A Prairie Home Companion

I listened to "A Prairie Home Companion," today while I finished up some work and thought I would share the link for the show from this last Saturday's show, September 5, 2009.

Hope you enjoy!

Top of the Bunny to You.

Purple Bunny says, "Good morning, let's get it on."

Otto Peintmore

OK, so I've been working alllllll night... not really, but, I did throw this image together before I went to bed last night, and I have to say, I really had a lot of fun painting it. The thing of it is, well, I love graphic design and art and last night was a great night for both. Enjoy!

The Original:


The Adjusted:


The Artsified:

Giving Sight to the Blind

For someone that has been using Photoshop, the popular image editing software from Adobe, more than a quarter of his life, (I know I'm only almost 20, but in Tait years, that's a long time) the more I experience the versatility and ability of the program and am amazed. Unfortunately, I never had to suffer through the early days of Photoshop (1990 release of Photoshop 1.0), which is relative because in those days, it was a one of a kind program that did one of a kind operations with photos. Now in its eleventh major release, Adobe Photoshop CS4 is an all together incredible program...

However talk is cheap, so allow me to show you another example of image editing in Photoshop:



This picture by Ed Simpson is from a training course I'm participating in at Lynda.com (By the way, I'm not getting paid to advertise, I'm just a highly satisfied customer) called Photoshop CS4 One-On-One: Fundamentals by Deke McClelland. Mr. McClelland and I worked together to give this guy a little more utility out of his less than functional right eye. I was impressed by my own work even if it was helped in part by Mr. McClelland's tutelage:



-----
Sources: Wikipedia - Adobe Photoshop - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adobe_Photoshop

Drawing Crazy!

Two more installments into the "Tait's Random Gallery"...

Colorful Profile

Photoshop Phun

I've been taking some photoshop classes online at Lynda.com and I wanted to try out some new things after an hour of video tutorials. I came up with this...

First, the original RAW image, from a point-and-shoot (click image to make larger)





Second, the edited...





Finally with some added flair...





I hope to make my showcasing of images I create/edit regular here on my blog (at least for the summer)! Hope you enjoy!

The Velveteen Rabbit

The velveteen bean-bag rabbit didn't feel quite like the other rabbits...

To dabble, or not to dabble...

Dabble: to work or involve oneself superficially or intermittently especially in a secondary activity or interest.
... Or what a duck does to get food off the pond bottom (Tait's preferred Definition).

Stamps

FYI: Price of stamps goes from $0.42 to $0.44 on May 11, 2009.

The Library of Congress

Today in History...

"The Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., is the world's largest library and perhaps the greatest collection of stored knowledge in history. It contains 140 million items, including maps, photographs, films, and recordings, on 650 miles of bookshelves. About 10,000 items are added every workday.
Congress established the library on April 24, 1800, when President John Adams signed a bill appropriating $5,000 for 'the purchase of such books as may be necessary for the use of Congress' after it moved to Washington, the new capital city. The first books, ordered from London, arrived in 1801. The original collection consisted of 740 volumes and 3 maps.
The first collection was destroyed during the War of 1812 when the British burned the Capitol. Thomas Jefferson offered to replace it by selling Congress his personal library, one of the finest in the country. In 1815 Congress appropriated $23,950 to buy his 6,487 books. The Jefferson collection became the core of the Library of Congress.
The library serves as the research arm of Congress and the 'storehouse of the national memory.' Unlike many other national libraries, its collection is not for scholars only. Anyone over high school age may use it. It also makes available, via the Internet, millions of files containing digitized versions of its collections. A library of the people, it has become a symbol of American's faith in the Power of Learning."

Other years of note...

April 24,

1704 - The Boston News-Letter, the first continuously published newspaper in British North America, is published.

1898 - Spain declares war on the United States in what becomes known as the Spanish-American War.

1980 - An attempt to rescue American hostages in Iran fails; eight soldiers die when a helicopter and transport plane collide in the desert.

---------------
Bennet, William J., Cribb, John T.E.. The American Patriot's Almanac: Daily Readings on America. 2008. Nashville, Tennessee, Thomas Nelson, Inc. p. 131.

Poems Vol. 1

One of theirs...

The Centipede
by Ogden Nash

I objurgate the centipede,
A bug we do not really need.
At sleepy-time he beats a path
Straight to the bedroom or the bath.
You always wallop where he’s not,
Or, if he is, he makes a spot.

One of mine...

Summer, Old Friend
by Tait Blanchard

Welcome dear summer,
I'm glad that you're here.
Its been much too long
since we last shared our cheer.

Your warm countenance
has now brightened my day.
I hope now that you've come
you will be here to stay!

St. Thomas and the Marine Corps

Ask any Marine what the two most important Latin words to remember are, and they will tell you, "Semper Fidelis," translated, "Always Faithful."

I'll be the first to admit it, I don't always pay 100% attention 100% of the time in Church, however, every now and again I have moments of concentration, and I do pick up a thing or two. Having said that, last night at Mass, the Homily stuck out to me. The Gospel reading was from John, about the Apostles locked in the room after Jesus's resurrection, frightened for their lives. Jesus appeared to them, "Though the door was locked" and showed them his wounds and said "Let the Spirit be upon you, yadda, yadda, yadda" (If you question the legitimacy of the quote, let me remind you, He was Jewish). Later, Thomas, the only Apostle absent from the miracle, was told of the happenings. He replied, "Yeah, right, and let me guess, Pontius came and said, 'It wasn't my fault,' right?" However, Jesus then appeared to Thomas so that he could believe, and that concluded the story.

Now, I always thought that the term "Doubting Thomas" meant that Thomas, when informed of Jesus' return, said, "B.S. No way he came back to life. He's dead, deader than dead, you were there John, you saw him die, He's breathed his last, quit, kaput," and it wasn't until he actually saw Jesus with his own eyes that he believed.

However, if one reads between the lines, this is not in fact, the case. Lets ask ourselves, "Where was Thomas when Jesus made his appearance? Was he out picking up the Chinese food to bring back to the other Apostles? Was he out for a stroll waiting for the Romans to come and kill him? Was he singin' gangsta and rollin' fatties down at Club Golgotha?" I think not. Before he died, Jesus told his Apostles to spread his word and bring the good news to the masses. Thomas was the only one following directions! He was the only one out in the streets preaching and telling all who would listen of the man he had come to know as the Messiah! He was spreading the Gospel!

When he heard from the other Apostles that Jesus came to them and said, "Hey, it's me! I'm here, in the flesh! Go spread my word," Of course Thomas said, "Yeah, suuure He did." What Thomas doubted and couldn't believe was that even having seen Jesus post-resurrection, the Apostles were still locked in the room! I'm sure he must have gone Ape-poop on them saying, "What are you still doing here?!?" What Thomas meant when he said, "Until I put my fingers into the holes of this hands, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe," what he was actually saying was, "Until I see for myself what you saw, I will not believe that you saw him too, because if you had, you'd be out there with me, spreading the good news."

Thomas never for a moment doubted Jesus' return. He never once thought that his Lord had abandoned him. That, my friends, is the true meaning of Semper Fidelis.

For a brief explanation of the phrase, "Semper Fi" and the United States Marine Corps, go here.

Yanni, not Yawni

Holy Greek Cows, Batman! I absolutely loved the Yanni Voices performance! I took my dear mother on April 18 to the Gwinett Arena to see Yanni Voices live, and I can't even begin to describe the beauty in the presentation of his music, the performers or the show. I wish there was a way to capture the feeling the show created within in me and put it on a DVD so I could go back and watch it and experience it over and over again. If you get a chance to see this once in a lifetime performance as many times as possible, do it, you won't be dissatisfied!

http://www.yanni.com/index.aspx

Kratos

A big part of my life, especially growing up, was video games. I loved video games, especially computer-video games. I don't know how many hours of my life have been spent trying to shave off a few milliseconds on that last lap, finding the most efficient way to get from spawn to a defensive position to support my teammates from the Nazi attack or smiting the unholy demons of Hell with my righteous battle-ax of +2 to charisma.

... that being said, I still enjoy the occasional game from time to time. However, for better or for worse, I have turned my attention from delving into fictional worlds to my own creative abilities, be it in writing, drawing or composing.

This is my first attempt at mixing my love of video games with my new found love of graphic design. Depicted here is a "render" of Kratos, God of War, from Sony's title, "God of War." Probably my favorite Playstation2 series of all time, Kratos is a Spartan who sold his soul to Ares in return of awesome power unknown to any mortal on Earth. Eventually becoming corrupted by his power, he sought to leave Ares' employ. Denied discharge by the God of War, Kratos set out on a quest to kill Ares and seek peace from the neverending nightmares that plagued his sleep. Lots of button-mashing ensues as Kratos makes his way through the Ancient Greek empire killing just about anything and everything in his path. As morbid as it sounds, the game is really quite entertaining and has received all sorts of accolades from the gaming community, most notably Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences 9th Annual D.I.C.E. (Design, Innovate, Create, Entertain) Overall Game of the Year Award (2006) (www.interactive.org).

More to come...

The Image of Perfection...

This cartoon by Bruce Beattie is a prime example of two of the biggest issues facing our American world today... I must say, if this is a perfect world, its not much of a world worth living in...

Motor City or Bust

Whatever questions this blog may raise, my response is this:

"You're asking the wrong guy."

I Am Made Humble in Your Presence

There comes a time in every man's life when the only choice to make seems to be the wrong one. I pray that man has the grace to accept his decision and to make the choice, right or wrong.

I also pray to never be that man.

Purple Haze

When I think of passion and music, I think of Jimi Hendrix. Were this man still alive, I probably would listen to the radio a heck of a lot more.

Earth Hour!

Here's to you Earth!

I was snooping around in the "Blogs of Note" area of Blogger, and I came across "That Unreliable Girl." Her post about Earth Hour really attracted my eye so I watched the video. Holy cannoli! An estimated 50 million people last year participated in Earth Hour. Well, if those same people participate again this year, I know for sure it will be at least 50 million and 1 this March 30!

If you have an opportunity, take an hour out of your day on Saturday, and turn off all the lights in your house! TVs, computers, cellphones, hairdryers, water heaters, vacuums, and other such electricity using items too! Light some candles, play a board game, read a book, have some community time with your friends, get drunk, do something, but don't use electricity! I know you and I are both each just one person, but 50 million one persons is a lot of one persons, if you think about it!

-T

Now what?

And if I say to you tomorrow, "Take my hand child, come with me, its to a castle I will take you, where what's to be they say will be..."

God, Human Folly and Laughter

There are three things which are real: God, human folly, and laughter. Since the first two pass our comprehension, we must do what we can with the third. - President John F. Kennedy to David Powers

How much truer of a statement could there be?

I know from my own limited experience this evaluation of God and human folly to be true. When I was a babe, I thought God was my great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grand-father watching and disapproving of all that I did, said and thought. When I was a young man I thought God was there to provide me with the answers and solutions as well as to fit the mold that I had in mind for my life. When I became a man I realized all that I thought I knew was only what I had come to convince myself of, and not what actually is, and I then became less than the babe I started as. To understand God is to look into the smallest grain of sand and see the immeasurable beauty of creation.
Human folly, as it exists, is also incomprehensible. There is no shame in being human, but still it blinds us. Our own imperfections put up blinders around our eyes preventing us from seeing the beauty and wonder that surrounds us. Those blinders, however, can be seen by no one but our self. Why we limit ourselves is inexplicable, but its realization is shared among every human being.

Humor though, is the one other truth that persists that can be understood. Even the child who goes to bed hungry can still smile when shown the simplest act of kindness. Finding ways to bring a smile to those who have no other reason to breath other than in their core they know they must, is the greatest gift that can be given. No amount of money, fame or fortune could match the worth of a smile on a man who has lost everything and believes there to be nothing left to live for. We must seek laughter in everything we do, for life without happiness is no life worth living.
This is not to say that misery is to be avoided. We must understand misery to fully appreciate the gift of a smile or a laugh. Like laughter to misery, the true value of water is unknown to anyone but the man or woman who thirsts or who has ever thirsted.

Needless to say, I agree with President Kennedy.

Mr President, I approve.

President Obama has put 17,000 troops into Afghanistan... without a whole lot of warning to the people he represents. In this White House Memo, Leading Military at Time of War, but Not as a ‘War President,’ the question of President Obama's leadership style is raised: Is the new President going to follow in his predecessors footsteps, or will he forge his own path?

Supporters of Obama who put him in office were slightly taken aback by his almost sneaky order to put troops into Afghanistan. After all, he was an outspoken critic of the Iraq War. The country waits expectantly to hear from the Obama Administration for the reasons behind the troop mobilization.

I believe we as a country have a duty to protect our borders both here and abroad, and I support US Troops no matter where they are because they are putting their lives on the line for me.

As I am about to head into the service as a US Marine, I'm glad to see my President showing his support for the troops. His visit to the wounded at Camp Lejeune gave the men and women who remembered his outspoken criticism of the Iraq War assurance that they would not be alone in their fight, that as a representative of the American people, the President would be behind them.

Personally, I'm excited; I can barely contain my enthusiasm. Things are happening in the world today, and very soon, I will have my opportunity to contribute my own small part toward those events.

-- Source --

Stolberg, Sheryl Gay. Leading Military at Time of War, but Not as a ‘War President’. 2009. March 22. New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/23/us/politics/23chief.html?ref=us

Scheduling blogs...

The feature allowing the blogger to schedule when a blog appears is great! This gives me the chance to utilize my creative binges at whim and then set up blogs to be dispersed over a period of time, rather than all at once.

This helps for two reasons.

First, I've always wanted to try my own web comic. Using this blog scheduling, I can sit down and create three or four comic strips, then schedule them to be released throughout the week.

Number two, I've discovered I can prevent nosies from finding out exactly when I wrote a blog, which may be different from when the blog was published.

I am a'very sneaky.

Cheap or Cheep?

I find most truths unsettling; only in doubt can I accept reality.

Finances

Recently, I've been spending my time looking at finances. Or should I say, "Lack there of?" I filed taxes earlier this month, and much to my chagrin, I owe the IRS money. Go figure.

I suppose its to be expected. There I was three years ago wanting to grow up and assume control of my life; Here I am three years later and I wish I had more money. The sad truth of this whole situation is that I do have money, I just don't want to let go of it!

TurboTax, Quicken, and self-restraint will get me through the next three months.

Here's hoping.

-T

...so it begins.

This is my first blog.

I have absolutely abhorred blogs until about two months ago.

I started following one blog, and before I knew it, the blog had grown on me.

Welcome then, to my blog. I hope we enjoy it.

-Tait