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Day 272 (365:272)
Move on, today was the same as yesterday.
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At the computer (365:271)
I’m spending a lot of time waiting for my computer.
With image files starting at 20 Mbytes nowadays my computer is no longer up to the job of processing them quickly.
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Quick shot in the hall mirror (365:270)
I’ve been busy processing pictures.
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Today I received my new driving license
Gary Allman and his new Missouri Driving License. Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. Not normally a momentous event, but this one doesn’t expire for seven years. This means the licensing people know something I don’t, and that is that my 10 year US permanent resident application has been approved. That is very good news.
Update: According to the Department of Homeland Security my application has not been approved yet. So a seven-year license is probably a mistake made by the Missouri licensing people. A driving license should only be issued for your period of residence – hence my last license only ran for two years. At the moment I only have a letter extending my residence by a year, which gives the DHS a year to process my ten-year residence application. Oh well, we’ll see…
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I eat toast and marmalade while Mr. Getzger Cat exits frame right. (365:268)
I eat toast and marmalade while Mr. Getzger Cat exits frame right. (365:268). Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. “Marmalade, I like marmalade.”
It’s one of my favorite sayings – and true to boot. After church I put in another day helping with the logging. It was hard hot and dirty work. I’m already aching from Friday’s exertions, so no doubt I’ll really be regretting it by Tuesday.
By bed time I was hungry again, so toast and marmalade seemed appropriate, not to mention a picture opportunity. Getzger also decided to get in on the action, and I decided to go with this shot showing his tail about to exit the picture.
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Saturday September 24. (365:267)
Saturday September 24. (365:267) Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman, all rights reserved Just another Saturday
Lanie had been out on a sleep over so we collected her and did some shopping. Later on we took a few pictures, and then watched a movie.
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Gary’s a lumberjack for the day (365:266)
Gary’s a lumberjack for the day (365:266). Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. I spent most of the day logging
Some friends are thinning out their trees, cutting the big ones into 8-9 foot logs and sending them to a local lumber mill. I volunteered to give them a hand today, so I spent my day clearing and cutting back brush, chaining logs and standing well back as the tractor dragged them up the hill.
I was too busy working to take a picture – so here I am at home with a spare chainsaw Ginger’s dad left with me, initially so I could help out in Joplin, and latterly in the vain hope that one day I’ll cut up the limb that’s been sitting in our front yard for the past few months.
Had I not been tired I might have worked a little harder on the lighting. Had I arrived home before dark I might also have cut up that limb – honest.
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Thursday Evening (365:265)
Today was my study day.
Today it really is 100 days until the end of this project!
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Double take (365:264)
I thought I’d cleaned the mirror before taking this picture.
Obviously not. Ginger’s not been feeling too well, so I let her sleep and picked up the big kids from school.
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2 am. (365:263)
okay 1.55 am to be precise.
It could also be titled HTML, CSS, PHP and Javascript, oh my! I’ve been busy working on a WordPress theme.
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We had a bolt stuck in our tyre
So this afternoon I got it fixed.
The van’s a lot quieter now.
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This is what results when one accidentally presses the shutter while struggling to get the camera into position (365:261)
This is what results when one accidentally presses the shutter while struggling to get the camera into position (365:261). Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. AKA Parking lot fund raiser wash-out.
Ginger and I volunteered to watch over the Youth Group kids working the Cider Days parking lot fundraiser after church today. Yesterday’s attempt got rained off, and the weather wasn’t any better today. After less than an hour we sent the kids in and Mark and I stayed out and took around six dollars an hour (that’s two cars) for about three hours before throwing in the towel.
While Mark was off having some lunch I took a few pictures for today’s self-portrait. This is what you get when you accidentally hit the shutter and it fires several times in quick succession when you are not expecting it to do so. I had a more normal shot – but I’ve loads of those, so I decided to go with this rather stupid-looking one. You will, I hope, note the rain on my glasses. Unfortunately, you can’t see how wet my hair is.
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Trying to get out of the parking lot on the way home from the symphony (365:260)
Trying to get out of the parking lot on the way home from the symphony (365:260). Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. It took nearly an hour to complete a ten-minute journey.
I spent the day doing ‘webby’ things and ending up ultimately disappointed once more in the quality of software – this time bought. Sigh. This should be simple.
Ginger took Lanie down to church to help with the ‘Cider Days’ parking lot fundraiser, and Katie clothes shopping in a hunt for some classic clothes in the downtown flea markets. The fundraiser got washed out, but the shopping trip was a success, and I was treated to an impromptu fashion show when they got back.
John and Marsha are on vacation and very kindly gave us their tickets to this evening’s symphony concert, so we had a Beethoven treat night. I had planned on taking today’s picture either just outside or inside the auditorium, but the light was horrid inside and it was frightfully busy outside.
After the concert we got stuck in traffic trying to exit the parking lot – apparently a rodeo just down the road had finished at the same time, so we spent 50 minutes just sitting in line. I decided to take a safety shot while we were waiting.
We were a bit concerned about our back tire which currently has a number plate screw, complete with washer, buried in it. It’s been raining heavily all day, and I didn’t fancy changing a tire in the wet, so we left it in place. It can stay there, probably until after the school run Monday morning if I can get away with it.
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Warmth (365:259)
Warmth (365:259). Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. This week it went from a hot 94°F to a chilly 45°F.
Ginger got the chance of a well earned break today and went out with our friend Rebbie.
While she was gone, considering that it looks like autumn is on the way, I decided to clean the furnace’s air filter and burner ready for the colder weather; fitting in my daily picture in the process. Working on the furnace has to be better than another ‘Wall’ picture.
I won’t recount the epic tale of how I got this photograph, but let’s just say that taking the doors off the cupboard turned out to be a good idea. If you look carefully you’ll see the sweat on my brow.
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Studying again (365:258)
The second year of my EFM course starts tonight.
We’re working on the first lesson in advance. This week I had to listen to the text, which explains the earphones. I chose to read it too. I’m really looking forward to getting back to class again. Keeping up my tradition from last year, I realized I’d listened and read the wrong text – so I had to start over. In many ways it turned out quite helpful as it put the text I was supposed to be listening to into context.
Ginger had a meeting at church at the same time as my class, so we had a chance to see how the kids coped without us. Very well as it turned out.
Blue Kitteh will lay on anything. Whether it be a box, a book, a piece of paper or a laptop. I was dashing to get out when I saw her slumped on Ginger’s laptop on the bed. I only got a chance for a couple of quick pictures before some noise outside distracted her. Just as well, if I had spent a lot of time taking pictures we’d have been late getting to church.
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Day 257 (365:257)
Day 257 (365:257). Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. It’s gone 1 am again.
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Working late (365:256)
Only 99 more days to go.
This documentary picture a day project doesn’t work very well when you never leave your desk. My day began at 7.20 am with the school run, then back home at my desk and I’m still here at 1 am.
Edit: I’m mildly dyslexic especially where numbers are concerned – I didn’t find it out until I started doing business accounts and couldn’t work out why they never balanced – I was typing in a lot of the numbers all jumbled up. The right digits, just not necessarily in the right order. The astute will have spotted that I have 109 days left to go…
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Staring into space (365:255)
Staring into space (365:255). Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. I do a lot of mental staring into space, not so much actually gazing into the distance though. I’m having a bit of a mope at the moment. No real reason, just a minor self-pity fest. I’ll shake it off quite quickly.
My EFM class starts again this Thursday. So that means I get to do a ‘Studying for EFM’ picture each week. Potentially more exciting than all the wall pictures I’ve been churning out. Part of this week’s studying is listening to a two and a half-hour reading. I’ve not yet thought out what photo opportunities that will present. Earbuds in my hand? Earbuds in my ears? Maybe I ought to pass on those.
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Today is my son’s birthday. It is at times like this that I miss being able to see my family.
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This evening I was momentarily stumped as to where to begin (365:254)
This evening I was momentarily stumped as to where to begin (365:254). Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. I soon got over it.
This Sunday was different. At church people were exchanging their “Where were you when..?” stories, and the services were extended to include additional prayers. At the 11 o’clock service the adult choir was supplemented by members of the Dury Singers for a performance of a piece specially written for the tenth anniversary of 9/11. To my generation this must be like the assassination of Kennedy was for our parents. One of those key moments in a lifetime.
Growing up with the IRA and their ever-present threat and the actuality of terrorism, and living in a city that 30 years on still hadn’t completed rebuilding after the second world war, my reaction to 9/11 is somewhat different from my American friends. No less saddened by the losses, but not as disbelieving or indignant.
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Today also marks my mother’s birthday. Were she still alive she’d have been 76 today. Oddly, for the first time in several years I miss her.
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No Wall (365:253)
No Wall (365:253). Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. After yesterday’s escape into the garden I spent today at my desk.
That’s all folks.
