BootsnAll's Travel Typepad

Frankfurt Airport Crap

I have a 3+ hour layover here.  Love the direct flight from PDX to EU.  No SEA or SFO stuff.  Just saw that we have our World Cup Gear starting to rock and roll.  Looking good Chris!

I saw Walk the line for the 3rd time on the flight over.  Great flic.  I tear up every time at certain parts.   (Begin macho crap) Yeah - brokeback me if you want Mika.  Enjoy your little sandwich and wine.  I'll be drinking Chianti and doing deals in Europe.  BTW, I am not a mack daddy.  just "your daddy"...son. (end macho crap)  :)

There was a 1 hour preview of the World Cup on the Lufthansa flight over here.  Comprehensive and they are marketing the hell out of it as you can imagine.  about 70 days till I am back here for the tourney. 

Happy wednesday folks.

Ali

Sunday thoughts from theFarm

It's about 5 am and everyone is sleeping.  This has been the story since we arrived a few days ago.  I get up around 5 am or so and do my own thing for about 3 hours b4 everyone gets up.  It's the best part of the day, not sure why so many folks want to sleep through it.  I suppose folks can say the same thing about the 9 pm to midnight hours or some other 3 hour chunk that I sleep through.

Ma.nolia
I have tried out there social bookmarking service.  Created a test World Cup Group and played a bit around with there service.  It seems better (a little bit) than del.icio.us - not sure if it is better enuff to actually move all my social bookmarking activity away.

Send me you del.icio.us username
BTW - if you have an account there, and I don't have your username, please send it to me.  I use the for: feature quite liberally and if you ever want me to read something, just tag is for:SEKeener... SEKeener is my username.  More info on for:tag

Temperatures and lack of wood stoves
The temperatures got down to about 10 degrees F this weekend up in Snowden.  Pretty damn cold.  We have a wood stove here, but it's all warped and not so efficient.  I ordered a new wood stove about 3 months ago, but because of the rising gas prices etc, the company I ordered it from still says it is 3 weeks away from delivery and install.

Stuff I have been reading
World Cup Blog - Bob is an amazing passionate writer and his alter ego Pascha kicks some arse on the Angola Team Blog as well.  Ben is also writing a lot of timeless travel information on South Africa.  Been meaning to pick up some actuall non-digital media, books in particular recently, but I haven't.  Any recommendations out there?  If so, email, comment, or for: tag it into my del.icio.us account por favor.

Huge week ahead.  Lots of exciting things happening. Have a great week.  I'l be up and at 'em no later than 5 am on monday morning!  Can't wait.

Thoughts about being back in the US of A

Been back for about 6 days and here's has been my typical day since I got back.

- get up between 3 and 4 am.
- work, plan, stratergize, meet, work, communicate, call, work, work-out, laugh a bit here and there.
- goto bed around 7:30 pmish

Just starting to get back to socializing.  This is a big year for BootsnAll...we have been growing for about 7+ years now and certain decisions need to be made about the direction and kind of company/community we are becoming/growing into.  Being away in Africa for 6 or so weeks gave me a chance to reflect away from ringing phones and busy social calendars.  Where is BootsnAll going?  What is my place in it and everyone else new and old in our organization....I am excited and feel challenged by it.

Sometimes I still think we are a few guys in a small apartment talking travel online and trying to crack open how to make something sustainable online that I am proud to be affiliated with.  To a degree, we have achieved that - so where to next?  Well, like with any goal - as we achieve a few of them, new ones are set...and the goal posts are moved farther back.  Anyway, this has been taking up almost all my thoughts and stress for the past month or so.

We have it made
I think I write/think about this every time I come back to USA after being overseas.  We have it made here.  Yes, we are not a perfect country and we can improve in a lot of areas.  But from what I can see, this has got to be one of the best countries in the world in regards to having decent quality of the following:

- education
- life
- freedom
- wide open spaces
- diversity of weather, terrain (mountains, oceans, climates etc)
- ability to find a way todo what you want.

Yes - I was born into a middle-class white Chicago family and may have had more opps than some in the USA.  But even if you think you have it really bad, the whole of the world is shiting on you, you can bet your arse that someone in East Africa or from the Coloured/Black Classes in South Africa has/had it way worse than you.  Some of the opportunities we take for granted around here are not even on the fucking radar as a possibility in other places.  But that radar is growing via the web and media.    Some farmers in East Africa might watch a TV at the local pub and see that the community that they live in is not the only place in this world, where 100 or so years ago, information and people from far away would never make it's way to that village.  The opening of information and people traveling creates new opportunities, as well as seeing grass that might be greener for some.

I don't know where I am going with this...keep in mind - this posts category is "crap".  No time to edit and refine for now...

Happy Sunday.  Moved that Farm picture into extended entry - kinda sucks.

Worldwide...literally

At dinner tonight, Ben was sharing with some friends, that when he comes into our temporary home in Cape Town, he is not just working with Sean and Court from PDX, but also with folks in Europe, India, Australia, Bali and beyond.  He called us a truly worldwide organization.

I don't know if I think of us like that, but I suppose we are - not in the GE way, but in the mum and pops way if that is possible.

Anyway, the electricity in Cape Town was out for about 6 or so hours today so it gave me the chance to step away from my computer during the day hours...I promptly took a nap and read my book.  It was glorious.

Crap about Crap

My blog was down for a day or so - Typepad changed some DNS settings or something like that. I think I am just gonna move my blog to BnA's Blogging Platform sometime soon.  Working on a new design so stay tuned.

There is a lot I should be bloggin about - but I just don't have the energy by the time I have the time.  Good nite and hope everyone's 2006 is going off well so far.

My year in Cities

Vancouver BC
New York, New York
Semarang, Indonesia
Seattle, WA
Portland, OR
Eugene, OR
San Francisco, CA*
Bali, Indonesia
Delhi, India
Bucharest, Romania
Bacau, Romania
Random Places in Romania
Warsaw, Poland
White Salmon, WA
Los Angeles, CA
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Cooke City, MT
Bozeman, MT
Montreal, Canada
Some lake 4 hours north of Montreal, Quebec
Nairobi, Kenya
Moshi, Tanzania
Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
Phoenix, AZ
Las Vegas, NV

from Kottke - I think I got them all - I think I can stay awake for the Bears game...

Happy Birthday to me, I'm 33

It's sunday nite in Cape town, South Africa and I have been 33 for about 21 hours or so.  33 is one of those reflective numbers and has me thinking a bit more about life and my place in it.

- thanks again mum and pops.

- I hope that if I am lucky enuff to have another 33 years, that I can participate and make a positive difference somehow.

- I was drinking 7+ liters/day on Kili - I pissed a lot.  I was always walking near Chuck and would frequently just turn a few feet off the trail and whip it out.  Check out Sean's Waterworks.  (not sure if this is so reflective on my birthday - but what the hell)

- watching the Indy v Pitt game - hoping I can stay awake for Da Bears game.

Thanks to Ben, Court and Lara for going out and celebrating with me last nite - gr8 times finishing off that 3 liter magnum of Pinotage.

South Africa Contact details

Local cell number here is:
(country code is +27) 084 - 465 -2274

text me if you need me...

Peace from Cape Town - it's summer here!

Random Crap from Nairobi, Kenya

Happy New Year Folks:  I am in Nairobi, Kenya for a day longer than expected.  I got turned back at the airport this morning cuz I didn't have a full blank page in my passport.  South Africa requires it.  No worries...just went back to the hotel and then the US Embassy and have 25 new pages inserted by 8:45 am...just have to wait 24 hours till the next flight.  My fault.

Kilimanjaro was superb.  Our clients had an excellent time and many summitted.  I had a few headaches along the way, I think cuz of altitude.  I choose not to attempt to summit for a variety of reasons and am happy with my decision.  But I would like to go back with some friends in a year or 2 and try this time...probably a bit more luxury as well.  Who's in?  Ioan, Mika, BMo, Hydro, LG, KM?  Others?  Let's set a date and we'll do a sweet arse lodge safari as well...I did a 1 night lodge safari b4 the climb.  Awesome stuff.  We can have an unbelievable time climbing the mountain and then recovering on a luxury safari.  Scotch, Cigars, and big animals.

Otherwise, this extra day in Nairobi is kinda nice.  Catching up on email and other work and getting to be by myself before I start pounding with Ben on South Africa Travel Guide.