alrighty then

StyleSeat Blog: Announcing StyleSeat Promotions!

Fri, 14 Jan 2011 14:24:16 -0800

StyleSeat Blog: Announcing StyleSeat Promotions!:

Want to offer a promotion but don’t know how to get the word out or manage it? StyleSeat now lets you offer promotions at the touch of a button! We launched this feature as a test in early December and it quickly became one of our most popular features, so we’re excited to extend them…

Marco.org: What technologies are geeks pioneering today?

Mon, 04 Oct 2010 21:27:47 -0700

Marco.org: What technologies are geeks pioneering today?:

marco:

From Benjamin Stein’s great post about geek-tech pioneering that you should read right now, before continuing:

In those days, it was really easy to see where consumer technology was going. You could just look at the nerds and know that’s what you’d probably look like in 2-5 years.

[…]

But…

OK FINE

Wed, 24 Dec 2008 06:17:00 -0800

Last night I got whatever the opposite of a Cease and Desist Letter is on Facebook.

What the hell dude. Your blog hasn’t been updated in like 3 weeks. Either you are 1) dead, 2) incarcerated in a sketchy South American prison, 3) simply having too much fun to be bothered, or 4) in a part of the world that has not heard of this thing we call The Internet.

All four excuses are crap. I expect an update in the next 48 hours, or there will be consequences.*

Petey

* consequences will take the form of a strongly worded letter expressing my disappointment. Beware!

Hi everyone. Yah, I havent been updating my blog. Even though I’ve written a bunch of blog posts — some literally, in my journal… and even more in my head — but somehow they havent gotten digitized for the masses. Suck. But what I have been doing when I get on a computer is uploading photos to Flickr. (http://flickr.com/photos/dsldsl) Then, ive been using a random-ass tool Flickr2Facebook to move copy some of those photos to Facebook. (dammit why isnt there something better.) Then ive been tagging people in Facebook. And on top of all of that i’ve been using Twitter pretty regularly to update what I’m up to (http://twitter.com/dsldsl) and that twitter update automatically updates my Facebook status so there you go. (BTW, I didnt realize how much Facebook was taking over the world until I started traveling. It is all anyone ever uses when they travel and I can see why. Its the best travel stay-in-touch-with-new-friends tool ever, and the tag-photos feature is perfect for sharing while traveling. In short, I get it now!) WHY IS IT NOT EASIER TO DO ALL OF THAT PHOTO POSTING IN ONE STEP? I wonder if there’s a market for a better Flickr to Facebook image tool.

But in all of that interneticity, no blog posts. And no blog posts for all of columbia basically which is a bit of a shame since Columbia is Amazing. (yes, petey, it’s mostly #3 with a bit of #4 and some aspects of #1 thrown in. although somehow, unlike my friend Nico, I managed to stay away from #2. those that know me know that is a miracle in itself. or a sign that I am maturing? nah, must be a christmas miracle.) Columbia is a land of Friendly People, of Socializing in Parques all night long, of Safe Cities (seriously, mostly), of Beautiful Women, of Rum and Rum and more Rum, of Warm Beaches, of Lush Jungles, of Cheap Everything, and Fun Fun Fun Parties. I highly recommend it, but you need a lot of time here. I could stay for another month and not see everything that I want to see.

hmmmm… does a meta-blog post count as a blog post? really, the first one back is the hardest. ive been trying to figure out for the past few weeks if i should start posting back when I left off and catch up, or just start in the present, and that decision has rendered me paralyzed. I suppose now I can just write! :)

ok, here’s the scene… sitting in my pajamas, need to pack my bag and get to the Brazilian Embassy at noon to (hopefully) pick up my passport (it takes 4 days to get a visa, but “because its Christmas” the nice lady at the brazilian embassy was willing to overnight it for me so I can get to Rio for XMAS), say goodbye to all of my friends here, get to the airport, get on a plane, SLEEP XMAS EVE AWAY and then wake up XMas eve in Rio! And maybe put on pants somewhere in all of that. Oh, and I have to figure out where to stay in rio and what im going to do when I get there until Dodgy and the Walds show up in a few days for the grande fiesta!

If I get packed with some time to spare I’ll post more here of travel adventures and travel thoughts.

Happy Chanukah! (I miss Latkes.)

Merry XMas! (I miss the Delaney Family Xmas party.)

Happy Everything Else in Winter! (I dont miss the freezing cold of SF right now.)

Sunset, At the other cafe del mar..

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 14:20:14 -0800

Sunset, At the other cafe del mar..

thankfull for everything

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 16:05:08 -0800

I made it safely out of the jungle! No time right now to post, but since I’m headed to a remote beach and will again be out of email range for a few days or more, wanted a quick post to say HELLO and HAPPY THANKSGIVING and I DIDNT DIE IN THE JUNGLE!

posted some photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dsldsl/sets/72157610371057610/

more to come, and some stories.

i started keeping a journal and have 3 or 8 blog postings written, waiting to post. and some lists. including… “post-apocolyptic skillset” which i am working on costantly as i travel. dont be jealous, i will help save you from the zombies too.

thanks for all the happy sms’s, love you all too….!

after a day of sunshine, a thunder storm, and...

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:19:34 -0800

and… a lightening bolt actually hit the weather vane at the resort I’m at!!! it was possibly the loudest thing i’ve ever heard nature do. first of all, it was a crazy surprise because the lightening and the thunder hit at the exact same time (of course they did, duh! but you never really think about the “0” option when you are counting the seconds from the lightening to the thunder.) so there was no warning… just a flash of light from the clouds to the roof and a CRAZY LOUD crash from the heavens.

neato

more photos

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:39:31 -0800

more photos:

if you didnt already figure it out, you can see more photos on my flickr stream at http://www.flickr.com/photos/dsldsl/

paradisio

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:24:06 -0800

paradisio

hi svenja

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:21:25 -0800

hi svenja

Photo

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:18:52 -0800

wizard beach, bocas del toro

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:13:41 -0800

wizard beach, bocas del toro

...down where its wetter, take it from me...

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 18:14:00 -0800

Hostile Territory

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 12:50:00 -0800

UPDATE: little preface… i’ve been in bocas for a few days now and havent posted any pics. these photos are not of the gorgeous beauty of bocas. those photos will come later. imagine the most beautiful place on earth and that will do for now. ok, now enjoy the home and garden stylings…

What’s it like backpacking around foreign countries living in a hostel? It can be quiet or it can be boisterous, in some places they only speak spanish and some are owned by gringos and are practically “america away from america”, some are clean while some are gross, in general they have shared kitchens for cooking and a lounge for mingling, bathrooms can be private or shared as can rooms… in short, they are all unique and let you find the experience you want while you travel. The Waterfall Hostel outside David was pretty perfect for me in that “do whatever you want and have fun playing around” kind of vibe, and now Mondu Taitu in Bocas is continuing the fun-loving hostel trend with its great guests and perfect vibe.

My first day in bocas was spent biking around to a beach, and then I set out to wander through the small town. When I got back, my dorm-mate (is that a word??) from Isreal told me he was cooking all four of us dinner (SWEET) so I hopped in to peel potatoes before I knew it we were eating fabulous food, drinking Panama beers, and learning an israeli card game.

So that is great, but the vibe of Mondu Taitu is really in the collection of all of the people and the great layout they provide. There’s a tiki bar downstairs open to everyone, and a great patio for lounging all night. I’ve spent the past few nights dancing, drinking, and swimming around with kids from Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, London, Belgium, Canada, Israel, Panama itself, and the good ‘ol USA! (now that Obama is president, we’re allowed to say that we’re from america again.)

80’s Power Hour Night every tuesday…

Aqua Lounge swimming bar with two california girls…

So that’s a day in the life of hostel living. Next up — photos of Bocas del Toro itself. I swear it is paradise by day as well as fun by night, but you have to wait a bit to see for yourself. I finished my Open Water SCUBA certification class today (WAHOO) and after my instructor took my to his friends house on a private island across the way for a drink. There are not words to describe the perfect gorgeous tranquility of his patio looking out over deep blue Caribbean water through palm trees gently swaying in the breeze, and since I didnt have my camera with me you will have to come visit for yourself to find out.

Scuba Fun Fact: the new scuba diver should be less scared of sharks and more worried that you will explode your lungs if you dont remember to breath during ascent. noted.

last stop in panama... BOCAS!

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 15:03:08 -0800

After 10 days hiking through gorgeous countryside, its time for a little r&r… so I hoped on a *very small* plan this am and now i’m in Bocas del Toro, finally ditched the pacific coast and now I’m on a lovely carribean island. its still a bit rainy and forcast to continue until thurs, so this seems like a good time to get certified to dive! I just signed up for a 3 day course starting tomorrow.

anyone else certified to dive and want to take some trips when i get back??

I feel a little like a broken record here… “the other day i went on an amazing hike through beautiful forest terrain”. Sheesh. but it’s true i did!! this was the longest hike so far, I left at 8am and got back at 7pm. That included 4 hours on the bus in the morning to get to Cerro Punta, 30 minutes hitchhiking to the trail head (thank you to the argentinean couple that shared the 4wd cab up the hill with us so we didnt have to walk it!), 6 hours of great hiking, and then whatever time is left hitchhiking back to Boquete!

Quick digression to say THANK YOU to Salym for the awesome northface hiking boots! They are the best ever for hiking up and down and all around, sloshing through mud, climbing on rocks, wandering city streets, or just … hrmmm … no, that’s about all I do in shoes these days.

OK, so the hike… in visual format:

The next day, first Hot Springs and River cool-off:

Then more fun at the waterfall hostel with the locals:

And now…. BOCAS!

If i get eaten by a shark tomorrow, know that i love you all.

the glass is 90% full. sip

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 14:05:43 -0800

It´s been a week of my 10 week trip, so 90% to go! The past week has been so full. Scratch that, just today has been so full, so I’ll start with now and work backwards as far as I can go.

I just finished sharing some wine with an elderly couple in a beautiful hotel in the cute city of Boquete. The woman was part of the canopy tour I took this morning (more in a minute) and she invited a German traveller friend of mine Nicki and I back to chat with her and her husband. Her husband Tony is the director of the Bridge of Live museum being built in Panama City, which is being designed by Frank Gehry in association with the Smithsonian. (!!!) He also has spent the past 20 years helping to map the regions of Panama so he was a wealth of info on where to go and what to see, and is going to put us in touch with a guy who can take us to a remote marine station on an uninhabited island in the Bocos del Torro archipelagos in a few days to wander the wilderness of the carribean sea. Perfect!

This morning Nicki and I came to Boquete from the Waterfall Hostel (more in a minute) to Boquete to do a canopy tour of the forest here. “canopy tour” sounds like looking at beautiful nature, but really is is being surrounded by beautiful nature while sliding across zip wires hundreds of feet up in the air.

Boquete, from above:

Canopy Tour:

Last night, I left the city of David and came to the Waterfall Hostel. I will get more photos of this place later, but I will try to describe it now. Two guys in their late twenties bought this property a few months ago and are in the process of turning it into an artist/music retreat/hostel. It gets its name from a series of waterfalls that run through the property which fill up the 2 swimming pools. There is a bar, a pingpong table, a jukebox, a drum kit, a disco light, a few acres of fruit and avocado trees, and most importantly a “do whatever the hell you want and have fun” vibe. Oh, and Nicki and I were 2 of only 4 guests last night so we had the whole place to ourselves. After we cooked some fish that we bought from someone on the side of the road for $1 on our way back from Isla Boca Brava (more in a min), we had a silly wild fabulous evening capped by jumping off the waterfalls by spotlight while the jukebox blasted in the background some time well after midnight. This is def a place to come back to for a retreat in the future.

More pics of the waterfalls and the grounds to come, but here is a short clip to give the vibe of the evening. Yes, its blurry, but that’s how the night was.

========waiting for upload===============

Click through for for high res, this is drawn on the wall of the waterfall hostel

I spent the day with Nicki and two Canadian travel friends (who are joining us tonight at the Waterfall Hostel) on the island of Boca Brava. Starting to get tired and running out of time here, so back to summary mode: hiking, beaches, monkeys, and boats.

On the road to Boca Brava… Eden!

Look its me! and the unemployment gloves!

Token monkey video:

====waiting for upload============

The previous day I spend in David nursing a sunburn from the previous day, spend on a small island off the pacific coast town of Santa Catalina. Gorgeous and beautiful island I assure you, but I didnt have my camera so I will have to get photos later from the Israeli and Spanish friends who did have a camera. OK, that´s all for now.

A big hike planned for tomorrow in Boquete and then off to Bocas del Toro…

Ps: a gabollion times cooler than the website

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 22:15:41 -0800

Ps: a gabollion times cooler than the website

Waterfallhostel.com yes sir!!

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 20:15:39 -0800

Waterfallhostel.com yes sir!!

Vamos! David to Isla Boca Brava

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 09:15:31 -0800

Vamos! David to Isla Boca Brava

iphone to gps mapping, starting today, follow here: http://tinyurl.com/WhereIsDan or on...

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 05:15:29 -0800

iphone to gps mapping, starting today, follow here: http://tinyurl.com/WhereIsDan or on http://danlevine.me (tumblog not designed as of yet)

top of a peak in omar torrijo, thats the atlantic ocean in the...

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 08:50:00 -0800

top of a peak in omar torrijo, thats the atlantic ocean in the distance. facing the other way you can see the pacific.

alrighty then

StyleSeat Blog: Announcing StyleSeat Promotions!

Marco.org: What technologies are geeks pioneering today?

OK FINE

Sunset, At the other cafe del mar..

thankfull for everything

after a day of sunshine, a thunder storm, and...

more photos

paradisio

hi svenja

Photo

wizard beach, bocas del toro

...down where its wetter, take it from me...

Hostile Territory

last stop in panama... BOCAS!

the glass is 90% full. *sip*

Ps: a gabollion times cooler than the website

Waterfallhostel.com yes sir!!

Vamos! David to Isla Boca Brava

iphone to gps mapping, starting today, follow here: http://tinyurl.com/WhereIsDan or on...

top of a peak in omar torrijo, thats the atlantic ocean in the...

the glass is 90% full. sip