So yes, this impending move to basically a swamp by a desert is going to mean some changes in the wardrobe. Apparently the business dress is very formal, so I will have to get used to wearing a suit and tie again. I used to do this as a matter of course, but hanging around with Construction Engineers, and cycling to work, meant that my sartorial standards have slipped. I’m looking forward to getting suited up for the office once more. Maybe some new desert boots too. New suit hunt documentation to come.
I’m definitely going to need new shades (and yes, I will call them shades). I just got a new prescription for my eyes, and I will be getting new glasses before we go, so I’ll get some good shades as well. Some good ones, not the acceptable-but-not-really-very-good cheapo online ones.
But what style? So many options. So many pitfalls.
Having had opinions for most of my life, and after some research, here’s a bit of a pinboard of styles I like. Feel free to comment sotto voce.
Not all of these are possible or desirable, of course, but I wanted to clarify a few points. Wraparounds are out (even though seeing Rik wear them in ‘Bomb‘ made me want to), Ray Ban Wayfarers are out (overkill), the Steve McQueen Persol look is a bit “Esquire”. But in the end, I have to go with what I think looks good. I’ll be sure to post what I get. I would also welcome comments from you.
I must say I’m keen on the clear frames look. What do you think?
Anyway, from TV star Eddie Monsoon, the fantastic and controversial ‘Back to Normal with Eddie Monsoon’ from 1983. Good shades.
This entry was posted in "Misc" on 2014-08-21 by mjp.
My good friend Dr James Kneale gets around. He likes avoiding getting muddy at traditional British muso events like Glastonbury when it was still a little bit cool.
But what you may not know is that he always knew where the party was.
Yes, even in the face of mid-period Thatcherite police brutality, he was there at the Battle of the Beanfield. Here we see him drawing the attention of a 80’s-mustachioed war cop.
It’s not all fun fun fun though. James is more about getting messy in the literal sense, rather than the music journalism figurative sense. He was there when corporate greed and laziness (for example painting the the doomed molasses tank brown to hide the leaks) killed 21 people and injured 150 in the Boston Molasses Disaster of 1919.
But for chest-deep mud and human suffering, you can’t beat the trenches of the First World War, the War that should have ended all Wars, but in fact was just one caused by previous, and leading to more.
Not really sure what the point of this post is/was. James posted the picture of him at “Glasto”, and I just thought it would be fun to paste him into other muddy/messy scenes. This was a while back.
But then with it being the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War, and many British friends posting pictures of great-grandads and so on, it might seem a bit disrespectful. That’s not the intention. Just a silly idea, based on a whim.
Anyway, the joke is that the joke is still being told, and despite it not being funny, humans can’t help keep telling it, in the hope that this time it’ll elicit a laugh.
This entry was posted in "Misc" on 2014-08-13 by mjp.
Cassie and I. And Gordon later on.
Moving from the Bay Area to another country.
Probably mid-to-late September 2014. We’re moving out of our apartment first, into the glory that is the Hyatt House, Emeryville.
United Arab Emirates. My office will be in Abu Dhabi, but we are considering living in Dubai.
Why? Why are we moving 8127.11 mi (13079.32 km) from Oakland, CA, USA to a city built on desert wetlands in the Middle East? Via the North Pole, apparently?
I am going with my company, Parsons Corp, to join a new Design Center in the Abu Dhabi office working on various projects, including the new Red Line of the Dubai Metro, and a new passenger heavy rail line for Etihad Rail.
“Indefinitely”. That is to say, not for a fixed term contract, but to be a part of the design group over there. That said, who knows. Realistically, we may decide that we can’t take the 110°F / 43°C heat and 80% humidity for too long.
We’ll be in the UK for Christmas (even though the depths of winter is when it’s the nicest). I hope to see as many people as I can.
What Do You Want To Do Before You Leave?
See as many people as I can. Cassie has the restaurant list. I’m planning a trip to the Computer History Museum. Perhaps an aquarium or two. But it’s hard to cram in fun things when there’s so much to do at home and at work.
Suggestions for things to do please! Come on, Bay Area folks!
It’s a big move. It’s a long story. Lots going on. Lots to do. More soon.
This entry was posted in USA-UAE on 2014-08-11 by mjp.