For Julianne

Brutus (You wouldn't believe it from that sweet smile.)

Active expression of the Hey-Look-At-Me gene on the Y chromosome.

Deep thoughts and twigs

The noodle

No more photos please.

Abandoned house across the street.

Yes you read right. Across the street.

Way Back for Wednesday

Hey Adina! Remember this? How's Vegas? I'll be traveling tomorrow, so I did my way back post today. This is a truly vintage picture. Many many moons ago, when the earth was young, Adina, Darren, and I took a trip to Moab, UT. It was fun. We saw funny things. Like a German dude coming down from the arch wearing only a Speedo, hiking boots, and a fanny pack. Seriously, who dresses guys like that? I still have painful fits of uncontrollable laughter whenever I remember.

Feel Good Politics

Check the link to see more. It restores my faith in our divided country.

Pictures and project from this guy.

Thanks to Gen for the heads up.

Me and That Velociraptor

I could survive for 1 minute, 9 seconds chained to a bunk bed with a velociraptor

Created by Bunk Beds.net

Garter Snake: A Conversation

Curses! I have been spied.

Keep your distance, I warn you.

There is enmity between I and thee, woman.

You venture too close! I leap, I fly...

...I fall short. Hiss. It is a lengthy problem I encounter often.



Mighty small Mr. Snake. But you get bonus points for bravery.

Discussion:

In the interest of science we will do a cost benefit analysis of playing with snakes you might find in your yard. On one hand, it is not a brilliant idea to play with snakes of any kind that you find unless you are prepared to be bitten. They *all* bite when agitated. On the other hand, a six inch garter snake who is all gums isn't going to do much damage. Therefore, we play. If he were bigger, we would have played at the end of a longer stick. Still we play, we get acquainted, we dance. I cannot resist.

How do I know this isn't a poisonous snake? Besides the obvious fact that it is a garter snake? Well, this snake as you can see in the last picture has round pupils. If you are ever foolish enough to approach a snake the proximity of which renders the pupils easily seen, as it bites your face, you will be able to notice their shape. If it is a pit viper, it will have vertical pupils. You can also see in the picture that there are no heat-sensing pits in the top lip of the snake. The head is also not beefy and heart shaped. We can very easily declare this to be a non-poisonous snake.

Bear in mind, my favorite snake encounter advice. When in doubt run, and get the hell out of there.

A Capella Star Wars

Found this today. Must post. Too funny for words. Jana do you know this guy?

Holly's 10 Rules for Fair Fighting

A random conversation I observed:

I was requested to post these after another topic on marriage. These
rules come from stuff my dad told me, years of therapy, and my own observations
about relationships. Contrary to popular belief, sticks and stones can
break your bones and WORDS CAN HURT long after the argument has died down.

10 RULES FOR FAIR FIGHTING

1. Listen completely to the other
person's point of view before expressing yours and try to understand what their
point is.

2. Be respectful of their opinion; even though it's not your
point of view, it deserves respect.

3. No belittling the other person or
their ideas.

4. NO SARCASM!

5. No name calling or swearing at the
other person.

6. Don't gunnysack; stick to the subject at hand! Do
not bring up old arguments or other things that have nothing to do with the
current argument itself.

7. STAY RELEVANT

8. Realize that in general
there is no right or wrong in an argument-only differing points of view.

9. Take
several deep breaths, count to 10, and remind yourself why you love the other
person.

10. Ask yourself, "How important will this argument be to me in 10
years?" Remember that who started the argument is irrelevant. The
important thing is to resolve it as quickly as possible, in a manner that
will strengthen your love for each other and bring you both greater
understanding of each other.

COMMUNICATION AVOIDS CONFRONTATION I
hope you find these useful and if you have any points to add, post them so I can
add to my own list. And just remember that it is better to have loved and lost
than never to have loved at all.

Matt H. says:

I couldn't be in a relationship with anyone who really believed most of that list. There IS right and wrong. Some ideas must be belittled because they are stupid, petty, or both. Some points of view do NOT deserve
respect (women are not as smart as men, blacks are lazy, etc.) No sarcasm? Pass. I use argument and anger as a measure of the health of a relationship. It's not the subjugation of these feelings, or the
acceptance of them, but the ability to -survive- them that makes a relationship stronger. I don't want to argue with Mr. Spock - I want to argue with MY WOMAN - my crazy-ass logic, shrieking, foot-planting, eye-rolling, threatening my manhood, door-slamming, hysterical
weeping, and violent passionate (perhaps criminal) make-up-sex having WOMAN.

CONFRONTATION -IS- COMMUNICATION

I hear you Matt. I hear you. If only all men were so appreciative of passionate women.

You forgot something important...

When you tell your sister these pictures are to never be put on the internet, you should remember to tell your wife. And even then don't expect much because she's slightly disobedient and often uses subversive tactics. I'll make it up to you later baby, when I'm done laughing.

Blast From the Past! Garbage Pail Kids!

Ummm. Remember these?

Found 'em in a box today.

I'm sorry, I'm not what you're looking for.

Golestan, Tehran arrived from google.com
on "Bugs in the Desert: The Hot Russian Nurse" by searching for hot
nurse story.

Whoever you are, you've got balls. Probably not for long though.

Vote Tomorrow!

I can't breathe. LMAO. Vote.

Shamelessly stolen from Frank, who probably stole it from someone else. Ok, I'm sure he stole it.

Photoshop and Art

Photoshop is an incredible tool.

Photoshop can make an artist out of anyone.

And anyone into a work of art.