Author Archives: momdude

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About momdude

Space cadet | Family dude | Photographer | Music lover | Traveler | Science fiction fan | Hugo Award nominee | Writer | 5x NASA Social participant | KC Chiefs fan | LA Kings fan | Senior Director of Finance & Administration for ALS Network | Member & former staff Finance Officer at the Commemorative Air Force SoCal Wing | Hard core left-wing liberal | Looking for whatever other shenanigans I can get into
December 17, 2019 · 22:05

Northern-ish Lights

No aurora in sight, especially this far south, ESPECIALLY with all of these city lights (hey, if it gets to the point where I can see aurora here under these conditions it will probably be a “bad day” – google “Carrington Event”) – but I did put some Christmas lights up on the north side of the property. Does that count?

Along the driveway there are some of those “big bulbs” that are just a little white LED inside a 3″ colored, lightbulb-shaped, plastic shell. The bushes there aren’t much more than knee-high at best, but they look great in this shot from low to the ground. All of those little rose bushes are there in between – maybe I’ll get another set or two of lights in there before we’re done.

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Filed under Christmas Lights, Photography

December 16, 2019 · 23:41

No Context For You – Video Version (December 16th)

Don’t blink, you’ll miss it.

Sort of like today in general. And last week. And November. And 2019…

But I finally tracked down the infamous “Red Nose Actually,” the 15-minute “sequel” to “Love Actually” with most of the original cast. Yeah, it’s an ad for the Red Nose charity, which is a good thing, and it’s a little hokey in spots. It’s also spectacular.

Jamie & Aurelia… Mark & Juliet… David & Natalie… And then Sam & Joanna…

Now what I wouldn’t give to find a clean, high-def copy that’s not got YouTube’s commercials interjected every two minutes!

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Filed under Video

December 15, 2019 · 22:47

Up On A Ladder Again

It was sunset (nice), ten days before Christmas (coming at us like a freight train), during one of the very, very, VERY few chunks of time per week that I have as discretionary or recreational time, so what am I doing?

Putting up MORE Christmas lights, of course!

Some of these aren’t exactly what I thought I was ordering, but they’re not too bad. I think they’ll grow on me.

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Filed under Castle Willett, Christmas Lights, Photography

December 14, 2019 · 22:47

Not The Greatest Of All Time

Not the GOAT…

…but just a goat.

What? Doesn’t everyone have goats at their Christmas party?

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Filed under CAF, Critters, Photography, Video

December 13, 2019 · 23:47

The BIG Ornament & The Red Trees

We finish an exhausting week by merging our last two day’s posts’ themes, almost like I had a plan or a clue. (For the record – I did not have a plan or a clue.)

Walking across the parking lot at work tonight I found last night’s BIG ornament rising in the east betwixt the red trees.

There was a nice scattering of high clouds to add some atmosphere to the scene.

It was beautiful.

I enjoyed it.

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Filed under Astronomy, Photography

December 12, 2019 · 22:57

That’s A BIG Ornament!

I got home tonight just in time to put the biggest & brightest ornament up at the peak of the garage roof!

It looks gorgeous up there. The best part is that it doesn’t cost a cent to light up like that!

Perfect placement, right there at the peak!

Wait! Wait! It’s floating away!

It got away from me. Too bad, it looked perfect there.

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Filed under Astronomy, Christmas Lights, Photography

December 11, 2019 · 22:24

The Red Trees Redux

The morning was off to an inauspicious start – second day in a row with no hot water in the house – and was headed south from there.

Not.

Good.

But the sky was very, very blue and the trees in the parking lot at work had gone from red to Very, VERY RED. In the morning sunlight they were brilliant.

I somehow reminded myself that no matter how much things might seem to suck at any given moment, there were beautiful things all around us if we could remember to see them.

I was a few minutes early, so I took the chance to look at the trees and the sky and take a few pictures.

There were cars driving by me in the parking lot with drivers looking at me like I was nuts.

Their loss.

The day still had big chunks that sucked – but I had seen the red leaves and the blue sky instead of just driving by them.

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Filed under Photography

December 10, 2019 · 23:29

No Context For You (December 10th)

Some days if it weren’t for the anger…

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Filed under Paul, Photography

December 9, 2019 · 23:10

NOW It’s Almost Christmas

Yeah, yeah, the lights are up and tonight we put up the tree. Those are all good precursors.

But tonight we had the first “Love Actually” viewing of the season. It won’t be the last.

I know there are some very vocal folks who absolutely despise the film – I have nothing polite or nice to say about them. They are soulless.

It is simultaneously uplifting, complex, heartbreaking, hilarious, and satisfying.

Gotta go. Rowan Atkinson is wrapping a gift…

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Filed under Entertainment

December 8, 2019 · 23:27

Ice Rings

I went outside to take out the trash, grateful that it had stopped raining, even though it was cold. (As always, that’s “LA cold,” not “real cold.” In other words, 51°, not 11°!) Once I got out I could see that it wasn’t as dark as I had expected, with some moonlight and the clouds breaking up a bit after a week or so of steady rain.

Between the cold, the moon, and the layers of icy, high level clouds, there was the most amazing colored 360° moonbow surrounding the moon overhead.

The cellphone doesn’t do a spectacular job on this type of photo, mainly because of the extreme contract in brightness and the lack of anything solid to focus on.

But you can get an idea of the moonbow. Not as vivid as a rainbow’s colors, but still quite beautiful!

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Filed under Astronomy, Photography, Space