Red Mosquito’s Neighborhood

Some film prints taken with my Holga 120N in Tarpon Springs, FL (Sponge Docks). Greek fishing community...lots of boats, gift shops and great Greek foods.

Yesterday my kid scolded me for swearing too much.

Specifically my use of the terms "fuck" and "motherfuck".

I told him it was the only way I could make the pieces fit together*.

He told me I sounded horrible, so I said I'd say them in my head instead.

Then he told me, "Well, at least stop yelling it. Under your breath is okay, but yelling it gets annoying."

Oh. Okay. (oops)

*We were putting a couple of bookcases together from Ikea. It's harder than it looks.

Sorry hon, I couldn't be bothered typing them all out so I stole them off your blog and modified the answers :)

1.) What did you do in 2009 that you've never done before?

Wrote "2009" at the end of all the dates

2.) Did you keep your New Year's resolutions?

Yes, completely.  My resolution was to never again make resolutions.

3.) Did anyone close to you give birth?

My gorgeous fiancee

4.) Did anyone close to you die?

Yes. Rest well.

5.) What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?

An Australian Visa - and a job.

6.) What did you do on vacation?

Vacation?  What vacation?

7.) What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Becoming a father.

8.) What was your biggest failure?

Failing to land a job which had my name written all over it.  Mind you, I suppose that was more the person offering the job's failure.  They needed me, they just didn't realise it.

9.) Did you suffer illness or injury?

Nothing worth mentioning.

10.) What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Aston being born - a year ago today actually!

11.) What was the best thing you bought?

Brutal Legend.  EPIC game.

12.) What day from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

2nd Jan - I saw Jemma give birth and helped as much as any man can in that situation. 

13.) Where did most of your money go?

The bank.

14.) What song will always remind you of 2009?

Savior - Rise Against

15.) Compared to this time last year, are you:

• Happier or sadder? both
• Thinner or fatter? same
• Richer or poorer? poorer

16.) How did you spend Christmas?

At home with Jemma and Aston, then out at my folks, then up to her folks.

17.) What do you wish you'd done more of?

Spent more time with Aston, but I have to work to pay the bills

18.) What do you wish you'd done less of?

Ate.

19.) What was your favorite month of 2009 and why?

January.  Aston.  Enough said.

20.) What was your greatest musical discovery?

Rise Against.  Oh and Tchaikovsky.

21.) What concerts did you attend?

Oasis/Kasabian/The enemy

 

22.) What was the best book you read?

Too many to choose from, and I don't care that my answer is a cop out.

23.) What did you want and get?

I didn't want anything.  Wanted all efforts to go on Aston

24.) What did you want and not get?

I didn't want anything

25.) What was your favorite movie of this year?

Taken

26.) What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I had a small gathering of close family and friends.  Oh, I took most of April off too ;)

I was...umm...ahhh...30

27.) What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Someone giving me a Visa.

28.) How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?

I don't follow fashion.  I like comfortable, neat, smart clothing

29.) What kept you sane?

Sane?  What?  Aha hahahaha hahahahahaha.  Erm....the meds do a good job....

30.) Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Jenn.

31.) What political issue stirred you the most?

Obama becoming President.  I don't care that he's the first Black President, he doesn't deserve credit for his colour, nobody does.  He deserves ultimate credit for the job he is doing and the changes he's made/problems he has overcome in such a short time in office.  I hope he continues to make a difference.

 

32.) What was a much needed change?

Pass

33.) Who did you miss?

I don't miss many people.  Jenn tops the list though.

34.) Who was the best new person you met/got closer to?

Jenn of course, and Elyse - you're both lovely.

35.) Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009:

Redundancy is getting closer.  Don't just sit and hope something good will happen, cos it won't.

I'm sitting here trying to write down my new years resloutions and I'm about half way through but my mind keeps wondering. I keep asking myself in my head about the research I have been doing for my trip to the Pacific Northwest. The question that keeps entering my mind is What makes Portland Weird?

It is unofficially the weirdest city in the U.S. and if you don't agree you can aleast agree that it is extremely quirky. I get a long with weird, perhaps because I myself have been described as weird, and I also attract a lot of weirdos. In short I'm a weirdo magnent and it keeps things interesting.

True weirdness is like residue. It's a sludgy pot of  people, culture, ideas, and inspiration that get mixed together and thrown on a wall, the residue from that it was sticks, it's the weird. It is also a state of being, you can be in the weird for a while, being in the weird is where I come up with my best ideas, okay well not all my best ideas come from being in the weird, sometimes they just sound good at the time.

Anyway what makes Portland weird, and more importantly how does it continue to stay weird? It's a lot of effort to stay weird, okay well if you are truely odd its not as difficult as it sounds its just that you have to get those who are not weird to catch on to the idea of weirdness and that can be a task.

I suppose a velevet painting museum, naked hippy cyclists, and a weird mystery hole are the kind of things that one could consider odd but they are more like seeds that have been carried a bit by the wind from the large tree of weird.

I guess it would really have to be the locals that keep the weirdness alive. Inspiring others to create and advance weirdness. Now I know about crazy locals, Key West has some really loopy ones, I was explained that it has to do with the alcohol and the sun. Something about the combination kinda fries their head a bit and twists reality like taffy. I mean where else would you see this in July in 90 plus degree weather but Duval Street in Key West or naked Kevin who is an awesome dancer but has to hide his money in an undisclosed potted plant because he birthday suits don't have pockets and he want to enjoy a few drinks.

I'm hoping to really enter the weird when I hit Portland.  Is it possible to succeed in getting weird? Is this a goal that can be achieved and if it is, does anyone besides me want to?

I want to come back from Portland with a renewed sense of weirdness. Something to put a halt to my daytime 9-5 corporate zombie walk I do each week. Some thing that is really going to kick off some inspiration and creativiness.

I am half way through watching Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations - Pacific Northwest Episode, but I don't want to retrace his steps, I just want to use it as  a guide to give me ideas advance or enhance my trip. I want my own unique experience.

The other thing I do is write list that I never abide by. I love doing this, the list are for research purpose only, its no fun to get wrapped up in a list you feel you must do in numberical order and finish. It's more of a guide to say, "hey see that place, I wrote it on my list and I know what it's about and since we are here you wanna check it out?"

I'm a feeler, I feel things, I don't do things because I feel I have to or because somebody else thinks it's the "right way" to do things. If I'm leaving for 7 days I pack atleast 12 changes of clothes because I really don't know what I'm going to feel like wearing that day, and what I think I may feel like and what I do, usually don't match up. I don't like to tie myself down, fun to me is about doing things naturally as they come and not forcing them to happen so why would I write an itenirary and stick to it? I noticed sometimes it stresses people out when time is not on their side. "We must do this and in this exact order!" Ummmm why can't you just go with the flow and enjoy and not get your panties in a wad.

I also write travel list iteniraries differently than most, mine sound more like a scavenger hunt than a travel itenerary and everything is open ended because I also like to give some wiggle room.

... but there is one thing I know for certain, I fully intend on helping Portland stay weird.

Yeah, all those jolly wishes.

New Year's Eve, I worked from 7am until 3am today and I came back in again at 3pm this afternoon. Hopefully I'll be finished by 6am but I really hope you all enjoyed the fun and frolics that accompany a new year celebration. There's nothing better than watching others enjoy themselves especially as I woke up at 11am hangover free today. Sadly had a headache but not alcohol related.

My friend and his family live in Sydney near the Blue Mountains. At 1pm here we were chatting via msn and I wished them all happy New Year which felt odd at lunchtime!

Makes you think of your family and friends - whom you may or may not still be in contact with - at this time of year. Can be quite hard, especially when you've had recent losses.

To all my Vox friends and neighbours, I wish you a very happy, successful and prosperous - in love, life, finance and everything in between - 2010. I look forward to reading about all your exploits and occasional mischief (GOF, Snowy). May you all stay happy and healthy.

Pete

I've been posting and reading a lot on the chow site this year and have become a regular florida chowhound on the chowhound florida boards. There are some very knowledgable Foodies on the site. One such helpful and knowledgable person is Bob Mervine. I have used a lot of his reviews, advice and comments to guide my way around the florida food scene. He seems pretty elusive and I always wished he would reply to my post, but he never did.

I read a post today and in the post was something that shocked me. It read:

"A few years ago, Bob Mervine was kind enough to answer my post and gave some great suggestions. His lost is deeply felt, I know, by all foodies."

What?! I didn't know he had passed away so I dug around a bit and realized he passed away in 2007. I had been reading old post that are still relevent from back in 2007. Often times old post get dug up when others have new information or just to agree or disagree with the information provided so while it may be at the top of the list, his post were all from 2007 and past. No wonder he never replied to my post, and here I was thinking that perhaps my post were not interesting enough for him to comment on. lol.

It just made me realize that in this age everything we do here in social communities still exist after we pass on. Certainly interesting that I have been taking food advice from a dead man all year.

and no one said anything when I would rely to bob on the boards, they must have just thought I was putting in my two cents but I was actually replying to him. hah.

Rest in Peace Bob, I'll still continue to read you and take your advice.

How about disastrous? 

I remember New Year's Eve in 1989 and how I thought that changing from the 80's to the 90's didn't seem that different (I was 9, so you can't exactly expect any sort of major philosophical moment from me).  I remember NYE in 1999 and flipping on the TV at the top of the hours leading up to midnight to see if any missiles had launched or if the world would fall into darkness.  As I say goodbye to the last 10 years I find I'm doing it with my middle finger.  What a lousy fucking decade.  War, poverty, greed, excess, famine, global warming, homelessness - everything is worse than when we started.  I used to think that, as humans, we were on a constant march forward.  The last ten years really proved me wrong.  In the last decade I went from an idealistic youth to an outspoken critic of the wars to a jaded cynic.  I also transformed from a stinky hippie into a beautiful flower.  (That last thing be debatable but I'm sure I could find some photographic evidence to support this.)  I think most people call it their 20's.  It's kind of the cool thing about being born in a zero year, makes it easy to associate your own personal decades to the ones measured by normal calenders.  Thanks for rolling over into the wet spot in 1980, Mom.

Most people countdown music, films, etc. at the end of years and decades.  I could do a best of the blog, but my blog hasn't been the same since the summer of 2008.  In the past few months I've been trying to get it back to the creative outlet that it once was, but the last year and a half at work has done a good number on the blackening of my soul.  I have made a lot of changes in my life this year and I hope they're only the beginning.  Coming up on the end of a decade and facing my 30's has made me aware of the things I have and haven't done with my life.  I know it's cliche, but whatever, I'm sure it happens to everyone.  And instead of rolling over and going with the flow like I have for so long I'm actively making changes - and so far it's been for the better.  I'm happier today than I have been all year.  My life is also more up in the air than ever, but I like it.  It's new and exciting.

I figured I'd share some new music.  You guys know me, I'm such a nerd for old music like Cole Porter and Iron Maiden (ha!) and I rarely keep up on the new stuff.  My finger hit the wrong button on the car radio yesterday and I unintentionally flipped to EQX, an alternative (still hate that word) radio station that's NOT owned by Clear Channel (can you even wrap your mind around it?  crazy, right?).  They were in the middle of a catchy song that hooked me immediately.  I bopped around to it on my drive into work.  And then when I left the office last night and was warming up the car the same song came on their top 5 at 5 program.  It came in at number 3.

I don't know jack about the band Phoenix, but this is one of the catchiest songs I've heard in a while.

Coming in at number 2 was a really cool rockin' song by Kings of Leon called Crawl.  It has such a heavy bass, I love it. I've seen Kings of Leon posted around the hood before and now I need to go back and check out more of their stuff.
I was surprised and excited to know that I, little miss unaware of new music, already own the number song of the top five at five.  In fact, I had already loaded this one on the blog.

 
I feel so hip and modern.  Shocking, eh?  The times, they are a changin'.  Happy New Year everyone.

I had a fairly nice Holiday. 

Hey Miss Cranky, Hope you have a wonderful birthday.  I'm really looking forward to us going through our 30's together.  Here's a little pick-me-up for the day.  I know how much you hate to get out from under the covers on cold mornings.