Would you go on vacation by yourself, and if so where would you go?
Submitted by Sean & Stefan.
Many times. I like Mexico and prefer several short vacations instead of a long one, so I usually go to Ensenada, Baja California. I have a lot of local friends, so it is a good time. In fact, maybe in a week or so, it will be time to go again!
What movie cliché would you most like to live out in real life?
Submitted by Wes.
I've had a couple of things happen like being in the right place at the right time - led to photographing concerts for seven years or so. The most recent is still on the table if I ever picked it up.
A few years back I was at a coffee house in Tijuana waiting for friends to arrive and go to dinner. While waiting, there was this young couple, at least I thought they were a couple, sitting near me. As time passed the young man began getting out of bounds and the young lady was having a problem with him as was I because he was disturbing my reading and coffee experience. I finally got up, went over and introduced myself to them and gently told the young man he was disturbing, not only the young lady and me, but the otehrs that were there. I told him he was losing ground rapidly and his best course of action might be to leave and try again another day. I do not know why, but the message took and he left. A s hort while later the young lady left and thanked me as she passed.
My reading was getting difficult - getting dark, when a lot of lights were blocked out. I looked up at two IMMENSE Mexicans in suits. These guys were scary and my first thought was they were friends of the guy who had left.
I was asked if I was the gringo who had helped (her name) and I said yes. They relayed a message from her father for having "saved her life." ??? What? I just convinced a guy to cut his loses, nothing more. Anyway, they told me that if I ever needed anything at anytime anywhere, to come to the building (they pointed it out) and ask for the jefe and I would be taken to their home (condos). I thanked them and returned to my reading.
A bit later, my two buddies arrived and we headed for a place one of them had heard about and wanted to try - they are foodies like I am. While at dinner I told them the story and told them which building the girl was from. Both of them suddenly got very, VERY serious (atypical behavior in our social situations) and told me the people that lived there were "bad" people and I should have nothing to do with them because if I did it would establish a relationship and they would want further involvement from me. I took their words to heart.
Over the years, I have encountered that young lady, her husband (not the original jerk) and child. We remain cordial. I am happy that I followed my friend's advice. Turns out the family is involved in the narco trade and are fairly heavy hitters.
It brings on those, "I wonder what would have happened if. . ." thought trains. Those two guys were just plain huge, polite and scary and I do not intimidate very easily.
Well, not quite the cliche, but close enough.
My best friend in Ensenada was supposed to get married yesterday (Saturday), but his father who had had a quad bypass took a turn for the worse - lung problems, so the wedding that I would have missed due to other circumstances was reset to late September. It will conflict with another event I usually attend, but I think I can get back for the Sunday afternoon events. If not? The wedding will be more important. My buddy, however, will get two bachelor's parties out of this - the one this past week and the next one. Guess the beer will be on me (Stone Brewing's Smoked Porter and Arrogant Bastard beers), plus a couple of bottles of champaign (Cameron Hughes).
I've been missing in action for awhile (couple of weeks) but will be back posting on both my blogs starting this week.
happy to have some time to do that - been too pingpong balled to have time to da anything else. The net? The Mexican border. 'Nuff said.
I was running some errands today and stopped my my local supermarket to pick up some bread and saw this car in the parking lot. WOW! I haven't been this close to one since I was a teenager.
Our family was living in Athens, Greece and these Italian cars were really funky looking. That was back in 1955-1958. With today's gas prices, I am seeing more and more of these old-timer-type cars on the road. Once driven just for special events, now they make real good in-town transportation.
Neat plates - I'll have to show this shot to a bike-riding friend who has a bee business. He does removals, but does not kill the bees, but relocates them into appropriate areas. Too many bees dying, but he says that is cyclical and everyone making a fuss that this is somehow due to global warming are blowing political smoke, or rather, inhaling it.
I wish I had been able to hang around the Von's parking lot until the owner came out and asked to take some interior shots. I didn't want to thy to shoot by holding the camera in the open windows and the angles were not too good.
Hopefully, I'll see this BMW Isetta somewhere around Normal Heights or Kensington and have a chance to meet the owner and, perhaps, go for a ride.
If you are unfamiliar with these cars go back to the top and you can see the door handle on the left front (as you see it). If you have a passenger, they have to open the door, step out and then the driver can slide across and get out. Also note that it is parked nose-out. Be a problem if someone got too close to you and you could not get the dor open. Oh well, there's the roof access!
What stage are you living now?
On the first day, God created the dog and said:
"Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in
or walks past. For this, I will give you a life span of twenty years."
The dog said: "That's a long time to be barking. How about only ten
years and I'll give you back the other ten ?"
So God agreed.
On the second day, God created the monkey and said:
"Entertain people, do tricks, and make them laugh. For this, I'll give
you a twenty-year life span."
The monkey said: "Monkey tricks for twenty years? That's a pretty long
time to perform. How about I give you back ten like the dog did?"
And God agreed.
On the third day, God created the cow and said:
"You must go into the field with the farmer all day long and suffer
under the sun, have calves and give milk to support the farmer's
family. For this, I will give you a life span of sixty years."
The cow said: "That's kind of a tough life you want me to live for
sixty years. How about twenty and I'll give back the other forty?"
And God agreed again.
On the fourth day, God created man and said:
"Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. For this, I'll give you
twenty years."
But man said: "Only twenty years? Could you possibly give me my
twenty, the forty the cow gave back, the ten the monkey gave back, and
the ten the dog gave back; that makes eighty, okay?"
"Okay," said God, "You asked for it."
So that is why for our first twenty years we eat, sleep, play and
enjoy ourselves. For the next forty years we slave in the sun to support our
family. For the next ten years we do monkey tricks to entertain the
grandchildren. And for the last ten years we sit on the front porch
and bark at everyone.
Life has now been explained to you...
edit: (Thanks Rusty)
About a mile from where I live a new Starbuck's opened in Normal Heights and this is about two things that happened there today when I stopped in near the end of my bike ride. First, this new place, from a company that brags about how environmentally concerned they are does not have ONE SINGLE place to lock up a bike and this on a street that is well ridden by a lot of cyclists. Jeez, talk about behavior than belies your supposed concern for the environment. I'll not stop there again on a ride.The starbies in my neighborhood has one bike locking area. Fortunately, ours is a local crowd - other than the people who come into the Ken Cinema, and everyone sorta keeps their eyes open. Only the terminally dumb who park their bikes out of sight are in danger. Story two: The new store above lies kitty corner to Lestat's Coffee House. I was a regular patron there until their booking manager screwed over a friend's band and the owner blew me off about it. Anyway, this isn't about that, but about the trash they have for a crowd these days. Today, a couple of them came across to the new Starbuck''s, drew up chairs outside (they did not order anything, just parked their goth asses down), and bad mouthed Starbuck's to all those passing by. In the middle of this, the barristas were handing out samples of a sandwich and the guy ate his, sealed up the stuff in the container and batted it back and forth. The girl missed him and it landed on the patio where it lay until they left and the girl deliberately stepped on it and kicked the trash across the patio and left. He went left and she went into Lestat's. Nice crowd of customers you got, Johnnie, about twenty rungs lower on the human scale than where you started out. Pity. I should have ridden across the street and told John about it, but his answer would be, "I am not responsible for what my customers do." and that is true, but they reflect on your house, Johnnie, and on you.
I wonder if the authorities will proceed against the flying jerk with TB, who deliberately exposed and put people's lives at risk, like the person having AIDS that deliberately exposes others.
Do you know any war veterans?
Submitted by Fightin' 6th Marines.
Being a military brat, a lot of them. My father (deceased) and two other Air Force members from WWII and Korea - Bob and Ed. Many from Vietnam (including my brother and myself) and far too many of those are in the ground. Some from the various actions in the Middle East - some still serving, some out and some not with us any longer.
Here are a few of the photos I managed to grab while the party was going on at trhe start/finish area at Cuyamaca College.
Start
Band/Tents
Windy City
(edit: added last photo)
This pair of Mallards flies back and forth between the Ststarbucks, mallards,arbucks at College and El Cajon Blvd and the one at Rolando and University. They are too well fed and show no signs of finding another haunt. I suspect they stay at Lake Chollas.
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