critters

They were chasing each other -- mating season maybe, and hopped onto the local trees to get away from me. This retaining wall is near the river. I hope that the river never got this tall ... I was tens (~ 20) of feet above the already high river. For Fort Wayner's this is West Swinney Park.

This little muskrat was nicely swimming in the creek off Yohne Road.
heron flying over Airport Expressway
It isn't a different or odd color, but rather it is flying toward a sunset casting a strange orange on its feathers.
fur in a tree
either a predator put it there or a very healthy jumpy rabbit met with the branches
poor shot: light and movement ruined it.
falcon in a tree
blurry shot, but shows the miserable weather Allen County has had for walking and photography
old roadkill down to just bones
some miserable day with stored nuts in tree -- birds look at a lone, cold, miserable walker with a camera
same day with heron, being dead on the road stinks
Foster Park West, dead raccoon ... no apparent trauma
maybe it drown
same raccoon from above
opossum, roadkill
they smell so bad "playing dead", I think they stay untouched for a few days after dying

something on the trail

Her pretty head?

Darn close to Mario Cart

2-D play racing

scary house and half rabbit

I traveled through a small wooded section near a racetrack and saw some, well, interesting things.
These pipes go nowhere.
half a rabbit; something was eating it.
This battery couldn't get anything started.
It isn't Halloween, nor fall, yet ... this house looks scary.

Weirld Al GTA Nerdy

maybe books aren't better

One, two, three, four ... hope they have a price war

When in Fort Wayne and you want to know the gas prices for stations ... look here , though I don't know how often it is updated. Still, it might help you make a "slightly" more informed decision.

for Mike

Wait, wait, wait ...

You mean San Francisco has protesters? I think it all started when a bunch of on-the-edge people thought the torch was signifying that they were flamers. Uh, guys (or gays) there's an Olympics going on. Tibetans are petitioning for their existence and you all are just shamefully out of the loop. It's safer, I suppose, than running through L.A. You'd need a treadmill on a pope-mobile to protect from idiot snipers.

for IU fans

If you think you have one of the largest Indiana University displays, maybe you don't. This farmer has had this display for years (decades actually).

Yahoo! Cars!

I think there is a decimal place missing, like Michael Bolton+ put this together.


+ Office Space

Oddities more visible

Why is it there is greater access to abnormalities, especially from India? I suggest that a country with a very high birth rate and more media access to regions lead to more rare occurrences being recorded. It is sad that so many people are in the spot light, nearly like YouTube sideshow freaks, but ...
on the other hand, these cases can be studied, help might be given to the afflicted and therapies, including preventative therapies may be developed.

I mention this because of the Indian girl with two faces. As of the last few years, India has also been the birth place of many parasitic twins. I don't mean to be glib with the cliche' of, "there's something in the water", but with poor filtration and a booming population, I foresee many more disorders coming from this region.

After reading some depressing things

Watching Harvey was refreshing.

Don't fear the Pooka.

though murky white

sky seems dim -- unhappy, I am better ... slightly happier. A funk, not smell, is around.

stress is crushing me

I know I used to smile. Now, I think I frown as commonly, as often as I breathe. I have much about which to be happy, but still ... my stress wears on me an anchor that ties me to the ground, painful to drag. I would so prefer that things were different, but I can't magic things to be.

Iran volunteers

for nuclear testing by allies. Iran's defiance to allied nations' position against nuclear armament clearly defines its desire to be the test site for nuclear destruction. So, Iran nicely wants to further science by determining the strength, functionality and radiation from many nations' nuclear arsenals. It was very, very nice of Iran to elect such a monumental step to people's understanding of what happens when you nuke a country out of existence. It will take a little coordination between nations, but the allied nations should be able to fire simultaneously while monitoring via satellites.

Senators' response

Look, I didn't know that when she asked for straight or 50-50 and demanded $500 up front that she was a prostitute. I mean, I knew prices were high in the area and I thought this concierge was just demanding the tip first to make sure she didn't get screwed. Oops, can I restate that?

I mean wasn't there to get screwed like she was. I mean, I could have sworn that Bambi Bosom was on the hotel's staff and was merely showing great hospitality when helping with my clothes, bed, and shower. I mean, it was a full service ...

Uh, senator ... shut up now.

happy phrase

while at the firepite:

"If you put it in, I can't stoke it." (the it, in this case, was a wooden rake handle used for stirring coals)

one small moment in the woods

water bug and more

less conventional pictures

"...ruined your watershed Wonka."
"It's chocolate."
"That's chocolate!"
I'll just hang this upside down and use the reverse side if you don't mind.
narrower tracks for a smaller train
gravel between the tracks
what a slug on the tracks might see
dead cat on the street ...

OK, it's a "dead" shoe, CAT brand.

photo walk

white ducks

path through forest

headless fish

sunset with jet
small creek
residual pools
golf course
small creek
dog print
deer print
raccoon prints

Seemingly long walk ....

I think I need new shoes. I walked about 7 miles today, which is slightly less than my 8-9 yesterday, but ... it was all in one shot. My next trip I'll plan with walk paths and sidewalks in mind. My feet were actually sore today. I also spent hours and hours in the sun -- now I am read like a tomato (e).

I will post pictures later.

Thankfully I have been able to walk, rain and shine, at least 5 miles daily. It isn't as tough as jogging, but it does my body good.

Terrible week

May we never have another week with so much death. Stop the killing, please!
Fort Wayne has seen too much!

Zodiac

I normally tear movies, TV, and books into shreds, but I will simply remark on this movie. I think it inspired me to read the book, as the movie was stylized for the non-reading movie goer. I like the end where the dots are connected explaining who the author/screenwriter thought was the killer. Without giving away any parts of the movie, should you choose to watch it, I was surprised that Robert Downy, Jr did an alright job. I think they cast the movie well. The scenes held some mystery in spots and the theme of one man's obsession to find the killer and the toll it took on him was fairly notable. Overall, the movie was B- work.

The text in the movie showed the slow passage of time, 1969 to 2000, so many years and never a conviction on the crimes.

The movie does give you safety advice if you read it carefully. If you are held up by a masked man wielding a pistol and silencer, don't tie each other. If he plans on killing you, then he's going to do it. Don't let him torture you because you helped him or complied with his demands.

Historic Photos of Fort Wayne

Historic Photos of Fort Wayne is a well-crafted, simple collection of pictures taken of Fort Wayne up to the nineteen eighties. Well the pictures tell their own stories, the captions detail the people and significance of the scene. Interestingly, the author notes the Germanic founding of Fort Wayne and the later toned-down German influences that were a distraction during the onset of WWI. I have read Fort Wayne history and being a native of Fort Wayne, I was surprised to learn even more with this book. Since it is a fast read, while interesting, I would recommend this book for any Fort Wayne native. People liking historic photos could also benefit from this neat and clever book. While it was near me, family read it and had much the same praises as do I for this book.

While I normally harshly criticize many books and focus on the negative, I will endorse this one. Good viewing, good reading.

sign of Spring

Sprout, grow, push away Winter

I drew the wrong conclusions

Elwood, a Blues Brother, or maybe not. I think not.

Fresh Market trash

carried away

I believe that this was moved from a shopping center, near a body of water, then pushed along about .2 mile downstream.

Hire a ninja

Not askAninja. I was just sharpening my blade when the thing went off. Man kills another with sword. I got this from MR who (mono) blogs . So, put the guy in jail, but insist on killing registered sex offenders, then you don't have to worry about sword-wielding guys doing "accidental" things.

Yeah, sex offender is dead!
Sad that supposed protective father will be in prison.

It's good that this impulsive man will be off the streets.

watching the game

So I got Beowulf from the library and if you like cut scenes from video games, then you'd love this movie. It is like watching a long series of cut scenes from sci-fi horror games. It was avoidable. It was interesting with some of the sound, the visuals were ok, but lacked realism -- still had the cut scene flair of a person altering shape and mass during times of the movie.

Overall, the movie isn't a movie. It was more like a long game trailer -- play now on Wii, PS #, GC, XBOX #

moley moley moley

A neighbor was fixing a dryer vent and asked for help. Apparently a mole crept in through this access and entered the home. While it deftly escaped his terror campaign of chasing it in the house, the cat, a day later, was clearly more skillful and left the assassinated mole on the floor.

There's it's dead, can I go now?

Anyway, I helped him with the venting and it is as good as it is going to be.

My Neighbor Totoro

This kid's movie is fairly typical of Hayao Miyazaki's work. There are children being independent, but this one has fewer "scary" moments and scenes. The characters are all interesting in their own right, but the mother character is never developed -- like most of his work. When watching the movies you must assume that there are myths and creatures that are unknown to you, but he will show you.

The English version was remastered, leaving a perfect surround sound with stereo elements. The relationship of the sisters is very well done and typically there is an elder who helps the main character go through life and learn. The only disappointment with the movie I had was the Poke'mon like qualities a few of the forest spirits. I did, however, like the Cheshire Cat allusion as well as the Magic School Bus allusion.

It ended fairly abruptly leaving you wanting more, as if ... "is this a series".

Old Vermilyea House

Old Vermilyea House at Redding Rd. and Aboite Rd. in Allen County, Indiana

In Indiana, specifically Huntington

Dan Quayle ... oops, should that be Quail, or Kwale or ... well, I think you got it.

today's Zork walk Gru on me

I walked again today, a habit I hope I keep, and found some odd things on my trip. I found a caster (wheel) broken free from a wooden cart. It was lying in water. Elsewhere near the discarded wheel was a shovel. It was "unused". Apart from many other scraps of wind-blown trash, I found a yellow golf ball and saw, but did not move, a flower pot, a small basketball, large stones, van with four flat tires +, long oddly-shaped stick, car tire, empty water bottle, ...

While you couldn't, even in Zork, carry the van in your inventory, I am sure that putting all of these things in the right places would have yielded something like a gem that would be worth n points. I didn't meet the Wizard of Froboz or the Red Cloaked Figure, but I did see a mailbox. Oh, I forgot, matchbox with 3 matches. It was getting colder and darker. I didn't want to be eaten by a Gru, so I headed back.

+ Sadly, this was the only vehicle in the lot with a keyed side and four flat tires. It was clearly targeted. The only good news, is that the vandals didn't get every car there.

MR made me laugh

Did I find any Geo Metros, like the one I had once driven, slip through the grate holes into the stormwater/sewer? No, but that was very funny!

dark day

Fort Wayne experienced the death of at least five persons.+ It was a dark day. I hope Fort Wayne never again has such a dark day.

+ it will be argued that the fetus is a person, thereby making it six deaths.

Today's weather

ass-biting cold

lazy workers yields unmovable covers

Way to go workers! Yeah, that whole process would have taken minutes to pull up the cover and let it sit. Here's to laziness!

So I go to this job interview

She asks me, "what kind of job do you want". I told her; she screamed; kicked me out. I guess I misunderstood her. I mean, it was a fan manufacturer, right?

Flowers For Algernon

While I am not through reading it, it is the book I am reading now. I saw the sad play and have had the book for a long while, never reading it. It is a sad book, only hints at some flashes of humor from real life perspectives, but as a whole, a journey of sadness. I think that is why I am not running through it. After my friends having hellish weeks, stress in my own life, I am not keen on getting lower through literature.

free book for review

I was offered and got a free Fort Wayne book. It is quite nice, mostly chronologically arranged detailing, in photographs, the "evolution" as it were of Fort Wayne. I would suggest anyone interested in Fort Wayne's history to Historic Photos of Fort Wayne. There is not a whole lot of text, but well worth your while to read.

but thine is black

My sister called, and one small feature to not working full time at my in-town job is that I could help her out. She was thinking of buying a Dodge Intrepid, 1999, like mine. Well, it was much cheaper, but lacked some of the amenities mine has as well as some interior structure wear and tear. In all, I think that she didn't get a bad deal from the company. The only real -- now, problem was the breaks. While they didn't squeal, they seemed weak. She bought the car today and took it to another place to fix the brakes. Only now do I think, "have it's memory erased, then it will be over; it will be ours ..." +

+ Star Wars: New Hope

eyebrow raised, other twitching

It was a stressful weekend -- my anger boiling to a point of wanting to act out, so I walked about 3 hours. I walked in areas where I have never been and saw a few neat things, but mostly just thought and felt. I startled two rabbits from their creek-side burrows Apart from them, the birds, and one cat, I saw nothing of much interest. I did see some very-well hidden businesses that would not be seen by local passerbys as they were off a side street and lacked very large signs. One street had wonderfully lazy road crews tar and gravel the road without removing the manhole covers, so -- they are permanently fixed. Smart, really smart.

The next day, still frustrated as the problem didn't go away really, I walked about 3 some miles and saw a curious raccoon, bewildered by my intrusion, but slowly crawled away into a "safer" spot -- a cover under a bridge. I did not have my camera, but with my slow movements likely put less stress on the animal as I backed up a bit then walked away from it. It looked at me as if I were about to scold it.

-- to protect identity, no gender terms are intentionally used --

When I got back I got a call from my friend. She had sad, bad news. Another friend at work, kid, had too much stress and lost it at work, hyperventilating that person went to hospital. That person was discharged the same night. I drove up (to another city) to see that the patient was already gone. I am happy that person got to leave.

My friend who called, reporting this, also had a hell of a weekend. In all -- my stress and anger are ill-suited for my minimal stress. Others, well-deserving a reprieve were granted none. In perspective -- I wish I had carried their load -- their hell with me as I walked. My feet, smearing the mud of wasted and of ill with each step -- eventually empty of most of my load.

McCain responds to birth

While born on an American Base in Panama, he was 100% conceived in the continental US. He showed a diary entry that "proves" that his mother thought his conception was on a particularly good and interesting day. Meanwhile, he respectfully told detractors to mallard or duck off and to go eat their own boat or ship, I think. "Fargin Bastages?"

McCanada

Here we're eatin' Harp seals with that nice time-honored tradition of good old clubbing. I understand they do clubbing in big cities, but I don't think that could be right, for there aren't seals there, are there? Anyway, I don't like the new law that I have to club them, cut their throats like an assassin, then gut 'em. I mean, already it's cold out there and to spend more time finding arteries through all that fat ... waste of time. Seal, it's what's for dinner.

Munich

ok, well done. I might watch it again, but not soon. While watching it, I saw an actor --- he was familiar, how... ah, yes, a Bond movie. In Moonraker, he was the villain Hugo Drax. Yes, Michael Lonsdale aged fairly well and has a messload of acting roles. The scenes, however simple were far from plain, I guess that's what makes it memorable, the cinematography, not Munich itself.