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Showing posts from September 7, 2008

Honshu and Okinawa

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I am back. I spent 10 days in Japan, 5 days for work on the main island of Honshu and 5 days of solo adventure in Okinawa. Travel is so invigorating dispite the uncomfortableness. Jetlag, anxiety, crowds, and other discomforts aside, it is mind-expanding and rewarding. Work went well. I flew a new airline (Skymark) from Tokyo to Naha. I am always wary of strange discount airlines and all the traps they set. However, I had a great expereince with "Sky". I was actually shocked. Super easy checkin at the airport, no extra fees even with extra luggage. The primary mission in Okinawa was to visit the Peace Park and the suicide cliffs of Okinawa. From what I understand, at the end of WW2 the inhabitants were encouraged to commit suicide rather than surrender to the Americans and get tortured and eaten. Besides other types of suicide, they jumped off the cliffs at the Southern end of the main island. If you have seen the original color footage taken at the time, I am sure you ...
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The solar system is coming together. I have all the major components. I still need to get some PEX pipe, insulation, pressure relief valve, expansion tank and some valves & fittings. I ended up getting an evacuated tube collector instead of my using my homebrew system. I hooked up with two Chinese PhDs and we are collaborating. You never really know how things turn sometimes, bizarre sometimes. When I was taking the collector off the truck I took the cardboard off because it got wet in rain. It was out sitting exposed to the cloudy-rainy sky for about an hour before I could get it off the truck. Surprisingly, when I grabbed the water outlet it was hot. I don't mean warm. I mean hot. And it was raining out. This thing really works. Cool. Well, Hot. The complete system costs are not tallied yet. I will be doing that for sure, but it is easy to justify the system with it costing $800 to fill the oil tank. This has been one of the more satisfying projects this summer, err Fall. ...
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The gas leases here in Upstate NY are really getting everyone's attention. The Marcellus shale that runs through the north Appalachians squarely runs though this area. You get thinking with that great value-filtering scenario that we should all live our lives with ... What would you be doing if you had a million dollars? It does help to think in those terms. What would you do if you could spend your time totally as you please? Your true values come out.
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Fall is falling on us. It is that time of year when the inevitability of a coming Winter is becoming just a bit more than a future state of mind. I was thinking about self-discipline. It occurred to me that it is a double edged sword as most things are. Self-discipline allows you to change in ways that put you where you want to be, what you want to do, where you see yourself belonging. On the other hand, self-discipline moves you away from where you are naturally and comfortable. Is comfort and nature where you need to be? I had to take a picture of Jim Morrison in the trash. It looked like real art in its context. I am getting about 6 eggs a day now. There are three roosters getting me up in the morning. That number will come down to 1. There is a brood hen sitting on a clutch up in the corn crib. Maybe there will be little chicks. The hay wagon is coming along. It is painted and I have the lumber. I need to finish sand blasting the wheels and get them painted and get the plat...
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