BALL AND CHAIN

Computers Original
Originally uploaded by prasan.naik.

I'm getting myself away from the computer to spend time with friends this weekend. When did I become a work-a-holic again? It's time to purge that nasty habit from my system with some relaxation therapy. Bring on the Pirates and the Sunday afternoon BBQ!

UPDATE

I'm a blog bum. Sorry for not updating sooner. At the gentle prodding of a couple of friends:

The interview was positive, but no contract yet.

My brother Steve is now a happily married man. Congratulations, Steve & Kari! I was honored to be a part of the ceremony. The best part: I didn't have to sing. That's one of the few weddings I've attended/been in where I didn't have a microphone in my hand. The bad news: I ate so much cake and other goodies while in LA that I gained 6 pounds. My brother is a bad influence on my eating habits, and I love every minute of it. But now I'll have to work that extra weight off so I'll be able to fit in my work clothes.

We hauled the ferns for the ceremony in my Blazer and there are a million little brown fern leaves in there. I wonder how long it will be before I work up the initiative to vacuum. Why do little things like that take me forever to accomplish... When I first got the Blazer I cleaned it twice a week, but that wore off in a couple of months.

My nephew and I are going to the Rush concert in Dallas in August. Just bought my tickets online. With the price of the Ticketmaster fee, in addition to the tickets, I got a year's subscription to Entertainment Weekly and 11 free songs on iTunes. Not a bad deal.

I'm debating about Taylor Hicks August 3rd and 4th. I don't think I want to go to the Coliseum in Biloxi (I wonder if it smells any better now....) I'd rather hear him at House of Blues, but I'd have to get somebody to go with me - I'm not dumb enough to go to New Orleans after dark solo.

Speaking of shows, I'm getting a group together for Pirates on Saturday. I hope it lives up to the previews. Even if it bombs (doubtful), it will be good to spend the evening with old friends. The sneak preview is tonight, so if you see it tonight or tomorrow, don't tell me about it until Sunday...

INTERVIEW

My School Desk, originally uploaded by Xochiquetzal-Sil:).

I have an interview this Thursday at 10 with an elementary principal. I'll keep you posted...

Mayday! Mayday!

Maypole
Originally uploaded by sfPhotocraft.

I can just picture my grandmother running around in a white linen gown, laughing with the other kids and bringing flowers to her mamma. Back when my Grannie was a little girl, she and and the rest of the folks in Burgess, Mississippi had a big party each May 1st. They hung baskets of May Day flowers and wove floral garlands. Otherwise proper Methodist and Baptist families even danced like pagans around a Maypole!

My own experiences with this holiday are a lot less festive. I've never actually celebrated May Day. The closest I ever came was making a construction paper basket of flowers in grade school. The teacher had run them off on the mimeograph machine. My classmates and I colored them with crayons, cut them out with our dull safety scissors, and glued the tabs together with our smelly non-toxic paste. I remember being annoyed that I got light blue construction paper instead of yellow. Some party!

There's no Maypole downtown today. Nobody is passing out baskets of flowers. I wonder why we don't celebrate May Day anymore. I guess the families living in MS around 100 or so years ago were closer to their European roots and their "old country" customs. Or maybe Mayday is dying out because it's not commercial enough to catch Madison Ave's eye.

SIGNED UP FOR BLINGO YET?

SEE YOU IN THE FUNNY PAPERS

Dilbert rules!, originally uploaded by indsight.

My sorry local paper runs Dilbert only on Sundays. To get my daily fix, I visit Yahoo. Its virtual Funny Papers are free! All your favorite comics are there. Which strip will you read first?

MAKE YOUR OWN COMIC AT COMEEKO.COM

Originally uploaded by Tinker*Tailor.

New online toy ALERT: You can easily make your own photo COMIC STRIP at Comeeko.com. Once you've tried it, good luck getting anything else accomplished for the rest of the day: Addictive fun at it's best.

Don't feel like making a comic? You can view and rate ones that others have posted at the site.

To read my 1st comic, just left click it and follow the link to flickr. And check out the new flickr group I formed for Comeeko fans.

Speaking of addictive. I've lost track of how many flickr groups I formed in the last year. There's a group for just about anything already, but occasionally I post a photo that needs a group and find I'll just have to create the group myself. Some still only have a handful of members, but others have really taken off. Either way, it's one of my favorite things about flickr.

Now if I can just get a nickel for everyone who visits my photo stream...

TIME FOR A HAIRCUT?

Time for a haircut?, originally uploaded by Tinker*Tailor.

What's your verdict?

BOWLCUT

5 years old, originally uploaded by Tinker*Tailor.

I'm digging out old photos again and posting them to flickr. I ran across this one. Looks like Mom used an actual bowl for this haircut.

GOOD CLOTHES

J.C. Leyendecker Kuppenheimer Ad - Diver, originally uploaded by Mamluke.

Ties in with that last entry. In Heaven, I'll be able to draw like Leyendecker. He's awesome!

SOMEWHERE IN TIME

tailor, originally uploaded by D'Arcy.

My parents and I live examples of the generation gap on a daily basis. Sometimes the ensuing tension proves frustrating, but most of these incidents are just harmless reminders that times change. For example, I overheard Daddy talking about Mars Robert the other day. That's ancient-speak for (Master) Robert E. Lee for all you non-Southerners. He's always using archaic colloquialisms. And then today he asked me if it's time to take his shirt to the tailor to have the collar turned. He was dead serious. Do tailors even turn collars anymore? I told him he should just throw it away.

There was a time when my family had a lot of their clothing tailor-made. They picked out the pattern, fabrics, buttons, and trim. Why don't we do that anymore? When we crossed over to wearing retail, I was too little to understand why we started buying off the rack. I doubt it was economics, as Dad's income increased through the years. Maybe society as a whole changed and we blindly followed.

Over Easter weekend, I visited Samantha & Steven - married friends of mine. On the way to the seafood place for dinner on Saturday, we passed a Seamstress Shop and I marveled that she could stay in business in this day and age. They testified that her workmanship was excellent and that she always stayed busy. I have a few dress shirts with overly long sleeves that might just need to pay her a visit. I guess having something altered is the next best thing to wearing custom-made, and I like the idea of supporting a local entrepreneur rather than buying from a big-name chain. Maybe I should bring Dad's shirt and ask her to turn the collar.

APPLICATION

My Classroom, I, originally uploaded by Robert Pollack.

Looks like I'll be a classroom teacher again soon. (I hope.) I turned in my application last week and confirmed it with the District Office today. Now it's up to one of the principals (and God) whether or not I'll be working in that district next year. I'll keep you posted.

HAPPY EASTER!

Happy Easter!, originally uploaded by Patrick Q.

Don't eat too much candy :0)

ADMIT ONE

Audio Adrenaline, originally uploaded by echobase_2000.

The year I turned sixteen, Audio Adrenaline started singing songs about Jesus. Somewhere along the line, I stopped listening to them, but last night, I ended up at their show in Laurel, MS. It's their farewell tour, so they sang a lot of old songs. It made me feel melancholy. I sat way in the back, never danced, and barely even clapped. I just listened and sometimes sang along. And I remembered.

Audio Adrenaline was never my top choice in music. But they did find their way into the mix. I suppose I started listening to them because all my friends did. But I got burned out on them. I remember throwing Bloom and Underdog in the trash.

Hearing them again and watching them tell their fans goodbye allowed me to revisit and release a lot of old memories. I can't exactly say I had fun at the concert, but I was glad to join in on the goodbyes.

SIGN THE INTERNET RADIO PETITION

Zenith - Long Distance, originally uploaded by InfraKen.

I got an email alert from Free Press this morning asking for my support in protecting indie internet radio. I signed the petition and now I'm passing Silver's letter on to you. Please consider clicking the link and adding your support:

Online music is in danger. A recent ruling by an obscure regulatory board threatens to put independent and public radio on the Internet out of business.

The "Copyright Royalty Board" is dramatically increasing the royalties "webcasters" must pay every time they stream a song online. Public Internet radio like NPR is especially at risk.

The rules could shut down nonprofit and smaller commercial Internet radio outlets and force larger webcasters to play the same cookie-cutter music as Clear Channel. So much for new online alternatives.

Rescue internet radio. Sign the petition.

This is not just another petition. The Copyright Royalty Board isn't used to hearing from the public, so your action can really make a difference. And we need to stop them before the new charges go into effect.

Artists must be compensated for their work. But the new regulations don't even differentiate between public outlets, small upstarts, and the largest commercial companies. The proposed increase would silence many outlets that play independent artists and musical genres you can't find anymore on the radio dial.

As soon as smaller webcasters start to attract a sizable audience, the royalty costs would be astronomical -- and likely fatal. And nonprofit stations like NPR should not be forced to pay so much money that they actually fear an increase in their listeners.

Industry-wide consolidation has destroyed musical diversity and shut out independent and local artists on broadcast radio. We can't let the same thing happen on the Internet.

The Copyright Royalty Board -- or if necessary, Congress -- needs to fix the rules so that artist and musicians thrive alongside a new generation of Internet radio webcasters. Send them a message by adding your name to our petition.

Tell your friends.

Our goal is collect 50,000 signatures by Monday. Help us get there by telling all your friends that now is the time to take action.

Thanks for all you do,

Josh Silver
Executive Director
Free Press

COLLIERS IN JAPAN...NOW ONLINE

colliers, originally uploaded by Patrick Q.

Alice & Sean Collier are friends of mine who live in Japan. They are sharing their experiences on their new homepage. Thought you might want to check it out.

NEW MUSIC

from behind, originally uploaded by joanna eleanor.

I got an email from emusic yesterday offering 50 free downloads. I was skeptical that I'd even be able to find 50 worth the trouble, since they don't have the same mainstream talent as iTunes. I found out that they do have lots of idie musicians and classic hits - not worth a subscription, but nice for an afternoon perusal.

I was pleasantly surprised when my search for new Christian music turned up Isa Couvertier, pictured above. I'd never heard of her, but her pure lyrics and catchy melodies make her stand out from the pack. She's the newest addition to my Christian singer/songwriter playlist. Finally, there's someone to keep Sara Groves and Matt Kearney company.

I also downloaded some songs from Enter the Worship Circle. I love that series, but every time I buy the CD's I end up giving them away. And I stumbled across the song, "Better than Life" by Julie Meyer - definitely worth the download.

Totally unrelated: The road trip was a blast. Maybe I will move to Oxford someday, or at least Pontotoc... It would be nice to live in a town where generations of my family were born and raised. Walking those streets, I loved feeling a stronger sense of history and connection with the past.

GOOGLE

offee, originally uploaded by Pose.

Google Maps still amazes me. Ryan and I are meeting at Starbucks in Hattiesburg in the morning. Since he's from out of town, I wanted to email simple directions. Two clicks later, and the job was done. They may not have all their ducks in a row, but I have to give them a gold star in geography!

ENTERPRISE HIGH

Mighty storm, originally uploaded by Newsblogpicture.

My thoughts and prayers are with the survivors of this week's storms. Seeing the photos and hearing the news reports struck a nerve, reminding me of Katrina. I was impressed that the Mayor in AL asked everyone watching the news to pray for the town. I thought I'd pass that request on here.

ETSY IDEA #1 & ROADTRIP MANIA

Glitterboard Mansion for Kelsey and Neilio., originally uploaded by icklebird.

I think I've found my first craft idea for etsy. I'm making a note of it here so I remember. The patterns for these retro houses are from the book Vintage Christmas Crafts by Sara Toliver. ISBN #1-4027-2791-7. Su has some construction tips for them on her blog.

Update on the roadtrip: Ryan just called and asked me to drive up to Oxford this weekend to see the University Theatre Department's production of Noises Off. Cool.

FLAMES ON THE SIDES OF MY FACE

Flames on the side of my face..., originally uploaded by Hilly_Blue.

Let me begin by stating the obvious: Madeline Kahn was a comic genius. This screen capture is from my all-time favorite movie scene. Do you recognize the movie?

It's one of those films I used to watch with friends - reciting the lines and laughing the whole time. It's right up there with Monty Python's Holy Grail.

Speaking of having a good time with friends, I'm just about dying to have an old skool road trip. If not to go camping, then at least a day trip to a concert. Heck, I'd settle for driving to Mobile for dinner at a decent restaurant. I just emailed a friend to see if we can put something together.

I finally got around to tweaking my preferences for last.fm; one of the features is a local concert calendar. Check out the three choices it highlighted for next month:

Taylor Hicks (!) @ House of Blues, NO on Wed. the 14th.

Paolo Nutini (Irish-Italian guy who sings with an Irish accent) @ Soul Kitchen, Mobile on Thursday, March 15th.

Shane & Shane (Christian singer/songwriting pair) @ St. Timothy UMC in Mandeville on Sunday, March 18th.

I wish I could attend all three. If I manage to go to one, it will be my first time to do anything majorly social since I returned home from overseas. I don't think I've even been to a movie. (What's playing, anyway?) My big day each week is grocery shopping. When did I start acting like a senior citizen?!

CHRIS WHITE

Please tell me why no talent posers get all the radio airtime and entertainers like this guy have to resort to youtube virals. Down with payola! Up with free enterprise!

PUBLIC DOMAIN SILENT MOVIES @ YOUTUBE

ETSY

120x120etsy, originally uploaded by designsponge.

Not sure if I've blogged about etsy before, but it's great, so check it out. I'm working on some ideas for things to post there, and I think my sis has already started selling there.

SARAH'S MAKE-DO

Primitive Heart Pin Cushion Front 2, originally uploaded by Patrick Q.

I'm proud of my sister. She made this pincushion and uploaded the photo onto my flickr stream. This picture is now in flickr's top 500 most "interesting" photos for Feb 7th. Way to go, Sarah! Can't wait to see some more of your new craft photos!

VALENTINE'S DAY MAILBOX

1970's School Valentine's Day Box, originally uploaded by Neato Coolville.

This box belongs to Todd. He made it back in 4th grade. Can you believe he saved it all these years? I made a box that year, but I didn't keep it. I remember ripping it into a million pieces after school that day.

We had a class contest for best decorated Valentine mailbox. I worked so hard decorating mine, only to come in 2nd place to my friend Reagan. After the party, on the playground, Reagan confessed to me that her mom had made hers. I was so bummed out!

This year, on Valentine's day, I judged a school art contest. The experience made me recall that bad 4th grade memory. As I interviewed each kid, I made sure I asked all the contestants to describe exactly how they made their entries!

FOOD

Even McDonald's is blingy in Vegas, originally uploaded by Fuzzy Gerdes.

I normally avoid fast food, but yesterday when the alarm sounded, I woke up thinking about McDonald's breakfast. The craving was enough incentive to help me drag myself from my warm bed at 5 am. The line was so long at the drive-thru I decided to go inside for my biscuit and Coke. I was hoping to relive one of those childhood moments when the only thing better than the McDonald's food was the happy meal toy that came with it. No such luck. That biscuit was the single-most salty thing I've ever tasted. I can't call it food. It was so bad, I've decided never to eat at McDonald's again. I started heading in this direction after watching "Super-Size Me," but this biscuit was the nail in the coffin.

Speaking of food. Tonight is the final episode of Bravo's Top Chef. Am I the only one rooting for Marcel? Not sure how I got hooked on this show, but I'm surprised by how much I enjoy it.

LADY

2 of the dogs, originally uploaded by Patrick Q.

Dad's dog Lady died today. She was poisoned, we think accidentally. She suffered a lot, and it was one of those rare times when I saw Daddy cry.

I hate times when someone I love is hurting and there is nothing I can do to make them feel better...

STATE OF THE UNION

Bush delivers the state of the Union to Congress tomorrow. I will be sure to watch, but I imagine it will be the same old song and dance. We'll see...

I am finally over the jet lag. Flying was a total nightmare. More on that later...maybe. Seems like I'm a little like Bush tonight - little disclosure and no definite timeline.

What's your opinion of Bush? If you believe the polls, he's the least popular president...maybe, ever.

VOTE FOR JIM, CLASS PRESIDENT.

Obviously, one of my New Year's resolutions is NOT to blog daily. I'm finally getting around to this first post of the new year. Hope 2007 is treating you well (and vice versa, conversely).

Jim Gaffigan is my favorite comedian. I downloaded some of his material and put it on my ipod. When I listened to him at the gym, I ended up falling off the treadmill. I laughed so hard I couldn't keep running.

Anyway, Jim is in a Comedy Central contest and I'd sure like it if he won. If you want to vote for him, follow this link:

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Sparkler, originally uploaded by Eric....

We've just rung in the new year. Hope your weather is a bit more suited to fireworks than it proved to be here in Germany - we were forced to brave a freezing drizzle and high winds. (Happy to be back inside, warm and dry.) May you and yours have a very happy 2007!

SNOW

snow day 004, originally uploaded by Patrick Q.

We finally had our first day of snow since my arrival. I threw a snowball at David, and he built a tiny snowman. Now it feels a bit more like Christmastime.

Tomorrow night we are planning a bonfire in the firepit behind the house. We'll cook hotdogs and have smores. It has been raining a lot lately, so we're making the most of the predicted clear night.

Fireworks went on sale this morning, and David was there when the doors opened, Christmas money in hand. I might just be in for my loudest New Year's Eve, ever.

12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Christmas Lights, originally uploaded by Patrick Q.

We lit the last advent candle tonight. In a few hours we'll head to the state church for a song service. Tomorrow morn we'll open gifts. Merry Christmas, everyone!

VERLIEBT IN GYMNASIUM

My niece attends public school here in Germany. Ellen is pretty level-headed, but like most 15-yr-old girls, she spends her day with schoolmates whose lives are brim-full of drama. Her little brother's English has a few gaps, so yesterday at dinner when I compared Ellen's classroom to a "Soap Opera," I had to define the unfamiliar term for David.

His Dad helped me to explain by offering the example of "Verleibt in Berlin," a cult hit in Germany that boasted 5 million daily TV viewers in 2005. Dan described the plot and cast to me, and I recognized the show as a current cross-over American weekly dramedy called, "Ugly Betty." Curious, I googled it and found out the history of the show.

It originally began in 1999 as a Columbian telanovella titled, "Yo soy Betty, la fea." In addition to Spanish, English, and German versions, there have also been Dutch, Russian, Indian, and Israeli adaptations. Score one for the "small world" concept. I imagine that the writer of "The Devil Wears Prada" also took the idea from some version of the original Columbian hit.

My inner grad student is tempted to write a comparison contrast essay about the different versions of this Cinderella story and the insights they reveal about our changing global cuture. I wonder why lots of the world's population enjoys watching fashionistas make fun of an ugly duckling.

TRAVEL UPDATE

g 032 Blankeneser Kirche am Markt, originally uploaded by Patrick Q.

I've had a bit of jetlag and the weather's been rainy, so sightseeing is getting a slow start. We did drive around to a few of the neighboring villages, and tonight we went to the State Church in Hamburg for a Christmas Concert. I've posted a few pics on flickr, and you can see them by following the link in the photo above.

HAMBURG BOUND

Empty Seat - lomo, originally uploaded by hangingpixels.

About an hour until my first flight to Houston, and I'm killing time in the airport. Then it's on to Newark and Amsterdam before Germany. Thankfully, the airports have wifi and I've packed some novels, so I shouldn't be too bored on layovers. Check-in was a breeze. It's an uneventful beginning, but I'm not complaining.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

wholesmokedturkey, originally uploaded by Madalin Matica.

Hope you and yours have a beautiful day! Don't eat too much bird!

RISK

Risk and Castle Risk, originally uploaded by Patrick Q.

My brother William gave me this game for Christmas my 10th grade year. It's become a family favorite. I've owned a ton of copies of it. I keep picking up extras at thrift shops and then giving them away to friends and family. My favorite memories of the game are late sumer camp nights. The kids and my fellow counselors really got into it.

This Thanksgiving, I'm giving a copy to my nephews, William's sons. I've got a 2nd copy I will put up on eBay. I figure if every other family member has a copy now, there's no reason to keep mine since I only play it with them.

UNPACKING CHRISTMAS

SWEET!, originally uploaded by Patrick Q.

Every year around this time I start hauling out the boxes of Christmas decorations. I carefully unpack and inspect each one - admiring its delicate beauty. Recalling all the good memories it inspires.

This year is no exception; boxes and bubble wrap are strewn everywhere. But I'm not decorating. I'm unpacking all of them so I can sell them, things I thought I'd hold onto till the grave.

What a surprise! And another suprise? I'm not sad. Letting them go is a good thing. It might just be the merriest Christmas of them all.

YOU CAN FIND IT ON EBAY

Tree Sweet Tree, originally uploaded by Patrick Q.

I visited 2 antiques shoppes today and they have NOTHING on eBay. Poor quality at high prices meant I left empty-handed.

I'm up late posting photos to flickr. Tonight I took about a million shots of my Kenner Tree Tots Family Tree House playset in preparation for listing it on eBay (and also as a nice way to remember it after it's with its new owner). I'm happy with the way they turned out. Hopefully the bidders will be influenced by them to bid higher.

After seeing other cool photos of Kenner toys on flickr (M.A.S.K. and Star Wars action figures, Blythe dolls, etc.), I decided to form a new flickr group for products made by this great company. I mean, they made Play-Doh! They deserve a little special attention.

DEL.ICIO.US

sandwich., originally uploaded by godownmatthew.

Sweetness! I'd been meaning to check it out, but I didn't expect it to be this good. No, not a giant floating ice cream sandwich! I finally got around to setting up my del.icio.us account and transferring all 400 of my bookmarks over. Editing them and adding tags was a total hassle, but the tool's already proving itself worth the extra effort. If you use Firefox, you've probably at least heard of it. For those of you unfamiliar with what, exaclty, del.icio.us is/does (like I was yesterday), you might want to check it out.

I also got a couple of eBay auctions up. It took forever to get my photography and auction stuff unpacked and set back up - way more time than it took to pack it all away for Pauline's visit. After spending too much time on all of that, I was ready to get out of the house when my brother called from Germany with a list of things he'd like me to bring for his family when I come over in a few weeks.

That's right! I did my first Christmas shopping of the Season today. I found several of the things on his list, and I should be done after just one more trip into town. Since I'm not bringing home a regular paycheck these days, I normally stay out of stores, so the only drag about the day's outing was seeing things that I wanted for myself and having to muster the self-discipline needed to not buy them. Hooray for character development. Big whomping yay!

Tomorrow should make up for it, since I'll get to spend a little dough on myself. My friends Stephen and Samantha are going to be in town for the night, so the three of us are going to Outback. I used to go to the one on the Coast regularly before the storm took it out. None of us have been to one since before Katrina, so it's kind of a big deal for us to go. I can't wait to have one of their baked sweet potatoes. I can almost taste it.

This week has been an island of old friendship in the ocean of solitude known as 2006. On Sunday night, I saw my old friends Mike and Madeline. I'd been thinking about them all day, so when they walked through the church door, I was shocked. Then on Monday night I saw my friends Alice, Sean, Kevin, and Emily at Joe Muggs when I stopped in for a coffee. They all will be in town for extended holiday visits with their parents, so I'll be able to see them again before I leave for overseas. Being around old friends made me realize what a recluse I'm becoming. I'm glad I'll be around Dan's family for the holidays. I need to make a New Year's resolution to not be such a hermit in 2007.

COUNTDOWN

German Christmas Market, originally uploaded by Alexander Yates.

The countdown continues: 40 days until I leave for Germany.

VISIONS OF IPODS DANCING IN THEIR HEADS

I started back at the gym today after a 2 month hiatus. It was around 3 o'clock, and I was the only one there besides the gym owner. I popped in my ear buds and jogged along to Taylor Hicks. Every time I use the iPod, I think of the Sony Walkman. Do you remember those? This Japanese craze hit the US consumer market in 1980. By 1981, there were a couple dozen knock-offs, but none carried the "coolness" factor of the Walkman. They were the iPod of their day. Oh, how I wanted one! But the over $100 price, considered affordable by Yuppies, was way out of my elementary-school sized budget. It would be almost 10 years before I FINALLY got one, and by that time CD's were becoming popular, so they were no big deal. I wonder how many little kids are longing for an iPod. I guess one day they'll look back and laugh about thinking, "I'll just die if I don't get one for Christmas."

A GLIMPSE INTO THE FUTURE?

OCT 31

HAPPY HALLOWEEN, originally uploaded by Neato Coolville.

No trick-or-treaters came by tonight. I was a little surprised, since the house is in town. Maybe word got around that we didn't have any good candy. My experience with the whole trick-or-treating thing is limited. Growing up in the country, I think maybe we got a couple of kids one year, and that was it. I only went trick-or-treating once; I was Humpty Dumpty at age 4. My parents would have let me if I'd wanted to, but I wasn't into it. It just never has been my thing. I'm much more a Christmas kind of guy.

That said, I have to say that I love those little corn candies. You know, the white, orange, and yellow ones? Maybe tomorrow I'll go buy a bag half price.

MEDIA REFORM CONFERENCE

Savetheinternet.com and Free Press are sponsoring a Media Reform conference Jan. 12-14 in Memphis to jump start the issue of Net Neutrality before the new Congress convenes. Thought you might want to check it out.

SPOOKY SWEET SPOOKY

E.L.F. Scott (sepia), originally uploaded by Patrick Q.

This old portrait of my great-great grandmother, and a few others like it, used to hang in my grandmother's attic. The life-size oddities frightened a generation of grandchildren, not only because of their stiff expressions and odd fashions.

It's their eyes! I don't know why, but their eyes seem to follow you no matter where you are in the room. My mom says they did the same thing when they hung in her grandmother's living room. She and her brother Bob used to lie on their stomachs and slide on the wooden floor while their ancestors eyes followed them.

My nieces and nephews don't like them at all - declaring them creepy. But I think they are cool, in a Ripley's kind of way. I was pretty sad when they were destroyed in a house fire a few years back. I'm thinking of framing life-size duplicates made from the scans I have of them. It just doesn't seem like home without my dead ancestors hanging around staring at me.

GERMANY FOR CHRISTMAS

Weihnachtsmarkt, originally uploaded by Patrick Q.

This morning I booked my flight through ORBITZ. I leave December 13th and return January 13th.

So, the countdown begins: 54 days until I leave for Germany.

BILL MOYERS AND SAVE THE INTERNET

Hope you caught journalist Bill Moyers on PBS last night. He produced a documentary called, "The Net at Risk." Following the broadcast, PBS.org hosted a live Internet debate between Free Press Policy Director Ben Scott and the phone industry's Mike McCurry.

Even if you missed it, please check out Moyers' essay "Against An Imperial Internet." Try to imagine an internet that is exclusively programmed by companies in the same way that TV and radio are programmed. If we don't speak up to congress, that could be the new face of the Internet in the 21st Century.

KIAWAH

Kiawah Island, 1979, originally uploaded by Patrick Q.

In '79, my parents and I visited the resort community at Kiawah. Dad was in business meetings during the day, so Mom and I had time to ourselves. She was a shutterbug back then.

I have three distinct memories about the trip: (1) I thought we were in a foreign country (2) We saw a "haunted house" on a walking tour of what I thought was the Rain Forest (3) We had a jeep ride on the beach.

Those are some of my earliest memories.

ROTOGRAVURE

Dad, Mom, Pat 1979, originally uploaded by Patrick Q.

I'm posting a lot of old photos to flickr today, so if you need a laugh, check them out.

MUSEUM

Dumpr offers a new tool that lets you place any flickr photo into a museum setting. I tried it out on 3 of my photos. What do you think?

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIE CUPCAKES

Peanut Butter Cookie Cupcakes, originally uploaded by buzzville.

Saw this photo on flickr and can't wait to try the recipe. I'll let you know how they turn out.

NOBODY'S WATCHING BARATS AND BERETA

A while back, I posted the NBC/WB pilot of a failed TV show ironically called "Nobody's Watching." Well, Derrik and Will have launched a website and a viral video campaign to resurrect the show (and their acting careers). Here's an example of the stuff they are posting to YouTube (for an extra dose of fun, read all the comments on their videos - it's amazing how few people commenting realize Will and Derrik are paid actors:

They might just have the formula for success, if they can follow in the footsteps of Luke Barats and Joe Bareta. Remember them? I've been following their YouTube Vidoes and post them here occasionally. I was surprised to see Joe this week on late night cable TV as a spokesman on a technical college ad (not too great an ad since I can’t recall the name of the college). The ad left me wondering what else was new in the fellows' quest for stardom, so I checked out their MySpace and found out that they have sealed a deal with a network - NBC Universal Television Studio - at the end of a bidding war that included MTV and HBO! Here is one of their new videos they've put on YouTube:

Speaking of Youtube, I guess you've heard about the whole "GooTube" Google $1.65B acquisition thing? Will Google ruin YouTube by plastering it with ads and making it all google-fied? What do you think?

THE REAL THING

Clearly Coke, originally uploaded by koduckgirl.

I'm posting a lazy-man's blog today: just copying and pasting an email forward that my brother Dan passed my way, but it's worth thinking about -

WATER: Drink Life!
1. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. (Likely applies to half of the world population).
2. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger.
3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as much as 3%.
4. One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a U-Washington study.
5. Lack of water, the number 1 trigger of daytime fatigue.
6. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.
7. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the compute screen or on a printed page.
8. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, ;lus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.

Have a COKE and a Smile (aka "I Love Liquid Candy")?
1. In many states (in the USA) the highway patrol carries two gallons of Coke in the trunk to remove blood from the highway after a car accident
2. You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of Coke and it will be gone in two days.
3. To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet bowl and let the "Real Thing" sit for one hour, then flush clean. Citric acid in the Coke removes stains from vitreous china.
4. To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: Rub the bumper with a rumpled-up piece of aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola.
5. To clean corrosion from car battery terminals: Pour a can of Coke over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion.
6. To loosen a rusted bolt: Apply a cloth soaked in Coke to the rusted bold for several minutes.
7. To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of Coke into load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run through a regular cycle. The Coke will help loosen grease stains. It will also clean road haze from your windshield.
8. The active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid. Its Ph is 2.8. It will dissolve a nail in about 4 days. Phosphoric acid also leaches calcium from bones and is a major contributor to the rising increase in osteoporosis.
9. To carry Coke syrup (the concentrate) the commercial truck must use the hazardous material place cards reserved for highly corrosive materials.
10. The distributors of Coke have been using it to clean the engines of their trucks for about 20 years!

Interested? Then check out the "Unauthorized history of Coca-Cola" and "Sugar Wars."

I WON ON BLINGO!

Danni won on Blingo, and since she signed up through my link, I won, too! For prizes, Blingo gave us each a choice between a Fandango movie ticket for one adult admission, or an iTunes gift certificate for $10. I chose the iTunes certificate and downloaded episodes of "Lost" and "The Office."

I would have chosen the movie ticket, but there's nothing out in theatres I want to see. I caught "School for Scoundrels" and it was a bomb. It was such a yawn I won't even bother to elaborate on its many fatal flaws. Jon Heder needs a new agent.

So, hey- If you'd like to sign up for Blingo and win cool prizes, too, then click this blue box.

napoleondynamite, originally uploaded by Hot Rod Homepage.

1934-2006

Uncle Robert, Jr. High, originally uploaded by Patrick Q.

My Uncle Robert passed away on September 21st, just a couple weeks after his birthday on the 3rd. I've been slow to blog lately, but I wanted to make a note somewhere about this photo I found while cleaning out his house. It's the only time I've ever seen him smiling. It was great to find it - comforting to see him happy and in love.