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.

Birthday Weekend

So it was a busy weekend.

Friday I worked from home doing an online course for my 8-Hour HAZWOPER refresher, and in between sections, I went into the city and had a dental exam.  It appears that the silver fillings were not done very well, so I was scheduled to get a new filling on one tooth for Monday and we'll keep an eye on another one.

Saturday, on the day, Jennifer took me shopping, ostensibly for a new outfit for the evening's celebration.

We went in to San Francisco Center, and started the day with gelato.  Then we went to David's Tea and got some loose leaf.  For clothes, we found a cool jacket and a shirt at Express, but the shirt didn't really go with the jacket.  So, we just trotted up to Nordstrom and just happened to hit their anniversary sale.  We got two really nice shirts, one that I ended up wearing and another that we ordered to get the correct size.  That one has these great royal blue stripes and crisscrosses.  I'll wear that one soon.

So we went back home, relaxed for a bit, and then put the outfit together with other pieces I already had.

And that night we went to Bourbon & Branch with two other couples.  We even got the upper room.  We started everyone off with the Laphroaig Project which is Laphroaig Whiskey, Chartreuse, and citrus.  TI has an amazing mix of flavors that blend and separate when you drink it.  Then we all just experimented with different mixed drinks.  Then because none of us had eaten since around lunch, we went to Nopa for a late night dinner.

Sunday, Jennifer and I rode out on our bikes and had donuts at Golden Gate Donuts, and then went to Piedmont Springs for a hot tub and sauna experience.  After that, it became a supplies shopping day, and we did runs from Target and Trader Joe's.

Yesterday, I got my new filling, and came in for work afterwards.

This weekend, we're looking forward to the Berkeley Kite Festival.

Be Cos, Be Cos, Be Cos, Be Cos, Be Cos....

I just read this, and I am so happy.

There's nothing up yet at Comedy Central, but this is exciting news.

I can remember my parents talking about getting to see Bill Cosby live at one of the Chevron conventions.  They even have a picture of them together.

My first exposure to Bill Cosby was through "Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids".  It was a show right up there with Looney Tunes, and I loved watching it.  It wasn't until a few years later that some other Chevron kids introduced me to his stand-up.  They had to albums: "The Best of...", and "When I Was a Kid".  And when I learned about then, I listened to them whenever we were over at their house.

Then we moved to Kentucky, and the charity my parents were volunteering for had an auction.  I bought two things at that auction (live too, not silent).  I got a black, baseball mitt which I would use for a good 20 years and a promotional LP copy of "Bill Cosby: Himself".

That's when I stared looking around, and soon found out that some libraries had records you could check out.

So I began to grow my Cosby collection.  TDK SA90 all the way.

It was at this time that my physics class partner in my Maryland high school and I used to run whole routines back and forth during Physics lab.

As I worked my way back and around, I heard the evolution of the Cosby kids, and that Fat Albert's car with a Cessna airplane engine was originally attributed to someone else (whose name I am ashamed to say, I cannot remember right now).  Then there were the routines that I recognized as having been turned into Cosby Kids episodes (the Chicken Heart, the hernia, the game of buck-buck).

Not long after my parents saw and met Bill Cosby, his son Ennis was killed in a shooting.  I thought he would stop performing because it was obvious that while he loved his four daughters, Ennis had a special place in his heart for his son.  He did take some time off, but he returned and kept providing humor to all of us who have enjoyed his work for years.

I am certainly looking forward to November, and a new show.

Jumping for Joy

So my latest binge read was Steven Gould's Jumper series.

...Except for Griffin's Story which was written as a prequel for the movie.  That book sucked.

Jumper came out in 1992, and I was instantly a fan.  It is a book about a boy named Davy Rice who becomes able to teleport, and how it affects his life.  There are other events that follow that direct his development, and the book just gets better.  It's a 5-star book.

I wanted a book every year like some of the other authors I was reading at the time.  Jumper became one of those books that I would read every year.  And then when our GURPS group started a psionics campaign, I shaped my character around Davy.  My character even keeps a copy of Jumper in every home he has, and often has a copy on him as well.

The sequel Reflex came out 12 years later, and tells the story of Davy's wife Millie.  While it doesn't have quite the same fun behind it as Jumper did, it's still a really good book.

Then there was 4 years of silence, and then a tease with a short story called "Shade".

Last year, he wrote a third book called Impulse, the story of Davy and Millie's daughter Cent.  Yes there's teen angst to it, she's only 16, but there's also the continuing story of Davy and Millie doing their good deeds, tracking those who are hunting them, and dealing with their daughter.

Everything after Jumper is 4-star stuff.  That's probably my perspective because the first one caught my imagination so much, but that is not to say that 4 stars are bad, they just weren't as captivating as the first.

I can only hope that Gould writes more in the series.  Soon.

Haste Makes Waste

So, sometimes things go differently than what you expect.

At MacArthur BART (and most BART stations), it is stated on signs and therefore, predictable what train is on which track.  This morning I came up the stairs and there were two trains waiting at the platform.  On any normal day, from the stairs, Concord/Pittsburg/Bay Point trains are to the right, and Richmond trains are to the left.  The doors to the trains were open, so I rushed into the nearest car, and waited for the doors to close.

As the train took off, I started reading, but I noted that we got to a tunnel before stopping.  I thought I must have not been paying attention, and missed Rockridge.  Then the next station we stopped at was underground.  Neither Rockridge, not Orinda are underground.  Then right before the doors closed, I heard the voice of the operator say, "Richmond."

Damn, wrong train.

So, I got off at Berkeley, thankful that there was a new bike policy in place from July 1 allowing bikes in the commute direction, and rode back to MacArthur where I got on a Concord train, and ended up at work no earlier than I had been getting there.

8,500 Pages

So, Wednesday I finished Sandworms of Dune.

With the completion of the series, I read just about 8,500 pages.

There are probably other books that will come out that will be designed to fill in portions of the story, but the over-arcing tale is complete.

I have to admit that Brian and Kevin did a pretty good job of writing like Frank.  There are still bits of the story that I wish had gone better, but I am happy to have read the complete tale.

Telecommunity

So BART is on strike.  And being in negotiations with someone over buying my car, I didn't really have  way to get to Walnut Creek.  I explained my situation with my office manager, and he gave me permission to work from home.  At least this week.

So I've been working in my home office with my work computer.  I've reviewed boring logs, and have been working on reports.  Yesterday was so nice to sit with Jennifer and have lunch together.  And the weather has been so wonderful.

Biking Wife

So I get home yesterday, and Jennifer had a stack of things for me.

First was some things to help fight tinea which has come back with all the sweating from riding.  It has a lot to do with the backpack not allowing my back to breathe, but we're working on it.

Next to the that she had a pair of tire separators and an inner tube.

We actually did the repair behind the couch.  First off, I cannot stress the importance of latex/nitrile gloves for bike maintenance.  Otherwise, you end up with grease all over your hands.  These gloves were great.  We'd learned our lesson on Sunday.  We inflated, and everything seemed fine.

Thsi morining the tire was still tight, and the ride to BART and work went great.

More Bike Woes

So Sunday, I had this great plan for getting to my parents.  I would bike to BART, ride to the station near them, and bike to their place.  I had it all worked out on the schedule and Google Maps.  All I needed to do was pump up my rear tire which was a little soft.

I attached the pump, and umped it up, then when I took it off, all the air leaked out.  All of it; the valve was limp.

So Jennifer and I did the Zipcar thing, and had a wonderful time with my parents at The Englander in San Leandro.  What made it feel even more authentic was the non-American football playing on the big screen.  The only non-English thing was that it was Mexico and Italy playing.  With lots of Mexico fans.  The food was good and the beer selection was amazing.  I told Jennifer we can got here for Monday Night Football in the fall.

So to make sure that I could get my bike fixed, we cut the visit a little short, and found a bike co-op just a block from home called Spokeland.  For just $5, they showed us how to replace the inner tube on my wheel, including how to take off the wheel off the back without losing the chain.  The only drawback was that they didn't have a tube in my size with a presta valve.  They found a used/patched one that they threw in for free, and so after a ride home, I thought I was all set.

However, this morning the wheel was totally flat.  So Jennifer is out looking or inner tubes for me today.  We're going to get to get a couple so that we'll have a spare available.

Reel Steel

Yes, I went to see it tonight.

Yes, I enjoyed it.  The effects are cool.  I like Henry Cavill and Amy Adams.  Russell Crowe is an excellent Jor El.

No, that part didn't bother me; I can see how they can use that in the future.

What bothers me?  Kevin Costner.  He bugs the hell out of me.  And it's a stupid death.

Two things to watch for: the satellite and the captain.

CATS!

So I've noticed that my blog has been a little light on pictures recently.  And what does the Internet need more of?  That's right...

Pictures of cats!

So this first one is Felix on the upstairs balcony.  He is our little black-body radiator, and works hard to maintain his requisite temperature.

Now, this is not to say that his brother Oscar doesn't like the sun; he just has a lower tolerance for the heat, and will tend to lay int he sun, then move to the shade, and back again.

We recently got a sampler box of one of our favorite breweries, and Oscar decided to see if he could fit.  The answer below.

 But back to my own little Basement Cat.  The other day I came home, and was greeted by Oscar, but Felix was not immediately found.  Then I saw the disturbed blinds, and went behind the love-seat to find this looking at me.

I'll try to be better at pictures.  Because Penny Arcade says it all about why pictures are better.