Summer has officially arrived for me. Camping this weekend was the first sure sign, and then today right around 2pm it started getting really hot and quite breezy. The tree limbs were swaying and the leaves were turned up in the way that can only mean thunderstorms are imminent. By 3:30pm the sky had gone black and I could sense-but-not-quite-see the lightning before thunder boomed off of East Rock in the distance. With the downpour came lots of bolts and bangs and all of it made me very happy.

There is something wonderful and true about a summer afternoon punctuated with a powerful t-storm. Now the air is light and breezy and the mugginess of this afternoon has mostly dissipated. However, I'm not quite convinced there isn't another storm on the way. Radar shows new bands springing up to our west but they are not exactly lined up to pass right over New Haven. I'm an absolute nut about weather. It feels good to be back in a place where the weather can vary wildly. SF had a steady rhythm that lulled me into paying less attention.

Next time you're on Google Maps, make sure to check out the "More" button. I've seen it and ignored it a few times but it turns out there's good stuff that has just been added. And I just added Lu's photo of the West River, VT to the website Panoramio.

I wonder how long it will take for that photo to appear on the link above. I also wonder how long it will take for the camping glow to fade. I love it all: the magnificent mayhem and mess, the suddenly cool nights and freezing pre-dawn, and best of all the gorgeous breezy pause between the moment the burgers hit the grill and when evening has arrived and dinner is served. Summer nights should be spent around a campfire. That is truly the only way to do it.

The new ride is a nice little machine, but I still feel strange driving in it. When I see other Matrixes (Matrices?) on the roads I can't see myself in it. But it was amazing for the farmer's market today and I'm sure it will be even better for camping this weekend. Going to Jamaica (VT) to sit in the woods for a few days. On the way there, we're going to have to fill up again. If we can make it to MA we'll do better. CT gas is brutal these days.

I almost just fell out of my chair watching this video about El Camino del Rey in Spain. It is a walkway between Chorro Falls and Gaitanejo Falls. I'm not afraid of heights, but this had me spinning.

Wow, Google Health is up and running. I'm sure it will be easy to use, revolutionary and ubiquitous before long, but I couldn't quite allow myself to sign up the second I saw it. Medical records are powerful documents and I need to think about all this a bit more before I give Google the keys to my organs.

The Matrix came through. Been driving a stick for the last few days and I love it. It was cool to see my dad take the car for a spin and shift through those gears as smooth as glass even though he's been driving an automatic for years now.

I just hope that in 2047 things are as awesome as they thought they would be 39 years after 1961. I wish I had the chance to shout, "Honey!!?? Where is the remote control for my clothes!!?"

Sometimes when life gets a little complicated, I have to step back from the interwebs and my blog to figure things out. That was this week. Aside from being extremely busy with work and very rarely at the computer, whenever I was here, I was looking for a car. We need a machine in our life, but obviously not an actual "new" vehicle. I've never bought a car new and I doubt I ever will. Sure the smell is nice, but the 30% depreciation the second you drive it off the lot is not.

Right now I'm waiting on a call for the one we want, but it's in the bank's hands now. We thought it was going to be either an Accord or an Outback, but we test drove a Toyota Matrix, and it really looks like the right car for me. Great mileage, standard transmission and tons of space in back to load up with coffee, camping equipment or baby-stuff. Now that phone just has to ring so I can head out and sign another part of my life away!

Found this on the web last night and I must have it. I know Lu would love it, too. She hates wasting food of any kind. Plus it's just fun to have a jar with 2 ends!

For some YouTube fun, take a look at this squirrel obstacle course. Rather amazing that this wild creature was able to navigate the course so quickly. Of course with food at the end of it, the motivation is strong. What I still can't quite figure out, though, is why a human would go through the immense trouble to create this. Someone had a lot of time on their hands!

Last offering is a list of great free music sites on the web. I tend to stick with Pandora and Rhapsody for streaming music, but there are a lot more options out there.

Today was a big day at the Gallagosen household. It was our first foray into the world of gardening and things are looking good. Got some help from a local guy named Jason that knows a ton about gardens, and he had the tools to help get us started.

For about 45 minutes this morning he and Lu stood in the sunny back yard discussing the possibilities and evaluating the yard. We have tall trees that create shade during parts of the day, so certain plants have to be planted in very specific locations, while others won't work at all. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be quite enough direct light to grow tomatoes but we're going to aim for the last bright spot out there and hope for the best.

Lettuce, cale, spinach and other greens should do well, though. Herbs, chili peppers, beans, carrots, cukes and scallions are also on the menu and Jason even suggested that we give garlic a try and I am all for it. I love the idea of growing our own garlic.

He said the soil looked good but we opted to have him add in a bit of composted manure and he suggested that some lime was probably a good idea, too. There are soil samples out for testing, but time is wasting and we need to get this going.

Some day down the line we'll have a meal of veggies that Lu grew, and finish it up with a cup of coffee that I roasted. If we want breakfast, I guess chickens are next.

It's not that I hate the Interwebs or blogging or any of that. It's just that my job drags me from behind this computer screen, out onto I95 north and south so I simply don't have the time to find awesome links for all of you as often as I would like. I will never give up, though. Never.

Volcanic lightning in Chile that I'm not sure I even believe in except that it's from National Geographic so it must be true.

And here's Catbus, if you're in the market for some new furry transportation. I'm gonna be buying a car in the next few days and I'm pretty sure it won't need petting. Just gas often and maintenance rarely because that's how Hondas roll.

Last is a pretty good list from Esquire about what all men should know how to do. According to this I'm doing pretty well, but there's always more to learn.

Alright, here we go. Year Three Four is in the hopper and year Three Three has been ground into the thin dust of personal history. This is gonna be the big one for me. Bigger than 18 or 21, more important than my first day of high school. This is the year I make a million bucks, have a kid, balloon around the world, capture Bigfoot, write a book and unify Physics with the Theory of Everything. Well, at the very least I'll definitely have a kid. The ultrasound today proved that beyond a doubt.

If you're bored I have some stuff for ya. For a really cool video and to hear an amazing song by M. Ward, have a click here. (Thanks Mike!). Next check out a Rube Goldberg video that turns out to be an advertisement, but is still a lot of fun. Or if you want to play some online Pictionary then this is the place for you.

Started out this year a little wobbly. I find it hard to believe I am the age I am, and that I'm in the place I live and that I have a child on the way. Soon enough though all of it will feel normal, I'm sure.

This photo of the recent shuttle launch is absolutely beautiful. It's my new background as a matter of fact.

Another matter of fact is that we saw This American Life broadcast live from NYC tonight, in a movie theater. That it was incredible is my opinion, but that opinion was shared by everyone walking out of our theater tonight. It could have quite possibly been the most enjoyable 2 hours I have ever spent in a movie theater, excluding The Big Lewbowski, of course.

A very funny moment occurred even before the show started, though. We were in the lobby with tickets in hand but definitely early. I saw a group of middle-aged individuals approach the ticket taker and be turned away. They walked toward me. It was two couples in their 50s or 60s, the men wearing blazers, the women nicely dressed and clearly these were NPR listeners.

As they got closer I said, "Are you guys here to see Harold and Kumar?" Utterly serious, one of the men looked at me and replied, "No," and began walking away. But one of the woman looked at me funny and then I said I was joking and asked them if they weren't letting people in for This American Life yet. She started laughing and replied that no, they were not. We had 10 minutes to wait. Lu heard it all and was dying with laughter.

Then, once inside the show, one of the first things Ira did was say something to the effect of: "If you are high, and you are in here expecting to see Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay, go to theater 5!"

I heard the woman I had spoke to laughing on the other side of the theater. And the show only got better from there.