palouse back road

palouse back road
Originally uploaded by austinspace.

Saturday afternoon, December 17. 18 º.

red bear

snowing tonight

Standing under the Garland Theater sign this evening. More here.

supersampler

Tightrope walking on campus. Taken with a Lomo Supersampler.

mayor defeats recall!

Mayor Quimby, that is, as per tonight's Simpson's episode...as for our local mayor, the results may be far different. I voted today via absentee ballot--the way to vote, as far as I'm concerned. It's easy, quick, and you are more likely to vote if you don't have to make a special trip somewhere to do it. We started doing this last year when we went abroad, and have never looked back. Do yourself a favor and vote--every election--and vote via absentee ballot.

deflated

Halloween at work...

no need for rescue

I'm sitting in a dining common area at the university I work at. The guy behind me is trying to impress the blonde he's talking to, telling her since she's half-Italian (he was confused because of the blonde hair, though we saw plenty of blondes in Italy) that his trip to Italy was so great because he and his cohorts "saved" so many while there--non-stop witnessing, I think he said. They "saved" 69 people in Siena, and he was very proud of that.

In Italy.

Italy, the cradle of Catholicism, where 45% of the population attends church frequently (United States: 44%) and 58 million of its citizens profess to being Catholic. He explained to the gullible co-ed that Italy is old, and hasn't heard the word of the lord. I guess this is why he needed to be over there--praise the lord! They haven't figured out religion and god themselves after thousands of years.

Well, now he's saying the trains in Italy are horrible. We didn't have a single problem while we were there. So, I have no idea if this is impressing the girl he's talking to, but he's talking non-stop, so some of it might stick.

Figures from Nationmaster.com

frank

touchdown

flock to this

another test, this time via a new browser called Flock, which I downloaded today to try out. I like this integrated blog poster. For a beta it has quite the polish. I'm going to explore it more before recommending it, though.

children and pets

an out take from yesterday's photo shoot for the PetSavers' website:

a few more here.

testing ecto

This is a test of Ecto, a blogging tool I learned about from Ben. Is it indeed as wonderful as all the reviews? Well...it's not bad--easy to set up. Let's see how this post goes! Update: ehhhh. Not smoothly. And it wouldn't publish the post up above, so I'm going to go back to doing this the old way, straight through Blogger. Seems like an added layer of work to do it through Ecto, anyway.

you'll never be a man

rain, rain

whirling

at the interstate fair a couple of weeks ago:

more from that night here.

hana visits

We were sent a Japanese daruma to photograph in our location by a fellow Photographica.org member...this particular photo was taken near hay and wheat fields just outside of town:



More of them here.

supper club

Downtown restaurant we still need to try:

dahlias

I can't grow them, so I take pictures of them instead:



More here.

downtown

when it gets so hot out, what better place to roam than the asphalt of downtown?



more here.

downtown

Not taken last Fall...this was just taken:



More pix of my city here.

portrait

Gregg came to visit. He brought his horn and bought a circus organ.

catholic school girls

...once inhabited Marycliff; it was their high school. Now it's just more office space.



More Marycliff here.

sorta palouse

I would have loved to have been there when this barn collapsed:



More here.

love forever

and ever:

more Palouse

I can't get enough of driving the back roads in the rolling hills of the Palouse:



More pix here.

sorry about that

We were without DSL for awhile...and you know what? Dialup is slooooow. But I've been taking photos:



This is the Palouse, in southeast Washington state.

spring two

More shots here

spring

don't fence me in

post downpour

It rained a ton, then the sun came out:



More here.

monroe street

Took a walk downtown the other day. It was colorful.



More Monroe Street photos here

tobacco dead

An interesting exhibit showed up on campus a couple of weeks ago, gone after only a couple of days:



A few more here.

cultural crossroads

Mexican food in the French Quarter? Sure.

sxsw monster

If you're looking for new music to try, here's a great way to get a LOT of music to try out--for free. The only thing it will cost you is time, as it's 2.6GB of music: SXSW I've noticed Aimee Mann has a song in there, but so far all the other artists I've never even heard of...can't wait to listen to new stuff!

two wheels good

amongst the living

more photos from New Orleans here.

ordinarily

Spent most of last week in New Orleans. It was fascinating, crazy and crumbling. At points it reminded me of Venice, San Francisco and Hillyard. It's worth a visit.

While there I picked up a copy of Amy Krouse Rosenthal's Encyclopedia of Ordinary Life and read it on the plane on the way home. I recommend it as an alternative to the typical memoir. Or typical book, really. It might be the closest to an interactive book I've seen that doesn't come attached with doodads. I would say you can't help but smile as you read each page and each encyclopedia entry. But this isn't Erma Bombeck-style observations, though Rosenthal is a work-at-home mom. She's not trying to make you laugh so much as think of things differently. Please read it. If you happen to live in a big city, you might find a copy for free!

look up

Grandparent's cat, today:

Mr Blue Sky

...gives way to sunset downtown:

a little drive south of town

It was a dark and stormy...afternoon...



More photos from this outing here.

list

1. Total amount of music files on your computer:
21.23 gigs

2. The last CD you bought was:
Morrissey--You Are the Quarry deluxe edition (from iTunes for $9.99!)

3. What is the song you last listened to before reading this message?
"Two Way Monologue" by Sondre Lerche (opening for Elvis in April!)

4. Write down 5 songs you often listen to or that mean a lot to you (no particular order):
1. "Whistle Down the Wind"- Nick Heyward
2. "What Difference Does it Make?"- Smiths
3. "Night Nurse"- Britta Phillips and Dean Wareham
4. "Oh My Love"- John Lennon
5. "Never Be the Same"- Crowded House
5a. "Raised on Promises"- Sam Phillips

5. Who are you going to pass this stick to? (3 persons) and why?
It's here. The whole world will see.

a girl named Sam

You haven't heard Sam Phillips? You should. Born Leslie Phillips, she picked up the nickname Sam after the legendary producer of Elvis Presley. Her early Leslie Phillips records are Christian in nature, but definitely not of the "praise god" variety--she sings more of the heart than the head.

Her "middle period" records are where I first became familiar with her, and I defy you to find a more perfect pop record than The Indescribable Wow (which you can usually find used for a decent price; link provided for information only). Great compositions, stick-in-your-head melodies and that voice--unique. She followed that record with Cruel Inventions which deepened the sound without sacrificing its heart. I strongly recommend both of these to introduce you to her work.

Her two most recent records are more hushed and almost folk--Fan Dance and A Boot and a Shoe. Both are excellent, to the point records with no fluff. She had a couple of experimental records in between that paved the way for this direction; completists take note but otherwise, focus on these four records (and the Baroque Beatlesque Martinis and Bikinis which is a masterpiece of another sort). And enjoy.

gelato dreams

I dreamt again last night about Italy. I not only think about it frequently each day, now I'm thinking about it at night. If you haven't been, it's hard to understand how you feel after being there. I am now accepting donations to go again!



Two women pose for a picture (one hiding her cane) in St Mark's Square, Venice. More Venice shots here.

hey-yo

By the time I was old enough to stay up and watch "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" it was already a long-established paragon of television. But it wasn't that great to me--when I was younger the humor didn't make sense to me, the host smoked frequently (seems he was always putting down a cigarette as they came back from a commercial) and honestly, Ed McMahon was frightening with his tinted prescription glasses and slicked back hair. As I got older and spent most late nights watching "Saturday Night Live" and "Monty Python"--as well as the local "Nostagia Theater" (with its cartoon, serial chapter and main feature) the random viewing of "The Tonight Show" was almost embarrassing. It seemed like something older people that were lonely and pathetic watched; the hip and cool were not even watching TV at that hour. The show felt like a gathering of dirty old men, with Johnny the cornfed ringleader. His guests were just as lecherous and it felt like they'd reached their zenith ten or twenty years before--people like Don Rickles, Buddy Hackett and Phyllis Diller. I wondered if my parents' parties were like the show, but didn't want to find out.

But the death of Carson the other day is sad for a lot of reasons. He did establish late-night talk shows as a viable concern. He did manage to introduce a new generation of entertainers to the populace (though, just as some of the comedians on Letterman's show seem way out there compared to him, Carson seemed square compared to his guests). And his life post-television should be a model for every has-been that hopes to make a comeback when they were never "there" in the first place: Carson walked away from his show and didn't show his face much ever again. And I really respect him for that.

guess who's on the moon

This was taken Friday night late after a bunch of rain. The clouds were rushing by:

elvis is king

...the REAL Elvis is coming to town for the first time ever! Elvis Costello is performing here in April, and we got tickets this morning. They went on sale at 10 am and that's about when I was connected with an operator and placed my order. I was stunned to see an ad yesterday that he was coming...never thought it would happen! Mind-blowing. I'm still stunned, hours later.

I saw him perform in Seattle about two and a half years ago for the "When I Was Cruel" tour, and even met him briefly after the show and mentioned how far we'd had to drive to see him--he asked where I was from and when I told him he said "oh yeah, yeah" like he knew the town...which I sorta doubt. And now he's coming here! I'm sure he found his agent after we met and said, "Reg--you gotta get me to play there! THE FANS DEMAND IT!" The only thing that tempers my enthusiasm is the possibility that he won't end up coming...it's a long way off. But for now...me am happy.

the big red one

One of the fun things I get to do at work is take photographs of our monthly Children's Events. This last Saturday Clifford the Big Red Dog visited, and we had a huge crowd, but this little girl in particular was just enthralled by the BRD:

ask me ask me ask me

The Bomb will bring us together.

We saw Sideways Friday night and loved it. Here is what it didn't have: gratuitous sex, misshapen men or women enhanced by surgery, clues on the back of the Declaration of Independence, guns, implausible coincidences or Ethan Hawke. What it did have was warm, believable characters, hilarious situations that never felt forced, and a nice way of surprising me at every turn. Finally, an adult movie! I almost wrote that there were no car crashes but...there was one, sort of. If you haven't seen this, please do. There's a reason why it won the Golden Globe for Best Film (Comedy or Musical, which is a strange grouping) and another for Best Screenplay (Comedy or Instructional...just kidding).

cemetry gates

I've got some Smiths rarities on sale on ebay. Check 'em out: Smiths stuff

what a wonderful world

I'm so saddened by the skewed priorities of this country. The renewed Administration spends $40 million to celebrate their narrow victory (what happened to all the "unifying" talk?) today when, by the newest count, 226,000 people have died in Southeast Asia; thousands have lost all they have in the Ohio River Valley and California coast, and our soldiers in Iraq keep getting their unprotected extremities blown off. Couldn't the money spent dropped on music and dancing been spent more wisely? Just think how absolutely thrilled people would be---regardless of their party affiliation--if our President had announced that in lieu of garish parties and excessive celebrating, we were going to donate $40 million more to the Red Cross--or UNICEF--or any organization doing good. Perhaps that would have started the world on the road back to liking us again.

Instead, folks today are without homes, their belongings, even family members--as the cold, callous Administration parties 'til dawn.

clearly it's foggy

today was beautiful:

icicle works

an incredibly lazy day. Outside it was pretty ugly--freezing rain, snow, ice everywhere. I'm glad I didn't have to go anywhere.

first music tip

One of those bands that made an impression on me in 1989-1991 was the Katydids, a band no one's heard of...they made two excellent albums, the first produced by Nick Lowe, and then they were unceremoniously dropped by their label.

How to describe them? Think chiming guitars (guitarist Adam Seymour went on to play with the Pretenders; his guitar is what you hear on their recent catalogue) like the better Smiths singles, but with more optimism to the lyrics (which can be reflective, but are never maudlin). They are led by vocalist Susie Hug, who recently debuted her first solo album called A is for Album. Her voice, with its astounding clarity, might put off some because it's not "interesting" enough--not unique or tortured enough for some. But it works on these two records--particurlarly on the first album's "Read My Lips" and "King of the World."

What's especially tragic is that the second record showed the band was growing and maturing into a seminal pop band. But after that release...nothing. The internet, however, is a wonderful place full of good people, and Adam Zeitz is one of them. His site includes a section on the Katydids that I stumbled upon that includes a discography that stunned me, as I'd only bought the two albums and one of the CD singles released in between. I can recommend both albums, and really any of the singles since they have a lot of great acoustic demos of album cuts. Then, pick up Susie's solo record--it shows a stripped-down sound is a compliment to her still-golden voice. You can find the Katydid's records used in larger shops, or via half.com. Susie's solo record is available at cdbaby.com.

The Katydids
Shangri-La

nipping at your nose

Jack Frost is probably going to die tonight, if he happens to be outside. We're getting down to -1º if you can believe the weather reports, though they've backed off on how horrible it truly will be.

Oh, I just saw another site that says -3º. Regardless, it will be ugly cold out tonight, and we're snug inside. I love when it says the forecast for tonight is: "Bitterly Cold". Meanwhile, in the midwest, in Bismarck North Dakota, it's -17º currently and they're heading towards a low tonight of -24º. I would say that is bitterly cold. We're just uncomfortably cold.

lemon-flavored dirt

I have a cold. I am feeling ugly. I got it sometime this weekend, I guess. It isn't bad enough to stay home, too--pity. So I'm taking these zinc/echinacea lozenges that taste like lemon-flavored dirt, and I don't know if they're doing anything. But lemon-flavored dirt--you can't beat that.

MacWorld's keynote address this morning, and David had new products announced--iLife '05 and iWork '05 I imagine. Hopefully he can take some time off now.


George on Christmas Day. More George here

it keeps comin'

More snow this morning. We took a walk to survey the white yesterday, and came upon this car:

That's us in the mirror's reflection. You couldn't see much of the car!

winter

Before the massive snowfall of yesterday and last night, we had this incredible morning of frost--

I could have spent all day out there taking photos. You can view the rest here.

my punishment

Okay, it kept snowing, and snowing...and we have about eight inches on the ground, and should be at a foot of the stuff by the end of the weekend. Yay!

This is a great idea where the results aren't as cool as the idea, but still...(via metafilter)

Sometimes I feel like a web voyeur.

Hopefully I can find some snowy shots to take this weekend.

it's snowing

This has been an uneventful winter in this here inland NW. Little bits of snow off and on, goes away, another little bit, disappears, gets cold, but not too cold, warms up, sun comes out, people on campus wear shorts. Dull.

But right now it's snowing out; lazy, tiny flakes because it's still quite cold out. Will we really get a decent storm? The forecast says 1-3" tonight, which this winter has meant none at all; tomorrow comes another 1-3", which means as much as we get tonight; Friday night says 3-5", which means it will miss us by about thirty miles but the ski resorts will be delighted.

Really, this is ridiculous. It's winter. It's cold and grey, and it's dark when I go to work, and dark when I get done. Can't we get a little dump of snow for me to at least take some photos of? Very disappointing, god.

greetings

Back in Blog. I'm starting up my blog again thanks to multiple...no, numerous...well, a couple of requests from friends. So, this blog will concentrate on two things: my take on current "stuff", and teasers of new photos I've taken that will lead you to my photo site:


View the rest of this gallery here.