NFL at NFG

12 January 2008
On Saturday I gave in to my baser instincts for competition and comraderie. I got up in the early morning and watched a little footy before going off to play some myself. After exhausting myself in the Texas heat (it was 59 Farenheit when we stopped at noon), I went home to spend a wee bit of time with the wife. She eventually had to leave for a dance practice and I promptly fell asleep. A couple of hours later I woke up and, still following my baser instincts, headed to the bar for comraderie and beer and NFL. This is the bar:

My local, you might say, as it's the most local to me and it truly is a place where everybody knows my name (at least the staff and a few of the other patrons). No Frills Grill in Arlington. It's where I hang my hat when I'm not hanging it elsewhere.
Cheers.

~KR (Written on 15 January 2008)

Watching:
Carolina Hurricanes at Toronto Mapleleafs
5 to 4 with 8.6 seconds left in the 3rd Period

Tags: NFL, NFG, NO+FRILLS+GRILL, FOOTBALL, HOCKEY, SOCCER, PHOTOBLOG

Pinecone

11 January 2008
On a Friday, it's sometimes very difficult to get around to posting. It's even more difficult when I know I have to leave on Monday for another country. So, I'm four days late and in a different country writing this post. This photo is of some decorative greenery currently on the large free-standing mirror in our living room. It's a faux evergreen bough with pinecones and brings a bit of life to that corner.

Cheers.

~KR (Written on 15 January 2008)

Watching:
Carolina Hurricanes at Toronto Mapleleafs
5 to 3 with 6:58 left in the 3rd Period

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.3 sec (3/10)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 1 EV Flash:
Flash did not fire

Tags: PINECONE, HOCKEY, PHOTOBLOG

LG and FFC

10 January 2008
If you followed last year's posts, or know anything about me, you've realised that I'm a football fan. A died-in-the-head footy fan with my love resting squarely on the shoulders of the great Arsenal Football Club in North London. Recently (last October), I had cause to go to London on a business trip. Getting tickets to an English Premier League match can be a real nightmare for anyone who doesn't already have a "buying history" with a club. And touting (scalping) is seriously illegal carrying extremely heavy fines, bans and jail time. So, I was thrilled to receive news upon our arrival in London that a co-worker had arranged tickets for us to an EPL match. It wasn't Arsenal, but that didn't matter so much, as it was an English Premier Football match - that's all that really mattered to me at the moment. After years of yearning and pining from afar, I had the opportunity to witness in person that which I'd only ever seen on the telly. So we went to see Derby play Fulham at Craven Cottage with one of our vendors. Great fun. But, this photo is about none of that. It's instead of the laniard that the Fulham Football Club gifted me on the way in the door. I immediately attached it to my camera, so now it goes with me everywhere my camera goes. One of the more interesting things about English Football is the level of sponsorship that goes on. In fact, my friend Terrill didn't know for years that JVC wasn't the name of Arsenal because that JVC was considerably larger than the clubs own name and crest on the strip. Thanks to Manchester United's money-spinning methods in the 80's, this sponsorship has become almost comically common-place. So it is with Fulham FC, too. Their sponsor is LG (Life's Good) and adorns nearly every bit of club gear, & souvenirs...like my laniard.

Unfortunately, the photo is blurry. Even more unfortunately I only took two photos on the 10th and this is the better of the two.
Cheers.

~KR (Written on 11 January 2008)

Listening to:
Change is on the Wind by Temple Scene

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 1 sec (1)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 1 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Tags: EPL, FOOTBALL, ARSENAL, FULHAM, DERBY, SOUVENIR, LONDON, ENGLISH+PREMIER+LEAGUE, SOCCER, PHOTOBLOG, LANIARD

Sun Glare Preventer Thing

10 January 2008
So, I'm sitting at a stoplight on my way home from work and I'm looking around the car for no particular reason. I noticed, for the first time, that above my rear-view mirror there is a small layer of what looks like perforated vinyl stuck on the glass. Ostensibly it's to prevent the sun glare from coming through the gap between the top of the mirror and the roof and blinding me. I appreciate it's usefulness, because I've never yet been blinded by glare coming through that spot. Those auto-designers, they're a right smart lot.

Cheers.

~KR (Written on: 11 January 2008)

Listening to:
Don't Rock Me by The Mofos

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.008 sec (1/125)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
ISO Speed: 80
Exposure Bias: 1 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Tags: SUNSHIELD, GLARE, CAR, AUTO, PHOTOBLOG

The Coffee Cup

6 January 2008
The coffee cup from which I have my morning vice each and every day (when I'm at home). Some years back, Marita Beth and I were skiing with a batch of friends in Santa Fe, New Mexico. During the required shopping portion of the trip, we stumbled into a Southwestern-flavoured knick-knack & curio shop. They also had coffee cups. Cool, coffee cups. Handmade and decorated, I just liked it too much not to take it home with me. Mine is decorated with stylized Southwestern(y) Saguargo cacti:

Marita Beth's is decorated with Goddess figures dancing under a moon. They're both lovely, insofar as coffee cups can be lovely.
Cheers.

~KR (Written on: 8 January 2008)

Listening to:
Don't Take a Step by sma

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.6 sec (3/5)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 1 EV Flash: Flash did not fire

Tags: COFFEE, CUP, HANDMADE, PHOTOBLOG

Contrail Patterns

8 January 2008
On Sunday my wife told me of a documentary she had watched on the History Channel. Always eager to learn, I perked up. But, I don't think I perked up quite as much as my BS meter did. The documentary centered itself on contrails and a particular theory surrounding their creation. It seems, according to this show (which I've not seen, I hasten to add, making this 2nd hand theory-rousing), that the wide, flat contrails that maintain themselves sufficiently long enough to become cirrus clouds are in fact put there on purpose. See, our government is loading military jets full of toxic chemicals and creating these massive contrails in an effort to control or reduce Global Warming. Unh-huh.

Whether you subscribe to this theory (which apparently has been around since early 2001 or so) or not, you have to admit they do make pretty patterns in the sky.
Cheers.

~KR (Written on: 9 January 2008)

Listening to:
It's Time They Knew by The Swimmers

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.001 sec (1/800)
Aperture: f/8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
ISO Speed: 80
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire, auto mode

Tags: CONSPIRACY+THEORY, CONTRAILS, SUNSET, SKY, BLUE, PHOTOBLOG, TEXAS

Self-Portrait

7 January 2008
So, the mini-challenge this week is "self-portrait." I did a couple last year, but wasn't happy with the result. I suppose some things never change. Mayhaps I shall try again later in the week; but, until then, here's my most recent self-portrait:

My wife says the composition speaks volumes about me. I'm not sure what that means. :-)
Cheers.

~KR (Written on 8 January 2008)

Listening to:
Party Girl Hallelujah by John Holiday

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.3 sec (3/10)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 1 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Tags: SELF-PORTRAIT, ME, RINGS, FINGER, EYES, FACE, HAND, PHOTOBLOG

Graffitti

5 January 2008
Emerging from a local establishment on this Saturday, I espied the sign. It entreats, due to City Ordinance, people to not Rollerblade or Skateboard on the sidewalk. One presumes, at least this one presumes, that the Ordinance was enacted due to either abuse or accident. Either way, someone apparently took umbrage at the sign recently as it sports a new coat of paint:
.
As if covering up the words someone invalidates the ordinance.
Cheers.

~KR (Posted on: 7 January 2008)

Listening to:
You Injured Me by HTRK

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.008 sec (1/125)
Aperture: f/8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
ISO Speed: 80
Exposure Bias: 1 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Tags: GRAFFITTI, PAINT, BRICK, ARCHITECTURE, SIGN, PHOTOBLOG

Petrol Thingamajiggy

4 January 2008
Still trying to make the mundane pretty, or at least interesting. On my way home from work, I had to stop for petrol. While standing outside the vehicle, I thought, "there's lots of opportunities for cool photos here. I just have to find them." So, I got out the camera and snapped a series of photos: of the pump, the nozzle, the credit card reader, the digital counter and this one.

This is the thingamajig that holds the pump handle up so your hand doesn't cramp while you throw money into your gas tank.
Cheers.

~KR (Posted on: 7 January 2008)

Listening to:
Y Gwydr Glas by 9Bach

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.6 sec (3/5)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 1 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Tags: GASOLINE, PETROL, PUMP, CLOSE-UP, PHOTOBLOG

Video Poker

2 January
Back to the grind and so I go, hand to heart and nose to wheel. I have no choice, most of us don't. I get a little more disgruntled and a little more desperate every day. But, I do what I must and I do it to the absolute best of my ability - despite adversity and uncomfortable pressure from above. As such, when the escape is offered, I frequently take it and use it. Today was no exception. Terrill and I went to No Frills Grill to watch pure escapist television - College Football. He was pulling for (not rooting for) Oklahoma because he wanted a Big 12 team to win the Fiesta Bowl. I couldn't care less, but because I don't care for Oklahoma as a state (it's flat and dusty) and I do love the scenery of West Virginia, I pulled (call it rooting if you will) for them. I later found out, as Marita Beth joined us for part of the first and part of the last quarters of the game, that her father had gone to West Virigina and both she and her brother had applied to, and been accepted at, West Virginia. Therefore, it was natural that I pull for them. West Virginia won because I'm pretty sure that the Oklahoma squad didn't show up for the final quarter. During the game, I amused myself with trivia and Terrill played poker. After all, we needed something to do during the 3 hours of commercial breaks. This is a photo of Terrill losing a hand to someone named Lucy:
That $10,200 was mostly Terrill's money. Good thing it's all virtual, eh?
Cheers.

~KR (Posted on 3 January 2008)

Listening to:
Fore by Loren Radis

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.013 sec (1/80)
Aperture: f/3.2
Focal Length: 8.6 mm
ISO Speed: 800
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Tags: TEXAS+HOLD+'EM, BUZZTIME, POKER, VIDEO, NO+FRILLS+GRILL, BAR, ARLINGTON, TEXAS, PHOTOBLOG

The King

1 January 2008
The day after. What a mess, but tradition dictates a day at the zoo nonetheless. So, even though we got to bed around 0500, we were up and guzzling coffee at 1000(ish) awaiting the Digital Simian to join us. He arrived approximately 1030 and we said our sad goodbyes to Lisa who needed to begin her long journey home to Colorado (having her with us for Hogmanay was an absolute highlight of my year - thank you, Lisa!). Off then we trundled to the Ft. Worth zoo to meet with friends sometime before noon. Dan and Burt gave us their wonderful stories as we moved through the park - if you've not experienced their tour you really should try to go one year. It's amazing. I didn't take as many photos as I perhaps should have, but frankly I didn't want to take my hands out of my pockets - it was a little chilly, even for me. However, out came the camera when we approached the lion enclosure. How could I not when faced with such a majestic creature?

As you've likely gleaned from the 2007 diary entries, we will not be in the U.S. for the (year away) upcoming holiday experience. That also, sadly, means that we will miss the annual Ft. Worth zoo trip. Perhaps we'll go to the Edinburgh zoo instead. :-)
Cheers.

~KR (Posted on: 3 January 2008)

 Listening to:
<em>West Coast</em> by Coconut Records

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.067 sec (1/15)
Aperture: f/5.5
Focal Length: 23.2 mm
ISO Speed: 80
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Tags: ZOO, LION, FT.+WORTH, TEXAS, PHOTOBLOG

Chiminea

31 December 2007
Happy New Year to all. Or, should I say, Happy Hogmanay! Our 10th Annual Hogmanay Festival at the house was a rouser. It was peopled with friends from all walks of our lives and it was a special time because of it. We're well and truly blessed with the quantity and quality of our friends. I fear that most of the "party photos" are just quick snapshots and are not necessarily flattering (either of my "talent" or of the subject - especially later in the evening). So, I'm posting this photo of a metal chiminea we have in the backyard.

As the temperature was in the low 40s for much of the evening, I had stocked it with piñon wood and tended it off and on all evening. I appreciated the grate & flame effect.
Cheers.

~KR (31 December 2007)

Listening to:
At My Best by Eoghan O'Sullivan

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.067 sec (1/15)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 1 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Tags: FIRE, FLAME, CHIMINEA, NEW+YEAR'S+EVE, HOGMANAY

The Mantle

30 December 2007
MB was putting the final touches on some decorating as I was returning from the Grocery store. She had just strung this row of Christmas lights on the hearth wound in and about some faux evergreenery. I was struck at how pretty the image was and just how proud of that piece of art I really am.

We always say that if some catastrophe strikes the house, Marita Beth will grab the cat, I'll grab this painting and round up the dogs. The piece of art was commissoned by Marita Beth from an artist at Scarborough Faire. We gave her a batch of photos from our wedding and she did the rest. The result is pretty astonishing, and I never tire of looking at it.
Cheers.

~KR (30 December 2007)

Listening to:
Humans by The Bridge End Dairy Company

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.6 sec (3/5)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 1 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Tags: MANTLE, FIREPLACE, HEARTH, HOME+DECOR, PHOTOBLOG

One of These Things...

29 December 2007
While out and about running errands that needed running, I stopped in at No Frills Grill for a beer and some football (American-style). While there, I noticed the condiments rack. Someone had placed one Sugar packet in amongst the Sweet and Low. I found it amusing:

Cheers.

~KR (29 December 2007)

Listening to:
something tells me by iNTERCOM

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.5 sec (1/2)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 1 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Tags: SUGAR, SWEET+AND+LOW, PHOTOBLOG

Stairway to Hell

28 December 2007
The Friday before a 4 day weekend. I can't wait to get out of here. Of course, that will mean 4 days of cleaning and prepping before our 10th annual (and final - for now) Hogmanay party. Next year we'll be celebrating it in the homeland. Anyway, I work on the 4th floor my office and walk the stairs down at least once per day and up as often as my quickly-deteriorating knees will allow. This photo is taken from the 4th floor looking down during the lunch rush hour.

Yeah, the office was devoid of humanity (which made it a pretty pleasant day all-in-all) except for those poor souls who's bosses are right choads and wouldn't let them off. Or, like me, had already burned all their vacation time doing cool things like visiting dear loved ones in Wisconsin, or visiting festivals (Milwaukee Irish Festival any one?) and Faires (Dickens on the Strand, you say?). I was pretty much alone for the greater part of the day. And even though it was work, the solitude was wonderful.
Cheers.

~KR (28 December 2007)

Listening to:
Ora La Luce (Live) by Spleen

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.017 sec (1/60)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Tags: STAIRS, PHOTOBLOG