Took the waterproof camera out to take pictures of the autumn leaves. But, this balcony starling stole the show. I went back inside to get the “good” camera. Of course, the starling flew away.
Since moving into this apartment, we have become very fond of starlings. A pair nests in a hole in our wall and in the fall, after the breeding season – 5 or 6 birds stop by every morning and evening to enjoy the sun. I would like to feed them but that doesn’t seem like a good idea. I enjoy 10 starlings but a whole flock of them on my balcony might be too Hitchcocky.
Yesterday, I realized that I really needed to come up with a couple of retirement gifts for two nice ladies in Hawaii. I decided to make them calendars. They are of the age that still use calendars. My computer takes care of my calendar. But I know these ladies use paper calendars. Which is a long way around to explain why I have a picture of Kona on today’s page.
Worked about 6 hours today at our Flu Shot Program. Then I came home and sat on my terrace and did nothing at all. Sometimes nothing at all is a good thing.
Walked past the El Paso Cafe this morning. If we ever went out for food and if Mr C would eat Tex-Mex – this would be the go to place for TexMex in the area.
Not to feel too sorry for peggy – never getting to go out to eat. We had a fine lunch today from Whole Foods salad bar. A mountain of shrimp and some pasta/smoked mozzarella salad and sliced tomatoes. (Tomatoes from produce section. No reason to pay salad bar prices for tomatoes.) Mr C doesn’t dare object to salad bar, takeout or deli food. He just objects to “eating out” and “delivery”.
Two weeks from yesterday we will be departing for Hawaii. I must spring into action someday soon. Mostly gotta cleanup the apartment, decide what to take, figure out how to get Mr C from our apartment at about 4PM on Saturday afternoon to Kona by 2PM on Sunday (local times) without having to buy food … do you notice a theme here … Also need to have plenty of airplane amusements lined up.
I do have our hotel in Seattle arranged. And I picked up a Flat Rate Box at the Post Office. That is the extent of my planning. Next week I will be working long hours at the hospital – supporting the flu shot campaign. 2,000 flu shots in 50 hours.
Dennis Richie died and nobody noticed. What better tribute to the man who (with Ken Thompson) built the software platform that supports life on the planet as we know it. The world only knows about programs and programmers if they screw up.
According to the iPod Nano – the new, ready before Thanksgiving, Trader Joe is point 66 miles from my kitchen. This means, I’ll have to walk past Traders to get to Whole Food’s. And, past both of them to get to the Farm Market.
The Traders will be across the street from the Metro stop – so, if I seriously overshop – which has been known to happen – I can just hop the subway home.
The little Nano is fun. The radio is surprisingly good. And I have been playing with the pedometer feature. The clock faces are just eye candy – but yummy. I think that my Gen 5 iPod classic has slightly better sound – but – my ears are really too old to hear much difference.
My 21st century mourning jewelry – the Red Nano – arrived. Will we ever again have tech gear that is so elegant . Gear that just works. Gear that is packaged so graciously. I think that Carlton might even be able to use it. The “Classic” iPod and “Touch” are beyond him.
Nobody is promised tomorrow
I wonder what Steve had on his iPod? And now that the Zune has been put out of its misery – can Bill Gates’s kids get iPods?
I hate doing my taxes. (And Carlton’s taxes). I really hate getting the taxes started. So, to make things easier next spring – I get my taxes started today.
The Steve Jobs Memorial Nano has made it from China to Dulles Airport. So, I should be getting it soon. It is nothing special – just that I ordered it 30 minutes before the news of his passing arrived. “Nobody is promised tomorrow”.
Been away from the blog for a few days. Spent all my computer energy designing “Flu Shot” buttons and stickers. The stickers and buttons are required by next Monday. I invoked the “If you want it bad, You get it bad” rule.
We are still wrapped in plastic.
Where's the sunrise? This morning thru the living room window.
This is a little spooky – just before the news of Steve Jobs’ passing broke I ordered a red Nano. With “Nobody is promised tomorrow” engraved on the back. I had my first iPod engraved. But, more recent iPod were just picked up at the Apple Store. For some reason – this evening “Nobody is promised tomorrow” seemed important enough to have lasered on my latest Apple product.
We all live in a gray submarine. The building is still pretending to solve our flooding problem. Today they put gray plastic over the living room windows. Skywalking hispanics are wandering around on the ledge and I guess that management is trying to protect us from the danger if one of the windows is broken.
Carlton says it is like paying for a room at the Hilton and getting a room at the Motel 6.
Been watching the kids protesting in NYC. It is a very modest protest – but – as I recall – the Vietnam protests started small. Civil rights protests started small. Come on kids. We changed the country in the 1960’s – you can do it too.
There are some advantages to having a nice toasty computer. It is cold here today and the Airness – which runs about 95 degrees on the bottom – is a welcome friend.
Went to the dentist this morning – at my age “everything appears to be stable” is a good thing.
The diet is going along nicely. I think that I’ll fit into the too-short shorts that I left in Kona. Not sure about the wetsuit yet. Better keep on the Eat Half Exercise Times Two Diet.
Went to the library this morning. While waiting for the library to open, a homeless guy told me that he must have been on a great drunk – because when he went to sleep it was a warm late summer evening and when he woke up it was a chilly January morning. Cold and damp today. Got out my heavy winter sweater. Long pants too. Also wool socks.
Good thing that in four weeks we’ll be in Kona. And, most likely I’ll be grousing about our hotel room. Hopefully, my diet will have been successful and I will fit into my tight little shorts that I left in storage.
Don’t know what I did – but yesterday while I was puttering around with the Airness – I somehow or the other caused every application in the apps folder to open. It took at least 15 minutes to batter everything shut. I tried to force quit the whole mess – but, I actually had to force quit each application. Good thing I had my games in a subfolder. At least the games stayed shut.
