warning if a car is not insured. I showed this cop a 9 month old version of my insurance which shows my policy has been active for 20 years.

A little while ago, I stopped carrying a wallet. It cut down on the crap that I carried around day to day. I carry my ID, ATM card, and a credit card. I wish the card system would boil down to one card or embedded chip system, maybe with some biometric ID check. I'm tired of carrying cards and IDs for every little thing. We're in the Digital Age, why can't we act like it.

Brilliant use of the New Google Map API. See where soliders that were killed in Iraq are from. Use the (+) to see the war play out and the casualties rise. This is pretty amazing, but can you imagine if they made an app with the Iraqi deaths, civilian and military is their same space.