Apparently, Wilbaer likes to hold his breath and stare at the visitors to his pool at Stuttgart's Wilhelma Zoo.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Blub blub blub
Apparently, Wilbaer likes to hold his breath and stare at the visitors to his pool at Stuttgart's Wilhelma Zoo.
@#%&!!!!!!!
Who in the hell at Windows land decided that this new thing of theirs is okay? You know, that thing where you're working along and suddenly a window pops up informing you that Windows has downloaded some updates, and needs to restart, and that it will restart in ten minutes, and then it starts counting down and will restart unless you click it and ask it not to. And then ten minutes later it does it again, ad infinitum or until you give in? And when you're not there, it just restarts of its own accord?
Even if you left some slow-processing batch files to run overnight and have gone home and would really like to see those results the next day???
$*%&^*#&$%&#$%*!!!!!!!!
Edit: My day seems to be improving! I just found a five-dollar bill in the hallway, and no-one nearby whom conscience would compel me to question for ownership! Five dollars! Two slices of pizza and fifty gallons of water!
Even if you left some slow-processing batch files to run overnight and have gone home and would really like to see those results the next day???
$*%&^*#&$%&#$%*!!!!!!!!
Edit: My day seems to be improving! I just found a five-dollar bill in the hallway, and no-one nearby whom conscience would compel me to question for ownership! Five dollars! Two slices of pizza and fifty gallons of water!
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Produce Weirdness
Along with Ishmael's observations on finding cactus leaves at his local Safeway in Kodiak, I would like to offer my own. Now that we are quite well into Winter, all of our produce is shipped up. I still try to buy as local as possible (from British Columbia, Washington, and California), but considering the distances we are talking about here, I pretty much have to give up on eating locally for the Winter. Of course, I do have my personal stash of local produce, but I am meting it out very carefully...
I would never have guessed the shape in which the produce would arrive up here. Hardy broccoli, which you'd think would ship very nicely, often is flaccid and rubbery. Delicate lettuce is almost always perfect. Nary a wilted nor brown leaf to be found. It looks like it was picked just the day before. Oranges, which I'd always thought of as sturdy fruit, are dry and flavorless. Grapefruit are delicious--juicy, sweet, and, currently, thirty-three cents a piece. What is going on here?
But most surprising of all is that I have yet to purchase a bad avocado in Fairbanks. Seriously. Isn't it bizarre? In California, avocados were only so reliable when I bought them directly from the grower, at the farmers' market. Avocados from the supermarket were a crap shoot. Half would be brown or have that spongy business going on inside. But here, every one looks like this:
I just can't figure it out. But my diet has changed somewhat. :)
I would never have guessed the shape in which the produce would arrive up here. Hardy broccoli, which you'd think would ship very nicely, often is flaccid and rubbery. Delicate lettuce is almost always perfect. Nary a wilted nor brown leaf to be found. It looks like it was picked just the day before. Oranges, which I'd always thought of as sturdy fruit, are dry and flavorless. Grapefruit are delicious--juicy, sweet, and, currently, thirty-three cents a piece. What is going on here?
But most surprising of all is that I have yet to purchase a bad avocado in Fairbanks. Seriously. Isn't it bizarre? In California, avocados were only so reliable when I bought them directly from the grower, at the farmers' market. Avocados from the supermarket were a crap shoot. Half would be brown or have that spongy business going on inside. But here, every one looks like this:
I just can't figure it out. But my diet has changed somewhat. :)
Nice News Miner Photo
Nice photo by Johnny Wagner, compliments of the News Miner.
Their caption reads, A raven gulps down a bite of snow on a chilly Monday afternoon, December 8, 2008, as the moon rises over Birch Hill in the background. The National Weather Service calls for highs around zero for the rest of the week with local gusts today leading to a chance of snow tomorrow.
Edit: Here is my favorite Raven parody. Hahaha.
Their caption reads, A raven gulps down a bite of snow on a chilly Monday afternoon, December 8, 2008, as the moon rises over Birch Hill in the background. The National Weather Service calls for highs around zero for the rest of the week with local gusts today leading to a chance of snow tomorrow.
Edit: Here is my favorite Raven parody. Hahaha.
Monday, December 8, 2008
A list of things that don't work when it's very cold
batteries
plastic snaps
CDs
mechanical pencils
pens
ordinary rubber soles on shoes
plastic snaps
CDs
mechanical pencils
pens
ordinary rubber soles on shoes
Sunday, December 7, 2008
On the river today
We got several inches of fresh snow last night. Today I took the girls to the Tanana and skied while they ran free, and I snapped quite a few photos (until my battery got too cold) in attempt at a Christmas card photo. It was cold because of the wind on the river.
The Tanana is wide:
The girls ran quite a bit ahead.
Autumn zipping by:
Linden prancing with joy:
Waiting for me as I fall behind, skiing with the camera crammed in my armpit to get more out of the battery:
Running back to me. We can't be separated for long!
Then exploring ahead again:
The sun is low:
Though it is almost noon:
Our shadows are long:
Our track behind us, as we return:
As we came off the river, we met the family that runs the Lemongrass, which is the best Thai restaurant in a town of a dozen Thai restaurants. They were out for a walk on the river. Yes, a walk, not a ski nor a snowshoe. No, not to ice fish. Just to walk. I was amazed. I'm sure they promptly sunk up to their knees in the fresh snow, but it was nice to see them out enjoying themselves.
The Tanana is wide:
The girls ran quite a bit ahead.
Autumn zipping by:
Linden prancing with joy:
Waiting for me as I fall behind, skiing with the camera crammed in my armpit to get more out of the battery:
Running back to me. We can't be separated for long!
Then exploring ahead again:
The sun is low:
Though it is almost noon:
Our shadows are long:
Our track behind us, as we return:
As we came off the river, we met the family that runs the Lemongrass, which is the best Thai restaurant in a town of a dozen Thai restaurants. They were out for a walk on the river. Yes, a walk, not a ski nor a snowshoe. No, not to ice fish. Just to walk. I was amazed. I'm sure they promptly sunk up to their knees in the fresh snow, but it was nice to see them out enjoying themselves.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Today on the river
A skijorer's view is not much different from a musher's view:
You can tell Autumn has really embraced retirement. There is slack in her line half the time. But, Linden has no problem pulling me all by herself, and we all three still have fun, so I don't mind!
Post run ree-laxing:
You can tell Autumn has really embraced retirement. There is slack in her line half the time. But, Linden has no problem pulling me all by herself, and we all three still have fun, so I don't mind!
Post run ree-laxing:
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