THE TIMEKEEPER CHRONICLES

Just a few pics from the recent Thanksgiving Holiday. We ended up having an early Thanksgiving "brunch", since I had to work Thanksgiving night (bla). Hope everyone had a good time....



The Family Pic

Danney and Mik

Me and the Bro Dan....need I say more.

Piggin out

I'd say someone had a little too much to eat.

Here is Jeremy, Danney, and Mik....obviously happy because we were about to go somewhere fun :-)

Here is Ashley J, Susan, Mik, and Jeremy. I'm not sure what Jeremy is doing here, but it looks like he would have rather poked his eyes out than take this neat picture, in which was taken at Venice Camp Ground some years back when we used to go camping.




The other picures are of us trying to make our way down the Myakka River. We had a super time, and it seems like yesterday :-)

Funny. After I just make a post about how much I love my "foofoo" coffee maker, and how dead I would be if I didn't have it, here comes an article from Reuters about the "TOP FIVE CITIES ADDICTED TO CAFFEINE"! And wouldn't you know it, TAMPA RANKS SECOND, only to Chicago. Go figure. That is a bit suprising considering how hot it is down here. Maybe they only surveyed yankee transplants, huh. That would skew the numbers. Read the article below...


Chicago most caffeinated U.S. city: survey By Kristina Cooke
Tue Nov 6, 3:41 PM ET

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - The windy city is also the most wired, according to a survey that showed people in Chicago are the most caffeinated in the United States.

Chicagoans eat more chocolate and drink more cola than other U.S. urbanites, and are among the top consumers of energy drinks and coffee.

They are also likely to say caffeine is good for you, according to the poll conducted by Prince Market Research.

Tampa, Miami, Phoenix and Atlanta rounded out the top five most caffeinated cities, while residents of San Francisco, Philadelphia, New York, Detroit and Baltimore consumed the least caffeine.

"It's surprising perhaps that some places you may think have a lot of hustle and bustle like San Francisco, Philadelphia and New York, were the least caffeinated cities," said Todd Smith, a spokesman for HealthSaver, a healthcare discount service that commissioned the poll.

The survey looked at consumption of coffee, tea, chocolate, sodas, energy drinks and caffeine pills in 20 major cities in the United States by interviewing 2,000 people.

Seattle took the top spot in just caffeinated coffee consumption. Nearly 60 percent of residents in the city said coffee would be the most difficult caffeine product to give up.

The growing popularity of "high-end" coffees, energy drinks and green tea has added to more caffeine consumption around the world, according to HealthSaver.

Half of all the people questioned in the poll said they drank coffee every day, followed by 21 percent who drank caffeinated cola.

New Yorkers and San Franciscans were also among people most likely to say caffeine is bad for you. More than 70 percent of people questioned in the poll said they were not addicted to caffeine. The older the age group the more likely they were to say coffee would be the most difficult caffeinated product to give up.

The BIG 22 Years Old HAHAHAHA (Gotta love the hair!)

Discussions around the lunch table come up about this new HDTV technology. and I usually get asked "what is all this HD stuff about" or "what's the difference in digital or HD, or 720p, or DLP, etc, etc. Well, here's a link to one of my favorite "Digital Media and Technology" sites. The site is called AFTERDAWN.COM. They have a pelethra of factoids on everything and anything to do with video technology. CLICK HERE and just read through the guides and it should answer any questions you may have concerning HDTV.

Just so I can brag a little, we currently have a 50" LG Plasma, with 720p resolution. No, it's not the 'full hd' in which would be 1080p, but honestly, it is crystal clear with excellent detail. It has an absolutely remarkable picture, especially when watching something broadcasting in HD. And dvd's are awesome too, and we aren't even watching HD dvd's yet (notice I said "yet"). But, it has the HDMI inputs from a progressive scan HDMI upconverting dvd player, in which deliveres an awesome picture.









Our home theatre.

This machine is the next best creation (other than FREON). If it weren't for this coffee maker, I'd be dead. Really. It's like having a Starbucks at home. It's a therapeutic life line. This is a Keurig - it makes one cup at time. And you can even get all kinds of flavors. My favs are the Timothy's Kona and the new Jet Fuel! OH YEAH!!! That's what I'm talkin' about. Anyone that works shift work, THIS THING IS A MUST.

As you can see by the pictures, I'm just getting my first cup after a week long on nights, and I'm totally out of it. LOL

Ok dang it. Micheal Jackson is a complete twisted whack. But you have to admit, there were some pretty cool tunes come from that dude back in the 70s and 80s (I guess back the the Jacksons were "normal"). And of course with Halloween here, who can't not listen to 'Thriller", huh. (Yeah, your going to sit here and listen to the whole thing, aren't you.) Turn up your speakers, click "play", and....enjoy. MMUUAAAAHHHHAAAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!

Dad wondering what that little 'clicker thingy' on the keys does...
Mom is obviously very happy about her new ride.


Gas prices going over 3 bucks. Four hurricanes cross in one spot all within a 6 week period. The Bucs winning a Super Bowl. Mom getting a new car.

These are all things that no one could ever imagine could happen. But, they did. This one was really amazing. Here's mom's new(er)car, A 2007 Ford FiveHundred. I have to say it's a very nice ride indeed. Now, if Dad could put some mud flaps on it, maybe scrape the paint off the hood and roof, and maybe even see if he could get side swiped by a dump truck so that the whole passenger's side is caved in a foot or so, and so that the doors won't open, then that would be just like home. Just like old times, huh Pa? LOL

Here is one funny clip. A bit PG13 (anything with Eddie Murphy in it is minimum PG13, most of time much worse), but freakin' hilarious. It's from "The Nutty Professor", and the clip is called "Dinner With The Klumps". Enjoy!



(FYI - this movie clip - and future clips - are from my own collection of DVD's, not downloaded - unless noted otherwise :-) )

There haven't really been that many dvd's we've been able to watch lately....seems like there's just no time. But, every now and then we get to watch some, and I like to share what we watched. The recent flick was 1408. Written by Stephen King, in which we all know is just..well, he's just a whack job. And we all love whacked out stuff. A super flick just in time for Halloween. A very good creepy mess-with-your-mind type of movie...definitely liked it. We highly recommend.

Here's the BLOCKBUSTER.COM review...

Full Synopsis:

A writer renowned for debunking infamous paranormal events is confronted by a force that he cannot explain upon checking into room 1408 of the notoriously haunted Dolphin Hotel. Mike Enslin (John Cusack) is an author who specializes in horror, but who only believes in what he can see with his eyes and touch with his hands. Having constructed an entire career on his ability to dispel superstitious "haunted house" rumors, Mike is convinced that the afterlife is a manmade construct designed to offer false comfort to the weak minded. Mike's latest project is a book entitled "Ten Nights in Haunted Hotel Rooms," and it seems that in room 1408 of the Dolphin Hotel, this skeptical scribe may finally find proof of the supernatural. Implored by the hotel manager (Samuel L. Jackson) not to enter room 1408, Mike defiantly procures the key and prepares to dispel yet another spectral sham. Now, as is the case with many of life's most profound epiphanies, the writer who thought he knew it all is caught entirely off guard at the precise moment he least expected it. Subsequently faced with undeniable proof of an afterlife, Mike may have a best-seller on his hands if he can simply survive until sunrise. Mary McCormack and Jasmine Jessica Anthony co-star in director Mikael Håfström's (Derailed) adaptation of an original short story by horror icon Stephen King. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Running Time:

104 mins

Kudos to the guy who put this on a billboard...

Don't Buy Gas from the Ass
Anti-Chavez/Citgo billboard causing a stir. Once you spot the sign at Interstate 65 and County Road 287, it's hard to look away. Mickey Donaldson says he's never seen anything like it. "We just don't see ASS on the side of the road everywhere we go in America." Right now, you can find it on the side of the road in Bay Minette. Full Story from WKRG

Came across these the other day.....just too funny to miss posting :-) These folks are some old friends/co-workers from the old Westvaco day's. This was somewhere around 1995-ish. Susan and I took off for a short weekend away with NO KIDS to St. Augustine, and whada ya know... we ran into Tommy Dean, his wife BJ, and Pat Kane, and his wife Linda. From there it was a bit of a blur, but I remember it was a grand 'ol time LOL!

Just think what this little pile of pennies COULD turn into....

(a smaller pile of pennies lol)

In a recent walkathon benefit, Susan, Mik, and Katie went to show their support for Alyson and her family. The walk took place in Brandon at Fish Hawk Ranch, and was sponsored by the Pediatric Cancer Foundation.

This is an awesome organization and your support, I know, has a huge impact on families and children suffering from cancer. In this pic, Alyson's mom is next to Susan, and her brother Joey is the obvious tall fellow :-)

There's this new crispness in the air. Fall is here. (Not really, we're in Florida and it's freakin' 90 degrees still). But, somewhere...a bit farther north, the air is getting cooler. The leaves are changing. Football has already started, so you know it's close. Don't forget there are new episodes of House on tv, (and some new ones I really like, like Carpooling, and Cavemen... these flicks crack me up lol).

But how about LIGHTNING HOCKEY! Yep, they start tonight and looks like their going to be tough to beat. And, since I know you like 'em, you can click here for their 2007-2008 schedule, and maybe we can meet up at the Forum for a game or three this season. So, support your local hockey team, 'cause this is as close as we're going to get to fall. GO BOLTS!

Here we are taking our evening stroll through the neighborhood.


The other is a pic of Susan completely baffled walking through Home Depot - - she now has seen the light. lol

Though I couldn't see where I was going, I managed to take this pic so that if I ran into something, I would at least have a picture of it.

Evening sky.

Just me. The cool one.

Mrs. Myers had the wonderful pleasure of teaching both of my kids (sarcasm). I'm kidding of course. She has been a true blessing to my kids and to us as parents. She helped Mikayla during some pretty tough times and losing a teacher with such compassion for kids will be a true loss. But, on the bright side, she's off to retirement and last I heard she said she was going to let her hair down and her and Mr. Myers have some partying to do! Just try to behave. Thanks again Mrs. Myers!

Here's JM and his buddy Justin working on putting a new Pioneer cd deck in his truck. And, since my b-day was right around the same time as this, I went ahead and got ME a new Pioneer cd deck for the Camaro. Rock on, dude.

Here's some pics of the harvest moon from the back yard a few nights ago. The clear night made it very nice.



Also, thanks to Wikipedia, here's a little tidbit of info on what a harvest moon is....

The Harvest Moon is the full moon nearest to the autumnal equinox, which occurs (in the northern hemisphere) on or about September 23rd, and in the southern hemisphere on or about March 21st. Its physical characteristics - rising time, path across the sky - are similar to those of the Hunter's moon.

All full moons have their own special characteristics based primarily on the whereabouts of the ecliptic in the sky at the time of year that these moons are visible. The full moons of September, October and November as seen from the northern hemisphere - which correspond to the full moons of March, April and May as seen from the southern hemisphere - are well known in the folklore of the sky. All full moons rise around the time of sunset. However, although in general the moon rises about 50 minutes later each day, as it moves in orbit around Earth, the Harvest Moon and Hunter's Moon are special, because around the time of these full moons, the time difference between moonrise on successive evenings is shorter than usual. In other words, the moon rises approximately 30 minutes later, from one night to the next, as seen from about 40 degrees N. or S. latitude, for several evenings around the full Hunter's or Harvest Moons. Thus there is no long period of darkness between sunset and moonrise around the time following these full moons. In times past this feature of these autumn moons was said to help farmers working to bring in their crops (or, in the case of the Hunter's Moon, hunters tracking their prey). They could continue being productive by moonlight even after the sun had set. Hence the name Harvest (or Hunter's) Moon.

The reason for the shorter-than-usual rising time between successive moonrises around the time of the Harvest and Hunter's Moon is that the ecliptic - or plane of Earth's orbit around the sun - makes a narrow angle with respect to the horizon in the evening in autumn.

The Harvest Moon can come before or after the autumnal equinox. It is simply the full moon closest to that equinox. About once every four years it occurs in October, depending on the cycles of the moon. Currently, the latest the Harvest Moon can occur is on October 8. Between 1900 and 2010 the Harvest Moon falls on October 7 in 1930, 1949, 1987, 2006, and on October 8 in 1911.

Many cultures celebrate with gatherings, festivals, and rituals that are intricately attuned to the Harvest Moon or Hunter's Moon.

It is claimed by some that the Harvest Moon seems to be somehow bigger or brighter or yellower in color than other full moons. This is an illusion. The yellow or golden or orangish or reddish color of the moon shortly after it rises is a physical effect, which stems from the fact that, when you see the moon low in the sky, you are looking at it through a greater amount of atmosphere than when the moon is overhead. The atmosphere scatters the bluish component of white moonlight (which is really reflected sunlight) but allows the reddish component of the light to travel a straighter path to your eyes. Hence all moons (and stars and planets) look reddish when they are low in the sky.

As for the large size of a full moon when seen low in the sky, it is true that the human eye sees a low hanging moon as being larger than one that rides high in the sky. This is known as a Moon Illusion and can be seen with any full moon. It can also be seen with constellations; in other words, a constellation viewed low in the sky will appear bigger than when it is high in the sky.