Is it me? Or are taxes too complicated and weird? March 13, 2015

This year’s tax filing continues the trend of obscure and mysterious tax situations that render the forms nearly incomprehensible.  Take this small section, for example.

Here we have a snapshot from a page of the CA State details.

You have to pay tax on rewards received from a crime hotline?  Is recycling income bottles & cans related?  What constitutes a water conservation device?  Getting rid of your lawn will get you a tax discount?  Oh, and my favorite.  There are so many people who won their False Imprisonment lawsuits that they have to put the compensation received for it on the tax form?  And what does the Ottoman Turkish Empire have to do with us and why are we settling financially with them?

There are whole worlds of weirdness that affect us, and about which we know zippo.

Raptor Obsessed March 4, 2015

I have been watching birds during my morning and evening walks with Austin.  We saw this Juvenile Red Tail getting harassed by crows.

He is in a light phase of coloring and is molting, as you can see by the gaps in his wing feathers.  It made him easy to recognize.  And a few weeks later there were two of them, both settling back into one, tall, waving palm tree.
Today, the molting one came low to check me and Austin out and Austin barked.  The bird, about 6 feet above my head, visibly flinched, and then came back for another look.

Then the other red tail in the palm tree started crying the hawk alarm for DOG! or canine, or coyote.  So I returned the call.  And then there were TWO hawks circling me and Austin low, and the alarm was still on from the Palm Tree.  Three juvenile red tails hanging out together?

Too soon for babies to be out and about.  This is a mystery.

In the meantime

No matter how loud I talk, Tyrion has to upstage me.

7 seconds of exposure, uh, I mean fame, er, something February 27, 2015

So last Friday local Channels 7 & 11 needed a quick bird clip and I was available on short notice.
Here’s the link.  Don’t blink.  http://abc7.com/news/ocean-water-quality-improving-at-poche-beach-/530160/

 

Spring Book Bling February 18, 2015

It is most definitely Spring in So Cal.
The Acacia has already come and gone, leaving that nostalgic sweet scent wafting about
that used to be my favorite flower and now gives me a horrendous sneezing fit.

At the New Year we had a two day and 6″ deep snow blast that was all we got of winter
( nothing like what our friends on the Right Coast with 7 feet of snow have to deal with right now).

Spring flowers are bursting out all over, decorating the most dour of expressions on the most fearsome of beasties.
This is Nikki.

and I have a book about to come out on Amazon
Pest Bird Abatement Using Falconry: The Client Guide

Written for anyone burdened with solving a nuisance bird overpopulation problem.  I wrote this to give administrators and managers a short cut into the Falconry-based abatement Q & A and decision-making stream.

If you see little birdie terrorists having their way with someone’s lunch or garbage cans,
feel free to mention this resource to whomever appears to be in charge!

Alas, The Berkeley Bubble, issue two of The LiveAboard DocuComic Series is still not finished.
I need to rack up more referrals to the print for less shop if I’m going to get it printed.
It would cost a fortune to print it through Amazon.  Full color and all.
That means finding more people to take advantage of the referral deal of
500 business cards designed for free by me and printed for free by PFL and shipped for $9.30 by FedEx.

Know anyone who needs a nice biz card?

Pest Bird Abatement January 27, 2015

Nice work if you can get it.  This pic appeared on the Facebook page of a hotel guest.

Pushing ahead December 9, 2014

My last LifeLines radio show played today.  I have been reaching for too many activities and something had to give.  I recorded the show at the actual KISL station, which is significantly easier than trying to assemble 2 hours of sound from afar.  I will be uploading all of the archives from the past year and a half to cynxing.com and also KISLAvalon.com in case anyone wants to check it out.

In other news, a 60 lb. bobcat just strolled past my deck.  I didn’t take a photo because that would have meant looking away for a second.

The Hunter Becomes the Hunted November 13, 2014

Sheran James was walking her dog at the marina when she bumped into me walking Austin.

We began blathering and, long story short, we are both radio show hosts.  Her interview of me will air on the internet at http://kx935.com/show/thesharinhour 93.5 FM from Laguna, this Sunday at 6 pm PST.

Hopefully mine of her will air at 11:30 am Monday at KISL Avalon 88.7 FM

We are both animated talkers, (and she’s got a great British accent) so I have no doubt that they will be fun to hear. Can’t tune in then?  No worries, she archives her podcasts like I … am supposed to do.

Fair Winds on the Air Waves, Y’all – C

Creative License November 6, 2014

Despite having tons of other things to do, I made this movie today about Austin’s Summer Vacation in Colorado.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgPAt8FSY6I&feature=em-upload_owner#action=share

I’ve got plenty of other things to do, but my Muse made me do it.  Enjoy…

Ch-ch-ch-changes October 29, 2014

I am not sure how it happened, but it looks as if I may have moved back to land, 3 years before my arbitrary 10 years was up.  The falconry is picking up and I got a job in the boonies where I can keep a kestrel or red tail for a season.  This does not end the boat saga, but it changes it significantly.

For now I am glad to have a real kitchen, fridge, FREEZER, and daily contact with critters of all kinds.  Austin is thrilled to have his own couch.

Help me catch up with finishing the rest of Vol. 1 of the LiveAboard DocuComic series by ordering 500 free business cards so I can get printing credits to make issue 2, The Berkeley Bubble.  FedEx requires $9.30 for shipping, but I will do your layout for free.  See this page for more info.

PRINT The Berkeley Bubble – Vol. 1, Issue 2 of The LiveAboard Series September 24, 2014

For the first issue of The LiveAboard Series, Dock Dorks, I tried KickStarter to raise some funds to finish that project.  Despite not knowing much about social media, I raised $6k of the $10k (much of which would have gone to fees and taxes) in one week.  KickStarter rules are that if you don’t raise the whole amount you get none.

So I am trying GoFundMe on the advice of a friend.  There is no deadline for how long the campaign goes, and I can keep improving my pitch, rewards, etc. along the way.

See here for what I have going so far: http://www.gofundme.com/TheLiveAboardDocuComic

If you have any ideas for how I can make the cartoon fundraiser more compelling, please tell me.  I find I start wallowing in a “why would anyone help me?” place that’s dumb but has something to do with the nasty subconscious voice of judgement.  Who has, by the way, appeared in other comics of mine as it’s own character…

You can see that comic and the Voice of Judgement Bug more clearly here.