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Cooper

Sigh

Man, how long has it been. I use to pride myself on the fact that I had a post for every month I've been doing the blog. That's blown to hell. There are all kinds of things going on lately that are keeping me busy. I'm interviewing for a new job, which I don't want to talk about. I've been working on Quantico MCB as site manager for a month or so, which I don't want to talk about. Mostly what kept me away was being laid off for three months (more or less). You would think all that spare time would lend itself to a writing flurry. I was too busy spending time with Lisa. Turns out I'm a prime candidate for one of those goofy "I love my wife" bumper stickers. Lisa won't let me get one though, God bless her cute little heart, she thinks they're stupid. I'm just corny enough to think they're a good idea. All the time we spent together has really made it hard to go back on the road, hence the change of jobs. I love the company I work for now but the road has taken it's toll. I'm feeling like Bob Seeger more and more every day.

I'll try to get posting again more often (something besides You Tube clips) if you care. For now though sit back and enjoy my newest feature, the Daily Puppy. How awesome is that?

NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC!!!

My brother Brent sent me this link. I had a whole old fogey thing in mind about why music today sucks, but I don't really believe that. It doesn't suck but it sure as hell doesn't get any better than this.

Happy "Get Drunk And Celebrate A Little Battle" Day

Otherwise known as Cinco de Mayo.

Geo-Tagging

I've just discovered the joy of geo-tagging on Flickr.com. It's a pretty cool feature that let's you place your photos on a Yahoo map. I've spent the last few Saturdays putting some 400 photos on maps. It's a pretty neat thing for a couple of different reasons. First, I'm a map and satellite nerd. I've mentioned before that I love to read maps but I really love to look at satellite photos. The pictures from our trip to Moab and Colorado National Monument look fantastic from above. I spent a lot of time getting the photos as close to the spot they were taken as possible. In one case I could see the parking lot I took the photo in right down to the concrete stops. I don't know why but I love that shit. How cool would it be if I had actually been sitting in the parking lot when the plane or satellite or whatever it is flew over.

It gave me a new reason to look at the old photos. I like to go back and look at old pictures all the time anyway but this helped give it a fresh spin. In a lot of cases I would drag the map along a road to find the specific spot. It was almost like taking the trip all over again, like in the case of our trip to Canyonlands. I really like the Camp Hale, Colorado photos. It's like the anatomy of a worksite.

You can also browse a map for other people's photos taken in the same spot. I saw some pictures taken in Vieques with a few people I recognized in them. I also saw a fellow Flickrite from Zanesville, It looks like there's only one though.

If you have a chance check out my photos and if you're on Flickr get busy geo-tagging.

A Little Music Break

I've been slipping into my smarmy mode with the last few posts. So I thought I would share this video. It seems as though some guys are taking a break from ethnic cleansing or something to play the squeeze box while a Jewel look-a-like dances on the Enterprise's transporter. Look for a special guest appearance at the end.

Five Things You'd Never Guess About Me

My brother just hit me with a "tag". I'm not sure what it is but it looks like it could be fun, although it is awfully reminiscent of those email quizzes I used to get all the time. I guess the point is to reveal five things no one knows about me. Since I haven't had any original thoughts of my own lately let's give it a shot. I've decided to count down for added effect.

5. Was the original drummer for ZZ Top. I got kicked out for telling a girl in a bar what ZZ Top really means.

4. Had a ménage à trois with Carly Simon and Loraine Newman while hosting Saturday Night Live in the mid 70's, which leads me to...

3. Hiring Joe Walsh and John Belushi's bodyguard to keep me away from horse tranquilizers for a brief three day period in March 1978.

2. I like to ensconce myself in velvet.

1. I pee standing up.

If Rosie Says It, It Must Be True

Some time ago I wrote a post about the World Trade Center disaster and the dumb asses that believe the US had let it happen or had an actual part in the planning. Now the Queen of dumb asses has jumped aboard the stupid train (too many metaphors?). I'm having a hard time gauging my feelings on the fact that more and more people are going nuts in this country. I hear the ratings on the View are going down hill, I hope that's true. It gives me the hope that you really can't go around spouting half-baked notions and not be held responsible for it. I've noticed that Rosie has disabled her comments on the site, that's a damn shame, I had a few things on my mind.

Please...too much...must stop...laughing

My output on the ole blog has slowed down considerably the last few months. I've been busy with an honest to God life for a change. It's been nice, although I wish I could still post more than I have been. I've got more time now though because I'm in Puerto Rico and Lisa is in Ohio. So while she's been doing yard work, applying to Ohio State for the fall semester, giving Moon medicine two times a day for ear wax and painting the bathroom, I've been learning to give speech commands to my Mac.

Even with all of this down time I still haven't felt much like posting. I've had several things that would lend themselves to a little rant but I just couldn't reach that "must write about " plateau. What has got me to stop everything and put finger to keyboard is something I came across on iTunes celebrity playlist. If you have iTunes and you want a real hoot, check out Melissa Etheridge and Al Gore's playlist. They have a copublished list because Melissa wrote the theme song for Al baby's movie.

Melissa's picks are of course the same call to arms drivel that all celebrities like to listen to up in the Hollywood Hills. "Not Ready To Make Nice", "Ohio" (what no CCR?), "What's Going On" and of course "American Idiot". Great show of originality Melissa. I hear John Mellencamp put out a protest album, couldn't squeeze that one in? I love her little bon mot for "Won't Get Fooled Again". "This song is so much more than a T.V. theme song. We did get fooled again, and Roger Daltry's immortal scream should be our call to action." She's not even fired up enough to use an exclamation point. The italics was mine just to punch it up. I had to check and make sure I wasn't already reading Al's comments. So no surprises on this one. The best was yet to come...

Al Gore, posterchild for personality deficit disorder, gives us a mixed bag indeed. Hey look, it's Neil Young again! At least Al has picked something a little more contemporary from the aging rocker cum model train tycoon. To Al's credit he doesn't have the single mindedness of Melissa. He's picked a few tunes that are as bland as he is. I fell asleep listening to the 30 second sample of the Dido song. I believe (and this is just a theory) the same woman that was his fashion consultant for the 2000 election campaign is also picking his music. How else to explain, the Black-eyed Peas and Mos Def. I love the fact that Mos's song has an explicit warning, do you think Al beams with pride when he sees a lyric warning label on albums? Do you think he had to ask Tipper for permission to down load Mos Def's song? Or do you suppose they listen to Twisted Sister and Frank Zappa? I've always imagined Al and Tipper as the parents in "Surrender". You know, on the couch with the Kiss records out. Get some AL!!!

Notes From An Island

Well, a little over two weeks ago I was freezing in Williamsburg, Virginia and now I find myself sweating buckets on Vieques Puerto Rico somewhere in the Caribbean. It's a fairly pretty spot. The work looks easy, just a ton of paperwork. I may be here for awhile (or two months). I'm hoping for two months myself. For some reason even though the flight is shorter than if I were flying from Ohio to California, it feels like a million miles from Lisa and Moon. Maybe it's the exotic local (I actually so two horses, one with an egret on it's back, walking down the middle of the road). Or maybe it's being on an island, sort of like Wake. Whatever it is, I'm experiencing a little homesickness right now.

I plan on taking a walk tomorrow and getting some pictures. I'll try to post some here. I guess some of Heartbreak Ridge was filmed here.

Lousy With History

Lisa, Moon and I are enjoying Williamsburg, Virginia for the last few weeks. Virginia is a beautiful, historic place. I'm short on patience to write any so I'll just do a quick rundown for my own benefit.

Saturday was George Washington's Birthplace, Sunday was Yorktown and Jamestown. This weekend it should be Washington D.C. Lisa has never been and is really excited. I've been there quite a few times but I'm looking forward to seeing it with her.

UPDATE: We had a great time in Washington D.C. My friends, Dan and Andrea showed us around. They are great hosts and Andrea whipped up an awsome Salmon dinner. The low point (the only low point) was that I saw the climactic of Open Range twice but still haven't seen it all the way through. It looked pretty good.