Moishe House Palo Alto Ski Trip Reflections

Back in January I went to Lake Tahoe with my brother and a few others to the cabin for rest and relaxation. There was not much snow, but I figured I would go again to the basin later on in the winter season. In late February I got the opportunity to join members of the Moishe House Palo Alto in a group cabin vacation and ski trip. While I felt packed in with a crowd when it came to accommodations, I had a wonderful time in the mountains and on the ski slopes.

NPR Ask Me Another Live Taping Impressions

Every year SF Sketchfest brings the latest and greatest in comedy acts to San Francisco for three weeks all over the city. I checked the schedule to see which acts I would be interested in and discovered the live taping of an NPR show I had not heard of. Since I listen to Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me the NPR News Quiz often, I was curious of what would go down at the Casto Theater on a Wednesday night for a show a friend described to me as a puzzle game show with musical accompaniment from Jonathan Coulton. I am happy to report that my ticket to a floor seat in the auditorium was well spent.

Silicon Valley Reads Kick Off 2014 Impressions

I read and listen to plenty of material, but I do not read books as often as I would want given my media library. When I noticed in the San Jose Mercury News that a community reading program kickoff event was in my area, I was intrigued. I headed to the Campbell Heritage Theater last week to find out what the annual program’s theme was for 2014 and why they were spotlighting two books in particular. I left the event with a new appreciation of the effects of technology and two more books to add to my reading list.

A January Trip to Lake Tahoe

My grandparents built a cabin at Lake Tahoe. Just about every year my family would visit the house in the Sierra Nevada range to ski the mountains in the winter and ride a boat in the summer. Last week my brother invited me to come with him and his friends to the cabin for a weekend getaway. In a few hours I assembled my winter gear and joined a group to carpool to the cabin I have not visited in almost a year.

A Trip to the Rosicrucian Museum

In the city of San Jose, there is one particularly hidden gem. A Christian order maintains a museum full of Egyptian antiquities for the general public to visit. Before the end of the year, I visited the museum with some friends, as I had not been to the place in a long time. I would like the opportunity to tell you about what I saw.

The Rosicrucian Museum is full of exhibits showing off the life and death of ancient Egypt and the civilizations surrounding it. In one area you can see a replica of the Rosetta stone, while in others you can see a sarcophagus and a model of one of the great pyramids. Many artifacts are encased in glass because they are the genuine deal. It would take hours to read up all the plaques regarding upper class customs and the details of the afterlife. The museum even has a replica of a tomb that you can see on a guided tour. At the time I visited, there were so many people waiting for the tour that I could not get in. I didn’t care too much because I had been on that tour years ago; maybe I should visit again and see if I notice anything different.

The museum campus has some other attractions as well. The grounds are quite pretty with a garden and fountain to walk around. I went to a show at the old planetarium hoping to see a light show. Unfortunately, the attraction merely involved a projector displaying a short movie on the cosmos narrated by Whoopi Goldberg. I found the posters about the history of the Rosicrucian order outside the planetarium theater more interesting than the film.

In short, the Rosicrucian museum might be worth your time. It’s a great place to learn about ancient Egypt in the Silicon Valley area. I doubt I will visit the museum any time soon, but you never know what the future brings. May the lords of life and death, which may or may not include Osiris and Anubis, have mercy on my eternal soul.

My Experience at a LAN Party

With the holiday season coming to an end, it’s about time that I update my blog. I was checking into the Steam holiday sale to get more trading cards, and I noticed I had not opened a Steam guide while in game. The last time I even launched a game through Steam was back in August at a LAN party. It was the first time I brought my own computer to that kind of event, and I figure I should share my experience with it.

Day of the Devs Trip Report

This year November 2, also known as the Day of the Dead, fell on a weekend. Video game development studio Double Fine teamed up with iam8bit to put on a event comprising of video games, art, music, food, and general entertainment. Though I was not able to stay too long at the venue, I thought I would share my perspective on this fabulous festival.

Network After Work Event Impressions

Logo for Network After Work

I’m currently looking for work in my field of expertise. A family member suggested I attend a networking event up in the city to make more connections. I was pretty satisfied with the experience that the national event group offered me that night.

PAX 2012 Trip Report

PAX 2012 aka PAX Prime

This Labor Day Weekend, I was on vacation with my family in Seattle for a family event. When I realized what was going on, I suggested that we stop in the downtown area to check out the convention center. Someone sold me a Three Day Pass, and for the duration of the weekend I spent my mornings and afternoons at the 2012 Penny Arcade Expo in downtown Seattle. This is but a sample of my experience there.