It's that time where we officially enter the blog respite continuum- time to let the ol' creative juices relax, regurgitate and reinvigorate a spell. We'll commence live on or post Labor Day, before launching into full November countdown mode that will hopefully herald in a new year where we can all breathe a little easier- sans our current tyrannical, delusional overlord.
I have no idea if Covid 19 came from a Chinese wet market, or a man made weapons lab (actually, I lead to the former). And if the latter, yeah, it was planned- and don't tell me that neither government would do such a thing. And... I have no idea if Bill Gates is doing more harm than good, more good than harm, or just raking in more millions with a cosmetic halo (well, definitely the latter- regardless of the first two).
"I don't need facts to back up my feelings" is not a viable option. And even if everything in the video below is true, it still means the disease is out and about amongst us- so not wearing a precautionary mask when in proximity to other humans for the time being is both selfish and stupid. And no matter your politics, no matter your side of choice, one more thing is most definitely certain- we must make the time and effort to hold our governments accountable!
Plandemic II: Indoctornation - powered by ise.media
A while back I wrote about how I truly suck at group shots. But what I neglected to say was that I'm also not exactly a whiz at still lifes. It's just that the latter comes up... even less. And while I also tried just enough to know I suck at it, I just don't give a flyin' about it to even care. That is, I wish I could create good group shots, but a still life- ding me all ya want, not gonna phase me, not in the least. But if I come across one, or two, or...
Never liked cigarettes, nasty little critters. But a good cigar... that's a different horse altogether. Hand made, works of art- all natural too! Sure, not fun to be around with, granted. Neither are a lotta other things in life. I smoke 'em in the great out of doors- or on the street, since I'm rarely in the former. Smoked one in house one night and learned my lesson good- had to open up the windows next morning, mid February when it was twenty degrees Fahrenheit outside!
And while I do love the occasional cigar to relax, contemplate life, whatever... I'm not particularly a fan of the Big Mama Whoppers, I'm a Petite Corona kind a guy (good things come in...). And I've never, ever bought a box of real Cubanos- hell, I can hardly afford... one! What I didn't necessarily know was: a) exactly what sets them apart from "New World" cigars, or b) how to tell the real deal...
PS- 95% of ALL The Cubanos bought in the US of A are... F-A-K-E!!!
We all kinda get to feeling like we're forever locked inside: reminiscing old times, living vicariously, and waiting, always waiting, for that someone to rescue us from the recurring somnambulance to which we have all succumbed...
Yup, often wondered the same... The Guy coulda said something, anything- at least dropped a hint all the same. If anyone- the all knowing, all seeing, unlimited Power Supreme is certainly not just your Average Joe limited by the constraints of...'his time.'
One of the (few) things (or is it many- I forget) I can thank this lock down for is allowing me the time to discover Bill Burr. Whenever I saw him previously, I could only stomach a few seconds before I'd get impatient, and change the channel because god knows the last thing I need is yet... Another Angry White Guy Know It All! Besides, I already got my very (very) exclusive pantheon of favorite comedians, and that's one high security enclave virtually impossible to breach.
And then I started seeing these "reaction videos," 'the best' great thing on the inter tube since... "unboxing videos." And the really strange thing, there was a whole host of these reaction vids featuring Black folk watching him, and reacting most intensely- not in an "I'm gonna beat this White Devil to hell" manner, but in a laugh out loud, belly laugh intensity! Hhmmm...
So I set myself down to give the guy an honest shake... and damn, the guy is not only loud, and angry, and (almost) obnoxious- he can also be smart as a whip, insightful as hell, self demeaning (gotta be, to be a good 'un in my book) and yeah, laugh out loud, belly laugh fuckin' FUNNY! On just about anything he puts his mind to- and that doesn't take much, cause he just can't help it...
PS- Sometimes he does pop up or ground out, but pretty good stats overall...
But Stan, what would you rather have- a safe, prosperous hood with all the amenities or a crime ridden, drug infested, hell hole? Well, screw your predetermined, purposely skewed paradigm; the hell with your black or white, either/or ultimatum. There's a whole world of grey you purposely omitted, complete with low and moderate income neighborhoods that can be safe, affordable and full of promise. We don't have to balance our future and that of our children solely on... greed. There can be enough for everyone when everyone is willing to share both the responsibility and the rewards...
Ever notice whenever anyone ever gets anything right that's... small (and it ain't often)- how do they then go about improving it? They make it BIGGER, of course! Case in point- The Mini Cooper. When they started making them again a few years back, they were a small, retro jewel of a car (even though they were already considerably bigger than the miniscule originals). Now, they've pretty much expanded into overgrown mutants the size of a regular mid sized sedan- and defeated their very raison d'etre. The Fujifilm X-T4, and even the X-T3, are fantastic cameras- but actually surpass the SONY full frame mirrorless in size. But FF lenses are bigger, Stan- not so much if you stick to small primes...
Was
seriously thinking of upgrading one of two X-T1's to an X-T2 now that
the latter are more affordable Used. Fortunately, saw this video, and
although there are certain advantages to the X-T2... do I really need it- no; fact is, the money saved will definitely be better spent on travel to
actually take pictures and/or- make much needed prints!
How many times must we point out what is now well beyond pointing out, since the person in question, already does it for us and does it in a manner which is nothing short of breath taking in its scope and magnanimity!?! One, Two, Three, FOUR Times Herr Trump went out of his way (mentioning the absence of John Lewis at his inauguration, etc) to prove, reprove, emphasize, and magnify beyond doubt that he is nothing more than a seven year old in a seventy year old body- mentally, emotionally, intellectually... A man who has to this date never been called out on his astronomical NARCISSISM, never been forced to deal with the absolute shallowness of his being, never been subject to the consequences of his legion of short comings as has every other human who has lived to his age. How can we possibly expect it now as the most powerful man in the world hands over his homework to an adult hoping he will make sense of it for him?
Usually, it takes thousands of needless deaths on the battlefield before a citizenry finally wakes up to a leader who has wantonly led them astray- this time those deaths are occurring right at home amongst the citizenry itself. And yet to this day, with reality finally promising to self correct in November, and legal woes in New York post January ready to indict and convict- legions remain faithful and committed, due to their own wishful blindness and pure hatred of humanity's diversity. That gleeful, willful ignorance, that enthusiasm to embrace such pernicious denial and the consequences thereof, is what has always scared me most- without it, he is the failure of a clown he has always been.
Now, I almost didn't take this shot, cause I mean, ya see a thousand guys lying about the street every damn day (on almost every damn block) in this town. And I was on the third consecutive block going up this rather precipitous, San Franciscan incline and had little inclination to either cross the street or deal with oncoming traffic should I stop to compose. But there was just something slightly off about this particular horizontal gent, his elongated posture levitating as if without care. And it finally hit that homes had used the native topography to help fashion himself a rather unique La-Z-Boy recliner, complete with head and leg rest! And he pulls it off with the kinda aplomb that has you wondering why everyone isn't doing it, or at least why they're not selling his patented, portable recliner kit on some late night TV commercial. All in all, a pretty neat way for a Space Jockey to spend a Sunday afternoon... even if it was Thursday.
No, not another failed art attempt, just a picture of a... crack; a particular crack that can be found right in front of the Millennium Tower in San Francisco. Quick history: The latter is a tall, super luxury condo building located downtown that was built without a proper foundation smack in the heart of earthquake country to shave some serious bucks, and then: cracks started to appear in the sidewalk, basement, sub basement, a window "mysteriously" shattered, and (Surprise!) the whole building started to sink and tilt as a result. They unsuccessfully tried to blame it on the construction of the adjacent train station- but engineers and the court system just weren't buyin'. I've seen a video of a marble rolling in a straight line towards one side of the room once set on the floor of an apartment in said building. Residents saw their prized real estate investment topple overnight, and just prayed the building itself didn't follow suit.
Afters years of finger pointing, denials and throwing up of hands, seems there's now an actual plan to fix the damn thing to the tune of $100 million or so, kinda like how they did the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Can't say I was ever much worried 'bout them though, no homeless ever shit their sidewalk...
I've always found it rather ironic, and a tad humorous, when White people refer to themselves as... "Caucasian." I remember reading back in the pre-intertube days (wanna say Nat Geo, but can't say for sure) how many of the folks native to the Caucasus were not exactly what "White" people would consider... "White." Many are of a much more "swarthy" (don't ya just love that word) complexion, eg- Chechens, who are not only Muslim (Egads!), but also dismissively referred to by neighboring Russians as... "Blacks!" PS- Dang, this guy's got balls!
Trump said this "doctor" was "Very Impressive" while claiming... "I know nothing about her!" How do you spell "desperation?" I spell it when a racist quotes and supports a Black woman with an African accent!
And yet...Millions of Goddamn Fucking Idiotswill still vote for this man to be PRESIDENT of the UNITED STATES of AMERICA! Meanwhile...
I've already envisioned my next book which I'll probably get to doing 'round the end of the year. And it'll probably be another Blurb endeavor, being that they're probably the cheapest, most convenient platform available (and the one I'm most familiar with) to produce basically what is a dummy of the book that you'd really like to make.
But I also started thinking... what would it be like to make a book with really nice reproduction? What would it be like to create and be able to present, look at and enjoy a proper, "professional" caliber production? So I began to do a bit o' research to see what options, if any, are available- and there are, to be sure, quite the shitload of options... And this guy has produced a variety of informative videos presenting the strengths and options of various self publishers world wide, presenting and comparing: paper options, inks, printing quality, binding, graphics, available sizes, materials and formats etc... Not to mention pricing.
Definitely of interest whether you're considering your first book, or like moi, considering a step up somewhere along the line... (until Steidl comes knocking).
Thought the previous stitching glitches in my recent panoramics were due to my faulty photo technique in camera. But in this panoramic (which took several reshoots to get the light and perspective right), once again, I was applying my final, final edits when (Shit!) I noticed a couple of stitching glitches I just couldn't account for! That is, this time I could carefully compose and take as many frames as I wanted, so I'm left to assume that said imperfections are software errors. They occur in places that seem to defy logic (as if algorithms are necessarily logical) since they don't occur near the edge of any individual frames, but fortunately, they're minor enough not be immediately noticeable. And stay they will! Does it bother me- yes; enough to invest in updated stitching software (assuming it will alleviate said problem)? Tell ya what, since I currently don't have any plans on making a grand slew of these- random (and hopefully non fatal) anomalies it is! I'll just content myself with playing a version of panoramic Where's Waldo?Besides, minor randomness amidst a world of digital perfection is a good thing- that's my story, and I'm sticking to it...
Never. And although sad, I must admit it's also... fun! White male Repubs (excuse the redundancy) will never learn not to mess with AOC- despite the now oft repeated repercussion of ultimately being made bloody fools of is guaranteed! They can't help trying to demean and/or ridicule someone they rightfully see should be cleaning their household, serving them food or occasionally forcing themselves upon should the mood strike. The instinct is too overbearingly strong... Or is it perhaps more akin to all the stories one hears of judges and other public officials of high order who pay to be humiliated by a dominatrix?
I once had a bike, a cat, and a wife... loved 'em all. I gave up the bike voluntarily four years ago, The Wife decided to leave of her own accord and took our one eyed cat, Nelson (whom I had originally befriended), with her.
Watching this video (along with several others) of Nala and her cycling guardian brought me great joy. And why not? It combines some of my greatest passions in life to date: travel/adventure (and documenting it), cycling, and a loving, adventurous pet! Seeing both their relationship and the world rolling past so completely absorbed and appreciated through the eyes of Nala in her roadside crow's nest is worth the price of admission alone. That is one happy cat (and companion)! And one can't help but wish their journey well...
I may have misunderestimated this guy- to quote our last dumb as shit Republican POTUS Supreme (give credit where credit is due- Repubs can always find a deeper, darker subbasement somewhere, somehow). The entirety of this interview is replete with countless gems... not only does the intelligence test our POTUS claims he "ACED" turn out to be a... senility test, he also babbles on about: "Our two beautiful World Wars..."
Now that is well beyond Yeezus high levels of poetry, imagination and insight! And I can only hope that he does not go quietly into the night come 01/20/21- this time he'll be guaranteed a full military escort out of the bunker for his photo op...
