55Flash Fiction Friday

Do you even get up today?
If so it may be the last thing you do.

There is a serial killer on the loose.
Why is he killing those women?
Will I be next?

You get ready for another day.
You must get the day started
You just hope today will not be your last

- - -

You question why you do what you do while getting dressed
Do you even make a difference?
Why is he still on the loose?

Today all the police work you have been a part of

over the past month
will finally pay off

and put a serial killer behind bars.

Yes, you make a difference.

- - -

You have killed before
and you will kill again
Who will be next.
Surely she deserves
to be you next victim.

It is so easy,
the cops are such a fool.
They will never catch you.

Just at that very moment you hear a from outside your door
“Police, you are surrounded, give yourself up”

The above is all fictitious losely based on a real event. I do not pretend to know what is going through the minds of the people who are in threat for their lives, the police and certainly not a serial killer. But I thought it might be interesting to head off in three different but similar directions. So I packed it up into a three fer ... a 355 if you will.

For some reason I could not come up with anything to write about and then when I headed down this path, it just would not stop.

There has been a serial killer plaguing the Mid Michigan area for a month now. He has potentially killed four women and battered another who survived. Yesterday they arrested a suspect that they are fairly certain is the killer. We can only hope.

Sorry to send you off into a lovely holiday (at least here in the states) weekend with such a not nice story. I am sure I have cutesy hiding around here somewhere... man walks into a bar... Oh wait, I know ... a blonde joke... ummm, I got nothing.

Have a wonderful weekend.

P.S. Lime, should you stop by, notice I do not have all the colors of a rainbow but the colors I did use are in rainbow order... :)

If Only I Was More Like Them

I am a creative person, but no where near as creative as I wish. When I was small you could see there was a certain amount of artistic tendencies. Unfortunately (or is that fortunately) I also had a passion for science. This passion has done me well. It is directly responsible for me getting a scholarship for college and getting me where I am now. I was told while I was young that I had a talent toward music. Again I only putz around with that but I do love my music.

So where have I went will all of this. Well I certainly have an analytical mind but my creative side suffers. You should see me at games like pictionary, I am totally out of my element. Music, well I have a keyboard and from time to time play with it. I continue to listen to different types of music and always try to be open minded. I listen to a lot of different things now than I ever have. Sure I can write (if you ignore spelling and grammar) but things like poetry and other creative stuff, not so good.

I find that I am really attracted to creative people. I am going to toss out just a few people here and I really hate to do that as I know I am leaving people out when I do that.


I have only know Top Cat for a little over 2 years now but it seems like so much more. I think there is a little bit of a connection there. Rick has a very kind heart and I love that about him. He is also very creative when it comes to writing. Often times I find things go over my head but you know, I still am in awe of what he can do when his creative juices are flowing. He also is very talented when it comes to music. I would love to spend a little time with him and his synth and what ever else some time. I would so love that.


I do not always go over and visit, as a matter of fact I am way behind on visiting but Old Hippie Chick (whom I usually just refer to Hippie Chick) is another extremely talented person. She is an artist extraordinaire. She can really write. Most of the things I have seen her write really makes me think. Add to that she is one super person and, well now I know why I am attracted to this wonderful soul.


A much more recent person I came upon is Little Wing. She is one beautiful California Chick. But you know what? Long before I knew what she looked like, I fell in love with the person. For someone so young (and I can say that as I am an old fart) she has a ton of talent. Her writing is wonderful as I think she writes from the heart. Her outlook on life is refreshing. She seems to have an extremely old soul, at least to me. The following is taken out of context and bended and folded and mutilated but it is something I remember, and probably always will about Little Wing. Part of it is a post she made and part of it is a portion of a reply to a comment. When speaking about her recent visit to Hawaii and viewing the Pearl Harbor Memorial...

We actually had a gentleman on our bus who had survived Pearl Harbor that day. The tears ran down his face as he stood on that memorial. They gave him a ball cap that said World War Two survivor, American Hero. Bless that man's heart. His emotions were raw.

The gentleman was grieving. I asked him if I could give him a hug, and when I put my arms around him, I was so proud to be such a small part of his history.

I really think that post and some of her comments says a lot about the person that she is.


There are so many more people I have met on the blog world that are talented in different ways. Two more that come to mind are Crabby and her sense of humor and how creative she is with what she puts together and then there is BTExpress who puts together some of the most entertaining posts. I love it when he takes us step by step on a repair project or cooking something or mixing a drink.


Of course there are so many more that are special in their own ways, some extremely creative, some just super people who are always there for people but now this feels like I am turning this into a who’s who list and I really did not intend that to happen because you always leave people off (waves at Sign Gurl and G-man).

OK, I knew it, I hate this post. Let me just copy the list of people over on my links and paste them here. I think it is time to revisit something I did a little while back and feature someone that I really appreciate out there in the blog world. Maybe that will make me feel a little better about this post.

Happy hump day everyone.

Blue Moon

Wow, did you see that ... or rather not see that. The moon, she just up and dried up, vanished, disappeared, left without even saying goodbye. Of course I caught here and here is how.

First I hear it is best to start with a full moon for some reason. I guess it is a little bit like diving into a pool. As far as I am concerned, any dive you survive is a GREAT dive. Of course if you really want a lot of points you need to point your toes and go in without a splash. The full moon is something like that, the perfect dive.



Next you need to find you a camera.


And since this will take some time you need something to steady the camera on. Well unless you are real steady... I elected to find something to steady the camera on.



Next, and this is important ... no flash if you can. I didn’t and I was blind forever.


Now somehow you have to get the earth to come between the sun and the moon. Now there is no one correct way to do it. Personally I do not understand why you need to do it. I mean the sun went to bed hours ago. As a matter of fact it is just about to wake up anyway.

Anyway I decided on a plan. I went outside and started to jump up and down real hard. The more I did it the more the earth moved and got in the way. Of course you need to do what ever works for you.

Now find the moon and zing away, shot after shot and see what you got.




Did I forget to mention you need to point the camera first? OK, lets try that again.



Oh gee wiz, I new I forgot something. Did I mention you need to focus the camera.

*looks up at the blog entry*

Yep, didn't mention it. Duh!


And there you have it. The moon, she just disappeared. If you find her somewhere, would you please send her home.

Stuff

I did a little bouncing on the Internet over the weekend when I had a chance and found something interesting. Jillie, if you should happen to pass by, I think I found you a new uniform. Not that I have seen the one you wear now but I think you would look so good in this one...




I started making my cornhole game boards. I have a lot of wood working skills I need to improve, that is for sure. It would not hurt if I had more tools. Oh well. At the moment I am having a hard time squaring the first board. I guess I will get that figured out tonight. Then I can start in on the second board and see if there is an improvement. I already know there will be as I am learning little tricks as I go. Looks like I am going to come down to the wire on this one. Maybe I can take a day off of work. I have tons of time built up...



Beautiful weather we have been having. Not to hot, not to cold. The rain has finally went away. Because of the rain things are green again. I have a feeling I better grab onto this while it lasts. Looks like a perfect Labor Day weekend (but not Labor Day itself) on tap up here in Michigan. If it has not started raining on Monday it looks like we will need to brake down camp early to avoid the rain.


Speaking of camping, time to get ready for camping too. I best set things up and air them out. Make sure I have all the parts and also that I even remember how to set things up. Got to get ready for the college football games too on Saturday. Is it fall already? Got to watch my UM and MSU games or at least listen to them and of course keep an eye on OSU. It is part of the camping tradition on Saturday. I wonder if they are playing this weekend? Oh dear, looks like I may need to fire up the portable DirecTV as MSU is on ESPN2 and UM is on the new Big Ten Network maybe. I might need to make sure I have a decent radio with me as who knows if I will get the OSU or Michigan games without it.

55Flash Fiction Friday

It is scary as I fly through the air
Why is this happening to me?
I have lead a good life
yet now I head to my certain death.

Soon I will crash land
despite anything that I can do
I just hope my seams do not split
Oh the life of a cornhole bag.

Well a couple of weeks ago I ordered some cornhole bags from


You can find Steph's Bags here.

You can follow this link to a prior post of mine about cornhole or let me real quickly explain cornhole. You either play with 2 or 4 people. You toss a bag and your opponent tosses one, then you, then them, etc until you have tossed all 8 bags. You are tossing the bags about 30 feet to a board that has a hole in it. You want the bag to go through the hole. Short of that you want the bag to land on the board. Through the hole is worth 3 points, on the board is worth 1 point. First one to 21 wins. Now this is abbreviated and I did leave a little out but hopefully that helps the above 55 make a little more sense.

Yesterday the bags showed up. I sure wish I could use them but I am just beginning to make my boards. Hopefully I will have at least one set built this weekend if not both sets.

Now there is something special about the bags I ordered. Besides being built well with quality material, besides the way the people I ordered them from have treated this order, besides all that these stand out. My bags are split color. The top is a different color than the bottom. Look below for a picture of said bags.

Here are my University of Michigan /
Ohio State University cornhole bags

These are my Michigan State University /
Detroit Red Wings cornhole bags

So why did I do it beside being different and standing out. Well here is the story.

Since I grew up in South Eastern Michigan I have always been a University of Michigan fan. So it was a natural to want to build a set of boards that have U of M logo on them. More recently however I have been rooting for Michigan State University. So, OK ... if I am making two sets, that can work out.

But I also love the Detroit Red Wings and I am sorry, I just do not intend to have three sets. Two I can justify a few times a year even though storing is a pain but three is silly. Oh and also lately I have decided that what I love about U of M is their football program and I am sorry, even though I am not a fan of Ohio State, what would either program be without each other. They kind of make each other a better team. Ever year I root for U of M to beat Ohio State. But ever other game of the year I root for Ohio State to win, just like I root for U of M. It just makes that final game at the end of the season so much more exciting. So now I want an Ohio State board too. Four sets, no way, not going to happen.

So, here is what I decided to do. Why not build one set consisting of 2 boards. One is U of M, one of Ohio State. And then the second set would be contain a Michigan State board and Detroit Red Wings board. Now that is a strange combination. So now, what about the cornhole bags?

Normally a set of bags include 4 of one color, like blue and 4 of another color, like yellow (or maze for you U of M fans). Well this just would not do. So what I did is look around to find someone that would build the bags only in two colors. That way I could have four bags that are blue on top and yellow on the bottom for the U of M board, red on top and grey on the bottom for Ohio State board, green on top and white on the bottom for the Michigan State board, and finally red on one side and white on the other for the Detroit Red Wings board.

Let me tell you I love the way Stephanie put the bags together. They look and feel real sound. I love that, despite not being the cheapest bags around, they did not cost extra for the split color bags. And I just love that she would do it period as I had not found anyone else that would do this. We will see how these suckers do as I intend to put together a small tournament on the Saturday before Labor Day when a whole group (30 to 50 people) of us are going camping.

A Little Busy but...

Well I have to go out and finish up the last little bit of grass before I go into work. Between working longer work hours, especially on Wednesday, and the rain it has been about impossible to get that jungle under control. I should have been done now but no, I took a little break after work yesterday waiting for it to cool off some and next thing I know my weather alert radio was sounding off on storms heading this way, 60 to 70 mile an hour wind gusts, lots of rain. Well that got my butt in gear and I got done what I could before the huge drops of water started to flow. And I do mean huge. One drop and you were wet. Two drops and you were almost drowned. OK, maybe I exaggerate a little but they were huge.

Thank you everyone for your feedback this week. It has meant a lot to me. Normally I do not post much of any substance, I mean I like to keep it light and all. But the feedback from everyone has given me a lot to think about. I like that, I like it a lot. It is with stuff like that we learn and grow.

I will post a 55 later in the day but it will probably be in stages. I want to post a picture or two with it but those have not been taken yet so

... coming to a computer screen near you soon...

Good Deed Doer or Just A Fool

Yesterday a little incident happened that I do not know what to make of it. OK, lets go on.

I was at the home improvement store picking up a small package of screws. When I leave the store and jump in my car there is this guy on a cell phone talking to someone. As I go to start my car I notice that he now seems to be talking to me. So I decide to listen and see what he wants.

He tells me about this terrible day he is having. He had been up visiting his Grandma and now was heading home. He was and hour and a half away and he discovered that not only does he not have his wallet but he also is out of gas. His car is at the gas station on the corner.

OK, so now what do I do? I mean I would love to help him out but I also hate to be scammed. But at the same time I can think of two times right off the top of my head that someone really went out of their way for me when I needed it and I sure appreciated that.

Well I am so so about how I handled it. I did not have a lot on me but I gave him half of what I had. Now this was not enough for him to get home but it was a start on his journey. Of course at todays gas prices I did not have enough to get him home anyway. Now I am feeling guilty I did not give him more.

But you know at the same time I can not help but think how convenient his story is too. Here he is visiting his GRANDMA. He is 90 MINUTES AWAY FROM HOME. Has no money because he FORGOT HIS WALLET. OK all this could be true but something just nags away at me wanting to question the story. I guess it is because back when I worked in Detroit I saw a more than a few people pan handling. Most of them I learned to ignore because they were darn right dangerous. Others you heard of taking the money to by booze. I know I ignored the people that really needed a hand.

Anyway, so I guess even if I was scammed, I did good but at the same time I could have done much more.


Oh my goodness, with all this rain we have been getting (about 6 inches in a few days) and the fact that I did weed and feed a little while ago, the law is growing like a weed. Since I worked late last night I did not get to the lawn until late and when you add in having to bag it too since it was so tall, it was dark and I was just finishing up the front yard.

I got a little over half done but it sure was nice to see the grass growing again for a change... I think. I guess I best jump outside and see if I can finish it even though it is early. I know I will be working late today, how late who knows. I can not count on being able to finish it tonight and right now the lawn looks silly. Jungle in part of it and nice lawn in other areas.

So I have my pith helmet on, jungle boots, machete at my side. I sure wish I had some mosquito netting as the bugs were terrible last night and I would imagine they will not be much better now. And then there is this fog I have to deal with. I will not say it is real foggy but I can just see that back of my property and I only have a quarter acer lot my house sits on. So if you do not hear from me for a day or two, please send out a search party. I will be in the back 40 if you can use that phrase on such a small lot. Funny how it gets bigger when it comes to cutting the lawn.

Racey Porn

OK, is it just me or are you getting tired of the “race card” being played all the time over here in America? One of the latest examples, Michael Vick the soon to be former NFL football player. It would seem that Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton jump up and down about how all this was happening because he was a black man. Do you see it, there it was ... the race card. It would appear now that Michael Vick was being prosecuted because he was a BAD MAN.



It is funny, I have not been following the news all that much lately. What coverage I saw of the Michael Vick story never once mentioned his race. I did not see any pictures of him. I did not know who he was. So at least to me it seemed like things were being reported fairly. But what I did not see is Jackson and Sharpton saying he is being picked on because he is black.

Now I must admit that I do not condone what was done. I do see it as a problem especially the way the animals were treated but it did seem that things were being prosecuted pretty extreme. Extreme that is until more facts came out. But what I would like to know is, why is it that Jackson and Sharpton can jump in and fan the flames and make things worse and, when it is apparent they were wrong, just bow out and never say they were wrong. They do it time and again. Can we say the Duke Lacrosse team for one.

Sorry for all of that. It just bugged me a little when I heard this on the news.


OK, different subject. Do you get junk mail? Well I do. I keep getting offers for real cheap Adobe Photoshop for one. The full package is probably $600 full price but of course no one pays full price. I was wandering around last year trying to get a deal and I finally did find a deal. By making use of Adobe's upgrade policy I was able to purchase and old French copy of the program and get a legal upgrade to Photoshop CS2 for a little over $300. Now I get these junk emails for bootleg copies of Photoshop for between $80 and $130. You know they can not be legal. OK, I brought that on myself. But I get other stuff also.

Lately what I see are emails from what would appear to be perfectly legit people. But it is the subject line that kills me. It will usually be one to five words in length and make no sense what so ever. It so stands out like a sore thumb. Why would anyone fall for what ever they are doing? Inside they usually ask you to reply to them at a strange looking email address. It turns out what is happening is your email, should you fall for what they are doing, will appear like it was bounced but in fact what happened is your email address was harvested so they can use it, or more likely sell it to someone else. Luckily I did not fall for it but instead looked up on the WEB what was going on.

What ever happened to the free porn offers in email? I guess I better start wardering around some more on the WEB. My junk mail has gotten to be boring.

55Flash Fiction Friday

Tonight just might be the night
She has me worried however
Hopefully we can do dinner first

I’m not bragging but once we start at it
it could go on for hours

I just hope when we are done
she does not bite my head off

It is so dangerous being a male praying mantis

I knew a little bit about praying mantis to begin with but then did a little reading in the wikipedia article so I had a little background for the 55.




I am starting to find out just how many people are doing these 55s. Wont you join us? Give it a try, it really is not that hard. All you need to do is post a small 55 word item. For some coming up with 55 words may seem hard but for most it is tough to keep it to just 55 words.

In these 55 words put together a little story with a plot and at least one main character. That is about it. Choose any subject. Try to keep it to 55 words. Mostly these are fiction but that is not always the case. Don't worry if you bend these simple rules a little. Once you have posted your 55 then be sure to stop by Susie's place and let her know. That way others can come see your 55 and you know who else to go visit yourself.

Give it a try, I think you will like it. Some people do a poem. Some do a continuing story. Some love to have a twist at the end. Everyone has their own little style.

They Get That Wrong All The Time

Well we will see what happens. I finally spoke to the district court clerk about the ticket I received. That was after wading through about 30 minutes of please press 1, please press 2, yadda, yadda, yadda and not fitting into any of their categories.

Anyway they said that they go by where a person was when they received their ticket, not by what the officer wrote on the ticket as the citation as they get it wrong all the time. OK, first I am still uncomfortable with this but I guess I will admit guilt and send it in. I will probably say admit responsibility with explanation and send a letter to accompany the ticket. Basically stating what was said, where I was and the wrong citation. Hopefully that will be that. At the same time I am going to make a note to get back and check my record in a few weeks to see what really happened.

I just do not trust this thing at all. Am I being to paranoid?

Now the next thing. "the officers get this wrong all the time" Say what? Shouldn't these be educated individuals? Now I do not want their job but when you do you job wrong don't you get in trouble? Why are they being allowed to slide on this? Oh well I am not making a big stink about this but I am doing what I can to try and cover my bases. I think it is easier to put in legwork now rather than try and get the points taken off my record at a future date, Not to mention if the insurance company sees the points while they are on there.

You know, that radar detector is looking better and better. Not as a tool to help me speed but as a self defense. Also this one unit I was reading about, a Cobra, had this cool little thing built in that had several ways of recognizing emergency vehicles and letting you know they are in the area. I kind of like that idea in case I managed to miss the fire truck flying up on me for some reason. It would not be bad to be warned about that. Also one time I saw a ambulance come up to an intersection and a car that was on the opposite road come up to the same intersection at the same time. Can you say accident? Maybe it would not be so bad after all. Now if only I knew which one to get.

Anyway that is my little update. Other than that I am in experimentation now on what I need to do to put together the cornhole boards as I have most of the material to make one set. I just need to learn how to do a few things and get comfortable with the tools I have before jumping in probably over the weekend. It promises be fun.

Slow Down, You Move Too Fast

Slow down, you move too fast,
you've got to make the morning last
Just kickin' down the cobble-stones,
lookin' for fun and feelin' groovy

Feeling groovy

Simon and Garfunkel - Feeling Groovy

Yesterday I was not feeling groovy. Why you ask? Well let me tell you.

I ordered a couple of tools from a Sears in Jackson since the Sears near me did not have it. Nothing new there. I could have it shipped to my house but who knows how long that would take. That and it would cost almost seven dolors. I could have it shipped to the store near me but they claimed it would take 2 to 3 weeks to do that. So I placed the order.

After work I headed down to Jackson but, being smart, I avoided one of the most messed up areas in town and took a different route. I figured I could take the traffic lights and the traffic. I made OK time and was down to Jackson within an hour. An hour? It was only 37 miles away. Oh well.

Well I picked up the tools, did a quick visual inspection in the car and headed back home. I managed to get back to the road I was suppose to be on and I made my fatal mistake. I did not put on my cruise control. I always put that sucker on. Usually about 5 miles over the speed limit so I will not be in trouble.

Well I was doing 81 on a 70 mile an hour road when I saw him... can you say BUSTED?


I watched in my rear view mirror and sure enough, I saw a little dust on the road by him and he was pulling out. So I got over and slowed down. I knew it was a matter of time before I was nabbed. So I started to look for registration and proof of insurance. Next thing I know he has his lights on and we are headed for the side of the road.

But here is where it gets worse. All I could find was my old registration that expired in July and Proof of Insurance that expired August 1. Shazbat. He asked for the drivers license and asked if there was anything on it. Well until today it has been a long, long time since I have been pulled over. So I said no and handed my nice new shinny drivers license over to him. I also said I will keep looking but I can not find my paperwork. So he let me keep looking while he went to the car.

After a while all I could produce was the expired stuff but that was OK. When he returned he had a ticket in his had. He wrote me up for 75 in a 70 on a highway and nothing about the paperwork. He said my plates were current and checked out OK so I was lucky there. But the speeding ticket was a *cough* $100 fine *choke* but no points since it was on a highway. I am not thrilled about the money but am glad there are no points.

He was pleasant. I was peasant and respectful. All and all it turned out OK I guess. Then when I get home I look this up online and the code he wrote, a 628, says it is 1 to 5 miles over but not on a highway. That means I pay the same amount but I get 2 points on my license.

Now wait just a minute here. I was all set to drop the envelope in the mail tonight but no. There is no way I am pleading guilty to the wrong charge. If I am not suppose to get point then by George, there will be no points. I guess I will have to call them up tomorrow and find out what can be done. I mean he got me and he has every right to say book'em Danno, and I agree with that. It was decent to have it dropped to 5 over and all. I just don't want to agree to the charge. Hopefully I will be blogging the rest of the month and not serving time in some jail somewhere.

OK, so I would not serve time but, for heaven sakes, don't make me appear in court. You know I am guilty, I am willing to say I am guilty. Just get the facts straight.

So now I got my tools right away. Wonderful. And all it cost me was about $10 to $11 in gas and $100 in fines. Not exactly the Visa/Master Card commercial where then end saying priceless. It seems that Jackson has found a way to attach a dollar figure to that sucker for me. Some days you just can not win. Oh and by the way, the current paper work is now in the car. I learned my lesson.

Hopefully you had a better day than I did.

MIA and Cornhole

Boy the last few days have been interesting. I am not getting anything done but I am doing a lot of plotting and planning. I am in the process of trying to build one or two sets of Cornhole. What, you never heard of cornhole? Well lets take care of that first.

Here is a link to AJJ Cornhole from one of the places that sell cornhole stuff or you can read the first paragraph or two of this wikipedia article. One warning, if you go searching the WEB for cornhole and you have no filters turned on expect some pretty rude stuff to show up.



If you do not care to follow the links, cornhole is a bean bag toss game only you are playing with bags that are filled with corn. Think of it a lot like horse shoes if you are familiar with that only instead of getting a ringer you are trying to get the bag through the hole (3 points) or get it to stay on the board (1 point). You most likely play to 21 but I think I have seen some people play with a score of 11 to nothing as a shutout. Some people also make it so you have to get exactly 21 to go out and if you are over you go back similar to darts.




Anyway I know better then to try and build the corn bags. I have heard of to many of them falling apart with little use. There are tons of people selling cornhole boards and bags on the Internet but I wanted something special. Late last week I finally found what I wanted. There is this site in Kentucky that will make two color bags. Most will only do one color. Not only that but shipping was reasonable and I saw reference to them on a few sites saying there were good people to work with. So score, I should probably see my cornhole bags sometime this week.




On to the boards. My first thought was to cut the 2x4s on a 45 and put them together. Then cut the frame to recess the top into the frame. It would be so cool but 1) I am not real handy when it comes to working with wood (keep it simple). 2) I have limited amount of tools so I would have to either buy or borrow at least a few tools, more if I go fancy. 3) I want these done for the beginning of September and that is not that far off.

Well I started out fancy, now I switched to just plain. I found pre cut plywood for not all that much more than buying a full sized sheet. I got a couple of tools I will need to complete this and will rent one tool that I wish I could buy but $200-300 is just to much but I would so use it more than this project. Also I figure one person I work with probably has a belt sander I can borrow from him. It is starting to come together.

If I ever do get these games put together I will post pictures but I suspect they are going to start life as plain base colored and have a logo added over the winter. In case you were wondering what I was doing for boards? One will be a Michigan State University board. One will be a Detroit Red Wing board. One will be a University of Michigan board and the final one. The final one will be an Ohio State University board. Very odd combinations but I love the rivalry between Michigan and Ohio State. I mean I want to see Michigan win but what fun would it be if it was not against Ohio.

55Flash Fiction Friday

You knew it was a stupid thing to do
but desperate times call for desperate measures.
Now you’re sitting in the back of a squad car.

You thought who would blame you
for trying to rob the meter maid.
No one likes the meter maid.
No one except for Detective Archer
who just arrested you.

If you would like to give a 55Flash Fiction Friday then please do. Basically they are 55 words in length but do not worry if you are close but not right on. Also this is suppose to be fiction but the Flash 55 police will not give you to hard of time if this is not fiction. Anyway in the 55 words put together a mini story with a plot and at least one character and have a fun time. Then when you have posted your 55Flash, go tell Susie so that others know you are up and they can visit. Oh and the most important thing, have a fun time doing it.

What About Bob?

This one is for Bob. The beginning of the year I decided to play with the depth of field just a little. First here is a picture of the toothpicks I set up for this.


Next we have a couple of close up pictures that show how shallow the depth of field actually can be. I was surprised that in the space of the length of a toothpick it could already start to blur and blur so much. Amazing what happens with a good size zoom lens.




Here looking almost straight on you can see it is focused up front and oh so blurred in the back and a toothpick is what, 2 to 3 inches long? You can not even make out the toothpicks in the back.


Moving on, over the weekend I decided to do a little yard work. One of the things I did was cut my lawn, or I mean weeds. It had been probably a month since I cut it. I decided to bag the "grass" so that I would allow the least amount of weeds to mix back into the lawn. I ended up with a bunch of weeds, some grass and some dirt. It is amazing that I would get dirt but it was that dry. Now for the fun. When I went inside I ended up clearing my lungs a little and I brought up black stuff. My gosh, I was breathing in the dirt and look at what happened. Now I am thinking of wearing a mask as long as it so dry. That just has to be bad to breath in.

Oh also while cutting the lawn (and it was in the morning) I took a break. I sat down and just cooled off a little. I looked over the next few yards and I could not believe what I saw. I saw heat lines, you know where things are all squiggly kind of like they are going into a dream sequence. Actually you usually see this over blacktop or the road ahead of you while you are driving. Usually it is very hot out but I swear it was not much more than 80. I had no idea the earth would do that and do it so soon. I think our backyards got turned into blacktop when I was not looking.

I decided to take a break at one point over the weekend and went to see Hairspray. I kind of had no choice as I usually go to a little home town movie house that only shows one show a week (hey the town only has about 6,000 people, it is amazing they have a movie house).

Anyway the first time I saw Edna I thought hey, something is not right. The face did not move right at all. I mean a heavy persons face is different but not that different. And the eyes just somehow did not look like a woman.

I kept watching thinking I knew who it was then it hit me, John Travolta. Then I was amused as they tossed in little things like his dance move from, was it Pulp Fiction? And a few things he said. Over all I love musicals but I was not really planning on seeing it. In the end I enjoyed it, maybe more for what the movie stood for rather than the musical nature of it. Either way I was entertained for a couple of hours and enjoyed it. But then I can find something good in almost any movie so I would never make a good film critic.

Oh one more thing. Could I be changing? I went to a CiCi's Pizza buffet. I had a piece of several different pizzas and the one that I liked the most was a vegetable lovers pizza. Me, a vegi lover? I like my vegetables but I have always been a meet person. Especially in pizza. Often times I go with supreme. If not then how about pepperoni and mushroom or hamburger and white onion. Oops, there are vegi's sneaking in there. Well at least the other next one was a chicken, cheese, and spices type of pizza and that was pretty tasty too. I still can not bring myself to try the mac and cheese pizza however.

55Flash Fiction Friday

The plectron sounded
Everyone was suited up and ready
to roll in seconds flat.

The sirens sounded and we
speed to the scene not even knowing
what we were in for.

This could be our last day on this earth
but all we could think about was
putting our training to use and saving lives.

Color this lame again but I could not think of anything better to write about then the first responders in disasters such at the bridge that just collapsed in Minnesota and that terrible day in September when the twin towers came down. It takes a special person to go against humane nature and rush in to make a difference in the life of someone.

I think we all have a little of that in us but to see how selfless these people are and to see the great risk they put themselves in and especially seeing how they are not seeking all the glory... it is almost breathless to see.

Family Reunion - Part Tress

And now the conclusion. There were probably only about 18 or so people there. People have scattered to different states and one family that is the largest part were not there. Still we had a nice time sitting in the shade right next to the nice size Kent Lake.

Everyone brought a dish to pass (thank you Sign) and some food for themselves. I brought 5 gallons of water because I thought what would be better then to have a bottomless supply of ice water? I thought I was the only one drinking it but, to my surprise others were too. Good for them.

I met a couple of people I have never met before and promptly forgot their name, figures. I gave my uncle some sh*t because he has it coming. We talked some more. Did boat trips, visited a nature center in the park, went biking and hiking, had some more food. A very pleasant day over all. Sure nothing like the reunions gone by. We used to do volleyball and maybe boccie ball and played cards and ... but most everyone is in their 40s or even older and you can just see it. Last time I brought a net and set it up only a few kids played with it. Well lets geter done and bring on the last of the photos.


I have always thought kayaking looked cool although I can not help but thinking of flipping over and being trapped in the kayak upside down.




While I was out on the boat I saw more than a few sailboats. This lake was made for fishing and sailboats although motor boats were allowed on it. I was so torn. Do I put the sail boat right in the middle of the island and in the center of the picture or not. Eni, meni, minie, mo... It was almost to late when I decided not to center it. The second picture was a little nicer as it is closer up but the sky was not that good. Oh well, I just liked that sail boat I guess.




I thought the virgin looking shore line looked good. It so reminds me of typical Michigan.



I love this picture. I played and played and played with it and just could not get it. I wanted the sky to be just a little darker (why don't I have a polarizing filter, why) and I would like the island a little lighter. I played with it a ton in photoshop and went back to the original. This was one of my favorite pictures for the day. The sky is awesome.



Can you say paparazzi? I kind of got that feeling being of shore, using a big lens, shooting a beach volleyball game. Could that be Justin Timberlake or who ever it is that is all hot these days. Sorry ladies, no clue whose name I should have dropped. You know, I have not idea what Timberlake looks like anyway. Off to the right you see a fun looking water slide and at the bottom, what you can not see is it empties into a nice pool.


Again, man I need to get a polarizing filter so bad. This was a classic picture for the day I think. We have to guys in their super cool fishing boat just doing what feels good. I do not see the beer but I bet they got a cooler full somewhere. If only the water was not giving me so much glare. I got to get me a filter. A good one costs almost $200 ... bummer.


Here we have a couple of kids paddling through. Oh wait a minute, I think the lady in the back would love that I just called her a kid. Oh well, time for new reading glasses I guess.



And finally we have woodland creatures. They seem to have found an isolated spot. They are sitting back and watching the wild life go by. Be careful however, we would not want to spook them. I bet they would scamper back into the woods in seconds flat and not some out until dusk.




Well that was a little window into the family reunion. Sorry I posted so may pictures. I really tried to cut down on how many I had, honest.

Family Reunion - Part Dos

OK, how about some people this time. First we have my sister in law fishing. Notice someone just plopped a picnic table down in the water. I am not to sure Yogi Bear would have approved. Alas, no one got any fish in our crew. I sure did see them jumping however.


And there, as I was returning to shore, we have a fisherman ... er, fisherwomen.


My Uncles youngest daughter. We I always think of her as so young. Now she has graduated from school, has a live in boyfriend, and a very good job with IBM. I guess I am just old.


Speaking of old... OK, that is not nice. I just met them for the first time that I remember. They are from a side of the family that is on the west side of the state and I really know nothing of that side of the family. They had some great stories.


OK, I had to play a little. I purposely put the glare in the picture more or less in back of my Dad then used a fill flash and it went pretty well I think.


I just loved this picture. The bro-in-law and a cousin.



And two brothers of the above cousin. There were off taking pictures at a nature center. I so wish I know about that as I would have loved to have gone.


One last picture, my one cousin so loves the lime light. Too funny. When I was younger I really did not get along with him although I never said anything. Now things are much better. Anyone want a crazy cousin, cheap? Actually I think I will keep him.

Part Tress tomorrow.