tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805719945941398292011-07-31T04:56:33.456-04:00Better than talking to myself.Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comBlogger521100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-62489513017321149832010-01-14T13:09:00.001-05:002010-01-14T13:09:24.740-05:00

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-26609065324235830132010-01-12T21:18:00.001-05:002010-01-12T21:21:01.415-05:00

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-62115312003348535882010-01-12T09:28:00.000-05:002010-01-12T09:29:07.433-05:00

Shot by Chrissy...PP'd by me.

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-27295133565015183542009-12-28T07:59:00.000-05:002009-12-28T08:00:10.972-05:00

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-66378336431633696832009-12-24T07:40:00.002-05:002009-12-24T07:41:39.968-05:00

Chrissy took this one.That's it for a while....Happy Holidays.

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-55936092257632373332009-12-23T06:29:00.001-05:002009-12-23T06:30:54.261-05:00

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-65815984540826390592009-12-22T07:49:00.001-05:002009-12-22T07:50:46.326-05:00

I heard this was destroyed in 2007.

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-84547497347019477072009-12-21T07:55:00.000-05:002009-12-21T07:56:15.733-05:00

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-26420294163645522952009-12-20T12:09:00.000-05:002009-12-20T12:11:02.303-05:00

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-86544623372738831922009-12-19T08:35:00.000-05:002009-12-19T08:37:44.834-05:00

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-81813601806814831902009-12-18T07:42:00.000-05:002009-12-18T07:43:30.364-05:00

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-90095540920372851662009-12-17T07:37:00.001-05:002009-12-17T07:37:37.980-05:00

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-16905322485445477912009-12-16T08:04:00.003-05:002009-12-16T10:34:03.756-05:00

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-15975791008543802832009-12-15T06:33:00.000-05:002009-12-15T06:36:07.029-05:00

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-16672137098156788142009-12-14T09:06:00.000-05:002009-12-14T09:07:17.957-05:00

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-6306620918170126512009-12-13T11:47:00.000-05:002009-12-13T11:48:50.257-05:00

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-33321774871525357802009-12-12T21:15:00.001-05:002009-12-13T11:47:36.731-05:00

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-64575612629557855532009-12-11T18:51:00.001-05:002009-12-11T18:53:22.585-05:00

Maybe one a day for a while...until I get bored.

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-45725045428973109782009-12-06T18:40:00.002-05:002009-12-06T18:43:39.056-05:00

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-64591088513398020422009-10-20T07:55:00.003-04:002009-10-20T08:04:39.638-04:00

After five rolls of film I have decided to give Snapfish the heave-ho as far as film processing goes.For experimentation's sake I took a roll to the local camera store (Monells in Newburgh) and had them develop and print it.The difference was mind blowing.Snapfish's work looks dull, flat, and lifeless when compared to work done by a place that actually seems to know what they are doing. Also,

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-27109447080970125212009-10-14T21:21:00.004-04:002009-10-14T22:09:09.053-04:00

So....I developed my first two rolls of film today.It's surprisingly easy. I used to help my dad in the darkroom when I was just a wee lad so I sort of knew what to expect and wasn't suprised at the stank-ass odor of the chemicals. Of course color chemicals are 100 times worse and when I worked in the camera shop I made the mistake of sniffing a bottle of something or other and spent the next 10

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-55697564787697176512009-10-13T08:01:00.006-04:002009-10-13T08:14:04.324-04:00

Ok, just got back from Nashville, TN.I was looking forward to shooting a butt load of pics on this trip but my camera broke on Monday right after I shot two rolls of black and white film. I did procure a back up camera of sorts and shot a roll of color film on it...that will get sent off to Snapfish today.I will attempt to develop the two rolls of black and white myself and then scan the

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-65138929591510535272009-09-28T12:27:00.004-04:002009-09-28T15:29:07.767-04:00

Lately I've been having a torrid love affair with late 1970's Japanese technology. Specifically stereos and cameras. Thanks to eBay, Craigslist, and their cousins, I have discovered that it is now possible to own many of the most expensive and desirable systems of stereo's "Golden Age" and many of the cameras I remember from TV advertising are still available and are now ridiculously cheap.Sure

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-58767012301622737232009-09-21T13:30:00.005-04:002009-09-21T15:45:51.590-04:00

So, while I was away from here, blissfully not blogging or bending my brain into any funny shapes I spent the better part of late 2008 and most of 2009 planning, designing, and executing a project that resulted in my wife and I having our very own vegetable garden. (As evidenced by the pics below)I grew up in a family of avid gardeners and as a child I spent many a long hour processing the bounty

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-35177261852628554162009-09-20T19:32:00.001-04:002009-09-20T19:34:28.671-04:00

Looks like the answer to how the camera will do in more challenging light situations is "Not quite as well"Chrissy snapped this pic on the Salesian property at around 6:45pm tonight.I love the pic, but there isn't the tack sharpness the close ups in bright light posessed. Maybe a little post processing will help.

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-81410954649696209622009-09-15T09:32:00.003-04:002009-09-15T09:40:18.036-04:00

Ok, I almost forgot this place existed.Looks like the restaurant thing never panned out. The fact is, I have not eaten anyplace inspiring enough to compel me to sing its praises or beat the crap out of it here in quite a while.Anyhoo, I bought the wife a new DSLR for our 10th anniversary (a Pentax K2000 for those who care) and took it out in the garden for a couple of minutes on Sunday to test

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-16603097401190444402009-02-26T11:10:00.013-05:002009-03-03T10:51:06.205-05:00

I am toying with the idea of turning the blog into some sort of restaurant review type thing. It seems that the Times Herald Record has let their boring and self contradictory hack of a restaurant reviewer go and his departure has left a vacancy in world of Orange County restaurant criticism.Yes, I said Orange County. One of my main beefs (ha ha...getting foody already!) with ex-reviewer guy

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-91577834135513860452009-02-02T14:54:00.003-05:002009-02-02T15:48:58.811-05:00

I'm no writer.I have not let this stop me from starting this blog and, more excitingly, developing a love affair with those little black notebooks from Italy. I have several of them and use them for any number of notebook related tasks ranging from logging my horse playing activities to sketching ideas for the woodland cabin/yurt/lean-to I am never going to build.I have even taken to carrying

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-67682863264799414692009-01-28T15:59:00.005-05:002009-01-28T16:21:14.672-05:00

I'm planning on doing something ranty and rather long about guitarists and such, but I felt the need to comment on something regarding modern country music and country guitar players.For most of my life, I have been an avowed country music hater, but over the last decade or so I have begun to appreciate the number of seriously talented musicians and singers who play shit kicker music and the list

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-33300806015138727552009-01-21T10:29:00.003-05:002009-01-21T14:25:17.253-05:00

Well, I got it.It's awesome.It is as well made an instrument as I have ever seen and I am proud, elated, and like totally stoked to own one, dude.The workmanship and attention to detail that goes into a guitar like this is something I truly admire and I found it touching that the man who built mine actually signed the inspection card in his own hand.You did a fine job, Mr. Kobayashi.I only wish

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-41836213645728676772009-01-06T11:19:00.006-05:002009-01-21T14:26:41.286-05:00

So.....I'm turning 40.I haven't quite decided whether I am going to embrace the birthday as a milestone or adopt some sort of "It's just a number" type philosophy and continue on as if nothing had happened.I am leaning towards the latter since I feel it will be the final act in a long process of getting over my mid-life crisis and being happy with what I have and where I am in life.Not that

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-85903506845061444562009-01-01T09:32:00.002-05:002009-01-01T09:34:55.349-05:00

No long recaps of the year gone by, but just a wish for all three of my readers.....here's to 2009...may it surpass 2008 in every possible way.Given 2008's incredible suckitude this should be an easy task.Peace, mah homies.

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-64616903138431672682008-12-22T09:04:00.001-05:002008-12-28T09:40:21.142-05:00

Jeff Smith is probably responsible for teaching me more about food than any other television chef. In the days before Food TV and assorted other cable television cooking shows, PBS was the place to go to feed your food instruction jones and The Frugal Gourmet was always my favorite way to do it. While the show's raison d'etre was teaching about other cultures through the use of food, The Frug

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-19324032857763631912008-12-08T10:56:00.008-05:002008-12-09T19:39:10.499-05:00

...and when I say "Sexy" I mean "Mork Suspenders".What the hell ever happened to the utter joy of expressing yourself through the use of trouser suspension technology? What ever happened to our ability to learn all there is to know about a person simply by looking at their suspenders and the assorted paraphernalia buttoned or sewn onto them? One glance at Mork and you knew that he was a fun

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-85498868777101496032008-12-04T15:33:00.004-05:002008-12-04T21:46:47.314-05:00

This show has become my newest guilty pleasure. I am sure I am not alone in my love of the "Stranded on a desert island" story. I have been a fan ever since I read Robinson Crusoe as a kid and I think the initial success of the show Survivor proves this fact. I have always wondered how I would fare if left to my own devices on a tropical island capable of sustaining a hardy adventurer. Of

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-4099225268272764282008-10-29T12:09:00.002-04:002008-10-29T12:32:24.642-04:00

Many years ago I made a pact with myself to never discuss politics with anyone.Friends, acquaintances, strangers, the guy who pumps my gas, yo momma...no political talk with any of them.This wasn't always the case.I used to engage in heated arguments with just about anyone who wanted to mix it up, and many a night of back road drinking (an Orange County phenomenon) was spent wrangling with my

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-57253052206940717462008-10-14T14:13:00.003-04:002008-10-14T14:22:58.603-04:00

This little article on Marketwatch has led me to a plan that I believe could be the savior of IRA's and other retirement accounts across the nation.In case you don't feel like clicking on the article I will summarize it for you: Heinz (yeah the Ketchup company) has been doing awfully well despite the economic crisis and it in the opinion of CFO Art Winkleblack (That's his real name....honest) it

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-76261936973831231862008-10-12T12:09:00.000-04:002008-10-12T12:09:43.867-04:00

Just got back from Corolla, NC.This was the view from our back porch every evening.Too bad we don't own a tripod. There are 5 or 6 shots that would have turned out better than this if I could have only held the camera still.Shucks.

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-72237780049582734432008-09-29T10:16:00.007-04:002008-09-30T12:57:06.485-04:00

Yeah, that's what it used to say on the Rice-a-Roni box.Seems to me like it should have been called Rice-a-Celli. Well...maybe not...that shit doesn't flow.I just ate some of this stuff the other night (beef flavor) and Goddammit do I ever love it.Always have.With all the negative publicity and health warnings surrounding convenient dried crap like Rice-a-Roni I find myself eating much less of

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-48745351202781146962008-09-26T10:17:00.005-04:002008-09-27T18:13:12.998-04:00

I love horse racing.I could go on and on about the reasons why.Sure, racing's popularity is at an ebb these days, and bad publicity following the filly Eight Belles' death in the Kentucky Derby has done much to damage its reputation, but there are still hard core racing fans out there and I am proud to count myself among them.From the atmosphere at the track to the beauty of the animals

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-14582510950467324832008-09-23T13:43:00.002-04:002008-09-23T13:48:18.644-04:00

Just go here http://www.buymyshitpile.com/ and sell your bad assets to the US government.I can't tell you how good it's going to feel when I finally unload Mama's Family: The Entire First Season on Beta that I bought during a night of drunken eBaying.Estimated vaulue: $56,000.

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-77528752782072477012008-09-19T11:40:00.003-04:002008-09-19T20:06:30.838-04:00

Ok, I am going to take a break from the low rent Dave Barry thing and do a post about food....well restaurants actually...and it might turn into a rant.Maybe not though. Read on!Orange County(NY) may not be a restaurant Mecca like NYC but there are a few things we have here that are pretty special and may be taken for granted by people who have never left the beautiful haven of Southeastern New

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-74673003603669940412008-09-16T09:27:00.005-04:002008-09-16T11:27:02.959-04:00

Ok, the news has been pretty bad lately.Lehman Brothers going under, Merrill Lynch gets bought out by BofA, WaMu looks like they're going down and AIG is in big trouble as well.Wall Street has been rocked to its very core and the financial landscape may never look the same. Those aren't necessarily my words, but that's what the likes of Bloomberg, CNN, and Reuters have been saying.It also looks

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-3686137079786314502008-09-11T20:31:00.015-04:002008-09-12T12:59:37.943-04:00

Things have been bad between Metallica and me for quite a long time now. In fact, I have a hard time remembering when our time together was truly enjoyable and untainted by bitter regret. When I think back, the days when we would just hang out and enjoy the gifts the Gods of Heavy Metal gave to young men of our generation seem fuzzy in my memory and it's hard to conjure up the feelings in my

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-29927076522278497592008-09-09T11:02:00.000-04:002008-09-09T11:16:11.855-04:00

Yeah, this is a good one:According to the AP, Samak Sundaravej has been relieved of office by the Thai Parliament for maintaining private employment while in office.Samak hosted a popular cooking show for 7 years before becoming Prime Minister, but has apparently made a few appearances on the show since taking office and according to the Thai courts, that's good enough to earn you the old heave

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-9610432890214145592008-09-05T12:46:00.001-04:002008-09-16T10:23:21.461-04:00

Yeah.....I know you've probably never heard of it and if you have, what you've heard has most likely been negative. It seems to have been much more positively portrayed under its alternate name of Ecodriving.Basically, Hypermiling (or Ecodriving) is the act of using simple driving techniques to maximize your gas mileage. The ultimate goal being to exceed your car's EPA estimated fuel economy by

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-92219086324372942552008-09-04T12:54:00.000-04:002008-09-04T13:20:24.210-04:00

What is this crap I keep reading about Sarah Palin's small town values and "Regular folks" type charm? Are we really supposed to believe that people who grow up in smaller municipalities are served up an extra helping of integrity that those crafty-assed city slickers miss out on? I was born in a small town and I live in a small town. I'll probably die...never mind. The point is that, in my

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-41598735453548343622008-09-03T14:06:00.000-04:002008-09-03T17:48:52.825-04:00

I eat way more Chinese food than I should and as a result I find myself reading a large number of little white pieces of paper that I’ve plucked from the depths of their vaguely vanilla scented folds. Most of the time I forget what I’ve read almost immediately, but today I noticed something that made me recall many of the fortunes I’ve read in the past and something that many of them have in

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-47755314063677792732008-09-03T07:52:00.000-04:002008-09-03T08:59:48.877-04:00

I love this strip.Too bad it will never be seen in our local paper.More here.

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-41094570093156669142008-09-03T07:39:00.000-04:002008-09-03T07:48:46.142-04:00

Jerry Reed passed away on Aug. 31st.This quote says it all:"Let me say this firmly, with no room for quibbles or dissent: Jerry Reed is the coolest motherfucker who ever walked the planet. You think he's just a goofball who recorded some novelty records and drove a truck in Smokey and the Bandit? Then listen to the way he performs each song: He's always an

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-32972828336227672922008-09-02T11:52:00.000-04:002008-09-02T14:39:04.301-04:00

Ok, I bought a new car last week and absolutely love the thing.I know I'm still basking in the glow, but so far I really have no complaints ...knock on wood.During my exhaustive pre-purchase research (It's a Saturn Astra by the way) I kept reading that the lack of an auxiliary input on the stereo was one of the car's most glaring defects.I read this repeatedly in the automotive press and chalked

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1180571994594139829.post-75941330188084474372008-09-02T10:50:00.000-04:002008-09-02T11:15:01.729-04:00

Generally, I am of the opinion that they are nothing more than a vanity press for those who mistakenly feel they actually have something to say that is not only worth reading, but worth being read by large numbers of people who are neither friends or family.Sure blogs are great for keeping up with family, sharing pictures, etc...but I find that most journeys taken off the Big Time Blog Highway

Chr1shttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06852219590691949991noreply@blogger.com