Thoughtful Thursday

“Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity.”
~ Charles Mingus

In Case You Were Wondering . . .

The owner of Kodak (George Eastman) named his company after the sound the he thought the camera shutter made.

Saying Hello Again to an old friend.

A new camera. Wait, let me restate that. A NEW CAMERA!!!!!!!

A Nikon D5000 to be specific.
It's middle of the road as far a DSLRs go, but it is still sexy . . . and complicated.

I've neglected photography for a while now. Other than goofing around with a point and shoot digital, I haven't seriously shot anything in years. There is so much to learn and relearn with this equipment. It's daunting and thrilling at the same time.

I held off buying a serious digital for quite some time. I own a 35mm film camera - a late 80s Minolta model - as well as a medium format - OLD model Hasselblad - . No more film to buy, no more chemicals, no more taking over the bathroom for hours at a time. When it comes to digital, I admit I am more than a novice. And working with a photomanagement program? Well, let's say it's going to take some practice.

I am excited to play with my new toy. And already salivating over accessories and lenses. Between those things, software and a new printer, I hope my pocketbook can handle it.

I am anticipating a renewal of passion for being behind the lense. Be prepared for a peppering of photos found here while I stretch out my creative muscles and get back into the swing of things.

In Case You Were Wondering . . .

In the movie trilogy, The Lord of the Rings, all the background swords are made of melted down skateboard wheels

In Case You Were Wondering . . .

The Hawaiian alphabet has 12 letters.

In Case You Were Wondering . . .

The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV were Fred and Wilma Flintstone.

In Case You Were Wondering . . .

Scratch-and-sniff works by taking the aroma-generating chemical and encapsulating it in gelatin or plastic spheres that are a few microns in diameter. When you scratch the sticker, you rupture some of these spheres and release the smell.

In Case You Were Wondering . . .

Any month that starts on a Sunday will have a Friday the 13th in it.

Happy New Year - a bit late

Wow 2010!


Isn't that the sequel to Kubrick's Space Odyssey?

Random. . .and weird. Almost as weird as it being 20 years since I graduated High School. Let's see - 20 years ago I was all about what school I was going to, going out dancing at "the Underground" and pretty much . . . (ok I'm digressing - I do it a lot. Get used to it)
I don't believe in New Year's Resolutions, but I do believe in having goals. Resolutions you break, goals you strive toward.

I thought I'd use this opportunity to lay out a few for myself. Maybe seeing them in for all of cyberspace to read will help me stay motivated?

Maintain a blog - ok, here it is. Pretty exciting so far. (ah the sarcasm) It will probably get worse. Or more geeky. Or embarrasing. Or all of the above. But its here. I'm going to push myself to keep up with it. Yell at me if I lag.

Eat healthier/Be active - I'm really already doing this, but there is ample room for improvement. Cutting out most prepackaged/processed foods. Left soda behind over a year ago. Actually COOKING. (It does help that I love to cook - actually made soup in the crockpot last night with roommate - taste testing tonight) Being active takes a little more work. Trying to maintain a workout schedule has so far collapsed on me. But I do make sure I take the stairs when possible etc. We bought a Wii for Christmas and Jenny McCarthy is an evil witch. But its something different than the elliptical and weight room. I need variety. Activity is SO much easier when it isn't pouring down rain.

Travel more - this is already in the works. I have a trip to Hawaii planned in February. 1 week on Maui. The other trip I KNOW I'm taking is a long weekend in NYC to visit my best friend. Its long overdue.
Other trip ideas for the year are:

• San Francisco - love this city. To me it's NYC meets West Coast and the results are amazing. Plus its close to Napa (wine -enough said)
• Washington DC. - I had tickets to the inauguration. I couldn't go. Besides that, I have wanted to go to DC since grade school. What can I say? I love history.
• Chicago - just because its a cool city. Been there for work. Would love to spend the time to play a little bit more.
• Palm Springs - a friend of mine just moved there or this wouldn't be on the list. And its close enough to Disneyland that I could work in a Mouse fix. Of course, not all of these will happen, but its something to think about.

Find a job that motivates me - I've been very lucky in the last 17 years of my life to have worked for some great companies with great people in positions that have helped me grow, allowed me to see others grow, challenged me and left me with a sense of accomplishment. Life brings changes. Since being laid off in Feb 2008, I have been doing contract work. The most recent year has been less than fulfilling/challenging workwise. So, I'm actively looking for something that I can bring something to the table as well as be challenged to keep up and continue to learn along the way. In the immortal words of Lloyd Dobler, "I'm looking for a dare to be great situation". The search is on.

Well, that's what I'm working toward at present. I'll keep you posted.