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Dogs, camera-phones, and minor celebrities

We met a famous person!

The dog looks less than impressed, but I got a big kick out of meeting Kim Carrigan from Fox25 morning news at a live broadcast in Lynn this morning. (It was their last "zip trip" of the summer). She's prettier than me, and her hair is neater (my hair is hardly ever neat) but I'm taller than her. And I am armed with a cute dog.

Fun fact: The Google phrase that brings the most visitors to my blog is "Kim Carrigan's legs." And before you jump to the conclusion that I am a perv in addition to being a nerd, I don't believe I have ever written about Kim Carrigan's legs.

A few more for your viewing pleasure:



Gene Lavanche and VB--I disagree with almost every single word that comes out of VBs mouth, but he still cracks me up.

I don't really understand the people who stand behind newspeople when they are broadcasting live.



You get the feeling they've done this one before? You can't tell from watching the zip trips on TV, but during breaks they spend a lot of time chatting with people, posing for pictures, and signing autographs.

I love fat girls

I wish I had more time--as it was I was almost late for work this morning. I actually had a lot of nerdy fun taking pictures ... and I think if I had hung around for a little longer I would have been braver and taken more crowd and people shots like this one and the next. They're not technically perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but But I still like 'em.

Dog, camera-phone, and minor celebrity

Dog, camera-phone, and minor celebrity (in that order).

Does McCain really think we're that stupid?

I KNEW John McCain was going to pick a woman for his running mate--it's just so obvious that he trying to lure over women who are disappointed that Hillary Clinton didn't get the Democatic nomination.

Does he really think we are that easily fooled? That easily manipulated? It's almost as partronizing as that ad he ran congratulating Barack Obama for his "historic" nomination.

Oh, shut up, you jerk.

I actually wish he would have picked Mitt Romney as his VP candidate. It would have made it easier for me to resist voting for him. Because, the truth is, it kind pisses me off that running for office is still easier for men than women, regardless of skin color.

Hello, my name is Gienna, and I'm addicted to really expensive coffee

Photo by Thomas Hawk--click to view


(Hello, Gienna!)

I used to stop by Starbucks once a week or so for a latte or a cappuccino. It was a little treat, an occasional distraction on a slow day, or pick-me-up on a busy one. I don't remember when I started going more frequently than that, nor do I remember when I made the leap to daily Starbucks consumption. It just kind of snuck up on me, as addictions do.

The math is horrifying: $4 a day, $20 a (work) week, $1,040 a year. And that doesn't even include the occasional low-fat cinnamon coffee cake or cookie.

Holy coffee grounds, Batman.

Meanwhile, because I am totally addicted not only to the caffeine, but also to the ritual of these daily trips, I decided I would take the first step on the path to recovery by cutting back to one plain coffee each day. That cuts the cost roughly in half. And no more low-fat coffee cake, which we all know full well is not that low-fat.

So yesterday I walk into the local Starbucks, full of resolve. And as I walk up the counter two baristas say to me, in unison, "Venti non-fat cappuccino extra foam?"

That's, right. IN UNISON. You know you've been spending too much money at Starbucks when the employees know your usual drink order by heart.

It was the first time this had happened to me, and I was so thrown off that I told them that I was ordering a regular coffee because I am going broke buying cappuccinos every day. They thought that was hilarious.

Anyway, part of the reason I'm trying to cut down on expenses is that I'm going to San Francisco for a little vacation soon and I would like not to have to sleep at the local YMCA. I'm really excited about the trip, especially since I don't have to worry about there being a Starbucks on every corner there.

(Photo by Thomas Hawk. Click on the photo to find out what's going on in this funny picture.)

What I've been pondering today

You know that age-old question, "How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop?"

Well, I have a new one for you: "How many wedgies does it take before you throw out the offending undergarments?"

Being nice is free

So, I have this dog that barks a little, right? OK, she barks a lot. In fact, sometimes I look out the window to see what she is barking at and the street, the yard, the trees, and the sky are empty of all creatures great and small. Maybe she is barking at a leaf. Or a blade of grass. Or the wind. Or the air. Or the color blue. Maybe she is barking at the possibility that there will soon be something to bark about.

So you can imagine what happens when anyone dares come up on the porch. She goes completely mental. A frenzy of outraged barking.

Yesterday I came home and UPS had delivered a package from Zappos. Perched on top of the box: A milkbone.

Seriously, how nice is that? My dog barks at you, so you bring her a treat? I opened the door without moving the box and let her find it. Maybe she'll remember that treat the next time the UPS guy comes (though I seriously doubt it).

Happy Birthday, Calvin-Roo!

OK, all the pictures from Calvin's first birthday party are up. There are a lot--sorry, but how do you not upload them all when they are all so cute?

I couldn't pick my favorite (OK, that's a lie--it's the last one on this page), so here are some of the highlights:

Happy Birthday, Calvin

Stupid hat!


Raspberry

DSC_0333

I'm done

The usual disclaimer: Most of these are marked for friends and family only. if you want to see them all in full size and order prints you have to sign up for a Flickr account and add me as a contact (and then I'll add you to my contacts as a friend or family member so you can view them). If you can figure out Facebook (glares at the Aunties) you can figure this out. If you have questions about how to sign up or order prints, let me know.

Raindrops keep fallin' on my birthday

Took at least one million pictures of Calvin-Roo at his first birthday party--will be uploading some soon, but here's a sneak preview:

Raindrops keep fallin' on my head

If you can't play in the rain on your birthday ...

Rock the vote!



Lame as I am, I have joined yet another online photo community, JPeg.They also publish a really nice monthly magazine of photographs, grouped by theme. One of the upcoming themes is "nighttime (photos taken outside in the dark)." If you like my "Night Delivery" photo, you can click on the link to vote for it to appear in the issue.