Finally Uploaded Year-Old Pictures!

I finally uploaded pictures from over a year ago to my gallery, as well as those from a more recent trip. Both galleries are cross-referenced on my Photo Map, too.

So, now you can see orcas and bald eagles along with a fresh dose of mountain goats...

Lack of Truck -- Solved

by the fact that there is no longer a lack...

Definitely makes carrying the kayak easier than it was previously!

Why don't $3k trucks seem to exist?

I need a small truck that can carry my recreational / outdoor equipment. That means the bikes, kayak, camping gear, etc... Unfortunately, it seems like you have to spend 8-10 grand to get a decent used pickup these days. Anybody have any brilliant ideas or hot leads that aren't potentially-stolen goods on Craigslist?

Senseless sketches from a sleep deprived mind

I woke up a 4 this morning and my brain immediately started dwelling on work-related minutia. I tried to meditate to break the train of thought, and manage to get back to sleep. Somehow, this mostly-failed attempt caused me to fully awaken a couple hours later (and just moments before the alarm was scheduled to sound) with the concept of "flockr: the flickr for birds" locked firmly and irrevocably in my head.

Were such a thing to exist in a parallel ornithologically-centric universe, the original napkin sketch used to acquire fine-feathered VC may have looked like this:

 
(At least I had some fun with Autodesk Sketchbook Express and my Wacom tablet...)

Reasons to love the cargo bike: #273 - fixing the car...

It will be fun to see what kind of strange looks I get during my commute tomorrow morning, and compare them to what I encounter when I "ride two bikes" to work...

This time, the cargo in question will be one of the front wheels from my car on which the tire suffered a puncture (a 225/45-18", representing about 35 lb. of aluminum and steel-belted radial, if you're keeping score). "Why not just use the spare?," you may feel inclined to ask. It's a long-ish story*, the simple version of which is "because it's already on the car."

[Sorry for the soft focus in these pictures, but even at f2.8 and with a flash, these were long exposures, and were shot hand-held.]

The solution (Yes, the strapping is overkill, but I haven't ever lost a load):

The problem (OK, evidence thereof -- if you want to pick nits):

The complication (No PhotoShop trickeration here, that is the other side of the car):

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*: I've been having my rims refinished in a rotating one-by-one fashion (to avoid putting the car on blocks during the process), and number 3 of 4 is currently at the shop, leaving the compact spare already in service on my car...

Hmmm...

Seen in an unnamed parking lot...

Can't stop thinking about Sublime: "...Tell Sanchito that if he knows what is good for him, he'd best go run and hide. Daddy's got a new .45..."

Happy New Year

I did not watch the time-delayed-for-CST version of the Times Square Ball Drop, but still think it's kinda cool that they used human power to make it light up.

Anyhow, however you're celebrating, welcome to the year 2010. The very thought of this year conjured images of a far away and futuristic time when I was a child; however everything is somewhat anticlimatic, just like 2000 was.

P.S.: Beware of mysterious monoliths orbiting Saturn, sentient computers that plot your demise when you try to hit their off switches, etc...