Message to the Lawmakers

For Gawd Sake.... MAN-UP YOU WHINING BABIES. Get a grip for gawd sake and do your job!!

(mumble, mumble, stupid idiots, mumble, mumble, what adults? mumble, mumble.)

Its Official...Football Season is Here

If the networks' programming of back-to-back and side-to-side football games wasn't a big enough clue for me, my Texas daughter sent me pictures of two of my grandsons playing football. (What's the equivalent for Little League when its football? Anyone know?) Isaiah and Joshua are both playing but in different age groups. Don't quote me but I think Isaiah is 11 and that would make Joshua 9. (and I say "Texas daughter" to identify her as the one who moved to Texas with her family.)

 

"I Got IT.... Here IT Comes.... I Got It.... "

 

"OOOFFFFFF..... Uh HuH, I'm de Man... I GOT IT, I GOT IT!!"
She (my Texas daughter) said Isaiah made at least three major plays during the game. Oh. And they won.

 

This is Joshua... the one on the left looking like he's about to take off. Mom wasn't very impressed with this game. (She'll want to go in there and fix it. She'll volunteer her husband to coach it and then tell him about it later. hahahahaha) It was just a big swarm of kids with no visible organization. Apparently some people thinks its a coaching problem. (If you wanna get out of coaching football, do a poor job of it. You'll be done with that chore in no time. And you won't be asked to do it again. Smart guy.)

She was very proud of them and so am I. Go Team!! Go Boys!! (even I know ya put the team first.)

I'm surprised, however, that Joshua is playing football. Here is a kid who is a serious neat freak. A neat freak from the start! After birth, as soon as he was able to differentiate between a dry diaper and a wet one, you would always know when he needed to be changed. He'd make sure you knew!! And potty training was a snap. There was no training. Joshua did not want any poop on him!!!! He'd have a fit when he took a dump. As soon as he connected with toilet sitting and how you could flush everything away, he was trained. As soon as the light bulb went off.... ya didn't have to worry about Joshua. You just needed to be ready to wipe his butt at least ten times. It has to sparkle! So that's why I'm a little surprised that Joshua is doing football. I sure hope he wants to do it and not just doing it to be dad's little man.

(Mom and pop are into the bible, could you tell? The names, I mean. Isaiah and Joshua. Ya know... and Isaiah is not a particularly easy name to spell if you've never had it in your face all your life. It took me forever. I still have to stop and make sure I've gotten it right.)

The Orphan Works Bill

I heard a rumor that the Senate passed the Orphan Works bill on Friday. If it passes the House then if you don't pay to "register" your art work, anyone can use it for anything they want.

Signing - The Language Available to Everyone

This was funny... and I understood most of it. Go figure!

Did You Watch the First Debate?

I did, but apparently there were two different debates held. Those backing McCain watched one debate and those backing Obama saw a different one.... at least it seems that way listening to the people reviewing it afterwards.

I thought McCain look old and fragile.

Well.... we each saw what we saw. That's the way different perspectives work.

"Schedule!? We Don't Keep No Stinking Schedule!"

My daughter Candace, with her two boys and one boyfriend, came back from a week's vacation yesterday. They went to Bakersfield, vacation capital of the world, to visit her friend. They came by Amtrak and had made arrangements with another friend to pick them up. However, because of scheduling conflicts, C asked if I would do the honors. Sure, no problem, I said. The train station is only 15 minutes away even if they were scheduled to return at 4:30pm, right when traffic is at its peak.

They finally got off the train at 7:50pm....3 hrs and 20 minutes later than expected. Plenty of time to take photos, unfortunately my camera didn't do so well... the pictures came out too dark.

 

This is a picture of Union Station that was on the wall. (overhead lights are reflecting off the marble wall.) The building now looks just like the photograph. The street is now paved and the cars are newer, but the basic structure is the same.

 

Don't get excited but here are the front doors that you enter.

 

In this picture we are looking towards the ticket counter.

 

Here is a very pleasant little park area in front of the station and across the street where folks are loaded and unloaded.

Apparently the train had a two-hour wait because of work that was being done on the tracks. This was a work project and not an emergency fix. There after the train kept getting pulled off to the side to fix something or to let another train go by.

Schedule? What's that?

Union Station - Portland's Train Station

(disclaimer: these photos were "borrowed" from the web. Most of my photos came out too dark to see.)

In 1892 the train station was called Grand Central Station. The current historical building was built and opened on February 14, 1896 and today is called Union Station.
 

Around 30 yrs later the interior was renovated. It was then that slabs of marble were installed on floors and walls. These interior pictures make it seem fairly large, but in reality the waiting area feels small for a train station. However, it seems to be adequate for the number of people who currently use the train.
 

In 1920 there were five different train companies using the station with 120+ trains coming and going. It is drastically less than that now. (I'm guessing 10 trains in a 24 hr period.)

 

 

Portland Union Station is the oldest train station that has been in continous use. That's 112 years. Boy, if these walls could talk!

Is It a "Gorf" or a Frog?

Sandy's challenge was to create a piece of art using her photo of a ceramic frog found here.

 

This was done with color crayons and I couldn't avoid the reflective glare from the flash. Since that is the case, I'm saying the reflection helps the frog look like ceramics. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

I don't know why I still attempt to use crayons. I don't care for them.

Where's the Damn Frog?

The frog... the frog... I can't find the frog. Where'd it go? Is someone trying to gaslight me? HELP!!

(for those not keeping up, someone posted a picture of a garden gorf ...ohmygosh, I keyed that backwards!... someone posted a picture of a frog statue and set a 'challenge' to draw it. After searching blogs I can't find the picture.)

Wanna Play Horse?

Sandy took a picture of a horse and set sort of a challenge by asking if anyone is 'game' to use the photo to create a piece of art. Are you game? Here is her specific post with the photo. And below is my drawing of the horse.

 

If you chose to join in, please leave a comment (either here or on Sandy's blog) to let us know so we can see it, too.

Oh... and by the way, there is no prize. No prize but perhaps a SURprize for yourself.

Do You Like to Look at Old Photos?

Do you need something to do for the afternoon? Something to consume a week? Here's a link to the Library of Congress flickr account with over 4,000 pictures in this one grouping. (and I have no idea how far in or out this particular photo is located within the 4,000 pictures.)

It might be a handy link to hold onto in case you need a reference photo or something.

Are You as Tired as I Am?

I wish we could vote now and be done with it. All these political ads are wearing on my nerves.

We have a neck and neck race for senator here in my state and ohmygawd... STOP THE ADS!! Please stop with the negative smear campaign!!

The incumbent has been in politics a very long time and every time I just hear his name I cringe. I have his name associated with dirty politics, although I can't speak of a specific thing. But he's a really dirty campaigner.... and apparently that seems to work. At least that's what the "party" representatives say (as though that excuses it.) The challenger has had to step up with as many ads, too. His ads didn't start out to smear anyone. He started out talking issues, but he's had to fight fire with fire. The latest poll has one at 46% and the other at 44% with a 5 point margin of error. That's just how tight a race it is. And now we get back-to-back ads every ten minutes or so. Where are they getting the money for all of this???

I will be very glad when its all over. I might be sad at the outcome, but I will definitely be glad its over. I wish I drank. I could use something.

Oh Martha Martha Martha (update added)

Often Martha Stewart's TV show is on my TV (go figure) but its usually just because she comes on right after The View. Today's show is/was dedicated to blogs. I can remember her asking a guest about blogs a year ago. Now she has one. Or rather her staff maintains one for her. (She said she takes the photos but others do the uploading, etc.) She has a blog contest going. If you have a blog you want her to review, go to her individual blog entry here to find out about it.

There may be links on her blog you might want to check out too. I mean, if you're into cute and domestic. Anyway, I'm guessing here. I haven't checked them out yet.

Her audience was filled with bloggers (many with their laptops) and she spoke to a few. I was rolling on the floor laughing (if you don't understand, replace words with ROTFL - that should help) after hearing about the number of hits some people were getting. It had me roaring. A million hits a year. A million or two hits a day. BWAH HA HA HA These are the blogs that are now a "living" for the bloggers.

(I can't believe McCain doesn't use a pc... even email. One of the guests just said McCain uses his cell phone but no pc. How can ... oh well. Not for me to say. yeah, right. Okay, I deleted it... keep it nice when I can.)

Added later: You know what.... SKIP MARTHA STEWART and her #$(&#($ web site. I just had to fight through four damn other sites trying to sell me shit. SHE CAN HAVE HER STINKING SITE WITH TEN THOUSAND ADVERSITEMENTS. I DON'T NEED THAT CRAP!! Can you tell that it pissed me off just a little. No... it pissed me off GOOD! There's commericalism and then there's just plain ass GREED!!!!

Remember This Picture?

 Remember this picture from yesterday's post? Its one I took on Saturday at my friend's house. Well guess what I just found in the middle of my living room. EEEEUUUUUUUUU

(I'm such a wuss... a city 'don't-let-nature-touch-me' slicker who really isn't slick at all.)

I noticed a caterpillar at the base of the stand I sit my brush caddy on... in the middle of the living room. How in the hell did this creature get in here? I don't even want to think about it. Is it from my neighborhood or did it catch a ride with me from my friend's place? EEEEUUUUUUUU I still don't even want to think about it. Sometimes there are answers you just don't want to know.

I didn't want to take the time to take another picture. After all, it looks just like this one. I jumped and then grabbed some paper, got the creature on the paper and took it outside. Did you know caterpillars roll up into balls when they think they are in trouble? I didn't either, but they do... just like a potato bug.

Now... is this my animal totem? A fuzzy caterpillar? hmmmmm.

I just went and searched. Here's a totem definition that is short and to the point: "Messages and Meanings: transition period, preparation for upcoming change, transformation."

Its Gonna Be Another Hot One

 And I don't mean a dude. Its gonna be 90+ degrees today.... and tomorrow. Maybe these will be the last hot days of the season. Come winter I will try to remember how hot it was during the summer when I'm outside bundled up and getting wet. Geesh. There's just no pleasing us. (whadda mean, don't include you?!)

Saturday I went over to a friend's and we played Upwards. Got my butt beat... again. Our scores are usually between 300 and 400 points. She got over 600 points this time. Its an all time record. I'm so happy for her. I know I'll never be able to forget it. (She has a memory like a steel trap.)

The next question is what will the day bring. If anything happens, I'll let you know.

Ike

Here is a link to Eyewitness News TV in Houston. They are currently showing live coverage of hurricaine Ike with reporters on the coast line. Flooding is already occuring, even though no rain has fallen yet. It will probably be getting dark soon.

My question is... what happens to those poor reporters who are standing out there telling people if they haven't evacuated yet, that its too late to do so. Where do they go to be safe??????

And there seems to be too many people who have chosen not to leave. I sure hope they are living under an umbrella of blessings 'cause it sure looks like they will need it.

September 11, 2001

Ethics? I Don't Need No Stinking Ethics! I'm Likable.

BWAH HA HA HA STOP!! You're Killing Me!! HAHAHA

An excerpt from an msn political news article. The quote is from a republican strategist and they're talking about that infamous bridge to no where:

John Feehery, a Republican strategist, said the campaign is entering a stage in which skirmishes over the facts are less important than the dominant themes that are forming voters' opinions of the candidates.

"The more the New York Times and The Washington Post go after Sarah Palin, the better off she is, because there's a bigger truth out there and the bigger truths are she's new, she's popular in Alaska and she is an insurgent," Feehery said. "As long as those are out there, these little facts don't really matter."

BWAH HA HA HA HA Oh... my sides hurt. 'Facts don't really matter.' HA HA HA HA HA yeah... facts don't really matter. What was I thinking?!

The full msn article can be found here.

The Elegant Universe

I was surfing and reading some comments on The Knitting Nurse's blog where she (rudee) shared this link to NOVA's The Elegant Universe. My heart leapt. I had watched the program when it was shown on public TV. Now I can watch it whenever I want to... there's so much to comprehend, I'm sure I will be watching it many times. Its facinating. The link above is to part one and it runs 53 minutes, so you'll need to be ready to commit to the time. I'm guessing that there's a part two. Just search on The Elegant Universe - part 2.

I'm so excited about coming across this. Doncha jus luv public television!! Doncha jus luv the net!!

Warning: Political Stuff

This article is a bit worrisome to me. Its written by people I'm not familar with so the accuracy or accountability is up in the air (accuracy of mainstream news media is up in the air too). However, the article might explain why the republican party is trying to keep Palin from doing interviews. (Are you really trying to tell us she was fully vetted?)

You can find the article here.

The High Priestess

You are The High Priestess

Science, Wisdom, Knowledge, Education.

The High Priestess is the card of knowledge, instinctual, supernatural, secret knowledge. She holds scrolls of arcane information that she might, or might not reveal to you. The moon crown on her head as well as the crescent by her foot indicates her willingness to illuminate what you otherwise might not see, reveal the secrets you need to know. The High Priestess is also associated with the moon however and can also indicate change or fluxuation, particularily when it comes to your moods.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Sometime in September

Another repeat done years ago.

I always like blogs with visual aids, otherwise the writing should be supreme. I'm really low on available visual aids. I'm not too hot with supreme writing either.

I had an idea for a watercolor yesterday. I did a practice sketch to check the layout and now I'm ready to attempt it but I couldn't find my watercolors. This morning I began to look for them in earnest, but got distracted with junk mail. Spent 30 minutes shredding junk mail. By hand. (I ended up mumbling under my breath a lot... damn junk mail.) I took neat little piles (yeah, neat, sure they were neat) of books, art, papers, magazines, etc. and spread it all out over the table. Now the table is a mess. Well, more of a mess than before my search.

Then I was distracted by coffee. A fresh cup of coffee was what I wanted. Oh... and wouldn't an english muffin be nice with the coffee. That requires a second cup, but I can do that.

Time to continue looking for the watercolors, but let me check my favorite blogs first. Never mind that its very early in the morning and most people aren't even thinking blogs. You know, because they have a life. However, I've checked them so I can relax about missing anything and I'll just recheck later. After I've located my watercolors.

I came across a shoe box full of miscellaneous stuff. That miscellaneous stuff you're not sure of where to put so that you can find it/them when you want. There was a whole bunch of brushes in the box. Well! That explains why my brush caddy was looking naked. Another mystery solved. I started to put them back into the brush caddy but decided to just leave them in the box. I didn't want to be distracted from searching for the watercolors.

Those random thoughts now have me keying in a blog entry. Best to get something out there so I don't have to worry about updating the blog later. Sigh.

I started off my search for the watercolors with great optimism... I would just have to move one or two items and viola, there they would be, but as so often happens, life said "no no my little cabbage... not this time."

I'm still looking for my watercolors. Just as soon as I have another cup of coffee.

Update: As soon as I stopped looking for the watercolors I found them. And its no wonder it took a while. They were put away where they belonged. What is that about anyway.

Just the Facts, Ma'm

Why would people make false or misleading statements when we can check on the statements to verify them? I'll tell you why. Its not because they are dumb. Its because we are the dumb ones!

Fact or lies... you tally it up. AP news article found here.

The Boys Spent the Night

The boys unexpectedly spent the night. 'Mom' dropped something off and the boys kept muttering "gramma, can I hang out with you?" Later I had to remind them that they were the ones who asked to stay the night. This was when I was making them quiet down.


 "I got yer back, bro!"


 Stick guitars. Darius played with this stick the whole time he was here. It was a sword, a guitar, and a stick to dig in the dirt. Vyron had a back scratcher... I mean, Fender. He had a Fender guitar.


 "I got muscles gramma!"


 "That cloud looks like a dinasaur, gramma!"

Oh No!! No, no no no... that will never do!!

Sarah Palin is a book burner!! A book ban-ner!! That will never do.

When Palin became mayor of Wasilla one of the first things she did was go to the public library to try to get some books banned. The librarian balked at the idea and Palin fired her. WTF?!?

She promotes ignorance. What the hell......

I don't need to hear any more. That says it all to me. 'nough said.

Perfect Fall Weather

We are having absolutely beautiful weather, early fall weather. Its wonderful. Cool sunshine. Sigh.

Its been very quiet around here for a while. My daughter borrowed the car for a few days. She will be bringing it back this afternoon. There's always a good chance that I will be asked to drive her back home. Its 18 miles one way. It might depend upon how much gas is in the car when it gets here.


Something I did several years ago (without benefit of a model).