Washed up on the beach

Another day, more trivia to deal with, less accomplished.

I'm working on a team project. A complicated bid solicitation has to be put together to be posted online.

It's amazing how some members of the team don't stop and think things through. One team member was asked to provide charts and diagrams. He delivered them by dropping printed versions into my office mailbox. How does he suppose I'm going to include this in the online document? Please copy the files into the right directory, sir!

Another person was charged with putting together a list of recipients for a mass mailing. She put together the list of names. I suppose it would be too much to expect her to put together a mailing list, but for heaven's sake, you'd think she could have at least included the mailing and email addresses!

The work slows down considerably when the person charged with writing parts of the document claims not to know how to use Microsoft Word. So she writes in longhand on yellow paper and expects someone else to enter her words. It gets pretty inefficient when this person copies pages of text in longhand that she pulls from a printed Word document, and then can't refer the poor typist to the original document to copy and paste.

Finally, we were charged with making the draft document as perfect as possible before presenting it to the boss for review. We were even admonished to make sure that all the embedded hyperlinks were correct. Then, we were asked to print off a hard copy to send to the boss for review. Umm, about those hyperlinks?

Clearly, I need to step back and look at the big picture.

And, oh, how big it is!

What bits of flotsam have washed up on your sandy shores this week?

Savor the sweet times

Mexican candy at the Grand Central Market

Only two more weeks until we lift off for Europe! Meanwhile, on Monday I took the final exam for my French II class. I think I did pretty well, but I won't find out for a week or so.

We hosted the annual barbecue for [The Man I Love]'s office, which was great fun, great food, and gave us the opportunity to brighten up our decks and patios for the summer.

We received our annual visit by the county Fire Department, with recommendations for tree pruning and brush clearance. Living in a fire-prone area on property with protected trees is tricky. We have to prune the trees, but first we need to get someone to give us a permit to do so. Then we could get a quote from an arborist. We have a lot of trees and it turns out that there's a lot of dead wood up in the crown of one of our trees. It's going to cost a lot - we have to schedule it for two visits.

I'm finishing a complicated project at work, and have to spend a lot of time checking for details, continuity, consistency and proof-reading.

I will definitely be ready to climb to cruising altitude, lower the seat back, and sip a glass of champagne!

Thematic Photographic - Got the blues

Carmi, at Written, Inc., posts a weekly photo challenge called Thematic Photographic. This week, the theme is GOT THE BLUES. Take a picture that supports this week's theme, then share it on your blog or website.

I've got the blues because we've entered our annual season of June Gloom - chill summer fogs for those of us on the coastal side of the Santa Monica mountains.

But the blues I'm anticipating are the exquisite lilac-blue flowers of my jacaranda tree - which, in my yard, blooms right in the middle of June Gloom.  Here in Southern California, there are some residential streets that are lined with jacaranda trees on both sides that, when in bloom, arch like a celestial canopy over the streets and yards.

Mine has only just begun - but there are many clusters of buds, anticipating the moment this tree will be covered with blue, blue flowers.

Fishy business

Yesterday we hosted a major fete at our house. It was the annual barbecue for [The Man I Love]'s office and colleagues, so it was both pleasure and work.  The custom has evolved that we provide the main course and the drinks, and it's potluck for everything else. [The Man I Love]'s tour de force is slow-smoked pork shoulder and beer-can chicken. I usually concoct something suitable for people who didn't want to eat red meat.

I wanted to make something that would be delicious, yet not too difficult. And I wanted it to impress, too. No fussing around with filets - I decided to cook fish as you find them - whole.

It's not easy to find whole fish. Most supermarkets don't offer them. You have to find a good fishmarket to get a good choice. In Los Angeles, Asian markets offer a wide variety - sometimes you can even choose your fish while it's swimming in a tank. The wholesale fish markets are downtown, but you have to go early in the day. I went shopping at the end of my workday, and luckily Santa Monica Seafood is just a few blocks away.

Thematic Photographic - the natural world

Carmi, at Written, Inc., posts a weekly photo challenge called Thematic Photographic. This week, the theme is THE NATURAL WORLD. Take a picture that supports this week's theme, then share it on your blog or website.

Click to "embiggen"

Sometimes you focus on the horizon. Sometimes you focus more closely. Look more closely at things. You can see the world in the intricate rosette design of this potted succulent.

Wheeeeeee!

Flying pig!

Weekly Jack

Here's your Weekly Jack.

Jack is still shedding, despite the ministrations of Luke, our Mobile Dog Groomer. So today I took him with me to work and dropped him off at a groomer across the street from my office.

They also do doggie day care there, but primarily for little dogs. When we arrived, he was greeted by a cohort of wee terriers, spaniels and dachshunds. Jack let the little twerps yap at him, then nosed at the food bowl.

The groomer said they'd take him on condition that if he acted up, they could call me to come get him.

They didn't call. By the time I picked him up at the end of the day, he had charmed everyone - groomer, pet shop owner, and little yappy dogs alike.

They sent him home with a treasure trove of doggie treat samples, and a sweet-smelling smooth coat. Isn't he beautiful?

Thematic Photographic - the natural world

Carmi, at Written, Inc., posts a weekly photo challenge called Thematic Photographic. This week, the theme is THE NATURAL WORLD. Take a picture that supports this week's theme, then share it on your blog or website. 

click to "embiggen"

 Sometimes good pictures happen by mistake. I stopped along the side of the beach road to watch an amazing flock of birds one morning. So did other people, including this unknown woman. While I was photographing the birds, I ended up getting her in a couple of shots by mistake, as she stopped and turned as I was clicking the shutter.

I think having her there, looking at that sky, really works, don't you? I wish I could thank her.

Little black spot on the sun

Image from Wikipedia

"There's a little black spot on the sun today
It's the same old thing as yesterday
There's a black hat caught in a high tree top
There's a flag-pole rag and the wind won't stop"
                             - "King of Pain", Sting

Today, June 5, 2012 the orbit of the planet Venus passes between the Earth and the Sun. To those on earth who can view it, Venus appears like a small black dot crossing the orb of the sun.

This astronomical phenomenon is called the Transit of Venus, and it was first observed in 1639 by the English astronomer Jeremiah Horrocks. Horrocks and other astronomers who followed were able to use their observations to calculate the distance between the Sun and the Earth.

Here on the West Coast, you can view the Transit between 3:05 and 6:25 pm - be sure you use a safe method - do not look directly at the sun. A pinhole camera or welders' glass or one of these techniques here.

 The Transit of Venus occurs in a pattern that repeats every 243 years.Occuring in June or December, a transit is followed by a second transit in eight years. 105.5 years later, the next transit occurs. Then eight years pass, another transit, then 121.5 years.

The last Transit of Venus took place in 2004. It won't happen again until 2117.

Image from NASA

UPDATE: I was at work during the Transit, and I tried to see it through a welder's mask. I saw the sun just fine, but couldn't distinguish Venus, as the sun was about the size of a dime through the dark glass. [The Man I Love] was luckier - where he works, someone had rigged up a telescope to gather the image and project it on a wall.

How'd it look where you are?