2008 will be in our memory as the year Barack Hussein Obama got himself elected (with a little help from us). It was also the year that ended with the worst economic slump of our lifetimes, due to our incompetent government being asleep at the switch for too many years, letting the greed boys have their run of the place and creating a monster bubble. Prick, bang, helluva mess. Now you and I get to clean it up.
On a more personal front, 2008 will be remembered as the year I retired (mid-year), the year Debby retired (end-year), the year the grandkids moved to Seattle, the year Debby and I decided to try car camping, the year I started a blog.
On a more abstract note, 2008 was yet another year, finding us in continuing good health, good spirits, with enough money in our pockets, and never straying too far from home.
I read a few books, listened to a lot of music, watched a bunch of movies, watched some TV, ran and biked many miles, took a bunch of photos, surfed a whole lot of Internet space to keep up on all things of interest, ate well, and did my chores. Just like the year before.
We did manage a one week trip to Seattle and a three day camping excursion to Jalama State Beach in Santa Barbara County. I created a half-hour slide show video of our (Debby & I) first 5 years. As yet another example of our rampant consumerism, we made one big purchase, a Panasonic 50" HD plasma TV (to replace our aging 1st generation 42" plasma that came with the house).
Time to party (Debby is a guaranteed conk-out by 10PM). Happy New Year.
Welcome to Slices From My Life. yet another pawn
Thanks for stopping by. penning nothings to no one
pinned up on a cloud
Showing posts with label routine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label routine. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Thursday, December 25, 2008
A Christmas Day In The Life
Today has been one of those Christmas days we probably won't remember at all, so here is a quick sketch of this uneventful day.
We got out for a couple of hours in the afternoon and went for a walk around a park in Laguna Beach, where I took a quick sprint down to the beach and tide pools. Debby recalled the last time we were there was New Year's Day 2008, just a year ago. When we returned, I managed another photo of the finches on the feeder. Debby e-mailed it to her office manager (in her prior life), and they decided I should print out an 8x10 print for the school office, to show all who participated that the feeder is being well-used. Other than that, Debby and I have been home listening to Christmas music and sitting by the fire.
I spent some time acquainting myself with my new chop saw. I was surprised that it needs some calibration and adjustments before it is usable, including truing the miter scale indicator, squaring the fence, and truing the laser. But I am satisfied that it is a lot of saw for the money.
We opened presents in the morning after eating a new tasty frittata recipe that Debby concocted. Then I made a rice pudding that we snacked on before our outing. In the evening, I managed to barbecue a steak in the rain, which we consumed with some roasted rosemary potatoes and a nice Cabernet (rosemary fresh from the garden).
We heard on the evening news that the Governor of Washington had declared a state of emergency. Seattle is not equipped to handle heavy snowfall such as they have been receiving. Our four grandchildren and their families have just moved there and have been pretty much housebound. I fantasize a few days of snowbound bliss, with good company, plenty of wood for the fireplace, enough food on hand, and a well-stocked wine cellar. I would tell the good folk in Seattle to relax and enjoy. But I am sure their reality does not match my fantasy in even the slightest detail. SoCal, in spite of its shortcomings, is still the easy life.
So long, Christmas 2008. It has been a day for reflection, quiet togetherness, and appreciation.
We got out for a couple of hours in the afternoon and went for a walk around a park in Laguna Beach, where I took a quick sprint down to the beach and tide pools. Debby recalled the last time we were there was New Year's Day 2008, just a year ago. When we returned, I managed another photo of the finches on the feeder. Debby e-mailed it to her office manager (in her prior life), and they decided I should print out an 8x10 print for the school office, to show all who participated that the feeder is being well-used. Other than that, Debby and I have been home listening to Christmas music and sitting by the fire.
I spent some time acquainting myself with my new chop saw. I was surprised that it needs some calibration and adjustments before it is usable, including truing the miter scale indicator, squaring the fence, and truing the laser. But I am satisfied that it is a lot of saw for the money.
We opened presents in the morning after eating a new tasty frittata recipe that Debby concocted. Then I made a rice pudding that we snacked on before our outing. In the evening, I managed to barbecue a steak in the rain, which we consumed with some roasted rosemary potatoes and a nice Cabernet (rosemary fresh from the garden).
We heard on the evening news that the Governor of Washington had declared a state of emergency. Seattle is not equipped to handle heavy snowfall such as they have been receiving. Our four grandchildren and their families have just moved there and have been pretty much housebound. I fantasize a few days of snowbound bliss, with good company, plenty of wood for the fireplace, enough food on hand, and a well-stocked wine cellar. I would tell the good folk in Seattle to relax and enjoy. But I am sure their reality does not match my fantasy in even the slightest detail. SoCal, in spite of its shortcomings, is still the easy life.
So long, Christmas 2008. It has been a day for reflection, quiet togetherness, and appreciation.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Critter Pix and Bird Feeders
Now that Debby has moved out of her work digs, we have extra pictures to hang inside. We also have to find the right place for two large bird feeders outside. We live in a smallish house on a smallish lot. Wall space and tree space are at a premium.
I am thinking maybe we need to go to a revolving picture exhibit where we switch out a few pictures every month to give all an equal viewing. I am a wannabe nature photographer and have a bunch of pictures I'd like to hang, but there is no room for them in my preferred size, 13" x 19", the largest I can print on my printer. I am relegated to watching slide shows of my pictures on our 50" HD plasma display. That's actually better, I think. But there's something about my print on a wall that is satisfying. Also, even though they are technically mediocre, when hanging on the wall, many people infer they must be great, so the technical demerits may get overlooked. Gotta love psychology.
Debby had two of my photographs up at work. She already took down one of the grandkids photos to find room for one of them. We'll probably move another family picture to find room for the other. I'm afraid we are not inventive enough to get them all up. And there is something weird about taking people's pictures down to put up pictures of critters. Perhaps our next house will have a large gallery room, or long hallways with clerestory lighting.
We want to see the bird feeders from our work rooms. Debby's study faces front and mine to the rear. Mine is easy, the feeder must hang from the edge of the patio cover; no other options are available. Debby's must hang from the large amber tree next to the front porch, but we haven't come to an agreement on which limb yet. I hope the birds can wait while we figure this out. We had smaller stick-your-beak-in-the-hole feeders in the back for some time. But wasps found one and began to build a nest in it, so we took them down and they're not back in service yet. We only ever saw house finches and house sparrows at them. But the new ones are tray-type feeders, so maybe we'll get some different varieties.
A couple of critter prints:
(175mm, f/5, 1/40s, ISO 200)
(150mm, f/6.7, 1/180s, ISO 400)
I am thinking maybe we need to go to a revolving picture exhibit where we switch out a few pictures every month to give all an equal viewing. I am a wannabe nature photographer and have a bunch of pictures I'd like to hang, but there is no room for them in my preferred size, 13" x 19", the largest I can print on my printer. I am relegated to watching slide shows of my pictures on our 50" HD plasma display. That's actually better, I think. But there's something about my print on a wall that is satisfying. Also, even though they are technically mediocre, when hanging on the wall, many people infer they must be great, so the technical demerits may get overlooked. Gotta love psychology.
Debby had two of my photographs up at work. She already took down one of the grandkids photos to find room for one of them. We'll probably move another family picture to find room for the other. I'm afraid we are not inventive enough to get them all up. And there is something weird about taking people's pictures down to put up pictures of critters. Perhaps our next house will have a large gallery room, or long hallways with clerestory lighting.
We want to see the bird feeders from our work rooms. Debby's study faces front and mine to the rear. Mine is easy, the feeder must hang from the edge of the patio cover; no other options are available. Debby's must hang from the large amber tree next to the front porch, but we haven't come to an agreement on which limb yet. I hope the birds can wait while we figure this out. We had smaller stick-your-beak-in-the-hole feeders in the back for some time. But wasps found one and began to build a nest in it, so we took them down and they're not back in service yet. We only ever saw house finches and house sparrows at them. But the new ones are tray-type feeders, so maybe we'll get some different varieties.
A couple of critter prints:
(175mm, f/5, 1/40s, ISO 200)
(150mm, f/6.7, 1/180s, ISO 400)
Friday, December 5, 2008
Music Education
I made two small decisions last night, to resume piano studies and to get my music studio somewhat functional. The latter decision was prompted by the keyboard not being connected the studio, requiring me to unplug my headphones from the studio and plug them into the keyboard synth for each practice session. Problem solved, after some re-cabling and moving of furniture to get cables to reach. Now I can hear myself practicing on either studio monitors or studio headphones. See the Studio pages of my other blog site for studio details.
Practicing some chords and scales after a year layoff from my studies, my fingers at first didn't seem to remember what to do. But in five minutes, their muscle memory came back perhaps half way. Amazing. I had taken three semesters of group lessons at the local JC a while back, and will continue with self study for the immediate future.
My first goal is to be able to play well some simple pieces that my children played in grade school. One of their books, Eugénie Rocherolle's Simple Pleasures, always appealed to me. I had a couple of these pieces well in hand before I last set aside piano work, so perhaps this spring I will have some success (success at the 3rd grade level, that is. sigh.) My intermediate goal is to be able to play something by Brahms well. Hah, I'm still searching for something simple enough (in its original un-simplified form) that I can reasonably take aim at. Such may not exist.
In conjunction with keyboard practice, last week I purchased the music textbook Tonal Harmony. I checked some college bookstores online to see what book was in vogue, and TH is The One. I found a nice used 5th ed. with CDs for under $30, in unread condition. Also, yesterday I purchased a old 3rd ed. of Kennan's Counterpoint book for $1 to use as a change of pace. It's in pretty nice shape, looking unread except for some highlighting in the intro, and with bumped corners. Thanks, Amazon used books.
Overall, I know most of the information in TH, but not at a crisp, working level. That's my goal. I used to have Walter Piston's book on Harmony from my college days, but I recall not getting much out of it and apparently gave it away at some point.
It seems I have many interests that I visit cyclically, as I am revisiting keyboard practice today. When getting absorbed intensely in something for a period, it starts to get old. Then I leave it temporarily and move on to the next. I envision my interests in a circle, and I eventually get back to the one I just set aside, at which time it seems like a new adventure again. I did not start out with this large circle of interests, but have added them along the way. The circle may get larger yet. I don't see it contracting.
Practicing some chords and scales after a year layoff from my studies, my fingers at first didn't seem to remember what to do. But in five minutes, their muscle memory came back perhaps half way. Amazing. I had taken three semesters of group lessons at the local JC a while back, and will continue with self study for the immediate future.
My first goal is to be able to play well some simple pieces that my children played in grade school. One of their books, Eugénie Rocherolle's Simple Pleasures, always appealed to me. I had a couple of these pieces well in hand before I last set aside piano work, so perhaps this spring I will have some success (success at the 3rd grade level, that is. sigh.) My intermediate goal is to be able to play something by Brahms well. Hah, I'm still searching for something simple enough (in its original un-simplified form) that I can reasonably take aim at. Such may not exist.
In conjunction with keyboard practice, last week I purchased the music textbook Tonal Harmony. I checked some college bookstores online to see what book was in vogue, and TH is The One. I found a nice used 5th ed. with CDs for under $30, in unread condition. Also, yesterday I purchased a old 3rd ed. of Kennan's Counterpoint book for $1 to use as a change of pace. It's in pretty nice shape, looking unread except for some highlighting in the intro, and with bumped corners. Thanks, Amazon used books.
Overall, I know most of the information in TH, but not at a crisp, working level. That's my goal. I used to have Walter Piston's book on Harmony from my college days, but I recall not getting much out of it and apparently gave it away at some point.
It seems I have many interests that I visit cyclically, as I am revisiting keyboard practice today. When getting absorbed intensely in something for a period, it starts to get old. Then I leave it temporarily and move on to the next. I envision my interests in a circle, and I eventually get back to the one I just set aside, at which time it seems like a new adventure again. I did not start out with this large circle of interests, but have added them along the way. The circle may get larger yet. I don't see it contracting.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)