Just thinking…by Mark J. McArdle

It is with great anticipation, as well as a myriad of other emotions that I prepare for my final trip to California with McAfee. After over 11 years, I’m moving on. This was an incredibly difficult decision, but I know it’s the right one for the McArdle family.

So, here I am. A full tank of gas (plus a spare in the trunk), my Garmin GPS fully configured for the trip and my new Beltronics Radar Detector – not for use in Ontario :(

The trip is 4523 km (2829 miles) to California and 3619 km (2261 miles) back. The GPS says the whole trip should take about 80 hours in total travel time. I’m reasonably confident I can beat that.

My route has me departing Conestogo around 7am, and arriving in Joliet, IL about 8 hours later. The next morning, it’s off to Denver, which is a mere 15 hours away! That leg should prove quite interesting. I can’t wait to see the mountains! After Denver, it’s up and left to Salt Lake City for the night. That leg should take about 8.5 hours. The final stint is to San Jose, which is another long one at 12 hours. The trip would be shorter without going through Denver, but there’s a cool reason for that detour…But that’s for another day.

I will have company for the trip which will be really nice. My friend Ravindra Conway is joining me. He’s a geek too, and founded a cool Telecom Voice/Data product and services company called Primal Technologies. Check them out! It will be nice to spend some quality time with him. We’ve known each other since frosh week at the University of Waterloo, but this will be the most time we’ve spent together since university.

At the end of my last week at McAfee, my wife is flying in to San Francisco so she can join me for the return trip. She’s never been to LA, so we’re going to drive down PCH 1 (it’s the beautful highway that runs down the coast of California). I’m taking my “Pretty Woman” to the Beverly Wilshire hotel for the night. Then it’s off to Vegas, the Grand Canyon, Amarillo, St. Louis, and Chicago.

I’m going to try to post some updates along the way. I’m hoping to take some pictures, but I’m also mindful of my laptimes ;)

mJm

I’m in Las Vegas this week. I haven’t been here in 4 years, and have generally avoided it. I needed to be here for a few important reasons, but I’d much rather be home.

I don’t gamble. I don’t like to lose, and the odds aren’t in favor of the players here. Who pays for all these opulent, massive casino resort hotels? Gamblers, of course.

I went for a walk on Tuesday night with my trusty camera bag and tripod. There were a few shots I wanted to get. The Luxor with it’s intense beam of light at the top of the pyramid is very cool. So that was high on my list. I also took some shots of the MGM Grand. I like the effect that night shots present with slow shutter speeds. The street traffic conveys an interesting movement to the shots.

The shot below is looking north on Las Vegas Blvd.

This is my favorite shot. It’s the entrance to the Luxor, and the beam appears to be shooting out of the Pharaoh’s head. Quite cool if I do say so myself.

The beam seems to go on forever. Apparently, pilots can see this beam on a clear night from Los Angeles. Neato.

mJm

I’m writing this as I fly from Toronto to Las Vegas to attend a meeting. I purchased Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” today. Let me first say that I’m not a tree hugger, but I do love nature. I believe important decisions must be made based on reliable credible data and scientific method. I’ve felt a hesitance in buying and watching this film because I have a nagging suspicion that this is just Al Gore grasping on to a populist and controversial subject for political reasons. I was a guy who way back in 2000 thought that GWB was a better choice. When I get it wrong, I really get it wrong. I apologize profusely.

The film is extremely thought provoking. I think I have read as much as the average person about Global Warming, and am honestly confused about how much of an effect humanity is having on the globe. There’s so much data. And much of it seems to be contradictory.

The cinematography is incredible. The scenes of Antarctica had me seriously wanting to find a way to see it. But as I thought that, I felt some concern about actually spending the resources environmentally required to get there. Is that the point? My wife just bought a DVD set of BBC’s “Planet Earth“, narrated by Sir David Attenborough. Wow, if you haven’t seen this, then buy it or rent it for a week, and watch it with your kids. It’s phenomenal. And I’ve only seen a couple of the DVDs.

Gore’s presentation is very compelling. I do want to do some fact checking, but his data demonstrates a clear relationship between CO2 and temperature. The loss of our solar “mirrors” at the poles due to the massive calving of the ice shelves is very worrisome. I found the scenes showing photos of glaciers from all over the planet from the past and comparing them to current pictures very troublesome. The relationship between atmosphere, ocean currents, and temperature isn’t something that you can easily explain. The Earth is big, and complex, and beautiful. But it’s also fragile.

Some data from the film:

– Stronger hurricanes are directly linked to higher ocean temperatures
– As atmospheric temperatures increase, ocean temperatures increase
– 2300 daily temperature records were set in the US in 2006
– Coral reefs are begin bleached by increased ocean temperatures

I have 2 beautiful children, and I owe it to them, as do all adults, to ensure that we pass on a planet that is at least as good as the one we were given. But I am internally very conflicted by this. I enjoy the benefits of an advanced society. I love technology, and I love fast cars. Driving a big engined car and limiting CO2 emissions aren’t compatible. But I don’t want to drive a Prius, and I love Formula 1. But I think as responsible citizens, we are capable of dealing with this moral issue.

Al Gore was in Canada recently, and called our Government’s Global Warming strategy “a fraud designed to mislead Canadians”. The silly Minister of the Environment tried to “out green” Al Gore. Dumb strategy.

I have friends who work in the Petroleum industry. I’ve been assured by them that this is paranoid non-science fostered by tree huggers who don’t have a clue. How does one reconcile the concerns with these opinions?

Perhaps Upton Sinclair put it best: “It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it.” I find that overly simplistic though, because they are great people, who love their kids as much as I do mine.

This film gives me serious pause for thought. I’m a busy guy, and it’s easy to just punt on this issue, but what happens to the world my children will live in if I do that.

Al Gore asked “Are we capable of rising above ourselves and above history?” I hope so.
What do you think? I’m looking forward to getting home, and watching this with my wife and getting her opinion.

mJm

I’m at the Stephen F Austin Intercontinental Hotel in Austin, Texas. I wasn’t planning on being in Austin when I arrived in San Jose on Sunday night, but such is the predictability of my work life.

I like Austin, as I’ve said before. But I arrived around midnight, and I fly out around 130pm tomorrow, so the Hotel, customer, Airport will be my itinerary.

I don’t have alot to report, but I’m getting some comments about my blog being out of date. The last time I updated it I was in Bangalore (all of 10 days ago), being quite sick. I can report that the Cipro (or whatever it actually was) combined with Immodium and sleeping pills did the trick. I slept all the way from Bangalore to Heathrow. It was just as well, because when I looked at the flight map upon arrival, it became clear that we did in fact fly directly over Iran. In a British Airways 777. Wow. I guess there’s diplomatic tensions, and then there’s business.

I’m really looking forward to getting home. It was a very busy week, but a productive one. I was supposed to be home all next week, but alas, now I have a multi-day work meeting in Las Vegas. Yeah, Vegas. I haven’t been there in about 5 years, and I don’t actually like the town. I don’t gamble, so it’s not really my bag. It is great people watching though. You see all kinds in a casino. I may play craps, because that’s fun, and I almost know how to play it.

Well, that’s all for now. Hopefully when I see the traffic report for my blog I will see some hits from my “stalker” down the street ;)

mJm

I’m now at the Oberoi Hotel in Bangalore, India. It’s a spectacular hotel in the midst of some of the busiest traffic and city noise I’ve seen anywhere in the world. Beijing has similar volumes of traffic, but it’s much more orderly, and the roads are much superior. I guess being a totalitarian state has its advantages when it comes to urban planning.

My departure from Heathrow was uneventful. I keep going back and forth on whether I like Heathrow or not. Right now, I’m leaning on NOT. The “one carry-on bag” rule is utterly ridiculous. When I travel, I bring a computer bag, and a typical roller carry-on. I do this when I travel with checked bags especially because of the risk of arriving without my checked bags. This happens frequently (especially with Air France, but that’s another story).

So, now the rule is “1 bag”. I am traveling with 2 computers, my beloved MacBook, and my company issued Dell notebook. In order to comply, I had to replace the valuables and notebook in my computer bag with dirty laundry, and check the computer bag. The basis of this being “for security purposes” is utter and complete BS. This is just a way for airlines to save time and money by reducing the effect of carry on bags. When I travel regularly in the US for a week, I never check my bag. If that rule became in effect in North America, that would put a final bullet in air travel for me.

Anyhow, the shops at Heathrow are pretty good. But I have no idea what you’re supposed to do with the stuff you buy now that your single carry-on is stuffed to the max. At the gate, we were moved onto a bus, then to the tarmac where we met our Boeing 777. I love this aircraft. It’s a true marvel. The diameter of the engine is bigger than the fusealage of some small commercial aircraft. It’s (to my knowledge), the only twin engine aircraft permitted to fly over the pole because of the reliability and power of the engines. It was only the 747 and the A-340 that could fly on those routes before the 777.

The flight was very light. I was in Club Class on British Airways, and there were only 12 of us in a section that could have held at least double that. So we all spread out for the 9.5 hour flight. I enjoy watching the flight progress on the video map. Flying to India takes you over some places that are truely exotic and controversial. However, I do recall on previous flights flying over Iran, which I thought was a bit odd. On this flight, we flew a more southerly route over Saudi Arabia, south of UAE and Bahrain. As a passenger, I’m quite pleased that we’re not flying over Iran in a BA aircraft, given the very recent tensions between the 2 countries.

After watching a cool thunderstorm over the Arabian Sea, we landed in Bangalore. Customs and immigration were the fastest of any of my previous trips. But, when I exited the arrival area, I didn’t see the Oberoi representative. This is unusual, because they always meet you right at the door, and whisk you away to the hotel. I eventually found him, and knew something was wrong when he was flipping through multiple pages of names to find me.

Upon arrival at the Oberoi, the problem was made clear. They didn’t have me checking in until later today. They have a 12pm check-in time, and I am showing up around 515am. This is the second time this has happened to me in Bangalore, so I definitely have to let the travel department know that I would appreciate a place to sleep upon arrival. And the couch in the lobby isn’t what I’m looking for.

But, as always, the Oberoi staff save the day, and check me in with minimal fuss. The bad news is that the Spa is closed for renovations. And oh, was I looking forward to a massage. C’est la vie.

Up to the room, a brief unpack, and a setup of the portable WiFi router and my MacBook. Presto, I’m online and video chatting with my family. Did I mention I love my MacBook?

The next few days will be a whirlwind for me. I depart Friday morning at 630am and connect through Heathrow to Toronto. I should be home by bed time on Friday night. I’m really looking forward to that.

mJm

This week, I’m on a business trip to Cork, Ireland and Bangalore India. I’ll be spending Easter weekend in London. When I planned this trip, I didn’t realize that it was occurring over Easter, and by the time I figured it out, I couldn’t change it because God knows when I’d get the chance before the summer to take care of this agenda.

Sometimes I feel like my calendar is a big practical joke. I was supposed to be traveling less now, but since the New Year, it’s been as much as ever.

That said, aside from being away from my wife and kids, which is becoming much harder and harder to take, I enjoy visiting these spots. Ireland is a beautiful country, and the people there are among the friendliest in the world. There’s something about the Irish accent that makes even bad news sound ok. They always sound so happy. Or maybe that’s just how I hear them.

It was a bit of an adventure upon arrival. I missed my connection because it was put into my Blackberry an hour later than it actually was (I guess a DST issue). So that meant I had to wait 2 more hours for the next flight to Cork. I didn’t sleep on the flight to Heathrow from London (big mistake). I normally take a sleeping pill, but by the time I had dinner, and finished reading, there was only about 4 hours left, and I thought taking a pill for that would not serve me well upon arrival.

Anyhow, I finally got to Cork, and then confronted my first new challenge of the trip. As in the United Kingdom, in the Republic of Ireland you “drive on the left, and sit on the right”. I’ve driven that way before in the UK, but never with a manual gearbox. Well, cool, I like to drive, and I love a manual gearbox, so it should be fun. Well, I thought it was fun until I saw that they gave me a mini-van (“people carrier” for the Brits). I really had no idea where I was going, but the signs for the motorways were pretty good. Roundabouts are trivial, and highly efficient. We need more of them in Canada.

But, upon entering downtown Cork, the signage disappeared. I broke stereotype and asked a nice local chap at a red light where my hotel was. He pointed at the building right across the street. “Bloody tourist” I’m sure he thought as I signaled for my left turn. Can you do a left turn on a red in Ireland? Well, I chose not to try lest I find myself in a Limerick prison.

After a few productive days in Cork, including some quality time with a great lad named Paul, I headed back to the country of my birth. The flight was an hour and a half delayed due to an “equipment problem” (airline speak for “something broke”). I landed, and rushed to get my rental car as I had several conference calls lined up in short order.

I got the car, and the nice lady at Avis happily gave me directions to my hotel. Sadly, they were COMPLETELY WRONG. Rush hour around Heathrow ain’t the place to be scrambling to find your way. I did 2 or 3 excellent laps around Terminal 1 (I think I did set a track record on lap 2), and then found myself on the M25 south seeing farms and cement factories. Clearly, not the directions I was looking for. I popped open my Blackberry and checked the emailed directions I received from my admin. Yup, totally wrong direction. So, off I went, back towards Heathrow, and then ultimately, after bobbing and weaving my way through roundabout traffic, found my hotel.

My calls are done, and I think some good things were taken care of today. My wife will be pleased with one aspect relating to the summer that I made progress on today.

BTW, I brought my MacBook with me, as I do now whenever I travel. I just love it. Between iChat and Skype, I can always see my family when I’m on the road. I got some virtual quality time with them tonight. I even watched my son as he played a game on the computer, completely engrossed in it and ignoring me! It’s technology like this that gives this industry it’s soul to me. I can’t hug my wife and kids, but I can see them, and their smiles, and that’s pretty damn fine.

Tomorrow is Good Friday. I’m not with my family, so all I’m looking to achieve is “OK Friday”. Traffic is supposed to be horrid, so I think I’ll leave the car and take the train into London. I may catch a show, or go to a museum, or just walk around. I really love London. It’s got such a rich history. And being born in England, I feel a strange attachment to this country, even though I haven’t been a resident in well over 30 years. On Saturday, I may venture out in the car and see some sites. On my list of potential vists are:

1) Hospital of my birth
2) House I lived in before moving to Canada
3) Top Gear Race Track
4) Silverstone Race Track
5) Brands Hatch Race Track
6) Williams F1 Team HQ
7) McLaren F1 Team HQ
8) Oxford University
9) Stonehenge

Dunno where I’ll go, but I’ll keep to the left when I do it.

mJm

I’m on my way home! My work in Texas is finished (until Monday, when I have to be back). I’m at the Admiral’s Club in Austin Airport awaiting the departure of my flight home. I’m connecting via Dallas and I’m hearing on the TV running CNN about a “severe weather warning” for the midwest/northeast.

I called home and my wife told me to expect to be driving home through a snowstorm. Well, I at least like her optimism that I’ll be able to land in Toronto this afternoon. We’ll see. You gotta roll with the punches on the road, and realize that you can’t control things like the weather (or mechanical things like the altimeter).

I’ve been trying desperately to get iChat working from the 2 hotels and airport lounges I’ve been at on this trip. No dice. Funny, it worked like a charm from Japan and Thailand, but as soon as I get back to the US it starts failing. Maybe it’s all the latency caused by the NSA monitoring every packet moving around the Net.

I’ve just downloaded Skype in an attempt to have a “plan B”. Apple clearly has some problems with iChat video. Just do a search on ‘ichat error “-8” ‘ and you’ll get the picture. It’s pretty much my only criticism of my beautiful MacBook Pro.

Hey, it’s 1 week until we all leave for Disney World! Can’t wait! Unfortunately, there was a hail storm over the Kennedy Space Center, and the External Tank was damaged, scrubbing the upcoming March launch. I don’t think we had a chance of seeing it launch, but my wife’s brother and family had a shot at it. Such is the schedule predictability of the space program.

Well, it’s almost boarding time, so I shall pack up my troubles and get to my gate.

mJm

It’s 4:28am CST, and I’m in a hotel in Plano, Texas. I really wish I could get my body back on a normal sleep rhythm. You see, I travel alot and the last few weeks have been particularly challenging. I’ve been on business trips for the last 9 weeks. I’ve mainly been traveling to California, but I have also been to Boston, Dallas, and of course Thailand.

The jet lag from Thailand was pretty bad. I got home late on Monday night, and Wednesday morning was on my way to California. Just enough time to kiss the kids and to do some laundry. I woke up at the strangest times, and found myself dying for sleep around 8pm. One night, I awoke and was completely disoriented. I’ve heard about that happening to people, but had never experienced it. I was looking around for my wife, convinced that she was here, but having no idea where “here” was. It was like that feeling you get when a word is on the tip of your tongue, but you can’t remember it. That was me trying to tell myself exactly where I was at that moment.

That Friday, I returned home, but took a very unconventional route.

I flew from San Jose to Portland, then Portland to Seattle, then Seattle to Vancouver. Then, finally I took the red eye back from Vancouver to Toronto. There was a good reason for the stop overs (work stuff), but it was certainly a “thrill” going through airport security 4 times in one day.

So today I’m in Plano, and Wednesday I head to Austin, then home on Thursday. I just learned that I have to fly back out to Plano early next week. Great!

The one trip I’m really looking forward to starts March 8. We’re all going to Disney World! I’ve never been (and neither have our kids) so there’s much excitement and anticipation.

Anyhow, I’ve been Executive Platinum for 7 years, and almost always fly AA. I’m also Platinum with Hyatt, Starwood and Gold with Marriott. I look forward to the day when I don’t have that status.

Well, I’m going to try and get to sleep. Today will be a busy day.

mJm

And now the results….

Best Actor: Forest Whitaker (although I’d rather Peter O’Toole win)
Supporting Actor: Alan Arkin (I loved Slums of Beverly Hills)
Best Actress: Helen Mirren (The Queen is supposed to be great)
Supporting Actress: Cate Blanchett (cause I recognize her name)
Best Animated: Cars (amazingly awesome, and the only one I saw)
Best Director: Martin Scorsese (because Goodfellas didn’t direct itself)
Best Picture: Letters from Iwo Jima (although I think The Queen could win)

So, 4 right, 3 wrong. That’s 1 better than half right. I guess I’ll stop thinking I’m some kind of psychic when it comes to the Oscars. I didn’t watch much of it. I miss Billy Crystal.

Some girl who was rejected on American Idol won the Oscar for Supporting Actress. Go figure. It’s good that Marty won both Picture and Director. I was guessing that the Academy would only give him 1 of the Awards because the I can only assume the reason he doesn’t already have an Oscar is that he seriously p#$$#d someone off years ago at the Academy.

Well, it’s back on the road again today. Off to Dallas and Austin. Later next week, we all go to DisneyWorld (for the first time!)

mJm

I’ve seen basically none of the movies nominated, so here is my clearly informed prediction. I’m doing this mainly because I have this belief that I’m really good at predicting the winners, so while I figure out this blogging thing, I’ll record my major picks here. We’ll score me later.

Best Actor: Forest Whitaker (although I’d rather Peter O’Toole win)
Supporting Actor: Alan Arkin (I loved Slums of Beverly Hills)
Best Actress: Helen Mirren (The Queen is supposed to be great)
Supporting Actress: Cate Blanchett (cause I recognize her name)
Best Animated: Cars (amazingly awesome, and the only one I saw)
Best Director: Martin Scorsese (because Goodfellas didn’t direct itself)
Best Picture: Letters from Iwo Jima (although I think The Queen could win)

Oh man do I hope that Borat wins for Best Adapted Screenplay. The network censors will be poised with fingers on the red button the moment they hear Baron Sacha Cohen’s name. Hopefully he points out that his movie was satire and not a documentary. Wow, some folks are really stupid.