[personaldev] Build self-esteem by ditching a bad self-esteem workshop

A friend of mine recently attended a three hour workshop on boosting self-esteem.  The workshop turrned out to be very poorly attended and not very good.  After an hour and a half, my friend decided that the workshop wasn't for her, so she politely got up and left.  She came home feeling great.

So yeah, to build self-esteem, call bullshit on something big and authoritative that isn't living up to your needs.  Your time is more important.

I felt great the one time I walked out on a movie, as well as the time my date and I walked out on a bad meal.

[travel] Technomads

I spent three days on the road with the Technomads, getting a sense for how they live their life.  They've carefully optimized their trailer to be large enough to be a permanent home for two while small enough to not weigh them down too much in terms of traveling.  Their vehicle is much smaller and more maneuverable than an RV, allowing them more flexibility in where they go.  They can also leave the trailer in a campground and venture off in just their main vehicle.  However, the small trailer has forced them to become very judicious with their use of space and choice of possessions (a task I am not unfamiliar with as a traveler).



They have also car-trained and leash-trained their cat Kiki, allowing her to travel with them on the road.  I did happen to catch Kiki at a bad time, as I witnessed her being carsick on my lap twice.  (Apparently that brings her lifetime count to 4).  However, the rest of the time she enjoyed riding in the car, often sitting on the glove box and watching the scenery go by.

 
( more cats )

[travel] Seen around town in St Louis

The City Museum I was talking about:



From the How Could You Possibly Not Have Noticed Your Mistake dept:



( more... )

[travel] Country roads

We took the side roads from St Louis to Chicago.

Some lovely decaying silos on a farm.  Organic decay processes often lead to great improvements in aesthetics, as I saw in a past expedition.

 

Here's a relic of the Potlatch of the Midwest, the Demolition Derby.  I'd love to understand how the satellite dish fits in. 



Everyone has a website now.  Visit them!  I'm only the 114th person to see the site!



( and lots more )

[travel] The Last Adventure: San Francisco

I wanted to visit my own hometown as a tourist, seeing it with fresh eyes before I get used to being there again.

I felt the urge to do all the touristy stuff even though I usually aimed toward more offbeat attractions in other cities.  However, if I'm going to be a tourist, I need the proper uniform (made possible by $4.60 of purchases in Chinatown).  Here we go:





First stop was City Hall.  I got a tour of the soaring Art Nouveau building, and learned a lot of potentially embellished things from a guide hoping to enthrall the teens in the audience while keeping the older folks fed with a steady diet of history.  Apparently we have earthquakes all the time.  There's a tremor you can feel around once a month.  No wonder they think we're about to slide into the sea. 

There are also apparently always protesters in front of city hall, except when there are not.  The guide said "In San Francisco you can never grow old because you always have to keep defending your views." 

( Lots of pics from the San Francisco tour )