Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Pass or fail?

From a great blog that finds failure all around us...

One way to move a refrigerator:
























Brutal honesty:



















Obscene ham:



















A failure, corrected:

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Up in the sky...

The Moon and Venus and Jupiter are all out together these days. I tried to take some pix but I couldn't get any that weren't blurry, so I decided to experiment with movement and light.















The smaller patterns were made by the planets, the bigger/brighter ones were made by the moon. Yep, that's the moon.


Thursday, October 30, 2008

Perfect game

Last night the Phillies won the World Series. It was a perfect game. Not because there were no baserunners, but because it was only 4 innings. Every pitch mattered, every out was that much more impoprtant. For once you could watch a game without falling asleep, and not have to wait until well past midnight to see the finish.

Perfect.

Better luck next year, Rays. You were the better team but the Phils had the better stars, and they showed up. Next season you won't sneak up on anyone, but you can take comfort in knowing that the Yankees are a permanent fixture in your rear view mirror. I know that makes me happy. Looking forward to another battle in 2009.

Sincerely,
Red Sox Nation

Friday, October 24, 2008

Red and wet

It's that time of year again. FantasyFest week is here, and that apparently means two things: Duval Street will be full of crazy drunken revelers in all forms of dress (and undress), and that the skies will dump oceans of rain on the party. So far this year's party is right on schedule.

Last year I was a judge at the homemade bikini contest at Hog's Breath. It's a very popular event of the week, even better when you get to sit right at the stage while the contestants try their best to influence you for your vote. The contest (including the pre- and post-contest VIP parties) took about 5 hours, and when I walked out onto Duval street afterwards the street was flooded with nearly a foot of water. Apparently it had been raining the entire time.

This past Wednesday night, exactly one year to the day, we went out to enjoy the festivities. I didn't manage to get a seat at the judge's table this time, so we decided to pass on that event.

Instead, a group of us went to the 'Red' party at Fogarty's, another signature event of the week. It's exactly what it sounds like - everyone wears red, whether the color is in the form of clothing or body paint. Making things interesting was the rain. It poured, setting a record for the date (7 inches!) and was the 11th rainiest day in Key West history. Considering that we live in the tropics and battle hurricanes every year, that's saying something.

There are several wet t-shirt contests and body paint contests and naughty costume contests etc, but the rain did a fine job of making sure that everyone was wearing wet clothes so no need to pay that cover charge and crowd into a bar for any contests - just look around you!

Sorry to disappoint but I have no pictures to post. I left my camera at home, knowing we'd be walking in the rain for a good portion of the evening. Click here for some random pics (not mine) from last year's party.

Monday, October 20, 2008

World Seriezzzzzzzz























As a Red Sox fan I have to admit that I was expecting the BoSox to breeze to victory once they'd managed to force a Game 7 - Game 5 was another classic Sox comeback, and their Game 6 win seemed like a prelude to another series victory. Then something happened in Game 7: The Rays showed up, and against the best pitcher the Sox had to offer. They finished off Jon Lester, and then used a 23 year old rookie pitcher to get the last 4 outs, getting the first save of his career in the process.

The result is a snoozer of a series with the Rays against the Phillies. Outside of Tampa/St Pete and Philadelphia, who cares?? Yeah I'm bitter that it's not the Sox, but prove me wrong. Show me TV ratings that prove people care. Ain't gonna happen.

At least I can get some sleep now. Good luck Rays.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

London



Usually I only post pics that I took myself, but these shots (from boston.com) of London at night are too cool not to share. For more go here.

Monday, September 15, 2008

Monument Valley

Monument Valley, at the AZ/Utah border.






Kanab to Page / Glen Canyon





Horseshoe Bend, Colorado River




Glen Canyon Dam below Lake Powell, Page AZ









North Rim, Grand Canyon

Yeah that's the North Rim, 60+ miles straight ahead across the Kaibab Plateau.








In these last two you can see the Colorado River in the upper right corner. There were a few rafts floating down, I was surprised they were visible to the naked eye. I was also surprised at the water clarity - usually the Colorado is a muddy mess.





Sunrise at Bryce Canyon

Thors Hammer, grabbing a piece of the day's first rays.










Beaver to Bryce

A GREAT day on the road.