VirtualTourist Member cjg1
| Page Views: 43,544 | Welcome back my friends.... by cjg1 - last update: Apr 28, 2008 |
| April 5, 2008. Celebrating a year of perfection. |
Its truly amazing how life changes along the way. Just like VT itself has changed along the way.
I first starting going to www.virtualtourist.com back when it was just a graphical interface of lists of servers with web content. Give or take, 1994/1995. This drifted off however as time went by and search engines were developed and improved.
Then in early 1999 I was working from home during the day and decided I was in a rut of sorts with the websites I would frequent. So I went back to find new content to read and decided to find something local. Back to www.virtualtourist.com. Well, it was no longer what I wanted. But I looked around, made an ID and basically forgot about it for a week.
That is when I returned on March 21 of 1999. And couldn’t for the life of me remember my log on information. So I created another ID, my current cjg1, and started paying more attention to it. Building minimal and quite honestly, horrible content. Reading forums. Etc for the next five months or so.
Then it was another break in the action for me as I had moved, a new job, and was trying to figure out what to do with my life. Which is funny because 8+ years later I have only some of those questions answered.
And finally after that break of about a year when I found myself working in Karlsruhe Germany I really got involved with VT. Content, Forums, etc. I however did not know at the time I was basically walking right past where the VT offices had been each day on my way to and from work.
And I’ve never looked back. |
| Austrian Alps. August 13, 2006 |
|  | My Travel Year. 2007 My travels lately have been much more limited than in years past yet again this year. I have this year been to so far
Chicago for lunch.
Oahu and Hawaii
San Francisco for dinner.
Hong Kong
Singapore for my birthday.
Kuala Lumpur
Buenos Aires
San Diego for lunch and then again for dinner.
Sydney
Dublin
London.
as well as many other road trips.
This year I failed to make any progress on my quest through the 50 states. So the number remains 47.
A special thank you to all who made these trips great. It's so great having friends in so many places around the world. |
2008 This year started off more slowly than originally planned. Didn't fly until February instead of the full January as in years gone by. As such I will be happy to retain Platinum this year although with a little creative routing on my three remaining trips I should not have a problem requal'ing the both of us. Executive Platinum is once again put off as money and time and even priorities shift.
Sadly this will be the first calendar year I do not return to Australia and Sydney since I started going in 2004. I am very disappointed in this but it happens and we do have other trips planned. Hopefully I can make my return to Australia too and maybe even one of these days decide not to leave.
OF COURSE. If the airlines care to accommodate me and put up insanely cheap fares to somewhere like $50 to Fiji again I'll be changing plans rapidly.
So far this year we've gone to:
Springfield
Washington and Alexandria
Heidelberg
Karlsruhe
Frankfurt
Budapest
Newport
As always its been a real pleasure to meet so many wonderful VTers along the way. | | |
| Intercourse with VTers... |
| | Some words about VTers and Meetings I have had the honor to meet many people here on VT. Along the way I would assume the number is more than 300 of you. I never thought to keep a list back then. And now when I see lists on other's pages I wonder if it would even be possible to create. But it really wouldn’t. People here come and go and memories sadly do the same. I would never want to leave someone off. My most recent VT meeting was much more than a VT meeting. It was like having our own private tour guide. Thank you so much for all the time you gave us that day in Budapest. I am sure I'd not have seen or done half as much if you had given me a week there on my own. |
My 30th Birthday, VT Style. This chapter tells a story of my 30th birthday. Its been a part of my home page ever since as I am still very touched by the three VTers and what they did for me that evening.
Well its time for a change here on the homepage. First off I want to thank all my VT friends. Especially those that have gone above and beyond the pages of VT. I have had the honor to meet so many of you. You have all truly affected me in a most wonderful way. To those I have not met in RL yet I look forward to the chance to one day do so.
My latest and greatest VT experience was a simple dinner with friends that was a VT experience only because that is where we all met and the cameras that were there. Little did I know what they had in store. Surprised me with a song and cake, gift and card. I wish I could sit here and tell you I had ANY idea this was coming. But I can't. I was SO caught off guard by this most of the pics had to be taken 5 times each to get anything worthy of world sharing.
This all happened on the day after I returned to the states from my latest trip abroad. A VT meeting trip to Edinburgh with a side stop in Karlsruhe. A truly wonderful time that I look forward to repeating. Everyone I met, only one VTer for now, was so great. Friendly. Fun. Just great. And Karlsruhe. That just felt like I was returning home. Ran into many old friends.
A very special thank you to Tamir, Gale and especially Nathalie. I did take your gift to Moscow when I went. | | | Surprise Party with VTers... |
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| Me and my blonde with Pieter Jan. October 23, 06. |
| | My Favorite Travel Books. How I Worked My Way Around the World by Harry Steele Morrison. 1903 - Rereading this one now.
A Walk Across France by Miles Morland |
The Birthday Tales 30. Edinburgh.
31. San Fransico 2 days before.
32. Surrounded by Moscow and Buenos Aires.
33. Hong Kong.
34. Singapore.
35. Budapest. |
 cjg1's Albums | | | |
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 Comments for cjg1 | | | | |
nighthawk Fri May 9, 2008 23:13 UTC
u got cut! ha fortunately it was only yr arm hihi .. logged in saw u featured member .. life s good so far i think? no amsterdam meet in vt meets i saw .. ah well .. i ll have one one yr recovery! glad tests were clear! | LKM1018 Fri May 9, 2008 10:48 UTC
Are we giving Annabelle the new address or are we discouraging "strays"? Lol | e_boc Thu May 1, 2008 06:14 UTC
Chris, what's up... I'm back from Puerto Rico... good times there. Party until the sun comes up. I should be in NYC this summer. Hope you recover fast. | Maurizioago Thu Apr 24, 2008 11:37 UTC
I wish you a fast recovery. Ciao! |
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