Family Reunion in Des Moines

Interchallenge virtuouso Sara totally nailed it. Des Moines, Iowa was the secret location of the last blog post. Why was I in Des Moines, Iowa you ask. For the not even close to annual* Studer Family Reunion. As you all probably know, my mom's family isn't small. Oodles of aunts, uncles, cousins, cousins-once-removed, and even a couple cousins-twice-removed necessitates some organizational efforts: color coded shirts, name tags, and an elaborate family tree. But in addition to spending some great times with rarely seen but dearly loved relatives, we had a little bit of nuclear time as well. Family reunions sometimes get a bad rap. And I'll admit I was a little reticent heading into this one myself. But there was no need. I had a great time and look forward to a little less hectic time with such great people in the not as far away future.

Monday September 7 2009

File under: travel, misc

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on Tue 08th Sep, 2009 10:46 am PDT Andrew said: Your family really went wild with the shirt color! Woo! Beige! ************************ on Wed 09th Sep, 2009 03:31 pm PDT Dave said: give us a close-up of your shirt! what does it say? ************************ on Wed 09th Sep, 2009 06:54 pm PDT Elmo said: Nice to see everyone from the great northwest . Had a great time,in purple, back to the humidity ************************ on Tue 15th Sep, 2009 01:00 pm PDT Cousin Tim said: Thanks for entertaining my kids and others with your rope tricks at the reunion. You were a BIG hit. And your crosswords are wonderful. Keep it up, success will be on your way. ************************ on Mon 28th Sep, 2009 01:11 pm PDT Karen said: Wren, I am waiting for the reunion pictures to be emailed to me-----love ya cuz ************************ on Wed 30th Sep, 2009 10:27 pm PDT Jake said: I'm glad you did come Wren. I was really glad I could finally meet you. I might be getting an internship out in CA in the next year or so with an alternative energy/construction engineering company. I'd love to come visit you if I do. Enjoy yourself bro montana ************************

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Where Am I

Ever since Andrew made that awesome "Where am I?" post* from some podunk South Dakotan town, I've always wanted to make one similar. I got close with that giant Paul Bunyan post earlier this year. Good times. Anyway, while I realize my visual clues aren't nearly as good as Andrew's were, I thought I might still throw it out there for anyone looking for a good time waster (or immediately recognizes anything specific). Where am I? I'm only looking for city and state because these 4 photos were not taken at the exact same location (but all in the same city). Oh, and if I told you where I was headed beforehand, no fair "guessing".

Saturday September 5 2009

File under: travel

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on Sat 05th Sep, 2009 11:30 pm PDT Sean said: Shelbyville? ************************ on Mon 07th Sep, 2009 07:50 am PDT Sara said: Couldn't pass this up - Andy Goldsworthy just came up yesterday too. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=2nd ave and ct, des moines, ia&sll=41.585581,-93.61918&sspn=0.007591,0.01929&ie=UTF8&t=h&layer=c&cbll=41.585576,-93.619178&panoid=oQgKzimnJurFqQ09pw3C-A&cbp=12,271.51,,0,0.69&ll=41.589561,-93.619223&spn=0,359.980752&z=16&iwloc=A ************************ on Mon 07th Sep, 2009 09:19 am PDT Saxtor said: Wow, Sara, strong work! I was excluded from playing, but I am very impressed with your interchallenge skills! With a picture like that, there's no mistaking the location, that's for sure! ************************

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Sleeping Around

Where a person lays his/her head says a whole lot about his/her life, I think. If you look at this data over time, you get an idea of a person's routines, travel habits, and maybe even relationships. Whenever I heard a traveling salesman or musician say "I spend 200 nights a year on the road" or whatever, it would always make me wonder: where did they spend their nights, in what size chunks was that time spent, etc. It also spurred the question for me: how many nights a year do I spend on the road? It wasn't one that I could readily answer (at least with any accuracy) so about a year ago, I started keeping track. Now I have over a year's worth of data on where I slept. I've put it together in this [visually pleasing] interface to share with you (so specifics have been omitted), but mostly for myself in getting a picture of what the last year of my life has looked like. Some interesting things I've realized: I haven't spent more than 11 nights in a row at home; nights at home vs. nights housesitting are almost equal; I've spent a month's worth of nights in a tent, 12 in a wheeled vehicle of some sort, 16 on a boat, and 2 on a plane. Not only has this exercise served as a great way to quantitatively describe my lifestyle (or at least as much as you feel is represented in this data), it also serves as a great log. In 20 years when I wonder what it was like to be young* and free, I can see how I spent my time. This whole thing has been so fun and informative for me, I'm hoping to continue keeping track for years to come. I only wish that I had been doing it for the last 10 years as well.

Wednesday August 19 2009

File under: travel, misc

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on Wed 19th Aug, 2009 05:55 pm PDT Andrew said: Siiiiiiiiiiiiiic info brah! But what did you dream on each of those nights? ************************ on Sun 23rd Aug, 2009 12:31 pm PDT Wren said: A little cross-browser issue regarding the calendar has now been fixed, so if you saw a blank calendar before, you should see what you are supposed to now. (This might be a good time, however, to think about migrating away from Internet Explorer, the bane of a web dev's world.) ************************ on Mon 24th Aug, 2009 07:29 pm PDT Juline said: Impressive, Wren. I'm envious. ************************ on Thu 27th Aug, 2009 09:57 pm PDT rus said: Where is Pouslbo ************************

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Taiwan and Japan Slideshow

I was waiting for a few additional images to come in before putting this together, but I'm just too antsy. Everybody seems to love a slideshow, so I wanted to get it out ASAP. If the images do come in, I'll post a few of them in the comments or something. I tried to use only pictures that weren't posted on the blog from the trip, although you'll probably recognize some of them because they greatly resemble pics I did post. I also more or less tried to maintain the trip's timeline throughout, so if you see a picture towards the end of the slideshow, it probably happened near the end of the trip. Anyway, I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I did putting it together. Oh, and make sure you've got the sound on. The music really sets the mood.

Tuesday May 5 2009

File under: travel, video

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on Tue 05th May, 2009 04:17 pm PDT Andrew said: That music hurts my brain. Noice show! ************************ on Thu 07th May, 2009 05:17 am PDT Horge said: 快い職! ("Nice job!", supposedly?!?) Could you send me a copy of that awesome Mario crosswalk? And it just occurred to me, why are they the "Mario brothers"? Is that their surname (Mario Mario and Luigi Mario?) or is Luigi just getting the shaft big time? ************************ on Thu 07th May, 2009 10:25 am PDT Joe said: good stuff wren....interesting music as well :-)good point Horge, I'd never considered that. ************************

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Good Hosts

Traveling can be a tedious endeavor: language barriers, different beds every night, very little familiar territory, no space to really feel comfortable. Traveling solo adds the extra aspect of not having someone to share thoughts and observations with, etc. Don't get me wrong; all the newness and time for reflection can be a very good thing, but it sometimes is just plain hard. Enter wonderful people. In Japan and Taiwan, I was fortunate to have a number of wonderful hosts to help ease the hardships of travel. Whether providing guidance on local activities (many of which I would have never experienced otherwise), welcoming me and sharing their lives with me, offering up generous use of their homes and a place to sleep*, or just indulging my brain dumps (and chance to speak English for a while), I realize that my experience wouldn't have been nearly as wonderful without these people. So to Bob, Dave, Kristin, and Bryan I can't say thank you enough. If ever I can repay you in whatever way, I'll be glad to do it. In thinking about it, all my travels of late have been helped along and enhanced by so many good people: Steve and Hope in Grenada, Gabriella in Mexico, so so many good folks on the eastern seaboard, Andrew and Gretch in Portland, and Sibley and Nina in Santa Cruz just to name but a few. I count my lucky stars each time I think about it, and hope that the generosity they all have shown me comes back around to them someday. As I hope, I realize that the best way to make sure that happens is to be the best host I can be whenever I get the chance. So next time you, any of you, pass through Anacortes, know that you've got a willing host to put you up, show you around, and help in any way possible. After all, it is the least I can do.

Tuesday April 14 2009

File under: travel

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on Tue 14th Apr, 2009 09:33 pm PDT Mom said: Luckily, I concur in extending the invitation and you won't have to share the Outback with Wren. ************************ on Wed 15th Apr, 2009 03:00 pm PDT steve said: Thank god for mom shielding us from the outback!! ************************ on Wed 15th Apr, 2009 05:04 pm PDT Joe said: It was kinda funny clicking on each of the pix of your hosts one by one, as each one got further and further away from the camera, thus more and more unrecognizable. I was expecting the last one to just be a google earth shot with an arrow pointing to a dot representing your host. ************************

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Meebo HQ Visit

Silicone Valley is like my Hollywood. Just as a visitor to Hollywood might buy a Map to the Stars and go hunting for their favorite celebrity's homes, I stalk and gawk around Silicone Valley looking for my favorite tech companies. Highest on that list is meebo. Meebo is a company started back in late 2005 that allows users to access all their various instant messaging protocols via a unified interface all through through their browser*. The nerds among you probably already know all about it. I imagine the non-nerds don't care. Anyway, I've been following the company since its start-up via their blog where they write about the venture capital aspect, the technology hang-ups, the social culture of the bay area, moving from a garage to a real office space, hiring people, etc. etc. Seeing it all in person was something I've been wanting to do for a while. When we found the location, I was positively giddy. I was so giddy, in fact, I thought it prudent to stroll the avenue for a minute or two before making too much of a fool of myself by knocking on the door. While trying to compose myself on the street corner, I recognized a meebo-er* and lost whatever composure I had managed to regain. Long story short, I finally got up the guts to poke my head in to the office. I was given a quick tour, a smile, and a meebo t-shirt*. I snapped a goofy picture for the blog, and I was out the door. (The giddiness, however, remained for a good 2 hours.)

Sunday April 12 2009

File under: travel, USA

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on Mon 13th Apr, 2009 10:33 am PDT EMoore said: does this mean you're in the USA? And, Can you stay with Thomas 13-27 October? ZAR Trip! ************************ on Mon 13th Apr, 2009 03:48 pm PDT Dave said: What was distinct about the meebo-er that made you recognize him/her? ************************ on Mon 13th Apr, 2009 03:52 pm PDT Wren said: I'm just good with faces, I guess. I must have seen a picture of her on the blog before or something. ************************ on Tue 14th Apr, 2009 11:01 am PDT Saxtor said: Okay, that's just badass. Your next task is to track down Tom, tell him that he's not actually my friend and then punch him in the face. ************************ on Wed 15th Apr, 2009 07:39 am PDT steve said: Thank the FSM that Mom clarified the invite! ************************ on Wed 15th Apr, 2009 04:59 pm PDT Joe said: uhhh...wow. ************************ on Wed 15th Apr, 2009 10:31 pm PDT dave said: Thank the FSM? The Federated States of Micronesia? ************************ on Thu 16th Apr, 2009 09:22 am PDT Saxtor said: Dave, I pray that you, too, may be touched by his Noodly Appendage. ************************ on Sun 19th Apr, 2009 07:11 pm PDT Chris said: I feel your pain on the whole getting excited about things that nobody cares about. Down in Malibu people could never figure out why I didn't get excited about running into Dean Cain, Mel Gibson or David Duchovny but that I had much the same stupid giddiness when I ran into Dave Thomas (No, not the Wendy's guy) at Blockbuster. It was extra awkward due to the fact that I was actually holding a copy of Strange Brew at the time contemplating its rental. ************************ on Mon 20th Apr, 2009 03:49 am PDT Dave said: Chris, that is so cool! Strange Brew is one of three movies I OWN! I hope he picked up the rental fee for you. ************************

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Santa Cruz Visitor Decathlon

Firstly, good work to all those that correctly identified last post's interchallenge: Trees Of Mystery near Klamath, CA on highway 101. In all the times I've passed by it, I've still never paid the $13 to do the tour. Maybe someday... We just finished with a wonderful (albeit way too short) visit to Santa Cruz. Although it may have been short, we still managed to complete 7(ish) of 10 of the Visitor's Decathlon events. 1. Tree Platform: a platform 72 feet up in a redwood at the top of a ridge overlooking the Monterrey Bay. 2. frisbee golf: we played 9 holes on the world renowned frolf course.* 3. roller coaster: the Giant Dipper is the 3rd oldest roller coaster in the US. It is wooden, it is historic, and it is awesome. * 4. Saturn Cafe: quirky vegetarian cafe. We ate there. It was delicious. 5. Malobar's or Dharma's: this is one we missed. We only had a few meals to eat out and this missed the cut. 6. pier and sea lions: check. 7. surfing or watching surfers: this is the ish. The weather wasn't great so they weren't out in droves, and we had already stopped for a bit up highway 1 to watch the gnarl be shralped. 8. Tandem bike: missed it. Next time... 9. Mystery Spot: Alisa and I thoroughly enjoyed this one*. 10. Adult gymnastics: had we had more than 48 hours in Santa Cruz, this is one we definitely would have liked to get in. Instead, we played some beach volleyball*. I had so much fun on this decathlon, maybe I should consider looking into the Olympics...

Thursday April 9 2009

File under: travel, USA

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on Fri 10th Apr, 2009 01:46 am PDT Juline said: What's this decathlon you speak of? Trees of Mystery...I lived in Trinidad for 20 years. Never did the tour. ************************ on Fri 10th Apr, 2009 11:00 am PDT steve said: who is we jose?is she the one near babe the blue ox? ************************ on Tue 14th Apr, 2009 12:57 pm PDT Ryan Walters said: Was the Mystery Spot really worth it? What the hell is it? ************************ on Tue 14th Apr, 2009 01:00 pm PDT Wren said: Ryan, the Mystery Spot was worth it, provided you weren't expecting too much*. Basically, the place is a bunch of optical illusions, some of which are pretty dang good. It was a lot of fun and a great place to snap a few pictures. I'll have some more photos to post here soon. ************************

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Changing Gears

For those of you who recognize where this picture is taken, you might be feeling a little confused. (For those of you who don't recognize the location of the photo, consider it an interchallenge*.) "I could have sworn Wren was in Japan." Well, I was*. Then I came home. For 36 hours. Then I left again. Wheeeee!! I don't want to divulge too much about my current location because interchallenges are so much fun. But since a picture-less blog post is so thoroughly frowned upon, I have to add these little pictorial hints as to location of said road trip. Hint #1 Hint #2

Monday April 6 2009

File under: travel, USA

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on Tue 07th Apr, 2009 05:53 am PDT Dave said: N 41° 35.066 W 124° 05.177 ************************ on Tue 07th Apr, 2009 05:54 am PDT Dave said: you can drop those A's with hats ************************ on Tue 07th Apr, 2009 10:23 am PDT soreyes said: narrowing it down to about 50 places ************************ on Tue 07th Apr, 2009 09:55 pm PDT Joe said: i know where ************************ on Tue 07th Apr, 2009 11:14 pm PDT Horge said: Do they also have some of those over-sized pancakes I hear he ate? If so, I recommend just the short stack. Probably filling enough... ************************ on Wed 08th Apr, 2009 01:30 am PDT Juline said: Am I allowed to say? If it's where I think it is, it's only about 30 miles from where I spent my childhood <3. ************************ on Wed 08th Apr, 2009 06:07 pm PDT Juline said: I'm wondering how you ended up there -- it's not even remotely close to an international airport. ************************ on Wed 08th Apr, 2009 10:52 pm PDT Jule said: Arizona beach and south. Don't miss the hot dogs at Langlois when heading north. Trust me. ************************ on Sun 12th Apr, 2009 05:15 am PDT Sean said: If that's the one Jeff and I went to on our epic road trip, that sucker has a giant set of nards left out of this picture ************************ on Fri 17th Apr, 2009 11:29 am PDT Jen said: California? ************************ on Fri 17th Apr, 2009 12:09 pm PDT Saxtor said: California...!! ************************

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Vending Machine Restaurants

I mentioned how the Japanese love their vending machines*, right? Well, it's not only street corners where you find them. Some restaurants use vending machines in place of counter people. You just put your money in, select the button of the item you want (assuming you can read what the button says, which I can't (although sometimes there are pictures)), and then take the ticket over to the cooks, and you're good to go. It is really a clever business model. It gets rid of the need for a person to deal with the money and orders and no one can be blamed for screwing up an order. All the restaurants of this type that I saw (which were pretty much in any big city) had only 2 cooks, and that's all. It really serves to keep costs down which is reflected in the price of the food. Most places, you could get udon or soba noodle soup for around $3.00. If you wanted a little meat in the form of a tempura prawn or processed fish tube*, it might cost a little extra. Yep, once you learn how it works, vending machine restaurants are awesome. Before you know how they work, well, not so much*.

Friday April 3 2009

File under: travel, Japan

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on Fri 03rd Apr, 2009 05:54 pm PDT Dave said: I pay for my haircut at a vending machine! ************************ on Fri 03rd Apr, 2009 07:57 pm PDT Sean said: The TV said there are vending machines with pictures of girls and you can pick out whose dirty undies you want. Can you confirm this? ************************ on Fri 03rd Apr, 2009 08:28 pm PDT Joe said: i like this ************************ on Fri 17th Apr, 2009 06:17 pm PDT Jenn said: I thought this was really funny. It does sound like it streamlines the process though. ************************

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Pachinko Postcard

Wednesday April 1 2009

File under: travel, Japan

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on Wed 01st Apr, 2009 04:10 pm PDT Joe said: is that like, the asian casino? ************************ on Wed 01st Apr, 2009 05:11 pm PDT Saxtor said: The bewildered look on your face is one I know oh so well. CURSE YOU PACHINKO! ************************ on Thu 02nd Apr, 2009 02:42 pm PDT Wren said: (I thought this would be more obvious than it seems to be, but if you click on the image, there's more, just like a postcard should be. Those of you who remember this post might have remembered, but I often forget we have quite a few newbies.) ************************ on Thu 02nd Apr, 2009 07:57 pm PDT Joe said: no i get it, i read the thing...just commenting for the sake of commenting i guess... :-P ************************ on Fri 03rd Apr, 2009 06:35 am PDT Horge said: Wow. I help give BdW international cred? Sweeeeet! ************************ on Fri 03rd Apr, 2009 06:38 am PDT Horge said: I saw these things when I was in japan for a night. I think they're also in Korea, but can't remember. But my question: could you maybe take a front-on picture and explain how the thing works? I'm a clueless gaijin on these things. Just be sure to ask the Yakuza manager guy if that's OK before you ended up with a sushi knife up the kiester. ************************

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