Lomography Example

Enhanced Photo: Before Photo:

I am a new user of photoshop and needless to say I have been frustrated in my quest to learn a new software. However, I found a blog, Photoshop Tutorials, that is a great help. If you are looking for Photoshop help, this is the place.

Happy Photography!

Yellow

When you start looking for items that are yellow, you find less in nature and more in man-made. I focused on the items that were man made. Bingo Sign: Exension Cord: Books: Yard Art: Lantern (yellow focus): Lantern (green focus):

Down by the River

Beautiful day down by the river ... I wasn't the only one that thought so ...

A New Breakfast Favorite

I have recently discovered a quick, easy breakfast ... one slice of multi-grain toast ... (it's not actually toasted at this point) canadian bacon and swiss cheese ... warmed in the microwave while the toast is toasting ... put it all together ... and you've got meals ready to eat ...

Vertigo

Had a vertigo attack today, very unpleasant. It actually woke me at at 4:00 a.m. Luckily, I had some phenergan which helped lessen the symptoms considerably. I got back to sleep and had a day off work. I haven't had an attack for over two years. With my diagnosis, it was determined that my vertigo is a symptom of an inner ear condition. Treatment was a couple of physical therapy sessions. I have to admit I was skeptical, but it worked. Guess I need to make another appointment. The tests to determine the cause were worse than an actual attack. First, an MRI was performed to make sure I didn't have a tumor. I then went to a neurologist for the testing of the inner ear. They shoot high pressure pulses of cold and hot water into your ears to determine how the pressure affects you. I was more disturbed by the cold water and became extremely nauseaous. If you suffer attacks of vertigo, physical therapy might help you too. Unfortunately, I cannot remember the name of my condition. This is what an attack feels like ... ... but not quite. I get dizzy, nauseous, and have trouble walking. At one point I thought I would have to crawl back to bed. Thank God for TOM who woke up almost immediately to help.

Happy Feet or Not

Like most women, I love shoes. They always fit, but sometimes they are not so comfortable. Typically, I am not a slave to fashion, but sometimes you just have to wear heels with pointy toes. Today, these shoes made my feet sad: These made my feet happier: But these made my feet the happiest: I had to go for a walk to wear them, but that's ok. They felt so good. My feet said "Thank You'.

Gone Fishin'

On our recent weekend in Mobile, I did a photo essay of the fishing pier. I was practicing/working with sepia tones. These are some of the best: The Pier:

The Bait: The Hook: The Bobber: The Net:

The Catch: None

Photo Composition

1. I am not necessarily worried about the light in these shots. Just trying to find the best shot. The first shot is not bad. Interesting how the reflection of the trees is seen in the glass of the building. 2. Not so good because the tower is dead center in the photo. 3. Not so good because the tower is off the page. Pulls your eye up and away. 4. This is better. The tower does not fall off the page. A triangle is created with the tower, the red building, and the trees that keeps your eye moving. Still not terrific. I like #1 best. Suggestions/comments?

5th Anniversay

Ground Zero on September 11, 2006

I Love ...

Black Bean Salad

the view from my desk

If I have to work, I might as well have a view. I love it when the trains go by each day.

Laugh until I Cry

Check this one off the list. As I was recounting the story of how TOM almost burned all the hair off his body yesterday, I began to laugh and could not stop, thus lauging till crying. Obviously, I wasn't laughing yesterday. He did look so funny running away from the inferno he started with gasoline. We had a pile of tree cuttings that needed to be disposed of and he decided to take care of it. I guess no one ever told him that you do not use gasoline to start a burn. Anyway, there was a mini-explosion, a ball of fire and TOM running in the opposite direction. In retrospect it was hiliarious. Yesterday, not so much.

Bowling

Went bowling today or rather TOM bowled and I practiced throwing gutter balls. Needless to say, I did not do very well. Did not even break 100, although I came close...96. Maybe I'll do better next time.

I Guess Biker's Can't Read, Updated

... or are they just rebellious. At least this biker can't ... or is... Security purposely put the sign next to the bike because riders continue to park in 'no parking' areas. I guess being rebellious does not apply only to bikers:

The Bucket List

This is the year of the BIG birthday [50] and like countless others before me I’ve started thinking about how I’ve spent my life. The bigger question is what to do with the rest of it. I’ve raised my children, I’m happily married, my assent up the corporate ladder has slowed (and not because of bad knees), and hopefully I’ve made a difference in some small way. I’ve decided that I will live to the middle of the century … 2050; that’s 42 more years so I better have something to do. First, because I am not independently wealthy, I have to keep working and my current employer is a good a place to be as any. I like my job, I like the people I work with, and for the most part the climate in southern United States is ok. I will work until working gets in the way of my other plans. Second, I want to travel and have adventures. I don’t want to look back on my life when I am 92 and say to myself “Why didn’t I take that train trip across Canada or why didn't I go skydiving”. If an opportunity presents itself I will be there. I recently missed an opportunity to sing karaoke. No big deal right? Now, for some strange reason I am obsessed with the idea and practice daily in my car. Go figure. If I had just done it when the opportunity presented itself I wouldn’t be in this situation. That's when I made the decision that if something won’t kill me, I need to go for it. In the movie "The Bucket List" with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, Morgan's character is dying from terminal cancer. He creates his bucket list ... a list of things he wants to do before he “kicks the bucket”. Well, I did this too, shortly after my last birthday, but I didn’t call it a bucket list. It was just a list of [50] things that I wanted to do before I reached [50]. Half way through the year I came to the conclusion that not even Superwoman could complete the list in 12 short months. But the point is, I’ve got the list and slowly but surely I’m ticking items off of it. And I keep adding to it. Chances are I will never do everything on “the list” but the point of the exercise is to live life to the fullest. Life lists are not just for adults. I recently read an article about a 17 year old girl, Liz Evett, who is working on completing her bucket list. She is a cancer patient and her leukemia is not responding to chemo therapy. She knows her days are numbered, but she is making the most of them. One of the items on her list is to see the sunrise, a lofty goal for a teenager :-) but something she freely admits, that most of us take for granted. And something I hope she accomplishes. And third, I am going to stop wishing my life away. I caught myself wishing for the end of the day; wishing it was Friday; or wishing I didn’t have to get up for work the next morning. No more. I realized that tomorrow will get here soon enough without any help from me. So if you are reading this, I would like to say to you: Keep working until something better comes along. You might need the money for something exciting. Start your life list or bucket list or whatever you want to call it. The list, like life itself is not static and needs to be updated occasionally. Keep life exciting. You deserve it. Stop wishing your life away. Live each day to the fullest.