Closing down shop

Since it is painfully obvious that Google doesn't care about Blogger as much as they used to, I don't see the point in running a blog here when everyone that reads my content is already reading it off Google Plus. Effective immediately I am going to put to sleep all of my blogs except for PedroJavier.Org. If you are one of the rare few that actually checks my content here instead of Google Plus, please circle me.

252: On the wall

I always keep cables like that, it is the only way that I can find the right one when I need it. Especially when dealing with some stupid crap like those non-standard USB cables that Nikon and Sony like so much. The bag is used for holding little bits and pieces like connectors and stuff that will disappear quickly if I just leave them on my desk.

251: (a mess) made by me.

250: White

249: Getting ready ...

For caturday !

Either that, or those two are plotting. Plotting for what? I don't know, but they look like if they are plotting.

248: Here Forever.

Or so it seems ...

247: Alone

246: Lines

In honor of PJs first day of high school, here's a sheet of composition-ruled notebook paper.

245: My name begins with...

Roasted (P)eanuts at Five Guys. If you are within their service area and haven't tried them, they make the best old fashioned burgers you can find anywhere. They'll serve the kind of burger that you would make from scratch and serve to your own family, it is that good.

The peanuts are free, they are Five Guys' way of thanking you for waiting while your food is cooked.

Today was also my first time ever having a bun-less burger. Instead of bread they simply wrap the burger in lettuce. It was great, but it after the first bite I resigned myself to using a fork. So it was two firsts: first burger without a bun, and first time I use a fork and knife to eat a burger. 

244: Together

As usual, PJ decided to play the too-cool-for-his-parents teenager.

September Topics

As usual I am following the Fat Mum Slim list. This month is actually a "people's choice" picked by Chantelle from thousands of suggestions.

243: Dangerous

"Programmer's Kitty," masterfully using his environment for maximum concealment (notice the Amazon box), stalks the Most "Dangerous" Game (aka "Caustic Kitty").

Once Caustic Kitty realized what was going on, she stared him down until he decided to walk away and try stalking something a little less dangerous, like for example, PJ.

Happy Caturday!

242: Clutter

Of course, I misread my prompt, so I thought I was looking for "cluster."

Then I got sidetracked, we were shopping and I just *knew* that there are some cereals with the word *clutter* in the name. What I didn't count on was the 500,000 different cereal types that they sell at Walmart.

Then it went from silly to truly stupid: frustrated because I couldn't find the cereal with the wrong words in it, I decided to google for it. And I found it. And as soon as I put the phone away and looked RIGHT IN THE SHELF 6 INCHES FROM MY FACE was this cereal.

At that time I decided I was done for the day. It still took me two more hours to figure out that I had the wrong prompt.

241: Lucky

At least in this particular shopping center, this Nissan Leaf driver was lucky to actually find an open parking slot at the EV charging station. 99% of the time none of the cars parked in these marked spots are EVs, and this always happens with hundreds of empty spots just a few yards away.

240: Corridor.

We live in the "Dulles Corridor," a semi-flat suburban hell roughly located between the Washington DC beltway and Washington Dulles International Airport. It is a technology corridor that houses an inordinate amount of telecommunications companies, mostly because the Pentagon and all of the Alphabet agencies are a few miles away and well, it's nice to be close to your richest customer. It is also the center of the Internet universe, the root servers that are the basis of what we call the Internet are housed here, so are the headquarters of the companies that control an incredible amount of the Internet's infrastructure.

Still, it is a semi-flat suburban hell where everything is painted in some kind of earth-toned palette, distances are measured in time, not in miles, and multi-million dollar homes don't have enough yard space to throw a ball around. And don't even dream of painting your multi-million dollar dream home of a color that isn't part of the color palette approved by your homeowner's association, not unless you are willing to go to court (and lose) over it.

239: "10 minutes from home"

I have no idea about the purpose of that hellish contraption, so I am going to go ahead and assume it is for some kind of sinister domestic spying plan that I can #blameobama for.

238: (entrance) The Lair of the Caustic Kitty.

No Programmer's Kitty allowed. Seriously, if he ever gets within paw's length that's a slapping she'll give him. BTW, this is under my desk, it is her "safe" place where PJ can't "bother" her, where bother is defined as "any attempt at socializing." 

237: Culture.

I almost feel bad for the archaeologists of the future trying to figure out WTF we were thinking when we covered the planet in concrete boxes. Almost.

236: In the background.

In a few years most of this sight will be blocked by high-rise developments. None of the buildings that you can see in the background were there when we moved here in 1997.

Actually, the parking lot will be gone too.

235: Yellow.

This is my punishment for falling behind two days, so now I am one day ahead.

234: A Room.

233: Slow.

This is the slowest food counter at our closest mall, but it is also the only one that serves restaurant quality fares, everyone else are just average performing fast food franchises. If you are willing to wait for it, the food is fantastic.

232: (electric) Stairs

230: Someone you spoke to today

Late entry: this should have been shot and posted yesterday but I screwed up my Julian Date sequence a couple of weeks ago and it took a third party to figure out I was off by one post. 

231: Lost.

Lost opportunity to sell me some chicken (I shot this on Sunday).

For those of you outside of the USA, Chick-fil-A's founder believes in observing the Christian Sabbath, so all restaurants are closed on Sundays. More recently he caught a lot of flak by exercising his right to say whatever is in his mind without thinking of the apparent/real/whatever consequences.

OTOH, this doesn't stop Chick-fil-A from sponsoring the kiddie train that runs throughout the mall seven days a week ( http://www.shopdullestowncenter.com/info/express ).

229: Exercise

Behold the $125 wonder exercise bike that has survived over 2,000 miles of abuse in barely three months and has helped us shed off over 80 pounds combined. The grey thing above the trip computer is an iPad smart case duct-taped to the handlebars.

228: Cooking

PJ in action. 

227: The Best

Ivette, that is. The ice cream is maybe a top 10 contender ...

226: Trash

225: Fast

PJ actually found this guy outside, so I had to scramble to switch lenses before he made enough noise to scare it off. 

224: macro

Yup, bacon. 

223: I love doing this!

Hanging out with PJ and Ivette.

222: Beverage

221: 2 o'clock.

Well, somewhere else it was two when I shot this.

220: Peekaboo

Ivette may be smiling, but she's been hitting that bag like if she wanted to kill it.

219: A sign

That the condo association needs to buy a spirit level.

218: This means a lot to me.

Being able to provide shelter for my family. 

217: Early

216: Fresh

215: Skyline

Well, a #skyrim skyline.

The walled city of Solitude, with the Blue Palace on the right side of the rock arch formation in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

214: Incomplete

213: Something beginning with "N"

August Topics List

As usual I'll be using Fat Mum Slim's list.

212: Workplace

211: Friendship

My friends are very few and scattered geographically, so here's what Facebook looks like when you only use it to log into other sites.

210: Perspective

209: This is new!

Protip: got a proper tripod and remote? Don't bother doing the mirror shot selfie, it's too much damn work and you'll never be pleased with the result.

208: Black + White

207: The Everyday

Either bike or Bowflex, or both. No quarter. 856.9 is the number of miles we have accumulated on it since late May this year.

206: Ground

Garlic and Pepper condiment.

205: D is for ...

Dean!

Or as I call him, Programmer's Kitty. Or As Ivette and PJ call him, Dean Winchester.