Convergence

I subscribe to three magazines:

• mental_floss
• Wired
• National Geographic

New issues of all three were in my mail yesterday. I have never before had all the magazines I subscribe to arrive on the same day.

That was interesting

Being on vacation this week, I took the opportunity this morning to walk to my neighborhood library to pick up a book I had reserved.

While walking back to my place, I was started to see a California Highway Patrol car go by, it's rooftop light bar activated. (Startled because this was a surface street, and one doesn't normally see CHP cars on surface streets, with or without their light bars activated.)

But the next moment I realized what was going on when a portable classroom rolled past, complete with an "oversize load" banner.

It turned out to be two portable classrooms being moved, along with several vehicles from the firm doing the moving (all with their own "oversize load" banners), and not one, not two, not three, but four CHP cars.

Obviously the police-type presence was needed because portable classrooms take up so much of the road when being moved, but I am wondering why CHP handled it and not the San Diego police.

Selling my photos

My church is in process of wrapping up a program called Seeds of Faith. The basic idea of which is members who wish to participate are given a small amount of cash (in our case, $10) to use as seed money to develop goods or services they can sell, with the money that comes in going to a need internal or external to the church.

In this case the money will be used to defray costs of refurbishing the church's youth rooms.

I decided to sell prints of some my own photos, offering a variety of sizes, getting the prints made after taking orders, and then delivering the prints.

The sales of goods and services took place last Sunday (August 16, 2009) at what was called the Seeds of Faith Harvest Fair. I decided in order to be sure to have any success, I was going to need to be present through the entire three hours of the Fair, in order to explain just what I was offering.

I had previously had 5x7-inch samples of each of the 8 photos made, and had placed them in a small album, which I had with me at the Fair, along with order forms I had prepared.

So, during the Fair I pretty quickly developed a routine of explaining to anyone who approached me just what I was offering. And I was really pleased that I ended up with having a total of ten prints ordered by eight people.

Prints were ordered of the following photos (for the site I am linking to below my member name is Landshark):

• Jacaranda blossoms (4 prints)
• Coral tree blossoms (2 prints)
• Sunflower and bee (2 prints)
• Dandelion (1 print)
• Lily of the Nile flowers (1 print)

(I also offered prints of: Mission Beach iced tea, "The Boulevard" sign, and Balboa Park walkway.

And, yes, I do seem to be unintentionally developing a specialization of being a plant photographer!)

Though I had more people walk away then order prints, I'm considering this at least relative success to be a good sign for selling my photos in future, so will be trying to develop a web-based presence for doing so.

Nothing to speak of

Regarding yesterday's post:

Turned out the person who was being inquired about was a former neighbor who I must admit I had never spoken to.

Reported that to the investigator, and there was nothing further needed. The end.

Vedy, vedy interesting

Came home from work and found on my door a small notice from the, ahem, "U.S. Office of Personnel Management - Federal Investigative Services", that had written on it the name and phone number of an investigator.

The notice says this is "regarding an individual who is being considered for a position of trust with the U.S. Government. Your comments regarding this individual's fitness and suitability will be greatly appreciated."

Huh. I have no idea who this might be about.

Tried calling the investigator at the number written on the notice - no answer, left a message saying I'll try again tomorrow morning.