The Family Portrait

Ah the family photo. A brief glimpse in the style of the times, and the awkwardness of the times too. The family pictured has found their look, and as a family they are workin' it - and workin' it HARD.

The Fisher Family had a photo like this - not so much about the super hair, but working a style all the same. Our last official family photo was when I was in 6th grade, and my dad had been named the Prince of the West Wind for the St. Paul Winter Carnival. As a Prince of the West Wind, it required him to dress in a symphony of fringed western shirts, fancy boot cut pants, and some fierce cowboy boots. Since he was swept up in the cowboy style, our family decided to take a professional photo where we kids were sporting a 10 gallon hat, and my dad dressed in his princely garb. My mom was exempt from the hat, as she had a fancy hairdo that she didn't want to wreck. She did show her support in a plaid western shirt and a smile that was reminiscent of a frontier woman.

Thankfully, this photo - which still hangs in my parent's home in an infrequently traveled hallway, has not hit the internet. If it did, it would probably be on my new favorite website - www.awkwardfamilyphotos.com. Check it out, I have added the link on the left of my blog.

I wonder what the featured family's hair looks like now?

On the run from the Wild Kingdom Mafia

I'm a lover of all creatures great and small. I always root for the animal when it comes to man vs. nature, and currently run a 'catch and release' program for spiders in my humble abode. With this love comes a deep sadness when a little beastie, be it furry, slimy, or with many legs, meets with an unfortunate circumstance that ends its time on earth.

Last Autumn, my father shot a deer while deer hunting in Northern Minnesota. I am not a fan of him deer hunting or deer hunting in general, but nonetheless it continues to be a fact of life. 3 days after my father called to say he got a deer last year, I began to have an eerie situation where there would be up to 5 deer congregating in my driveway as I would return home from work each night. They would stand there staring, and then as I approached they would dart away. This happened for about 2 weeks after that fateful phone conversation with my dad.

This last weekend, my friend accidentally ran over a frog in the parking area of my townhouse development. He didn't mean to do it, it was a wee fellow, and he should have been in the grass doing froggy things rather than rockin' it on the asphalt late at night. We both felt bad, and said sorry to the little guy, and then went on with our lives.

Last night, as I was locking up my little house, checking the back door locks, testing the front door locks, something caught my eye. I looked up to the window above my front door and spied a frog - about 8 feet up off of the ground suction cupped with his little webby hands watching me from the window. Of course I squealed like any woman would, and then decided to record the incident with my camera as proof that I may be being stalked by an amphibian. If I suddenly disappear - check the local swamps and question every Raleigh-Durham frog you may see. They probably would be aware of my whereabouts.

Don't Stop Me Now!

Brian & Eileen's Wedding Music Video. from LOCKDOWN projects on Vimeo.

This could be the coolest wedding video ever. Cool song, cool bride & groom and some conclusive evidence that the British don't have sticks up their butts all the time.

I would love to have a wedding video like this, but there is the whole annoying "find a groom" step...make him worship me and buy me diamonds step...and honestly, I just don't have time for all of that.