Today’s Daily Post prompt asks: You’re going on a cross-country trip. Airplane, train, bus, or car? (Or something else entirely — bike? Hot air balloon?) How appropriate this question is, after returning from a five-night trip to Detroit! When planning for the trip, the wife … Continue reading Vacation logistics: getting the led out
Yesterday I was nominated for two awards by fellow blogger Blue Bead Publications:
Both awards have the same rules:
These are two separate awards and so I could nominate up to twenty bloggers, but I have only been blogging steady for about two months and have thus far collected a small cadre of fellow bloggers who exhibit the community spirit that WordPress works to encourage, so like the previous two winners, I will combine the nominations for both awards.
The Sunshine Award also requires that I answer the ten following questions:
Favorite color – It changes from time to time, but right now it is royal blue, then bright orange.
Favorite animal – owls
Favorite number – I like the number three.
Favorite non-alcoholic drink – Fresh ground, fresh brewed black coffee. I think it’s more vital to me than water.
Do I prefer FaceBook or Twitter – Facebook. I’m trying to get into Twitter, but still haven’t gotten to the like stage.
My passions – running, writing, and figuring out how I’m going to get to go surfing someday.
Prefer getting or giving presents – I prefer to give because I often feel like I don’t really need anything.
Favorite pattern – Argyle
Favorite days of the week – sunny days
Favorite flower – sunflowers
Now, for the nominations. The following bloggers have struck me as the blogger family type, with a side of sunshine – in no particular order they are:
Thanks to Bluebead Publications, and thanks to you all for being there, for the likes, and for making me feel like a significant contributor to the blogging community – much love. 🙂
P.S. now that you have all been notified, I’m going to go have a beer or three in your honor. 😉
Today’s Saturday Jams post features two songs by bands I have considered to be indie bands – bands whose music is more or less produced independently of major record labels. It could be self -produced and then released via a major label or the band’s own label. You can start indie and stay inside, or get signed; but indie can also refer solely to the genre of music you’re playing, which sounds ambivalent but is most easily identifiable with folk music, in my estimation.
Or first pick fits that bill. The Decemberists are an indie folk rock band, but the album that the following track came from – The King is Dead – was released by Capitol records, leaving the question in my mind of whether the term indie is just a genre label for the Decemberists or a legitimate designation of independence. Either way, they’re good and I enjoy their music. My favorite song by The Decemberists is about being a good neighbor and finding your place in the greater and smaller communities; here’s Don’t Carry it All:
Our second song pick comes from the definitely true indie band Foxtails Brigade. They produce and release their own music without major labels, distributing it via iTunes and their website. I prefer their Farmhouse Sessions over their regular albums because the sound is just better, in my own opinion. I’m not sure what the song is about yet, but I like the simple folk instrumentation and staccato vocal lyricism of Don’t Look Down:
Today’s Daily Post prompt asks:
If you could permanently ban a word from general usage, which one would it be? Why?
I believe, without a doubt, that the most useless word in the English language is the word “the”, which is also the very first word I would ban from general usage if I were able to do that. I mean, to use that word indicates a single instance of the object “the” is modifying – “the” dog, “the” group – one of each. Coincidentally, the next word(s) I would get rid of is “a” (and “an”), but “the” is a better first choice due to it’s greater length.
So sure, we would be going around sounding like a bunch of Russian immigrants, but can you imagine how much time, money, and text we would save? Books and articles would be significantly shorter, without sacrificing any content. And if, like many other languages, we assumed the default mode of a subject or object to be singular, then articles like “the”, “a”, and “an” really bring nothing to the table – like employees who come to work and consistently goof off all day.
What do you think? Is word “the” necessary thing to have in English language, or not?
… good Chinese takeout
#8 sweet and sour chicken, courtesy of Hong Kong One, Ferndale MI
You can buy alcohol just about anywhere. 
(Karisa wearing Delaney @ Costco)
http://soundcloud.com/oblokov/the-ventures-journey-to-the … And I would just like to say that if I don’t make it, it was nice to be a blogger, even if just for a few short weeks. 🙂
In just over an hour I will be leaving work and then I have the next six days off. It feels like every minute is hanging, a question mark of infinite length, drawing out the torture of knowing I will be kicking it for real after getting on the plane tomorrow morning. We will be visiting family, showing off our daughter, going to the zoo and the brewery; were going to eat real Chinese takeout and Thai food, Coney Island and Slurpees… For six days it’s going to be a real treat, and then we can come back to this.
Next year I’m going surfing, I swear.
Here’s something I stumbled across last night on StumbleUpon, and I just had to share it with everyone – just in case you like Star Wars as much as I do. It’s an AT-AT page. Now that we know how it works we should totally make one for desert safari tours or something.
Today’s Daily Post prompt asks:
Often, our blogs have taglines. But what if humans did, too? What would your tagline be?
Oh, that’s not easy. My first reaction is something like, “Rob Ross: Superhero in Training” or “Rob Ross: Stranger Than Fiction”. My wife might say something like “Rob Ross: Cheaper Than Air”, and my daughter might say “Daddy: More Hilarious than Kitty… But Only Slightly”, if she were able to speak.
But we could lose the superlative aspect – I tend to be a little competitive about things sometimes. How about “Rob Ross: Running Like the Wind”? Or “Rob Ross: Living Like a Landlocked Surfer”?
Rob's Surf Report 