[Toshi]

my old Pathfinder was broken into three times. Part of my rationale for the WRX was to have a lockable trunk.

I'm on the Sounder commuter rail now btw. It's really similar to Caltrain and is very nice. Much nicer than buses: well lit, roomy, wide aisles, overhead storage, quiet, smooth, less crowded, and room for 6 bikes per car. While most buses now have triple bike racks I have been left in the cold when all spots were taken on rainy days before. The only disappointment is that the WiFi is worse than my iPhone's EDGE. Oh yeah, and no one has come by to check for a ticket or a pass yet?

I approve. (my return commute today: bike, light rail, commuter rail, then diesel electric hybrid bus)

 

[dan-o]

i foresee biodiesel being a more practical option for me if i end up in the pac nw. there are a TON of places selling B20, B50, B99 out here.

www.pdxbiodiesel.org shows portland's strength in biodiesel stations, and seattle is equally, if not better, represented

Mark me as jealous. There's 1 bio retailer near me but its 10mi out of my daily routine. Hopefully a bio co-op will spring up around here, I burn ~40g/week during the construction season and the wife put the kabosh on a home-brew kit (something about having 100g of diesel below the kids bedrooms...)

 

[Westy]

One other house was hit a couple months ago but nobody at the same time as we were. Security system is partly installed, I'll be finishing it up tonight... and we got a bunch of ADT stickers off eBay right when it happened, so hopefully that'll discourage any would-be robber. It'll make us a little more comfortable anyway.

Dresser drawers and such were all pulled out, and the other house that was hit a couple months ago had guns stolen, so that's probably what they were looking for. No prints, no witnesses... everyone was at work. Cop wasn't exactly optimistic about finding anything out.

Just did a little playing with the D300... it's a friggin' beast. Probably about as safe as carrying a baseball bat - anyone looks at you funny and you could take their head off.

Large
Dog

 

[binary visions]

Large
Dog

Yeah, I know. That's the best security.

Unfortunately, our lives are too swamped right now to really be able to take care of a big dog. At least, to take care of it to my satisfaction which includes regular attended exercise. Plus we're considering moving out of country if I can get a job with an international company... Just not a good time to own a dog, as much as I'd really love to have one.

 

[Westy]

Yeah, I know. That's the best security.

Unfortunately, our lives are too swamped right now to really be able to take care of a big dog. At least, to take care of it to my satisfaction which includes regular attended exercise. Plus we're considering moving out of country if I can get a job with an international company... Just not a good time to own a dog, as much as I'd really love to have one.

Just put a heavy duty dog lead in the front yard and crap in grass. Neighbors and thieves will think twice about going near your house.

Whole thing sucks by the way. How is Antimony taking it? The experience can be very traumatic well beyond losing some items.

 

[binary visions]

She's doing very well. A little skittish, of course, but that's to be expected - I thought she would be more scared by the whole thing, but life just goes on and she has been taking it mostly in stride. We rode to and from work together for a week after it happened but other than that she's been pretty calm about it.

 

[Westy]

She's doing very well. A little skittish, of course, but that's to be expected - I thought she would be more scared by the whole thing, but life just goes on and she has been taking it mostly in stride. We rode to and from work together for a week after it happened but other than that she's been pretty calm about it.

Good to hear.

Now to really dumb down Toshi's thread:
This should help with making the proper lawn ornaments.
http://www.bumperdumper.com/

 

[binary visions]

That's awesome.

I'm going to buy a rusted out Suburban, put it up on blocks in my yard and install a bumper dumper.

Who would rob a house with that in the yard?

 

[Westy]

In North Carolina someone would likely steal the Bumper Dumper.

 

[binary visions]

Toshi's poor thread, it never saw it coming

 

[Toshi]

a) am on the ferry now after a day of autoxing, day three since the new year. I joined the pro class this season and am floundering. Was sixth out of seventh today, smooth but slow. Time to play some more GT4 and dial in some aggression...

b) I think I'll start an alternative personal transportation thread in the lounge to keep current. Aptera, golf hybrid diesel, diesel motorbikes, stokemonkey, the whole gamut. It will be as much for my amusement as for the edification of the reader

 

[Toshi]

b) I think I'll start an alternative personal transportation thread in the lounge to keep current. Aptera, golf hybrid diesel, diesel motorbikes, stokemonkey, the whole gamut. It will be as much for my amusement as for the edification of the reader

http://www.ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=198412

as promised. some stuff in there that i haven't posted about elsewhere, too...

 

[binary visions]

Since a Lounge post will inevitably be greeted with a "Take it to ridefoto, n00b!" I thought I'd post my very first shots from the new camera here... there is a very large local daffodil field that we went to in the gale-force winds yesterday:

 

[Toshi]

ooh, purdy. are they sharp at 100% crop?

 

[binary visions]

They are tack sharp. Build quality on this Tamron isn't quite as good as the similar Nikons, but the optics are stellar and the bokeh is outstanding.

 

[binary visions]

Saturation and sharpness are pretty amazing... it's a whole new world vs. a compact digicam... or, for that matter, any other SLR I've used since I've never had the opportunity to use high end lenses. This little killdeer was running along side my car so I stopped and snapped a shot before he took off:

 

[Toshi]

nice. shooting RAW/NEF, i hope? let's see some ISO 1600 indoors stuff...

[photosnobharping]careful to not lose shadow detail unless that's the effect you're going for[/harping]

 

[binary visions]

Haven't done any playing with NEF yet. I will, just haven't gotten there - still kinda feeling out the camera and getting comfortable.

Actually, I didn't notice until after the shot that it was left on spot metering which is why shadow detail was missing. Part of my still settling in with the camera - checking all my settings before I release the shutter

 

[binary visions]

Quick shot @ ISO1600 per request:

100% crop:

 

[Toshi]

cool, looks fantastic when resized. now switch to NEF and click-balance 'til the cows come home...

 

[Toshi]

i'll be heading out to the fourth autocross of the season tomorrow, the first one that counts! first three were "slush season" practice events.

i currently have 39 runs out of an expected lifespan of ~120 on my race tires. if i go to every local event through june and do a lapping day or two then i should be able to use up the tires before i leave town, allowing me to sell the extra set of OEM wheels they're mounted on for close to what i paid for 'em ($300 + shipping).

what does this matter, you ask?

well, if i end up in portland then autox opportunities will be few and far between: the closest site is in washington near mount st. helens, a solid 2.5 hr drive. i don't foresee myself doing that regularly during residency.

and since the only reason i have the RX-8 is to race it, it would stand to reason that i'd ditch it for something with better fuel economy than its revised-EPA-standards-rated 16 city, 22 hwy mpg.

:rubshandstogetherwithmaniacalgrin:

this could be fun, in addition to the obvious headaches of moving, starting a new job, sleep deprivation, etc.

 

[ALEXIS_DH]

i'll be heading out to the fourth autocross of the season tomorrow, the first one that counts! first three were "slush season" practice events.

i currently have 39 runs out of an expected lifespan of ~120 on my race tires. if i go to every local event through june and do a lapping day or two then i should be able to use up the tires before i leave town, allowing me to sell the extra set of OEM wheels they're mounted on for close to what i paid for 'em ($300 + shipping).

what does this matter, you ask?

well, if i end up in portland then autox opportunities will be few and far between: the closest site is in washington near mount st. helens, a solid 2.5 hr drive. i don't foresee myself doing that regularly during residency.

and since the only reason i have the RX-8 is to race it, it would stand to reason that i'd ditch it for something with better fuel economy than its revised-EPA-standards-rated 16 city, 22 hwy mpg.

:rubshandstogetherwithmaniacalgrin:

this could be fun, in addition to the obvious headaches of moving, starting a new job, sleep deprivation, etc.

time for a dedicated race car and acompanying trailer?
irate2:

 

[Toshi]

time for a dedicated race car and acompanying trailer?
irate2:

maybe some day. in the near future getting a Prius or the like and dropping racing for a few years is much more likely. it all depends on what city we end up in -- if i can live without a car at all for a while that'd be the ultimate.

i did realize today that i would like something even smaller, lighter, and sharper-edged than my RX-8. think ariel atom, although cheaper if possible. (i did pretty well at the event today: won my class in the morning and then picked up an additional 0.7 seconds, albeit with a cone or two, in the afternoon.)

 

[Toshi]

[crossposted from xanga]

today was quite possibly the worst day in my life.

i had basically no faculty support during the Scramble -- my assigned radiology guy was on the service and ducked out frequently to do barium studies. "page me if you need me"... <--- completely missing the point that the faculty's job during the Scramble is to BE THERE and TALK ON THE PHONE with other schools' faculty types.

ugh.

worse yet, i fumbled around with ERAS for a solid 20 minutes when the Scramble started, putting in the program code instead of the ACGME ID in the search field, yielding no results. (and ERAS was what all the programs wanted -- calling them only yielded a busy tone, a full voicemail box, or a testy sounding person saying to submit info through ERAS, and, no, there was no one i could speak to.)

the net result of this was that i didn't have any spot whatsoever at around 11:30 AM, and was losing hope rapidly. i was basically resigned that i'd be taking an extra year either through expanding (5 yrs for school) or through graduating in june of this year without a spot and working a "normal job" outside medicine for a year while reapplying. needless to say, this would have sucked mightily.

then a small crack appeared in the once-seamless facade of suckiness, and i found out that a preliminary surgery spot had unexpectedly opened up right here at UW. after back and forth bickering about test scores that weren't back yet between the program director and the dean of the medical school i was offered it, and gladly accepted the internship. even if i would have to re-apply to radiology residencies during a tough surgical year it'd be better than nothing.

i considered myself done with the Scramble at this point and left, running errands about town with my cell phone on me... just in case.

the cell phone came in handy: in between picking up junk at sears i ended up having a whirlwind set of three phone calls: one from a program asking for documentation verifying my board scores; a second not 30 minutes later from the radiology department chairman; and a third 15 minutes after that from the residency program director offering me a spot.

i accepted, of course.

thanks to the Scramble i know where i'll be two days before the rest of the non-scrambling medical world:

July 2008-June 2009: University of Washington (Seattle), Preliminary Surgery internship
July 2009-June 2013: Nassau University (Long Island, NY), Diagnostic Radiology residency

(although it worked out fine i would not wish this process on my worst enemy. it's quite possible the worst way to decide one's fate what with the programs not answering their phones or emails, the lack of faculty support here at UW, the sense that options are diminishing by the minute, and the general opacity of the process.)

 

[Mike B.]

Congrats! Quite the day, can't say I'd ever want to go through anything like it. Friend of mine is 3rd year at (gasp) Yale and already starting to panic about next year given she wants plastic surgery. I guess there are so few spots that you just have to hope and pray.

At least you get to stay in Seattle for another year before going to the commuter hell of LI.

 

[Toshi]

ooh, what can you tell me about LI? where should i live? can i take the rail everywhere? is it like the great gatsby?

 

[splat]

one thing I can tell you about LI , Its expensive!!!!

 

[Toshi]

one thing I can tell you about LI , Its expensive!!!!

i can live in a hovel. it's ok. being 2 hours away from the city should be awesome... ny philharmonic!

 

[Toshi]

here are two really cool music-related things:

1) Melodyne

i'm still not 100% convinced it's legit, or that it'll work with a
variety of musical timbres, but Melodyne claims that they are able to
break up polyphonic recordings (ie, not MIDI) and manipulate the
pitch, volume, and duration of each component note individually. the
video explains it well, and even if you normally shy away from youtube
i'd recommend watching this one:

as the inventor notes this could revolutionize the recording industry.
trumpet player fouled up a note on a take? just drag it to the proper
pitch in melodyne...

2) MySong

In a nutshell, the software records your singing (preferably in tune) through a microphone, and it systematically generates an instrumental accompaniment for your song. The quality is even comparable with a professional accompanist, not to mention the cost and time involved.

http://www.istartedsomething.com/20080229/mysong-microsoft-research-singing-sound-a-lot-better/

(video at the link!)

note the "jazz factor" and "happy factor" sliders, heh

 

[Mike B.]

Probably want to check with Dante & Ska Todd on more in depth info.

Check the MTA website for info on the LIRR (map here). I did work on some LIRR cars for overhaul and they were actually much nicer than a lot of the dated cars in the northeast corridor. Don't expect the nicer buses of the Pac NW. If you get back on the mountain bike, there is some riding on LI but you can also hop the ferry to CT for better stuff.

My sister-in-law lived in Montauk and driving the expressway out there was horrible most of the time. Avoid the Jones Beach area on weekends. I seem to remember some nice public beaches in Westhampton.

Make friends with Tiger Woods and his new 65 million dollar mansion.

 

[Westy]

ooh, what can you tell me about LI? where should i live? can i take the rail everywhere? is it like the great gatsby?

Worst regional accent ever.

 

[binary visions]

Toshi, I just caught up on all this craziness and wanted to say first off, sorry you had to deal with everything, but congratulations on eventually ending up in your chosen residency (is that the right term? Maybe WITH your chosen residency?).

All I know from Long Island is expensive horse shows and the accompanying opposite ends of the income spectrum: those who make their living around horses and are therefore dirt poor vagabonds, and those who have horses as a hobby, who are filthy rich and sometimes snobby. I used to work the Hampton Classic. A lot of fun, snobs nonwithstanding.

I ate at some exquisite restaurants there. Haven't a clue about any of the names since it was always charity from the wealthy horse owners I made friends with when they realized I had the misfortune of having to work for a living, but rest assured there are some very nice places to eat.

 

[Fool]

Long Island, huh. Live in the city and reverse commute. East Meadow is in the middle of Nassau County, in the middle of the island (widthwise anyway), far from anything that's nice about LI. Commuting by car is about as bad as it can get anywhere else in the US. The transit system is extensive, however, the LIRR and buses can get you anywhere from the city to the beaches to the tip of Montauk. There's riding to be had, both MTB and road, occasionally the surf gets good if you can stand the cold, Auto-x is alive and well out there (too bad Bridgehamton track shut down, though) and, yes, there is a Long Island Philharmonic Orchestra!

 

[Fool]

Also, congrats.

 

[Toshi]

thanks, Fool. i'm not sure if i can get it but there exists limited subsidized/low-cost housing on the med center campus for residents. that might be my best option, no?

forget nightlife -- i want to live cheaply. (plus me and the gf, who is on board for LI, are homebodies who prefer to do stuff during daylight instead.)

 

[Toshi]

it's amazing how cheap i've gotten in the past few weeks. i blame rising gas prices along with the realization that i'll actually having to start paying (a very small portion of, thanks to hardship provisions) my student loans back. last i checked, before this final quarter's aid was disbursed, they were something like $110,000.



in the grand scheme of things this won't matter a whit, and a lot of it is at a nice, low interest rate (3 and change fixed!), but that's still undeniably a big chunk of money. factor in the inevitable costs of moving, both within seattle in a month or two, and across the country next year, as well as the, uh, costs implied in having my girlfriend move with me, and you can see why i might be feeling a bit skint.

so what am i doing about it?

a) not skiing, even though it's been snowing (!) here in town with much more falling up in the hills. i figure it costs me pretty much $100 each time i head up, what with gas, the ticket itself, and lunch on the mountain.

b) taking the bus or riding EVERYWHERE, even when it's not particularly convenient. this includes both my horrid tacoma-seattle commute last month as well as heading to the VA hospital where i am this month and up north to the girl's place in mukilteo. the VA-mukilteo commute takes 1.5-2.5h+ depending on whether it's during the express/commuter bus hours, but it's free.

c) trying to subsist entirely on food pilfered from the girl's fridge or from costco. this includes eating out less when i'm paying, heh.

d) i'm planning on selling the RX-8 in may after racing it as much as possible in april. yes, it would be cheaper to not race it, but i already have and paid for the race tires and will get more use out of them this way than i would get extra money on trying to resell them.

e) whatever i replace the RX-8 with will be cheap, as the assumption would be that i'd ditch it before heading to long island. moving two cars across country doesn't seem practical.

f) when i move out of my current, shared house to next year's digs (somewhere in seattle) i'll try to share a 2 bedroom with a fellow intern, ideally located within 2-3 miles from both of the hospitals that i'll be at. this would eliminate much early morning whining when deciding whether to bike or drive in, and if combined with pay per use parking instead of a permit could ultimately save money.

living cheaply as possible will be a good exercise since not only will LI be more expensive but the girl may well jump straight to a master's in education program instead of working...

yikes. what have i gotten myself into

 

[Toshi]

two separate bits of "news":

1) i'm starting to wonder whether it would be more practical for the girl and i to have one or two cars in long island. thoughts from the natives? Fool? if two is the answer then i'll shoot for something a bit nicer: something that will still be cheaper outright and cheaper to insure and run than my RX-8, but not a $1500 POS either. (2001 Prius perhaps?)

2) for the next two weeks i am going to attempt to bike commute in every day. while this is usually non-news, it is for these weeks since i'm at the seattle VA med ctr. it's south of town. i live north of town. this will thus involve 12 miles, one drawbridge, two decent hills, and possibly some tears. i figure i should leave about now (6:39 AM) if i'm going to make it comfortably by 8 AM clinic...

irate2:

 

[vtjim]

Growing up on Long Island (albeit farther East than where you'll be) I have to say that owning a second car will be useful, if not necessary.

The wife and I tried it for a while when we were living out in CA and since I had the car most days to go to work she was going stir crazy being unable to get anywhere over a couple blocks away.

 

[narlus]

Quick shot @ ISO1600 per request:

canon's not shaking in their boots.

 

[narlus]

btw, toshi - congrats! i'd not heard the conclusion of yr residency quest.