Travel

Hebrew Alphabet Soup – OSU Library

Tonight we had a great dinner on the 11th floor of the newly renovated Ohio State University library. As you enter you walk over a very cool metal “sculpture” of the English alphabet mounted in the floor. While waiting for the elevator I noticed that they had the paleo-Hebrew alphabet! Very cool! No, wait…

You see the problem? The letters are correct, but they are “reading” from left to right instead of right to left. No, wait…not quite.

It is fine until you get to tet and then it’s silly. I am not sure who the two letters are after the yod, samech and tsade are missing and what are the last two letters?

This one at least had most of the letters in mostly the right order, if left to right. When I got to the 11th floor and looked at the elevator door, well, see for yourself.

The Greek alphabet was also confused. I saw at least a dozen other languages, presumably all just as mangled. A nice idea, poorly executed.

Two observations, no, scratch that, two complaints about hotels

May 23rd, 2012

by Christian Brady.

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I travel a decent amount in this job so I spend a fair amount of time in hotels. When I was in college and graduate school I worked in hotels. (I was the weekend manager for a small hotel in Oxford for just over 3 years.) I have opinions about hotels.

Sometime in the last five years someone decided that cleaning staff should close the drain stopper in sinks and tubs, presumably to indicate that they had, in fact, interacted with the bathroom enough to push the drains closed. Ridiculous. All this means is that when I first brush my teeth the sink fills up before I realize I need to unplug it. I start running the shower and step into ankle deep water and have to bend over and unplug it… Yes, I am whining.

More substantially, I would like to complain on behalf of those of us vertically challenged. The middle of my back is always well within the range of the shower head, but more often than not I have to contort myself to wash my hair. Why not simply makes the shower head suitable for tall people? There is no (or marginal) cost to doing so and it would not adversely effect those below 6 feet tall. Please consider this simple gesture?

By the way, otherwise the Blackwell Hotel at Ohio State University is outstanding. A really beautiful and well maintained environment.

Tweets from the road

Aug 10th, 2011

by Christian Brady.

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Read in reverse order.

One more flight today. 6 flights in 3 days. @ San Diego International Airport (SAN) http://instagr.am/p/JzYUp/

Mine! Mine! @ Edgewater Grill http://instagr.am/p/Jy9rY/

BMW: CHiPs has moved up in the world. @ Starbucks (Piazza Carmel) http://instagr.am/p/JyybW/

Bird @ Starbucks Coffee (La Costa) http://instagr.am/p/JyMW6/

Drinking coffee in CA can cause cancer. Who knew? @ Starbucks Coffee (La Costa) http://instagr.am/p/JyFuL/

Waiting in the LV airport…with Lion King music, you know that haaaaiiii lahaaiii bit, on loop. Very annoying. Very.

Location:Valley Centre Dr,San Diego,United States

Measuring up

Jul 11th, 2011

by Christian Brady.

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We had a great time last week seeing old friends and family. On Lake Oneida we went to this quaint little old amusement park, Sylvan Beach. Pulled the boat up to the shore, waded on land and right into the park. You can see more pictures of that on flickr.

(Sadly, my Sony A100 DSLR appears to be on its last legs. The autofocus motor is making horrendous sounds during start up.)

Califor-nigh-a

May 4th, 2011

by Christian Brady.

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This week I have taken a quick trip out to the west coast to meet with a friend of Penn State and the SHC. I have to say that the more I come out here the more I like California…well, parts of it. Of course I suppose you can say that about any place.

I know myself. I know that I do not like cities, at least, not as places to live. That is much of why I love State College. I drive past horses, sheep, pigs, chickens, experimental crops, and Beaver Stadium in my 4.3 mile commute. Yet in 3-and-a-bit hours I can be in Wash. DC, Philly, Pittsburgh, or NYC. All the benefits with little of the hassle of living in the city itself.

I also know that I enjoy going to my in-laws at Rehoboth Beach, DE (no really, I do). But I have never really enjoyed that whole beach scene, the mass of people, the boardwalk (although I love Fun Land! hasn’t changed in 40 years).

And today I find myself at Torrey Pines, California. Wow. It is stunning. Beautiful flowers, shrubs, and breathtaking bluffs with the surf below. I could really get used to this. San Diego is just 20 miles away. But then I consider the taxes, the earthquakes…

So I will enjoy this day and the morning to get some work done with the balcony door to my hotel room open and the light aroma of the Pacific Ocean blowing through the curtains. And remember, that “all creation declares…”

You can see more of my pictures from Torrey Pines on flickr.