Jekyll2020-11-29T20:14:56+00:00https://andrewbarna.org/feed.xmlAndrewBarna.orgI'm probably at sea or somethingP2: Tokyo Day 22013-03-14T00:00:00+00:002013-03-14T00:00:00+00:00https://andrewbarna.org/2013/03/14/japan3<ul>
<li>Date: 2013-03-14</li>
<li>Position: Still on a train to Chichibu</li>
<li>Speed: 0 (at a station)</li>
<li>Heading: Nirthish</li>
<li>Air Temp: 9C</li>
<li>Wind Speed: -</li>
<li>Cloud: -</li>
<li>Prep: -</li>
<li>SST: -</li>
<li>SSS: -</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="food">Food</h2>
<p>Today I had a bunch of bread for breakfast, but not just any bread,
Japanese breads. I had three kinds, onion bread, some sort of shrimp
bread, and what is becoming my favorate, kare (curry) bread (I’ve had a
lot of curry here). I also ate at Mos Burger, mainly because I had heard
it was like McDonalds but with the Japanese quality. I simply had a
mosburger and some potato french fries. Later, I found some food trucks,
and, I can’t resist food trucks, and these were food trucks IN JAPAN.
From them I had a Sweet Chili French Dog, which was very close to Puka
(now Hula) Dog in Waikiki.</p>
<h2 id="journal">Journal</h2>Date: 2013-03-14 Position: Still on a train to Chichibu Speed: 0 (at a station) Heading: Nirthish Air Temp: 9C Wind Speed: - Cloud: - Prep: - SST: - SSS: -P2: Tokyo Day 12013-03-13T00:00:00+00:002013-03-13T00:00:00+00:00https://andrewbarna.org/2013/03/13/japan2<ul>
<li>Date: 2013-03-13</li>
<li>Position: A Train to Chichibu</li>
<li>Speed: More than 0 kph</li>
<li>Heading: North ish</li>
<li>Air Temp: 8C</li>
<li>Wind Speed: -</li>
<li>Cloud: -</li>
<li>Prep: -</li>
<li>SST: -</li>
<li>SSS: -</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="food">Food</h2>
<p>Breakfast occured rather late, I had katsu kare (Curry) rice. It was
pretty awesome. Dinner was some omuriasu, which is rice that has been
made with ketchup and wrapped in egg (hence the omu part). Whoever had
been warning me about the small portion sizes in Japan was lying
occured rather late, I had katsu kare (Curry) rice. It was pretty
awesome. Dinner was some omuriasu, which is rice that has been made with
ketchup and wrapped in egg (hence the omu part). Whoever had been
warning me about the small portion sizes in Japan was lyingg</p>
<h2 id="journal">Journal</h2>
<p>I decided that today I would take the train north to Ueno and visit the
park there. Navigating the trains has been no issue, and it was only 3 stops
north of Kanda. The park itself was very large, and I think I spotted
a zoo. The buds on the cherry trees looked like they were about to burst
open. A few of the trees were just starting to bloom, which were quite
popular with the photographers in the park (myself included).</p>
<p>I visited the Tokyo National Museum that is in the park. There, many
artifacts from ancient Japan were on display. To me, the most impressive
items were the swords and armor. The blades that were on display
appeared to be of very high quality (I don’t there enough ‘very’s here
would fit a reasonable space). The armor, greatly appaered to be for
intimidation rather than protection, as they did not appear to have much
in the way of actual protection from sharp fast and pointy things. I
still wouldn’t want to meet an ancient Japanese warrior who was pissed
at me.</p>
<p>Heading south out of the park, I went by a shinto temple (jinja). Not
knowing the procedures, and my strong desire not to offend meant that I
did not do any cerimonies. My path took me through some sort of market
area. Some impressions, except for the few main roads, the entire place,
and really most places I have been so far, are very pedestrian friendly.
It’s to the point that people walking almost share the roads with cars
and trucks.</p>
<p>I kept going south until I found Akihabara, which I didn’t realize
until I was in until I spotted a familiar looking penguin, the Don
Kihotte (I can never remember how they romanize it) penguin. Which was
my favorate food store in Hawaii. Naturally I went in, inside I had my
first real taste of how vertically built Tokyo is, almost every place
I’ve gone into has had more than one floor. Don just happaned to occupy
the entire building except for the 8th floor, which housed the AKB48
studio. If you don’t know what AKB48 is, just google that one.</p>
<p>I wandered around Akihabara for maybe 4 hours just looking at
everything. It was interesting how much “Adult” content there was,
especially figurines that are basically naked. Surprising due to
pornography being basically illegal here (that is, porn that actually
clearly shows anything). The real “haha” moment for me was when I needed
to use the bathroom, which the signs on the wall said (in Japanese) that
they were on the 7th floor of the building I was in. What I had failed
to notice was that that floor was also the “AV” floor, basically a floor
filled with what is as close to porn as is legal here. Didn’t matter,
had to go.</p>
<p>After some food, I kept walking south toward Kanda with the intent of
maybe making it there well after 1700. That didn’t happen, I just kept
walking, and by the time 1700 rolled around I was at Tokyo station.
Which I wanted to see while not carrying my large bag and trying to
figure everything out. It is hard to describe the number of people just
rushing about.</p>
<p>Dinner that night was in Kanda near my hotel at a place called “Japanese
Cafe”, it was my first time at a place where no one spoke any english.
Lucky for me, the menu was mostly in Katakana. Also, whoever was telling
me about tiny portion sizes in Japan was either lying, not doing it
right.</p>Date: 2013-03-13 Position: A Train to Chichibu Speed: More than 0 kph Heading: North ish Air Temp: 8C Wind Speed: - Cloud: - Prep: - SST: - SSS: -P2: Tokyo Day 02013-03-12T22:55:00+00:002013-03-12T22:55:00+00:00https://andrewbarna.org/2013/03/12/japan1<ul>
<li>Date: 2013-03-12 22:55Z</li>
<li>Position: 35.689686, 139.770706</li>
<li>Speed: -</li>
<li>Heading: -</li>
<li>Air Temp: 11C</li>
<li>Wind Speed: 3 mps</li>
<li>Cloud: -</li>
<li>Prep: -</li>
<li>SST: -</li>
<li>SSS: -</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="food">Food</h2>
<p>Yesteday I had the various airplane meals which consisted of chicken and
rice, verious fruits, and a turkey sandwich. My first actual meal in
Tokyo was a bowl of bukkake udon which was had in the basement of some
building close to Kanda Station. It was tasty, but I’m not sure how to
describe it.</p>
<h2 id="journal">Journal</h2>
<p>I arrived at the airport around 0700HST, I checked in and made it
through the TSA without incident other than some confusion as to why I
only had a one way ticket. The plane itself was a 747, which is the
largest place I’ve been on. I was lucky enough to have a window seat.
Other than the flight attendents, I saw perhaps 4 other non-japanese
people.</p>
<p>The flight itself was also uneventful, unless you count the person next
to you falling asleep and their head hitting your shoulder suddently. I
laughed a little at it, them being Japanese, I imagine they were very
embarased by it.</p>
<p>When able to see Japan out my window for the first time, only a few
things really struck me. The first was the number of ships in the water,
there were so many and all going in different directions. And most of
them were large ships. The second thing that struck me was that the cars
were driving on the opposite side of the road as in the United States.
When I saw that, that is when it hit that I was truly going to be in
another country.</p>
<p>On landing, the we deplaned quickly and orderly (as I would expect from
the Japanese), I went through imigration and customs without issue,
knowing that I would be unable to check into the hotel before 1700, I
decided to kill some time in the airport, and change my money. I
purchased train tickets to Kanda station and boarded the 1515 train to
Tokyo station. I had heard that Japaense trains were punctual, but wow,
as soon as the clock hit 1515, that very second we pulled away from the
station.</p>
<p>The train made it to Tokyo station exactly as scheduled. I then started
to make my way through Tokyo station, which was unlike anything I’ve
ever seen before. Just the number of people rushing about was
incredible. From what I could tell I was succesful in avoiding being in
peoples way. I had to quickly check the train maps and made it to a
train that would take me to where I needed without issue. Though, I had
decided to take a train that was only going in the direction I needed to
avoid major screwups.</p>
<p>I made it to the capsule hotel (no photos inside) and checked in,
stashed my items and left looking for food. The choices were
overwhelming, so I decided to try and find a place for udon noodles.
This is where my most basic knowledge of the Japanese language came in
handy as no place had signs in English, I wandered around in circles for
a bit before I spooted the kana I was looking for, うどん. I could
barely communicate with the people, but was able to get my bowl of
noodles, making sure to slurp loudly.</p>
<p>After the noodles I returend to the hotel to bathe and sleep. I use the
word bathe because the only showering facilities are traditional
Japanese ones. Which, if you don’t know how they work, have stools near
a wall and one (or more) communal bath tub. The procedue is to sit on
the stool and clean yourself, then, only when clean, enter the bath for
a bit of relaxation.</p>
<p>With myself clean, I crawled into the capsule and went to sleep. Today,
I am planning on going north on the train to Ueno and attempting to find
my way back on foot. A path that will take me through Akihabara.</p>Date: 2013-03-12 22:55Z Position: 35.689686, 139.770706 Speed: - Heading: - Air Temp: 11C Wind Speed: 3 mps Cloud: - Prep: - SST: - SSS: -FSF 4: Jojo Coffee2012-03-06T19:07:01+00:002012-03-06T19:07:01+00:00https://andrewbarna.org/food/fort%20street%20food/2012/03/06/fsf-4-jojo-coffee<p>Today, a small coffee… stand, was my fooden place.
Located in what would have been the lobby of the old Blaisdell Hotel,
you may also know this as the location of the downtown student center
(I don’t know what it is called, Sharky is probably involved).</p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/128541945@N07/15490094761/in/album-72157648181086219/" title="IMG_0199"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5611/15490094761_ceaf43bbbd_k.jpg" width="2048" height="1536" alt="IMG_0199" /></a><script async="" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>It was also raining all crazy like, so I figured coffee would warm me up,
I don’t usually drink coffee otherwise.</p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/128541945@N07/15306537270/in/album-72157648181086219/" title="IMG_0200"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5616/15306537270_5cfb1d3915_k.jpg" width="2048" height="1536" alt="IMG_0200" /></a><script async="" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Coffee however was a mistake, I just ended up needing to visit the
restroom frequently for the rest of the day, even needing to leave in
the middle of a class to do so, something I really don’t like doing.</p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/128541945@N07/15470118026/in/album-72157648181086219/" title="IMG_0201"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5598/15470118026_9b657a17bc_k.jpg" width="2048" height="1536" alt="IMG_0201" /></a><script async="" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>As for food, they pretty much had fruit tubs, at least, that is what
was recommended to me, so that is what I got.</p>
<p>My Verdict: It’s OK, if you like coffee.</p>
<p>Next Up: Ahi and Vegetable</p>Today, a small coffee… stand, was my fooden place. Located in what would have been the lobby of the old Blaisdell Hotel, you may also know this as the location of the downtown student center (I don’t know what it is called, Sharky is probably involved).FSF 3: Dreamer’s Cafe2012-03-02T05:44:15+00:002012-03-02T05:44:15+00:00https://andrewbarna.org/food/fort%20street%20food/2012/03/02/fsf-3-dreamers-cafe<p>I’ve walked by this place several times wondering if it is any good.
Finally I go in and see whats what, especially considering that I’ve
seen quite a crowd inside the place. Just based on the menu always
posted outside, I figured it was more of a local food place.</p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/128541945@N07/15492885362/in/album-72157648181086219/" title="IMG_0190"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2949/15492885362_ef9c341250_k.jpg" width="2048" height="1536" alt="IMG_0190" /></a><script async="" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>The cafe itself is located on the corner of Fort Street and some other
street I don’t know the name of, right across from subway and the 1132
Bishop building. Given that it was a more local place, I ordered a
loco moco.</p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/128541945@N07/15470118036/in/album-72157648181086219/" title="IMG_0192"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5597/15470118036_f9675fdbee_k.jpg" width="2048" height="1536" alt="IMG_0192" /></a><script async="" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>The eggs were awesome, nice and runny, just how I like them. You may
also notice that there are onions on it as well, a nice touch,
especially because they were nice and crunchy.</p>
<p><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/128541945@N07/15306669327/in/album-72157648181086219/" title="IMG_0191"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3937/15306669327_fc87c7f8b9_k.jpg" width="2048" height="1536" alt="IMG_0191" /></a><script async="" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>The loco moco was not quite what I expected from one. While I probably
won’t go back to the cafe, they clearly have something to offer, as the
place filled completely while I was eating the food. Perhaps I just
chose the wrong thing, maybe it was just an off day. They have a bunch
of breakfast foods on the menu like pancakes and stuff, I’m guessing
that Dreamer’s would be the place to be for some breakfast awesome.</p>
<p>My verdict is: Glad I tried it.</p>
<p>Up Next: Jojo Coffee</p>I’ve walked by this place several times wondering if it is any good. Finally I go in and see whats what, especially considering that I’ve seen quite a crowd inside the place. Just based on the menu always posted outside, I figured it was more of a local food place.FSF 2: 1132 Cafe2012-02-28T19:29:50+00:002012-02-28T19:29:50+00:00https://andrewbarna.org/periodic%20photo/food/fort%20street%20food/2012/02/28/fsf-2-1132-cafe<p>This little shop is on the ground floor of 1132 Bishop Street in the middle of the makai hallway (that is the one the HPU bookstore is not on). I asked what was good and was recommended a club sandwich. So I did it, I mean, bacon. I'll just let the photos to the rest of the talking, cause I'm feeling lazy today.</p><br /><img src="http://andrewbarna.org/photos/gallery3/var/resizes/2012%3A-Fort-Street-Mall-Food/2%3A-1132-Cafe/IMG_0178.jpg" /><br /><img src="http://andrewbarna.org/photos/gallery3/var/resizes/2012%3A-Fort-Street-Mall-Food/2%3A-1132-Cafe/IMG_0180.jpg?" /><br /><img src="http://andrewbarna.org/photos/gallery3/var/resizes/2012%3A-Fort-Street-Mall-Food/2%3A-1132-Cafe/IMG_0185.jpg" /><br />The sandwich was quite tasty, though, maybe in the future I won't have it toasted as the bread was a little dry for my taste.<br /><br />Next up: Dreamers Cafe</p>{"display_name"=>"abarna", "login"=>"admin", "email"=>"abarna@gmail.com", "url"=>"http://"}abarna@gmail.comThis little shop is on the ground floor of 1132 Bishop Street in the middle of the makai hallway (that is the one the HPU bookstore is not on). I asked what was good and was recommended a club sandwich. So I did it, I mean, bacon. I'll just let the photos to the rest of the talking, cause I'm feeling lazy today.</p><br /><img src="http://andrewbarna.org/photos/gallery3/var/resizes/2012%3A-Fort-Street-Mall-Food/2%3A-1132-Cafe/IMG_0178.jpg" /><br /><img src="http://andrewbarna.org/photos/gallery3/var/resizes/2012%3A-Fort-Street-Mall-Food/2%3A-1132-Cafe/IMG_0180.jpg?" /><br /><img src="http://andrewbarna.org/photos/gallery3/var/resizes/2012%3A-Fort-Street-Mall-Food/2%3A-1132-Cafe/IMG_0185.jpg" /><br />The sandwich was quite tasty, though, maybe in the future I won't have it toasted as the bread was a little dry for my taste.<br /><br />Next up: Dreamers CafeFSF 1: La Taqueria Ricardo2012-02-23T19:19:04+00:002012-02-23T19:19:04+00:00https://andrewbarna.org/periodic%20photo/food/fort%20street%20food/2012/02/23/fsf-1-la-taqueria-ricardo<p>So I've been at HPU for about 4 years now, but I haven't really explored the food places downtown. Having only a limited time left here, I figured it would be nice to try something from each one of the food places on Fort Street Mall and a few of the surrounding areas around HPU's downtown campus.</p>
<p>First up is the only Mexican food place on the mall, La Taqueria Ricardo. I chose it because I didn't know where to start on the list of food places I made. So I went with something like home.</p>
<p><img src='http://andrewbarna.org/photos/gallery3/var/resizes/2012%3A-Fort-Street-Mall-Food/1%3A-La-Taqueria-Ricardo/IMG_0168.jpg' /><br />The place occupies a space right in the middle of the main food establishments, quite easy to find and often very full (I've seen a line out the door) during the lunch hour.<br /><img src="http://andrewbarna.org/photos/gallery3/var/resizes/2012%3A-Fort-Street-Mall-Food/1%3A-La-Taqueria-Ricardo/IMG_0170.jpg" /><br />An open space with lots of area for queuing. The menu is simple and you can pretty much ask for anything you see to be put on your burrito or taco or whatever. They have specials listed on the wall, and I didn't notice until after I had gotten my food. The people behind the counter were quite funny and I had more than a few jokes thrown my way in response to questions.</p>
<p><img src="http://andrewbarna.org/photos/gallery3/var/resizes/2012%3A-Fort-Street-Mall-Food/1%3A-La-Taqueria-Ricardo/IMG_0174.jpg" /><br />I ordered a "Super Bean and Cheese Burrito" which, besides beans and cheese, had some Mexican style rice and sour cream in it.<br /><img src="http://andrewbarna.org/photos/gallery3/var/resizes/2012%3A-Fort-Street-Mall-Food/1%3A-La-Taqueria-Ricardo/IMG_0175.jpg" /><br />The rice was just right and so were the beans. The burrito was also quite large and I was not wanting more for being quite full at the end of the meal. In a future visit, I would probably find something smaller (a taco or two perhaps) and add a side of rice and beans to it.</p>
<p>Since this visit I have used a computer to randomize the list of food places so I no longer have a choice. Also, I've dated this post to when I actually visited the place.</p>
<p>Up Next: The 1132 Cafe and Espresso Bar</p></p>
</p></p></p></p></p>{"display_name"=>"abarna", "login"=>"admin", "email"=>"abarna@gmail.com", "url"=>"http://"}abarna@gmail.comSo I've been at HPU for about 4 years now, but I haven't really explored the food places downtown. Having only a limited time left here, I figured it would be nice to try something from each one of the food places on Fort Street Mall and a few of the surrounding areas around HPU's downtown campus.</p> First up is the only Mexican food place on the mall, La Taqueria Ricardo. I chose it because I didn't know where to start on the list of food places I made. So I went with something like home.</p> <img src='http://andrewbarna.org/photos/gallery3/var/resizes/2012%3A-Fort-Street-Mall-Food/1%3A-La-Taqueria-Ricardo/IMG_0168.jpg' /><br />The place occupies a space right in the middle of the main food establishments, quite easy to find and often very full (I've seen a line out the door) during the lunch hour.<br /><img src="http://andrewbarna.org/photos/gallery3/var/resizes/2012%3A-Fort-Street-Mall-Food/1%3A-La-Taqueria-Ricardo/IMG_0170.jpg" /><br />An open space with lots of area for queuing. The menu is simple and you can pretty much ask for anything you see to be put on your burrito or taco or whatever. They have specials listed on the wall, and I didn't notice until after I had gotten my food. The people behind the counter were quite funny and I had more than a few jokes thrown my way in response to questions.</p> <img src="http://andrewbarna.org/photos/gallery3/var/resizes/2012%3A-Fort-Street-Mall-Food/1%3A-La-Taqueria-Ricardo/IMG_0174.jpg" /><br />I ordered a "Super Bean and Cheese Burrito" which, besides beans and cheese, had some Mexican style rice and sour cream in it.<br /><img src="http://andrewbarna.org/photos/gallery3/var/resizes/2012%3A-Fort-Street-Mall-Food/1%3A-La-Taqueria-Ricardo/IMG_0175.jpg" /><br />The rice was just right and so were the beans. The burrito was also quite large and I was not wanting more for being quite full at the end of the meal. In a future visit, I would probably find something smaller (a taco or two perhaps) and add a side of rice and beans to it.</p> Since this visit I have used a computer to randomize the list of food places so I no longer have a choice. Also, I've dated this post to when I actually visited the place.</p> Up Next: The 1132 Cafe and Espresso Bar</p>On My Own and Cooking Food2011-10-02T04:07:09+00:002011-10-02T04:07:09+00:00https://andrewbarna.org/periodic%20photo/hpu%20blog%20mirror/2011/10/02/on-my-own-and-cooking-food<p>I've been back in Hawaii for about a month now, school has been going for most of that time. I've given myself quite a challenge this semester with a full 15 unit load (that is semester units... which are different somehow from the quarter system). A full four of my classes are undergrad/graduate combined courses and it is looking like that will be the norm from here on until I graduate. Another thing going on, half my classes are at the Oceanic Institute, which is awesome (more on that later). So just to let you know what classes I am taking, here is the list:
<ul>
<li>Chemical Oceanography (3)</li>
<li>Chemical Oceanography Lab (2)</li>
<li>Geological Oceanography (3)</li>
<li>Hawaiian Natural History (3)</li>
<li>Physics 3: Modern Physics (3)</li></ul></p>
<p>There is however, one major difference between this year and the previous 3, I am living off campus. This means, more than anything, that I need to deal with feeding myself. I suspect I'm unlike the typical college student in that I do not have any ramen around. And also unlike many people that I know who are my age, I know how to use a kitchen. For me, this largely means baking, so I'll stop stalling and show some pictures!<br /><img src="http://andrewbarna.org/photos/gallery3/var/resizes/Random%20Stuff/CIMG1813.jpg" /><br />The above is my first attempt at cinnamon swirl bread, it was delicious and quickly consumed by me and my flatmates. I have also been making bagels on the weekends to have throughout the week.<br /><img src="http://andrewbarna.org/photos/gallery3/var/resizes/Random%20Stuff/IMG_0448.jpg" /><br />As you can see, I love garlic and onion, I tried putting the toppings in the bread itself, but it didn't turn out the way I hopped. This weekend I'm planning on making more bagels but also some rolls for lunches or dinners.</p>
<p>I also am working with a professor on campus on a geoneutrino project, also more on that later, but here is a small teaser made using matplotlib with basemap (python).<br /><img src="http://andrewbarna.org/photos/gallery3/var/resizes/Random%20Stuff/crust_thickness_cyl.jpg" /></p></p>
</p></li></li></li></li></li></ul></p>{"display_name"=>"abarna", "login"=>"admin", "email"=>"abarna@gmail.com", "url"=>"http://"}abarna@gmail.comI've been back in Hawaii for about a month now, school has been going for most of that time. I've given myself quite a challenge this semester with a full 15 unit load (that is semester units... which are different somehow from the quarter system). A full four of my classes are undergrad/graduate combined courses and it is looking like that will be the norm from here on until I graduate. Another thing going on, half my classes are at the Oceanic Institute, which is awesome (more on that later). So just to let you know what classes I am taking, here is the list: Chemical Oceanography (3)</li> Chemical Oceanography Lab (2)</li> Geological Oceanography (3)</li> Hawaiian Natural History (3)</li> Physics 3: Modern Physics (3)</li></ul></p> There is however, one major difference between this year and the previous 3, I am living off campus. This means, more than anything, that I need to deal with feeding myself. I suspect I'm unlike the typical college student in that I do not have any ramen around. And also unlike many people that I know who are my age, I know how to use a kitchen. For me, this largely means baking, so I'll stop stalling and show some pictures!<br /><img src="http://andrewbarna.org/photos/gallery3/var/resizes/Random%20Stuff/CIMG1813.jpg" /><br />The above is my first attempt at cinnamon swirl bread, it was delicious and quickly consumed by me and my flatmates. I have also been making bagels on the weekends to have throughout the week.<br /><img src="http://andrewbarna.org/photos/gallery3/var/resizes/Random%20Stuff/IMG_0448.jpg" /><br />As you can see, I love garlic and onion, I tried putting the toppings in the bread itself, but it didn't turn out the way I hopped. This weekend I'm planning on making more bagels but also some rolls for lunches or dinners.</p> I also am working with a professor on campus on a geoneutrino project, also more on that later, but here is a small teaser made using matplotlib with basemap (python).<br /></p>Trip to the Bay Area2011-08-02T03:48:41+00:002011-08-02T03:48:41+00:00https://andrewbarna.org/hpu%20blog%20mirror/2011/08/02/trip-to-the-bay-area<p>This past weekend was spent in the bay area. Starting early Thursday morning, I picked up some frieds from Sweden (they were in San Diego, I didn’t go to Sweden) and headed up Interstate 5. Along the way I stopped off at Galco’s Soda Pop Shop. If you don’t know or haven’t heard about Galco’s. It is a shop specializing in rare, unique, and unusual sodas. I, being a big fan of something called Spruce Beer, bought and entire case of the stuff, possibly their last one.</p>
<p>Continuing north on the 5, my Swedish friends were impressed by how straight and long the road was. How flat and vast the central valley of California is can hardly be described, perhaps the only thing that rivals it is the ocean, it is something that just needs to be seen.</p>
<p>We made it to San Jose after about 8 hours of driving. For dinner we went to a buffalo chicken place called <em>Smoke Eaters</em>, which some of you may know from the television show <em>Man vs. Food</em>. When I ordered my food I asked for “spiciest sauce you have on the menu.” A mistake you might think, a challenge accepted says I. It was quite spicy, not sure how to describe the flavor, but the hotness had me in a sweat and unable to speak.</p>
<p>Friday Was spent at an Six Flags Discovery Kingdom… it is an amusement park.</p>
<p>Saturday we went into San Francisco. Utilizing BART we went from Daily City to the Embarcadero (Pier 1). From there we walked to Pier 39, aka Fisherman’s Warf. Contrary to what the pier numbers indicate, it was not actually 39 piers. At Pier 39 we ate at Boudin, famous for their clam chowder in sourdough bread bowls. Not being a huge fan of the clam chowder, I had chili in a bread bowl instead. When through with the chili, I ate my bowl, delicious! From Pier 39 we walked to Coit Tower which is on top of Telegraph Hill. Quite a bit up (some 300+ stairs to the top of the hill). A nice view of the city and bay were the reward for the climb. From there it was a short walk to Chinatown and an excellent boba (bubble tea) place. We enjoyed our beverages in a park in Chinatown. After a good walk back to the BART station, we were on our way back to San Jose.</p>
<p>Sunday was spent driving back to San Diego from San Jose. Rather than taking Interstate 5 back, I chose to travel the 101. While the road takes longer, it is much more scenic and enjoyable (for the driver).</p>This past weekend was spent in the bay area. Starting early Thursday morning, I picked up some frieds from Sweden (they were in San Diego, I didn’t go to Sweden) and headed up Interstate 5. Along the way I stopped off at Galco’s Soda Pop Shop. If you don’t know or haven’t heard about Galco’s. It is a shop specializing in rare, unique, and unusual sodas. I, being a big fan of something called Spruce Beer, bought and entire case of the stuff, possibly their last one.Ride to Work2011-07-18T17:22:41+00:002011-07-18T17:22:41+00:00https://andrewbarna.org/periodic%20video/2011/07/18/ride-to-work<p>This is my daily ride from my house to SIO.<br /><video controls="" height="360px" width="640px" poster="http://www.andrewbarna.org/media/video/20110718_ride_to_work/20110718_ride_to_work.png"><br />
<source src="http://www.andrewbarna.org/media/video/20110718_ride_to_work/20110718_ride_to_work.m4v" type='video/mp4' /><br />
<source src="http://www.andrewbarna.org/media/video/20110718_ride_to_work/20110718_ride_to_work.3gp" type='video/3gpp' /><br />
<source src="http://www.andrewbarna.org/media/video/20110718_ride_to_work/20110718_ride_to_work.ogg" type='video/ogg' /><br />
Using the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTML5_video">HTML5 Video tag</a>. You may <a href="http://www.andrewbarna.org/media/video/20110718_ride_to_work/20110718_ride_to_work.m4v">download the video</a> if it is not working.<br />
</video></p>
</a></a></video></p>{"display_name"=>"abarna", "login"=>"admin", "email"=>"abarna@gmail.com", "url"=>"http://"}abarna@gmail.comThis is my daily ride from my house to SIO.<br /> <source src="http://www.andrewbarna.org/media/video/20110718_ride_to_work/20110718_ride_to_work.m4v" type='video/mp4' /> <source src="http://www.andrewbarna.org/media/video/20110718_ride_to_work/20110718_ride_to_work.3gp" type='video/3gpp' /> <source src="http://www.andrewbarna.org/media/video/20110718_ride_to_work/20110718_ride_to_work.ogg" type='video/ogg' /> Using the HTML5 Video tag</a>. You may download the video</a> if it is not working. </video></p>