I almost didn't let Aaron do this...

but I have no say.



F.Y.I. This is a free standing wall, there is nothing behind him.

Pup Gets Flushed

I understand the culprit was a 4 year old toddler, but still, I have a hard time with his logic. I am being completely serious...

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Yes?

Most Inappropriate Mother's Day Video Ever

Sweet

From the HuffPost: Is it just me or does Denmark have the cutest cops? In the video below we see two members of the Politi stopping cyclists and giving them free helmets and hugs to show they care about their safety. The video has no sourcing, but we can only assume it is a public information ad meant to pull on the heart strings of Copenhagen's notoriously bad bikers.

According to Nancy Keats of the "Wall Street Journal":

No one wears bike helmets. They're afraid they'll mess up their hair. "I have a big head and I would look silly," Mayor Klaus Bondam says. People bike while pregnant, carrying two cups of coffee, smoking, eating bananas. At the airport, there are parking spaces for bikes. In the emergency room at Frederiksberg Hospital on weekends, half the biking accidents are from people riding drunk. Doctors say the drunk riders tend to run into poles.

Aaron doing his thing....

Nature's Abundance

How extraordinary!
An undersea Tolgan volcano has been erupting over the last few days creating these amazing images!

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Poconos Weekend

So other than the NYC Marathon Sunday, "Keenerhausen" in the Poconos is one of my other favorite yearly events....some fun pics from this years weekend event a couple of weeks ago.

Personal History Lesson

Actual photo

My father always mentioned that he had dim memories of tanks, troops, and fighting during WWII in his Sicilian town of Leonforte...I never really followed up on that claim until now. And yes indeed, but surprisingly, they were Canadian troops:
"Meanwhile, the 2nd Infantry Brigade engaged the enemy in Leonforte, a city of 20,000, near Assoro. In the city's dark and narrow streets, fighting turned into house-by-house combat as the Loyal Edmonton Regiment scattered throughout the town. To help them out, Brigadier Christopher Vokes launched a mobile armoured column of four tanks plus a company of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. The assault was so fast and so efficient that the German guard posts at the entrance of the city surrendered. Fierce fighting went on until full surrender of the city and of neighbouring positions."

Worm Infects Millions of Computers Worldwide

Very interesting tech article...I am waiting for an excellent suspense movie to be made about the worlds best and biggest computer system heist. Has there already been one?


Technology / Internet
Worm Infects Millions of Computers Worldwide
By JOHN MARKOFF
Published: January 23, 2009
The infection seems to be the first step of a multistage attack, but experts do not know the form it will take: link to article

Happy New Year

This is an amazing owl!

The owl featured is a Southern White Faced Scops owl from South Africa called Popochan. As soon as it saw the slightly larger barn owl, Popochan will raise its wings high and pump up its plumage to increase its volume to increase its aggressiveness.

However when it was presented a larger Eagle owl, Popochan tries to hide its presence and decreases its volume by contracting its plumage.

Saw this today...

A woodpecker right outside my apartment on the tree. It was pecking away. Very fun to see, especially since I live in an urban pit. This has been quite a year of animal sightings...some of the more rare incidences...(well it also includes Costa Rica)...
1. A Sloth
2. A Toucan
3. A pair of turkeys (in my Teaneck backyard)
4. A 6 ft. Boa crossing the road
5. A moth the size of a bird
6. Orchid spiders (about 50 of them)
7. A glimpse of a black monkey

Most Polluted Cities in the US...I am surprised NYC isn't there!

The 2008 Lists:

Top 10 U.S. Cities Most Polluted by Short-Term Particle Pollution:

1) Pittsburgh, Pa.
2) Los Angeles/Long Beach/Riverside, Calif.
3) Fresno/Madera, Calif.
4) Bakersfield, Calif.
5) Birmingham, Ala.
6) Logan, Utah
7) Salt Lake City, Utah
8) Sacramento, Calif.
9) Detroit, Mich.
10) Baltimore, Md./Washington, D.C./Northern Virginia.

Top 10 U.S. Cities Most Polluted by Year-Round Particle Pollution:

1) Los Angeles/Long Beach/Riverside, Calif.
2) Pittsburgh, Pa.
3) Bakersfield, Calif.
4) Birmingham, Ala.
5) Visalia/Porterville, Calif.
6) Atlanta, Ga.
7) Cincinnati, Ohio
8) Fresno/Madera, Calif.
9) Hanford/Corcoran, Calif.
10) Detroit, Mich.

T'was a merry & cozy christmas

Nice & Simple.

Fall & Winter

I love all the seasons. But there is something about the fall and winter that I adore. Taking long walks with Aaron along the Hudson is part of the reason why.


From where we are standing, Manhattan is to the right, and the Tapanzee Bridge is the the left. We are actually right by the George Washington Bridge.

CC wanted up.

Saw this pair in the yard today....

They walked right up to me and CC. They came up to my thigh! Maybe turkey vultures?

Caught CC

Caught CC resting on our newspaper pile. She just started to go into heat. Woah.

Voting Day

Voting for Obama. My first time voting in a booth for a president!

NYC Marathon Sunday.

So, by far, NYC Marathon Sunday is my very favorite day of the year. It surpasses all holidays.
The excitement is unbelievable as the mid-point mark of the marathon runs right down our local street. We cheer people on, give high-fives, and yell out as many countries as we see on their shirts to pep the runners. This year, our friends invited us over for a marathon brunch party...and their apartment window overlooks the marathon.

The front runners in the women's round. They ran about 2 feet from where I was on the curb. They are sick fast. The lady in the front ended up winning...

This part is very exciting as the police lead the way, before the cameras and time trucks.

Natasha, Andy, me, and Val look up.

HALLOWEEN 2008 ROCKED!

We had a blast on Halloween night...
NYC was in full swing with the fun spilling out all over the streets.

Val was "A Good Time" and Aaron was a "Happy Sailor"

On the subway...

Mikey Bostock and Aaron (& Lander)...going home.

CC and her squirrel

cutey patoody

By Larry David

I can't take much more of this. Two weeks to go, and I'm at the end of my rope. I can't work. I can eat, but mostly standing up. I'm anxious all the time and taking it out on my ex-wife, which, ironically, I'm finding enjoyable. This is like waiting for the results of a biopsy. Actually, it's worse. Biopsies only take a few days, maybe a week at the most, and if the biopsy comes back positive, there's still a potential cure. With this, there's no cure. The result is final. Like death.

Five times a day I'll still say to someone, "I don't know what I'm going to do if McCain wins." Of course, the reality is I'm probably not going to do anything. What can I do? I'm not going to kill myself. If I didn't kill myself when I became impotent for two months in 1979, I'm certainly not going to do it if McCain and Palin are elected, even if it's by nefarious means. If Obama loses, it would be easier to live with it if it's due to racism rather than if it's stolen. If it's racism, I can say, "Okay, we lost, but at least it's a democracy. Sure, it's a democracy inhabited by a majority of disgusting, reprehensible turds, but at least it's a democracy." If he loses because it's stolen, that will be much worse. Call me crazy, but I'd rather live in a democratic racist country than a non-democratic non-racist one. (It's not exactly a Hobson's choice, but it's close, and I think Hobson would compliment me on how close I've actually come to giving him no choice. He'd love that!)

The one concession I've made to maintain some form of sanity is that I've taken to censoring my news, just like the old Soviet Union. The citizenry (me) only gets to read and listen to what I deem appropriate for its health and well-being. Sure, there are times when the system breaks down. Michele Bachmann got through my radar this week, right before bedtime. That's not supposed to happen. That was a lapse in security, and I've had to make some adjustments. The debates were particularly challenging for me to monitor. First I tried running in and out of the room so I would only hear my guy. This worked until I knocked over a tray of hors d'oeuvres. "Sit down or get out!" my host demanded. "Okay," I said, and took a seat, but I was more fidgety than a ten-year-old at temple. I just couldn't watch without saying anything, and my running commentary, which mostly consisted of "Shut up, you prick!" or "You're a fucking liar!!!" or "Go to hell, you cocksucker!" was way too distracting for the attendees, and finally I was asked to leave.

Assuming November 4th ever comes, my big decision won't be where I'll be watching the returns, but if I'll be watching. I believe I have big jinx potential and may have actually cost the Dems the last two elections. I know I've jinxed sporting events. When my teams are losing and I want them to make a comeback, all I have to do is leave the room. Works every time. So if I do watch, I'll do it alone. I can't subject other people to me in my current condition. I just don't like what I've turned into -- and frankly I wasn't that crazy about me even before the turn. This election is having the same effect on me as marijuana. All of my worst qualities have been exacerbated. I'm paranoid, obsessive, nervous, and totally mental. It's one long, intense, bad trip. I need to come down. Soon.

so much fun...