I should be editing a photo right now.....

And I surely would be, if I hadn't forgotten my card reader at J's house.

See, he needed a product shot for a web page, and wanted me to shoot it for him, and put it on his puter. This was done once, and when it became evident that what he wanted to do could not be done with the software he had, I told him I'd fix it and send it to him.

He brought me home, at which point, I discovered that I'd left the card reader behind.

I of course, blame him.

Had he just come over with the jar and let me take pix here, I could have downloaded and edited them without ever removing said card reader from my computer, and thus the chances of me forgetting it somewhere would have been nil.

Needless to say, he'll be stopping by in a bit with the reader.....

Which brings me to my second point:

I have pictures.

I shot a ton of photos while I was L's house, and I'll be sharing them (but not all of them not yet) with you tonight.

What follows is a random sample of the visit.

Here's a pic of the room finished:




And, if you're really curious, another look.

Have any of you seen Bird on a Wire with Mel Gibson and Goldie Hawn? If not, I suggest you take it in. You may not see the relevace of the reference, but then, you haven't seen the paint splatter on my hand:




And let me tell you, taking a picture of the back of your right hand with your left hand should be one of the tests in gynamstics class.

This is a random shot down town:




Please note: I am not changing any visible phone numbers/addresses. I don't feel it's my place. Hell, call them up and tell them you saw them on my site.

Go on!

I dare ya. Area code is (775)

I wonder if I get a discount:




So I guess that's about it, except to give Kelwhy a shout out. Figgered I'd answer you here.

Oh, and for those of you counting, yes, I did take another day off.

Yesterday, I am happy to say, I did nothing.

Well, in all accuracy, I sat in my room and played a video game from 9 am until about 11 pm. I figure I was owed it.

Since my job situation i.e. unemployed was suddenly thrust upon me, I think I've had to do something every day. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't mind doing stuff, especially as I'm not working, and have nothing better to do, but when I was working, I usually got at least one whole day off to just do nothing.

I've been working harder since I got fired.

Anyhoozle that's me done.

Carne del diablo,

T.

Oh, get off my back.....

You know (or should by now) that a trip to L's house means at least a 2 night stay, and that I'll inevitably miss a post, as I can't post from her house.

We had a good time hanging out, and got the baby's room painted. I so love hanging out with L and S.

I took a ton of pix while I was up there, both of the room and other various things that tickled my fancy.

Expect to seem them on Thursday.

In other news, Dland is only 2 weeks away. I'm so excited that I'm nearly pissing myself.

Well, not really. I usually have pretty good bladder control, actually.

I am excited tho.

There's also a chance I may be moving in the near future. It's at least been discussed. See the deal is both Pops and I are tired of the winters here, and we've been talking about moving for a while now, but something always seems to get in the way.

The way it stands now, with no job to hold me here, it's been kinda kicked around that I could move back to CA, get a job, and sort of get us established down there, meaning that Pops would just have to get there to complete things.

More on that as it progresses.

Ok, I think I've typed myself out for the nonce.

Carne del diablo,

T.

Too fuckin' early.....

That's what it is. I woke up about an hour ago, and couldn't fall back to sleep. Not only was it too hot, but my brain was totally awake.

I hate that. I mean, my eyes are still closed, my body is still asleep, and my brain is saying 'you might as well get up, you might as well get up.'

I decided to go ahead and post, because I may not get a chance later. When L calls, I'm going to dash out of here, and who knows when that'll be.

I don't really have much to talk about right now, so you'll have to imagine that I was witty and eloquent this morning.


Carne del diablo,

T.

That's it, I'm outta here.....

Well, not right now, but I'm going up to Reno tomorrow morning to help L and S get the room ready for the new baby (due in jan btw and its a boy) so I'll be out of town all day, and will be spending the night up there too, as far as I know.

Hanging out up there usually involves a fair amount of beer consumption, and of course, I don't drive after I've been drinking.

I'll be taking my camera, and hopefully some pix as well. They may be boring before and after pix of the room, but I'm going to take them nonetheless.

Today was my niece's 2nd birthday party. It was supposed to be last weekend, but she got sick, the poor dear, and we had to postpone.

It was a good family day, and Ava was totally cute. Maybe I'll post a pic or 2 from the party on Thursday.

Anyhow, I'm going to go take a shower and see if that'll cool me down a bit.

Buenos con queso,

T.

Another Friday is upon us.....

Time was, I'd be wondering how busy it was going to be at work today, and dreading the late check-in people that would be rude and pissed off that they were in the wrong spot, or had gone to the cabin/condo without stopping by the office to get their fucking keys.

They'd always take it out on us because they fucked up.

Today, however, I'm looking forward to breakfast out. David, the new roomie (did i mention him earlier) has to pick up his check, and has offered to take Pops and I out for brekky.

In case I haven't told you about David, he's a friend of ours that we've known for some time now. He's the nicest guy in the world, and would literally give you the shirt off his back.

He ran into some 'where to stay' issues, and we opened our doors to him. He's stayed with us before, so it's nothing we haven't been through before. Anyhow, he's paying us what he'd have been paying for the place he was looking at, and his money has really been a help. Especially with Dland looming, and me being out of work.

Ok, guess that's all I've got today.

Carne del diablo,

T.

Yeah, I know.....

I was supposed to post pix today.

It's the same old story, the same old song and dance.

I carry my camera for a month everyday, all the time, and see nothing to take pix of. Then, through tiredness, or forgetfullness or someother 'ness', I'll leave my camera at home, and see a month's worth of photos in a single day.

Not that that's happened this time, cause I've been carrying my camera as if it were on of my limbs. Thus, I have no good photos yet.

I'm pretty pissed.

If it doesn't change soon, I'm going to try some blantant artsy ones, or some special trick effect type photos.

Oh well, I hope your day(s) are going good.....

Buenos con queso,

T.

Danger lurks underfoot.....

At least it did yesterday.

I don't want to go into all the details, but I will tell you that I stepped on, and lodged into the sole of my foot 2, yes, not 1 but 2 different pushpins.

Oh, and before you ask, yes, both were sufficiently stuck in that they remained so when I picked my foot up to see what I had stepped on. One in the heel, and one on the ball of my foot.

It was an odessy of fun let me tell you.

Oh, and they occured about 45 seconds apart, just to ad to the whole funness of it all.

I think I'll start drinking now. I'm 'off' today, and I feel like getting a drunk on. It's also payday, so I may not get too pasted. I may just get a start on it, and then go cash my check and finish it off with free beer at the Gold Dust. Depends on how much my check actually is.

Fiesta con fuego,

T.

Sad, but true.....

Sigh.

It was too good to be true.

We didn't get to go play golf today. I kinda thought something like that might happen, but I was still a bit disappointed that it fell through.

That means no bad ass photos from the game to highlight tomorrow's photo post, but them's the breaks.

I bought a couple movies today. One Fine Day, with George Clooney and Michelle Pfeiffer, and The Doors staring Val Kilmer.

I've seen One Fine Day, but it's one of those I can put on if I'm in a sad mood and need a cry. The Doors is a new one for me tho. I may watch it tonight, but I'm not for sure on that. I have a metric fuckton of laundry that I need to do, and I'll prolly put something on that I've seen so that I don't miss anything.

Ok, I'll stop boring you with the lameness.....

Carne del diablo,

T.

The day-old bread store rocks.....

And if you don't believe me, we got the following:



for $4.58.

Yes, that's right, 3 loaves of bread, 2 packs each of hamburger buns and hot dog buns, and a 6er of English muffins, and I got change back from a fiver.

Pretty fucking cool if you ask me.

On another note, I may be playing some golf tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed. It's going to be another 'freebie round.'

If we go, it'll be early, and I'll make sure to get some pix for Thursday. I've got a couple waiting already, just so you know.

Ok, guess that's all the boring details I have for today.....

Buenos con queso,

T.

What a looooong fucking day.....

I was up and working at 7 am.

No, I don't have a job yet, as I'm getting un emp, and I'll be waiting til after Dland to actually seek employment, but I was still busy.

I had to run out to the golf course for Pops (he needed something for his chowder) and then I got down to the business of moving the rest of the wood.



In the foreground you can see the wheelbarrow I used to move it. Yeah, that's right I had to move it all by hand.

Pops did help a bit, but I did the majority of the work myself. Oh, and I did all the stacking. I even broke some of the smaller stuff up for kindling. After that, we went to the Gold Dust, gambled a bit, and then off to Sis's for a family dinner.

Then another brief stint at the Gold Dust (won a couple bucks this time) and finally home. I'm looking forward to that bed over there I can tell you.

So, how was your Sunday?

Buenos con carne,

T.

Yippee kai aye, Motherfucker.....

That's T.J. speak for : 'Yahoo, I got my fucking unemployment!!!'

They sure took their time with it tho. I got a check in the mail yesterday, and boy is it welcome.

Now we've got enough spending money for Dland, and I don't have to worry about a job until I get back. I'm stoked.

There's not really much else going on today, except for a wood transfer. One of our neighbors is letting us 'store' some wood in our yard for the winter. Or are we letting him?

In any event, we've got a large supply of wood for the winter which will make for some warm, toasty nights, and much lower power bills.

Having a wood burning stove is the shit.

Other than that, tho, it's a nothing day.....

Buenos con queso,

T.

Happy Friday.....

Another lame post, as it's only been a few hours since I last spoke with you.

I had an exciting bout of sleep, read a little bit, and even ate some Spagehtti o's.

Yeah, that's right, the fun/excitement never ends around here......

If I do in fact get my check, I'll be heading up to Reno to help L paint her new baby room, and just generally spend some time with her.

I haven't been up there since she had me over to help me through Michael's ordeal.

He's doing fine, btw. On line with his recovery and all, but it's an ongoing recovery, so it's still not completely done.

I really wish I had more to say.....

Carne del diablo,

T.

I'm elegible.....

Or so the letter I got today tells me.

My former boss has a right of appeal, but they tell me I'm ok'd for unemployment.

I'm always the pessimist, so I'll believe it when I have a check in my hand.

It's been kind of a slow news week, so I don't really have much to report.....

I know I should be putting up some photos, but I don't really have anything new for this week.

Maybe I'll go scouting tomorrow and see if I can find something.....

Carne del diablo,

T.

I should find out today.....

Wether or not I get my unemployment.

They sure take their sweet time. I'm of the opinion that they drag their heels in hopes that the recently fired will get so nervous that they go get a job.

Normally, I would have done so.

Coming when it did, however, my firing makes it a bit akward. It doesn't look go to say 'thanks for the job, and, oh yeah, next month I need 10 days of to go to Disneyland.'

I can't beleive that it's less than a month away.

I think I mentioned that my kids won't be there this year. Well, there is a rumor that Michael and his California family may make the trip too, but I haven't heard for sure. If nothing else, there are plans in the works to bring him down for a day or 2 by himself.

I'll have tons of photos when I return, so be prepared.

Ok, I really must take a shower now....

T.

Let me be brief.....

I don't really have much today. Was out late last night, won a couple bucks at the Gold Dust West, and woke up a little drunkover.

I just made that word up. It describes the semi-drunk, kinda hung over state I found myself in when I awoke. I didn't overdo it too badly, but I did have more alcohol that I usually do.

What really put me into the hung overish state were the shots.

Yes, you heard me, the shots.

Normally when I drink, as many (yeah right) of you know it's strictly beer. Last night, however, we decided to have some JagerMeister. It's hard not not to overdrink when it's free.

Anyhow, time for a shower and a nap....

Gato del meurte,

T.

No, I didn't forget.....

To blog yesterday.

I was leaving the post up to see if my mystery guests wanted to sign in.

They haven't, btw.

Rumor has it we're going to the Lake today. I'm hoping we do. I've got 2 pair of shorts ready so that I can swim and then put some dry clothes on.

If we go, I'll of course have more photos for Thursday.

My sis has strep throat, so we may not be going. She seemed to think that it wouldn't be a problem, but we'll see.

In other news, more stupidity in the news.

And this is just bizarre

Ok, that's your update from Northern Nevada.....

Carne del diablo,

T.

Now, don't be scared.....

I'm not Big Brother, and I don't work for the F.B.I., but I do have a stat tracker on my site. It's the little blue box with the red line in it at the bottom of my page.

Now, I'm not really worried about how many hits I get. I never have been. What I like about my tracker is that it gives an ISP/city to most of the visits I get.

Armed with this information alone, I can usually tell which of my loyal readers (kat andiepandie greygoose kelwhy et al) have come by for a visit. Again, it's not a big thing, but I like to know who's checking me out.

This brings me to my current dilemma.

I've recently had 2 new visitors that seem to be stopping by on a regular basis. One is in Santa Barbara, CA, and the other is from Cayucos/Morro Bay.

Now, if you wish to remain in the shadows, I'll understand, but if I've found a new reader or 2 among the webosphere, I'd really like to know.

Now, I've been through Santa Barbara a couple times, and have found it to be a beautiful city. That's really all I know about it.

Morro Bay, on the other hand, was my home for 3 years or so when I was going to college. As you might imagine, the hits from Morro Bay are piqueing my intrest.

Is it someone that knew me then, or is it a coincidence?

Again, if you don't want to clue me in, then feel free to remain anonymous, but if you want to help with my sanity, I plead with you: Let me know who you are.....

Oh, and if you wish, click on that little blue box, and it will take you to my stat page.

Carne del diablo,

T.

A slight change of plans.....

Due to circumstances beyond my control, I was not able to go to the Lake today. It was put off so that I could take Pops around for some essentials.

I'm not really complaining tho. In return, I get so have some of the best clam chowder ever, and we're going to the Lake Monday and maybe Tuesday also.

Pops had a friend from out of town stop by, and thus had the chowder to make today.

This sounds kinda disjointed and wonky, but I'm in a hurry. Going to a buddy's house in like 10 mins and waiting for him to show up.

I'll do better tomorrow, I promise.

Carne del diablo,

T.

It's Thursday, and time for some photos.....

As promised, the photos from the Lake will now be forthcoming.

This first one, my sister took of my neice Ava and I:



This is the M.S. Dixie. It does tours of the lake, and there are also dinner/drink cruises where you can eat, drink, and be merry:





And a closer look:




Here's a long view of the Lake:




I like waves:




I want this house:



A wise man once told me to always leave them laughing, so as my final photo, I give you a seagull having a 'bad feather day':




Ok, there you have them. As I said, we plan on going back tomorrow for another adventure, and this time we're going to a different beach. I'll make a point of trying to find some fun and unique pix for you (provided we actually go that is).

Until then.

T.

Rudeness at 5:13 am.....

It happens to all of us.

Hell, even I've done it.

I know you all have too.

I'm speaing, of course of dialing a wrong number.

As someone who's talked to a lot of people who've dialed wrong numbers (i used to do it all day remember) there's only one thing I ask.

Just say 'Sorry, wrong number' before you hang up.

Hell, you don't even have to say sorry. Just acknowledge that you've dialed wrong. That's all I'm asking. Dont, for instance just say 'Who's this?', and when I answer with my name, simply hang the fuck up.

Especially if you've called before the fucking sun is up. I'm sure you were awake, but don't you think I might have been asleep? It's one of my biggest pet peeves. How much effort does it take to say 'wrong number?'

Not fucking much. I know it for a fact, cause I always say it if and when I make a mistake dialing.

Two fucking words is all I'm asking. Not a written apology, or an admission of guilt, just a little nod to the fact that you punched a wrong number into the keypad. Is that too much to ask? I don't fucking think so.

At least I should be able to get a nap later. It's much eaiser to do that lately, as I don't have to worry about oversleeping, or being groggy at work.

Ok, enough bitching for now.

Pantalones del muerte,

T.

In retrospect, I should have used some sunscreen.....

Yesterday, for no reason at all (other than its been years since any of us had been) Sis, D, Ava, and I went to the lake.

Now, I'm one of the lucky ones, because when I say the lake, I mean Lake Tahoe. If you've never been, it's tough to describe. Crystal blue water, towering pines, it's beautiful.

Yes, I took some pictures, but you'll have to wait until Thursday, as that's photo day.

True to form, I declined any of the sun protection products that my sister had (except for sunscreening my tat) secure in the burn-proofness of my skin.

Yeah, right.

I'm not scorched, but I did get a bit more sun than I expected, and it kinda hurts. I know if I keep it out of the sun it'll turn to tan (mine always do) and if I take care of it I should be ok.

So, August 6th, and I've finally got some sun. Other than that, tho, it was a good day. I was not swelteringly hot (even down in the valley) and at the Lake, it was positively cool. A nice breeze was blowing in off the water, and I even waded into the water a bit.

If I'd had a change of clothes, I'd have gone all the way in, but alas.

Just in case you're interested, the plan is to go back on Friday. Yesterday's trip was pretty spontaneous, and we plan to prepare a bit more for Friday (making sandwiches bringing drinks that kind of thing) and I'm for sure going to bring another pair of shorts so that I can get wet.

Buenos con queso,

T.

I'll bet you're expecting a tale of excitement and wonder.....

To explain my lack of posting yesterday.

In fact, there is a very simple explanation.

I forgot.

Yeah, I forgot. I logged on early, checked my mail, read blogs, and then, as we were supposed to go to sis's house for brekky, I postponed.

Well, Pops didn't sleep very well Saturday night, and he didn't feel up to going to breakfast, so we just sort of lazed around the house.

Somewhere in the meantime, I forgot that I hadn't posted. Pretty lame, huh?

Yeah, I thought so.

The worst part is, I didn't even remember that I hadn't posted until this morning when I sat down to log on.

I watched 300 the night before last, and I suppose I should have posted about it yesterday, but, well, you know.

It's a pretty awesome movie, imho. I think I'm going to watch the behind the scenes making of special features today. I never knew much about The Battle of Thermopylae, or if I did, I forgot all about it.

It seems to me that I would remember if we had covered it in school, even in a cursory manor. I'm a big fan of the 'against all odds' story, and I think I would have remembered 300 men (well there were more but 300 spartans) fighting an army historically described as 'limitless.'

I mean, that takes some balls.

Big, shiny, brass ones.

This particular version of the tale is based on a graphic novel by Frank Miller. You may or may not know him, but as a comics reader/collecter for a time, his work is very close to my heart.

He's also the author that brought you Sin City. That's one I recommed highly. If you haven't seen it, get yer ass to the video store, or put it in your Netflix queue.

And on that note, I'm outta here.

Carne del diablo,

T.

This not having a job thing is wierd.....

I mean, it's nice in it's own way, but it's really wierd. For the first time in I don't know how long, I'm not employed.

I don't have to worry about getting to work on time, I don't have to worry about what I'm going to wear to work.

Hell, I'm not even afraid to answer my phone anymore: I know I'm not getting called into work.

I should know by next week sometime wether or not I get my unemployment (thanks for lagging guys), or if I have to find a job, and then tell them that in less than a month, I have to take 10 days off for my annual vacation.

I'm really looking forward to that eventuality, I can tell you.

Other than that, there's not a whole lot going on. That's another thing about not working: I don't have any funny/sad work stories to share. Every coin has two sides, I guess.

It's still a fucking furnace out west here. Our temps this week are supposed to be a little lower (mid 80s to low 90s), but I don't believe them. We've also had ZERO rain this summer.

Not one thunderstorm has blown in, meaning that I've had not a single chance to take lightning pics with the new camera.

I'm pissed.

I don't really have anything else right now, so I'll leave you with this question: What the FUCK is up with Lake Michagan?

Just another Friday.....

I'm on the phone with L right now, so this will be a bit distracted.

I didn't really have much to say before she called, so I can't really blame her for this lame-ass post.

Hold on a sec while I go make coffee.....

Ok, now in a few minutes I'll have my cup of love goin on.

Oh, did I tell you L is preggers? I don't think I mentioned it when I first found out, because it was so new, and she's lost babies before. Anyhow she's like 18 wks and has her 'find out what it is' ultrasound on Tuesday.

I'm sure she'll call me, so I'll let you all know what she's having.

Ok, guess I'm out...

Buenos con queso,

T.

It's kinda lame today.....

True to form, when I'm out looking for pictures, I very seldom find them. It's always been that way. I'll carry my camera bag for a month, and not see a single thing I want to shoot, then I leave my bag at home one day, for whatever reason, and I'll see the whole month's worth of photos.

It's a karma thing I guess.

Anyhow, I've got a couple for you from the full moon the other night:




And this is a long exposure, using a tripod. I really like shooting at night. You can get some really interesting images:




I'll try and find some better ones for next week, but no promises.

Oh, and now that I have a real camera, I suppose I can ask again if there are any pix y'all would like to see. If there is, drop me a comment and I'll get them taken.

Buenos con queso,

T.

I'm Rainbow fucking Randolph.....

Have any of you seen Death to Smoochy?

It's rather obscure, and is most definitely what is classed a 'black comedy,' but it's a fucking laugh riot. It stars Ed Norton and Robin Williams, and exposes the sordid underbelly of children's tv.

If you haven't seen it, I highly suggest you check it out.

That's a little shorter than my usual 'movie review,' but I don't want to spoil any of it for you. Just relax and let it happen.

You'll be glad you did.

I'm going to go do a little photo walking today to see if I can get some more shots for Photo Thursday.

Hope all is well with y'all.

Buenos con queso,

T.