Monday, September 26, 2005
Sunday, September 25, 2005
The coolest Dudes at the Fair...
So we hit the Big E today... OH.. the crowds.. now I remember why we always took a day off from work and went down mid-week.. it was pretty crazy bad.. but not bad enuf to keep us away from the Finnish pancakes.. the steak n' cheese sandwiches... the chowda'... the steak n' cheese... OH.. did I eat those twice.. I guess I did.. the cream puffs with the filling that tastes almost exactly my Aunt Beverly's frosting (YUM!!! It's a German thing...) the fudge.... the candy apple... ok.. so those 2 came home with me for a 'later snack'... But it wasn't all food... only about 80% food... here's a couple of the coolest Dude's we spotted at the Fair.. that's right, I hucked the camera along for the walk.. so here's a couple pics for ya.. I've got to go scrape the melted cheese off the lens cap..
Later
Later
Another Dude...
Stupid Blogger is only letting me upload one image at a time.. your gonna have to scroll... sorry...
Saturday, September 24, 2005
Evil blossom
Thursday, September 22, 2005
Drive naked but not angry!
Have you seen this? Toyota is looking to develop cars in the next couple of years that have specially treated seats that will cure your nasty skin rash and will also warn other drivers that your in the midst of a road rage episode by changing the color of your headlights... nope... I kid alot but this is the real deal! You can go HERE to read about it for yourself...
So basically if you've got yourself a nasty case of butt rash, and I'll thank you for not emailing me and telling me about it, you can just drop trou, hop in your 4Runner and go for a little cruise around the block! Might I suggest however, that you not take your significant other along for the ride if your having a tiff and you wanna avoid discussing the problem with them... there will be no hiding behind the "No, I'm not mad." statement.. you'll just get "Oh.. come on.. I know your pissed about something - for pete's sake the freakin' headlights are so friggin' brite that airplane up there thinks this is the airport landing strip and he's lookin' to put it down in the middle of the highway!"
HA... and again... you can't win 'em all!
Later...
So basically if you've got yourself a nasty case of butt rash, and I'll thank you for not emailing me and telling me about it, you can just drop trou, hop in your 4Runner and go for a little cruise around the block! Might I suggest however, that you not take your significant other along for the ride if your having a tiff and you wanna avoid discussing the problem with them... there will be no hiding behind the "No, I'm not mad." statement.. you'll just get "Oh.. come on.. I know your pissed about something - for pete's sake the freakin' headlights are so friggin' brite that airplane up there thinks this is the airport landing strip and he's lookin' to put it down in the middle of the highway!"
HA... and again... you can't win 'em all!
Later...
No wonder we're LOST...
So... if you read along you know I'm a Lost fan... and if you are too you know that last nite was the season premiere... Lovely... was great to see one of my favorite shows again... but frankly... the jury is still out as to my opinion of it... we got some great information... little Walt showing up soaking wet (did the Others toss him over board?)... but probably most importantly we got into the hatch... and that's where I'm torn...
I love a mystery... and I love to solve a mystery... but in order to solve it you have to have some clues... what I would like to know is, how are we supposed to solve it when the guy that lives down there only shows up in flashbacks NOW. Wouldn't it have been a little more solvable if Desmond had shown up in some of Jack Flashbacks.. oh.. say... in the middle of last season!
So now we're at a point of:
1. Who's Desmond?
2. Why and against whom was he racing around the world?
3. How did he end up down the hatch?
4. What's with the computer lab down there? (could it be as I predicted a gov. testing site?)
5. Why was it quarentined? (again, was I right? radiation experiments?)
I guess we'll have to all watch and see, although I fear it'll be a good long while before we get anymore information handed to us!
Later...
I love a mystery... and I love to solve a mystery... but in order to solve it you have to have some clues... what I would like to know is, how are we supposed to solve it when the guy that lives down there only shows up in flashbacks NOW. Wouldn't it have been a little more solvable if Desmond had shown up in some of Jack Flashbacks.. oh.. say... in the middle of last season!
So now we're at a point of:
1. Who's Desmond?
2. Why and against whom was he racing around the world?
3. How did he end up down the hatch?
4. What's with the computer lab down there? (could it be as I predicted a gov. testing site?)
5. Why was it quarentined? (again, was I right? radiation experiments?)
I guess we'll have to all watch and see, although I fear it'll be a good long while before we get anymore information handed to us!
Later...
Monday, September 19, 2005
Friday, September 16, 2005
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Afraid to post...
sorry for the lack of postage this week, frankly, I've been a little afraid of posting... I've seen so much on the news lately that just makes me so angry I could spit and frankly I've been a little afraid of exposing all you dear readers to my spit-fests... That's not what this blog is about and I try really hard to keep it that way... I figure we all have our own reasons for being angry and there's just way too much anger already so I try not to open my mouth and mention something else that you can get angry about as well... Oh... but then we're all adults here, I think, and keeping quiet about stuff never did anyone any good... *sigh... hence, the dilemma that has kept me from the blogger window this week... that lovely old saying "If you can't say something good, don't say anything at all!" and yet..."Silence breeds contempt!"
Oh... ok.. so it's not all 'trying to spare you readers'... I have some definite opinions about things... and admittedly, alot of them are not very popular... and others can be VERY harshly misinterpreted... so it's a matter of instead of having to risk offending someone (cause we all know someone somewhere WILL be offended no matter WHAT the statement is cause you can't please all of the people, all of the time)... or at the very least having to spend countless hours arguing my side of the story and fighting the misinterpretations... it's just easier to say nothing...
hhhmmm... so do we "get along to go along"? Say nothing cause it's easier? Roll over and play dead so someone doesn't get so pissed at you that they could kill you? Do you really have to "Pick your fights and let the little things go?"... but then "it's the little things that'll kill ya!" A mentor of mine used to use the phrase "nibbled to death by ducks"... it's only a little chunk at a time and it only hurts a little, but you get enuf ducks taking chunks out of you and before you know it, your dead in the water...
I still haven't decided whether to air some of this crap on here or not... I guess for now I'll just go with "There's a time and a place for everything!" and assume that this is neither the time.. nor the place...
Later...
Oh... ok.. so it's not all 'trying to spare you readers'... I have some definite opinions about things... and admittedly, alot of them are not very popular... and others can be VERY harshly misinterpreted... so it's a matter of instead of having to risk offending someone (cause we all know someone somewhere WILL be offended no matter WHAT the statement is cause you can't please all of the people, all of the time)... or at the very least having to spend countless hours arguing my side of the story and fighting the misinterpretations... it's just easier to say nothing...
hhhmmm... so do we "get along to go along"? Say nothing cause it's easier? Roll over and play dead so someone doesn't get so pissed at you that they could kill you? Do you really have to "Pick your fights and let the little things go?"... but then "it's the little things that'll kill ya!" A mentor of mine used to use the phrase "nibbled to death by ducks"... it's only a little chunk at a time and it only hurts a little, but you get enuf ducks taking chunks out of you and before you know it, your dead in the water...
I still haven't decided whether to air some of this crap on here or not... I guess for now I'll just go with "There's a time and a place for everything!" and assume that this is neither the time.. nor the place...
Later...
Friday, September 09, 2005
Priorities?
Ok... so watching Larry King the other nite he had a stellar lineup of stars doing what they could to raise money for Katrina relief... I watched some of it... UNTIL...
Celine Dion... *sobbing** hysterically and furiously flicking the tears off her cheeks with her 3 inch press on nails as she went on a tirade of "I can't drink my coffee... I can't sing... why is noone helping these people" was just too freakin' much for me...
She then made the announcement that she has sent a check for 1 million to help... now... any amount is much needed and appreciated.. and she certainly didn't have to donate anything... but lets get a little perspective here...
When she renewed her vows with her manager husband back in 2000... JUST the decorations in Ceasar's Palace cost 1.5 million! See the article here... just the freakin' DECORATIONS.... not the 5 star meal from the personal chefs that were flown in just for the occasion for 235 people... not the Austrian Crystal Tiara she wore... not the Gold Wedding Gown... Not the pay for the 4 beautiful young burly guys that carried her on a platter to the altar... just the freakin' decorations!
Ok... so do we have a clue where her priorities lie? Save your tear flickin' tirades for your fans Ms. Dion, maybe they'll believe it...
Later...
Celine Dion... *sobbing** hysterically and furiously flicking the tears off her cheeks with her 3 inch press on nails as she went on a tirade of "I can't drink my coffee... I can't sing... why is noone helping these people" was just too freakin' much for me...
She then made the announcement that she has sent a check for 1 million to help... now... any amount is much needed and appreciated.. and she certainly didn't have to donate anything... but lets get a little perspective here...
When she renewed her vows with her manager husband back in 2000... JUST the decorations in Ceasar's Palace cost 1.5 million! See the article here... just the freakin' DECORATIONS.... not the 5 star meal from the personal chefs that were flown in just for the occasion for 235 people... not the Austrian Crystal Tiara she wore... not the Gold Wedding Gown... Not the pay for the 4 beautiful young burly guys that carried her on a platter to the altar... just the freakin' decorations!
Ok... so do we have a clue where her priorities lie? Save your tear flickin' tirades for your fans Ms. Dion, maybe they'll believe it...
Later...
Thursday, September 08, 2005
What did they think would happen?
So... you've got thousands of people with nothing but what they have on their backs... so what do you do? You yell "Hey... Get your 2 THOUSAND DOLLARS HERE" and then you wonder why you have to lockdown the Astrodome and call in the cops to control the fights, and the pushing, and the screaming, and the growing line of people, and the people collapsing from the heat and the wait... ok... so everyone at once - point at the people who set this up and scream "DUMB-ASS!!!" There you go!
Just another instance of "WHAT were they thinking would happen?"... Not one of these organizers and I use the term 'organizers' EXTREMELY loosely here, thought.. hhmm.. maybe this isn't such a good idea... Maybe we should make announcements the day before... post some signs... with some rules here.... like:
1. We will call a letter out - in random order - if your last name begins with that letter then get in the line.
2. If you get to the front of the line and your last name does NOT begin with that letter you will be docked $50 and will have to wait in the PROPER line till your letter IS called to collect your $1950!
3. If you are caught pushing or cutting in line $50 will be deducted from your debit card for the first incident - go to the back of the line - $100 for the second incident - again, to the BACK of the line - and 3 strikes your out "NO MONEY FOR YOU! Get the hell out of the line!".
4. If you are caught littering while online, (if you've seen the pics note the piles of garbage on the ground - pick up your shit people *see the note about "don't shit where you live rules"!) you will be fined $10 for each instance of littering.
A lousy 4 freakin' rules and this all could have been avoided! What the HELL!
DUMB-ASS!
Later...
Just another instance of "WHAT were they thinking would happen?"... Not one of these organizers and I use the term 'organizers' EXTREMELY loosely here, thought.. hhmm.. maybe this isn't such a good idea... Maybe we should make announcements the day before... post some signs... with some rules here.... like:
1. We will call a letter out - in random order - if your last name begins with that letter then get in the line.
2. If you get to the front of the line and your last name does NOT begin with that letter you will be docked $50 and will have to wait in the PROPER line till your letter IS called to collect your $1950!
3. If you are caught pushing or cutting in line $50 will be deducted from your debit card for the first incident - go to the back of the line - $100 for the second incident - again, to the BACK of the line - and 3 strikes your out "NO MONEY FOR YOU! Get the hell out of the line!".
4. If you are caught littering while online, (if you've seen the pics note the piles of garbage on the ground - pick up your shit people *see the note about "don't shit where you live rules"!) you will be fined $10 for each instance of littering.
A lousy 4 freakin' rules and this all could have been avoided! What the HELL!
DUMB-ASS!
Later...
Mind wrapping...
I'm still trying to wrap my mind around all that I'm seeing coming out of the aftermath of Katrina.
Forced evacuations versus victim's rights. Yes... save them.. save them all.. whether they think they need saving or not.. MAKE them get out... but wait.. what gives them the right to make people leave what little they have left.. their pets.. their homes... if they want to stay it's their right and government should NEVER interfer with it's citizen's rights... NEVER...
I don't know!
These people are insane for staying versus I don't blame them... disease.. rubble... no food or water and yet they want to stay, these people are freakin' NUTS! Would I want to leave my home under dire circumstances? It would have to be VERY dire to get me out...
I don't know!
Fire all the incompetant a**holes who left these people stranded versus let's not point fingers, lets just fix the problem... Someone needs to be held accountable for the lack of assistance... my god... people DIED while the powers that be stood by saying they weren't aware of the problems even tho ALL the news stations and newspapers had full color LIVE pictures of the suffering and death for days... HELL... let's press criminal charges against these people.. point them out... dig them out of their cushy cocoon offices and parade them thru the streets of filthy water in downtown New Orleans... don't tear down the Superdome make it their new home.. dammit!! But then.. that won't solve a thing... it won't get people food and water and medical care and housing... let just get this job done... figure out what went wrong and learn from it...
I don't know!
There was a mandatory evacuation and warnings days before the storm hit and these people didn't leave, it's their own faults that their starving and risking disease versus it's no ones fault and some people understandably couldn't get out... They were told it was going to be catastrophic... they were told to get out... and yet they stayed... as my Dad would say "You made your bed, now you lie in it." Stand up and take some responsibility for yourself... got feet and a thumb? Start walking and try and hitch a ride... Don't just stand there in a pile of your own filth and cry "Save me"... You've got the strength to go raid Walmart and the Piggly Wiggly and to rape that little 13 year old girl... and to take potshots at those that are there trying to help... use some of that energy to get yourself outta there! sheesh! And yet... when you've got 30 bucks in cash and 8 people your responsible for, HOW do you get out? You don't, until someone helps you get out, why didn't the government line up every bus, every taxi, every truck, every train and get those out that couldn't get themselves out? There is no excuse...
I don't know!
What I do know... it's probably a good thing that I'm not the one having to make these decisions... either as a government offical or as a victim... I can see both sides of the issues and understand the reasoning behind each... but as to what the right answer is... I have NO clue! So now they are talking about a committee to investigate what happened here and hopefully to draw up a plan to fix any shortcomings that are found... if these people ignore their parties lines and their own personal opinions it is going to be a horrendous job... one that I wouldn't want... it really does come down to peoples rights... and government rights (local versus federal)... Anytime that you have to remove some of the rights of people or the right of the local government to take care of their own people, YOU LOSE! But then again, when life-saving actions are not delivered and people die needlessly, then YES... Someone has failed and deserves to have their rights stripped from them... and... once again... "Third Base"...
I DON'T KNOW!
Later...
Forced evacuations versus victim's rights. Yes... save them.. save them all.. whether they think they need saving or not.. MAKE them get out... but wait.. what gives them the right to make people leave what little they have left.. their pets.. their homes... if they want to stay it's their right and government should NEVER interfer with it's citizen's rights... NEVER...
I don't know!
These people are insane for staying versus I don't blame them... disease.. rubble... no food or water and yet they want to stay, these people are freakin' NUTS! Would I want to leave my home under dire circumstances? It would have to be VERY dire to get me out...
I don't know!
Fire all the incompetant a**holes who left these people stranded versus let's not point fingers, lets just fix the problem... Someone needs to be held accountable for the lack of assistance... my god... people DIED while the powers that be stood by saying they weren't aware of the problems even tho ALL the news stations and newspapers had full color LIVE pictures of the suffering and death for days... HELL... let's press criminal charges against these people.. point them out... dig them out of their cushy cocoon offices and parade them thru the streets of filthy water in downtown New Orleans... don't tear down the Superdome make it their new home.. dammit!! But then.. that won't solve a thing... it won't get people food and water and medical care and housing... let just get this job done... figure out what went wrong and learn from it...
I don't know!
There was a mandatory evacuation and warnings days before the storm hit and these people didn't leave, it's their own faults that their starving and risking disease versus it's no ones fault and some people understandably couldn't get out... They were told it was going to be catastrophic... they were told to get out... and yet they stayed... as my Dad would say "You made your bed, now you lie in it." Stand up and take some responsibility for yourself... got feet and a thumb? Start walking and try and hitch a ride... Don't just stand there in a pile of your own filth and cry "Save me"... You've got the strength to go raid Walmart and the Piggly Wiggly and to rape that little 13 year old girl... and to take potshots at those that are there trying to help... use some of that energy to get yourself outta there! sheesh! And yet... when you've got 30 bucks in cash and 8 people your responsible for, HOW do you get out? You don't, until someone helps you get out, why didn't the government line up every bus, every taxi, every truck, every train and get those out that couldn't get themselves out? There is no excuse...
I don't know!
What I do know... it's probably a good thing that I'm not the one having to make these decisions... either as a government offical or as a victim... I can see both sides of the issues and understand the reasoning behind each... but as to what the right answer is... I have NO clue! So now they are talking about a committee to investigate what happened here and hopefully to draw up a plan to fix any shortcomings that are found... if these people ignore their parties lines and their own personal opinions it is going to be a horrendous job... one that I wouldn't want... it really does come down to peoples rights... and government rights (local versus federal)... Anytime that you have to remove some of the rights of people or the right of the local government to take care of their own people, YOU LOSE! But then again, when life-saving actions are not delivered and people die needlessly, then YES... Someone has failed and deserves to have their rights stripped from them... and... once again... "Third Base"...
I DON'T KNOW!
Later...
Monday, September 05, 2005
Sunday, September 04, 2005
Psycho Lily...
Saturday, September 03, 2005
A crappy pic...
A crappy pic of what I do with the prints of all my 'good' pics... That's a magnetic white board that I've put up in my home office specifically to display all my prints... I can change them out or around as I like without punching a hole in them or spending a fortune on frames... it works...
Later
A lesson to be learned....
I think we can all take a lesson from the devastation and the aftermath of Katrina... Did anyone see this coming? I sure didn't... I have always had the opinion that tragedy and dire circumstances brings out the best in people. I may have to rethink that. I have an old friend who was of the 'survivalist' persuasion. As he would go on about how if there was ever a natural or man-made disaster that things would quickly take a dive into complete anarchy and lawlessness I would scoff and say people are better than that... I think we both have to rethink our opinions...
I saw alot of kindness and alot of horrors coming at me thru the tv. I guess there are as many reactions to hardship as there are people suffering. Good people will rise to the ocassion and the bad will quickly sink into animalistic behaviour. Unfortunately, I also now believe that the longer the hardship continues the more previously 'good' people will turn to a 'whatever it takes' mentality.
Despair does horrible things to people, the lack of leadership seems to be even worse. Time after time I heard the evacuee's say "There was no-one to tell us what to do!" So, is that what happened? Was it because there was no-one available to tell people not to steal, not to rape, not to murder, and apparently even, not to shit where you live. From the reports I've seen (and I realize here that you can't believe everything you see on the news!) this is what has become apparent to me.
Right or wrong, that is what I see when I watch the reports. I have come to believe that if someone of authority had stood up at that Superdome and got some organization going - pick up your trash and put it here... give me your names so we know who you are... misbehave and you will be punished... bathrooms don't work, you 30 guys go out back and dig a pit, everyone MUST use the pit to deficate, don't use the pit and you will be punished... everyone MUST share and help out their neighbors... I'm sure that it would not have solved all the problems, but I think it would have gone a long way to keep a cap on it.
Another option, to me, would have been to get some bullhorns in there. I'm not a religious person myself, but this is the Bible Belt here. Get the bullhorns in there and lead all those folks in some prayer. If you can't get the National Guard in there with their M-16s, at least get a little fear of God in there. There have been reports of the Scientology recruiters being on site. They have taken alot of flak in the past for 'taking advantage' of disasters as a recruitment tool. As much as I don't agree with that, I think they do have the right idea. Organized religion is a tool of control, tell people that there is an invisible being that sees everything that they do and knows everything that they think and that will hold them accountable for their actions and punish them with hell for all time if they don't do the right thing, and you may stand a chance of altering their behavoir.
Well.. I really didn't intend this to turn into a rant here, and I'll stop now. I guess my point here is there are alot of lessons to be learned from all of this. I know I have learned alot just from the little I have seen. Let us all hope that the powers that be are paying attention as well and something like this never has to happen again. I blame no one for the horrors, and I give alot of credit to those that kept their heads under such dire circumstances. I guess I'm mainly disappointed... I really hoped that my vision of all people rising up to make it through the disaster was completely correct and that my survivalist friend was completely wrong about the anarchy. It seems it is somewhere in between the two.
It's a sad lesson to learn.
Later...
I saw alot of kindness and alot of horrors coming at me thru the tv. I guess there are as many reactions to hardship as there are people suffering. Good people will rise to the ocassion and the bad will quickly sink into animalistic behaviour. Unfortunately, I also now believe that the longer the hardship continues the more previously 'good' people will turn to a 'whatever it takes' mentality.
Despair does horrible things to people, the lack of leadership seems to be even worse. Time after time I heard the evacuee's say "There was no-one to tell us what to do!" So, is that what happened? Was it because there was no-one available to tell people not to steal, not to rape, not to murder, and apparently even, not to shit where you live. From the reports I've seen (and I realize here that you can't believe everything you see on the news!) this is what has become apparent to me.
Right or wrong, that is what I see when I watch the reports. I have come to believe that if someone of authority had stood up at that Superdome and got some organization going - pick up your trash and put it here... give me your names so we know who you are... misbehave and you will be punished... bathrooms don't work, you 30 guys go out back and dig a pit, everyone MUST use the pit to deficate, don't use the pit and you will be punished... everyone MUST share and help out their neighbors... I'm sure that it would not have solved all the problems, but I think it would have gone a long way to keep a cap on it.
Another option, to me, would have been to get some bullhorns in there. I'm not a religious person myself, but this is the Bible Belt here. Get the bullhorns in there and lead all those folks in some prayer. If you can't get the National Guard in there with their M-16s, at least get a little fear of God in there. There have been reports of the Scientology recruiters being on site. They have taken alot of flak in the past for 'taking advantage' of disasters as a recruitment tool. As much as I don't agree with that, I think they do have the right idea. Organized religion is a tool of control, tell people that there is an invisible being that sees everything that they do and knows everything that they think and that will hold them accountable for their actions and punish them with hell for all time if they don't do the right thing, and you may stand a chance of altering their behavoir.
Well.. I really didn't intend this to turn into a rant here, and I'll stop now. I guess my point here is there are alot of lessons to be learned from all of this. I know I have learned alot just from the little I have seen. Let us all hope that the powers that be are paying attention as well and something like this never has to happen again. I blame no one for the horrors, and I give alot of credit to those that kept their heads under such dire circumstances. I guess I'm mainly disappointed... I really hoped that my vision of all people rising up to make it through the disaster was completely correct and that my survivalist friend was completely wrong about the anarchy. It seems it is somewhere in between the two.
It's a sad lesson to learn.
Later...
Friday, September 02, 2005
There are no words...
Sorry for the lack of postage here this week... it's just that there are no words... only emotions... as I type this I have Fox News on the tv, tears in my eyes, a lump in my throat and a growing pit in my stomach. I won't even pretend to know how to fix this growing horror, all I know is it is an emotional roller coaster, ranging from pity, sorrow, horror, anger and even amazement at the human will to survive.
My heart and my thoughts are with all those suffering so horribly down there. May you have the strength you need to make it thru.
Later...
My heart and my thoughts are with all those suffering so horribly down there. May you have the strength you need to make it thru.
Later...
Thursday, September 01, 2005
We have a winner.. or TWO!
Ok.. so here we go.. as promised we have the first winner of the nifty 5x7 contest... actually... we have 2 winners... I decided to split the entries into 2 catagories.. Family & Readers... so.. without further ado... here we go...
My first Family winner! Deb, from all the way down there in lovely (or so I'm told) Georgia... Congrats Deb... your 5x7 of "My Ride" is on it's way...
The first Reader winner! Scott from over at Blog Beat! Congratulations Scott, your 5x7 of "Fall Wall" will be sent out to you shortly...
So there you have it.. guys you'll be receiving confirmation emails shortly... and the rest of you all.. better luck next time... don't forget to re-enter for September's giveaway!
Thanks
Later....
My first Family winner! Deb, from all the way down there in lovely (or so I'm told) Georgia... Congrats Deb... your 5x7 of "My Ride" is on it's way...
The first Reader winner! Scott from over at Blog Beat! Congratulations Scott, your 5x7 of "Fall Wall" will be sent out to you shortly...
So there you have it.. guys you'll be receiving confirmation emails shortly... and the rest of you all.. better luck next time... don't forget to re-enter for September's giveaway!
Thanks
Later....
Monday, August 29, 2005
Sleep Number.. ZERO
This one has been bugging me for a long time... those "Sleep Number Bed" commercials with the blast from the past "Bionic Woman" - Lindsay Wagner... Is it just me or does she just look absolutely exhausted? I mean.. all in all she looks great... but really.. those dark circles and bags under her eyes just does nothing to convince me that she's getting the best sleep of her life... well.. then again.. maybe she is... she very well could have been a victim of total sleep deprivation in the past and now she can at least sleep an hour or two every nite.. Anyway.. I just don't buy it...
Later...
Later...
Sunday, August 28, 2005
Big Easy Lamentations...
I should have gone... I know that now but at the time the usual excuses of "it's too expensive".. "not enuf time" kept me from it.. and now it may be too late... New Orleans has been on my list of 'places I gotta see' for a VERY long time and now with Katrina baring down on the Big Easy, it may be a VERY long time (if all those predictions come true) before she's ready for visitors...
The really sad thing is I had an opportunity a couple months back to go.. A client actually offered to get me into the Gov't Mule Concert I wanted so badly to attend down at Jazzfest (as in back stage - run of the house - hang out in the greenroom with the guys - ALL ACCESS!)... combine it with the US Airways vouchers we've got and it would have just been a matter of finding lodging, and that's what kept me from it.. I go nowhere without reservations at a decent hotel/inn/motel, I just don't do well with "winging it"... so I didn't go... *sigh... Live and learn - DUMB ASS...
I'm holding my breath for all those 'down there' it sounds like they are in for a whole lotta horrors! May it be over quickly and may they all be safe!
Later....
The really sad thing is I had an opportunity a couple months back to go.. A client actually offered to get me into the Gov't Mule Concert I wanted so badly to attend down at Jazzfest (as in back stage - run of the house - hang out in the greenroom with the guys - ALL ACCESS!)... combine it with the US Airways vouchers we've got and it would have just been a matter of finding lodging, and that's what kept me from it.. I go nowhere without reservations at a decent hotel/inn/motel, I just don't do well with "winging it"... so I didn't go... *sigh... Live and learn - DUMB ASS...
I'm holding my breath for all those 'down there' it sounds like they are in for a whole lotta horrors! May it be over quickly and may they all be safe!
Later....
Friday, August 26, 2005
Only 5 days left...
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
It's just so wrong... or... still bitchin'
OK.. so I seem to be on a real rant these days.. sorry.. can't help it.. so today's target...
The COPS...
Specifically... the cop that was behind me on my lovely trip up 9 2 Bay today... I'm pretty sure it was a Ware cruiser but not positive.. I am positive that the plate number was 7335... anyway... he followed me on 9 in Ware... thru the center of Belchertown.. and down Bay... now I'm not a speed demon.. I keep it within 7 miles of the speed limit, but this guy was on my bumper so he was making me a bit nervous... even this I could deal with... then... we hit that lovely cash-cow 20mph section of Bay...
Being a little annoyed at this point.. I deliberately slowed to EXACTLY 17 mph... of course I had to do under 20 so as not to give him a reason to stop me... so what happens next..
HE HIT THE BLUE LIGHTS...
That's right... flashing blue lights in my rear view mirror... so I headed for the curb... and what happens next you ask?
HE PASSED ME.. SHUT OFF HIS LIGHTS... AND SPED UP TO 40MPH!!!
What an ass! You know... if he had an emergency ok... if he wanted to chat with me.. ok... but he just didn't want to have to follow the speed limit like the rest of us... I followed him all the way to Atkin's, where I pulled in and he kept going, I'm sure he was off to court in Northampton... man.. that just burns my butt! If I had been speeding and the cop asked me why I was going so fast and I'd reply "I'm late" he would have said "You should have left earlier." AND HE'D BE RIGHT... So Officer DICK... next time leave earlier and follow the stupid speed limit like the rest of us... GEEZ! I had fantasies of tracking him down in the court house and making a citizen's arrest! ok.. so I'm sure that wouldn't have gone over too well but I was sorely tempted to at least call someone about it... it's just a good thing for him that my will to fight has been beaten to pulp by weasely car salesmen and Cingular Wireless sales reps... *sigh
Later...
The COPS...
Specifically... the cop that was behind me on my lovely trip up 9 2 Bay today... I'm pretty sure it was a Ware cruiser but not positive.. I am positive that the plate number was 7335... anyway... he followed me on 9 in Ware... thru the center of Belchertown.. and down Bay... now I'm not a speed demon.. I keep it within 7 miles of the speed limit, but this guy was on my bumper so he was making me a bit nervous... even this I could deal with... then... we hit that lovely cash-cow 20mph section of Bay...
Being a little annoyed at this point.. I deliberately slowed to EXACTLY 17 mph... of course I had to do under 20 so as not to give him a reason to stop me... so what happens next..
HE HIT THE BLUE LIGHTS...
That's right... flashing blue lights in my rear view mirror... so I headed for the curb... and what happens next you ask?
HE PASSED ME.. SHUT OFF HIS LIGHTS... AND SPED UP TO 40MPH!!!
What an ass! You know... if he had an emergency ok... if he wanted to chat with me.. ok... but he just didn't want to have to follow the speed limit like the rest of us... I followed him all the way to Atkin's, where I pulled in and he kept going, I'm sure he was off to court in Northampton... man.. that just burns my butt! If I had been speeding and the cop asked me why I was going so fast and I'd reply "I'm late" he would have said "You should have left earlier." AND HE'D BE RIGHT... So Officer DICK... next time leave earlier and follow the stupid speed limit like the rest of us... GEEZ! I had fantasies of tracking him down in the court house and making a citizen's arrest! ok.. so I'm sure that wouldn't have gone over too well but I was sorely tempted to at least call someone about it... it's just a good thing for him that my will to fight has been beaten to pulp by weasely car salesmen and Cingular Wireless sales reps... *sigh
Later...
Sunday, August 21, 2005
Are you tempted?
So here's an update on our car shopping madness... if you read the post about my week from hell, you know that we 'discovered' that the cars listed in the new car inventory of baliseauto.com doesn't necessarily mean that they actually HAVE that car on the lot, even tho they email you and tell you in no uncertain terms that the 'car IS available'... So.. in the interest of fairness to Balise I figured I'd give them a few days to update their site and see if that non-existent silver SX4 wouldn't disappear from the inventory listing...
So.. here we are a week later... and looking thru the inventory what do I see.. OH my... there's that non-existent Focus... imagine that... (actually you WOULD have to imagine that cause that's the only way your actually gonna see that car is in your imagination because it sure as heck isn't on their lot!) but see here.. There are a bunch of new Focus' listed on the site. So obviously they have updated their site to add cars but not to subtract them. lovely. and it gets BETTER!!!
What's this?? A liquid grey Focus.. standard... hey... that sounds like OUR car... you know, the one I have the deposit on... the one with the SOLD sign on the dashboard... and OH.. look.. here's the VIN#... DAMN.. it IS our car! So they brought the car onto the lot - already sold - and listed it in their new inventory... nice... so now some poor sap looking for a match to our car is gonna get suckered into thinking they can actually buy that car off the lot at Balise in Wilbraham... and at this point.. unless they put their foot down, I'm sure they'll end up with the $625 moonroof that they never wanted in the first place..
So... my question about the salesmen talking about being considered the dregs of society... it's a mute point... who cares if they think about it or not... they just keep proving it over and over... luckily I think we ended up with a great deal on a decent car and that's all that matters at this point, but with a little luck it'll be a VERY long time before I have to walk into another den of weasels!
Later...
So.. here we are a week later... and looking thru the inventory what do I see.. OH my... there's that non-existent Focus... imagine that... (actually you WOULD have to imagine that cause that's the only way your actually gonna see that car is in your imagination because it sure as heck isn't on their lot!) but see here.. There are a bunch of new Focus' listed on the site. So obviously they have updated their site to add cars but not to subtract them. lovely. and it gets BETTER!!!
What's this?? A liquid grey Focus.. standard... hey... that sounds like OUR car... you know, the one I have the deposit on... the one with the SOLD sign on the dashboard... and OH.. look.. here's the VIN#... DAMN.. it IS our car! So they brought the car onto the lot - already sold - and listed it in their new inventory... nice... so now some poor sap looking for a match to our car is gonna get suckered into thinking they can actually buy that car off the lot at Balise in Wilbraham... and at this point.. unless they put their foot down, I'm sure they'll end up with the $625 moonroof that they never wanted in the first place..
So... my question about the salesmen talking about being considered the dregs of society... it's a mute point... who cares if they think about it or not... they just keep proving it over and over... luckily I think we ended up with a great deal on a decent car and that's all that matters at this point, but with a little luck it'll be a VERY long time before I have to walk into another den of weasels!
Later...
Saturday, August 20, 2005
Todays workshop...
This is some funky orange flowers that grow wild around the edge of the forest...
Wednesday, August 17, 2005
I've been slummin'
So Dear Readers, yes, again I've been missing for longer than I should have been.. but I've got a good excuse.. really I do.. I've been slumming... That's right.. hanging out with and talking to the dregs of society... So... who is that you may ask... CINGULAR... AGAIN... with Car Salesmen thrown into the mix as well... Let's just say.. I've begun drinking to just make it thru the day... ok.. not really, but it did take a couple shots of Ginger Brandy before bed the other nite to insure myself a nite's sleep..
First up.. CINGULAR... If you've been reading along you know that Cingular was my very first Silver Toilet Paper award winner.. and frankly.. they've earned themselves a second silvery roll... this time it was replacement phones... our new phones are HORRENDOUS... Samsung X427M if your in the market yourself.. these phones are pitiful.. dropped calls left and right... no voice mail alerts... and when my husband calls me it says it's the Bank calling.. when I call him it says it's the Pizza House... *sigh.. So.. I initiated a return of my 3 pieces of crap for 3 new Motorola's... Well... the guy I talked with for some stupid reason only ordered me 2 new phones... just try and track down the same department again with these guys.. it took 3 sets of phone calls to accomplish this.. I got disconnected exactly EIGHT times and had to start all over cause NO ONE ever called me back... I talked with 15 different departments - having to explain my problem over again EACH TIME... I had people tell me that I had to pay $100 more than I paid 2 days before for the same freakin' phones and then wait for a rebate... then I had someone tell me I had to pay $200 more and wait for my credit once I returned the Samsung crap... UNACCEPTABLE... I was left on hold for 20 minutes for a department that wasn't even open yet... then I was left on hold for 30 minutes for that same department which again was CLOSED... I literally was on the phone for 3 FULL HOURS on Monday nite with nothing to show for my efforts... *sigh.. I should be shot... and frankly after about an hour or so of being on the phone with them I was begging to be shot and put out of my misery... Thanks so much CINGULAR! YOU SUCK!
And in the midst of all of this phone madness we've been new car shopping for the manchild... you know.. I wonder if Car Salesmen sit and wonder why people think they are lowest of the low or if they know full well why and just don't care... *sigh.. enter.. Bertera Suzuki... they have a little Silver Forenza that my son likes but frankly I'm not too impressed... so I WICKED low-balled them on the price.. 10,500 and they pay the tax, title, and registration... LOL I thought my son was gonna stroke out... so they went from 12.3 to 11,990.. I said no thanks and we left.. since then they have called me 5 times to ask "What can they do to get me into a Forenza".. HELLO... 10,500 and ok.. I'll pay tax, title and reg... OH.. I was nice about it.. said "I know you have to make your margins and if you can't do that price then I will fully understand, but that's the bottom line"... To be fair.. I even warned them that I was having the week from HELL and didn't trust myself to not just tell them to go do nasty things to themselves and hang up... I had a nice conversation with the salesmen, reinterated my terms, got denied, and said ok I understand, have a great day... not 3 minutes later the manager called me... this was my conversation with the Manager:
"so Laura - What do I have to do"....
"HELLO.. 10 5"
"I can show you the invoice... we need at least 11 6"
"UMM>> I SAID.. 10 FIVE"
"What's with this magic number of 10 5?" I don't under...."
"TALK TO YOUR SALESMAN.. I SAID 10 5 AND THAT'S IT"
"but.. what's with 10 5?"
"THAT'S IT... UNLESS YOUR CALLING ME TO ACCEPT 10 5 DO NOT EVER CALL ME AGAIN"...
CLICK...
Ok.. so I haven't heard from them... YET... but they know that they have till Monday before I pick up the new Ford Focus we have a deposit on... so there may still be more news on the Bertera front... maybe.. OH.. and for the record.. one of my office mates who heard this conversation had one thing to say "Damn... your mean"... LOL He really has NO idea! ;)
Now.. enter the Ford Focus... I found the perfect car on Baliseauto.com... A silver sx4.. with exactly the options we want.. Manual tranny, AC and power windows.. nothing else... so I filled out the internet form on Friday... I got an auto response saying Javier would contact us within 12 hours... Well.. 2 days later we hadn't heard from Javier so we decided to take a Sunday drive down there..
I checked the net before we left the house and printed up the window sticker from the site.. and off we went to Balise of Wilbraham.. We got there only to have the salesman tell us.. hhhmm.. funny.. that car isn't showing up as being on our lot.. yeah... ok.. so I'm thinkin'... bait and switch... so he initiated a search for a vehicle with just those options... OH my.. I'm sorry.. the only one that comes close is this one but it's also got a $625 power moon roof and $60 side moldings... we're not sure we can get it for you but if you give us a refundable deposit we'll try to get it and call you on Monday... so we said ok... so he starts filling out the paperwork and he writes Deposit: $500... HELLO.. where did you get that figure? "Oh.. I thought you said you wanted to deposit 500..." uummm.. NO... you want me to tie up 500 bucks for a car you may not even be able to get AND the wording on this actually says it's Balise's choice as to whether or not we get our deposit back... DICK! So we put down a hundred bucks... so... enter... Monday morning and Javier... here's the first line of the email I received..
Hi Laura,
Thank you for considering Balise Ford of Wilbraham for your vehicle purchase.
The vehicle you expressed interest in is still available.
Year: 2005
Make: Ford
Model: Focus ZX4 S
Stock #:
MSRP: $ 15,960
Our Internet Sale Price: $ 12,029.15 Ford Family Price
WHAT? STILL AVAILABLE?? So I grab my cheap ass Samsung phone and get Javier on the line...
"So.. Javier.. you mean the car online IS available..."
"yes.. yes it is..."
"REALLY.. your SURE about that..."
"uummm... well... those records are kept in the main office.. but if you wanna come down for a test drive I'm sure I can have the info for you by the time you get here..."
So.. Javier got an earful of "WHY is this car still showing up online (and btw here it is Tuesday and guess what.. the car is still listed on their website!)" and "That's confusingly DECEPTIVE... with the accent on DECEPTIVE..." and "OF COURSE the salesmen we talked to on Sunday could only find a MORE expensive car than what we actually wanted"... This was all followed up with me putting this in an email and sending it back to their 'home office'... So.. Javier took the info on what exactly we did want.. we told him the same thing... Standard, AC and power windows... LO and BEHOLD.. not a half hour later we get a call from another of their salesmen, the father of the kid that found the moon roof model for us.. saying.. "OH MY.. are you lucky!!! We found the EXACT car you wanted... it's even in your first color choice, it's not the one online but it's the same execpt it's the color you wanted!"...
OH FREAKIN' REALLY... so anyway... long story.. well.. LONG... unless Bertera dares to call me back we'll be getting the car we wanted in the first place...
Welcome to hell, please turn off your crappy-ass cell phone before entering...
Later...
First up.. CINGULAR... If you've been reading along you know that Cingular was my very first Silver Toilet Paper award winner.. and frankly.. they've earned themselves a second silvery roll... this time it was replacement phones... our new phones are HORRENDOUS... Samsung X427M if your in the market yourself.. these phones are pitiful.. dropped calls left and right... no voice mail alerts... and when my husband calls me it says it's the Bank calling.. when I call him it says it's the Pizza House... *sigh.. So.. I initiated a return of my 3 pieces of crap for 3 new Motorola's... Well... the guy I talked with for some stupid reason only ordered me 2 new phones... just try and track down the same department again with these guys.. it took 3 sets of phone calls to accomplish this.. I got disconnected exactly EIGHT times and had to start all over cause NO ONE ever called me back... I talked with 15 different departments - having to explain my problem over again EACH TIME... I had people tell me that I had to pay $100 more than I paid 2 days before for the same freakin' phones and then wait for a rebate... then I had someone tell me I had to pay $200 more and wait for my credit once I returned the Samsung crap... UNACCEPTABLE... I was left on hold for 20 minutes for a department that wasn't even open yet... then I was left on hold for 30 minutes for that same department which again was CLOSED... I literally was on the phone for 3 FULL HOURS on Monday nite with nothing to show for my efforts... *sigh.. I should be shot... and frankly after about an hour or so of being on the phone with them I was begging to be shot and put out of my misery... Thanks so much CINGULAR! YOU SUCK!
And in the midst of all of this phone madness we've been new car shopping for the manchild... you know.. I wonder if Car Salesmen sit and wonder why people think they are lowest of the low or if they know full well why and just don't care... *sigh.. enter.. Bertera Suzuki... they have a little Silver Forenza that my son likes but frankly I'm not too impressed... so I WICKED low-balled them on the price.. 10,500 and they pay the tax, title, and registration... LOL I thought my son was gonna stroke out... so they went from 12.3 to 11,990.. I said no thanks and we left.. since then they have called me 5 times to ask "What can they do to get me into a Forenza".. HELLO... 10,500 and ok.. I'll pay tax, title and reg... OH.. I was nice about it.. said "I know you have to make your margins and if you can't do that price then I will fully understand, but that's the bottom line"... To be fair.. I even warned them that I was having the week from HELL and didn't trust myself to not just tell them to go do nasty things to themselves and hang up... I had a nice conversation with the salesmen, reinterated my terms, got denied, and said ok I understand, have a great day... not 3 minutes later the manager called me... this was my conversation with the Manager:
"so Laura - What do I have to do"....
"HELLO.. 10 5"
"I can show you the invoice... we need at least 11 6"
"UMM>> I SAID.. 10 FIVE"
"What's with this magic number of 10 5?" I don't under...."
"TALK TO YOUR SALESMAN.. I SAID 10 5 AND THAT'S IT"
"but.. what's with 10 5?"
"THAT'S IT... UNLESS YOUR CALLING ME TO ACCEPT 10 5 DO NOT EVER CALL ME AGAIN"...
CLICK...
Ok.. so I haven't heard from them... YET... but they know that they have till Monday before I pick up the new Ford Focus we have a deposit on... so there may still be more news on the Bertera front... maybe.. OH.. and for the record.. one of my office mates who heard this conversation had one thing to say "Damn... your mean"... LOL He really has NO idea! ;)
Now.. enter the Ford Focus... I found the perfect car on Baliseauto.com... A silver sx4.. with exactly the options we want.. Manual tranny, AC and power windows.. nothing else... so I filled out the internet form on Friday... I got an auto response saying Javier would contact us within 12 hours... Well.. 2 days later we hadn't heard from Javier so we decided to take a Sunday drive down there..
I checked the net before we left the house and printed up the window sticker from the site.. and off we went to Balise of Wilbraham.. We got there only to have the salesman tell us.. hhhmm.. funny.. that car isn't showing up as being on our lot.. yeah... ok.. so I'm thinkin'... bait and switch... so he initiated a search for a vehicle with just those options... OH my.. I'm sorry.. the only one that comes close is this one but it's also got a $625 power moon roof and $60 side moldings... we're not sure we can get it for you but if you give us a refundable deposit we'll try to get it and call you on Monday... so we said ok... so he starts filling out the paperwork and he writes Deposit: $500... HELLO.. where did you get that figure? "Oh.. I thought you said you wanted to deposit 500..." uummm.. NO... you want me to tie up 500 bucks for a car you may not even be able to get AND the wording on this actually says it's Balise's choice as to whether or not we get our deposit back... DICK! So we put down a hundred bucks... so... enter... Monday morning and Javier... here's the first line of the email I received..
Hi Laura,
Thank you for considering Balise Ford of Wilbraham for your vehicle purchase.
The vehicle you expressed interest in is still available.
Year: 2005
Make: Ford
Model: Focus ZX4 S
Stock #:
MSRP: $ 15,960
Our Internet Sale Price: $ 12,029.15 Ford Family Price
WHAT? STILL AVAILABLE?? So I grab my cheap ass Samsung phone and get Javier on the line...
"So.. Javier.. you mean the car online IS available..."
"yes.. yes it is..."
"REALLY.. your SURE about that..."
"uummm... well... those records are kept in the main office.. but if you wanna come down for a test drive I'm sure I can have the info for you by the time you get here..."
So.. Javier got an earful of "WHY is this car still showing up online (and btw here it is Tuesday and guess what.. the car is still listed on their website!)" and "That's confusingly DECEPTIVE... with the accent on DECEPTIVE..." and "OF COURSE the salesmen we talked to on Sunday could only find a MORE expensive car than what we actually wanted"... This was all followed up with me putting this in an email and sending it back to their 'home office'... So.. Javier took the info on what exactly we did want.. we told him the same thing... Standard, AC and power windows... LO and BEHOLD.. not a half hour later we get a call from another of their salesmen, the father of the kid that found the moon roof model for us.. saying.. "OH MY.. are you lucky!!! We found the EXACT car you wanted... it's even in your first color choice, it's not the one online but it's the same execpt it's the color you wanted!"...
OH FREAKIN' REALLY... so anyway... long story.. well.. LONG... unless Bertera dares to call me back we'll be getting the car we wanted in the first place...
Welcome to hell, please turn off your crappy-ass cell phone before entering...
Later...
Gotta P?
Amazing... If you take a look at the article they are developing this for medical tests... supposedly just a couple of drops of pee will give the power equivalent of a AA battery... You know.. this could solve ALL kinds of problems for me...
A. $35.00 to fill up my truck... no more.. give me 3 cups of coffee and I'm good for at least 60 miles!
B. Replace my drivers seat with a porcelin bowl linked directly into my gas tank and I'll be at work a half hour early... stops at the gas station and Atkin's would both prove unnecessary... Well ok.. so I'd still be lining up at Atkin's for my daily donut but I wouldn't be runnin' to the back of the store to use their rest room!
C. Even the environment wins here... Pee battery powered electric cars means no emissions.. instead of filling up my septic tank I'd just run out to the driveway to do away with my own emissions...
I'm telling you people.. it's a win win situation! Of course... the whole idea begs the question "What do you do with the Toilet paper once your done fillin' up the truck?" *sigh... it really isn't a perfect world, is it?
Later...
Friday, August 12, 2005
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Why.. OH.. Why...
So I've had a couple questions about the contest.. no.. not the rules.. those are pretty straight forward.. email me and your in the running for a 5x7 of your choice.. I've been asked why I'm giving away a free photo... Well it's simple.. I'm trying to find out which pics you guys like (that's why you get to choose your print)...
Lately I've been working really hard on my photography and I hope it shows... but the feedback has been a little sparse... hence.. the contest... A free 5x7 giveaway every month is a small price to pay for your opinions, which I value VERY highly! So, ya see.. there is no gimmick... no sales pitch... at the end of the month your entry emails will all be deleted into the clear blue digitized horizon... the only time you'll hear from me or any one I've ever met or even passed on the street, is if you win... WOOHOO... (or if you request a reply)!
So there you go... OH... and if your still nervous about things... just leave off your mailing address (although I'd appreciate it if you do put it in your entry, it'll save me and you the back and forth of the "you win - what's your mailing address - email crap)but please.. let me know which print you'd like...
Thanks... and again... Good Luck!
Lately I've been working really hard on my photography and I hope it shows... but the feedback has been a little sparse... hence.. the contest... A free 5x7 giveaway every month is a small price to pay for your opinions, which I value VERY highly! So, ya see.. there is no gimmick... no sales pitch... at the end of the month your entry emails will all be deleted into the clear blue digitized horizon... the only time you'll hear from me or any one I've ever met or even passed on the street, is if you win... WOOHOO... (or if you request a reply)!
So there you go... OH... and if your still nervous about things... just leave off your mailing address (although I'd appreciate it if you do put it in your entry, it'll save me and you the back and forth of the "you win - what's your mailing address - email crap)but please.. let me know which print you'd like...
Thanks... and again... Good Luck!
Monday, August 08, 2005
Contest-ed! Enter to win a glorious 5x7 pic!
Win a free 5x7 print of any of my photos on this blog... you even get to pick which one!
Send your name & mailing address to my email bayroadblog@hotmail.com and enter to win, OH, and don't forget to tell me which pic you want! (If you've got a URL you wanna promote send that along too, and I'll link your name to it!) I'll be giving away one 5x7 on the first of every month. Here are the rules:
1. Prints are for personal use only. Commercial use or any form of duplication is strictly prohibited unless I tell you directly that you can.
2. All entries must be made on or before the last day of the month. A new contest begins on the first day of every month.
3. Winners will be chosen at random and notified via email. Prints will be shipped through the US Postal Service and may take 1 to 3 weeks for delivery. Oh, the torture of snail mail.
4. You may enter only once a month. If you decide you'd rather have a different print, you may email me at bayroadblog@hotmail.com with the change, if I haven't mailed your print as yet I'd be happy to switch your request. Winners are eligible to enter again immediately after winning.
5. By entering this contest, you authorize me to use your name, state (if applicable), town, and country in a blog entry if you are the lucky winner. No other personal information will ever be displayed or used or sold or folded, spindled or mutilated.
6. I reserve the right to make changes to the contest rules at any time should they be necessary.
And that's about it... pretty simple, huh? So.. enter today and I'll pick the first winner on August 31st! Good Luck!
Later...
Send your name & mailing address to my email bayroadblog@hotmail.com and enter to win, OH, and don't forget to tell me which pic you want! (If you've got a URL you wanna promote send that along too, and I'll link your name to it!) I'll be giving away one 5x7 on the first of every month. Here are the rules:
1. Prints are for personal use only. Commercial use or any form of duplication is strictly prohibited unless I tell you directly that you can.
2. All entries must be made on or before the last day of the month. A new contest begins on the first day of every month.
3. Winners will be chosen at random and notified via email. Prints will be shipped through the US Postal Service and may take 1 to 3 weeks for delivery. Oh, the torture of snail mail.
4. You may enter only once a month. If you decide you'd rather have a different print, you may email me at bayroadblog@hotmail.com with the change, if I haven't mailed your print as yet I'd be happy to switch your request. Winners are eligible to enter again immediately after winning.
5. By entering this contest, you authorize me to use your name, state (if applicable), town, and country in a blog entry if you are the lucky winner. No other personal information will ever be displayed or used or sold or folded, spindled or mutilated.
6. I reserve the right to make changes to the contest rules at any time should they be necessary.
And that's about it... pretty simple, huh? So.. enter today and I'll pick the first winner on August 31st! Good Luck!
Later...
Sunday, August 07, 2005
Fall Wall...
Digging thru the archives again... I came across this pic from last fall... awesome colors...
Later...
Crooked roller...
I love the colors on this... unfortunately the lines were all squewed... if I straighten the brick wall the wooden pillar is crooked... straighten the pillar and it looks like the wall is falling over... the only compensation.. squew the entire photo to split the difference.. I think it works..
Later...
Saturday, August 06, 2005
A feast for the eyes...
and the stomach.. this has been my latest kick.. the ingredients do vary but the chicken, vidalia onion (pronounced "unG-yun" if your from central Mass)sliced really big and diced tomatos, with basil and garlic are the base... this version has zucchini and summer squash but after tasting I think I prefer mushrooms... and it's heart smart.. not a drop of added fat... I use water in the skillet to pre-cook the squashes and onion... then I take the kitchen scissors to a few chicken breasts (if you don't own kitchen scissors - buy them NOW - I wish I had gotten some years ago!) once the veggies are almost done, I throw in the chicken and cook till its done... then just toss in a giant can of diced tomatos with the basil and garlic (and a little salt and pepper)... simmer for a bit.. and enjoy... so very VERY yummy!
Later..
Friday, August 05, 2005
More from the farm..
It's been such a crazy busy week I haven't had time to take the camera out of the case... so here's more farm pics... this one took a bit of shopping... the steel grey sky that day just did nothing for the lovely barn, so I took a nice brite blue sky from another pic and shopped it into the scene... then of course.. the poster edges.. again... sigh.. I really can't help it...
Later...
ps.. if you squint at the pic you can kinda see a face at the top of the barn...
Thursday, August 04, 2005
Barn Eagle...
More fun with poster edges... love the Eagle weathervane on the top... note the little bird on the corner of the roof... not sure if I should digitally remove him or not... You kind of get the feeling he's up there pretending he's an eagle too! With that much attitude, how could I?
Later...
Mad cow....
Hey.. you'd be pissed off too if you had that many flies after you (and a photographer as well)! This poor guy walked around in it's own cloud of buzzing, biting annoyance on the wing... Poor thing...
Later...
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
Somethin to look at...
Crazy busy.. but heres a couple more of the "Down on the Farm" pics that didn't make it to the first run...
Later....
Later....
Sunday, July 31, 2005
Down on the farm...
Today's excursion involved visiting the farms of Hardwick and West Brookfield... We met all kinds of characters.. Like this guy!
And how much more "New Englandy" can you get than this lovely barn with it's gaggle of Canadian Geese in the field... ok.. so maybe it looks more Canada than New England but whatever...
Unfortunately they planted a HUGE satalite dish right in front of this barn (you can just see the corner of it) I can't crop it any closer without losing the lovely cupola on the top of the barn, so if I decide to use this pic for printing purposes I'm gonna have to take some serious Photoshop tools to it..
And then... there was this guy! Amazing how I got him to pose for me - isn't it?
Ok.. so he was a really bad example of amatuer taxidermy... but how cool is that? We found him sitting on a wall at a "Pick your own Blueberries" farm... he got our attention for sure... He made my day!
Later...
And how much more "New Englandy" can you get than this lovely barn with it's gaggle of Canadian Geese in the field... ok.. so maybe it looks more Canada than New England but whatever...
Unfortunately they planted a HUGE satalite dish right in front of this barn (you can just see the corner of it) I can't crop it any closer without losing the lovely cupola on the top of the barn, so if I decide to use this pic for printing purposes I'm gonna have to take some serious Photoshop tools to it..
And then... there was this guy! Amazing how I got him to pose for me - isn't it?
Ok.. so he was a really bad example of amatuer taxidermy... but how cool is that? We found him sitting on a wall at a "Pick your own Blueberries" farm... he got our attention for sure... He made my day!
Later...
Saturday, July 30, 2005
Learn somethin' new...
I'm a proponent of the adage "learn something new everyday"... so todays lesson was taken from an absolutely wonderful blog I found on photoblogs.org... This woman does some awesome stuff with her photos! So I did a little experimenting and although I probably need about 8 more years of practice to get as good as her.. here's my first attempt..
First the un-retouched version.."
Pleasant enuf I guess... and now the extremely Photoshopped version!
Oh... but then there's the old 'sepia' standby..
So... what do you think.. am I on the right track or totally lost?
Later...
So... what do you think.. am I on the right track or totally lost?
Later...
My ride...
I don't know how I missed posting this pic... maybe it was the glare off the handlebar that made me change my mind... again.. Quabbin Reservoir - but this time one of the gates in Hardwick was the location...
Unsure about Beavers....
I'm not sure if I posted this pic or not, it was actually taken this past fall, but here you go... This is the swampy - beaver infested area on Route 9 in Ware.. I'm sure you know it.. The Quabbin Reservoir... I've been going thru the hard drive and trying to get some organizatin to the hundreds of pics I've got splayed all over the place.. if it catches my eye, I'll put it up!
Later...
Friday, July 29, 2005
De-signed...
Well I managed to rip the sign right off those lovely doors! (And of course I just had to add those lovely poster edges again...) Came out pretty darn good if I say so myself - I managed to match the color of the surrounding door but then I realized there should be another triangle rosette thingy under that sign so I had to go back in and grow one, but then, I once grew hair on a bald man's head with Photoshop - he looked 20 years younger and I gained a whole new level of respect from the client... I love it when everyone wins!
Later
ps... for a REALLY cool effect.. right click on the pic and select "set as background" this will change your desktop picture so be warned... make sure you have your desktop set as "tiled" (right click on the desktop - go to properties - click on the 'desktop' tab - and select 'tile' from the dropdown box)... awesome effect.. the other pic that I love doing this with is the potpouri photoshopped cosmo below... give it a try!
Thursday, July 28, 2005
I hope they save them...
Here's another pic from the Unitarian... One of the best features of this old place, besides the awesome brick-work, is the doors... I sure hope they salvaged them!
If you click on the pic to go to a larger version of the image - you can kinda read the sign on the door.. "Condemned"... So very sad! I may have to fire up Photoshop and see if I can de-sign the lovely doors...
Later....
If you click on the pic to go to a larger version of the image - you can kinda read the sign on the door.. "Condemned"... So very sad! I may have to fire up Photoshop and see if I can de-sign the lovely doors...
Later....
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Yesterdays pic...
So.. a quick way to get your stuff back is to complain about it publicly.. Amazingly my camera card reader appeared on the kitchen table tonite.. woohoo... So here's the picture you should have seen yesterday!
It's Ware's Unitarian Church... soon to be no more... in case you don't recognize it, it's located on Rt. 9 - Ware Center - next to the Town Hall... I've always loved this building and would have loved to purchase it when it was up for sale a few years ago, but you know how that goes... you kinda get have some money... I always thought it would make an awesome 'in-town' home... Well.. it's just as well I'm broke cause it suffered a collapsed wall a while back and is now condemned... the crane and wrecking ball are all in place ready to take out this lovely old building.. I have to say.. I'll be VERY sorry to see it go... it brought a grace and style all it's own to downtown Ware...
Later
It's Ware's Unitarian Church... soon to be no more... in case you don't recognize it, it's located on Rt. 9 - Ware Center - next to the Town Hall... I've always loved this building and would have loved to purchase it when it was up for sale a few years ago, but you know how that goes... you kinda get have some money... I always thought it would make an awesome 'in-town' home... Well.. it's just as well I'm broke cause it suffered a collapsed wall a while back and is now condemned... the crane and wrecking ball are all in place ready to take out this lovely old building.. I have to say.. I'll be VERY sorry to see it go... it brought a grace and style all it's own to downtown Ware...
Later
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Robbed... again....
Well.. you would have had a new pic to look at today, but it's stuck in my camera... Once again, I've been robbed... first it was my old laptop... then my Palm pilot... then my old camera... then my thumbdrive... and now the latest theft... my camera card reader... and who has all my electronic toys?? Mr. 9 2 Bay 2 9 2 10! That man can pick up a piece of electronics and abscond with it faster than the stupid little dog can grab your sandwich outta your hand!
I don't even know why he borrowed it, but it disappeared into his(read formerly MY) laptop bag and went off to work with him... I may never see it again... I still haven't gotten even a glimpse of my old Palm since the day he decided he needed it for something or other...
Anyway... I'm sure the pics I took this morning are just stunning... photo-card worthy even... but then in all actuality.. we may never know... at least until I buy a smaller-cooler replacement! HA!
Later...
I don't even know why he borrowed it, but it disappeared into his(read formerly MY) laptop bag and went off to work with him... I may never see it again... I still haven't gotten even a glimpse of my old Palm since the day he decided he needed it for something or other...
Anyway... I'm sure the pics I took this morning are just stunning... photo-card worthy even... but then in all actuality.. we may never know... at least until I buy a smaller-cooler replacement! HA!
Later...
Sunday, July 24, 2005
New Bloggy Features!!!
That's right dear Readers... we've got a NEW feature here on
9 2 Bay 2 9 2 10!
ANNOUNCING!!! DIRECT EMAIL!!"
WOOHOO!! That's right... now you can all shoot me private comments... I'd heard a few things from some readers that are also friends of mine that went kinda like this.. "If it wasn't gonna be published directly on the blog - I was gonna reply to that post..." So now... ya'll can do just that... ok.. so it's just a crappy hotmail account - but hey - it should work...
So.. take note.. the bottom of each post is now different... there is a link for "post a public comment" which of course will still post directly to the blog.. and then there is the NEW "email me privately".. and as usual the little envelope icon will allow you to email this post to your friends and family...
This could be a great new feature here.. I may even run a CONTEST... that's right.. PRIZES and everything... I've been wanting to do this for awhile now but couldn't come up with a 'safe' way for people to enter the contest with their reply information so I could get in touch with them should they be the "lucky winner"... Well this should solve that! HHMM.. the ideas are flowing already... if you got any.. well.. NOW you should know what to do!
Later....
9 2 Bay 2 9 2 10!
WOOHOO!! That's right... now you can all shoot me private comments... I'd heard a few things from some readers that are also friends of mine that went kinda like this.. "If it wasn't gonna be published directly on the blog - I was gonna reply to that post..." So now... ya'll can do just that... ok.. so it's just a crappy hotmail account - but hey - it should work...
So.. take note.. the bottom of each post is now different... there is a link for "post a public comment" which of course will still post directly to the blog.. and then there is the NEW "email me privately".. and as usual the little envelope icon will allow you to email this post to your friends and family...
This could be a great new feature here.. I may even run a CONTEST... that's right.. PRIZES and everything... I've been wanting to do this for awhile now but couldn't come up with a 'safe' way for people to enter the contest with their reply information so I could get in touch with them should they be the "lucky winner"... Well this should solve that! HHMM.. the ideas are flowing already... if you got any.. well.. NOW you should know what to do!
Later....
New England Adventures...
Well.. it was quite the New England Adventure yesterday... from a Mountain top to a Lake.. I saw and did it all.. Yeah me... the computer geek again found herself on top of a Western Mass mountain! This time it was lovely Mt. Tom... other than quick trips over the top o' the mountain from Easthampton to Springfield and back I don't think I've spent any time on the mountain (we won't count the time spent at conferences at the Log Cabin)since I hiked the 7 sisters in 6th grade with my friend's family... (Barb W. - if your out there give me a comment! I think of you often!)
Anyway.. here's a pic of the lovely Eyrie House Ruins at the top...
So now for a quiz...
1. Tom is one sister - Holyoke is another.. What are the names of the other 5?
2. Does anyone know why one of the "Sisters" is named "Tom"??
If you have the answers - send me a comment, cause frankly I don't have a clue and Google has been no help whatsoever...
Ok... so now.. on to the Lake.. Lashaway to be exact. I have a sister that has lived on this lake for 9 years now.. and other than the occasional boat ride I really haven't been putting that access to a lake to good use.. But yesterday that all changed.. yeah.. I went and jumped in the lake.. It seems this has been a weekend ritual for 2 of my sisters for the past few weekends but this time I got an invite and frankly, I jumped at it.. now I don't think I've been swimming in a lake since 1981, where I promptly lost my brandy-new class ring.. Boy I tell ya.. once you get over the 'ick' factor, it was heaven!! Of course after 3 weeks straight of 90+ degree weather the water is warmer than it will ever be again (approx 82 degrees)... With the aid of various floaties we bobbed lazily in the water for 3 hours, with only the ocassional break for a butt and a drink.. well ok.. after an hour or so we all got the hang of bobbing and smoking and drinking all at once.. Did I mention it was heaven? I may go back again today... and of course... I'll bring the camera!
Later...
Anyway.. here's a pic of the lovely Eyrie House Ruins at the top...
So now for a quiz...
1. Tom is one sister - Holyoke is another.. What are the names of the other 5?
2. Does anyone know why one of the "Sisters" is named "Tom"??
If you have the answers - send me a comment, cause frankly I don't have a clue and Google has been no help whatsoever...
Ok... so now.. on to the Lake.. Lashaway to be exact. I have a sister that has lived on this lake for 9 years now.. and other than the occasional boat ride I really haven't been putting that access to a lake to good use.. But yesterday that all changed.. yeah.. I went and jumped in the lake.. It seems this has been a weekend ritual for 2 of my sisters for the past few weekends but this time I got an invite and frankly, I jumped at it.. now I don't think I've been swimming in a lake since 1981, where I promptly lost my brandy-new class ring.. Boy I tell ya.. once you get over the 'ick' factor, it was heaven!! Of course after 3 weeks straight of 90+ degree weather the water is warmer than it will ever be again (approx 82 degrees)... With the aid of various floaties we bobbed lazily in the water for 3 hours, with only the ocassional break for a butt and a drink.. well ok.. after an hour or so we all got the hang of bobbing and smoking and drinking all at once.. Did I mention it was heaven? I may go back again today... and of course... I'll bring the camera!
Later...
Friday, July 22, 2005
I wasn't done...
But then sometimes you just gotta open your eyes and know when to stop.. I really like the funky potpourri look of this.. I guess I am done now!
Later...
Truck Eatin' Bridge Strikes Again...
Last nites drive home was just a total pleasure thanks to the truck eatin' bridge. This time the truck was traveling east-bound... note the giant yellow sign 11' that the driver didn't manage to notice even tho it's pretty much eye level in a big truck.. sigh** Maybe we should put up a neon sign that states:
You know.. get their attention... and IMHO, nothin' does that like free beer! It's worth a shot!
Later...
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
A New Film Short...
Yeah.. so who wants their newly released sex film to run a short 15 minutes? I don't blame Colin Farrell for sueing.. Imagine what that trial is gonna be like? "But your honor.. yes.. I act in films, but this wasn't my best performance.." Hopefully he won't be lying on the stand... Man.. you've hardly got time to get the cellophane off the microwave popcorn, and you can forget the Pepsi...
With the plethora of these type of "stars in action" films maybe they should start having an awards show! They could call it the "Fast Forward till Their Naked" Awards.. or maybe the "Yes, I'm That Stupid" Award... OH.. I know.. the "They Swore They Would Erase It!" Award...
Anyway.. if they do, I'm sure Colin will be up for "Best Male Actor in a Quickie Film" Award... He must be so proud!
Later...
With the plethora of these type of "stars in action" films maybe they should start having an awards show! They could call it the "Fast Forward till Their Naked" Awards.. or maybe the "Yes, I'm That Stupid" Award... OH.. I know.. the "They Swore They Would Erase It!" Award...
Anyway.. if they do, I'm sure Colin will be up for "Best Male Actor in a Quickie Film" Award... He must be so proud!
Later...
Monday, July 18, 2005
Corrections
ok.. so dear Commenter... Skinner Mountain is in actuality, Mount Holyoke.. it's located in Skinner State Park, the mountain often takes on the name of the park, especially to us somewhat 'locals'... I've also always referred to the offically named "Summit House" as "The Hotel on Top of the Mountain"... I hope to stop along Bay one of these days where you can get a spectacular long distance view of the ... ahem.. Summit House.. and shoot some pics.. want some more info on this awesome viewing spot? you can go here... or you can just take a ride down Bay to Route 47 South in Hadley and just after Mitch's Marina you'll see the entrance to Skinner... keep an eye out to the ridge on the left and you'll spot the beautiful white building shining in the sun at the very top...
Later
Later
Sunday, July 17, 2005
Yeah.. Poster Edges... again....
I can't help it.. but I'm a sucker for applying a Photoshop 'poster edges' filter to alot of my photographs.. it just gives them such a nice feel... I also couldn't resist cropping this one for a 'tall' effect... Skinner Park again... this one could end up being one of my favorites!
Later...
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