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Spent the day browsing through the Flea Market at the Hocking Hills Market, found a stack of 80′s Savage Sword of Conan comics in a corner of one of the booths. These were definitely not collectors level as the spines were very worn and they had various tears and rips and yellowing. Decided to get one for nostaglia anyway, if it is in bad shape then I will not mind if it gets damaged from reading. I spent many an afternoon as a kid buried in Conan comics and Mike Grell’s Warlord from DC.

They have collected the stories for the various comics that were based on Howards’  original Conan stories including many with original Barry Windsor-Smith art:

The Savage Sword of Conan, Vol. 1 (v. 1)

We were out roaming around through antique shops one day recently, added all the photos to Flickr but never got to blogging them. Just intersting stuff I saw that day, learning the camera modes, playing with angles and composition and color, just for fun stuff:

old books :)

something about these signs intrigued me

The macro focus feature worked really well here; the outer ornaments are justout of focus.

the three little red beads looked so lost in all the blue. Love the way the little Nikon got it all in focus.

shweebvia Jalopnik we get news of the Shweeb. A human powered monorail rollercoaster that rides in tandem so you can race your friends.

It’s called Schweeb, “to float” in German, and it’s a human-powered monorail on 656 feet of track in Rotorua, New Zealand. Not only can you go 45MPH, but you can race your friend in another one.

Oh sign me up!

from the Shweeb home page:

You jump into an aerodynamic capsule andrace like a bullet for three laps. With seven gears to play with it’s easy to get up to your top speed.

Feel the adrenalin kick in as you fly around curves swinging out 60 degrees! You soar 4m above the pond and then miss the ground by inches!

Your seat adjusts to your exact height and is as comfortable as a hammock. The highly efficient vehicles let you go much faster than a bicycle.

Race against your friends or the clock. Break a record for your age or country, and get your name up on the Hall of Fame and on this website!

Time again for more flowers in macro. We went again to the Lilyfest in Rockbridge and I got a chance to really practise with the macro function on my camera. The weather was a bit cloudy indeed it started raining but the colors still stood out.

the whites got a bit washed out on this one but I really liked the darkness in the background.

This little Nikon is light years better than my old Olympus. Not just in terms of megapixels but everything from color to depth of field and macro focus.

I want to get a camera like the Lumix LX3 or another point and shoot with a larger sensor and the capability of saving as RAW but I am going to explore the capabilities of this Nikon first.

does this one make you dizzy?

I have been playing with angles and composition lately. In retrospect I should have turned the pot just slightly to get the price tag out of view but I did not even see it until i got home and loaded these onto the PC.

american-flag-2a

This land is your land, this land is my land
From California to the New York Island
From the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and me.
As I went walking that ribbon of highway
I saw above me that endless skyway
I saw below me that golden valley
This land was made for you and me.
I roamed and I rambled and I followed my footsteps
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts
While all around me a voice was sounding
Saying this land was made for you and me.
When the sun came shining, and I was strolling
And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling
A voice was chanting, As the fog was lifting,
This land was made for you and me.
This land is your land, this land is my land
From California to the New York Island
From the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and me.

From This Land Is Your Land by Woody Guthrie

Happy Fourth of July

(by the way, thanks to Goblin Girl from Circus Max for starting the meme)

highest highs and the lowest of lows – Michael Jackson has passed away. It was a crazy life, and the media brought it all to us, whether we wanted to see it or not. And just as suddenly as that, its all over. From the little kid on Ed Sullivan to the Thriller album with its multiple hits to the Wacko-Jacko years. The rumors are already flying and the bashing will start soon enough….

michael-jackson

and its official …. Win7 will be a available as a consumer item on Oct. 22. via Engadget:


We knew good and well the next iteration of Windows would be generally available this fall, but now we’ve a date to circle in our datebooks: October 22nd. Yep, the fourth Thursday in the tenth month of this year will mark the first date in which you — the general consumer — can purchase Win7, which gives you plenty of time to figure out which of the 94 variants will suit you best. Have fun!


Which of the many variants, hmmmmmm

Japan - Day 1

In honor of recognizing the mistakes we all make as human beings, lets review the Nihon Sun’s 10 things not to do in Japan and see what happens?

Number 10 – Visit the Imperial Palace in Tokyo and snap a picture of a pretty stone bridge rather than one of the Emporer.

Ahem, well I got a pic of a pretty stone bridge, but we never got anywhere near the inside of the Imperial Palace. Our tour simply walked along a stretch of the moat. Oh well….

Japan Day 6

Number 6 – Chase a Geisha down the streets of Gion in Kyoto trying to snap a picture of her and wondering why she is for not stopping for yet another tourist with a camera!

We did not have to chase any geisha through the streets of Gion. We went to a private tea ceremony ourselves. I started to get a pic of a fully dressed geisha in the terminal in Kyoto, but she walked away and this advice popped into my head, so I stayed in one spot figuring I would get my chance later.

Kyoto


The streets in Gion, while we were waiting for the tea ceremony to be set up. This particular area had been kept in cobblestone/brick with storefronts in olden style to give a more traditional feel.
Japan Misc

This little cat was so pretty. The neko was also terribly used to gaijin tourists with cameras. He did his best to ignore us and pretend we were not really there photographing him. ^_^
Japan Misc
My memory is lapsing and I am totally forgetting the story behind the boy getting his pants pulled down by the dog. Its an iconic image the way the Morton Salt girl is in America.
Japan Misc
One of the ubiquitous vending machines. I decided to be a little daring and try the iced coffee in the upper left. Yatashii, I believe, is the name. It was brewed right into the cup and then ice drops in. MMMMmmmmm so good!!
Narita Airport Bus Stop
At the Narita Airport, waiting for the bus to take us to our hotel in Tokyo. Sitting down and watching the kanji scroll by on the sign was when I had the first “How are you going to do this?” panic moment when realizing that I could not read the sign. Most of the signs in the airport had enough English on them so that you never got that feeling; however, the kanji scrolled by fast on this sign, fast enough that it induced a panic moment. Never had another moment, even though deciphering the subway ticket system gave me fits at times. (Ok, the second time I got a little panicky was at the Shinjuku Rail Station – the place is a maze)

check out the nervous breakdown the guy has at the beginning of this. He runs out of change at the car wash with a soapy car; then goes into an emotional meltdown and beats the roof of his car … And then from nowhere comes a load of soapy water splashing the hood  of his car … ROTFLMAO …

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