Look at what I did! I've always been obsessed with making one item in a B&W photo since seeing the movie, "Schindler's List" and the girl in a little red coat. And I made my own in Flickr.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
Two Wolves
One evening, an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between two 'wolves' inside us all.
One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.
The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf wins ?"
The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."
One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.
The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf wins ?"
The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Editing Pictures
Like any newbie, I am spending WAY too much time taking pictures, editing pictures and playing with effects on flickr. This is one of my favorite results so far. (Sorry it's not any bigger, I'm dealing with the limitations of blogger, sigh.)
It's silk flowers streaming from the ceiling at the NYC Macy's Flower Show. I took it with my point and shot Sony Cyber-shot which has been my digital camera up until this last December (when I got my awesome SLR Nikon). I wasn't certain if I'd want to travel with my 'big' camera but once I was in NYC, I was pissed that I hadn't. But I still got some good shots. And after editing several of them, I'm really happy. I know the Nikon is 'better' but my little cyber-shot has given me some great pictures (including all the ones on this blog).
I need to show updates of my house and I will. I'm working on the kitchen right now and it's going to be a process so I'll show each stage.
What I Read...
It's been a while since I mentioned those who inspire and entertain me so I thought I'd recognize them today. Here are some of my daily clicks:
littlepurplecowphotography a local photographer who I recently met. She's unbelievably talented and she just won a national "Dream Assignment" photography contest.
Master Your Card after over dosing on finacial blogs last year, this is the only I still read. It's real, it's direct and it's unapologetic. I love it. And it reminds me to keep my spending in check.
Puttin' On the G.R.I.T.S. a southern girl with style. She looks like the country singer/American Idol contestant, Kelli Pickler to me. She's got boy stories (drama) which is always entertaining. And although she hasn't ever specifically said what she does, I'm pretty sure it's the same thing I do.
The Typing Makes Me Sounds Busy I think I was the last person to jump on this bandwagon but I've been laughing ever since. J-Money is a funny girl. And a talented writer.
cat ranch v2.0 a childhood friend's blog. I've always loved her dry sense of humor and it translates well as she describes building her first house. Plus her pictures are amazing.
Daddy Scratches the token male of the day. His stories of keeping his family of 4 moving through life crack me. And he calls his wife "Wonder Woman" which shows how much he loves and respects her. Based in Boston, I'd love to hear him say "wicked".
Daily Practice another photographer's blog. A daily practice is a exercise in mindfulness which showcases a new picture every day - beautiful and captivating.
Shutter Sisters a female photog group blog... daily practice and LPC are both members and this blog often leads me from site to site with inspiration and delight. I enjoy their interviews and profiles of artists as well as their "assignments". It's an open and accepting community for female photographers.
Brazen Careerist a great careerwoman blog who keeps it real, and I mean very real (ie. blog post about working women and oral sex). I love her. We have the same personality type and she acknowledges some truths about her life that resonate with my experiences. I feel like I have a new "sister-friend" who completely relates. In a totally non stalker scary way.
Anyone else see a pattern? Yes... I'm definitely into my new camera and learning all I can about it and gaining an even greater appreciation for others' talent. If you want to see what I've been capturing, here's a link to my photostream on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ifnothingelse/
littlepurplecowphotography a local photographer who I recently met. She's unbelievably talented and she just won a national "Dream Assignment" photography contest.
Master Your Card after over dosing on finacial blogs last year, this is the only I still read. It's real, it's direct and it's unapologetic. I love it. And it reminds me to keep my spending in check.
Puttin' On the G.R.I.T.S. a southern girl with style. She looks like the country singer/American Idol contestant, Kelli Pickler to me. She's got boy stories (drama) which is always entertaining. And although she hasn't ever specifically said what she does, I'm pretty sure it's the same thing I do.
The Typing Makes Me Sounds Busy I think I was the last person to jump on this bandwagon but I've been laughing ever since. J-Money is a funny girl. And a talented writer.
cat ranch v2.0 a childhood friend's blog. I've always loved her dry sense of humor and it translates well as she describes building her first house. Plus her pictures are amazing.
Daddy Scratches the token male of the day. His stories of keeping his family of 4 moving through life crack me. And he calls his wife "Wonder Woman" which shows how much he loves and respects her. Based in Boston, I'd love to hear him say "wicked".
Daily Practice another photographer's blog. A daily practice is a exercise in mindfulness which showcases a new picture every day - beautiful and captivating.
Shutter Sisters a female photog group blog... daily practice and LPC are both members and this blog often leads me from site to site with inspiration and delight. I enjoy their interviews and profiles of artists as well as their "assignments". It's an open and accepting community for female photographers.
Brazen Careerist a great careerwoman blog who keeps it real, and I mean very real (ie. blog post about working women and oral sex). I love her. We have the same personality type and she acknowledges some truths about her life that resonate with my experiences. I feel like I have a new "sister-friend" who completely relates. In a totally non stalker scary way.
Anyone else see a pattern? Yes... I'm definitely into my new camera and learning all I can about it and gaining an even greater appreciation for others' talent. If you want to see what I've been capturing, here's a link to my photostream on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ifnothingelse/
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Peeps
These are the best things EVER. I only want them at Easter. They've branched out to other holidays but I'm not buying it.
They complete my Easter Basket. Otherwise, the holiday isn't what it's supposed to be. Since I missed Easter this year, my chicks and bunnies were late to arrive. But for those who know my Easter Bunny, they know that she's usually running a little behind. Still the motto of better late than never holds true. And I'm enjoying my Peeps and all their Marshmellow goodness:)
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
My Town
"A little bit of Mayberry, a dash of 'Gone with the Wind' and a whole lot of Hazard County."
I don't know where I found that quote but I love it. It fits my little Georgia town perfectly. I'm sure it actually fits a lot of small southern towns. My little town is so great and the irony of my life is the things I love about this town are also the things I hate about it. Isn't that just dandy?
I love going places and always running into someone I know... I hate going places and always having to talk to everyone. One night, a big city friend of mine was with me at a restaurant and he watched in amazement as I literally greeted everyone in the room and introduced him to about half. Then he was shocked when our waiter greeted me by name and asked about my parents. I remember being amused at his surprise but my thoughts are more along the lines of "I grew up here and have lived here for five years of my adult life... what do you expect?"
In a town of about 15000* you're bound to run into the same people over and over again. Plus I work at my family's business so as I learned the hard way in high school, I may not recognize them but they know my daddy.
Another friend of mine grew up in Atlanta and moved out here to be closer to her parents and their farm about 7 years ago. She's like me and has lived in Athens and then moved back here a couple of times. She's met a lot of people and is very friendly and outgoing. But she still remains shocked everytime she meets someone new and then finds out that I already know them. And it's not that I know everyone well but between all the members of my family and my job, I'm bound to have run into them at least once before in my life.
Even one of my referral sources at the hospital asked me how I knew everyone... I had brought her lunch and we were sitting in the cafeteria. Multiple people stopped to speak to me and tell her to be sure to give me business, etc. It was funny because she's not the most outgoing person so by the end of the lunch, she was overwhelmed. And she asked how I knew everyone.
And my friends love to hear how my parents knew when I misbehaved in high school, usually before I had even done whatever it was that we were plotting. I'll never forget the night a friend of mine and I drove up in my driveway to find both of our dads standing there waiting on us. Fortunately we hadn't actually done anything wrong... my mom had just assumed we were up to no good. We definitely paused halfway and contemplated pulling back out into the street - our hearts were in our throats.
I guess it's just a novel idea to people who don't grow up in small towns but it's one of my favorite things about living here. In contrast, when I was NYC the other weekend, I spent the first day wondering where all those people came from and where they lived. I have gotten to the point of being slightly overwhelmed by crowds.
Of course, I get disgusted by the segregation, not being able to buy alcohol, the lack of open-mindness, the gossip, and all the other smallness of a small town. But I also get turned off by crazy traffic, honking horns, dirty streets and people pushing into me on the subway. You take the good with the bad in every situation.
I feel fortunate to know of other places, to travel and explore, knowing I have roots running deep and strong. A place which supports and comforts me as I go through life. Because this is HOME... it's a feeling I can't put into words without sounding cheesy. When I drive up 138 and the fields start getting larger and the roadside starts getting greener, I know I'm almost there. And I always sigh, knowing the trip's almost over and that I'm back where everyone knows my name (and will tell my daddy what I've been doing wrong!).
*Depends on who you talk to and where you define the boundaries.
I don't know where I found that quote but I love it. It fits my little Georgia town perfectly. I'm sure it actually fits a lot of small southern towns. My little town is so great and the irony of my life is the things I love about this town are also the things I hate about it. Isn't that just dandy?
I love going places and always running into someone I know... I hate going places and always having to talk to everyone. One night, a big city friend of mine was with me at a restaurant and he watched in amazement as I literally greeted everyone in the room and introduced him to about half. Then he was shocked when our waiter greeted me by name and asked about my parents. I remember being amused at his surprise but my thoughts are more along the lines of "I grew up here and have lived here for five years of my adult life... what do you expect?"
In a town of about 15000* you're bound to run into the same people over and over again. Plus I work at my family's business so as I learned the hard way in high school, I may not recognize them but they know my daddy.
Another friend of mine grew up in Atlanta and moved out here to be closer to her parents and their farm about 7 years ago. She's like me and has lived in Athens and then moved back here a couple of times. She's met a lot of people and is very friendly and outgoing. But she still remains shocked everytime she meets someone new and then finds out that I already know them. And it's not that I know everyone well but between all the members of my family and my job, I'm bound to have run into them at least once before in my life.
Even one of my referral sources at the hospital asked me how I knew everyone... I had brought her lunch and we were sitting in the cafeteria. Multiple people stopped to speak to me and tell her to be sure to give me business, etc. It was funny because she's not the most outgoing person so by the end of the lunch, she was overwhelmed. And she asked how I knew everyone.
And my friends love to hear how my parents knew when I misbehaved in high school, usually before I had even done whatever it was that we were plotting. I'll never forget the night a friend of mine and I drove up in my driveway to find both of our dads standing there waiting on us. Fortunately we hadn't actually done anything wrong... my mom had just assumed we were up to no good. We definitely paused halfway and contemplated pulling back out into the street - our hearts were in our throats.
I guess it's just a novel idea to people who don't grow up in small towns but it's one of my favorite things about living here. In contrast, when I was NYC the other weekend, I spent the first day wondering where all those people came from and where they lived. I have gotten to the point of being slightly overwhelmed by crowds.
Of course, I get disgusted by the segregation, not being able to buy alcohol, the lack of open-mindness, the gossip, and all the other smallness of a small town. But I also get turned off by crazy traffic, honking horns, dirty streets and people pushing into me on the subway. You take the good with the bad in every situation.
I feel fortunate to know of other places, to travel and explore, knowing I have roots running deep and strong. A place which supports and comforts me as I go through life. Because this is HOME... it's a feeling I can't put into words without sounding cheesy. When I drive up 138 and the fields start getting larger and the roadside starts getting greener, I know I'm almost there. And I always sigh, knowing the trip's almost over and that I'm back where everyone knows my name (and will tell my daddy what I've been doing wrong!).
*Depends on who you talk to and where you define the boundaries.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
My New Motto
"If someone asks you on an adventure, never refuse." - Amelia Earhart
I've always been open to possibilities and looking for the next adventure but I never put it so simply in words before. So when I read this quote I was struck by how simple and complete it is for my attitude.
While in NYC this weekend, I was telling a friend I didn't have a job I was passionate about and motivated for on an emotional level and she said you could, what's the gut answer when someone asks you about what you love. And it's travel.
Any suggestions on how to turn that into a career?
I've always been open to possibilities and looking for the next adventure but I never put it so simply in words before. So when I read this quote I was struck by how simple and complete it is for my attitude.
While in NYC this weekend, I was telling a friend I didn't have a job I was passionate about and motivated for on an emotional level and she said you could, what's the gut answer when someone asks you about what you love. And it's travel.
Any suggestions on how to turn that into a career?
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