theLaconic

Time lapse in San Francisco

I found this site after reading NotCot Amazing time lapse photography of san francisco and the ships that use the bay. The best of section is really cool and the live mapping of the ships is really cool in a classic nerd way.

Have a look/visit the site.

I think I want a dog

Kayla and I looked after Bam Bam last week as his parents were having a baby. He's now gone home and we are missing him. I keep thinking I would like a dog if my work life wasn't so hectic.

No if I had this dog and his special machine I think I would manage:

This makes me feel good.

please watch.

Getting older, not wiser

So I just returned from a week up in Tahoe snowboarding with Jim, Sandy and Neil (more of this later once I have sorted out the pictures). During the week there was quite a bit of discussion about getting older. To be fair I started most of the conversations but Sandy does have a few more white hairs since I last saw him....

So I am sitting here sorting out the emails from the last week and I noticed this screen snap I took while Kayla and I were having a video chat with Tony and Nico and realized that I haven't published it.

Tony you are getting old too my friend... We wish you guys (and everyone one else USBX) could of been there with us to talk on the chairlifts about losing and gaining hair in strange places.

it made me laugh

a dramatic lemur:

Oxo Tower Review

I can't take any credit for finding this review on trip advisor (real link here) and screen snapped for posterity... Thanks to Rory on facebook for the link. I feel an internet meme about to begin, review hacking.

The previous review number 5 is amusing too.

Twitter - Bring that beat back

Yes I know I am kind of ignoring this blog, I had always intended this place to be short and concise messages of what I am up to and things that generally interest me. In short I always wanted to be laconic hence the name of this thing.

You might have noticed that I have been using twitter - it's on my facebook page and in the right hand column of this website, I am predicting it's going to be big this year as more people become addicted to just letting people know what you are doing. It's overly simple to use and pretty addictive.

This screen shot was taken during the macworld keynote and I guess that there were a lot of people accessing the site/service...

a new year

my muni (transit) passes from 2007.

That was fast, last year that is. I think it's fair to expect that this year will pass quicker than the last and so it goes on.

We celebrated the new year by going to a 1920's themed bar downtown, Kayla has photos but I don't think she has downloaded them yet, I'll post some as soon as I can. It was a lot of fun and today was a little difficult (yes it was a slight hangover).

I suppose I should talk about my new year resolutions, thematically I want to work less, live life more, explore more of California/West coast and be happier. Oh and the usual: lose 20lbs, learn the piano, go to life drawing classes...

Dear reader, do you have an resolutions for me or yourself?

Vegas a mini review

So I'm just on the flight back from our Christmas holiday in Las Vegas. I think it's safe to say it wasn't a traditional Christmas in fact it didn't feel like Christmas for the most part, a few of the Hotel Casinos had some good decorations that added a certain glitz to Christmas. The Hotels we liked and funny enough had the best decorations were at the Bellagio and the The Wynn the two hotel/casinos that might require a second visit next year.

In the past few years Vegas has had a culinary invasion with several notable and celebrity chefs opening signature restaurants in the hotels. Kayla and I managed to eat our way round Las Vegas and cross of a few notable chefs form our 'to eat at lists'.

Don't eat at Shibuya, living in San Francisco and being fortune enough to eat at some great sushi restaurants it might have been a slight mistake to decide to eat at this restaurant but the space was great and it was our first night. Anyway the menu was all over the place to quote Kayla. The service was great but the food was defiantly not
worth the price I paid.

Do eat at CraftSteak, a vegas outpost of one of our favorite New York restaurant Tom Colicchio's Craft. And as I've just found out as sister restaurant to his New York CraftSteak it offers a simpler menu than the up market Craft and surprising for Vegas quite good value compared to the meal we have had at Shibuya. I can heartily recommend the Bison New York Strip.

We also ate at Wolfgang Puck's Spago in Cesar's Palace and Mario Batali's Enoteca San Marco in the Venetian. Spago was quite good overall; good space, good service and good food but nothing stood out as being great or anything special. That can't be said of San Marco. We met Angie and her English boyfriend Warren for dinner before La Reve at 8pm, were we shared some cheese and meat plates for appetizers. And that's all we ate because it took over 1 hour for our entrees to arrive a which point we had to run to make the show, literally.

Don't go and see CrazyHorse review in the MGM it's not bad but it's not that great either. Do go and see La Reve at the Wynn - I think I am safe in saying this was the highlight of the trip for Kayla.

Do fly Virgin America. It's fascinating to me that this new airline seems to get everything spot on, as Kayla point's out Richard Branson is a genius. Even though we were delayed by over two hours because of fog at San Francisco airport all of the staff were cheery and helpful and this a had a great effect on the passengers - there was little if
any complaining. It's the second time I have have flown with them and I find myself excited about the prospect of flying with Virgin America again.

Here's a little taste of how Virgin America gets it pitch perfect again: Their safety video which is very well done.

Technorati Tags: Las Vegas, Virgin America, Review, Restaurants

An English Christmas

I've gone all Martha Stewart, no not avoiding paying taxes and going to jail but being all domestic. So I've spent the last day baking and cooking for a little Christmas get together that we are having at my apartment. I've made mulled wine, sausage rolls, mince pies and a big freaking 10lb ham that has a glaze of Bourbon and Pecan nuts.

I have to admit I am quite proud of myself, it all tastes great - of course I had to check if it tastes good...