Pictures of Things I see Here and There

Testing out google forms

2009-07-27T14:43:00.002-04:00

I am testing out google forms for potential information gathering with my swim team. Fill out this questionnaire to the least of your ability. Its absolutely not serious, as you can clearly tell.

Have Fun!

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Long Overdue Rant (Edited 2/12/09)

2009-01-17T14:50:00.006-05:00

Today's "Toothpaste for Dinner" comic is relevant and too good not to repost here. Thanks for the awesome comic Drew.

toothpastefordinner.com

.C si rewsna ,wonk t'ndid uoy fI

Fact: Using your hazards in a snow storm confuses people. What are you trying to tell me? Are your brakes out? Is your steering dead? Do you actually have a hazardous situation that is unique to your vehicle? Because if not, you need to turn off your hazard lights. Everyone else can clearly see that conditions are icy and snowy and as such, extra caution should be afforded. They can see this because the BMV doesn't issue drivers licenses to the blind. And if they did, it still wouldn't matter, because they couldn't see your needless usage of the hazard lights. Perhaps I should be thankful that you choose to display your winter driving incompetence to the world, so that I can keep a full lane between you and I when pass by, as you probably are also driving about 15 mph on the highway. But I would need to do that anyway, because if you did decide to switch lanes, I would have no heads up, your turn signal doesn't show up with the hazards on. While you're at it, be sure to brake heavily, especially around curves. I hear that's the best way to end up in the ditch.

Remnants of Ike

2008-09-26T21:45:00.003-04:00

Almost 2 weeks ago now, the last vengeful remains of Hurricane Ike collided with a cold front above Ohio and wrought havoc. Mostly among the trees. Here are 2 pictures, one from just after the windstorm, and one from just a few hours ago.

Wow that was a lot of work. Too bad its still not really finished...

Placeholder

2008-09-10T09:34:00.002-04:00

If anyone actually reads this, be excited to know that as I get some time, I'll be uploading the riveting account of Dave & Steve's Awesome California Adventure. It should be rife with pictures and dry writing... when I get time to put it all up here. Maybe at the end of the week. We'll see how work turns out.

Heat Lightning

2008-08-04T23:27:00.004-04:00

Awesome! It felt good to take some pictures again. I may have to do this more often.

This heat lightning has been going on the last couple nights here in Columbus. If we have it again tomorrow night, I may have more pictures to post.

Mountain Man

2008-07-31T09:45:00.005-04:00

What a beautiful vista. If there was more swimming going on in Appalachia, I could see myself moving there for the fun mountain driving and beautiful views. But alas, the sport is all but non-existent there.

Anyway I just returned from a service trip to a little place called Harlan, in Kentucky. It was enjoyable week of hard work and pleasant company. It's just a shame though to see such a nice area exploited for its mineral wealth (i.e. Coal).

The trip down was made during the day, but the return trip was made mostly in the dark. And driving 300 odd miles in the pitch blackness of the countryside gives a man time to think. To think about why so many people find it necessary to run their hi-beams on the interstate. In 300 or so miles of driving, I never once had trouble seeing far enough ahead of me. Except of course when I was being blinded by hi-beams in my side view mirrors or oncoming traffic. Oh well, I'll try not get too frustrated with the thoughtlessness of others.

In other driving news, who has the right of way in this situation? Me, turning left from the main road into a parking lot, or another car turning onto the main road from the next parking lot. (Hint: It's me. I started on the main road. Way to go Belden Village drivers)

The Price of Gas

2008-05-01T09:40:00.003-04:00

Or "What I've learned about Hot Air."

Yesterday, Kyle pointed out an article regarding HRC's attempts to equate herself with the common man. This time it was by buying a man a tank of gas. You can read a very brief article relating to it here, and if you really want more, Google is pretty handy.

Now for my beef. Am I seriously the only one here with a brain? Or at least the only one who occasionally is able to apply it toward everyday life skills sort of problems?

Ok, I know that I exaggerate. Kyle is capable of utilizing his mental capacity as well, and I feel confident in my parents ability to think as well. But like it says above, I am a hyperbole abuser. Deal with it.

For my point. Back in 2004 my sister was rudely run into, while driving my original car, by a woman on a cell phone. Needless to say, my car was total loss. So I needed a new vehicle. Unfortunately the exceedingly generous $830 condolence check the insurance company cut me had little ability to replace my car. Luckily, my cousin had just moved his family into a smaller city house, and no longer had any room for he and his wife's 3rd vehicle. They decided to get rid of one, and knowing that I was in need I was given his 1994 Ford Explorer.

This was during the "glory" days of gasoline in 2004. You remember. $1.70 a gallon. That seems like a happy memory now. Regardless, having purchased gas in my own driving lifetime for less than $1.00, I felt these prices were outrageous, and I was concerned that the fuel efficiency of my new vehicle was a significant drawback. But I accepted the car, and continue to drive it because, poor student from lower middle class background that I am, I don't have a couple grand lying around with which to purchase a new-used car.

In any case, I was only 19 at the time, yet I still recognized and was concerned by my own vehicles fuel efficiency, and the rising cost of petrol. 19! 19! At what age does common sense kick in for regular folks anyway? When does it happen? Understanding things like fuel efficiency, elementary economic theory (supply and demand), and how to cook a meal for yourself should be common knowledge. These should be mandatory (I HATE that word) requirements for high school graduation.

Oh Congratulations, you can do Algebra II and read at an 8th grade level, but neither do you understand that driving a giant MANpensation(tm) truck with a V12 engine and a 1 ton frame is going to be a bit expensive because of its woeful fuel inefficiency, nor can you cook your own spaghetti.

I think a better high school graduation requirement would be this:
1) Be able to plot a chart relating fuel efficiency to engine size (here's a hint, if MPGs are on the y-axis and engine size on the x-axis, the trend line slopes down to the right)
2) Be able to show that because demand for goods such as gasoline is inelastic, producers lack incentives to lower the price
3) Be able to make a delicious breakfast of waffles, followed by a lunch of grilled cheese with tomato soup, and finishing with a dinner of pasta in a roux based pseudo-alfredo sauce. (the ability to make a roux is utterly indespensible knowledge)

We've come how far?

2008-04-24T10:30:00.006-04:00

Class of 2003, do you still recognize these tubes, what they hold inside? I do. Pogs. I saw these sitting on my desk. Do you still have yours? How old were we when these things were popular? Fourth or fifth grade maybe? Anyway, I've kept mine all these years, and they've just been waiting for the muse to inspire me with some pseudo-ironic-retro project to use them in. Until that time, they sit alone, and unused and unwanted, like so many fads.

The point of all this is that seeing these Pogs today made me think of elementary school fads in a broader sense. It was about 15 years ago, when *everyone* I knew just had to have these things. Even then I rarely bought into fads like these (lack of funds), but this one was different. Despite my meager allowance (I recall receiving $5 every 2 weeks), I could still afford pogs. They sold for like 10 cents each in a bin a Marc's. Finally a fad that even the poor kids could take part in.

I recall that pogs even received some national media converage, just as mass media was really coming into its own during the early to mid-nineties. The coverage was pretty evenhanded as I remember, some focusing on the origin of the fad (I think it pointed to Hawaii, but i was like 10 at the time. No memory from that long ago is untainted by the lens of the present). Yet other coverage focused on the negative aspects of the fad, things like it being a intro to gambling (you could "play for keeps"), or fighting over who-stole-who's-10-cent-disc-of-cardboard or some other inane garbage like that (some kids are extremely possessive, going even the step further to attempt to possess the unpossessible. Thanks a lot consumer culture). But largely it (being pogs) was a safe and inexpensive fad.

Today however, look at the current fads among school-age kids being covered in the media. The choking game? Raiding mommy's medicine cabinet? Are you serious?!? We had pogs! Pogs! Or toward the end of my school-age years, Pokemon cards. Either way simple pieces of cardboard. What has happened to us?

Not to mention that the media fuels all of this. I know that parents need to be informed about the threats that their children face, its a legitimate concern. But frankly, its irresponsible . Take the choking game for example. I found out about it for the first time talking to a swim team parent back home after I had blacked out briefly on the pool deck. She said the way I looked reminded her of what would happen when they would purposely help each other to blackout (for the purpose of a "high") in girls scouts when she was younger. The point of that story is this: I was 20 at the time. I had lived 20 years of my life at the time, and never even new that "the choking game" was a thing. And by the time I knew about it, I was old enough to know that purposely causing yourself to blackout was, to put it mildly, a stupid idea.

Back to the irresponsible media. Its irresponsible to broadcast these pieces during the evening news because there are kids watching. And sure the news focuses on the negative aspects of these trends (risk of death, etc.), but they always mention why these negative behaviors are being performed in the first place, to achieve a perceived high. Many (I suspect most) kids think in terms of pleasure, not pain. What I mean is that even though the news report said a dozen times that this activity is dangerous and shouldn't be done, the kids mind shut down the moment he heard the single potentially fun thing about it. The purported high. Once that happened, the kid's mind shut off all the negatives, and started thinking about all the fun he could be having. OK, thats kind of a "choking-game" orientated response, and in no way absolves parents of their parental duties, but lets consider the recent trend of prescription drug abuse among minors.

When I was younger the thought had literally never occurred to me that sneaking a few of daddy's pain pills could make me feel gooooooood. But if there
had been a had report describing (please read the following with a sarcastic tone) the all encompassing pleasures of prescription meds back in 1995, things could have been different. I don't think these things things come naturally to kids. A two year old may eat some pills and die, but the toddler ate the pills because it puts literally everything in its mouth (seriously, you've got to watch that), not because it was looking dull the pain of its new molars coming in, or mommy no longer paying so much attention to it because of the new baby. Did you just read the last sentence? That notion is insane. Sure, I've already claimed that kids are just looking to have fun with the decisions they make. But look at it this way. Does choking yourself or taking medicine appear fun on the exterior?

NO! So lets leave it that way. We do not need to suggest that it could be.

I got here from pogs, POGS for crying out loud. But it all comes to this. If I get any, any choice at all in the current fad sweeping through our school systems a few years down the road when I have kids, I choose pogs. No matter how stupid or inane they may be.

Join the crowd

2008-04-14T22:15:00.002-04:00

Attack ads are the name of the game right now, and false, misleading statements about my choice for president have been flying around like crazy right now. They're saying things like "he's an out of touch liberal elitist" and "he doesn't understand middle america."

I AM middle america. Obama is the candidate that understands me the most. I grew up in a post-industrial rust belt town of ~10,000 people. We have 3 story brick buildings in our downtown. Our city is bascially surrounded by corn and soybean fields. Northeast Ohio at its best. The very definition of middle america. My families income while I was growing up was right at the US median. Middle America through and through. Barack understands my hopes and dreams, and doesn't talk to me as if I am ignorant, like the other do. Thats why I support him.

To demonstrate my continued support, as a Middle-American, I pledged another $25 to be donated to match the contribution of a new donor. You could be that donor.

you decide

2008-04-14T13:31:00.002-04:00

sorry for the lack of pictures recently. But I'm becoming a bit of news junkie, and just have to point out right-winged hypocrisy when it exists (yes, I know that ALL political interests are guilty of hypocrisy. It just seems that the right is more adept at pointing out the flaws of the left than vice-versa).

Anyway, check out this article.

I'll highlight the key BS involved with it, with added emphasis through bold or italics.

"'I am pro-life and an advocate for the rights of man everywhere in the world,' McCain told the Conservative Political Action Conference in February. 'Because to be denied liberty is an offense to nature and nature's Creator.'

_Gay rights. McCain opposes gay marriage. True, he does not support a federal ban on gay marriage on grounds the issue traditionally has been decided by states. But McCain worked to ban gay marriage in Arizona. He also supports the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, and he opposed legislation to protect gay people from job discrimination or hate crimes."

If anyone can logically explain how the views expressed in the second paragraph can mesh without conflicting with the quote in the first paragraph, kudos to you. "...to be denied liberty is an offense to nature and nature's Creator." I agree entirely with that statement. It is as near an absolute truth as mortals are capable of uttering. Yet, are not the rights of our homosexual brothers and sisters also subject to that statement. By forbidding their marriages and civil unions, and denying them the tax benefits of combining household incomes, are we not denying their liberty, the liberty that all other Americans have the advantage of? What if the fetus grows up, and discovers that they prefer an alternate lifestyle? That fetus' liberty, its right to life, was fiercely protected by the right-wing, only for it to grow up to be regarded with disdain by the very same people who fought hard to protect it. Open question to the right, How can you rationalize that? It simply doesn't add up.

In the interest of disclosure. I myself am also personally opposed to abortion. I would never personally recommend to someone I knew to obtain an abortion. That said, I believe that its the sole business of 3 individuals, the woman, her doctor, and God (yeah I'm that way, deal with it). My personal conscience never enters into the equation, and neither do the consciences of every legislator everywhere. If the woman is able to live with herself, fine. If the doctor can life with him/herself performing hundreds of abortions, fine. Its up to God to judge for the hereafter, and my opinion, and the opinion of the government, doesn't affect His final ruling.

Think about the issues and then think about the hypocrisy involved. The hypocrisy of the current Republican social agenda is the major reason that I self identify as a left-leaning independent.

Also, I believe that the campaign cycle is getting absolutely out of hand. Seriously 2 years of campaigning for public office? We've got to start limiting this, we're wasting too much money that could have been spent on something more useful, like infrastructure improvements/repair.

With that in mind, it is my absolute pleasure to announce my candidacy as an independent (barring formation of a viable third-party) for the office of President of the United States of America for the 2020 election year.

o rly?

2008-04-10T09:49:00.007-04:00

I read an article this morning. Well, I read the first couple of paragraphs and had a massive "O RLY" moment, because I quickly became aware that the market analysts involved are completely removed from reality on the street.

Here's the opening paragraph of said article: "The U.S. trade deficit unexpectedly rose for a second straight month in February as a big jump in imports of foreign-made cars offset the first decline in oil imports in a year."

The next paragraph goes on to explain, that analysts were suprised, as they expected foreign imports to decline, alongside the souring domestic economy.

To me, the reasons for that not to be true are many and obvious. Allow me to demonstrate the logic behind my lack of surprisedness(c).

1) The domestic economy is stagnant, if not in recession. Conventional wisdom suggests that consumers limit decrease their consumption of luxury items, such as foreign cars. However,

2) Oil prices (and thus gasoline prices) are regularly setting record highs, and have been off and on for some time now.

3) I think everyone can agree that in general, American made automobiles have rubbish fuel economy. Last night I saw a commercial advertising the amazing fuel economy of some small american SUV (I don't remember which one, I wasn't impressed). It managed to achieve a staggering 25 MPG highway. My much larger Explorer got around 20 MPG highway before the transmission went bad, and it was made in 1994!!! 25 MPG highway is not, and will never be a significant event in auto manufacture, unless it comes in the form of an Abrams Tank. Meanwhile, as the american BIG 3 are high-fiving themselves over small SUVs attaining 25 MPG, and a very few more sensible passenger cars getting into the low 30 MPG range (take the Impala for one) while competing over who can make the biggest MAN (compensation) truck, the Japanese and Koreans have be putting out fuel efficient, competitively priced vehicles for more than a decade. Not to mention its a safe bet that these foreign cars will spend less time in the repair bay than their American equivalents.

4) The reason conventional wisdom fails in this case, is that foreign imports implies luxury vehicles, your BMWs, Mercedes, that sort of thing. I would wager that imports of luxuriously appointed vehicles probably has fallen off. But given that Hybrids and other ultra high efficiency autos can't stay on car lots, and these types of cars are overwhelmingly foreign, the net gain in foreign import cars is unsurprising, if not expected.

5) Basically what I'm trying to say is that the rapidly rising cost of gasoline is relentlessly driving consumers to more fuel efficient vehicles. The kind of vehicles that are simply not offered in any real quantity by American manufacturers.

I suppose this kind of leads to another O RLY rant. The failing American auto industy, and its resistance to make the kind of changes necessary to become competitive again. But I'll save that for another day.

The inspiration for today's post.
Trade deficit wider; jobless claims drop

WTH!

2008-04-06T14:17:00.002-04:00

This is one thats been brewing for quite some time now.

I was browsing the channel guide for Cartoon Network, trying to figure out why my DVR failed to record my saturday night anime that I usually watch Sunday afternoon (Death Note is a great show), when I saw that the Cartoon Network movie was Jurassic Park III. Now, I'm a fan of cartoons, so CN is one of my favorite cable channels, but I lose some respect for them when they pull this stuff (and they've been doing it for a while now. Out of Jimmy's Head, anyone). Anyway, last time I checked, Jurassic Park III, was a live action film, with a few special effects that could be considered animation, but not nearly enough to consider it a cartoon, AT ALL. It's called the Cartoon Network, I expect it to feature cartoons, not live action.

C'mon Cartoon Network, live up to your name. I'm calling you out.

Happy Ohio Voting Day

2008-03-04T12:41:00.004-05:00

Today is voting day in Ohio. So go out and do it. It might actually make a difference this time around. And after you do the deed, take that little sticker they gave you, and write who you voted for on it, just like me:

I believe in full disclosure, and if you can't be proud and open about who you voted for, clearly your convictions aren't strong enough, and maybe you should have stayed home.

Now for some lighter fare:

This clearly shows The Stubbs' involvement with the development of WMDs. Sanctions have been levied. Perhaps not surprisingly, said sanctions haven't done a thing to quell his ambitions.

Discussions

2008-03-01T16:47:00.003-05:00

At the swim meet today, in between watching our swimmers race, the other coaches (all female) and I had a discussion. A comment I made during it prompted the creation of this drawing.

suprisingly, there was not loud opposition to this notion.

for those not in the know, SGD="stupid-girl-drama"

Happy Belated Birthday

2008-02-29T17:00:00.003-05:00

To ME!!! For the next 365 days, my age is the same as the number on Lebron James' jersey. Thats really the only awesome thing about being 23. But its a really awesome thing if you think about it.

I have to repost this comic from Overcompensating today. Its about Leap Days, and have been born exactly 365 after one, I've always felt a special connection to the day. Especially because people never cease asking when I say my birthday is Feb 28th, "So you missed leap day by a day?", never minding that I was born in an odd numbered year.

Credit to Jeff Rowland at Overcompensating

Anyway, if you're in Ohio or Texas, and of voting age, make sure you go out and vote Obama on Tuesday, so we can wrap this primary nonsense up and stop talking about politics other that how much W sucks for a few months.

for the win (FTW!!111!)

2008-02-26T14:38:00.002-05:00

No traditional pictures today. But, instead, I post a video here. Its all about truth in advertising. I'm sure anyone actually reading this is familiar with at&t/cingular's "idk my bff jill" commercials. What follows is the latest iteration in the series. Personally, the behaviors exhibited in these commercials ARE exactly the reason that my eventual children will be so sorely deprived of texting. Even if it is a standard free feature by the time my children are getting cell phones, I'll ask the service provider to block the service. Enough pre-show commentary though, roll film:

To me, when the mom in the advert says "I have completely failed you as a parent", there have never been truer words spoken in a commercial advertisement. Frankly, I think that this ad would run better as a PSA showing the inanity of cell phone abuse, especially "texting abuse"(tm). But then again, what do I know. TV advertising is not aimed at rationally thinking individuals, but rather sheep-like folks that base their monetary expenditures on which TV ad caused them to RAOTGDFL (roll-all-over-the-gosh-darned-floor-laughing).

you'll notice a brief comment at youtube for this video to the same effect as this post attributed to a fellow named padfoot. Thats my roommates ID, not mine. I did however make the post on his account. I assure you these are my original thoughts.

RAOTGDFL is (c)2008 Steve Helmuth

craziness

2008-02-14T20:40:00.004-05:00

Webster defines "Monarchy" as a government having a hereditary chief of state with life tenure and powers varying from nominal to absolute.

While we in the states still enjoy a presidency without a life-long tenure (real proof that God exists and loves us), we've been tiptoeing dangerously close to hereditary rule for some time now. At the end of this month, I will celebrate my 23rd birthday. During those years, there has been NO time at which either a Bush or Clinton was not at least the VP. Also during those same years, the population of the United States surpassed the 300 million mark. I refuse to believe that in a country this large that there are only TWO families capable of producing leaders for this country. That notion is tantamount to insanity.

So now for some light gimping.

I will not willingly vote myself into the worlds newest monarchy.

I did the math, and should the American people elect Queen Mother Clinton to 2 terms as president, guess who turns 36 in 2016? Thats right, Chelsea. We could, at least in theory have the Clintons in the White House for the next 16 years. I'd move to Great Britain (at least they're out in the open about their system of government).

So if you're in Ohio, Texas, or Pennsylvania and are leaning to the left, or care at all for maintaining the democratic principles that made this country great, get yourself registered to vote and cast your ballot.

A Vote for Obama is a vote against tacit monarchy.

You've got to be kidding

2008-01-12T11:45:00.000-05:00

...But I really am not.

Today, as I was driving back home from work, marked the first time in my life that I really wished that I had a camera phone. People that know me well, know that I have long been an opponent of the "Multipurpose-ization" (c) of phones. I want a phone with excellent battery life, and good receiving range. User customization through a PC would be nice, too, but I never thought that a camera or video camera or texting (for an excellent rant on texting, there is an episode of "The Boondocks" where a character voiced by Samuel L. Jackson berates the idea of texting. Not for children to hear though) had any place on a phone. While I'm still not convinced that I would ever use text messaging, I sure wish my phone had a camera, so that I could share with all of you what I saw this morning.

Images Obtained from Wikipedia
Images Combined Using Gimp 2.2.11
And as I made that Link I realize that I should upgrade to v2.4, maybe later.

Anyway... That picture is a representation of the Nissan 240 I saw this morning sporting a Louis Vuitton (almost certainly counterfeit) paint-job/decal/couldn't-really-tell-for-sure. What I do know for sure is that it was just ridiculous enough to make me wish for a camera phone, something I thought I would never want.

I suppose that the driver of this vehicle could have done this paint job or decaling out of irony, I mean, it was a matte paintjob, which makes me think it may have been DIY. And the fact that this car could be an ironic statement gives me some comfort.

But what if it wasn't? (urk, I think might have thrown up a little in my mouth)

May be prone to sporadic updates

2008-01-10T19:57:00.000-05:00

...to say the least.

The subject matter for this post is over a year old.

What is that a picture of? A snakebite. Good 'ol He-Who-Slithers was bit impatient one for his meal one day. He bit my hand as I was trying to empty the box with his dinner (i.e. mouse) into his cage.

Here he is eating said dinner.

And to wrap it up, a picture of everyone's favorite fatty fat cat, The Dread Pirate Stubbs!!1!1

The Stubbs, now with 50% less bitey-ness. (still with 0% self respect)

Laters, and hopefully the next update is only a week away.

2006-05-24T10:48:00.000-04:00

it is quite evident that stubbs is not a cat, but actually an orca whale (with a severely stunted dorsal fin). The resemblence is absolutely astounding.

A whole new meaning to "Letting the Cat out of the bag"

2006-02-23T17:26:00.000-05:00

the pictures say it all for themselves

been a long time, been a long time comin'

2006-01-22T20:47:00.000-05:00

wowwy its been a while since i updated this... havent really had inspiration to update in a while i suppose.... and i guess not having any batteries for my camera may have contributed to the issue as well.

well heres the newest addition to the 1535 neil family. its a snake, just about 2 ft long i think (a ball python). he (and he is a he) has no name as of yet, although there are several up in the air (asmodeus, lucius, salazar) and suggestions are welcome and encouraged. and what you've obviously all been waiting for, me to shut up and just show you all the pictures.

(by the way, the little white fellow isnt the snake, just a snack)

This is funny

2005-10-24T08:13:00.000-04:00

Stupid Emo Kids

really funny movie, done in a sort of 1950s school informational film style. well worth the 22 minutes it'll take to watch it. file size is over a 100 megs though, so dont even bother if youre still on dial-up.

student news with an eye for quality - The Lantern

2005-10-03T12:02:00.000-04:00

I made the front page of the student newspaper today... or at least my butt did.

unbelievable

2005-09-30T09:32:00.000-04:00

"But I do know that its true if you wanted to reduce crime, you could, if that were your sole purpose, you could abort every black baby in this country and crime rates would go down."

-Bill Bennet, Former Secretary of Education (and certified racist)

from September 28th, 2005 edition of "Bill Bennet's Morning in America" radio show on the Salem Radio Network

-------------------------------------------------------------------

cannot believe someone said that. what an idiot

checks this out

2005-09-19T22:40:00.000-04:00

hey, some friends of my sister showed me this, its called "Google Earth" i wont put the link in this post, but you can find the link on the right hand side of this page, just click the picture of the earth. You'll hafta download a program (its safe, and free - like i'd tell you about something i had to pay for). anyway, its makes a virtual globe out of composite sattelite images, and you find and zoom into pretty much anything, its... neato! so check it out, leave comments about it here

in other news i put up a link to the swim meet shedule for this year

can you find the fish in this scene?

2005-09-11T14:04:00.000-04:00

where is that little fish?

...and he went... wherever I... did go.

cichlids rule. they kill stuff.

~breathless~

2005-09-11T14:03:00.000-04:00

if you saw something this beautiful you would be too

peter lewis helmuth is my new cousin

2005-09-11T14:02:00.000-04:00

seen here with my dad:

what a cute little baby

arrrr! the dread captain stubbs is here for your souls

2005-09-11T14:00:00.000-04:00

fear him and his wrath!!!!

larkins really is a pit now

2005-09-11T13:41:00.000-04:00

literally...

I refurbished this clock - It almost rules as much as I do

2005-09-11T13:40:00.000-04:00

this clock is awesome... i find myself constantly in awe of its supreme awesomeness!

and whilst on the subject of what an awesome craftsman of awesome items i am, take a look at these sw00t sandals:

US Route 30 is teh 1337 pwnzor

2005-09-11T13:37:00.000-04:00

30 rocks... nothing more to it... been saying it for years, the road fricking goes everywhere, at least if your location of origin is the blackhole that is louisville (currently welcoming incoming meth labs)
while on the subject of l-town (and what a blackhole it is) i have some pictures of what kids might do for fun there (provided they arent already pushing meth)

for a slight explanation, the above pictures depict what a group of bored kids might do if they found model rocket engines and a barbie (tm) corvette. my advice to people still in louisville - get on the magical road that is rt 30, and take it anywhere away from louisville. and hurry up before the petroleum industry decides to shove the gouge into our eyes just a bit more.

travel suggestions from louisville using rt 30:
get on 30 west, to north 77, to 80/90 west. then take your pick - 90 will continue until seattle, 80 will pass through reno and on to sacramento.
get on 30 west, to south 77, go as far as charleston SC
30 west, to south 75, and all the way to atlanta
30 west, to south 71, to columbus or as far as nashville

so take one of these routes and get out!!!

AVOID THE BELOW AREA AT ALL COSTS!

im back

2005-09-08T16:15:00.000-04:00

well here comes a regular tsunami of picture posts... when i get some time to organize them and upload all of them

back laters

2005-07-25T08:19:00.000-04:00

i canceled my internet connection today, mostly because i'm a poor student and if utilities arent split amongst roommates, i dont wanna pay the full cost. so i wouldnt expect to see me on AIM or or to post on this page for the next month, possibly two months.

-laters

Rainy Day

2005-07-13T18:53:00.000-04:00

Remnants of Dennis in Columbus

...And All Things Will End...

2005-07-07T17:52:00.000-04:00

This is it... its the end. Almost exactly 2 years from the first time I swam in the Larkins 50m pool, i climbed out of it for the last time ever... Larkins Hall is closed. Finally! Now all that remains is for the replacement to open... oh the anticipation, its killing me! Anyway, what follows are possibly the final images to ever be taken of the Larkins 50m pool, look closely at the mural on the wall, and you'll be able to find that stupid goldfish that i hate so much. Some crazy Brazilian (Dan) is in the second picture.

The end... and a sign of the beginning!

Stop teasing me already!!!!!!!!!

2005-06-26T21:46:00.000-04:00

more pics from the upcoming latest and greatest pool in the entire nation, the *new* Mike Peppe Pool at the Bill & Mae McCorkle Aquatics Pavilion.

the pool as seen from the lobby area

some guy doing some work in a boat

holy crap thats a lot of lane line reels

outside

Warped

2005-06-18T23:25:00.000-04:00

Went to the Warped Tour today, and saw an awesome show. I lost my wallet for a few hours (luckily it turned up again) and got extremely sun burnt (mebbe i'll put up a picture of my neck soon) but it was an absolute blast. The day started off good and just got better. Saw the second half or so of the All American Rejects show (which was alright) and then things just start kickin'. Next was UnderOATH, followed buy No Use for a Name, and then about an hour later, the main event (at least for me) started.
Hawthorne Heights (watched a little bit of it, but mostly postitioned myself for the next band)
Avenged Sevenfold (prolly gave the best performance of the day, really would like to see a full set from them)
Atreyu (outstanding band and show)
The Offspring (played a lot of oldies, i was pleasantly suprised)
.Hopesfall (their set was short, and they played on a secondary stage, plus we were totally dehydrated and beat after the last hour and half of shows, so things were a little more laid back, which was pretty nice at the time due to the lack of fluids)
and the night finished up with
MxPx (which is just an awesome all out punk show)

all in all it was a great time, well worth the money and i got to spend the day with a good friend that i wont be seeing very much of in the very near future. good luck to you in italy shorty

What in the name of heaven and earth is going on here?!?!

2005-06-13T18:58:00.000-04:00

So in my quest for pictures of the weird and unordinary, i have had my first conquest. And i also secured photographic proof that people from Indiana are totally whacked out. I mean first they dont observe daylight savings time, and then this. Well enough of my rambling, heres the pic that started it all. Please leave your comments on this one.

w00t w00t omg mICHaeL pHElpS r0x0rz

2005-06-13T18:52:00.000-04:00

went to the councilman classic at IUPUI Natatorium in Indianapolis last weekend, and had the opportunity to see Michael Phelps swim in person. Anyway, he was totally blowing people away, but the most awesome thing is that my teammate Joe Doyle got to swim the 100 fly in the same prelim heat as Phelps. Above is an almost sweet picture of the two of them in the water (those jerks decided to go under just as the picture was taken).

Baby Tiger

2005-05-22T20:59:00.000-04:00

My roommate Supe volunteers at a big cat shelter. Last week they had a baby tiger there, and they were bringing back to full health. Kyle got to take some pictures with the cute widdle tiger, and here they are:

Fishing Trip 5.13.05

2005-05-15T15:35:00.000-04:00

Friday the 13th, was as always, a lucky day for myself. We finally caught our first keeper fish.

blake is making a weird face in the truck. this is while we were going from spot number 1 on hoover reservoir (no luck at all there) to our old standby at Alum Creek.

blake caught the smallest... and largest crappies of the day. the larger one is about 11 inches

nick caught the final keeper of the day, a nice crappie of about 10 inches. i started off the keepers with another 10 in crappie.

our nice lil' stringer of fish while still in the water

benji holding up our three fish for all to see (sorry about the poor lighting, it was that time of the day - please send tripod)

Save Toby

2005-05-15T15:06:00.000-04:00

I know i normally only do pictures on this site, but this is utterly hilarious.
http://www.savetoby.com/

The Glorious Green Terror

2005-05-12T11:35:00.000-04:00

I kept some of the leftover minnows from last weeks fishing trip, intending them to be little more than punching bags for our three central and south american cichlids (Green Terror, Jack Dempsey, and Convict). I never expected that our cichlids would possibly be able to eat these fish. I was proven very wrong. The 6 minnows i put in didnt even last 2 hours. The Green Terror alone ate three of them (he is the largest fish we have at ~4 in.) The Jack Dempsey also delighted in killing the minnows, and the Convict (not nearly big enough to eat minnows yet, but enjoys the guppies we get him sometimes - cichlids won't generally eat fish that will not fit entirely into their mouths) helped to pick up the scraps. These are pictures of the Green Terror with a minnow in his mouth.

Makin' bacon

2005-05-12T11:26:00.000-04:00

About a month ago now, we finally culminated our goal of curing and smoking our own bacon. You can Find out more about how we did it by visiting Alton Brown's (Host of "Good Eats" on Food Network) instructions at the Good Eats Fanpage. Again here are some pictures:

The outside of the cold colloid applicator that we made (cardboard smoker box)

inside of the same box

The finished product

We made ~14 lbs of bacon total, in 4 different flavors (Scrap Iron Chef's Bacon - molasses and black pepper, Spicy Red Pepper, Honey Soy, and Honey Mustard) which you can find the recipies for at the Good Eats Fanpage, or Food.com.

Fishing

2005-05-12T11:24:00.000-04:00

So me and benji have been fishing the Alum Creek resevoir just north of Columbus the past few weeks. The area is really nice, so i thought i would post a few pictures from it.

w0w! Sweet Parking

2005-05-12T11:21:00.000-04:00

Some dude managed to pull off this sweet parking job along 8th in front of our apartment one night. we thought for sure he was gonna hit one of the other cars he was parking inbetween. It was so impressive i had to run down and take a picture of it, and measure the distance between bumpers (~1 in.)

the license plate you can see is from the car on the left... its sooooo close.

The New Peppe Pool - a nearly orgasmic experience

2005-04-15T20:40:00.000-04:00

Pics of the Rec Pool Stuff, including a kiddie fountany thingy

Various Pics of the Competition Pool (10 lane, 50m x 25m) from Various angles

The diving Platforms and Diving Well (25m x 25m)

The Lobby, and Pictures of the competition pool from the lobby

the competition pool as seen from the offices

our dryland/workout room from outside and inside

lockers and showers

the scoreboard... take that plywoody area, and replace half of it with a video screen, and the other half with a digital scoreboard. Absolutely amazing.

The Bottom line... I am extremely exited to get into this new pool, i absolutely cannot wait, and this project cannot be finished fast enough!!!

coming soon

2005-04-13T16:58:00.000-04:00

went to jacks aquarium store today... on the way back i noticed something. the is a "blenheim st." on north high. reminds me of that ginger ale i like

Update 4/11/05

2005-04-11T20:53:00.000-04:00

Some Building that is in serious need of destruction (larkins hall)

Pictures taken from the south oval this afternoon, prolly the last time i will chill on the south oval for quite a while, since the "real" Oval is supposed to open this wednesday... Expect more pictures then

Hooray, my first post

2005-04-11T00:10:00.000-04:00

lets get the pics rolling

those are all pics i took at night from my balcony... some of them are pretty cool

pictures of my room, my living room, and 2 of my roommates

happiness in a bottle - Blenheim's REAL Ginger Ale

and yes, the pics will all be this big, so dial up users bware, they'll take a while to veiw in full quality