Category: Travel

Water-berry World – A reflection

On By cjx07sterIn Australia, Existentialism, Love Story, Travel, UncategorizedLeave a comment

First Fragment – I am He.

I was on the mobile hooked into a conference call to the guys in Boston, while I was on the way to the airport.

“What’s that ?” I said.  I looked out the train window and through the gloom and sheets of rain coming down, I heard “……could…….be……………..never…………..when……………manufacture……Shanghai..”

“You know guys there is something wrong, I don’t know if it is the rain or what, but could you get closer to the mic.” I said

“Chris, if you just mute your ….., you should be able to…er” – came back

“OK OK. I think you said mute… but I don’t know how to mute the phone, it’s a blackberry” I said

I looked at the blackberry, water all over it, in my wet hand, with my suit still dripping water on the floor, sitting forlornly in the grey of the train light.

“Sure  just ….. top of the phone…   mute key – just…. when you want to talk … press …. you’ve …..” I think it was Sam who said that.

OK  – fumbling around with the phone – found the mute key pressed it a couple of times…

da-dink – di-da, seemed to toggle a couple of tones…

As I re-joined the call,  I settled down a bit, listening to the boys at the other end of the line.

Outside the world was rapidly darker into the morning.  The train was moving, slowly. I still had time though. We passed the old disused car yard near Redfern. Torrential spouts of water were there flowing down out into the concrete as we passed by. A lady standing by me, was quietly looking past me, with a kind of I’m ok, but there is something really bad happening just outside.  Naturally I thought first of the rain, no, perhaps the blackberry, but since I was on mute, it could not be that.. I turned back to close focus and saw what she saw.

Second Fragment – I am She

The rain was really coming down, and as the train pulled in, I had run to the first carriage off the stairwell.  The doors opened as the announcement was made.  My coat was ok, but my hair was all wet through from seconds crossing the gap.  I got in, but all the seats were taken.  Wet people. No one with newspapers any more. iPhones and Tablets instead live breaking the news.  So I took off to the left, just outside the toilet, where there is a gap.  There was a guy in a suit, fiddling with his blackberry, trying to listen, and talk and had obviously chosen this uncomfortable location, so he could use his phone.  He had some strange bags, a normal looking briefcase, and a big heavy carbonate case with Fragile stickers and Security cleared stuck all over it.

The doors closed and we were rolling.  I looked over at him, he was talking and listening, but mainly looking out at the weather.  Water was dripping off his suit, onto his blackberry with it’s little blue light winking as a reflection in the window.  I thought on his profile, also reflected in the window.  It might be good to get to know him then.  Perhaps I could say Hi.  He was on the phone though.  I pulled out my phone and thought.. Perhaps I could just take a picture of him for later.  Dumb idea.  I pressed the bluetooth setup and scanned around the area.  A phone name came up – Ferdinand – could it be his phone ?

The rain was coming down fast and noisy outside the carriage.  He was having trouble hearing and was fiddling around with the ‘mute’ key, perhaps learning how it worked.

I looked carefully at his suit, it was made of a nice material, but all covered in water, and dripping down.  He seemed totally oblivious to the water though, listening and laughing on the phone, with his hand and phone still water all over them.

OK, so I took his picture, it was easy, he didn’t notice me at all, even though I could have reached out and touched him, his wet clothes and hair perhaps. Never mind, I could find him again one day, I had his bluetooth id and I had a photo, even though it showed him laughing all wet and scary. I quicky renamed the image ‘Ferdinand’ so I could remember.

Just then I leaned back on the window, the rain gushing down from the car sheds, and all over the concrete outside the train.  I looked over at him and he glanced at me, and then looked outside through the window.  His eyes got all close focussed and an astonished look on his face.  I quickly glanced down at my phone, with his picture on it.  I started blushing and smiling, I couldn’t help it when I realised that he saw, his picture on my phone reflected in the glass behind me.

Photo Attribution : Foxyfemke : Flickr under CC licence

Patriot’s game in a Giant Superbowl XLVI

On By cjx07sterIn TravelLeave a comment

I’m in Foxboro Massachusetts to do a bit of work this week, and the Pat’s are due to play in the Super Bowl again, thankfully not in Foxboro – else no room at the inn would have been the sign on the door. It’s to be in Indianapolis this time, and against the Giants no less.

I do remember seeing Tom Brady and the Patriot’s win back in 2004/5 in the snow covered Foxboro stadium and then go on to win the Super Bowl. But where is the snow this year ? Don’t see much, every hint of a big weather event gets max coverage on the weather channel, but look.  It was -3C in Sussex and I was so disturbed I had even taken to drinking cider.  But it is warm and today expected to be around 40F here in Foxboro.

No – It is not about the weather !  It’s all about offence and defence.  The pundits seem to be backing the Giant’s resurgent defence and the Patriot’s amazing offence.  In my slight experience and observations of the game, it all really depends on the nerve, skill and experience of the quarterback.  So my thought is that the result will depend on how Tom Brady does.

Down in Indianapolis the weather looks good for Sunday night, and you should with luck and determination be able to see the moon waxing gibbous in the shiny Tiffany Vince Lombardi trophy in the hands of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. Who cares then about the weather in London. It won’t be cider house, there will be Sam Adam’s on the house as a rule in New England.

Ben’s blanket for Emmanuel

On By cjx07sterIn Miracle, Sunday Posts, TravelLeave a comment

We’d been running late.  The astronomer and his prophet were pressing us, but the conditions in the south Enceladus jet stream were not good for launch.  As well we were short two hyperdrivers due to budget cuts from the respective treasuries.  A fine way to treat us, the best of the best, and now we had to drive as well. The prophet was insisting that now was the time. Only one of us was from Enceladus anyway.  The other two from Titan.  Anyway, we had seen a recent rapid brightening of the blue planet, actually the astronomers caught it first, on there new differential light plate.  A solar alert went out, and after a day or so we could all see the light, bright in the sky, where once it was just a small bright speck of blue, now it was pretty significant.

I Melchiora, was the only female in the group, the other two slugs from different countries on Triton moon were Gasparon, a kind of devious scholar, always out for greatness, and Balthozo, equally adventurous as Gasparon was clever and had been to the earth before on a previous mission.  Still, they were talented and knew a lot about the solar system.  Enceladus education was great, but derived from the books of the larger moon, so always just a bit behind. The prophet had told me, “it will be a baby, this king, take care when you get there. but be sure not to tell the others, it will frighten them.The secret gift from Enceladus

Gasparon, the captain, said “OK they’ve started the countdown, lets get out of here”.  We all agreed, and loaded into the capsule.

“Wait, did you get the gifts ?” I asked.

“Sure..,… but its heavy ! … the Gold one.” Said Gasparon

“OK great.” , I didn’t tell ’em about Ben’s baby blanket I had smuggled on board. They would have laughed at me for sure, and we didn’t need it at this time.

The bright red light on the central console, started flashing slowly and the little countdown clock ticked over.  We were strapped in and ok to get moving.  It felt good to be finally on the way.

Nothing quite like the feel of the gate valve opening and our little craft being nudged into the jet stream of the ice geysers, which rapidly pushed us faster and faster until we shot through the jet a a massive speed and then quiet, and our moon was far below us.  At 20 miles out we switched to the tesla drive and were propelled out in a massive curve by means of the magnetosphere.  So beautiful the rings of saturn as we shot past at high speed toward the sun.

Out here interplanetary, we only had the light from the sun to guide us forward, and we battled the solar wind all the way out toward it, the brightening blue planet, our destination.

Balthazo spoke after some time, “We got to aim for the Pyramids, line them up in the scope, and we make our entry through the atmosphere at that angle.”

Balthazo had been to the blue planet before.  He had brought back stories of the great king Herod, and others in the land near the Mediterranean sea.  He had said that the pyramids of Egypt were the best, and since you could clearly see them from space, they were an excellent navigation point going down.

It got a bit bumpy shooting through the wispy edge of the atmosphere, but never mind, with the great pyramids in sight, we dropped down into the sea.

“You mind telling me, why we had to land in this sea ?” I asked.

“We got to go see Herod, he’s the great king here in Judea.”  He’s got a reputation and such, so we have to go see him, just get permission to travel through his land to go see the new king, who might related somehow.” – Gasparon said.

“OK fine, perhaps it’ll work”.  I said.

Out of the sea, and onto the land of the blue planet, we made our way and picked up some clothes. Eventually we came to the place of Herod.  We were warmly received, but when we mentioned about the new king,… well I guess Herod’s reputation was fully justified, he just went super quiet, and called for some water.

“When you eventually find this .. new “King”, come back and let me know more ?”

And we made our polite farewells.

We passed by many small villages, and over the next day or so, saw people looking unconcerned,. we had enquired after the new “King” but everyone just looked at us in a kind of astonished way.

We really had got lost for the day, but then the bright light which had reflected off the upper atmosphere before was now visible in the eastern sky.

There in a stable, passing by, we saw, since the door was open, a baby with angels and other heavenly beings crowded round.

“Forget it, this can’t be the place” – said Balthazo, I’ve been round here before.  It’s no place for a king.

Gasparon was still a way back, and coming up from behind us.

“Look, wait here for Gasparon, he’s still way behind,.. I’ll just go in and take a look. Something strange about the light there” – I said.

I reached into my pack, and took out the brown paper package hidden there.  I walked calmly over to the door. Inside the light was bright, but coming from no where in particular, and there was a kind of static in the cool air. There were humans, a mother, a father, and their little one, wrapped up in kind of nothing much.  I took the gift package and gave it to the mother.  She thanked me, looked at the strange fastenings, and then opened it carefully.  Taking the blanket, she opened it out on the floor, looked at it, and in a curious way said “Thankyou, It’s very nice, and I’ll keep it for him when it gets cold. His name is Emanuel actually, he is who he is, and the world has changed tonight, yet still not what it should be.”

“I know the name is not right, I said”, but it is in memory of where we came from, and it made it for my own son, when he was little, his name is Benjamin. It’s not a normal Enceladian name, but I liked it, and got it from a book, which Gasparon had brought back and given me, when he returned from this place many years ago.”

Gasparon and Balthazo walked in then, and they had realized things were a bit different here.  They came forward and all three of us looked carefully at the new born one. “This is the king.. he’s wonderful.. get your gifts.  This is the one”. I said quietly.

Everyone was a bit quiet then.  There was a breeze outside, and the light inside, and the baby, and the mother, father, some animals resting in the back of the room.. not really a room.. more a stable.

Gasparon gave the gifts, destined for the new king to the father.  The Gold and the other things we had brought down from Saturns rings.  Balthazo made a small speech.  Then we left quietly through the side door.

When we left the stable, we found that we were confused, something changed in our purpose, our hearts were a bit different.  In a way we felt alien to ourselves, and we had no desire to go back to the spaceship down in the sea.  We had no desire to suck up to that pompous Herod the Great as well, so we went off in the opposite direction. Eventually we wandered the earth and got lost in the peoples countries there.  Something died in us. There was a birth, yes, but also a death, and it seemed to us that we could not go back the way we had come.  We had passed a point in time when things past would be gone, and things yet to come would be less so, what they might have been.

In.v. 19 – The Eye Power to Read

On By cjx07sterIn Innovation, TravelLeave a comment
Design OK - Style Goal - Not so sure...

Remember the movie, Notting Hill, with Hugh Grant, there is a scene where the main character is sitting in the theatre using prescription diving goggles to see the screen.  That is exactly how I might look with my latest on the road innovation number 19.  The look is weird, but on the other hand I can actually read – and more to the point write on this computer screen here.

 There is a basic catch 22 with reading glasses.  If anything goes wrong with them on the road – like in an airport of something – like the frames break – or the lens falls out – or any number of small faults which might occur – you usually need them to see how to fix them. Right ? Yes – or a backup pair you say.  Yes also right.  However these days I need stronger prescription lenses so I just don’t have a backup pair – the frames [titanium] broke right down the middle – I think I live life a bit rough at times – so there I am about to embark on yet another trip with two halves of a pair of reading glasses.

Design principle – the lenses need to be held by something so they dont fall off you head and such

Style principle – sticky tape and other joinings dont have a good look.

Off to the local newsagent in the lobby of the LAX Hilton.  There I found the following useful bits and pieces.

a. Emery boards about $3

b. Black Plastic sunglasses $16

1. With the emery boards I spent a while filing through a corner of the titanium frames of the glasses – I could only get the lens out of one of the halves – so I had to file through the frame with the emery board.  It took 4 whole emery boards to file through the frame of the broken glasses.

2. I took the sunglasses, admired the uv resistant lenses and then poked them both out of the sunglass frame. These got saved somewhere in my travel kit for a rainy day some other time.

3. I then cleaned up the prescription lenses and pushed them into the plastic frame.  They met at four points around the periphery of the frame opening and basically fit reasonably snugly.

Its amazing how reasonably cool sunglasses get transformed into really weird looking spectacles if you put clear lenses in instead of the usual sunlens.