Time for some Pirate Armada fun

For those members of The Pirate Armada, here is a fun site! Southpark pirates. Go build yerself!



Here is the link: Create your pirate avatArrr!

I'll take the special please

This was sent to me by Jayghann, purportedly from a New York KFC. While I can't verify the source, I can certainly enjoy the point of view.



Here is a close-up of the signage:



Yar!

Abilene and blowing shit up in 2 weeks

Stomps With Foot (SWF) and I are going to go visit her cousin and her husband, Snake, to blow shit up in a couple of weeks. Snake has been visiting innumerable gun ranges to pluck the fresh brass (.45) from the ground for his reloads. Hell, he probably has a couple of thousand rounds by now for us to use. SWF will, hopefully, join us for some gun-range (or dry creekbed) shooting so she will get over her inate hatred of weaponry. Seems I want to buy (yet again) a pistola and obtain my concealed weapon license (currently scheduled for June 10th or so) and she is still resisting my persuasive arguments FOR the 2nd Amendment. Sheesh.

I was looking for the Sig Sauer 2340 Nitron on their website and it is nowhere to be found. Now I must decide which weapon to buy, but will first shoot anything I can get my hands on. Red Spectrum, my brother-in-law, is insisting I come down to Houston for a gun show next summer and his advice is much the same as El Capitan's, "Find something you like, are comfortable with and will use!"

Ah, so many pistols, so little time. Any suggestions? My budget is around $1,000, although I can hear SWF screaming about how that is "not in the budget." Well, it's my budget too! This is not an obsession with firearms, it's more like I enjoy it! I like the way this one looks.



Now to find a Sig P220R to try out.

I dare ye

Found over at A Trainwreck in Maxwell's site

I too, dare you! Figure it out.

I dare you to push the red button. You just have to wonder how long it took them to think of all the words?

HEH!

I KNEW IT!

ZiPpo The Pirate will have to write:

Surrender the booty

'What will you have to write on the chalk board?' at QuizGalaxy.com

This means something ...

Which Heinlein Book Should You Have Been A Character In?

You belong in Farnham's Freehold. You are a survivor, ready for anything. You can keep a cool head, even in a world where hatred and bigotry are commonplace.
Take this quiz!


149 other people got this result!
This quiz has been taken 4175 times.
4% of people had this result.

-----------------------------
OK, so ony 4% of people had this result, methinks "This means something ... " Richard Dryfuss - Close Encounters of the Third Kind/

The law of unintended consequences - Part Deux

Stomps With Foot sent me this from her cousin ELLDEE. Do you think this problem only exists in Louisiana?

Their Levees vs. Our Levees

Here's  how the British hold back the waters from flooding London:


And the Dutch solution to protecting an entire nation that mostly rests below sea level:


The Italians are defending their city on the sea, Venice:


Giant platforms on hinges raise up to break the waves when they get too high.


And the richest, most powerful and technologically advanced nation on Earth ... USA!


Go Corps of Engineers! 

Hey, it takes a lot of money to keep corrupt politicians corrupt.

The law of unintended consequences

In Dallas, we had more than 5-inches of rain over the weekend. The reason I say more than is because my rain guage only holds 5-inches and it was full.

We needed the rain, what with the Texas Panhandle losing more than 1,000,000 (that's right, one million) acres of ranch land to fires, and more than 10,000 head of cattle destroyed. At least that nightmare is over for those ranchers; and a new one begins.

The last significant rainfall we had was 2.2-inches on February 25.

45 flights were cancelled this weekend departing or arriving at Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport. Probably a like amount at Dallas Love Field.

250 calls were received by the Dallas Police Department regarding folks involved in dangerous situations from the flooding on Sunday.

4,000 homes were without power last night.

Erratic weather would be an understatement.

Raise the gangplank, weigh anchor and hoist the mains'l, it's time to shove off.

Original meme for the day

Here is one for all my fellow bloggers and readers. Take a picture of your refrigerator. You know the one, in my case it is a Wards Signature Avacado Green 1974 (still ticking, although held together in some places with duct tape and Velcro) and post it on your blog. Mine now has some new artwork, created by yours truly and a .45 at 20 yarrrrds, two clips, rapid fire. Damn thing was shooting low and to the left, and yeah, I missed a couple of times.

In the upper left you will see Stomps With Foot and our two sons. The tallest of the two is now 29, and my hippie-chick wife is looking at my now 27-year-old. Note that his naked body was put into a Speed-O by his grandmother and a ball-point pen. Also note Stomps with Foot on the right. She is in front of the U2 wall outside their studio in Dublin, taken back in 2001. Man, those were the daze. At the top center is a postcard of St. Basil's in Red Square, sent by Sweetie One when she was recruiting students for Schlitterbahn a couple of years ago.

Today finds Sweetie one in Bogata, Columbia, still recruiting.

The thing about refrigerator art is that it really describes who you are, what you like and that, of which, you need to be reminded.

They don't make them like this one anymore.



Tag, you are it! Leave a comment for us to find your refrigerator art.

Off to see the lizard

Stomps With Foot and I will be heading for Tyler, Texas on Friday. I will be installing some 4' x 6' art panels in a couple of offices. Great time to get away and work and play at the same time. I need the time to pay attention to her. She is so wonderful! Yar!

This is what friends are for

Bradzilla, sent me an email this morning, with the link that follows. Just click on the image and you will be redirected. It may take a couple of times before you actually connect, the site is pretty busy, but it is well worth it. In Bradzilla's words, "This will make your day... no matter how shitty it is!"

Another shitty day in paradise

I snapped, yesterday. Totally lost it. No excuses, other than being under a tremendous amount of stress for the past 4 months, with few weekends off and an Idiotic Executive Design Committee that just doesn't quite "get it." Stomps With Foot is rightly concerned. After returning from Ontario on Sunday, and having a small gathering for my #1 son's 29th birthday I was watching TV and SWF politely asked me to turn down the TV. I turned it off. Sat quietly for a few minutes and went to bed … at 5 p.m. DID I MENTION IT WAS 5 P.M.?

Sheesh.

Yesterday, Bradzilla came by with our shot list for our meeting with the IEDC and after the meeting the IEDC wanted to review the 500 photos my Shooter and I took in Ontario. There was a series that I had shot with the motor drive and Bradzilla said, "Man, that would look great as a series." Ya think? Duh? Of course, since he verbalized it, the IEDC thought he was a genius and it was his idea. I looked straight at the screen and told them that the reason I shot it that way was to include it in a series. But the damage had been done.

They then proceeded to invite Bradzilla to review our work on the now infamous Gallery. So off we went to the conference room where Desdemona was showing her latest handiwork and the head of the IEDC asked Bradzilla what his hourly rate was. I told him that he wasn't charging us. Bradzilla is smart and the replied that he knew nothing about what we were doing.

We returned to the art department and I told Bradzilla to sit down and finish "his idea," took off my jacket and threw it on the floor. If there had been a brick lying about I would have thrown it through the window. I snapped; yelled, and went to my conference area to bury my head in my hands.

Bradzilla was aghast and apologized. He knew what he had done, he just didn't think anything about it and normally, neither would I. I apologized for my inexcusable behavior. No let up in sight. I continue to do what must be done to meet incredibly stupid deadlines with limited resources.

SWF suggested I quit. I told her that I needed to focus, not to think about quitting. I love my profession, I love the people I work with, I just need a vacation. Maybe in April I can get away with her for some much needed R&R.

Life goes on, bra … la la how the life goes on.

O Canada ...

This morning I am in Buffalo, NY, on my way to Ontario for a shoot. Yeah, I've been telling ya how crazy things have been these past few months. This was one of those crazy things. 1. CEO is "hot to trot" for the perfect images; 2. I can do that. 3. I sit here, after flying about 3 hours out of Dallas. It's cold - just above freezing, and today promises to be an "OK" day, weatherwise. Tomorrow it's supposed to rain so we will be in gun-and-run mode for the next eight hours. Oh, and what I am shooting is an indoor waterpark with a retractable roof that we are going to be putting on the ground near Tyler, Texas.

Flew up seated next to an nice guy that is a copyright attorney. I whipped out my iPod Video and his jaw dropped. While I was watching Lord of War, with Nicolas Cage, he was bringing out his ultra-crappy Rio (circa last century) and drooling on my encasing Otterbox that just happens to be waterproof (to an amazing three feet). He was heading back to Buffalo after a vacation in Cabo and just shook his head in amazement when I let him hold it, and navigate with it. "It's all about the interface, the design, the way it works just like you think it should and, yes, Virginia, it holds a butt-load of music, photos, music videos and full-length movies.

Techno-envy! Ha! Love it! Everytime someone sees my iPod Video they surely run to the nearest Apple Store, or logon to buy their own. I am probably personally responsible for 15 sales of both iPods and Macintosh's this year alone!

Yar! There should be some kind of referral booty buried for me to unearth.

Caption Contest!

My Viking friend has posted his first contest. Go visit him and post your comment!



Yar!

New Living Will Form - Quick and Easy

Sent to me by my attorney, Carlos the Perplexed; modified by yours truly – see how quick and easy this is!

I, __________________________, being of sound mind and body, do not wish to be kept alive indefinitely by artificial means.

Under no circumstances should my fate be put in the hands of pinhead politicians who couldn't pass ninth-grade biology if their lives depended on it or lawyers/doctors interested in simply running up the bills (or my children, who may be seeking vindication!).

If a reasonable amount of time passes and I fail to ask for at least one of the following …
______a pint of Guinness
______a Bloody Mary
______a pint of Guinness
______a Martini
______a Cosmopolitan
______a plate of Trisquits and Pick-a-Peppa sauce
______a handful of raw almonds
______dark chocolate
______Sex

… it should be presumed that I won't ever get better.

When such a determination is reached, I hereby instruct my appointed person and attending physicians to pull the plug, reel in the tubes and call it a day.

Signature: ___________________________
Date: ___________________________

El Capitan should bring all his ammo, and ...

I read A Trainwreck in Maxwell's posting in which he describes an incredulous act of barbarism. He properly attributed the the story, and I encourage you to visit and read about it. Man, talk about making your blood boil.

My bet is that it was either: a) some drunken teenagers with nothing better to do; or b) a Dimmicrat.

I say we set the Rottweiler on 'em and use all of El Capitan's newly acquired ammo for target practice. Starting at the testicles (if the perps have any) and working our way up.

Past life diagnosis. Uh-huh.

Heb, my friend in Bavaria sent me this link

Funny, but somehow, I cannot refute that, nor can I prove it.
===========
Your past life diagnosis:
I don't know how you feel about it, but you were female in your last earthly incarnation.
You were born somewhere in the territory of modern USA North-East around the year 1500.
Your profession was that of a designer, engineer or craftsman.
Your brief psychological profile in your past life:
Seeker of truth and wisdom. You could have seen your future lives. Others perceived you as an idealist illuminating path to future.
The lesson that your last past life brought to your present incarnation:
Your lesson is to develop a kind attitude towards people, and to acquire the gift of understanding and compassion.
Do you remember now?
===========
No, I really don't remember that, but it is rather uncanny that I am still making my living as a designer.

Progress

Well, sort of yes, sort of no. Some progress has been made with my "gallery." It is a total ripoff of what another company has done in the past and looks soooo last century. I will just have to update it and get it done in 30 daze. I will keep posting about it as I get closer to the deadline.

Desdemona thinks it will be a snap! Now if I can just decide on a color palette and templates we can get started.

The Traveler's Ten Commandments

Stomps With Foot sent me these and commented that she liked them. I do too, and hope you do as well.

1. Thou shalt not expect to find things as thou hast them at home... for thou hast left thy home to find things different. 

2. Thou shalt not take anything too seriously... for a carefree mind is the beginning of a fine holiday. 

3. Thou shalt not let other tourists get on thy nerves... for thou art paying good money to enjoy thyself. 

4. Thou shalt remember that to err is human and to forgive is divine. 

5. Thou must know at all times where thy passport lies… for a person without a passport is a person without a country. 

6. Thou shouldst remember that if thou were expected to remaineth in one place, thou would have been created with roots. 

7. Thou shalt not worry… for he that worrieth hath no pleasure... few things are ever fatal. 

8. When in Rome, thou shalt be prepared to do as the Romans do. 

9. Thou shalt not judge the entire people of a country by one person who was a poor host. 

10. Remember- thou art a guest in every land... and he that treateth his host with respect is treated as an honored guest in return.