Analog Photography

This year I am ringing in the New Year by adopting the technology of toy cameras from the 1960's.



Nana, (aka "Greatest MIL in the world") bought me a new camera for Christmas. It is a Diana Mini. It is very retro and very low tech. It uses 35mm film, no autofocus, no auto exposure, no auto nothing. You have to manually set the focus and guess at the exposure, you even have to advance the film manually. It's made out of plastic, even the lens. I just love the look of film and have been attracted to Lomography, the art of low tech analog photography.

I've had a lot of fun with it, although my first roll of film was a complete disaster, between forgetting to take the lens cap off, not advancing the film, not setting the focus right, and other problems the first roll of film was a complete mess. I salvaged one photo. I call it: "The Spirits of Christmas."



I think the bottle was empty when I took the photo, I really don't remember.

I had a little more luck with the second roll.







There is something about film, especially low tech film, that I just love. The colors seem deeper and the photos seem to have more "immediacy" about them, plus they seem like they are from a long time ago. I know that I'm not making much sense. I just like them, when I remember to take the lens cover off.

The processing is pretty cheap. I go to Walgreens, they charge $2.99 if all you want is the CD and no prints. I think they feel sorry for me. "Well we tried Yogi."

If you are geocacher there is the added bonus that the plastic containers for the film are great cache containers. They are waterproof.

I'm still a learning. For such a low tech device it is taking me a while to get the hang of it.

By the way, I wish you a very Happy and Prosperous New Year!!

More Front Porch Skywatching

"Kitchen Confidential" by Anthony Bourdain

I picked this book up in a bookstore a couple weeks ago. For years I've occasionally watchined Anthony Bourdain on his "No Reservations" show on the Food Network. He always seemed like a ready for anything, at ease guy as he goes around the world eating chopped lamb brains from street vendors and other adventuresome cuisine. He looks like a guy who smokes and drinks too much and stays up too late and probably doesn't read his Bible every day. He also seems like a guy who can tell some good stories.

Kitchen Confidential came out ten years ago and is still in print in this 2007 updated edition. It is Bourdain's description of his career as a cook and chef and many observations on the restaurant industry. The man can write. It is one of those books where you start reading it and you can't stop. He says he wrote the book for the guys who work in restaurants. He tells a lot of stories about working in restaurants. I am sure that some of the stories are actually true. They are all entertaining.

I rate the book 4 stars out of 5 it is a darn good read.

ABC Wednesday - "X"

X is for Xylophone, played by my wife Sweetie at the Missouri Botanical Gardens in Saint Louis.

Check out ABC Wednesday for Alphabet Photos from all over.

Microsoft Image Composite Editor

Microsoft Image Composite Editor is a free handy tool from Microsoft that combines multiple images into one such as panoramas.

I was at the airport picking somebody up today and I took pictures of a mural depicting various people in the energy business. The mural was too big to fit into one shot so I took five photographs with the idea of combining them somehow.

The result



All I did was open the photographs into the program and it did the rest.

It's free, check it out at the link above.

Deep Woods Geocaching

One day the week before Christmas I used my lunch hour to find a geocache in one of our city parks in west Tulsa. The cache is called "Corbin's Deep Woods Cache." How could anybody resist a cache with a name like that? I couldn't. There is nothing better to get your head on straight when you are all frazzled than taking a walk in the woods. "Deep Woods" sounds so much better.



The first part of the trail was great. It was more of a sidewalk than a trail but it is headed the right direction.



I turned off the concrete onto this. It had the barest hints of a trail. Generally when lunchtime caching its not a good idea to wear anything knit. It'll get ruined. I go lunchtime caching two or three times a month. My coworkers make fun of the leaves in my hair, seeds stuck to the back of my shirt, mud on my shoes, and other tell tale signs of my hobby. I've thought about putting some overalls in my truck to wear. That'd be ok in the winter. It would be too hot in the summer.

My coworkers put up with a lot. On business trips I'm always asking for somebody else to drive so I can take photographs and I get up early and go to bed late to go caching. Plus if we go to the People's Republic of Kansas it takes me several liquor store stops to get all the Fat Tire beer I need. I haven't quite figured it out but the State of Oklahoma won't allow it to be sold within its borders. Just one reason why Oklahoma has just a touch higher moral tone than the rest of the world. We may have one of the highest unwed teenage pregnancy rates in the country, but just think how much higher it would be if we allowed Fat Tire to be sold in Oklahoma?

Oops, sorry, I'm off topic.



Anyways I found the cache. The coordinates were good, and the cache as there! Score one for lunch.

There was another cache, named "Chance's Forest Cache" several hundred feet further on. I bushwhacked through the woods until I found a trail and followed it.



I didn't find the cache but I found this jacket. I find the presence of the jacket very puzzling. (Sorry, I've been living with a seventh grader too long.) I didn't find the cache. I saw lots of beer cans and a camp fire with a totally smashed television set. It seems like a lot of trouble to haul a big television set so far into the woods to demolish it.



I didn't find my cache but I got my walk in the woods, and leaves and burrs on my clothes.

What do you do to get your head on straight? I mean that you can share with us.

Ruby Tuesday - Cardinal Rules

Sorry for the blurries!

Please check out Ruby Tuesday for shades of red from all over!

Disposable Camera at the Races

I just love Disposable Cameras. They are cheap to buy and if all you want is the photo disk, they are cheap to process. It is also nice to see what is you photos you took when you get the disk. I like to take them while running, if you drop it, you haven't lost much. These pics were taken at the Jingle Bell Run here in Tulsa a few weeks ago.



Why doesn't that lady want to talk to Santa? I bet she got some coal at Christmas.



Cmon pup!!



Elves warming up



Where's Rudolf Santa?



The Grinch comes in Second.

Yogi Bear, the Movie

SuperPizzaBoy and I went to see the movie Yogi Bear. Dan Aykroyd provides the voice of Yogi and Justin Timberlake is Boo Boo's voice.

The movie had bad reviews so my expectations were low but I didn't think that it was really that bad. I mean what do expect from Yogi? SPB and I had some popcorn and enjoyed ourselves.

I give it a rating of of 5 stars out of 10. Kids may like it, the parents are happy that the kids are happy. We didn't see the 3D version. It would be hard to imagine that it would be worth it.

Apollo 8 Christmas Eve Message from Lunar Orbit

I know it's not Christmas Eve but I came across this video this morning of the crew of Apollo 8 in 1968 reading a little bit of Genesis and sending a Christmas Eve message to us earthlings. Apollo 8 was in lunar orbit at the time. It was one of preparatory flights for Apollo 11 which landed on the moon.

For other pairings of verse and photographs (or video) check out That's Baloney.

Christmas 2010

We started our Christmas celebration last night. Northeast Oklahoma had a big snow and ice storm last year and many churches, including ours, cancelled their Christmas Eve services. Bummer. So we were ready. I love the candlelight service.



Santa always treats us very well. In addition to being our exemplary selves during the year SuperPizzaBoy always makes sure that Santa gets egg nog and some gingerbread men cookies to eat. Santa appreciates it. Delivering toys to a gazillion homes in just one night is a little tiring.



World's greatest MIL, Nana, scored a nice pot with a cat face. Ginger, our dachsund mix mutt kind of likes it also.





SPB and I both got Legos. His was some sort of Star Wars type thing. Mine was a model of Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater.



810 pieces or so!



SPB moved in some of his Star Wars guys in a "Mashup" of Frank Lloyd Wright and George Lucas. Talk about a fusion of egos between those two dudes.

Sweetie cooked us up a great dinner and we really enjoyed Christmas.

I hope that you had a great Christmas also.

Merry Christmas!!

Christmas Eve

It's Christmas Eve folks. The day before the Big Day.



Christmas is one messed up holiday. I'm not saying that I don't like it. I do, much of it anyway. You have the celebration of the birth of Christ. That's the big deal, the real big deal. It is what gives meaning to Christmas to me. Of course, from what I understand Jesus wasn't actually born on Christmas, nor were the Wise men there the night of his birth. But who cares? I am not being sarcastic. I think that it is good to celebrate his birth and why not do it in December? Its the beginning of winter, lets have a party!



Of course to kids, it is when they get presents from their parents, grandparents, and Santa Claus. I mean who doesn't like getting presents? Who doesn't like giving presents, especially to kids.



The food. The food at Christmas is wonderful. Especially the candy and baked goods.



These are Sweetie's cake balls.



She and SuperPizzaBoy are championship gingerbread men bakers. I think the best thing at Christmas is making memories. I hope SPB never forgets baking with his Mom.



I guess what gets me about Christmas is that it has a long buildup, at least a month. Then you have Christmas. All the gifts are exchanged, the meal is eaten, and then it's done. And I'm there going: Hey what about God on earth, and good will to men, and that mysterious "Spirit of Christmas" stuff? But everybody else is worried about returning that ugly sweater that cousin Sue got them, Bowl Games, taking the tree and lights down, and figuring out what to do New Year's eve.



I have a little trouble with the abrupt transition, so I'll leave my lights up a little longer than you. I'll use my Christmas coffee mugs all year round. Plus I'll be telling you Merry Christmas the whole 12 days of Christmas. Sorry if that annoys you. My favorite time of the year is the interlude between Christmas and New Years. It is very relaxed and slower paced. A time for hanging with the family, going to movies, visiting friends and just chilling.

In the meantime, Christmas is tomorrow. Don't mind me, I hope that everybody is having their own favorite Christmas. So Merry Christmas Everybody.

End of the Road Skywatch

Drove to a dead end to capture the sky.

ABC Wednesday "W"

ABC Wednesday's letter this week is "W." My W's include a mysterious Warehouse, Washington Irving, the VFW, and a Whiskey bottle.

Check out ABC Wednesday for some alphabet fun.

Favorite Ornament

Mrs. Bundy of the Real Housewives of Oklahoma wants to know about our favorite ornaments. In our house Sweetie takes care of the Christmas tree ornaments and does a darn good job it also. All the ornaments have a story behind them and she places them just so. She even allows by Dallas Cowboys star to be on the tree, at a place of here choosing of course.

I decided recently to make my own ornament. You didn't know that I was a crafty guy did you? I made it from a kit.

Here is the pieces before assembly.



Of course anybody who has had a boy around the house any of the last twenty years immediately recognizes this as Legos. Can anybody guess what it is?

Here is an interim step.



And the final



Sweetie loves snowmen. She tolerated mine in amongst her other snowmen. We didn't put it on the tree though, even though it is made to do that. You know what happens to Legos when they drop.

Do you have a favorite ornament. Tell us about it and link up with RHOK.

Sooner Schooner

A replica of the wagon that the University of Oklahoma uses whenever Oklahoma's beloved Sooners play football.

Check out the video below.



To be honest, the Sooners are beloved by only half the state. The other half cheers for the Oklahoma State University Cowboys.

I am not a native of Oklahoma and didn't go to either school so I cheer for both teams. When they play each other all I want is a good game.

Who is your team? What traditions do they have.

Please check out That's My World for more views of the planet we share.

Also please click over to Ruby Tuesday to see all shades of red from everywhere.

Cowboy Christmas Decorations

Sweetie tells me that this is last time she will let me put the star on the tree.

RED - the movie

Sweetie and I had a date night and went to see the thriller RED. It is loads of fun. RED is an ancronym for "Retired - Extremely Dangerous." Basically the retired guys and gals played by Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, and Helen Mirren saw something they shouldn't of in central America back in the 1980's and our Vice President wants to take them out and so sicks the CIA on them.

Its really no contest as the Generation X slacker agents get mowed down by the Boomer old guard. Plus, you can guess that Bruce Willis takes the best looking GenY woman as his own. She is a little resistant at first so he has to use duct tape and ropes to bind her up and throw her over his shoulder. Don't you love old fashioned romances?

Check out the web site. Lots of fun and games there.

I give the movie 7 stars out of 10. Go see it; don't take the kids.

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Weekend Reflections - City of Faith

The former Oral Roberts University City of Faith medical complex reflected on the Arkansas River.

Go see Weekend Reflections

The Dinosaur Hunter by Homer Hickham

I just got through reading "The Dinosaur Hunter" by Homer Hickham. A whodunnit based on a ranch in Montana. The narrator of the book is Mike Wire, a former LA Detective turned ranch hand. The book starts out like one of my son's Hank the Cowdog books but then Mike gets a look at his naked female boss owner of the Square C Ranch, who he happens to have a crush on. After his look Mike has to get back to running the ranch. Later on, valuable dinosaur bones are found on the ranch by a famous paleontologist, Pick, and his young adoring female assistants.

As the story moves along it turns out that the Russian mafia is after the bones (This is the second book in a row I've read about the Russian mafia.) Cows get killed mysteriously then somebody else gets killed mysteriously and then the story is on. It is lots of fun. Mike never gets to consumate his love for his boss but he and one of the young paleontologists express their fondness for each other (off scene.) In the meantime there is lots of interesting discussion about digging about Tyrannosaurus bones. It turns out that Homer Hickham is an amateur bone digger. Check out the link above to his web site. Interesting dude.

I give the book 3.5 stars out of five. It is not going to win the Man Booker prize but it is a fun and interesting read. Think of it as Hank the Cowdog for grownups.

I got my copy from the library!

Secret Santa Snuggie Update

I got my Secret Santa gift box Wednesday. Look at all the stuff I got.



I got some candy Christmas lights, candy pistachio nuts, a mouse that dances and sings, and a nice Christmas plate. I also got a nice Christmas coffee cup. I use my Christmas coffee cups year round. I mean I have a cup that says "JOY", now I have one that says "PEACE." Do you know a better way to start the day? I'd like to know what it is if you do. Especially if its legal.

Now all that would be great. That would be wonderful, but did you notice that I got my very own Snuggie?! I bet you are jealous. Its not just any old Snuggie, its the latest model with a pocket to put the remote control into. Except I never get the remote at our house. But when I go geocaching that is where I am going to put my GPS receiver.

You know Snuggies are not just for watching television and geocaching. Did you know that. For example they are great for running. Don't believe me, look!



Have you ever seen a more stylish or warm runner? I didn't think so. Jealous? You should be? I can't help it that you don't have as nice a Secret Santa as I do.

Snuggies are also good for drinking beer in your jammies. See.



The life huh, a Snuggie, Dogs, and Fat Tire beer.

Who is my Secret Santa? Why, it is the the lovely, talented Georgie with two hearts over at Decisionally Challenged. Pay her a visit, check her out, she's HOT!

Thank you very much Georgie!!! I love everything especially my new Snuggie. Everybody else. Maybe you will get Georgie next year? Or maybe you will get me, my source of fartless popcorn is well stocked.