We are flying back from Queenstown today, but for the life of me I can’t figure out why.
Reading
How to Take Smart Notes
Sönke Ahrens
- At 2pm Friday everything was fine.
- At 3pm Friday our Melbourne flight was delayed two hours, but our Dallas flight was delayed four hours, so we would miss our connection, and the next DFW-MEL flight …
It’s a day late, but on our adventures this afternoon we found the actual forest used for Lothlórien, between Glenorchy and Paradise. 👋 @jean
Visiting Rhyme x Reason brewery in Wanaka, New Zealand, tonight, they had some spectacular murals on the walls. Apparently painted by employees, who are allegedly paid entirely in beer.
Driving around Lake Wanaka, New Zealand, this morning, it just screamed Lord of the Rings. Here you have the forest of Lothlórien, the Misty Mountains, and everywhere a hobbit could go (and back again).
(Not pictured: we climbed a waterfall.)
Skied Coronet Peak today. That obviously calls for an après-ski New Zealand-native Ginger Bear in an orange can.
Okay, it’s orange and maroon, but as a Hokie, I approve anyway.
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travel
Wave to the Pelican on the Outer Banks
In 2019, we went to the Outer Banks for Meera’s birthday. We visited from Corolla all the way down to Okracoke, taking in beaches and lighthouses and sand and sun.
Meera and I are not good at relaxing vacations. We’re always skiing or hiking or …
We flew from Melbourne to Queenstown today, so I had to dig into days past for something precious for today’s challenge photo. My time alone each morning with coffee and words is indeed precious to me; this one occurred on Melbourne’s South Wharf …
books
Finished reading: Yumi and the Nightmare Painter by Brandon Sanderson. Fun as usual; kind of a fantasy/mystery/romance. I didn’t love the storytelling device, but the story itself, the world, and the magic were all top-notch Sanderson. 📚
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On the way back from visiting Westside Ale Works in South Melbourne today, we saw these three huge cranes on the same apartment complex. Coming from Texas, it’s refreshing to see rapid high-density housing buildup.
Riverwalk After Christmas
In 2019, we hosted Christmas at our house in San Antonio. My family flew or drove from the east coast (yes, it’s a 24-hour drive), and Meera’s drove down from the lake (a much-more-sensible one-hour drive).
The day after Christmas for us is always a …
On a wine-and-penguins tour on Phillip Island, we found this abstract tiling of Australian little penguins near the jetty in Cowes. Looking forward to seeing real ones later today!
books
Finished reading: Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree. Spectacular, sweet fairy tale in fantasy clothing. Deserves its accolades. Highly recommended. 📚
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travel
Hot Chocolate and Churros at Barcelona’s Granja M. Viader
In September 2021, we spent a couple of days in Barcelona on our way back from Minorca and Mallorca. We had read that a favorite local breakfast spot was Granja M. Viader. Usually, that means there’s a line of tourists out the door, and Meera and I …
travel
Streaking Across the International Date Line
Flying west across the international date line always screws with my “streaks.” Games, fitness—anything that automatically tracks daily continuity breaks.
All of these apps need to build in grace days. Either occasional true penalty-free skip days …
books
Finished reading: The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi. Fun, quick romp through a particular many-worlds hypothesis. A little too cute in places, and far too embedded in the real-world time (including soon-to-be-obscure Trump jokes), but a …
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travel
Thirty-Four Hours to Melbourne
Finally in our hotel in Melbourne. Quick recap:
Leaving tonight to add a fifth continent to my skiing conquests ⛷️.
It was just a few weeks ago I got to update my Where Have I Been page with skiing in South America (Chile 🇨🇱), and I’m super-excited to bag another in Queenstown, New Zealand …
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travel
Sailboatlings at Port d’Andratx
In November 2021, Meera and I were itching to get traveling again. We had had our shots, waited past all the international quarantines, and it was time to go again.
We chose to visit Minorca and Mallorca because we had enjoyed Barcelona so much a few …
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In This Picture, the Hail Hasn’t Started Yet
What if you went to Versailles as part of your honeymoon, but it absolutely poured that day in November 2017, and all of your pictures were of you and your brand new spouse soaking wet?
On the plus side, I snuck this jacket into my luggage as a …
I really hate that the best experience of micro.blog is on the web. The Mac app is flaky uploading photos, and while you can write alt text, there’s no way to position them in the post. The iOS apps don’t really believe in the share sheet …
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travel
Lighthouses and Roses
In June 2013, I was on a business trip to Mountain View. I had never been to California before, so I spent as much of my free time exploring as I could.
I drove down to Santa Cruz, and I saw the Breakwater Lighthouse.
Then I went west to Pigeon …
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travel
Do Not Gather Firewood
In 2017, we camped in Garner State Park with some friends and took a brief hike the next day.
You’re not permitted to use local “found” firewood, so one of the people with us brought a truck bed full of huge branches we spent a long time chopping …
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travel
Waterfall Gully Features A Waterfall In A Gully
In August 2016, I was in Adelaide for a business trip. Okay, I was in Woomera for a business trip, but I had taken a week of vacation on the end of the trip to explore Adelaide.
One day I decided to hike up Mount Lofty. Okay, I decided to walk to …
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Switzerland In A Week (Sort Of)
Back in 2018, I had a business trip to Thun, Switzerland. Meera and I decided to make a vacation of it. Over the course of a week, we visited Thun, Interlaken, Gimmelwald, Zermatt, St. Moritz, and Zurich.
In Zurich, we were unwilling to pay for a …
Just published Four Gospels, Five Great Commissions. It has been fourteen months since I wrote a new article, and I can’t tell you how relieved I feel to get going again. ✍️