Trash/treasure, True/false, Good/Bad

Character

This camera has given me thousands of good pictures.

My old Olympus camera won't focus anymore. It was in the trunk of the Buick during our record breaking 4 inches of rain in an hour downpour, and got damp. I wouldn't have known it was malfunctioning, except I dug it out for a photography lesson/field trip. At first the motorized lens wouldn't respond and the lights didn't light. I opened it up and the batteries felt damp, so I left it open to dry out. A couple of days later, the lens would extend and retract, but the motor/relay/circuit that adjusts the focus isn't moving.

I have been hoping that eventually it will start working again, but so far, it still wont focus. I liked some of the qualities it would give to certain kinds of pictures. Even though the lens has a couple of scratches, it had character. Now, it's time to let it go.

This letting go thing is still a complicated and emotional process. We develop attachments to our stuff, some greater than others. Saying goodbye can be as simple as tossing something in the trash, or keeping a broken item for years, thinking that one day there will be a use for it. It might be that it reminds me of some one or place and time, so it would be classified as a memento, a keepsake, an heirloom. It just seems wasteful to throw it away.

I grew up in a time when a camera would be passed on to the next generation. This was the result of 2 things.

1. The cameras were made to last.
2. We didn't have a lot of disposable products, yet.

People in America were still making things in the world when I grew up. Now we just buy stuff made elsewhere.


These Were Prized Possessions

Cameras are recycled at Sims Recycling Solutions.

Coincidentally, I ran across a story on recycling electronics, at the same time I am deciding what to do with my camera. There was a picture of a pile of cameras about to be reduced to their basic substances. It is kind of weird to see them all piled up like that.

The Story

Ham, Avocado & Cheese.

It was a good sandwich.


The Space Station

It looks good with all the solar panels attached.

Plastic Water Bottles

Dangerous? Nope.

You may have seen the email going around that warns of killer plastic water bottles. Not true. It seems that a college student based his masters thesis on an un-reviewed assumption. He thought the PET plastic used in water bottles was chemically changing in his freezer. The email incorrectly states that PET plastic uses diethylhydroxylamine, when it is actually diethylhexyl adipate that is used as a plasticizer in the productuction of water bottles.

Just use common sense when re-using water bottles, wash them before refilling.

My New Boat?

Ahoy there.

I thought I would spend the day shopping for a boat to spend my newly found millions on.

That's right, I got an email from a woman, (who cant spell), and she wants to give me 10 million dollars because she is dying and cant use it. All I have to do is contact her barrister at his "gmail" address and he will make all the arrangements. I can hardly wait.

She must have a lot of money because she wants to give millions to thousands of people with email. Speaking of email. Gmail is a powerful beta program that is free, and used by millions of people. I am one of them. What it is not used for is business. Legitimate businesses do not use Hotmail, Yahoo, or Gmail. (Although I do have a paid Yahoo mail address that could be used for business, if I redirect the mail that is sent to my website.)

Imagine my disappointment when it began to dawn on me that the, "$10 million USD", would not be swelling my bank account. Then I began to wonder what to do with this toxic email. If I delete it the wrong way will it infect my computer or email somehow? What if I accidentally clicked on the link when I tried to get rid of it? How did they get my address? I wonder if it will rain next week? I think I will take a shower and deal with it later.


Easter On The 12Th

The ancient Germanic festival of Ostara (in honor of the goddess also known as Eostra, from whose name the word estrogen was derived) celebrated the cyclical return of light and life with fertility rituals and symbols, some of which still survive in the modern observance of Easter (also derived from "Eostra"), which traditionally falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox.

Here In Redding

Waterfall at Cyprus, Pine, and Market Streets. 4/4/09

What a nice place to wait for the light to change.

Nice little oasis in the three street intersection. 4/4/09

It is a beautiful day here. The weather report suggests rain will possibly begin on Tuesday. We shall see. In the meantime all is well.

Today's Relatively Appropriate Song;
It's Getting Better All The Time
-Beatles

Enjoy