Valentine's Day Cross

7 February 2008
Stll sick. Sick enough in fact that I chose to not go to my soccer game tonight. I just don't think I could have played with sufficient stamina to make it worth the journey. I also have no real desire to spread this joy to my teammates (work colleagues...that's a different matter). At least Marita Beth is feeling better. She's been sick for the better part of a week and has passed it back over to me. I hope we don't continue this flip-flop routine, because frankly I'm tired of feeling poorly. Marita Beth did lot's of cleaning & decorating around the house yesterday. Including this:

This is a small table under a mirror on the wall in the living room. She's decorated the table with red candles and red string-lights, but she left the fabulous Celtic cross that we picked up at the Milwaukee Irish Festival some years back. The whole arrangement is very pretty.
Cheers.

~KR (Written on 8 February 2008)

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.05 sec (1/20)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
ISO Speed: 800
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Tags: VALENTINE'S+DAY, SOCCER, SICK, CELTIC+CROSS, CROSS, CELTIC, PHOTOBLOG

The Pincushion

6 February 2008
I seem to have gotten back whatever it is I gave Marita Beth. I'm hacking and coughing & wheezing up a storm. Not pleasant, not fun. It also interferes with the ability or desire to take photos. So, this is what we get today:

This is one of the many pin cushions you can find littered throughout our house. My wife being a seamstress, pin cushions are part of the trade. But, this one lives in the living room and is more decorational than functional. In fact, I'm not sure I've ever see the darling girl use it. It sits on top of an antique sewing machine, so may be an antique in itself. However, whatever, it's one of those many knick-knacky things in the house that make some people say, "Your house is so cool...it's like a museum." (ohh, and I edited it with Picnik - that's a cool tool)
Cheers.

~KR (Written on: 7 February 2008)

Listening to:
Finnegan by Kila
from Mind the Gap

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 1 sec (1)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Tags: PINCUSHION, SEWING, ANTIQUE, KILA, MIND+THE+GAP, PHOTOBLOG

7 the Hard Way

5 February 2008
It's that time of year again when my thoughts start to turn toward faire and the task of running my store at Scarborough Faire. East Wind Games has done well the past two years there, and I look forward to what this year might bring - along with all attendant challenges that are bound to surface. So, with East Wind Games on the mind, I took this photo of a pair of dice that I happened to have at the office with me:

Cheers.

~KR (Written on 7 February 2008)

Listening to:
This Town's Disaster by Blackpool Lights

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.1 sec (1/10)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Tags: EAST+WIND+GAMES, DICE, GAME, GAMES, BLACKPOOL+LIGHTS, PHOTOBLOG

CD Backup

4 February 2008
I was going to post this one into the Mini-Challenge: Mundane Tasks for what could be more mundane than putting in a CD for a daily/weekly/monthly backup?

But, I eventually chose the Apple bin shot instead. Not that this isn't freakin' mundane, but I like the other shot better. And, the whole thing is moot now anyway as the challenge ended yesterday.
Cheers.

~KR (Written on: 7 February 2008)

Listening to:
I'll Hold You In My Heart (Till I Can Hold You In My Arms) by Elvis Presley
from Elvis By The Presleys

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: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Tags: CD, BACKUP, COMPACT+DISC, ELVIS+PRESLEY, PRESLEY, PHOTOBLOG

Greenman in the End

3 February 2008
The wife is sick, so the Super Bowl was watched from home. But, you know, that wasn't so bad. I got to spend all day with her which is so very rare. I did have to run out at one point to get my number from a squares pool in which I participated. My numbers were 9 for the Giants and 0 for the Patriots. If the Patriots had kicked a field goal rather than trying for a touchdown on 4th and 13, I'd be a $100 richer. Oh well. I took this photo while driving back from NFG (that's where the squares pool was).

It's a closeup of the end of a knife I own. The handle and end are bone and hand-carved with the end being a Greenman head. The blade is Damascus-like, but I'm not even of an expert to know for sure. I took it out of my backpack when I recently took a trip and it's lived in the car ever since.
Cheers.

~KR (Written on 5 February 2008)

Listening to:
Stairway to Heaven by Led Zepplin
from Led Zeppelin IV (aka ZOSO)

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.04 sec (1/25)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Tags: KNIFE, LED+ZEPPLIN, DAMASCUS, PHOTOBLOG

Mundane Defined

2 February 2008
After being out late the night before with Tullamore, I'll admit to being a little groggy when I dragged myself out of bed. But, I had to because footy practice was soon to start and with the season start being imminent, I'm badly in need of both fitness and touches. Even if I do hang up my boots, I'll likely continue to train with the team whenever I can just so I stay in some semblance of shape. I returned home from the session and almost immediately left again to head to the Rahr Brewery for the weekly gathering of friends. While there Terrill called; he was out and about and wanted company, so Marita Beth & went to the Baker Street Pub to play pool with Terrill. From there, it was time for the necessary, mundane task of grocery shopping.
Mini-Challenge: Mundane Tasks

This is my wife checking out the apples. Very mundane, very necessary.
Cheers.

~KR (Written on 4 January 2008)

Listening to:
Object of my Desire by Starpoint
from Billboard Top 100 of 1986

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.013 sec (1/80)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
ISO Speed: 80
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire, auto mode

Tags: APPLES, SHOPPING, POOL, PUBS, RAHR+BREWERY, BEER, SOCCER, FOOTBALL, PHOTOBLOG, MUNDANE+TASK

Tullamore at the Plaza Pub

1 February 2008
There are few thing I like more than music. And live music is especially dear to me. Live music as being performed by friends who live far away but are in town for a gig: that can't be beat. Marita Beth, Ronnie & I went to the Plaza Pub in Arlington to watch Tullamore play. We've known 2 of the band members for many, many years and have followed their career paths with joy. Thankfully, their paths and ours do, on occasion, cross.

This is Mary & Mark (the two we know). Mary is playing the dulicmer and lends her voice to the group on occasion. Mark plays guitar and sings every so often. The third, non-visible (in this photo) is Rachael. She plays the fiddle and joins in on the singing as well. If you ever get to see them, do so. It's worth the time.
Cheers.

~KR (Written on: 4 February 2008)

Listening to:
Have a Drink on Me by AC/DC
from Back in Black

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.125 sec (1/8)
Aperture: f/3.5
Focal Length: 10 mm
ISO Speed: 800
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Tags: TULLAMORE, PLAZA+PUB, IRISH+MUSIC, LIVE+MUSIC, ARLINGTON, PHOTOBLOG

The Checkered Tablecloth

31 January 2008
After a lousy, crazy day at work, we decided we wanted pizza and quiet time. We tried to order pizza through our local Pizza Hut, but when we were told that our coupon was no longer valid and it would be an hour and a half for delivery we said, "no thank you" and went out to the new pizza joint just down the street. Johnny Brusco's Pizza opened up a few months back when Nizza Pizza left the center. This makes the 4th pizza place in that location in the last 10 years. When will they learn? While sitting there discussing the turns and turmoils of our lives and the lives of those around us, I multi-tasked into photo taking. I didn't take a whole lot of photos, but I do kind of like this one for some reason.

It's simply the traditional red & white checked table cloth on our table. I think every New York style pizza place has to have these tablecloths by law.
Cheers.

~KR (Written on 1 February 2008)

Listening to:
Breathe by Faith Hill
from Breathe

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.167 sec (833334/5000003)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Tags: PIZZA, ARLINGTON, TABLE+CLOTH, TEXAS, PHOTOBLOG

The Juggler

29 January 2008
Many years ago, I worked in the Comic Book industry. While in that job, I found a product line called "Pocket Dragons." They're a wonderful creation by Real Musgrave who happened to live in the DFW Metroplex. Real Musgrave had also done posters and sculptures for both Scarborough Faire and the larger Texas Renaissance Festival close to Houston. I find his work to be comically engaging and full of fantastic life. My wife and I both are fans of his work and own several pieces. These are two of them:
.
Cheers.

~KR (Written on 31 January 2008)

Listening to:
Arthur's Theme (The Best That You Can Do) by Christopher Cross
from The Very Best of Christopher Cross

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.125 sec (1/8)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Tags: POCKET+DRAGONS, FANTASY, DRAGONS, PHOTOBLOG

The World As I See It...

29 January 2008
...through the bottom of a glass.
What a day. Luckily I managed to sneak in a photo early in the day because the rest of the day got shot to hell. There are two caveats to that statement. First, my wife came home from Floriday yesterday after a nine-day visit with her family. Welcome home, sweetheart. Second, the day ended in fine fashion playing trivia with good friends at No Frills Grill in Arlington. We played a number of games, and with the exception of one game, one of the three of us won each game (my wife doesn't actually control her own trivia box, she just feeds us answers). That was fun. So, the photo:

This is a glass tumbler that my wife made with her very own hands. It's hand-blown in traditional manner and I couldn't be more proud to keep it on my desk. I also have a "blob" that was one of her very first pieces, but I can't drink out of that.
Cheers.

~KR (Written on 30 January 2008)

Listening to:
I Can See It by Blancmange
from Best of Blancmange

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.125 sec (1/8)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Tags: GIRL+GLASS, FAIRE+MAIDEN+GLASS, GLASS, HAND+BLOWN, BLUE, PHOTOBLOG

My Boots

28 January 2008 
I've played football, what American's call soccer, for most of my life. My first memory of playing the game was in an apartment parking lot in Germany in the early 70s (72ish). I've never really questioned the passion or the desire, I've just presumed it to be part of me despite the pressure from the North Texas community to embrace American-style Football as my sport of choice. I'll never do that; soccer will forever be "my" sport. But, perhaps it's time I give up the playing of it. Arseblog wrote yesterday "I think I might retire. When the idea of sitting around in a dressing gown eating toast is more appealing than going to play football you know it's probably time" and I can't disagree with him. For a number of seasons now I've been contemplating it without really knowing I've been contemplating. I tried coaching the team to get my mind and passion back into it, but the politics wore me out even more than the actual playing. Nowadays it seems the team is even less focused than I am and getting a training together is more and more difficult. I'll need something to do to keep in shape, but, for now, perhaps it's time I hang up my boots. *sigh*

Cheers.

 ~KR (Written on 28 January 2008)

Listening to:
Nausea by Beck 
from The Information

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 1 sec (1)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Tags: ADIDAS, SOCCER, FOOTBALL, BOOTS, PHOTOBLOG

Beer Fridge

27 January 2008
Yesterday while visiting NFG Arlington (see yesterday's entry), I was speaking with Jason, the manager about Shiner. He let slip that the NFG in Mansfield had the new Shiner Black on draught and that he would be on duty during the day on Sunday. So, after making sure my computer was working properly and was downloading the many, many megs of necessary updates, I went to NFG Mansfield. Nice place. The bar is big, the patrons friendly and bartender, Annie, very pleasant and knowledgeable. As expected, NFG Mansfield has a good selection of brew both draught and bottle. This is one of the visible beer coolers stocked for the day.

Cheers.

~KR (Written on 27 January 2008)

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.04 sec (1/25)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
ISO Speed: 800
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Tags: BEER, FRIDGE, COOLER, NO+FRILLS+GRILL, MANSFIELD, PHOTOBLOG

NO in Red

26 January 2008
A virus. A bloody virus got on my computer through all the firewalls, antiviral protection and simpe safe-computing habits I've built up over the years. A bloody virus and my day is shot to hell. I got up in the morning, knowing the virus was on the computer, and watched some footy on the television anyway. Some enjoyable FA cup football to relax me a bit. Then I started on the various repair techniques; none of which worked. Eventually, I had to fit in a trip to Fry's because all of my thumbdrives have gone walkabout and I desperately need to transfer necessary driver files from a laptop to the newly formatted and installed desktop. Well, what's a trip to Fry's without a side-trip to NFG, right? This is the firelane curb in front, and slightly to the side, of the front door. It pretty much sums up how I felt. NO!

Cheers.

~KR (Written on 27 January 2008)

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.004 sec (1/250)
Aperture: f/8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
ISO Speed: 80
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Tags: NO, PARKING, RED, FIRE+LANE, PHOTOBLOG

Finger Reflection

25 January 2008
The day at work, again, and no photos worth a damn. It's difficult to continually locate something worth photo'ing when you see the same thing over, and over, and over again. So, all I wanted to do when I got home was put fingers on my wife's mirror:

Heh.
Cheers.

~KR (Written on 27 January 2008)

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 1 sec (1)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Tags: REFLECTION, MIRROR, PHOTOBLOG

I'm a Geek

24 January 2008
In all my writings and ramblings and photos, I'm not sure one thing has ever been totally clear. I'm a geek. It's true. I'm a geek. I'm a nerd, in that I'm a programmer. But at heart, I'm a geek, at least in the modern sense of the word. Science Fiction movies and books are my favourite pasttimes; and no pasttime has been quite so prevalent in my life as comic books. In 1972 (or so) I bought my first comic book (a Daredevil) on an Air Force base in Munich, Germany. I've never quite looked back from that momentous decision. My tastes in comics have changed over the years (I'm more D.C. and Indie than Marvel, now) but I still revere the Daredevil comic. In fact, I have a complete run up through 2002 when, due to economic restrictions caused by 9/11 I was forced to make sudden, certain cutbacks in my spending behaviour. I even worked in the industry for a number of years in the mid-late 90's. This is a photo of the cover of issue #206, my favourite Daredevil issue ever:
.
The serendipity comes from the fact that my wife (not my wife at the time) bought the original coverpage art (seen here) for that issue for me as a birthday present. I now have framed and hanging on my wall, the cover of #206 next to the original cover art and a published, coloured version of the page. It's a lovely treatment and one I'm proud to own.
Cheers.

~KR (Written on: 27 January 2008)

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.2 sec (1/5)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Tags: DAREDEVIL, COMIC+BOOKS, MARVEL, PHOTOBLOG