In a world of so many great photographers and writers, I am venturing into some unknown territories, leaving comfort zones, finally very willing to practice the art of seeing. By maintaining the practice of posting daily photos, I hope to continue learning about the possibilities that I trust are out there for the taking.
I actually sat down for 15 minutes and generated a prioritized daily task list in my prettier than Stacy’s new 2009 Franklin Covey Planner. I am not familiar with the FC system but I do know what putting an arrow in a box next to a task means. That’s shorthand for procrastinator, avoider and overall liar.
Sorry Lane and Josh. Sorry LR. I even put an A1 by both tasks indicating their importance. I recently learned Franklin Covey planners use the 123 and ABC system for prioritizing tasks. A= more important than B etc, and 1 = more important than 2 etc. I see a pattern.
I started in on attempting to fill out the Wachovia authorization for the automated program to transfer funds between designated banks. I have been meaning to do this for months. I got to a point where I didn’t understand something. Before I knew it, after repeated phone calls and email responses, I couldn’t get back to the tasks at hand. I had started these tasks after lunch, the first free time I had today, and somehow the day slipped away. Again. I feel so ashamed and guilty. There are so many things I haven’t gotten to lately. Getting back to the pattern I see……I use answering the phone as an excuse so I don’t have to do what I find difficult to do. The problem is, I’ve used this excuse too many times on setting up the auto deducts for Lane, Josh and an auto deduct I need to set up with LR’s bank for our home account. I need to take care of these tasks for my sanity, my son’s pocketbook and trust and so Ray can pay some of our bills.
Tomorrow I’ve got a full day too. Then Thursday we leave to go in to LA at 8am and won’t return until 11:30 pm. So I have to find time tomorrow to get these tasks all done. Its midnight now. I haven’t written out my food to send to Xochitl, I haven’t brushed my teeth, taken my pills, or written my daily gratitude list.
I’m writing myself in to overwhelm here.
On to what was the posted photo is about. I stole 15 minutes to run out with my small camera to have a daily photo for this blog (blogging was also on my task list) before the sun set behind the mountain range. I was rushing the clock to find a photo just outside the front door. I took about 15 shots. This shot of the cactus was the best of the lot. I’m holding the camera straight above the cactus shooting down.
Off to bed. Hopefully this post will make me accountable.
I’m feeling so much better now that this cold is subsiding. On a lazy walk around Mission Hills CC this morning I decided to pay attention to photo ops, keeping in mind it was 11am and the sun was almost over head. I was taught to not take photos from 10am to 2pm, that the photos will look all washed out. I tried to use the position of the sun to spot contrast in the shadows cast on the side of houses.
I took 85 photos and didn’t really get one I liked, but I’m posting 5 + 1 shots anyway. I’m trying to learn Adobe Photoshop CS4, so working on these photos was my practice for the day. I’m really hoping to spend some time each day, learning photographic software or shooting photos.
So to explain the 6th photo, I’m walking by the ninth hole tee box. I have to “gottago” and their is a woman’s bathroom off to the side of the tee box. On my way out of the bathroom, I pass this table and chairs set up where the golfers might relax. No one is seated at the table. But I see something on the table. Something someone left, either intentionally or because they weren’t aware they left something behind. I told you I started my hike at around 11am. It’s now noon. I’m hungry. When I’m hungry, I want to eat. I am not happy when I make out what it is that has been left out on the empty table. Lollipops! I love lollipops. Lollipops don’t happen to be on my current food plan. These 4 or 5 lollipops are there for the taking. No one is around. I know because I looked left and right. Hmmmmmm. Lollipops. Hmmmmmm.
And then I thought of Katya. If I ate the lollipops (eating one was never a thought) I would lose my 38!!!! days without sugar and Katya would still have her 38 days. Nope, no way is Katya going to have more days than I do.
So. I sadly walk on, only looking back once, headed home, to some yummy Turkey soup and brussel sprouts. Brussel sprouts with soup you might be thinking? Well yes. I need to have two cups of salad or veggies for lunch and the brussel sprouts were already cooked and in the fridge. Easy. Gotta keep it easy when I’m hungry. Eating is no longer fun. But eating this way has relieved my obsession for food…….at least until I found the lollipops.
Here is my New Year’s Day gift – Taye’s new blog. Bet you can’t read it and not laugh out loud!
http://tastysbigbutt.blogspot.com/
Ray and I had a nice day today. A non-day, like the rest of these “holiday” days have been. I’m always happier when January 2nd rolls around each year.
Ray played golf this morning. I mindlessly computed. Thank goodness Sandi called. We stayed on the phone long enough, I no longer wanted all the Blackberry phone applications I was in the process of ordering online.
The party at 2pm today was my first test in terms of being around lots of food, fun food. Ray and I left the party after an hour without putting anything in our mouths. So did Sandi who also attended the party.
I’d made a decision to get in a walk before the sun set. Ray and I walked the 3 mile route we usually take around our neighborhood.
One of my 2009 Ideals is to post a photo a day for the next 365 days. So to go along with this boring blog entry, I’ll post a couple of boring photos I shot today.
Eating lunch before we go to the party. 
Our friend Perry at the party.
Walking by the golf course lakes provided lots of photo op reflections. 
See Ray up ahead just beyond the two palm trees? We were walking by the MHCC Club House and the first Tee box on the Palmer Course.
I walk home from the Xizer class at the fitness center here. I look for photo ops. The light is beautiful at 7:30am but everything looks the same here in Mission Hills CC. So I’m forced to look for the shot within what I’m looking at. Not something I’m good at, but I want to get better. Cupcake had told me when he was in school one of his photo assignments was to take a photo every 10 steps. Hmmmm. Some day I will try this but not on Thursday mornings when I need to get home to prepare for heading into LA around noon.
This mornings’ best picks. Other shots I liked, but haven’t posted, were out of focus. They don’t look out of focus to me until I look at them in an actual size view option in Photoshop.
This top shot is soft (out of focus).
I took about 300 photos while at the Salton Sea. I was using my telephoto lens when I shot this bird as he was catching his lunch! Well, brunch. It was about 10am. Carol and I had a ball the 5 hours we were shooting.
Everyone else was inside drinking coffee and chit chatting. I promised myself I’d get some early morning shots of the Rappahannack River shoreline while at my sister Ginny’s over Thanksgiving. This morning it was cold and I easily could have said, “Ah, later, or, ah tomorrow morning and stayed inside where it was warm and the morning conversation was fun and interesting.” Good thing I didn’t because the following morning it was overcast.
Click on the photo and sit back and dream.
Happy New Year!
It has taken me all day long to get here to say Happy New Year. I made it by 20 minutes though.
Today was all about working on Ray’s 30th Birthday Book, watching movies and practicing taking photos in the late afternoon light. I have no idea whether I take a good photo or a shitty photo. But I’ll learn soon, because I just signed up online with the new Yahoo Photo Class Group yesterday which is starting January 11th. There will be lots of constructive criticism. We will get 6 assignments over the next 2 months. The first assignment is Complementary Colors. Good thing I’m going to the Bahamas as I’m sure I’ll find lots of complementary colors there.
I’m going to buy an underwater camera for the snorkeling I want to do. Now now LR, don’t get all excited. The cameras don’t cost THAT much. I’m hoping to buy the Sealife DC 600 at the Sport Chalet Thursday.
If you’d like to see my attempts at planning a shot (unlike how I usually shoot), follow the link in the title above.
At an Xmas party last night, my friend Carol and I were talking about our upcoming online photo class that we’ll be taking and how our instructor Carol Leigh suggests taking a photo a day if you want to see and shoot better photos. So at the party last night I looked for a shoot. My friend Carol pointed out the glass heart on the table. I temporarily found the glass heart a home on top of this red lap.
Why do I like this photo of Ray and my 6 eggs before I srambled them this morning? Because I noticed that the eggs might make a photo of the day shot. That I even thought about shooting the eggs is progress for me!
I spent an hour or more outside this afternoon photographing bougainvilleas with a Canon Macro Lens EF 100mm 1:2.8 on my Canon EOS Rebel XTi. I didn’t like one of the 100 photos I took. This is the best of the lot but I can’t seem to get a crisp focus.
There seems to be so little distance range for clear focus.
In trying to become more familiar with the macro lens I shot this staged shot.
I’d found these letter-like stones years ago, during a walk on a beach north of Santa Barbara. Ray and I used to camp in our RV at El Capitan
State Park a couple times a year. Every day we’d take a stroll on the beach. One day I found the stone that looked like an L. Then I came across an “o”. When I found a “v” I searched frantically for any stone that looked like an “e”.
These rock letters usually reside in a special place with all the other rocks I have collected. Every rock I’ve collected represents a trip – a hike or a backpack. I always bring home one special rock. People have often selected a rock for me. During my 2002 PCT hike I was given a beautiful river rock I carried in my backpack even though I was very weight conscious.
Rocks have always fascinated me. Looking for rocks is fun. Looking for rocks makes me feel good. I find it interesting that I found rocks that spell out the word love.
Love: strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties.
p.s. Just found this article.