Camera Crazy

Here's the calendar etc. Very exciting stuff!

The best laid plans of mice and men--one of my mom's favorite sayings. This morning when there was a break in the rain, I took Baxter for a walk. Let's just say he was having some trouble relieving himself which took some intervention on my part. It resulted in an unintended bath for Baxter. He is nice and fluffy now.

When I was done with that I heard this noise--I thought it was the air conditioner but, no, it was the hall toilet running. Weird--it just started on its own. I took the lid off and lifted stuff to no avail. I was trying hard not to call Bruce as he has so many problems he has to deal with on all his jobs but it became necessary. He instructed me to turn off the water. I'm sure it is something simple and he'll be able to fix it when he gets home. We have had our share of house troubles lately. Last week we replaced the pool pump for $420. The air conditioner was leaking on the carpet but that fix was simple…

This photo is from inside Knowles Chapel on the Rollins College campus. As some of you know, Bill and Dave graduated Rollins with Economic degrees. It is a beautiful campus; one of the prettiest places in Central Florida. It was my intention to continue on at Rollins in the night school (it's way too expensive in the day) but, at this point, I think I may take a semester off to evaluate my next move.

I'm drowning in school work. I spent most of my museum time reading about Middle Ages and Renaissance music today. Consequently, I was prepared to take the online quiz which I did after I ate dinner. I have to watch the film Breathless and read several criticisms before the response is due on Friday. As well, I'm working on my informative speech. I am going to demonstrate how to make a vegan chocolate cake. Now I'm assuming that I can do the demonstration and speak at the same time, as I certainly have had practice doing two things as once as a mother, but we'll see. I&…

Watch the City Council

City Council Meetings - Decisions 2007 gives you gavel to gavel coverage of the City of Orlando Council meetings. Meetings are broadcast the day of the meeting at 2 p.m. on Orange TV channel 9, and repeated Wednesday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. See Orange TV's broadcast sc

We certainly have some catching up to do.

The picture--terrible of course, but you get the idea. The Halloween party was a smash. The decorations were amazing, as was the food and guests. People came in an array of fun costumes. I didn't tell you that Bruce went as a witch doctor. The boys were so shocked Bill hardly knew it was his dad. I've put together a Picasa web album with the pictures; possibly I'll figure out how to make a link to it in the next few days. Unfortunately we didn't get home until about 1:30AM, about four hours past our bedtime. The market beckoned...

Another slow day at the market. Our neighbors, the plant vendors, joked that they had hit the bottom at…

I told you that Michelle and Dave were having a Halloween party--well, this is the night. Michelle has been my costume consultant and now she has done my makeup. Here she is with the magic tools.

I personally have never seen such an array of makeup products except at the department store. I suspect this is only a sampling of what she has. She always looks amazingly polished; Maureen and I have been dying for her to do that to us. I got my chance and I was all over it.

I lost track of all the stuff that went on my face, but I do remember that there were two undercoats, primers if you will, BEFORE the concealer went on! She asked me if I liked eye liner on the bottom, I had to confess that I'd never tried it. I looked up, looked down, and she made it happen. Because the time was getting late we opted out of the false eyelashes. She gave me a little lesson on how to use an eyelash curler, which, although I own, and even attempt to use, I am never successful.

She also worked magic on my…

A friend of mine said I was so consistent about blogging. She's right. When I say I will do something, I usually do. She is about twenty five years younger than me and that may be why she feels she is less consistent than I. Probably when you become a mother, as I did when I was 23, you begin to develop consistent habits. You really have no choice in the matter as your child needs feeding, bathing, rocking, and loving. Mind you, those are not necessarily in order. I'd really put loving in the top position.

As well, I've been in love with the same man forever. For those of you who don't know the story--I met Bruce when we were about 10, started going steady when I was 13, and here I am, two months shy of my 54th birthday, and he's still the one.

So, I hit the publish button only to realize I didn't explain the picture. Bruce used this gel for a few years only to have it disappear from shelves. This very week I looked online for it. A quick stop at Marshalls for te…

Is this one of the most adorable little girls you have ever seen, or what? I literally had to stop a conversation I was having with someone at the market to shoot this. Those little shoes, and that dress just make me smile.

I felt much better today, I think the slight temperature drop helped. But then again, who knows?

Tonight we watched Singin' in the Rain and I loved it. I could not believe how smiley all the characters were,in particular, Gene Kelly. Wow, the dancing and singing were just incredible. Lately I've been nostalgic for our mom and this added to it. She used to be a tap dancer when she was young; even still had her tap shoes until I wore them some years ago as part of a Halloween costume. Times like these when I would love to ask her about it....

You will be happy to know that I got a 100 on the midterm in that class. As well, the responses that I bitched about were 100s. I imagine you are thinking how couldn't you get a good grade in that class, apparently ther…

So there is lots I didn't tell you about my crane encounter. I met a friendly woman walking three dogs on the trail in this forest off SR46 last Thursday morning. She was from the area and told me about Wilson's Landing just across the main highway. She described a nice view of the Wekiwa River, so I was all over that idea. What I didn't expect was to see Sandhill Cranes. Mind you, I had never seen these cool birds before. As it turns out they are a relative of the endangered Whooping Crane, sometimes acting as surrogate parents to baby WCs. They are somewhat endangered in their own right. In reality, during my encounter I had no idea what they were, and certainly nothing of their habits.

I pull into a lovely spot--I share the entire area with only what looked to be a grandfather and grandchild resting in a shelter with their bikes nearby. I saw the two long-legged birds in a field, immediately heading their way. Did I tell you I got some special shooting shoes? I hate tra…

I am very lucky I don't have to make a living selling photographs as I'd surely be out on the streets by now! Yesterday the canvas sold, which was super--today nothing. Unfortunately, our produce people at the market need to sell all that they bring to market as they have SIX children, one with Downs Syndrome. We heard from our neighbor vendor that they had been at a festival the day before where they brought a trailer full of pumpkins that did not sell. It wasn't their fault, but the organizers who had called them several times urging them to bring scads. The bad news is that there was another group (?) giving them away at that same festival. Needless to say Jonathan and Amy had tons left over which you see here artfully arranged. I felt so terrible for them we bought two which, with this heat, will probably be rotten before Halloween.

It is 90 degrees today and I felt every degree of it this morning--probably adding to my not feeling very good right now. I have had some p…

Typically I don't feel like the title suggests, but this week is an exception. I've completed my mid-terms, my paper, my speech, and the gallery thing. I hope I did well on them all.

Naturally, when you want to take a decent picture, you can't. My wonderful neighbor Regina took my picture twice, both had motion, not to mention goofy looks on my face. Thank goodness for friends and family coming because the crowd never materialized. I was one of about ten artists that were featured. Wait a minute--I've never used that term to describe myself--I take it back. I was the pretender in the group.

Maureen and Lynn came by on their way to Maureen's birthday dinner which was a welcome surprise. Lisa came early and stayed late. It was such a blessing to have my sisters there. It is in an out of the way spot, so I feel grateful for those who found it. Oh yes, Olga, our CPA, and her husband came on their way out to dinner. What a charming couple they are with two of the most da…

http://www.mymetrocity.com/gallery
Maureen called to tell me that my name is listed on the site. It's 4PM and I'm getting nervous. As fate would have it Bruce has worked so many hours this week he is completely exhausted so won't be able to attend. What's worse is that his flight has been delayed causing him to get home even later. I envisioned him having the beef stew I made with a nice glass of red wine, kicking back and watching a little TV. No telling how long this little scenario will be cut short.

Today is Maureen's birthday--my darling older sister. Love her.BTW--these are sandhill cranes--Mr. & Mrs. to you.

Forgive me for sounding like a baby--I went out and took some pictures--when you see scenery like this close to home it melts your troubles away.

I didn't tell you that I watched the film a week ago and read the ten pages online to answer that question on Saturday afternoon. Needless to say, I remembered little of the stupid article.

After an hour taking pictures I stopped by the grocery store for a few things. As I was pulling out of my parking space I saw two women with a child in a stroller. One of the women was in a wheelchair--the blanket covering her feet no longer did so. She had malformed swollen feet; now she has something to complain about. It reminded me of one of my former patients who only wanted me every time. Trouble is she has spina bifida and is in a wheelchair only about three feet off the ground. Compounding the problem for the mammographer is that her breasts are the size of small watermelons. In addition, she had a very tiny cancer which necessitated her coming…

Vertigo: Projection of Our Own Desires?

Dr. Holland argues in his essay on "Vertigo" that the "unreality" of the movie is deliberate on Hitchcock's part and is meant to allow viewers to "project" their own desires/wishes into the film. He cites one example in the scene in which Scotty kisses Judy after re-creating her as Madeleine and the camera circles them with the backgrounds showing past settings, like the stables. Explain how Dr. Holland thinks these unrealistic scenes suck us in as viewers and tell whether you agree with his assessment (it's okay to agree or disagree; just explain why). What other instances of "unreality" (we might call it formalistic shots) appear in the movie, and how did you react to them as a viewer?

So, I answered this question and now I have to do it again if I don't want a 0.
You remember how my response did not go through on The Maltese Falcon? You guessed it--I just read an e-mail from my professor statin…

I'm sure you've not seen this one before. This is a picture of a picture. Mr. Roger knew of an event in a hip part of town called "A Taste of Thornton Park"; he suggested I donate a piece for the silent auction end of it to promote my business with the proceeds going to the local Humane Society. He took it upon himself to print this abstract on a 30 X40 canvas. He called one of the organizers to come over to meet me while I was over there signing it--she was nice. I was so excited I went to the car to get my camera to take this before it was gone. It turns out the event is a few blocks away from the gallery on the same night. At any rate, I was adjusting my camera while walking up their stairs and took a tumble--my first thought was--I hope my camera is alright! I scraped my knee like a kid. Roger's wife is a nurse and I jokingly went back in--"I need a nurse." She did the first aid stuff covering it with a clear bandage. A little battle scar. I asked …

Talk about fun--it was a joy to see this group perform. I loved their costumes, particularly the orange number.

Whew--Bruce and I got up at 4:30 this morning. As it turns out the alarm went off and instead of sleeping right through it I awoke. Good thing because then I could chat with Bruce before he took off until Thursday night. He just called and is driving from a restaurant in Virginia to one about 60 miles away in Maryland. He said I would never believe the traffic on the Washington DC beltway and he's probably right. I'm sure I wouldn't want to drive there.

Off to the little market early. Again the easy set up--the people are just great. The weather was a bit cloudy and I've not been able to get a good picture of the balloons soaring, but I will. It was fairly slow but aside from getting drowsy around 10 I did fine. I brought my school work writing my paper in longhand in between trying to lure customers. Honestly I'm no salesman--I just say hello. At the marke…

Remember when I had to photograph the city commissioner and was not too happy with the result--well, here she is at the Gay Days Parade today. I didn't sell even one piece today, but it was eventful nonetheless.

We took Maureen out last night for dinner and had a marvelous time. We decided to call it a birthday dinner as Thursday is her big day. She mentioned that she was meeting her son Rich and his wonderful girlfriend Jen at the market in the morning. Well...while we were setting up Rich and Jen arrived with a birthday surprise for Maureen. Over on flickr I've posted two pictures of the happy event. They brought her a puggle--if you've not heard of those before it is a cross between a beagle and a pug. Needless to say she was nearly speechless. They had been trying to convince her that a dog would keep her company (she lives alone), but Maureen had not gone through with it. He is a very handsome dog that came from the pound which is astonishing because they are very exp…

Here's a shot of the living room. The truth is I hardly ever sit on these couches, however, they did come in handy when I was terribly sick. I never turn the TV on but I did then because I could do little else. At the time Maureen told me about a television station called Ovation. It's a great channel with arts programming. That said, they have gazillions of commercials for The Cancer Treatment Center of America or something like that. As you know, we were told that is what I had, so that was not so much fun. People give these testimonials about how great the place is, and how it was their last chance etc. I tuned those ads out. Hurray, the doctors were wrong.

I did watch Florida State lose to Wake Forest last night, something unthinkable when Matt was at FSU. WF used to be the dregs of the ACC but no longer.

Today I woke up puny gaining strength as the morning wore on. No clue about yesterday--whatever.

I finally heard from my speech professor that class was canceled for today.…

My gmail account is not working right now--bummer. I've composed an e-mail to a department chair at Valencia asking for help finding a graphics arts student to design a website for me. Unfortunately it has just sat there for about two hours. I suspected it was some other computer problem on my end, but I discovered it was Google's issue. Thank goodness, a reprieve from calling Apple yet again. Speaking of which I wrote to an Apple representative regarding my poor customer service the other night and they have yet to respond.

I was getting very comfortable not feeling so poorly, but lo and behold, this morning I've been struck with violent retching again. The pain in my side has intensified much to my chagrin. I need to be doing homework.

I spotted this bit of silliness yesterday on my way home from a campus visit. I had originally hoped I could get away without the book for my music appreciation class, but alas, he tests on the content. It was $120 which includes five CDs fo…

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Oh yes, GWPs. Our mom used to work in a department store and she taught us the lingo. GWP, of course, means gift with purchase. What a concept! Naturally we aren't really getting something totally free, but it always feels that way. Recently I got a sample of this Clinique mascara and it is fantastic. I had to have more! Thus, you see some of the goodies that came with my purchase of two mascaras today.

Some random thoughts and observations:

I wonder how many people don't use change. Bruce empties his pockets every day preferring not to carry change--it accumulates. I love this because when I need toll money it is always handy. I, on the other hand, use change. Is it because I carry a wallet in my purse?

Do movies perpetuate stereotypes, or, do they merely portray them?

I just completed Bloodletting & Miraculous Cures, a fine book of stories about what it takes to become a doctor and the pitfalls that await once that profession is secured. There is a particularly chilling chap…

Big rain out yesterday at the market which was actually fine by us. Aside from the fact that the garage is filled with the tent etc. drying out we were glad to have the rest after Saturday. We had barely set it all up when the first raindrops fell, by the time we got it all torn back down and home it was pouring. Bruce took a two and a half hour nap and I started in on some homework.

Good news--Jonathan got all of Matt's things out of storage in Chicago! Consequently they finally slept in a real bed last night. They are going to have a darling place because as you already know Matt is a decorating genius. He has the most amazing things and now Jonathan and Alissa get to use them. How awesome is that?

Bad news--I missed Matt's call yesterday. He has some deal whereby he calls me using his computer for free. We can chat as long as we want. Apparently we were outside dealing with our stuff. I miss him.

More good news--I was approached about going to a new market on Monday mornings a…

I am way tired tonight, but it is a good tired. What a good day we had today at Baldwin Park. I am very grateful for friends and family that came out. As well, Bruce and David manned the booth together while I was doing my museum duty. Apparently they turned on the charm with the visitors in my absence. It is super exciting because today I sold more than I would in about six weeks at the market. We began the day thinking we would keep track of what we sold in my little book. I did record the first sale which actually came about a half hour before it officially opened. That's all there is in the book. In fact, I've almost no idea what sold, but lots. It is easy to get discouraged when you are not selling but this should encourage me for quite a while to come.

BTW--the weather was great. There were massive thunderstorms all week including over night last night but after a very gray start this morning there were only a few sprinkles which were welcome when it was hot.

I'm off t…

Do you think this was an intentional lead-in or coincidence? Say it ain't so.

I managed to do my presentation last night in film class. You would think that would be an easy class but the professor is tough. He is in charge of Brain Bowl which is a team of students from Valencia that compete in National smart championships. That is a crazy description but I will tell you that they have won the Nationals against huge prestigious schools. So now you understand. I got points taken off for going a little too long yet he wrote on my outline I could have developed ideas more fully. Go figure!
I practiced at school before class with a few classmates and we thought I was good to go but..oh well.

I left the house at 3:30 to meet with a restaurant manager about displaying a gingerbread house at the museum in December. After that I had time to kill so I walked along the street with camera in tow. I went into another little bistro/gourmet shop and I ran into one of my former classmates. She is now one of the managers there and she also took the info. The life of an intern...…

Here's what's happening in my part of the world:

1. New online class starts today--Music Appreciation. Although I thought this would be a good class, and maybe it will be, the syllabus looks brutal. 10 quizzes with tons of assignments. This will require lots of discipline to do it right. As well, the first quiz is on melody, and harmony; I've had a mental block on music components since I was in elementary school. Maybe it will unlock itself with this class, but I'm nervous.

2. A gallery owner visited the booth on Sunday leaving me his card. I was happily chatting with one of my hospital friends who had come to the market to see me. It is super great for a familiar face to show up unexpectedly. At any rate, he asked me to call him which I did on Monday. His gallery participates in what is called Third Thursdays downtown. Galleries and restaurants have openings with special food deals. He said he liked my stuff and would like me to provide two 18X24 pieces. I questioned h…