Jef Johnstone

Lisbon Portugal

2010-03-18T15:42:00.000-07:00

We took a weekend "spa" vacation to Lisbon Portugal. We stayed at teh Sheriton Spa Hotel near down town.

Lisbon felt like Barcelona, Athens and Belgium all rolled into one city. Since we only spent a few days there we didn't really get a true sense of the city and the people so it's not really fair for me to judge. That being said, I don't really have a reason to go back. IMO, there was nothing of real interest to see or do.

Day one is rained, and I mean rained hard. We walked around down town and got soaked. the sidewalks are quite old and rocky which made walking tough. We had some of the worst pizza ever at a sidewalk cafe' with a leaky tent out front. The beer was cold and cheap though!

Next day we took a tour bus to see the sights. It took about 3 hrs and we saw most everything there was to see, which, was not a whole lot. The Coach Museum was probably the most interesting.

Paris - January 2010

2010-02-01T15:30:00.000-08:00

We spent the entire month of January living in Paris. What fun! However, it was COLD and wet. Too cold to truly get out and see and do all the things that we wanted. Especially with a 3 1/2 year old. The one thing I can say though is it's an "easier" city to manage than London. Driving is MUCH easier and the street system is better thought out. I also found most all of the french to be quite friendly and helpful.

Our flat was just a 3min walk from the Arch D'Triumph so we where in a very nice area and close to just about everything. The outdoor seating at the little cafe's was great. i just wish it had been a bit warmer so we could really enjoy them.

On the down side, it was VERY expensive. I saw bottled water (yes, water) in the store for €35 ($55)!! water! A pint of beer was about €8 ($12) and so on. The streets are also completely covered in dog shit. Not just a little poo here and a little there. It was every where. You really had to be careful walking around. I guess it was good that it was so cold....all the dog turds where frozen!

Scottsdale AZ

2009-12-02T14:51:00.000-08:00

We are now back in the wet, cold, windy UK after our annual home trip back to Scottsdale AZ for Thanksgiving break. This time we spent a total of 10 days and had awesome weather! It was sunny and about 78 degrees each day; perfect! It was REALLY tough to come back to the UK this time due to many factors; lots of sun and some great biking to name just a few! My Dad and Cyndi also made the trip down from the Tri cities which mde for a great holiday.

I was able to hook up with some locals and hit some great AZ trails. We road Black Creek Canyon and McDowell. Black Creek is much more technical and McDowell is more like a XC race course. I was also able to get in a couple of road rides since my buddy Steve loaned me a bike (Look 566). I also picked up 2 new bikes: a Cannondale Rize Carbon 1 and a System Six. The Rize is an amazing bike. It rides like nothing else I've ridden to date. Very plush but super efficient. You seem to sit "in" the bike and not on it. The system is going to be more of a second/winter bike. It's in brand new condition w/full Dura-ace

Edinburgh Scotland

2009-10-20T15:53:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to Edinburgh Scotland for a quick 3 day get-away. We talked about driving but it's over 500 miles and that was just to far for only 3 days. So we took an early AM flight Friday and came home late Sunday night.

After arriving early on Friday we checked in to the Sheraton Spa and resort, had lunch at a local pub then headed to Edinburgh castle. It was sunny out too!! The castle is quite large but not really "castle like" imo. None the less, it was a great one to see and the overall presentation was very good. As for Scotland, I found it to be much more relaxed than London. Almost like comparing Bellingham to Seattle (sort of...). The architecture and especially the stone work is nothing short of amazing. That evening we had a true "Scotish" meal (Bella even had Haggis for dinner). If you don't know what haggis is, look it up. I wouldn't touch the stuff!!

Bella spent the next morning at the spa while Jasmyn and I walked around town and took photos and just hung out. Sunday, I spent the day at the spa: it was awesome! Over all a great, short, trip.

Athens Greece

2009-09-25T12:44:00.000-07:00

We just got back from 5 days in Greece (Bella was there for work). We stayed just outside of Athens on the water at the Westin Astir which was awesome! Weather was great overall except for one day of heavy rain. Woke up to an awesome thunder storm in the AM. It was like the Greek gods where having an argument (being in greece and all)! And believe me, they needed the rain. Not only for the plants etc. but to wash all the dirt and pollution away.

Jasmyn and I hung out at the hotel pool/beach most of the time and swam etc. One day we did go into Athens to see the Acropolis. It was quite warm and crowded; mostly with Americans. The Acropolis was an awesome sight. However, I think the best time to go is in the evening. They are also doing a lot of work to it (cranes, scaffolding etc.).

Vuelta a Espana 2009

2009-09-16T05:00:00.000-07:00

Our most recent trip (September 1st) took us to Assen NL to watch stage 1 and 2 of Vuelta a Espana. We loaded up the car and went for a little road trip.

Doing a road trip in Europe is quite different than the states. To start with, we drove down to Kent UK and took the Eurostar train accross teh channel on what is known as the "chunnel". You simply load your car on a train, then the train goes through one of the longest underwater/graound tunnels in teh world. When you come out the other end, you're in France!

From there we drove to a small town called Hardervijk in Holland. I had worked/stayed there about 15 years ago and it had changed a lot yet had the same charm. When we arrived it was rather cool and a huge thunder storm was rolling through. Next day we drove to Assen to watch stage 1 of Vuelta a Espana at the local Assen race circuit. Stage 1 was a TT and was quite crowed. Weather was a mixed bag and dry for the beginning but heavy rain soon make the track wet and slippery. That night we stayed at Hotel Assen and went into town to watch the start of stage 2. It was raining quite heavily but started to clear just after the start.

That day we drove on to Brussels Belgium and stayed at Le Meridien Hotel. Brussels was a pleasent surpise and dinner that night was one of the best so far in europe! We also made it to a little bar with over 400 beers!! Brussels is a must see city and there is simply too much good beer, food and chocolate to experience in one night: we'll be back!!

The next day we drove back to France and this time took the Ferry home. This was a pleasant way to go but obviously not as fast as the trian.

Roma

2009-08-21T07:25:00.000-07:00

Bella and Jasmyn have are in NY for 2 weeks. I on the other hand, have gotten a terrible case of the flu. I can't remember the last time I felt this bad.....and just in time to go to Rome! Wonderful. Luckily, I was feeling better the day before I left and didn't have to cancel.

I spent 4 days, 3 nights in Rome. I took a cheap flight and stay in a inexpensive (but decent) hotel. They said it was close to things and an excellent location, NOT! There was NOTHING to do near by. It was a quiet place to sleep, and that is it.

Rome was quite hot and crowded (tourists) but over all a good trip. I got some great photos which is why I went. It was by no means a "relaxing" holiday. Rome is a very crowded and busy city (like all cities) but it is an amazing place. This was my second trip. If I go again, I'll be sure to stay some place further out in the Italian countryside with a pool!

Barcelona

2009-07-22T13:47:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago we went to Barcelona Spain to watch stages 6 and 7 of Tour de France. It was raining for most of the time but finally cleared up on the Sunday the day we left (go figure!). We where able to catch stage 6 but missed the start of stage 7. Finding a good viewing spot and figuring out all the times and where the riders will be takes a lot of work (and practice).

Barcelona is an amazing city, especially the architecture. Some of it down right odd (imo) but also very interesting. Very organic. Beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder. The most interesting of the architecture is by Antoni Gaudi.

It seemed everywhere I looked in Barcelona I was reminded of the art style in Gears of War: Gothic. Quite amazing!

We stayed in a hip-hotel call ME. It was very contemorary and not really kid friendly. The breakfasts where awesome. They had the most fantastic little chocolate donuts! It would be fun to spend more time as we where only there for 3 nights. The trip was short but sweet.

My 2009 Cannondale Hi-mod SuperSix

2009-07-22T13:36:00.000-07:00

Last time I was in the states I picked up a brand new 2009 Cannondale SuperSix Hi-mod carbon frame set in a 56cm. I am in the process of building it up with SRAM RED and various other components. When finished, it should be quite nice (and fairly light). Other kit includes; cannondale hollowgram sl si crank, zero-gravity brakes, alien use seat post, easton ec90 carbon bars and more. Wheelset is still a bit undecided but until then, I'll be running my Mavic Ksyrium ES special edition rims.

I'm finding that building a bike with out my shop is tough. Not to mention trying to find all the right parts and tools in London! Just getting my SI crank off was quite an ordeal. I have my Ultimate pro stand and most of my tools but there is nothing like your own shop!

Finished!

I am now pretty much finished. The only thing left is a proper tape job (I'm using tape from my six13 for now). I went with Controltech manta bars and Controltech ipost seat post instead of the ones mentioned above and am going for an all black theme instead of the white.

Ride: This bike is STIFF. While fairly comfortable, I must say, it is a very stiff and quick bike (I am also running full carbon components; carbon railed Arione saddle etc.). When you put the pedal down, this thing goes (the Hollowgram cranks are awesome). To be honest though, I think my Litespeed 6/4 titanium frame would be better suited for the terrible roads here in the UK. Did I mention the roads here in and around London suck?! For being such a "bike friendly" place, they really don't maintain the roads (or anything for that matter) very well. Over all, it's a great bike and I'm happy with my purchase.

After a nasty blow out the other day, I decided it was time for new tires. Today I installed a set of Michelin PRO3 Race tires. So far so good. Not too wild about the grey center color though. After a short 20 mile ride today they seem to stick nicely and ride smooth.

Back in London

2009-07-02T04:15:00.000-07:00

Wow, this blog thing is tough to keep up to date!

After spending 2 weeks in the states, I'm back in London. It's always fun to go back to the USA and see all the things that you've missed and the things you don't. Like the nice wide streets and our house in Kirkland. While in the US I was able to hang out with my buddy Scot and see his cabin (on 5 acres) in C'deleane Idaho. It's a great place up on the hill with a nice view of the lake and mountains. He has a great place along with some very nice neighbors.

I also stopped off in Leavenworth to try and work on our 22 acre porperty, tri-cities to see my dad and Pullman to see my mom. Pullman has changed to much yet is still the same. I wonder if they'll ever repave Grand street!! Pullman could use a good make-over. It's tired.

Giro d'italia and the Italian Riviera

2009-06-01T07:20:00.000-07:00

Great trip to Portofino and Rapallo Italy. Luckily, it just happened to be during the Giro d'Italia bike race!! The weather was perfect. I love Italy!

We stayed at a wonderful hotel called Excelsio Palaceo right on the Italian Riviera. You could really get a feel for what it must have been like back in the 50's and 60's when all the movie stars hung out there. A truly amazing place.

Jasmyn and I where able to catch stage 12 and 13 and Bella joined us for stage 14. Finding the courses themselves was a challenge not to mention a good viewing point. Some how though, we managed and had an awesome time. Got to see Contador, Armstrong and many more.

During stage 14 of the Giro, we met a guy (Chistos) who is an Engineer for Ferrari and works with all the old vintage cars and clients. What a great job! He rode a beautiful Calnago C50; Perfect. One day, we rented a small 19' boat and buzzed around the Italian Riviera. Had a wonderful lunch at a cliff side restaurant (only accessible by boat) and even got up close to Paul Allen's 414' Octopus mega yacht. Amazing!

What a great trip!

Warwick Castle

2009-05-09T13:57:00.000-07:00

Took a day trip to Warwick castle today. It's about 80 miles from our place and took 1.5 - 2hrs. The castle itself was awesome with lots to do. Much better than Windsor castle imo although each are unique in their own way. Warwick just felt a little more "castle" like. Jasmyn got to meet her first princess and we climbed up the steep stair cases to the top of the towers. We even got to see a trebuchet launch a fire ball a couple hundred years. Pretty cool! will post pics later.

3D Video Game Production

2009-04-30T04:46:00.000-07:00

I have been in the 3D computer graphics industry for over 14 years and have spent the last 8 creating and managing content development for multi platform video games.

After spending almost 6 years at Microsoft developing games for both PC (Combat Flight Sim and Flight Simulator) and XBOX (Crimson Skies and Shadow Run) I joined a local game studio called Airtight Games based out of Redmond WA. * Scroll down to view my Demo Reel

While at Airtight, I helped develop a title called Dark Void (still in development). I was both the Visual FX lead and 3D Environment production manager at Airtight. I was in charge of the look and feel of the environments and worked closely with the Art director and concept team to try and make sure every ones vision was realized (and possible). While in charge of production, I was also doing actual production work including; visual fx, scene lighting, scene layout, textures and complex shaders and more. The game engine we where using was UE3.

The image above is a test environment I was working on before I left. I started producing these small environments to help give the Art Director a clear vision and direction before starting the final level. Doing this made it easier to visual what things would look like and made making changes easy before going into the the final level/environment. It also gave my art team a good idea of what thier work would like like when in the final product.

Demo Reel (work in progess...)

London

2009-04-30T04:25:00.000-07:00

This is just the start of random thoughts and adventures while we are in London for another 1.5 years.

Moving to London UK has been quite a transition from our "easy" life in Kirkland WA. To put it in perspective, the population of central London is 7.3 million compared to that of 3.2 million in the Seattle metro area (Seattle itself is approx 593,000) in a MUCH smaller space. Mind you, I am originally from a town of only about 14,000 in the summer!

London is a state of mind. You have to "get into it" and just go with the flow. Even though we speak the same language (for the most part), there is still some serious culture shock. Even doing the simplist task (like going to Costco) can turn out to be an all day outing.

We currently live (for the most part) in central London (right in the middle of it all) in a neighborhood called Parsons Green. It takes me 15min to ride my bike from our house to Big Ben clock tower. (riding a bike in London is a whole other story I'll cover later!) I think the biggest adjustment has been getting used to living so close to so many other people. You have to learn to accept things as they are. And that includes the close dryer that no matter how long or how hot you set the temperature, it won't get your clothes dry!

We have now been living here a full year! And you know something? I'm still not used to it! The way things get done (or not done) are amazing. Currently there is a postal strike going one which means, well, no mail. Nothing.