My First Art Film

About a month ago, I got my first DSLR - a Canon, naturally. I haven't the foggiest idea how to use it (having only received manuals in Spanish), but trial-and-error is usually my method anyway. So when a lovely desert storm rolled in on a Friday afternoon, I couldn't resist the opportunity to test out my new toy and attempt to capture a lightning bolt while the sun set. I actually thought I could pull that amazing skill out of my ass.

"What does Tv stand for? What's Al Servo? How do I set a custom white balance? Why won't the shutter speed change? DAMNIT, I didn't want the shutter left open for THAT long!"

200 pictures and six dead batteries later, I was being rained on in complete darkness. With a handful of close calls and near-misses, I was sure that I must've caught at least one flicker, however unimpressive. Scanning the loot, I was... well, disappointed at first. Thankfully I have a lead finger, for this allowed me to discover that, utilizing all my shots as a time-lapse slideshow, I've created my fully unintended, first-ever Art School film project.

I think the Blair Witchesque unfocusing around the 3 and 4 second mark really add an element of surprise, and I couldn't have planned a better fade-out to black.

Rubber Duck, survivor of horrific traffic accident, dies

Rubber Duck, one of three orphans to survive a traffic accident that claimed the life of their mother, has died. Rubber was 5-days-old.

Rubber was found by his caretaker Saturday morning. Investigators concluded, based on the position of the body and family interviews, Rubber had most likey been jumping against a wall in an attempt to scale it (a favorite pasttime) and tumbled backwards onto the rim of a bowl. The bowl has since been removed.

Since foul play is not suspected and family members would not consent to an autopsy, Rubber was buried promptly in accordance with Jewish tradition.

Rubber Duck is survived by two siblings, Ugly and Sitting.

In lieu of flowers, donations should be made to The National Audubon Society http://www.audubon.org/.

Prison Break

Well the little orphans survived their first night so I figured I'd whip up a quick coop so they could be outside for a few hours.

This decision also afforded me the excuse to head to the hardware store. Hee hee.

So I pick up 25' of 36" high chicken wire, some rebar tie and a pair of dikes (I needed a new pair anyway).

My plan was to make a circular coop that I could top with a trash can lid (many birds of prey out here) just so the hatchlings could run around on terra firma until I can come up with a longterm solution to their housing plight.

After slapping the temp coop together, I go and wrangle the ducklings and deposit them into, what I assumed, was a safe and secure container.

I could not have been more wrong.

(A heads up to anyone looking to raise poultry: If they can stick their head through an opening ... they can go through said opening.)

Within seconds of plopping the third chick into the pen, they all busted loose. I stood, slack-jawed, as each little morsel of meat wriggled out of the coop I'd so carefully (lol) crafted. And off they went. Down the hill. Across the street. Squeaking all the way.

My neighbors had a good laugh watching me chase the quick little buggers. I managed to trap two on a neighbors porch, but the third ran off and jumped into ... wait for it ... a thorny bush.

An 1/8 pint of blood and many, many a laceration later, I managed to grab the last one (stifling the urge to strangle it on the spot ... damn they is cute).

So concludes day one. Stay tuned for day two.

Foster Parenting

Most nights, I come home from my 11, 12 hour day miserable, only to crack open this god-awful laptop immediately after dinner and working working working until I pull myself away only to sleep and start this slave-cycle all over again. Tonight, I had a welcome change in routine...

...for Leo and I have become foster parents to three orphan ducklings:

How did we come to adopt waterfowl in the desert? Honestly, we find it pretty odd ourselves. The story goes: my coworker called me shortly after leaving the office: "I just saw the saddest thing ever. A momma duck was walking her baby ducks across the street and she got hit. The babies scattered; they don't know what to do. Should I grab them?" To which I responded, "well, yeah." Finding the idea of our macho Superintendent chasing ducks irresistably hilarious, another co-worker gal and I grabbed a box, my camera and headed off. Pulled over in the hot, windy dust, we trampled through prickly brush, crawled on hot sand and chased these little buggers - next to the busy, fast-moving main exit from the Marine base, might I add - and managed to rescue three nestlings. We don't know how many more there were. The three of us followed their chirps and cheeps endlessly to no avail.

And I immediately offered to take them home.

They aren't permanent additions to the household though - we're just going to care for them until they're big and strong enough to fly away. I was thinking of taking them to the riparian Morongo Canyon Reserve or the mostly-dry Baldwin Lake Nature Preserve (by Big Bear), but I have a while to figure that out. In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy the soft down and playful chirps... and incessant cage cleaning.

Since this was an entirely on-the-fly decision made at 5:30pm in a small, small town, we didn't have the option of running out to get supplies (or food) for the ducklings. Thank (the) god (I don't believe in) for the innerwebz. Based on this website, we estimate these ducklings to be mere days old.

This is our makeshift set-up to get us through the night. We've got sand (there is no grass here) with wire mesh over a plastic bowl thing (to hopefully create a dry area), a homemade waterer, a ramekin of chopped spinach and a soft towel... do birds need comfort items?

Before putting the blanket in, we tried giving them a shallow pool to use (with smooth rocks so they don't drown), but they wouldn't get out! I was worried they'd be cold so I ix-nayed that idea. We also couldn't get the ducklings to be comfortable enough with us to eat. Websites suggested we "float" the food to allow the ducks to "catch" it. We liberally sprinkled the babes with greens but still no sign of the voracious eating we've read about.

Here's a close-up of our homemade self-waterer (which I'm pretty proud of):

I should be asleep already. Strangely, I'm not upset to have "wasted" this time not working (sick, isn't it?). I'm excited and terrifed (but optimistic) about their first night. Wish us luck.

"I'm too cute to die!"

Product Review: MSR Cloudliner 3L Hydration Pack

Intro: I've been a big fan of CamelBak products for a long time now. Honestly, they are the Gold Standard for functionality and design when it comes down to hydration packs and bags. However, a few things have started to stick in my craw regarding their products. 1: They used to be USA made...no more. 2: They used to be inexpensive ... no more.

CamelBak is, to their credit, exploiting their brand recognition for profit. I cannot fault them for that since they still manage to produce a great product.

So when I needed a hydration bladder to slip into my overnight pack, I naturally looked for CamelBak. After looking over a few of their larger capacity models, I noticed MSR produced a similar product that was as large and substantially cheaper (even at retail prices). Being the miser I am, I had to go cheap (but the real bonus was that the bladder was made in the USA)

Overview: The MSR Cloudliner 3L model is comparable in almost every way to anything from CamelBak. Rather than the concave fill plug on CB models, the MSR plug is a simple screw cap. The taste of the water was as innocuous as it would be expected to be in the CB versions (Gregory hydration packs had an odd taste straight out of the box so this revelation was a welcome surprise). A striking difference between MSR and CB bladders is the fact that the MSR versions are clear transparent ... not blue transparent. When it comes down to spotting bacterial build-up, the choice is clear.

Product specs (from REI):
Weight: 6.2 ounces
Liquid capacity: 100 fl. oz. / 3 liters
Wide-mouth opening: Yes
Bite valve shut-off switch: Yes
Price: $25-$28
Quick disconnect tubing: No


Review: First the negative (yes...just one). I can't say for sure I hate the design of the bite valve since I am simply used to CamelBak's design. CB makes a simple, one-handed lever mechanism which opens the tube so as to sip. In comparison, the MSR valve is cumbersome, it rotates from open to close at the end of the tube, but I found manipulating it while walking to be difficult. Additionally, without the bonus of seeing a lever in the open or shut position (as on CB models), I kept losing track of whether or not the bite valve was open or not. I reckon this complaint will diminish with use.

That having been said ... I'll never buy CamelBak systems again.

If you own a newer CB bladder, you must have experienced just how damn difficult it is to open the fill cap (I may be alone here when I say this, but I have always figured the designer of this cap was a little person with the finger strength of a World Class boulderer ... as was the exec who approved the damn design). The concave cap on CB models provides little to no grip and I’ve found myself innumerable times cursing out an inanimate object.

The simple, easy-grip screw cap on the bladder fill of the MSR was a dream. Much like a bottle of pasta sauce, it opens and closes with incredible ease.

The clear bladder design is an additional bonus…try to differentiate bacterial green from the transparent blue of your CB bladder ... it ain't easy.

Bottom-line: The MSR Cloudliner is less expensive than similar CamelBak models, performs as well (so far) and is made in the USA.

Blogging 101

I just enabled comments from all users, not just registered ones.

Yup, it's true.

What my love said below. Anyone know how to train a dog to be a ringbearer?