chimes . . . not so musical

we finally made it to San Diego just about 2 hours late due to . . . the chimes.   and no "the chimes" are not a new musical group but it does have a catchy sound to it.  the chimes/bells in the cabin kept chiming and chiming and chiming which is annoying and annoying and annoying especially with about 190 people onboard and that includes about 10 families with very small children (and all that entails).  finally after about an hour and half and 3 maintenance guys later we left PHL for the almost 6 hour flight to SAN.  so far both of the trips i have worked on in december have had delays.  perhaps, it's me.  it was raining when we arrived but after a wee nap, the rain stopped and  i walked to Horton Plaza and the Gaslamp District.  the next morning i went for an early morning walk to the harborfront passing thru Little Italy and by the Tall Ships, and the Midway aircraft carrier.

here are a couple of images from my overnite in San Diego.

new and improved schedule

it is a cold but sunny (always?) day here in Philadelphia. i just returned from the airport where i heard some good Holiday music by the Arcness Hanukkah Trio while eating Chinese food after "picking up" a 2-day trip for tomorrow. if all goes well, i should be walking around San Diego on monday afternoon looking for something to take a photo of and hoping to hear some "live music" somewhere. i will return to Philly on tuesday night and back to the "commuter" hotel here in Chester. and then on wednesday (the 24th), i will start my Christmas 4-day trip. all that as always is subject to change due to Mother Nature. if all continues to go as planned i should be sightseeing in Manhattan on Christmas day and then home on the 26th. and then again on the 27th thru . . . March. last night, the management of the Days Inn hotel here in Chester threw a Holiday party for employees and "crew members". good food. all that was needed was some music.

lazy friday (again)

Santa does a flyby at the Charlotte Douglas Airport

it was around 70F degrees here in Charlotte. soon i will be leaving for the airport to fly to Pittsburgh. i think it will be much much colder there. i didn't do much today but i did finish my workbook for the new HHD (hand held device) which we will be using on our planes in January. tomorrow evening i will be back at my "commuter" hotel in Chester, PA near the Philadelphia Int'l Airport. i am still not sure if i will work on sunday or watch football on tv and be lazy. i promise to be more active in the New Year. 

Shalom Y'all from Uptown Charlotte?

and why was i in Uptown Charlotte? and where exactly is Uptown Charlotte? and why "shalom y'all"? i am confused. well, things don't always go as planned. i didn't make it to Phoenix because i arrived in Ft. Lauderdale late last night. it is all connected. i will explain all that when i have more time but now it is time for dinner and The Office. i will say the "shalom y'all" was/is a sticker on trumpeter Bill Averbach's music stand. and i will say that right about now AC/DC is rocking the Time Warner Cable Arena in downtown Charlotte (or is it still considered "uptown" or perhaps "midtown"). did i not know they were from Australia? i am not sure if i did not know that but i do know it now.

Christmas in Charlotte

downtown (Uptown) Charlotte waterfall

live jazz  . . . perhaps Monk, perhaps Coltrane

Bill Averbach at the Mint Museum of Craft and Design

time to go . . .

more later from Philly.

________________
1045pm. now is later. brrrr, it's cold here in Philadelphia. easy unevenful and relatively short flight, only 4 hours from LAX to PHL.

time to go to my hotel room and warm up some hot chocolate.
tomorrow will be an easy day with one flight down to FLL. and then one flight on thursday morning out to PHX. it should be nice and warm(er) out there. i will have about 27 hours there.
and then it's on to PIT on friday night and finally finishing up this first "work" trip (since August) on saturday afternoon. not sure what i will do on sunday.

kind of a last day

the  view from Rocketship Park.  downtown LA is under the dark clouds.

images from a rainy monday

'til it's gone

on the television, the weatherman said to be prepared for a "winter storm" this weekend.  it is cooler and grayer.  and it is wee bit windy and misty, but it is a beautiful morning.  more on the reason for today's blog title later. maybe. "thank God for the kind of happiness you can't explain."  if i had posted a blog yesterday, it might have also been called 'til it's gone or possibly "again".  more on that later too.

 

 again

i did talk with my little sister again (different "again") yesterday afternoon just after returning from my walk to the beach...i mean my walk to Del Amo Shopping Mall and back. i think her and her husband are off to chop down a Christmas tree this weekend. i did buy a couple of gifts for the end-of-the-year-gift-giving season which coincidently coincides with Christmas.  and although Christmas isn't like it used to be for me due to iroiro, i still enjoy this time of year.  in fact i would say i enjoy winter almost as much as . . . spring, summer and fall.  i guess living in southern California for almost 20 years where the difference in clothing for me is in summer i wear shorts, t-shirt and flip flops.  in winter, i wear shorts, t-shirt and flip flops but i may also put on a sweatshirt over my t-shirt if it is really reallycold.

well, that gray sky to the east is now blue so i will go for a little walk to the beach

before the big winter storm hits.  and i need to buy some hot chocolate for when the big winter storm arrives.  the wind seems to have just picked up so i will put on my Canada (Roots) sweatshirt and try and brave the winter storm.

just got back from my walk to the beach.  walk along the beach.  many photos of this and that.  i did not plan to be gone for over 5 hours but . . . that is my life.

and speaking of my life, the title of today's blog has a third meaning.  and it too has a happy ending.  i do not know who he or she was but "thank you".  i am such a lucky person.  and coincidently there was a story about a similar "good deed" on today's Vinyl Cafe this morning which i had just listened to again while walking at the beach. more on all that later.  time for a late lunch/early dinner.  oh, it is already 615pm.  time for dinner.

Winter Storm casaulty #1

Winter Storm casualty #2

yes, he is connected to something . . . a big kite.  there were about 20 kiteboarders out surfing these "winter storm" waves.

now you can see the surfer and his kite

same day, same time, same place as the photos above but looking south instead of north

looks like a nice day for a swim . . . but it was cold because of the strong wind coming from the ocean.  big churning waves.  good for the kiteboarders.  very few people out walking on the beach.

i try to leave and they pull me back in.  the "they" is something interesting to take a photo of.  as i was leaving the beach, i saw these interesting lines in the sand.  it was while taking photos and videos of the these sand lines that i . . . dropped my camera.  it was very windy and i am really not sure how i dropped it but it fell lens first into the sand.  let's just say, it doesn't work the same as before dropping it.  this is the same camera that was submerged underwater while taking photos of the waves but kept working.  i may be looking for a new one tomorrow or for sure on monday before leaving for Philadelphia on tuesday afternoon.

snow globe with sunlight

colors of the day and night too

looking down on poinsettias outside Trader Joe's today

looking up at the momiji (maple leaves) on the trail to the waterfall about a month ago

looking into a ferris wheel last thursday night  in that Christmas-y neighborhood

looking at a purple electronic tree in downtown Los Angeles in the new L.A. Live entertainment district

3-day update

still working on my Christmas dvd.  hopefully it will be done before 2009.  i haven't ventured too far from my little home since sunday but i did have a nice walk yesterday to the beach.  and then i went to my local Border's bookstore for some Christmas music last night provided by a very entertaining, very talented quintet from New York.  and if you want to hear some of Imani Winds...you had better hurry as they are playing tonite with the legendary saxophonist Wayne Shorter in downtown LA at the Disney Concert Hall.  today i went as far as the Kodak photomaker at CVS drugstore.  and on monday, i only walked to the market.  here are some photos from the last few days.

perhaps the only photo i took on monday

Imani Winds.  sorry, i couldn't get a better photo of all five musicians.  sorry, oboist.

your photo caption here  ____________

"ya gotta smell the baby" (Seinfeld reference)

a beautiful day for flying along the coast

the Sanibel, i mean Redondo Beach Stoop

Iceland or Oriental?

i am really not sure

where is the plant container spellcheck when you need it

wednesday's photo . . . has far to go

sunday distractions and more

short walk today, gray lazy day today, watch football, get more organized today, perhaps a nap today. i did take a few photos on my walk to and from the grocery store this morning. i may walk to the beach for sunset if it looks like the sun will make an appearance before setting.

i do like finding and taking photos of tanpopo (dandelion)

this reindeer seems to have a little tude ... whatever!

not sure if you can tell, but the christmas tree is on top of the car.

risu no shippo　りすのしっぽ

must have been earlier this week as there is not enough sun today to illuminate a rose.

not such an exceptional christmas photo but i took this while skating last night in Hermosa Beach.  i think this was only my second time in 20 years to skate at night.  it was fun as there are very few people on the bike/skating/walking path at night.  but, there is that possibility of falling due to not being able to see big cracks in the sidewalk.  and my skates tend to hydroplane if there is water (not a big problem if i can see the water, could be a big problem if i can't) on the slick bikepath.   no problems last night.

vintage early 80's skateboard.  i met this "cool" skateboarder on the bus last night.  he asked if my skates were "vintage".  and i of course asked him, did you break your arm skateboarding.  no.  as a matter of fact he was walking underneath a highway overpass (or is it underpass?) and a piece of glass fell (from somewhere) and cut the tendon to his index finger.  so, he had to have surgery to repair the tendon.  be careful walking under a highway. 

i think this was thursday night in the christmasy-lights neighborhood.

this one was added for my little sister who asked for some advice in taking a photo of "rushing water".   somewhere along the stream that flows from the Minoo waterfall is where i took this photo (but where the water comes from for the waterfall is still a secret).