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I arrived in Reykjavik safely and met my friend's Regina and Ingvar.
They dropped me off at the Baldursbra which is a great little
guesthouse. I enjoyed a big breakfast and passed out til 3pm in jet-
lagged exhaustion. I spent the rest of the evening wandering the city
looking for free wifi. It's taken me three days to figure out that the
tourist center has some. So I'm sending out a quick hello from my
iPhone.

I went diving yesterday in 32 degree waters in a fresh water lagoon
where the American and European tectonic plates meet. It was pretty
amazing but the most difficult dive I've done. Drysuits are a whole
different ballgame. There was at least 70 lbs. of gear. But it kept me
warm and the scenery was incredible. A trippy volcanic underwater
landscape.

I've been surviving on nuts, the free breakfast, and roast beef
sandwiches from convenient stores (though there are Subway and Quiznos
joints here). Without the generosity of feedtony.com donors, I'm
keeping the food cheap and budgeting my limited funds towards day
tours. Getting out of the city brings me to the amazing natural
landscapes I always dreamed of existed in Iceland.

There's about five hours of daylight here that doesn't start til
around 11am. It's really been messing with my head. You walk around at
9am and it feels like 9pm. The streets are so quiet I always wonder if
I'm supposed to be out.

Tonight should be interesting for New Years. I'm having dinner with
Ingvar's family and heading out for a long night of bonfires,
fireworks, and celebration. I hope my jet lag works for me rather than
against me.

PS or PU maybe... The hot water is geothermically heated and it smells
like sulphur or rotten eggs. It's like Rotorua in NZ... you're always
wondering who cut one.

Labels: Iceland

I had a funtime rolling around in a rented Mustang convertible over the weekend and being treated to movies, brunches, and dinners. I saw a bunch of college friends at my friend Tristan's wedding which was fun but exhausting.

I took a redeye to New York on JetBlue and immediately got grumpy over the scent of makeup or perfume behind me and the sweltering heat of the airplane cabin. I woke up in the middle of the night with a stabbing headache. Sinus trouble? At least the sweet potato chips were delicious.

Landing at JFK completely wiped out, I spent five hours snoozing in a chair at baggage claim. Every twenty minutes, I'd find a different body part had fallen asleep. I was tempted to store my bag in Terminal 4 but I got cheap and lugged it into Brooklyn with me to grab lunch with my friend Brant. I'm glad I escaped the airport (and my grumpiness) for the afternoon. I'm looking forward to being back in NY in two weeks to drool over cute hipsters again.

Oh, it was 65 in Brooklyn today! Warmer than the chill I left in Cali. Off to Iceland now. Hope the rain turns to snow.

Sending full sized photos solves the problem. San
Francisco's City Hall.

I may try blogging from my iPhone when I hit the road at the end of
the month. So I'll be testing different methods this week. Pictured:
SJ Sharks vs. Edmonton Oilers, zamboni

Update: Well, I can email photos from the phone but they don't display full sized. Guh.

Hey folks, I don't know if you've noticed but I've updated my itinerary (to the right) for 2009. I'm off to a brand new country. Looks like Iceland for New Year's Eve! From there, I'll hang out in Manhattan for a week before hopping a bus down to Washington D.C. for President Barrack Obama's inauguration. No, I don't have tickets, but I do have a place to stay.

Afterward, I may be on my way to another new country for three months. This is still in the works so please cross your fingers for me. It'll be an incredible opportunity if it all comes together.

For now, I'll be wandering around California dropping in on friends and family. Have a wonderful and safe holiday. 2009 is the year of CHANGE!

P.S.- If you're doing your holiday shopping at Amazon.com, support me by using: tinyurl.com/tonyshop