Weblog 140
October 12, 2008~ 12:00am
Ah, such a lovely month...October. My sweetie and I headed up Route 40, the old National Road, and high into the autumn mountains of Pennsylvania. A perfect fall day. We stopped to see Fort Necessity and Jumonville Glen- sites of the opening of the French and Indian War. (Around these parts, when you come across a sign that says "Washington Slept Here"-- it's probably true.)
What you are seeing is the inside of the new visitor's center. It's full of exhibits, a small theater that shows an hourly film re-enacting the events that lead to Washington's defeat- as well as a book and souvenier store. It's impressive, and we had a grand time. That friendly-looking fellow is actually the Half-King, a Seneca indian who was Washington's indian advisor. While the surprised French were suffering a sneak-up, early morning attack and Joseph Jumonville was begging for his life, Half-King used his tomahawk and killed him, saying in French, "Thou art not dead yet, my father." It was the brother of Jumonville who then attacked the hastily built Fort Necessity
and forced Washington to surrender by signing a soggy, rain-soaked piece of paper written in French, in which he accepted (though he didn't realize it at the time) full responsibility for the cruel death of Joseph Coulon de Jumonville and by extension, the murder and scalping of many of his helpless men. It was an incident that would haunt Washington all his days.
Most impressive at the visitor's center was a life-sized statue of Washintgton, which had me gaping up at him, almost awed. Lovely depiction...
History... blazing foilage... good food (I had delicious chicken and biscuits at the Sun Porch restaurant in Hopwood, Pa.)- what more could one ask of a day trip? It was a much needed break from routine, and I'm certain I'm going to avail myself of more Friday trips in lieu of an actual vacation. There's plenty to see within an hour's drive all around Pittsburgh. There's so much to explore, it's silly not to take advantage of it.
Another highlight of this past week, was the joy of buying a marvelous 10 dollar camera, the Innovage. It's teeny.
Hard to believe that for 10 bucks, it came with it's own software to make calendars- frame your photos, put together slide shows...it's terrific! Have a look at this neat 'PhotoImpression 4' program
I was experimenting, and since I'm the only one around to be a guinea pig, lol...I took some pictures and framed them.
LOL!! Best of all, this little keychain camera ALSO acts as a webcam! And it takes short MOVIES. Holy cow...so much to fiddle around with and experiment...I'm having a ball with this small investment. Carrying case, USB cable, CD-Rom software, and even the little triple A battery that powers it for up to 10 hours. (It's true that the pictures are a bit fuzzy, but I honestly like the strange, other-worldly effects I get when using it.) I've gotten some very artsy shots I'm sure you'll be seeing in this weblog before long. It's different than a sharp, full-sized digital camera, but that's part of the fun...wondering what the heck will turn up...because there's no way to preview. (But I like surprises. Always have.)
October 13, 2008~ 7:20pm
I came across a very strange site with vintage photos....
of folks sleeping. This was my favorite (cropped, and the contrast taken down a bit, so you can see the dreaming woman on the blanket.) What struck me was the vulnerability of the sleeper....and as I watched each photo appear (remember, I have dial-up, so nothing is instantaneous when graphics are permitted)- I felt an enormous tenderness. Almost like something as fine as tissue was tearing inside me. I wanted to protect them. Keep them sleeping.....dreaming. Allow their homes of the last century, with their doilied couches and quaint lamps and afghans, to remain untouched, those people still alive......that tree, still sprouting green and healthy leaves.....
but surely, they are mostly all dead by now, and that's a strange thing to think about, looking at them in their trusting baby-openness. You should pay a visit to the site -to see what I mean. It's a livejournal personal site from Russia, but I have to say- corny as it sounds- it's obvious that it's 'from Russia, with love.' These people are all of us, and we cannot help but be moved by the tender look of humans...
simply sleeping.
October 15, 2008~ 7:00am
Verdict on the above link to the sleeping people I was so het up about? From my honey:
"Looked creepy to me, Kay."
LOL!!! Sometimes, life itself looks that way.....early in the morning, fog not lifted yet. Sounds muted....sleeping worlds, terrible in their potential.....yep...'kinda creepy'. (Oh, and WATCH THE DEBATE TONIGHT. Stay informed. Remember the boy scout motto: Be Prepared.)
October 15, 2008~ 7:00pm
Music to my ears!
From an interview with Noam Chomsky~
And my personal favorite, his remark about Sarah Palin....
LOL!!!!
October 16, 2008~ 9:30am
The continuing adventures of the little Innovage camera. Today, I snapped some random shots of Pittsburgh as I drove home from work. It's such a pretty drive (aggravating.....but very often pretty.) Then I uploaded them, sized them.....made a postcard for Mallorca Restaurant that I thought I'd send them (but the mail was immediatedly returned- "Undeliverable") so I went on to find some DHTML coding that would allow me to make a flipbook of my pictures. Wheeeeeeeeeeee!!! Here goes.....
(Nah....DAMN BLOGGER WOULD NOT ALLOW THE SCRIPT.) {{{{{{{sigh}}}}}}} Oh, well, there's more than one way to skin a cat, so I'll be workin' on it. **grin** So in the meantime, here's the postcard I made of Mallorca. (And this one goes out to my honey. "Wish you were here.")
Have a great Friday. (I'm babysitting this evening, so I better ramp up on the caffeine. LOL!)
***
(Return To Weekly Archives)
Ah, such a lovely month...October. My sweetie and I headed up Route 40, the old National Road, and high into the autumn mountains of Pennsylvania. A perfect fall day. We stopped to see Fort Necessity and Jumonville Glen- sites of the opening of the French and Indian War. (Around these parts, when you come across a sign that says "Washington Slept Here"-- it's probably true.)
What you are seeing is the inside of the new visitor's center. It's full of exhibits, a small theater that shows an hourly film re-enacting the events that lead to Washington's defeat- as well as a book and souvenier store. It's impressive, and we had a grand time. That friendly-looking fellow is actually the Half-King, a Seneca indian who was Washington's indian advisor. While the surprised French were suffering a sneak-up, early morning attack and Joseph Jumonville was begging for his life, Half-King used his tomahawk and killed him, saying in French, "Thou art not dead yet, my father." It was the brother of Jumonville who then attacked the hastily built Fort Necessity
and forced Washington to surrender by signing a soggy, rain-soaked piece of paper written in French, in which he accepted (though he didn't realize it at the time) full responsibility for the cruel death of Joseph Coulon de Jumonville and by extension, the murder and scalping of many of his helpless men. It was an incident that would haunt Washington all his days.
Most impressive at the visitor's center was a life-sized statue of Washintgton, which had me gaping up at him, almost awed. Lovely depiction...
History... blazing foilage... good food (I had delicious chicken and biscuits at the Sun Porch restaurant in Hopwood, Pa.)- what more could one ask of a day trip? It was a much needed break from routine, and I'm certain I'm going to avail myself of more Friday trips in lieu of an actual vacation. There's plenty to see within an hour's drive all around Pittsburgh. There's so much to explore, it's silly not to take advantage of it.
Another highlight of this past week, was the joy of buying a marvelous 10 dollar camera, the Innovage. It's teeny.
Hard to believe that for 10 bucks, it came with it's own software to make calendars- frame your photos, put together slide shows...it's terrific! Have a look at this neat 'PhotoImpression 4' program
I was experimenting, and since I'm the only one around to be a guinea pig, lol...I took some pictures and framed them.
LOL!! Best of all, this little keychain camera ALSO acts as a webcam! And it takes short MOVIES. Holy cow...so much to fiddle around with and experiment...I'm having a ball with this small investment. Carrying case, USB cable, CD-Rom software, and even the little triple A battery that powers it for up to 10 hours. (It's true that the pictures are a bit fuzzy, but I honestly like the strange, other-worldly effects I get when using it.) I've gotten some very artsy shots I'm sure you'll be seeing in this weblog before long. It's different than a sharp, full-sized digital camera, but that's part of the fun...wondering what the heck will turn up...because there's no way to preview. (But I like surprises. Always have.)
October 13, 2008~ 7:20pm
I came across a very strange site with vintage photos....
of folks sleeping. This was my favorite (cropped, and the contrast taken down a bit, so you can see the dreaming woman on the blanket.) What struck me was the vulnerability of the sleeper....and as I watched each photo appear (remember, I have dial-up, so nothing is instantaneous when graphics are permitted)- I felt an enormous tenderness. Almost like something as fine as tissue was tearing inside me. I wanted to protect them. Keep them sleeping.....dreaming. Allow their homes of the last century, with their doilied couches and quaint lamps and afghans, to remain untouched, those people still alive......that tree, still sprouting green and healthy leaves.....
but surely, they are mostly all dead by now, and that's a strange thing to think about, looking at them in their trusting baby-openness. You should pay a visit to the site -to see what I mean. It's a livejournal personal site from Russia, but I have to say- corny as it sounds- it's obvious that it's 'from Russia, with love.' These people are all of us, and we cannot help but be moved by the tender look of humans...
October 15, 2008~ 7:00am
Verdict on the above link to the sleeping people I was so het up about? From my honey:
LOL!!! Sometimes, life itself looks that way.....early in the morning, fog not lifted yet. Sounds muted....sleeping worlds, terrible in their potential.....yep...'kinda creepy'. (Oh, and WATCH THE DEBATE TONIGHT. Stay informed. Remember the boy scout motto: Be Prepared.)
October 15, 2008~ 7:00pm
Music to my ears!
From an interview with Noam Chomsky~
SPIEGEL: Is it correct to only put the blame on Wall Street? Doesn't Main Street, the American middle class, also live on borrowed money which may or may not be paid back?
Chomsky: The debt burden of private households is enormous. But I would not hold the individual responsible. This consumerism is based on the fact that we are a society dominated by business interests. There is massive propaganda for everyone to consume. Consumption is good for profits and consumption is good for the political establishment.
SPIEGEL: How does it benefit politicians when the populace drives a lot, eats a lot and goes shopping a lot?
Chomsky: Consumption distracts people. You cannot control your own population by force, but it can be distracted by consumption. The business press has been quite explicit about this goal.
And my personal favorite, his remark about Sarah Palin....
Chomsky: This Sarah Palin phenomenon is very curious. I think somebody watching us from Mars, they would think the country has gone insane.
LOL!!!!
October 16, 2008~ 9:30am
The continuing adventures of the little Innovage camera. Today, I snapped some random shots of Pittsburgh as I drove home from work. It's such a pretty drive (aggravating.....but very often pretty.) Then I uploaded them, sized them.....made a postcard for Mallorca Restaurant that I thought I'd send them (but the mail was immediatedly returned- "Undeliverable") so I went on to find some DHTML coding that would allow me to make a flipbook of my pictures. Wheeeeeeeeeeee!!! Here goes.....
(Nah....DAMN BLOGGER WOULD NOT ALLOW THE SCRIPT.) {{{{{{{sigh}}}}}}} Oh, well, there's more than one way to skin a cat, so I'll be workin' on it. **grin** So in the meantime, here's the postcard I made of Mallorca. (And this one goes out to my honey. "Wish you were here.")
Have a great Friday. (I'm babysitting this evening, so I better ramp up on the caffeine. LOL!)
(Return To Weekly Archives)
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