Whine & Cheese

Tennis Giant

On Friday, the question was asked, Can Roger Federer be topped?  I am thinking that maybe the answer is... no!  Even though I likely felt the same way when Sampras won his 14th Slam while Federer was just a bit more than a twinkle in the future of the men's tennis tour.  Over the weekend, Roger captured his record 16th Grand Slam title in Melbourne.

I always love this trophy pictures in street clothes since it almost makes these tennis superstars look like normal human beings.  One of the reasons I think tennis got my attention as my sport of choice was that they are generally not freakish physical spectacles like basketball or football.

But I did enjoy this picture in a photographic sense, thanks to the perspective. Not sure if the photographer was just forced into this position and was just trying to make the best of it (usually there are dozens upon dozens of them at these shoots), but give him (Mark Dadswell of Getty Images) the benefit of the doubt (as I know how I sometimes (over)-think when taking photos) and  love how Roger towers over the skyscrapers of Melbourne... and turning him in a true giant with a bit of camera trickery.

White Sands

No worries, I haven't forget about blogging on just this second full week of the New Year.  It didn't take long into 2010 for our first trip, though it was just a quickie 3-day weekend to Las Cruces, New Mexico to meet-up with Todd's brother and also check out some of the local sights (and even more importantly, the food!).  I had never been to this part of NM and it was an instrumental part of Todd's youth as he went to college in Las Cruces and grew up in nearby Alamogordo.  One thing is for sure, in New Jersey, I certainly didn't grow up near mountains or deserts or... atomic bomb explosion sites (and NJ gets the bad rap, ha!)

So instead of writing here, I have been busy catching up on some work and uploading pictures to Flickr.  I was fairly controlled, taking only about 140 photos. Ah, the age of the digital cameras when a number like that doesn't seem like much!  Typically, I only post about 20%-ish of the photos I take (there is a lot of experimenting going on + good 'ole just not good ones), but I think that percentage will be a bit higher from this trip.  I have a couple dozen more to go through, but have a bunch up right now.

Here is a pic from the White Sands National Monument.  It was high on our list of things to see. I have seen plenty of Southwestern desert landscapes, so I was a bit unsure about it going in, but it was truly spectacular.  There was even a thin layer of snow here and there that added a nice extra something to it (even Todd had never seen any kind of snow there).

The Big Picture: Harbin Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival

Ok, now that I've figured out how to use TypePad's "Blog It" feature, you might be seeing more of snippets like this (and that nifty subscripty link is pretty cool too!).  We'll just conveniently forget I snobbishly used to not consider this kind of linky-link stuff to be true blog entries...haha!  Anyhow, here's another entry via The Big Picture:

In frigid northeastern China, in the city of Harbin is hosting its 26th annual International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival. Massive buildings built of ice from the frozen surface of the nearby Songhua River, large scale snow sculptures, ice slides, festival food and drinks can be found in several parks in the city. At night, visitors who endure the bitter cold will see the lights switched on, illuminating the sculptures from both inside and outside. This year's festival opened yesterday, January 5th, and will remain open until some time in February. Collected here are several photos from just before the festival, and of the opening night.

via www.boston.com

Again, so many amazing photos but I chose this one since the people really gives a good scope of the size of these ice sculptures and again it is reminds me of our own trip to China.

The Big Picture: Welcoming 2010

One of my favorite Express Lane items (which you may or may not have noticed is now absent from the sidebar... wasn't keeping up with that either!, was Boston.com's The Big Picture.

They have these incredible subject-specific photo sets that usually defy any words, let alone the superlatives I can come up.  So, in another attempt to revive this blog in 2010, I am going to start featuring The Big Picture material in the main body of my blog and pick out my favorite photo from the set (which most times will be incredibly difficult to do!).

This first one is Welcoming 2010 (click that link to go to the full photo set)

There are so many spectacular fireworks shots in this set and I almost went with the Brandenburg Gate (#16) in Berlin... but the cities that I waited so long to see now hold a special place in my travel heart... so had to with this shot (#1 in the set) of Big Ben and the London Eye... always love the contrast of old and new.

Express Lane: Issue 68

Wildfires in Southern California - The Big Picture - I knew it was only a matter of time before TBP did a "there are no superlatives" set of pictures from these horrific fires. (9/2/09)

Agassi Autobiography To Be Released in November - Hope the book is an interesting as his life/career, but just never know how honest they're going to be... have yet to read a really "great" tennis memoir. (8/25/09)

Obama's Book Club: Beach Read Edition - If POTUS can get through 5 books during a week in Martha's Vineyard, I'll be very impressed! Click the link to check out the titles. (8/24/09)

Express Lane: Issue 67

It's True: 'Blood' Lovers Engaged - Stephen Moyer can really say "Sookie is MINE!" now as he is now engaged to his on-screen love interest Anna Paquin. (8/6/07)

'Survivor' and 'Amazing Race' Vets Rob and Amber Have a Baby Girl - A great sign that this duo have stopped becoming reality show whores, not only was the birth not televised but it also took nearly a month for it to the Internet! (8/3/09)

Work Day Ends for Broadway's "9 to 5" - While it didn't receive critical praise or the fact that star, Allison Janey, was not much of a singer still a bit surprised that the Dolly Parton-penned musical closes after just 5 months. (7/30/09)

The Longest Solar Eclipse of the Century - The Big Picture - As always, simply amazing TBP pictures from Asia of the July 21st eclipse! (7/22/09)

Express Lane: Issue 64

American Idol's Danny Gokey Sets His Sights on Eyewear - Surprise, surprise! But Gokey states he was doing his "heart" hand gesture long before the recent wave of Lenscrafter ads doing the same thing. (5/15/09)

Derek Hough: Dancing With Footloose? - Seems like both Dancing Houghs are under consideration for roles in the re-make of the Kevin Bacon 80s classic... though very likely only one will get it, since the characters are (ick) love interests. Derek also notes he and Mark Ballas may follow Julianne's lead and take time off from DWTS to pursue a music career (Booo! don't bite the hand that feeds you!) (5/7/09)

The 2009 Kentucky Derby - The Big Picture - Guess that says it all... the always fine TBP pix from this year's Run for the Roses. (5/4/09)

Obama's Book Club Is Back: Netherland - I've pulled off the rare "O" book double ... reading a book just before Oprah (with 'Edgar Sawtelle') and now Obama picked it! (4/29/09)

Human Landscapes From Above - The Big Picture - Been lagging a bit in my TBP postings, but these aerial shots (from the same guy who did the London series) are pretty awesome. (4/29/09)

Julie Chen Is Pregnant - I'm pretty much through with 'Big Brother' but may just have to check in with the Chenbot to see the cylon - errr... baby bump. The Chenbaby is due in October. (4/22/09)

Express Lane: Issue 63

'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies' Author Inks Six-Figure Deal - Not sure I can get through the Jane Austen classic again - even with zombies! But it sound like Graham-Smith's rumored next book "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" will be more up my alley! (4/10/09)

Earth Hour 2009 - The Big Picture - Best TBP Ever! It's interactive, click on (most of) the pix and watch the lights fade off (or back on) for Earth Hour! (3/30/09)

Signs of Spring - The Big Picture - After the last TBP photo set I posted re: the recession, this one of hope and renewal is a lot more inspiring... and pretty too! (3/23/09)

CBS Renews "Men," "Big Bang" - Could care less about the Charlie Sheen sitcom, but thrilled that Sheldon & Leonard & Company got a TWO-YEAR pick-up! (3/18/09)

Scenes From The Recession - The Big Picture - Not the most uplifting or inspiring set of pictures, but always interesting ... and a couple shots of the real estate bust right here in Phoenix metro area. (3/18/09)

Stacy Keach Recuperating After Stroke - Was supposed to see Keach in the stage production of "Frost/Nixon" (playing the latter), but I think chances of returning to to the show by early April are pretty slim. (3/18/09)

Holi: The Festival of Colors - The Big Picture - That wild and crazy throw paint and powder at each other Hindu festival that I only learned about thanks to 'The Amazing Race' (3/13/09)

Express Lane: Issue 62

Avenue Q Creators Decide to Keep Bush Reference in "For Now" Finale - After testing out 4 other lines, it appears Dubya (now shifted into the past tense) received the strongest response. (3/4/09)

Portraits from the Congo - The Big Picture - Amazing (I know I always say that!) and heartbreaking faces from the increasingly violent African nation. (2/27/08)

Carnival - The Big Picture - If you want vibrant colors and a few eye-popping, or should say eye-poking out, costumes this photo set should make you happy! (2/23/09)

Danny Gokey Preached, "Lead Praise and Worship" at Megachurch for Idol Cameras - I *try* to keep an open mind about this kind of stuff, and while I am in the very early stages of Gokey backlash (re: his widower status) this might move things along in that department at a much quicker pace. (2/23/09)

At Work - The Big Picture - Not a tightly themed picture collection this time around, but still some very cool shots of people (wait for it)... at work. (2/20/09)

Q&A: Cher Says She's Living `Like a Nun' In Vegas - Fun little piece about Cher as she readies for another month in Vegas... besides the 'nun' comment, we also love she loves Target (the store, that is). (2/17/09)

Express Lane: Issue 61

USA cancels 'The Starter Wife' - While it certainly wasn't brain surgery, it was still a cute and fluffy show led by the charming Debra Messing... so a bit surprised it got the cut after just 1 post-mini-series season. (2/12/09)

Joanna Pacitti out of 'American Idol' - This ouster is not a huge surprise for the gal gal previously dropped from a record label, friends with execs at 19 Entertainment (Idol's production co.), and rumored to be dating DWTS' Mark Ballas (reason enough for me to get rid of her!). (2/12/09)

China's Lantern Festival, And An Unfortunate Ending - The Big Picture - What a transition in this photo set from the beautiful celebration to a 40-story hotel under construction being set accidentally ablaze by stray fireworks. (2/11/09)

Bushfires in Victoria, Australia - The Big Picture - TBP isn't always fun stuff... here their usual collection of stunning pics from the devastating fires in Southeastern Australia. (2/10/09)

Etta James Takes Shots at Beyonce & President Obama - Stand back folks we got a cat fight on our hands: "I tell you that woman he had singing for him, singing my song, she gonna get her ass whupped" (2/5/09)

ABC Will Announce Cast of DWTS 8 During Prime-Time Sunday - Eschewing 'Good Morning America' for the cast reveals, Tom Bergeron will pop up and drop the "star" names over 3 hours of ABC's Sunday (Feb 8th's) line-up. (2/3/09)

Cable Provider Apologizes For Porn Interruption - We were a bit skeptical when Todd's parents told him about this during a post-Super Bowl phone call, but crazy enough it was true! (2/3/09)