Magic Pants Jones is the Present!

Good Night

2012-01-24T08:33:00.004-05:00

On Friday, I had to say goodbye to the best adventure pal I could have asked for. My Golden Retriever Wesley was my sidekick from December 1999. We shared so many experiences, both good and bad, but he was always on my side.

In his later years, he had developed numerous benign (but cumbersome tumors), as well as arthritis that made it very difficult for him to walk. I slept next to him on his last night. In the morning, we had a big breakfast together, and spent time in the backyard sun together. He even mustered the strength to charge at our yard's boundary to bark at a strange dog next door. On our way to the vet, he ate a sausage mcmuffin with cheese.

Saying goodbye is the worst*. I managed to keep a happier demeanor when I was hit by a car and broke my back. It was worth it for the 11+ years of happiness he gave to me.

Good night, Wesley, and thank you.
?/?/1999-1/20/2012

* For anyone keeping track, I don't know what the actual worst is, and I would rather not find out.

Hell-o! I haven't seen you for a while.

2012-01-17T09:39:00.002-05:00

What's going on? It's good to see you again. I've got no photos or song links to share today, but then again, it looks like all the old song links expired, so that's useless, innit?

Life has been very bikey lately. I've got five bikes that get ridden on semi-regular intervals. My whole rhythm has been to want to go riding or plan trips to places to go riding.

Artwork is a place where I'd like my head to be, but I haven't had the energy or mentality for it in the past couple of years. Dramatic tension: Will I be able to complete a painting for a potential client, or will I panic and give up because I cannot reconnect to a series of paintings I did four years ago?

Now, though, I'm seeking adventure partners. I'm not Indiana looking for Marion. Dr. Jones' adventures are a bit much for me. I don't want to end up on the couch, though either. I need a Nora to my Nick? I don't know, I don't drink that much. Then again, with Nora's money, I could be persuaded to become a lush.

Either way, adventure is afoot. Make sure you have your bag packed, and don't forget your towel.

Lastly: I know it's been far too long. I still think you're cute.

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T09:27:00.000-05:00

Good Day in the Woods

2011-02-06T20:10:00.003-05:00

Spent the day riding at San Felasco in Alachua, north of Gainesville. Passed the requisite decaying farm buildings in the woods and the unimpressed deer of those woods. Found a new loop just before the bridge, nothing challenging, but fun nonetheless. Dinner afterward was the vegetarian edition of the Rocket Burger at The Top in Gainesville. It was a fantastic day, and now I'm finding it hard to watch the Super Bowl when there's a Top Gear marathon on BBC America.

Sick.

2011-01-22T23:09:00.005-05:00

It's a frakking Nyquil night. I've got the beginning of a sore throat, a stuffed head, and a runny nose. This isn't fair. I've made it this far, and now the annual cold season his struck me, too.

This will not be my Sunday.

Yawn.

2011-01-17T18:50:00.005-05:00

Cliche. That's what I'm going to use to reboot my Internet writing. We begin today with a cliche.

Really? It's sunny every day of the week, and on the one Monday I'm off this month, it's pouring rain for the majority of the day. To be certain, this whining is uncalled for. Florida's been in droughtsville for months. Rain levels have been too low for the past two or three years. Also: Let's not forget that this is Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday (observed). This day is not about me. I should be using it to help out my fellow man. Instead, I moaned about the rain, went to lunch with a friend, and watched the last three episodes of Battlestar Galactica.

Did I use the day to its' best use? No. For that matter, am I restarting this blog by writing about momentous things? No. But dammit, sometimes waiting for the good to come doesn't work. So that's it. I start writing again, and hopefully, something good will come out. Maybe not today, but if I start going again, maybe I'll find something good on a regular basis.

A bit of catch up - two dogs, lots of mountain biking, still a good bit of road biking, still teaching. Blah blah.

I'm pricking up my ears. I want stories.

For the record: Wes is well, though a bit lame and getting very old:

Hello?

2010-12-02T09:11:00.001-05:00

Watch this space.

Reboot?

2010-02-28T09:36:00.003-05:00

I know...

2009-12-20T19:03:00.003-05:00

I haven't posted in forever. You, MPJ Blog, are my new year's resolution. Until then, I wanted to share one of my new favorite songs: Raise Your Glass by Vagabondage:

I think...

2009-09-10T20:13:00.002-04:00

The Train From Kansas City - Neko Case

...that I'm back to being able to post. I've lost inspiration. I love my neighborhood, it's pretty, the people are nice, but it just doesn't look as awesome in photo to me. I like being around pretty, but artistically, it's not too exciting. Now that I've got my whining out of the way, since my last post I've:
-gotten my new bike, and I LOVE it.
-gotten my new students, and they're awesome.
-made an industrial looking headboard (when I figure out how to make a photo of it look as good as life).
-chilled out.

So here I am, thinking, "Where do I go to get pix that I want to post?" and I'm guessing it's time to get moving around.

But anyway, I grabbed my camera out the door on my walk with Wes Tuesday and today, and here's what I saw:

From North City Evening

Time of day + distance = blurry

From North City Evening

I will do my best to return with pictures for you. And just so you know, I mean you. This message is personalized to your browser.

My new neighborhood is nice, but...

2009-08-06T23:59:00.003-04:00

Hallelujah - Leonard Cohen

I need a bike to get to the abandoned bits...there were more inspirational textures, colors, and bits of blight in the old neighborhood. But today, it was a bike ride to explore the North City area of St. Augustine.

I don't know what it is about empty places that inspires me so. Ever since I was a kid, I fell in love with any place that was falling down.

Today, after the Wes walk, it was a bike ride, and then some repotting. Everyone told me to un-plant the bamboo I put in the front garden. It'll take over, they said. So in went the rosemary plant, and I've potted the bamboo in a quart yogurt tub until I can get a planter to bring it inside.

I'm going to miss all this puttering around once school starts, but my brain is starting to go back into school mode, so I'm getting excited about that. Until then, here's what makes my brain tingle:

The car dealership near me is gone, gone, gone, and what it's left behind looks great. Please, someone, let me play in there until someone buys it and tears it all down.

From North City Bike Ride

I love that the desk area still has fake plants...

From North City Bike Ride

It says authentic, but really, it's pretty mediocre.

From North City Bike Ride

I have more respect for any car repair facility that looks the same as it always has:

From North City Bike Ride

I love the logo for Li'l Champ:

From North City Bike Ride

And, of course, the cat of the day:

From North City Bike Ride

If you stop by my new place, I'll give you a bowl of vanilla yogurt with fresh fruit, honey, and cinnamon. It tastes great!

2009-08-05T21:45:00.003-04:00

Its Only A Paper Moon - Chet Baker

Walking Wes tonight, the moon was peeking through the trees. It was teasing me with its brilliance. When I got to a house with a low roof, I got a great view. I dragged the pooch back home for my camera. My lack of tripod means I only hint at the greatness, but what a great moon it was:

From August 2009, evening...

Tonight's bike ride got canceled. As I was driving up to the ride meeting place, the wind was strongly out of the south. I got all excited because I knew we'd have a strong headwind for the second half of our ride. When I got there, there were ominous clouds to the north. They didn't seem to understand about the south wind because they kept getting closer. As we were standing around talking about skipping the ride and getting dinner, the air suddenly got cold. We beat feet into Woody's Barbecue. Woody's...not quite hell, but definitely purgatory for a vegetarian. Dinner tonight was a baked potato and Cole slaw.

The thing I like about all of our rains, though, is the increase in frogs. Our little frogs are so cute. This guy freaked me out a bit. I tried to open the screen door on the back porch to let him out, and he jumped onto my arm before jumping to the water heater. He was cold and wet to the touch. Cute, though:

From August 2009, evening...

Lastly, I've been enjoying these wet nights because it's so nice to sit on my porch with candles lit, and read, blog, or just listen to podcasts or music. Tonight, I've got the City of God soundtrack on, and it's so good.

From August 2009, evening...

Be careful, or I'll beep your nose. Now go, you've got other good things to do.

Sun rising on my street...

2009-08-02T22:02:00.002-04:00

The Drowners (Demo) - Suede

Thanks to Lightning in a Bottle for posting about her love of the band Suede. I remember all of the ridiculous hours I spent poring through Melody Maker and NME at the local record store in East Lansing, Michigan, in the fall of '92. I wanted to know everything about all of this great new music. I'd heard a Morrissey interview where he namechecked Suede. The Drowners was their only single at the time. I bought it, and listened constantly. The wait for the album was awful. I remember the record store got a demo tape of it a week before the CD came out. The guys who worked there tossed it to me because they knew how much I was anticipating it.

I miss being that excited about new music. Or anything, for that matter. They say that patience is a virtue, but sometimes, it's nice to relish the pain of longing.

On Friday morning, I woke up with time to get to the marsh before the sun crested the horizon. I wasn't patient enough (hunger struck) to wait around for the big yellow ball, but I took a handful of shots of the morning twilight before I left.

From Sunrise

In the background, you can see the lights on the Vilano Bridge...

From Sunrise

I like this time of day...things are visible, and yet the streetlights are still on...

From Sunrise

Have you done something new with your hair? No? Well, it looks good.

Struggling to find a routine...

2009-07-30T17:01:00.003-04:00

Born On A Train - Magnetic Fields

Hello, hello...it's Mr. "I used to update every day" here.

Here's what I've found...when your routine changes, it takes some trying to redefine routine, it takes some force, it's a job of work, as the Brits say.

I've been doing things, not too many things, but things, and I've found it tough to keep up blogging. My new attempt, I think is to take some time in the afternoon to sit on the porch typing. Being that this is Florida, that also means hoping the afternoon storms don't result in a lightning bolt to my lap. That's not the surge of electricity I'm looking for in that region.

Today's photos come from another walk with Wesley. The good bits of blight are a bit of a hike for him in this weather, so those will have to wait. Still, there are things to see:

My rosemary plant came from a neighbor. They occasionally put up a little table with plants on. There's a little sign in front, with a little poem, signed, "The Giving Garden". How nice! And in a month, I haven't killed it. This is new! It will enter the ground soon.

From North City Walks - July 23

Wes readies for a walk:

From North City Walks - July 23

Fancy a waffle?

From North City Walks - July 23

This house is perfect, and the Galaxie 500 makes me feel like I've traveled back in time...now if only it was Joan Holloway or Betty Draper from Mad Men driving up...

From North City Walks - July 23

I love this motel, mostly because I could never see staying there...

From North City Walks - July 23

But is the "American Owned" a 'subtly' racist way of saying, "And we know you don't want to stay in an Indian owned motel."?

From North City Walks - July 23

Career opportunities:

From North City Walks - July 23

I love the boxes for things at convenience stores. Who is this box aimed to please?

From North City Walks - July 23

Lastly, this character was confident as we approached. Not afraid of my dog (at least at distance), nor overly hostile. And such a nice coat.

From North City Walks - July 23

In my neighborhood...

2009-07-21T23:07:00.005-04:00

Exploration - Coraline Soundtrack

There are many dogs and cats. And a LOT of dog people. I can't go for a walk without hitting pause on the podcast I'm listenin' to. Of course I stop, of course I say hello. Wes likes meeting all of the people and most of the dogs. He'd love to meet the cats, too, but they're not interested. Also, I'm pretty friendly, so it's all PAUSE and hello, hello, hello. It's terrible, though, I meet all these people and dogs, and I have no idea what their names are. There are too many of them. This is Wes just before a walk. He loves the walks. He's a very walk-based fellow:

From Dinner and A Wes

I also had my first dinner party on Saturday. My table is small, so a dinner party is three people invited over. It was a vegan evening, and everything turned out tasty. The main course was tofu barbecue with onions and peppers. There's no picture, but it was mighty tasty.

Also on the menu:
Corn and Bean Salad:
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 small bag frozen sweet corn
1 bunch scallions, chopped
1 jar roasted red peppers, chopped
1/2 cup (or more to taste) mango poppyseed dressing
Mix.
It's good as a salad, or as a sweet salsa to eat with chips.

From Dinner and A Wes

and
Fruit Tart No-Bake Pie
First: Mix a cup of almonds and 1/3 cup of sunflower seeds together in the food processor
Next: Remove, and run 1 cup of pitted dates through the food proceeser, slowly pouring in the almond/sunflower seed mix.
When you have a ball of 'dough', line a pie plate (8"), and then fill halfway with chopped foods like banana, strawberries, blueberries, 3tc. Puree a banana and strawyberries in the food processeer, and pour over the top of the fruit. Lastly, sprinkle coconut and maybe granola over the top of the pie, and chill for at least an hour.

From Dinner and A Wes

PS...the crust was really good, and hard to believe it's just dates, seeds, and almonds. So good.

The need for more blocks.

2009-07-17T00:57:00.005-04:00

Our Live is Not a Movie or Maybe - Okkervil River

Life is like a block tower that you've built...and sometimes the tower's gotten a bit tall, and it's maybe teetering. If you had more blocks, you could build up the sides of your tower, and it wouldn't be quite so tippy. As it is, you've got two left, there's your favorite, the one you've been saving for the top, and the one your dog chewed, and you always leave because it doesn't look right.

You could take some off the top, build a broader base, but you've never had one so tall. You sit and stare, all inaction and nervousness, as you wait for it to crash down to the carpet.

I think tomorrow is a good day to make a list of priorities, and organize the rest of my summer. This is not something I want to do. I would much rather stack and stack my blocks, but then again, I really don't want them all to come crashing down.

And now, tonight's walk! Wes and I walked a mile (round trip) to get a Peppermint Pattie, a wonderful after dinner choice. Here are some of the things we saw:

A small combo of buckets:

From North City 7-16-09

In which Kyle McLachlan is about to find an ear in the grass:

From North City 7-16-09

Get this fence out of the way, and I will tear you up.

From North City 7-16-09

Yeah, he'll tear you up!

From North City 7-16-09

Please help me.

From North City 7-16-09

Yeah, it's mine.

From North City 7-16-09

I love this house, I love the windows, the wood shingles, and I really dig the character above the door...

From North City 7-16-09

Hey! You're not a real deer.

From North City 7-16-09

Delivering beans to the Mexican restaurant:

From North City 7-16-09

I love the Mexican grocery store:

From North City 7-16-09

Graffiti can be really great, if you have great ideas or art to express. Sometimes it's just this:

From North City 7-16-09

Cat of the Night:

From North City 7-16-09

Okay, off to bed with you, kiddo. You've got a big day tomorrow. I'm hitting the sack, too.

Home tour part 1...

2009-07-15T23:57:00.004-04:00

Diplo Rhythm - Diplo

Moving is such a pain in the butt, but when you're done, it can be very liberating. Moving can give you such a great chance to start fresh, make everything right.

The first room I'm going to share is my dining room/library. It's also a toy room, I guess. Anyway, I'll share the details as I go....

From Home Tour 1

The pictures are by my friend Nancy Macri, of her cat Stimpy, and a game from the toys that my grandmother kept for me at her house.
Along the top of the shelf, (starting at the left) there's a signed original drawing from the Laugh Out Loud Cats by Apelad, aka Adam Koford. Next is a portrait of jotto's Space Monkey. It comes from a t-shirt that had become unwearable, so I stretched it over a picture frame. Then, on either side of my Ugly Doll (more on that...), there are two tiny robot paintings by my friend Steve Marrazzo. The Ugly Doll is Ice Bat, and was given to me as a birthday present by my friend Amber. Next are two germs in test tubes. They were in my last apartment, left by the previous tenant. Finally, there's my blank Dunny. I still haven't figured out what design I want to use for it. There's also a little slinky, some speakers, an old teacup, and a drawing of mine that you can barely see. On the lower shelves are old toy cars that belonged to my father and uncle when they were boys.

From Home Tour 1

On the top of this shelf, you see lots of Peewee stuff. There's the squeezable talking Peewee, the action figure, and the bobble head. I also have a wind-up Magic Screen and a handful of trading cards. The large, bizarre clock thing is also from Steve, of the robot paintings. You can also see the deer planter I had as a child. Behind the deer is a photo of a colorful rocking horse.
On the wall is my fake ball clock. I made it by dissembling a clock from Goodwill and painting it. There are also some tiles I picked up at the Detroit Festival of the Arts several years ago. Another robot, of course, and Godzilla.
On the lower shelves, you will find: a wooden horse made by my third grade teacher's dad; a little plastic man with parachute; a wind-up pig (her eyes roll) that my dad bought my mom when they were dating; a felt finger puppet; a sand-filled cowboy paperweight; a cap pistol; a very old lock and key; a wooden Easter egg made by my friend Maribel Angel; an amethyst; several rubber duckies; a handmade doll of Rachel Trachtenburg; a friction-sparking plastic ray gun; a small stuffed Flealick, from the Babe, Pig in the City toys; the Hush Puppies Basset Hound,; and a small sculpted head that I made many many years ago.
Next to the shelf, you can see my UFO lamp. It changes colors, and the water moves around inside.

From Home Tour 1

Less wordy this time:
It's a poster from World Market of different types of vehicles from India. Also, it's my camera collection. Many of them don't work, but they look neat. The ones that do work don't get used because film is expensive, and digital is SO easy to work with.

From Home Tour 1

Here you have a big graffiti on cardboard painting that I did, two tiles that I drew, a funny rock that has a natural 'mouth' and two drawn on eye dots. Also, barely visible, you can see a little man made of Bakelite, and a Jack Skellington bendy figure.

From Home Tour 1

Three paintings from a series of drawings I did called, "Unsung Heroes." I don't remember all of the subtitles, but the bottom one is #5, "Leisure is a Form of Action."

From Home Tour 1

A painting I did of a lady. It's painted on the back of the window.

From Home Tour 1

A working Charlie Weaver Bartender in the box, an artist's dummy, an Indian toy car box (the car looks NOTHING like the illustration), and some mini-comics.

From Home Tour 1

A number 4 lamp done by an artist whose name I forget. He worked and lived in St. Augustine before I moved here.

From Home Tour 1

It's an Iron Giant bank, a portrait of some GI that a friend gave to me, several tin toys (including the car on the far right that was "pictured" on that box), a Circus Punk, an action figure of a heavyset hipster, a button made by my friend Joe Marrazzo, a Japanese businessman gone 'native' figure, and a cubicle worker action figure. Behind the hipster, there's a small burlesque picture in a small frame.

From Home Tour 1

It's my dining table and chairs. Two of the chairs came with the table at a farmer's market 8 years ago. The other two chairs are just placeholders until I can find better matches. The carpeting is astroturf.

Oh, and also, you smell good tonight.

In which peer pressure can be good...

2009-07-14T22:20:00.003-04:00

Fraud In The 80s - Mates Of State

Wes has always had a thing about the beach. He likes the Intracoastal Waterway...the waves are just ripples. The Atlantic, however, has always scared the crap out of him. As soon as a wave hit him in the shoulders, or got near his nose, he was out of it. Turn around. Walk back to the beach. No way, man, no more water.

This morning, I dropped Wes off at my friend Ro's house before we went for a 26 mile bike ride. He got to hang out with her two Goldens while we rode with a third friend. When we got back, we changed, and took the dogs to the beach. It was there that I saw the power of peer pressure. Wes took on much bigger waves than ever before. He jumped into them to get the ball. He was totally outmatched on ball chasing, the other two dogs were bigger, and much younger. Wes is small for a Golden, and he's a bit lame in the right front, so speed isn't his thing. Even so, it was so much fun watching him have such a blast.

After, it was back to Ro's house for lunch with her and her husband, and the Tour de France on DVR. What a great way to start a Tuesday.

Wes at the beach:

From Wes at the Beach

Now...go write a little note to someone you don't thank enough. It'll make you both feel good.

Ah, the new house...

2009-07-14T00:55:00.003-04:00

We Used To Be Friends (Kenn Richards Remix) - The Dandy Warhols

Forgive tonight's soundtrack, I recently rewatched Veronica Mars, Season 1. Such a great show. Let's hear it for snappy dialogue.

I've settled into the new house, the paintings are all up, things all have a place (I took four carloads to Goodwill), and I'm working on a headboard (cut and flattened soda cans (silver side up) nailed to a 2'x4' piece of MDF - it's looking pretty good so far).

I finally have cable and internet back, so I'm back to updating regularly starting tonight. And tonight, we see that I live at the Alamo (and I'm sorry, Peewee, but there IS no basement here):

From North City Morning

And on today's dog walk, I snapped a few photos of the Intracoastal marsh. It's half a block from my house:

From North City Morning

And I'm a sucker for roads that DON'T cut down old trees, but work around them instead:

From North City Morning

Lastly, an hour after I got home, I looked down at Wes, and saw something green on his ankle. On investigation, I saw it was this. The little bugger had some pretty tough needles, and they were well stuck into him. I had to pull them out one by one:

From North City Morning

Poor guy.

Anyway, I'm glad to be back updating, and I'm even happier to see that you're reading.

Forgive the sporadic updating...

2009-07-10T17:45:00.002-04:00

I get my cable hookup on Sunday, a mere 2 1/2 weeks after attempting to. Comcast, shmomcast. I'm at my parents' house now, but I'll definitely be able to update regularly again as of Sunday.

Steps have been taken...

2009-07-01T22:19:00.003-04:00

Laundry Day - Dr. Horrible Cast

Have you seen Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog? It's tremendous. Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion, and Felicia Day are great. It's got great Whedon stuff going on, it's funny, got great songs, and it even gets a bit sad. You can see it on Hulu. I rediscovered it when a friend was in town, and ended up downloading the soundtrack. It's so great.

Well, today, my dad and I finished off the old place. The only things left there are some unpainted windows, a painted window with a dangerous looking crack in it, and my mail. That leaves sorting, picture hanging, and new home photography (for you, of course!) to do. Then, and only then, you're invited to my housewarming party.

Until then, it's a set of old unpublished photos of St. Augustine Beach pier birds. Woohoo!

From Maritime Augustine

It's the NOAA weather station!

From Maritime Augustine

Have a sandwich. Sandwiches are yummy, and I just want you to be happy.

My apologies...

2009-06-30T22:09:00.003-04:00

Moving (Demo) - Suede

Especially to Awesome Sara, who wrote to check on me. My brain shut down for the month of June. With the end of school, a friend from out of town, and a very long moving process, I've been unresponsive. And that's rude, so if you were worried, I'm sorry. I've left Lincolnville for North City in St. Augustine, home of smaller, single dwelling houses. I have central air now, and doors and walls. I promise to put up pictures as soon as I get things on walls.

I don't have cable transferred yet (Comcast has everything goofy, they think my neighbor's "business" is run through my apartment.), but my neighbor is letting me use her wifi until it's fixed. I just have to wait on my new landlady to get me a lease so I can prove I live here.

So here I am, still a lot of work to do, sorting, hanging pictures, hanging blinds, but all is good on this end. I want to share the last six pictures I took in Lincolnville. I'm gonna miss it, but then again, I really like this place.

This place has gone from abandoned to bare bones (but amazingly tasty), to abandoned, to a place with all meat on the menu. I like the plants they keep adding, though:

From Last of Lincolnville

It's the last of the Lincolnville Cats pictures. I should totally make a book of them. No. I shouldn't. Not to worry, North City has lots of cats and dogs. I've seen 'em.

From Last of Lincolnville

St. Augustine is made up of a handful of names that you can find all over town. Colee is one of 'em. So long, horses.

From Last of Lincolnville

I've always loved this abandoned place across the street from the Ice Plant. I want to open a store in it, or live there. From the looks of it though, it'd be pricey to fix up, and I have no money, or experience owning a store.

From Last of Lincolnville

Neat old AMC Rambler:

From Last of Lincolnville

Oh, and really neat? My bedroom ceiling fan sounds like Laura Palmer's from the Twin Peaks movie. I hope Killer Bob isn't lurking somewhere.

By the way...of all the people who read this blog, you are my favorite.

Rain, rain, go away.

2009-05-26T21:52:00.003-04:00

Its Been Raining - Kimya Dawson

It rained for 7 days straight last week. Almost constantly, it rained. It seemed biblical. Let's be clear here. In Florida, it's supposed to rain every day, but just for half an hour around four in the afternoon. Everything was flooding because so much of this town is at or below sea level. It was a mess. And yesterday was gorgeous. And today was gorgeous, until I went to get into my car. Then it was deluge time again. And here I am, playing around online, even though I should load my car with the food that I don't want poisoned by poison gas. Also, I need to load clothes for the next three days, and tomorrow's bike stuff. And here I sit, playing around online.

I couldn't go outside tonight. Dark and rainy, that's what it was, and I like my camera, so I don't want it water damaged. And that means it's time for more stuff from my apartment.

First of all, it's a picture of my ukuleles. So you know, I cannot play them. I can noodle around poorly, and I can invent ridiculously simple two chord songs that don't sound very good. I keep thinking I should take a couple of lessons. Enough to build on...

From More stuff from my house

I've watched a lot of Mad Men lately, and I have a great amount of respect for the suffering of the women of the 50's and 60's. People should not be treated as second class citizens. That said, I still cannot help but love pinup art from the 50's:

From More stuff from my house

My oldest friend, Fluffy will be old enough to run for President next year:

From More stuff from my house

I'm not usually a sports guy outside of bike racing, but in April/May/June, playoffs hockey and basketball are compelling. Go Wings:

From More stuff from my house

When I lived in Michigan, for a very short time, I had a Hawaiian bathroom. It was kitsch Hawaii, but I loved it. I had astroturf, a grass skirt around the sink base, leis around the mirror, tiki gods, and a hula girl shower curtain. I had to ditch the grass things because it turns out I'm very allergic to dried grasses. Anyway, I still have a lot of elements of that bathroom, but my current bathroom is nowhere near as cool.

Here's a Tiki god my dad cast in a 2 qt. milk carton when he was a cub scout:

From More stuff from my house

The Polynesian girl bust I found at a flea market (or was it in my grandma's attic?):

From More stuff from my house

Another flea market find:

From More stuff from my house

Goodwill (or some thrift store) score:

From More stuff from my house

Original work by James Hargett, an Atlanta area painter. We traded paintings when we were in a gallery together in Jacksonville:

From More stuff from my house

My Iron Beer light switch cover. Iron Beer is a Cuban fruit flavored soda. This was really easy to make. Scissors, a switch plate, and a screw driver.

From More stuff from my house

Well, I suppose I should start packing and loading things. It is 10:15, after all. Poop.

2009-05-25T21:19:00.003-04:00

Seeing Hands - Dengue Fever

What a trippy, trippy TV show.

I'm sorry to people who like reading this for my absence. Between the end of the school year (12 more days!), bike rides, and endless rain for the past week, I've been dead all the rest of the time, and just haven't felt like posting. After getting my first bike ride in in 9 days, and finding out that my kids have all passed the ridiculous state education test, I'm feeling suddenly energized. The next 2 or three weeks will be tough to get through, but after that, I should be back to normal. Oh, and also, my house is being tented this week. Let's hear it for poison gas. It'll be good to be termite and palmetto bug free, but that stuff creeps me out.

In getting ready for the gas invasion, I'm supposed to take out all opened food containers, pillows, and medicines. I've decided that dog toys should come, too. I washed all of Wes' toys, but there were several that were either torn apart, or on the verge of it. I've been all eco and sewn things up in the past, but it usually doesn't last long. Anyway, here are his friends that are being retired:

It's hard to tell, but this goose is gutted:

From Retired Toys

The Busy Bee has lost an arm and a foot. Sad, sad Busy Bee:

From Retired Toys

This Taco Bell Chihuahua has lost his head and his left, rear leg. What an undignified end for such a prominent pitchman:

From Retired Toys

This pig just seems like he needs a good washing...

From Retired Toys

Until you see its backside...

From Retired Toys

Similarly, Drunken Froggie appears to need a bath and a good night's sleep...

From Retired Toys

But no....he also needs to be un-disemboweled:

From Retired Toys

Poor Mr. pineapple is having a brain hemorrhage:

From Retired Toys

Little Brown Doggie ended up keeping her job, but the t-shirt had to go. It made her look like she'd had a rough night:

From Retired Toys

And finally, Captain Sheep is having problems in his 'private area', but now worry, Wes has at least 2 more sheep:

From Retired Toys

I'm not sure how much I'll be updating over the next couple of weeks, but once summer break starts, I'll be prolific again. Until next time, have a swell day.

I have been MIA...

2009-05-17T18:59:00.002-04:00

I know, I'm sorry! It's been a curious mix of tired, annoyed (there are just over 3 weeks of school left), sick, and just feeling blah. But I'm back, I'm almost feeling energized, and I have photos for you. But first...

Lloyd, Im Ready To Be Heartbroken - Camera Obscura

Looking up...

From A short evening walk

Bombay's Market, from the side. It's got none of the great locals around, but they're there most of the time.

From A short evening walk

One Way. Or less. I like the simple graff.

From A short evening walk

...and the sticker:

From A short evening walk

Hel-lo, housetop!

From A short evening walk

We are porch rails, and we would like repair.

From A short evening walk

This tree, I've heard - in talks around the neighborhood, was considered too dangerous to be left to roam free. It's been tied down for weeks, but it's spirit hasn't given in. Look how it pulls at the ropes:

From A short evening walk

Left to it's own devices, any Florida landscape will take over within a matter of minutes. The last story, the one about the tree, should prepare you for this. I left for my walk, this yard was bare. On the way back home, I see this:

From A short evening walk

Drunken shopping trip?

From Sunday Walk

I'm not sure what this barrel holds, but there's a tube into the bathroom of the house.

From Sunday Walk

Need booze, food, darts or pool? Perhaps the Gigglin' Gator is for you.

From Sunday Walk

This garage would look perfect with some Dharma Initiative vans in front of it:

From Sunday Walk

And, goodnight. I'm gonna go watch Don and Betty Draper carry on their uncomfortable and dysfunctional marriage, surrounded as it is by beautiful clothes and furnishings. Why didn't I discover Mad Men when it was new? Thank goodness for DVD.

From A short evening walk

Forgive me, please...

2009-05-12T22:06:00.003-04:00

These Things - She Wants Revenge

I hope you'll forgive me for geeking out for a second on Fringe again:
So...Peter is actually a parallel universe(PU) Peter because the original Peter died in 1985? Did Walter steal him from parallel Walter? How awful.
Also...is Nina Sharp's right arm gone because it was chopped off in a PU? And Olivia's ability to switch to parallel Olivia's consciousness is because of her Cortexaphan testing as a child? What a handy way to meet with William Bell in the WTC. I kept looking at this episode and thinking, how are they gonna wrap this up nicely in the next 10 minutes, and yet, not only did they wrap things up for the season, they made me giddy with geeky questions at the end. Nicely done, Fringe crew.

Now...I've been all stuffy nosed. I've been phlegmy throated, I've been headachey that makes you weep and nauseous. I've been over busy and over tired. I'm glad to be mellow and up for writing tonight.

Friday, I took a walk downtown, where St. Augustine hosted a Snoop Dogg concert on Friday night. It was really odd for there to be a concert on the events field in town. Odder still to have it be someone who uses so much profanity on stage. Let me be clear here. I love profanity. I have a foul, foul mouth, and a dark sense of humor sometimes. I don't often swear in anger, I don't do a lot of anger. I do, however, like to swear for the fun of it. However, as a teacher, and as a person, I know that too much is just noise pollution for a lot of people, so I use it judiciously. Snoop, however, has no such constraints, and St. Augustine was echoing Friday with things like, "Put ya muthaf*****n' hands in the air!" Um...I'm not sure I see the city being keen on that. Even so, it was fun to watch.

I've never been a big Snoop fan. I like him in small doses. Maybe in a feature role on someone's song, or a bit on a TV show. It was still pretty cool, though. He wasn't as good live as I'd hoped, but the novelty of catching a concert for free by standing on a sidewalk downtown, while the people who'd paid were inside the fence, was pretty neat.

Anyway, I've taken some evening walk pics lately, and I thought I'd drop a bunch of them here.

Adorable Neighborhood Cat Toys With Debilitated Anole

From Evening Walks

Cats are master killers!

Police stops seemed to be up on Friday...hmmm...hip hop in town means there's more police presence!

From Evening Walks

Love this entrance, so institutional...

From Evening Walks

Find your home, Saphi:

From Evening Walks

Hello, Sidewalk Chalkers:

From Evening Walks

Love this house:

From Evening Walks

"Stay out of my yard!"

From Evening Walks

Alleys rock! People have such nice houses from up front, but the backs of their houses and garages are so much cooler looking from the back.

From Evening Walks

Tiiiiiiiiiiin Roof! Rusted!

From Evening Walks

Nice weathering on this sign:

From Evening Walks

Sad, dead-eyed cat. I want to take her to the vet and spend all the money on her to make her healthy and not sad looking. As it is, she looks pretty spooky.

From Evening Walks

And it's Bo, my friend Nancy's neighbor dog. Bo's a goofy boy, but he's sweet.

From Evening Walks

Have a swell time, and remember this wisdom from my favorite headline of the day: Freaks Survive Because They Are Strange.

My head is swimming...

2009-05-07T19:40:00.003-04:00

Cherry Blossoms - Tindersticks

And yet, I soldier on. No words from the every day. My kids were good today, my class moms rock, having made me a nice lunch, and an afternoon math tutoring session went well. And now...some adult math tutoring, The Office, and 30 Rock, and then sweet blissful sleep. Spitzle may be taking another night off. Apologies to the faithful.

Here's what I saw tonight...
This tree appeared right as the above song played on my Zune (that's right, I have a Zune...scoff if you will, it's been nice to me). The tree, my headache, and the slow, sad, beautiful music meshed so perfectly:

From Sleepy Walk

I like your goatee, Mr. Kitty:

From Sleepy Walk

And your stairway, Mr. Dilapidated Garage:

From Sleepy Walk

Retired extras from an old James Bond movie:

From Sleepy Walk

Could this be the set of any 1970's cop show?

From Sleepy Walk

I love you, Sad Door:

From Sleepy Walk

And Rachel, whom I do not know, seems to have some caring friends. Happy Belated Freakin' Birthday, Rachel (look close):

From Sleepy Walk

And though I don't usually post other peoples' content...I love you, The Red House!

Now go and eat some fresh fruit. It's good for you.

Today I learned:

2009-05-06T22:23:00.003-04:00

Get Better - Mates Of State

I knew that I'm allergic to dried grass products. Grass mats, skirts, and blinds are out. Well. It appears that straw hats are o-u-t, too. I wore a straw sombrero for a school event today, did my best to be a team player. Wowzers, did that ever heck my head up. I've got insane nasal pressure, and it's got my head all foggy and a bit painful. Also: it's making me super groggy.

Okay, enough whinging. That's why I picked this song.

Anyway...the bike ride was good and fast tonight, and I only have a bazillion things to do before bed. Whee.

I think you're neat. I especially like that thing you do with your hair.

Delicious, delicious, chill out night.

2009-05-05T23:04:00.003-04:00

Mas Que Nada - Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66

I got tomorrow's morning work up today, left work, napped, walked Wes, got a couple of groceries, and watched Fringe. After work, it was never about obligation, never about somewhere I needed to be. Such a nice evening. On the photo front: cats, dogs, palms, and ice cream truck, amongst other things. Now...I'm gonna wash my bike clothes before bed so I can ride tomorrow after work.

This character knew exactly what I was doing. He never blinked about Wes, but the photoshoot was on his terms:

From Evening Walk in Lincolnville

Is it just me, or does Beethoven ever sound better than when it's being played in high pitched tones on a scratchy tape loop?

From Evening Walk in Lincolnville

Shouldn't this boat's name have an exclamation point? Incredible!

From Evening Walk in Lincolnville

The lottery is a tax on people who don't understand probability. More evidence here:

From Evening Walk in Lincolnville

I <3 style="width: auto;">From Evening Walk in Lincolnville
and

From Evening Walk in Lincolnville

(so damned handsome!)

A shy kitty who doesn't understand that fences keep her safe from my dog:

From Evening Walk in Lincolnville

The tail was wagging, but the rest of the body language said, "Get off my block, or so help me, I'm gonna figure out how to get off this chain."

From Evening Walk in Lincolnville

Itchy!

2009-05-04T23:04:00.002-04:00

I Dont Like Mondays - The Boomtown Rats

The song is a cliche for a Monday, innit? Don't worry...no mass murder dreams here. The title is enough of a sentiment for me. It's funny how such a fun song (with hand claps!) can be so dark. Thank you, Bob Geldof!

Anyway...today, being tired from the weekend's cycling, being hot from muggy weather and blue jeans, being uncomfortable from the flea bites on my ankles and the ant bites on my toes (welcome to Florida!), I fantasized for just a minute that swine flu would come to my community, and we could take a couple of days off.

But really, things are going fun in school right now. We're gardening, the kids are writing fun stories, it's all good, I was just in need of a nap, and maybe some relaxation. So...I'm not riding until Wednesday.

No photos or drawings today. I think the camera's coming out after work tomorrow, though.

Oh, and you...the one reading these words? You're swell!

Walking Around on a Nice, Warm Evening...

2009-05-03T23:09:00.003-04:00

Close Call - Rilo Kiley

Hello! It's been a weekend of riding - 31 miles on Saturday (killed me!), and 49 miles this morning (fantastic, if painful in my feet and bum). And, if biking was the morning, walking was the evening game. Last night, I walked seven miles at the Relay for Life for my school's team, and I got in about a half mile with Wes and my camera this evening. Rest tonight will have been earned.

If you were walking my route tonight, you would have noticed:
The little shed:

From Walking on Sunday Evening

The dirty globe light:

From Walking on Sunday Evening

A Dharma van (where's Hurley when you need him?):

From Walking on Sunday Evening

The college:

From Walking on Sunday Evening

Villa Zorayda:

From Walking on Sunday Evening

At first glance, this said "FREE POO." Also: Nice spelling on "MONDAYS."

From Walking on Sunday Evening

Peeling of paint layers makes for great visual textures:

From Walking on Sunday Evening

Out back of the Gigglin' Gator:

From Walking on Sunday Evening

Sunsets:

From Walking on Sunday Evening

The brave kitty. The two siblings darted into that hole behind:

From Walking on Sunday Evening

Go out tomorrow, and do something ridiculous. It's fantastic!

It's...Five for Friday!

2009-05-02T01:04:00.003-04:00

It's the (sometimes) weekly chronicle of things I'm loving, or at least enjoying. Here we go!

1. My Luchadore mask!
It came in the mail on Tuesday, and was totally overshadowed by the chicken incident. I haven't come up with a Luchadore name yet, but I'm aiming to have a great time with it when I do, and when I've gathered parts for a costume. For once I'm going to have Halloween set before October 30.

From Five for Friday, May 1

2. New, tiny artwork
I bought these two robot painting/drawings tonight. They're the work of my artistic godfather, Steve Marrazzo, of Simple Gestures. The best place in St. Augustine to be on First Friday.

From Five for Friday, May 1

3. Walter Bishop on Fringe
I love Fringe in general. It's a nice mix of procedural spookfest and overarching puzzle-box. That said, the real gem, and the character that makes this more than just an X-Files wannabe, is John Noble as Walter Bishop. His loopy genius is the source of the show's laughs, as his non-sequiturs cut the tension in most of his scenes. Typically, at the most gruesome moment of an examination or autopsy, Walter will ask about something banal, usually food (cotton candy, coffee cake), but sometimes just out of the blue, like when he asked for a turntable to listen to his old records during a crime scene briefing. I understand that someone explaining why something is funny never works, and unfortunately, I'm having trouble finding good clips of Walter, so you'll just have to watch the show, or roll your eyes, and write this one off.

From Walter

4. Back 40's Veggie Chili Mac Bowl
At The Back 40 in St. Augustine, there's a lot of delicious food, but I keep going back to this one. It's penne pasta, bean chili, scallions, cheese, and jalapenos. Mmmm!

5. Forcing kids to dance.
This isn't a tough one. Most kids like to dance, even if they're clueless as to how. This week, we're talking Sir Duke by Stevie Wonder, and their dance moves were astounding, dumbfounding, awesome, and ridiculous. It was sublime.

Sir Duke - Stevie Wonder

2009-04-30T23:30:00.003-04:00

Heater - Samim

It's time for...the rest of the story. With Paul Harvey gone, someone has to take up the mantle, so I'm offering myself for the job.

On Sunday morning, we got up, and got ready for breakfast. I wanted to get to breakfast by 9ish so I could hit the road by ten. And breakfast it was...we went to a place that serves a fantastic sauteed tofu breakfast. It was super yummy, and the biscuit was quite good as well. While we were eating, I spied this fellow eating as well:

Magic Pants Jones is the Present!

Good Night

Hell-o! I haven't seen you for a while.

Happy Valentine's Day

Good Day in the Woods

Sick.

Yawn.

Hello?

Reboot?

I know...

I think...

My new neighborhood is nice, but...

Sun rising on my street...

Struggling to find a routine...

In my neighborhood...

The need for more blocks.

Home tour part 1...

In which peer pressure can be good...

Ah, the new house...

Forgive the sporadic updating...

Steps have been taken...

My apologies...

Rain, rain, go away.

I have been MIA...

Forgive me, please...

My head is swimming...

Today I learned:

Delicious, delicious, chill out night.

Itchy!

Walking Around on a Nice, Warm Evening...

It's...Five for Friday!

Here's what I'm learning...

Nobody here but us chickens.

Athens, and then home...

Hey y'all...

Hoy hoy...

Up Late Getting Stuff Ready for Friday

I love you...

This black cat was loving me...but not Wes.

Wesley, I love you

All this riding...

Bike geekery

Five for Friday is back...

I'm not feeling very wordy tonight...

Sooooo tired!

Drawing class

-4+13=09

Embarrassing Cross Post!

Barriers...

Fantastic Voyage

I went for a solo ride today...

So tired!

More from today...

Sunny Days Are Back!