requisite 25 things

Posted: October 10, 2011 in Traskland
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Apparently you need to post things like this to be truly embraced by the blogging community. So in an effort to get a full embrace, I give you 25 random things about me. Warning: Hide the pets, shield the children.

1 – On the Tuesday I was born the Milwaukee Braves, behind future Hall of Fame southpaw Warren Spahn, beat the San Francisco Giants 2-1 at Milwaukee County Stadium. Both Willie Mays and Henry Aaron went hitless in four at bats.
2 – I attended some form of Catholic school from 1st grade through my sophomore year in college. As a result I do not follow any organized religion. Read the rest of this entry »

television builds self-esteem

Posted: October 9, 2011 in Humorous Bits
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One of the beautiful things about having 7,000 television channels is the variety of restorative opportunities it provides. Whenever I’m feeling a bit underwhelmed with myself, I can randomly switch on the set and find something which immediately makes me feel better about whatever minor internal drama is at play. One example is House Hunters.

If you’ve never seen it, House Hunters is a show where people in the market for a new home tour three houses and then pick the one which is Just Right for them. There’s a visceral thrill peeking in a stranger’s house and watching other strangers decide if it will be Read the rest of this entry »

racing against the sun

Posted: October 7, 2011 in Photography
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All week I’ve meant to get out after work and take advantage of this gorgeous late afternoon autumn light. For whatever reasons, it didn’t come to pass until today when Red and I scooted over to a local park before the sun sank below the tree line. This park contains a wonderful rose garden which is quite a feast of sight and scent when in full bloom. By October many of the roses are gone and those which remain are Read the rest of this entry »

sure, g’head and do that

Posted: October 5, 2011 in Observations and Commentary
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Everywhere we turn we’re told what we can’t do. Just once I’d like to come across a sign that said, “Yes, you can do that!” Yes, you can park here on Saturday! Yes, you can go into the water without a lifeguard present! Yes, you can enter without proper authorization! Yes, you can bring in outside snacks! Yes, you can be seated without Read the rest of this entry »

feast on this

Posted: October 3, 2011 in Humorous Bits
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The first thing I’d do after collecting my mega-millions from the Powerball people is hire a full-time cook. Well, the first thing after fainting like an over-heated teenage girl at Shea Stadium screaming at the Beatles. I suspect if you were to chart the dietary practices of every American I would fall somewhere towards the middle with “Adonis Healthy” on one end and “Chris Christie-like” on the other. I don’t eat horribly. I know plenty of folks whose eating habits are Read the rest of this entry »

trader joe’s

Posted: October 2, 2011 in Observations and Commentary
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I first heard about Trader Joe’s 5 or 6 years ago. A store opened a solid 45 minutes north of me and was an instant success. I never bothered with it. Whenever one of the converted discovered I had never been a look of astonishment crossed their face. “You gotta go, dude! It’s amazing!” The accolades were never-ending and I thought, “All this for a food store? A food store??”

If praise is constant and consistent a moment comes when you begin to feel as if Read the rest of this entry »

getting all historical

Posted: October 1, 2011 in Humorous Bits
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We keep our sanity by not thinking about certain things. Does anyone really crave greater insight into the food processing industry? Who wants to spend their time contemplating the doings of Lady Gaga, other than Lady Gaga? When it comes to waste management and all its disgusting details, wouldn’t you rather let those who dedicate their lives to removing our garbage, maintaining our sewers and arresting our celebrities deal with the details? Me too.

For many people War also falls into this category. Still, lots of folks love to think about war. They long to touch it, taste it, smell it, feel it and hear it. Until, of course, Read the rest of this entry »

like the weather

Posted: September 29, 2011 in Humorous Bits
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Word around the chatterbox promises good sleeping weather tonight. Finally. The past several nights have been horribly uncomfortable. Talk about oppressive humidity. The air sat like a lead jacket on everyone’s chest. The troposphere hasn’t been this heavy on the east coast since Hendrix blew minds at Woodstock, man. The temperature is not cooperating either. It’s not quite hot enough to justify popping on the central a/c, so the fan’s been working overtime circulating the molten glop masquerading as Read the rest of this entry »

listomania

Posted: September 27, 2011 in Humorous Bits
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We live in a chaotic world rife with intense random juju, so it’s no surprise the creation and sharing of lists has gained enormous appeal. They’re neat, clean and provide an illusion of order when everything else is on the verge of supernovaing out of control. You can appreciate how tantalizing that is.

Aside from that, lists have plenty going for them. They’re numbered, which is a big selling point. Who wants to be bothered with deep thoughts when a simple numbering scheme can make it oh so very easy to understand? (Assuming you can count.) They’re generally brief without a lot of distracting explanatory text while simultaneously presented in a pleasing linear format. Does it get any better? Simple to understand, requires little or no brainpower, and fun to look at. It’s like Read the rest of this entry »

look over here, now keep moving

Posted: September 26, 2011 in New Jersey, Photography
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Sparta, NJ

New Jersey has always had an image problem, to put it mildly. I suppose it has gotten worse over the past several years with the rash of television shows which reinforce every negative stereotype about the state. But that’s okay. We’re used to being misperceived, misunderstood, and misdemeanored. When many people consider you nothing more than a necessary evil to endure on a trip from New York to Philadelphia these things happen. And why anyone would make the trip in Read the rest of this entry »

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