where there's smoke

we went by J's moms earlier today....when we got there, we had some bags to take out of the car and I swore I heard something beeping...something like a car but it definitely wasn't that....

J went in first and I was a minute or so behind...when I opened the door, the living room was full of smoke...and the beeping was clearly the smoke alarms...the further I went into the house, the thicker and stronger the smoke was...I got to the dining room saw J on a step ladder trying to wrestle a smoke detector off of the wall...

her mother was babbling on about letting a pan burn that she had been cooking the wolf's lunch time hot dogs in...she said she just forgot and luckily the alarms went off and we showed up or she doesn't know what she would have done...she also informed us that she had been able to knock the other alarm down with her cane, but couldn't get it off of the floor to reset it....I always knew she was dangerous with that stick....

we opened doors and windows, cut fans on and had a brief flash of panic, then had some lunch, discussed her pending move into an assisted living facility, visited some more and came home....

now I'm drinking, but just a little and listening to Leon Russell because those two things make me feel better for the moment....

next week I will drop off her deposit at the new place and start collecting boxes from work...time for her and J's brother to start packing....obviously we are hoping it's sooner than later...today was scary...

disclaimer - no, the dude above with the fire tattoo, lighter and cigarette is probably not an appropriate image for this post...sue me

This is Better than Oprah

Paris says.....

that bears repeating

Don't Serve the Time, Let the Time Serve You

she did, what?....23 days....puh-leese...when I see a prison tat of her bitches name on the biceps she got by working out in the yard during free time and doing chin-ups on her bunk bed before lights out...then MAYBE I'll be interested in hearing her spout platitudes about doing time

but there's more....she also said....

Her imprisonment reversed a mental disorder she said she had suffered from all her life

I think she's wrong there...I still see all the signs of stupid

my prayers have been answered

Paula Abdul's reality show...cleverly named Hey Paula debuts Thursday night on Bravo....

"Hey Paula" provides an unfiltered, real-life look at the "American Idol" judge, entrepreneur, choreographer and multi-platinum artist,

that explains the 10pm time slot...

Through it all, Abdul has a knack for being able to laugh along the way.

alcohol and narcotics don't hurt either...

Additionally, the seven-episode series features the posse of people essential in keeping the Abdul empire running smoothly.

strangely enough, pharmacist and mixologist are not included in the posse...and when did she get an empire?

and last but not least...

Abdul's kids...her four Chihuahuas – Bessie Moo, Chomps, Thumbelina and Tulip

it just wouldn't be right if she didn't have 4 Chihuahuas....

I think I feel the wound created by the cancellation of the Anna Nicole show starting to heal...maybe Bobby Trendy will make a guest appearance as a style consultant....

I can't help it

I love Hank Jr. and I love this song....



it makes me feel a little old to know that it's the 25th Anniversary of its release...that would have made me a sophomore in high school and I must have listened to this song a million times that year...me and my running buddies were 'necks in training at the time...

photoshop is

a wonderful and amazing thing and I'm sure I only know a fraction of what it can really do....but I especially love being able to take a bad picture and manipulate it into something else...







of course it also tempts me to do bad things with it...but that's another story

the gator heads are my favorite....we seemed to see a bunch of them in Florida....seems pretty gross to me...my version is much easier to look at IMO

My Religion for the Day

my new favorite saying from my new favorite Southern Lady....Miss Gladys Hardy of Austin, TX...

I caught a phone call between her and Ellen yesterday...a rerun from earlier in the year, I guess...Miss Gladys was funny...really really funny...here's a youtube clip of one of their conversations...

today I ordered one of the shirts with her trademark saying on it (part of her sales go to the Austin Meals on Wheels and SPCA)...I am so excited and can't wait to wear it, too bad there's no formal event or cocktail party in my future...I guess the grocery store and Ace Hardware will have to do...

Go check out cool Miss Gladys...and have a little drink while you're at it...amen

my buddy

another shot of my fishing buddy in Florida...I miss him and don't want to go to work tomorrow...so many responsibilities to avoid and so little time

New Gourd

well, not really new...it's top made the dragon's egg in last year's State Fair entry and I decided after the Cherokee trip last October to make a pitcher with the rest of it....but I never got further than attaching the handle...I'd had an idea about putting traditional tattoo flash sparrows on the front and doing a tribal piece on the handle but abandoned that in the spring for some stupid fairy design that never quite worked out...then after pruning a few months ago, I wrapped some wisteria vine around part of the handle to see how that looked....

then I put it on a shelf and didn't touch it again until today....

zuhn's recent post about choosing a design for her new tattoo (bush diving sparrows) gave me the push I needed to return to my original idea (thanks z!)....which I've sketched and roughly wood-burned as of right now...the handle is still iffy...I may wrap the whole thing in vine - or not - and I think I may add a banner that the sparrows are holding in their beaks...at any rate...it's started, which is a good thing since there a whole bunch more waiting in the laundry room

one of my favorite pictures from vacation

our niece at the pier one night...I've put quite a few more from the trip on flickr, if anyone wants to take a look

edited to add some self-promotion...just submitted this for JPG mag's issue #12....click on the box at the left to go vote if you're so inclined :)

My Advice for the Day

wear the appropriate jewelry in your piercings...it is much easier to put a small post in a big hole, than a big post in a small hole...trust me on this...

while I'm on piercings, let me also say that they're not my thing for the most part...I don't have the patience to let things heal right and though I like the look of many, I'm no longer willing to make the sacrifices to wear them...and my job might take issue with a septum ring on lip stud....oh yeah, they just might...

add to that, the few that I have were done by people who shouldn't have been piercing...case in point...I let an old troll use a gun on my nose in the back seat of his car at Pride 16 years ago....pliers were involved in removing the starter post....yes I am a dumb ass and that thing took over a year to heal properly...by god I still have it though....and after all these years I got a nose pin and nose screw in Daytona over the weekend and I really love them...fit much better than the rings I've been making for myself....

so, take careful consideration of the gauge post or wire you use in your holes....you never know when you might want to change things up

We're Home!!!

and not a minute too soon...vacation is nice, the beaches in Florida are exceptional, family drama in multiple states sucks...I'm in the process of editing and uploading an assload of pictures to various sites and will eventually get to Flickr

In the mean time...some guest art from my 8 yo great niece...this is a very elaborate beach scene...btw, that thing with what appears to be testicles is really a bird...those are feet people

Everybody loves a picnic

especially him...he was so excited he threw chunks of pizza like confetti...

she just wore hers...

we continued the celebration on the playground...please note I got the PINK bouncy thing...

obligatory us shot...

my new buddy, after catching his 5th or 6th catfish....we talked fishin' for a loonggg time...I don't know why because I don't fish and am not particularly interested in discussing it...but we hit it off, LOL...J wasn't so amused

long drive back to SC tomorrow and LOTS of fascinating vacation pictures to come...

is beer drinking

an Olympic event?....if it isn't it should be...especially when there are children involved in my vacation

change of career plans

view from the place where we had dinner earlier tonight...I no longer want to run away and join the circus...I want to run away to the beach and do airbrush t-shirts

almost

at this time tomorrow I hope to have already been in the pool, on the beach and in the process of relaxing with a cold beverage...or something similar to that anyway...it's vacation so I plan on being flexible with my time

see everyone back in reality next week

Meme

tagged by zuhn to show my stuff....desktop(s) and work space(s).....not too interesting I'm afraid...
desk at home...this morning actually while I was making a Jerry Garcia/Grateful Dead cd...something I really want in the next place we live is a better work/studio area...right now I share space with the cats and their giant litter box...nice

pc desktop....Daytona Beach....J likes to change up the picture pretty frequently...it's like a little game....as soon as I get used to one, she changes it to something else...

laptop desktop....not my usual cluster of icons, but I hope to change that on vacation next week

by all means, steal this and post screen shots of your desktop and a pic of your work area so we can peep at your bid'ness...

My People...

glow in the dark pale since 1916...

p.s. yes, this really is an old family shot and the kid looks a lot like me....
p.p.s. I'm in a beach-kinda mood...
p.p.p.s. I should be cleaning the bathroom....

Is he EVER going to die?????

and of course I mean Fidel Castro...

WTF????

He's like the bionic Communist....and his red track suit is his special body armor...

whatever treatment he's getting, I bet they could market and turn their economy around overnight...gotta be worth more than the Fidel t-shirt market...

oh right, they don't have a free economy...nevermind

so, back to my original question????

shhhhh

Sunday naps in progress...photo-shopped somewhat to protect myself from this seemingly peaceful woman in the bed who doesn't realize her somewhat likeness (in bed) has been posted on the internets...yet

they were just so - photograph-able and it's not like it's a shower shot or anything....I have standards...

8 Vacation Things

Denise tagged me to do the 8 random things meme and since we're approaching our trip to Florida, I'm gonna share 8 vacation tidbits about me and my traveling habits....

1. I'm a fidgety driver and can't be a passenger....the best was to keep me focused on driving (as opposed to birds and signs and other cars and stuff on the side of the road) is good music...I drive best with Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Willie Nelson, Nanci Griffith or Loretta Lynn...just to name a few...but I'm really picky about what plays when or I want to start flipping channels or tracks and that makes J a little crazy...and I'm supposed to be driving

2. I hated beach vacations as a kid and we took a lot of them....spent most of my time reading sci-fi back at the campsite or cabin...now, beach vacations are my favorite...I will spend all day outside in the water and heat...in the evenings, I love sitting on a balcony or deck, drinking beer and watching the ocean

3. I totally dig going to the most obnoxious tourist trap gift shops possible...tacky souvenirs just make me laugh...especially Florida ones...there's a shop in Myrtle Beach called the Gay Dolphin (haha) that sets a standard for all others along the coast

4. We always buy a Christmas ornament from wherever we vacation....started years and years ago and it's kinda goofy and cheesy, but whatever....I do have my sappy moments from time to time

5. I'd much rather have a place to stay where we can fix our own meals than eating out....just much more relaxing to me than getting ready, going out and hassling with a restaurant...we especially love fixing fresh seafood off the pier....cooking is a big part of what I enjoy while we're traveling

6. Camping isn't vacation to me anymore...J and I have been once and it was a disaster...camping was our primary mode of vacation as kids and now it just seems like too much hassle and not enough comfort for my taste....and if we're at the beach it almost counts as camping if we're staying in a hotel without a tiki bar and cabana boys to bring us drinks with fruit in them

7. I can be a tad OCD when it comes to planning a travel itinerary....again a childhood throw back and it has been a source of some conflict as J believes vacations should be just that and unplanned other than hotel reservations

8. In spite of attempts from both of our parents, this will be the first family-ish vacation either of have taken in over 20 years (and it still doesn't involve them)....we'll be spending some time with about 30 of J's aunt's bunch, then a few days with her oldest niece and her family...I'm a little scared