Sometimes I have delightfully inspirational little quips, sentences or sometimes full on paragraphs pop into my head. But if I'm not currently writing something, these gems just fade away. So I've decided to put them here from time to time, then coming back at a later date to retrieve them and weave them into a piece I'm working on.
Today's Nugget:
The two of them came back inside from enjoying the now looked down upon dirty habit, a cigarette. Generally this was a non-issue for May, she was used to the floating reek of nicotine following her co-worker, but today the double whammy of two smoke stacks was unbearable. However, this was not the cake topper. The ciggy-butt bonding duo were now both hacking, so deeply that May was almost certain she'd be calling the 'amber-lance' to come and haul the repair man and her co-worker away, their charred and tarred lungs plunked down into disinfectant on the ride to the hospital. Perhaps by the time of arrival, their lungs might be semi-clear and ready for a few more years of brutal assault from excessive inhaling.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Frogs In Space
OK this post has absolutely nothing to do with frogs. Or space, for that matter. For some reason I was thinking it was 'froggy' out - then started thinking of the Muppet Show and the Pigs In Space skit....
Anyway, it was quite foggy this morning. And humid. These are some shots I took in haste before the sun came up.
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| The fog is so thick you can *see* it in the photo. |
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| Reminds me of the mountains, in the hot hazy summer days... |
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| Condensation on the outside door. |
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| More 'froggy' tree silhouette shots. |
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Modern Ramblings - A Mental Purge
At times I feel so overwhelmed - trying to be perfect in every aspect of societal expectations. Working out, eating healthy, checking my credit score, staying on top of every day technological advances, the list spirals on into infinity. It is utterly exhausting, draining what little energy I have left each day. I ponder the so called ‘advances’ we’ve made. While our modern conveniences have afforded us so many luxuries and shortcuts, are we actually just selling ourselves short?
I’m trying to be more mindful of my choices, my actions, my words. I want to find a way to still enjoy the modern way of living, while incorporating a more relaxed and simpler way of greeting my daily approach to life. Trying to breathe in a calming fashion, letting go of unfounded fears and phobias - learning to enjoy living again. It’s been a lifetime ago that my life was something I was contented with. Oddly enough, this was when I was broke - in the financial sense. I was rich in friendships and ‘extracurricular activities’. You know, those things that make you more rounded on your resume, the things they encourage you do while in college to make you a glowing candidate at future job interviews. I had all of those things, along with a heaping side of hopes & dreams to fuel my days. I enjoyed waking to the fresh start of a new day, ripe with possibility.
These days my life is filled with drudgery and monotonous routine. Life is passing me by as I become mired in the ‘routine’. Is this what adulthood means? To lose yourself, your dreams - to the blur that we call ‘life’ in our culture? My question is: How do I undo all the damage I’ve done? It’s not like dropping a bad habit and knowing your body will heal itself. I’m speaking of years of societal conditioning that has left me in a stupor. How do I break this hold I have unwittingly placed upon myself? My only answer, my only insight is this: I must regain my passion. I must, simply must rekindle my lust, my love of writing. I believe it is my only saving grace. If I don’t grab onto that lifesaver now, I will surely drown in the sea of depression I’ve been floating along in.
I sometimes glimpse the ghost of my younger self, the dreamer I once was. It is a bittersweet thing, to recall yourself in a younger light. When life held the possibility of endless sublime dreams, when every conversation sparked potential life changing ideas, and nothing seemed impossible. But then life intervenes - friends move on, they move away, they move forward. Careers and goals change, and nights sitting around drinking wine and smoking cigarettes in the middle of a shitty apartment becomes a thing of capricious youth. The big house, picket fence and decimal point numbers of the American dream takes precedence. And while I have found myself lusting for the same material possessions and status that seem the norm to strive for, the more stressed and unhappy I find myself. Because I’m caught up in the machine, I’ve trapped myself, forced my square self into a round opening. We all know how that scene goes.
Time flows by like a river, I find myself wading along while everyone else is riding the current. I blink, and a month is gone. I blink twice and a year has disappeared. Everyone else is now barely in view, yet I am still plodding along, trying to stay in one place. This is an exhausting and futile exercise, yet I find myself struggling against the current regardless.
I am a time traveler, for I am constantly in the past and the future. It is rare to find me in the present, the place where past and future should collide, if you think about it. I am unable to immerse myself in the here and now, so I sojourn between what has been and what could be. I find no solutions at either juncture. Some days life seems like more of a burden than I care to contend with. I have no rational explanation for this, for certainly I don’t lead an excruciating or horrific existence. I’ve not had a troubling youth, or any other mental traumas that would cause such upheaval. It is a rather mundane life, peppered with occasional celebratory moments. Why I am so bereft?
I am frustrated with my shortcomings - the things that others believe hinder the enrichment of my delightfully humdrum existence. For example, travel. Apparently, without travel, one cannot achieve a state of completeness. Such modern forms of moving from point A to point B bring about heart palpitations and a shortness of breath upon my contemplation. Yet, I feel as though I live only a shell of a life because I no longer have the desire to traipse far and wide across the expanse of the planet. Or, so the guilt of others leads me to believe. Is there something that I could glean, some knowledge, that would help me understand the secret of life? Could that be why my travel weary friends continue on? Are they searching for that answer, or quite possibly just following a primal urge to move in search of better conditions? {Not to say that we don’t have wonderful climate controlled conditions in which we reside and grow our sustenance now, to be clear.} Could it be a wanderlust simply inspired by their own sense of boredom? I’ve decided that I’m not falling victim to the heavy guilt trips that come my way. While I may prattle on about solitude encroaching on my fragile state of mind, I don’t feel that forcing myself into uncomfortable situations is the all encompassing solution to my so called problems.
~This is merely a mental purge of sorts to help me deal with some overbearing and heavy emotions I have been desperately trying to come to terms with. Please just take these for what they are, simply words to ease my troubled mind.~
I’m trying to be more mindful of my choices, my actions, my words. I want to find a way to still enjoy the modern way of living, while incorporating a more relaxed and simpler way of greeting my daily approach to life. Trying to breathe in a calming fashion, letting go of unfounded fears and phobias - learning to enjoy living again. It’s been a lifetime ago that my life was something I was contented with. Oddly enough, this was when I was broke - in the financial sense. I was rich in friendships and ‘extracurricular activities’. You know, those things that make you more rounded on your resume, the things they encourage you do while in college to make you a glowing candidate at future job interviews. I had all of those things, along with a heaping side of hopes & dreams to fuel my days. I enjoyed waking to the fresh start of a new day, ripe with possibility.
These days my life is filled with drudgery and monotonous routine. Life is passing me by as I become mired in the ‘routine’. Is this what adulthood means? To lose yourself, your dreams - to the blur that we call ‘life’ in our culture? My question is: How do I undo all the damage I’ve done? It’s not like dropping a bad habit and knowing your body will heal itself. I’m speaking of years of societal conditioning that has left me in a stupor. How do I break this hold I have unwittingly placed upon myself? My only answer, my only insight is this: I must regain my passion. I must, simply must rekindle my lust, my love of writing. I believe it is my only saving grace. If I don’t grab onto that lifesaver now, I will surely drown in the sea of depression I’ve been floating along in.
I sometimes glimpse the ghost of my younger self, the dreamer I once was. It is a bittersweet thing, to recall yourself in a younger light. When life held the possibility of endless sublime dreams, when every conversation sparked potential life changing ideas, and nothing seemed impossible. But then life intervenes - friends move on, they move away, they move forward. Careers and goals change, and nights sitting around drinking wine and smoking cigarettes in the middle of a shitty apartment becomes a thing of capricious youth. The big house, picket fence and decimal point numbers of the American dream takes precedence. And while I have found myself lusting for the same material possessions and status that seem the norm to strive for, the more stressed and unhappy I find myself. Because I’m caught up in the machine, I’ve trapped myself, forced my square self into a round opening. We all know how that scene goes.
Time flows by like a river, I find myself wading along while everyone else is riding the current. I blink, and a month is gone. I blink twice and a year has disappeared. Everyone else is now barely in view, yet I am still plodding along, trying to stay in one place. This is an exhausting and futile exercise, yet I find myself struggling against the current regardless.
I am a time traveler, for I am constantly in the past and the future. It is rare to find me in the present, the place where past and future should collide, if you think about it. I am unable to immerse myself in the here and now, so I sojourn between what has been and what could be. I find no solutions at either juncture. Some days life seems like more of a burden than I care to contend with. I have no rational explanation for this, for certainly I don’t lead an excruciating or horrific existence. I’ve not had a troubling youth, or any other mental traumas that would cause such upheaval. It is a rather mundane life, peppered with occasional celebratory moments. Why I am so bereft?
I am frustrated with my shortcomings - the things that others believe hinder the enrichment of my delightfully humdrum existence. For example, travel. Apparently, without travel, one cannot achieve a state of completeness. Such modern forms of moving from point A to point B bring about heart palpitations and a shortness of breath upon my contemplation. Yet, I feel as though I live only a shell of a life because I no longer have the desire to traipse far and wide across the expanse of the planet. Or, so the guilt of others leads me to believe. Is there something that I could glean, some knowledge, that would help me understand the secret of life? Could that be why my travel weary friends continue on? Are they searching for that answer, or quite possibly just following a primal urge to move in search of better conditions? {Not to say that we don’t have wonderful climate controlled conditions in which we reside and grow our sustenance now, to be clear.} Could it be a wanderlust simply inspired by their own sense of boredom? I’ve decided that I’m not falling victim to the heavy guilt trips that come my way. While I may prattle on about solitude encroaching on my fragile state of mind, I don’t feel that forcing myself into uncomfortable situations is the all encompassing solution to my so called problems.
~This is merely a mental purge of sorts to help me deal with some overbearing and heavy emotions I have been desperately trying to come to terms with. Please just take these for what they are, simply words to ease my troubled mind.~
Sunday, July 3, 2011
It Was A Party
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| Fruit salad |
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| Lemony lemons |
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| The menu for the evening |
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| That's what Willis was talkin' 'bout! |
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| Royal fresh lemonade! |
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| Sangria |
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| Archie enjoying some outdoor time |
Monday, June 27, 2011
Movement
This was written a few years ago, but I find it still relevant to my life today.
There are events in time that stand out. Like the name and handprints of a child permanently marked in cement, certain moments will be forever engraved in your mind. And these moments may grow less intense, may not appear as vivid, but they remain. Hours and days and years pass, but they are always there. Always with you, these milestones. These markers of a memory you cannot escape. Each passing tick of the clock moves you further away, yet you return. You mark your progress against them. They are as etched into you as you are in them. Like the waves of the ocean, the movement of time pushes you further away, and then pulls you back. Its always there, that moment. It won't let you forget it.
There are events in time that stand out. Like the name and handprints of a child permanently marked in cement, certain moments will be forever engraved in your mind. And these moments may grow less intense, may not appear as vivid, but they remain. Hours and days and years pass, but they are always there. Always with you, these milestones. These markers of a memory you cannot escape. Each passing tick of the clock moves you further away, yet you return. You mark your progress against them. They are as etched into you as you are in them. Like the waves of the ocean, the movement of time pushes you further away, and then pulls you back. Its always there, that moment. It won't let you forget it.
Beauty In the Moment
I couldn't pass up this opportunity this morning. I absolutely love sunlight on fog streaming through the trees....it seems mystical, majestic even. (Or maybe I just haven't had my coffee yet?) I'm just glad I caught it....
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Wild Wild Life
I can't help it, sometimes song lyrics get lodged in my brain and then become blog post titles...
These not so little wild 'shrooms are pushing up in my back yard. I don't know if they're edible, but if they would be, they would make one hell of a meal!
These not so little wild 'shrooms are pushing up in my back yard. I don't know if they're edible, but if they would be, they would make one hell of a meal!
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| "Fog" courtesy of temperature change on my lens - from indoor to out! |
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| The lone sentinel. |
Saturday, June 18, 2011
I'll Be Decked
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| Mmmm, basil! A summertime fave herb! |
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| Butterfly bush |
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| Hummingbird feeder |
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| I finally got a blue hydrangea! |
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| Harry loves deck time |
Summer calls for time spent outdoors. We fancied up our deck with our newly painted antique chairs, potted plants and a sweet chimnea. The boyf also made our fish pond all that it should be. Viva la summer!
Fire & Glass
Glass and fire - a perfect summer combination. New pitcher & shots from the chimnea....
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Manual Dexterity
I was searching through the archives of my blog today in hopes of finding the right piece of writing for some contests I plan to enter. In the process of looking through each entry, I noticed quite a difference in the quality of my photography before and after the lens adapter and vintage lenses came into play. I noticed a marked improvement from the first few attempts at the shots with the manual adjust lenses to my later work.
It's easy for me to see that I have much to learn in the ways of lighting and technique, but it's a challenge I am ready to take on. There is something rewarding about taking photos with a manual lens. Don't misunderstand, I'm very pleased with the results from the automatic lens. I just find it more creative if I have to adjust the lens until the photo is just right by my standards. Creative control, perhaps? Either way, it's what lured me into photography all those years ago. I feel inspired to go home and take some photos tonight!
It's easy for me to see that I have much to learn in the ways of lighting and technique, but it's a challenge I am ready to take on. There is something rewarding about taking photos with a manual lens. Don't misunderstand, I'm very pleased with the results from the automatic lens. I just find it more creative if I have to adjust the lens until the photo is just right by my standards. Creative control, perhaps? Either way, it's what lured me into photography all those years ago. I feel inspired to go home and take some photos tonight!
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Summer Love
I was thinking of how fast summer snuck in - and what I would like to actually do this year. I'm making a small list so that I can easily accomplish my goals. They are:
1) Go to the Drive In Theatre....yes, we still have one! The future hubs hasn't had this delicious experience yet, so we must go!
2) Ride on the local sternwheeler, The Valley Gem. It's been a few years, and I feel it's a summer must.
3) Make sangria - the right way! Enjoyed out on the deck after a good grilled dinner with friends.
4) Hit up the pool as much as possible! Fortunately I have two open invites to make this goal a reality :)
5) Go rollerskating. Yes, rollerskating! I haven't done it in years, it's time to see if I still have some sweet moves...
While there are many other enjoyable events I would like to partake in, being a homeowner must take presedence over too much fun. I'm betting I can squeeze these five goals in, though! Happy (early) summer!
1) Go to the Drive In Theatre....yes, we still have one! The future hubs hasn't had this delicious experience yet, so we must go!
2) Ride on the local sternwheeler, The Valley Gem. It's been a few years, and I feel it's a summer must.
3) Make sangria - the right way! Enjoyed out on the deck after a good grilled dinner with friends.
4) Hit up the pool as much as possible! Fortunately I have two open invites to make this goal a reality :)
5) Go rollerskating. Yes, rollerskating! I haven't done it in years, it's time to see if I still have some sweet moves...
While there are many other enjoyable events I would like to partake in, being a homeowner must take presedence over too much fun. I'm betting I can squeeze these five goals in, though! Happy (early) summer!
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Home
A few photos from around the home front this weekend - we've been busy working on projects.....
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