Mr. Steer the Mummy?

23 January 2008
Out of town vendor's in town for work. We took him to downtown Ft. Worth because he'd never been and wanted to. Sadly, Terrill was unable to join us. So, Lou, Eric & I went and had a great time. We parked in the parking garage and started our tour of Sundance Square with me as the tour-guide (hah! that's a laugh) wending our way toward a billiard hall. I was telling Lou & Eric of the topiary "statues" scattered throughout the downtown area when we came across one. Little did I know that they had dressed the cow up as though he were an extra in the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I giggled and giggled when I saw this. It looks so bovinely ridiculous.

Cheers.

~KR (Written on 24 January 2008)

Listening to:
4 Twenty by Hanging on the Floorboards

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, auto mode

Tags: FT.+WORTH, DOWNTOWN, SUNDANCE+SQUARE, STEER, TOPIARY, WRAPPED, MUMMY, MUMMIFIED, PHOTOBLOG

Good for the Soul

22 January 2008
Mini-Challenge: Good for the Soul
I honestly thought when I saw the challenge topic that my entry would be beer, or beer-related. Then, on Tuesday night, the 22nd, I came home to two puppies who were frantically wanting to welcome me home. That...that is good for the soul. The only way it could be better for the soul would be to somehow squeeze the other puppy and my wife into the photo. That would be damn near "perfect" for the soul.

This is Cormac. He's a little more frantic than the elder Berecyntia (we call her 'Tia) but every bit as loving. They both just went nuts when I came home this evening. Perhaps it's because Marita Beth is in Florida and the cat is just bitchy so no fun as a playmate. Whatever the cause, I love the unadulaterated adoration they provide.
Cheers.

~KR (Written on: 24 January 2008)

Listening to:
Parting Shot by The Hope Trust

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 1 sec (1)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
ISO Speed: 250
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Tags: PET, FRIEND, GOOD+FOR+THE+SOULD, CORMAC, PHOTOBLOG

Night Light Close-Up

21 January 2008
Went to work this morning despite being sick. I guess that's how much I care. I felt lousy and don't really feel like I got much accomplished, but there's a certain sense of satisfaction in knowing that I was strong enough to stave off this damn cold long enough to get into work. After work, however, I went straight home. No bar, no restaurant, no pool hall. Just home to two dogs, a cat that doesn't much care for me and some Nighttime Cold Medicine. While fixing that for myself I noticed this string of decorative lights around the kitchen window and thought: "gosh, those are kinda pretty" (I think it was the cold medicine already taking hold). I got the camera and you get this photo:

Cheers.

~KR (Written on 22 January 2008)

Listening to:
We Are the Champions by Queen
from Queen - Greatest Hits

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: NIGHTLIGHT, CLOSE-UP, BOKEH, PHOTOBLOG, QUEEN

Insulated Spigot

20 January 2008
Sunday. A day of rest. I tried, really I did. I got up at 0530 to check my wife in for her flight to MCO (fifteen minutes later than I needed to) only to discover that it was really 0430. So, I went back to sleep for 45 minutes. At 0515 I did get up and check her in for her flight (it was sure looking good for her) then went right back to sleep - again. Finally at 0710 the goodwife woke me up for the final time. It was time to take her to the airport for her annual trip to visit family in Orlando, FL. After some security snafus with the TSA (imagine that!) she got through to the gate in time to hear her name being called. Her upgrade to First Class came through and onboard she went. I went back home fully intending to take my cold-riddled body back to bed. But, once in bed I couldn't get my eyes to close even though my body was screaming for rest. So, I got up and watched some footy on the telly and checked movie listings. Cloverfield was playing at 1400 at the Movie Tavern just up the street. I made up my mind right then to go do that, then follow that up with a trip to NFG to watch the NFL playoffs. So, at 1330, I headed to see Cloverfield. I'll tell you right now that if you a) like the hand-held look of The Blair Witch Project or FX's The Shield or b) enjoy the tenseness of movies like Alien and c) ever watched and enjoyed any Godzilla movie you will get a charge out of Cloverfield. The movie takes some time to get moving as it establishes relationships, but once it gets moving it only slows down momentarily. Truly 90 minutes (ok...about 70 minutes) or mind-numbing, body-aching tension. Truly, truly enjoyed it. The NFL games weren't so much fun. Neither game played out the way I wanted, but they were both enjoyable to watch (as much as NFL is ever enjoyable to watch that is). The second was made more enjoyable as Terrill & his son, Kyle, stopped by NFG and watched it with me. On the way home from NFG, I stopped off at Taco Bell for some cheap food and snapped this photo while waiting to pay.

I took three photos of this hose wrapped in insulation...they were the only three photos of the day. So, away from the beer-themed photos and back to the "making the mundane pretty, or at least interesting" concept.
Cheers.

~KR (Written on: 21 January 2008)

Listening to:
Attitude by Metallica
from Reload

Tags: HOSE, INSULATION, TACO+BELL, CLOVERFIELD, NFG, NO+FRILLS+GRILL, HOSE, METALLICA, PHOTOBLOG

Pint Glass and Ashtray

19 January 2008
Ohh, hey, what do you know...another photo with a beer glass in it. This morning I woke up sick. My head felt three miles wide, my soft pallatte was swollen to the point of gagging me, my sinuses were draining causing my throat no end of pain. Yeah, what an awful way to wake up. Made worse by the fact that I had promised Marita Beth earlier in the week that I would attend her dance performance this afternoon/evening. *sigh* I made good on the promise despite the fact that I felt like absolute shite and wanted nothing more than to lay down for good long nap. But, a promise is a promise so off we drove to Denton. The performance was at 1900, but we had to be there at 1500 for her last rehearsal and tech review. So, I went down to Fry Street and visited a few bars I'd never been to..always a fun pastime for me. The first bar I went to, Riprocks was a typical college dive. I can't write much good about it. The wait and bar staff sucked, The selection of beers was tolerable but by no means exceptional. The bar (all of Denton, really) is still a smoker's haven, so the place reeked. The upholstery on every chair and bench was torn or, in some cases, completely absent. Really, there is nothing I can recommend about the joint. But, it's where this photo was taken.

I was sitting there whiling away the time and playing with the camera when I stumbled on a setting called Color Accent. The above photo was taken with the Color Accent set to the turquoise of the bench upholstery. Interesting result, I think. I'll continue to experiment with the setting. The second (and final) bar I went to was called The Fry Street Tavern. It was much more inviting, but there were nearly no customers. So, maybe that was the difference. The furniture was in better repair (perhaps due to lack of use) and the bar tender was a very friendly young man. So, if you are in Denton and you have your choice between those two bars, choose The Fry Street Tavern. I thought very seriously about putting up a photo of the dance routine showing off the performing wife. But, the darkened theatre and new camera conspired against me. None of them came out well enough to post.
Cheers.

~KR (Written on 20 January 2008)

Watching:
Mindless TV

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.4 sec (2/5)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
ISO Speed: 250
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Tags: DENTON, BAR, FRY+STREET, BEER, DENTON, PHOTOBLOG

The Blazing Sun

18 January 2008
I am a pirate.
It's kind of like saying, "I am a Wench," or "I am a Rogue."
I am a Pirate. I'm the gamesmaster and clothing coordinator for the crew of the Blazing Sun.
This is our sigil.

Cheers.

~KR (Written on: 20 January 2008)

Watching:
Manchester City vs West Ham United
Score: 1 - 1
Time: 77:56

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: PIRATES, BROTHERHOOD, BLAZING+SUN, NECKALCE, SIGIL

VT - 5¢

17 January 2008
I think a pattern is developing in the early part of this year. Yet another post about beer. :-)
This photo was taken at the local watering hole, No Frills Grill where my lovely wife decided I needed to go after spending the greater part of a week in Canada where they've never even heard of No Frills Grill (more the pity, that). So, bundled against the cold (a freezing 54 degrees, she took me to the pub. I'd neglected to take a photo during the day, having spent it inside 4 grey walls staring at a computer screen, but I did remember to take the camera with me to the pub. So, here's a shot of my wife's beer of choice when we're at NFG, Corona Light.

I personally drink Shiner Bock when I'm there as it's a wholly drinkable beverage and fits my budget nicely. NFG treats it as a domestic (which it is) rather than an import. I appreciate that.
Cheers.

~KR (Written: 20 January 2008)

Watching: Manchester City vs West Ham United
Score: 1 - 1
Time: Halftime

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: BEER, CORONA+LIGHT, NO+FRILLS+GRILL, PHOTOBLOG

Pearson International Airport (YYZ)

16 January 2008
Up early and at work again. Had to make sure that the folks knew how to do what I had just trained them to do. They did. It was good. Now, it was time to think about going to my next stop...or not. I was supposed to head to Montreal next, but some critical equipment didn't arrive in time. So, my next stop became home. I booked a flight home and headed to the airport. The security and customs line were blessedly small, so even though I thought I was running behind, I actually arrived with an hour and a half to spare. Good. Time for lunch. An expensive Corned Beef sandwich and several chapters in my book later I headed to the plane. I'd already checked the Upgrade list and there simply was no way, so I was in no hurry to take my ERAS (Exit Row Aisle Seat). I snapped this photo as I was walking down the gangway to the plane for boarding:
.
I'd be home to my wife and pups in just a few short hours. Hooray.
Cheers.

~KR (Written on 18 January 2008)

Listening to:
Silently Falling by Chris Squire 
from Fish out of Water

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.002 sec (1/500)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire, auto mode

Tags: Pearson+International+Airport, YYZ, TORONTO, CANADA, AMERICAN+AIRLINES, AIRPORT, AIRPLANE, PHOTOBLOG

Abstract Reflection

15 January 2008
Mini Challenge: Abstract
I find it amusing that here I am in Toronto, Canada a veritable world away from my home in North Texas and I'm taking photos inside my hotel room rather than being out and about experiencing Toronto. Ok. Truth be told, I've done that already; I've done that to the tune of 4 beers, a grilled cheese sandwich and three martinis. I think it's definitely high time to spend some quality photo-shooting time in my hotel room. So, with abstract in mind I took this:
.
The shower had been running full steam for some time and the mirror was coated in glittering droplets of water. That's my hooped brown & tan sleeve in the reflection. I liked it more then than I do now, but it is what it is. And since none of the photos I took during the day (in to work before dawn, out after sundown) turned out well, this is what we get.
Cheers.

~KR (Written on 18 January 2008)

Listening to:
The Spirit of Radio by Rosetta Stone

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: 1 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Tags: ABSTRACT, REFLECTION, MIRROR, PHOTOBLOG

Stella Pint Glass Detail

14 January 2008
Once again my post is beer-centric. I'm writing about a Belgian beer while in Toronto, Canada. Canada has a great selection of beers available to the casual consumer; much more than just a simple selection of Bud, Bud Light, Coors, Coors Light. The bar called Arizona's that I went to had no fewer than 18 different beers on tap with most of them having never been tried by this intrepid traveller and self-proclaimed beer-lover. But, because the temperature outside was below 0 (Celsius) and it was snowing/raining I chose not to try my hand at sampling those 18 brews. Discretion being a critical part of the clever beer consumer. Instead, I had one beer (Rickard's Red) at Arizona's with my pizza, then retired to the hotel with the hopes that they, too, would have a fine selection of beers. Boy was I wrong. They had one I'd never had (Upper Canada), two I don't care for (Heineken & Tuborg) and Stella Artois. I had an Upper Canada draught and about half way through it became a bit of a chore to drink. So, I switched over to a great stand by Belgian beer called Stella Artois. I'd first had Stella a number of years ago in Toronto at a lovely little pub that is no more called The Fox & Fiddle. I've since had innumerable pints of the lager with nearly all of them served in the Stella special glasses. This is a detail of a portion of the stem on the glass:

Cheers.

~KR (Written on 15 January 2008)

Listening to:
Still listening to some random television show

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: STEALL+ARTOIS, BEER, GLASS, PINT, PHOTOBLOG

Money Stack

13 January 2008
I was scuttling around packing for a trip I was taking the next morning, and remembered I had no cash. So, I raided my store of singles so that I could appropriately tip the various folks that provide service to you on a trip (shuttle drivers, wait staff, bartenders &c.). I dropped the small stack as I was trying to extract my wallet from its buried position in my backpack. Instead of scooping it all back up, I thought, cool photo. Not that it is a cool photo, but that's what I though when I took it.

Cheers.

~KR (Written on 15 January 2008)

Listening to:
Some random television program to which I'm paying no attention

Camera: Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Exposure: 0.4 sec (2/5)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 5.8 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 1 EV
Flash: Flash did not fire

Tags: MONEY, DOLLAR+BILLS, PHOTOBLOG

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