Daytrip: New England Aquarium

Way back during the Mesozoic era, when I was in junior high school, the big thing everyone looked forward to was the "8th Grade Boston Trip". On the appointed day, three buses would assemble in front of the school to be loaded with nearly every 8th grader, and would then trundle the 160 miles into Boston. The visit started at the New England Aquarium, progressed to the Museum of Science, and culminated with a Red Sox game at Fenway Park. Pure magic for 13- and 14-year-old set, especially from that miserable wide spot in the road that served as my home town.



Kristina and I have been to the Museum of Science a couple of times in the past few years, but yesterday was the first time we have ventured to the aquarium, and my first time back in 30 many years. It was just as cool as I remembered - maybe even more so. We had a ball and will definitely be going back! Over the next week or so, I'll be adding more photos of some of the exhibits to this set on Flickr.

Last night's storm

Last night's storm took a huge toll; it left 66,000 in Massachusetts and 324,000 in New Hampshire without power, and caused untold thousands of dollars in property damage, from high winds to flooding. We got off lucky: a short power outage [precisely long enough for me to say "oh, shit..."] and a tree down half a block away [ah, the whine of a chainsaw in the night!]. But this kinda broke my heart a little:

That's the "Grand Allée" of the Crane Estate in Ipswich. Here's what it looked like last spring:

Hopefully, this won't set the restoration plan too far back. :(

taste test

taste test, originally uploaded by Ryan Wolf.

My favourite coffee roaster was looking for folks to taste-test a couple of new flavours, so I naturally volunteered.

I'm just not sure which to try first...


Thank you, Natalie's Coffee!

peanut, 10g

peanut, 10g, originally uploaded by Ryan Wolf.

Ten grams of crushed and mutilated Arachis hypogaea. This was the somewhat sketchy-looking "garnish" for the "instant pad thai in a box" I ate while working through lunch. It's also what my brain feels like at this end of the week. I'm just glad it's a little warmer, and it's a little lighter every night when I leave work.

Diet-related amusement

The Perfect Diet Plan

"Alli" side-effects in layman's terms

Happy Friday

..., originally uploaded by Ryan Wolf.

I'd like a "glass-bottle Coke" and a whole lot of sunshine today. I know the former's not in the cards, and doubt there'll be much of the latter. But it's Friday.

And that still counts for a heck of a lot.

Must be February

"There is a sumptuous variety about the New England weather that compels the
 stranger's admiration — and regret. The weather is always doing something there ... In the spring I have counted one hundred and thirty-six different kinds of weather inside of four and twenty hours. ...Yes, one of the brightest gems in the New England weather is the dazzling uncertainty of it."  ~ Mark Twain, December 1876


Sam wasn't kidding. The weather around here can get pretty... fluid. But the meteorologists really don't have much grip on it, either. Personally, I think they just guess. Because unless they are just quoting the National Weather Service report, 5 different radio/tv channels will come up with 5 [or 6!] different forecasts. And how about the National Weather Service? It's not like they are making things any clearer! Take this morning's latest:

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAUNTON
HAS ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW...
WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 10 AM THIS MORNING TO
1 AM EST THURSDAY. THE WINTER STORM WATCH IS
NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS ISSUED WHEN SNOW
AND/OR ICE IS FORECAST TO DEVELOP IN THE AFFECTED
AREAS... BUT ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED TO BE LIGHT.

Ok, so that makes sense. Yet, the very same report ends with the following:

... A SIGNIFICANT WINTER STORM WILL IMPACT PORTIONS
OF SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND TODAY AND TONIGHT WITH
HEAVY SNOW AND STRONG WINDS...

Light or heavy, which is it? 1-6" of snow? 3-6"? 6-10"? Depends on the information source. Yesterday was 38F; Sunday morning was barely 19, with a wind chill that made it feel like 4. 4 is not a temperature, to me.

But let it snow! Let it do its worst! Today's a holiday in my world, the birthday of the most precious person in my life. We both took the day off. The fridge is stocked with snacks, and much-anticipated videos are queued. There's even a wee cake from the best bakery around. [She got her gift - a Sony ebook reader - early.] But most importantly, this is HER day. And we'll be spending it together. So, really... the weather? I don't really care. I have what I need.

PS - Once more, a huge thank you to Mom and Dad Z, for giving me [and the world] such a wonderful gift.