georgefattell

Checking In

Posted on July 1, 2016July 3, 2016 by georgefattell

Greetings,

I’ve been away from this Blog for awhile and I truly regret that. Just been real busy the past month or two. However, I have a few thoughts and some media I’d like to share and plan to do that starting this month. I have noted that I recently purchased a new iPhone SE and iPad Pro. I also recently purchased a new MacBook Air, which I am really pleased with. Basically, all my Apple stuff had to be replaced at the same time. My iPhone 3GS and 1sr Gen iPad were great, but neither one could run the latest version iOS. Loved my trusty old MacBook, but it basically just died after 6 years of heavy use. I was hoping it might last until the end of the year, but it started crashing a lot more frequently. It really strained to run the latest version of OS X. No such problems with the latest MBA, which now packs 8 GB of RAM

More budget for these new toys was limited, but I think they they were good values, particularly the iPhone SE. I’m going to put a separate blog post just about my new Apple devices. I’d like to discuss them in more detail, but that topic deserves a separate post.

I wrote my last blog post on my iPad Pro, and I noted in that post that I planned to start publishing posts on a more frequent basis because of the mobility that that the iPad provides. I definitely plan to do so.

Blogging on the Go

Posted on May 24, 2016May 24, 2016 by georgefattell

Test Fire!! This my first blog post written on my new 9.7 iPad Pro. I am using the BlogPad Pro app to create this post. I downloaded the app a few days ago. My first impression of the app is very positive. I really like the interface. There are a lot of bells and whistles that I have learn how use, but that is fine. I hope to be able to post on more frequent basis now that I can really blog on the go.

Edited with BlogPad Pro

Two Weeks with the iPhone SE

Posted on May 1, 2016 by georgefattell

I have been in the market for a new phone for quite a while, but after much deliberation I finally pulled the trigger and purchased a new Apple iPhone SE two weeks ago. So far, I am very pleased it. I bought the 64GB $499.00 model and think it is a terrific value. I will write a more detailed review in a few weeks, but I think it the “little” SE delivers great performance. One of the best things about the phone is it’s 12 MP camera, the exact same camera that is the top of the line iPhone 6S has. The SE also uses the same high performance A9chip as the 6S.

I have already taken quite a few pictures with the SE. Here are a few of my favorites of the last weeks..

Painters on the Lehigh River, Easton, PA

Zion’s Reformed United Church of Christ, Allentown, PA

More of My Favorite Pictures of 2015

Posted on April 1, 2016April 1, 2016 by georgefattell

Whoa, it is almost April 2016! Here are 10 more of favorite pictures from 2015. Going forward I am going feature more of my favorite pictures from prior years. I’ve been taking digital pictures since 2001 and I have amassed a fairly large number of shots that I would like to share with others on this blog. For the past few years I have posted top 10 collections for each year and in some cases expanded that number of favorites. Other times I have featured groups of pictures that I took at a particular location or event. I plan to continue to do that, but I also plan on publishing more blog posts that feature just one photo, or small groups of photos and provide a more detailed description of the subject of the photo (s) than I have previously. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but sometimes it really enhances the value of the picture when you explain the story behind it.

Upper East Side i3 BMW

Grand Central Station

Spring Lake, NJ

Deep Blue Delaware, Winter in Easton, PA

Bethlehem Steel view from the East End

5th St, Easton, PA

Garlic Fest, Easton, PA

Phillipsburg, NJ in Fall

The Riegelsville Bridge

The Blast Furnaces at Bethlehem Steel in HDR

Upgrading my blog

Posted on February 15, 2016March 13, 2016 by georgefattell

I recently upgraded my WordPress blog, gmf journal, to WordPress’s premium plan, which makes available a number of features and tools, including more themes and fonts, as well as more options for posting various forms of media. It makes posting slide shows a snap and also makes it possible to post video with video press.

So, piece by piece, I am adding improvements to the gmf journal. I especially look forward to taking advantage of the media enhancements. So, stay tuned, I plan to start using the new tools soon and I will be changing the look of the blog, as well as adding different forms of content. I think that will result in more interesting and informative blog posts in the future.

Blizzard 2016: A few pictures from Easton. PA

Posted on February 1, 2016February 15, 2016 by georgefattell

I was wondering if we were ever going to get a real snow storm this winter. Mother Nature really did deliver this past weekend. The Lehigh Valley was buried with 30 plus inches of snow. I was able to capture a few scenes from our latest snow-apocalypse here in Easton, PA. I actually had to work the Saturday that the big storm hit. Fortunately, I live within walking distance of my place of work in Easton, PA, but the walk to and from the office was a bit more challenging than usual, although I must say I enjoyed the stark white imagery that storm created.

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Spring Garden St. the morning the storm hit.

North Third St.

Saturday morning. Here is the view from Northampton St. and 6th St.

Here is the view on the Northampton St. at 3:30 pm. The storm was raging and visibility was limited.

Spring Garden St. at night, the snow still falling.

Digging out the Day After. 7th Street.

Northampton St. on Sunday, with clean up well under way.

Spring Garden St. on Sunday.

NFL Playoffs: Championship Round Predictions

Posted on January 25, 2016February 1, 2016 by georgefattell

Are the four best teams left? I think so and that should make these games very entertaining.

New England Patriots -3 vs Denver Broncos

The AFC Championship game that many of us were expecting is finally here. Brady vs Manning meet for the 17th time. Although this game will be played in Denver I think the fact the fact that New England has been installed as a 3 pt favorite is well justified. I think New England’s offense, now that it is healthy, will prove to be to be too much for Denver to match.

New England 31 Denver 20

Carolina Panthers -3 vs Arizona Cardinals

Two great, evenly matched teams here. This should be a very hard fought battle. I think home field will indeed help Carolina and I expect star QB Cam Newton, who should be the league MVP, to lead the Panthers to victory.

Carolina 27 Arizona 24

POST PLAYOFF REVIEW

After going 1 and 1 in the Championship Round of playoffs my overall record prediction record is 4 and 2.

I was wrong about predicting that the Seahawks would defeat the Panthers in Carolina and that the Patriots would defeat the Broncos in Denver. Well, that’s what I get for underestimating home field advantage.

The Panthers vs Seahawks game, which Carolina won 31 to 24, was like watching two different games. Carolina won the 1st half 31-0 and Seattle won the 2nd half 24-0. Carolina’s defense is good, but not great and several teams have rolled up big point totals on them in a short period of time.

Heck of job, Wade. I have to give a lot of credit to the Denver Broncos defense. I salute the Broncos DC, Wade Phillips.I figured that Peyton Manning and the Denver offense would put about 20 points up, but I never thought that would be enough to win a game in which the Patriots essentially had all their 1st string skill position players on field, unlike the Patriots loss to Denver during the regular season. However, 20 points was enough because of the relentless pressure Denver’s defensive line was able to put on QB Tom Brady, sacking him 4 times and hitting him another 20 plus times. The Patriots almost won the game anyway. The Patriots might have caught a few breaks had the game been played in Foxboro, but it wasn’t to be, not this season.

NFL Playoffs: Divisional Round Predictions

Posted on January 17, 2016January 17, 2016 by georgefattell

Well, as we head into the Divisional Round of the Playoffs I am glad that at least one of the the teams that predicted to go to the Super Bowl in the preseason is still alive and that would be the Patriots. The other team that I predicted to go to the SB was the Eagles!?!, believe it or not. Well, I thought Philadelphia looked very good on paper way back then, but more on that debacle later. Let’s move on to teams that are in the hunt for a Super Bowl berth.

New England -5.0 vs Kansas City

I expect this to be a tough game for the Patriots. Kudos to Andt Reid for guiding the Chiefs to the playoff after losing their best player early in season. However, I just don’t think they have the offensive firepower that will be needed to beat the Patriots at home.

Arizona -7.0 vs Green Bay

The Packers looked good vs the Redskins, but AZ will be a much, much tougher team to beat on the road. I expect the Cardinals to prevail.

Carolina -2.5 vs Seattle

UPSET ALERT! If there is one team that can go into Carolina and upend the Panthers in their house, it would be the Seahawks. I expect Seattle to win.

Denver -7.0 vs Pittsburgh

If the Steelers were healthy I think they would have a very good shot at upsetting the Broncos in Denver, but they are just too banged up imo. The victory over Bengals was very costly in terms of the toll it took on Steelers.

Denver should win this game.

My Favorite Pictures of 2015: 1 to 10

Posted on January 11, 2016January 22, 2016 by georgefattell

Here are my 10 favorite pictures of 2015. I took quite a few pictures in 2015 and it was difficult for me to narrow down my favorites to 10 shots. Most of my pictures were taken in and around the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, where I now reside, as well as New York City and New Jersey. I’m going to post more of favorite pictures from 2015 soon because there were at least 10 or 15 another pictures that liked nearly as much as those included in this top 10. All pictures were taken with my trusty Canon S90.

The Bank Street Alley in Winter - Downtown Easton, PA — The Bank Street Alley in Winter – Downtown Easton, PA

Snow Covered Easton-Phillipsburg Toll Bridge-Feb 2015

Green Space at the Hudson Yards Subway Station - NYC — Green Space at the Hudson Yards Subway Station – NYC

St. Patrick's Cathedral Side Entrance (50th St.) — St. Patrick’s Cathedral Side Entrance (50th St.)

Two Rivers: The view from Riverside Park, Easton, PA

Fall Colors - College Ave., Easton, PA — Fall Colors – College Ave., Easton, PA

Irises at Presby Gardens, Upper Montclair, NJ

UFC 194: Aldo vs McGregor – Las Vegas – My Predictions

Posted on December 13, 2015December 14, 2015 by georgefattell

I am really looking forward to UFC 194. What a totally stacked card!! Thanks Dana White!

The Main Event alone makes this card very interesting, but the top 4 fights all feature excellent fighters. I think all of these fight have the potential to be great. There are no heavy favorites in the top 4 fights. The odds are very close and, frankly, making picks for these fights is very difficult because the fighters are so evenly matched, at least on paper. That may not turn out to be the case once the fights these guys really start trading punches and kicks. I can’t say that I would want to bet a lot of money on any of these fights because I could see every one them going either way. I honestly won’t be shocked if I go 0-4, but here are my predictions:

Featherweight Championship
Champion Jose Aldo (25-1) vs Interim Champion Conor McGregor (18-2)

Odds are basically even for this fight. This might be the toughest pick of all, but I’m going to pick McGregor despite the fact that I concerns about his reckless style. McGregor’s aggressive style is a two edged sword because it leaves him open at times and against a fighter as skilled as Aldo that may prove his undoing because Aldo is one the those fighters who can instantly end a fight with either his fist or feet. However, I think stylistically this is fight works in McGregor’s favor because Aldo is not a great wrestler and that is the type of fighter that I think would have the best chance of beating McGregor, although that fighter would have to have excellent striking as well (someone like Frankie Edgar). Not sure how it will happen, but going with Conor by KO. I think NcGregor’s height and reach advantage will be very helpful to him in this fight.

McGregor wins by TKO 3rd

Middleweight Championship
Champion Chris Weidman(13-0) vs Luke Rockhold (14-2)

Man, strike what I wrote above about Aldo vs McGregor being the toughest fight to pick on this card. This fight is just as difficult. I am a huge fan of both fighters. Both fighters are incredibly well rounded and extremely well trained. Very hard for me to pick against Rockhold, a former Strikeforce champion who has looked devastating in his last few fights. Rockhold thinks Weidman is slow and he will be able to exploit that. I’m not so sure. Weidman is not flashy, but the former NCAA Wrestling Champ is very discipled and has a wide array of weapons. I think Weidman will bring this fight to the ground and there is his wrestling will give him an advantage. Woodman wins by ground and pound.

Weidman wins by TKO, 4th Rd

Middleweight
Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza (22-3-1NC) vs Yoel Romero (10-1)
Romero is a former Olympic Silver medalist (Cuba – Freestyle Wrestling) who has soundly defeated everyone he has faced in the UFC, where he is 6-0. The guy is a real beast in the Octagon. But Jacare is a truly elite MMA fighter, a former Middleweight Champion in Strikeforce and a very highly decorated multiple time World Jiu Jitsu champion. There are very few UFC middleweights that can defeat Romero right now, but I think Jacare posses the skill and athletic ability to do it.

Souza wins by TKO, 3rd Rd

Welterweight
Demain Maia (21-6) vs Gunnar Nelson (16-1-1)
I admire both of these fighters. Two very intelligent fighters with superb ground games, although both are very well rounded and class acts, too. I’m going to give the edge to Nelson because Maia is 38 yrs old and Nelson is 27 yrs old. Maia has been fighting very well the last year and is on a 3 fight win streak, but Nelson is a young gun on the rise and I think youth will prevail in this fight.

Nelson wins by UD

POST EVENT THOUGHTS:

Well, went 1-3 on my picks, not 0-4. But I did get the Main Event right in predicting that Conor McGregor would win by KO and I’m happy about that. Although, I must admit that KO came a lot faster than anyone would have predicted, including McGregor himself!!