Literally.

“Sometimes they catch me, sometimes they don’t,” says the 28-year old performance artist who approaches strangers on the spot — usually a bar — and literally hurls her body at them. Hilarious and poignant, the resulting photographs make you wish you had been there to see what happened after the shutter release.

A tour of her web site includes several such “moments” along with video montages of her hugging strangers or protecting a chalk drawn box on a busy city sidewalk from passersby who might otherwise step inside. It’s an unusual art form in which McElroy is expressing herself… and making people laugh.

Another oldie from Mike…

The Lone Ranger and Tonto are camping in the desert. After they pitch their tent, both men fall sound asleep.

Some hours later, Tonto wakes the Lone Ranger and says, “Kemosabe, look towards sky; what you see?”

The Lone Ranger replies, “I see millions of stars.”

“What that tell you?” asks Tonto.

The Lone Ranger ponders for a moment, then replies, “Astronomically speaking, it tells me there are millions of galaxies. Time wise, it appears to be approximately a quarter past three in the morning. Theologically, it tells me the Lord is all powerful and we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, it seems we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. What does it tell you, Tonto?”

Click to read more ...

Dawn and I saw “Wanted” (James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman) Sunday. It was just released June 27th so I won’t be a spoiler. Suffice it to say that Angelina Jolie is stunning as always. That said, I gave the movie just three stars.

First, you should know that the film is based on Mark Millar’s dark comic (excuse me, graphic novel) series. Without giving away too much, it tells the tale of an apathetic nobody’s (read disaffected, cube-dwelling drone’s) transformation into an unparalleled enforcer of justice. It mixes a little of The Matrix, a bit of X-Men and Da Vinci Code, and a splash of Hellraiser, and delivers a fun, albeit reheated, ride.

The result straddles the narrow line between silly and plausible, using ample visual effects to trick you into lowering your expectations and settling for little more than a fun ride, and then hits you with plot twists that make you think, “Whoa.” Or at least, “Huh?”

The plot has its share of gaping holes, but for those who like shutting off their brains but discovering they might be thinking deeply anyway, Wanted is a worthy diversion. It’s not nearly as complex as it pretends to be, but did I mention that Angelina Jolie is stunning? Just don’t bring the kids (bloody violence, language) and don’t drink a big soda; the movie is an hour and 50 minutes long.

A couple weekends ago, Dawn and I attended a “going away” BBQ at friends Jerry and Cheryl Glance’s home. Jerry is what I casually call a “bomb tech”; his job is associated with disarming explosive devises. It’s dangerous work and, while I often kid him about it (see my April ‘07 post), I’m well aware of just how serious it really is.

Jerry’s also a Reservist where he does essentially the same thing and, as luck would have it, he was recently called for EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) duty in Afghanistan. He left a week ago Monday for Begram Air Base, a militarized airport located next to the ancient city of Bagram, southeast of Charikar in Parwan province where he’ll do what he does best — disarm and deactivate IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices). If my geography is correct, Begram is about 27 miles from Kabul which puts him right smack in harm’s way.

So the going away party was for Jerry, and many of the guys in his unit and their wives were there to give him a fitting send-off. And it was a grand get-together with wonderful friends and neighbors. Yet despite all the food, laughter and camaraderie, the seriousness of the occasion was also present and weighed heavily on everyone, especially Cheryl.

So we promised to help watch over her until his safe return. We’ll keep Jerry in our prayers and ask that you keep him in yours as well. While he’s in Afghanistan, he’s agreed to send me photos of what he sees — the local people, guys he works with, whatever he finds of interest — and I’ll post them on this site. And when he returns, I’m sure he’ll have lots of stories to share as well!

Be safe, Jerry. And remember: Pray (hard).

The Laguna Beach artist who created California’s iconic whale-tail license plate is making a splash with state coastal officials, revoking the state’s right to use his art after they snubbed his request to share profits from the image with his environmental group.

Wyland, the marine muralist whose paintings of ocean life envelop buildings around the world, let the state use his hazy blue image of a whale’s flukes for environmentally themed license plates fourteen years ago in what state officials describe as a “handshake deal.” But Wyland says he allowed the use of his image for environmental causes for a period of time and that the time is up unless an agreement can be reached.

California earns about $3.77 million a year from the plates, but the Coastal Commission receives only a third of the funds: about $15 for each new plate sold; roughly $1.4 million a year. The rest goes to other state environmental programs. According to Coastal Commission Executive Director Peter Douglas, Wyland gave his image to the state unconditionally. Not so, says Wyland. Read the full story

Personally, I think Wyland may have erred in not getting something in writing at the onset and then waiting fourteen years to press the issue. What’s likely to happen? IMO, Wyland will either take the offer the Commission claims to have offered, or we’ll soon see a different whale tail on our license plates.

Davey sent a wmv version of this a couple years ago and I’d posted it on my AFP website. It apparently was shown on Good Morning America in August ‘06 and is due a reprise. If you live in a metered water area as I do, you’ll see this in a whole different light…

Q: How many psychotherapists does it take to change a lightbulb?

A: How many do you think it should take?

Q: What do you get if you cross an insomniac with an agnostic dyslexic person?

A: Someone who keeps waking up during the night wondering if there really is a Dog.

Via AFP archives.

The new 3G iPhone goes on sale worldwide today at 8 a.m. And just like last year, when Apple introduced the first iPhone, eager buyers are lined up to gear up. At our local Apple Store in Arden Fair Mall, there are already more than 500 of the faithful waiting for the doors to open. Many spent the night.

But most seem unaware of a new AT&T calling plan they’ll encounter when the buy their new piece of technology They’ll have to sign up for it at the time of purchase and it will cost them $20-$40 a month more than the old plan. Ouch! But there’s apparently an alternative: They can trade in their old iPhone for a shiny new 3G model (presumably remaining on their old calling plan) for $175.

I reported on this a few months ago. At the time, it was being described as a $400 iPhone that could be bundled with a 2-year calling plan for $199-$299. I think that’s essentially what they’re still doing, albeit with a twist on the presentation.

Coincidently, I believe my contract with Verizon ends this month. Dawn already has an iPhone… I’d like a new phone… hmmmm.

I wasn’t able to get this ready in time to make it a Patriot’s Journey post, but for those of you unable to attend our 48th Annual Folsom Pro Rodeo July 3-5, I thought I’d share a couple video clips via MyFolsom.com to give you a taste of the event.

As in past years, the rodeo began with Kent Lane, skydiver extraordinaire, dropping into the arena each night trailing a 2,000 square foot American flag. During a short free-fall from 4,500 feet, Lane spoke to the audience via helmet-mounted radio, then deployed his canopy and guided the huge flag to a soft landing in the middle of Dan Russell Rodeo Arena where a waiting ground crew whisked it from the ground before it touched, all to the sound of Lee Greenwood’s “Proud to be an American.” I’ve seen it done many times and it always makes my chest swell and brings a lump to my throat.

The second clip if of a bronc rider having what looks to be a pretty good ride. Sorry, I don’t have his name. And, as always, the rodeo was preceded on July 2 by the annual longhorn cattle drive down Sutter Street in historic Folsom. We missed it this year, but here are a few photos (click to enlarge) from a prior year.

There are more images in this album.

Ever watch Dilbert, the TV version of the well known Scott Adams comic strip? This is a Dilbert “minisode”, a five minute short, but you can watch full length TV shows as well on this site.

It’s called Hulu, a website that offers free, high-quality streaming video of TV shows and movies, primarily from NBC and FOX and their cable networks. It’s supported by occasional commercials (sorry, but at least they’re short) and provides higher viewing quality than YouTube, even some offerings in HD. Miss an episode of The Office or House? Catch it here!

Sorry, no downloads, but if you’ve got an Apple iTV, you can probably stream to your big screen. How cool is that?

Got this updated oldie from Michael…

One sunny day in 2008, an old man approached the White House from across Pennsylvania Avenue, where he’d been sitting on a park bench. He spoke to the Marine standing guard and said, “I would like to go in and meet with President Obama.”

The Marine replied, “Sir, Senator Obama is not the President and doesn’t reside here.”

The old man said, “Okay,” and walked away.

The following day, the same man approached the White House and said to the same Marine, “I would like to go in and meet with President Obama.”

The Marine again told the man, “Sir, as I said yesterday, Senator Obama is not the President and doesn’t reside here.”

The man thanked him and again walked away.

The third day, the same man approached the White House and spoke to the very same Marine, saying “I would like to go in and meet with President Obama.”

The Marine, understandably agitated at this point, looked at the man and said, “Sir, this is the third day in a row you have been here asking to speak to President Obama. I’ve told you several times that Senator Obama is not the President and doesn’t reside here. Don’t you understand?”

The old man replied, “Oh, I understand you fine! I just love hearing you say it!”

It’s hard to maintain a “glass half full” outlook with these temps. Adding salt to the wound, the ozone layer and wind patterns are pushing the smoke from our many wildfires into the valley as though it were a big bowl. We’re in the red zone (unhealthy). But as our optimistic weather forecasters remind us, “Look for cooler temps by the weekend.”

Right. Here’s the forecast. Like gas prices, anything lower than “painful” is welcome.

…eight years ago, when Southwest Airlines Flight 1455 from Las Vegas overshot the runway at Burbank, crashed through a metal blast wall and then through the airport perimeter wall and came to rest on Hollywood Way, a four-lane city street, near a Chevron gas station.

Amazingly, only two passengers received serious injuries. Even more amazing, check out the gas prices!

H.T. to Mike!

My older younger brother (think before you ask) recently joined Facebook and asked me to sign up in order to share his photos. So, reluctantly, I did. Surprisingly, I found the interface to be infinitely more intuitive than Myspace which I hate but joined in order to communicate with my grandson, Dakota, while he was in Europe with his soccer team. I know, lots of folks love Myspace, but I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one that thinks it’s a bloated, clumsy clunker.

Anyway, between the two, Facebook appears to provide a smoother user experience and a better sense of humor. For example, I found this post on the site’s own blog somewhat amusing. Apparently, some folks aren’t choosing a gender in their profiles, an omission that has caused some problems for Facebook’s language translators, so much so that they’ve asked members to kindly select one or the other. Of course, not to appear insensitive to users who haven’t yet decided which gender they want to be, Facebook has granted an exception:

“We’ve received pushback in the past from groups that find the male/female distinction too limiting. We have a lot of respect for these communities, which is why it will still be possible to remove gender entirely from your account, including how we refer to you in Mini-Feed.”

The male/female distinction is “too limiting”? How so, I wonder. What other distinctions might there be? Anyone?

Simple, concise and strategic. But not so in the U.S. where our politicians endlessly debate alternative fuel sources and vie for their favorites (read “special interests”) to get all the federal funding.

Oil companies want oil to remain “the” transportation fuel source unless they get distribution control of the alternatives; farmers want ethanol to play a big part even though, at best, it can only supplement oil; solar panel makers aren’t sure exactly how they might power autos but they want in on the apparent “green energy” boom; battery manufacturers have been challenged to make cells that provide greater driving range and cost efficiency than are available today; and some, including Bush, want to tap the bazillion gallons of oil under our own feet, although Democrats seem bent on preventing that from ever happening.

All have a place in the solution although none alone are the holy grail of transportation fuel. Problem is, we can’t move forward with any of them until the political squabbling ends and that doesn’t appear anywhere on the horizon. Meanwhile, we’re getting skewered by our dependence on foreign oil. And while some believe we can just “wait until prices come back down” (like that will ever happen!), our politicians continue whoring around with special interests while Rome burns.