Ridgeline

Chrysler Building At Sunset Originally uploaded by cmcnulty2000 . Devin, Nate and I were in NYC as part of vacation week. Earileir in the day, we'd been to the Visionaire gallery in Soho to see an exhibit on flavor and art. I'm used to hearing about art from my wife, but my 11 year old daughter? (Well, it was the always au courant Weekly Reader.) Anyway, this was taken right at susnet, 23 February 2006, just as the city lights were coming on...

Northern State Originally uploaded by cmcnulty2000 . I miss these old streetlights. I found this photo somewhere on the web (I don't remember exactly where.) When I was a kid growing up on Long Island, the Expressway didn' have lights east of the Nassau-Queens line, but the Northern State Parkway was lit up all the way home. Anyway, although its a high speed limited access freeway, it had these quaint lamp poles. (Probably not so quaint if you hit one!) Today, the Northern State still has landscaping and stone-faced overpasses, but these lights are almost all gone...

For a Patriots fan, I guess its time to rest up. Seriously, I'm not accustomed to this much calm and quiet for the first weekend in February. By the way, Commissioner Taglibue, can we do something about the timing of the season? The Super Bowl used to be just after the holidays, but it keeps slipping later each year to line up better with cold weather Sundays, for maximum indoor TV viewership. Is it going to start running into baseball spring training? Other than user Madden 2006 to simulate a Pats-Seahaks Super Bowl, not much doing this weekend. Pittsburgh-New England is supposed to be one of the NFL's new hot rivalries, and I have a hard time warming up to the Seahawks, although I love the city. Well, its in Detroit, so let's stay with another Rust Belt city -- Steelers 17, Seahawks 13.

Labor Day 2002 Originally uploaded by cmcnulty2000 . I took this picture on the ferry line on Labor Day 2002. With the rain, it just said end of summer to me. This was on the ferry dock at Orient Point, waiting for the New London ferry.

12 July 2002 Georges Island 009 Originally uploaded by cmcnulty2000 . My family went to the Boston Harbor Islands a few years ago. It's a National Park, and they run a water ferry from the Long Wharf in Boston out to the islands. This picture was taken while exploring the ruins of the old Civil War-era fort on Georges Isalnd. The pattern of light on the floor, perfectly matching the path through the room, caught my eye.

London Eye Originally uploaded by merialc . Didnt realize I could blog other people's Flickr photos. This is a favorite of mine -- I've never made it over to the London Eye at night, although now I think I'll have to. Hard to appreciate just how big it is, except in person.

February 2003 Parabolic Dunes, California Originally uploaded by cmcnulty2000 . I could never have planned this color the way it came out.

Last year, I noted that Terrell Owens was preferable to Randy Moss: "Some of TO's off-field comments may be self serving, but he can play. Randy may be a playmaker, but I don't recall TO ever running down a police officer with his car. " (Ridgeline, January 2005) Well, I was wrong. Randy Moss didnt blow up the Raiders. Bye bye, Terrell. The NBA could use a class act like you.

Long time, no post. Well that's life. Sorry to see Tom DeLay stepping down -- what a shock. Well, someone's going to need to take over for Jack Abramoff in leading awkward lobbyist junkets. Here, once again, is my highly incomplete list of best, most interesting, memorable, notable music for 2005. Not quite as strong as last year, but still a solid year. Kanye West -- Late Registration -- Addiction One of this year's all-around best. Skip Golddigger and check a hard redning story about death and the diamond trade. Also, JayZ gets called out for glifying the bling, and at least has the courtesy to show up to defend himself. Queens of the Stone Age -- In My Head. Is "Song of the Year" too strong? Paul McCartney -- Fine Line If you haven't heard McCartney since "Band on the Run", check it out. Ranks up there with his best post-Beatles work. Louis XIV -- Me Me Me Me The best UK band ever to come out of San Diego. Beck -- EPro Return to mid90...

I'm impressed with Matthew Gilbert's prodigous output today in the Boston Globe (covering both Lost and American Idol before deadline). Despite my enjoyment of Lost , and Gilbert's writing, though, I have to give the season finale a grade of 'incomplete'. It was loose, draggy, and commercial laden (was it the Super Bowl II?). And Lost has always been taut. Kudos to the explosive opening, and Walt's high seas kidnapping. But we still don't know what's down the hatch. And I'm starting to worry that series creators Abrams and Lindelof don't know, either.

The Media Gates How, you may ask, can I not post on the dynastic ascendancy of the Patriots and weigh in on this topic? Good question. My family and I were going to head back to NY last weekend to see the "Big" gates, but Nate's 24 hour stomach flu made a 9 hour car trip sound like less fun. So, instead, I'll have to satisfy my curiosity with something closer to Boston -- say, in Somerville? When Hayley first sent me the link, I laughed out loud (sorry, bloggists, I mean LOL). So I wasn't surprised to see it turn up in the Boston Globe. I am, however, amused to see that story traversing its way from the NY Times to other sites across the world. So I'll do my bit. This was the most amusing thing I've seen since the Onion reported that Ben & Jerry's had rejected "Hefty Lefty" as the title for their new line of Michael Moore-themed ice cream. Enjoy.

Madden 2005 -- let the computer play Eagles vs. Patriots at Jacksonville. See if TO plays. Convince yourself that Madden is in on the anti-Patriots "conspiracy" Do not purchase brats or, God forbid, cheesesteak -- visit sausageguy.com to get that perfect New England tailgate flavor. Visit the Weather Channel site (http://www.w3.weather.com/activities/other/other/weather/tenday.html?locid=USFL0228) to check local temperatures in Jacksonville on Game Day; make mental note to actually go one of these winters. Plan ahead! Work on your ultimate football mix CD: Rock and Roll Part II, For Those About To Rock, the Monday Night Football theme....umm, why not Rock and Roll Part II again? Two words: face paint. Revisit travel web sites to check one day advance purchase fare to Jacksonville -- $$$$(TK). Contemplate selling car. Reconsider -- according to Mapquest its an 18 hour drive, so you've got time. Trip to video store. Completely out of Three Games to ...

First, let's start by congratulating the New England Patriots on the 20-3 victory over the Indianapolis Colts today, 20-3. Peyton Manning is a great quarterback, and some year, he should get a Super Bowl ring. Just not this year. Kudos to Bill Belichick, Tom Brady, Charlie Weis, Romeo Crennel, Corey Dillon, Rodney Harrison, Tedy Bruschi, and all the rest.. Go Pats! A recent writer called me on excluding The Killers from my random sample of good music in 2004. My apologies -- total oversight, since I don't have all my music with me at work. "Nobody Told Me" would make any list from last year. On the subject of the Killers, how about that performance on SNL last night? Smoldering. Rock is definitely back with a vengeance in 2005. And, apparently, eyeliner. Here's hoping that this is the second coming of Scott Weiland -- but without the (Sid) vicious addiction problems. If you read the Sunday NYT today, can you say Iraq is ready for an election, espe...

Boston.com / News / Odds & ends / Students told stripping is career choice : Students told stripping is career choice "SAN FRANCISCO -- School officials in Palo Alto are reconsidering their use of a popular speaker for an annual career day after he advised middle school students that they could earn a good living as strip dancers. William Fried told eighth-graders at Jane Lathrop Stanford Middle School that stripping and exotic dancing could be lucrative career moves for girls, offering as much as $250,000 or more per year, depending on their bust size." Fried seemed surprised that his comments were questioned by parents and school officials. Well, sir, what do you get if you flip the seond and third letters in your name? F-I-R-E-D. Get used to it.

I wont post a link to the dubious toucvhdown "celebration" by Vikings WR Randy Moss from Sunday's game in Green Bay. That was a great way to make people forget your walking-off-the-field tirade a week earlier, Randy. I used to think Terrell Owens was over the top. Then I remembered that football is entertainment. So dancing, spiking the ball, signing autographs and making calls no longer seem out of line. Some of TO's off-field comments may be self serving, but he can play. Randy may be a playmaker, but I don't recall TO ever running down a police officer with his car.

I love Katahdin's Knife Edge -- yes, that's a trail along the top of the ridge. This picture was taken from the top of Pamola looking ahead towards Baxter Peak. The first col -- about 200 feet, opens up in the lower left. I've climbed Mt. Washington in the winter, not sure I'd want to try this though... 

ABC News: U.S. Ends Fruitless Iraq Weapons Hunt White House Says Iraq Weapons Search Over; Evidence That Bush Used in Argument for War Not Found. "WASHINGTON Jan 12, 2005 - The search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq has quietly concluded without any evidence of the banned weapons that President Bush cited as justification for going to war, the White House said Wednesday." Really? How very...odd. Then that would mean...oh, never mind.

Jobs Goes 'Mini' with Mac, Flash-Based iPod : "SAN FRANCISCO - Apple CEO Steve Jobs is taking the concept of 'mini' to the Mac computer and a flash-based iPod. During his keynote Tuesday at the Macworld conference and expo here, Jobs introduced a Mac computer that almost fit into the palms of his hands and that is Apple Computer Inc.'s latest answer for Windows users wanting to switch platforms. " This sounds cool to me -- I like having more songs with me than can easily fit on my PPC. But I also like having my home base with permanent storage on my "real" system. Wonder if a Windows-oriented variant is coming. Or a $99 kit that I could add to my Dell Axim (most of the cost for the flash memory card). In addition, I do wonder about the amount of "real world" battery time on the Flash IPod. The Axim gets fussy after a day or so out of its base station. Also, on the base station front, adding iPod adapters to cars so...

The Suffolk Times Fire at the inn Saw this news online from one of my hometown papers. The Soundview Inn, in Southold, NY, suffered a major fire shortly before New Years' Eve. Love it, hate it, its a North Fork institution, and I hate to see even part of it in ruins. Especially when I used to take dates for a "big night" at the restaurant back in my post high school/college days. Thank God no one was hurt. And thank God no one is talking about rebuilding it as the W Hotel Soundview (yet!) Source: Suffolk Times

What in the name of Rozelle is going on??? 8-8 teams entering, let alone winning, in the playoffs??? To be fair, this is happening in the NFC, the junior varsity (this year) of the NFL, and it remains to be seen if the Rams do anything against Philadelphia or Atlanta. Also, Seattle been nothing but inconsistent this year. Nonetheless, this should be a warning to owners on the NFL's all powerful, super-secret Competition Committee. Several times in the last few years, some 10-6 teams have been home for January, leading to calls to open up the playoffs to 14 teams, two more than the current format. Let's not go there. Expanding to 14 teams means one day, we'll see a 7-9 team square off against 12-4 -- or, as we like to call it, an everyday game. Getting into the "tournament" (Bill Parcells' term) is supposed to mean something. More than the false inclusiveness of "everyone's a winner". Please, next year, limit the playoffs to winning teams...