Fun with Lights

Photographic evidence that I am, in fact, the less crazed one.

Note the Shoes

This must have been around 1994 or so.

Some Kids on a Couch

The Angry Photographer

I scanned some old photos this morning. Here's Iris Hehn, the angry young photographer.

Today's Out of Context Cartoon

Early This Morning, 26 December 2007

We messed around with Amy's new camera outside this morning. She got a camera, telephoto lens and lens filters for a Christmas present. The filter looks like it may be more useful than the telephoto lens, but who knows what Amy will want to do with the stuff... it's as if she has a mind of her own. I took this photo with my camera, without the benefit of a polarizing lens. And without shaving, looks like.

Christmas Photos 2007

Amy and the car, shopping for bird food.


Four of the Hehns.


Emily and Iris.

Christmas Photos

Honor and Guy.


Iris and Amy.


Lyle and Guy in our dining room. Patiently waiting for the oven to get hot.


Wanda and Iris.

Christmas 2007

We had Christmas Eve dinner at our house, with my mom and dad (Wanda and Guy) and my brother's family: Lyle and Carrie and their three daughters, Emily, Andrea and Honor. The next day we had dinner and then some at Lyle and Carrie's house. Here are some sample shots from both places:


Amy, Carrie and Honor.


Cleo.


Carrie.


Carrie and Honor.


Cleo and Emily.

Here's the crazy JUMBO TV remote control I picked up recently at Rite-Aid. It was just too funny to pass up.

Amy's Birthday Horse

Here's the iron horse head I got for Amy for her birthday this year.

Shim Mystery

I was replacing the old TV we use for PlayStation, but before putting the other TV (that moved from the living room when we bought the new big TV) on the table, I noticed the table wobbling to a dangerous degree. Uncharacteristically, I decided to do a little prevention before putting more weight on the table.

I noticed a shim under one leg, so got down to adjust it. Then I noticed another shim under another leg, and then another shim under a third leg.

I removed ALL the shims and the table sits balanced.

Birds

Yesterday Greg and I walked along the Columbia, searching in vain for interesting bird life. It was quiet, and a little colder than expected because of the wind.

Last weekend, on the other hand, we could look out our kitchen window and see the back yard buzzing with bird life. Junco, Hummingbird (Anna's), Jay (Scrub or Western), Downy Woodpecker (female), Black-capped Chickadee, American Robin, House Finch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Bushtit, House Sparrow....

Today's Starbucks Encounter

Today I walked to the local Starbucks to get a pound of French Roast, our usual. As usual, the place was a little screwy -- they have a new ineffectual manager, and things have been off-kilter there for several weeks now.

I entered through the north door at the same time as this other fellow came in the south door -- that's why I noticed him. And I noticed that he didn't get in line, he walked across to the other side of the store and stood near where the coffee drinks come up.

Things were not going well and it was taking a long time for things to happen, so I had plenty of time to observe things as I waited for my coffee. After a few minutes, this guy -- who hadn't ordered anything -- went up to the barista and said, "say, I'm from just across the way and, well...I didn't bring any money today, so I was wondering... if you're going to throw those out, may I have one?" He pointed to a couple of drinks behind the bar that were, I guess, mistakes destined for the dumper.

The barista, already flustered from being a little behind, hurriedly grabbed one of the drinks and handed it to the guy, but the guy waved it off and said, "no... no... I'd rather have the other one, please."

Ah, I thought... that means he's been standing there this whole time watching for a mistake to come up -- and he's kind of particular. I was greatly amused by this, which is good because it took my mind away from thinking about how sadly screwed up that store is right now -- in fact, while this was transpiring I noticed the store manager scooting out the door, even though his crew was obviously in trouble. Ha!

On my way out the door (without my French Roast, I might add), I was right next to Free Coffee Guy, and I said to him, "that's quite a system you have there!"

He looked a bit startled, but said to me, "Don't tell anybody!"



I laughed and said, "are you kidding? I'm telling EVERYBODY!"

I thought it was funny. And clever, if a little cheap-o. It's not as if he "looked like" he needed free coffee, but what do I care, especially if Starbucks is throwing the stuff out anyway? He was in a suit, tie and nice overcoat. Sideburns and a ULTRA-MEGA-EXTREME-soulpatch screamed "I'm keeping Portland Weird, yes I am!"

I walked out of the store and waited at the corner for the streetlight to change. About forty seconds later he walked out of the store, approached me and said, "for the record, I feel really bad about this now, I'm going to give this drink to a homeless person."

I don't know if he was putting me on -- it didn't really sound like it -- but I told him he didn't need to explain anything to me, that's for sure.

I sure hope he didn't give it to some homeless person... I think it was an eggnog latte.

A Classic From Hehn Studios

Merry Christmas

Streetview Photos

My house and Lyle's house (cleverly obscured by greenery), using the GoogleMaps street view. I went to the local movie theater using this photomap and the movies playing included The Simpsons Movie, Harry Potter, Transformers and The Bourne Ultimatum. My guess is the photos were taken by Google the first week of August, 2007.

Oregonian Flood Photo

This photo is from a Flickr account (oregonianphoto), of a Walmart parking lot in Chehalis:

Those Nutty Indie Film People

Pop-up Books

From this site, some of the best examples of photoshopped pop-up books:

Baby Got Book

That Hummingbird

Thanks to Amy's diligence in keeping the feeder filled with fresh sugarwater, we've had hummingbird action in the yard pretty much all year. In recent weeks I've been able to get pretty close to it, but so far it's been very difficult to get a good photo. I have a handful of OK pictures, but not any that are astounding.

Last weekend I sat down after chasing the little booger through the branches of the fig tree. I sat on a bench and started watching a jay that was in a nearby platform feeder. It didn't occur to me that I was sitting right by the hummingbird feeder, but the hummer came and buzzed me after about a minute, just to remind me. I'll post a couple of shots here.

"He's kind of arty... but okay."

On AMC right now they're playing the Steven Soderbergh movie Sex, Lies and Videotape.

I only saw a few minutes of it... the wife told her therapist that her friend's pal (James Spader) turned out to be a good surprise house guest. "He's kind of arty... but okay."

I don't have to time to watch the thing, but it makes me think I should rent it and see it again sometime.

It's apparently rated "H-80" for "Hair from the '80s."

The Mist

Saturday evening Iris, Amy and I went to see The Mist, the new horror movie that's based on a Stephen King novella.

It was a regular ol' monster movie, with a better-n-you'd expect script. But it's not exactly a day-brightener, as movies go.

We all enjoyed it, I'm sure... but I think we all agreed it was a downer of an ending. So be prepared!

Me and Kanye

Levi's Ad

Amy Used to Borrow My Uniform

My Civil Servant Days

Why?

I bought some new underwear. Why would it come in a re-sealable package?

World Leaders in Bikinis #2

Margaret Thatcher, 2002.

World Leaders in Bikinis #1

Vladimir Putin, the first in what we all hope will be an endless series.

Cold in Medford

It was beautifully sunny while we were in southern Oregon for Thanksgiving. So warm we went swimming. As you can see, it was darn cold.

Two Photos

A spider from our living room, and Iris and Cleo with Rebecca's dog, Chico, in Ashland.

Blogging from Roseburg

We left Portland tonight after Iris's soccer game and made it to the Windmill Inn at Roseburg by around 10:15. Clear, dry roads, lots of freeway construction just south of Eugene.

Amy and I are in room 269 and the kids are in 271. Here in our room we watched the final episode of The Sopranos. Now Amy is asleep behind me and I'm about to read Ravens in Winter by Bernd Heinrich.

This computer is scheduled to shut down for the night in about two minutes (it's almost 1:00 a.m.). I'm letting it. Off to Medford tomorrow, after an early morning walk and breakfast.

Audbon Walk

It was pretty wet, but not too bad. We saw a Hairy Woodpecker in the forest, and at the visitors' center we saw a Great Horned Owl and a Spotted Owl.

Two Movies

Michael Clayton and No Country For Old Men were both good movies. Not great, but good. I wanted to have my socks knocked off. They weren't.