the key of p

aloha means . . .

2009-05-22T11:48:00.000-07:00

. . . that for the time being I will start putting my photos on facebook, since it appears I have devolved into only occasional pictures and little to say. When I have something more substantial I'll return to the blog, but in the meantime, if you're not my facebook friend and want to be, I'm easy.

So to mark this hiatus, here's a picture of my cigar box ukulele, looking better than it sounds:

prickly pair

2009-05-12T15:04:00.001-07:00

Actually, this is a prickly trio of mostly unrelated and gratuitous photos. The first two were taken near Inks Lake on daytrip. We will call them "flower one" and "flower two."

This was taken in my backyard while I was experimenting with different camera settings. It's as if flapping is sometimes too much trouble.

wildlife wednesday

2009-05-06T11:07:00.000-07:00

Despite the title of the post, this won't become a regular feature. Unless . . .

I vow that by the end of the summer I will have figured out how to take a sharp picture of a hummingbird. I don't, however, need any practice coaxing a smile from a lizard.

hummer

2009-05-03T09:47:00.000-07:00

No, not the sports utility vehicle. I'm talking about the usually hyperactive little bird, shown here in a moment of repose, possibly preparing to dive-bomb some unsuspecting bald head.

a poem (in case it's hard to tell)

2009-05-01T12:03:00.000-07:00

Hard Boiled

In the distance an agitated grackle
screams at a would-be foe,
sounding much like a Smith-Corona
XL1000 typewriter circa 1986
with auto-return and easy worderaser.
Could this be an angry poem the bird beats out,
with lines like “I’ve known the hardened taste of seed?”
Or maybe we’ve walked into the middle of a saga,
right at the tension building stand-off.
Will the curious cat at the base of the tree
get its just reward? And what of the twitching squirrel,
fretting over the dangers facing his nuts?
We’ll have to tune in at another time,
for the sprinklers have started
and the story’s author has traded
typing out a decent ending
for a cliffhanger and flapping wings.

flowers - ho hum

2009-04-20T08:12:00.001-07:00

This morning I looked out a window and saw a twig hanging from the gutter of the roof. From my angle it looked like it could have been the tail of a possum or large rat. My first thought was that it would make a great picture for my blog. After seeing what it really was I took a moment to reflect on my blog instincts. I concluded that the many, many, many viewers of this blog might prefer to look at something besides bloated rodent corpses. So here are a few pictures of the season. Oh, I left out another "many."

"heaven just fell on the earth in the form of . . . "

2009-04-14T17:20:00.000-07:00

Well, the line I'm quoting ends with "gardenias," but since I've previously made fun of my school for some of their aesthetic choices, I thought I should give them credit for the number of bluebonnets they've nurtured. Since none of my pictures came out particularly good, I decided to go with strange instead.

If you want to hear the line referenced in my post title, watch the video below. It will put a smile on your face!!! :)

anima

2009-04-05T18:24:00.001-07:00

If I were a girl I'd like to be named after a flower, like Rose or Iris or Spiderwort.

a thrill a minute

2009-03-30T19:55:00.001-07:00

I've been watching the show "24." So far in this season's 24 hour time frame, there have been 32 terrorist attacks thwarted by the same guy, a hostage crisis involving the president whose husband is in the hospital for something everyone's forgotten about because it happened 7 hours ago, commercials featuring the former president who was assassinated around season four, and a whole lotta torture goin on. Also, Jon Voigt has become Dr. Evil.

So here's the plot line I'm proposing for next season, inspired by real events in a 24 hour period. Sleeping, guarding the food bowl with your sleeping body, eating, going outside between meals and naps, and more sleeping. Sometimes intense displays of frenzied happiness. The dramatic tension will be built by standing in front of the door waiting for someone to open it. Will it be opened in time? Stay tuned.

frolicking on a spring day . . .

2009-03-20T19:42:00.001-07:00

. . . like a filthy rodent.

join the cause

2009-03-11T08:45:00.001-07:00

I set for myself the task of taking a picture of a shrug and trying to make it slightly interesting. The challenges included using a model whose face diminished the aesthetics of the picture, and the fact that the model wore a hoody, so that a wide shot made it look more like a picture of someone performing the Eucharist. So I'm left with a picture needing an explanation, and the hope that most people viewing like orange.

But the task was in support of a much more urgent action. Lately I've noticed people putting the gesture above into a printed utterance: meh. At first I thought it was idiosyncratic of a friend, then another friend. But now I see it is ubiquitous, the canonical spelling of a sound people make as shorthand for "whatever" or "I will now stop thinking about this particular problem that only marginally concerns me" or "it is out of my hands and I surrender to greater powers." Or whatever.

Since the first time I saw the word in print I was convinced that it represented no sound that people actually make. If it does, then it is the sound Jack Lemon made in The Odd Couple when he had to clear his sinus passages. Hilarious, by the way. But not a sound someone would make casually, which means it shouldn't be associated with a shrug.

Therefore, I call upon all phonetically responsible people to join me in rejecting this growing threat, and heretofore adopt as standard and correct a new spelling, accurate, clear, and universal:

Ehnngh.

Whatever. I will now google the newest word in the language.

campus life

2009-03-03T18:28:00.001-08:00

This poster advertises some on-campus apartments where I work. Since I've seen that same look walking into my class ten minutes late, I'm inclined to rewrite the ad as "lazy ass? no worries! nobody gives a damn!"

The school is frequently updating its slogans. The one I've always been tempted to suggest is a line from a Frank Zappa song: "Be a loyal plastic robot for a world that doesn't care."

self-portrait as character in a john cassavetes movie

2009-02-23T16:32:00.000-08:00

I really like and respect John Cassavetes. Unfortunately, I think age is making it harder for me to deal with the emotional demands his movies can sometimes make. Just to prepare for this picture, for instance, I had to talk a lot, cry, laugh, roll around on the floor, talk about why I did it, cry, scream, get slapped, take a sedative, pout, cry, laugh maniacally, get rejected, try to tear someone's hair out, take sedatives with whiskey, almost die, get hugged by someone who doesn't really love me, and then sit pensively as if accepting the inevitable pain that life has to offer. Then I took a few pictures and went off to work, where I generally end up repeating the process.

rat patrol

2009-02-15T17:23:00.001-08:00

If I could domesticate these it would solve some rodent problems, though I think they've had their eye on the dogs. The picture below was taken before I could figure out a setting for the camera, and eventually they each flew away.

weeds

2009-02-14T10:21:00.000-08:00

This picture is actually about a year old, though we're beginning to see them coming up now (amazing how that works).

the crash of '09

2009-02-10T17:56:00.000-08:00

During the last few days I spent around five hours getting tech support people from the other side of the world to talk me through my latest computer catastrophe. At one point they had me wait about 30 minutes for my new operating system to load, so I went outside to get away from it. The picture below was taken while I was waiting. I used to identify this as a red-headed woodpecker, but have since learned that it is a ladder-backed woodpecker. And I'll throw in a Chickadee picture for good measure.

Oh, you thought I meant that crash of '09.

2/5/14

2009-02-06T15:02:00.000-08:00

No, it's not a federal holiday just yet, but on hearing that yesterday was the birthday of William Burroughs I decided to dig into the archives for this little homage.

experiment

2009-01-31T16:48:00.000-08:00

Today I took my dogs for a walk. I walk, and they alternate between excited spasticity and contemplative sniffing of remnants from previous sojourners. During this process, it is not unusual for them to wander far in front of me, or to stray into the prickly pear patch, or saunter into the middle of the road. I decided to see whether they would come to me if I whistled a particular tune, which is presented below. They did not. It is important to note that this was no short whistle, was not lacking in passion, and included improvisational flurries inspired by the version in the video. Still, no response. I concluded that the dogs do not care for big band music.

Later I tried to get their attention by calling their names, clapping my hands loudly, yelling familiar commands, and screaming obscenities. Currently, my test results are in limbo.

1/20/09

2009-01-20T18:27:00.001-08:00

I thought the above photo might work as a symbolic commemoration of a momentous day. I should confess though, if it's not already obvious, that I've come down with a case of telephotoitis. I hereby resolve, in the spirit of new beginnings, to try and contain myself. But not until after showing a couple more squirrel close-ups. Some things never change.

transquirrelification

2009-01-14T07:10:00.000-08:00

This squirrel appears to be having a nut-induced vision.

I will now google the word "transquirrelification." It's apparently not in the blogger spellcheck.

the jungle in winter

2009-01-09T11:47:00.001-08:00

Except for the bathing dove, all these pictures were taken the same morning, and include mourning dove, titmouse, house finch, goldfinch, chicadee, and cardinal. That's an inca dove taking a bath. The cardinal looks like it's spilling seed in shock.

2008

2008-12-31T10:02:00.000-08:00

Here's a highlight of the year - visiting lake Tahoe. There were others, like seeing some family and friends I hadn't seen in a while. Still, here's hoping the new year is a good one all around. Most of us could use it.

hill country views

2008-12-27T13:07:00.000-08:00

Above, a view with Inks Lake in the background. Below, proof that the grass is always greener on the other side of the lake.

avocado

2008-12-19T13:02:00.001-08:00

For reasons that are no longer clear to me, I named this picture "Past, Present, Future."

closest moon of the year

2008-12-12T17:37:00.000-08:00

Fortunately for you, I was there. Unfortunately though, I stepped on a pebble, cursed God, and the following happened. Sorry about that.

thanksgiving

2008-12-01T14:49:00.000-08:00

It's becoming a tradition to take a sunset picture on Thanksgiving day. This one, though, is different because it features a hardcore fisherboy. There was a surprising amount of Fall color, and a scarcity of decent pictures of the color.

on squirrels and mortality

2008-11-25T15:07:00.000-08:00

I have knowingly had direct involvement in the deaths of two squirrels. “Knowingly” is not the same as “intentionally,” but “direct involvement in the deaths of” is the same as “killed.” The first time was a blur, just sudden road-kill in my rearview mirror. I remember telling a class about it that day, and thereafter I was routinely called squirrel-killer.

That is many years past. A few months ago it happened again. I drove down a hill and hit the brakes as one darted in front of me, then I slowed again for a second, managing to avoid each (or vice-versa). I came to a complete stop when a third one ran out, but not before hearing a thud. For days I was angry at the squirrel for having put me in a position of having to kill him.

More recently I woke up in the middle of the night and listened to an anguished squeal. I knew something outside was hurting, but couldn’t tell what it was. When it stopped I heard an owl hoot while a squirrel chirped in defiance. While the evidence is limited, the image I formed was similar to the Mexican flag, except instead of an eagle and a snake it was an owl taking off with a squirrel. (In my version of the flag, the squirrel would be grasping one of my tomato plants.)

This last weekend I walked toward the edge of my yard where there is a sudden drop of about 40 feet. A squirrel fell from a tree in front of me. I chuckled at first at its apparent spasticity, but stopped when I got close to the edge and could see the ground. It looked as if the squirrel had impaled itself on a fallen branch. All I could see was a lifeless furry lump with a large bloody gash. I would have needed a closer look to know with certainty what happened, but there are limits to my curiosity.

So I find myself wondering why a shameless carnivore, one who has experienced much of the nuisance these creatures can provide a homeowner, would react with such visceral lament to their deaths. Well, I suppose they can be cute and entertaining, but I think there’s more to it than that. I think it illustrates how everyone and everything is perched at the edge of a flimsy branch and we don’t know what’s down there. We all have to cross some thoroughfare sooner or later, but the oncoming traffic doesn’t care where we need to get to.

Last winter I saw a nest slide through some branches and land on the ground, then saw a squirrel scamper off with what I assumed to be a baby bird. It was horrifying to think that my backyard had spawned some new race of hunter squirrels. When it returned for another, I ran to chastise it for its betrayal of its own instincts, but saw that it wasn’t a bird in its mouth, it was a baby squirrel being carried away to a new nest. So this is the slightly happy ending to my squirrel meditation: we’ll never run out of squirrels, no matter how often or with what creativity they abuse themselves.

hey, fog

2008-11-18T13:35:00.001-08:00

I always figure foggy mornings make for good photo opportunities, but I discovered on this day that sometimes you can only see fog. All the photogenic landmarks I hoped to capture were all buried under a thick mist, and a couple of places where I planned to stop, I missed the turn due to poor visibility. These hay rolls were close enough to the road, though, eager to have their picture taken.

haiku for student

2008-11-12T19:02:00.000-08:00

Wearing ear buds, she
asked something. The answer was
repeated. Again.

Here's a mostly unrelated photo:

garden

2008-11-04T14:58:00.001-08:00

This is a gourd tendril. I've read that they are among the tendriliest.

I will now do a google search for "tendriliest" to see if this post comes up.

i heart stuff

2008-10-29T17:42:00.000-07:00

My name means "lover of horses." That's probably an exaggeration. I mean, I like them okay, but love? And if my feelings could be described as love, they shouldn't be confused with love love. That would most certainly be illegal, and logistically complex.

Here are more pictures expressing love.

boo

2008-10-27T17:14:00.000-07:00

While decorating for Halloween, someone came into my office and asked if they could use the plant I was "growing." I was deeply offended, until I looked at it.

I look at the picture below and wish that more of my students looked that engaged.

I also discovered that having a camera in the office brought out the inner-ham.

a post about arm-farting, eventually

2008-10-18T16:23:00.000-07:00

About a month and several degrees Fahrenheit ago, these wasps would have been much less amenable to having a camera all up in their hive. But this evening seemed like a good time to capture them in a group hug. In a side note, one of the few things I can say about my upbringing that makes me slightly atypical in my home is that I was not a WASP. That, and my rather extraordinary arm-farting technique, an talent that has faded with every new pound.

While editing the above photo, I came across the one below of a sculpture whose name I don't know. The photo I have decided to name "arm-fart."

tolerance

2008-10-14T16:51:00.001-07:00

I consider myself an open minded person. Someone votes or worships differently from me, I can dig it. You like doing things with handcuffs or body lotions, that's your bag. For all I know you might even like NASCAR, and I say that I accept you despite such character flaws. However, someone recently suggested I try the food at Chop Stix over my usual Happy Wok because it's so much better. Well, I tried it. And to anyone who prefers Chop Stix to Happy Wok . . . you're dead to me.

unauthorized anthony snape photos

2008-10-09T17:33:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple more pictures from when we were asked not to take pictures. I, however, am a lawless renegade. I'm a rebel. I'm another Ted Stevens.

unauthorized tommy emmanuel photos

2008-10-05T11:02:00.000-07:00

This venue always has an announcement before shows listing restrictions on audience activities. Someday I will rebel against them all by smoking and leaving my cell phone and pager on. And when they tell me to enjoy the show, I won't. In the meantime, I just have pictures, so I'm only a little bad.

armadillo

2008-09-24T17:39:00.000-07:00

The other morning, while I sat at my breakfast table, an armadillo walked past the window, not more than 10 feet from me. As I watched it saunter off into the bushes I ruminated on what a great picture I could have gotten had a camera been nearby. It was then that I noticed I had not one, not two - well, okay, two - cameras within arm's length. I grabbed one, walked outside, spotted the armored beast making its way into a hole, and snapped two pictures. Both were terrible.

So instead I offer a picture of a good band, Atash, who were happy to be playing in what their singer referred to as "the city of Baylor."

At the same event I had an opportunity to harass this poor, underpaid mime, who, very un-mimelike, averted her eyes when I aimed the camera. Maybe she's appropriately paid after all.

the ordinary

2008-09-09T16:43:00.001-07:00

Here's a bush I see everyday that's been flowering all summer, just as it did last summer. Every once in a while, though, there's something about the light that makes me go in and grab the camera. Just an example of how the ordinary things are sometimes the ones worth paying most attention to.

exercise

2008-09-03T18:30:00.000-07:00

I've decided to go into intensive training, just in case playing the maraca becomes an Olympic sport.

Actually, this picture was taken to go with others on the theme of exercise. I estimate that I burned 14 and half calories while taking this picture.

unspectacular quirks

2008-08-31T17:29:00.000-07:00

Here is a response to a tag asking for six unspectacular quirks. So,

1. When I hear things like "unspectacular quirks" I wonder what a spectacular quirk would be. Walking into a crowded post office with a semi-automatic weapon?

2. The idea of living somewhere with a busy town square where people stroll in the evenings and catch up with acquaintances always seems appealing to me, until I remember that most of the times I see acquaintances in public places I run and hide.

3. I grew up in a household with the quirk of setting up the coffee pot so that in the morning you just have to turn it on. I've inherited that.

4. For a while I developed a habit where, while driving, I would wonder what kind of jokes Jesus would tell if he were a Borscht Belt comedian: "I spent a week in Galilee the other night. Sure, you can walk on the water; just don't drink it! Am I right people?" (Yes, that's the best I've come up with.)

5. Here's another one that's only partly my quirk. My dogs like to come with me to check the mail. Now, to keep them happy, I have to pretend to check the mail on days when it doesn't come.

6. I could make a list of lazy quirks, but here is one. Some mornings, if I've been lounging around but decide it's time to wash and begin the day, taking a shower seems like too much trouble, so I end up in the hot tub instead.

Here's a picture unrelated to anything.

old fashioned

2008-08-27T17:19:00.001-07:00

For photofriday I took this picture of a drink called an old fashioned. I told the bartender that it has sugar, water, bitters, bourbon, an orange wedge, and a cherry. He'd never heard of bitters, so we agreed on a compromised version. It turned out that he'd evidently never heard of oranges either. Still, it came out alright. The picture is slightly out of focus in an attempt to simulate the experience of drinking one.

Obviously I suffer for my pictures.

troubled waters

2008-08-23T14:52:00.001-07:00

The creek is dry here, but a few days prior it had enough water to wash my neighbor's bridge down into my yard. As you can see, it's built to last, just not necessarily in one place.

august rain

2008-08-20T11:18:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of pictures of unseasonable rain falling off the roof. When I put the title "August Rain" I thought it had a familiar ring, like it comes from a movie or CD or feminine hygiene product. It may be the scent of some air freshener I recently bought. In any case, it seems like something I've heard.

The pictures were taken on separate days.

usurper

2008-08-17T09:04:00.001-07:00

Here is a squirrel napping on my patio. It seems that they are now too used to making themselves at home to be thought of as wild, but too independent to be domesticated. If they could classify themselves, it would probably be "entitled."

rough

2008-08-10T18:14:00.001-07:00

How real men shave. At least those that don't have beards.

There are more "rough" pictures here.

something that happened in port aransas

2008-08-06T13:55:00.000-07:00

I was driving down a street when I came up behind a car that was just stopped in the middle of the lane. The brake lights were on, and I couldn't figure out what the driver was doing. Was he having car problems? Was he waiting on someone? I drifted over into the other lane and went around him. Then I looked in my rearview mirror and saw a traffic light.

Here are a few pictures that have nothing to do with this event.

some beach pictures

2008-08-02T11:16:00.001-07:00

First is a picture of me having taken a wrong turn.

Plenty of pelicans.

Dogs contemplating the howling infinite.

When I got home I had about 200 pictures. About 150 must have been of dorsal fins.

flight

2008-07-23T15:09:00.001-07:00

This picture of a heron was taken sometime in the spring. I may have used it before, except that this is the new improved bluer and smaller version.

habanero contrition

2008-07-20T08:25:00.000-07:00

Forgive me for having doubted thy strength, for it is I who is weak, and thou who in thy mercy did spare me thine most strenuous wrath. Instead, thou have my toes brought wondrous delights, have my armpits shown colors abundant, and have the door upon the crown of my head opened to journeys ineffable. My tongue shall sing thy praises, as soon as it begins working again.

spiral

2008-07-10T09:29:00.001-07:00

This snail was minding its own business when someone moved it into the light (not fair in 100 degree weather) and forced it to pose for a few pictures. It was a good sport about it.

vanitas still life

2008-07-01T13:09:00.000-07:00

Vanitas painting was a style inspired by a line in Ecclesiastes: "all is vanity." The paintings were typically dark and filled with objects that symbolize the transience of life and the futility of earthly possessions. A human skull, for example, was a common way for the painter to say "hey look, people die."

I didn't have any skulls around the house, so I decided to use what was already on my desk and come up with the symbolism later. So here it is. There is a modem, responsible for much idleness. There are two daily joke calendars showing time fly. I still have last year's because it's so funny, and this year's because I forget what day it.

In a classical vanitas painting, musical instruments (along with books) pointed to the empty pursuit of loftiness or knowledge. I prefer to think that mine symbolize an angel playing maracas and a harmonica while dancing on my grave. (I've made a mental note to someday take a picture of what that might look like.)

There is a camera, delegated to less use since I got another. There is an oblique reference to money that will soon be used to pay someone to drill a hole in one of my molars. There is also a large pile of miscellaneous crap, which symbolizes a large pile of miscellaneous crap.

the great outdoors

2008-06-26T08:16:00.000-07:00

There were a lot of great views of lakes and mountains where this picture was taken, but sometimes the great outdoors is about the details.

more (or less) movement

2008-06-20T07:53:00.001-07:00

I had a couple of pictures that I thought contrasted with the previous post, and oddly enough, with each other. Those are turtles above, if you don't at first see, waiting to have their picture taken. Below is someone who, despite moving fast, still looks a little like Buddha.

movement

2008-06-16T17:24:00.000-07:00

When given the photo challenge theme of movement, I decided to look toward the sun, shown here reflected against a palm leaf. As you can plainly see, the picture was taken at precisely 7:24 PM, CDT.

more tahoe pictures

2008-06-11T14:31:00.000-07:00

By imaginary popular demand.

tahoe pictures

2008-06-07T07:41:00.000-07:00

Just a few.

fire

2008-05-19T14:15:00.001-07:00

Need I say more? Okay, I will. This is a photofriday picture for "fire," taken down at the neighborhood fire station. Thankfully my presence did not set off any alarms.

wildflowers

2008-05-17T15:06:00.001-07:00

I came across a load of wildflowers the other day. I also learned from the dogs (below) that you don't need a keen sense of sight, hearing, or hygiene to enjoy life.

The occasion for the outing was waking up to find squatters moving into my trees. (Actually tree-trimmers).

post-rain post

2008-05-14T09:34:00.000-07:00

In the previous post I showed what my yard (actually facing the neighbor's house) looks like when the cottonwood tree is letting loose. Above is a picture from almost the same spot shortly after the rain washed it all away.

Below is a picture of what follows me everwhere when there's thunder.

And below that is a picture of a pool in a banana leaf.

snowing again

2008-05-13T08:02:00.001-07:00

This time the white stuff on the ground is from the cottonwood tree, which seems to be producing a bumper crop this year. I have mixed feelings. I always enjoy watching the seed float through the air, which creates a fanciful setting where one expects wood sprites to emerge and harp music to play. On the other hand, it gets really nasty, gets tracked into the house, gums up air conditioning units, and requires vigilant clean-up. I believe there must be some lesson to draw from this. All that glitters might get dragged on to the carpet, or for every silver lining there's a bunch of stuff to clean up.

my little secret

2008-05-04T19:18:00.001-07:00

When photofriday asked for pictures of "my little secret," I had to reach into my briefcase.

photos from the dog butt project

2008-05-02T18:27:00.000-07:00

The project feels like it's near completion.

electricity

2008-04-30T17:30:00.001-07:00

In order to get this picture to post on photofriday, I had to burn 1.3 tons of coal. It's a good thing I'm not a perfectionist.

a day at the races

2008-04-26T18:58:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of boat races along the Brazos River. It was a great day to get back to nature, if you consider explosive engines, bazaars, four-wheelers, travel-trailers, loud-speakers, and gawkers part of nature. There were a few birds who didn't seem to mind.

One of the most interesting things was the temporary village that sprung up in the park for the event. It made me think that this would be the closest thing to Woodstock that I'd ever experience in Waco this decade. There was probably a lot less hair, slightly less consumption, and much less general psychedelia. If there was free love, I did not personally encounter any. Still, it was quite a scene.

suddenly, without warning, I'm blogging my dreams

2008-04-24T14:14:00.000-07:00

Recently I dreamed I was being tortured by "the Germans." This wasn't a WWII flashback. As far as I could tell, these Germans were acting on behalf of the current American government. The sole purpose of the torture seemed to be, well, torture.

The torture itself was almost exactly like going to the dentist. Friendly people with sterilized appearance led people back to a room where we would wait in private. Then the torturer would come in, lean us back, and start stuffing things into our mouths. They would ask questions in a German accent, but answering was impossible. The level of discomfort was identical to being at the dentist, except it was not actual dentistry. It was torture.

After having gone through it once I became determined to put a stop to it. So the next time I was greeted in the waiting room and called on back, I claimed to be a personal friend of Kofi Annan, and that they'd better watch themselves. This seemed to do the trick. When the torturer came in and leaned me back, she withheld torture in exchange for a dream-like monologue about her childhood.

Below is a non-sequitur photo of some spring wildflowers. I post the picture here to encourage people to work for peace and harmony by lying about being friends with Kofi Annan.

cold

2008-04-21T16:53:00.000-07:00

I invited some people to my house the other night. Then the next day I opened my freezer to discover something I've never seen before: a whiskey pop. I have since rescued the bottle from this act of cruelty. It was a cold thing to do.

fragile

2008-04-15T15:31:00.001-07:00

I think this is an ancho pepper plant. It might be a serrano, but I'm pretty sure it's the ancho. I'll know for sure if it survives and produces a pepper in about 100 months. I think I may have gotten the seeds in a little late.

You see I didn't pretty it up any for the picture.

You can find pictures of other fragile things here.

sisters

2008-04-13T16:05:00.000-07:00

While you may look at these lovely ladies and think they're backup singers for Prince, they're actually a group of sisters gathering at a spot along the river they all shared many years ago. My friend was enlisted to take pictures using every camera they brought along, while I snuck a few from the side. When I'm their age(s) I hope: 1. to be alive and 2. to be hanging out with my siblings on a nice Spring day.

Below is another view of their river.

far from home

2008-04-09T14:30:00.000-07:00

This ladybug was roaming along the concrete high on a dam. Of course, I was too, and so were dozens of other ladybugs. I guess the difference between me and the bugs is that they're never far from home (well, that's one difference). They just happen to be wherever they are. Home is where the edible bacteria is.

today's post . . .

2008-04-05T14:57:00.001-07:00

. . . bird pictures. Yeah baby.

Like this deadly heron dive-bombing an innocent duck.

Or one of the rare masked chomping cardinal.

Or the innocent heron evading the deadly duck.

bc vs ac

2008-04-02T17:51:00.000-07:00

That's "before Canon" and "after Canon," as in a new camera. Here's a before, an announcement that Spring is definitely here, using my digital Pentax:

Here's another sign of the season using the new camera:

Obviously, the older camera has a lot of blue, while the new camera is more reddish. Oh well. I guess learning to use them is the part that makes a difference. For the time being, though, I'm telling myself that having a little and a big will come in handy.

emotions

2008-03-30T14:43:00.001-07:00

This person is either
A) having an emotional outburst
B) suffering a coronary episode
C) pretending to be Ginger Baker
D) posing for a photo friday picture

cue dragnet theme

2008-03-29T06:25:00.000-07:00

Since I've lived in this house I've gotten several legal notices that have appeared to show varying degrees of seriousness addressed to someone who doesn't live here. One time the County Constable came by looking for him. His name doesn't show any relation to the previous owners, so I know they're not looking for them. I figure it's probably someone who provided a false address and is essentially living on the lam. Of course, the previous owners may have harbored a fugitive, or he could be holed up in the dilapidated shed out back (posing convincingly as a raccoon).

I'm always tempted to open his mail to investigate further since it presents such a mystery. Still, I'm sure if I ever found out why they're after the guy it will be a let down. After all, if it were a truly glamorous or scandalous crime, they would have kicked in my front door by now. So I picture a guy who wrote some hot checks or neglected his childcare payments living in relative and parasitic anonymity in some friend's apartment. But if they ever haul me off and force me to prove I'm not him, I'm going to hope it's for something positively gangster.

found object

2008-03-26T18:30:00.001-07:00

This is a photo friday picture. I found the bracelet a couple of years ago after moving into my house. I kept it because it seemed to contain so many stories. Who is PFC Cochran and what happened to him? He went missing in action, but is there a chance he's still around somewhere? And what about the story of the bracelet? Someone must have cared enough to display it at some point, but then how did it end up hanging from a nail in a garage? For me it also serves as a cultural relic, a remote symbol of the past, though I'm sure there are those for whom it remains very present.

separation anxiety

2008-03-18T06:59:00.001-07:00

Every time I let my tarantula out he wants right back in. They're so silly that way.

If you'd like more information on keeping these as pets, please seek counseling.

the good life

2008-03-15T18:03:00.001-07:00

"Happiness," says Aristotle, "must be some form of contemplation."

I spent much of an afternoon reading and reflecting on this. Then I ordered and devoured a gargantuan pizza.

The tangerine, by the way, is in no immediate danger of being eaten.

surreal

2008-03-09T13:55:00.001-07:00

I had a literary interpretation of this photo challenge theme. True, it's probably the least surreal thing he wrote, but I don't have a copy of Naked Lunch.

snow day

2008-03-07T18:50:00.000-08:00

For those faithful readers of this blog (namely me), you (I) will recall that a couple of posts ago I said, in a seemingly sarcastic tone, that it would snow sometime between the springlike weather we were having and the inevitably sweltering weather to come. Well, I was right. So in your (my) face!

The almost freshly fallen snow in my backyard.

This one was from taking the long way to work

fuzzy

2008-03-04T15:05:00.000-08:00

Another sign of Spring on a very unspringlike day.

weeds

2008-03-02T12:37:00.000-08:00

Since I don't know what this flower is called, I have to assume it has no name. But it is one of the signs that Spring is here, at least for a few days, after which it will freeze, then rain a little, then warm up, then snow. Then we will have a week of Spring followed by five months of intense heat. So I'm enjoying the no-name flowers while I can.

new look

2008-02-25T17:33:00.000-08:00

Inspired by a friend and a keeping-up-with-the-jones delusion, I have changed the look of this blog. I mention it in the event that nobody notices.

To commemorate this event, here is a random picture of doves. I found them to be both beautiful and delicious.

art

2008-02-23T12:47:00.001-08:00

"True art is born from suffering." - Heidegger. Or Kierkegaard. Or one of those kinds of guys, probably.

Anyway, I know I suffered to get this picture, but I think my bathroom project suffered the most.

infinity

2008-02-19T14:54:00.000-08:00

This is a photofriday submission for the theme "infinity." Representing infinity reminds me of the joke about having a state map that's actual size. I like the spiral because it invites the imagination to keep following the lines, which is about all we can do regarding infinity.

Disclosure: I'm pretty sure I've used this picture on this blog before. I reserve the right to use it infinitely.

with apologies . . .

2008-02-17T07:08:00.001-08:00

. . . a deceased pet poem.

Mutt

No one really got you.
“What breed is that?”
we’d hear, or even
“that dog’s crazy.”

Complex is more like it.
You could be aloof,
affectionate, antsy,
obedient, devious,
curious, oblivious,
gluttonous, generous,
ebullient, eager, lazy -
thrilled to be alive.

And you always
smelled pretty good.
At least until the end,
when your own cells
rebelled against the
demands of cleanliness.

Maybe that’s what
finally did you in:
a gene pool too rich
for its own good.

Your blueprint of self
possessed a degree
of individuation
incompatible with
this picky world.

So somewhere in
your saga of
molecular independence
you stopped being you,
and with such short notice
became part of the rest.

what is that?

2008-02-10T07:43:00.000-08:00

Well, obviously it's a donut on a pine tree. Duh!

This is who wants to know.

my autobiographies

2008-02-08T12:21:00.000-08:00

I read here about a book that collects six word autobiographies from people. To be clear, exactly six words. Just like that last sentence was. Oh my God, that one too!

Anyway, I was compelled to come up with some, but as you'll see I'm not so good at the sort of true encapsulations that are really called for here. The article referenced above has much better examples, but for the time being this is what I've got.

Fiber: not just for breakfast anymore.

A new year, another awkward phase.

Rejection letter: this is a story?

If only chicks dug back hair.

Some promise. Some results. Oh well.

Five stories - you be the judge. You, reader, go and do likewise.

the machine

2008-01-30T18:41:00.001-08:00

Thank God I have the right to use this for quail hunting.

Sadly, it's not mine, but from an airshow.

roadside attraction

2008-01-21T12:54:00.000-08:00

Rumley, TX.
Population: one dead tree

mountain

2008-01-16T16:40:00.001-08:00

My mountain is largely figurative, referring to what I had to climb to complete a project last summer. Okay, not entirely figurative. Now people tell me they're impressed, to which I reply, "it was harder than it looks."

Below is the proud builder surveying his handiwork in a civilized manner.

inca doves

2008-01-08T19:28:00.001-08:00

My bird book describes these doves like this: "Inca Doves are characterized by their acute paranoia, which manifests itself by the appearance of ingratitude. You give them copious amounts of food out of pure altruism, and they gorge on it like an entitlement fallen from Heaven; then, upon catching the slightest glimpse of you, they scatter, distrusting you to the core despite everything you've done for them. Perhaps they flatter themselves into believing you want to eat them, even though they are half the size of the juicier and slower moving Mourning Dove. Besides scavenging for handouts, their hobbies also include reproduction and excretion."

passage of time

2008-01-08T19:13:00.000-08:00

One dying tree, one losing its leaves, the sun going down, the clouds rolling through, me cold and hungry - you get the picture.

best of '07

2007-12-30T11:25:00.001-08:00

This is a photo friday contribution. I don't know if this is really the best picture, but I remember it being a particularly good day walking around San Francisco Bay, and I'm including in this fond memory the hour or so spent on a packed bus.

happy holidays

2007-12-27T07:25:00.001-08:00

For those of you who didn't get what you exptected from Santa, it's because he spent Christmas morning passed out near Gatesville.

The title of this picture is "Picking Up Pecans with a South Wind on Christmas Afternoon in America."

And here is Christmas Day Eve.

sunrise

2007-12-15T12:54:00.000-08:00

This is an older picture. I can't remember exactly when it was taken, but I'm sure the birds must have been shocked to see me at that hour.

goodbyes

2007-12-11T09:32:00.001-08:00

I guess I'm just now understanding how hard it is to say goodbye to old friends. As I go through old photos I see that this dog, Chumpy, had a pretty good life, though above she appears to be having one of her melancholy moments. This was from my first day with a new camera. I have frequently resisted the temptation to photograph the same convenient subjects over and over, but now I think that there are some things you can never have too many pictures of.

dead of night

2007-12-03T17:46:00.000-08:00

Sleep my precious.

travel

2007-11-18T12:33:00.001-08:00

Despite being on the road this week, I decided that my "travel" picture would come from the archives. Taken on a trip of people on their own trip. I suspect the elephant moves faster than some interstate traffic.

strength

2007-11-08T15:06:00.000-08:00

I thought this might inspire me to come up with a good strength-related axiom, like "the plunger is mightier than the . . . " I don't know. And if only it were true.

I used an extra grainy development process that creates the illusion of a dirty floor.

silence

2007-10-31T17:44:00.000-07:00

the city

2007-10-25T18:29:00.000-07:00

This is my response to the photo friday challenge of "the city." I realize that it would be more appropriate for "the town," or "this particular town," but here it is in all its touched-up splendor. Around the corner the birds were perched tail out, waiting for the townspeople to try and pass unscathed. The one here was showing a little mercy, or maybe just playing sentry.