The kitchen in our new home has two of many appliances, presumably because one of the owners in the history of this house had a Kosher kitchen. While we don’t share in this need, we are grateful for having two ovens and two dishwashers. It makes prep (which I’m not a part of) and clean up (which I’m definitely a part of) much easier.
Because we have one or two graphic artist types in our family, our dishwashers are named and marked so we know which is which.
Presenting, Fred and Ethel.
So the five of us, along with visiting friend Richie, went out to dinner in a restaurant for the first time in well over a year. We all have had our vaccine shots, and as of May 19 we will all be officially, fully vaccinated. We’re almost there, and since Richie was headed back to Chicago on Saturday morning we thought we’d celebrate with sushi in an actual restaurant.
Because I guess Desert Sushi is a thing.
The restaurant had just opened up a day or two ago (they’ve been take-out or delivery only all this time) and pandemic things were handled well. One door is marked for entrance, another for exit. There are blue arrows marked on the floor indicating which way you should walk if you’re moving about. Our temperature was taken upon entry and we were required to wear masks when not at our table. We kept our masks on when the server and like visited.
It’s not this difficult to do and I don’t have any issue with this.
I know the CDC announced that vaccinated folks don’t have to wear a mask anymore, aside from high capacity, crowded situations, but I feel like I should still be wearing my mask when in a public setting. While at this point I really no longer care what happens to people who decide to skip getting vaccinated, I still want to do my part in not spreading the virus around. As a fully vaccinated individual, I know I can still get COVID-19 and that the immunization provides my body with the knowledge of what to do if I get COVID. I won’t end up in the hospital. I won’t die. I trust the science.
But I don’t trust unvaccinated people to be wearing masks when they should be. Honestly, knowing someone chooses to remain unvaccinated makes me not trust them at all. For anything.
Before I get too much further into the weeds with this mini-rant, I’ll detour from that train of thought to say it was quite nice hanging out with family and friends in a restaurant for the first time in over a year. I’m happy science quickly brought us to the point of being able to do this.
As a college trained (but not graduated) Civil Engineer, I have a strong interest in highway design and the flow of transportation infrastructure in general. After living in a major American city for several years, I can say without a doubt that I do not miss driving the streets or expressways of Chicagoland.
Tucson has pretty much resisted the freewayification of the city, and alas has but two Interstates passing through: Interstate 10 (which runs coast to coast from Los Angeles to Jacksonville, Florida) and Interstate 19, which is rather short for a two-digit numbered Interstate route as it’s less than 100 miles long as it heads to the Mexican border at Nogales. There’s a suggestion of an expressway along what was going to be Interstate 210, but it’s short and I’ve never seen it crowded.
Both of the main Interstates can get rather busy at rush hour here in Tucson, but for the most part I find them well designed and marked for what they are. I-10 could probably use an upgrade by adding a lane in each direction to the east of the city, but for the most part, traffic moves reasonably well. I’ve always been a fan of ADOT’s traffic engineering practices and getting to know these things a little more intimately, being an Arizona resident and all, is part of my general Road Geek happiness.
Some folks like to complain about the absence of freeways and loops here in Tucson, and granted I’m probably lucky because I don’t commute to work every day, but I don’t find getting around the city to be that bad. Everything is 20 to 30 minutes away from home. North, South, East, West, it doesn’t matter. It’s a half hour drive.
That’s half the amount of time it took for us to get anywhere in Chicago.
I’ve always found ADOT’s signing practices to be among the best in the United States, and that trend continues as they constantly replace sun-bleached signs. The brown “Attractions” signs don’t stand much of a change in the longevity department after a few years in the Sonoran Desert sun.
I’m still figuring out the ins and outs of night photography but I’m making good progress. Having multiple photographers in the house is helpful in this endeavor, though one of them keeps telling me, “just use your phone, it takes better photos”. I still love my Canon Rebel from 2009.
The photo above is looking west towards the city from our roof top. It’s a 30 second exposure courtesy of my tripod.
Now I just need to figure out how to take better photos of the night sky and the huge number of stars we can see here. Right now things are a little out of focus. I’m getting there.
My husband rides along with my various diet requests on an ever changing basis. This was my enjoyable breakfast this morning. I probably eat too much bacon and would eagerly switch to a vegetarian substitute if I could find a said substitute that cooks as crisp as regular bacon. I don’t enjoy a chewy bacon experience. I have tried various vegetarian bacons over the years and while they taste almost too bacon-y, I find them a little too close to a jerky substitute, which I don’t enjoy.
I’m happy my husband doesn’t find me to be a jerk with my every changing diet requests. I’d cook my own meals from time to time but things aren’t that desperate and even in this huge house with a big kitchen, I’m not allowed in the cooking area.
I have not thought of this song in many, many years. But for the enjoyment of everyone on this Monday, here’s ABC with “When Smokey Sings”. It’s been nearly 35 years since this song was in the Top 5.
One thing I notice about music videos from the 80s: they’re not quite as polished but the performers generally don’t look as grubby as they do in the typical 21st century music videos.
Now get off my lawn and listen to the music.
I was asked to not pull wire through all the walls for the school clock collection, so I took a different approach. I’m a bit obsessed with clock accuracy. I like all of the clocks top show the same time; the microwave, the oven, the wall clocks, everything, have to show the same time all the time. I’ve always been this way. Hence, my interest in these old school clock systems.
I wanted to put one of my clocks in the kitchen but no wires are allowed. The sturdy, all metal construction of these clocks from the first half of the 21st century prohibit the use of the Atomic clock radio controlled clocks that are popular today (the radio signal cannot get through the metal housing). I’m always hesitant to convert these clocks away from their electrical roots, but sometimes you do what you need to do.
This clock now has a battery quartz mechanism that synchronizes to our wifi network several times a day. I had the movement shipped from China and installed it today.
I don’t think it’s going to handle Arizona’s lack of Daylight Saving time very well but I’ll deal with that in November.
I’m pleased with the new hands that came with the movement; I needed to trim them back just a bit for the size of this clocks, but they look like they belong and probably other than my obsession, no one will even notice.
I’ll probably convert a couple more of the clocks I have in the collection. It’s not my ideal approach to maintaining these clocks but I enjoy the aesthetics very much so I’m pleased.
Time keeps marching on.
Springtime is beautiful in our back yard. We’ve been inviting hummingbirds and other flying friends into the area with our various feeders. It was a tradition started by the previous owners and we are continuing the practice.
The Palo Verde tree is particularly enjoyable. I enjoy the sound it makes when the winds blow across the desert.
My husband and I drove northwest of the city to do some exploring. I wanted to check out Marana Regional Airport and get a feel for the landscape out in that direction.
While driving around we stumbled across the remains of a Boeing 747-300 situated not too far from Pinal Air Park, where many no longer airliners are landed in the desert. This B747 was a mile or two away from the boneyard.
A quick Google search revealed the 747 was purchased to become a retail establishment. I found this article online with more information: Not quite a sky mall: Tucson inventor setting up shop in old airliner.
I look forward to doing more exploring out in that direction, both from the ground and the air.
I have several geeky hobbies. Master-slave school clock systems from the first half of the 20th century. Computers of all sorts, especially older technology. Early point of sales systems. Roads. Washing machines.The list goes on and on.
For many years I thought I was the only one on the planet with this weird combination of hobbies. Ultimately it comes down to at the very least a passing interest in things that are networked, connected, and/or structured. With the advent of the Internet, especially the past 15 years or so, it turns out I am very much not alone with these interests. I find comfort in this.
Over 20 years ago I was contacted by my now good friend Tim in Cheyenne, Wyoming. His home is wired with a school clock system that worked very much like what we had when we lived in Upstate New York. Recently I was contacted by Nathan near Ottawa, Ontario. His interest in early point of sale systems very much mirrors my interest. We’ve since combined forces, so to speak, and are trying to figure out what cash registers Kmart Canada used in their stores up until the chain went out of business. They’re nothing like anything I’d ever seen in a Kmart in the states back in the day. We’ve seen a few hints and pictures but have never been able to find anything definitive. It’s a fun little challenge.
I’m curious about the sharing of these various hobbies with others. We all seem to be men of a certain age, and a certain sexuality. I find this fascinating. I’m curious as to what in our genetic wiring predisposes us in this direction.
As Mr. Spock says, “fascinating”.
PS. If you know what make and model cash register is pictured above, let me know.
Just a guy with a husband. We’ve been together 28 years and he still makes me see fireworks on a daily basis. Hiker. Storm Chaser. Private Pilot. Tech Guy. Hackerish.
Weird? Eccentric!