A Shortlist of Things to Know When Visiting Iceland

I recently returned from a trip to Iceland and have some *HOT TIPS* for people who are Iceland-curious. This will largely be (well, wholly be) non-technical:

  1. During the summer months –
    – You will be constantly reminded that you are a tourist by the large crowds of other tourists all doing the same thing as you. It’s worth the trip anyway.
    – Nighttime lasts about four hours and the sky never really gets dark. A sleep mask is helpful.
    – Some caves and attractions are only accessible during the winter months.
  2. Seljalandsfoss is a must-see if driving the southern half of the country. We stopped there on a lark and it was easily my favorite part of the trip.
  3. Any dish with either lamb or fish in it is almost guaranteed to be delicious. (Beef becomes less appealing by the day.)
  4. Puffin isn’t worth eating unless you really like beef jerky that is made from cute birds.
  5. Shower gel is the ultimate grooming tool. It is shampoo, conditioner, and body wash all in one!
  6. The small boat whale-watching experience probably isn’t worth the ticket price.
  7. If staying in an Airbnb in Kalfafell, don’t be off-put if it looks like a tool shed from the outside. I can assure you that it is fully-furnished.
  8. Accept that you will be disappointed with the lack of roundabouts once you are back in the States.
  9. Outside of Reykjavik, grocery stores close early, open late, and are few in number. Plan ahead when buying provisions.

Bye, Phone!

It’s time for me to get a new mobile device. This is not because there’s a crack running diagonally across the glass of my iPhone, and it’s not because I recently wrapped up payments on this broken thing. It’s not because my iPhone, recognizing the threat of replacement, has begun self-induced reboots and random app freezing. It is certainly a combination of these things, but they run alongside a simple and deep desire to have something new. This thing is 3yrs old. By golly it’s time.

The Persistence of Chaos

Are you having trouble getting those big-ticket computer viruses’ attention? Have you been clicking around on really questionable and disturbing websites without your AV on, and opening every attachment that arrives in your Inbox with your fingers crossed hoping you’d be lucky enough to find a very scary pop-up asking for Bitcoin? Yes? Well you missed your chance to bypass all that hard work by purchasing a laptop pre-infested with a veritable who’s who of devastating computer viruses. Late last month an artist named Guo O Dong auctioned off a decade old laptop that he had intentionally infected with 6 of the most infamous pieces of malware for $1.345 Million dollars. He titled his piece, ‘The Persistence of Chaos’.

Sean’s 3-Year Anniversary

“Choose a job you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.”

The timing of this blog landed on the week of my 3rd anniversary at Birds on a Cable (as well as living in Chicago), which gave me time to reflect on what the ride has been like. In these 3 years, I’ve grown so much that it’s hard to recall not calling Chicago home, or working for Birds. I think that’s part of being a grownup – you forget the past and focus on the future.