I learned as a child that your favorite toys are much more likely to have a relatively short time on this earth. I remember countless entertaining toys that are at the sitting on the bottom of the Lycoming County landfill. I guess they are technically still on the Earth, buried down a couple meters, waiting for future archaeologists to excavate and opine upon.

Look at these beauties though – obviously well loved and the wheels still spin!

I am happy to report after a quick swing back to PA that our dearly loved Matchbox diecast vehicles have be passed along to Nephew Jack – and they are looking great! Technically they were passed through all three brothers, so this is the 4th young rascal to get the chance to live out elaborate car chases, dramatic rescues and the simple pleasure of a mammoth car accident.

I found a little patch of natural light and a vaguely white background for a 10 minute photo session. They might not mean a whole lot to the untrained eye, but looking at these little cars & trucks are childhood memories in the original steel!

View the Full Set

Abstracting these pieces from their surrounding environs is a bit difficult, hard to take photos of a water main or the inside of a power plant. However, there are some rare times when you can catch parts in just the right situation. I like this set of photos I snagged today of power/telecom lines & streetlights for this very reason!

More at Flickr….

Le ShakèrnattE

Ingredients:

• Freshly brewed espresso
• Ice
• Tangerine EmergenC
• Fresh miniature kiwi slices (optional garnish)

Steps 2 Success:

1. Layout all the ingredients for one attractive preliminary shot!
   
2. Cook up some espresso
   
3. Take a second to briefly admire your handiwork – dammmmn that looks good!
   
4. Add ice to mini-cocktail shaker (novelty perfect-cube ice recommended) then pour one pouch of EmergenC (any flavor could work besides that disgusting acai flavor!)
   
5. Add that cute lil’ cup of espresso you made in step 2 & patted yourself on the back on in #3
   
6. Shake it! Yeah! (put lid on first!) and keep on going until that puppy is cold! Then pour it into an attractive awaiting pre-iced preferably glass receptacle…
   
7. Not too shabby, amirite!?!
   

Taste Profile:
Unexpected – neither of the main ingredients able wins the battle for tastebud control, it ends up as an uneasy draw, a relaxed citrusy espresso blend. Not altogether unpleasant!

Backstory:
Two of the most important drinks in my life right now are both delicous splashes of energy and vitality. The simple rich creamy bite of a fresh espresso. The tangy vitamin C-y relief of a well prepared EmergenC. During a moment of relatively clarity today (9/4/2010) I realized that these two miracles of drink-ability had the potential to coexist in a single refreshing drink.

Epilogue:
I have not been made sick from this drink yet, a good 10 minutes after finishing it, I believe that is a pretty major victory. You know what? I think I might actually make this again, I am feeling pretty great right now!

infared06, originally uploaded by nate_marsh.

With a tripod and an infrared (note, 2 Rs!) filter you can take some pretty interesting urban landscapes. I like the faux-false color plus the ability to capture movement with a surreal almost dreamy softness – each of the exposures is between 20-40 seconds and then I converted them to greyscale, the come out of the camera with a pinky red hue.

I obviously have a lot to learn about controlling camera with this puppy on, but it was a wholly enjoyable process, check out the whole set!

Normal Scene (zzz):

Infrared Scene (!!!):

Full Set

I rather like this view of JP Pond!

Every day on the way home from work, I see this cat flopping around on the street, happy as can be!

ColoPana, originally uploaded by nate_marsh.

You keep looking real pretty CO!

Hm, need something to read, dum de dum de der
What’s this in my bag? Why it’s a double issue of the mf’ing New Yorker!
Cover is a fresh hot slice of NYC
Playa drew it on his iPhone, that works for me!

Check the TOC, see what’s going down
Looks like a tight line-up, flip to the Talk of the Town
Hot damn, I sure just learned a lot!
Including a fascinating snippet on the best Manhattan tater tot

Instead of going shopping, I’d rather be fed to sharks,
but you bet your sweet bippy – I’ll read anything by Patty Marx!
Some good laughs from Shouts and Murmurs
An absurdist piece on an alcoholic housewife & an escaped family of lemurs

Following this, a counter-intuitive piece from Gawande about using floss
And then a left-field article by McPhee on high-school lacrosse
Off to a good start, how about an in-depth profile?
Looks like it’s on the lead editor of the Chicago Manual of Style

Platon’s grainy black & white photo of that dude was the bomb
Gotta check out the rest of his portfolio on Newyorker.com
Now a Gladwell piece on the psychology of choosing a wedding dress
Which surprisingly is an accurate indicator of future career success

Usually when I get to fiction my attention wanders…
But AYFKM? It’s a story from George Saunders!!!
Nice exploration of mass media and a sentient parking meter
Now excuse me I gotta skip this article on modern theater

Oh man, I accidentally skipped a few
Totally overlooked a great lit review!
That 600 page tome on the East India Company sounds OFF THE HOOK
(Note to self: never ever read that book)

Please lord let there be a sketchbook soon by Chast or Ware
All those intense articles can be hard to bear
Did I mention the cartoons this week are spicier than tarragon?
And we got some A+ illustration Spots in the margin

Sasha’s got the details on a hot Brooklyn-based indie group
Must have taken a lot of PBR to get that scoop!
Anthony Lane just ripped some action sequel blockbuster a new one
Watching a chick flick with him does not sound like much fun

Last but not least the witty winner of this week’s caption contest
And what a surprise: he hails from Cambridge, Massachusetts!
The New Yorker magazine continues to entertain me silly
Hats off to you monsieur Eustice Tilly!!

I speak of a food so divine…
The smell, the texture, the taste – sublime

It’s born and raised on a simple stalk
Rooted in the earth, unable to walk
In the field it grows a mask
Preparing it’s contents for their holy task

The massive combines, they finally come
And it’s trip to my belly has formally begun.
After harvested it’s shucked and dried.
Losing it’s beautiful hair it surely cried…

The cob now is no longer needed
& to a lucky cow it is summarily feeded
At last released from their structured cells!
Freedom! Liberation from their restrictive shells!

Soon I spot a bag of them in a store,
I buy them and their journey seems over, but wait – there’s more!
Now, with much thoughtful trepidation
I begin the final steps of their preparation

Ah, the homely kernel does not realize the special treat
It may become with the right application of heat!
The mechanism itself matters not,
Be it hot air, microwave or scalding oil in a pot

The culinary staccato soothes anticipation
and announces an arrival of this delicious creation
It’s state is reduced to entropy…
and I am as happy as a flea!

At last we have 2-3 second between pops
Silence descends as the machine stops…
The steam clears, a snack is born
Behold this simple perfection: a bowl of popcorn!