Last night while moving hay at the barn, we could see a summer electrical storm in the distance. It was amazing to see the eastern sky light with several flashes and have the hills silhouetted and clouds illuminated from the lightening and to have silence, warmth and dryness where we were.
In the past 12 months I have flown more than I had at any time prior in my life, even if you were to combine all the flights from the prior 12 months it would still be ahead thought not by much.
Yesterday I again got stuck in the damn TSA security checkpoint line, not stopped but stuck because of someone else, like a traffic jam. This time I stuck behind the doddering old lady who didn't seem to speak much English. She was mostly prompted by the screeners pantomime and gestures of push your bags into the machine, then to walk through the metal detectors, to follow them, etc. Other times it has been the old guy who really didn't want to take his suspenders off, others its been other non English speakers who get stalled up for one reason or another usually they have belts, or rings, keys, or something in their carry on they shouldn't have. There are also the folks I've gotten stuck behind that can't seem to put their things on the conveyor or off in anything that resembles a timely manner.
I have a proposal. A line not for the 1st class, not for the frequent flyers, not for the doddering old flyers. You get into the line I dream of by a test, a trial period, and perhaps even a short class. It may or may not cost a nominal fee no more than $20. Upon completion or passing of the test you get a card, that gets you into a fast track security line. You and presumably everyone else in your line will move through security with out a hitch, if you get stopped in the process because you left you keys in your pocket or you get a point against you, after 3 or so points your fast pass is revoked or suspended for several weeks or months, or maybe even just for a number of flights. But if one happens to have too many issues in too short of time then they get their fast pass revoked all together.
It could even be made into a fun thing. Perhaps a small print out or website that can be accessed to see how quickly you cleared a checkpoint(s) and maybe historical information of the average times at various checkpoints etc.
Tomorrow I fly to Sacramento to spend Memorial Day weekend with Kala.
Today I will likely go through many of my pre-take off rituals. Which may or may not include: Washing my car, check over my camera stuff, deciding which camera stuff to pack if any, figuring out if I'm going to check a bag or not, figuring out if I want to take my laptop, put gas in the car, shave, dishes, vacuum, load stuff into the car or have it next to the door ready to go, also I will be packing for the trip. None of these things tend to take very long on their own nor are very stressful and I'm sure I'm missing something.
Though this trip is going to be a bit different as I will be using the long term parking at the airport this time. Usually I park at Chris' place and he drops me off at the airport, but he is in Ireland which puts me pretty much on my own. But it will be nice to be able to go more or less directly to my car. I had briefly thought about using the valet service at the airport but I think that may get a bit more expensive than I what I'd like to pay considering it would be a 4 night trip, I may use it for a one night trip maybe two but 4 would likely just be too much.
Last night was the Baker Blvd Geographic Society. We started putting together the Lego Taj Mahal we made some decent progress on it. Joel plans on posting a time lapse at boingboing gadgets later on. It's been years since I last played with Legos I forgot some of the frustration that comes with having just seen that damn piece you need and or a whole bunch of them, then not being able to it for several minutes. But it is still pretty fun.
Today I've got a birthday party/horse race party to attend. Which I've still got to figure out the birthday present. Then likely going to drive up to Portland to assist with a photo shoot with the vorpal images crew. The shoot isn't until tomorrow but there is setup tonight and they are starting fairly early tomorrow so being there tonight will just make it easier.
I think I'm gonna pack my frisbee stuff just incase we get done early enough for me to get to Duniway park and play some Ultimate.
Today is Science Pub Eugene. The topic this evening is Sex, Relationships, and Technology. I'm going. I've meant to go to the other topics from the last couple months but couldn't make it for one reason or another. But tonight is all clear so I'm going.
Today while perusing the creative gigs section of craigslist I found a post from last week that was needing a photographer ASAP, not so strange on its own, but what I had actually found was a Suicide Girl looking for a photographer. Her regular photographers were busy or out of the area.
I'd never thought Suicide girls were ever with out a photographer, or at the possibility of it. I suppose, I always assumed that they kept one in the trunk, another in the closet or under the bed, and maybe a spare in the garage or shed.
Sure it makes sense that it happens, but its one of those things I never considered to be a possibility. Like LasVegas outlawing gambling, hookers and booze, the oceans drying up, or me writing a symphony or me winning American idol. I Hell it may be a regular thing for all I know, but in my head it is weird.
Mental Note: Check creative gigs more often on craigslist...
I recall being a kid in the 1990s and wandering about the Mall. Many malls at the having an AT&T store, though these AT&T stores didn't sell cellular phones but landline service, answering machines, cordless phones, caller ID units, most likely long distance plans and other phone related services. But I wasn't really interested in of the cordless phones or wired handsets I was interested in the video phone they had. It had terribly slow frame rate and plenty of lag but it was in front of me and for sale. More than once did I wander into the AT&T store to just look at and poke at the video phone.
After years of watching various incarnations Star Trek and films like Back to The Future (II) and Johnny Mnemonic which promised me face-to-face tele-communications in the future. The future was for sale in front of me. The AT&T video phone never really caught on and would later vanish into the past.
Fast forward. Here we are in the not so distant future from my tween mall wandering, videophone marveling days. AT&T stores dried up for several years only to be replaced later with new AT&T stores selling cellular/mobile phones, cases, lanyards, face plates with various team logos, patterns and colors, and wireless hands free units for our wireless phones. Phones have displays and custom rings so we can tell who is calling with out looking at the display. Our computer monitors and televisions are now large, flat, wide and everywhere. Some monitors include tiny video cameras and others TV tuners that can act as computer display on one half and TV on the right or another computer on the right.
Portions of future we dreamed of collectively are here and hardly anyone notices or takes advantage. Web cams have been around for years but few seem to use them to actually have a two-way conversation/communication. Recently Kala and I have started sway more towards using google video/voice chat from phone calls. Years ago it was nearly $1000 to get that AT&T video phone which did , today you can buy a $300 netbook/laptop will send email, surf the web, watch movies, listen to music, edit photos, and video/voice chat. Video chat costs virtually nothing, you may need to pay for a camera but chances are you already are paying for the bandwidth.
The future is here we just don't seem to care or maybe everyone else is waiting for the transporter...