Otters kind of sound like birds chirping. Who would’ve guessed?
otters chirping from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
Hey, when you go to a zoo, sometimes you’ll find the animals doing their business wherever it happens to be convenient. Like this otter that was pooing…
otter pooing from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
And of course, why you really go to a zoo… to watch the animals moving around, having some fun and doing what pleases them.
otter swimming from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
It’s stormy here in SoCal and there are some great shots being captured of this weather, courtesy ABC7’s photo gallery.
This is my favorite - not only do you have a landmark and two seemingly contradictory weather indicators, there's also that one random helo in the middle of it all.
Wow, that is one intense bolt.
I call it rainbow birthing lightning.
Reminds me of those globes that create this effect.
The first half of last week, my morning commute was a whopping 2 and a half hours in the morning. Going home was much better at around 1 hour and 45 minutes, but still – over 4 hours a day just to get to and from work? Factor in the 9 hours spent at work and I barely have enough time to get ready in the morning, eat dinner at night, rest, get ready for bed, and sleep in the remaining time. Plus it’s been drizzly and cold, which makes things all the more miserable.
The sudden spike in commute time (it used to take me an hour and a half or so) is due to added construction along the 405, particularly in the Sepulveda Pass. They’re shutting down Sepulveda going through the mountains, which means everyone is forced to use the 405 and congest even more than usual. It’s absolute insanity and I’m getting really tired from all the driving. I’m thinking of renting a place nearby just to alleviate the stresses of driving so much and give myself more time to rest at night.
At least now I have the SafeCell App on my phone so I can earn points for not using my phone while driving! Once I save up enough I can redeem them for items at hundreds of retailers. It’ll make my commute much more rewarding as I focus on driving safely and imagine as my points rack up. 🙂 Now if only I could find a good radio station to listen to… I’m so sick of all the music they cycle through and the boring talk shows that just repeat themselves. I’m even sick of the commercials I’ve heard time and time again! I tried audiobooks, but haven’t found any good ones since I listened to the ones I really wanted to hear. Panda suggested podcasts, so maybe I’ll look into those.
Use some food and be patient! Look at how many gathered ’round…
hungry birds from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
Just keep on tempting them. Someone’s gotta give.
bird feeding from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
Valencia, which has been branding itself “Awesometown,” had their first food truck event tonight, inviting a handful of the trucks to the parking lot at Bridgeport Marketplace. It was a smashing success and too good for its own good, with waaay more people showing up than anticipated. Panda and I spent an hour and an hour and a half each at the Fresh Fries and Border Grill Trucks, respectively. It was absolute insanity and I know next year it’s going to be a lot more spread out.
This way to YUM! They also had signs that said GRUB, lol.
A LOT of people showed up - far more than they expected! There were two aisles like this with food truck lining either end and a mess of lines crowding up the area.
This was where I started in the line for Border Grill. It took me an hour and a half to get to the front, order, and get my food. CRAZINESS.
It’s Blog Action Day again! Last year I wrote about climate change and this year the theme is WATER. I don’t know that much about water, but I do know it’s a huge problem in third world countries. Access to clean water is taken for granted in developed countries, but for much of the world, life isn’t so easy. In fact, I believe one of the biggest killers in those countries are contaminants in the water that get people sick. How terrible is that? So take some time to read more at the BAD site and let’s work to give the world clean drinking water.
Katana and her fiance came to visit last month and during a drive it came up in conversation that he likes Scions. She and I were both appalled by this lack of taste and it got me thinking – why do boxy cars look so ugly to us? When he first mentioned this opinion, we both exclaimed that they look like shoe boxes, so angular and awkward. And that I think is the key. You see, when have you ever heard of a designer shoe box? They just don’t make them. They make designer shoes and designer containers of various sorts (think perfume/alcohol bottles, branded packaging, etc.), but they do not make designer shoe boxes.
Now, since Scions look like shoe boxes, it goes to reason that they are not very fashionable either. See? My logic is infallible. So it’s my conclusion that Scions aren’t appreciated for similar reasons that shoe boxes aren’t: they do the job, but not all that gracefully and they aren’t aesthetically pleasing. Practical, simple, but certainly not the most desirable. Wouldn’t you agree?
Check out these awesome little flying fish! These were doing what they could to stay ahead of our boat.
little flying fish! from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
Those shiny flecks are all flying fish – swarms of them! There must be thousands there.
flying fish from Mary Qin on Vimeo.
I have this intense fascination with law enforcement. Whenever I see a police car, I always have to stare just a little. There’s something about the blue lights that only they can flash that really catches my attention. I’m always curious to see what they’re up to, whether pulling someone over or helping someone out. (And usually it’s hard to tell which is which.) I’ve even heard some phantom sirens when I thought there might be a cop, ambulance, or firetruck nearby. I really like to see them and imagine what they’re rushing off to. Are they going to save someone’s life?
Maybe I should have been a policewoman or paramedic. I like the idea of rushing around to help people. Unfortunately, I don’t like the rest of what those positions entail – catching people for speeding or going through medical training. Instead, I prefer to be the onlooker, captivated by those flashing lights and blaring sirens. One of these days I’d love to ride in each vehicle just to see what it’s like inside.
