I have always wanted to be a chef, and/or a photographer and finally became a librarian.

I love what I am doing now at a public library, but can’t stop waching every cooking program on television.
Chefs starting a new restaurant and searching for a chef, just plain vanilla cooking programs, chefs helping restaurants to survive and so on.

But my hero is still Jamie Oliver. He was and after seeing his Jamies School Diner Project he will be my hero forever.
Yes, I know we are talking a part marketing here, but his reaction on his repeated setbacks are so pure. I could feel his frustration and got emotional while seeing these kids eating real shit stuff and just not trying the great courses Jamie made for them.

They didn’t even know the difference between a onion, potato and a kiwi.
My goodness!!

And NO, I am not a girl!

LINK: Jamie Schooldiners

I earlier made the decision not to discuss Israel and the Middle East in my blog, just to keep it simple…

But I thought this is an interesting read at the Pixane Blog. About a parked SUV at the parking lot of a hotel in Lebanon.

This is an old technique used for decades now… Old AND New school so to say…

[July 14th, 2006 – French Independence Day - Pierrefitte-sur-Sauldre, France]

I haven’t been camping for the last, let’s say about 25 years. I mean real camping, in a tent, for more than seven days, and no streaming water at your campsite. (but with different digital camera’s (3 in number), a notebook (I am writing on now), my smartphone Treo 650, expensive Wi-Fi, but for all power available!)

These last things have changed, but the way people connect to each other is still the same. A campingground is a small and temporary community that share the same interest: being outside, in a tent or (second choice, in a) caravan, preferably in sunny weather and with lots of children playing around, women walking around without make-up and men sleepwalking to the toilets.

Different from being at home and working, and having lots of social duties people have the time to talk to each other, about whatever they are interested in.

Favourite subject are of course the (mostly quite young) children, but now they have time to sit down,relax (after the children are put to bed hours later than at home) and talk.

The social side of camping life isn’t bad at all (if the weather is as great as it is now).

Where are we going next year?

[July 15th, 2006 - Pierrefitte-sur-Sauldre, France]

This vacation the children of my girlfriend had lots of fun. With swimming, playing around and GameBoying.

The kids and adults of these years are lucky with all sorts of toys it seems. But are they?

The children are travelling with their favourite DVD-movies on their personal screen, the parents are navigating to their destination with navigation toys and working and playing at notebooks with or (mostly) without wireless connection.

This is a new generation that wants to take the achievements of this time anywhere they go.

And yes, I am one of them! [except for the dvd-screen]

[July 13th, 2006 - Pierrefitte-sur-Sauldre, France ]

In fact I was already aware of the fact that French car drivers and for all French motorcyclist are absolutely out of their mind. They don’t drive just fast, but very dangerous too!

I am sure my mate bacteria doesn’t agree, but he is a Francophile from birth. So in this case his opinion doesn’t count. ;-)

On my way to this camping I drove into some traffic jams and was passed by numerous high speeding motorcyclist that were zigzagging between the slow driving cars.

This is something I have never seen before, anywhere…

The same feeling of cars speeding through your neighbourhood with kids on the back seat. Is you would tell people something about that I am sure you will look at you if you are crazy. But if you would drive through THEIR street high speed with THEIR kids playing on the street, they would be furious I am sure.

[July 12th, 2006 - Pierrefitte-sur-Sauldre, France ]
There is nothing wrong with camping in 2006. It is even getting better and better. Not perfect, but better.

Last few years I tried to get a (wireless) connection on campings, in hotels and on other places around Europe and Israel. Most of the time I didn’t succeed or it was just bloody expensive.
One obscure Antwerp hotel had the guts to ask 12 euro an hour for connection and this wasn’t even on the room itself.

The camping I am on now has two Internet-machines and Wi-Fi. A few minutes ago I tried to make a connection from in front of the tent. And even that worked! To the router I mean…
The connection was moderate strong, but hey this is a nice start.

But then I heard the prices! 8 euro for 1 (connected - continuous) hour (!), 20 euro for one day and 50 euro for a week.
That last one is okay for a week, but the other prices are just too high and absolutely ridiculous!

When will owners of campings, hotels, restaurants, coffee bars, etc. understand that they can use wi-fi as an asset?!

Don’t give your signal free to anyone around, but to your clients. Starbucks does that and the Atrium Hotel in Barcelona does the same. Checked in guests only.

That’s why I love Starbucks: for their great hot chocolate and their signal. The Atrium Hotel for the good beds and their signal…

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