23 July, 2008
Let's Go Over This Again, Shall We?
Hybrid Car Drivers: That little sticker you got for your car entitles you to drive in the carpool lane, even when you're all by your self in your car. THAT IS ALL IT ENTITLES YOU TO. It does NOT mean you're allowed to run red lights and stop signs, thereby put the safety of pedestrians and law-abiding drivers and bicyclists in danger.
Pedestrians: When you see the big red hand, that means DO NOT CROSS THE STREET. It is not meant to beckon you to cross against your light, thereby endangering the safety of law-abiding drivers and bicyclists who have to either stop or swerve to avoid you. Unless you're having a heart attack or bleeding profusely, you can cool your heels for 30 seconds until the light changes and it's safe (and legal!) for you to cross.
Are we all clear on this now? Good. That is all.
Labels: gah, impatience is my virtue
~~ victoria on 7:07 PM ~~ 0 comments
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21 August, 2007
Scene From An Evening Commute
Tourist/Day Tripper Dude: (after regaling his sons/nephews/whatever with stories of being on a boat and claiming to have watched a fighter jet crash into the Bay as it took off from the Alameda Navy Base some years ago) "Just look at all that land! They should develop it, like Blackhawk, and put, you know, a BIG golf course and a shopping center and lots of big homes on it!"
Me: "So that only rich people could afford it? Oh goody, we don't have enough of THAT in the Bay Area!"
Me: exit stage right to go to the lower deck while I could still resist my urge to make Tourist/Day Tripper Dude "go for a little swim".
Tourist/Day Tripper Dude: glares
Fin.
Labels: ferry commuting, gah, impatience is my virtue
~~ victoria on 7:49 PM ~~ 2 comments
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01 August, 2007
I Should NOT Even Have to Say This
But, when you feel like phoning someone FINISH YOUR DAMN LUNCH FIRST SO THE PERSON AT THE OTHER END OF THE LINE DOESN'T HAVE TO LISTEN TO YOU CHEW YOUR FOOD!
Groooossss!
Labels: impatience is my virtue, ranting
~~ victoria on 6:59 PM ~~ 0 comments
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21 July, 2007
Not That I'm About To Go THERMONUCLEAR Or Anything...
but the Harry Potter book has been available in my time zone for thirteen hours and twenty-one minutes and the UPS dude STILL HAS NOT DELIVERED MY COPY!!!
I really have bad luck getting timely UPS deliveries.
Labels: impatience is my virtue, ranting
~~ victoria on 1:21 PM ~~ 0 comments
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02 March, 2007
Dear Neighbours on Santa Clara Avenue
You may have noticed that the stores have started displaying the Easter goodies. That should be a pretty good indication that you can TAKE THE DAMN REINDEER DOWN ALREADY.
That is all.
Vicster
Labels: impatience is my virtue
~~ victoria on 11:00 PM ~~ 0 comments
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29 December, 2006
Investment
Hawk
Originally uploaded by Planet Vicster.
In case you were wondering what all of the fuss was about, I was (impatiently) awaiting my new Canon Digital Rebel XTi. So far, I'm really enjoying it (and, yes, I've taken several shots of the furkids which will all show up here sooner or later).
I also got the "cheap" 70-300mm lens, which, I'm discovering, is good for getting shots like this gorgeous hawk, and also for some portraiture, where I don't want to be right in someone's face.
I haven't completely sold my soul to digital. In fact, it was quite a struggle deciding between this system and getting a medium format film camera. What the decision came down to was Time and Space. To deal with a medium format system, I'd have to get a scanner that can deal with medium format negatives. Cost-wise, it was a push (a new digital rig + a couple of lenses vs. a medium format + a scanner), but I don't have any space to keep a scanner, and it would take so much more time than simply plugging the camera into a USB port and downloading.
The XTi is the 10-megapixel model, so, I think, it's a good investment for me in that I can get some decent, large-sized prints from my image files and it won't feel technologically obsolete in six months.
I'm really happy with the 70-300mm zoom lens. Considering it's the "cheap" model (not the fancy-schmancy USM-IS-go-and-fetch-my-tea-for-me one), it really gets some nice sharp images. I haven't played around with the 18-55mm "kit" lens, yet, so I don't have an opinion one way or the other on that other than it's very very light.
The only hiccup I've had was not being able to run the "Digital Photo Professional" program that comes with the camera that processes RAW files into either TIFF or JPG. It seems that any and all of the RAW conversion programs I looked at required a minimum of 512k RAM and this old eMac has but 256k. However, I discovered a way to process RAW images through the Image Browser that came on the same CD, so I can procrastinate on the RAM stick a little bit longer.
Labels: Canon, Digital Rebel XTi, impatience is my virtue, photography
~~ victoria on 9:26 PM ~~ 0 comments
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27 December, 2006
Dear UPS
When someone requests a package be sent 2nd Day Air, that is a pretty good indication that that person is in a freaking hurry to get said package. Therefore, hanging onto that package until the end of the business day is a REALLY BAD IDEA. Especially when the recipient has had only 2.5 hours of sleep, has dragged herself to the office after riding a ferry that was tossed around on San Francisco Bay like a piece of driftwood and the only reason she dragged her sleep-deprived, slightly seasick body in today was because her package would come...and she remembered they usually get deliveries in the morning. And, lo! There was one delivery from UPS to the office this morning THAT WASN'T HER FUCKING PACKAGE!!!
At 2:30 p.m., the recipient is now quite sorry she resisted the urge to break into the UPS truck in the alley way and rifle through the packages to see if one of them might be HERS. After 6-1/2 hours of waiting, the recipient would just as soon cock-punch your driver as sign for her package.
That is all (for now).
Sincerely,
Vicster
Labels: impatience is my virtue, ranting
~~ victoria on 2:31 PM ~~ 0 comments
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