Sometimes I find myself watching my dog sleep. She’s old now and she sleeps a lot, so I get plenty of opportunity. There’s something peaceful… almost beautiful… in the way they look when they’re asleep. They totally relax, getting flat to the floor, legs outstretched.
My dog snores now. It’s probably her age, but still, it’s funny to hear and, given how hard of hearing she has become, knowing that she’s oblivious to it.
Finally, water that doesn’t leave you thirsty! OK, I’ll admit I know the guys who started this company, but the water really is good. It’s great on a dancefloor and better than drinking plain water and chewing wads of gum to keep the old breath fresh. The bottle is in the shape of a flask. Fits in your back pocket and is fun to hold.
Ask for it! It’s called ICIO Peppermint Water
Airbus’ long-awaited A380 rolled into LAX on Monday as part of its inaugural trip to the US. I was wondering if I would be able to catch a glimpse of this leviathan when my dinky little S-80 landed there Monday afternoon. Just as we were crossing the taxiway, there it was in front of us…huge, and, well, ugly. I am wowed by the sheer size of this thing and the very fact that it even gets off the ground. However, sitting next to the 38-year-old design of the Boeing 747, it lacked a certain something. It actually made the 747 seem svelte in comparison to its bloated fuselage and blunt nose.
I don’t honesty have any great desire to fly on this behemoth since I would most likely be one of the coach class herd and I really don’t have that much time to wait for a lavatory!
This lovely waterfront scene is Willemstad, Curacao. I recently visited this beautiful little island on a ship with 2000 gay men. Unlike many other Caribbean islands where we are greeted with minimal tolerance (our money is green like everyone else’s) or occasionally disdain and even hostility, Curacao welcomed our group with open arms and a party in our honor.
The island was a former Dutch colony and now depends on its large oil refinery (due to its very close proximity to Venezuela) and tourism. It is one of the most beautiful of the Southern Caribbean islands that I have visited. The capital, pictured here, is an odd combination of trendy stores, floating farmers’ market, wildly varying architectural styles, high-style natives, and tanned ex-pats.
The beaches are stunning (powdery white sand), the people friendly, and the fish is delicious!
See a bit more of Willemstad at my vacation gallery.
Seen in Oranjestad, Aruba.
I made this Nixie clock as a gift for my brother. It uses original Nixie tubes manufactured in the USSR in the late 60s. It’s driven by a modern electronic circuit to keep accurate time. The base and top are polished aluminum (cut with a computer controlled waterjet saw by Big Blue Saw), and the center is formed acrylic. It stands about 4 inches to the base of the tubes and is 9 inches wide.
It is currently being featured on the Big Blue Saw web site. Check it out!
Autumn is in the air in Los Angeles. Crisp air, leaves blowing. The temperature has dropped to a chilly 60, but with the wind chill, it feels like 55. Time to break out the blanket and maybe close some of the windows. Maybe I should put the shorts away and pull out some long pants. Nah. It’s LA, we’ll have the AC on tomorrow.
Ever wonder why those insect-gassing, building tents are striped in odd colors? I came home the other night and the big top had been raised nearby for the world’s largest termite circus!
…or lessons in graphic design. Shot this with my camera phone while waiting for a light to change at Wilshire and San Vicente. When I first glanced at it, all I read was “Coca-Cola Taste Zero.” While I don’t exactly disagree with that statement (Coke from Mexico, despite lead-containing bottles, tastes better because it still contains real sugar, not that corn syrup crap that’s in every American food product), I thought it odd that they’d advertise it. Maybe it was a new (non) flavor? They have Coke Black (Coke with coffee essense) which makes no sense to me since most people I know who don’t like coffee drink Coke or Pepsi as a caffeine substitute. Why make it coffee flavored when you can just have coffee?
You’d think after five months that my bird alarm would either have a sore beak or realize that the birdie-in-the-mirror isn’t going anywhere? My little bird continued to wake me at dawn by tapping away at his reflection in the floodlight outside my bedroom window…until last Saturday. I wrapped the top of the bulb in black tape to remove any reflective surface. Then I sat back and waited. He returned as expected and landed on the bulb. He looked where his adversary had been and only saw black tape. Damn if he didn’t spend the next half hour trying to rip up the tape! Luckily for me: tape – 1, bird- 0. Now, if I could do something about that damn nocturnal mockingbird!