Posts from — May 2010

With a supposed 55 degree high we packed our long john’s and mittens and drove out to Yosemite yesterday. However, at the time of our arrival at 9:30 AM, the temperature was 65. We had been duped into picking the perfect sunny day to enjoy the summer opener.

More Photos: http://gallery.johnmizell.com/main.php?g2_itemId=6013

The crowds were thick, but we avoided the climbing trails and walked the Valley loop, avoiding the throngs of folks, refreshing my perspective and introducing Kira and Anna to the childhood friends of waterfalls and cliffs and trees and meadows and awe.

Our Route

http://blog.johnmizell.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/2010-05-29_yosemite.kml

Here’s a bit of a peek into good fun with friends, construction, and a stop-motion camera (iMotion for the iPhone) up here on our Bay Area job over the past week.  Can you recognize the faces of each of the workers?

*Note: Your speakers aren’t broken, there is not audio on this video.

Enjoy!

UPDATE! – video removed and replaced with Basement Build Series posts..

Walked through Muir Woods today.  Sunny & Beautiful outside, quite, cool and peaceful inside.  So close, I might make it a regular destination.

Our short walk route.

2010-05-09_muirwoods

A number (12) of little orange ant looking things were walking about on my cactus one May day in 2007.  Surprised at the sight of these new critters I photographed them in hopes that someday someone would tell me what they were.

Just this weekend a biologist friend of mine “JD” visited and I finally got to pull a file photo of the buggers that I found roaming about.  He didn’t know what they were.  Sadly.  He suggested using EOL.org, but I looked unsuccessfully.  So here I am now asking The Internet for answers to a long standing question of mine.  What kind of little buggies are these?

The extent of my description: Six legs, Color: translucent orange, small spikes on the thorax, long antenne, highly aware of photographer as they moved to the opposite side of the cactus when I was photographing them.

-a short movie of the insects-

To JD’s credit, we showed him a picture of a beautiful flower we saw yesterday along the road, and he identified it rapidly and once again fully impressed us.  Hoorah!

That’s a “Passion Flower.” and there you have it.

passiflora incarnata – is a naturally grown medicinal herb, approved by the German Commission E in the treatment of insomnia and nervousness. It is also used as a sedative in nervous disorders (including gastrointestinal complaints of nervous origin), difficulties in sleeping, and anxiety or restlessness. Passion Flower reduces spasms and depresses the central nervous system. www.passionflower.org

Without fail, even if your standing on our deck, waving your hand in the air, standing on a box, wearing an tin foil hat, if you’re using your cell phone, your call will be dropped.  It is one of the most frustrating parts of my day.  As I look at one of the country’s largest cities I can’t call Kira to say hello.  And this isn’t a passing thing.  This isn’t a bad day, or a fight with a neighbor that passes as the seasons do and soon I forget and move on.  It’s every time I make a phone call, or find a voice mail waiting for me with no indication of a call.  I’m enraged.

So I get online to think about how I can figure this out.  I look at AT&T’s website and it just ends in terror.  Below is their coverage map.  It’s wrong.  I’m confused.

But then I look closer and I find it is indeed NOT wrong.  My  mistake.  They’ve created a map, of the United States, colored with blue and orange and with roads and cities and you can even find your own street if you wanted to.  And it might be covered in a color.  There is even a key at the bottom, telling you what colors mean.  And then there’s a small ‘learn more’ link that really should be clicked on.

And so as of today I’m selling cell service to anyone who would like it for just $1 a month.  I offer the best coverage and speeds in the nation, better than anyone else AND I’ll even offer an unlimited package for just $2 a month.  See MY map for coverage. Welcome to the new Telecom-John!