While walking home from San Diego Zoo on Sept. 27, 2025, I passed by some kind of gathering or event at the Greek Orthodox Church on Park Blvd in Hillcrest. Being Thursday, I doubted a religious service was underway or ending. But what??
I initially assumed wedding, but on closer consideration funeral appeared to be another reasonable possibility. The people looked cheerer than somber, more befitting a wedding, dedication of child, or something similar.
Minutes earlier, the kid on the left had been doing wheelies down Monroe in my neighborhood of University Heights. Not being a thru street (right turn only on Texas), traffic tends to be light compared to Madison or Mission on either side. I sometimes see roller skaters on Mississippi either at Monroe or Mission. So, these daredevils weren’t out of place, but the electric bike meant increased speed and risk.
I set up the shot, for their approach. You can see them coming upon Louisiana but turned towards one another rather than looking ahead. Meanwhile, the driver is somewhat blinded by the late-day sun as she turns Westwardly. There is no indication that she sees the distracted bikers.
The Featured Image is one of those off-chance opportunities—assuming anyone but me gets it. On May 6, 2025, as I walked along Alabama Street in my neighborhood of University Heights, something snagged my attention: An apartment building’s “For Rent” sign visible through a car’s front windows. The fabricated illusion: The owner of the vehicle seeks someone to rent it, to live in.
In San Diego County, such an idea isn’t far-fetched whatsoever. An estimated one in four homeless people live in some kind of vehicle, whether car, RV, truck, or van. Across the county, the number reportedly exceeds as much as 65,000 people.
I don’t know whether or not Captain Blackbeard is still around, but this is where he lives (or lived). I used Nikon Zf and NIKKOR Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR lens to capture the Featured Image on May 6, 2025. Vitals: f/6.3, ISO 125, 1/500 sec, 200mm; 9:49 a.m. PDT.
This fine feline earns nickname Bouncer, because of the sign. I have seen the feisty furball on other occasions, but this was the only photographic opportunity to date. I don’t recall the last time I saw the Captain.
A drawback of letting a backlog build up is recollection. Why, when, and where did I take the kitty’s photo? Oftentimes, I don’t remember those off-street—in the distance. My recall is better for those animals seen out and about; other cues, such as specific surroundings, typically trigger memory.
According to file location data, this fine feline joins the large but nevertheless select group of kitties seen on Alabama Street between Adams and Lincoln; number one-hundred ninth to be exact. The shorthair is also eighty-first found behind door or window. I don’t recall even taking the photo.
I am in the process of changing laptops, which makes me short on time and also reviewing older photos as files transfer or archive. The Featured Image is one of them, captured on Aug. 1, 2017.
With time, I tend to forget what was captured where. But I remember this plant cage, because it was so unusual. I also chose not to share the shot, because you can’t really make out enough of the greenery growing inside. But tonight, with an applied filter to add some character, here you are.
A common misconception about inflation is that prices go up, when in reality the value of money (e.g. spending power) goes down. The Economist explains the classic case: In late-1923 Germany, when, because of hyperinflation, “a loaf of bread cost 140 billion marks. Workers were paid twice a day, and given half-hour breaks to rush to the shops with their satchels, suitcases, or wheelbarrow, to buy something, anything, before their paper money halved in value yet again”.
I got a taste, quite literally, of what this phenomenon is like, and I present it as a demonstrative model for your education. Pizza Hut gives so-called “Hut Rewards” points for redeeming menu items. I had accumulated just more than 600. Large pizzas with any toppings are 300 points, so I had gained enough for two free pies.
The price of gasoline at this Shell station (formerly Valero) is typically mid-range for the area; not the highest and by no means lowest. Less than two weeks ago, price at the pump was $4.30 per gallon. A few days ago, I paid $4.90. Now it’s $5.70.
Can you say, “Iran war?” Because that’s what is surely behind these rising prices that have yet to reach their ceiling. Americans will be impacted everywhere, from cost for fuel oil to gasoline, for starters, and rising costs of anything transported by air, land, or sea.
I debated with myself about whether or not to share the Featured Image. The photographic slide, from my father’s selection of hundreds—maybe thousands—is among the grittiest. There is even a hair there. But something about the dirt and vintage (circa 1973) adds an air of authenticity at a time when people use Artificial Intelligence to create unauthentically authentic art. (You get the point, yes?)
My father, uncle, and aunts would have attended this schoolhouse in Woodland, Maine. My grandmother was a teacher’s aide there, unless I am mistaken. I know she worked at a school somewhere. Washburn, if not?
Along Panorama Drive on Feb. 4, 2026, my wife spotted this fine feline, whom I pursued with the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. The shorthair stalked something, and from the sounds of things several birds—none of which would ever be in reach. Nivkname: Wiley.
Vitals for the Featured Image: f/3.4, ISO 32, 1/132 sec, (synthetic) 230mm (digital and optical zoom); 10:23 a.m. PST.
Second day impressions of Samsung’s flagship smartphone are much better than the first. I found the somewhat reduced antiglare coating to be more than sufficient, combined with auto-screen brightness, for using the device outdoors on another sunny San Diego afternoon.
The S26 Ultra feels better in the hand than its predecessor. Differences are subtle but noticeably pleasing. So far, battery life is exceptional. I started setup around 12:30 p.m. PDT yesterday. That process, which can continue for many, many hours, is a notorious battery drain. Yet, at around 7:30 p.m. tonight, when I decided to recharge for the first time, battery level was still about 30 percent.
I spent some time helping out my daughter’s friend this afternoon. A bit of chaos descended last week. While he was at the hospital for treatment of an injury, San Diego parking enforcement towed the larger of two RVs, which was his domicile along with our daughter. Reason: The vehicle parked in the same location for more than 72 hours, which caused it to be classified as derelict. For sure, because he was injured.
They were in transition from a 37-footer to something little more than 20 feet long. As Voice of San Diego explains: “Cops Crack Down on RV Living“, and it’s the big ones they primarily target. A day or two later, and our daughter’s friend wouldn’t have lost so many personal belongings in the tow-job. (Shall we just call it theft?)