October 2007

I am in Moab

“Moab” sounds like it should be an acronym for something: Mother of all bombs? or buffets? Stephanie called shotgun on using the computer when we got to Moab (I think her words were, “I’m going to hijack your computer”), so…

We survived the rain at Arches

Arches National Park opens at 7:30. Apparently they have 24 first-come, first-serve campsites. Considering we were out late last night—dinner at the Moab Brewery—getting out of the hotel before 7:30 was out of the question. We aimed (optimistically) for 9,…

Devils Garden to Double-O

So it was lightly sprinkling when we left the Devils Garden trailhead on the path to the Double-O Arch. By the time we got going a bit, the rain stopped, and we had blue skies ahead (and very moody skies…

From Moab to Bryce

Rather than spend a full day at Canyonlands on Tuesday, we decided to make tracks for Bryce Canyon National Park. Our route took us back the way we came toward Green River, and then we continued west on I-70 because…

Motel 6 camping

…is for reals, y’all! File under: violates multiple safety notices and possibly local laws. Note: this is out of order in the blog chronology, it happened on our second night in Moab, before we drove to Bryce.

On camping

My favorite thing about camping is making a fire and cooking and eating outdoors. Before setting up camp at Bryce, we drove over to the Camper’s General Store and picked up some hot dogs, buns, and their last bag of…

Hiking the Bryce Figure 8

Given our many hiking options at Bryce Canyon, I was leaning towards a strenuous route informally called the Figure 8, a combination of three different trails that covered over 6 miles in an estimated 4-5 hours. We started at Sunset…

From Bryce to Zion, with a stop at Cedar Breaks

Thursday was another travel day. We left Bryce around noon after a much needed shower and some internet time, heading towards Zion National Park, which Google Maps estimated would take about 2 hours. However, en route we decided to turn…

Penetrating the Virgin Narrows

When I first visited Zion National Park a little over 2 years ago, I hiked the Angel’s Landing trail on the advice of some people I bumped into while driving from North Carolina to California. That was and still is…

I wonder what sort of clickthrough rate they get?

Warhol would be so proud

But is it pink, inside?

My dad and his life-size rubber band powered car

So I’m checking Boing Boing for the umpteenth time tonight (in the middle of a casual project), when I see a new post about Maker Faire Austin: “Adventures in Time” teaser film. The accompanying screengrab looks interesting enough, so I…

Angus Cheeseburger Sliders

I have to admit I have a weak spot for those microwaveable White Castle Cheeseburgers in the frozen foods aisle. Weak spot as in every other month or so, when my lack of Sausalito lunch options are getting me down,…

How I use my camera

When out hiking, I carry my camera (a 5MP Canon SD400) like this: When not in a photogenic environment (or mood), the camera slips into my pocket or into a small neoprene sleeve in my cargo shorts. Trudging through the…

Cameras, cameras, cameras

Lately I’ve been pretty enamored with the idea of getting a new camera. What am I saying, “lately”? I’ve wanted a Digital SLR about as long as I can remember. As I was telling Stephanie over IM and Mark last…

My first long exposure

In all my blathering about getting a “fancy” new camera, two years and 12,000 shots later I finally decided to read the manual for the pretty decent camera I do have. And I actually learned a thing or two. For…

The hand crank pasta machine

Been carrying around a Pottery Barn gift card which I received from my lovely co-workers in North Carolina before I left for California. Two years ago. Luckily it works at Williams-Sonoma too, I just didn’t have a need for any…

Gutsy Grumbles

I’ve been a little disappointed with Gutsy Gibbon, the latest release of Ubuntu. I’m not sure if it’s the older hardware I’m running, but things seem a little flakier. For starters, the upgrade process locked up about 1/3 of the…

Golden Gate Bridge at night

At dusk Color-accented Long-exposure 32×24″ unstretched canvas print Note: If you’re interested in buying a print of one these photos like the one above, please don’t hesitate to send me an email. Prices range from $100-300. Here are some other…

You know you’re a geek when…

…you overhear some girls at a coffeeshop laughing about XML but it turns out they were actually talking about SNL.

No AJAX was harmed in the making of this design

My goodness, it’s been two years since I last shook things up here at Justinsomnia Industries. For two years, dear reader, you’ve suffered that indescribable background color, affectionately known as #ddddaa. Much more likely, you passed those many months by…

Winetasting in Alameda and container cranes

Second cousins Mark and Arthur were in town for separate conferences, so along with their sister Christy, we met up for brunch at the Market Bar in the Ferry Building. Had good eggs and bacon in the unusually warm sun,…

A camera is only a tool

So which camera did I choose, the Pentax K100D or the Canon PowerShot G9? Neither. For the last two weeks I’ve been intensely researching my next camera purchase. I’ve analyzed how I use my camera. I’ve compared and contrasted a…

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