shutterboo

I have no photos to share today.  I took the kahuna for a walk a few times last week but I haven’t had time to even look at the shots I took.  I’ve been enveloped with editing baby photos… so the cuteness factor of Photoshop grew exponentially… but the editing is more time consuming than I originally thought.  Blame it on the rain light – yeah, yeah.  (Confession: Never really liked Milli Vanilli.)  (You won’t find this on my iPod.  Promise.)  (But it sure is fun to say Vanilli.)

But I didn’t want to leave le blog hanging.  I like the sense of accomplishment that comes with writing a daily post Monday through Friday.  (Also known as the sense that makes me feel less like a slacker.)    (Blog vs. Grocery Shopping?  Blog wins!  Yay!)

I heart le blog.  (I also might have drank too much coffee this morning.)  (Trying to keep jazz hands at bay.)  (Jazzy!)

I did want to let you guys know that if something seems a little wonky on le blog, or if shutterboo.com isn’t working (shutterboo.wordpress.com should be in excellent condition), it’s because I’m playing with the Interweb.  I’ve given myself a challenge and with PodMate teaching me her Jedi Knight ways [and a few mind tricks for good measure], I should be able to tackle said challenge in no time.  But until then, things may be closer than they appear.  (Or something like that.)  (And why can’t they just create a mirror that doesn’t need a caveat?)  (For reals, yo.)

But until I have more of my ducks in a row [and I know what the hell I'm doing], I’ll fill you in.  I think you’ll like it.  I hope you like it.  Hell, I hope I like it.  Oooh.  Fingers crossed I don’t blow it.  Jeezohpete… I might be freaking out now.  Damn jazz hands.  Excuse me – I need to let PodMate smack me around a bit.

One more for the road: Vanilli.

Have you seen those questionnaires that require you to shuffle your iPod to answer the questions?  It’s like Mad Libs.  For Millennials.  But it also show cases the music you listen to.

Silly?  Yes.

Interesting?  But of course.

Waste of time?  You betcha.

Am I going to do it?  Hells yes.

Note: I had fun doing this.  And I decided to do it because I was a little bored.  I followed the “rules”; I  selected shuffle and hit next for the next question.  I didn’t even look at the answers until I was done.  I added comments in italics after the fact. And I’d like to state for the record that I’m aware that music library is quite broad.  I like most music that’s out there.  Most.)

1. What do people assume when they first look at me?
Take It Easy – The Eagles  (I got nothing.  At least it’s a classic.)

2. What will be a big challenge in life for me?
Walking on Sunshine – Katrina & The Waves  (This, in and of itself, is a considerable challenge.)

3. Am I a good boyfriend/girlfriend?
Just Dance – Lady Gaga  (Invalid question because 1. I’m a wife and 2. I know I’m good at it.  But I do love Gaga.)

4. Do I have a Secret Admirer?
Love in an Elevator – Aerosmith  (Hmmm… I’m both pleased with the song match up but also disgusted.  Weird.)

5. Will I ever become manically depressed in my life?
Take This Job and Shove It – David Allan Coe  (Sounds like I’m already there.  And everyone needs a little David Allan Coe in their musical repertoire.  Don’t worry, you don’t have to call me darlin’.)

7. Is someone trying to kill me?
If U See Amy – Britney Spears  (Coded message foshizzle.)

8. What am I afraid of?
What’s Your Name? – Lynyrd Skynyrd  (Ha.  This actually made me laugh.)

9. What will I be doing in a few years?
Ramble On – Led Zeppelin  (Sounds about right.)

10. What is some good advice for me?
Still Dirrty – Christina Aguilera  (Um… OK… Uh… I don’t know what to say.)

11. What should I do instead of this quiz?
Crazy – Aerosmith  (Don’t worry.  Been doing crazy for a few years already.)

12. Will you get married?
Glorified G – Pearl Jam  (Again, invalid question.  But I find it funny that Pearl Jam is in my iPod.  I like this song.  But I don’t know their music very well.  Because I think every alternative song from the 90s as a Pearl Jam.  The hubs corrects me, don’t worry.)

13. What is the story of your life?
The Joker – Steve Miller Band  (Quite accurate.  If not making it, the joke was on me.  But I don’t toke.)

14. How can you get ahead in life?
Daydream Interlude (Fantasy) – Mariah Carey  (What a horrible match up.  Daydreaming gets nobody anywhere.  Don’t judge my Mariah song choice.)

15. What is the best thing about your friends?
Adrenaline – Phunk Junkeez  (They are quite the punch… I mean “bunch”.)

16. What song describes you?
Rhymth Is Gonna Get You – Gloria Estafan  (I don’t admire SYTYCD for nothing.)

17. How does the world see you?
Night Time Is the Right Time – Ray Charles  (Me no likey.  However, I couldn’t keep from singing along.)

18. Will you have a happy life?
Signed, Sealed, Delivered – Stevie Wonder  (Guaranteed.  Nice.)

19. How can I make myself happy?
The Humpty Dance – Digital Underground  (Sweet!  It always comes back to human nature, no?)

20. What should you do with your life?
Gotta Be More – Marc Broussard  (No definite answer but something Confucius might say.  If you haven’t heard Marc Broussard, you should.  Both him and Jonny Lang have similar music styles and I love ‘em.)

I actually took the time this morning to upload some old photos from my Paco.  It’s been months since I’ve taken the time to do this.  Which means rediscovering digital images.  Like this one:

This was taken back in March.  The story behind it is that PodMate’s car got into a fight with a unruly storm grate and the grate won.  So while her car was in the shop getting fixed up, I had carpool buddy for a few days.  (Let me just say I love carpool buddies – the idea of not looking like a wacko because I have an actual person to talk to is priceless.)  So we made the adventure to work, heading down Lexington Road where she pointed out the grate in question.  And then we spot a treasure: her hubcap.

We pull a u-ey to go retrieve it [because those molded pieces of plastic aren't exactly cheap to replace].  I pull into the parking lot of Headliners and PodMate jumps out of the car to get the hubcap and take photos of the storm hole (the grate really wasn’t on it which is why the car was in the shop).  So I’m minding my own business, looking around at the surroundings.  And then I see it.  And it just doesn’t fit.  Do you see it?

We’ll put the zoom in play:

Is that a little airplane?  I can’t find any kind of information on it.  I’m not very savvy with the Google.  But there is some kind of little airplane implanted in the hillside behind the distillery.  As most times I visit Headliners is in the dark, I’ve never noticed it.  But now that I know it exists, I want to know why and how.  Even if it’s something as lame as “a toy airplane thrown on the hill to make suckers like you think something profound happened.”

Or we can just start making our own assumptions.  That might be even more fun.

I live in a nice neighborhood.  It’s an older neighborhood with tall, shady trees and modest homes.  Most yards are clipped and pruned to look quite lovely.  Everyone is pleasant.  I like it a lot.  Like I said, it’s nice.

It’s not, however, nice-nice.   By that I mean we don’t have cursive writing on our street signs or matching mailboxes.  We have a neighborhood association but it’s “optional”.  There’s only a couple lots with three-car garages.  You occasionally see a BMW or Mercedes but for the most part Toyotas and Hondas live in the driveways.  It’s a nice neighborhood but it isn’t Malibu, if you get my drift.

So imagine my shock when I saw a bright red Ferrari Testarossa in our neighborhood.

My drive by shooting - this is real life, my friends.

My initial thought was… actually, I don’t think I had an initial thought.  Because it was parked in his front yard.  Not in the driveway – in the yard, on the grass, like Bob Barker was going to walk out the front door and the Ultimate Showcase Showdown would begin.  Thoughts did not appear.  Neither did Bob Barker.

Why does this bother me?  The fact that if he bought that car new, it would cost more than his house doesn’t even boggle my mind that much.    Or the fact that he’s killing his grass, because I understand yard work isn’t for everyone.  But the thing is he doesn’t have a garage.  Yah.

I repeat: HE DOESN’T HAVE A GARAGE!

Go on… you can close your mouth… I know, every time I think about it I lose a brain cell.

This bright red Ferrari – albeit, probably 15 years old – sits on the front lawn in show-car fashion in the sun.  He washes and waxes all the time.  But leaves it in the sun.  When winter started coming around, I was wondering what he was going to cook up – would we see a bright blue tarp covering a bright red Ferrari on dead grass?  Nope.  Instead it moved.  Most likely to wherever he was storing his twin jet-skis because those ended up in his driveway.  Because that makes sense.

How does someone drop the money on a super-fine, super-fast, super-mid-life-crisis bright red Ferrari Testarossa and not have a garage?  Google explains that this car would have probably set him back about $75,000.  That’s a lot of bones.  For a used car.  That was built in the early 1990s.  A garage… about $20,000 for a two-car.  My line of thinking on this is If he can afford a Testarossa, twin jet-skis and that Jaguar that is his “everyday car”, he can afford to build a garage.  He gets no stamp of approval from this gal.

So what brought on this little rant?  I saw the Ferrari yesterday.  In all its bright red gloriousness.  Still parked on the grass.  Like a show-car in the Serengeti because the grass is tall.

And so the cycle repeats.

So I’m catching up on my Google Reader – apparently not checking it for a few days leaves for hours of blog-reading fun.  Anywho, I was reading what Omawarisan had to say over at Blurt and I see that he gave me a little nomination for Kreativ Blogger Award.

I wanted to show him my gratitude with a little shout out.  If you haven’t visited Blurt before, you should.  He’s very wise and very witty and has excellent taste in music… and blogs.  It’s his stories that keep me coming back day after day.  Don’t blame me if you get addicted.

So I spent yesterday at Churchill Downs.  Our local advertising club hosts the event and I got all dolled up to schmooze.  I’m not a good schmoozer but for this kind thing, I’m always game.  Having friendly clients makes this much easier.  And funner.

But I learned a lot about myself yesterday.  Surprising since I’ve been living with me for 28 years already but whatevs.

These guys lost this race.  That’s OK – so did I.

• I know more about horse racing than I originally thought.  All thanks to the repeated guidance of my pal VJ and my father-in-law reminding me the money’s in the jockeys.  So I was able to share my knowledge.  You’re welcome.
• I made $11 yesterday.  Well, my winnings totaled to $36 but then I spent some and all you really need to know is I came out on top.  Not big money but then again I don’t do big wagers.  It’s all about winning.  And waving your money in the air [even if it is just $6.40].
• I get crazy jealous when someone wins and I lose.  I almost want to steal their stubs to cash it in myself.  But this isn’t grade school and that lacks taste or something along those lines.
• I can stand mint juleps.  Not my favorite bourbon drink but old fashions were not available.  Thus, I had a julep.
• It took me no less than three hours to consume my mint julep though.  I had to keep adding ice.  And water.  But I drank it.  All of it.
• I want a horse.  Because I want to stand in the paddock in a fancy dress and fancy hat and watch everyone ooh and ahh over my horse.  And I want to name it Split Decision.  I think I could make a lot of money with a name like that.
• Having Google on your phone makes for a fun day.  I loved being able to say “The power of the internet says…”.
• I hate high-heels more than going to the dentist.  My feet hated me for the better part of the evening.
• I eat and drink like a man.  Bourbon Barrel Ale and a lamb shank the size of my head for dinner.  I felt like a caveman.  Or a viking.  Or a royal Grecian that has every kind of food on the table but chooses the bone-in meat to feast on.  Yes, it was divine.
• If you sit next to JBerry at a dinner function, he will eat off your plate.  Even if clients are present.  I don’t mind it though because I ate off his.  Fair trade.
• Lemon and mint in ice cream together is heaven on Earth.  I’d probably be willing to break the law in exchange for a scoop.
• I have no problem whatsoever putting my spoon [which may or may not have already been in mouth] in another person’s dessert.  None.  Whatsoever.

So what do May flowers bring?  Pilgrims!

Oh man, everyone thought they were hot stuff in the first grade with that joke right there.  Who am I kidding, I still think it’s funny.

It has been raining for what feels like forever.  Mid-month we experienced 10 straight days without precipitation.  Me and the hubs got so much work done around the yard, I wanted to open windows and start on some spring cleaning.  But this rain does not make me want to clean.  I’d rather curl up under a blanket with coffee and  book.

I really dislike the fact I have to get out in it.  It’s just so… wet.

But the thing that’s bothering me the most about all this rain?  I know there’s going to be a massive explosion of weeds in my yard.  The dandelions will be out in full force.  I can just feel it.  And I hate nothing more than weeding flowerbeds and crawling around the front yard digging up little yellow flowers.  And what’s up with the evil cousins with those prickly leaves?  I despise those suckers.

The rain is supposed to subside tomorrow which will make my trip to Churchill more pleasant.  The weatherman says Thursday and Friday are supposed to be clear too.  Saturday though – Derby Day – scattered thunderstorms.  Really?  And Sunday.  And Monday.  There goes the weekend and the rain-free celebration.

I think I need to come to the realization that if my other flower bed is gonna get done, I’m gonna get wet.

I’m full of random stuff today.  And in a surprisingly good mood for it still being before noon.  I’m warning you, I’m completely random.

• At 2am this morning I seriously thought to myself, “I’m more likely to sing Russian opera than fall back asleep.”  I’m happy to report I was wrong.
• I’m constantly confused by bloggers who write about photography but include no photos.  I don’t want to read about it – show me.  I’m a visual person.  Otherwise I wouldn’t have even clicked on the topic.  For reals, yo.
• As a matter of fact, I rarely stick around blogs that don’t use photos at all.  Like I said, visual person.  What?  Can’t a girl enjoy books with big pictures?
• Watching the BDD attack bubbles is the best thing since sliced bread.  Until she eats the bubble wand.
• Mel made [and photographed] this cake. And I want it.  I apologize in advance for making you drool.



• Imagine what that bullet would have been like without the photo.  Now imagine reading instructions on how to use the rule of thirds without an example photo.  I know.  Both are pointless.
• I don’t know why PodMate keeps giving me her Easter candy.  First it was Starburst Jellybeans [that the office generously helped consume] and now it’s Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs.  I think she may have a fever so I’ll just act like my drawer is a safe deposit box for now.
• Who is Tupac really?
• Satin pajamas.  I’m not sure what to think of them.  I managed not to slip off the bed while wearing them so that’s a good start.
• Chase has zero will power.  I came home to find a 20 pound bag of dog food dragged from the kitchen to the living room.  Yes, there was a hole in it.  But I never realized Chase was Herculean.  Either that or she grew thumbs while we were at work.

• Hasn’t Ricky Martin been denying for years if he was straight or gay?  So this should really be no surprise, right?  I’m not surprised.  And I’m usually surprised.  But I’m not.  So what’s the big deal?
• Flex Weeks are absolutely fabulous.  Forty hours in four days… I love you, Free Friday.
• I warned you.  Completely random.

So with snow melting from the North East and rain hammering the North East and the bit of rain we got over the weekend, the Ohio River started creeping.  I heard about it on the news and everyone says it isn’t a big (which it isn’t) but I didn’t expect it to be as high as it was.  On my walk Thursday, I hit up Waterfront Park with a co-worker and this is what we saw.

Unless you visit Waterfront often, you probably don’t see anything wrong with that picture.  I had to do a double-take myself.  But the river is definitely higher than normal.  This photo better explains how.

So much debris and trash.  I just don’t see how people are OK with throwing their garbage into anything other than a trash can.

It reminds me of that Mad Men episode where the Drapers are out on a picnic and Don throws his beer can and Betsy shakes all the trash on the picnic blanket onto the grass.  And then they stop the kids to check for muddy fingers before letting them step foot in their new Cadillac.  A lot has changed since the 1960s.

I mean, who tosses a basketball in the river?  I should have seen this as a sign: a busted basketball means a busted basketball bracket.  [I cannot believe how the Big East has just flopped.  Bunch of weenies.  Especially those Hoyas.  A three seed with the "hardest schedule in the country" loses to Ohio.  Really?  Really.  Weenies.]

And we found flop but are missing flip.  I have a feeling this fell off a boat or something though and just swam down stream.  Or was caught under some trees in the water and stayed stuck after the water receded.  Who knows.

The river is supposed to go back to normal levels soon.  I just hope that trash can down there was empty otherwise the city just added to the trash floating down the Ohio.

I do not like horror flicks.  They scare me.  That being said, I watch every vampire movie I can get my hands on [sans teeny-bopper Twilight].  Just in case I ever meet one; I’ve got to be prepared.  I shared this with my brother and Big Bro laid a big one on me, “If you think about it, zombies are more likely to happen.  Maybe not ‘zombies’ but definitely zombie-like qualities in humans.”  It got me thinking alright.

So I started watching zombie movies.  And that was a bad idea.

I hate zombies.  Especially zombie movies.  Especially zombie movies where the zombies are fast.  This, of course, does not include Zombie Land because I found it to be very entertaining and funny.  Even though the zombies were fast.  It makes me feel queasy just thinking about it.

Fast Anything = Gonna Get Your Ass Chased = Not Cool, Yo

Vampires don’t chase – they lead you to them.  Or whip around you so fast your head starts spinning.  Zombies chase.  End of story.

So Big Bro recommended a book.  “Bro, I cannot read a book about zombies.  I will have nightmares in my nightmares.  Me and zombies are not friends.”  He told me the book wasn’t scary and that he really enjoyed it and I need to just read it.  So I did.  It’s called World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks.

Is it scary?  Yes it is.

Not in the sense that it’s horrific or suspenseful but in the sense that it’s realistic.  I started reading it back in September and then the nightmares started.  I had to stop.  My friends were being attacked in my dreams and random hands and arms were falling off.  Since I borrow books from the library, I had to return it when someone else wanted to read it but I picked it up again this month to finish the last half.  And the nightmares came back.  More attacks, more falling body parts and the feeling of being chased.  But I trudged through it.  I needed to be prepared.  And now I know more about zombies.  Mission accomplished.

Zombies.  Zead-heads.  Zachs.  The Infected.  Reanimated humans.  Whatever you want to call them.

They are slow.  They are stupid.  And all they really want is their next meal.  However, they are strong, they are determined and relentless and they pretty much don’t die until you kill their brain.  Oh, and they’re disgusting because they bloat and body parts don’t work correctly and it’s just eww.

They don’t need air to breathe so they can live underwater.  They don’t need food to survive so they can live a long ass time [even with a deteriorating body or even missing body parts].  Their lack of motor skills means they don’t run, they can’t climb well and don’t know how to use door knobs – experts at busting through doors though.  They moan and moans bring more zombies meaning not only do they follow you, they swarm you.  *shivers*

Though this book is fictional, it reads realistically.  The author [fictionally] interviews several different people to learn about their experiences through the zombie war – from the first recorded case of reanimation to the almost-end of the epidemic.    And these “experiences” freaked me out.  Like I said, realistic.  Realistic, realistic, realistic.

But Big Bro is right – this is more likely to happen than running into vampires.  Maybe.