Selfie

“Escape the ordinary.” – Unknown

This blog has had a lot of silence to it over the past couple of years. But it is still here.

And I am going to touch up on a subject that I could have sworn that I have discussed in a previous blog post. However, going through more than 800 posts to find out whether I am right or whether I am crazy is a daunting task. So if I actually have discussed this, then I must say that this is a topic that apparently needs repeating. As well as give anyone else who might be “newer” to the blog an opportunity to catch up on something that they might not want to dig for.

Over the past several years, I have jumped into the rabbit hole of taking photographs of people and then went even further and started taking selfies. Particularly when I am attending live music shows or going wherever there is a group of people to any event.

I do take a lot of selfies with musicians at shows. There are times when someone will volunteer to help take the photograph which allows for me to be in a photograph with more people, or the entire band.

Most people are willing to do so. And they will tell me so. But other people are not so willing. Even if they end up doing it, I already know that they do not really like it.

Photographs as a whole are taken because the person wants to help preserve a memory, a moment in time.

And the selfies that I have taken have been no exception. Yet there is a stronger point that I am attempting to make when I take selfies with people, whether colleagues or musicians or whatever.

I want to show the world that even though I am living with a disability, that I am not allowing that disability to overcome who I am. I want to show that I am getting out and away from these four walls and doing what I love. And meeting people along the way while doing so.

So I take photographs with people. And that is to also show the world that disabled people can be friends with those who are not. Or in the very least exist in the same space as one another.

Throughout the years, I have posted these selfies on my personal social media pages. And the same type of comments are always posted by some people, or the same comments posted by the same people. And let me say that jealousy, is a very ugly monster.

I just want to prove to the world that I can do just about anything that anyone else can do. I can make friends. I can make acquaintances. I can meet new people. And do so just as easily as the next person who may not have the same disability or not a disability at all.

So I preserve the memories, and I give a big middle finger out to the world who has ever doubted me, or has tried to keep me bottled up in the corner because it is convenient for them.

Cures To Cancer?

“Stupid people are ruining America.”~ Herman Cain

Well for those of you who have come out from underneath their rocks this evening… welcome to life.

You may be noticing many people taking “selfies” and posting them everywhere that they can in the name of cancer awareness and the cure to the disease.

You will also notice that for those female participants, they are doing so without any make-up on their faces whatsoever.

Please excuse these people. They wanted to make sure that the world was aware of cancer as of lately and the sad part is that many people are thinking that if they post selfies that they are fighting the fight against cancer and moving towards a cure.

Ummmmm… what the hell? 

These are the kinds of people that I am asking you to forgive and pay no attention to. As these are probably the same population of people that click the “LIKE” button on Facebook in order to cure children with cancer or other fatal diseases or small animals with injuries.

They do not understand that donations and money and science are the keys to a real cure.

They have been the true culprits of people who believe anything and everything that they see and/or read on Facebook or any other social media websites. Simply because its for a cause that they believe is a good cause.

Posting photographs onto the Internet and “LIKES” via Facebook don’t do anything in this world.

These selfies do one thing and one thing only: Show what women look like without make-up. And that’s all I can really say about it because beauty is obviously in the eye of the beholder and it SHOULD be more than skin deep.

I just helped the remaining living skunk kingdom by posting a photo of a dead one… oh wait. No I DID NOT!

Its like people who want to help animals who are being tortured or abused in one way or another. Posting their bloody, disgusting, near death photographs isn’t doing what these people want to do… posting photographs doesn’t help these animals. It only disgusts people or turns them away completely.

Its amazing how people are missing that.

Awareness? Well yeah in a sense you are making people aware of the situation or problem that is going on. But that’s all you’re doing is showing that there’s an issue that you feel strongly for.

Are you closer to tackling the problem to get rid of it? Absolutely not!!! Wake up, folks!!!!

And now I am being told that there’s yet another awareness group that want to bring light to male testicular cancer. They are doing so by stuffing their “cocks in socks.”

 

Maybe the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS were on to something, and not just to shock their audiences when they performed wearing no clothes and only a sock over their stuff to keep from being arrested for public indecent exposure.

Go ahead… look it up. I’ll wait.

But if you wanna help fight the fight against cancer, find some organization to donate to. Find one that is has a good reputation and a place you feel safe to donate towards.

Just do society a favor, keep your dumbass ideas to yourself. They aren’t helping anyone. No cancer patient is feeling better because you posted a selfie onto the Internet.

If awareness is your goal then know this: you are making people are of something, but it is not the thing that you are hoping for!!!!!

Heart Shaped Nature

“If your heart is a volcano, how shall you expect flowers to bloom?”~ Khalil Gibran

So here is a post for nature lovers, as well as those getting ready to celebrate what is just simply the 45th day of the year.

You can take a peek at this and many more photographs of nature in a heart shape here:

http://www.weather.com/travel/heart-shaped-islands-and-lakes-photos-20140204

And who knows? Maybe it will brighten your holiday mood.

Enjoy!!!

 

Autographs

“People still think of me as a cartoonist, but the only thing I lift a pen or pencil for these days is to sign a contract, a check, or an autograph.”~Walt Disney

A huge lesson was learned today about autographs. More specifically receiving them.

I was excited to see that a certain person was offering a deal on autographed 8×11 shots. I say “deal” because they were not free. All in all with shipping and everything else in between, I paid nearly $30 USD for two 8×11 shots that were to be autographed.

And let me go ahead and add a factor of weather that it has been exceptionally warm in temperatures over 100°F(38°C) as well as it should be since it is summer.

But for the past two days, I have been stalking my own damned mailbox for this “opportunity” to come my way. I really hate those e-mails that they send you that talk about approximate shipping dates and when it could APPROXIMATELY arrive and be delivered.

Screw that…. tell me when it WILL BE here! Not when it MIGHT be here.

So finally I believed that these two photographs would arrive today. But our mail was delivered pretty late. Like after business hours late. New kid… what are you gonna do?!?!?!?!?

And I waited for him in that blistering hot heat and sun at the hottest part of the day just so that I could find out if my evening was going to be better or not because I had those autographed photos.

I saw a large white envelope and I guessed that it could be it. I was right.

But before I go on, let me ask this: What part of DO NOT BEND do people do not understand? This was written on both the front and the back of the envelope. It just got wedged right into the mailbox slot. That little fucker.

But I am sitting there patiently, with sweat pouring everywhere on from my body and then the guy just up and takes off without as much as a SEE YA!

Want my autograph, baby??

I reached down to move forward and damn near burned off the palm of my hand because that wheel had been sitting in the sun just long enough for me to notice and scream obscenities.

I grabbed the envelope from my mailbox and came home, feeling relieved after two days of being stuck in high anticipation of its arrival. I entered into the calm of the air conditioning of my home and tended to my hand to see if there was any physical damage. There was none.

Then I slowly and carefully opened the envelope. My mind began to wonder if I should record the action and make a “reaction video” to it all. But this wasn’t exactly of that caliber.

I pulled out the first sheet and it was a receipt. I pulled out the next sheet from the envelope, and it was for the protection of the photographs.

I pulled out the actual photographs and looked.

I then stared. Then I blinked. Then I stared again. Then I blinked. Then I blinked some more.

Oh dear, what have I done?????????

In one corner is the actual autograph. In the direct opposite corner is “Thank you!” written.

Does anyone now believe me about what I have  said about PERSONALIZING an autograph and how it makes it much nicer for the recipient???

There were others that I could have purchased. But now I am pretty sure that if I were to do so, that I would receive the same results, and for what? More money to pay for it.

I learned my lesson. I will take this lesson into consideration if I ever stumble across an opportunity like this where I must purchase an autograph.