Walt’s in Moldova!

I haven’t updated in a long time.

These things happen.

http://gallery.relnor.com/ (to be updated soon with more pictures from the recent Balkans tour).

I got my plane tickets to go home for Christmas! I’ll in the DC area before Xmas, and NY area after. I also wanted to note that on the way there I have 2 layovers; one in Romania and the second in Germany. The plane that takes me from Moldova to Romania is called a Fokker 100. Sounds like a good title idea for a third in the Meet the Parents series. Fly the Fokkers? Peace.

Wow! Two posts in one day. OK, ignore what I said before. You no longer have to register to post. I installed a reputable spam-managing plugin. This should solve most of the problems. However, it will certainly create new problems; it may think you are spam! If this happens, it will probably present you with a little CAPTCHA puzzle (you know, those words that they warp to look all wacky). Let me know if problems arise.

So I logged in today for the first time in quite some time (yeah, I suck at this). There were over 1600 spam comments, of which I have deleted roughly half so far. Sadly, I am forced to have users register to comment now. If you’re interested in commenting, just follow the register links.

In other news, I’m kind of pissed at a few American companies. Namely, Ebay and Equifax. Both of my accounts with these two companies were closed simply from logging in to them from Moldova. It is known among many who are involved in anti-piracy and hacking work that many related problems come from developing countries (I’ve read a few things that specifically named Eastern Europe). But to simply automatically ban an account for being logged in from such a country? That’s downright discrimination and use of stereotype for corporate policy. I’ve managed to get my Ebay account reopened, although the process incredibly drawn-out and annoying.

I understand the need for Ebay and other companies to protect their users from security threats, especially since both of these companies are dealing with financial information, but to have a corporate policy simply banning users who enter accounts from these countries is just wrong. I understand that an American probably very rarely enters his Ebay account from Moldova, but does this mean it’s an immediate red-flag if he does? Ridiculous.

http://edition.cnn.com/2007/US/06/05/guantanamo.trials/index.html

So I haven’t updated in a long time.  But then, why update?  I saw everyone or told everyone; I went to America!  It was awesome.  Thanks to all the cool cats I saw while I was there, in no particular order (and so sorry if I forgot you): Mom, Heather, Stacey, Branddon, Landon, Geoff, Ted, Gwen, Jon, Tara, Melissa, KB, Dave, Chas, Kelly, Kimmy…of course, some of the usual suspects were greatly missed, due to other obligations Matt and Dave (Iraq and California, respectively, both military, thinking about you both), Jason (China). 

 So I had tons of fun and America was awesome…I’d write more, but I’m back in Moldova, and I’ve picked up a little bug called giardia… read at your own peril.  It should be over in a few days, at least I certainly hope so…We have our second language test since arriving in Moldova on Sunday.  Wish me luck!

…that spider bites suck.

I mean, not that I didn’t already suspect it.  I’ve had them before.

But it’s nice to be reminded once in a while.

Ow.

http://maps.google.com/

Ok this takest a teeny bit of work but it’s worth it in the end. Click the link above, and then select “Directions”. Then put in your US home address as the “from” and set “Chisinau, Moldova” as the “to.”

Now, read the directions carefully. Clearly the Google engineers have a sense of humor.

My mom came to visit! It was fun. We bounced around Moldova a little bit and were in my village for the Easter celebration.  I’ll try to get some pics of Soroca up (it’s a cool old castle/fortress) when I can, but unfortunately my digital cam broke so we only had her disposable one to use which is obviously in the states.  Another day we did a trip with my counterpart Ion and another guy from work, Sergiu, to see 3 old monasteries around Chisinau.  That was pretty cool too.  We visited a few museums in Chisinau as well, and it was interesting to see the art and history of Moldova.

I’ll be home in nearly 2 weeks!!!!!  *officially excited*

I’m tired. Unrelatedly, I notice that spam bots have found my blog and are able to leave comments. Should I require login names for people to post? It would require one simple registration and then you’d just have to type your password to post. Would that be too annoying? Let me know.

Also, I feel very restricted in what I’m able to write due to the fact that this blog is occasionally reviewed by the powers that be and sometimes I just want to say things that I don’t want everyone who knows about this blog to read. What I’m going to do is this: I have the ability to make posts that have unique passwords. As I create these posts, I will mail out the password to a pre-configured mailing list. So, when you see these posts appear, check your email for a password. If you didn’t get one, don’t worry, it’s nothing personal. Some things just aren’t for everyone.