STROOPE

NEW PODCAST FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS

2011-09-30T16:51:00.001-05:00

Last week I discovered a new podcast for photographers. Below I cut and pasted some info about the hosts, Rick Sammon and Juan Pons. Visit the site to listen at http://www.dpexperience.com or subscribe on iTunes....Enjoy.

The Digital Photo Experience was created by Rick Sammon and Juan Pons to bring to you the best photography tips, advice, news and information.Both Rick and Juan live and breathe photography and are always eager to share with you what they know.However, DPE is NOT just about Rick and Juan, we also have an impressive list of supporting contributors that we believe provides a well rounded and comprehensive coverage of different photo styles, and opinions. This is what makes us unique.Check out our profiles below, and as always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact us!

Rick SammonDPE Co-Founder & Crusader for Great ContentCanon Explorer of Light

Rick Sammon has published 36 books, including Exploring the Light and Digital Photography Secrets.His book, Flying Flowers won the coveted Golden Light Award, and his book Hide and See Under the Sea won the Ben Franklin Award.Rick, who has photographed in almost 100 countries around the world, gives more than two-dozen photography workshops (including private workshops) and presentations around the world each year.Rick also hosts five shows on kelbytraining.com. He also writes for PCPhoto magazine. Rick, who has been nominated for the Photoshop Hall of Fame, is considered one of today’s top digital-imaging experts, cutting through lots of Photoshop “speak,” making it fun, easy and rewarding to work and play in the digital darkroom.Rick gives dozens of workshops and seminars around the world each year, which he says is a blast.When asked about his photo specialty, Rick says, “My specialty is not specializing.”

Juan PonsDPE Co-Founder & Emperor of Our Educational Material

As a nature and wildlife photographer, Juan is a strong supporter of wildlife and natural habitat conservation and is a member of several conservation organizations. Although much of his photography is focused on native wildlife in North Carolina, Juan travels frequently to other regions of interest, such as Yellowstone National Park, Puerto Rico, New England, and the Southwestern states. Juan never ceases to be amazed by the natural subjects he photographs and hopes that sharing his photographs will inspire others to appreciate and respect natural life.Juan’s work has been featured on numerous publications, including: Sierra Magazine, Nature Conservancy, Audubon Magazine, Audubon North Carolina, Wildlife in North Carolina, The Independent, and others.Juan also owns Wild Nature Tours, offering instructional photo workshops in Yellowstone and other locations in the US.

ONLY 2 YEARS AGO

2011-08-31T16:41:00.002-05:00

It's been 2 years since my last post. What happened? TIME... no excuses. Since then I bought a Sony DSLR, 3 lens and a converter that allows me to use my premium Pentax lens on the Sony mount. The adapter only cost $39.99 from an Amazon store. Since then I've seen them on eBay for $29.00. The downside is that you have to shoot on manual and there is no auto metering. So, you have to have an external meter or use the Sunny 16 rule for the correct exposure. More about that later. For now, just letting you know I'm back and will continue on the photography subject. Plus, I'll post some nice pictures along the way.

SIMPLE PHOTOGRAPHY EQUALS GREAT PICTURES

2009-07-04T22:45:00.002-05:00

It seems like yesterday that I was photographing portraits and weddings. I got started by photographing my sister-in-law's wedding, then it was my new brother-in-law's cousin, then another relative then friends of theirs. It just snowballed and after 9 years I finally decided I'd had enough. I made enough money to buy equipment, lighting systems, filters, extra lenses and photography gadgets. I had all this good stuff but no desire to photograph another wedding. So, for a while, I walked away. It had become a job.
Then something happened at work. My photography skills became part of my day job. The company photographer retired and so they started calling me to take pictures for the company magazine. I had lots of covers and almost every picture in the book was shot by me. I traveled all over North Louisiana and East Texas shooting everything from welding shops, natural gas cars to chicken houses. All the while doing my regular job. Then things changed again and the company downsized and I was out of work. So, I put my equipment away and just shot for my family and church school. I shot football games for 8 or 9 years and after my sons graduated I slowly got out of that and put away my cameras again.
During all that time, I learned how to shoot individual portraits, group shots, small product close ups, landscapes, and anything that came my way. I learned how to make my own reflectors and soft boxes. I used silver and white umbrellas with studio flash units to handheld units. I made some of my gadgets myself and got some great results for just a small amount of money. I suppose I bought every photo book that was on the market and read them with a white hot passion for photography. I had lighting books, posing books, close up books, fashion books, advertising books, and tons of magazines about photography.
So, what am I doing with all this knowledge now? NOTHING. That's sad isn't it? So, I'm thinking I might feature some how to articles here on the Stroope blog and if I get enough response I'll start another blog about using your point and shoot digital camera to make professional pictures using inexpensive lighting and backgrounds. If you're interested check back from time to time for the next photo article.
Take care for now and Happy Forth of July.

Stroope

2009-06-18T16:13:00.001-05:00

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Stroope

2009-06-11T13:31:00.001-05:00

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A LETTER FROM MY FRIEND SCOTT MITCHELL

2009-06-11T11:16:00.002-05:00

Below I've posted an email from my friend Scott Mitchell concerning a story I told about Tom Mann on a recent podcast. Tom and his friends decided to air up a dog with a bicycle pump and then his little brother. Little did he realize that he could have killed the dog and his brother. Scott's email tells of a similar story that ended with the death of a child. I should have mentioned in my podcast that what Tom did was extremely dangerous and not to be taken lightly. Although it was funny at the moment, Tom did say in his book that it was a big mistake and included a warning. Which I failed to do. Thank you Scott for bringing that to my attention.

Hello Ron,

On a recent podcast you were talking about this book you were reading
about country boys in the past. You read a story where this guy put a
gopher up the butt of a donkey and then later pumped up a donkey butt
with an air pump. Later you said the same thing was done by one
brother onto another. What book was this? Who were these people?

You seemed to have kind of a ha ha nudge wink wink attitude towards
how things were in the old country days.

When you told this story I was taken back to my high school days. I
had a shop teacher... Mr. Littlefield. He was a grumpy and small wirey
guy that took no crap from anyone. On one day he got the class
together and laid out the rules of shop classs. He made it clear that
anyone fooling around in the LEAST... even just cracking jokes would
be ejected from the class perhaps permanently. As he was saying this
we all wondered what was this old fart's problem. Next he told a story
and he got real serious. A number of years before he said he was
running shop class and some boys got to horsing around. Ha ha wink
wink. They had a compressed air tank and a hose and one boy grabbed
the hose and put it up to the butt of a kid there and pressed the
lever. A blast of high compressed air came out and inflated the boys
intestine and it exploded. Before they could get the boy to the
hospital for emergency surgery he was dead from the poisons in his
intestine spilling out into the rest of his body and massive bleeding.
He never forgot it and became a strict task master. I respected that.

When I heard this story I was reminded of this. You probably never
gave it any thought. You might want to mention to never try something
like that for any reason and that it is not funny at all. I would hate
to think of someone trying that thinking it was funny. Also in this
day and age that would definitely be sexual assault akin to these
preachers that sodomize kids and the person doing it would have a
record as a sexual predator for the rest of their life. Now we take
such things VERY seriously. I am pretty glad things are different now
than in the good old days.

I know you adore kids and I am sure you were just not thinking about
it. I only thought I would mention it to make you aware of it as
kindly as I can.

Best Regards
Scott Mitchell

Common man Uncommon thoughts
Step outside the box
Politics, Technology, Philosophy, & a slice of my life.
Shorten your commute by listening.
http://www.scottpodcast.com

HO AGENDA

2009-06-10T09:55:00.003-05:00

HO AGENDA is a podcast that Tom Wiles and I do at least once a month. Tom, known as Trucker Tom, also has a podcast called the TruckerTom Podcast and has a tremendous following. When Tom and I call each other it's usually to talk about some issue in the news or something we've found to be interesting and most conversations end up being about 2 hours long. We got to thinking that we should make a podcast out of our conversations since at the time no one else was doing that. But, Adam Curry and John C. Dvorak had the same idea and beat us to the punch. However, that challenged us to get our show going and now 22 shows later we're still at it. That's almost 2 years of a monthly show. Since Tom is traveling and usually home only once a month we try to record when he gets a few minutes away from family and friends. Last night we didn't get together until 9:30 and due to problems it was probably 10:30 or 11:00 before we started recording. Around 1:00 A.M. we decided it was time to wrap up the show. We had a lot of fun on this episode talking about some funny subjects. We stayed away from politics for the most part and talked about everyday things like, hog traps. Yep, hog traps. It seems the country is being taken over by an over abundance of wild hogs. So, I informed him of what I knew about it. Then the subjects of water wells, rocks, rock houses, alligators, turkeys and a bit of technology creeped into the conversation. This is probably one Ho Agenda I'll actually listen to again just for a laugh. If you're interested, I'll include a link below to click on. Episode 22 in being edited and will be available in a couple of days. Here's the link: http://hoagenda.mevio.com or http://www.truckertompodcast.com . Enjoy.

Stroope

2009-06-09T16:06:00.001-05:00

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SITTING BY THE POOL

2009-06-03T11:24:00.006-05:00

At the moment I'm sitting by the pool watching my grandkids swim and play pool basketball. Peyton, Caitlyn and Parker are enjoying a week of vacation in Hot Springs, Arkansas, with their parents, Chris and Brandi. They invited us to spend the week with them so A.J. and I packed our bags and here we are. So far, we've been to Magic Springs Amusement and Water Park twice and they've been three times. We visited an alligator farm and petting zoo too. I know what you're thinking, no we didn't pet the alligators. The second day we visited a business that sells all sorts of beautiful rocks and crystals. These places seem to be everywhere. There's even a mining company that allows you to go through their 100 foot trough to find semi-precious jewels. Of course, there's an admission fee but you are guarenteed to take home at least 20 of these jewels. Does semi-precious mean precious to the owner but actually worthless? Well, that's my take on it. At the moment, that's out of the question. We are considering going to the putt-putt course later but rain is in the forecast so that's on hold. Currently the sun is shining and I'm seeing blue skies and a few wimpy white clouds. Call me Mr. Weather, but I think the rain is likely to not show up until we're in the middle of our putt-putt game.
Regarless of the weather, I'm just enjoying hanging out and taking it easy sitting here by the pool watching the kids.

Stroope

2009-05-30T19:13:00.001-05:00

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Stroope

2009-05-29T12:36:00.001-05:00

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Trip

2009-05-29T11:24:00.001-05:00

I'm going to use utterli or at least try to send out mini-podcasts when I'm on the road.

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More Books About Golf and History

2009-05-11T21:18:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was Mother's Day but I went to visit my Mom on Saturday since we expected our kids to come by on Sunday. They did and after their visit, we went shopping. My mom gave me a check, an early birthday present, and it was burning my pocket so we went to Dick's Sporting Goods and looked around at the golf equipment, balls, clubs, putters, bags, and all the related items to golf. They had lots of good sales going on but I was more interested in a particular golf book by Hank Haney called "Hank Haney's Essentials of the Swing". I didn't find it there so went went down the street to the local Barnes and Nobels bookstore. I knew they'd have the book and sure enough, I went straight to it. My golf swing is not too good so it's something I wanted and needed to get some good knowledge about from the best golf trainer of them all. He's the man who guides Tiger Woods so I know I'll learn something if I apply the principles of his book. Some of the chapters are: The Grip, Stance, Posture and Alignment,and The Backswing. You get the idea. So far, I've read chapter one I've already learned quite a bit. I'd recommend this book if asked. Well, I think I just did.
Next, as I was strolling through the bargain section, I came across the book "Einstein" by Walter Isaacson, a great writer. Only 9.95...what a bargin and it's the hardback edition. I watch this section because I love hardbacks. You can get them for a fraction of the orginal cost. The down side is that you might have to wait a year or two to get one. Then I found a book about Abe Lincoln by Michael Lind, "What Lincoln Believed". I can't wait to get into this one.

So, on the bright side, my wife and I had a great Mother's Day.

THE INNOCENCE OF A CHILD

2009-05-10T22:27:00.000-05:00

I enjoy spending time with my grand kids. I believe that to a child "TIME = LOVE". That's something I read a while back in an article I got in an email promoting a book. I only wish I'd thought of it myself. If we are going to change the world, I think it has to start with the children. I'm not talking about being in their presence but talking to them, and relating on their level. Listening to what they have to say is important. They are full of questions and even though we give them answers it seems our answers only fuel more questions. That's a good thing to me. In a coversation my wife had with our eleven year old grandson, he asked her why we ( the United States ) didn't get all the hungry people of the world and bring them to the USA and feed them. That was a tough question from a young boy whose heart is still innocent. It's a shame that crops of food are grown and plowed under because farmers can't get "the right price" they want. I call that GREED. We have more then enough to feed the world.

ART LINKLETTER WAS RIGHT

2009-05-09T23:06:00.005-05:00

Parker, my grandson, spent the day with me with the intention of spending the night. However, this afternoon we went to visit my mom. He was so funny. As soon as we got out of the car, Mom came out the back door and greeted us. Then he says to Mom, in his 3 year old big boy voice, " How are you today? " Of course, Mom ate that up. He did all the cute things kids do to impress adults. He sang, he danced, he rolled his eyes and followed Mom around making every step she made. He even asked her to let him see the inside of her car. Why? I have no idea, but she did it. She put him behind the steering wheel and let him play a few minutes. After that, he asked for a Sprite for me and one for himself and proceeded to eat a handful of Hershey's Kisses. While watching a country music show on RFD-TV, some guy came on and started singing the old Bobby Bare song, " I Wanna Go Home". I guess the sad song got to his little heart. He looked up at me with those big blue eyes and said, " I want to go home Pawpa Ron, (pause ) to my house. I want to see my Daddy. " I was surprised, because he's never changed his mind about spending the night that I remembered. So, after a few more minutes we headed home. After getting back to my house, I thought he'd forgotten about it. He was fine for about 10-15 minutes and then asked me again to take him home. I asked him why he wanted to go home and he responded, "I don't want to hang out with you now." After calling his dad, I put him in the car and headed south to Keithville. When we arrived he climbed out of his car seat. My wife, A.J., handed him his bag and a couple of toys. He looked at her and said, " I only have two hands, I'm not an octopus ".

Art Linkletter was right, "Kids say the darnest things". I know you're asking "Who is Art Linkletter? If you asked Parker, he'd probably answer, "Google it".

CUTTING THE CORD

2009-05-08T08:47:00.007-05:00

I had a thought early this morning as I was waking up. What would happen if I cut the cord? By that, I mean, how would I be affected if I were to leave Twitter, Facebook and all the other social media including podcasting? Just simply walk away to a more simple lifestyle. Could I live without the internet? I've been on the web since the first browser appeared and was one of the first in my town to get online and have a website. Looking back I see how far we've come yet looking forward wondering "how far can we go?" What's next? Social media opens up your life and exposes it to the world. I no longer have local friends, I have global friends. Will I walk away from my email? After all, doesn't almost everyone have email? It might be like going to a deserted island in the middle of the ocean and watching the ship leave, never to return again. Can't change your mind now. Once you lose your contacts in the cyber world, if you went back, say five years later, would you be able to find them? Technology will be so far advanced that you might regret having missed being a part of the change. Is it possible to walk away? I don't think so, but if you don't see me for a while, don't fret, I don't have a boat.

THE QUESTION ?

2009-05-08T00:38:00.004-05:00

What's the question:?

If one knows in their "knower" that they know something but can't explain how they know it, who put it in their "knower"? Do you know?

Have you ever known something in your "knower", your heart, inner voice, or whatever you want to call it, that you knew something was a fact and no one could change your mind? Then how did it get there? Who put the "know" in you? Someone supernatural perhaps? Could it be "God"? But, I've heard God is dead and if he is alive, he doesn't really care about me, right?

Or, perhaps it's the voice of the universe or the cosmic powers of beyond but not God...right?

Or, is God the one behind the energy of the universe or cosmic powers? Questions, questions, questions.

I suspect that God is alive and well, and still speaks to men in their hearts. I mean "knower". You know?

ALICE COOPER GOLF MONSTER

2009-04-29T09:01:00.003-05:00

Alice Cooper, Golf Monster: A Rock 'n' Roller's 12 Steps to Becoming a Golf Addict is one of the best books I've read in a while. It's about the rock star and his addiction to alcohol and how golf played a big role is saving his life. It's a fast read with lots of good stories of how the band Alice Cooper came into being. Later the band split and Vince became Alice Cooper. ( forgot his real last name) He legally changed his name to Alice Cooper and the rest is history. He also talks about when he became a Christian and how it changed his life and show. It's not preachy, but he tells how that came about and how he overcame alcohol and saved his marriage. If you like golf and rock and roll, you'll enjoy this book.

A LONG TIME

2009-04-23T08:59:00.003-05:00

Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted anything so I just thought I'd bring you up to date. Peyton stayed in the hospital for a week and then went home. He's doing fine. Caitlyn and Parker are also doing good and back in school.
Peyton has been accepted in a Magnet school for next year and he's excited about that. ( I wish I was that smart )

Health wise, I seem to be doing better but still have an occassional pain in my upper left stomach area. Possibly an ulcer?

I bought a set of golf clubs. They were the PineMeadow display clubs at a local Academy Sports store. Got them for 59.00 and the week before that bought a Nike 5900 Sumo driver for 150.00, also at Academy. They sell for 200.00 everywhere else in town as well as the internet. So, this Saturday, April 25th, I'm playing golf with a friend. Last Tuesday we went to the driving range to try out the driver and clubs. Whew, that was an experience. I'm a bit sore. It's only been about 8 years since I've played any golf. I did go to the dirving range last year to teach Peyton how to swing a club and had some clubs cut down for him. I'm hoping he'll enjoy the sport so I'll have a partner. I think he'll make a great golfer.
I'll post the results of my golf game here so you'll want to come back for a good laugh. See ya!

Meningitis

2009-03-15T10:03:00.005-05:00

All three of my grandchildren were sick this week. Caitlyn has pneumonia and an ear infection, Parker has the flu, and Peyton has bronchitis and now has meningitis and is in the hospital. Peyton spent Thursday, Friday and most of Saturday with me. He stayed with me while Caitlyn and Parker stayed with their mom's grandmother, because the parents couldn't get off work. All three would have been too much for her. Early Sunday morning, around 4:00 A.M., Peyton was crying with back and neck pain so he was taken to the hospital and diagnosed with meningitis. Chris called me at 8:00 A.M. to let me know. Then Peyton called me on his mom's cell phone from his room to tell me all about it. He was given a spinal tap and told me it didn't hurt. Several years ago his dad, Chris, had meningitis and a spinal tap and said it was extremely painful. The doctor was amazed at Peyton's behavior during the procedure. The doctors are waiting for Peyton's culture to grow so they will know if it's viral or bacterial.

All this time, Anna Jean, my wife, was staying at the hospital with her mom who had surgery on her jaw. Her mom's jaw bone had to be replaced due to taking the drug Fosamax which caused the bone to be destroyed. It literally rotted away. She now has a metal jaw which has to be taken out in about 3 or 4 months and replaced with real bone. If the surgery had not been done her face would have become disfigured. She's 82 years old. The doctor said she's healing like a 4 year old and has the vitals of a 62 year old. I'm sure there was a lot of infection in her body caused from this as well. She wouldn't eat or talk about being in pain so we think it could have affected her mind. Since she's off the medication now she is beginning to act more like herself. I estimate that she lost at least 40-50 pounds over the past year. She came home from the hospital yesterday and A.J. went to her home to check on her this morning.

I'll keep everyone up to date with the progress of both Peyton and Meme.

THE SCARY GUY

2009-01-25T11:35:00.004-06:00

I joined The Scary Guy's social network a couple of days ago. http://www.scaryguy.ning.com . I met him a while back when I found his website and decided to send him an e-mail. I've very impressed with his work. See below:

Who is The Scary Guy?

The Scary Guy is quite possibly The Most Powerful Agent For Change on the Planet Today!
His sole mission is ‘The Total Elimination of Hate, Violence and Prejudice Worldwide.’ These were the first words that Scary spoke when he began his mission in 1998. Since that day, Scary has worked with over 7 million people around the world promoting peace through the teaching of Love and Acceptance of all people. His audience consists of both youth and adults on an individual, community and society level, unaware of how they are using negative energy to meet their needs.

Quite a task for one man but it's something he's not afraid to do. Recently his biography was released and can be ordered in paperback or downloaded. I chose to download it because I wanted to start reading right away. The writer, Mark David Hatwood, takes you on a 5 day journey to the schools in England as The Scary Guy presents his message to the school children and teachers. You'll read stories that will tug on your heart, of kids whose lives have been damaged by other kids bullying them. You see how The Scary Guy starts his "show" to get the attention of the young and sometimes rebellious audience. He holds them under his spell with some really serious facts and once he has them in his grip, he starts to be funny, and soon talks about giving hugs. He'll coax some unsuspecting kid up, shake his hand and teach him or her how to hug, with permission. By the time the session is over the hall ways are full of kids hugging and treating their fellow classmates with respect. He does this day in, and day out. It's his life, his hobby, his love, his lifestyle. Once he leaves a school, he goes back to the hotel for some food and rest and prepares for the next day. Once that's out of the way, he answers e-mails from kids, sometimes 25 or more, that have his special coded email address. These are the ones that need help the most. Sleeping about 5 hours a night and catching a nap between sessions sometimes, is all the sleep he gets but he's quick to tell you it's all he needs. Not every school responds, not every teachers gets behind his work but he continues regardless. After all, his life is is mission.

Oh, did I mention he has tatooes over 85 percent of his body including his head, neck and face. Now, that's why he's called The Scary Guy. In fact, The Scary Guy is his legal name. I suggest you visit his site at http://www.thescaryguy.com/ and read about him, watch the videos and listen to the interviews before you decide to write him off as just another gimmick freak show. You'll be glad you did. Then go buy a copy of the book for yourself, read it, and then ask yourself, " What can I do to change my world?".

.

New Podcast ....Perhaps

2009-01-23T23:01:00.003-06:00

Thanks to Marice Zondag for his kind comments about the ZipCast. One reason I chose to stop the podcast was so I could do some heart searching and research about what I really wanted in a podcast. I've been so impressed with the work of The Scary Guy, because he's changing the world, that I felt too that I would like to do something worthwile. I played music, talked about my life and family, and sometimes talked about my beliefs. Not too world shaking but was a lot of fun but left me feeling empty. I wanted to put out some really life changing content or at least offer people something to take home and think about. I believe in change and that it's good, if it's right. Change for the sake of change is not good. In my next Podcast, whatever the name of it will be, I hope to share some insites about life and share some thoughts and truths that anyone can apply to help with their existience. ( I hope that's spelled right ) I don't have all of the answers, but I've discovered a few that I'd like to share. If would be fun if you'd share with me what you've learned as well. Life is a journey until you decide that it's not. When you give up, don't try and give it, life becomes a burden. Don't give up, keep traveling that road. Find out where you want to go and head in that direction. Don't settle for the well traveled road, take the path that few follow. It's there you'll find the adventure you've dreamed of.

2009

2009-01-16T11:04:00.002-06:00

Brrrrr, Jan 16, 2009

It's cold in the southland today. In Shreveport the low was 22 degrees. I know that's not very cold considering that the rest of the country is below freezing but to me 22 degrees is cold. The sun is out and the high will be 40 so I can live with it.

By now everyone should have heard about the plane crash in the Hudson River in NY. Was that a miracle or what? It was so strange watching the people standing on the wings of the plane waiting to rescued. I can only imagine how they grateful they felt.

WHAT NOW? NAILS

2009-01-05T13:50:00.004-06:00

As of the first of this year, 2009, I've decided to no longer publish The Daily Zipcast Podcast. Although I do enjoy podcasting I felt it best to stop and try other things. New year, new projects like blogging more. Blogging is a thought process and will probably take a little longer then simply recording a podcast. Not that I didn't think about the process and content of the podcast but I do admit sometimes it was just too easy to put out a lot of nonsense than to think the project through. At least here, you won't hear me say, "you know" like Caroline Kennedy or use "uh" over an over. I'm sure I can find other ways to get your attention.

Speaking of attention, I just realised that I'll need to cut my nails more often if I'm to type. I just cut them last week and it seems they already need cutting. I hate the sound of long nails hitting the keys. I'm a man. I don't grow my nails long but if they get past a certain length, I go bonkers. It feels that they are in my way. The disadvantage of short nails is picking up thin objects off the ground like coins or slivers of paper. Nails are useful for that but that's about it.

Editing. Now that's the other thing about blogging. You have to proff read. Oops! Make that "Proof" read, So, if I'm to "nail it" as a blogger, I have to be careful about what I say and proof read for mistakes. Good English is important too. I might need some help there but as I blog perhaps that will improve too. If it gets to be too much work, I might go back to podcasting.

IT'S OPEN, THE ZIPCAST STORE

2008-07-04T09:57:00.001-05:00

The Zipcast Store is open for business. Here's the link.

http://www.zipcaststore.us

Shop til ya drop

The Zipcast Store

2008-07-02T14:37:00.002-05:00

I'll post a link soon to my Amazon store I simply called The Zipcast Store. Once it's up and ready you should be able to reach it by clicking on zipcaststore.us . I feature the catagories I like.

Here they are: cameras, books, the Kindle ( an electronic reading device ), musicial instruments ( and other audio items ), and electronics.

Take a look around. There's always some good deals. I'm hoping to supplement my income by promoting the site on my podcast called The Daily Zipcast. Join me sometimes as I discuss the topics of the day and some down home chatter about whatever is on my mind.

You can visit zip71101.mevio.com or go to iTunes and subscribe. You can listen online or move the mp3 file to your media player. See you there.

Ron

RAIN TODAY

2008-02-21T11:59:00.005-06:00

I'm home today because I woke up in the middle of the night with a bad headache. It kept me from getting back to sleep for a while. After an hour or so I decided to take some Advil and within a few minutes I was fast asleep. I woke up around 5:30 and the headache was still there but not as painful. I dosed for another hour and then got up to get ready for work. After bathing I decided I'd stay at home today. I've been so busy for the past two weeks that my body seemed to tell me that I needed to slow down. The headache is gone but I feel so sleepy now. About two hours ago I was sitting on the couch and begin to dose off as I listened to the rain and the pitter-patter of it on the roof. I slept so good I didn't want to wake up but when I finally forced myself to open my eyes my head had fallen to one side and was stiff. I slowly raised my head and stretched then walked back to my computer room to check my mail. After that I got a bite to eat and checked Twitter. Nothing interesting at the moment. Now I'm blogging hoping this will help me clear my head and get my day going but somehow I've got a feeling if the rain comes back, I'll go back to sleeppppppppppppppp.

The Daily Zipcast ZIP 71101

2008-02-19T14:15:00.002-06:00

It's almost been 2 months that I've been doing my podcast ZIP 71101 - The Zipcast, as a daily show. I wasn't sure I'd last this long but so far, so good. I've found myself moving from a personal journal podcast to a topical podcast featuring my take on current world events, technology and music with my personal material included in the mix.

I've always loved technology. I can remember when I was 10 years old, taking the back off a new transistor radio just to see how it worked. I took basic electronics in high school and had a blast but after that moved on to other things. When I got my first computer I couldn't wait to learn all I could about it. That was probably in 1980-81. Now I can't go one day without one. Podcasting opened up a door for me to explore the world of "broadcasting" again and took me back to my high school days when I was known as the guy that wanted to be a DJ. Although I don't consider myself as a DJ, I do feel I'm fulfilling my dream to communicate.

KEEPING MY HEAD ABOVE WATER

2008-02-15T14:37:00.002-06:00

Keeping my head above water is a full time job. I'm always into one thing or another, trying this and moving on to something else. I lose interest unless I really focus on what I'm doing. There are so many things to do, places to go and things I want to try. Will there be enough time in my life to try everything? The answer is no but if I really focus on what's in front of me now perhaps I'll have some success.
Podcasting is an area I've focused on this year. I'm trying to publish a show 5 days a week. It's getting easier but the subjects are getting fewer. I wonder what I'll do next? Video? Oops! too late, been there and doing that now as well. I'm looking at ooVoo now. http://www.oovoo.com . How can I use this for my video podcasting? Perhaps Ho! Agenda would be a perfect fit for it. Viewers could watch Tom and I talk for hours about how people waste their time talking and not doing. Whoa! hmm, so that's what we do. Well at least it's entertainment for us and you're invited to listen in. Here's the links.
http://hoagenda.podshow.com
http://truckertom.podshow.com
http://zip71101.podshow.com

From time to time we get together on Skype and just yap about everything from the atom to technology. Two great wanna be minds get together and share our vision for the world as we see it. After all, we're the kings of our domains.

I think I've blogged enough for now. See you in a few weeks, months or whatever.

Ron

I'm Really Mad

2007-09-04T23:42:00.000-05:00

How stupid I was to sign up with Quechup. I apologise to anyone that got suckered in because of my mistake. It apparently read my address book and my email and stole my passwords as well. Someone should go to jail for this. I hope they get shut down, fined and get jail time. It's a shame they were so stupid. GRRRRRRRRRR

il trailer del film di Lanois by U2place.com

2007-07-22T22:34:00.001-05:00

Daniel Lanois new movie trailer. Yes, Shawn appears in the movie but not in the trailer. However, you can hear him playing bass. December, 2006

Daniel Lanois - The Maker

2007-07-22T22:25:00.001-05:00

This video was shot in Shreveport, LA in December of 2006. My son, Shawn Stroope is on bass. The musicians are Daniel Lanois, Brain and Brady Blade, Buddy Miller and Shawn Stroope. It was a great concert.

Where Is Ricky Lips, Jr. ?

2007-06-21T20:07:00.001-05:00

June 11th, I spoke to Ricky Lips, Jr. at his home in South Louisiana. He's doing well and getting on with his life. He finished high school and is working but soon will be leaving home to start his new life and career. Please, go to my podcast to find out more. The web address is http://zip.podshow.com .

Right after interviewing Ricky I became ill. I had some mean virus that causes stomach cramps and nausea. Not a lot of fun. It lasted about a week and now I'm better but not quite out of the woods. At least I can eat something now besides popcicles and jello
Until next time, Ron

New 2007 Ricky Lips, Jr. Update

2007-06-10T21:47:00.000-05:00

June 10, 2007

I was suppose to have an interview with Ricky Lip, Jr. tonight but due to technical problems the interview has been postponed until another night this week. I did speak with Ricky breifly and he told about some of his plans for the future. I'll be sharing that with you and also asking about his life over the past year. I'm sure this will be interesting so please watch for the interview. I hope to have it out by this coming weekend.

I mentioned the Tavis Smiley PBS program "Right to Return: New Home Movies from the 9th Ward" on my last podcast. I now have the dates of the re-play of this 5 night series about the plight of those who have returned to New Orleans to rebuild in the 9th Ward. Please check your local listings for the time. The series re-airs Monday, July 16th - Friday, July 20. This is a documentary by award winning producer Jonathan Demme and made on home movie equipment. Very interesting and moving. You'll see the real heart of the 9th Ward community.

I sent Tavis Smiley a link to my Ricky Lips interview. If you feel it was a moving story, please go to pbs.org, and send him an email as well. It seems everyone wants to talk about what should be done but no one is actually doing anything. I hope my interview with Ricky will open new doors for the people of South Louisiana as well as Mississippi and Florida.

I'm also working on the idea of releasing my photos and video of my tour of the city back in March of 2006. Not much has changed so I'm told. I need to get permisson to air the audio. If that's not possible I'll just add my photos and mix them with the video with commentary and music. Perhaps clips from some of the Katrina interviews that I've not released as well. I have a friend that I'm considering asking to help me edit it into a professional documentary. I've not made up my mind yet because I know it's a lot of work for free.

Wow, I'm getting into this blogging stuff. I hope to start listing my blog on several sites to generate more interest in the podcast. Got any thoughts or ideas? Please pass them on to me. My email, zipcast@gmail.com

Ron

I forgot Blogger

2007-05-23T23:55:00.000-05:00

I forgot about Blogger. It was last January when I last posted anything. OOPS!

May 23, 2007, my birthday. Today I'm 57. A classic car year, 1957. Wow, I was only 7 years old, 50 years ago. I had a birthday party and I have some pictures to prove it, somewhere. I do remember it well. Mosby Street, Eldorado, AR. My friends from the neighborhood were there. John & Eddie Hopkins, Mike and Allen Morgan, Butch, MaryBeth, Sam ( My baby brother ) and a few strays who dropped by uninvited to get some cake. ha!

Had a great day today. Shawn, my 33 year old son dropped by and gave me the new Wilco CD and DVD as a gift. Chris my youngest called me, a co-worker called, Sam called (see above), Mom called and of course, my wife told me "Happy Birthday" .....wake up. ha! She woke me up to say, " I'm leaving, happy birthday"....No...she was going to work. ha!

That's about it. See you at the next blog..in a few>>>>>>>>>>>>>> weeks, months, or years.

Ron

ZIP 71101 PODCAST - 2007 VERSION

2007-01-01T12:50:00.000-06:00

It's 2007, a new year and a new opportunity to share my music and thoughts with you. Oh, don't forget interviews with music artists and other podcasters. It's going to be bigger and better then ever. Please join me in making 2007 the best year ever for podcasting. Happy New Year. Here's the link zip71101.com .

WORK

2006-06-01T18:41:00.000-05:00

It's really been a busy week at work but man, I've really enjoyed it. WHAT? Yep!... I've really enjoyed working this week. I had to fill in for my wife so she could take vacation. I learned quite a bit about the business and helped a lot of folks with their business needs. Work is good, when you enjoy it. So, find what you enjoy and do it the best you know how and you'll be rewarded.

Still Small Voice

2006-05-29T22:46:00.000-05:00

I mentioned the still small voice in the last blog. That's taken from the Bible. I'll discuss this in a future blog but for now it's when you just know something or something happens and things just fall into place and you sense it's a confirmation of what you've been considering. That ought to confuse you.

THINGS THAT MATTER

2006-05-29T19:26:00.000-05:00

A couple of days ago I was looking for something to read. I looked on all the shelves on the bookcase but the bottom one. I almost didn't look because most of the books are photography books and catalogs but suddenly I found myself on my knees. My eyes fell on a book that I had forgotten about. It was recommended by a friend a couple of years ago but for some strange reason I remember looking it over and scanning a few pages. It was interesting so I placed it on the bookshelf but never thought of it again. I took the book off the shelf and again thumbed through the pages. I was tired of working on my computer, watching TV and just plain bored with life. I needed a new cause, a reason to do something productive, a new purpose, perhaps new direction but I just couldn't put my finger on it. I lay on the bed and started reading and the more I read, the more I wanted to read. The book is by Hal Urban and it's called Life's Greatest Lessons, 20 Things That Matter. After reading for about an hour I decided to get up and send the writer an email. I thought that this guy should have a podcast so I went to his website and saw how busy he was and put the thought aside. Then it hit me. I was the one to have the podcast. After all, the thought came to me so maybe I should be the one. I have lots of stories and ideas about the subject. I wrote my friend and fellow podcaster, Tom Wiles and told him about the idea. He wrote back and said the idea was great and that I should do it. So with that settled, I put it out of my mind until today. Late this afternoon I decided to go outside, sit in the shade and continue reading the book. I opened the closet door to get a pair of shoes and something caught my eye. It was another book. My wife has some books stored in the top of my closet but I never pay attention to them. This book was the Daily Guideposts 2004. I didn't even know we had such a book. It turns out that it was a gift to my wife from a church friend. I felt drawn to the book but didn't know why. I just knew I had to check it out. I took it outside with me leaving the other book inside. I pulled up a yard chair and was admiring the golden rays of the evening sun for a few minutes and at the same time, not looking, I opened the book and stuck my forefinger in it. Why, I don't know, but when I finally opened the book it was on a page about Christmas and the title of the chapter was " Advent With Things That Matter". Wow, it was an awesome moment. I just stared at those words knowing that something special and divine just happened. I read the chapter and got some ideas for the first podcast, closed the book, looked on the back cover and at the top it reads, "Welcome, Join our family of sixty writers and read about the Things That Matter in life. Things like this just don't happen everyday and when they do I've learned to listen to the still small voice inside because it just might be God telling me what to do next. In this case, I have to believe it was God. Too many things have been happening or showing up that point to what I am to do. All of this started when I made a commitment to use my time better and put some things aside that I could live without. I'd been looking for an idea for a new podcast and had given up. I wanted to do more then just play music and talk about unimportant things. I wanted to leave my listeners with something to think about. Perhaps I'll keep my other podcast and have a feature called Things That Matter but for now I'm considering making a totally new podcast and of course it will be called "Things That Matter". I'll keep you posted when it starts.
One that matters to me now is that I continue to listen to that inner voice more often.
That's all for now. Have a wonderful summer.

UnSeen Things - Mother's Day 2006

2006-05-14T22:07:00.000-05:00

It's been a long Mother's Day. I put over 80 miles on my car picking up my mother and going to my wife's sister's new home and back again. It was a nice time but I was really saddened to see how much my brother-in-law had gone down. He's lost at least 30 pounds and is beginning to look like another person. He seemed to be having a good day today and was up and about and talkative. God bless him, he has a rare form of stomach cancer and has been given only a few months to live. His name is Larry Averitt and when you pray, pray for him. He's a wonderful person. I've known him for nearly 30 years and I've never seen him mad, angry or upset. No one could ask for a better friend then Larry. I'm glad I had some time to spend with him today.

Of course, there's nothing on TV tonight, no movies worth watching or anything interesting. I'm bored and a bit tired. I bought a book at Wal-Mart on the discount table and I've started reading it. It's a Christian book but not the usual preachy type. The writer is a thinker and has really put some thought and time into the subject. He says the empty feeling we all get sometimes is home sickness. Not for this world but for something that God put in all of us. It's the longing for home. Not an earthly home but for heaven. Since we are body, soul and spirit, it's in our heart (spirit) and was placed there by our Father, God, and it's a longing for our real home. Our final destination. It's a longing for something more then the riches of earth offer. I think he's right. The name of the book is UnSeen Things by Mark Buchanan.
Have you ever stood alone on the side of the road watching the sun go down. That big red ball of fire slowly sinking out of site only leaving an afterglow of beautiful golden rays that soon disappear into darkness. That feeling of loneliness, emptiness, abandonment or whatever you choose to call it is telling us it's time to go home. Kind of the way I feel right now. I think it's a time to reflect, to pray, to seek God, to draw near Him. It's as though He's pulling us to Him, placing His arms of mercy around us, telling us that He's there.

I've only read the first 3 chapters but those are my thoughts about what Buchanan is trying to say.
Here's a quote from the book,

"It is eternity in my heart, It is a taste, however elusive, of some Other Thing, some Unseen Thing. It is a reminder that the world is not enough, and that every bone and cell in me knows that. It is a desire for something that earth can make me thirst for, but never quench"

The quote is from a memory of his youth of his parents laughing. They have long since passed into eternity. It's the feeling that best describes a desire to go back to that time and place, but of course, it's not possible. It's the longing he feels for that time. A haunting memory.
Although we haven't seen God, we know He's there and we long to see Him. It's as though we have a memory of Him. If we are made in His image, then we must have a longing to know our Creator and Father. It's a desire to be with Him in His house. It's that drawing in our hearts that let's us know He's there and is also longing to be with us.

I think you know what I'm saying. The more you read the Bible and get understanding, the closer you get to God. The closer you get, you begin to understand and hear His voice. Listen, it's not in the wind or the fire or storm. It's in your heart, you spirit. The Bible calls the heart the "candle of the Lord", meaning where we get our understanding. It lights the path of our life here on earth. It's the only place where you'll hear that familiar voice calling us home.

It's Over Until Next Year

2005-11-24T23:34:00.000-06:00

Yep, it's over. The turkey and dressing, family visits, eating too much. Whew! Next up is Christmas and it's a bit more complicated. It seems that it comes so slow and when it finally arrives it's over in a matter of hours. Then.....New Years Day, we get to start over, lose weight, starve, and make promises to ourselves that we can't keep. What a great life, because everything in between is just icing on the cake.
Hey, are you listening to me? Wake up. Oh! who won the game? I don't know, I was getting some dessert during the last play of the game. Oh well, I'll just watch it on the news or ESPN.
If you read my blog, please send me a short e-mail and put this line in the subject line. Cut and paste the one that applies.

Yes, I read your stupid blog.

No, I don't waste my time on you. ( Yeah right )

Send e-mail to rstroope@gmail.com

Merry Christmas,....Happy New Year..

Thanksgiving and Christmas

2005-11-23T19:15:00.000-06:00

Howdy,
I've been really busy lately working on my podcasts and other projects. My podcasts are coming out about twice a month now and I really haven't taken a lot of thought in creating them. Shame on me, but life has really gotten busy. I'm working almost everyday now so that really drains my energy. By the time I get home, I'm ready to take a nap and just kick back. Peyton, my oldest grandson had his tonsils removed Monday and he stayed with us for the past few days. My wife is off on vacation and I took off Monday for his surgery, worked Tuesday, off today and the rest of the week. I bought him his first BB gun. Oh well, he already has a deer rifle so I guess I didn't really make a big impression but it's the thought that counts. Right? He wanted to shoot the neighborhood squirrels and birds but I stepped in and explained that I liked my animals. So, he shot me....no not really..just kidding, but I think he probably thought about it. Well, it's Thanksgiving so I know you don't want to waste time reading this so I hope you have a great Thanksgiving Day and can spend time with your friends and family. Thanks for listening...or is it reading..whatever, you know what I mean.

Ron

Podcasting, Hurricanes, and Who Knows What's Next

2005-10-11T21:52:00.000-05:00

I've got to make this quick. First, hello to Shelia Kidd in Austin, Texas. Shelia is the sister to one of my dearest friends, the late Quinton Grace. She is a very talented singer and song writer now living in Austin, TX. It was a thrill to see your note. Call me the next time you come to Shreveport. Wow, how exciting...only on the internet. Shelia, please check out my podcast, zip71101 found at www.zip71101.com. It's about the music you love.
There have been lots of things happening over the past 2 months. In September, as you know by now, the Gulf Coast had a visit from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. I interviewed several of the refugee's from the New Orleans area on my podcast. I sent a note to Adam Curry, the Pod Father, and a link to my podcast. He used a portion of it on his show which is out of Gilford, England. It was picked up by podcasters in Amsterdam, Los Angles, London, NYC and lots of other podcasters talked about my reporting and played a portion of my interviews. My audience suddenly grew and I estimate that several hundred thousand listeners heard my interview and comments all over the world. I had 676 hits to my site last month which was more then anytime since I've been podcasting. I hope I'll gain some listeners from it. My orginal idea for the podcast was to interview some of the orginal performers that were on the Louisiana Hayride during the 50's and 60's. Then my idea changed to feature all the musicians in the Ark-La-Tex area as well. Now it changing even more to music, talk and news. Please visit my site, even though it needs to be updated, and listen to a few podcasts and read the infomation there.

For Darrell Evans Fans

Darrell's new podcast called, WorshipPodcasting in now linked in iTunes. He and my son, Shawn Stroope ( bass player ) are preparing to launch it very soon. There's lot's of interesting things happening with Darrell but I'll let him tell you about it, so keep an eye out for it in the very near future. By the way, today is the one year wedding anniversary for Shawn and Sarah. They were married in NYC on year ago today. The day after a 3 month tour with Darrell. They wed in Central Park and Darrell sang. Daniel Nelson, drummer and youth pastor performed the ceremony and the rest of the band and family members looked on.

Parker, Peyton and Caitlyn

Parker, my new grandson is now 3 months old, growing, laughing, smiling, eating and doing the things new babied do....pooping. Peyton (7) and Caitlyn (5) love their new little baby brother. Caitlyn just turned 5 years old on October 5th. I told here she was still our baby girl...or durel as she says. She was featured on podcast # 10, so if you get some spare time, it's worth a listen.
Peyton's getting interested in playing the guitar and music suddenly...thanks to Uncle Shawn who bought him a little guitar not too long ago.

Shreveport Sound Syndicate

Back to the music for a moment. I was asked to speak to the Shreveport Sound Syndicate group last week about podcasting and podsafe music. I recorded my talk and might feature some of it on a future podcast. I met several muscians, producers, songwriters and artists and got some possible interviews from some of them. The latest podcast, made today, is about Jason Ashley and features some of his music from his new CD called Coming Up Clean. I think this young man just might be a new bright country star in the future.

Books I've Read Recently

I just read the book, Chronicles, volume one, by Bob Dylan. I found the book to be more then what I expected. Dylan turns out to be quite a good writer. It's an autobiography that will leave you asking for more. If you have an interest in Bob Dylan, I recommend it. You'll find the "real Bob Dylan" in these pages. I also saw most of the new Martin Scorsese picture about Bob Dylan, NO DIRECTION HOME. I also, picked up the soundtrack a few days later. It's got some early home recordings and live recordings that are interesting. It's called No Direction Home: The Soundtrack....The Boodleg Series Vol. 7.

I'm also a big Wynonna Judd fan so I bought her new book, Coming Home to Myself. I haven't started reading it yet but I did see her on Larry King Live. ( I also just read Larry's book, How to Talk to Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere..The Secrets of Good Communication.)

Now, ask me, " What have you been doing for the past 2 months?"

Answer: Podcasting, reading, speaking, working and helping out some friends and family.

Well, that's about it for now. I'm looking forward to making more podcast in the future with some great interviews. Check out my podcast, ZIP71101 at www.zip71101.com and if you feel inclined to vote, please follow the directions it the right top corner of the webpage. I'd appreciate it. Also, you can listen to the show in streaming audio by going to the top left side of the page and clink on the Listen Now button.

No time to check spelling or grammar so you'll have to figure it out on your own.

Later...

A Long Month

2005-08-02T08:57:00.000-05:00

It's been a long month. Parker is growing and doing just great. He's gained about two or three pounds and grown about 1/2 inch. Like all babies, he eats, sleeps, and poops. He looks like Peyton more and more each day. AJ, my wife, and I got to keep him for about 5 hours while Chris and Brandi entertained guests from out of town. He likes his grandmother now but when he gets a little older he'll hang with me. Peyton, his big brother, has been using a computer since he was about 2 years old. I bought games for him and when he got older showed him how to connect to the cartoon network. He's 7 now and loves video games and the PC, baseball, football, riding his 3 wheeler, and skateboard. Caitlyn on the other hand is loud, rough and roudy. She's 100 percent TomBoy. At 4 years old she loves competition and no one had better beat her at something or fist will fly. But she does have a soft side. She loves to wear her mom's heels and play dress up. She gets into her mothers make-up and puts on a dress and heels. She's Papa's girl.

We've kept Peyton and Caitlyn almost every weekend since Parker was born so their mom and dad could get some rest. Every weekend is full of chasing after them to keep them from fighting, Grammy and Caitlyn making cookies, and Papa and Peyton playing on the computer and Playstation II. Sometimes it's a challenge but well worth every moment they are with us.

The Bad News

Over the past several months I noticed my vision going wacky and then back to normal. I've also been getting very tired lately. About 2 weeks ago my back was bothering me so I went to the doctor to have it checked. I got a couple of shots it was fine. Since it's been about 2 years since my last blood work, my doctor wanted me to have it done. The results, my cholesterol was high, my glucose was really high but everything else checked out okay. So what does that mean? A diet to lower my cholesterol, exercize and weight loss. My glucose was really high so that means I'm more than likely to have diabetes. Since I'm 55 it also meant a trip to the cardiologist for a checkup and stress test. So, I went yesterday for the first visit and went through the routine things and was told to come back in two weeks for a stress test.

The Good News

What ever the outcome of the stress test, I've decided that it's all good. I'll have my health under control and will be around to see my great grandkids hopefully. One word of advice to everyone. Watch what you eat, exercize everyday, drop any bad habits such as smoking or overeating and make it a lifestyle while you are still young. Otherwise, you'll regret when you are older and too tired to do anything.

ZIP 71101 Podcast

I'm going to make maybe 2 more podcast before I have the stress test and based on the test findings, I'll either continue making the podcast or put it on hold for about a month. I'm canceling all interviews until later on as well. I'll put the info on my website www.zip71101.com when I find out more from the doctor.

I'll also put my blog on hold for a while if necessary, so until then keep me in your prayers.

Parker Chase Stroope Has Arrived

2005-07-03T18:03:00.000-05:00

He's here. Parker Chase Stroope was born to Chris and Brandi Stroope on Friday, July 1, 2005 at 4:52 P.M. in Shreveport, Louisiana. He arrived weighing 7 lbs 4 oz. and was 19 3/4 inches long. He has dark blonde hair, not sure about the eye color but probably will be blue or brown based on family history. He was alert and can already raise his head a bit. He's cutie and I'm the proud grandparent. My wife, A.J. is all smiles. He's our 3rd grandchild. We have Peyton 7, Caitlyn 4 and now Parker. In about an hour, he'll be coming home from the hospital so we're about to take some food and desserts to the kids. It's been an exciting July 4th weekend for us.
One more thing, PLEASE, go to my website, www.zip71101.com and vote for my ZIP 71101 podcast. Go to the top right hand corner and put in your e-mail address and follow the instructions. You can listen to the podcast by clicking on the top left icon. Soon, you should be able to get the podcast from iTunes Music Store. My latest podcast will update you about the podcasting world and was made in a delivery truck.
More soon.

Busy, Busy, Busy

2005-06-18T17:33:00.000-05:00

Busy is right. Lot's of ideas going through my head, making lot's of phone calls, e-mails and lot's more. I'm working on several projects at the same time and it gets a little cofusing sometimes. First there's my podcast, ZIP 71101. I'm contacting local talent about coming on the show. So far I have one yes and a maybe. Next, I'm contacting some Louisiana Hayride stars and waiting for their replys. I'd hoping to do a series about the history and stars of the hayride. Oops!, just remembered, I need to go to the library to get a book I was told about. Well, missed that one. They just closed for the weekend. Also, working my new business. That keeps me on the phone a lot too. If you're a diabetic or know someone who is, please contact me. I have some information that could possibly help them. Just go to my website www.zip71101.com and check out the left column.

It's so hot outside and we haven't seen much rain in several weeks. Rain all around us but none at my house. My grass is dying and I have cracks in the earth. Yesterday, an official drought was announced by the state or was it the parish?. So now they have to make it official. I guess that's so local farmers can get some help. So, where ever you are, pray for rain...we need it.

July 1, 2005 is coming up and on that day, If all goes well, our new grandson will be born. Although he could come sooner, that's the new due date. I think his name will be Parker. My grandson, Peyton, thinks he's being named after Peter Parker...aka SpiderMan. Well, that's okay with me.

I'll try to keep up this blog better then I have in past days so stay tuned.

Gotta go.

LOT'S OF LITTLE STUFF

2005-05-21T20:47:00.000-05:00

Here's a quick rundown of what's happening in my life. Made a podcast but not of Sonny Rambin as planned. The recording was cutting in and out and there was not time to edit so maybe I'll work on that for a later time. Darrell was back in town for Refuge but the crowd was small due to graduation ceremonies and other functions but that's okay. He's starting a series called "Knowing Jesus" starting next Friday. Coming up we will have a cookout, a baptism, and a retreat, all before the end of Summer. I'll announce everything a couple of weeks before it happens.

I recently started a new business. I'm in the nutrition business. Don't worry, I promise to never hound you here or in person. If you know of anyone that's a diabetic who might be interested in becoming healthier, please have them contact me. I've found this fantastic resource that really does help. It's based on the Nobel prize winning " Food Matrix " technology and 50 independent clinical studies confirm its superiority. Again if you want to know more e-mail me and I'll direct you to a recording to listen to. If you want to know more my e-mail is ron@impactas.com . Again, I'll only talk to you about this at your request. That's all for now about that.

Coming up on the zip71101 podcast more music from Jarrett Carter, Gary Pitts, The Critics and Darrell Evans. In the near future I hope to have some more info about the history of music in Shreveport. I have an appointment with some folks in a couple of weeks and hope to be giving you a good report about the future of music here.

All for now, see you in a couple of days

Podcast Info

2005-05-18T20:53:00.000-05:00

If you are waiting for my latest podcast, it should be out by late Thursday night or Friday A.M.. I'm having cable connection problems going up and down. I just hope this gets fixed soon. If all goes well, I'll have a short interview with Sonny Rambin, my long time friend, at a music jam session and some live music. Then an update on our trip to Cozumel, Mexico and some new music by Jarrett Carter. If you've not listened to my podcast, it's called ZIP 71101. You can visit my site at www.zip71101.com .

Copy this feed and paste it into your ipodder software.

http://www.zip71101.com/zip71101/zip71101.xml

If you are new to podcasting go to www.podcastalley.com and look under "What Is A Podcast" and you'll find everything you need there to get started. Okay, I've got to upload this before the cable crashes again. Opps, it just went down. I'll just have to wait until it comes back up. See you soon.

Back From Mexico

2005-05-16T18:55:00.000-05:00

Whew, I just got home from a whirlwind cruise to Cozumel, Mexico. It was lot's of fun but the time went by so fast. I'll have all the details this week but for now it's time to rest. Oh, I know the cruise was suppose to provide the rest. Are you kidding, we were so busy that resting was out of the question. Tonight, it's catch up on listening to some podcasts I missed and a lot of nothing else.

Visit my website

2005-05-09T20:04:00.000-05:00

If you like music and podcasting and talk, please visit my site http://www.zip71101.com

Refuge Recording

2005-05-09T18:45:00.000-05:00

For some strange reason the mini-disc recording of this past Friday nights Refuge deleted itself. For those of you that missed hearing Steve VanZant be sure you come the next time he's here. We are trying to record all the Refuge services for future podcasts and also to make them available for those who can't attend. I'll let you know when these are available. Darrell Evans will be back this Friday, May 13th, so please don't miss it.

Refuge, Tee-Ball and Mother's Day

2005-05-09T17:44:00.000-05:00

Refuge 5/6/2005

Wow, what a weekend. After work on Friday it was home for a snack and off to Refuge. Darrell and the band were in concert in El Paso, TX so Jarrett Carter led the worship with Jimmy on bass, Chad on drums and John on guitar, backing him up. Jarrett has a new CD call Waking and he is an excellent worship leader. If you need someone for your event please consider this young man. He's a great guitarist and vocalist. The music was so good.

After the worship music I turned the service over to Steve VanZant. He's Darrell's father-in-law and pastor ( wispher )of the Christian Center of Fort Worth. He was a terrific speaker and spoke openly of how he dealt with the death of his daughter, Leah. He had to face the driver of the car that took her life. In fact, the man visited the church and went down front and started weeping. Steve saw him and went to pray with him not knowing who he was. The man looked at him and told who he was. Steve had to make a decision and it was to let God's love take over. He hugged the man and together they wept. Steve forgave him and helped him get a lesser prison sentence. The man is serving ten years instead of twenty. It was totally awesome. Everyone, all 17 that were in attendance, were blessed.

Again, thanks to Steven Gilliam an his sound team for a great job.

Saturday 5/7/2005

Saturday was Tee-Ball at 10:30 a.m. with Caitlyn our 4 year old granddaughter. She was so funny. She played pitcher, catcher, first base and right field. She batted twice and made 2 runs. She has freckles across her little nose and is aggressive as a little boy. Her brother Peyton played at 1:15 p.m. and he also made a couple of runs. He played pitcher and first base and did a great job. He's seven years old and a straight A student in the First Grade. After the games it was home to change clothes and then to the grandkids house where Chris, my youngest son and I, worked on his truck. I got home around 8:00 p.m....whew got a super sunburn on my old bald head.

Sunday, Mother's Day 5/8/2005

Today was very special. Around 1:00 p.m. my wife, AJ (Anna) and I drove across town to pick up my mother. We took her to A.J.'s sister's home for a mother day meal of fried fish, hush puppies and lot's more. A.J. mom and dad were there as well as Chris and Brandi and the grandkids. After dinner, which was cooked by my brother-in-law Larry, the kids played outside catching lizard and tree frogs. Vicki, my sister-in-law, was led by the hand or should I say drug outside to help. The grandkids love her to death. We visited a while and then took off to Targer and The Bass Pro Shop. My mother had never been to either so she was amazed. Since my father died four years ago she hasn't gotten out much but she's coming around now. I love you Mom.

Monday, 5/9/2005

Didn't work today, slept late, ate late, and had Caitlyn for a couple of hours. She's a handfull and is begging for me to go outside. So, see ya later

TGIF

2005-05-06T10:57:00.000-05:00

Wow, what a rough night. The school across the street from my house installed 6 mercury vapor lights in their parking lot. The problem is they were facing the homes across the street and lighting up the neighborhood. You could see the tops of pine trees it was so bright. So, I was awake until 3:00 a.m., got up at 6:30 worn out. I called the school and explained and was treated like dirt so I called the school board. I was rude and angry by now after being transferred 6 times to the wrong person. The security department didn't even know they had been installed. Finally got to the right person and they were already on the site trying to adjust the lights. I could see everything in my bedroom with the blinds closed. I spoke to one of the security guys the 2nd night they were installed but nothing was done. I'm sure they'll get it adjusted but it sure takes a lot to get anyone in government to do anything. Well, I just needed to vent a little and now I feel better. Whew...I hope my employer won't mind it I take a nap.

One Last Thing

2005-05-05T22:55:00.000-05:00

One important thing I forgot to mention. Around the 10th of July there will be another grandchild. It's a boy...and I think his name will be Parker. Peyton, my oldest grandson, he's 7, thinks he's being named after Peter Parker....aka Spiderman. So, one more little future Tee-Ball player. Okay, now it's

THE END

Part II

2005-05-05T21:50:00.000-05:00

I listened to Adam Curry's podcast and it was over one hour long. Lot's of good information today about the future of podcasting. Nothing different than I expected but just some thoughts about how things could work out for all podcasters once the elements are in place. More on this later perhaps. I suggest, if interested, that you go to www.dailysourcecode.com and subscribe to his podcast or just listen to the streaming audio. Click on the mp3 logo to listen.
Okay, it was a nice day, but the lawn didn't get cut. I just hate to cut a living plant. It's like giving the earth a flat-top haircut. The truth is that I was just being lazy and had other things to do. For example, I called the cable company and complained about not having internet access this weekend and now it's up and down today. It's working now but I made an appointment anyway for next week. They don't tell me when it's not working so I might just let them come out anyway. Of course, I won't be here, and it will be a wasted trip but I'll have my revenge for the weekend without it...he..he..he! But, if it stops working, I'll make arrangements...( for my sake ).

I cut the tip of my finger on a cheese grader tonight. Makes typing a little difficult but I will survive thanks to my teeny weeny band-aid.
I need my rest after staying up late last night so I'm off to shower and then to bed. I have to work tomorrow, then have plans for tomorrow night so it will probably be a pretty long Friday. Saturday I'm off to the Tee-Ball games to see my grandkids, Peyton and Caitlyn play. They are so funny to watch. They are both the best players on their teams ( the truth ) and get frustrated at the first timers. Most of the little girls on the team just watch the ball go past them and the guys play in the dirt or just lay down in it. It's a blast.

Well, I'm going to have to read some of the other blogs so I can figure out how this is suppose to work. I can't continue boring you with my rants. But, if I weren't bored I wouldn't be doing this and you wouldn't be reading it. I guess we can be partners in bordom. ( I hope the spell checker is working )

Have a good weekend, because I don't think I'll be back until Monday. If you find you can't get by without my posts.....you need to see a doctor, so just go to the emergency room and they'll calm you down, give you a goofy shot and send you home.

The End

Sunny Day

2005-05-05T09:30:00.000-05:00

9:30 a.m.
I've been up for about 20 minutes and I'm about to listen to the Daily Source Code with Adam Curry. Off again today because work is slow but back again tomorrow. So, today I'll mow the grass jungle and then kick back for a while. I stayed up too late last night but if I had gone to bed there would be no blog for me. I would have missed finding this site. Well at least for a few days. I kind of fell into this by accident. The sun is shining and it's in the 60's outside. So nice and the perfect day for working outside. I'll finish listening to Adam Curry, grab a bite to eat and then it's time to mow. I hate mowing but now there are weeds coming up that are taller then the grass. Maybe I'll be back later today for blog part II.

My first blog

2005-05-05T01:39:00.000-05:00

It's 1:40 a.m. and I'm off from work tomorrow so I stayed up late. Earlier tonight I recorded my podcast, ZIP 71101. It's about music and talk. I enjoy all kinds of music but because I'm live in a music city, I'm interested in the local music makers and the music history of Shreveport, LA.

The Louisiana Hayride produced lots of the early country music stars and is also famous for launching the career of Elvis Presley. A few others were, Johnny Horton, Johnny Cash, Kitty Wells, and Slim Whitman. Currently I'm featuring Christian singer, songwriter Darrell Evans and a local band called The Critics. If you'd like to listen to my podcast visit my website and click on the current mp3 link or copy the xml file into your aggregator. I hope you enjoy what you hear. Here's the link http://www.zip71101.com .

That's enough for now. My eyes are closing and I just might fall asleep on you...