Darley's Dabbling

2012

The Ocean Breeze

We continued working our way west this morning until we reached the mouth of the Columbia river at the Pacific Ocean and Astoria, OR. On our way out we did get a chance to be up close and personal with two Navy destroyer ships on their way into Portland for

2012

Force of Nature

Today we cruised on up the river and right past our final destination of Portland, OR to land in Rainier, OR. Now Rainier is not much of a town with a few small local businesses but nothing fancy, it may be just a little larger than Stevenson, but somehow less

2012

Sleepy Stevenson

Stevenson is one of those stereotypical small towns where there are only two streets and everything shuts down after sunset. I’m not kidding, after we docked at Stevenson. WA last night I took a walk around the town (around 9:30pm) and found that all of the shops

2012

A Lazy Day on the River

Today was our designated cruising day where we were not in port all day. To keep people occupied the ship offered a morning lecture on Lewis and Clark as well as an afternoon Northwest food tasting. We also had the excitement of traversing two more locks one of which lowered

2012

Atomic Revelations

Today we found ourselves in the city of Richland, WA part of what is called the tri-cities area containing Richland, Kennewick, and Pasco Washington. Amazingly enough I was able to get myself out of bed at around 8:30 am, just in time to grab a quick breakfast and head

2012

Practically a Deck Hand

I awoke to a chilly rainy day in Spokane realizing how I conveniently forgot to bring a jacket on this trip. Texas has managed to make me think that summer involves nothing but sun and heat, yet to the Pacific Northwest that is not the case. Thankfully by the afternoon

2012

Back to Spokane

It’s strange, Spokane, Washington is not a large city, it’s not what someone would consider a major city, I mean I doubt too many people have even heard of Spokane yet I find that I have been to Spokane on many occasions and it is almost

blogging

Comic Posted at DDD

Hey everyone, in case you are interested, I just posted up a comic on my gaming blog Dungeons, Dragons, and Darley. This is also where you can find my weekly column, and online extras. I hope you enjoy it. Click Here to Visit Dungeons, Dragons, and Darley

food

Looking Back

Well, I’m on the road to recovery from my long and exhausting journey back to the states. 11 hours on a plane in the middle seat is not very pleasant at all. Thankfully I seem to have no trouble sleeping, only waking up a couple of times during

Buddhism

Hanging in Hanoi

Well, today was our final planned day here in Vietnam, we depart Hanoi tomorrow (Saturday) evening at about 11pm and head for Tokyo. We enjoyed a semi full day today, with a few interesting events that really ended the trip well. The weather also held up nicely so it made

Ha Long Bay

I'm on a Junk!

Unfortunately as I predicted I did not have an internet connection last night while in the middle of Ha Long Bay, so I apologize for the missed post, but I’m back in full force for the last 2 days of our trip. It’s crazy to think

Gaming

Uncle Ho is Watching

Well despite our late arrival last night, it’s been a busy day all day long for us. We started off around 9:30 am with a full day ahead of us and the excitement of a new city to explore. One of the first things to notice about

Buddhism

Rainy Day in Hue

I awoke today feeling much better to my relief and ready to get back to full speed here in Vietnam. It was a good thing as well, because we had a pretty full day today starting out bright and early at 8:30 am. I’ve gotten pretty used to

Hue

Hanging On and Made it to Hue

Well, todays post is going to pick up last night right after my last post. Unfortunately I have managed to contract some form of travellers’ diarrhea, which caused me to vomit 5 times last night, as well as suffer some serious diarrhea. I have somewhat recovered at this point, and

Bakery

Relaxing in Hoi An

Today was our one slow day of the trip. We spent the day walking around the town of Hoi An both seeing what sites there are and doing a little shopping while we had the time. It was nice to slow things down a little, and enjoy the city for

Buddhism

The Journey From Da Nang

Today I awoke to stormy skies above Hanoi, despite this being the dry season for Vietnam apparently they can still get some serious rain dumped on them. It has been raining on and off throughout the day, but that hasn’t dampened our mood or sense for adventure as

China Beach

Dinner in Da Nang

Today we said good bye to Ho Chi Minh City and hello to Da Nang. It was a relatively uneventful morning consisting of breakfast at the hotel as usual, packing everything into my suitcase, and taking the trip to the airport. This game me some chance to reflect on our

Cu Chi

The BIG Gun

Today started off slighlty different from the previous few. I managed to sleep in until 7am, and while I was a little upset to miss my morning exercise routine, I welcomed a little extra sleep. After a quick breakfast we were off to the Cu Chi tunnels promptly at 8

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A Full Load

I was so tired last night that I managed to fall asleep with my glasses still. Never the less I was awake bright and early at 6 am, and to be honest it was completely worth it! Today we headed down the street from out hotel to a local park

Early Morning

Look What I Did This Morning

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Ho Chi Minh

First Impressions

Good morning Vietnam! That seemed appropriate for today. Well, despite not getting to bed until 1:30 or 2 am last night I was awake bright and early at 7:30 this morning. It must have been all of that restful sleep from the flights. The morning started off with

Early Morning

Far Far Away

It’s 4:30 am, my alarm clock has gone off again after the third snooze. I find myself asking “Why am I doing this?” Then I remember my hopes and excitement for this trip. Despite my great aversion to early morning events, I was excited. Plus

Doctor Who

Travelling Through Space, Time, and... Storytelling Medium

While I have experienced the stories of Dr. Who before, I had never done a transmedia analysis. My perspective had remained narrowly pointed at the revived television series, and I barely had knowledge of other forms or incarnations of the brilliant Dr. Who. Experiencing the familiar Dr. Who formula through

Alan Shaw

The Mulholland Dream

After re-watching what I view as a leader in narrative complexity, I am still left with many questions about David Lynch’s Mulholland Dr. While I have a basic theory that I have developed from my own viewing experience and perusing the essays at mulholland-drive.net, it is far

Bucket List

The Pixelated Post #3

Many people form lists of things to do before a big event (death, graduation, etc.), also known as bucket lists. Seniors at Trinity, those who are terminally ill, people going through a mid life crisis. Gamers should also form a bucket list, the world of video games is filled with