Have a Super Sunday Planned?

A cold wave swept through overnight. We will only reach 71F today. Luckily, I have a jacket in the car.

This ad may or may not be the one for the big game on Sunday, but it made me laugh out loud, and not many do that. For the most part, I have not watched any of the upcoming commercials online. I'll catch them during the game.

You are wondering now if I have any more classic CoV comics with a Michael Jackson theme. I do have another one. Let's remember it right now.

You are also wondering where today's personal photos are. (Why do I sound like some kind of hypnotist from the 50s? I don't know, but you are in a deep sleep right now. No, not because I am a hypnotist, but just because you are trying to slog through my blog). I didn't take the time to start the blog post last night, so nothing for today.

I said I would watch the commercials during Sunday's NFL game, but that may not be true. If the GRANDS are still there, it will be too difficult to actually watch the game or the commercials. That is what DVRs are for.

We haven't discussed what activities to do with the GRANDS yet. I hope we'll take them and the dogs and head over to a local park with a little lake and walk around, climb on rocks, sightsee. It'll be fun and exercizional (I'm sure that is a word).

I just talked to our VP's executive assistant and we were talking about today's management exercise of ranking and rating the organization. It seems we currently have 3 rated as Needs Improvement and we need 14, so 11 more must get lowered ratings. No matter that the CIO's staff says it is a bad idea, and HR says it is a bad idea. I hope I am not one of those downgraded (the CIO wants his staff to say that it happened because the bar was raised this year, but it will be a surprise to them if their manager has been saying they are doing well, as mine has). Oh well. What are you going to do, huh?

It's Friday, my friends. Let's get the long part of the day behind us so we can start our weekend. Be safe, OK?

No Songs About Backyards?

I didn't see any, but sometimes, it can be tricky trying to generate a query that hits the things you are seeking exactly. Why does it matter? Well, it doesn't, but the photos today all take place in the backyard of my parent's home in Farmers Branch, TX.

We'll start here with me and my brothers just hanging around. Hey, dickies were popular back then. This site says that they "never go out of style".

Possibly on the same day as the above photo, my paternal grandparents were visiting and Dad convinced them to pose for a picture.

On a different day, IT Sis went out back and visited with Preacher Bro's raccoon. Yes, a man of the cloth kept a masked mammal as a pet for a while.

The fun thing about that backyard was that it went down a long slope to a little creek. We used to play there a lot, and here is Preacher Bro doing exactly that.

You know what would have made the above photo sequence more fun. A nice accompaniment track of Michael Jackson songs. No? How about a CoV comic containing a butchered MJ song? No? Too bad, that is what you get.

Once a month, our team at work does some kind of team activity (you can see an example described here and here and the time we went to painting class here). Anyway, yesterday, we went to learn how to roll sushi. Yes, I stayed fairly true to my diet by only making and eating the veggie roll. The only bad part is it uses white rice instead of brown. Still, we had fun and it was certainly a unique outing. It took forever, though, because we had to work around their sushi chef doing regular lunch orders.

Then last night, we grabbed burger with the folks (black bean burger for me). We were over there doing laundry because OUR DRYER STILL DOESN'T WORK. I want to find someone via Craigslist who can come by and work on it. Yes, you know I will keep you informed, whether you want me to or not.

The GRANDS are coming over tomorrow night and staying the whole weekend. We went to the Children's Museum last weekend, so I am not sure hat our plans are, yet. MBH heard them whispering about maybe going to both McD's and Chick-Fil-A during the same visit, so who knows. It will reach 81F today, so I am sure we will be doing some walks.

My fingers need a rest, so I will wrap up this post for now. Y'all have a great Thursday.

S&S

It looks like it will be Short and Sweet today, folks. Short and Sweet. Why, you ask? Let me count the ways. No, I won't do that because there are not enough things to list to make it worth counting. Let's get to it.

I am still considering my options on the washer. It will certainly be cheaper to repair than replace. So, I will investigate that direction. until then, I will probably hit the folks' laundry room every few days. Maybe if I sneak in through the garage, they won't even catch me? I will also talk to SS about other options. Maybe it would be cheaper to buy from another Craigslist vendor and see how much they also pay to take our current washer and refurb it?

I was able to sing some of 75% of the songs during Chorale practice last night. That's an improvement.

No photos today, as often happens on Tuesday nights.

Since I am pulling from a four-year-old well of comics, I do have a recycled CoV for you. Be sure to sing it in time to the referenced song.

Apparently, DL (looks nicer than D-I-L and is shorter than daughter-in-love) is still sick. Just think of caring for three kids while sick. Mothers have a neverending job, don't they? Get well soon, DL. So, the Vegan Home Kitchen is closed this week. I hit up Whole Foods, though, and have kale salad, tofu wings, roasted squash, and quinoa salad to tide me over.

Hey, someone commented, and they were even on vacation when they did so. Thanks, PB. Now, as for the rest of you....

As I suspected, I checked and do not have any links to share today. That means I am out of blog content. And that means you are free to leave at any time. I imagine most of you did not even read that last paragraph because you left ling ago. I don't blame you. Let's all leave now.

Stinking Washing Machine

Fix-It Father came by yesterday afternoon and helped me with some diagnosis on the ailing clothes washer. Since it does not drain, our first thought was the water pump. OK, I got that off and it looks OK. It is plastic and has only one moving part. Well, it could be the motor that drives the pump, so FF pulled out his voltmeter and checked some stuff. No, that seems OK. The Interweb suggests it could be the solenoid, but that says there would be a hum and we hear nothing. Everything seems to point to some break in the electrical system. As we played with it, FF pulled the knob to start it and IT WORKED. We declared victory and I reassembled the unit. You know where I am going with this, don't you? Yup, once he left, it would not run again. Maybe he can just come over every time we do laundry?

After getting haircuts last night, and playing a little bit with the washer, I pulled some old photos for you. We will start with Stonehenge from 2004.

From the UK trip, I made a photo book and built the overleaf pages from other shots I did not use on the book. Here is one of the two pages I assembled. Note that there is a photo of the Loo of the Year Award in the middle of the collage. How many of you can say you pottied in the loo of the year? There is also a chewable toothbrush. And the shot of the St. John's Wood tube station is the one you take to go to Abbey Road.

Have I mentioned before that we are Disneyland people? In the New Orleans Square area, there used to be a cool stairwell that I liked as a photo backdrop. I could not find it the last couple of trips, so I guess they remodeled around it. I did catch this shot back in 2005, though. You can tell it is old because I still had dark hair.

Have I mentioned that I am a Clarity of Vision person? You can tell it is old because it is the blue-green shapeless people in the comic.

I liked this article about people who analyzed Monet's paintings to determine exactly when they were painted...down to the minute. So, if he had moved the sun just a little for artistic reasons, I suppose the computer model would have said he painted it on a day after he died. Still, I enjoyed the analysis. And yes, I know the song I linked is not actually saying "Monet, Monet, Monet", but it sounds like it, right?

I did not find any other links to share today. I already posted the photos and CoV. I am not thinking of any additional anecdotes I can share. I had a clever idea to call on family members to comment more frequently and refer to them by airport code (like SHV or DFW), but I cannot find one for a small town in SW NV (even though they did comment yesterday). Still, I wouldn't mind hearing for people.

So, it is time for Tuesday to get underway, so I grant each of you permission to make it a great day. Come back tomorrow, though, OK?

When It Rains, It Pours

Do you remember that ad from Morton's Salt? It was meant to signify that the formulation of Morton's salt would still pour out of the container, even in high-humidity weather. That also applies to other situations, such as home repairs, car repairs, good (or more accurately, bad) luck. Anyway, right now I am referring to needed washer repairs, car repairs, car repairs for Alison. Well, you know how that kind of stuff goes. We'll make it through, though.

My vegan food provider is ill right now. So, keep daughter-in-love in your prayers. As many of you know, taking care of kids is not an option, sick or well.

Since I got home from the Chorale concert last night to a busted washing machine, I did not have time to load up photos. Sorry. And we have haircuts appointments set for tonight, so I hope I can get the washer sorted out before we have to leave. That means not much time this morning for our visiting.

I did see this the other day and wondered about my own dialect. It seems mine tends toward AL, as you can see below. Interesting, right?

I do have time for one more thing. Another classic CoV.

And with that, I will head into my PM mode, leaving you to find your own way out of here. Tomorrow, maybe I'll be in a better mood for sharing. L8r, G8r.

Almost Through Another Week

I heard on the news this morning that there is snow as far south as New Orleans. That is crazy. That means that there must be snow up in the Shreveport area. Can any of you vouch for that? CPA Cuz, how about it? Is the weather making it bad news up in your neck of the woods?

How about today's photos? Oh, you noticed there were not any? Yeah, I have no excuse other than just getting distracted last night and not searching for new ones to share. That's ironic since I wrote yesterday about needing to clean up the photo widgets over there to the right of this post.

Do you think today's kids are really going to buy shoes with Yellow Submarine art on them? I have my doubts.

Here's the secret tricks grocery stores use to have us buy and spend more. Now that you know about them, though, will it make any difference in how you shop? Yeah, me neither.

Well, I can remind you about a classic Clarity of Vision first unveiled on June 23rd of 2009. It uses the time-tested method of saying verbiage which sounds like you mean one thing before revealing you were talking about something unexpected. Here, read it for yourself.

It is GNAW this evening. Can you believe it? It has been a while, right? Oh, you don't know what I am talking about? Game Night At the Walkers. Whoo hoo. I have a new game that the girls can play with me where one player tries to keep the others from driving off the edge by extending roads, and the others want to exit quickly so they win. No, I cannot remember the name right now.

And with that, we call it a day. Not entirely, though, since I still have a whole workday ahead of me, but from the standpoint of the blog, buh-dee-uh, buh-dee-uh, that's all, folks.

Having Rail Good Memories Today

MBH and I went to an elder installation service at church last night. The pastor noted that, while that sounds mundane like installing an appliance, it is a new change for our church, adding some specific helpers to the church leadership while keeping the deacon body for extended ministries. I do not doubt it will be a challenging role and I pray that they can help the church focus on its mission and quiet some of the recent discord.

Dad and I were talking about this old railroad turntable the other day, and we even went so far as to pull out a map and search for it. It is in the back country behind Ouray, as seen in this photo from 2007. I wonder if it is still there.

And here is a portion of the footings for the railroad that ran to the turntable.

And this must be the point where the trail to those location takes off.

And another fun place in the area is Lake Alta...really good for skipping stones. Do you say skipping or skimming (like Elton John sings about)?

I had several railroad-related photos today. Did you catch that reference in today's title (substituting rail for real)? I am soooo clever.

Look over there to the right. No, not your right side. I meant look at the right side of the screen. See those different windows that will show you photos and things. The problem with that kind of stuff is that it can get stale unless you update it fairly frequently. However, since it is a separate action than updating the blog, many of us (me, for example) haven't updated those things in over a year. I need to do something about that. I don't know what, yet. Just remove them? Maybe. Create new ones and title them with date ranges so you can just check out new ones. I'll have to think about it.

I don't have any weblinks to share today, so let's knock off early. I'll be back in 24 hours or so.

Doesn't Seem Like a Short Week

I found a couple of photos to share with y'all today. Two from our trip to the UK and one from ... somewhere.

Here is the interior of Salisbury Cathedral in sepia. This is southwest of London, just eight miles from Stonehenge.

Did you know the tower is actually named Big Ben, not the clock? This is in London, of course.

And here's a purty daisy after the rain. This is nowhere near London (maybe Colorado?).

And here's something no one should be without. Yes, a classic CoV that is almost funny.

Here is something that is a little difficult to read, but I liked seeing how music preferences have changed over the years. Do your own music choices mirror the trends?

Some of these quotes are a little tough to decipher, but this is a fun exercise in remembering movie quotes and infographics.

I have reached hump day for the week on only the second day of work. That's kinda cool. Luckily, I did remember to go to Chorale practice last night, even though it felt like a Monday. And I was able to sing a bit. That's also kinda cool. Hopefully, I will be even stronger for our concert Sunday night.

Did I hear someone say they wished I would stop writing so they could get to work? Fine, I'll let you go. I am out of topics anyway. Will you stop by tomorrow? I'll be here.

PMLKDBP (Post-MLK Day Blog Post)

By now, I am sure you noticed that I wasn't around yesterday. Yes, that's true in the sense that we had the day off from work for MLK Day. Now, back at a previous employer, we had to work that day, but they held a series of luncheon meetings with speakers about Equal Rights that we were able to attend. No, I never did, but I was permitted to go. Now, being an education-related company, we take the day off along with federal and state workers. So, I did not take the time to write a blog post.

Today is a different story. We are back at work and hankering to get going. Aren't you? Sure you are.

I did NOT take the time off from eating healthily, though. And to help me, I have engaged my personal chef, my daughter-in-love, LMW. She made black bean salad, a quinoa dish, Cajun squash, vegan corn soup, and black bean veggie stew. Yes, just for me. Well, I offered some to my family who chose burritos over this vegan fare. Can you imagine? Which would YOU have chosen? BTW, of this batch, the stew is my favorite. What will it be next week? Stay tuned.

Apparently, taking the day off from work and from blogging means I did not take the time to choose any photos for you last night. MBH did mention that I need to update the Vacation Photos sidebar on my blog, and that's true. Sorry. Usually, at night, thinking about my blog is not #1 on my hit parade.

My academic counselor at work has been calling asking when (or even, if) I am planning to pursue the MBA that I have been talking to him about. Yes, I need to make my choice on that. After all, the company will pay for it. So, that would eat up some time at home in the evenings for a couple of years.

And my professional certification requires 60 hours of training every three years, so I need to get that going. Part of it can be covered by volunteering with the local PMI chapter, and I know someone who runs one of the training branches, so he is reaching our to me for that. Otherwise, I may have to pay for some of the training, and you know what a tightwad I am.

Did I forget to share a classic CoV with you? No, I did not.

Right now, I only show one meeting on my calendar, but I know of two others that I need to set up. No one is in yet, though, so I will do some work on the approval decks that I am redesigning. Don't you have something to do, too?

Why? Is It Arbor Day?

Do you know what an arboretum is? According to the dictionary, in a narrow sense, it is a collection of tree only . More commonly, though, it refers to a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants. We have a nice just east of town. Today's shots all come from a visit there a few years ago. By the way, Arbor Day is the last Friday in April. I had to look that up.

First is a picture of a small lake done up in HDR style.

Back behind this lake is a farm setting with a windmill. I am always drawn to try and capture a feeling from there of an abandoned homestead. I haven't gotten it yet.

There are also flowering plants on the property. Here's an example.

Yesterday, someone at work asked if I had been stopped for speeding during my commute. I explained that the comic I shared was from 2009, but even then, I had not been stopped when I wrote it.

I found this article about the use of the Monopoly game during WWII pretty interesting.

I suppose most of you heard that the actor who played the Professor on Gilligan's Island died yesterday. Russell Johnson once gave an interview talking about how his character could probably build a nuclear reactor with coconuts, but couldn't patch the hole in the Minnow. Anyway, it so happens that TV Land will be airing 12 hours of Gilligan's Island on Monday, MLK Day. I may have to check out an episode or two. Maybe the one where they put on an opera. Here is an article with some of the songs.

This recipe looks like it could become an option for breakfast bars for those of us eating vegan. I will have to talk to my chef, LMW, and see what she thinks. The article calls it bread, but I think this is stretching it.

You will likely not hear from me on Monday as I will not be working. You may well ask, "How is that different from any other day?" That is fair, and the answer is that Monday is a holiday for me and I am not expected to be working. Have a great weekend, friend and family. We will get together again on Tuesday.

Mental Meanderings of My Mind are Mostly Meh

[Wednesday's Wisdom] For some reason, I got to thinking about the Monarch butterfly tonight and the millions that we saw down at their winter home in Mexico. As they pass through during their travel, they stay here for a few days and we saw them at the Botanical Garden a few years ago. Here is a shot that reminds me of them hanging onto the trees.

And it must be near their mating season. Here is Maverick Monarch and his wingman, Goose, getting ready for a date.

I like how the leaves look with those water droplets in this shot.

I don't like how the characters look in this classic CoV. However, they were a lot quicker to create than the bitstrips versions with faces and body positions and scenes.

[Thursday Thoughts] I saw a really cool link on Yahoo this morning. An Israeli artist created sketches of what Disney characters might look like in real life. I found it very interesting. Did you? Did you even look? It would only take a minute or so.

I stood in the shower this morning after I turned off the water and noticed my feet felt cold. True, I take my shower as cool as I can stand because there are two more following mine. Later, I checked the thermostat and the house was at 67F. It reminded me of when the kids were young and we would go to my parent's house in the summer. It was 100F+ outside, but Dad kept his house in the low 70s (maybe 73F or 74F). Anyway, what I remembered was the kids asking for blankets and wrapping up to stay warm. Those of you from cooler climes might now understand that. Would you rather live in cold country and worry about snow and ice and freezing temps during the winter in order to have a summer season that is pleasant? I will stick with really hot in the summer and see 78F in mid-January.

Did I tell you that the majority of my recent camera shots seem to be underexposed? Most I have saved, but a few were too grainy after I tried to increase the exposure via Aperture or Photoshop. Also, I am still using the kit lens I borrowed from LMW after the cat pushed mine off a shelf onto the tile floor. I am toying with upgrading to a newer version camera. If I do so, I'd like to have it before vacations. I'll let you know. I will most likely stay with Nikon, although with no pre-existing lenses, Canon could work. I am watching prices and comparing specs.

Led ZepAgain is coming to the area in early Feb. I haven't decided if I want to see this tribute band or not. I don't know if I know enough of their songs, plus you can be sure it will be LOUD. Wait a minute. Did I just channel my Dad? Back when my SS lived at home, I was exposed to many other groups, including Metallica. When I was looking for the LZ cover band info above, I came across Beatallica, that does Beatles songs in Metallica style. Have you heard of them? I had not. Check out Help on youtube.

I've had fun with y'all today. How about you? If so, then check back tomorrow for more hilarity and joviality and frivolity (and any other appropriate "-ity" words).

I Am Not Benjamin Button Nor Dorian Gray

Cue the drums. I am not getting any younger, nor have I stopped aging. Some of you may be surprised, saying "What? You don't look a day over 30." Maybe none of you are saying that. It is true, though. All of us are getting older one day at a time. That even includes our parents. For that reason, I tried to organize a family reunion for this summer up in Ouray, CO. Alas, I could not get it ready for 2014. However, spread the word. We need to make it happen in 2015. I'd really like to get everyone together with the folks while we can still enjoy the visit and everyone is in relatively good health. Do not forget. Summer, 2015.

Did I tell you that I couldn't really sing at the Chorale concert on Sunday. Nope. I would start coughing if I tried to pump out any volume at all. It happened again last night at practice. In everyday conversation, though, I am OK.

I just reminded you that I have Chorale practice on Tuesday nights. As often happens, I get home kind of late and so, no photos today.I think you've seen pretty much everything, though. That's why, in the last few posts, I have been using a different strategy and sharing some based on a common link like date or theme.

You've also seen all of the Clarity of Vision comics I am sharing, too, although it was over four years ago. Let's look back at a Classic Comic.

I recently made a huuuuge mistake, for more than one reason. I got a Publisher's Clearing House notice about the upcoming annual drawing. In it, they had a URL to respond online. I did so and now, 5-6 emails a day telling me how to get additional entries. So, I have been playing with those each night. I guess we will see late next month if anything helped. And then, emails with pch.com can get sent to the Spam folder until I can shut them off. Until then, though, I will play the odds.

This Muppets Movie clip is only a minute or so long. Go watch it. That's fake tweets about the movie are really funny.

I just looked back through my tell-the-blogosphere notes and do not see anything else queued up, so let's not belabor the point. We've had fun, sure, but all good things must come to an end. Fear not, for I bring you good tidings. I'll be back tomorrow. (Did you see what I did? Tied in a little Scripture to the paragraph. I am sooo clever.)

(Did you see what else I did? I never referenced the names in the title. You'll have to research them yourselves to see what they had to do with the post contents.)

Did I Not Save It Last Night?

I opened up my Blogger home page this morning and prepared to finish my usually-in-process blog post. I didn't see it on the work computer, so I refreshed the page. That always makes it display. No, wait. I still only see the name of yesterday's post. I thought I had started it last night, but I don't see it. Odd, right? So, this is being written on the fly so I can get Tuesday started. I have two meetings this morning for which I must prepare.

Let's start with Ouray. Hey, any and all family members, contact me or Dad if you can make some time available for a little family reunion up in Colorado. We have begun planning. There are a couple of new things we found in the last couple of years that we expect to share with all of you. Of course, we will also include the standards such as Yankee Boy Basin, Yankee Girl Mine, and Imogene Pass.

I don't have any photos for today, but I do want to mention something about the photo from yesterday of the family trip of my childhood. I reviewed that shot last night and it is taken in front of the oldest house in America. parts of it date back to 1610, making it older than anything in San Augustine, FL. It is in Santa Fe. The next block has changed in the intervening years, so the Shop of the Oldest House no longer exists.

This next CoV is not the oldest comic in the USA, nor even the most iconic, nor the most clever. It is one part of a multi-year attempt to free those crazy thoughts that pass through my mind periodically.

OK, we learned a couple of things today, and I imagine there is much more I could teach you. However, the average volume level has built around me enough that I know I need to get today underway. See you tomorrow.

What Happened to Slide Shows at Home?

We had a great weekend with the GRANDS. We Had Just Jack for a while as the rest went to Disney on Ice, then all three spent the night. Bonus: They all slept all night. Whoo to the hoo. In fact, we had to wake all but the oldest to get ready for church.

Some of us from the Baby Boomers remember when people would show slides of family and vacations if you went to their house. Nowadays, we carry all the stuff around with us on our phones. In honor of it, though, let's look at some baby photos. We will start with a baby photo of my oldest granddaughter. Wow, she got double mention in today's blog post.

Here is my baby family 50-some-odd years ago.

And from a vacation only a few years ago, here is baby Batman. No, we didn't know him. I cannot remember if anyone said, "Where does he get those cool diapers?"

And from when I was a baby comic writer, here is one from mid-year 2009.

I read recently that binge viewing is a big thing among younger viewers (who is that? anyone under 40?). Anyway, I also saw this link online that says SS and D-I-L have to finish their binge watching of Breaking Bad by November before the spinoff begins.

I found this online. Sure, it looks all pretty and innocent here, but those of us who participated in the Last Dollar Road incident can never forget it. Let's just say it ended with Dad pulling up a sapling and pressing it against the Jeep so we would not slide off the hill. It was immortalized in a family video to the tune of The Beverly Hillbillies theme song. Let's just say that and let it go.

Do you hear what I hear? The end. The end of today's post. Let it bring you goodness and joy. Let it bring you goodness and joy. If you read that correctly, it sounded like the Christmas song. Whether you followed me or not, it is the end. Until next time.

Sun Photos From the Sunny Southwest

I remembered to download some photos for you tonight. Sleepy Hollow is on the TV, but I am not watching it yet. I just got back from a vegan cooking class with MBH. Unfortunately, all the recipes tonight were quinoa-based, so it was more familiar. Now we had not cooked any of these things before, but we were hoping for something else that a grain I already eat frequently. She does not know what next month's class will cover. I will certainly invite Daughter-in-Love.

The first photo I took with my first digital camera back in 2004. The Canon Powershot S1 IS. Yes, I went for an artsy shot right of the bat.

And a sun shot from the next year. This one is NOT in my backyard.

And one from 2006. Did you notice that it is smaller? Yeah, that what is stored in my files. It looks like this is a thumbnail and not the original. I hope I can find them on a backup drive.

Unfortunately, the CoV for today is NOT sun-related. That does not make it any less worthy of your time, though.

We always think about creating a photo wall in the hall, but have never gotten around to making one. Maybe this article will inspire us to get going on it.

I recently got an electronic offer to submit a chance for the Publisher's Clearing House lottery. I did so and, BIG MISTAKE (well, unless I win ;). I now get 5-8 emails a day from them saying "Hey, you chance will soon expire unless you go on our site and do something" or "Click here for even more opportunities to win". The million dollars a year for life drawing is Feb 28. After that, I will tell those emails to stop coming.

As the title implies, we will be getting into the mid-70s over the next few days, but it is in the mid-40s when I drive in to work each morning. I hope these extremes don't give me a cold. I am just getting over that flu/bronchitis mess.

GRANDS are spending the night tomorrow. Luckily, I feel better this weekend and can play with them. We also have a plan not to go to McD's, but let's see if that holds up.

Have a good weekend.

Here's ((Not) Looking At You, Kid

Or rather, here's you not looking at any of my pictures. I didn't even think about loading up photos last night for some reason. We did swing by the store. After that, though, we were home. So why didn't the blog enter my mind? Very odd.

Luckily (or unluckily if you don't like it), I am able to capture a past Clarity of Vision even at work. So, without further ado...

A new first, death by atomic wedgie.

Yeah, you had to look at that one, didn't you? I know I did.

And I am telling you that you do want to look at this one. Some of these photos are painful just to imagine what happens one second later.

And I think that'll do it for today. Kinda light, right? maybe I'll be back on my blogging game tomorrow. Or maybe this is the new normal? We'll both find out tomorrow.

My Kind of Program, Intelligence Is

The title makes it sound like something Yoda would say, but it actually came from me thinking of the song "My Kind of Town, Chicago Is." Either way, we are watching the pilot episode of Intelligence as I type this and it is starting right on. It is my kind of show. Now, as to which network it is from, I couldn't say. Once it hits the DVR, it could be from any time of day and any network. What did we do before this magical option?

Here is the very first art project I tried when I got Photoshop. It is a shot of calla lilies that I tried to turn into a watercolor. It is from our trip to the UK in 2004.

And another early project in Photoshop was to have a half-photo/half-ink drawing. This is Tolquhon Castle in Scotland.

And another watercolor of Stirling Bridge.

How many digits of Pi can you recite from memory? I only remember the first seven. 1.31545926.

BTW, no, I did not see The Life of Pi. I heard it was good, though.

[Wednesday wonderings] Well, we are moving in the same temperature direction as the rest of the country. Our temps are moving back down into the 60s. No, not 60 below zero, We'll leave that to ND. No, we will only reach 68F today. Still, you'll get your comeuppance in summer when the country is comfortable and we are cooking at 110F+.

In searching for any more stuff to share today, I came across this Yahoo News video talking about a burglary at FBI back in the early 70s. I thought it was interesting, and weirdly parallels the Snowden stuff going on right now. What do you think?

OK, my time for blog writing is over. You'll have to make do with the above, and I will share more tomorrow.

TGIN

That's right. TGIN. Thank God It's Nyquil. It calms my cough and lets me (and MBH) sleep. Hopefully, I'll get over this last bit and sleep drug-free.

I was looking for what photos I wanted to share today and came across a folder that I call Modified Pictures. Guess what I found in there? Yup. Photos that I had played with using Photoshop or something. So, I had just viewed someone's Yosemite photos on the exposure.so site and felt like this one was a good as any of theirs. It is from that infamous year, 2005.

And also from that same trip is one of my favorites. I had stayed up on some peak catching the early evening shots and came down to find Dad waiting for me on a bench. I saw the framing around him and asked him to stay still for a few minutes. This is what I saw.

Sometimes, I like to apply textures so a shot looks reallllly old. I tried that with this shot from 2004.

Newer than any of today's photos is this classic Clarity of Vision from 2009.

As of here, you are reading things I wrote on Tuesday morning rather than the Monday night stuff above. Anyway, I heard from Salesman Son that I am being blamed for something. Well, admittedly, I did start it, so I suppose it is justified. I have asked Daughter-in-Love to help prepare some vegan dishes for me (it will save me money from the grocery story and provide them some additional income).So, she purchased one of the dishes I often get and had the family try it. It is a quinoa salad, and they all said it tasted pretty good. Whoo hoo, and funny, too.

On Saturday night, I watched Svengoolie and the movie was King Kong Rises. During the filler vignettes, Svengoolie mentioned the cartoon version of King Kong, and I remembered that. Here is a clip from that program, including the theme song.

Hey, do you have a washing machine at home? I imagine you all do. So, have you ever cleaned it? Where we live, we have pretty hard water. That plus soap can leave a residue on the drum. Use these instructions to clean it occasionally and you (and your clothes, sheets and towels) will be happier.

And with that, it's time to do something else. Hopefully for my wallet, that will mean doing my job, but you never know what I will do. Have a great Tuesday, team.