Interesting: April 2007 Archives

I bought four different fruit trees for the house and only one of them actually fruits: my peach tree. However, there is a problem. The sap leaks out of the fruit. I wonder why...

Ahh, tax time. I actually like this time of the year. It is my last major payment of the year. In January, I have to pay the city taxes, the county taxes, and the home owners' association fees. In March, I have to pay my automobile insurance and my house insurance. When I have payed off the government (or gotten a refund), I am home free! I only have to pay monthly utilities, food, and gas until the end of the year.

And toys. Can't forget about the toy budget! Hopefully, I will be able to buy a 1D Mark III soon. And I need a new computer...

I buy one item at Home Depot and walk out with a receipt that is longer than what I purchased! What is up with that?? The receipt turns out to be 13 3/4" long while the pertinent information is only 1 5/8". Such a waste.

Ugh. I got to a late start this morning when I woke up at 9am. Initially, I thought it would be too cold for me since I haven't bothered to buy arm or leg warmers. The TV said the temperature was in the upper 50s. But when I walked outdoors to get the paper, I thought it was quite nice out.

So I hopped on the bike and set out. And promptly realized that when I am moving I get a light breeze. Which lowers my perceived temperature with the added wind chill. But I warmed up after ten minutes.

The only problem was that the cold air exacerbated my asthma. So I couldn't do a longer haul like I wanted. I need to get working on my average speed as well. It took an hour to ride 16 miles. I'd like to get that down to 48 minutes. There are two lights and one big left turn that I have to wait for, so I need to subtract that time...

Spring time around here has some of the most severe weather: tornadoes, hail, and high winds. Daytime heating against cold fronts really churns up the atmosphere. Today was pretty windy. The maximum wind gusts were 30+ miles per hour.

So I tried out a photographic experiment. Get a long exposure time and try and capture some trees in motion. I set the f/stop as small as possible at f/22. And set the ISO low as possible at 100. If I framed the shot as mostly tree filled, then I could meter the scene at anywhere from 1/2 a second to 2 seconds.

Do these trees seem in motion? Or, are they acting more like they are possessed by an evil spirit?

It turned out to be a fun experiment. Since the last picture contained sky, I had to use an EV +2.0 to get the tree metered correctly. It also makes me realize the need for even lower ISO values. My next camera will have an ISO of 50.

Sometimes you can't ask for a more conveniently placed bird. All I had to do was open the back door without scaring them off...

I've been hording some stuff up to comment on, and now is the time...

WTF? I didn't even realize that it was a possibility. What savages I have in my neighborhood...

I received some interesting patent spam in the mail. I get: 50% of the net revenue. They get: all rights to the idea, and no obligation to do anything. It sounds completely biased towards them. How tempting...

My credit card company apparently appreciates me. Hrm, what can I think of? How about "show me the money!"

Nothing brings out my inner survivalist more than buying bulk foods. Twenty five pounds of rice and ten pounds of beans should last me a while...

Its time to get rid of my old Peace Lilly plant. It grew too big for its space. And, the weight of the leaves widened its circumference too much. So I bought a new one.

I highly recommend it as an indoor plant. It is tough. It can handle low light conditions. And the leaves will droop when it needs water (once a week is enough normally).

In my limited driving around, I have only found one large field of blue bonnets in bloom. And that is at the IBM complex. Which is nice, for sure. I like to be greeted in the morning with something pretty to walk past.

I do want to drive around the Texas Hill Country some time and find some better blue bonnets areas. It is on my list of things to do in Texas...

Buck's Bikes was holding their annual sale. And I was considering buying a new bike. I have been riding my Revive for over two years now. It is not what people would consider a long distance bike. But I have been riding it for 15 mile loops. And it is not easy to fix on the road when you get flat tires.

So I bought a Bianchi San Mateo. I'll see how easy that it to ride hunching over. I also got clipless shoes. That's going to be fun getting used to. I must remember to twist my foot off the pedal when I come to stop.