Photos

Photos, usually taken by me. May be mirrored or imported from other services.

Year 50 Day 67

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Me standing next to a vintage pachinko machine set into a wall.

Day 67: A treasure of ours — a vintage pachinko machine that my wife inherited from her grandfather, who brought it back from when he was stationed overseas with the Navy. We’re not sure of the exact age (somewhere between the ’50s and the ’70s), but it was mounted in a wall of her grandparents’ house when she was growing up, and got lots of play from all the grandchildren. She inherited it a few years ago, we spent some time cleaning it up, and now it’s mounted in a wall of our basement. The mechanics work decently, though some of the bumpers have degraded and could use replacing, and someday I’d love to see if I can get the electronics working too. But even if that never happens, it’s fun to take a few shots when we walk by.

📚 Mere Anarchy by Mike W. Barr et al.

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32/2023 – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Originally published as six eBook novellas, this series tracks a single plot line — a natural disaster on a non-Federation planet and the resulting aftermath and recovery — through decades, from just before TOS’s “Where No Man Has Gone Before” to just after the intro of Star Trek: Generations. It makes for a neat look both at the Federation’s long-term approach to working with non-aligned planets (after all, how often have we seen an adventure and then never heard of the planet or culture again?), and how the core TOS crew evolve over the years. This is helped by each novella being written by an author specifically chosen for their expertise in a particular era of Trek history. Definitely one of the stronger Trek omnibus stories I’ve read.

Me holding Mere Anarchy

Year 50 Day 66

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My wife and I, both wearing face masks, standing in front of a blue-lit concrete wall with the words "we are angry and hungry" scratched into it.

Day 66: My wife and I hopped on the light rail (for the first time since the pandemic hit) and went up to the Seattle Center today. We got some (mediocre) food (the Armory’s food options just don’t really work for us), sat for about an hour watching people play in the fountain, and then went to MoPOP to see the Laika exhibit (and, of course, the SF, Fantasy, and Horror sections; we skipped the music stuff, because there are only so many times I can feign interest in Nirvana memorabilia (that is, it was interesting the first time, but those exhibits aren’t as engaging on repeat visits)). I took a fair number of photos, but used my “real” camera for most of them, so they’re not ready to go yet. Eventually!

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Year 50 Day 65

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Me sitting on a chair in a hallway next to an open door to a breakroom. I'm leaning forward with my arms on my knees, wearing grey converse, a black kilt, and a black button-up short-sleeve shirt with a pattern of cartoon aliens.

Day 65: A few 80° days will really make you appreciate both air conditioning and having a job that doesn’t require pants. (Don’t get me wrong — you have to wear something. But kilts are perfectly acceptable.)

Year 50 Day 64

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A very dark selfie, lit only in green; only my face is visible against a black background.

Day 64: Whether because of the heat, the drone from the air conditioner, or just pure orneriness, I was having trouble sleeping, when I suddenly realized I’d forgotten the day’s photo! Turns out a green nightlight in the restroom makes for a nice moody (if a little goofy) late-night photo opportunity.

Year 50 Day 63

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My wife and I in our backyard, in front of a small fire pit table with plates of burgers, coleslaw, and beans.

Day 63: We’re not really much for the patriotic thing, especially these days (I try to be hopeful about the future, but don’t quite feel like celebrating the present). However, we do like a nice meal out in our pretty little backyard with a small fire going.

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Star Trek Collector’s Series by Dr. Pepper

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Here’s a fun little entry in my small and random collection of Trek stuff: A set of four drinking glasses issued by Dr. Pepper. They all have TAS artwork on the front, some technical or biographical information on the back, and have a copyright date of 1976.

Four drinking glases sitting on a bookshelf in front of a stack of TOS Star Trek novels. TAS artwork on the glasses shows the Enterprise, Kirk, Spock, and McCoy.

This set was found by my brother at a garage sale or antique store (I don’t remember exactly) a few years back and sent to me as a present. They’re great! Though they’re definitely display pieces, as I don’t want to risk damaging them…or the possibility of their using some sort of funky ’70s-era lead-based paint or some such thing.

Four drinking glases sitting on a bookshelf in front of a stack of TOS Star Trek novels. They are turned to show the text on the back of each glass, though it's difficult to read in this photo.

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Year 50 Day 61

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Me, with a slight smirk, standing in front of a window overlooking the entrance to our home.

Day 61: About to get ready for bed, I realized I hadn’t taken my photo for the day. Then I turned in circles for a minute or two trying to find a camera angle that didn’t have an embarrassing background. I rather desperately need to get my home office straightened up.

Year 50 Day 60

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Me sitting in front of our car. The car's passenger-side headlights are visible behind me. I'm holding a headlight bulb and its packaging.

Day 60: We noticed yesterday that one of our headlights was out, so today I figured out how to fix it. Some car headlight bulbs are ridiculously difficult to access and swap out, but the process on a 2016 Chevy Sonic is remarkably simple. Even I could do it! We’re pretty sure I’m an auto mechanic now.