Stopped in for a brief chat with my sleep doctor yesterday. New provigil prescription to go with this years new insurance company. The last one wouldn't do a 3 month supply of provigil by mail order, it was a $70 co-pay for one month. This one will do 3 months for the price of 2 via mail order, so $60 for 90 days. Also we discussed reports that I may possibly have been percieved to be snoring through the mask. That's not supposed to happen. She suggested increasing my mask pressure from the prescribed 6.5 units (I don't know 6.5 of what) to 8. Authorized to change these settings I found the clinical manual on-line and immediately noticed that my machine was only set to 6, not 6.5. I bumped it to 7.4, because it only accepts even tenths in input. The machine can't be set to anything point five. I had a little trouble getting to sleep, and two wake-ups, which is probably normal for adding that much pressure. But the important thing is. I woke up feeling more rested, and noticed, by comparison, that I had been having morning headaches, because I didn't have one.

Paid $90 for that brief chat with the sleep doctor, by the way.

We had a family dinner at my brothers new house yesterday. Then Dad and step mom came over here to spend the night. We watched a hockey game and hung out, then I showed them my photo studio space, and we took a few pictures. Then they went to bed. I edited pictures and went to bed. It was a nice, laid-back visit.



My dad. It's a picture that would be a discard on first glance, but it's a good shot of him. His wife loves it and I'm pleased with it too. Breaking rules galore. No eyes. Looking out of the frame. But black background portraits are awesome.



Click on that one for a bigger version. I really like that one, because I was able to get the shot I was thinking of. Kim wanted a couple shot, and Dad was grumpy about it. They are a foot different in height, and I knew that a "natural" shot would just show a lot of space between their faces. So I got their faces close and just for a moment, this showed through. Kim was standing on a stepladder, BTW. Shooting a subject who is six foot six inches tall is a challenge, right from the start. Shooting below eye-level is usually unflattering, and I never start out below eye-level.

I am going to make an effort to do a self portrait a day in 2010. It will ensure I handle the camera every day, at least in theory. Here is #1, posted a few hours late...





I couldn't find my remote! But I found it while the pictures were being D/Led out of the camera.

I also will be doing a lot more with stock and other photography in the upcoming year. I always need models for stock.

"Does this bus go to inova?"
"Umm, where does it go?"
"Do you go anywhere near inova on your way back to the subway station?"
"umm."


Some guy and his son had gotten on the wrong bus this afternoon. They were looking at either riding back to the subway station, and then waiting for the right bus, and riding back, or a long walk, or waiting for a cab that would cost them $20.

"Inova is less than a mile from my house. Want a ride?"

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Feeling a bit worn out. Rented a carpet cleaning machine to deal with the "pet odor" in the basment. I've dragged that machine around the basement over and over all day long. Pumped some 40 gallons of water through the carpet in the basement, clogged the drain in the bathtub, and really done some serious cleaning down there. I think now I have to just let stuff dry down there and see how a sniff test goes in the morning. But I'm sore all over. Only one blister on my hand.

Tomorrow, I move the stuff down there to try to get an arrangement that feels roomier. Also I want to get the tables for games night spread out a little bit. We end up with two tables right next to each other and people get louder and louder. Anyway, basement cleaning. Whee!

Did you see the articles about Arrow trucking? Google it, I'll wait. The exact details of their failure aren't public, but like all business, they ran on credit, just in time inventory and just in time finance. Somewhere in the chain, something fell apart, some customer couldn't make a payment, whatever, and when Arrow didn't get their payment, they couldn't pay someone, and the chain of just in time money failed to arrive in time. Arrow may have failed in a dramatic way, but it's not unthinkable for an aweful lot of business. Especially when the US govenment operates on credit, and so much of our economy is dependant on the pretend money the government uses.

I forgot to post here. Games night tonight, if you are in town and available. Parking will be tricky.

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