My other blog...

Currently listening to: some dogs barking outside

I've been working for a few days on a new blog to share some of my musical interests in. You can get there with this link...http://vibratingstrings.blogspot.com/ . Basically it's just my way of sharing the music I've been into for the past couple of years. For those that have known my musical tastes over the years, this is quite a departure from where I was at even as late as 2008...but I think it's been a change for the better. I think somewhere inside I've always held a passion for simpler music; music that is stripped down: music that can be performed outside under a shade tree, in a barn somewhere out in the country, along a trail in the woods, in a public square, an old abandoned church building, or just outside on the front porch with a Moon Pie and RC Cola close by. I really have an appreciation for artists and bands that write and perform their own songs, and I think this will also come out in the music of the people I write about.

So that said, if you've had enough synthesized, additive filled, MSG loaded pop music and want a change, head on over and check out the blog and see if you can't find something new to listen to.

Hilarious...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101214/ap_on_re_us/us_aloha_fargo

Secret Wall Tattoos

Currently listening to: Redbird - "You Are The Everything" (REM Cover)

Alright, so I'm not one to endorse vandalism or anything like that, but I've been periodically checking out this site on Secret Wall Tattoos and I'm thinking it is quite cool. What is a "secret wall tattoo"? you may ask...well what happens is someone gets bored and takes the usually crummy, ugly art or fixtures off the walls in hotel rooms and such (some extremists went as far as putting art behind the toilet tank) and makes art of their own for people to discover later down the line. There are tons of cool works of art in the gallery. Just hover over the image to see the "wall tattoos", warning once you get started it is hard to quit checking it out.

Lego Church

Currently listening to: Goo Goo Dolls - "Name"

Lego church took about a year and a half to plan, build and photograph. It is constructed of more than 75,000 Lego pieces. It is 7 feet by 5 1/2 feet by 30 inches (2.2m x 1.7m x .76m). It will seat 1,372 Lego people. It has 3,976 windows. It features a balcony complete with a stairway leading up to it, restrooms, coat rooms, several mosaics, a baptistry, an altar, a crucifix, a pulpit and an elaborate pipe organ.

Professional Portrait Photography

Currently listening to: Five For Fighting - "100 Years"

Why is it that portrait photographers have you tilt your head over like your some kinda broken necked giraffe? Take a look at your child's yearbook, it's pretty entertaining...you'll have your toothless ear-to-ear smiles, your blank stares, your mommy where are you's, and your deer caught in headlights. Just always makes me wonder sometimes where the whole head tilt in the picture thing evolved from, if you know, enlighten me.

Food for thought

Currently listening to: Joshua Radin - "Closer"

Translation
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)

BTW...that was in Tibetan.

A Request to Sonic

Currently listening to: The Wood Brothers - "Luckiest Man"

Dear Sonic,

Please bring back the Island Fire Burger, or at least the sauce. I could eat that sauce by the bucket.

Thank you,

Mike

A Nice Quote

Currently listening to: The Violet Archers - "Simple"

Found this on a calendar and thought it was a really neat quote...

"A baby is God's opinion that life should go on." --- Carl Sandburg

Another Photographer I Really Like

Currently listening to: Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers - "Dog For A Day"

Joachim Knill. This is some super funky stuff, enjoy!

A Post on Indie Music and Photography

So as it seems to have become my habit, I'll share another link with you, this time to a photographer that I like quite a bit who also happens to be front man for a little known band I've liked for quite a while now. Matt Wignall is the photographer and his band is Havalina...their album "America" is probably still one of my favorite road trip CDs ever.

You've gotta be kidding me (Original posting 5/18/06)

OK, so this happened last week, but as it's coming up on the one week anniversary I thought I'd tell the tale in celebration.

So here goes...

Last Saturday night we went to the Yard Dawgs game (which was great, 5th row end zone seats, high scoring game, 3 records got set that night including most penalty flags in an Arena 2 game...oh and the cheerleaders were pretty close too, so when the score got outta sight, there was still something interesting to watch). OK, so on the way into the game there was a table where they were giving away free hats if you signed up for the paper; Bonnie decided she wanted to get the paper, it wasn't very expensive at all, so she signed up. OK, there's the set up...

So Tuesday we get this automated call from the paper that asked if we got our paper..."press 1 for yes, 2 for no". Bonnie hadn't seen it, so she presses 2 for no. So I find the paper in the yard later, we get the paper Wednesday, we get the paper Thursday.

So Friday, I'm sound asleep when at...get this...4:50 AM...some idiot paper delivery guy calls me sounding like some half drunk character off King of the Hill and he tells me "I'm sorry I didn't get you your paper, but I threw both of them up in your driveway this morning". I was so tired and appalled I just laid there in bed in stunned silence before he just hung up. The next morning my first phone call was to the newspaper to complain about the rather uncalled for wake up call. I think he ended up getting canned because his district manager sounded rather ticked off about it and told me she'd certainly take care of that so it would never happen again.

If I wasn't so lazy I would've got up and waited for him with a paint ball gun...oh well. When the choice is sleep or revenge, I'm going the lazy route.

Yep, I really need this... (Original Posting 6/17/06)

So I got a really interesting piece of mail the other day from DISH Network...

If I make the switch to DISH Network I can get 350 movies a month, FREE for 3 months..."but wait, there's more..."....I can get 20 channels of ARABIC programming for just $25.99 a month.

Would someone help me out here? When did I become Arabic? Is there something about me that even suggests I'm of some Arabic decent? Something suggest that I speak some Arabic dialect? Is it because my last name ends with a vowel sound?

OK, so even if it's true that "More and more people are making the switch to DISH Network for our Arabic programming", why me?

If someone can explain it, do it fast..."HURRY! Offer ends soon!"

Time For A Restart

Currently listening to: Langhorne Slim - "Checking Out"

So I thought I'd restart this blog and see where it goes. I enjoy writing about whatever, so thought I'd give it another try. There's no telling what I might write about: could be about art, music, food, or it could just be a random rant about something that is pretty much goofy, but I'll throw it all out there for people to see. So with that, I think I'm going to hit my archive and resurrect a few of my favorite previous posts from years ago.