A Man of God and Full of Love

Watch until the very end.

The Great Blizzard of 2010

This morning I went out and took a few pictures of the snow on the ground. You can see them here

Big Trucks go Zoom

The best thing about the training I went to yesterday was the location. During lunch I walked to an overpass of I-85 and took some pictures and the video below. Tractor trailers passing 20 feet below you at 80mph is quite a rush.

An Older Live Photograph

This picture of Patterson Hood of the Drive by Truckers is from the second time I saw the band. I've always liked this picture. I like the blurred motion of Patterson and the big smile on the fan at his feet. This show took place at the Visulite Theater here in Charlotte, NC. This show was the first time I saw them after they broke out. I was afraid I would be the only big DBT fan there and was surprised to see about 1000 other screaming maniacs. Classic show for me.

Resting Players at the End of a Football Season

I know there is some controversy concerning playoff bound teams resting players at the end of the long NFL season. Even the commissioner isn't crazy about it. I find this to be similar to the concern NASCAR has about restrictor plate racing; neither side is addressing the real issue. The only solution to playoff teams sitting down their starters when winning no longer helps their playoff seeding is to make the season shorter. With a shorter season it will not be as easy to lock up top seedings and there will be less concern with the wear and tear of a brutal sport. With the NFL considering adding more games to the regular season you can see that there will be no solution to this problem. I don't really see it as a problem. That's is just the nature of football; it's a tough sport and it's a long season. Being able to rest your starters is a reward for having a big season and securing your division early and getting a high playoff seed.

Put down phone, focus on driving

The blog at Creative Loafing has a nice entry about cell phones and driving. I am very down with this. A few years ago I had two very close calls while driving and both involved some guy yacking away on his cell phone. I am guilty of picking mine up now and then when it rings but I get off ASAP and hang up immediately if I enter tricky traffic. Talking on a cell phone and driving is a lot like using your cell phone in the library, if you are going to have a half hour conversation do it somewhere else.

Hick'ry Hawkins

Yesterday there was a benefit at the Comet Grill and one of the performers was Hick'ry Hawkins. This is a video of a real good song called "New York Doll." Hick'ry is kind of a mixed bag because his serious songs are really, really good but he has a few novelty type songs that aren't of the same caliber.

What a hose job

I didn't watch consistently but when I checked it in it was hilarious. Too bad he wasn't given a chance to make the show his own.

Airport Overlook

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day Melanie and I went out to the airport overlook here in Charlotte for the first time. Ever since seeing pictures that others have taken there on Flickr I've been wanting to check it out. I was pleasantly surprised by what I found there.

The first thing you notice is a lot of other cars there and then a great view of downtown Charlotte
























Then you see all the people who arrived there in all those cars.
























There are a lot of kids there. Must be a nice cheap way to keep your kids occupied for a couple of hours.

























Then big airplanes start dropping out of the sky













































My favorite part of the landing is the wheel smoke.


























I want to go out there again soon. I hope next time I can catch some departures.

A Mystery

I discovered my bird bath shattered so I called in the local crime scene investigator.

Untitled from ed mcdonald on Vimeo.

Abby vs the Laser Light

These two have been going at it for a few weeks now. Music by the sadly late Jay Reatard.

Abby vs the Laser Light from ed mcdonald on Vimeo.

First Older Brother

One of the best movie surprises I've ever had was the first time I viewed Shaolin Soccer. It was one of the movies Sam showed me and some friends during the golden age of his movie nights. He didn't tell us anything about the movie other than it was a Hong Kong kung fu movie about soccer. I was expecting something like what I had ignorantly considered a kung fu movie: bad acting, bad dubbing, cheesy sound effects and cleverly staged fight scenes. I had no idea I was going to see a very funny and self aware movie with Matrix style special effects. I was mesmerized. If you haven't seen it you are missing out.

One of my favorite scenes in the movie takes place on a rooftop. The main character, played by Stephen Chow, has attempted to recruit his brothers to join a soccer team. He hopes they will use their individual kung fu skills and help him create a soccer team that can win an important annual tournament and bring awareness of kung fu to the masses. His brothers arrive on the roof in a slow motion procession accompanied by overly dramatic music. It's both stirring and hilarious. In that way it is similar to The Incredibles. The screen shot is of the oldest brother. He arrives last and, instead of walking up the stairwell and through the opening that lets you on the roof, he leaps over the final barrier with his ever present cigarette. It kills me every time I watch him do it.

If you ever do get a chance to see this movie I hope you can find the original Hong Kong release of it. The subtitles that come with that version are great. It is translated literally and has a charm of its own. It allows you to fill in the gaps. Kinda like William Shatner's acting.

I gotta go

I love the move "The Aviator." It's chock full of amazing performances and Cate Blanchett as Katherine Hepburn still blows me away each time I watch any scene she appears in. I don't know how accurate her portrayal of Hepburn is but it works for me.

This screen shot is her reaction to Dicrapio, as Howard Hughes, announcing that he is leaving a club. The club is full and raucous and Hepburn is bored out of her skull and she is dying to leave. Errol Flynn, perfectly portrayed by Jude Law and on the left in the screen shot, is trying to convince Howard to go on a debauched trip with him and while doing so takes a pea off of Hughes' dinner plate. Because of his phobias Hughes can no longer eat his dinner, even the sight of it disgusts him. He announces, "I gotta go." and Blanchett's face lights up with obvious joy. This is that moment.

Long Distance Knife Kill in Modern Warfare 2

There's a little cursing at the end of this video but it's been making the rounds and is worth watching.

Screenshot

One of my favorite movies is The Incredibles. I think the director, Brad Bird, is a genius. He directed and wrote the Iron Giant, the Incredibles and Ratatouille. That is an unprecedented string of films. This pose below is one of my favorite moments from The Incredibles. They are on their enemy's secret island base and have just been reunited. They are being threatened and they quit their frantic rejoicing and prepare to defend each other.

This screen capture was created by the program VLC Media Player. Is a great piece of software.

Melanie and Allison at Isle of Palms

Melanie and Allison at Isle of Palms
Originally uploaded by zzazazz

I've been looking for some software that would convert photographs to something resembling old Polaroid shots. I finally found one called Poladroid. I am very happy with it. This one here has turned out the best so far. Some pictures work better than others.

Why College Basketball is the Bomb

More Fun with Google Street Views

The internationally known Bellaire Bar and Grill in Bellaire, MI.

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Fun with Google Maps Street View

The Cedar volunteer fire department displays their toys

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The road to Good Harbor

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Gabe's Market in Maple City, MI. The home of some crazy awesome smoked hot dogs.

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Looking toward the dune climb from the Narrows

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The Big Ass Wind Turbine by my family's house

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The old library in Traverse City, MI where I got my first library card

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The world famous Alden Bar

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