"Will all the cacti find a home"

Hehe.. the first thing Amazon suggested to me today (in home decor) was a lot of cactus theme elements. Is it a sign I must move out west and join the natives in their desert heat? Just because I've been surrounded by palm trees lately, doesn't mean I'm looking to go succulent.

I just wanted to see what the 2018 year end deals were, because I'm seriously tempted to cash in my survey site winnings and get myself one of the Canon T7 bundles, finally. Sadly, higher end cameras are not part of the deal today. *sad face*

But what's part of my blog today, is a group of photos I took yesterday from work. All around campus, because I was there working, and was roaming around during off time.

*All photos taken on a Canon DSLR EOS Rebel T3

From a happy looking elf, tree and manatee mural:

 

To a bird contingent that Emily always gets excited over:

 

 

And a couple more birds in between:

 

I also got the opportunity to set for a dance last night. About 80 people were set to show up. Disco, anyone?
(P.S.: don't mind the ladder in one of the pictures)

 

 

 

And finally, in the name of Baby Jesus, Amen!

May you live long and prosper.

Cheers;

See also (aka post title):
David Bowie Eight Line Poem

"Don't stop me now, I'm having such a good time"

Actually, I'm just getting settled back in, from seeing Bohemian Rhapsody at the cinema. If it's still playing in a theatre near you, go see it. Pre-order it on Amazon, if you must, but to see it "on the big screen", is worth the greedy Hollywood fist in your wallet. #Nospoilers but Rami Malek is amazing... he deserves any nominations and awards he can get. #justsayin'. The real cool thing would be if there were more record stores around. How about some brand / band collaboration and for every ticket a cinema sells, you get a QR code to get the movie soundtrack at a discount? Or at least able to get samples of the songs immediate to your devices? This would be a killing for movie cinemas and record stores. Especially biopics like Bohemian Rhapsody, and the upcoming Rocketman ("based on a true fantasy".... about Elton John)... these are great tie in movies to get people out and buying music again instead of always relying on automatic / streaming downloads. How can we get record stores back in business? A great collaboration like this. Enough of the redo movies - let's stop remaking classic film and do something new and creative. Sure, biopics are a niche, but they also get bands music out there. Film scores and soundtracks are great, at any length, but to get "a deal" on scoring the music for your [enter device here] would be just as worth it, especially after seeing the movie.

Look at when I went to the Roy Orbison Hologram tour - Julian Frampton was selling his 3 song CD for $10, but it also included a QR code inside the cover, to be able to download the songs to your device. This could be the way of the future - if cinemas got together with record stores and the QR type code was only valid in store, you'd get the album for one price. There has to be a way to get it to your devices, right? If you scan a QR code on your phone, you get song samples. Bottom of that page is another QR code - bring it to the record store, buy an album from someone on the soundtrack list, the store scans your device and bam - you get the soundtrack on your device (for a different price, or if you call buying a physical album the price, so be it).

Anyone who takes this idea and runs with it - please contact me and credit me. Let's work something out!



Meanwhile...


It's Christmas Day. Were you all good little boys and girls? Did Santy Claus bring you everything you wanted? He forgot my house, yet again, so I must have been more than a ripe Grinch this year. That's okay; there's always next year.

After a much needed debate, I didn't go into work today. I wanted to, but since the offices were going to be closed and there would be no one around ("no work to do"), I am home, not getting paid, but able to go out and take pictures of the Floridian neighborhood. "The lights are better at night" my mom says as we are walking the streets. "Yea, but sometimes it's just as interesting during the day" I replied.

So I have pictures. Not a ton, but enough to continue my seemingly yearly tradition of posting on the day a deity prophet seemingly fictional man was born. I've also got a video. The photos and video were taken on my Canon T3 (of which I'm still debating on upgrading... now I'm thinking the T7). Photos edited on Photoshop, video edited in Pinnacle Studio 18 Ultimate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's about it for now. I've got to figure out what to do the rest of the night, since I've got work tomorrow.

Be good and keep rocking out.

Cheers;



See also (aka the post title):
Queen: Don't Stop Me Now (…revisited)

See also (aka get the soundtrack for your rocking out):
Bohemian Rhapsody (The Original Soundtrack)

"Reach out and touch faith"

Well; I'm glad I live in a gated community. It helps random people get to my front door and ask me if I'm a Belieber believer.

I'm not talking about when a Monkee wanted to attempt to leave a girl. Or me attempting to be one of those people who believe in life after love.

I'm talking about the blurry line of personal, sometimes confrontational, door step spam (also known as "not so fun ding dong ditch"): ye old Jehovah's Witnesses.


Huh?


I got a letter in the mail today. It was handwritten and had some (unknown to me) address on it. Some person named Trudy Davis was sending me a small token of appreciation.

What was in this letter (with the post mark of December 14)?

A nice piece of cursive information, telling me all the wonders of what the closest JW building can do for me. How all my questions on deities can be answered by attending a meeting, of which I'm being invited to (by way of the flyer).

Ok, Trudy Davis. You found my name and address in some sort of public records, but why supply two different JW addresses? Did y'all move? Why, if you took the time to write me such an exquisitely penned letter, did you put two different "temple" addresses in it?

What if I don't want to attend? Sure, I'm giving you publicity by uploading proof you wrote me, but I don't feel compelled by any means to attend your function hall. I have my own system of wonderment, and nothing in my daily routine tells me to hang out at a religious support group. I don't even attend anything (that the religion I was raised in) puts on. Why should I come to you? The deity knowledge bestowed upon me in my youth was well enough to put me on some track for my adulthood. If I never have to enter any type of religious building for services (other than an anonymous support group), ever again,  I'll be good. 

As it is, I work for a place that loves them their Christmas decorations. I may not partake in their weekly services, but I know how to politely smile and say "Thank you, you as well" when someone says "God Bless" or "Merry Christmas". It's one of those things that my indifference can make me either fall trap and say the phrase back, or smile and nod, claiming religious naïveté.

I don't know everything, nor do I pretend to. As Emily likes to (now) joke with me: I don't drink, but I know things (this was one of the first comments I made to her in a text). I only know small things, but I try.

So I tried to get things uploaded here.

The letter, the pamphlet.

Plus two pictures I took of part of the main church manger at work.

I keep meaning to post them, and haven't. I'm bad. One is of baby Jesus, which my mom says "how is he all dressed and looking like a toddler? Isn't he supposed to be a newborn wrapped in a blanket?". I was like "ma, he's here. He's dressed for Florida winters. He looks a little fabulous, and I don't know if we can change that", and she just "lol"'d.

The other is of a cow. Yes, a cow. Of which Emily refused to sit on and get her picture with. It didn't stop her from standing next to it and getting a selfie, but she refused to actually take it for a ride across the street. What we do for entertainment... We're just a couple of kids having fun at work. Haha.

That's about it for now. I'm making attempts to multi task and I think I need to restart my computer. Apple automatic downloads for iTunes and iCloud fail most days now, so I think I need to get that fixed.

Until then, take care of your thoughts and lock your mailboxes.


Cheers;














See also (aka the title reference):
Depeche Mode: Personal Jesus (2006 Remastered Version)



See also (aka song lyric references):
The Monkees: I'm A Believer
Cher: Believe

Eat it. But don't choke on it.

Due to the overwhelming possibilities of people buying me random things for holiday or birthday presents, Hanukkah 2018 was no different.


I have to say, what I got this year was nothing short of interesting; I think the decisions were made to just throw ideas in the air to see if it stuck. Primarily from people who think I need more electronic chazerai (outside of wanting a new DSLR with some accouterments).

What made the list this past week?

A cable bites from a cousin, along with an essential oils disc for the car (which the holder I don't own, so this disc can't be used. I have mirror air fresheners that I happen to like, thankyouverymuch).

So... what does this cable thingy do, that I seem to sound like I am not favorable over?

It's supposed to prevent your cable from fraying. As in, every time you plug your phone in and then unplug it, you're loosening all the internal wires to the cable. The more you keep playing with it, the more it can lead to exterior fraying. The biters help prevent fraying, because only you can prevent forest fires.

The pictures I took this morning of the biter were taken with my Canon EOS Rebel T3 camera. The same one I'm thinking of replacing upgrading. I used the Fotodiox Canon EOS Macro Extension Tube Set for Extreme Close-Ups but sadly no tripod. Or great light. So some of the photos are slightly blurred. It adds character.

Quite honestly, I didn't want to set up a whole mini studio to take a handful of pictures. I sharpened some while I auto tone / contrast/ color others. That's all the editing I did in Photoshop, outside of adding my name. The case on my iPhone 6S is an OtterBox Defender.

Due to having the Defender case, the dog can't do its job properly. The biters are supposed to act like they are biting the phone, because that's the charging piece into the phone that starts the fraying process. Or so it was explained to me that way. The more you pull at that charging piece, the more loose it becomes. I guess people throw out a lot of cables because they are too rough on their pull?

Anyway, the case is big enough that the dog can't lay on its' belly and "bite" the case. The nub covering the charging port on the phone comes up and the charger goes in. But with the dog, he barely gets his mouth on the charger and can't bite the case. So putting him upside down, he raises the case just a smidge when it's on the table. What good is that - seeing the bottom of the product? You're supposed to see how cool it looks laying on the table and how it's doing the job it's supposed to. It wasn't made with thicker cases in mind, apparently.

I do have to point out, that the biter only works on the branded / rounded cables. The flat charging  cables are too wide to fit in the tiny body of the biter, so as awkward as it is to get the normal cable in, you can't get the flat version to work. Trust me, I tried. 

Note: Amazon has the brand of cable I tried using, but it's listed as a penny with $4.99 shipping: Blackweb BWA16WI002 Flat Sync and Charge Cable 4ft-White. I picked up two different colors (purple for the house, pink for the car. How girly of me, eh? 😁😜) in one of the big box stores for roughly $8 each (maybe a little less), but this white one is the only one listed on Amazon.

I tried; what can I say?


At any rate, the pictures or I've been writing for naught.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, the box is not in English. No, I can't read it.




I guess that's it for now. I've been sitting here trying to write this post for over an hour. I'm slow. Haha.


Cheers;








See also (aka diggin' the unscented pine forest):

• Bigfoot is alive!
• I want to believe
• I want to believe vol. 2
• Wax on, wax off
• The next Magic Mike
• Be a pal, be a friend. Pay your way

See also (aka other references):

• Help prevent destruction
• Other cable bites