So the Mrs. decides to do a giveaway. In an hour, there have been over 1,200 comments. The server just barely started to sweat (your mileage may vary). I don’t think the server has ever seen that kind of comment load. Chalk a big one up to caching and webinternetry jim jammin on the one.

She had a bunch of images up, but given the nature of the post, they were causing slowdowns. While Heather is at the gym, she authorized me to pull the images down if the site got slow. Hopefully, they’ll go back up if the interest slows over the next few days.

I have to say that i’m very impressed with Drupal right now. I think we made the right choice for a content management system. Thanks everybody for your patience if dooce® is down. I’ll be on server watch for the next few days, so you can contact me: djblurb [at] blurbomat [dot] com if you see bugs or experience issues relating to not being able to leave a comment. Your other issues are best left handled by trained professionals and/or legal chemicals.

Go comment and win a Wii with Wii Fit!! Good luck! o

This plant was huge. Little Shop of Horrors huge. I’m still nursing my bloody stump of a left arm after it attacked. I was very lucky to get this shot, actually. o

Warning: bug-related post ahead. Proceed at your own risk.

photo taken by mjswart

I was with the dogs in the backyard a couple of nights ago and saw the weirdest flying bug ever. It had smallish wings, a weird body that was kind of bee/wasp colored and a long tail that was basically a large pine needle. By large I mean at least 3 inches. How the thing was flying, I have no idea. I freaked out and spun around to grab something to smash it (I thought that tail might be used to suck my brain out and transmit it to a waiting craft, hovering in geosynchronous orbit). Nearest tool was a shovel. Not the most graceful thing to swing at a bug that might have a deadly venom. I missed. It went away. I got the dogs inside and couldn’t get the image out of my head. I’m uncomfortable typing this right now. Bugs like that are supposed to live in the south. Or midwest. Not in the rockies.

I’ve spent a great deal of time researching what the hell the bug could have been and the best I could come up with was a mayfly. Flickr reveals some things. This one is close. Look at this sucker! See also.

I’m going to shower. And then climb in my hyperbaric chamber for a spell. o

Or maybe a fern?

These were all over our neighborhood in Destin. When I took this, a breeze had kicked up and in the mid left you can see the blurs caused by the breeze moving the fronds.

I love how these show light. Really lovely and such. o

I have shared my love of the Dan for many years. I’ve taken NO END OF SHIT for my appreciation of the musicality, the musicianship and the quirks. It’s damn near perfect rock/pop that indelibly stamps my youth. And, appropriately, the summers of my youth.

The Aquarium Drunkard has a treatise on the awesomeness of Steely Dan and this song in particular. Link courtesy Marshall (his photos are fantastic!).

Aquarium Drunkard: MP3 Blog, Music Blog » Sevens :: Steely Dan: Reelin’ in the Years

Check out the photo of the band and pay attention to two things: overalls & Donald Fagen. It’s a far cry from Mr. Fagen’s early 80s solo days.

Sidenote: The guitar work is stellar, sure. The harmonies tight. However, there is something about the piano sound on this song. It’s a beefy, delicious sound that I’ve only heard on a few songs ever, including the mighty Ben Folds. Elton John had something close, but not quite as warm on “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting”.

If you don’t like or “care for” Steely Dan… move along. These aren’t the droids you are looking for. o

Armstrong photography | dooce^®

Heather shows off some our larger work. I’d love to offer big prints, but I’m guessing the pricing and shipping necessary would drastically reduce sales. Some of you have hinted at wanting larger prints and I may have a section in the shop that handles those. Still debating. With myself. o

UPDATE: I’ve added my shot to the store. You can see pricing info here. Sizes are in inches. I might make the more popular prints available as larger prints.

I also think of the beach. But palm trees come first to mind. And the lens flare is not a Photoshop one. It’s actual. o

Taken in Brooklyn, May, 2008.

I’m always struck how real cities have neighborhood bodegas and bars. It’s too bad that culture doesn’t really exist in Utah, as I think it would help those not of the predominant faith find similar minded people close to them.

I wish I had come back at night and shot this sign. Maybe next trip? o

Taken while waiting to parasail. I can’t decide if these were used as hangers for belongings or as a warning to scare off timid tourists.

One note, one that I’m sure I’ll sing again and again: My photos aren’t journalistic they are expressionistic. I don’t represent them as such. If I were shooting news, I’d adhere to a strict code of bare minimum tweak.

Also, thanks for taking the time to register for comments. You shoulda seen the crap I deleted over the weekend. Feels really good. o

Another from the sunset beach walk series. I almost got tangled up in the line a few times looking for crabs. The pole was unoccupied/unclaimed, so I was unable to ask what they were fishing for or if they had caught anything.

Based on our parasailing adventure, I would hope that no sharks got close enough to bite. Still, it would be pretty cool to see a 6 foot nurse shark battling it out in the shallows with a rod this size. The rod would likely be snapped in about .08 seconds.

p.s. I miss the beach. o