Siliconchef by Brian Richardson

Over the long history of mankind, people mark the passing of the seasons with various traditions … decorating dead conifers, taking candy from strangers, getting drunk in Savannah under the guise of cultural heritage. I know it’s Thanksgiving Eve when I’m placing a turkey into a bucket on my back porch. More »

This post comes to you from Delta Flight 276 from Tokyo-Narita to Detroit. I didn’t start my day in Tokyo, and I’m not ending it in Detroit. This is just part of my path home from a week in Taipei …

… but after week I’m heading back to the airport to do it all again.

Back-to-back trips like this used to be old hat for me. Six or seven years ago, I’d be in Asia several times a year. My travel died back to something a bit more sane, perhaps two or three international trips a year. With my change of employer, the travel seems to be back.

I guess this is what I get for showing competence in my area of supposed expertise. Thanks to Boeing, I’m rapidly putting distance between me and the testing event I attended. The original plan was simple … Fly in Sunday, setup on Monday, pack up on Friday, fly home Saturday. After that I’m home for a dear friend’s birthday, a Dragon*Con gathering and a presentation on Dragon*ConTV.

Great plan … which means it won’t work. A conference in Taipei came up for the week of November 7th after I had this trip completely booked. Originally this was not a problem, because we had someone to cover it. When that fell through they realized someone else had to take on the presentation.

High profile presentation for a very established software partner … yeah, that called me. I’m kinda used to it now.

The hardest part wasn’t deciding to do the presentation, it was deciding to come back for a week in the middle of the trip. Staying in Taipei for three weeks has a certain appeal to it. I love the city and have a good office to operate out of when I’m not at conferences. But that it another week away from home. My friends back home greatly outnumber those in Taipei, and there’s too many people I need to see next week.

Tray tables up, seat backs in their upright and locked position … only one more stop on my trip home.

Yep, it’s another trip around the sun. Today is my birthday, coming on the first day of spring. Time to see what spring brings to my life after thirty nine years.

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No, this isn’t exactly a review of TRON: Legacy. It’s part of a conversation that happened after I saw the movie. But it’s a funny story that indicates I have collected a very odd set of friends.

First, a funny webcomic and some brief thoughts on the movie … More »

It’s been a hard few days. I expect there will be more of them in the future.

I can’t do anything for Jeff as he lies in ICU at a Birmingham hospital. I can help his wife Amy by making sure she’s taken care of when I’m around her. Did she eat? Does she need time alone? Did she get enough time with him during visitation?

But I can’t … fix … anything … here … More »

How much does your life weigh? Imagine for a second that you’re carrying a backpack. I want you to pack it with all the stuff that you have in your life. – George Clooney as Ryan Bingham, Up In The Air

Watching ‘Up In The Air’ on an international flight is a surreal experience. Living it for the rest of March is even stranger.

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JoCo Crowd Shot

Full photo set at my Flickr account …

Jonathan Coulton, Variety Playhouse, Jan 16 2010