Landscaping - it's a tough job.

You have to admit, palms are pretty amazing plants.

Who knew Jesus would return to Earth aboard a flying saucer? And just when these folks claim they've found his DNA (oops - sorry - that's "His" DNA).

I have no idea.

But, here in the Far North, a major seasonal transition point has been reached. It's nearly 6:00 P.M., and there's still light in the sky. Yes, folks, it's spring!

I'll bet the words, "Honey, let's go for a drive," haven't been heard in this household for a while.

If I really got inspired, I'll bet I could hunt through my old Kodachromes and find one showing this building 30 years ago (yep - I've lived here that long), and it would look exactly the same as it does now. Who lives here? The blinds on the front doors have never, ever been open.

Meanwhile, at the Vancouver Art Gallery, if you live in town, you've got to go see (as do I) the exhibition of Fred Herzog's photographs of Vancouver over the past 50 years. Not because they're marvelous historical documents, but because they're darn fine photographs. They were all, as far as I know, shot on 35 mm Kodachrome. If you don't live in town, here's a sample. Or, if you've got some spare cash laying around, you could go here and actually buy a print.

Hedges are big in Vancouver. Popular, too.

If you're a fan of the late, great Robert Altman, "California Split" is well worth watching (again?). Elliott Gould, especially, does some brilliant work.

Where's Marlene Dietrich when you need her?

O.K., why is this the only garbage can in the entire alley?

Well, sometimes things really are just a blur.

Uh-oh. It's been a while, but....on the "This just in..." front: Scrotum. Click the link and you'll understand. The question is, will you laugh, cry, or both?

Well, for some good laughs on the subject, head here.

I always liked playing outfield when I was a kid. Things are more leisurely there than in the infield.

Although that does beg the question, "Where's "here"?". Which, at 3:30 a.m., is a darn good question.

Don't you wish Sigmund Freud was still around?

Now, this is a much better choice for Valentine's Day.

This is definitely not what you want to be giving to your "Valentine". Just in case anyone out there wasn't clear on the idea.

On the other hand, you definitely do want to see "Sunshine State", especially if you live in, or have lived in, Florida. Good acting? Got it. Good script? Got it. Good cinematography? Really got it (friends with cameras, take note). Accurate portrayal of Florida? Got it. Really. One of the characters actually has a pair of rescued greyhounds, for cryin' out loud! You want to watch this movie.

Close as I'm likely to get to street photography - 100 yards. Haven't been to "Masa's" yet, but, one of these days... It's right across the street from where I get my hair cut.

"The Death of Mr. Lazerescu" - a darn good movie from Romania. Adventures in under-funded medical hell. It's very slow moving, but, just like a glacier, you can't deny its power.

See? This is what happens when you venture out for a hair cut.

I took a bunch of new photos today. Then I left them on my computer at work. So, a little trip into the past.

Meanwhile, back at the actual plant life in the greenhouse. Although, I did say nothing was flowering, remember?

I don't know - some gizmos just look like a lot of darn fun.

Pipes. Kind of reminiscent of some of my current reading material - cardiac physiology. It's nifty stuff. Really.

A soft-focus photo for a soft-focus brain. I got home from the college today and decided to take back some videos, then go pick up some fixin's for tonight's dinner. "Hmmm, baby bok choy, hmmmmm, carrots, ummm, broccoli....oh - some eggs (just to have around)....grapefruit juice (O.K., that's for breakfast, but...)...done!" Half an hour after getting home the little voice pipes up - "Didn't you kind of want some tofu for dinner?" D'oh!

If you're looking for a movie to watch, try Deepa Mehta's "Water". Good story, good cinematography, good acting...good.

I must be a tad bent. There I am, up in the roof-top greenhouse, surrounded by lush, green plants (none in flower, mind you), and what attracts my attention? Oh, well.

O.K., one last bone. This is the busiest bone in skull-biz, the sphenoid. You're looking down on top of it. The curved portion facing the top of the screen backs up your eyes. The two big projections in front of that help hold up your nose. The diagonal flat surfaces off to the sides form parts of your temples. The surface you're looking at helps hold up your brain. And, last, but definitely not least, right in the middle, along the bottom edge, is the sella turcica (a.k.a. the "Turkish saddle"), which is where your pituitary gland rides. And we don't even want to get into what a busy bit of brain that is.

Especially not with 5 days of holiday, right? Let loose the hounds!

There you go - the ultimate I/O port, the foramen magnum. Stubbed your toe? The message goes shooting up from that poor toe, through this hole, into your brain. Various parts of the brain then register the event, assess it, and then send out signals that result in, possibly, a variety of expletives being voiced, along with the ever-popular hopping-around-on-one-foot maneuver.

And, this just in from the "Creeps in Action" desk.