Who among you has never done this on a road trip:  Yell “Hay!” when driving by a bunch of stacked bales, maybe even pointing, then ridiculing anyone in the car who rubbernecks wondering what the “Hey!” was all about?  If you haven’t, you don’t know what you’re missing.  For the first ten miles, tops.  All the way to Big Sky: the vehicle’s occupants could come to blows.

Then you run the risk, being from North Dakota, of someone in the car declaring that it was straw, not hay…injecting utter buzzkill into one more semi-annoying way to pass the time on the road.

Hey!  (look up)

Have you run into that annoying notification from the Bismarck Tribune or other affiliated newspapers’ websites saying that you’ve viewed your quote of free articles for the month?  This is only the latest attempt by the publishers to monetize content that other sites give for free.  They do so by putting “cookies” on your computer to track your use without asking you for permission.  It’s simple to deny them this intrusion.

Here are directions for doing so in the Firefox browser.  Yes, I know Mozilla supports homofascism, but what can ya do.  Boycott locally, I always say.  If one decides to boycott every national business who hasn’t either caved in to or embraced the queer agenda, one will be hard pressed to purchase anything these days.  Anyway…

 

First, go to your Options (under the Tools menu) and select the Privacy tab as shown above.  You need to select “Use custom settings for history”.  That will change what appears below it, giving you options as far as how cookies are treated by the browser.

Then you’ll want to click on “Show Cookies…” to show which cookies the websites are storing on your computer without your permission.  After all, that’s what this is all about.

 

In the Search box at the top, type in “syncwall” to reveal the offending cookies.  Highlight the cookies in the list, then click “Remove Cookies” at the bottom.  Close this window.  Next, we’ll prevent those unauthorized cookies from being stored on your computer in the future:

 

You should be back at Privacy Options after closing the last window.  This time you want to click on “Exceptions…” to set up a rule preventing future unauthorized cookies.

 

In the “Address or website:” box, type in “bismarcktribune.com” or whatever other site has been putting syncwall cookies on your machine, and click “Block”.  As you can see above, I already have.  This will prevent future unauthorized tracking cookies from being placed on your computer without your permission.

 

That’s it!  You have now prevented sites using Syncwall from putting unauthorized content on your machine.  That is, at least until they come up with another scheme.  I wonder how this will work out for them.  In the past they’ve played around with restricting content to paid subscribers, and it hasn’t worked well for them.  There are multiple news sources on the web providing similar content for free, so I doubt that viewers are likely to want to pay for it from the newspapers.

July Flame
I’m seeing fireworks
They’re so beautiful
Tell me why it hurts

July Flame
Ashes of a secret heart
Falling in my lemonade
Unslakeable thirsting in the back yard

Sunday being the exception, July sure has been aflame.  Even though I took the first week off, I still haven’t been able to go sunrise or sunset chasing.  That’s okay; I have a serious collection to which I can resort if I need a shot. The lyrics are from my favorite July song EVER, “July Flame” by Laura Veirs. You can check it out on iTunes by clicking here.

Oh, by the way…here’s the video in case you want to peruse the song.:

2013 has been one of the busiest years of my life, but I’m still hoping for some photo recreation.  Unfortunately, I doubt it’ll happen tonight…but then again, the Kp is spiking!

If you’ve read this blog for even a few weeks, you know that I love skies. I particularly enjoy blue, sunny skies. I attribute much of this to my formative years as a boy growing up in the Rocky Mountains of western Montana. In fact, I returned to the mountains on a sabbatical to work a couple of years as a snowboard bum, working at 10,000 feet and getting closer to those blue skies than ever.

Since then I’ve seen so many forms of sunny days…long, hot drives through the New Mexico desert; lazy days out on a blanket with a Walkman and a good book; blazing sunsets and uplifting sunrises; solitary treks through the Badlands on my mountain bikes. I can’t say I’ve seen it all, but I’ve seen a lot. The memories formed thereby have fortified my love of wide open, sunny skies.

One of the best ways to capture or recall the mood of many of those sunny days is through music, and I have a series of playlists for such things. I have an intense Stargazing playlist I’ll share someday, a Sunrise/Sunset playlist which overlaps in places, and my more recent Sunny Day playlist. I was actually inspired to do the Sunny Day list when my friend Monte posted a request for sunny day music suggestions on his Facebook page. It didn’t take long.

This is by no means comprehensive, but it’s a good first draft. There’s a link to each song on iTunes if it’s available, although a good chunk of music in my collection is very hard to find.

Perfect for a sunny photography outing, here’s an eclectic mix ranging from mostly alternative to fusion jazz to classic rock and all points in between, here’s my Sunny Day Playlist, version 1.0:

The War on Drugs – Comin’ Through

Craft Spells – Party Talk

The Clean – Stars

Memory Tapes – Wait in the Dark

Republic Tigers – Buildings and Mountains

Primal Scream – Higher Than the Sun

MillionYoung – Hammocks

Frightened Rabbit – Swim Until You Can’t See Land

Generationals – Ten Twenty Ten

Crocodiles – Sleep Forever

The Radio Dept. – Heavens on Fire

Citay – Careful With That Hat

America – Ventura Highway

The Go-Betweens – Cattle and Cane

Ringo Deathstarr – So High

Washed Out – New Theory

Innocence Mission – Keeping Awake

B-52’s – She Brakes for Rainbows

The Jesus and Mary Chain – Head On

Amon Tobin – One Day In My Garden (Instrumental)

Love Tractor – I Broke My Saw

Cocteau Twins – Heaven or Las Vegas

The Daysleepers – Summerdreamer

Fleetwood Mac – You and I, Part II

Grasshopper Takeover – Up and On My Way

Guadalcanal Diary – Litany (Life Goes On)

The Love Language – Heart to Tell

Jamaica – Jericho

Throwing Muses – Dizzy

The Dylans – I Hope the Weather Stays Fine

Cloud Cult – Lucky Today

Math and Physics Club – Love or Loneliness

Herman Dune – I Wish That I Could See You Soon

Stranglers – Always the Sun

Truckasauras – Angels Sound Like Bottle Rockets

Ten Bears – Braces

Cinammon Chasers – Luv Deluxe (Instrumental)

Kitchens of Distinction – Drive That Fast

Love Tractor – Fun to be Happy (Instrumental)

Ian Brown – Northern Lights

Screamin’ Cheetah Wheelies – Boogie King

Yppah – Again with the Subtitles

Material Issue – Valerie Loves Me

Missing Persons – Walking In L.A.

Throw Me The Statue – About To Walk

Laura Veirs – July Flame

Sheryl Crow – Soak Up The Sun

Spyro Gyra – Bob Goes to the Store (Instrumental)

Wall Of Voodoo – Lost Weekend & On Interstate 15 (Instrumental)

Dreadzone – A Dream Within a Dream (Instrumental)

The High Dials – Teenage Love Made Me Insane

One Dove – Breakdown (Radio Mix)

Peter Gabriel – Solsbury Hill

Pink Martini – Anna (El Negro Zumbon)

Slowdive – Rutti

The Sundays – Here’s Where the Story Ends

Pixies – Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf Mix)

The One AM Radio – Sunlight

Surfer Blood – Swim (To Reach the End)

The Expendables – Wells

Stone Roses – She Bangs the Drums

Chad Valley – Fast Challenges

Aberfeldy – Summer’s Gone

Forro In The Dark – Perro Loco

Deer Tick – These Old Shoes

Tennis – Marathon

Big Spider’s Back – Warped

Ganglians – Jungle

Gui Boratto – No Turning Back

REM – Near Wild Heaven

Royal Crescent Mob – Nanana

Luke Graner – Drops (Homemade Music version)

The Farm – Groovy Train

Daysleepers – Loved by the Sun

Diesel – Sausalito Summernight

Blue Sky Black Death – Sleeping Children Are Still Flying

Frankie Knuckles – Whistle Song (Instrumental)

Rephrase – Oldtimer

General Public – Taking the Day Off (Instrumental)

Hectic Redd – The Thumb

Joe Satriani – Surfing with the Alien (Instrumental)

The Ladybug Transistor – Fallen and Falling

Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter – In the Summertime

Nickodemus – Sun Children

Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros – Chickens in Love

Jazzhole – Free the Robots (Instrumental)

The Joy Formidable – The greatest light is the greatest shade

There we have it, for now…I’m sure I’ll update it along the way. If you hear something on this list that seems really out of place or makes you wonder, “What does this have to do with a sunny day?” it probably is a song that triggers a memory for me. Any suggestions? Use the “Contact Me” link on the upper right of this page.

If you’ve read this blog for even a few weeks, you know that I love skies. I particularly enjoy blue, sunny skies. I attribute much of this to my formative years as a boy growing up in the Rocky Mountains of western Montana. In fact, I returned to the mountains on a sabbatical to work a couple of years as a snowboard bum, working at 10,000 feet and getting closer to those blue skies than ever.

Since then I’ve seen so many forms of sunny days…long, hot drives through the New Mexico desert; lazy days out on a blanket with a Walkman and a good book; blazing sunsets and uplifting sunrises; solitary treks through the Badlands on my mountain bikes. I can’t say I’ve seen it all, but I’ve seen a lot. The memories formed thereby have fortified my love of wide open, sunny skies.

One of the best ways to capture or recall the mood of many of those sunny days is through music, and I have a series of playlists for such things. I have an intense Stargazing playlist I’ll share someday, a Sunrise/Sunset playlist which overlaps in places, and my more recent Sunny Day playlist. I was actually inspired to do the Sunny Day list when my friend Monte posted a request for sunny day music suggestions on his Facebook page. It didn’t take long.

This is by no means comprehensive, but it’s a good first draft. There’s a link to each song on iTunes if it’s available, although a good chunk of music in my collection is very hard to find.

Perfect for a sunny photography outing, here’s an eclectic mix ranging from mostly alternative to fusion jazz to classic rock and all points in between, here’s my Sunny Day Playlist, version 1.0:

The War on Drugs – Comin’ Through

Craft Spells – Party Talk

The Clean – Stars

Memory Tapes – Wait in the Dark

Republic Tigers – Buildings and Mountains

Primal Scream – Higher Than the Sun

MillionYoung – Hammocks

Frightened Rabbit – Swim Until You Can’t See Land

Generationals – Ten Twenty Ten

Crocodiles – Sleep Forever

The Radio Dept. – Heavens on Fire

Citay – Careful With That Hat

America – Ventura Highway

The Go-Betweens – Cattle and Cane

Ringo Deathstarr – So High

Washed Out – New Theory

Innocence Mission – Keeping Awake

B-52’s – She Brakes for Rainbows

The Jesus and Mary Chain – Head On

Amon Tobin – One Day In My Garden (Instrumental)

Love Tractor – I Broke My Saw

Cocteau Twins – Heaven or Las Vegas

The Daysleepers – Summerdreamer

Fleetwood Mac – You and I, Part II

Grasshopper Takeover – Up and On My Way

Guadalcanal Diary – Litany (Life Goes On)

The Love Language – Heart to Tell

Jamaica – Jericho

Throwing Muses – Dizzy

The Dylans – I Hope the Weather Stays Fine

Cloud Cult – Lucky Today

Math and Physics Club – Love or Loneliness

Herman Dune – I Wish That I Could See You Soon

Stranglers – Always the Sun

Truckasauras – Angels Sound Like Bottle Rockets

Ten Bears – Braces

Cinammon Chasers – Luv Deluxe (Instrumental)

Kitchens of Distinction – Drive That Fast

Love Tractor – Fun to be Happy (Instrumental)

Ian Brown – Northern Lights

Screamin’ Cheetah Wheelies – Boogie King

Yppah – Again with the Subtitles

Material Issue – Valerie Loves Me

Missing Persons – Walking In L.A.

Throw Me The Statue – About To Walk

Laura Veirs – July Flame

Sheryl Crow – Soak Up The Sun

Spyro Gyra – Bob Goes to the Store (Instrumental)

Wall Of Voodoo – Lost Weekend & On Interstate 15 (Instrumental)

Dreadzone – A Dream Within a Dream (Instrumental)

The High Dials – Teenage Love Made Me Insane

One Dove – Breakdown (Radio Mix)

Peter Gabriel – Solsbury Hill

Pink Martini – Anna (El Negro Zumbon)

Slowdive – Rutti

The Sundays – Here’s Where the Story Ends

Pixies – Wave of Mutilation (UK Surf Mix)

The One AM Radio – Sunlight

Surfer Blood – Swim (To Reach the End)

The Expendables – Wells

Stone Roses – She Bangs the Drums

Chad Valley – Fast Challenges

Aberfeldy – Summer’s Gone

Forro In The Dark – Perro Loco

Deer Tick – These Old Shoes

Tennis – Marathon

Big Spider’s Back – Warped

Ganglians – Jungle

Gui Boratto – No Turning Back

REM – Near Wild Heaven

Royal Crescent Mob – Nanana

Luke Graner – Drops (Homemade Music version)

The Farm – Groovy Train

Daysleepers – Loved by the Sun

Diesel – Sausalito Summernight

Blue Sky Black Death – Sleeping Children Are Still Flying

Frankie Knuckles – Whistle Song (Instrumental)

Rephrase – Oldtimer

General Public – Taking the Day Off (Instrumental)

Hectic Redd – The Thumb

Joe Satriani – Surfing with the Alien (Instrumental)

The Ladybug Transistor – Fallen and Falling

Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter – In the Summertime

Nickodemus – Sun Children

Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros – Chickens in Love

Jazzhole – Free the Robots (Instrumental)

The Joy Formidable – The greatest light is the greatest shade

There we have it, for now…I’m sure I’ll update it along the way. If you hear something on this list that seems really out of place or makes you wonder, “What does this have to do with a sunny day?” it probably is a song that triggers a memory for me. Any suggestions? Use the “Contact Me” link on the upper right of this page.

As I type this, this Eagle statue has only rain on it and not snow. Well, that’s all about to change. Kevin’s saying that we have a pretty good amount of heavy snow coming our way, and the rain has already begun. Welcome to Spring in North Dakota! 🙂