31.5.08

I Did Not Shoot The Deputy

While watching Law and Order the other night, I realized with all the variations of Law and Order and CSI, it is only a matter of time before I get to play a suspect on one of those shows.

23.5.08

As The Lights Flashing Out



Difficult Shot is the theme at PhotoFriday this week.

I took this shot during the Duran Duran concert April 17th, in Seoul, South Korea. It was not easy to get the shot, as security guards were constantly watching for the evil people who brought cameras into the concert venue. It did not help that I was in the very front of the crowd. Luckily, I got a few shots off without being caught. You can read more about the concert in my previous post.

22.5.08

The Great Nations Of Europe

The final contestants have been announced in the Eurovision Song Contest. So I now give you my picks for the top five:

1. Latvia
2. Germany
3. Bosnia Herzegovina
4. Denmark
5. Turkey

Speaking of the contest, I always enjoy reading some of the lyrics to the song. The Irish song this year had the line, "Give us another chance, we're sorry for Riverdance." And while it was full of humorous lines on purpose, several songs are not intentional. The one that threw me the most was from the Czech Republic. The line is "Just like the stars go with the starshine." At first I thought it was just some Eastern European without a great combination of English. I was saddened to discover it was written by an American who has also penned songs for Hannah Montana, Natalie Grant, and the movie Little Miss Sunshine. Sadly, he is not the only American with songs at stake in the European competition, including the gal singing for Poland. Makes me wonder if I have a shot singing for some Eastern European country some day.


Currently listening to: Laura Cantrell -

20.5.08

Wave Euro Hands And Euro Feet

Can it be a year already? Time flies when you are throwing clocks out the window. And no, I am not talking about a revolution around the sun since the end of the school year. I am posting about the annual Eurovision Song Contest. In my opinion, it could be the best competition between the nations. Forget the Olypmics, and even the World Baseball Classic, or even the World Cup Speling Be.

For those who do not know about Eurovision, it is a competition open to all countries in the European Broadcasting Union, thus it contains groups technically outside of the European maps I studied as a child. Each country sends a representative to woo the crowd in song. Most countries have a run off to determine the artist, and even the song that will be performed.

This year, forty-three countries are battling for the top spot. Tonight will be the first of two semi-final rounds. Wednesday the second one will take place. The top nine, plus a wild card from each round will join France, Germany, Spain, Serbia, and the United Kingdom in the final on May 24th.

If you are like me, which I highly doubt you are, you can not wait until then to hear the bands. Luckily, you can listen to all the participants now. I spent some time last night doing just that, and have picked my favorites. When the top twenty five are announced, I will make my official picks for the top five, but right now I am betting Belarus, Bosnia Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Malta, Spain, Turkey, and possibly Finland will make it into the finals.

Currently listening to: Laura Cantrell -

16.5.08

In The Heat Of The Night



Fire is the theme at PhotoFriday. This photo is from a trip to Michigan in the middle of winter. We decided to have a little bonfire on the lake.

9.5.08

Stick To Your Guns


Professional is the theme at PhotoFriday this week. Had to look though my photos to find someone/thing that looked professional. This photo of my friend Andrew was prefect. He took me to my first shooting range last summer. The guy not only was a great shot, but a great instructor. Guess it helps is in law enforcement. Although I think he was only being nice when he thought my shooting was good. That or I have spent way too many quarters on Virtual Cop at the arcade.

8.5.08

Some Music To Start My Day

The other day I was reading an article about how Tommy DeCarlo went from Home Depot employee to lead singer of the band Boston. All it took was posting some audio clips of himself on MySpace. It reminded me about Arnel Pineda who recently got promoted from singing cover tunes in the Philippines to the lead singer of Journey. For him the medium was YouTube.

So I'm thinking I should try recording some clips of me singing. Now what bands out there are looking for lead singers?

I also discovered that while Boston is touring this summer, Michael Sweet, the former lead singer of Stryper, will also be sharing time one lead vocals. As a fan of both his work in Stryper, as well as his solo career, I am interested in this piece of information. If ticket prices were not so high, I would consider checking out a show. I just wonder if he will do a mash up of a couple hits from each band, "Honestly, It Is More Than A Feeling"

Currently listening to: Micheal Sweet -

2.5.08

I'm Sailing Away

Today is Scurvy Awareness Day. What better day to announce that in a six weeks I will be taking to the open seas. I have chosen to schedule a voyage on a freighter to return to America. Many have question the logic in this decision. While a fraction of the choice was made in an attempt to never fly Northwest Airlines again, mostly it is because it is there. I have flown across the ocean dozens of times, but for once would love to see it first hand. I look forward to standing on the deck with nothing but blue for as far as the eye can see.

As I prepare for the voyage you can help. I am looking for suggestions for entertainment to occupy my time. Specifically, I'm looking for some good ocean/boat/voyage media. So far I have packed Moby Dick and Cabin Boy. I have also loaded Come Sail Away and Every Ship Must Sail Away on the iPod.

So any suggestions? (Beatings for the first to mention Titanic!)

Wrestling With My Conscience



My Little Secret is the theme at PhotoFriday this week. I am not sure if my secret is that I still owned this shirt until about a week ago, or that I still occasionally watch wrestling. The best/worst part about it is that here in Korea there is a channel that shows WWE at least once a day. I think I've watched the Ric Flair farewell address about five times this week. I think I have said too much, and should stop there.