Tonight Big Brother is Back!

Tonight is the premier of the new season of Big Brother. It is a guilty pleasure that I hate to admit that I watch. I'm not sure why I watch it. It really is a horrible show. There always has been a part of me that thinks I would be very happy living in a trailer park. It is this part of me that likes Big Brother.

The photos above are of four of the new cast members. Russell is the bald, muscle guy realtor. His bio describes him as "loud and brash, Russell holds nothing back and is always ready for a fight."

Next is Jeff, a single advertising salesman that I think might be gay. His bio says he hopes one day to find his perfect mate (notice the gender is not specified), and is looking for someone who is fun, beautiful and looks great just hanging around the house. He wouldn't mind a "showmance" with one of his fellow House guests if she (trying to throw us off the track?) fits his criteria. His bio also says he describes himself as curious, adventurous, spontaneous, witty and outgoing. My gaydar is off the charts.

Braden spends his time surfing and has experience working as an international model and an actor. This bachelor lists his favorite activities as sleeping and talking to girls. He is a cocky surfer who, ironically, is afraid of drowning. He constantly boasts about his self-perceived intelligence, looks, charm and overall desirability." He sounds like a bore, but he is a bikini.com model. He is allowed to be a bore.

Finally, there is Kevin, a former Jehovah's Witness and the out gay guy (I assume). "He was excommunicated at age 21. Cut off from his family and friends, he didn’t let it destroy him. Instead, he found happiness and thrived. He currently works as a graphic designer."

His bio continues with, "people are sometimes thrown off by his exotic look and cannot determine what nationality he is. He affectionately calls himself "blackanese" as a tribute to his African-American and Japanese heritage. He describes himself as ghetto, fabulous and inappropriate, and warns his fellow house guests that, although he doesn't have a temper, he can get bitchy." Yeah. He's gay.

There is also a mystery house guest that may be one or more former house guests from previous seasons. And I'm sure there will be many crazy twists and surprises throughout the season. From looking at the cast, I'm surprised they stay with their tried and true formula. One old guy (though he is younger than me), one black chick, one gay guy, etc. They should shake it up. My suggestion for a future season is to have all the house guest be secretly bisexual. Eventually, their secrets would be revealed and anybody could hook up with anybody. That sounds like a fun season!

Blue Sponge Newsroom -- Joyce DeWitt DUI

Former Three's Company star Joyce DeWitt, 60, was arrested for drunken driving in Southern California. While mugshots are rarely very flattering, hers was downright depressing. Wasn't it just yesterday that Jack, Chrissy and Janet were fooling the Ropers and with their crazy antics? Now she is Mrs. Roper. It is all very sad.

Hump Day Art -- Our Art Purchase

The above photo is of our new baby, Dark Woods, by Dennis Sheehan. We purchased it during our visit to the Blue Hill Bay Gallery, in Blue Hill, Maine. It actually looks better than this photo of the work, which I took with my iPhone. It is hard to appreciate the lighting of the painting with a badly lit, low-resolution photo. The painting is an oil on linen and measure about 9 by 13.5 inches.

The following is from a biography provided by the gallery on the artist: Dennis Sheehan was born in Boston in 1950, is a member of the Guild of Boston Artists, and currently lives and works in the New Hampshire countryside. His work is in major public and private collections, including the White House.

Sheehan paints in the Barbizon mode with remarkable authority and faithful adherence to his 19th century precursors. In the tradition of the Tonalist painters, Sheehan creates landscapes of mood, affected by nature's changing seasons. "My goal is to have the painting emanate light, rather than be just a surface that records the reflections of light. This is why the shadow areas are important, for it is from them that this emanation proceeds. The light areas are focal points of this effort, but the power comes from the shadows."


This is another painting at the gallery by Sheehan called Approaching Storm. It is also an oil on linen and measures 11 by 21 inches. I think it was the best piece in the gallery, but a bit out of our price range. You can view others from the gallery's web site linked above.

Blue Sponge Newsroom: Vacation Wrap-Up

Today is the first day back at work after being on vacation all last week. Although our vacation rental in Maine has a TV, Shane and I didn’t watch any television during the week. We did watch a DVD – the original documentary of Grey Gardens. We had watched the new HBO movie version of Grey Gardens with Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange numerous times, but had never seen the entire original documentary with the real characters.

We did hear about some news items. For example, I called my mother and heard all about commercial pitchman Billy Mays’ death from falling luggage during a plane landing. The house also had dial-up Internet access, so we saw a few other headlines. Also, we bought a newspaper one day.

After coming back home, it was apparent that this was a good week to be out of pocket. I got to avoid hearing the endless “news” about Michael Jackson’s death. Sadly, it continues.

There were some good news stories: Sarah Palin is resigning (but unfortunately I’m sure she won’t go away). My prediction is that she will be the new OxiClean spokesperson or will be hocking jewelry on QVC.

Norm Coleman finally conceded and Al Franken is finally going to be Democratic Senator Number 60! It is about time a close one goes our way. Let’s cross our fingers and hope it lasts.

Roger Federer and Serena Williams won Wimbledon again. This is the first time in many years that I didn’t see a single second of the tournament. This is Federer’s 15th major victory, breaking his tie with Pete Sampras for most career majors.

My favorite headline in today’s Express newspaper is about the death of Former NFL quarterback Steve McNair. The headline said: “Police: McNair’s Death a Homicide.” He was shot four times, including twice in the head. Those police are geniuses. His girlfriend, who had a single gunshot to the head, laid beside him, and the gun was found under her body. Luckily, OJ has an alibi.

A group called the Little People of America is asking the Federal Communications Commission to ban the use of the word “midget” on broadcast TV. It was prompted by NBC’s Celebrity Apprentice episode where they created an ad called “Jesse James and the Midgets.” Besides swearing, are there other words deemed politically incorrect that are banned from TV? I wonder if it matters what the context is? I could look these things up, but I don’t.

There seems to be a rash of plane crashes, train crashes, and celebrity deaths lately. There was a plane crash in the Indian Ocean of a Yeminia plane with a single 12-year-old girl surviving (152 people died). A man driving the monorail was killed at Disney World when it crashed. Karl Malden, Billy Mays and a slew of other celebrities have been dropping like flies and prompting fake reports that Jeff Goldblum, George Clooney, Harrison Ford, Natalie Portman, and Rick Astley all died. Only Jeff Goldblum's career is dead.
One person that is alive and well is D.C. mayor for life Marion Barry, but he is in trouble yet again. Barry is on a never-ending exploration to discover what he can get away with and still be elected to political office. In this week’s episode, he was stalking some woman. Barry was arrested and charged with a misdemeanor count of stalking. Barry blamed his actions on homosexuals being allowed to marry. It may be worth pointing out that at least he didn't have to go all the way to South America to do his shenanigans like a certain Republican senator.

New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #199

My lawyer told me to wear my suit.

The above is the cartoon for New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest for week #199. Since we were on vacation, I'm a little late in posting this week's caption entry. Let me know if you come up with a caption.

Crossing the Bridge into New Hampshire

Our vacation is over. We're crossing the bridge between Maine and New Hampshire headind south to DC. We plan on getting to Meriden, CT, tonight unless Shane is energetic and wants to drive all the way tonight. We'd get home around 4 a.m. in that case.

Happy 4th

We had a family Independence Day party at Shane's Mom's house near Augusta, Maine. Here, we are reenacting the Battle of Bunker Hill. Shane is to the far left and his Mom is in three people in front of him. His Mom's dog Lucy looks on.

Pumpkin Island Lighthouse's Other Side

Shane and I took the kayaks out again this afternoon and went to the
far side of Pumpkin Island.

A Land Remembered

This is the book I was reading this week on vacation. It is the story of a family settling mid-19th century Florida. It was recommended by my mother-in-law who was snowbirding between Maine and Florida, but
is now about to become a full-time Florida resident. The book gives some interesting insight into what life was like in frontier Florida. It reminded me a little of Lonesome Dove with it's cattle drives and adventures. It was a little corny, but interesting.

Kayaking with Dolphins

Shane took the kayak out in the harbor in front of Moose & Squirrel
and ran into a pod of dolphins. He said it was neat but a little
scary having them all around him.

Wednesday Already

The weather has been clear this morning. We went out again on the
kayaks. The water was so still it was more like being on a pond than
the ocean. It is clouding up again and could rain.

Shane's Mom is coming over this afternoon. She lives about an hour
and a half away. We'll take her out to dinner and we hope it will be
nice enough weather to enjoy the porch.

After kayaking, we took a walk down Snowman Drive, a private road just
up the hill. There was a house for sale that is way above our means.
He wanted to take a look anyway.

Shane found out, by talking with some of our neighbors, that the guy
that owns the house we're staying in owns 25 acres on Snowman Drive.
Shane's scheme is to write to him and ask about the possibility of
selling a few of his 25 so we could someday build on Little Deer Isle.

The road is very secluded and wooded. Some lots have a water view,
but I'm sure that would be too pricey for us. Even a wooded lot with
no view would be just a short stroll to an amazing view.

Hump Day Art -- A Founder of Impressionism

On a visit to the Blue Hill Bay Gallery, in Blue Hill, Maine, this painting was on display, but was just sold for (listed price $4,500). It is by Charles-François Daubigny, a French artist that lived from 1817-1878. He was one of the painters of the Barbizon school (not to be confused with the modeling school), and is considered an important precursor of Impressionism.

Daubigny was born into a family of painters and initially he painted in a traditional style, but this changed after 1843 when he settled in Barbizon to work outside in nature. On his famous boat Botin, which he had turned into a studio, he painted along the Seine and Oise, often in the region around Auvers. From 1852 onward he came under the influence of Gustave Courbet.

In 1866 Daubigny visited England and met Claude Monet, and together they left for the Netherlands. Back in Auvers, he met Paul Cézanne, another important Impressionist. It is assumed that these younger painters were influenced by Daubigny.

The director of the Blue Hill Bay Gallery told the story that the idea of using his boat for a studio to capture the changing light of the landscape was imitated by Monet, who did the same thing, but with much greater success. The historical significance of Daubigny's work is its influence on these great Impressionists. This landscape depicting a sunset was professionally laid onto a canvas by a restorer, probably in the first half of the 20th Century. It was sold in its original gilded frame. The photo was taken with my iPhone. It is an oil painting on canvas (relaid onto canvas).

We purchased a painting from this Blue Hill gallery on Monday. More about that later.

The Porcupine that Lives Under the Porch

This porcupine stays under the porch all day and comes out at dusk.
Welcome to Maine.

Sunny Foggy Day

The sun has finally come out, but the fog is thicker than before. The
lighthouse isn't even visible from our porch. At least it is warmer.

Lobster Roll Ready for Pick-up

The sun is out and it is warm in Blue Hill -- in the mid-70s. I'm
writing this from back at the house on Little Deer Isle, only about 10
miles away. It is still foggy and in the low 60s here.

Though I didn't get a lobster roll, this is what they look like. It's
chunks of lobster in mayo on a hotdog-like bun. I have had them
before. They are very rich and delicious.

Fishnet Menu

Late Lunch at the Fishnet

We're having a late lunch at the Fishnet, a roadside food stand in
Blue Hill, Maine. It isn't exactly fancy, but the food is very good.
I'm going to try the crabcake sandwich. I'm sure Shane will get a
burger.

I'm waiting on Shane to check his work emails on his Blackberry. He's
been very good about not doing it too often. It helps that we don't
get a signal at our house and he can only do it when we come into town.

Shane Kayaking in Maine

Kayaking on Eggemoggin Reach

Shane and I took the kayaks out on the reach in front of our house.
Though it is still foggy and it started misting a bit, the water was
dead calm. It was beautiful.

Foggy Morning at Pumpkin Island Lighthouse

At least the rain has stopped for now. It is a beautiful, quiet
morning. This is the scene from our porch. We hope to see a little
sunshine later today.

Popovers at Jordan Pond House, Acadia National Park

It was another bad weather day here in Maine, but we made the best of it. I went for a cool, misty 5-mile run this morning from Moose & Squirrel to the Little Deer Isle, ME, post office. After my shower, we went into nearby Blue Hill and did a couple galleries. We actually bought a painting, but I write more about that later. Then we drove over to Acadia National Park to have a late lunch at the famous Jordan Pond House, which is famous for its popovers.

For anyone who hasn't had a popover before, they are buttery, eggy rolls that are quite a challenge to make well. I have made them before, and have had spotty luck with them. Jordan Pond House does an excellent job, especially when you drown them in butter and strawberry jam. They bring you one as an appetizer and we had one for dessert also.

For a main course, Shane had the lobster quiche with a side salad. It was awesome. I had a few bites. I had the crab cakes covered in some kind of sauce with rice and steamed veggies. It was OK, but I should have gotten the quiche.

Afterwards, we drove into Bar Harbor and did some shopping. By the time we got home, the misty rain had turned into a heavy fog, and we could hardly make out the lighthouse from our porch.

By the way, it is quite a tech challenge to post on my blog. The only computer at the house is a laptop with a dial-up connection, which is very slow and loses the connection constantly. I have been able to post some things directly from my iPhone, but it is very difficult to get a signal on my phone also. I have to stand on one foot out on the porch with the phone aimed in just the right direction. I managed to email the above photos to my email account, and slowly download them onto the very slow laptop and then upload them onto the blog. Very tedious. More later.

Wine by the Fire

We're back at Moose & Squirrel and relaxing in front of a roaring fire with some Cabernet Sauvignon.

Sunday Dinner

I got a mess of fried shrimp at the Bagaduce Lunch, a roadside joint on the Bagaduce River. Shane had already wolfed down his cheeseburger by the time I took this picture. They have picnic tables, but because of the weather we ate in the car.

Kneisel Hall Concert

This is the stage of Kneisel Hall. It's a rainy day in Maine, but a
good day to see and hear a concert.

Intermission at Kneisel Hall

We're seeing a classical music concert at the classical music school
in Blue Hill, Maine. Next up is Dvorak!

Rainy Day Lighthouse

We woke up to a gentle rain and it has showered all morning. We're
out on the covered porch relaxing and reading.

Loopy for Lupine in Maine

The Lupine are blooming like crazy all over Down East Maine. These
are in front of Moose & Squirrel, the house we're renting on Little
Deer Isle.

Relaxing on the Porch

Our first day at Moose & Squirrel and life is good. We saw a pod of
porpoises (or dolphins) near our house and discovered a huge porcupine
living under the porch. Maine is wild.

Maine Vacation Staples

All these bottles of wine will be history this time next week.

Heading for Moose & Squirrel -- Our Maine Vacation Part 1

Get used to seeing the lighthouse pictured above -- there may be a few more posts that feature it in the coming week. It is the Pumpkin Island Lighthouse off the coast of Little Deer Isle, Maine. It is what we will be mostly looking at for the next week. We are once again renting "Moose & Squirrel," the yellow house in the photo above. This is our third year and we'll be there for two separate weeks this year. We arrive on Saturday for our first week, and then have another week set for the end of August.

The bad news is the weather report for the upcoming week is rain and more rain. It doesn't matter. We love to sit on the porch of that old house and read and relax. We'll visit our land in nearby Segdwick, ME, and go out to eat at the Fish Net in Blue Hill. We also might travel up to Acadia National Park and have some popovers at the Jordan Pond House.

We leave tomorrow afternoon, overnight in Conneticutt, and arrive at Moose & Squirrel Saturday afternoon. Shane and I have been looking forward to this week for months.

What's New Buenos Aires?

SC Governor Mark Sanford was recently seen strolling through the airport humming some tune from Evita. The anti-gay rights Republican was so worried about the sanctity (hehe, I almost said titty) of marriage that he claimed it would be ruined by allowing homosexuals to participate. Obviously, he did not realize that boinking another individual outside of his own marriage would do any damage to the institution. I think a better idea to protect the sanctity of marriage would be not to allow anyone to get married that ruined an actual marriage by his or her own infidelity.

My favorite part of this whole story was this line from an article in the Washington Post describing his press conference announcing the little boo boo: “As Sanford digressed about his boyhood adventures on the Appalachian Trail and airplane trips around the world with just $100 in emergency money, about "God's law" and moral absolutes, people standing behind him in the Capitol Rotunda could be seen smirking.” What a dumbass.

Hump Day Art -- More Andrew Wyeth

Today's Hump Day Art features three paintings by Andrew Wyeth that I saw at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Wyeth died early this year and these were the painting they used to commemorate his work. The above work is from 1943 and is called "Public Sale." It is tempera on panel. It depicts the forced auction of a Pennsylvania farm and its contents. The description notes that Wyeth's decision to focus on the landscape rather than the people, "imbues this already poignant scene with an air of haunting melancholy."

"Groundhog Day" was done in 1959 and is also tempera on panel. This is one of the works Wyeth did from a series on his neighbors, the Kuerner's. You might remember another posting I did of their house, which was called "Wolf Moon."

I did not get the information about the name of this painting. I believe it was called "The Spring House," but I could be wrong. If someone knows the correct name, please let me know. For more information about Andrew Wyeth and his art, visit the Brandywine River Museum at Chads Ford, PA.

Running Music -- Tom Jones -- It's Not Unusual

This is one of the songs on my iPod Shuffle that I listen to while running. I remember when I was a kid, my Mom was a fan of Tom (or was it Engelbert Humperdinck ?). Tom sure has the moves if you can overlook the annoying finger snapping. Anyway, it is a great song to listen to when running, as is "What's New Pussycat?"

Government Cut-Back or Just Plain Cheap?

I work for an agency of the Federal Government, which shall remain nameless. I hate to sound whiney, but whine I must. Above are two strips of paper towels that automatically dispense from the touchless paper towel dispenser. The towel on the left is from the men's room and the one on the right is from the kitchenette area of my office. I find that it takes at least two of the towels on the right to adequately dry my hands. That means I need about four of the towels from the men's room dispenser to get the job done.

I assume the powers that be think they are saving money by making the towels in the men's room smaller. However, I find I am standing at the dispenser much longer waving my hands at the sensor to get enough towels to dry my hands. The dispenser seems to have a timer that prevents you from getting the towels too quickly, so how much Government time is wasted with me standing there like a fool waving at the machine so I can dry my hands? Believe me, they are saving no money.

Blue Sponge Newsroom -- Metro Disaster, Smoking Bill, SC Finds Gov., and More

It occurred to me this morning as I was riding the Metro to work that I could probably make a great deal of money if I were selling t-shirts that read, “I Survived My Ride on Metro.” Sadly, there are at least nine people that isn’t true for today. Two DC’s Metro trains collided yesterday evening resulting in the worst accident in the history of the subway service.

President Obama signed an anti-smoking bill that gives the FDA authority to regulate what goes into cigarettes and prevent marketing to children. The president briefly referenced his own smoking struggles during the signing ceremony, but didn’t elaborate on whether he was still a smoker. It made me think of the joke Wanda Sykes told at one of those press dinners about how the press can’t ever get a photo of the Obama smoking, but they have no trouble getting shots of him shirtless.

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford has been found hiking on the Appalachian Trail. He recently disappeared for 5 days and nobody knew what happened to him – not even his wife. He is considered a top presidential candidate for 2012 for the Republicans. He should fit right in.



Kodak is no longer going to manufacturer its oldest film stock – Kodachrome. Expect to see this or similar videos on blogs a lot.

Finally, Jon and Kate Gosselin are getting a divorce. Whoopee do da. I am still prohibited by law to have the choice to get married to the person I love – even if it could all go to hell in a handbasket.

Vomita Makes the Washington Post Express

Vomita is feeling a little nauseous.

One of my blog entries made the "Blog Log" of the Washington Post Express newspaper, the free paper handed out of subway stations in the DC area.

It was about Vomita, a cat that needs a home. I was visiting my sister on Saturday and she had rescued Vomita from being put to sleep after she (the cat, not my sister) allegedly scratched a small child. I find it hard to believe Vomita would harm a fly. She is the most timid kitty I've ever seen.

She does have a bit of a digestive problem where she regurgitates her food a bit, and she also needs to be spayed. E-mail me if you're interested in adopting a very nice lap cat with some issues. I can give you more information.

Surprisingly, she is still available. Don't worry. There is no chance she will be put to sleep.

New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #198

Why do you think the boss calls me Alz and you Heimer?

The above is the cartoon for New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest for week #198. Let me know if you come up with a caption.

Getting Ready to Bloom

Cactus update. The first bloom shoud open soon.

Vomita Needs a Home

I'm at my sister's and she is trying to find this cat a home. We call her Vomita because she has some kind of digestive problem where she pukes whenever she eats. My nieces took her to the vet and got her dewormed. She is very sweet and loves to sit on laps. You can change her name.

Waiting for My Mom

I drove up to visit my Mom today. When I arrived, she was still at a
doctor's appointment, so I waited for her on her front patio. This is
her arbor that is front of her small goldfish pond. You might also
notice that her small lemon tree has a lemon.

We're going to drive up to Lancaster, PA, to visit my aunt and cousin
in a nursing home. We're actually going to have lunch with my cousin
at the Olive Garden.

Feds to Get Token Same-Sex Benefits -- DADT Lives On

President Obama is finally throwing the gays a bone. He is set to announce his decision to allow same-sex partners of Federal employees to get "some" benefits. It is not clear to what extent these benefits will be or what the requirements are to get them, but this sounds like a step in the right direction.

It will be interesting to see if these benefits extend to retirement benefits. Though I appreciate getting any additional benefits, I still am confused and saddened that Obama is doing next to nothing about halting military dismissals based on sexual orientation. I expect our president to display leadership to stand up for what is right. I want him to work to protect the equality of all the citizens of this country no matter the risks or political price. Extending Federal benefits is a wonderful step in the right direction and it happens to benefit me personally greatly, but I can't fully be happy when others are still losing their jobs.

UPDATE: The New York Times is reporting these benefits will not include healthcare coverage. This is a HUGE disappointment. A great day just turned very sour. Could the administration have handled this any worse? I don't see how. It was widely reported at first that Feds would get a health and other financial benefits. Now, when learning it is all very minor stuff, the anger at how we are being treated is much worse than before. Obama needs to get a spine and stand up for equality.

Tips on Speeding Up Metabolism

While drinking milk is one of the tips,

sadly, none involve the chocolate pie.

One of the magazines we get at our house, believe it or not, is Redbook. Shane accidently ordered it as an add-on when he was ordering something on-line. There were a series of boxes and he checked it unintentionally. Anyway, we started getting it.

In the current issue, there is an article on how to speed up your metabolism. Metabolism, to me, is similar to your soul. Apparently, everyone has one, but it is difficult to narrow down exactly where or what it is. All I know is that mine is not speedy enough for my taste and I am very interested in making it faster.

The article listed 14 ways that a person can increase their metabolic rate. Actually, since the magazine is geared toward women, one of the ways was not to stop exercising during PMS. So, for me there were 13 tips that were applicable. I don’t think there is anything earth shattering in the list, but I thought I would summarize them so I would have them easily available.

-- Don’t overdo calorie cutting. It recommends eating the number of calories equal to 11 times your body weight in pounds.

-- Eat breakfast. Obviously.

-- Eat more protein. I have been cutting down on the meat in my diet, but trying to find ways to increase protein. I’ve been trying protein shakes of late.

-- Eat five to six small meals rather than three large meals.

-- Cut out bad carbs and focus on veggies, fruits and whole grains.

-- Skip alcohol. How about cut down on alcohol?

-- Drink milk. This is, I’ve found, another good way to increase protein.

-- Eat more hot peppers. I love hot peppers, but I find they can be not fun on exit. TMI?

-- Pump iron with a minimum of two 15-minute lifting sessions a week. I downloaded an iPhone app that helps you increase your capacity for push-ups. I did 40 yesterday (in five sets), which is the most I’ve ever done.

-- Add interval training to your workouts. For instance, do a 30-second sprint for every 5-minute jog.

-- Break up your exercise routine into two smaller sessions each day.

-- Sleep. I have a horrible time trying to get a good night’s sleep. They suggest a warm bath before bedtime.

-- Don’t be stressed. Good luck with that one.

One that they did not include, which I've always heard was a good way to increase metabolism was to drink lots of water. To see the complete article click here.