Websitesasgraphs follows links through a website and adds colours for different types of content tags in the HTML. This one is www.capgemini.com. More examples.

Last night, Chuck had a St Pats party. I’m feeling the after effects right now. Paddy is certainly the patron saint of the hangover. Still, it was worth it!

More photos here.

Earlier in the day, I tried out a new hairdresser based on a card that Sugam left in the room when he moved out. It’s hard to find a place to trust in a new city, but they seemed good. How could I resist trying a place with these business cards?

Yeah, the mullet is coming back for summer. I shouldn’t have cut it off in November!

My 1997 and 2007 United Kingdom passport photos, side by side. 

This is what ten years of aging looks like! Ah, I miss my flowing auburn locks. Like Samson, they were a source of immense power. To, those that have never seen my real hair colour… check out 1997.

The new passport is interesting. It has a small chip in clear plastic with a copper loop attached… presumably to power the chip when exposed to a field from the reader.

It’s well over 20 degrees C and sunny in SF today a scorching spring 33 degrees C in LA… where I’ll be in a few hours. With daylight savings time starting last night, I guess winter is over. That was quite quick and painless! I can handle this Californian weather.

Last weekend, the WAYC group (West Area Young Consultants) went on a ski trip to Big Bear. The car I was in drove up from LA on Saturday morning and got in an afternoon at Bear Mountain, with some doing lessons and some of us heading up the hill. Bear Mountain isn’t so big though, so a half day was enough. The other car had gone up early and spent the day at Snow Summit. After an evening of socialable liquid consumption, we all spent Sunday at Snow Summit. They have about three main lifts, each with some decent black runs. Anyway, it was great to get some snow and break in my new gear. The sun was great, the snow was man-made but good, and the lift lines were short. They seem to stop selling tickets before they get too full, whereas Ruapehu just keeps on filling up the mountain. It was fun being on a mountain with trees and all too. It was also great to meet some more of my workmates.

More photos here.

I then flew overnight back to Grand Rapids. That was my last week in Michigan! I could handle a return visit in summer, but I’ve had enough of their winter. The salt has destroyed my leather shoes. I didn’t know you needed to wash it off all the time. The leather just bubbled out.

Yesterday, I went out to San Mateo on the Caltrain for a Russian lesson with Justin and Iryna… which mutated into a daytrip to see the redwoods at Muir Woods (just north of the Golden Gate). Photos here. It’s the first time I’ve crossed the bridge since the second day after I came to the US. It’s an impressive park, and has some similarities to the NZ bush. Well, it just felt nice to get some fresh air.

Next week I start a new project that I’m really excited about. It’ll be fun and a great opportunity. It’s in LA again!

I doubt many have the same taste in music as me, but give these a try. I can assure you that any of the following, played loud and with enough bass to cause damage, will make me dance like a nutter:

Acen - Trip II The Moon
Baby D - Let Me Be Your Fantasy
The Prodigy - Out of Space
Altern8 - Activ8
Dune - Million Miles from Home
Altern8 - Hypnotic St-8
Dune - Hardcore Vibes (slow mix of some kind)
Ratpack - Some Live Rave
Ratpack - Out of Space
Bizarre Inc - Such a Feeling
The Prodigy - No Good (start the dance)
Urban Hype - Trip to Trumpton
Sonz of Da Loop Da Loop Era

LOTS MORE TECHNO. I wish it was 1991 and I was older than 13 at the time. I did my best, but I was about 5 years too young.