A Second of Reflection Can Take You to the Moon.

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Wed, 23 Jul 2008 17:05:29 GMT

0723081303.jpg
Originally uploaded by jettdelirium.

AHHHH! The giant moth invasion has begun!
I'm not even kidding, this thing is like four inches long.

Planning.

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:47:57 GMT

So I've started looking into the planning of my trips next year, and I'm very excited. I realised I've barely mentioned some of the trips I'm going on both in the near and distant future. ;)

First up is Chicago, August 7-11th. The primary purpose of this trip is to attend the Terminus Harry Potter convention. Three of my friends who went last time are also going, we're going to be all staying in the same hotel room and I'm super excited about the opportunity to hang with them again. We had such great times in Toronto, not just the academic experience (and I'm not kidding, some of the panels were really amazing and got my brain going like crazy!) but the fun after hours as well. Also, my friend Charlotte lives in Chicago now, and I haven't seen her in probably five years or more. I miss her a lot!

Following that closely is Dragon*Con in Atlanta from August 28th - Sept 1st. It will be a Dragon*Con like no other because my bestest friend in the entire world is joining me. We're having ridiculous dresses made to copy the Clockwork Droids from the Doctor Who episode "The Girl in The Fireplace."

We're also considering making female versions of Dr Horrible and Captain Hammer, and when I say considering, I mean we are.

Also, we have BSG outfits, cause duh. Has anyone seen the people from BSG that are attending? Tahmoh Penikett (Helo), Katee Sackhoff (Starbuck), Jamie Bamber (Lee Adama), James Callis (Baltar), Tahmoh Penikett, Edward James Olmos (Admiral Adama), Aaron Douglas (Chief), did I forget anyone? Oh yeah, did I mention TAHMOH? :)

Also, Matt Lewis (Neville Longbottom) and Devon Murray (Seamus Finnegan) from Harry Potter are also attending. I just found that out. Its going to be ridiculous.

On September 12th - 14th I'll be in NYC to see Equus with Vicki. VERY excited for that! Should be interesting, to say the least. ;) Who wants a blurry cellphone photo of Harry Potter's Junk?

September 19th-21st, I'm currently planning a trip to Boston with my friend Ann. We've got a flight, but are going back and forth on hotels because our first choice is full on Saturday night. The entire city of Boston has gone insane, and some of the hotels are charging $700 freaking dollars a night. Apparently there's an event in town we were unaware of, or something. Cause seriously, EXPEYONSIVE!

We're bouncing between the Marriott Boston Long Wharf and the Milennium Bostonian. The Long Wharf will actually wind up being a bit cheaper because I can get a free night with Marriott points, but Milennium is right next to Faneuil Hall and looks downright awesome.

So, we'll see :) Also, yeah. Including the camping trip on the last weekend in Sept, I have ONE weekend that I'm home in Sept. ONE. Neat.

For Christmas, I'm going home, since I get four days off in a row! :) Of course the airline companies have heard about Christmas, so I get to pay...wait for it... $880 dollars for a flight that is usually in the neighborhood of $350-$500 (even post airline-fuel-crisis-of-doom). Nice, huh? Nothing like companies having the fucking Christmas Spirit.

But still, NM at Christmas. Prepare for an onslaught of Luminaria photos!

In early February of next year, I'm going to Jamaica. We've got a reservation booked at the Sandals Grande Ocho Rios. It is ridiculous and beautiful and in an entirely new part of Jamaica that we've never seen. We get to go to Bob Marley's house and Port Royal and its very exciting. We've made reservations with at least two other couples in a villa, which is supposed to have a 'semi-private' pool but we're waiting on one more person, and then we'll have our own pool between the 8 of us. Jenni and Jackson are one of the couples, and I'm super stoked to hang with them more! Jenni, my spectacularly talented tattoo artist, in case you're wondering. ;)

We've already dropped a deposit and one payment on the room, and we have to pay it off before Christmas, which shouldn't really be an issue. :)

In June of next year, I'm taking my Mom to Scotland. We're going to Edinburgh, and then to Aberdeen. We aren't certain of all the arrangements, but we're hoping to rent this flat for four days, and then head up to Inverurie (just outside of Aberdeen) to Swallow Thainstone House Hotel, which looks amazing.

Our main point of going up that way is to see the castle that our clan built, Dunnottar Castle. Also, I want to check out some more stone circles, of which there are many. Plus, Aberdeen looks pretty amazing, and I've never been there. After Aberdeen, we'll come back to Edinburgh for one night, before flying home.

We're currently accepting donations to stay in JK Rowling Suite at the Balmoral Hotel. Its only 965 pounds (or almost $2000 USD) to stay there, so dig deep, people!

Seriously, though. I would like to stay at the Balmoral. It is gorgeous, and the more reasonable (define: reasonable) rooms are $400 USD. :) Thinking about it. Just for one night. :)

In September sometime, Mark and I are going to ENGLAND. I'm very excited. We've got plans to stay in a posh hotel in London and then we're going to the midlands to stay in the The Prince Arthur & Catherine of Aragon Apartment at Ludlow Castle.

The more astute of you (or those who know me personally) can probably guess why we are visiting there.

We also plan a day trip to Cardiff to stalk Doctor Who. Or I do, anyhow. :) Mark can stalk Billie Piper or something.

Obviously the plans for England are like, REALLY far out, so I don't have anything more concrete other than Ludlow Castle. Oh, and Stone Henge. OH and Gloucester Cathedral. They film the courtyard scenes of HP there. ;) YAY!

So that's it for now. That's ENOUGH, seriously. But I'm excited! So yay!

What I did this weekend.

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:39:07 GMT

Saturday morning, I got up at 630 and went out to my friend Tory's house in Lovettsville to help her pack stuff up for her move. We got some stuff, but not all of it done, before I had to leave to go to an appointment with Jenni at 1230.

That took about...six hours. And I'm not even going to lie. It hurt like crazy. The last bit of the treasure map, I bit my hand it hurt so bad, and had teeth marks there for like an hour.

After that we bbq'd and then went to see Hellboy 2. We went to Brambleton, and they informed us that the showing had been cancelled because of the Dark Knight. At first I was pissed, but then I was ok with it because there was a later showing at Regal in Sterling (still ghetto despite recent improvements) AND it meant that Batman was probably going to kick Spiderman 3's ass at the box office. Cause that movie SUCKED. Just saying.

Hellboy 2 was fairly awesome, although TWO love stories were a little much for me. More shooty. Less kissy. Thanks. I was SO freaking tired I almost dozed off during a couple of the slower parts. But, you know. Early rising + ink trauma.

Sunday morning I had nothing going on. But I did have a florescent light in my kitchen that should be set dressing in a zombie movie. So I decided to tear it down and see if I could put up a normal light. Turned out, I could!

So I went shopping and got a couple of matching hanging lights that are all kinds of awesome. I got the first one up, and then started watching 28 Weeks Later with Mark and drinking margaritas and decided that electricity and tequila probably don't go well together, so I put the second one off for another day. Either way, I have two working light fixtures now! They just don't match, yet. :)

Last night, Mark commented how on the way back from the movie, I was like "Yay! I don't have ANYTHING to do tomorrow!"

He's like "you don't 'do nothing' the way most people 'do nothing', just so you know."

Anyway, it was a fun weekend. And now, I'm exhausted. :)

Batman.

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 03:04:11 GMT

Fucking.

Ruled.

Watch me make this pencil disappear!

Jack Daniel's Distillery.

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:11:43 GMT

The Jack Daniel's Distillery was an interesting experience. It was a dreary, rain soaked day, when we drove up into Lynchburg. We had an interview with a gentleman who had been with the company for a long, long time, long enough to remember it before it went massive corporation. Then we had a tour with a fella in a pair of bib overalls. In fact, all the tour guides were wearing them. Its the height of Jack Daniel's fashion.

They definitely played up the Tennessee roots, and more importantly, the eccentricities of the character behind the Old Number 7 Blend.

For some reason, when you become a Master Taste Tester, they give you a wooden duck.

The tasting room.

The charcoal they use for filtering, cooling in the rain.

I love the hand lettering on the sign.

The man himself. Yeah, I'm taller.

The cave that is also their water source.

Mr. Daniel's old office. Wherein lies his safe, and his demise. You all know the story? He kicked it in a fit of anger because he couldn't get it open. The resulting broken toe eventually developed gangrene and he had several amputations before he eventually succumbed to the infection. Hold your temper, boys and girls!

In the yard of the old office, looking up at the cave.

Aww, they love that font, eh?

Who doesn't love technology?

Inside the mash tun.

Here's the charcoal filtering that makes it so smooth. (HAH! Sorry, just wanted to see if I could type that with a straight face.)

Bricks in the rain.

Nice part of the property.

Gentleman Jack! They run it through the charcoal twice. And sell it for a lot more money. Can't say they aren't smart! Premium Scotch is in the barrel for another ten to twenty years. Premium Jack is in their charcoal for 14 more days.

Hand bottling facility.

More trees in bloom.

I love the way this one came out.

And here we have Mr. Daniel's grave. With the chairs there, so that all the women who never had him can come and weep over their loss.

Or at least that's what they say.

The legend of Jack Daniel's overarches everything he did, whether the truths have been bent or skewed by time and telling, I'm not one to say. But I can appreciate it. Far more than I can appreciate his whiskey. ;)

Full Gallery ° Slideshow

Philadelphia, Words and Pictures.

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 20:07:16 GMT

My mom and I went up to Philly for the three-day 4th of July weekend, to sight see and check out fireworks and generally have a good time in a town we'd never been to.

Friday, after we got into town and checked into the hotel, we went down by Independence Mall, to see if we could catch a glimpse of the Liberty Bell.

Independence Hall, plus buildings and tourists.

Get in line for the Liberty Bell! HAHA!

Inside The Bourse

From there, due to the lines and general craziness of tourism + protestors, we decided to make our way back up, closer to our hotel, and find something to do for the evening.

We stopped off at City Hall, and got some nice shots. Its such a pretty building.

Inside the tunnel.

In the courtyard.

A church next door to the Historic Mason's Lodge, which is entirely covered in scaffolding. I'd imagine that its rather a nice building though.

After that, we took a subway to University City, where we went to a movie theatre with a restaurant and bar in it. Oddly, you could take your food into the theatre, but not your drink? WTF?

We saw Hancock and I thought it was pretty hilarious. Wasn't looking for a huge epic plot though, just saying. Just some good one liners.

Saturday morning, we got up early and bought tickets for the PHLASH, which is a trolley, or really a trolley car shaped bus. Five bucks, and you could get anywhere in the City Center ALL DAY until 6pm. Nice!

We got down to Independence Mall, and started to get in line for the Liberty Bell, only there was no line. We went in straightaway.

A brief history of the Liberty (or State House) Bell.

A bit on how it became known as the "Liberty" Bell.

Sing it, Suffragette Sister!

A molding of the actual inscription on the bell. They invite you to touch it here and keep your lousy mitts of the national treasure, thankyouverymuch.

Cool X-ray view!

And now!!!

The actual Liberty Bell! OOH! AAHH! HURRAY!!

This photo made possible by my sheer determination and patience to GET ONE WITHOUT A PERSON IN IT. I waited for like, ten minutes. And still had to creatively crop.

See? Crowded!

Looking up the crack. Erm. Sorry. Can I rephrase that?

Looking out the window at the Bell's old home.

Playing with sepia.

Flowers outside the center.

Cupola on Independence Hall.

Again, with the patience. Seriously, there was a dude right in front of it for the longest time, taking like fifty million shots. I'm like seriously, pal, if you don't have a shot by now, you're not going to get one.

Can't decide if I like the long one or the wide one better.

From there, we walked on down to the visitor's center, where they had a lovely terrace.

Then we walked on up the small hill to the National Constitution Center.

On the lawn of the Constitution Center, some anachronists were set up, entertaining the throngs of tourists.

Inside, there were some cool things.

Just saying. The fella just all the way on the right is totally rocking a peg leg. Arr!

Tents become tarps when the rain comes. We need to figure out how to do this for our campsite!

States flags in the Constitution Center.

Next we hopped back on the Trolley/Bus thing, and went to the Franklin Institute, where the Real Pirates Exhibit is.

Another exersize in patience. I actually gave up the first time after getting shots with people just on the edges, and got this one as we came out much later.

Inside on the opposite side of the gift shop, admiring the window stickers.

The Pendulum staircase. Kind of hard to see the pendulum swinging all the way down there.

Alas, no actual photos of Pirate Treasure, because they are JACKASSES. They want you to buy their book. Only, I tried and their credit card machine broke, so I was limited to the emergency cab fare in my wallet, which amounted to $20 bucks.

Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

After the museum, we went back to the hotel to chillax for a bit before we went down to see the fireworks. We considered going to Penn's Landing for the big concert/fireworks party, but when we found out about Moshulu, we changed our minds. Its a tallship that has been renovated as a restaurant and bar. It has several decks and a magnificent view of the water and Benjamin Franklin Bridge.

The main restaurant had a fixed price menu that was $90 per person and they were also fully booked. So we ate at the deck restaurant which was delicious and reasonable. We paid $85 with tip and at least a drink each. We both had tuna steak, and it was fantastic and also properly cooked! (this is a big deal.)

Looking through the ropes at the city.

Water + ships.

WANT!

Lookout, the law is here!

I like the bluetint of the sky in the background, and yet the sun playing off the ship makes it just look like its coated in honey.

A better version of the previously posted shot.

Rain coming down.

FIREWORKS!!

Leaving Moshulu, still in the rain.

What followed was a scary ass cabride through not the nicest parts of town, up a few one way streets the wrong way! The cabbie was really nice though, he shut off the meter when it hit ten bucks, and apologised all over the place for the traffic, like it was his fault. The Boyz II Men concert at Penn's Landing had way more to do with it. He got a nice tip for his effort. We gave him a $20.

Overall, we had a nice trip. It wasn't a bad drive up or back, we went the scenic route through Pennsylvania instead of up 95. We stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott and it was nice and relatively reasonably priced (If you do the prepay thing at their website) and well located. The parking for the entire weekend was $62 bucks, which in a city, is not too bad.

For more pics, see the full galleries!

Philadelphia
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Independence Mall
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Merriweather, Take II.

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 15:17:47 GMT

We went to Merriweather last night to see John Mayer play. Guess what? IT RAINED! ALL NIGHT!

Luckily, I have a gigantic umbrella, so we did ok. It was crazy though. There were huge mudspots everywhere because all these girls were wearing those rubber flip flops? And falling repeatedly into them. The sinks in the bathroom were clogged with sand and there were women everywhere covered in mud. It was a little amusing.

I managed to stay vertical, possibly do to the choice of appropriate footwear (old beat up sketcher tennies) and the fact that I wasn't wasted on lite beer.

Anyway, Mayer was great. Very entertaining. He kept throwing random snatches of other songs into his songs, I caught at least two from the Police. He'd be in the middle of a song, and start playing the guitar line from Wrapped Around your Finger. Then I'm standing there like WAIT! DOES. NOT. COMPUTE.

He talked a lot in between songs and he's pretty hilarious. Also, giant new sleeve. Its gorgeous. I had to google it to see it more clearly, since we were waaaaaaaaaaay out in the lawn, but now that I've looked, we probably got as good of a view of it as that photo, seeing as how its so small.

We had a great time, even with the weather. I took a few photos with my new camera, but I was super paranoid about getting it out in the rain!

Me and Ann hanging out under the umbrella. Also, through a ziplock. ;)

On the screen, cause you can't really see him otherwise.

Our actual view, over heads and through some umbrellas.

Also? The disparity between the Dropkick Murphy's show on Wednesday and the John Mayer show? HILARIOUS. Just sayin'.

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 01:58:51 GMT

Mark got me a Canon SD1100 IS Digital Elph to replace my old (seriously old.) SD250. Its for my birthday but it came early and since there are so many concerts between now and then he said I could have it early.

John Mayer on Sunday. (I thought it would be a nice chill show. It'll probably rain, cause its at Merriweather.)
Marley Brothers (Damien, Ziggy, Stephen. Super excited about Damien!) at Roots Rock Reggae fest in Baltimore on July 26.
Linkin Park/Chris Cornell and like 9 other bands on the 27th.

Plus Counting Crows/Maroon 5, but that's on Aug 16th.

I'm definitely taking this little badass out and about tomorrow to see what it can do. Mostly, I think it'll be nice to have a cam that has more than 3.2 MP to take out and about when I don't want to carry the big rig around. YAY!

SERGEI!

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 13:40:01 GMT

Fedorov back with Capitals

Permission to stalk him now, plz? kthx.

I wonder if the Caps will call me back now to ask if I want season tickets? They called me a month ago to offer me full season tickets and I said "Call me when you sign Fedorov."

Merriweather

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 12:30:35 GMT

Went to see Dropkick Murphy's last night at Merriweather (WHICH WAS TWENTY SEVEN KINDS OF FREAKING AWESOME!) and it poured rain while we were waiting to go into the show. Seriously, has anyone ever been to a show there where it didn't rain?

And shouldn't they change the name? To "Inclementweather" or "Bringanumbrella Post Pavilion?"

Strange.

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 03:07:46 GMT

When I was younger, I was a stranger to things out of doors. I hid from the sun, inside or in shade. I worked at night, slept all day. I would go out into the desert at night to sit and stare at the bowl of stars and watch satellites fly by, but camping, swimming, hiking, they were foreign things. I feared scorpions, snakes, things that hid in the creek at the bottom of Sabino Canyon. I hated the sun, the heat. When my friends would plan trips, I would bow out, or if I went, I would sit on the fringe like I didn't belong, and think about how I never should have come.

I liked sailing, but I only got to go once. My uncle had a sailboat and the one time we went to visit him, he took us out on it. We went down canals, under a big bridge and suddenly into the gulf of Mexico.

Somewhere along the way, the two things became entwined. Going out on boats also meant hikes through bug infested Mexican jungles to see Mayan ruins and swimming in the ocean despite the jellyfish and other fears. SPF 70-85 eliminates sunburn problems. I learned that being in the water makes the heat less bothersome.

And the fear of things in hidden depths?

I wonder if it is the fear losing its grip on me, or the enjoyment I've found doing such things that overpowers it.

Bartlett-Kerr Wedding.

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 19:42:22 GMT

As previously mentioned, quick_chick and smjayman brought me in to shoot their friend Kate's wedding two weekends ago in Chesapeake, VA.

It was a unique, fun and joyful experience, the wedding taking place on the grounds of the Kate's parents house, with a piper, and a big pool party, and friends and family helping with the set up.

Sister, niece, aunt and mom of the bride help snip and arrange the flowers.

Jay blew some stuff up.

Seriously, how cute is that?

Michaela helps by putting out the flower arrangements.

They had the piper start playing about 15 minutes before the ceremony, to call everyone in the neighborhood over. :)

Kate's father walked her down the aisle AND performed the ceremony.

James' sons present the rings.

Wide shot of the entire wedding party.

Dara gets a little tearful.

I quite like this one, showing her tattoo of her family crest on her back.

The proud papa watches his daughter walk back down the aisle.

The Groom and his boys.

I quite liked this one, as it's looks like they're having fun.

Bouquets.

How utterly adorable is this?

After the ceremony, a pool party was part of the reception! Look, they even brought in a lifeguard so that the partying adults wouldn't have to worry!

The groom presented his best man and his father each with a flask as a wedding favor. The best man tried to get his open in order to give his toast, and couldn't.

Later, I caught the bride in a quiet pool moment with one of her new step-sons.

And she kept her hair dry!

Dad makes it legit.

Instead of wedding favors for all the guests, they made donations to the Fisher House for Military Families.

One of the cakes was a recreation of a Grey Ghost bottle, the wine they were drinking when they met. :)

Kate explains the significance to James' father.

Lots of luck to this new family as they start out!

Forthcoming:

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 22:19:26 GMT

- Wedding photos (currently uploading)
- Pictures and words from the spectacular trip to Philadelphia.
- Squeeage about the beginnings of my Death Eater Quidditch Uniform.
- Random ideas for my birthday party this year, some of which include a tallship cruise and a happy hour at O'Faolain's.
- More whiskey photos/photos from the Great Whiskey Tour of 08.

Moshulu.

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 22:11:46 GMT

Originally uploaded by jettdelirium.

waves

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 11:24:19 GMT

Off to Philly! Have a great weekend a great Fourth, everyone! Try not to blow any fingers off! :D

Philly

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 13:27:27 GMT

I'm excited to go to Philadelphia this weekend. Its funny, nearly everyone I mention it to around here is like "Oh I've been to Philly. Well, I've been through there. But never to sight see."

Its so close! Why wouldn't you go for a weekend! I guess close is relative. I used to think Denver was close. We used to drive to San Diego from Tucson all the time for a weekend.

Oh, also? Google maps is just cute. I put in the route from Ashburn to Philly, and it had me taking the beltway to 95 and up. It said "3 hours, 7 minutes." and then underneath that, "3 hours, 50 minutes in traffic."

Isn't that hilarious? Have they BEEN on the beltway or the 95 corridor btwn DC and Baltimore in traffic? Realistically? Add TWO HOURS. And that's being optimistic.

We're going through Harrisburg so we can see virginiadare on the way back on Sunday. I'm not going anywhere NEAR 95 on the 4th of July. The last time I got on 95 that weekend, I sat for EIGHT hours in what closely resembled a parking lot, before finally making it to Williamsburg. If it hadn't been the day that LIVE 8 happened, and I hadn't had XM that day...I shudder to think.

My mom comes in tomorrow. Right after the cleaning crew leaves. *whew*

Also, I'm more than halfway through the wedding shots. SOON!

Because it amuses me.

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 20:12:33 GMT

And because I thought perhaps ya'll might want a different impression of smjayman beyond "that guy can kick my ass."

Also, because Dara asked for it. :D

Here we have Jay, with a gaggle of children, helping them learn how to blow up balloons on the helium tank. If that doesn't amuse you enough, pretend he's just inhaled a bunch of it and is talking to them in a munchkin voice.

Because as far as you know, that's exactly how it went down.

Fixed Delirium

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 18:12:40 GMT

Before (with stencils of new fish):

Sorry for the crappy cellphone photos :)

Kind of a HUGE difference though, huh?

Busy Bee!

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 11:25:03 GMT

This weekend, I shot a wedding down in Chesapeake, VA. The bride was a friend of quick_chick's and so she and smjayman brought me in and covered the travel expenses to offset the cost for her. :) Plus I got to spend the weekend with them. We had fun!

Jay and I got to see Wanted on Friday night after the Rehearsal Party and it was BRILLIANT. LOVED it! The plot may have been a little questionable in parts, but it was spectacular and so visually stunning. Also, if you ever want to get to the advanced levels of a shoot-the-mummies game in the movie theatre arcade, it helps to have Jay as the other player. Its kind of alarming how good he is at shooting things.

We went out to dinner with Dara afterward at a Friday's that was pretending that 12:52 means 1 AM and was trying not to serve us food at all.

The wedding was great, apart from the actual weather not being very cooperative. It was 97 at one point, and humid and there was a smoldering fire in the Dismal Swamp that meant the entire town was a haze of smoke the entire weekend. The wind kicked up on Saturday afternoon, blowing some of the smoke off, but at the end of the day I was covered in sweat, bug spray and sunblock. Uck.

The bride is quite proud of her Scottish heritage, and she had a piper for the ceremony! HOW cool is that! I love pipes! The ceremony was quick and touching and the grooms son's were ring bearers and were super-cute all day. I have like a thousand photos, but I'm getting through them and I'm pretty darned happy about how they turned out.

After the festivities wound down, we each got to shower and then we all went out for Mexican food and Margaritas and it was a nice ending to a physically tough day. I'm glad I got to spend more time with Dara. I like her a lot and I hardly ever get to see her!

Yesterday I got off work a wee bit early and went to see Jenni. She worked on my old, crappy Delirium tattoo, and it is now all kinds of spectacular. I'm so pleased! She added some fishies and relined and coloured the whole thing and you can't even tell there was anything under it. It's amazing. Pictures of before and after as soon as I get a good one of the new :)

Also, it hurts like WOAH. My foot is having trouble bending. Going down stairs is superfun this morning. :)

We went to see Hulk last night. I thought it was GREAT! And I had totally forgotten that Tony Stark was supposed to show up in it! I was so happy! <3's Iron man.

It was a well done film and the CGI didn't even bother me. I didn't see the Eric Bana version (because Eric Bana sucks and I tend to steer clear!) but from what I've heard about it, this one completely lays waste to it. Good action, sweet love story, Hulk Smash. What more do you want? ;)

Jim Beam.

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 20:10:34 GMT

I didn't actually get the chance to do the tour of Jim Beam, because we were headed to Tennessee. But I did get to use their bathroom. I think I used the bathroom at every distillery IN Kentucky. HAHA!

I'd give it a 3 out of 5. Buffalo Trace's was way nicer. Heaven Hill was lovely as well. But I digress.

Their property was exceptionally beautiful, and we wandered around for a few minutes before getting back on the road.

Booker Noe, the famous Master Distiller.

Plus, his dag.

More about Booker.

The mold growing up the sides of the aging house kind of freaked me out. Apparently, they quite believe that it adds to the taste of the whiskey. Makes me squicky, though.

And there we leave Kentucky behind. Tennessee coming right up!

Full Gallery ° Slideshow

YAY!

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:01:23 GMT

Went shopping last night to buy A pair of ponts. Instead bought FOUR out of celebration, cause I totally dropped another size. I've been going to the gym three times a week, and eating well and working on decreasing portions and its all paying off. I've dropped three sizes since I started seriously working at it, and I'm now firmly into the regular sizes that you can buy in ANY store. I don't have to go into the special section or the big girl store, and that makes me immeasurably happy.

Two weeks ago I went to Macy's to look at swim suits cause I wanted a pair of shorts to wear in the creek while camping. I ended up fitting perfectly into a size L. No XL. L! I was so stoked! I can't remember the last time my size didnt have at least one X in it.

My next goal is to lose another size before my birthday. I think that's reasonable. Its over a month away. I might go to the gym tonight for the fourth time this week tonight to celebrate my accomplishment. :)

Frankfort, KY

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 20:07:40 GMT

Frankfort, KY is just up the way from Buffalo Trace distillery. We went there to track down Capital Cellars, where the tour guide at Buffalo Trace had told us we could buy some of their experimental whiskeys.

Here it is, on a street that would rival any Mainstreet, USA. :)

Here's Rachel, the proprietor of Capital Cellars, setting us up a glass of each of the experimental bottles she had.

Both were Cabernet Franc aged, but the 6 year (I think it was) was so much better than the 8, surprisingly.

We had very good timing while we were in Frankfort. Kate had been trying to buy a bottle of this stuff from Rachel, and she said that everything she had was spoken for. But then she checked her email while we were sitting back drinking our whiskey, and someone had emailed her to cancel his pre-order. Kate got two bottles of the stuff! A sound investment in a volitile market. :D

I can't decide which angle I like better.

The Old State Capital, which, like most State Capitals on a weekday in spring, has its steps swimming with schoolchildren on field trips.

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0623081116.jpg

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 15:18:46 GMT

0623081116.jpg
Originally uploaded by jettdelirium.

All filled in! Plus a new added patch for the treasure map on the left side

Mini Vacation!

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 11:57:25 GMT

My mom is coming for the 4th of July and the week following. I always try to do something with her when she comes on the 4th. I'm not a big fan of sitting around watching the fireworks on TV or whatever twenty minute display the local planned community puts on. Last year we went to Baltimore during the day and stayed in Annapolis for fireworks. It was neat!

This year, we're going to Philadelphia.

I've never been there in the 9 years I've been on the East Coast, and she's never been either. I was searching for hotel rooms, and the Courtyard by Marriott is pretty cheap, plus they're usually good, and it had good reviews.

While I was at their page, they offered a special deal for $199 per night for a room and two tickets to the Real Pirates Exhibit at the Franklin Institute. I was like WHUUUUT?

So I went over and investigated and found out that tickets are $23 dollars, and the room is $139 so that doesn't really add up, especially for the second night... So I got the room and the tickets separately, but if it wasn't for their special deal, I wouldn't have known about the exhibit! It looks COOL! Plus they have a jolly roger with a moving jaw on the website, so they get bonus points.

So anyway, we're going to eat cheesesteak and watch fireworks, and if we're very very lucky, we're going to go see the Liberty Bell. We're hoping to get in on Friday, but I kind of think the line is going to be forever and ever, so we're planning on getting up EARLY on Sunday to catch a glimpse. Usually tourist stuff doesn't really get crazy until after 10.

Speaking of Pirates, I didn't get my treasure map done because Jenni hadn't gotten enough time to really work up a line drawing, and she wants to make it awesome, so far be it for me to rush an artist. Instead, I got all of the patches that were previously started done, plus I got a new patch added that is big enough to really do the map justice. It's going to be based on this style but it will obviously be original. It will definitely have a compass on it, but no ship, because I'm going to eventually get an old school style ship at full sail elsewhere. I'm super excited even though its like three weeks away! :)

Pictures of the new work later, after I've had time to get one. I've been working on Mark's computer all weekend (and banging my head against the wall) so I haven't had time.

Hopefully I can get one at work. ;)

Buffalo Trace

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 15:22:52 GMT

On our second day of distilleries in Kentucky, we had to decide whether to go to the new Buffalo Trace or to Maker's Mark. We needed to drive to Tennessee on the same day, so we could only do one.

Kate had already been to Maker's Mark on the rockstar tour and got to dip her own bottle and everything, which I was keen to do, as well!

However, we were there to learn about whiskey, and repeating tours isn't necessarily the way to do that.

We chose to go to Buffalo Trace which simultaneously exists as both the oldest and newest distillery in Kentucky.

Their grounds were gorgeous, their whiskey delicious, and they even introduced us to their Master Distiller. :)

On the wall, you have a blown up document stating the dates each distillery was opened and what became of it. #113 O.F.C. was opened in 1787 and today is Buffalo Trace.

How the distillery survived prohibition. For Medicinal use!

The grounds are just beautiful. And look at those spring flowers!

Make a wish.

I saw daffodils blooming in so many places this year. Ireland, Scotland, Kentucky, Virginia, Michigan, and Canada.

Barrel rails.

Old school stills and scales.

Inside the aging house.

Experimental whiskeys. More on that later. ;)

The industrial side of the distillery.

Hand bottled!

With a different top for every stage of the Kentucky Derby. Collect the whole set!

The corn solids that have to be removed, and are often sold off to cosmetics companies. I just thought they looked pretty in the light.

More hand bottling.

The finished product, oh and was it ever delicious.

Master Distiller, Harlen Wheatley.

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