Hello, how has everyone been? It has been awhile since I last posted and I have had a number of changes in my life since we last met. Last Nov I uprooted and moved to Dallas for a new start in life. Sadly my mother, who had been in declining health since a stroke a few years back, passed away on the 10th of Feb. She was a strong woman who suffered from Multiple Sclerosis for over 30 years but never gave in to this debilitating disease and was mobile until suffering the stroke. She will be missed greatly. She passed surrounded by family and is no longer suffering, so for that we are grateful.
After trying my hand as a car salesman, warehouse worker, transportation driver, and valet services for a Hilton Hotel, I am a lot driver for an auto auction in Hutchins, TX and have met a wonderful woman who I am in a wonderful relationship and going on one year in Jan. So that's a brief recap of the past year and hopefully more to come.
I will have some photos posted soon of the wonderful scenery in the Dallas area and once I replace my lens that was unfortunatly destroyed a while back, I will have many more to share. So it is currently time for me to head to work so I will cut it short and see you again soon.
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Monday, December 3, 2012
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Halloween Stories
Its that time of the year again, October brings an end to summer and welcomes in the fall harvest season. It also means that Halloween is just around the corner. Decorating the house, costumes, trick or treating and festivals are all part of enjoying this holiday.
Another is gathering together around a fire or candlelight and telling scary stories. The supernatural has always sparked the imagination of storytellers for centuries. Some based on local legend, old folklore, and even nightmares.
The theme of death, evil and the occult are what some of the most recognizable horror stories are based from. Characters like Frankenstein, Dracula, Wolf man and The Mummy have been replaced with more familiar characters who, like most big celebs, need only one name. Jason, Freddy, Michael.
Recently the vampire genre has undergone a complete makeover with the introduction of the Twilight Series. The Cullen clan, who not only can go out in daylight ,but even work and blend in with regular humans are simply portrayed as a little peculiar, goth types. The werewolf is also reinvented with the indian legend of the skinwalkers, shape shifters that take the form of a giant wolf instead of simply a large hairy man.
One of the all time favorites is The Legend of Sleepy Hollow depicting a small town, a school teacher Ichabod Crane, the love interest of his, Katrina Van Tassel, and the two protagonists, Brom Bones, and the headless horseman.
Zombies have recently been given new life (no pun intended) with the creation of the AMC series The Walking Dead. The story chronicles a group of survivors of a zombie apocalypse trying to search out a safe place to restart civilization while fighting their way through the country now covered by the undead. The human relationships are what makes this a winner with the zombie battles an added bonus instead of just constant gruesomeness and carnage as with other previous zombie movies.
In general the horror movie has became somewhat stale with the onslaught of Saw movies that were timed to release on Halloween or the remakes of some of the classic movies like Nightmare on Elm St, or Friday the 13th and Halloween. While some redefined the character and told the story from a different point of view, they tend to take away from the original frights that we all enjoyed.
Whatever your personal preference is, or even if your not a scary story or movie person, this time of year makes for great imagination and fun for the kid in all of us to enjoy a little rush of adrenaline and chill down our spine. Keeps the blood flowing.....
Another is gathering together around a fire or candlelight and telling scary stories. The supernatural has always sparked the imagination of storytellers for centuries. Some based on local legend, old folklore, and even nightmares.
The theme of death, evil and the occult are what some of the most recognizable horror stories are based from. Characters like Frankenstein, Dracula, Wolf man and The Mummy have been replaced with more familiar characters who, like most big celebs, need only one name. Jason, Freddy, Michael.
One of the all time favorites is The Legend of Sleepy Hollow depicting a small town, a school teacher Ichabod Crane, the love interest of his, Katrina Van Tassel, and the two protagonists, Brom Bones, and the headless horseman.
Zombies have recently been given new life (no pun intended) with the creation of the AMC series The Walking Dead. The story chronicles a group of survivors of a zombie apocalypse trying to search out a safe place to restart civilization while fighting their way through the country now covered by the undead. The human relationships are what makes this a winner with the zombie battles an added bonus instead of just constant gruesomeness and carnage as with other previous zombie movies.In general the horror movie has became somewhat stale with the onslaught of Saw movies that were timed to release on Halloween or the remakes of some of the classic movies like Nightmare on Elm St, or Friday the 13th and Halloween. While some redefined the character and told the story from a different point of view, they tend to take away from the original frights that we all enjoyed.
Whatever your personal preference is, or even if your not a scary story or movie person, this time of year makes for great imagination and fun for the kid in all of us to enjoy a little rush of adrenaline and chill down our spine. Keeps the blood flowing.....
Photos: updated photos from Harlingen Cemetery.
Finally managed to get some photos scanned into the computer this week so hope you enjoy them. The design of the markers were unique to each culture and at one time specific to certain areas of the cemetary. Anglos on in one part, Hispanics and African Americans in another.
2 Broke 2 Smoke: The Fastest Quit Smoking Method in Today's Economy
After smoking for nearly half my life and waking up with a tightness in my chest, shortness of breath and a general odor that engulfed my clothes and self, I decided it was time to quit. That was the first time. I managed to quit for a few days, amid the stresses of my job as a customer service rep, the regular routines of daily life and pressures I endured, but then the weekend came.
As I decided that I would go out and have a couple of drinks to unwind, a cigarette seemed like something that would go along with a cold beer. I broke down and bought a pack at $3.99 from the local convenience store. (Yes $3.99 is prob cheapest you'll find them down here) and proceeded to light one.
After a few min another one, then over the course of a couple of hours I had, without realizing it smoked half a pack! Ten cigarettes in less than three hours! I couldn't believe it. That's when it hit me that I really needed to quit or suffer serious health issues. Already diagnosed with diabetes I should have given it up long ago.
To add to the issue I had recently had an issue at my job regarding my smoking. As I was sitting next to this one coworker, who happened to be pregnant at the time, she turned and nearly gagged as I came from my break having just smoked one. Numerous people smoke but for some reason it was more prominent on me.
A few weeks later as this same employee was sitting in a training session, it being her last night as she was leaving for another job, I extended my hand to wish her a good luck and glad to have worked with her that she gave me a look of utter disgust and instead of a hand, she slowely extende me her elbow and stated "I don't touch people tha smoke." I withdrew my hand and waved as I exited the room, somewhat offended by the notion.
Soon after I had someone comment about the smell of smoke in the area. I never realized it before as the sense of smell and taste are greatly diminished over time by the inhalation of smoke. After quitting for a week I could start to regain my sense of smell and truthfully I almost felt sick as I started to smell the outside worked and my workplace for the first time in years. The world outside smells of decay, death and the general nauseating smell of humanity.
Since that time I realized how much I was spending on cigarettes each pay period and figured I would save tons if I would just quit buying them. As fate would have it I had to catch up on bills and rent which wiped out my paycheck and forced me to give up the thing I had relied on for years.
After a few days the unnerving of withdrawal symptoms started and for a few days I was irritable and temperamental to say the least, but after a few days, then a week and having one cigarette a day, if offered to me, I slowly ignored the cravings. While stopping completely is not something I have achieved as yet, my purchasing of them has. Due to the fact that I could no longer finance the habit I had for years.
While this is prob not the best way to go about quitting,(I have unfortunately started gaining weight again)It will save you money, add some time to your life, and eventually given enough time your lungs can even reverse the effects of smoking a certain percentage. While nothing will bring back the years, or money invested in the habit, quitting however you have to is the best thing for not only your health , but the health of those around you. As well as helping you get noticed more for the real you than for the smell you bring into a room.
Well, at least one good thing came from the bad economy. Now if we can only get Mr. Obama to give up the habit as well.....Ah that's asking to much I suppose, seeing as how he did manage to nail Osama Bin Laden, I guess we could overlook this one...least till election time.
As I decided that I would go out and have a couple of drinks to unwind, a cigarette seemed like something that would go along with a cold beer. I broke down and bought a pack at $3.99 from the local convenience store. (Yes $3.99 is prob cheapest you'll find them down here) and proceeded to light one.
After a few min another one, then over the course of a couple of hours I had, without realizing it smoked half a pack! Ten cigarettes in less than three hours! I couldn't believe it. That's when it hit me that I really needed to quit or suffer serious health issues. Already diagnosed with diabetes I should have given it up long ago.
To add to the issue I had recently had an issue at my job regarding my smoking. As I was sitting next to this one coworker, who happened to be pregnant at the time, she turned and nearly gagged as I came from my break having just smoked one. Numerous people smoke but for some reason it was more prominent on me.
A few weeks later as this same employee was sitting in a training session, it being her last night as she was leaving for another job, I extended my hand to wish her a good luck and glad to have worked with her that she gave me a look of utter disgust and instead of a hand, she slowely extende me her elbow and stated "I don't touch people tha smoke." I withdrew my hand and waved as I exited the room, somewhat offended by the notion.
Soon after I had someone comment about the smell of smoke in the area. I never realized it before as the sense of smell and taste are greatly diminished over time by the inhalation of smoke. After quitting for a week I could start to regain my sense of smell and truthfully I almost felt sick as I started to smell the outside worked and my workplace for the first time in years. The world outside smells of decay, death and the general nauseating smell of humanity.
Since that time I realized how much I was spending on cigarettes each pay period and figured I would save tons if I would just quit buying them. As fate would have it I had to catch up on bills and rent which wiped out my paycheck and forced me to give up the thing I had relied on for years.
After a few days the unnerving of withdrawal symptoms started and for a few days I was irritable and temperamental to say the least, but after a few days, then a week and having one cigarette a day, if offered to me, I slowly ignored the cravings. While stopping completely is not something I have achieved as yet, my purchasing of them has. Due to the fact that I could no longer finance the habit I had for years.
While this is prob not the best way to go about quitting,(I have unfortunately started gaining weight again)It will save you money, add some time to your life, and eventually given enough time your lungs can even reverse the effects of smoking a certain percentage. While nothing will bring back the years, or money invested in the habit, quitting however you have to is the best thing for not only your health , but the health of those around you. As well as helping you get noticed more for the real you than for the smell you bring into a room.
Well, at least one good thing came from the bad economy. Now if we can only get Mr. Obama to give up the habit as well.....Ah that's asking to much I suppose, seeing as how he did manage to nail Osama Bin Laden, I guess we could overlook this one...least till election time.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Photos: Historical Local Cemetary Harlingen Texas
Hello was out this weekend and tested out new camera. Still trying to get them scanned but here are a couple of shots from the local historical cemetery in Harlingen. These were taken with digital Kodak camera .
There will be more photos posted as I get them scanned and touched up. I love the architecture of these old gravestones. There are some from late 1860's and before, back when the town was founded. Keep looking
for more to come.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Review of the Canon A2e 35mm SLR
The Canon line of cameras has been a major competitor in the photographic world for many years and has a history of quality with there lenses and cameras. They have covered the spectrum from professional to amateur with the long standing EOS series.
While there have been many advances that have came along and digital format is now a mainstay, there were a number of great slr's that are still used. One of these that falls into a class referred to as prosumer was the Canon A2e or also known as the EOS 5.
The A2e was a name used for cameras in the Japanese market and is second to the A2 which did not have certain advanced features included. This camera was produced from 1992 to 1998.
One significant development that makes this camera stand out was that it was the worlds first SLR with eye controlled focusing. The focusing screen has five points in a row that allow the photographer to chose what area to focus on simply by looking through the viewfinder on that point. The system recognizes pupil size and movement and responds.
The feature is useful as mentioned by some photographers, while others say it is not quite up to snuff. At the time it was the first camera to incorporate it and others since then included and improved upon it. Another nice feature is the 5 fps shooting ability in the advanced shooting modes and 3 fps in the normal modes.
This camera also has programming and custom settings that allow a number of special features such as dual manual and AF at same time, and a favorite feature of closeup and slow speed photographers, , mirror lockup with use of self timer.
One of the most important accessories has to be the VG10 Vertical Grip. This allows vertical shooting with one drawback. The eye focus feature is disabled in vertical mode. However the grip does include the major controls that are easily accessed to control shutter, control wheel, and buttons on back for additional controls in different modes.
Having just purchased this camera I can not attest as yet to the ability of the equipment. I will be taking it out this Labor Day weekend and taking some shots to see what result i'll get. In the hands of a seasoned pro it is sure to be an important piece of equipment. As a photographer of limited skill, I will see if the controls and features can be used by a basic user.
Wish me luck and I'll post some pics for your comments. Have a great weekend!
While there have been many advances that have came along and digital format is now a mainstay, there were a number of great slr's that are still used. One of these that falls into a class referred to as prosumer was the Canon A2e or also known as the EOS 5.
One significant development that makes this camera stand out was that it was the worlds first SLR with eye controlled focusing. The focusing screen has five points in a row that allow the photographer to chose what area to focus on simply by looking through the viewfinder on that point. The system recognizes pupil size and movement and responds.
The feature is useful as mentioned by some photographers, while others say it is not quite up to snuff. At the time it was the first camera to incorporate it and others since then included and improved upon it. Another nice feature is the 5 fps shooting ability in the advanced shooting modes and 3 fps in the normal modes.
This camera also has programming and custom settings that allow a number of special features such as dual manual and AF at same time, and a favorite feature of closeup and slow speed photographers, , mirror lockup with use of self timer.
One of the most important accessories has to be the VG10 Vertical Grip. This allows vertical shooting with one drawback. The eye focus feature is disabled in vertical mode. However the grip does include the major controls that are easily accessed to control shutter, control wheel, and buttons on back for additional controls in different modes.
Having just purchased this camera I can not attest as yet to the ability of the equipment. I will be taking it out this Labor Day weekend and taking some shots to see what result i'll get. In the hands of a seasoned pro it is sure to be an important piece of equipment. As a photographer of limited skill, I will see if the controls and features can be used by a basic user.
Wish me luck and I'll post some pics for your comments. Have a great weekend!
Friday, September 3, 2010
Labor Day Weekend: Tips for a Safe and Enjoyable Holiday
Well another week has came to a end, and heading into a 3 day holiday weekend to celebrate Labor Day. Many of you will be hitting the beach, the lake, or river getaway or breaking out the BBQ pits and sitting back with friends and family and catching the many football games starting the season.
There are many ways to spend the weekend but remember to keep it safe and enjoyable for everyone. Make sure to have the essential items in case of any emergency that should arise. A list of emergency numbers including the poison control center, local emergency numbers if your out of the area, and contacts for family members.
Also good to have on hand are emergency medical kits containing basic first aid items such as bandages, aspirin, antibacterial cleaner for scrapes and cuts, aloe lotion for those sunburns, and calamine lotion for the inevitable rashes and allergic reactions.
Taking care while cooking and lighting a fire are also important. Keep children a distance away while lighting a pit. soak the charcoal first with lighter fluid and make a small pyramid of them, makes it easier to light and burn.
Most important plan for the occasion, make sure you have a good idea of how many guests or family will be attending so as to know how much of everything you'll need to ensure everyone gets served and there is enough to go around. One way to insure this is to ask people attending to bring an item. that way they can also bring something they might prefer to eat or drink and help save on expenses.
Overall have fun enjoying your guests and have plenty of games or entertainment for the kids, and the adults. If your going to drink, ensure everyone has a safe way home or a designated driver. Labor Day is a time to enjoy the company of our loved ones and to relax, keeping everyone safe, happy and in one piece will ensure many more to come.
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