Feeling Stranded in Osaka

Well it's been ages and I've done many things in the mean time.  I want to re-purpose this blog to be more about some of the stories of my life, so I don't forget and my kids will remember.  And since re-purposing is all the rage these days, I figured it would be a great way to go.

When I was sent to Tokyo for a work assignment at the end of 2011, I was sent for two weeks.  The people I associated with in Japan were very friendly at work, but I was totally on my own for the weekend (unlike being in Brazil).

The Shinkansen

I planned a trip for Saturday to take the Shinkansen bullet train to Osaka.  The plan was that I would be in Osaka for the morning and then take another bullet train back towards Tokyo, stopping off in Kyoto.  Then take a night bus (not like the knight bus in Harry Potter) back to Tokyo.  The night bus was much cheaper, and although my per diem in Japan was over $240 daily, I didn't want to spend all my money on another bullet train back to Tokyo for $180 per ticket.

The plan started off just fine.  I thought about getting cash out in Tokyo before I left, because most ATMs and vendors don't accept US credit cards.  After a short internal debate, I decided to forgo going out of my way to use the ATM I knew would work, and instead find one in Osaka.

I went to the train station and bought my ticket to Osaka.  Three hours later after travelling an average of 150 miles per hour, we reached Osaka and I got off.

I generally don't do maps when I travel.  I spend hours figuring out where I want to go and then commit the map to memory.  The only problem with this is that sometimes when getting out of a subway stop or train station, there isn't much I can do until I get my bearings.

So in Osaka, I started off going the wrong direction.  After about fifteen minutes of walking, I realized this, but do I back track?  No way.  I turn left and just keep walking.  Another fifteen minutes later, I pop into the park where the Osaka Castle replica is located.  I made it.  Not only did I make it, but my odd detour sent me right to one of the main gates.

Osaka Castle

The view from Osaka Castle

One of the castle walls and moats

The Osaka Castle was fascinating.  I walked around for a couple hours and really enjoyed the views of the castle and from the castle grounds.  The foundations of the castle have been around for hundreds of years, even if the castle was only rebuilt after WWII.

After spending my last Yen on admission to the castle itself, I realized that I would need to find an ATM soon.  I figured I had plenty of time on my long walk back to the train station, going a much more direct route this time.  However, each ATM I tried wouldn't take my card.  I couldn't find a single ATM that would accept a US debit card.

After searching for about twenty minutes, I begin to panic.  I start asking locals, who just stare at me because they don't speak any English.   I found one very nice man with his wife walking around, who could speak English.  He helped me translate the screen prompts on two different ATMs, but to no avail.

Japanese ATM

I'm now really freaking out.  "Why didn't I just get cash in Tokyo where I knew I could?"  "How am I going to contact my office to let them know I won't be at work on Monday, because I've become a bum in Osaka?"  "Will a search party go out for me?"  "Why do US cards have to be difficult to work with?"

This is unfamiliar territory for me.  I've traveled around the world, from Turkey, Guam, England, and Spain.  I've been "lost" before in unknown places, but I've never felt stranded.  I always knew I could find something familiar and get my bearings.  The difference this time, was that I had my bearings.  I knew exactly where I was, but I had no idea how to get back to where I was supposed to be.

Just when I was beginning to really stress that I might be stranded in Osaka, I found a Seven Eleven, where the ATMs are known to work with US cards.  At last!  I'm saved from being stranded.

I put my card in and followed the on screen prompts (in English this time) and it failed...

I sank.  I tried again, and it failed again.  The one ATM that was supposed to work, didn't.  Now it's really hopeless.

Just I start to sink back into despair again, I notice the phone attached to the ATM.  Yes a Phone.  Figuring it can't hurt to try, I pick it up.

Immediately it starts to ring and then a girl answers in Japanese.  I ask (in English) if she speaks English and sure enough she does.  She switches over to English without the slightest hesitation.  I tell her that I'm having a hard time getting the ATM machine to work.  She simply says, "Turn your card over."

Annoyed that it can't possibly be that simple, I tell her that I followed the diagram that shows me which way to put my card.  She says again, "Turn your card over and try it."

I flip my card over, contrary to the diagram's instructions, and proceed to get Yen out of the machine without any further glitches.  I thank her profusely, hang up and go get lunch.

After eating some fantastic takoyaki for lunch I head to the train station to buy my ticket to go to Kyoto.  On a whim, I try to use my credit card to buy my ticket.  It works maybe 20% of the time in Japan, and this time was one of the few places that worked.  So, to my embarrassment, I was never stranded at all.  At any point I could have just walked up and purchased a ticket back to Tokyo without ever finding an ATM.

Amsterdam & the Netherlands 2012 Part 1

In the April of 2012, I was sent to Amsterdam for a work assignment. This was initial testing and training for Paramount's SAP installation in Germany, France, and Spain. Because of the large number of users effected by this change (6 offices total), my trip to Amsterdam was going to be a two week trip.

I arrived in Amsterdam very early on Monday morning. I went to the hotel and after checking in early, showering, and getting ready to go to work, I grabbed my camera and took my first stroll along the canals of Amsterdam.

After work, although it was cold and rainy, I went with a coworker to see the April fair set up in the Dam Square only five minutes from our hotel.

It was also on this first day that I learned the Paramount office in Amsterdam would be closed on Friday.  Not only was I in Amsterdam, I was going to have a three day weekend there! I spent the week planning out my activities.

On Friday I was going to rent a car and drive all over the place. My aim was to see Muiderslot Castle, Kasteel de Haar, and the Keukenhof gardens. For Saturday I bought a train ticket to Brussels, Belgium.  And on Sunday I was going to relax, go to church, and sight see in Amsterdam proper.  In this post and the one following, I'm going to talk about my agenda on Friday and Sunday.  I'll leave Belgium for another time.

Friday came and I picked up my rental car. I was able to connect with some friends from Cincinnati who were living and going to school in Amsterdam, so the agenda was to pick them up at 10:00.

Knowing that I was only going to have one chance to have a car in Amsterdam I picked up the car at 7:00 and started driving to some predefined stops.

Stop number one was Castle Brederode. This old ruins seemed intriguing to me and although I knew I couldn't actually tour it a 7:30 AM, I was still able to walk around and get a few pictures.

The next stop was the series of locks and dams that keep the North Sea from engulfing Amsterdam which sits roughly 15 feet below sea level.

This is the industrial center of Amsterdam.  Although completely different from the city, castles, and gardens I was visiting, I thought it was just as fascinating.

After driving across the locks, I made my way to go pick up Dave and Abby, my partners for my trip across Amsterdam.

Our first stop together was Muiderslot Castle. Both Dave and Abby had been before and decided to walk around the town's 17th century fortifications while I checked out the castle.

Muiderslot was a fairly interesting castle. It was nearly completely medieval with few updates in the past two hundred years. With its close proximity to Amsterdam, it seemed a bit too touristy for my tastes generally. One of the tourist attractions was a falconry.  The garden needed some work, but probably would have been incredible in another week or two.

The weather so far was pretty cloudy and gray.  The forecast was for rain and all three of us hoped the weather would stay away for the rest of the days schedule.  As we got into the car after Muiderslot, it started to rain.

We had two more stops before reaching Kasteel de Haar.  Naarden looked incredible from Google Earth and I had to check it out.  Up close and in person, there wasn't much to see.  It's hard to get the floral pattern of the battlements without having the aerial view.  I was however glad I stopped by.

The next stop was the city of Utrecht.  The Kasteel De Haar was close to the city and Dave recommended we stop by to see the cathedral there.  The interesting thing about the cathedral in Utrecht is that the bell tower is no longer connected to the cathedral building.  During a storm in the late 1600's, the central nave collapsed separating the tower from the rest of the cathedral.  We walked through the streets above the canals (every city in the Netherlands has canals) before heading over to Kasteel De Haar.

Part 2 will discuss the remaining trip to Kasteel De Haar, the Keukenhof, and my tour around Amsterdam.

For the complete photos of part 1, click here.

Travel Lottery

As I was looking through some of my pictures of the past year, I can't help but feel that I won the travel lottery starting in July 2011.  That's when I was put on a project that had an international travel component with it.  That International travel component has taken me to London, Sydney, Tokyo, Amsterdam, Madrid, Munich, Paris, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, Sau Paulo and Gothenburg.

On most of these trips, I've had a chance to go sight see.  Consequently, I was also able to go to Brussels, drive through the Austrian Alps, and take the bullet train to Osaka.  Adding these trips to my previous military travel to Guam, eastern Turkey, and southern Spain, I've seen a decent bit of the world.

Over the next several weeks, I will be doing a series of my various trips and the best photos I have from those places.

Here's a collage of my favorite bridges of the past two years.  There are other cool bridges beyond this, but these aren't just the coolest bridges, but the best photos too.  So I've narrowed it down to these six.  Click to see a larger image.

I'm a Mormon...

Last general conference, there was a talk by Sister Ann M. Dibb called "I Know It. I Live It. I Love It."  This talk caused quite a bit of Facebook buzz with several memes being created with that theme.  The talk was good, but I thought the phrase was cheesy.  So I posted on my wall, "I am a Mormon. If you would like to know what that means and how it affects the way I live my life, send me a message."

One response I received was, "I want to know how being a Mormon affects the way you live your life."  I realized pretty quick that I didn't have an immediate response, although the seed for my eventual response was quick.  After a long delay, I wrote the following.  Let me know what you think.

So I believe that being a Mormon has greatly influenced my life. Primarily in the form of benefits I receive from membership, but also in the way that is helps focus my attention on more worthwhile activities.

In my opinion, for religion to be useful and worth my time, it needs to provide some tangible benefits here and now. I think it's a hard sell to say, "buy this now and when you die, you'l be happy." Although I do believe in a heaven and, to an extent, hell, those are secondary benefits that come as a result of the benefits I receive here and now.

To say I've gained financial stability from practicing my religion is hard to prove. Although I'm not wealthy by US standards, I'm happy and in decent shape financially. To prove that it has stemmed from religious practice, someone could argue about all of the money I've saved by not drinking, not smoking, as well as those $4 Lattes at Starbucks because I don't drink coffee. I'm saved from spending my money on a coffee machine, a home brew kit (I would so totally do that if I were a drinker), and countless bottles of wine on business trips. Thats not even thinking about the binge drinking all my air force buddies participated in.

The reason why that's a bogus argument, is because out Church asks us to donate 10% of our income to the Church, to pay for the building, for new worship houses around the world, and to assist with tuition at BYU for faithful members. It's not a requirement to go to BYU and I never really wanted to attend, but tithing does help support the school among many other things.

On top of that, we are asked to donate generously to those in need. Sort of a local charity run by the congregation to help those members of the congregation going through a rough time. We are also asked to serve in the church in things such as boy scouts, church administration, sunday school, etc. Some of those positions may ask for willing donations to help the program run more smoothly.

So if you add up all that I have saved and compare it with all that I've donated, it's probably an overall negative. But when I think of all the opportunities I've received from God for donating my time, money, and effort to his Church, I would whole heartedly say that it's because of him, I am as successful as I am now. This has to be taken on faith.

One real tangible benefit that is less regarded as something that has to be taken on faith is the camaraderie and fellowship provided by being a member. Sometimes people consider us a cult, but we prefer the term family. We strongly believe that every soul on earth is a spiritual child of God and therefore we are all literal brothers and sisters spiritually. So we call each other such. I'm often referred to as Brother Brooks at church. Although I would prefer to be just called Brandon, there is a sense of belonging and affection that is given to it, that I enjoy having the privilege of being called that way.

Also with being part of a global religion, I can travel to nearly any country and receive the same warm welcome as if I was home in my own congregation. I've felt that warmth in London, Amsterdam, Seville, Melbourne, Tokyo, and Adana, Turkey. Not to mention hundreds of places across the US.

Although it could be argued that there can be a sense of belonging given to other world wide organizations (Rotary, the military, Lions Club, etc.) The believed eternal nature of our literal brotherhood transcends the quality of other organizations in a way that I would find hard to live without.

This eternal perspective on life provides many more perceived life blessings that even if I were to die and find no after-life, I will have been so happy during my existence that it would be of little use to complain that I wasted my life in a nonsense belief of something beyond the grave.

My Dad told me once that he believes that what we are taught at church is true. However, if we're wrong, big deal. We're happy. I agree. So I don't focus on what I should receive as a reward in heaven for the things I do now. I try to find happiness here and now. Not the fleeting sense of happiness from binge drinking with people who may or may not be true friends, or the perceived "fun" that can come from sleeping with as many girls as possible before getting married. Nor even trying to find peace by spending my Sundays in bed or lounging around my house.

I find peace, joy, happiness and contentment in being a Mormon. In showing up to Church every Sunday with my three hopefully cooperative children. Donating my time and money to some causes that at times may seem futile and useless. In extending a hand of fellowship and brotherhood to someone who would prefer to have my belief banished from existence because of some perceived wrong that happened long before. That is what being a Mormon is. It's challenging, it's hard work, but it is the most worthwhile goal I have ever set my aim to, and the only one I have ever been able to consistently work towards.

Working on the goal of being a good Mormon helps me focus on what's most important to me. My family. Both my family here in my house, and my literal spiritual family that includes you.

Please feel welcome to ask any questions you may have. Because in addition to all the responsibilities and opportunities mentioned above, we are also asked to share our beliefs openly, so that others may enjoy the blessings and joy we have.

Thoughts on Tolerance

These are some excellent thoughts about tolerance written and shared by my friend Isaac Livingston.  Enjoy.

In today's world, there is a huge misunderstanding of what both tolerance and intolerance really are. Disagreeing with something or someone is NOT intolerance. People have agency to make decisions for themselves, and the point at which it becomes intolerance is when you attempt to keep people from having their r

ight to a certain belief or opinion.

It is judgmental and narrow-minded to say, "If people disagree with me, or with this or that, then they are prideful, rebellious, discriminatory, bigoted, etc." You can insert pretty much any common stereotype into this example. The point is that if you simply condemn others out of hand for not believing as you, and call them intolerant, then it's actually YOU who is really being intolerant.

As with all other things, Jesus Christ is the perfect example. Let me first be clear that Christ did not tolerate sin. The scriptures are pretty clear on that. This doesn't make Him intolerant. He allowed and still allows people to choose paths that are contrary to what He and His disciples taught. See the difference? We also know from scripture that the Savior was tolerant of people who, in their weakness, accepted sin as part of their lives. Remember the story of the woman taken in adultery? The Savior did not condemn her for her sin, but DID exhort her to go and sin no more. She had violated one of His commandments, yes, but He also made it very clear to the Pharisees, and to all of us, that only He had the right to judge her for her actions: 'He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone.'

I now turn to James E. Talmage for a great explanation on the subject of tolerance versus intolerance:

"In the state of divided opinion then existing among the people concerning Jesus, it was fair to say that all who were not opposed to Him were at least tentatively on His side. On other occasions He asserted that those who were not with Him were against Him.

Even John, traditionally known as the Apostle of Love, was intolerant and resentful toward those who followed not his path, and more than once had to be rebuked by his Master. And again, while traveling with their Lord through Samaria, the apostles James and John were incensed at the Samaritans' lack of respect toward the Master, and craved permission to call fire from heaven to consume the unbelievers; but their revengeful desire was promptly rebuked by the Lord, who said: 'Ye know not what manner of Spirit ye are of. For the Son of Man is not come to destroy men's lives but to save them.'

Intolerance is Unscriptural---The teachings of our Lord breathe the Spirit of forbearance and love even to enemies. He tolerated, though He could not approve, the practices of the heathen in their idolatry, the Samaritans with their degenerate customs of worship, the luxury-loving Sadducees, and the law-bound Pharisees. Hatred was not countenanced even toward foes. His instructions were: 'Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.' The Twelve were commanded to salute with their blessing every house at which they applied for hospitality. In the Parable of the Tares, Christ taught the same lesson of forbearance; the hasty servants wanted to pluck out the weeds straightway, but were forbidden lest they root up the wheat also, and were assured that a separation would be effected in the time of harvest.

In spite of the prevailing Spirit of toleration and love pervading the teachings of the Savior and the apostles, attempts have been made to draw from the scriptures justification for intolerance and persecution. Paul leaves us not in doubt as to the character of the Gospel he so forcefully defended, as his later words show: 'But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.' Let it be remembered that vengeance and recompense belong to the Lord."

Thoughts from General Conference

Since we just had General Conference last week, I thought I would share some of my favorite moments with you.  The personal inspiration that my wife and I received from this General Conference is that just as the bar was raised for missionary service in 2002, the bar is being raised for parents today.  Enjoy these quotes that I found inspiring.

“When it comes to living the gospel, we should not be like the boy who dipped his toe in the water and then claimed he went swimming. As sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father, we are capable of so much more. For that, good intentions are not enough. We must do. Even more important, we must become what Heavenly Father wants us to be…

“The more we devote ourselves to the pursuit of holiness and happiness, the less likely we will be on a path to regrets. The more we rely on the Savior’s grace, the more we will feel that we are on the track our Father in Heaven has intended for us.”

– President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

“It is not enough to avoid evil; we must ‘suffer his cross’ (Jacob 1:8) and ‘be anxiously engaged,’ (D&C 58:27) helping others to conversion. With compassion and love we embrace the prodigal (Luke 15:11-32), answer the cries of orphans in hysteria, the pleas of those in darkness and despair (Joseph Smith History 1:15-16), and the distress calls of family in need. ‘Satan need not get everyone to be like Cain or Judas … ,’ said Elder Neal A. Maxwell. ‘He needs only to get able men … to see themselves as sophisticated neutrals.’”

– Elder Robert C. Gay

“Every person is different and has a different contribution to make. No one is destined to fail. As you seek revelation to see gifts God sees in those you lead in the priesthood—particularly the young—you will be blessed to lift their sights to the service they can perform. With your guidance, those you lead will be able to see, want, and believe they can achieve their full potential for service in God’s kingdom.

“God knows our gifts. My challenge to you and to me is to pray to know the gifts we have been given, to know how to develop them, and to recognize the opportunities to serve others that God provides us. But most of all, I pray that you will be inspired to help others discover their special gifts from God to serve.”

– President Henry B. Eyring

“I never cease to be amazed by how the Lord can motivate and direct the length and breadth of His kingdom and yet have time to provide inspiration concerning one individual… The fact that He can, that He does, is a testimony to me… the Lord is in all of our lives. He loves us. He wants to bless us. He wants us to seek His help. As He guides us and directs us and as He hears and answers our prayers, we will find the happiness here and now that He desires for us.”

– President Thomas S. Monson

The Ten Coolest Things I've Seen from the Air

Since I became a road warrior over a year ago, I've taken over 120 flights. For some road warriors, flying is a necessary evil. I don't look at flying that way. Although I feel that landing safely is the best part, I do love to fly.

Part of the reason why I enjoy flying so much is because I get to see this beautiful world from a different angle. The following list are the most amazing things I've seen from the air.

10.  Chicago

Flying into Chicago with a view of downtown is a cool experience, and one I had on only my third flight way back in 2001.  Unfortunately, this happens so frequently, it tends to lose some of it's appeal.


9.  The Stars

The stars aren't hard to see when flying at night, so this isn't exactly a rare event, but there's something about being higher up than Mount Everest when viewing the stars that makes this special.

The flashing lights from the wingtips can however create enough light pollution to block out some of the view.


8. Sunrises and Sunsets

The amazing colors of a sunrise and sunset are somehow magnified when you're in the air.  On one flight, I saw both a sunset and sunrise on the same side of the aircraft.  That was cool.

7. Dams

I've always been fascinated by man made engineering marvels, and none are easier to spot from the sky than dams.  Probably the most impressive that I've seen from above is Navajo Dam in New Mexico.


6. The Rocky Mountains and the Grand Canyon

One of the things I love about flying out west is being able to see the Rocky Mountains.  They are simply beautiful.  On one trip I even flew over the Grand Canyon.

Nothing helps to understand the sheer magnitude of the Grand Canyon like flying the entire length of it at 450+ miles per hour and watching it go by for a full 30 minutes.

5. Greenland

Last September I was taking the long flight from London to Chicago and noticed we would be flying over Greenland.

As we approached Greenland, I started taking picture after picture.  Along the coast there were mountains and glaciers that were flowing into the ocean.  There was also snow.  Lots and lots of snow.

After passing the coastline, I had to close the window because the snow was too bright.  At one point in the middle of Greenland, I opened the window just to see what there was in the middle.  All I could see in all directions was pristine white snow.  It was the most deserted place on land I've ever seen.

4.  Passing Airplanes

If you fly as much as I do, you will notice another airplane in the sky at some point in time.  This is common as you approach very busy airports and you join the crowd of aircraft in a holding pattern waiting for their turn to land.

Although this is common near landing, I have found it to be rather rare to see another aircraft at a relatively close altitude, because when both planes are flying at about 500 mph you get very little time to see the other plane.

You have roughly two seconds to see the other plane zip by and I feel very fortunate to have looked out my window at just the right moment each time I witness it. Truly incredible.


3. Thunder Storms From Above

There are few sights from an airplane that beat a thunderstorm.  I've been fortunate to fly over two.  Each time the clouds are brilliantly lit as the lightning races through them.

The best time to view a thundering cloud is when it's dark outside.  On one such occasion, I saw a lightning storm as I flew over the rocky mountains.  What an incredible sight.

2. London.

I've had the good fortune to fly to London multiple times over the past year.  The flight pattern as you approach Heathrow takes you right over some of the most famous landmarks in the world.

From above I've seen Tower Bridge, the Tower of London, Canary Wharf, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and Hampton Court Palace.

Also, around London, in the English countryside there are numerous grand estates and country manors, which can be just as amazing as the famous landmarks.


1. The Reflection of the Moon in the Florida Everglades

Recently I flew into Miami from Mexico City. I was looking out my window at the beautiful western coast of Florida as the sun was setting. My heart was full of gratitude for this beautiful world when something caught my eye.

There was a well lit spot on the ground following our plane. After a bit of head scratching, I realized it was the moon's reflection in the water of the Florida everglades.  I tilted my head upward and sure enough there was the moon.

It's hard to express what delight I felt for seeing the beauty of the everglades in such a unique way.  I was impressed and awe struck.

The feeling that I had that night is the one I hope to have every time I fly when I open my window and look out at this amazing planet.

Google Maps - My Odd Hobby

I started making my own maps with Google Maps about 9 months ago.  My first map was used to keep track of sights I wanted to see while I was in Spain for two months.  It worked really well, so when I thought about keeping track of all the places I've worked in my life, I turned to Google Maps.

I have had a map addiction since I was a young kid.  When my family moved to rural Ohio when I was in 4th grade, I remember taking an Ohio road map with me on the school bus marking the roads we were travelling so I knew how I was getting to school.  I remember staring at my family's Atlas of the world for hours on end.  I also remember making maps of fictitious places such as those you see in the beginning of fantasy novels.  Honestly, this is part of reason why I spent an entire summer reading fantasy novels and I remember that before picking up a new novel, I would scrutinize the map.  In my mind, a good story must have a good map.

So what is a good map?  My friend Dan Miller got me into tracking all of the counties I've visited in the US, but this felt somewhat misleading.  Just because I've touched a county (or parish or borough) doesn't mean that I've actually visited the county.  At least in my mind it was misleading.  However, keeping track of the roads that you've been on would better reflect where you've actually spent time.  The more roads highlighted, the better you know the area.  So back in December, I started a new map on Google Maps that shows all of the roads I've been on.

This is quite an undertaking and I've learned a ton about Google Maps since starting this.  Here are some things I've learned:

Google Maps limits the number of items displayed at once to 18-20.  Then it starts a second page and so on.  This is tough when trying to see what roads have already been marked.  Fortunately, all maps created with Google Maps can be downloaded to Google Earth where everything will be displayed at once (mostly).  It is somewhat inconvenient to be switching between Chrome and Google Earth to see what still needs to be marked in a region, but it's better than guessing.

Google Maps recently launched a Maps GL, which is supposed to improve the map experience.  However, I haven't been able to get Maps GL to work with the road map I've been creating, so I use standard maps and even that has some glitches.  However, overall It works pretty well.  The glitches usually come in the form of a mis-rendered map (lines look odd or don't show at all) and poor mouse navigation (I click on one spot and it thinks I'm clicking a different spot).  When this happens, I generally refresh the screen and everything is fixed, but it is a hassle to then reopen the map and relocate where I was marking.

Google Earth has a limit to how many items it will show in a single map, so once I reached that limit all the other roads I marked didn't show up.  I just started a second map and downloaded that to Google Earth as well.

Here's a list of the maps I've created, their meaning, and links to the map.

Roads Travelled:  A list of roads and rails and trails travelled.  highlighted by primary method of travel.  Blue is by car, Green is by foot, Red is by above ground train, Black is by subway (just to show the links from one place to another).  Map 1:  Google Maps, Google Earth (better)  Map 2:  Google Maps, Google Earth

Virtual Résumé: A list of all the locations I've worked.  This was one of my first maps.  Map:  Google Maps, Google Earth

Countries I've been to:  A shaded map of the countries I've been to.  Google Maps, Google Earth

Air Travel Map:  A direct line from airport to airport of all flights I have ever made (as far as I can remember).  Google Maps, Google Earth

My first tourist map:  This was for a single day trip around part of Spain.  This came in very handy.  Look at this map in Google Earth and download my Panoramio photos link to see some of the pictures I took on this trip.  Google Maps, Google Earth, Panoramio photos

Let me know your thoughts.  My map tracking is somewhat of an odd hobby.  Let me know what your odd hobby is.

Google Music - A Review

Google Music is one of the latest music service offerings available on the internet. I signed up several months ago as a beta user and have some thoughts to share.

 First of all, I love music. I listen
to an extremely eclectic mix of music. I love classical, blues, folk rock, motown, instrumentals, some R&B, some hard rock, some rap, some country, and a bit of everything else. I have over 10,000 songs on my computer. Listening to music is a hobby for me as much as it is a leisurely activity. So when I heard about a music service that would you store your music collection online and listen to it a will, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it.

 Google Music works on the premise that you have music on your computer. You upload that music (up to 20,000 songs) to their service and you can listen to your songs anywhere you go. The nice part of this service is that unlike Pandora or some of the other music services, you can listen to the song of your choice when you want to without ads. However, it wouldn't be much fun for those who don't already have a ton of music. To help those people out, Google Music offers roughly 200 songs across various genres to those who start with Google Music. I periodically check their free music to see what else I may be interested in. 

To help with those that love Pandora for the music discovery, there isn't much beyond the free music. It would be nice to see a radio service merged with Google Music, even one with ads. For concept then, I give Google Music 4/5 stars.

 I travel extensively for work. Often I will work out of airports, an office in LA, or anywhere else around the world I happen to be. I don't have a big enough mp3 player to hold all 10,000 songs. Most people don't. It was annoying being in a place and wanting to listen to a song that I didn't happen to have on my mp3 player. Google Music has solved this issue (mostly).

 In order to upload your music to Google Music, you need to install a small application that runs in the background and automatically uploads music to your library. Google Music couldn't upload some of the music that was protected in my iTunes library. This is only some of the music I purchased through the iTunes service. I have since boycotted the iTunes service for this and other reasons. I have invested a decent amount in iTunes over the years, but there are only roughly 10-20 songs that I cannot get from iTunes into Google Music. The upload app can be annoying when rebooting without an internet connection. Instead of just running in the background and waiting for an internet connection, it pops up an error that is difficult to hide. Overall, I give Google Music 4.5/5 stars for installation/implementation.

 The overall appearance and usability of Google Music is OK. I am often annoyed by the lack of some basic music management features, that I've gotten used to in iTunes. Some specific examples include playing all songs that match a search, sorting a list by the order I select, remembering my sort selection between uses, a lack of a "listened to" history playlist, and mass edit functions (when not editing an album). There are also moments when I am unable to change between songs, although this is rare, I must reload the webpage and reselect my songs to get back into my music listening. Overall though, I rate the functionality of Google Music 3/5 stars.  The music management features are where they can improve the most.

When I signed up for Google Music, it was free. They said initially that they were still testing the service and would evaluate the cost when they went live. The service is now live and out of Beta and is still free for the first 20,000 songs, with songs purchased from the Android Market not counting toward that total. For value, I give the service 5/5 stars.

On a whole, I give Google Music 4/5 stars. I haven't touched Pandora since I joined Google Music. This is by far the best free music service I have ever come across.

Oh... Insignificant Me

There have been very few times when I've felt like I was insignificant. This week has been one of those times.

I recently started a consulting career where I travel every week. I generally like traveling and consider that one of the perks of the job.

My first assignment, however, is to Los Angeles. A city that is 7 times larger than my beloved Cincinnati. I've never seen more people or cars in my life. It is daunting.

I'm not one to usually be phased by an issue like this. It's stressful being in such a foreign environment for the first time, but I've done that before.

I've been deployed to Guam, Spain, and Turkey. Why is this trip so different?

I think the stress of being so new in this career has compounded the stress of a new environment. I'm not only trying to figure out LA, I'm trying to figure out why on earth I'm even here.

I've been working for this company for 8 months as an intern in Cincinnati. That has made things easier for sure. However, there are some basic processes that I never encountered as an intern.

Fortunately, the people I work with are extremely helpful and have been very patient with me. I've been learning heaps.

I get to fly home every Thursday so I can spend Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with my family. Being home with my family is one of the best things to help me feel normal and like I have some degree of significance.

However, I haven't been home in two weeks. Last weekend I flew to a family reunion in Missouri instead of flying home. I was home the weekend before last, but even then, I was barely home because I had my military drill weekend.

I can hardly express how happy I am to be on my way home.

Last week the project I'm working on was extended. This is a common occurance in consulting (so I'm told) and usually means we throw the whole project plan in the rubbish bin. That was most certainly the case this time.

I was originally scheduled to return to LA every week until August 19th. Now, I have only one week left.

So after 12,000+ miles and many jet-lagged nights, I get ready to leave this project for good. It has been such a whirlwind, that I am left sitting in the airport wondering in amazement at how insignificant I really am.

I'm just one person among billions. I'm in a city of 14 million and hardly anyone knows I even exist. In just a few short weeks, even fewer people will remember that I was ever here at all.

It's mind numbing to ponder your own insignificance. I'm glad to be on my way home.

Reading Time

Since graduating from the University of Cincinnati with my BA in Organizational Leadership, I've been able to start plowing through some of the leadership books that I've been collecting for a while now. Here is a short list of the books I've read over the past two months:

Thinking For a Change - John Maxwell

Switch - Chip Heath & Dan Heath

HBR's 10 Must Reads on Leadership - Harvard Business Review

Leadership and Self-Deception - The Arbinger Institute

Three Deep Breaths - Thomas Crum

I would recommend all of them. I am really enjoying the fact that I finally have time to read

through my library. Next items on the list:

The Leadership Challenge - James Kouzes & Barry Posner

The Art of Framing - Gail Fairhurst & Robert Sarr

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen R. Covey

Leadership From the Inside Out - Kevin Cashman

This will be good.

Learning to Fly

Well I've wanted to be a pilot before, but the cost of learning is sky high (pun intended). So I thought getting a remote control airplane would be cool, but unfortunately it is also an expensive hobby. That is it would be if my Dad didn't have connections.

Here are pictures of a model airplane I picked up along

with a good supply of accessories for only $250.

Fortunately, one of my friends flies model aircraft and can show me the ropes (and show me what needs to be fixed). Hopefully by the summer I will be a pilot of my own used model aircraft.

Life Changes Update

This is a quick update to let you know of some of the changes over the past couple months.

The biggest is that I now have a Bachelor's degree from the University of Cincinnati. I'm trying to find a job, but in this economy it is difficult.

I'm also looking into starting a company with my Dad presenting seminar's on the language of leadership. Not much else is new right now.

I should have a 3rd child within the next four weeks, but as this hasn't actually occurred yet, I will save the details for later.

-Barch

The White Castle

This is the first attempt I've ver made to make a book review. I want to initially put this out there because I don't claim to be a literature expert by any means. I have finagled a way to avoid any literature classes in college. I just like to read, don't make me over analyze every bit. The White Castle by Orhan Pamuk is no exception, so my review will be all praise and not much analysis.

The story is about a young intellectual in 16th-17th Venice who is captured by Turks and made a slave. He intelligence is used to help his master gain favor in the eyes of the Emperor, but the young man never gets credit. The clash between the slave and the owner is the bulk of the text, but it becomes clear through the end that despite this outward hatred for each other, they deep down admire and aspire to be each other.

The part that make the whole thing interesting is that the owner and the slave could pass for twins. The struggle of the book then becomes not one of who gets credit, but one of identity. At the end you are left to wonder not who was treated fairly, but which of the two is narrating the story. A very thought provoking exchange of personalities and desires. It was a relatively quick read, and is at times significantly depressing.

Strange to say, when you are about to finish the book you feel that it is a very happy ending. However, on actual completion you are left wishing for something more. Not that the book needed to be longer, but you wish that the lives of these two men end up differently. So despite what would seem a happy ending, the reader isn't happy. I think that is the magic of this book. I give it my full recommendation.

Google's Caffeine at Work

Back in June, Google introduced their newest search index with the capability to update on the go. Essentially this helps your searches find the most recent documents that match your search the best. I wanted to test this out and so I put the title of my latest blog post "Dashcode and Eclipse" into the Google search bar and was quite surprised at what came up. You see, this afternoon, my friend Scott posted an article on his blog, "The Low-Tech World," about my blog, which included a reference to my latest blog post. So when I typed enter on my search, his blog came to the top (see the pic below). I call that some snappy indexing. I just hope that after this post, searching for "The Low-Tech World" will soon show my blog instead of his. That would be a nice return for Large Marge.

Dashcode and Eclipse

Well I've been working on becoming a web programmer for a couple months now. I have created a couple applications that don't really do anything exciting, but the level of app complexity is increasing. I have even added an RSS feed so that there is a way to keep people updated with my javascript adventures. To check out my javascript page, go to: http://homepages.uc.edu/~brooksbl/js/

The thing that really helps with writing code is a syntax program that can help you see if you typed your code correctly or not. I was led to eclipse, an open source platform for writing code, by my friend and programming mentor Joey. I also kept seeing a program known as Dashcode on my Mac and tested it out a few times. Here are some screen shots of the two applications.

Eclipse:

Dashcode:


It might not look like much, but they are both helpful. The real key is having something that can pinpoint your mistakes, and both have that capability. Dashcode has tons of templates to make some real powerful web applications. You will probably see some of those as I get a grasp on it. I am just glad that I didn't have to pay for either one.

Ajax of All Trades

The phrase "A jack of all trades, master of none" has been easily applicable to me for years. I've professionally done many different things, and even more as a hobbyist or DIY-er. Recently I've been involved in quite a range of activities. I've been working on remodeling our bathroom (click here for pics). I've been keeping my company's web page up to date. I've been working on my capstone project for my Bachelor's degree (a future post about it will come). I picked up an electric guitar and have been fiddling with it. On top of all these activities, I feel compelled to broaden my skillset further.

I will be graduating from the University of Cincinnati with a bachelors degree in Organizational Leadership and a minor in Business. However, as I look to the future I see the world of software to be taking a role that can't be ignored. I have been a hobbyist programmer since I was in high school, but I have never learned any useful programming languages. Now I am beginning to start into Javascript and Ajax. I've already been able to use my javascript skills to enhance the free quote widget on the right of this page.

To enhance my learning, I found some free resources available to me through w3schools and the University of Cincinnati. I am excited about learning to program web pages, and hope to migrate this blog to my own domain within the next six months. I will use that location to experiment with the programming that I am learning. I've even contemplated taking classes at Cincinnati State Technical College after I graduate from UC. Unfortunately it is too late for me to get a minor in Computer Science from UC, which I would have done if I knew about it three years ago.

Hopefully, all of this will help me to stay a jack of all trades, but instead of a master of none, I hope to be a master of a few. The key areas that I want to master: My understanding of leadership and Ajax.

Five Must-Follow Rules for a Chinese Buffet

So a couple years ago I went to a Chinese buffet in Pensacola Florida and vowed that I would never do that again. It seems like I lose my head when I enter a place like that and eat everything in sight. It didn't help that the place seemed on the verge of being shut down by the Health Department. I don't know how I forgot about this incident, but the other day I felt that going to a Chinese buffet here in Cincinnati was a good idea.

I chose the one over on Ridge Avenue, because it was the closest. It had received some good reviews too, and therefore I felt that it would be a good choice. Wrong again. Don't misunderstand. The facility was really nice. Much better than the one in Florida, but I still went overboard. I went so far that all the Chinese food around me was making me sick. So at that point I got one more full plate, ate it, and then left. Overall, it was such a disappointment that I felt that there has to be something I can do to prevent it in the future. So I present these rules as way to make any Chinese buffet a more enjoyable experience.

Rule #1: Peruse the entire buffet area before you get your first plate.
It is always good to have a battle plan. I put emphasis on battle. If you go with the intention to just grab whatever looks yummy, you will pick up way too much of one thing and then wish later on that you had room for that other dish. Inevitably you will make room for that other dish, and that's when you lose the battle.

Rule #2: A spoonful of fried rice helps the mandarin go down.
Get some rice with every plate. Sure it is a cheap filler, but it will also help you keep from wanting to vomit.

Rule #3: Pair each meat item with a vegetable.
It is easy to pile up a ton of sweet and sour chicken, general tso beef, and a shrimp dish. Meat is the reason for the seasoning right? Well, I felt deprived of vegetables by the third plate and felt that I must have a plate just with vegetables. Next time I'll spread it out.

Rule #4: Slow down, the food isn't going to disappear.
I went with my kids. Apparently I felt that I had to eat fast enough to get my ten plates in before my kids would lose their patience and start throwing their crab wantons at the people next to us. Now I feel that it will be easier to ask forgiveness from the people next to us than to ask forgiveness from my stomach.

Rule #5: Convince yourself that going to the Chinese buffet is a bad idea.
This is the most important rule of all. If you heed this rule, you can avoid any abdominal and gastrointestinal pain that inevitably results from the Chinese buffet. This pain is unavoidable, so if you don't heed rule #5, be prepared to hurt.

Why I Love Craigslist

As many of you may know, Craigslist is a classifieds website where people can post what they want to get rid of and how much they want for it. It is similar to Ebay in that you can find the most random stuff on craigslist. Here is a quick sample of strange items I found with minimal effort:

1. Miniature Cornhole set - $30
2. Wilton chocolate Molds - $5
3. Cow Photograph Holder/Carry Case - $10
4. Dokorder Reel to Reel Tape Player - $75
5. TI-89 Graphing Calculator - $40

That last one was mine. I sold it today for $40. I bought that calculator used for $150 back in 1999 on Ebay. I think I made out pretty well for an 11+ year old electronics device. I wouldn't pay $10 for a 10 year old desktop computer, but the calculator was worth $40 to somebody. I love it, because that gives me that much more money to spend on whatever I want. I think I'll buy an electric guitar.

As cool as it is for me to get money for my old junk, that isn't the reason why I like craigslist. It also doesn't have anything to do with the fact that I can use craigslist for free. I think that the coolest thing about craigslist is that it connects people.

I didn't know the guy I sold the calculator to. In fact, in all my dealings on Craigslist I haven't known the opposite party beforehand and I haven't seen any of them since. Somehow though, for that brief period of time, we connected in a way that Ebay can't provide. In order to get the stuff you buy on Ebay, you pay shipping and handling. To get your stuff on Craigslist, you need to call, text, or email the person and then you meet them at some random location and exchange the goods. This adds a distinctly human element that is not part of any other online service providers method of business.

I'm sure with some people on craigslist, you can mail a check with a prepaid box for return delivery of your good, but the average person doesn't trust that method unless they are working through a third party (like Ebay). Craigslist takes a no hands approach to the actual transaction process, thus minimizing the need for customer support. All of the grunt work has to be done by the two people wanting to exchange goods. I wanted $40, and somebody wanted my Calculator. We arranged a meeting place, met, talked for less than a minute. I gave him my calculator and it's accessories, and he gave me $40. To top it off, we both walked away happy! You don't get that kind of positive interaction with very many other web applications. I love it.

I think that the connecting people part is the greatest aspect of Craigslist. I've met people all around Cincinnati and continue to be amazed at how positive each experience is... mostly. I have had one bad experience with Craigslist. It was a no show. We had arranged to meet to trade phones on a Saturday morning. When it came to meet, there was no answer to the phone, and no return text. Oh well. Apparently she didn't want my phone as badly as I wanted her phone. And life moves on. A couple months later I post my calculator and all is well again in my happily connected world of Craigslist.