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I don't think this year I´l achieve the good result of last year but I am working very hard for this: This year the 10th edition is celebrated and a much tougher journey is expected, Despite not being at my best physically, I am happy to return and share this special day with my friends and colleagues from other teams. During this time I have received many calls and messages of support and encouragement. No drama, I'm glad to be back

I can't think of Richard Simmons, without thinking about his appearance on Who's Line is it Anyway.

This is Shannen with my Cousin Michelle, sometime last year. She just happened to run into her at H.E.B. Said she was super nice. R.I.P. Shannen.

Simply Chet... "embraceable you"

Looking at the stats, Not only the best team on the day, but the best team in the tournament had a well deserved win. Next time indeed.

^^ TICE comes running to post....

A member of Joannes book club was having a retirement party, and I was under instructions not to look at my phone during the event. But there was a grazing table And ice cream cake And now I'm plugged back into the internet. So not a bad afternoon 😉

I've been playing with the D4S all weekend. Man, it's funny how familiar the Nikon controls feel after so many years with the D7000 and how easy it is to fall back into workflow/process. Still working on nailing focus points. Low light performance is impressive. That was in an essentially dark room with the little man lit only by the light of his phone.

Went to take a shower today, and a very young mouse was visiting in my tub😮 Should have taken a pic, very cute little thing. Put it in a box with air holes until I could take my shower and put it outside. The dichotomy of our reactions: Karen: "Oh, gross, we need to get rid of it and any others...." Todd: "It's SOOO cute, we should get a habitrail and keep him...." 🤣 I did let him outside, but fear he's too small to survive on his own. And we got some no-escape traps to see if others are here and can be captured. I also plan on getting some humane packages of those mint or other deterrents....

The fact that Apple is still selling machines with 8GB of memory (that can't be upgraded) in 2024 is as insane as it is irritating. I took my eyes off my mum's 84 year old friend for two days (after telling her to get an Air with 24GB) and she shows up with an 8GB model. There's a guy on the MV stuff for sale hawking a new in box M1 Air ...with 8GB. I refuse to have anything to do with a Mac that has less RAM than the GPU in my Wintendo.

RIP Ruth and Richard, two unique characters who helped many others.

Sweet strawberries, jam and scones to try and take away the bitter aftertaste of defeat.

Sorry Grahame, next time. This people at d-_-b have no idea what we're talking about.

I updated the firmware in the D200 (which was still running v1.01, from 2005). It was a peculiar, but reasonably painless process. So far my hit rate with it has been spectacularly bad (business as usual more or less.) I'm going lug the D200, 300mm, and a [gosh darn] tripod down to the docks and photograph some of the famous sights around here. I display classic Vineyarder behavior in seldom leaving my yard, never mind going to any of the famous and scenic places around here. In my defense, there's summer people everywhere.

I went to visit a good friend at her apartment building in Portland in 1990. While climbing the stairs to her floor, a little mouse, was sitting on a step. I was sure it'd run off as I got closer. I reached that step and the little mouse moved toward my foot. I put my hand down near it and it crawled right into my hand. I took it into my friends apartment. She grabbed a box, but didn't want to interact with my new friend. I knew that he must have been someone's pet, because he had no fear of people. I took him home, made him a temporary home in a bucket, and she put up a notice in her building. Nobody answered the notice, so I bought a proper cage. Had that little guy for about 2 years. Named him Machismo, after a local Mexcan fast food chain named Machismo Mouse.

I haven't spun any vinyl oin a while now, but while organizing today I put this on...

There's a reason I'm posting this song now, ...but I ain't gonna explain it.

I was just about to ask what film type was used.

There's a guy on MV selling a bunch of DSLRs for quite cheap. Most were of no interest to me (Canon Rebel T2i, Canon D40, Nikon D90, Nikon D3200) but he also had a 2005 vintage D200 paired with the 18-200mm VR (which is apparently a really good lens.) My main interest is attaching my 300mm F/4 to it and using it as an effective 450mm. The seller dropped it off this afternoon and I've been testing it out. Of course, it's absolutely pouring right now so I'm somewhat limited in what I can do. With that said, That's the 300mm successfully attached. I had to figure out how to remove the Nikon F to Canon EF adapter (a nontrivial task.) Did you know you have to set the aperture to smallest and flip a switch on the lens before you mount it or the camera displays a "fEE" error? Nikons are weird. The other lenses are the 18-200mm VR and a 50mm F/1.8 D I bought from a certain DACses hoarder like 15 years ago(!) Looking out the back door (with apologies to John Fogerty) with the 18-200. A not very good photo of a Night Herron taking shelter from the downpour. I should not be handholding a 300mm in the rain) or at any other point.)

We pulled a little Bay Area up to you last night for a family visit on Mel’s side in Auburn. Should only hit a chilly 99 today.

Steve Miller Band the joker xrcd

When I was in college, I was in a suite with a gent named Chuck (Charles). He would go to me and others with receding hairlines and warn us "...your follicles are CHOKING, pal....!" 😄 I am now almost completely bald, but I gave him some humorous grief that his receding hairline up his forehead went faster than mine. Only difference is now he has more (and darker) hair on his sides and back then me. But I enjoy this....I use a trimmer to shave what little is left maybe every 2-3 weeks, no cost to get a haircut anymore.

Did someone say bald?

I finished inputting into a spreadsheet all of the shows that Claire and I have kept ticket stubs for. She started the project years ago and logged over 300 shows from her journals, ticket stubs and scrap books. Now that I have finished all paper tickets we still have and added some that I have in memory but not on paper, the total is over 600 concerts, mostly rock (broadly defined) and jazz with a mix of symphony, bluegrass, rap, country, etc. There is a small percentage that we went to separately and I am not done scraping my memory and my friends' memories, but the bulk is now recorded. We're wondering if we will hit 1000 shows before we slip this mortal coil. Actually, that reminds me that I think I saw that band and definitely saw Dead Can Dance...

Went to the world premiere of the play Chaplin and Keaton on the Set of Limelight. Admired much of its depth, while also being irritated (an increasingly common feeling) by what's sacrificed in messy greatness for a more crafted output - equal number of lines, actors time, pivotal scenes properly spaced, traditional act structure, etc. all to serve a balanced, acceptable story. That didn’t start here though and still greatly enjoyed the dialog on comedy's purpose, the two comedian's differences, etc.

RIP Shannen Doherty who passed at the age of 53. She lived with stage 4 cancer for 4 years.

Oh man, a twofer. RIP Richard Simmons an man whose voice one can hear at mere mention of his named, passed at 76. His birthday was yesterday.

RIP Dr Ruth who passed the tender age of 96. Anyone alive in the 80s will remember her and late night talk show hosts doing impersonations of her.

It is funny how a multiple days over 110F really make you appreciate those days when it is “merely 103.”