Wayback Post: Tolerant Conversations

What is a tolerant conversation, and how do we keep it that way?"

I took a few vacation days off from work and I've been "off" the internet as well. It's been almost a week since I've updated, so I decided to feature a "wayback" post from my archives. The following article was written for the Socrates Cafe blogring in response to a topic on May 17, 2006. I include the questions (and my answers) asked in comments from the first time the article was online. As I was reading this entry that I quite forgot about writing, I was thinking about why I didn't touch on tolerant conversation amongst bloggers, but you'll find I answered that question somewhat in a comment. MFN/ppf  

Conversation is key to communication. Without another viewpoint, one's beliefs or ideas do not go challenged, and one cannot really know if these beliefs or ideas are valid. Without conversation, differing parties can preach dogma till the cows come home, but it matters not a whit. You can preach to the choir, and you can talk to the mirror. You might feel real good about yourself, but nothing is ever decided without learning, knowing, and understanding the opposite viewpoint.

A conversation between two differing ideolological viewpoints should involve equal parts intelligence and learning, cataloging various ideas, stating one's case without histrionics or emotional baggage, and probably most important of all: listening. The principles of debate can very well be adapted to polite and tolerant conversation. Seldom do people stay polite and tolerant when the discussion gets heated, especially if the discussion is about differing viewpoints which will probably never be compromised.

Ah, there's the rub. My parents used to teach their children never to "discuss politics or religion at the dinner table". The main reason presumably was to stop any wars from being started in the most basic of social situations. When one is taught from birth to embrace a religious or political viewpoint, in which propaganda and dogma are usually substituted for tolerance and intelligent thinking, one is most likely to keep repeating those dogmas until the face gets red, and anger replaces conversation. Is it wrong to discuss politics or religion in polite society? It shouldn't be. In a truly tolerant world, wildly divergent ideologies would be prime topics for any gathering. Sadly, the world in which I live could not be considered tolerant. Even in a great melting pot of cultures like the United States, differing opinions bubble and boil in individual neighborhoods until the intolerance of these differing ideas burst and fuel spats, fights, and wars. The most famous example would be the rift that divided the country over the Southern practice, ingrained for centuries and fueling the trade triangle with Africa and Europe, of workforce slavery during the mid 19th century. Each side of the "conversation" disagreed so strongly that the "house became divided" and civil war broke out, eventually killing more Americans than either World War II or Vietnam.

"What is a tolerant conversation?"

A tolerant conversation is almost a misnomer. We can begin to surmise that in order for one to take place, we should agree on a set of rules, as in a debate.
1. Gather and display only pertinent information. In any discussion, the ideas should be presented intelligently. 2. Present this information in a comprehensible way without undue emotion. We can be passionate about our position, but not to the extent that we let anger override our common sense or ability to maintain our composure. 3. Debate only those points presented in the argument. 4. Listen to the arguments presented by the opposing side. Each participant, and a spirited debate can occur between a group and not just two people, should respect the opinions and ideas of the opposing party. Each person should be allowed to take their turn, and nobody should interrupt any proceedings. One should leave his bullheadedness at the door. The sad thing about human nature is that no matter how many rules are stated at the outset, if the discussion, specifically in the realm of politics or religion, is heated enough, it will probably burn someone so bad he will revert to his nature of intolerance.

Can we assume that mankind, as a whole, is intolerant? I think so. Throughout history, differing groups have caused grief for entire generations because of their unmovable viewpoints concerning ideological "stands". The Crusades have really never ended, for example. The city of Jerusalem, cradle of three of the world's major religious bodies of thought since the beginnings of civilization, has been fought over and occupied many times. People just won't get along if they think they own the rights to their partifcular ideological viewpoint.

If in fact, we can engage in somewhat tolerant discussion, how can we keep it that way?

Sadly, I don't think this is going to happen. I've been "preaching" tolerant behavior for many years. I like to dissect the opposing viewpoint. I even like to take the opposing viewpoint in debate. Like Hamlet, I feel sometimes cursed to be able to see all sides to a question. Most people cannot think this grandly, however. Most people, by training and by their faith or by nature or nurture, seem to stick to their guns, no matter how intelligently the other side is presented. Hopefully, those guns will never be used. But we all know that what begins as a hopefully tolerant conversation might turn into a firestorm of opposition quite quickly. We see this happen in Iraq, in France, in Brazil every day when we pick up the newspaper. (I refuse to  believe that we will see this happen in Southern California as our President send "troops" to guard the borders between the US and Mexico, but that is quite another story.)

I've always cited the internet as a great tool for increasing the ideas of tolerant conversation among opposing sides of any question. Sadly, there are more dogmatic and propagandizing sites than discussion boards filled with true tolerant conversation.

We can discuss our differing opinions to a point, but because of our human nature, at some point someone is going to disagree with something we hold so strongly, that our sense of self worth and our basic ideological makeup will seem to be challenged. Will this mean war? Perhaps. If there were more tolerant conversations, than perhaps war would be only thought about as history, and there would be a great age of understanding and respect for each other's right to disagree.

tychecat asks: "I think intolerance is more likely to be an effect or tool of war rather than a cause"
Each side has a position. Each side doesn't back down. Each side engages in "diplomacy" that doesn't work, and then war breaks out. Intolerance might be an effect as well, but because two opposing sides do not and never can agree, then intolerance becomes the cause.

soonaquitter asks: "Is there any such thing as tolerant conversation, with no one in accord?"
Sadly, I don't think so. I've been upset about the riots in France and Brazil, and other places, where each side is so adamant that they have to win at all costs, that civil unrest is taking place in areas where civilization has been in place for centuries.

nance1 asks: "Why do we tie our self worth so strongly to our beliefs that we feel threatened when someone holds different beliefs? Why do we think that understanding how someone else thinks and believes means that we have to agree with him/her? And why do others so often interpret attempts at understanding as agreement?"
1. I don't know. I never allow my personal beliefs, which, by the way, embody the thoght that all belief systems are more similar than different, to get in the way of my understanding of the other points of view that exist in the world. Some people, nay, most people are threatened. 2 & 3. We shouldn't think that understanding how someone else thinks is tantamont to agreeing with them. In France during WWII if one tried to "understand" the German perspective, later on ones' head was shaved and one was accused of collusion with the enemy. As I mention in my article above, it's human nature that precludes the notion of "tolerant conversation".

thereluctantsinger asks: "How do you perceive that this setting of rules could take place on a daily basis?"
The "sets of rules' should be common sense.

Eddiefromhb asks:  "Do you think conversation guidelines apply to blogging, or is it a totally separate creature?"
Right off the bat I would say that blogging is a 'separate creature'. If you want to compare anything on the internet with conversation, you would have to compare "instant messaging" or "chatting". IM's and chat rooms allow one to have an "internet conversation". Each party can "converse" in real time. A blog comment section is more like a message board. These were the first methods of communication online after email. With blog comments, a "conversation" doesn't occur. I post a comment at my own leisure. You can read it at your leisure. In most instances, I will not see my comment again after I write it. Blog entries can be written daily, so there are other entries on each blog to which I can comment. I already mentioned in my article that in "tolerant conversation" we should have a set of rules. These could, and should, be common sensical rules. The major blockade in any tolerant conversation is emotional response, which tends to make most people bullheaded, and unable to even try to understand the opposite viewpoint. In a moderated internet discussion, I think the "rules" should be written down. I would say that we can all be "little Hitlers" on our own blogs if we want.

My Media Crushes: From age 11 till now. (Pt. 1)

Part One: I've had my share of "media crushes" over the years. Here is a selection of the young gals I've worshipped in the movies and on televsion since my childhood. I get older, but my media crushes seem to get younger. The span of years after the actress' name is the time during which I was smitten. Following entries for each actress is a link to a performance clip on YouTube if I could find one.  This entry comprises the years 1963 to 1999. Keep an eye out for Part 2!

Hayley Mills 1964-1966
Medium: movies, TV
Her age when I discovered her: 18
My age when I discovered her: 11
The Moon Spinners 1964
The Trouble with Angels 1966
Hayley_Mills on Wikipedia
Hayley Mills on imdb.

I first developed a crush on a film star when I was only 11 years old. And the object of my affection was an "older woman" by 7 years. Hayley Mills' early work is generally characterized by the 1960 Disney film "Pollyanna" in which she plays an almost insufferable optimist, but I first saw Hayley in another Disney film, "The Moon Spinners", an adventure set on the island of Crete. I know I had a crush on her immediately. I don't know if it's her plucky spirit, her open eyed cuteness, or that wonderful English accent, but I was smitten. Most Disney fans my age liked Annette, but for me Hayley epitomized the Disney princess of the time. I liked her decidedly non Disneyesque shenanigans in films like "The Trouble with Angels" as well. She could be quite precocious. Hayley was an accomplished child actor, acting alongside her father, John Mills in "Tiger Bay" and "The Chalk Garden" "Let's Get "Together" performance with Haley x 2 in "The Parent Trap".

Ann-Margret 1963-1978
Medium: movies, TV, music
Her age when I discovered her: 22
My age when I discovered her: 11
Bye Bye Birdie 1963
Viva Las Vegas 1965
Ann-Margret on wikipedia
Ann-Margret on imdb

A short while after  I developed a crush on Hayley, I also first laid eyes on multitalented Ann-Margret. The film was Bye Bye Birdie when it came to TV about 1965. All America fell in love with this striking and lovable gal, and she shot to stardom quite quickly in the early 60. I wanted to be on a sailboat with Hayley Mills, but I wanted to have sex with Ann-Margret, and I didn't even know the particulars yet. Like Hayley, Ann-Margret wasn't just a screen personality, but had acting chops as well. Her career has been long and eventful, and she has performed on stage as well as in films and on TV. She lost the "kittenish" persona in the 60s but remained sexy and vibrant well into middle age. I still had a crush on her in 1978 when she costarred in Magic at the age of 37. Musical performance of Bye Bye Birdie from the opening and closing credits of the movie.

Yvonne Craig 1964-1968
Medium: movies, TV
Her age when I discovered her: 27
Age at which I discovered her: 11
Kissin Cousins 1964
Batman 1967
Yvonne Craig on wikipedia
Yvonne Craig on imdb

Some people go for great beauty, and a knockout bod, but I just like a cute gal who makes me smile. Yvonne was a starlet and pinup girl in the late 50s so she had the bod. I first caught the glimpse of her which would cause my immense crush in the opening moments of the Elvis Presley film "It Happened at the World's Fair" where she is in the first scene with Elvis. My favorite performance of hers is a substatially better part in another Elvis movie, "Kissin' Cousins". Yvonne's biggest claim to fame was as Batgirl in the camp late 60s Batman TV series. To tell you the truth, even though I didn't miss her in a episode, I didn't like the fact that for most of the time, the cowl covered her face! Yvonne as a green alien performing a dance an old Star Trek episode.

Susan Dey 1970-1992
Medium: movies, TV, music
Her age when I discovered her: 18
My age when I discovered her: 17
The Partridge Family 1970
First Love 1977
L.A. Law 1986
Susan Dey on wikipedia
Susan Dey on imdb

Although I liked quite a few female stars from the age of 11 till high school, such as Tuesday Weld, Raquel Welch, and Mary Tyler Moore, it wasn't until I was in my junior hear of high school that I was knocked out by Susan Dey, the actress who played Laurie Partridge in the TV show The Partridge Family. Now here was a cloying early 70s TV sitcom, but I watched it religiously so I could go ga ga over Susan. Sometimes she only showed up for the musical numbers. As I was growing up, I got a crush on someone who was a year younger than I. After the Partridges, Susan gave a few performances in edgy coming of age dramas like First Love, in which she was really blooming, and it being an early 70s film, she bared all for the camera. I still have the movie on VHS tape, since I don't think they ever made a DVD. She's probably best known for her stint in the TV series L.A. Law in the late 80s and early 90s. A Procter Silex TV commercial from the 60s with Susan.

Melanie Griffith 1975-2000
Medium: movies
Her age when I discovered her: 18
My age when I discovered her: 22
Body Double 1984
Something Wild 1986
Melanie Griffith on wikipedia
Melanie Griffith on imdb

All of the actresses above this one aged pretty well as they got older, in life and on the screen. The girls were cute and cuddly. The women were, and are, beautiful and infinitely desirable. I can't say the same about Melanie Griffith since she was introduced to her plastic surgeon. Melanie's first roles, incidentally, when merely 17, had her baring all and making a definite impression. I think I developed the crush with "Smile" in 1975. Although I'd first seen her (and so had everybody else) in "Night Moves". It was as Holly in Brian de Palma's "Body Double", and then her turn in "Something Wild" where I fell hard. About the time of "Cecil B. Demented", in 2000, when John Waters was imprinting her as old camp, she fell out of favor with me. Funny how in most of her roles, she took it all off, because I can't stand to look at her now. She's almost become a bad joke, and she's playing it on herself. The internet search was painful. "Plastic surgery" seems to be forever joined with her name in the search engines. A line from "Working Girl".

Molly Ringwald 1982-1996
Medium: movies, TV
Her age when I discovered her: 16
My age when I discovered her:: 31
Sixteen Candles 1984
Pretty in Pink 1986
Molly Ringwald on wikipedia
Molly Ringwald on imdb

As I entered my 30s, I was crushed by another teen starlet. Red haired teen darling Molly Ringwald attracted my attention with her early John Hughes movies in the early 80s. Molly's movies were coming out at about the time that Melanie Griffith was bursting on the movie scene, but Molly was younger, and had roles in teen flicks. As a matter of fact, she WAS the unabashed queen of the teens, and queen of the "brat pack" in her day. I had a copies of her Time and Life covers adorning my bedroom. Molly was huge in the early 80s, but made some bad decision, like a lot of young actors, as she started to grow up. Molly lost her star status when she picked obscure French films as vehicles during her 20s. She made a sort of comeback and stood out in the TV miniseries of Stephen King's "The Stand" in 1994. She was last in my orbit with "Townies", a short lived TV show in 1996. Currently, she is the mother in the TV show, "The Secret Life of an American Teenager." Movie Trailer for "Pretty in Pink".

Winona Ryder 1988-1999
Medium: movies
Her age when I discovered her: 17
My age when I discovered her:: 35
Heathers 1988
Great Balls of Fire 1989
Winona Ryder on wikipedia
Winona Ryder on imdb

During the late 80s, I kept an eye out for young talent. Winona was one of those gals I had an eye for, and I followed her career from it's beginning. I downright fell under the crush of her talent during "Great Balls of Fire". I felt younger, as I kept having crushes on even younger and younger starlets. In a darkened movie theater, I didn't feel as if there were any age gap at all. Winona's acting chops kept getting better. "Edward Scissorhands", "Reality Bites", "Dracula". She shows up occasionally (She played Spock's mother in the new Star Trek ) but really hasn't made anything of note sine 1999s "Girl, Interrrupted". I think the shoplifing episode a few years back did negatively impact her career. For a while there, however, she was a talent to admire. Kim finds Edward making the ice angel, from "Edward Scissorhands".

Who are your favorite Media Crushes? When did you first get smitten with a soulmate on the screen?

Uncle Mike Story 4: 20th Anniversary Edition

From the MikeVideo Archives:

"The Uncle Mike Story (Part 4)" from 1989

The video is 11 minutes and 55 seconds long and was remastered in Hi Def, but was created from the original VHS elements.

Part 4 of this archival autobiographical video from 1989 encompasses the years 1977-1986, when I bought my very first VHS videocamera and "became" MikeVideo. This "webisode" covers my employment with FedMart, and it's dissolution, a move from Torrance to Lomita, my niece's correspondence, a trip to Lubbock Texas with my friend Tom, my move to Hermosa Beach, and my purchase of my first videocamera. In this segment, the narration for the most part is videotaped (in 1989, when I was 36). Video starts to replace the photo slideshows from the previous segments. The music track is a mashup of popular songs from the years presented. I didn't have a lot of hair in 1989, but it was a lot darker than it is now!

This video was created 20 years ago as an "introduction" to my niece Cinnamon, my sister's daughter, to her "Uncle Mike", hence the title of the video. It is essentially a complete video autobiography of my life up to that point. I've broken the video up into seven 10-12 minute segments or "websisodes" which I am presenting on my blog. 

Previous Episodes on WhenWordsCollide (Xanga):

PART ONE (1953-1964 Baby pictures, childhood, elementary school)

PART TWO (1965-1969 Junior High, First 3 years High School, The story of "Arnold") Entry also includes "Director's Commentary Part One"

PART THREE (1971-1977 Senior Year of High School, the family move to Glendora, Creative pursuits, College, My parents' death, My sister's marriage, My Friend Evan's bachelor party, move to the South Bay, 1977 Vacation across country, Unemployment, and birth of niece Cinnamon, for whom the video was made.)

Other Episodes available on YouTube:

If you would like to see the complete series, here are links to the episodes on YouTube PART 1 (birth-1964)  PART 2 (1965-1969)  PART 3 (1970-1976) (This one),  PART 4 (1977-1986)  PART 5 (1986)  PART 6 (1987-1988) PART 7 (1989) MFN/ppf  

ElectricPoetry: Refrains and Depressions

"After The Last Love Song Ends"
Poetry by Michael F. Nyiri
6:08 a.m. pst

After the last love song was over
And the player ejected my heart
My eyes cried a river, I still had no lover
Of my life she was never a part

I waited, I searched, and I worried
Music faded so fast from the room
My life felt so sullied, and yet still I hurried
Would love appear 'ere I lay in my tomb?

I thought I had written this love song
A duet fashioned for two hearts to rhyme
I sang with the flow, choked up, as a solo
Her voice still hasn't joined me this time

Verse and refrain kept repeating
Like the needle was stuck in the groove
Before it was done, and before love was gone
I still felt I had something to prove

I opened the doors and the windows
And screamed to the gathered unknown
I knew then no hope, at the end of my rope
As true love out the window had flown

After the last love song ended
The player shut down one last time
My dreams died along with the last song
Forever dashing my yearnings sublime

A day or two hence I will tarry
And play the song again till it's o'er
Will I never marry? Of whom should I query?
Heart forever broken, or is love still in store?

"Refrain"
Poetry by Michael F. Nyiri
6:46 a.m. pst

When I open the book, I begin reading the same chapters
I am turning the same pages, I am feeling the same emotions.
When I watch the movie, I am viewing the same scenes
I am rooting for the same heroes, I am feeling the same emotions.
When I walk down the path, I am admiring the same flowers
I am making different choices, but the destination seems the same
The emotions ever changing, yet tomorrow they appear again
Sometimes their position on the timeline is different,
But in time I feel as if I have felt them all,
And I felt them before then, as I recall.

I keep building new bookshelves but they all look the same
I keep writing new chapters but the words are strangely similar
I keep repeating the same themes, even as I celebrate the accomplishment
First came the questions, and then the advice
The soothing words which escaped from my lips with ease
The intricate rhyme patterns which barely disguised the predictable emotions
The refrain of my life, and of the lives lived around me, repeats
The gurgling babies and the lonely old women
Estimable gentlemen and strong burly workmen
Bright, open students with question marks for faces
Seemingly naive children who know more than I do
Yet we all feel the same emotions
And we all repeat the refrain

When I wake up, I turn back the same blankets
I turn off the same clock as it displays the same numbers
I am donning the same outfits, and I am feeling the same emotions.
When I retire, I cover myself with the same blankets
I glance at the same clock and I close my eyes
I am living the same life, I am feeling the same emotions

And I am glad for the opportunity to do it all again tomorrow

"Still More Questioning Depressions"
Poetry by Michael F. Nyiri
6/08/07 6:30 a.m. pdt

Upbeat is almost in sight round the bend
Happiness just out of reach
Living quite long yet why can't I learn
The lessons that life has to teach

Elation and joy on the menu for sure
But the restaurant ran out long ago
A depressive disease, no one has the cure
Deep sadness runs where robust blood should flow

As soon as the answers arrive they fade out
As soon as I think I am sane, I'm without
I still can't relate to the laughter and smiles
when nervous bothersome feelings arrive all the while

I will state quite correctly
that sun follows dark
and that no one should feel as I do
I will preach life's devotion to
any and all
and ignore signs of low facing blue

Bright imagination flutters away
Gladness not quite within grasp
My thoughts are not positive in the least
And I wait but depression longer lasts

I turn to the page as I have for long years
But the words ache, pass difficult, slow
And the nagging lost feelings of care disappear
A dark hollow wind seems to blow

Happiness is just out of reach
Upbeat unseemly to share
Did I learn those lessons that life had to teach?
Or is my cold soul ripped and laid bare?

"Typewriter with Pictures"
Poetry by Michael F. Nyiri
February 22nd, 2004 4:45 a.m. pst

It always happens the same way,
No matter whether with a pen, or whether with a keyboard
Sometimes the words will out with ease,
And the couplets release on their own, if you please
Sometimes the words would get stuck in the mind
And the pen would choke leaving inspiration behind

As I conjure up the typewriter with pictures
Now it's a little bit different
The poetry happens in notepad these days
A benificent typewriter overlaid
On a wondrous portal sending memories to heaven
And somewhat hopefully satisfying the
dreams of the masses as they worship
In the bower of electronic kinship

The words are now blinks on a screen
All the thoughts, words, wishes, dreams and desires.
Words on the screen can be moved around with ease
Stanzas "inserted" or thoughts removed with delete keys
But behind the wall of the light green page
Another window shows me the mind of ev'ry internet sage

As I conjure up the typewriter with pictures
I sometimes feel like a god
Overseeing the creations and the responses
Eternity's future laid out before me
On a wondrous portal sending memories to heaven
And somewhat hopefully becoming the
Conduit through with which understanding
Shall finally join the brethren into banding

To create on the typewriter with pictures
To worship through the typewriter with pictures
To see the thoughts as they are thought
And to move them all around in cyberspace
Wouldst that only man would realize his fate
And look into the typewriter with pictures
Before it's too late
And realize through this he might
look into humanity's face

BEHIND THE POETRY: I've written quite a few poems with the subject of repeating myself, or of the endless repeating of the rituals of life. After one has written about a thousand pieces of poetry, this subject just seems to endlessly appear. The first two poems are brand new, written scant moments before preparing this post, as is my usual practice. I mulled them over while driving to work. Both are subjects with which I have dealt in the past. The "Last Love Song" is a recurring theme which first appeared in 1974. "Still More Questioning Depressions" is from 2007, and is an example of how I "cure" my depression by writing, something I've been doing since childhood. It isn't too upbeat, but depressing poetry is usually not too upbeat. I end this ElectricPoetry post with a flourish. "Typewriter with Pictures" from 2004, details the process of penning poetry on a computer. (The titual "typewriter with pictures") MFN/ppf

PhotoPost: The Year In Pictures 2009

Here at last is "The Year In Pictures 2009". This entry has taken the better part of the last four hours to prepare, and I've been adding photos, and subtracting photos, so I don't bombard you with 30 or 40 pictures at once. There weren't too many "photo expeditions" in 2009. I moved in February, and I had my hip revision in June. However I did manage to showcase 15 PhotoPosts in 2009. There were 16 in 2008 and 15 in 2007, so I found enough photography subjects, even when shooting my own home. 

Speaking of my own home, my first PhotoPost for 2009 wasn't until February 14th. The subject was "Movin' on Up", a series of photos of my new mobile home. This is one of the photos I took of my mobile home before I bought the place. My realtor's car is in the driveway.

This photo shows the "living" section of my living room in the old place in the month before I moved. I left that mammoth bigscreen from 1998 in the garage. It still had a beautiful picutre, but I couldn't sell it, and didn't have the room for it. This is one of the last photos of Malcolm, one of Joel's two cats, which I kept until the last minute, as it were, before taking the geriatric felines in to the kitty pound.

On February 1st, I and my friend Jim took a trip to a park in Orange County. It was up in the hills, and I can't remember the name of the wilderness park. I didn't take enough photos for a PhotoPost so this is the first time I've posted these online. That's Jim in the clearing.

This is Jim's dog Peanut. She was one of my favorite animals, and always greeted me heartily when I came to visit. Sadly, Peanut developed cancer and had to be put down about a month ago. I'd forgotten I'd taken photos of her until I looked through my folders for this post.

In the "Settled In" Photopost on March 6th, I showcased photos of my new place as I moved in. Here is an unused shot of moi in a reclining position after having set up my bed. I had help from four other guys, but it was fairly tiring to me. I did a lot of heavy lifting for an old guy who was hobbling about on crutches.

After I was completely moved in and my "Betty Boop Museum" was set up, I featured the "Museum" in my March 28th PhotoPost. This shot isn't too "photogenic" but shows two of the cabinets with the displays completed, and also shows my "southwestern" lamp, from the early 90s, one of the few pieces from my time with Pat.

I like the unretouched still from the movie "Hawaii" on my HDTV in this shot, which also shows the Betty Boop collectible plates on the wall above the TV. The "MikeVideo" woodcut was made for me by my first panel technician at work, and used to sit on the back window shelf in my 1966 classic Cadillac.

April 19th was Garden Projects. I took some shots of the rock bed as I created it. Last weekend, BTW, right before the latest round of storms hit, I weeded around the house, and found that there is no plastic sheeting in any of the other beds, so I'm going to have to remove rocks, clean them, lay sheeting, and replace the rocks on almost every side of the house.

A shot of the bouganvillea bush during a lull in one last spring's rainstrorms.

I celebrated my birthday at Disneyland on May 1st, 2009, the first real "Photo Expedition" I'd taken so far during the year, which resulted in the May 4th PhotoPost. This is the swiss village section of Fantasyland, in front of the carousel, showing the Matterhorn in the background.

Here is a shot of the back side of Sleeping Beauty Castle, in Disneyland. You don't see this side of the castle too often in tourist photos.

My PhotoPost on May 26th detailed my trip to the other Disney park, Disney's California Adventure, upon which I embarked a mere week before my hip surgery. I didn't go on the Hollywood Tower of Terror, shown in the background, cause they wouldn't let me go to the front of the line. I was on crutches still, and didn't want to have to wait standing up for 45  minutes. They let me go to front of the line on most of the rides.

During July, I was pretty much housebound, and using a walker as I recuperated from my hip surgery. This didn't stop my from finding subjects for photography, however. I posted "Flowers Around the Park" on July 9th, a burst of color showcasing the many flower gardens around our mobile home park when I was on one of my theraputic walks.

A rose from one of the mobile home gardens.

On Sept. 7th, I posted my "Labor Day Weekend" entry with photos of my ongoing projects around the house. I included some self portraits in my swimming trunks with my tan. I do use plenty of sunblock. One of the best perks about living in the park is the pool and jacuzzis.

On September 20th, I took a series of shots for my profile pic in suit and fedora. Here's one of them. The suit is pretty old, actually, and doesn't fit my big belly. I didn't need the bottom part of the photos, since I was only going for a head shot, hence that's why the vest buttons are unbuttoned, and my shirt is out. I'm wearing shorts as well!

The full moon shot on October 2nd. I uploaded a similar shot to the October 25th PhotoPost.

It wasn't until October 3rd that I posted a real "trip around town" when I got out to take photos on Sunset Blvd. and Hollywood Blvd. for the completion of my Hollywood series, begun back in the summer of 2008, before Joel died. Part 2 was posted on November 13th. This is Sunset Blvd looking west.

One of my Hollywood Blvd. reflection shots into the window of a lingerie shop. This one, which similarly has not been shown on this blog before, has lots of green foliage from the trees lining the street in the shot.

My PhotoPost for October 25th was a potpourii with shots of the full moon, LAX, and Dockweiler Beach.

A plane is glimpsed flying over the palm trees on Dockweiler beach. I was there for an hour or so and didn't get as many shots of planes as I expected. I think for some reason flights were restricted that day.

One of my more popular PhotoPosts in 2009 was my "Monochromatic Photography" post on November 1st. This is a monochrome shot of one of the shelves in the Betty Boop Museum. Unlike a lot of Xangans who merely save their photos to grayscale in photo editiing programs, in my "monochrome" post, I set the camera to "monochrome" prior to taking the photos.

Right before I got the best black and white shot from the series, of the Point Vicente Light shot through barbed wire, I shot some of the artists who were painting the lighthouse.

I've pretty much photographed most of Los Angeles County, and in early December I ventured into Orange County to the south for a trip to Laguna Beach. Upcoming Photoposts I plan this year will be to the desert for the wildflowers (which should be abundant with all the recent and scheduled rain), more Orange County excursions, and also a long planned trip to San Francisco and the Bay area, for a major vacation/Photo expedition and video trip.

The Pacific in winter, during mid afternoon, at Laguna Beach.

The last photo expedition I took in 2009 was after a heavy rainstorm and I offered up an "interactive" blog experience on December 18th, first showing a short vid of the rain, followed by "Greetings From Harbor City" with shots of the blue skies following the storm. Before I left the mobile home park, I shot the clouds above the fence across from my home.

The Vincent Thomas bridge, from the parking lot below.

A shimmering zoom shot of the ocean, which could almost be a sepia toned monochrome shot but isn't, concludes my series of PhotoPosts from 2009. My first planned trip for this year will probably be next weekend, a "snow trip" to the San Gabriels. The whole range was snow capped this weekend, (I didn't take any pictures) They were requiring chains on most of the roads into the mountains which were open. Next weekend it should be better.

 Posted: January 24, 2010 6:26 PM