Because I'll be gone

Going against my normal protocol and posting something a little early here, mostly in apologies that I'll be away from my computer (and work) until this Thursday. Yep, I gotta work on Turkey Day -- sucks, huh? Anyway, as it was observed this morning by the Ed and another Editor, I don't whine. Ever. Maybe I should.

Anyway, against protocol, I'm posting this little tidbit from the series of portraits that'll be running on Sunday. When I won't be here. Sigh. I'll get someone else to hold me a copy of the paper, make sure there's one waiting when I get back.

I changed this to B&W before I got on my little kick, by the way.

So there'll be more later, but for now, I'm gonna head on home to see the much-loved family, euthanize some trees, and maybe eat some guilt-tainted turkey. 'Cause I know I'm gonna catch hell for having to work until Christmas Eve.

Oddly enough, I took some portraits of one Mister Scrooge this morning -- we got along quite easily.

Ciao, y'all.

Kind of want to buy some shoes

Very specific shoes, actually -- like the ones you might use to scale boulders and such. Why? Because I shot these guys the other day. And now I've had a hankering to start climbing. Some times there's only one way to get down. Okay, well, there are always different ways to get down, but some are quicker than others. Now like I can't do some climbing without the shoes, obviously. There you go, those are the shoes. Fashionable, no?

This stuff sets me from "Stun" to "Kill"

Came across SchmuckAlert via one of my RSS feeds this afternoon. Very little will instantly piss me off, but this kind of stuff sets me on edge automatically. For those who don't know: journalists can shoot whatever's going on so long as they stay on public property.

Cops and rent-a-cops who act like they have the right to boot anybody off public property are the ones who really piss me off.

... I wanna go pick a fight now. Dang.

Sigh

If you're gonna post something neither constructive nor grammatically pleasing, at least have the balls to leave your name. That's one of the things that I don't like about the Internet -- the death of civility due to anonymity.

Oh, the places you'll go ...

... and the completely random things you'll see.I've been on a black and white bent lately. No clue as to why.

An auto show, briefly

The Alabama International Auto Show: look it up. If you'd like more details, I might edit some more in later, but I'm about to get outta here to search for a feature. For which, by the way, y'all should wish me luck. Putting on his racin' face with Grandpa in the passenger's seat about to make an exit. Smart move, Grandpa.

Knee-Highs at McWane

The Jefferson County Committee for Economic Opportunity Head Start Early-Head Start kids ... whew, lemme catch my breath ... took a short trip to the McWane Center to check out some of the science exhibits. I found out about it halfway through the gig, and arrived as they were wrapping up the painfully short second half of their stay. It was dark, it was rushed, and there were lizards loosening their bowels, but they were 3-, 4- and 5-year-olds, and I'm just an older dog around young pups, so I had fun. Yes, the turtle was a big deal.
Where's that damned fish? Otherwise, the caption has to read: "Kid looks at tank."
Bam, outta nowhere, there's a kid in my 14mm.

Actually it did kind of surprise me.