Bill Murray's Blog, page 170

New Book Review

On her popular blog Songberries this morning, Carol Harlow reviews Common Sense and Whiskey, the book, and writes:

"Bill Murray is a great story teller and a wonderful writer. He made me feel like I was right there with him. This is not an ordinary travel book,this is more like an adventure book for out of the way places. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it."

Thanks very much, Carol.

Friday Photo Quiz #128 - Where in the World?

Not our easiest quiz. Clue: This is a national capital.

Can you name the city? The country?

The answer is after the jump.

And a good weekend to all from Common Sense and Whiskey and EarthPhotos.com.

And the answer is ..................................................... this is Kigali, capital of Rwanda.

See almost a thousand photos of cities all around the world in the Cities Gallery.

And take all the CS&W photo quizzes.

Common Sense and Whiskey is Now on Kindle

Great news: Common Sense and Whiskey, the book, is now available from the Kindle store. Get yours right here.

Or, get the book version.

And coming next week, we'll publish Chapter Nine from the book here on the blog. It's our exploration of Sri Lanka, in which Nandinga smokes cigarettes like the French do in old movies, between forefinger and thumb, and I ask Tyrone:

"When does the monsoon come?"

"End of April, sir."

"Is it ever late?"

"It is always late, sir."

Growing Weary of the "Next Level"

Ad words are everywhere. I say 'em for a living in my day job. But media-popular phrases tamp down creative writing.

Having said that, look: It is what it is. At the end of the day, if you're going to take it to the next level you're going to have to touch base with your bottom line. Remember, going forward, if you're going to push the envelope, you can't drop the ball. Give 110%.

Know that if you mean to bring your A game you'll have to add value. So hit the ground running! The bottom...

Wednesday HDR: One More from Rome, on Canvas

One more contribution like last week's two from Italy. Not having enough fresh new material from abroad lately, I've been trolling old, unprocessed RAWs.

One day December before last I climbed to the top of Castel Sant'Angelo, alongside the Tiber River just a stone's throw from the Vatican. Here's an HDR from that day. It's three RAW shots, handheld, with a Nikon D700, combined in Photomatix and finished in Photoshop CS5:

Click the photo to make it really, really big. See related photos...

Zambian Democracy

Nice to see the peaceful transfer of power to a new President in Zambia. Had a little email chat with the people at Kapani Lodge in the South Luangwa National Park this morning. They said President Banda was gracious in defeat, that it's all very exciting and they're proud. Best of luck to incoming President Sata.

Several years ago we spent a week at Kapani Lodge and other Norman Carr Safaris properties in South Luangwa. They're really great people. Couldn't have been nicer. Here's one of...

Friday Photo Quiz #127 - Where in the World?

It may be that you either know this famous monument or you don't. In case you don't, hmmm, well, there are some palm trees. Might be in a tropical climate. And one more clue: This 85 foot tall arch was built to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary of England.

Can you name the city? The country?

The answer is after the jump.

And a good weekend to all from Common Sense and Whiskey and EarthPhotos.com.

And the answer is...

Such as It Is: Syrian Tourism

Long, interesting article: The Last Tourist in Syria.

Wednesday HDRs: Lack-of-Travel Fatigue

Haven't been out on the road nearly enough lately. A not entirely satisfying substitute is to go back to a few bracketed shots that you never got around to converting to HDRs. Here are two from a 2009 trip to Rome. Click 'em to make 'em much bigger.

It's the Vatican on top and just a generic apartment block below. Compare the processed image in the bottom photo with the lackluster original.

 

Common Sense and Whiskey, the Book - Guangxi Province, China, Chapter Eight

Here is Chapter Eight of Common Sense and Whiskey, the book. We'll publish each chapter over the course of the year (Track down previous chapters here). You can order the entire book direct from EarthPhotos Publishing, or at Amazon.com. Photos and additional commentary are available at A Common Sense and Whiskey Companion. And here's the China Gallery at EarthPhotos.com.

Kiosk keepers huddled under strings of bare bulbs. An ancient pagoda perched high up on the hill across the river...