PBDC Day 12/31: Partial

Monday and Tuesday were the first consecutive days of 50+ degree weather in way too long to remember. Probably no more recent than Christmas week. Into Tuesday afternoon we started getting storm warning notifications for anywhere from four to nine inches of snow, freezing sleet, strong winds, thunder, or any combination of the aforementioned meteorological afflictions. This morning there was quite an accumulation of snow on my windshield.

And it was gross snow. Not like the powder we graciously received for the majority of the winter, or the ice that frosted over quickly, it was wet and chunky like angry bleu cheese or a mixture of bread crumbs in a bowl with just enough egg in it to make it clump together but not really stick to anything. The roads were a slushy, bumpy mess, and it was not pretty in any way.

By noon the snow had stopped and the sun had come out in full force. Not to say it warmed up, it barely squeaked into the 20s at best, but at least the roads were cleared out enough where you didn't have to fear for your life. Leaving work this afternoon I noticed that my car was adorned by a double-decker icicle mustache, thanks to the snow that started higher up and warmed up enough to flow with gravity before refreezing.

Despite the sun's presence in the now cleared sky, the winds had already painted Mishawaka with the pasty snow, sticking it to every inch of tree, bush, building, and traffic light that got in its way. Seeing traffic lights partially blocked out was definitely a first. I have no picture for those since I don't touch my phone while I'm driving.

I did, however, see the most unique ice form I've seen all winter. Imagine a snow-covered pole. Now melt it just enough to where it starts sliding off the pole, but not where it falls apart. Add wind. Include a sign on the pole that catches the partial-sleeve of snow and prevents it from falling to the ground. And now freeze it in a position that would catch the eye of someone looking for cool things to capture on camera.

I give you, The Twisted Partial-Sleeve:

And a couple other pictures to get the full effect

and...

Cool, right? Natural art on a man-made canvas with a sweet blue background. Looking at it again, it looks like a water slide. Or one of those twisty tube slides at a playground. I've walked past this pole numerous times, but for some reason it caught my eye today, and I'm glad it did.

So it might have been the ugliest snow storm of the winter this morning, but even so, I'm partial to living in an area with four seasons. That way you really start to notice more as things are always changing, and if you don't keep your eyes open, you may never see them again.

Photo and Blog A Day Challenge-Day 6/28: Pattern

Being so cold on a day off is a good reason to not go outside. However, this leaves me with a smaller vicinity to find my picture of the day. In an effort to be a good husband, I wanted to get some cleaning done and cap it off by taking out the trash. (See: Dumpster on Day 4 here)

Despite the fact my face was immediately making me regret my decision to go outside and leave my comfortably warm apartment for a few minutes, I did get to enjoy the snow-covered canvasses atop the garage units being splashed with a spectrum from the sunset's palette. As much as I admired the natural art adorning the man-made structure, I did not find a pattern I wanted to capture. But when I came back inside, I saw this:

I enjoyed the way the blinds lined up in contrast to the framework on the window. And even though you can't see the detail in the picture, the screen of the window provided an additional layer of grid work to the composition. But just before I took the picture, as I admired the orangey purple of the building across the snow, the techie-geek part of me squeed.

The blinds and window frame lined up just as the guiding grid does in many cameras. I don't utilize this feature on my camera phone, but it does have the setting available if I so desire. But still, in an attempt to capture something so...for lack of a better word...simple, I've managed to drench it in 21st century tech.

Now, I'm not trying to claim to be some kind of old-fashioned hermit who shakes his head at every new device that comes out, that would be completely hypocritical. Obviously, I'm taking pictures with a smartphone and uploading them to social media sites, so I can then type an accompanying blog on a laptop using a wifi connection to upload to another social media site. So yeah, I'm pretty connected, but that still doesn't mean I can't enjoy things that aren't powered with a Lithium-Ion battery or require wall chargers.

And that's where I'm going with this. I can enjoy my non-battery-powered creature comforts, but still take advantage of modern technology in perfect harmony.

Harmony.

That's an interesting word. And it reminds me of The House Bunny. (Growls: Har-monyyy)

Earlier today I was watching the Bill Nye/Ken Ham debate and I was trying to be objective, but I couldn't help but snicker at the pure distaste of a desire to collaborate and teach in...wait for it...harmony.

I wanted to wait until I had watched the whole thing before I commented on it, but in short, here's what I'm taking away from it. Ham is saying, "stop picking on us, we're right." And Nye is saying, "prove me wrong and prove your side with real empirical evidence and I'll modify my view."

Even in that alone there is conflict. Nye is in a place of openness and listening; welcoming any attempt to show him something new. But Ham is staunchly disagreeing and focusing on minute details. I'm not saying Either extreme is wholly correct (in short, I believe aspects of both sides), but at least The Science Guy is leaving room to listen and learn.

So I guess that's what I'm trying to say today. I'll listen to anyone who wants to teach me something new, but as soon as you start telling me that everything I know is wrong and that you're the ultimate authority, know every truth, and justify it with verses taken out of context, then I'm tapping out, because it's no longer a conversation--it's a lecture.

And I don't do well with lectures. I like to respond too much. And ask questions.

Any questions?