Studios B3 blog

NEW BLOG ALERT!!!

2008-03-18T13:31:00.001-07:00

I won the Bandit and thought I would make an new website to promote it. Then I've been "trying" to keep up this blog. THEN I realized that my portfolio site was out of date and needed some love.... BLAH! I've combined them all together.

Studios B3 is the spot. You can see photos from my trips, conventions, art work and sketches, as well as Photos of the BANDIT! I've got new video projects and contests to tell you all about so go check it out.

The site still has some bugs, but it's working well enough.

Studios B3

I love conference calls

2007-12-20T09:57:00.001-08:00

So, I made a video for the Bandit contest (and won! woo hoo!!), finished a wedding video, and THEN I completed my Lord of the Rings Sketch Card set. I drew sketches on 106 trading cards. Having never done the card sets before I had big plans that never came to light. I ended up getting comfortable with a couple of characters and then redrawing them. So, when I was in a conference call today, I sat down and started to draw the characters.

I WON THE BANDIT!!!

2007-12-17T12:55:00.000-08:00

So, I've been avoiding my blog because I didn't want to jinx the competition or to give anything away, but I WON!!!! I'll be working on getting some photos and videos uploaded of the whole process. I'm also planning to make some short videos about the process that I went through to make my "Winning" video. HEHEEHEHHE. I wonder how much insurance is going to be?

Then there were FIVE...

2007-12-07T08:02:00.000-08:00

I just got a press release from DIY Network (included below) that I am one of the 5 finalist to win the Trans Am pictured.

Mr. Brinkerhoff,

Congratulations on your selection as a finalist in the Burt Builds a Bandit contest on DIY Network and Heavy.com! As you are probably already aware, on Friday, December 14 at 8 pm Mountain, DIY Network will reveal the winner of a Burt Reynolds Edition Trans Am, selected by the legendary actor himself, during a one-hour special, Celebrity Rides: Burt Builds a Bandit. Tune in to watch for your name and see a portion of your video, or go to Heavy.com the following day to see if your video was selected. DIY is available in your area on Cox Cable on channel 133 or nationwide on DISH Network Ch. 111 and DIRECTV Ch. 230. For additional cable channel designations, you can check local listings or visit www.DIYnetwork.com/tv.

Also, if you want to check out your competition, starting Monday, December 10th, Heavy.com will feature a different finalist's video each day leading up to the selection of the winner on Friday.

If you are selected as the winner next Friday, the following Monday, December 17, you will be contacted from a representative of the DIY Network to begin discussions on the logistics for delivery of the Trans Am. In the event that you are contacted by the media in the interim, please refer calls to myself or Brandii Toby at DIY Network or our public relations agency FerenComm in New York. We're happy to coordinate any media interviews or appearances that may come your way as a result of your being a finalist for the car, or if you are selected as the winner.

Congratulations again and thanks for submitting your video.

Gary McCormick, APR, Fellow PRSA
Director of Public Relations
Scripps Emerging Networks

DIY Network - FINE LIVING TV NETWORK

*edit*
I've been asked to take the phone numbers out of the post because people have been calling them up to chat!

THIS JUST IN!

2007-12-06T13:15:00.000-08:00

...Blog to be updated Soon! In the mean time here's some vehicle illustrations that I did at work. MOVE OUT!

S'more sketch tests

2007-12-05T07:44:00.000-08:00

I think that I'm ready to tackle the 106 sketch cards now...maybe.

Semi-Finalist Trans AMbition

2007-12-01T11:22:00.000-08:00

and now a word from out sponsor...

Hi Spencer,

The Burt Builds a Bandit contest is winding down, so we’re in the process of identifying the top video entries. Yours is being adding to a select list of a semi-finalist. Please reply with your full contact info (as outlined below) for us to pass along to DIY Network, the contest sponsor, so that if your video is selected for the grand prize they can reach you immediately to have you confirm your identity and fill out the necessary documentation.

As a bonus, your video may be chosen to air on the DIY Network! In order to assure the highest possible quality of footage, please be prepared to mail or digitally upload (to a provided FTP address) your high-res source file by 12pm, December 7th. You will be contacted next week with further instructions if this is necessary.

Congratulations and good luck!

Another sketch test

2007-11-29T08:31:00.000-08:00

I'm going to have to be brave and just start sketching on the cards.

Sketch Test

2007-11-28T07:28:00.001-08:00

I've finished up the video, and now it's time to focus on my other 8 deadlines! The idea of the sketch cards scares me a little. It's been awhile since I did any traditional art work. I got excited about the project and I rushed out and bought some art markers to make it look cool, but then I realized I've never really worked much with markers.

This is not a sketch card illustration, it's just a practice. It's actually the 4th sketch that I did last night and I'm not going to show the other three! :D

2007-11-27T08:39:00.001-08:00

This is a video entry to explain why I deserve to win the TRANS AM from Smokey and the Bandit.

Still frames from the video

2007-11-27T08:31:00.000-08:00

The aspect ratio on the video is a little off. Here are a few stills. These are low resolution, but I can make some larger ones later.

Oh no!!...YEEESSSS!!!

2007-11-26T09:21:00.000-08:00

I'm right in the middle of all this prep work for the Bandit Video and then I see this on my door. I missed the FedEx guy. I was home too! Lame-oh door bell not workin'!! I'm sure the FedEx guy just knocked and ran.

Heheheeh, but he came back.

This is Phase One of the opening process.

There they are, sandwiched between the fluffy Styrofoam. I'm sure you're asking yourself what they are right?

Lord of the Rings BLANK sketch cards. I'm going to be sketching on these 106 cards that will then be inserted into the sets.

I'm a Rhinestone Cowboy

2007-11-26T08:57:00.000-08:00

I saw a link to a video contest to win Burt Reynolds Trans Am from Smokey and the Bandit. I thought that would be fun. I got online and I bought a mustache and a cowboy hat (the after Halloween sales were pretty good). I paid extra on shipping to make sure it came before Thanksgiving. The contest deadline is the end of November, so I wanted to take advantage of the long weekend.

Well this is what I got. I think I look just like the Bandit!

After getting off the phone with customer service and discovering that there was nothing I could do to get a new hat in time I cut off the sequins and then spray painted it tan. The close up shot shows how poorly the hat took the paint.

So I tried some sandpaper and then some dirt to smooth things out a bit.

I used the c clamp to stretch it to fit bit better.

I then I took the band that I made for my Indiana Jones hat and there we have it! I posted the video to the contest site this morning and am waiting on approval to be able to share it with the world.

Well, I got older...Again

2007-11-26T08:47:00.000-08:00

The check engine light came on and I had it evaluated at Auto Zone. They said that the fuel was running lean, but that it was alright to drive. So we went to Serrano's for my birthday dinner. As we were sitting there, this old guy walks by, looks at all the kids and asks if we were babysitting or something. He looked completely shocked when I said they were all mine, and then he said, "Cute little farts aren't they?"

After dinner the car wouldn't start. We got a hold of some friends from church that have a vehicle large enough to take us home. heh :D memories...

Lucky for me we didn't need to put ALL the candles on the cake.

Um, earlier in the day I found Jackson eating dirt. Maybe he thought it was cake?

Boba Fett? Boba Fett! WHERE?

2007-11-15T07:08:00.000-08:00

I thought that it would be cool to see Young Boba Fett in the clone wars cartoons.

Ode to Chuck Norris

2007-11-12T13:38:00.000-08:00

I don't know when or how it happened, but Chuck Norris is the toughest man alive! Today my friend Jess posted the link to Chuck Norris Facts and I was AMAZED at the knowledge contained on the site.

Here's a few gems;

Some people wear Superman pajamas. Superman wears Chuck Norris pajamas.
Chuck Norris will never have a heart attack. His heart isn't nearly foolish enough to attack him.
Guns don't kill people. Chuck Norris kills People.
The chief export of Chuck Norris is Pain.

I decided to make a poster in honor of his toughness.

Edit** I just saw the headline on MSN "What really killed the Dinosaurs?" DON'T THEY KNOW? It was the Chuck Norrisaurus!!!

Book Cover

2007-11-08T08:16:00.000-08:00

I told Spencer to hold up his book cover and smile and this is what I got!

A few years back I went to the San Diego Comic Con. While I was there I ran into my friend from college Jess Hickman. She's a wonderful artist and I've always been a bit jealous of her talents. Anyway, I haven't been in regular contact with her but she always remembers my birthday. I told her that Spencer and I saw the book covers that her boyfriend Grant had made and that we printed them out for his school folder. I think they're great!

The real Dr. Jones

2007-11-07T09:04:00.000-08:00

Well, I had the hat, so I went about gathering the other supplies to finish off my Indiana Jones costume. I'm pretty happy with how the costume turned out. If you can't tell I did a bit of photoshop work to the first image, but only a little.

Jackson didn't seem too impressed with the costume.

Halloween Nite

2007-11-07T09:00:00.000-08:00

There's a Cul de sac in our neighborhood that blocks off access and they all set up chairs an pass out candy. One guy sets up a few tables and his BBQ grill and makes hot dogs. We had gone out to my parents house to show off the kids costumes and then went back to our own neighborhood. It was getting a bit late and we hadn't fed the kids anything yet so Jenna dropped us off for hot dogs and then went home to pass out candy at our house.

Jackson on the bat cycle.

Halloween Costumes

2007-11-07T08:48:00.000-08:00

Spencer convinced Nicole that he should be Darth Vader. I had fun making the shoulder armor and the belt for this costume.

Talley goes to sewing lessons with my Mom and they worked on making her Indian costume.

I'm not sure where the idea came from, but Megan wanted to be an Angel.

Nicole decided on Snow White.

Jackson seemed pretty happy to settle for a Batman costume that Jenna made for one of the kids a few years back.

Pumpkin Carving

2007-11-07T08:46:00.000-08:00

I think that the pictures say it all.

Little devils

2007-11-07T08:41:00.000-08:00

Susan came over and showed us what her costume was going to be for Halloween. The kids had fun trying it on.

Pre-Halloween fitting

2007-11-07T08:34:00.000-08:00

We got down the Halloween box and started to go through the costumes. Talley grabbed the Mulan costume that Jenna had made when Spencer was a baby.

Colee couldn't decided which costume that she liked best. Tinkerbell...

...or Darth Vader.

Haircut

2007-11-07T08:25:00.000-08:00

Now that Jackson has turned a year old, we thought it was time for him to get a haircut. My sister Susan went to Carston's and has been cutting our hair for years. Nicole seems to be a bit excited to see Jackson get his hair cut.

Jackson wasn't too thrilled with the process. Susan was afraid that he wouldn't have anything to do with her after the haircut.

WOW! It's like we have a whole new kid around the house.

Colee decided that she would get a trim too.

A day of rest

2007-11-07T08:15:00.001-08:00

I'm not quite sure how this came about, but Sunday afternoon had turned into Wrestle-Mania. It's me against the kids and somebody is always getting hurt.

A recent addition to our wrestling is to bring the couch cushions upstairs to pad the floor a bit. In the picture above you can see that Spencer needed to take a bit of a breather.

This last photo is all about team work. Everyone working together can overcome any obstacle. You can also see from this picture that I may have a slight need for a can of that "spray-on hair".

The Big ONE

2007-11-07T07:50:00.001-08:00

That's my boy! Chocolate cake and ice cream.

It's always easier to finish things off instead of having to store all those left overs.

Souvenirs

2007-11-07T07:48:00.000-08:00

Island Barbie Princess had just come out while I was in India, and the girls wanted some jewelry just like she had!

Spencer got a boomerang. We've got a good sized backyard so I thought that I'd try it out. I threw it into the neighbor's yard on my first try.

Belated update

2007-11-07T07:37:00.000-08:00

Yes! I'm home. I fell off the whole blogging wagon. I'm going to work to make sure that I keep a bit more updated now that I'm back into a somewhat normal schedule.

The kids made these signs for me.

Jackson wasn't going to let me leave without him!

Trip Re-cap

2007-10-04T13:39:00.001-07:00

I think that the map just about says it all.

Phoenix to London = 10 hrs________Destination
London to Chennai = 11 hrs________7.5 hour layover
Chennai to Coimbatore = 1 hr_______Destination
Coimbatore to Chennai = 1 hr_______9 hr layover
Chennai to Kuala Lumpur = 3.5 hrs___3.5 hr layover
Kuala Lumpur to Perth = 6 hrs______Destination
Perth to Singapore = 6 hrs_________3 hr layover
Singapore to London = 5.3 hrs______7 hr layover
London to Phoenix = 10 hrs________DESTINATION

I was able to snap some photos of Greenland on the way home.

Piccadilly Circus

2007-10-04T13:32:00.000-07:00

After walking around a bit I finally found the shopping district at Piccadilly Circus. I don't know, I guess with the word "Circus" in the name I expected something a bit more entertaining. I did see a lot of people holding signs pointing me to buy cheap theater tickets.

The saddest part is that I went in to look at the tickets and a Star Wars poster caught my eye. Then I remembered that there's a Star Wars exhibition going on right now! It opens at 10:00 AM, but I needed to get all the way back to the airport by 12:00. I found out that I was 20 mins. away from the exhibition. With travel time to the airport and the exhibition I would have about 15 mins. to see the whole thing. So, I missed it.

Breakfast

2007-10-04T13:08:00.000-07:00

I think that I ended up walking away from Piccadilly Circus and found this little place to eat breakfast. I thought, "That was a nice little place. I'll have to take a photo when I leave." Well I forgot to take the picture, but I was in no rush so I walked back and took it!

LOOK OUT!!! There's an Australian impostor on the street!

On a side note. When I was leaving Australia they said that my carry-on bag was too heavy. I ended up taking my laptop out of the backpack, and the redistributing the backpack contents into my other bag so that I could stuff it into my checked luggage. I traveled all the way home with the camera case dragging behind me and the laptop under my arm.

I laughed at this sign, took a picture of it and then walked right past it. I saw a little open air marked that was just setting up off to the left and thought I would go through this little gate, into the alley and have a look. Then I thought of the sign! I backed up and kept on walking.

Day tour in London

2007-10-04T13:00:00.000-07:00

So I'm off and running. I've got about 6 hours in London so I decided to get out. I took the Heathrow Express to Paddington. On the train I talked to someone who was coming home from a trip to San Francisco. She suggested that I take the Bakerloo line to Piccadilly Circus and have a look around.
The escalator in the underground was so steep that I nearly fell!

I just started walking around and I came down a small alley where they were setting up some fruit stands etc. I thought that this was a cool looking building.

Goodbye Australia ;(

2007-10-03T14:08:00.000-07:00

Well, it's hard to say goodbye, but I've been away from my family for 2 weeks. I'm getting pretty excited to just get home. This is a shot down by the Harbor at Fremantle.

I was standing at the airport and decided to do a panorama shot. I got to the end and this girl was standing there and just made for a wonderful reflection shot!

In parting, I forgot to mention that everything in Australia was pretty familiar. I was a bit confused by "Hungry Jack's". I forgot to take a photo so I got this one off the internet. It turns out that someone already owned the name "Burger King" and wasn't willing to part with it. As a result, we have Hungry Jack's.

Networking for the Blind

2007-10-03T14:00:00.000-07:00

One of the guys that we met in Australia was Iain Murray. He works in Rehabilitation Engineering & Assistive Technology Research at the Curtin University of Technology. He told us that when he first learned about the Networking Academy Program that he thought it would be perfect for the Blind. He said that it required the network engineer to be able to visualize the network as much as being able to actually build one.

Below is Iain, Aubrey, Dr. Helen from the University, (Helen Parke is blocked from view) and then Lou.

This is a peak into the secret lab...well not so secret. Iain is working on new technology to assist the blind. I think that he said this project was a PDA.

The Cisco Networking Academy text book in braille.

I though this poster was great!

Checking out of Fremantle

2007-10-03T13:55:00.001-07:00

In my final stroll around downtown Fremantle, I was sure to take a shot of the local University.

These are the train tracks at the far end of the park.

We stayed in the building in the center back with the red dome. It is the Esplanade Hotel.

I don't know what it means.

Cisco Mini-Conference

2007-10-03T13:05:00.000-07:00

I think that because I was traveling with Helen who is the Exec. Director, I was involved in a bunch of different meetings. We attended a Cisco Mini-Conference and were asked to take a bit of time to introduce ourselves. I feel that Helen and I communicate quite well, and that she feels confident in having me speak to a crowd as a representative of the Cisco Learning Institute.

Lou had asked me to take some photos while I was video taping from the back, and when I was asked to come up front and talk a bit, I took this photo. :D

Swan Bell Tower

2007-10-03T12:36:00.005-07:00

We had a bit of time between our meetings and I wanted to go out and get some more footage of Australia. We drove down towards the water and found the Swan Bell Tower. I had never heard of it before. I went walking around and then went to the top of the tower.

I was windy enough at the top that I opted to leave my hat with the guard.

Oh yeah, work

2007-10-03T12:27:00.000-07:00

Helen and I went to meet with Paul (far right) to hear about the new method and technology that he's developed to teach some of the Cisco curriculum. When we got there we were introduced to Dr. Otsuki and Mr. Akamatsu from Kobe. I enjoyed having the opportunity to introduce myself in Japanese.

Paul explained that he comes from a scientific background. He searched around a bit for effective methods in teaching and didn't find anything that he felt was working. So he then applied the scientific method to the problem of education and came up with some wonderful concepts. I look forward to hearing more from him.

We are leaving cameras and equipment with 15 different Networking Academy sites around the world. Over the next 2 years they will record their class lessons for 1 hour a week and then mail them back to us. Helen is presenting the camera to the head of the Central TAFE in Perth Australia. I looked through the business cards that I came home with, but I didn't seem to get hers, so I'm not sure of her name or title.

Sister cities

2007-10-03T12:19:00.000-07:00

Well, I've come to find out that Flagsaff Arizona is part of the sister city program with City of Blue Mountains in New South Wales Australia! Below is another photo of Fremantle, which is on the other side of the country from City of Blue Mountains.

Here's a shot of downtown Flagstaff. (From the internet).

Here's me looking quite Australian.

Just a beat-up old sign.

Pink Diamonds

2007-10-03T11:58:00.000-07:00

So, Helen had heard that Western Australia is where the pink diamonds come from. She had an address so we went to check it out. It turns out that the address that she had was actually for the factory that processes the diamonds. They, ah, well, they wouldn't let us in. :D

They referred us to a jeweler called Linney's. We drove out to the shop and it was right down the street from the Witches Cauldron. We walked in the front door and this guy came up to greet us. We told him that we had been referred to speak to David Fardon and he said, "Yes, we've been expecting you. We just got a call from the factory." Woah! These guys are on the ball.

So the diamonds were pretty small, but the price tag wasn't. He said that over 95% of the worlds true pink diamonds come from Western Australia. He said that some diamonds are colored by impurities, but that these pink diamonds are formed through a natural shift in the formation of the diamonds structure. The pink color is actually a result of the way that the light is diffused.

In the shop they had this gigantic geode. It's about 4 feet long.

Put a bounce in your step

2007-10-02T12:06:00.000-07:00

Helen and I drove up to Perth (approx. 15 min.) and picked up Louise Heppell for dinner. Helen left India a day earlier than I did so that she could go to a Cisco mini-conference in Brisbane with Lou. Then, they both came out to be here in Perth for another mini-conference as well as the video interviews that Helen and I were working on.

So, this is what puts the bounce in your step. A heaping helping of KANGAROO. I mentioned to one of the guys we've been working with that I ate kangaroo for dinner and this was his reaction. "Oh great. You've eaten our national symbol. Next time I head to the states, I'll be sure and eat a bald eagle, and all it's eggs." :D

I'm pretty sure he was teasing.

Lou just kept laughing at me! She thought that it was wonderful the way that I was embracing the culture and wearing my Akubra and my Australia jacket.

The Witches Cauldron

2007-10-02T11:58:00.000-07:00

We were walking around after finding my Akubra and we asked someone where we could go for a good bite to eat. They suggested that we go to eat at a place called The Witches Cauldron.

(btw, Helen was so impressed with the way that I looked in my hat, she got one for her son!)

Shopping

2007-10-02T09:18:00.000-07:00

So, I talked to a guy at a shop in Fremantle and he said that I would have better luck finding my hat if I went in to Perth. I picked up Helen and Louise from the airport and then took Louise to the Hotel where she was staying in Perth. Helen was so happy to get off the plane that she didn't mind driving around a bit. We found a parking spot and walked down the shopping area to find the hat shop.

Doesn't this look like main street Disneyland?

We were walking back to the car and I stopped to take this photo. I found the hat. This is a cross between the formal, short-brimmed hat with the Indiana Jones style band, and the traditional western style Australian "cowboy" hat. It's called "Leisure Time", but the girl at the shop kept calling it Leshur Tem. Sometimes there's a slight language barrier.

This is the weekend market in Fremantle. It's similar to a swap meet where people set up their booths and sell stuff.

I can Iron, really....

2007-10-02T09:09:00.000-07:00

...I just need to figure out how this plug thing works!!!

Calling Dr. Jones

2007-10-02T08:50:00.000-07:00

Well, I like to try and buy something interesting from each of the areas that I go to. I'm a fan of Indiana Jones and I was doing some research before I left on my trip. I thought that since I was going out on this adventure that I should have the proper adventure gear. I discovered that the basic model for the Indiana Jones hat is made from an Akubra. The Akubra hat is 100% Australian made. So I thought that while I was here, I should get the right hat for the job. I was in some of the shops in Fremantle and I found this "Authentic" Indiana Jones hat. When I say authentic, what I mean is that it's a licensed movie product. It's a wool hat, and it had the right look, but it's NOT an Australian Akubra. I took this photo so that when I found the Akubras I could pick out a hat that most resembled the licensed hat.

Back to Fremantle

2007-10-02T08:47:00.001-07:00

I really enjoyed the building around Fremantle. It reminded me of downtown Flagstaff Arizona.

This is the Roundhouse. It was the landing ground for the settlers.

I tried to stitch together a panoramic shot from the top of the roundhouse.

CAKE!

2007-10-02T08:33:00.000-07:00

I went out to dinner with Aubrey and Jan. We were walking down the street looking for a spot to eat when this older lady stopped us. She was obviously the "Mama" of this Italian restaurant. She ushered us in and sat us down and we had a meal. I capped it off with a little cake.

This is not a shot of the restaurant bathroom, but this is a fairly common urinal.

Public Art

2007-10-02T08:31:00.001-07:00

These images are from a short video sequence that I shot. As I moved from left to right the shape of the MC Escher optical illusion illustration are brought to life.

Signs of the times

2007-10-02T08:27:00.001-07:00

Being in a foreign country is always, well, a bit foreign. Some of the phrases can be quite different.

The idea of a "Yield" sign conjures images of surrender for most of the Aussies that I talked to.

Now, I knew that it was a long trip, but I didn't realize that the "Land Down Under" was so near to the Elvish kingdom of Rivendel of Middle Earth.

Walk-A-Bout

2007-10-02T08:20:00.000-07:00

Shortly after arriving in WA (western Australia), I contacted Aubrey Adams. He is one of the Networking Academy instructors that we're here to work with. I met up with him and his wife Jan and we took a walk around the area of the school.

I thought that this tree was interesting because it's bark looked like camouflage. Isn't it wonderful how nature can make it's own camouflage? Hmmm, wait a second! Isn't that what camouflage is?!?!? :D

We walked through one are that was thick with trees and Parrots. They were so loud.

Community-Electric-Bar-B-Que. Need I say more?

Down Under / Over Easy

2007-09-29T19:38:00.000-07:00

So I forgot to document the way that the water drains clockwise (I've also come to know that the Aussies refer to our water draining as anti-clockwise), but I did notice this below.

First, the socket looks like the "Scream" painting (Skrik, 1893 is a seminal series of expressionist paintings by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch).

Second, in the land down under, the switch is down for on and up for off.

The toilet has two flush buttons. The one at the top has a line through the middle of it. I never heard a formal explanation for this, so I would assume that it's a half flush, and the bottom button is a full flush.

I'm not making any comparisons to the bathroom and my breakfast, I was just doubling up the posts.

I walked around in the morning and found a little cafe to have breakfast at ($35.00 just seemed too much for a meal at the hotel). I walked in and they told me that they had a special today and I said that I'd take it. I had decided early on in the trip that I would be eating some odd stuff so I decided to embrace it and try whatever came my way.

This is bruschetta bread with eggs and bacon. Pretty good stuff.

Fremantle

2007-09-29T18:30:00.000-07:00

So I got in a bit late and decided to have dinner at the hotel. It was a buffet style dinner for only $35.00 and a mere $4.50 for a glass of lemon-aid. So I had lamb curry and then tried some octopus and some desserts.

It was still a bit early so I hit the streets. It was a Thursday night so I didn't expect their to be a huge night life, but we had decided to come to stay in Fremantle because it had a night life. What I didn't know at the time is that the people only come out on the weekend. So I would turn down a street and be the ONLY person out. It was a bit odd.

This is looking off to the right from my balcony.

Wild Wild Western Australia

2007-09-29T16:52:00.000-07:00

Well, I've come to find out that Western Australia is the largest state and that it takes up about 1/3 of the whole country.

The capital city, Perth, is the most isolated city of over one million people in the world, being 1307 miles from Adelaide. Perth is closer to Jakarta, Indonesia (1,868 miles) than it is to Sydney(2,041 miles).

So, I flew into Perth and then Hired a car at the airport to drive down to Fremantle where I'd be staying. (I forgot to get a picture of the car so I found this shot online) :D

This is really me though. I propped open the door and set the camera's timer to take this shot. I had to take two photos and stitch them together.

Hello Kuala Lumpur

2007-09-29T16:42:00.000-07:00

The Kuala Lumpur airport was pretty neat. I was sitting and waiting for my connecting flight and I turned on my laptop. I don't remember exactly what time it was back home, but I decided that I would use skype to call our home line so that Jenna could get onto skype and we could talk a bit. So I called up and then my computer started beeping that I was running out of power. I found a wall plug, pulled out the adapter and the web cam, and talked to my family. I had a few people stop and look at what I was doing. That was pretty cool.

Goodbye Chennai

2007-09-24T07:32:00.001-07:00

I had a very strong WiFi signal in the airport. I got online and saw that Stephen Hird was signed on already. I got his user name and used vSee to videocall with him. It was pretty cool to be sitting in the airport in India and to be watching a video call with a co-worker in Phoenix Arizona. Pretty cool stuff.

So here's a parting shot of India.

Officer Money-bags

2007-09-24T07:10:00.000-07:00

So, I asked a taxi how much he would charge to get me back to the airport. He said that he wasn't working right now and told me to move on. I walked out and stopped to talk to the police officer out front. I asked her where I could go and get money exchanged, or find a bank. She asked me how much money I had, so..... I LIED!!! I was wearing a money belt with my passport and about $140.00 dollars in it. I said, "I've got $20.00". :D

I reminded her that the exchange rate was 40:1 and she said that she would give me 30:1. Then she gathered the money together and handed it to some other guy so that he could exchange it with me. BUT, she only had590 rupees. Oh well, it was better than I had. So then the taxi driver who was standing there watching the whole thing offered to only charge me 250 rupees to take me sight seeing. I asked the officer if he was being fair and she chewed him out a bit, then he offered to do it for 200. (Don't I look hot and...sweaty?)

And with that, WE'RE OFF!!!

I didn't get a lot of photos of this adventure, but I did get lots of video. We went to the beach and I thought that I have to go into the water. I took off my shoes and socks and waded in. The beach was littered with garbage and people. I'm pretty sure that I was the only white person there. There were quite a few beggars that started following me at the beach.

My feet were totally sandy, so I wasn't ready to put my shoes on. My taxi driver said that we were going to a temple and that I should just keep them off. I was so scared of stepping on a piece of glass or something. We made it to the temple and the priest (or yogi I'm not sure what the right title is) invited me up on the platform. He said a chant, up flowers around my neck, and then ash on my forehead. He then put out the plate for me to make a money offering. So, I reached in my bag and grabbed a coin to drop in the plate. It was a 1 pound coin from my England trip.

I look like I just won the Derby!!!

National Park!!!

2007-09-24T06:47:00.001-07:00

So I made it! There was a main road that went back to a dead end. To the right was the zoo animals, and to the left was this curb and then a bunch of garbage and rubble where the cars were parked leading into a dense forest area.

I sat outside the snake house fanning myself and drinking my water. I was still worried about my lack of funds. I was thinking that making it to the park was probably a good enough accomplishment so I would spend the last of my cash on getting back to the airport (and waiting for a few hours till my flight left). BUT, here I was, at the snake house, it only cost 5 rupees (but I might need that to try and get back to the airport). Well, I decided to pay. and go in. They guy stopped me and said that I had to pay 10 rupees if I was taking any photo equipment in. Well, I just couldn't part with another 5 rupees but I couldn't NOT take a some photos. Oh, right so the exchange rate is 40 rupees to 1 US dollar, but if you don't have enough money, what little you have becomes very valuable.

Ah, this photo of the snake house was taken from my seated position on the curb.

Um, this was the first thing I saw of interest. I pulled my camera out to take a photo (5 RUPEES!!!) and the thing jumped into the water liked greased lightning!!! It was kinda scary. Most of the exhibits weren't put together very well so I had a certain concern about the stability of the fence. So I moved on.

They were just sitting there = slightly less scary. So I left.

This cute little not-reptilian specimen cozied right up anybody with food.

I shot some video here too.

Sight Seeing?

2007-09-24T06:33:00.000-07:00

So I had an 8 hour layover in Chennai (again). I went over to the tourist desk and asked what I could do. The guy at the counter was quite helpful. He said, "Go across the street and take the train for 4 Rupees. Then get a 3 wheel taxi for 30 Rupees and go to the national park. Then take another taxi to the beach and up the coast. Then get on the train and come back to the airport."

It sounded pretty good, but I didn't check how much money I had in my pocket before I took off. The taxis were swarming all over me. I made it across the street (ummm, scary!), and onto the train. I got off and decided that I would just walk. Heheheh, "It doesn't look too far on the map."

Right before I took this picture, so school girls stopped me. They asked where I was from and where I was going. They advised me that it was probably too far to walk to the park. One girl said, "Look at you, you're so white. So cute." Then she pinched my cheek. They said, "Don't forget us", I offered to take a picture with them and they all ran away. :D

So, I was hounded by another taxi. He wanted me to pay 60 Rupees for a ride to the park. I counted my money and I only had 55 rupees, but I still needed money to get back to the airport. The taxi driver said, "How much money do you make in the states? And you come here with only 55 rupees? sheeesh!!" Then he left me. I had to cross the road again, but this time there were many more lanes. There was a girl walking across at the same time, so I just waited and walked across when she did.

I walked for quite some time. I was smart enough to have some water with me. I was rationing it for my hike. I was carrying my backpack and pulling the video camera with me. It was very hot! I stopped after awhile and asked a traffic officer how much further. He said, "Not much farther, just about 1 more Kilometer". Hmpft!!! Whatever that means!! I think that the trip to the park was over 2 kilometers.

I wasn't sure how much further that I had to go, but I found this Temple and I stopped to take a photo for a bit.

WWC

2007-09-24T06:18:00.000-07:00

So I landed in Chennai, again. I had about 8 hours to do, something. Well, that something started with a trip to the toilet. I decided to use the stall labeled "WWC". I'm assuming that stands for "Western Water Closet". The other toilet were, ah, they were what we used to call squatters. So, the first thing I noticed was the nice little sanitary spray to clean off the seat. But...

It just wouldn't be a toilet without a hose to clean off your backside. I just don't like walking into the stall to find water all over the floor.

In the Airport, Again

2007-09-24T06:13:00.001-07:00

When Helen and I first landed in Coimbatore she commented that if felt like we arrived in Hawaii.
Hey look! I'm in the airport!!!

Off to the Airport

2007-09-24T05:42:00.000-07:00

Ok, so on the road in India, you honk your horn A LOT!! The protocol is to let the other drivers know where you're at so they don't run you off the road. Some of the service and larger vehicles have "Sound Horn" printed on the back.

So, if you work for the power company you have to be good at untangle knots!

Final lap

2007-09-24T05:26:00.000-07:00

So on my final lap around the school we ran into a bit of rain. So the students lined up their shoes and umbrellas in the hallway.

This woman was working to sweep the stairs. Her "Broom" is on the stairs near her feet. I've also learned that sometimes the Indian people will put a large swipe of the ash on their forehead to help keep them cool.

This is the instructor that will be participating in our Video Evaluation project. His name is Sivadasan and he's been teaching at the school for about a year. He was a bit nervous to be video taped, but he seemed very grateful to have us working with him.

DOH! I'm such a dork! As we were walking up to the school of business we met one of the instructors and I can't remember her name. I love the traditional clothing that the women wear. They all have such bright colors and detailed patterns (and I'm wearing an off-white polo shirt).

Early to Rise...

2007-09-24T05:16:00.000-07:00

Man, I don't know what I was thinking! I got up early so that I could everything ready to go, but it took a lot less time then I expected.

I had planned on wearing my traditional Indian shirt today, but it was too small. The sales person looked at me and said, "You need a size 44". When I went to put it on It was a size 42. I packed up all my luggage so that I would have time to go back to the shop and get the right size.

Thanks to Kim, I was able to take advantage of the spare time to wake up my brain a little by doing a little Sudoku.

I also took another walk around the house and snapped this photo.

OH YEAH!!! So I stayed at the traveler's "Hotel" when I had my layover in Chennai. I was surprised by the small room and thing mattress. Well, this is the mattress in my guest room. It's the same size as the traveler's hotel.

On the road Again

2007-09-22T06:56:00.000-07:00

Well, it wouldn't be a trip if we didn't have a few snags. We got Helen to the airport only to discover that her flight was canceled. They said that they tried to contact her, but couldn't. They rushed around a bit and found a solution. The airlines arranged a flight to Chennai, connecting to Bangalore so that Helen could make her connection to Singapore.

Into the city

2007-09-22T06:42:00.000-07:00

I've been on the road a bit here in India, and these Trike taxis seemed pretty scary. Riding on the roads is like going down a creek. There's a current and a flow to it. Sometimes it's moving fast, and sometimes it's slow, but it's always moving.

We stopped in for a bit of shopping and we were attacked. They started throwing out all there scarfs and shirts and whatever. If you showed a slight interest they just kept pulling out more items for you to be interested in. Everything seemed to be about 10% off.

Hey Look! It's Sonic the Hedgehog shilling Italian Ice Creams. THAT'S GREAT!!!

We stopped by a Temple near a hospital on the way to dropping Helen off at the airport. These boys flocked to us. The tall one in the back said that he's 14!

Mmmm PURE!!

2007-09-22T06:40:00.001-07:00

If there's one thing that I've heard about India it's their abundance of 100% pure treated water.

Presentation

2007-09-22T06:25:00.000-07:00

I better eat my breakfast because I've got a big day ahead of me. I think there's some lentils in the curry, and then rice with some very nice red sauce. To the right is a type of tortilla type thing, and the bottom are some fried cauliflower I think. All Veg, All the Time.

Shree asked Helen to speak to some of the students at the school of business. The photo below is the school. He told us that a lot of the 3rd and 4th year students were dropping out to go into the workforce. His concern was about the students preparing for a job, and missing out on the opportunity to be prepared for a career. He asked if Helen and I would give them some encouragement to stick through till the end of their schooling.

I put together a very quick presentation. It was a series of photos of me walking and then hitting a wall. It then pulls back to reveal that I've been walking on some stairs. I jump and hop and finally get up over the stairs, but then I have more stairs to climb. I told them that they need to prepare to overcome many tasks, not just one.

India is starting to grow on me

2007-09-22T06:21:00.001-07:00

There must be something in the water. I was getting ready for the day and I found this GIGANTIC eyebrow. Um so, I... well... I just thought I'd share. :D

I'm on the Top of the Roof...

2007-09-22T06:13:00.001-07:00

One of the other things that I saw around the campus was all of the other people that are making a better life for themselves by being part of the operations of the campus.

I was up on the roof looking around the grounds and I saw these guys going about to work. I love that guys hat.

This is a shot of the University guest rooms.

I guess it's a bit small, but in the lower right of this photo I've put a small red circle. I thought it was interesting the way that this bird was just hanging out up there.

Around the School

2007-09-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

If I remember right, Shree was teaching some of the instructors from around the area.

Helen and I went out on a walk and came across these meditations huts. I've come to find out that the school is founded by a religious leader. The food that has been prepared is vegetarian, the furniture in the guest house was made in the carpentry shop, the grounds are irrigated by the on-campus water reclamation plant. It really has been amazing to see all that the school is doing.

Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Coimbatore India

2007-09-22T05:10:00.000-07:00

http://www.amrita.edu/

http://www.amrita.edu/ase/coimbatore/index.htm

So here we are at the school. To my right is Shri Kristian (I'm going to have to get a hold of him so that I can spell his name right), and of course Helen. We were heading up to the networking academy.

This is just one building on the campus. All of the building were made for the University. They really are quite wonderful.

Guest house grounds

2007-09-18T02:47:00.001-07:00

I took a little walk yesterday morning to see what else was around the grounds here. I'm pretty impressed.

The art of folding paper is....

2007-09-18T02:41:00.001-07:00

ORIGAMI!!!

ok, it's a different spelling but it's the thought that counts!

Look at that key! It's like some think that the dog on the Pirates of the Caribbean would have.

Signed Sealed Delivered!

2007-09-18T02:34:00.001-07:00

I forgot to mention this. Before I was allowed to check in for my flight from Chennai to Coimbatore, I had to have my luggage checked. They ran it through the x-ray, and then ran it onto this machine that wrapped this white band around it, sealed it, and cut it to length. It was the same type of band used on the old stacks of newspaper or for shipping.

This is the view from my balcony (without that goofy guy standing in the way).

The Journey

2007-09-18T02:28:00.001-07:00

I showed in the last post how grateful I was at my living accommodations, but I didn't talk about what it took to get there. There is a protocol to driving. GO! GO FAST! HONK! :D I'm just glad to see that the traffic officer had the sense to get out of the traffic and into a tower.

These are a very common taxi. Actually, it would appear that almost any car can, and is a taxi.

There's a railroad crossing right outside the University gates.

The Diamond in the Rough

2007-09-18T02:22:00.001-07:00

So, the Chennai traveler's hotel left me wondering what I was going to find at the University Guest Housing. Boy was I happy to pull in through these gates!!!

Here's the main entrance from the right side of the driveway.

This is the view from the balcony of my room.

The mattress of this bed is almost identical to the one in the travel hotel.

Po-ta-to Po-tah-to

2007-09-16T09:19:00.000-07:00

So, it's 4AM local time. I leave the Chennai airport and head toward the gate for Coimbatore. I felt like Tom Hanks in "The Terminal". I was standing in line to go through customs and the whole place was under construction. At one point I was standing on a tape stretched across the floor that said, "Danger! Do not Enter". I was going to take some photos, but I didn't want to draw any attention to myself. The guards at the doors had some pretty scary looking guns. ACTUALLY, I recognized one of the guns as the type that was used as the base for the construction of the Stormtrooper guns in Star Wars. (I didn't really want to think about those things being functional.)

I have EIGHT hours before my flight leaves. Before I left on this trip, Richard at work had told me that alot of guys would try and help push my bags around for me so that they could earn a tip. I turned them all down. Then this one guy in a blue blazer came up and started talking to me. He said that he was an airport representative and that he could help me out. So he said he could get me a cab that would take me to a hotel with a bed and shower and tv and that it would only cost 600 rupees. That sounded good to me.

Ummm, wow! Hotel? Shower? Not quite what I expected.

This is SOME of the rubbish in the area of the "Hotel".

I stood in the doorway so that I could try and get a shot of the WHOLE room.

Again, I couldn't take it all in. There is actually a shower head, but it just didn't make it in the shot.

I did get to shave. That made me seem a bit more presentable.

Dinner and ....Book?

2007-09-16T09:15:00.001-07:00

So I grabbed a baguette sandwich from one of the shops and then headed for my departure gate. On the way I noticed a vending machine with books in it! I've never seen that. But I am pleased to report that it seemed to be well stocked with the High School musical spin-off novelizations. Whew! I was afraid I wasn't going to find any quality reading material!!

Paper or Plastic

2007-09-16T09:10:00.001-07:00

The flight to Chennai India was less forgiving about the "Only 1 carry-on" rule. They made me jump out of line and get my bag checked in. I've got that tripod attached to the bag, so I had to get the thing all wrapped up in plastic, and then they charged me to add another checked bag!!!

So I get the attention of the guy who pulled me out of line and he put me in the first class check-in line so I could get through quicker. I walked right in, stood there for less than a minute when a different security agent pulled me out of line for a random x-ray scan. Thanks for the fast track mate!

Blinding Flash!

2007-09-16T08:24:00.000-07:00

So, I'm back in the Heathrow Express. I thought that I'd be smart and leave 1 of my bags at the airport so I wouldn't have to drag it all over the place. Well, I mis-read my flight schedule and I ended up leaving it at the wrong terminal!!!

No biggie, I got to ride the train again. So, I took this picture and out of nowhere this security officer rushes up to me and says that I can't take any Flash photos of the drivers. Ok....WHAT?!?!

Granted I have no experience driving a train but I have been to autotopia at Disneyland. The car is on a track, what does the driver really do? OHHHHH, AWWWWW, THE FLASH!!!! IT'S BLINDING ME!!!! :P

Sure, I'll have a Pint!

2007-09-14T13:59:00.001-07:00

....of LEMONADE! I was walking around Windsor castles and stopped for a bite to eat (I know I've got the receipt for that somewhere...). I decided that a place called "King and Castle" sounded just right for a bite to eat, but sensed that there was something a bit different about this place. They didn't have any waitresses, the wall was filled with different colored bottles all behind this big bar.... BAR! Heh!

I had wandered off the street into a pub. I ordered my Traditional Fish and Chips and then they asked what I was going to drink. I said that I would just have a Lemonade and the gal asked me if I wanted a PINT! When those Brits in the movies start talking about drinking they always say that they are going to have a Pint. I was a bit worried that they were going to serve me some of that Alcoholic lemonade or something. It was some really good lemonade. I'm pretty sure it wasn't spiked. :D

So I'm noticing that I want to talk in a British accent a little bit, but every other person that I run into is from someplace outside of England. interesting.

Where in the world....

2007-09-14T13:46:00.001-07:00

Do you know where I am??
So this is a shot of my room at the marriott.

But just down the road is Windsor Castle. Why couldn't we get a room there?

The next few shots are of the shops and building all around the Castle. The Castle was closed so I couldn't go through it, but it was great to walk around all those other shops.

Row Heath-ROW

2007-09-14T13:40:00.000-07:00

I'm sure that we've all had that uncomfortable feeling of flying around the world and being self conscious about our breath. Well, the British are real innovators in the field of dental health. Don't believe me? Well look what I found!!!

AHHHHH, that's why they call it the tube!
This one's for my sister Susan.

Now departing Phoenix

2007-09-14T13:36:00.000-07:00

LOOK AT THE GEEK!!!

The kids were pretty good when I left. Nicole was asleep, so I didn't get to say good bye to her.

Well of course...TEST POST!!!!

2007-09-13T09:54:00.000-07:00

Look at the surprise at me getting ready!!