Summer Solstice

And so it was the longest day of the year... Sunny to boot.

Where has the Gnome been...? As you'll recall the BIOS was acting out on my Mac when last we spoke. I'm sorry to report that a slew of new technical glitches have kept me off the air, although not entirely away from my camera. I made a special trip to Florida last month... not once, but twice, to see STS-134 (Endeavor) launch on 16 May 2011. What a fantastic birthday experience!

Over the coming weeks, I'll be headed back to the Sunshine State to witness history... The last launch of the space shuttle program, STS-135 Atlantis.

With all the airports and delays, I've had a bit of time to reflect on why the space program is important to me and why I'd still be an astronaut if I could. If all goes well, Atlantis will be 'in the mail' on 8 July 2011... Watch this space a couple weeks later for some great images of the two shuttles and a story or two... =)

In the g-know...

So, way way way back in April, my dear Macbook started to get grumpy. She made the most atrocious noise at start-up - I wouldn't say 'death curl' but not far from it. After panic backing up the hard drive to an external I turned her off and lovingly whispered, "I hope you start-up when I get back from Greece."

A month later she did wake up, but she was suffering. Several expensive phone calls to Apple later and she was away for repair. First the CD/DVD drive was replaced. Then a second CD/DVD drive was installed only to throw up a faulty logic board. Basically the entire computer has been rebuilt. And who says buying an extended warranty is for wimps! At the moment I am awaiting a new battery and installation disks (because they were scratched by the faulty CD drive). Hopefully, the photography will be back up and running in about a week to ten days. In desperation, a new-old Powerbook has been enlisted; but I'm just getting up to speed on this one. =)

This has all been rubbish news for the world of 'gnome-travelogue' because sans computer means no photo editing. But, there have been a few new projects on the go to keep me occupied in the absence of suitable binary. Sadly, one of those included not being short-listed for the travel writing contest I had entered with my story of Indiana Joness adventures on Crete. Ah well, next time!


Last weekend I was in Crieff (Perthshire) for a conference/training with the ever so snappy title "Biotech Entrepreneurship Summer School." First and foremost, I can not recommend Crieff more highly. Perthshire is my patch of Scotland - it reminds me of home. And, at a close second, the summer school, although exhausting was very inspiring. For anyone who has recently entered the dreary world of unemployment and the merry-go-round of job hunting this was a welcomed window into a world of exciting ideas which is thriving while big pharma and industry falters.

On a personal note, being an ex-pat is an interesting experience - often exciting and lively; but news from home is often slow to trickle down, as was the case this past weekend. As many will know, I am a long time supporter and watcher of "Meet the Press" with Tim Russert. (To be honest, if he and Tom Brokaw hadn't made the 2000 presidental election so exciting, I may have passed biochemistry the first time around.) However, unlike the majority of the United States, I missed the announcement of his untimely death on Friday last. Late Sunday evening I downloaded the latest podcast only to learn the sad news. Since then I have been following the story online and been struck by the outpouring of sympathy of my fellow countrymen for a man we knew simply because of Sunday mornings. I suggest, if you never had the opportunity to watch his broadcasts, checkout the "Meet the Press" homepage. I think you'll find Mr Russert was one of those rare and genuine souls who worked hard to make this world a little bit better without forgetting where he came from (Buffalo!) and lived every day to its fullest. Something to strive for.

Right, the family arrives in a weeks time for a rather large celebration.

Roaming Sans Computers

Actually, sounds like it should be an international aid organization, but, the Gnome went roaming in Greece without one and returned to civilization only to send her's for surgery and start a new job. Sadly for the readership, this means you've not been treated to fun stories. Happily for me, I got some rest.

Never fear - I've sorted out an interim solution and the navigational portion of my travelog will conclude later this week with the journey from Rethymnon into the Selinos before returning to Athens. Thereafter, you can expect a weekly adventure from Crete (as there were some good ones) and more photos.

Until then, stay tuned and start thinking about where the Gnome should head next.

Map - Friend or Foe?

I love my maps these days. Having recently been introduced to Google Earth, I thought it might be time to chart some adventures on a map...


View Larger Map

If all is working correctly, you should be able to enlarge, navigate, and click on the tacks for 'Fast Facts' although you may have to zoom for this to work. In this trial for my trip to Amsterdam last May, I've linked the blog entries.

What do we think... friend or foe? Might try to develop a tab functionality...?

Ides of March

Traditionally, the Ides of March is 15 March and synonymous with impending doom (a la Julius Caesers' assassination). Well, it hasn't been all that bad... Thus far March has come in like a lion, though. After days of damp and hail, the skies opened to present this breathtaking scene. Can you spot the double rainbow?

The Roaming Gnome has been on a PR charm offensive over the past few weeks visiting exotic locals ranging from the dreik 'Athens of the North' to the foggy 'Merchant City' and the steely 'Granite City' (Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Aberdeen, respectively.). Aberdeen piccies should be forthcoming. =)

Tomorrow sees me off to London on my quasi-annual arts get-away. The last time I visited (2005), I arrived just as the Underground was being bombed for a second time, so understandably a little put off by the experience. I remember the remarkable resolve of those Londoners I spoke with about their experiences of terrorism and find myself wondering about the new security measures of our age and George Orwell's predictions in 1984.

For the readership, there have been a few upgrades to The Roaming GnoME over the past few weeks hopefully making it easier to track my adventures. Now that the kinks have been worked out, I am proud to announce the introduction of a subscription service! If you follow the link on the right just under the About Me box you'll receive a wee note whenever I update my blog. It seems to be working well so go ahead, give it a go! =)

Right-ey oh. Best get those train tickets booked before the price goes up anymore. Catch you at the weekend.

What Am I Reading?

As it seems this gnome is stuck in rubber cement, I'm living vicariously for the moment through a few new found friends. I thought I'd take the opportunity to introduce you to their travels until mine resume in a few months time.

1) Euros Ate My Dollars
Meet Ben and Brittany, two 25-year-olds from Virginia. (Oh, to be 25 again... Wait a minute, that wasn't a good year!?!?) They left the good ole US of A on 5 September 2007 for Europe. After wintering with horrible exchange rates they have recently landed in SE Asia. Their blog is full of funny stories, interesting factoids, pictures, and VIDEOS. They are doing a fabulous job of documenting the highs and lows of youngens travel. My favorite bit is the map page. So often I find myself surfing the web with one window reading a blog and another with an atlas. Ben and Brittany have kindly charted their journey round to help you out.

2) TravelBlog: D MJ Binkley
Friends of my dear mum, Dave and Merry Jo quit their jobs, sold their house, and took off on 16 September 2007. (Gotta love the wanderlust.) After a 'great American road trip' they headed to SE Asia, New Zealand, and are currently in Australia. Their blogs are information packed and touching (although I doubt I could afford to stay in hotels like they can). I loved the 'vacation from a vacation' story as I remember feeling that a few years ago when I was Eurailing through Switzerland and Austria (sometimes you have to be still to take it all in). And, like Ben and Brittany they have a map function.

3) Scotfoto
Looking for views of Scotland on a daily basis (and to find more reasons why I've been so enchanted by it over the past 6+ years)? Check out Scotfoto. He is a wonderful photographer working in Edinburgh and environs publishing new image almost daily. Great with a morning cuppa!

4) Vagabonding
And last, but certainly not least, is Mike Pugh's Vagabonding. Although his trip occurred in 2002/2003 I have been fascinated by his stories of Africa.

The great thing about all of these is they have subscribe features so you can have the URL e-mailed right to you when there is an update.

Interestingly, the stories I am following are from Americans. I was recently horrified when I read that less than 30% of the population of the United States have a passport. My spirits were raised significantly when I tumbled upon these stories of exploration-in-progress. Being an ex-pat myself, it is hard to imagine, and currently be, without my passport. I'm glad to see that new friends as well as my high school and college buddies are all taking the opportunity to live life to its fullest.

Update: In my previous post I mentioned heading to Greece. It is most certainly a go as soon as my papers return. I welcome any thoughts or recommendations...