Monday, December 22, 2008

Don't Take Your Guns to Town, Return to Sender, -and- Crash!


Don’t Take Your Guns to Town - cops charge unarmed man with 80 bank robberies
Return to Sender - Intuit faces court over spam attack
Crash! - judge’s daughter sues man she hit while drunk

On this day in history: December 22, 1984 - Bernhard Goetz shoots 4 teenage boys on the NYC subway after one of them asks him for money.

Born on this day in history: December 22, 1945 - Diane Sawyer (1945– ) Born in Glasgow, Kentucky, broadcast journalist Diane Sawyer began as a weathergirl in 1967, then became a Nixon press aide (1970), staying on after Watergate to help with Nixon's memoirs. Returning to TV news, Sawyer was the first woman correspondent on "60 Minutes" (1984–9). In I989, she joined ABC News.

Scripture of the Day: For the sake of his great name the LORD will not reject his people, because the LORD was pleased to make you his own. — 1 Samuel 12:22

Video of the Day: Futuristic Japanese Cars - submitted by Cap'n Jack





Zeus was the first subject on which I used my new Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 macro lens. Click to enlarge.





Recommended Site: David Louis Harter Photography - a showcase for the photography of David Louis Harter

Top Things for 2008!
Top Mug Shots of 2008!
Sports Illustrated Photos of the Year

For dinner Saturday, I made an Oriental salad: I sliced six large white mushrooms and cooked in boiling water for 10 minutes. I turned off the heat and combined four packages of ramen noodles. After 5 minutes, I strained the noodles and mushrooms and placed them in a large stainless-steel bowl. I added chopped green onions, diced red bell pepper, frozen peas, frozen kernel corn, and shredded chicken breasts that I had grilled earlier in the week. I made a dressing with extra-virgin olive oil, rice wine vinegar, ground ginger, crushed red peppers, ground black pepper, and lime juice. It was delicious. Leftovers followed both Laura and me to work this morning.

For dinner Sunday, I grilled ahi steaks and filet mignons. Laura dry-rubbed the filet mignons with a special mixture I had previously prepared. She encrusted the ahi steaks with sea salt, ground black pepper, and sesame seeds. It was entirely too foul to grill outdoors, so I used our small indoor grill. We also had baked potatoes with sour cream and chives and an excellent bottle of Clos du Bois Cabernet Sauvignon 2003. It was an incredible meal.

Fog! It is foggy this morning! The path leading to the rear yard and carport, where Laura parks her Yaris, was so wet and nasty that I offered to drive her around the block and down the alley to her car so that she could avoid all the path. The fog is clearing nicely now and should be fully gone by 9 AM or so.

I recall many years ago experiencing the worst fog I have ever encountered: My rock band was performing in a club in Chico, CA, and I was living in Paradise, CA—a drive of approximately 25 minutes. It was so foggy when I began my journey home at 2:30 AM, that when I came upon a large semi and trailer as I began driving the Skyway toward Paradise, I decided to simply follow the rig and take advantage of his superior lighting system. As I followed him, when he turned, I turned; when he slowed, I slowed; and so on. In due course, he stopped. I stopped. Suddenly, there was a rapping at my side window. I lowered the glass, and I heard, "I'm home. Where are you going?" As it happened, the semi driver's house was only about two miles from my house, and I found my way home with relative ease.