Heat Weirdlastname Hello, dear readers! A combination of factors is leading me to take a bit of time off from blogging. I expect to be back by Labor Day if not sooner. If you’d like to still engage with my writing and photography in that time, I am continuing to connect with my email subscribers once per … Read more
Twice in the last few months, two middle-age or older men who know me only in the context of Heat have addressed me as Heather. Both went a bit out of their way to ensure I’d notice they called me Heather and not Heat. I think it’s weird. I’ve been told explicitly—also by middle-aged or … Read more
Rocket Kid and I took late evening hikes several days this week, and the sunsets and moonrises were beautiful backdrops. The first two have some light editing done to them. The rest are the way they came out of the camera. This image is available as a print or on several other items here. I … Read more
In the last two years and change, Rocket Kid did a fair amount of schooling online, including a full quarter in an online self-guided program. Fortunately, the work was rarely a problem—he typically understood and could complete assignments. How to navigate on the computer? That’s another matter. Much like his course work, I could show … Read more
The short answer: pretty much anything. Parents can and should monitor content but not the delivery system. Your kid likes to read novels? Great! Graphic novels? Great! Magazines? Great! Encyclopedias? Great! Audiobooks? Great! I don’t think it matters. It’s critically important for babies and young children to be read to. While I haven’t been good … Read more
Nursing an injury, I wandered around the trailhead area where I usually run at South Mountain and took some macro shots. I had a few problems. First, it was breezy, so catching flowers and the like when they were still was challenging. Second, I was lazy and didn’t bring my tripod. Third, it was quite … Read more
Most jobs have a degree of complexity and/or nuance not visible to people outside of the job, even if they’re in the same work place, and running a household is on that list, especially if there are children involved. Babies are time- and energy-consuming. Even babies with lovely dispositions without food issues who sleep well … Read more
Like many urban areas, the price of houses in metro Phoenix has skyrocketed in the last couple of years, and the price of rent has followed suit. Before the current spike, minimum wage wasn’t a living wage and a lot of people were working multiple jobs to make ends meet. Given all of this, it’s … Read more
My first trip to the Grand Canyon since acquiring the Nikon! And the maiden voyage of a clip to hold the camera on one of my backpack straps. Sometimes, Big Nik was the best tool for the job. But I also had my phone, and Nik, Jr. for macro. Shots from all three are mixed … Read more
Deep in a musty electronic basement, I found a piece that I started writing but didn’t finish or publish about the 2020 Superbowl halftime show. What better day to publish it than today? Some themes are evergreen and while the event is a long time ago, the problem persists. The performance that year was Shakira … Read more