Firefox 2.0

I just dowloaded the new Firefox 2.0 and let me tell you, it's incredible. For those of you who have downloaded it, you know just how good it is.  For those that haven't or are the old IE 6 holdouts, you don't know what you're missing.  Right now, I'm using the new blogging add-on that you can download as an option when you first install 2.0.  

It's remarkable just how good this browser is and the changes, however subtle are very well done.

I'm pretty sure that IE is going off my laptop for good.

powered by performancing firefox

Memories Of The Circus

Yesterday I did a live shot with Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey circus at the "Q" here in downtown Cleveland. I really had a good time but I can't get over the fact that this is still the circus and that the animals aren't kept in the nicest of conditions. Please understand that I'm NO PETA supporter at all. But the way I saw the elephants being kept and corralled really bothered me. Let me put this out first and foremost...I did NOT see these elephants being abused.

I was just bothered by the way they were being kept. A little sawdust and straw to lay on and the electrical line to keep them away from the cage barrier seemed a bit excessive. Kind of disheartening. But I guess that's why we're the dominant species.

Of course I really don't like the circus much anyways. When I was four my parents took me to the circus and I had a really good time until the elephants walked by. One of them took a dump right in front of me. That started me off on a barrage of power vomiting that I still remember to this day.

Ehh...maybe I'll just tuck that memory deep down inside again for another thirty or so years...

Lots Of Stuff But No Time To Write

Had a busy week but no time to blog about it. Lets just say my week consisted of holding lots of snakes, owls, hawks, falcons, a chinchilla and the obligatory hissing cockroach. I put on TV a lamb's heart, pigs lungs and a cow eyeball. I made snot and almost ate BBQ mealworms.

Ahh...the joys of morning show TV.

Too Damn Early

I was jolted into a depressing realisation when I read Photoguy's latest post CRAP.

Yeah, I second that emotion (apologies to Smokey Robinson and the Miracles).

Crap..

Damn...

Snow is expected in our area tonight...and I'll be on flurry patrol.

Damn.

We Want You To Come....DON'T SHOOT THAT!!

Museums. Great places really. Cleveland has one of the best for art in the country. Their newest show is called Barcelona. It catalogues the art of Barcelona from the 1860's to the beginning of the Spanish Civil War. It features the great artists like Picasso, Dali, Gaudi and Miro. It's only being shown in two North American museums, Cleveland Museum of Art and The Met in New York City. If you're in the area of these two museums or have the time to travel and like Picasso, Dali and others, please see this display. It's remarkable. I was in awe of the Dali pieces. I've always been a big admirer of his.

We get to the museum, run cable up to the second floor and we're told we can't show any of the paintings. We can show the sculptures and some posters but no paintings.

WHAT??? WTF???

Why are we there then? I understand that we don't want to show everything and give the public a free full show, but my God, why ask us to come and show what a remarkable display this museum has put together and then not be able to put it live on TV like we understood we'd be able to.

We run into the same thing at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame here in Cleveland. We can show only certain things. We can show a jacket from a tour the the Who did in 1978 but can't show the handwritten lyrics sheets of The Doors for example. And they'd be both in the same display! I understand the copywrite issues and all but why have us there then?

Ahh, yeah...I remember now. Free publicity.

That trumps all.

Say Wha??

Busy morning today. Drunk guy on a charter plane is refused another drink, gets upset and says that he has a bomb. That caused a diversion of the flight to Cleveland where the SWAT team boarded the plane and took the gentleman to a place with a lot of bars.

After that, I was checking out a fire when I get a call to head to a shooting on Cleveland's east side. I get to the scene and among the flashing red and blue lights, the sound of moaning and muffled screaming is coming from inside the house which is the focal point of attraction. Good scene, I think to myself.

I look at the police and they're standing around just bullshitting with each other. No police tape, no detectives putting down evidence placards. But there's still this moaning and screaming going on. I see a cop friend of mine and he walks over and asks, "Slow night?"

"I thought this was a shooting?"

"Nope. A fight. If it was something serious, you know I'd give you a call."

"Then, why all the screaming and moaning??", I asked.

"It's a group home for the deaf and two guys got drunk and a fight broke out. Guy got beat up pretty bad. The dispatcher couldn't understand the 911 call and thought the caller said there was a shooting.."

"You're kidding."

"Nope. Actually we were talking and we think the caller was complaing that someone had been farting a lot and the call was for someone tooting." Then the cops broke up in laughter...

Ahh yes....cop humor.

Time Marches On

I turned 38 yesterday. Blech. I woke up this morning and my knees hurt. My right shoulder hurt and my feet hurt.

I'm shocked I didn't lose a body part in my sleep.

Getting old sucks.

It's.....Uhh..Good To Be Back??

My first day back to work after being off for two straight weeks for vacation and what happens? I get my live truck stuck in an overflow parking lot/grassy field. Yes, my Ford Econoline 350 live truck sank just enough to force me to call AAA and get towed about one hundered feet to semi-dryer land and make a muddy getaway an hour later. An omen of things to come? We'll see.

But then again, some good news. EWINK IS BACK!!!! Yes, he's decided that the cathartic allure of blogging is better for him. And I have to add, it's better for us as well.



Erin, I'm very glad you're back. The photog blogosphere is better with you around.