Idling parked car (1) Oct 5, 2011
I stopped by the library yesterday, and I parked next to an idling empty car (with open windows).  I've mentioned this before, but there was very little stopping me from stealing this vehicle.  And I thought about doing it just to prove a point -- that there's really no reason to leave your car idling in the parking lot while you enter a building to do something.  You're certainly not saving time, unless your vehicle requires a hand crank to start.  And if you think you're saving gas, think again.  I saw the vehicle's owner come out of the library just as I was entering, and I thought about asking her what ridiculously stupid ideas were going through her head when she made that decision.  But my social anxiety took over and I stared at the ground while walking away nervously. 

Related:  Idling SUVs, Idling planes #travel
Italy trip review part 3 Oct 3, 2011
Previously there was part 2, now some commentary on miscellaneous things: 

Public water fountains were located throughout many of the cities, which was awesome.  But there were no public bathrooms, which was not awesome. 

Rome Airport is pretty much nowhere near Rome.  They should probably call it something other than Rome Airport. 

Everybody smokes.  Even on the plane.  The "no smoking" signs were there and everything, but people just disregarded them.  If that happened in America, they would've kicked those people out mid-air. 

You can drink alcohol in public from an open container, which really isn't that big of a deal when you think about it. 

They sell alcohol everywhere, from cafes to pizza places to convenience stores.  But there was very little beer, and none of it came in multi-packs. 

Hotels often had tiny rooms, tiny bathrooms, tiny showers, but 10-12 foot ceilings.  Personally I would've liked 6-foot ceilings and a shower that could fit a normal-sized human being. 

Dogs were well-behaved, didn't bark much, and seemed hardly interested in human affairs.  They were often leashed, but seemed kind of independent. 

There were no screens on any of the windows.  And while the bug problem wasn't as bad as say, Africa, screens aren't exactly a new or expensive technology. 

We used Fodor's Essential Italy guidebook, Rick Steve's Italian Phrase Book, and Rick Steve's audio walking tours. #travel
Italy trip review part 2 Sep 27, 2011
First part 1, now a review of some important topics: 

Food.  I like eating, but I'm not picky, so I wasn't blown away by the food.  The food was good; lots of pizza, pasta, and gelato.  Gelato is the Italian version of ice cream, which people will try to explain as similar but different from ice cream.  Short version:  Gelato is ice cream.  And it's good. 

Wine.  Italy is famous for its red wines, which I'm not really a fan of.  Or at least, I didn't think I was.  Italy's red wines are lively and full of flavor, instead of the typical dry and oaky flavor.  Wendy discovered Brunello di Montalcino, which she'll share with you on a special occasion, and I discovered Raboso, which I'll share with you on my deathbed.  (Just kidding; it's cheap but hard to find.)  Bottom line, we drank wine frequently and never had a bad one, though not many really stood out. 

Art.  I'm not an art fan, and Wendy isn't enough of one to force me to pretend.  That said, we went in several churches which were painted floor to ceiling with frescoes and filled with sculptures, so art was kind of unavoidable. 

Money.  The American dollar is worth a bit less than the Euro, so everything costs more.  But we stayed in cheap hotels and checked menus before entering restaurants.  I'm actually really pleased with my current credit card (Capital One), which charges no foreign transaction fees.  But unfortunately, the very few places that accepted credit cards liked to somewhat angrily remind everyone how high their merchant fees are.  Oh boo hoo; if it costs more, charge me more.  An unexpected benefit of not readily accepting credit cards is that some services were offered at a discount if paid for with cash.  We got an 8% discount on our hotel in Venice, which was nice. 

People.  The Italian people were nice.  They wanted you to drink wine and have a good time.  But one thing that stood out to me was that people had no awareness of their surroundings.  If you were approaching someone on the street, they would walk right into you.  Or if you were walking behind someone, they would suddenly stop walking for no reason.  And the idea of common courtesy was absent.  For example, if you were getting off a crowded plane, people sitting behind you would just plow down the aisle without offering anyone the chance to go before them.  Concerning fellow travelers, a train rider (an Australian) made a comment to her friend about how Italy was so full of American tourists.  If anything, there were more Australians than Americans, and there were quite possibly more Germans than all the rest of us combined.  In other news, Germans smell.  It's nothing personal; they just don't wear deodorant. 

Language.  We learned some Italian from a phrase book on the flight over.  And even though the vast majority of people spoke English, we tried to speak our broken Italian when we could.  I just liked the sound of it.  It's so melodic and sing-songy.  Ferrovia dello strato.  Vino della casa bianchi, per favore. #travel
Miles per dollar Sep 27, 2011
Not to beat a dead horse, but I was thinking recently that a helpful way to understand how far a dollar will allow you to travel is to calculate miles per dollar, which is just gas mileage divided by the price of a gallon of gas.  So if my car gets 30 miles per gallon and gas costs $3.00 per gallon, that means a dollar will get me 10 miles.  This is helpful if, for example, you're really low on gas and need to figure out if the spare change under your seat can get you home. #travel
Italy trip review part 1 Sep 19, 2011
First the recap, now the review of the places we visited: 

Rome.  Rome was an awesome city.  I couldn't get over the fact that you step out of a subway station, and there's the Colosseum, where they used to make prisoners fight wild animals to the death.  Or you walk past a few restaurants and coffee shops, turn a corner, and there's the Pantheon, where people have been worshiping one of various gods for 2000 years.  The mixture of ancient and modern was amazing.  An interesting thing I learned though was that many of the relics, statues, and especially obelisks were actually stolen from conquered enemies (like Egyptians).  I guess that's what you did back then. 

Cinque Terre.  This collection of five fishing and farming villages was full of hikers and backpackers, and for good reason.  The hiking took us up really steep hills, through vineyards and terraced farms, all overlooking the ocean.  And they had nice fresh seafood, which was great after a long, sweaty hike.  The best part about Riomaggiore, the town we stayed in, was their rocky little port which made for a great swimming spot. 

Venice.  I expected Venice to stink, since its streets are made of water and their plumbing systems were created hundreds of years ago.  Turns out Venice had no smell at all, not even a salty water or marsh smell.  The only thing I smelled in Venice were the German tourists.  This city was probably our favorite of the trip, maybe because of its uniqueness, or maybe because we spent a good amount of time sitting around in shady spots.  An interesting thing I learned was that many of the buildings along the main canal are deteriorating due to rising water levels and sinking foundations, but the Venetian government has a lot of restrictions on development and renovation in order to preserve history, so the number of vacant buildings is increasing, and the city's population is shrinking.  The entire city is essentially one large museum. 

Florence.  There was a lot of art to see in Florence, and we saw pretty much none of it, which was fine.  The Duomo was interesting because you could see it no matter where you were.  The view from the top was even better.  We had two separate meals of memorable pizza, one of which had rosemary and olive oil, which was unique. 

Tuscany.  The guided van tour to some wineries in the countryside was quite nice.  Our tour guide was entertaining, and the scenery was excellent.  The wines we sampled were mostly reds, and they were mostly great. 

Siena.  We saw this city at the end of the trip, and we just weren't really feeling into it.  It was similar in style to Florence, which we had just toured around the previous day.  But it had a unique feel because of the contrade, which were different regions of the town that compete in horse races and have their own crests. #travel
Italy trip recap (1) Sep 15, 2011
Just got back from a long vacation in Italy, where we visited Rome, Venice, Florence, a few small coastal towns, and a Tuscan wine village.  All in all, it was pretty excellent.  Great weather the whole time, amazing sights both historic and modern, good food and wine, and impeccable planning by Wendy.  Here's a daily rundown, more for my records than anything else: 
  1. Long flight through Lisbon with lots of talkative Portuguese people.  Didn't sleep at all.  Came close to missing our connecting flight because of a long line for immigration and customs.  Short flight to Rome with kids kicking my seat, then a long bus ride to the train station, which was within walking distance of our hotel.  Would've been quicker if we didn't walk the wrong way at first.  Walked around Rome a little and saw some history, then stopped at a little pizza place where we got overcharged and lied to about portion sizes.  Back to the hotel room before 6pm for an early bedtime because we were both walking zombies.
  2. Got woken up early by the smell of fresh bread baking after sleeping for almost 13 hours, then had one of the best breakfasts of our lives, with ham and mozzarella on fresh bread and a cappuccino.  Took the subway to the Colosseum and walked around the surrounding area for several hours.  Stopped for lunch at a pizza place with natural vine covering, and had our first Italian table wine.  Took another subway to the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon.  Stopped off for a nice slow sidewalk dinner and polished off a liter of wine.
  3. The Rome transit workers went on strike, so we had to buy a ticket on a tour bus in order to get to Vatican city.  We had a scheduled time and were quite late, but oddly enough the ticket checker didn't care.  We walked around the Sistine Chapel but avoided St. Peter's Basilica because of the line.  Hopped the tour bus to the Pantheon (again) and walked over to Piazza Navona.  Had trouble but eventually got the tour bus back home before going to the Spanish Steps and grabbing a quick bite to eat.
  4. Took the train to Riomaggiore after stopping at our favorite breakfast joint one last time.  Walked around town while waiting for our hotel room to be ready.  Turns out it was on the third floor up quite a few sets of stairs.  Walked down to the "beach" which had rocks of various sizes, before eventually just jumping off some big rocks into the marina, which felt quite nice.  Looked into taking a ferry ride but were told they weren't selling any more round trip tickets because the boat might not come back due to rough weather.  Finished the night with some fresh seafood and local wine, before saying hi to some cats on the way back to our room.
  5. Had some breakfast before hiking uphill to the next town over.  Walked through vineyards and family farms growing figs and olives.  Decided to keep walking through the woods to the following town, passing by a helicopter rescue along the way.  Silly tourists and their inadequate footwear.  Hopped a train to the following town, where we had a huge early dinner after about 4-5 miles of hiking.  Finally took the ferry back to our hotel's town, which dangerously docked near some rocks in choppy water.  Loading and unloading was worth the price of the ferry.  Ended the night with some gelato and a sunset.
  6. Almost missed our train to Venice but caught it after a little uphill running in sandals.  The four hour train ride really wasn't all that bad, since it was broken up by stops.  Arrived in Venice, where we sweated our way on the ferry and to our hotel room.  After cleaning up, rode the ferry around while listening to an audio tour.  Stopped at Piazza San Marco and interacted with some pigeons.  Ate dinner at a wine bar before navigating the maze-like streets back to our hotel.
  7. Toured around Piazza San Marco, walking through Basilico San Marco and going to the top of the Campanile.  Continued using our unlimited ferry ticket and stopped off at several places, including Rialto (where we had really expensive pizza), Santa Maria della Salute (which had nice, cool marble steps that were great for lounging on), and Arsenale.  Made an impromptu stop at a street market before getting some dinner at a nice little place where we bought our first bottle of wine for the trek home.
  8. Caught an early train to Florence, where we dropped our bags at our hotel and then walked around town a little.  Went back to our hotel to get picked up for a wine tour, which stopped at Tenuta Torciano and Fattoria Sant'Appiano in Tuscany before an impromptu stop at a local wine festival.
  9. Walked around Florence some more.  Climbed the steps to the top of the Duomo, walked through several street markets, crossed the river on Monte Vecchio to see Palazzo Pitti, saw some statues in the Piazza della Signoria, and ate lunch in the Piazza della Repubblica.  Ended the day with some gelato in front of the Santa Maria Novella.
  10. Took a morning train to Siena, where we walked to the Piazza del Campo and the Duomo.  We were feeling tired from a week and a half of touring and traveling, so we took the train back to Florence and then to Rome, where we checked into our nice hotel and had dinner.
  11. Flew back home through Lisbon and greeted our house full of pets.
Pictures:

[gallery /img/2011/09/italy01.jpg:::/img/2011/09/italy01-150x150.jpg:::Rome - Wendy towers over a typical tiny European car.:::/img/2011/09/italy02.jpg:::/img/2011/09/italy02-150x150.jpg:::Rome - Colosseum.:::/img/2011/09/italy03.jpg:::/img/2011/09/italy03-150x150.jpg:::Rome - A statue with a very chiseled butt.  He must work out.:::/img/2011/09/italy04.jpg:::/img/2011/09/italy04-150x150.jpg:::Rome - Ceiling of the Victor Emmanuel Monument.:::/img/2011/09/italy05.jpg:::/img/2011/09/italy05-150x150.jpg:::Rome - Corner of the Victor Emmanuel Monument.:::/img/2011/09/italy06.jpg:::/img/2011/09/italy06-150x150.jpg:::Rome - A hollow cross.:::/img/2011/09/italy07.jpg:::/img/2011/09/italy07-150x150.jpg:::Rome - Ceiling of the Basilica of St. Mary of the Altar of Heaven.:::/img/2011/09/italy08.jpg:::/img/2011/09/italy08-150x150.jpg:::Rome - Trajan's Column.:::/img/2011/09/italy09.jpg:::/img/2011/09/italy09-150x150.jpg:::Rome - SPQR stands for Senatus Populusque Romanus, or the Senate and People of Rome.:::/img/2011/09/italy10.jpg:::/img/2011/09/italy10-150x150.jpg:::Rome - Arch of Septimius Severus.:::/img/2011/09/italy11.jpg:::/img/2011/09/italy11-150x150.jpg:::Rome - Temple of Saturn.:::/img/2011/09/italy12.jpg:::/img/2011/09/italy12-150x150.jpg:::Rome - Inside the Colosseum.:::/img/2011/09/italy13.jpg:::/img/2011/09/italy13-150x150.jpg:::Rome - Colosseum cat.  Napping there since gladiator days.:::/img/2011/09/italy14.jpg:::/img/2011/09/italy14-150x150.jpg:::Rome - Alleyway restaurant.:::/img/2011/09/italy15.jpg:::/img/2011/09/italy15-150x150.jpg:::Rome - Pantheon.:::/img/2011/09/italy16.jpg:::/img/2011/09/italy16-150x150.jpg:::Rome - Breakfast of champions:  ham and mozzarella panini, croissant, cappuccino.:::/img/2011/09/italy17.jpg:::/img/2011/09/italy17-150x150.jpg:::Vatican City - Popes and pillars.:::/img/2011/09/italy18.jpg:::/img/2011/09/italy18-150x150.jpg:::Vatican City - Ceiling full of artwork.:::/img/2011/09/italy19.jpg:::/img/2011/09/italy19-150x150.jpg:::Vatican City - Ceiling full of frescoes.:::/img/2011/09/italy20.jpg:::/img/2011/09/italy20-150x150.jpg:::Vatican City - Obelisk.:::/img/2011/09/italy21.jpg:::/img/2011/09/italy21-150x150.jpg:::Rome - Spanish Steps.:::/img/2011/09/italy22.jpg:::/img/2011/09/italy22-150x150.jpg:::Riomaggiore - Colorful houses.:::/img/2011/09/italy23.jpg:::/img/2011/09/italy23-150x150.jpg:::Riomaggiore - Boats and the harbor.:::/img/2011/09/italy24.jpg:::/img/2011/09/italy24-150x150.jpg:::Riomaggiore - Colorful houses on a cliff.:::/img/2011/09/italy25.jpg:::/img/2011/09/italy25-150x150.jpg:::Riomaggiore - Hiking to the next town.:::/img/2011/09/italy26.jpg:::/img/2011/09/italy26-150x150.jpg:::Riomaggiore - Hiking through terraced vineyards.:::/img/2011/09/italy27.jpg:::/img/2011/09/italy27-150x150.jpg:::Riomaggiore - Steep hills growing grapes and olives.:::/img/2011/09/italy28.jpg:::/img/2011/09/italy28-150x150.jpg:::Venice - Wendy feeds some pigeons, which we later found out was illegal.  Oops.:::/img/2011/09/italy29.jpg:::/img/2011/09/italy29-150x150.jpg:::Venice - A typical tiny alley.:::/img/2011/09/italy30.jpg:::/img/2011/09/italy30-150x150.jpg:::Venice - Classy wooden boats.:::/img/2011/09/italy31.jpg:::/img/2011/09/italy31-150x150.jpg:::Venice - Looking down on Piazza San Marco from atop the Campanile.:::/img/2011/09/italy32.jpg:::/img/2011/09/italy32-150x150.jpg:::Venice - Colorful buildings and sidewalk restaurants.:::/img/2011/09/italy33.jpg:::/img/2011/09/italy33-150x150.jpg:::Venice - The napkin matches the view!:::/img/2011/09/italy34.jpg:::/img/2011/09/italy34-150x150.jpg:::Venice - Boats and buildings.:::/img/2011/09/italy35.jpg:::/img/2011/09/italy35-150x150.jpg:::Florence - Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore.:::/img/2011/09/italy36.jpg:::/img/2011/09/italy36-150x150.jpg:::Florence - After climbing the Duomo.:::/img/2011/09/italy37.jpg:::/img/2011/09/italy37-150x150.jpg:::Florence - Piazza della Repubblica.:::/img/2011/09/italy38.jpg:::/img/2011/09/italy38-150x150.jpg:::Florence - A classy red Vespa.:::/img/2011/09/italy39.jpg:::/img/2011/09/italy39-150x150.jpg:::Florence - Outdoor market.:::/img/2011/09/italy40.jpg:::/img/2011/09/italy40-150x150.jpg:::Florence - View of the river from the Ponte Vecchio.:::/img/2011/09/italy41.jpg:::/img/2011/09/italy41-150x150.jpg:::Siena - Palazzo Publico and Torre del Mangia.:::/img/2011/09/italy42.jpg:::/img/2011/09/italy42-150x150.jpg:::Siena - The main church.:::]
#travel
Ford Transit Connect Aug 17, 2011
The Ford Transit Connect is that small white truck/van concoction that seems to be all the rage for small businesses and tradespeople.  Quite simply, it's butt ugly.  It doesn't look like it has much storage space, gets mediocre gas mileage, and its triangular design makes it look like it teleported from 1974.  What I don't understand is how car companies intentionally make ugly vehicles, and how they convince people to buy them.  Some vehicles are ugly but acceptable, like the Honda Element (which could be described as "unique") or the Scion xB (which could be described as "cute").  But the Transit Connect is just plain ugly.  You can't put it another way.  There must be some sort of financial incentive or tax break involved, because otherwise this vehicle shouldn't even exist. #travel
Checking in Aug 16, 2011
I rented a car last week, and as always, I was surprised by how long it took to actually get a car.  It's not like I walked in off the street.  I had a reservation.  I provided a credit card when I made the reservation.  The only thing that really needed to happen when I showed up in person was for someone to verify my identity.  Why that always takes 20 minutes is beyond me.  (Yes, I realize all you Hertz Double Extra Gold Sprinkles Members just show up and drive off, but I'm not eligible for their elitist group.)  When I checked into my hotel later, it took approximately 45 seconds for the receptionist to verify my identity and hand me my key.  Even checking in for my flight was faster and easier than getting a rental car.  That's sad. #travel
Hotel towels Aug 15, 2011
It seems like all hotels, regardless of rating or price, have the same white, scratchy towels.  I'm always annoyed when I start drying myself off after a shower, thinking "Can't these idiots afford nicer towels or at least use fabric softener?"  But then I scratch that itch on the middle of my back, and all is well.  I like scratchy hotel towels. #travel
Men with nice cars Jun 22, 2011
A recent study found that women like men who drive nice cars. 

I have a confession to make.  I also like men who drive nice cars.  Or more accurately, I'm attracted to nice cars, regardless of the owner or driver.  But more often than not, drivers of really nice cars are male.  And I'm not talking about Mustangs or Camaros, which are decent but common.  I'm talking about things like Lamborghinis and Ferraris, which make me literally stop in my tracks so I can ogle them with mouth agape.  I'm not gay, but I would marry a man with a Ferrari.  As long as he was sensitive and faithful. #travel