After a six hour commute, we’re back in the California house tonight. We have some chores to do and family to visit, so we’ll be here for a few days.
The commute was not too bad for us (unlike the poor bastards going the other way in the photo); The Better Half drove the first half to Chriaco Summit on I-10 and left the tangled SoCal freeways to me. So, now we’re relaxing and having some wine and a couple of beers to calm our nerves.
We don’t get a lot of graffiti here in town unless it’s passing through. Today, The Better Half got a shot of a railroad car on the move that was decorated with some elaborate graffiti. Ya gotta admit that a lot of misplaced effort went into this. I have no idea what it means or is trying to say, but I like the “Punisher Skull” part of the artwork. Clickable image.
After a couple of years of frustration with her little HP MINI notebook computer, we got a new computer; it is the HP Pavilion G6 notebook. She was handicapped by the lack of video acceleration, caching and memory limitations. That should now all go away.
Her installation is shown in the (clickable) image above. The new laptop, an external 20 inch monitor, external keyboard and mouse. The display is extended to the monitor on the left with the laptop being the master display.
Some of the features:
Her system is now superior to mine. 
The Better Half took this shot of a magnetic ribbon on an SUV parked next to us when we went shopping today. I hope it’s a joke and the owner of the vehicle doesn’t intend to HELP the Zombie Apocalypse. Clickable image.
Working from a recipe she saw on the Food Channel, The Better Half cranked out this delicious dinner; it’s Cuban-style chicken and rice. Man was this tasty!
Changing the subject, today was an absolutely beautiful day here. We had a couple of winter-like days last week and it was a pleasure to have over 70 degrees again.
Clickable image: Cuban chicken and rice with black beans and avocado
TBH and I both like hot weather and look forward to the summer months. The forecast for the next few days looks like it will get even warmer, although we have a trip scheduled to Kalifornistan later this week and won’t be able to enjoy our desert climate for a few days. The trip isn’t optional since we have some maintenance to do on the other house and my Mom’s 92nd birthday coming up too.
I should know better than to order something from Amazon® without reading the freakin’ reviews. Last week, I placed an order for an electric bicycle pump and failed to consult customer reviews of the item.
Image: Schwinn electric bicycle pump and tire gauge
To make a short story even shorter, I received the package yesterday, unpacked the item, hooked it to a 12 volt source and tried to inflate the tire on my wheelbarrow. About 30 seconds into the operation, the pump seized up. I tried another 12 volt source and it still did not function. Disgusted, I repackaged the item, printed out Amazon’s return label and taped it to the package. It will go out with today’s mail.
I went back on to Amazon’s website and wrote a product review:
Unpacked the item, attached to 12 volt source and attempted to fill a tire. It ran for about a half minute before seizing up. That’s what we get for buying cheap Chinese crap. Returned item for full refund.
After writing that, I started reading other people’s reviews; although not unanimous, most reviews were not favorable of this piece of shit. It’s a shame that reputable American bicycle manufacturer Schwinn would allow their name be used to market Chinese junk.
The town is doing some road improvements to a one-mile stretch of US 60 just west of our home. They are planting some drainage pipes and installing a continuation of the bike/hiking path a mile west of this area.
As we slowly drove past the construction site today, we saw this enormous piece of digging equipment perched at a seemingly precarious angle on the road side. The operator seemed to have everything under control, though, since his shovel was digging and moving dirt down in the ditch where they were working. The Better Half took this (clickable) image on our way to take the dogs to the Wickenburg Dog Park.
| Daybreak: | 04:24 |
| Sunrise: | 05:26 |
| Transit: | 12:27 |
| Sunset: | 19:28 |
| Nightfall: | 20:30 |
| Daylight (H:M): | 14:02 |
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