Terrell Bull riding

Tonight I went with jim to the New Year's Resistol Ranch NBBA Classic "Bring your own rider" event. It was cool - I don't think I've been to a rodeo or seen bull riding since I went to the prison rodeo in Huntsville as a kid. Sadly, I didn't know the Huntsville prison rodeo stopped way back in 1986 until I looked it up for this post =) I must've gone the last time in the early 80's...

I'm still working on photographing action shots in low lighting. I think the best shots this time are ones that I accidentally took at the same time the professional photographer's remote flashes were going off... =)

looking forward

With the new year comes an opportunity to forget about the past and look forward to the future with a clean slate.

No need to dwell on things you can't change... just focus on the present and work towards a better future.

Don't be afraid if you find yourself all alone across the sidewalk from all the other birds - venture out and do your thing! and if all else fails, DUCK!

i'm still considering whether or not to post my resolutions for New Year's. Once they're on the blog in print, they seem so permanent and binding...

1-1-10

now for the real day, happy new year! i didn't have my regular black eyed peas and greens today - i decided to see if maybe my year will be better without them!!

happy new year!!

a happy and prosperous new year to all!

*update: per request - my apologies for not giving a name... this is a friend's dog named Baby!

time to get busy!!

seems with all the work i've been doing on the inside of the house, i've neglected the outside... it's looking pretty bad and could use a coat of paint. and it looks like THIS could be a year-long project =)

this is actually a house near downtown greenville, tx. it's a big house, but i'd be afraid to see the inside if the curbside view is any indication...

One of my resolutions in 2009 was to paint my house (not this one). Which was accomplished for the most part - there are still some parts of the back of the house to go, but we did get about 80% of the house painted this year. I was quite proud of the result - it made a huge difference, IMO. Now for 2010 I resolve to finish the back of the house so it doesn't start to look like today's photo!!

Spell check, please!

I understand you're not able to respond, but are you responsible?

Today's photo is a sign for the cart return space at Big Lots in Terrell... they apparently need some QA work at the sign company before final production =)

I'm still working on my list of resolutions for 2010. Looking back, I only had 2 resolutions for 2009, and I've managed to keep them all year. My first was to invest in the stock market - which always interested me, but I never understood. The second was just to stick with my exercise program that I'd started in 2008 - and I kept up with that one too!

My will-power seems to be getting stronger as I age, and turning 40 in 2009 helped to keep me motivated... the focus will remain on self-improvement in 2010...

Christina over at Obvious Insight has a cool post about resolutions. I think spending more time with family and friends will definitely find a space on my list for 2010. I didn't make it up to Missouri at all in 2009, and I need to make sure 2010 includes a couple family visits to make up for the past. Chris also provided a link to the 50 worst gadgets of the last decade - some sound interesting, and quite a few are just ridiculous. Definitely worth a browse though.

Welcome back Obstructed Views, who took a short hiatus from blogging and is back full force with a link-filled blog post! =) One item of note is the healthcare costs for inmates housed in the county jail. Should we be paying $14,000 per month for dialysis treatments for a prisoner?

One final item I was looking into as an option for my resolution list was 'micro-lending'. I'm looking into the Kiva organization specifically, whose mission is " to connect people through lending for the sake of alleviating poverty." Basically, for as little as a $25.00 investment, you can select a recipient of your choice - a low income entrepreneur who is in need of a loan to start a business.

Through Kiva's website you can track the money you loan, and the recipients repayments... and when the loan is paid back you can then re-loan that money to someone else, donate it to Kiva or you can actually get your money back.... So for a few dollars normally sitting in a savings account somewhere, you can help someone better themselves with the option of getting your money back at some point in the future...

I'm back at work tomorrow, depending on the blizzard conditions =) Wow, I can't believe it's almost 2010!~

frosty attacks - grandma!

today's first photo is frosty attacking the new catnip-filled toy that he got from grandma for Christmas!

i had today off work and decided to take grandma to the casino up in Oklahoma. i know most people think of the sweet little old grandma; but for me, my grandma informed me her new year's resolution was to stop being nice to people. She's gonna tell people how it is and she doesn't care. She's the mean grandma! =)

So i went to pick her up today, she saw my camera and then she stuck out her tongue. She always acts like she hates it when I post her picture. I told her I would post this one and show everyone what she's really like and she said she didn't care. So, we'll see if I get cussed out later.

Happy New Year to all those mean old grandmas out there!

thinking about resolutions

as the new year approaches, i'm still thinking about changes to make in 2010. i've got a 5k and 10k down, and along with the extra exercise comes eating healthy. Maybe.

I've always been of the mind that if I'm working out, I can eat or drink whatever I want... including beer. But I'm considering all kinds of changes for 2010. Not committing to giving up beer just yet, but it's in the mix of options =) at least on a regular basis... sigh....

frosty!

still a little wide-eyed from all the cat-nip that grandma gave him for Christmas....

Friday night brews

happy Christmas evening... time to wind down from the festivities with an adult beverage - my choice, a Guinness Extra Stout...=)

as a beer lover, I normally prefer a regular 'ole macro-brew (coor's light) - but I also enjoy a good dark beer every now and again... and if it has my name on it, it can't be all bad! (no, my real name is not Guinness)....

I hope everyone enjoyed time spent with family and friends this week, and lots of food! I came home with plenty of leftovers, so I'm prepared if another snowstorm blows through! =)