Torture is a Moral Issue

Torture is a Moral Issue, originally uploaded by akseabird.

Spotted at the UW. Seattle.

You Capture-Real Life

Capturing my real life was easy enough...I take dozens of random "real life" pictures everyday. Picking the ones to use was a bit harder. Apparently most of my real life is spent waiting for the bus or watching T with Boomer and Rigo (the cats.)

Boomer Wants a Fly, Rigo Watches

(or something he and T are only imagining to be to be there. T lifting Boomer toward the ceiling is a fairly regular occurrence around our house.)

Rigo Taking Full Advantage of the Cat Bed

Morning at the Bus Stop

This is one of two bus stops by my house. This, or the one directly across the street, is usually the first place you can find me everyday

Waiting for a Shuttle at UAA in the Morning

It's so convenient that the bus goes from my house to UAA and the shuttle goes from UAA to the University Center, which is right next door to my office.

Waiting for People Mover at UAA in the Evening

This stop is where I can be found many evenings after work.

Jack'o'Lanterns on Our Porch (A Week and a Half after Halloween)

I keep hoping a moose will get them.

4:00PM Sunset while Driving Home on Ice Rinks, I Mean Roads

T Feeding his Dinner to the Cats

Nearly every night they want some of what we're eating. This night Boomer really enjoyed what was left of the squash.

You Capture-Autumn

This week's You Capture subject, "Autumn," feels a bit late for those of us in Alaska. At least it does to me. Though, oddly, I suppose not as late as it might feel to those in some Lower 48 places (like Denver and Salt Lake) where they've recently gotten a ton of snow!

When I left on October 12th for my trip down the Pacific Coast, from Seattle to Santa Barbara (I ended up making it all the way to San Diego, BTW) fall was still in full swing here in Anchorage. Though the season already felt extended for us, even at that relatively early point in October, for this part of the country, the trees were still covered in beautiful colored leaves and all the termination dust that had graced the mountain tops a few days prior had since melted. It was beautiful and certainly autumnal feeling.

However, when T and I returned late last week things had changed drastically. We're now stuck in a weird limbo where it doesn't really feel or look like Autumn anymore (all of the trees are bare) but it doesn't really feel like winter yet either (we've not yet gotten any snow that has stuck around. Snow fell for a few hours yesterday, but it was melting before it hit the ground.) As a result, Autumn was a little difficult for me to capture around these here parts. I'm going to include some shots from my trip that feel more authentically autumnal, as well as a few shots I took while walking to work this morning (just to give you all a sense of what it's like around here.)

A Lone Leaf on the Rain-Soaked Pavement

Tillamook, OR

Starting the Drive Along Avenue of the Giants

Humboldt Redwood State Park, CA

Shed Redwood Needles and My Keens

Humboldt Redwood State Park, CA

Look at the size of those needles!!

In Southern California It's Blue Skies and Added Autumnal Colors

Disneyland, CA

Sunrise Walk to Work

Anchorage, AK

This is a shot of the same bridge so many of you loved from a few weeks ago. See how much it has changed in just a few weeks?

Snow Covered Chugach Mountains at Sunrise

Anchorage, AK

Also on my walk to work this morning. It was about 9:00am and the sun was just starting to rise. That's a sure sign of late fall around these parts. So is the dusting of snow up there.

You Capture- The Feeling of Fall

I've been away. I actually don't like being away (from blogging) very much, but sometimes it's just so hard to come up with something to say, and then say it, then edit it...you know. Excuses really. I think of posts, I even start posts constantly. But I always get pulled away or lose focus, or motivation. I like blogging. But it's like journaling, which I also like to do, and find to be a good release. As much as I enjoy it, and as good as it is for me, I generally lack perseverance and staying power when it comes to keeping at it.

But I'm back. And I'm going to start doing something new. A weekly You Capture challenge. This week, the idea was to get the feeling of fall. And since fall is in full swing here (though some of the recent transplants to AK I know, Travis included, feel insistent that winter has arrived here. They are wrong. This is fall. And it is gorgeous. Including out my window. Right now. The geese even just flew overhead as I was typing that. That is definitely the feeling of fall. Anyway...)

Kenai Lake and the Sterling Highway while driving to Homer Saturday.




Nothing says fall to this Alaskan like a sunset that happens before 10:30PM but later than 7:00PM. This one was at about 7:30 on the Homer Spit, in Homer, Alaska. And it was gorgeous.



Walking home from work, I feel nothing but fall. And it feels nice.

A Must Watch

Kid-Safe Chemicals Act: 10 Americans @ Yahoo! Video

It's worth the 20 minute watch to get all the way through the entire video. He makes an excellent point about small doses. Also,consider that the chemicals he discusses at the end were once considered safe too.