Last One Speaks

Pink Birds

2012-02-17T11:23:00.000-05:00

If I was rich, I would live on Richard Branson's Necker Island, because this happens:

Apparently this is one of the few places flamingos breed, and they help them hatch the eggs.

White bird

2012-02-13T12:52:00.000-05:00

Posting this one especially for my friend Michael who loves hummingbirds as much as I do. Always amazed by these sort of mutations in nature.

More photos here.

When your gravity fails

2012-02-13T11:16:00.002-05:00

I was thinking about this song the other day. Really nice cover of an old Bob Dylan classic.

Meanwhile, still busy with real life stuff but nothing interesting enough to talk about.

RIP Whitney Houston

2012-02-11T20:47:00.001-05:00

Music business is deadly. Fully three quarters of the friends I've lost in the last three years at too young an age have been musicians. RIP Whitney. Only 48 years old.

Bunny bath time

2012-02-10T11:17:00.000-05:00

Sorry, all is well, just been busy with real life stuff. For now, here's your cute overload of the day. Compared to the rest of the photos, this guy looks like he's really enjoying it.

[More photos here]

Hey Mickey!

2012-02-07T14:04:00.000-05:00

I've been to Disney World but this restored 1957 home movie of a Disneyland visit from the Disney History Institute reminds me I always wanted to go the original Disneyland in California. Love this video. Speaks of a more innocent age. And love the clothes. Notice that the women mostly all are wearing dresses. Back in those days, a lady didn't wear slacks in public.

[via]

Fireflies

2012-02-05T11:54:00.000-05:00

I call them lightning bugs, but these time lapse photos of fireflies in the wild are incredible no matter what you call them. When I lived in lovely downtown Noho, there was a certain time of year when you could stand at the top of the big hill going down into the meadows and it looked very much like this, except they were blinking. It was like walking into a fairy tale.

More photos here

Happiness is a warm friend

2012-02-04T08:51:00.000-05:00

Been busy with real world stuff so light posting. No big news but just ran across this cute overload.

Hell hath no fury...

2012-01-31T16:39:00.000-05:00

This is a heartbreaking story. Serious Trekkie spends ten years turning his apartment into an exact replica of the Starship Voyager. Did a fabulous of it.

Even has a transporter room. (More pictures here.) The heartbreaking part is he didn't own the apartment. He now sooner finished remodeling, at a cost of about $150K, than his divorce was finalized after 16 years and the ex-wife wants to sell the place.

Story says he has to rip it all out. Don't see why though. Assume he spent all his money on the work, so he can't to afford to buy it, but I would think they could sell it as is to some other Trekkie fanatic. Probably for a better price then she could get if it's just a generic place again. Guessing the wife is still pissed and is making him do it. The story doesn't say.

Northern Lights

2012-01-30T01:36:00.000-05:00

I've always wanted to go visit my brother in Alaska in the winter so I could see the Aurora Borealis. Never have because it happens in winter. It's damn cold up there. But still so gorgeous.

Apparently this recent display was particularly good because of the solar flares. Lots more pictures here. Every one is incredible. Was hard to decide which one to post.

It's winter somewhere

2012-01-29T13:32:00.001-05:00

Thankfully my house doesn't look like this one on a track of the Sedivackuv Long dog sled race in Destne v Orlickych horach, in the Czech Republic. Beautiful, but it makes me shiver just looking at it.

Original photo and more pictures at this link.

The final frontier

2012-01-28T10:43:00.001-05:00

With the GOP candidates talking about space exploration in Florida, lots of people on the internets digging up old space stuff. I'd forgotten how much I liked this show. Heck, I forgot it even existed until someone posted these opening credits.

Loved Martin Landau and Barbara Bain. Trying to remember, but weren't they also teamed up in the old Mission Impossible series?

Wipe out

2012-01-27T22:42:00.000-05:00

Wondering how a kid from Texas gets interested in snowmobiling in the first place. Not many places to practice, but I guess if Jamaica can have a bobsled team, anything is possible.

Tough kid. Got back on the snowmobile and went on to win the gold medal.

Color my world

2012-01-27T13:40:00.000-05:00

Outside of religious icons, mainly focused on the Virgin Mary, I'm not really much of a collector anymore. But this just crossed the radar screen and thinking what a cool thing to collect. Love the airplane box.

Definitely click to embiggen or just check out the original photo here.

Strange Days

2012-01-26T19:52:00.000-05:00

Not at all complaining, but man is the weather weird. Of course, I'm still sitting on the porch in a winter jacket, but most of the people on the street are in sweatshirts at most. Not unusual to see some of the young and hearty in short sleeves and flip flops. January thaw lasted pretty much all month here so far. Seeing birds that shouldn't here for weeks yet.

Although I did see a couple of blue birds a while back, This isn't one of them. Just a nice photo that crossed the radar today.

[Original by Sean Paul Kelley]

No idea where this was taken, but I want to be there.

Here comes the sun

2012-01-25T23:33:00.001-05:00

You may have heard the earth is being bombarded by solar plasma flares. Which created an incredible display of the Northern Lights. That's a time lapse video at the link. Wish I could have seen that in person.

Meanwhile, here's what it looks like on the surface of the that fiery ball in the sky that keeps us warm and cheery.

[original photo NASA]

Never fails to astound me that they figured out how to take photos like this in space, in my life time.

Dragon tales

2012-01-25T13:30:00.000-05:00

A few days late but Happy Chinese New Year. It's the year of the Dragon, said to be the year of the Chinese zodiac cycle that brings change and prosperity. Wish I could have been in NYC for the celebration. Stumbled into Chinatown one year, not realizing it was the day, and it was awesome. People partying on the streets everywhere. The side streets were literally ankle deep in spent fireworks paper. This is what it looked like in the Far East:

More photos here.

I didn't actually celebrate at all. In fact life has been quiet in the little city so far this year. Took forever to kick that stupid cold I started with and I've been trying to catch up ever since. Finally renewed my driver's license yesterday. Feels good to be legal. Was kind of freaking out about being stopped on the way to the grocery store.

Anyway, my Chinese New Year present to you are a couple of links that can't easily be embedded directly. I know I keep saying, I don't do cute kitten pix, but this line-up of reimagined album covers is just too cute not to share.

And I really want one of these wunderbras. (Safe for work)

Might as well jump

2012-01-23T14:15:00.000-05:00

When I was a kid, we spent a lot of time in jump rope games. Regular jump rope. Double Dutch. And Chinese jump rope which wasn't really jump rope although it did require jumping. As I recall, we made the "rope" by stringing together rubber bands and the rope "turners" held it in place around their ankles. It was kind of like a giant game of Cat's Cradle, only using your feet.

Had no idea that jump roping is now a competitive sport.

If you watch it via the direct link there's a bunch more videos on the youtube page. Pretty incredible gymnastics there.

Great White North

2012-01-22T18:53:00.000-05:00

Love looking at the pictures, but still glad I'm only seeing this white stuff on the internets and not my road. My new favorite picture.

Can feel the joy in that shot. Nobody loves the snow more than a big fluffy dog. [original photo, by capecodgurl]

Lost from space

2012-01-21T18:02:00.000-05:00

Of all the photos I seen of the wrecked cruise ship Costa Concordia, this image taken from space satellite really gives the visual on how big a disaster it was. That is one gigantic ship.

[Original image via my dear friend Michael Stickings]

I've always been of two minds about taking a cruise. I've never been to sea for a days at a time out of the sight of land. I think I'd like to do that once in my life. But it's expensive, it's slow, and the thought of being stuck on a boat with a bunch of tourists isn't all that tempting.

Let it snow

2012-01-21T14:13:00.000-05:00

That is, let is snow somewhere else. Lots of people posting snow photos on the twitter machine today. Some beautiful shots, and it's all very pretty but can't say I'm unhappy that I'm not seeing it outside of my window. It's grey and wet here, but not that cold. Which is AOK by me.

Anyway, of all the pictures I've seen today, this one is my favorite.

Love when stuff like that happens. [original photo, via my tweep ahuntre.]

Sweet tweets

2012-01-19T13:52:00.001-05:00

Don't like to leave a sad post on top so here's a twitpic I found in my timeline from Lizzie O'Leary, former Bloomberg economy reporter and now CNN's news transportation journalist. Apparently she's on a little vacation between the two gigs and took this somewhere in Prague.

Original photo.

Also, how cool is the relaxation room at the Prague airport?

Original photo.

If you're on twitter, I recommend you follow her at lizzieohreally. She has a wonderful, dry sense of humor and her tweets are always interesting.

Bye bye love

2012-01-19T13:22:00.000-05:00

I've reached the age where I read obits regularly. And so I found out that Marty Najamy died last week. I went to elementary school with Marty. He was my first big crush on a boy. He sat next to me in the 6th grade.

I was so enamored with him that I let him cheat by looking at my answers on the tests. Which was a very big deal. I was totally little Miss Goody Two Shoes and always the teacher's pet all through grade school. The thought of cheating horrified me but I did it for Marty. Never did it for anyone else. Ever.

Haven't seen him or thought about him since the sixth grade really. Once we got to middle and high school we hung in different circles. But still I was sad to learn he died. Worse it appears it was a lingering illness that killed him. Rest in peace.

A man and his dog

2012-01-17T16:45:00.000-05:00

This photo just moved me so much in a lot of different ways. Haunting.

Via Cape Cod Gurl, original photo here

Or if you LOVE flying

2012-01-16T14:39:00.001-05:00

This video was posted under the billing, only watch it if you're not afraid of flying. Personally I didn't think it looked that scary. I've seen scarier stuff looking out the front end of an open cockpit puddle jumper. But probably you'll enjoy it if you love flying. I did anyway. Could have done without the soundtrack though. Didn't love the music at all.

Long time ago

2012-01-15T08:47:00.000-05:00

Damn I'm old. The 1950s happened 60 years ago. And I remember this stuff. Thanks to my pal The O'Brien for finding this old ad. Back then it was all about the pinup girls.

For some reason that reminded me how much I loved the Piels Brothers.

Don't think I ever actually drank a Piels beer. Pretty sure they stopped making it long before I was old enough to drink. But I remember really loving the commercials. This was the only one I could find on the youtube. Wish there were more.

I want to marry you

2012-01-14T08:51:00.002-05:00

I love Lego animations. This one isn't that impressive but it is a really cute way to propose marriage. But the reason I'm posting it is because my friend Maddy Peyroux is singing the song he used for the soundtrack.

If you can't view the embed, the direct link is here

As the crow slides

2012-01-13T11:08:00.000-05:00

Here's the fun video of the day fresh off the Tweetie machine. Crows are so smart.

What language do you think they're speaking? Pretty sure I heard a nyet in there so I'm guessing Russian.

Turning the corner

2012-01-12T13:01:00.000-05:00

So in case you were wondering, I had a nice birthday considering I was still sick with this ridiculously long head cold. Got lots of lovely birthday greetings and John took me to lunch at the senior citizen's favorite hot spot K&W Cafeteria, or as we old folks like to call it the Kane and Walker. After that meal, I needed a nap which seems to have helped with the cold. Don't really feel so icky anymore, but still coughing up crap so I've been avoiding people mostly. Only reason I'm seeing John is, he gave the cold to me.

Meanwhile, here's a couple of links that can't be embedded but are really worth the click. This looks like a Van Gogh painting, but it's a beautiful photograph of someplace in Europe. Be sure to scroll down at the link and look at the summer version of the same shot. And this short video, Wonderful World reminds us not to forget how magical the natural world is. Take a moment to appreciate it every day.

I've never been to the Bronx

2012-01-12T12:53:00.000-05:00

I've spent a lot of time in New York City and Brooklyn, but I've never been to the Bronx. Don't even know how to get there, but after looking at this photo array, I really want want to visit someday. This is just one shot, the elevator doors in an incredible Art Deco building there.

Check out the rest of the photos. From the incredible mosiac outside the entranceway to the gorgeous lobby, it makes me want to live there.

Another successful orbit around the sun

2012-01-09T11:16:00.000-05:00

Well, I made through another year and woke up with all the moving parts still more or less working. Have a feeling this could be a good year for me. Thinking it's a good omen that there's a full moon shining on my big day.

Good Lord, but I'm old now. Made a date to go sign up at the senior center this afternoon. Think I'm going to put it off because it's cold and rainy out there. And I'm not quite ready to make it official. Think I need to try on this age for a few days and get used to it first. [Photo: newmediajim]

Cold Faith

2012-01-06T17:40:00.002-05:00

Not much of a churchgoer for religious purposes, but I do love churches for the art and architecture. Spent hours in many a cathedral as a tourist. Never saw anything like this.

Really quite beautiful in a stark and icy sort of way, don't you think? It's in Germany and the interior is lit in blue. To match your fingernails if you spend too much time there I suppose. Back story and more pictures here.

Life happens

2012-01-06T10:20:00.000-05:00

This is just astounding. Guy takes a self portrait a day for years as an ongoing art project. Starts out as light hearted fun. Ends up in profound changes. Watch it to the end.

Watched it yesterday. It's still haunting me. If the video doesn't work on the embed you can access it directly here.

Meteor Shower Tonight!

2012-01-03T16:06:00.003-05:00

I don't believe I've heard of this one before, but they're promising The Quadrantid meteor shower is likely to produce up to 100 falling stars an hour, between 3 to 5 a.m. this morning. Still feeling kind of crummy but thinking I'll go to bed early and try to wake up to check it out and see if can see it from here. Supposed to be visible all over North America.

Too many goodbyes

2012-01-03T15:17:00.000-05:00

I've been down with a miserable cold, hence the lack of blogging for the last few days. But I've been aimlessly noodling around the internets and on a whim googled one of favorite clients from when I worked a the law firm. Paul Viveros, who had a really long running case with us. I worked with him pretty closely and we stayed in touch even after I moved here. Usually talked once a year or so. It occurred to me I hadn't heard from him in a long time.

Turns out he died over a year ago. Feel bad that I didn't check on him sooner. He was a good man. Larger than life kind of guy. A little gruff but with a good heart who was just trying to make a living and do something good for his town. Found a youtube interveiw the local paper did about his case.

Even if you don't approve of strip clubs, you had to love Paul. Or hate him I guess. Lord knows the city council had no use for him. He was creative in getting in their face. Sadly, the links to his art installation of toilets have rotted. So no pictures of that one.

Kind of pisses me off that one of his biggest critics bought his restaurant and is sailing through permitting for curb cuts and even thinking of putting a donut shop. Both of which Paul wanted to do as well, but the City Council shut him down on every proposal he made to create new businesses and jobs for a city that really needed them.

Rest in peace.

Sleeping Tom

2011-12-30T09:00:00.001-05:00

I love stories like this. Meet Artful Dodger, who lives in England and has a taste for travel.

The ginger moggy, who was named after the Artful Dodger from Oliver Twist, has taken to hopping on and off the public transport at the bus station near his home.The 15-year-old Tom even sits on bemused passengers' laps as the bus makes up to 10 mile round trips from Bridport to Charmouth in Dorset.

Charming story. You can read it all at the link. Europeans are so mellow that way. This could never happen here. It's against the rules for animals to ride the bus. Well, except seeing eye dogs. And some of the passengers would probably be just as likely to kick the poor kitty, as let him sit in their lap.

And not to forget man's best friend. This is old I think, but it still made me smile all over again. All dogs go to heaven.

Last century New York

2011-12-29T11:50:00.000-05:00

We all mostly remember Stanley Kubrick for his films 2001 and The Shining but he was a talented photographer as well. This one is my favorite of Kubrick's photos of 1940s New York.

It's the most cheerful one but they're not all depressing either. Rest of the gallery at the link above.

I've looked at clouds from both sides now

2011-12-28T18:09:00.000-05:00

You all know how much I love weather. Always have been fascinated by the wonders of nature. Especially clouds. These are some clouds you don't see every day. In fact I've never seen these before.

Experts say the clouds were pristine examples of "Kelvin-Helmholtz waves." Whether seen in the sky or in the ocean, this type of turbulence always forms when a fast-moving layer of fluid slides on top of a slower, thicker layer, dragging its surface.

More pictures at the link. Believe what you will about climate change, but stuff like this makes me believe something big is happening and we ignore it at our peril.

It's not just clouds either. Weather in general is getting more freaky. Floods, tornados, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions. I know it's a La Nina year and that brings weird weather. But I've been around for a long time now and I don't recall it ever being quite this extreme. Thinking Mother Nature is getting pissed off we're taking her for granted.

2011-12-25T11:00:00.000-05:00

I've seen a lot of white Christmases. Sure they're pretty and traditional but at this point in my life I wouldn't mind waking up on December 25 to a blue Christmas like this:

Photo credit: National Geographic contest winner, In the Philippines.

Throw some Christmas lights on the palm tree and I'd be good to go. But on a more traditional note, I've yet to actually make one of these, but I do love me some gingerbread houses.

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate the holiday and for everyone, whether you do or not, my Christmas wish for you is that joy fills your heart and peace of mind finds you on this day, and every day thereafter.

Let it snow, somewhere else

2011-12-23T19:35:00.000-05:00

No white Christmas for the little city this year, if you can believe the weatherguy. That's okay with me. Been loving the unnaturally warm weather for the last few days. Seems to be about over. I want it back already. But my cold aversion notwithstanding, I do love me some snow sculptures. If I hit the mega millions this weekend, maybe I'll go see this show in China.

That was one of my favorites. Lots more photos of the giant sculptures at the link.

I can't wait. I can't wait

2011-12-22T11:44:00.000-05:00

I couldn't begin to tell you how much a part Tolkien's books played in my life. Or how much I love Middle Earth. I'm so happy The Hobbit movie released the official trailer. Think that means the movie is almost ready to be released.

It seems like they're adding some dialogue. I don't recall a lot of those lines in the trailer from the book. But it looks like it's going to great. Can't wait to see it.

Cravings satisfied

2011-12-19T13:02:00.000-05:00

Been a while since I updated you all on my social life. Went out with the Marine a lot last week. Did the Tuesday night dinner club at the Mexican place. On Thursday, went with him to his annual holiday dinner with his golf club buddies. That was interesting. First time I met that group.

There were not one, but two, Baptist preachers at the table. Everybody showed up dressed in Christmas colors, except me and John. I was dressed in black. The wives all wore Christmas sweaters and Christmas jewelery. One showed up with blinking Christmas light earrings. I was clearly the youngest one there. And the only one who didn't bring any presents for the ladies exchange. Who knew? John didn't tell me a thing.

They were all freaked out that I would feel bad about not getting anything. I didn't care at all of course. But somebody cribbed a stuffed bear in a tin from someone else's gift bag so I wouldn't leave empty handed. John foisted off one of his gifts on me later. Which was actually pretty good. A fleece throw with reindeer on it. Can never have too many fleece throws. That's probably all the gifts I'll get this year. Which is okay too. Don't really need more stuff.

So then yesterday I got roped into going to the Baptist church for their cantata. Don't believe I've ever seen a Christmas pageant put on by adults dressed in costume. Not at a church service anyway. It was actually pretty good. The singing was anyway. But the church was pitch dark. I crashed into the pew trying to sit down. And they used red lighting for the actors. For the whole show. Gave it a kind of hellish glow.

Still, the sermon was mercifully short. Not even a sermon really. More like a call to be saved by the baby jesus. You were supposed to raise your hand in the dark if you wanted the pastor to beseech God to save your soul. I didn't do it. On the way out, they gave up plain brown paper bags with fruit and candy in it.

John then decided we should drive 35 miles north to have lunch. At a chain restaurant. To be fair, it's not a chain they have around here. And the food was good. I had some pot roast and a piece of fried chicken. Both of which I've been craving forever. Not craving it anymore. Think I'm still digesting it all today.

And it was a lovely day for a drive as long as you have a good heater in the car. Beautiful scenery in the mountains. Went on roads I've never been on before. And the highlight was the family of wild turkeys that crossed right in front of the car. We had to stop on the road to let them go by. Pretty lucky there wasn't any other traffic at the time. Road so curvy and the locals drive so fast, we probably would have been rear-ended. But accidents were averted and I got to tell John the story about how my sister killed a turkey for Christmas dinner, with a bus. So there's that... [photo credit]

All that jazz

2011-12-19T12:31:00.000-05:00

It's traditional to post Bing Crosby singing White Christmas or Count Your Blessings but this year, this rare video crossed the radar screen. So, here's Bing swinging with some jazz greats.

Pretty sure that's a very young Louis Armstrong, isn't it?

Beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2011-12-17T11:53:00.000-05:00

Just not in the spirit this year for any major celebration, but I do love me some Christmas lights. John and I took a ride the other night through the upscale neighborhood to view the decorations. Some nice displays. All very elegant. But I'll always like the overblown tacky stuff in the poor hoods the best. Here's one I wish I could see in person:

This is a display in Shah Alam outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. And there's more photos from around the world here.

Movie mash

2011-12-16T13:40:00.002-05:00

You don't have to know the movies they used, Lord knows I didn't recognize any of them, to appreciate this really great movie mash-up. But it's probably even more awesome if you know what the movies are...

Uses scenes from 230 movies. Long vid, but I couldn't stop watching.

And breaking my no cat video rule again, because some of these are really cute:

20 most important cats of 2011.

I see the moon and the moon sees me

2011-12-14T16:07:00.001-05:00

I just love this photo montage. Not just because I love this sort of photo trickery. Not just because I love the moon. But because it reminded me of a story my friend Victoria told me about her nephew.

When he was just a tiny tot, he made up a little jingle and chanted it regularly.

I see the moon and the moon sees me.
I love the moon and the moon loves me.

From the mouths of babes. Words to live by.

[Note to my mom: If you click on the photo it makes it bigger so you can see it better.]

When I was young

2011-12-12T20:17:00.000-05:00

In the 50s and early 60s every gas station garage had a calendar of these girls on their wall. (Yes, they called women girls then.) Love that this one has a run in her stocking.

More here at 50 hottest pin-ups of the 50s.

Sorry Lawn Chair Guy

2011-12-11T12:52:00.000-05:00

Those of you who know me well, know how much I love anything to do with giant balloons. Hot air ballooning has always been my first love, of course, but you may also recall how fond I am of men in flying lawn chairs. Sorry to say, lawn chair flying is no longer the coolest thing ever. This is:

Click this link for the story and many more photos. This even beats the time Brian Boland used a VW bus for a hot air balloon basket. But our legendary balloonmeister is always dreaming up new flights of fancy. In the air, and on the ground.

I have faith that some day he'll top this flying house.

Beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2011-12-10T12:04:00.000-05:00

I haven't had a traditional Christmas tree in many years. Sometimes I throw a few branches of pine, or just bare wood twigs from a birch tree or something, in a vase and decorate those. But if I was going to go all out, this is surely the tree I would want:

Then there's this tree, a truly awesome tribute to recycling.

Click the link for the close ups. It's in Kaunas, Lithuania, a 42 foot tall Christmas tree made of 32,000 green plastic bottles. At night, the tree is lit by 40,000 lights. The tree is by Lithuanian artist Jolanta Smidtiene.

And I've been falling down on the Christmas lights. Hard to find photos I can save as images. They mostly seem to be in flash galleries like this one. Some righteously garish light displays there for the lovers of tacky holiday decorating.

Cat's in the corn

2011-12-09T14:55:00.000-05:00

I can't figure out how to imbed this video, and I don't usually bother with cute cats because everybody already posts them but just in case you missed Cat on Boat Plays with Dolphins, you really must watch it. Best cat video ever. Not so much cute as astounding.

Also since it's the weekend and I can't embed this one either, a little time waster of a sort of game. Doesn't waste too much time, and I thought it was fun. Draw a stick man and watch him come to life. Very clever interactive amusement.

As for the photo, no idea where I got it. It's been sitting there in my pictures file for so long I lost the link that should go with it. But great shot, and if the photog happens to see it here, shoot me a link so I can post the credit. .

Impossible!

2011-12-07T09:22:00.000-05:00

Just got this off Facebook. I don't know how he did it. Probably don't want to know because I just love me some magic.

Best Advent Calendar Ever

2011-12-05T18:50:00.000-05:00

Nothing I love more than tacky holiday decorations. The more overdone, the better. Just now off the twitter machine, is this beauty. I would so love to see this in person:

I'm told this is my friend's advent calendar this year and she'll be tweeting a new one every day until Christmas. Something to look forward to...

With no direction home...

2011-12-04T14:14:00.002-05:00

I was on a long overdue cruise through my blogroll when I was reminded of my far flung roots by this post at Ellison's cheese aisle. That corner of the world was where my first adult home was located. Having lost all my historic photos in that unfortunate robbery many years ago, I spent way too much time looking for pictures of my very first house in lovely Norfolk, CT.

It wasn't my first place when I left home. I lived in a series of shared rentals in Winsted and Torrington, but Norfolk was the first place I had a house all to myself. It was still rented but this is where my daughter was born. Sadly, I couldn't find a photo of it. However, this was definitely my landlord's house, now a Bed and Breakfast.

Thought at first this might have been mine, but looking at the maps, it's the wrong color, not big enough and situated wrong on the lot. Also the porch wasn't screened in.

The topography has changed in the last 40 years so this satellite shot doesn't look quite right either, but I'm thinking this is it. The house is situated correctly, it's white and seems big enough. It was a huge old Victorian, three stories, with a gorgeous wrap around porch and an attached studio on the back. Back then there were only woods across the street.

It was ridiculously huge for just the three of us. We didn't even have enough furniture to fill it up. But we had a lot of house guests back then. Someday I suppose I might take a road trip to revisit it and get a real photo.

Anyway, if the link doesn't work, plug in 108 Laurel Way and zoom in as far as you can in the satellite view and you can sort of see it. I really did love that house.

It's a small, small world

2011-12-02T15:13:00.002-05:00

My video find for the day is this incredible miniature world. I really want to go see this one in person some day.

Largest miniature railroad in the world.

Frightening Food

2011-12-01T11:45:00.003-05:00

Sun is shining but it's freezing here today in the so-called south. It appears winter has really started. Guess all those rosebuds on the confused bush in the front yard are going to freeze now. But no snow or ice yet, so there's that.

All I have for you today is this frightening cookbook. Should have been called "100 things you would never want to do with a banana." And fair warning, do not click that link shortly before or after eating.

But if you're feeling brave, and suitably psychologically prepared, go ahead and have a look. The punch line is the very last photo at the bottom of the post. [photo credit]

A little street music

2011-11-30T08:54:00.000-05:00

Thought before he started playing that this was some new kind of electrified steel drum. But it’s a Well Hang he’s playing, also known as a Hang Drum or Handpan. Apparently the latest thing for street musicians.

I still like the steel drum. More of a caribbean sound. But this is a very cool instrument, don't you think.

Happy Houses

2011-11-26T19:44:00.000-05:00

Actually, there are also sad ones, but this is the most fun photo gallery I've seen in ages. 100 Houses That Look Like Faces. Lots of really great ones. This was only one of my favorites.

Think that one looks surprised.

As the wheel turns

2011-11-25T18:27:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm still in a food coma from the fabulous dinner I had yesterday. Of course, we were all missing Dad. First major holiday without him. Even the dogs looked a little sad because he wasn't there sneaking them some turkey under the table. But we got through it okay and found comfort in each other's company.

On a more cheerful note, this is very cool. Bicycle animations.

Kind of reminds me of the paper snowflakes we all made in elementary school.

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T08:47:00.000-05:00

Hope you all have a happy holiday. And as is the tradition, the classic Thanksgiving Day video.

Thanks to Atrios for finding the full version.

Dancing in Dubai

2011-11-21T14:54:00.000-05:00

I never get tired of these flash mobs dancing routines. This is a good one, fresh off the twitter machine.

Sometimes wonder if any of the bystanders spontaneously join in. A couple of the participants looked like they might have been inspired by the moment and jumped in uninvited.

Old Hometown hits the big time

2011-11-20T11:47:00.001-05:00

Gratefully, I'm told this is a spoof band and not really from lovely downtown Noho because they're pretty awful. But it is fun to hear them singing about my old hometown.

I'm told this is from Saturday Night Live. Which is still not really funny anymore.

Missing shrooms

2011-11-18T09:52:00.000-05:00

For most of my life I've lived in woodsy places that at certain times of year abound with mushrooms. I've even eaten a few of the "foolproof four" without dying. When I moved south, my first place was a veritable mushroom farm. Since I moved mid-state, I see a few giant mushrooms now and again, but not the variety or the abundance I became accustomed to in all my years of country living.

Maybe there are more in the woods but I'm paranoid about the ticks here. You can die from a tick bite around these parts. And not to mention the poisonous snakes and spiders. So I don't hike like I used to and must content myself with photos from those who are braver than me.

Lots more pictures here and here. Many look sort of familiar, but it's been long since I've studied mycology. I can no longer name any but the amanita.

If a wooden ball drops in a forest...

2011-11-16T14:55:00.000-05:00

It most definitely makes a beautiful sound. I just love this stuff. Don't know if it's only one guy who does these, but this one appears to be a commercial for something. Glad he's found a way to make money on building them. Maybe he'll do it forever. Or at least as long as I'm alive.

Sunday afternoon

2011-11-13T13:27:00.000-05:00

I've been in such a funk for the last couple of weeks. Partly the time change. It takes me forever to adjust to early dark at night. And still dealing with my grief over losing Dad. Thought I would be doing better by now, but just can't shake the profound sense of loss. His absense casts a deep shadow that dims my joy in living, even after all these weeks. But as I told my sister at lunch the other day, there's no timetable on grieving. So I'm trying not to beat myself up for failing to "get over it" already.

Oddly, this sad story comforts me. You may have seen it already. No doubt you saw the original story about the elephant and her best friend, a dog. That's reviewed at this link but the last chapter is tragic. The dog was killed, by coyotes they think, and now the elephant grieves and must find comfort in new ways. I guess we'll both find it eventually.

Meanwhile, on a slightly happier note, although it's still about loss. 11 Sounds That Your Kids Have Probably Never Heard. I admit, I remember every single one of these things. And sounds that are even older. I was just a youngster then and my Dad was alive and it seemed then, he would live forever and never get old.

Everything changes. Sometimes for the better. Sometimes not. But the change is inevitable and all we can do it accept it and somehow, move forward again.

2011-11-10T06:08:00.000-05:00

Little City Story: Goth kid often walks by the porch in the mornings. He's very tall. Always overdressed. All in black. Thinking art major. Carries a big portfolio. Walks really slow. Stares straight ahead. Never looks at or speaks to me. Always alone.

Saw him last night. With a goth girl. This for no comprehensible reason makes me happy.

Roadtrip

2011-11-09T15:39:00.000-05:00

Sometimes my life feels like this: A freelance photographer took to the road for inspiration and came back from his trip with a time lapse video speeding across 12,225 miles in just under five minutes.

I would like to see the longer cuts myself. He started with a two hour version before he cut to down to the five minutes. The half hour one would probably be about perfect since he went through so many states.

Where so find the tiny little bananas to feed them?

2011-11-06T12:03:00.000-05:00

I'm a little creeped out by how human their tiny little hands look, but how cute are these guys?

Don't think I would want any at home though. They're so tiny, I'd probably end up stepping on one unless you kept them in a cage. And who want to cage these little guys? That would feel really weird. [Photo from this facebook album]

Spirits of the dear departed

2011-11-05T06:52:00.002-04:00

Strange. Was sitting on the porch on the morning of los dia de los muertos thinking I hadn't reached my Dad's spirit night before. At that exact moment, a huge crow glided silently off the porch roof, right in front of me. Landed across the street and looked right at me. For a long time.

The crow keeps coming back. Every morning so far. There's two of them. Think the other one might be Dave Shapiro. I asked him to look out for Dad. They never met, but they would have liked each other on the earthly plane. I like visualizing them hanging out together in the afterlife.

[Photo credit]

Murmuration

2011-11-04T15:01:00.000-04:00

Starlings are really obnoxious birds. Never really liked them much. They're noisy. Mean. Messy and generally a nuisance. But when they flock together like this, it's truly a wonder to behold.

Murmuration from Sophie Windsor Clive on Vimeo.

[Direct link if you can't see the video.]

I witnessed something very similar to this once when I was walking in the meadows around lovely downtown Northampton. I was mesmerized for a very long time before they settled down as the sun finally set. It's not something you ever forget.

I see my future...

2011-11-02T13:36:00.001-04:00

Sorry my friends. I have to confess I've reached the point where I rarely open the chain emails you forward to me. And if I do open them, I don't ever send them to ten people in ten minutes, or whatever the prescribed time frame is to avoid this fate.

(Posted for my friends who haven't already seen this a dozen times on Facebook.)

Got to believe it's magic...

2011-11-01T17:36:00.000-04:00

I don't know how they do this stuff. And really, I don't want to know. I'd rather be mystified by the magic.

Applauds...

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T14:18:00.000-04:00

Graphic via Erin O'Brien who found this amazing Flickr gallery with pages and pages of vintage cards.

Not doing anything for Halloween myself this year. Haven't carved a pumpkin in years but always enjoy seeing other people's work. Love these amazing space-o-lanterns. And not to be missed on any year are my friends Rich and Flo's annual pumpkin art. If you've never been there, click on all the links at the bottom. The archives are full of great ideas if you're still carving.

And of course, no Halloween is complete without witches. Who in real life are beautiful and cast spells for good things, like my friends Maeve and Hecate.

If you're going out to celebrate, be careful out there. I hear the Zombies are really bad drivers.

Almost Halloween

2011-10-28T10:30:00.000-04:00

I'm home at last. Really tired out from the drive. First two days were easy. Pleasant even. Took a new route I'd never been on. Light traffic. Interesting scenery. And early stops because a headlight went out so I stopped at sunset.

Yes, I know I could have had some strange mechanic just replace the bulb, but I'm paranoid about being ripped off by strangers because I'm so clueless about cars. I only trust my local guys here to take care of my automotive needs. Besides I'd rather keep the money in town. With the unemployment rate around here, the local economy really needs it.

Anyway, last leg was short, just under five hours, but brutal. Intense, erratic traffic the whole way. Couldn't use the cruise control. Lots of nerve wracking speeding required to safely stay in the flow of traffic. And too much sudden braking when somebody actually takes the speed limit signs seriously and is going less than 10 miles over the limit. Or worse yet, the actual speed limit.

It's going to be a crashing out day for me. Which the weather calls for anyway. Rainy and ridiculously cold for a place they call "the south." Probably won't get out of my pajamas so here's a video that just surfaced in my social media timeline that's appropriate for the season. Love these old Disney toons from the early days when they were still really edgy.

I swear, I remember watching this as a kid. [If you can't see the embed, direct link here.

Hey Brother

2011-10-23T11:46:00.001-04:00

Mark Herschler isn't my brother by blood, but our connection is as strong as blood family. We even look enough alike that for years many people thought we were blood relatives.

Mark is one of the most versatile and under-celebrated musicians in the country, playing in a multitude of styles. One of my favorite genres is his flamenco pieces. The video sadly doesn't really do his talent justice, but good music for a Sunday nonetheless.

Mark Herschler from Heather Goff on Vimeo.

More videos here. And more audio clips of his original songwriting at his website. Enjoy.

Holding pattern

2011-10-22T21:26:00.000-04:00

Shopping gods smiled on me today. Scored an $88 blue plaid summer dress for $6. Didn't even bother to try it on till just now. Fits perfectly. Looks great on me. Love when that happens.

Picked up a few other good bargains too, but that was the best one.

Out of the comfort zone

2011-10-19T10:22:00.000-04:00

I keep trying to get to a regular schedule on this blog, but life keeps interfering. Had a couple of days off but spent the whole time on errands and phone calls. And of course, my annual seasonal affective disorder doesn't help. I hate when it gets dark. These first few weeks make me want to just sleep all the time. Not to mention, driving has been especially challenging lately.

Hate driving in rain. Hate driving in the dark. Yesterday drove 300 miles in rain, which started with a torrential thunderstorm, complete with hail. And then the last 90 or so miles were in the dark and it rained the whole time. But the traffic wasn't too horrible so I pressed on. I only get off the road early if all three factors are in play.

On the bright side, with the cold weather, when I'm wearing a sweater, nobody can tell I'm not wearing a bra, so I don't have take the time to put it on to go into the gas stations. So there's that...

Road food

2011-10-12T22:11:00.000-04:00

I've avoided chain restaurants most of my life but since I've been hanging out with John, we go to a lot of them. And when you're on the road they're often the most convenient and a safe choice. I mean, you been to one, to been to them all and you know what to expect.

So I ordered my dinner from Cracker Barrel tonight, since it was right next door and I could walk to it. Got the Cajun Catfish sandwich platter. Great meal for only eight bucks, including the tax. Lots of food and well prepared and included good cole slaw, for the win.

Not handling it very well

2011-10-12T09:43:00.000-04:00

Trying to get on with my life, because I know Dad wouldn't want to wallow in self pity. But the weirdest things still set me off. Almost broke down sobbing at the gas stop when I saw a jar of Trucker's pickles. Would have been the perfect gift for my Dad, if he was still alive.

But doing better I guess. When I'm driving, instead of listening to the radio, I talk to Dad about the scenery and the traffic. Strange, I know, but somehow it helps.

First you scream No

2011-10-01T21:23:00.000-04:00

Working my way through the grief cycle. I knew it was trouble when the caller ID showed the folks' phone number so early in the morning. I thought, oh no. Dad fell and broke a hip this time. Of course, the news was much worse and completely unexpected.

First you scream -- No! It can't be true. It's a terrible mistake. Then you deal with the immediate aftermath. The arrival of the nearby family members. The hugs. The tears. Softly murmured recollections of good times. The sound of heart wrenching sobs from a behind a closed door. Sometimes they're your own.

The funeral home. The insensitive funeral director trying to talk Mom into a more expensive option than they had already paid for long ago. Gratefully, Dad made his preferences clear. A speedy cremation. No public viewing. A private strewing of the ashes.

Oddly the most comforting moment was when we got home again. The very religious neighbor came over to ask if it would be okay to mow the lawn. Then he asked if he could say a prayer. He prayed for us. The heathen survivors. To find peace. Somehow it helped.

Suspended posting

2011-09-28T11:04:00.002-04:00

Not likely to be posting for a while. My Dad died this morning. Can't really talk about it.

My dream house

2011-09-27T12:27:00.000-04:00

Built in a few months and cost just $3000 dollars in Wales currency. I could happily live in this house for the rest of my life.

Just as gorgeous on the inside as the outside:

Click for the full article to see the building specs and more photos of this wondrous abode.

The final frontier

2011-09-26T07:44:00.000-04:00

I'm so old I remember when they sent the first chimp into orbit around the earth. The advances we've made in space travel have never ceased to amaze me to this day. This video shot across the old radar screen today. Didn't think I would watch the whole 5 minutes after the ridiculously long trailer before it, but it's so gorgeously edited and scored, seemed like it was over in seconds:

Tribute to last flight of Atlantis

[Full size version here]

Also a related video that I can't embed but so very cool. Click here to watch the International Space Station pass over an aurora. Makes me want to be an astronaut.

The McGurk Effect

2011-09-25T12:44:00.001-04:00

This is the weirdest thing I saw on the internets all week. Even if you know the trick, you can't stop this effect unless you close your eyes. Spooky, but I love it. The human brain is so interesting.

If you can't see the video embed, you can go to the direct link.

Is there such a thing as a front yard flamingo pond?

2011-09-24T11:22:00.002-04:00

Yeah, I've been MIA again. But always trying to get this blog on a regular schedule again. Anyway, Water Tiger found this great video, so let's start with this:

I love flamingos. Full size here.

Amazing grace

2011-09-11T14:13:00.000-04:00

I always get in a weird deeply reflective mood on Sept. 11. every since the WTC attacks. I have very mixed emotions. I still grieve for those who lost their loved ones, to some extent I still relive the horror and disbelief as I watched the planes crash into those buildings over and over again as the teevee replayed the scene on an endless loop. There's more but I don't feel like hashing it all over again. So I'm just going to post this amazing video I found on the internets this morning.

You can see it in full size here. How the heck does she do that?

Mother of invention

2011-09-04T05:10:00.000-04:00

Don't quite understand how this works. It appears to me that it would only make light when the sun was shining anyway. But it appears these people live in houses with no windows, so they would light during the day as well. Anyway, I do think it's very cool they figured out how to recycle junk to make something so useful

I left my heart in San Francisco

2011-09-03T16:58:00.000-04:00

Actually, I've never been to San Francisco, but thinking of the song because I love this kind of stuff.

The world's largest kinetic toothpick sculpture, 'Rolling Through the Bay', is not just a standard work of art. It took sculptor Scott Weaver 3,000 hours and 100,000 toothpicks to construct it. Those 3,000 hours were also distributed over 34 years, making this a life's work! The only other material used was Elmer's Glue.

I'm so impressed by this kind of project. I tried to build a house out of popsicle sticks once. Or maybe it was matchsticks. It wasn't very big. I never finished it. I think I ended up turning the one wall into a raft and sending it down a river.

There's no place like home

2011-09-01T19:26:00.000-04:00

I suppose everybody has experienced this. When you go somewhere new, the trip there always seems longer than the trip home. I always thought it was because you recognize landmarks on the way back, but the science says that's not why:

Their research found that the effect was caused not by increasing familiarity with the route but because people expected the initial trip to be faster than it was, making the trip back seem shorter.

"People seem to be too optimistic about the initial trip, so it feels longer than one expects," says Niels van de Ven, a professor of psychology at Tilburg University in the Netherlands and one of the authors of the study.

That appears to skew people's sense of what to expect on the way back "so they are happily surprised it doesn't take as long as they expected," says Anne Wilson, a researcher who studies the psychology of time at Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario, Canada.

Of course, sometimes you so want to get home, that it still feels like forever on the way back too. But getting there almost always feels great. And the longer you're away, the cozier it feels to be back with your own stuff again.

Star grazing

2011-08-30T07:56:00.001-04:00

This is seriously cool. It's only theoretical and it's an animation, not a video of the actual event, but I never cease to be amazed by how far scientists have advanced in studying space. Behold, a giant black hole, eating a star.

If the video didn't embed on your browser, you can see it here, along with a single image illustration. This stuff makes me wish I could live enough to join the Star Trek Federation and see this stuff for real.

Hell's Bells

2011-08-29T16:59:00.000-04:00

Having been a fan of cartoons all my life and having grown up with access to a NYC TV station that played really old cartoons all day and night long, I doubt if there's a single American cartoon ever made that I haven't seen at least once, even if I don't remember them all. Oddly, though I recall many in this old Disney Symphony series, this is one I don't recall. Maybe they didn't play it much because of the hell theme. Certainly, when I was young, they never worried about the violence.

Anyway, this one just crossed the radar and have to admit, I kind of love it.

They don't make them like this anymore. For many reasons. But try to tell me you don't think the artists were stoned off their gourd on something while they drawing them, one cell at a time.

Earthquake!

2011-08-24T15:20:00.000-04:00

Well, I didn't feel the earthquake where I am right now, but I followed the reaction to it on the social media. Lot of people I know felt it. If you're wondering what caused it, it appears there's a natural geological explanation. If you click that link there's a lot of very cool maps. I had no idea there were so many major fault lines along the East Coast. And apparently the reason the tremors could be felt for such long distances is because the rock layers in the East are old and cold. Which could describe me too, actually.

If you're wondering just how strong was that tremor you felt, you can look up your Richter Scale rating by zip code here.

And I thought this was interesting. The National Zoo reports the animals' reaction to the quake. Click the link for the whole list, but these were my favorites:

The red ruffed lemurs sounded an alarm call about 15 minutes before the quake and then again just after it occurred.

The lion pride was outside. They all stood still and faced the building, which rattled during the quake. All settled down within minutes.

The Zoo has a flock of 64 flamingos. Just before the quake, the birds rushed about and grouped themselves together. They remained huddled during the quake.

Apparently no damage to the Zoo and the animals are all safe and accounted for. Wondering how the five people who still read this blog made out? Hope you're all safe and no property damage to report.

Coolest houseboat ever

2011-08-23T19:06:00.001-04:00

I've toyed with the idea of living in a houseboat for many years now. Thought it would be a cheap way to get a house. I discovered they're not that cheap anymore and then there's the docking fees and all but for this houseboat it would be worth it. This couple "retrofitted an old Ellis Island Ferry as their very own floating home." Very cool history to the boat as well:

"The 1907 Yankee Ferry was affixed with guns and canons and was first used by the U.S. Army to patrol the Boston Harbor during World War I. In the 1920s, the Yankee was used by Ellis Island to transport newly arrived immigrants from the island to Manhattan, many of whom were kept below decks on their transatlantic voyage and are said to have obtained their first views of New York City from the decks of the [ship]."

Love the way they decorated it too. It even has a chicken coop on board. Lots more photos here at the guy's flickr account.

If I ever win the lottery or write a best selling book or something, houseboat living is back on my list of possible retirement options. That is, if it's a houseboat like this.

Crazy but awesome

2011-08-21T14:41:00.000-04:00

I'm in a holding pattern at the moment so nothing to tell about my life, but this guy is sure making his own excitement:

A tightrope walker has made a bid for a new world record by scaling the support cables of a mountain cable car in Germany.

Freddy Nock climbed up to the summit of the Zugspitze - Germany's highest peak - without a balancing pole. The mountain is 2,962 metres (9,718ft) high.

It was the first of a series of record-breaking tightrope walking feats the Swiss man is attempting over the next week.

They don't say what his next trick will be but hard to imagine how he'll top that. Video of the cable walk at the link above.

Travel babble

2011-08-18T14:41:00.000-04:00

I have mixed feelings about google maps. They're useful for general information on routes but I've found they tend to overestimate traveling time. Also their written directions often seem to be a little convoluted and hard to follow. Not a huge deal and I do still use it a lot but it's never going to replace the utility of the GPS. However, this is very cool and is something the GPS can't do.

Today, we’re adding a weather layer on Google Maps that displays current temps and conditions around the globe, and will hopefully make travel and activity planning easier.

To add the weather layer, hover over the widget in the upper right corner of Google Maps and select the weather layer from the list of options. When zoomed out, you’ll see a map with current weather conditions from weather.com for various locations, with icons to denote sun, clouds, rain and so on. You can also see cloud coverage, thanks to our partners at the U.S. Naval Research Lab.

Going to fall in love with Google maps all over again for doing this. Click the link to see all the other fun features.

Reports of this blog's death are greatly exaggerated

2011-08-05T00:25:00.000-04:00

No, I haven't dropped off the face of the earth. And I really am going to start posting here more often again someday. It's just that my life changed so dramatically. I went from having a miserable existence, with virtually no life at all, to a life so full, I don't have time to talk about it. And with what little time I have, I've been posting to my political blogs.

Anyway, I'm still going out with the ex-Marine. It's a strange friendship, since we're so different, but somehow it's working. He took me literally to the middle of nowhere last week, to a great barbecue joint. It's down a quarter of a mile gravel road in the middle of a farm. It's only open two days a week. It's in a huge old barn with a stage and stadium seating on one side. Probably seats 1.000 people. Well, maybe a few hundred, but they have a bluegrass band every night. And clog dancers. I'm talking old guys in denim coveralls clicking their shoes on the dance floor.

Had a great chat with the cashier, who was 92 years old. And the food was great. Limited menu, but all you can eat. All the years I've lived in the south now, it was my first authentic barbecue. It was worth the wait.

Who knows where the time goes

2011-07-06T23:06:00.000-04:00

Can't believe it's been a couple of weeks again since I've posted here. Lots of reasons. Still don't have internet at home but mainly it's a lack of time. But I do feel guilty about neglecting you my dear friends.

Life is better these days. Very busy but much happier than I've been for a long time. The big box store feels like a whole lifetime ago. I'm even more exhausted than I was when I was working there, but it's a better kind of tired. Things should be settling down in about a week or so and I swear once I get the computer thing resolved, I'm going to set up a regular schedule of autoposts, so those of who still kindly check in here have something to read.

Thinking of you always, even when I don't post. I will be back.

RIP Peter Falk

2011-06-25T15:12:00.000-04:00

Sad to see Peter Falk died. Truthfully, I wasn't really fond of the Colombo series. I didn't love the format where you knew who commited the crime before hand and then watched him nail the perp. Much prefer trying to figure out who the perp is in these crime shows.

But I really liked Falk as an actor in general and if memory serves he was a decent man in real life. RIP.

Goodbye old friend

2011-06-24T14:27:00.002-04:00

I knew it was coming, but hadn't expected to happen quite so suddenly. My old Dell died this morning. Wouldn't load no matter what I did to it. Obviously this will be putting a bit of a crimp in my blogging for a few days.

I'm at the library using their wifi with my old laptop, which is almost as old but hasn't been used much so shouldn't crash. Still, hoping these things don't come in twos.

I could use some advice. I can't use the laptop at home because I don't have a wifi connection set up and no open connections within range. I'm wondering if I should get a new desktop. Or maybe just a big screen laptop for at home and use the non-wifi modem that still works. Or maybe I should get a new wifi modem and try to figure out how to set that up and just use this little old laptop in the interim, until I can figure out what to do.

Can anybody tell me if it costs more to get a wifi connection from an ISP and how hard is it to set it up for a technodope like myself? That seems like the simplest and cheapest solution to me. At least for the moment.

Menwhile, I'm silently sobbing about losing the stuff on the old puter that I never backed up. It was way over loaded with junk I didn't need,and haven't looked at in years, but there were still a few photos I hadn't saved anywhere else. And there's probably some stuff in the old documents that I would have liked to have on disk. As the kids say, FML.

Big cat

2011-06-13T08:23:00.001-04:00

Funny, I was just talking to someone about how wild predators were being sighted in residential neighborhoods more often as developments encroach on their natural habitats. We were discussing whether or not the alleged sightings of mountain lions in New England were reality or myth. The next day, I saw this report of a confirmed mountain lion sighting in Greenwich, CT. Which would make sense since it's a wealthy community where a lot of the natural habitat has been preserved for its beauty and to afford the rich folks their privacy.

I worry a bit about kids and pets possibly being attacked, but I'm glad to see the big cats are making a comeback. Nice to see the wild things winning once in a while. [Photo via National Geographic.]

Quote of the Day

2011-06-12T13:07:00.000-04:00

From my dear friend Victoria. Don't think I've seen this one before:

Whatever you give a woman, she will make greater. If you give her sperm, she'll give you a baby. If you give her a house, she'll give you a home. If you give her groceries, she'll give you a meal. If you give her a smile, she'll give you her heart.

She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her. So, if you give her any crap, be ready to receive a ton of shit.

I love it because it's so true.