Damn, I was a fan.

Bandleader Artie Shaw Dies at 94

I started listening to Artie Shaw after my Grandfather turned me on to him in the early 70s. One day, while riding in my Grandfathers old T-bird, he popped a Artie Shaw cartridge in the 8-track and told me stories of love and loss from the 30s and 40s. Begin the Beguine was his favorite, and my favorite Artie Shaw song. The Clarinet was wonderful. It never failed to lift my sprits. Of course, Concerto for Clarinet is also a masterpiece. I wish Shaw had continued to produce after the 40s. I would have liked a chance to see him perform.

R.I.P Artie Shaw

Robot Boxing

© Copyright 2004 Mojoey

The hit at this years Christmas party was a remote controlled knockoff version of Rockem Sockem Robots. We held a rotating tourney; I was 0 for 2, but real close to winning both times! The robots are a little hard to control, which made the scene more reminiscent of a robotic dancing contest. The robots have a jab and a rapid-fire rabbit punch. The trick was to hit the opposing robot on a sensor in the middle of its chest. It was very hard to do; most of the matches were positioning battles. We had fun with this and it beat the hell out of a lopsided game of Trivial Pursuit which we played earlier in the evening. The great thing about this toy is that it came home with me!

Memory and Sarah Vowell

I have been listening to the audio book version of Sarah Vowell’s “The Partly Cloudy Patriot” for the better part of the last two weeks. Vowell is an amazing essayist. I was familiar with her work from her stories on This American Life, but had not given much thought to reading her books until my son left her CDs in my Truck. Once I got past here nasally voice, I was captivated. She really is a great storyteller.

One essay dealt with her memories of America’s bicentennial in 1976. She recounts with amazing details what she was doing and thinking at the time. She was 7 at the time. I was freshman in high school in 76, which would put me at 15. The funny thing is, I really do not remember the bicentennial. I remember it being important to many people. I remember hearing about it on the TV and radio, but I do not actually remember the event itself. I cannot recall July 4, 1976. It makes me wonder, what else important have I forgotten?

In 1976, I remember hiking Goodall Pass in the Sierras Nevada Mountains on the John Muir trail. , I remember that my girlfriend Melody broke up with me, and then she got pregnant by some guy who was five years older and in the military. We had barely even kissed. I remember winning the league championship in freshman basketball, and that my friend’s sister, Debbie Mallock, was Artesia’s homecoming queen. I remember things I did with friends; like seeing the King Tut exhibit in LA with my friend Jon. I remember family events; my family went waterskiing at Lake Hughes the day Howard Hughes died (April 4). Heck, I even remember having t-bone steaks and beans by a campfire on that trip, but I do not remember the bicentennial, not even one little bit. Why do I not remember this? The 4th was on a Sunday in 76; I would have spent it with my family, but no, nothing at all, just a big blank.

I just spoke by phone with my mom while writing this post. She does not remember either, which is not surprising. Her best guess is that we celebrated July 4, 1976 like every other 4th of July, with a party at our house, followed by fireworks at Knotts Berry Farm. On occasion, we would go to Long Beach and watch fireworks launched from the Queen Mary with our friends the Mallock’s. I vaguely remember a 4th in Long Beach, fog, sand, firecrackers, bottle rockets, and sparklers, all spring to mind. I think I was much younger. I do not ever remember going to Knotts.

Well, the hunt is on for me. I am going to figure out what I did that day. There will be more to follow as the 70’s fog is lifted from my memory.

One last thing, how did Sarah Vowell remember something that happened when she was 7? I was 7 in 1968. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on April 4th, Robert Kennedy was assassinated on June 4th, yet I remember nothing specific at all about these events. I cannot even remember the name of the school I attended at the time. Hmmm….

2004 iPod top five

It's time to start reviewing 2004 in preparation for next years new years resolutions. In this case, the resolution is: "what new music should I listen to in 2005". I like to start by reviewing my musical tastes for 2004 based on my year end iPod play counts. The top five for this year where:

1. Dave Mathews Band (by 2 to 1)
2. Weezer
3. Sublime
4. Greenday
5. Bob Marley & The Wailers

Details:
Dave Mathews moved up the list from #6 last year, while Bob Marley fell from #1. Weezer, who has made my list the previous three years, moved up from #3 to #2. I also listened to a lot of Johnny Cash, mostly because he passed this year. Johnny Cash made my list at #8.

Suggestions for 2005 are always welcome.

Carson Ugly # 17 - Shopping Carts

© Copyright 2004 Mojoey

My wife recently told me I was a lazy photographer. I was not happy. With her bitter message ringing in my ears a few days ago, I walked half a mile to these shoot shopping carts. Lazy my ass... (Well, maybe a little)

Carson continues to amaze me with its ugliness and neglect. This dumping site greets me every morning on my drive in. It never goes away. I may be only one cart, or it may be several, but it is always there, greeting visitors and cheering up my day.

While I was shooting this picture, which is at an entrance to the 405 freeway, a trucker asked me "how much". I hope he did not think I was a Carson hooker. That would really drive down Carson's image.

Dance Dance Resurrection - the perfect Christian Xmas gift!

Dance Dance Resurrection - A new Concept in Christian Electronic Entertainment Where can I get one of these? A Christian version of Dance Dance Revolution complete with "Christian Backmasking", "Alpha Stimulation", and "wholesome music", so that our young people can grow up right.

I love the dance pad, it's an INRI cross. And then there is what happens when you reach perfection. Dance well, and you will recieve the love of our lord Jesus Christ into your life, dance poorly and it's straight to the fiery pits of hell!

Oh man, whoever thought of this is going to get some very special mail.

Words. Nothing but sweet, sweet words that turn into bitter orange wax in my ears

These words were spoken by my nine year old son Michael while playing Star Wars Battlefront on the PS2 at about midnight. My other son, his girlfriend, and I all looked at each other in stunned silence for a few moments. Our thoughts ranging from “Wow, that’s deep”, to “How on earth did my son speak something so profound", and "Do I have a young poet on my hands?” After a moment I asked, “Mike, did you make that up?” he replied, “No dad, Fry said it on Futurama.” We all laughed, some of which was in relief, I remember thinking “Damn, I’m 43 and could not come up with a line like that if I tried.” Of course, all this speaks to the power of TV, TiVo, and youthful obsession.

My nine year old son likes anything my 23 year old likes, so Futurama and the Family Guy are in constant rotation on our TV. I think my son has seen some episodes of Futurama 20 times or more. It’s like he watches them until he understands all of the references, then moves on to other episodes. Which brings me to my point, I watch them too, but I can’t even quote simple phrases. My favorite Futurama quote is from Professor Farnsworth, “That sounds dangerous. Somebody could get killed. Fry, Leela, Bender, you go.”

Bad day at work - good day at home

© Copyright 2004 Mojoey

I don't complain about work much. Work is work, what can you do? Today was different. Today was bad. I can do without days like today. Stress, deadlines, and complexity, it all makes for a pressure building mind-numbingly bad day. But, what can you do? Macallan helps, a good Scotch goes a very long way towards bringing a bad day to a nice close, that and a little AoE.

Tomorrow promises to be worse, oh boy.

My name is Mojoey and I am addicted to AoE

I don't know why it happened, it just did. One day I was removing AoE from users computers while at work and was complaining about how wasteful it was, and then I played a game... Now I'm an addict. It is like crack (so I hear) I actually dream about this silly game. Last night I was the Vikings slaughtering the Huns; I won because of a sneak attack using my naval forces. I know I am helpless in the face of this addiction, but what the hell; at least I can beat my sons.

Chrenkoff

I read LGF quite a bit. LGF is really one of the only places to go for if one wants to find out what is really going on in the world. LGF posted on Good News From Iraq part 17, which itself is a great read, but when one reads the whole series, at Chrenkin's blog, one gets a much different picture of what is happening in Iraq. The war becomes noble, our efforts less futile, a win becomes possible. Chrenkin's blog is worth reading.

This seems like a stupid idea - you try it

It looks like James Sooy figured out how to pierce the bridge of the nose so you can hang a pair of glasses off the hardware. It looks.... well, kind of painful.

POS Rental Car

© Copyright 2004 Mojoey

I am bored this morning, so I am writing about whatever pops into my head. Today's topic is rental cars. I have rented a few cars in my day, my guess is at least 150 in the last five years. This time, I needed a car for a few days because my son had borrowed mine for a short trip up North. I rented a Pontiac Aztec from Hertz, and it really sucked. I usually rate a car on four things;

• Fit - Do I fit in it.
• Visibility - Can I see out of it.
• Driving - How does it feel to drive?
• Sound - Does it have a good stereo?

I did not fit in the car. It had plenty of headroom, but no ass room and my legs were cramped. I was very uncomfortable in this car, more so than in the Jeep I rented while in Hawaii last year, and I hated that Jeep.

I could not see out of the rear window unless I crouched or sat up straight. The rear window has a bar going across it right where you would normally see the cars behind you. It was very annoying. On the other hand, you could look out of the lower rear window and see the tires of the car behind you. I do not know what good that does for you, but what the hell. Looking over your left shoulder, you see a part of the car, over your right shoulder, small windows and more car. I felt like I was driving blind.

It drove O.K., the Aztec had no real power, and was sluggish, but for an American car it was passible.

Road sounds were noticeable; the Aztec is not a quiet ride. The most annoying thing was the friggen stereo. Its volume changed depending on how I was driving. If I slowed down, the volume went down, if I sped up, the volume went up. I know it is a "feature", but I like music loud, even if I am at a stop signal.

In summary – this car sucked, stay away!

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I'm Confused

I found this car in the parking lot of a Borders in Long Beach. My first thought... WTF?


nut

If you look close, you will see the following:
KPFK voice of mass dissent radio or left wing nutball radio

• Phish sticker
• Dr. Seuss' The Lorax
• Psychedelic State
• Cal State Long Beach
• Teddy Bears in a car
• One Day Lost
• HB Tattoo
• Dare to think for yourself
• An equal sign
• I break for antelope
• LB for Long Beach
• When I grow up, I wanna be like me
• Please feel free to stare, point, whisper and ask questions
• I like my men pierced
• Two stickers of girls with cats
• All truth goes through three stages...
• You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one.
• Give peace a chance
• Meat is murder
• Friends don't let friends vote republican
• A Darwin anti christian fish
• A W in 04 sticker
• You can no more win a war than you can win an earthquake

The drivers side reads...

I've roamed and rambled, And I've followed my footsteps,
to the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts,
And all around me a voice was souunding,
this land was made for you and me

The passenger side reads...

The sun comes shining, As I was strolling,
The wheat fields waving, And the dust clouds ralling,
The fog was lifting a voice comes chanting,
This land was made for you and me

My analysis - this girl is very strange, but I felt like buying her car.

The Daily Grill Long Beach

© Copyright 2004 Mojoey

Kristen Stratton is the Manager at the new Daily Grill in Long Beach. I met her on a rainy day while studying at Pepperdine’s World Trade Center campus in Long Beach. The World Trade Center is a dead place on a Saturday; the Daily Grill had just opened for business. It was completely empty. Kristen was gracious and offered a shortened lunch menu instead of their full menu. I had the tuna sandwich; it was good, but quite expensive.

A few days later, I was back. This trip was to sample their bar. They offered an O.K. selection of beers, I wanted a Guinness, but settled for several Newcastle’s ($4.75 each). Their scotch list is weak, I had a Glenfiddich ($7), they insisted on serving in it a cognac class. I chalked it up to inexperience.

Their menu looks mundane, it’s kind of upscale classic Americana, but it is too pricey. I think they might be targeting the Hilton Hotel business traveler market, I don’t think normal diners are going to go out of their way to eat there. The restaurants location is going to work against it. The area they are in has no foot traffic, little car traffic, and is deserted after 5 p.m. My guess is they will be out of business within a year at this location.

On the other hand, Kristen is very nice. I hope she does well…

I got a B!

© Copyright 2004 Mojoey

Dr. Paul Gift is a talented Adjunct Professor teaching economics in Pepperdine's MBA program. Economics was the hardest class to date in the MBA program. I struggled with concepts that were new to me. I am actually happy with a B, I feared much worse. Dr. Gift is the best teacher I have had while in Pepperdine’s program. He is a good lecturer, and is able to teach a complex subject in a way that invites further inquiry. I actually like economics now.

I had to study hard for this class; much harder than in any other class so far. Dr. Gifts mid-term and final exam are very difficult. He is after making sure his students understand the subject and can demonstrate their knowledge. Up to this point in my education, I have never taken a test that was so hard, or as stressful. I am glad this class is behind me.

I hope Pepperdine sees the value of bringing Dr. Gift on as a full time professor. In my opinion, their program will be much better off for it.

Learning through Experience

Learning through Experience

This blog is for the daughter of a friend. Tabitha is planning on taking her second trip abroad as a student ambassador and is seeking financial assistance from people interested in sponsoring her next trip. I plan on becoming a sponsor because I think Tabitha is just the right kind of person we need to send out to the world to help paint a better picture of America. Tabitha is asking for any contribution, even a dollar, so come on bloggers, pony up a few bucks!

Slow Day - A dog at LAX

© Copyright 2004 Mojoey

I was at LAX today, bored out of my mind while waiting for my son to return from Japan. I was looking around for something to shoot, when I saw an ugly lady with her dog attracting a lot of attention. I asked her if I could shoot a picture, then I had to peel myself away, she liked to talk. It was an ugly dog too, and fat.

A good example of nutball psychobabble

The Rise of the Amerikan Nazis. Part I of III: Birth of Despotism

The clouds that have hovered over us since 9/11 are beginning to dissipate. Our minds are once more seeing the plethora of colors created with the birth of each new sunrise. We can see clearly once again. It is time to shake the foundations of what is known, and what is yet to be found.

Nutballs come in all forms. In this case, Manuel Valenzuela, an American hating writer, with a completely screwed up world view. Valenzuela puts forth the notion that America = Nazi Germany or that we are even worse.... Of course he takes 4,500 words to make his mind numbing, meandering, conspiracy filled point, and this meeting is really only part one of three.

This guy is a hate-filled nutball, I hope he’s not an American.

The best quote from this POS:

Our failure to question the official ‘truth’ of 9/11 arises because of our fear of knowing the truth, our uncertainty of what to do if what the government says is false. We fear knowing that perhaps our government and leaders, our policy makers and corporate elite were involved in the greatest terrorist act to ever devastate American soil, and so we meander in purposeful ignorance, unwilling to open the doors to a storm that would shake our foundations to the ground. Our ego’s refusal to believe in the criminality of the government, even if only negligent, even if criminally complicit, is the ally of the Amerikan Nazis, for it strengthens their grip on power and their confidence that they can do with us as they please.

Valenzuela thinks we were behind the attacks of 9/11, or we asked for it, or through our negligence allowed it to happen.... Valenzuela is an official Nutball, and a liberal defeatist big "L" loser.

Leading atheists changes teams

One of the world's leading atheists now believes in God, more or less

Well, a quick read shows that Antony Flew now believes that some sort of intelligence or first cause must have created the Universe. Great, Thanks dude... you just gave the creation science nutballs more quotes to use in their fight against Darwin.

Of course, it could just be that Flew, who is 81, realized he will not going to solve the mystery of life anytime in his lifetime, and just gave up. I mean, that is reasonable, right? At least he did not become a bible thumper, I’m afraid we would have had to call in a hit if that were the case. (we atheists have connections you know!)

The joy of being on a good team

I spoke to a friend today about what it means to part of a team, not a team in the rah-rah sense of the word, but a team that you would trust with your back when times were hard. I do not think he got it, at least he did not seem to.

I’ve been involved with many different jobs over the course of my career. Before I started working, I did a stint in the service, and before that, was a bit of a jock in high school. I learned what it means to be part of a team by being on a team. Some lessons were harder than others were. Once, when I was in High School, I broke a toe right at the end of basketball season, I opted to skip the last game and go out with my girlfriend, instead of setting with my team as they lost a close game to a hated rival. I did not think much of it while I was out having fun, but the next week at school, my team let me know they were disappointed. That was nothing compared to the coach. He told me that leadership on the bench is as important to a team as as leadership from the court, and that I had not shown very good leadership skills by missing the last game. I had let my team down. Of course, there was nothing I could do about it after the fact, except learn from my mistake, and I did learn. Today, I don’t care if I have a broken leg, or other valid excuses for missing the “game”, I always show up, even if I know I’m not going to play.

I was a good all around player on my basketball team. I contributed a lot of points, hustled, rebounded, and tried to do my very best for four years. I even won a few awards along the way, but when I meet my former teammates today, I am sure to hear about the game I missed. It sucks really…. At our high school awards ceremony, The Coach said of me, “Joe was one of the best pure shooters I have ever coached, too bad he missed the last game, we could have really used him”. It is hard to forget a lesson like that, I think about it often.

I had the same kind of thing happen in the service. I was chronically late for my shift, sometimes by as much as half an hour. My NCO busted my ass hard, and told me something I will never forget, he said, “arriving late shows disrespect to the man you are relieving, how do you expect these guys to watch your back if you don’t respect them?” He was right of course, then he game me thirty days in the stockade and made me cut a whole bunch of grass. I was never late again. Being on-time translated well to my work life today. I try my hardest not to show my teammates any disrespect by showing up on time for work and for meetings. I’m not perfect, but I do pretty good. It is amazing what 30 days with bubba in a smelly jail cell will do for you.

Oh, one last thing, I still hate cutting grass...

Omar's Ink

© Copyright 2004 Mojoey

My friend Omar got a new tat recently. He made the design himself. I’ve always liked tattoos, but I have never taken the step of getting one. I almost did once while I was in the service, but I got bored waiting for my turn under the needle and went to a bar instead. I like Omar’s tattoo, it's very bold, and not gay at all.

Wassef Ali Hassoun charged with Desertion

I think I called this one!

Deep Thoughts: Duh - he's a Muslim

Friday (December 10, 2004) it was announced that Wassef Ali Hassoun was charged with Desertion. His story sounded fishy when it hit the press the first time. Too bad he can only get 15 years of jail time, perhaps he can apologize to his fellow Marines when he does his military style perp walk?

Lakers Descend to Mediocrity

The Lakers play the Clippers tonight and for the first time in recorded history, the Clippers have a better record. The Lakers have descended into mediocrity behind the leadership of their morally corrupt misanthrope Kobe, while the clippers have climbed up to a level of mediocrity rarely achieved. It should be a snoozer. I hope the Clippers win.

I’ve check out...

It’s been a busy week; I’ve had finals at Grad School, and a very heavy work load, plus I'm just plain tired, so I’ve only posted lightly this last week. I’ll get back to it soon.

Last night my son tried to tell me about a madman shooting people in a band because he did not like their music. I laughed because I thought he was being cute. Damn, Darrell Abbott is dead. Some nutball shot him the other night while he was playing with his new band. Where the hell I have been to not hear this? I was not a Pantera fan, but I like Abbots guitar work. Now he’s feeding worms, damn.

It looks like the press is spinning Abbott murder as a being perpetrated by an aggressive socially inept stalker. I’m betting its mental illness and drugs. I don’t want to mention the name of Abbott’s murder here, no use giving the bastard any more attention that he is already getting.

I think I need to start read Google News again… What else has gone wrong in the last week?

R.I.P. Darrell Abbott

Theme Thursday - Lights

© Copyright 2004 Mojoey

I shot this a few weeks ago at the Pike in Long Beach. I think they over did the lighting a bit. It kind of felt like Christmas, but a little early.

This is for Theme Thursday under "Lights"

What does he have in his pockets?

© Copyright 2004 Mojoey

foj - Cezar Yepez

Cezz is a great guy, young, talented, and in soccer shape (he plays all the time). We've been part of the same study group at Grad School for 18 months, but tonight is our last class together. I go on to International Business, he goes on to Accounting.

For the ladies --- yes Cezar is single and looking. I'll be happy to pimp him out, just drop me a note. I'm not sure what he has in his pockets though....

Gothic Christmas gifts

Are you looking for that perfect gift for your daughter or neice? Well look no more! Heavy Red is a world wide seller of gothic clothing for girls. They offer next day shipping on all products. Order now to make sure you get your gothic school girl pleased skirt for christmas morning.

How Much is Inside a Pack of Oreos?

How Much is Inside a Pack of Oreos? I used to like Oreos, back when I could eat them. This site takes a look at how much is inside of something like a Package of Oreos. It is a crackup and educational too. How much is inside a package of Oreo's? 177 grams of cookie goodness!

Other interesting products:
A Keg
Goldschlager
A print cartridge
Dust off

Aluminum Foil Deflector Beanie

Aluminum Foil Deflector Beanie: "An Aluminum Foil Deflector Beanie (AFDB) is a type of headwear that can shield your brain from most electromagnetic psychotronic mind control carriers" oh yes, sign me up! I know "they" are out there, watching, waiting to steel my Deep Thoughts!

Houses of the Future

Houses of the future is a project which will features six house styles, each made of different base material. The housing types are The concrete house, the steel house, the cardborad house, the timber house, the glass house, and the clay house.

My favorite - The cardboard house!

Interior of an old building, Long Beach

© Copyright 2004 Mojoey

I shot this picture through the polarized glass of an old building in Long Beach at sunset. I took a dozen photos, each at a different setting. I love the results.

I can do better

© Copyright 2004 Mojoey

Sometimes a take a picture and don't pay very close attention to details. Like this one, the there are a half dozen problems with it, all of which can be corrected in postproduction, but most of which could have been prevented. All I have to do is take my time and think, or “see” the picture. In this case I took a snapshot and suffered for it. The symmetry is off, the depth of field is too shallow, the color saturation is weak, it’s not even level (it slopes to the left), and there are a few other problems too. I took this picture on purpose. I walked half a mile in the cold to take it at sundown on a clear day. You would think I would take the time to make a good picture. Damn, I’m going to have to do it again.

How afraid is CBS & NBC?

The United Church of Christ was told that their 30-second television advertisement that depicted church as open to all, even homosexuals, was refused by CBS & NBC. Was this self-censorship or fear of the FTC? Sure it was. The advertisement is innocuous, affirming, and well…. Christian. It might be offensive to the typical fundie, who’s doctrine of hate includes excluding homosexuals, the potential offensiveness is not sufficient to warrant refusing the advertisements.

Why did CBS & NBC do this? It is quite simply fear of the FTC and the federal government. Last month is was an Academy Award winning movie, this month it is a commercial a church, the slippery slope is starting to look pretty damn steep. What else are we being saved from seeing?

Monday Madness Meme

I came across a question meme called Monday Madness. Each week the meme owner will post three (or more) questions; he or she tries to keep them on the 'light' side. People post the questions, then answer them on their blog. It seems kind of stupid, but what the heck.

How did you choose a name for your blog?

• I like Jack Handy sayings. Plus, I have a pretty stupid sense of humor, so a Jack Handy/Deep Thoughts seem to fit. Of course that was before I started fotobloging, but Deep Pictures sounds… stupid.

How many times have you changed the name of your blog?

• None, nada, not once.

How many blogs to you update regularly?

• www.mojoey.blogspot.com
• http://bumperreader.blogspot.com/

How many times have you moved in your life?

• As an adult 7
  

On a scale of 1-10, how stressful is moving (in your opinion)?

• 10, moving sucks.

When moving, do you/would you rent a moving van/truck?

• Rent, but never Uhaul ever ever ever again.

Do you wear glasses? If so, how old were you when you needed them?

• Yes – all my life.

What one question would you hope someone running a meme, would ask?

• How old where you went you moved out of your parents home?

Reflection on a BlockBuster window

© Copyright 2004 Mojoey

There was something about the road running parallel to the video racks and the statue of children playing on the hill that caught my eye. Anyway, this is my Photo Friday submission under the Reflections catagory.

Low Carb Crack

© Copyright 2004 Mojoey

Natalie Coffee Brookhurst and Talbert in Fountain Valley make a low carb frozen coffee drink that is crack. They hooked me a few weeks ago, now I wake up on a Saturday morning thinking that 12 miles is not too far to drive for a cup of joe.

The only thing is.... Natalie changed their name to "Coffee Plantation" a few days ago. Now I'm worried. Please, please, please don’t be a Starbucks.

Review - Curley's Cafe

Curley’s Café © Copyright 2004 Mojoey

Curley’s has been a Signal Hill lunch institution for a very long time. I can remember eating there in the late 70’s (I think), in the 80’s, and again in the 90’s. I was surprise when my friend Bob suggested a quick lunch there earlier in the week. Like usual, I had forgotten the neighborhood eatery. The building sits on the corner of Cherry and Willow, nestled between two functioning oil wells. It has a very “old” Signal Hill feel to it.

Curley’s is a classic burger and beer joint, and very informal. It has two dinning rooms, one with a pool table and bar. Curley’s also has a patio with a view of well…. two oil wells and a lot of traffic.


Double Cheeseburger © Copyright 2004 Mojoey

I ordered a double cheeseburger; it came with a choice of fries, onion rings, potato salad, or coleslaw. The picture above is accurate. The burgers are large and good; they are reminiscent of a better quality “In N Out” burger. The onion rings were a little too greasy, but they were passable.

I always judge a meal on if I want to eat it but cannot finish. This was one of those cases, I loved the burger, but it was too much food. I could not finish lunch. The bill for a double cheeseburger and a coke was about $10. I little pricy, but worth it. I am sure I will be back again.

Curley's Cafe
1999 E Willow St Signal Hill, Calif. (562)424-0018

Christian protest group faces 47 years in prison

REPENT AMERICA - a totally fundie website

A group of fundies, known as the Philadelphia 11, were arrested while protesting the Philadelphia Gay and Lesbian "Outfest" in October of 2004. Now the group faces 3 felonies, and up to 47 years in prison each. All I can say is “YIPEE!” I don't know how many times I have ran into a sign toting Christian, who keep telling me I'm going to hell unless I repent. Of course this usually happens when I'm enjoying myself – not necessarily at an “Outfest”, but maybe in Los Vegas. It is a total buzz kill, and very rude. Keep your religion to yourselves please.

I don't belong to any protected group, except maybe old fat white men with a puerile sense of humor, but the next time some nutball fundie starts telling me about hell while holding a "repent or die" sign, I'm calling the police. You never know.... Prison sounds reasonable.

One other thing, Repent America has a bizarre home page. To enter the site, there is a button to push if you are a Christian, and another button for "all other". DO NOT press the “all others” button, you will get a Ten Commandments lecture, and learn the "truth" that you are going to hell unless you drop to your knees and….

Deep Thoughs - Robot President

I wish a robot would get
elected president. That way,
when he came to town,
we could all take a shot at
him and not feel too bad.

Jack Handy

Something bad happened....

Something real bad.

Don, my brother-in-law's (the not so ugly one) website.

AMA: Anna Nicole Smith meltdown

I finally found a copy of Anna Nicole Smith's meltdown on the very cool blog milk and cookies. The short QuickTime movie is worth watching. Smith looks drunk, stoned, or stupid (or all three).

Enjoy

Trumpy Brandy butter-Fairy

BBC - What is your secret Christmas name

Mine is at best way off the mark, I mean butter-fairy! oh come on! Why not Big Christmas Pine. Trumpy Brandy Butter-Fairy is just wrong. No wonder I got lousy gifts as a child.

Nutball - Do you really expect me to believe...

Guadalupe Feng Shui Flags

ok - somebody is going to buy these things. Then I'm going to sneak up and take a picture while yelling NUTBALL.

This is just freaken weird

The Bran Flakes - Closer!

But work safe and yummy fun too!

Long Beach Art Project #2

I took a brief walk around the "East Village" in downtown Long Beach today and shot a couple of the public art pieces. As I said in my previous post, I will be posting these images as I come across them. This first piece is quite colorful and impressionistic. I am not sure what aspect of Long Beach it represents, but I do like it.


© Copyright 2004 Mojoey

The piece below is clearly depicting the starlings that inhabit much of downtown Long Beach. I love the colors, they are very bold.


© Copyright 2004 Mojoey

This piece is depicting the Queen Mary and local palm trees. I am not sure if it qualifies as art, but it is much better than graffiti.


© Copyright 2004 Mojoey

I am very interested in this project. I hope that it will spread beyond the downtown area because much of Long Beach has a distinct "inner city" look to it. Still, Long Beach has come a long way since the bad old days of the 60's, 70's, 80's, and 90's. Well... maybe not such a long way, but there is hope.

Sometimes I feel stupid

Chapter 11 © Copyright 2004 Mojoey

I was walking around on my way to dinner tonight when I passed this bumper sticker on the window of an old building. I thought to myself, "…but from what book?" Well, then I realized the sticker was about bankruptcy. Like I said, sometimes I feel stupid.

Nutball - Cleanliness

Cleanliness:

I hope this guy is not serious. His website talks about how to keep clean. Chapter headings:

Keeping Clean
Digging a Latrine
Poem: What if Jesus Came
Biblical Cleaness of Teeth.

I mean - WTF?

Prehistoric Pets

© Copyright 2004 Mojoey

I made a quick trip to Prehistoric Pets in Fountain Valley Friday. The store is reptile heaven. My son and I spent time feeding the turtles and fish. For about three dollars, you can buy a couple dozen mealworms, then feed the monster fish (30lbs and over), and turtles (several dozen large ones!). If you are lucky, a 6-foot Nile Monitor lizard will be in the water. I've seen little girls and boys pee their pants when this big lizard rises up out of the water instead of a fish.

Prehistoric Pets has in shop parties, and does birthdays. I've had them out for a my son's birthday, it was a blast. They brought a snake so big I had trouble holding it. Visiting the store is quite an experience. It is unlike any other pet store I've ever been in. They sold me an albino king snake a few years ago. It's been a great pet ever since I bought it, except that it bites me a lot.

Kids with tude

© Copyright 2004 Mojoey

Every now and then you are lucky enough to caputure attitude in a photo. These kids have enough of attitude to keep me happy for awhile.

Thanksgiving at the Sello's

Thanksgiving by the fire © Copyright 2004 Mojoey

It was a slightly chilly last night, 65 degrees or so, during this years Thanksgiving party at the Sello’s. I spent most of the night outside by the fires eating and drinking, and eating and drinking, and eating and drinking. It was great. I look forward to this party all year, the food is always outstanding. We had two fires going most of the night. The fireside conversation was great. My “keen” observation of the night (after having attended 25 of these events), we all seem to be getting a little older.


Imogen & Omar © Copyright 2004 Mojoey

Imogen played host to the evening's outside activities. Imogen is an outstanding baker (her carrot cake is a 10), and mixes a mean drink. Imogen and her longtime boyfriend Omar are a couple of the nicest non-relative/relatives that I know. It’s always a pleasure seeing them again. --- Thanks for a great party!


Bowlegged © Copyright 2004 Mojoey
We have a few interesting characters in the family. Take my brother-in-law Steve, besides being downright ugly, Steve also has the nicest pair of bowlegs on the planet. For this picture, Steve posed with feet together looking strait at me. You could toast a marshmellow through the gap.

Long Beach Art Project

I've noticed that the City of Long Beach has started converting utility boxes, bus stops, and various other pieces of public property to public art installations. the only thing is that some of it is bad, like this "stay in school" utility box off of Long Beach Blvd by the main post office,



and some of it is kind of good, like this hot mama serving food off second street.



I'm a big supporter of public art. I will spend some time shooting the various installations located in and around downtown Long Beach and then posting them to my blog as part of a new project. I think the project is limited to downtown Long Beach, but I’m not sure. Please let me know of any installations that you know of.

Carson Ugly # 16 - Gray and Bleak

© Copyright 2004 Mojoey

Carson is involved in endless redevelopment. Carson has some of the last large patches of open land in Los Angeles. However, no amount of redevelopment can make something this industrial-ugly look better; it is gray and bleak of the sunniest days.

Why Nutballs?

ABC News: 5 Killed, 3 Hurt in Wis. Hunting Dispute

I am asked this question over and over by people who read my blog. What is it about nutballs that fascinates you? I think it is best to start with a definition of nutball. A nutball is a person, or group of people, who act in a way that a rational person would intuitively understand to be well… NUTS! Take the case of Chai Vang, a deer hunter who killed five other hunters on November 21. His actions are clearly outside of the bounds of normal behavior. At most, Vang should have yelled at the other hunters, then realized he was wrong and walked to a new place to hunt. Instead he opens fire on his fellow hunters, killing 5. Vang is a nutball. I do not mean he is insane. I am not a doctor and do nut even pretend to understand physiology. I mean, what he did was so wrong that any rational person would instantly know it to be wrong.

Another example is the Diana Duyser, who is trying to sell her “Virgin Mary” toast on eBay. It only takes a few minutes for any rational person to realize that anybody who keeps a piece of toast in a sealed Lucite container for 10 years in hopes that it is a holy relic, is well… a nutball. (Which reminds me, my son used to collect french fries…)

So, why do I pick on religious nutballs so much? The answer is easy, they give me so much to choose from, especially the Christian fundamentalists, and those misguided souls in a cult, or one of those “made up” religions, like Wicca. I was just reading the other day about a group wanting to convene their coven in a local school. Stories like this stick out as potential nutballs, and often they are so much more. Take the holy toast lady, Diana Duyser, she spawned a group of copy cats that are selling everything from “I ate the holy toast t-shirts”, to holy cheese burgers, holy onion rings, and holy replica Virgin Mary toasts.

Of all the groups that I watch, Fundamentalist Christians give me the most material. Their “the end is near” machinations and endless harping on tedious public issues, brings them to my reading list almost daily. In every case, the positions they take are so outside the mainstream that they tend to be comedy acts rather than something that is taken seriously. Take the Texas school science book warning about “Evolution being a controversial theory”. A rational person sees through the crap and says nutball. Fundamentalist pushed to put it in place to give credence to their asinine view that the world was created ten thousand years ago and that God’s hand was to guide our evolution as an “intelligent design”. Any rational person knows that the Theory of Evolution is a scientific fact and does not attempt to explain the origin of life on earth, but only how species evolved over time.

I can go on and on, don’t get me started.

Newcastle Beer Message

© Copyright 2004 Mojoey

I had my first Newcastle on Saturday. I'm hooked. oh, I can also see that I will be collecting beer caps too!

The Group Mind

© Copyright 2004 Mojoey

This is what remains of the Group Mind (less me of course). We started Pepperdine's MBA program as five, then one of had a melt down, leaving four. On the left, is Mike, middle is Cezar, and on the right is Pete. I could not have gone this far through the program without them.

foj - Pete Bresne

© Copyright 2004 Mojoey

Pete is a classmate of mine at Pepperdine. He's smart, funny, and very low key. If I did not know for a fact that his roots are in New York, I would have sworn he was a socal local.

Poker?

© Copyright 2004 Mojoey

What the hell does this ad have to do with Poker?

oh, oh, cool site alert

World-Mysteries.com

I don't know how I missed this one, but it is too cool for words! Sections look at the mysteries of the bible, nostradamus, fuente Magna, Phaistos Disk, the Catalan Atlas, Sacred Symbols... I could waste a whole day here.

Enjoy

A little offbeat

I came across this site in an art mag a few months ago, and then forgot it. Then I heard it mentioned on KROQ (of all places), and went back for another go. It's still a hoot.

*** WARNING *** Not Work Safe

The site is called Naked, it undresses normal people as they spin around in a circle. The site's intro, which is work safe, reads:

"Naked. Something that every single one of us experiences in varying degress of pride, shame, audacity and reserve. What's the big deal? We see naked bodies all the time. At least, we see well-crafted, smooth, Airburshed bodies all the time. The fascination with these images lies in the fact they are ordinary people who have decided to take off their clothes in front of the camera. They are not supermodels. They are not famous actors. The are you. The are me. They are us."

Let me tell you, if people think this is porn, they are out of thier minds. If this were porn, the porn business would be out of business. The people shown are ordinary in every respect. I found myself exploring every picture. Did I mention it comes with sound too? The sound clips are better than the pictures.

enjoy if you dare.

Kerry Al Qaeda

© Copyright 2004 Mojoey

This is the second hand drawn anti-Kerry sign (the first is here) I've seen on Redondo in Long Beach. I stopped this time and got out to take pictures up close, a local shopkeeper asked me if I was FBI. Go figure.

I looked around but could not find any more. Oh well.

King of Bikes

© Copyright 2004 Mojoey

I saw this building today on Long Beach Blvd. When I first looked at it, I thought, "Wow, why would somebody name a business King of Dikes?". Then I realized it was the sun reflecting off the "B".

Crayons at TGIF

© Copyright 2004 Mojoey

This picture is for Theme Thursday category “Everyday Things”. We eat at TGIF a lot because it is my son’s favorite restaurant. These are the crayons that are given to each child as they sit down. They seem pretty"everyday" to me.

Lowrider Bike

© Copyright 2004 Mojoey

I saw this kid on a his bike at the corner of Del Amo and Norwalk in Cerritos/East Lakewood. He was just sitting there showing the world his prized ride.

foj - Mike Barber

© Copyright 2004 Mojoey

Mike is a funny and fun loving guy who cannot hold his alcohol, and is a great guy to be around. I have been in a study group with Mike, Pete, and Cesar (both to be pictured here soon) for the last 15 months while pursuing my MBA at Pepperdine. I am still learning how to use my new Nikon D70, so I took this opportunity to shoot with it while in portrait mode, which shallows the depth of field to blur the background while focusing on the subject. I shot a few pictures using this setting today, I like the results.

Oh, one other thing, I had two pictures of Mike I could have put up. This is the nice one. It does not get much better, poor guy.

Fun Fundie Quiz

Are you a Fundy? find out by taking this quiz. I think passthebread is a fundy, what about you?

btw - Fundy is short for right wing christian fundamentalist.

*** Update ***

I touched a nerve with this one, passthebread seems pissed.

Susan Mernit's Blog

Susan Mernit's Blog

Susan's blog is interesting, I'm going to add it to my daily read list.

Nutball alert - holy toast

Woman 'blessed by the holy toast'

I had no idea the Virgin Mary could appear on food. I understand Diana Duyser is trying to sell it on Ebay, which makes the story even better. I did a quick search on eBay and found dozens of entries for vision-inspired toast, the jokes are running rampant.

Yum, Virgin Mary on Toasted cheese sandwich, I bid $10.

Kevin Sites (spit) Blog

Kevin Sites Blog

I was intrigued by the motivation behind the release the video of a marine shooting an terrorist in a mosque in Fallujah. Did a video of this incident really need to be shown on Al-Jazeera? Is it not adding fuel to the fire of hatred? Whose team is Kevin Sites on? We are at war, giving the enemy the tools to fight us is wrong.

My gut tells me to look closely at the source. It could be a case of self-aggrandizing, or even worse, a reporter with an anti-war bias. It turns out to be both. Kevin Sites is both a self-promoter and against the war. Great, Sites has a blog, which constantly seeks to humanize the enemy, and has posted to ImagesAgainstWar.com, a site that is very much against the war.

I ask this question: If the storyteller is biased, can the story be trusted?

Turning to the Marine, did he do something wrong? I don’t know. But, putting myself in his place, I would have to say I would be more inclined to shoot booby trapped holy warrior terrorists, than to offer aid. When you shoot from a holy place, blow up innocent people, cut the heads off non-combatants, and execute aid workers, a bullet in the head is well… fitting and just.

Kevin Sites, in your own words "you are either with us, or against us", it looks like you are against us.

World Sunlight Map

World Sunlight Map - die.net

This is another cool link. It is a map showing cloud cover and sunlight across the world on a rectangular proejction map. Too cool for words. Check it out.

Theo Van Gogh's murder left a message pinned to his chest

Read the letter translated into English care of FaithFreedom.org here.

Margaret Hassan Murdered

Relief worker feared slain

Damn, every week it is something new. Every week it seems more senseless, there murders are not part of the human race. There is no justification for this crime; no rational stretch of any agenda would authorize it. Margaret Hassan was murdered by men who deserve no better that they gave.

Here we have a woman show has served the deserving men, woman, and children of Iraq for nearly 30 years. Her thanks, a bullet in the head.. It sickens me. Just when I think there may be opportunities for peace, something like this happens and my heart hardens again. All I want is vengeance. Make those responsible for this, and the many other crimes already committed, pay with their lives

LGF has a good discussion going on this one: I call it 'Allah must be proud'.
Jihad Watch has a good discussion going here.


R.I.P. Margaret Hassan

Sponge Bob for Mike

Sponge Bob © Copyright 2004 Mojoey

My son insisted I take this shot, then he insisted I post it here.

For Michael.

Kerry BOTOX

Kerry BOTOX © Copyright 2004 Mojoey

Did he really use BOTOX? Damn...

Location: Redondo North of 3rd Street in Long Beach Ca.

Billboard Graffiti - Impeach Bush

Impeach Bush © Copyright 2004 Mojoey

Another angry democrat strikes on 2rd Street in Long Beach Ca, just east of Kennebec Ave.

What did Bush do besides win an election?

*** Update ***
I drove by this again on Thursday the 18th. It was gone.

Carson Ugly # 15 - No Trespassing

Carson Ugly © Copyright 2004 Mojoey

I can just hear the thinking behind this one, I'm 100 yards away from Carson City Hall, I've got a can of white paint and a piece of old tin, I think I'm going to paint me a no trespassing sign. Yep, that’s what I'm going to do. Oh, and then I'm going to leave it up for two years, yep, that's what I'm going to do.

Carson Ugly # 14 - The Mobile Home Gate

Carson Ugly © Copyright 2004 Mojoey

Carson is busy with urban renewal. This project replaces 50-year-old mobile homes with new high-density homes. It is supposed to make the area look better. We shall see in a year or two.

Nutball of the week - Whip me please

Principal who was voluntarily wipped is fired

Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner! Steve Unfreid looked to God for guidance when trying to determine the best way to discipline two high school seniors who were caught kissing girls at his Christian high school. These boys need discipline, principal Unfried's solution to the problem was self inflicted corporal punishment! After praying on the matter, Unfried awoke from a dream an remembered another incident involving disciplining young boys, excited by the memory, he rushed to school for anther go. He asked a teacher to spank him with a belt, until the boys had had enough. The spanking session lasted 10 minutes

Let’s see, two teenaged boys, one principle, his teacher "helper", a dark secluded downstairs room (read dungeon), ten minutes of privacy, no mention of discipline for the girl, and a nutball’s career goes down the toilet. I am surprised that the local community did not assume the worst, and run this guy out of town on a rail. Who, in their right mind, would ever consider this rational?

I am not Sorry, just laughing my ass off.

I have seen two websites, and several long blog posts, regarding Democrats who put up a website to tell the world Sorry Everybody, because Bush was elected. I ran through the images and could not help but think big "L" loser after reading each picture. I can appreciate losing a presidential election, as a libertarian, the only way I win is if I vote out of party (like I did this time), however, I would not stoop to apologizing to the world if my candidate lost. The world would have criticized us if Bush had won or lost. I really does not matter. Screw what the rest of the world thinks, it is an American matter.

Having said that, I was equally disgusted when Republicans put up a website that said “We're not Sorry”. This is just another tit for tat battle in a long standing war. I had not intended on even following the link, but then I saw a picture of a gun toting redneck, and I was hooked. This site is a gold mine of dysfunction. GUYS! You are not helping the cause. My favorite shot is the one of two crazy looking teenagers, flashing gang signs, while sitting in front of an old-school picture of Jesus. It was sweet. (Gallery one)

Enjoy

Public Sculpture, Cerritos Ca

Sculpture © Copyright 2004 Mojoey

Cerritos has always done a nice job filling public spaces with sculpture, fountains, and gardens. This sculpture went up in the Cerritos town center a few months ago. I am drawn to the golden glow ot the dancers cape each time I pass. I don't know the name of peice or the artist. I looked for a plague while I was shooting but did not see anything. It's located in the office complex in front of the main entrance to the town center near TGIF and Mimi's restaurant.

foj - Thor Dog, my minpin

foj - Thor Dog © Copyright 2004 Mojoey

Thor is my baby. He is a 2.5-year-old Min Pin. Thor barks at shadows and runs from cats, but I love him all the same. My son Mike recently took 250 pictures of Thor, with my Fuji 602z, for a project at his school. Only a few of his pictures were in focus. The focusing difference between my old Fuji and the Nikon D70 are quite significant. Focusing with the Fuji was always hit or miss, the delay on the Fuji was almost half a second. The Nikon’s focusing system is on a completely different level. I used the speed light for this shot, and was impressed by its responsiveness. Plus, I am not quite use to pressing the mechanical shutter and taking a picture. Because of how the Fuji operated, I am use to anticipating action shots; I was not very good at it.

Sidewalk graffiti

Sidwalk Graffiti © Copyright 2004 Mojoey

Crackhead sidewalk graffiti from Buena Park California. I know TERESX was a crackhead becuase I actually met her in 94. Yep, a big fat crackhead that could not spell her own name.

First Shot with Nikon D70

First Shot © Copyright 2004 Mojoey

It aint much, just a late season Camilia from my garden, but it felt good to hear the solid thunk of mechanical shutter again. The D70 is a pleasure to work with, I had forgotten the difference between being able to fine tune a shot before you shoot it, and playing with it after the fact. This is going to be fun.

New Camera Today!

I am the proud owner of a new Nikon D70. It is on the charger right now, with new pictures to follow very soon I'm sure! it has been a long time since I've had a good SLR to play with. I can't wait to go out shooting.

Yasir Arafat's Timeline of Terror

Camera.org article - Yasir Arafat's Timeline of Terror

This is a great article forwarded to me by email from my friend in Nebraska. It shows how slanted in favor of Arafat the media has been with regard to his terrorists activities. They paint him as a saint, when actually he is the father of modern terrorism. The bottom of the article is a listing of Arafat's terrorist accomplishments, including killing 11 Olympic athletes at the Munich Olympic Games in 1972.

In this sentimental and nostalgic time, when Arafat is held aloft by his followers and the media paint him as a saint, it is important to remember that we are talking about a cold-blooded murder of innocents, and a crook who has hurt his people by withholding peace and squandering millions and millions of dollars. History will judge Arafat harshly. He will viewed in the same light as a Hitler and a Stalin.

I am reminded of an NRP story from earlier in the week. NPR was interviewing an older Palestinian woman with severe medial problems. She was upset because Arafat was not going to be around to pay her medical bills. NPR reported on how magnanimous a leader Arafat was because he would routinely take the time to pay for the health care of one of his poor Palestinian people out of his own pocket. I was struck dumb by the story. Do they (NPR) really think it is a good thing that Arafat ties his people to him in such a way that they are dependent on him for lifesaving medicine, when what he should have been doing is investing in the Palestinian economy, so that the health care system could function at a level the would support the populous? This kind of story is not news, it is propaganda.

**** Update *****

Here is a link to a 1 minute video on Arafat's legacy from honestreporting.com.

My son in a Mirror

My son in a mirror © Copyright 2004 Mojoey

This is my Photo Friday sumbission under the catagory "family"