PhotoMosaic by BlackDog Software

Jim Coates mentioned PhotoMosaic in a newspaper column. It is a shareware program (21-day free trial) that creates a new image out of little pictures. You can use the built-in library of small images or create one of your own. I've created some images, then e-mailed them to folks and told them to open the image in a browser like IE, then press CONTROL + K several times until the image comes into focus. Surprise!

This works best with cropped pictures of large, distinct objects like a face in an uncomplicated background.

Shrek 2 - Full of Laughs

My husband and I laughed our way through Shrek 2. It was as good as or better than the original. I loved the children in our audience -- listening to them laugh and comment. This is the joy of seeing a movie with a crowd.

Many, many subtle jokes that only adults would get were sprinkled among the obvious laughs. Eddie Murphy was hilarious as was Antonio Banderas. I think it left a few loose ends, though. Did the dragon and donkey get back together? Did the frog change back? We may never know.

It did teach a funny moral lesson: it's better to be fat, crude and green than handsome. (Okay, okay, I know that wasn't the real lesson here. That's 3 movies seen this weekend out of my goal to see 4 - one to go, Raising Helen.)

Belarc Advisor

This nifty little program tells you everything about your computer. It does not report your information to anyone so it is safe to use. Find out a kazillion things -- chip brand, mother board type -- all the hardware -- and all of the installed software and more. My mouth fell open just seeing everything that it reported.

Memorial Day

My father was just seeing the finishing up of the Korean War when he entered the Air Force and became a pilot. I was born at an Air Force Base hospital when my father had to be away and his mother helped my mother through it all. I grew up with praises of my wonderful grandmother (her mother-in-law).

I walk in the morning with a friend who was served in the military during WW2. He touched the Enola Gay. Two members of our church congregation are serving in Iraq and their families give us updates. I find myself almost holding my breath each week to hear if they are still okay.

So many of us know someone who served in our military or is serving now. I hope we never forget those who died in serving our country, as well. May you have an meaninful and good Memorial Day.

The Day After Tommorrow

Saw this yesterday. It was GOOD -- well-made, good characters, great special effects (like when two tornadoes in L.A. combined into one giant big one). It was  sadistically satisfying to see reporters who  stand outside in bad weather, getting blown away. I always wanted to say, "You idiots! I told you so!"

The movie does make a big political statement. They have a president and V.P. character that resemble the current administration and they make the V.P. out to be an idiot - obviously the movie's writer does not like our current administration. I was constantly weighing the issues of global warming. Is it real? Is it just a normal climatic phase? Heck, if I know. But this movie makes you think about it.

If you enjoy disaster movies such as Towering Inferno, Earthquake, Twister, etc., you'll probably like this one, too. A friend once described a movie to me as one "where you go inside and hold your breath and don't let it out until the movie is over." This was like that. I said "Whew!" as we left the theater - and people around me chuckled.

It was sure good to see the sunshine after that movie - I even exited with the smokers - impatiently through the doors directly to the outside - instead of walking back through the theaters. I could not wait that long to see sunshine. I have a new appreciation for Alabama, hot humid air and the blazing sun.

(P.S. The backside of the movie theater was a MESS - spilled popcorn, bags and trash all over the ground. Phew!)

Making this Page Load Faster

I moved a few things like the random photo, extra logo at the bottom and random entry to the extras or experimental page, but I added a small weather box like Southern Blog has. If it starts slowing down the page, I'll move it off. Hopefully, this page will load a little faster overall.

On the other hand, I also added a Wire News Box to the experimental page. I used to have Wired News boxes all over the place, but they got stuck and stayed on the same headlines for months. When I contacted them, they said they were working on it -- but MONTHS?! I removed them - although now it looks like things are working again.

Laws of Attraction

Saw this movie yesterday - a good romantic movie with plenty of laughs. I liked the mother (Francis Fisher) of the main character the most - and the male and female stars were not ultra-thin stick-people (Pierce Brosnan and Julianne Moore).

That's one current movie down and three to go (see the first entry for yesterday). Fortunately, I met another movie-goer in the room who told me enough about Troy that I will pass on it.

Laws of Attraction was playing at the Carmike. While I think fondly of the Carmike, the popcorn there is far inferior to the popcorn served at the Regal theaters in our town. It's almost inedible. On the other hand, I love the butter-flavored greasy stuff at Regal theaters -- hope they never get cheapie on us.

Ideal Staircase & Computer Case Mod

I want a staircase like this. And I think this is a GREAT IDEA for those who have an old computer case and don't know what to do with it. (From Gas, Water, Nothing the blog.)

So There I was in the Congo...

I love the title of this blog. I wish I had thought of it first. Will Wheaten's site got hacked this morning. I guess they like to go after the famous geeks, too.

The Rasterbator

MedicMom recommended this site for turning small photos into large posters. I think I mentioned this before, but I could not find it so here's the mention again. Here's one of my daughter and her cat. It's fun, although, if someone asks me what I did over the holiday weekend, I will be very careful how I say the site title.

PhotoFriday.com Entry for "Black & White"

Here's my entry for Black and White. It's a good ole 1942 black and white movie starring Basil Rathbone and Hedy Lamarr titled "Crossroads" being shown on a modern HDTV. While most entrants did black and white photos, I thought it would be unusual to do a black and white movie. Another person submitted a cute black and white dog; another took a clever photo of a newspaper. They are all at PhotoFriday.com.

Speaking of Movies

There are so many movies out right now that I want to see. Seems like its either feast or famine for movie-watching. I like the theater which means hot greasy popcorn, a big screen (we like to sit close to the front) and a real audience. So what to see this weekend? Shrek 2, Laws of Attraction, Raising Helen or Day After Tomorrow? Did anyone see Troy? I didn't add it to my too-large list but I want to know if it ended happy or did everyone die or get doomed to a life of misery.

Turtle Season

This time of year and into the early fall, turtles wander out of the creek and onto the roads. Yesterday, my sister said she found a turtle and "rescued him" by putting him back near the creek. This morning, I noticed a big turtle on the sidewalk near the street, about a mile from where my sister found one. Seeing that he was a turtle and not a tortoise, I thought he'd be happier by the creek so I carried him to a good out-of-the-way spot and let him go. He looked pretty healthy. In fact, he wet all over my shoe. Heh.

The creek has been home to many turtles. I've seen a lot of turtles in the water. Some folks have counted 20 of them in one place -- all sizes. I saw a large snapping turtle there along with the red-eared pet store variety. Sometimes I see a box turtle (which is really a tortoise and does not prefer the water).

People like to throw bread to the turtles, which is almost a futile effort because the fish are faster. We cheer when a turtle beats the fish to a bite because its so rare.

Even though the creek was rated as officially polluted, it supports much animal life. I hope we can clean it up better.

Copelands - Fine Cajun Dining

Copelands is chain originating in New Orleans. I used to think of Cajun food as "casual dining," but this restaurant has changed my mind. It's very luxurious inside - one of the nicest in town for interiors. They used to be too expensive to visit often, but they now have a business lunch menu with 50 items under $10.

My daughter and I went there yesterday. I try to order something different every time - there's so much to try. Most of the dishes are "Cajun-spiced." Some are hot and I am sure some have no heat, but I always order a spicy dish. (The photo is of my daughter's shrimp Creole.)

If you have one near you, try it just for the atmosphere, if nothing else. And get a lunch card. Every tenth lunch is free. I will probably never forget our lunch there yesterday when my daughter mentioned that she and her boyfriend were looking at engagement rings the other day! Nothing official has been announced yet although life is about to get even more interesting.

Search Words to Here

The most recent search words bringing people here are:

Gee, I wish I had some free coupons to Olive Garden.

30th Class Reunion

My 30th Class Reunion is coming up. Looks like Grissom High School's Class of 74 is having a 30-year reunion. I have mixed feelings about these, but they are fun to attend if you feel like you look good and there's someone you want to see. I wonder if I can stop eating until July? (Just kidding. There is no life without chocolate.)

Wisdom from an 85-Year-Old

The first part of my walk in the mornings is with an 85-year-old friend. He's a real testament to good genes and exercising. He is pretty smart, too.

We were discussing the five senses. Which sense would you hate to lose the most, he asked me. We tried to imagine what life would be like without certain senses. When my own diabetes was bad and my legs deep in neuropathy, I knew the sense of touch was gone on the outer part of my legs. I could no longer tell when I had a cut or bruise on my legs and they took forever to heal. (Thanks to weight loss, exerise and youth, I was able to get my leg feeling back to almost perfect.)

He told me about a baseball hitting him in the eye, eventually causing permanent blindness.

But he told me that the worst sense to lose was common sense. He said there is a great lack of it today. That took me by surprise, but I had to laugh. It is too true, unfortunately.

He continued with concerns about Americans getting in debt, growing overweight and not getting a good education.

Southern Bloggers?

On Kottke.org, it says:

So, what do Southern bloggers publish books about?

Talking Too Much

Kelly Ripa said, "I think I have a disease called spontaneous disclosure. I need to tell everyone my life story instantaneously."

I know people like that. I wonder if they have some kind of phobia about being misunderstood while the rest of us say, "Who cares what the check-out lady thinks about me?" Maybe the more they know about you, the more embarrassing it becomes. Ha!

But then, here I am blogging. A blog does not have to be full of personal details in one's life, though. I think I could have a case of spontaneous photography -- taking pictures more often than most folks.

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