My Good Friend Photoshop
Surely the most significant invention of the past 50 years has to be the computer, at first it enabled us to complete complex maths problems without really knowing how to add up, then it revolutionised business with its spreadsheets, databases & e-mail and then it crossed into the 21st century and decided to become social, it threw away its boring work attire and put on a funky t-shirt, some jeans and trainers and inside these new rags we turn out the pockets to find Photoshop.
Photoshop began life as an advertising tool and you had to have a degree to use it but thankfully not anymore.
I love Photoshop and yes it can be extremely complicated and involved if you really decide to open it up but if your like me and just want to play then all the latest versions provide easy to use tools that can transform the most basic of photo’s.
I started off using Microsoft Digital Editing Suite 10 a few years back but now use Adobe CS5 (if of course your interested).
I love this photo of Macy’s in New York, I gave it a kind of 1920′s black & white look and kept the colour in Macy’s to really draw your eye to it.
With these two we stay with the New York theme but focus on the Iconic Yellow Cab. The photo on the left is a fairly standard black and white with the colour left on the taxi’s and traffic lights. The second one is pretty much the same but I’ve blurred the background and just kept the cab in the foreground in focus to give it a very slightly different feel.
This one was my attempt of tilt shift photography – when the photo looks like a miniature or model of the actual subject. This photo was taken over a marina in Southampton, I love this style of editing but its not quite as easy as it looks.
Another photo taken in Southampton but this time I’ve used a gentle vignette to darken the edges and changed the hue of the sky and water but kept the beach original.
With a little cut and paste here and a little cut and paste there we can have a full scale alien invasion over Ocean Village in Southampton. I’m sure the residents didn’t mind me adding a little smoke, a few helicopters and a giant alien mother ship over their apartments – hopefully I didn’t affect the house values too much.
When CS5 was released those kind folks at Adobe provided us with a new tool to play with and this was the warp tool. This enables the user to very easily alter an image in ways that could only previously be done by Photoshop geniuses. I affectionately call this photo ‘Which way to Central Park love?’
As my beloved Red and Whites recently achieved promotion to the Golden League and the blue few found the trapdoor to the basement I thought I would sneak this one in. A fairly simple cut and paste job where the main difficulty was finding the players and managers in the poses that I had in my head. Up the Saints.
Now I’ve put a few examples up of how I’ve altered images or touched them up or completely changed them but anyone who knows me knows the kind of editing I like to do to pass the time. I call it my ‘Friends Remixed Editions’. If a friend wants a photo of them standing next to their favourite celeb or want to be on a movie poster then this is where I come in (most of the time they’re happy but I’ve not always asked their permission first … whoops).
My good friend Jody asked if I could make her Lily Allen for the day and so I did. I always find its the colour that is the hardest thing to match when your messing around with this kind of editing and trying to find a photo of your friend in the right pose (I sometimes have to mirror the image or change the angles but I get there in the end).
And once Jody asked to be Lily my very good friend Lucy wanted to be Amy Winehouse. I really didn’t need to do too much ha ha.
And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance … if you don’t give me a Big Mac meal NOW!!!!
One of my better attempts I feel. My friend Chloe wanting to kick Scarlett out of the photo and jump in next to Ryan Reynolds.
Going old skool in this photo, showing my old breakdancing mates how they would’ve looked if they were ever cool.
Now you may need to look really close to tell how I’ve edited this photo – that’s right I’ve given Nadine a personality oh yeah and changed my mate Steve into Nicola!!
Now my friend holly is a dance teacher so I guess that’s probably how she looks when she’s in the studio but what the hell I wanted to give her blonde hair!
A class edit of a classic Friends poster of an even more classic New York poster! Apart from my mate Jamie (far left) who seems to have an abnormally large head I think I got the rest ok … just.
I just had to place myself in a star wars photo … I’ve kept Harrison as he was and myself and good friend Darren are at the back and I put my girlfriend at the time in the front – sadly we aren’t together any more .. I just couldn’t get over the facial hair but she did have a lovely personality!
Me again, this time looking rather dapper in a suit although I think I’m just about to get decapitated!!!!
Now before you say it no this is not a relation or an ex girlfriend! I just think its best we move along (especially for my friend Darren who did not give me permission for this edit).
That’s a bit better, after moving swiftly away from the transvestite hooker from hell we meet my friend Siobhen who wanted to be Tinkerbell. Not my usual request but I was happy with the final outcome.
And this leads to my first and probably most favourite edit … The A Team replaced with a few, shall we say struggling to be, C Teamers.
I hope this blog has helped you pass a spare 5 minutes as the photo editing certainly helps me pass a few 5 minutes here or there.
Til next time … ps all photographs on this blog are under copyright unless you cut me in on any profits.
Latino777 – Its our time down here.
The Destination Wish List
Another rain filled day in the South of England and once again my mind has started to wander. I’ve been lucky enough to have travelled to a fair few places over the years but there are so many that I have yet to experience.
South Africa
So lets start with my most eager destination … Cape Town, S Africa. For as long as I can remember I have wanted to experience a cage dive with the Great White Sharks and Cape Town seems to be a great place to experience this. With Seal Island, Gansbaai & False Bay in close proximity this city seems to be ideal. I’ve done some research and Apex Predators would be my preferred company to go with. Chris & Monique Fallows run this company which has been used for many TV documentaries and their knowledge & respect of Great White Sharks seems second to none.
If you fancy a dip in the ocean with the planets fiercest predator then check out www.apexpredators.com
If I survive the encounter with Jaws then an abseil down Table Mountain must surely be next on the list – the highest commercial abseil in the World … and what a view you must get as you lean back over the backdrop of Cape Town.
Greenland
Next on my list of destinations would be something a little different and that is Greenland. Disko Bay and the llulisat Icefjord looks absolutley stunning with Icebergs and untouched scenery. It would be great to dissapear from the rat race for a week and enter this land of serenity and ice. The skies look amazing with no artificial light and would feel quite overwhelming to stand under the stars in this landscape. Apparently the sun shines over 300 days of the year here!
Dubai
Although Dubai looks over the top cash rich investors and I’m sure is certainly not a real reflection of the Middle East but I would love to experience Dubai because of its ‘over the top’ mentality and its craving to be THE place to visit. The view from the Burj Khalifa must be out of this world (almost literally!) and I wouldn’t mind ordering an extremely small lunch at the Burj Al Arab just to experience 6 star dining or is it 7 stars? Maybe I’ll just order a Coke.
West Coast of America
I’ve travelled all up the Eastern Seaboard but never been across to the West coast as yet. I would love to visit San Francisco with its streets and harbour and I’ve always wanted to visit the giant redwoods. Alcatraz would also be very high on my list. Las Vegas would be a fantastic experience and The Grand Canyon is a must (the camera would be hot that day). Cannon Beach in Oregon would be a life time wish for me as this is the beach where the Goonies was filmed (one of my all time favourite movies). I guess you would have to visit Los Angeles as well if you were doing a tour of the West Coast and the 17 mile drive would be a pretty stretch of road to drive.
The Maldives
If I ever get married (and thats a big ‘IF’) then I can’t think of a better honeymoon destination that the Maldives. Exotic, remote, serene and beautiful with crystal clear waters and great food but as this is set aside for the honeymoon we’ll move swiftly on …
The Norwegian Fjords
I’ve never really been attracted to the cruise ship experience but if I was to holiday on a ship then the Norwegian Fjords would be where I would like to cruise. From the greenlands of the South to the snow capped mountains of the North you would see such a diverse side to this Scandinavian country.
Kenya & Tanzania
Kenya would be my ultimate destination for a Safari – camping out under the stars, slumming it with the African game … Awesome and Tanzania is home to Mount Kilimanjaro which is just shouting out for me to attempt to climb (I have commenced training).
Well I guess until I win the lottery I will only write about most of these places but I hope some of them will get experienced … and to those of you who have already had the pleasure of these destinations I am green with envy.
Latino777 – Its our time down here
The Magic of Lapland
So the open fire has died out, the chestnuts have ceased roasting and all remnants of Xmas have disappeared (apart from maybe the odd pound or two). The new year has begun and its only 11 short months till we do it all over again.
Maybe this year you want to experience something different, something magical, a place where your beliefs in all things Christmas still live strong and where children and adults alike can become one age … this place is Lapland.
Before you go as far as booking this ‘once in a lifetime experience’ you need to first decide whether you go for one day or for a few days. If you decide to go for a few days then you will most likely stay in a more commercial area with roads and hotels, street lights and cars and although there will be plenty to do this is not my idea of a magical wonderland. You will also have to decide whether you go to Sweden, Norway or Finland as they all have their own Lapland!
Personally I have only ever been to Northern Finland, deep into the Arctic Circle … to a place called Enontekio.
Every December you can fly from the UK to Lapland for one fun-filled magical day and I can tell you its everything I imagined it to be. I booked for 3 adults and 2 children with a company called Canterbury Travel who were very helpful and friendly. It cost £490 for an adult and £420 for a child. Now this is not cheap for one day by no stretch of the imagination however the flight is just over 3 hours long and you are provided with most of the required warm weather gear including ski suit, boots, hats, gloves, scarfs etc - you will need thermals though as the temperature can go as low as -30 (this year was very mild apparently with the temperature only being around -5). All food throughout the day is also provided (on the plane and in Lapland) and all activities are free once there – you can go on as much as you like as many times as you like. We did not even take money with us.
Once you land in Enontekio the first thing you’ll be greeted with is snow and lots of it. You are taken into the small yet cosy airport where you collect all your ski suits and boots etc and you are handed a helmet. Once suited and booted and as cosy as a bug in a rug you leave the confines of the airport and venture out in the cold and you soon realise what the helmets are for … Skidoos, yes everyone gets a skidoo ride on a sledge from the airport to the village. It takes around 25 minutes and you travel through a beautiful white forest straight from a postcard. One thing you will also notice the minute you arrive is that it never really gets light in Enontekio at this time of year. You get around 3 hours of grey light and then its back to being dark with nothing but the natural glow from the snow to light your way.
After 3 hours on a plane and half hour on a skidoo you finally reach your destination … the kids are excited and the adults make a bee line for the hot soup that is on offer at the entrance.
So what can you do once your there??? The kids can try their hand at kick sledding, you can take a ride on a husky sledge or a reindeer sleigh, you can take a ride on an arctic horse sleigh or go hill sledding. For the adults there is the option of taking a skidoo out for a blast or you can go for a hot chocolate and cookie in the Ice Castle (a building made up entirely of ice).
Of course you can just have a good old-fashioned snow ball fight.
There is also a small tourist shop (of course) and a modern wooden restaurant where they serve hot food all day long as you can go in as many times as you wish.
If at anytime the cold is starting to nip at those toes you can always find a Kota to warm up in … these are beautiful log cabins built solely for warmth with nothing but seats and a warm hearth fire.
The main event though is of course the visit to the man himself and they certainly get this right. Each family throughout the day is transported by skidoo to a separate area where you wait until the great man is ready for you. The wait is not a long one although you are sat in a teepee with a roaring fire so you don’t mind. If you are lucky it will be snowing when you are called as you start the short walk through a snow-covered pathway lit by candlelight. Soon you come across a log cabin and are welcomed by one of santa’s helpers who invites you in to see the big man.
It’s about as real as it can get with the log fire and Xmas tree in the corner of the room and an extremely realistic and friendly santa sitting in the corner. Letters from wishful children can be found around the cabin but it does not feel like a santa’s grotto – not too commercial. Like I said, it feels and looks about as real as can be and the fact that there is snow all around and it is cold outside makes the whole experience really awe-inspiring for the kids and adults alike. The children receive their gift and even this is done with great efficiency – each child receives a gift with their name on it from father christmas unlike a santa’s grotto in a dept store where it would be blue for a boy and red for a girl etc.
So after about 6 hours of snowball fights and sleigh rides and meeting the big man himself its time to start the journey back to the airport. This is more relaxing than the skidoo journey from the airport as it’s by coach and as you enter, the children receive certificates for crossing the arctic circle and learning to husky ride.
So a short journey back to the airport and you are ready to shed yourself of your winter warmers and climb aboard the aeroplane for your journey back to the UK.
Final comments: Yes it is expensive for one day but the memories should last a lifetime and everyone who went with me loved it – it is packed full of activities you would not normally do and everyone is worn out by the end of it.
Latino777 – Its our time down here.
The adventure playground of Iceland
Its been a while since my last post but I thought I’d write and re-live my memories of a recent trip to Reykjavik the capital of Iceland and the adventure playground of kings.
Firstly from the UK Iceland is only 2 hours away and there is no time difference so it’s easily accessible and not too expensive to get to either. After you land at Keflavik airport you have a 45 min bus ride to Reykjavik – this gives you a taste of what Iceland is … a mixture of glaciers and Volcanoes.
At this stage the landscape is desolate and dry – don’t expect to see much greenery, just lava rocks covered in moss. Looking around you feel like you could almost be on a different planet!
Then you enter civilisation and the city know as Reykjavik. With less than 300,000 inhabitants, it’s not a particularly large city but its big enough. The city center however is not that big and can be walked around in half a day with ease. During my last visit I stayed at the Leiffur Eriksson in the city center, a perfectly adequate hotel in a fantastic location with the Hallgrimskirkja church immediately opposite which is the tallest building in Reykjavik so you know where your hotel is anywhere in the city.
For a small fee you can visit the observation deck in the church for a great 360 view of the city and harbour.
So you’ve arrived at your hotel and now you want to explore the city .. what can you expect? There are a decent amount of shops but not as many as you would find in most other capital cities but there are ample coffee houses and restaurants If you get a chance grab a coffee in Cafe Babalu, its small but distinctly unique in its bohemian and serial killer way!
One of Reykjavik’s most famous restaurants in the Perlan. strangely enough a pearl shaped restaurant sitting atop a hill overlooking the city – even if you don’t fancy eating it’s still worth a visit for the views. It is also only minutes from Reykjavik’s geothermal beach where you will find golden sand and be able to swim in the sea.
Fish is the delicacy of Iceland but you can just as easy get hamburger and chips. One thing you may notice walking around – there are no McDonald’s!!!! that’s right, I did not see one McDonald’s in the whole city. This leads me to the second thing you may notice when perusing the shops … its expensive in Iceland! I’m guessing due to the cost it is not feasible to open many fast food joints – I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing – yes the food can be pricey but all the food I ate was fantastic. I experienced the best steak and caramelised onion baguette I’ve ever had during my stay.
Staying in the city for the moment, what is there to do when the sun goes down? Reykjavik has a nightlife like every other capital city and it comes alive at the weekend with many clubs and bars rammed to capacity. You will not be disappointed with the choice although the clubs do not start getting full until midnight. As with the food, the alcohol is also expensive … very expensive and you should expect to pay around £7-£8 a pint! (did you know beer was only legalised in Iceland in 1989).
So you’ve walked around the city, seen the sights, had a coffee and something to eat … now what??? Well this is why you come to Iceland.
Iceland has many tours and experiences that you will find hard to compare to with other major cities. The most popular tour is the Golden Circle tour which takes you to the Geysir, the Gulfoss waterfall and the tectonic plates where Europe meets America.
The Geysir erupts every couple of minutes so you will not be disappointed.
The path leads you right down to the plateau so you get as close as you possibly can to this impressive waterfall.
Along with this tour I also went caving which was a great experience and snorkeling in Lake Silfra (this lake has some of the clearest and cleanest water in the world – so clean you can drink from it as the water comes directly from the nearby glacier). The water is cold though – so cold you have to wear a dry suit but the view under the water is dramatic and as almost as far as the eye can see.
If this doesn’t float your boat how about whale watching or horse-riding on a black sandy beach? Maybe you’d like to take a helicopter to the top of a volcano or land on a glacier – yes you can do all this and much, much more.
If you fancy staying up til 2am you can go hunting for the Northern Lights – I have been extremely fortuitous to have seen the lights and wow what an experience. If you don’t manage to see them on your first trip, the tour operator usually allows you to go on every tour during the week (free of charge) until you see them.
So lets recap … you’ve seen Reykjavik and all it has to offer, you have been on a few tours, seen some volcanoes, paid £8 for a pint and maybe been lucky enough to see the sky light up with dancing colours – is this the end of your trip? hell no, on your way back to the airport almost everyone stops by the Blue Lagoon. This is a geothermal outdoor spa experience like no other. Yes its most likely cold outside and maybe you think all the people in their speedo’s and bikini’s are slightly mad when you first walk in but honestly its one of the best experiences you’ll have on this trip.
For around £25 you can spend as much time as your flight back allows. The water is naturally heated and is very warm so you really want it to be cold outside, there are jacuzzi’s and steam rooms, as well as a swim-up-to bar and always plenty of room for you to relax until your flight back home.
Would I recommend Iceland? Absolutely. It may not have much sun and the temperature may not appeal to all but you will experience things that you can probably only experience in Iceland.
One last note … although its cold in Iceland, don’t let that put you off, it’s not as cold as you may think, the temperature rarely falls below -2 in the winter so a good coat, hat, scarf and gloves and your all set. For the summer months you probably won’t even need that.
So until the next time öruggur og hamingjusamur ferðast (safe and happy travelling).
Latino777 – Its our time down here.
The Latino Lists … Hot or Not
As a hot-blooded male I have a healthy admiration for beautiful women. Below are my 5 current hot to trot females but for every gorgeous, talented woman there’s an air stealer … those women who have as much talent as a mosquito and only look good in a very dark room or on radio.
HOTS
5. Megan Fox – this 25 year-old model/actress is probably best know as the sex kitten in the Transformers movies. She keeps on dropping out of my top 5 but at this moment she has just scraped through lol.
3.
Katy Perry – Now this 26 year-old songstress is a real handful and ever since she kissed a girl and liked it – we’ve liked her. A deserved beauty in my top 5 I feel.
Now I’m not even going to waste any time writing about the females below as they are just not worth writing about.
NOTS
5. Any female that has ever been on Big Brother.
4. Daniella Westbrook – 
3. Katie Price (aka Jordan) – 
2. Jodie Marsh – 
1. Kerry Katona – 
Latino777 – It’s our time down here.
Recession, Strikes & Rats – Welcome to England
First of all let me make one thing clear … I love this blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England.
Ok the weather can be a bit dodgy and we do love to moan. If there is a queue we moan but we join it, if there is a new tax we moan but we pay it … it’s just the English way however we seem to have been brought to a precipice looking down to the depths below when we need to be looking up.
We all know we have been in recession for the past few years but whose to blame? … the banks, oil prices, world events and the last government must all share the blame but there’s not much we can do about it apart from voting in a new government – which of course we did.
Right from the off they told us there would be cuts and difficult ones at that. We all knew this and maybe they’ve cut too much too fast but I guess they feel that they may only have one term before we all get fed up with the cuts and vote a new government in next time round – who would probably take full advantage of the recovery and put us right back in the shit.
Don’t get me wrong I hate politics and I do not trust politicians – It really annoys me that the last government had a big hand in the mess we find ourselves in yet now they are on the sidelines they have a lot to say about the current government trying to get us out and their tactics! It’s easy to comment and throw stones if your hiding behind the public – you had your chance … failed … now shut up.
I work in the import/export industry and I cannot remember the last time when I didn’t have to worry if I was getting my next pay packet, I haven’t had a pay rise in 4 years, in fact I’ve taken a 15% pay cut but I still have a job.
The government has informed the local authorities of their budgets and it’s down to the local councils how they make these cuts BUT THEY HAVE TO MAKE THEM.
Services will be cut and jobs will be lost but I cannot see the point in striking! This makes the recovery harder and longer and puts real pressure on everyone at a time when we are already stretched. In my neck of the woods we are seeing teachers, bin men, toll collectors, librarians and street cleaners taking strike action.
As I write the bins are overflowing and rats are becoming common place. The bin men have been out on strike for 2 weeks and have just agreed to go out for another week.
Who does this affect most? Is is the bankers in their nice big houses? will it be the politicians children with their private schooling? nope its the good old-fashioned English tax paying public! Litter is growing at an alarming rate and rats are now common place, parents are having to book days holiday to look after children who cannot go to school due to the strikes.
Big picture people – this is what we need to be focusing on. I do not agree with cutting education or health - I see this as a backwards step for any nation trying to get back on its feet and I do not like the fact that pensions are being affected but it does annoy me when people are not willing to take a 3% pay cut to ensure jobs are not lost. I know it’s hard at the moment but all the people I know that moan about survival and struggling can still afford to smoke and drink! If the strike action is successful jobs will be cut – I wonder how many will have wished they took a pay cut then and the lucky ones will have to work twice as hard for the same money – I wonder if they will demand a pay rise for this!!!!
The private sector has seen cuts, pay freezes and redundancies for the past few years whilst the public sector is only feeling the cut now. They have had good pensions, flexi-time, overtime, higher fuel allowances and good rates of pay. Initially the public have supported the strikes however I have noticed public opinion has started to change as the garbage grows.
Don’t for one minute think there aren’t a thousand people on the unemployment line ready and willing to take these jobs and only then will the current workforce truly understand the blessing they have of earning a regular wage.
In my humble opinion I feel that everyone should pull together and make sacrifices to get this country back on track and the banks should be doing a whole lot more to help – once that has been achieved maybe then we can get back to pay rises and bonuses and spending our hard-earned money.
We all have our opinions and this is mine – is there an easy solution … NO is there a pain free solution … NO is there a miracle cure … NO. Just thank god we’re not Greek!!!
Latino777 – It’s our time down here.
Scribbles from a Word Slinger (part seven)
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The following three scribes are amongst the most serious I’ve ever written. I would normally say please enjoy but this would not be right to say in this respect so instead I will just say please read:
The Junkie They pray to you Lord – what is it this time? Her sons at your door, too many white lines, The prayers they are strong, but his will is too weak, Is his soul to be taken as his body rests deep? What are you thinking as men in white coats, Attack you with science to relinquish the ghost, Are you right? Are they wrong? – It was his choice to face, The killer he wanted, the dragon he chased, His veins they are slain and his blood is not clean, Yet still there is hope – still they believe, But if he is brought from darkness to light, Will there be faith strong enough to fight? The craving, the needle, the hunger, the pain, The family comes close to help take the strain, They sit there in silence, awaiting a sign, But the sign is not coming – its over – F L A T L I N E Despair The steam starts to rise as the water turns red, The wrists slain and open, the life is soon dead, Poor young girl weighted down with life’s problems, Lay in a tub hoping now she has solved them, The water’s still running, The eyes start closing, The room becomes darker, The tear drops cease flowing, Her mother cries out as she falls to the floor, Questioning why her daughter’s no more, Where was the help when she needed it most? Society too busy – her family a ghost, But now they feel guilty – now is too late, The girl’s in the past, a victim of hate, She hated her life, Her present, Her future, She saw the way out – the blade was the cure, Her bed is now empty, Her grave is now full, For the souls who have suffered, God blesses them all. Velvet Seas A little girl with hands to God asks will she sleep tonight? Or will her father come to her to say his own goodnight, Confused, alone, a child so young with secrets never told, Abused by trust, abused by love – a love that’s turned ice cold, With eyes shut tight she travels to a world of lullabies, With liquid dreams and velvet seas, a place where she can hide, Hide from fear and hide from hands that touch forbidden fruit, That lacerates the orchard where the trees no longer root, A requiem now haunts this place, a place now insecure, A sacrifice that has been made to keep the spirit pure, The light comes on, the door creaks to and tears they start to fall, Pretend to sleep, pretend to dream – the velvet seas they call, With Teddy’s hand within her hand and with her cheeks so wet, She hears those words, those awful words – this is our little secret. Latino777 – It’s our time down here.Vampires may have sex appeal but Werewolves have the hair!
In a time when Vampires are stealing all the screen time and getting all the girls you’ve got to feel for our old friend the Werewolf.
This hairy man beast has become a second-rate villain in a fang fested world … But this wasn’t always the case.
In the 80′s it was all about the Lycanthropes - The Howling and Silver Bullet were good old-fashioned rip flicks, Teenwolf introduced us to the lighter side of the wolfman and we even had an American Werewolf come to London. It wasn’t just the silver screen that was encaptured by the wolf, even music had gotten in on the act with the king of pop Michael Jackson famously turning into a mauling monster in Thriller. All this made the wolf número uno.
Yes in the 80′s it was sexy to have a hairy back and sharp gnashers but why highlight the wolf’s plight now I hear you ask … Well I’ve just been listening to an old track on one of the less desirable radio stations by a guy called Warren Zevon – ever heard of him? Not many people have however he recorded a track back in the late 70′s entitled Werewolves of London.
This song should really find a place on every iPod and music library, with its raw lyrics, a piano riff straight out of Lynard Skynards ’Sweet Home Alabama’ (which just so happens to be an all time favourite of yours truly) and an infectious chorus … Howlllll Werewolves of London so pop over to Youtube and check it out – this will have you staring up at the next full moon and wondering why that can of dog food looks rather tasty.
Have I just come to this conclusion that Werewolves are way cooler than Vamps? of course not, what did I dress up as this past Halloween … yep you’ve got it. I will say this for the vamps it’s easier to drink with fangs than with a mask!!!!
Vampires can come out to play any old night of the week but Werewolves only put on their dancing shoes on a full moon which also gives us humans more chance of survival if you think about it .. so in conclusion yes Vampires can be sexy but they’re just way too common. Werewolf is the way to go, their biding their time but the full moon is nearly cast and if you listen carefully you can just about hear the hungry howl in the distance. Always support the underdog.
Latino777 – It’s our time down here.
I Heart NY (part two)
Part one uncovered some of my fondest memories of my favourite city so lets take a few more bites out of the big apple.
New York is not all shopping and sightseeing, in fact there is a lot of play to be had for the child at heart visitor. FAO Schwartz is one of my favourite stores, full of giant stuffed animals and expensive movie memorabilia as well as the giant floor piano made famous by Tom Hanks in the film BIG and its definitely not just the kids that play on that!!!! This is probably the store the Beckhams would shop in for their kids as you can pick up a childs motorised 4×4 for the same price you would pay for a full size one!!!
My favourite fun store has got to be Toys R Us in Times Square. This store is the largest Toys r Us store in the world and when you enter your greeted by a full size working ferris wheel! 3 floors of fun but beware you may just hear the roar of a life-size T Rex!!!!
If you’re not quite ready to grow up after visits to the Disney store, FAO Schwartz & Toys r Us then why not head to Central Park where a ride in a horse & carriage is just the done thing or maybe head to the Central Park Zoo - maybe not the biggest zoo in the world and you’re not going to see all your favourite characters from Madagascar but its good for the money and you may even see a polar bear! If you go during the colder months you can always grab a pair of skates and whizz round the ice but unlike the zoo this is not cheap here, it’s probably cheaper to head over to Rockefeller albeit not as picturesque.
If you ever find yourself in NY during the summer months then Central Park is an absolute must. It’s an exciting hive of activity with holidaymakers and locals both heading into the vast greenery within the concrete jungle. You’ll find little league teams playing baseball and extremely talented break dancers strutting their stuff for a few dollars. You can have your portrait painted, sketched or cartoonised or maybe you’d prefer to have your name put on a grain of rice – you can find it all in the park.
One year we stumbled across a gay roller disco and what an eye opener that was – easily took an hour of our visit watching guys in tutu’s and girls in leather spinning to gay anthems.
On another visit we went down to 5th Ave to visit the museum of sex (as you do) and came across New Yorks Gay Pride Parade – if we thought the roller disco was an eye opener then this took the biscuit!!!! first came the bikers (about 500 of them) then the police, fire and paramedics, politicians and dancers hand in hand (literally) and then just an endless show of colour and costume to show their pride for being gay.
First comes colour
Then comes costume
and finally …
Hmmm well moving on let’s get back on track and something to even out the testosterone. How about an aircraft carrier fully laden with all manner of awesome steel birds – of course I’m talking about the majestic Intrepid, now a museum showcasing some of America’s flighted heroes of the past including the blackbird! I have to admit for a film buff I thought it was kinda cool re-enacting the scene where Will Smith smashed golf balls into an overgrown and derelict Manhattan in I am Legend. You can also find one of the old Concords here which you can board and see how the fortunate used to fly cross atlantic (have to admit I was shocked at how cramped everything looked, not my idea of luxury).
If you want to grab a sea view of the Intrepid I would definitely recommend the Duck Tour – the amphibian vehicle that takes you through Times, down 5th Ave and then into the Hudson for a sea view of the Manhattan skyline and for just $25 it’s great value.
Now all this frolicking and fun running around the city that never sleeps may just make you hungry and if you’re in a fun mood maybe Mars 2112 will be right up your street. Now don’t get me wrong the food is not brilliant but I haven’t been in too many restaurants where you have to step into a ‘spaceship’ and take a journey to another planet before you eat! Once there you find yourself immersed in a giant red crater surrounded by red mountain ranges and aliens delivering food & entertainment – great if you have kids. No kids? then why not try Hooters … a whole different kind of mountain ranges entirely.
It saddens me to hear that one of my favourite drinking holes has closed its doors (hopefully not for the last time) … The Tavern on the Green was beautiful, ok a bit pricey and definitely a tourist trap but to eat outside in Central Park surrounded by lanterns throughout the tree’s was something special. I sincerely hope someone buys this place and re-opens it just the way it was, rumour has it that Donald Trump is trying to purchase it – lets hope so.
Still one thing that will never close in New York are the theatres and boy does NYC have some theatre houses. Second only to London’s West End (ok so I’m biased) the big apple boasts some of the best theatres and shows anywhere – the last time I was there I went to see Wicked at the Gershwin theatre and for any Wizard of Oz fans this is a must.
So this would certainly be a day that would wipe you out, a day playing in the toy shops, a trip to the zoo, watching a parade, visiting an aircraft carrier, an hour or two in Central Park, something to eat and a show … now all that’s left to do is choose a hotel!!!!! now that’s a whole new blog ha ha.
Til the next time have a good day.
Latino777 – It’s our time down here
Scribbles from a Word Slinger (part six)
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Hey guys, I’ve been requested to put these ones on so please enjoy:
Forbidden Love
Shadows wake by candlelight as soft jazz haunts the room,
The sweetest sound of the saxophone releases a timeless tune,
And in this setting I think of you not half the world away,
I long to live this dream so near, this dream that cannot stay,
The sound, a woman old and worn, the piano sings her life,
These passing moments, sacred thoughts play softly through the night,
For there are times you feel alone with this I am there too,
But judgement day I fear will bring a curse ‘pon me and you,
So hold me close within my dream for never you’ll know this fate,
Our friendship is a solemn bond, the risk I cannot take,
A mystery I hope to stay as darkness falls on me,
And as the candle flickers out goodnight I’ll bid to thee.
The Persistent Soul
I’ve tasted love been held by lust but never in this way,
For you are like the perfect storm that’s swept away the day,
And all you’ve left me with tonight are thoughts that haunt me know,
With eyes I’ve seen, with hands I’ve touched with soul I’ve beauty found,
With ink I write these words of love as speech does much reveal,
For some things should be locked away with you its how I feel,
I knew first sight what I had found and knew it not to be,
But what is love if you can’t hear or smell or touch or see,
The blue I lose myself inside lays siege within your eyes,
And when you smile I realise that life’s just laughs and cries,
But love can work in many ways and close are we for this,
For star-crossed love was not to be so you’re my little sis,
With this direction I can love and still give you my all,
Be that shoulder when you cry or catch you when you fall,
Laugh together side by side when mood does make you play,
Or be your rock from dusk till dawn to keep your fears at bay,
So as the light does start to fade upon these words for you,
I’ll leave you sweetheart with this word – it’s simply just – thank you.
A Cursed Love
Vocal visions of a lullaby prophesise my end,
Acoustic angels take my soul and start the great ascend,
Echoes stir an untold pain that laid a curse on thee,
A desire for a true romance that never was to be,
For she was simply my Earthseed planted deep inside,
The roots they never did take hold with gypsy tears they cried,
A melancholy anthem plays on strings of violins,
Created by a symphony that’s buried deep within,
And now the lyrics start to sound and candles start to burn,
Seductive voices take my hand and lead me to the urn,
And with their whispers softly say to take this want no more,
Close your eyes and wipe away the tears that hit the floor,
For you it’s said the pain was great and this will be your low,
But fear you not because my friend for you its time to go,
With flames still bright a cold takes hold and this is my last thought,
The greatest thing I ever learnt was to love and be ignored.
Latino777 – It’s our time down here.
