Captain of the Toes

Friday...B is having

done. Ouch! And I couldn't illustrate the screw that will be placed inside his toe after they BREAK it. I'm only so talented with the Photoshop peeps!

Oy! Long story. Another day.

And I just got the reminder that my parents' wedding anniversary is coming up...on April 1st. Yes. That's correct. April 1st. Forty-one years I believe. That's like Hall of Fame worthy these days, isn't it? I thought I had a pic here of my parents on their wedding day. I'll see if I can dig it up, y'all will dig it. ;)

Favorite Lyrics Part 7

An oldie, but a goodie...

I Can See Clearly Now
by Johnny Nash

I can see clearly now, the rain is gone,
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.

I think I can make it now, the pain is gone
All of the bad feelings have disappeared
Here is the rainbow I’ve been prayin for
It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.

Look all around, there’s nothin but blue skies
Look straight ahead, nothin but blue skies

I can see clearly now, the rain is gone,
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.

Peace out blog peeps!

Don't you think it would be cool...

if you could choose your name once you decided what you liked?

I would probably go with the name Violet. Not because of that brat on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. For the color. And it looks cool in Kanji, doesn't it? Yeah, I think I'd go with that. And of course, purple is my favorite color, so it's fitting, isn't it?

It's easy to spell, not many variations, probably easy to understand over the phone, only 6 letters, there's a flower named violet...what's not to love? And I would get to say "V...as in Victor" which doesn't happen enough, really. That's fun to say. I get to say "B...as in boy" and "N...as in Nancy" and "C...as in cat" a lot, so they're worn out.

What name would you choose if you could?

Expectations of Reactions

The picture doesn't go with the rest of the post, but it's my boys being completely bored on Easter. lol We left the grandparents' house soon after.

Anyway, the topic for today is Expectations. Most notably my expectations of how people will react to something I have given them as a gift. Especially if it's something I made. Or went to great pains to choose.

I'm not sure just how I can consistently under- or overestimate people's reactions. I mean, if I think they'll be sort of lackadaisical about the thing, they end up being overly ecstatic! And conversely, if I think they will be really excited about something, they end up being sort of, well, bleh about it.

It happens all the time. Maybe I am guessing their reaction would be the same as my reaction if things were reversed.

Let me at least say this much, I wasn't the only one confused by the reaction of the gift recipient. After intense questioning, B also said he wasn't sure what the person thought of the gift. The gift was a belated Christmas gift, which was not finished on Christmas, but I told the person that their gift was this item when it was finished. And that got quite the reaction, let me tell you! So B thinks maybe the reaction was so mellow just because the person already knew what it was.

We also aren't sure if maybe the person didn't say much due to being choked up over the gift.

I just felt kind of let down after this whole thing and now I wonder why I even do it? I know that giving is the best part, I really do. And I don't do it for the thanks. I do love the reactions though and I just wish I had a clear reaction to store away in my brain, you know?

Anyway, sorry I couldn't be more specific. I know it's me. I have to stop trying to anticipate people's reactions. I need to just be a blank canvas and accept whatever reaction I get. No matter how confusing it is.

So, my faithful blog-ience...does this happen to you too?

Some of my least favorite words...

There are some words that people use quite often that really bother me. Firstly, is the word "just". As in "just a quick layout I did..." or "just an old favorite photo".

According the merriamwebster.com, the word "just" as an adverb means "barely, only, simply". It bothers me because I get the feeling with that one small word, that the artist doesn't feel like his/her art is worthy of much more than a glance. I feel like yelling "TAKE PRIDE IN THIS! DON'T BELITTLE IT BY STARTING OUT WITH 'JUST'!" To me, the word 'just' in this usage tells me they aren't confident in their work. I've been guilty of it too, but since realizing the negative connotation, I don't use it anymore. If I feel like it's worth posting, worth people looking at, worth my time to create, it's not just anything!

It's something!

My other pet-peeve words are (in regards to photography or art): "great work, as usual." I hope to never be at a point in my arts or crafts where someone has the urge to say that to me. To me, that means I'm not growing creatively. That I'm stuck, and I'm not getting better. As a photographer, crafter, etc, I want to grow, to improve, to experiment. I think it's more of a compliment for someone to be shocked and awed by something you've done. Break the mold, the expectations. Break out of 'as usual' and honestly, this is the best thing anyone could do.

What words bother you guys? I want to know!

Don't Mess with Me!

Bought this so I could walk on the parkway alone without feeling like a sitting duck. I really wanted a taser, but Big 5 doesn't sell those for some reason. We were joking that I could get an AK47-style paintball gun and it would have better results. It was just too bulky to carry though. Gotta have my arms free to do the 'mall walker' stride.

I asked my cop friend to tell me what the stats are for women being hassled in that area, and I didn't hear back from him, so I took that as bad news. I personally think that being overweight (read: chubby or fat) will deter most perps, but there are probably a few bad guys out there that wouldn't care about that.

But seriously...I do feel safer. I'm glad to have it.

Peace out!

For Sale...

I'm going to sell prints of my photographs in my etsy shop. Click here for the photos I will offer as prints (obviously I don't want my family pics floating around out there). I'm pretty flexible as far as sizing goes, but I'd like to keep the proportions as close to original as possible. Also, if you'd like something in b/w, let me know.

Thanks all!

Peace out!

Thank you...

You know who you are! And I love you for it!

Hugs and kisses all around!

Lone & Red

Click to view larger in flickr

I'm realizing that people who say 'let me know if you need to talk' generally don't mean that. It's more along the lines of saying 'fine' when someone asks how you are, when you really aren't 'fine' at all.

There are a certain few people I know will listen if/when I need to talk. But I truly don't want to burden those people without the offered ears. And trust me people, sometimes I just need to talk. Maybe the talk won't be so pretty, most likely it'll be littered with f-bombs and s-bombs.

The few times I've reached out to those people who've offered their ears to me, I've been royally rebuffed. And that makes me scratch my skin.

Literally. I've got anxiety over God knows what, and I just wanted someone to listen, and when I bottle that anxiety...guess what happens. I scratch myself til I bleed and I pull hair from my head and hyperventilate.

I'm not saying this for pity or to freak anyone out or whatever.

All I'm saying is that if you offer to listen when someone needs to talk, be ready for that call.

And I can honestly say that every time I've said that very thing, I've meant it. I don't say that if I don't mean it, because I know how important that is.

Peace out all!