c'est mon anniversaire!

These little grass seeds make life exceedingly difficult with a long-haired dog- they dig their way into her fur and won't come out easily. Still, kind of pretty (especially when not in Amelia's fur).
It's my birthday today, start of another year. I'm wondering if Kaya will be born today.... that'd be cool. I wish you all a wonderful and enriching 2008, and thanks for all the love in 2007.

Red-eared turtle skull

My friend Alex has a serious eye for found nature objects- his arrowhead collection is awesome. This is a red-eared turtle skull he found walking through the woods last week. The last time I walked with him he found a bird of prey's shoulder bone.
Some guys have all the luck.

Look-a-like

I saw this mushroom growing in the space a train spike should have been. Kind of a cute mushroom, although I find the majority of the fungi world decidedly un-cute.

Do you like the new watermarks? My photos were being lifted and taken to other sites, so I thought it was prudent.

Move

Kermit does Talking Heads

The Talking Heads 'Same as it Ever Was', as performed by Kermit the Frog.

Bread!

This is the first loaf of bread I've ever made- looks pretty, doesn't it? It didn't have a lot of flavor, but maybe next time. I'm letting some milk spoil on top of my fridge right now to make sourdough bread-- we'll see how it turns out. it sure looks nasty now.

I hope ya'll enjoyed Santa's Ghetto, I thought it was awesome, which is why i left it as the top post for so long.

Santa's Ghetto

Found on Santa's Ghetto, 2007, which brings artists like Bansky, Paul Insect, Ron English, and Faile to the streets of Bethlehem... Bansky's piece above was finished by local kids after he left in order to diffuse the 80+ crowd that had gathered. The wall marks the spot where 40 people were killed (bullet holes on top of wall).
I absolutely love Blu's work too- one of the army men made of money being blown away by a giant infant-like monster was powerful. The artwork for sale in the shop is pretty damn fabulous too.

So Gas

the shop is full of boxes of stuff like this.

'protect our lives and fuel'

I wish I knew the artists name, but I couldn't find it anywhere on the website. Very interesting... familiar...
Click to watch the short animation, here to watch Bendito-- The prayer says it all, I think. I don't want to quote the whole sentance but it ends "and praise your loving ideals of justice, fairness, and consumption".

so good.

(you're welcome.)

rain, rain

Cedar Lake

56 Geeks

created by Scott Johnson of Extralife, click here for the full poster (or to see the other 50 geeks).

Vignette

There's yer proof

Killed five seconds at The Blog Readability Test. Found over at my favorite Fin's blog: Pretty things I see. I would have taken the hotlink, but I hate the ad they sneaked in.
(Incidentally, the word 'sneaked' upsets me. I always think it should be 'snuck'.)

Winter Sunset

Canadian Geese

I was on my way to a buddies house when I saw these geese. I slowed my car and took some pictures while the larger of the geese eyed me suspiciously. I was leaving when I spotted a skinned dear hanging from a tree branch about 20 yards from the car. Welcome back to Southern Illinois wildlife, Lea.

Coffee with your BDSM?

small collection of classic ads from The Daily Mail in their article "The outrageously politically incorrect adverts from the time equality forgot".

Eat Your Heart Out

Becky created this most delicious of dinners Saturday. Homemade pizza dough cooked in a cast iron pot with all my favorite toppings-- spinach, artichoke hearts, olives, garlic, feta... so-freaking-good. So good in fact, I had to blog about it.
Becky should be canonized for her cooking. Or at least invite me to dinner more. ;-) Notice the wine glasses in the corner of each shot? That's my contribution.

neat

A Lambretta with a little VWbus sidecar. How cute. (found at neatorama)
Here's another picture of it via paul's flicker
And here is the article via west cost drivers, if someone wants to translate it for me. I think Amelia would like riding in the minibus.

Like so many things

Southern Gas

I'm working temporarily at Southern Gas, filing and such. The tanks in the fence always remind me of cows in pasture.

leaves

spider

Andy

i wish i knew what to say

fuuuuck

i guess

Life continues

and again

photo inside stax academy.


Does anyone know a female union member I can interview?

stax again

life is hard

Happy Halloween

I found this over at extreme pumpkins, I think I've posted about them before. I hope your halloween is haunting. (in the good way.)

Masked and Anonymous

I’m watching the film “Masked and anonymous” by Larry Charles, co-written and starring Bob Dylan, for the second time. You’ll like it, I think, so go watch it (unless, of course, you are the delightful muse who sent it to me).

HighPoint

Heater on, shower taken, toilet fixed, for those of you fretting. I feel bad about bitching in the earlier post.
oh well.
Stopped at High Point coffee- wonderful place where they gave Amelia a dog treat and me a caffeine buzz like you wouldn't believe. Now if only I could still smoke inside places...

warm and clean

Here's a picture of a praying mantis I met in Redlands. Creepy, I know. I raised praying manti once from an eggsack- apparently they will stay were you leave them although I only ever spotted a couple of the hundreds I placed around the properties in Carbondale.

As I attempt to warm my fingers from the heat of the laptop battery I think of what I would give right now for a hot shower. I'm waiting for my landlord to show up and fix the heat, hot water and toilet (could these tasks be any more essential?). He's said he'd be here in fifteen minutes a few times now.

I got a couple books in the mail today, one of which is supremely good: David Sutton’s “Remembrance of Repasts”.
So good, so yummy, so not what I do here at UM.

Jennifer Zwick

I love this installation by Jennifer Zwick, so many good images in her portfolio too. Dig the constructed narrative "The Reader", and What Might Go Wrong #1.

from fire to flood

Thanks in large part to forest fires, headwinds and a late plane I missed my connecting flight home to Memphis and had to spend the night in Salt Lake City (where they are not supposed to sell wine on Sunday, apparently). I was able to get a flight early this morning (or was that last night?), but got stuck in Atlanta when that connecting flight was canceled, and the next delayed. I finally made it to Memphis though, but my luggage (and half of my textbooks) are in St. Louis (for reasons that are still unclear to me).
But, on the bright side, I'm finding everything completely hilarious at the moment.

1900 miles

I don't like air travel unless I'm in the passenger seat or can directly communicate with the captain. Control issues? Sure...

Free Rice

Apparently associated with the United Nations World Food Program, Free Rice promises for each word you guess correctly they will send 10 grains of rice. I haven't checked them out fully, but I'm not sure I care too much, frankly there are worse ways to kill five minutes.

dragonfish

one with bat wings, please

this is my chimera from the build your wild self generator by NY city zoos. funfun.

a rose

The phallic flower was creeping me out, had to put up a new photo.

flowers are not so innocent

Hummingbird

He (because anything that chirps that proudly must be a he) sounded more like a cricket than a bird. It was the first time I've heard a hummingbird song...

Olives are her favorite candy

i found a weed

(but it took me a while)

little boxes