Saturday, March 31, 2012

Many Hands Make Light Work

photo
True story:         
A high school classroom full of seniors were waiting for their English teacher to make an appearance.

There was a rustle and the teacher turned the lights back on.  There sat all the students with their hands raised.  "See," she said, "many hands make light work."              
                       




Well, here is a case of light making photography work.

http://www.wix.com/jannepaint/jannepaint 

http://lightpaintingphotography.com/light-painting-artist/featured-artist-2/janne-parviainen/


http://www.flickr.com/photos/jannepaint/sets/72157611965457893/









Yours in light,
Love,
Buddy



                                                                                            

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Art, Books, Books as Art

I love art, I live in art all day long.

I love books, they are the best invention of all time.

So there is nothing better in my book (pun intended)
than art made from books.

Love,
Buddy

Sunday, March 25, 2012

The Tutu Project

 You'll Laugh, You'll Cry, You'll Laugh 'Till You Cry

Cancer is a scary.
Cancer is scary to have.
Cancer is scary for a loved one to have.
Cancer is scary to talk about.
Cancer is scary to deal with.
Cancer is scary to face.

One way to stand up to cancer and not be scared it to laugh in its face.
That is why this man is wearing a tutu for his wife.

Be sure to watch the video at the bottom of the article: The "Ballerina" in Monument Valley.

You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll laugh 'till you cry but it will be worth it because this is one great guy.

The Tutu Project


Love,
Buddy

Saturday, March 24, 2012

More amazing art

There are circles.













There are crop circles.
Photo courtesy www.circlemakers.org











There is snow.









There are snow sculptures.










AND NOW....

not just circles,
or crop circles,
or snow,
or snow sculpture,
but snow art done up on a grand scale...









I get tired just thinking about it.

Love,
Buddy

Friday, March 23, 2012

Mystery Art Strikes Again

My only question is...uh...HOW could nobody notice this happening?





Astounding,


















 Awesome,











 Amazing!











  Photos by Ross Parry.





Bringing you art from around the world.

Love,
Buddy







Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Big Bang Theory: SPECIAL GUEST; Stephen Hawking

How about that!!

I love Big Bang Theory, it is one of my all time favorite television shows.

I love Stephen Hawking, he is one of my all time favorite physicist.

So, what could be better than have to Stephen appear in an episode of Big Bang?

stephen-hawking-pic-getty-74462112
I think I'll be in little doggie television heaven, be there with me, it is a date!

Love,
Buddy

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Pencils Aren't Just For...

Did'ja ever take a look at your pencil after a test?  Was it chewed to pieces?

Did your grandpa ever teach you to sharpen a pencil with his favorite pen knife?

Were you totally happy on the first day of school when you got to open an eight pack of colored pencils for the very first time?  Did you love going up to the pencil sharpener to get a really sharp point on every single one?

Well...
Pencils aren't just for writing or drawing anymore....

they are for sculpting.....




























http://www.greendiary.com/entry/dalton-ghetti-creates-amazing-art-on-the-tips-of-used-pencils/



OR

made into sculptures....



 OR
 bigger sculptures.....


OR

jewelry....





Don't even get me started on Crayolas, Bats, Matchsticks, or Pencil Shavings.
How about a dog collar?

Love,
Buddy




Friday, March 16, 2012

Everybody is Irish..

http://free-extras.com/
Everybody is Irish at least one day a year.  Especially if you indulge a little.  Just make sure you indulge responsibly.

Love,
Buddy

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Iditarod: It ain't over until the "Widow's Lamp" is extinguished

The winner is in and probably catching up on some much needed sleep, thirteen have scratched, and twenty are still out on the trail.  Even though the winner has been crowned, the race isn't over until the last musher crosses the finish line.

From the website:


The Story of the Widow’s Lamp

During the days of Alaska sled dog freighting and mail carrying, dog drivers relied on a series of roadhouses between their village destinations. Since these mushers ventured out in most all kinds of weather, for safety reasons they found the idea that pilots rely on, known today as the flight plan. Word was relayed ahead that a musher and team were on the trail, and a kerosene lamp was lit and hung outside the roadhouse. It not only helped the dog driver find his destination at night, but more importantly, it signified that a team or teams were somewhere out on the trail. The lamp was not extinguished until the musher safely reached his destination.
In keeping with that tradition, the Iditarod Trail Committee will light a “Widow’s Lamp” at 10:00 a.m., on the first Sunday in March, in Nome at the trail’s end. This lamp, which will be attached to the Burled Arch, our official finish line, will remain lit as long as there are mushers on the trail competing in the race. When the last musher crosses the finish line, officials will extinguish the “Widow’s Lamp” signifying the official end of the Iditarod for that year.
All too often, public and media think of the race as being over when the winner crosses the finish line, yet there are still teams on the trail. Let it be remembered, Iditarod is not over until the last musher has reached Nome and is off the trail.
*Iditarod staff member, Greg Bill, was instrumental in starting this tradition for Iditarod.


Love,
Buddy


Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Iditarod: 5PM Tuesday Nome— Dallas widens gap on following Pack—by Joe Runyan

From the website:  

5pm Tuesday Nome–Dallas widens gap on following Pack by Joe Runyan

 5PM Tuesday Nome—  Dallas widens gap on following Pack—by Joe Runyan
Dallas Seavey through Safety, and expected Nome after 6PM.  In a flurry of activity, the city of Nome blankets mainstreet with snow, then levels with a grader.   The entry chute and the famous Burled Arch—recall statements and cliches in previous year’s  such as “John Baker’s leaders just passed under the Burled Arch, making him the winner of the 2011 Iditarod”—are vacant, ready to be populated by VIP’s with special badges, selected media, officials, camera guys, and the winner’s family.
In the city hall, our crew is emersed in the bedlam of  live broadcast chaos as microphone connections, video quality are checked for final minute corrections.

the nerve center, preparing for insider broadcast
Earlier, I flew over Dallas just as he was topping Topkok hill and minutes away from a descent to the beach line to Nome.  On the internet, some of my more astute observers are telling me that Dallas is widening his gap on aliy Zirkle, in second, and Ramey Smyth, working hard to get some leverage on 2nd place.
Coincidentally, I bump into Jerry Miller, the Ionearth  concept man and owner, who tells me that  Smyth and Zirkle are virtually lock stepped.   However he confirms that Dallas Seavey,  in spite of a monstrously abused big toe on his left foot, has expanded his lead from about 7 miles to 14 miles.  Does anyone doubt but that he is running, poling, and kicking as the 10 th dog?
Concurrently, a local tells me that his associates think the GPS is off two miles since Safety, the local land mark, is shown as 22 miles instead of 20 miles. We checked with the trail breakers, however, and are told that they decided to change the route AROUND the Cape, as originally shown on the IONesrth map. But, then again, who cares, since we do know that a 2.5 hour run would be sensational for Dallas.The earliest we anticipate a finish is 6:30, a best guess estimate.

The finish chute in Nome, installed by city machinery
Then, fortuitously, I see Jeanine Seavey and immediately congratulate her son’s lead position.  She told me that it was absolutely true that his victory represents a detailed management strategy, to include his athleticism, rather than a raw demonstration of canine athletes.  “Most of his dogs were rejected by his father (Mitch the Elder).  But he has an intensity we’ve known about for a long time.  A month before the Iditarod, Dallas’ wife Jen said, “He’s going to win the Iditarod this year.”
Dallas does have dogs that he raised, but they are too young to race.  His present team is composed of dogs he has collected from other kennels.
My own ideas 
I have my own ideas about Dallas’ success after watching him emerge in the front pack days ago in Takotna, then gradually work his way to the front at Unalakleet.  At one point I remember talking to Dallas in Ruby, the first checkpoint on the Yukon,  uncertain about how he mathematically could advance to the front.  “Oh yeah,” he told me, “absolutely,  its all possible.  It will take two days, but I’ll be there.”  In Kaltag, further up the trail, he was staged to go even with Aliy, at that time, telling me, “I am not sure that the front runners have correctly identified who they are racing with.”  Thus, he carefully rested and eyeballed  Aaron Burmeister, John Baker (who he rightfully respects) in addition to front runner Aliy Zirkle.
Honestly,  it’s fair to say that Dallas team is not distinguished by raw physical ability.  Most would agree that many teams on this years race represented more athletic  combinations, but Dallas was able to one up them with a disciplined  strategy , training, and scrupulous dog care.
First, he decided in training to accustom the dogs to relatively short four to six hour runs, punctuated with snacks every two hours (never fall behind on calorie intake), and the assurance that a rest break would fall consistently with a hot meal (keeps dogs calm, also assures hydration).
Next, he committed to scrupulous dog care, checking boots every two hours, changing if necessary, and requisite training so they were prepared for the race schedule.
Noticeably, he regarded the event as an athletic event, not a game played with animals, inserting himself into the equation as an active participant.  This discipline he inherited from his experience as a nationally wranked wrestler.  Therefore, he ran hills, worked behind the sled, and hustled in checkpoints like it was a two minute drill.
Finally, he developed a checkpoint regimen that gained him minutes.  “I raced my own dad preseason, and even though his team was faster, I was better at resting my team and gaining minutes in the checkpoint.   At the end, I would end up in the same place, so that demonstrated how important efficiency can be in determining time.”  Following the race, all my race pundits agreed that his checkpoint efficiency was first as he worked without wasted movement up and down his row of dogs in an orchestrated  plan.
From my viewpoint, I enjoyed Dallas Seavey’s  habit of reciting his mental plan if anybody had the interest to ask.   Focused so entirely on the task, I think he used it as an opportunity to verbally rehears e and review his game plan.  Its actually a valuable trait to visualize and repeat a protocol.  After a while, it becomes second nature.
Final Thoughts
Race historians are presently delving into birth records to determine whether 5x champ Ric Swenson or Dallas Seavey  is the youngest champ.  In the present age of the Iditarod, he represents an anomaly, since the development of a great kennel takes years and we usually expect to see older mushers.
Instead, Dallas assembled some good canine athletes, designed a realistic plan, and had the discipline to execute his vision.  Welcome the 2012 Iditarod champ.

Monday, March 12, 2012

"SHAKE"...rattle...and roll!

Saint Patrick's Day 2012 is just around the corner and you can celebrate early by going to McDonald's  and sucking down consuming a Shamrock Shake.  Look at shamrockshake.com to find the nearest Micky D's so you take a shake out for a test drive.

Find a cool SHAKE guide here.

Go...Enjoy....Spring is on its way....go get some green to celebrate!

Love,
Buddy

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Iditarod - as of March 11, 2012 16:59:59

Aaron Burmeister

Dallas Seavey

Aliy Zirkle

John Baker

Mitch Seavey 

 

Check out this website for the latest updates and all the checkpoints

and

this webpage for some really outstanding images.



Alaska musher Zirkle maintains Iditarod lead




http://www.mail.com/news/us/1123642-alaska-musher-zirkle-maintains-iditarod-lead.html#.7518-stage-hero1-2

Draw the Dog

 bow-WOW!!  What a great site!

Visit here and see things like this...














and this....
and this....

The cartoons are pretty wonderful, but the really cool thing is they draw themselves as you watch.  For a dog that can entertain infinitely.  Plus, some of the cartoons are accompanied by the real life photographs that inspired them.

See?











Plus they advocate for dog rescue, including helping with fund raising.

AND some of the cartoons can be purchased.  Check it out, you'll be glad you did.

Love,
Buddy

Saturday, March 10, 2012

DST-Spring Forward

The bane of my existence.....I hate it!   I hate it!!   I hate it!!!


Ahem....

Don't forget to reset your clocks.

Love,
Buddy

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Not Missing the Snow.

I have to say, I am just a wee bit grateful for the mild winter.  My artist and I don't particularly like the cold.  On the other hand, Spencer and my photographer have done nothing but grouse about the lack of cold stuff falling from the sky.  David in particular likes to run his snow blower all over the neighborhood and is terribly disappointed that he hasn't been able to do that this winter season.

Apparently he wasn't the only one... check this out.

It is all about the Arctic Oscillation,

or so they say.











Look at the difference between this year and last year.







Cool beans! (not frozen)

Love,
Buddy

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

March 6th: Today's Standings....Iditarod

Aliy Zirkle
John Baker
Jeff King
Lance Mackey
Mitch Seavey

Checkpoints:
Rohn



















Nilolai













Read Joe Runyan's blog.


More to come.

Love,
Buddy

Laugh Out Loud

We discovered this (LAUGH OUT LOUD RADIO) on our way to  

Bartlesville, Oklahoma.







It is broadcast from
Joplin, Missouri




and we were in stitches the whole time we listened.  It certainly made the trip less interminable.

And the coolest thing ever is being able to stream LOL Radio on the computer, so now I don't have to be traveling across the county to be entertained.

Laughter is good for the soul.

Love,
Buddy

Monday, March 5, 2012

Iditarod: March 5

From the website:


As of March 5, 2012 15:41:45


Hugh Neff
Ray Redington Jr
Aaron Burmeister
Lance Mackey
Aliy Zirkle


Skwentna




















Finger Lake



















Rainy Pass




















View the race logs here.

More to come.

Love,
Buddy