ModestGeniusXL

O the Randomness...

When we say we miss an artist that's passed (like MJ) is that really accurate?  I mean they are still around in their music and videos so what is there to miss?  It's not like any of us really knew them personally

They've really got "Fast and Furious 6" in the works??  Now that I think about it...I'm okay with that

I still have no idea what Kanye meant by he would have married Kate and Ashley if he was Chris Williams.  Who's Chris Williams??

Despite the fact that plenty of other folks have been bashing it, I'm rather fond of that ticker that The Book has recently added

Someone pointed out that only nosy people like it.  Well there you go!

If I see one more hip-hop artist/group trying to make a come-up in Des Moines...where's all the R&B local talent??

So I was watching the Patriots/Chiefs game on Monday Night Football and thought for a minute that Brady was scared of the Chiefs because of what they did to him last time they played.  Then he quickly got over it

Speaking of which, no I haven't intentionally been omitting my "Hail to the Chiefs" posts.  Let's face it..there just hasn't been a lot to talk about recently regarding their abysmal performances

Now my Cyclones on the other hand...MAD props to them for upsetting the #2 team in the country this past Friday night!  Still mad that I had tickets to the game and didn't go because I thought they would get blown out.  That's what I get

Never thought I would see the day when a Ford Taurus was considered a premium vehicle.  Next thing you know Taco Bell will be considered gourmet dining #obscureDemolitionManreference

I'm still baffled at why the window washers were cleaning the exterior windows at the office while it was raining outside

I don't think it was a coincidence that most of Marc Anthony's back-up dancers in his recent American Music Awards performance looked like J-Lo

The new Verizon phone has beats by Dre on it??  That's what's up.  Almost makes me want to switch to Verizon and get rid of my iPhone.  Yeah....right...

Can't believe Zombie Burger stopped selling onion rings.  What's a burger joint without onion rings??  Which reminds me...guess I better get that restaurant out there before I forget about that too

Watching those old shows like "The Big Valley" and "Bonanza" always cracks me up. Those cats are walking around dirty, dusty wild, wild west roads all day long and never have a speck of dirt or dust on their outfits

Everytime I look at Madden Football I laugh at how far video games have come since the days of M Network. How many remember that Atari gem?

Was that Amber Rose I just saw starring in a high-end alcohol commercial?

Read that MidAmerican Energy suggests keeping the thermostat at 60 degrees during the winter. I don't know about them but I like keeping warm during the winter

Saw photos of the new auditorium at my alma mater. WOW! Can't wait to see it in person. NHS has come a long way since "The Pajama Game" in the gymnasium

Dear Mickey Ds: It's probably not a good idea to have the hard of hearing employees taking orders

I wonder what the over/under is for number of food-related posts we'll see on The Book today.  Mine included

If they will gossip with you then best believe they will gossip about you

'Nuff said

 

 

Pedophile State U

That's what they might as well change their name to.  That's all they will be remembered for from here on out.  And with as many people that were involved with the cover up, it also seems very appropriate.  But I may be getting a little ahead of myself.  As usual.  I won't rehash the whole incident as I'm sure you all already know about what happened.  Instead, let me touch on some very crucial points that I feel strongly about.

First of all, Jo Paterno absolutely had to go.  Just informing his superiors about the incident of one of his assistant coaches sodomizing a young boy was NOT acceptable.  He now says he wishes he would have done more.  Ya think??  His FIRST call and/or visit should have been to the police.  The fact that he didn't shows that he didn't view the matter as being that significant.  That is just highly disturbing to me.

Speaking of his superiors, the Penn State administration should be ashamed of themselves.  Even worse than that.  How can they call themselves human beings when they get information like that and the most they do is tell the pedophile that he is not allowed to have children with him on campus any longer?  They had no concern at all for the boy who had been violated.  OR for the fact that there could potentially be (and was) more.  So their lack of action contributed to his criminal ways. 

But neither the administration or Jo Pa's actions were near as bad as the grad assistant who caught the monster in the act.  I'm still in awe that the most he did was just tell the coach what he saw.  He witnessed this thing violating a little boy and did nothing??  That makes him just as much of a monster.  He should have went in there and pummeled that thing to a pulp then stayed with the boy until the police arrived.  Because naturally he should have called the police right then and there.  The fact that he still has a job is unbelievable.  He should have been the very first one fired.  Then the very next one arrested for being an accessory.  Yes..I said it.  An accessory.

Now as for all these Penn State students and/or Joe Pa supporters over there rioting over his firing?  Every single one of them are idiots.  Yep.  I said that too.  They're just further demonstrating Penn State's jacked up stance in the first place which was football is more important than doing what's right.  I'm trying to attribute what they're doing to their youthful age and not having enough intelligence yet to know they're actually being stupid.  I'm guessing that once they grow older and have children of their own they will look back on that incident and wonder how they could have been so ignorant.

I made a statement on the Book about how all of Penn State should be ashamed of themselves and for the most part received affirmative responses across the board.  For the most part.  There was actually one person who dissented saying they are innocent until proven guilty.  Um...NO.  Let's see if anyone with that opinion would feel if it was their child that had been sodomized.  Every one of them that knew something and tried to cover it up needs to be punished to the fullest extent of the law. Anyone who thinks otherwise has some SERIOUS issues.  I won't even begin to tell you what I think should happen to the scumbag who committed all those heinous acts. 

What I don't understand is how the parents of these child en didn't know something was going on.  They couldn't tell their children were acting differently?  And if they did know, why didn't they do something sooner?  Whatever the case may be I hope the children involved come back and sue Penn State for millions.  And I hope they get every single penny.  It won't give them back their childhoods but it will make that den of moral ineptitude suffer like they need to.  May God have mercy on their souls because I know I sure don't.

 

The Fashion Faux Pas Debate

So an interesting discussion chain got started on The Book the other day that caught my attention.  Normally, I would put in my two cents and move on.  Unless it's on my personal page where I would expound more.  But when the discussion is on somewhat else's page and I feel myself starting to get pulled into a more opinionated stance, I digress.  I don't take that to other people's pages.  That is the precise reason I have a blog.  To give myself that voice.

It all stemmed from the monthly photos I did as part of my monthly gig with First Fridays.  What you see here is naturally not that photo.  What you see here is Beyonce wearing where the bottom portion of her outfit is very similar to what was being discussed.  I didn't want to put the young "lady" in my photo on blast so I didn't post the actual photo here. Even though, technically, this entire article is doing just that.  Kinda.  And just to be on the safe side, I deleted it from the gallery on The Book so you can't see it there.  But you can still see it on my website gallery if you know where you're looking.  Shh!  You didn't hear it from me.

Anyways, the question that was raised was are pants optional for women at "professional urban networking social events".  It was actually a hypothetical question because the author has already assumed it was yes based on what the picture portrayed.  A very interesting point to bring up indeed as it addressed a couple of things that needed to be mentioned.  However, it was still a misrepresentation of sorts which I will explain...

First of all, the problem is that many folks that attend First Fridays no longer see it as a "professional urban networking social event".  That was definitely the intention when it was initially started here in Des Moines nearly two years ago.  Since then, people have started to view it as more of a monthly club outing instead. It doesn't matter what time it starts, they wouldn't show up until the normal club hours (i.e., post-11pm) because they know it goes until 2am.

Now the problem with that is when people have that mindset, they also dress accordingly for that atmosphere.  They're not going to have on the gear that you would wear to an after-work drink social.  They are going to wear the clothes that you would wear if you were going out to the club to get your groove on.  That particular look is going to vary depending on what age group you are dealing with.  Therein lies another part of the problem.

The crowd that has been flocking to the First Fridays scene has typically been the twentysomethings.  This generation doesn't dress like we did when we were that age.  Just as we didn't dress like the generation before us did when we were that age and you could say that on down the line.  But in this case, this generation tends to emulate what they see on television.  They see folks like Nikki Minaj, Rihanna, and yes, even Beyonce, wearing gear that looks like they are wearing no pants when they're on stage.  They think the look is hot so of course they're going to wear it in the club.

I know what you're thinking...can't they differentiate between what's performance attire and what's normal kick it gear?  I mean it's not like you would see Beyonce wearing those outfits when she's out.  Conversely, when we were that age we would see folks like Larry Blackmon wearing huge nut cups when he performed but it's not as if we were going to sport it when we went out.  But some folks in this generation apparently don't rationalize things in the same manner.  That's just the culture we live in.

The biggest issue at hand which gets overlooked is the example that's not being set.  The reason why the scene at First Fridays changed to folks in that type of attire is because the urban professionals as a whole weren't supporting it en masse.  Sorry to say it, but it's the truth.  There are enough urban professionals in Des Moines that could come out and easily outnumber the fashion faux pas crowd.  More than enough.  They could be setting the fashion example.  The professional example.  They're simply not doing it.  Had they supported in the same numbers that the fashion faux pas folks did, this wouldn't even be a discussion.

 

O the Randomness

I would have forgotten the MTV Video Music Awards were on last night had I not seen several postings about it to remind me

I'm not going to make this all about that show though so as to bore those of you that could care less.  However, there are a few things I wanted to get off my chest about it...

Like is it just a man thing that I could really care less that Beyonce is pregnant? It's been the hottest news topic ever since she brought it up last night.  You'd be hard-pressed to find out how the folks are dealing with Hurricane Irene but I bet you don't have to look far to find news on Bey's pregnancy

This new song "Otis" by Jigga and Kanye...not feelin' it.  And I actually like both of them.  I just know they can both do better.  About the only thing the song is good for is to get the younger folks hip to the original track by Otis Redding so they can be schooled on how great he was

I could really go for some wings right about now.  It's been a while since I've had any.  And by "a while" I mean a couple of weeks

One thing good that did come out of that MTV award show was a commercial for their new show "Death Valley".  It looks HILARIOUS!  DVR was set for it before the commercial even ended

Some people were bothered by the fact that Britney Spears got a VMA Lifetime Achievement Award.  Why?  She has no vocal ability so videos were about the only thing she was good for

Turntable doesn't want to act right for me now. It's like it's trying to tell me that it doesn't want me to get addicted and it's staging its own intervention.  Whatever.  You don't know me like that, Turntable!

Had to go back to Cedar Rapids recently and realized that there really isn't much to miss about that place anymore.  Even that caramel apple shake at Kool Moo didn't taste as good as I remember it

You can feel the climate slowly started to shift towards fall as the temps cool off.  It's just a matter of time now before people start complaining that it's too cold

I was watching the show "Ancient Aliens" on the History Channel while editing my last photo gig and was amazed at how many folks from the olden days had stories of seeing alien being and/or spacecraft.  But then I wondered how many of them may have just been on something since drugs weren't illegal then

By the way, the shoot from that day was pretty dang amazing if I must say so myself.  I used one of my fave pics from the day as the photo for this entry to prove it

One of the biggest minuses with working from home is the hours I keep.  I tend to start early and end late.  That 14-hour work day that I put in on Thursday was a harsh reminder of that

I updated my profile on Model Mayhem but I'm still not completely convinced of the usefulness of that site.  I've been out there for several months now and have had exactly one person contact me via that site interested in doing a shoot

Hung on as long as I could but it looks like it's time to let the hair go and go back to the bald fade.  *talking to the hair follicles* You had a good ride, fellas

Dear Words With Friends:  "Jedi" is too a word.  Update your dictionary again

Neither of my sons like anything DC.  I don't get it.  I grew up on both Marvel AND DC

I know it's just preseason but I'm getting tired of seeing my Chiefs get their butts kicked

They're remaking "The Thing" AGAIN??  Why?  The one with Kurt Russell was already perfect

Glad to hear that Janet Jackson's show at the State Fair was a success.  That's a huge feather in the Fair's cap.  Don't know how they're going to top that now unless they manage to somehow wrangle U2

We all know of at least one person who alive today only because you did not want to go to prison

'Nuff said.

 

 

 

 

The East Coast

I don't think that there's a day that goes by that I'm not thinking about that portion of the country for one reason or another.  All I have to do is watch the news and there is something that brings them up.  These days, it's the news of Hurricane Irene wreaking havoc over there.  There's just always soemthign that keeps that side of the country fresh in my mind whether I want it to be or not.  Whether it's good news or bad.  Which prompted me to shoot out a quick entry about one midwesterners thoughts about that particular region.

First of all, I should clarify when I refer to it as a "region". I'm really not referring to the entire East coast.  I have friends that are being affected by the hurricane as far south as the Carolinas.  Naturally I know that they are also considered part of the East coast.  However, I am referring to that particular area which normally gets the most attention.  That would be the larger metropolitan cities over there such as New York and D.C.  Well...really New York in particular.

I sure would like to know what those folks over there did to piss off Mother Nature.  I would say God since we all know that He controls the elements and not this mythical Mother Nature, but I didn't want to sound blasphemous.  Still, it seems like they can't catch a break in the weather department.  And it's ALL. YEAR. ROUND.  They get hammered with snow storms in the winter, heat waves in the summer and now hurricanes as we approach fall.  They just can't catch a break.  I used to think it was bad dealing with this midwest weather until I kept seeing what they had to contend with.

Then I see in the news that they're starting to have even bigger problem with their rats.  It's bad enough that there's a rat problem in the first place.  Just that alone is nasty.  But when they make news because the rats are getting bigger?  Yeah...that about makes my stomach turn.  It makes me wonder what kind of money an exterminator in that area makes.  Whatever it is would be worth it.  And I don't mean the ones with the cushy jobs that get called out to the rich folks' homes to spray for spiders and such monthly.  I mean the ones that are brave enough to take on those rats head on. 

There is also the whole cost of living problem that has been there for the longest.  It is not cheap to live in that region at all.  A cheap apartment (which will probably involve the aforementioned rat problem) cost as much as what we pay for mortgage payments here.  If you want to drive somewhere you have to worry about outrageous parking garage fees (if you can even find a spot to park) plus the steep gas to put in your tank.  Or you could just take a cab and go broke from trip that only takes you a few miles.

Even with all this, I continually see things that make it seem like living over there would be the ultimate party.  Look at shows like "Friends" and "Seinfeld" where they always give the appearance big city life is full of neverending laughs and excitement around every corner.  Shows like that and "King of Queens" consistently depict the lighthearted side that makes you want to live there.  Of course I know it's not going to be that rosy, I'm just saying that they do a good job of making it seem that way.

The reality is I definitely wouldn't mind visiting for extended time periods if I had the time and/or resources to do so.  I'm sure anyone who grew up in that region has a strong enough affinity for it to endorse it as the place to be.  However, having grown up in areas where I have never had to deal with some of those East coast problems, I'm not in any hurry to make the East coast a permanent home.  I'll stick to watching the shows about it and imagining how it could be.

 

Mr. Bungles

Yes I know it's been a while since you have seen one of these from me.  Of course I haven't forgotten.  And it's not even like there hasn't been plenty of things going on to warrant an entry in this weekly category.  I've just been too busy to invest a little time to speak on any of it.  Well I finally got to a day where I don't have anything of substance going on so you get to be blessed with a long-awaited opinionated entry.  In fact, there were two subjects I wanted to address that are worthy of Bungles recognition.

The first was the news about the fight heard around the world.  Literally.  It involved an international exhibition game in China between the Georgetown Hoyas and the Chinese professional team the Bayi Rockets.  Many of us here would have ever known about the game were it not for the fact that the two teams started brawling in the second half.  And I mean BRAWLING.  Check out the video and you can see that they put that Melee at the Palace to shame with the fight.

When I initially heard about this incident I immediately assumed the worst.  My generation clearly remembers the days of the Georgetown Hoyas from the 80s when they were scrappin' ALL the time.  I just automatically assumed that this new Hoya bunch has reverted back to the ways of their alumni predecessors.  So I was all set to give them the Bungles award for bringing those days back.  But when you read into the story a little more there's more to it.

It seems the game was rough from the beginning.  The refs had been calling very lopsided with Georgetown having twice as many fouls than the Chinese time by halftime.  The fight itself started after a Hoya player was fouled extremely hard and pushed the Chinese player off him.  That's when the Chinese team started throwing bows.  Reports from the scene indicate that the Chinese cats had a chip on their shoulder from the very beginning for some reason.  Therefore, the Bungles award goes out to the Chinese team for trying to instigate things.  I should have known John Thompson, Jr. wasn't having that mess.

The other  one worth mentioning isn't near as violent, but still rather off-putting depending on who you ask.   It has to do with the in-state rivalry that we've had between Iowa and Iowa State for years and years.  You don't hear about it so much during basketball season, but it gets very heated during this time of year when football season has started.  As with any college football rivalry, the Cyclones and Hawks play for a trophy every year:  The Cy-Hawk Trophy.  Well starting this year...it looks a little bit different.

I've read the story a couple of times and I still cannot find why they decided to change the look of the trophy.  What they do provide is a very detailed explanation as to what the new look represents.  I get where they were going with the whole trying to embody the characteristics of Iowans in the trophy and all, but that doesn't change the fact that it looks stupid.  If this was a trophy that two rival farming organizations were fighting for then that'd be different.  It's not.  It's football.

Now I will concede that the original trophy did look dated.  In fact, it looked a little unoriginal as it favored the Heisman with its pose a bit.  However, if they were going to update it they could have went with something that embodied he characteristics of each school rather than the entire state.  How about a mini-bust of Cy and Herky going at it?  I dont't think it would have been asking too much to have it look more football-related look though.  Whoever voted on the new design clearly got it wrong.  Almost makes me glad that we don't have to worry about it spending much time in Ames.

 

 

O the Randomness

So now the internet is trying to kill off Hugh Heffner, huh?

Although to be fair, that rumor isn't too far off base.  Dude has to be getting pretty close to 100 by now.  And quite frankly looking like it too.

How much you want to bet it was started by his ex-fiancee who's probably still heated about how he did her on the cover?

While on the subject of death...RIP Betty Ford.  I would do a post on her like I normally do for celebrities but the only thing I really know about her besides being an ex-First Lady is that she helped found the Betty Ford Clinic

If I get one more dang Google Plus invite...

From what I can see so far with Google Plus I am not impressed

I really need to get at least one more high quality lens.  It just sucks that the couple that I'm looking at cost about as much as a new camera.  But well worth it

I must be doing something right as is though because I see nightclubs and other "photographers" are trying to emulate my style

The judges on "Sunday's Best" usually get the selections right, but I still don't understand their criteria.  It seems like the louder the person sings the better their chance of getting on the show

I want those apps from that Geico commercial.  Especially the guitar one

Call me simple, but I enjoy the little things like people responding to my birthday wish on The Book by thanking me personally rather than just "liking" my post

I hate when I have to sneeze, it builds up then goes away at the last minute

Okay "Friday Night Lights"...you now have only one episode left to bring back Smash for a cameo.  That little mention of him playing a game on television ain't gonna cut it

Can folks please stop with the planking madness?  Please??

Priceline.com is working my nerve with their siking me out with a low price only to find out that it's only the cost for the departure and the return trip isn't included

Nothing makes me feel older than talking to another grown adult about music then realizing the were born after "Thriller"

Good to see Kevin Hart is making a concert movie to hit theaters.  There hasn't been one of those since Martin Lawrence last did it years ago

Watched that new SyFy show called "Alphas" just because of the name alone.  It's actually pretty dang good.  Will probably be adding that one to the DVR list

Speaking of SyFy...tried to watch a "Twilight Zone" marathon on there the other day and discovered that show STILL freaks me out

Recently found out that it was an Iowa family that created the corn dog.  Pretty cool.  I wonder if it was done for the State Fair or during it?

Speaking of the State Fair, I wonder what the over/under is on if Janet Jackson will actually show for her performance

Note to 80/35:  How do you go from the Roots to what is essentially a live deejay for your headlining act?  The Val-Air Ballroom should not be able to best a festival of your magnitude

Actually...to call Girl Talk a "deejay" would be an insult to deejays everywhere.  There are no turntables involved with his act.  So he is essentially a live laptop user

Dear dancing teams on "America's Got Talent" (and every other dancing show):  Less is more.  Having 30+ dancers on stage went out with Hammer's live concerts in the 90s

Sometimes you gotta' take an 'L'

Remember not to be so heavenly bound that you're doing no earthly good

Ding Dong the ... is Dead

People can say what they want about Twitter being useless.  Theywould be wrong.  Here was yet another instance where I got some crucial news via that source.  I'm sitting there watching tv when my Twitter notification for @BreakingNews goes off on my phone.  I'm thinking it was some other storm somewhere in the country, but I had to check anyway to be sure:

BreakingNews : President Obama to announce Osama Bin Laden is dead.

Wait...what?!

Yes, I know I'm late at chiming in on this.  Excuse me, but a brotha has been busy these past few days.  However, no matter how late it was that I say something about it I just couldn't remain silent.  Something this monumental was to crucial for me not to speak on.  It would go down as one of those "Where were you when" moments.  So of course I had to post about it.

I have no problem at all with admitting that I was ecstatic to find out not only that Bin Laden was dead but that he was killed by U.S. Forces.  At the command of President Obama.  No problem whatsoever.  Folks can cry all they want about the fact that celebrating such as an act is morbid since you're allegedly celebrating bloodsport.  I don't care.  At all.  This "man" was the devil incarnate.  The world is a better place without him.  May he have a great time in hell where he belongs.  Yeah...I said it. 

I'm from that old school train of thought that the Bible talks about.  You know the part that says an eye for an eye?  And I don't even care if some folks say that I'm taking it out of context.  In this context to me it means he reaped exactly what he sowed.  He masterminded the most horrific disaster in American history that claimed the lives of thousands of innocent people.  He deserved to die for that.  No jury...no trial...just straight up killed in cold blood.  The same way he enjoyed seeing our own perishing.

What was really great about this event was the fact that it happened during the Obama administration.  Every administration is defined by some historic event and now this is what will be associated with his.  Although I knew as soon as it happened there would be those detractors who wouldn't give him credit for it.  Sure enough, the boo-birds started.  Saying that it was the intelligence from the Bush administration that carried over into this administration that led to it.  But when it comes to the economy, that's all Obama's fault though, huh?  He just can't win for losing.

I personally would have liked to see the evidence of the body.  That's just because I'm a little twisted that way though.  It has nothing to do with wanting proof.  I understand that POTUS doesn't want those pics released.  That will do nothing more than add fuel to the terrorist fire.  It would be like shoving it in their faces.  There's no need to gloat.  We got him and that's all that matters.  And anyone else that wants to step up can come get some too.

The Price of Beauty

I have been contemplating for the longest time if I actually wanted to a do a post on this.  The reason I held off for so long was because I didn't run the risk of possibly offending some potential clients for XL-Images.  However, the more I thought about it the more I figured that I could find a way to speak on this intelligently and tactfully without hurting any feelings.  Plus, it needs to be said if for any other reason than for clarification purposes.  So the time has come for me to bite my tongue no longer.

I have a couple of friends that used to be in the photography business full-time.  Or at least part-time so much that it was almost a full-time gig. They eventually ended up getting out of it.  The reasons were different but one that they all shared was the stress related to dealing with unreasonable people.  We all know that comes with any business as it's just the nature of the beast.  But I am starting to see now some of the things that those friends warned me about.  Fortunately, at the moment that issue only deals with pricing.

For the longest time, I didn't even include a pricing tab on my website.  I felt I had not built my clientele or even my portfolio up to the point where I could offer justified prices no matter what they were.  So what I did instead was try to negotiate with people to get an agreed upon price.  You can't operate a business like that though.  The simple reason being that the more you have documented, the better off you are.

What I ended up doing was completing some extensive research to see what the going rates were for various shoots and packages.  I took into consideration that many photographers I was checking into had more experience than me so their rates were naturally going to be higher.  Some even have more overhead which has to be factored in.  Regardless, we all share that common bond which is when we do shoots we are putting in some serious work.  Not only during the shoot but prepping for it and even editing afterwards.  Just like any other profession, our time is money.

I ended up arriving at different prices for different packages that are VERY reasonable.  Well below the industry averages for the same type of shoots.  The only places that you will find cheaper deals is at a Wal-Mart and/or K-Mart type studio.  But guess what?  When you go there, you don't get the variety and/or diversity that one of my shoots can give.  So basically, you get what you pay for.

I still find myself willing to work with people in certain instances.  I can be flexible depending on what's being asked.  To a certain extent.  I still have to draw the line every now and then.  Like when someone asks me to shoot two hours for free so they can see an example of my work before deciding if they want to hire me.  That's actually what I have a website for.  So folks can see samples of my work.  As if that wasn't good enough, there are plenty of people around the Des Moines area that can testify to my abilities. 

I understand that I've only been in this photography game for a year now.  That means I have a lot to learn.  Especially on the business side.  That also means that I realize I'm going to run into more than my share of people who just can't be pleased.  Again, that's going to happen no matter what field of work you're in.  I'm fine with that.  This is my passion so I will roll with both the good and the bad of it.  I'm just hoping that the longer I do it, the more of the good there will be about it.

Things to Be Grateful For

O the Randomness

Yes it's back!  It's been FAR too long since I've dropped some arbitrary comments on all of y'all

Did you know there's only one gun store in the entire country of Mexico?  Oh..but there's around 6,000 along the border just inside the United States.  Way to help keep that war on drugs at bay, U.S.!

So I start working from home on April 25th.  I should be excited about it but something has me a little nervous instead.  Maybe it's because of this week from hell I just had

I thought that once the weather got better that I would be able to do more shoots.  But we can't ever string together more than a couple of days of decent weather.  Stupid Midwestern climate

Whatever happened to that little boy from the "Soul Food" movie?  I thought for sure he would have a decent career.  Maybe he should think about giving Tyler Perry a call

"Friday Night Lights" started back up tonite!  WOO-HOO!

It sucks that it's the final season though 

It also sucks that the only bad thing about that show is the football game sequences and the show is about football

Alicia Keys has really been in the music biz 10 years now??  Those 10 years sure went by rather quickly

Heard that Krayzie Bone is leaving Bone, Thugs n Harmony.  I didn't even realize they were still around for him to leave

VEISHEA weekend and the forecast is cold and rainy.  I'm convinced that VEISHEA has been cursed ever since those riots in the late 80s and early 90s so that it manages to never have decent weather during that weekend

Speaking of "whatever happened to"....what is Tiffani Amber Thiessen up to these days?

I wonder if these folks who post prom pictures of their own children and their children's friends bother to get the permission of the other childrens' parents

Dear Pandora:  There are other artists out there besides Jill Scott and John Legend that you can showcase on your Neo-Soul station

Something about black and white that really makes any wedding pictures look better.  Okay....ALMOST any wedding picture

Just once I would like to see a PGA golfer shank so bad that the ball hits one of the spectators standing on either side of the tee.  Yes, I realize that's sadistic, but it would still be funny

I didn't like that Chris Brown song "Look At Me Now" when I first heard it but it's starting to grow on me

Actually, I'm rather surprised that his latest cd overall is not bad at all.  It makes me think that maybe Ike could have had a better career after Tina if he was just able to still make good music

Me and that pop machine at work are going to come to blows if it spits my change at me one mo gin

Wait...did you know that one of the most powerful drug cartels in Mexico is called the Zetas??  I had no idea.  I think if I found out that there was a powerful drug cartel out there called the Alphas I would have to seriously consider calling my org something else as the short name

Not that I consider myself a Bulls fan, but Derrick Rose is easily the best thing to happen to them since Jordan

That should be enough randomness to tide y'all over for a bit.  Don't worry though...there's plenty more where that came from

'Nuff said.