I have a little over a dozen images ready to upload to my portfolio.  When I went there this morning to start uploading my mouse took it upon himself to open my portfolio for viewing rather than open the uploader.  I’m calling it caffeine deprivation, but hey, it happens...

Zero.

As long as the portfolio was open for viewing I figured why not?  Been a bit since I updated lets see what’s going on, what’s attracting attention, what’s not...  Know what I found?  An excessive amount of nothing much...

Zero.

I currently have six albums in my portfolio.  They are in order from the top:  Holiday Hunnies, Monochromatic Edge, Headshots..., Sexiness, Portfoolio, and Hard Times.  Within these six albums I’ve got 42 images uploaded.  No album has more than 12 and only one has fewer than 6 images... 

Zero.

According to the stats, there have been a total of 1,575 “hits” (which I construe to mean views) on my assorted images.  Those 1,575 “hits” have yielded 11 comments and 0 critiques.  That’s pitiful. 

Zero.

As far as I know, MI is the only model networking site that allows image viewers to leave a critique on images, not just the usual ego stroking BS you see on MM or OMP or wherever...  That is so cool.  An answer to the prayers of a shooter who started shooting models specifically to improve his skills in that area.  I’ve made it a point, with every image upload, to indicate that critiques are welcome...

Zero.

After 17 months of membership, not one single critique.  That’s sad, pathetic really.

Zero.

I think I’ll upload the new stuff on MySpace or FaceBook or maybe even Model Mayhem.  I won’t get any critiques on any of those sites either, but then they never have had that option available so there’ll be less disappointment posting there...

Zero...

Comment (8)

Twenty-five years ago yesterday I stopped celebrating my birthdays.  At least in the usual fashion. 

It just seemed to me that a day set aside to celebrate my birth – an event I had little or no control over, let alone input about – was silly in the extreme, not to mention selfish on my part.  I didn’t do anything to get born; Mom did all the hard work...  I just seemed to show up for the rewards... 

So, on my 25^th birthday I changed the focus of my birthday from one in which I was the star to one in which Mom was.  I took her to dinner that night, rather than her taking me.  I’d bought her gifts to show my appreciation and happily presented the first in the restaurant.  It somehow seemed RIGHT to acknowledge her on my birthday. 

I had intended that celebration to be a quiet “Thank You” type dinner, but it didn’t turn out quite that way.  Our server inquired as to what was being celebrated and when I explained, promptly mentioned it to the manager who sent a bottle of bubbly to the table.  Other guests likewise stopped by to offer their congrats to my mother as well... 

For the first time in far too long, my mother was receiving the accolades she deserved and, while slightly embarrassed, was clearly enjoying the moment.  So the new tradition began...

A year later we returned to that same restaurant on my birthday and learned that we had started something.  Our server & several of the diners present that night who were caught up in the “New” celebration made it a tradition of their own.  Many of the customers present the night of my 25^th birthday had returned with their own parents as their own birthdays rolled around.  Even the restaurant manager made a point of treating his mother to dinner on the night of his birthday...

So, when mom passed in ’95 I pretty much stopped celebrating my birthday all together, at least in the usual sense.  Oh, I’d still go out and have a nice meal, if I thought about it and could fit it into the budget, but somehow, without Mom around there seemed no point to make a big deal about the day...

So my birthday rolled around again yesterday.  I’d spent the weekend on my sister’s farm, so I had to drive back into the city.  I left a bit later than I’d planned, so drove directly from the farm to the school.  Punched in, worked my shift, punched out at 10:30 and decided I was hungry enough to stop at IHOP...  Ordered the new pot roast melt sandwich with fries and a couple glasses of milk. 

When I finished I got into the van and drove off into the night, a little sad Mom wasn’t there... 

Comment (3)

I can't take credit for finding this video - I came across it on Facebook, on my FRIEND Angela's page...

I watched...

I howled...

Now I share...

Enjoy - I know you will!

And I haven't got a clue how to embed it here, so copy & paste this link into your browser:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQyzQoZi8B8

Comment (0)

Sitting in The WFDCCS ten miles from my van, five miles from my school, watching the snow come down and knowing that with each flake the weight of failure increases exponentially... 

And I was so close...

So my van needs a tune up.  Plugs, wires, cap & rotor.  Not a major undertaking, but one that had to wait while more urgent matters were dealt with.  Well those other matters have been dealt with and this weekend was going to be my van’s turn for some much needed attention...

Unfortunately, the tune up is WAY overdue.  This is not new – for some time now I’ve had problems starting the van when it rains.  Or snows.  Especially if it’s a “wet” snow.  By some means I don’t claim to understand airborne water vapor gets into the plugs, cap & wires, preventing spark.  Without spark there can be no starting. 

We had a full day of mixed rain & snow yesterday that started the evening before...  I made a point of starting it every two or three hours yesterday.  My theory being that if I run it a few minutes every couple hours any water vapor in the plugs, wires or rotor would find itself evaporating rather than sitting there retarding spark. 

Seemed to work pretty well, too.  Right up until 2:00 AM when I let it run while I “inspected the area’s plumbing” for a few minutes.  I remember feeling somewhat smug & very, very sure it would fire two hours later at 4:00 AM.  I was wrong...

It didn’t start at 4:00 AM.  Nor at 4:15, 4:30 or 4:45.  By 5:00 AM I’d pretty much killed the battery with but a single one-lunged cough from the van for my efforts.  I started calling around for folks in the area I thought might be able to give me a jump...

One friend lives less than 6 blocks from where my van is parked.  He was afraid offering me a jump would damage the electronics in his vehicle, so without apology said no.  Another, who lives 3 miles from the van never bothered to check his messages until almost noon.  And when he did finally call me, he was 75 miles south of Chicago...

I managed to catch my buddy Milt at home along about 7:30.  He’d overslept, but would be happy to come give me a jump.  It’s was on his way to work and everything...

An hour later Milt pulled up.  We spent 30 minutes trying to start the van – good solid connection, plenty of starter, but no spark to be had...  Finally Milt offered me a ride to work and I accepted.  I’m too new on the job not to.  I was a bit more than three hours late though... 

Now I sit in The WFDCCS watching these big wet four-letter-word flakes fall down and feel each individual impact as nails in my coffin...  Milt’s going to pick me up in about 90 minutes and we’re going to try to start the van again...  I doubt we’ll get it going, especially considering how much WET is out there and how long it’s been falling, but we might get lucky...  Hell the Bears won the SuperBowl once in my lifetime!  Who’d have thunk that would ever happen?

Welcome back, Guardian Idiot.  I’ve missed you – life’s been too quiet of late...

Comment (6)

A very wise woman of my acquaintance had a theory concerning snow that I rather liked. 

It went something like this.  Snow is pretty, but rarely useful.  There's not enough pretty in the world, but more than enough slop, which snow quickly becomes.  It was her considered opinion, balancing the benefits against the downsides that it should snow but once each year...

That once, were she to have her way, would be on Christmas Eve, beginning at 12:01 AM that day and lasting only long enough to allow a day's sledding at the local hill, no more than two snowmen per yard, and all the possible picture post cards anyone could ever want...

The temperatures, of course should remain cool enough throughout the holiday that no significant melting - thus unnecessary "sloppage" - was allowed. 

Come 12:01 AM on December 26 the "special crews" from Streets and Sanitation would hit the streets with their industrial strength wet vacs.  Their mission being to suck up every single solitary snowflake taking up residence within their jurisdiction.  I deally, each crew would complete de-snowing their assigned area by noon. 

The crews would then be tasked with removing the "fruits" of their labors to some remote dumping area outside the view of the common man, and then secure their equipment for the next year...

Always struck me as an all around sensible answer to the snow issue - probably why no one's ever taken steps to put it into practice...  If a policy is sensible, it must be suspect...

Pity....

Comment (7)