Photo 365 - Day 329 (Burned Bulb)

Day 329 (May 28th, 2011)
Title: Burned Bulb

First, I want to appologize for the poor quality of this photo.  I took it with my iPhone, zoomed in.  We recently needed to take a trip to Colorado and as we were getting ready to take off, supposedly a little light bulb burned out.  This caused quite a tizzy with the pilots and maintenance folks.  Needless to say, we were delayed, but I was lucky enough to be sitting in the first row with a great view of the cockpit. 

Within 10-15 minutes, a techie arrived with a sealed mylar bag and a tool belt. He went in (while the pilots were chatting up the flight attendants), took the entire top panel down and proceeded to pull our an entire unit of buttons, switches, and knobs.  He tossed the old unit on the floor, ripped open the mylar bag, pulled out an entirely new Button/Switch/Knob thingy, slammed it in and everything worked.  I totally imagined him working on Nascars (those guys who can change a tire in like 3 seconds), being called and asked: "Hey, Bob, can you fix us up a plane?"  "Sure, no prob!  Be done in 5 minuets flat!" 

It was fun to watch, but better to finally take off. 

Enjoy!

Photo 365 - Day 261 (Cheezeballs)

Day 261 (March 21st, 2011)
Title: Cheezeballs

I've had a bad flu/cold the last 10 days or so, and at one point I critically needed some OJ.  In attempting to acquire said OJ, a trip to Target was required.  What was learned on said trip is, while I'm drugged out on cold meds, I shouldn't be shopping. 


I saw these and though: Ooo, those look good. 


I was wrong.  Very, very wrong.  Perhaps I thought they had the same color as the OJ I was so craving. 


Enjoy

Photo 365 - Day 260 (Going Down)

Day 260 (March 20th, 2011)
Title: Going Down

And now, the conclusion of the "Adventures Of Flying"!

"The captain has turned on the 'Fasten Seat Belts' sign, so if everyone could please return to their seats, fasten those darn things and hold on, we are about to land this thing!  If anyone is in the lavatory, you really want to get back to you seat now, because its just not a fun ride in there when we head down. Thank you!"  

Two lines came to me when the attendants said we were getting prepared for the landing: "Any landing you can walk away from, is a good landing." and "A landing is just a controlled fall."  Neither of these helped my state of mind out much.  I fastened my belt, securely, checking the latch and it's mechanical bits.  My tray-table couldn't have been more 'upright' and all of my carry-on items were stowed (re: crushed) into the overhead bin.  So, other than the panic and constant looking out my window for either flames, or to watch the propeller fly off, I was in my happy place. 


I should mention, after we took off the attendants walked around and if they saw two people squished next to each other, they asked: "Sir, we have some vacant seats available, if you'd prefer to have a row by yourself?"  Now when I heard this, I got nearly as giddy as the attendants - only because I like having room to actually breath.  So, when I was asked, I quickly said "YES! I'D LOVE TO!" before the guy sitting next to me got the chance.  I smiled as I was escorted back a few rows to a lovely empty row of seats all for myself.  I sat down, thought to myself "Ahhh... if I pretend really hard, it's like being in first class."  I nearly asked for a second beverage, I was so happy. 


Then I looked out the window.  Happy little clouds?  No.  Panoramic view of the Earth below me zipping by?  No.  Giant, spinning propeller of death that looked like it was barely stuck on with Elmer's Glue?  Yep. 


So, we begin our plummet to the tarmac, and I ponder all those things that flash before my eyes (like why do I still have remotes for TV's that I gave away decades ago?!) and can't help but wonder if ducks or birds laugh when they see planes like this coming in for a landing.  After what seemed like 32 hours, we finally came down and bounced down the runway.  I'm told this is normal for smaller planes, to bounce.  Like a 3-year-old toy.  Wee.  We came to a stop, had a little assistance pealing my fingers out of the arm rest and disembarked from my exciting journey.  As I walked out, two things struck me:


First, the attendant: "Thanks for flying with us , we hope you had a great time .   We'll see you again real soon! "  


I of course was about to tell her, please never utter a single tone ever again - until I realized that she was right, I would have to see "them" again - because at some point, I had to fly home.  Sigh.


The second thing was:


"QUACK" "QUACK" "QUACK"!


Damn ducks. 

Photo 365 - Day 259 (Da Plane, Da Plane!)

Day 259 (March 19th, 2011)
Title: Da Plane, Da Plane


(Yes, I know this was the longest "to be continued" ever, but I came down with a nasty flu after posting the previous post and couldn't spell my name, let alone post anything.  But, I'm feeling better-ish now, so lets continue the fun!)


Phun On Da Plane, Part 2


So, after taking my seat and watching the maintenance folks hand-crank up the propellers, the pilot decided it was time to actually take off.  Now, as the plane taxis onto the runway, the flight attendants indicate all the lovely information about what to do if the is an emergency and where the exits are and that your seat could be used as a flotation device, but our "attendants" must have been a bit tired.  Now, the plane was so small that we only had two attendants on-board, which would have been okay, if they both hadn't snorted an entire canister of nitrous oxide (each) before boarding. 


Everything they said, be it: "Now, we have two exits , one up here at the front of the plane and one in the back .  If we lose air pressure in the cabin , masks will fall down from the compartment overhead and might bonk you in the head! "  And lets not forget the "Apollo-Comedy-Club-Level" funny that was:  "Also, this plane is equipped with only one restroom which is at the front of the plane, and be aware that it is very small, so if you really need to go, our suggestion is to just wait till we land! ."  


After the little remark about the restroom I believe they both fell unconscious from oxygen-deprivation from laughing so hard.  Looking back, I'm kind of glad they were drugged out their mind's, because it scarred us all so much that we never even noticed that we took off and that somehow we were actually airborne (and not plummeting to our death). 


Later in the flight, they were kind enough to wake back up and serve us our free beverage - a big ol' 1/10th ounce cup of any juice beverage we would like - as long as it was apple juice.  I enjoyed my thimble of beverage, read my book and began building the mental stress and fear that would be "The Landing".


... to be continued...


(soon too, no "I had to wait a week to read this?!" wait either!)

Photo 365 - Day 258 (Prop Plane)

Day 258 (March 18th, 2011)
Title: Prop Plane


We recently had to go visit some friends about their upcoming wedding.  It was decided that we would fly out to see them, and so tickets were purchased, bags were packed and general good times were had by all.  At least, until we were on the wait to the airport when I was then informed that we would in fact, not be flying in a happy, safe and comfy jet (like I assumed), but a tiny, Wright-brothers era, prop plane.  Now, "they" called it a "Turbo Prop" and they said it was extremely safe, would be just as comfortable as any jet, it was actually made in the 20th century, and many other lies.  Once we got to the airport and I was dragged from the car, I decided: Okay, it has props - no biggie.  Many military planes have props, and I'm SURE the government and military know what they are doing, so it won't be so bad.  Besides, having 4 or 6 propellers (like all good military planes you see in the movies) doesn't sound so bad.  Besides, perhaps I can bomb those darn Red Box machines that never have the movies I want it while we are taking off. 


Then I saw the plane, or more specifically, I saw the deathtrap with two blenders stuck on the wings.  Yep, only 2 props.  Not 4, or 6 or 20.  2.  They looked like Tonka toys.  I was expecting to see a "pull string" sticking out that the ground crew would yank just before takeoff.  


There was no ramp to the plane, just a few steps off the tarmac.  I half expected the plane to be made of wood.  I boarded the plane, took my seats, strapped myself in, pondered who would get my coin collection when they finally identified my remains, and waited for the "fun" to start. 


... to be continued...

Photo 365 - Day 250 (Railroad Revival Tour)

Day 250 (March 10th, 2011)
Title: Railroad Revival Tour

When we heard that Mumford & Sons was going to be a part of the Railroad Revival Tour (as well as its first stop was going to be in Oakland!) we knew we just had to go.  The main idea behind the RRT was: get a few great bands together, put them on an old 1930's train together and have them ride from Oakland, CA to New Orleans, LA, stopping in many cities along the way sharing their music and magic that is trains!  (FYI: I love trains).  

We got lucky and were able to get tickets early, but the show sold out crazy-fast!  I think, in total, there were 11k-12k people at the show and it was a lot of fun.  The show was hosted at a park at the Oakland docks, so there really was no seating or specific area where you were assigned.  Again, we got lucky and showed up crazy-early and were able to claim a few "seats" on a concrete wall facing the stage.  Three great bands played (as mentioned, Mumford & Sons, as well as The Old Crow Medicine Show and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros), and they really got the crowd going crazy. 

If you have the opportunity to catch a future RRT (they did announce that there were certainly going to be more Railroad shows in the future - just nothing specific yet), I would highly recommend it. 

Here is a picture of the rear of the California Zephyr train.  The one tragic part of the show was they did not allow any "professional" cameras, so all I could bring was my little point-and-shoot and my iPhone.  I tried to get a good shot with the camera, but ironically, the best shot I got of the train was with the iPhone. 

Enjoy!

Photo 365 - Day 249 (Meow)

Day 249 (March 9th, 2011)
Title: Meow


First, I just wanted to say how much I love technology (as if you couldn't tell from all the geek-related things I talk about).  I mention this, because many moons ago, if we were just walking around and I saw something amusing or neat that I wanted to take a picture of, I would have been really bummed out if I forgot to bring my camera.  With today's "mobile communications devices" (you can't really call them phones any longer, because lets be honest - how many people use their phone for just calls?) you have so many more tools at your fingertips, including quality digital cameras built-in. 


With that being said, we were walking around Albany (trying to find an old button store - don't ask) and I saw this cute image in the sidewalk.  Now, when my brother and I were kids, we always tried to do this kind of stuff in wet cement - but boy did we get in trouble if we got caught.  I'm sure there are some driveways or sidewalks in the Santa Cruz mountains that still have our initials on them.  All I know, if I ever have to pour cement for anything, I'm going to go crazy drawing in it. 


Enjoy!

Photo 365 - Day 248 (Cloud Peak)

Day 248 (March 8th, 2011)
Title: Cloud Peak

Kind of a "bonus cloud" shot that I got in San Francisco, via my iPhone.  Sometimes the clouds in the city are just crazy-nice looking and this was one of those times.  On a somewhat related (but not really) note, if you ever have the chance to see the comedian Dan Gabriel, I would highly recommend it.  He is crazy funny.  We were lucky enough to see him and I can tell you, it was worth the two drink minimum and cover charge!  He really knows how to work the crowd and his humor is really smart and witty.  You can see some of his stuff on YouTube. 

Enjoy

Photo 365 - Day 208 (Cheeky Sex)

Day 208 (January 27th, 2011)
Title: Cheeky Sex

This is one of those photos that a LOT of possible stories/taglines could be said, so I'm just not going to say anything about this one.

But if I was going to say something, I would have been really bad involving a math joke about how "Sex" is a subset of "Cheeky" within the "Gettin' Drunk" population.  But, I wouldn't do that.  Because it would be bad and people would probably throw things at me.  But I do encourage you to think up even worse (or better, depending) stories for this shot!

Ps: And for some interesting context, all of these "Cheeky Sex n' Booze" was at the SFMoMA exhibit (How Wine Became Modern: Design + Wine 1976 to Now)

Enjoy

Photo 365 - Day 175 (String Bored)

Day 175 (December 25th, 2010)
Title: String Bored


Continuing with my exploration of modern art, after yesterdays Giant Whisk, I found this... thing.  As I've mentioned in the past, normally I'm not one for modern art, and this piece is kind of why I'm not really a fan.  Its a board.  With string on it.  The string, which is multi-colored, is hanging down.  That's it.  String.  Board.  I have no problem with folks making stuff like this, quite the contrary, I do silly things like this all the time (in my attempt to make things to take macro photos), but I would never be so egotistical to call it modern art and place it in the center of a museum.  Its a board with string on it!  Perhaps it has some deeper, metaphysical meaning that I just can't see, something that would explain the universe, perhaps prove God exist, or just explain String Theory (pun!), but really, it me is just a board with string on it! 


Perhaps their art is related to cat toys.  Who knows. 


Enjoy

Photo 365 - Day 174 (Giant Whisk)

Day 174 (December 24th, 2010)
Title: Giant Whisk

Modern art just confuses me.  I think that modern art is trying too hard to make me "see beyond what's here" or "understand the deeper meaning" and I just don't think I have that special artist gene that would allow me to see the deeper anything when I see, what is basically, a giant whisk.  At least with this piece, there is some actual effort involved - the artist really spent time and built a 'thing', whereas others... well, lets just wait till tomorrow for that.  I mean, perhaps this artist just really liked waffles and this is their homage to the process.  Or perhaps they are very keen on scrambled eggs.  Either way, its still a neat thing to look at, even if its a bit abstract for me to grasp. 

Enjoy!

Photo 365 - Day 173 (Lost!)

Day 173 (December 23rd, 2010)
Title: Lost!


We live in a 18 story apartment building.  It's a nice building, we've got security, a nice view, a forest behind us, pool, and even a soda machine, so all-in-all, its not too bad.  One thing that we don't have is laundry in our apartment; we have to do our laundry in a common area.  It has washers, dryers and whatnot so it's not so bad.  But, it also has hundreds of folks who want to use it at all hours.  And many of those people are clearly crazy (self included, although I'm a friendly kind of crazy).  Some of those crazy folks like to post things on the community board in the laundry room.  Little notes or news articles - they like sharing.  I enjoy glancing them just to see if there is anything "crazy-specific" for me.  Then I saw this post (photo below).  No other information was listed - no phone, email address, apt number, anything - just the word "Lost" and the intricate, detailed rendition of the... well, whatever it is. 


Now I'm scared I might see "it" and not really know what to do.  Laundry room panic!


Enjoy.

Photo 365 - Day 171 (Frosty Paws)

Day 171 (December 21st, 2010)
Title: Frosty Paws

I'm trying something a little different for the next few days.  I visited San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) today, and got to see a lot of interesting art.  While looking at all of the art and photographs, I had a small revelation: one should not become chained to one method of creating art.  For me, this was an important because I've always been of the mindset, when I want to take a "good" picture, I need to use the best camera (well, at least the best camera I own).  To use a "lesser" camera wouldn't make as good a photograph.  Now, while its true that some of the technical aspects of a photograph will be limited based on the camera used, that's been true for photography way before digital was introduced.  A medium format (4x5 inch) negative simply has more 'data' than a 35mm negative.  That doesn't mean the subject matter is any different or that one picture is "worse" because its smaller, its just another tool to be manipulated by the artist.  With that being said, I'm attempting to use my other cameras (point-and-shoot Kodak, small Canon, and my iPhone) to take more than just quick snapshots. 

My first shot that I took is a bit silly.  Have you ever walked down the pet food isle in your local store and noticed that sometimes the packaging on the food looks better than the food you are buying for yourself?  When you look at the box of catfood and it says: "Now made with 7lbs of pure Filet Mignon, two full Lobsters, and a Unicorn horn!" and its got four Michelin Star chefs all preparing the food for the disinterested cat.  I think; "Gosh, that sure looks better than my 'Mac N' Cheeze' ("now with real-like cheeze flavorings!")."  Well, today, while I was shopping at my local Target, I walked by the Ice Cream isle and saw this... Frosty Paws.  Sitting right next to all of the other lovely ice cream goodies.   Frosty Paws, with its cute, little puppy looking at what appears to be a small vanilla ice cream treat.  Right next to the Klondike bars (with their entirely not-as-cute-looking polar bear).  The first clue that made take a second look was the Purina logo on the top left.  That is when I noticed the line "...snacks your dog will LOVE!"  My brain, due to the fact it would not accept that there was such a thing as doggy ice cream, thought: "Why would I give my dog ice cream?!  He probably wouldn't even like it.  Besides, I'm not sharing!"  The real insult is, the Frosty Paws cost more than all the other ice cream!! 

Enjoy!