Month: September 2022

Progress Report

Progress Report

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At the beginning of this year I made two resolutions:

  1. Post on this blog at least once per month
  2. Learn a new programming language

For the first one, so far so good. For the second, not so much. I read a book on Clojure, but haven’t yet had a reason to use it beyond tutorial exercises, so can’t really say I’ve learned it. Maybe it’s just that these days I’m thinking more about systems than software, and thus language choices seem less important?

Speaking of book reading, though, I’m well on my way to achieving my meta resolution (to read the same number of books as my age, every year, for the rest of my life). According to Goodreads I’ve completed 39 books so far against a goal of 43 (seven books ahead of schedule). Should be no problem to get to the finish line and beyond.

Here are the five star highlights:

Honorable mention goes to Range, which I can’t recommend enough for anyone who feels like they’ve missed out on their calling by meandering through a number of life experiences. Generalists make the best leaders and problem solvers, so embrace the variety of perspectives you can bring to the table. Real life is not like golf or chess or programming only in assembly.

Reap The Whirlwind

Reap The Whirlwind

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This summer my family and I went on a two week European vacation. Six cities in fourteen days is no joke, but we had a blast, saw a ton, and stayed healthy throughout. For something different, I thought I’d catalog our activities here.

Day 1 – Rome

  • Land at Leonardi da Vinci International Airport
  • Taxi ride to the hotel (aggressive driver kept us on our toes)
  • Jetlag recovery nap (essential)
  • Pizza at Taverna Rossini
  • Pico Gelato for dessert (tears of joy were shed)

Day 2 – Rome

  • Trevi Fountain
  • Colosseum
  • Piazza del Campidoglio
  • Pantheon
  • Lunch at La Soffitta Renovatio
  • The Vatican, including the Sistine Chapel and St Peter’s Basilica
  • More gelato at Pico
  • Quick dinner at the hotel before crashing in bed

Day 3 – Rome

  • Temple of Asclepius
  • Walk through Villa Borghese
  • Piazza di Spagna (the Spanish Steps)
  • Trevi Fountain (again)
  • Vicus Caprarius (ruins under Trevi)
  • Life-changing carbonara at Al Simeto (no one spoke English, a good sign)
  • Even more gelato at Pico

Day 4 – Florence

  • Morning train to Florence, and walk to our Airbnb that was right on the square
  • Accademia Gallery to see Michelangelo’s David (breathtaking)
  • Uffizi Gallery (Birth of Venus, amongst other masterpieces)
  • Life-changing chianti at La Buchetta, and the steak was pretty good too
  • Evening walk at the Piazza della Signoria

Day 5 – Florence

  • Climb to the top of the Brunelleschi Dome
  • Tour of the Duomo cathedral
  • Cappelle Medicee
  • Basilica di San Lorenzo
  • Trattoria Sergio Gozzi for lunch with an old friend (and killer truffles)
  • Battistero di San Giovanni
  • Palazzo Strozzi
  • Ponte Vecchio
  • Gelateria Edoardo il gelato biologico (obviously)
  • Quick pizza from a grab and go

Day 6 – Alps

  • Walk to the Florence train station
  • Train through Bologna, Bolzano, Innsbruck
  • Arrived in Munich in the afternoon
  • Dinner at Haxnbauer im Scholastikahaus (pork knuckles FTW!)

Day 7 – Munich

  • Bus ride to Bavaria
  • Neuschwanstein Castle
  • Quick lunch (sausages and beer)
  • Oberammergau
  • Linderhof Castle

Day 8 – Munich

  • Morning run in the Englischer Garten
  • Tour of Dachau (a sobering and essential experience)
  • Shopping in Marienplatz
  • Walkthrough of Peterskirche (including a climb of the tower)
  • Stroll through the Englischer Garten in the rain
  • Dinner at Hofbräuhaus
  • Midnight sleeper train to Paris

Day 9 – Paris

  • Taxi to the hotel to freshen up
  • Walk through Jardin des Plantes
  • Brunch at Clint (poached eggs, yummy)
  • Recovery nap (absolutely essential)
  • Shopping in Le Marais
  • Dinner at Robert et Louise (beef cooked over an open fire plus a Bordeaux)
  • Walk through Place des Vosges and Place de la Bastille
  • Cards in the hotel lobby

Day 10 – Paris

  • Stroll through Montmartre
  • The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris
  • Eglise Saint-Pierre de Montmartre
  • Cheese sampling from a local shop
  • Walk past Moulin Rouge
  • Arc de Triomphe (only a couple quick photos)
  • Eiffel Tower (didn’t go up though)
  • Pont Alexandre III Bridge
  • Eglise de Saint Germain des Pres
  • Macarons from Boutique Pierre Hermé
  • Le Jardin du Luxembourg
  • Panthéon (photo from afar)
  • Cathédrale Notre-Dame (just an outside view)
  • Ile de la Cité
  • Sainte-Chapelle (beautiful stained glass)
  • Lunch at Brasserie Les Deux Palais
  • Quick walk past Musée du Louvre
  • Tried to tour the Catacombs, but alas they were booked out
  • Crepes from Au Beurre Salé
  • Well-earned sleep

Day 11 – London

  • Eurostar through the Chunnel (delightful train and fast!)
  • Tube to Pimlico station
  • Bit of recuperation at the Westminster Hotel
  • Tour of the Churchill War Rooms
  • Dinner at The Admiralty (Trafalgar Square)
  • Walk past Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, and Parliament

Day 12 – London

  • Several hours of exploration at the National History Museum (Dippy!)
  • Nap on the lawn at Hyde Park
  • Princess Diana Memorial Fountain
  • Science Afternoon Tea at The Drawing Rooms
  • Stroll over Westminster Bridge

Day 13 – Oxford

  • Morning train to Oxford
  • Fish and chips at Wig & Pen
  • Photos at The Eagle and Child (sadly closed due to COVID)
  • Shopping on Cornmarket Street
  • The Sheldonian Theatre
  • The Hertford Bridge (most photographed spot in Oxford)
  • Bodleian Library
  • Blackwell’s Bookshop (bought a rare Isaac Asimov book: The Clock We Live On)
  • Radcliffe Camera
  • University Church of St Mary the Virgin
  • The Bear Inn (serving Oxford since 1242)
  • Christ Church College
  • Merton College
  • Martyrs’ Cross

Day 14 – Journeying

  • Sleep in late
  • Depart Heathrow in the early afternoon
  • And land in San Diego in the late afternoon (hooray for timezones)

And there you have it. Not a bad way to spend a fortnight.