31 May 2008

Berlin 2005 - a few photos

Sidewalk outside of Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtnis-Kirche, 23 Nov 2005.


Sculpture on Friedrichstraße, 23 November 2005.

World clock near the Fernsehturm, 21 November 2005.

30 May 2008

Cathedral in Cologne


Cathedral in Cologne, Germany, taken 8 April 2006.

29 May 2008

The job search

The hunt for a new job is going well. I am getting better at doing phone screens and asking the right questions. And I think I am getting better at presenting and marketing myself as well. I've got a couple of leads that I'm really excited about, and am very hopeful about the prospects. So, getting laid off is not really that bad right now. There are jobs here in Austin, you just have to find the right match.

Stretford reunion videos

Just brilliant:



More brilliant than this:

28 May 2008

Rail Yard

Taken 23 March 2006 at sunset, at a rail yard in Cedar Park, Texas.

27 May 2008

La Princesa is a dainty cat

Here is a little video of my cat, La Princesa, drinking water with her paw.

26 May 2008

Book review of "Welcome to the World, Baby Girl!"



I have just finished re-reading "Welcome to the World, Baby Girl" by Fannie Flagg. Her narrative style, folksy dialogue, and characterizations are a delight to read. The book jumps back in forth in time much like her well-known novel, "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe". The story is about all American anchorwoman Dena Nordstrom. Dena, or Baby Girl as her cousins from Elmwood Springs call her, seems to have it all: success, money, fame. But underneath it all, she's a mess. She drinks herself to an ulcer and is in denial about her past. When her enemies in Manhattan try to ruin her, she has to face the facts and learn more about her family's hidden history.

The book is divided into four parts, and frankly, I thought the first part was a bit long, and I kept waiting for the story to pick it up in pace a bit. But by the third part, it becomes quite the page turner. You will never see the twist in the end coming, so it is a very satisfying tale.

Am I the only one who thinks Aunt Elner in this book is kind of like Mrs. Threadgoode (played by Jessica Tandy in the movie) from "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe"?

Overall, I'd rate this book an 9 out of 10 and it is one I'm going to keep on my bookshelf.