Yesterday I woke up with a cold, for not apparent reason. Had a work meeting with my advisor and told him about my sinister plans to go home. He immediately approved my decision. On my way back to the office, I peeked into the AI lab meeting room, where I saw a familiar face, someone the building was named after, the chairman of the most hated company in the world — Bill Gates. I didn’t stay much longer, as his bodyguards told me to move along, but still he really was there.
Later, I placed some orders for people who wanted me to bring them stuff, and went to buy a thermos (so I can have some tea) and then to the Tuesday games group. In the games group, we played my copy of Container. Then it started raining. So, someone with an umbrella helped me walk to the car without getting my game wet, and I put it in the trunk, and closed the trunk…. with my keys inside. Luckily, someone else from the game group was generous enough to drive me home and back so I can get my spare keys and open the car.
When I finally reached home again, I found a pleasant surprise. My laptop was back from repair. I did not expect it to return so soon. It was picked up on Saturday, repaired on Monday, shipped the same day, and arrived back on Tuesday. Not bad, especially given the fact that it was flown to Memphis for the repair.
So, now I’m home, with a working laptop, and a cold…
February 20th, 2008 at 20:56
Posted by
epsalon |
Gaming, Health, Tech stuff, USA |
2 comments
The title says it all. I was feeling homesick, and I get 2/3 of the flight back in miles, so next Friday, Feb. 29th (yes, there is one this year), I’ll arrive at Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport. I’ll stay for ten days until March 10th, and then stay here till passover.
I’m essentially free all this time, so those of you who would like to see me, please send me an e-mail. I’ll guess I’ll set up a meet around one of the weekends.
Also, if you want me to get stuff for you that’s only available in the US, please ask.
February 18th, 2008 at 08:13
Posted by
epsalon |
Family, USA, Travel |
one comment
I know I haven’t blogged in a while. There was not much to write about, and I skipped writing about some interesting stuff, but anyway I have something to write about today.
Last night, as was walking to my car like any other day, except that I had dinner with a visiting professor. I didn’t want to be late so I left half an hour before the meeting, even though it was 5 minutes away from campus. On my way to the car, I keyed in the location into my GPS just to be sure. Trying to type while walking, I dropped my iPAQ (which is also my GPS). The drop did not damage the iPAQ, but it did separate the screen cover and the stylus, which I have easily recovered, and kept on walking. After a few meters, I noticed that the GPS software wouldn’t work. After another try I realized that my miniSD memory card was gone.
Now, you should understand that a miniSD card is only 2cm x 2cm large, about the size of a SIM card. Looking for the card on a sidewalk in the darkness, when I did not know where exactly it fell was not an easy task, and indeed I did not find my card.
As time was running out, I decided to head for dinner, without a functioning GPS. It shouldn’t have been hard since it was basically one right turn in a major intersection. I missed the turn. If I had GPS, I would have known exactly where to go. Being GPSless, I decided to take the next right turn. Unbeknown to me, that road did not intersect with my destination road. Anyway I had to turn several times until I finally reached my destination. Google map of my path.
Today, I looked for my card in daylight and I couldn’t find anything, so I restored my backup into my old 1GB card, which am using now.
Lesson: Always look for your memory card if you drop your phone.
January 11th, 2008 at 03:06
Posted by
epsalon |
Stanford, Daily Life, Tech stuff |
2 comments
This post was written on Christmas day - December 25th. Ever since Thanksgiving there are decorated Xmas trees everywhere, the radio plays Xmas music, and everyone is away with family.
As everyone is with family, most of the boardgame events were canceled, and Stanford is almost empty.
The only ones still around are the Jewish community. A person I met in a conference invited me to meet some of his friends at an Israeli restaurant on the Sunday before Xmas. It turns out that the person who operates the largest Jewish site in the bay has the same name as my brother - Tomer Altman.
They have invited me to join them to a Chinese restaurant on Xmas day. They forgot to mention that the meal is strictly veggie. Luckily, I got some veg-less noodles so I could eat. The whole occasion was long and boring. I left as soon as the meal was over.
Earlier that day I realized that most restaurants are closed on Xmas day. After trying two “24 hr” McDonald’s branches which were closed, I settled for Mediterranean food in a Greek restaurant I found open on University Ave.
That concludes my Xmas tales. This weekend will be boardgames again.
December 28th, 2007 at 07:58
Posted by
epsalon |
American Culture, Gaming |
3 comments
(Title sounds better in Hebrew)
Today is the 4th Thursday of November, which means Thanksgiving Day is celebrated throughout the United States. This is the day where Americans celebrate their conquest over the native Americans (”Indians”). This is the most family-inclined of all US vacations, and most people use this holiday to meet with their families and eat together, similar to the Jewish Passover.
As a tribute to this togetherness, the family I live with have invited me to join their Thanksgiving celebrations. I got to meet many members of their family in their house in Palo Alto. They have invited me for dinner as well, but I have already booked dinner at Stanford.
The Stanford dinner included Turkey and mashed potatoes. I met there someone I have met while walking “the dish” on one of my first days here.
Tomorrow is Black Friday. While in most cultures calling a day “Black” implies a negative context, Black Friday actually celebrates the most American tradition of them all: Shopping. The use of the word “black” comes from the fact that retailers start making profit, and thus are “in the black” after this day. It turns out that the day after Thanksgiving marks the start of the US Winter Holiday Season, and specifically the shopping season before Christmas. Many retailers have sales on this day, and unless your are shopping-crazed it’s advised that you stay home, which is exactly what I plan to do.
November 23rd, 2007 at 06:40
Posted by
epsalon |
Stanford, American Culture |
3 comments
