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Justin.Lina M
Justin.Lina M

Justin.Lina M

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  • Justin.Lina MIceReisende

    Fischer

    18. oktober 2018, Island ⋅ 🌧 9 °C

    We followed the breadcrumb trail left by instagram and found ourselves in landscapes normally reserved for Hollywood green screens. Alien backdrops gave way to photo op after photo op as we wound our way back to Reykjavik. A gray blanket was wrapped tightly around the city. Even with its gray cloak Reykjaviks art culture seems to have taken Icelands natural beauty as its inspiration and manifested it into a colorful vibrant bustling community. One last stop before our inevitable return was a small shop tucked away in Reykjaviks old town. An unassuming black door and a vague sign marked the entrance. Once inside an ambient soundtrack radiated around the black sparsely decorated walls. Whether or not this store had anything to actually sell was in question. The line between art exhibition and retail shop was being blurred here. A series of old Icelandic books were tacked up to the wall next to the counter where a female clerk stood. As we examined the books she informed us that each book had a distinct sent. Feeling a bit apprehensive that maybe she was having a laugh and just wanted to see up sniff the hanging books we obliged. They indeed did each have what appeared to be a custom sent. The clerk then explained to us that this was family run where each sibling three in total took care of different aspects of the store. She was responsible for the small wooden toothbrush and black locally sourced toothpaste as well as the tea that was offered for sale. Her sister responsible for the visual photography hanging from the walls and the looping video that was visible once you climbed a ladder in the far corner of the store. Lastly she told us her brother was responsible for the ambient soundtrack that played throughout the store as well as jokingly told us that he was responsible for the scented books and "cologne" that was available next to the toothbrush. We purchased the soundtrack and left the mysterious store with more questions than answers like how this small store that wound not be out of place in Tokyo or New York found its way to this remote place? And how could you possibly clean your teeth with black toothpaste? Iceland a land of beauty and mystery.Les mer

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  • Justin.Lina MIceReisende

    Yield

    17. oktober 2018, Island ⋅ ⛅ 3 °C

    While exploring the Icelandic country side by car there are a few things that you may want to keep in mind. #1 Headlights are to be kept on at all times (#3 will reveal a good reason for this). #2 gas stations are sparsely place and actually paying and pumping gas is confusing at best. #3 around most every turn is some sort of majestic nature sure to take your eyes from the road. While your good and distracted by a rushing waterfall or an impossibly steep cliff complete with ice caps and grazing sheep, the two lane you were on previously has now merged to one and your heading directly into on coming traffic. With little warning the road narrows and one car yields to let on coming traffic pass on a narrow one way bridge. This happens often and on a few occasions the other side of the bridge is complexly out of view. Add hale, snow, and sudden and intense rain and wind and you have an involuntary game of chicken. This alone is a very good reason to drive with your headlights on. Despite this white knuckle situation at the roads end we saw our first iceberg, totally worth it.Les mer

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  • Justin.Lina MIceReisende

    Reverse

    16. oktober 2018, Island ⋅ 🌧 6 °C

    Our last road trip didn't go that well. That's another story for another time, but suffice to say a bit of redemption was in order. A rental car (something called a Duster) was secured a map acquired and an extremely loose itinerary established. Everything was loaded in the Duster an apropos soundtrack was engaged and our much need redemption tour was ready to commence. We put the Duster in reverse (manual transmission) and it lurched forward. A quick glance at the stick and we realized that reverse was slightly to the left of first gear on this six speed. No problem we've driven a stick shift our whole life. Into reverse we go. Instantly the Duster jumps the curb and threatens to take out the small wall and hedge its facing. A few panicked moments and it's decided that we have no idea how to get this car off the sidewalk. We were about to be the first rental car in history to call road side assistance in the rental car parking lot. We collected our selves and went to find anyone who may be able to tame this wild Duster. A few tense moments passed when causally someone informed us that our car was on the sidewalk and that there is a ring just under the top of the stick shift that needs to be lifted to put it in reverse. Oh thanks.Les mer

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  • Justin.Lina MIceReisende

    Aurora Borealis

    15. oktober 2018, Island ⋅ 🌧 4 °C

    The heavens open up offering a veritable cornucopia of light, a peek behind the curtain of the universe the Aurora Borealis. An event to behold for many, so when we realized we were in striking distance of this heavenly offering we decided to check it out.
    After inquiring about said other worldly phenomenon we quickly found out that it's not as simple as looking up.
    Conditions needed to be optimal, activity can be hit or miss, and the viewing location has to be free of light pollution. The website that forecasts the aurora gave us a decent chance and we attempted to
    line up all of these variables at the lighthouse, the darkest corner of Reykjavik. We reached the end of the bus line and exited. Mary a solo traveler we met on the bus joined us and we walked to ward the lighthouse and waited. An hour passed when suddenly a couple leapt out of their parked car and started feverishly setting up their tripods. They took aim at what looked like regular wispy clouds in the night sky. But what their camera returned was an explosion of green light. Despite our attempts at lining up multiple variables successfully there was still one glaring issue. A camera with the ability to adjust the aperture was needed to view the aurora. Why we were not let in on this tidbit of information is still a mystery. Imagine a printed image of the aurora in a 1920s news paper and you get a pretty close depiction of what we actually saw. The heavenly light show a glimpse into deep space, a veritable exploding night rainbow was in fact in person black and white.    Les mer

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  • Justin.Lina MIceReisende

    Reykjavik

    14. oktober 2018, Island ⋅ ⛅ 5 °C

    We touched down in Reykjavik under the cloak of the early morning darkness , and despite our jet lag induced disorientation we decided to explore the town. Our collective knowledge of Iceland is boiled down to Two extremely useless bullet points. Point one: this is the home of Bjork. While this seemed like a trivial and useless fact, while wandering through Reykjaviks streets we saw no less than 10 individual references to the Icelandic singer. As it turns out much like John Stamos in the US Bjork here in Iceland is a national treasure. Point two: the streets here have been deemed to be so safe that parents often leave their babies unattended outside in strollers while they shop. We kept this factoid in mind while we navigated a large portion of Reykjaviks downtown. And just as we had come to the conclusion that you should never leave your baby unattended except maybe at a Nicholas Cage convention (another US national treasure) we saw it. Sitting just outside a small confectionery shop was a small tightly bundled baby, tucked warmly in its stroller without a guardian in sight. Having our second fact confirmed we half expected to see a crowd round the corner Bjork riding triumphantly on their shoulders , but no Icelandic singer emerged. Welcome to ReykjavikLes mer

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  • Justin.Lina MIceReisende

    Dream suite

    13. oktober 2018, Island ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

    We stood hands pressed against the double pane glass gazing longingly out at the oasis of luxury. Close but painfully out of reach was Singapore airlines flagship plane equipped with what could only be described as the finer things. Nestled inside its impressively large frame sits a series of private suites complete with quite possibly everything you could want out of air travel save for a futuristic teleportation portal. A quick interweb search will provide you with a visual example of what will most likely never be. Today we share the same fate. For now we stuff ourselves tip to tale and stare at a screen until sleep takes hold even in this impossibly awkward position. Awakened from a dream of fully automatic recliners and large double beds topped with mounds of sleep inducing pillows and stylish down comforters. We touch down in the land of ice.Les mer

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  • Justin.Lina MCat banbanReisende

    Give up work pants

    5. mars 2018, Forente stater ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    We un gracefully disconnected from the matrix. The weather held out as long as it possibly could before the grey drizzle became triumphant. Our fifth visit to Tokyo and miraculously the mystery, intrigue and immense amount of charm are still totally intact. Thank you google translate and thank you Tokyo.Les mer

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  • Justin.Lina MCat banbanReisende

    5000¥

    24. februar 2018, Japan ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C

    Seconds after placing a 5000¥ note in a vending machine and having it rip in two pieces we paused and looked at each other. It was like a perfect scene in a 90s movie that no one wants to watch. Where a series of extreamly poor timed yet hilarious events unfold. And what we had now was two pieces of what amounted to about 50$. If we were home we would go to the bank where they would undoubtably peer at us as if we were trying to pull a fast one and then begrudgingly give us an intact 50 dollar bill. We're not home.
    We entered what we thought was a bank only to leave the proud owners of Japanese car insurance, maybe it will come in handy one day. Second try was in fact a bank and after showing our fractured currency to the teller she nodded and handed us a paper to fill out. Normally filling out paperwork is unpleasant at best, but this time is was a near impossible challenge. The date line was easy enough to figure out, the rest no idea. Luckily the google translate was there to "help". The first line said cowboy mosquitoes. Maybe google translate wasn't going to help after all. With a bit of help from a friendly bank employee we were able to nearly complete the form except for the mosquitoes box. After some back and forth it was determined that we needed to write my name in Japanese. Having no idea how to accomplish this we resorted to google translate. We crossed our fingers and made our attempt. Hoping that google wasn't playing some elaborate trick on us and and we weren't writing mayonnaise baby
    we returned the paper. Miraculously moments later my name was called and an un ripped bill was handed to us via a tiny wire basket. Tokyo where normal errands turn into mini adventures.    Les mer

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  • Justin.Lina MCat banbanReisende

    Tofu?

    23. februar 2018, Taiwan ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Having traversed the cavernous hallways and back rooms of many high end hotels one becomes familiar with their inner workings. One unfortunate area of aquantince is the garbage. No matter how upscale the establishment the garbage bins have the distinct honor of housing the worst stench I have even come in contact with. This aroma of hundreds of pounds of decay is extremely unique to say the least and is able to permeate all the senses. Smell is bombarded, the air is thick, tear ducks attempt to cleanse and god forbid if you entered the room with your mouth open.
    While walking the streets of Taipei this sensory bandit reared its unmistakable head. Our pace quickened and eyes widened as the aroma swirled around us attempting to take us prisoner. The smell dissipated and we initially dismissed this as the fragrance of the sewer. That was until we visited the Raohe night market. It was here that the realization hit that not only was the stench not the sewer system but it was in fact a Taiwanese street food called stinky tofu. Calling this stinky was being too kind. Rotting corpse or broken garbage disposal tofu were perhaps more fitting names. The idea that you didn't run away from this but instead put it in your mouth was astonishing. I had to try it. If by chance I ever fell face down in the hotels garbage bins I could survive having consumed its contents. It would be a test of sorts a training exercise. But alas Lina's stomach couldn't take the fragrance and we were forced to make a quick escape. Stinky tofu untested.    Les mer

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  • Justin.Lina MCat banbanReisende

    Welcome to Taipei

    22. februar 2018, Taiwan ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    We again arrived under the cloak of darkness. This time however we were greeted with a veritable light show and extremely vibrant and energetic streets. We navigated the brightly lit sidewalks dodging scooters that seem to materialize out of nowhere. Ducking under awnings that served as cover for various street food vendors and assorted eateries we weaved our way to the hotel. The streets and sidewalks were buzzing with preparations for the lantern festival. What exactly it was celebrating wasn't clear, but what was obvious was the carefree upbeat attitude was everywhere. A pleasant reception. Welcome to TaiwanLes mer

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  • Justin.Lina MCat banbanReisende

    Uptown?

    20. februar 2018, Kina ⋅ ⛅ 7 °C

    The Bel Air Hotel a clear attempt at misleading potential guests into thinking this establishment might have any of the qualities of the up scale Bel Air neighborhood. This miss direction might work if you are under the impression that Bel Air is in Jacksonville Florida and is connected to a 7/11 and a vape shop and has free HBO. These types of obvious attempts at trying to build up a businesses image purely by name alone always evoke a smile out of me. Enter Uptown Records. The record stores in Shanghai seem to be in short supply with only a hand full of hits. While most indicated permanently closed. There was one named Uptown Records, so off we went. Following the directions we arrived at its supposed location with no trace of a record store in site. The block was scoured and still nothing. Just as we were about to write this off as google maps error,we noticed a poorly photo copied black and white paper attached haphazardly to a wall beside a door that looked like the last door you would enter before being murdered in a bad horror film. So in we went. The aroma of the dimly lit hallway matched its decor perfectly. Pipes seeped rust color sludge, assorted dried meats hung beside drying laundry. A staircase was barely visible at the end of the hallway, and as we approached it we could hear a very faint muffled sound of what might be music. It could also be the grinding gears of a killing machine. So we pressed on. Descending the stairs we arrived at a large open steel door that resembled a submarine hatch requiring us to step over its threshold if by chance this door swung shut our fates would definitely be sealed forever. Once inside the hatch a quick left and impossibly there it was a small record store. We entered and were greeted with a nonchalant "hey guys" by the potential owner of the establishment. The causal greeting seemed appropriate had we just stepped off the busy streets of Manhattan, but we had just descended into the bowels of this building like Indiana Jones and the owners lack of shock at seeing other people was quite alarming. We staggered through the shop in shock that such a place in fact existed until we noticed another door in the very back corner. Situated in the furthest corner of this shop stood a wooden door that appeared to have been on the receiving end of a boxing match and hanging in the middle was a sign that read pump hour 11am-1pm.Les mer

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  • Justin.Lina MCat banbanReisende

    The line

    19. februar 2018, Kina ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C

    Arriving in Shanghai was layered with question marks. We only bought our tickets a few days prior and with no visa (which is mandatory) we had hoped we would qualify for the 144 hour free visa. While standing in the customs line we were aware that we might be turned away from entering. But with minimal questioning (less than entering back into the US) we were let through. Now for our true purpose here Shanghai Disneyland. After finding out that it was in fact open for Chinese New Year we quickly found out that it was sold out.
    We then had a one day window before our visa expired to make it into the park. After several failed attempts at securing tickets we found out that an account must be made and a Chinese bank account was necessary. It appeared as though our efforts were in vain. That was until George stepped in. The hotel concierge using his own personal bank card secured us two tickets and armed us with all vital information for our visit.
    We had arrived, and our sixth a final Disneyland park was about to be checked off the list. The entrance was lined with police barricades in long switch back formations that ended in the actual turnstile. This was our first not so subtle bit of foreshadowing. After entering the park and basking in the castle (which is enormous) and the main street area we headed for the Shanghai version of Pirates of the Caribbean. We placed ourselves in line, it was here that we learned that "line" was in fact a relative term and forward moving crowd was more appropriate. If there is a type of line other than single file I'm not aware of it, but here it exists. Any free space beside you on either side would be filled/pushed past. The only exception seemed to be when someone looked up and saw that we were foreigners and a semi wide birth would be given. This was a panic attack on a turbulent plane during a Black Friday sale. Patience was our only tool and it was being used at an alarming rate. Very near the breaking point and after what seemed like an eternity we finally boarded our boat and experienced Pirates. This ride is what I imagine my very first
    ride on the original pirates was like. We glided through wide eyed and in awe the entire time leaving behind the "line" issue and finding ourselves totally immersed in this extremely convincing world. Deciding to eat immediately after our new line understanding was in fact a mistake. I found myself standing in the middle of the food court feeling unplugged from my normal grid and reinstalled backwards in an incompatible configuration like trying to play a VHS tape in a CD player truly chaotic. The remainder of the day was spend walking the park getting familiar with the layout and soaking up its attention to detail. Endured yet another "line" was just to exhausting so as night fell we perused a few gift shops (which also resembled Black Friday) interestingly enough when it came to paying people seemed less eager to push there way to the front of the line. A few metro stops and we were safely back at our hotel greeted by George and just a bit shell shocked from it all. Our sixth and final Disneyland checked off the list.    Les mer

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  • Justin.Lina MCat banbanReisende

    Welcome to Shanghai

    18. februar 2018, Kina ⋅ 🌧 6 °C

    The skyline is dark and eerily silent,the streets vacant except for us. In a city full of millions of people it appears as though everyone has vacated and Shanghai is closed. At first it seems like our late night arrival might be to blame for this desertion. But as the sun rose and illuminated the grey blanket the covers the city we soon realized the truth. We had inadvertently arrived in Shanghai smack in the middle of Chinese New Year.Les mer

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  • Justin.Lina MCat banbanReisende
    11

    Before ride car cat banban

    17. februar 2018, Japan ⋅ ⛅ 5 °C

    Staring at the flashing c:/< prompt on a monochromatic screen attached to what would now appear to be a small microwave, the thought that there had to be an easier way never crossed my mind. It was 87 and the small microwave in question was a cutting edge "portable" computer. The painfully tedious process of getting a game to load up and run properly, seemed neither tedious or painful at the time but rather futuristic and sleek. The fact that the game required 17 separate disks to work just seemed like a fine idea.
    Flash forward 30 some odd years and if by chance I have some issue where I can't triangulate my exact location on the planet while simultaneously listening to music and filming a high definition videos all on my playing card size pocket computer something must be wrong. Some day in the not so distant future even having to pull a device from your pocket to accomplish these tasks will seem inefficient. Flash forward another 30 years and having pockets will even seem to be a bother.
    Today we have pockets and pocket computers and today we have technology that can allow anyone on the planet to communicate in there native language (except for some dialects from Botswana) it is a truly incredible innovation that gets glossed over as normal. By waving our phone over foreign curves and slashes into focus comes familiar letters and numbers. However the side effect that this process unveils is where the true magic lies.
    No matter what ails you if for only a moment a smile and laugh can take it all away. This is where the google translate app truly shines. While I can't confirm that everything we wave our magic wand over is incorrect, I can confirm that it is hilarious. Ingredients on food packaging become bizarre country music lyrics, warning signs turn into quiet optimism. The mystery and questions unanswered lead to more deep pondering. Could riding my bike as a bachelor in the park lead to a box lunch? And why would the park be broadcasting this information?
    Comedy gold is around every corner and the mystery of foreign texts goes deeper than we could ever imagine. Thank you google translate and welcome to Tokyo.    Les mer

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  • Justin.Lina MStarting overReisende

    36000'

    13. januar 2018, Labrador Sea ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C

    36000 ft in the sky ,7 hours from London and a million miles from nowhere. Staring into the frozen ocean where no one will ever go. The cracks spread out in every direction like travel less highways. Inspiring and terrifying all at the same time. Soaring above this alien landscape should be reserved for sci-fi movies but here today I can sit comfortably (three seats all to my self) from a aluminum tube with a small porthole to view it all, very strange. Multiple visits to Lina's new favorite cake shop and to many records later we're on our way home.Les mer

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  • Justin.Lina MStarting overReisende
    1

    Rule 7.6

    11. januar 2018, England ⋅ ⛅ 6 °C

    Throughout our travels we've established a few rules we try to stick closely to. Today we've added a new edition to that very list. While booking accommodations in a new area besides looking at photos and reading reviews it's not always easy to get a sense of what the surrounding neighborhood is like. In order to remedy this we've establish rule number 7.6 the Whole Foods rule. We let the organic market do the research for us. If they've taken up residency in the area it's mostly safe to assume that the neighborhood is either up and coming or its already arrived. If organic snacks, vegan cafes and designer pastries isn't your speed and you prefer to stay in a more adventurous area feel free to see rule number 9.6 the pawn shop rule.Les mer

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  • Justin.Lina MStarting overReisende

    The test

    10. januar 2018, England ⋅ ⛅ 4 °C

    Normally as a rule we don't split up. With no way to communicate, going our separate ways could be a recipe for disaster. Although it should be noted that plenty of people pre cell phone has successfully navigated the city and rendezvoused with friends without a digital companion to assist them. We decided to give it a try as a test of sorts an exercise in pre 2000s living. Several rules were put in place, we will meet here at this time. If by chance one of us didn't show up protocol 2 would be put in place which was turn on cell phones. If scenario 3.4 happened (which was if one of us were to meet Huge Grant we would enact procedure 7 and so on and so forth. So there I sat as the metro whisked me away from Lina at a random station in a foreign city hoping that we had covers all our bases. Clutching my map I headed out to East Finchley to a record store that was having an annually half off sale hopping to get there a bit before opening for my best chance. As I approached the store about 40 other people had decided to arrive before me. And now we had all decide to stuff our jacket clad bodies into an area that was much to small for so many patrons. This was Tokyo metro at rush hour mixed with Black Friday with a sprinkle of championship parade hysteria for good measure. Squeezing my way through the crowd
    I managed to grab a few things as I floated by and then found myself in the queue to pay. After payment I was again whisked away and found myself outside the shop. It was then that I realized that our meet up time had come and gone. A small panic set in as I went through the mental role call of procedures to find the chink in our armor. I had thought we had done everything right. Had the Huge Grant clause been enacted? Had Lina been given access to the royal palace? These were the only scenarios that seemed plausible. Just then as I was about to return to the 2000s and turn my phone on I saw her walking up from across the road. Our test was a success.    Les mer

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  • Justin.Lina MStarting overReisende

    Portholes

    9. januar 2018, England ⋅ ☁️ 4 °C

    The sun has disappeared. In its place an impossibly thick wool blanket of grey lays just out of arms reach. We spent the late morning walking around the shoreditch area of London. Upon exhausting the areas offerings we set out to a new location via a few shoreditch back streets. It was on these streets that we stumbled upon what Lina proclaimed to be the best thing she had seen yet. Hidden in plain sight down a semi steep set of stairs below a small shop was an even smaller quaint kitchen. This miniature cafe seemed to be frozen it time and it wasn't hard to imagine an elderly English woman warming up tea and biscuits while baking Lemmon drizzel cake and tarts and bottling homemade jam. We soaked up the ambience while Lina sipped on a mint tea and daydreamed about the English countryside. After finishing up and ascended the stairs back into shoreditch and it's hustle and bustle we half expected the inter dimensional portal we just traveled through to swirl around and close up forever with an electrified crackle closing off the quaint English countryside for good. No electricity no snap or crackle just a door in a row of doors on a row of buildings, maybe all these doors hold some kind of mysteries.Les mer

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  • Justin.Lina MStarting overReisende

    Are you all right?

    8. januar 2018, England ⋅ ☁️ 3 °C

    The grey cloud filled sky parted and  London welcomed us with about as much sun as it could muster up in the middle of January. The brisk winter air was just what we needed after being stuffed in an aluminum tube for an almost unbearable amount of time.  Had my brain been functioning properly I would have realized that the greeting I received when checking into the hotel "Are you alright?" was merely the British equivalent of "How is everything?" Instead I just assumed that my outside looked like my insides felt. Despite my internal gears spinning no expression left my face or mouth. Luckily without pause  the hotel concierge continued on, telling us about the hotel amenities. In an attempt to battle our modern time travel scenario, we decided a walk through Hyde Park was in our best interest. The fresh air was an appropriate remedy but eventually jet lag got the best of us and we retreated back to our hotel. Welcome to London, are we alright?Les mer

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  • Justin.Lina MStarting overReisende

    Starting over

    7. januar 2018, Forente stater ⋅ 🌙 17 °C

    And just like the collapse of all great empires and your amazing My Space profile picture the travel pod website is gone. Like so many other digital memories that were built to last forever these 0s and 1s have now become just 0s. Leaving us with the feeling that maybe we should have printed something out. Technology lulled us into a false sense of security with its sweet lullaby of convenience, and now we're left staring at a blank screen without even a dusty picture filled shoes box to place in the attic.
    Without any pieces to pick up we've decided to learn from our mistakes. We will now travel with a charcoal pencil set and paper and sketch every moment like a court reporter, possibly even higher a stenographer to shadow us to make sure our conversations are documented. And should the pencil fail us we have taken up clay sculpting to give our memories a third dimension . We ve been left with no choice but to start over from the beginning and when this website inevitably goes belly up we will look technology square in the face and laughing as we clutch our satchel bag filled to the brim with drawings clay figurines and meticulous written conversations.    Les mer

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