Hang Ups?

Every day this week when I've come home from work, the phone's answering machine function has had recordings of two or three hang ups. I've of course had answering machine recordings of hang ups before, but never anything like this!

And on top of that, I've had calls come in the last couple days shortly after I've come home and nobody was (apparently) at the other end each time.

I'll admit this is starting to get creepy. If the recordings of hang ups continue today, I'm seriously thinking I'll call SBC to inquire about what may be going on.

Boom!

Image via Wikipedia

A rare (for the San Diego city area) thunderstorm passed through my area a little earlier this morning. I'm always impressed when that happens; being able to hear the crackle of a lightning bolt instantly followed by the much louder thunder is not easily forgotten!

Unfortunately this particular storm was not carrying much rain with it at all; the area could use more.

Fun with Vikane (Not)

In previous posts I had mentioned that my condo building was going to be fumigated for termites. Well, that time cometh: it will happen next week.

A couple evenings ago representatives of the firm that will doing the fumigating met with owners and occupants of the building to explain what will need to be done. We learned the fumigant will be Vikane, and the major thing we have to do is protect from being effected by the gas anything that can be swallowed (foods, water, toothpaste, medicines, et cetera, et cetera) and that is not in original factory-sealed airtight containers, by double-bagging them in special non-porous bags that come from the same firm that makes Vikane.

The double-bagging will be a pain, but at least I won't have to do it all on the morning the fumigating starts, before I clear out. For instance, I'll get everything in the freezer in the bags the evening before.

And one relief is that I won't have to pay for housing while I have to be away from the condo: I have plenty of family near to me!

Yellow?

Image via Wikipedia

It may be pure coincidence, but I've been getting a distinct impression the last several days that there are more yellow cars on the road than I've seen in quite some time.

They're still pretty infrequent, mind you, but it's got me wondering why people might be selecting yellow more often for their vehicle's paint color.

National Geographic Photo of the Day: A Web Site Review

Here's another "picture of the day" site that I like to visit. The National Geographic Society's web site has a page that every day displays a different picture it's photographers have taken, along with a paragraph of text appropriate to the photo's subject matter.

A nice touch on this page is that right at the start of the text about the subject matter, it lists where the photo was taken, what year it was taken, and the name of the photographer. The year the photo was taken can be important, as the page occasionally shows a photo that was taken in the first half of the 20th century; for instance, this view of a monastery in Greece that was taken in 1930.

Another good feature on the page is that it always has a link to another page on the site that provides more detail about the photo's subject matter or about related topics, or provides more photos of the subject matter. For instance, on the day I write this post, September 4, 2005, the photo is of a capybara, and it was taken in Venezuela. The link goes to a "country profile" of Venezuela.

The Society's photographers always take many more pictures than can ever be included in the National Geographic magazine, so what is shown on this page is very frequently noted as having been "...shot on assignment for, but not published in..." the relevant article in the magazine.

All in all, this page makes for fascinating viewing and reading!

Sheesh

A little earlier I was walking home after completing an exercise running session. And I watched as another person walking on the other side of the street set off a car's alarm just by walking past the car and not laying a finger on it. This is what we call being just a little too oversensitive! (It didn't help my opinion that this alarm was that very annoying variety that makes a whole series of different tones at very high decibels.)

The oddness of the potholes

Image via Wikipedia

I've been noticing over the last few days that several new potholes have developed in roads around my neighborhood.

What's so odd about potholes, you might ask? Well, I normally think of new potholes appearing after rains. And San Diego has not had any measurable rain for several months.

So, I'm feeling somewhat curious what could be causing these new ones to develop.