Alternative Transportation!

Some times it pays to take a slower version of transportation...

To sleep.. perchance to dream...

So there was an interesting article in the Republican today on epitaphs.. those clever little sayings that people leave as their final words to the world carved into their tombstones.. as a fan of the 'art of cemetarys" I have given this quite some thought, what would I like to say? Having a love of cemetarys and the written word this is an important choice for me.. although, strangely, I don't think I want to be buried in a cemetary.. nope.. burn me and dump me under the biggest tree you can find.. but yet I'd still like to have a 'memorial stone' somewhere.. and what do I want to have engraved on it? Well it depends..

If I manage to "go" in my sleep - then I want "To sleep, perchance to never awaken again."

Otherwise give me "Now what?" or maybe "I won't do THAT again!"

Either way, hopefully, I won't need to make that decision for some time now..
Later.. much later, thank you!

Don't Even Think About It...

Wow.. this blog has gotten a little sparse with the "Bay Road to Route 9 Observations" lately.. sorry bout that.. it's the thinking that will do you in every time.. I should take a little lesson from the wise words of BoSox Johnny D. "We don't think - it only hurts the team."..

There's just been so much to think about lately.. the ALCS.... The World Series.. The Election.. Oil prices.. Gas prices.. Why are the apple fritters at Atkins always burnt on Mon, Tues and Wed and yet OH so perfectly done the rest of the week?..

It's all too much I tell you.. my beautiful ride is slipping on past the windshield while I drive and ponder.. ponder and drive.. I promise I'll take a step back and take a good look around on the next trip down Bay... once I figure out if Papa George or P&P has the best cheese pizza of course..

Later..
AND AGAIN>>> watch for a double post on this one.. Blogger is being difficult about posting my emailed entries..

Home - Trash Talkin'

So I chickened out and decided to forgo the ride into the office today and avoid the mess on Bay Road altogether.. Paving.. Paving means delays.. Delays mean Traffic cops... and if you've been reading my blog you all know how that can tank a perfectly wonderful day.. if you missed it.. here's the permalink to the entry..

Anyway.. had a somewhat fun day trash talkin on the Masslive Weblogs Forum in between actual work.. I tell ya' though.. it's more fun when you can get someone to trash-back.. I'm rather disappointed.. with all those 'great writers' in there.. (take THAT one with a grain of salt.. Hey.. why stop the trash now?) you'd think there would be a little more imagination.. a little more passion.. a little more humor.. a little more.. something.. maybe as writers they look at everything as a 'critique' even when offered in fun.. if that's the case.. well.. TOO BAD.. no really.. I did manage to get a couple of them fired up... over punctuation.. of all things.. some days I probably should just get some work done.. huh?... nah... "How 'bout a few more ellipses, Bombpop... .... IN YOUR FACE!!" ;) <--- that's more trash talk for those of you that needed to have it explained!

Later...

How bad can it be?

As I drove home last nite I passed (rather quickly I might add) one of those portable billboard type road signs.. something about "paving bay" "the 27th" and "expect delays".. Who programs these things? Evelyn Wood herself wouldn't have had time to read that whole thing.. Really though.. thanks for the warning.. not that I have much choice, gotta go into the office today.. although I suppose there is always alternates to Route 9... I suppose I can deviate from my chosen path.. but then again.. really.. How bad can it be?? Yeah.. right.. How bad can it be? I suppose I'll let you know..
Later..probably much Later...
Laura
ps.. was that a hint.. blogger is taking so long to post my entry via email that I decided to paste it into it's own interface.. it'll probably show up twice, but OH well.. is everything gonna be 'slow' today? As long as the Red Sox aren't slow tonite, I can deal...

Missing in Action..

Yeah.. so I've missed blogging here for a bit..  what can I say..  I was done in by all those extra innings.. and then there were all those clever emails that I sent to the poor Yankee's fan that spent the first 3 games emailing me..  I must say it has been a blast..  here's a quote from my favorite email.. I was truly inspired with this one I sent the nite after the big win:

 

"Hey Jon.. sorry if I was too hard on ya this morning.. you were very nice and I was too busy picking on you to notice.. I appreciate it..  here's a website that may make things better..   go here!"

 

So where does the link go?   WebMD.com - their how-to page on "Choking Prevention Procedure"  The Heimlich Maneuver!   What response did I get to that one?  :)  I'll give you a hint...  it was a one-word email.. and it ryhmes with "witch"..  

 

OH.. and then there was this gem I sent yesterday:

 

"wow..  there was like nuthin' on tv last nite..  with the games done I don't know what to do with myself anymore..  oh.. but that's right..  we can all watch the World Series starting on Saturday.. yeah...   OH.. but then maybe you don't wanna watch it .. 

understandable.. 

you and your wife could always rent that movie...  man.. what's the name of it?  it was about that big multimillion dollar ship that everyone said was unsinkable, but it goes down in like 4 games straight.. I mean seconds, 4 seconds straight.. anyway..  Titanic.. yeah.. thats the one.. I hear it's really good!"

 

That one set off a flurry of emails about 1918..  how the curse isn't actually over till we win the World Series..   all kinds of pissing and moaning..  I don't know what's more fun.. watching the games or finding creative ways to torture Yankee fans..  Frankly.. I think it's the torture... 

 

Laura

ps..  the Sox better keep up the good work, or I'm gonna be in some serious trouble!

Nobodys that stupid...

How often have you heard someone say that.. "Nobody's that stupid!"?  Well the next time you hear it, you have my permission to pass along this little story.. and ok.. so it doesn't fit in with my Travel Blog, but then again, it does.. I came across this in my travels on the internet...  so it's travel.. just of a different kind.. and I swear EVERY word of it is true..  people really are that stupid!  At least these 2 characters are.. Anyway.. here it is.. you be the stupidity rating judge..

 

I had just finished posting the previous entry into my blog and was surfing through the listings on blogger.com of the latest updated weblogs for anything interesting.. and OH.. but did I find it..  a little blog called "It's just the thing"..  it seems to have been started by a gentleman (and I use the term EXTREMELY loosely) that is either in Iowa or was raised in Iowa cause his handle was "Iowaboy"..  it seems he has a little jealousy problem..  his girlfriend got hit on by another guy and Mr. Iowa is having a hard time dealing with this..  You see, he can kind of deal with the jealousy he feels toward HER HUSBAND, but not this third guy..  OH.. and the best part is.. she should understand how he feels cause turns out the girlfriend is a little upset when she thinks about Mr. Iowa's WIFE..  after a little lurid detailing of the nite spent together he then compliments her on what a wonderful MOM she is and how he values her assistance with HIS BOYS!!..  And all of this on a public blog!

 

OK.. so "Stupidity Rating?".. I think we have to double up on this one.. rating number one for the stupidity of the whole affair, and then rating number two for the stupidity of blogging about it..  I'd give you the URL of the blog so you could send the lucky couple your comments yourself, but it seems to have disappeared shortly after I posted a little 'anonymous comment' to it.. hehe..  Mr. Iowa and friend have PLENTY of food for thought that's for sure!  Is it wrong that I'm enjoying the thought that somewhere there's a couple of stupid people trying to figure out how I found the blog that they obviously thought was so private?  Panic in Iowa..  the thought just fills me with giddieness and glee..  I can't help it..  Is that wrong?

 

To quote Forrest Gump: "Stupid is as Stupid does" and it sounds like Stupid is DOING Stupid..  

Later

The Sidetrack...

We all get a little side-tracked once in awhile. This was my weekend sidetrack - headed west on 9 - hang a left to Cold Springs Orchard.. Yummy apples, and even yummier views.. Although my son did point out that I didn't shoot left enough and I missed the shot of the 7 Sisters.. Oh well.. I'll just have to head back over there for that one.. Anyway, here are a couple of shots I did manage to get, although I feel a little guilty about the one below.. Cold Springs did an incredible job with this gourd display, I simply pointed at it and pushed the freakin' button! Lovely!
Laura

Herding Cats...

Who's Watching Who? Here's a quick collage of some of the wildlife thats around my home. The dog and the kitties aren't wild you say? Well, obviously, you've never been to my home... I don't hold out much hope for the chipmunk and the cats are the dog's "herd", she'll chase them till her feet are raw if we let her, being part Corgi the herding instinct is ingrained, throw in one part high-jumping Jack Russell and you get a Corgi-Jack that could herd kangaroos. They say "You can't herd cats." Well, nobody ever told my dog that, and frankly she does a pretty good job of it. Sorry for the low res, but when your putting that many pics in one animation they tend to get a little huge!
Later...

It's a leaf riot!

So this is why I live in New England...  Have you looked outside lately?  I mean REALLY looked..  it's freakin' beautiful out there!  We're at peak foliage here on Bay, and it's a peak better than I ever remember.. usually we have gotten a few rain/wind storms that take down a good portion of the leaves before the colors get a chance to peak out..  but we've been really lucky these past couple of weeks, the majority of the leaves are still on the trees.. and they look like their on fire!  Enjoy it while you can.. I've heard we're due for some nasty weather come tomorrow nite and into the weekend, so it may be the last day for the peak leaf peeping!  I'll be hucking the camera again tomorrow and will try not to rush into the office and may I suggest that you all do the same..  slow it on down people.. its red yellow and orange out there and before you know it, it will be brown and *gasp.. WHITE..

Later.. much later please!

Laura

Colors of New England

Macro Photography

Ok.. so alot of the photos I've been taking lately have been macro's.. extreme closeups of the flora and fauna that I've been finding around me as I've been out and about photographing the lovely fall scenery. This time of the year just screams for some extreme closeups and luckily the new camera has some awesome macro and super macro features. This is one of the latest, hope you like!
Laura

I saw you!

Ok..  so not much strikes fear in my heart more than running into a friend/client/aquaintance and having them say "I saw you driving down the road the other day..."   My first thought...  CRAP..  I used to just hold my breath and try and act casual and say "Oh.. where was that?"..  but I've since changed my tactics..  why not come right out with it and get it over with..  so what do I say now.. I look them straight in the eye.. give a little laugh.. and say..  "Oh.... and was I singing?"..  Much to my relief the answer has usually been "no.. I don't think so.."  *whew..  I swear I've sung more backup driving alone in my truck than one of the Pips did in his entire career..  I can't help it.. Warren Haynes (who little does he know that even though there isn't a backup singer to be found in his many albums... and I have them ALL.. )every day there is a woman.. driving alone... along Bay Road..  singing along... "con mucho gusto!"  Elvis Costello...  you betcha Alison!

I think it's been bothering me more than usual because the other day I got stuck in the road construction their doing on Route 47..  As I approached the cop in my lane he held up his hand... stopping the line of traffic right at me.. so there I sat.. first in line.. right in front of the cop.. right in front of the construction workers..  when I realized I had been there a couple of minutes.. thats right.. SINGING... the whole time!  Damn...  my only consolation is that I'm sure he's seen weirder stuff than that..  but I'd be willing to bet he hasn't heard any worse!

Laura

Thanks for the comments

So I finally got a comment on my blog.. whew.. I was beginning to think I was the only one here.. not that it matters much I guess, I do this because I love it.. I was never very good at keeping a journal, although writing is a passion of mine, and this has become my journal..  anyway.. you can check out the comments on the story below from Cynthia of http://www.creativewritersgroup.blogspot.com   (and check out her blog if you get the opportunity)..  she asked some questions that I'll answer here..  "how do I get the photo's on my blog"..  I have a website where these photo's actual reside - when I wrote that blog (and this only works in the blogger.com interface not in an email) I used an html call <img source="http:// and the address of the actual picture)..  Do I use a Mac?  Umm no.. I like having software for my computers..  Is it a 'special camera'?  Well I think so.. :)  but it's just a regular Minolta Dimage Z1 - digital SLR, loads of features - plenty of manual overrides so I can get the shot that I want, not that the camera wants to give me.. The truck under the bridge photo was pushing it though..  taken at 40times zoom and thru my vehicle window.. happy to say it turned out - albiet a little fuzzy..  so yes.. it's a special camera! 

I'll see what else I can come up with for photo's - after the truck incident I've realized the value of hucking the camera around with me and will now give it a prominent place riding shotgun with me on a daily basis! 

Later

As promised!

Reading back over my posts from the last couple of weeks I noticed that I had promised to post some pictures from my ride. Well I got a good start with yesterday's picture of the truck-eatin' bridge but other than that I've been remiss. It's not that the photo's don't exist I just haven't posted them here. So I'll begin posting some of them up there.. I've managed to pull over and line up a few shots in the past week or so, it's amazing how a new camera will do that to you, all of a sudden you don't HAVE to be in the office at the usual time! Got some lovely shots of the beaver swamp but unfortunately the lovely white bird has been nowhere to be found, Molly and Hector (the shaggy mini donkeys) haven't even been co-operative, and of course the farmer put the windows back in the barn so even the barn cats are among the missing.. although I promise I'll keep trying.. Enjoy..
Laura

How High?

And this truck driver was hoping that it would all just be a bad memory.. lucky I had the new camera with me this morning to record it for posterity! Get a load of the guy on the left talking to the driver.. "The bridge is THIS high!! Yup, that's Northampton's 11 footer claiming another victim.. notice the nice can opener technique it employs at the top of the truck!

Laura

All this debate!

So the presidential election and all the lovely debate about the debates that is going on at http://www.masslive.com/forums/weblogs/ (which I read regularly) almost makes me wish that my blog was a little more 'political' in nature..  but frankly that's not what I'm about.. Oh.. I follow the election news..  the debates.. etc..  and I definitely have an opinion and I will vote.. but that's about the extent of it.. although there is a 'political post' in here thanks to some grafitti artists..  if you travel the length of Bay Road I'm sure you've seen it.. someone.. in their unbridled political frenzy... scrawled in black paint on the stop sign where Bay joins Route 47 "Bush".. making the sign read "Stop Bush"..  very clever..  I will certainly take into account the opinion of someone that drives around the back roads of town with a can of spray paint scrawling graffiti on road signs..  now that's someone who's opinion should be respected and recognized!  Oh.. the cleverness of it..  the sheer simplicity..  the brilliant stroke of genius that must have hit this person had to be awe-inspiring!  I think all the candidates should hire their own gangs of tag artists..  why stop with defacing one stop sign on a little back road when you can reach hordes of drivers everywhere! Stop Bush.. Stop Kerry..  Stop the war..   or how about this gem..  Stop the frickin' graffitti!

Later