- Its seems such a long time since I’ve aimed my camera
- besides the occasional social snap of a birthday or an out of towner visiting
- I mean the more artistic, and less practical usage of the time freezing megabit logger
- that is, my trusty Lumix
- hoping its like the proverbial bike, rusty but not forgotten
- upgraded my google storage space
- mostly to get the free Eye-fi card
- but what to do with that 200 gigabytes of space now?
- after the left brain logical thoughts of archiving, and facilitating wealth accumulation
- I spent a few minutes exploring Picasa
- and I’m back at the first thought, I really need to play with that camera more
- bought some new gadgets, a HDTV for my mom and sis
- (yeah they got it already and I don’t wrap presents or feel compelled to give them on the day)
- another larger monitor for my charts and the sporadic movie
- and the thing that I’ve been waiting the most for…
- a ebook reader
- decided on the Sony Touch, it has expandable memory via cards, a touchscreen, renders many formats including PDFs, CHMs, and will be able to download free content off NYPL
- so no excuses for many more pleasurable reading hours in 2010
- and importantly I can reuse a lot of shelf space at home, as I gradually manipulate paper books to digital formats
- it will either be time consuming or costly
- not much that I have thought of in terms of getting around that…
- Oh good, Picasa allows different levels of content sharing
- finished a hutch or shelf for my desk, so got another 42 inches of monitor and computer gadgets space
- I actually timed that one well
- the window seat /work bench/ spare bed project got fouled up
- as I need more lumber, and the mattress arrived already
- but its hard to get those 2×4s home in a snow storm
- the 24 inch monitor should arrive in the next 48 hrs and I got the spot ready for it
- got a good DK photography book out of the library but we’ll see if it lives up to its name
- “absolutely everything” is pretty bold
- and is an example of types of books that wouldn’t be as suitable for an eReader
- since its grey scale and not color and a small screen
- but very portable and battery lasts for 2 weeks at a time
- next to search through the freely available content out there
- and start making a list
- as well as a virtual book budget as I have put off buying books for quite some time now
- I’m starting to like the dark stain on the bench 2 projects ago
- and yes I should note somewhere to not saturate the wood with the stain
- like I did basically while in a rush to get it done
- still wondering what to do with Wave, Voice is kinda cool but not utilizing it well yet
- and I’m itching to get my hands on that Sony reader, and hoping it ships before the long weekend
- so much to do, so little energy and free time and that shy sun isn’t helping my mood
- but I’m feeling like we turn a corner here soon, and is it coincidence that the winter solstice is upon us
- its late and I’m hungry and imagining smells of food
- but breakfast is a few hours away.
Books, SoC, free
camera, ebooks, ereader
- As I ran aboard the last Ikea bus leaving NYC, just behind the driver and before he closed the door
- another passenger proclaimed me “Lucky, I’ve been waiting 30 minutes!”
- I smiled and shrugged my shoulders and looked for an empty seat
- went back halfway and my subconscious heuristic chose the skinny asian woman
- (there’d be more room for my wide shoulders)
- I asked if it was free, as I pointed to the seat
- didn’t hear her response but her face indicated approval
- I sat and caught my breath as I texted my success at catching the last bus
- as we got out of the tunnel the setting sun lit up her side of the bus and I noticed her outfit
- typical fall knits and tights and boots, at least that seemed to be what every other woman in NYC was wearing
- her attractive face with pulled back long hair completed each other well
- but her posture said stay away, crossed arms and legs…
- as I contemplated my best Mentalist skills, I weighed
- the risks of exercising my social skills VS her apparent
- desire not to be “socialized” with
- later her demeanor stayed firmly knotted, yet there broke the semblances of a smile on her face as I glanced over
- I took the mixed signals to mean she was ‘taken’
- but didn’t see any rings on significant fingers
- the lack of traffic brought us to Elizabeth quickly
- only punctuated by 4 texts and 2 phone calls
- besides her phone was studded and I couldn’t figure out
- whether she was much younger than I guessed, or why would
- a woman have such blingy accouterments with otherwise earthy tones and sensible knits?
- alas we disembarked before the perplexity allowed me a chance to break the silence
- and I was in the hunt for wood
- it reminded me of the reality show on Planet Green
- I’ve been mildly addicted to
- they were accumulating firewood for the season
- 4 groups of people from California to New Jersey
- retired factory worker with his daughters
- a computer tech, among others
- in “Alaska Experiment”
- a show about how these people will survive a winter in Alaska,
- roughing it in some cabins and tents, certainly unplugged and in the wild
- lumber turns out to be cheaper at Ikea than I can get at lumber stores in Manhattan
- I cruised the aisles and activated memories of short cuts but
- the Ikea was under renovation so at the second turn past pots and things I started looking at signs
- I arrived at aisle 35 bin 36 and was surprised at the quality of the bed slats, it was labeled unfinished wood
- but was much better than what I could pick up closer to home
- and this was pretty much cut already to size
- OK, I changed my plans a bit, but saved myself some noise and sawdust
- now to figure out how much to get…
- I decided on 3 bunches as well as a few other odds and ends
- the skill of picking a fast line proved still with me
- but there was only twine at the packing table
- i was hoping to make a handle from tape
- so it took a while to tie it up and fasten a handle
- as I worked feverishly a woman and two small children walked by
- she was somewhat out of it, but I didn’t really pause to observe
- and instead continued to tie and hope to catch a quick bus back home
- as her older child the daughter pulled a sign off the wall and it came crashing down loudly
- an Ikea staffer came over quickly and asked her a question but she didn’t respond
- I thought whats with these woman today who seem to not have a voice?
- then her boy started to bang a cart into the wall and the table I was using, so I shot her a look of WTF?
- she just took my stare and let it glance off her
- not even making any attempt to corral her charges at all
- I made my final knot and rushed out the door
- just past the woman I sat next to
- she was on her studded cell phone and she stared up off into the distance as our paths intersected
- she towards the returns area
- me out into the fresh air
- and then I sprinted with cart towards the bus for the second time
- and the driver indicated that he had to check if there was any seats left
- luckily the woman in front of me was waiting for someone and I heaved the stack of lumber into a free spot and boarded the bus
- the purple colors were spectacular with the setting sun and the golden rays bouncing off downtown skyscrapers sandwiching the blue waters of the Hudson
- I thought to myself how timely was my impromptu trip just as we hit tunnel traffic
- enough time to review my To-Do list and send a couple texts
- I carried the stuff across the long subway tunnel and my thoughts strayed towards that Alaska Show again
- I was carrying 30 pounds of lumber to make some furniture
- and they were logging and splitting firewood to the tune of 9,000 pounds to survive the winter
- I sweated a new understanding of their predicament
- just got snookered on a 4x trade, but it was only for dimes
- and I realize that 2 monitors are not enough for all that I want to do
- so the new furniture I’m building which will be part custom bed, window seat, and large work surface with plenty of storage underneath
- should allow me a spot closer to my multi monitor setup
- and I did de clutter about 100 pounds this weekend
- despite the 30 more I brought home.
SoC
Ikea, lumber, people, sunsets
- its strange to wish for somethings and have them appear so regularly sometimes
- it makes you think that you should have been more ambitious
- I envisioned scrap wood and acrylic pieces and they appeared on my walks
- that weekly metrocard that appeared when my legs got tired
- the exact piece of plywood I’m using now as a base for a lightbox
- perhaps I should be more selective in my visions
- that white translucent # 2447 plexglass arrived a day early and I cut and assembled the
- back and sides of the lightbox – I wish I could cut a straighter line
- with the jigsaw, but given the limited woodworking projects so far
- its not that bad, or the sander straightens what the jigsaw wrought
- its fun to make something that involves LEDS, acrylic and wood working
- which really is a foundation for future projects and
- I don’t know if this something new and can’t be bought elsewhere
- or if it will in the end prove to be something that just seemed a great idea
- still as lightboxes go, this will be fairly cheap compared to pre mades
- next steps are to check spacing and quantity of flat white LEDs and to figure
- out how to assemble them – either use PCBs or just connect them
- directly to the plywood base somehow
- picked up a shop vac that will connect somehow to the lightbox for vacuuming away
- tiny glass and acrylic dust which is harmful if breathed
- which reminds me I didn’t pick up masks
- the Euro just woke up and in typical 6AM Greenwich fashion but there
- appears to be resistance around 1.4730
- which reminds me there are a few AHK projects I wanted to do on the computer
- that got hip checked out of the way by the woodworking projects
- and somehow I want to fit in some running and Yoga now
- that I rearranged and have more floor space
- but how to blend all this into a week and still get 7 hrs sleep a night?
- oh, there she blows! - Euro breaking out above resistance
- bouncing off the 10 daily SMA today
- FOMC is this week, I doubt there will be any changes for the next few months
- but the tone could send a jittery market a flutter
- falling back from 1.4745 now, but it looks like it will travel all the way up to the 4hr UBB
- that is the Upper Bollinger Band around 1.4755
- now to figure out how to fit in that running, so that the sleeping is better, so I have more energy
- so that I can focus better, and trade more actively, so that I can have more time…
- if it wasn’t so late I’d reach for the camera and snap a few shots of the unbuilt lightbox
- figure out if the minute chart is resetting to bounce up here while the stochastics is running down below 20
- but I think its enough for today.
Blended Living, SoC, free
coincidence, crafts, karma, running
- the twilight run in Central Park tested my focus which was not that sharp today
- like a dull ache longing for crisper times
- of a mental edge that cut through crap so well
- but I was mildly amazed at my ability to hold a serene thought and
- allow my body to work out its kinks and let
- the motor go on for a while longer than
- some days when my mind (or ego) can’t sustain the pace and it yells louder or just loud enough
- so that my legs slow down to a walk
- however tonight fueled by many runners and 64F weather and that
- fun run coming up in 36 hours was just enough to get me
- down by the lake in good time and just a couple pauses
- soon after my legs propelled me automatically and minutes later
- my left thigh seized like an engine that lost valve oil
- but just for a moment as a couple stretches and yoga like deep breathes
- flowed some necessary body ingredients to sore areas
- playing with my new toys
- I don’t doubt that neighbors are wondering if a dentist has moved in their midsts
- so I need to think about soundproofing a bit
- or relegate my craft activities to the locked bathroom until
- I do figure out something
- “easy glass etching” seems an oxymoron but it isn’t the first such title I’ve gotten out of the library
- I wonder if that cheap Ikea glass stuff is worth testing some etching on
- and I remind myself I need to order facemasks
- before I read about glass dust dangers and scare myself out of that side of the hobby
- but that light box/table I’m gonna make should ameliorate dust enough
- so that I won’t obsess about it
- still I need to read and educate myself some more and practice on cheaper and less toxic acrylic first
- the forex chart shows a nice trade I missed while showering
- and the LED I implanted into a yellow ping pong ball makes a nice light
- no glare, bright enough and it looks like a bulb albeit
- with two little thin wire legs coming out of it
- maybe I should take a marker and anthropomorphisize it somehow
- or maybe I’m just a bit lightheaded after running about 6-7 miles tonight
- my Cstream wanders into a neat short Kafka-esque story of an inventor with lots of LEDs and ping pong balls
- but perhaps with a happy ending
- and I wonder if there is such a thing as childrens pop up book with LEDs used in an imaginative way to “hi-lite” the story
- or in some other way educate and involve the reader enough
- to have them interact so that they finish the circuit
- in order to complete the multi-ending story
- that last idea has enough ‘oomph’ to think about more
- but alas we do live in such a virtual society already and would
- such a blended concept take hold?
- maybe there is some magic in taking the old and new and creating something just a little different
- that Euro is taking off into 1.47xx land
- as the daily chart looks like its about to climb K2
- with a short stint at base 1
- the 4 hour charts show hesitation at 1.4730 ish but
- as usual 6am greenwich time has some early Euro bull risers
- will it linger in the 1.48 area and come back down with the upcoming US stock market pullback?
- go with the trend, go with the trend
- I need to make that mantra into a song
- is there a word that means “song-ify”?
- the active voice is so much more well active
- me thinks I have drained that last bit of caffeinated adrenaline out of me
- but a quick glance at the etching book before ping pong out.
Blended Living, SoC, frugal fun, run
dremel, LEDs, ping pong
- it bugs me that I haven’t been adding photos here as much as I imagined
- but I am pleased about the pace of many other hobbies
- and the confluence of some
- excited about a light box I’m designed in my head
- and should really capture more ideas onto paper or in the computer
- before some ideas fall off the ends of my mind
- white plexiglass #2447 is what is used for lightboxes or X-Ray viewers
- or light installations which is funny how I found out
- as I wondered about what the best way to search that was
- as I ‘gestured’ by accidnet on my laptop’s touch panel and it jumped to the bottom of an Ebay listing and there it was
- a few clicks later ordering a piece of #2447 sized to the plywood I picked up earlier last week
- and hoping that a 16 x 19 inch lightbox is sufficient for my needs and that
- 1/8th inch plexiglass will be thick enough
- and calculating whether I’ll need to glue it down
- or allow it to float there
- and how many bright white LEDs and what spacing will be best to illuminate the box
- yet not have hot and cold spots
- and trying to figure out how to attach some kind of netting or plastic to keep dust from flying out when etching, or other dremel like activities
- and sizing shop vacs
- and thinking about angles for other lights but not introduce glare onto clear arylic
- then the Cstream thinks about other projects made do-able by the perfect lightbox with
- a debris vacuum, and under and over lighting, and raised edges, and some kind of plastic netting to keep dust down.
Blended Living, SoC, frugal fun
acrylic, etching, LEDs
- Been working out a lot and hard which
- produced the best night of sleep I’ve had in a short while
- as pleasant as it was, it wasn’t anything compared to that morning when
- my older child stopped her colic-y period
- and I slept thru the night- a full night of sleep after months
- which reminds me the next time she asked what I’ve done for her lately, I might
- pull that one out of the chest
- but midnight runs in Central Park are so peaceful, alone
- in my discipline, without anyone (almost) to observe my breathlessness at
- the tail ends of sprints and the click click click
- of my yellow stopwatch
- even the raccoons were no where to be seen, they
- took the rainy night off, I guess, but today
- as I walked some plants back to their owners, the expression
- “Too many brooms, and too few dustpans”
- sprung forth in my mind, unaware if I parrot or coined
- a new expression that describes a frustrating episode of my life
- but somehow pleased to bring something new and creative out
- of the darkness of limbo-land
- a recent grad sues her college for her not finding a job after a 3 month search
- seems too comical yet reveals the present unemployment frustrations,
- yet digging just slightly past the surface the article
- mentions her 2.7 GPA and solid attendance record and if that doesn’t cement
- an attitude of entitlement- I’m not sure what does
- maybe the publicity will land her a job, but watch out
- at her next review…
- yet something comes to mind from a late night infomercial
- about unreasonable people…
- but somehow that isn’t exemplified well in this case
- still the thought lingers from that Buddha saying:
- “you become what you do now”
- numbers and codes come to mind to outline a running regimen
- but some more spit and polish and testing is forthcomoing
- just to say that it seems to fit me well.
SoC, run
raccoons, rest, running
- I’m tired
- that’s good since I need to go to sleep soon
- haven’t slept well in a few days
- and its starting to show in my focus and dreamy days
- but that fartlek tonight did the trick
- not liquor or pills but miles
- or rather 10 kilometers in Central Park in
- a drizzle that started out slowly up Heartbreak hill
- and passed a female cyclist who was doing some maneuver that
- I didn’t quite understand in my gasps for air
- as she looped around again and
- I shot her a look of “what are you doing” and
- just as she passed me, she didn’t provide any clues,
- microexpressions, or any other form of leakage
- and just as I was about to put her out of my mind I heard
- a clatter behind me as she fell over…
- I yelled back asking “Are you OK?” and she
- said softly “I’m OK” in a tone that implied to me
- that she hurt something else besides her tush and
- she let out a sigh and then
- remarked, “I guess that’s why I’m out practicing…”, and I said
- “Yeah, whatever doesn’t kill you…?” but I was too far away as she
- yelled over, “What?” as I repeated myself and said the longer version
- this time she replied, “Yeah, that’s what my mother tells me.”, and
- I was thinking, “Tough Mom”, and I bid her adieu as she was
- standing now brushing off her tush and I was close enough to see she was indeed
- alright enough for me to continue on my journey
- of intermittent pain labeled ‘fartlek’
- the drizzle continued as I passed the familiar parts heading south amazed
- by the sight of my breath as I finished each leg of speedwork
- and as I caught my invisible breath back I was able to notice the stray dog walker here and there
- and tried to identify the type of bike that approached from the rear or
- the kind of runner that was about to pass me whether
- they were heavy or tall or short or male or female or expert or novice
- which was enough of a distraction for me to get my heart rate back down
- enough to sprint the next 400 meters or so as I
- passed the Lake and came up the little hill to see the huge red billboard displaying
- the time and temperature startled to hear
- another runner breathing harder than me as she finished her speedwork
- and she gave me the motivation to do another few sprints as I turned the corner near Columbus Circle and ran until the light
- and circled back and raced back up the hill north
- just as she completed her sprint south and
- she passed me another time when I had to tease out a knot in my left foot against a pole
- as she turned ahead of me and did this curious bounce up and down the curb as she passed me the last time for the night
- I mentally thanked her for the spirited last three sprints and headed home.
SoC, run
drizzle, fartlek, rest
- My abs don’t hurt
- a woman was hogging the machine today so I skipped it
- trying to adhere to the 10 minute workout
- I tried to not seem so righteous as I moved from machine to machine
- as others talked more than worked out
- but still I can understand fully how some people say they work and work at the gym and yet nothing helps…
- as they talk and socialize more than actually do anything on the machines
- 8-12 sets and I’m out of there
- its not really a 10 minute workout with the waiting and changing plates but its a goal
- and sometimes I almost hit it
- which reminds me about continuing to refine that quick, body-weight workout I can do anywhere
- that borrows from yoga, pilates, calistenics, aerobics, martial arts, and plyometrics
- somewhat like a sun salutation on steroids, that is
- figuratively speaking, or of anaerobic muscle building routines, not anabolic chemicals
- that thunder was awesome earlier and it reminded me
- of the day and night when I became a father
- the natural pyrotechnics were out in full force that day
- as they drummed in the arrival of my number one
- the days I realized that I gladly did things with and for her was the day I became a Dad
- and it amazes me how I re-learned how to draw at the appropriate time
- and the many bedtime stories that flowed out of me over the years
- how I miss them, the telling, the sharing and the ritual
- now I wonder what next phase awaits me what
- metamorphosis will become me around the next corner?
- I sense a change in the wind not just a seasonal shift
- but a multi-year tectonic rearrangement of sorts
- that hasn’t defined itself so it lies in waiting ready to reveal
- its splendors hopefully without too much fanfare and chaos
- that rain today and tomorrow and the next will challenge and perplex many
- just like the two men that couldn’t resolve their issues without some pushing and shouting on the subway car I was in today
- it felt rather crowded and sardine-like then the altercation caused
- about 150 people to squeeze into our space quickly as there were shouts of
- “what are you reaching into your bag for?” but
- just as quickly as it started, it ended
- and the ride continued
- its hard to tell whether such events are more frequent with the economic challenges
- and the news seems to have an element of interconnectedness more and more as
- that craiglist killer’s victim lived not that far from me
- and I wonder if our paths crossed literally on my way to running nirvana and
- I simply wasn’t present to notice her fully
- guess the details of that incident will reveal itself as it has the makings of newsworthiness
- weaning myself off the evil bean and my memory seems better as I remember to whittle off
- some to-do list items near the places to do them
- like pick up flax seed oil at that organic place midtown
- and I discover that its a peculiar taste as I used to swallow it in pill form
- and now I just use a spoon and a grimace
- I have tried to read a book almost every week for many months (years?) now
- but it dawns on me that I don’t read enough fiction or just plain pleasurable reading which
- ironically could help me in my other more ’serious’ endeavors
- much like the concept of running less running faster
- or giving the brain a chance to rest, recover, and think about other things for a while
- and strangely it comes from a line from a movie where he says
- “its like junk food”
- but as you who know me well, I couldn’t come up with the title right now
- … but it starred that guy who played James Bond.
SoC
abs, rain, subway fight, thunder
