Posting...

I'm having a bit of a writer's block. Everytime I start to write a post, I stop after a few sentences and think, "Man, that's boring," and delete it. That's why there hasn't been many posts recently.

Also, remember to comment! A study done by blogspot shows that the more active the comments there are, the more people are likely to return to a blog. I'm not sure of the correlation though. Maybe it makes them think, "Gee, this blog is cool/popular" and makes them want to read the future posts?

Go figure.

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I'm So Ready for Spring!

And, apparently, so are the local flora in DC. Yesterday, I saw snowdrops and crocuses already in bloom. Trees are starting to bud, and daffodils are pushing up from their beds.

Could it be a sign we'll have an early spring? I hope so! I normally love winters, but this year I'm just ready for it to be over! Although if we were to have one true snowstorm where we get more than an inch of snow (read: slush), that'd be awesome. I'm thinking a foot or so would be nice.

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Nature Teases

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C is for...

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Apollo Galore

These pictures are a bit out of sequence.

A friend of mine made these doggy biscuits. Apollo just loves them. I love tormenting him with them.

C'mon!

Pleeeeeease?
(This is how he "begs" - by resting his chin on either my knee or, in this case, the couch.)

Saturday: F^ck you, mom - I'm not looking at the camera ever again after what you did to me!Nope, not looking.

Hi?

SNIIIIIFFF - Still not looking!

I'm pretty, but I'm still not looking.

The Stinkeye

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Lunar Eclipse

A couple almost unblurry photos. These are a little grainy because I cropped and enlarged so y'all could, y'know, see the moon. I knew the eclipse was tonight, but was watching tv..at 10 O'clock, got up to take Apollo out for a potty break, and saw that the lunar eclipse was well underway. Ack! Initially I thought it was past the peak.

Fortunately, I was wrong...Apollo and I spent about 40 minutes waiting for it to peak. And at twenty-of, Apollo looked up at me and shivered. This is the guy who LOVES being outside in the cold. I guess being outside for 30-40 minutes in 15 degree weather was too much for him. It certainly was for me - my fingers and toes were very numb by that point. So we packed it up and headed back in.

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Poor Taste?

Today, I was reading an article about how Prez Bush decried displays of nooses. So, naturally, I thought about the pictures I just posted. "Uh oh?"

Why I shot these: I was interested in the artistic contrast of how pearls were used...Something beautiful used to make something cruel.

If anyone is offended by these pictures, please feel free to either email me or post in the comments, and I'll be more than happy to remove them. Likewise, if you'd like to share your thoughts on this topic, feel free to post.

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Pearls in a Noose

I decided to try using a different background. I definitely need to work on my light setup. I wasn't very happy with most of the pictures, but went ahead and processed a few for fun.

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I'm Pretending to Work

I'm naughty. I never feel like working, but I'm even less enthusatic after I've run a particular work gauntlet, which occurs every other week. I don't like to include overly personal information on here, but friends/family know what I'm talking about. Don't get me wrong, I like working at this company, but there is a certain person who is very high maintenance and just drains my energy.

Enough of that self-pity-work-sucks crap.

Some photography ideas:
-Ms. KS's superduper special assignment, which I have decided must be completed outdoors.
-Photo series:

• Letters
  
• Signs
  
• Manholes
  
• Jewelry in knots
  
• Action
  
• Cars
  
• Matches
  
• People (weak point)
  
• Architecture

Suggestions are welcome.

I need to expand/improve my portfolio. Hrm.

In other news, I saw Resident Evil: Extinction the other night. I'm usually pretty critical of flicks and have low expectations of horror/thrillers. Surprisingly, I liked it pretty well, though there were several parts they could've improved on. Or omitted. As usual.

Observed on Metro this Morning:
Several people have this annoying habit of hanging onto the posts or overhead rails with their dear life...even when the train is not in motion.

Why is that annoying? That habit makes it really hard to squeeze by when I'm trying to get off the train, and requires me to say, "Excuse me, I need to get by," or if I haven't had sufficient dose of caffiene..."Let go of the f*cking rail and move!"

Once, there was a particularly large gentlemen who I accidentally helped let go of the rail by stepping on his toes. Accidentally. Honest.

I didn't feel too bad about it though.

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New Year Resolutions Check-In

Let's see how I'm doing with the resolutions.

1. Improve photography skills
- I'm reading up on techniques and practicing using them using my limited setup. Good sofar.
- I haven't gotten around to finding a parttime gig with a photo studio. I'll pursue this after moving. I don't have adequate equipment to play with lighting, and I hear the best way to learn about that is to actually do it.

2. Take a couple editing classes
- I haven't gotten around to this.

3. Start looking for a new job, both locally and later in the year, out West
- I did look a couple times on monster.com, but not seriously. Right now, I'm focusing on finding a new place and that occupies my free time.

4. Find a couple more climbing partners in addition to the one I already climb with
- My current partner isn't climbing for a month due to being too busy right now. I plan to post on an online and a physical bulletin board.

5. Climb a 5.10 route
- Not gonna happen anytime soon, I'm so out of shape due to irregular climbing that I'm struggling on 5.8, which I'm normally pretty solid on.

6. Stop dressing like I'm still in college
- I did buy a few nice items, but (always a but) they're primarily for spring/summer. I plan to keep adding to my wardrobe over the next few weeks as well as weeding out the old/ugly/crappy items.

7. And a classic: Get fit. Sub-goal - to run 5 miles without stopping.
- I'm following a "Couch-to-5k" program, which says to run 60 seconds, walk 90 seconds for a week, then run 90 seconds, walk 2 minutes 2nd week. And so on. It's been a month and though I'm "running" 4-5 times a week, I'm go back and forth between first and second stages.
- I did make an appointment with a Dr and hopefully will get inhalers soon.

8. Eat healthier/stop relying on pre-processed food for meals
- Sofar this month, I've only had one frozen meal. I'm cooking a lot more. I think this one is a success (sofar).

9. Take a real vacation out of town somewhere that I actually have to pay for myself instead of being cheap and staying at home.
- A friend and I are talking about going to Australia at end of this year. I'm also hoping to hit the beach again this summer.

10. Be happy and be strong enough to change things if I'm not happy with something
- Working on it!

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Sneak Peek at the Next Photo Series

My old art teacher used to say, to improve your artistic skills, find an artist you admire and copy him/her to practice the style.

I found this Spanish (I think?) photographer online, and I'm pretty intrigued by his style. He's quirky. And creative.

I liked this photo, amongst many others...Chema Madoz's pearls.

My preliminary attempt at imitating that particular photo:

Making a noose with pearls is not easy. This took me about 30 minutes to do. I need practice. And to figure out a better angle to shoot at.

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New Toy

For me??
Faster than speeding bullet!

When Apollo barks in a certain way (as he did today),
it's so loud and deep that I can feel it in my chest.

He made my ears pop.

"Don't be hating me cause I'm beautiful"

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