Rockhoppers Daily Grind

Comic Tuesday

2009-12-29T11:20:00.000-08:00

Today's comic is Wondermark, a comic that uses scanned images from 19th-century woodcuts and illustrations as graphics.

Comics of Whidbey Island.

Photoblog Friday

2009-12-27T09:33:00.000-08:00

Back from Vacation - should be back to normal on blogging soon. Here's the Photoblog Friday post, better late than never. Aspic and Other Delights is Vanessa's new Tumblr, it features unfashionable foods. "A blog dedicated to gastronomic atrocities of the past." Enjoy!

Foods of Whidbey Island.

Merry Christmas Everyone

2009-12-24T08:05:00.000-08:00

So we are getting ready for our Christmas in Disneyland. In case you are wondering... Our oldest son and his family have gone to Florida to spend Christmas with Mollye's family. Our youngest son and his girlfriend were making plans to go to spend Christmas with Helen's family so we decided in July to go to Disneyland with our best friends aka sister and hubby Mary and Randy!

Now I know it is not a traditional Christmas for us. As a matter of fact we agreed to throw all the traditions to the wind this year and just have fun at Christmas. However, I have to admit that this year has been a really hard year for me for Christmas. I am not used to no hustle and bustle, no big meals to cook, no house keeping to get ready for guests, no snow.. (although let's keep that one under wraps.. OK?) I miss having my family around right now. Dan is even gone until tonight. Tomorrow we pack and do all the getting ready and Tuesday we are off...

I have kind of forgotten what it is like to not do a traditional Christmas. We have had a traditional Christmas routine for 30 years now with occasional changes to accomodate friends and family that were spending Christmas ýwith us. For the most part the routine went something like this:

Christmas eve started at 4:00PM when the television and all electronics went off except for the stereo with Christmas music. Then we cooked cookies and coffee for Santa and everyone was encouraged to help. We usually fixed a simple dinner that everyone had to help with. Over the last few years it has been pizza. I prepared the dough and then everyone covered thier pizza with thier own toppings. There is something to do for everyone with pizza from cutting up the toppings, grating the 3-5 different kinds of cheese and then making the pizza. It is usually a bustling time in the kitchen but definitely fun. While the pizza cooks, we play a game of some kind. After dinner and dishes (and yes we always do the dishes right after cooking on this one night per year! Usually the dishes wait till the next day.) Anyway, then we light all our candles (for Christmas that is a total of about 25 to 40 candles.) Then we read aloud The Grinch, The night before Christmas, the Nativity from the bible, and usually a Christmas book. This book is read aloud all through the holiday till it is finished. At midnight we toast Christmas and wait to hear the animals speak.. Usually they just look really grumpy when we wake them up!

Christmas morning is present time. When the kids were young we didnt even put out presents till they had gone to bed. Santa didnt come till Christmas eve you know. We then break out a game (we always bought one game per Christmas) and I cooked breakfast. The day was spent playing games and reading (NO TV!! or later No Computer either!!) And I cooked a meal for the dinner. Over the last 10 years we have spent the holidays with Mary and Randy and thier family so every other year she cooked dinner and we went to thier house. The whole day was spent talking and being together. That evening we gathered all our gifts together from under the tree and put them away.

For those of you who have not been around for our Boxing day fun... well we celebrate Christmas with a huge dinner for all our friends family and acquaintances. Last year we had dinner for 40. This year we will be coming back from Disneyland and won't be here.

So this is our routine... our tradition and for this one year we are throwing it to the wind... Hello Disneyland...Here we come! I hope you all have a terrific Christmas and we will see you come New Years!

Christmas on Whidbey Island.

Comic Tuesday

2009-12-22T18:56:00.000-08:00

Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal is a long-time web comic. It's irreverent, slightly random, and very funny. There's also a section with live comic videos -- SMBC is a big operation. Enjoy!

Breakfast on Whidbey Island.

Some of Us Just Paint....

2009-12-20T15:50:00.000-08:00

I am in awe of some artists who dont even recognize what a box is! I am content to just ignore the box and pretend it does not exist but this artist is one who has never seen one..

Check out this work! His name is Nick Cave.

Text about Whidbey Island.

Nim's Winter Tale

2009-12-19T23:35:00.000-08:00

A wonderful flash movie from Ola Schubert in Sweden. Striking in it's beauty and simple story, Nim's Winter Tale is a must see.

Winter on Whidbey Island.

Comic Tuesday

2009-12-19T12:04:00.000-08:00

I know - it's Saturday. Don't even ask. Anyway, here's this weeks comic. Spud Comics is a classic single-panel strip with excellent humor and art. Enjoy!

Spuds on Whidbey Island.

Photoblog Friday

2009-12-18T18:11:00.000-08:00

I was going to go with Wandering Hippie, but I found Fruit of the Day, and I like that there's a photoblog devoted entirely to fruit. Actually, it's mainly foods with fruit, but close enough. Besides, I can see hippies any time I like - I Live on Whidbey. Enjoy the fruit.

Fruit on Whidbey Island.

Musical Interlude

2009-12-18T16:43:00.000-08:00

Local High School Shorewood made this Internet-sensation video in response to a challenge from rival Shorecrest. It's a fantastic video, and it will be interesting to see how or if Shorecrest tops this.

Found at Neatorama

Edit:
Here's the original video challenge from Shorecrest. It's their version of the song I featured one year ago today. It's not bad, but Shorewood definitely kicked their butt.

High School and Whidbey Island.

Photoblog Friday

2009-12-11T04:43:00.000-08:00

Sketchy Santas is devoted to horrible photos of Santa; Or is that photos of horrible Santas? Whatever, it seems appropriate for the season :) Enjoy!

Santa Comes to Whidbey Island.

Comic Tuesday

2009-12-08T20:42:00.000-08:00

Elf Only Inn was a favorite comic of mine for several years. It's no longer updating, but there's 5 years of archives that are great and well worth reading - start at the first strip to get into the story. The comic is a spot-on lampoon of internet chat rooms, and quite funny.

Inns of Whidbey Island.

Thought for the Week

2009-12-06T04:19:00.000-08:00

If you live in the universe of lies, the last thing that you are governed by is the truth. The last thing you are governed by is reality. The only thing that matters to you is the advancement of your political agenda. And you tell yourself in the universe of lies that your agenda is so important the world will not survive without it and therefore you can lie, cheat, steal, destroy whoever you have to to get your agenda done because your opponents are evil, and in fighting evil, anything goes. There are no rules when you're in a fight with the devil.
- Rush Limbaugh

Big Fat Liars on Whidbey Island.

Photoblog Friday

2009-12-04T12:31:00.000-08:00

From Old Books is a site devoted to scanning and publishing photos, maps, drawings, and other illustrations found in very old books. It's fun to browse around, and if you're looking for a specific type of image, it's a great source. Enjoy!

Old Books on Whidbey Island.

High School Yearbook Follow-up

2009-12-04T12:15:00.000-08:00

Remember all the meaningless platitudes you wrote in high school yearbooks? One guy decided to follow through with some of the notes, and have some reunions with old friends. Very funny.

Found at Bits & Pieces

High School on Whidbey Island.

Whidbey Musicians do ZZ Top in a Big Way!

2009-12-01T14:01:00.000-08:00

Many of you have heard of Craig Stevens but have you heard him and Julz his partner? Well this duo does rock and roll a huge favor by playing it so big! Craig and Jules do blues and rock and roll from the 70's and 80's and have been building their own reportoire as well. Give a listen to this wonderful duo and then purchase their cd.

Victims has been busy lately and you can catch them playing throughout the Pacific Northwest. Check out Craigs website and dont miss these two. They provide a great night of music.

Blue Whidbey Island.

Whidbey Designer does Lingerie

2009-12-01T11:48:00.000-08:00

Whidbey is lucky to have so many wonderful artists and musicians to call it home. This article is on one of the artists who I got to know because of her weekly visits to Rockhoppers. Patricia Francisco came to Rockhoppers to play "Go" every Monday evening. Through these visits, I learned that Patricia is a master designer and that she made a living doing wedding dresses. Patricia has since stopped working solely on wedding dresses and has now expanded to designing lingerie and purses.

Here are some of Patricia's designs and some pictures of her work:

You can find other pieces of Patricia's on her Etsy account.

lingerie on Whidbey Island.

Comic Tuesday

2009-12-01T08:22:00.000-08:00

Work in Progress is an unusual blog that showcases the steps various artists use to create their comic art. Using Shockwave Flash graphics, each posts cycles through several steps: layout, penciling, detail work, coloring, etc. The process is fascinating, however I'd prefer some controls over the animations - it would be nice to stop and examine each step in some detail. It's a new site, but the content is rich, and promises to continue with interesting works into the future. The site's in Spanish, but that doesn't hinder navigation or enjoyment at all. Enjoy!

Found at Drawn!

Comic art on Whidbey Island.

Thought for the Week

2009-11-29T20:10:00.000-08:00

I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.
-Robert McCloskey

Shells on Whidbey Island.

Photoblog Friday

2009-11-27T01:35:00.000-08:00

In honor of one of my favorite stories, "Pigs is Pigs", today I feature a photoblog devoted to Guinea Pigs. Enjoy Guinea Piggies!

Cavies on Whidbey Island.

Turkey?

2009-11-26T12:51:00.000-08:00

Technically this is a Christmas story, but it's appropriate for today.

Found at Bits & Pieces

Turkeys on Whidbey Island.

Read This: The 56 Ethnicities of China

2009-11-25T21:47:00.000-08:00

This is more of a See This, than a Read This, unless you can read (Mandarin?) Chinese. However, the intent and meaning of this page is quite clear -- document the various ethnic peoples of China, their instruments and occupations, in traditional dress, all with beautiful photography. Go see the People of China.

China comes to Whidbey Island.

Comic Tuesday

2009-11-25T18:24:00.000-08:00

Brevity is a surreal single panel strip with great humor and good art. Here's the author's website, here's the archive, and the strip is syndicated at Comics.com (with the usual ad-laden background).

Found at Neat-o-rama

Text about Whidbey Island.

Black Swans

2009-11-23T13:52:00.000-08:00

A Black Swan, as defined by Nassim Taleb, is an unpredictable event whose effect is greatly disproportionate to its cause. Here's an abridged list of ways to make Black Swans white, from the perspective of an emergency room physician:

1. Drive the biggest vehicle you can afford to drive. Your greatest risk of death comes from a motor vehicle accident.
2. Never get on a 4-wheeler ATV. These are the most dangerous vehicle that I know of.
3. Do not road cycle or jog on public roads/roadsides.
4. Do not fly a plane or helicopter unless you are a full-time professional pilot.
5. If you are walking down a sidewalk and are approaching a group of loud and apparently intoxicated males, cross to the other side of the street immediately. If anyone tries to start a fight with you, the first step should be “choke them with heel dust”.
6. If your gas grill won’t start….walk away. Never throw gas (or other accelerant) on a fire.
7. Never dive into a pool or body of water (except in a pool diving area marked 9 feet or deeper after you have checked it out feet-first).
8. Never get on a ladder to clean your gutters, or on your roof to hang Christmas lights. Do not cut down trees with a chainsaw. I have seen too many middle age males (with a bug up their ass to get something done) die from these activities. In general, any house or lawn work that you can hire for an amount equal to or less than your own hourly wage is money well spent.
9. If you are retirement age and plan on moving to a new home…think twice. The stress pushes many seniors over the edge. If you do, buy an existing house. I have lost count of the number of retirees that have died of heart attacks while going through the stress of custom-building their retirement dream home.
10. If anyone tries to force you into your car or car trunk at gun point, don’t cooperate. Fight and scream all you can even if you risk getting shot in the parking lot. If you get in the car, you will most likely die (or worse).
11. If you are in any personal or professional relationship that exhausts you or otherwise causes your recurrent distress, then end the relationship immediately.
12. Don’t play the lottery…you might win. Any unearned wealth, or wealth that is disproportionate to the objective value you provide will destroy you. Lottery winners and Sports/Movie stars share a common bond of disproportionate rates of depression, addiction, and suicide.

Found at the New Shelton wet/dry.

Swans on Whidbey Island.

Musical Interlude

2009-11-23T06:12:00.000-08:00

Molly Lewis made a wonderful video, covering the Lady GaGa song "Poker Face". She's cute as can be, a great singer, and this video is too fun. Enjoy!

Found at Wil Wheaton's blog.

Poker on Whidbey Island.

Thought for the Week

2009-11-22T23:52:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving. Remember junior high school, high school, elementary school, everybody bringing in cans for the hungry people? Remember that? Just imagine, if somebody, when you were in fifth, sixth grade, if the principal had the gonads to say on Monday: 'Children, it was the most single, wonderful outpouring of generosity that this school has ever seen. More cans of food feeding a hundred and ninety-three families came to this school than ever before. We only have one problem and we’re gonna deal with it this coming week. We’re gonna cancel our regular classes and what we’re gonna talk about is: What are those people gonna eat next week?’ Now doesn’t that sound like a sensible educational system that dealt with those kind of questions?
- Harry Chapin

Please give to Operation Sack Lunch. Bev & company feed the homeless those other 364 days of the year. Thank you.

Food parity on Whidbey Island.