November 2007 Archives

First the dishwasher (actually, first the oven, which has had a thermostat problem forever), then the clothes washer. With the latter, we knew it was only a matter of time. The tub bearing started getting louder and louder, so that it sounded like a helicopter inside a metal trash can.

This week, it stopped completely, started leaking water and appears to have a related transmission problem. The thing's only five years old, but from doing lots of online research, our make and model of washer isn't expected to live more than 4-7 years. Fixing them can approach or supersede the cost of a new washer, too. So now we've been going through the dizzying job of deciding on what washer will work for us.

Really, this is a case when the Internet is ridiculous. There is literally too much information, too many varying opinions and way too many places to look for both. We've talked to a salesman (who wasn't working for a commission, which was refreshing) who used to work as a Sears appliance repairman. He had some good insights, but seemed to think a front-loading washer is the best investment. His, for the record, is a 21-year old Kenmore that he's kept churning along with his expertise.

The Petite Filet is leaning toward another top-loader because there are so many unknowns with some of the front-loading models. The uber-expensive (haven't used the word "uber" lately) European and Asian brands promise more reliability, but who wants to drop $1,200 on a metal box where all you do is put your stinky clothes in there and hope they'll come clean? Internet research shows that despite promising savings on utilities, there are shortcomings and frustrations that come from the front-loaders. If we go with a top-loader, I was hoping at least for an efficient, Energy Star-rated model, but even those cost nearly as much as my first car.

Does anyone have any 2 cents on the matter? Models or brands to check out, or those to avoid? I'm hoping we can spend a shade more than $500, but then again, even though we don't dress real fancy, it would cost much more to replace our wardrobes if the washer ate our wearables. Any insight would be appreciated.

On a happier note: I bought a second camera ... a used Canon 20D. If I'm going to go pro, I need at least two bodies. Now it's time to get some work so I can afford the $3,000 worth of lenses I've been eyeing.

Happy weekend!

Isn't it crazy how when a famous person dies, we might think about how we were affected by him or her? I didn't know the man whose public persona was Mr. Whipple, but I remember the commercials. They take me back to a simpler time, when I didn't have to worry about the toilet paper supply at home ... new rolls just magically appeared. Anyhow, if you hadn't heard, Mr. W passed away this month.

The same can sort of be said for Kevin DuBrow, the lead singer for Quiet Riot who was found dead just recently. Admittedly, I didn't know the name of the lead singer of Quiet Riot. But I did know many of their songs, and remember when "Cum on the Feel the Noize" came out ... I was in the fourth or fifth grade. Even after it was "cool," some of the band's songs used that l spelling (though not as bad as some of Prince's tunes that used numbers and letters to goofy effect).

Cum on feel the noize ... girls rock your boys ... we'll get wild, wild, wild ...

Ah, the memories. Whether of disapproving grocery-store managers not wanting housewives to abuse the TP, or of big-hair metal bands who don't know how to spell but know mostly how to rock ... they're a part of some of our live's fabric.

Whatever Thanksgiving means to you (even if it means nothing), I hope you are able to simply stop for a few moments and count your blessings. Turn that frown upside down!

Here's some things I'm thankful for:
• My family! Duh!
• My job.
• My beautiful singing voice.
• My ability to leap tall buildings.
• The weather that keeps us all guessing. Shorts or parka?
• Bacon.
• Lettuce.
• Tomato.
• Digital cameras.
• Warm puppies.
• Indoor plumbing.
• Sweet, sweet love.
• Lawnmowers.
• Neighbors.
• Breathing room between neighbors.
• Turkey.
• Bicycles.
• Jittery squirrels.
• People.

It all makes the world go 'round. What are you thankful for?

For some reason, I've been thinking about my 10th wedding anniversary lately. It's only sort of around the corner, arriving in April 2009. But we'd like to drop the boys off with a set of grandparents and take a trip somewhere special. Maybe it's the planner in me who would like to pick a place, reserve it, save up and have it paid off by the time we put foot to ship, sand, surf, snow or scenery.

We think we'd prefer somewhere tropical vs. frozen. We love the idea of Alaska, but the Petite Filet says that sounds like an "old people" trip (and it won't be that warm in April). I don't remind her that we're not that far from being old people ourselves. Hawaii is appealing, but we'd much rather have more happy naked time unfettered by jet lag, thankyouverymuch. Mexico? Not really on our list. We can drive a few minutes and feel like we're in Mexico already.

This is where you come in. Got any suggestions? Somewhere you've been or always wanted to go? Good or bad stories about cruises, resorts or various Carribean islands? Do you own your own island and would be willing to let us borrow it for about a week? Don't be shy! I need all the help I can get.

I was looking at a Web site of a former employer (a newspaper), and on its sidebar was a mini-slideshow of photos taken on Halloween night in one of that city's booze-n-crooze districts. Being a college town, there were many boozers and croozers unafraid to lift cocktail to the sky and throw caution to the wind. Funny how some of us prepare for a "holiday" or event, get excited, it comes and goes, and that's it.

The Petite Filet and I didn't dress up this year, as more time was spent manufacturing a "Herbie the Love Bug" costume for the Cutlet. Maybe next year. Although the last time we costumed up, I was the Skipper, she was Mary Anne and the Cutlet was Gilligan. But none of the kids at church (where we spent most of our time that year) knew who we were. "Are you a farm girl?" "I get it! You're a captain!" "Who is the Cutlet supposed to be?" Society as a whole is failing these kids by not exposing them to classic TV reruns, laugh tracks and corny jokes. In a few years, nobody will remember who the Brady Bunch was, either.

So we don't know what will happen next year. Options for adults are pretty limited anyhow. Look at the most popular get-ups this year ...

For men:
Pirate
Doctor
Devil
George W. Bush (scary!)
Abe Lincoln
Full-size whoopie cushion
Fred Flintstone
Gladiator dude
iPod
iPhone
iMoron

For women:
Slutty witch
Slutty prison guard
Slutty prisoner
Slutty devil
Slutty cheerleader (is that redundant or what?)
Slutty secretary
Slutty cowgirl
Slutty slut

Having my own business has been a longtime dream of mine. However, because I've worked mostly at newspapers, and in advertising for a large department store, being my own boss has seemed a bit out of reach. After all, it takes gazillions these days to start a newspaper or open a department store. My love of photography, however, presents itself as a shining beacon to the Entre Pronoir Ship.

The problem: this thought has occurred to a lot of people. There is a ton of competition in my area. The good thing: many of them suck. The fact that even the sucky photogs appear to be making money is heartening to some degree. Another side issue: I know not everything there is to know about photography or operating a business. But I know a good photo when I see one, and more often than not I know how to take one. And that, dear friends, is where the clouds start to part and the sunshine of freedom gushes forth in beams of mismatched idioms.

There are other challenges:
1. Marketing, particularly in the face of all the others, is daunting. Last night I bought a domain name and Web hosting, which will be a good start (I'll provide a link when the site is ready for prime time). But I've got to figure out how to get peeps to my Web site to nosh on my pictorial goodness.

2. Equipment. Although we are living in the cusp of the Golden Age of Digital Photography, buying into that age costs essentially gold. Even starting with a camera that's a notch or two below true professional, the cost to build a worthy arsenal of equipment is daunting. We're talking lenses, flashes, off-camera lighting, brackets, trapezes, a second camera (if not a third) and larger and faster memory cards. This is yet the tip of the iceberg, as I'll probably need some specialized software to go along with it all. Add in advertising costs (see No. 1), and you get the picture. You've got to invest money to make money. Patience has won out so far, although shelling out $3,000 for photo stuff is itching my trigger finger. It helps to have a wife who brings sense to the whole thing: I can invest when I get more work (see No. 1 and reread No. 2, though).

3. Time. I'm a husband, daddy and full-time employee. Where can I get an extra couple of hours a day? Anyone? Help?

4. With a little help from friends. Collaborating with others in the biz will go a long way toward improving my skills and marketability. Also, without fail my friend-photogs have nicer equipment that, when they upgrade, becomes available at more reasonable rates to me.

5. Don't be a pansy! This is hard, because I want to succeed in this, but there are so many opportunes to go astray. By having a written plan, goals and focus (on camera and in brain), I think I can do it. No! I KNOW I CAN DO IT! (sorry for the yelling; i got carried away)

I rode 100 miles in a day on my bike this past July. Having a photography business should be even less of a pain in the butt.

For those of you who live in areas that use Daylight Savings Time to adjust clocks in an effort to take advantage of longer summer days, you know that this past weekend was when we got back that hour ripped from us in the spring. I'd like to say I used that "extra" hour on something fun, or productive, or both. But really, it took about an hour to reset all our clocks on Sunday afternoon.

Living room clock
DVD/VCR clock
Microwave clock
Clock in my car
Clock in Petite Filet's car*
Desktop computer
Laptop computer
My watch
Petite Filet's watch**
My cellphone
Petite Filet's cell phone***
Clock on my bicycle computer
Clock hanging in the garage

*We got the Petite Filet's car back from body shop on Friday!
**Her watch currently needs a new battery.
***Her "smartphone" jumped the gun and we had to reset it manually. My cellphone was set automatically via the cell network, but I had to check it to make sure

We did spend some time Sunday afternoon taking some pictures ...

A funny thing about just about all the local TV news channels around here, they are all pumped and fluffy about "broadcasting live in High-Definition." For those of us involved in a part of the news business, and even those who just have old TVs, touting HD is as useful as correction fluid for your computer screen.

If I had a high-definition TV, the difference would be that all the ugly TV anchors and reporters would be clearly uglier. Their lack of fashion sense would be painfully obvious with the high color saturation. Their wrinkly, makeup-covered faces would be presented in sharp detail.

However, the newscasts wouldn't be any more useful or accurate or any less sensational. I want to laugh every time one of the channels begins its nightly cast with "live in HD," or when another station has special promos to push their HD-ness like it makes the news any better. Just like a newspaper that redesigns its elements and then tries to convince its readership that it's better now ... it's all packaging with no substance to back it up.

Reminds me, too, of a car Ford currently sells. It's a frumpy, allbeit solid sedan that debuted a few years ago as the Five Hundred. With such an uninspiring name and at least upon first sight looking like something my grandmother wouldn't have considered cool enough to own, it was somewhat of a flop. Now the company has revived the "Taurus" name and applied it to a minor rebeef of the Five Hundred. What's in a name? Maybe something, as "Mustang" evokes decades of crappy "sports" cars that end up being trashed by high school students. But in the end, a new Taurus is still an ugly car, by any definition, even high.

Halloween has come and gone (thank goodness). A fun little diversion, but one of those meaningless holidays that doesn't really celebrate much except for gross consumerism (some grosser than others) and the pursuit of spooky fun.

We went to our church's Halloween-night event for some safe, fun candy-grabbing and game-playing. The Cutlet was "Herbie the Love Bug" via a costume I made for him out of cardboard. To our surprise (and pleasure), he won second place in his age group for the getup. That means I (uh, he) won $10 at Toys 'R Overpriced (um, "Us").