Friday

Had my credit card number swiped recently. Declined at the movie box office as a result, though it passed at la Madeline for breakfast and the local gas station this morning. Swung by the bank after alerting Allison, and they had flagged a charge from last night at a hotel in Amsterdam. Small fee of about six bucks. Today, between the gas and the movie, a charge for about 25 was made out of state for a cash advance, and that’s what locked the card. My bank was very helpful about the challenged charges, especially considering that Allison’s old card was compromised barely a month or so ago. I suspect that I got hit with a rfid scan when in DC for FOSE… haven’t been near many other large crowds or other potential skimmers aside from atm and fuel pumps.

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Star Trek movie was fun, I could’ve done without some of the fan service and lens flares, but other bits worked just fine for me. ( I really wish that Simon Pegg was going to be Ant-Man.) Good villain in Cumberbatch, solid effects in 3d.

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Dinner with Mindy and Marc Meyer (those folks we met at JT’s a couple of weeks back ) at Court of Shanghai tonight, had a nice time. We made plans to get together again next month.

Hulk Thursday he looks how I feel.

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Hot. Lumbered around the front yard and couldn’t mow. Too hot too sore.

Grilled turkey kielbasa and kraut for Allison and veggie sausage for myself

Entertained myself by training Pyewacket to understand when I get the fish tank DVD to put in the PS3. He talks and attacks the tv, then wears himself out, settling down to snuggle with me on the couch.

Worked on cleaning up the office some more, for before Amy gets here next week.

Watched 2 more season 4 episodes of arrested development, not as horrible as I feared, not as good as I’d hoped. The Funke husband and wife look terrible, Michael’s parents aged best. Good to see Bob lahblaw and co, and Ron Howard as himself. Seems to need the binge view for success. Episodes 1-3 were meh. 4 marked solid improvement. I don’t like the inertia element, but the pieces are falling into place.

Put Hulu plus on hiatus, and got comcast to drop internet to 40 a month (and a promise of no increases) after they jacked up the price, they also refunded retroactively the increase of the last two months. There is no way I want to pay $62.50 for the level of service we currently get from them, and the “speedboost” did nothing significant. Hulu got canned because netflix and amazon prime have us nicely covered.

Sighted nest today

Family: Ospreys

Description: 21-24″ (53-61 cm). W. 4′ 6 “-6′ (1.4-1.8 m). A large, long-winged “fish hawk.” Brown above and white below; head white with dark line through eye and on side of face. Wing shows distinctive bend at “wrist.” At a distance, can resemble a gull.

Voice: Loud musical chirping.

Habitat: Lakes, rivers, and seacoasts.

Range: Breeds from Alaska, north-central Canada, and Newfoundland south to Arizona and New Mexico; also along Gulf Coast and on Atlantic Coast south to Florida. Winters regularly in North America north to Gulf Coast and California. Also in South America and Old World.

Discussion: Ospreys search for fish by flying and hovering over the water, watching the surface below. When prey is sighted, an Osprey dives steeply, its talons outspread, and splashes into the water. It quickly resurfaces and, if it has made a catch, flies off, adjusting the fish in its claws so that the head is pointed forward. Ospreys declined drastically because of pesticides during the 1950s and 1960s, but since then they have made a comeback and are nesting again in areas from which they had disappeared.

Nesting: 2-4 white, pink, or buff eggs, blotched with brown, in a bulky mass of sticks and debris placed in a tree, on a telephone pole, on rocks, or on flat ground.
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Smoothies for breakfast!

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Blueberry pineapple for me,  strawberry for Allison.

Saw eastern bluebirds, cardinals, mockingbirds, finches and many other fliers out and about while we sipped on the deck.

Cooking out with in-laws shortly, brought back some tasty groceries to throw on the flame alongside last night’s take from the farmer’s market.