March 30, 2016
March 28, 2016
I'll Pass on the Cracker, Thanks
| You Were a Parrot |
 You are a master of language, and you use your wit to mock and tease others. But you are also wise, and you often think carefully before you speak. |
March 27, 2016
The Empty Tomb
The empty tomb at The Cross of Our Lord, Groom, Texas.
My friends and regular readers of this blog know how much I enjoy going over to the huge cross at Groom and taking photos. These are a year or so old, but I don't think I've yet published the following photo in this blog.
If you've seen my other posts about the cross, you'll also know how I love the angel atop the empty tomb.
(My Angel has many of my favorite photos of her)
A closer, straight-on look at the stone that was rolled away.
Inside the tomb is this angel:
A "bump" for Easter Sunday
My friends and regular readers of this blog know how much I enjoy going over to the huge cross at Groom and taking photos. These are a year or so old, but I don't think I've yet published the following photo in this blog.
If you've seen my other posts about the cross, you'll also know how I love the angel atop the empty tomb.
(My Angel has many of my favorite photos of her)
A closer, straight-on look at the stone that was rolled away.
Inside the tomb is this angel:
A "bump" for Easter Sunday
March 26, 2016
Speechless Thought Bubble
Or maybe it's a thoughtless speech bubble, I dunno.
I was looking at headlines on my Bing start page and got this page after clicking a link:
I was looking at headlines on my Bing start page and got this page after clicking a link:
It wasn't a 404 error because I looked down at my modem and saw I was temporarily offline. (AT&T -spit!-) Close enough to a 404 page for the blog label, though.
March 21, 2016
No Pity for Pilate
And I was round when Jesus Christ
Had His moment of doubt and pain
Made damn sure that Pilate
Washed his hands and sealed His fate
"Sympathy for the Devil"
- The Rolling Stones
This is the first station in the Stations of the Cross and is one of my favorites. I will post some better photos at a later date, but these are some of the older ones I wanted to go ahead and show, then burn to disc.
Had His moment of doubt and pain
Made damn sure that Pilate
Washed his hands and sealed His fate
"Sympathy for the Devil"
- The Rolling Stones
This is the first station in the Stations of the Cross and is one of my favorites. I will post some better photos at a later date, but these are some of the older ones I wanted to go ahead and show, then burn to disc.
Stepping around to the middle of the exhibit, the detail on the bronze of Jesus' face is the very definition of "resigned to one's fate".
I've tried to not be caught looking, but I find it interesting to watch some people's reactions at this station, especially after they've seen the pure essence of dejection from the above view. Quite a few of the folks step away with a sad face, then turn facing Pilate with Jesus, standing side-by-side, often with their hand on Jesus' shoulder. I've never seen it done with disrespect, no mugging for the camera; in fact, I never have seen anyone posing with the statues...most of the photographing of people is done with the huge cross as the background.
A little closer view shows how the bronze has been shined by people touching or brushing up against it.
Both figures are fascinating to study; Pilate is interesting because he did nothing, "washed his hands" and I suppose I can relate to that more than I can being persecuted as was Jesus. Pilate was human, interested mainly in his own self-preservation.
We all have crossroads in life, decisions we make that turn out to be wrong, but which is the worse sin; making a mistake or doing nothing? Sometimes our fate hinges not on those things we do, but by the things we do NOT do.
It's also common to find several dollars worth of change in Pilate's hand washing bowl.
This is my favorite perspective of Pilate, and I've plans for this or similar photos. I altered this one with my IrfanView program several months ago and like the way it almost looks like an oil painting.
As I said, I will post more at a future date.
Sorry, but this one is also a "bump" and was originally posted on 8/3/07
"Bumped" again from May 31, 2008
March 20, 2016
Spring Has Sprung!
Happy Vernal Equinox!
Summer, fall, winter, spring
The seasons rotate as each brings
Its special beauty to this Earth of ours.
Winter's snow and summer's flowers;
Frozen winters will flow come spring.
There is a renewal of everything.
- Edna Frohock
American poet (1906-97)
Everything you need to know: Vernal equinox 2016
The Oracle of Bacon
Ever heard of or played the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon game? It works on the premise that everyone in Hollywood has worked with Kevin Bacon or worked with someone who has worked with Kevin Bacon and can be linked in six steps or less.
Well, here's a great online version:
The premise is simple; input the name of an actor/actress and click the button "Find Link" to see how he/she is connected to Kevin Bacon. According to the site, any link of four or more is rare. I would agree, because I've tried and tried and never done better than three. Two links has been my average. I've thought of some obscure films, B-movies and used the names of people who had insignificant roles in those flicks and have always been disappointed with the results.
Give it a go and tell us how you've done!
(a "bump" from March 25, 2012)
Well, here's a great online version:
The premise is simple; input the name of an actor/actress and click the button "Find Link" to see how he/she is connected to Kevin Bacon. According to the site, any link of four or more is rare. I would agree, because I've tried and tried and never done better than three. Two links has been my average. I've thought of some obscure films, B-movies and used the names of people who had insignificant roles in those flicks and have always been disappointed with the results.
Give it a go and tell us how you've done!
(a "bump" from March 25, 2012)
March 19, 2016
spoonerism
spoonerism \SPOO-nuh-riz-uhm\, noun:
The transposition of usually initial sounds in a pair of words.
Some examples: (from the website)
We all know what it is to have a half-warmed fish ["half-formed wish"] inside us.
A well-boiled icicle ["well-oiled bicycle"].
It is kisstomary to cuss ["customary to kiss"] the bride.
Is the bean dizzy ["dean busy"]?
When the boys come back from France, we'll have the hags flung out ["flags hung out"]!
Let me sew you to your sheet ["show you to your seat"].
Spoonerism comes from the name of the Rev. William Archibald Spooner (1844-1930), a kindly but nervous Anglican clergyman and educationalist. All the above examples were committed by (or attributed to) him.
Off the top of my head, I can think of only one spoonerism (it might not qualify, but it's still funny); my childhood buddy Joe Bill used to say -usually to a girl- in a low voice:
"Tickle your ass with a feather?"
And when the person did a double-take and said "Excuse me?", Jody would say
"Particularly nasty weather!"
Spoonerisms remind me of Cockney Rhyming Slang.
More spoonerisms
The transposition of usually initial sounds in a pair of words.
Some examples: (from the website)
We all know what it is to have a half-warmed fish ["half-formed wish"] inside us.
A well-boiled icicle ["well-oiled bicycle"].
It is kisstomary to cuss ["customary to kiss"] the bride.
Is the bean dizzy ["dean busy"]?
When the boys come back from France, we'll have the hags flung out ["flags hung out"]!
Let me sew you to your sheet ["show you to your seat"].
Spoonerism comes from the name of the Rev. William Archibald Spooner (1844-1930), a kindly but nervous Anglican clergyman and educationalist. All the above examples were committed by (or attributed to) him.
Off the top of my head, I can think of only one spoonerism (it might not qualify, but it's still funny); my childhood buddy Joe Bill used to say -usually to a girl- in a low voice:
"Tickle your ass with a feather?"
And when the person did a double-take and said "Excuse me?", Jody would say
"Particularly nasty weather!"
Spoonerisms remind me of Cockney Rhyming Slang.
More spoonerisms
It's The Dog-gone Truth!
A boy can learn a lot from a dog: obedience, loyalty, and the importance of turning around three times before lying down.
- Robert Benchley
Boys ARE quite a bit like dogs, come to think of it.
Here's another topical quote:
Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.
- P. J. O'Rourke
Ain't that the truth; this govt. is spending money like a drunken sailor...or a kid with his/her folk's credit card.
- Robert Benchley
Boys ARE quite a bit like dogs, come to think of it.
Here's another topical quote:
Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.
- P. J. O'Rourke
Ain't that the truth; this govt. is spending money like a drunken sailor...or a kid with his/her folk's credit card.
And I'm Good With Onions
| You Are The Liver |
 You are a very versatile, adept person. You are able to do many jobs. You seek balance at all times. You are good at adjusting yourself to keep things level. You are able to counteract bad influences. You can neutralize anything toxic. You are resilient like no one else. You can rebuild yourself completely if you need to. |
March 17, 2016
March 14, 2016
Hamlet vs PayPal
PayPal's Terms and Conditions (including their privacy policy, acceptable use policy, eBay shipping services policy and billing agreement terms) has a longer word count at 36,275 than does Shakespeare's Hamlet, which has 31,950 words in total.
March 13, 2016
Not-So-Famous Last Words
| Your Last Words Would Be Philosophical |
 "What we know is not much. What we don't know is enormous." |
I think this one is probably pretty correct, although mine would probably be more along the lines of:
"Did you know Ben Franklin's last words were 'A dying man can do nothing easy.' ?"
March 12, 2016
All in a Day
Yep, it's that time of year again to start out the old mnemonic "Spring forward, Fall back". I usually hear nothing but complaints about losing an hour of sleep, but good grief, it happens on a Saturday night and the next day is Sunday. The only people who it seems like it would really inconvenience are the church goers...and I'd like to know what percentage of them sleep through church anyway. I'd think people who worked the graveyard shift would be happy, having to work only 7 hours.
When I worked on rigs, we usually got paid for the nine hours we were out there during this time change and generally when the fall change of advancing the clock ahead an hour, we got paid for eight, despite having only worked seven hours, but I did have a few companies who refused to do that, saying we got the extra hour in the spring, so it was only fair. The trouble with that was I sometimes hadn't been working for the company then and when that was the case - when I had to be out there for nine hours and only got paid for eight - I'd make a point- if I could- to do absolutely nothing for an hour. If I couldn't, then I'd do it some other night . Don't get me wrong, I was a good hand and conscientious about my job, but it was the principal of the thing.
Enough about my roughnecking days (or nights), here's some day trivia:
The total time between sunrise and sunset is the "day length". This can vary with latitude.
Day length at the equator is about 12 hours every day.
Day length at the poles ranges between 24 and 0 hours every six months.
Why aren’t there exactly 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness on the spring and fall equinoxes?
On the equinoxes, the very center of the Sun sets just 12 hours after it rose. But the day begins when the upper edge of the Sun reaches the horizon (which happens a bit before the center rises), and it doesn’t end until the entire Sun has set. Not only that, but the Sun is actually visible when it is below the horizon, as Earth’s atmosphere refracts the Sun’s rays and bends them in an arc over the horizon.
When I worked on rigs, we usually got paid for the nine hours we were out there during this time change and generally when the fall change of advancing the clock ahead an hour, we got paid for eight, despite having only worked seven hours, but I did have a few companies who refused to do that, saying we got the extra hour in the spring, so it was only fair. The trouble with that was I sometimes hadn't been working for the company then and when that was the case - when I had to be out there for nine hours and only got paid for eight - I'd make a point- if I could- to do absolutely nothing for an hour. If I couldn't, then I'd do it some other night . Don't get me wrong, I was a good hand and conscientious about my job, but it was the principal of the thing.
Enough about my roughnecking days (or nights), here's some day trivia:
The total time between sunrise and sunset is the "day length". This can vary with latitude.
Day length at the equator is about 12 hours every day.
Day length at the poles ranges between 24 and 0 hours every six months.
Why aren’t there exactly 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness on the spring and fall equinoxes?
On the equinoxes, the very center of the Sun sets just 12 hours after it rose. But the day begins when the upper edge of the Sun reaches the horizon (which happens a bit before the center rises), and it doesn’t end until the entire Sun has set. Not only that, but the Sun is actually visible when it is below the horizon, as Earth’s atmosphere refracts the Sun’s rays and bends them in an arc over the horizon.
March 11, 2016
psittacism
psittacism noun [sit-uh-siz-uh m]
1. mechanical, repetitive, and meaningless speech
There's a lot of psittacism going on now leading up to the election.
March 10, 2016
Don't Forget My Bum!
From one of my favorite YouTube channels, Gotcha The Cockatoo. Gotcha is a crazy, funny, loud and lovable 11 year old Moluccan Cockatoo, a rescue from his previous home where he was abandoned, neglected and mistreated.
March 5, 2016
rupestrine
rupestrine adjective [roo-pes-trin]
Biology. Living or growing on or among rocks.
I've never lived on or among rocks, but I HAVE been around a lot of stoners.
March 4, 2016
March 3, 2016
What Age Do You Act?
| You Act Like You Are 25 Years Old |
 You are a twenty-something at heart. You feel like an adult, and you're optimistic about life. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. You're still figuring out your place in the world and how you want your life to shape up. The world is full of possibilities, and you can't wait to explore many of them. |
I took the same quiz over 3 yrs. ago and I act a year younger than then!
'Bout right...I'm probably going through my second childhood.
March 1, 2016
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