Tuesday, December 29, 2009

R.I.P. Kim Peek

Monday, December 28, 2009

FANTASTIC reading: What every aspiring photographer should know http://ping.fm/N5bsn
Moxxie better be a good puppy for Kim & Matt today!

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Had an early dinner at IHOP. Damn, those biscuits & gravy with sausage links are uber-filling, and yummy.

Saturday, December 26, 2009

We have 10 different cheeses, and I have little cheese experience, so we had a small "cheese tasting" tonight. Reviews: http://ping.fm/Hwu5S

For the love of cheese!

Outside of some of the common cheddar, mozzarella and "American" cheeses, I haven't got much experience with cheeses. But Karrin and I have picked up a bunch of cheeses at various places, and received a few others as gifts. We have something like nine different cheeses. Tonight I set up a platter with six of the cheeses, and I thought it might be fun to review them. I made a rule for myself: I have to actually have the cheese in my mouth as I'm writing about the flavor, so that I'm writing about the actual taste and not just my *memory* of the taste. So here are six cheeses, as experienced by somebody who's fairly inexperienced with cheeses. Applewood smoked -- spicy smokey flavor. Soft and creamy texture, only a bit more firm than spreadable cheese. The warm rich taste is very nice, largely thanks to the applewood I think. (Apparently smoking cheese over applewood is an Ancient Roman tradition.) I bought mine at Everybody's Store, a fantastic and unforgettable old-fashioned country grocer in Van Zandt, Washington. There was no brand name on the cheese. Finlandia Emmental -- An imported cheese from Finlandia Black Label, the aged Emmental is very like a swiss cheese. (Oh, wait... now that I look it up, Emmental *is* what is often called "Swiss Cheese.") It has a firm texture, rather hard for a cheese, with a very sharp and slightly bitter taste. Did I mention how sharp and tangy it is? Wow. It's got quite a lot more bite than the Swiss cheese I've tasted in the past. I wonder if it has to do with the aging? Honey & Pistachio cheese, by Australian cheese company Moondarra. Oh my god, I am in love with this one. It's soft enough to spread, but firm enough to eat with fingers if you like. Quite sweet in taste, with just a touch of tangy, smoky flavor. The pistachio adds variety to the texture and warmth to the taste. I'm instantly mad about this cheese, and can't get enough! Tillamook Sharp Cheddar -- I'm a longtime fan of Tillamook Sharp Cheddar (made locally in Oregon), so it's probably a bit unfair for me to review it. To me, it is the perfect cheddar. Tillamook's mild cheddar is very nice, but I prefer the slightly more adventurous bite of their sharp cheddar. Classic, creamy taste, and unlike many other cheddar cheeses, Tillamook's melts smoothly, not lumpy. If you are a cheese fan but you haven't had Tillamook, your cheese experience is simply incomplete. Get some! Queso Fresco -- Made even *more* locally at Gothberg Farms in Bow, WA, the queso fresco is a homemade goat cheese. It has a medium-firm texture, and a rich, milky flavor. Very nice; I love the simplicity of this pure, natural cheese, made from the milk of LaMancha goats. Dill Havarti -- very creamy taste, fairly soft but not spreadable. The cheese itself is very creamy and mild, while the dill adds a nice tangy zip to it. The contrast between the smoothness of the cheese and the bite of the dill is really nice. The Dill Havarti was also purchased at Everybody's Store, and had no brand name on it. We'll be having three more cheeses on new year's eve, including Norwegian Gjetost. (I actually got a little taste of Gjetost today -- it's intense and very unique, but I'll wait to write about it until we have it with the other cheeses next week.)

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Religion is mind-rape. But Merry Christmas anyway!

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

I love the "Photoshop Disasters" blog. This entry is particularly awesome/horrific. http://ping.fm/oG2Rn

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

I'm with the werewolves! TEAM LUPIN!!!
Dear Montel: When we spend money on space exploration, we ARE spending it on Earth. You don't know jack s**t about it, so maybe you should keep your uninformed flap shut.

Monday, December 21, 2009

Happy Solstice to all the Satan-loving pagans out there! ;-)

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Brittany Murphy (who I, at least, knew best as the voice of Luanne on King of the Hill) died of cardiac arrest. She was only 32. Very sad...
Tired, aching all over & very depressed. I *BADLY* need a road trip out of town today, but it's not happening. I look forward to Monday.

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Worst Photoshop disasters of the decade! Too funny! http://ping.fm/jPTeE

Friday, December 18, 2009

WARNING! As of today, Facebook will automatically start plunging the Earth into the Sun. To change this option, go to Settings --> Planetary Settings --> Trajectory then UN-CLICK the box that says 'Apocalypse.' Facebook kept this one quiet. Copy and paste onto your status for all to see.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

The pain improved a lot Tues eve, though I'm feeling twinges again now. Saw "Half-Blood Prince" again; it was just as good the 2nd time.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Kidney stones slicing through me like hot, angry little knives. It's been going on day after day for weeks. So stressed & exhausted...

Monday, December 14, 2009

SO EXCITING!! As a designer I've wanted an open-source spot color matching system for a long time. One is in the making! http://ping.fm/QqJ7S

Saturday, December 12, 2009

2008 was SO productive and I was on a fast-track to success, shooting often and getting better with each one. 2009 has been disastrous. Everything has stalled. It's all been on hold for many months. My career and dreams are stone cold dead in the water.

Friday, December 11, 2009

Ice skating (for the first time in my life) with Karrin was awesome! Watching "The Shining" now, all full of Taco Bell.
I thought for sure the song in the Cadillac SRX commercial was by Morrissey/The Smiths. It's not. The bit they used sure sounds like it. http://ping.fm/6DaVj (the bit they use is at 1:25)

Thursday, December 10, 2009

I'm really seriously starting to hate that commercial for the Palm Pixie, with the awful pseudo-Chipmunks music.

Wednesday, December 09, 2009

Sketchy Santas. Yikes! http://ping.fm/yWb8J

Tuesday, December 08, 2009

So frustrated with the kidney problems. Go away, pain, I want to do work & feel good.

Monday, December 07, 2009

Taking Moxxie to have his photo taken on Santa's lap. Unfortunately, I won't be the photographer.
11 months with Karrin and Moxxie. I love them both madly! And on January 6th it will be a year!

Friday, December 04, 2009

Can't wait to watch "Creepshow" with Karrin tonight! I'm pretty sure she'll love it.

Thursday, December 03, 2009

Why don't I get copies of every photo? http://ping.fm/tuhce
Why don't I get copies of every photo? http://ping.fm/FrP2J
Who owns the photograph, and how can it be used? http://ping.fm/Ar7dp
Who owns the photograph, and how can it be used? http://ping.fm/zLxWI

Wednesday, December 02, 2009

Left home with EXTREME back pain (kidney stones again, but worse than normal). After being violently ill, it's receded a notch. Slightly.
"Christmas Vacation" was funnier than I remembered when I saw it 20 years ago. But couldn't they TRY to be consistent when casting Rusty and Audrey?

Tuesday, December 01, 2009

Here, this should cheer you up instantly... http://ping.fm/1BVdP