One final shot from last week's very cool snow.

Phase one of the kitchen is now done, with the new lighting, range hood, and, of course, 14 coats of red paint. These new lighted switches make me happy.

Now we move on to the painting of the basement before swinging back to the kitchen for plumbing fixtures this Spring.

Trees around the house, during last Monday's snow.

I was wondering...

Lights are Portfolio, Versalite Xenon Bar, model GLL 9183 SSX 1. Lowe's item 70746

Bulbs are 20 watt Xenon, 120 volt, G8 base

Replacement hardware kits are available, HDW918[123]SS, which includes the screws and the small stalk for aiming the lights.

One-year Warranty.

Customer Service: 800 291 8838

http://www.goodearthlighting.com

How to be a jerk about Web 2.0

Say "meta" a lot. Do it in an apologetic way, like a hipster admitting that she still listens to Modest Mouse even though they're on the radio now. Take photos of other people taking photos (and yourself in the mirror), blog about blogs, and practice recursive activity until you suck the reality out of your life and are numb to the world around you. Afterward, say "Ohmygod, that was so meta!"

Three-bulb xenon fixture, swivel head
Draped in shadows, utensils cry out for light!
Light on, shadows gone, utensils rejoice!
A super deep corner sheds its darkness

You'll have to ignore the red-painted plugs and blue masking tape, as we're going to need yet another coat of red to get the full coverage. I can't complain, I could be digging a ditch.

How I wish that bma allowed comments on his blog.

And when the sunlight hits it tomorrow, I imagine we'll see that a fourth coat is needed. If this were a real photo of the wall, you'd also see the bits of nap from the roller, a nail-pop or two, and likely the original paint peeking through.

My achin' back, Ah gie'd it the full bhoona!

At least we have some new lighting as part of the deal, xenon under the cabinets and halogen in the new range hood.

All is peaceful in the house. Just me, the paint fumes, and the sound of birds in the trees. The Apple-A-Day paint may need a third coat, sigh.

Along about this time of the year, I could be posting this flaming burger picture as a paean to summer, but not this January. After a day of painting (kitchen, red, startling, it grows on you) we tossed some burgers on the grill for dinner.

January 14th, 8pm, 62F, Yaz on the XM, yip.

None of the content or opinions are the property or opinion of my employer. Now that that is out of the way...

It's been suggested that my old "about" page is crap. It was certainly stiffer than Al Gore.

This is the personal weblog of Richard Morgan, a rapidly greying tech guy operating under the premise that someone will read this stuff, although I think that the Google Bots are my main consumers.

I'm a system administrator with a large technology and media company where I help my teammates secure and protect their many systems and applications. I take lots of photos, many of which get posted here, promptly at 6am daily, mostly in lieu of rising to write something witty and full of pith. Some of them are even good.

Things I like: Subarus, my kids, digital cameras, the web, old postcards, Bull Run Mountain, genealogy, Linux ("of course you do," you murmur and sidle away...) and the shortest day of the year. Oh, and XM Radio. A lot.

Please leave a comment on a posting or shoot me an email.

You can find the site archives at: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007. Wow, finishing up Year #4 here.

You can find me on twitter if you need up-to-the-minute info.

Want your readers to come back? EchoDitto offers some advice. Here's a taste:

Most blog readers scan dozens of blogs everyday, but they actually spend very little time on any one blog - thus your goal is to grab them quickly and hold them. Readers have only a handful of blogs that they read carefully. You want to be one of them.

There are three basic keys to building a successful blog:

- Engage with other blogs and your own readers
- Keep the material fresh and exciting
- Give people a reason to return

This mild winter and lots of sun are tricking the flowers. They might pay dearly for their enthusiasm.

Although he'll likely hunt me down and shoot me with a black-powder rifle for linking to him, I just have to, I simply can't help it.

New York women discovered on September 11, 2001 that the metrosexuals who were into their feelings, wore perfectly matched clothing, had perfect manicures, and made great conversation weren't worth a damn when the sky started falling. But there were a bunch of macho men who ran into burning towers to rescue them. Thus they now look for men who can protect them, and if they want to spend the fall hunting Bambi or Sundays watching a bunch of gorillas try to capture and move a funny shaped ball, then it's okay because they feel safe with them.

They know if the boogieman comes for them, their man is going to rip his head off and mount it on the wall. That might be extreme, but it's a lot more useful than cowering in the corner. A lot of women drivers have figured out that the latest XK is beautiful, and a Miata is cute, but when the rain is at 6" an hour or some evildoer is aiming to run them off the road preparatory to kidnap-rape-murder, some big, strong vehicle that can climb a 30% slope, go over a 6" curb, and withstand a T-bone by a Kenworth is probably the vehicle to have in a pinch.

This guy sells cars. I bet you'd be afraid to not buy the car.

Macho men can rejoice (by, no doubt, having a politically incorrect beer and watching a movie with guns, explosions, and nipples.) Then they can go outside and wash/wax the wife's new GL450, ML350, or G500.

What movie is that? Where can I rent it?

There's a new postcard up today in Texana wing.

Your personal moon-rocket awaits.

We had just a tiny taste of snow today.

Abby:

I might not have school tomorrow!

TEXT

Thoroughfare, Virginia.

At least that's what the Lufkin Daily News found out this week. The Pine Blogger runs the LDN to ground on a ridiculous assertion that the 2006 average high temperature was 5 degrees warmer than normal in Lufkin.

Apparently, the LDN has relented:

A correction to this story will be in the Sunday LDN. Thanks to Mr. Fillo for checking his data. The five degree increase would have probably never caught my eye had I not attended the American Geophysical Union meeting last month where hundreds of talks/posters were presented on global warming.

Good eye, Mr. Bonner!

Slim-pickin's around here.