"It's not courage if you're not terrified." - D. Blagdan
"There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness." - Nietzsche
The Birthday Elves bitched out on me again. Something about OSHA regulations and workplace hazards and yada-yada. I tell ya, I may refuse to renew their contract. I can get scab elves just abotu anywhere these days with the economy in the shape it's in. I mean puh-leeze. But never fear, my trusty pal Tonka's still on the case. He never lets me down, and best of all he works really cheap.So... who's the lucky Birthday Guest this time you ask? Well today marks the 47th trip around the sun for the inimitable Tiff Spiffy (nee... umm... something else. But I'm sure it was cool.) (And by the way, she outed herself age-wise on her own blog so it's okay for me to tell it here... I'm not letting any cats out of the bag okay? So shaddup.)What's the birthday girl want for her big day? Followers. That's it. Hey, how often do ya get to make somebody happy with a couple of mouse clicks that don't involve a long string of pseudo-random numbers and a password? I mean seriously. This rocks as far as I'm concerned, 'cause I'm just notoriously cheap thrifty (and trustworthy and loyal, clean and reverent. Okay, trustworthy loyal and clean. Happy now?)Oh... her blog? Yeah, I suppose that would help. You might have seen in yonder blogroll and corner of Blogaritaville known far and wide as No Accent Yet. Presumably the title comes from the failure of the lady to acquire a Southern drawl despite living in the sunny South for a number of years. But we don't hold it against her down heah, 'cos we're just good that way.The Tiffster (as she's known to some) is one of the first bloggers I ever met both in cyberspace and in the three-dimensional world. In fact it was the Tiffenator (as she's known to some) who, along with her faithful companion (and now husband) Biff Spiffy (whose 40th we celebrated earlier this month you might recall) who conspired with me to launch "Bloggin The Square '08" last August. An event which brought together several (okay, three) local bloggers for an evening of free music, overpriced consumables, and loads of fun (if you missed it, there will be others).So ya'll stop on by Tifferina's (as she's known to some), say howdy, have some cake before it immolates and if you're in a generous mood, you might even thrown the old gal lady a bone and follow her around. (C'mon, would it kill ya?) And in the meanwhile, you can read of the adventures of the Spiffy's in the Tiny House (or TH as it's known to some) which are occasionallyfrequently always amusing. And if life in the TH isn't enough, you might find life in the cube farm chortle-worthy.Okay, you want more. I get it. So here's a humorous little gem found on YouTube that Tiff herself would have brought to you had she found it before I did. So Tiffer, Happy Birthday girl... this one's for you.
"This is the thin part of the crowd?" Raleigh, NC - August 2008 (Click to embiggen)
"Streetscape - S. Blount Street" Raleigh, NC - August 2008 (Click to embiggen)
"Yes, I am looking down your shirt..." Raleigh, NC - August 2008 (Click to embiggen)
During the summer one of the local radio stations along with a few other corporate sponsors put on a free concert series called "Downtown Live". Each show is essentially a mini music festival with the opening acts beginning at around 2 PM. The headliners start in the early evening and play until local noise ordinances say they have to stop (11 PM).The acts are varied, but are mainly geared toward the college-aged crowd, which makes little sense to me since all of the area colleges are out for the summer. And despite the fact that this has been going on for several years now, this summer was the first time I had attended one of these events. The first show I went to featured Blind Melon as one of the headliners. I went with a group of friends who were all big fans, even though I could only name one song they'd ever done (and even that I couldn't name by title). But once I'd been to one I wondered why I hadn't been taking advantage of this before.The second show I went to was different though. Different bands, yes, but a much bigger crowd as well. It was the last show of the season and topping the bill were Saving Abel, Eve 6 and Puddle of Mudd. That by itself wouldn't explain the increase in attendance though. That was largely explained by the return of the students at nearby NC State University. Move-in for the resident students had been going on all week, and by Saturday night they were all settled in their dorms and ready for one last blast before classes started the following Monday.It was a crush the likes of which I haven't seen in a very long time. I have no idea what the official head count might have been, but Moore Square is a city block on each side and at least three quarters of it was nigh unto impassable.Just a week or so before the show, I got into a discussion with a couple of other area bloggers and among us we decided that this would make an excellent opportunity to meet other area bloggers. So on each of our blogs we started promoting an improvised event known as "Bloggin' the Square '08". We got roughly the turnout we expected (which was the three of us) but it was still a great way to get together. We spent a good bit of the late afternoon and early evening in the shade of one of the live oak trees in the park, not far from a bench where three of the park's "permanent residents" were waiting for the party to be over.Realizing that we were throwing a really loud party in what was essentially someone's living room put a bit of a damper on the mood. And it made me think a bit about the reasons we were in the park (fun and entertainment) as opposed to the reasons they were in the park (survival and no place else to go). So in addition to some good music, good company and overpriced food I also got a little lesson in perspective.Whether it's the venue (doubtful) or the sponsors (probable) that were responsible, the "No Detachable Lens" rule is in effect for these events, so unless I wanted to try slipping it by security (which I don't think would have been difficult) I couldn't bring my camera inside (I really need to get a point-and-shoot backup for situations like this). I first encountered this brand of photographic prejudice at the RBC Center in 2001. For reasons that were called "security concerns" but (I'm sure) were more like "dollar concerns" cameras with interchangeable lenses were prohibited inside the arena. Which always rubbed me the wrong way. If you're going to ban cameras, either do it or don't but don't penalize only the people with one type of camera. And now I'll stop before I get into soap box mode.Anyway outside the park was fair game, so I was able to snap off a few shots of the mostly orderly mob from afar. Had I been adventurous enough to do it, I probably could have gotten some decent long-lens shots from outside. But I wasn't sure my 200mm f/2.8 was long enough and I knew my 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 wasn't nearly fast enough, and I didn't yet have my 1.4x extender for the 200 (which would have still slowed me down to f/4.0 -- which is pushing it at best). So I passed on the opportunity. Perhaps some day I'll have the cake to afford better glass in the 300 or 400mm range. Yeah. Sure.Stumble This!
Bloggin' the Square '08 is Today!Click for deets and directions
It's here! The Inaugural Bloggin' the Square begins today at 4:00 pm. Rendezvous is on the roof of the parking garage at the corner of S. Blount St. and E. Hargett St. (directly across Blount St from the Marbles Kids' Museum -- formerly Exploris for those who may have known it by that name.) Raleigh's City Market District (right across the street from Moore Square) has a host of epicurean opportunities available for dinner, or there will be food and beverage vendors at the event itself for those of you more inclined towards alfresco dining. Bring your lawn chairs, and prepare for an evening of free music, people watching and general good times. The headliners for the show are (in probable order of appearance): Eve 6, Saving Abel and Puddle of Mudd. Other bands (not named on the DTL schedule) will kick off the festivities at 2:00 if you want to show up early. For those inclined to consume frosty malt beverages, make sure you get your wrist bands at the entrance or be prepared to hear the Bier Nazi bark "No beer for you!" Remember there's no registration stuff to deal with or anything, so if you feel like coming down you won't miss your chance until tomorrow when it's all over. "What the Fashion Conscious Blogger Will Be Wearing at BTS '08" (Click to embiggen) This is the eXtreme Model BTS tee, which is probably a touch over the top but easy to recognize. Early polling results suggest that most participants are planning to opt for a more basic "Sharpie Marker" look. the weather looks like it's going to cooperate, and the park is on the east side of the city "backbone" meaning the shade will commence probably just about rendezvous time. So come on down and party like it's Y2K - 1. We want to meet you!Stumble This!
Two memes with one stone I say! Quilldancer has put out a challenge for "Reflections" (that I'll let her explain) that is still going for another few days. Then there's "Half-Nekkid Thursday" which is a regular meme that I've never played with participated in (because truly, what part of me would you really want to see nekkid?). But over last weekend I was toying with some experimental shots and came up with this one which... is oddly compelling. In a sinister and disturbing sort of way. If you know me at all, you know I'm not sinister... though a case might be made for "disturbed". Anyway. I was trying to find a context for this shot so I could actually use it for something and here we are. A twofer!(PS: "Olympic theme?" Uh... how about the Olympic flame then?)
"Gandhi in the 'Hood" Raleigh, NC - August 2008 (Click to embiggen)
On her blog recently, Raleigh author Peggy Payne wrote about discovering the statue of Gandhi at the Marbles Kids Museum. I'd known about the statue for about a year, but it wasn't until Peggy's post that I made the time to go photograph it (and shamelessly pilfer Peggy's post title!). If you're heading to Bloggin' the Square on Saturday, you'll be right across the street.i want to call you kimmy edible latex panties girls rubber leather licking slick wet lesbian asian amateur milf horny housewives sucking jenna jamison brittany andrews mother theresa eating cock
"Cherry Tulip Magnolia Blossoms" Washington, DC - April 1998 (Click to embiggen)
Since the hibiscus was such a smash hit I thought I'd give flowers another go. One of the more pleasant smelling things in DC is the cherry trees. Which these aren't... I found out courtesy of Kenju. (And she would know!) These are actually Tulip Magnolias. (Boy is my face red!)
Looking for today's Thematic Photographic? No worries, it's here
A couple of days ago, I was talking to Tiff of No Accent Yet when we hit upon one of those ideas that kinda snowballs on ya. If you live in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill (that's North Carolina ya'll) area or you're going to be passing through on Saturday the 23rd, perk up an' pay attention.
The final Downtown Live of the summer is happening on Saturday August 23. For those of you unfamiliar with the series, 96 Rock and some other cool sponsors put together a half-scale replica of a music festival every other Saturday during the summer. Admission is free (but everything else costs) and the headliners don't suck. For the season finale, they've got Puddle of Mudd, Eve 6 and Saving Abel plus some other undisclosed bands that'll play early in the day. The festivities kick off at about 2:00 pm, and go until the noise ordinance puts the skids under them at 11:00.
So we've got free music all afternoon and evening, what else we got? Well Moore Square butts up against City Market which is home to some pretty good places to eat, drink and be merry in between bands. And since this is pretty well getting thrown together at the last minute, we ain't got no steenking agenda. No workshops, no door prizes, no truly organized anythings actually. It's just a chance to meet some fellow area bloggers and put faces with the pages we read (and write) so much of.
About as close as we come to "organizing" is that we're planning to meet up on the top floor of the parking garage on the northwest corner of S. Blount St. and E. Hargett St. at 4:00 pm. (I didn't pick the floor -- Tiff gets the blame credit for that one... but there's an elevator.) Parking in downtown -- especially when there's an event of any kind going on -- is a pain in the arse, but you can find space along the street if you look long enough. If you want to park in the deck, it'll cost you 7 bucks for the night. To me it's worth it, YMMV.
"But Mojo, how will we recognize each other?", you ask. And it's a question I asked myself just last night. And Tiff came up with an elegantly simple solution to the identity crisis. You pick up a plain white t-shirt, and write/draw the name of your blog on it with a Sharpie. Or multiple Sharpie's. Get as creative as you want. And if you're really embarrassed by your handwriting, iron-on transfers are allowed. Or, you can bring your own supplies and I'm betting you can find one of us willing to do the stenciling for you (gratuities are, of course, accepted for such services wink).
And courtesy of the magic that is Google Maps, I can even show ya where we'll be. That big boxy looking thing northwest of the lollipop with the "A" on it is the aforementioned parking deck. Draw a line diagonally across the corner and you have the park. There are entrances to the deck on both sides (S. Blount St and S. Wilmington St.) so if you miss one, it's just a couple of right hand turns to get to the other.
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