Nature's Organ

Of all the places this fungus could pick,
It was in my yard it decided to stick.
There will be no prize,
For it's shape or it's size.
In fact the look of it is making me sick.



Ok, fess up. Who thought I was going to rhyme pick with trick?

Wanna Go For A Ride

I'm experimenting with some new video software. I have a long way to go to master this. In the mean time, here is a boring little video that I have been playing with. For you Mac owners, if you can't view this, could you please let me know. I never can quite figure out in which format to render these. Thanks all!

I'm Finally Full

I'm done, stick a fork in me. Prior to the above maple cream cones, apple pie with cheddar cheese, and Maine lobster roll, there was the ham and cheese sandwich, nachos, and beer. I'm good now.

It is going to be a very rainy weekend here and chances are I will not be going back to the Big E for a round 4. If it was sunny, there is a chance that I would as I could always manage to fit in just one more Polish plate. But I think I have had enough fair-ground food to last me until next fall. What do you say ass and thighs? Ready to call it quits? Or would you rather I just throw on some bigger jeans?

More Adventures At The Big E

I had one of those days on Friday where you set out to do one thing and by the end of the night find yourself somewhere totally unexpected.

The afternoon started off with another trip to the Big E. The weather was perfect for sitting outside with friends, enjoying a nice micro brew.

After that, it was time for some supper so we headed off to find some non-fried food. Not many choices in that category except for the fare over at the Sam Adams Beer Garden. Oh well, if we must.

After eating and continuing to explore the fair, it was time for a little pick me up. We ran into a group of friends who were kind enough to point us in the right direction. And yes, fried Oreos were just the ticket:

Then time for a trip down the giant slide:

As luck would then have it, while checking out the hot tubs, we were fortunate to hook up with another group of our buddies. Seems the thing to do here in Western Mass on a Friday night is go to the Big E. And what do friends do when they all meet up at the fair? Why we all head on over to the Martini Bar!

No good can come of going to the Martini Bar on a Friday night at the Big E. I should know that. By the time we finished there things were closing up for the evening. And since I had hot tubs stuck in my head from a few hours previously, heading over to Buddies #2 house to sit in their hot tub seemed like just the thing I needed.

One small problem - no bathing suit. Which, after a couple of pomegranate martinis turns out really not to be a problem at all.

Friends, fried Oreos, martinis, and naked hot-tubbing. It's just another typical fall day in the Pioneer Valley.

Your Star

There is a wonderful website called Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) where for only one dollar you can launch a star to honor someone who has had a cancer diagnosis. I launched one for my Dad today. He passed in 2003 to a rare form of cancer called Esthesioneuroblastoma.

You can leave messages on stars that were already created or launch one of your own. Either way, it's a nice way to pay tribute to someone you care about.

Here is the link to my Dad's star:http://www.standup2cancer.org/constellation-launch?starId=13876.

7:00 AM In Boston

Back in May and June, the sun was up at 5:15 as I left my house to drive to work. This is a more challenging time of year - driving east as the sun is coming over the horizon and driving west as the sun is going down.

The sun came up at 6:30 today in Boston, and was starting to spread across Government Center as I was walking from the parking garage to my building. This is a picture of Faneuil Hall, which was built in 1742.

Yes, this is a rather boring post. But I'm tired. Hey, at least I posted a pic.

Eating My Way Through The Big E, Part 1

It's that time of year again - the Big E started last Friday. The Big E, or the The Eastern States Exposition, is the biggest fair in the northeast. Here's a sampling of some of the goodies I had on Friday when I hit the fair with my buddy Bill.

First, it was off to the Maine building to get in line for a Maine baked potato. To make things easier on the potato ladies, I just ask for one with everything.

Delicious and low fat. This of course made us thirsty so we had to go across the street to the Sam Adams Beer Garden:

From there it was off to walk around the fair. The Big E covers a lot of ground. And so, we got thirsty again.



Time for a snack. A Polish plate was just the thing we needed. It came complete with pierogi, kapusta, and kielbasa.



Now all I needed was some food to go in case I got hungry when I got home. Back down to the Avenue Of States to the New Hampshire building for some kettle corn. Bill got some too. I opted for the large economy size bag however.



The one thing I avoided was this electronic scale which compared your weight to that of farm things like bags of grain. I knew after eating all this my weight would rival that of a baby cow. So I just stood back while Bill checked it out.


I can't wait for round two later this week.

An Apple A Day

These are the cider donuts I mentioned on the last post. If you're like me, you may not always have the time or the inclination to grab an apple, wash it, and spend 5 minutes crunching away. That's why I love these little babies. They are made from cider, which of course is basically apples so they must be good for you. And a bag of six cider donuts weighs a lot less than a bag of six apples. Less weight in the bag, less weight in my body right? The weight difference also makes them easier to transport, whether I am carrying a half dozen in the saddlebags on my motorcycle or the saddlebags on my thighs. Yummy!

The First Signs Of Fall

Mums, twisted yellow bumpy squash thingies, cider donuts, and Berkshire Brewing Company Oktoberfest Lager. I think Autumn may have arrived here in western Massachusetts.

Recycled Wildlife

I have been bad about posting this week. Just wasn't feeling it I guess. But I am so sick of looking at the ceiling picture. I would much rather look at pictures of my neighbor's cardboard wildlife.

There's the moose that sits out in the back-40. He seems kinda lonely out there. And then there are the coyotes that sit in the backyard. They are less noisy than the real one that was coming into the yard when this same neighbor was leaving out chunks of raw, red meat to attract the living, breathing version. There were cardboard bear cubs on the front lawn but I think the cardboard coyotes ate them one night when no one was looking. Come to think of it, I haven't seen my pink flamingo lately either...

No, I Can't Do It

Screw you HD and your slogan. The only way I can do it and the only way you can help is to come to my house and do it for me. Explaining to me just how easy it is will not make the task simple.

I have a spot on my ceiling. I have been to HD three times now. First, for the spray can of Kilz to cover the spot. That made it worse. Next, for the small can of white paint. That didn't match. Yesterday it was for another spray can of some sort of evil pressurized texture paint that was made specifically for touching up popcorn ceilings.

I tried it. I shook and shook that freaking can till my hand was sore. Made sure I covered all exposed furniture. I put on a mask. Then I fired away. The stuff flew out of the can like projectile baby vomit flies out of a sick kid. On me, on the tarp, on parts of the floor I did not cover. Now it looks like I have a patch of Quaker Oats on my ceiling.

I don't care if this makes me a bad lesbian. I'm leaving this to the professionals who know I can't do it and don't care to show me.