- I'm from over 300 miles out of town. (It's a cache in Norfolk, VA.) If "don't post pictures" is a local rule, which I doubt, I can't be expected to know that. Put the rule in the cache description!
- The cache description says that the container is a green ammo box. In fact, even the name of the cache has "green box" in it. The picture I posted of the cache is a picture of... surprise... a green ammo box! How is that going to spoil the hunt for anyone?
- The picture I supposedly posted of the cache location is 180 degrees from the cache location. I was actually pointing the camera towards where I had parked, showing an open stretch of grass. And that was after I had walked part of the way back to parking. Again, not a spoiler.
What I want to see is that cache owners open a dialog via geocaching email whenever they feel they need to delete a log. That has happened twice in Virginia already and no effort was made to contact me. Instead, they only posted notes to the cache page, under the assumption that I would go back to the website to see what's wrong. Maybe that's a local custom too.
Lots of stores were closed today. One exception was the Chinese supermarket. So I went and got a lunch box there, and a bunch more snacks. I like the curry-filled pastries, although the stuffed yam pastries are good too.
However, the police didn't take the day off. The speed trap that has been at the same spot on the Garden State Parkway for the last two weeks is there again today. (Unless, of course, the police were being tricky and left their car on the median to make everyone slow down. Can't tell if anyone is in there with those tinted windows.)
Back home, I needed to retrieve an electronic statement and found that Ameritrade was in slow-as-molasses mode, so I did a web search to see if anyone else has been having problems with them. Found this page of complaints. No surprise there. However, I also found out about Freetrade, a division of Ameritrade offering commission-free equity trades. In return, they cut out telephone and mail service. (Depending on how you feel about Ameritrade's customer service, this may not be a downside. :) ) My first inclination would be to transfer from my Ameritrade account to a Freetrade account. The transfer fee will be $25, but 3 trades will more than make up for that. I'm wondering if there is a catch to this deal that I haven't thought of yet. Well, no hurry. I'll think about it. Then again, in light of Ameritrade's website problems, I should probably switch to somewhere else altogether.
I thought the New Year was a good occasion to go out for dinner so I went to Gen Sushi & Hibachi, a little sushi bar in the neighborhood. It was a little late so they had already closed the hibachi, but that's okay as I was there only for the sushi bar.
It was fascinating watching the sushi chef make sushi. He had a large pile of fish from which he was constantly cutting, rolling, and arranging. (He was working on a batch of takeout orders at the time.) Anyway, when he was done, I got my order, the Spicy Maki Combination:
After the meal, they gave me a restaurant calendar as they had a stack of those printed up. Although the calendar has a menu and pictures of the food they offer, part of it is educational and explains a few Japanese customs, and the tools and ingredients used in making sushi.