Just Taking a Moment...

 I just want to take a Moment and Wish all of the Wonderful People here in J-land a Happy New Year.

And I want to offer you the gift of the words to one of my favorite songs. I think that it is very appropriate for this day as we take a moment and look back at what this year brought us and forward to what the new one will bring.

Song: Seasons Of Love Lyrics

COMPANY
525,600 minutes, 525,000 moments so dear. 525,600 minutes - how do you measure,
measure a year? In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee. In
inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife. In 525,600 minutes - how do you
measure a year in the life?
How about love? How about love? How about love? Measure in love. Seasons of
love.

SOLOIST 1
525,600 minutes! 525,000 journeys to plan. 525,600 minutes - how can you measure
the life of a woman or man?

SOLOIST 2
In truths that she learned, or in times that he cried. In bridges he burned, or
the way that she died.

COMPANY
It’s time now to sing out, tho the story never ends let's celebrate remember a year in the life of friends. Remember
the love! Remember the love! Remember
the love! Measure in love. Seasons of love! Seasons of love.

Wishing you Seasons of Love for the next year... Because, really, isn't that what it is all about?

 

 

Tagged by Promise

I've been tagged by Promise to tell 5 weird things about myself.... Only 5? Hmmm... this might be difficult narrowing it down to only 5 ;p

O.K., Here are the meme 'rules' in case anyone else wants to play along:

These are the rules of the game: The first player chose a topic. In this case, the topic is FIVE WEIRD HABITS OF YOURS. You must then write a journal entry listing those weirdnesses you possess~as well as the rules of the game. Then, you select FIVE PEOPLE TO TAG and link their names/blogs in your entry. Go to their journals and leave a comment informing them they have been tagged by you and to read your journal to see in what way they have been nailed! Those five then MUST (note that I insist upon it!) write an entry listing their weird habits and tag an additional five people.

1. One of my favorite foods of all time is called "Peanutbuttersyrupandbutter". Want the recipe? Well, you take a small plate and you put a good sized pat of butter on it. On top of that put a large dollop of peanut butter (smooth is best). Next, smother this all in Karo White Corn Syrup. Now, take a knife and mix it all up till smooth. Best eaten as an 'open face' sandwich on white bread. Better yet, tear off strips of the bread and 'scoop' up globs of it to eat. Yep, weird, but isn't that what we were trying for???

2. If we go to the movies I MUST get there in time to see the previews, or at the very least the ABSOLUTE beginning of the movie. If I miss even the first 5 minutes I just can't stand to watch the movie. Oh, and this applies to movies at home too. I have to watch them from the beginning.

3. When I play a video game I like to complete every little thing. I don't like thinking I missed something. I usually buy the clue book so that I know every little 'extra' I can do.

4. When I am working I like to finish one task, clean up my area, then start the next task. While I can actually do several things before cleaning up/straightening up, I am not comfortable if I can't put all of my tools, etc back where they belong before I leave at the end of the day at the very least.

5. When trying to figure out how to do something (i.e. make something happen with my blogger template, do something with a photo in a graphicsprogram, or get a certain 'look' when taking a photo) I will often obsess and spend way too many hours just 'trying one more thing' to see if I can get just the 'look' I am trying for.

The last thing I am supposed to do is to 'tag' 5 more people to do this. Since this has been floating around for a little while in our community while I was procrastinating doing it, I am not sure who hasn't been tagged yet. So, I'm going to leave it up to you guys to tag yourselves. If you haven't done this yet, leave a comment and consider yourself tagged!

Fun with Blogger

I know that since I 'mirror' my AOL Journal and my Blogger Blog, people pick the one they prefer and only read that one. That makes sense <g>

BUT!!! There are some 'decorating' options over at Blogspot that AOL doesn't offer, and I just got done 'redecorating' for New Year's.

Stop on over and check it out Adventures of an Eclectic Mind2

I not only 'redecorated', but I explained the steps I took to do it.

My Christmas Card for You!

I was at the zoo on Friday to pick up G and since I had a little while before he was ready to leave, I took my camera and went for a walk thru the zoo. As I turned a corner, I was met by a lady leading this baby Llama around. This is NOT a retouched photo. He was happily wearing a little Santa hat as he and his handler wandered around the zoo greeting visitors.

So, with his help, I would like to wish all of my readers a Happy Holiday!

Looking for Santa?

Tomorrow is the big day! So, if you want to check Santa's progress, pop over to: NORAD Traks Santa 2005

Celebrations of Light & Hope

This is a repeat of an entry that I made last year on this day. It still says what I want to remember about this time of year, so I'm doing a 'reprint' <g> The only change is that G. is off for Christmas this year, but we are still celebrating our family get together at my brother's on Christmas Eve as this year his wife has to work Christmas day.


                    
Today is the shortest day of the year... and the longest night. It is the first day of Winter. It is the celebration of Yule. It is an acknowledgement of Hope. That Light and Warmth and other good things will always return after the darkness. It is the day that G. and I celebrate as our personal Winter Holiday. In ancient times, this was the festival of the rebirth of the new god and a promise that after today the days would get longer, the nights would get shorter, and warmth and Spring WOULD come.

Yes, secularly we, like so many others, celebrate Christmas. In the United States, Christmas is no longer just a religious holiday. With the gift giving, and Santa, and the decorations... Christmas has become more, and less, than what was originally intended. Everyone takes the pieces and parts of the holiday that works for them. Some embrace the religious parts, and try to ignore how secular it has become... others embrace the secular with it's parties, lights, Santa, and presents and ignore any religious beginnings of the holiday. But, at it's heart, it is still a Winter Holiday.. A celebration of Hope. And every religion/belief system seems to have a celebration of some type that embraces this.

I grew up in the States, and therefore my memories of a Winter Holiday include all of the above. And Christmas itself is as much a melting pot as the United States itself. The Christmas tree is German, and Santa is the culmination of a blend of traditions from many countries. Mistletoe? Druid. Christmas Cards? England. You see what I mean. G. and I will be celebrating with my brother and his family on Christmas Eve at his house. That's the day we all have off together. Christmas Day G. is working so a co-worker can be home with his small children for the Santa Claus ritual <g>.

I think what I'm trying to say is that it doesn't matter who you are, or what your core beliefs are... There is a place in the Winter Holidays for all. But, please, take a moment this season, whether you celebrate Kwanzaa, Chanukah, Yule, or Christmas, to remember that the REAL reason for all of these celebrations is to celebrate HOPE in all of its forms.


graphics by useless graphics

Decision Made

I've come to a decision.

Because of a circumstance that I can't go into right now (but, if it pans out you all will be some of the first to know <g>), I need to retain my AOL account for the time being. Since I am keeping my AOL account, I have decided to leave this Journal open and to 'mirror' entries I am making over at my Blogspot Blog.  Do not mistake me... I still hate the Banner Ads, but I like my friends more!!

This will NOT be an exact mirror site of my Blogger Blog. There will be an occasional entry that is more AOL oriented, and some that will only be relevent to those over at Blogspot. This is as it should be, they ARE seperate entities. What I mean by this is:

     *Photo entries will be in both venues

     *Cool things I find on the Internet??? Both Venues

     *Complaints about Ads on my personal Journal... AOL only

      *Neat ways to change your template and play with HTML  and CSS stuff... Blogger Only.      

You get the idea. Now the why........ Well, I started Adventures over here on AOL, and I still have a few readers who have not made the 'Exodus'... and, some of these people do not feel comfortable commenting and things over at Blogspot, and they miss getting Alerts. So, for these friends, I will Mirror over here.

Why keep the Blogger Blog? Well.... come on! That thing is just FUN! I can do so many really cool things over there that I can NEVER do over here. ;)

First Gift of the Season

Click on the pretty picture... Come on... You know you want to <g>

Update: Your second gift is up also... I wanted to put it here also, but AOL won't let me put it in either my About Me space or my description. Since it is supposed to stay at the top to be seen, putting it in an entry that will keep moving down the screen seems silly.... Curious yet? Click on the graphic and see what I left... <bg>

Blogger on the other hand allowed me to enter it below my description, but before my entries... where it will stay.  Hmmmm... Blogger is seeming easier to work with daily than AOL's J.

Monkeying Around

Come over to my Blogger blog and see some Monkeying Around <g>

Well, I've decided to start 'mirroring' some of the entries between here and my Blogspot Blog. Some posts will only be relevent to one venue or the other, but any that can be both places will be... Soooooooo..... This is the entry that the above link pointed to:

 

I've been meaning to post some of my more recent zoo pictures, but just haven't had the time to do the little bit of photoshopping (is that a word?) needed to get them into an entry. Not that I do all that much to them. Basically I do a crop, some kind of framing/feathering, pop on a drop shadow and I'm done. Still it takes time... time I haven't had this week. These pictures are not from my most recent trip (those haven't even made it to the hard drive yet), but from a visit I made a few weeks ago. I hope you enjoy them.

So what have I been doing with my time? Basically trying to reorganize my life. At least it feels that way. So many of my AOL friends have moved their blogs, or gone private, left, come back....It just makes my head spin thinking about it! To keep up I've had to figure out Bloglines,which turned out to be one of the bright spots in all of this mess... Lovin' Bloglines. If any of you aren't using it, I recommend it. If you are having problems. Drop me a line. I wrote 2 tutorials to help out a couple of friends and I saved them so they are easy to pass on. One is on setting up your feeds originally, the other is reading your feed once they are up and running.

The other time suckers have been the AOL Journal message board and let's not forget taking a couple of minutes each day to drop the 'protest' e-mail to the address we have been given. I'm ready for life to settle back down, but I don't see that happening in the near future O.K. let's get back to the pics.

The little guy you see here is a young Colobus. He is one of the Black and White variety and cute as a button. They are born white. After about a month they start to change colors. I actually have a picture of him from my old camera when he was white. But he was being held by mom, and by the time I cropped and blew it up the quality just wasn't so acceptable. Next time there's a baby, I'll be ready!

I love that my new camera does 'burst mode'. This means I set up a shot and can take several frames very quickly. This gives me the capability of catching this little guy 'flying' thru the air! The picture at the top of the page is one that took me a couple of times to catch just right. He would run up thru the grass jump on that log/support and then push himself off backwards and into the air to again land in the grass. Too Cute!

The picture to the left is of the little guy 'play attacking' one of the older Colobus'. I believe that is his mother, but I'm not sure because ALL of the adults allow him to pretty much get away with murder. He appears to be VERY spoiled!

The picture to the right here is a prime example of how spoiled he is. If you look the 'rope' he is swinging on it is an adult Colobus' tail!!

Want to know a little bit more about Colobus'? Click on this link and go to the African Wildlife Foundation. They have a very nice page about them.

Whenever a door closes, a window opens

Although I am not happy about the Banner Ad situation here on our Journals, I have to admit that some good (at least for me!) has come out of all of this. I was e-mailing back and for the with Judith Heartsong, and it occurred to me that I have actually gotten a couple of positive things out of all of this hoopla. Bear with me here.

As I mentioned to Judith, in the early years of the Internet I learned a little thing called HTML. Back then all you needed was a text editor, a little knowledge of HTML, a bit of patience... and you could easily make your own web pages. Fast forward a few years and you find me traveling around the country with the circus. Being on the road I seldom had access to an Internet connection, and when I did I was only interested in getting a hold of my e-mail. Remember, I am very self-centered. Since I wasn't using the HTML anymore, I didn't pay any attention to the changes being made.

Time passes, HTML changes. Things like CSS are invented and put into use. My knowledge of simple HTML becomes archaic.

Last year, when I started this journal, I bought two books. One on HTML, and the other on CSS. Soon I learned that AOL journals didn't accept many HTML tags, and the ones that they did were well documented. Being the lazy person that I am, I just learned the codes I needed, and left well enough along.

Enter the Banner Ads! Looking around for options, I found myself over at Blogspot where I started a journal. And, lo and behold, Blogger allows quite extensive revamping of its templates! Using my admittedly limited knowledge I was able to cobble together something that will work for me. This was all well and good, but it incited in me the desire to re-establish my knowledge of web page construction. I will definitely be pulling those two (thick <g>) books out and setting myself off in pursuit of that illusive thing called knowledge.

And I was not the only person going out there and establishing secondary journals. Many other folks were doing it to! Soon my AOL alerts and folder of off-AOL blog links were just not cutting it. I had known about Bloglines for a while, but again remember the lazy part? It was so much easier to use AOL's occasionally wonky Alert systems than to learn another application. This was no longer true, and I found myself over at Bloglines signing up for an account and getting down to the business of putting ALL of those blog links into it.

Good News...... I actually prefer Bloglines! It is relatively simple to use, and doesn't fill up my inbox! After mentioning my use of Bloglines in comments, I received a couple of inquiries about how I did it. I quickly opened an e-mail and set about putting my new found knowledge to work helping others. If anyone else is trying Bloglines and having any problems I have written two 'help' files, feel free to comment, or drop me an e-mail and I would be happy to pass them on to you!

My conclusion to all of this is that no matter how horrible things are, it is possible to take something good away from it... Yeah, I know, Little Mary Sunshine aren't I???

Looking for Me?

If you are looking for me, I am here. I decided to set up an 'just in case' blog.... well, just in case <g>. I don't know if I will end up moving over there, or if I will keep my Journal here. I KNOW that I would prefer to stay here, but I am waiting for the outcome of the great BANNER AD DEBATE. When AOL lets us know exactly what is going on with the ads, and what is (and is not) going to be done, I will make a final decision.

You know, funny enough, it is not the ad itself that bothers me so much. I don't much care for how it looks, but it quickly scrolls off the page as I read a journal, so it's not really the ad... It's the principal of the whole thing. In fact, if AOL gave me a couple of options in regard to the advertising, I would probably be, if not happy, at least resigned.

What options?? Well, for starters I would like to be able to decide who is (and is not) advertised on my journal. For instance, say I work for X agency and I mention them occasionally in my journal. I definitely don't want an advertisement for Y agency, who happens to be a direct competitor, at the top of my journal! Also, the placement of the advertisement. Could I be given an option of ... oh, I don't know... maybe top of the page, bottom of the page, smaller ad in the side bar. Maybe a choice of static or animated. I know some of my readers are still on dial-up, and I worry about the number of pictures I use without also taxing their connection with a flashing banner at the top of my journal (which probably loads first <grumble>)

I don't think any of these things are unreasonable! For the time being, I am planning not to post here, but to post at the alternate site I have set up here. Once the dust settles I will make a final decision... and frankly I can't tell you at this point what it will be <huge sigh>

Veterans Day....

Your Monday Photo Shoot: Before & After

For this weeks assignment, John, the Blogfather, offer us this: Your Monday Photo Shoot: Before & After

Your Monday Photo Shoot: Do "Before and After" photos on any subject you like. The idea is to show change over a bit of time. Some easy ideas would be haircuts, cleaned-up rooms, kittens growing up into cats, and etc. And yes, this means you can dip into your collection of old photos (they certainly qualify as "before").

Hmmmm... I couldn't decide which set of pictures to go with, so I decided to let you all have a double dose of cuteness. D.K. (the cat) was thanking her lucky stars that I haven't scanned in any of her kitten pictures and is currently teasing poor Morgan about hers <g>

This first set of pictures is of Morgan at about 7 weeks old and then again this year on our Fourth of July outing to the local state park.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The second set of pictures is Boo at about 36 hours old (wearing his first little halter, which even taken up to the smallest holes was still way too big. O.K. big... ahhhh ) and then again this last summer. Oh, and the little fillies we had that year had little pink halters <LOL>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They were both sooo cute. Don't you just want to hug them??

VIVI Awards

I'm so looking forward to tonight's star-studded event! This is what I finally decided on to wear for the festivities. Isn't it great when price is no object??

Why don't you join us? All of the details are over at Betty's Journal here and updated here! I look forward to seeing you all there!

Update 11/6/05:

The evening was fantastic! Although I had to leave before the end, I enjoyed the event up till then. We should all be sure to thank Patrick, Vivian and Greg on the wonderful job they did.... remember, they are all Volunteers!! Also, Betty did a WONDERFUL job of keeping everything going. All the nominees were winners, and you should go here and here to check out all of them, and here to see the winners.

I didn't win my catagory, but was thrilled that my buddy Walter did! Love and hugs to Walter (and his Mommy <g>). I couldn't have lost to a better little guy!!

I so hope we do this again next year. I discovered a TON of new journals (like I needed more journals to read <eg>), and it was a lot of fun. Sooo many of my favorite journals and journalers won. I am on my way to make 'Congratulatory' (is that a word??) visits now!

Are you still Here??????

Mary (Alphawoman), one of our fellow journalers, just took a vacation.... to Cancun..... during Wilma!

If you haven't read her amazing story, then click here to start at the beginning. Be prepared to spend a while. Once you start you WILL want to know how it ends!

Trick or Treat Thru J-Land

Teresa over at Oh My Word had a great idea:

Starting Friday night through Monday night visit as many J-land journals as you can, and leave a comment and a link to your journal as a treat. The more "houses" you visit the more trick or treaters you'll get.

Please call your entry "TRICK OR TREAT THU J-LAND".  If you come to a journal that does not have this entry title, consider it a door you knocked on and no one answered! Decorate your journal for Halloween, perhaps a picture of your front door or whatever grabs your holiday spirit. Leave links to your journals where ever you can. Stop at the same journal only once!

Start 7pm Friday and end 9pm Monday...whatever your time zone. Report back here next week to let us know how many trick or treaters you had.

So, here is my 'Trick or Treat' Entry! And I'll be going around J-land looking for others... Oh, I hope you guys all bought the little miniture candy bars and none of that lame candy... otherwise Mohan and I might have to 'trick' you ... bwahahahahaha!

The picture I used for my 'tag' is one of the cubs I raised while on the road. Around this time of the year we would get pumpkins for the tigers to play with. They loved rolling them around, sharpening their claws on them, and eventually we would have to clean out the pieces left over. What a mess that could be... have you SEEN the inside of a pumpkin???

Timon at the Zoo

Because of our little surprise last week, the entry I had been working on got pushed back. Good News is since I already had it prepared in my test journal all I had to do to make this entry was add this little blurb and copy it over here. <g>

A couple of months ago the zoo got a colony of meerkats. Upon arrival it became apparent that two of the females were pregnant. Very good news! Into quarantine they went, and soon the colony was moved into there brand new exhibit.

Not long after being moved over to the exhibit it was noticed that both females were looking quite svelte. Hmmmmmm....... We were told that the babies were down in the burrows and that we probably wouldn't get a baby sighting for a few weeks.

A week ago Geoff called me at work and said that a baby had been spotted (note: this would now be -2- weeks ago now <g>). As soon as I could get out of work, I grabbed my trusty camera and sped over to the zoo to set myself down and practice some patience and hope that I would be lucky enough to get a glimpse of a baby meerkat.

I now have a lot of pictures of adult meerkats both from the week they were put into their exhibit originally, and from this little expedition. This picture is a favorite. I just love how the three of them lined up. But I wanted a baby picture... Darn It!

The little guys (and gals) spent quite a bit of time chasing each other around and basically being playful, active meerkats... but no babies...

Finally, as I was about to give up, every meerkat in the exhibit disappeared down into what appears to be the main burrow entrance. Hmmmmmmm...... after a few minutes one little meerkat came out and took up a post to the right of the burrow. A few seconds later he was joined by a second meerkat to the left and a little in front. Before long two more meerkats came out and with eyes to the sky took their posts. Moving slowly I positioned myself for what I had figured out was coming. Soon five little noses showed in the entrance of the burrow. They came out cautiously.  Whoo Hoo! Iwas going to get my pictures.

They eventually played for several minutes just outside of the burrow entrance. Spreading out they spent their time exploring, digging and sniffing, but never venturing very far from the safety of the door to their house. I got several pictures before a cleaning person slammed the door to the building that is the back wall to their exhibit. At the sharp noise all of the meerkats disappeared in the blink of an eye, the adults making the peculiar 'warning' noise that they make. Although eventually some of the adults did return to the surface, none of the babies joined them.

I plan to try to get more pictures as they grow and become more adventurous... and Geoff told me today that they think another of the females may become a Mommy soon!

Alpha... Alpha???

We interrupt the regularly scheduled entries to this journal to bring up a disturbing fact according to this AOL News story:

MIAMI (Oct. 22) - Tropical Storm Alpha formed Saturday in the Caribbean, setting the record for the most named storms in an Atlantic hurricane season and marking the first time forecasters had to turn to the Greek alphabet for names.

The previous record of 21 named storms had stood since 1933. Alpha was the 22nd to reach tropical storm strength this year, and the season doesn't end until Nov. 30.

Since 1995, the Atlantic has been in a period of higher hurricane activity, a cycle expected to last at least another 10 years.

Wilma was the last on the list of 21 storm names for 2005; the letters q, u, x, y and z are skipped. The Greek alphabet provides a continuation of that list but had never been used in six decades of regularly naming Atlantic storms.

We have now had to start naming new storms after letters of the Greek alphabet!

O. K., obviously they thought it was a possibility that it would happen, or they wouldn't have had a contingency plan in place.... But for Cripes Sake!! Enough already! <LOL>

According to the article that I took the above excerpts from, we are seeing weather conditions much like we had in the 50's and 60's. This is a normal cycle, and this too shall pass! <g> To read the complete article, and see why we are having our current weather cycle, click here. Another interesting link, given to us earlier this week by the Blogfather over at By The Way, is from NASA and gives us a look at all of the storms from the 2005 season --in 2 minutes-- it doesn't include Storm Alpha yet, so soon it will take longer <sigh>. Still, click here, it is cool to look at!

Although hurricane Wilma will probably be making landfall to the south of us, today is a day of making sure everything is ready for her coming. We will possibly be seeing tropical storm force winds, and this means that any of the critters that are outside need to be given some thought. Today at the zoo, G and his fellow keepers will be deciding who needs to go where overnight, and they will watch the radars/weather reports closely to be sure their charges are safe. I will be moving Boo into his stall for protection. I normally prefer my horses to be outside, but Boo's pasture has the possibility of parts of the three different barns that surround his pasture flying thru the air. He dislikes being kept in, so I will probably do my normal Sunday routine, then return later tonight around 8 or 9 and move him inside for the rest of the night and until I am sure Wilma has passed.

We still have 38 days left in this hurricane season.... Beta anyone???

Couldn't leave you without a cute animal picture <g>This was taken last week at the zoo. He looks like he's been thru a hurricaine!

VIVI Awards

Well, the nomination ballots are in and the votes tabulated... Go HERE to see who is up as finalists for each of the categories!!

In personal news, I was a little surprised to find myself nominated. Yes, Adventures of an Eclectic Mind is nominated in one of the VIVI categories..... Best Pets Journal!

What are you still doing here???? Click and get over to the Official VIVI Awards site. Go!... Now!..... Congratulate the Journalers you already know, and explore the ones you don't!

Oh, and if you haven't taken a look at our latest surprise at the zoo scroll down and take a look. He's adorable if I do say so myself!

Surprise! Surprise!

Remember when I was explaining that the reason I was getting a new camera was to take pictures of our new arrival coming in November??? Well, babies come when babies come and Little Man decided that he didn't want to wait till November. Maybe he just didn't want to miss out on Trick or Treating!

The official press release is here, once on the site, click on the link that says "Learn more about the Baby Elephant, Click here". That will open up a Word document and give you the official press release. The short story is that Elly wasn't showing signs of labor when they checked her late on Sunday, but upon arrival on Monday morning they had a little surprise! It was a big surprise for G since he was supposedly starting his vacation on Monday. Instead of a relaxing vacation he has been spending anywhere from 12 to 20 hours at the zoo.

The little guy is just adorable. The 'rope' you see in the picture is so the keepers could keep a hold of him while he wandered around. This gave him the freedom to explore at will and still be kept out of any potential trouble. For the first 48 hours of his life someone had a hold of that rope at all times. See, since he was a surprise and early, he was small enough he could just walk right thru the bars that hold the rest of his extended family just fine! The baby proofing was rushed thru and he is now able to roam at will and stay on HIS side of the bars.

Now, let me give you a little logistics problem. Three elephant guys, 24 hours in a day, and there needs to be a minimum of two guys when they deal with Mommy or Baby. These guys are heroes in my book and doing a great job... on power naps <LOL>.......

Without further ado, I give you our newest addition.

Welcome to the World Little Man!

For the 'official pictures' that were released to the press, click here. More of my pictures are to follow. I have found a new favorite subject!

I actually had several other pictures in mind for this week, but due to our little 'surprise', I haven't had a lot of time. Hopefully I will get them in over the weekend. Just to wet your appetite I'm going to give you two words... Baby... and Meerkat <g> So, stay tuned for more fun and games!

Weekend Assignment #81: Favorite Sci-Fi Movies

Time for John's Weekend Assignment.... let's see what he has for us this week....

Weekend Assignment #81: Share one of your favorite science fiction movies. Note that this doesn't have to be the "best" science fiction film ever, or the most popular, or the most significant; it doesn't even have to be a good science fiction film. It just should be a science fiction film you enjoy watching over and over again -- the kind that always sucks you into the couch whenever it's on TV.

Oh, this is too cruel! I am supposed to pick ONE science fiction picture???? Oh, the inhumanity, the cruelty.... the... IMPOSSIBILITY!

A quick scan of our DVD/VCR collections shows you an eclectic mix. I have a lot of Disney/Pixar stuff, Both Shreks, Shark's Tale, The Incredibles, etc. Hey, I like animation! G has a lot of war movies and a pretty good collection of John Wayne. I have a few chick flicks. But, the majority is Scifi/Fantasy!

Just a quick look down the rack (of just the DVDs <g>) gives you everything from Clash of the Titans, to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, to Titan AE. We have... hmmmm.... let's see... All of the Star Wars currently available (and holding our breath for III, which will be out on Nov 1 <g>), both Spiderman's, The Incredibles, Total Recall, Hellboy, Big Fish, Apollo13, Both X-men, Robots, Constantine, both Tomb Raiders, VanHelsing, Sky Captain and The World of Tomorrow, all the Star Trek Movies, ditto on all the Matrix stuff (including the Animatrix <LOL>), the Highlander movies, both of the Mummy movies, all of the James Bond stuff..... the list just goes on!

So, how am I supposed to pick just one?? <sigh> Fine, O.K... I'll pick...........

Highlander... The first one! And mostly because I love the character Sean Connery plays <LOL> and, since some people consider that a fantasy rather than a Sci/fi movie, I'll give you a straight Sci/fi pick.... Independence Day. That movie was just plain fun!

Extra Credit: Who is the coolest science fiction character ever? Note that this character doesn't have to be in the film you've selected asyour favorite -- consider the entire genre.

As for Extra credit..... Angelina Jolie IS the Tomb Raider! O.K.... these films weren't High Drama, or heck even well acted..... But, they were FUN!

Hmmm.... I'm off to go and watch a movie... probably a scifi/fantasy one!

Photo Scavenger Hunt (#44)

 

This week's photo shoot from Krissy at Sometimes I Think is:

Category:  Anything Autumn

Hmmmm.... well in most parts of the country there is a definite feel to Autumn... the leaves are turning... it is getting cooler.... Here, it is... different. Not bad, just different. We don't get much of a 'change of season' in Florida. There are no pretty leaves or cool weather. Here, we are watching for the last hurricane/tropical storms of the season and enjoying the nice days in between. So, finding something that said Autumn seemed like a lost cause unless I wanted to dig thru old pictures of when we were traveling. I thought about not doing this challenge at all until.....

Coming home from the place where I board my horse I looked off to the side of the road, and realized that there is something here that says Autumn to the locals.

Last Autumn, our first since moving here, I kept seeing the strangest things in the fields. The farmers were making long 'humps' and covering them with black plastic and running lots of sprinklers on them. And there were lots and lots and lots of these fields all covered in 'humps' and black plastic. At first I couldn't figure out what they were, until finally I had a Duh! moment.

I live near the "Strawberry Capital" of the world and all of those fields were full of... strawberry plants! Come Spring they even have a huge "Strawberry Festival" here that attracts quite the crowds.

So, here is my picture of Autumn:

Click here if you would like to join us and play the Photo Scavenger Hunt!

Your Monday Photo Shoot: Critters!

For my first picture posted from my new camera... I give you the Blogfather's Monday photo shoot:  

Your Monday Photo Shoot: Critters!

Early fall seems like a good time to capture these guys in pictures, because they're out and about storing up for the winter:

Your Monday Photo Shoot: Catch a critter in a picture! For the purposes of this photo shoot, a "critter" is a creature that is not a pet, so no dogs or cats, but mice, squirrels, pigeons, badgers, hedgehogs, wolverines, deer, dragons, sasquatch or any other sort of ambulatory thing is acceptable (as are bugs).

I spent last Saturday at one of my favorite places... The Zoo! It was a great opportunity to try out my new camera and play with some of those really cool buttons!! I'm sure that you'll be seeing other pictures from that day in future entries, but for this photo shoot I wanted to choose a truly 'wild' animal.

I was walking along one of the paths at the zoo and out of the corner of my eye caught movement. Thinking it was probably one of the anoles or a frog, I moved closer to take a look and try out a 'close up' with the new camera. What I found was this little guy. After taking a look from a safe distance and determining by his head shape he was not venomous, I moved in to snap several pictures of him from different angles.  While I was taking his picture, several more people came along and commented on him. I believe he is a black racer. They are fairly common here and help in keeping the pests down.

 

If you want to play along with the photo shoot, click here and check out By the Way.

New "Baby"

I have been drooling over the digital Canon Rebel Cameras for a while. A long while! In fact, when I started drooling, they were 6.1 megapixel. The current version is 8 megapixel.

My current digital camera was a Sony Cyber Shot 2.1 megapixel, and I was was starting to find it not quite accomplishing what I wanted. I wanted something that gave me options to not only crop and still get a decent print picture, but that would also allow for more creative choices. While the Sony was a great intro into digital cameras, it was starting to leave something to be desired. My main frustration was with the dreaded 'picture lag'. This often caused me to get pictures of my subject as it headed away from me rather than the picture I actually wanted! Things that were originally a nuisance had become a major annoyance. I knew that I wanted to move up to something more sophisticated. I had used a film Rebel SLR some years ago, so I was leaning towards wanting the digital version of it as my next camera/toy/obsession. G. was even coming on board with the idea of this possibly (probably <g>) being my Christmas (Anniversary, Valentines Day, Birthday, you name it for the next year or so) present.

Enter the baby elephant.......... Wait, you say, how does a baby elephant come into this??? Well, we were discussing that the little elephant was coming soon, and I was whining (a little cheese with that whine, my dear??) that although the pictures I would take would be great for the Internet and sending to friends, I wouldn't be able to do much more than print up some uncropped 4x6's of the new little one. Luckily, this was whined/mentioned while in the company of some people who had seen some of the pictures I've taken of other animals in the past. They were also a little sad that, although I was going to be getting a better camera, I wouldn't be getting it until after the newest addition had joined us..........

Long story made shorter, G. decided that not only should I go ahead and receive said present a little early, but that I should get it immediately. This way I would have time to learn what all the little buttons are for -before- said addition arrives. (It didn't hurt that there was a special going on that allows me 18 months pay the camera off without any interest being charged!)

Meet my newest Baby

My next dilemma is this: I don't want to add too many pictures here because I know some people still have dial-up, and I already push the envelope of what is annoying for them with the amount of pics and graphics I currently use.... and yet, I'm about to be taking a whole lot more pics in the coming months... What to do? What to do?  My solution is to start a separate Journal where I can put the additional pictures. That way I can say something along the lines of "See this really adorable picture of <insert animal or subject here>. Want to see more? Go here!"  My original title got scratched. I was thinking Photographs & Memories of an Eclectic Mind (kind of staying with the theme <g>), but there is already a journal called Photographs & Memories out there. Now I have to come up with a name for this proposed new Journal. I've got a few ideas rolling around in my head, but I thought I would take it to the creative people here in J-land and see what you come up with. I'm really looking forward to reading your thoughts and notions on this. Meanwhile, I will keep mulling over ideas and names hoping something apt will present itself. 

Weekend Assignment #78: Things to Take

Well, today seems to be a day for 'playing along', so how about a trip over to the Blogfather's journal for this week's Weekend Assignment?

John writes:

Weekend Assignment #78: You are preparing to evacuate your house due to an upcoming threat. You have already packed up all your essential items, people and pets. You have room for three non-essential items. What are they?

Remember, you already have your essentials: food, medicines, water, clothes, and all the people (including the furry ones) who live with you. "Non-essentials" are things you don't need but would like to have, and can include momentos, books, jewelry, objects of sentimental value, and so on and so forth.

Hmmmm.... Let's see...

1. My laptop and the CD's that contain my digital pics would be my first pick because well... pictures are irreplaceable, and I would also want to be able to continue to blog and e-mail if possible. (Oh, and I'm figuring my cell phone was one of the 'essentials <g>)

2. The box that has my printed pictures in it along with my picture albums. (Since I live in Florida, Land of the Hurricaines, my pictures and picture albums are already stored in a plastic sealed container!)

3. As many of the 'collectables' that we have gathered in our travels that I can wrap up and stick in a storage container. These run the gamut of everything from statues to stuffed animals.

Everything else is replaceable....

Extra Credit: Have you ever been evacuated?

I live in Florida on a coast, but I have never actually been evacuated. So far the hurricaines have missed us here.... <keeping fingers crossed and knocking on wood!>

TAGGED!

O.k.... I've been tagged by by Sandi over at Life is Full of Surprises to play to most recent of the memes that are wandering thru J-land. So, without further ado....

Sandi says this is how we play:

What you do is go into your archives and find your 23rd Entry..scroll to your 5th line entry...and put it here:

If I counted right this is it, and it came with a cute little kitty pic.

because the stories are usually along the lines of the "Truth is Stranger Than Fiction"

<LOL> Typical strange blathering from me. If you want to read the full article (with links), go here

Edit: I know we are supposed to 'tag' 5 more people now, so if you haven't played... consider yourself tagged <g>.

Photo Scavenger Hunt (#42)

Krissy over at Sometimes I think offers up the following Photo scavenger hunt.  

This Week's Hunt

This Week's Photo Scavenger Hunt (#42) will be due on Sunday, September 25, at 11 PM EST.  

Category:  Sleep

The picture below is of my Corgi, Morgan. During the day, if Morgan is 'missing' all you have to do is go to the bedroom and look for her. If the bed is unmade (as it often is on the weekends <LOL>) you will find her sleeping among the pillows. If the bed is made she sleeps under the bed. The scary thing is that this is not a 'staged' picture. I have several of her sleeping like this. Often when G. goes to bed early I will go in the bedroom to go to sleep and find them both stretched out on their backs snoring <g>. Unfortunately, if I turn on the light I wake both of them up and still don't get my picture <snicker>. Hope you enjoy my entry for : Sleep. 

September 11, 2001 -- Never Forget!

At 8:46am on September 11, 2001 our world was changed forever.....

Never Forget!

 

Today in History - Sept. 11

The Associated Press puts out a 'Today in History' article each day... This is today's:

The Associated Press

Today is Sunday, Sept. 11, the 254th day of 2005. There are 111 days left in the year. This is Patriot Day.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Sept. 11, 2001, in the worst single act of terrorism committed on U.S. soil, nearly 3,000 people died when two hijacked jetliners crashed into New York's World Trade Center, causing the twin towers to fall, a commandeered jetliner smashed into the Pentagon and a fourth hijacked plane crashed in western Pennsylvania.

Victim list: September 11, 2001

Timeline of 9/11 (National Geographic)

The September 11 Digital Archive

America Attacked 9/11 (This is a VERY graphic intensive sight.... you need a little patience even with broadband!)

Your Monday Photo Shoot: Double Up!

John, our Blog Father, offers up this challenge for this week's Monday Photo Shoot:

As many of you know, yesterday marked the second anniversary of AOL Journals going live, and two celebrate all things two, here's this week's Photo Shoot:

Your Monday Photo Shoot: Take a picture of two of something. Two of what? I leave that to you. But they have to be two of the same type of thing. Don't just put, like, a cookie and a Hot Wheel in the same picture and say it counts as two things. Two cookies, two Hot Wheels. You know. Double your pleasure and all that.

Well, I figured if two was good, then two times two would be even better <g>..... So, I offer up for your viewing pleasure this picture that I took a couple of weeks ago at our local zoo. This was definitely a case of being in the right place at the right time. Unlike Mr. Scalzi's offering of a little software magic, this picture is completely untouched except for cropping it down to a more manageable size and the addition of a border and drop shadow. 

Weekend Assignment #73:Your Best Entries

In keeping with the festive spirit of the Second Annual Journal Anniversary Celebrations, John Scalzi over at By the Way offers the following for this week's Weekend Assignment.

Weekend Assignment #73: From your own AOL Journal or AIM Blog, pick your own favorite entry from the last year (from 8/21/04 onward). Link to it in the comment thread below, so we can all see what it was. You can alternately, of course, create a new entry where you link to your favorite entry, but that seems a bit overly complicated. Linking directly to your favorite entry will be fine. If you want to include any thoughts on the entry in your comment, well, that would be great, too.

The entry that I finally chose for this assignment was ironically enough an entry that I made in response to another of John's Weekend Assignments. A Memory of when you were Six.

In looking thru my archives for this assignment I came up with several entries that I rather liked, and it was hard to choose just one. In case you were interested, these were the 'runner's up'

Another entry in response to a John Scalzi Weekend Assignment, this time about What We are Thankful for.

And, This entry let you know my feelings about The Winter Holidays.

I've only been a member of the AOL Journaling Community for about a year, and one of the things I found interesting in looking back over the last year of entries is how my entries have changed. The early ones are text only. Later you have graphics and photos being used, but not very well <g>. As the learning curve is climbed you start to see photos with text wrapped around, things being centered and more attention paid to presentation, and finally the addition of backgrounds and better pictures. It was kind of fun looking back at the 'evolution' of my AOL Journal.

CarnivAOL!

Paul, of Aurora Walking Vacation Fame, has put up the new edition of CarnivAOL! I actually submitted something, although it made me feel a bit like tooting my own horn ;p

Anyway, if you are looking for some new Journals to read, hop right on over to CarnivAOL and give it a whirl!

Your Monday Photo Shoot on Tuesday: Unusual Objects

Before anyone says anything.... Yes, I know it's Sunday. Better late than never I say! <LOL>   John Scalzi's Monday Photo Shoot looked like it might be fun this week, so even though I'm really late, here it is. If you want to play along, click Here....  

Your Monday Photo Shoot on Tuesday: Unusual Objects
We had a lot of fun with close-ups with last week's photo shoot, and this week instead of getting closer, I thought we'd get... weirder.

Your Monday Photo Shoot: Snap a picture of something odd that you have in your house. And, no, don't take any pictures of your spouse. Really, that's just mean. No, I'm talking some object that when people see it in your house, they stop and say something like "Huh. You don't see that every day."
Now, grab that camera and go looking for the odd and unusual in your own home. Snap that photo, put it in your Journal, Blog or wherever, and come back and leave a link!

Hmmmm, we have lots of strange things we picked up during our travels, but I think this is one of the neater ones. G. and I had a chance to visit the Pyramids of the Sun and Moon while in Mexico. For some reason this statue made mostly of obsidian fascinated G. and he had to have it. Actually, it is a really nice piece which we purchased from a reputable dealer we were put in contact with by the guides that had been hired to take a group of us to the pyramids. It even comes with a certificate of authentication that it is a museum quality piece.

You can't really tell it here, but it is about 14 inches tall and about 11 inches wide at its widest point. I don't remember off the top of my head what god it represents. Sorry <g>

The Pyramids of the Sun and Moon are located at Teotihuacan, also known as the City of the Gods. I have pictures of us standing at the top of each of the pyramids, along with many pictures of the Avenue of the Dead. It was one of the more interesting side trips that we made.

A Borrowed Entry

We interrupt this Journal for the following important message!

I was over at a favorite Journal of mine this morning where I saw this entry. Russ is right, this is a very important issue, and this letter states it very eloquently.

So, without further ado..... (and with permission <g>) I reprint an entry from ToonguyKC of Inner and Outer Demons. This is a specific link to this entry. Oh, and if you aren't currently reading Russ' Journal... you should try it! He is a very interesting and wonderful person.....

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Letter

Every once in awhile I get something forwarded to me that isn't one of those "angel hugs" or a dancing baby or a lawyer joke.  Sometimes I get something that touches me deeply.  It's kinda long, but if you have a minute or two -- please read this.  I'll be back later with another entry.

The following is a very strong and moving letter written by the mother of
a gay boy in Vermont...

"Many letters have been sent to the Valley News concerning the homosexual
menace in Vermont. I am the mother of a gay son and I've taken enough from
you good people. I'm tired of your foolish rhetoric about the "homosexual
agenda" and your allegations that accepting homosexuality is the same thing
as advocating sex with children. You are cruel and ignorant. You have been
robbing me of the joys of motherhood ever since my children were tiny.

My firstborn son started suffering at the hands of the moral little thugs from
your moral, upright families from the time he was in the first grade. He was
physically and verbally abused from first grade straight through high school
because he was perceived to be gay.

He never professed to be gay or had any association with anything gay, but
he had the misfortune not to walk or have gestures like the other boys. He
was called "fag" incessantly, starting when he was 6.

In high school, while your children were doing what kids that age should be
doing, mine labored over a suicide note, drafting and redrafting it to be sure
his family knew how much he loved them. My sobbing 17-year-old tore the
heart out of me as he choked out that he just couldn't bear to continue living
any longer, that he didn't want to be gay and that he couldn't face a life without
dignity.

You have the audacity to talk about protecting families and children from the
homosexual menace, while you yourselves tear apart families and drive children
to despair. I don't know why my son is gay, but I do know that God didn't put him,
and millions like him, on this Earth to give you someone to abuse. God gave you
brains so that you could think, and it's about time you started doing that.

At the core of all your misguided beliefs is the belief that this could never happen
to you, that there is some kind of subculture out there that people have chosen to
join. The fact is that if it can happen to my family, it can happen to yours, and you
won't get to choose. Whether it is genetic or whether something occurs during a
critical time of fetal development, I don't know. I can only tell you with an absolute
certainty that it is inborn.

If you want to tout your own morality, you'd best come up with something more
substantive than your heterosexuality. You did nothing to earn it; it was given to
you. If you disagree, I would be interested in hearing your story, because my own
heterosexuality was a blessing I received with no effort whatsoever on my part.
It is so woven into the very soul of me that nothing could ever change it. For those
of you who reduce sexual orientation to a simple choice, a character issue, a bad
habit or something that can be changed by a 10-step program, I'm puzzled. Are
you saying that your own sexual orientation is nothing more than something you
have chosen, that you could change it at will? If that's not the case, then why
would you suggest that someone else can?

A popular theme in your letters is that Vermont has been infiltrated by outsiders.
Both sides of my family have lived in Vermont for generations. I am heart and soul
a Vermonter, so I'll thank you to stop saying that you are speaking for "true
Vermonters."

You invoke the memory of the brave people who have fought on the battlefield for
this great country, saying that they didn't give their lives so that the "homosexual
agenda" could tear down the principles they died defending. My 83-year-old father
fought in some of the most horrific battles of World War II, was wounded and awarded
the Purple Heart.

He shakes his head in sadness at the life his grandson has had to live. He says he
fought alongside homosexuals in those battles, that they did their part and bothered
no one. One of his best friends in the service was gay, and he never knew it until the
end, and when he did find out, it mattered not at all. That wasn't the measure of the
man.

You religious folk just can't bear the thought that as my son emerges from the hell
that was his childhood he might like to find a lifelong companion and have a measure
of happiness. It offends your sensibilities that he should request the right to visit that
companion in the hospital, to make medical decisions for him or to benefit from tax
laws governing inheritance.

How dare he? you say. These outrageous requests would threaten the very existence
of your family, would undermine the sanctity of marriage. You use religion to abdicate
your responsibility to be thinking human beings. There are vast numbers of religious
people who find your attitudes repugnant. God is not for the privileged majority, and
God knows my son has committed no sin.

The deep-thinking author of a letter to the April 12 Valley News who lectures about
homosexual sin and tells us about "those of us who have been blessed with the benefits
of a religious upbringing" asks: "What ever happened to the idea of striving . . . to be
better human beings than we are?"

Indeed, sir, what ever happened to that? "

Written by toonguykc . (Link to this entry)

Sometimes I Forget (Part 3)

This is the third and final installment in my "Sometimes I forget" series of pictures. Want to see the first two entries? Click Part 1 and/or Part 2 .

This is a picture of Cobe (pronounced like Coby). Doesn't he just have the sweetest eyes? Cobe is a reticulated giraffe. He is 16 foot tall, and standing eye to eye with him is quite a feat <g>. He loves it when you feed him cut up carrots, but his favorite treat is a 'cookie' with peanut butter and bananas on it. The 'cookie' is actually a graham cracker! He reaches out with his 18 inch long tongue and takes it right out of your hand.

Cobe has an older half-brother named Boris, who is a year older than he is. Think Cobe is tall? Well, Boris is 19 feet tall! Boris just recently arrived, and didn't offer me the photo-op that Cobe did, but I plan to show a picture of him in the future.

Sometimes I Forget... (Part 2)

Remember when I wrote the entry about sometimes forgetting how lucky I am?  At that time I promised that it was the first of a series of pictures from that particular day.... Then came the Fourth of July holiday, followed by 2 weeks when I managed to put in a total of 23 hours of overtime. (14 of which I did this last week!) So the idea for the entries got put on hold till I had a few minutes to sit down, compose an entry, and edit the picture. Today you get Part 2!

This second picture is of one of the Southern White Rhino that have recently joined the ranks of animals featured in the African area. This little girl came over here from Africa to join the gene pool over here. Although the Southern White Rhino have made a comeback from the dwindling numbers of the early 20th century, it doesn't do to become complacent, and the more spread out the gene pool is, the less chance of these magnificent animals disappearing. She and her buddies are becoming wonderfully friendly. She loves her alfalfa!

Update: Someone asked me for her name... I thought I had included it in the original post, but I guess I didn't <g>. Her name is Kudoko (spelling may not be correct, but that is how it sounds like it should be spelled ;p), which means little bit in Swahili.

Your Monday Photo Shoot: Take pictures of fireworks!

John Scalzi offers up the following for our enjoyment:

Monday Photo Shoot: July 4 Fireworks

This is a no-brainer photo shoot:

Your Monday Photo Shoot: Take pictures of fireworks!

Don't worry, I don't expect you upload most of these until later tonight or tomorrow, so don't let the fact it's a "Monday photo shoot" discourage you from posting on Tuesday (or Wednesday, or Thursday...)

(Note to people posting fireworks picture for this week's Weekend Assignment -- no fair reposting. I know, I know. But I'm sure you've got other pictures, too.)

First, I have to say that trying to take fireworks pictures with an older digital camera is NO fun! The minor inconvenience of shutter lag is often annoying, but with fireworks.... well, let's just say that I took about 40 pictures and got a couple of o.k. ones, but nothing particularly worthy of posting for this assignment. Sooooo... being the creative person I am (note the tongue in cheek here <g>) I took and cropped from 8 or so pics, put them together in a file, gave the background a black fill and VOILA!

All the pictures used in the above collage are mine... Got some cool fireworks pics from Monday? Why not play along. Go Here to see how.

Fireworks!

Glitter Palm, Chrysanthemum, Phoenix and Birds, Crackle, Waterfall, Poinsettia, Brocade.....

What are these? Names of Fireworks shells, of course Have you ever wanted to be the person who could sit there and authoritatively talk about the fireworks show you just saw? Or just wanted to describe the wonderful shell you enjoyed, but didn't have the correct vocabulary to do so???? Well, this is your luck day! Go to this web site : Fireworks! And you will be given a quick lesson in what each kind of shell is called.

Today's site brought to you by NOVA Online!

background from Absolute Backgrounds

Happy Fourth of July!

In the Spirit of the Day...

                                The Star Spangled Banner
                                   By Francis Scott Key

Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave! 

                                  

              Happy July 4th to all my friends in Journal Land!

 

Background from Absolute Backgrounds

Sometimes I forget.....

Just how lucky I really am! Recently I was disappointed that a position that I was hoping for didn't materialize. Even though I was reassured by all involved that my qualifications were more than sufficient, and that the timing of the whole thing just wasn't currently right.... well, I just wasn't HAPPY <LOL>

Anyway, I was downloading the pictures I had taken this last month off of my memory card and looking thru them, I was reminded that I am very fortunate that, even though I personally am not currently working with these animals, I am blessed with friends (and a loved one --love you G.!) who are. AND that these same people are more than willing to allow me more access to these beautiful animals than most people ever have.

Over the next few days I would like to share some of these pictures with you.....

This first picture is of some Watusi... I just like saying that... Watusi.. Watusi... Watusi <LOL> This was a cool shot just because of the way they are all lined up. These guys are currently awaiting their debut. They will be joining the other animals on display shortly.

In Africa, the cattle herds traditionaly played an important role in tribal life. The herds provided a form of barter, trade and a sign of wealth within the tribe. They have been known as 'The cattle of Kings'. I just think they are cool looking :p

Sometimes we focus on the things that aren't going just the way we would like in our lives and forget to savor the things that are special. And sharing special things just make them more special! Hope you enjoy one of my special things!

The picture in this entry was taken by me... the only 'enhancements' were cropping and the addition of a frame.. also created by me... I need to get me one of those cool 'by me' graphics to add to my pics <LOL>

Newest Obsession

G. bought me an early Birthday present... And I am afraid it has quite taken possession of me!

Click here to download a trial version. Hey, why should I be the only one who is obsessed?

Graphics used in this entry are free for download at the above website. They WANT you to use the pics for 'fan' websites and as Wallpaper <g>

The Penguins are Psychotic.....

Today I finally got to go see the new Star Wars movie... And I have to say... Wow! Revenge of the Sith was great. It tied this set of movies to the 'original' trilogy very well. I'm glad I saw it on the big screen as this is one of those movies that, although it will be enjoyable on DVD, was meant to be seen at the theatre. Some of those scenes just won't seem so magnificent seen on your TV screen at home. Asked afterward what my favorite part was... Well, if I have to pick one, I like the CGI 'lizard' that Obi-Wan rode/fought off of. That thing was sooo cool!  I have to say that over all I liked it all...

But, what does that have to do with the title of this entry you ask?? After going to see Revenge of the Sith at the 12:45pm showing, we still had all afternoon and evening to spend together. Days off together are becoming a rare commodity, so we tried to make the most of it. After the movie we went and did a little shopping, and still found ourselves back at the house at 6:30pm. What to do with the evening? Well, we decided to catch a second movie <g>. The movie we picked was Madagascar... And, we loved it. It was sooo cute. My favorites where Marty, the zebra and.... The Penguins!

Armed Forces Day

Today is Armed Forces Day... Please take a few moments today to think about and thank the brave men and women, both past and present, of our Armed Forces for their service to us and our Country!

A Visit to the Aquarium

A couple of weeks ago, early on a Saturday morning, I received a phone call.... It was my brother. Seems my nephew, who is in the Navy, had come home on a weekend pass and brought along his girlfriend and a fellow sailor.

"Hey, Sis.... You still a member of the Aquarium?"

Me, wiping sleep out of my eyes, "Uh... huh.. Yeah... What TIME is it???"

"Geez, it must be at least 7:30 am"

Sighing and continuing to fumble around trying to get at least semi-awake.. "Yeah... Aquarium.. What?"

"Well, the kids are looking for something to do today, and I thought maybe we would come and get you guys and go to the Aquarium...."

Pulling myself together, I assured him that any opportunity to spend some time with my nephew (and the rest of the family, of course) was always welcome, and within a few minutes we had solidified  some plans.

That is how I came to spend most of the day at the Florida Aquarium with my brother, my nephew, my nephew's girlfriend, my niece, G., and the friend my nephew brought home with him. After finishing at the aquarium we went out to eat. All in all, a very nice day!

It's a really nice aquarium, and despite taking pictures thru glass, I managed to get a few nice ones. So, I decided to share some of them here with you! I would love to share the ones of my family and their guests, but I haven't asked permission to broadcast their faces over the internet<g>... Oh, and I've been working on my 'presentation' and I'm finding a lot of cool effects and tools in my Photoshop Elements.. Now if I can just remember how I did them.... <LOL> If you would like to see some professionally done pictures, click here to see some of the photos on the Florida Aquarium website.

 

My Banner above is actually part of the sign out front of the aquarium. It has this huge Manta Ray over it and we all stood under it to get our picture taken... Unfortunately, the picture I took of it without people, I got the angle wrong and a tree was blocking part of it... So, I improvised ;)

 

This picture is of a very co-operative turtle, and the other one of an equally co-operative lizard!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This picture was taken thru glass (and of course, since the pictures  are all of animals, no flash!). Not too bad...

 

 

 

 

 

 

And finally, on our way out I saw this fountain and had to have a picture...