The Strange Olympics Sign

"Look, I am really sorry about this whole Olympic thing but sooner than later it will all be over and we will solve all our problems once and for all. Enjoy the games."

Is it an apology for all the Olympic disruptions, or is it a threat? It certainly doesn't seem to be the work of our local transit authority.

One thing that we do know is that it was a professionally made machined aluminium sign, and it was affixed to the sign pole by a metal strap, in a similar fashion used for other bus stop signs. A cheap sign, this isn't.

2008-06-07 Awwwww!

So cute!

2008-03-23 14π

14π cooking in the oven.

Vegetarian goodness!

2008-03-02 Spring Flower Photos

We went walking through the hills in Hellman park, Whittier, and took some photographs of some blooming flowers along the trail. The hills were alive with green, and the mustard plants were almost as tall as we were.

2008-03-02 A Funny Bumper Sticker

2008-03-01 The Tar Pits

We were originally planning to take the train up to to Santa Barbara for the day, but in our haste to depart, we forgot the discount tickets that would have made the trip affordable. So, given that we were already almost at Union Station, we just stayed on the 720 bus, and got off at the George C. Page Museum of La Brea Discoveries (a.k.a., the La Brea Tar Pits). ^_^

We've been there once before, and we very much enjoyed the experience. The last time we went, the pits were fairly active, with large amounts of tar and methane bubbling up to the surface. This time, the geology was a little more subdued, but we still had a wonderful time.


In the main water-filled pit, near the front entrance, a statue was erected to depict a wooly mammoth caught in the tar, slowing sinking to her death. This time, we noticed a subtle detail that had escaped us on our first visit: The statue actually moves back and forth over time. It's a neat effect, one that makes you wonder until you look closely and line everything up to prove to yourself that it is indeed moving.



Despite the lack of activity, the tar slicks on the surface of the water were beautiful, and we took many photographs of the diffraction patterns. Quantum Physics in Action!


Inside the museum, there was a very cute statue of a dire wolf. ^_^


A tree in the inner courtyard at the museum is beginning to seed.


While walking across the grass, we noticed a fair number of tar seeps. One has to be quite careful walking around the grounds and surrounding neighbourhood to avoid sticky shoes.


Finally, we visited Pit 91, and were able to see some of the palaeontologists working on preparing the excavation for the 2008 working year. Wow — That's a dirty job.

2008-02-26 Squirrel Nest!

While I was walking to work, I noticed this little critter in a tree near our home. She was quite unafraid of my presence, and let me get fairly close to take pictures.

She spent most of the time gathering up leaves in her paws, which she took up into the tree to add to her nest. The nest is quite visible now, made of woven leaves, branches and other tree matter. I'm sure it's quite cozy inside. ^_^

2008-02-18 So Cute!

I saw these in the supermarket, and they are so cute!


Of course, there is something really wrong with importing food all the way from South Africa. Just think of all the fuel that was consumed to ship them all that way to Canada, almost on the other side of the world.

2008-02-17 Seagulls

Seamora and I were admiring the seagulls as they were gliding along beside the ferry, and they gave us plenty of opportunities to take many very nice pictures.

2008-02-17 iMac Cat Bed, Part 1

What do you do with a broken iMac?

You make a Cat Bed with it, of course!

http://www.greendaily.com/2008/01/13/recycle-an-imac-into-a-cat-bed/

Seamora and I were given a broken iMac, so we just had to make our own, even though we don't (yet) have any cats. It took around an hour to gut the iMac, which sadly did not yield many re-usable parts, and here is the result:



All we need to do to finish this project is glue the pieces together, add a blanket, and get a cat (or five). ^_^

2008-02-11 Ouch!

I've the results of a car colliding with a wooden power pole, but this one must have really hurt...

2008-02-07 Winter Sunrise

A lovely sunrise seen from outside Joyce Skytrain station.

2008-02-04 Just Plane Fishy

Caught on camera when departing from LAX.

2008-01-27 Seattle Sunset from the Air

Upon flying into Seattle, I was rewarded with a spectacular set of views of the evening sunset reflecting from the downtown skyline across the water.


The sunset was spectacular through the clouds.

2008-01-27 There's always a way...

Seamora and I were waiting for Seamora's flight back to L.A., and we heard an announcement that the flight to Phoenix at the gate next to ours was delayed. Upon looking closer, we noticed something interesting: It appears that the gate agents were unable to convince the computer that the flight was delayed, so it was displaying that that flight was "Final Boarding", despite the absence of an aircraft.

Of course, when things digital go wrong, there always is an analogue fix, so with a little tape and some baggage tags, they soon had worked around the problem.

2008-01-24 Winter's Frost

These delicate ice crystals are over five centimetres long, and have pushed up the surface of the ground as they grow. These often form on exposed dirt in the shade when it is above freezing during the day, and below freezing during the night. If you walk across dirt that has these crystals underneath them, you leave white footprints.

Does anyone know what the technical name for this type of frost is? I've been told that it is hoar frost, but this frost forms under the surface of the ground, and thus is unlikely to be the product of sublimation.

2008-01-22 Crater Lake from the Air

Our flight path crossed just to the east of Crater Lake, Oregon.


A zoom of Wizard Island can be seen in the rightmost photograph.

2008-01-22 Mt. Shasta from the Air

Mt. Shasta, California.


Mt. Shastina can just be seen poking out from behind Mt. Shasta.