SnappyBob's Mid-Week News Roundup

The first bit of news came to to me early this week from my fellow Record Breaking Guitar Picker and Luckenback Layabout Gary Woitena. According to
Gary our record breaking attempt is now official with the Guinness Book Of World Record folks certifying us as the official world record holders with the official number being 1868 pickers.

In other news. Remember this guy.

Senor Samplico, his excellency, has informed me that he is auditioning for a part in that all time holiday favorite "The Nutcracker". Now, I never knew His Excellency had any aspirations in the area of Ballet but if you have ever seen him waltzing the aisles of Walmart you would have to wonder why we didn't see this coming. He hasn't won the audition yet but the word around Off Broadway is he has a pretty good chance. Most of his chances are hanging on the wardrobe departments ability to come up with a Tutu in his size.

Caveat:
I'm just having a little fun with Danny. Actually he auditioned for a non dancing part as a favor for a friends daughter. It probably took a lot of guts. Kudos Senor.

I'm sure you've all been losing sleep worrying about how my new camera is coming along. Well all I can say is "I love It". All the versatility of my old 35mm SLR and more. I must admit it was a little intimidating at first. On my old SLR I had a knob for shutter speed, an aperture ring, a focus ring and an ASA setting. Now I have whistles and bells and menus and sub menus and on screen info telling me stuff to make me nervous as hell. All in all though I couldn't be happier with it. It does everything you would expect from an SLR and takes great automatic and programed snapshots as well. And who can complain about being able to see your photo results right away. That must take a whole lot of the anxiety out of wedding photography, not that I want to go back there any time soon. Sorry I don't have any pictures to post yet but I have been so busy getting acquainted with this thing that I haven't had a chance to upload any pics to Photobucket. Perhaps next week.

In the process of learning all about me digital camera I found a very useful website for me to get info. It's call The Nikon Cafe. It's a forum for Nikon users and photographers in general. I mention this because they have a very interesting thread that has a lot of cool pictures if you want to go look. One of the guys on the forum bought a fairly nice used lens for the purpose of reselling to make a little money. But on second thought he offered it up to anyone on the forum who wanted to use it for a week to take pictures to be posted there. The would be that you sign up on a list. The lens is sent to you when it is your turn. You use it for a week, upload your pics and send it to the next person on the list. So this lens has been crisscrossing the US and abroad for a while now. Unfortunately they cut the list off at 60 so I can't get in on it. If you want to check it out I'll put a link at the bottom. You have to scroll through a few pages of chit chat to get from one series of pics to another but it's not too bad. Have fun it's called "Seeing the World Through a Single Lens".


http://www.nikoncafe.com/vforums/showthread.php?t=180602




That's All Folks, See You Next Time.

New camera arrives today.

After extensive research on what kind of camera I could get to replace my old Sony (see previous blog where I talk about how Sony Cameras SUCK!)After looking around at the point and shoots I realized that for a little more $$$ I could get a digital SLR. Not only that, I could get a Nikon Digital SLR. You can read a review of it here.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d40.htm

According to UPS it is supposed to be delivered today. I must admit I feel kind of guilty because my wife's birthday is today and here I am getting a new camera in the mail. It figures that it would have to show up today. This stuff just happened to me. I don't know why.

Anywhooooo. Look for some new pictures here on the blog in the coming days and weeks as I share my dazzling photographic flying circus. Maybe I'll post some bloopers too.

Hope to see YOU on the business end of the lens soon.
Bye

Cold Beer, Midnight Trains and Bean Dip

One night my wife and I went over to some close friends house for dinner and drinks. Being a fairly long drive, it was mutually pre-planned that we would spend the night and return home the following day. Dinner was delicious, Bar BQ with all of the trimmings, followed by a few beers, a dip in the pool and then some more beers. We played cards and watched the trains go by. The couple lived in an area next to a railroad line, and me, being a lover of trains, I took great delight in seeing so many trains at such a close proximity.
As the night grew later, everyone was getting tired and ready for bed. Everyone, except for me, that is. I was still anticipating the next train to go by and another beer or two didn’t sound out of the question. The couple assured me that I would be welcome to remain in the back yard and watch the trains and come in whenever I was ready. They only asked that I turn off the light in the backyard because it shined through the window of their bedroom and kept them awake. Having the light off was no problem for me as I like it dark when I sit in the yard at night. The lady of the house told me that if I got hungry just to help myself to any of the snacks that were in the kitchen. The couple retired for the evening, as did my wife, leaving me alone in the back yard, sipping my beer and waiting for the next freight train to pass.
It was a nice South Texas summer night. There was a light breeze, the sky was clear and the moon was shining on the pool in the yard. In between the roar of the occasional train the neighborhood was quiet and tranquil. Even the dogs had gone to bed.
As the night wore on the beers were beginning to have their effect and I needed to visit the rest room. After using the facilities I was exiting the house though the kitchen and I noticed an array of chips on the kitchen table. I thought perhaps a snack before bed would not be a bad idea. There were corn chips, potato chips, tortilla chips etc. and I DID notice earlier seeing a new unopened can of bean dip on the picnic table outside. YES, a midnight snack is just what I needed. I grabbed a bag of the, “Big Dip Fritos” from the table, a fresh beer from the ice chest outside and the can of bean dip from the picnic table outside. I then returned to my train watching spot to await the next passing train and enjoy my snack. I wondered if the train crew ever got to eat this good on their journeys riding the rails around the country.
After settling in, I opened my fresh beer and opened the bag of Fritos and selected a Frito just the perfect size and shape to allow me to get a good scoop of bean dip. The first scoop out of a bean dip can is always the best one. I found the pull tab on the bean dip can and pulled it open and tossed the lid into my little trash can of empty beer bottles. Like a child jumping into a pile on newly raked leaves I plunged my chip into the bean dip and popped it into my mouth.
At that very moment a train sounded it’s horn from around the bend. It was like an alarm warning of some impending danger that I was already aware of. The taste of the bean dip was distinct and pronounced. This was not bean dip, it was cat food. Fish based cat food. I immediately spit it onto the yard and began looking for the garden hose. It was dark and I was panicked. There was no garden hose to be found. I grabbed my beer and tried to wash my mouth out with beer but it wasn’t working. I then ran to the pool and started dipping my head under the water like a duck looking for a fish. Nothing I did would completely remove the taste from my mouth. The neighborhood dogs were now barking, the evenings tranquility was gone and my infatuation for trains had passed like the last Laredo bound Union Pacific. I took the can of cat food and buried it deep in the trashcan and went to bed.
The next morning I woke later than everyone else. I could hear the chatter of friends and family that had arrived for a Sunday brunch. I arose and headed for the bathroom to wash my mouth out one more time and then went to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. Surely some coffee would help. Everyone was gathering on the patio visiting when I went outside and took a seat. The coffee was helping my somewhat dull headache. Our hostess stopped by, greeted me good morning and asked if I would like some brunch. She said “I made some tuna fish sandwiches, If you’d like one.” I politely declined. As she walked away I heard her talking to the family cat. “Are you ready for you dinner kitty? Now where is that cat food? I know I set it out here on the picnic table somewhere.”
I didn’t mention my midnight snack for a long, long time.

Could'a, Would'a, Should'a Had a V-8

I like V-8 juice. I like V-8 juice a lot. I like V-8 juice in the morning. Sometimes I like V-8 juice in the afternoon. Sometimes I like V-8 juice too much. Sometimes I get V-8 cravings and I just have to get some. This morning was one of those times. I was at work and it was around break time anyway, well, plus or minus an hour or so. There is a sleazy convenience store across the street so I nonchalantly get in my truck to go score a can of V-8 from the sleazy store across the street but then I started to have second thoughts. Like, how long has this bottle of V-8 been sitting on the shelf of the sleazy store? I could check the expiration date if they have one but even if they do who's to say that what's his name that runs the place ( I can't ever remember his name but it sounds like -Yabba Dabba Doo- or something) hasn't been using some sleazy store technology to change the expiration dates. So I decide to go to the less sleazy store a few blocks away. When I go in I find that, as usual all they have is V-8 Hot & Spicy or one of the other flavors like V-8 Fusion blueberry or pomegranate or whatever. So, I've gone this far, I might as well go to the store that is a clone of this store down the street. Same deal, no regular V-8 just the trendy stuff that obviously nobody buys since that's all they have left and all the regular is gone. I am getting really tired of seeing only "Spicy Hot" and I'm starting to feel sorta spicy hot by this time. My last chance was to go down the street to a Walgreens. Surely they will have it. NOPE! SPICEY HOT!!!!!!! OK That's it. I'm not going to get my V-8 today. So I start driving back to work and realize I've made a big circle and will wind up driving right by the sleazy convenience store across from my work. I've been to 3 places already and nobody has it but I have to try. Sure enough they have it. I can't find an expiration date. Maybe Yabba Dabba Doo rubbed it off. Anyway I buy it and they charge me sales tax. Are they supposed to charge sales tax on juice? I told you they were sleazy.

Don't forget your V-8.

Hey they even have soup.

http://www.campbellsv8soup.com/

Where's the Nonsense and Pick'in record video

I tried to post some nonsense yesterday. I had some really good, and I mean good for noth'in nonsense. Totally useless stuff that was floating around in my head. But, I thought that it might be somewhat entertaining so I was going to post it. After all, that's part of what my product description is here, Nonsense. Well it seems that Blogger is owned by or at least run by Google and that was stirring up issues in posting. All of the sudden Blogger or Goggle or who ever was telling me that I had not authored any blogs and was inviting me to go ahead and create my first one. I was like WTF??? So it took me about an hour to figure out WTF and get it straightened out, with of course no help from Google or Blogger. I was about ready to throw this whole thing in the pissser and start over with some other blogger service and I might yet but for now I will stick it out and see how it goes. Anyway, I was not feeling too nonsensical after all that BS so I guess I'll just save that for another post. Those of you that know me, and from the looks of things, that's everybody, you know that sooner or later, and probably sooner, the nonsense will show it's ugly, juvenile, absurd and uncalled for head.

So until then, my friend Senor Samplico sent me a link to a YouTube video of the Pick'en For The Record event. You will see a lot of video's of this event on YouTube. There were a lot of people roving around taking video. I'm sure many of them wound up on YouTube. If any of you find one showing a clear shot of Snappy and the crew post a link in the comments section. Here's the link to the video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikMnOi-OGys

See ya

Please excuse any misspellings, it seems Blogger or Google or whoever has upgraded to No Spellcheck
WTF???

Taranchulas in the Morning.....More Pics

September is right around the corner and with it some hopefully cooler and wetter weather. I'm starting to prepare my beds for the fall and winter veggies but if things don't change pretty soon I can't hold out much hope for a good season. I went to the farmers market yesterday morning and came home empty handed. There was no produce to buy. There were the usual vender's of nuts, breads, mushrooms, meats and pickles but no fresh produce. The drought has taken it's toll on locally produced veggies and if things don't change the farmers in the area will not have any fall crops to sell either. On an optimistic note, I saw a Tarantula clinging to the side of my house this morning when I went out to get the newspaper. I hope I see some more in the coming days. I live close to a creek and the Spiders and snakes usually seek higher ground before the creek rises. We'll see.

I had one response to my request for more pics of the Pick'in For The Record event. Thanks Pam. I selected a couple for your viewing pleasure. Here they be.

Here's a shot of the stage. This is the closest I've seen the stage. I never got that close the day of the event. I sure am lazy.

Here is a pretty good shot of the crowd. Well part of the crowd anyway.

I wish I could have taken more pictures but my digital camera is broke. Don't ever buy a Sony camera cause they suck. This is my second Sony digital camera that is now useless. They just quit all of the sudden. No power and they fry any batteries that you put in them. I took it to the camera shop and they said to fix it they would have to send it back to Sony. Sony charges a flat $201 dollars to fix their cameras no matter what's wrong. I think I'll just slap another $100 bucks on that $201 and buy a good camera. Anybody have any recommendation's on good reliable digital cameras?

Bye

Pictures OF the record FOR the record

As promised here is the first installment of pictures from the "Pick'in For The Record" event held in Luckenbach Texas on Sunday August 23, 2009.


This guy was a real nuisance. We kept trying to run him off but he kept coming back. There's one in every crowd.

My old friend for life came out of hiding for this event.

Meet: His Excellency Senor Daniel Pedro Gonzalez Chorizo Sampleco.

Below is the crew that was with us from San Antonio. From left to right: Kathy, Gary, Lawrence, Vito, Bobby, Jimmy and Danny. Not pictured is Mary Ann who was there to play but too late for the group photo unfortunately.

Here's the crew in "Record Breaking" action.

We did it. Hip Hip Hooray!

These pictures can't do justice to the enormity of the event or the feeling of doing it. The best part was doing something like this with some of my best and oldest friends. I just wish more of them could have been there. It was truly a great day.