Found this little gem: Wizbang: Good teachers are hard to find...perhaps the instructor should have attended his own class before teaching it...or maybe he just wanted to go that extra mile to prove his point...either way, he should tattoo himself a note on the back of his gun hand: The Gun Is ALWAYS Loaded, Stupid...at least he can take comfort in knowing that he certainly got the point across to the class.
It's Jane's birthday today... you can add your birthday wishes here: Burnt Fuse-She's Funkalicious: Thank You!...hope you are having a great day, and are gonna go celebrate tonight.
once in a while it would be nice to get what you hope for, rather than what you expect....i have been making a sincerre effort to stay on top of the lawn this year...i have been totally successful in keeping the main yard, about 1 1/2 acres nicely mowed noew that we have a working riding mower....the problem is the front pasture, about 2 acres in size, and Dude's pasture, about 3/4 acre...those had both gotten overgrown before i could get them cut initially, which makes it impossible to mow in one attempt, even with the riding mower....so i have been nibbling at them every time i mow, to try and het them done without killing the mower...so i am at it yesterday, when our neighbor from across the street, who i had been meaning to ask if i could borrow his tractor and brushhog to whack the long stuff down to a manageble size, come driving up and tells me he has bought a new finishing mower for his tractor....then asks me if i would like him to mow the parts of the yard i haven't been able to do, including Dude's pasture...i of course accept, even asking if he would prefer me to do the actual mowing, as it is still a couple of hours worth of work...he says no prob, i will come over tomorrow, now today and do it....i thank him, and go back to what i was doing...in the back of my mind, i am thinking that he may not show up, if he does, he almost certainly really won't mow everything, but maybe he really will...i of course get optomistic, taking him at his word...when 4 pm has rolled around, i'm feeling pretty down, not surprised, but disappointed for sure...he turns up about 5, which gets me annoyed at myself for being so cynical, and starts mowing, which has me feeling good again...much to my dismay, he lives up to my realistic expectation...he mows about 2/3 of the front pasture, and most of that is just cut short enough that 4 or 5 days with the riding mower will maybe get it done so it can be mowed regularly...doesn't even touch Dude's pasture at all...*sigh*...Dude, btw, is my girlfriends miniature horse...he is about the size of a large dog...the grass in his pasture is taller than he is in places already...don't know what i'm gonna do to get it cut...mind you, i am grateful to him for doing what he did, as it saved me a lot of work, but i can't help being disappointed by the whole thing...i hate being right at times like this.
thanks to the media, a rountine event has become the latest cause celebrite, and a huge source of embarrassment...last week Highland Park police arrested a 97 year old woman, after a traffic stop...they stopped her for driving with expired inspection, and registration stickers on her vehicle...running her license and registration through the system, which is standard procedure, showed that she had an outstanding warrant for an earlier ticket for expired registration, which she had not paid, or appeared on...the officer did exactly what he was supposed to do, arrested her, and took her to jail...this scene plays out hundreds, if not thousands of times a day...the only difference here, is that the arrestee was a little old lady...so of course the media jumps in with both feet, decrying the police, and admonishing the arresting officer, and the department...references to Barney Fife are eveywhere....what a crock of shit....she broke the law...if you don't pay your tickets, they go to warrant, and then if you get pulled over, you go to jail...that's the way it works...where was all the media outcry the hundreds of thousands of other times someone was taken in on a traffic warrant...i guess it is only newsworthy if you are an old white lady in living in an upper middle class neighborhood...if you are anyone else it is perfectly all right for the police to do their job...i so rarely find myself in agreement with the police, that it is always a shock to me when i find myself sticking up for them...this is certainly one of those rare occasions...let me be one of the few to say out loud to both the arresting officer, and the Highland Park police department, that you did nothing wrong...hear that, nothing wrong...good job for doing your job, following your procedure, and refusing to let her slide, because she is 97...she probably shouldn't be driving in the first place...to the media, i say, go find some real news to report...quit with the Barney Fife jokes, and let this entire incident fade back into the obscurity it never should have left.
read this here: Wizbang: Reality TV Gone Mad!, and here: Electric Venom: I'm Beyond Disgusted, and was apalled beyond belief by this...at first i thought it was some sort of sick joke, but quickly realized to my dismay that it was not...the story was detailed by The New York Post on the 28th...the idea that in anyone's eye, turning an adoption into some sort of reality show contest, with winners and losers is wrong in every possible way...first, and foremost, crap like this can only result in losers...since when is it ok for a baby to be handed out like a prize....the worst thing, is that this is not some cheesy show, but part of 20/20, which is supposed to be a reputable news show...not anymore....i'm sure lots of people will watch, and worse, find nothing wrong with this whole thing...just another sure sign of the decay of society.
the ACLU lost their fight with the administrators of Hunt High School in Raleigh, NC to reinstate a student's campaign posters...the student who is gay was forced to remove his posters which included statements like, Queer Guy For Hunt High, and Gay Guys Know Everything...what a shame...while the slogans were a bit tacky, yet catchy, seems unfair that he had to pull them down...i guess being honest is not always the best policy, especially when it comes to politics, or at least when it comes to high school politics.
i was slapped in the face with an appaling trend of behaviour again today, and decided to vent on it to you all...while mowing the strip between the road, and our fences, i was struck by the vast amount of trash that has accumulated there, i assume thrown by passing moterists...for those not hip to this, i live in the country...this strip, is actually about 50 feet in depth, and almost 1/2 mile in length....this is not county land, it is our land...we paid for it, must maintain it, and care how it looks...it is not a fucking trash can, public dump or parking lot...yet many people seem to think it is all three or at least one of the above...i'm pretty sure it isn't locals doing this, as they know better, having similar strips of land...i'm pretty sure it is those driving through, or passing by on their way to town, or to visit trade days...who ever you are, fucking quit doing this...mowing is bad enough, with out having to stop, and remove trash that can not be mowed, like tires, bottles, cans, and more other things than can be listed here...i also want those of you who think it is ok to pull over onto my grass for whatever reason, leaving trenches, which are hard on the mower to quit...it is just simple courtesy to respect my property...i respect yours, or at least so far...i'm thinking that if this doesn't stop, that i will watch for the guilty shitheads, follow them home to see where they live, and then go back collect all the trash, and dump it on your fucking lawn...see how you like it...i'd rather not resort to this,but my patience is wearing thing...so please quit before this gets ugly.
Dallas police are searching for a man who drove off in a squad car after he was left alone in the back seat with his hands cuffed behind him...the man was stopped on suspicion of drunk driving by an officer working alone...the officer left him alone in the car while he was interviewing a passenger...Dallas is the only city in the area which uses vehicles without a cage separating the front and back seats.
wish i could have been there to see this one...better yet, to have been there when the moron officer tried to explain his total ineptitude to his shift supervisor...the police recovered the vehicle about ten minutes after it was reported stolen, but the suspect was long gone...i guess the cop forgot that the average person can easily get their legs passed through their cuffed arms, and even with cuffs on, driving a car is a snap, especially when it was left running...bet that officer will be working some very unpleasant assignment for quite a while after this...wonder if the guy had trouble getting the cuffs off...wonder if they will ever find him...will wondering never cease.
while checking in at one of my favorite sites, Cruel Site Of The Day, curiousity led me to read this little gem there...it is one man's adventures, when he breaks down, and decides to find out what all the hullaballoo about viagra is really about...he chronicles his purchasing it on line, and then taking it at church...a must read.
just about the time i start to wonder if the art thing is a mistake, and especially if i am just wasting my time not only keeping up my design gallery, but devoting time to keeping active at DeviantArt, i get the best possible reminder that it is not, and i'm not, by having some one leave a really kick ass comment like this one, left by kernos on one of my pieces in my gallery at deiantart:
i stopped by your page to thank you for adding one of my pieces of work to your favorites. however, this caught my eye and i had to comment on it.
this photo works on a lot of different levels. first, the very deep, sharp black of the trees contrasts nicely with the surroundings. the field, the sky. the tree is highlighted very well. on another level this piece is really touching because it depicits a dying tree. a part of nature, much older than the men that are tearing it down. i imagine a forest destroyed just to put up more phone lines or whatever's on the background. or anything else for that matter. kind of sad.
i like the title 'odd geometry' as well. nothing really fits together. the tree stands out against the landscape, and the bit of human development in the background just negates everything. half of the geometry is nature, the other half destruction mixed with death. it's just an odd, but unfortunately no to unfamiliar scene to see when looking out the car window.
but this really caught my eye because it reminded me so much of a place that i used to go. old, dead trees destroyed for housing or utilities. sad really.
nice work.
Thank you kernos for reminding me what a great feeling it is to know that one of my works has truly touched some one in the way i intended it to.
i have made some revisions to two of my photomanipulations based on comments, and suggestions received on them...the changes were made in hope of making them better...the suggestions both came from people whos opinion i trust implicitly when it comes to art.
i have changed the background of Arborsurrealis based on a suggestion from my sister, who is a kick ass artist...she suggested going from the gradient to a solid color, either in peach or green tones...i have decided to try it using a peachish tone first...she felt it would increase the contrast, and more importantly would make it less generic looking, and add more of a surreal feel...the new version is Arborsurrealis Rev 1...i think she was right, but would like your feedback.
the other image i changed is Negatively Charged...my mom, who has excelent taste in art, had suggested that i remove the clouds sitting just above the tree line, because they were distracting, and hindered the flow of the piece...the new version is Negatively Charged Revised...i think she was right as well...i certainly like it better now, but once again would appreciate your feedback.
thiongs like this renew my faith in the inherent irony of life...Randall Terry, founder of Operation Rescue, Christian activist, and a major leader in the anti-abortion, and same-sex marriage, is forced to deal with his worst nightmare in the public forum...his son, Jamiel Terry has publicly come out, proclaiming himself gay, much to the consternation of his dad...Randall is miffed that his son came out, and that he did so publicly, and more so that he was paid for the article in Out magazine proclaiming it...he claims his son sold out our family's privacy and private discussions for cold cash...i love how people like him are all about publicity, until it goes against them in some way...if you live your life in the public eye, then you live with out privacy...that's a given...when asked by Randall, why he not told him first, Jamiel responded "Dad, how was i supposed to tell you? Look who you are."...you are always the last to find out...hehehe.
Blender magazine has published it's list of the 50 worst songs ever...lists like this always amuse me...there are definately entries here that i wholeheartedly agree with, though there are others i was surprised to find onit...of couse i'm not that surprised as this isn't my list it is theirs....topping the list was Straship's We Built this City, which i must agree is one of the worst pieces of shit ever passed off as music, and certainly deserves to be on the list, if not topping it...they described it as: The truly horrific sound of a band taking the corporate dollar while sneering at those who take the corporate dollar...hard to disagree with that in any way...their top ten list was:
1) Starship - We Built This City
2) Billy Ray Cyrus - Achy Breaky Heart
3) Wang Chung - Everybody Have Fun Tonight
4) Limp Bizkit - Rollin
5) Vanilla Ice - Ice Ice Baby
6) Huey Lewis & The News - The Heart Of Rock & Roll
7) Bobby McFerrin - Don't Worry Be Happy
8) Eddie Murphy - Part All The Time
9) Madonna - American Life
10) Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder - Ebony And Ivory
songs were chosen because of their melodies, were wretchedly performed, and quite a few made no sense what so ever...i'm sure quite a few of the chosen fit all three criteria...wonder if any of the artists feel any shame in being included on this list...somehow i don't think so.
i hope all amoral, greedy, shit eating spammers die slowly of some painful disease...ip ban list is now up to 31, and it seems like i'm adding at least a couple of new addresses every week now....you people who think that it is ok to waste my time, and worse yet benefit off of my work are the lowest of the low...where did you learn that this sort of behavior is acceptable...were you raised this way, or have you just discarded your manners in search of a quick buck...either way, why don't you go find someone else to annoy.
this post Burnt Fuse-She's Funkalicious: 50k Challenge shamelessly begged for my assistance to help meet her birthday goal of 50,000 hits for her site...ok she challenged her regular readers, which i am, and she asked for help, which i of course translate as begging my assistance...i am happy to oblige, as it is a quirky present to ask for...i hope she makes it....help me help her get her birthday wish.
btw...my birthday is the day after hers...or at least i think it is...anyway, being typically me, i have not really given thought on what i want for my birthday...in fact, i had half forgotten it was only 2 weeks away, despite this being the big 45...i will ponder upon what sort of gifts i would like from my loyal fans...lol....and get back to you all with my thoughts on that soon...hopefully before it is too late.
while making a feeble attempt to actually read some of the blogs in my "I Read These" list, i found this gem Girl: 7 Habits...i had foolishly assumed that this book had died the death it so richly deserves...of course it hasn't...she has some interesting things to say about it, and even better, had included linkage to a few choice parodys of it...enjoy..i did.
according to Britain's RAC Foundation for Motoring, Richard Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" is the number 1 tune NOT to play while driving...their research shows that loud music can cause accidents, and evidently that piece is the most danerous...the song had also topped their list of most dangerous songs two years ago, when the issue was the peril of fast tempo...while i can sort of understand this, in an abstract way, i am amazed that this is the most dangerous piece of music to drive to...i can think of dozens of songs that are both louder and faster...go figure...here is their top five list of most dangerous songs to drive to:
1) Richard Wagner - Ride of the Valkyries
2) Giuseppe Verdi - Dies Irae (from Requiem)
3) The Prodigy - Firestarter
4) Basement Jaxx - Red Alert
5) Faithless - Insomnia
Their top five safest songs to play while driving:
1) Norah Jones - Come Away With Me
2) Gary Jules - Mad World
3) Lemar - Another Day
4) The Sugarbabes - Too Lost In You
5) boy band Blue - Breathe Easy
so now we all know what to play while driving...or not.
well i got through my grandmother's funeral with out too much stress...while there was way too many people in one place for me to be totally comfotable, and worse, most are relatives that i don't really know, overall it was ok...my dad was able to give a eulogy comfortably, which was a huge change from my grandfather's funeral in which my dad gave a very tense ten minute eulogy that strictly talked about his father's love of country and community...ugh...anyway, afterwards there was the required gathering at my aunt's house, which i got through by hiding outside...later went out with my brother, sister, and cousins for drinks which was a blast...it was great seeing both my brother and sister together...first time in 4 years we were all together...hanging with my sis today, and tomorrow, which kicks ass...great catching up.
say it ain't so....an employee of Disney World in a Tigger costume was arrested Friday on charges of groping a 13 year old girl and her mother while posing for pictures with them...Michael Chartrand, 36, was charged with lewd and lascivious molestation of a child, and simple battery, and was jailed on $2,500 bail....Disney has suspended him with out pay.
this is so sad and wrong no matter how it turns out...if he is guilty, then one more childhood icon has been dispoiled by some slime...if he turns out to be innocent, then same icon has become victimized by greed...either way it is sad, sad, sad...i mourn the passing of one more bit of innocence.
my grandmother died early this morning...it was not unexpected at all, as she has been getting steadily sicker over the last year...nor was this a bad thing, as she had advanced alzheimers, and has been under full time care for years...there will be a small ceremony tomorrow, which i decided to attend despite the anxiety of being around so much family...with her death, i no longer have any living grandparents, though at my age this is not surprising...she was longest lived of them, well over 90, though the last 5 years or more have been pretty sad...i hope i don't end up getting this disease, as it is one of my greatest fears...if i do, i sincerely hope someone kills me before i get to the point where i have forgotten my own family...sigh...life is definately hard at times
my web host is in the process of moving my account to a new server...this may cause some temporary problems with serving pages, unlikely, or with entering comments, more likely, until it is completed...hopefully this will be done soon and then things will be working better than ever...please bear with me until it is finished.