Wedding anniversary notes

We vacationed in Calistoga this weekend to celebrate our wedding anniversary.

• Colin Hay - what a voice!; we heard "Waiting For My Real Life to Begin" on the May 31 Prairie Home Companion. Link (audio @ 01:30:57)
• Utah Phillips - also Prairie Home Companion, which honored him with one or two songs, including "I Think of You" Link (audio @ 01:13:11)
• The Planetary Dance - on the way to Muir Woods, we passed a bunch of people dancing in a field next to Muir Woods Road, which turned out to represent the 34th Annual Planetary Dance 
• Hotel Room amenities
• iHome HiP42 MP3 Docking Alarm Clock Radio (now discontinued, we both liked the "Bedtime Beats" sounds, the first of which reminded me of a Hayao Miyazaki film and the second which reminded me of the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Open Sea Exhibit
• Speakman Anystream shower fixture (link)
• Curved shower curtain rail
• Shower splash guards
• Shower hand rails
• Hookless shower curtain by Focus Product Group (focuspg.com) with a clear horizontal panel near the top (sort of like the Vision at this link)
• Anti-slipmat which seemed glued to the tub floor...seems nicer than rubber ones which need cleaning (?)
• Spa amenities
• Stands for lotion/hair gel/deodorant dispensers
• Container for cotton swabs and disposable razors
• Zero-gravity SO Sound Solutions "Sound Lounger" (link); they had modified the lounger so it mechanically reclined and they provided Beats headphones and a cold compress, plus a comforter to stay cozy
• Castello di Amorosa
• Dawn liked a green lace skirt from the Melody O2 collection
• I tried these red wines:
• Pinot noir (Los Carneros)
• Zingaro (SF Chronicle Gold Medal)
• Sangiovese (SF Chronicle Gold Medal)
• Il Brigante (?)
• and a white one: Gewurztraminer
• The castle impresses...worth a visit to appreciate the attention to detail and planning...we just walked around the grounds
• We met the cat, Sir Lancelot, and also a peacock, and watched the other cat, Lady Guinevere, sheep, goats, and so forth
• Food
• Mishka's Cafe, Davis (link), for coffees--the owner was there on Sunday; it is named after his cat, Mishka
• Muir Woods Cafe (link)--we tried the grilled cheese and tomato soup ("to die for")
• Boskos Trattoria Italian Food, Calistoga (link): I had the "Godfather" (Italian Sausage, Roasted Eggplant, Garlic, Onions & Red Bell Peppers In A Spicy Herb Tomato Sauce On Spaghetti)...Dawn had the Vittorio (Bay Shrimp, Mushrooms And Garlic In An Asiago Cream Sauce On Fettuccine)...we both shared a bottle of Ca Di Rajo Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore 2012 (link)
• Free continental breakfast at the Calistoga Best Western Stevenson Manor: scrambled eggs, we split a waffle we made in the waffle iron, hardboiled egg, oatmeal, a bagel and cream cheese plus orange juice 
• Yo el Rey Roasting, Calistoga: coffees
• Woodhouse Chocolates, St. Helena
• Sogni Di Dolci: I had the Napoletano (mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, garlic, and oregano) and Dawn had the Club Panino (turkey, pancetta, provolone, tomato, lettuce, mayonaise--which tasted good and spicy, like mustard)

Maker Faire 2014 - San Mateo

Some memories / notes:

• 8x10 digital view camera; Sam Girvin (sgirv *remove this nonsensical phrase* in@stanford.edu)
• Flatbed scanner modified into an easy to focus, extremely high resolution B&W digital 8x10 view camera
• Max image resolution: 1,800 megapixels; limited in practice by lens resolving power and fineness of ground glass
• Key components: 
• Canon Canoscan LiDE 210
• Schneider Symmar-S 210mm f/5.6
• Custom bellows system
• Ground glass plate
• Documentation will be posted initially on PentaxForums.com
• SVVR2 (Silicon Valley Virtual Reality) conference and expo, May 19 & 20; svvr.com
• UC-Santa Cruz Art Department Chair, Jennifer Parker; parker *remove this nonsensical phrase but include the one* 1@ucsc_dot_edu ; Baskin Visual Arts
• Obtanium Works: "One man's junk is another man's vehicle" Shannon & Kathy O'Hare; obtaniumworks.net
• Genevieve Santos: illustrator, wanderluster; kid-at-heart; genevievesantos.com
• Sparki, the easy robot for everyone, arcbotics.com; and Hexy, the low-cost hexapod robot
• Isabelle Kung, illustrator: www.isabellakung.com
• Mars Exploration Program: www.nasa.gov/mars
• Proteins and Peppytides
• Peppytide is a 3D-printed, foldable molecular model (note: part of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory)
• www.peppytides.com
• Darwin-mini robotis: www.robotis.us
• Novena open source laptop: novena.io; "back us on crowdsupply.com" (ends May 18)
• www.animalinstinctsapparel.com
• Consciousness Hacking: "Is inner-space the next great frontier?" consciousnesshacking.com
• WalkingBeans (Li-An, Yuki) @ sfwalkingbeans.com
• Skeletal Dropkick: www.skeletaldropkick.com : stoneware; monsters; handcrafted for daily use
• Curious Customs: Lamps, lanterns, and nightlights: http://curiouscustoms.com
• Nasa Centennial Challenges: www.nasa.gov/challenges
• RawrzToys.com

Kevin Voted Today

Governor
Jerry Brown

Lieutenant Governor
Gavin Newsom

Secretary of State
Derek Cressman

Controller
Betty T. Yee

Treasurer
John Chiang

Attorney General
Kamala D. Harris

Insurance Commissioner
Dave Jones

Member, State Board of Equalization, District 1
Chris Parker

Congressional District 3
Ami Bera

Senate District 6
Richard Pan

Member of the State Assembly
Ken Cooley

Superintendent of Public Instruction
Tom Torlakson

District Attorney
Maggy Krell

County Assessor
Abstained

Sheriff
Abstained

State Proposition 41: Veterans Housing and Homeless Prevention Bond Act of 2014
Yes

State Proposition 42: Public Records, Open Meetings, State Reimbursement to Local Agencies (Legislative Constitutional Amendment)
Yes

Shoes

Oxblood bluchers/balmorals:

• Cole Haan Caldwell
• Cole Haan Air Carter Split
• Bostonian Andover
• Bostonian Akron
• Alden
• Style #9015, "Dark Burgundy Shell Cordovan" (Last: Hampton; seems pretty true to standard sizing)
• How to properly try on Alden shoes (video)
• Johnston & Murphy
• Vintage

SIZES

• Extra Narrow (A+)
• Narrow (C, B)
• Medium (D, M)
• Wide (E,W)
• Extra Wide (EE+)

COLORS

• Cordovan
• Oxblood
• Burgundy
• Horween Leather Company colors

BELT TO MATCH

• Horween Color #8 (see link as above)
• Style Forum thread
• "You can get a sufficiently good match with any calfskin burgundy / merlot / cordovan / wine (all different names for basically the same color) belt and don't need to go to the additional expense of a shell cordovan belt."
• Reddit thread
• Chromexcel definition
• Vendors
• Trafalgar
• Broderick ** (?)
• Orion
• Brooks Brothers
• #853C Leather Dress Belt
• Alden
• Allen Edmonds
• Polished cobbler (though reviews suggest it looks dark brown)
• Rancourt And Company
• Chromexcel color #8 (out of stock)
• Shell cordovan color #8

Previously

Zippered leather binder folios

REQUIREMENTS

• Burgundy, or something close
• Good build quality...leather or something that looks professional
• No handles...not my thing
• Zippered around three sides
• Binder (three or more rings)
• Letter-sized paper pad

WOULD BE NICE....

• USB memory stick loop
• Pen on outside or middle (only a preference, so does not interfere with writing on back of pages)
• Gusseted file pocket, if possible, instead of a v-shaped pocket, which squishes papers
• One binder had a removable, velcro-affixed three ring binder...kind of interesting, but not sure if practical...I thought briefly about adding something like that to an existing pad folio, but it seems risky regarding fit

OPTIONS

• YES
• McKinley Leather: #140Z, though the burgundy seems a bit red--$175 (this is the one I purchased)
• A.C. Oehmich Company: option #174 seems to fit all the requirements--$124...or $133?
• Scully (5020Z or 494Z, Color: 22 - BURGUNDY; 06 - Italian leather...but hard to find)--~$230 for the 494Z
• LeatherTree: They sell the 5012 (no zipper) and the 5012Z (zipper)
• Colors which I do not want: 39-PLUM (looks purple)
• Day-Timer: (4462, "Western Coach Leather Zippered 1 1/2" Planner Cover Folio" seems perfect...4584: zippered, but not leather...looks cheaper)--~$92
• MAYBE
• Samsill: 70734 comes in burgundy
• Dacasso (E7002 - Burgundy seems reasonable, but no three ring binder option)
• Leatherology (their burgundy looks acceptable...but no three ring binder option)
• Jack Georges: beautiful, burgundy, but no zipper or rings
• Osgoode Marley: #1810 zippered folio, but no rings...comes in "Brandy" but no way to see color
• Willow Brook Leather: burgundy, zipper, no rings (looks a bit brown?)
• NO
• Levenger (black only)
• Claire Chase (tan only)
• Hartmann (see history...may not represent a good buy...also, only brown)
• Clava (#92107 comes only in black;)
• Barnes and Noble (Sienna Deluxe Bonded Leather Business Folio)...brown, but an easy local buy, I guess
• Quadra: has a USB memory stick loop which seems clever; alas, only black
• Avenues in Leather: only black, but some nice styles
• Gino Ferrari: Ambassador A4 Zip Folio with Calculator looks nice, but, only black 
• Bullet Blocker: well, it stops .45 and 9mm...but only in black
• Bosca: beautiful, hand-made, but no burgundy, no rings, and so forth
• Franklin Covey: only in black
• Johnston & Murphy: no binder, and so forth.
• Piel Leather: beautiful, but not burgundy; only saddle/black/chocolate
• Royce Leather Collection: only black or tan
• Bond St: #710018 looks a bit cheap

SEARCH TERMS

• "burgundy" binder leather pad zipper
• Padfolio (in reference to iPad, I guess)
• Folio
• Zipper
• Leather
• Saddle: the kind I do not want...looks like a pouch
• Binder
• Pad

COLORS

• Cordovan (unlikely to ever find true shell cordovan, due to size/expense, so just the color)
• Burgundy
• Brandy
• (?)

RESULTS

I purchased the McKinley Leather: #140Z after a dialogue with a customer service representative. Of all the companies I contacted, McKinley Leather responded in a timely manner via e-mail and re-assured me about the color and one or two other questions I had. Bravo! Scully Leather and A.C. Oehmich Company failed to respond within a day or two to rather simple questions. As to why I chose the #140Z, I liked the gusseted pocket and the pen placement near the pad's outside edge. It fit all the requirements and had a space for business cards.

Maker Faire Bay Area 2014 : Miss Tickle

My favorite part: watching kids operate Miss Tickle:

From the Maker Faire web site: "Baron Von Jabba's pedal-powered "creature quad," Miss Tickle."

Santa Cruz Housing

Dawn will enter graduate studies at Santa Cruz in early October.

OVERVIEW

• City on a Hill Press: Santa Cruz Hoods (2010)
• Nate Cooper: Maps of Santa Cruz (2006)
• Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce: Neighborhoods in Santa Cruz County
• Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce: Moving to Santa Cruz
• Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce: Demographics
• Santa Cruz.com: Neighborhoods
• City of Santa Cruz: Statistics
• Who Rules Santa Cruz?

HOUSING

• UCSC Family Housing - do not allow cats : o (
• 
  

Mint Julep

Celebrated the Kentucky Derby today by watching it at the Berkley Bar, then making mint julep drinks.

We used the following:

• Maker's Mark Kentucky bourbon 
• Two kinds of mint: (1) backyard mint; and (2) week-old, store-bought mint
• Homemade turbinado sugar simple syrup
• This recipe: http://backyardbartender.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-best-mint-julep-you-will-ever-taste.html

Some mistakes I learned from: 

1. Ratio of turbinado sugar to water: I initially made a 1:1 ratio, then saw it required a 2:1 ratio. Not a big deal--just remix : o )
2. Forgot to muddle the mint at the bottom of one cup before putting in the ice
3. Sprig of mint for the top of the glass--it looks better to use a generous mint leaf : o )
4. Mix the simple syrup and bourbon together, then pour over the ice
5. Stir the mixture after pouring
6. Muddle the mint leaves over the side of the silver cup

Despite all the beginner mistakes, it turned out somewhat satisfactorily, after the ice had a chance to melt and the various parts had a chance to mingle.

I am not sure how much better a mint julep can really taste--it represents a simple drink. We drank in the kitchen and socialized, but I can imagine how refreshing this might taste on a hot and humid Kentucky summer afternoon!

Note: as a special treat, we watched New Orleans bartender Chris McMillian make it.

Linux (Debian) + Citrix Receiver SSL Error: You have not chosen to trust "DigiCert High Assurance CA-3" the issuer of the server's security certificate (SSL error 61)

Fixed this issue today on my install of Debian.

The exact error received: "You have not chosen to trust "DigiCert High Assurance CA-3" the issuer of the server's security certificate (SSL error 61)"

Relevant Google search phrase: "linux citrux receiver ssl error"

This led to this Ubuntu forums post: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1975705

I Google'd for "DigiCert High Assurance CA-3", which led me to page, "DigiCert Root Certificates :: Download and Test SSL"

I downloaded all six certs containing the phrase "High Assurance" to my Desktop:

1. DigiCert High Assurance EV Root CA
2. DigiCert High Assurance EV CA-1
3. DigiCert High Assurance CA-3
4. DigiCert High Assurance Code Signing CA-1
5. DigiCert SHA2 High Assurance Server CA
6. DigiCert SHA2 High Assurance Code Signing CA

Then, I moved them to the global ICAClient cacerts folder

sudo mv ~/Desktop/*.crt /opt/Citrix/ICAClient/keystore/cacerts

Then, finally, I rehashed everything:

sudo c_rehash /opt/Citrix/ICAClient/keystore/cacerts

After restarting my web browser (Chromium Version 32.0.1700.123 Debian 7.4 (248368)), things began working.

NOTE

I initially downloaded just certificate "DigiCert High Assurance CA-3"...but this did not work.I am not sure which of the above, therefore, allowed it to work.

 

Realism

Falling in:

http://www.artrenewal.org/pages/search.php

UC Davis Professor initiates replacement/supplement of textbooks with wiki

http://larsenlab.ucdavis.edu/

The Campus Crusade for Chaos and Confusion: iteration 001

UC-Davis, Kemper Hall: The Campus Crusade for Chaos and Confusion, iteration001 (more info):

The text:

100101101101111110001010011101110
001011101001000001111001011100110
100100001111000110100001101000110
101001110100100110010100011011010
011110010010111001111110001000100
010011100101001000000111100101010
100101011101110101110100101011001
010101001101110010101011101001011
101011010101010011010100010001010
101001100100010100100100010001001
000111000000101001011110001110111
101000001001001010101001010100101
001010100101010101010010101010010
100101001001010101010010101011100
100000101000101010001001010101011
011101101010100100010010101011010
101110110101110101010101010101001
101010100000010101110100101011011
100110010101010101010100101011001
111110001000001011111010110110101
100110010010010010000100010010100
101001101011010110101110000101000
110100110011010110101101011110012
Brought to you by the Campus Crusade for Chaos and Confusion iteration001

Hmmm.....

Converting the first  from binary (?) to ASCII results in the following confusion:

�ß�w H<¹¤<hhÔé2�§�çâ"r�<ªWuÒ²©¹WK­TÔES"�"G ��ô U*R¥U*�¤ª�r

*%VíR%Z»]UTÕ ºVæUU+? _[Y�HD¥5­p£LÖµ9

Another one, over by the Silo:

Text: 

Avoid reality at all costs.
brought to you by the Campus Crusade for Chaos and Confusion iteration001

Font: Apple Sand (via)

Josh Ritter - A Certain Light

A simple, pleasant tune:

"A Certain Light"

My new lover, sweet and kind
The kind of lover that one rarely finds
And I'm happy for the first time, in a long time

Came along and opened up the door
And though I know I've been in love before
Oh I feel it, so much more, than the last time

And she only looks like you
In a certain kind of light
When she holds her head just right

Its been winter, for a while
The north winds wail cut like a baby child
It was hard to think or smile
That brings springtime

But it did and now it is
The green green grass
Is come up green and its
Feeling just the way it did
The very first time

And she only looks like you
In a certain kind of light
When she holds her head just right

And anymore, it'd stretch the rhyme
So let me leave this where I started, I'm
Just happy for the first time
In a long time

In a long time

Homeless no more - How much would it cost to house the homeless in America?

In reaction to this article (via), remembered myself thinking big on the way home a week or two ago--how much money would it cost overall and per-person to house all the homeless people in America?

The article asserts some facts:

• 3.5 million people without homes each year in America
• $10,000 per unit, on average, for the structures at Second Wind Cottages, a tiny-house village for the chronically homeless in the town of Newfield, NY, outside of Ithaca
• $200,000 per unit for a typical development for extremely low-income housing
• $10 million per year in costs of homelessness to taxpayers, in Austin, Texas

So, doing the math, to house everyone in America would cost (at a minimum): 

$10,000 (10 * 10^3) per unit * 3.5 million (3.5 * 10^6) people 

= $35 billion (35,000,000,000, or 35 * 10^9)

How much does that amount to, per-person, in America? As of this post, the Census population clock reports 317,592,620 Americans:

$35 billion / 317,592,620 Americans
= $110.20 / American

That seems to represent a ballpark figure of housing all the homeless in America...a one-time sunk cost for building out the infrastructure.

Some huge caveats:

• $10,000 gets you the cost of building materials
• All construction labor donated by volunteers (hundreds? thousands?)
• In other locations:
• Costs, in some cases, offset with grants, government funding, and individual donations
• Architecture and design firms might need to contribute design services pro bono
• Supportive governments lease land to the housing for $1/year
• General concerns:
• Must work together with businesses and landowners to address impact on local businesses and homeowners
• "Unique legal zoning limitations and barriers that limit where tiny houses can be stationed."

It costs 9x as much (as it does in Quixote Village, in Olympia, Washington, where units cost $88,000): $308 billion, instead--that leads to $308 billion / 317,592,620 Americans = $969.80 / American

It costs 20x as much (as the average case): $700 billion, instead--that leads to $700 billion / 317,592,620 Americans = $2204.08 / American

So, it seems like a one-time cost to house the 3.5 million homeless Americans would amount to somewhere between $110--$2,204 per American.

But--let's say not everyone wants to pay. What then?

Note: I use the following rough and arbitrary labels to gauge American participation rates (fill in left-wing, center-left, center-right, and right wing assignments to the percentages as you prefer)

• 100% participation
• 75% participation
• 50% participation
• 25% participation

My rough guesstimates:

1. $10,000 units: $110-$441 per American (3.5 million homeless * $10,000 = $35 billion)
• 100% participation = $35 billion / 317,592,620 Americans = $110.20 / American
• 75% participation = $35 billion / 238,194,465 Americans = $146.94 / American
• 50% participation = $35 billion / 158,796,310 Americans = $220.41 / American
• 25% participation = $35 billion / 79,398,155 Americans = $440.82 / American
2. $90,000 units: $970-$3879 per American (3.5 million homeless * $90,000 = $308 billion)
• 100% participation = $308 billion / 317,592,620 Americans = $969.80 / American
• 75% participation = $308 billion / 238,194,465 Americans = $1293.06 / American
• 50% participation = $308 billion / 158,796,310 Americans = $1939.59 / American
• 25% participation = $308 billion / 79,398,155 Americans = $3879.18 / American
3. $200,000 units: $2204-$8816 per American (3.5 million homeless * $200,000 = $700 billion)
• 100% participation = $700 billion / 317,592,620 Americans = $2204.08 / American
• 75% participation = $700 billion / 238,194,465 Americans = $2938.78 / American
• 50% participation = $700 billion / 158,796,310 Americans = $4408.16 / American
• 25% participation = $700 billion / 79,398,155 Americans = $8816.33 / American

My opinion: when it comes down to brass tacks, the statistics in the table above show why homeless people still go without--I am guessing the number of people willing to actually contribute falls somewhere in the 25-50% range (if that), and, at an average cost of $200,000 per unit of housing, it would--at a minimum--cost the 25%-50% of Americans who care ~$4408-$8816 to accomplish. It is too much. Add in a 1% annual maintenance cost after the initial outlay, or $44.08-$88.16...worth it?

However--what if it only cost those Americans who care a one-time cost of $220-$441, plus a 1% annual maintenance cost of $2.20-$4.40? Now that represents an exciting, tractable change--almost NPR-contribution territory! Imagine this coupled with a united consensus to treat the problem.

Anyway, my question, answered. : o )

UPDATE: some additional notes, from comments at the article:

• "The majority of homeless people in the United States are disabled veterans and children and their mothers fleeing domestic violence" (they provide the following source)
• "minimum square footage laws"--apparently these limit housing options
• Frequent inspections? At least at first?
• The Hacker News post also has a ton of intelligent insights from various angles

The Ivory Silo

"The Ivory Silo"

Seen on a license plate frame in the staff parking lot at UC-Davis.

The Benjamin Franklin Effect

"Having heard that he had in his library a certain very scarce and curious book, I wrote a note to him, expressing my desire of perusing that book, and requesting he would do me the favour of lending it to me for a few days. He sent it immediately, and I return'd it in about a week with another note, expressing strongly my sense of the favour. When we next met in the House, he spoke to me (which he had never done before), and with great civility; and he ever after manifested a readiness to serve me on all occasions, so that we became great friends, and our friendship continued to his death."
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Franklin_effect

Breakup

Sitting inside Kemper Hall at UC-Davis watching a couple sitting outside on a picnic table in the public patio breaking up, presumably.

She's looking down, head bowed; he stares at her, alternates between holding his head in his hands and attempting to convince her to change her mind. She does not make eye contact, wipes away tears, stares away from him, turning away so they face each other perpendicularly. Both gesticulate, not wildly, with their hands as they talk. He seems in shock, trying to understand.

Above them, almond blossoms and blue skies.

Taxes

Game on.

And finished. Some notes for next year:

• No need to submit Schedule 540 CA 
• Student loan interest deduction
• Tuition fee credit
• 1099-B contains all the basis info for Schedule D and such
• (?)

Ailouro

The Greek word for cat.

11

Flappybird Impossible mode...apparently 10 or higher is the challenge:

UC-Davis, Kemper Hall

Kemper Hall, UC-Davis. Cold and rainy, today.

Hair

Radiolab did a segment on hair parts and true mirrors: http://www.radiolab.org/story/122613-mirror-mirror/

Zen Toro Sushi - Davis

Dawn and I ate at Zen Toro Sushi in Davis this evening.

I had:

• Uni x2 (NorCal) $10
• Amaebi x2 (Japan) $3
• 1/2 shell oyster x1 (Shigoku) $3

Dawn had the sesame chicken curry.

Core FTP LE

I really want to like it, I do.

But I am really stuck with the command line interface...trying to do something which seems relatively simple:

• Connect to a remote site using a site profile
• Transfer the whole site...files, folders, everything...to a local folder

That's it. I can't figure it out. I use "-recurse" -d, -p, and so forth, to no avail. It laughs and crashes. I'm using the latest build.

So, I love you Core FTP LE, but ....

Hire friendly and train technical

http://www.blogs.marriott.com/marriott-on-the-move/2014/01/hire-friendly-train-technical.html

Musical interlude

Listened to KVMR 89.5 FM out of Nevada City, CA today:
http://www.kvmr.org/

"Folk & Americana", by Larry Hillberg ; I think he called it "Back
"Backroads": "Ease into your Saturday mornings with first class music, past to present, including folk, acoustic, singer-songwriter, Americana, Country, & more."
http://www.kvmr.org/show/back-roads

Here's the playlist I heard today:

9:17am
Les Claypool's Duo De Twang “Stayin' Alive”from Four Foot Shack CD ALBUM (ATO Records (AT0) 2013) N

9:20am
Greg Brown “1952 Vincent Black Lightning”composed by Richard Thompsonfrom The Live One CD ALBUM (Red House Records 1995)
9:25am
Christine Bonner “Fire Dance” CD ALBUM (Rainbow Music Company 2004) L

9:29am
Ramblin' Jack Elliott and Jerry Jeff Walker “He Was A Friend of Mine”
from Friends Of Mine CD ALBUM

9:32am
Ramblin' Jack and Dave van Ronk “St James Infirmary”
from The Long Ride CD ALBUM

9:35am
Patrice Webb “Hard Times of Trouble”

Super Mario 3D World OST

Some of my favorite songs from the game. Love the jazzy bits and the horns. Some of the songs sound like a cross between a spaghetti western and a 70's weekly show intro.

Some of my favorites:

• Overland theme
• Gusty Garden (a 70's show intro (?))
• Champion Road (the spaghetti western horn solo)

Upside down world wall map

Because no right answer exists.

Several versions exist:

• Paper, Folded: ISBN 1-931057-02-8
• Paper, Rolled: ISBN 1-931057-08-7
• Laminated & Tubed: ISBN 1-931057-01-X

Calvados brandy + pear cinnamon cider

A cashier at our local Trader Joe's suggested a pairing of calvados brandy and pear cinnamon cider. Hrm.

Weekend Escape

• Farrell's Ice Cream, Sacramento (link)
• The unpredictability of the siren irritated Dawn
• Ordered the Triple Chocolate Brownie Sundae 
• Purchased a sea turtle balloon animal for Dawn from a Sacramento City College student also named Kevin
• Monster Mini Golf, Rancho Cordova (link)
• Played lots of skee ball, basketball toss
• Nearly empty due to football game
• Moster animatronics seemed a bit tired, but fun
• Old Spaghetti Factory, Rancho Cordova (link)
• Almost empty due to football game
• Had the "Masterpiece Shake"...pretty good, but nothing to write home about
• Had a fun "Carter the Great - The World's Weird Wizard" vibe at the back
• Burgers & Brew, Sacramento (link)
• Tried to get into the Davis location, but crazy busy on a Friday night...as was the Sacramento location, just a bit less so
• Split a Mushroom and Onion Cheeseburger
• I had a pint of Pliny the Elder
• Split a Guinness float...worth a try, would not buy again though. Just OK
• KP International Market, at the Koreana Plaza, Rancho Cordova (link)
• Saw this mega-supermarket on the way home...circled back to take a look
• Walked around and found several things:
• Meiji Black chocolate (link)...so so...probably would not buy again
• Riga Black Balsams (!!!) (link)...this is the first time I have seen it anywhere outside Latvia...I brought back a bottle 15 years ago but forgot about it and now I do not want to drink it...so happy to find something made more recently : o )
• Kvass (link)...specifically, Monastyrskiy Kvas (link)
• The food court lists things 50% off from 7:00-8:00 p.m. : o )
• The food court had a bunch of mochi items from Osaka Ya in Sacramento
• So many things to see and try o_O;; Quite overwhelmed at it all and will likely try to make it back again...but a bit out of the way
• A better article on the extensive selection of foods (link)
• The shopping center also had a karaoke place called, "Gangnam Style Karaoke"...but it looked closed or not open yet (?)

Braking Bad & Dash Cameras

Researching dash cameras, primarily in response to another driver brake checking ahead of me last Friday evening during stop-and-go rush-hour traffic.

So. Dash cameras.

http://dashcamtalk.com/dash-cam-comparison/
http://www.carcamcentral.com/reviews/dash-car-camera-guide-buyers
http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-dash-cam/

Previously (this was before we purchased our new-to-us car)

THOUGHTS

• Infrared LEDs = gimmick (maybe not for internal cabin monitoring or for nighttime security)
• Motion detection: handy, since I park on the street
• Cameras work best within the windshield wiper sweep area
• GPS not a critical feature, for me
• Battery discharge prevention device: "Overall, they are a reasonable device to consider but not 100% necessary depending on your driving behavior and battery condition." (via)
• Footage of rear-end not a major benefit:
• Typically, not culpable
• If driver flees, let police worry about offender
• Use dashcam to prove innocence for front-end collisions
• Estore009 represents a historically-good vendor
• TheWireCutter recommends, as of this post, model  DVR207GS
• Pros: $66; HD; mini-screen; G-sensor: "slightest jostling of the car would set it to record until stillness returned for a few minutes" (via)
• Cons: Color occasionally overexposed and blown out while driving at dusk (via)
• DashCamTalk, recommends, as of this post, model G1W as a successor to the DVR 207 GS
• Pros: $52; HD; mini-screen; G-sensor; "When comparing to our previous best buy camera in this price range, the DVR-027, the G1W video quality is vastly superior." (via)
• Cons: Not all black; loose mini USB plug; light-weight build quality; some wavy noise in the background (via)
• CarCamCentral recommends, as of this post, model K6000 ($38), or, for a bit more, GS1000 ($120)

 Leaning toward the G1W, currently.

INSTALLATION

• Prius technical manual (PDF) of wiring to/from front center mirror
• Front: "The heavy slope on the front windshield gives a very strong reflection in nighttime video. I think maybe I should have mounted it at the bottom of the windshield instead, although hiding the wires would have been much harder." (via)
• Rear: "...my camera location, on that vertical glass, is not so good." (via)
• Head rest...via bungee cord (??? : o \) (via)
• "A screen is not necessary..." (via)
• Itronics ITB-100HD install (via)
• "For my dashcam I took power from the mirror (I have the auto-dimming one with garage opener). It's powered on in READY. There is a wire in the same bunch that is hot all the time." (via)
• Another install of a Itronics ITB-100HD, with pics (via)
• Regarding mounts behind the rear-view mirror: "It is also quite difficult to use the camera if you have to change settings etc. " (via)
• Might want to use a sun shade...which would bump the camera (?)
• Seems like a number of favorite mounting positions for the front windshield (via)
• Rear windshield (via)
• Mounting locations
• After a review, I am still undecided...behind the front RVW can look OK, but it can also look conspicuous
• Front
• Dash
• Behind rear-view mirror mount
• Sides of windshield
• Headrest
• Headliner
• Rear
• Top of rear windshield
• Bottom of rear windshield
• Sides of rear windshielf 
• Headrest
• Headliner

Moon Phases

http://cde.nwc.edu/SCI2108/course_documents/earth_moon/moon/phases/phases_of_moon.htm

AutoIt

Magic!

Via: http://unattended.sourceforge.net/installers.php

Cello

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Cecilio-Cello-Outfit-Everything-You-Need-5-Color-5-Size-/180697976106

Microsoft Windows Powershell

Working with Microsoft Windows Powershell scripts for the first time--cautiously optimistic I may never have to write another Microsoft Windows batch file again. : o )

David Bowie - The Next Day

I liked this album, a lot!

Anderson Valley Winter Solstice Seasonal Ale

Yum, yum...beer on my desk tonight. : o )

Parameter

Add this to the list of words I struggle to spell correctly. I frequently catch myself typing "paramater", which sounds like the way "Cars" movie character "Mater" would say his name. : o \

List of eponymous laws

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_eponymous_laws

For example, Sturgeon's Law: 90% of anything is crap (paraphrased)

Local recommendations

Tootsies On 11th
Collected Works Gifts: http://www.collectedworksgifts.com/

Pain is Beauty

Listening to Submerge's Top 30 albums of 2013.

Listened to Chelsea Wolfe's Pain is Beauty, the #1 pick, then one song from Doombird's Cygnus.

Radio Songs

Heard on 94.7 FM KKDO out of Sacramento, CA:

Avicii's "Wake Me Up." Audio.Aloe Blacc provided vocals and reminds Dawn of Tracy Chapman.

Also, the 2nd movement of Grieg's Peer Gynt...awesome. Video/audio. Most people recognize the first movement.

Skittles

An old English lawn game : o )

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skittles_(sport)

Green house

An attractive house on the corner of 15th St and T St:

http://goo.gl/maps/0O8QY

Pitties

http://www.mypitbullisfamily.com/

Seen on a car around town.

Amy Schumer on Fresh Air

One of Terry Gross' favorite interviews of 2013:

http://www.npr.org/2013/06/25/188698578/inside-amy-schumer-its-not-just-sex-stuff

Prix fixe pronunciation

One of those confusing ones: I prefer the French way, "pree feeks," but even Dictionary.com lists it like "pre fix". : o \

Radio Songs

Heard of KXPR 88.9 out of Sacramento, CA:

Alexander Glazunov: Saxophone Concerto in Eb major Opus 109 - Russian National Orchestra; Jose Serebrier, conductor; Marc Chisson, alto saxophone; Label: Warner Classics; Number: 67946 BUY

You can hear a sample.

Apricot Pecan Cake

Colin Street Bakery, out of Corsicana, TX, makes some great Apricot Pecan Cake : o )

The Lumberjack Song comes from Mozart's "Don Giovanni"

Listening to "Variations on "La Ci Darem La Mano" Op 2" by Chopin, which is a take on Là ci darem la mano, Don Giovanni's and Zerlina's duet in Act 1, Scene 2, of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera Don Giovanni..

Both have a riff very familiar to fans of Monty Python's The Lumberjack Song. : o )

Prius car care

Washed and dried the car, then applied Armor All to inside & out...finally have some time to stop and maintain it a bit.

FLOOR MATS
http://priuschat.com/threads/opinions-on-mat-color-for-bisque-interior.54378/

SHOP VAC
http://www.amazon.com/ArmorAll-AA255-Utility-Wet-Vacuum/dp/B003M2F7NI/

NAVIGATION UPDATES

The 2005 Toyota Prius contains a Generation 4 DVD navigation system; updates seem to come out yearly as follows:

U20 = 2005 = 5.1
...
U27 = 2012 = 12.1
U28 = 2013 = 13.1

Toyota supplies the same navigation systems across the various models. The navigation system accepts DVD+R DL media.

LICENSE PLATES
I have decided to try the zip tie approach for the front license plate:

BULBS
http://priuschat.com/threads/light-bulb-list-2005.16413/ (scroll down for a more accurate list)

MAINTENANCE
http://priuschat.com/threads/just-got-a-used-prius-first-things-to-look-for.93831/

• Hatch squeaks when opening
• Interior bulbs burned out
• License plates
• Vacuum interior
• Navigation DVD update
• Local mechanic
• Oil change
• Filters - cabin and engine
• Toyota dealership
• Ensure all warranty work done
• Transaxle fluid drain-and-refill
• Hybrid battery blower fan and duct are not clogged

Anderson Valley Brewing Company, Winter Solstice

https://avbc.com/our-beers/winter-solstice-seasonal-ale/

Outstanding : o )

Assassin's Creed

Watched each Assassin's Creed walkthrough or movie this weekend:

1. Assassin's Creed
2. Assassin's Creed II
3. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
4. Assassin's Creed: Revelations
5. Assassin's Creed III
6. Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

I slept wrong on my neck last Wednesday evening and woke up in no insignificant amount of pain on Thursday/Friday. x_x So spent a lot of time sitting around wanting something mindless to watch. 

I enjoyed watching them--and actually had a chance to say, "Bene, bene" to a food service employee this evening.

Loved the scenery and the climbing. The game takes some liberties with the superhuman strength and dexterity, but it makes for more entertaining gameplay. The first game seemed really repetitive and I thought the interrogation scenes way more violent than necessary (seriously? kill someone just because the main bad guy forced them to make speeches?).

Lucy's death seemed a bit unexpected and forced. 

The ~35 minute movie, Assassin's Creed: Lineage, seemed cool, in the sense that the people in it looked exactly like their in-game counterparts. 

The boat scenes in Black Flag seemed pretty cool.

The part I enjoyed the best: the way the series handles right/wrong, good/bad. It shows compassion for many of the Templar and Assassin actors and shows most actions in the grey area.

Dominick the Donkey

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominick_the_Donkey

How to love a candle

From a recent candle purchase:

1. FIND YOUR FAVORITE. There are hundreds of choices.
2. TRIM THE WICK. Keep your wick trimmed to 1/8" at all times.
3. LET THE WAX POOL. Each time you burn your candle, allow the entire top layer to become a fragrant pool of liquid wax and you'll get the biggest, boldest scent possible.
4. BURN IT SAFELY. Always burn your candle on a heat resistant surface, keep it out of drafts and NEVER leave it unattended while lit.
5. KNOW WHEN TO SAY GOODBYE. When only 1/2" of wax remains, it's time to let your candle go.
6. REPEAT STEPS 1 THROUGH 5. Keep going until you've tried them all!

A video on trimming the wick.

Graduate School - Statement of Purpose

An insightful primer on writing a successful Statement of Purpose. It lays out what I suspected...you write to the poor admissions committee staff who have to wade through application after application.

The kernel: "Grad schools require the statement of purpose not only because they want to find about you as an applicant, they want you to really think about why you are taking such a life-changing step — truly and profoundly why."

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE EXAMPLES

• Sample Statement of Purpose (!) Holy shit this is this the best statement of purpose ever
• "One of the best I've ever read" (via)... well, it is good, but, to me, it sounds sort of lifeless in contrast

Running Journal, Saturday, 2013-11-30

Resting heart rate:
Body Mass Index (BMI):
Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR):
Weather: sunny
Temp: pleasant
Time: 12:00-4:00 p.m.
Terrain: mix of rolling hills and flats
Comments: Me after I stopped running about 3.5 miles out: ow, ow, ow, ow. x_x;;  To add insult to injury, my paracord knot popped out just as I was ascending the embankment to cross the Bridge Street bridge. Ugh. So, I walked the last bit back into Fair Oaks village in my socks. This is me after reaching mile six: "hrm, 11 miles to get around Lake Natoma, plus 2.5 miles to get back to the starting point--I'm going for it, that is only 1.5 miles more than my target of 12.0 miles!" I had only planned to go about 12.0 miles today; instead, due to overconfidence and overlooking the first 2.5 miles I had run, I ended up running about 16 miles. : o P And my feet and calf muscles paid the price. On the bright side, my lower back does not hurt at all, and after a few hours of rest, my body feels relatively strong. My joints feel a bit sore, and my feet still feel a bit like tenderized meat, but overall recovery seems OK. The walk of 3.5 miles back, plus the 0.5 miles to the car, represented one of the most humbling, painful experiences I have had, to date. The whole time, I was impatient to get back, sore, and cursing every bump in the bike path which poked into my feet. While running, it represented a relatively normal experience...I went out slow, disciplined myself to stay slow and under control, and felt pretty good. The last few miles, my legs started feeling wiped out. I took a gel shot around mile eight, and another one around mile 11 or 12. Those re-invigorated me, somewhat. I passed that weird biker guy who shouts encouragement and big smiles to everyone he passes--today, he threw me the hang loose hand signs, twice. Dawn and I tried to park at the CSUS Aquatic Center, but an employee at the entrance enforced the parking rules; we checked out the Nimbus Fish Hatchery lot, but it was full. We checked out the Nimbus Dam overlook lot, but that costs money. So, we headed back to Fair Oaks Village. Dawn's ankle started hurting as we began running, so we walked a portion of the first mile, then she turned back. On the last mile of the way back, I ditched the bike path and walked the parallel street back to the parking lot/boat ramp area at Bridge Street Bridge. Many dead salmon in the American River, now. I noticed a Measure A sign for Sacramento County, advertising improvements to the bike paths...hrm. I love the afterglow of running, getting to basically eat whatever I want to replace calories. : o ) I do feel a bit concerned about my calf muscles, especially my right one. It felt sore, today. I am wondering if my running form puts too much stress on them, when I run slowly. : o \
Goal Time: n/a
Distance (running): ~12.0 miles (~4.0 miles walking), so total: 16.0mi
Weight (after run):
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: Sore calf muscles, tenderized feet
Foods eaten today: pumpkin flax granola w/milk, banana, apple, Hammer Nutrition gel shots - chocolate, raspberry (expired, but I ate anyway...were still ok), broccoli, rice cakes, dark chocolate, hummus & flatbread, mushroom & barley soup w/dark bread, Greek Gods Cinnamon yogurt, hard boiled eggs

Hardware

Freescale Freedom Board (KL25Z)

ARM Cortex M0 microprocessor

TFC shield

Hyperbole and a Half

http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/

Curtain over door

Saw this at IKEA a while back--they put a curtain over the inside of the door to mask it. Clever?

Sacramento Area Hikes

While at the Davis Co-Op a month or so ago, one of the cashiers recommended the following resources:

http://yolohiker.org/

and the following hikes:

• Redbud Trail
• Judge Davis Trail
• Lynch Canyon Trail

He also recommended Alamere Falls.

Sierra Nevadas - Play at Home

For those of you who do not wake up each day seeing the Sierra Nevada mountains, you can hold up a Sierra Nevada beer and pretend.

Voice Recorder

http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/the-best-voice-recorder/

Jakelegs

Heard the term for the first time today.

The person using it described a jakeleg as someone who thinks they do a good job but in reality do a substandard job.

Running Journal, Saturday, 2013-11-23 - Around the horn

Resting heart rate:
Body Mass Index (BMI):
Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR):
Weather: sunny
Temp: pleasant, but cooling quickly after sunset
Time: 2:00-5:15 p.m.
Terrain: mix of rolling hills and flats
Comments: Ran around Lake Natoma today, starting at mile marker 23.0 at the CSUS Aquatic Center, through to Folsom, across the Lake Natoma Crossing, then back to the Nimbus Dam along the north shore. Someone has disabled the water at the mile 27.0 marker, but the water just a bit before that still works. Had hoped to get in 12.0 miles today, but only got in 11.0 miles, due to darkness...the sun set at 4:47 p.m. today...I had forgotten, and I panicked a bit, thinking a ranger might lock our car in at the Nimbus Fish Hatchery lot. : o P I saw a lot of race graffiti on the bike path about Kaia girls. Also, noticed a number of people participating in the "The Spirit of Rock" 50 mile race. As I ran past the embankment going up to the finish line at the Lake Natoma Crossing bridge, one volunteer remarked, "I sure hope he knows where he's going." Lots of acorns on the bike path, blue oak, I think, and they hurt when I step on them--ow, ow, ow.
Goal Time: n/a
Distance (running): 11.0mi
Weight (after run): 80.4
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: Sore calf muscles
Foods eaten today: pumpkin flax granola w/milk, banana, banana chips, egg, soup with dark bread and naan bread, hummus and flat bread, ramen and rice from ... Ramen and Rice

Running Journal, Monday, 2013-11-18

Resting heart rate: 65bpm, at the time of posting
Body Mass Index (BMI):
Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR):
Weather: slight breeze; partly sunny
Temp: pleasant
Time: Early afternoon
Terrain: mildly rolling hills and flats
Comments: 45 minutes; maintenance run. Ran from mile 20.0 of the American River Parkway to Sunrise Bar, then across Jim's Bridge and west along the bike path to Bannister Park, then returned to Sunrise Bar and west along the south side of the river on the horse trail to the little picnic area near mile 19.0, then back east along the bikepath to Bridge Street bridge. Map. Wore new Injinji socks and the Xero shoes. Rocks poked my feet. Saw a maintenance crew member driving a truck pulling a bikepath leaf blower. The bikepath to Bannister Park has new asphalt. Lots of salmon remains in the river. This seems like one of the few remaining nice days as we head into the rainy season.
Goal Time: n/a
Distance (running): ~4mi
Weight (after run):
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?:
Foods eaten today: pumpkin flax granola w/milk, peppermint candy cane chocolate square, mixed veggies, two hardboiled eggs, mashed sweet potatoes, fusili pasta with marinara sauce, mini dill pickles, minestrone soup with dark bread, Greek Gods yogurt, banana chips, Costco fruit medley

Running Journal, Saturday, 2013-11-16

Running Journal, Saturday, 2013-11-16
Resting heart rate: 87bpm, about 75 minutes after finishing
Body Mass Index (BMI):
Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR):
Weather: slight breeze; sunny
Temp: pleasant
Time: About 12:30-2:30 p.m.
Terrain: mostly flat, some rolling hills, with a steep climb up Hazel Avenue bridge
Comments: Ten miles, starting from mile 20.0 at the Fair Oaks Bridge Street bridge, continuing along the bike path to the Nimbus Fish Hatchery, up Hazel Avenue bridge to the bike path on the north side of Lake Natoma, then another two miles along the bike path to the mile 25.0 marker. And back. Saw a black tailed deer with antlers, I think maybe 5-10 points. Smelled dill, one of my favorite smells. Noted the spray painted markers next to the electrical transmission towers east of the Nimbus Dam represent the mile and the sequence...e.g., the first tower from the dam is 0/1, the second is 0/2, and so forth. I assume the first tower in the second mile is 1/1, the second is 1/2, and so forth. Ran four minutes, rested for 30s, repeated that about 30 times. The glossy leaves on the trees appeared like millions of litle flags reflecting the afternoon sunlight. Less energy today--a bit short on sleep this week.
Goal Time: n/a
Distance (running): 10mi
Weight (after run):
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?:
Foods eaten today: pumpkin flax granola w/milk, smoothie from the Happy Nutburger Stand, banana, hummus & flatbread

Running Journal, Monday, 2013-11-11

Resting heart rate:
Body Mass Index (BMI):
Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR):
Weather: calm; sunny
Temp: pleasant
Time: 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Terrain: flat
Comments: Maintenance run. had my head up, focused on the distance. Felt the sponginess of the track on the north side curve. The four massive lights blinded me as I ran toward them. Above, light clouds obscured the moon. Down below, a light haze, partially from wood burning fires and partially from fog. At the end, I noticed I ran faster when I pulled my thigh muscles forward instead of up. Felt smooth running...got lots of rest and hydration the last two days.
Goal Time: n/a
Distance (running):
Weight (after run):
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: ankles sore
Foods eaten today: pumpkin pancakes, maple syrup, banana, peppermint chocolate, Trader Joe's Japanese Fried Rice, rice cakes, hummus, flat bread, hard boiled eggs, yerba mate tea, sugar snap peas...wanted a beer but refrained

FTL

Listening to the FTL game soundtrack:

http://benprunty.bandcamp.com/album/ftl

License plate mounts

License plate relocators:

• Skene Design
• US Mill Works
•  

Other:

• FlexyFrame
• Hide The Plate
• Zip ties
• BumperPlugs (for reference only)

My favorite comment, so far: "If your Prius comes with the license plate bracket in the cargo area, take a sip of a good wine or a premium beer and attach it yourself."

Running Journal, Saturday, 2013-11-09: Running on a space rock

Resting heart rate:76 bpm, around two hours after running
Body Mass Index (BMI):
Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR):
Weather: calm; sunny
Temp: pleasant
Time: ~1:30-3:00 p.m.
Terrain: flat with a few rolling hills
Comments: Dawn and I parked at the CSUS Aquatic Center and split up (she got a snack and visited the Nimbus Fish Hatchery). Perfect afternoon weather. Wore my Xero flats. At the beginning of the run, my mind sparked all sorts of thoughts. On the way back, it quieted down. I noticed my left foot does not chafe as much if I run on the outside of the flat...after a while it seems like my legs figure it out and they operate independently. I smelled creosote again as I crossed the mile 24 bridge made of railroad ties. I ran on beds of pine needles and gazed up at the cones on the pine trees. Lake Natoma reflectetd the fall colors like a mirror. A few buckeye trees had large nuts hanging from their branches. I saw some new (to me) race graffiti on the asphalt: "Go Aleana + Holly" : o P . Wished I had brought lip balm and water. The blue oak leaves looked in the middle of turning copper. I noted the silence as I ran, then a cyclist with a radio rode past. Around mile three I started feeling thirsty. I saw towering spirals of thousands of gulls to the southeast...brilliant. They had flown so high they looked like a cloud of mosquitoes. Waves of gulls flew past in a V-formation. Noted a number of energy wrapper waste left along the side of the path--a pet peeve of mine. At the split, I recorded a time of 15:03. I forgot my start time. I felt tired, thirsty, and hot. On the return, I watched the wake from a passing canoe. Two female wild turkeys crossed the bike path within ten feet of me. I watched a man dressed in athletic pants and jacket amble by...I wondered if he felt too warm. A woman ran by with an olive tank top and I remembered how good the color looks on Dawn. Feeling warm, I scrambled down a bank of placer rocks to the shore, hearing them clack loudly as I stepped on them. I drenched my shirt in the water of Lake Natoma, feeling a shock of cold as I put it back on. It had the intended effect! I felt immediately relief from the heat. I listened to the squeak of the bridge from my steps near Willow Creek. I heard the yell of children swimming, a croaking duck, and a strange noise I had not heard before--until I saw someone using a bike pump to inflate their bicycle tire. At Willow Creek, I noticed California Canoe and Kayak had two portable storage containers they used for rental equipment...but a sign stated the rental season had ended. I listened to the soft roar of the vehicles passing on Highway 50. My mind had quieted...all my attention focused on breathing, pace, efficiency, moving forward. As I passed a meadow with a horse hitching post overlooking Lake Natoma, I found myself running smoothly. I wondered if I had ran too far, and I wanted to get back to Dawn in good time. I started to imagine myself having a one thousand yard stare. I finally found a source of water at the park opposite the CSUS Aquatic Center. I ended my run around 16:00. The scenery right now looks beautiful: tree leaves dying and turning red, gold, copper. Two men walked by carrying two salmon each...one man dragging the back fins of his salmon catch on the ground, the other had his in a net...I wondered at the legality of their catch. The parking lot seems to have very interested photovoltaic cells wrapped around their light posts, which illuminate LED's at night. I arrived a minute or two before Dawn came back. We talked and headed home. In reflection: I had only intended to run around 6 miles today, but ran ~8. My leggings need replacing, as the crotch has begun wearing out. My legs feel sore but not too bad. A nice first long run for not having run any meaningful distance in nearly 2.5 years : o )
Goal Time: n/a
Distance (running): ~8 miles
Weight (after run):
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: calf muscles moderately sore
Foods eaten today: pumpkin flax granola cereal with milk, banana, apple sauce, butternut squash ravioli with marinara sauce and parmesan cheese, deli Greek pasta salad, raspberries, peppermint chocolate

Do not cross lights flash 11 times

Not sure where to record this, but walking to my vehicle on 15th street, the do not cross lights flash 11 times before the light turns yellow.

This is in line with other things that do not cross:

• The proton streams, from Ghostbusters
• Kris Kross

Yargle bargle - Domain open

Noting

Running Journal, Monday, 2013-11-04: Aviary Feast

Running Journal, Monday, 2013-11-04
Resting heart rate:
Body Mass Index (BMI):
Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR):
Weather: windy; sunny
Temp: pleasant
Time: 1:30-2:15 p.m.
Terrain: flat with a few mildly rolling hills
Comments: On Saturday, I decided to just "go for it" and took off for a 45 minute run around the American River College campus with my Xero shoe flats. To mitigate any chafing issues with the paracord between my toes, I wore Injinji toe socks. This worked great: no chafing, and only minimal discomfort from the paracord. On Saturday, I ran around and around in the new parking structure. Today, I drove to the American River Parkway, near Fair Oaks village, and ran from the Bridge Street bridge to near the Nimbus Fish Hatchery, which began operating the fish ladder today, according to local radio. I saw salmon swimming upstream at the small side channel near marker 20.5--a sight which I had not seen for many years. Flocks of gulls and cranes and other birds opportunistically stood in the shoals, waiting for the inevitable salmon who do not make it. I pondered running all the way to the Nimbus Fish Hatchery to watch the fish ladder, but (wisely, I think) decided to head back, due to recovery from illness and also wanting to take it easy as I adjust to the new running flats. Speaking of the flats, they seem to work--my right foot is perfect, while my left foot still needs to be dialed in a bit more, as the paracord still chafes between my big toe and the next toe...not sure if I can remedy it by adjusting the knots. The combination of toe socks and flats seems to work though--I'm really happy to see if this minimizes injury. I am definitely feeling stiffness as my leg muscles realize what I'm up to, especially in my lower calf muscles. At one point during the run, I raced a squirrel as it ran toward a tree. I also saw a dust tornado--it was quite windy, which felt great but added a bit of resistance to the run back. I heard what sounded like an Acorn Woodpecker. I noticed the restaurant La Boheme, which I first noticed in 2006, has closed, replaced by restaurant The Mighty Tavern. I noticed a sign on the Bridge Street bridge which says, "Weight Limit 5 Tons", which likely explains why the compact car I watched cross it in 2006 did not burst through. As I crossed back, I carried a black walnut and three oak seeds, passing by a woman getting her picture taken by two slavic-speaking assistants. Lots of love in the air--passed by multiple couples as I walked back up Bridge Street. I forget my watch today, but have run this maintenance run enough times to know approximately how far 45 minute round trip gets me. Really an outstanding day, the wind added an electricity to things, lots of things to see, and I felt pretty good. When I came home, I realized I did not have a gmap-pedometer account...it has been a few years, so either it got deleted or I never created one.
Goal Time: n/a
Distance (running):
Weight (after run):
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: leg muscles stiff
Foods eaten today: sugar snap peas, pumpkin flax granola cereal with milk, banana, apple, mixed vegetables with two hardboiled eggs, spiced apple cider, chocolate, rice cakes, Woodstock's pizza, root beer

Release Management

Github
https://github.com/blog/1241-deploying-at-github

Django Deployment Best Practices.pptx - Meetup
Release Engineering:

• Identifiability: Being able to identify all of the source, tools, environment, and other components that make up a particular release.
• Reproducibility: The ability to integrate source, third party components, data, and deployment externals of a software system in order to guarantee operational stability.
• Consistency: The mission to provide a stable framework for development, deployment, audit and accountability for software components.
• Agility: The ongoing research into what are the repercussions of modern software engineering practices on the productivity in the software cycle, i.e., continuous integration and push on green initiatives.
• Tasks of release engineering:
• Software build (compilation) automation
• Automated test integrationr
• Results reporting

Software configuration management

Release management

Amazon EC2 Ubuntu 12.04 LTS Remote Desktop via NoMachine 4

http://cloud.ubuntu.com/ami/

This was the link which assisted me with getting everything working, using Ubuntu 12.04 LTS and NoMachine 4:
http://www.crouse.cc/blog/of-on-ec2.html

Then:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/CitrixICAClientHowTo#Citrix_ICA_Client_12_on_Ubuntu_12.04_64-bit

Fixing wcamgr:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1913988

Using rdesktop:
http://dcook.org/gobet/using_amazon_ec2.html

Some other links:

• http://activeintelligence.org/blog/archive/remote-graphical-linux-desktop-on-ec2/
• https://help.ubuntu.com/community/FreeNX

Notes

• I tried 13.x Ubuntu images but failed to get them working 
• Added user ec2usr as admin to the image
• 
  

SFTP large files with resume until successful

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/granth/archive/2010/05/10/how-to-copy-very-large-files-across-a-slow-or-unreliable-network.aspx

http://winscp.net/eng/docs/resume#automatic

http://www.coreftp.com/docs/web1/Command_Line_FTP.htm

http://www.coreftp.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1330&highlight=retry

http://www.thecriticalanalysis.com/2012/03/secret-core-ftp-command-line-switches.html

What if My Car is Damaged While Shipping It?

http://www.pirgostrans.com/what-if-my-car-is-damaged-while-shipping-it

Curious minds preparing....

Google

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDfIw35VN7k

Lawyers.com