Wandering

I'm beginning to think I might be better off if I had a degree of structure in my day.

iPod

Did you ever have one of those projects that started simple and small, but somehow grew more and more complex? And very expensive?

I had an iPod Dock that I no longer use (it was replaced by one that came packaged with my iPhone), and I thought it would be fun to use it to watch video from the iPod and iPhone on the small TV in the kitchen. A quick five minutes of research found the cable I thought I would need to buy, for about $20.

Five more minutes of research, however, indicated that for the late-model iPod I had I'd need a different cable entirely — for $50. A review expressed concern that the connectors seemed somewhat delicate, so to avoid having to constantly plug and unplug the cables, I'd have to get an inexpensive switch — another $20.

But that seemed like a reasonable solution, so off I went to the Apple Store.

An hour or so later, all cables connected, and I'm trying to sort out why this is not working as planned.

Five more minutes of research reveals an important detail I'd missed: the older model of iPod Dock (iPod Universal Dock) is incompatible with both the iPod and iPhone for this purpose. It had since been superseded by another model (Apple Universal Dock), and that's what I'd need — for another $50.

So now everything works — only it ended up costing five or six times what I had expected it would. And I still have that unused iPod Dock, sitting in my closet. (Perhaps my five-year-old might have use for it in a few years, when he's old enough to have inherited his own iPod.)

Awake

It's almost 10:00 AM — yet for some reason it feels like the middle of the night.

Mars Sand

In the gift shop of a local museum, I found something I've been curious about for a long time: Mars Sand (also known as "Space Sand"). It's sand that has been specially treated to be hydrophobic — unbondable with water.

Submerged in water, it resembles, well, wet sand. (Sort of.) It forms clumps, and can be molded into rudimentary forms. But the moment you lift it out of the water it's instantly dry. You really have to see this stuff to get the full effect!

Lost

I often act on impulse. It's a habit that has not always served me well, but occasionally it leads me to surprising adventures.

Today, I took the long way home, lost my way, and discovered an uneven and unpaved road behind an open gate. I had no idea where it might lead (a sign said the road was officially closed from December through April, so I thought it must lead somewhere), or how far I would have to travel, but the urge to explore was irresistable.

I wondered what the road had once been used for. I found the broken ruins of a dam, so it was clear that some sort of industrial activity must have taken place there, long ago. (There's a park on the site of a former quarry, not far from my house.)

I had missed the sign on the way in, but noticed the name "Sunken Mine Road" on the way out, and I had followed it through part of what I later discovered was Fahnestock State Park. (I haven't been able to determine what was mined on the site.)

It was a thrill to think that I had no idea where I was going, to be miles away from anyone. (Seemed an appropriate way to celebrate Earth Day, somehow.)

Celestial Mechanics

"A piano couldn't stand on the Sun." This, according to my five-year-old.

Bonus

My fulfillment company, intending to send me a check for $106.35, sent a check for $10,635.00, instead.

So very tempting!