Yesterday, Pete and I rode the Bosque Trail again. The ride started out overcast and with a little breeze. The winds picked up near the middle putting up a good fight and by the end, the sun was out, the winds had died down and it was just wonderful. I hadn’t ridden since my last bike posting when I did the trail and I haven’t been doing much of anything else physical so yesterday was quite challenging.

The cycloputer said that we travelled the same distance in 2 hours 4 minutes…which is only 4 minutes better than last time, BUT, the we finished the whole ride in less time than last time. So I’m happy with the time since we didn’t have to stop for a very long periods of time. I’m tired and my legs feel like they will collapse under me, but I look forward to the next ride!

I’ve got one 16 mile and two 32’s in the bag….now I just wish my waistline would reflect these accomplishments

For some reason, starting on march 5, various search engines began directing folks to this blog with the strangest search terms. Apparently this blog is comical, animal related, and has some strange connection with hamburgers. I think my favorite is the “hall pino cheeseburger.” I’m not sure exactly what this internet user was hoping to retrieve from the given search parameters, because my google search of “hall pino cheeseburger” spat this back. I can only assume that this person was hankering for a jalapeño cheeseburger, but I just can’t bring myself to believe that someone could misspell our beloved little green pepper so inaccurately. Anyway, just thought you’d like to know.

ok, so now this blog is the top hit for “hall pino cheeseburger” searches….blah. So if it’s gonna bring you here, I might as well give you something…like this beautiful leaning tower of…

Hall Pino Cheeseburger With Bacon Grilled Onions And Spicy Ranch Sauce Powerhouse of Deliciousness.

And back to the search terms…

Cuz I’m bringing color back, Y’all other photographers don’t know how to act…

I recently purchased a Canon DSLR. I’ve always enjoyed photography and now that I have more than a point and shoot, I feel like I’m finally able to go after some really great shots. It’s been fun tinkering with all the functions and settings, but I am far from efficient and masterful of my new hobby. I read through the manual and some quick tips Canon provided for setting your aperture, ISO, shutter, flash compensator, and all that other stuff. However, my pictures are usually still a trial and error process in capturing the moment. Due to financial constraint, I went with the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi. This has been a great camera and despite it’s “starter” camera reputation, it has exceeded my expectations. I got a package that came with a nice telephoto stalker lens for some nice zoomerific action. If anyone has any recommendations for good learn photography books, please let me know! Here are some pics I’ve taken with the new photographic equipment.

The first is Keuma being playful with his cotton ball pal at the park. Then we have Keuma getting pOwn3d!!11!1. Then we have a night shot from the balcony.

Psalm 4: a psalm of David –

Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
You have given me relief when I was in distress.
Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!

O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame?
How long will you love vain words and seek after lies?
But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself;
the Lord hears when I call to him.

Be angry, and do not sin;
ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent.
Offer right sacrifices,
and put your trust in the Lord.

There are many who say, ‘Who will show us some good?
Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!’
You have put more joy in my heart
than they have when their grain and wine abound.

In peace I will both lie down and sleep;
for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.

I love what Matthew Henry says about verse 4 (“ponder in your own hearts“):
“One good means of preventing sin, and preserving a holy awe, is to be frequent and serious in communing with our own hearts. Talk with your hearts; you have a great deal to say to them; they may be spoken with at any time; let it not be unsaid.”

Calla and her cousin Judah are hilarious together. She is three days older and reminds him of that often as she dominates every playtime. Eric recently snapped some shots of them hanging out. 

I worked a stand-by shift with AAS at the filming of Love Ranch on Monday. It was supposed to be a 13 hour gig, but we ended up staying late for a total of 15 hours. I haven’t been on many movie sets, but each time I’ve been absolutely amazed at the scale and effort that is put into a hollywood production. There is so much money put into these films. Freddy and I were talking with the Key Medic on the set and she was explaining how overtime works for them. The crew must break 6 hours after they start in the morning for lunch. If they don’t stop at 6 hours, the “movie” is penalized and must begin to pay for overtime; which at around $15 for every 15 minutes with a crew of around 700 people….OT can really start to bust the bank.I signed up for this shift without knowing what movie it would be…turns out that “Love Ranch” isn’t about my favorite calorie dense mixed green accompaniment. Rather, it tells the tale of the first legalized brothel in Nevada during the 1970’s and something about an Argentinian boxer that goes to the “ranch” to train. The scene was filmed at Tingley Coliseum. Not only did they have their fight that was filmed for the movie….but during breaks, they had some real fights.Also, apparently it is taboo to ask a movie star for a picture or autograph…so I missed out on that, BUT… I did have a little run-in with Joe Pesci on his way to the can. So I’m standing there and Mr. Pesci is walking towards me with his guy that follows him around. I’m not planning on saying anything to him cuz you know, he’s Joe Pesci and stuff, but as he approaches, we make eye contact and he gives me the smirk with blink + nod combo (aka the man nod). Relief and acceptance overcome me and without hesitation I return with a man nod accompanied by a “what’s up Joe?”. Yes, I have now conversed with Mr. Joe Pesci.There were a couple other stars I saw…like Ling Bai. I guess she got out of jail without much delay. Helen Mirren, she almost ran me over during a scene when she was speeding off the set. Bryan Cranston, the dad from “Malcom in the Middle.” M.C. Gainey from “Lost” and many other shows.We had an awesome lunch and got to eat next to all the stars…but not talk to them. By the end of the night, we had two patients and handed out lots of ibuprofen and aspirin.SORRY ALL THE PICS ARE TURNED….I COULDN’T FIGURE OUT HOW TO ROTATE THEM. BUT IF YOU CLICK ON THEM, YOU CAN GET A BIGGER PICTURE AND STAND ON YOUR HEAD FOR AN ACCURATE ORIENTATION.