What do people think an “intensive purpose” is? “For all intents and purposes” may be redundant, but it actually makes sense.
Category: Life
Apple Pi
Katie baked this chai spice apple pie in honor of Pi Day. We ate it for dessert after shepherd’s pie for dinner.
Rays from the Anti-Sun!
Believe it or not, this is looking *away* from the sun. Sun rays are (at this distance, anyway) basically parallel, and a trick of perspective makes it look like they converge toward the sun or, in this direction, toward the point exactly opposite, like looking down a long hallway.
Ever since I read that these were possible under the right circumstances, I’ve been hoping to spot them and (if possible) photograph them. I saw some once while looking toward the mountains a year or two ago, but they were too faint to photograph. Naturally, when I finally saw them again, I was driving, and didn’t have time to stop and aim. Amazingly enough, one of the photos I took just pointing the camera out the window actually caught the rays!
Contrast enhanced to make the rays more visible. You can also check out the unmodified version.
That’s Not What I Said!
Things Google speech recognition came up with when I tried to search for “The Lost Bean” (an independent coffee place in Tustin):
- oh clock team
- the team
- zoloft 18
After three tries I gave up and searched for something else in the same strip mall. Oddly enough, it had no trouble figuring out Nieuport 17. 😕
Return of Saddleback & San Gabriel Snow
The rain on Friday dropped the annual light dusting of snow on Saddleback. I caught glimpses of it while out walking with J on Saturday, but the peaks were still shrouded in clouds. Sunday, however, the sky was almost completely clear.
I kind of wish that sign wasn’t in the middle there, but my Photoshop (well, Gimp) skills aren’t quite up to it. Maybe I’ll give it a shot with context-aware fill at some point.
It was awfully hazy toward the north, though, and you can see the San Gabriels are fading into the haze toward the left of the frame.
These were taken at the same spot as the loooong snowy panorama from January 2008, the Misty Mountains from December of the same year, and the cloud window panorama from January 2010. (I should really just come up with something to tag all the photos I’ve taken there.)
Turning Los Angeles Orange
Last Wednesday night I rode the Green Line home at sunset. When it wasn’t blocked by trees or houses, I had a great view of Downtown Los Angeles reflecting the orange sunlight.
After a few minutes, the train hit exactly the right angle to catch the setting sun itself reflected in all the downtown buildings! It was bright enough to completely overwhelm my cameraphone, as you can see.
Recalled Waste
Who would have thought that something called Toxic Waste Nuclear Sludge Chew Bars would be bad for you?
Candy Dynamics Recalls Toxic Waste® brand Nuclear Sludge® Chew Bars
(via @ThisIsTrue. Originally linked to FDA recall release, link updated to point to NPR article. Apparently it was too much lead in the “hazardously sour” candy.)