So I get a call from an 800 number that turns out to be Comcast, my internet/cable/phone provider. They are absolutely delighted that I am a new customer and really, really appreciate my business. At least, that's what she said.

 

At this point, a red flag goes up in my brain, because I'm not really a new Comcast customer. I moved and transferred the service. It was an intra-city move - my telephone number didn't even change, nor my ZIP code.

 

Then she asks me if I will take a very brief survey and I decide I will, as long as it is really brief. Hang on, this is where things get interesting.

 

SurveyWoman: "What Comcast services are you using today?"

 

Me: "Don't you guys know already?"

 

SurveyWoman: "Can you review them for me?"

 

Me: "Yeah, I have Triple Play"

 

SurveyWoman: "What's that?"

 

Me: "How can you be from Comcast and not know what Triple Play is?"

 

SurveyWoman: "I'm sorry, sir, I don't really know the products -- I just have to ask these questions..."

 

To be fair, that's not, by far, the stupidest thing I've had happen talking to someone in a call center. I once called Chase-Manhattan bank to ask where the closest location to cash a check was. The agent told me she didn't know where Boston was. When I explained that it was the capitol of the state of Massachusetts, she asked me if that was near Brooklyn.

 

(OK, so that's a bit more regional, sorry 'bout that).

Those of you who have been around for awhile might remember the Pentagon scandal in the mid-eighties over the purchase of $435 claw hammers. That story is probably apocryphal, however, this one is not. The Corley sisters of South Carolina exploited Pentagon payment processes to charge unbelievable shipping costs for trivial items. The washer alluded to above (two of them, actually) only cost 19¢ apiece, but since it was a priority item the Corley sisters charged the government $999,798 to ship it. Yes, you read that right. By the way, shipping a split-ring washer was way cheaper at $293,451. This might be amusing if it weren't my money, but as a United States taxpayer, I find it disgusting.

 

Anyway, in honor of the event I'm publishing a photo I took recently on the Esplanade in Boston. It was a chance encounter, to be sure, although perhaps fated in light of the circumstances. I will have to go back, find it and get it so that I can sell it to the government. In fact, I'll give it to the government. Just please let me priority ship it - I'm cheap at $25,000 a unit.

 

 

Sorry to be all artsy-fartsy and stuff, but people tend to see in this photo whatever they tend to see. If you want to know what I saw, hover over it and look at the filename that pops up.

Well, it was a very disappointing night out in Western Massachusetts, despite my optimism yesterday. The evening went alright, I suppose. My friend K and I saw probably 15 meteors before he left in the late evening. But it was very hazy and there were lots of clouds around. As the night set in, the cold air caused a lot of moisure in the air to condense all over everything. I had thought it wasn't going to be so humid. At any rate, shortly after K left, the sky covered up with a thick mist. I did see a really nice meteor through the clouds, though, which is pretty cool. By one AM, it had cleared a little bit, but it only lasted a half hour of so and by 2:30 it was socked in. There was one more little hole of open sky shortly after that, but it wasn't even enough for me to take a picture. I stayed up all night doing some other night photography and waiting for the sunset. But at 5:15 or so, it started to rain.

 

Now, I generally like taking pictures in the rain. However, after an all nighter 1,500 feet up the side of a hill lying on cut grass that felt like a bed of nails, after having not been able to take very many star photographs and knowing that I had a three hour ride home and knowing that there wasn't going to be much of a sunset at that point, I left.

 

Back in the lightroom, I took a look at the very abbreviated set of pictures I took. I may write more on that later, because it's pretty interesting. Anyway, there is one photo with the faintest of meteors in it. I don't think I'll even post it because it's really hard to see. There may be a nice stars photo in there, but that's not what I went there for and so I'm generally disappointed.

 

Oh well, there's always next year.

 

By the way, the place I was in was quite remote for Massachusetts standards. I was on a hillside about 120 feet above the road. Part of the hill had been cleared, so I humped all my gear (thanks for the help, K) up the hill and set up near the treeline. Looking down from the treeline was roughly east-north-east and that was great. I was able to identify the radiant without much trouble and all that good stuff. But there are wolves, coyotes, bears, deer, moose and many, many other critters just behind the treeline, and I heard every single one of them all night long. I ended up singing and talking to myself. I know that sounds crazy, but it kept the animals away. Whenever I would stop for, say, ten minutes, I'd inevitable hear the noise of an animal approaching. I don't have too much worry about wildlife in this part of the country, but I really didn't want to deal with it.

 

K lent me a petzel light (thanks again) which was really great. At one point I had that experience when you point it over into the trees and you see two eyes staring back at you. The first time that happened to me camping I was totally freaked out. But this time I found it really interesting. I even walked over to that area. The animal (probably a racoon, cat or something else pretty small) hung around shining those eyes at me until I started to approach and then it casually turned right and walked away.

 

So that's the recap. There might be some interesting stuff in there, but there are not really many meteor shots. I did also take film photos, so I have to have that processed before I'll know.

I just ran outside to make sure I could find the radiant and even though I was standing in the middle of an very well lit parking lot (I couldn't even see all the stars in the constellations), I saw no less than three meteors. One was definately a Perseid - it ran straight out from the radiant. The other two might have been random strikes, although one of the two was close. So I am extremely encouraged and excited because viewing conditions where I am now are abysmal.

I'm being sarcastic. I do respect the police very much for what they do, but that doesn't mean I always like how they do it. I was rather disturbed earlier today when I stopped by the liquor store in West Medford Square just after an accident and before the police arrived. No, I didn't have my camera. See, that's what happens when you don't bring it. I'm not sure I would have taken photos anyway.

 

But the thing that disturbed me was the behavior of the police. Now granted, I have no idea what they were told when they were called. However, I was standing not ten feet from the cars and could clearly see both sets of people. They were calm but obviously upset.

 

These were, almost verbatim, the first two sentences the Medford policeman said:

Since I saw the police arrive, I had wondered what would happen. I totally expected them to say, "is anyone hurt" first. All I could think was that this was an accident and if I were looking for help, I'd be very upset if the police came out barking at me like that. Now again, I know I don't have the whole story, but I'm sure a lot of people will understand what I'm talking about. And again, not to drive home the point too hard, but after living in London for a few years, I don't understand why the police are so mean. It doesn't have to be that way. It's like they just assume someone has done something illegal, or is drinking, or whatever it is. Man, I really hate that. That's not only wrong, it runs counter to everything our legal system is supposed to stand for - innocent until proven guilty.