Looked for the Moon and got the Bird

watched eagerly for the eclipse but was rather disappointed. The moon did turn a bit dingy looking, but the air quality here in the "Valley of the Smudge" could easily account for the yellowish appearance. The light from the moon was a bit much for my Canon S3 so all I got were bright white lights, though I did capture a nice picture of one of the streetlights, just to the left of the moon. Odd how one blur of light resembles another while trying to focus a camera.

I did take the Leica out, but it is an old school camera so I have to use up the film, get it processed, and see what comes out, if anything. I had help with the exposures, but without a cable release the camera shakes as you take the picture and I am afraid all I may have some photos of blurry lights

All was not wasted, I was able to capture a couple of late evening forays by our Costa’s hummingbird and a young female at the feeder.

I talked a bit about carbon usage and found a calculator. It isn’t the best as it only accounts for travel and power usage in the house, no charcoal or wood burning. I think a reasonable person, even if he or she didn’t buy off on humans as a factor in Global Warming would at least want to minimize their part in wasting resources. The compact fluorescent bulb everyone is yakking about is one of those examples. You may not worry about carbon, but wouldn’t it be nice to cheat the electric company out of some of your hard earned money? Since money trumps right, according to our vaunted leader, then do it for the cash if not for the sake of your kids.

Side Note: I was going to go for the cliché and put a picture of a soap box here, but search as I might I couldn’t find one on the Net. There were some gift boxes, to be sure but nothing I could stand on. There were Soap Box Derby cars I could sit in, but that misses the mark. I could have used a peach crate, but they are rather flimsy, especially for a fat dude like me. That would just end badly. So you will have to settle for this rambling excuse vice a picture of Phos on his soap box. My profound apologies for this disappointment.

Grumbling from Tiny House

I read a Blog discussing the vanishing price tags in stores. It is expensive to tag each item so stores rarely do it any longer, relying on shelf tags or store scanners. This would be great if the scanners all worked and gave the correct information or the shelf tag is actually there and actually correct. Wal-Mart and AutoZone here in Phoenix were cited for giving the customers the old “carnival count” when it came to charging them at the register and ringing up a higher price then what was on the shelf tag. It is also exceedingly frustrating when unable to find out how much an item costs before buying it, the scanners are few and far between (when they work) and the shelf tags may or may not have anything to do with the item on the shelf. One suggestion was to carry a Sharpie and write the price, if you can find it, on the item and then watch the cashier like a hawk.

“No Child Left Behind” is a load of crap. Aside from the burden of testing, extra training, certification, and managing overcrowded classrooms falling on squarely on the shoulders of already overworked educators, the Special Needs kids are muscling the Typicals out of the classroom. While I agree all kids should get an even shake, when resources are scarce, i.e. classrooms and trained teachers, it should strictly be first come first serve. The hurdles placed before teachers to teach special needs are also exceedingly difficult to surmount. The state keeps upping the ante – soon qualified teachers will move on and the situation will become even more critical.

Nanuk has come up with a great plan for protecting the environment while keeping himself awash in booze. I left a tongue in cheek response regarding the disposal of tires and spent motor oil. Despite my callous attitude, I believe he has a good point and realize he has a vested interest. His world is literally changing before his eyes. It is worrisome to hear some of the effects of Global Warming first hand. His item was well written and very humorous. I have been even thinking of changing over from charcoal, which I love cooking over, to propane to help lower my carbon footprint and am using compact fluorescent bulbs instead of incandescent in most parts of the house. I am still thinking about disposing of that motor oil in my neighbor’s garden, but just because I don’t like him vice an act of eco-terrorism.