Things Take a Turn

Last week, I had an errand to run on my way home from work.  I'd put it off all week because I didn't want to get back on my bike for an uphill ride after getting home.

So I did some Google Maps research, and found a way to hit the store after getting off at Rockridge instead of MacArthur.  And then the ride was mostly downhill.

So yesterday I did essentially the same ride without stopping at the store.  Jennifer and I think I made it home at just about the same time.

I looked at the distances and it's only two-tenths of a mile farther from Rockridge, and with the majority of it being downhill it's similar time.  All this because after Rockridge, the BART tracks and Highway 24 turn a bit south.

On a related note, I was paying a little more attention yesterday than Friday, and noticed that the Safeway at Claremont and College is gone.  There's just an empty lot ringed in fence.  I checked the website, and it's still listed, so I'm guessing that it's being renovated.  And it sure needed it.

Travel

So, next week, I'll be in Watsonville helping out with some regular sampling.  So I'll be there Monday through Wednesday.

And today I get to drive to Lodi to submit permits.

At least I'll be away from the Bay Area if BART decides to strike next week.

Newness

Yesterday (Friday), was supposed to be a day for getting work done on my tattoo.  However, it turned out that my artist was getting over being sick, and so he postponed that until today.

So yesterday I go the new iPhone 5S.  Now, I had waited for my contract to end, and then waited for the new version of the phone, so I had been using an iPhone 4 for over two and a half years.  I had already experimented with the new iOS 7, and had been very happy with it.  I was just ready for a faster phone, and the new features really interested me.  Plus the home button onthe 4 was about shot.

I love the speed onthe new phone, very much an improvement after so long, and the fingerprint reader is amazing.

So for those who know, you may be wondering, how do you get to Davis without a car?  Well, you take Amtrak.  Emeryville to Davis is not much more that and hour and a half, and is really a nice ride.  Home is about 10 minutes from the Emeryville station, and Primary Concepts in Davis is only 0.2 miles from the station on that end.

And, sad to say, I'm not done; however, seeing what the artist did today, I'm happy to take another session.  The colors are amazing and intense.  And it makes the black of space that much more 

A Bridge Kind Of Near

Yesterday when I got home, I changed into biking togs, and Jennifer and I biked out to the new span of the Oakland Bay Bridge.

Once we got to the gate we felt pretty good, but there was a growing wind as approached the bridge proper.  At the end of the land trail there is a steep incline that is reminiscent of the climb at Golden Gate Fields.  And then, you're on the bridge, and it is a constant 2% grade.  Even when you get to the suspension section, it doesn't really slope down.  We got to the end of the bike lane which is where the trail would almost intersect the old span.  According to signs and such, we will have to wait for the old span to be removed for the lane to be connected to Yerba Buena Island.  That isn't scheduled to happen until 2015, so we've got some time to wait.

It was a good time to rest and take some pictures.

Then we went downhill home.  That was an awesome payoff and we laughed, yahooed, and chortled the whole way to back to IKEA.

Of course, I forgot to run my tracker app, so I'll have to do it again, but after almost half an hour of riding to the end of the lane on the bridge, we seemed to get back to IKEA in 5 minutes.

I am Disappoint

So Jennifer and I have been bummed from being sick and unable to ride our bikes across the new span of the Bay Bridge.  And tonight after dinner, we had a bit of energy and thought we'd do a little night jaunt to Yerba Buena and back.

Yeah, that didn't happen.

The weekend before Labor Day we had ridden the trail to a set of gates that allowed us to see the toll plaza, but go no further.  Tonight those same gates were closed again.  And taped to them was an 8.5x11 sheet of paper stating that the trail was closed at 6:00.

To this I ask, "Why the hell is the bridge closed to bikes at night?"

There are lights.  More than four of them, even.

I cannot determine why the bridge is so much less safe for bikes after dark, not even dark, but 6:00 PM, that the trail would be closed.

I'll certainly be making some phone calls tomorrow to find out why I can ride on any surface street 24 hours a day, but can't ride on a well lit bike and pedestrian trail after 6:00.

Phonebloks

Earlier today, I was pointed to Phonebloks by two sites that I regularly visit.

Technically, I was referred to this video below:


I think the concept is incredible.  It's like legos and reminds me of my old PC tower.  I was gettign good for a while upgrading my PC.  This could really be a thing.

Failed Health Rolls

Many of my friends who read this may or may not know that my mom has a blog.

And last Thursday, mom was admitted to the hospital due to heart and blood pressure problems.

I just to go visit her today because Jennifer and I were sick last week and didn't really recover until Saturday night/Sunday morning.  I figured one of the last things I should do is go see mom in the hospital while I have a fever and a cough.  Really, the only time you should go to the hospital with a fever and a cough is because you have a fever and a cough.

We weren't that bad, just bad enough we felt we shouldn't subject others to our condition.

I saw her today though since I work about 10 minutes from the hospital, and she looks pretty good and is in good spirits.  Her only complaint (other than the whole heart thing and missing out on volunteering) is that the heart monitor will not allow her to shower, so her hair is a little flat after five days.

She's still not going to get to go home today, but hopefully she will soon.

Magma Illumination

I think one of the coolest gifts I ever got was a lava lamp.  And I didn't get it until I was in college.

Lava lamps were fascinating items when I was a kid.  Watching them in stores was amazing.  The easily surpassed those other kitschy items: the miniature Venus de Milo surrounded my what looked like rain falling.

I'm actually on my second lava lamp now (same color scheme yellow wax in blue liquid in a brass stand) because the original one stopped circulating no matter how I changed the light bulb.

And today I read this article.

Friends of mine have a huge collection of lava lamps and variations on the theme.  They have all different colors, plus glitter lamps that swirl.

It might be a night to turn on the lamp again.  It's been a while.

Elevators of Blood

So yesterday, I watched "Room 237" a documentary about symbolism and trickery in Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining".

Most of the documentary was pretty good, but I realized that I had seen part of it on YouTube (the section on the architectural tricks).

Over all, it's an interesting film with guesses on it's hidden meaning.  But of course there's no way of knowing.  Is it a statement on the Jewish Holocaust?  Is it about the massacre of Native Americans throughout US history?

And then suddenly, I was taken out of he movie and angered.  One of the "experts" started going off on how there are hidden messages in the movie that Kubrick is using to tell everyone how he was the person behind the filming of the faked Apollo missions to the moon.

At that point I half tuned out because I was so pissed off.  The rest had some cool ideas like using the mirror imagery to show the film forward and backward projected on the same screen.

So, if you like the movie, I would recommend the documentary, but take some of the ideas with a grain of salt.

Bridging the Bay

Tonight about 10:30, I heard a helicopter hovering outside.

Yes, I know, of course it was hovering outside.  But anyway,

I looked out at the new Bay Bridge, and saw a fleet of police cars with lights flashing heading across the bridge towards Treasure Island.  And they were followed by a swarm of red taillights.  I watched with binoculars as they kept going, and I could only assume that the bridge was open.

Then a few minutes later, another fleet of police cars came the other direction followed by headlights.

It is certainly a sight to see.

On a lighter note, I also discovered that if you have a high enough powered telescope, you can see into my bedroom from the Hills Brothers sign in San Francisco.

Just an FYI.

Fool Me Once...

So some people might remember this post about me getting on the wrong train at MacArthur.

This morning I was a little earlier, and was standing with my bike at my usual spot having noted that the next train (Concord was next) was a few minutes out.  I have my headphones on, and I'm reading, so I vaguely hear the sounds of a train coming, so I begin getting ready.

Then I not that the train is shorter than advertised, so I check the signs.  They say "Richmond".

I didn't get on, but I watched several people rush on and I wonder if they ended up going the wrong way for a few stops like I did that one time.

I do wonder though, why the train occasionally ends up on the wrong track.

Is it a switching issue?  Or is it just a little hiccup?

Either way, I was glad I had arrived 5 minutes prior.

Triskadekamania - The Conclusion

So "The World's End" was lots of fun.  I'm kind of glad I came across an interview with Simon Pegg, because I had some cool things to look for during the movie, but they might have been more fun to look for on a second viewing.

Afterwards, Jennifer and I wandered around Bay Street, and had lunch at the Elephant Bar.

Then we rode back home and did laundry.

Trsikadekamania

It was thirteen years ago today that Jennifer and I got married.

Today we've gone bicycling for breakfast, explored the extent of the new bike trail to the new Bay Bridge.  It's a little short of the toll plaza so far, but we're looking forward to the new trail.

Now we're waiting for Simon Pegg's new movie "The World's End".

Blood Song - Raven's Shadow

So today at lunch, I finished Anthony Ryan's Blood Song which is apparently the first book in a saga about the Raven's Shadow.

Jennifer always describes books that move her as movies.  She talks about dodging for the hero during a fight.  She talks about seeing the action like a movie while she's reading.  I can think of some that I've experienced that way, and now I have another.

As I read Blood Song, I could feel some of Ryan's influences.  The literary style of the story is reminiscent of the Kingkiller Saga by Patrick Rothfuss (also an amazing series).  There are elements that hark to the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind.  And in the way that the occasional person talks, there is just a hint of Terry Pratchett.

Now that is not to say that it is a book that is just a mishmash of other people's work.  The action is fast and just carries you through.  I kept expecting the book to nearly be over because so much had happened.  And yet the story keeps going, carrying the tale and making you want more.

I am certainly looking forward to a sequel.

The Perfect Apple

So those who know me know that I eat very little fruit.  I don't like berries, I can't handle citrus pulp, and feel the same way about the skin of an apple.  I will suck a lemon wedge dry though.

I discovered that I could eat apples when I peel them or cut into them and eat out to the skin.

Eating apples started to become a regular thing during my field courses during my undergraduate work.  We got to make our lunches, and one time I grabbed an apple (red delicious).  I had my Leatherman with me, and at lunch time I skinned it, and it was one of the best tasting things I had ever eaten.  Plus it gave me some needed sugar and water.  And as an added bonus, the pile of skin that I was smart enough to pile up away from where my team partners and I were eating gave the flies a place to gather and not bother us while we ate.

After returning to civilization, I would occasionally try to recreate the experience, but then I had to hunt for the right flavor and texture.  I wanted something slightly tart with a crisp texture.

After much experimentation, I found the braeburn apple.  It has become my go to, and yet still there is a surprising amount of variation from apple to apple depending on the color, the date, and their age.

Every now and then I get the perfect apple.  One that is crisp, moist, sweet with a hint of sour, and no hidden bruises.

But today, I read this article, and fear for my apples.

And you cannot imagine how difficult is was to type "apple" so many times.

Divergence

So today is a day of split feelings.

I am glad that BART is running.  All thanks to the governor and judge who enacted a 60-day cooling off period for the union and management negotiations.

At the same time I am bummed, because I could have worked from home.  There's just something nice about working at a computer and having a purring cat on the desk with you.

But I guess that ius all delayed until sometime in October, unless of course negotiations get everything worked out before then.

And the Words Just Keep on Coming...

So yesterday on BART, I suddenly came to the end of Bowl of Heaven by Larry Niven and Gregory Benford.

I say suddenly because as I read the last page there was a very clumsy segue from what the captain of the orbiting ship is thinking about the giant structure his crew has been exploring and a page telling me the title of the next book.

Now, it was no surprise at about two-thirds progress that the book wasn't going to resolve, but I expected some kind of stressful event at the end.  Some minor revelation that would engender some anticipation on the part of the reader.  Instead the last four chapters are perspectives from the two exploring ground crews, a perspective from the aliens, and then a brief chapter from the captain.

I've read almost everything Larry Niven has written including all of the Ringworld series, and Niven knows how to wrap up a story.  Even ones that you can anticipate as having sequels he wraps up the small threads leaving the big thread dangling, and usually will give a little cliffhanger.  I can only guess that this is Benford's writing style, since I've only read anthologies that he has been editor for.

So now I move on to some different things.  I've started Jim Gaffigan's Dad is Fat which has already been very fun and entertaining, and might last me through tonight.  It's fast and funny, but it's a comedian's book, so it's not very deep.  And if you haven't heard or seen his stand-up, you really need to.

After this book...  I'm just not sure.Perhaps I'll read Discworld again.  Pratchett has said that the 40th book of the Discworld series is coming out in October.  I could easily be through the other books and short-stories by then.  I might even have time to read the fourth installment of the Science of Discworld.

Book Reviews

So earlier this week, I completed Ted Kosmatka's Prophet of Bones.

This is a book I could see turned into a movie.  And it would work with or without the parallel world tenet that potassium-argon radioactive dating had been discredited.  And I say that it would make a good movie in that it read well and I could see the movie kind of action in my head, and yet it didn't seem like a novelization of a script.  I will certainly look for other works by Kosmatka.

The only thign that really bothered me was one possible villain who seems to disappear.  In the movie in my head, I was totally expecting him to jump out near the end.

In the intervening days, I have read Larry Niven and Matthew Joseph Harrington's The Goliath Stone.  And I tore through this one.  It read fast even for a Niven book.  I think it could have easily been twice as long.  The reader follows four people in various levels, and the story is fun, but I did find myself wishing for more story.  It moved fast and was fun, but I wished it could have had the intensity of Footfall or Lucifer's Hammer.

Now I'm on to Niven and Gregory Benford's Bowl of Heaven which already has overtones of Ringworld  and Rendezvous with Rama.  It does have a "thicker" feel to the story, but is still intriguing already.

The Plague

So my friend John posted these two posts (1, 2) with regards to squirrels found to have the bubonic plague in southern California.

It reminded me of a story the CIH (certified industrial hygienist) at Kleinfelder told us of work he did on a base in Wyoming or Colorado.

Their health and safety briefing including a warning to avoid the prairie dogs in the area.  Apparently, prairie dogs are normally shy and keep their distance from humans.  Unfortunately, the prairie dogs on the base were infected with bubonic plague, and the sicker ones were lethargic, and unable to flee from curious humans.

Now, we all in the modern age know how the plague was spread, and that the fleas would leave the dead or dying body of the rats and jump to nearby humans.  A similar thing was happening to the prairie dogs, with the added bonus that the sick ones were too weak to run away from the humans.  Those humans who had not been warned would approach the prairie dogs and get within flea jumping range.

I think I'll just avoid all rodents for a while, thanks.

(And as I tag this post, I discover that I've already told this story...)

Reading to Come

So last night I finished Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter's The Long War.  (Yes, yes, I know, some wars are longer than others...)

I enjoyed the concept in the first book (The Long Earth), and I appreciate the story this time, but each book has ended with a big event that seems to only be there to set up the next book.  I think this is probably more Baxter's influence than Pratchett's.  Terry always wraps things up neatly at the end.  (Perhaps it isn't just an American sensibility then...)  That's not saying I won't read the coming sequels, it's just that the end of the book kind of comes one or two commercial breaks before I think it should really end..

I my reading queue I've got two new collaborations by Larry Niven, and then I'm probably going to re-read Discworld before the new book come out.

But first I'm reading Prophet of Bones.  I heard about Ted Kosmatka's new book this iO9 article.  And I found the concept intriguing.

Now, I'm not the kind of guy that reads the credits of video games.  I don't even always know the names of the people in the bands that I like.  (Yes, I know there isn't really a Pink Floyd.)  But the Portal saga runs parallel to the SimCity series for my favorite computer games.  And so I thought I would have to try this one out.  I just started it this morning on BART, so I'll withhold judgement for a while.