Showing posts with label entertainment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label entertainment. Show all posts
April 16, 2011
January 28, 2010
Chastised!
I have been beaten down and chastised for my severe lack of posting. I must admit that I have become almost blase' about my blog. I don't know if it is due to a change of direction in nearly every aspect of my life or simply growing tired of the whole scene.
In the last year my job has changed locations twice. The hours I work my shift are steadily creeping backwards. Twenty some odd years ago I started work at the liesurely hour of 3:00am. As of 2009 the start of the shift has become 11:00pm. It's only a few hours but a drastic change in lifestyle. In this same year I have also become a grandfather. This has probably been the single most life-altering change of my current nearly 'empty nest' life. You've probably heard someone say that they wish they could have been a Grandparent before being a parent. I must whole heartedly agree with that statement. Being a grandparent is such a joy.
To spread that joy, I urge you to view the most inspiring video ever made. It just so happens to star the very grandbaby that has altered my perception of life
In the last year my job has changed locations twice. The hours I work my shift are steadily creeping backwards. Twenty some odd years ago I started work at the liesurely hour of 3:00am. As of 2009 the start of the shift has become 11:00pm. It's only a few hours but a drastic change in lifestyle. In this same year I have also become a grandfather. This has probably been the single most life-altering change of my current nearly 'empty nest' life. You've probably heard someone say that they wish they could have been a Grandparent before being a parent. I must whole heartedly agree with that statement. Being a grandparent is such a joy.
To spread that joy, I urge you to view the most inspiring video ever made. It just so happens to star the very grandbaby that has altered my perception of life
April 10, 2009
Can You Tell I'm Bored?
Two video posts in one day. Not healthy! I've been trying to "come down" after the birth of my Grandson. Today has really been low key.
Just For Fun
Just a video I found quite interesting from "Francis and the Lights". Makes me think of a hybrid of David Byrne (Talking Heads) and Kramer from Seinfeld.
The Top (Music Video) from Francis and the Lights on Vimeo.
The Top (Music Video) from Francis and the Lights on Vimeo.
March 04, 2009
February 25, 2009
Since Dunce Hats Are Outdated
I figured we could keep one of these handy for the person who isn't pulling their weight at work. They could wear it all day and the rest of us would be justified in calling them a $#@&head.
February 12, 2009
My Brain Itches!!
If you can figure this out, let me in on it! I was tricked into visiting this blackhole of a time consuming, brain draining, blood pressure raising puzzle of a site by Vulgar Wizard.
January 18, 2009
Maple Bacon Doughnut
Maple Bacon dounut
Originally uploaded by ibison4
I know it sounds bizarre, but I think this would really taste good! You can get maple bacon or a donut so why not maple bacon on a donut? Homer Simpson should know about these treats!
January 17, 2009
Still Alive
It's been a ridiculously long time since I've posted anything at all and I suppose there are rumors of my untimely demise. So I'm figuring something is better than nothing! So here's something I found amusing and entertaining as well as unique.
December 21, 2008
Reminiscing
In 1978 my family took a trip to New Jersey to visit relatives. My father's side of the family was spread around the state. I believe we were there because my grandmother was going to have surgery on her optic nerve. She was very active with friends and traveled all over the world. Most of her travel was by rail and the majority of it back in the 1930's through the 1960's. The heyday of rail travel. It was extravagant and lavish. Service was the centerpiece of the experience. She knew I had a fascination with trains from a young age and gave me a number of documents and souvenir's from her travels. At the time I wasn't overly enthusiastic. I was a fourteen year old kid that just got a bunch of "old stuff" from his grandmother. Granted it was old train "stuff", but it just didn't have the pizazz that a fourteen year old boy is looking for. I do recall enjoying the look of the publications and the musty old smell of the pages. I really had no clue as to what they would eventually mean to me in the future.
A few months back while looking for something buried deep within the black hole that is most peoples garages (unless you are one of the sicko's that parks a car in there!!), I came across an expandable folder with an elastic closure. I recall having had a few of these style envelopes with keepsake type items inside. They were being discarded at my fathers office and I felt they had a few more miles in them before they were relegated to the trash heap. I knew one folder contained all of my Naval discharge paperwork. Assuming this was that envelope, I casually opened it just to confirm before it placed it back into it's makeshift tomb. The first thing that caught my eye was a large 9x12 envelope. It wasn't the envelope itself that caught my eye, but what was printed on the outside. A blue Nickel Plate Road logo! I knew I was in for a treat. Some 30 years ago, my grandmother gave me some memerobilia and souvenir's that were now in the envelope I held in my shaking hands. I recalled the mild disinterest when she gave them to me thirty years ago. I also remember thinking I would someday come to appreciate their meaning. "I suppose that someday is here", I thought. I had a slight sensation of giddyness. That Christmas morning as a child feeling. I was grateful that my grandmother was able to see the interest within me for railroads, to part with souvenir's of magnificent trips and memories of a lifetime. I slid the envelope out of the folder and saw this.
Some vivid memories came rushing back. I recall looking through this very envelope at the pictures from her trip to Promontory, Utah in May of 1969 for the centennial anniversary of the Golden Spike Ceremony. That celebrated the completion of the transcontinental railroad. There was a recreation of an original poster on the wall of that room with "old west" style fonts announcing the "Great Event".
The room had a reddish wallpaper with some sort of design, probably paisley. There were toys from her childrens youth and some from her parents. An old wicker baby carriage, handmade dolls and clothes. The poster was placed in a way that it was a centerpiece for the wall.
Opening the envelope I gingerly removed the contents. Just beneath the envelope there was a dated publication. It was a Burlington Escorted Tours summer 1935 tour book. It described 20 tours ranging from seven to twenty five days in length.
Inside the cover of the tour book was a pocket itinerary
On the front page is the name of the Burlington escort, T.W. Coover. The itinerary was for tour "P". I didn't put two and two together at first. Later I realized the tours in the tour book were given letters. The pocket itinerary matched that of tour "P" in the larger book. The itinerary description...
What I found amazing, this twenty day trip had a maximum price of $321. Folded up further inside the tour book was a passenger manifest as well as a Southern Pacific passenger ticket for August 29th.
I looked on Google calendar to see what day of the week August 29, 1935 was. It was a Thursday. Looking at the pocket itinerary, they would have arrived in in San Francisco by ferry from Oakland that day. It's possible she took the Southern Pacific commute train that went down the peninsula to some location for the evening. Her ticket was punched for one zone only meaning she didn't travel very far. CalTrain currently uses the same type of zone ticketing. Your fare is determined by the number of zones you will be traveling through.
Digging deeper into the stack of discovery, I found a Pullman brochure from the 1939 World's Fair in New York. This page showing the average fare for a three hundred mile overnight trip.
I wish I could post each page of every item I looked through. They brought back wonderful memories of my grandmother and enjoying the same pages as a child. Unfortunately there is not enough time in the day to blog about all of life's simple pleasures. More fond memories of relatives and childhood will have to wit until another day.
You can see all of the scanned items on my Flickr page!
A few months back while looking for something buried deep within the black hole that is most peoples garages (unless you are one of the sicko's that parks a car in there!!), I came across an expandable folder with an elastic closure. I recall having had a few of these style envelopes with keepsake type items inside. They were being discarded at my fathers office and I felt they had a few more miles in them before they were relegated to the trash heap. I knew one folder contained all of my Naval discharge paperwork. Assuming this was that envelope, I casually opened it just to confirm before it placed it back into it's makeshift tomb. The first thing that caught my eye was a large 9x12 envelope. It wasn't the envelope itself that caught my eye, but what was printed on the outside. A blue Nickel Plate Road logo! I knew I was in for a treat. Some 30 years ago, my grandmother gave me some memerobilia and souvenir's that were now in the envelope I held in my shaking hands. I recalled the mild disinterest when she gave them to me thirty years ago. I also remember thinking I would someday come to appreciate their meaning. "I suppose that someday is here", I thought. I had a slight sensation of giddyness. That Christmas morning as a child feeling. I was grateful that my grandmother was able to see the interest within me for railroads, to part with souvenir's of magnificent trips and memories of a lifetime. I slid the envelope out of the folder and saw this.
Some vivid memories came rushing back. I recall looking through this very envelope at the pictures from her trip to Promontory, Utah in May of 1969 for the centennial anniversary of the Golden Spike Ceremony. That celebrated the completion of the transcontinental railroad. There was a recreation of an original poster on the wall of that room with "old west" style fonts announcing the "Great Event".
"Through to San Francisco in less than four days, avoiding the dangers of the sea!"
The room had a reddish wallpaper with some sort of design, probably paisley. There were toys from her childrens youth and some from her parents. An old wicker baby carriage, handmade dolls and clothes. The poster was placed in a way that it was a centerpiece for the wall.
"Pullman's Palace Sleeping Cars run with all through passenger trains."
Opening the envelope I gingerly removed the contents. Just beneath the envelope there was a dated publication. It was a Burlington Escorted Tours summer 1935 tour book. It described 20 tours ranging from seven to twenty five days in length.
Inside the cover of the tour book was a pocket itinerary
On the front page is the name of the Burlington escort, T.W. Coover. The itinerary was for tour "P". I didn't put two and two together at first. Later I realized the tours in the tour book were given letters. The pocket itinerary matched that of tour "P" in the larger book. The itinerary description...
What I found amazing, this twenty day trip had a maximum price of $321. Folded up further inside the tour book was a passenger manifest as well as a Southern Pacific passenger ticket for August 29th.
I looked on Google calendar to see what day of the week August 29, 1935 was. It was a Thursday. Looking at the pocket itinerary, they would have arrived in in San Francisco by ferry from Oakland that day. It's possible she took the Southern Pacific commute train that went down the peninsula to some location for the evening. Her ticket was punched for one zone only meaning she didn't travel very far. CalTrain currently uses the same type of zone ticketing. Your fare is determined by the number of zones you will be traveling through.
Digging deeper into the stack of discovery, I found a Pullman brochure from the 1939 World's Fair in New York. This page showing the average fare for a three hundred mile overnight trip.
I wish I could post each page of every item I looked through. They brought back wonderful memories of my grandmother and enjoying the same pages as a child. Unfortunately there is not enough time in the day to blog about all of life's simple pleasures. More fond memories of relatives and childhood will have to wit until another day.
You can see all of the scanned items on my Flickr page!
November 27, 2008
Critiqued
My wife was reading my blog the other night while I was at work. She mentioned how she used to enjoy reading it (oops!). It used to be funny, she said. Now it's all anti-Obama posts.
OK, I get the hint. I'll knock off the politics. Nothing is more devisive than talking about politics and religion. Folks have their mind made up from very early on in life and it is nearly impossible to sway them from their beliefs. That's not to say that dialogue and vigorous debates are not encouraged. It just means I would be pretty hard pressed to cite an actual case where my opinion changed another persons mind on a particular subject.
So...to be be more apolitical and nonreligious I'll share this bit of humor with you!
Domino's Scientists Test Limits Of What Humans Will Eat
OK, I get the hint. I'll knock off the politics. Nothing is more devisive than talking about politics and religion. Folks have their mind made up from very early on in life and it is nearly impossible to sway them from their beliefs. That's not to say that dialogue and vigorous debates are not encouraged. It just means I would be pretty hard pressed to cite an actual case where my opinion changed another persons mind on a particular subject.
So...to be be more apolitical and nonreligious I'll share this bit of humor with you!
Domino's Scientists Test Limits Of What Humans Will Eat
November 19, 2008
I'm Corn-fused (what's new?)
I tweaked my layout to have the new Blogger "reaction" buttons added to my posts. They are a single word response button similar to those used in an online poll. Well, an esteemed blogger buddy over at Irrelephant who generally maintains only the highest standards in posting, tested my theory of Blogger functions.
The theory goes something like this.
You edit your layout to include a nifty new gadget that will wow all your readers. You write a post informing them of the nifty new functionality giving them the impression that you are some sort of code wizard and can produce a myriad of really cool fluff. Your readers will then stop by and implement this nifty new functionality and be amazed at your fluffiness. Your accolades will be spread across the series of tubes known as the internets.
I persued this righteous goal and failed miserably thanks to the demons at Blogger command. I followed their every instruction down to the last step. Their diabolical plan worked perfectly. I have been shamed in front of the whole of my audience (right Mom?). I must now crawl back into the hole from whence I came and ponder the injustice of what has transpired.
Oh, and I'll see if I can get if fixed, ok?
The theory goes something like this.
You edit your layout to include a nifty new gadget that will wow all your readers. You write a post informing them of the nifty new functionality giving them the impression that you are some sort of code wizard and can produce a myriad of really cool fluff. Your readers will then stop by and implement this nifty new functionality and be amazed at your fluffiness. Your accolades will be spread across the series of tubes known as the internets.
I persued this righteous goal and failed miserably thanks to the demons at Blogger command. I followed their every instruction down to the last step. Their diabolical plan worked perfectly. I have been shamed in front of the whole of my audience (right Mom?). I must now crawl back into the hole from whence I came and ponder the injustice of what has transpired.
Oh, and I'll see if I can get if fixed, ok?
November 06, 2008
Amazingly Eerie, Large Marionette
I poached this video from my Flickr buddy, gentlemanrook who blogs at Irrelephant. It's giant marionette that is so surreal it's almost scary!
November 01, 2008
Pict -O- Game Is A Fun Little Website
I used a picture I had of my Brother-in-law goofing around to personalize the game.
October 28, 2008
October 25, 2008
October 21, 2008
A Wonderful Storyteller
Trying to shy away from the political pulp that has been sticking to the bottom of my shoe, I'll point you in the direction of one of my Flickr buddies, gentlemanrook. He has a blog that is a real treat to peruse. His fabulous stories build a landscape rich in imagery. I tend finish the stories with a sense of having been there. His sense of humor is a bit tweaked as is mine. That may be one of the reasons I enjoy it so much.
You should certainly judge for yourself, but please...take a look. You won't regret it. Visit Irrelephant now!
You should certainly judge for yourself, but please...take a look. You won't regret it. Visit Irrelephant now!
September 28, 2008
I Love eMusic
There is so much cool stuff to discover. I have found so many new bands that are my "new favorite" that I can't keep track of them. If you subscribe they usually give you about 50 or 75 free downloads just for trying them out. There is also a free daily download plus you can seach for albums that have free tracks on them. The price is right as well. You can be a "Basic" subscriber for $11.99 a month and get 30 downloads. That's less than .40 cents per track!!
One thing to be conscious of is that eMusic promotes independant artists and labels. You can find some mainstream stuff but you might as well go pay more at iTunes if you're looking for Top 40 fluff. This site is for adventurers looking for something new to listen to. A band or a sound or a style unheard by you before. It's like going on an expedition and making a discovery every time you log on.
Click the post title to check it out.
One thing to be conscious of is that eMusic promotes independant artists and labels. You can find some mainstream stuff but you might as well go pay more at iTunes if you're looking for Top 40 fluff. This site is for adventurers looking for something new to listen to. A band or a sound or a style unheard by you before. It's like going on an expedition and making a discovery every time you log on.
Click the post title to check it out.
July 17, 2008
June 24, 2008
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