The Sun went down:
and the full “strawberry” Moon came up (the final full moon of spring):
I’m still here…
Category Archives: Photography
Which God’s Dog Did I Kick
Work deadlines, forever home house hunting, starting to pack for the move, filling out mortgage application paperwork, the news, the world, the Mango Mussolini & his cult, skunks, gophers… It is enough to get on your last nerve and dance on it a bit.
And when you finally think that maybe, perhaps, against all odds, you might be keeping your nose above water, the Universe says, “Yeah, right! It’s cute that you think that!”
I’m trying to keep it in the proper perspective. It’s not cancer. I wasn’t hit by a car. The Long-Suffering Wife and my kids are all fine. But, on the other hand – JEEZ LOUISE!!
Those of you who have been reading a while will remember that last summer was a freakin’ festival of fun in a dental sense, with three root canals and all of the accompanying crowns and fillings and EXPENSE and *PAIN*!
Eating breakfast this morning I felt the “pop!” and the “crack!” (no “snap,” but I might have missed that in all of the excitement of the moment) and sure enough, there’s a huge chunk of tooth that’s gone walkabout.
I’m not in absolute agony, thankfully, but it’s tender and sore and I’m going to assume that absolute agony is in the on-deck circle just waiting for it’s turn at bat any moment, so as busy as this week already was going to be, I’m going to need to figure out how to squeeze in at least one and probably a couple of dental appointments.
Using a phrase I think I learned from the esteemed Jim Wright online (“Stonekettle”), “Which god’s dog did I kick? And how do I apologize?”
This too shall pass. But then again, they say that about kidney stones, and I’ve had them a number of times and I never want to have them again. Just like major dental work.
Filed under Health, Paul, Photography
Fine Feathered Friends – June 5th
The male house finches are in all of their red-feathered splendor, trying to attract a mate.
Whatever works!
Filed under Birds, Photography
Rain Freckles
I wasn’t expecting rain today at all. No clue that it was in the forecast. So when it started, I double checked. It wasn’t in the forecast!
My first clue that there was weather in the area was the thunder and lightning showing up in the Friends of Big Bear Valley video feed. Outside, seventy miles away, it was moving in.
A few minutes later, the rain started here. It was a desert rain, HUGE drops hitting hard, but not a lot of them.
It was also really dry, extremely low humidity, so the drops hit and evaporated almost immediately, leaving the “rain freckles” effect for quite a while before it actually looked wet.
Filed under Photography, Weather
A Calm Pool
Some days you have certain priorities and the world has others.
I remain a clam pool amid the chaos, despite the fact that my to-do list didn’t shrink nearly as much as I had hoped for today.
Is there a nice old picture I can share, just as a break from the doom scrolling and endless stream of numbers?
Something I saw online said something like “Take two Bufferin capsules with a cup of Sanka and a glass of Tang and you’ll wake up in 1974 in the back seat of a Buick LeSabre.” I would take that deal, I would love to be back in 1974 and at Center Pond (shown) for a day or two with some dear friends who are no longer with us.
Instead, there’s a yet longer to-do list waiting for tomorrow.
Filed under Paul, Photography, Travel
June 2025
It feels like I’m on a roller coaster at the top of the first lift hill – you know, that moment where it pauses for a second and lets you look over the edge, and while you’re not accelerating downward just yet, you know it’s coming, coming soon, and there’s absolutely nothing you can do to stop it?
May was like a month of setting up a huge set of dominos. Big picture, from an impartial, outside view, most of these upcoming adventures are good things. The search for the Forever Home. Starting to pack and think about the logistics of moving one final time. The annual audit at work. A bunch of other projects at work. Making some deliberate changes to my daily routines and habits (exercise, a trainer, more discipline in self care) to deal with some of the aging and stress issues. Mostly good, just change, and change is always stressful, even when (or perhaps “especially when”) it’s necessary and desireable.
Maybe it’s more like standing in the doorway of an airplane, waiting to do your first jump. You know that you want to do it, you know that it’s going to be a good thing, but it’s still terrifying.
It’s sure looking a lot like after months and months of prep and setting the stage, June is going to be when all of those dominos start to fall, when the roller coaster dives into its first loop, and when I really, really need to see if all of that planning and prep pays off and the parachute opens.
Exciting.
Exhausting.
Terrifying.
So here’s a picture of the DWP building and sunset from the Music Center last night.
As for Robert O’Hara’s new vision of “Hamlet” from yesterday? Someone who’s much more of a student of Shakespeare will need to weigh in. I’m just going to sit here and mutter “WT actual F??!!” over and over a lot.
Filed under Forever Home, Paul, Photography
Some Whacked Out Danish Prince Dude
Our final performance at the Mark Taper Forum this year (one more at the Ahmanson next month):
To recap, “Green Day’s American Idiot” was wonderful and “Fake It Until You Make It” was…not.
This is a “bold new reimagining” and so on, but Gina Torres is in it as Gertrude, so I’m along for the ride. “Depictions of blood and violence, themes of suicide, substance abuse, strong language, simulated sex acts, and nudity.” What’s not to love?!
Filed under Entertainment, Los Angeles, Photography
Proof Of Life – May 29th
SOOOOO angry tonight. Or frustrated. Or both.
Our payroll is due tonight and I just found out that they’ve COMPLETELY redesigned their data entry interface with zero warning, and it SUCKS!!! I always thought that the early implementations of QuickBooks Online was the worst program I’ve ever seen or used – this is giving it a run for its money.
The data entry that usually takes 30-45 minutes has already taken over an hour and I’m only a third of the way through it – at this pace it will be 1:30 or 2:00 AM or later before I’m done. And that assumes that there aren’t any more surprises or re-designs or other complications later, like when I want to get a report to verify that I’ve entered all of the data correctly.
WTF were they thinking??!!
Meanwhile, for reasons that make no sense at all to me, I got to thinking about how I don’t know how to stand for pictures without looking incredibly awkward. For example:
This has always been a favorite in this category. Prague, 2006. Calling Dork Central! What exactly am I doing with my arms, and why does it look like they’re both broken?
This is a little better. At least I found something to do with my hands. And these days I’m about 50 pounds lighter, so that helps…
Back to battle with the “new & improved” payroll software or I’ll NEVER get to bed tonight!
Filed under Freakin' Idiots!, Paul, Photography, Travel
Beautiousness
Between work deadlines, forever home house hunting, preparing to move sooner rather than later, and *LIFE*, I’m overwhelmed enough so that I don’t know the day of the week without checking my watch, the day of the month is iffy at best, and even which month we’re in can be a crap shoot. Given that, it’s no surprise that I’ve lost track completely of what the current phase of the moon is. I sorta remember a full moon a while back, but was it a week ago? Two weeks ago? Closer to three? Who knows!?
Apparently it was about two and a half weeks ago. While doing a lap of the back yard just after sunset, I spotted this:
My first thought was to think “cool!” and move on. I wasn’t going to take a picture or spend another second on it, I’m swamped. (Remember?)
But then I came to my senses. I took the picture specifically to share tonight as a reminder to stop, look around, pay attention to the beauty and wonders that are lurking everywhere. (Can beauty lurk?)
Life’s short. Listen to Ferris Bueller. “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
Take time to smell the roses. Or say hello to the crescent moon hanging up there in the sunset clouds.
Filed under Astronomy, Photography, Sunsets
Stained Glass – May 27th
St Michael’s Cathedral in Brussels.
The messages and stories and sentiment might be lost on me – I’ve done my time and I’m not a believer.
But I’m still always drawn to the beauty and craftsmanship that’s lasted for centuries.
Filed under Art, Photography
We Love The Stars Too Fondly 