Jay and I’s traditional pumpkin carving night got moved up one night, but despite the break with tradition Jay carved that awesome pumpkin to look like Naima. As you will see, my pumpkin carving skills are considerably less than Jay’s.
More Happy Halloween pictures:
I’m not sure what I will be publishing here next Friday. Although I’m finding my mode again, there is no telling what way I’ll go.
For the first time in several years, I was back to where I am supposed to be on the Fourth of July: eating Derrick’s cooking.
Here are some pictures from that day.
Next week’s random pictures feature a few pictures from the Iowa Band Festival, but in reality, they are mostly Evie pictures, again. I doubt there are any complaints about that!
These pictures are from: Backup/Old My Pictures/Godzilla
I used to have lots of bad double exposure ideas… Still do actually.
A better look at Jay’s pumpkin carving prowess.
Olivia knitted this scarf for Godzilla. He wears it to this day.
Next week’s folder is: Backup/Old My Pictures/Insects/
Last year I believe I republished the love letters that they were covering on Writer’s Almanac. This year I’ve decided just to quote my favorite line in my favorite love songs by my favorite musicians. The one notable exception being what I always consider to be the greatest love song ever written, Goofy’s Concern by the Butthole Surfers.
“Everything means nothing, if I ain’t got you.”
“’cause I’ve been in love before; And I found that love was more; than just holding hands.”
“I was born when I met you; Now I’m dying to forget you; And that is what I know.”
“Just like an angel off the page; You have appeared to my life; Feel like I’ll never be the same.”
“Ev’ry time that you’re near; All my cares disappear; Darling, you’re all that I’m living for.”
“Lately I’ve been running on faith; What else can a poor boy do? But my world will be right; When love comes over you.”
“He said, ‘Son why you got to sing that tune? Catch a Dylan song or some eclipse of the moon? Let an angel swing and make you swoon; Then you will see, you will see.'”
“Breathe out; So I could breathe you in; Hold you in.”
“She is everything I need that I never knew I wanted; She is everything that I want that I never knew I needed.”
“With every breath that I am worth; Here on Earth; I’m sending all my love to you.”
“I can’t direct the universe; I can’t pull off the road and take a rest; I can’t go on for evermore; I can’t refuse the weight of intellect; I can’t avoid the hands of time; I wish her touch was of a softer kind; and if the world decides to melt; there’s nothing I can do to change her mind.”
“We’ve all got our funny moods; I’ve got mine, woman you’ve got yours too; Just trust me like I trust in you.”
“I go out on a party; And look for a little fun; But I find a darkened corner; ‘Cause I still miss someone.”
“Tap on my window; knock on my door; I want to make you feel beautiful; I know I tend to get so insecure; It doesn’t matter anymore.”
“I’ve been a lot of places all around the way; I’ve seen a lot of joy, and I’ve seen a lot of pain; But I don’t want to write a love song for the world; I just want to write a song about a boy and a girl.”
“When I saw the break of day; I wished that I could fly away; Instead of kneeling in the sand; Catching teardrops in my hand.”
“These arms of mine; They are lonely; Lonely and blue; These arms of mine; They are yearning; Yearning from wanting you.”
“I seem to recognize your face; Haunting, familiar, yet I can’t seem to place it; Cannot find the candle of thought to light your name.”
“Though your hurt is gone, mines hanging on, inside; And I know it’s eating me through every night and day; I’m just waiting on your sign.”
“I don’t know how to make lots of money; I don’t know all the right things to do; I can’t say where we’ll go, but the one thing I know; Is how to be a good man to you; Until I die that’s what I’ll do.”
“I hear in my mind all these voices; I hear in my mind all these words; I hear in my mind all this music; And it breaks my heart.”
“And now if I should see you; Or call you on the phone; I wonder who’s that person; I could never call my own; Although I kind of like you; I’ll never understand; Why I got so excited; Each time we held hands.”
“A fish was made to swim in the ocean; A boat was made to sail on the sea; As sure as there are stars above; I know, I know you were made for me.”
“Red letter day and I’m in a blue mood; Wishing that blue would just carry me away; I’ve been talking to God; Don’t know if it’s helping or not; But surely something has got to got to give; Cause I can’t keep waiting to live.”
“Orpheus melted the heart of Persephone, but I never had yours; I followed you back to the end of the path, but I never found the door.”
“People talk and people stare; Tell me I won’t really care; This is the place I should be; And if they think its really strange; For a girl like you to be in love with someone like me; I want to tell them all to go to hell; That we’re doing very well.”
“And if a double-decker bus crashes into us; To die by your side, is such a heavenly way to die; And if a ten-ton truck kills the both of us; To die by your side; Well, the pleasure – the privilege is mine.”
“I’m scratching at the surface now; And I’m trying hard to work it out; So much has gone misunderstood; This mystery only leads to doubt; And I didn’t understand; When you reached out to take my hand; And if you have something to say; You’d better say it now.”
“I wanna sit you down and talk; I wanna pull back the veils and find out what it is I’ve done wrong; I wanna tear these curtains down; I want you to meet me somewhere; Tonight in this old tourist town.”
“I don’t know you, but I want you; All the more for that; Words fall through me and always fool me; And I can’t react.”
“Hello; I’ve had you on my mind; For hours there’s no doubt; And there’s no use wasting time.”
“You have gone and made me such a fool; I’m so lost in you’re love; And oh, we belong together; Won’t you believe in my song.”
Feel free to leave some of your favorite lyrics in the comments section of this Journal entry.
These negatives are in pretty bad shape, so take this for what it is worth.
Labor Day became a federal holiday in 1894 after a number of Americans were murdered by the military during the Pullman Strike. After the massacre, President Grover Cleveland made reconciliation with unions a top political priority. Making Labor Day a national holiday was his form of reconciliation.
I celebrated Grover Cleveland’s political savvy and everything unions have done for this country and the memory of the 13 strikers murdered during the Pullman Strike by having the family over for a barbecue. Here are a few pictures:
Hope your Labor Day was as joyous as mine.
I had a pretty awesome Memorial Day Weekend and saw all of the right people. Plus, my grill got quite the workout.
The weekend started with FNSC at my humble abode. The group core was there, plus Jesse and Dawn. Jesse, Willy and I hung by the fire pit until about 2 in the morning.
On Saturday morning I got up early to go to the bank with Mom and Teresa to sign some legal documents involving a safety deposit box.
After that exercise I hit up Salon 908 where I put up a new 20×30 picture in the salon to replace the one that had been sold. While you are waiting for a haircut at Salon 908 now you can stare admiringly at this picture:
I also got a sheering. Now I look borderline presentable. Even though I declined the eyebrow waxing that was offered.
I went home to clean up the kitchen best that I could. I had a Chef coming over to use it that afternoon and while I know that he looks down on my pathetic assortment of kitchen utensils, I wanted the area to be clean while he made magic.
After the kitchen cleaning, I went to Reiman’s Music to take pictures of a white piano for that week’s RWPE.
Next was a trip down to Beaverdale to pick up Sara. Although the Sara pickup also involved taking out her old air conditioner and putting a new air conditioner in her house. This ended up being a more painful process than I wanted it to be, but despite having to remove a nest from her window sill, the air condition finally found its home in her window.
Then was Todd and Peggy’s wedding. They got married on a golf course in Pleasant Hill. It was an impressive affair that included a free round of miniature golf, a photo booth and fireworks.
After the wedding Sara and I went to a bridge overlooking 235 so that I could work on a Personal Photo Project that will be published on July 9. It was from this experience I learned that another criteria that I should look for in photo assistants is the ability to turn a blind eye if I want to do something that is slightly illegal or dangerous. Sara doesn’t like it when she perceives me to be in “danger”. Of course, I already knew this from Personal Photo Project No. 16.
After dropping Sara back off in Beaverdale and doing some final tweaks on her air conditioner installation I voyaged back to Boone. A trip that takes quite a bit longer now that the Highway 17 bridge over the Des Moines River is closed until August.
I was hoping to make it back to Boone to hit the tail end of Nate’s birthday bash at The South Side, marking my triumphant return to the Boone Bar scene for the first time since 2008. However, I pulled back into Boone at roughly 1:40 and decided that it wasn’t worth it to go for 5 minutes. So instead I returned home to the Clockwork Couch and watched the tele.
Shortly after I got home Nate and Bethany returned home. They were both staying with me for the weekend and we talked briefly before they both crashed.
I got up early on Sunday morning and went to church. After church I grilled out with Nate after he returned from a poor round of golf with his friend Ryan. Earlier in the morning I had inadvertently interrupted Ryan’s vomiting efforts. It must have been quite the party that I missed.
Tim had bought a Nate a birthday cake with Nate’s 3rd or 4th grade picture on it. Most of Nate’s picture remained, except Nate’s face. Apparently Ryan had eaten Nate’s face the night before. After we were done grilling, I had some of Nate’s cake.
Later Nate proclaimed that the chicken wings he had made in my kitchen on the previous day were the best that he had ever made. This was a bold proclamation. Just ask Corey Faust if you doubt the veracity of that statement. Nate is going to make these legendary wings next time I go to Minnesota. Looks like I might have to cash in on that when I go see The Swell Season at the end of July!!
After resting from the grill, Jill came over and picked me up. We hit Jen and Derrick’s for a barbecue. Derrick grilled up bratwurst with pineapple in them. It was decided that these brats tasted slightly breakfasty. Even though Webster doesn’t consider breakfasty to be a word. They were still tasty. Plus any chance to eat burgers made with Derrick’s super secret burger recipe is always a great time.
I got to watch the Gorshe Baby Ultrasound for the third time. I still have no clue about the sex of Baby Gorshe, but I enjoy watching the video nonetheless.
After a lengthy discussion about the greatness of Daniel Tosh, we left while Derrick napped on the loveseat.
The next morning I slept in until 9:30. That is a late morning for me, except on the occasional work day. Nate, Bethany and I grilled out for lunch. By this time, my grill was definitely entering the danger area that cause the fire during the 2009 Road Trip Planning Barbecue, but it made it through another meal without incident.
After the meal Nate and Bethany packed up and I burned Bethany a copy of Strict Joy for their car trip home.
I then grabbed my camera and took a few pictures.
After taking pictures I went to the cemetery. At the cemetery I ran into Carla. We walked around the cemetery for about an hour. Then I went home and prepared the house for an impromptu family barbecue.
I didn’t clean the grill, but it did manage to make it through yet one more meal without erupting into flames. I should clean that at some point.
After the family went home I rested on the Clockwork Couch and watched Wooden Shoes. A movie made my a fellow computer miner by the name of Scotland Thompson. If you want a review of the movie, too bad, but I will loan my copy out.
I would like to report to interested parties that do not know yet…
Willy did finish his 100 Mile Race this past weekend.
Willy knocked out 100 miles in La Grange, Wisconsin as part of the weekend of Kettle 100 Endurance Runs.
He ran 100 miles in an official time of 28 hours 24 minutes 29 seconds.
I know, pretty insane!
I broke Day 9 into two post because of the large amount of pictures, if you recall. You are about to see the rest of those pictures.
After all the flowers were planted, we all went our separate ways to wash up. Then the family reunited at the Stensland home to celebrate Mother’s Day a week early since Teresa was going to be in the Bluegrass State for Mother’s Day.
Here are some pictures of the celebration:
I know… I overuse this technique…
At this point, Alexis wanted to take some pictures, so I let her take some pictures.
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Then Alexis gave me the camera back to take a few pictures of her hamsters.
The celebration concluded a pretty special week. I think I might be ready for vacation again though.
I’ve often heard that the saddest thing in the world is unrequited love. Unsolicited love on the other hand…
I’ve never been a Christmas card person. My thoughts on cards is that when somebody sends you a card, what they are really saying (with apologies to Mitch Hedberg) is: “here, throw this away for me.”*
Apparently my bah humbuggery has gotten around and this year I think I hit a new low for Christmas cards received.
However, even though I don’t participate in the tradition I took Christmas card photos for 4 sets of people. That made me think that maybe I should get into the act.
But I don’t know how far I want to take it. I could certainly send a picture card of me that says, “Merry Christmas! Please, throw this away for me.” But I began to wonder if I have it in me to write the perfunctory Christmas letter.
You know, the whitewashed version of people’s lives that some people put in their cards. I didn’t think I was capable of this level of lying, but then I opened the theme Christmas letter from Geri D.
It was inspiring in its creativity. Maybe inspiring enough that some of you might just get something in the mail from me in December of 2010.
Since I have already covered the Christmas card photo shoot for the Howards, I am going to spend the next few days covering the other 3 photo shoots.
The other thing I want to cover today is a new photo project I am entering into with Mike Vest of Waxen Media. (Jesse Howard has also agreed to participate, but did not submit a photo for this week.) It is the type of photo project that I hope some of you choose to also participate in.
We came up with 52 photo “subjects” and entered them into a random generator. Every week on Monday we will randomly be given a new subject to photograph.
On Mondays I will post the previous week’s photos and that week’s subject. Anybody that would like to participate can. You can participate as many or as few weeks as you want. The photos don’t have to be taken with a fancy camera or have to be high art. Pictures with a camera phone are perfectly acceptable. The only rule is that the picture has to be taken that week.
Just email me your picture before noon each Monday.
Last week’s subject was “Use of Space”. Here are our pictures:
Michael Vest
The subject for next week is “SOOTHING”. I know this to be short notice, but snap something off and email it to me at bennett@photography139.com.
This weekly random photo subject should NOT be confused with my ongoing Personal Photo Project of the Week that is one of my goals for 2010. I should hopefully start publishing some of that work next week. After I cover the other 3 Christmas Card Photo Shoots.
Of course there is one last subject that needs to be covered. It has been exactly 1 week since my old friend college football left me until next September.
The Gridiron Bowl Prophets made many wild predictions and this time, Yours Truly came out as the Champ.
Gridiron Bowl Prophets Final Standings:
It is only my incredible modesty that prevents me from pointing out the thorough dominance of my performance.
*Despite my bravado, I don’t really throw anything away. If I’m ever on Hoarders, it will be because of the boxes and boxes of cards I have in my basement.
Hope, Peace, Joy and Love are promises offered to us by God, and all of them manifest in this one we light tonight: the Christ Candle. In Christ we find the hope of transformation, the peace that follows justice, the joy of self-fulfillment in community, and the love that encompasses us in all our diversity, empowering us to make our own unique contribution to this world. In Christ we find light and life, and the courage to be like him, answering his call, following in his footsteps.
