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Showing posts from April, 2019

100 and Done! (Countries that is...)

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We are back! This last trip brought the total countries visited to 100! It is a crazy milestone. It is difficult, time-consuming and can be (IS) expensive. After I got back from Antarctica in 2007, I started thinking about it. After 2010 I was thinking about it more (as I moved from NY to Georgia) and in 2014 it had become a real goal. Between Angie and I we have been to 109 Countries. We are tied at 100 countries each. We have 9 countries different in our lists. For example, I have been to San Marino. She has not. She has been to Israel. I have not, yet. There has been some fun competition in this area. That's why we had to establish rules. 1.) Must be listed (as a country) with the US State Department 2.) Being in an airport doesn't count. You have to get through immigration somehow and not in a DMZ or a no-mans-land 3.) A passport stamp is not required. I have been to Canada, Paraguay, and Uruguay without getting my passport stamped. There are friendly borders in many places...
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Angie and I took a few different metros trains to Santa Monica. It takes awhile from Costa Mesa, but it sure beats taking the car. Besides, the Leaf wouldn't make it there and back on one charge anyhow.
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I spent this year's birthday traveling alone again. I can't say I like that, but I had some ice cream cake a few days later. I went to a the CIDM conference in Durham NC. I didn't speak this year, but it was good. There was quite a bit of new stuff. This is a pic of me with George Bina. He has to be one of the most respected people in the XML industry. The koi fish seem to be wrestling in the pond outside my apartment window. The ducks even get into the fray. Good show to watch while I am drinking morning coffee.
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Angie and I walked from the apartment to the Newport Beach Pier. I saw at least 2 Lamborghini, 5 Ferrari, 1 Rolls Royce and a bunch of other rare species of urban crawlers. It is the natural habitat for these machines.