Shirt Designer

This is an inspired, sexy, creative, sexy, way to create 5 wonderful outfits made from her "EX-Man's Shirt". Yes... I said sexy twice.

I found her blog today and am an instant fan and follower.  

Manila is Bracing for More?

Here's an international story that I first heard about this from a friend in the blogosphere, Charity. It's been a devastating couple of days in Manila with the impact from the latest typhoon. The more concerning part is that there is another on the way.

You can find these clips and more information on her blog. She has been blogging whenever she is able to get signal to do so. You can check out her blog here.

Charity said that the American military has been instrumental in saving lives in the area.

It's always good to hear when our military is used for commendable purposes.

Astral Cowboy Photography - My New Blog

With the New Year comes a new blog.  I am introducing the "Astral Cowboy Photography" blog. 

 I have not decided exactly what the format will be, but it will be my photoblog and will likely not have any of my more controversial banter on it.  I will likely continue to maintain this blog with my art, news and hopes for the future.  

If you like my photos and art, this is where I plan to post just that.

My First Post for Roxy

Today I celebrate my first post at Roxy's Best of Blog (albeit a bit late).  You can find interesting information on restaurants, events and more in New Jersey, Texas, and more.

If you are looking

for information on Austin's 2008 Santa Rampage, look no further. 

Click here!!!

Paper Ballots Are a Must!!!

Please ask for paper ballots when voting!!!

The first video is a full length film called "Hacking Democracy". It is a documentary I hope all my readers will watch. I sent it to all my friends and family back in May and hope that everyone has watched it and acted on what they discovered.



Here's an interesting video where an election official is showing how to recalibrate a machine and trying to make justifications for the vote switching that has been occurring. It is completely counter-intuitive that we would allow anyone to attempt to recalibrate a machine mid-election. We need to rid ourselves of this system in which there is no way to possibly go back to verify the results of an election.

You can find out more at Black Box Voting, The Brad Blog and Video the Vote.

Chris O'Riley-Swashbuckling Writer

I want to let you know about a new swashbuckler and writer in the blogoshpere. His name is Chris O'Riley. 

He's from the Yorba Linda area, but has come to call Austin his home.  Of course, his swordsmanship and his burgeoning bullwhip abilities make him a likely friend.  His approach to live and his desire to write have sealed the deal.  He is looking to live a blog-worthy life and to write about it.  

I recommend getting to know Chris & Cassidy.  Their enthusiasm for life leaves them glowing as they maneuver through our decapitated society.  

I met him and Cassidy Austin (Artist/Model/Librarian), his adventure partner and girlfriend, at the Heart House Benefit where Cassidy was modeling.  

Arlene and I were instantly drawn to their energy, geekiness and big smiles.  We have enjoyed meals, thoughtful conversation, laughter and adventure.  They are unusual people with extraordinary talents.  I hope there are more unusual people with extraordinary talents who recognize these spirits for who they are.  If you are just such a person, make certain to click on their links and get to know them.

Blogroll - Pixies and Politics

Amber is an eco-minded entrepreneur with many lovely offerings. You can check out her yummy herbed honeys and hand-crafted gifts here or read her blog here.

Help free this lovely soul from the drudgery of the 9 to 5 and support her efforts to support herself and create a better world.




Politics after 50 is a fun read. Lisa also sent me the best internet radio station I have heard. It's called FIP, out of Paris. To check it out, click here.

Stratastenciling - Javan Ivey

Javan Ivey uses an animation technique he devised called "Stratastencil" by which he cuts each frame out individually and uses stop motion to create a sense of movement. The technique adds another layer while still showing the layer before it. He then uses lighting to create depth and emotion. It's an intriguing blend of hand-worked art and technology that combine to form a truly unique form of animation.



You can watch another of his videos entitled "Tunnel Kids" here. Although it is more simple than "My Paper Mind", I think it is my favorite animation of his. Both videos are completely kid - animation.

I clipped the following quote from his website:

"His work reflects an understanding of the technical processes of animation, and reveals an almost obsessive attention to detail and function. Always curious about how things work, he tries to find interesting ways of integrating and creating the illusion of movement. Javan is most happy solving the simplest of problems with the most complex of creative engineering solutions in order to further the idea of animation as an art form."

I found this on a fun blog called Tiny Gigantic. You will notice I just added a link to the inspirational feed under the "Interesting Sites" category.

Souvlaki for the Soul

I was looking forward to finding my next beauty post for the Truth & Beauty blog, now I know why. I found a wonderful blog called "Souvlaki for the Soul". I only know him as Peter G. The photo below is one of his.


He is on a journey of epicurean delights that he shares along with photos he takes. This is a marvelous food voyeur site. It is obvious his passions for food and for photography should continue to dance.

Goodbye Andrew Olmsted, RIP

Major Andrew Olmsted, Iraq Blogger, Killed in Ambush

(Picture courtesy of Rocky Mountain News)

I am going to miss his insights, his intellect, his experiences and the impact he had on myself and many others who had the opportunity to read his blog. You can read his final blog post here. He had a fellow blogger, hilzoy (a philosophy professor who specializes in ethics), published his farewell post. The following is an excerpt:

"This is an entry I would have preferred not to have published, but there are limits to what we can control in life, and apparently I have passed one of those limits. And so, like G'Kar, I must say here what I would much prefer to say in person. I want to thank hilzoy for putting it up for me. It's not easy asking anyone to do something for you in the event of your death, and it is a testament to her quality that she didn't hesitate to accept the charge. As with many bloggers, I have a disgustingly large ego, and so I just couldn't bear the thought of not being able to have the last word if the need arose. Perhaps I take that further than most, I don't know. I hope so. It's frightening to think there are many people as neurotic as I am in the world. In any case, since I won't get another chance to say what I think, I wanted to take advantage of this opportunity. Such as it is."

Thank you for your service and your sacrifice.

Van Morrison - Into The Mystic

A few of my more observant (if not just more vocal) readers have made the observation that many times, I don't add my Morning Music posts until much later in the day. This is true. With as busy as life can be, I have found it is important to add the music when time allows.

With that out of the way, here's today's Morning Music selection: Van Morrison's "Into the Mystic". It is accompanied by a slide show put together by Stewart Brennan. You can check out his World United blog and his YouTube site here.

We're In Our New Place!

After several days of tossing boxes and running back and forth. We have finished moving out of our old place. It may take a few more days to get moved in to our new place, but at least we have internet access again.

Life is beautiful.

I am so tired.

Something Other than Music?

Ok...here's a little bit of politics for the day. But I am going to let someone else do the talking. Check out the
Scott-O-Rama article called, "Are You Paying Attention?" here. I like his blog because he documents his sources and make personal research into his topics an easier start.

Macy Gray and Bob Dylan

I was surfing this morning and came across a Dylanesque Macy Gray video, "Everybody", on Michael Willis's blog:



It reminded me of and inspired me to post Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues":



Some days are just more about music than news.

A Year Without Toilet Paper

A quick clip from the Colbert Show. Stephen interviews Colin Beavan, who has commited to a drastic change in lifestyle for himself, his wife and 2 yr. old daughter hope to achieve a net-zero environmental impact while living in the heart of NYC.




From Beavan's blog:

"During the course of the year, Michelle, Isabella and I will traverse the range of lifestyles from making a limited number of concessions to the environment to becoming eco-extremists. This means that when we’re done, we can reenter the world of normal consumerdom equipped to decide which parts of our no impact lifestyle we’re willing to keep and which ones we’re not. In other words, in addition to the no impact year, we’ll have figured out our way forward."

From Colin Beavan's site: NoImpactMan.com
You can view Coin's blog here.