Skiing and Broken Bodies

The picture is of Mt. Rose Ski Resort. The bowl in the middle of the shot is where Sara went down. Well, skiing this year has had its ins and outs. Debra and I have been doing fairly well without any major wrecks except for the usual face plants. But some of our friends haven't been so luck. Tom C. has been the worst. He had a fairly severe crash that has broken three of his lumbar vertebrae and disk. It occured while skiing in Silverton Colorado. It appears to have been a freak accident resulting from a slight dip in the snow that sent him crashing into some rocks. He's doing better now but had some complications resulting in his digestive system shutting down. He should be on his way back to Reno about this time and will by staying at his parents place. Luckily he wasn't paralyzed but it will be sometime before he can easily get around again. Alex's wife Sara had a pretty bummer of a crash also. Tore her ACL on a crash at Mt. Rose. Although not as viscious as Tom's crash she will still be out for some time. Also, talked to my ex-roomate Eric. He had a serious crash that has resulted in his being blind in one eye. Ouch. All these accidents have had Debra and I skiing a little more paranoid than usual. We're hoping that the bad luck has finally ended for the year. Let's hope it's true.

The Lack of Recent Posts and Malaysian Manufacturing

Well, I've been very behind in making any recent posts. I have a tendency to want to post pictures with all my updates in order to make it a little more interesting and to show people what's up. Unfortunately my digital camera managed to get a lot of lint or other annoying materials on the CCD. Not sure how that happened but there is definitely a lack of seals to prevent the introduction of foreign materials into the camera. So, being the smartest guy in the world (please note this is with extreme sarcasm) I decided that if a 12 year old Malaysian could assemble the camera then I could darn well open it up and clean the CCD. I at least was smart enough to put down a soft plush towel on the work surface that I was at, and this saved me some headaches. Using micro screwdrivers I removed the screws holding the back and front metal panels in place and then proceeded to pull them apart. As soon as the casings were removed parts of the camera fell out everywhere. Not a single piece was screwed, glued, or tabbed into place. The majority of the cameras electronics were connected to the main board along with the lense assembly, but the mics, protective inserts, space filling metal pieces, etc. fell out all over the place. Instant Chinese puzzle. The only thing I was happy about was I could now get high pressure air can to spray into the area of the CCD. It took about an hour for me to get the camera back together after cleaning it out only to find out the lint had migrated from the middle of the CCD to the far corner still causing problems with the final images. Had to take it apart again and do it all over again. I am now an expert at blowing up and then reassembling a Sony DSC-7 camera. Seems to be working all right, at least for now. New posts to follow shortly.

Another Storm Approaching Tonight

There's another storm hitting the Sierra's tonight.

After the Rain

Of course, this being Nevada, we can't have the same weather for more than a short time. It rained up into Monday afternoon when it changed over into snow. Woke up this morning with an ice covered world. It's supposed to be warm (56 F) by tomorrow. Keeps us on our toes.

More Pics of the Floods

Here's some more pictures of the Carson Floods. Most exciting thing since to happen around here since the Nevada Day Parade!! Yeah. Please note that this is said with lots of sarcasm. I think the kayakers were creating a new sport - Kaygolf. Yes, my humor is that bad.