NOW

We Go From Here

The beautiful iris just keep on coming.

I was reading a detective novel by J. D. Rob, and one of the characters says to a friend who is caught up in the futility of trying to change the past; "We go from here".

This was, of course, a reference to the fact that there is only now. We can't change the past, but we can learn from it, and change what happens now, now.

I also find it interesting to observe that now is the future past.

The first California poppies I've seen this spring. 4/17/10

I was taking pictures from the Market Street bridge to the east and west, up and down the Sacramento river, when I happened to see a few poppies, way down an embankment, alongside a corrugated drain pipe. I had to take the picture through a bent section of chainlink fence, using the 10x optical zoom on the Lumix TZ1, but it turned out just right.

One of many picturesque, Redding views. 4/17/10

I had planned on going to the car show at the convention center, but the show was overwhelmingly successful without my attendance. People were parking their cars a mile, or more, from the show, and walking to the event. Traffic was being stopped at the bridge that crosses 44, to the convention center and turtle bay. I can't walk that far, so I figured I was meant to do something other than go to the car show.

View of the Caldwell park boat ramp on Lake Redding.

I let the day unfold at it's own pace, and direction. This was relaxing, and allowed me to tie up a few loose ends as well as see the river from a new vantage point. Like the river, I just went with the flow.

The recent rains have turned the landscape green.

Still Reflecting

I love this place.

I came to realize that I have developed an intuitive level of technical prowess, using this Macbook. Things that used to seem to require an overwhelming amount of computer knowhow, are just obvious steps to complete a function.

I got a little mini video cam at a garage sale for 5 bucks, ( I couldn't resist). It makes quick and easy video's, in a small file size, that will fit in an email. I tested it out with a quick 15 sec. video and plugged it into the USB port on the Macbook. I clicked on the icon that appeared and dragged the video file onto my desktop. It was an AVI video file, so I would have to convert it to something more modern to use with my computer.

I have a program called, 'Handbrake', that can do that, so I opened that program and I could see the AVI file icon. I clicked it, clicked the start button for Handbrake, and in a few seconds, the video file appeared on my desktop as an mp4 file that I could play on my computer. The program is free, and works on OS-X. One can also use it to copy, (rip), DVD movies so one can store them in the hard drive. This saves battery time on laptops, keeps a back up of your movie in case the DVD gets damaged or lost, and of course, the file can be loaded onto an iPad, or other portable device.

Well, I don't think this is in anyway complicated, or difficult, but I was reading a review of a conversion program that was touted as being a lot easier than Handbrake, because one only had to drag and drop a file onto the program, and select something, then press go. I didn't see much of a difference, except the 'easy" program would not convert copy protected movies. I failed to see how the other program was simpler, or in any way, advantageous when compared to Handbrake. A couple of years ago, it might have seemed complicated, so it's hard to know, now.

We Go From Here

Today's Relatively Appropriate Song;
No More Trouble - Playing For Change

Like Water Off A Ducks Back