What I forgot to post 3 days ago:

Happy 32nd birthday, Tyler! May the powers of two be with you.

Well, I am a worrier

My sister called this morning to let me know she was oK with the earthquake that just happened. All the news reports say the damage was pretty localized to the Big Island, but the power got knocked out in the rest of the state as well.

Tried to call my mom and the rest of the family on the four different phone numbers I have, but I just get four different "All circuits are busy now" messages. I'm sure they're ok, but I worry.

. . .

And in what is now old news, I got all my trip pictures up on flickr.

It's my birthday.

Getting older, but as they say, it's better than the alternative.

Scars are souvenirs you never lose

I made it home safe and sound from one of the most fun and exhausting adventures I've been on. Until I have recuperated more fully and Flickr'd the rest of my trip pictures, let these self-potraits suffice as a short summary of my week away.

At the St. Louis Arch:


In the Meramac Caverns:


Eating at the Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo:


Exploring Petroglyph National Monument:


Blown away by Arizona's Painted Desert:


With the Petrified Forest:


Not falling in to Meteor Crater:


Hanging out on the Santa Monica Pier:


Mocking the Animals trapped in the La Brea Pits:


Being L.A. on Rodeo Drive:

Fresh spam? Where's the eggs and rice?

Like any curious person with a couple seconds to kill now and again, I check out my junk mail folder to see what's new in spam-world and if I possibly filtered out something important. Last week I started getting a ton of "offers" and warnings about my "possibly compromised account" from the "Hawaii State Federal CU". Then a spate of ones from the "Pearl Harbor FCU" and now the "Honolulu City & County Employees FCU".

Is it just me getting these or is it a new trend in spam?

Although, now that I look more closely, there're all going to my hawaii.edu address.

Which I guess makes more sense than sending them to all random addresses everywhere? Nice job on the targeting, phishers!

I'm still not going to bite, but good try.