We Need More Excuses

People seem to travel far and wide for one of two things: funerals or weddings. I believe we need to all collectively work on prioritizing mass movements to see the one's we care about and love.

I've been to two phenomenal weddings the last two weeks and it's easy to realize and recognize why your best friends, family and confidants are who they are.

The problem, is that their are only a select few who take the initiative to get together en mass on a regular occurrence. Frankly, that is just not OK and we cannot count on people to throw weddings every year or to pass along. We need to facilitate these relationships with the friends we make and the friends we keep.

All it takes in an excuse to get together. For me, I've utilized Coachella, Euro Vacation, Ducks football, Burning Man and holidays to make this happen. But, I find that the older people get, the priority level of congregating together dwindles.

Maybe we just need to come up with more arbitrary excuses to get together. 

So, here is an idea. The Harbin Ice Festival.

Its an annual event every January in the Heilongjiang Province in China. It is the worlds great ice artwork festival.  Ice sculptures are decorated with lasers and traditional ice lanterns. There is even an interactive ice lantern park and a luge to ride. 

So, who is with me?!?!!?!?

Road Trip

It would be irresponsible not to mention the extended QLE vacation, so first, my apologies Deeks, I know you've missed us.

But, you have to figure it was only a matter of time before we wrote something about gas prices. I mean yes, I understand that on a global scale, we are still getting some relatively cheap fuel - but that doesn't make it any easier to come to grips with it! I remember driving 20 minutes each way simply to find gas for under $1.00 - and this wasn't THAT long ago!

I digress, the point here is not to get political or tell more sob stories about high gas prices, but rather to mourn the eventual passing of an American rite of passage: the pointless road trip. Driving hundreds or thousands or miles in vehicles with less than stellar fuel economy - mostly with the point of just doing it!

One college spring break we drove about 3,000 miles on a bumbling odyssey that saw us having freak outs in Reno, almost freezing to death on the Wyoming plains, getting hopelessly lost in Arches and breaking down twice. It was the best...

So what brings all this up? Check out these yahoos from Utah who decided to set the unofficial world record on the fastest to drive to all lower 48 states. Despite being a little goofy (see: use of a Scion, quoting "On The Road" - a bit obvious don't you think - and the pure insanity of spending 106 hours in a car) you've got to respect the idea and just getting out there. Life's a journey, right?

UPDATE: Gotten some good road trip stories. Add yours in the comments section! Here's one from Deeks.

One random Wednesday night around 9-10 pm, my roommates in college were being lame and said they were not going to go out during the upcoming w/e. I asked what it would take to get them to change their minds ... they said drive to Vegas and bring us back a few of the famous 99-cent foot long hot dogs from the "slots-of-fun" casino. So ... I did. 7 hours later I was back in LA with hot dogs for each of them. Best road trip of my life. Oh by the way ... they still wouldn't go out that week-end ... NERDS!!!

Flying Sucks

OK, maybe that is a bit cranks of me, but I did just sit on the tarmac at JFK for an extra 1.5 hours after they delayed us an hour - all this before a 5.5 hour flight across the country.

Then, inevitably you get on and have a seat mate that is making a slow but insistent hostile takeover of your legroom, and staked his claim on the armrest before you even sat down.

Now for some people, the sound of a jet engine is soporific - they fire it up, you pass out. Some people (the guy sitting next to me last night) have either a fascinating inner monologue or an amazing capacity to stave off boredom (he watched TBS for a solid 7 hours on the seat back TV - with no sound.

Me? I have to come up with other ways to cope with the experience flying has become and I thought I would share a couple tips.

Make sure you have the right seat: Although you can't predict the BMI of the person sitting next to you, you can at least give yourself a fair shot at comfort. The site Seat Guru has it all - down to what kind of foot room, what kind of entertainment, etc. I check it every time I pick a seat. Also - check the airlines website about 72 hours and 24 hours before your flight. Some airlines release "premium" seats including exit rows, bulkheads and the front of the plane.

Noise canceling headphones. They can be spendy - between $100 and $350 - but they are worth it. You will feel less tired, less deaf and more relaxed when you block out a lot of the noise and create your own space to either listen to your iPod or watch a movie without having to crank it up to hear anything. They are also larger and more imposing than the traditional iBuds so you will have a better chance of looking like you can not talk to your neighbor. Honestly, I don't care what you sell, and yes, I am aware of the big dumb loudmouth behind us, but would rather block her out with my headphones than discussing her with you.

Fly direct and don't fly red eye. This may seem like a no brainer, but my dumbass just flew a red eye this week. You may save $50 or $100, but you will also feel like hell, be less comfortable during the traveling part and feel worse once you get there. What's the point of getting there 6 hours earlier on the red eye if all you want to do is sleep for a solid 6 hours once you get there?

Dexia Tower - The Quintessential Building

Walking around the corner from the Parisian inspired and cobblestone lined, martyred infested part of Brussels, we were bombarded with the visual of a dancing building. 

Never I my life have I ever seen something like this, let along comprehended that anything of this sort could or did ever exist. It was as if the Daft Punk Pyramid techs took things to the next level and made their next project a few scales larger. 

The 145m high Dexia Tower is comprised of 4200 windows that are each fitted with individually controlled LED bars. Basically, this turns the whole facade of the building into one large video screen. There is no was they retrofitted this, is there?!!?!

The 150, 000 multi-colored LED lights equal one rock star light show. Push play to some Datarock on your iPod, grab an cold Kwak beer, bundle up and your ready for a good 30 mins of entertainment. We were transfixed, this was without a doubt, almost unequivocally, one of the best and most unexpected parts of the trip.

Every LED fixture is controlled independently and every floor can control can be manipulated individually. Coming home from work you can view stock quotes and catch the current and next days weather.

 

As explained on the LAb[au]'s website: "the project displays tomorrow's temperature, cloudiness, precipitations, and wind, by using colors and geometrical patterns to visualize these data. A color-code corresponds to tomorrow temperature compared to the monthly average, liked to a scale of color-temperatures ranging from violet (-6 celcius or colder) all the way up to red (+6 celcius or warmer)." 

Besides being possibly the most awesome building I've ever seen, it also goes down as being the geekiest. 

This wonder of a building begs a few questions?

1. Can you get any work done from the inside with Daft Punk lights blasting all around your office

2. Do the other surrounding buildings have a major inferiority complex? 

3. What kind of astronomical electric bill do these people have?

4. How and when can we can of of these buildings over here in the States?

Check out the video and notice the awesome commentary, "das das bla bla das is so cool, das ist weeeeee!" No, thats not us mocking German tourists, we pulled this off the Internet as Luke accidently blanked his memory chip on the third day of the trip.

Hot Chip - The Quintessential Experience Paradiso

As you may be aware, elements of the QLE headed out on European vacation a couple weeks ago in there interest of serious blog-journalism: QL research and a further, deeper understanding of the cultures of the world. Along the way we stopped in Brussels, Bruges, Haarlem, The Hague and Amsterdam, soaking up the best that late-winter Europe has to offer.

Key on the agenda was the Hot Chip show at Paradiso, a onetime church converted to a great concert venue. Although covered in scaffolding (like much of Europe), Paradiso, now known as the Temple of Music, combines a great location (right off Leidseplein) with a novel layout that affords great proximity to the acts, and good views of the stage from various floor levels and balconies.

My goal was to put the many thoughts, impressions and descriptions down in writing as soon as I got home from the concert - however, I will spare many of those details as they are slightly incoherent upon further reflection... My "gonzo" blogging still needs some development.

The entire concert experience was amazing - the billing for the night consisted of three main acts with house DJs spinning in between.

Hot Chip is known for extremely high-energy shows that recreate songs entirely on the spot. Although I thoroughly enjoyed Made In the Dark, I would love to get my hands on a high quality recording of one of their shows. They are stoked and having a great time on stage, and it carries through into the music, the performance and the crowd. Combine that with insane decibels, and a wild lighting set, and you have a for sure winner.

Check their music out on Myspace and get yourself some ticket - their US tour hits the left coast right around April 21st.

Utah - Reasons you haven't vacationed there and reasons you should.

Reasons why you haven't vacationed in Utah:

#1. They only sell 3.2% alcohol beer. This is true, if you only shop at Jackson's convenience store chain. You can buy stronger (read: normal) beer at Liquor Stores and bars and restaurant that choose to serve it. A little planning ahead will lead to lots of heavy drinking, have no fear. [note: Meeps points out there can be an upside to 3.2%. During college on a trip to Zion, he drank a full case of 3.2% Coors Light and felt like a million bucks the next day.]

#2. It's full of Mormons. OK, this one is actually true. According to an LDS report in 2004, the state of Utah is about 62% Mormon. But, upon further reflection, you realized that as a progressive, free thinking American, you embrace and respect the freedom of religion. Oh, that and Grand county, home of Arches National Park, is only "44.9% or fewer" Mormon, also according to the LDS.

#3. It's not Mexico. I know that PV is really fun. I know that the compulsion to go somewhere you MUST TAKE A SHOT every time a guy with tequila holsters blows his whistle is strong. But, there is more out there. Be brave!

Reasons you should vacation in Utah:
#1. Where else can you go and see a billboard on the side of the highway that says "Bridal Show This Weekend at Provo High School" (that is 100% true)

#2. The Wasatch mountains are one of the premier ski destinations in the US. Amazingly dry, light powder, a wide array of resorts with incredible terrain, all easily accessed from major cities and airports. Oh, and don't worry, as mentioned, with a little planning, you can make sure your apres goes well and you have a nice pounding hangover/elevation headache in the morning.

#3. Here's the big one: the national parks, outdoor spaces and natural beauty are virtually unrivaled by anything else we have ever seen. The Zion Virgin River hike, Canyonlands, Thor's Hammer at Bryce

The many Arches hikes, including the Delicate Arch
and a personal favorite, the Fiery Furnace.

In 2003 we did a road trip through the mountains of Colorado, Wyoming and Utah. Of course we included Arches National Park in our trip. Among others, the Delicate Arch and the Fiery Furnace were stunning almost beyond belief. It's hot during the day and cold at night, but always dry, and generally the camping is easy and plentiful. We found a small, very secluded site in the bend of a river and camped for $4 a day with no reservations about 15 minutes from the park. We spent a few solid days hiking, taking pictures, getting lost [almost scary lost - B Money] and generally marveling at the stunning, otherworldly scenes, immense vistas and feeling small next to the strange and beautiful formations shooting straight out of the red earth.

Do yourself a favor. Do some research, pack up the car, head to Moab and make this happen for yourself. The Delicate Arch is called that for a reason - it literally won't be there forever. Acid rain, human impact and the nature of the Earth is changing this place every day.