Slide Rule

They say Han shot first. The backstory is that Han is a criminal and kind of a douchebag, and I guess him shooting first is supposed to illustrate that. I think the lesson here is that good people do bad things. Or… bad people do good things. Maybe it’s that people can change? I sometimes suck with subtleties.

St. Patty’s day (set me straight here, is it Patty’s, or Paddy’s?) comes and goes once again. I can’t say it was anything special for me… not to sound cynical or anything, I think I just didn’t make the most of it. But I am starting to warm to the idea of celebrating for the sake of it, in general. I hope that doesn’t piss off any green-beer enthusiasts. Tomorrow is Thursday.

Nikon school is coming to town. Many people say it’s well worth the $120 or whatever it is, but I’m not sure it holds that kind of value for me at this point. Don’t get me wrong, I expect there’s a thing or two I could learn just not… necessarily that much. I looked at battery grips today too. Turns out the D80/D90 version includes an extra on/off switch, ‘firing release’ (the universal ‘take-a-picture’ button), and 2 command dials (std. aperture/shutter speed rotators) all specifically for vertical shooting. People claim it balances the weight of the camera too. More crap I don’t need, I know, but it’s nice to dream about. The Zeikos version scored about the same as the Nikon oem and costs half… fyi.

Cheers, Guiness drinkers. Happy Leprechaun day.

It’s been raining today, and the sun is breaking through the clouds right before it goes down. Somehow it just makes for a pretty afternoon.

I took the lightrail yesterday for the first time, and I have to say I really like what they’ve done with it. The concept of having mass-transit like this in Seattle really makes me happy. I wasn’t really sure where it went before I used it, it sort of meanders a bit and I’ve only seen bits and pieces, but it all makes sense now. Too bad for West Seattle though. I’m sure they’re petitioning for dibbs on the next expansion.

I’ll admit, we’re a small city with a lot of obstructions like hills in odd places and masses of water confusing everything. Still, We have places to go. KC Metro has served me well at every turn, but the subways and tubes and lightrails and BARTs make me jealous. I like knowing I can travel (relatively) long distances without getting stuck in traffic. I don’t even think I mind that it stops occasionally, some of the stations are pretty swanky. I’m so glad we’re catching up with the world.

I’ve had a couple of interesting photography-related discoveries lately I thought I would share. This gets a little technical, so if you have no interest… well, you’ve been warned. If you’re not up to speed with how to use aperture & shutter speed, 5 minutes of reading or video on google will rock your world and improve your images immensely. Search for “Photography Basics”.

I wasn’t able to find anything online describing the issue, but once in a while my photos have this nasty shadow ring around the outside of the image. I discussed with an expert who recommended stepping up the aperture to about 8 or so. I haven’t had this problem since. Not sure why this works exactly, but I can live with that.

Also, I’ve been browsing images on flickr and notice people generally use a smaller aperture setting whenever possible. Normal, everyday photography sees settings like f/10 or even f/20 for no immediately apparent reason. I did a bunch of googling to see if I could figure out why, and came up with nothing but the stand-by “depth of field” discussion. With some contemplation, I’ve decided it’s probably to do with chromatic aberration and/or the understanding that the center of the glass is the best part. The two may be related.

In short, I theorize that smaller aperture = sharper images/less unwanted distortion. Not a far cry from the depth of field argument, but still useful to me. I recommend setting your camera to shutter-priority and setting to about 1/100-1/300 or so for normal use.

It also occurred to me quite randomly during this fiasco (and I feel like an idiot for not realizing sooner) that using a smaller aperture allows you to manipulate exposure time in abundant lighting. So say you want to capture a waterfall and get that nice, soft blurred water look in direct sunlight… grab your tripod, crank up the f/stop and you’ll have a much better shot. Ken Rockwell says shoot for 1 full second of exposure time for the best results.

That’s all for now…

For anyone who’s been to Bainbridge recently, this story may ring true for you.

During the ride yesterday, Jess & I decided, to visit the vehicle deck of the ferry in preparation for arrival. With a little research, I’ve discovered a few fun facts. It seems the Bainbridge ferries travel at about 18 knots, or 20-21 mph (for the record, this is much, much faster than it sounds.) They also weigh almost 5,000 tons which is roughly 10 million pounds not including cargo. Who knew?

As we stood on the vehicle deck, bow of the boat, watching the island draw near, it was suddenly apparent that no ferry dock could be seen. The route from Seattle to Bainbridge is pretty straight, so as the waterfront properties came into focus, their carefully selected trim & floral-print curtains now clearly visible, it seemed reasonable to me that I should see the receiving assembly of our destination. Yet no such structure was visible, and still we rumbled forth. No sign of slowing, turning, or waking, as from a dream, or a wandering thought.

In my final moments, I tried to imagine why this was happening. Who had fallen asleep, or what wire had come apart. Where the warning alarm was, and in the back of my mind, what I would have to do to avoid a very painful death. I imagined 10 million pounds of steel mass colliding with boulders, sharp rocks, and sand. Maybe 100-150 cars, trucks, commercial vehicles and anything else that isn’t welded down sliding to the front of the boat and over the front like freshly chopped vegetables from the cutting board into the soup. Maybe more like a meat grinder from my angle.

Seemingly less than 1,000ft from shore, the ol’ can veered starboard, making its way through an inlet just to the north and into the harbor. I’m sure the Captain and crew get a good laugh out of that one every time.

I knew this going in, let’s be fair. There’s a site dedicated to the topic, in fact. The problem, simply put, is that bainbridge is apparently well known for it’s sudden, drastic elevation changes. Not to be discouraged by gossip and shortsighted speculation, however, I thought it worthwhile to investigate for myself.

It was warm, but not overly so – a soft chill in the wind kept things bearable. Jess & I got up a little later than planned, but got ourselves together in time for the 10:40 ferry. They have these little ‘bicycle parking’ ties on the ferry now you can attach to, simple yet effective. This was probably news generations ago, but having never been through this process with a bike before, it seemed noteworthy. On a side note, they don’t appear to be idiot proof. Some guy’s gear got loose and slid down the deck. Poor schmuck.

We stopped at the island post office in search of binding tape. My handlebar wrap had gotten loose and was coming unraveled. I ended up using 6 or 8 “Priority Mail” stickers instead. Almost as good (actually, not even close) but a whole lot cheaper. We stopped again to grab sandwiches at the grocery store. Each stop means undoing my cleated biking shoes, taking off my socks, and throwing on some sandals. unpack the bag, repack the bag, shop, unpack, repack, ride. I’m glad they’re made with velcro. Also I’m not complaining or anything. Really.

The plan was to hook up with the 305 and see where it took us. I had glanced at a topo map of the island before we left, but… those things are so hard to read. Fair to say I was hoping for the best, but pretty well in the dark about what to expect. The backup plan was to keep an eye on the downhills that might be uphills on the way back. We sneaked through town and made it to the 305 with little incident, then across to Manitou beach avoiding any steep inclines. The scenery was enjoyable, but there was a stink of very fresh cow crap we never quite found the source of.

Island communities have this funny habit of putting dinky little 1/2 lane one-ways in the strangest places. To avoid breaking the law and maybe getting, at worst, a look of disapproval from someone’s dog, we followed the overly descriptive (and barricaded) “Do not enter! Do not enter! no cars, no horses, no bikes, no pedestrians, don’t even LOOK the wrong way down this road” signs and made our way through a wooded area, and eventually into a little crossroads with an auto shop, a corner store, and one of those traditional Pacific Northwest outdoor sporting goods stores. In every direction except the way we came was either long, steep inclines, or dead ends. Consulting a map, I found a side street that would take us back to the 305. It turned out to be a long dirt road very much resembling someone’s driveway, and not reassuring me in the least. As advertised, however, it pulled through for us. One short, steep loose-gravel decline, and one last big incline and we made it back to the highway.

Content with our effort, we made our way back to the terminal, and placed our fate once again in the hands of the maniacal WSDOT ferry operators (see later post). Worth mentioning at this point, once we were away from the dock and securely held hostage, the announcer made a point of letting us know he had crashed more ferries than any state operator. “Lucky for us”, he continued, “I’m not driving”. Very funny.

It gets cold in September. Not the kind of thing you’d probably enjoy unless you’re from here. Winds and Rains, cloudy skies, temperatures varying by 10 degrees at a time throughout the day. Cold, wet, gray. Dull as it sounds though, it’s tame, and remarkably pretty.

As the city is wrapped up in a blanket of dark clouds, the contrast of the colored lights on the darkness illuminates it like a rare gem in a spotlight. The rain is cold, sure, but it’s warm enough to be tolerable with light waterproofing, and there’s something uncharacteristically warm about it despite its more obvious nature. The winds, I’ll admit, are probably the most challenging. Wind and rain tends to be a tough combination too, but I always feel alive when I’m that close to the elements.

I walked through Discovery park yesterday, and saw the season changing before my eyes. Above me the sun beat down a mild heat, showing wear in the summer’s tough exterior. The trees weren’t yet brown, but the greenery was no longer as bright, and there were leaves everywhere. Fields of Dandelions had turned into only a handful of yellow, and a few more turned seed-farm. The blackberries were covered in dust, and produced a meager crop of fruit. A tired, old dragonfly settled down on a cracked slab of cement, unconcerned with passing pedestrians, enjoying the last moments of sunshine before the harsh cold, and probably it’s fast-approaching death. I spent a moment on the cliffs, as one does when coming here, looking out over the sound. And for a moment, I was reminded of the reasons I took up sailing. In this mild, late summer afternoon, the ocean, for such a dull, flat expanse of nothing, still has an appeal like no other.

I’ll miss the summer when it’s gone, but for now I’m happy to look forward to the fall. Home cooked meals, snow sports, holidays, mini-vacations to warmer climates. I’m ready. Happy fall everyone.

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Up at 4am. I could blow away with any slight gust of wind. On a side note, www.onlineclock.net is a pretty cool service provided your computer doesn’t interrupt its effectiveness with sleep mode, hibernate or muted speakers. Fortunately none of my alarms failed, though the cats may never forgive the jarring interruption to their notably gentle slumber.

Airport terminals offer, for me, a nostalgic sense of privilege. Undergoing the exchange of considerable sums of personal finance, the lines, the unrivaled scrutiny. By the time one arrives at the enormous windows framing the vehicle of your demise, the experience becomes euphoric and accomplished.

The flight was brief & uneventful, though Virgin Airlines is a pretty classy way to fly. Very in touch with modern culture. I’m told most airlines these days have added a fee for everything they can – food, drink, snacks, movies, etc. Sadly Virgin is no exception. Somewhat of a disappointment over previous experiences I’ve had, but acceptable considering the ticket price.

San Fran is pretty cool so far. Very much the Cali atmosphere as I envisioned it – palm trees, ocean, “real” beaches. I’ll post photos when I can. We visited the Port of SF & waterfront – Seattle’s lake Union experience is drastically reduced in scale, though not dissimilar.

Next was Golden Gate. There’s really no substitute for seeing this monolithic feat of engineering in person. I envision giants big enough to crush godzilla under their feet working together to assemble this bridge as one would a model airplane. Human capacity to assemble such a structure seems absurdly impractical.

Next was Stinson beach. I appreciate that it was well out of the city to the north. This offered the impression of very clean ocean water, reaching as far as the eye can see (which, by the way, has a very nice look to it in the sunny/misty/hazy environment.) Getting to the beach brought back memories of travelling through dirt roads through the mountains in tropical 3rd world countries – windy roads on the edge of a steep drop with no guardrails & rocks. Jess also drives very fast.

We returned to the city to visit the Sutro Bath House Ruins. Not much left of what was, I’m told, a grand affair of bath-house awesomeness, but great location right on the ocean built into a bunch of rocks, very fun to just hang out. Also, it’s parked right next to the first “real” beach I’ve seen this trip. Certainly dwarfs anything we have back home.

Dinner at a hole-in-the-wall fusion place, then finally crashed around 10:30. After 3 hours of sleep & going since 4am, I can tell you I was *very* relieved. Today’s plan – going to Pacifica for a hike, pretty loose schedule, I’ll update later.

I’m heading to San Francisco tomorrow, and will be in LA later this week. It’s been a while since I’ve done any travelling like this, and I’m a bit excited at how spontaneous it is. I was invited though, which seems to be what made it happen. I’ll have to work on that. I’ve never really hung around in either of these places that I can remember, though I’ve been in the area of both at least once. If anyone has any recommendations, let me know.

19.2mph/avg over 5mi, 18.7 over 10. My average is improving. In the last couple miles, I could feel my energy suddenly drop to the point where I could barely maintain 16-17, but I powered through it, forcing myself up into mid-18’s.

It was gratifying to notice that my lung capacity and muscle stamina have significantly improved. My lungs still hurt when I breathe deep, but no longer restrict airflow. Good deal. My legs burn after working hard as before, but they no longer crash as quickly. I find I can maintain high output for long distances, perhaps miles, where before I could hardly sprint for a few hundred feet without collapsing.

Yay.