Twelve Black Code Monkeys

A few days ago, I posted a list of states in textual form that I’d lived in, visited, etc., which was generated from a script I found. As I wrote, I have long wanted to keep a kind of visual record of where I’ve been. I love maps, and so I always had the thought of creating one that was color-coded based on where I’ve been – at least in the U.S. to start. I finally created such a map which you see below. It is at least a start. I figure this is something that I can work on building up, but it is at least the beginnings of something that represent my travels here. It’s color-coded based on three main divisions – where I’ve visited, where I’ve lived, and where I’ve driven through or had a layover in.

To describe the division a little better, I would say that “lived in” is if you stayed there for more than a couple of months. For example, many people go to camp for a couple months when they are young, but I don’t count this as “living” in a place, rather you are just “staying” there for a while. I know, it’s not the best choice of words, but I suppose that will be in the next draft. “Visited,” I think, requires an intentional visit to a place. I’m not sure whether sleeping there is necessary but I think in all my “visited” states, I’ve slept over. Anytime you were simply in an airport in a state as part of a layover, or if you had to drive through a state in order to get to your destination (even if you got off the road and had a bite to eat or visited some place of interest), these would count as the third category.

One thing I’m a bit unclear about is my stay in California. I was apparently very young – probably about 1 – so of course don’t remember it at all. Does this still count? Or is it yet another category?

Also notice that I am colorcoding with a neutral green – too many damn red and blue state maps have gone and ruined those colors for maps! You start thinking that the color-coding has something to do with politics, which in this case it doesn’t!

This is a static map which I edited in Photoshop. Other than doing this yourself, there’s another tool out there, but it only delineates whether you’ve been to a state or not. You can’t really customize it. And the map it produces in not all that great in quality. I’m still looking for something similar that is dynamic and lets you create graphical representations of this sort but haven’t found anything yet. I think it could be programmed in Flash, but not knowing Flash very well, I would have to spend large amounts of time learning Flash and playing with it, something I don’t have time to do at the moment. Perhaps a Flash wizard out there could punch something out in a couple of hours?

The first year or so I was writing this blog, I wrote a bunch of entries about places I’d traveled. I haven’t written about these in a while, but came accrosss this site that lets you produce a list of U.S. states you’ve gone to, lived in, etc. I’ve actually had the idea to create a color-coded map myself, but in order to program something like this I would probably need something like Flash, which I don’t really know. Maybe I will set up something similar but with more fields, like “layover in airport only,” “born in,” “driven through,” etc. For now, though, here is my list:

bold the states you’ve been to, underline the states you’ve lived in and italicize the state you’re in now… Alabama / Alaska / Arizona / Arkansas / California / Colorado / Connecticut / Delaware / Florida / Georgia / Hawaii / Idaho / Illinois / Indiana / Iowa / Kansas / Kentucky / Louisiana / Maine / Maryland / Massachusetts / Michigan / Minnesota / Mississippi / Missouri / Montana / Nebraska / Nevada / New Hampshire / New Jersey / New Mexico / New York / North Carolina / North Dakota / Ohio / Oklahoma / Oregon / Pennsylvania / Rhode Island / South Carolina / South Dakota / Tennessee / Texas / Utah / Vermont / Virginia / Washington / West Virginia / Wisconsin / Wyoming / Washington D.C /

This weekend I went with a group of buddies to The Preakness. These guys know I’m a big low-carb follower and tease me about it sometimes in a good-natured way. I have heard stories from others who get lots of flak from their friends or coworkers about eating low-carb, but I suppose this is probably happening less these days with the popularity of such plans.

For the first time I can remember, though, I did get into somewhat of a debate about the efficacy of such plans. I don’t mind debating about this stuff, but I always feel unprepared because I don’t have actual studies that I can pull out to prove a point. What I did get out of this discussion was that there are studies purporting to “prove” or at least indicate a connection between low-carb eating and health benefits as well as low-carb eating and health dangers. Without looking at these studies individually, and reading them carefully and fully, you can’t use them for any kind of ammunition. You can punch holes through studies which on the surface seem fine, but when you dig deeper you find that they don’t account for some important variables, or that they use animal models instead of human models, or that they are flawed in of a million different ways. Unfortunately most studies are funded by a company or even a government institution that could be considered somewhat to obviously biased. These groups have agendas, and whether they are blatant about theirs to the scientists they give money to or not, theirs at least a subconscious understanding that one should bite the hand that feeds you. Look at what’s been revealed in the medical industry with the Neurontin debacle. Cynicism has lead me really to not believe anything I read in the papers reporting the benefits or dangers of any drug or diet. I don’t have the time or energy to read all these studies word for word, so I suppose I will just reserve judgment until I have cause to do so.

Anyway, we went to Philips for lunch on Sunday. Philips is a regional chain of seafood restaurants around here, and like many other chains, they have started to include a section for low-carbers. It was nice that with their low-carb entrees they offered both a veggie and a salad, whereas on other entrées if you wanted to add a salad you had to pay. So, I ordered a broiled salmon and when the waiter came and started handing out our plates and saying what was on them, he said for mine “low-carb salmon.” Ok, well, maybe it’s not that bad, but Salmon is not low carb or high carb, it is NO carb! Ok, so maybe he’s just referring to the plate and not the fish, but I still thought it was funny.

Back a few months ago a coworker of mine was talking about this Mexican place that she went to a lot for burritos. Since I don’t eat grains or beans, and since this was before the huge onslaught of low-carb everything, I just assumed it was similar to other Mexican/burrito places I’ve been where one CAN make special requests, but you end up with something that is not very edible or just too little food despite being the same price. Then one day last fall I was dragged there at some and my assumptions flew out the window.

For those who don’t know, Chipotle is the name of a chain of stores that sells burritos, tacos and such. It is actually owned by McDonalds, or so I hear, but they don’t advertise this in any way. Everything about this place is progressive and kind of the opposite of McDonalds. I actually read Fast Food Nation a few years ago and was so appalled at the state of the fast food industry that I vowed to only eat in one of these places in an emergency, and in fact that’s basically what I kept to until last fall.

Here’s what changed my mind, at least as far as the food:

Chipotle is no nonsense. They display the basic whole ingredients (nothing processed, manufactured, etc.) in front of you and make everything within view.

The ingredients are excellent quality in terms of appearance and taste.

Choice! When you order anything, they ask you which ingredients you want. You either ok or reject every single option. This makes it easy to customize things and even to play with different combinations of ingredients each time you go, trying to create different tastes, etc. This also makes it so easy for those who are picky eaters or those who are on specific diets. These folks don’t have to make a special request and get a funny look.

Two words: Burrito Bol. This is a Burrito without the flour tortilla, good for people who have gluten (wheat protein) sensitivities, or those on low-carb diets. Of course every time I order one of these, the folks behind the counter automatically start to put rice on it and EVERY time I have to quickly say “no rice, no beans.” I go there with other low-carbers who do the same, so I know they are getting these requests often, but it seems that they still view rice and beans as an essential part of the bol, and just assume that these will go in, whereas with almost everything else, they specifically ask you if you want X or Y.

The price is nice. You really get a lot for your money. No, it’s not the dollar value menu, but for a burrito or burrito bol, you pay between $4.75 and $5.75 for the basic set of ingredients, and even without rice and beans, it adds up to a lot of food. I often feel full for 5 or 6 hours after a meal! The one ingredient that will cost you more money is the guacamole, which is excellent. I believe it costs $1.50 or so more, but it’s worth it if you like the stuff - it is not the processed stuff that I can’t stand but simply mashed avacados and herhaps some herbs and spices. I will usually leave it off because it makes the meal that much richer and heavier as well as being more expensive, but when I know I’m not going to be eating again for many hours, I sometimes go for it. You can also get extra meat for something similar ($1.50 or so), but honestly the amount of meat that they give you is plenty, especially combined with salsa, cheese, sour cream, lettuce, green peppers, onions, and the optional guacamole.

Good Meat! Chipotle offers free range pork from the Niman Ranch and Bell & Evans Chicken, which is a minimally processed chicken that is carried by Wholefoods. In New York and Chicago they have Meyer Natural Angus Beef, which is “Certified Humane Raised and Handled” without antibiotics or hormones. It may or may not be grass-fed, but is probably grain-finished. Anyway, my attitude is that what Chipotle is promoting is a more natural, less factory-farmed meat, which can only be a good thing. I think this is something to be commended and supported.

I can’t vouch for Chipotle’s labor practices, which was one criticism of Fast Food Nation, but at least their attitude towards food seems to be fairly progressive, so I would hope this is echoed at least a little in other spheres.

The other thing that got my attention when I first started going was that they have music in the background, good music. For example, I actually heard music from the Soundtrack to Until the End of the World. Other than this, the music played seems to be mostly latin, jazz, and world-type stuff.

It’s all about the beer! Yes, they actually serve beer here - it’s almost like being in a fast food restaurant in Europe. It’s not really about the beer for me, as I’m not a huge beer drinker and the vast majority of the meals I have here are lunch meals on work days, so I actually haven’t taken advantage of this yet, but it’s nice to know the option is there.

In addition to salt and pepper, they have original Tabasco pepper sauce and Tabasco green pepper sauce on the table that holds the silverware and napkins. Many people take these and just put them on the tables and leave them there. Perhaps I’m imagining it, but it sometimes seems as if these sauces have been made a bit milder than they normally are. I wonder if this is because they are afraid of someone loading their burrito up with so much hot sauce and then basically passing out or worse from the shock, and then suing them for damages! In any case, this would be one of my few criticisms of Chipotle, but it is a minor one, I think. I would also love to see some of the other Tabasco sauces. Probably most appropriate would be their new chipotle sauce, after all, but also their habanero and garlic sauces would be a great addition.

This is definitely the only fast food joint that I patronize right now and one that I recommend folks to try. Of course if you don’t like burritos, fajitas, or tacos, it might not be your ideal place. Then again, I suppose you could always get a burrito bol that just as some meat and rice, and green peppers and onions, and maybe some beans as well if you like them - they have both black beans and kidney.

Chipotle seems to have a bunch of locations spread out around the country, but not a large number. Luckily the DC area has quite a few. I think I’ve eaten at seven different locations here, including two within walking distance to our apartment in Adams Morgan. We will soon be moving to Vienna, Virginia though, and the closest one will be 2.5 miles away, so definitely less accessible! It is a chain, though, so the uniformity of the product is both a good and bad thing here. You will always get pretty much the same thing (as long as you order the specific combination of ingredients), and the surroundings are also very similar from store to store - a kind of industrial minimalism combined with Aztech-inspired works on the walls. There are some differences in the layout of the locations due to the space that’s being rented, but there isn’t a big individual character to any of the locations. Think of the differences between different Starbucks locations, although with Starbucks the size of the place can range from say 500 square feet, or even less in some locations to larger places that could span over 1000 square feet. Rather the main difference from Chipotle to Chipotle seems to actually be the customers who patronize a given store. For example, the store on Wisconsin Avenue near American University in DC is full of students (or at least people who look like students). Other branches have families with small children, older people, really the whole gamut.

I don’t make it a habit to eat out a lot, but it is really nice to be able to get a relatively inexpensive meal that you feel fairly good about health-wise. When we’re out of food in the house and don’t have time to make anything for lunch, this is generally the THE place I’ll go, unless of course it is completely out of the way from where I am or where I’m headed.

Whether one uses the more bohemian term “design” or the more bourgious term “marketing” you definitely do get a sense of a well-thought-out scheme by which Chipotle presents itself, and its products. Their website carries this a bit further by offering a very lively and fun Flash interface. I wouldn’t say this exactly matches the experience one has at the restaurants, but it is a very nice website nonetheless.

Hmmm, can you tell I like this place?

“Travel narratives” as they are called, are one of my favorite genres of book. They are a kind of autobiographical story or diary that tell the story of visiting a new place. Unlike your standard travel guide, they do not simply contain lists of standard attractions, accommodations, and the like. They are instead, a personal perspective on one person’s experience visiting or even living in a new and foreign (to them) place.

Probably one of the better known ones to come out in the last 15 years is Peter Mayle’s A Year in Provence. Mayle and his wife, both English, bought a house and moved to Provence in the late ‘80’s and describes the process of renovating the house, getting to know the local culture, and that of France as a whole. Mayle has a wonderful, wry wit and describes the absurdities of everyday life in Provence with great humor. Mayle is also self-deprecating and although he describes many local eccentrics, they eccentricities as described are just as endearing as they are baffling. Food, as it does throughout France, plays a supporting role in the book. Food is such a central piece of French culture and life that listening to A Year in Provence, I often feel as though living in the United States has deprived me of a key facet of “quality of life.” If the stereotypes are true, one can only imagine how much more a brit might feel comparing his native cuisine to that of France!

The beauty, the wonderful food, and the fascinating people of Provence shine through this wonderful travelogue of Mayle’s and I heartily recommend it for those who like this type of book. I listened to an abridged version through Audible.com, and would have loved to listen to even more via a fully unabridged version, but so it goes. Sometimes you must take what you can get and hope that eventually more will be offered in the future.

The late veteran newsman came out with his Charles Kuralt’s America a while back about his “perfect year” where he visited twelve of his favorite locations for one month each. They are all in America, and vary wildly in terrain, climate, population, and culture. Kuralt jubilantly describes the unique beauty of each and every one of them. This is kind of a condensed travelogue. Well, I should note that I listened to it as an abridgement. Nevertheless, you still see very clearly through his eyes as if you were there yourself.

Kuralt visits New Orleans, Key West, Charleston, Main, Vermont, Montana, and Alaska, amongst many other places. You don’t get the typical tourist views either, but much more of a native’s view, since Kuralt over the years has built friendships with people in these places and they show him a lot of stuff that is off the beaten path. His commentary is always self-deprecating, charming, and informative. We hear about little historical anecdotes, legends, and obvious tall tales, but Kuralt manages to couch even the tall tales as imaginative creations as opposed to demeaning them as ignorant ruralisms.

My only complaint about this book is that it was too short! As I mentioned, I listened to an abridged version through Audible.com, but if you can read the book or find an unabridged audio version, all the better!

I went to the University of Virginia in Charlottesville for graduate school. I loved, and continue to love Charlottesville. Outside of Tuscany, and southern Bohemia, it’s one of the most beatiful places I’ve been to, and I would love to live there. In fact I tried to live there after grad school but at the time there just weren’t any jobs there that my experience fit.

The picture here is one that I took yesterday in Troy, VA, which is only 15 minutes or so to the east of Charlottesville, close to Monticello. I was there for a party, a party that is held at least two or three times times a year, but only once a year or so in Charlottesville (most are held in the DC area). Steve owns a house and lots of land in Troy with an amazing view and big pond. Very idyllic! You can take a look at the other pictures I took here.

After coming to DC for work (it was the closes place to Charlottesville that had the type of entry-level computer job I was seeking) back in 1995, I would go back to Charlottesville often to visit my fellow grad students and professors who were still studying there or just working after having graduated.

But part of the impetus of going was to visit a Japanese restaurant that I’d become fond of called “Tokyo Rose.” The sushi was better than anywhere else I’d had it. There were all kinds of interesting combination rolls. I started getting new friends from DC to come down with me and the visits became a kind of annual sushi pilgrimage! The last time I went before yesterday was two years ago! Things got busy and I went off to many other places within these last two years (having met my fiancee). Alas, our visit yesterday did not include sushi because we spent the evening at the party. I think it was the first time I’d been in Charlottesville without going to Tokyo Rose in at least 4 or 5 years!

Another great place to go in Charlottesville (which we also did not go to this time) is Michael’s Bistro. This is a small pub on “The Corner” adjacent to UVA grounds where there are lots of bars and restaurants. This place had good food and lots of interesting brews. Nothing like the Brickskeller in DC, but a nice selection of stuff you don’t see most places. Also, at least they used to have a selection of cigars. I’m not much of a cigar smoker, but once a year it’s a nice treat. Really the way I’d enjoy them most is with a cider (cigars tend to try your mouth out but the cider keeps it hydrated and the sweetness moderates the sometimes bitter taste of the cigar), and Mike’s often had Ace Pear cider which was a great choice.

Charlottesville will always be my local version of Tuscany, I suppose, so it’s a wonder I only get there with such infrequency.

One of the many 36-hour trips via train we took when in the USSR was to Tallinn, Estonia. A fellow classmate, Matt, had helped host an Estonian women’s soccer team that had come to his home town in Minnesota, so we had people who could show us around and house us. Actually, my memory of my time in Estonia is very hazy. I don’t even remember if we stayed there overnight. I think we did, although that wasn’t the norm for our trips. The only other thing I remember besides some of the women we met from the soccer team (tall and blond), was that we went to a party of sorts where they had homemade beer that was being dispensed from a plastic container and rubber hose. Perhaps we were shown more of the town, but I don’t have any pictures and can’t remember anything else. The one Baltic country that I did not get to go to on during my stay in the USSR was the one I wanted to visit the most – Lithuania. I wanted to go there because supposedly that is where some of my ancestry is from on one side. Actually, it seems like I have ancestry from all over that area – Byelorussia, Lithuania, Austria-Hungry, and Poland. My mother’s mother’s family even traced one of their relatives to Italy, so maybe I am 1/32nd Italian and that’s where my fascination with Tuscany, Vino Nobile de Montelpulciano, the Italian Language, and espresso all come from!

A friend of mine, Scott Meyer, recently set up a website with a bunch of pictures he’s taken over the last couple of years on a few trips - Belize, US, and Spain and Portugal. Some very nice shots.

I will post some shots of my more recent trips as I get to them. I do have some pictures from older trips to Russian and Mexico, but they are all prints or slides and I have not had the energy to scan them yet. At some point I want to get a slide/negative scanner that will just scan a whole bunch of slides at once. I have a shoebox full of probably 1000-2000 slides from my youth and would love to digitize them, but it is such a mamoth job. I know you can get these done by services, but they are, I’m sure, prohibitive…

While “studying” at Leningrad State University, I went to Latvia twice. Once it was on one of those 30-hour stints via two overnight train rides with a few fellow students. All I remember from that trip was that it rained the whole time and that Riga looked almost western to us in comparison to St. Petersburg. They had these Penguin ice cream shops that looked like Ben and Jerry’s or some other western chain. The streets were clean, the people polite, the food edible.

Our next trip was with the entire (thirty-plus person) group of students and resident directors. We stayed at a nice hotel and toured some monuments, and then somehow ended up on the shore of the Gulf of Riga. Although it was December, the beach was still a tourist destination and there were a fare number of people walking in heavy coats along the beach and even an old woman going for a swim.

Being a tourist destination, there was a guy set up to take pictures of people at the beach for a small fee. He was apparently helping someone when an Asian tourist (Russian) came up to me and started asking how much it was to take a picture of her. I was a bit confused and then figured out that she thought that I was the camera guy, since I had my Nikon FE2 hanging around my neck! At this point the real photo guy realized what was happening and came over to clear things up. It was all very funny and we all had a good laugh about it and I ended up taking their picture together that I still have. Still on the beach, a few of us ducked into this little café that was on the beach for a bite to eat.

The whole memory of the place is a bit surreal. We were only there for a couple of days, so the little pieces I do remember seem odd and I might not even remember a lot of this but for the photos I still have. I will endeavor to post some eventually, but none are scanned and digital photography had not really come about (at least commercially) when I was over there. So now I am faced with the mammoth task of scanning in negatives and prints from the 30+ years of my life before digital! If anyone knows of a cheap service where bulk scanning of prints and negatives can be made, I’d love to hear about them!