Introduction
In early 1999, I started keeping an informal journal on some of my travels. I found this helped me to remember some of what happened. I also discovered that some of my colleagues and family found my travel accounts to be rather amusing, primarily because I had things happen to me. For some reason, odd things tended to occur around me -- things that seemed to bypass almost everyone else, but run full-tilt-boogie into me. Rather than fight it, I sort of learned to flow with it and document it. The result is this set of posts.
Here are some representative samples. Someday, I may write up some more of my past travels from notes and memory to document some of the more unsual trips I've had. These may undergo a little revision to exclude the names of the guilty, avoid local statutes. and hide some of the more mundane details. As such, these may not have happened exactly as described....
I'll note that my travel hasn't been as amusing since the 9/11/01 terrorist incident, and I pretty much stopped writing these around that time. The more colorful of my fellow travelers seem to be avoiding planes, and the whole nature of travel has changed. I've still had strange things happen to me, but they have all been isolated incidents....not enough to string together into one of these accounts. Nor have I quite had the time or motivation to type some up. Maybe someday... Ah well.
I have also included some accounts of life experiences that have been a little bit off-center from the norm, or provided me a particularly meaningful experience. I'm starting with some from grad school days, but may eventually include them from all over. It depends on my spare time and the state of health -- and memory.
Key Players
There are some names mentioned in the enclosed. I reference these people because many of my friends and colleagues know them. If you, gentle reader, are not familiar with these people, here's a brief cast of characters:
- Elizabeth
- My daughter (born in 1993, so she's young in some of these)
- Kathy
- My 1st wife (1985–2016)
- Dave
- My former roommate in grad school, best man at my wedding, and a great friend (who still has admissable evidence, I fear)
- Marlene
- My administative assistant and invaluable aide, sadly now deceased
- Andra
- A long-time friend and colleague, formerly Assistant Director of CERIAS
Journal Entries
These are in approximate chronological order of occurance.
- Spaf has problems in and out of costume
-
(written July 1999; took place at various times from 1974 to 1984)
- Spaf learns something about time, and loss
-
(written August 2000)
- Spaf decides to pursue information theory
-
(written June 1999; took place approximately 1981)
- Spaf Gets a Roommate and is Listed with the EPA
-
(written July 1999; took place approximately 1983)
- I see London, I see France...
-
(written June 1999; took place around 1991)
- Mosquitoes in France
-
(written June 1997)
- A Family Vacation; Yeah, right.
-
(written August 1997)
- Merry Olde England
-
(written November 1998)
- The Fat Lady Sings...and Flies
-
(written June 1999)
- Crazy from the Heat
-
(written August 1999)
- Gene takes the Red-Eye
-
(written October 1999)
- A Brief Tuesday Interlude
-
(written November 1999)
- Gene Visits Las Vegas
-
(written April 2000)
- Sittin on the Runway in NYC
- (written June 2000)