The Big Easy & Me

This is supposed to be a party, dammit!

Where do you want to be when you celebrate your 40th birthday? It’s a big milestone… you likely have a firm grasp on your life, lots of responsibilities, plenty of obligations from every angle…

If you are my sister, that all adds up to celebrating with a long weekend in New Orleans- aka the Big Easy- to do nothing but enjoy the absence of a schedule. Don’t worry, her husband Doug and I managed to replace her normally busy schedule with plenty of great music, fun joints, and late night canasta games.  While Dawn claimed victory in the first full game, I managed to snap what seemed a life long streak and take a game of my own during the weekend…

Dawn & Doug welcoming me to NOLA at Pat O'Brien's

I arrived Thursday (7/30) to join Dawn & Doug, who had arrived the day before.  Stepping off the plane at Louis Armstrong Airport, I was immediately greeted by a thick, damp heat that would be rather prevalent throughout the weekend.  It served as a great reminder of the weather from my youth… the weather I escaped by moving to San Francisco.  Luckily, the continuous heat was occasionally broken by warm-rain storms that lasted about 30 minutes every afternoon… nature’s way of telling you to step into one of the many (MANY) nearby bars to enjoy an ice cold beer and arctic air conditioning set to full throttle.

Rain, rain go away, make us drink another day...

A big thanks goes out to my oldest brother Cass (side note: I am the youngest of five, Dawn being my only sister) for guiding us to both the Preservation Hall on Friday night and the House of Blues on Sunday morning… both of which easily make this amazing list: the NOLA Top 5 (in chronological order):

Thursday: One more drink at The Blues Cafe – This place lured me in with the sweet sounds of Bill Whithers and we slid into the chairs, one drink minimum in hand to enjoy a great house band and rotating lead singers.  From the keyboardist channeling Mr. Whithers on ‘Use Me Up’ to the spandex dress clad Tina Turner lead singer, each front person brought their own energy and style to the stage.  The favorite of the night had to be El Sid, the best performer to grace the venue and wow the crowd.  ‘One more drink’ turned into both a couple rounds that night and a catch phrase for the rest of the weekend… words can not accurately describe the showmanship and joy we expeirenced, but unfortunately they will have to suffice… I snapped no pictures.  Trust me, it was great.

Friday: The Preservation Hall Jazz Masters – A legendary venue that has stood the test of time for more than 30 years of creating jazz history… without redecorating their performance hall once.  A room comparable to your living room was the scene of an amazing jazz performance for a small crowd happy to wait well over 45 minutes to check them out (unless you get a hookup from an older brother and walk right in…).  We saw the Preservation Hall Jazz Masters, an ensemble crew of jazz pros that were exchanging handshakes and hugs prior to show, comparing stories since the last time they had played together.  The whole place gave off a familial vibe, making the jazz that much more a personal experience.

The Preservation Hall Jazz Masters: amazing players in an amazingly (old) venue

Saturday (afternoon): Electric Ladyland Tattoo Shop – After years of talking the talk, they finally walked the walk.  Dawn and Doug got matching(ish) tattoos to celebrate 16 years of marriage and her 40th birthday.  I definitely did not talk them into it, but supported teh decision and design process along the way.  End result?  Dawn & Doug FOR-EH-VER.  If you are visiting NOLA and want to find a shop, check this place out and ask for Jason.

The interlocking D's and ankle placement make them a matched set... the borders make them uniquely their own.

Saturday (late): Coyote Ugly (yep.) – On Saturday evening we were sipping our boat drinks at a parrothead bar (who knew?) on Bourbon when Dawn suggested we each pick a spot for a single drink as we bounce through our last evening.  Great plan.  Doug tried to bow out by saying he picked the Buffett joint.  Dawn was in for her perennial favorite Maison Bourbon.  That left me remembering my last trip to NOLA with Doug and my brother Lance a few years back… we had a blast at this little place called Coyote Ugly.  So off we went to this bar my sister had never heard of… and wouldn’t you know we got three 2-for-1 coupons on the way there?  We arrive to a near empty bar with no music… so $5 later I had control of the juke box.  We all had our first round in front of us and Dawn was trying to figure the place out.  Then one of my songs fit the bill… and a bartender hit the bar, stomping out a great dance with her boots.  Then the second bartender took over, picking the best songs for them to dance to, berating guys in the bar that weren’t playing by her rules, and giving out shots to ladies.  It went down hill (read: really damn fun and laughably great) from there… competition shots, ladies *ahem* from the crowd dancing on the bar, and some general debauchery all around.  I had to promise I wouldn’t post the pictures…

Sunday: Gospel Brunch at the House of Blues – How do you handle waking up early after three or four days of late nights and hard drinking?  We opted for the route that included the earliest alarm of the trip, an amazing buffet, and a LOUD gospel band on the stage.  The House of Blues itself is an amazing venue full of folk art and just an overall feeling of music-soaked history.  And a giant Rolling Stones cover of the Blues Brothers above the main bar.  While the champagne served mostly as a reminder of the night before (for some of us, the morning too), the rest of the buffet proved an amazing spread that all three of wish our recovering bodies allowed us to enjoy a bit more.

Are you ready for a miracle? How about grits, jambalaya, french toast and a mimosa?

Iceland: Taking Advantage of the Exchange Rate

Iceland was a gorgeous country full of natural beauty and very nice people.  While typically one of the most expensive tourist destinations in Europe, the government bankruptcy has doubled the exchange rate in our favor in the past 12 months… so why not capitalize?

It was amazing to see such stark contrast between Reykjavik (REK) and the rest of the country as 200,000 of the 300,000 total residents of Iceland live in the greater REK area.  So, while all the pictures from the trip are posted online RIGHT HERE, I will save you some of the trouble of browsing through all 400+ with some highlights posted below.

So who went?  I got the call from my buddy Ben (below at left) and one of his B-School buddies, John (below at right) who are making the most of 5 day weekends (yes, class is only Monday and Tuesday).

Ben, me and John... the intrepid travelers. (Junksarlson in southern Iceland)

I started the trip a bit earlier than the others, leaving SF at 8:30am on Tuesday, meeting them for our Icleand Air flight out of Boston at 9pm and then landing in Iceland at 6:30am Wednesday.  We found our way to the hotel for a quick turnaround before heading to the Blue Lagoon, the famed hot water springs and spa (and tourist trap)… we figure that was the only proper way to put jet lag and lack of sleep behind us…

Hotel Fron: our base of operations- with free breakfast!

Blue Lagoon: like a giant hot tub.

After a couple hours of relaxing away our travel, we headed back to REK to gear up for our first dinner in Iceland… what else but Pylsas… the Icelandic hot dog…

Icelandic Hot Dogs: better than the American style by a long shot.

A few beers later, we were all feeling pretty good about our decision to take advantage of the improved exchange rate (basically doubled in our favor in the past year).

Day two we headed east along the loop road (which encircles the entire island).  Everything was bland and white, with occasional waterfalls or moss covered volcanic rock formations to break up the drive to Jokulsarlson (where the first picture at top was taken).  The drive back to REK was a completely different experience… the snow had melted away to show more landscape, waterfalls were swelling with runoff and rain, and the fog/ clouds had burned away to reveal massive mountains and glaciers in the distance.  It was hard to believe we were on the same road as the morning.

Glaciers: making a break for it.

Loop Road View: the morning was blanketed in white.

Loop Road View: what a difference a few hours can make. (same view)

Waterfalls: everywhere around the island.

TLC was Right: don't go chasing waterfalls, your jeans will get soaked.

The rest of the ride home was a bit less exciting… we were all tired, my jeans were soaked through, and somehow, we managed to get a bit lost…

Day three would show us the famed Golden Circle, an area of intense geologic, tectonic activity.  I was all nerded up for the Thingvellir area where the American and European tectonic plates are shifting apart (divergent plate boundary).  You can actually see the rift between them and they are still moving… which is the primary cause of all the geysers, volcanos, and geothermal water caches all over the island.  Being that Ben graduated Mechanical Engineering like me, he was excited to visit the Geothermal Power Station as our last stop of the day… and even though I thoguht it was closed, it was a good call that we went.  Interesting learnign experience (they provide hot water nationally and bill everyone monthly, as a separate line item in your power bill).

Thingvellir: the rift between America and Europe is growing wider all the time.

Geyser: not quite as old, but definitely as faithful.

Icelandic Tour Bus: they look at people movers a bit differently...

Gullfoss: huge waterfall, freezing wind and rain, but no guard rails. Amazing.

Volcanic Crater: the remains of an old eruption (and warmer weather).

Bjork: more than just an artsy rocker!

Geothermal Power Plant: the more you know (jingle playing)!

And with that, it was back to the city, dinner and bar hopping… you know, to get a better understanding of the local culture and morale.  For a bankrupt economy, everyone seemed in good spirits.  I suppose sunsets at 11pm and nothing darker than dusk before sunrise at 6am will do that…

Our last two days in Iceland woudl be spent exploring REK… so here are some highlights of the amazing city that is home to 2/3 of the country…

Gorgeous Church: it's under there somewhere... unfortunate timing.

Modern Sculpture: art was all over town, like this modern Viking ship by the water.

Lakefront: there is a man-made rectangle lake in the center of town, great public space.

And that wraps up the highlights… though my favorite meal of the trip was unfortunately not pictured here… Lobster Soup at (basically) a bait shack… we went back twice.  AMAZING.

So, if you go to Iceland, count on the weather being crazy (15 minute rotations of sun, sleet, wind, rain- in that order), the people being nice (but late… dinner at 8 or 9, shops open at 10am), and the country side being gorgeous (I put it second to New Zealand in natural beauty).  If I could do it again… perhaps start with Blue Lagoon again, rest up in REK, then 3 days to travel the entire loop road, staying at B&B’s along the way, ending in REK for a big night or two on the town.

Will I go back?  If the exchange rate doubles in our favor AGAIN? Definitely.  As is, maybe a layover on the way to Europe…

Have fun,

~N

Going to Iceland

So… I just booked flight and hotel for Iceland, April 28th to May 3rd. Ben Gregg- you inspire me.

Ben pitched the idea to me this past Sunday… oddly enough after having learned about the geological formation of Iceland at a Geological Cabaret the night before (Tenaya Rocks… http://www.tenayahurst.com/). In short, Iceland sits on top of a ‘hot spot’ at a divergent plate boundary… yeah, I am a bit dorky for getting all excited about that show, but it was awesome.

So, remote island nation mentioned twice in two days… Coincidence? perhaps. Iceland? yes, please.

I want to go to there.

I have been leaving the country at least once a year for a while now… and I figure that while I am not working I have time to do it again. And most new employers dont like people jetting off for a week or two to remote locations.

My first post to NathanScripps.com

So after a little more than a year of parking this URL, I have the time and drive to actually build it out. Turns out, it was pretty easy to get a basic framework up and running. I am using BlueHost for hosting, Wordpress for content management, and bought the URL from GoDaddy (set to automatic renewal).

My intent is to use this site as a hub of sorts, stringing together some continuity between all of the varying online communities in which I take part: Dailymile, Twitter, BookCrossing, LinkedIn, Digg, Yelp, SG, and yes… Facebook and MySpace too (though to a lesser extent). With all of those communities getting different attention from me, supporting or drawing out different aspects of my personality, how am I supposed to create and maintain consistency? I hope this site will give me both a jumping off point to start formulating thoughts and a rallying point for others to get a better, more complete picture of my online self.

I fully intend for this site to evolve over time and welcome any and all suggestions on how to improve it or the content presented herein.

Nathan Scripps