Evasion

When I finally made up my mind about what features I wanted on my new laptop, I realized that the only place where I could have it made to order -the HP store- charged tax. A number of other stores did not charge tax, but only had pre-built models. My stubborn self didn't want to accept either option. The solution: since the tax is calculated based on the shipping address, I had it sent to Maryland, where tax is a fraction that of Washington state. Since I was traveling there anyway, it worked out quite nicely. The morale of the story: computers are good, taxes are bad.

Impressionism

I have never been much of an artist. At least not in the traditional sense. Imagine my surprise then, when I found myself the author of the above piece, which in my mind qualifies as that of a promissing apprentice of Monet. It all started when I forgot my phone on a hike to Annette Lake, 2 and 1/2 weeks ago. The replacement I was sent came with a permanently out of focus camera.
The result: push-button impressionism.
Who would have thought I had it in me.

Vacation

At the beginning, I didn't much welcome the prospects of a trip to the east coast -using up vacation time already allocated for another trip, being trapped in a tiny seat for hours, the memories of hot humid weather and the hostility of certain family members.

I am glad to say that my fears were never realized. I had a very nice and restful vacation -I reconnected with my family, and even the weather was friendly. Except for the first leg of the trip, that is, which I spent in a dazed state half-way between sleep and vigil: the picture above reflects my lack of focus.
Luckily the picture is much clearer now...