A bit of this and that.
Jan. 27th, 2012 06:21 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kengrOk, Wednesday Iwas up fairly early for me (around 8:30). After dealing with various things, I took my bike out (first time in *months*) around noon (maybe later. Decided to try hitting some new geocaches and some older ones I'd not had luck with in the past.
Had a nice route planned out, though I didn't expect to do all of it. Quickly discovered I was fairly out of shape (duh) because the slight slop on my usual route to the area of the first cache was hard enough work that I got off and walked for a block.
I also found that the flannel shirt I was using as a jacket was too hot. So it went in one of the panniers. Even walking I was generating enough heat to be comfortable, if a hair cooler than I'd prefer.
First cache (Intergalactic Money) was about half a block from a former cache site (one that'd been a real bear to find in spite of its size). It turned out to be a Starbucks (ow!) and way too many people around to do a search thru the flower boxes and things.
So after standing around trying to see if anything looked *obvious* (no such luck), I went on to the next one.
This one (Alameda Starway) I'd tried several times before. No luck this time either. I think I'm going to write the cache owner and point out that the co-ords *I* get for it (pretty much consistent every visit) are *way* off from the description.
Next it was off to Steelers Wheel. That one was a first time visit. And a quick find. Took longer to work the log out thru the mouth of the bottle than it did to spot the location. :-)
Then I made my third or fourth try for Major Chain which is behind a local Safeway. I didn't pay enough attention to the cheat sheet, so that is going to get yet another visit soon. Especially since checking the logs of previous finders after I got home showed a few comments that goive me new ideas as to where it may be hiding (*not* the trees of bushes I was checking).
Last was my umpteenth try for Streak 1: Wellington. That's the closest one to my apartment sand a pain since it showed up. First daylight search in a while and since the weather (it was threatening rain) meant the park was empty, I was able to *thouroughly check one of the places I thought it might be. I'm now fairly certain it *isn't* hidden by the trash container.
But again, looking at the logs and especially re-reading the description after I got home, has mad![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
fayanorae me re-think the "most likely" location.
It started raining a bit as I was finishing that search. And between that and my having plans withfayanora for later made me head home. Being that it was less than half a mile, I didn't bother digging out the flannel shirt. I was a bit chilly by the time I got back home, but not that bad. Not very wet either.
I logged the one find and checked to logs on the ones I hadn't found. I also dug out stuff to be ready to head out with fay at the planned time. I texted her at 2pm asking if she was up. She hadn't been and wondered why I'd texted. I pointed out that knowing her, she'd *need* the time to be ready to catch the bus at 3.
We had really good connections with the buss too.
The first step of the plan was a visit to Powells to pick up some books I'd ordered online (I'd been given a e-certifcate, but it had to be used online). Fortunately, one of the shipping options was to pick the books up at one of the stores.
Picking up the two books (I'd ordered 3, but one was out of stock and not expected to be back ordered) was simple, and the I had to run the guantlet of the SF & Fantasy section. I think I wound up with 6 more books.
BTW, I don't know *why* Fay thinks I read so fast? I mean, I only read two of them in a bit over 24 hours from buying them. :-)
After Powells we walked the half-dozen or so blocks down to Hamburger Mary's. That's where the local BDSM & general "kink" much moved in Dec of 20110. I decided that since I was going downtown anyway, and it was close to Powells, I'd check it out again. It'
d been several years *before* the change of location since I'd been to one. In fact, I think it was shortly after Fay moved to Portland.
We were early and had to sit at the bar for a bit until the "room" for the much was ready. I only recognized a few people, but that was ok. Only wound up talking to a few.
The crowding and noise level towards the end was a bit much. It definitely got to Fay
We decided to scratch the idea of visiting Voodoo Donuts on the way home. Between Fay's headache and my discovering that the cold I'd had traces of a day or so back was coming back with a vengeance, we just sort of vegetated on the bus to home.
After I got home, I did a lot of reading, interspersed with laying in bed keeping warm and some futzing on the computer. Still fighting the cold some. So
my "schedule" has been even less regular than normal.
]
Oh yes, the books.
The two I'd ordered were:
"Oath of Fealty" by Elizabeth Moon (part of the Paksenarrion series)
"The Sunrise Lands" by S. M. Stirling.Fourth of the Emberverse books (or the start of the second set of them, depending on how you count).
I also picked up:
"Foundation" by Mercedes Lackey (first book of the Collegium Chronicles)
"The Sharing Knife volume 2: Legacy" by Lois McMasters Bujold
"The Sharing Knife volume 3: Passage" by Lois McMasters Bujold
"The Sharing Knife volume 4: Horizon" by Lois McMasters Bujold
"Land of the Painted Caves" by Jean Auel
"By Heresies Distressed" by David Weber
"A Mighty Fortress" by David Weber
The Collegium Chronicles is a new Valdenat series. Set about 500 years before the original Valdemar books. Fairly interesting, and next time I'm downtown, I'll pick up the second book (which I'd seen on the new arrivals shelves). By then I'll likely be able to pick up Kings of the Norgh (the book after Oath of Fealty) in paperback since it's due to be relleased at the end of the month
I read Oath of Fealty, then Foundation. I've just started Legacy. I'll likely read the rest of the Sharing Knife books I'd read the first when it first came out, and not had the spare cash until now). Bujold, I'm willing to invest in that way.
Alas, Lackey isn't as consistent anymore. Or rather, her writing is still good, it's just that some of her stuff leaves me cold now. That's why I only got the first book of the Collegium Chronicles, even though the second was there).
Same sort of thing for the books that follow the Sunrise Lands. There are 5 more with a sixth due in a month or two. But I'm going to take them one at a time, because I can't be certain I'll want to read all of them.
The Auel book, well, it's likely to be a guilty pleasure. I love the background and "tech" of the books. Even though I find that they are one of the series where I go into skim mode when the (frequent) sex scenes occur. Unlike many, I read then *in spite* of the sex scenes. :-)
The Weber stuff is sort of fun, his Baen stuff I pick up as ebooks when I can afford it. Since this series isn't from Baen, well...
So I'll be reading actual books for a while. Then it'd back to the backlog of ebooks. Cutrrently in the middle of P. C. Hodgell's "Godstalker Chronicles" there)
Had a nice route planned out, though I didn't expect to do all of it. Quickly discovered I was fairly out of shape (duh) because the slight slop on my usual route to the area of the first cache was hard enough work that I got off and walked for a block.
I also found that the flannel shirt I was using as a jacket was too hot. So it went in one of the panniers. Even walking I was generating enough heat to be comfortable, if a hair cooler than I'd prefer.
First cache (Intergalactic Money) was about half a block from a former cache site (one that'd been a real bear to find in spite of its size). It turned out to be a Starbucks (ow!) and way too many people around to do a search thru the flower boxes and things.
So after standing around trying to see if anything looked *obvious* (no such luck), I went on to the next one.
This one (Alameda Starway) I'd tried several times before. No luck this time either. I think I'm going to write the cache owner and point out that the co-ords *I* get for it (pretty much consistent every visit) are *way* off from the description.
Next it was off to Steelers Wheel. That one was a first time visit. And a quick find. Took longer to work the log out thru the mouth of the bottle than it did to spot the location. :-)
Then I made my third or fourth try for Major Chain which is behind a local Safeway. I didn't pay enough attention to the cheat sheet, so that is going to get yet another visit soon. Especially since checking the logs of previous finders after I got home showed a few comments that goive me new ideas as to where it may be hiding (*not* the trees of bushes I was checking).
Last was my umpteenth try for Streak 1: Wellington. That's the closest one to my apartment sand a pain since it showed up. First daylight search in a while and since the weather (it was threatening rain) meant the park was empty, I was able to *thouroughly check one of the places I thought it might be. I'm now fairly certain it *isn't* hidden by the trash container.
But again, looking at the logs and especially re-reading the description after I got home, has mad
fayanorae me re-think the "most likely" location.It started raining a bit as I was finishing that search. And between that and my having plans with
fayanora for later made me head home. Being that it was less than half a mile, I didn't bother digging out the flannel shirt. I was a bit chilly by the time I got back home, but not that bad. Not very wet either. I logged the one find and checked to logs on the ones I hadn't found. I also dug out stuff to be ready to head out with fay at the planned time. I texted her at 2pm asking if she was up. She hadn't been and wondered why I'd texted. I pointed out that knowing her, she'd *need* the time to be ready to catch the bus at 3.
We had really good connections with the buss too.
The first step of the plan was a visit to Powells to pick up some books I'd ordered online (I'd been given a e-certifcate, but it had to be used online). Fortunately, one of the shipping options was to pick the books up at one of the stores.
Picking up the two books (I'd ordered 3, but one was out of stock and not expected to be back ordered) was simple, and the I had to run the guantlet of the SF & Fantasy section. I think I wound up with 6 more books.
BTW, I don't know *why* Fay thinks I read so fast? I mean, I only read two of them in a bit over 24 hours from buying them. :-)
After Powells we walked the half-dozen or so blocks down to Hamburger Mary's. That's where the local BDSM & general "kink" much moved in Dec of 20110. I decided that since I was going downtown anyway, and it was close to Powells, I'd check it out again. It'
d been several years *before* the change of location since I'd been to one. In fact, I think it was shortly after Fay moved to Portland.
We were early and had to sit at the bar for a bit until the "room" for the much was ready. I only recognized a few people, but that was ok. Only wound up talking to a few.
The crowding and noise level towards the end was a bit much. It definitely got to Fay
We decided to scratch the idea of visiting Voodoo Donuts on the way home. Between Fay's headache and my discovering that the cold I'd had traces of a day or so back was coming back with a vengeance, we just sort of vegetated on the bus to home.
After I got home, I did a lot of reading, interspersed with laying in bed keeping warm and some futzing on the computer. Still fighting the cold some. So
my "schedule" has been even less regular than normal.
]
Oh yes, the books.
The two I'd ordered were:
"Oath of Fealty" by Elizabeth Moon (part of the Paksenarrion series)
"The Sunrise Lands" by S. M. Stirling.Fourth of the Emberverse books (or the start of the second set of them, depending on how you count).
I also picked up:
"Foundation" by Mercedes Lackey (first book of the Collegium Chronicles)
"The Sharing Knife volume 2: Legacy" by Lois McMasters Bujold
"The Sharing Knife volume 3: Passage" by Lois McMasters Bujold
"The Sharing Knife volume 4: Horizon" by Lois McMasters Bujold
"Land of the Painted Caves" by Jean Auel
"By Heresies Distressed" by David Weber
"A Mighty Fortress" by David Weber
The Collegium Chronicles is a new Valdenat series. Set about 500 years before the original Valdemar books. Fairly interesting, and next time I'm downtown, I'll pick up the second book (which I'd seen on the new arrivals shelves). By then I'll likely be able to pick up Kings of the Norgh (the book after Oath of Fealty) in paperback since it's due to be relleased at the end of the month
I read Oath of Fealty, then Foundation. I've just started Legacy. I'll likely read the rest of the Sharing Knife books I'd read the first when it first came out, and not had the spare cash until now). Bujold, I'm willing to invest in that way.
Alas, Lackey isn't as consistent anymore. Or rather, her writing is still good, it's just that some of her stuff leaves me cold now. That's why I only got the first book of the Collegium Chronicles, even though the second was there).
Same sort of thing for the books that follow the Sunrise Lands. There are 5 more with a sixth due in a month or two. But I'm going to take them one at a time, because I can't be certain I'll want to read all of them.
The Auel book, well, it's likely to be a guilty pleasure. I love the background and "tech" of the books. Even though I find that they are one of the series where I go into skim mode when the (frequent) sex scenes occur. Unlike many, I read then *in spite* of the sex scenes. :-)
The Weber stuff is sort of fun, his Baen stuff I pick up as ebooks when I can afford it. Since this series isn't from Baen, well...
So I'll be reading actual books for a while. Then it'd back to the backlog of ebooks. Cutrrently in the middle of P. C. Hodgell's "Godstalker Chronicles" there)
