Photographed the change in gas prices and the pandorea blossoms with the camera and 24-70mm (now thoroughly cleaned) lens without a hiccup, which is good, although I'm going to have to keep an eye on the thing.

And maybe clean the contacts more often.

And maybe clean the contacts more often. Bright sun, this morning, it's going to get really hot, so an interesting day ahead. After the haircut (quite short, looks better) and losing two of those three over the target pounds, I'm feeling I at least look pretty good (new pair of Levi's, still one of the same old denim shirts) even if the internal reality is a bit scrambled, so, warm or cold, we're ready for what's coming, good or bad, happy or sad, upbeat or mind numbingly boring in my down and dirty less than earthy descriptions.

Later. I guess I do like this new 80-400mm lens as I set out with it again this morning thinking I'd take a short walk over to and along the lake, come back and change lenses if I later wanted to go through the farmers market to the ATM and then on and back around to the morning café for lunch. I did go by the lake, took a couple of pictures of what was being advertised as a 5k run and then went on to the ATM along Lakeshore carrying the camera over my shoulder on the strap, the camera and the lens behind my hip and across my butt.

Why any concern about that?

I suspect I perceive a certain dorkiness in carrying such a camera in situations where the lens is more a piece of bling than a usable tool. I don't mind carrying it where it's the best solution for the shooting, but it would be nice if all this stuff was about the size of a cell phone and still took the same quality picture. Cell phone shots are nice, many people have put down their professional gear and created some interesting work, but they're limited. I'd say I experience some kind of the ego is embarrassed snit. I don't mind a certain geek quality in this always carrying a camera routine, but I still don't like to think I'm perceived as having lost it and gone well over the top.

A bit dumb.

But hardly unique. Anyway, a couple of pictures, one of a volunteer group of young girls ready to set out, another of (another) Snowy Egret maneuvering to land on the lake. There are airplane flaps and there are bird feather flaps; birds, I suspect, win hands down.

Back home at noon. It's getting hot out there. I'd been out in just a t-shirt for the walk, not sure now I want to go out at all, although lunch will eventually change my mind.

Later still. So much for the “it's getting hot out there” observation. It's not. It's quite nice, a cool breeze as I walked to lunch (carrying a camera mounted with the much smaller but still bulky 24-70mm lens) wearing a t-shirt, sitting out in the sun on the patio eating a banana, ice cream and lemonade (good lemonade) before heading on to the supermarket for spaghetti and air pop popcorn.

I was out of spaghetti last night, trying Pad Thai noodles with red clam sauce in its place. Edible, but not something I'd want to do again other than in a pinch. We're no longer in a pinch. Another nap perhaps to clobber any stirring ocular events (some slight hints of one in the background at the moment). That nap now, I'd think.

Evening. A brief lie down for a while listening to the radio, nothing developing from what I'd suspected might be signs of something, so up and about to cook spaghetti with clam sauce and watch a Swedish reporter after the bad guys thing. Pretty good, actually. The evening goes well.

We'll play some more guitar, work on a barre chord I'm having trouble making play (the forefinger doesn't lay now uniformly on the first five strings and the #3 G string doesn't sound correctly (do I have a warped left hand forefinger or does everyone go through this when learning to play?) and then get to bed early again, be ready for tomorrow's Lake Merritt celebration. Pretty exciting stuff from up here in this almost, but not quite, having a view of the lake apartment.