What Did You Do Today? What are you doing today?

[Mel217]

....I have several gifts for Tracy already......started in June......what it amounts to is, that if I see something I want for her online now-I better snap it up, cuz it may not be there later....

I started Christmas shopping in April! I feel the same way-snap it up now rather than be mad later that it's gone. Plus, sometimes I put stuff in my amazon wish list and forget it's there for 3 years or more :/
We don't go overboard for the holidays at all, but the few gifts I buy I really, really want them to be special and meaningful. I bought something for a close family member last year that hit home and caused this person to burst into (happy/bittersweet) tears when they opened it. I got a gift for my birthday that made me break down and cry, hard, but it is so precious to me. Those are IMO the best

One year at work we did a white elephant gift. That was a ton of fun. Another year we organized a "Very Cheapskate Christmas", as no one really had the financial means to buy for everyone. So we took the dates from 12/26 til (I believe) 1/31 to do the shopping. The only goal was to buy whatever you could find on the biggest sale possible, and the only real rule was bring in a receipt as proof. We met at a local restaurant. Most gifts were small, but one person found a 12 foot Christmas tree on sale and lugged it in (keep in mind this was February). Another person found a pair of very, um, "honeymoon style" mens underwear. We left the underwear on the table with a tip underneath. I still have not worked up the nerve to go into that restaurant and it's been almost 10 years ago!

 

[Dana Jean]

Back in Hong Kong for an unplanned stop. Taiwan generally runs on 110 electricity, like America, but Hong Kong does not. Now I'm glad I went ahead and brought my extra cords and adaptors along. It's like the Boy Scouts (yes, I was a Boy Scout) motto, "Be Prepared."

Cathay Pacific, based in Hong Kong, sure is a nice airline. It was the first time I'd flown it. For a short flight from Taipei (an hour and change), we were treated to a nice little snack and a beverage. The flight attendants were all young (but at my age, everyone's young), attractive, and attentive. Very nice experience, several notches up from the normal US airline grind.

Hong Kong International Airport is pretty smooth as well. I'd only been there once before, but whether it's so easy or I have an inexplicably good memory of this one, it all seemed to flow. Easy signs to Immigration, masked and unmasked guides to herd you in the right direction, a long line that went quite quickly, because every time longer lines started to form at the booths of the intake officers, more would rush in to accommodate the numbers.

(I have to explain that "masked and unmasked" comment. Lots of people in Asia wear surgical-type masks out in public. Whether they're trying to keep out germs, keep their germs from others, or both, or something else, there's a lot of that around.)

Two guys were behind me, and one said to the other, accented, "Hong Kong airport is very efficient." I have to agree.

If you're going to Hong Kong, take the Airport Express from the terminal. It's worth it. It's so easy. Coming off the plane, there are two ticket outlets. Wait till you get to the one in the big main terminal. It's close to the entrance to the station, and the lines are shorter. You can use your credit card. I got a round-trip ticket for $205 HK (about 25 bucks), and it was fast and efficient, getting from the airport to Hong Kong Central. There were storage racks for luggage. I charged my phone as I rode in the thoughtfully placed port.

Hong Kong itself is different than I remembered. It hasn't changed. It's a matter of my location. My previous hotel was around more of a business district. My current hotel is in the midst of decidedly urban area. In walking and exploring, not much direct sunlight pushes past the surrounding buildings. The streets are narrower, more crowded, older, with bricks and pavers showing their upheaval through the years, and the pavement itself showing much more casual trash than I'm used to from, say, South Korea or Taiwan.

The schematics of the streets are much the same as elsewhere, with shops, cafes, repair shops, family restaurants, and so on occupying street frontage. But apparently when the Brits owned the place and planned the streets, they brought in a team of whiskey-sodden Irish or Aussie guys to draw them out. Grid pattern, this is not. I kept mindful of my landmarks and somehow avoided getting lost. Lots more bar-and-grills here than I saw in Taiwan, which will be good if I find myself melting into a three-hour walking puddle as happened just a couple short weeks ago somewhere else.

But with all the grittiness and grunginess, it brings an interesting dynamic. On this Friday evening, the consumer population was vibrant, engaged. A lot more cultural and ethnic diversity on the streets here than in other Asia places I've been to, and given the history, that's quite understandable.

And here's something I'll share from every Asian place that I've strolled around: However crowded, impersonal, notable by race/culture, sidewalk-impaired, shopfront-questionable environment I've been in, I've never felt unsafe.

As is my custom, I skipped past the restaurants that looked refined and crowded and stopped in a family-type joint that didn't have many customers. I figured they could use my money. I got a bowl of soup and noodles with animal parts that I don't usually eat. Their teenage kid had pretty good English. The guy (Dad, maybe?) whose job seemed to be to walk around the place and act important told me I should dump spicy stuff into the soup. So I did, and he laughed, and said, "More, more," so I did, and other people started laughing and saying what I think was probably, "Don't try to kill the white guy who's spending money here!"

In truth, I like spicy hot food, and this wasn't even close to the threshold and actually was fairly tasty, so I gulped it down along with the... well, the unusual animal parts. When I thanked them and left, Dad asked me to keep coming back. It cost about four bucks including some refreshing lemon tea, so I just might, if I can find it again.

Back in the hotel. My limited experience in Hong Kong shows their hotel rooms to be quite, well, efficient. Gone are the plusher hotels in Taiwan and Korea with the spaciousness, the fishbowl bathrooms, the comfortable lounging. In their place is a tightly wound room with a bathroom whose shower door doubles as the main bathroom door, an interesting concept. And gone is the cute-and-tasty drip-envelope coffee in the rooms of Taiwan, and back to the ubiquitous American export of Nescafe.

And one last word about the hotels. In both Taiwan and Hong Kong, they've got customer service figured out, boy howdy. They have public transportation figured out. They have an offering of food servings from tasty mundane to freakin' sublime figured out.

But they don't have "drawer space" figured out. I mean, I can get by fine with fishing undies and socks out of the suitcase. It's just that after all the other offered amenities, it seems odd.

Back to exploring a little today before a fairly short job assignment and returning mid-week. It's been a busy several weeks, and home is sounding good.

Have you ever thought about running your own travel/sightseeing business? You know, you take a small group of people somewhere and their fee would include taking care of you--food, hotel, travel? It wouldn't have to be a big group of people, just a small group and you coordinate the activities?

 

[Mel217]

What I did today:
-Very early AM: brought back into work a co-worker/employee/friend/whatever that hasn't worked in a few months due to some family issues (we were covered without her but still.) It was so great reconnecting with her and she took to their duties like a duck to water. I checked on her hourly and she seemed so happy to be here and I'm glad she likes it here....it's great to have her back as "we go way back" outside of work. I was all smiles
-Late morning: Bathed a few of my mangy dogs. One had sticks and twigs in her ear fur and another had a big tangle under his armpit. I trimmed all the dogs nails. We thought about working weave pole entries for agility, but then...
-Everyone (humans) left for other stuff around 1:00 so we were alone in our area of the place. We (the dogs, cats and I) ate pizza (they all had a taste) and we all crashed and napped on the couch. So much for those weave pole entries...
-Visited my sick relative and was (and have been) impressed with their improvements. Baby steps.
-Made rounds. Everyone was fine. No one was complaining, so neither was I.
-8:00PM: Decided to work those weave entries after all.
-8:00 1/2 PM: Got laugh at by a guest when the oldest and most experienced dog took a wrong entry.
-8:01PM: The baby dog decided running the tunnel 19 times in a row was more fun.
8:23PM: I managed to stop laughing at the baby dogs tunnel runs. Others were roaring at his "oops." Good times.
8:30PM: Went back to our area of the building. Found a few ribbons from past trials that the dogs won. Hung them up on their wall. Admired their blingy-bling-ness.
8:31PM: Realized the wall is full and either we need to make another wall or add on.
8:32PM: Called husband and asked if we could add another wing. Was told no and was asked if I'd been drinking.
9:30PM: Final rounds, everyone is happy and settled in for the evening so I'm not complaining.
9:31PM: Opened the washing machine to see that the load has spun out and needs transferred.
9:32PM: Opened the dryer to see that the load was dry and needed folded.
9:33PM: Decided laundry can be done tomorrow.

 

[Dana Jean]

I started Christmas shopping in April! I feel the same way-snap it up now rather than be mad later that it's gone. Plus, sometimes I put stuff in my amazon wish list and forget it's there for 3 years or more :/
We don't go overboard for the holidays at all, but the few gifts I buy I really, really want them to be special and meaningful. I bought something for a close family member last year that hit home and caused this person to burst into (happy/bittersweet) tears when they opened it. I got a gift for my birthday that made me break down and cry, hard, but it is so precious to me. Those are IMO the best

One year at work we did a white elephant gift. That was a ton of fun. Another year we organized a "Very Cheapskate Christmas", as no one really had the financial means to buy for everyone. So we took the dates from 12/26 til (I believe) 1/31 to do the shopping. The only goal was to buy whatever you could find on the biggest sale possible, and the only real rule was bring in a receipt as proof. We met at a local restaurant. Most gifts were small, but one person found a 12 foot Christmas tree on sale and lugged it in (keep in mind this was February). Another person found a pair of very, um, "honeymoon style" mens underwear. We left the underwear on the table with a tip underneath. I still have not worked up the nerve to go into that restaurant and it's been almost 10 years ago!

This is how I am. When I give a gift, a lot of thought has gone into it. Into that person. I am very good at thoughtful gifts.

Yes, I just patted myself on the back.

 

[Mel217]

This is how I am. When I give a gift, a lot of thought has gone into it. Into that person. I am very good at thoughtful gifts.

Yes, I just patted myself on the back.

Pat away, in all seriousness. Thoughtful gifts mean so much. I'm such a sap for that kind of thing, but when someone presents me to with something, however small, that I know a lot of thought went into, it makes me cry like a 4 year old girl and I don't care.
I gave my beloved Grandmother a gift that had such an "inside joke" feel to it. She loved it and we laughed about it until the day she died. When she was gone and the relative and I were cleaning out her house, no one protested when I asked if I could have that back due to the memories it contained. Her husband (my Grandfather) had a few pieces I felt so much nostalgia and so much love and memories for, silly things no one else would want, and they were mine when he was gone and I was so grateful.
Yeah, I'm a very sentimental sappy person in that way, but hey..it makes me smile. I tuck those things away and pull them out months later, once the pain has subsided, and smile ear to ear. I feel the same way about sentimental gifts with a slice of bittersweet on the side. They mean a lot now, but in a few years they mean SO much! Glad to know you're thoughtful like that Dana

 

[Grandpa]

Have you ever thought about running your own travel/sightseeing business? You know, you take a small group of people somewhere and their fee would include taking care of you--food, hotel, travel? It wouldn't have to be a big group of people, just a small group and you coordinate the activities?

Did you not see my posting where I described my social life as finding a quiet corner and avoiding human contact?

 

[Mel217]

Did you not see my posting where I described my social life as finding a quiet corner and avoiding human contact?

Small groups Grandpa And maybe you could be like the Jif commercial...Choosey Grandpas choose only the best?

Either way, I'd be delighted to be on a tour with you as I'm sure others here would agree.

 

[Dana Jean]

Did you not see my posting where I described my social life as finding a quiet corner and avoiding human contact?

Yes, I saw that, . But, if you took a small group.... they would pay for your trips all over and I think you would be great at wrangling tourists.

 

[Dana Jean]

Pat away, in all seriousness. Thoughtful gifts mean so much. I'm such a sap for that kind of thing, but when someone presents me to with something, however small, that I know a lot of thought went into, it makes me cry like a 4 year old girl and I don't care.
I gave my beloved Grandmother a gift that had such an "inside joke" feel to it. She loved it and we laughed about it until the day she died. When she was gone and the relative and I were cleaning out her house, no one protested when I asked if I could have that back due to the memories it contained. Her husband (my Grandfather) had a few pieces I felt so much nostalgia and so much love and memories for, silly things no one else would want, and they were mine when he was gone and I was so grateful.
Yeah, I'm a very sentimental sappy person in that way, but hey..it makes me smile. I tuck those things away and pull them out months later, once the pain has subsided, and smile ear to ear. I feel the same way about sentimental gifts with a slice of bittersweet on the side. They mean a lot now, but in a few years they mean SO much! Glad to know you're thoughtful like that Dana

Yep yep. I understand this totally. I want the sentimental things, not things that are worth money. You walk in my house and point at anything, and it has a story behind it. A person. Those are the things that mean something to me.

 

[Grandpa]

Yes, I saw that, . But, if you took a small group.... they would pay for your trips all over and I think you would be great at wrangling tourists.

You guys are far too kind. And what follows doesn't really belong here, gacking up this thread. But...

I love to write about things, obviously, but keep in mind they're reflective. Taking a group on a tour is present tense. So I can write about three hours or so in dreadful heat and finding next to nothing and getting soaked with sweat, and it can be entertaining to read. Can be. But in reality, man, it was miserable. And if I led a group to a misadventure like that? I'd be mortified and apologetic.

Which gets us to the other aspect, and that's called...

amateur​

We use it often enough as a pejorative, especially in current day. "He's obviously a rank amateur at this."

But the root of that word is amo, amore, Latin for "to love" - in other words, someone who engages in an avocation for the love of it. I'll draw a parallel.

Immodestly, I can take pretty good pictures. Some people who like my photos say things like, "Hey, can you come do this wedding?" Every single time, I say, "No. It's important for you. Get a professional." And that sentiment is true enough. But the real background reason is...

... I get inspired, worked up, by things I see because that's how I see them. If I were being asked, being paid, being expected to see things in that special way, it wouldn't happen.

A completely unworthy example. Leonardo daVince painted the most enigmatic smile in the history of art. It stands in testament to his craft. But if he had been told, "We'll pay you bunches of money to paint the most enigmatic smile in the history of art," I suspect the result would have been quite different. The motivation plays into the creativity.

I'm no daVinci, not by a few parsecs. I just know that when I see what I like, I'll snap it, and it may not be what other people see, and it may not be what I would see if I were there in a different time or different frame of mind. And I cannot pull that creativity into an On Demand environment and come up with the same level of results and make others - or myself - as happy as I'd like with it.

So. I love traveling. I love photography. I can do both pretty well. But that's because I do them for the love of it, for the creativity, for the satiation of curiosity, for trying to live longer by filling life with experiences. If I were paid and expected to perform? The love of it would wash out and with it whatever respectable results that it may bring.

The exception is writing. I'm convinced (probably self-delusion) that if I were what my friends think I should be, a hugely read author, that I would take the same approach and vision, because writing consumes me (as sadly depicted in this very posting). But here again, I'm immersed enough in the love of it that I don't self-promote. Money would be nice, but that's not the motivation. I know that sounds smug or sanctimonious or some other s-word, but it's the fact.

Thank you for you guys' very kind words.

 

[Dana Jean]

You guys are far too kind. And what follows doesn't really belong here, gacking up this thread. But...

I love to write about things, obviously, but keep in mind they're reflective. Taking a group on a tour is present tense. So I can write about three hours or so in dreadful heat and finding next to nothing and getting soaked with sweat, and it can be entertaining to read. Can be. But in reality, man, it was miserable. And if I led a group to a misadventure like that? I'd be mortified and apologetic.

Which gets us to the other aspect, and that's called...

amateur​

We use it often enough as a pejorative, especially in current day. "He's obviously a rank amateur at this."

But the root of that word is amo, amore, Latin for "to love" - in other words, someone who engages in an avocation for the love of it. I'll draw a parallel.

Immodestly, I can take pretty good pictures. Some people who like my photos say things like, "Hey, can you come do this wedding?" Every single time, I say, "No. It's important for you. Get a professional." And that sentiment is true enough. But the real background reason is...

... I get inspired, worked up, by things I see because that's how I see them. If I were being asked, being paid, being expected to see things in that special way, it wouldn't happen.

A completely unworthy example. Leonardo daVince painted the most enigmatic smile in the history of art. It stands in testament to his craft. But if he had been told, "We'll pay you bunches of money to paint the most enigmatic smile in the history of art," I suspect the result would have been quite different. The motivation plays into the creativity.

I'm no daVinci, not by a few parsecs. I just know that when I see what I like, I'll snap it, and it may not be what other people see, and it may not be what I would see if I were there in a different time or different frame of mind. And I cannot pull that creativity into an On Demand environment and come up with the same level of results and make others - or myself - as happy as I'd like with it.

So. I love traveling. I love photography. I can do both pretty well. But that's because I do them for the love of it, for the creativity, for the satiation of curiosity, for trying to live longer by filling life with experiences. If I were paid and expected to perform? The love of it would wash out and with it whatever respectable results that it may bring.

The exception is writing. I'm convinced (probably self-delusion) that if I were what my friends think I should be, a hugely read author, that I would take the same approach and vision, because writing consumes me (as sadly depicted in this very posting). But here again, I'm immersed enough in the love of it that I don't self-promote. Money would be nice, but that's not the motivation. I know that sounds smug or sanctimonious or some other s-word, but it's the fact.

Thank you for you guys' very kind words.

That makes perfect sense.

 

[Neesy]

But that is. It a bad thing really

Well I guess if you like wilderness, ice and snow, being out in the bush etc. it's a great thing!
We do have a lot of natural resources

 

[danie]

You guys are far too kind. And what follows doesn't really belong here, gacking up this thread. But...

I love to write about things, obviously, but keep in mind they're reflective. Taking a group on a tour is present tense. So I can write about three hours or so in dreadful heat and finding next to nothing and getting soaked with sweat, and it can be entertaining to read. Can be. But in reality, man, it was miserable. And if I led a group to a misadventure like that? I'd be mortified and apologetic.

Which gets us to the other aspect, and that's called...

amateur​

We use it often enough as a pejorative, especially in current day. "He's obviously a rank amateur at this."

But the root of that word is amo, amore, Latin for "to love" - in other words, someone who engages in an avocation for the love of it. I'll draw a parallel.

Immodestly, I can take pretty good pictures. Some people who like my photos say things like, "Hey, can you come do this wedding?" Every single time, I say, "No. It's important for you. Get a professional." And that sentiment is true enough. But the real background reason is...

... I get inspired, worked up, by things I see because that's how I see them. If I were being asked, being paid, being expected to see things in that special way, it wouldn't happen.

A completely unworthy example. Leonardo daVince painted the most enigmatic smile in the history of art. It stands in testament to his craft. But if he had been told, "We'll pay you bunches of money to paint the most enigmatic smile in the history of art," I suspect the result would have been quite different. The motivation plays into the creativity.

I'm no daVinci, not by a few parsecs. I just know that when I see what I like, I'll snap it, and it may not be what other people see, and it may not be what I would see if I were there in a different time or different frame of mind. And I cannot pull that creativity into an On Demand environment and come up with the same level of results and make others - or myself - as happy as I'd like with it.

So. I love traveling. I love photography. I can do both pretty well. But that's because I do them for the love of it, for the creativity, for the satiation of curiosity, for trying to live longer by filling life with experiences. If I were paid and expected to perform? The love of it would wash out and with it whatever respectable results that it may bring.

The exception is writing. I'm convinced (probably self-delusion) that if I were what my friends think I should be, a hugely read author, that I would take the same approach and vision, because writing consumes me (as sadly depicted in this very posting). But here again, I'm immersed enough in the love of it that I don't self-promote. Money would be nice, but that's not the motivation. I know that sounds smug or sanctimonious or some other s-word, but it's the fact.

Thank you for you guys' very kind words.

I understand. When I draw, the subject is something that catches my eye, makes my fingers yearn for a pencil or charcoal. I'll see the play of light and shadow in nature and want to capture it on paper, or a black and white photo makes me want to draw it as a gift for a friend.

Often, people will say, "You should sell your drawings. Make a little extra money." I never have, because I would hate being "forced" to be creative. Or what if someone asked me to draw, and the result was not what I (or he) liked? I think it's great that artists can sell their work, but I don't think I could.

 

[Neesy]

Going to have to log off now - I have things I need to get done.

If anyone is interested, I posted 10 new questions in the Weekly Survey thread - will have to check back later on my iPad once I get to work!

Arrivaderci!

 

[GNTLGNT]

Well I guess if you like wilderness, ice and snow, being out in the bush, it's a great thing!
We do have a lot of natural resources

...again, right across the heart of the plate!.................TWSS!!!!!!.....

 

[GNTLGNT]

You guys are far too kind. And what follows doesn't really belong here, gacking up this thread. But...

I love to write about things, obviously, but keep in mind they're reflective. Taking a group on a tour is present tense. So I can write about three hours or so in dreadful heat and finding next to nothing and getting soaked with sweat, and it can be entertaining to read. Can be. But in reality, man, it was miserable. And if I led a group to a misadventure like that? I'd be mortified and apologetic.

Which gets us to the other aspect, and that's called...

amateur​

We use it often enough as a pejorative, especially in current day. "He's obviously a rank amateur at this."

But the root of that word is amo, amore, Latin for "to love" - in other words, someone who engages in an avocation for the love of it. I'll draw a parallel.

Immodestly, I can take pretty good pictures. Some people who like my photos say things like, "Hey, can you come do this wedding?" Every single time, I say, "No. It's important for you. Get a professional." And that sentiment is true enough. But the real background reason is...

... I get inspired, worked up, by things I see because that's how I see them. If I were being asked, being paid, being expected to see things in that special way, it wouldn't happen.

A completely unworthy example. Leonardo daVince painted the most enigmatic smile in the history of art. It stands in testament to his craft. But if he had been told, "We'll pay you bunches of money to paint the most enigmatic smile in the history of art," I suspect the result would have been quite different. The motivation plays into the creativity.

I'm no daVinci, not by a few parsecs. I just know that when I see what I like, I'll snap it, and it may not be what other people see, and it may not be what I would see if I were there in a different time or different frame of mind. And I cannot pull that creativity into an On Demand environment and come up with the same level of results and make others - or myself - as happy as I'd like with it.

So. I love traveling. I love photography. I can do both pretty well. But that's because I do them for the love of it, for the creativity, for the satiation of curiosity, for trying to live longer by filling life with experiences. If I were paid and expected to perform? The love of it would wash out and with it whatever respectable results that it may bring.

The exception is writing. I'm convinced (probably self-delusion) that if I were what my friends think I should be, a hugely read author, that I would take the same approach and vision, because writing consumes me (as sadly depicted in this very posting). But here again, I'm immersed enough in the love of it that I don't self-promote. Money would be nice, but that's not the motivation. I know that sounds smug or sanctimonious or some other s-word, but it's the fact.

Thank you for you guys' very kind words.

....I like your writing, but your enigmatic smile warms my heart.....

 

[Grandpa]

....I like your writing, but your enigmatic smile warms my heart.....

And that's a tall order.

 

[swiftdog2.0]

Cleaned up around SwiftDog Manor.

Gathered all my stuff for my work trip tomorrow.

Will watch Sox / Yankees game tonight.

 

[Shoesalesman]

How was the guns and roses concert?

My wife and I loved it. Axl's singing was great on the high and low ends, but his mid-range was starting to show its age. Understandably so. Many folks around us were calling it 'Slash N Roses... with guests'. Slash dominated, absolutely stole the show. They played three hours and twenty minutes, with tributes to Glen Campbell, AC/DC and Chris Cornell.

 

[rockerchick]

I watched tennis and went to the grocery store. Now I'm planning to go on the treadmill and maybe work on my project that I started yesterday.