tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-198032932024-03-07T20:06:04.698-06:00Vagabond TangoIn which the author relates his experiences traveling about, attempting to dance Tango, and generally getting to know the wider world.Peter Schwarzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388942456325359221noreply@blogger.comBlogger121125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19803293.post-56898148075664386132009-10-25T10:26:00.002-05:002009-10-25T10:27:53.553-05:00Just Out of Town<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/pschwarz/4042311314/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2612/4042311314_b3f98865a2_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);" /></a><br /><span style="margin-top: 0px;font-size:0.9em;" > <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/pschwarz/4042311314/">Park Gate</a><br />Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/pschwarz/">pschwarz</a>. </span></div>Potsdam, Germany<br /><br />I took me a while to get out of the city. I haven't really figured out much of the surrounding areas, to know what to visit or where to go. Perhaps I've been preoccupied with the newness of my circumstances.<br /><br />There's some pretty spectacular sites around here, as it turns out.<br /><br />Potsdam is a relatively close city, under an hour by train from Berlin. Close enough that it's part of the Berlin transit system, actually. I headed out that way early on a Saturday morning.<br /><br />Historically, it was the capital of Prussia, during the reigns of the Prussian kings. Here they had built the seat of their power. While the main palace of the kings was destroyed in 1945 - one with a not-surprisingly Louvre-like layout - the summer palace of the kings remains.<br /><br />Schloss Sanssouci is a remarkable piece of roccoco architecture, dating from the mid-18th century. It was built by Fredrick the Great to serve as a summer home for the royal family and their entourages. It was a center of art and theatre for the family, and played host to numerous parties and official functions.<br /><br />The palace itself is surrounded by a beautiful park, peppered with smaller palaces and outdoor venues. There are ponds and fountains, both of the obviously man-made designs, and some natural (or, at least, designed to appear so). The trees that line the roads give the park a more pristine and natural look. This wealth of trees seems to be a hallmark of German parks.<br /><br />Just beyond the park lies the Altstadt, or Old City, which is a surprisingly modern grid layout of a two or three story buildings. Here there are shops and restaurants, both small and independent or larger high-end chain stores. It is quite pleasant to walk the streets.<br /><br />As for my day of it, there was much, too much walking. Having been traveling about by foot and subway, I've been neglecting resting up my legs. I'm enjoying a day off, with only enough walking to go find a place for dinner.Peter Schwarzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388942456325359221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19803293.post-31110215307572866992009-10-21T07:23:00.003-05:002009-10-21T07:24:56.188-05:00A Hardware FailureBerlin, Germany<br /><br />I've gone into great detail about my recent hardware failure <a href="http://blog.blastedmachine.com/2009/10/double-disk-failure.html">here</a>. All is resolved now, and I should be able to post, upload pictures, communicate via Skype regularly.Peter Schwarzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388942456325359221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19803293.post-34488655153886577242009-10-12T13:49:00.003-05:002009-10-12T14:03:28.713-05:00A Move Somewhat out of the BlueBerlin, Germany<br /><br />Right, so I've moved to Berlin. Not necessarily a shocker for most friends of mine, but if I still have any readers that I don't know, well, that's the scoop.<br /><br />The question is, what brought this move about?<br /><br />Hawaii was, well, a nice place to visit - for a year, mind you - but I couldn't see myself living there for a long period of time. Work life was unsatisfying, travel life was extremely limited, and the tango scene, while friendly, was not very exciting.<br /><br />Berlin, on the other hand, certainly has all three of those things: interesting work, potential for travel, and, by all accounts, a great tango scene. This are certainly reasons why I ultimately chose Berlin as a destination, but it was not the reason why I chose it in the first place.<br /><br />It really comes down to <a href="http://jobs.joelonsoftware.com/">Jobs at Joel on Software</a>. The job board is frankly, incredible. The number of interesting positions there is surprising, given the size of the list. That being said, all of the replies and interviews I've had in the last two and a half years have been as a result of said job board.<br /><br />I was looking in Europe as a whole, and New York as a US fallback. My current employer just happened to respond to my resume. That they are in Berlin is merely coincidence, in my opinion. It wouldn't have mattered if they were in France, Spain, or Norway. I would have gone, just to be able to go.<br /><br />So here I am, getting myself both immersed in the city, the culture and the bureaucracy. I hope to produce more on all three subjects in the coming weeks and months.Peter Schwarzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388942456325359221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19803293.post-76172490596989640722009-04-25T15:44:00.002-05:002009-04-25T15:55:55.987-05:00EarthquakesHilo, HI<br /><br />There have been a couple of minor earthquakes on the island this past month. The first was a <a href="http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/bulletin/neic_fkca.html">5.2 </a>magnitude quake, on the 14th. The second was a much smaller <a href="http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/hv00033691.php">4.2</a> on the 22nd.<sup>[1]</sup> <br /><br />I felt the them both, to my surprise.<br /><br />The 5.2 was enough to show up on the instrument read-outs of the telescope. In fact, the sensors for the positioning of the secondary mirror are sensitive enough to provide a pretty accurate seismograph of the event. Fortunately, there was no lasting effect on the summit facility. <br /><br />There was a much larger quake in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_Hawaii_earthquake">2006</a>, which caused a considerable amount of damage around the island. This included some severe damage to some of the resorts on the Kona-side of the island, as well as long term shutdowns of many observatories (including Gemini) at summit. <br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />[1] I actually have no idea how long the links to the facts on these earthquakes last. I'll correct the links if they disappear.</span>Peter Schwarzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388942456325359221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19803293.post-84194111937212662992009-01-27T15:47:00.004-06:002009-01-30T22:54:39.331-06:00Big Island Tango<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/pschwarz/3219562508/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3452/3219562508_57957af187_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);" /></a><br /><span style="margin-top: 0px;font-size:0;" > <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/pschwarz/3219562508/">Tango</a><br />Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/pschwarz/">pschwarz</a>. </span></div>Hilo, HI.<br /><br />This is a demo given at a recent milonga in Hilo. Not the greatest turnout, but everyone who came danced every song. A lot of enthusiasm for the dance, even though the community is small.<br /><br />These sorts of events will help it grow.Peter Schwarzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388942456325359221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19803293.post-1063877724732205072008-12-21T04:00:00.003-06:002009-01-30T22:52:05.122-06:00Scuba!<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/pschwarz/3124074383/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3250/3124074383_0d1a946d40_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);" /></a><br /><span style="margin-top: 0px;font-size:0;" > <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/pschwarz/3124074383/">Scuba!</a><br />Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/pschwarz/">pschwarz</a>. </span></div>Hilo, HI<br /><br />Finally got my second dive in. It was much more interesting than the first one. There were an incredible amount of fish as well as a number of sea turtles. The turtles made my day, really.<br /><br />Of course, I'm still pretty new at this, so I'm spending much of my time watching where I'm going, looking where my group is, concentrating on my breathing, etc. It pays off...unless you have no idea what you're doing. I hadn't really had any training using my <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buoyancy_compensator_%28diving%29">Buoyancy Control Device </a>(BCD). This resulted in me over compensating and therefore shooting up to the surface, followed by a quick drop back to the bottom...twice.<br /><br />Lessons learned, though. I got the hang of it after the instructor gave me run down of the equipment again (at thirty feet below the surface). I did end up skipping the second dive planned for the day. I've gotten old enough to know when not to push myself.<br /><br />Yeah, my right ear hurts like hell now. I'm told it'll go away in a day or two. I'll be back in the water after the Holidays.Peter Schwarzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388942456325359221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19803293.post-42076914476785130022008-12-08T16:49:00.003-06:002008-12-08T16:51:48.693-06:00From the Archives...<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><a style="left: 0px ! important; top: 15px ! important;" title="Click here to block this object with Adblock Plus" class="abp-objtab-02755553380796758 visible" href="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=63881"></a><a style="left: 0px ! important; top: 15px ! important;" title="Click here to block this object with Adblock Plus" class="abp-objtab-02755553380796758 visible" href="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=63881"></a><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=63881" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" height="195" width="260"> <param name="flashvars" value="intl_lang=en-us&photo_secret=f20e5959b6&photo_id=3087125124&show_info_box=true"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=63881"> <param name="bgcolor" value="#000000"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=63881" bgcolor="#000000" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="intl_lang=en-us&photo_secret=f20e5959b6&photo_id=3087125124&flickr_show_info_box=true" height="195" width="260"></embed></object><br /><span style="margin-top: 0px;font-size:0;" ><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/robfargo/3087125124/">Served</a><br />Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/robfargo/">RobFargo</a></span></div>These ping pong tables are permanent structures in the Dortmünd parks. All you need to provide are paddles and balls.<br /><br />Not for the easily vertigoed...Peter Schwarzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388942456325359221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19803293.post-22390080343314022282008-11-05T19:07:00.004-06:002008-12-08T16:51:13.812-06:00Wandering TangoI was invited to add one of my pictures to a photo group on Flickr called <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/686905@N24/">Tango Errante</a> (Wandering Tango). This seems rather fitting, considering my penchant for finding tango anywhere and everywhere (dancing tango at these found places, well, that's another issue all together). <br /><br />It's nice to get a little recognition, even if it is a very little bit.Peter Schwarzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388942456325359221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19803293.post-13032067103446233022008-11-02T14:54:00.002-06:002008-11-02T15:05:35.284-06:00A Word About StraysLa Serena, Chile.<br /><br />I was warned about the stray dogs in La Serena. People had mentioned them, mostly with a tone of disbelief. Even the locals seemed to talk about them like they were a nuisance at best, and a menace at worst. <br /><br />They certainly seemed wrong to me.<br /><br />Maybe it's just me, but they seemed more like part of the scenery, rather than a problem. They simple wondered about, sniffing for food, and generally looking rather decrepit. Defeated might be a better term for it; they looked more like dogs which had been beaten for the majority of their life and, as a result, always looked at people with a guilty look in their eyes.<br /><br />Not to say I didn't see any bad behaviour from the dogs, only amongst themselves. I did see a few dogs fighting, but not in a fashion that seemed overly violent. The fight looked more like an alpha dog reasserting his position in the hierarchy. The larger dogs did seem to travel in packs, the smaller ones on their own. Of these smaller dogs, they still would be considered a medium sized dog, were they a pet. I would venture a guess that most smaller breeds had either been run off, killed or were exceptionally good at hiding.Peter Schwarzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388942456325359221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19803293.post-65239565919715718522008-10-12T13:26:00.003-05:002009-01-30T22:52:31.692-06:00Diving!Hilo, HI<br /><br />I feel pretty good about getting around to one of the new things on my list of things to try while I'm here in Hawaii: scuba diving. After last week's lessons-only day (the weather would not permit a first dive), we had our first dive yesterday.<br /><br />I can't say that it was an amazing experience, given that most of the dive was spent practicing fundamentals. It was still exhilarating. You have to put a great amount of trust in the equipment<sup>[1]</sup>. Putting your face in the water and <span style="font-style: italic;">breathing</span> requires you to overcome a rather powerful intuition that this should not be possible. Hence, it's a good idea to start breathing through the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diving_regulator">regulator</a> <span style="font-style: italic;">before</span> putting your face in the water.<br /><br />Again, this was a dive that was practicing fundamentals: taking off the regulator and putting it back in while under water, using someone else's alternate air source, recovering your regulator, etc. Most of these things are important to know and practice in a controlled dive environment. Once you know what it's like, you are less likely to panic.<br /><br />I'm looking forward to the future dives. There will be more fundamentals, but they should be more interesting as well. More depth, hopefully, as we only went down 15 feet on this first dive.<br /><br />I'll be putting it off for a few weeks, as I'm headed to La Serena, Chile tomorrow night. It'll take two days to get there, so I'm planning on loading my laptop up with some pending tv shows.<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />[1] This is not to say that you do your own equipment checks on the rentals. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O-ring">O-ring</a> on my tank was looking a little used. It was fine for this dive, but the dive instructor made a note of it for replacement. Not to worry, I'm going to keep my eye on those O-rings.</span>Peter Schwarzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388942456325359221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19803293.post-4564284598894864482008-10-10T23:38:00.001-05:002008-10-10T23:38:26.641-05:00Day at the Beach<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/pschwarz/2930984706/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3246/2930984706_410b550b07_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/pschwarz/2930984706/">Sunset</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/pschwarz/">pschwarz</a>. </span></div>Hilo, HI<br /><br />I finally made it to the beach. I'm not a beach guy but it is nice. It's also the first sunset I've seen since I've been here. <br /><br />Beautiful.<br clear="all" />Peter Schwarzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388942456325359221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19803293.post-54123444828286444772008-10-01T19:09:00.002-05:002008-10-05T15:03:40.350-05:00Big Island TangoHilo, HI<br /><br />There's tango here. It is a small community, but it's relatively new. There's about a dozen regulars, but a couple of beginners came this week. During the week, we have a lesson and a practica. Both are useful for retaining skills, but I do find myself surprisingly on the "skilled" end of the spectrum.<br /><br />The other islands actually have pretty decent tango communities, even though the populations of many of the others are smaller. Apparently there is a workshop on the island of Kauai, which should have a decent turnout - it has a real Argentinian, after all.<br /><br />This tango group is definitely giving credence to the idea the Big Island is the last place to get anything.Peter Schwarzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388942456325359221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19803293.post-4893236846381185582008-09-28T16:25:00.004-05:002008-10-01T19:11:09.242-05:00Promises, Moves, and ConcertsHilo, HI,<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Promises</span><br /><br />First thing, first. Now that I'm settled, I plan on updating this blog every Friday and Sunday. Really, I promise, I'll do it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Moves</span><br /><br />This leads me into the part about being settled: I've found a permanent place to live. It's a recently renovated duplex. I live in the upstairs unit, and the downstairs unit is only temporarily occupied by my landlords. They're moving to Oahu (which actually seems to be pretty common with many rentals - the owners don't live on the Big Island), so they're hunting for a tenant. If I can find one soon, I'll get a free months rent.<br /><br />I've been spending this and last weekend unpacking. I'm almost done with the major stuff - a couple of half-filled boxes of dishes awaiting their turns for the dishwasher, and a some boxes of clothes to put away. After that, I'll hang up my art pieces and I'll be more settled than I ever was in my Girard apartment. I'll post some pictures soon.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Concerts</span><br /><br />Last night was a three stage, six hour music festival of local[1] bands. It happens once a year and seems to draw about a third of the town. Since I've been here, I haven't seen so many people in one place. It actually made me feel a little uncomfortable. My expectations of small crowds has skewed my perception of big crowds. Back home, I would not have had a problem with fifteen thousand people, but here it just seemed overwhelming.<br /><br />Needless to say, I didn't hang around too long. I had arrived late, due to unpacking, so I only caught the tail end of one band which had a good sound. Fortunately, on my way back to my car, I ran into some folks I met a few nights ago, and went back to the concert, stayed fifteen more minutes, and then went back to their place for cigar and some fine, Guatemalan, 23-year aged rum.<br /><br /><span id="quote">Tasty.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">[1] It seems to me that "local" here means the state of Hawaii. The bands were from all over the islands, with a few from the Big Island. This seems true of most things - produce, furniture, art, etc. I'm getting the sense that there's much more of an affinity between the islands then there is between Hawaii and the Mainland. </span>Peter Schwarzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388942456325359221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19803293.post-90384019032999876402008-09-13T16:44:00.002-05:002008-10-01T19:10:57.081-05:00At Gemini<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/pschwarz/2852122827/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3282/2852122827_e35d6ce06c_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);" /></a><br /><span style="margin-top: 0px;font-size:0;" > <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/pschwarz/2852122827/">At Gemini</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/pschwarz/">pschwarz</a>. </span></div>Hilo, HI<br /><br />As far as programming jobs go, this one is a mixed bag. I've never worked in an organization that required so much in the way of documentation and meetings. My next six months will be less coding and more designing on paper. I try to keep my fingers in code, just to do a little testing of concepts, but I think my life will be dominated by writing words. <br /><br />On the other hand, I did get to go to the army base and practice driving a four-wheel drive vehicle on dirt by weaving cones and doing donuts. That's not a perk in every job, is it?<br /><br />It also involved driving up to the summit. I hadn't actually thought that I do it a second time, at least not anytime soon. It was much better than the first time. I felt great up there. A little light-headed durning the drive up, but that may have had to do with the road conditions (bumpier than all hell), then the altitude. <br /><br />The drive down, on the other hand, was a pain. I drove from the summit, back to the office (about an hour's drive) in a very thick fog. Fortunately, this only started at the paved section of the mountain road, down. It would have been extremely white-knuckle otherwise. Of course, there are miles of construction on the Saddle Road which in foggy conditions is pain to drive. <br /><br />The trip was made easier by my passengers: the two brits spent most of the time talking about how <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Cook">Captain Cook</a> died. There's no better distraction than people discussing how an Eighteenth-centery explorer was dismembered by the natives.Peter Schwarzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388942456325359221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19803293.post-85738621728196149202008-09-07T23:20:00.002-05:002008-10-01T19:10:57.081-05:00Sunfish!<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/pschwarz/2838123565/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3282/2838123565_3f98268e5a_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);" /></a><br /><span style="margin-top: 0px;font-size:0;" > <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/pschwarz/2838123565/">Ready to Go</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/pschwarz/">pschwarz</a>. </span></div>Hilo, Hi.<br /><br />I checked out the <a href="http://www.hilo-sailing.org">Na Hoa Holomoku Yacht Club</a> today. They have a little fleet of Sunfish, a couple of Hobie Cats and a pair of Volksboats. Well, without my life-jacket, hat, gloves, shoes, or really anything sailing related, I only took a couple rides on the Hobie cat.<br /><br />I'll go next time, certainly. Since I should be getting possession of my car soon (the location of all the aforementioned sailing gear), I'll be set to practice tipping the boats, riding the swells (if I want to risk sailing past the breaker - which I do), and generally getting extremely burned.<br /><br />I think a better sort of hat is in order.Peter Schwarzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388942456325359221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19803293.post-16423829118086344302008-09-06T16:24:00.002-05:002008-10-01T19:11:09.243-05:00The Rest of MeHilo, HI<br /><br />My things have arrived on the island. Not in my possession, mind you, they've merely arrived. My car is at the docks, some where. My container of personal belongings is also there, I imagine, stacked there like that warehouse in Raiders of the Lost Ark, never to be seen again.<br /><br />The hunt for a more permanent residence has been a flurry of showings lately. I have seen a house a day for a week. Yet, still no luck. As I was told yesterday at a company BBQ, I need "to get used to a different standard of living." <br /><br />Ah, crap.<br /><br />So I'll keep looking. I'm headed to see another place this afternoon. Might be a good candidate. If it doesn't work out, I going to get a room in someone's house, pay a weekly rate until I can find a place of my own. There are a few options there, as well. <br /><br />This weekend there is a intro meeting for the local sailing club. I plan on checking it out, sailing one of those little dinghies in the bay. It should be fun. I haven't sailed a really small boat since my UW sailing team days.Peter Schwarzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388942456325359221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19803293.post-44408895872511410782008-08-31T18:15:00.003-05:002008-08-31T18:17:37.361-05:00If I Really Wanted Frequent Blog Posts...... I could write them like <a href="http://orwelldiaries.wordpress.com/">this</a>.<br /><br />They are interesting, if short. It's almost like Orwell would have been right at home using <a href="http://twitter.com/">Twitter</a>.Peter Schwarzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388942456325359221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19803293.post-55116366260156656002008-08-31T17:21:00.004-05:002008-08-31T17:26:45.176-05:00A Little Sightseeing<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/pschwarz/2812773974/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3159/2812773974_d0bf16722e_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);" /></a><br /><span style="margin-top: 0px;font-size:0;" > <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/pschwarz/2812773974/"><br /></a> </span></div>Hilo, HI<br /><br />I'm slowly doing a little sightseeing, here. I can't say that I'm getting out frequently, but I feel like I have plenty of time to see things. There's only so much to see, and I've got to pace myself.<br /><br />It is an island, after all.<br /><br />Well, that's not entirely why I haven't rushed out to see everything and anything worth seeing. I still not quite feeling settled, and that's limiting me to small excursions. I keep thinking that I'll get out and do something longer and more involved, once my car gets here and I get a permanent place to live. Once I have all my stuff, and I have permanent internet access.<br /><br />Eh, excuses, excuses. Like not dancing because I don't have my shoes<sup>[1]</sup>.<br /><br />On the plus side, I don't have to worry about things closing down for the winter. Back in Minneapolis, I always have to be concerned about the limited summer season limiting my activities. There's only so little time, for so many things.<br /><br />It's not going anywhere, and I'll see it all by the time I'm done here.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">[1] Of course, as anyone who knows me, I don't need much in the way of excuses not to dance when I'm on my own. </span>Peter Schwarzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388942456325359221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19803293.post-89770319721107751812008-08-21T17:56:00.003-05:002008-08-31T17:26:24.807-05:00Relocated!<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/pschwarz/2771961192/" title="Me on the Big Island by pschwarz, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3228/2771961192_e0f85a4df8_m.jpg" alt="Me on the Big Island" height="240" width="180" /></a>><br />Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/pschwarz/">pschwarz</a>. </div>Hilo, HI<br /><br />I'm not sure this would be classified as travel, but I've relocated. Sure I'll come back to Minneapolis in the future, but for now I'm enjoying a change of scene.<br /><br />In Hawaii, of all places.<br /><br />More on the move and the job in future posts.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">I've a little stretching to do to get back into writing shape. I need to rebuild the habit, so these entries may be slow in coming. Not to mention that I don't have access to internet outside of work... </span>Peter Schwarzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388942456325359221noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19803293.post-12060524198295688412007-11-27T10:36:00.000-06:002007-11-27T10:43:01.438-06:00Forthcoming PostsMunich, Germany.<br /><br />So, as it turns out, I forgot how much internet is a pain in the ass in Western Europe. It's pricy and hard to come by. Compound that with the fact that the German keyboard has a slightly different layout.<br /><br />I've had to type every 'y' and apostrophe at least three times.<br /><br />What does this mean, with respect to my posting more on this blog? I probably be doing a big dump of information in two or three long posts after I get home. Of course, Wi-Fi has been pretty common at hostels<sup>1</sup> here, so perhaps some ultra-portable computer might be a good idea for next time.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">1. I finally figured out the best way to identify Australians. The pronounce the word 'hostel' with an accent on the last syllable, like hotel. Actually, it kind of makes sense... </span>Peter Schwarzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388942456325359221noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19803293.post-69744895779439096562007-11-22T07:21:00.001-06:002008-08-31T17:25:49.222-05:00Industrial HeartDortmund, Germany.<br /><br />I arrived here in one of the industrial hearts of Germany, spending the Thanksgiving holiday with my friends. We wandered around in order to find a few ingredients for the big meal. Turkeys are not huge here, no sweet potatoes, pretty much just threw together a recipe for stuffing.<br /><br />Should be interesting.<br /><br />As for Germany (well, Dortmund, anyhow), it's pretty clean and efficient. Actually, it's amazingly clean and efficient. The train ride from the Düsseldorf airport was on time, to the minute, and so pristine you can eat of the...well...alright, not that clean, but pretty damn clean.<br /><br />Dortmund is a pretty bland city, when it comes to architecture, but the Christmas market is shaping up to be something pretty spectacular. The tree easily rivals the one they put out in front of the White House, or Rockefeller Center. They start things up tonight, but we'll be heading over there on the weekend.<br /><br />I'm starting to shape up my plans for the rest of the time here. I'm currently thinking about heading to Berlin for a few days, and then down to Munich. Other than that, not much else planned out. <br /><br />Happy Thanksgiving!Peter Schwarzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388942456325359221noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19803293.post-64569854771080821532007-11-17T14:00:00.000-06:002007-11-22T17:37:58.443-06:00Wiping off the Dust, Kicking off the RustMinneapolis, MN<br /><br />Man, it's dusty around here. All this stuff just lying around, collecting dust from all those readers coming through here, looking for some new content. Yep, the vast horde that is my readership is just kicking up all sorts of dust.<br /><br />That's right, hordes.<br /><br />So I've been away for a while. It's been tough, what with working and all. Imagine that, I don't get out as much as I used to.<sup>[1]</sup><br /><br />Fortunately, I'll be heading back out into the world this week. It won't be for a long time, but it will be somewhere new (for me, anyway). I'm headed off to Germany on Tuesday. I'll be heading to a town called Dortmund, via Düsseldorf. That's about all I have planned for right now. I have two weeks in country, and no idea what I'll do with most of it.<br /><br />Ah, to travel again. The more people ask me what I'll be doing the less comfortable I get. I prefer not knowing what I'll be doing. There's no pressure to see everything, or go everywhere. Not having a real agenda feels good.<br /><br />It should be a good time. I'll take in some sites, enjoy time with my friends who've moved there, and try to do the usual: find a tango joint and see how the locals do it. Maybe even dance at one of those places. I do feel like I've a better grasp on this whole tango business.<br /><br />At least I'll take pictures.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">[1] Nor do I really write much, it seems. At least this is the 100<sup>th</sup> post.<br /></span>Peter Schwarzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388942456325359221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19803293.post-70822042435217955612007-01-19T14:42:00.000-06:002007-01-19T15:00:42.639-06:002006 in Pictures<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgarBp28NA-RmVMUthFNq07KiAGfVZl1qgQ20oK3da5tkrMYjDijNfq6AgjBx4RYAMfWOJr8YUOeZdZv7SquwBhJlNjhZcY4Lne_kbmD6pBo8hb7svGMVS_vw7S_jXuaaZ-TKSKJQ/s1600-h/calendar.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgarBp28NA-RmVMUthFNq07KiAGfVZl1qgQ20oK3da5tkrMYjDijNfq6AgjBx4RYAMfWOJr8YUOeZdZv7SquwBhJlNjhZcY4Lne_kbmD6pBo8hb7svGMVS_vw7S_jXuaaZ-TKSKJQ/s320/calendar.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5021849000431995586" border="0" /></a><br />2006 was a crazy, long, eventful year. Here's a handy little way of reviewing my <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/pschwarz/archives/date-taken/2006/01/calendar/">year in pictures</a>.Peter Schwarzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388942456325359221noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19803293.post-24035831569119327372006-12-02T11:25:00.000-06:002006-12-02T11:53:44.371-06:00The UpdateI'm going to deliver on something for which the readers have been clamoring . There have been cries for "where are you now?" and "what are you going to do next?" So here it is, the Update. The story that everyone has wanted to know. The answer to the question of "What now?"<br /><br />Back to the world of the Ordinary.<br /><br />I've been working at a full-time, salaried position (that's right, I'm a salaried man again) for <a href="http://www.objectfx.com">ObjectFX</a>. It is a good fit for a variety of reasons. The first is that they are a vendor for my previous employer. I was familiar with the basic operation of the software, and the expected results. Secondly, I was the second of what is now three former co-workers of mine that used to work at said previous employer. Third. It's about maps. <br /><br />What's more fitting than that for a traveller. <br /><br />Granted, they are only maps of the good, old U.S. of A., but it's still pretty interesting work. I get to use my math training more than ever. Of course, geometry was never my strong suit, but it's coming back with a vengeance. <br /><br />I've also landed myself a pretty decent apartment. It's a great old place with an interesting layout. I took the lease over from a previous tenant, and I'm currently debating whether or not I should sign an new lease. It would force me to get all my things out of storage. I think if I did that, I could truly feel like I live in the place. Perhaps I'm resisting moving in completely. It would mean that the travelling is at it's end. <br /><br />It would be nice to have all of my stuff, though. I'm starting to miss a few things. Mainly my whistling teapot...<br /><br />I've also met a delightful, engaging, attractive, young woman named Jessica. The bonus? She tangos.<br /><br />Where does all this Ordinary leave the blog? Well, the answer to that is that it will be put on extended hiatus. I don't plan to put it down permanently. It'll make a great archive for the stories, for one. Also, I don't think that I'm going to be quiting travel anytime soon. I'll be going new places soon enough. <br /><br />I'll keep you posted.Peter Schwarzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388942456325359221noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19803293.post-1164747477452277632006-11-28T14:58:00.000-06:002006-11-28T14:58:07.793-06:00Travel Burst<div style="float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/pschwarz/301526847/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/104/301526847_106d0fb4ba_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a></div>I recently spent a long weekend in Savannah, GA. It's a lovely, smallish city that lies on the Savannah River. The city center is full of beautiful, old pre-Civil war mansions, as well as a revitalized river-front of cotton mills - turned restaurants. <br /><br />Further east lie a series of islands, some belonging to Georgia, others to South Carolina. We spent a day on Tybee Island, where many of these pictures were taken. <br /><br />Savannah in late Fall has cool, but very manageable, weather. The island, on the other hand, was marred by high winds. This did not, by any means, ruin the experience. <br /><br />The views from the top of the Tybee Island lighthouse were spectacular. From two hundred feet up, one can see for miles over the Ocean and the interior of the island. <br /><br />It was a short, yet sweet and relaxed, trip to South. It wet the appetite for more travel. It already seems like it's been too long.<br clear="all" />Peter Schwarzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00388942456325359221noreply@blogger.com0