Let the weekend begin!

Another successful HNT has come and gone! As usual, there were a couple of old-timers that dropped off the Nekkid rolls, and a good number of newbies. The guys are beginning to make their mark, creativity is high, and more and more people are joining in! Andi got a new camera--that should mean even better posts in the future! CindyLou is still basing her pics on whatever Darrel comes up with--and doing a very fine job! Bez continues to raise the bar--time for the step ladder! Lizabeth in Spandex--always a good thing! All in all, a great day. I've updated the blogrolls, but there's technically a little time before Thursday ends, so I'll clean things up in the morning if I need to. I've tried to comment on everybody's, but if I missed you, I apologize. There's just getting to be too many to keep track of! Keep up the good work, boys and girls!

I want to try something for the next "Half-Nekkid Thursday". For those of you in the US, we'll be celebrating the 4th of July this weekend. Beer, sun, fun, beer, road trips, beer....you get the idea. I'd like next week's HNT pics to be patriotic, fireworks, picnics, brass bands, Mom & apple pie celebrations. Take your cameras out with you this weekend and be proud you're an American! Let's have some All-American HNT pictures! However, I draw the line on bottle-rockets-out-the-butt pics. Please. For those of you who don't celebrate the 4th, feel free to take pics this weekend on your picnics/beer drinking/road trips or whatever you do this weekend!

On a personal note--many thanks for the concern for my eye problem! I have to confess though--the picture was taken last summer. It was a bugger then, but it's fine now!

Everyone have a safe and fun holiday--even you Canadians! I've got gigs with the band all three nights out at the lake, so I hope to have some pics up at some point! Buckle up! Don't drink & drive! Set on ground, light fuse, and GET AWAY! God Bless America!!

---

iTunes: I Got You Babe, Sonny & Cher

The Nekkidness Continues...

This is what happens when allergies and hay fever collide with tired eyes on a gorgeous summer night in Montana. It probably didn't help that I was rubbing them silly, but I couldn't even keep them open. We were lucky to get this shot! Being the socially responsible person that I am, I'm posting only a small picture. If you want the full sized one, click here!
~~~Be forewarned--it's a scary picture!~~~

---

iTunes: Powerhouse, Spike Jones

One, two, nine, eleventy-seven, ...

Anybody heard why Haloscan has decided to quit keeping an accurate count of comments on random blogs? Damned inconvenient!

Nothing exciting

Started this post by using Blogger's photo thing. I need to spend more time with it. I had pictures overlapping and text running over the pictures. I don't think it's supposed to work that way....

Took these pics a couple of days ago. The first is sunrise on the first day of summer. The second is later on during the day--the torrential rain that has been marking most of the afternoons so far.


As I was watching SVU tonight, I heard a great deal of noise coming from my slut bird friend's place on the balcony. Yes, she's been at it again, and at all hours of the day. And now her prospective lovers are lining up to get a piece of the action. The slut bird is a sparrow. I know that for a fact. This bird was next in line. I'm not sure what type of bird it is, but it ain't a sparrow. But it's definitely a noisy SOB! I've heard of "Whistle While You Work," but this guy tends to get way out of control! It's nice to know my slut bird friend will screw anything, regardless of race, creed or color!

New Blogger feature

Did you guys check this out? You can add pictures directly to Blogger, rather than uploading them someplace else first! You get picture size options and text wrapping options too! IT'S ABOUT FLIPPIN' TIME! This is my first attempt using it. Hopefully this will keep fairly stable. It'll certainly be a time saver! Read all about it on your Dashboard!

Explanations

Somebody asked what PeeMan was doing his business on. For me, it's Safari--Apple's browser. It's far superior to IE or Netscape. Faster, less buggy, and an all-around good browser. I guess when you get used to something working so well, you just expect it to be perfect. It died on me with no warning late, late Thursday night. I suppose it was fate, because it had been a good week, and I wasn't pissed at anyone/anything. Until then. So thanks, PeeMan! Firefox is definitely going to be checked out soon....

The alarm clock was a request from Moose, who's been having to get up early this week. She has issues with her alarm clock. She needs to resolve them at some point, but in the meantime, this pee's for you!

Clarification

There seems to be a slight misconception amongst some visitors and participants to "Half-Nekkid Thursday" as to what its purpose is. I've gotten comments and references that insinuate that the reason I've been pushing this whole idea is just a sneaky way to get girls (and guys) to undress. Can you believe that??? I'm hurt, offended and a little bit disappointed.

I have always maintained that HNT was a way for bloggers to meet new friends and venture outside their own little circle of bloggerfriends. The pictures are like advertising. THERE'S NOT ONE OF US WHO HASN'T SEEN AN INCREASE IN VISITS! THERE'S NOT ONE OF US WHO HASN'T ENJOYED THE GLOWING COMMENTARY THAT'S BEEN LEFT BEHIND!! AND I DOUBT THAT THERE'S ANY OF US WHO HASN'T GONE BACK TO VISIT THEIR NEW NEKKID FRIENDS!!! As proof of the increased visits--this is a chart of the visits to my site over the past 31 days. Guess what days show the spikes....


My point being--we are selling ourselves. And our own blogs. And it's working! Some of us don't need to do that, but enjoy it anyway. For alot of the rest of us, HNT offers a fun way to invite the rest of the world to check us out, and to make new friends, and gets us out of our own little circles.

To those who feel that there's some other purpo....... DAMMIT! I almost made it through without laughing out loud! Of course it's a way to get people to show some skin! Keep it up, people! We're getting noticed!!

---

iTunes: 25 or 6 to 4, Chicago

Exhausted!

I had no idea that HNT was going to be so time-consuming! I just spent the better part of 3+ hours checking posts, looking at comments, responding to comments, updating my blogroll, and trying to make sure that everyone got included! Then another half hour preparing this post, before Safari crashed on me (no Mac jokes, please!). AAAUUURRRGGGGHHHH!
Damned Safari!!

I think that the easiest way for you to keep up is to check my nekkid list in the sidebar. I'll try to have it updated by Friday morning. If I've missed someone, please let me know! I think that we can keep up the peer pressure. Ian has promised that he's got a bunch of lurkers ready to come out of the dark and join in. He does warn that they are "really butt ugly people". I say, the more the merrier! I think that someone needs to talk to Katarina, Veronica, Stace, Amanda, Laura and Binsk. With encouragement, I think they'd be great additions! Your mission, should you choose to accept it....

If I were really on top of things, I'd actually give prizes each week. But I'm not. I can, however, load on heaps of praise like the sautéed onions on a York Bar swiss cheeseburger! Please remember, there are no losers on "Half-Nekkid Thursday"! My congratulations to the following:

• Most courageous post: There were alot of you in the running here, but I think the winner would have to be Bez (Crazy Cat Lady). She took the bull by the horns and ran with it!
  
• Most enjoyable post: I think that hippigirl claims this one. She's drinkin', gettin' cool, and just became a grandma a few days ago!
  
• Best "cute" factor: Cathy claims this one. Nekkid little kids will almost always get an "Awwww...."
  
• Post that takes your breath away: I'll do two of these--male & female. For male, Jason gets the nod. I'm told that the shoulders did it for him. On the female side, it's going to be newcomer Summer. She's the shizzle!
  
• Best use of props or sets: There's a tie for this one. Robin wins for taking a picture that you actually had to go looking for half-nekkididity, when it was staring you in the face, and S! for a highly original picture that he claims came to him during his lunch hour. Both he and the billboard behind him are half-nekkid! Kudos to the newbies!

I could probably come up with more categories, but I have to get up in a few hours. Good job this week, boys & girls!

---

iTunes: No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems, Kenny Chesney

HNT Guest Hosting

just.a.girl is on the road to Portland for the weekend, so I'm taking care of her HNT submission. I'm not quite sure what she'd write along with this, other than to note the belly jewelry. I guess you can leave comments for her here. She'll get them. Be generous!

---

iTunes: Hanky Panky, Madonna

HNT Strikes Again!

Geez--things are starting up already, and I don't hit Thursday for another 90 minutes! Better get this done....

Thought I'd bump things up a level this week for "Half-Nekkid Thursday"! However, it ain't me! Somewhere in the middle of this picture is a friend of mine. But that's not the important part here. It's the photo manipulation. If you have Photoshop or some other type of program, there's all sorts of possibilities! And before the question is asked--no, this isn't a bloggerfriend. It's not Rachel, Moose or just.a.girl. Sorry! Here's some other works of art--


There you go--who can beat that today? Let the games begin~~

---

iTunes: I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, U2

Minor site changes

A couple of changes to the place here.

I took down the poll. It was a cute idea that ran its course. Or in other words--you guys just weren't into it. I'll hang on to it in the deep recesses of the bloggerdom in case something good comes up. In its place I've listed just a few of the numerous comments regarding HNT. It's always good to have good press! These are actual quotes--not ones that I've made up myself. From comments to my blog, or from others' blogs. If any of you don't want your quote up there, let me know. I can take you off.

I've added a new link to my favorites. It's a blog, but doesn't really have that sort of feel to it. Factum is a site where you can send in your own humorous pictures. The photos that are up are hilarious! It looks like it's updated on a daily basis. Some very funny stuff. Thanks to Shumpy for the link from his blog!

Lastly--not a change, but an observation. There's some trash talk happening about HNT! There are challenges being thrown down and promises of outstanding submissions! Now I'm not one to stifle creativity and expression, but I would remind the more modest of you out there that "nekkid does not mean naked!" If you haven't checked them out yet, I'd browse through the guidelines. I'd hate to see this thing fall apart because people thought that nudity was the goal here. IT'S NOT! Hence the term "half-nekkid"! By the same token, though, feel free to post as much nekkidness as you'd like! There will be some who have no problems with that. Remember that this isn't a contest--it's a chance to express one's half-nekkidness!

For those of you talkin' smack--I also encourage that! And just so you know, my HNT submission for this week will have you all crying in your beers!

---

iTunes: I've Got Better Things To Do, Terri Clark

Well, THAT was interesting...

As mentioned before, PRIDE Weekend has hit Helena. PRIDE is the gay/lesbian/bi/trans/etc. group in Montana. The high point of tonight's festivities was a drag show at one of the more popular bars in town, then dancing until the bar closed. So the Goddess (just.a.girl) and one of her roommates (Melissa) and I went down to check out the show. Well, the place was packed. We had to stand throughout the show, but we were relatively close. All I can say is--what a disappointment! I guess I went in with higher expectations. What I got was a poor sound system, equally poor dancing, and lip synching that, for lack of a better term, sucked. And a couple of un-funny comedians. But an odd thing happened--we sort of had fun! To be fair, there was one very fine queen who was in a totally different league than the rest of them. And the emcee was quite comfortable in his/her role (see picture below). Beyond that it was not very good. But it was fun! And crowded! And if we get half that crowd tonight, it's going to be a good time! This picture was taken shortly after the show:
From the left: Melissa; Her Most Imperial Sovereign Majesty,The Sparkly Tinsel Glinda-Bubble From Graceland, Empress 10 of all Montana, Ophelia Uppe-Bouvier; His Most Imperial Soveriegn Majesty, The X-tracurricular Emperor, Emperor 10 of all Montana, Tim; and the Goddess. Yes, they hold those "titles". And I think Ophelia and Tim are an item, but I'm not sure. The good news--none of was propositioned, though the girls thought alot of the guys were hot. And about half of the girls seemed to be the college-age, experimental type. Of course, there were those on both sides that definitely rode side-saddle, but the whole thing seemed almost more mainstream than kinky. Then again, where else but Montana can you find a drag queen lip-synching and dancing to Garth Brooks' "Friends In Low Places?"

---

iTunes: Pour Me, Trick Pony

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JULIE!

Today is the birthday of America's favorite spiritual animal lovin' liberal vegetarian hippie chick. Yes, Juliepatchouli turns 37 today!!


Note the long, athletic legs and her quirky "don't mess with me, boys!" expression. And no, the "L" on her uniform doesn't stand for Lesbian. It stands for LOVE!
Some other things about her:

While she appears to be standing tall here, she checks in these days at around 5' nothin'.

She grew up on the lake. Not sure which one, but she did.

She likes farts. Anyone's farts. They make her giggle.

She likes Law & Order (and really, who doesn't?).

She's one of the few people I know who likes Viktor Krauss (or even knows who he is!).

Tulips are her favorite flower; asparagus is her favorite veggie.

She drives a big truck.

Julie's had a rough stretch over the past 4-6 months (which, coincidentally is about the amount of time that I've been reading her blog--do I sense a problem here?). Do something nice today and go over and wish her a Happy Birthday! I know she'd love it!

Happy 37th, Jules!!

---

iTunes: (We're An) American Band, Grand Funk Railroad

Friday thoughts...

Another rousing day of "Half-Nekkid Thursday". Be sure to check the regulars and the new ones listed in the sidebar.

Other thoughts...

• In order to allow everyone to see this week's HNT submissions, I had to move some of my dearest regulars to the "lower" set of links. Even though the only difference in the lists is the nekkidness or lack thereof, I found myself feeling uncomfortable moving some of my favorite bloggers to the "lower" list. Trust me, I don't love you guys any less! I guess the moral of this--if you want the top billing, you need to show us you're nekkid on Thursday!
  
• Is it wrong for me to think that Dierks Bentley is one of the finest looking men to show up on TV? Those eyes, that curly head of hair. Mmmm, if I were female......
  
• I didn't explain why I had PeeMan attacking Ticketmaster. I was able to buy tickets to see the Rolling Stones in Portland, OR in November. I got floor seats, and didn't spring for the really pricey tickets, but I forked out a buttload of money for the privilege. My problem with TM is that they were a pain to order online. Yeah, busy servers, everyone trying to order at the same time, etc. But still, it should have been a little easier!
  
• PeeMan is squirting on the Weather Channel because we're getting more rain for the rest of the week. I long for the days when we were in drought conditions and it was sunny and hot all the time...
  
• No requests for the second PeeMan, so he won't be up this week. Oops! Just had a late request...
  
• We (In Cahoots) will be playing Saturday night for PRIDE! this weekend. This is the gay/lesbian/transgender/etc. group in Montana. This will be the 6th year in a row that we'll play for their dance. They love us! On a positive note, there's alot more acceptance now. When they met in Helena 6 years ago, they marched from downtown to the state capitol. Complete with protesters along the route with truly tacky & hateful signs. It took alot of guts for these people and their supporters to do. THIS year, they're having a drag queen contest/show at one of the most popular bars in town! I'll try to get some pics from the gig. They are a good time!
  
• I've determined that I'm getting too old to drink beer like I did last night. Won't change my habits, but it made for a really long day today.

That's it for now. If you happen to notice that someone needs to be bumped up to the "nekkid" list, let me know!

---

iTunes: Faith, George Michael

'Tis the day!

This is the remnants of the Wednesday "Alive @ 5". You have to get a wrist band to drink, even though you've got a full head of really gray hair (like myself). Note that it says "Mt. Helena Music Festival, July 15-17". That would be leftovers from last year. Not everything that Downtown Helena works! There doesn't seem to be any identification involved in getting a wristband--if you've got the balls to go ask for beer, I think they give you a band. Rachel met me down there by the beer and should have a picture up later today too! Anyway, this is my submission!

For those of you who haven't figured out Alive @ 5--it's a chance to get together with a few thousand of your best friends to drink beer in downtown Helena. Oh, yeah--there's live music and food, and it changes locations each week. The picture below shows the crowd to the north--
and to the south--
A fun time is generally had by all.


Finally, because she's old enough to go to these things on her own--my niece (N2) on the left, and one of her many cousins on the right (no relation to me). Damn, didn't I do well with my nieces??? Back off perverts! She's only 16....

Two things

First off--this was the scene from my balcony tonight at around 6:30 (though you can't see it, the slut bird's nest is in the corner of the awning here). You can see 2 distinct rainbows, and what appears to almost be a dark strip between them. The rain we've been getting is getting old, but when you see something like this, you sort of forget about it for a few minutes. "Cue the harps!" "Send in the dog!" "Tornado--be ready..."




The second thing is about this guy--

Yes, this is Dad, and today is his 72nd birthday. Since it's close to Father's Day, I'll take care of business here, too. This man has supported me through thick and thin. He hasn't always understood the paths I've chosen over the years, but he's never tried to interfere. He worked very hard at his dental practice to put 4 kids through college, and still have enough money left over to spend 3 months/year in Hawaii for the past dozen years or so (my inheritance going right down the tubes there....). He's been married to the same woman for almost 49 years. He's bailed me out of jail, not when I was a teenager, but in my mid-30's. He's survived 2 major heart attacks within 2 months of each other. That was 9 summers ago. He used to smoke like a chimney, but quit cold turkey after the first attack. He will give you the shirt off his back. I have never heard a negative word said about him. He's been strong through some adversity, but cried like a baby when his mother-in-law died. He is on a variety of blood thinning meds that make his face purple. And if you look at his arm funny it will bruise. He's got two new knees, will be getting a new hip this winter. He still plays 18 holes of golf about 4 times/week. He has made peace with the fact that I will probably not be carrying on the family name. And he's glad that his daughters were fertile.

He is the greatest man I have ever known. Perhaps that's why it hurt so badly when two of my bloggerfriends lost their fathers unexpectedly this spring. I wish you guys had the chance to see your dads in your later years. I don't take it lightly that Dad saw the "light" when he was on the table for the second heart attack. I cherish the golf we still get to play together and the family dinners with all of us. So Happy Father's Day (early), and Happy Birthday! I love ya, Dad

---

iTunes: Panama Red, New Riders of the Purple Sage

Flag Day!

No one seems to have mentioned the fact that today is Flag Day (Canadian friends are excused from knowing that). There are others far better educated/equipped to write about the flag, patriotism, history, and related areas, so I will leave it to them.

In the area that I do know something about (music), I can only say this: the Star Spangled Banner should be banished from the lips of all Americans. They can't sing it. Only opera singers, trained for dozens of years, should be allowed to attempt it. And under NO circumstances should any of the current crop of pop "singers" even try. Jimi Hendrix had the right idea. He knew he couldn't sing it vocally, so he let the guitar do it for him. (As an aside, it's ironic that for all the controversy his version brought, one of the branches of the Armed Forces actually used it in the background of one of their recruitment commercials!)

And why do we sing a song about a flag for our national anthem, rather than about the country itself? Do Canadians sing about maple leafs blowing through the air? The poem (lyrics) are heroic enough, and if you actually read all the verses, it's a fine piece of prose. But as a national anthem, it's terrible! Yes, the flag is a symbol of America, so let's honor them both with a decent piece of music!!

I suppose the final irony about the song is that the tune is actually an old English drinking song, "To Anacreon in Heaven". Which is appropriate, since the only way for the common folk to sing it well is to be inebriated. So lift your pints high, and sing for Flag Day!

---

iTunes: Lucretia MacEvil, Blood, Sweat & Tears

Unintentional HNT

If you're already running out of ideas for "Half-Nekkid Thursday", check out this girl's photoblog to get some tasteful ideas. Her name is justagirl (not to be confused with just.a.girl--aka "The Goddess"). She's from the Netherlands, and I'm pretty sure she's never heard of HNT. But she's got the idea down pretty well. Even gets the boyfriend involved a little!

Other things on my mind--MJ is acquitted on all charges. Doesn't surprise me. Not sure what to think. What's going to be sad is that, to pay his attorneys' fees, he'll embark on a worldwide tour and sell out every concert. Primarily in Europe, Japan and Singapore.

I have an appointment with Midas to get my brakes replaced on Wed. Somewhere along the lines, I didn't hear the "chirping" that's supposed to warn you that your brakes are almost shot. But I can definitely hear the grinding of metal on metal now. Since this is Montana, I'll still drive around tomorrow, and hope that they don't fail completely. As I'm on my way to the bank to make sure I have the $$$ for what I'm sure is going to be a pricey repair....

The sun was out for the entire day. We haven't had that in many weeks. On a day like today, I wish I had a job like Rachel's. Well, truth be known, I sort of do, but I don't make any money at it.

Update on the watermelon drinks. Gatorade makes a decent one, but sort of tastes like Jolly Ranchers. And the Bacardi is better than the Seagram's. Just a tad more authentic.

My neighbors in the apartment below me are smokers. But rather than stink up their apartment, they sit out on their front porch and allow the smoke to come drifting in through my open windows. I don't mind the BBQ smells, but the cigarettes really suck. Would it be inappropriate to dump a bucket of cold water on them while yelling "FIRE!!"?

I'm sure there's more, but that's it for now.

---

iTunes: Maria (Shut Up and Kiss Me, Willie Nelson/Rob Thomas

New 'Puters! (sorta)

For those who haven't figured it out from prior posts, I'm a Mac geek. And proud of it! I shall never apologize for it. I shall continue to snicker at PCers downloading their weekly updates from MicroPuke. And I shall always quietly shake my head when friends buy new computers from Dell or Gateway, thinking that they're saving $$$ (sorry, Moose--I've kept quiet for so long...).

That having been said, I'll admit that I've had a couple of problems with Macs. In particular, I've had two of them go tits up on me in the past year. Fortunately, I picked up one of these last summer before that happened: That's right, a 17" Powerbook. Oh, my! It's the only thing that's kept me sane. Probably the last computer I'll buy for a couple of years. Shortly after I got it, my 12" iBookdecided it couldn't find the hard drive anymore. I took it apart, replaced the HD, and put it back together. And still had two screws and a tiny little spring left over. Needless to say, it still didn't work, but it had a new HD. It's been sitting on a shelf in its misery.
My desktop computer, a tangerine iMac, still worked fine until February, when I couldn't wake it from a deep, deep coma. But that's OK. I still had my Powerbook.

For whatever reason, and without going into detail, I was able to raise both of these computers from the lowly doorstop status that is usually reserved for the Dells and Gateways of the world! Mind you, I tried the exact same things on them months ago, but the wise and all-knowing Steve Jobs must have been looking down on me this night! Granted, I wasn't about to screw things up, so I was up until 4AM completing the installations of Panther (OSX 10.3). And all the assorted updates they'd missed out on. Forty-eight hours later they're still working fine! They've slept, they've turned on and off, they've woken up. They're networked into the system and all 3 have been talking to each other. I'm so happy! Now if I can just figure out what to do with the two screws and the tiny little spring...

---

iTunes: Over the Rainbow, Eva Cassidy

NASCAR

I may be just a hick from Montana, but other than spending the entire weekend in a drunken stupor, can ANYONE explain to me the allure, reason or need for NASCAR races? Or why I would want to spend an entire afternoon in front of a TV watching it? Or why it's gotten so popular with otherwise "normal" people?

Please realize that I'm not trying to offend NASCAR enthusiasts in regions that actually have a track withing 100 miles (which would be the entire southeastern US, isn't it?). If I lived there, I'm sure I'd be in the middle of it myself. But I think the nearest track to MT would be in Vegas, and if I'm going to Vegas, it ain't to see NASCAR. It's to gamble, party, maybe catch a show and drink w/YNH.

While you're at it, can you also explain to me how it's considered a "sport", the same way that competitive cheerleading is? Thank you in advance....

---

iTunes: Man, I Feel Like A Woman, Shania Twain