These photos were taken on my birthday, May 1st, in and around Big Bear Lake, in the San Bernadino Mountains of Southern California. The titile card shows Boulder Bay, at the south end of the lake, and superimposed on the right is one of the ubiquitous chainsaw carved bears which one finds in front of almost every shop, dining establishment, bar, and even as sentries in front of the driveways of private homes. 

 I'd been staying in my boss's cabin in Lake Arrowhead for a couple of days on vacation, went exploring, took a couple of hikes, and spent my birthday eve at Papagayo's Mexican Restaurant drinking margaritas. (Only two. I had to drive back to the cabin in the dark on twisting mountain roads.) After a pleasant warm night, I drove down to Rim of the World Highway and began the 28 mile drive, which ascended another 2000 ft up, to Big Bear Lake. This is the view of misty mountain tops from the first turnout.

On the video I took these grasses are whipping around violently in the wind, and I had to be pretty careful, lest I fall down into the abyss. I even left my cap in the car it was so windy in this area. I didn't want to lose it!

 Sorry for so many shots of this turnout area, but it was quite breathtaking. Wish the photos could give a hint of the experience of actually being there.

Along Highway 18, I pulled into the parking lot of "Rim of the World High School". I thought it was really interesting to see a high school up so far and with so great a view. Some of the vehicles in the parking lot (It was Wednesday, a school day) were neat, like this antique raised VW bug. 

Took me a couple of hours to drive the distance to the lake. (Of course I'm stopping and taking photos every 10 minutes or so!)  Here I am 10 miles away. You can barely see Big Bear Lake dead center in the photo, far in the distance. 

I turned right on Highway 38 to make a loop around the lake. Big Bear Lake is pretty big! And it was a stunning blue, with somewhat choppy whitecaps, because of the wind, which was dying down a bit. This is the south end of the lake.

I got right up next to the water, as close as possible, without falling in. I had a thought of perhaps renting a boat. Perhaps next time I take the trip. 

At the northwest corner of the lake stands the small (and I do mean small) town of Fawnskin. This shot was taken on the "main intersection" if one could call it that, between North Shore Drive and Rim of the World Highway.The building is a lodge, now shuttered, which thrived in the 20s. The fawns aren't real, just in case you're wondering. 

Across the street is Fawn Park, fronted by this covered wagon, and filled with statuary and artwork. 

Excuse me, officer. This is one of the statues in the park, from the back. 

And from the front, ready to take aim at anyone who forgets to pick up after his dog. It's a neat park, really small, like the town, but quaint and interesting. 

I shot this lakeside by the Lighthouse Trailer Park. I met a couple walking along the sand who asked me if I knew if there were any trails in the area. "First time here myself" I proclaimed. "This looked like there could be some access." We both had found one of the few areas where you don't have to pay for an Adventure Pass or parking to get lakeside. 

Here is the bridge across the lake to the City of Big Bear Lake. During the spring and summer tourist seasons (which officially began a week after I visited) this bridge is filled with fishermen. At the end of the bridge is the first stoplight I'd seen since turning off the freeway in San Bernadino a few days earlier. Big Bear Lake is a very popular tourist destination, and is the home of the Snow Summit ski resort. (which looked rather strange without snow on the ground, BTW. I neglected to snap any pics.

As you know I go out of my way not to show people in my nature shots. The fisherman is back over to the right relaxing. I asked him if anything was biting. No luck yet.

There were still some snow patches. But the weather, though a bit windy at times, was maginficent for my birthday trip. We're 7000 feet above sea level. 

An fallen log frames the lake.

In my next post (hope ya'll aren't getting tired of logs, lakes, and mountain living) I'll present some photos of these chainsaw carved bears which appear all over the place. This is a real estate office. (Lots of those in mountain resort areas.)

I had my birthday lunch at the Big Bear Sizzler. (One of the establishments at which I wanted to eat didn't take cards, only cash (although they had an ATM machine inside with a hefty service charge) and the other wasn't open except on weekends. After lunch, I drove around the remainder of the lake. This area is called Boulder Bay.

I don't know if you can actually get out to this "rock island" in the middle of the south end of the lake, but it served as a great backdrop for some photos. (The ducks got out there with no problems.) You can see the complete set of about 1000 photos I took on my "birthdaycation" on my Flickr Photostream HERE. 

Posted: May 16, 2013 7:32 AM

In 2012, Catalina Cruises offered free travel to and from Catalina Island on your birthday, so I took a "birthdaycation" to Catalina when I turned 59. The trip was free but the hotel and meals still cost money. On May 1st I turned 60, and in February, our controller at work, who is a part owner of the company, asked me what my plans were for my birthday this year. I hadn't really made plans at that time, and she offered the use of the family cabin in Lake Arrowhead if I wanted to spend my birthday in the mountains. Sounded good to me. I was handed the keys on Friday, April 27th, and on Monday morning, April 29th, I began the 100 or so mile trip up into the San Bernadino mountains for a week relaxing among the tall trees.

I shot over 1000 photos (on two different cameras) and recorded about a half hour of video. I still haven't gone completely through or posted all my photos online yet. My Flickr Photostream is HERE and there are currently three themed "sets" online. Facebook allows easier photo insertion in their program than the ancient Xanga editor. When I returned on Friday, May 3rd, I immediately began posting some of my photography to my FB "Timeline" HERE. I received some instant gratification and a lot of "likes." Xanga is more problematical these days, and it takes time to create one of my "walk with me" Photoposts, but here is the first, themed to my first days at the Lakeside resort, and contains photos taken on the first of two wilderness hikes I took up into the mountains. The first photo here was taken on a turnout on the "Rim of the World Highway" (CA18) right after I got off the 210 freeway and started the ascent into the mountains.

Rolling meadows, magnificent trees, misty mountain tops.

Same turnout. Same tree. Different angle.

A boulder thrown in for good measure.

The cabin is a standard 60s style A frame. The family I work for doesn't rent it out, but lets other family members, close friends and acquaintances stay for a while. I took the whole week, returning Friday, May 3rd. This is the view from the living room area out to the deck. I like to spend time at home sitting in one of my ariondack chairs outside the mobile. I always call the area (I don't have a deck or porch) my "second living room". The weather was great, about 72 during the day and only 60 at night, so I kept the windows and doors open and enjoyed the peace and quiet. Some people live full time in the Lake Arrowhead area, but it's mostly a tourist spot during both the winter and spring/summer season. I was up there during the "off season" but it was almost summery. A perfect time and place for a week off.

Here's to ya! My first late afternoon on "my" deck enjoying a cold Corona. The deck is about 15 feet off the ground, and is fronted by spruce, pine, and fir trees. There are so many trees on the property that one can't even see the cabin from the street.

This is the front door to the cabin. Before our CEO had his stroke, he used to take "weekends at the cabin" quite a few times during the year. Now it sits empty most months, and his wife is thinking of selling it. 

The living room area right after I settled in. I hadn't yet "Mikeized" the room, moving furniture around, etc. Before I left, however, I put everything back where it was. I don't take lots of trips (yet, that is, I'm paying down my debt substantially, and plan on traveling a lot within a couple of years.) but when I do, I like to stay in one place for four or five days, so that by the end of my vacation, I'm quite familiar with the area. This really helped in the mountains. The streets are twisty turny winding up and down, and it's easy to get lost if you don't know where you're going. (I'm "old school" No GPS for the Mikester.) In no time at all, I was driving around town like a local, enjoying both my day trips, hikes, and my time "at home" in the cabin. I did take my blu ray player and a few boxed sets of movies with me, but forgot to pack the remote, so couldn't get past the menu on most of the movies. This didn't bother me, since I don't go on vacation to watch TV anyway. Between the photo trips, restaurants (I have to lose a lot of weight now!) and quality time with my Kindle, I didn't need TV.

Here's one of my first shots of the actual Lake. I visited the three major lakes in the area. (Arrowhead, Gregory, and Big Bear) I only saw one sailboat, but this was "off season" so not a lot of tourists. 

Although this looks like it could be the shoreline of a park, I'm actually shooting photos from the edge of the Lake Arrowhead Village, which is the major shopping center, with outlet stores, restaurants, and entertainment ( the stage opens next weekend, darn). Nothing like a major shopping center in Los Angeles, however. We don't have lakesides in L.A. 

Not a cloud in the sky. The vessel far out in the lake is the "Arrowhead Queen" which is a tour boat resembling an old Mississippi riverboat

After dark the first night, I took some photos of the trees alongside the deck, using only the camera's flash as a source of light. Got some interesting "art shots"

Spooky, ain't it? I didn't take any photos of the night sky, but I'm not used to seeing as many stars as one can view 7000 feet above sea level down in the Los Angeles area, that's for sure.

Here is the main street in Blue Jay, which is the closest town to Lake Arrowhead. Other towns in the area are Twin Peaks and Rimforest. A block from where I stayed, which is next to the golf course, one can still see fire damage from the 2007 Rimforest fire, which thankfully didn't get down into any of the towns of near the lake. 

 On Tuesday, the day before my birthday, I decided to take a hike. (I actually took two.) The remainder of the photos on this particular Photopost were taken while hiking the "Little Bear Creek trail" which goes right through one of the areas scorched by the 2007 fire. At first, coming out of the North Shore Campground (which was still closed, since it was off season, and was eerily vacant and serene, leaving me alone with God, nature, and the trees) the path seems like any parkland, wide and shadowy. Since the park was closed, I parked my car in the hospital parking lot across the street, and began my hike. One needs to purchase an "Adventure Pass" for $5.99 which only lets you hike for 24 hours. I took two hikes (10 miles total) that Tuesday. It was a nice day, so I wore a short sleeved shirt and jeans, but had my thick soled hiking shoes, long billed cap, bottle of water (Arrowhead brand, natch) and of course my camera bag.  

After descending a bit into the canyon on the way to the creek, the landscape suddenly gets quite strange.

The fire was six years ago, so there was new growth, partially charred trees, and trees which miraculously escaped damage. Forest rangers had cut down trees which impeded the trail.

I can remember one bus tour through Central California I took with Pat back in the 90s where the tour guide told us it is quite natural for chaparral to be destroyed by fire and revived by nature every decade or so. I remembered this as I walked along this hiking trail, which although not in the same area, gives pretty much the same kind of natural revivification. The only reason fires are deadly in California is because people build their homes in these naturally fire threatened areas. (In an almost frightening moment Thursday night, after not using the internet or reading any newspapers, I turned on the news just to see if I was missing anything of importance, and every channel was showing the Ventura fire.)

The magnificence of tall trees cannot be denied. (When I showed a selection of my photos to some of my workmates, almost everyone declared "You really do take some nice photos." 

Look one way and there's regrowth and missed destruction, and the forest looks fine.

Turn around, and it almost looks like you're on another planet. (I placed my camera on a fallen tree to get this shot.)

Each hike was 2-1/2 miles each way, or 5 miles round trip. (The only way to get back to the car is to go back up the way you came!) It took me over two hours to take each hike, but I stopped repeatedly to position my camera and shoot photos.

I'm always looking for contrasting textures in my photography, and this photo gives you lots of them. I also have a knack for shooting nature and architecture without people. (However I would at some time like to try my hand at portraiture, there is a lot of expense incurred in getting lights, shades, etc, and I don't even have a DSLR camera yet! Interesting to note that I mainly draw portraits, and photograph nature/architecture.)

On this particular hike, I think this is the most interesting tree I saw. All around is desolation and bare branches. The top of this "Christmas Tree" was miraculously left unharmed, and is majestically awaiting the return of his cousins and friends. Notice the absence of bark on the white tree to the left of the Christmas tree about an eighth of the way up.

A look upward at the same tree.

The complete inside of this hollowed out trunk was missing.

 A splash of color appears as if out of nowhere, closer to the creek.

After hiking for what seemed like most of the morning (actually roughly an hour or so) I heard, and finally found the creek, which was pretty meager, but it was amazing how there was grass and growth all around it. There were even a few small "water falls" (although for some reason I can't find my photos of them this moment, and want to get this entry posted, since I worked a good time on it, and Xanga wouldn't let me post last night.) I won't make any promises, but those of you who still follow me here might be interested to know I'll be posting more photoposts within the next couple of weeks, including my second hike, later that afternoon, to Deep Creek, which took me farther into the wilderness next to a place called "Devil's Hole", my birthday day trip to Big Bear Lake, and photos of the chainsaw carved bears one sees everywhere, created by local artists. Until then, I bid you adieu, and want to remind all of Xanga, even though I use the much easier Facebook to instantly post my photos nowadays, and even though my 8000 photos in over 100 themed folders on Webshots disappeared along with that website, I will still post these "walk with me" photo tours with commentary in the "pages" of Xanga, as long as I'm taking photos and as long as Xanga sticks around! 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Lake Arrowhead History, Lake Arrowhead Fire Reports from 2007, Full Photospread of my Little Bear Creek Hike on Flickr

Posted: May 10, 2013 7:04 AM

I'll break my current hiatus for one of these monthly updates. Lots going on so it'll be quick. (for me, anyway ). What with my latest hobby (weight training) and the fact that each stolen moment is taken up by reading these days (hooray for my Kindle!) I don't even "check" Xanga or even FB that much anymore. When I do, I'm rarely interested in seeing what people "share" that they saw online somewhere else! (I do try to search out "creative" entries but there are lots more copy/pasted stuff than original stuff among most of the posts I see.)

Here's an observation. People on social networking sites on the internet always write about their "friends". Who they admire. Who's been supportive and who's been "talking behind their back" etc. etc. etc. You know, I've lost nearly all my friends. On the internet, when people mention "friends" it's usually someone with whom they connect online. For the current generation of young people, there is probably no disconnect whether a "friend" is "real" (i.e. you see them physically at school, around the hood, at work, or church, etc.) or "virtual" (in one of their "friends" lists on an online social networking site.) I'm pretty "old" in chronological years, but young in spirit. Whole groups of friends have perished, sometimes literally. A lot of folks I knew pretty well died. Many too early, but that's life. (Er, death.) 

An "online" "friend" sent me an email the other day which supplied a link to another of her blogsites. There she had a different name than the one I've been calling her. When someone from Xanga "friends" me on Facebook, I never know who they are. The name on their Facebook site is completely different than the one on their Xanga site. Nobody much lets me know by which moniker I might have been calling them, either.) I'm convinced. Even though I've been online longer than some folks on the internet have possibly been alive (or aware, anyway) I've been a "presence" long enough that anyone wishing to "find" me can do so easily. I change my passwords a lot, but I don't change my name. I remain, as always, Michael F. Nyiri, poet , philosopher, fool. If I don't know somebody's name, then I don't know that person, no matter how many times they commented on my blog. No matter how many emails they may have sent me. Frankly, as I age, it confuses me. So I won't think too much about it. But to me "online" friends aren't "friends". They're simply connections, like acquaintances I make at work, or people who check me out at the market. 

Sometimes I think I'm possibly pretty lonesome. But I honestly like to be alone. The internet remains merely a tool for me to use, when I make the time to turn it on, that is.  

WORK: I rarely write about work because my Xanga blog is supposed to be a showcase for my "creative" side. I just want to put it in writing. 7 More Years. That's how long I intend to work. It's less than a decade. Sure, I'll be 67. But now that I'm approaching 60, 70 doesn't seem "old" to me. In seven years, I'll retire. I'm planning to begin traveling next year, when the debt completely disappears. At work, I accomplish tasks. I take pleasure in what goes right, and I possibly get too upset when something goes wrong. Too many tasks I just used to accomplish on my own have been "farmed out' to so many others who rarely even see or talk to each other, that the left hand of the company doesn't know what the right hand is doing. I've taken a somewhat zenlike attitude towards what I do in any given day. (I will admit I still let things get to me, I'm not perfect, esp. when it comes to my emotions and bipolarity.) I may not be doing what I want to do. I may not be doing what I deem important. However, it doesn't matter. In seven years I won't even "be here" at work, except to come back and say hi to the folks still in the grind. I'm one for "preparing" and "planning" stuff. I'm planning my retirement. Work will end for me, in the not too distant future, and then it's time for...

PLAY: I'm single, young, and free. I love to play. As I pay down my debts, and find myself with a little spending cash, I'm getting blurays of my favorite movies (Roger Rabbit is on his way to my house as we speak). I'm looking at places I'd like to go (the internet is a great tool for this) and I can bide my time finding the right "toys" to complement my computer rig. No more do I "collect" large amounts of episodes of TV shows I'll never watch on my DVR. No more do I fantasize about what I'd be able to create with the latest thousand dollar video editing program I can't even install on my old XP system. I'm finding that as I spend less time "worrying" or making plans that won't ever happen, I can spend more time enjoying the small things I can accomplish right now. F'rinstance. Last weekend I really wanted to go to LACMA ( the Los Angeles Art museum.) However next week I'm possibly going to the Reagan Library (a longtime plan now coming to fruition). I can't take videos at LACMA, so I passed on the impulse, and spent a lazy afternoon sitting in the sun instead. (with my Kindle by my side) In the past, I may just "take off" on a photo expedition, and find myself spending money I don't have. Now that I have a little money, I take a bit more time to think, "do I really need to do this now?". Usually, I don't. And then before you know it, the day is done, and another, with it's requisite plans, are on the horizon. As playtime increases, I'm finding that my previous frugality is paying me dividends in time as well as money now that I seem to have a little more of both!

DIET AND HEALTH: Just had my annual physical examination last Friday. One upcoming Xanga entry I've planned, and which will most probably be posted before the end of this month will be my "Ultimate Body Image" blog, complete with one of those "naked on Xanga" photos. Only this time I won't really NEED to suck in my gut. I'm trading fat for muscle. I'm on a full weight training schedule, working out three times a week. (1/2 hour cardio, 1/2 hour stretching, 45 minutes weight training, which gets longer as I add more excercises.) I may make a Mike's Video Blog detailing my workout. I'm in excellent health. Looked at my blood tests online this morning. My cholesterol is still a bit high. Doc will probably want to put me back on Lovastatin. Besides eating healthy, I'm now adding a "splurge day" every two weeks or so, usually on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, where I go to a restaurant and have a meal I can enjoy like I used to. (A mexican feast, or a trip to a Chinese buffet) One thing that's changed from my "non healthy" days, however. When I go out, I don't eat a gargantuan amount of food like I used to when I ate one big meal a day. (And I don't get upset at myself for not eating every grain of rice on the plate either if I'm full.)

A "normal" day's intake for me. Breakfast: Oatmeal (in Apple juice instead of water or milk) topped with rasins and almonds, plus a little cinnamon. Lunch: Instant noodles (The bachelor's friend). (I try to stay away from egg noodles, which have cholesterol.) A sandwich (deli meats and jack cheese) and fruit. Dinner: A salad with either balsamic vinagrette or italian dressing. I drink lots of tea. Snacks are usually a carrot, a banana or greek yogurt. 

After "deflating" a little more of the "spare tire" around my waist, you can actually see my abs!

EXERCISE: Never in a million years would I have thought I'd know the names of the various muscles in the body or how many "reps" one should be doing in how many "sets" of a weight training exercise. I was always more apt to be the guy who got sand kicked in his face when young, and I never dreamed of getting toned and muscular. Now, I check lots of internet sites and watch lots of videos on YouTube looking for the right exercises to add to my workout. I'm not into "bodybuilding" but "strength training." However my body is lookin' pretty good I must say.

I began walking about two miles a day back when my doctor first told me my cholesterol was high. This was in 2001 or 2002. Last year, for my birthday, in May 2012, I added 5 pound dumbells, which I pumped as I walked. A little over a month ago, I added a standard weight bench, plus barbell, to my "weight room" area in my house. I don't pump weights when I walk now. The walk is a cardio preliminary to the actual workout. This will all be detailed in an upcoming blog. I'm pretty serious about strength training. I should have done this ages ago! My posture is better. I don't get "breathless" that easily. And this after only a month! My "plan" is to look like Dwayne Johnson by the end of the year! (Not really, but I'm amazed at how I can actually "feel" my muscle mass increasing!)

WEALTH: For the first time in my own financial history, I charged two meals and a video on a credit card last month, and paid the complete balance back to $0.00 when the bill was due this month. That old "consolidation" loan I took out in 2007 (and updated in 2009) for Forty Thousand dollars now has a balance of under 9 grand. (It will be completely paid off by 2014 at about this time!) I've cut up all but two credit cards. And my Amazon.com card is mainly used for free books and apps on the Kindle. 

VACATION/BIRTHDAY: I began a new annual practice last year when I took advantage of a free boat ride to Catalina Island on my birthday. Actually, the practice was begun earlier. In 2009 I took advantage of Disneyland's free birthday ticket and spent my birthday in 2009 at Disneyland. I spent three days on Catalina, however, and took a "mini vacation." This year, I am going to be loaned the keys to a vacation cabin (actually a five bedroom house) in Lake Arrowhead, and the week of my birthday, from April 29th through the end of the first week of May, I plan to be vacationing in Lake Arrowhead, in the San Bernadino mountains, about 5000 feet up. I'll be sure to be taking my cameras. I love the mountains (almost) as much as I love the sea!

 PHILOSOPHY: 

I may wonder what it would be like to have sired children, and to be spending my time "with the grandkids" like pretty much everyone else my age, but then I read about some utterly incomprehensible happening and I'm glad I don't find myself having to "explain" something I don't understand to anybody.

I may wonder what it would be like to hold hands with a woman, and have a really close warm relationship, but then I read about how families are being torn apart by violence and how less and less love seems to be spread around the world.

I may wonder what I have lost, or have never found, or what may be "over the mountain" or what might have happened if this had occurred or if that hadn't. But then I think about how wonderful the life is that I'm leading. Perhaps I'm not sharing it with anyone right now, and perhaps I may never do so. I am part and parcel of the Universal Existence, as is everyone else. And soon, hopefully not sooner than I'm ready for it to happen, the cosmic door will open and I shall pass through. Then perhaps, in Universal Ecstasy, I will find companionship with the universal essence of humankind. And I shall never wonder again.

Embrace the little things which matter, and don't wonder long about the imponderables. 

Posted: March 19, 2013 8:50 AM

The "Google Doodle" is an established part of the internet. On holidays, birthdays, and special occasions, the main page of Google's search engine displays an artistic (and sometimes interactive) version of their multicolored logo. HERE is a gallery of past "Doodles". (Dont go there, though. This isn't about them. It's about ME!  Here on my blog, I used to feature a "revolving header." All versions of the same design, with the logo and the AllThingsMike graphic, and usually themed along with my profile pic, a morph of which features a lot of those is always in the upper left hand corner of the page. The "design" of my blogpage doesn't change much (it really displays neatly on my Kindle tablet, but I need to remove the various embedded flash files, which are passe in HTML5 ) Over nearly a decade,  however, I have created, in my handy digital picture editor, a vast collection of interesting headers. I'm going to display some of them for you now. I probably won't go to the trouble of "dating" them. All have appeared on this blog over the past eight years. In no particular order: 

This is the basic black header image I've used since 2010.

Nuts and bolts.

Theater curtains. Possibly first used for an ElectricMovies themed post. ElectricMovies is the site where I wrote movie reviews, even before being associated with the Xanga service. I haven't updated it since 2003, but wrote reviews on Xanga back when there was a "reviews" section in the old days. 

One of many "cloudscapes". The cloudscape background didn't used to be covered by the white background for the entries in Xanga 1.0. My text would "scroll" over the background, and I took great pains to arrive at a balance in the contrast where you had no trouble reading the black text on black and white cloud images. 

More clouds.

My "borg" background included my famous profile pic as "Locutus Baldmike". Resistance is futile.

Blue curtains. Blue is the color of my eyes and also my favorite color. www.allthingsmike.com has color coded sections. Allthingsmike was blue. ElectricPoetry green, and ElectricMovies red.

Blackout header. Can't even remember using this. Possibly for one of my monochrome profile pics of old time celebrities.

This is the "Clowns" background to my Clowns website which was the theme of my blog (and my profile natch) when I created the Clowns "website in a weekend" and accompanying MikeVideo Internet Movie in 2006. 

Rocks.

Green marble.

Groucho Marx. (This is the real Groucho in the header. My profile was doctored to give me the Groucho look as well.

Paisley print. (Actually I take that back. It's red marble)

A Spring Floral background when I announced my latest (at the time MikeVideo ) "Floral Dreams". in 2007.

Another yellow floral background.

One of many Christmas themed headers.

Another Christmas header.

Jacaranda blooms, in honor of the Photo series presented in 2005.

Alpine background.

Dreamcatchers. I used to always have a dreamcatcher hanging in my profile pic somewhere too.

Still more dreamcatchers.

The background is a speaker grill. This header announced my new series of "Mike's Video Blogs" of which I completed the sixteenth (over 20 if you count the three part series videoblogs!) Mike's Video Blog "A Dance to 2013" last month. 

A rock wall. 

Wood paneling. 

Different grain wood background.

Drapes. I'm sure this one and the red theater curtains header actually contain photos of real drapes or curtains I photographed in my house rather than do an image search on the internet. Since 2007 I've always made an attempt to make sure most of the elements and layers in my "photoshopped" composite art images use photos I've taken my self, and art I've created myself.

A green fabric background.

The "AllThingsMike" logo itself, (which, in the header, when clicked, takes you to the main page of the website, of which this blog is a part.) has pretty much stayed the same since 1999, when I created it. I did get the sunrise over the clouds from an image search in the long ago. The font for the logo is Enview. (This also used to be printed on business cards which I'd hand out to promote my website.) Then I "spraypainted" clouds over the print to make it look like it's floating off in the clouds somewhere in the Universal.

The header logo currently at the top of the blog is "Windows 3.1" and notice the "arrow" is hovering over the AllThingsMike logo. If I'd known better back in 2004, I would have "titled" my username/blog "WhenwordsCollide" instead of "baldmike2004" to avoid confusion. Since I rarely if ever call myself "baldmike." But my username on Yahoo was "baldmike2000". I've used "baldmike" pretty much as a "username" but the title of my website is AllThingsMike, and the title of this blog is WhenWordsCollide.

I, personally, remain, as always, Michael F. Nyiri, poet, philosopher, fool

Posted: February 06, 2013 8:00 AM

Sometimes I can't really believe I've been writing this column, (and publishing my Xanga blog) for almost nine years! You know, that's a long time! I've been going back to some random earlier columns to check what differences, if any, have occurred when I compare the long ago (mid 2000s) to my current situation in 2013. I won't say everything is looking rosy through my glasses, but they're looking more rosy collectively than they have at any time in the past nine years.

HEALTH: In Dec. 2004 I was seeing a neurologist for the pinched nerve in my back. In June 2008 I found out my 16 year old hip replacement needed repair. Sept. 2010 was a few months after my 2nd cataract surgery, and I hoped I didn't have any other unforseen health problems coming up in the future.

As 2013 begins in earnest, most of my health problems have abated. I'm working out so much that I need to get heavier weights. I throw my 5 pound free weights around like they're made of tinfoil. I'm planning on getting a weight bench soon, and work out on my legs and thighs as well. Good weather is around the corner, and then it's down to the pool for laps! My next targeted "problem" to hopefully be fixed is with my teeth. After having four tooth pulled over the past nine years, and only two "replaced" (with a temporary bridge which doesn't fit correctly now) my front teeth have "bucked" so bad that I can almost put the tip of tongue through the space between them. My poor parents are spinning in their graves, I'm sure. They put so much money into my mouth after the car wreck when I was 14 and busted my jaw. I possibly need not only implants but braces as well. My yearly physical is coming up next month. I just got over my 2nd cold this season (after bragging that I didnt' get sick for two years, what goes around comes around.)

WEATHER: Jan 2005 found me musing about the worst storm season in SoCal in years, announcing the death toll at 10 and hoping I'd be able to put the top down on the car at some point in the future!

 My blog is always filled with musings about SoCal storms during the winter. There seems to be more and more of them each year. Great opportunities for my "cloudscape" photos when the storms pass. (Check my Facebook timeline "wall" for some neat current cloudscpaes.) This past weekend was gloomy. However the weekend before that found me in Riverside taking photos of railroad trains. I do promise myself to take a Mini Vacation to the desert this spring to get photos of the wildflowers. Unseasonable rainfall makes for pretty flowers!

ENTERTAINMENT: In Mar. 2005 I surmised that "watching TV" as an entertainment choice for me was passe, because with my Tivo DVR, Netflix DVD account, and Hi Def monitor, I chose exactly what I wanted to watch, and when!

In 2013 I seem to be reading more than in a while, thanks to my Kindle Fire. Just finished one Stephen KIng book and am working on another. I did get lots of blu rays over the Christmas season, mainly classic films I already have on other formats. I cancelled three TV shows from my DVR schedule. No time to watch "procedurals" which just seem to waste time solving the same crimes with cookie cutter cops in the same requisite 47 minutes every week. I am excited about the new season of Smash, however. And I absolutely love Nashville.

As soon as the sun comes out, I'm usually turning off the HDTV, grabbing the camera, and going out to take pictures.

WEALTH: In Dec. 2009 I made a note to increase the number of dependents on my 2010 W4. I'd just bought my house and was living perhaps more frugally than at any time previous.

I'm itching to relate my latest financial news, but don't want to jinx anything yet. Let's just say the light at the end of my debt tunnel is about to become pretty bright.

LIVING AND HOUSING: July 2008 found me contemplating housing choices following the death of my friend and roommate Joel.

Next month I'll have been at "my little house" for four years. This may be the year I build my enclosed porch! I'm thinking of putting up a fence around my back yard to keep the critters out! I had to spend over 500 bucks on a new heater fan in December. Home ownership is a bear, at times. (when something goes wrong that is) I'm spending more time at the clubhouse. I call the seating area on the stage (which I usually find empty except for me) my "third" living room. (The second one is my carport, where I have seating and tables set up) I stop my daily walk to spend about 45 minutes at the clubhouse reading. (When the weather gets better, I'll be spending that time next to the pool on a chaise lounge.)

WRITING: Jan 2006 found me announcing my plans to write a short story called "The Copper Locket". I wrote that story about four years later.

I began a fictional short story a month or so ago. The subject matter isn't "nice". (I'm reading too much Stephen King perhaps.) I'll be posting as soon as I finish, but don't really think of either FB or Xanga as story platforms anymore. (Funny about how blogging, for me and a select group of readers/correspondents anyway,) was always about writing. I never get that sense too much when visiting Xanga blogs nowadays. (with a few rare exceptions.)

I might utilize the "timeline" feature on Facebook to "publish" chapters of my memoirs in the years the events happened. Also I'm planning of resurrecting my over a decade old personal website sometime this year. www.allthingsmike.com has pretty much been a "legacy" website for the past three years with no updates. That could change soon.

TRANSPORTATION: I whined about my 10 year old car "falling apart" when I had to get a new water pump in Mar. 2010.

My new car loves her shiny new "Moon" hubcaps. Next is the subwoofer/amplifier set for the stereo. I was looking at window tinting places in Boyle Heights a couple of weekends ago. Mitsubishi already wants to sell me a "new" new car. Heck, it seems I just got the Lancer yesterday. Actually, it's over a year old now!

SOCIAL LIFE: In Jan. 2011, I had 5 different visitors over to my house in the course of one day! But I complained that I couldn't seem to meet any women who didn't smoke cigarettes.

The social scene I initiated with "younger people" in their 20s-40s in 2011 didn't work out too well. I shall blog about it someday. I joined the social club at the park last month and attended one meeting so far. I plan on adding one of my special dishes to the next potluck. I figure if I can cook for one, I can cook for 10 or more. Just add bigger portions! As I age, I don't really care that much about socializing anyway. I would like to perhaps get in touch with my two siblings this year. Each time I've made advances in this area in the past I haven't been rewarded much. Neither Bro nor Sis ever seem to want to get in touch or keep in touch. I guess they have their own lives. I am planning on going to a dance with my ex gal Liz at the Reagan Library in March. A swing dance no less. Will have to practice those Lindy Hop moves!

XANGA: In Dec. 2004 I was imploring people to leave comments on my latest ElectricPoetry post because I was afraid it would fall off the front page of my blog without having any comments. In Feb. 2006 I contemplated shutting down my writer's group "The Internet Island" because it wasn't as popular as I'd wanted it to be. June 2011 had me bowled over that one of my comments on somebody else's blog had received 5 recommendations!

I guess these days it's great to get 10 comments on a post. I've been lax in "returning comments" but I don't really "socialize" on Xanga these days like I used to. Most of the blogs I seem to visit have a political or social "point of view" or people simply post stuff they found on the internet. I never can seem to comment about other stuff. If someone is creative, then they can post their own stuff. But everyone isn't creative, and some people like to post every day. Well, as I stated earlier, I "hung around" with writers and ran a writer's group almost a decade ago. I still pretty much use Xanga for the same exact things I used it for in 2004, 2005, etc. etc. etc.

Xanga may have "changed' but I haven't.  Just not a lot of time in my life at present to "catch up" with the folks who leave me comments. (I actually do pretty good, but I'm not "perfect". Who is?) Some of these  "catch ups" aren't appreciated anyway. One blogger recently replied that "I didn't know how to comment" cause I read multiple entries and summed up each one (datestamped of course) in a long letter/comment I posted on their current entry.

Frankly, I'm going to do what I'm going to do. As I've been doing, and will continue, till the life force is sucked from this aging but still vibrant body and I'm allowed entry, along with all humankind into the soul filled Universal Existence of which I've been writing for over a decade.

Until next blog, News and Notes is closed for the month!

 Posted: January 29, 2013 6:30 AM