Paperclips

I would like to share something with you. I won't waste a lot of words here, because what I am sharing is an article that is a tad lengthy and I don't want to wear out your patience.
Please, read this and if, afterwards you have the desire, share your thoughts about it here.
I would like that.

Thank you friends.

===Steven===>>

KT Tunstall is here!!

Woo Hoo! The CD I ordered that was shipped from the UK is hear and it kicks butt!!! My ONLY complaint is that it's too short. I mean, her songs are all about 3 minutes and there are only 12 of them here, so I am not getting as much music as I would LIKE to have from her. Sigh. Guess that means I just have to get more of her CD's. Well, she is one artist I am really enjoying supporting! I wonder if she will ever make it across the pond and tour the US. hhhmmm...

What is the point?

Is life really worth the trouble? Is it worth the pain? Is it worth the effort? Is it worth missing your favorite TV show for? I mean, really. We have to have our priorities. Don't we?

Interstate 10 Overexposed

Interstate 10 Overexposed (10)
Originally uploaded by Wilgar.

I was about 30 miles out of Phoenix on I-10 and decided to play around with some long exposure photography. There are a few more pics like this on my Flickr site. Let me know what you think!

Meet my New Obsession

:: K t T u n s t a l l ::
The other day, my friend Mike (AKA Amberwolf) sent me a link to the website of an artist who is using a technique called "looping" to really amazing effect in her music. I followed THIS LINK and watched, spellbound and enthralled as this girl performed 3 songs live in the studio. With nothing more than her acustic guitar, a tamborine and her amazing voice she built the sound into a full and rich melody that quite frankly took me by surprise.
I was so impressed with this artist, that I ordered her CD then and there!
So, it's only logical that I would share the discovery with you, my friends. I hope you enjoy the discovery as much as I did.
Oh, would you please do me a favor? Post your opinions of KT Tunstall here? I would really like to know what you all think.

Thanks!

Petition Spot - Free Online Petitions

If you are a fan of Firefly, please take a moment or two to read/sign this petition. It's an attempt to show that the Firefly has an audience and is worth reviving!
I know I will watch it when it comes back!

http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/revivefirefly

===Wilgar===>>

Arizona Cardinals Stadium 004

Arizona Cardinals Stadium 004
Originally uploaded by Wilgar.

I just thought the heatwave patterns were really cool here. Get it? Heatwave? Cool! Sometimes I crack myself up! (It's not hard to do ya know...)

Not for Sale - 060905

Not for Sale - 060905
Originally uploaded by Wilgar.

I was cleaning out the pics on my phone and came across this one I took while riding my bike around Phoenix. I guess it makes it's own statement.

Shirl, Steven and Brenda

Shirl, Steven and Brenda
Originally uploaded by Wilgar.

While in line for the Preview of Serenity, I found the Colbaths. They are the parents of my best friend, Chris. And to see them here, was just the opportunity I needed to break out the old Camera Phone! (Like I NEED a reason to take pictures...)
The funny thing is...the theatre filled up before I could get in! (THEY made it in though...)

Oh. My. GOD!

This is funny! Really! TRUST me!
Click HERE

(Thank you Mhoram for posting this link on your site so I could steal it from you...)

My Life: An Update

A very good friend of my just sent me an email today that was rather short and to the point. The email said: "You've been quiet lately, what's up?"

Hhmm...What's up indeed!

Admittedly I have been lax in my postings here, and to those of you who think that is a problem, I am sorry. To those of you who think that is just the way things go in the world of blogging, I say: Thank You!

I have had a lot on my mind lately. Some of which I have shared with friends and family and I won't go into tremendous details here. I am not claiming that my life is any more complicated that anyone else's life on this planet. I have always found that life is a cycle of good, bad and indifferent things happening. In fact it is often possible to find the "good" in many "bad" situations. There ever elusive "silver lining" as t'were.

But I want to go on record as saying that the lining in THESE clouds is VERY well hidden!

So, lets just take today, shall we? I was driving to Sedona on my day off. I actually had an APPOINTMENT at the Sedona Pines Resort for them to pitch me the wondrous benefits of time-shares. And for my compensation was to be a gift of $75 cash, plus a free lunch at the resorts restaurant as well as free hotel nights in Vegas. All of this for me to sit there for 90 minutes and have them try their "low pressure" sales tactics on me.

But, as cool as the gifts and such were, the REAL draw for me was the chance to try my NEW camera in a fantastic location like the Red Rocks of Sedona! See...As SOME of you
know, I blew a metric TON of money I couldn't afford to spend on a Canon EOS 20D Digital SLR camera. I waited for over a week for the 3 day delivery to get the thing all the way from Brooklyn NY to my doorstep. After dealing with the tremendous disappointment of UPS telling me the package would be delivered on Monday by 7pm, and then learning that the packing wasn't even loaded on the TRUCK on Monday, I decided to go get the thing myself! Which I did! But, on the same day that I took into possession this wondrous miracle of technology which I had been researching for the previous MONTH (this tidbit of trivia is ALSO already known by some of you...) I had to take my mother to the Hospital for a scheduled MRI examination. So, this left me very little time for me to examine All the GOODIES that was in the shipment. And almost no time whatsoever to actually play with the big toy itself.

However, there WAS enough time for me to discover that the vendor shipped the wrong lens! Gah! You should know that the lenses were such a key factor in my decision to buy THIS package from THIS vendor that to have the wrong lens sent is heartbreaking! During the week I was waiting for the delivery of this camera et el I would frequently look at the webpage that showed me all the goodies I had just bought and I would smile with pleasure that I was able to find someone selling the lenses that I wanted at a price that was within reach.
So in learning of the error, and realizing the time difference between Arizona and New York, I had JUST enough time to call the 800# to obtain an RMA.

Finally my mother and I are out the door on the way to her appointment. Running late, but on the way. We arrive at the hospital and follow the directions on how to get into the very small parking lot of the MRI department. But something was wrong with the directions and we end up having to park in the garage and walk to the MRI Appointment. It's about 3 blocks in the heat at 1:30pm. with my mother who simply has no stamina for walking let alone walking 3 blocks in the heat! But...we arrive and she is eventually taken in to have the MRI done.
After the testing is complete, we head off to take another look at my friend Sherryl's Care Facility that we were scheduled to move mom into on Sept 1st. (For those casual readers of this blog, or just folks that may not know, my mother has been living with me for the past few years.) At the house, which is really a very nice place: newly renovated, comfortable space...I get the feeling that this move is not the right thing to do. But I don't say anything because I honestly want mom to get back on her own and to get involved with other people again because at this point in her life, she has no significant human contact. She doesn't have a car, and isn't physically capable of driving even if she did have one. She simply never leaves the house. Which is a "WHOLE 'Nother Story"...

Well...to speed the story up a bit, yesterday my truck overheated as I was on the freeway heading to Sedona. I got as far as Anthem and had to head back to Phoenix to deal with the problem. As I type this, the mechanics are performing Cooling System Surgery to the tune of some $600. (They originally quoted $700+!) I hope to have possession of my truck by mid-afternoon. However, this was not the "News of the Day", nor even the Hour. You see, at the same time that I was on the phone getting the news about the repairs, my mother was getting the news from her doctor that the results of the MRI show a possibility of an /Embolism./ Now without drawing out the story even further, we KNEW that she likely has a different medical condition called Normal Pressure Hydrocephalous, which is why we were there for the MRI in the first place. But the embolism is a bit of a shock, and far more concerning.

So...all in all it was quite a day yesterday. But, not to be too much of a "gloomy Gus", the evening turned out to be WAY better that I was thinking it would be! And no...I won't tell that story here...

One more thing before I post this to the site and expose more of myself to my friends (and strangers) who read this. There is something I wanted to share with you all that may help you out in times of personal doubt.

- Be True. All Will Be As It Should Be -

===Steven===>>

Your Birthdate: June 15

With a birthday on the 15th of any month, you are apt to have really strong attachments to home, family and domestic scene. The 1 and 5 equaling 6, provide the sort of energy that makes you an excellent parent or teacher. You are very responsible and capable. This is an attractive and an attracting influence. You like harmony in your environment and strive to maintain it. You tend to learn by observation rather than study and research. You may like to cook, but you probably don't follow recipes. This number shows artistic leanings and would certainly support an talents that may be otherwise in your makeup. You're a very generous and giving person, but perhaps a bit stubborn in ways.

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Pittsburgh first: A $250,000 automatic public pay toilet, 25 cents per visit

Pittsburgh first: A $250,000 automatic public pay toilet, 25 cents per visit

As many of you know by now, I have been remodeling my bathroom for what seems like an eternity. And all of the efforts I have made in thinking about what to do with the space have now turned out to have been for naught! At least...in theory. There is a new option for what the WC can be!

Granted, the price tag is a tad out of my budget, and the space requirements would have forced me to cross the property line with my neighbor, but hey! It would be worth it just to have the rolling floor!!

Let me know what you all think about this, and if you would like to see something like this either adorning the streets of our fine city in Phoenix, or perhaps even a version that really could be used in the home.

Leave me your comments here on my Blog! And don't forget your quarters!

The week went by so quickly

I took last week off from work so that I could get some things accomplished that HAD to be done. My taxes for one thing as the extension was running out. And doing more work on my bathroom remodel project. I was able to get 99% of the painting done, and installed the new toilet. That was an adventure in itself, but I won't bore you with the details. Suffice it to say that I have no desire to do it again even if the damned thing does start leaking again!
I also obtained a few more things for the room like the baseboards and such. But before I can put them in, I need to stain them. And that takes time. And now that I am back to work, I have to wait for my days off again. I just hope I can keep up the motivation and get it done soon. Not only the staining process, but then I have to cut the baseboards etc to size and make it all fit in the right places! Wish me luck!

Technophant

DSC07814
Originally uploaded by EssG.

Well, as always, it amazes me not only the things you find just web surfing, but to think that someone had the creativity to conceive of and BUILD this thing!

Birthday Boy

So tomorrow is my 39th birthday. This is it. The last year before the big Four-Oh. Yippie. I should celebrate somehow. Do something fun and exciting and totally frivolous. Anyone have any ideas? I am open to suggestions! Make 'em wild! Make 'em Sexy!! Make me an offer I can't refuse!

Oh, BTW: I have some cake at my desk. Anyone want a piece?

What makes 100%?

This was sent to me via email by my good friend Paula And to me it was Laugh Out Loud funny. Yes, even more deserving then the standard "LOL" or, "LMAO" or even the coveted "ROFLMAO!"
This little piece of wisdom deserves it's own entry:

What Makes 100%? What does it mean to give MORE than 100%? Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%? We have all been to those meetings where someone wants you to give over 100%. How about achieving 103%? What makes up 100% in life?

From a strictly mathematical viewpoint it goes like this:

Here's a little mathematical formula that might help you answer these questions:

If:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z is represented as:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.

Then:
H-A-R-D-W-O-R-K
8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%

and

K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E
11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%
But,

A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E
1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%

And,

B-U-L-L-S-H-I-T
2+21+12+12+19+8+9+20 = 103%

AND, look how far ass kissing will take you.

A-S-S-K-I-S-S-I-N-G
1+19+19+11+9+19+19+9+14+7 = 118%

So, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that While Hard work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will get you there, it's the BullshiT and Ass kissing that will put you over the top.

See what I mean?

Thanks Sis!!

Nueve de Mayo

A few days ago there was a party. Unless you live in a cave, you know that it was Cinco de Mayo. The 5th of May. A Mexican celebration of Victory against Oppressors from long long ago. The parties I have attended have all centered around one theme: Beer. Now, since I don't consume alcohol of any kind, beer has little interest for me. Other than the fact that I attend a lot of Dark Ones Parties, and drinking is the primary reason people go to these parties, I wouldn't spend my time around people who are drinking. They tend to be obnoxious and self-absorbed most of the time. Occasionally I encounter what I can only refer to as a "Happy Drunk" when I am in a bar listening to a band, or hearing Karaoke singers (More reasons that Alcohol is a dangerous drug not to be abused. Vocal Chords can be used as a deadly weapon!!) But, I digress (Eight Tech Levels!!! Uh! Uh!)

A few days ago there was a Cinco de Mayo party at a local Mexican Restaurant that I frequent. They have the celebration every year, but this was the first time I went myself. There was a live band "Mogollon" playing some really good Cover Tunes. There was overpriced, yet tasty food...and there was Beer. Beer was everywhere. Beer even found it's way to me. But not to be consumed. Oh, no. To be Worn. Even my Camera wore some beer.

This was my second go round at the party that night. Earlier I attended with my friend Cherry and really enjoyed myself. I ate some tacos and was really getting into to music. But, I had forgotten my camera (Oh, the Shame!) So when Cherry and I had had our fill of the party, we left and I drove her home. But I still had my wristband on, so I came back with the camera. The intention was to get some good candid shots of the people dancing.

I walked through the crowd looking for victims...er, I mean SUBJECTS, when suddenly I felt liquid being sprayed on me and the camera from behind. At first I thought that someone in the crowd had a squirt gun, and I was either the intended target, or an innocent bystander taking a hit from a poor marksman. Then I noticed the smell. THAT was not Water! It was beer that came gushing out of a bottle someone opened nearby! No one at the table even acknowledged that they had doused me and my camera! Well, since I am a lover, not a fighter, I turned to the people sitting at a table nearby and asked if they had a napkin I could use to wipe the beer off my camera. They didn't. But they let me use the table cloth! Then, when the noticed I had a camera, they asked me to take pictures of them! I remember one guy asking me how much the pics would be. He seemed astonished when I told him they would be free. All I needed was an email address to send the link to when I post the images on Flickr.

So, after I took their pics, the folks at the next table over wanted pics for themselves too! At about that time, the band announced they were done for the night. I started walking through the crowd again hoping for some last minute pics to present themselves to my lens when I heard a voice behind me and a hand on my shoulder. It was Security. He was talking into his earpiece radio saying "...we found the camera guy". My heart skipped a beat. I remember when I was hear earlier seeing other people with cameras. I didn't see any signage prohibiting photography. I didn't know why I was being singled out, but as I said before...I am a lover, not a fighter. And I am especially not a fighter of the Security crew! So, since the party was over anyway, there was no feeling of missing anything. We walked thru the crowd, the Security man in front, glancing back to make sure I was still following. I stopped for a moment thinking someone wanted to talk to me about something, but no one even seemed to pay me any attention, so out the gate I went.

I got about 30 feet from the exit when they called to me again. I was thinking, "this is going to be interesting if they smell the beer and assume I am drunk..." Two or three more men approached me and asked why I was taking pictures. Specifically was I taking pics for some magazine or something. Well. No. Not with THIS camera. So, I showed them the group pics I just took and they were entirely satisfied that I wasn't doing whatever they THOUGHT I was doing. They wished me a good night and walked away. Strange.

I start walking back through the parking lot to my truck when I see a group of kids (man am I old) sitting at the drive through for Arby's. So I ask: Hey, can I take your picture? Well, one girl is just jazzed at the thought and her boyfriend seems skeptical. Understandable. But he agrees and so we snap a few quick shots and he gives me his email address so I can send the link to him and off I go.

The only thing that would have made the night weirder is if I had been pulled over and the cop smell the beer on my thinking I am drunk would ask me to do a field sobriety test. That would have been kinda fun really. if it weren't for the fact that the cop could still arrest me if he wanted...So I am glad that didn't happen!

So, this has been the story of how I spent Cinco de Mayo. It only took four days to write it, aren’t you proud?

And SPEAKING of Star Wasr Pics...

It's time once again to share something with all of you that I found totally by accident. I really don't remember what I was doing, or searching for that lead me here but I am glad to have found the place! I am thinking about buying a T-Shirt. Which one would YOU get??

Don't Call Me Jr.!

LepreCon 31

This weekend I "attended" LepreCon, and I had a GREAT time there! There were several reasons for this. One of them was that The Dark Ones had a Very Successful Party and those are always fun. Another reason was that I got some really great pics at this convention! The link will take you to my Flickr page where the pics are posted. I think you will get a kick out of some of them...and I hope you post some comments about the images that you like! (Or even the ones you DON'T like!

Ok...I know this is a short post, but it's 1am and I have to work tomorrow so I am going to sleep now!

Good Night Everyone!

It's Official! I am REAL Amateur Photographer!

Yeah...like THAT'S something to jump up and down about! Well, actually, it is!
You see, for many years I have wanted to get involved in photography, but I never really did anything about moving forward in that direction. Well, a few weeks ago I decided to change that. I started posting ads on Craigslist offering free photography sessions to ladies just so I can get the experience. And last night it happened! A lovely girl named Lili took me up on the offer! When I started posting the ad, I had no idea what the actual photo session would be like. Since I am NOT a pro, and don't have "Pro Gear" (Just a nice Digital Camera...but you all should know that by now) I thought that the best way to go about it was to talk to the potential client to learn what she wanted to do and figure it out from there. I never thought the shoot would be taking place in my bedroom or that it would be going on past 2:30am! (Well...now I know better!)

Since my Blogging time is really limited at the moment, I will just say for now that we shot over 500 images and she seemed genuinely pleased with the results. I really hope she posts a positive ad on CL to let other ladies know that this is a good deal! There is more to this story, but I will have to save that for another session.

Oh, in case anyone is wondering, I promised that I wouldn't post her pics anywhere so I can't show you what we did. All I can say is: Wow. (Yeah, I know. I am such a tease!)

Ah...the Corporate Machine is in Full Motion in our Fast Food Nation today!

MSNBC - Sales fall at Wendy's after finger discovery

This link takes us to a story that is talking about the impact on sales that the fast food chain "Wendy's" is dealing with after a women found a Human Finger in her Chili at a Wendy's in Cailifornia. The analysts say that the restaurant won't suffer much in the long run. And really, I for one believe them. I mean, it's not like the food killed the poor woman or anything. (anyone remember back in 1993 when E. coli O157:H7 killed customers who ate at Jack in the Box? There was Bad Meat and quite a few people ate it.) Oh, wait. People still eat at JitB. Lots of people. Do you ever wonder why? Why we knowingly eat food that is not only nutritionally poisonous, but is fed to us by people who literally don't care if we die? Well, they care. If you die, you can't spend your money in their stores. It's because we are ADDICTED to it. It's cheap, it tastes good, it's readily available, and NO ONE thinks that eating that one time in the fast food store of their choice is a problem. Well, in case you missed it in the Theatres, you really need to take a look at this movie: Super Size Me. And THEN you need to read the book: Fast Food Nation. These two resources together speak far more elegantly than I ever could on the subject.
Do me a favor, let me know your thoughts on this subject. Really. I am interested to know. Leave a comment here on the Blog. Let's start a discussion!

Oh, I was doing a bit more reading on line, and I found this interview with the author of Fast Food Nation: Eric Schlosser that you may enjoy.

Working like a Dog...I WISH!

As far as I can tell, my dogs jobs are to lay around the house, bark when someone is at the door, run in the yard and play, eat food they don't have to buy, drink water they don't have to fetch, look cute when they want something, lay around the house (more), get all the attention they could ever want just by walking up to you, lay around the house (still more) and then sleep.
THAT is the JOB for ME!

Instead, I have a job that puts my on my butt 10 hours a day infront of a computer and talking on the phone. Sigh...

Over the past few weeks there have been some good things and some bad things happen to me and the world in general that have severly affected my desire to write things here. And then, when I DO want to write, I want to write about EVERYTHING. And I know that this is not possible. So, let me take one or two things and see if I can make sense out of them. I went on a date last Sunday. An honest to goodness date. Met her through an on line personal ad and talked on the phone and set up a date and went. Whew! It has been a loooonnng time since THAT happened to me! I think it went well, but there doesn't seem to be a big spark-o-romance from it. In fact, it took about a week before I got an email back from her after the date, only to learn that she has "Pink Eye" and is laying low for the weekend. And I believe her too since her eye was a bit red when we met. But the thing is, I did it. And it was fun. And I want to do it some more. (Ladies, any takers?)

Let's see...what else. My business dealings are not going as smoothly as I would like, but I won't bore anyone with the details here...

Oh, They caught the man who abducted and killed a little 9 year old girl in Florida. At this time, I am working on rusting up a really dull knife I have and thinking about a day trip to FLA to try and speed up the process of clensing the gene pool. Anyone want to go for a ride with me?

Hhhmmm...Tax season is here. 'Nuff said about that...

And this is about all I can write at the moment because Unlike my dogs, when I go to Work, I have things I actually need to accomplish, and Blogging is just a temporary distraction. Back to the grind for me...

Feeling a little inadequate

There are so many times when I encounter other people in one way or another that just makes me feel...inadequate. I know that there are friends and family members in my life that would vehemently disagree with that sentiment. But, that's what friends and family do. Hell, I do that for friends and family too when I discover thier feelings of inadequacy. I can't help it. I see them as the people that I need them to be. Intelligent, kind, generous, loving, worthwhile people. But even though all of those words are accurate, it doesn't stop them from feeling the way they do at times. We all go through it. At least, that is what I tell myself to comfort myself when feeling this way. But even if it's just SOME people and not ALL people that feel this way, I know it's a natural feeling. The issue is whether we let that feeling rule our lives or not. Recently I have been. I need to stop, but I am having difficulty finding the fire to light under my own butt.
For those of you who know me that are reading this...don't panic. I am just going through a "down" cycle. Maybe it's the meds I have been taking for my diabetes. Maybe it's something else. Whatever it is, it won't last forever. I know this. I just hope it ends soon.

Thanks for letting me bend your ears (eyes??) and vent to you a bit. It really does help.

It's been a while

I haven't been posting here as often as I would like. Mainly because I haven't been in the mood to examine my life closely enough to write anything interesting enough to merit bothering people with it. In fact, this post falls into that exact catagory. But, I felt that interesting or not, deeply introspective or not, worthwhile or not...I need to write something. If only to be certain that I still know how to type without staring at the keyboard the whole time. And it seems that I do since these last two sentences were typed while staring at the TV screen here at the office only pccasionally spot checking my spelling when I feel that I flubed a word or two. How am I doing?
OK...enough drivel for now. I hope to be more in the mood to write something interesting soon. When I do...you all will be the first to know. Well, technically the second to know since I would really be the first to know...you know?

War! What is it good for!?

Well, a lot actually. There are Parties, and Food and Music and beautiful dancing girls...Oh, yeah. And Fighting.
Yes, War is all of those things that I knew it would be, but I never knew it would be so wet!

You see, I camped out all week at the SCA's 21st Estrella War. And, as luck would have it, it rained. Not just once, but every day. Really. Starting on Wed night, and not stopping all the rest of the War, which ended on Sunday but I stayed until Monday to help break camp. So every night, while people were reveling and partying, I was seeking shelter to avoid getting soaked! Fortunately for me, there were enough moments of dry weather that I was actually able to get around enough to join a few drumming circles and see a little dancing action!
Here are some Pics if you are interested in them. Remember, there are 10 seperate "albums" to view here, so be sure to check them all out!

Polly want a Cracker?

Ok...this is just one of those really cool things that the Internet lets you share instantly with your friends. Click on the title of this Blog entry to take a look!!

To Blog or Not to Blog

Well, there isn't enough time for me at the moment to give a real run down of my day, as interesting as it was, so here is a summery: Last night my truck broke a fan belt. This meant I had to miss a day of work while it was in the shop. Today my friend Cherry came over to start working on repainting one of the bedrooms in my house. (She is so cool!) And we spent about an hour or so moving all of the furniture out and cleaning up before I left her alone to work on the room.
I had to leave, and when I got back the room had it's first coat of new paint on it and is in the process of drying. Tomorrow Cherry returns to continue the project. In the mean time, here are some pics of the project so far!


Repainting 


Repainting 002 


Repainting 004 


Repainting 005 


All this stuff was in that little room! 

The Quest for (a) Vanity

About a week or so ago I took the PLUNGE. Something that I had been wanting/needing to do for quite a long time finally happened...or at least started happening and now that it has started, there is no way to stop it.
I am talking about remodeling my hall bathroom. As you will see by the photos, there is really no way NOT to finish this project, so I am forced to forge ahead and (GASP!) Make Decisions!!
Now, to be sure, I have already made a few decisions such as the type of flooring I am putting in: Ceramic Tile. And the type of tub I want: Renaissance Whirlpool. And with any luck, the cost of wiring a new outlet will be reasonable enough to be within my budget. Otherwise my tub will have to be slightly less fancy!
But, I have faith that when this project is over, it will all have been worth the effort and expense. The cool thing is that my friend Chuck (He's the dangerous one swinging the Hammer of Destruction in the pics) is very knowledgable about construction and is doing the lions share of the work since I am about as usless as can be when it comes to this type of project!
I am hoping that as the project progresses, I will be able to keep things up to date here, and to chronicle the events as they help transform my bathroom into something I will be proud to showcase to my friends!

Cross your Fingers for me!!!

A Crackle of Thunder in the Darkness

A crackle of thunder in the darkness; the stillness of the room when the lights are off and the sound from other distractions is pushed into the background; the only light source comes from a small phone on my hip which I flip open to use the screens luminance to see my way around. It doesn’t cast light the same way as a flashlight, it’s more like a candle in the way that it allows me to see only those things that are nearby. Things that are an immediate threat to my safety while I step cautiously down the hallway avoiding the partially chewed rawhide bones that the girls leave laying around like landmines, just waiting for someone to either step on., or sweep away.

This is the mood that I find myself in again. It doesn’t happen all the time. In fact, it seems to be less and less frequent. But when it does happen, I feel...creative. In a way that has become so very rare in my life I feel focused on the thought of creating something. A tapestry of words if you will. And you are the witness to the results.

Please don’t judge me too harshly in reading what I have written. It is being done by a man with a great emptiness surrounding him. A chunk of me has gone missing and I am desperate to get it back. Some might say that it’s linked to my failed relationship. But I would have to disagree. I feel that it’s much deeper than that. This goes to my core. This is the dreaded truth that lingers just beneath my surface that will on occasion, such as right now, allow itself to be known for just the most short lived of moments. For this incredibly brief stint of time I can put a face and a name to my internal enemy and see it for the life-sucking being that it really is. But it’s a part of me and I am unable to do battle with it in full on my own.

I can’t stop the beast within from taking hold of me and forcing me to make ALL the wrong decisions. It lies in wait until such times as I am most distracted from my purpose and my goals and it throws all of the obstacles in my way. Food. Boredom. Forgetfulness. Sleepiness. Memories of the past and incomplete visions of the future. They are all there within me and are brought out by this beast who seems intent on forever dominating my life and my decisions to keep my securely in place. Tucked away in my “Comfort Zone”. The beast within me does have a name. I call it “Fear”. If I were more skilled at words I would be able to use all methods of description to create a description for your entertainment. And mine as well. Let’s face it, I do love to read my own writings!

But this isn’t that type of tale. It’s just a single battle raging in an ongoing war between myself and myself. You see, I have no one to blame but myself for my predicament as I am my own boss in the way I choose to live my life. And to be honest…at the moment, I am losing the battle! I feel sleep coming to claim me and that is something that I have a very hard time fighting. I feel the distraction happening as I type these words.

And now, I think I shall, for the moment allow myself to surrender to it as it will have its way with me if I keep going this way…so, for now...Goodnight

Pink is the new Red

Man, I don't really know where to begin.
Earlier today, my good friend Dorinda and I were IM'ing at work. It was a typical conversation between us as we each cracked jokes inbetween complaining about whatever was bugging us at the time. I know for my part I was falling asleep at my desk again and grumbling that I wanted to go home. And, of course, the occasional innuendo. And, seemingly out of the blue, she asks if I have seen "Pink Five" yet. At first I thought it was some sort of Anime show on TV or something of that nature. But I am told that it is really a Star Wars Fan Film. And she gives me the link in an IM.

Now, normally when I am at work I never try to watch movies and such...mainly because I know that I could get in trouble if the thing I am watching is not appropriate. But, something compelled me to take a look, and WOW! Am I ever happy I did!!

Pink Five is one of the best Star Wars fan films I have ever seen! And the best thing is that the makers of this film, have made a sequal and are working on the final chapter even as I type this. There is a blog I want you to see as well: Return of Pink Five
A Totally Random Production Diary by Trey Stokes. Also, take a look around the website of the company that is responsible for the Pink Five series: The Truly Dangerous Company and learn more, much more about this amazing production company! I think you will enjoy it!

Also, I have to say this here since I have become so completly enthralled by this whole project. Amy Earhart, the actress who plays Stacy (Pink Five) is a beautiful woman and I am looking forward to seeing her career get going with real, for pay acting gigs! See for yourself!

Ok...well, it's 2 am, and I can't believe I am up this late again! Since I have to be in the office by 8:30am, I will have to end this here and now. Good night (morning??) everyone!

Bawk Bawk!!

OK...look. I didn't make the thing up, so you can't blame me for it. I am only here to show you the oddness that is the Internet. That's all. Really. I am not promoting that you yourself become odd. I just think that it's something that happens to you over time as you are exposed to the strange things that are out there in the world.

So...with that in mind, take a little time and check this out.


And then, after you seen it, if you want a little more info/background about it, go here.

This is technically a "Work Safe" site...but that's just referring to the content, not the amount of lost productivity from you hanging out there...

Don't say I didn't warn you!