green

I asked Stormy what color I should dye my hair for the Pam Ams. She thought for a sec and said, "green". So I said, "why?" And she said, "green for megaton... and you're like the Hulk." What??? I was laughing.

I said, "But I'm the smallest person in here." And she said, "Yeah, but..." and then kind of trailed off with something about me being strong or tough or something.

Green... I'll have to think about it. I do have green eyes but I'm not sure how good green hair would look on me. But I thought it was funny - her perception of me. It's interesting to find out how other people think of you. It never matches up to how you see yourself.

mats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I got home and there were mats! I never got a tracking number or anything so I didn't know when they were coming. Plus with the holidays it might have been even slower. Could have been another two weeks. But no. THEY'RE HERE! And the FedEx guy left them in my "carport" instead of just sticking a note on my door.

I haven't been this excited since I moved up here and got to drive my car the first day I was here, thanks to the fact that my mom got a temporary registration for it. 

SWEET!!!

(there will be pics once I finish rearranging everything to fit them in there)

www.dollamur.com

New eyelash-lengthening drug approved

...Seriously?

There's genocide, war, poverty, etc. and you're going to spend $120/month on longer eyelashes???

Ok, I spend an inordinate amount of money on gas to drive nowhere on a regular basis, so we've all got our vices. But eyelashes? I'm never going to understand that. 

If you've got no eyelashes that's one thing. But you know there are going to be people with perfectly functioning eyelashes buying this stuff.

www.sciam.com 

when you didn't know you noticed

This afternoon I was driving up Willamette, which I've driven up a million times I'm sure (ok, maybe not, but definitely over 1000). I wasn't particularly paying attention to what was around me, I'm often not. At least I thought I wasn't. But I drove past this parking lot that has a sign out that says $40/month parking. And I noticed it because it was different. The number was higher and the size of the letters were bigger on the price. The funny thing is I've never paid any attention to this consciously. I never thought about the parking lot. If you had asked me before today, I couldn't have told you where it was, or if there even was one on Willamette. And I certainly couldn't have told you what it cost per month. I didn't even know that I noticed this. But today I noticed it because it was different, which somehow make it stick out and catch my attention. It set off this thing in my head that said, "that doesn't match". It didn't match what was in my memory I guess, even though I didn't know it was even in my memory.

It makes me think of how I took pictures without paying attention and then realized years later that I liked them. Some part of me was paying attention even though I wasn't conscious of it.

It also makes me think of this article on blindsight, because you can apparently perceive without "seeing" the way we normally think of it. I guess I was "seeing" this sign (and who knows what else), without even noticing that I was seeing it and remembering it.

I also noticed when I got back my car that there was this small circle of upholstery covering up this hole in the door panel. While something like that does go there, but this just looked wrong. It was the same as when I saw the sign. I just looked at it and knew that's not what went there. I don't remember what the one that goes there does look like but I knew that this wasn't it. So I looked at the rest of the door panel and it didn't match any of the other leather on the car so that made me think I was right that it wasn't the right piece. Then I looked over to the passenger side door and there was just a hole with the cover missing on that side. After that I was convinced. This thing was definitely not what went there. (New plugs are being ordered).

It's interesting how bad (really bad) I am at remembering peoples faces. I watched a movie this week and there were two with actresses with blond hair. They were in two different locations throughout the whole movie, until the end where they end up in the same room together... and I get them confused.  At the end of a scene I realize that the it wasn't the one I thought it was. Same thing happened last week and plenty of other times. If they've got two people that have the same hair, and they're not actors that I know, I get them confused. Maybe everybody does, but I kinda don't think so. Other people can picture what people look like in their head. I can't. When I try it's like trying to see without your glasses on - and you really need them. It's really really blurry.

On the other had I think I'm pretty good at seeing details. I've noticed it from learning/teaching martial arts. A lot of other people don't seem to see the same things I see. A few years back I learned this kata from a certain instructor. Another student learned it from the same instructor. We'd both know the kata for a while and he sees me practicing it and he asks where I learned to do this one fancy looking thing with my hands. I thought it was odd because I learned it by watching the instructor. He did it every time. Yet this other guy hadn't "seen" it.

I wonder if I'm good at seeing details just because I am, or if it's because I'm bad at remembering the whole picture, so I pick out details that I can use as recognition points. It can't be the other way around because I can know someone for my entire life and still not be able to picture their face. It doesn't mean I don't recognize them, it just means that I can't "see" a picture of them in my mind.

It feels like my brain remembers a lot of details but then doesn't know how to fit the pieces together. That's why I get lost when I'm driving. I remember things in pieces, but don't know what piece connects to what other piece. And when I'm learning a new move in bjj, the instructor will go over it several times and when he says to start drilling I can remember very well the last thing he said but I can't for the life of me remember what position we're supposed to start in. If someone tells me, then I remember and I can remember plenty of details about what he said he was doing. But the move as a whole is fragmented. I can remember details about certain parts but not always how to get from one part to another.

cows and sun

Driving on Territorial Highway I felt the sun shine through the window and warm me up. I haven't felt that in a while. Not that the sun hasn't been out at all but it somehow hasn't been warm, or mabye I just wasn't driving at the right angle before. In any event it was nice.

I turned down Crow Rd to and there were a couple cows standing right in the middle of the road. I got this pic with my iPhone from inside the car which is why it's not that clear.  I would have taken another but there was a semi coming up behind me. I've seen cows out before, but never in the middle of the road here! It was kind of fun. I had to do some evasive manuvering to get around them. They're like deer and try to run away by running down the middle of the road and cutting in front of your car. It's like their flight instincts use reverse psychology causeing them to dart in front of traffic instead of away from it. Go figure.

"Vision without execution is hallucination."

— Thomas A. Edison

"The three great essentials to achieve anything worth while are, first, hard work; second, stick-to-itiveness; third, common sense. " 

"What you are will show in what you do." 

"We often miss opportunity because it's dressed in overalls and looks like work" 

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." 

"Negative results are just what I want. They’re just as valuable to me as positive results. I can never find the thing that does the job best until I find the ones that don’t." 

"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. " 

thumbs up

four adjectives

today I was described as...

"wild and crazy and interesting and weird. and I mean that with the most love, respect and awe."

hot food grip

As anyone knows, when you're dealing with hot food,
it's best to use the thumb and ring finger.

somebody stole my sleep last night

It's raining buckets outside

photography

I just realized this year that I liked photography. I've been taking pictures since 2003 but I didn't even see what I'd taken. Not the same way I see it now. It's kind of fun to look back at pictures that I took and I didn't really know why I was taking them at the time. I took them they just seemed interesting and I would just point and shoot at anything that caught my eye. But now I look back at some of them and wonder why I took them. I like them a lot but I don't even really understand why yet. I'm just more aware that I like them than I was before. 

It's curious, not even knowing how much or why you like something. I think it's just awareness and openness that contributes to seeing (yourself) that lets you discover these things. It's interesting that you can know you like something right away, even if you don't know you like it, or why. It's there, hidden, like a burried treasure waiting to be found.

December shots found here.

my car

How and why anyone would be sentimental over the hood of a car is beyond me.  Even though, well... apparently it is me.

I was driving earlier today and I realized that I missed the old hood, even though it is broken, with a big gaping hold in the middle. It's not like I was going to keep driving it around like that,  but for some reason the new hood feels different, like it doesn't fit right or doesn't belong, which, of course, doesn't make any sense at all. All the hoods come from the same mold. This one just has different paint. Objectively speaking this one is better than the old one beacuse I'd driven off paved roads into gravel and cracked the old one on the bottom... several times. This one is spotless. But still, it feels like it's not the right one. This is so stupid (but also kind of interesting). I think I just feel like I have history with the old hood. We've been 43,000 miles together. (This is really embarassing.)  Hopefully the new hood will last longer.

I've never been in a car crash but I've had...

• 67 VW Bug: a wheel fall off my car while I was driving it (kind of funny)
• 85 Porche 944: the brakes go out (drove back home before they quit altogether)
• 89 Mazda B2000: someone cracks my window to break in to the truck (took the quarters, left the cash?)
• 2000 VW Beetle: a palm frond fell on my windshield durring a storm and cracked it
• 2000 VW Beetle: a large (12 foot) tree branch fell on the right side of my car and crush the rear quarter panel (and the body shop broke the window while "fixing" the rest)
• 05 Lotus Elise: small something (stone, pebble?) flys through my drivers side window, right past my ear and obliterates the rear glass.
• 05 Lotus Elise: someone backs their trailer hitch through my hood
  

friends

the people who catch you when you fall.

and today the people that fed me.

McBeth Road

Snow clouds hold the color of the sun as it sets.

The ground is still covered in snow up on Fox Hollow,
except the roads which are slushy and icy.

got my car back

took the bus... the 51 was really empty, the 30 was very full and they gave out candy canes.

Ok, ok. I'm going to bed.

iPhone Apps

Cool! They have iPhone apps for everything, like learning stuff... like languages ;-)  You can load an ASL or Spanish dictionary onto your phone ;-)  SWEET!!!  iPhone rocks.

is it always that blue?

I think I somehow forgot how blue the sky is. The clouds broke earlier and the sky was so blue. Is it always like that? I guess it's just been overcast lately with the snow/rain combo. I don't even remember if I've seen blue sky lately or not. I just know that I saw some today and it was really vibrant, kind like the glowing green of the wet moss that the sun was shining on earlier today on Fox Hollow. Colors are like musical notes and in the right combination they make great music for your eyes.

Miniature Air Show

There was a miniature air show in my back yard this morning. There were 30 or 40 little birds, a little smaller than the size of your fist, flying around and picking at things. They were hopping around on their own at first but then one of them must have sounded some sort of alarm because they started flying up in groups for the fence or the tree above, sometimes with a few acrobatic loops on the way.

Winter Solstice Party

The door opens and Ziggy licks me in the face ;-P

dogs, friends, chatting, meditation, walking,  more dogs, hiking, graveyard, lights from the city through the trees, candles, rain, toasts, merriment, more walking, christmas lights, very nice old house with big windows and doorways, more people, new tastes...

I'd like to see the rest of that house sometime. I'm interested in architecture and layouts.

years & other random thoughts

Last week: I was talking to Jake the other day about I don't know what and I was remembering something from years back so I said I think it was in like 5th grade or something, so that would be like 22 years ago, and then I realised that he was only 23 and it just seemed weird.

Today: I went to baskin robins and the girl there asked me how long I'd been getting these (a blast). I thought about it and wasn't even sure if I wanted to say; it kind of surprised me when I thought about how long it was. I said, "I think about 8 years... I'm old" and she said said, "you don't look that old." How old is "that old"? How old do you have to be to buy ice cream anyway?

I don't really think I'm that old, though I'm sure Mel would beg to differ.  If she tries to imagine herself my age she thinks it seems old. I told her if Obama serves 8 years I'll be 40 when he's out of office.  I think her brain froze up. Either that or she was having so many thought her face froze while her mind spun. It was pretty funny.

It made me think of this article again... "Modern Foraging: Tried and True versus Novelty: Some of us prefer the tried and true, and others search high and low for novelty. Why?"

I don't think anybody fits entirely into one or the other category. In a way I'm all about novelty and trying new thing. But lots of things I just do because I know them and know I like them. 

I drive the same back roads and don't get tired of them. It's not cause I don't want to try new ones. It's just because these are the closest ones and they're pretty good. Not that I don't try others when I have more time. They're just convenient.

When I need to pick a route I usually like to test out all my options and then pick one way. I like taking the same path usually. But ocassionally I'll go a different way just to change it up.

I like to move my furniture around, always have. I was once up at three in the morning in high schoold trying to push my dresser into my closet (it would only work at one very specfic angle). 

I've moved my bed three times in the 19 months I've lived here.

At the gas station today the attendant told me he used to be a Chevy guy till he got his Bronco and now he's Ford all the way.  I wanted to say I used to be a Porsche person till I drove a Lotus. Aaaaaaaaaah, the Lotus. Not that I don't like Porsches.  I just like the Lotus better.  Cheaper, slicker and more fun. And better gas mileage.

Learning/finding new things is exciting and expands your world. Old things are comfortable and easy. Both are good. 

I don't really feel I'm one way or the other; I'm both. I think you need both.

snow stuff

This is the south west section of Fox Hollow. The part you get to after driving down the hill and around the 180 degree turn, past the farm that usually has a motorcycle parked out by their gate.  It was fun driving on the snow covered road in the Bronco. It was probably about 8 inches deep at least. 

I followed Fox Hollow out to Lorane Highway, which had apparently been eating trucks for breakfast. I passed three of them stuck in the ravine along various parts of the road. It was pretty steep too. One of the trucks was almost at a 90 degree angle.

I can't figure out if it was just trucks becasue no one else would try the roads or becasue the truck owners were overconfident in their vehicles and going faster than they should have been.

sweet! mats are on sale...

This is one holiday sale that I'm excited about - $75 off!

color blind

I'd like some special glasses that will show me what it's like to be color blind. Just so I could see what other people see. Today Ben asked me if I dyed my hair (because Harold asked him). I thought he was kidding considering the shade it currently is - until he said that he was color blind and it just looked a little darker. Apparently greens and browns look similar to him and he can't tell purple and blue apart either. Everything must look so completely different that way.

Ok, I just did some googling and of course there's a website for everything:

http://www.etre.com/tools/colourblindsimulator/

I guess my head looks a darker shade of green to him. Weird.

How strange, imagine never seeing those colors... I'm so glad I'm not color blind.

11 degrees

If it's 11 degrees out now, how cold is it going to be later tonight???

KCRW: Today's Top Tune

This podcast is great. It's one song a day, from all over the place. Today's song is Tahra A Issasnanane by Terakaft, which I really like. I also like this one: School of Seven Bells: iamundernodisguise. There are lots of good ones. It's an easy way to find new music and add a bunch of free songs to your ipod. I've got like 20 on there now... new music is exciting.

driving in snow/ice

Very glad to have the Bronco. There is zero chance I'd be driving the Lotus today. 

There was one guy stuck in a truck with his back wheels spinning in the middle of a lane. And I saw a couple people trying to make right turns that came out way wider than they anticipated (they ended up in the wrong lane).

And I almost ran into a tree making a turn onto scenic at like 3 mph. Ice!!!!

Here's the back yard...

River road

Driving on river road is like sledding for adults!

bronco vs. lotus

Lotus FTW! ...except in the snow, and maybe the rain, or if you have more than two people, or a lot of luggage, or you can want to transport something bigger than a vacuum cleaner ;-)

Driving the Bronco is like driving a couch. It's big and cushy and comfy, but doesn't corner well. There's so much padding that you can't feel the road. Big tires, bouncy suspension, power steering, giant padded seats - this is the Bronco.  The Lotus has none of these and it's all for the best. 

With the Lotus you can feel the road, like you're touching it with your own hand. You can feel it everywhere - through the seat, the steering wheel, the gas pedal, the shifter. It's like you and the car are one machine, with the same purpose. The car becomes and extension of you as you follow the twists and turns of the road...

oops, daydreaming...

Um, yeah. So the Bronco is good in it's own way. I'm glad I have it. It's good to be able to just take off in the snow for one ;-)  I saw an article in the paper the other day about 3 hour lines at the tire stores for people trying to get winter tires on their cars before the snow arrived. And the Bronco is a lot warmer. The heat in the Lotus takes forever to come on and everything's metal - cold metal. But that's ok, it's not meant for driving in freezing temps anyway. That's what the Bronco is for.

It's kind of confining though, having to drive the Bronco instead of the Lotus. I feel like a soda bottle that's been all shook up. I want to d r i v e, but I can't. Steping on the gas with any force is pointless. The thing is going to accelerate when it's good and ready, which is apparently not on my schedule. And going around the corners is just not the same. If you go too fast you just feel like you're about to tip over - not exciting at all. The whole point of cornering fast is to feel the grip and the g-force.

Well, for now I'll enjoy the snow.

white

it's so bright and white out!

Time for nightime snow driving

totally snowing outside!!

freaken awesome ;-)

red

photoshopped iPhone pic

awake

I am not even close to tired. I even set my alarm last night so I'd get up earlier and hopefully get tired earlier but it's not working yet. I'm so not tired. Trying to go to sleep when you're not tired is really boring. I need another book.

I bet my car looks like this right now:

Pretty unattractive.
It will look better when it gets a new one of these:

Seems as good a time as any to have it in the shop since it's gonna be all snowy this week. At least where I like to drive it will be, maybe here too, we'll see tomorrow.

Oh, I know.  I'm gonna read my camera manual. Gotta figure out what all those settings do, especially now that I have the tripod.

Tripod!

This is my back yard.

about last night

This one is from today.

Last night was pretty amazing. Three things coming together: full moon - at it's brightest due to it being closest to earth - and first snow. That doesn't happen very often. Perfect conditions.

When I first got up there the moon was so bright that I could turn off my headlights and drive... at night, in the dark, out of the city. So the only light was the moon, big and bright and right overhead. No real clouds, just smoke-like fog, light and fast, moving just over the trees past the moon. And stars, lots of stars. It was very clear out.

There was already a thin layer of snow on the ground and a few flakes were falling. I got out and stood in the cold air stairing up at the moon for a few minutes. As I drove out further the snow clouds moved in. On my way back I drove into the fog and it was like entering another world -snow flakes flying at me, illuminated by the headlights. It makes it seem like you're driving in space with stars flying past you.

that was awesome

Wispy clouds raced past the moon and then the snow started falling.

It was like driving in a snow globe ;-)

omg... It's so beautiful out here...

It's totally snowing on Fox Hollow...right now

and the moon is so so bright...

The Years Biggest/Brightest Full Moon

Every few years, a full moon coincides with the point in the satellite's elliptical orbit that brings it closest to the center of the Earth. Friday night, the moon will be fully illuminated just four hours after reaching that point, according to a feature story on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Web site.

The moon will appear up to 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than "lesser full moons we've seen earlier in 2008," NASA says -- provided it is being viewed in a clear sky.

cnn.com

The final leaves are falling...

The leaves on this little tree have hung on the longest. The cherry trees have been bare for months and the pears went next. But these leaves have changed colors slowly and are now a very bright red. 

The Daily Show: End Times Countdown - Bush Exit Interviews

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

End Times Countdown - Bush Exit Interviews

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

Embarassinginly dumb. Makes me want to hide.

i miss my car

;-(

... I know, I'm a dork (but I don't care).

jiu-jitsu is awesome

Melissa couldn't make her lesson today so I got to fill in for her. Luv, luv, luv jiu-jitsu.

Fresh Air: The Secret Life Of Baboons

I heard the first part of the baboon story in my car, then I went back today and listened to the rest of it on podcast. The whole thing is pretty interesting but the story about the guy climbing the tree to get away from the pack of lions is pretty funny. Especially when they come back later and try to climb the same tree. 

Fresh Air

The Onion: Either Someone 14th Caller Or Everything On Fire At Spanish Radio Station

SAN JOSE, CA—According to sources, either a listener of local Spanish-language radio program Mañana Gigante con Luis y Moon Dog has just won some sort of promotional contest by being the 14th caller or the entire radio station is currently engulfed in flames. Protracted screams of "aye, aye, aye, muy caliente!" and "en fuego!" could be heard on the broadcast of either the celebratory exultation or out-of-control blaze, and were accompanied by the sounds of loud sirens, breaking glass, and dogs barking...

The Onion

exactly

I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it.

  - Pablo Picasso

rude!

This is what I found coming out of NWMA tonight. The police said a witness called in the licence plate of whoever did it (they didn't stick around). Looks like the tow hitch of a truck to me. It's like someone punch my car right in the nose ;-(

south africa

ha ha. just called a client at 2 in the morning. but that's cause they're in south africa. time zone freakiness.

still it was kind of weird. i'm wide awake and I'm they are too, but it just seems like you shouldn't call clients at 2am... I guess I just picture everyone being asleep at this time, even though clearly much of the world is awake right now, just not most of the people that are geographically near me.

TDSServ

Finally got this lame ass virus off my computer after like 3 hours. I couldn't do a system restore, it would just hang. It didn't want to let me delete the registry keys. I looked it up and figured out how to change the permissions on the registry keys and then remove them. I scanned with PCTools and it would say it removed it but every time I rebooted the freakin thing would reintall. 

Finally I downloaded ComboFix which killed the last of it after two runs through. Blech. I've only ever had one other virus on my computer before in like 12 years, and that was at least two computers ago. Not sure where this one came from but from what I read it's a bugger to remove. Lots of people resorted to reinstalling the OS.  Something I'd actually like to do just to clean things up a bit. But I'd like to do it on my own time, not because I'm forced to. Anyway, I won this round.

Brrr...

I thought it was cold today (as in cold enough that I wanted to stay in my house where it's warm and not go out driving cause the Lotus is like a refrigerator with it's slick metal interior). But then I looked at the 10 day forecast and next weekend looks a lot colder! Brrr. Of course that's the weather forecast so things could change. But I'm going to be getting mentally ready (to hide under the covers).

As a side note, post sunset on Northwest Expressway was pretty cool. It was a cloudless dingy gray all day. But right at the end there were a few clouds of various shades of more gray along the horizon. And behind them was red, bleeding into and mixing with the clouds, like dye in the washing machine. Pretty cool.

Ouch!

Apparently I helped brake off part of Elenah's front tooth, or my knee did. There was some move where we both rolled over and she came up and my knee hit her under the chin. Then she went home and part of her tooth came off. Oops! (She said it's not that bad and she'll get it fixed over the break.) But that kinda sucks.

I accidentally dislocated someone's jaw once, that was directly my fault as opposed to the knee/jaw collision here.  It's important to keep your mouth closed in contact sports. I really don't understand why there are people who chew gum in jiu-jitsu.  WTF people?  You could choke on it or spit it on someone or on the mat or you could end up with your mouth open when something lands on your chin.  All around bad idea. 

I fractured someone's rib once too, but I think that was his fault cause he put his arms up and told me to hit him so I did (while we were training of course). He was a bodybuilder. I don't think he realized that lifting weights doesn't strengthen your ribs.

This sounds bad but I actually have good control and people rarely get injured from me. I can't say the same about the girl who kneed me in the eye socked after the Marcelo Garcia seminar. Apparently she's know for kneeing people in the face... in jiu-jitsu. That's wrong.

jiu-jitsu makes my day

today I remembered some moves that I had seen a couple times but didn't ever do, probably because they didn't fit into my game as well back then. now I think they'll fit really well. can't wait to try them out.

Empty

Happiness Is Contagious

A happy person within a social circle quickly influences those around him or her to be happy, extending to three degrees of separation... 60 second podcast

inadequate

finished the billing, but I only have three stamps...

Tire Review

I've put over 1000 miles on the new tires now so I guess they're worn in. I think it was a good choice. The tires don't spin on the wet crosswalk paint when I'm turning onto River Loop #2 so they've definitely got more rain grip. And the roads are often damp from rain or fog now anyway so they're working out really well for the price. Especially if they last a lot longer than the other tires which I expect they will. Now we just wait to see how long.

eugene has gooooooooooooooooood sunsets...

that's all i have to say.

Irvington and NW Expy

Leah's faux blog

You should make yourself a blog or I'm just going to start posting stuff for you...

Leah: "I have been missing the intensity of exercise and training, and realizing I won't be able to last for 6 months before I do something more interesting than a weekly pilates class..... so....................... I checked out a brazilian jujitsu studio on Monday night. I'll be able to go three times a week.  I am completely in love, and I've found my sport of choice for the fall, winter and spring. EVERY single muscle in my body is sore. So maybe you guys can come watch me in a jujitsu tournament one day. We'll see.   I am VERY excited about this.  Mostly Annie's idea, and it was a good one!"

Yeah for Jiu-Jitsu!!!

Lorane Highway

Sun, sun, sun, driving, big puffy clouds!

Waiting for my sandwich...playing with my phone.

leah goes to jiu-jitsu

I told you, I told you. I knew you'd like it. Now you're going to have to tell me all the moves your learning.

Venus, Jupiter and the Moon

"...the two brightest planets—Venus and Jupiter—with the waxing crescent Moon joining them on the first evening of December" Article...

This should be interesting. I totally noticed Venus & Jupiter the last couple days but didn't know which planets they were, just that they were very bright.

taste

weird. i was sitting here watching a movie and suddenly i have sense, like a memory or something. it's a taste and texture and but with no picture and so I think about it a little more and it's like trying to remember a dream. then I realize, it's a strawberry, fresh from the vine and a little hard. i don't know why that thought just came to my mind. completely random.

I found it...

In case anyone's looking for it.  The sun is shining on Fox Hollow, east side of Spencer's Butte. In fact, if you climbed to the top it would be sunny all over.

the turkeys are out in force

I saw two groups today within a 10 min span. These guys were on Willamette... and so were the others.  It's a long street.

4-Way Audio/Video Selector Switch

Went to RadioShack the other day. The culmination of my living room A/V improvement venture. This is way better than: 1) pulling the bookcase out from the wall 2) pulling the video wires out of one machine and plugging them into another 3) pulling the audio out of one and into another 4) pushing bookcase back and re-centering the projector screen. Now I just have to push one button! Gadgets are fun.

Don't swap cables, just press a button! 

Simplify your TV-audio/video source selection with this 4-way selector switch... RadioShack

beautiful aaaaaaaaaaall day

• sun!
• warm
• big blue sky
• shorts
• sandals
• convertible

Nonstop weekend!  And it just keeps getting better.  This feels like three Saturdays in a row. And we still have sunday, tomorrow, which is lookin like it's gonna be nice too. I took the top off the Lotus and went cruising around ;-)  I came back and txted Leah that it was nice out.  Apparently it's thirty-something in CT.  brrr.  

Skype! 
Someone mentioned video phones (like the Jetsons) to Leah and she was asking me about them. I told her SKYPE! It's free. 

Me: Skype!

Leah: Download...? (confusing, hard, abort, abort)

Me: Just try it. I'll send you the link.

Leah: Ok.

Me: Got it?

Leah: Yeah, what now.
Me: What does it say on the screen.
Leah: (reading)
Me: yeah, do that.
Leah: what next?
Me: what does it say now?
Leah: (reading)
Me: yeah, do that.
Leah: Ok, it's done. What now?
Me: what's it say?
Leah: create an account.
Me: ok, do that.
Leah: now what?
Me: Sign In.
Leah: Coooooooool!!!!! Video! 
Me: Ok, gotta go, the sun is going down.  

The top is still off the car from earlier and I cruise down Beacon where I snap the above shot while sitting in the Lotus at a stop sign. No roof = easy access. Then a car pulls up behind me so I take off. 

Usually when there's not a lot of clouds in the sky is makes for a more subdued sunset, but this was not that way at all. I could see beams of light projecting into the sky like search lights. Insane. Love, love, love it. Oh and the sliver of moon... 

I drove around with the top off and watched the stars come out. I had my warm NWMA hoodie on. 

I have a newfound respect for what a hood can do. Maybe it was just living in So Cal for so long, or maybe it was having hair (lol), but I never realized the benefit they could produce. Not until several weeks ago when I walked into a cold night with two hoodies on. It felt like it wasn't that cold out.  So I got in the car and started home.  I pulled the hoods off and felt this sudden cold envelop my head! Yikes. I pulled them back on and wore them all the way home. Ever since that I've realized the benefit of the hood and have been making good use of mine. Especially in the cold with my shaved head.

When I got home I skyped Leah again who I had abruptly ditched for the sunset. I gave her a walking tour of my house by caring around the laptop with the built in webcam.  Then we discovered a great use for video calls: practicing ASL! Yeah!!!!!!!!! We did weather words today.

turkeys on willamette

Today I saw 8 turkeys crossing the road... very slowly.

P.S. No comments about the lack of artistic ability.
Just think of it as interpretive.

cooking dreams

Someone woke me up by calling this morning and in the middle of the conversation (who knows why) I suddenly remembered what I was dreaming about. Cooking!! I think it stemmed from a conversation I had with Jemma the the night before.

thanksgiving dinner: round 2

I have to say that my jacket now smells like thanksgiving dinner.
I wonder how long that will last.

thanksgiving dinner: round 1

• gave Cade a ride in the Lotus: 2nd cam at 6k rpm = fun
• showed Cade and Con some jiu-jitsu, also fun

today I saw...

• wild turkeys roaming in the fog on Willamette
• crazy people wearing t-shirts and no jackets
• the sun
• $1.99 gas

it's dark already?

Maybe I should not read National Geographic at 4 in the morning as it does not make me fall asleep. Turning the phone off has been really helpful though. This was the first "night" I slept completely through... till 1:16pm. You could say that i missed most of the daylight, and I did. But was only gray out there anyway so it wasn't a big loss. Actually the sun did peak through into by backyard in the late afternoon. It never does that early. But staying up till 5 seems too late/early. I need to figure out a way to make myself sleepier at night. I guess I will just make myself get up earlier, that should make me more tired the next day. It totally seems like the moring to me, at least to my body. It's a strange dichotomy when I look at the window. Off to bjj now.

way too easy

Staying up late is way too easy. I don't feel tired at all, but i'm going to go to bed anyway. I think I got into the habbit of staying up later when I went to bed at 6 twice last week. I'm pretty sure I went to sleep at almost 5 last night. It's a good thing I turned off my phone cause there was a voice mail and a text when I turned it back on. Ok, so now I will stop typeing and turn this thing off so I will go to bed. Not really cause I want to but it just seems like the most sensible thing to do.

fire

Captured the blast thanks to the autoshoot function on the camera. If you click on the picture below you can also see the red glow of the fire just starting to come out of the revolver.

finished!

Got all my jobs done. Very satisfying. Especially getting that last javascript after 2.5 hours... since I don't actually know javascript ;-)

This time I'm leaving my phone off while I sleep. Yesterday three people called me while I was trying to sleep. Don't call before noon people.

You're not my mother. Oh, wait...

Hysterical instant message conversation in which I think I'm talking to my Aunt Susie (Susan) when I'm really talking to my mom (also Susan) ...

[7:12:10 PM] Susan says: Are you going to come to Thanksgiving on Thursday? We're just trying to plan.

[7:12:33 PM] Annie says: no, i'm going to my moms. and then later to my friend jill's

[7:12:58 PM] Susan says: your mom's?  I thought I was your mom.

[7:13:12 PM] Annie says: crap, confused. I thoght you were susie. lol

[7:13:27 PM] Susan says: I admit to having been a little puzzled there.

[7:13:35 PM] Annie says: i was talking to her yesterday and she just came online before you im'd me

[7:13:42 PM] Susan says: oh.

I guess I need to pay a little more attention to who I'm talking to before I respond.

listening while I work

Getting caught up on all my work = aaaaaaaaaah :-)

Listenting while I work makes the boring stuff interesting.  I liked the story in last weeks This American Life about this person: 

When she was in kindergarten, Jennifer, along with her brother and mother, was held hostage by an armed gunman for four days. Their father was a drug dealer and had disappeared with a bunch of cocaine that belonged to someone else. The gunman had been sent to hold the family hostage until he returned the drugs. But the gangsters didn’t count on Jennifer’s mother being so tough—frightening enough, in fact, to almost make the guy leave. And not only that: her mother was so composed, that Jennifer and her brother never even knew they were being held hostage.

inbox

Inbox currently at 30 emails, down from 80.  Clean, relaxing, organized. Nice.

...

This is my favorite picture. I like it so much I'm putting it on both my blogs. And it's the desktop background on my computer.

Brilliant

I went up Spencer Butte just for the hike. I took the camera along just in case. I'm so glad I did. Although, on the way down in the dark (but with a flashlight) it did cross my mind that it might not be the best idea to be hiking down in the dark alone. Whatever, I love this picture.

"Choice" of tires

I was thinking about choices after listening to that podcast, specifically the experiment where they had people choose a free poster to take home. There was a group of people that just choose a poster and took it home. And there was a group who had to choose a poster, tell why they choose it and then take it home. Then they were asked 6 months later how they felt about the poster. The people who had to tell why they choose a specific poster ended up not liking the poster they choose. People who didn't have to say why ended up liking their choice.

So did people just choose something that would be easier to explain? Weird how having to explain ourselves can make us change our choice. Makes a good case for anonymous voting.

Then there was the apple example where having too much data made choosing a type of apple more confusing the longer you took to choose. 

This is how I felt about my tire choices. Lots of opinions, lots of varaibles, lots of recomendations... but somehow not very helpful, mainly because everyone's situation is differnent. How much you wanted to pay, how hard you were going to drive the car, road conditions. Everyone's situation was different. The best choice as far as fun factor is not the same as the best choice for road conditions (wet & cold) and both of those have the price/value factor on top of them, which is very subjective.

I looked at lots of threads (www.lotustalk.com) about what people thought about various tires, but all it really told me is that I would have to decide for myself because everyone's situation is a little different.  

The tires I got were on the shortlist of tires that some people liked. There was really too much information, which in a way was not enough information. Weird how that works out. So in the end I kind of just went with what was convenient. These these tires happened to be available in the sizes I needed (some other options you have to go with different sizes than the wheels were made for because they just don't make them in that specific size) and they happend to be in stock, so I could just go down and get them installed right away.

Right away sounded good because the chord was showing though on one of the tires so I couldn't really drive it around till I got new ones. And while the bronco is a fun change of pace for a while, it's not that fun. I can feel the weight of it with every move (it does weigh more than twice as much as the Lotus).  Accelerating - slow, trying to drive up a hill - slow, trying to stop - slow, trying to go around corners - slow.  Slow, slow, slow.  I'm tired of slow.

I took the Lotus for a drive today (awesome clounds) and it was soooooooooooooo much more satisfying. Yeah for the Lotus. Best purchase ever.

RadioLab !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm on my iPhone listening to the latest eppisode of RadioLab. It's so freaking awesome! I love this show. It's entertaining, informative and laugh out loud funny, IMO.

P.S. It's fun to blog from my phone ;-)

http://blogs.wnyc.org/radiolab/2008/11/18/choice/

Side effect - windshield wipers that work

Apparently as a side effect of getting the ECU replaced in the bronco the wipers now work - all the time!!! That's as opposed to only working when you didn't need them, which is how they seemed to work before. The harder it rained, the less they worked - if at all. No longer!

Kumho ECSTA ASX

So I got some of these. It's true, they don't ride as hard as the AO48's. It feels like there's this new layer of smooth on the road. That part is ok. It feels different when I steer though too, more round if that makes sense. The other tires felt like there was more of an edge. Maybe it's because the sidewalls are stiffer on the other tires. I don't like this round feeling as much. 

Although the tires are still new so I should probably reserve judgement untill I've put a few miles on them and worn them in.

And it did cost less for an entire set of these than it would have to replace just the rear tires with a stock pair.

And they will probably hold a lot better in the rain. And they'll last a lot longer. So we'll see how it goes.  I saved the fronts that were on the car since they have a lot of life left on them. I can always go back to AO48's in the summer if I want.

Between Two Worlds

Just finished reading this book: Between Two Worlds

Escape from Tyranny: Growing Up in the Shadow of Saddam

"When I was growing up in Iraq, people used to refer to me as the 'pilot’s daughter'. I hated that term. I still do. It stole from me my very identity, everything I wanted to be. It defined me in terms of my father, and defined him, in turn, by his passenger: a despot millions of Iraqis feared … Because of a chain of events Saddam Hussein set in motion, I found myself stranded in America by the Gulf War. For very good reasons, I had come to trust no one, not even my mother. I had just turned twenty-one, and I found myself all alone for the first time as fresh new fears were heaped on all the old ones. I did what I needed to survive, though it was not nearly as simple as I make it sound: I erased the pilot’s daughter and started over. I creased my life down the middle like the spine of a book when you bend the pages back very hard. You could read the first half of the book of my life, then read the second half, and not know they were lived by the same person. I wanted it that way. I needed it that way."

It was really interesting to learn how things were in Iraq from this unique perspective. 

seriously?

"There is a delicious irony in seeing private luxury jets flying into Washington, D.C., and people coming off of them with tin cups in their hand, saying that they're going to be trimming down and streamlining their businesses," Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-New York, told the chief executive officers of Ford, Chrysler and General Motors at a hearing of the House Financial Services Committee.

"It's almost like seeing a guy show up at the soup kitchen in high hat and tuxedo. It kind of makes you a little bit suspicious."

He added, "couldn't you all have downgraded to first class or jet-pooled or something to get here? It would have at least sent a message that you do get it."

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/11/19/autos.ceo.jets/index.html

the big room

really appreciating the newly cleaned & redecorated big room. not that much has really changed besides removing the pvc furniture and moving the weight bench. but it's made for a much more open feeling. i can walk to the projector without having to squeeze between my bike and the weight bench. i can walk behind the couch all the way to the other side of the room. less clutter.

tires, tires, tires

What tires should I try on the Lotus? I've read lots of reviews (lots). Everyone has different opinions. Except that that the expensive tires are way better. We'll I don't want expensive tires right now. I want cheap tires. Just to try. From what I've ready I'll probably be pleasantly surprised in the "comfort and ride" category - but this is a Lotus. That's not the point of it. But oh well, I drive it all the time. And it's winter, so it will probably be safer to drive it with cheaper tires.

Ah well, I'm done researching. I'm just going to get something and stick them on. We'll see how it goes. I can always take them off if I don't like them.

silk clouds and silhouettes

How can it be?

I got the Bronco fixed last month but hadn't really driven it much since then (once, and it was only because I felt like it was a dog that needed a walk).  Then I took it out this weekend to pick up the shelf thingy from Target that I used to upgrade the big room.

I've driven it a couple times since then, for two reasons. 1) The lotus needs new tires. No really, there's spots with no rubber left. 2) I've run a few quick calculations and it's costs approximately the same to drive the Lotus or the Bronco. Why? Back to the Lotus tires - which cost more per mile than gas does. Really.  Actually it's a tiny, tiny bit cheaper to drive the Bronco!!!!!!!!!!! Although clearly the Lotus is more fun... unless you're driving in the snow or trying to tow something or want to carry more than two people, then the Bronco wins ;-)

Here are the stats for 42k Miles on each vehicle:

'05 Lotus Elise

4000 - Tires (one set of front and 5 sets of rear)

3885 - Gas

840 - Oil Changes

Total: $8,725 (or 21 cents per mile)

'92 Ford Bronco

445 - Tires (one set)

7560 - Gas

168 - Oil Changes

Total: $8,173 (or 19 cents per mile)

Anyway, I now feel better about driving the Bronco around because it's not actually costing my any more than driving the Lotus (sadly). Although I'm currently thinking about trying some new tires on the Lotus. It is winter after all so now would be a good time. Less chance of being disappointed considering whatever cheaper tire I get will probably inhibit performance (read: fun). Blah. But I can't go tearing around the corners on the tires I have now in the winter either. I actually got stuck in leaves the other day. The tires were spinning like I was stuck in the mud and I had to gently coerce the car into getting a grip.

North Eugene Automotive

I took the Bronco out the last two mornings and the engine was making this loud whistling sound that I found pretty annoying.  I drove over to North Eugene Automotive, so I could have them take a listen and see if they could tell me what was causing it and if I might need bring it in again. The guy there had me pull it up and listened to it for a bit. Thought it might be the fan belt so he took some brake cleaner to it and poof - it's quite again.  He said to give it a couple days and see if the sound comes back.  The belt looked ok but I could get it changed if I wanted to get rid of the sound. 

I just dropped in, no appointment, and he looked at it for me (and maybe fixed the problem) for no charge. Good service over there! They filled my scooter with gas one time when I ran out over there too. I was brining the Bronco in for something at the time, but they're pretty friendly and helpful over there. Thumbs up from me.

to the paper boy

Dear paper boy (or girl),

It's very disconcerting to have the paper hit your door at 5:30 in the morning.  It makes a loud bump that makes it sound like something large has just fallen in the house. Quite confusing. Please adjust your aim. 

Thanks

P.S. Avoid the windows too.

i see you

and I like who you are. keep being you.

rabbid racoons... who knew?

Act One of this eppisode of This American Life features a rabbid racoon... and the perils of bureaucracy all in one.  

Who knew that a 115 lb person would have trouble holding off a racoon and needed two other people to help take it out.

Crazy!!

kinda like this, only better

Willamette & Camas is really the best place for sunsets in Eugene, unless you count the top of Spencer Butte, then that wins.  But you can get here quick whereas it takes longer to climb the Butte. Not that it's not worth it, but you don't always know how good it will be before you go up. This you just have to drive by and try to keep your eyes on the road. Or just pull off which is my preferance.

success

it's so, so nice out!

And if it will just stay this way a little longer the grass will dry enough that I can cut it ;-)

MUCH better

I finally got around to replacing the entertainment center (and I use the term loosely) that I've had for the past year and a half. It was constructed of PVC pipe, plywood and a blanket that was draped over the top. I really should have had a before picture but I didn't think of it. Anyway, here's the after shots...



Way cleaner, much more space and not ugly ;-)

Oh, oh, oh... and as I was adjusting the display for the projector I came across the setting to reset the "please clean filter" notice that kept coming up when you first turned it on!

escapeism

http://12minds.com/article/623/studying-for-finals

yeah for...

yeah for talking to random people and having fun interactions... and yeah for my laptop, cuz i'm typing on it now. and yeah for lists and organizing and maybe even yeah for furniture in a box - the final verdict will come on that later today.

AWESOME view at Spencer's Butte

The view was actually better in person, but it's fun to be able to take pictures anyway. I should really get a tripod. I keep saying that so I'm sure it will happen soon. It's hard not to move when you're standing on rocks after hiking up a large mountain. Took a flashlight this time because I anticipated it would be dark on the way down. This was the 3rd time I've been down the butte in the dark and the 1st time I haven't gotten lost. So congratulations to me... and maybe Elenah too ;-)

Zen Garden

If you're interested in CSS (cascading style sheets, not the band) then this is pretty cool: http://www.csszengarden.com/

Sunset today...