Buddy's Myth

I was right. They did have a blast.
Picked up The Toner and Patrick at the airport this afternoon. Mary Dean was in line behind me to pick up Sergio and his gal. They were all tired from flying all night but excited from the adventure.
Among the early tales I got was the story of Patrick experiencing his first sneaker wave, a monster that drenched his knapsack (which, unfortunately contained all of his favorite things, like his camera, movie camera, journal, etc.).
There will be many more tales to come after Toner gets up from his post-vacation nap. A couple of pics below to show the rest of the cast.

Team America at the rented condo. A good time was had by all.

Team America on the way to snorkle around an old volcano crater.

Yes, they played a little golf.

I'm about to go pick Tony and Patrick up at the airport. They have been in Maui for about a week. A whole gang went and got a house. There was Toner, Patrick, Tony's sister Holly and her boyfriend Mike, Tony's brother Sergio and his cousin Silvana, Diane, the Magician, Serge's girlfriend, and a couple of others I don't know. I blew my money and my time off in Palm Springs, so had to let this trip go, but I'm sure they had a blast. I'll find out soon enough. Below are some of the cast members.

Toner and Patrick in Cozumel last year.

Holly and Mike at the Braves/Dodgers game last March. Dodgers won. Mike was happy.

In October the Suz and I went to Washington D.C. She had a seminar in Bethesda and she invited me to tag along. The premise was that she would need some help with luggage and stuff, as she had just come off of a surgery. As it turned out, she was feeling pretty good, and I didn't really give her much real help.
We had a blast. Every chance I got I was on the subway down to the mall (that's the National Mall, where all of the Smithsonian buildings and the cool monuments are). It was a quick train ride and it dumped you right in the middle of everything. I walked more in that three days than I had in the prior year. There was a great moon each night that made for some awesome photo ops of the Lincoln, Washington, Viet Nam, and WWII memorials.
One night the Suz and I were walking to the White House and were stopped by a guard on the sidewalk leading in front of the building. He said we had to wait because Air Force One was about to fly in and land at the White House. I think the guard was a democrat, as he gave us far more tactical information than he probably should have concerning the President's scheduled whereabouts over the course of the night. He practically pointed out a grassy knoll that the Pres would be jogging by later. I don't like the guy but it was cool to have the President fly over your head and land a few hundred feet away.
I spent a lot of time in the National Gallery of Art. I was able to revisit some of my favorite paintings that I hadn't seen in about ten years. I also managed to squeeze in trips to the new Museum of the American Indian, The Hirschhorn, the Museum of American History, Museum of Natural History, Air and Space Museum, and the National Archives.
All in all it was a grand trip, and I only took about three hundred photos in three days. Here are a few.

The Budman on the Mall. My hillbilly dance is always a hit with japanese and european tourists alike.

The Lincoln Memorial

The Rotunda of The National Archives building. The Constitution, The Bill of Rights, and The Declaration of Independance are behind me.

The Suz at the National Gallery of Art. That's art she's looking at.

For my birthday last year, the fortieth, the Toner and I went to play golf at Brasstown Valley. It's up in Young Harris, GA. The course and the surrounding landscape are beautiful. You can see Brasstown Bald--the highest point in Georgia--from many of the holes. We did the same course last year for his birthday. There's a great lodge and we played the course two days in a row. The greens at Brasstown Valley are among the toughest I have played; very fast and some tricky breaks. The dad says that you can start each hole with your ball at the edge of the green and still have a tough time parring the hole. It's true. I did manage to beat Toner both days, though. Great birthday.

Toner on a par three.

On December 18th, The Toner and I had a Christmas party, as is the tradition. The Floating Coats (sans Dave) played, people sang, danced, gambled, drank, and seemed to enjoy themselves immensely while reveling in the spirit of the season. I was only able to attend because I twisted my ankle the night before and it swelled up so that I was gimped out (couldn't walk) all night, so therefore could not attend my job (which I hate and can't wait to quit--more later). I like to think of it as my Christmas miracle.
The heavies started a poker game at about four a.m that I quit at 6:30 so I could get up to go to Palm Springs. I was up twenty-five bucks in a five dollar buy-in game. God bless us every one.

(left-right) Jennifer, Joe B., The Toner, Victoria, and Matt enjoying a round of Close the Box--a non-violent party game.

Oh, Tennenbaum.

Some of our ornaments. Pretty standard.

Sergio (left), BJ (seated), and I.

The links on the left are some of my most visited. Here's what they're about.
The Grateful Dead homepage is kind of self explanatory.
The Dark Star Orchestra is a Dead cover band that is amazing to see. They choose an old show (example: 02/23/68 at King's Beach Bowl in Lake Tahoe, CA) and do the entire set list from that show. The band is incredible and they are the next best thing to seeing the Dead. Check their site for upcoming dates and venues, past show setlists, and other cool stuff.
Lebowskifest.com is a website for the annual (or semi-annual) Lebowskifest--a festival celebrating the Coen brothers' movie "The Big Lebowski." These guys started it a couple of years ago and it has been growing ever since. Check it out, it's a blast.
Dave's Avant Garden is a blog by my pal Dave Russell. He lives in Asheville, NC and he got me hooked on rock stacking. Yes, I said rock stacking. Just check it out. He's really good and his work is beautiful.
The google news link is one that was on my original template for this blog. It may be in the user's agreement that I have to keep it on, or it may not; have you ever really read one of those things?Neither have I. In any case I will leave it on in hopes that if they start trying to charge me for the blog I can just say, "But think of all the great advertising I'm doing for you. Can you really put a price on that kind of publicity?"
Angry Alien is a terrific site that has movies redone in thirty seconds and performed by bunnies. No, really. It's great. My favorite is "Jaws." When you click on one, put the cursor over the word begin. Some of them have great audio clips attached. Also on the word replay at the end of the clip.
Bill Dan is a stacker in California. He's pretty amazing. Check his links for even more maniacs.

Crushed Hat is a nickname that Tony gave me in 1994. I have it engraved on my bowling ball (yes, I have a bowling ball), written on my camera case for i.d., and included in many of my sign-ins and passwords (don't try it, it won't work for much).
It is a misquote from an episode of the Simpsons in which Homer drops an oversized foam cowby hat with a camera in it (a sting operation concerning spoiled food) and runs from Apu's store. Apu drops a hot dog, which rolls to the camera lens. He picks it up, saying, "Oh, my, It's encrusted with filth. Oh well, I'll sell it anyway. But that's just between you and me, eh smashed hat?"
While preparing for a camping trip, Tony stashed a bottle of scotch in my van, saying,"I'm gonna put the scotch in here. But that's just between you and me, eh, Crushed Hat?" Misquoted, but not immediately recognized as such, the name stuck for the rest of the trip and beyond. Such is the way with nicknames. When we watched the same episode later and realized the mistake, it was far too late to do anything about it, as you can't go changing a nickname that has achieved common usage. It's like a rule. So, another in my long list of explanations of funny things that don't turn out to be as funny when explained. But there you have it.

This year for Christmas the family decided to go to Palm Springs, CA. to celebrate the season. This way no one had to clean their house either before or after the holidays and the Dad wouldn't have to bring every single Christmas decoration out of the attic to decorate for a holiday we wouldn't be in town for. It worked for mom, dad, and me last year when we went to Suzanne's place, but it didn't work out as easily for Suzanne. So the Suz (my sister Dr. Suzanne R. Smith) got us Deluxe accomodations through a friend of hers. She knows a guy who owns two homes in Palm Springs. He was kind enough to let us stay and make ourselves at home. One is on a ridge overlooking the city. They filmed part of the James Bond movie "Diamonds are Forever" at this house. The other is the former home of Jack Benny. Both homes were built with entertaining large numbers of wealthy visitors in mind, so the four of us had a little room to move around in each. The trip was a blast. The Dad and I played golf three times while the Mom and the Suz played tennis (see below).
We enjoyed fine acomodations, fine dining, and fine weather (until the day we tried to leave, when rain and fog socked in the airport so that no airplanes could get in or out, forcing us to stay another day in the Jack Benny house--rats). We hit the casinos several times, and while I started out on the up, I soon lost my winnings and left them some of my hard earned female deer. The rest of the gang did well, especially the Dad, who won big on most days. I skipped the last two trips to the casino, having learned my lesson. The gods of probability were not smiling on me.
On Christmas Eve we took a tram ride to the top of a mountain overlooking the city. We ascended 5873 feet (that's over a mile to you and me) to an elevation of 8516'. It was sixty degrees in the city and thirty at the top. The tram car rotates 360 degrees as it rises, so you get incredible views on the way up and down.
The day after Christmas we went to Joshua Tree National Park. The Dad had never been to true desert before, and it was awesome for me to be there for his first excursion into the terrain that I love. I did a little bouldering and we all did some hiking, including a .25 mile hike that was an incredible one mile long. Nature is an odd thing at times. Some photos of Joshua Tree are below in yesterday's postings.
Mucho appreciado to Mike Kilroy, who owns the houses; to the Suz, who worked hard to set it all up; to the mom, who spent months downloading pertinent information and guides; and to the dad, who bankrolled the food and fun and expertly guided our rented monster SUV through the sea of palm trees and Lexuses (Lexi?). I helped out with humerous quips, jocular asides, and photographic prowess.

We're at the Marriot in Palm Desert, a super-posh hotel where the Mom and the Suz played tennis while the Dad and I golfed elsewhere.

Season's Greetings from Palm Springs. This is an old tram car at the bottom of the new tram ride.

I live in Atlanta with my pal Tony Aguirre. We've been friends since first grade (that's thirty-four years to you and me, 238 to your dog). I stay at his house in East Atlanta in an area called Ormewood Park. It's a great neighborhood with easy access to everything in the world. The house is a veritable museum of forty years of collecting crap that has no value outside of sentiment. It's fun to stroll through, however. We frustrate children by having a million toys that they are not allowed to play with. I believe that toys should be played with, but I'm not going to let an eighteen month old break my Speed Racer Mach Five model. They can play with the stuffed dinosaur.
Tony is a Delta flight attendant so he is gone for three days per week (four if he's going international) and I have the place to myself to walk around in my underwear and rearrange things (read as "clean up") so he can't find them. This way, he can't kick me out because he won't know where any of his stuff is.
We have a cat named Johnny Cat. It's a girl. Don't ask. She's the single coolest cat in the world. I love Johnny Cat, but I probably wouldn't like your cat. Nothing personal.
The house is decorated with lots of Tony's paintings (to be posted later) and some of mine. Tony's a great painter when he does it, and I'm slowly improving (when I do it).
I moved in here in September of 2003, when his old roommate Pavel ( a silent Czech who stayed in his room all the time) moved out. I was living with Tony's step-sister (about a mile away) from May of 2002 until I moved in here. It's a good roomie situation, as he and I like most of the same stuff and can communicate mostly through movie and tv lines. It annoys some people to no end, but we know what we're talking about.
Oh, and we're not gay. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But really we're not.

Toner's place lit up for the holidays.

The Toner and I at our 2003 Christmas party. He's in a smoking jacket, but I'm smokin' in any jacket.

I think that in order to make navigation through this blog easier on everyone, I am going to assign titles to my entries that will identify the content. When you go to the archives (after I've done it long enough to have archives), you should be able to find what you want by the titles that are listed. Again, this is a work in progress, so forgive the gaps in continuity.
You should be able to post a comment by clicking on the word "comments" under each posting. We'll see if they appear online or not. I'm still messing with the various settings.
My pal Dave asked me via email if I would be offended if he noted spelling corrections. He was kind enough to point out that he knows that I know how to spell. I welcome any spelling or grammatical corrections, as I want to be correct, but please send them to my email at buddysmyth@hotmail.com as opposed to posting them for the world to see. I am a little sensitive, and I often hit the enter button before I review my typing carefully, so please be kind.
For the time being, I am going to use this blog, as stated earlier, to catch people up with me through pictures and words. I will not be journaling or philosophizing...yet. There will be time for that once I've got you up to speed. Then you can see what weirdo I really am. I'm not promising that I won't interject a dart here or there, but that's neither here or there.
One thing about the posting on this blog (or any blog, I guess) is that they are listed in order with the most recent first. That means that if I am correcting something or responding to something it will appear before the thing to which I am responding. So... the most logical way to view is to start at the bottom and scroll up. Well, maybe not logical, but well, you get the idea.
Now to put on some more photos. Self-indulgent? You bet! But then it's my danged blog! I will update you in coming days as to some past history and current living conditions, including work situation, relationships, etc.
Again, I'm learning, so forgive. That's my last apology.

After seeing my friend Dave's recent blogs and photos of his avant garden, I got inspired to do a small stack in the front yard of the house. It's just a baby one, but I was pleased with my first try at some delicate balances.
If you want to see what a real stacker can do, check out his site by clicking the link on the left side of the page (under LINKS).

The Fam and I in the Bond house in Palm Springs. They filmed part of "Diamonds Are Forever" here.The Suz got us hooked up with these deluxe digs through a friend of hers. This guy owns this house and the Jack Benny house. Our neighbors at this house were Arnold Schwartzenwhatever, Pete Sampras, Bob Hope, and others. I wanted to go around to the different houses and try to borrow a cup of vodka, but the Suz wasn't having any of that.

The Fam and I at Joshua Tree. This was the day after Christmas. It drives them crazy when I try to set up weird timer shots like this, but in the long run I think they really like them when they come out well.

Joshua Tree National Park is a truly amazing place. This is the Cholla cactus garden. I am jumping, not plummeting.

The dad and I played golf three times on vacation, twice at Indian Wells. This course rivals any I have played anywhere in the world. That's the moon in the sky over his head. His ball can be seen at just about the one o'clock position right over his club head. Yes, it's heading right for the green. He beat me. I admit it. I hate it.

By the pool at the Jack Benny house. We stayed here for the second half of the Christmas vacation. Jack Benny had this house built in Palm Springs. It has a great "rat pack" feel to it.

I did this rock stack in honor of my pal Ravin' Dave Russell. He is a superior stacker and I have caught his bug. I, however, am a sub-novice. This is my first stack. It's on a ridge overlooking Palm Springs.

The interior of the Bond house. The slippers make the man.

This is the house we (the fam and I) stayed in for the first half of our Christmas holiday. The movie "Diamonds are Forever" was filmed here. Part of it, anyway.

That's me in Joshua Tree Nat'l Park.

good. With a new year comes new hope of finally getting my act together and keeping in touch with those I love. I have family members and friends who have no idea what I've been up to or where I've been spending my time and emotion. Hopefully I'll be able to keep up this blog and let those who care to know anything fill in the blanks when they want to. Plus I just love the word blog. Say it five times. Blog, blog, blog, blog, blog. Great word.
I've not been diligent in recent years about writing, calling, or answering email. Sorry about that. If you know of someone who knows me or knew me, have them take a peek at this site and drop me a line. For now, I'm gonna sign off and try to figure out the rest of this site publishing crap and put some photos and stuff on. Hope to hear from you soon.