Random Thoughts in My Head

Last night was another G1 storm and the lights were dancing at 8pm and visible from my house. I had thought about going out for a drive, but didn’t so I just ended up in my yard twice after obsessively watching Ronn’s cam weblink for signs the aurora was out.

I got some good shots, figured out I really want a ball-head tripod after fighting with changing the orientation of my camera from landscape to portrait several times and also realized after some post-processing that I need to use a higher ISO than I think, even with a full moon.

Yesterday  went to a “Night Sky” workshop that I had signed up for a months ago. I was not even sure I was going to go until I made myself get up and get dressed.  It was supposed to be two days long; Saturday from 9-4:30 and Sunday from 9:30 – 12:30.  I was bored most of the time since I felt I had either learned a lot of the material in the first Aurora Workshop I took with a different teacher or the material was not relevant to Alaskan winter sky watching.  I decided to leave an hour early and I didn’t attend the Sunday section.  I sat with Mary, one of my new aurora watching friends, and said some things during the workshop about the content that normally I would not have said. My social filter is gone and I’m just not interested in apologizing for the lack of it. This is one of the days where I’m just mad at everything at everyone and don’t want to be around anyone. Living out in the bush is sounding more and more interesting.

There was going to be an option free outdoor clinic Saturday night, but we got hit with a winter storm (snow and high winds) so that part was canceled.  But there was a massive aurora storm going on and I took some pictures from my yard.  Third time doing this since Amber’s accident and it didn’t make me so sad.  Maybe that was because it was so bitterly cold that my fingers hurt by the time I came in, but I don’t just don’t mind that kind of pain anymore, or maybe it was because yesterday I was angry instead of sad. Either way, it was nice to have the distraction. The wind was knocking my camera on the lightweight tripod around so a lot of the photos were blurry even though I push the tripod into the snow.  The problems of a mirror less camera on a lightweight tripod I suppose.  I got a few good ones though and after the second trip out I think I finally have my lens taped to the correct setting for pin-point sharp stars.

  

Aurora Chaser Score! I just bought myself a “pipeline / north slope jacket” from someone. It’s getting dry cleaned since the previous owner was a smoker so it smelled yucky, but I should have it back by Saturday’s aurora chaser tour.

Now I just need better boots!!!

Oh, good. I’m going on an aurora tour this weekend and this is the weather forecast:

“…COLDER TEMPERATURES EXPECTED OVER MUCH OF THE EASTERN INTERIOR FROM FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY…”

“MANY AREAS WILL EXPERIENCE OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURES OF AROUND 40 BELOW OR COLDER.”