soundboard de cheevo

I guess I'm sort of on a roll here with various election postings. I'm not interested in turning this into a purely political blog, but it's news, is out there and can't be ignored. First off James Fields Jr., a Democrat, made Cullman County history Tuesday as the first black person to win the House District 12 seat against a Republican. Cullman is about 50 miles north of Birmingham and has had a reputation of being a racially intolerant area. I don't know what truth lies in those rumors, but I've heard them for much of my life, as have my parents so it makes me think it's not all urban legend (or rural legend as would be more appropriate.) Here's what The Birmingham News' Ken Faulk reported today. Also, in important election news, it appears that my friend Angela Georges, who I blogged about last week, won the photo contest she entered soundly with 29% of the vote so she and husband Tim will be fortifying their kindercompound with plenty of free d

Thanks to Roy for posting this earlier on Facebook.

...for Rock Paper Rock promoting upcoming white kid hip-hop show. Click on image for full res experience.

It was built in 1913, is located on 2nd Ave. N, sat vacant for many years and now has been given new life as condominiums. Here's an article about its recent transformation.

My good friend, Angela, a Decatur, Ga. mom, teacher, photographer, artist, all-around fantastic person and creator of one of my favorite blogs My Daily Struggle , has entered a national photo contest with a picture she took of her two-year-old, Audrey Rose, and some pretzels in various states. She sent a call asking friends to vote for her photo and I'm passing it on. The photo to vote for is the one I posted and you can vote once a day until Jan. 30. So far Audrey is in the lead by a head (of curls of course.) Her latest blog entry reads: So, of course, I'm asking everyone I know to go and vote for Audrey's picture! She's one of ten finalists in this contest. Here are the details: Voting has begun and will take place through 5pm PT on 1/30/08 at http://www.modernmom.com/main/polls/10/111 The entry with the highest number of votes at the end of the voting period will win a $100 Target gift certificate. This could mean a lot of diapers, people. Tell everyone you know. Y

Yesterday marked the end of a era for me as I watched the last episode of " The Sopranos ." It has left me a little hollow in the gut, like the way you feel when you have to say goodbye to someone you love, not knowing when you'll see them next. That series has been my companion for the past few years. It has conned me into feeling sorry for murdering sociopaths and adulterers and sad when main characters met their inevitably untimely, but predictable tragic fates. Creator David Chase did a brilliant job with this series which features some of the best dramatic acting, particularly in the roles of Carmela and Tony Soprano ( Edie Falco and James Gandolfini ), that I have ever seen. Cinematography, editing, locations and soundtracks have also been excellent. I know I will venture back in re-runs to this show for many years to come. If you haven't seen the series and can deal with the content, I couldn't recommend it more and I suggest the real episodes, not A&E&

Today the rare occurance of snow happened over much of central Alabama. The last time I remember seeing such a blanketing was back in 2000 which proves why people around here get so damn excited and and excitable about it. It's not like the mad panic to the grocery for milk and bread is justified (or for others, beer and Golden Flake potato chips). Folks just like pretending it could happen. It's a southern thing I suppose. As for the snow, it didn't last long and was mostly melted two hours after it quit falling, but it was a joy to watch. I was in Crestwood and got to witness Stella, the wonder pup, as she looked up at the sky with great amusement and some confusion, although she looks at many things that way. More photos from the weather phenomena are here.

I love all the details on the face of a tabby cat. There are so many colors and patterns and they all work together so beautifully. I also love the tiny delicate veins in their ears that appear dark pink against light pink when the sun shows through them. The pupil width changes on a dime and the flower pattern on the outside of her iris only seems to show itself in sunlight. I never even noticed the intricate tiny circles on their noses until I took these. Maddy Lou allowed the camera to within an inch of her face and didn't flinch once -- the sign of a true professional. More photos from this session are here.

Charles Schultz coined it and I couldn't agree more. In the house where I used to live is now a new puppy named Stella -- a black Great Dane with a white mantle and white spats. She is four months old and already weighs almost 60 pounds. Karen made the brave leap into the journey of a new dog and I have been able to get a few sloppy pup kisses. I like to think of her as my Goddog. She doesn't really look anything like Andi and that's a good thing. Karen was smart to not get another harlequin Great Dane because no dog could ever live up to the legend that Andi was. Not a day goes by that I don't think about Andi, but I'm grateful for the shiny black and goofy ray of new life and love known as Stella. May she have a long and healthy run.