In the dark, but not alone

October 11, 2016, 11:57 am

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I waited as long as I could stand to, but it was still pitch black when I started my climb at Japanese Gulch today. That's to be expected for quite a while now, as it'll stay dark later and later until Daylight Saving Time ends in five or so weeks, then the process begins again until the solstice on December 21. I can deal, though. Following the railroad tracks up is easy no matter how dark it's been when I've been there, because the gravel alongside it is consistent. Well-maintained. Tracks have to be. Trails don't. Sometimes I think about carrying a flashlight but it seems like it's easier to just let my eyes dilate fully. I think I'll get a small one to keep in my bag, though, because if there were some sort of emergency I might need to be able to see better.



I was surprised on my way up to see someone heading down on the center trail below me using a flashlight. It may have even been a headlamp judging by the look of it. Last year I used to see someone who jogged up wearing one, and it may well be the same person. Just after that, when I got to the point where the tracks and the trail converge, I looked back out of habit and saw that someone was coming up on a bike. Turns out it was a guy I've been seeing a lot lately, usually as I'm heading back down. He's clearly on his way to work and has to go at the same time, so I saw him earlier on my walk because I left later.

The light arrived as I did my two passes on the access road at the top that I like. I love how the trees lean in so much because of the wide-angle lens.



There's a strange little utility box rusting away on a pole at the end of that road. The light today was perfect for a good photo of it.



On my way down, I had a hard time getting good photos of the trees. The light was beautiful, but didn't really translate too well on the screen. But maybe I should have hit the shutter anyway, as I thought this one was going to turn out much different than it did.




4.1 miles in 1:24, 9,104 steps, 404ft gain

It almost feels pointless to post the map when I do this route since I've done it so many times. But I'm a completist that way.

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Movie cliche

October 12, 2016, 12:54 pm

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The danger in a situation such as a car chase is exaggerated by the presence of nuns, either walking as a group or traveling in a bus.

Autumn by lamplight

October 12, 2016, 1:11 pm

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Setting out again in the dark at the waterfront I realized that it's one place where I still get to see most of the stuff pretty well since it's so well-lit. So I decided to get as many photos of the trees that were lit up as I could.











Thankfully dawn didn't take too long to creep in.





Even though there was a little light, I'd already decided I'd cut out the street portion again. It goes by a couple of scenic parking areas where I've seen some strange things before, so I don't mind cutting that portion out for safety. The rest of the waterfront is a wonderful place to be no matter how early I go. Anyway, this cracked me up.



I never noticed how visually pleasing the boat launch is.



There are still some nice flowers even with the recent temperature drop.



The clouds were wispy but I still saw a pretty decent sunrise.



Even though there was a lot of tree to see in the dark, it's still nicer to really see them.




5.45 miles in 1:49, 11,944 steps

Part of me wished I waited for an afternoon walk today even though I always say I don't like them as much. I suppose if I do them in winter there at least won't be any school-age kids around. Unless they're skipping school and I find their hideouts. Ha. Anyway, I'm glad I didn't plan that today, because the water heater that feeds the heated floors in the dining room and master bath, isn't. A plumber will be by between 2:00 and 5:00 to have a look.

I'm a winner

October 13, 2016, 7:05 pm

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I like to think that if the Honey Bucket Selfie contest was subjective, I would have been the clear winner. But they put everyone who entered into a bucket and drew a name. Someone else got the grand prize, but I was one of the 100 prize package winners, and it arrived today. I got a beer coozie, a toilet-shaped coffee mug, and some stickers, one of which is on my laptop already! I don't think I'll drink out of the mug because it doesn't hold much, but maybe an air plant will end up there soon.

SchadenFriday

October 14, 2016, 9:06 am

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CATURDAY

October 15, 2016, 6:32 am

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BONUS Saturdogs

Catchemups

October 16, 2016, 1:30 pm

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Skipping the pool while my tattoo heals has been weird. When Thursday rolled around, I totally forgot that's my normal day at the tank farm and went over to Lowell instead. It was quite dark, but I still took my normal photo of the progress of the construction in the riverside development.





And of course, the other spot where I always stop.




4.47 miles in 1:25, 9,498 steps

It was surprising to read that they're setting aside the area West of the Northernmost part of that route as future retail. There's so much empty retail in Everett right now. I suppose there are a lot of retailers who would only consider moving into new buildings, though. Even so, there's some existing retail that should probably be torn down, specifically the gigantic K-Mart that's been empty for a couple of years now. I still haven't thought of a good business to move in there that we don't already have within a few miles.



Friday became the day to go to the tank farm, and again, it was quite dark.





4.32 miles in 1:32, 9,820 steps



This week has seen some annoying house-related issues. The first was that the heated floors upstairs didn't come on when the weather turned cold. Certainly not an emergency, but they're nice, and they're the only heat source in the dining room/kitchen and the master bath suite. Garrett's office is part of that suite, so it'd be pretty annoying for him if it wasn't fixed. I made the mistake of calling one of the more well-known plumbing services in the region, thinking they were successful because they do good work. The technician's diagnosis was completely wrong. He said the gas control on the water heater would need to be replaced, for about $2,000, but since it's an older unit, it'd be better to replace it completely with a new one, with circulators, for over $6,000, but that it would be best to replace it with a high-efficiency one for over $10,000.

Obviously I would be getting a second opinion. I found a small family business that got good reviews and the guy diagnosed the issue with me over the phone. The gas control wasn't broken, it was displaying an error message which indicated the igniter needed replacing. He came over promptly the next day and fixed it for less than the first company charged me for the bad diagnosis. Plus the first company told me they'd arrive between 2 and 5pm, but didn't arrive until almost 7pm. I've contacted their customer relations manager and asked for my money back, hopefully I'll hear from him tomorrow. The boys are very happy the floors are back on.




Just before the good water heater tech left, the police walked up the driveway to let me know there were intruders in the empty house next door, but they were gone by the time they got there, and that the side door isn't secure. I confirmed this, the deadbolt's gone and anyone can just push the door open. I got on Zillow and sent a message to the agent who is listed as the foreclosure agent, and asked him to come secure the property. He didn't answer right away, but he subscribed me to his email list. Then he texted me asking if I was interested in buying a house. I replied reminding him that my message was about the property needing to be secured, then while I was cooking lunch yesterday, someone from his office left me a voice mail saying I should contact whichever agent is on the sign in front. Well, there's no sign, because it's a foreclosure. Some of the sites indicate there's a pending offer, so maybe it won't matter soon.

This morning I didn't want to get out too early, because after my normal trip to Langus Riverfront Park, I wanted to check out Union Slough Park. That one has gates so getting there too early--or even right on time--isn't an option. Today was the first time I ever saw two other vehicles where I park, and I saw them get out and walk with dogs, but I never encountered them or anyone else the whole time I was there.



These trees look like they're leaning because of the wide-angle lens. The ones in the lower photo are actually leaning, possibly due to last night's storm, which thankfully wasn't the huge storm they predicted it would become.




It took me until today to realize it might be permissible to walk here. There's no sign saying not to, at least. I wouldn't want to walk there during hunting season since it's directly across from the hunting area and in the line of fire, but it might be nice the rest of the year. After I finish this, I'll email to ask if it's part of the trail system.



I briefly saw the moon and barely got this photo before it was swallowed up by clouds.



On all of the bushes all along the river, I only saw one flower.



Here's a glimpse of sky I saw before it got really cold, wet, and windy.




5.27 miles in 1:40, 11,223 steps

I stayed off the island since it'd been raining for two days and I knew I'd get really wet if I did. I don't mind getting a little wet but I prefer it to be at the end of the walk. Good thing, since the trail over at Union Slough is grassy.



It was a nice place, but the proximity to the highway makes it loud. Thank goodness for earbuds.



It's a nice place, but I won't go every week or anything.




2.15 miles in 46 minutes, 4,950 steps



I got the mail as I drove out of the neighborhood, and I'm happy to report that these beer coozies and shirt I ordered a while back arrived. The sale benefits Girls Rock Camp Gainesville.



Tomorrow's a busy work day so I think I'll either walk in the afternoon so I can see stuff, or stay in and do yoga.

Article 0

October 17, 2016, 10:17 am

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1. Are you named after someone? No. My name is terribly common for guys my age, though, so there were probably a few people in the name inspiration pool. I was originally supposed to be Michael James, but someone in the family beat my mom to it. Oh yeah, my middle name is my uncle's middle name.
2. When is the last time you cried? Yesterday? I dunno. It's been a long time since I cried much, but I can get teary pretty frequently.
3. Do you like your handwriting? No
4. What is your favorite lunch meat? Honey ham
5. Do you have kids? Nooooooooo
6. If you were another person, would you be friends with you? I dunno. I'm pretty awesome but it's impossible to say what it'd be like to know me.
7. Do you use sarcasm? Yes, but not nearly as much as I used to.
8. Do you still have your tonsils? Unfortunately, yes. I really hoped when I saw a doctor about my snoring that they'd suggest taking them out, but he said that rarely helps. I hate my tonsils so much.
9. Would you bungee jump? Yes
10. What is your favorite cereal? Cracklin' Oat Bran, but I never eat cereal any more.
11. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? My regular shoes stay tied, but the shoes that I wear to walk need to be untied to take them off.
12. Do you think you are a strong person? Yes
13. What is your favorite ice cream? Haagen Dazs Coffee and Baskin Robbins Rum Raisin
14. What is the first thing you notice about people? I don't have a specific first thing for all people
15. Red or Pink? I don't like red objects or clothes, so I guess pink.
16. What is the least favorite thing you like about yourself? That's a weird question.
17. What color pants and shoes are you wearing? Black shorts, barefoot
18. What was the last thing you ate? Banana
19. What are you listening to right now? Commercials during Bar Rescue because I'm typing when I should be fast forwarding
20. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Orange or safety green
21. Favorite smell? Thai basil
22. Last person you talked to on the phone? My barber's husband
23. Favorite sport to watch? Curling
24. Real hair color? Brown
25. Eye color? Brown
26. Do you wear contacts? No
27. Favorite food to eat? Vietnamese
28. Scary movies or happy endings? Scary movies
29. Last movie? Tower Heist (don't bother)
33. What book are you reading? I'm currently between books. Even after 2.5 years, I haven't fit regular reading back into my schedule now that I'm no longer a bus commuter.
35. What is on your mouse pad? Zima
36. What is the last TV program you watched? Frasier
37. Rolling Stones or Beatles? Both
38. What is the farthest you traveled? India
40. Do you have a special talent? I'm pretty good at posting cat photos on Saturdays
41. Where were you born? Albuquerque

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A new path

October 17, 2016, 6:47 pm

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I knew when I got up today that I'd work through until my noon call and then have an afternoon walk. The sprint goes better if I start testing the deployment and get as much done as I can ahead of the call. It was especially good that I did it today, because I uncovered several deployment errors and it had to be reapplied. That made me lose all my work in the system, but I document everything I do thoroughly, so it won't be hard to recreate everything. At about 9:45, I heard back from the parks department, and they confirmed that people are allowed to walk on the road I asked about! Awesome news.





It was a very awesome, stormy day. The video of the drive home would have been amazing if I didn't accidentally delete it. Oops.








I don't know if it's due to the time of year or the time of day, but I saw more birds today over there than I ever have.



There's not much fall color left, but I saw a little.




5.2 miles in 1:48, 11,637 steps

That road I followed for the first time today is about 1.25 miles, so it adds another 2.5 or so to the possibilities there. Now I could easily do over nine if I feel like it. Nice to have that option.

Reroute

October 18, 2016, 4:25 pm

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I originally planned to walk in the afternoon again today, but I got to a stopping point where I'd have to wait for things to replicate across the network and to hear back from people, so it made sense to head out. It was the latest start I've gotten for a weekday workout in a long time, so I figured Lowell would be good. It's close and not huge. Over by the new houses, they've rerouted the trail just a bit. The only reason I can think of to do this is for privacy; if there's a fence, the closer you are, the less you see. But they might have had to pull up the trail for utilities or something. This new branch of the trail has been there for a while, and I wondered what it was for.





Though here's what it looks like at the other end, maybe they'll do some sort of landscaping.



The normal view I've been getting the photo of.



I walked past guys working on putting up a fence on that new section of trail and figured I may as well head back via the road I parked on, allowing for a couple of different views. I never really noticed this nice grassy area with trees between the houses and the railroad tracks. Some of the houses will have pretty nice views.



The entrance to the neighborhood. I've been seeing the back of this sign for a weeks now, this is the first time I saw the front.



I may have mentioned it before, but I think it would be so cool to get a building like this, leave it looking the same on the outside, but renovate the inside so it was very luxurious. I suppose this is a dream of mine because I was a kid in the '80s, and watching movies like Quicksilver and The Fly made me think that when I was an adult, there'd be tons of warehouse-style apartments to rent and buy when I grew up. And that every nightclub would have an alley entrance with neon signs. Ha.



Another view of the neighborhood from higher up the hill.



Since I walked back on the road, I was able to stop for a bathroom break at Lowell Park and follow its short trails. It was really pretty there today.





3.9 miles in 1:10, 8,060 steps, 112ft gain

A shorter, quicker walk than I'm used to, but I'm glad I did it because that freed up the afternoon for a lunch out. I wore my new shirt.



I ended up at a Greek place in Mukilteo, which was really good. I especially liked the fries.



From where I sat in the restaurant, I could see a really beautiful tree across the street and over a bit. This is close to the picture I really wanted to get, but it didn't come out at all.



This is what I ended up with.



I don't normally drink sugary things unless there's booze involved, but this looked so good, I had to go in for one.



And here are the boys being very cute today.





As adorable as they're being, Steve was also a brat today. He wouldn't eat much of his lunch, which is a problem because now that Sam's on prescription food, we can't leave Steve's laying around. Then later on, he snuck into garage, crawled under a cart, and put his dirty paws on my clean shirt when I picked him up. Jerk.

Hump Day at the Gulch

October 19, 2016, 4:51 pm

≫ Next: Let it rain

≪ Previous: Reroute

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Again today it made more sense to head out in the afternoon for my walk, though I did step out for a bit to grab a couple of things at the grocery store this morning. And I think I saw a coyote run across the street near our house on the way back. The spot where he was is right by a shortcut that goes up to the next street, which in turn is across from another that heads up to the park and a huge greenbelt. So even though we're only a couple of blocks from the main road, we also get to see deer and coyotes sometimes. Originally I thought I might just do my same dark morning route, but I realized that was dumb because it follows the tracks, and those actually get used in the afternoon. So I parked up by the houses on the West side and walked in.



The mud wasn't too bad at all. If anything was an issue, it was the fallen leaves. They make it hard to see what you're about to step on. I had my poles with me, so I didn't stop for many photos. But of course I had to get one of this. Hi suxdonut!



I'm pretty sure this bridge is new, and I bet it's over a spot that would have been very muddy otherwise. A guy walked down toward it just after I took the photo, and he agreed that it's got to be new.



Speaking of which, there were a lot of people. I saw him another time, then when I hiked down to the access road I saw three people walking two dogs, plus another guy when I got back up to the top. And two guys on bikes I saw two times each. Very different from my normal experience there.

It's not a trip on the Rusty Car trail without a photo of the rusty car.




5.3 miles in 2 hours, 12,485 steps, 253ft gain

Pretty good walk, but I had a bit of a frustrating time in the North end. I haven't been spending as much time there so I took a lot of wrong turns. At least I didn't accidentally delete the video of the drive home!

Let it rain

October 20, 2016, 7:11 pm

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My tattoo has healed nicely, so I'm going to the pool tomorrow. It'll be nice to swim again, I've missed it. Knowing it was my last walk of the week made it easy to set out for my walk even though it was raining like crazy. No need to worry if my gear will dry out overnight. I love rainy, dark dashcam videos, and this one is cool because I got frustrated waiting to turn left out of the neighborhood and took the long way around the park, so there's lots of light from the main drag.





I couldn't take too many pictures because of the rain, but I got a couple I really liked. I love when you can barely see where the water ends and the sky begins.



I was amazed this heron didn't take off. They generally won't hang around when I walk by. In fact, one I hadn't noticed was nearby got mad when I approached the water by the hotel to get a video of a seagull swimming around. He took off, yelling, and scared the seagull away too. But this one stayed put for a while.




4.3 miles in 1:24, 9,314 steps



I'm here alone tonight because Garrett's down at the airport for a mileage run tomorrow. For a brief moment, I thought about making some plans, and very nearly got an Airbnb in Seattle so I could see a show tonight. But I'm still reeling financially from the new mattress and other stuff, all of which happened right after I decided I'd set aside quite a bit of money each month for tattoos. Thinking about money made it easy to stay in, and I'm enjoying movies on our new HBO Go account.

The other thing that made it easy was that I'd have had to stay up really late to see that show. I like my sleep.

SchadenFriday

October 21, 2016, 5:08 am

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Slow week. Add some in the comments!

Freaky Friday

October 21, 2016, 2:24 pm

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I didn't think I'd ever been to the pool on a Friday morning, but I just checked the workout calendar and the most recent one was in July. Either way, it's rare. But I have until Halloween to swim as much as I want. I'll do three for sure, maybe four. It was nice to get back there today. The gentleman who I figured was the one who got cut that time was there, so I asked, but it wasn't him. He and his wife were in Arizona.





Today was my first day with a new swimsuit. It's a Speedo brand squarecut one, which I paid $26 for on Amazon. That's about twice as much as I paid for the one before it, but it's a much higher quality suit. The best part is that it has a drawstring and strong elastic in the leg holes, so it didn't ride up or roll down. It's a much snugger fit than the one I've been using, but not so much as to be annoying.

I've got quite a few new swimsuits waiting to be rotated into service. Basically I'm holding extended auditions to find my absolute favorite and once I find that, hopefully it'll be available for a long time. I'm going through a similar process with jockstraps for use while walking, but there's no need to go into detail about those. :)

I didn't have much I needed to pick up, but still ended up going to two grocery stores on the way home from the pool. At QFC, I went to the detergent aisle for my final item, some liquid Gain detergent. They had powder. They had pods. No liquid. So I popped into Safeway, too. The weird side room at QFC that they sometimes put seasonal stuff in had tons of pumpkins. You can only see half here.



Lots of interesting cloud activity this morning.



This isn't the best photo because I took it last night when it was dark out, but I really like the current setup with these two magnets. Both of these plants are from a shipment I got this week.



Oddly enough, that shop didn't have a specific plant I was looking for on their website, but they did on Amazon, so I ordered from the same company two different places on Saturday. Oddly enough, the Amazon ones aren't arriving until today, even though it was a Prime order and should have already been here. Hope they aren't too angry about being boxed up for so long.

Garrett's flight home tonight is already delayed. I wish I would have known earlier, because my friend I had dinner plans with this evening asked to move our dinner from 5 to 6pm. If I knew Garrett's flight was delayed, I would have agreed, but instead, I suggested rescheduling. But that's a better option anyway, as she has a big work project that fell on her lap today. Things like that have a tendency to go long.

CATURDAY

October 22, 2016, 6:49 am

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≪ Previous: Freaky Friday

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You can follow Benson and Stabler on Instagram: @svucats










































































































































BONUS Saturdogs

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Duck Season!

October 23, 2016, 4:18 pm

≫ Next: More weekend, please

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I joked recently about having to worry about getting shot by hunters on my Sunday walk, but it was definitely a joke because I've never seen more than one hunter out there before. Apparently duck hunting is the hot new thing this year. Two trucks were waiting at the parking area for the sun to come up, and when I got back to the car, the entire parking area was full, and a big group of hunters with two dogs was heading out. I haven't found the dates for the season yet, but I'm really not looking forward to all the gunshots. I was surprised I only heard one today. Still a nice day, though.





I really like my new road over there. Always something new to see.



There aren't any trees along that road, so there are great unobstructed views.



I don't take 360-degree photos very often, but I felt like getting one from the middle of this bridge today to see how weird it would turn out.



Turns out, it did a pretty good job! (click it to view properly on flickr)



The fall colors along the river were really amazing today.





Even the parking lot there is gorgeous.



But we've reached the time of year where a lot of the scenery is dying off.



And of course the power lines had to be in the way during this "heavens opening up" scene.




7.5 miles in 2:40, 17,009 steps

I really love that the new (to me) road lets me get this much distance in without going over to the island. I love the island, but most days this time of year, it's really wet. Maybe next week I'll do the entire thing. Except the hunting trail.

More weekend, please

October 24, 2016, 12:08 pm

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Just yesterday I was thinking about how I've reached the age where lots of artists I never got to see in concert when I was younger are starting to pop up for me to finally see. Book of Love and Donna Summer are recent examples. I also recently saw Duran Duran, and it wasn't my first one, but I honestly can't remember anything about that time, even though it was a huge stadium show with The Cranberries opening! With today's news about Pete Burns dying at age 57, I'm thankful to report that I not only saw Dead or Alive back in the '90s in Albuquerque, but that it was an excellent show that I remember a lot of. Burns was the type of performer who always seemed to be standing in the spotlight in front of a fan, even if neither were around. And I think Rip It Up is one of the best albums ever recorded. Are there many that are mixed from beginning to end like that?

I still think it's naive to view 2016 as an especially-tragic year. The world of celebrity and fame has grown larger each year and we've all become more immersed in it, and this year is probably going to be a good example of the new normal. I'd love to be proved wrong, though.

I just heard about Pete Burns right when I was getting ready to post about my otherwise-uneventful day.



I got to the pool a little bit late because I was seven minutes away from the end of the episode of LKTV I was listening to, and it made more sense to keep listening because those episodes are downloads from Patreon (instead of a regular podcast) and if I listen all the way through, I don't have to find the file in iTunes again later. It was still dark when I got there, and I'm surprised to see that the trees looked even more true to their real colors in this picture than they did to my naked eye.



My swim was nice. The soundtrack was Lip Locked 363, which had some very solid tracks. Here's one I liked enough to track down using Shazam.



I could tell there was a pretty cool sunrise going on when I left even though I couldn't personally see it.




And here's some scary Halloween decor. Pretty sad to see in front of a house with two young girls.

Foiled

October 25, 2016, 7:35 pm

≫ Next: Halfway there

≪ Previous: More weekend, please

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The thing I really like about the waterfront is that I can go as early as I want. Well-lit, super safe. I planned to go quite early today, but on my way upstairs, I remembered that with company on the way over Sunday, I stowed my gear in the master bath. It normally hangs in the main bath, but it's definitely too stinky to leave in there if someone other than me is going to use that bathroom. I didn't want to wake Garrett up, so I waited until he came down for coffee, another 45 minutes or so. Not a big deal, I still got out and back in plenty of time.

When I got there, a boat was at the first dock I always see, which is almost always empty.





I've complained before about the INN neon sign that reads IN because a letter is burnt out. It still is, but today I noticed another of their signs has a whole word burnt out.



I love a marina in the dark. It's almost like looking down on the lights of Albuquerque from the mountain, but with the scale completely out of whack.



Another interesting lunch special.




5 miles in 1:32, 10,468 steps

I was really annoyed when I got to point A to find that my path was blocked by a construction staging area. Turns out I managed to miss a sign. Could have been a better sign, and placed more prominently.



A few small pups have dislodged from my butzii clump. For now I'm keeping them with my largest plants. That pink glow is from my grow lamps.



Had lunch with Barbara today. One of her cats, Drama, was being particularly coy for the camera today.



And I came home with a treat. It's been a couple of years since I had any Vegemite and I'm really in the mood for some.

Halfway there

October 26, 2016, 12:51 pm

≫ Next: Beach within reach

≪ Previous: Foiled

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Nothing super special about today's swim, though I did like how the parking lot light shining through branches made my car look like it had scales when I got there.



The soundtrack for my 60 minutes in the pool today was Lip Locked 362 and here's a song I really liked from it.



It's been a bit of a crazy morning, with my trip to WinCo taking longer than expected, partially due to a fire on the road I was driving down. Funnily enough, I was thinking about another recent time I was headed to that store on that road when I had to take a big detour due to construction or something, and not two seconds later, I saw all the emergency vehicles up ahead. I don't believe in psychic abilities, but sometimes a coincidence can be a little unsettling.

Unfortunately, our main water heater started beeping with an error code today, so the gentleman who fixed our other one recently is back. I'd like to make my lunch, but it's much better if I just wait down here while he works and keep the cats upstairs. I had a banana down here to tide me over, but it was so overripe that I only choked down a couple of bites. I'm not a picky eater at all, but a banana that's brown inside and way too sweet makes me gag. Thankfully I picked up some this morning that are still glowing slightly green.

Beach within reach

October 27, 2016, 10:53 am

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≪ Previous: Halfway there

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I love my Thursday routine. Except for having to take the trash and recycling out. But the walk beforehand is always fun. I can't find an official opening time for the tank farm and nearby beach, but I don't park there, so it doesn't matter. The only restriction is that I can't park in my normal spot before 4:30. And that's fine. I'm not even through my first cup of coffee at 4:30. Today's walk started at about 5:45, which is about an hour before dawn, and two before sunrise. Lots of time in the dark. Not too many photo ops, but I still get to have fun.








The official opening time at the other beach is 6:30 now, and I wasn't even sure if I'd go over there today, but after my third lap around the farm, I saw a truck full of maintenance workers turn onto the road that leads there, possibly on their way to use leaf blowers in the parking lot. I've walked by them and it was unpleasant. The sky was starting to brighten, so I turned around and went over to the other beach. As I was leaving, two different joggers took my place there, so the timing was good.


5.7 miles in 1:54, 12,489 steps, 230ft gain

I've never seen a cat down there, but one was chilling near my car when I left. I would have gone to say hi but I was worried I'd startle it and it'd fall into the water.



I had an interesting breakfast today. I love Vegemite, but haven't had any in ages until this morning. This is half an onion bagel with cream cheese and Vegemite, zesty dill spear, cottage cheese with Bacon Salt. It's been a long time since I had Vegemite, and it was awesome. I also normally buy kosher instead of zesty, and it was indeed a zesty spear. Garrett and I both happened to buy cottage cheese yesterday, so I'll probably be eating way more of it than normal.