random smatterings of things i've seen lately

bowing to the pressure of millions to update my blog, here are a smattering of things i've run across in my recent travels:

1) i realize we all have to make a living somehow. hats off to this guy and his crude, yet innovative, way of doing just that:

2) you've been to google maps, yeah? well, ever wondered how they got all of those street view pictures? there are hundreds of people in the world driving around in cars like this with these cameras attached to the roof documenting Earth, as we know it. my only regret was that this camera wasn't recording when i discovered it.

3) many churches look alike. what is the surest way to know you are at an LDS church building? is it the steeple, well most churches have a steeple. is it the layout or design? well, even many LDS churches look very different from each other. no, the only way to truly know you are at an LDS building is to look in the parking lot about 3 minutes before services begin:

4) it doesn't come across very well on this site but the bumper sticker on the right reads "Les Claypool for President" - if you know me, you understand why i took a picture of this.

5) it's a cliche picture, i know. but this needed to be documented for my eulogy's sake (taken today 07.14.09)

5) this is me, happy.

Recession, you've gone too far.

perhaps i've been callous. perhaps i've been immune.

i've learned to deal with 'fuel surcharges' and 'contingency plans' at work like forced pto and not getting a raise this year. i've seen close friends lose their jobs. i've had people apply to work for me who are well overqualified to do the job they are asking to do - just to make ends meet.

but now, finally, the reality of the recession has hit me:

MOTHERS COOKIES
Oakland, Calif.
Founded: 1916
Closed: October 2008

For more than 90 years, kids in California enjoyed creating parades of Circus Animal Cookies baked by Mother's Cookies, an iconic grocery-store snack brand headquartered in Oakland. But this generation will be the last to munch on the bright-pink frosted animals: Mother's Cookies crumbled on Oct. 6, when the owners abruptly shut down and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

They blamed a variety of economic factors, including the rising costs of fuel, flour, butter and sugar. "It's a tough market in which to find credit," said Barrett Golden, spokeswoman for Catterton Partners, the private equity firm that bought Mother's Cookies a few years ago.