Friday, May 05, 2006

B

Saw this over at The Kat House, and figured I should steal it. I mean play it... She gave me the letter B.

This is how it works: Comment on this entry and I will give you a letter. Write ten words beginning with that letter in your journal, including an explanation of what the word means to you and why, and then pass out letters to those who want to play along.
  • BONE - As most of you know, I play the trombone. Commonly referred to in musical circles as the "BONE". Her name is Michelle. She has been the center of my musical life for the past 25+ years. I also play BASS guitar, and a bunch of other things prior to focusing in on the BONE. She is the one thing I have been most intimate with in my life (which only a musician would understand).
  • BONES - Not to be confused with the first word. I have broken a number of BONES in my life. Including: left wrist, right elbow, right ankle, left thumb, both big toes, nose, back (twice) and a little bone in the middle of the palm of my right hand. Maybe more, but that's all I can think of right now.
  • BEER - BEER would have to be considered my vice of choice. I'm the only musician who lived in the 70s who didn't smoke pot or try other recreational things. Liquor just doesn't do it for me (in spite of the massive amounts of rum I drank last week). BEER has always been the go-to vice. My favorite? Cold. Regardless of brand/flavor/color/cost. Since microbrews are the big thing around here, I've gotten a little bit picky, but not too much.
  • BALLS - Golf BALLS to be exact. There's a family tradition of golf that prevented me from never playing the game. My dad's father was a club pro, his uncles on both sides of his family won the MT state amateur title, my mother's parents lived off the 18th fairway of the local country club, and S2's husband (BIL2) is a club pro. Virtually everyone in the family golfs. Some better than others. Unfortunately, the REALLY good golf genes didn't filter down to me, but I do pretty well!
  • BBQ - Yes, it's a word! One of the best things that my family does is get together at least once a month for dinner. To celebrate holidays, birthday, or whatever. And most of the time, Dad will BBQ. It's been a longtime tradition in our family, and one of the reasons I think that we all turned out somewhat "normal".
  • BROKEN - This doesn't refer to the physical breaks that I described above. It refers to my life. I have been BROKEN. Specifically, around 16 years ago. I'm still not totally mended, and doubt I ever will be. And while I have come a long way, I find that I'm still BREAKABLE. I find that I hurt a little easier, and more often than I used to. And some pieces have BROKEN off that chip away at who I am. I'd like to think that it means that I resculpt myself from time to time, but I don't know how well I do that.
  • BROCCOLI - I love steamed BROCCOLI, but don't eat anywhere near enough of it. Comes from the days that Mom served it to us as kids, limp and sort of cold. She did the same with asparagus and spinach. Cold and out of the can. I've made peace with the BROCCOLI and fresh asaparagus (love it), but not the spinach. Oh, yes. Cauliflower, carrots, too! Still won't eat avocados, artichokes, tomatoes, mushrooms, or most squash.
  • BELCH - My nieces grew up with an uncle who could BELCH the aluminum siding off of a house. They loved it! Then my sisters would protest, and I would then only do it when I knew it would annoy them. I taught all of my sisters' kids to belch. They do quite well. Then I get in trouble. Ah, if the kids only knew how well their moms could do it!
  • BOSSY - I hate when a project needs to be done and there's people just standing around with their thumbs up their butt. I tend to get BOSSY. If I'm busy, and something needs to get done, I'll tell someone else to go do it. Doesn't matter if it's a kid or an adult. (of course, don't try pulling that shit with ME!)
  • BREACH - I take this one really seriously, especially since the whole HNT experience has exploded. I have always been someone that people feel comfortable telling things. I've heard more secrets than most should, seen pictures of things that no one else has, talked about others in less-than-complimentary ways and done things with others that no one should ever hear about. It is important to me to never BREACH the trust that others place in me. I've found out, however, that many times, it's a one-way street, and I've been BURNED by placing my trust in others. It's been that way most of my life.
  • BLUEGRASS - I'm not sure at what point I started listening to BLUEGRASS music. Within the past 10 years, though. I don't quite like the traditional stuff, but the new stuff is pretty good. It came as part of a change in my listening habits. I never used to like country, and now that's almost all I'll listen to. The "rock" music of today (the past 10-15 years) is mostly crap. So BLUEGRASS and country is what I focus on. Of course, the classical and jazz that I own gets alot of play, and the music of my youth will always be special, but I'm finding that you CAN teach an old dog new tricks!
Yes, I listed 11 words, but the first two are so close, I figured I'd cover my BUTT for those who insist on purity. By the way, that's a word that I purposely avoided, as well as BREAST, BOOBS and BOTTOM. Just too damned easy! If any of you want to play and get assigned a letter, leave a comment and let me know!

Thursday, May 04, 2006

HNT and Mirrors

Before I we get started here, AN ANNOUNCEMENT! Friday, May 19th will mark the 1st Anniversary of Half-Nekkid Thursday! For HNT that week, I want to see two pictures. One picture needs to be a rerun of your very first HNT submission. Regardless of whether you just got started, or were around back in the dark ages. The second picture should be one of you in anniversary celebration mode. Streamers, balloons, confetti, etc. would be appropriate! I'll remind you again next week--
There were plenty of half-nekkid bodies last week on the ship. I could have copped out and taken alot of those, but I'm above that sort of thing. Well, I'm not, but I'm not going to use them for HNT.

Instead, I've got two artsy-like pictures of me sitting on the toilet of the very small bathroom in my cabin. Not small like the back of an airplane or a bus small, but small enough. The shower induces a bit of claustrophobia, and if you drop the soap, you're screwed. "Cozy" would be the best way to describe it. Very clean though! And mirrors. All over the place. I think it's that decorating trick of trying to trick you into thinking a room is bigger than it acually is.

While sitting on the toilet (don't ask why I had the camera with me...), I noticed that the medicine cabinet door (a mirror) opened up, and gave me all sorts of great visual angles. I've long thought about doing a HNT with lots of angles of mirrors, so I figured I'd just take advantage of the situation. So much so, that I give you two different shots! In the first one, please notice the sunburn beginning to form on the back of my arm/shoulder. I also like the very disjointed placement and aim of the camera in each of them. No, I didn't spend my week sitting on the toilet contemplating the various angles of lines of sight. These were taken just before leaving the ship for the last time. And for the record, since someone's going to ask--no, I'm not taking care of business, either!




"You may have seen a similar picture that I posted before. I was going for a massage. If you don't remember, I had strained my neck a while back. I tried heating pads and a new pillow, but the massage works best.
Come by and say hello if you recognize me.
Happy HNT everyone!
~ hugs"

This week's Mystery Guest is none other than our longtime friend Lee Ann! Stop by and say hi!

Be sure to check out this week's entries over at "...the Other HNT"!
Then go check out Day 2 of my Caribbean trip over here. More days to come as I can get to them!
THEN check out the early postings by Vampiric Kitti, Aughra, grody jo-dee and Jonathan (welcome back!).
As always, please turn off your word verification for the day!

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

Time To Get Busy!

OK--it's back to business here at Views. I'm working on the Caribbean stories/pics for the other site. I'll be sure to let you know when it's all ready.
There have been alot of you who expressed an interest in the new anonymous site, "...the Other HNT". It's time now to put your money where your mouth is! If you've got something that you wanted posted over there, send it to: hntanon@gmail.com
Be sure to add a title or blurb if you'd like!
Mystery Guest submissions are still being taken. I'll keep it going as long as I continue to get pictures in. Send those pics to the email addy in my profile.
Big milestone coming up this month. Be prepared for a "theme" HNT! I'll give you details this Thursday!

Monday, May 01, 2006

I'm Back!

After living a Buffett-like existence over the past week, I'm back in reality! The current temperature is 40 degrees less than the coldest it got all last week. I sort of like the cool. Heat and humidity is definitely an acquired taste... Since I basically had no internet access, I'm dreadfully behind on checking out all your blogs. It may take me a week, or until I check out your upcoming HNTs. Please be patient. If there's something posted that you think I really need to see, let me know! Right now I have a few loads of laundry I need to get to, so I'm keeping this short. There's lots of pics and stories to go up on the other site, but give me a couple of days to put it together!
My deepest thanks to Crimson for once again handling things for HNT. I had to email her from the ship once I realized that I would be unable to do it. So with short notice, she stepped up for us. Even got a great anonymous Mystery Guest to help out. Now I know what it's like for you guys when I post them! I have no idea who it is, and she's not telling!
A hearty, but late, congratulations to Crystal over at Boobs, Injuries and Dr. Pepper. She got married about 10 days ago, and has survived the ordeal!
A hearty, but late, Happy Birthday to Biscuit, who didn't announce it blatanly on her site like some people do.... Hope you had a great one!
Oops--another birthday. Lily over at Lily's Circus had one on Thursday!
And one more--Leela just had one on Saturday. Be sure to stop by all of them and wish them the best!
Issue #2 of Estella's Revenge is online. Be sure to check it out! Brought to you by the overworked, but rarely whiny Andi and her talented stable of writers/thinkers!
To the small handful of you that requested gifts from the Caribbean, you'll be getting them soon! Who knew that rum from Belize was so damned good??

Thursday, April 27, 2006

Substitute HNT

The Great and Powerful Os is on a cruise this week, so I, Crimson, will be your host tonight.
I actually talked someone into being an anonymous Mystery Guest tonight, so enjoy!!
Oh...and remember, turn off word verification to make commenting a little easier ;)

HNT anonymous will resume next week.


Sunday, April 23, 2006

OsTour - The Caribbean

"Views From the Back Row" will be somewhat neglected this week, other than for HNT.

Please stop by OsTour - The Caribbean" for pictures and stories of the upcoming week!

Saturday, April 22, 2006

One Last Ramble Before I'm Outta Here!

I have to get up in 4 hours to get ready to go to the airport, and yet, here I sit finishing a post! I have serious issues....

Last minute reminders--if you want to be included in next week's anonymous HNT, get your pictures sent in ASAP. I'm not going to have alot of time to get them posted! Address is: hntanon@gmail.com

Same thing for Mystery Guest. There are about a half dozen names in the mix right now, but I can always use more!

I hope to do a separate blog with pictures. Maybe I'll use the Nashville Tour page. I'll let you know...

Velma--where are you??

OsShirt--where are you??

Play nice whilst I'm away!!

Friday, April 21, 2006

Why can't I think of things like this??

Saw this article online, and post it without any other comment, other than to note that I don't arrive in Miami until tomorrow night, so this wasn't me...
    Phony doctor gives free breast exams

    MIAMI (Reuters) - A 76-year-old man claiming to be a doctor went door-to-door in a Florida neighborhood offering free breast exams, and was charged with sexually assaulting two women who accepted the offer, police said on Thursday.

    One woman became suspicious after the man asked her to remove all her clothes and began conducting a purported genital exam without donning rubber gloves, investigators said.

    The woman then phoned the Broward County Sheriff's Office and the suspect fled. He was arrested at another woman's apartment in the same Lauderdale Lakes neighborhood on Wednesday, a sheriff's spokesman said.

    The white-haired suspect, Philip Winikoff, carried a black bag and claimed to be visiting on behalf of a local hospital.

    "He told the woman that he was in the neighborhood offering free breast exams," sheriff's spokesman Hugh Graf said in a statement.

    At least two women, both in their 30s, let him into their homes and he fondled and sexually assaulted them, the investigators said.

    Winikoff was not a doctor, Graf said. He worked as a shuttle driver for an auto dealership.

Thursday, April 20, 2006

Preparation HNT

So why am I going to the Caribbean? Simple. I was told I was going. My parents will be celebrating their 50th anniversary this summer. They told us last fall that they wanted to do something special. With their kids. To backtrack--they had gone on a weeklong cruise about a year ago to Nova Scotia and the surrounding areas. Neither of them had ever gone on one, and they both absolutely loved it. It made enough of an impression that they decided that this is what they wanted to share with their kids. And thus, plans were made.

Over mild objections, they also informed us that they would be paying for everything. Passports, airfare, cruise, excursions, booze (big mistake...), hotel in Miami. The works! No grandchildren allowed, but spouses were included. Which left me high and dry, but they said that if I were to have "someone special", they'd pay for her, too. Of course, they knew they'd be safe there... I should have mentioned this months ago. Held a contest or something. Seems to be plenty of you wanting to join me! But I digress. The only thing that they won't pay for are gifts we may or may not buy, nor will they pay for any gambling we might do in the casino. That seems fair.

So, in less than 60 hours, I'll be flying to Miami, via Minneapolis. I'll be sure to look down and wave at all of you, especially in Tennessee. I'm assuming I'll be flying over Tennessee. I'll just look for the borders from the air. I'll be taking a computer, so I'll try to post once a day like Addict did, but I won't be surfing much. HNT will run like usual, thanks to the lovely Crimson, and I'll probably shoot out an email or two.

So now I need to spend the next couple of days packing. I think I've got a good start here. Am I missing anything?





"secretly i pride myself on being a visual distraction... though i would never admit to it."


This week's Mystery Guest will reveal herself Thursday afternoon, so let the guesses fly!


Today's Mystery Guest is none other than the lovely Firefly! She hasn't been around a great deal over the past couple of weeks due to the new addition to her household. Be sure to stop by and say hi!



Don't forget to check out "...the Other HNT"!
Early posters include BTExpress (who's got a big date with Lori!), Wenchy (who posted just past midnight in Africa, and Aughra, who's still preggers and in bed early!
Please turn off word verification for the day!

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Could use a couple more pictures for the anonymous site this week! Send them to hntanon@gmail.com

Stolen...

Put your music player on shuffle. Press forward for each question. Use the song title as the answer to the question. Post on your blog. Comment back if you post it on your site. No comment regarding whatever songs that might come up. Remember--I'm a musician in a cover band. I need to know these things. At least, that's my excuse, and I'm sticking with it...

(stolen from Addict and others)
    ~Will I get far in life?
    Whiskey Lullaby. Brad Paisley/Alison Krauss

    ~How do my friends see me?
    Breezin'. George Benson

    ~Where will I get married?
    Complicated. Carolyn Dawn Johnson

    ~What is my best friend’s theme song?
    Give Me One Reason. Tracy Chapman

    ~What is the story of my life?
    The Way You Make Me Feel. Michael Jackson

    ~What was high school like?
    You're All I Think About These Days. Patty Loveless

    ~How can I get ahead in life?
    The Lady Is A Tramp. Frank Sinatra

    ~What is the best thing about me?
    Hole Hearted. Extreme

    ~How is today going to be?
    Father Figure. George Micheal

    ~What is in store for this weekend?
    Piano Man. Billy Joel

    ~What song describes my parents?
    Hold On. Santana

    ~My grandparents?
    South City Midnight Lady. Doobie Brothers

    ~How is my life going?
    The Heat Is On. Glenn Frey

    ~What song will they play at my funeral?
    All Star. Smash Mouth

    ~How does the world see me?
    Suicide Kings. Cherry Poppin' Daddies

    ~Will I have a happy life?
    (Get Your Kicks On) Route 66. Asleep At the Wheel

    ~What do my friends really think of me?
    I Do. J. Geils Band

    ~Do people secretly lust after me?
    Go, Go, Get 'Em Grizzlies. Erik "Fingers" Ray

    ~How can I make myself happy?
    Sick And Tired. Cross Canadian Ragweed

    ~What should I do with my life?
    All I Wanna Do. Sheryl Crow

    ~Will I ever have children?
    Takin' Care Of Business. Bachman-Turner Overdrive

    ~What is some good advice?
    Let It Ride. Bachman-Turner Overdrive

    ~What is my signature dancing song?
    Nobody's Girl. Reckless Kelly

    ~What do I think my current theme song is?
    Trip Around The Sun. Jimmy Buffett/Martina McBride

    ~What does everyone else think my current theme song is?
    Simple Life. Carolyn Dawn Johnson

    ~What type of men/women do you like?
    I Don't Feel Like Lovin' You Today. Gretchen Wilson

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Caribbean Itinerary

For those who are interested, and even for those who are not, here's what's happening next week. Be sure to enjoy all the lovely pictures I plan to put up in the header!

Map

You know I'll be thinking of all of you during this time. Really. I will.

Monday, April 17, 2006

Thanks again, y'all!

First things first. Thank you to all of you who had birthday wishes for me on your sites. There were a number of you that mentioned it, and I'm sure that I missed a few. And thanks to those who left me wishes in the comments. And a little more of a special thanks to those who sent me cards, ecards, phone calls, texts, emails (with or without "attachments"), gifts or promises of gifts in the near future. In alphabetical order: Aaron, Jessica, Kamey, Kirsten, Kristen, Leanne, Leela, Leesa, Liisa, Lindsey, Melanie, Mellissa, Michelle, Nicolle, Rachel, Sarah, Summer, Tammy and Vicki. Yes, I know that it's almost entirely women. Deal with it! My apologies if I missed anyone!

The weekend was pretty laid back for me. I had to put in about 3 hours at work Saturday morning, which wasn't too bad. I stopped by to see the parents and reminisce about my entry into the world, and my father's 50th birthday party, and how old he seemed at the time... Stayed home all night and surfed and talked on the phone for hours (not a normal thing for me to do, but I'm finding myself doing it more often). Thank God for free nights and weekends!

Sunday was a little more active. Went to church, then off to brunch with the whole family. Had to do a little work for the Symphony in the early afternoon, then picked up Rachel and went to the parent's place again for a birthday/Easter dinner. Usually the 2 BILs, the Nephew and I are relegated to the kiddie table, but since it was my birthday celebration, and brought company, I got to have dinner at the big table! Lots of food, beer, dessert and talk. And every one of us was ready to fall asleep by 7:00. Yeah, that's a little pathetic.

All in all, a pleasant weekend. Be ready for the next week, because I'm going to rub it in your face that I'M GOING TO THE CARIBBEAN IN 5 DAYS! Later.....

Amazing!

She can quote lines from "The Quiet Man"!!

WTF?!?!?

Sunday, April 16, 2006

"He is not here: for he is risen..."
Matthew 28:6

Saturday, April 15, 2006

Bring It On, Boys and Girls! It's My Birthday!!

LET THE PARTY BEGIN!

So yeah, it's my birthday. Tax Day. The 49th anniversary of the day of my birth. The beginning of my 50th year of existence. Born in the year of the cock (blush). At St. John's Hospital in Helena, MT. On a Monday. An Aries. Dad was 23 and a student. Probably smoking in the hospital waiting room. Mom was 21. Eisenhower was President. Elvis ruled the charts ("All Shook Up" was at #1). "I Love Lucy" ruled the airwaves. So bring it on, boys and girls! Let's party!
I've gotten some presents over the past couple of weeks. Some for winning little contests on other blogs, and some for my birthday....

First off--here I am eating my cake that came in Friday's mail. Yes, it's that cupcake!


Here's most of what I've gotten recently.
Clockwise from the front left:
From Bekah: a flower in a can. You add water, it grows. It caught her eye because of its name, Gerbera, who is one of her regular visitors. I'll grow it and document. I won a contest.
From Brico: a Christmas mix CD for winning his sudoku contest.
From Melanie: my first birthday card of the year.
From Jessica: three different jars of Head Country BBQ sauce and a jar of seasoning.
Again, from Melanie: Schakolad Chocolates (a contest prize) and a Visa Gift Card for my birthday (won't tell you for how much, but it was totally unexpected!).
Again, from Jessica: the great t-shirt that everything is sitting on.

Thanks to all of you for the gifts!


Perhaps the most unexpected find in Friday's mail!

Friday, April 14, 2006

Apology...

Ever write a post, then publish it, then realize you probably shouldn't have? Well, I did a couple of days ago. And if I've ever done something that rates an apology, I generally step up to the plate and offer one. I belittled a popular fellow blogger (don't go looking--it's been taken down). I don't know him well enough, I don't know the situation well enough, and I had no right to do so.

I don't think many of you saw it, but that doesn't make it any better. Chad--I hope things work out well for you. I apologize for what I wrote.

Thanks, y'all!

Just about every HNT site I visited over the past two days had some sort birthday greeting for me. That was nice, and certainly appreciated! I'm sorry I didn't get the chance to comment on every site, but realize that I did notice!
BTW--my birthday is actually TOMORROW, April 15th, in case you weren't aware!
Surprisingly few comments left over at "...the Other HNT". If you haven't been there this week, you missed out on our first anonymous male! And other lovely participants! Go check it out if you haven't already (or even if you have)! If you want to submit an anonymous HNT, send it to hntanon@gmail.com
As previously mentioned, my birthday is tomorrow. I have absolutely no plans for the day. Maybe getting my taxes done (nothing like waiting until the last minute). Maybe doing some cleaning. No party until Sunday, which will be a birthday/Easter thing. But when you're getting as old as me, big celebrations aren't necessary. Besides, I'M GOING TO THE CARIBBEAN IN A WEEK!! Plan on some info next week on all of that!
Hope you all have a great weekend!

Thursday, April 13, 2006

Birthday HNT

Be sure to check out the new blog, "...the Other HNT". There's a couple of special birthday pics and a nice Easter picture over there!
So this is my pre-birthday HNT post. Others have posted pictures of themselves in their birthday suits on their birthday, and I'm not one to buck the trend. I tried to think of something profound to write for this last birthday before I hit the half-century mark. I'm not sure how profound I'll be. I started thinking of things that many of you might take for granted:
  • When I was born, there was not a single man-made satellite in the sky.
  • I have lived through 10 different presidents, 6 Popes, and 2 new States.
  • I vividly remember the day President Kennedy was assassinated.
  • I vividly remember the day Apollo 1 burned, killing its crew.
  • I watched the first and last steps man set on the moon.
  • I still have my first 8-track tape, and have a working player in storage.
  • I remember my first Stingray bike.
  • I actually lived during the 50s. Don't remember the 50s, but I was there!
  • I remember the day we got our first color TV.
  • I remember the summer days when my parents had no clue as to where I was, and that wasn't a bad thing.
  • I remember gathering around the TV with my friends to watch "Dark Shadows".
  • I remember my first set of Clackers.
  • I still have the first 45 that my parents bought me ("Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In"--Fifth Dimension)
  • I remember seeing the first performance of the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show.
I could continue, but you get the idea. All in all, it's been a decent 49 years. Not stellar, not exceptional, but not wasted away, either.

This entire month is kicking me in the butt, and then my computer problems compounded things, so I had to come up with something appropriate. These are pics from the first months of Os. No comments about the color please. Color prints tend to fade with time--I'm just glad they still exist! The first two are when I was about 2-3 months old. And there I am in my full nekkidness! Maybe I'll try to re-create that one some day! The one with my dad is when I was 6 months old (and he was 24!), and we were living in St. Louis while he was in dental school. Go Cards! And the last one is from my 2nd birthday. Please note the lovely drapes!!








This week's Mystery Guest is a longtime HNT participant. I've had the pleasure of talking with her on the phone a few times, and she continues to rub it in about how she's been enjoying her springtime for the past month or so. In keeping with the "mystery" part of Mystery Guest, she's decided not to reveal her identity. This makes it difficult to write much more. If you think you know who she is, she'll probably tell you if you email her!














Normally, I wouldn't bump the MG order to allow in a new photo, but I got a special request for this week's Mystery Guest spot because she wanted to do a birthday theme for me. How could I argue? She never told me exactly what was behind the bow, but told me to use my imagination. The little heart is a nice touch, too! To my special birthday MG, I thank you!







We've got some early posters who won't be around tonight. Be sure to check out Boo (who actually waits until just after midnight in her part of the world!), Aughra (who's pregnant, tired, and goes to bed early), and EroticFae.
Turn off your word verification for the day!

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

What's Happened on My Birthday (April 15th)

Stolen from Leesa.

Go to Wikipedia. Type in your birth date (but not year).List three events that happened on your birthday. List two important births and one interesting death. Post this.

Three Events:
** 1955 - The first McDonald's restaurant opens in Des Plaines, Illinois.
** 1912 - The British passenger liner RMS Titanic sinks at about 2:20 a.m. after hitting an iceberg in the North Atlantic almost three hours earlier.
** 1865 - Abraham Lincoln dies after being shot the previous evening by John Wilkes Booth.

Two Births:
** 1452 - Leonardo da Vinci, Italian artist (d. 1519)
** 1966 - Samantha Fox, English singer and model

One Death:
** 2001 - Joey Ramone, American musician and singer (The Ramones) (b. 1951)

It's Alive!

Apparently, my computer skills are better than I thought! I didn't lose any files. My speed is significantly higher. And I got rid of whatever corrupt files I had (thank you, Windows Media). So I'll be able to take care of HNT tonight!

As a reminder--there's still time to submit a picture for the anonymous HNT site. Try to get those into me by the early afternoon so I can get them posted. You can find the email link on that site. Once again, as a reminder--the site is intended to be anonymous. If you think you know someone, keep it to yourself, or contact the person you think it is for confirmation!

I'll be taken out for a birthday dinner tonight by the charming, lovely, and always popular (all the boys like her) Rachel. We haven't done anything together for a long while, so it'll be nice. I know most of you are jealous. You should be!

BTW--in case you didn't know it, my birthday is this Saturday, April 15th!

Monday, April 10, 2006

Other stuff

It's been a busy 5 days. The concert in Great Falls with Itzhak Perlman was pretty good, but I didn't get the chills up the spine like the string players did. No question that he was flawless, but I think I had hoped for a little more interaction. I understand why there wasn't any, but still.... As for the pictures, I didn't really get anything decent. I had to take them from backstage, with the digital zoom, rather than optical zoom. Even at that, there was nothing spectacular to see from that angle. Video would have been another story, though...
In Cahoots had two separate gigs this weekend. Saturday night we played a fundraiser for the local Humane Society. They're trying to build a new building (which is sorely needed). It was fun, but not a spectacular gig. On Sunday, we joined about a dozen other bands/acts in a local fundraiser called "Lost & Foundation". I've mentioned it in the past. It was started by musicians to raise money for local children who have suffered some sort of illness/injury and whose families are financially strapped. Over the years, we (all of us) have raised tens of thousands of dollars for various causes. We were the last band on stage tonight, meaning most of the crowd had already gone home, which is too bad. And the stage was cramped and we were out of our comfort element as far as sound equipment was concerned. I think we played pretty well, but it was fairly unsatisfying. That happens...
Even with the success of "...the Other HNT", I'm still taking submissions for the Mystery Guest. I know that there's a couple of you that submitted awhile back, but it's the luck of the draw. I promise you'll get your chance!
Speaking of "...the Other HNT", send in your anonymous pictures to: hntanon@gmail.com
I've gotten some early birthday cards/wishes. Thanks to Melanie and Lori! Don't forget--my birthday is Saturday, April 15th! Last year at this time, my catchphrase was, "It's all about me..." I won't be so blatant this year, other than the constant reminders!

Leaving the Kids Without a Babysitter...

Ever go away for the weekend, and when you come home you find that your kids and the neighbor kids sort of made a mess of the place? That's what happened here yesterday. My pissy post was more of a chance to let people know what I've been getting in emails and chats. Little did I realize that all the kiddies would have free reign while I was gone today!

Though I don't want to stir the pot any further, I want to address a few things that some new commenters said (and btw--welcome to the newcomers. A couple of you were brought up with different standards than the kids around here, but you're still welcome anyway!).
  • I've never come up with a domain for HNT, because I feel that having it hosted on individual sites is what makes it unique. One doesn't have to become a member, or pay for the privilege of HNT. And one doesn't have to contact a third party if they decide that they don't want their picture posted anymore.
  • HNT is not "mine". I came up with an idea, pushed it into the internet, and it's grown on its own. It "belongs" to each person who participates as much as it "belongs" to me.
  • The Guidelines are just that. They aren't rules. They aren't laws. But just as society allows its own sets of laws to evolve, I think that HNT has done the same thing. Has HNT changed from its inception? Obviously it has. Ulitmately, it doesn't matter what we, the viewers think. HNT is supposed to be a personal expression, expressed on our own sites, and the rest of us really have no say in the matter. The flip side to that is that one runs the risk of losing an audience if one's pictures are deemed "too much" by those viewing the site. Some people care about that, others don't.
  • I don't bestow the HNT buttons on anyone. They are available to anyone who wants one. It would be nice to think that the only people who would want one would be participants.
  • I appreciate one particular commenter's view that by allowing just anyone to have the button, it reflects back on me. I've never thought about that, but it doesn't bother me much. But I do appreciate the concern.
  • I will never monitor HNT pics. No time, no interest. How can I justify telling a person what they can/can't post on their own site? It smacks of censorship (again, where is Frank Zappa when you need him?). However, consensus seems to point at using a NSFW warning, if necessary. I would leave that to everyone's own discretion.
  • Undoubtedly, many pictures are downloaded from HNT sites (or anywhere else, for that matter). That doesn't make it right to post them on your own site without permission. That's just basic good manners. Those who don't understand that or openly flaunt it are probably the same sorts of people you'd want to avoid in real life.
  • One of the things that is often mentioned with new HNTers is that there seems to be a great sense of family or community. Thanks to those who rose to the defense of HNT, and to me. It's appreciated! But realize that any "attacks" we had were from those who equally felt they had to defend "their" guy/girl. That's OK. Every one of us has a quirk or something that will piss someone else off for whatever reason. We can't please everyone all the time.
  • Binsk--you told me the real reasons for your decision to go away for awhile. Long before these guys insinuated that you were cowering away. Take your time, babe, and recharge.

That's all. This discussion has run its course and it's time to move on. And because it's MY post, I opt to not allow comments on this one. Because I can...

Saturday, April 08, 2006

Pissy Post, as promised...

Two things have grabbed my HNT attention, especially in the past week. I've gotten some emails about them, and some are just observations I've seen as I go through everyone's posts. I'm not going to give you names or URLs of anyone here. There's just no sense in getting into a war between those who "get" HNT, and those who are too dense who don't.

THE FIRST PISSY concerns the stealing of individuals' HNT shots and using them on their own sites. Two major instances. One was brought to my attention by an email from someone who decided to drop out of HNT because she didn't realize that pictures might show up on other's sites. This particular site had a post entitled "The silliness of HNT", and his first line is "Is anyone else tired of HNT?" That doesn't bother me. Everyone is certainly entitled to there own opinion, especially on their own site. But he proceeded to post 15-16 different HNTs that he'd visited, and invited his readers to laugh along with him as he criticized, lampooned, and spewed forth his "review" of what is wrong with HNT. Again, it's not his opinions, or his commenters, that bother me--though I find it humorous that they all "know" what the original intent of HNT was. Sorry, guys. There's only one person who knows what the original intent was/is. No, it's the pirating of HNT pics off of other sites without permission that steams me. For as self-righteous and ego-building as this guy's post was (he had over 50 comments, most of which nodded their heads in agreement and looked down on the sad, pathetic souls who partake in HNT, including some former HNTers), I noticed that: A) he doesn't do HNT himself, and B) it hasn't stopped him from checking it out on an apparently regular basis.

The second instance is someone who basically uses/posts others' HNTs for most of his site. Regularly, and without permission. Granted, he is much more pleasant, very complimentary, and sometimes links back to the original sites. To his credit, he is a familiar figure among many HNT comment boxes. But again, he steals HNTs from other sites and that makes up at least half of his site! "Creepy" is the word I've heard most from those who were surprised to find themselves on his site. All the more creepy when you consider that he's got a Flickr account made up of his favorite HNT pics. Again--WITHOUT PERMISSION!

Another site that was built entirely on the pictures of others was the Bloggin' Hottie site. The difference here is that he actually contacted women to become a "Bloggin' Hottie", and they supplied the photos (I believe). While I never felt that this was a great site, the women who participated seemed to like it. But depending on others for your creativity apparently has its drawbacks. I read elsewhere that he's trying to sell his domain. And I haven't seen much of him around in about a month or so...

One can argue that any picture that shows up on the internet makes it fair game. I don't quite believe that, but how many of us have asked to use any of the pictures that we find and use on our sites? I have been called out for using pictures without permission (especially the Valentine's Day perfect girl collage--since taken down). The girl in question and one of her bloggerfriends raked me over the coals pretty good in their posts, but I didn't try to defend myself. Because, to some degree, they were right. By the same token, I've done a couple of birthday tributes using pics that I didn't ask permission for, but I "knew" the people I was stealing from, and they certainly weren't used as fodder for my criticism or as a major component of my blog.

What can be done? I'm not sure. Certainly contacting the owner of the site and requesting that your pictures be removed is an option. I haven't researched Blogger enough to know if there is some sort of action that they can take, if requested. I would say that a general plea to everyone to not use pictures without permission is the best that can be done. To new HNTers--this isn't a normal thing that happens, and I don't think you need to worry much about this sort of thing.

THE SECOND PISSY (but not as pissy) is a point that has been brought up by many people over the past couple of weeks. HNT, nekkid or naked? I'm not about to tell anyone what to post for their HNT. I've said that numerous times. But there seems to be more of an attitude that one can post full frontal nudity and pass it off as "half-nekkid". There's a big difference between an artistic nude shot (you all have a pretty good idea of the ones I'm talking about), and whipping out a quick shot of your girlie/boy bits and calling it half-nekkid. Posting the same picture that you might find on a porno site is not necessarily in the spirit of HNT.

Am I calling for modesty here? Not at all. But there's a difference between art-nekkid and porn-nekkid. If I have to make a call, it would be for more art-nekkid. I think that there's been some liberties taken with the "half" part of HNT. From both the men and the women. I'm all for freedom of expression and everything, but is there anything wrong with some wide boundaries? I recommend that everyone refresh themselves with the Guidelines.

OK--pissiness over for now! Enjoy your weekend!

Friday, April 07, 2006

Pissy post coming up soon...

Geez, I leave town for a couple of days and all hell breaks loose! Well, maybe not that bad, but enough that I'm going to have to post about it, and I'm pissed. BE FOREWARNED! It's a result of some emails that I was able to check while away. Don't worry, I won't name names, but there a couple of issues to be addressed (and I can't do that from work!).
I'm two days behind, and have looked at maybe a half dozen HNTs. Don't take it personally if I don't comment this week. I've got alot of catching up to do!
My birthday (April 15th) is a week from tomorrow. I've already received a birthday card and gift from someone!!! Some of you have asked what I want for my birthday. If you remember back to my Christmas wish, I'd like the same thing....
The nice thing about Macs is that they never crash. But when they do, they do it in a big way! See where this is heading? In the midst of site-surfing, I hit upon a site that automatically tried to open a Windows Media file. More often than not, that's a bad thing. Firefox crashed with a vengeance. Safari is already screwed from a month ago. So now my Powerbook won't boot. Thank God the iBook is currently working! I'll have to spend time that I don't have trying to resurrect it. Please use Castpost or some other hosting site!!
The concert last night was pretty good! I didn't get the opportunity to personally meet Mr. Perlman, as he was being pulled in a dozen different directions. I was just the substitute trombonist, so I didn't rate a personal handshake from him in his dressing room. That's OK. I was far more interested in hearing him play. And that certainly didn't disappoint! I did sneak a camera in to the rehearsal, so I got a few shots of him. I haven't downloaded them yet, but I'll post something in the near future.
A couple of people have asked what the golf course is that I have up above. That specific shot is the approach to the 13th green at Augusta National Golf Course in Augusta, GA. Site of the 70th Masters Golf Tournament currently being played there. One day, before I die, I will visit that course. My BIL2 is there right now. As a golf professional, he doesn't have to pay to get in the gate. He can just flash his PGA card and walk in the front gate. Fucker. And I won't tell her name, but another one of the HNT crowd is there too. There's days where I wish I didn't live in Montana....
"...the Other HNT" was well received, apparently! I've already received 3 new submissions for next week! And a note to those of you who asked--ALL pictures I receive are posted (which should answer your question...). As a reminder, it is intended to be an anonymous site. If you make some sort of comment "outing" the person, I'll delete it.
Monkey (no, not the stuffed animal--the KiwiStrawberryLover) was the first guest on Dr. Phil today. I spaced it out that today was the day. Hope you saw it. She's not too happy with the way it turned out, and didn't watch it herself. Comments?

Thursday, April 06, 2006

HNT from 35 Years Ago

First things first. Go check out the new blog, "...the Other HNT". Yeah, maybe it needs a catchier title, but there it is. Welcome, and congratulations, to the first of our anonymous HNTers!
OK--after the excitement of last week's HNT, and because I'm a little short of time, you get one of my scars. And in accordance with the HNT guidelines, a cute story to go along with it!

Back when I was in 7th grade (1970, you young whippersnappers!) we were studying the Civil War in Social Studies. We were divided into teams for various projects. My team's project was to cut out the States out of a slab of styrofoam, then stick toothpicks in to signify each major battle, with all the pertinent info available. Granted, it seems a little hokey in today's hi-tech world, but in the day, this was a big deal!

Since it was 1970, it was no big deal to bring a knife to school. Those were the days! After all, I needed to cut the styrofoam. My mother sent me off to school with a 12" serrated edge knife used to slice bread. I was sitting in homeroom, waiting for first period, which happened to be Social Studies in the same room. I'm chatting away with all the girls in the room, as I generally always did, while lightly gripping the knife between my thumb and middle finger, resting the blade on my knee. Little did I realize that I was also slicing through my courderoys, and through my leg. I didn't feel a thing. I didn't even know about it until the teacher asked if my leg was bleeding. At that point, I look down, and see that I had a slice above my knee about 2" long, maybe a quarter inch deep, with blood running down my leg into my socks and shoes. I don't recall going to a doctor, or even leaving school. I think I went to the little boy's room, wadded up a handful of toilet paper, wetted it down, and just kept pressure on the thing. I know I didn't ever get stitches.

So I offer to you my oldest scar that I can remember a story for. Hope you enjoy it!



Ah, spring! The sun is shining, the trees are beginning to grow leaves. The bugs are emerging, and the birds are singing.

And the Mystery Guest is lovely as ever.

"...this is how the female body should be photographed.

The shapes, the curves, the beauty of a female form are like nothing else on earth.

I'm glad that I can contribute..."

This Mystery Guest has also chosen to remain unamed. If you think you may know who it is, email her and ask directly.




Since I'm out of town this afternoon, I can't let you know who's posted early. Sorry! And I'm not going to have a chance to see anyone's HNTs until Friday. Damn, I hate that!
As always, keep those Mystery Guest submissions coming in!

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

Just a couple of reminders--

The new site will make its debut on Wednesday night, just before the comments open. You can find the address with my HNT. Everything is set and ready--now we just need submissions. Send them by Wed. morning to: hntanon@gmail.com
There has been some concern about the comment I made that the pics could range from PG to X. That's more of a warning. I think that most of you would keep it in the R range at the very most. As I said earlier--if you're used to showing your goodies on your own site already, then this new one isn't for you. This site will be more for showing off. With pictures that you wouldn't post on your own site.
For more details, see the previous post. For those of you who have expressed an interest, it's time to get your pics sent in!
Crimson will be doing the actual posting for me. Thank you, as always!I think you're really going to like this week's Mystery Guest! Remember, if you want to be the MG, send in your picture and I'll add you to the mix. There's always room for more!
I will be unavailable from Wed. afternoon until sometime after midnight Thursday night. I'm off to Great Falls to play with the Great Falls Symphony. With guest soloist Itzhak Perlman. I'll take some pics.
Addict has finally gotten going on the Chicago trip again. If you expressed an interest, but forgotten the website, contact her or me for the URL. It's time to get serious!!!
Met with the rest of the family regarding the cruise I'm going on in a couple of weeks. My apologies to those who want to join me--it's a family celebration of my parent's 50th anniversary. More details as it gets closer, but here's a link to the specific ship/itinerary that we'll be on. We'll have a Sat. night in Miami free to us. Anyone know what a bunch of tired hicks from Montana can do??
Don't forget--my birthday is April 15th. Just in case....

Saturday, April 01, 2006

New Project!

Well, the response was pretty positive, so I'm going to go ahead and do it. Starting this coming week, I'll host a secondary, anonymous HNT blog. I haven't come up with a fancy name for it yet, but it will only be updated each Wednesday night. The debut will be this Wednesday, April 5th. Each picture will be treated as a separate post, so comments can be left for them. And if you want to write your own blurb for it, include it when you email the picture(s). And the address? hntanon@gmail.com

This new site isn't intended for those who already feel comfortable showing all parts of themselves. Rather, it's intended for those who want to step up their regular HNT nekkidity. A chance to get a little more risqué. Or a chance to actually join in on the HNT without doing so on their own blogs. As a result, this blog will run anywhere from PG to X. Be aware of that!

The key to the success of this site will be anonymity. If you think you recognize someone, keep it to yourself. Or email the person you think it might be. Don't spoil it for the contributor!

The best part of this is that there's no limit to the number of times you can submit. Try to keep it to once a week (maybe more than one if you do a series-type thing). But feel free to submit every week. hntanon@gmail.com

There were plenty of you who expressed interest in this, so let's see what you've got!
In spite of the timing--this is not an April Fool's joke!

Re-run

I was going through my archives today, and this is what I wrote 1 year ago. It's as pertinent as it was back then. Enjoy!

With apologies to LBB, who seems to make these lists as easily as God makes little green apples, I've come up with a list of gripes and observations. If I offend anyone with this list, grow up, deal with it, and don't take it personally!
    --Why do some people feel the need to use their turn signal only after they're halfway through the turn? I believe the intent of the signal is to warn others that you're going to turn, not to confirm that you've actually started the turn.

    --The word "then" implies a reaction to something, or a reference to time; the word "than" is used in a comparative situation. The words are not interchangeable!! "Colder then a witch's tit" is wrong. "Colder than a witch's tit" is correct. Get it right, people!

    --Regardless of how good you may think that your singing voice is, asking if you can sing with the band is an invitation for disaster. It is not something that the band looks forward to, and you don't have the talent to do it without a rehearsal. And thinking that being drunk helps is just wrong. Go back to the dance floor and make a fool of yourself out there.

    --Country music has no business using a full string section and harp in any song, regardless of who records it. If you can't do it with one or two fiddles, then you've overwritten the song.

    --The flat tummy seen between the low riding pants and the high riding shirt is not a bad thing. But who told obese teenaged girls that their gut that hangs over their pants (making MY beer gut look sexy) is something that anyone wants to see?

    --Blond-haired, blue-eyed, white cheerleaders named Tiffany will never be gangsta. Someone should tell them not to try.

    --One more time. Jethro Tull and Lynyrd Skynyrd are band names, not real people. J. Geils and Spencer Davis are real people, but not the frontmen of their respective bands. There is no world famous band known as the Almond Brothers.

    --Women and 4-way stops. Why is there a problem?

    --Why must soloists try to sing the "Star-Spangled Banner" slowly and add totally inappropriate vocal pyrotechnics? It just makes a horridly difficult song that much worse.

    --When emailing, learn the difference between "Reply" and "Reply to all".

    --Same thing with forwarding. You are allowed to delete non-essential info, and in fact are encouraged to do so!

    --Why do people think that, once they've made a commitment to something, it's OK to back out of it?

    --When you're out dancing to LIVE music (the only real music, thank you), don't ask the band if they know "Y.M.C.A.", "Proud Mary", "Freebird", or "Achy-Breaky Heart". Chances are they might, but they're not going to play it for you.

    --Along the same lines--if the band is a funky horn band, don't ask for any Judas Priest, Marilyn Manson or ABBA.

Thursday, March 30, 2006

Really Apologetic HNT

(No, no apologies for this one!)


New red corset - very difficult to get into on my own, and there's nobody here to help me. It isn't very comfortable for sitting around in the sun, but certainly worth a look for any Peeping Tom that might be lurking outside my window. Think you know who I am? Leave me a comment.


Today's Mystery Guest is Susan. Be sure to stop by her place for a bonus corset shot!

This one calls for an apology. Or a warning. Or both. If you know me in real life, this is your one warning not to go any further!

I have never been considered a "skinny" kid. My dad's side of the family was generally big-boned. My mother's side certainly wasn't. I inherited dad's genes in this case. While I was hardly what could be considered obese in high school, I didn't quite have the athletic build that I could have. Weight didn't really start to show up until the fine diet I was exposed to in college (good thing beer didn't contribute to that...).

In my case, weight seems to come in waves. And in response to events in my life. I don't become alcoholic. I don't use drugs. I don't do any of the other vices that I might fall back on to mask the stress/pain/whatever. But I do eat. I've never had a problem with that! I am a large man. Have been for years. I'm used to it. I might not like it at times, but I am what I am. I am aware that my own sense of my body is less than what pictures tell me. Perhaps that's a defense mechanism on my part.

As hinted at last week, I'm posting a picture of my butt. My big pasty white butt. I feel like I might have "cheated" some of you last week with my knee. This picture gives me my first taste of what it's like for some of you to bare your breast for the first time. I don't particularly like what I see, but it's me, in all my glory. I'm rather nervous about this, and can now appreciate what some of you have dealt with in the past. On the plus side, I'm fairly certain that no one's going to be downloading it!



Be sure to check out the early postings by Aughra (looking damned good in chocolate!), Boo, DaMasta and BTExpress (who shows me how it's done).
Again, a reminder - my birthday is April 15th.

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

This Really Is Nuts!


There you have it. Visitor #200,000. Happened at about 12:45 local time today. From Lenexa, Kansas. Anybody recognize who this might be? I'm afraid it's someone who was just passing through and landed on the HNT Guidelines page. If you're this person, let me know!
(**click on the picture for better detail**)

Ponderings during the day

These were some thoughts that tiptoed through my mind today:
  • My sisters grew up with a need for peanut butter & pickle sandwiches every day. Does anyone else eat that, or is that totally weird?
  • Have you ever answered the phone, or carried on a conversation, and all of a sudden the other person says something that sounds like gibberish? I mean, a common word or phrase that you ask them to repeat a couple of times because your mind just couldn't grasp it? Or is that just me?
  • How far is going "too far" with HNT? And will I be crossing my own line tomorrow?
  • One of my blogger friends has some great news, and I can't share it with anyone. I wonder how many will ask?
  • I've been thinking about starting an alternate site for anonymous HNT pics. I've had a number of people mention that they've got pictures they'd like to use as a Mystery Guest photo, but don't want to wait to get picked, and they're too risque to post on their own site. Would a separate page for anonymous HNT pics be needed or used?
  • Has anyone seen the bronze sculpture that's supposedly Britney Spears on all fours on a bearskin rug giving birth? You can buy one for your coffee table! Any takers?
  • Had a little birthday thing for my youngest niece (N3) on Monday. She turned 13. There's something about that magic "teenager" label--I think she's going to break some hearts over the next few years!
  • There's more, but I forgot to write any of it down during the day. My mind is made of swiss cheese--more damned holes in it than you can believe!

One last cool thing happened today. I got a phone call from the Great Falls Symphony (about 90 miles north of here) asking me to sub for their regular bass trombonist for next week's concert. That in itself isn't a big deal, but the concert is special. Somehow, they've raised the money to bring in Itzhak Perlman to play! He's one of the top violinists alive today. Born in Israel, he contracted polio as a child. He hasn't let that slow him down. And he'll be playing in Great Falls next week and I'll be in the orchestra! Tickets for this were sold out months ago at about $100 a pop, but it doesn't matter. I'll be in the orchestra!! And the truly best part--the two concertos he'll be playing don't use the trombones, so I'll be able to enjoy his participation as much as the audience! I don't usually gush about solo artists like this, but he's a big deal. Think of Brett Favre coming to play quarterback with the Montana State Bobcats. I'll see if I can get pics...

Monday, March 27, 2006

Odds and Ends

What a long, busy weekend THAT was! The concert went well. Very well, actually. I was involved in thirteen hours of rehearsal/performance in the span of just over 24 hours. Loved it, but it's very draining! Now I'm way behind on checking blogs, and some real life things too, so it'll take a day or two to catch up. Just in time for HNT!
A reminder to all to send in a picture if you're interested in being the Mystery Guest!
I think it's time to end the OsQuiz. Here's the questions, and the correct answers (with appropriate links to the posts):
    1) I've met up with bloggerfriends in: Nashville.
    2) My first blogger fan was: Lizabeth.
    3) The most recent major concert that I've attended was: The Rolling Stones.
    4) You're most likely to find me drinking: a local microbrew.
    5) The one who has been with me through thick and thin over the past 25 plus years of my life is: Michelle.
    6) My favorite Bacardi Silver flavor: Watermelon.
    7) The major magazine that featured HNT last year was: Business and Economy.
    8) The original Mystery Guest concept came about last fall because of: a stolen camera.
    9) I live alone, with the exception of: my plants. (no specific post about plants, but certainly no mention of a son, dog or fishies, either!)
    10) I've been photographed (in person) with how many different bloggers over the past year? 17. (this one was a bit tricky, but there's at least 11 different people shown with me in this collage, and that didn't include the males in Nashville or Rachel.)
Very few people missed the microbrew question--go figure! The first question about Nashville was missed alot. Surprisingly few got the Michelle question right, either. Popular answer there was Moose, which she appreciated. Except for the fact she's only 28. BTW--she missed it too!
Just a reminder that my birthday is just under 3 weeks away--April 15th.
Sitemeter tells me I'm due to get my 200,000th visitor in the next day or two. Does anyone else find that incredibly insane?
FYI--I'll be heading to the Caribbean for a cruise during the last week of April. My first. I'll be talking all about that in the weeks to come, you can be sure!
Not much more for now....

Sunday, March 26, 2006

A Puzzle

Can you figure this one out?

Friday, March 24, 2006

Busy Days Ahead

I just wanted to take the opportunity to let everyone know that I'm going to be scarce until Sunday afternoon, probably. Symphony is playing the Mahler 5 and the Barber Violin Concerto. If you don't know what that means, don't worry, but assume it means lots of rehearsal, the accompanying melodrama, and little chance to sleep or eat over the next couple of days.
Many thanks to those of you who offered to kiss, pinch or squeeze my ass yesterday! Makes it harder to admit that, as some of you guessed, it was actually the inside of my left knee. If I have a chance, I'll post the uncropped version to show you. HOWEVER, due to the many kind comments, I am considering doing the real thing for you next week. You have been warned...


I've been remiss in mentioning that over the past couple of months, some of my HNT posts have actually been uploaded by another person due to my occassional Wednesday night rehearsals. Rather than opening comments at 10:45 MST or later, I enlisted the lovely and talented (and fellow Montanan) Crimson to keep running things smoothly. If for some unknown reason you haven't been over to her site (and that would really surprise me) go check her out and say hi! And thank you, Red!


Thursday, March 23, 2006

Apologetic HNT

Before going any farther (further?)--I apologize for what you're about to see...

Well, after last week's shot of my back (for which many of you seemed thankful wasn't furry), I figured I'd take another picture, but somewhat lower. This has only been hinted at in the past, but here it is, seen in all its glory. I've seen other guys do this shot, and even some girls, so I figured it was time to show that I could do it too. No real stories to tell. I severely hurt it while playing softball a number of years ago. I've never actually had anyone kiss it. Or much of anything else, for that matter. Except for maybe a few very fulfilling massages. But that's as far as I'm willing to admit to. Please be gentle with the comments...

Do you have any idea how hard it is to take this shot???



Today's Mystery Guest came as a bit of a surprise to me. This is another one who is baring quite a bit more than she has in her previous HNTs. The back tattoo would be a great giveaway, but we've never seen it! The only hints I'll give is that she's got a relative who also HNTs, and she is probably older than you think! This MG is a bit shy, so she's not going to let me reveal her identity, though if you think you know who it is, feel free to email her and ask--she won't deny it.

As always, if you're interested in becoming the Mystery Guest, simply send in your picture and request!




To avoid cramming it all down your throats all at once--I'm letting you know that my birthday is April 15th. I'll continue to remind you as we get closer.
Be sure to check out Voodoo. She had to post early.

Monday, March 20, 2006

OsQuiz

I stole a quiz idea from Spinning Girl, who stole it from..., who stole it from.... You know the story.

Go here to take the OsQuiz. Prizes may be given!

EDIT--I am amazed at the number of people taking the OsQuiz! And a little surprised at where everyone is shaking out at. So far only one person has scored 100 (nice job, QoP!), and the ones at 90, 80 and 70 don't really surprise me. There's a couple of you at 60 or lower that I expected to do better! And a large number of lurkers have taken it apparently, because there's names that I don't recognize! If you haven't taken the OsQuiz yet, feel free to do so. All answers, with the possible exception of the last one (deductive reasoning) can be found somewhere in the archives. Have fun!

Sunday, March 19, 2006

Miscellany

I don't have anything wonderful to write about. Well that's not true. I've been phoning and chatting and emailing with a handful of bloggerfriends over the past week. Thanks to all of you who have taken my mind off of other things!

Ooh--big news! Andi has started up a new webzine! She's enlisted the help of some of your favorite bloggers to write articles/features/reviews for it (including yours truly). Click on the button over there in the sidebar for Estella's Revenge. It'll take you right there. Check it out!

St. Patrick's Day started well, and then sort of mellowed out as the day went on. I didn't go out that night, as I had a rehearsal at the ass crack of dawn the next morning. Being sober would be a good thing for that. Besides, I took care of the partying early in the day!

We got about 5 inches of heavy wet snow through Saturday night. Winter's last hurrah, I hope. Supposed to be getting nicer now starting mid-week. Welcome Spring!

I received a gift in the mail from Bekah for winning a little quiz she had. And I'm expecting another one from Melanie in the next day or two. Add that to the Christmas CD that I got from Brico, and I've made a pretty good haul! I'll detail things when I get them all in...

To finish this post, I'll randomly answer questions/comments that were left over the past few days. If they make no sense, that's OK. The person that asked will figure it out!
--Seems like there was a problem for a couple of people trying to put one of the HNT buttons on their sites. Try again, and if you still have problems, email me.
--Monkey--I'll take the massage!
--Sam--Lots of brownie points for you. An open-eyed facial!
--Aisha--No Butte this year, but lots of search hits on my site looking for the M&M webcam!
--Chuck--I drank at O'Toole's, but not at your O'Tool....
--Keda--email me if you're still having problems.
--Yes, I broke my back twice. Not to be confused with Brokeback...
--Lil Bit--Looking forward to Easter!
--Tess--Get your camera fixed!
--Robyn--You can be next after Monkey.
--Vic--We're square on the punishment (she has the cutest freckle...)
--Just Me--Had issues getting to your picture. Anyone else?
--CuriousPussy--Yes, it counts on Friday!
--Chelle--I wore green, but you can pinch me anytime you want!
--le chat--I've heard that the GNP of the US dips just a little on Thursdays now!
--Lizabeth--Good to hear from you! Hope all is well!
--MG--I'll look into the 'Virgin HNTers' thing, but don't get your hopes up...
--Crimson--I had a couple for you! And they weren't Heinekens, either!!
--SG--Come to MT anytime you want. I'll take care of your every need!
--Binsk--I sense a beer challenge. Bring it on!
--Just Thinking--Hi!

That's all folks! Have a great week!

Friday, March 17, 2006

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!

First off--great response to the "greening" of HNT! I hope you enjoyed doing it! Next "theme" will come in the summer...

I got home late, so I can't post all that I wanted to. I'll be at O'Toole's Bar at 8:00 AM to get the first green beer out of the tap. I've been doing that for 15 years now. And of course, there will be more than one. And probably a shot or two of Irish whiskey. I'll probably have some pictures to post. THEN I HAVE TO GO TO WORK!!

Actually, I will play it fairly low-key this year and won't drink much in the afternoon or evening. I've got an early morning rehearsal on Saturday, so I'll need to be somewhat sober.

I have some things to tell you. Gifts in the mail, symphony week, some other things. Unfortunately, they'll probably have to wait until Saturday.

Have a great St. Patrick's Day! Be safe!!

UPDATE!! I've been to O'Toole's. Three green beers, a Guinness, and 3 shots of Jameson's Irish Whiskey, and I'm ready for work! Sorry, no pictures...

Thursday, March 16, 2006

Irish HNT

The Irish holiday is coming up fast! I hope that everyone got the word about the "green" theme for HNT! Be sure to check the next post down to see the lovely Velma's HNT post. She is dealing with some RL problems this week, and is reorganizing her blog. Be sure to leave your comments with her picture!

Below, you'll find a rarely photographed part of my body. A part that I never see. It's the part that carries the weight of the world (well, my world, anyway). It's the part that has caused me years of grief. It's a part that's been broken. Twice. It's wide, it's tight, it's knotted, it longs for a slight Oriental girl in spiked heels to walk all over it. That's right, it's my back. Wearing my good luck suspenders that I usually wear with my symphony tux. I wish I could tell some sort of story, but it's just my back. Since this is probably the first picture I've ever seen of my back, I'm happy to note that it's not furry, doesn't have a huge number of hairy moles, or any back zits. Nor does it have footprints indicating that people have walked all over me. I guess that's a good thing!


I hope you all have a safe St. Patrick's Day! Don't drink & drive! I'll be posting tomorrow to show you what I plan to be doing!


This week’s Mystery Guest is known far and wide for her skills in spinning wondrous tales and weaving humorous anecdotes. Her HNT’s are artistic and alluring, though she strives to keep her true identity a mystery. One lucky blogger spent a whirlwind weekend with her recently, and discovered that she is as enchanting in person as she is on the page.

This Mystery Guest has requested that her picture and identity be removed, but trust me, she was a wonderful MG!


Voting has ended for Summer's bid to become 5.0 Mustang Magazine's "Babe of the Year"! She's had to abandon her site, but I'll keep you posted as to how she did!
Be sure to check out Wenchy for her early HNT! Well, it was midnight in South Africa! Also check out kb! And bbsgirl is up too! So is Always Aroused Girl!

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Velma's Wet Irish Dreams



Always wondered what a the appeal was in a wet t-shirt contest.

Even in just taking a photo or two - it's dang cold. A gal would have to be tanked and assured a huge cash prize to participate in this. brrrrrrrr

I do, by the way claim to be Irish. And when I get to re-posting I'll again show you my normally hidden irish freckle. I hold off and celebrate my birthday on March 17.

IMPORTANT HNT ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

    WHEREAS: Friday, March 17th is St. Patrick's Day, and

    WHEREAS: on that one day, EVERYONE is a little bit IRISH, and

    WHEREAS: tradition holds that everyone should wear green on this day, and

    WHEREAS: HNT will occur on the day before, and

    WHEREAS: OSBASSO claims some Irish heritage,

    IT IS HIGHLY URGED that all HNT participants include some bit of green in their next HNT picture.

    FURTHERMORE, it is requested that those who read this make mention of it on their own sites, so that the word spreads to one and all, and

    FURTHERMORE, it is recommended that, if available, strategically-placed shamrocks, shillelaghs, pots o'gold or leprechauns be employed in said photos.

    That's all.

Sunday, March 12, 2006

Light On the Horizon

Tonight, I had my first Cadbury's Creme Egg of the year. Yes, I think things are looking up.

BTW--does anyone remember the blogger that demonstrated how to eat a Cadbury's Creme Egg around Valentine's Day...?

Saturday, March 11, 2006

Calm Before the Storm

My weekly weekend thoughts--

We start rehearsals this week for our next symphony concert. The music is difficult, intense, loud, and requires bringing in extra musicians. I'll be in fine form in about a week or so! Expect some snarkiness and bitching...
Speaking of snarkiness--be sure to check out the premiere posting of "Estella's Revenge"--a new webzine started by Andi. It should be ready to go by the end of the week! There's a button in the sidebar to get you there.
Thanks for all who posted something on my "Cranky" post (it's been taken down). I hadn't intended for comments, but I got so many emails that I figured I should just allow them. I don't think you'll hear me discuss those subjects again...
I think part of my crankiness comes from caffeine withdrawal. Being the good, twice-a-year Catholic that I am, I still try to give up something for Lent. I've decided on Diet Coke w/Lime (which is usually a 1 gallon/day habit). Actually, all types of soft drinks. Replaced with water. It didn't bother me much until this past week. Complete with headaches, sleeplessness and yes, crankiness. I'm better now. As a sidenote--I haven't ordered fast food or had a beer in all this time either. Damn! What am I doing to myself??
I am growing impatient waiting for spring to show up here (I don't want to hear about how nice it is in Texas!). I don't think I'm alone in this, and I think there's been a general lack of blog inspiration in many of us because of it.
We've got a gig tonight, so my afternoon will be spent setting up and running a sound check, then sitting around for a long while. It's a dance AFTER dinner and speeches. That's generally not a good thing. But it's a MT Democratic Party function, so it might be OK. The only thing I understand less than politics is women, and there's sure to be plenty of both there tonight! I'll try to get some pics...
I spent almost two hours on the phone last night with a blogger that I've never had the chance to talk to. We've emailed quite a bit, but this was the first time we've actually talked to one another. Anyone who knows me IRL knows that I'm not much of a phone talker. But this was great! Thanks for a wonderful conversation!
In the next day or two, be looking for a new CD contest. Since I smoked everyone on the last one, I figured I should give you guys a second chance. Not sure how I'll do it, but I'll try. I still won't use any classical or jazz.
For those who care or are interested, I've started my "100 Things About Me" list. I've gotten 5 written down so far! Look for it in the future.
Did anyone notice that my blue Hawaiian shirt made an appearance last week? What's up with that???

Thursday, March 09, 2006

Faces HNT

I saw something similar to this on another site, so I stole it (what's new?). My original plan was to do something like Hollywood Squares, with my face in the center box, and then each view of me from what it would look like in each of the other boxes. The pictures came out fine, but I couldn't edit the flickr toy to put the right picture in the right box. I hate it when free applications don't do what you want them to do! So instead, you get this. A few of these look similar to me. I thought I came up with a diverse set of expressions. I'll need to work on that. I should have shaved, too...

My creation


Ah, hell, here's the Hollywood Squares one that didn't work...

My creation


This week's Mystery Guest is a big-city girl with some incredible stories! She's never considered herself very shy, and her HNTs attest to that! We don't often get to see her face, but she's got the greatest eyes. And lots of hair!! Fun-loving and adventursome, too! She apparently has developed a liking for cheese...
This is the lovely Tess, the Urban Gypsy herself! Stop by and see what she does at work!
Don't forget to check out the second week of HNT @ The Rogue. It starts up again Thursday night at 7:00PM, PST. Check out the site to see who all is being featured for the Festival.
There's only a couple more days left to vote for Summer in her bid to become 5.0 Mustang Magazine's "Babe of the Year"! Go to her site to get the link. It takes all of 30 seconds!
Be sure to check out "The REAL Me" for her last special HNT! Also check out Cranky Chaos! And Lysa is up too! And wish TripleL a Happy Birthday!

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

Staples is my Mecca

Thought I should even out the prior post with something less cranky.

I have to admit a somewhat embarrassing fetish of mine. I am completely and utterly swept away whenever I walk into an office supply store. Around here, that means Staples. Sure, there's other local small stores around, but they don't hold a candle to the cathedral of the business world. The pure anal perfection of shelf after shelf of virtually everything you could ever want.

Walk down one aisle, and reams upon reams of not just paper, but lined paper, laser printer paper, paper with holes punched, legal pads, off-sizes, business sizes, letter sizes. And on the opposite side, the multitude of envelopes to fit all the paper just across from them. Turn the corner, and thousands of styles of pens and pencils, all neatly packaged, all waiting their turn to sully the purity of the paper that is so close, yet so far away.

And binders. Omigod! The binders! Three-ring, D-ring, 1/4", 1/2", 3/4",...all the way up to 2" and beyond. Black, blue, green, white. With pockets. Without pockets. With colored index tabs. Tabs for the alphabet. Tabs for the calendar. Oh, the calendars! Twelve-month, 16-month, wall calendars, desk calendars, pocket calendars--the list goes on!

I don't know if this is a matter of nature or nurture. I remember distinctly sitting in Mrs. Stoneberg's 2nd grade class with my stash of minty fresh pencils, crayons, pink erasers, and notebooks (with the big penmanship lines). I remember the joy in finding/stealing somebody else's stash so that mine stayed immaculate and perfect. I remember eating the paste (oh, shut up--you did too!). To this day, I can't walk into Staples (or Office Depot, or any other large office supply store) without stopping to soak in the smells, or to marvel at the perfection of the shelves, or to shudder a little bit with that elation of near-orgasmic peace.

Lord, I need help...

Monday, March 06, 2006

Craziest Drinking Story

Nosouthernbelle gave me a topic, since I had nothing decent for the last post--"My Craziest Drinking Story". Unfortunately, most of my drinking stories aren't really crazy, especially over the past 20 years. I guess that's what happens when one grows up (well, grows older). And before I hear from everyone about the evils of drinking and driving--I know, I'm not terribly proud, but I've been quite fortunate that I've never been in a wreck or even pulled over. I've done it, get over it.

College provided numerous crazy times--my final drink of tequila (19th birthday); my causing public safety issues by driving drunk down two different one-way streets the wrong way and speeding down a residential street at 90 MPH and ignoring 2 4-way stops (22nd birthday); playing strip cribbage all night with my girlfriend (26th birthday)--you get the idea. One summer while teaching in Idaho, I was at a summer theater cast party, then drunk drove home (40+ miles away) over a mountain pass, only to be met eye-to-eye with the headlights of a semi (no, I didn't get hit, but I did end up on the shoulder of the other lane of traffic, and I've never drunk-driven over mountain passes since). I broke into an ex-girlfriends apartment (she was in bed) after a night of partying. I was skinny-dipping in the Yellowstone River near some hot springs when I ran into my sister who was doing the same thing while visiting a friend.

Since turning about 30, the craziness seems to have worn off. Yes, I've had some great times, but nothing that would classify as "crazy". There was a 3-day/2-night weekend drunk in Vegas for my sister's (S2) 40th birthday which included a post-midnight walk from New York, New York to the Bellagio and back to the MGM with S1 (who knew there was a train). Or drinking in the rain with Moose, her husband at the time, and her little sister. That night also included karaoke, which I never do, and driving home in the rain with no headlights (actually, they both burned out on me on the way home--long story).

I'm happy to say that I don't ever remember streaking, nor peeing on a public statue (and getting caught), nor getting arrested, nor anything particularly stupid like that. I think the crazy drinking stories are now a thing of the past for me, and probably for the best. But thanks, B, for helping me fill up a new post!

I got nuthin'...

I did absolutely nothing over the weekend, so I've got nothing for you today. No news, no snarkiness, no bitching, no pontificating. I suck. So I'll throw out the usual stuff...
Only a few more days to vote for Summer's shot at Babe of the Year. Due to your help, she jumped from 9th to 2nd in a month. Let's give her this last push! You can vote quite often, please do so!
Mystery Guest submissions are still being accepted. You'll see some good ones in the next few weeks, but it's good to keep the Guest folder full!
That's all I've got right now. Hope the week improves!
Ooh, ooh! This was my 400th post! (what a waste...)

Friday, March 03, 2006

Secret Little Pleasures

We've all had them. Who hasn't snickered a little when seeing somebody slip on the ice? Or spill a drink on themselves? Or other such things? Or you get the chance to stick it to someone--not in a mean way, or in a large consequential way. Just something that puts a little smile on your face (even though it might be mean, childish or unnecessary).

I had such a moment this morning. As I pulled up to a stop sign (4-lane street), a kid pulls up next to me. I swear he was two blocks behind me as I approached the cross-street. We pull out together, but it's obvious that he's in a hurry. The Game is on! I speed up just a little--just enough that he can't zip in front of me to pass the cars in front of him. We hit a stoplight, but he's stuck a car behind. The light turns green, and I go as fast (slow) as the car next to me. He pulls in behind me, but realizes he's not going to be able to pass, so he goes back. He tries a couple more times. By this time, I've pulled up next to a semi. This is where the fun really begins. I get in front of the semi just far enough to be past it, but not far enough for the kid to sneak through. Add in the series of stoplights, other drivers, and his impatience--and my entire day is being made! My final act was to slow down enough (with him behind me) to let the semi pass me on the right, get into the right lane, and turn off into the parking lot at work. Sure enough, he burned rubber as soon as I had turned into the lot.

As I said, it's the simple things that make me smile. And I had a HUGE smile as I walked into work. I realize that if you live somewhere amongst the crazy people (California comes to mind), you'll get shot doing something like that, but there must be other things! So I put the question to you--

What secret little pleasures do you have that put a smile on your face?

Thursday, March 02, 2006

Roguish HNT

The Rogue Performance Festival starts Thursday, March 2nd in Fresno, California. Many HNTers have joined in at Lecram's request. He is one of the co-founders and bigwigs of the whole thing. Even got a proclamation from the city yesterday! It's all about looking at blogging as an artform, in the way that HNT has become. You should check out your fellow HNTers who are participating. They are listed in the sidebar at the HNT @ The Rogue site! And be sure to check out the site for the full Rogue Festival! Congratulations to Lecram, and to Paul for putting together the HNT site!

So I've put up my page of old HNTs here. But I wanted to do a special Rogue picture, so why not go full-nekkid with a potentially HUGE audience? Well, there's plenty of reasons, but dammit, I wanted to do it. Many of my male counterparts have done so, as well as alot of the women. Why shouldn't I? (again...plenty of reasons....) So I set up the camera and everything. Then it dawns on me that all these new people might get confused by the "fullness", so I scribbled out a quick poster about Rogue so that I could hold it to my chest, hence keeping the top part covered, and the bottom half nekkid. So in my glory, I present myself in my full half-nekkidness! NOTE: I don't use Photoshop--I spent FAR too much time setting this shot up!


"Well I will have to say that I am truly honored to be the chosen one to adorn the King's site for this the first Thurday of March and well now! .... how apporpriate... What is most important about March? St. Patrick's day!! And me being the devote Irish woman that I am, I am never without my four leaf clover charm.... I know you can't see but, my Irish eyes are smiling as I knew that Os would be the first to see this pic when I took it. (It was originally taken a month ago for his 'collection' hehe) T-Minus 14 days until we Irish do what we do best and everyone else is Irish for a day, I hope you enjoyed my HNT and thanks to Os for the honor .... MUAH - big sloppy smooches sweet guy!"
Well, it's been a long couple of days, and this is the first chance I've had to post this. This week's Mystery Guest is kb. Of course, if you read through my comments, you'd have seen that she spilled the beans this morning! Some people get SO excited!
If YOU want to be the Mystery Guest, but sure to send me your picture! Don't be shy, and don't delay!
Don't forget to turn off your Word Verification for the day!
Be sure to check out some HNTs that had to go up early--Blondie, Castle and Monkey.
Voting for Summer for 5.0 Mustang Magazine's Babe of the Year continues for another 10 days. I've still been able to vote on a daily basis (even a couple of times/day!). We've helped her jump from #9 to #2. Now we just need to get her over the top! Go to her site and give her your votes!