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August 31, 2007
Friday Feathers
The ever elusive Northern Cardinal must really enjoy watching me chase it with my camera. No matter how many photographs I've taken of it I'm still not satisfied. Last weekend I saw a family of cardinals and most were females. The female's feathers are a washed out red, almost pink, but the male cardinal's attire is a beautiful deep red. I'm still trying to get a single "oh wow!" shot of the male.
I've pursued the male cardinal since April 2003, when I was in upstate New York and happened to see one sitting in tree. That first photographic effort was without fancy telephoto lenses or equipment. I snapped it with my then trusty Sony DSC-85 (which I still have, btw.) This is that very first snapshot. I think I'll take a nap while I wait for you to find the bird. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.
Find it yet? I digress. :-)
It's four years later and I'm still pursuing this bird. To date, none of my cardinal shots are oh wows -- it's more like oh whatever. In my latest attempt I wasn't even trying to photograph a bird; I was busy photographing berries when a female cardinal flew right into my shot. She perched herself onto a branch and dipped her head to eat.
Here's a closeup.
Even though it's not the male cardinal I still (kind of) like these photos -- my critique of the photo is that it's okay, not "oh wow!" However, the vantage point is different, and that's what I like about the photo.
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August 28, 2007
Linking the Ocean to Internet
NEPTUNE, a joint U.S.-Canadian effort to create the world's first regional cabled ocean observatory, took its first step last week when the French ship Ile de Sein laid down submarine fiber-optic cables in the Pacific Ocean.
The cable will deliver power to the ocean instruments and transmit their data back to Vancouver Island's Port Alberni Shore Station, where the two ends of the cable will sit. In total, more than 200 scientific instruments, along with video cameras and a remotely operated vehicle will be connected to the network. The devices will stream data into the Web nonstop for the next 25 years. "This way anybody from Beijing to Calcutta to London can go on the Internet and look at the data," said Brian Bornhold, NEPTUNE Canada's project scientist. - National Geographic News
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August 27, 2007
Hot Steamy Nights
As I lie on my bed, thinking about you, I feel this strong urge to grab you and squeeze you, because I can't forget last night.
You came to me unexpectedly during the balmy and calm night, and what happened in my bed still leaves a tingling sensation in me.
You appeared from nowhere and shamelessly, without any reservations, you lay on my naked body... you sensed my indifference, so you applied your hungry mouth to me without any guilt or humiliation, and you drove me near crazy while you drained me.
Finally, I went to sleep.
Today when I woke up, you were gone. I searched for you but to no avail, only the sheets bore witness to last night's events. My body still bears faint marks of your enthusiastic ravishing, making it harder to forget you.
Tonight I will remain awake waiting for you... [more in extended entry]
... you fucking mosquito.
Previously posted every August since 2003. Original source via Zoe @ MBIAT
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Quote
Every now and then I like to lean out my window, look up and smile for a satellite picture. - Steven Wright
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August 24, 2007
Friday Feathers
Meet the sparrows.
A medium sparrow-like bird, the House Sparrow is one of the first bird songs heard in cities in the spring. Introduced from Europe to Central Park in New York City in 1850, it is now seen across North America. Note: there's at least ONE House Sparrow in the photos below. I think the ones above are female sparrows.
There are many different types of sparrows and other than the House Sparrow, it's not that easy to tell them apart. I usually ignore these birds when I see them since they're always around and not exactly a prime target of mine. Their coloring is bland and my previous photographic attempts to capture a decent shot brought lackluster results. Last weekend the weather was overcast and there wasn't much else around to shoot. I think the sparrows were daring me to photograph them, as I sat watching them fly in a group from their perch on a nearby roof, then to a tree and finally settling on the fence posts.
Blandness aside, I didn't actually see the action below until I transferred the photos to my laptop. I imagine the bird on the right screaming at the poor bird on the left.
I'm guessing the bird on the left was being scolded. :-)
Evidently these birds are not really sparrows but members of the Weaver Finch family, characterized by their large, oversized domed nests. The nests are constructed with scraps of plastic, paper and whatever else is available. It's an aggressive bird that will kill the young of other birds in order to take over a cavity.
In this photo, the second bird from the left is staring at me, while a bird next to it is peeking through the fence.
This last photo is a favorite; not in quality, but in the amusement I found with the sparrow-in-flight that appears ghost-like in the background above its relatives, as if it's saying, "I'm outta here!"
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August 23, 2007
Oh, so THAT's where everything went!
... those missing socks... notes I know I kept but now can't find... my car... previous jobs I had... didn't you get my message? messages that people claimed they left but I never received... old boyfriends... my heart... my Titanium laptop's innards... my writing voice... (and on, and on and on.) *wink* - Astronomers Find Enormous Hole in the Universe
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August 21, 2007
Quote
"Sometimes you have to jump off the bridge and build your wings on the way down."
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August 18, 2007
Technical Irkies - 2
I don't like having to scroll down to the bottom of a comments box in order to read the first comment. I'd prefer the (my) comments listing to reflect the first comment at the top instead of at the bottom. Anyone know how to do this in MT?
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August 17, 2007
Friday Feathers
This little one is a juvenile Northern Mockingbird. I found it sitting quietly in a blue spruce tree, every once in a while calling out for its parents. (Feed me!)
Upon closer inspection, it looks as though the little guy is missing some feathers from its neck, which is pinkish and raw.
Perhaps the feathers haven't grown in just yet or he's got some sort of skin problem (I imagine profuse, frenetic scratching could be responsible for the missing feathers.) Then again, the bird might be moulting, but since its head feathers are intact, maybe not.
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August 8, 2007
Is Variety the Spice of Life?
"Having sex with the same partner for the rest of your life is the equivalent of eating a cheese sandwich every single day; at some point you're going to get bored and want some variety."
So says a dear friend of mine who has been in a committed relationship for many, many years. This friend says that you can absolutely adore and be madly in love with your significant other, but that most men get bored after an extended period of time of having sex with the same person. He said it's mostly men (not women) who feel this way, that it's a biological reaction.
I've never been in a relationship where I knew that my significant other was actively including variety into his daily diet. In other words, he could have easily been unfaithful, but I wasn't aware of it. (This doesn't mean that naive Nelly was burying her head in the sand pretending not to notice.) It is one thing to be forthcoming about one's propensity for variety, and it is quite another to act as if the other person is your one and only cheese sandwich. I personally know a number of married and/or deeply committed couples who actively practice monogamy; it would be a frigid day in hell before they'd entertain the idea of variety. At the same time, there are those I know who actively practice and seek out all types of sandwiches, whether or not their significant other is aware of it.
So tell me, what is the real problem, if there is one? I think it is one thing if both parties in the couple agree to active variety, and quite another when one isn't aware of the other's taste-testing elsewhere. Doesn't it all boil down to one thing -- honesty? Is it more fun, more erotic, to pursue someone else while your significant other doesn't have a clue? Isn't it better to be up-front and discuss your need to satisfy your biological reactions?
Maybe that's what it takes to have a happy, committed relationship -- a little variety. Perhaps not.
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Quote
"You can't deny laughter; when it comes, it plops down in your favorite chair and stays as long as it wants." - Stephen King
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August 7, 2007
Bounty
A month or so ago, Ms. Green Thumb (that would be me) planted twelve small tomato plants. Progress reviews occur every weekend and MGT (Ms. Green Thumb) stands back and admires her handiwork. The plants are quite big now and the tomatoes themselves
are equally as large. YAY. :-)
I never planted tomatoes before and there's always the chance that the results
might not be as grand; it's hit or miss. Luckily the location and soil proved a perfect spot for my happy little garden.
My only complaint about my handiwork would be the small problem of the weight of the plants. Last weekend I
returned to find the plants on the ground, the weight proving too much for the thin
sticks I tied them to. There they were, grounded and overwhelmed, overweight and crying out to me, "Help!
I've fallen and I can't get up!" (*chuckle*) It took me 2 hours and buckets of sweat to resurrect the plants.
Those
of you who have grown your own tomatoes can easily understand how this could take so long, given the fact that
I did this singlehandedly and didn't have any help. Regardless of the strain, I did it, and it's obvious I'm proud of
my small accomplishment. :-)
In addition to my successful tomato bounty, I'd planted a variety of flowers in the yard and they're flourishing also.
I can't even begin to name the type of flowers they are (I forget what they're called) but it is obvious I take my
duties as Director of Plant Management quite seriously.
I suspect I'll be promoted to VP at the end of this year's
harvest. ;-) It doesn't hurt that the rose bushes have been singing my praises, given my propensity to rid them
of spot disease on a regular basis. 
Who's better than me?
Then there's THE TREE.
A year ago I received 10 free trees after becoming a member of the National Arbor Day Foundation. I requested flowering trees (you can select the type of trees you want) and received two white Flowering Dogwoods, two Flowering Crabapples, two Washington Hawthorns, two American Redbuds and two Goldenraintrees. When delivered, the trees were no bigger than the length between my elbow and wrist and the type of tree was identified by a different color painted on the bottom of each one. The tricky part was that the paint was faded and made identification impossible. I gave up and decided to plant 4 of the trees and whatever it was, so be it.
It was an unseasonably warm day in January when I did my tree planting. The plants were delivered that previous October, and I had left them in my mom's garage in a large bucket of water that froze during November and December. The instructions were relatively simple, but the planting needed to be done before the ground was frozen. I feared I'd have to wait and plant them in the Fall but luck had it that that January produced a few very warm and mild days. The ground thawed and loosened up a bit and I quickly got down to business. The ice in the bucket had melted and the plants had to go in the ground pronto. Only 4 of the ten trees looked healthy, and though I can't say I followed the directions for planting to a T, I did the best I could under the circumstances.
Each week I'd return to inspect the 4 trees. It was the equivalent of watching grass grow. Nothing happened, no little buds sprouting
out, and the branch sticking out of the ground looked as if it would snap were I to blow on it. Eventually I determined that 3 of the 4
trees weren't going to make it. It didn't help that the gardener hired to tidy up the yard squashed one of them. This was really my
fault, not his, since I neglected to put a small fence around the tree (aka, DON'T SQUASH THE TREE!) I pulled the other
two out of the ground with my fingertips; no effort was necessary. Each one slid out of the ground so quickly that had I used any type
of force behind it, I would have gone flying backwards. The last tree had tremendous potential. I noted smallish leaves sprouting at its
base and I prayed it would take. Here's what it looked like this past weekend:
You can't tell from the photograph, but the tree is now at least 3 feet high. (YAY!)
It remains in the early stages of
growth and even though it is fenced (I wasn't taking any chances) there is still the danger of accidental flattening via an ignorant
lawn mower operator. I shudder at the thought. When I returned this past weekend to conduct my weekly inspection, I found
the fence had been displaced from around the tree and was so horrified I required sedation. (wink) This latest development was
distressing to me, given the fact that the fence is white and you can't miss it. (Duh!) Pulling up a lawn chair and playing security guard for my tree isn't an option. However, should anything happen to that tree while
I'm off the premises I can guarantee there will be some serious ramifications. All I can say is god help the idiot that squashes my tree.
And that concludes today's chapter of Dusting My Brain: Gardener's Edition. [wink]
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August 4, 2007
Technical Irkies
Update: fixed. :-) Thanks Greg!!!!
"Irkies" is a word I made up to express things of a technical nature that irk me. My current tech irky is when I select a bookmark in Firefox. I don't know if this is a Mac thing or not, but the minute I select Bookmarks from the menu bar, it hangs until the favicons are loaded. I don't need no stinkin' favicons; just give me the damned bookmark already!
So... my question is... how to prevent/stop/disable the favicons from loading. Anyone?
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August 3, 2007
Friday Feathers - Chow Time!
American Goldfinch :|: Tufted Titmouse :|: Downy Woodpecker
Black-Capped Chickadee :|: European Starling :|: Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Cardinal :|: White-Breasted Nuthatch
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August 1, 2007
MacBook Pro Super Drive Update Question
Each time I restart or boot my MacBook Pro I get this message regarding a SuperDrive update. This began after a previous SuperDrive update (2.1) on July 5.
How do I get rid of this so it doesn't come up each time I restart or boot up? Is it simply a matter of deleting it from the Utilities folder, or ... ?
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Just Curious II
Web browser: which one do you use?
Do you have an iPhone?
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