The Lion's Den

DJ Lejo

Get down to the agile finger work of DJ Lejo. When you are done see what else Lejo has been up to at www.lejo.nu

Smell meme

I am accepting the smell meme from Victor:

Total Volume of Smells:

My volume of smells is probably best split into different books. There are group of smells that are distinct and seldom interact, some books are seldom opened. A fascinating occurrence that has taken place a few times is when I suddenly find a smell I have not experienced for years and my mind races to identify the item and where I know it from. This occurs with the most frequency when I am traveling, for example on my recent trips to France and to Colombia both I found scents I had not smelled from my childhood.

The last smell I bought:
Lavender soap bars from a village near Rochester UK. This is a gift for Briana.

Smell I am Smelling right now:
This week I am not smelling much of anything since my allergies are raging. I can however smell the fresh coffee brewed by Elaine who sits in the cube next to me. It is a good smell and kind of gives me a bit of a caffeine fix without having to actually drink any of the stuff.

Five smells I smell a lot that mean a lot to me:
1. Lavender: It can calm me down like nothing else around. I have a lot of lavender scented items at home
2. Nectarines / Cherries / Raspberries / Apples : I love fruit, specially fresh berries. I love summer because I know I get to buy local fresh berries by the pound and enjoy the hell out of them.
3. Hops: I enjoy going to microbreweries and tasting the fresh crisp beers. A lot of my favorite places brew on the spot which makes for a good association with hops.
4. Fresh bread: When I was a little kid I used to always keep a nickel in my pocket (actually a Colombian 10 cent coin, but you get the idea). If I ever felt hungry I would smell the air and follow my nose to the local bakery (every neighborhood has a local bakery) and get a hot bun.
5. The smell of my girl: I can tell when she enters the room or is nearby. I can smell when she has been in the room. Sometimes smelling her appear short circuits my brain and makes me loose attention of whatever I am doing and concentrate on her.

Two smells I hate:
1. Fish: I am allergic to fish and it smells like poison to me. I have had to walk out of fishy restaurants.
2. Unknown flower: There is some flower local to Portland that smells kind of like a Lily and I find repugnant. I don't know what it is called but it is small white and grows all over a mid to large sized flowering bush. There was one of these on the corner of the block I lived in my first two years in Portland and I had to either hold my breath or walk four blocks around to avoid it. Other people seem to like it.

Three People I am passing the meme baton to:
Sven who is in touch with his senses
Mari who digs these kind of things and who has moved me to answer many a quiz before
Michael to see if he will bother with this triffle.

Galleries from the trips

I just finished compiling and sorting through all the pictures I took on the vacation to Paris and Bristol. A selection of the images is included in the various entries (probably the best pictures) but if you want to see the full set of images from the trip they are available at:
Geekroar.com Gallery :: Paris 2005
And
Geekroar.com Gallery :: Bristol 2005

I am arrived

Portland OR

Air traffic was a total mess. It seems some huge storm has moved over the east coast and shut down airports all over the place. My flight was an hour late in loading (the arrival of the plane was delayed by east coast traffic delays) and then spent a half hour on the runway waiting to take off. We got to see six planes in line in front of us have to turn back to the gate because their destination airports got closed. I got into Portland at 10:30PM (it was supposed to be 8PM) and found my luggage had not been loaded onto the same plane so I waited at the airport until midnight to get my bags. By the tie I got home at 1am I realized I had been up and traveling with no sleep for 26 hours.

In the Heart of Texas

5:47 PM (or 12:48AM Paris time)
Houston, Texas

While waiting at CDG I realized Continental had given me one hour between landing in Houston and when my Portland flight was due to take off. One hour (actually more like 30 minutes before boarding starts) might be enough time if all you are doing is walking from one gate to another but when you come in to the US from an international flight you have to disembark, walk from the terminal to the immigrations area (not close) get through immigrations (a line), get your luggage (wait for it to show up on the carousel), get through customs (another line), get through another security screening (more lines and the taking off and putting on of shoes) and then get back to the terminal. The flight from Paris had to approach the airport from the West and got in about ten minutes late. Moving as fast as I could I found myself jogging toward the gate with 5 minutes to takeoff. I got to the gate to find out the flight is delayed a half an hour, which is good news for me. I have to give Kudos to Continental for how they handled people with connections. Near the baggage carousel there was a portable podium with a lady who told me where to go to catch my flight and had a boarding ticket for me ready on the next flight to Portland in case I did not make it. I must say that while the flights have been cramped and all that Continental has in general been a good company to deal with. I am annoyed that after jumping through some hoops to get a seat with a laptop power adaptor I got on the plane to find out they had only powered up the first four rows but oh well çest la vie.

I'm Coming Home

Monday, June 6, 2005, 11:52 AM
Charles de Gaul Airport, Paris

Waiting at CDG in Paris waiting for a flight that will take me to Houston and then to Portland. My innate desire to always be on time got me to the airport two and a half hours early which turned out to be a good thing because getting to the right terminal, the line to check in, the security line and the walk to the gate took up over an hour. My plane is set to board in fifteen minutes after which I get to play sardines for some 18 hours. My arrival in Portland is set for 8pm tonight but that will really be about 4AM the next day for me. I then sleep as much as I can and it is off to work the next morning. I am ready to sleep in my own bed but have no desire to go back to work in the morning. Alas, such is the life of a wage slave.

Steak Frit

11:00 PM
In the new apartment at Montmarte. It is a beautiful place and very well decorated. I thought of taking some pictures but thought better of it. Don’t know how the owners will feel about having their personal space posted on the Internet. Dinner was at the Bristo on the corner (there is almost always a Bistro on the corner) and I decided to make it a traditional Parisian dinner of Steak Frit with Bordeaux wine. Neither were great but I still enjoyed it. I had some Profiteroles for dessert as well. Yum.

Stormy weather...

5:00PM
The flight back to Paris was delayed by over an hour. It seems the puddle jumper landed in Bristol and got a flat tire on the runway. They had to jack the plane up and replace both tires before it was ready for use again. It is amazing how as soon as you leave the British coast line the clouds suddenly disappear. Methinks the Brits did something naughty long time ago and were cursed with shitty weather.

On the river Avon

Sunday, June 5, 2005

Woke up this morning and had a cereal and raspberry breakfast with Teresa. We then went out for a walk about town and to the suspension bridge over the gorge. From there we walked down into town and eventually took a bus into the old part of town (we would have walked further but it had been raining for a while). I realized on the bus that this was the first time in my life I have been aboard a double decker bus and I am glad it was on a city and not a tour bus. Downtown we went to an outdoor food fair which was badly soaked and got some lamb samosas, vegetable pakoras and chicken curry from an Indian booth which we ate at the local shopping mall.

A quick walk down to Queen Square and into the tourist area (not very big, Bristol does not have a large tourist trade) brought us to the docks and the start of the Pirate Walk. The Pirate walk is led by Pirate Pete who must be the most dedicated and knowledgeable pirate I have met to date. Pirate Pete has a real love for pirate history and Bristol history and has researched his stories through the records. Pirate Pete took a few of us adults and a pack of Brownies on a nice tour that included the pubs where Treasure Island and Robinson Crusoe were written as well as the house were Black Beard lived.

Down to the pub for a pint

Saturday, June 4, 2005 7:50PM

I love Teresa's apartment but her sleeper couch is very stiff and I woke up with a bad crimp in my neck. All day today I have had limited head movement. Teresa made me a grand traditional British breakfast of eggs, ham, beans and English muffins.

After breakfast we drove up the M5 and then down some darling single lane country roads to the Chedworth Roman Villa. The excavated villa is surprisingly large and today had medieval re-enactors. We ambled around the villa reading excavation notes and spent some time watching the re-enactors have at each other with short arms hand to hand combat. The fighting was very similar to what one would see in a US SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) event except that they were all using live steel and wore minimal armor. A couple of people got bruised or scraped but there were no serious injuries. Amazing what not living in the land of the lawsuit can do for you.

We took other country back roads back to the M4 stopping by at 'the Waterside Inn' run by Mick & Karen and having "real ales, walkers & Ramblers welcome". I ordered the typical local dish of Bangers & Mash along with a half pint of cider and Teresa ordered a Potato Jacket (baked and stuffed potato) with Chicken Tikka.

South West England is incredibly beautiful and Whales even more so. You cannot tell you have come into the country of Whales (at least we did not see any signs) except for that the signs all of the sudden in two languages. A drive to Monmouth and then down the Wye river with a stop at the Abby at Lancaut brought us back into Bristol just in time for Dr. Who.

We then dropped by Sainsbury's (the local supermarket) for some Cheddar Cheese from (guess where) yes the area of Cheddar and then off to the Pub. It is worth mentioning that pub culture is big around here and the street just outside Teresa's flat is a big pub crawl area. The revelry was well under way as we walked up Highburry Vaults for a pint and a chat. Highburry Vaults is a surprising place with a short door and narrow hallway that leads into a narrow pub that just keeps going and going and going and opens up at the end into a beautiful and well populated patio. While Teresa went in for the first round I eavesdropped on the two college girls next to me and realized that while I understood the words I had no real idea what they were talking about.

The pub closed at 11pm (they all do and then everyone moves on to the clubs), which gave us enough time to go home for cheese on crackers and to sort through the photos from our digital cameras. It was after midnight by the time I bedded down. I like Bristol. A lot.

Rolling fields with curry on the hoof

Friday, June 3, 2005 11:55PM
Bristol, UK

The flight ended up leaving a half an hour late and arriving about fifteen minutes late which was quite fine. Teresa picked me up at the airport and drove me around Bristol for a short while before we got to her place and dropped my bag off. I am quite loving the British west countryside, rolling green hills, rivers, lots of hedges and beautiful towns.

From her apartment we went up to Aardman Studios where Teresa took me on the sets of Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005). I cannot say much (or show any pictures) because of a non disclosure agreement, but I think I can safely say that the sets looked marvelous. A number of them were huge with motion control rigs swinging cameras in and around streets with many buildings and big backdrop fields. We had a delicious lunch at the Aardman canteen of broccoli/cheese pie, peas, new potatoes and a banana toffee dessert. I was very impressed with the 'lunchroom' cooking and with how friendly everyone we met was. They seemed like grand people to work with.

By the time we came out of Aardman the drizzle had turned into a light rain. We headed to Bath and missed our exit off the M4 going many miles out before we were able to turn around. There was an accident that had traffic all backed up as well which meant we spent quite a few hours sitting in the car in rain and traffic. That is not all that bad though since it gave Teresa and I a chance to catch up a bit. Once we pulled into Bath the rain was more like a downpour and we were so late we got into the Roman Bathhouse after it closed. The nice guard let us into the anteroom were I got to at least see the old ruins and natural spring bath if not actually go down into them. We ran from there to the Abby of Bath (I now know exactly where the 'Bishop of Bath and Wells' from Black Adder II comes from) a beautiful high ceilinged church with great detailed work and got even wetter walking up to the Bath Circus a.k.a. a round park and roundabout atop the hill.

Wet and with a town closing on us we went back to Bristol along more beautiful roads, rested a touch then went up to the Downs (don’t ask, every other thing is backwards around here) for a stupendous Indian dinner. I love Indian food and have gone to many a good restaurant but I honestly believe this is far and beyond the best Indian food I have had the pleasure of eating.

To England we will go...

Friday, June 3, 2005, 9:15AM
CDG Airport, Paris

Sitting in an overcrowded waiting room at Charles de Gaul airport in Paris. The bad news is that the place is stuffed to overflowing, most people are standing and it will be another half an hour before the bus comes by to take me to my plane. The good news is that from the place where I stand I can see the monitor for the X-Ray machine and get a glimpse at what everyone is carrying. Cool. Amazing how many people are flying with a couple of bottles of wine and how many of the bags have condoms in them.

Catch that Rabbit

Friday, June 3, 2005, 2:00 AM

Had lunch at a hip neo-Italian joint on Rue de Rivoli near Place des Vosges. The waiter was cute and friendly but rather inept. The food was ok, far from great but I did enjoy my eggplant and mushroom Pizza. After lunch Dad and I went to the Musée Carnavalet (which contains the Museum of History of Paris), a deceivingly large museum for being housed in an old private house with Parisian artifacts going back to the Roman colony in 4000 BC and up to the French revolution. The collection was impressive and extensive though a bit disorganized. As we went from hall to hall we jumped forward then backward in time from Louis XV to Napoleon back to the Revolution then to prehistory and then to the renaissance. I walked a bit with a schoolteacher leading a group of young kids that spoke French slowly enough for me to understand him and wished I could have taken the whole museum in with a tour.

This is probably an appropriate time to make a comment on the French language. Let me quote myself from my first entry in Paris:

I can make out most the written French, understand about half of what is being said and bumble my way through simple questions.

Lies. I can make out what slow talking (country?) French people say but Parisians speak like they are constantly late for an important engagement. I have heard Parisians give out a whole chain of sentences like it is a single word with no pauses. Truth is I can barely understand what people say and read about half (maybe a bit more) of the written language. The part about bumbling my way through simple questions is true enough though I am sure I sound to the locals like a secondary character in a bad western: "Me wanting big glass beeerie plueze". Kind of makes me want to start taking language lessons again.

The Paris History museum took a good few hours of walking about and my feet are starting to really ache. We went home for a well needed rest before heading back out, this time to Au Lapin Agile, a cabaret in a very old, small and dark chalet on Montmartre. I am not sure what I was expecting but was a bit disappointed by how much of a tourist trap the place seemed (most of the other patrons were groups of Chinese and Japanese tourists. At the center of the intimate space were some six to ten (they kept walking in and out) older French men and women who sang what sounded to me like drinking songs. The performers were really quite excellent and I very much wanted to know some of the lyrics (or at least understand them) so I would have a chance to join in. The show was quite enjoyable but it felt kind of like paying people to act like they were having a jolly old time at the local pub.

We left the place before the show came to an end, Himelda explained that I was tired and was flyiong out the next morning but the truth of the matter is I wanted to stay longer and it was my dad who was hungry (the place did not serve any food). I am glad we left when we did because we did not sit down for dinner at a place on Rue St. Michelle until 11:30 or so. Being my last dinner in Paris I decided to go all out and had frog-legs for an appetizer followed by Cannard a l'Orange and Profiteroles with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce for dessert. We got home close to 1AM and I had to pack before bedding down.

These things don’t just write themselves

Thursday, June 2, 2005, 11:58AM
à la maison

Nearly noon. Got up this morning and popped by the Crêperie downstairs for a cheese and ham crepe. I have spent the last four hours doing photo editing, cleaning up blog entries and prepping them for publishing. Being my penultimate date in Paris it seems like a bit of a waste to spend it in the apartment but I wanted to get the entries out while I had a chance. I have also been working on a photo album of the whole trip to share with everyone and have been making notes for some special non-journal travel log entries. I have also been enjoying great music, this morning I have gone through
Manu Chao / Clandestino
Maria Callas / Callas 1949
Nitin Sawhney / Prophecy
Supreme Beings Of Leisure / Supreme Beings Of Leisure
Morcheeba / Who Can you Trust?

Le Relais de l'Entrecôte

Wednesday, June 1, 2005
Later that day...

Had lunch at an artesian sandwich shop called Cosi that was recommended by my friend Jeux d'enfants (2003) (aka Love me if you Dare). I thought I would be able to follow the story given that I knew something about the movie and have recently had some good French language practice; boy was I wrong. These kids talk at full speed and even with subtitles I was barely getting a quarter of what they were saying.

A brief nap later we went to meet the Colombian ambassador to UNESCO, a friend of Himelda's. The talk was mostly over high end discussions on the state of national education, politics and the workings of the Colombian ministries. I had little to do but sit and keep quiet, this has happened to me before where I find myself in company that runs in circles I am barely aware of and have little to contribute to. Dinner however very much caught my attention (hmm, anyone notice a pattern here?). The minister told us we could go to a restaurant where you make no choices other than how well cooked the meat would be and that is exactly what we got. At le Relais de l'Entrecôte the uniformed waitress welcomes you with a lettuce and walnut salad with a mustard sauce and asks how you would you like your steak. A couple of short minutes later we had a bottle of the fine house wine and each had a plate full of some of the best dammed steak I have had anywhere and frits (those are French Fries for the non-French in the crowd). Start to run out of either of the two and more is put on your plate. The wait staff seemed familiar with the old Europe form of signaling with silverware because I got a break when I set my fork and knife in the 'just resting' position and as soon as I put them down for 'all finished' my plate was gone. After dinner came a menu with about 30 delicious looking desserts, I had a raspberry sorbet with fresh fruit as well as about half of my dad's meringue tower with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. The place is a bit pricy at €41 per dinner plus another €6.5 for dessert but I think it is worth the visit.

Comment t'appelles tu?

12:45 – I just walked around what they call the Menagerie (a small Zoo) and saw a small marsupial (at least it looks like a marsupial) the likes of which I have never seen before. I haven’t the fogiest what this beast might be called and decided to take a pic in case someone recognizes it.

(hey that’s George!)

Holy chipotle bato-man!

12:00 – A siren just went off and scared the hell out of me. My thought was ‘air raid’ then to wonder if there was a fire or some other need for an evacuation but no one around me seemed to be bothered. Fortunately for me a gentleman walking by explained to his young son ‘ce la midi’. Many cities in old times had the custom of setting a cannon off at exactly noon so the locals could set their watches and clocks. I guess some habits die hard.

Ah, la naturaleza

Wednesday, June 1, 2005, 11:42AM
Jardin des Plantes

It is mid morning and I am sitting on a bench at the Jardin des Plantes. The Jardin is a botanical garden with sections of plants from different areas of the world. The sun is playfully sneaking out from between clouds and then being filtered by the leaves of the trees around me. Sweet and soft unidentified scents waif through the air teasing me to explore one way or another and children run by in occasional groups on their way to the Zoo or the Muséum National d’Historie Naturelle. The flavor of the two nectarines I had for breakfast lingers in my palette and I have plenty of time to sit, breathe, read and write. Life on vacation is good.