Forgot password?  |  Register  |    
User Name:     Password:    
Blog - General Entry   

Random update 6-29-15


On 06/29/2015 at 02:59 PM by Ranger1

See More From This User »

It's been another busy week in a busy summer. So much so that I took today off just to relax. So far, so good on that front. As to what I've been up to, well, here's the rundown in the usual format.

Reading: Haven't really been reading much. I need to change that. Still reading the same book as last week.

Watching: Due to Netflix dropping seasons 1-10 of the original Hawaii Five-0, I've been binge watching. I made it about a quarter of the way through season nine before the "warning: you are approaching your download cap" message appeared this AM. Guess I'm SOL for finishing, unless I want to buy the seasons on Amazon Instant Video, which I really don't, or Netflix brings it back. I also watched Three Kings the other night during a bout of insomnia, and some station called get-tv had The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad and Jason and the Argonauts running back to back last night during another bout of insomnia.

Listening: Nothing either new or exciting.

Playing: Finished the story missions in Lego City Undercover: The Chase Begins on my 3DS and then went back and found all the collectibles. It was a fun, mindless little romp that kept me entertained for a while. I did have issues with the camera and the controls didn't always work the way I thought they ought to, but I had fun with it.

I went back to Assassin's Creed today after a hiatus and have almost completed the the Rich District of Damascus. I just have to go back to the Bureau Leader and then assassinate the target and then I'll move on to either Acre or Jerusalem for their second districts. I think if I spread out my time with this game, I might not get so bored and frustrated with it this time around and may actually finish it.

Ranger Stuff - the osprey pair on the island had problems this year. The male disappeared shortly after the female laid eggs, and she had to leave the nest unattended for too long a stretch in order to feed herself. She's found another mate, but it's too late to lay another clutch of eggs for this year. The other pair down the trail is doing well, three chicks in the nest and the male is bringing in lots of fish to keep the whole family fed. The last osprey watch we held had about 75 people stop by and have a peek through the spotting scope.

The evil browntail moth caterpillars are doing the metamorphosis thing now and starting to turn into moths. This makes me happy, as soon I won't have to worry (too much) about getting the rash from their hairs (at least until next year).

Spent the last week doing maintenance on the various lawn mowers we have. The riding mower is a pain in the ass. The machine itself is a piece of crap that we inherited from another park and very time I turn around something else falls apart on it. I lifted the hood up to check the oil and the right headlight fell out. It's now being held in place by several strips of duct tape. Getting the mower deck off and then back on is a major undertaking and I'm glad I only have to do it once a season. I have many cuts, scrapes, and bruises from the whole ordeal and I am left wondering how the heck people with normal to large-sized hands manage to fit them into the places they need to in order to get the various pins and bolts off and back on. And getting the drive shaft back together requires three hands. I was only born with two - had to wait for my boss to get in in order to get it back together. Things would probably be a lot easier if I had a shop big enough to work on things in and not have to wait for a decent day to work on stuff in the driveway. Grumble, grumble, whine.

Well, Pixlbit Nation, I'm going to go clean my kitchen and then go to the hardware store to buy drill bits for my new cordless drill so that I can hopefully jury-rig a fix for my futon so I don't have to sleep on the floor anymore. And gaming without back support for too long is uncomfortable, too.


 

Comments

Super Step Contributing Writer

06/29/2015 at 03:23 PM

Gaming without back support is the worst. I need a wireless controller so I can just lay on the bed while I play.

Ranger1

06/29/2015 at 03:25 PM

I miss my futon being a functional futon and not a platform on the floor. Reading, gaming, and watching TV all need back support to be comfortable.

Machocruz

06/29/2015 at 05:31 PM

Cataclysm: DDA (a zombie survival roguelike) taught me that duct tape is the key to all machine related issues. There are welders in the game, and you can build your own with high enough skill, but you can pretty much build or repair an entire vehicle with enough tape.

 How are the mosquitos out by you?  Do you wear long sleeves? I got chewed the fuck up on Saturday in my T-shirt, even while wearing repellant. Parts of my arm are still raw and red. Every step we took kicked up scores of the bugs. The unusually high moisture in the Chicagoland area this year has made the woods a jungle. The steward didn't even have us work on our normal site because of the conditions.

Ranger1

06/29/2015 at 07:25 PM

Duct tape will fix just about anything. We once reattached a bumper with it when I was in high school.

The mosquitoes are a bit frisky, we get the regular ones, plus the salt marsh ones. The salt marsh ones are huge and really loud. Luckily, I have some pretty good repellent (DEET-free, I'm allergic to DEET) and they don't really bother me that much most of the time anyway. It's a huge plus working on the coast, the sea breeze kicks in around 2 PM just about every day and is usually stiff enough to keep them away.

Cary Woodham

06/29/2015 at 07:38 PM

There was a bird in our yard last weekend that was really hurt and couldn't fly, so we took it to a bird sanctuary and they said it will survive and they'll be able to release it out in the wild soon.  It was also a protected speciies in Texas, too.  Some kind of hawk.

Also, my review of LEGO Jurassic World is posted.

Ranger1

06/29/2015 at 09:01 PM

I'm glad the bird you helped will be OK. We sent one up to the bird rehab center last fall and they had to euthanize it because it broke its elbow Frown.

I'll go check out your review.

KnightDriver

06/30/2015 at 01:46 AM

I was getting pretty bad neck and eye fatigue from a bad gaming chair a little while ago. The new one isn't perfect, but it's much better than the old broken one. I'd still like a pro gaming chair. They're like $350 though.

Ranger1

06/30/2015 at 02:04 PM

I'm hoping I can fix the futon either today or tomorrow. It's a cheaply-made one that was masquerading as a quality piece of furniture. It has finger joins (think nested "W"s) and cheap glue and started coming apart and then split. I'm going to glue it, clamp it while the glue is drying, drill some pilot holes for either wood screws (or drill all the way through for small carriage bolts, if there's room), and I have a strip of metal that I'll also drill holes in to match the ones I drill in the futon frame for added support. If it works, awesome! Saved myself a ton of money. If it doesn't, no worse off than I am at the moment and I'll start putting away a little each week to buy a solid wood futon frame from a different furniture store.

KnightDriver

06/30/2015 at 04:48 PM

It's good to know how to fix things. You're resourceful, Fix-it Tami.

Ranger1

06/30/2015 at 05:01 PM

It's my ranger background Laughing

KnightDriver

07/01/2015 at 02:49 AM

Park ranger is on my personal top ten list of best jobs to have. 

Ranger1

07/01/2015 at 09:48 AM

Never too late to start. Granted, being seasonal is a pain, but there's always a plethora of crummy retail jobs open for the off season.

KnightDriver

07/02/2015 at 01:54 AM

I got another notice about those classes you told me about. The deadline is just past for classes in the fall, but maybe next year.

Matt Snee Staff Writer

06/30/2015 at 04:11 PM

poor osprey.  I love nature though.  I'm still watching my birds here.  Gonna buy a book.  

Ranger1

06/30/2015 at 04:29 PM

They're wild creatures, and that male was really old, by osprey standards. I saw a photo of him that a park visitor with amazing camera gear took of him before he disappeared, and he wasn't looking so good then.

Have you decided on what book you're getting? I'm partial to the Golden Guides bird book myself, but a friend prefers the Kaufman guide. Sibley's is good, but suffers from too much information for the beginning birder. Peterson's is split up into Eastern and Western birds and is pretty good (I have both, as well as a really old Golden Guide), but you have to flip back and forth between picture and range map, which is kind of a pain. Audobon has pretty pictures, but is kind of sucky for ID purposes. If you want to go high tech, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's All About Birds website is excellent (thank you, KnightDriver!), and has a free bird ID app you can download for smart phones that is apparently pretty accurate. And if you want to be AZ specific, the Arizona Traveler Guidebooks series has a Birds of Arizona booklet that I bought about 25 years ago for about $5. I also got one for wildflowers.

Matt Snee Staff Writer

06/30/2015 at 04:43 PM

I'm gonna go to the bookstore and see if they have local "arizona birds" book.  I'm gonna start small, and try to find the birds I have already seen to learn more about them.  I'm also going to pick up a new camera lense eventually so I can take their pics!

Ranger1

06/30/2015 at 05:00 PM

The only issue with the "local" books is that frequently the ID pics aren't very useful. I'd recommend either the Golden Guide or the Kaufman for a beginner, and use the local one to help narrow things down from there.

Matt Snee Staff Writer

06/30/2015 at 05:36 PM

ok, Rangergirl!

Ranger1

06/30/2015 at 05:45 PM

I'll post a pic of my field guides and other natural history books on your FB wall sometime. They take up not one but two shelves, and the collection is always growing.

leeradical42

06/30/2015 at 05:26 PM

I saw a real life puffer bird and must say I'm intrigued I might get me a book to I love outdoors but right now in Austin all this rain and that dann Hurricane Bill has made outdoors around here unbearable with mosqitos and chiggers they think I'm a delicacie apparently cause there eating me alive lol!!!

Ranger1

06/30/2015 at 05:43 PM

Bugs - the real reason I could never live in the South, lol. I'm a little confused as to what a puffer bird is, though. Did you mean puffin?

leeradical42

06/30/2015 at 07:01 PM

Yes a Puffin lol!!! I have never seen one so this was a bird I would have as a pet if I could they are so cool and unique oh and I have a family of wild rabbits a skunk and a raccoon lol!! 

Ranger1

06/30/2015 at 07:36 PM

Puffins are way cool. One of these days I need to take one of the bird cruises out to Eastern Egg Rock where they nest.

leeradical42

06/30/2015 at 07:02 PM

All wild of course ;)

Log in to your PixlBit account in the bar above or join the site to leave a comment.