Are you joing me for A Pic a Day in May?

I've got some great ideas for pictures I can take and I think this will be fun! So far I've only heard that Kelly will join in the challenge (thanks Kelly). I hope more people will too.

A quick note before the month begins. I think I need to mention this little note I have on my blog about photos that I post. We live in a world now where there are millions of pictures of all kinds on the world wide web... and in a complex world of intellectual properties and copywrite laws too. So I think it's important that I bring this to your attention:

Most of the photographs on this blog belong to me and are copyrighted. They may NOT be used without my permission. Some photos do not belong to me; if you are the owner and would like for me to give you credit or remove them, please send me an email; I will gladly do so. Please contact me by email concerning any photo on my blog.

Thanks y'all... and let's have some fun in May!

PSA about texting while driving

When I'm not biking on the off-road trails I do like to bike around my neighborhood. I've even biked the 6 miles into downtown Dallas to go to an outdoor concert or to just ride around the city. Of course on these rides I always wear my helmet.

 I always try to not ride on a busy street but sometimes I have to, if even for a block or two. I am always aware and on guard while on a busy street. But the thought occurred to me the other day, and I pray to The Gods, that no one is texting while driving on the same road at the same time I'm riding my bike on it. I would hate for them to look up from their text to find themselves almost ready to smash into me. Or worse....

Please! If you really must text someone urgently, wait till you're at a stop light or just pull off the road for three seconds to do your texting.

That is all. Thank you.

Boring Book Stuff

A few weeks ago I did something that I've only done four times before. I quit reading a book without finishing it. This was another case where I just didn't care what happened anymore. None of the characters were exciting... in fact they were dull and boring! The plot was predictable and I felt like it was a chore to crack the book open and to try to read even a few pages.

I usually have a book or two that are next in line to be read. I picked up the next one and have felt as if I am devouring it! It is very well written, has interesting characters and a twisting plot. I have only about twenty pages left to go.

The next book in line comes recommended by a friend and I'm looking forward to reading it also. But it's kind of in the same era as the last ones I've read recently. I like a change of genre. I think I'll have to find a modern era book before I delve back into historical fiction.


Any good recommendations for what should be on my reading list for this year? Mind you, I like novels but hate biographies and self help or instructional books.

Do any of my avid reader blog buddies do the same thing, give up on a boring book? Or do you trudge through it to the bitter end? If you've kept going, does it get any better at or near the end?

A Pic a Day in May - Blog Challenge

I've heard about a blog challenge like this on other blogs and I liked the idea. There may have been rules with a theme for each day or something else... but I thought I would just create my own.

Every day in May I will take a picture from something happening in my life. I'll post the picture and maybe a comment about it.

I'm going to be taking all my pictures with my iPrecious. There are several camera apps like the 360 app that I used on this picture last night.

Here are my camera apps I have:

Instagram

Hipstamatic

Camera+

And a really fun one called FaceGoo.

Does anyone know of other photo or camera apps that I could get? I'm looking forward to using some of the many lenses in the Hipstamatic camera app.

Who's in on this too? Who would like to join me? I think this could be a really fun blog challenge.

Sex Sells

I know that my posts that have naked flesh get more page views than other PG rated entries. I know when I add a "borrowed" picture of men from the interwebs that I also get more views and sometimes comments.

I'd hate to think that someone is clicking on my blog thinking that they'll find porn... for I know they'll be very disappointed.

Not that I object to porn... I like porn. You're just not going to find it here.

 I also don't have links to porn sites or porn blogs. But if someone wants some suggestions just send me an email... [evil grin].

I just don't want the whole world to know what porn I like. One never knows who finds and reads my blog and I don't want anyone, close friends or family, to be embarrassed or to feel uncomfortable by my blog.

And to those close friends or family who may read my blog... don't pretend like you don't like porn! You do... I know you do. Alas, I am just like you though... I don't air my dirty laundry in public.

But can you believe how much porn there is out there? Oh my stars... there is a lot!

Sand Fest

I had a great time with my friends on the Texas coast!

We spent the evenings catching up and drinking and the daytime at the beach... and drinking.

I think my liver needs a break after this weekend. lol

The sandcastles were great! I was amazed at them; for their size, (some were well over 10 feet tall), and their details and designs.

Here are a few pictures:




Hope y'all had a good weekend!

Road Trip!

Yesterday I packed and got in the truck and headed out for a 6 hour drive across central Texas. My friends that live near Corpus Christi invited me down to the Texas Sand Fest.

One can do a lot of thinking while driving for 6 hours. I also call some friend or a niece to talk and to just pass the time. I enjoy the scenery too. Last year central Texas was in the midst of a drought. But we have been getting plenty of rain this spring and thing look a lot greener than when I drove down here last year for Jimmas.

I really love spending time with these friends, I wish they lived closer. But it's nice to come stay with them and to be so close to the beach. The beach at Port Aransas, where we go, is much nicer than Glavaston Beach further up the Texas coast. And sometime when I come down we will go to Padre Island.

I hope y'all have a happy Friday and a great weekend. Hopefully I'll have some great sandcastle pictures to share when I get home on Sunday.

This little blog of mine...

This weekend I got the chance to talk with a facebook "friend" face to face. She mentioned that she read my blog (hi Stacie). My response was: "really?" (OK, so I was channeling BrettCajun for a minute there...) I sometimes get caught off guard when I hear that someone reads my blog that I don't know about.

Oh sure, I know it's out there on the world wide web for anyone in the world to read... but I'm still caught off guard sometimes. I think it's just that I'm used to my regular blog buddies and regular commenters and I think that they're the only ones who read my random thoughts that I publish here.

I also get the occasional emails from people who read my blog but never comment (hi Glen, thanks for sending that video). I do that a lot... read a blog but don't comment. I hope that no one takes offense if I don't comment, I just sometimes don't have anything to say. But I do love reading people's blogs.

Anyhoo... Things are kind of normal for me. I'm just working and biking and trying to stay on a better diet. Hope y'all are well!

Random Thought and Bike Stuff

Sorry about my last tirade... I was having an off day.

I've been able to get out on the bike more and it's been way better than running on the elliptical at the gym. While I was out one night this last week I ran across something by accident. An undeveloped area in Dallas that is lush and green from all the rain we got a few weeks ago. I didn't have my phone with me at the time so I went back the next evening so I could take come pictures.

These pictures don't do it justice:


Who knew that there was Shangri-La in Dallas?

How did I find this "by accident" you ask? I was riding along by a street lined with trees and thick shrubbery. Suddenly there was a dirt road leading into the trees. The "No Trespassing" sign made me hesitate only a moment and I thought: "no one will notice one guy on a bike!" As I rounded a corner the view of this valley opened up to me and it took my breath away. I was stunned!

There was a security person sitting in a truck, so I rode over to say that I would be leaving soon, but just couldn't believe how beautiful this valley was. He didn't seem to mind that I was there so I stayed for a few minutes enjoying the view.

Further down the main road I saw another dirt road leading into the trees. This time there was no sign. I actually got to follow the road all the way into the valley.

A good thing that came of all this too... I've dropped about 7 lbs and lost a few inches on my waist from all the biking! YAY!!

Pet Peeve # 5

Need I say more?

This makes me think that a lot of people seem to walk around oblivious to anyone else in the world. They walk in the middle of the road in a parking lot. They sit idle on a mchine at the gym. They're the one first in line at a stop light not paying attention to when the lights change. The ones that complain that they're not losing weight but have never been in a gym and they know every TV show lineup in the evenings. They're the ones driving around a store parking lot waiting for a spot close to the front doors. They also bitch and complain that "there's nothing to do in Dallas". Gggggrrrr....

OK... that's enough for now. LOL

Beach Tales

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico is probably my favorite beach destination. I first went there in 2006 with some friends and my ex. I was looking through some old pictures and found this one and it made me remember that trip. So I thought I would add to my blog series of Jim's Tales.

We flew in and immediately I wasn't impressed as the taxi drove through the resort area first and then through the town. "Oh great, there's a Wal-Mart" I thought as we drove by. Pretty soon we crossed a bridge into an older section of the city and I began to like the place much better. After another bridge into the "romantica zone" I knew I'd love it here. The villa we stayed in was on a hill right behind the Blue Chairs hotel. We changed into our swimsuits and headed down the stairs to the beach. The gay beach! With lots of great looking men! Squee!

The restaurants were delicious, the bars and dance clubs fun! We would manage to crawl back to Villa Blanca to sleep for a few hours, then get brunch and an afternoon of mango margaritas, beach naps, playing in the surf and oogling the hot menz! The ex and I only had drama on the last night there which resulted in us breaking up for a few months.

What is your favorite beach destination?

Good Friday

Happy Good Friday to all my Christian friends.

I find this an interesting day and holiday, it's not a national holiday, banks are open but not the stock market. Mormons do not celebrate Good Friday, only Easter Sunday. Anyway... Here's to Passover, Good Friday, TTGIF (thank the Gods it's Friday) and to an "Even Better Saturday" tomorrow.

I'm celebrating the opening of Scarborough Faire, the renaissance faire just south of Dallas. Huzzah! I haven't decided what to wear. My friend Robert marched with the Scots in the parade with Queen Margaret of Scotland. Maybe I'll march with him and the other Scots.


Hope you have a Good Friday.

Twisters

I heard the weather forecaster this morning saying that storms were coming this way today. I carried my umbrella into work. But the day took a different turn.

I was working peacefully when the building public announcement system squawked at us. Dallas was under a tornado watch and we were supposed to stay away from the windows. I was going to lunch just then so I went up the 50th floor of the building to the sky lobby to have a look around. There were lots of fast moving clouds, but I didn't see any funnel clouds. Damn!

An hour later were were told to evacuate the floor and to gather in the stairwells or an interior room. We don't know how close it came to downtown, but this is the first time they had us evacuate. Everyone just left desk and took their cell phones. It was a nice little break.

There were quite a few twisters that touched down in the metroplex, but thank the Gods, not near me!

So all is well... for most of Dallas county anyway.

Welcome to spring in Texas!

Hell Yea!

There were a lot of Hell Yea's at the gym tonight! OMG!

Let me explain:

To pass the time while I'm doing cardio at the gym I often rate the men there. It's a "would I sleep with them" type of rating.

There are 5 categories:
1. Hell Yes! - the Bradley Cooper type.
2. Yes. You know... your average hot guy.
3. Eh.. I don't know... The guy that is a "maybe". It would have to depend on how drunk and/or horny I was.
4. No. They guy what will never fall into the number 3 "eh" category.
5. Oh Hell No! The guys I wouldn't touch with your dick! Ew... a never, ever, ever... no matter what!

Usually there are lots of Nos and mostly Ehs. Since it is a gym there are always some yes men. But tonight... there were a lot of Hell Yea! menz!

Hell yea!

April Tarot

The Three of Swords reversed

The message for April will be: Become aware of your natural "inner" sources of creativity and release any dependency on others for your ideas. Stop limiting your viewpoint by focusing only on the smaller aspects which created the sorrow and heartache - this only causes confusion.

Some good advice to be the peacemaker - never be afraid to say I am are sorry. Always think before I speak so that I will not feel sorry after it's too late. Hhmmmm... something to think about!


Well, Spring has arrived in north Texas and the weather is beautiful! I got out on the bike yesterday and the following saying keep going through my mind: "that which does not kill us makes us stronger". I thought I was gonna die. Of course I haven't been on the bike for over 6 weeks and it just takes training, but I'll get back. Hhmmm... maybe this is the suffering my tarot card is referring to...??