I need to face the facts. I look at a computer screen more than i look at the sky. Sometimes i wish i would remember to at least check the Aurora Forecast page at least daily just in case there is a good chance of a strong display. But i don’t. And believe it or not, they don’t have an rss feed to show the forecast on your newsreader. So i made one.
I used the Feed43 service to scrape content from the site – the day, level and image of the forecast. So if you have a newsreader and just want the rss feed you can grab it here.
I am not savvy enough to have my iGoogle page display the image with the feed so i used Widgetbox to make a widget and did some tweaking of the settings to get the image to load.
Just click on “Get Widget” at the bottom to easily add this bit of information to all kinds of sources.
If there is interest I can easily make a widget that shows the forecast from a less Alaska-centric perspective. This one covers North America nicely…
In fact… that perspective is so nice I think i’ll whip it up right now…
For some reason i have taken pictures of my bloodied and busted knuckles a few times with my cell phone and uploaded the pictures. I was looking at my Flickr photo stats to see where traffic was coming from and noticed some traffic from google to “busted knuckles” so i did the search.
Busted knuckles search results
Uh – two different photos from two different occasions of two different hands – both mine. And they are the only actual busted knuckles in the results.
My high school work study student saw a dead marten on the road this morning on his drive to school. He stopped and grabbed it and will skin it and sell it. He says that he can get $40 for the pelt.
I’ve never seen one up close and realized that I have probably seen more of them than I knew. I would have thought it was a large mink.
I had been thinking of setting up my projector to watch movies in the living room for a while. Saturday i decided to take it on. I got the projector mounted by buying a wall mount for a small LCD TV.
The plate didn’t line up quite right so i had to use a piece of acrylic mounted to the bracket and then the acrylic attached to the projector. I used a stud detector to try and find the ceiling joists. I thought i found one and put a test screw in but it didn’t bury. I tried another hole an inch and a half away. Still didn’t feel right. After a few more tries i found a joist. I ran some wires along the ceiling and wall and Earl and i watched a movie. I really liked it. We measured the size of the screen and it was 108 inches – 9 feet!
Sunday morning i got up early and decided to make the installation a little more permanent. I bought a couple of wall mount AV plates and some stuff at the hardware store and got to work.
I drew outlines to cut out for the boxes so that the test holes i made would be removed or concealed. I tried my drywall saw but it only went in a half inch. So i had to use a utility knife to cut the drywall, drill holes in the corners and then use my sabre saw to complete the opening. It made quite a mess.
Then i went to the wall. I cut a hole in line and close to the outlet that i would be using for the rest of the AV equipment. There was plywood behind that sheet rock too. I then used some extra PEX to try and run up the wall so that i could figure out where i would need to drill in the attic. The tubing ran up about 5 feet and then stopped suddenly. A board run horizontally between the studs!
So i took measurements from the floor to where i thought the board was and from the outside wall to the hole so i knew about where the obstruction was. I went outside and cut a hole in the T1-11 siding with my circular saw above the spot i thought the board was. (I plan on enclosing the carport and will need to put drywall up on that wall anyway.)
I used a spade bit on my cordless drill to bore a hole in the board that was blocking the way. Then i drilled up toward the attic. Twice i struck nails though – there were three or so boards that i was trying to drill through. Eventually i grabbed my longest drill bit and a clothes hanger and drilled a pilot hole and ran the hanger through it so i could find the spot in the attic.
I went to the attic with the wires that i needed. I ran the electric and video signal wires through the openings above the projector and then used my drill and spade bit to open a larger hole to drop the wires through.
I grabbed the piece of PEX tubing and ran it through the wall, duct taped the end of some parachute cord to the end and then pulled it out into the carport. I tied the cord to a wire, pulled it through and repeated for the other wire.
Then it was just a matter of making the connections…
Here is a letterbox movie. If you look closely you can see the whole area the projector covers – 108 inches (nine feet)!
The completed projector installation.
This is a little exciting for some of the cats. But the novelty wears off after a little while.
Next will be running wires for surround sound speakers through the walls…
I woke a little before 8. I didn’t sleep well because i only took off my shoes and socks. I slept with my wallet and camera in my front pockets. I won’t be victimized any longer!
I washed my face, put on deodorant, and brushed my teeth. a girl came out of the same dorm room i had been sleeping in – #16.
I went downstairs and got on the internet. Checked my Yahoo mail, Gmail and Facebook. Lacking a pen, i took a photo of the US Embassy’s address on the computer screen. Then i went and made a cup of tea. Two cups actually.
I went back upstairs and used the toilet. Runs still. That’s loud and embarrassing in communal bathroom space. And worse still in a place that implores to not put toilet paper in the toilet.
I suppose here the toilet paper is called “the trashcan next to the toilet” paper.
I grabbed my pack and went back downstairs to sit with a few others speaking English in a common area. They were talking about theft. The girl i had mentioned before had a bag stolen in the airport while she was on a computer. Someone next to her was asking her about their computer and when she turned back her bag was gone. Another guest reported that they had been stolen from recently. I told my story too.
People went their separate ways. I borrowed a pen from the staff and completed the forms that i printed out the night before. It was about 11 AM. I still had two and a half hours until the embassy would open.
I tried the internet again. The computer was too bogged down to do anything. I had to reboot it. Then i left my bag at the front desk and turned in my key. I noticed that i didn’t get my $1 key deposit back. I’ll be sure to leave that in my review of the place. But $1 isn’t worth stirring up trouble when you’re about to leave all of your remaining belongings with someone.
I went for a walk and found an internet place. Spent a good 45 minutes online and ran up a 75 cent charge. While online i researched other potential accommodations. I need my own bathroom and don’t want to keep people awake with my snoring. I found one not even two blocks away. I started back to the hostel and stopped at a place for lunch. I chose the most expensive item on their list of four meals ($3.50) plus a 7up. The meal was a salad of lettuce and tomatoes, white rice, french fries, a slab of meat, and two fried eggs on top of the pile.
When done i marched down Juan Rodriguez to the Cayman Hotel. I asked for a single room for the next three nights but they only had one room for one night. But they gave me the double for the price of a single – $26 plus taxes. I went back to Maple and grabbed my bag. I checked into Cayman, used the toilet, took a shower, turned some laundry in to the front desk and grabbed a cab to the embassy.
A word on laundry. I intended to wash muy own clothes in the sink on this trip. I did it 4 or 5 times too. But i found the time wasn’t worth the cost. Here are the rates i’ll pay for today’s laundry.
For a total of $4.30. It would have taken me an easy half hour to wash those by hand. And the next day they might not be totally dry.
While i had the pen at Maple and was filling out the incident report, passport application. and lost passport forms, i also wrote down the address of the embassy on a piece of paper. The cab driver quoted me $5 to go to the embassy and it was a good 20 minute drive. I got there and was admitted, given a “visitor” tag and had my camera held by security. I went through the metal detector and outside into a courtyard. I followed the signs past the outside overflow benches and CNN in Spanish on a flatscreen TV. Just before 2 i was admitted to the waiting area. Through another metal detector and told my number would be called for station 11.
I watched CNN. Obama’s stimulus bill was in the news. I listened to other people’s problems.
I had all the documents i could round up. Before leaving i scanned my passport and uploaded it to Google Docs. I had a scan of my social security card and driver license printed too. The only things i didn’t have were the photos for the passport application and enough cash to pay for the replacement. I hoped they would just be giving me some travel documents that said my story checked out and that yes, i was an American.
beard pony tail passport pic
When my number came up – after maybe 25 minutes of waiting – i was told i did need a new passport. they were shocked that another passport had been taken. When i told them i leave on Saturday there was a sudden urgency. I would need an emergency passport issued so they also needed a copy of my itinerary for the trip back home. They sent me off to get photos and money too.
When i grabbed my camera at the entry i asked where i could have photos taken and printed. Turns out that just at the bottom of the street the embassy is on there are a few enterprising shops that have internet access, do photos and even fill out visa and passport applications for people. For $4 they took my picture, sized it and gave me six copies. I also ran up a twenty cent internet bill and twenty five cents for printing out my flight schedule. I asked where an ATM was…
Across the street, into a parking garage, past young people sitting on the stairs i needed to go up. They were laughing at my beard pony tail. I withdrew $150 and then went back to the embassy where the initial crop of security guards were laughing about my facial hair too. It is funny that i’ll have a passport issued with this silly beard on my face.
I got my number again and sat. Another 15-20 minute wait and i was turning in my forms. The woman helping me out was making copies of my old passport and police report. I paid the $100 fee (it is lower if you have your passport stolen), signed my application, and was told my passport would be ready at 1:30 the next day.
I also was told that i would need to immediately go to the Ecuador immigration office and go through their procedure to have my immigration card replaced.
Ecuador embassy que
They warned me that if things were not reported correctly on my entry into the country that i might need to either pay $200 or fly back to Guyaquil and go through immigration there.
I had a hard time getting a cab in the area. But after 10-15 minutes a guy pulled over and i handed him the hotel business card from my pocket and i asked him how much the fare would be. $4. I hopped in.
Back at the hotel i hopped on the internet and sent a message to the family about some of these details. I then decided to go for a walk. With just $30 in my pocket. No camera. I found an office supply store and bought a pen, notebook, scotch tape, post-its and a 3 pack of Snicker’s bars. Total cost was $18!
I want my digestive system to play nice so i decided to try and find something familiar to eat. At 6 PM i was sitting down and eating my $4.15 Doble de Libre from McDonald’s. I had a strawberry soda with it. I sat down and started writing today’s entry. When i finished my food i packed up and started back to the hotel. It was starting to get dark and now i had things that could be stolen.
I walked quickly. I always walk quickly – but this was just a little bit faster. Between the pace and the altitude (over 9,000 feet) i had my breath speed up too. I was buzzed into the hotel got my key from the front desk and kept writing.
Last summer i met the guys behind the podcast Alaska HDTV. They were interested in information about SEAtrails so they did a quick little interview with me while i showed them around town for a few hours.
Travel: Flights from Quito, Ecuador, to Los Angeles
Pictures taken: ?
Favorite photo of the day: TBA
Happy Valentine’s Day. Store displays, flower vendors, and even the TV lineup are persistent reminders of me being single now.
I got up and showered. Then i packed and by 9 i was out the door and walking toward the market that Victoria had pointed out to me the previous night. It was too early for most of the vendors though. I then had “breakfast” at KFC. I don’t think i have eaten at one in the last 10 years. They had good fries and i wish i could order buckets of their original formula chicken skin.
Vendors had been setting up in the nearby park so i walked through looking for original art and masks. Most were sstill setting up so i moseyed back to the artisan market and still less than half of the shops were open. It was a lot of the same stuff: t-shirts, alpaca stuff, jewelry, weavings, leather goods… nothing caught my eye. Across the intersection i went into a shop and found a decent quality and designed mask of a wolf head. The price tag was $28. I also saw some religious paintings that i liked too. I picked one that was priced $75. I inspected them both well and started to bargain. I had another $28 mask added and ended up paying $115. They removed the painting from the frame and wrapped the masks while i got out some money form an ATM.
Then i carried those back to the park and found three small original paintings that i liked. He wanted $45 each. He asked what my offer was and i said $100 for all three. He didn’t think that long and said OK. Damn. I should have said $80! He bagged them up and i headed back to the hotel. I repacked and checked out of Los Alpes.
If i’m ever staying in Quito again i’ll stay there. The only bad thing i can say about it is that they allow smoking in some areas of the hotel.
For $10 i got a taxi to the airport. I was smart to keep the copy of my old passport and a copy of the police report with my new passport (along with the new immigration paperwork). Twice they were looked at and read. I was treated with a little more kindness after they read my story.
An uneventful flight from Quito to Guayaquil that then bounced to San Jose. I had a connection and had to change planes. I figured i had 45 minutes or so to board so i went to the bathroom and got a meal from Burger King. Then i went to my gate but hardly anyone was there. I checked the arrival and departure board and i was at the right gate. But it said my flight had already departed. Oops! I was quickly re-ticketed and immediately boarded a flight to Guatemala. I arrived at LAX at about the same time if i had not missed that connection – just before midnight.
I went through the US customs and walked over to the domestic terminal. It was cold out. I got my ticket for my Alaska Airlines flights – the first boarded at 5:50 AM. I tried to go through security but was turned away after being told that they boot anyone at 2 AM that is in the secure area. I found a bench and tried to sleep. It wass too cold. All i had was short sleeved shirts. I lay there with goosebumps and near shivering.
Valentine’s Day has never meant much to me. It does now. I will forever be more greatful for someone to hold me, love me, and keep me warm! It is awful to think back on how relatively indifferent i was toward Valentine’s Day.
Highlights: Completing paperwork to leave the country, standing on “the Equator”
Travel: Just some driving in cars and taxis around the Quito area.
Number of photos taken:?
Favorite photo of the day:
I woke a little before seven. I showered and grabbed all of my documentation – police report, new passport, copy of old passport, addresses, and five dollars plus money for taxis.
At 8:07 i was the 5th in line for the particular immigration service that i needed. Within 20 minutes i was done. The problem yesterday was that on entry to the country i was entered as “MCFARLAND, RYAND SHAWN.” My birthdate was listed as 03/02/1974.
I left immigration and had two glazed donuts, orange juice and water. I have time to hit the equator now!
I snagged a taxi at a stoplight and for $2 he gave me a ride back to the hotel. I asked about the cost of taking me to the monument on the equator. He radioed in and for just $25 he would take me there, wait up to an hour, and take me back. Deal. I grabbed my camera and dropped off my documents.
It was perhaps a 20 minute drive to the area of the monument. A $2 admission to the “city” which consisted of shops and restaurants packed between the entrance and the monument.
I went straight to the monument and took some photos. Then i paid $3 to go up to the observation platform. I wanted to take the stairs up but you have to ride the elevator up and then walk down the stairs through the museum.
After GPS technology proved that this monument was about 800 feet off of the actual center of the earth another monument was erected but it is quite a bit further. I went back to the taxi and Charlie took me back to the hotel.
It seems that everywhere i go there is construction taking place. At Angkor Wat, Machu Picchu, and Middle of the Earth… All were having some work done to restore the buildings that made my photos less than ideal.
I went for a walk and found the area with all the bars and clubs. I drank a few mojitos on an open patio. I watched the school kids push each other into fountain water, walk by with flowers, and i even helped a few English students with a scavenger hunt.
I had told Victoria that i would be at the hotel in the afternoon and evening so i headed back there. I got on a computer and got a few days from the journal typed up. I watched some TV and at about 6 Victoria called. She ended up picking me up at about 9:30. Her boyfriend and cousin were along too. We went up to the Virgen deEl Panecillo for night views of the city but we were in the fog or clouds. We had dinner at quite a swanky place. The total bill was around $45 but i got the largest meal.
Then we went for a night drive around old town to see the sights lit up. By about 12:30 they dropped me off and i went to bed.
(Please excuse these sentences – I was writing some things in the present and others in the past so things are a bit messed up!)
I woke very early; before 5. I tried to sleep more but after an hour i got up, showered and packed. I got online and ate breakfast downstairs. Breakfast was bread, tea and juice. I checked out and paid for my laundry – about $36 total.
I looked into trying to do a tour on Friday but there were not any i was interested in – i’ll have to be my own tour guide tomorrow.
I took a cab toward the Independence Plaza and the cab driver talked me into driving up to Virgen de El Panecillo for views of the whole city. It was worth the $20. Afterward i had him drop me off at Independence Plaza. I walked around there for a while with my bag on my back. Then i took a $3 taxi back to the area my other two places have been and checked into Los Alpes Hostel.
It’s amazing.
The rooms are spacious and nicely furnished with eclectic art. The communal living spaces are incredible. And to top it off they have more than one computer available for use!
The price is almost twice that of my last place but the neighborhood is quieter, there is a police station just around the block, and the accommodations are A+. I caught a cab to go back to the embassy but forgot to bring my debit card and the embassy address with me. I also forgot to bring the hotel address. But i brought the journal that i was writing in so i had the addresses of the other places that i stayed and it is just a few minute walk between them. I just have to hope that i don’t need moneyat the immigration center. Drat – i probably need my police report anyway.
I’m #710 and have 9 people in front of me. Time stamped at 1:46.
My distinctive goatee got me knowing smiles from the security teams.
I got my passport without a hitch and they gave me a slip of paper with the address i needed to go to. I took a taxi back to the hotel, went to the bathroom, picked up my ATM card, copy of the police report, address for the hotel, and my camera. A $2 cab ride got me to the immigration station.
M158 was up when i was handed my M194 que slip at 3:34.
On the ride here my driver bought a single cigarette from someone at a stop light. People sell fruit, phone chargers, hand towels… just about any thing. A lot of fruit, veggies, and lottery tickets along with gum and water.
There also are performers at some intersections… jugglers, dancers, etc. And in some places people in wheel chairs either ask for change or sell gum. There is an entire community of people selling things and making money at intersections.
After over two hours of waiting my number came up. The first station could not find me in their system though so i was told to wait for the next desk. I waited for another 10 minutes and then they couldn’t find me in the computer either. Since i didn’t bring my copy of my old passport they were trying to find me just using my name. I asked to use a computer because i could get to my old passport number in just two minutes but they wouldn’t let me. There was an internet place right next door but it was after 5 PM so immigration was closing and they would not let me back in. I would have to go back the next day and hope that my passport number (of my old passport) would do better.
Dejected, i went back to the hotel. I got online and had a brief message from Cena asking me to get online because she needed to tell me something.
She’s going to Anchorage on Valentine’s Day. I get back the day after. Much of the trip i had hopes that she was realizing that she missed and needed me. I tried to keep her informed of my whereabouts and situation during the trip and perhaps because of that she didn’t miss me at all. Regardless, she decided to take a trip to Anchorage to see friends and her male friend of the last few months. Nobody will welcome me home.
Travel: Bus from Montañita to Guayaquil and flight to Quito, Ecuador
Favorite photo of the day: TBA
I woke at about 9:30. I threw on some clothes and went down to the hotel lobby and bought two bottles of water for fifty cents each. I knocked on Levy’s door but he didn’t answer. Guess he isn’t getting one of them!
I took a shower, packed my bag and watched some TV. By about 10:30 i knocked on Levy’s door again. He was up so we went and bought our bus tickets. $5.50 from Montañita to Guayaquil. We then went to breakfast (at a different place than the last few days). I had French toast, fruit, banana juice, and tea.
