Ravin 365

Avatar

2009-12-20T10:55:00.000-08:00

Shayan and I saw Avatar 3D at the IMAX theater downtown before he dropped me off to the airport to head to Florida.

Incredible movie (I'd see it again two days later with everyone in FL).

Bad Orange

2009-12-16T20:54:00.000-08:00

This 'cutie' mandarin orange has definitely gone bad. It seemed okay from the outside, but after peeling it, I noticed all these tiny rotten "seeds" inside.

Food

2009-12-12T14:52:00.000-08:00

I went down to Dixon, to the fruit stand and picked up some goodies to take to Florida.

Spicy mango slices, okra chips, almonds, and a jungle mix.

No Tintin

2009-12-09T13:19:00.000-08:00

This person looks exactly like Tintin.

It's almost like the sign says "Tintin not Allowed." But of course it's supposed to be a kid, and it says it's not for kids less than 4 years old.

Reminder

2009-12-06T18:04:00.000-08:00

I left this note to remind myself to bring Madhvi her parathas when I go visit her in SF.

Maybe I should've written it on a plain piece of paper instead of this old menu, because I never saw this note until over a week after I got back.

Leaves

2009-11-23T12:12:00.000-08:00

This is a pretty large pile of leaves on campus this morning.

When I was arriving for class, there were quite a few people with leaf blowers all over, and as I was leaving, I see this huge pile in the corner of the parking lot.

Runts

2009-11-20T20:44:00.000-08:00

The last three runts in the box, and they were all hearts. And delicious.

Burnt Pizza

2009-11-07T23:43:00.000-08:00

I actually forgot this pizza in the oven, cooking at 375 degrees, for almost 4 hours. Oops.

Bob Bob

2009-09-23T18:42:00.000-07:00

A van in front of me on the way back to my apartment. I had to take this to show...Bob.

Mystery

2009-09-17T23:57:00.000-07:00

What is this?

Answer: A ring of frozen soda around my rectangular glass. I leave it in the freezer for about an hour, and it freezes from the outside in, leaving a nice slushie of soda in the middle.

Manga

2009-09-12T16:15:00.000-07:00

I asked Asha to give me an idea for a photo I can take for her, and she replied, "a cute manga animal."

I happened to have this little cat, I think I stuck it in my pocket with some random garbage when cleaning out Doug's apartment. It was the perfect item for the photo.

Even Mileage

2009-09-03T19:12:00.000-07:00

My Explorer hit 148,500 miles today. A mechanic once told me that most have problems around 150k mark, but since mine's a V8, it should last much longer without any major engine/transmission problems. I'm hoping he was right.

Pomegranate Tree

2009-08-20T11:17:00.000-07:00

I've never seen a pome- granate tree before, but here's one with lots of fruit hanging from it.

Looks really good, but I didn't want to go onto some stranger's yard and start picking it. This is next door to a house Doug was thinking about renting.

Rice and Chevda

2009-08-18T19:07:00.000-07:00

This reminded me of ma when I ate this today: rice, chevda, and Frank's red hot sauce. It was really good!

Danger Sign

2009-08-07T12:36:00.000-07:00

This is really scary -- look what happens to this guy's arm when he is caught on the axle.

It's broken in at least three different spots. Ouch!

Neon Sign

2009-08-06T13:51:00.000-07:00

An interesting neon sign in Elk Grove, CA.

Long Straw

2009-07-31T14:34:00.000-07:00

Lunch at the Del Taco drive-thru. The straw they give you is really disproportional to the size of the water cup.

Chalk

2009-07-27T16:17:00.000-07:00

I helped Doug move his things from his apartment and onto a U-Haul truck today. I saw this box of colorful sidewalk chalk that he didn't want, so I decided I'd take the box and leave them near my mailbox for the neighborhood kids.

In the end, after all the moving, I forgot them in the corner of his apartment and didn't realize I left them until a few days later, when I saw this photo.

Cardboard Box

2009-07-24T22:06:00.000-07:00

Doug is getting ready to move and he bought a lot of cardboard boxes from a guy selling them on Craigslist.

This one said it was Made in Israel, which I don't see too often on products.

Zippered

2009-07-23T07:39:00.000-07:00

I went to Albertson's (called Save Mart now, but it will always be Albertson's to me) early this morning to get some groceries.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that the deli now puts their items in a plastic bag with easy close zippers instead of the more cumbersome ziplock style plastic bags.

Gray Hairs

2009-07-22T17:51:00.000-07:00

I'm getting some gray hairs on my chinny-chin-chin.

Egg

2009-07-19T12:53:00.000-07:00

Just like the last photo, sometimes you don't have to go very far to see something interesting.

A small bird's egg that was apparently eaten by another animal was lying just outside my front door. It is extremely small, about the size of a golf ball if it was whole, and extremely delicate.

I tried to move it next to a screw on the deck boards for a sense of scale, but it fell apart just from me touching it.

Also, I had to look up the difference between laying and lying.

Shadows

2009-07-16T14:58:00.000-07:00

A shadow pattern of the railing along my staircase.

I really like the way this looks.

In all the years of living here, I've never been outside when the shadows on the stairs matched up like this.

District 9

2009-07-10T13:58:00.000-07:00

Doug and I went to see Bruno today (it was mostly boring with a few funny parts).

Before I walked in, I saw this poster for a movie called District 9 and I recognized the "No Humans Allowed" sign. It is quite similar to this poster.

Now I realize the SF poster was part of the advertising campaign for the movie. I still want that 'bus' poster though.

The movie looks amazing; we saw the trailer for it before Bruno started. Aliens crash land on earth and instead of taking over, they're actually captured, sequestered for many years in an internment camp, and forced to give up their secrets.

Outside IMAX

2009-07-09T22:14:00.000-07:00

(From Shayan's iPhone)

Shayan and I went and saw Star Trek on IMAX and he took this photo to send off to his girl-friend (who is Japanese and lives in...yup, Japan).

It was an incredible movie, much better than I expected it to be. Quite honestly, there was nothing that I didn't like about this movie. One of my favorite action movies of the year so far.

Overheating

2009-07-08T14:37:00.000-07:00

Doug putting water in his radiator and the water reservoir. There is a leak somewhere, and his car keeps overheating.

He said sometimes he has to drive with the heat on at full blast (and its already nearing 100 degrees outside) just to cool off the engine.

A couple days ago, when he took off the radiator cap, water and steam flew everywhere and teh eruption lasted at least for 10 seconds. It was like a geyser going off.

Request Waiting

2009-07-06T17:43:00.000-07:00

As soon as I returned home from our amazing weekend at Lassen, I noticed these items on my shelf.

Frank had come by and left me two things:
1. A request for six 8x10" enlargements of the photo of his completed puzzle, and
2. A nice fold out map of California listing every single state park. There has to be at least a hundred, if not over a couple hundred listed on this map.

Day 3: Bumpass Hell

2009-07-05T13:57:00.000-07:00

This was our only hike considered Moderate by all the guides -- the other two were labeled Strenuous. A pretty straightforward hike except that this is the beginning of the season and at least half the trail here was snow covered. So we slid down trails as much as we walked. Finally, after 1.5 miles, the sulfuric stench of the geysers awaited us.

Sometimes not being able to smell is a good thing -- I'm the only one who could enjoy my lunch without everything tasting like "deviled eggs".

Lots of steaming geysers, bubbling mud holes, and dried up mud holes to see along the walkway built in the area.

Day 2: Cinder Cone

2009-07-04T14:24:00.000-07:00

Cinder Cone is a fairly short hike: 1.2 miles to the cone, and then 700feet to the top.

The first part of the hike is pretty decent, just some small rocks on a sandy trail. It would be like walking on the loose sand of the beach, except the soil is black from the volcanic rock. Then we get to Cinder Cone.

There are no switchbacks, just a trail leading up the side of the cone, with a 30-35 degree angle. It's more soft soil, loose rocks, and larger loose rocks. Every step up you slide back down. It took a while to get there, but the view at the top is incredible: a lake, Lassen Peak, Fantastic Lava Beds (that's what they're called) and Painted Dunes. We eat our sandwiches again and then head back down.

The same trail down. Some people run down, throwing up huge clouds of dust. But we walk down, heel first, letting the loose soil fill in under our toes.

Day 1: Lassen Peak

2009-07-03T14:15:00.000-07:00

We are spending the 4th of July weekend at Lassen Park.

Today: climbing Lassen Peak, which is very steep and rocky, and parts of the trail are snow covered. Along the way up, we heard that a guy tumbled over a narrow section that people kept calling the ice ledge.

Lots of friendly hikers, everyone says hello or stops to chat (usually about the hiker that fell). Finally when we get to the "snow ledge" area, we see why most people are turning around right there.

It's a narrow walkway, covered in ice, with the mountain on one side and a steep angled drop on the other.

We decide it's not worth the risk if one of us falls and head back down. But first, we eat our sandwiches.

Sweaty

2009-06-29T23:24:00.000-07:00

I went to the gym and did 30 minutes of cardio on the elliptical machine while watching the 2008 WSOP on TV.

I was surprised how sweaty my work-out hat got since I wasn't really going at a hard pace.

Painted Statue

2009-06-28T12:23:00.000-07:00

I visited a comic/game store nearby that I never knew existed while on my way to Old Navy to pick up their 4th of July tee shirt.

Inside a glass case, they have some amazing statues painted by employees of the store as well as their customers.

I asked to take a photo of this one and the employee opened the case for me. They aren't for sale, just to show off their painting skills.

I definitely don't have the patience for this.
BTW the strap of my camera almost knocked over a tiny statue. That would've been really embarrassing.

Blu-Ray

2009-06-26T11:36:00.000-07:00

Just trying to document the dropping price of recordable Blu-Ray disks. This is from a Fry's Electronics ad.

I know I had a photo a few months ago (and I think I lost it when my hard drive crashed) when the price was $50 for a 5-pack.

Haircut

2009-06-21T01:45:00.000-07:00

It's getting hot and my hair was getting long and curly in the back, making my neck itch.

II decided to give myself a trim to keep me cool in the summer months. Not shaved all the way, just a nice even trim.

Bubbling

2009-06-19T15:51:00.000-07:00

Doug's Mountaineer has a leak somewhere and overheats sometimes during the day.

Here is the overflow reservoir with the water inside bubbling violently after getting hot.

Night Construction

2009-06-18T23:57:00.000-07:00

Late night construc- tion on Arden Way after eating sushi with Shayan and seeing a late showing of Terminator Salvation.

Shayan had a major problem with a plot point (and to his credit, his argument did make sense). Overall the movie was decent, just not amazing.

Santa Fe Vendor

2009-06-15T13:08:00.000-07:00

Ma, bapu, and I drove down to Santa Fe for a few hours to kill time before our evening flight. It was an interesting town, reminding us all of St. Augustine back in Florida. A lot of street vendors selling very "Native American" type art, and since we weren't planning on buying anything, we were ready to head back fairly quickly.

This vendor had some paintings he'd made himself, he is creating small jewelry pieces in this picture, and even had a shard of a meteorite to sell.

Panorama created with 5-6 photos using autostitch.

Sandia Peaks

2009-06-14T13:19:00.000-07:00

Ma and bapu and I drove around Albu- querque after checking out of the hotel and dropping Madhvi off at the airport.

We came to check out the Tramway ride at Sandia Peak, but due to extreme wind conditions, the ride was closed. We heard later that it's closed quite a bit since it's windy up there a lot.

It was a great drive to get here anyways.

Petroglyph National Monument

2009-06-14T08:44:00.000-07:00

Yatin and I met up at 7:45 this morning to drive down the street to Petroglyph National Monument.

We had a nice hike down a sandy trail, checking out the various petroglyphs (rock carvings) that were hundreds of years old. We also saw dozens of millipedes, a rattlesnake blocking our trail, lots of rabbits, and even a few stinkbugs.

Click the photo and find the petro- glyphs.

On the way back, we met a volunteer Forest Ranger who explained the meanings behind some of the petroglyphs to us, including the real ones and the fake ones.

Close-up of a petro- glyph from above photo.

The spirals, sun- symbols, masks, and even the "alien" like creature with three antennas sprouting from his head were all real (they don't know what he means and call him the Enigma Man).

Some petroglyphs were right alongside the trail and easy to spot, and others were in far off rocks that were barely visible. All together we must have seen 100-150 of them, much less than the 500 or so that the brochures said we'd see.

Wedding

2009-06-13T12:24:00.000-07:00

Janki and George got married today in a beautiful ceremony held at an amphi- theater in Albu- querque.

There was an Eastern wedding first, then a Western one.

The great thing about the Eastern (Indian) wedding was that instead of speaking in Sanskrit, the priest spoke in English, so we (the younger generation) could all understand it.

This was the first time I'd seen this done, and it was a great idea -- it not only kept everyone's attention on the wedding, but we all were also able to understand what the ancient Sanskrit wedding vows said.

Where I Parked

2009-06-12T10:30:00.000-07:00

Today all four of us left Sacramento to fly out to Albu- querque for Janki's wedding.

I parked my car in long term parking and took a photo of the aisle I was parked in so I wouldn't have to remember it.

Ancil Hoffman Park

2009-06-10T17:54:00.000-07:00

Ma, bapu, and I took a walk around the 3.2 mile perimeter of Ancil Hoffman Park.

I used to run around this park to prepare for 5k runs, since this is almost the exact distance.

It's a beautiful park to walk around. One section borders the golf course, the second borders the American River, the third along a nature preserve, and the last section borders the back side of the golf course.

It took us about an hour and a half to walk all the way around, taking our time and enjoying the scenery.

Jellyfish

2009-06-08T15:08:00.000-07:00

The jellyfish area of the Monterey Bay Aquarium was just breath-taking.

They were lit so well in this incredible blue water that it just looked like living art.

Monterey Bay Aquarium

2009-06-08T13:12:00.000-07:00

Ma and bapu at the main aquarium tank.

It was a great day seeing the Monterey Bay Aquarium, about a two and a half hour drive south of San Francisco along the coast. There were hands-on exhibits, a live show involving a rescued albatross, jellyfishes, penguins, and lots more.

Halfway through the day, we took a break to eat at a great Mexican restaurant.

Houses and Graffiti

2009-06-07T17:25:00.000-07:00

As always, click the image for a larger photo.

Looking back toward the street is the juxtaposition of incredible houses and a graffiti covered wall bordering the beach.

Created with 8 photos using autostitch.

Pacific

2009-06-07T17:23:00.000-07:00

As always, click the image for a larger photo.

A walk on the beach in the cool, but bright San Francisco evening.
At the far left of the photo is the Cliff House Restaurant.

Panorama made with ~7-8 photos using autostitch. (The little black area on the bottom left is the portion my photos didn't cover.)

Bus Stop Poster

2009-06-07T15:59:00.000-07:00

We were all driving back to Madhvi's apartment when I spotted an interesting poster at a bus stop.

Everyone was nice enough to let me drive around the block so I could come back and take a photo of this interesting poster.

Balcony

2009-06-06T15:21:00.000-07:00

Enjoying the crisp air on the balcony at Madhvi's spacious apartment.

Behind ma and bapu is the Pacific Ocean, a mere few blocks from the apartment.

Inside

2009-06-05T19:15:00.000-07:00

The walls inside Coit Tower are covered in wonderful murals depicting life during the early days of San Francisco.

Coit Tower

2009-06-05T19:06:00.000-07:00

Our first day in San Francisco.

We drove around the city, along Fisherman's Wharf and then here to Coit Tower while waiting for Madhvi to get home from work.

Unfortunately, the elevator to the top was broken, but this area has amazing views of the city below.

Bridal Veil Falls

2009-06-02T17:11:00.000-07:00

We stopped here last time when ma, bapu, and Madhvi visited California in December 2000. Back then, there was snow everywhere and parts of the ground in this area was frozen.

While driving back from Lake Tahoe, we decided to stop here again, to take a new photo of ma and bapu at the same spot, this time in the early summer.

Tahoe Panorama

2009-06-02T14:47:00.000-07:00

As always, click the photo for a larger version.

A nice panorama of the coast along the south shore of Lake Tahoe.

Ma, bapu, and I came here for the day. While bapu hung out at Harrah's for about an hour, ma and I took a nice walk along the lake.

Panorama with 6 photos using autostitch.

Pay Phone

2009-05-21T11:32:00.000-07:00

I'm sure these phones are being added in, but it just looked ironic.

Sign of the times: everyone has a cell phone and these payphones are becoming obsolete.

Bug

2009-05-12T02:43:00.000-07:00

A interesting, colorful bug outside my apartment.

It was just sitting there on the wall under my porch light.

Mystery

2009-05-08T18:05:00.000-07:00

Guess what this is?

Highlight down here for the answer:

It's some lint and hairs from deep inside my belly button.

Highlight above for the answer.

Seriously. That's what it is.
Yup, that's gross.

Sculpture

2009-04-16T07:53:00.000-07:00

Along Embar- cadero, close to Pier 1 (the actual pier number, not the store) is this sculpture of a bow and arrow.

Behind it is the Okland-Bay Bridge.

Leonard Cohen

2009-04-15T20:26:00.000-07:00

Madhvi got us tickets to see Leonard Cohen in concert in Oakland.

That's him in the middle of the stage with the gray suit and hat.

He was incredible to see live, and hear all the songs we'd been listening to all these years.

He would spotlight each of the various musicians when they played their

solo, and would take off his hat and hold it to his chest while he listened to them.

Also, a great, appreciative audience to enjoy the evening with. Leonard Cohen's sense of humor was amazing, and it was a truly great concert.

Feather Falls

2009-03-31T12:30:00.000-07:00

Madhvi came to visit me this weekend, and we decided to revisit Feather Falls.

Last time, we were unable to complete the hike since we went in the winter time and arrived so late in the day that we would've been stuck out there in the dark. Today we left Sacramento at a reasonable time and were able to enjoy the hike.

We saw quite a few friendly hikers, including a Senior Hikers Club from the Sacramento area. Near the falls, we stopped and enjoyed our sandwiches before heading back.

8k Piece Puzzle

2009-03-22T15:27:00.000-07:00

Frank is now done with his amazing 8,000 piece puzzle.

It is an incredible piece, and I'm trying to convince him to frame it and hang it in his apartment.

Here are more photos of the last time I photographed the puzzle.

Sorry Bee

2009-03-20T12:19:00.000-07:00

I noticed this dead bee on the hood of my car this morning.

After running all my errands and getting back home, I noticed the poor guy was still stuck.

Headed Out

2009-03-19T17:58:00.000-07:00

About to leave the apartment to get some groceries in my UF hat and my Threadless tee.

A nice day outside.

Burnt Finger

2009-03-16T16:13:00.000-07:00

I accidentally touched one of the hot metal plates around my gas stove today. Much like when I burned my wrist, this really hurts.

I was surprised when it didn't puff up, but a couple days later, I noticed it was filled with fluid. I popped it with a needle, cut the whitish skin around it, then wrapped it with a Band-Aid. A week later, it was fine.

Poll

2009-03-12T19:00:00.000-07:00

I've been watching the Campbell Brown show on CNN for a while now, and it's always preceded by Lou Dobbs.

He always has crazy polls on there, but this one was especially funny. The thing that makes these polls interesting is that there is obviously a right answer, and often the two parts of the poll have little/nothing to do with other.

"Do you like puppies and chocolate chip cookies or is Satan awesome?"

Reading in Bed

2009-02-17T20:21:00.000-08:00

I haven't read a Stephen King book in a long time.

I was in Goodwill the other day and bought a few books (don't remember which other ones), including Duma Key.

A fun book and a fast read.I finished it in a couple days of intense reading sessions; it was a true page-turner.

Behind me is my all-purpose headboard, which is always covered in the many books I'm reading concurrently.

Buddha

2009-02-15T11:37:00.000-08:00

A cool Buddha stamp on the old $100 bill.

The only reason I even noticed the stamp is because I was inspecting this bill. After all this time with the new $100 note, this old one looks so strange.

Hole in the Mug

2009-02-11T21:10:00.000-08:00

I was washing my dishes today and lost my grip on this 39 cent IKEA mug.

It fell in the sink and originally I thought it was okay, until I poured some water in it to drink. It all started leaking out this hole in the side.

CFL Bulb

2009-02-04T00:28:00.000-08:00

My lamp in the room has been acting funny for a few days now.

A couple days ago, the bulb that was in there fused, so I put in this CFL bulb. Today, the bulb wouldn't light and when I tried to test it, it just broke in my hand. A lot of white powder spilled out when it broke apart.

Made of Bamboo

2009-01-31T22:06:00.000-08:00

I stopped off at Goodwill today to see if I could find some T-shirts to wear to the gym, now that I am going regularly again.

I found this cool Austin City Limits Music Festival shirt, and it is the softest material I've ever felt. I looked at the tag and it is 70% bamboo and 30% organic cotton.

Goal!

2009-01-30T13:59:00.000-08:00

Driving through the Arden Mall, I noticed this tree that looks quite like a field goal post in a football stadium.

Goooooaaaaaaaaaaalllllllll!!!

Follow the Path

2009-01-29T11:51:00.000-08:00

Parking in the beginning of the semester is always a nightmare, but this path makes it easy to get to class.
I never noticed it before, but the path zigzags all the way through the parking lot.

I also use this path to remember where I park (I park in any open spot near the path, even if it's an extra aisle away) so I can easily find my car on the way out.

Orange Peels

2009-01-28T13:14:00.000-08:00

I have been snacking on these tiny "California mandarins" after pretty much every meal, or whenever I crave something sweet.

The sticker on them says they are also called "Cuties".

8000 Piece puzzle

2009-01-27T16:08:00.000-08:00

Frank asked me to come over and take more photos of his recently completed puzzles, and then showed me the progress he is making on his 8000 piece puzzle.

He is very neatly organized, and each puzzle piece you see on the white pages are grouped according to the number of holes/bumps per piece as well as the color gradient, so he can find a piece easier.

He has about 1500 pieces left before this puzzle is complete.
The above photo made using autostitch and 6 photos.

LEFT: The same puzzle, and it's progress as of March 24, 2008.

Shadows

2009-01-26T16:49:00.000-08:00

1. Doug gave me a ride to campus today since I don't have a parking permit yet. On the way there, I saw these flags forming a nice shadow on the intersection as we wait for the light to change.

2. I brought a change of clothes with me and walked/ jogged home from my last class. It's 2 miles from the start of the Guy West bridge to my apartment. Along the trail, I saw my elongated shadow, as if I was walking on stilts.

Eating Yogurt

2009-01-25T15:14:00.000-08:00

The yogurt turned out quite well.

I was a bit worried last night, since my oven stays a bit warm all the time, and it is supposed to sit covered in a cool oven til the yogurt is done.

After about 6 hours in the warmish oven, I brought the container outside and let it finish on my kitchen counter.

It was a little watery still, so I left it in the fridge overnight. Today, I tried it and it is delicious!

Making Yogurt

2009-01-24T12:30:00.000-08:00

I brought a sample of yogurt back with me from Florida and today I was able to finally make it.

Recipe:
1. Pour milk into a microwave safe bowl. Mine is 2.5 quarts.
2. Warm in microwave, uncovered. I did it for 12 minutes, which ma told me later was too long.
3. Let it cool down, uncovered, until you can dip your finger in there. (This is the step seen here; at this point, it is still steaming)
4. Add about 1/2 teaspoon of yogurt in the milk, mixing thoroughly.
5. Cover it up and let it sit inside a cool oven. It took about 7-8 hours for me.
6. Enjoy!

Long Red Light

2009-01-23T16:11:00.000-08:00

While waiting at a surprisingly long red light, Doug takes a quick power nap at the end of our work day.

Looking Good

2009-01-22T12:28:00.000-08:00

Or, not really...

I am forced to wear the RolLens under my glasses after a long and grueling eye exam on campus.

It was given mostly by an intern (and later I found out some information that led me to suspect I was her first patient, ever!) that lasted almost an hour and a half.

Even though it's a very overcast and rainy day, it feels extremely bright out here for my dilated eyes. As terrible as it looks, I am glad the doctior gave me these, since I was now able to drive myself home.

Tennis 2009

2009-01-21T14:38:00.000-08:00

Aaron and I met up at the new campus of ARC by his apartment to play a bit of tennis, our first time meeting up this year.

We only played for about 30 to 45 minutes before the rain started coming down, but it was a nice warm-up for both of us.

Hong Kong Delivery

2009-01-21T11:11:00.000-08:00

A little less than two weeks ago, I ordered a couple new batteries and a charger for my camera from eBay.

Today, they arrived in a brown envelope from Hong Kong, packaged nicely but undervalued in the declaration. I actually paid $18 for it, and it's value is listed as $10 (for the export fees, maybe).

Number 44

2009-01-20T09:10:00.000-08:00

1. Barack Obama is sworn in as the 44th President.

2. Shaking the hand of the Chief Justice, John Roberts after the swearing in ceremony.

The ceremony was running a bit late, but he was still president at noon, Eastern Standard Time, as written in the Constitution.

Newspaper

2009-01-19T14:20:00.000-08:00

My downstairs neighbor has been leaving the newspaper for me for a few months now, since my next door neighbor moved away.

He must have heard me sneezing this morning, because a few hours later, when I walked out, the Sunday paper (from yesterday) was waiting for me, along with today's.

Unpacking Bags

2009-01-18T13:41:00.000-08:00

Last night, I put away all of the delicious foods ma had cooked for me, and today, I begin unpacking my main bag and carry-on as well as sorting through my mail.

This dining table is used more as a sorting table for my various items than as a place to eat.

Back to CA

2009-01-17T12:11:00.000-08:00

A month has already passed since I arrived in Florida, and today at 9AM, I left to head back to Sacra- mento.

It will be lonely in my apartment for a while, it was so nice being around everyone for the past month, and I am already looking forward to coming back here, hopefully in the summer.

A blanket of clouds approaches the plane en route from Charlotte to Las Vegas.

Also, today at the airport, my first bag weighed in at 49.5 pounds and the second bag was exactly 50.0 pounds. The lady behind the counter was amazed (when the first bag was weighed) and openly congratulating me on at my luck when the second bag was exactly the weight limit.

Neon

2009-01-16T18:58:00.000-08:00

A project I didn't get to really work on this trip was taking photos of fun neon signs in the Daytona Beach area.

I did like this sign at a local fish market. Ma drove with me here on the way to pick up some fresh parathas for me to take back to Sacramento with me.

UPDATE :: January 21, 2009 :: I have been going through this site and looking at old photos. I came across an almost identical post and it turns out I was thinking about this project last year as well.

Fresh Moodi

2009-01-16T16:29:00.000-08:00

Ma begins preparing the moodi snacks that ba likes so much.

This is just the first step. After it's cooked a bit, she will add all the other things.

Ba loves to munch on these any chance she gets.

...A Black Cat

2009-01-15T15:31:00.000-08:00

When we got home from all our various errands, including seeing the old dog track building, we saw this black cat relaxing in the front yard.

It is snuggled up in the blankets we used to protect the plants last night. It is still chilly out (for Florida) and the cat was enjoying a nice nap as we drove in.

Dog Track and...

2009-01-15T14:35:00.000-08:00

The Daytona Beach dog track's old location closed down since the last time I was here and they moved down the road to a brand new building.

All entrances were closed off to cars, but bapu parked near International Drive and then I walked through the parking lot to take this photo.

Struck Once

2009-01-14T19:30:00.000-08:00

A new matchbox, used today for the first time to light the diva for our evening puja.

Today is Wednesday, so we recited the Gita, chapters 12 and 15.

Digital-8 to DVD

2009-01-13T11:00:00.000-08:00

Bob let me borrow his Digital-8 player (on the left) and a standalone DVD burner (on the right) so I could make a copy of all the video from our trip to India in 1999.

The great thing about these two pieces of equipment is that they don't require a computer, so it eliminates a step.

Via 4-pin FireWire, the video/audio is transmitted directly from the player to the DVD burner, and since it's a digital to digital transfer, there is no loss.

It is real-time transfer, so each of the 60 minute tapes (stacked under the digital-8 player) takes one hour to burn to DVD. I just get it started and go do something else for a while until it's done.

Smiling Container

2009-01-12T16:16:00.000-08:00

One of ma's friends from Swadhyay heard I was home and gave ma this home-made vegetarian lasagna for me to enjoy.

The side of the box looked a bit melted, but in a nice way: the box is smiling.

Pressure Cleaning

2009-01-11T11:03:00.000-08:00

Bapu and I took turns pressure cleaning the driveway today; last time it was cleaned was back in the summer of 2007.

Bapu said the difference between the dirty and clean driveway is like, "Your overgrown beard before you finally shave."

Funny enough, when I last cleaned the driveway, I wore almost the same kind of clothes bapu is wearing today. Bapu laughed when I showed him the older picture and said, "It's our pressure cleaning uniform!"

Reflected

2009-01-10T14:15:00.000-08:00

Bapu and ma sitting on opposite sides of the table cutting vegetables to be used in tonight's cooking.

The vegetables over their distorted portraits show what each one is cutting.

Black and White

2009-01-09T12:19:00.000-08:00

Quite by accident, bapu and I are wearing contrasting shoes and socks to the gym.

Pradeep: black shoes with white socks,
Ravin: white shoes with black socks.

Great Egret

2009-01-08T13:46:00.000-08:00

At the Tomoka Marsh.

This great egret is in the process of using it's "stand and wait" method of catching fish. It wades in shallow water till it finds the right spot to wait for its meal to swim by, then it stabs it with its sharp bill.

In this photo, I like how all the surrounding foliage creates a frame that 'points' to the egret.

By the Shed

2009-01-07T16:23:00.000-08:00

Here's a photo of me, posted because I really like the method I used to take this timed shot.

There is nothing around this shed to rest the camera on, but today I noticed that a tiny branch from the nearby tree happened to be in a line of sight of the shed.

I hung the camera off the line, set a 10 second timer, and was pleasantly surprised that this shot came out, since the camera was swinging back and forth a bit on the branch.

In the Kitchen

2009-01-06T19:40:00.000-08:00

Is bapu taking a siesta in the kitchen? Sure looks like it -- he even took his glasses off (near his right elbow).

Actually, he's checking on water leaking out from under the sink, trying to find the source.

UPDATE: January 7, 2009 :: Here was the problem -- the pipe leading in from the wall had two bad spots: a 2" crack, and a small hole.

When that was fixed, we also had the garbage disposal replaced, since it was also corroded in places and leaking. It was last replaced 15-17 years ago.

Mossy Tree

2009-01-05T16:55:00.000-08:00

The moss on this tree in the back-yard has been growing for decades.

After a while, clumps of moss just fall to the ground, but there is always a ton of it on the tree.

The blue/black plastic barrels under the tree all have different kinds of plants growing in them. Some are veggies that we pick to eat, and others just grow wild.

Ba and Bhindas

2009-01-04T11:06:00.000-08:00

Ba was bored sitting in the kitchen, so bapu gave her these bhindas to cut, but first, they have to be dried with a cloth.

Later, ma cooked them up for our evening dinner. Before I leave, she will make me some to take with me.

Alien Eggs

2009-01-03T12:18:00.000-08:00

Guess what these are. Hints in my tags for the post.

For answer, highlight the text below:
Papaya seeds

Steaming

2009-01-02T11:53:00.000-08:00

Dada has a bit of a stuffed nose and a slight cough.

Today, he's breathing in the hot steam from a boiled pot of water to clear out the sinuses.