See the Mouseachu! Oh, and his flunkie. You know, that pinto guy

The breach has been mostly contained. Flies have only numbered one now while the smells have been fainter. Our home is full of candles to mask the smell and it makes me feel like I'm ready to start covering my desk in healing crystals. We just came back from a water run thankfully now that the car is back from a hit and run.

Oh that's right, I didn't talk about the hit-and-run over here. It's been a bit dramatic over here, hasn't it? ( tldr: NJ driving, amirite??? )

Between that, there's been a lot of work and allergies have been keeping me down, so work's been obnoxiously slow.

We also realized an easier way to get to NYC aside from Edgewater which is GORGEOUS but also FULL OF GWB TRAFFIC when we found that Staten Island was relatively easier to drive through, so we tested a trip to the Staten Island ferry.

Let me tell you: Staten Island? Kind of in rough shape. But also? Not that different from driving around any other dense but underdeveloped Jersey town. Free ferry was crowded but free and very doable and parking is less stressful compared to Edgewater at comparable rates. I can tell it's also built around a mall to find people excuses to spend money while getting shots of the Statue of Liberty and I'm okay with this. Sadly, a lot of it closes up earlier than I think is good. Also, there's a minor league stadium right there and it looks like it gets frequent use, which is awesome AFAIC.

We kind of figured out a bit more in the process and realized that the St. George ferry goes ironically all the way to where Edgewater's ferry drops us off and is less crowded because you pay for it but also it's less crowded so we're being bougie and using that now. I think it's less annoying and more photogenic for us to take the ferry, so our weekends are going to be based around trying to utilize the ferry more. We'll have an excuse to check out Roosevelt Island again for the first time in awhile! Yay, pneumatic garbage!

Michelle's gotten stronger, which is awesome. She's now carrying close to my weight but a lot less sweatily. I am jealous, yes.

I'm going to add that I'm writing this post while waiting for a work macro to resolve, so I think I'm going to call it now since it's cleaned out enough. AMA

Passed by the Financial district yesterday. Didn't see the worst of the protests around the immigration court, only crowds holding the line against a group of cops.

Also saw three blocks away by city hall park was a pair of white guys with "pureblood" tattoos rapping on a stage in front of a half-to-dozen 50/60 year olds about how bad woke is. Extremely divorced dad energy.

Nobody else really gave a shit about them and despite what people might think about geography, from three blocks away none of the protestors could see them anyway. Weekend at the Financial district is either seaport or tourism around the old buildings plus doing this in the afternoon was ehhhhh

Edit: okay it has something to do with something called "freedom chariot." Everything had the boomer feel to what I could find, from blatant AI use to there being some attempt to promote it (assuming some of the few people there were pundits trying to boost it). The fact that I had to work to even ID it tells you all you need to know so even if this is astroturf, it's not very expensive ones.

So yeah, Michelle just told me that her Switch 2 being delivered from Nintendo received a UPS notification that the shipment could not be delivered because of weather or unforeseeable delays. It's 84 and sunny outside and Rutgers is closed for the semester so traffic is lighter than ever, so when she saw the UPS truck come up shortly after that message came up, she rushed down, opened the door, and watched two young guys slowly pull over and reluctantly hand her her package. Later on, we found the tape tampered with so they knew what it was and were probably thinking of stealing it.

This is New Brunswick and porch thieves aren't exactly uncommon here, but losing your job for a game like this is honestly a waste, especially when it's UPS which is one of the last good union jobs out here.

For the record, we didn't rat them out. The contents were intact and sealed and figured if anything, they were probably going to replace the box or "lose" the package altogether if we didn't blatantly show we were waiting for it to come in.

Actually, they kind of lucked out because Michelle only noticed the tape tampering after canceling a call with customer support, but still: not worth it, especially now that there's more of them available than originally thought.

Just came back from Best Buy getting the second one. Just saw a bald guy that looked like an extra from Roadhouse go to his car holding one as he went to his Murica'd up truck. Bipartisanship in action.

I found out that Michelle actually got the placeholder for FOUR Switch 2 orders so she canceled her Target one. We're only waiting for the Gamestop one now, which can obviously wait and we decided will probably be a gift for my brother come October. If the availability of these consoles is that high then I can't see much justification in reselling our good fortune anyway especially since eBay will take a chunk of the take as will PayPal, so... Guess we'll wait and see.

Michelle has been getting good response from her doctor on her health; she gained like 8 pounds but the doctor said she looked healthy so I think it's a sign that she's gained muscle and tbf it's hard not to when you spend your weekend going several miles hauling several pounds of glass and using a telephoto.

She does have some bruises from some of it though, as she slipped and fell when I tried to lift her up into an observation post. Just her elbow but it's still very obviously there. Sigh.

She is also very happy with the results otherwise. She said photography has been a great excuse for her to keep active and has been posting happily on Flickr. Glad I could bring something positive into her life.

Speaking of which, I guess I should divulge a few more travel shots, ( so here's some travelogue stuff with photos. )

I've got a few more trips after that too as it is June and all, but not sure if they're worth mentioning yet. Just stuff to keep us busy and moving, like visiting giant malls and whatnot, though we did find another nice overlook not far from Sandy Hook where we could get an amazing view of NYC during sunset. I'm leaning towards another trip to NYC since Michelle wanted a set of blocks from there that we can't find elsewhere and it gives us another excuse to get insane numbers on our Oura scores. Really depends on how hot the weather plans to kill us though. Maybe a trip through another old trail I remember along Secaucus?

All in due time. Just glad most UPS delivery people DGAF what B&H means around here.


In the meantime, stay safe everyone!

Fighting exhaustion and losing.

This weekend was long. Lots of walking through NYC. Many photos. Bronx Zoo at one point. My legs are sore and there's blisters on my legs again.

Wasn't sure if Michelle's parents wanted us to visit for her birthday but we were not asked and Michelle reminded me that we have been there every weekend and will be at the next one come memorial day, so is all right with holding off. God bless Michelle.

Found a pre-capture setting on my camera and it's eating up even more photos now so have even more to clean from the card as it devours memory even faster. It's okay, I can clear things quickly enough.

Finally visited the Whitney! Finally visited that one floating garden by the Whitney! Lots of milestones achieved on this blessed weekend but my God am I beat up and I'd happily snore on my desk if i could.

One hour until I leave anyway so no worries. Well some worries as I want to get some fucking work done so telling myself to stop bitching.

I finished a bad Minecraft vid that had the audio gutted. Will probably work on a new video tonight or tomorrow if I can stay awake. Need to empty my cards first though.

Also for some reason a convo on Bluesky broke up something in my head because I'm getting a flood of homebrew gear, monsters, feats, etc. Will I do anything with this? Iunno.

I wish I could write more here but I am doing this just to try not to pass out while I'm sorting work.

Photos will come, I promise!

So our trip to NYC this weekend was quite a few things happening, enough for me to want to write this instead of put this aside somewhere a week or two later.

We took an IKEA ferry from Port Imperial where I swear a lady was splashing me with this lavender coconut thing. I have spray stains on my pants thanks to that.

From IKEA, we decided to walk up Red Hook into DUMBO and then walk from DUMBO to Chinatown for some dimsum and a walk home. A respectable walk.

Along the walk we saw a pair of geese and three gosling cross over to go to the shore.

The rocks they were going down were a bit awkward even for the parents, so the gosling were struggling climbing slippery rocks. Only one came at first (ironically the last one to come over) then after awhile one of the parents came out of the water and called for them. Eventually the second one made it. After awhile, they started to leave. I could hear the third one still chirping back idly as they went several yards away.

We were watching them through all this and when they moved away we were worried something bad happened to the third one, so I crossed the barrier and stepped onto the rocks to see what happened. The third one was thankfully safe, just trying (and failing) to climb a slippery rock.

So I kept telling myself the scent thing about touching birds wasn't all true and I grabbed the gosling. It made a fuss and cried as I tried to be gentle and dropped it off on an easier part of the slope so it could run to the water and continue its panicked screams.

In one of the most "parents to the rescue" kind of thing I've seen in awhile, it didn't take long before I watched two Canadian geese fly over in a rush to look over their lost child. Did I do a good thing? I hope so.

Michelle was unable to take photos at the time though so this is the most I can do. If I get avian flu or salmonella poisoning in a few days though then consider that proof of my good deed!

If you're unfamiliar with the day too, we saw a plane flying over the Hudson with a sign that read "FREE HEALTHCARE FREE LUIGI"

The only reason I mention that is because along Red Hook a reporter asked us randomly if we might have caught that image and Michelle sent her a copy of that photo. So yeah, Michelle gets one of her photos used for a local news site.

We headed along the Manhattan Bridge, whose entrance was similar to the Williamsberg's but not at all like the Brooklyn's--please stop being confusing with these entrances! We walked thirsting and at one point a small child smiling freely ran up and hugged Michelle's leg and no one seemed to notice. She started to look around and get someone's attention but eventually she ran off and the person far behind turned out to be their mother who apologized about this. We were just glad the kid wasn't left behind! I joked with her that I was the one that held a child and she had one hold her.

Off to Chinatown for a bubble tea. Then a dim sum parlor where I swear we were given really lower treatment compared to everyone else. I dunno, maybe we didn't give off a wealthy clientele vibe. Whatever, one long subway trip back and here I am to tell the tale.

I usually take pride in my Diogenes-esque lifestyle but at the same time I think it makes people leery of me. All the same, the more I walk through NYC the more I remind myself I could probably use some better self care in general anyway. At least I know these trips tend to put me in a calorie deficit.

Oh, and a random stray cat was passing by our garage right as we were getting home. When the garage door went the cat was going ballistic trying to figure out what it did wrong. Again, one hell of a weird day.

Sandy Hook tomorrow to see/photograph horseshoe crabs and Mothers Day stuff. Till next time.

Yeah, yeah, been awol for awhile. Life's been busy and I've been catching up on things.

The tariffs have been perpetuating our attempts to clear up things before they get much more expensive, so we've been focused on these things while I'm clearing work. This included Michelle going all-in on Hyte, which has two things she liked: 1. A good PR team that discussed how unprofitable it is for them to run in the States thanks to the tariff and 2. A lot of high-quality parts that are pink.

If you're unfamiliar with it, there's a FANTASTIC video a computer reviewer did that ended up becoming a really in-depth documentary on why the tariffs aren't going to do what was intended and what a lot of people are not understanding about the move. This is what encouraged Michelle to go all-in on HYTE (though tbf we were aware of their THICC AIO and I've been wanting to get their 360mm as a wishlist, though I think that's impossible now and really more of a want than a need). Based on the interviews though, HYTE is no longer putting a game into the US market and I can't blame them as a high-end boutique manufacturer.

Watch on YouTube

There's a lot of Chinese lenses that are going to become impossible to get as well, which is a shame because I think Chinese glass is now at a point where they can compete with the established Japanese manufacturers, short of the OEM ones. You can get a 50mm f2 for 200 dollars from Viltrox that is insanely sharp and contrasty while being much better performing than the decade old Sony 50 f1.8 at twice the price!! If you're unsure, I recommend checking the reviews: there's very few people I've seen complain about it short of basics like a lack of an aperture ring, longer minimum focus, and maybe some flare issues. Getting this performance from a full frame is usually really expensive.



You see this shit? You see how this looks so much like a wallet size model photo? This is just me firing out of a Viltrox 35mm 1.2 without any real effort. It's expensive, it's heavy, but it's also incredibly easy to get really good results out of it and it's like half the price of anything equivalent. The tariff's affecting camera equipment anyway though; almost no one in the States makes photo gear beyond maybe a few studio gear or tripod builders. Photography's going to become an even more expensive hobby soon and I've entertained the idea of going to Canada to smuggle glass so I can at least get a new lens and make a trip out of it.

So yeah, more purchases even though I really wish I didn't.

Michelle has a preorder for the Switch 2. She got a few of them. We're unsure what to do with the spare one she got and asking if anyone wants to get in before the FOMO kicks in.

I was able to sneak in and finally got a three day excursion in a yurt in Peddocks island during Memorial Day week. It was something I've been wanting us to come back to and I'm still recovering from the shock that I managed to pulled it off.

I'm not saving up any money at this rate. -_-

One silver lining is this is it: my entire kit setup is complete and I shouldn't need anything else for a long while (hopefully). Now I can stop focusing on buying things and put a lot more attention on taking photos, hopefully.

On the bright side, I've also caught up on work. Things are moving.

One of the nephews has also gotten into Minecraft, and an idle attempt to humor him on the game has now made me the favorite. This has ticked off all the other family members who vie for attention with expensive gifts even though I just did it to occupy the kid from the parents.

Since they're all in, I'm committing to try some Let's Plays where it looks like The Rat is playing Minecraft. I have one video I tentatively sent (complete with a skin for The Rat) and he's apparently all in on it. I can't stop laughing at an idea this silly actually working but since it is, I'll probably keep doing it until they get tired of it. Maybe I'll try out some mods too.

Our weekends are still busy. I'll do another post with photos, I don't think I've posted anything for awhile and we've done a fair amount of wandering through the weekend.

The times are getting warmer again and I'm not looking forward to looking dirty AND sweaty again.

I'm also gaining weight too, so maybe I'll be extra sweaty. I'm trying to maintain, a few more exercises. We'll see how far I can commit to it. I can still lift and move things like normal (even a bag that is now even heavier with glass), but I'll keep at it, at the very least for the sake of maintaining fitting into my pants.

It's good to keep myself mentally active I guess.

Taking macros at the in-laws because I'm working there to help watch over the grandmother that fell. She's bruised but coherent. Just loves to gab. So far so good as things look.

Flickr feels boring. Returning to it reminds me how little community there is anymore. No one I knew there uses it anymore, a lot of people who use it seem to be not very approachable while a lot of groups have very little moderation anymore. I remember how back in the day one of my favorite groups was one that looked at submitted photos in the group to write funny things at. I think once they went I started losing interest followed by the blase that came when I kept losing gear.

I downloaded 500px and juggling mentally if I should do it.

I'm not touching Instagram thanks to Zuck's acquisition. I'm sure I can find community there but I already keep a distance from Facebook for a reason.

Since I can't access my main computer, I can't really show off any new exports. Still, the macro usage is refreshing.

I was planning on posting a few more images I worked on, but they're still back on the home computer and everything I have is already uploaded. I can't even share Flickr images properly because the interface via mobile doesn't include embed codes. Oh how I hurt in the first world problem.

Normally for that reason I wait on posting until I get back but I'm probably going to be busy when I get back so I'll just post what I have. I should have something interesting to look at.


Oh, just found this.

The Rat on a tour of Montreal

Incredibly tired. Got back into the Peloton and burnt 700 calories the other day, but it made my butt distorted enough to give me a bad sleep. Of course. Should do more arm exercises since I haven't done any for weeks now. Trying to get some chest work back in the routine again too. I don't know if it'll lead to anything though.

My stock submissions have now bumped up to 250. My rank went up. Sales? lolol no. They say you usually need to upload around 1k images before that happens and nowadays I'd be shocked if it wasn't even more now to get consistent sales.

Going to Vermont this weekend. I'll finally get some syrup restocked in the house and the in-laws need honey. No idea what else we'll do there, but I'm hoping to find some scenic locations for Michelle to get more practice with.

Working on photos, currently working through some Philly Museum of Art shots that were taken back after the Superbowl which meant walking up against a crowd of Eagles fans among all the football paraphernalia and the Rocky fans that wanted to appreciate the stairs.

If you've never been btw, it's very comparable to the Met but if it was under a Mandela effect. Did you ever wish the armor exhibit was more about weaponry? Did you ever want the Asian gardens to appear more like the set of a period piece drama? Do you like windows? Well! Have I got a museum for you. It's a popular location for photographers from Unique Photo to visit and I can see why. Also lots of influencers there. Saw one use an artifact to prop their phone to record them doing a walk and that left me holding my tongue.

Flickr's been discouraging. Fewer people checking my work but that means competition which means I need to work on myself better. I think a lot of it has to do with postproduction and I need to work on it better.

This weekend was a trip to the Bronx Zoo. this time with me understanding my camera a little better and the images I think are a little better. Images to come.

Before that, we went to Letchworth again during one of the iciest times. More photos of that as well, just... in time. Met some of the locals along the way, including one that gave us some history of the location. While I knew a fair amount of it, he also got into some topics I didn't know about (spoiler: there were a fair share of illegitimate babies and there's a good chance some hidden graves exist). Anyway, despite the ice, both of us safely got around, no tripping, no scratches to the equipment, just lots of photos while Michelle tried out the macro.

She sent me a whole bunch of The Rat photos as well ( and if that's what you're into, you probably want to click here. ) But I'm going to assume that isn't that big of a deal, so yeah. Anyway, work's been progressing so that's good. I feel like I'm cleaning up my own messes more than anything and I think that's just my anxieties but also I do know I need to do better, so I do strive.

Not a total loss besides: received a healthy boost to my merit increase and a bonus to boot that will hopefully go to the house fund or at least cover this year's payment for the eclipse trip. Either way.

I think I found out that every type of lens I was looking for was due for an update because the other lenses I was looking at apparently have new versions coming soon. I think I was bound to be disappointed with whatever purchase was made regardless. I still am trying to figure out if I want to get a cheaper Chinese lens that's been known for picking up a lot of fame recently for being well-made versus an OEM brand that just released that is very comparable. Annoying myself over something that really doesn't matter as much but at the same time my perfectionist complex is kicking in.

Oh! Still though! Still! That macro I got? Perfectly acceptable. The quality is nice and I like it. Now I need an excuse to use it. Already got some flashes set up and did a photo sesh strobing one of my model builds. It's already fitting into my bag without a problem too, replacing the fisheye that's too situational for my liking (though tbf it found a few uses in the Philly museum). It gave me a debt, but I'm already paying off a healthy share of it and should probably have it finished by the end of April.

Cooking more as well. We realized as well that ShopRite basically discounts their burger patties which means endless burgers for cheap after hours so Weds has become the new routine as I make loco moco, burger burritos, sandwiches, etc. Michelle's eating more fruit in general too. The mac and cheese was a hit btw but it's also still dense as hell. At least it isn't being mean to me biologically outside of being a brick of calories.

That's all I got, so going to call this a post. I'll be reading through your posts. If I'm not following you, feel free to let me know as well and I'll add you as well, I could use the excuse to look away from work for a bit.


Back to it.

I hate being jealous of my wife but this photo is so damn good.



Like everything about it feels surreal; it looks painted because of the statues created to resemble Van Gogh art mingled in real life images that are out of focus with the warm colors mingling well and it adds to the compatibility of the Rat just being there. I can't get over how natural this feels. Ugh, I feel like such a poser compared to her lol

lmao The workload at the job I'm getting kicked from is at an all-time high in numbers. Before I was going to scale down the work I was doing to try to train the team, but now it seems moot anyway since I wouldn't give the team more work when we're getting inundated like this.

My replacement didn't even attend the meeting, not like it matters since I don't think she does any of the processing anyway. Did she not attend because of guilt? Because she couldn't be bothered? Because she was on leave? Well whatever, I don't think she expected the job to be like this and I explained my position enough to know that I am not far off from being that xkcd strip.



I don't like to bloviate myself but even I will admit that this job involves a lot of specialized skills and a willingness to work fuckoff hours just to make sure your team has everything it needs while finding ways to work around limitations from a needy client and I have been doing just that. It's a puzzle solver position for workaholics that like a challenge.

I have yet to see her do any of this, even right before I received the sendoff notification. She's asking me for help instead of checking previous notes and reverse engineering. She doesn't even come from production which is the kind of skill/grindset you need for this job (hence why I mentioned in a previous post that there's a likely chance she's a nepo hire).

Two people are also on leave, so that's going to be fun.

I could just... leave and let it come crashing down. Maybe experience video games again...!

..

.

Stupid moral compass.

Edit: Okay fine, there's also the fact that it'll be more amusing when it's the last week and they experience the full force of the hoisted petard.