rustylongdotcom

The Avett Brothers – Slight Figure of Speech

Rusty — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:40:42 +0000

I really, really love these guys. A lot.

One of the many wonderful things that has come my way thanks to my friends at NewRaleigh.

I used to take photographs

Rusty — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:17:29 +0000

Admittedly, the title is rather tongue in cheek… But it’s been a while since I posted a good thorough photoblogging post. These photos were all taken on a two-day work trip down to Manteo. Prints anyone?

Overpass on 64 East. Early Morning

Light filtering in through a window in a hundred year old house, onto Carolina grown Southern Yellow Pine floors.

Davenport guest cottage. Early morning.

Picket detailing by David Davenport.

Shutterdog detail on the guest house.

Ticket booth for an old farmhouse turned museum that we designed. All detailing and construction methods are authentic and historically accurate.

Interior framing and bracing. Like older structures on the island, this building is naturally ventilated, with no insulation or drywall.

Drainage ditch off highway 64. Facing east in the midmorning.

No trespassing sign on an old barn off 64, about a half hour from Creswell, North Carolina.

Vernacular architecture. The simplest of roof forms, honest, and clean.

Interior framing to the old barn.

Back home after a long couple days. Itchy and taking a load off.

Coffee Humor, and the death of a legacy

Rusty — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:23:56 +0000

(The following is taken directly from my Facebook post)

Today We say Goodbye, to a Dear friend

: This file photo of Mr. Pot was taken shortly before leaving his position at ‘No Architect Without Coffee’ and taking up his official Cabinet position. Circa 2001.

Mr. Coffee Pot died at approximately 6:30 A.M. Tuesday morning. Mr. Pot leapt to his death in the Land of Pantry, giving no warning and leaving no note.

Other members of the Braun family state that Mr. Pot was, “Worried about that Bodum lady…” Coffee was referring to recent speculation that Mrs. French Press would be taking over Mr. Pot’s position within the Pantry Cabinet. Recent accusations of poor taste and incompetency, have not been formally addressed by the current Administration, but there have been several recent closed-door meetings between the Bodum family and the President of Pantry.

Due to the nature of the accident, there will be no public viewing. However, friends and supporters of Mr. Pot are encouraged to make donations, in his name, to the ‘No Architect Without Coffee’ campaign. The nonprofit was a favorite of Mr. Pot’s, and he was known to volunteer many hours of public service to the institution. He leaves behind two cousins, Mr. Food Processor, and Mrs. A. Blender.

No word on a time frame for the filling of that Cabinet position at this time, and the Executive branch could not be reached for further comment except for this press release issued earlier today.

The Executive is deeply saddened by the loss of Mr. Pot, and our hearts are with the Braun family in this difficult time.

Today, we’re all Coffee Pots.

Recovery

I joke a lot about coffee, and my love for the stuff… but on a more serious note, I really do love my morning cup, and the occasional fellowship that comes with going out and having a cup with a good friend. So, what is a guy to do after such a thing? This $30.00 coffee maker had a really good run, but it’s time for an upgrade.

Before we get to that, I’d like to take a moment to revel in my temporary solution, a Bodum travel press purchased for a camping trip a couple years back. This wonderful device lets you make a great cup of press coffee anywhere that you can get a hold of some hot water.

: The Bodum Travel Press

I love it dearly… and in fact, had forgotten just how great a cup of coffee this little gem puts out! With that said, I plan to move onward, and upward toward a full eight cup Chambord French Press by Bodum. Hopefully, at, or around Christmas.

: Chambord – 8 cup press by Bodum

I’m still weighing the pros and cons of this versus other models. It’s not the cheapest press on the market. IKEA, for example, sells one for $12.99. Also, I’ve heard some horror stories about these being easily broken. Bodum puts out several other designs, but there is something about the original that I just can’t shake. I think it’s the simple, functional, clean lines. It’s everything it needs to be, and nothing more. No hi-tech impact resistant rubber surround, no polycarbonate outer shell to keep you from breaking the glass… Just glass, steel, and the perfect cup of coffee.

I’d also like to throw in a milk frother to match if possible.

: Chambord Milk Frother by Bodum

Alas, for now these are just dreams. We shall see how holiday budgets shake out, and if these tasty little indulgences fit within said budget. If not, I will continue to thoroughly enjoy every cup of coffee made in my little travel press…

Photography Gallery

Rusty — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 11:44:51 +0000

I’ve finally gotten my photography gallery up here. After hemming and hawing a great deal about what to do with it, whether to go for a Pro account over at Flickr, whether to change to something else altogether… or simply handle it all in-house and in-blog, I’ve decided on the latter. Sure the wordpress gallery isn’t as flashy as these other options, but it’s 1. Free, 2. Easier to keep track of statistics on web-traffic if it’s all in the same place, and 3. I can always play further with the format if I’d like to… (Lightbox for example)

Right now all the photos are together in one gallery, but you can see they break down into four categories… Architecture, Landscape, People, and Texture. (Though, I must admit, there’s only one photo in the ‘People’ category.)

Soon enough I plan to set up a way to order prints directly from the webpage of a handful of my photographs, if all goes well, that will be expanded over time.

Cheers!

Bill Gates Doesn’t Care About Black People

Rusty — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 22:06:52 +0000

This little gem was passed on to me from my good friend Jesse, to whom it was passed by someone else (presumably with more time on their hands than I have.) Images are original screen captures directly from Microsoft’s site (should the site be… “fixed” at some point in the future.)

Microsoft can help optimize your Business Productivity Infrastructure

Unless you happen to be a black man from Poland, apparently.

For reference, the links to these pages are Here for the English page, and Here for the Polish page. I look forward to seeing if this results in serious bad press for Microsoft. Also, a well-trained eye will notice based on the size, shape, and ports on the side of that man’s laptop… that it appears to be Mac. It could be that he saw these two websites, and decided to switch to a more inclusive company.