reconstituted
Thanks to efforts by 
moonwick the missing images from cetan.org have been restored and the blog is complete again.
From the first image to today's.
It feels good to be fully restored.
As an aside, when I restored the software portion of the site, I enabled some extra features I had not been using. Specifically, the "Archive" page now shows only 25 images at a time and allows you to scroll backwards a page at a time. Previously it was loading all the thumbnails on one page, which was really annoying. You can also browse by various categories and by month (again at 25 images-per page). Check it out by clicking on "Archive." The category options are currently at the bottom of the page.
we might be having some weather
edit: ah they dropped the totals down to "1 to 5" which means we got just enough to put the plows out once and that's probably it.
Or so it would seem...so much for spring, eh?
Snow through the night. Chance of thunderstorms. Snow may be heavy at times. Snow accumulation of 5 to 7 inches
Venture Brothers – Season 3
Not to turn this blog into nothing more than product announcements, but come on, this is more than worthy. 
Jackson Publick (co-creator of "The Venture Brothers") made an increasingly-infrequent update to his LJ account, announcing the availability of Season 3 of the show on DVD.
http://jacksonpublick.livejournal.com/24810.html
Thankfully, he includes an update on the pending Season 4, but then turns around and stabs you through the heart with the words: "...will hit the airwaves this fall--October or November, I'm not sure yet." Ugh! Not until fall?! Can humanity survive that long on just 3 seasons on DVD?
Possibly. But it might be close.
carrying that camera
Here's a rather clever idea:
http://www.blackrapid.com/video/intro.php
I've been carrying around a SLR a lot during my lunch hour walks and have had some concerns with both stability and security. In fact, the other day the strap slipped off my shoulder without me even noticing. The only thing that saved the camera from hitting the ground was that it fell onto the top of my work bag (which is flat and flexible) which was also over my shoulder at the time.
I don't really like carrying the camera around my neck either for two reasons. First, it usually ends up rubbing a raw spot and second, it's difficult to walk without the camera either bouncing around or swinging out into something when I bend over. Even over the shoulder this happens (as demonstrated this weekend when, in an attempt to keep Nate from being close-lined by a dog lease, I ended up clunking him in the head with my camera.)
Using a standard strap across the chest is very unwieldy but is my current solution. It just takes a little bit longer to get set up for a shot (which is fine for 99% of my subject). I just like knowing there's a better way (albeit a $50 one).
one less wire
Target had wireless laptop/travel mice on sale, so I picked one up for the kitchen computer that runs Ubuntu linux (8.10).
At first, although it knew the mouse was attached, I couldn't get it to communicate properly. (No movement, no button clicks.) But after doing nothing more than a couple reboots, it started working. Weird, but I'll take it.
(As an aside, I also upgraded the machine [two weeks ago] from a 1.7Ghz Celeron to a 2.4Ghz P4 and wow did it make Ubuntu so much more usable. I also went from 512MB to 640MB of RAM which might have helped too.)
Provided the mouse continues to work, I think I need to get a wireless keyboard next.
the bluebird of happiness
I believe I saw my first Eastern Bluebird in the wild only a couple of years ago. It was an Easter walk with family in Sterns Woods in Crystal Lake. There were a number of man-made nesting sites in the area, so I guess it was inevitable, but I was still surprised. Such a brilliant blue!
Today, while eating lunch, I noticed a bluebird hanging out on our red Maple tree. As quickly yet stealthily as possible, I grabbed my camera and telephoto lens. I knew the shots were not going to be very good, as I'm using a rather cheap telephoto and was shooting /through/ the glass of our sliding door to the patio, but still, he stayed on the branch for so long, I had to try for a few frames.
Also, male robins have been sparring over territory all around us. It feels so much like spring is just a step away.