Not sure how many people are still watching ER. My wife and I are behind on all of our TV watching, and on the way back from Italy, we finally got to watch the finale thanks to iTunes.
My wife and I both used to really enjoy ER, and agreed that the last few seasons weren't quite as good as it used to be. But, since we can both remember watching the first episode many years ago, we stuck with it.
About halfway through the season, we realized this year was a much better year. With a re-introduction to some older characters, and a compelling storyline, the people behind ER made us believers once again.
Without giving anything away, in case there's someone else months behind in television watching, I especially liked the finale. If you had told me at the beginning of the season this is how it would end, I'm sure I would have been disappointed. But, they really did wrap it up just about right, in my opinion. A good end to a great show that makes me feel both satisfied, and just a bit sad that these characters don't have any more stories to tell.
It also shows, to me, how powerful Noah Wylie's character, John Carter was, and how good a job he did portraying him. What was a bit part many years ago developed into the protagonist, and it really was great to have him back, if only for a brief time.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
Italy-Leaving
While I've got plenty more pictures to post upon our return, we're headed to the airport shortly.
As we leave Rome for the second time, I wish we could stay longer.
Both times we've been to Rome, we've come away feeling like we were in a big, not-so-clean city, with old, interesting architecture in the oddest places.
Maybe the sadness of leaving is because we know that Rome is a gateway to so many places we treasure, even those we haven't seen yet.
But maybe, just maybe, Rome has grown on us. A city that was the capitol of the world for so long, and now just the capitol of Italy. And yet, in different corners of the city, it has a magnetic pull.
Whether it's Piazza Navona at night, or the sheer might of St. Peter's. Or Cul de Sac, our favorite restaurant here.
As is said in Rome, you throw a coin in the Trevi fountain with your loved one, in the hopes that you will both return. We threw coins four years ago, and have made our way back.
I leave Italy with a slightly clearer picture of our family, those that emigrated over 100 years ago to America in search of a better life. When we started this journey, I couldn't imagine them giving up the joys of this country for a new one. And yet, they found a better life, bringing with them a heritage they were initially ashamed to embrace, but came to be proud of. I sense their pride as I walk the streets here, and can't wait to return again.
As we leave Rome for the second time, I wish we could stay longer.
Both times we've been to Rome, we've come away feeling like we were in a big, not-so-clean city, with old, interesting architecture in the oddest places.
Maybe the sadness of leaving is because we know that Rome is a gateway to so many places we treasure, even those we haven't seen yet.
But maybe, just maybe, Rome has grown on us. A city that was the capitol of the world for so long, and now just the capitol of Italy. And yet, in different corners of the city, it has a magnetic pull.
Whether it's Piazza Navona at night, or the sheer might of St. Peter's. Or Cul de Sac, our favorite restaurant here.
As is said in Rome, you throw a coin in the Trevi fountain with your loved one, in the hopes that you will both return. We threw coins four years ago, and have made our way back.
I leave Italy with a slightly clearer picture of our family, those that emigrated over 100 years ago to America in search of a better life. When we started this journey, I couldn't imagine them giving up the joys of this country for a new one. And yet, they found a better life, bringing with them a heritage they were initially ashamed to embrace, but came to be proud of. I sense their pride as I walk the streets here, and can't wait to return again.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Italy-Day 5 (Pompeii and Naples)
We drove late at night and ended up in the little town of Castrovilla, near the top of the Calabrian region. We woke up the next morning late, as Catherine stayed up partying until almost 5am.
We set off for Pompeii, arriving around 4:30. We spent about two hours inside exploring. As a general comment, it wasn't what I was expecting. There were no real descriptions inside of what we were looking at. The excavation is in various stages of completion everywhere, and the town is huge. While we did get audio guides, they were less than helpful, since a lot of the buildings the guides walked us through were closed off for whatever reason. As we were leaving, we did find a couple areas that were much more interesting.
First, we walked through a restored bath area. Interestingly, the skylight in the baths was in the perfect shape of a keyhole. Then, we walked past an area where there were recovered items from Pompeii being stored. Lots of sculpture, pots, and also a few plaster casts. According to the audio guide, the man in charge of the dig back in the mid-1800s was alerted by some of the workers that they had found bones at the bottom of a hole they uncovered. He stopped the work and mixed plaster of paris with water, filling the hole with the mixture. They carefully dug out the hardened plaster, and had unearthed the shapes of people who had died in the massive eruption. The plaster casts are eerily detailed, down to facial expressions.
Here's some pictures detailing Pompeii and Naples.
First, the cutest picture of my daughter:
The theater at Pompeii (royalty sat in the marble seats nearest the stage):
Plaster casts of people suffering through the eruption:
The view from our suite at The Excelsior Naples:
We set off for Pompeii, arriving around 4:30. We spent about two hours inside exploring. As a general comment, it wasn't what I was expecting. There were no real descriptions inside of what we were looking at. The excavation is in various stages of completion everywhere, and the town is huge. While we did get audio guides, they were less than helpful, since a lot of the buildings the guides walked us through were closed off for whatever reason. As we were leaving, we did find a couple areas that were much more interesting.
First, we walked through a restored bath area. Interestingly, the skylight in the baths was in the perfect shape of a keyhole. Then, we walked past an area where there were recovered items from Pompeii being stored. Lots of sculpture, pots, and also a few plaster casts. According to the audio guide, the man in charge of the dig back in the mid-1800s was alerted by some of the workers that they had found bones at the bottom of a hole they uncovered. He stopped the work and mixed plaster of paris with water, filling the hole with the mixture. They carefully dug out the hardened plaster, and had unearthed the shapes of people who had died in the massive eruption. The plaster casts are eerily detailed, down to facial expressions.
Here's some pictures detailing Pompeii and Naples.
First, the cutest picture of my daughter:
The theater at Pompeii (royalty sat in the marble seats nearest the stage):
Plaster casts of people suffering through the eruption:
The view from our suite at The Excelsior Naples:
Friday, April 10, 2009
Italy-Day 6
I still owe everyone an update on Day 5, but we had a really weird occurrence today. Driving through the town of Amalfi, there was a religious celebration going on, assumedly for Good Friday.
About 100 small boys were proceeding from the church in an orderly fashion dressed in traditional white church robes. On the other side of the road were another 100 or so boys and men already in the procession. Only thing was, all the ones on the other side of the road were wearing white hoods with the eyes cut out, a la the Ku Klux Klan.
I'm fairly certain it doesn't mean the same thing here, but it was a pretty disturbing site.
About 100 small boys were proceeding from the church in an orderly fashion dressed in traditional white church robes. On the other side of the road were another 100 or so boys and men already in the procession. Only thing was, all the ones on the other side of the road were wearing white hoods with the eyes cut out, a la the Ku Klux Klan.
I'm fairly certain it doesn't mean the same thing here, but it was a pretty disturbing site.
Italy-Day 3, 4, and 5
Due to some horrible internet connections (and a total lack of internet connection at one hotel), I haven't been able to post in a few days. Here's a quick update:
Day 3: We flew to Catania, which is located in the Southwestern part of Sicily. We stayed at the Sheraton Catania, and had an enjoyable dinner downtown. While downtown Catania was nice, the rest of it wasn't. So, instead of staying two days in Catania, we chose to depart for Taormina in the morning, with the plan of staying in Messina the following night.
Day 4: We woke up super late after Catherine wouldn't go to sleep. We were on the road to Taormina, arriving shortly after 2. Taormina is absolutely breathtaking. It sits high up on a hill overlooking the Ionian sea. A long ride up the side of the mountain yielded a parking garage followed by a traffic circle. Since nothing was well marked, we weren't sure which direction to head from the traffic circle, and the navigation system was no help. We drove around a bunch of narrow roads, making two laps around what we figured out was Taormina. We finally found a parking spot and set out to walk the town. After some brief shopping, we ate at a recommended restaurant called Vecchia Taormina. We ate outside on the terrace, enjoying pizza, shrimp, lasagna, and a wonderful bottle of wine.
After lunch, we walked to one of the main squares in Taormina. As we looked over the stone wall to the sea below, what did we see? The parking garage we passed before circing Taormina for an hour looking for a parking spot! The city was right under our nose, and we had no idea. We had a chuckle over that, and headed back to town for more shopping.
We left Taormina as it was getting dark, heading to Messina, which was about a 30 minute drive. When we got there, we found the city to be much more industrial than we had expected, especially after our experience in Taormina. Since we had a pretty full agenda to accomplish in Naples and a long drive to get there, we decided to hop on the ferry to the mainland and get started early on our way to Naples.
Still to come is our visit to Pompeii yesterday and our arrival in Naples. Some pictures of the last few days:
The duomo at night in Catania:
Michelle and Catherine overlooking the sea in Taormina:
A good picture of the roads and sea below in Taormina:
Historic Taormina (shopping for Michelle and Barrie!):
Michelle wanted to stop for tea at a cafe, and we ended up having the best granita I've ever tasted. Now, it went so quick, there was no time to snap a picture. But on our way out the door, we saw them receiving a deliver of fresh oranges. Can't get fresher orange granita than that!
Day 3: We flew to Catania, which is located in the Southwestern part of Sicily. We stayed at the Sheraton Catania, and had an enjoyable dinner downtown. While downtown Catania was nice, the rest of it wasn't. So, instead of staying two days in Catania, we chose to depart for Taormina in the morning, with the plan of staying in Messina the following night.
Day 4: We woke up super late after Catherine wouldn't go to sleep. We were on the road to Taormina, arriving shortly after 2. Taormina is absolutely breathtaking. It sits high up on a hill overlooking the Ionian sea. A long ride up the side of the mountain yielded a parking garage followed by a traffic circle. Since nothing was well marked, we weren't sure which direction to head from the traffic circle, and the navigation system was no help. We drove around a bunch of narrow roads, making two laps around what we figured out was Taormina. We finally found a parking spot and set out to walk the town. After some brief shopping, we ate at a recommended restaurant called Vecchia Taormina. We ate outside on the terrace, enjoying pizza, shrimp, lasagna, and a wonderful bottle of wine.
After lunch, we walked to one of the main squares in Taormina. As we looked over the stone wall to the sea below, what did we see? The parking garage we passed before circing Taormina for an hour looking for a parking spot! The city was right under our nose, and we had no idea. We had a chuckle over that, and headed back to town for more shopping.
We left Taormina as it was getting dark, heading to Messina, which was about a 30 minute drive. When we got there, we found the city to be much more industrial than we had expected, especially after our experience in Taormina. Since we had a pretty full agenda to accomplish in Naples and a long drive to get there, we decided to hop on the ferry to the mainland and get started early on our way to Naples.
Still to come is our visit to Pompeii yesterday and our arrival in Naples. Some pictures of the last few days:
The duomo at night in Catania:
Michelle and Catherine overlooking the sea in Taormina:
A good picture of the roads and sea below in Taormina:
Historic Taormina (shopping for Michelle and Barrie!):
Michelle wanted to stop for tea at a cafe, and we ended up having the best granita I've ever tasted. Now, it went so quick, there was no time to snap a picture. But on our way out the door, we saw them receiving a deliver of fresh oranges. Can't get fresher orange granita than that!
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Italy-Day 2
Day 2 saw us starting out at the Vatican and ending back up at the hotel. We spent most of the day wandering the Vatican museum, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica. This is our second time at the Vatican, and while some things look the same, it was still a pretty awe-inspiring experience.
The earthquake was felt here in Rome, but there was no damage. Lots of destruction to the East of us thought.
Pictures from Day 2:
A sneak peek of the Sistine Chapel.
The ceiling in the gallery of maps.
The view from the top of St. Peter's Basilica.
A convenient ray of sun shining down on the altar at St. Peter's.
The foot of St. Peter's. It's significance is that this bronze statue's foot has been touched by so many people (thought to bring good will to those who prayed here), that the entire foot has been rubbed smooth with no detail left.
The earthquake was felt here in Rome, but there was no damage. Lots of destruction to the East of us thought.
Pictures from Day 2:
A sneak peek of the Sistine Chapel.
The ceiling in the gallery of maps.
The view from the top of St. Peter's Basilica.
A convenient ray of sun shining down on the altar at St. Peter's.
The foot of St. Peter's. It's significance is that this bronze statue's foot has been touched by so many people (thought to bring good will to those who prayed here), that the entire foot has been rubbed smooth with no detail left.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Italy-Day 1!
We arrived in Rome early Sunday for the start of a family trip. We're headed out to the Vatican now, but here's a couple of quick pics from our first day here. Click on the pictures to see bigger versions.
First, the Spanish Steps:
A gelato cone bigger than Catherine!
The Trevi Fountain (to me, one of the most beautiful things in Rome)
A truly elegant, old-fashioned elevator at the St. Regis
The service at the St. Regis is great. When they brought the rollaway bed for Catherine, they made sure to tuck her dolls in so they would be comfortable.
First, the Spanish Steps:
A gelato cone bigger than Catherine!
The Trevi Fountain (to me, one of the most beautiful things in Rome)
A truly elegant, old-fashioned elevator at the St. Regis
The service at the St. Regis is great. When they brought the rollaway bed for Catherine, they made sure to tuck her dolls in so they would be comfortable.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Virgin America Review
I had the opportunity to fly first class on Virgin America for the first time on Monday. I had to get SFO early in the day, so that was the best choice vs. United (who blow chunks). It cost a bit more to sit in First Class, but I wanted to catch some sleep, so.....
I was sitting in the second row of the first class cabin (only two rows), and I slid my bag underneath the seat in front of me. That's when the punk flight attendant in first class told me I couldn't store a bag under my seat (company policy). Stupid rule, but whatever.
The seat was better than a standard domestic business class seat, not as good as an international seat. Didn't lay flat, but went back quite a bit, with a foot rest as well.
I fell asleep pretty quickly, and woke up about halfway through the flight. I powered up my laptop to find.....the plane had wifi!!! This was my first time experiencing wifi on a plane. It's amazing how much more work I can get done on a plane with an internet connection.
They served me some horrific breakfast sandwich, which might have been horrific because it had been sitting around for a while. It was a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich on a croissant. The croissant was like rubber, the sandwich had spinach and some kind of tomato-based sauce on it. I'm all for fine dining, but do you really need to mess with the simple perfection of a breakfast sandwich?
All in all, not a bad experience. The mood lighting and music were horrible. The in-flight entertainment system was pretty good, although I didn't have time to watch a movie on it while working. I did find a few new songs from Fall Out Boy that I liked, which I downloaded on my laptop from iTunes.
Would I do it again? Sure. Would I pay more than $200 for the first class experience cross country? I don't think so. I guess if I desperately needed sleep, sure. But other than the seat, there appears to be no other difference between first and coach.
Other than the fact that I could actually store my bag under my seat in coach. ;)
I was sitting in the second row of the first class cabin (only two rows), and I slid my bag underneath the seat in front of me. That's when the punk flight attendant in first class told me I couldn't store a bag under my seat (company policy). Stupid rule, but whatever.
The seat was better than a standard domestic business class seat, not as good as an international seat. Didn't lay flat, but went back quite a bit, with a foot rest as well.
I fell asleep pretty quickly, and woke up about halfway through the flight. I powered up my laptop to find.....the plane had wifi!!! This was my first time experiencing wifi on a plane. It's amazing how much more work I can get done on a plane with an internet connection.
They served me some horrific breakfast sandwich, which might have been horrific because it had been sitting around for a while. It was a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich on a croissant. The croissant was like rubber, the sandwich had spinach and some kind of tomato-based sauce on it. I'm all for fine dining, but do you really need to mess with the simple perfection of a breakfast sandwich?
All in all, not a bad experience. The mood lighting and music were horrible. The in-flight entertainment system was pretty good, although I didn't have time to watch a movie on it while working. I did find a few new songs from Fall Out Boy that I liked, which I downloaded on my laptop from iTunes.
Would I do it again? Sure. Would I pay more than $200 for the first class experience cross country? I don't think so. I guess if I desperately needed sleep, sure. But other than the seat, there appears to be no other difference between first and coach.
Other than the fact that I could actually store my bag under my seat in coach. ;)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)