Busy busy busy.

Fall is in the air and with it the start of another session of classes. This last week however has been quite a busy one. In the past 7 days alone I have managed to rack up about 80+ hours of work between a couple jobs. Which might explain why I seem to be developing a slight cold. Immune system is getting one heck of a beating.

But life is still good. Hey its got to be when we let a clown go into space ;-) But don't let the advances in technology fool you. Floor mats are revolting, not satisfied with getting trampled on they have now taken to putting the pedal to the metal with some sad results.

In other interesting notes a new Wave of ideas are rolling off the production line. Leading the way Googles own Wave interface. For 'hunt and peckers' like me the end might be looming where I might have to finally learn how to use my pinkie to type. Imagine having a conversation in real time over a text based platform. People who can type the fastest are going to loath us slow pokes and it might seem like a shouting match except its just a type faster match and he or she who types the fastest get to do all the talking.

As I have blathered on about in the past, have we really got to the point where we are looking for new ways to actually avoid making contact with other humans. With e-mails and texting and online chatting soon we will all be shut up in our own perfect boxes and have minimal if any contact with each other. I am not saying that this technology is bad or that it will be the down fall of the human race. Not at all. More so a warning that we might want to take a minuet and see if all this hard work is getting us any benefit other than more time in which we have more tasks that we need to do.

Sometimes we just need to slow down and smell the roses. While I cant say I know everything about living a slow life... hey I just worked 80+ hours remember... an interesting site I found seems to advocate a slower pace of life. Maybe this is the inspiration or push you might need to get a little less hectic... will see... maybe I'll read a bit more of what they have to say on the matter.

From a custom table to Ray guns... when the creative juices flow

Spent most of the day in Tri Cities trying to decide or more accurately trying to find a suitable work/computer table to finish the process of setting up my living room. And although many shops were visited not one yielded results. So I guess I am going to be building my own over the next couple days. I drew it out on paper and I think that it is going to be quite nice. At least I like what is on the paper and it is somewhat customized to my needs which is a huge leg up from what I could expect to get had I gone with a prefabbed design.

In other news I came across some real cool Youtube videos that kept the creative juices flowing. The first was for a simple electric motor. A rather cool device, and as the name states simple... almost too simple. Next I was drawn to a more elaborate version of this same concept. Neat huh! Well I could not stop there... I was hooked... line and sinker.

Then there was the Magnetic Gun... had to see that. Which led me to a Gatling Potato gun... And there was the Ray Gun...

And thats my cue to get to bed because its 2:15 am and I need to get up early tomorrow...

And the results are...

It was a cool dark night in the city of College Place. A new moon gave an opportunity for the faintest of stars to shine through the veil of night. The air still held the heat of the day, a warm dry taste. And I come back from a walk with several good images to edit and upload.

The strong orange glow from the sodium vapor street lights gave the images a very dated look. However it was fun, shooting at ISO 3200 with my 50mm f/1.2 lens. All hand held.

Impulse...

For the last couple hours I have been catching up on the blogs I follow, looking at images that have been posted and the like. I guess in a word I have been inspired to be impulsive. Well the last straw that broke this camels back was Diana asking me if I want to go for a walk. Its 2330 at night... but sure... as long as I get to bring out the camera. Lets see what images I can make. Be back in an hour or so....

Wally World...

Being back in the land of the sweet onion seems to have put me into a bit of a time warp. It seems that the spirit of the place keeps things from moving very fast. Its like living in a vat of molasses. While sweet as all get, you never seem to get very far.

I cant say that I have been completely unproductive. But on the other hand I must confess to not being the most productive. If good intentions were pennies I'd be the richest man alive. But I guess I am just going to have to bite the bullet and be more productive. On the plus side of the matter I have made contact with several old friends. And maybe made a few new ones as well. So the wading continues and sooner or later I will reach the edge of this sticky mess and be able to move at a faster pace.

Words written, words said, words heard and words read.

It is sometimes very interesting the power of words. It has the ability to build up and break down, it can leave you feeling like your mind just opened up a new city complex with added parking and at other times you are lost in a jungle of unknown things closing in on you sapping the very glimmer of that known space you hold on to. Words, nothing but little squiggles on paper or in this digital age on the screen. How is it that these almost insignificant parts of our very existence can have such a great impact on us?

Words like Love, Hate, Loneliness, Passion have such strong emotional ties with the human race that sometimes the very words themselves become unable to describe. Take the word "Love". What does this really mean? We say that we love someone from the 'bottom of our hearts', but all you are going to find there is blood and guts.

What is love anyway? There are actions that we associate with love. But are the actions what the word describes? We say its a feeling. A way of describing how a person feels toward someone or something. But then what is this "feeling"that we are describing? Are we just using one word to replace the other.

What is a 'feeling'? To quote the wikipedia article on this "Feeling is the nominalization of "to feel" ". How does a word encapsulate what a feeling is? We often use words to describe feelings that in the first place we cannot themselves describe. Words are often seen as symbols that carry a message. When you understand the meaning you are rewarded with a bit of information that may or may not both lead you to the retrieval of the information stored in the next set of squiggly symbols and sometimes to a message that is greater than the sum of all the parts.

Words such funny things. They say so much but at the same time so little. A word in context can convey information and out of context simply be another squiggle or sound that passes along with time like water under a bridge.

Just another day

Finally got my printer set up and have most of my gear stored away. I have been looking through some of the images I made over the past couple weeks and I think there are a few that have potential. And now that I have things setup I should be doing a bit more printing than what I have been doing.

Its amazing sometimes how time flies. Its july already and the summer is rolling on its way. Sometimes I feel like I get much accomplished and at other times it amazes me how little gets done even though I am staying busy. I have been wanting to sit out in the sun and read a book for the past couple days but so far have not found the time for it.

But not all time is spent in work. I spent the evening driving the boat and tending it while several of my colleagues went diving this afternoon. Not the most difficult of tasks and I always enjoy time spent on the water. Well, the evening draws on and I still need to finish reading and preparing for tomorrow. A few more hours till I get to rest my head.

Summer escapades

Its been a while since I last published anything and now that I have some time I feel compelled to do so. Summer on the coast, being out here has been a opportunity to relax and also spend time in refection of things scientific and philosophical.

Over the last week or so I have had the opportunity to experience some of the best that the Washington coast has to offer. Warm sunny days, clear cool nights, days filled with exploration and discovery. Looking out over the Puget sound the sight and sounds of waves crashing on the beach while in the background songs of sparrows echo over the sounds of the wind whistling in the pines do give a feeling a relaxation and solitude.

I also have been quite privileged to visit some extraordinary places. Yesterday my class went out to Protection Island. This is a National Wildlife Refuge which however is closed to the general public. I had the opportunity to go on the island and take part in an annual census counting the nest sites for the Glaucous winged gull. It was quite the interesting experience walking among the colony counting the nest sites. I was able to see a number of nests with eggs, a few with chicks already hatched and a few with the eggs just in the process of hatching.

And while there were many upsides to this event there was the downside as well. Gulls tend to fly above you as you walk through the colony and as they do sometimes you become the recipient of white or greenish grey - depending on the gulls diet - substances that in the warm sun does dry relatively fast. However the experience as a whole was more valuable and fun that this distraction did not mar the overall enjoyment.

Once again this afternoon I am expecting to head out on a boat to do some additional counting as part of the class. Not a bad way to spend the summer.

Aggrandizing automobile acquisition...

I have been on the look for a Jeep Grand Cherokee for the last couple days. Not that this was a spur of the moment decision to own one but one that I have had for quite some time. Several years ago I was bitten with the Jeep bug and since then and after the loss of my last Jeep I have been always keeping one eye at each one that passed me. 

Well having spent the last week doing much reading online about the pro's and con's of each model, year, and other relevant information in addition to spending countless hours looking at the ads online I located a 2000 JGC Laredo. Well I contacted the seller who lived about a two hour drive away and after some juggling of schedules figured out a time to meet. 

This morning, after kidnapping a friend who I shanghaied into helping me in return for dinner at Olive Garden we did the two hour trek. During the course of the drive up we had a couple rescheduling events of the location... not a big deal since we were going in that general direction anyway. And after a disappointing discovery that on a day that was sunny and hot Mc Donald's was out of ice-cream we met the bungling seller. He was a nice enough guy, things were not all roses and bunny rabbits for him, but he rolled with the punches. 

Common sense dictates that if you post your vehicle as being for sale then certain protocol is followed when you meet a prospective buyer. To put this in a more readable format let us list the following...

1. Give the vehicle a wash - yes we know that that is not the general state of things that speed down the highway squashing the unsuspecting bug but at least spray the outside off. 

2a. Take your crap out of the back seat and trunk - So you like to go fishing... cool so do I... but I am not here to meet you to go fishing.

2b. Have you heard of a marvelous invention called a vacuum... yeah....

3. Bring the paperwork with you - generally if someone says that they are coming to buy something they don't want to have to follow you back to your house and then stand around for another half an hour till you clean your car.... 

4. Have your papers in order - it is quite acceptable in this day and age to be a co-owner of things that may need a second person to sign off on... but get the other person to sign off on something you are going to sell so that we don't have to track them down where they work and disrupt their day so that we can get a signature that could have been easily taken care of over the dinner table the night before.

5. Once the transaction is finalized and its time to hand over the keys don't do the Oops-by-the-way-I-lost-the-spare-so-here-is-some-money-back-to-take-care-of-it. Thats just ghetto! 

All in all quite a interesting afternoon. But I cant complain. I did get my Jeep. I spent less that the average price which is nice because this might herald the acquisition of a new camera lens... fingers crossed...

5 AM Tuesday Morning

You have been studying all night. Looking out the window you see the first pink and yellow streaks of the dawning day. The birds are starting to call out in melodious notes. In the distance you hear the crow of a rooster, an unusual sound in suburbia but only very slightly. Its 5 AM, you have an exam in about 7 hours. 

This morning as I contemplated the events that were unfolding before me I was left with a single choice. A choice so clear that to not choose it would be unthinkable. What do you do at 5 am once the studying is done. You go fishing. Yes that soothing pastime where your mind and body connect with nature as your sprit is lifted like the rising sun. 

I cant say that I had any luck in the catching department but I did spend a good hour chatting with Sam. A retired gentleman who was also at the lake casting a line. Sam was an interesting chap. A Native American from the montana area who has been living in this area for the last couple decades. He has had an interesting life. Battling the corporate giants for his rights. The proud bearer of multiple scars from operations undergone for various injuries. At times pleading, then cursing and even encouraging the fish to take his offered morsels so that he might reel them in and have them for lunch. 

Its now 7:45 AM on a tuesday morning. The exam is still a few more hours away. What should I do next...

The running of the...

One of the most famous of all runs is The Running of the Bulls. This event which takes place in several countries, Spain being the most famous of the lot, has spawned off many similar and varied events and sometimes sub cultures. And even though the Walla Walla Valley may not be the center of the Universe it too has its own "run" that is more than a passing fad. 

On Saturday the 16th of May, under blue skies and warming weather the 12th annual running of the ducks also known as the Ducky Derby took place. Organized by the Exchange Club of Walla Walla this event raises funds to promote a safe and secure environment for children of the area.

                                                              

This event was well attended and with over $20,000 in prizes to be won, it was a nail biter. The ducks, 16000 strong took to the water like they were made for it. Overcoming the swirling rapids of Mill Creek, still swelled from the high water coming down from the snow packs high up in the Blue Mountains, the ducks bravely sallied forth. Along the way there were more obstacles; rocks, reeds and twigs, reached out from the banks to snag the unsuspecting ducks. It was a perilous affair.

And yet the winning duck, the brave warrior, unencumbered by the thought of 15,999 others chasing close on its tail, navigated the pools, eddies and tumbling water to arrive triumphantly at the finish tube.

As I was looking back at this event I was compelled to muse on other runners. As mentioned earlier the Bulls may be famous, however when it come to Just Plain Wacky... well, events like The Running of the Santa's, The Running of the Brides and even The Running of the Nudes take the cake. Well you be the judge... and next time go running your self. Who knows it might become a fad in your neighborhood.

Midnight madness

It has become almost a tradition, if one is able to create a tradition in just one month. Thursday nights at the movies. May it would seem is the month for the grand releases. Starting off with the movie Wolverine, Star-trek, Angels and Demons among others to come the movie industry seems to be getting all the pieces right. 

Last night was somewhat of an exception. Not in the fact that I did not attend, but in the fact that not many other people did. It may be that in this time of economic hardship viewers have to choose between watching a movie or putting bread on the table. In any case opening night, midnight showing of Angels and Demons found me with prime seating and no jostling in lines. 

Well that just leave another 6 more days before the next one comes out which from the previews is going to be an epic continuation of the saga. Too bad the governator could not make a comeback.

An inspiring outlet for creativity

Have you had an awesome idea, a flash of understanding, a creative "ah ha" moment when the cosmic objects align and the perfect idea materializes out of the random firings of your neurons? What do you do with it? Write it down on paper? Tell it to your best friend? Or do you go out and just do it? This evening I came across a group of individuals who after having an idea went out and made it happen. If you are a fan of the LOTR then this is good news for you. 

With the culmination of the trilogy directed by Peter Jackson, fans all around the world could hardly wait for more epic productions. The next movie scheduled to be produced and currently being worked on is The Hobbit ( Sometime in 2012) which tells of the prequel to the trilogy. However in this world there are some very astute individuals, one of them being Chris Bouchard. An up and coming film maker Chris noticed that when reading the appendices in J.R.R. Tolkien's trilogy that there was another story between the stories that had gone untold. As a fan he took on this challenge to bring to light this chapter in the great saga and to raise the bar of independent films at the same time. Impossible you say, well judge for your self. 

With permission from the Tolkien estate to produce the story Chris, along with a host of other talented individuals from around the world donated time effort and many other things too numerous to account for and produced the "The Hunt for Gollum". As a fan of the LOTR trilogy, this has been one of the best, if not THE best fan made film that has transcended mere copying to bring to the audience another chapter in the quality that the cinematic productions had. Yet all this was accomplished with a budget of 3000 pounds which is under 4500 US dollars. If you have not yet seen it this is one movie that must be seen.

 And the best part of it all its online and free. Thats right, welcome to the digital revolution. A little inspiration, some elbow grease and good will from many individuals and fans like us can enjoy these creative works. 

Dawn to dusk, a narrative

Color, molded into spherical skins with a single odd shaped tetrahedron thrown in for variety. The cold crisp air of the Walla Walla valley, the blue sky of the late spring and a slight breeze for interest kicked of this mornings balloon launch. As it has been for the past 34 years this year once the balloons took to the morning sky laying claim to the 35th annual Balloon Festival. 

Over the three days balloonist will be launching their crafts sometimes a couple times each day to float gently over the farms, fields and people who look up in awe. To think of ballooning as a form of flying is like to think of floating down a river in a inner tube boating. Yet flying it is.

The blue sky this morning was made more spectacular with the bright colors and patterns of the balloons. And as the day wore on other aspects of the festival each in turn caught the eyes and ears of all those who attended. A classic car show, horse races, and the ever popular booths with both trinkets and food that made ones mouth water and stomach growl even if you had just finished eating lunch. 

The evening concluded with the Night Glow. Balloonist tethered the balloons to the grounds and as the sky took on the shade of a rich deep blue color the glow from the flame lit up the balloons. In addition to the balloons the sky was also lit by the flashing of fireworks. Rockets screamed into the air blossoming into petals of glowing embers that rained back to earth. As the night grew darker and the starts peaked out so did the moon, bright and fully illumination to show the way home to all the weary people who had spent the day frolicking in the sun and enjoying the festivities.

TGIF and Balloons

Its another friday, glorious, sun shining, blue sky friday. And not just any friday mind you. This is the friday that heralds the start of the Walla Walla Balloon Festival. With the next three days of balloons, booths and general funness... this weekend is shaping up to be good. 

However this also brings up a notoriously naughty and deviously dichotomous question; should I use the weekend to rest, sleep and in general enjoy the pleasures of a comfy couch or even a blanket in the sun, with a good book or get out, be active, do as many fun things as possible? Or maybe the answer is a happy median between the two. A little bit 'o this, a little bit 'o that and spread the love around. 

In any case, for right now it seems like the best choice is to get out and enjoy the sun... and maybe have an adventure.... hey nowhere does it say that adventures only happen in books. Besides unless you get out and have an adventure there will not be anything to write about in books anyway... so maybe get out there and have an adventure. It might be even better than some one else's wildest imagination.

Eradicating Naivety

The fear of the unknown and even the fear of the barely familiar seems to be quite the cause for concern for many people. It seems to me that in this day and age of the information superhighway that runs multiple lanes we seem to be quite timid about doing the work to discover what others who came before us spent days, hours and weeks pouring over dusty old books. Reading clippings in newspapers and listing to the latest news on radios and TV used to be the only way a person could become informed of the world around them. Now with the internet being so much a part of ones life information is but a few clicks away. How then is it still possible that the world still has people who are naive. Looking up the definition of it on the online Webster dictionary I am give the following descriptor. "deficient in worldly wisdom or informed judgment". 

When anything you want to know from Aardvarks to Zoot suits are readily available why the naivety? I think that there is a growing trend to stay in our comfort zone. This seems to be reenforced with kids today when we tell them to not talk to strangers, be safe, don't climb that tree, don't wander too far from home, in-fact don't leave home at all. All these restrictions to protect them when they are still in grade school and then college rolls around and its a "thanks for playing, now move out and find your own way". To muddle this even more while I enjoy the ability to learn about the world around me via the mode of the internet even that is getting to the point were children need to be guarded from it. 

So where does this leave us? The only way I see how we can influence future as well as current generations to be more curious is to create environments that are safe in which they are able to explore and learn without fear. Train the young that stranger danger does not mean avoid all people that you don't know or people that are different. This just promotes ethnic and racial walls. I cant say what may be best for everyone as that is a choice that each person may need to make for them selves, however I think that we as a society should no longer be naive. Lets be aware of what is going on around us so that we can be better citizens of it and influence it to a higher plain. 

Risk... world domination or people domination

Playing the game of Risk may give you the feeling of power as you crush your enemies with the simple flick of the wrist and the turn of the dice, yet underlying the apparent game lies a another more sinister game. If you are like the masses who play the game to win then skip to another pretty location and enjoy the bliss-full happiness that winning gives you. However if you like intrigue and mystery, mind-games and back-room deals read on....

When playing the game of Risk the game is often decided from the get go with the initial set of card or countries you receive. If you get a good hand the countries you get will be both easily defensible and also give you a unique vantage in pressing an attack. The true game is not necessarily to win but to figure out who has that magic hand and to facilitate the play so that the winner is who you chose it to be. And if you have the art of wheeling and dealing down you can convince those which may be friends to attack each other, good strategies to be abandoned for short term goals that are detrimental in the end and overall control more that just your own pieces. To quote a charactor from the TV show How I Met Your Mother, as the Legen- - wait for it - -dary Barney Stinson would say... Dance Puppets Dance!

Ah the smell of fear.....

11 Lbs.

Just got back from the tri-cities area. I had the oppotunity to meet up with a friend from the wet side of the state as she was visiting friends and family over in the area. Bowling was fun and I have found that a 11 Lb ball is the ideal tool for me. 4 strikes in a row cant be wrong... its just too bad that I found this bowling ball on the 4th frame of the last game. Oh well at least I know what to look for next time. 

The weekend is here and as I am contemplating on what I would like to do this weekend I am also trying to think of the things that I should be doing... like cleaning up the mess in my living room... but that can wait. Its the weekend and its going to be sunny. Cant let something like this go by without taking full advantage of it. 

Life is too short to let days like this go by unused... 

Poisoned water; a PBS special

Over the last two days, I have in spurts and when I have time between other activities, been watching the PBS special "Poisoned Waters". This documentary just came out over the last couple days. This documentary while almost two hours long takes a hard look at the quality of two bodies of water, the Chesapeake bay and the Puget Sound, that bracket this country. 

Poisoned water shows the condition of the two bodies of water and if one were to read between the lines has a very powerful message for those of us living within the Pacific Northwest region. If we were to take the Chesapeake bay as a view of the sound as seen through a crystal ball 50 years into the future it is quite a dismal view. In its current state the bay is dying at a rapid pace due to the urban sprawl that is taking place in its watershed. Here in the Northwest we have not got to the stage where we are so over populated however looking at cities such as Seattle and Issaquah as we become more of an attraction and as the quality of life for those currently living their gets better, more and more people are going to want to get in on the action. What then and how will it affect the sound?

I cant say how the next several years will play out for these two bodies of water nor does this film attempt to do so which gives each one of us a role to play in it. Now as actors in this documentary what will we do to write the next phase, the next chapter or the next scene that future generations will be looking at? What will their reaction to our actions be? Will they say, "wow, thats the year, the month, the day when things were turned around and it started to get better". Will there be a holiday dedicated to us as the day when we took a stand to make our corner of the world be the tip of the spear in the movement to bring about a healthy world? Well I guess its time we do something about it.

Varieties of Apples

Last night I took part in an interesting experiment. With 10 dollars as a basic budget we visited the local Walmart, Safeway and SuperOne grocery stores in search of apples. We were able to procure 11 different varieties and coming home cut each of them up and had a side by side tasting experience. Now for those of you who like me had had an apple in the past and ate it for the sake of getting some nutrition and maybe enjoying the crispness, this is and was an interesting eye opener. 

Each variety of apple has a unique taste and texture. For those of you familiar with the concept this may not be such an earth shattering revelation. However even though I had expected some difference in perhaps taste and or texture the exercise its self was an eye opening experience. In some it was a subtle fluffiness in the texture. Others had a bolder crispness to them. Several had hints of other fruit flavors that seem to be infused and intermingles with the basic apple taste. 

With the weather turning warm and the coming growing season I am looking forward to exploring other local flavors and deluging my taste-buds with a stream of culinary delights both cooked and fresh. 

And as a side note I must also make note of the accompaniments to the apple experience which was a nice chilled glass of mango lemonade and a 40 oz stake that was cooked for 38 minuets. thats right 2.5 lb. of prime cow. its a good thing I had all those apples to balance me out.

A restful weekend

Its hard to imagine that the weekend has come and gone already. I cant confess to having much productive work done during this time but I can claim getting plenty of rest. I also had the pleasure of having people over on a couple occasions for meals. As a self proclaimed foodist I must confess that this is one aspect of my personal life that I find to be very satisfying. Food while at times consumed for the mere sake of obtaining nourishment can also be a remarkable journey that one can take in which sights, smells and taste are but a never-ending series of detours that results in a happy self. 

One of my personal ideologies is that food is the only aspect of a culture that can be experienced by someone outside that given culture and truly feel included. Unlike sights and sounds the mere act of which tends to reenforce the barrier of the two cultures, food transcends that and takes one to an equal playing field. This got me thinking further on this topic this weekend. What is it that in my construct of this idea of food and culture being tied together does the sense of taste take a role that is more important that that os any of the other senses? I feel that the answer is as simple as the thought process is long. With any of the other senses we can only get a memory that can be take away from the experience. This is not the case with food. Our bodies take in the nutrients which then become part of out very being. 

There is the saying that you are what you eat. As someone who enjoys trying new foods then you become more than just a person who can be stereotyped into one box or another. The more you are open to trying new foods the more you expand on who you are. Another saying that has become more and more common during the last several decades is that the world is growing smaller because the barriers of distance and communication are being broken all the time. In such a expanding world we have the opportunity to experience other cultures in the form of the different foods that are available. However I also see a black cloud on the horizon that one must keep a watch for. As with the melding of cultures we must also be vigilant to keep too much of a mix from diluting what are individual and unique cultures. Food once again plays a roll in this as an indicator. 

Driving down the road one would often times pass an ornate, ethnically oriental looking building that has the tag line, Chinese and american dishes. Why is it that we feel that we need to enter an establishment that is distinctly culturally oriented to serving dishes that are different from our own and expect to be served what is traditionally part of our own culture is a mystery. But then again sometimes you just need to make a buck and the food you serve is just another utilitarian aspect that will bring home the bacon to pay for the roof.

1/10th done.

It seems amazing how fast this quarter is progressing. It feels like it just started and its already a tenth done. It is possible that this is because I have not had any major assignments due so far but I guess that will come with time. 

On the other hand spring seems to be taking a while coming. For a few weeks It seemed that the grip of winter was over and that spring was in the air, not so. Old man winter seems to have reached from the icy past and has laid his grip so tight that spring is strangling. But it cant last too long. Sooner or later like the few flowers and buds that have broken through the grip spring too shall spring forth and bring about warm days and sunshine.

Its the weekend and at least I can look forward to some time off to go explore the surrounding hill sides and gage for my self the process of the break out.

Recovery

The last couple days back from vacation have been very interesting. With the yearbook going to press tomorrow these couple days are crunch time. I finally got some sleep last night after about 40 hours of being awake. Sleep was definitely good but on the other hand I am quite pleased with my self for being able to stay awake for that long, and not be cranky. In fact I felt like quite the motivator. 

Outside the wind in picking up. I can hear the rose bush scrape against the kitchen window. There is also a metallic tapping sound that comes from the range hood as the rain guard is knocked about. A falling barometer may not predict ideal spring weather for this neck of the woods but with the sun straining to peak out from behind the curtain of clouds it still gives hope of the changing seasons and the though of spring being just round the corner. 

Well the week awaits and I must go face it. 

Back in the Northwest

Well after a week in the warmness that is Florida I am back in the Pacific Northwest. The final leg of my journey was very interesting as I looked out through the window of the train and watched the mighty Columbia River roll by and the green grass along its sides I felt a sense of coming home that was surreal. Even with the warm tropical weather just behind me yet still fresh on my mind I was drawn to the wet, overcast grey. Something that I have learned to love here is the liquid quality the light takes. The evenings are also long as the twilight lingers in the sky as if to hold on to the last remnants of the day unwilling to succumb to the night.

But back I am. I do miss the ability to walk with slippers on the sand and as the wind blows and fingers of cold breeze find their way down my jacket I find my self thinking of the warm days that are just behind me. But is it Spring, and with it I look forward to longer days, warmer weather and general happiness... 

The drive back

Well the day is closing. Going out on the glass bottom boat was different than what I had expected. Maybe it was due to the excessive amount of plankton in the water as the crew suggested or due to the wind that has been blowing from the east for the last several days churning up the bottom, however the visibility was on the poor side. I also think that I have been spoiled since being in Pohnpei I has 100 plus feet of clear visibility. But it was fun nonetheless.

On a more successful note I also made it a point to have some key lime pie that was made with key limes from the keys.... Mmmm Mmmm good.

Well the drive back to the main land was also good. Saw a pair of key deer, a guy reeling in a bone fish, several new birds. All in all a good drive. Well time to roll in. Just a few more hours left down here so I think I am going to wake up early and do some birding before the flight back home.

Key West.....

Its been a while since I got on here and blurted my brains out. Much has happened. Well since I am sure to not remember everything let me start going backwards. Right now I am sitting in a hotel room in Key West. Looking out the window the sun is shining and the weather forecast is predicting it to be in the 70's yum... I've been in florida for the last couple days and had the opportunity to visit the everglades and walk down south beach in Miami. 

Last quarter was a blast. I got to teach my first college class as the main teacher... which might explain the lack of time to spend drooling brain. Well maybe I was also being a bit lazy... I guess this trip and being down in the Keys is a good way to finish off my lazy phase. 

I had not been photographing much over the last few months. One because I have been quite occupied with work and school and two its been a little on the cold side which is not my cup of tea. But I guess its another day and adventure awaits, so maybe I will have a longer and more detailed description of the day tonight... till then... enjoy what sun you may have and if the clouds come by then remember the sun and let the thought of it keep your heart warm till the real deal can cover you with golden goodness.

What's been going on...

Its been a few days since I have had the time to post here. This is not because I have not had anything to post, more so because I have been very busy this week that I have not had the time to post. And while one might say... it only takes but a few minuets to put something up I must confess that the posting of blogs has become an activity that requires time to think and relax. 

Well having the disclaimer out there... over the past several days I have been quite active at the college in both personal projects as well as those related to classes. One activity, the photo shoot of last weekend, has to a small extent extended into the week worming its way into my time with minor clamor for attention. I have been able to edit a couple images and fine tune them and have posted them on my Deviant Art site. 

In addition to this I would also like to share with you a web-casted presentation that is of interest to me and possibly might catch your attention as well. This presentation which deals with the topic of Environmental Stewardship from a Christian perspective.

Igniting the creative spark

During the past several days, nay weeks since I was last here pouring out my thoughts I have had the opportunity to view some remarkable works of art and creativity. Some of the projects are available for your viewing pleasure on the internet. 

The first such site which I discovered not more than a few hours ago is a flash site dedicated to the painter Jackson Pollock who was born on this day many years ago. This site of his name is an interactive application that allows one to create art imitating the use of gravity and the viscous nature of paint in a very un-messy yet still creative digital medium.

The other links that I would like to share with you are found on the Youtube site and include a fascinating song compilation of street musicians performing the same song.

And the last link of the night is another Youtube video of painting with light and stop-motion photography/video creativeness.

Hope you enjoy as I did and find your creative spark ignited.

Weekend

Its a good thing that we have weekends to break up the monotony and stress of the week. I have to confess however that sometimes the weekend is as or more busy that the week its self however on the whole its a different kind of busy and thats good.

The weather here in the valley has been its usual grey overcast and has gone back to being cold. Makes me long for the warm days of summer even more and look forward to the spring when the sun will be out on a more consistent frequency. Till then think warm thoughts....

Inspired by cut grass.

This afternoon as I stood outside enjoying the balmy weather that the Chinook wind was bringing the valley and enjoying a moment of conversation with a colleague I was regaled with the sound of a gasoline lawn mower. As I looked towards the sound I saw a gentleman in the distance mowing a patch of grass no larger than my living room. This grass which had withstood the crushing grip of a couple feet of snow, locked in its icy cocoon without the light of day was freed from this only to be cut down as it raised its blades to the bright and warming sun that was shining today. 

I was recently listening to a talk by Michael Pollan on the Ted Talks site. While his talk had a distinctive Darwinistic twist to which I cant say I give much credence to I was nevertheless fascinated by his overall idea that we humans though we think of our selves as the king of the hill, top dog in the pound and such similar titles we may indeed be just being led along by the lowly grass, corn... other more intelligent ones.

Among other things though this brief encounter of sound and sight took me down memory lane it also inspired me to go out and spend some time further exploring my environment through the eye of the camera and see what other interesting encounters I might find.

How things are shaping up...

Well so far 2009 seems to going well. After some trepidation my first class went without any problems and I am actually enjoying the challenge of teaching an entire class on my own. Now with that under my belt it is the long run, the pacing of myself to continue passing on what I have gathered over the past several years to people eager to learn. 

On a completely different topic I had a funny event happen to myself that gave me pause. Not having my own class schedule on hand I had the opportunity to sit through a class introduction with the nagging feeling that I was in the wrong place... well I guess my gut is a pretty good indicator because I was in fact in the wrong place. It happens to be that the class I was supposed to be enrolled in was actually the next hour. However is was in the same room and taught by the same teacher. When he saw me in the class and was going over the class roster he called my name thinking that I just had not finished my registration and was attending the class till I got my paperwork in and I having heard my name during the roll call told my self that the feeling my gut was telling me that I was in the wrong place must be just first day of school jitters... after all my name was called in the roll call.

It all goes to show that sometimes it pays to double check however it is also good to be able to sit back and enjoy ones own goofs... Lucky for me I had not missed any other class that I was supposed to be in because that hour happened to be the one hour that I had all day without a class or work scheduled... I guess I needed to hear a syllabus read to me and the feel of being part of a class.