Photoshop Hell

For the record, the two phrases to search on when trying to figure out how to automate Adobe Photoshop tasks are the following:

I'm only an occasional user of Photoshop, and I guess I've gotten used to its user interface and menus, but whenever I want to figure out how to do something new, it's like pulling teeth. Is it so unreasonable to expect the word "macro" to employed, somewhere, in describing the process of creating a bunch of commands to be run ensemble on each photo in a given directory? I don't think the word "Macro" appears in the help file for Photoshop at all.

I also think the word "Actions" is incredibly poorly chosen. What is using software at all if not a series of "Actions?" Until I rediscover this word in the help file, I'm helpless.

Helicopter ride

Already as I watched Gloria ascend in the emergency helicopter from this Death Valley parking lot a couple of months ago (visible only in this larger image), the following thought passed through my mind:

Hmmm—wonder if the insurance will cover this one.

Since receiving the bill for $14,631.83, I haven't had the courage or stamina to read our policy. But yesterday we got some good news:

Paid in full!

Upside of jury service

I rediscovered Homma's Brown Rice Sushi, a place that you only find by going down a little alleyway after noticing this sign, and which might possibly be the restaurant closest to our house as the crow flies (or as anything flies, or, more importantly, walks or rides a bicycle from our house).

There's one chef (is he Homma?), and a helper. A few seats indoors, and then plastic chairs outside. The sushi was excellent, and not too much of it, either.

I recommend Combo #1 or Combo #2.