Collect Experiences. Not Things. :')

July 28, 2011

Obama Rates Higher Than Boehner on Debt Situation

Americans are more likely to approve of the way President Obama is handling the negotiations to raise the federal debt ceiling than they are to approve of the handling of the situation by Speaker of the House John Boehner or Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, although opinions about all three are more negative than positive.
More Here

Okay, I haven't posted in a while, because my life sucks! I've been on a corporate legal roller coaster. I was offered a very senior quantitative modeling at another bank only to have my current employer intervene and squash the offer. Stuff like this gets me down for a bit, but in the end, I'll prevail. I always do. Plus I have another vacation scheduled to Norway, Greenland and Iceland in early September.

As for now, this debt ceiling drama has kept me occupied. I'm loving it. And while everybody's blaming Obama for the economy, he's been fairing fairly well, given this shitty economy.

July 20, 2011

How To Get Ready For A Date

Gotta love kids today. Free to enjoy themselves as humans. Unlike prior generations that were focused on being polite, judgmental and prudish.

July 11, 2011

A Kids Reaction To Gay Couple



If only everyone had such a reasonable reaction to gay marriage. This kid meets his first gay couple, deconstructs what marriage means, is surprised but cool with it, then invites the guys to play ping pong with him.

Foreign diplomats could learn a thing or two from this boy.

Also, the idea that being married means you love someone is probably one of the more wholesome messages a child can receive. So thumbs up to the kid, his parents and his new ping pong friends.
Per Huffington Post

July 06, 2011

Day 6 - Golden Circle Tour & Silfra (again)

Gulffoss Falls
Geysir - Strokkur

July 05, 2011

Midnight in Iceland

I'm so glad I brought a sleeping mask. That's my hotel window with the shade drawn at midnight, only a few miles from the arctic circle. Today: a one hour flight south, some sightseeing and then one final dive. Tomorrow: a bunch of museums, hanging out relaxing, Icelandic food before flying back on Friday.

Day 5 - Strýtan


The giant submarine smectite cones that rise from the 70 meters deep seafloor at Eyjafjörður. Strýtan is a one of a kind, and one that has recently been discovered and the only one we know of in the world. It was in 1997, Erlendur Bogason and his friend Árni Halldósson captain on the whale watching boat Níels Jónsson found this 55 meters high cone we called Strýtan. The top of the cone is 15 meter under the surface and we estimate it is around 100 litres of 75°C hot water per second coming out of the cone. Strýtan started developing at the end of last ice age 10.000 years ago and they are made from magnesium-silicate from the sea. Cones like these are usually found at 2000-6000 meters deep.

Day 4 - Ásbyrgi, Iceland


Excellent day today. I flew to Ásbyrgi, Iceland, where I was picked up at the airport by Erlendur Bogason, the owner of Strytan Divecenter. We drove through some amazing countryside with snowcapped mountains in the background to a newly discoverd Crack Nesgjá and Lake Lón. Our first dive was through the crack and into the lake. It was not only incredibly clear, visibility was 100 meters or as far as the eye can see, but it was also incredibly colorful - greens, blues, yellow, browns. Crack Nesgjá

Lake Lón.

The next stop was about ten minutes away at 17°c hot river Litla Á where I snorkel. The river is known for its big touts and warm springs. Air was bubbling from the bottom of the river. And most spectacular was hovering at the opening of the stream watch the small fish and sun reflect off the bubbles underwater.

(Hot) River Litla

July 03, 2011

Silfran, Iceland

Okay this isn't my video, but it's exactly what I saw today. After two days of mediocre dives, today was awesome.

Day 3 - Silfran, Iceland

Prepping for the dive.

Dive entrance. The North America tectonic plate is on the right and the Euro-Asian plate is on the left. Underwater with outstretched arms, one can touch both plates at the same time.

These were my buddies for the past two days, Hans and Greta. Hans is 71 years old and has scuba dived over 3000 times in 90 countries.

Scenery. It's been raining everyday. Not great, but kinda cool to look up from underwater, watch the rain dance on the surface.

My tiny messy room!
Underwater view of Silfa - Between the two Tectonic Plates
Underwater view of Silfa - Towards the end of the dive.

July 02, 2011

Day 2 - Ocean and Small Crevice Dive

Not much to say about the first dive. It was in the Atlantic Ocean and we were supposed to see marine life amongst the kelp and sand, but the plankton was blocking visibility. Visibility no more than one to two meters, so basically we saw nothing. The second dive in a very small freshwater crevice was a lot clearer. The best part of the day was being able to practice with the dry suit. Tomorrow, I'll have my practical test. The second best part is being on vacation away from work. The past two months have been stressful.

July 01, 2011

Kleifarvatn in Iceland



This video shows what we were supposed to see today. The geothermal underwater hot springs of Lake Kleifarvatn. However, due to depleting water levels the hot springs are no longer underwater. The water level receded significantly. Not a great dive day, with very poor visibility. Not much to see, but from what I'm told Iceland has two incredible dive sites, both of which I'll dive over the next couple of days. But it also has a bunch of less than stellar dives, this was one of them.

Day 1 - Reykjavík, Iceland



Made it to Iceland safely. Check out some sulfur springs and a fish drying farm today, and completed one dive today. Nothing very thrilling. When I checked into the hotel last night at midnight it was still light out.