kennyb EXTRAVAGANZA

Wednesday, November 30, 2005

cheeze and crackers

if you've ever been to another country, like canada or pennsylvania dutch country, or even other states, it seems everywhere has some form of cheeze and crackers.

i've never really done any exhaustive research on the topic, but i think it's a timeless combination: some form of bread and something gooey on top. on the ship we got upgraded to "consierge class" and became accustomed to several ammenities, one of which was nightly "canape's". (there's and accent on the last e for all those non french speakers out there, making it pronounced can - a- PAY -- so it's more like forrest gump saying canofpeas than ca-NAY-ps) it's just lil' pieces of toast w/various gooey stuffs on top. once i had caviar, not a fan. then various cheezes or cheeze spreads. my favorite was prochutto and melon! i think it had a small dab of cheeze, but the flavor combination of salty hamm and the tropical melon - mmmmm!!!

also, and this will become a re-occurring theme, we went on a caribbean catamaran (which here means funny looking mid-size sailboat) it was a grand time! there was about 40-50 people from the cruise that jaunted accross the sea to a nice little cove to go snorkel. the water was nice and cool and the sun, beatifully warm. unlike last time i tried to snorkel, i was smart and applied sunscreen several times that morning to avoid the dreaded red lobster back. so the fish were all around, but suprisingly solitary. i did encounter one school of brightly striped fish pass just below me. there also was a couple of amazingly blue fish. we saw some sea urchins and even an eel*(more on eel later).
so, we get back on the boat and one of the crew members, all caribbean born, told us we're going to the other side of the island ( of NEVIS ) to a nice soft sand beach to swim and eat. well, we got there, ate some caribbean chicken and they brought the open bar on shore!!! wohoooo! so we're swimmin in the caribbean sea, drink in one hand havin a blast. amazing time. some beatiful shells and my bro-in-law even found a sand dollar, but it pee'd on hime so he let it go. then it was back on the catamaran to head back to the big ship. did i mention, they had an open bar.

and back to the theme of the post here ... on our way back they cranked up the bob marley (and by cranked i mean they had 4 15" speakers underneath the seats and another four 9" in the center of the ship to produce an amazing sound system) and, oh yeah, open bar. but they were responsible. they did not start serving alcohol until after we were done snorkelling. and they even served us little cheeze and crackers as appetizers. i'm not sure what the mixture was, but they had this big bowl of cheezy gooey stuff and a your basic generic thin cracker.

so it's universal, cheeze and crackers!

posted by kennyB 06:23

Tuesday, November 29, 2005

so, it sucks to be back in western NY .... not that i won't enjoy the snow glistening on the trees most of the winter here, but right now, not so much. and the cold. i went from 85 avg temp to 8.5 it seems like. brrrrrrrrrrrr.

one thing i learned about on my voyage was that some things are good cold. like soup. who here has ever had cold soup? that's what i thought. i had cold guspacho (sp?), cold tropical fruit (blend of passion and other fruits) and my favorite cold melon soup. mmmMMMmmm.

in the next couple of posts, you'll see other anecdotes about my food-filled voyage to the caribbean. enjoy!

posted by kennyB 20:36

Sunday, November 27, 2005

....yeaaaaaah, i'm back! ..... still tired, but it's a good tired~check for detailed updates in a bit!!!

posted by kennyB 08:43

Friday, November 18, 2005

... yeah, i sail out of san juan tomorr morn ... i's tired as f@#$, but hyper-excited -->details to follow!!!

kB

posted by kennyB 05:27

Saturday, November 05, 2005

i burnt toast today. not just left-it-in-the-toaster and it turned dark brown. no. much worse. i was making garlic toast, so i got the jar of crushed garlic and put a healthy portion on a piece of bread. got the buttery spread out and covered the bread with a nice even coat. turned the toaster oven on broil, placed the bread on alumunium foil and slid the bread in the oven.
then, i went to the comp to continue working on my project.
then, i remembered i left the bread in the toaster oven.
then, i looked and saw miniature flames.
then, i grabbed an oven mitt, put the mini-enflamed bread in the sink and sprayed it with the handy gadget on my kitchen sink.

so i feel like a big idiot and my stomach is empty. but i learned another usage for that little black hose on your kitchen sink!

the end

posted by kennyB 23:12

Thursday, October 20, 2005

So I’m finally recovered from this weekend. A great friend from college had an extra ticket to the Bills game Sunday against the J-E-T-S Jets, and he brought me along for an experience of a lifetime. Here is what I remember:

Canadian gave me a cup of Jack Daniels

Witnesses at least half a dozen fights (including one confirmed arrest)

Partied for nearly 10 hours beginning at 10 O’clock

Was on camera for News channel 2 (http://www.ballburglar.com/ - http://www.wgrz.com/)

Watched a two hippies construct a fire

Ate a nearly-raw hamburger

Met Kenny and his 1970’s Ford Pinto

Drank shots out of a Bowling Ball

posted by kennyB 07:08

Monday, September 26, 2005

guaranteed to rock sideway
Originally uploaded by artkennyb.

.... here it is my biz card .... you can download it, OR, COME SEE ME!!!

posted by kennyB 23:07

Sunday, September 25, 2005

my weekend was good. had great weather for the drive. got down to pitt just in time for dinner and then a bit of shopping. stopped into the apple store around the corner from my brother in law's apt. found a digi camera for 50% off bought it and going to give my mother-in-law the old one. then when to get into the car (( they rented a taurus )) found a flat front tire. drove it nearly flat to a sunocco and then called budget rent-a-car and they sd we have to buy an exact match of that tire. told her- screw you. called back sun morn and they sd c'mon over and we'll get a new one for ya.
the exhibition was awesome!!! it was in a national guard armory. they sectioned off half of it, set up some bleachers and had a dancefloor set up for the perfomrers. the other half was half a dozen humV's and assorted other military vehicles. the dance performers were amazing, complete w/aerial lighting effects and house band b'twixt acts. they had the "visual" arts alsong the side, near the entrance, of course, mine situated on the first panel. it was not a professional show, but that's what made it amazing. it was real, young, hungry artists looking to share their talents. look out y'innns, because there's alot more where that came from!
now i shall drink some wine.

posted by kennyB 21:43

Thursday, September 22, 2005

in the sad but funny category:


I was coming out of the grocery store the other day ..... this old lady was looking for a parking spot and she was going up and down the aisles of the parking lot trying to find one up close in the front. As she got near the entrance to the store, she drove squarely straight into the small pedestriean stop sign in the middle of the walkway!!! It bounced back up. She got out of her car for a second, checked out the front of her car, and simply backed up and drove away. just caught me as a funny picture.

posted by kennyB 07:11

Sunday, September 04, 2005

ok now, a little survey......


Who is the laziest ??!?? ........


i say me, i haven't written in nearly two weeks .... cool stuff is happening all around, but i'm just too lazy to let'chal know. Like i had a good visit to the dentist, mary ann kicks my ass, i see trash all around me and (( oh yeah)) fall sports are beginning!!! not sure, but i would vote me as the laziest in the world.

**i'm even too lazy to hit the shift key when i need caps on my i's **

lemme know what you think!?!

posted by kennyB 08:14

Sunday, August 14, 2005

me in shoe museum
Originally uploaded by artkennyb.

....yep, that's me and a really big cowboy boot!

posted by kennyB 22:42

... just got back from an excellent trip to toronto. kate and i visited our neighbors to the north last tuesday and had a lovely time. nothing super exciting, but a great reprise from the monotony of everyday life here in b-lo. saw some art (saw the distillery district where several big-budget films were shot and an homage to shoes), did a bit of shopping (@ the Eaton Centre) and saw a great concert. i don't go to many concerts, and i think it helps me to enjoy when i do. we saw Rufus Wainwright (son of Loudon) and Ben Folds (formerly of ben folds five) at the koolhaus. Both performers rocked w/a relentless spirit that made for a great show!

... so that's a brief update on my energies for the last couple of days. i'll be exhibiting some art in Pittsburgh in the fall, more on that later, along w/pics from my journey.

posted by kennyB 18:27

Monday, August 01, 2005

Scissors



.... does anyone have nearly as many pairs of scissors as I do ?!? I remember buying a 3pack several years ago at IKEA, but somehow i have approx 9-11 pairs of them. How does that happen?

posted by kennyB 18:25

Wednesday, July 13, 2005

...many people have an apple iPod and listen to iTunes. i have seen and heard advertisements for what Apple is calling "Podcasts" which are recorded audio sessions that you can download and listen ((but often not save or edit)). I recently did some searching and probing {insert joke here} and found an interesting one for those people up north here:

while in iTunes, search for Chris Pirillo* .... and play his Podcast of "Wacky coverage of the hurricane" ....! and then let me know what you think



........*this guy used to be on a show called techTV and is what many would call a "GEEK". but i think his humouristic twist on live "news" reports is amusing to say the least.

posted by kennyB 23:54

Saturday, July 02, 2005

coldplay at live 8
Originally uploaded by artkennyb.

there were some great speaches, and even truly breathtaking performances. thank you ctv ((go canadia!!!))

posted by kennyB 13:59

live 8
Originally uploaded by artkennyb.

what a concert event .... a bizare mix of performers from around the globe, playing accross the world!!!

posted by kennyB 13:57

Monday, June 27, 2005

On June 23, 2005, New York passed a bill to ban mercury in vaccines! It is the fifth state in twelve months to enact such legislation, along with Iowa, California, Missouri and Illinois.

.....

......ummmmm, please check out www.nomercury.org and see this months issure of RollingSones Magazine.

thank you

artkennyB

posted by kennyB 19:44

Saturday, June 18, 2005

..... well, the heat lasted several days .... and now we seem to be in a funk of sorts .... hopefully sunny days are on the horizon .... but, then again, this is the northeast united stated ...so ya never can tell.

.... coming soon, a new tale of my darling mary ann

posted by kennyB 12:43

Saturday, June 11, 2005

....wow, i love this heat .... it's not 110 like in arizona .... and there's no tropical storms like in the Carribean .... just lovely sunshine that gives me energy. I just feel so alive and excited about even the littlest of things. amazing this sphere we call the sun.

posted by kennyB 21:16

Thursday, June 02, 2005

a big weekend coming up .... i'm not sure what may transpose, or if i will be able to publish such details, but i will update with brevity the basic scenario: wine

((((enough said))))

in other vinyard related news, my friend has some new tunes to listen to .... www.thepush.blogspot.com .... that's where ya need to go!!!

until later

kennyB

posted by kennyB 22:11

Saturday, May 21, 2005

A DAY ON THE EDGE
I had a scare w/Mary Ann this morning. I was on my way to work, when I noticed her leg was broken. You can't just drive away to work and not notice how injured she was! I called my wife's office to send someone over to heal it, and they put a temporary cast on the left leg. That part was covered by insurance, with no deductible. So I made it to work ((... only 30min late...)) and had an ok day at the job. But I kept worrying about my lil' baby Mary Ann. What was I going to do? She can't run that fast with the way they fixed her up, so I’m probably going to pay up the wazzooo for another operation. The first place I went to said that they could do nothing, they might be able to fit me in during the week, but possibly not. I called several emergency rooms to see about health care costs for my lil' sweetheart and if they could help her immediately, as I didn't want to wait until Monday. Luckily, a friend recommend this place that does excellent work, and won't charge exorbitant office fees or anything like that. I had to wait like 30-45 min. and then they took her in and she's good as new. ((...and the best part, The whole procedure only cost $13 bucks!!!))
Now, I just have to save up for a blood transfusion

..... stay tuned for details!

posted by kennyB 16:30

Tuesday, May 03, 2005

windmill sketch
Originally uploaded by artkennyb.

Windmill, windmill for the land...
.
..
... let's turn forever hand in hand.

posted by kennyB 17:24

Tuesday, April 26, 2005

What Is English?

Is it the English of London or of New York, of San Antonio or Newark, Sydney or Dublin, Nairobi or New Delhi? And the English of whom in those places? Everyone? Only certain people? Is it the language of Merriam-Webster, or of the BBC, or the Queen, or Tom Brokaw, or Madonna, or Snoop Doggy-Dog, or the University of Oxford? Is it an element in foreign policy, or a device for the exercise of cultural imperialism? Is it a means of bridging the smaller languages to promote communication and bring economic advancement? Is it a device for excluding those who have not had the good fortune to learn it? Is it inherently superior to other languages or a language that just got lucky? Is there such a thing as “correct” English, and is such “proper English” superior to other forms?

Evidently the answers that one finds in grammatical studies, or in standard dictionaries, cannot reflect the full diversity of language in its social setting. While the abstract study of language is crucially important, there is a very real danger that we will conclude that Spanish is something in a textbook, that French is to be found inside a dictionary, that Chinese is hidden in a box of CDs. The study of language as a social phenomenon, as something constantly changing, constantly being renegotiated, gets relatively little attention. But language is in fact an institution that has a massive bearing on our lives, in all kinds of ways.

posted by kennyB 15:36

Saturday, April 23, 2005

guessthagoogle
Originally uploaded by artkennyb.

Hey, I got 306 .... not quite on the high score's list, but pretty darn-tootin' good if ya ask me! Post your scores in the comments, see who can do betta!!!

posted by kennyB 10:34

Thursday, April 21, 2005

giraffes'butt
Originally uploaded by artkennyb.

...so i went to the ZOO w/Kate, my sis, her husband and my nephew and nieces ....what a krazi time we had .... check out these giraffes in their springtime mating ritual!!!

posted by kennyB 16:00

Tuesday, April 19, 2005

.....well, i changed my format, a bit of an update for me. First person add a comment saying what i've changed wins a prize!!! hurry, offer only valid until i post again.

posted by kennyB 14:18

Saturday, April 09, 2005

boogabasement sketch b+w
Originally uploaded by artkennyb.

Here's a sketch I did a few years ago. It's been a re-occurring theme ... an image that keeps popping up in my brain. Just thought I'd get it out of my skull and in to the mind of those that read this.

posted by kennyB 21:26

Friday, April 01, 2005

Febuary 24 1968 - March 30 2005
He will be missed

"I tried walking into a Target , but I missed."

"I haven't slept for ten days, because that would be too long."

"I type 101 words a minute. But it's in my own language."

"I wish I could play little league now. I'd be way better than before."

"I played golf....I did not get a hole in one, but I did hit a guy and that's way more satisfying. Your supposed to yell FORE, but I was too busy mumbling that ain't no way that's gonna hit him."

"The depressing thing about tennis is that no matter how much I play, I'll never be as good a a wall. I played a wall once. They're relentless."

"When someone hands you a flyer, it's like they're saying here you throw this away."

"I like rice. Rice is great if your hungry and want 2000 of something."

"I got my hair highlighted, because I felt some strands were more important that others."

"I'm against picketing, but I don't know how to show it."

"I hate turkeys. If you stand in the meat section at the grocery store long enough, you start to get mad a turkeys. There's turkey ham, turkey bologna, turkey pastromi,.Some one needs to tell the turkey, man, just be yourself."

"I lke refried beans. I wanna try fried beans, because maybe they're just as good and we're just wasting time."

"This product that was on TV was available for four easy payments of $19.95. I would like a product that was available for three easy payments and one complicated payment. We can't tell you which payment it is, but one of these payments is going to be hard."

"I was going to get my teeth whitened, but I said screw that, I'll just get a tan instead."

"I was at this casino minding my own business and this guy came up to me and said your gonna have to move you're blocking a fire exit. As if there were a fire, I wasn't gonna run. If you are flamable and have legs you are never blocking a fire exit."

"I don't own a cell phone or a pager. I just hang around everyone I know, all the time. If someone wants to get a hold of me they just say "Mitch," and I say "What?" and turn my head slightly."

"I'm sick of following my dreams. I'm just going to ask them where they're going and hook up with them later."

"My friend said to me "You know what I like? Mashed poatoes," I was like, Dude, you gotta give me time to guess. If your ging to quiz me, you must put a pause in there."

"An escalator can never break. It can only become stairs. You would never seen an Escalator temporarily out of order sign, just Escaloaor temporarily stairs. Sorry for the convenience."

"I was walking down the street with my friend and he said "I hear music" As though there's another way you can take it in. Your not special. That's how I recieve it too. I tried to taste it, but it did not work."

"I went to the park and saw a kid flying a kite. The kid was really excited. I don't know why, that's what they're supposed to do. Now if he had a chair on the other end of that string, I would have been impressed."

I can't get into flossing, I can't. People who smoke say you don't know how hard it is to stop smoking. Yes I do. It's as hard as it is to start flossing. You seem jittery. Yeah, I'm about to floss.

"One time a guy handed me a picture of himself and he said. "Here's a picture of me when I was younger." Every picture of you is when you were younger. Here's a picture of me when I'm older. How'd you pull that off? Let me see that camera."

"I think pickles are cucumbers that sold out. They sold their soul to the devil and the devil is....Dill."

"I get the Reese's candy bar, If you read it, there's an apostrophe. The candy bar is his. I didn't know that. Next time your eating a Reese's and some guy named Reese comes up to you and says let me have that. You better give it to him. I'm sorry Reece, I didn't think I would ever run into you."

"I've been working the colleges and I always buy the shirts from the college, because they're quality shirts. But people always get the wrong idea. I'm walking around wearing a Washington U shirt and someone says "Hey Washington U, Did you go there?" Yeah! It was a Wednesday."


"Y'know I order a club sandwhich all the time. And I'm not even a member. I don't know how I get away with it. I like my sanwhiches witth three peices of bread. So do I. Lets form a club. Okay, but we're gonna need more stipulation. Yes we do. Instead of cutting it once, lets cut it again. Yeah, four triangles. And we shall dump chips in the middle. Let me ask you something, how do you feel about frilly toothpicks? I'm for them."



......he wasn't that old, just damn funny....http://www.turnto10.com/news/4335246/detail.html

posted by kennyB 22:10

DSC01207
Originally uploaded by artkennyb.

Kate and I decided to share sushi at a friend's house the other nite. What a blast! We kept it simple, just some crab and tuna rolls. We couldn't find any fortune cookies, I even thought about thieving them from wegman's, but they were nowhere to be found. The best part was the wasabi .... especially just after i mixed it up (from the big jar of powder i have) and the smell permeating throughout the house!!!

posted by kennyB 09:55

Tuesday, March 29, 2005

a club for everything is the title of this post .... here's what got me thinking ....


....while at work minute ago, a coworker (("zhris")) was commenting on how bored he was and a guy near me (("dayson")) said, "hey, join the club"! I felt like asking "dayson" where do i sign up? Is there a fee? or can i find information about this club online?!?
does anyone know of such a club...? maybe there is a support group for people bored at work, or a confernce i could attend ... please let me know where to sign up.

Ken

posted by kennyB 13:34

Friday, March 11, 2005

While surfing Yahoo NEWS, i found this story ... it's all about yankee inginuity!!!

Look Who's Talking at the Drive-Through

2 hours, 41 minutes ago Oddly Enough – Reuters News Service

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - McDonald's Corp. wants to outsource your neighborhood drive-through. The world's largest fast-food chain said on Thursday it is looking into using remote call centers to take customer orders in an effort to improve service at its drive-throughs.

"If you're in L.A.... and you hear a person with a North Dakota accent taking your order, you'll know what we're up to," McDonald's Chief Executive Jim Skinner told analysts at the Bear Stearns Retail, Restaurants & Apparel Conference in New York. Call center professionals with "very strong communication skills" could help boost order accuracy and ultimately speed up the time it takes customers to get in and out of the drive-throughs, the company said.

posted by kennyB 11:47

Tuesday, March 08, 2005

.....here's my pick for musical endurance:

Youssou N'Dour

...

..... he's from Senegal originally, i think he lived in Paris for a bit. He's done songs with Peter Gabriel, Sting and Wyclef Jean. If you get a chance, google him, look in i-Tunes (or other legal/illegal music source) or simply goto your local record shop and find out more. I recommend a track called "How Come?"

thank you, KennyB

posted by kennyB 09:50

Monday, March 07, 2005

In the lastest installment of office hijinx....

someone trashed our bathroom. we are going to have a meeting of all the guys in the bldg... whodunnit?!?

posted by kennyB 16:53

Thursday, March 03, 2005

man, why are people such babies!!!

....at work, they have an automatic heating/cooling system that has several zones. towards the back of the office, the heat tends to fluctuate often, due to the fact that there are more vents. the thermostat is set constant, and has not changed since i started almost a year ago. people still complain about it being too cold .... or too hot .... depending upon when the system kicks in. if you've ever tried to heat a large area it is not something that takes 5 min. we have fairly high ceilings and it's one huge room w/ cubicles (typical office space). but people keep complaining. whaaaaah it's cold! whaaaaah!!!

IT MAKES ME WANT TO STEAL THEIR RED STAPLER!!!

posted by kennyB 14:55

Monday, February 28, 2005

I never used to do this. I'm one keep the strait and narrow, not break the rules, ya know.

...
.....
.......I think I'm going to start blogging at work. I know it's not revolutionary, but it should be fun... you may see busted posts, or cut off thoughts ...


like this one, i'm done.


ken

posted by kennyB 15:58

Sunday, February 13, 2005

class.


that was the theme of the Grammy's. I was thoroughly impressed! real artists.

posted by kennyB 22:36

Friday, February 11, 2005

ohhhhh, another weekend! I cannot wait to sit and do next-to-nothing this weekend. Sure, i'll spend some quality time w/my wife on this valentine weekend, but mostly i think i'll relax. Life has been stressing me, taxes, weather, work... i could go on and on ...

but it's time now to begin the weekend ((pssssscht)) that's the sound of an icey cider being opened ((ohhhhh, i think i hurt my tooth!))

posted by kennyB 17:37

Friday, February 04, 2005

My uncle passed away last week. It was hard to deal with, but not as hard as i would have thought. It was the first time that someone close to me has died But it was not too difficult and i actually enjoyed meeting with family ... and, not to be corny, but he is better off. following a stroke nearly 10 years ago, he has never been up to full steam. I am very thankful that he was able to make it to my wedding in October.

i'm hoping this will rejuvinate me. i feel more appreciative, not only that i have a great family, but also for little things too. like walking. and art on my walls. not really directly assoctiated with my uncle, but just things i appreciate in life. I guess i feel i'm pretty lucky, and i wanna make my mark in this world. carpe diem they say.

posted by kennyB 10:44

Wednesday, January 26, 2005

.........
.....
...
.
...
.....
...............well, we just hired like 10-12 new people, and the stress on the system caused our server to crash!!! so i'm getting paid to sit here and do nothing!!! we're fixen to have a lil'meeting now, just to waste time.

posted by kennyB 08:53

Wednesday, January 19, 2005

..... Quote of the Day:

...

.

...

..... "I might just have to consume distilled spirits from barbados as if it were the case that today was the exact day of my birth!"

posted by kennyB 22:36

wedding PAGE