Comments for WanderingJustin.com

Comment on Lost on Planet China – Book Review by WanderingJustin

WanderingJustin — Wed, 23 May 2012 05:43:48 +0000

I DO get around topically, don’t I?

The book didn’t mention redactions. I may have to dig into that a bit. Let me know if you wind up reading it.

Comment on Lost on Planet China – Book Review by Nichole L. Reber

Nichole L. Reber — Wed, 23 May 2012 03:08:31 +0000

What would be most fascinating about the Chinese book is the number of redactions forced upon it by the Chinese government. Just like the absence of web sites that mention Nepal and Google searches for the word ‘blog’– oh, unless the government is trying to distract its citizens from a situation and telling them they’ve been ‘good’ so they can have access to Facebook for two days.

Don’t know if any of this was mentioned in any length or in any truth, but you have piqued my interest– and at the exact time I was looking up some memoir/travel tales from the countries I’ve lived in.

China is a country that confounds most of the non-Asian world, certainly not just Americans. Why, just today I found a memoir by a Dutch architect called ‘You Can’t Change China, China Changes You’. In fact I am hoping my email to his publisher results in a book being sent from The Netherlands alllll the way over here to my little university town in Peru for a review of my own.

I love the diverse yet relevant topics you blog about, friend.

Cheers y saludos,
@NicholeLReber
ArchitectureTravelWriter.com

Comment on Delta Air Lines Flight 1921: A Look Inside a Flight Delay by WanderingJustin

WanderingJustin — Tue, 22 May 2012 14:51:59 +0000

Oooo, that’s a tough question. Must think on that …

And yes, Delta picked up some points for handling this situation.

Comment on Travel in Russia – Thoughts from a Cold War Kid by WanderingJustin

WanderingJustin — Tue, 22 May 2012 14:50:51 +0000

Wait until you read about the winner – I’m still laughing about it!

Comment on Delta Air Lines Flight 1921: A Look Inside a Flight Delay by Nichole L. Reber

Nichole L. Reber — Tue, 22 May 2012 04:51:35 +0000

The voucher for a cocktail threw me initially. Then I thought, no, wait. That’s a good idea; give them a voucher for one just to take the edge off. How likely is it that passengers will want multiple cocktails in such a situation and at midday?
Otherwise, the whole tale of caring for their passengers is quite impressive.

If you were a commercial pilot for an American airline, which would you choose?

@NicholeLReber
ArchitectureTravelWriter.com

Comment on Travel in Russia – Thoughts from a Cold War Kid by Nichole L. Reber

Nichole L. Reber — Tue, 22 May 2012 04:05:12 +0000

Wow! So far out of your sphere I didn’t even know you held a contest. Aren’t you the professional (and far from run-of-the-mill) blogger? Impressive.

Looking forward to reading later posts…the suspense is–

@NicholeLReber
ArchitectureTravelWriter.com

Comment on Scottsdale Night Run 2012: Quick Race Review by WanderingJustin

WanderingJustin — Fri, 18 May 2012 01:30:53 +0000

Hello, John. Take this from a guy who’s run races from Seoul to Reykjavik: I want very much to love this race. But I barely even like it, despite being able to walk to the starting line from my house. It might be a good course for the front and back of the pack. In the middle? Not so much fun.

This was my second running of the Night Run, and the first experience hardly blew me away, either. My wife, a far better racer than I am, has zero desire to sign up for the Night Run next year. So I think you’d do well to put all options on the table to figure out how to improve it. Remember, this race got cancelled in 2010 – that’s because of the costs for police presence along the route, right? So, would a different route not make the event a greater success in raising funds? And just maybe ensure its future?

Raceplace usually does very well. I like the new system of attaching the chips to bibs – WAY better than the shoes or ankles. And glitches happen – it’s not like I was anywhere near the front. But it was just one more thing that didn’t go well.

John, I recommend that you take a hard look at what you can do to make the Night Run better. Explore every option, including the route and venue. There may be options that racers would love even more.

Comment on Scottsdale Night Run 2012: Quick Race Review by John

John — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:47:01 +0000

My name is John Lookabaugh and I am the race co-director for The Night Run. You have some valid points and I take full responsibility and am sorry for the water problem at mile two. What you saw when you ran by was the replacement water station getting set-up. The original was stolen and we will certainly take precautions next year to avoid this. Emergency water (in jugs) was always there, but no cups. Not our plan, but the reality. The water station at mile four was operational for the entire event.

As for the course – take it or leave it. It is definitely unique and many participants have written us to say that they loved it, especially the twists and turns through the club district. And it is a “night” run, so it is going to be dark in some areas. There will be more prominent mile markers next year, but the course will remain the same – similar to the course which has been used for 25 years. Three state age records were set on this course at this event.

Sorry about your timing issue. Raceplace Event Systems, our timing company, is the best in the business. The Chronotrack system uses RFID chips attached to your bib. Very rarely is there a problem reading the chip, but this may have happened to you as you crossed the start line. A bib that is not worn in the correct orientation can cause a read failure.

For what it’s worth, we had many volunteers, including the race directors, who worked very hard to bring this event back. Many of them were RNs from Scottsdale Healthcare. We had no health issues reported other than a scraped knee.

Comment on American Airlines and US Airways Merger – One Traveler’s Wish List by WanderingJustin

WanderingJustin — Thu, 17 May 2012 05:22:27 +0000

Yep. This should be a pretty interesting merger. American’s name is mud to a lot of the flying public, and US Airways … well – also kind of “meh.” I hope for an entirely new name.

Comment on American Airlines and US Airways Merger – One Traveler’s Wish List by Paul Strickland

Paul Strickland — Thu, 17 May 2012 04:45:28 +0000

I’m curious how they’re going to name the merged airline…