The BIG problem was all the hours I was spending in Middle Earth with Frodo and the gang.  Lord of the Rings Online is an amazing game.  It’s a hobby for a lot of people.  It just keeps going on and on and on.

My character, Breezee, is now at Level 31 and he can really light up some of the evil characters he encounters.  He has arrows that shoot fire.  And he can shoot about ten arrows at a time straight up in the air.

Most of them will come down right on an orc’s head if he’s being disagreeable.

Looking back however I think the worst is past and blogging is still my main hobby.  Playing Lord of the Rings will just be a nice diversion.  And all the great folks in my kinship, Arch Presidium, will be appreciated just as much as my blogging buddies and commentors.

It is possible for an introverted old geezer to have a social network.   And just in case all of this notoriety starts going to my head there are critics out there to help me calm down.  I really enjoyed this particular evaluation and want to share it with you.

“Nice website, properly laid out with ample use of whitespace to make for a pleasing and unforbidding look. However, I feel that each article style must be consistent, eg. a photo followed by a short description of say, 100-150 words. As it is, the fourth and fifth article does not seem to have much description. Other than that, a very nice website with a very specific and focused objective in Virginia!.”

I will try to do better.  Promise.

Nearly ten years ago I thought the world was going to bury me and forget to mark the grave. Then one day I met Beth and she took me here.

I may have shed a few tears that day. And nothing has been the same ever since.

Today all the rain moved out and a HIGH moved in bringing with it beautiful clouds and cool, dry air. Coincidentally my lungs felt strong and full of nothing except all of that cool, dry air. It’s amazing how much you appreciate something like that when you haven’t had it for awhile.

This weekend we will see what we can find to capture with a camera.

Hopefully something good.

• Nikon D-70
• Blogging Takes A Hit/ Blogger Confronts His NEMESIS
• Nice Theme
• Do People Today Get Too Much Sleep?
• My Wordpress Experiment

Play Something So Right

10-something-so-right

• Memory Game
• Christmas Lights/ Carrie Underwood/ Martina McBride
• Congratulations/ New England Patriots 16-0
• Time To Find A Halloween Costume
• Jessie Cook/ Cafe Mocha

Table of contents for 5/ Beach Photos

1. Virginia Beach in June
2. Peaceful Morning
3. Beautiful Weather At The Beach
4. Neptune Festival Fireworks
5. Setting Sail
6. Having Fun On The Beach
7. Dolphin Jumping Out Of The Water

Just for the record I did take a photo last year of a dolphin jumping out of the water.  He was pretty far away.

But he is a dolphin and he was  jumping.

And so having been liberated from the necessity of blogging photos taken in the winter of 2008-09 I present to  you. . .

Dolphin Jumping Out Of The Water.

I didn’t think it was possible for a day to be drearier and wetter and colder than yesterday but I was wrong.  Because today is all those things and more.

Mythos

Play Orca

11-orca

I think I remember someone saying that these dolphins  head south in the winter. Happy hunting where ever you go big guy!

And don’t ever stop trying to fly.

• Hybrid Electric Power/ Virginia Beach Buses
• What Kind Of Animal Would You Like To Be?
• Virginia Beach Activity/ Walking By The Water
• Salt Kettle Beach Eleuthera/ Dolphins/ The Bahamas and a Dream
• Dolphin Swims Next to Our Boat

The economy is still having a problem although things seem to be stabilized a bit.

I took a photo last fall of the local NBC affiliate’s sports guy interviewing the Suntrust Richmond Marathon’s winner.   He has been doing his job here in town for almost thirty years .

And he got laid off!   When you are almost old enough to retire  you are really vulnerable!

I am still a blogger although not a very good one right now.   I’m still looking through photos I took last summer.

It’s very quiet this morning as the sun has not yet made an appearance.  Everyone is still sleeping here .   The earth is still sailing through space as it rotates on its imaginary axis.

Here’s a photo that I just finished editing.   It is an attempt on my part to portray ” stillness”.

Things are still moving as they must on our traveling planet.  But they are doing so in a peaceful way.  There are no abrupt changes in my vicinity.

There is no sign of the stock market crashing or an abrupt change of one sort or another anywhere.

• The Earth And Moon As Seen From Mars
• “Proof Aliens Exist” /Halloween Tale/ Part I
• Saturday Morning For The Birds
• Sailing at Martha’s Vineyard
• Sky News/ Meteors In The Night Sky/ Brad and Angelina

Mythos

• Jordin Sparks/ BET Awards
• Suitable For Framing/ Taylor Hicks
• Dolphin Jumping Out Of The Water
• Did Aliens Land This Morning?/ X-Files Theme
• Roaring Ruminations

Table of contents for 5/Topics And TV

1. The Tudors/ JONATHAN RHYS MEYERS/ I’m Waiting
2. Angelina Jolie And The Actors Studio
3. The Savages/ Academy Award Nominated Movies
4. Soccer On The Moon/ Is This Real?
5. Marion Cotillard/ A Wonderful Actress
6. Reality TV/ Why Do People Like It?
7. The TV Triangle/ Charlize Theron/ David Letterman/ Craig Ferguson

Craig Ferguson, the late night CBS funny guy, was on The Million Dollar Password this evening.  Regis was making fun of his accent.  But Craig is very smart and he easily won the thing for his partner.   Serena Williams looked very lovely but this is not her game.

It wouldn’t be my game either.  The pressure to think of another  word for “crap” that I could say on television would probably give me a stroke.

“What happened to Dad?”

“He fell out on a television show.”

“And Regis just kept on making jokes while the paramedics removed him.   After all some of the audience came all the way from Texarkana, Texas to see the show.”

One of my favorite movies is All That Jazz with Roy Scheider and Jessica Lange.  It’s almost a miracle that this movie was  so popular.  Why?  Because it’s  a musical and ten years after Easy Rider nobody cared about them anymore.   And it’s about death.  Not Bruce Willis  “action packed death”.  It’s more like contemplating death for a couple of hours with your date.

If  Bob Fosse wanted to get a few things off his chest he did a great job in this semi-biographical production.  And, in fact, Mr. Fosse did die of a heart attack just like his character in the move nearly ten years later.  Also he was romantically linked to Jessica Lange for a time.  Jessica plays some kind of angelic figure who was waiting for him to cross over in the film so she could  give him the love and joy he was so clearly missing in the  film.

Apparently they were really into rehearsing these scenes in real live.

Jessica Lange was my imaginary playmate back in the seventies.  It started when she did the King Kong remake.  I thought she did an excellent job in that film.   I can remember thinking “this girl is a very beautiful and talented actress.  She is going to be around for a long time”.

Kong thought so as well.   I read his mind.  He held her in his big paw and said to himself   “She is more beautiful and  sensual than Marilyn Monroe.  I think I will take her home with me.”

But I really was more caught up in the character she played in All That Jazz than in her beautiful self.  The main character keeps having these  glimpses of her and his life after death.  If you have read some of my poetry I am sure you understand what I’m talking about when I say it’s a wonderful movie.  And it’s a musical!  What a unique undertaking.  And it worked!

Time rolls on and now it’s Charlize Theron in my dreams.  Sorry Jessica.  And Craig Ferguson is the guy I would wish to be more like.  He’s so outgoing and yet he’s very intelligent.  And he’s funny of course.  And handsome.   I admit to wanting a larger portion of these things.

Why is it that Charlize is never on his show?  I want to see them together.  My two idols going at it for ten minutes on the tube. Ah, heaven.

But I will tell you why it won’t happen. . David Letterman!   It’s because she is on David Letterman all the time.  And David is Craig’s boss.  Now do you see?   David clearly loves Charlize just as this David does and he is not going to let Craig work his charms on her.  Dave’s kind of goofy.  But he’s not stupid.  And Craig is not stupid either.  So he’s not going to make Dave jealous.

I have figured all this stuff out as I sit here trying to regain my health and sense of well being.  And I wanted to share it with you.  Along with my outrage about this. . . . a list of the top 25 movie stars in the US done less than two years ago.

Do you see Academy Award winning Charlize on this list?  No.  But whose nobby little head is that about half way down? Paris Hilton!  Paris Hilton is a movie star?

http://www.imdb.com/features/rto/2007/starmeter

No she is not.  She is not any kind of star.  She’s the recipient of a LOT of money who wants to have what she wants to have.

I find it very scary to witness things of this nature.  It tells me that my supply of food from the local grocery store is in some jeopardy.  It makes me wonder how ANYTHING  work if Paris Hilton can convince the world that she is a movie star?   Has she ever even been in a movie?

I wouldn’t be surprised if she manages to buy herself an Academy Award someday.

When that happens I am going to start stockpiling food.  Because the end will be close at hand.

Then I can settle down in the basement with all my cans of food and reruns of David Letterman and Craig Ferguson.   And their wonderful guests.

Craig would never have her on his show would he?

• Close Up Picture of a Snake
• Headline Magic Or Not
• Marion Cotillard/ A Wonderful Actress
• Charlize Theron And I Have A Dream Together
• Windows Movie Maker/ Virginia Breeze Video

Table of contents for 4/ Beach Photos

1. More Virginia Beach Photos
2. Morning Rises / hotphoto collection
3. Red Sky Over Virginia Beach Ferris Wheel
4. Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge/ Virginia Beach
5. Follow/ Soul Ballet
6. Looking Back 2008 As It Sails Away/ Christopher Cross/ Sailing

Christopher Cross
Play Sailing

01-sailing-remastered-lp-version3

Is it too late to look at some photos from last summer? The dog days of August were not so long ago. As we dive into the cold days of January I thought it would be fun to remember those moments when we got down to the bare essentials and basked in the sun.

Of course if you are living in Australia or many other places not associated with Virginia these photos may be much more relevant to your present existence.

[Show as slideshow]

Click on photos to enlarge

More Beach Photos

http://davidnotes.com/2008/06/22/virginia-beach-in-june/

• Third Chapter
• Nice Note From Someone
• My Poetry
• Red Sky Over Virginia Beach Ferris Wheel
• Sport Photo / Surfing Competition/ Virginia Beach

Table of contents for Depression And Related Problems

1. “illegal interview questions and answers” / Series On Depression
2. The Fog Of Depression And Rebirth
3. Men and Crying
4. Why I Enjoy Writing
5. Heath Ledger And Drugs / A Love Story Gone Wrong
6. Holidays And Depression/ George Harrison/ Wah-Wah

Winter can be bleak and those who are susceptible to depression can find themselves going over the edge this time of year.  Factors that are often mentioned are the lack of light and holiday expectations.  People are confronted with childhood memories as they gather with their families.  They have a chance to reflect on their lives.  And there is a lot of flu and other sickness going around this time of year.

All of these things can contribute to an attack of depression.  The warning sign I notice is the feeling that it is too difficult to do the most basic kinds of things.   Going to the store is a major task.  Boxing up a return item from Christmas is beyond my capacity.  Fortunately I am aware of these things and know how to take measures to combat this illness.   It’s really not very difficult to avert a major attack when life is going along in a fairly normal fashion.

There is medication but there are also other avenues to take that will help when there is less light outside and a dark shadow trying to creep into the soul.

I cannot say enough about the joy of taking photos with a camera that is capable of capturing the essence of a subject or scene. If there is not much light and color available in the back yard we can at least find it in the photos we have taken in the past year.

There are also photos that will bring back wonderful memories. There are photos that have brought notice and wonderful comments. And there are photos that simply remind us that this world can be a beautiful place in its finer moments.

Getting up early in the morning when all is still quiet and looking for something new in the photo gallery is an excellent way to start the day. I often will find something that has been overlooked and post it to Flickr. Then if someone finds it interesting I will post it here and add some words and/or music. In this way I often have a better idea if a WP post is going to be successful before it is published. ( Listening to inspirational music of one sort or another and finding a connection with a photo has been a recent exercise that adds to this experience).

Photography is one way (out of many no doubt) to combat sadness and depression.  And  there are other things to do that are helpful.  Drinking alcohol is not a healthy thing and many of us need to stay far away from it.  Taking walks and breathing in some cold, fresh air can be very helpful.  And learning to express our frustrations  instead of allowing them to just sit inside and grow mold can bring about a very positive change.

Of course this needs to be done in a constructive way.  And some sources of frustration are not going to go away anytime soon.   But voicing them and having someone who will  listen and appreciate our struggles while offering encouragement is better than all the Christmas presents in the world.

Beth does this for me and I love her for it.  We have just spent our tenth Christmas together and while it wasn’t much fun being sick it was a joy to be around someone who is a powerful source of health and well being.

We do this for each other and I hope that you have someone who does it for you.   In a world that seems so concerned about physical fulfillment of one sort or another not much is said about the emotional support that couples can offer each other.    But it really is more important and young couples often need it desperately as they try to build lives together.

All of this comes to mind as  I close the door on a challenging illness and start looking  forward to a fresh start and a new year.  Set goals for yourself and expect some defeats as well as some victories  along the way.  If you are lonely and/or  depressed discover and deal with the sources of both.

You can do it.   There is an infinite well of healing power within you.  Allow yourself to be open to it.   Drown your sorrows in it and drink from it every day.  Fight back.

Never surrender to the darkness.

George Harrison

Play Wah Wah

03-wah-wah

Wah-wah
Youve given me a wah-wah
And Im thinking of you
And all the things that we used to do
Wah-wah, wah-wah

Wah-wah
You made me such a big star
Being there at the right time
Cheaper than a dime
Wah-wah, youve given me your wah-wah, wah-wah

Oh, you dont see me crying
Oh, you dont hear me sighing

Wah-wah
I dont need no wah-wah
And I know how sweet life can be
If I keep myself free from the wah-wah
I dont need no wah-wah

Oh, you dont see me crying
Hey baby, you dont hear me sighing
Oh, no no-no no

Wah-wah
Now I dont need no wah-wahs
And I know how sweet life can be
If I keep myself free - of wah-wah
I dont need no wah-wah

• Cropping Photos / An Important Part Of The Picture
• The Crowd Not Among Us At The Richmond Folk Festival 2008
• The Fog Of Depression And Rebirth
• My Grandchildren And Santa/ Kellie Pickler/ Santa Baby
• Photo Xmas Cards/ Tackylights / Richmond

, originally uploaded by Davidlind.

• Christmas Once Again/ Josh Groban/ Little Drummer Boy
• Christmas Through Your Eyes/ Gloria Estefan
• Last Day At The Beach/ Virginia Beach/ Dolphin And Sunrise Photo
• Virginia Breeze
• Virginia Beach/ Early Fall

Table of contents for 20/ Writing

1. An Extraordinary Video/ Deliver Me/ Sarah Brightman
2. Purple Friday Ruminations/ The Highly Sensitive Person/ Elaine N. Aron Ph.D.
3. Purple Friday Tragedy/ Wal-Mart Employee Trampled
4. Don’t Let Your Pillow Go Up In Flames/ Dealing With A Cough And Cold/ Conair Facial Spa
5. Winter 2008
6. The Nutcracker And Breezee/ A Short Bedtime Story

I  can’t believe the choices Wordpress gives us when importing a photo.  There are four choices.  And there is nothing between 300 pixels wide and 1020 pixels wide.

Does that make any sense to anybody?  Please let me know.  Aren’t photos in blogs usually around 450 to 550 pixels wide?  So why the giant gap?

So I am still at home and still have a cough but it’s getting better.  Veeerrry slowwwwly  getting better.  And so I sit here playing Lord Of The Rings: Online.   My character Breezee  (from Virginia Breeze!  Oh How sublime!) is now at level 24.  You start at level 1  and go to level 50.  And they have just come out with a new edition called Mines of Moria that will take you all the way to level 60.

As you work your way up other people in the game ask you to help out with their quests.  Because you offer them more protection as they try to slay these big, ugly orcs and devilish little goblins.

A guy asked me for help today and we went out to do a quest.  But we both were killed and ended up in this circle of rocks where you go when you die.  You decide at that point whether you want to try it again or just slink off and try something a little easier.

I was contemplating doing this when my partner started bringing these lightening bolts down on my head.   It was his idea of a joke.  Apparently he didn’t know that I have been holed up here during the holidays with this cough that is making me CRAZY.

So I turned around and wacked his head off with my awesome swords.  I have two of them.  One for each hand.  And then I walked away.  In the distance I could hear the wargs cheerfully having him for lunch.

Medicine doesn’t always come in a bottle.  Sometimes it just drops from the sky.

• Birds Fly Together / Nature Scenes Downtown
• Don’t Let Your Pillow Go Up In Flames/ Dealing With A Cough And Cold/ Conair Facial Spa
• JPG Magazine/ hotphoto collection
• Introvert Joke
• Harbor Island/ The Bahamas