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A customer of mine, Babin Building Solutions, is participating in the 2009 Cleveland Home & Flower Show and just for fun I went to the website to take a look.

What caught my eye — almost immediately — was the fact that the image used for the “General Information” menu item was of Ireland’s Powerscourt Garden.  Most people wouldn’t notice this, but I did.  I was there just 2 years ago, and the unique layout of the garden/walkway set against the unforgettable mountainscape is not something you fail to recognize.

This lead me to question whether it was appropriate for the Home & Flower Show to utilize this image, and more to the point legally, if they’re even authorized to use it.  Did the person who built this website take that picture?  Did the person who built this website acquire the picture from a stock photography suite?  Did they steal it from Powerscourt’s website or another source?  Does Powerscourt need to authorize the use of pictures taken of its property if they’re to be used commercially?  And, of perhaps less import, does it hinder the advancement of the Home & Flower Show’s mission, which is presumably to advocate the gardens built and maintained here in Ohio.  Surely an image of some magnificent garden locally would be better than using an image of gardens thousands of miles away in a country that has no real connection to Ohio.

Of course the benefit of the doubt has to play a role here as it always does.  Chances are that the Home & Flower Show does have the right to use the image.  Chances are they were simply interested in making their menu look cool by using a picture of a really cool garden.  Chances are no one in Ohio (save for me) will even notice this and comment on it.

But, I couldn’t let it go without giving Powerscourt the props it rightly deserves.  It’s an amazing place with perfect architectural landscaping, pristinely manicured lawns, hundreds of species of flora and a number of fountains/ponds that stop you in your tracks.  I’d like to see a garden like that in Ohio… if it exists.

This ping pong point is amazing.

Who wouldn’t love a reindeer crashing through their school window causing mayhem?  I know I would.

CNN video deer attacking school

It’s been nearly a year and a half in the making, but my friends and I finally got our Pi tattoos.  Chris Armenio, John Belter, Sean Teller and I went to Smokin’ Tattooz last night (11/29) in Kent and all got inked — some of us for the first time.  Noticeably wussing out and NOT getting a tattoo (even though she promised she would) was half-Asian Sarah Scroggy who nonetheless provided event planning services, and moral/emotional support.  

The tattoo appears slightly to the left of the center of my wrist, and along my watch band (so it can be hidden when it needs to be).  The entire tattoo fits within a 1 inch square.  The image on the bottom shows off 3.14 – 3 fingers up, wring finger down (point), pinky finger up for 1and the entire count of up fingers being 4.

Other important attendees during this historic event include: Mike Pavis, Lou Colorito, Katherine Dunn, Matt Coleman, Jeff Zimmerman, Caitin Ganley and Jeff Burk.  All of whom looked on as the rest of us endured.  Honestly, the needle wasn’t painful at all, and I was expecting much worse.

Why get Pi as a tattoo?  I can’t answer for anyone else, but for me I’ve wanted it for a long time.  There is beauty in mathematics, and Pi is an important number (ratio) used in calculations that define our world.  It’s infinite, never repeats itself, powerful in its simplicity and unique.  Pi is God’s number.

Additionally, the Greek letter Pi resembles neolithic Irish dolmens – or altars.  Dolmens pepper Ireland, and my dad and I saw a lot on our first visit there.  So in that way, my Pi tattoo will help remind me of those fun times.

Some of the dolmens my dad and I saw on our first Ireland trip.  Notice how similar dolmens are to the Greek letter Pi?

Go watch this CNN clip.  It’s about this guy who had his new Xbox and games stolen from him on a basic traffic stop.

Cops Steal Xbox from Guy

The link was on the CNN homepage and I was so intrigued by the headline I had to see what it was.  I think it’s crap they targeted this guy and put him through the hassle he had to go through to get it back.

It’s the first snow of the season here in Northeast Ohio, and again I’m reminded of how awesome it looks outside.  Sure it’s cold out, and driving is a pain, but you can’t deny that it’s really beautiful.

It’s this time of year people seem to utter, “I keep asking myself why I live here.” 

I can’t speak for them, but I like Cleveland, and I like the seasons.  I don’t mind the changes in weather, and actually look forward to it.  When I was weighing the possibility of moving away from this state (to somewhere that didn’t get snowfall) it was one of the things that ran through my head.  Honestly!  I thought, if I move there, I will miss the snow.  

So anyway, for me, this morning is awesome.  I can’t wait to go sledding.

CNN report on Northeast Ohio snowfall

It’s morning and I’ve been up all night working on a website.  The large Dunkin’ Donuts coffee I drank a few hours ago, and the Coke I chugged within the last hour has left me wide awake.  Yet the sight of daybreak is a good cue that maybe I should try and get a few hours of sleep before “waking up.”

I’m really glad I didn’t buy one of those 5 hour energy drinks… I’m not even sure if those work.

Anyway, good night (err… morning)!

AG

In no particular order:

1. Apt Pupil
A not too well known movie starring Ian McKellen. A school boy discovers his neighbor was a Nazi from WWII. The boy decides to leverage this knowledge to learn more about WWII from McKellen.

2. Some Like it Hot
Hilarious older film starring Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon. It still makes me laugh to this day.

3. Cool World
Cartoons doing people, people doing cartoons. Hot animated breasts. What more could you ask for?

4. The Good Son
Culkin and Elijah Wood square off as a “good” and “bad” son. A dark story about one child who goes too far with stirring up “fun” in the neighborhood.

5. Glory
A great war movie starring Ferris Buehler himself. Still chokes me up to this day.

6. Open Your Eyes
A Mexican version of the well hated Vanilla Sky that was released in America. Most critics say Open Your Eyes is far superior and even “good.” Open Your Eyes was released in Mexico before Vanilla Sky was released in America. Apparently psycho Tom Cruise is the critical factor.

7. Dirty Pretty Things
The underground black market of organ sales has an effect on the lives of the already troubled main characters. A drama with an unlikely hero, this movie is worth not only watching once, but owning.

8. Flowers in the Attic
A drama in which one mother decides to lock away, and slowly poison her own children. This film leaves you feeling uneasy the entire way through. Eventually the kids discover their mother’s ultimate intentions and fight back.

9. The Usual Suspects
Kevin Spacey weaves an imaginative tale of events as the one and only Keyser Soze. No movie I’ve ever seen has been able to keep me so far from guessing the final spin than this movie. It is a classic and well crafted all around.

10. The Shawshank Redemption
One of my favorite movies of all time, yet I amazingly don’t own it. I somehow always seem to forget that this needs to be part of my collection. Robbins and Freeman deliver big on this blockbuster. I’ve never felt so happy for a main character than I do for Andy Dufresne as he’s cashing out all the bank accounts.

I just saw an ad for the Dodge Avenger and it reminded me of a post I wanted to write for a few days now — “TV ads that irritate me.” Number 1 on my list right now was the Avenger commercial I just mentioned.

In case you haven’t seen it I’ll recap it for you: It begins with a car driving down a road with a heat seeking missile following close on it’s tail because — get this — the car has a heated cup holder. The whole commercial tries to convince you that this is the must have feature which will determine whether or not you buy it versus another car. At the end of the commercial the driver turns the heated cup holder to the “cool” setting (it can do both) and the missile stops following the car. Finally, as if we didn’t get the point already, the commentator says, “Did we mention the heated cup holder?”

Last one I’ll mention is not really a commercial, but instead the most annoying 60-120 seconds on TV — ever. If you ever watch MTV2 you’ll notice that they pepper their commercials with “upcoming concert” announcements.  These are just screen images of text saying which band is touring where, and when.  That’s the the bad part.  What is annoying is that they include a constant high pitched hum and/or buzzing sound that makes you want to kill yourself. Why?! Why do that?? Why not play music? It makes no sense! I can’t figure it out. It serves no purpose. I just mute the TV or change the channel. Was that your goal?

So I was driving through Aurora (“A-town” as some would call it) yesterday when I noticed an increased number of want-to-be-gang-bangers *rollin* thru the city. While Aurora has definitely become more *urban* I’d say about 1 in 5 of these “playaz” were actually black and the rest were white.

I really hate these kind of kids. The average income for an Aurora family in 2005 was $60,000+ which means you are no where near being an actual gang-banger.

These are the tools who have the under-carriage neon lights, fake spinning rims, crap-ass car with a cracked trunk and $8,000 worth of stereo equipment. YOU’RE TRASH! I hate you! Just because the weather is nice does not mean you’re invited to flaunt your stupidity and shake the cars next to you with your *woofa*.

I want to take all those kids and drop them off in true gang-banger country in Cleveland or Youngstown with a camera strapped to their head and see how long they survive — Blair Witch style.

Not much pisses me off in this world, but when something does I make sure to note it.