Low Class, Too

You Are Low Maintenance

Compared to most people, you are incredibly easy going. To be honest, you are truly a breath of fresh air. You are open minded about trying new things, and you're not upset when things don't work out. You are willing to go along to get along. And your attitude helps you truly enjoy life!

Are You High Maintenance?

taciturn

taciturn \TAS-uh-turn\ , adjective:
Habitually silent; not inclined to talk.

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If I had been a bit more taciturn at times, it would've kept me out of a lot of trouble.

For example, if I hadn't said "I do."

Or, if I hadn't said "I'll do it!"

OR, if I hadn't said "I did it."

Earth Album

Earth Album

(from the website:)

Earth Album is a simpler, slicker Flickr mash-up that allows you to explore some of the most stunning photos in the world courtesy of Google maps and Flickr. To begin your journey, just click somewhere on the map, e.g. "India". Note-- since the top Flickr images are used, the images change every few weeks; bookmark this site and check back for a different experience in a month!


I spent over an hour Saturday afternoon just looking through the Texas Panhandle photos; the Cadillac Ranch, Route 66, Palo Duro Canyon and hundreds of lovely landscape shots.

gethuman.com

bypass phone systems, talk to a live person, share customer help tips

The gethuman™ movement has been created from the voices of millions of consumers who want to be treated with dignity when they contact a company for customer support. Our main goals right now:

• catalog steps to bypass automated (ivr) phone systems to speak directly to a human main database extended
• establish standards for customer care based on input from customers (not businesses)
• allow users to rate businesses for their customer service
• allow users to discuss customer service experiences
• allow users to share tips on how to contact help and receive better service

gethuman.com

Only the Young - Journey

Arnel Pineda replacing Steve Perry

sybarite

sybarite \SIB-uh-ryt\ , noun:
A person devoted to luxury and pleasure.

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I would be a sybarite if I could afford it.

Ford & Filly Friend

Ford the Mustang and his pasture mate.

Shy in the Shell

This small tortoise just wanted to be left alone.

Then and Now

Found this old postcard for sale on Ebay and thought it might be neat to contrast then and now with a Miami street scene.



I'm not for sure exactly when the above photo was taken, but I'm sure it was shortly after the beginning of the last century, probably at least 90 years ago.



As you can see, one of the buildings still standing is the one in the foreground; there's also the church in the background. (If you look closely in the "now" photo, you can make out the church spire)

laodicean

laodicean [ley-od-uh-see-uhn]

–adjective
1. lukewarm or indifferent, esp. in religion, as were the early Christians of Laodicea.

–noun
2. a person who is lukewarm or indifferent, esp. in religion.

---

Not from the Word of the Day feed in the right hand column, but this was the winning word in yesterday's finals of the National Spelling Bee.

I was one of my school's two entries in a spelling contest back when I was in the sixth grade. I won with "acne" when no one else could spell it.

I knew the word because I already had it.

My partner and I went on to the district contest where "we" were soundly trounced. I say "we" because she and I were a team and our cumulative score was what was measured against the other schools. She missed one; because I didn't study much, I missed something like six or seven and thanks to me we didn't place in the top three to advance to the next level. She said it was "OK" when I apologized to her, but I could tell it wasn't. Wonder if she's still mad at me?

Just About My Age

Your Birthday Predicts You're Sensitive

Ever since you were born, you've always been able to cooperate. You enjoy supporting and being inspired by others. You appreciate the dynamic of a group. Getting along with others is essential to you. You are both fair and well mannered. You are very intuitive and easily effected by other people. Sometimes you are too delicate.

What Does Your Birthday Predict About You?

---

This is pretty much a crock.

I don't work and play well with others for one. I could be a hermit if the cave had internet access.

Well mannered? In person, maybe, but sometimes in a forum....

Delicate? Not even my constitution is delicate.

(my underwear is a different story)

Happy Birthday to me!

I Think It's My Birthday!

Your Birthday's Wisdom is Thought

You believe a mind is a terrible thing to waste, and you try to exercise your brain as much as possible. You are intrigued by almost everything, and you are curious about the world around you. You want to travel to foreign lands, read lots of books, and master many subjects. You love to go on all sorts of adventures, especially the kind that don't require you to leave your room.

What's Your Birthday's Wisdom?

---

Now THIS quiz describes me to a "T".

Happy Birthday to Me!

Your Birthdate: May 29

You have the mind of an artist, even if you haven't developed the talent yet. Expressive and aware, you enjoy finding new ways to share your feelings. You often feel like you don't fit in - especially in traditional environments. You have big dreams. The problem is putting those dreams into action. Your strength: Your vivid imagination Your weakness: Fear of failure Your power color: Coral Your power symbol: Oval Your power month: November

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

More Strange Facts

From the email archives:

---

I hate these mails because they make me go look up the ones I'm sure are not correct.

---

Apples, not caffeine, are more efficient at waking you up in the morning.

(NOTE: If this is true, then eating an apple before bedtime would keep you up all night, wouldn't it?)

Alfred Hitchcock didn't have a bellybutton.

(NOTE: A lot of folks lose their bellybutton because of surgery. If ol' Hitch NEVER had a bellybutton, then he'd be something not-human, which seems like it might be the case anyway. What I'd like to know is did Adam have a bellybutton?)

A pack-a-day smoker will lose approximately 2 teeth every 10 yrs.

(NOTE: This is probably true but I expect ex-smokers lose more in the time after quitting because they're such insufferable asshats and get them knocked out by bitching at smokers)

People do not get sick from cold weather; it's from being indoors a lot more.

(NOTE: Maybe from being indoors with sick people)

When you sneeze, all bodily functions stop ...even your heart. This is why people have always said "God bless you" after a sneeze.

(NOTE: That's not true; I know it's false because I sneeze several times nearly every morning and my brain doesn't shut down plus I can use my hand to cover my mouth and nose. I am also aware enough to add an obscenity to the end of each sneeze)

Only 7% of the population are lefties.

(NOTE: This didn't ring true, either. A quick search shows figures from 8 to 15%, possibly more. I've been told a "fact" that the antichrist will be left-handed and an only child)

40 people are sent to the hospital for dog bites every minute.

(NOTE: This one seems to be true; an estimated 1000 people per day are treated for dog bites. A better statistic would be how many dogs are treated each year for human bites)

Babies are born without knee caps. They don't appear until they are 2-6 years old.

(NOTE: Babies DO have kneecaps, they're just not "ossified" until they're older. If babies didn't have kneecaps, they'd walk backwards and forwards at the same time. Oh wait, they do, don't they?)

The average person over fifty will have spent 5 years waiting in lines.

(NOTE: That's certainly not true. I'm over 50 and I bet I haven't spent a week out of my life waiting in line. Then again, I don't have to go to big city post offices or wait for my driver's license. I also don't go to the theater and if a restaurant is too crowded, I'll go to another. )

The toothbrush was invented in 1498.

(NOTE: Depends upon what's defined as a toothbrush. The ancient Chinese used the bristles of a hog to clean their teeth and Native Americans chewed the end of a twig, then used that. If people smoked before 1498, why did they need a toothbrush for anyway?)

The average housefly lives for one month.

(NOTE: Yeah, but the nasty things will have a hundred thousand offspring before they die)

40,000 Americans are injured by toilets each year. Don't ask how.

(NOTE: I won't ask, but I can imagine. I expect the number is larger due to the fact that many people are too embarrassed to report their injury.)

A coat hanger is 44 inches long when straightened.

(NOTE: This can't be true, as I've seen coat hangers of all different sizes. I bet Joan Crawford would've known for sure, though)

The average computer user blinks 7 times a minute.

(NOTE: I won't argue this but instead will gripe about it because I expect it was some govt. study that cost us a few million or more in the blink of an eye)

Your feet are bigger in the afternoon than the rest of the day.

(NOTE: Well sure, that's just common sense, just as is the fact that we shrink a bit during the day as our spines compress from gravity. This fact was also probably the result of some costly govt. study)

The only 2 animals that can see behind itself without turning its head are the rabbit and the parrot.

(NOTE: This didn't ring true to me and a quick search says chameleons and sea horses also fit the description. I think there are other lizards that might be on the list, too. I had a h.s. teacher that had eyes in the back of her head.)

Among the music catalog's that Michael Jackson owns the rights to, is the South Carolina State anthem.

(NOTE: Paul McCartney owns the rights to "On Wisconsin" and the university has to pay a licensing fee when they play it. He refuses to give them a waiver, the greedy old sod.)

In most television commercials advertising milk, a mixture of white paint and a little thinner is used in place of the milk.

(NOTE: Not for sure if this is true but if it is, it doesn't surprise me. Adverts are all smoke and mirrors anyway)

Prince Charles and Prince William NEVER travel on the same airplane just in case there is a crash.

(NOTE: Why? Prince Chuck will never be king anyway, and there's always Harry, the spare heir.)

The first Harley Davidson motorcycle built in 1903 used a tomato can for a carburetor.

(NOTE: and they still use baby rattles to make the frame)

Most hospitals make money by selling the umbilical cords cut from women who give birth. They are reused in vein transplant surgery.

(NOTE: Not sure about this one, either. I did a quick search and my conclusion is that this would be against quite a few laws w/out consent of the woman who gave birth. They couldn't have sold Alfred Hitchcock's if he didn't have a bellybutton, could they?)

Humphrey Bogart and Princess Diana were seventh cousins.

(NOTE: Have read this is true, but I bet I'm the seventh cousin of any number of famous people. That's a pretty far stretch, kinfolk-wise.

If coloring weren't added to Coca-Cola, it would be green.

(NOTE: They should leave that way; after all, all sorts of things are green and we all know things go better with Coke)

Green Grass - Gary Lewis & the Playboys

eyecandy

eyecandy is a stunning kaleidoscope of colors and shapes. Use the slider bars at the top left to increase/decrease variables.

The only thing missing is some '60s psychedelic music playing in the background.

eyecandy

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EDIT: Our friend Alison has her own version of eyecandy.

Missing Children Alerts Widget

sagacious

sagacious \suh-GAY-shus\ , adjective:
Having or showing keen discernment, sound judgment, and farsightedness.

---

Whatever the opposite of sagacious is, that's what I am.

My discernment is as dull as dishwater, my judgment is so not sound as to be deaf, and I am nearsighted, both literally and figuratively.

To top all that off, I don't even do a very good job of being self-deprecating.

Grill of My Dreams

(click for larger view)

Not sure what model this was, but it's a '40 Dodge. I took a couple more photos, but they weren't really good enough to publish.

Lovely grill, with cool looking Texas cutouts at the bottom.

These Quizzes

Drive me crazy:

You Are A Car

You're the type of person who likes to do things your way. You're a little stubborn. You're very expressive and a true individual. You don't like to compromise. You are a very private person. You value your alone time. While you may seem self centered to some, you are actually very cooperative when you need to be.

What Type of Transportation Are You?

Sometimes they're so off the mark they're funny, but some of them are spot-on.

Drive - The Cars

pejorative

pejorative \pih-JOR-uh-tiv\ , adjective:
1. Tending to make or become worse.
2. Tending to disparage or belittle.

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Although I've known this word for a long time (I remember it from a fifth grade spelling contest)and sometimes see people spell it with an "r" -perjorative-, the first time in recent memory I ever saw it was from my friend Barb when she and I were in a chat room talking about the name-calling that goes on in political forums.

I'm not so sure that pejorative wouldn't also be a noun, a name for this type of talk.

It doesn't matter what side of the aisle one sits, pejorative talk can be heard (or seen in on political msg. boards) being flung by either party, the most common jibes being "libtards" and "Rethugs". While an insult is an insult... pejorative...I wish people could at least be a little more clever with them. Calling someone a "Bush apologist" says volumes, yet keeps the crass slurs out of the argument. Giving a nod to popular culture AND slamming someone could be something like "You're an Obama fanboy".

JUST now on my headphones, as I ended the last sentence, I heard a caller to a popular political radio show compare the newest SC justice nominee as "from the Judge Judy school of law".

Now THAT'S clever pejorative.

Out-of-Date

I noticed a headline on my Yahoo start page about Susan Boyle, the British Idol sensation and wanted to see if there was a video of her latest performance. Clicking on the link, I didn't find the vid, but I did notice several ads like this one:



Sometimes it's just a typo, so I checked and found out the information IS over nine years old.

I understand mistakes can be made, but doesn't anyone proofread this crap?

Anyway, I did find a vid of Ms. Boyle singing.

Memories from the musical "Cats"

Dear Old Friend

Dear old friend,

Aintchoo dead yet?

Regards,

Mike

Ford Crestline Sunliner

EDIT: New post, because some doofus came in and insisted it was a '52 model. He gave no proof or references and didn't even leave a link to compare, which makes me question his self-proclaimed expertise on this vehicle. I will admit my own ignorance as to the year model because I went solely by the license plate. Honest mistake, because I couldn't find the owner to find out more about it.

Whatever, it's still a lovely car.

---

Photos taken at downtown car show Friday 5/22.

(click any pic for larger view)



Lovely car. If there was anything that detracted, it would've been the yellowing whitewalls.



Note the reflections of a big doofus in all the chrome.

Memorial Day

From the email archives:

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It is the VETERAN, not the preacher,
Who has given us freedom of religion.

It is the VETERAN, not the reporter,
Who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the VETERAN, not the poet,
Who has given us freedom of speech.



It is the VETERAN, not the campus organizer,
Who has given us freedom to assemble.

It is the VETERAN, not the lawyer,
Who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is the VETERAN, not the politician,
Who has given us the right to vote.

It is the VETERAN who salutes the Flag,
Who serves under the Flag,



ETERNAL REST GRANT THEM O LORD, AND LET PERPETUAL LIGHT SHINE UPON THEM.

Uncle Jay Explains (5-25)

No Ifs or Ands

In this quiz, but...

Your Butt Says You're Competitive

You are a powerful, assertive person. You are a go-getter in all aspects of your life. You are not afraid to flirt and show off what you've got. At times, you can be a bit full of yourself. You find close relationships and romance difficult. You don't feel like you'll ever meet your true soulmate. You are outgoing and confident. You are proud of who you are, and you are brutally honest. You tend to be a serious, straight laced kind of person. It takes you a while to warm up and let loose.

What Does Your Butt Say About You?

High on the List

The official Dallas Cowboys website is posting a list of the Top 50 Cowboys, a nifty gimmick to keep up interest in the team during the doldrums between the recent NFL draft and the start of training camp.

Their first choice was one of my own favorite players, Mark Stepnoski.

From the website:


50. Mark Stepnoski
Position: Center
Cowboys Career: 1989-94; 1999-2001
Honors: Five-time Pro Bowl selection (1992-96); Second-Team All-Decade (1990s) pick by Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee.
Highest Ranking From Panel: 37



When you think of the 1989 NFL Draft, automatically Troy Aikman's name comes to mind. But not only did the Cowboys find a star quarterback to go under center, they found the center as well. In the third round (57th overall), the Cowboys picked Mark Stepnoski, who went on to anchor an offensive line that not only helped Emmitt Smith win three straight rushing titles from 1991-93, but helped lead the way for the Cowboys to win consecutive Super Bowls.

Stepnoski was one of the first big-name players to leave the Cowboys via unrestricted free agency, signing with the Houston Oilers in 1995. He returned to the Cowboys for three seasons from 1999-2001, although the team won just 18 games in that span.

The selection committee for the Pro Football Hall of Fame placed Stepnoski on the Second-Team All-Decade squad for the 1990s behind Pittsburgh's Dermontti Dawson.

Stepnoski made five straight Pro Bowls - three with the Cowboys from '92-94 and then two with Houston in '95-96.

Most people don't realize "Step" is also featured on another website:



Since retiring from football in 2001, Mark has dedicated himself to reforming America's misguided marijuana policy. In addition to his role on NORML's advisory board, Mark recently served as President of Texas NORML.

'67 Mustang

(click pics for larger view)

Canada Does Battle

Just got this in my spam folder:




I opened it up, hoping to see photos, but instead found an advert for Viagra.

If it's true, then I hope our northern allies smoke those terrorist pot plants out of hiding.

'50 Chevy Trucks

3100 Model

(click any pic for larger view)



From "How Stuff Works"

(Note: After seeing quite a few hits on this post, I thought I should clarify something: The photographs are mine, the info comes from "How Stuff Works)

1950 Chevrolet Truck

The 1950 model year brought about the end of the postwar seller's market. Now, suddenly, America's insatiable appetite for anything on wheels came to an abrupt halt. Buyers were starting to pick and choose again (though they would make 1950 a record-setting year for car and truck purchases, spurred on to some degree by the start of war in Korea). Trucks had sold well during the previous four years, and Chevrolet had topped the market; total Chevy truck registrations had reached 345,519 by '49. But with buyers now in control, Detroit recognized that the sales race was about to heat up.



Even so, not much changed on 1950 Chev­rolet trucks. Horsepower and torque did increase by two on the Thrift-Master, to 92 horsepower at 3,400 rpm and 176 pound-feet at 1,000-2,000 rpm, thanks mainly to a revised Rochester carburetor and slightly bigger exhaust valves. Tubular rear shocks became standard, and the three-quarter-ton pickup now used eight-leaf front springs.



On panels and canopy expresses, a new single-sheet plywood load floor replaced multiple-board construction for better dust sealing. The Suburban resorted to single-tone standard paint and made available panel-style rear doors, marking the first time since 1946 that customers could choose between side-hinged doors or a top-and-bottom tailgate.

In 1949, Edward H. "Crankshaft" Kelley became Chevrolet's chief engineer. He continued to make minor improvements in the division's trucks, but he concentrated on his main areas of expertise, namely economy of manufacture and plant efficiency. Under Kelley's direction, Chevy's 1951 pickups lost some of their previous standard equipment, notably the rear bumper and spare-tire locks. But he did add conventional door-window ventipanes to replace the cowl vent on the driver's side.


3600 Model

I didn't research extensively, but I found a post in a forum that stated the only basic difference between the 3600 and the 3100 models was the bed size (8ft. bed and 6ft. bed respectively) and the heavier duty suspension, as well as the # of lug nuts(8 lugs and 6 lugs repectively)





Both trucks had lovely wooden slat beds.

buss

buss \BUS\ , noun, verb:
1. A kiss; a playful kiss; a smack.

transitive verb:
1. To kiss; especially to kiss with a smack.

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Reminds me of the time riding home from a ball game when I tried to kiss the head cheerleader. That kiss ended with a smack, for sure.

Yep, my attempt at a buss on the bus was a bust.

King Midget

There was a car show at a downtown bank's parking lot and I noticed this little gem straightaway.



From a car club website:

The evolution of King Midget began in 1946 when Claud Dry and Dale Orcutt, who met while civil air patrol pilots during World War II, conceived King Midget as an inexpensive, affordable car that anyone could buy. They developed and sold King Midget as a single passenger kit car in which any single cylinder engine could be installed. The kit contained the frame, axles, springs, steering mechanism, dimensioned patterns for the sheet metal, which could be fabricated by a local metalsmith, and an assembly book. In the late 1940’s, and through 1951, the Model 1 became available from the factory as either a kit or as a fully assembled car with a 6 h.p. Wisconsin engine.

Glancing through the different types, I determined that this was a Model 2.

(NOTE: I've been informed in the comments section that it is a Model 3.  Thanks to the two posters who set me straight...and their courtesy is much appreciated.  I've been corrected several times before on other posts but in a rude manner...and a couple of times they were the wrong ones, not me.  In this case I'll defer to the experts. - Mike)

Note the crown hood ornament.





















By 1951, Dry and Orcutt had developed the second model King Midget, a two passenger convertible offered either fully assembled or as a kit, powered by the 7.5 horsepower Wisconsin AENL engine. This model firmly established King Midget's reputation and incredible ability to perform extraordinary feats. It could carry more than its own weight, it could pull exceptionally heavy loads, it had the agility of a mountain goat; all over arduous terrain with durability and economy for thousands of miles.

It began as the 500 pound car for $500. The Model 2 King Midget was a basic vehicle with a hand start cable on the left, outside behind the seat. It had a black three spoke steering wheel, brown plastic seat upholstery, no speedometer and no reverse.


However, it was this model which first offered the optional automatic transmission, reverse, electric starter, shatter proof safety-glass tinted windshield, top, steel winter doors with sliding Plexiglas windows, hot air heater, speedometer, turn signals, hand operated controls for handicapped persons and the golf model, complete with two golf bag racks, extra wide traction tires on the rear, special low gearing, foot rests on the front fenders and an extra quiet muffler system. The Custom model was introduced in 1955, along with the standard model King Midget. The Custom got a new two spoke white steering wheel, bright red and bone white upholstery, chrome bumper and cowl parking lights. New Philippine mahogany doors and winter enclosures became standard for both models, too.

Vietnam - Jimmy Cliff

To commemorate the 56th country to visit this blog in the last 11 days.





It's mostly to honor all the Vietnam Vets.

What Do You Get?

When you cross an elephant and a rhinoceros?



Elephino!

The Gipper Knew

Free Carbon Offsets

From the website:

Home of the original free carbon offset certificate.

Don't be fooled by imitations. This is your source for free, customizable carbon offset certificates. They have always been free, and always will be free. Get as many as you want, for free!

free carbon offset certificate



Can it be true?

It can and it is! You may have seen other sites offering carbon offsets for $10, $20 or more a month. Well, with FreeCarbonOffsets.com, you can get carbon offsets absolutely free!

How can I get my carbon offsets?

Just click on the certificate link, fill out the form, click go, and within seconds you will have a beautiful personalized certificate downloaded right to your computer. This certificate is suitable for framing, and allows you to show others that you are doing your part to save the environment.

What will be done to improve the environment for my carbon offsets?

Click on the FAQ link to find out just exactly what we at FreeCarbonOffsets.com will be doing in exchange for your carbon offsets.

Visit the site and see how they will sacrifice to save the Earth...so you don't have to!

Bird House Advert

Worth One Sword, Three Throwing Stars

My site is worth $162.
How much is yours worth?

Or some other combo

My Heart's On Fire

Hello! My name is Elvira. I want to get acquainted with you. I'm 27 years old. And I am lonely, and seeking long-term relations. I wish to find my second half which I have not met befor. May be you? I hope, that you will answer me and it will be the beginning of our relations. I send you a picture, that you dbltk who I'm. More about myself I with pleasure will write you, if you answer me. Ask, if you have questions. I will be waiting for your answer. I hope, that you will not keep me waiting for a long time.

Please reply only to my personal e-mail: marmuzetkalila@yahoo.de



"real" address: 0000uza@mattel.com

Dear Elvira,

You four-timing hussy. You've already hooked up with the Oak Ridge Boys! (which was 28 years ago, so you must have been a Russian mail-order fetus)

paradox

"paradox" is a burroughs style cut-up poetry collage which forms the picture of Abraham Lincoln Assassination at Ford Theater. The piece was made over the course of 3 years.

Read how it was created

Flying Feline

Financial Feet Fortune

Heck, I spend a lot more money on socks than I do shoes.