Kodachrome

These past 3 days haven't been productive in the usual sense of getting laundry done or vacuuming, but boy have I given my Flickr Pro account a workout.

I have uploaded over a hundred photos, organized and written little stories about them.

Looking back at these photos gives me a sense of history and belonging that I don't often feel. I am usually an in-the-present kind of gal, pretty much.

I was talking to my mom about this photo:

She could still remember what she was wearing and how she felt that day, waiting for Mr. Kluge, the piano teacher. That photo was taken 75 years ago.

Likewise, I still remember this - the warmth of sitting out on that rock, the little hat -

There's something about a photo that brings it all back. I wonder if it is real or imagination, a story made up after the fact because we can see what is happening.

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Watch Keith Olbermann rip the Bush administration up one side and down the other at Linkateria. Also, kitten playing with turtles.

More fun with photos

HS Grad 1979
Originally uploaded by suebobdavis

My neck is still ouchy so you get a photo.

You can't really tell from this, but I had a zit the size of a bumblebee on my chin. What you can tell from this is that one of my old phobias used to be having my hair trimmed.

I think it started with the scary Asian hairstylist lady my mom took us to as kids. She would appear from behind a beaded curtain, which was in itself exotic and weird. She had a fantastic chignon and long red nails and used to scrub our scalps until we yelped for mercy.

How I Passed the Day

I didn't go to work. I awoke with a knot between my shoulder blades the size of a monkey's fist.

I put on a heat wrap, took some Advil, and I may be the only woman in American who is using an electric wand massager for its intended purpose.

I could have worked okay, but since I could not turn my head, I didn't feel safe to drive.

Instead, I played with my new Canon Pixma 470 scanner/printer and a box of old photos. The results are over on Flickr. This is just a start.

My election predictions

So who is it going to be in the presidential election? I asked you and now it is my turn to predict...

Romney and Edwards.

Crazy, no? What am I basing this on?

The most important thing, people, obviously. Looks.

From close examination of the past few presidential races, I have realized that the better looking man always wins (Gore and GW Bush were pretty evenly matched, thus Gore just won by a bit).

The looks thing obviously eliminates McCain, Tancredo, Thompson, Giuliani, Pau1 and some of those other dudes on the Republican side.

Clinton is kind of a wild card, being a woman (is that why she is always referred to by her first name, or is that a choice by her campaign? None of the male candidates are called by their first names...) but Edwards obviously creams Obama, Biden, Richardson, etc.

Do I think Americans are that shallow? You betcha, folks. You betcha. If Romney doesn't totally pooch his speech tomorrow, I think he has a good shot. He's got the look.

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And a new post is up at Linkateria, including more Republican animal torture news.

Tell your friend Veronica...

It's time to celebrate Hanukkah...with the Adam Sandler song (there's no video, but the audio is where it's at. Push play and enjoy):

The truth comes out

I tell people that I wasn't a very good-looking baby and they always pooh-pooh that.

"Oh, I'll bet you were adorable," they say.

I have evidence to the contrary:


It is the early 1960's. That is Laura on the left, with my brother Al, PK, and me being dandled by my oldest sister Elvie. They don't look that tremendously pleased with their new little bundle of crankiness, especially Al, who was still trying to will me into being a little brother.

We lived in a 2-bedroom house (plus a converted garage) on an oil lease with thousands of acres of wilderness to play in. Seven families total lived there, all in a row.

It was 15 miles from the nearest town of 300 people. We had a phone with a party line (in case you have never heard of a party line, it is when more than one family shares the phone line. You could pick up the phone and listen to other people's conversations - and I am sure that many people did!) To dial out, you had to call an operator. No, I am not making this up.

I may have been cranky THEN, but that was nothing compared to when the chicken pox hit a few months later.

My guilty admission

I must confess: there is almost nothing I ever do to get dirty enough to justify the lengthy, scalding-hot showers that I take.

For instance, I went to the gym today and worked up a little sweat and came home and took a 15 minute shower. Didn't wash my hair, even. I will do that in the morning.

Hot running water is the pinnacle of civilization to me. Take away TV, the internet, highways, airplanes, coffeemakers...but leave me my hot water. And proper dental care.

What is your idea of the best thing civilization has to offer?

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New Smashboard Sunday brilliance up at Linkateria. This week featuring posts by Her Bad Mother, The Blanktop Chronicles, Kevin Charnas and Madness Rivera.