http://mcirillo.com scribblings from historic downtown McKinney, Texas: altered art, local color, flora, fauna, cemeteries, irrational commentary, improbable-and-unlikely diy home projects Sat, 04 Oct 2008 14:27:26 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Yesterday I drove to Sherman, a town about 30 miles north of here, initially to photograph some gravestones of distant relatives for my genealogical research. As is the case with a typical huge cemetery, it wasn't that photogenic. My cohort and I spent most of our time prowling around ... http://mcirillo.com/2008/10/04/full-moon-over-a-country-road/ Green Clearwing Dragonfly I'm fascinated by bugs, especially when I can view one close up. I don't know why I grew up disliking them, or why I was terrified of spiders. (I still despise cockroaches, though.) Is it a Western cultural thing to see insects and reptiles as evil things? It ... http://mcirillo.com/2008/10/02/gentle-dragon/ Squirrel with pecan. I've heard people saying it's going to be a cold winter in North Texas, but really, Senor Squirrel, is that any excuse to stuff your face this way? And Dude, your oral hygiene sucks. Brush those teeth once in a while. Eeeeew! http://mcirillo.com/2008/09/29/never-eat-anything-larger-than-your-head/ Found Papers: playing card & 2 cigarette packs. A co-worker was showing me her latest scrapbooking efforts this week, and I was struck by how much money she has invested in her hobby, so much so that she says people will only be getting handmade cards for Christmas, and nothing else. ... http://mcirillo.com/2008/09/25/carnival-lights/ yeah, baby, this SUV owner knows the score. maybe he/she is a sub-prime lender? maybe a CEO at Morgan Stanley? Need I ask the question begging to be answered; ie, "why would you be so stupid as to advertise this fact?" http://mcirillo.com/2008/09/24/fear-self-loathing-in-fairview/ Animatronic Baby T-Rex from the Dinosaurs Alive! exhibit at McKinney's Heard Museum. These were pretty cool. The eyes and body were set in motion as if the dinosaurs sensed your approach and were really looking at you. Scary! You could hear kids squealing up and down the trail. This is the ... http://mcirillo.com/2008/09/21/looking-for-a-muse-ment/ Repeat after me: My health is more important than.....[fill in the blank]. (almost everything I can think of?) Two days after the heart-attack incident at work a former co-worker suffered an extremely high pulse rate and checked himself into a hospital. He was on the brink of having a stroke. This stuff ... http://mcirillo.com/2008/09/17/lucky-13/ Who knew working for a large corporation could be a matter of life and death? Who knew the bureaucracy and fear of liability might stand in the way of someone getting help in a medical emergency? My co-workers and I found out the hard way this week when one of our ... http://mcirillo.com/2008/09/13/how-not-to-have-a-heart-attack/ "How strange! Some kid has been sticking their orange M&Ms in an old seed pod. What a perfect waste of chocolate." These were my thoughts as I bent to collect the pod on the sidewalk. "No, not M&Ms. Tiny alien creatures camouflaged in a hostile environment, biding their time until ... http://mcirillo.com/2008/09/08/the-mysterious-production-of-trees/ Above: Ruby Throated Hummingbird (female or immature male) -- Below: Asian Tiger Mosquito The hummingbirds don't seem to visit our feeders when they're stationed close to the house, so I don't often get a chance to photograph one. This little cutie pie stayed motionless just long enough for me ... http://mcirillo.com/2008/09/07/tiny-garden-denizens/