Bringing a Big Fish Back to Life (sort of)

The marlin after. 

     When friends Stacey and Andre offered a seven-foot stuffed marlin to me, I knew it was the perfect gift for a young nephew who loves fishing.  The poor marlin was in pretty rough shape, though, with some of his hide missing, the coating gone, and his tail broken off.  He also had his one eye painted over with a silver star.
     I looked on the internet for tips on how to restore the poor beast, but there wasn't a lot available.  Apparently, people rarely work with the carcass of the fish any more when they want a mount.  Rather, they make a cast of the fish and simply have a replica of the fish they caught to hang on the wall.
     But this boy is the real deal, real fins, real scales, real spike up front.  I suppose it makes the whole thing a little more difficult to deal with.
      I didn't end up with a perfect fish, but it does look okay in the photos, and once it's hung on the wall, far enough up that you can't see the flaws so vividly, it will look good.  And I think the boy is a happy camper.

The marlin before

The New Me

I'm a fan of strange, odd, interesting, new (as well as the familiar, ordinary, boring, and old, but that's another matter), so my interest in all the cool Chrome Experiments is strong.  So here I am in one of them, a very intriguing portrait, don't you think?  It's the Web Cam Mesh.

Starting a Cold New School Year

I might have one of the least stressful jobs in the world (yeah, right), but the run up to the semester is never easy when you're trying to stay on the cutting edge of technology that is always changing and helping students prepare for a work environment that keeps changing right along with it.  I think of it being a bit like starting up the cold car in the mornings--a little reluctant, slow to fire, but ready to come to life once the big battery (the students themselves) kick in.  Looking forward to a good year, with four different classes on my docket, all with new textbooks and new technology.  No stress there, thanks!

Replacing Maxima Headlights

I wasn't satisfied with the photos in my automotive manual on how to replace the headlights on my 1998 Nissan Maxima, so I took a few photos while I was doing the job myself.  I hope if anyone sees this they find it useful. 

First Ski

Lake Herman ski trail, December 29, 2012

Last winter we didn't get enough snow to make it worthwhile to dust of the skis and bring them out of the garage, but this year it's a little different.  We've had some snow stay on the ground, and with a few sunny windless days, there has been an opportunity to get out to the park and have a little quiet time in the woods. A good way to end the year.