A few things of note have happened this week. It started pleasantly enough, and then I got sent to Vegas.
Above, C-Dawg and Noah poolside at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
I ain't gonna lie, I complained a bit. I really enjoy my tropical paradise, and I wasn't fond of the 112-degree dry desert climate. But I did my best to keep my head up, and sometimes I succeeded. There was too much alcohol and too much work (not a delightful combination). Highlights included eating pink tacos at the Pink Taco, and putting $2 into my favorite (linked progressive!) slot, Wheel Of Fortune, and subsequently not winning a thing. The 2500 mile airplane trip had its moments too, like heading westward into a 3-hour sunset, and the fun feeling you get in your tummy when the turboprop aircraft is bouncing up and down.
I was ecstatic to get back home where I belong in the Lower Keys.
First thing Grace and I did today, was visit the animal shelter in Marathon, where I met my new daughter. Lately we'd decided that Belvedere really really needed a friend, so we relented and began the process of finding him a buddy. So may I introduce to you, Pippilotta Delicatessa Windowshade Mackerelmint Christophersdaughter Shepherd:
But you can call her Pippi, of course. Pippi comes home Tuesday, and Belvedere is very excited about meeting his sister.
For my birthday (a whole month ago!) Grace got me the XGameStation Game Console Starter Kit, which includes a video game console that you assemble from parts on a breadboard or soldered into a printed circuit board, as well as a nice book, The Black Art of Video Game Console Design, that starts off with an introduction to analog electronics before progressing into TTL logic and programming. Before I went to Vegas, I finally got started building it, and tonight now that I got back, I managed to finish it and have a successful test. The thingy itself, assembled on a breadboard, looks like this:
Above, a face only a nerd could love
But what does it actually do? There's an answer to that too. It's a very simple video game console, similar to the Atari 2600 in design (except that its modern microprocessor is many times faster). When I actually worked up the courage to plug this frankenstein into the fancy TV set to test it, I was able to show you what it does:
Here it is running a car-racing-game demonstration. It's fun to get output from a gadget you built by hand.
Anyhow, the kayak missions should resume tomorrow, hopefully. There was a Mission Three and Mission Four, which included paddling under the US-1 bridge and exploring the gulfside bay north of us. Unfortunately, we found no passages to open water, or hospitable sandy beach heads. Mission Five, however, will explore more of the bay near us and around Blue Water, which is likely to yield more exciting discoveries.
Oh, and I'm learning to swim finally. I can hold my breath for a full minute underwater. I mostly just need the opportunity to swim, because chances are, I already can. I'll let you know how that goes too.
Anyhow, this entry is getting too long, so that's it for now. Stay cool!
-Chris