All this,...Really?

An ambulance on our street

2005-05-17T08:21:00.000-04:00

Following my morning coffee I walked out the front door as I usually do. To check the weather, look for signs of terrorist attack or alien invasion. You know the routine.
It actually took me a few seconds to notice the flashing lights. An ambulance was parked and flashing on the curb, just two houses down.

Me: "Hey Dani, you know anything about the neighbors two houses down?"
Dani: "Isn't he the guy that introduced himself at the last HOA meeting saying -"Hello, I'm your neighbor"."
Me: "Really?"

I go back outside thinking, "how could I not know anything about the humans that live next-door to my next-door neighbors?" and feeling a little embarrassed.
The paramedics appeared, exiting the front door of my immediate neighbors house. I've talked to this guy a couple of times. A nice guy, he's a beach cop. I never really met his wife who was laid out on the stretcher and being wheeled across the lawn.
I wanted to ask, "What happened?" , "Is there anything that I can do?".
But I stood there for a long second and feeling guilty for my lack of communal bond, I returned inside.

I hope he didn't kill her.

Rumors and rumors of rumors

2005-05-15T18:25:00.000-04:00

Good God! Michuli is back, what the?...
Funny things may happen when you least expect them , yet hopefully, this will happen when you are in need of the funniest of things.
Ok, sit back and relax. We'll catch up eventually.
First, those of you who are still caught up on "what's in the box?", It was, and still is total crap! really, you are giving this poop, way to much power in the way of attention. I could easily make more useful items from the cardboard boxes that contain the embarassing array of poo within. With the aid of a glue gun, I can surely assemble items worth wondering about. so enough!

And so we continue,

What happened with your 30 day venture to a secure career?
All those who bet against this excercise in mindless futility, please collect your winnings now.

So, Michuli, how are you?, You know we've been worried.
I'm great, really!

What'cha been doin'?
Holy crap, how could I possibly remember it all. you realize, I've slept since then.
I have been trying to find (create) a happy place in the back yard. these photos are pretty much up to date.

The beginnings of this years TIKI Lounge

I have a feeling, I have already spent too much time here.

Girl on girl violation, hey, it's Spring

The newly renovated pond with a new hand carved TIKI

Girl on girl retribution, cause little guys fight back

a wider sense of the scene

one of the lounge lizards hanging in the banana palm

These are the first grapes to come up after 3 years

They will certainly become wine by the end of the season

Sorry for the bad focus, These are two frogs (bumping)
in the pond with strings of frog eggs, the offspring will play havoc
with the pump filter. I will probably turn off the pump and let the tadpoles
deal with the mosquito larvae.

The girls playing dress-up after Dani and I went to the grand opening of the new Buffalo wild wings restaurant in the neighborhood. We got to judge a celebrity wing eating contest. I will leave you with this thought, Never watch a 90 year old man compete in an eating contest, at least not from 13" away

And the day gets progressively stranger

2005-04-26T17:35:00.000-04:00

Oddly enough, as I was writing the last post the FEDEX guy came to the door with a large box, It was addressed to my wife Dani, but the original address under the fedex sticker was to an independent film organization we used to belong to a couple of years ago but left. This was all very curious. Upon opening the box, we found it filled with $90.00 worth of crappy merchandise, from a company Dani and I had never heard of. The packing slip also served as a bill that asked for payment upon delivery. We called the company and asked that they have the package picked up. While talking to the customer service rep, I learned that someone had used my wife's name and old organization email address to purchase these items online. I assume the person who placed the order would have picked up the delivery at the org's address and any ensuing bill would have been waved off by them as "Oh, I don't know. She used to be with us, haven't seen her in years".
I cannot imagine the incredible balls of some people. And the crap inside the box, Geeeze.
The rep also stated the order was not complete, two more pieces of crap were still waiting to be shipped.
In similar news:
when the mail arrived this afternoon, I received my second issue of US News and world report.
I do not have a subscription to this magazine, but according to their website, I contacted them early this month and requested 53 weeks of their dry, biased tome.

Needless to say, by this point I can only wonder what will happen next.

Careful where you click!

2005-04-26T14:56:00.000-04:00

Angry does not describe it. Sometime after New Years I clicked a button while web surfing, for a company that was offering a free virus scan for my PC. Sure, what the hay, you can never be too sure about the security or cleanliness of a PC so a free scan?, Why not. Of course the free scan showed innumerable trojans, and assorted viral clutter that neither my Norton nor my Zone Alarm could identify, but the free trial would not actually fix them. Not wishing to purchase the product, I decided to simply close the page. Lo and behold a pop-up arrives, (why did my pop-up protection allow this?) It pleaded, Don't leave just yet, and offered 1 month of free service.
A little farther into it I was asked to provide my cc number. I was assured that if I cancelled within the month my card would never be charged. Ok, I'll bite you clean my machine, I cancel.
So I enter the product key they emailed me and started the cleaning process.
Nope, not gonna work, I was asked to un-install my expensive Norton and Zone Alarm.
Forget that, I don't know you that well and at this point I'm not willing to find out. I call the company and tell them, "Look, I just tried to use your product, it's not presently compatible with my system, I am canceling your service.
Carol, the pleasant voice on the other end says "No problem" and that's, that.
Wrong! I got an email today saying thanks for your order, we'll be charging your account and PS do not attempt to reply to this email, it is un-monitored.
I could feel the dull throb beginning at my temples.
So I call them up, This time it's Robert D at customer service. I explain my situation, he says yeah, it's right here, and something about Carol not filling it out correctly. I asked, "Because Carol cannot do her simple job, I am being Charged for something I cannot even use?"
The rest of it I can barely remember, something about suing their ass off, incompetence, oh, It's all just a blur anyway, Robert says It's all taken care of now.
...We'll just see.

The Aliens are here!

2005-04-24T16:58:00.000-04:00

LB feels that Sydney gets all the photo op's here at "All this,...Really" so I decided to post this photo from Saturday.
Name : LB
Breed: Alien wire haired Dachsund.
Diet: Dirt, kitty poop, Carpet lint.
Hobbies: Licking herself into a lather, (Gag!), barfing, eating same.
Distinguishing features: Hair grows in odd directions and is unbrushable, back legs are longer than front legs, one front leg is shorter than the other causing a pronounced lean.
And she wonders why Syd gets all the photos?

Podcast Friday 4/23/05

2005-04-22T22:00:00.000-04:00

This week's Podcast features a band we interviewed on the April first podcast. Maximum Overdrive. The band has a big show Saturday night at KEFI's, a showcase of sorts for an A&R guy from EMI records. We wish them well and hope they score a big fat contract. For all you folks out there that can't make the show, This Podcast is for you.

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Hey Wacko!

2005-04-22T14:37:00.000-04:00

So my sister-in-law sent me an email;

"i saw you taking pix of your hottie sister-in-laws awesome vintage shop while you were out and about . . . how 'bout posting those? . . . .wacko "

Yes, my sister in law Alyssa has a really cool vintage boutique in the heart of the downtown business district. This is not your usual second hand store, by any means. She recently got a write up in Elle magazine. Not too shabby for a new business. She is having a new website built so she can share her all too groovey merchandise with the world. So your gonna have to check it out once she's finished. I left a little animated link at the bottom of the sidebar just for my readers. www.flashbax.net

We'll call this a sneak preview.

Here's to better days.

2005-04-19T19:48:00.000-04:00

I must say, I've really been kind of "out of it" for the past week. No sense of calendar or clock. No sense of direction for the day(s). I suppose this is part of the employment loss grieving process. So this past Sunday I spent the entire day, from 7:30 am until dark, working on the yard. It's wonderfully grounding to expend sweat and energy in work that requires little if any thought. Yeh, I was a little stiff the following morning as well as a little sun-kissed, but having had the opportunity to take a complete breather from the daily routine of job questing, I feel mentally well rested. And with that, and a little white wine, "Here's to better days."

Podcast Friday 4/15/2005

2005-04-15T22:00:00.000-04:00

This week's Podcast Features one of my favorite lesser known bands. NUTTY. Nutty was featured as "B" side to last week's podcast and I felt this just was not enough. So get up, go fix yourself a martini and kick back with NUTTY.

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Fighting Mr. Big. and other news

2005-04-12T13:50:00.000-04:00

Todays post goes back to 2 posts generated in early March. see HERE and HERE. The photo above was one of the photos taken on that day from the ninth floor of the Wilmington Hilton. The mound in the background is the simulation I was asked to provide. The amount of work required to produce an accurate simulation was quite complex. First I had to sneak onto Mr. Big's (Hugo Neu's) property with members of the coalition and take GPS readings. This was followed by various mathematical calculations derived by relative size, distance, atmospheric conditions by distance, horizon calculations and relative height to eye level from the 9th floor window of a hotel in which I was not a guest. All in all I think the image is rather dramatic as well as accurate. The billionaire, Hugo Neu, will be none to happy with my handiwork. The end result?...We shall wait and see.

In unrelated news

Vlogger® Up and running

2005-04-11T18:22:00.000-04:00

Vlogger®
VIDEO BLOG

click image above to visit.

It's been up for 24 hours now with 59 viewers and counting. Now that I have fixed a couple of small problems, I am working on more entertaining content. You can click the image above for a visit. Comments and suggestions are always welcome and will appear back on this site.

Podcast Friday April 8, 2005

2005-04-08T13:51:00.000-04:00

This weeks podcast, I have something you will be the first audience to witness. It's the world premier of a cut from my upcoming CD "Mystery repeats itself".Oh the privileges of being a regular All this really reader/listener. Also this week, a NUTTY version of something a little more familiar so kick back and enjoy All this really's Podcast Friday.

For an easy no Ipod version streaming from my server, just click the title of this post.

Tuesday, it's Wednesday

2005-04-06T15:41:00.000-04:00

A week has come and gone. I did not receive any artwork contributions this week but that's ok, there is always next week. If you want to participate in "Painting Tuesday" an online artist's colony, just do the following:

1. Go to "Artpad digital canvas" and create your masterpiece.
2. Email your painting to me at: filmtunes@gmail.com
3. Top 5 paintings as judged by me will be displayed on my digital gallery the following Tuesday.
4. Top painting as judged by me will win a nifty blog medallion of their accomplishment to display on their blog.
6. All participants will receive a brilliant full color downloadable "Starving Artist" certificate suitable for framing.
7. Best of the month as judged by readership will have their artwork printed on t-shirts to be sold on a commercial site and receive 50% of the proceeds.

In other news, I had another appointment at the Employment Securities Commission. Seems they have special programs for workers who lose their jobs due to foriegn trade, like educational programs and health insurance. Although that's pretty cool, I'd still rather have a fulltime job.
...And so I continue.
-michuli

Work is work

2005-04-05T14:43:00.000-04:00

Ok, I realize that I am still posting one day behind reality but I'm sure that I will catch up soon. All of the work that is required to find work is actually more wearing on the brain than the actual work that it hopefully will bring. I am rebuilding my work portfolio online. The endless searching through old cd roms makes me wish I had marked the contents on them as they were made. But anyway, work being work for the sake of work is still work. And so back to work I go.

Next Post: Tuesday on Wednesday.

Padded Cell tour April 2005 Begins

2005-04-03T12:42:00.000-04:00

"And so today begins my 30 day quest to find a new and fulfilling career". That has to be the most insane statement that ever formed within my mind. But very well, let's get on with it. Today is the day that I am to contact my parole offi..., No, that should read, My employment consultant, and brief her on my first week's journey to find a job, because the state simply cannot afford to give me back but a pittance of what I have doled out to them every paycheck for many years. Anyway I have a few promising leads so I'm not freaking out or anything. I have imposed the 30 day timeline on myself, mainly because I feel, If I can't do it in 30, I am just as talented as I believe myself to be. And I'm not about to believe that. So place your bets ladies and gentlemen and strap yourselves in, for what I believe will be one hell of a bumpy ride.

And the results are...

2005-04-02T11:29:00.000-05:00

I began this blog two months ago today out of sheer curiosity. I had no preconceptions of it's usefulness to me, in fact I thought that after a couple of weeks or so I would just abandon it, the shiny, newness having lost it's luster. Let me share with today's post, the results at the end of my second month;

I have received 3,900+ page visits.
My international guest list represents 38 countries on 6 continents.
I have shared many a hearty laugh with many new virtual friends.
I have learned more HTML and CSS hand coding in the past 2 months than I have in the past 2 years.
I have found many valuable resources that will help further my career.
I have begun a weekly podcast that has become a very pleasurable hobby.
I have located several online free hosting sites that will store and stream my A/V files, saving me $264.00 a year.
I'm sure there is much more that I have not listed.

I find this a valuable experiment after only two months, I can only imagine how much more this free curiosity will afford me, say, in a years time.
I have noticed a continuing stream of users who are bailing on the Blogger community for other blog hosting services and I must say to them, "Get with the future" My highspeed cable connection has served me well. I am just not experiencing the Blogger problems I keep reading about.

I do keep up with reading the Blogger corporate blog, blogger buzz and they have been continuously updating and improving their free service. I have no reason to complain. And again I state: "I can only imagine how much more useful this will become in about a years time"

So this is the start of my third month, there are many improvements I am giving a try.
Sign me; a satisfied Blogger.

Podcast Friday #4 [click here to listen]

2005-04-01T07:51:00.000-05:00

This weeks  Podcast Friday. Podcast, is music from the Hard Rock band "Maximum Overdrive" We were happy to get an interview with frontman

Ronnie Lamanna

 here at All this,...Really? studio and I'm sure your gonna dig this one. Just in case this Podcast is not enough to satisfy your rock'n'roll cravings you can hop over to the bands website.

For anyone who is not familiar, podcasting is a fun, fast and simple way to subscribe absolutely FREE, to content such as music broadcasts, video, and/or text media using an ipod or even your My Yahoo or My MSN account. FREE software like, iPodder will also let you subscribe to the feeds, even if you do not own an iPod. Here is an easy way to understand how it works. Think of it as a cross between TiVo and email. If you find a show or other content, such as Podcast Friday, on the web and you think it may be something that you would enjoy, you would just click on the little  button on that website or blog, copy and paste the RSS address that the orange button takes you to, into your iPodder feed reader or your

My Yahoo or My MSN  "add content, box" and you are subscribed. Now every time a new podcast is broadcast, it will automatically be transferred to your iPod, other mobile device or computer. Simple, clean and best of all since it happens automatically there is no waiting for downloads because it is already downloaded when it arrives. Pretty gosh darn neat, huh?

*If you don't have an iPod and don't want to download software you can always stream it from my server. Just click.

Yeh, I know it's Thursday, but...

2005-03-31T19:28:00.000-05:00

Alright all you staving artists out there, I have finally worked out the details of the weekly Tuesday feature "Painting Tuesday" an online artist's colony of sorts in which you can participate for fame, notoriety and possible $$$.
1. Go to "Artpad digital canvas" and create your masterpiece.
2. Email your painting to me at: filmtunes@gmail.com
3. Top 5 paintings as judged by me will be displayed on my digital gallery the following Tuesday.
4. Top painting as judged by me will win a nifty blog medallion of their accomplishment to display on their blog.
6. All participants will receive a brilliant full color "Starving Artist" certificate suitable for framing.
7. Best of the month as judged by readership will have their artwork printed on t-shirts to be sold on a commercial site and receive 50% of the proceeds.

And as promised, although I am not competing in the weekly prize category I am still posting the painting I create after coffee every Tuesday morning. So here is "Log"

In LIVID color

2005-03-30T15:28:00.000-05:00

1. I apologize to my readers for the missing the "Painting Tuesday" weekly feature.

2. Regardless the tone of this post, I am just fine.

Tuesday; I got a call from my boss. I was told that my last paycheck from the company will be this Friday. (see Ides) There is so much going on inside my mind right now that I cannot concentrate. Somewhere, deep inside and pushed back as far I can remember having built shelves., there is a tiny lifeform named "Upset". I am doing my best not to feed him. And that in itself makes me feed him all the more. I hate him!
-michuli

It's just a simple blog,...That's all.

2005-03-28T16:38:00.000-05:00

Google, what the hell. I have never seen so much confusion over such a simple concept. 35,200 references to the words, "All this really" and every link a missed point. Here are just a few random examples of the misinformation found in the name of this humble blog along with my reactions:

Is all this really Greenspan's fault?
No, Greenspan had nothing to do with it.

Is all this really possible?
Absolutely!

Is all this really worth it?
This I don't know, but I am having fun.

Who cares about all this really anyway?
I do, I care,...anyway.

All this really took place today.
Indeed, yesterday as well and also tomorrow.

All this really happened before.
See comment above.

How Does All This Really Work?
Elves, it's all done by elves.

And all this really means is you're one in a crowd.
Hmm. No, that was not my intent.

Is all this really necessary?
Again, I must say absolutely.

You can see my puzzlement. Google, All this really is (is) a blog. It's just a simple blog.
Greenspan indeed!

Inanimate Sexuality

2005-03-27T09:19:00.000-05:00

Now that I have your attention,

One of my earliest memories and I'm talking three years old here, was my Grandfather taking me, my brother and two sisters to a neighborhood pizza joint in Long Island, I remember that we did this probably once a week.
On one side of each booth was a shiny, chrome, art deco Jukebox remote just like the one pictured above. While we waited for the pizza to cook, I would study the letters and numbers intently. Now granted, I did not know the difference between letters and numbers, not being able to read yet. But I could differentiate the shapes as all being unique.
This is where it gets weird.
For some unknown reason my three year old mind assigned a gender for each letter and number. This was not something that I had to work out. There was no sexual ambiguity here. The letters and numbers were plain and simply either a boy or girl. Yea, I know, BIZARRE you say. But wait, don't run away just yet, I'm not finished.
My two sisters being older than I, would come home from school with the idea that they were the teachers they had idealized that day and took it upon themselves to teach me to read their school books (Under the apple tree, Dick and Jane Etc.) and thus, I was reading on a second grade level just prior to kindergarten. During my entire academic career, letters and numbers maintained their specific gender identity, whether print or script or the ever evolving family of fonts and stylizations
There were no sex changes, cross dressing or leanings. Each and every letter and number remained the same sex as I had originally envisioned. Today I am a graphic artist by trade and utilize literally thousands of fonts and typefaces every week. And no matter how you shape it, twist, bend or embellish it. This odd, useless genderfication persists, unchanging and never forgotten. I only hope for the sake of my sanity, (Stop, I know what you're thinking), that one day I will know what all this means.
Oh,... and keep your Freudianism's to yourself, for cripes sake. I was only three.

Shooting the Dog

2005-03-26T17:34:00.000-05:00

There's an old maxim, "Never work with animals and children", I went with my wife Dani on one of her commercial shoots this morning. It was for a modular home TV ad featuring a nice family with the prerequisite 2.5 children and of course the star, a diminutive Yorkshire terrier named Arthur.
Arthur was an absolute pro the entire shoot, not at all demanding or overbearing. The agency provided him with a gift basket of canine snacks to keep him happy on set and he didn't seem to mind working closely with the child actors. It wasn't until near the end of the shoot when Arthur's owner/wrangler told us the steamy story of Arthur's libidinous past. It seems the little guy was quite the stud. Literally. Arthur spent the earlier part of his life living in a box as a device for producing pups. It sounded to me like something you would do with a cumbersome kitchen gadget that was too awkward to leave on the counter, but could always be pulled out when needed. He was rescued by his owners and now lives the life of a star. I say, Bravo! to Arthur. Sometimes the little guys do get a break. I'm sure he'll be working for a very long time.

Podcast Friday

2005-03-25T18:13:00.000-05:00

I hope you enjoyed last Friday's Podcast with Seeds and Stems. This week we are continuing in that same vein with three very different cuts from three North Carolina bands. We'll start it off on the east coast with Trent Boswell's Plastic infinity with their song "Looking for a way" from their CD Flagship. We then go west to the mountains of North Carolina for Ras Allen and the Lions. with the cut "Textile town". From his CD Native. Then we'll finish this weeks Podcast from deep in the Green Swamps of Columbus County with Hard Luck's recording of Sweet Abuse. There were many other NC bands that I could have added but we'll save those for a future Podcast.

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The good, the bad, and the carpet

2005-03-25T10:59:00.000-05:00

The Good...

Wilmington, is a Restaurant intensive town. There are more restaurants, diners, and fast food joints per capita in the Wilmington area than any comparable city in the southeast. With this weekend being the beginning of the tourist season, spring break and Easter, finding a place to dine without the long wait is difficult even in a food centric town such as this. Dani and I had received a buy 1 get 1 free coupon in the mail from one of our favorite Italian restaurants (Giorgio's) and It being Thursday, this was the most logical day to really enjoy it. We had a pleasant meal with enough leftover to fill 2 large styrene containers. I don't know if you can scale it from the photo but the restaurant uses dinner plates that are a more than generous, 14" across. The food was delicious, and with the coupon, shockingly inexpensive.

The Bad...

We forgot to feed the dogs.

The Carpet...

I can imagine the two of them, like children, having the following conversation:
Sydney: So what do you want for dinner?
LB: Hmm, something smells really good in the green box under the sink.
Sydney: Yea, I guess they won't mind, I mean we're doing them a favor.
LB: Dibs on the tin foil!
...Nuff said.

Signs of Spring #2

2005-03-24T12:04:00.000-05:00

The Parrot dancing at the title to this post is my son Tudor. Dani and I inherited him from my mother (still living). He is an Amazon Double Yellow, of unknown age and is currently driving Dani and I berserk! When he is being good, he is an amazingly intelligent, talkative and highly entertaining kid. But with the sudden change of seasons, Tudor has become a spastic, screaming monster that is winning us no favor with our neighbors. I am trying to enjoy the warm, fresh gentle breezes via open doors and windows, but to unfamiliar passers by it sounds all the world of an elderly woman being brutally tortured, while another female voice is screaming, "Shut up or I'll kill you!" and this will go on all day. I am patiently awaiting the arrival of the police or a SWAT team or perhaps social services to investigate us wicked people who are flaying their poor old grandmother. Perhaps all he needs is some hot South American parrot sex. I'm looking into the cost of a live chicken.

Cheap Whiskers

2005-03-23T15:54:00.000-05:00

Ok, let me say this first, I will never again wear a mustache, (knowingly). I hate shaving. I remember when I was a kid I could not wait to be old enough to grow whiskers and shave. Foolish, foolish child. When I was in the service I had to shave sometimes twice a day. I hated it. And now when I look in the mirror and see what appears like a homeless man looking back at me, I say it again. I HATE SHAVING. It's not bad enough that it's lengthy routine. Waiting for the water to heat up, futzing with a clogged can of shaving cream, trying to find a decent cartridge, and why , why in the world do razor cartridges cost $14.00 a 4 pack. There are the careful deft movements that cannot be safely accomplished first thing in the morning. I usually wind up doing a skin graft harvest that would bleed just as badly if I had used a potato peeler. If I'm lucky enough, and have not lost too much blood, there is still the mandatory cleaning of the sink, followed by 20 minutes or so of burning discomfort. AAAAhhhgghh! I pray one day they will come out with a chemo-powered device that would just make your whiskers fall out. I have tried everything to make my blades last longer than 3 shaves, washing them out diligently and spraying them dry with canned compressed air. Nothing works. The manufacturers have me right where the want me. I'm like an addict who doesn't even enjoy the increasingly expensive fix. Shaving is poop!

Of Dogs and Thunder

2005-03-23T12:57:00.000-05:00

Sydney hates thunder

It started yesterday, the rains and the inevitable thunder. Dani and I generally keep an eye on the weather. Whenever a thunderstorm is immanent we have no choice but to sedate our Australian Shepherd mix, Sydney, I don't know what it is about thunder but it sends Syd into absolute terror. The shaking, the projectile shedding, poor kid. We keep a marinade injector for use in administering her children's Benedryl and this seems to work well. I just hope that it's not a stormy season this year. It seems sad to keep her drugged up day after day. She's usually such a happy kid.

Painting Tuesdays.

2005-03-22T08:58:00.000-05:00

I'd like to thank Cori of http://coricorner.blogspot.com/ for the link to one of the slickest paint programs I have used. The limited and primitive tools give you an end result more painterly satisfying than Corel or Photoshop. Since I work with those two programs, this was more like play. Very relaxing, very satisfying. More like what creating art used to feel like. And so I leave this link for anyone else who would like to join the online artist's colony. : http://artpad.art.com/artpad/painter/ the program is called art pad digital canvas and is sponsored free for online use by art.com I plan on posting one new image each Tuesday right after I wake up and have coffee. This should be interesting.

Great Holiday (maybe a little short.)

2005-03-21T13:48:00.000-05:00

Well, Dani and I are back from our "Fabulous" if not, a little too short vacation. We had a great time but It's good to be back with the menagerie. I think we missed the animals more than they missed us, but what can you do?,...Kids. I am going to break this post into sections to keep continuity for the days that the blog was left un-posted.

Thursday March, 17
I hope you had the opportunity to check out the Podcast. If anyone is interested the entire CD is available for download at Real.com
It was great having my old bandmates over for St. Pat's to catch up on what life has offered over the past few years. We got together over at my house and over many beers and much talk and laughter Dani and I called it a night.

L-R Lee Foy: songwriter, guitarist, vocalist. Sara Swart: design diva. Todd Miller: congas, bongos, shaky things.

Friday March, 18
Dani and I drove to Raleigh to catch the Amtrak to Washington, DC. It was a 6 hour ride that stretched into 7-1/2 hours by the time the train hit Union Station. This may seem more obvious to the European readers than those from the US ( the majority of Americans have never tried the train) but, the Amtrak rocks for transportation. Larger more spacious seats than a plane, useful onboard destinations like a club car including bartender and lounge, a dining car with tablecloth covered tables and uniformed waiters. And compared to driving, the train travels quite fast between towns with infrequent and very short stops. All and all we arrived relatively well rested. We booked a room in a really unique DC hotel.

This is the funkiest hotel I have seen. Super contemporary decor. A really fun place to stay.

Check out the sleeping nook, hidden behind the curved curtain wall.

Free complimentary champagne daily from 5-6

I was talking to the hotel's head barkeep AJ, a fellow blogger at www.isthebartenderhere.blogspot.com He passed along some interesting information concerning the history of the building now occupied by the Hotel Helix. It seems, in a previous life the building was a Washington, DC. HoJo's. No that's not exactly right, This was The Hojo's. The Howard Johnson's in which former DC mayor Marion Barry was escorted from, in irons, for his famous crack cocaine escapade. A fascinating storyteller and stellar bartender, AJ is a wealth of amusing but true information and a definite "must visit" for anyone finding themselves in the area.

"Dani's sister Mara met us at the hotel
and took us to a fantastic restaurant."

Obviously, this is a very popular place, It was packed. The food however made the wait worthwhile and we left stuffed but happily satisfied.

Saturday, March 19
We got up early on Saturday and luckily the weather was more than comfortable. Dani and I started our trek by foot at 7 am visiting the monuments and museums, ( I decided not to bore you with the obvious images of landmarks you have all seen too many times), but this being my first trip to DC, I must say I was very impressed to see them firsthand.
Ok, there are 2 images I will post without benefit of description.

By the end of the day we had walked for 9 hours. We finished it off at a Ethiopian restaurant, exceptional. Spicy but very good. Thank you Mara !

Sunday, March 20
Today was Dani and I's 1-1/2 year Anniversary. We packed our bags and bid farewell to the fabulous Hotel Helix and spent the morning at sister Mara's Apartment. Her boyfriend, the amazing and very entertaining Scott had prepared a fine breakfast with all the trimmings. Thank you Scott !
It was nice to kick back and relax before our return to Union Station. We had a pleasant ride back to NC. A little tired, a little sad to leave DC so soon. But nonetheless content with a great holiday.

Podcast Friday (This week Thursday)

2005-03-16T20:27:00.000-05:00

This will be the final post until Dani and I return from DC on Sunday evening. So please enjoy the Podcast. The music is from my old band's second cd , they are songs that really mean a lot to me.
We will be taking plenty of photos of our trip so stay tuned.

*If you don't have an iPod and don't want to download software you can always stream it from my server. Just click.

Counting Down

2005-03-16T12:51:00.000-05:00

Things are pretty hectic around here timewise. My old bandmates from Seeds and Stems will be arriving from San Diego and Charlotte on Thursday for the St. Pat's holiday. Then Dani and I will be leaving for DC very early the following morning. I'll be taking the digicam so there will be lots of photos. So much to do, so little time. I'll be posting the Friday Podcast on Thursday this week, so be sure to check it out. There will be two cuts from our second CD "Devil on my shoulder", I'm sure that you'll enjoy. If you have not yet subscribed to the weekly podcast, just click the little orange XML button in the right sidebar, you'll get all the info you need.

Your BLOG in Hardcover?

2005-03-14T09:14:00.000-05:00

After much thought about my upcoming unemployment see ides of march, I decided to take advantage of one of my expert hobbies and employ it as an income producing part-time job.
I learned bookbinding many years back in New Orleans while sharing a group art space with several other talented artists. I was producing high quality blank books for poets, writers, musicians and other artists which gave me the opportunity to produce a mock-up novel for a Louisiana writer. Over the years I have had a lot of fun with book-binding mostly because I enjoy meticulous, exacting projects, (think masochist.) Anyway if there are any frustrated writers out there who would like to convert their beloved blog into 1 or 2 hardcover books, I would be more than happy to oblige. They really are quite beautiful pieces. Click here for more info.

-The most popular book I ever produced was titled "What man knows about women", 250 pages, all blank. : )

Sunday, sunday redux 5

2005-03-13T15:53:00.000-05:00

Oh, what a beautiful day! Today was a day like we have not seen since late last summer. The crazy winds of March have finally abated and allowed the temps to reach a balmy 72. I spent the earlier part of the day re-writing my resume, an item I have not needed for over 10 years. Oh, the thrill of trying to remember names, dates and places after a decade has passed. but all turned out well. I actually impressed myself after reading the list of skills and talents I have acquired since my last resume writing. Dani and I then made a dent in the ever-growing hell, that was once a functioning garage we even got started on hanging the shelves. All in all a very pleasant day. We are getting ready to leave for downtown, Dani's sister Alyssa is taking us out to dinner. Way cool. Maybe I'll take the digicam.

Oh yea, the beach photo was captured live from the Wrightsville Beach, Beachcam just now. I told you it was beautiful. : ) Watch the Beach-Cam Live

Scary new game

2005-03-12T15:26:00.000-05:00

Dani and I were driving across town today to see my brother. Along the way I decided to count the cars that we passed, stopping the count when I came to a car driven by someone talking on their cellphone. After many such trials the highest number I reached was 11. The average was 4. Many of the counts stopped at 1 or 2. Bear in mind that Wilmington statistically has the highest accident rates for the state of North Carolina. Studies have proven, the majority of these accidents involved cellphone use (or rain). I think it would be difficult to find very many people who don't at least know someone who was involved in a even a fender bender which was cellphone related. Still the incessant chatter goes on. I'm sure the majority is mindless conversation that could wait for a more appropriate time and place. Yet for each accident, it is always the fault of only one of the parties involved. So no matter how careful or how experienced you are behind the wheel, your life is pretty much always in jeopardy for the sake of someone else's uncontrolled blathering. And from the results of my little counting game. It can happen any one of 4 or 5 times within a city block. How safe are you in your locale? Try the game. See for yourself. But play it like I did, from the passenger side. I wish you well.

The Ides of March

2005-03-11T18:04:00.000-05:00

I'm not really shocked, actually I'm more annoyed than anything else. I got the word yesterday that the New York based company I work for is closing their North Carolina facility. Now although I work from home, I was, after all, the art dept. for the facility that's closing so needless to say after 9 years of job security, I am...I don't even know what to call it. I'm not fired, not really laid off, as there is no chance of ever returning. Terminated? Whatever. I can't really blame the company, it really has more to do with the lifting of trade tariffs with China. This is just another NC textile company losing out to the cheaper labor overseas. Sure you could say, "Yea, your greedy employers are selling out!", But it's not their fault either. You see, the company makes a huge portion of it's yearly sales from Walmart, and Walmart will only pay the lowest price available for an item. And those prices cannot be met by a manufacturer paying American labor. So am I annoyed with Walmart? Let's just say I'm going to need those lower prices until I find another job. As far as the government removal of trade tariffs against an aggressive communist country at the expense of it's own workers. I can only shake my head, and seek a less politically sensitive job. Know anyone hiring?

Premier of Cafe Caribeand Podcast Fridays

2005-03-11T10:14:00.000-05:00

Today marks the beginning of our new weekly feature, Podcast Fridays. Podcasting, for anyone who is not familiar, is a fun, fast and simple way to subscribe absolutely FREE, to content such as music broadcasts, video, and/or text media using an ipod or even your My Yahoo or My MSN account. FREE software like, iPodder will also let you subscribe to the feeds, even if you do not own an iPod. Here is an easy way to understand how it works. Think of it as a cross between TiVo and email. If you find a show or other content, such as Cafe Caribe, on the web and you think it may be something that you would enjoy, you would just click on the little  button on that website or blog, copy and paste the RSS address that the orange button takes you to, into your iPodder feed reader or your

My Yahoo or My MSN  "add content, box" and you are subscribed. Now every time a new podcast is broadcast, it will automatically be transferred to your iPod, other mobile device or computer. Simple, clean and best of all since it happens automatically there is no waiting for downloads because it is already downloaded when it arrives. Pretty gosh darn neat, huh?

*If you don't have an iPod and don't want to download software you can always stream it from my server. Just click.

Podcast Friday's Cafe Caribe

2005-03-10T17:12:00.000-05:00

Beginning this Friday at 5:00pm and continuing every week, I will be sharing, via Podcast, what I believe to be some of the most relaxing and beautiful music ever written. I became a fan of Brazilian and Caribbean Jazz many years ago and to this day it always conjures strong mental images of warm summer days lazily lounging on a soft sandy beach, cocktail in hand... there I go.
Anyway, I hope you subscribe and enjoy, you may as well its absolutely free. An mp3 feed of the podcast can be heard simply by clicking the button below. Anyone for a Mohito?

Oh, and by the way the sexy voice of Audra only exists within my PC.
To subscribe to the weekly Podcasts, click the small orange XML button in the sidebar to the right.

Signs of spring?

2005-03-09T10:52:00.000-05:00

After yesterday's Big Blow I was really surprised to see this scene outside my door. This was only one tree of many, sporting a canopy of unknown birds. (Perhaps you can tell me.) If I had not looked up, I probably would never have noticed. For all their numbers, they never made a sound. Maybe they are tired from their journey, or mourning the passing of their brothers, the chickens. I can only hope this is a sign of warmer days to come. I mean, really, enough is too much.

Mmmmmm, Chicken.

2005-03-08T22:41:00.000-05:00

Today, yet another fine example of the relationship between, March, the lion and the lamb. And quite frankly, I'm pretty sick of the lion. The winds were more than extreme today. There was a report on the radio this afternoon that gusts were clocked at the Wilmington airport reaching 85 mph. (75 mph. constitutes hurricane force winds). There were two reports on the evening news tonight concerning the weather related slaughter of chickens. In Sampson county, NC the roofs of two chicken coops on a poultry farm were peeled off by high winds. killing 23,000 birds. In Columbia SC. a semi truck hauling chickens overturned by high winds on a busy highway killing another hundred. Seems the lion of March has declared open season on chickens. I'm just waiting on the lamb.

Clowns and other animals.

2005-03-08T13:30:00.000-05:00

I was visiting the site of fellow blogger NJ, and after reading his post about the monkey, I was reminded of a bizzarre little story that happened to me when I was but a young tyke. I originally left my tale on NJ's site as a comment, but after 20 minutes of the image playing itself over and over in my head I decided that this would become an "all this,...really?" post.

There was this one time when as a kid at the fair, I saw this guy dressed as a clown making balloon animals as a tethered goat looked on. The clown guy then reached into his pocket and produced an un-inflated balloon and pressed it to the goat's lips. He then began to stroke the goat's throat as he sang a little song and the goat, I kid you not, (no pun intended), blew up the ballon. That was cool I guess, but later that night a thought entered my mind. "How in the world did the guy ever figure out that the goat could do this in the first place?" I mean the very first time he did this, Why was he doing this? Then the whole thing about clowns being all... you know the story. Anyway, Just thought I'd share that. Sorry if you are all wigged out now.

- True story,...just so you know.

TTS audio theatre

2005-03-07T17:15:00.000-05:00

Goofing off this afternoon and doing some mindless surfing to quell the boredom of a particularly tedious web graphics job. I ran across a site I had actually seen a year or so back:

http://www.research.att.com/projects/tts/demo.html

It's an AT&T research demo site for text to speech technology. So I, of course had to mess with it. They have 13 voices, American, Latin, French, German, British, both male and female. I noticed that there were a lot of words that when typed in correctly sounded stilted or incomprehensible, so I tried entering them phonetically. This yielded much better results. There is a check box that will generate a link to your CG verbage that can be right click saved to edit into your own radio theatre.

Nothing particularly cutting edge, but as bored as I was, I got a chuckle nonetheless.

you can have a listen by clicking here.

Sunday, sunday redux-4

2005-03-06T13:45:00.000-05:00

I have chosen today as the day that I will wrap up all my computer related side jobs so I can start the week fresh. Today's post is a photographic essay of the other things that were going on simultaneously and within 2 blocks of yesterdays mission.

This is Bouty Baldridge (pronounced: Booty). He was down on the river front exhibiting his solar panel equipped car. I asked him how much power was provided by the panels, he explained that the panels provided him with 2 miles driving time on a one day charge (provided it is sunny). Anyway he said it is a 2.5 mile ride to work. So if the weather is with him, he only needs fuel for 3 miles each day.

In the same general area as Bouty's exhibit, there was an anti-war / Bush Bash going on. Seeing as though there are thousands of political blogs out there, I have decided not to post the photos taken. If you would like copies please request them in the comments area. I will be glad to email them to you. Some clever capitalist hippy chicks were on hand for the rally selling their wares.

On a related note, I did have a conversation with these 2 young Marines who shared their story of how badly they were treated by the downtown club owners, the night before. It seems the doormen tell our fighting men that the club is for "members only" yet they let absolutely any and all civilians in. I guess occupational profiling is in effect here. Sad, sad, sad. And for shame...tsk, tsk, tsk.

One street up, on Front. It was the usual Saturday circus. These youths were on their way to a busy corner for some serious sidewalk serenade.

As was local busker and Microsoft certified computer engineer Craig Thompson.

And such is a very typical Saturday... That is, until the upcoming tourist season.

Anticlimactic at best.

2005-03-05T20:40:00.000-05:00

Hmmm,...well,... In this modern atmosphere of fearful terrorist activity I at least expected to be stopped for questioning. Maybe I just figured that everyone is just as paranoid as I am, is that so bad? Anyway, I made it to the Hilton, camera in hand, with the intent of bee-lining towards the elevator. To my surprise the building was practically vacant.

The front desk was unmanned as was my path to the elevator. I was tempted to just take the stairs.

I have the theme song to "Mission Impossible" Playing in my head although it is quite apparent that not a soul is aware of my presence. I could just as easily have walked in dragging the carcass of a dead cow, I mean, after all I am here to foil the evil plans of one of New York's wealthiest materials brokers, (Shhh, I don't want to say too much.) I walk towards the elevator. A family on vacation from Jersey (my guess) exits the lift as I board. My heart beats abusively against my chest as I watch the floor indicator's numbers rise.

At "9" the doors open the hall is completely vacant with the exception of the forgotten maids cart. And I walk towards the light, to the end of the hall, to the un-curtained window. My finger reaches for the camera's power switch...I'm thinking, Dude, W.T.F. stop the music. It's just a photo. Just take the picture...Worse yet from my vantage point I am certain, the whole point of the photo is null. The effect that Mr. Big will have on the landscape is a mere bump between here and the horizon. My client will be utterly disappointed. As I said I was hoping for an uneventful day.

Hopeful for an uneventful day...

2005-03-05T09:55:00.000-05:00

Hopefully this will represent only my first post of the day. You see, today I am on a mission. I am off the Wilmington Hilton downtown in an effort to get a photograph, through a window, from as high up the building as I can get, of a wooded area in the next county. It's a long and complicated story, let's just say, it is important to a family friend that I get this photo for use in a photo simulation for a private group, in their effort to stop the evil Mr. Big. I know, I'm laughing too. But in reality this is exactly what I am doing today. As I was saying, it is my hope to post an update later today.
Stay Tuned...

I hope they like us...

2005-03-04T20:05:00.000-05:00

Ok, it's not like I'm intentionally trying to freak you out. No, that's not my deal. This is just something that I, perhaps have spent a little too much time thinking about. And you know, I would find it really hard to believe that I was the only one. Follow me on this one. People, yea, they are everywhere. but not actually. If you find a space where a person is not, (or, for that matter is), Get down on your hands and knees. Yea, I'm serious, get down and stare at the ground. What do you see?...Dirt?,... Just wait,... Look there it is,... An ant. How did I know that? Lets just say, there is not an inch of the crust of the dry earth that is not inhabited by ants. Yea, that includes not only under your feet when you are outdoors but every square inch under your house, the driveway, the roads and highways, restaurants, schools. Get it? The ground, the very reality we inhabit is teeming, no, seething with ants. It is as if the actual skin of the earth was in fact a singular colony of ants dusted with a minute quantity of dirt above which we inhabit. Oh, you doubt me? Ha! From this point forward, wherever you are, wherever you may travel, within the populous or off some long forgotten road. Drop to your knees man, see for yourself, the very flesh, nay, the living shroud of the earth. Oh, I almost forgot,... They are great coated with chocolate...I hope they didn't hear me write that.

You're a Winner!...Not.

2005-03-04T15:04:00.000-05:00

Look, don't even start. I am not bitter. I understand odds. I believe there are more deserving souls than me. (maybe 2 or 3). But I can't help but feel that if I am playing by the rules, their rules, then at least they should follow in kind. Case in point; The Dell Delf Winter Sweepstakes. Remember this one? 5 grand prize winners, each getting a 2005 Cadillac Escalade filled with electronics. Dani and I entered every day as set forth on the rules. They had a winners posting schedule of the days new winners names would be posted, 1 winner per week for 5 weeks. Not only did they not follow this schedule, but by the end of the sweeps only 3 winners were posted. The day after the contest finale no reference to the sweepstakes existed on their website. Ok, I was annoyed but I also felt that if I had won, I would have used up my luck for Case in point #2; The 2005 HGTV Dreamhouse Giveaway. Again Dani and I had entered every day for a month and a half. We made plans for using the $250,000 cash that came with the house to pay the taxes on the million dollar house, sell our car and keep the GMC Denali (another part of the prize). The contest rules stated, the winner would be chosen on Thursday March 17th. Yet oddly enough the winner was chosen yesterday morning, March 3rd. *swallowing bile*. But still I'm not bitter. You see, actually I did win. The daily entries netted me some 120 extra pieces of spam per day in my email inbox. Yay! What a total pile of poo.

Neighborhood Gangsta'

2005-03-03T14:06:00.000-05:00

This is my next door neighbor, a Carolina Beach police officer with his beautiful antique automobile. He is giving it a bath and wax for an upcoming classic car show at the beach the weekend of March 11th. It is very rare to see the car outside of his garage, so needless to say, I had to get the digicam and take a picture. Perhaps if Dani and I don't have any plans that weekend, we'll go and I'll post photo's of the cars in attendance. It's such a sweeeet ride.

la France bienvenue / España agradable, etc.

2005-03-03T09:34:00.000-05:00

Welcome, France / Spain / Portugal / Japan...

I added the little Geoloc visitor counter / locator (see lower sidebar.) yesterday morning and found out how superior Blogger is to a standard web page. For a free web presence to accumulate any visitor hits by random in a 24 hour period is amazing. To recieve International notice in the first 2 hours is absolutely astounding. Blogger Rules!

Cheating at Scrabble

2005-03-02T20:56:00.000-05:00

My Wife Dani and I were out running errands today, which took us to the new Mayfaire Center side of town. It being close to dinner time and hoping to avoid the leftover noodle stew (not as bad as it sounds), we decided to give the "Qdoba" Mexican grill a try. I know, I was thinking the same thing, there seems to be a "u" missing after the "Q". I did ponder this during dinner and came to the conclusion that the restaurant must have been named during a losing turn at Scrabble. Anyway, the place was surprisingly very good. Meaning, from the outside I thought it was a typical national corporate chain affair like Applebee's or TGI Friday's. Upon entering, I saw the walkup order counter, like a McDonald's or a Burger King with a large floating menu board overhead. As we decided what we were having, I realized it was more of a custom build-it-your-way joint like Subway's only the quality of the food items and choices looked much better, as did the overall design of the place. As I watched the Master Burrito Builder ply her craft on our order.

I was shocked by the size of the thing, each as big as two adult fists, if not bigger. They even had an iced cold Negro Modelo to wash it down. So far a real surprise. We then found a table and feasted. My thoughts,... This burrito is very big, very filling, and oh, so very good! I picked up a brochure that sat upon the table and found this:

For a price they will provide everything you need to feed from 20-100 people inclusive of everything. Chafing pans, stands, fuel, plates, napkins, utensils, pre-prepped food and instructions. We are thinking perhaps a Cinco de Mayo get together. Can we count you in?

In like a Lion

2005-03-01T08:09:00.000-05:00

Happy March. It is said March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb, and today that says it all. Temps in the 40's. 30-40 mile an hour winds. It's just poop. The upside, it's the beginning of a new month. The usage meter on my rental server resets and lo and behold, "Photos and Videos are back!". My apologies to family members and any regular readers who may be out there. The weekend Blog Carnival wiped out my allotted 3Gb's of bandwidth for last month and I had to hit the kill switch to avoid a huge bill. Speaking of huge, March promises to be an exciting month. Good friends and prior "Seeds and Stems" band mates Todd Miller (San Diego) and Lee Foy (Charlotte) are coming to town for a visit. Preceding Me and Dani's D.C. trip...So stay tuned!

Todd Miller, Bryan Bollick, Lee Foy, Me

Sunday, sunday (Re-Redux)

2005-02-27T19:58:00.000-05:00

Today is "Clean up that pig you call an office, Day" It has come to the point where I cant stand to come in here anymore. How does this happen?

...Later that day.

Yea, ok fine. So it took all day, but at least I'll be able to start the work week in an area of order and sanity. I found several slips of paper I've been looking for. All in all a day well spent.

My wife, the Ar-teest!

2005-02-26T21:57:00.000-05:00

Dani pulled out her canvas blanks yesterday and decided to create some art for the hallway.

She finished two canvases in two days and I might add, I really like the pieces. They really set off the hall.

What do you think?

Sydney's 10 second film debut.

2005-02-25T16:48:00.000-05:00

A couple of years ago I entered Syd in a competition to make a 10 second film. She wasn't really busy so she halfheartedly accepted. There were over 1,000 submissions yet Syd made it into the top 10. I just stumbled onto the feed by accident today and was surprised that it was still up and running. Click the dog pic to view the short.

"This is Stop #2 for the 28th Carnival of the Recipes"

2005-02-25T14:28:00.000-05:00

A big Thank you to Rocket Jones for hosting this weeks Carnival. I was shocked to see the sheer amount of hits received on this site in a mere matter of hours. I have been and will continue to be more than happy to answer any specific questions you may have concerning the recipes, techniques or anything else for that matter. I'm working on more new and unique food posts for the coming weeks so be sure to check back. In the meanwhile I hope you enjoy your visit.

Happy Birthday Sis!

2005-02-24T11:37:00.000-05:00

Yea, that's a shame.

2005-02-24T09:47:00.000-05:00

My sympathies to Sarah, but a talented vocalist can make it without being an icky American Idol. ;)

"So come back to Wilmington and get to work!"

Yea, it's that chick from Moe Black.

2005-02-22T20:31:00.000-05:00

Sarah Mather from her "MOE BLACK" days

Ok, so I knew the girl looked familiar. It's Sarah Mather, Wilmington, North Carolina's entry into competition for this years FOX American Idol. I had to dig through some old photo's from 2002 when my old band "Seeds and Stems" played the House of Blues with another Wilmington Band "Moe Black." Anyway and sho'nuff there she was, a younger, straighter haired Sarah Mather. Wish you all the Luck. The whole town is pulling for you. Go kick some booty!

Happy Prez. Day!

2005-02-21T14:40:00.000-05:00

It's Presidents Day once again,...What?, You don't know how to celebrate it?
Here's an idea. Go to the bank and from your personal account release one each of the captive presidents; 1 Franklin, 1 Grant, 1 Jackson, 1 Hamilton, 1 Lincoln, 1 Washington. Now take them to the nearest bar and let them do something for you. Do not leave until they have all found a new home, this gives them the opportunity to yet again help their country through economic means. Good luck and happy Presidents Day.

**Amendment**
In my haste to gather the dead from my checking account, I did not realize the grievous yet elementary error I had made in the above post. Fellow Blogger NittanyDude Quickly commented "Ummmm...Franklin and Hamilton were never presidents." And I thank you, but I add "Yes,... You are correct. But I honestly believe that they would have made much better Presidents than our more recent options, and Franklin, the fun loving guy he is, really makes the party. Presidents alone $76.00 Presidents with friends $186.00 Better for me...Better for the economy."

**Second Amendment**
Arrrrggghh! The banks are closed! And so goes another useless Presidents day.

Sunday, sunday, redux

2005-02-20T14:35:00.000-05:00

Not much to write about today. Sore legs from all the walking on yesterday's photo safari. Talked to mom...endlessly.

Saturday Walkabout

2005-02-19T21:47:00.000-05:00

Today was impressive in it's fair weather and absolute beauty. I was fortunate to get out and downtown to spend the day with a fully charged digicam and an empty 64 meg memory stick. And so it begins...

The colorful facade is all that is left of the old Bailey movie theatre more and more is removed every year to make room for progress, very sad. Behind you can see one of the new parking decks.

Along my walk I ran across the obligatory downtown dogs.

This guy was was tied to a corner lamppost waiting for his owner to finish her coffee.

This one apparently had too much coffee.

Which results in no more coffee sales to dogs.

This is the very end of Market Street where it abruptly ends at the Cape Fear River.

The main intersection of the historic central business district.

On the horizon, the Battleship USS North Carolina.

One of 20+ coffee houses.

Left over graphics from a television shoot.

The free Trolley.

Mmmm,...Pizza!

Payday Friday

2005-02-18T20:20:00.000-05:00


Normally I love a payday Friday. I get out of bed a little earlier and after a nice cup of coffee I creep ever so quietly into my home office, careful not to wake the sleeping parrot, and log onto my online banking website to verify that the office of my employment has Direct Deposited my hard earned pay.
Imagine my horror when I find it is short almost $200.00. Ok, I'll just wait until 9 o'clock and call the local office girl, surely she will find the problem. Meanwhile there's

online

train and hotel reservations to be made for our upcoming D.C. trip and I am happy to find that I only have one more payment left on our living room set.
So 9 o'clock rolls around and I make the call:

Me: There seems to be a discrepancy with my pay.
Office Girl: Yea, I've heard that from everyone this morning, it's the companies new health insurance plan.
Me: ! (imagine)

And so I find that our future at this point is going to be $400.00 a month less enriched. The company in it's never ending campaign to cut costs has changed our corporate health insurance plans and now we're looking at a surprise $5,200.00 a year pay cut.
Dani and I had a discussion over dinner about how we can increase our total combined income. And you know, I think everything is going to work out fine.
Stay tuned... you're going to love this. NEXT " The Plan"

Blogger in a Time Warp

2005-02-17T14:37:00.000-05:00

A very strange yet humorous thing happened while surfing blogs today, it was as if I had entered a time warp. For some reason I was taken to a blog site with the current post date of September 13, 2004. I could not have been more amused by the following exchange in the comment area.

Due to the long length of this post, I have decided to link to the original to save space. Click Here.

Oh, and don't forget to come back.

Ooooow,...Did I say something wrong?

2005-02-16T11:28:00.000-05:00

Debate me if I'm wrong, but...

Pleeeease be a rational adult and read this post in it's entirety before getting all defensive and hurt. It is only my intention to bring into focus one absolute fact that is often disregarded by vegetarians and vegans. I frequently hear, "I don't eat meat, I am a vege....etc." and that's ok, that is totally your choice, I am a huge fan of animals too. However, whenever I hear one of the "V" people state with utter conviction, "Mankind was not meant to eat meat." well, I have to cringe at the sheer amount of logic that has simply eluded the speaker. Allow me to illustrate just a sliver of this logic. For the sake of simplicity in this demonstration we will be looking at two simple physical characteristics in animals when divided into two categories. 1. Predators and 2. Prey.
Characteristics of predators: Foreward looking eyes, dental incisors.
Characteristics of prey: Eyes located on side of head, lack of dental incisors.
I can go into a much more complicated anatomical listing of characteristics but on just this tiny bit of information any logical person can absolutely be certain that if you do not look like this...

...You are not prey and therefore were meant to eat a variety of foodstuffs including but not limited to MEAT. Whether or not you choose to do so is completely up to you. Any questions?

Flashback 2002

2005-02-15T09:40:00.000-05:00

The Piano project.

Yet one more reason I'm forced to work from home.

This is glimpse into one of the last reality manipulations I created at the textile facility just two weeks prior to being reassigned as a telecommuting graphic artist.
It began on Friday, February 1st. 2002 at 11:00 when there was nothing workwise going on. The boss came up behind me and asked me what I was doing. This I thought was an odd question because he, being the boss knew there was absolutely no real work to do. Perhaps I was being a little sarcastic with my response and really just wanted to go home, but anyway he tells me, "Why don't you get rid of that pile of boxes", pointing into a far corner of the plant. Ok, I may have been feeling a little arrogant but my thoughts were, 1. I was certainly not hired to haul trash. and 2. I knew the boss was leaving shortly to go golfing. And so the project of getting rid of the boxes begins.

If you look closely you can see the pile of boxes in the background.

Expression, being a personal friend mandates, "anything worth doing is worth doing large. So after a few pencil lines and a quick change of razor blades, the project took on a recognizable form.

By the time the boss returned the following Tuesday all the boxes were gone, I had not made a single trip to the dumpster and today I celebrate my third year of working from home.

Valentines Day Appetizer

2005-02-14T15:09:00.000-05:00

I like the little toothpicks, it just keeps things so much neater.

Ok,... So I killed Valentines Day. I should know by now that when a woman say's she doesn't want anything, it does not mean she wants "nothing."
Yep,... I should feel guilty. Dani bought the lobster :(

Worlds Best Dive

2005-02-13T11:25:00.000-05:00

Local Pub & Cemetery

Cheers from Wilmington, North Carolina
Let me introduce you to quite possibly "the worlds best dive." A dark, old, stagnant hole of a pub the likes of, you'd rarely find in a decent community. Let me tell you a little personal history of the Barbary Coast. I stumbled upon this ancient den some 12-14 odd years ago when I first came to Wilmington. The front window being mirrored in one direction like a state troopers sunglasses in an old 70's movie, I was unable to view the interior from sidewalk level. I noticed a lit neon sign above the door which read, "This is it". I opened the heavy steel and gated door and peered into the darkness that spread before me. It took a few seconds for my eyes to adjust to the utter lack of light, but as they did I was able to discern a large brown dog sprawled across the surface of the bar and a small handful of colorful looking patrons. It was perhaps 1:00 in the afternoon, and it appeared these folk had been drinking for quite some time. I quickly closed the door and headed back down towards the more civilized end of Front street.
It was probably two years later after I became a live in resident of the downtown business district that I became a regular of the Barbary. I used to bring my python "Pythagorus" in with me, for he had many friends among the denizens of the pub. He would spend hours slithering from one end of the bar to the other, slurping up spilled beer and making goofy faces. Pythagorus has since passed on but he was not the only one. Tony was a carpenter and part of the after 5:00 after work crowd that made their way to the Barbary daily. Tony was a good friend, his ashes reside in a container, on a shelf behind the bartender. Nearby a hand drawn memorial to Hector is pinned to the wall. Hector was a very young man who was unfortunate enough to fall from a tree as a teen rendering himself paralyzed. Many a night I wheeled Hector home from the Barbary when he was too buzzed to make it on his own. Hector died a young man, a friend. Entering the Barbary, one of the first things you will notice is the skeletal remains of the evil queen, a prop from the movie Super Mario Brothers. She hangs larger than life in an eternal grimace, from the fatal shock she received at the end of the film. But you know, I really don't find this to be a morbid place, I count many old and dear friends among the regulars. This is also the place where I first met my wife Dani. If your ever in town, don't be afraid to drop in.

No, it's not raw fish,....It's Gravlax

2005-02-12T11:00:00.000-05:00

Mmm. yum, Gravlax!


Nothing says "Good morning" with such international flair than a toasted bagel with cream cheese and really fresh, homemade, Jewish, Icelandic, Norwegian, Gravlax. Store bought lox cannot compare in texture, taste or especially price. In fact for the price you pay for a measly little package of lox at the grocery store, you can convert an entire salmon into the freshest, most delicate and delectable fish flesh to ever graze a bagel.
How?... So glad you asked. First purchase a nice fillet of wild Alaskan salmon. You can use farm raised but the wild is only slightly more expensive and the flavor is soooo much better. When you pick out your salmon, hold it to your nose and really smell it. Fresh fish has little or no odor at all, refuse any fish that smells like fish or has dark discolorations.

Ok, you brought your fish home. Unwrap your salmon and rinse it well under cool running water, both flesh and silver skin sides. Lay fillet on a pad of several paper towels and thoroughly pat dry with additional paper towels.

Your basic curing mixture is a combination of the following: 1/2 cup course kosher salt 1/2 cup dark brown (old fashioned) brown sugar 1/4 cup course ground black peppercorns (this takes a little time to hand mill) 2 Tablespoons of granulated garlic powder Not Garlic Salt
Mix all ingredients together well. When complete the mixture should look like course but slightly moist and crumbly beach sand. The moisture comes from the salt pulling the dampness from the brown sugar.

Lay your salmon fillet skin side down on a length of clear plastic wrap and spoon your curing mixture onto the fillet.

Make sure you cover all surfaces and edges including the cut edge. Pack this on well, like building a sand sculpture. Pull all excess mixture towards the fillet leaving the plastic wrap fairly clean.

Now take an additional length of plastic wrap and cover your fillet securely, mating the top sheet to the bottom sheet and carefully flipping over.

Carefully remove the plastic wrap from the silver skin side of the fillet and coat as before. Replace the plastic wrap and securely wrap the fillet. This time you are wrapping the fish with no excess plastic sticking out on the sides.

The tail end being thinner needs to be folded over so that your package is of fairly uniform thickness from end to end and continue to wrap fairly tightly with additional plastic wrap.

You should have a nice rectangular package. Place this package on a cushion of paper towels and place this on a flat shallow pan the edges of which are lower than the thickness of the fish. Place a flat object on top of the fish and weigh it down. You can use large heavy cans or whatever you can find that has weight and can be refrigerated. I use two 5lb. iron weights. You don't have to use anything this heavy, This is just me.

Now, put the whole shebang into the refrigerator for 36 hours, flipping the package over and replacing the paper towel cushion about every 12 hours. If you were to start a batch at 6:00 pm on day one, you would flip it the next morning when you have your morning coffee, once more at dinner time and it would be ready for breakfast the following morning.
Ok, so 36 hours or so have elapsed. Remove the plastic. Rinse all the mixture off in cool water, dry well with paper towels and enjoy. Gravlax are best served sliced thin on a bagel with cream cheese. Try it with fresh dill, capers, red onion, crumbled hard boiled egg. Be creative.

Dinner at the Sea Witch

2005-02-11T23:34:00.000-05:00

Always a treat

Friday night. Didn't feel much like cooking . Dani calls me on her way back from dropping tapes off at the TV station.
Dani: "So what's for din-din"
Me: "Whatever you want"
Dani: "Hmm, what do we got"
Me: "Anything on the Menu"
Dani: "...You're making a menu?"
Me: "!"
Ok, so anyway, we decided to forgo our usual quick drive to the local O'Charley's and take a quick ride across the bridge to the Sea Witch Tiki Bar to use our buy one get one free coupon book.

Crossing the Bridge at Snow's Cut.

Although it was a cold and windy evening, the tiki bar which is actually wide open, wall and windowless above the 3' level was wrapped in a heavy duty canvas and polypropylene zippered shell made very cozy with propane heaters throughout. We were surprised to see they had doubled the size of the semi enclosed area and built new lavatories. A huge outdoor fireplace was being constructed outside near the stage and dance floor area. I looks like it's going to be a great place for dinner and drinks this coming summer.

After dinner we decided to cross the street and take a quick peek at the ocean. All in all, a much better idea than our first chain restaurant choice.

...and I got out of the house.

Filmtunes Returns

2005-02-11T12:38:00.000-05:00

Ok,... but this time it will be so much better!

click on photo to see original teaser trailer.
Sometimes you can win for losing. A couple of years ago I was working to bring one of my side projects to fruition, an indie film thriller shot on and around the Cape Fear river in Wilmington, North Carolina. The film entitled Strange River had not made it out of the pre-production stage when "Mystic River" was released. Needless to say my little project was put on hiatus to avoid any inevitable confusion. But you know?, sometimes a couple of extra years can bring some exciting insight into an idea. So now back at square one, I am crafting a much bolder screenplay for this project. Stay tuned.

44 PROOF POP in 8 days

2005-02-10T19:20:00.000-05:00

I 'm sure you've seen these before.


This is a "Piloncillo" a Pylon made of raw sugar cane juice which has been poured into a wooden mold to crystallize. I'm sure you have seen these in the grocery store and wondered what they were. They are typically used a sweetener or even as candy. Today

However,

 I am going to show you how to make a high octane 40+ proof soda pop that will knock your socks off. The end result is a highly carbonated, raw, pure cane wine which if distilled, ( Home distillation is illegal almost everywhere except Australia) would yield Rum. Since we are not distilling, we are merely fermenting a fortified wine which is completely legal in the U.S.
You will need:
2 Piloncillo
 1 Quart Water
 2 measures of wine yeast
 1 Empty 2 liter soda bottle
 1 specialized bottle cap (more to follow)
 1-1/2 additional Quarts of water at room temperature

In a 2 Quart saucepan bring the first 1 Quart of water to a rolling boil.
Remove from heat and dissolve the Piloncillos in saucepan one at a time stirring until dissolved.
cover saucepan and let sit until liquid has returned to near room temperature. It is important that the temperature is not above 85 degrees Fahrenheit nor below 65 degrees Fahrenheit, 18-29 Celsius as too high will kill the yeast and too low will not activate a dormant culture.

Pour two measures of wine yeast into 65- 85 degree mixture in saucepan.
A measure is equal to a single layer of yeast just covering the inner surface of the yeast containers cap.

For those who would like to try this recipe, you will need a good quality yeast and a specialized pressure release cap. These can be purchased as an inexpensive kit from oztops
As of this date the kit is selling for $13.95 and will make 10-1/2 gallons of hard cider and/or wine
from any fruit juice.

Anyway, back to the recipe.
Wash and rinse a 2 liter soda bottle. Make sure the bottle that you use once held a carbonated drink. A 2 liter water or juice bottle will not work. The plastic is not rated for the high pressures created during fermentation.
Pour the diluted cane / yeast mixture into the 2 liter bottle using a clean funnel. Add the remaining 1-1/2 Quarts of room temperature water make sure to leave 10% of the bottle empty. (see photo at end of post).
Rinse, but do not dry a blue oztop pressure cap and cap bottle securely.

Give the bottle a short quick shake and place in a warm dark cabinet or closet at room temperature for 8 days

The oztops caps are an ingenious innovation that allow a regulated amount of gas to escape during fermentation yet not allow harmful bacteria to enter.
Ok, after eight days have passed the sugars in the mixture will have been consumed by the yeast culture and converted to alcohol and CO2 (carbonation). place the bottle in the refrigerator until well chilled. This is very important for the following reasons:
1. The refrigeration will stop the fermentation before the wine gets sour.
2. This will allow the yeast to settle making the beverage clearer.
3. This will help stabilize the carbonation ensuring your beverage stays in the bottle and does not spew violently from the bottle making a horrible sticky mess!

Your 40+ proof soda is now ready to enjoy. Experiment with sugar free Kool-aid flavorings (after final refrigeration) try vanilla or other extracts. Have fun! Drink responsibly. And here's a bonus if you reuse the sediment from the bottom of the bottle, you wont have to use yeast in your next batches meaning an endless supply of virtually free libations...Forever.

Oh, yea,... Preservative free apple juice makes a decent hard cider in 3 -4 days.
Dark grape juice (preservative free) makes a nice Lambrusco in 5-6 days.

Someone, please explain...

2005-02-09T22:37:00.000-05:00

A few years back when I worked from the textile plant instead of from home, I made an interesting discovery. Aside from myself, the plant manager, the warehouse men, the plant maintainance engineer and the lift operators the remaining majority were all female line workers and office staff. These women would pass the day in animated conversation, the topics of which I intentionally stayed oblivious. What I was aware of was the fact that not only were they all talking at once, but that they could understand and interact with each and every conversation that surrounded them. Now, as a male humanoid, I find it difficult, nay maddeningly impossible to concentrate on the words of one person, let alone more than one if my attention touches on, lets say, a tv news or radio headline. Yet these women continued on day after day, year after year as if it were as easy as breathing air. I asked one of the older, wiser women, how they could possibly understand and participate in so much verbal confusion and still be able to work. She smiled and told me that women are just built that way, that it comes in handy when you have a house full of children and a days work to do. Ok,...Fine I'll buy that.
...So why is it, that when a man and his mate are talking and the man speaks over the words of the woman, the woman invariably explodes with, "DON"T TALK WHILE I"M TALKING!" , "YOU ARE NOT LISTENING TO ME!"
Really, it's just a two person conversation. Even a man can do that...Can someone enlighten me?

Sushi & Sake

2005-02-08T19:52:00.000-05:00

Not typically Fat Tuesday fare

Dani and I both love sushi and learned long ago that it is far less expensive to make large quantities of sushi at home than dining on small quantities of sushi at the restaurant. The ingredients are readily available and although you might consider some of the ingredients a little costly (smoked eel, avocado) you would be amazed at how far you can stretch a little bit of this, a little bit of that. We almost always make too much. If you feel sushi at home lacks a little aesthetic flavor, you could splurge on a nice sushi and sake serving set. I bought the items pictured online at www.cooking.com .

So anyway, Dani and I enjoyed smoked eel roll, bonito broth w/ green onion, fresh shrimp and sake (Hakatsuru, my favorite). Perhaps on a later post I will take you to our local supplier, the Tokyo Deli to show you what is available and then we will come home and I will teach you how to make sushi. ;)

Happy Mardi Gras!

2005-02-08T10:30:00.000-05:00

Bring on the bands!, bring on the booze!, bring on the broads! (sorry). Actually I'm not at the festival of fun and floozies, (sorry again). Today is just another day at work for me. For those of you just tuning in, I am a graphic artist for a woven textiles manufacturer that is located in New York. I was given the opportunity a few years back to do my job from my North Carolina home via the internet. On the upside, I love where I work. On the downside, I quite regularly spend a week or more without leaving the house. In fact since I have quit smoking I find that I rarely step outside the house anymore. I have my two dogs, a cat and a smart aleck Parrot to keep me company, as well as my beautiful wife who runs her own business from the house. (see: Designer Media Productions) I really can't complain, But today from off in the distance I can almost hear the cadence of the drums coming down Bourbon Street. Laissez les bon temps rouler! For any of you who wish to join in on this day of drunken debauchery I give you this live stream for your edification.

The sounds in the background are either the live street show when the reporters come out or the hideous strains of the karaoke crowd at thethe Cat's Meow, the sponsor of the webcam. Enjoy!
*anyone viewing this post after today, sorry its just Bourbon Street.
To play Live feed, click here.

Mardi Gras is tomorrow

2005-02-07T10:15:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is Mardi Gras. God, I love New Orleans. It's the first place I went after I graduated from high school and stayed for 4 years. Dani and I had our honeymoon there in 2003. Below is a live feed from Bourbon street where the festivities are well underway. If you visit this post beyond Tuesday February 8th,(FAT TUESDAY), I cannot guarantee what you will see.

Live stream from Bourbon street in New Orleans
To view live video feed, click here.

Sunday, sunday...

2005-02-06T22:42:00.000-05:00

Our gracious host Brandon

Food , friends and football.
Dani and I were invited to a Superbowl party at her friends Amy and Brandon's house there was plenty of good eats and much fun. I fear I may have had a little too much fun, visiting the smoking lounge on several occasions and sneaking a few drags, tsk,tsk :(
I really need to exercise more self discipline. All in all it was great to get out of the house.

Me and Dani

Falling for the plan.

2005-02-05T11:35:00.000-05:00

Making the world a little safer for breathing.

The twins believe they are going to grandma's.

Sydney actually loves to get wet, "LB",....not so much.

...On a sad note.

My dear friend Pythagorus, a beautiful if not a little goofy "Ball Python" passed away one year ago today. He was a treasured pet for many years and I miss him greatly. I will share more about our mis-adventures at a later time.

Hold Your Breath!

2005-02-04T10:00:00.000-05:00

mmm...coffee.

I'm sitting in the office this morning doing my bi-weekly online billings and enjoying a hot cup of coffee which seems a little rancid. I'm thinking it can't be bad milk, I'm using powdered creamer. Was it old coffee? Could it be... I turn around and under my work station I find the evil funk twins have returned. Little do they know I will foil their plans of atmospheric funkination with a trip to the doggywash today http://www.sudslingersdogwash.com this place is the best they give you everything you need plus a heavy rubber apron for your protection. We can make as big of a mess as we'd like, (and we like making messes) and Luke the shop owner cleans it all up.

The return of the evil funk twins.

But wait there's more!

2005-02-03T14:56:00.000-05:00

"Thanks for looking"

a 4'+ mobile I made from cardboard, foam and wire hangers

Note to Bonnie at www.kewlfinds.com Thanks for the view. I actually have quite a few original pieces from paintings to sculptures and accessories all in a similar retro vein. I enjoyed your site immensely. Please feel free to check back, as I have so many more that I will be posting as they are created. (please see my other site: cocktail casual for additional art creations.)

a clock w/ added swizzles, beads and new face.

Yeeeeccchhh!

2005-02-03T11:08:00.000-05:00

Cold, wet and very grey.

February is generally the ugliest of months here in Wilmington. The only saving grace is the rarity of snow this close to the Atlantic ocean. The effect of the light quality is making it very difficult for me to concentrate on my work.
Currently I am re-working a wall clock design I had come up with last year. 3 conjoined spheres 1 each for hours, minutes, seconds. What do you think?

This is only a photo rendering of the design.

Nurtz...

2005-02-02T17:22:00.001-05:00

oh, my aching arse.

According to my quit calculator I have not had a cigarette in 23 days, 23 Hours and 23 Minutes, I have extended my life expectancy by 1 Day and 9 Hours, I have not smoked 408 Camel Turkish Royals which would have cost me $51.03. I could really use one right now scale of 1-5?, this is a big 5.

Because she's dirty!

2005-02-02T15:58:00.000-05:00

It's been difficult, But I've had to keep Sydney and LB out of the office today. It has been way too cold to give them a bath and they are really starting to stink (think dumpster). Dani had fixed me some wonderful stuffed shells for lunch today, but they really don't go well with the funky twins, so I've had to send them packing. Perhaps after I get paid friday I will take them to the doggywash.

Work has been unusually slow this week. Yay!