30 September 2007

What a day, PhotoShelter.

Well, I am back and filled with lots of interesting facts and information. Photoshelter is going to change the world of stock photos, at least they're going to try. If you are good, you will be able to sell your photos to others looking for what you do. That's a quick and dirty explanation of Photoshelter. Not fair, but maybe I'll talk more about them later. First let me give you my impressions of the day.

I thought that this being Los Angeles, the crowd would be a lot larger.( Samy's was the largest sponsor of this leg of the tour. They were holding a two day program at the same venue. Apple, JPG Magazine, and a few other vendors were present to sell stuff and get you excited about photography and its unlimitless boundaries.) Samy's had done a ton of advertising and so I thought their customers would fill the room. Not exactly. There were probably 100 - 175 people in attendance. 75% male, quelle suprise! And, about 25% of those males were not happy. You see they'd been photographers a long time. And now, it is getting harder and harder to make $$ due to the digital age, as they see it.

Call me Pollyanna. Simply put. I have an unending supply of optimism in certain circles. Photography being one of them. The world is my oyster, so to speak, I see things differently than anyone else. That is why I don't get upset about there being so many photographers. We each have different views of the world. How do I know? Well, if you've ever been at a wedding where they hand out those cameras and tell people to take shots of the day, rarely is there the same picture taken. Yes, there'll be a bunch of that cake cutting thing, but still each is different.

I guess what I am trying to say is that it is all about the passion. There will always be someone better, worse, creatively challenged, just different from you. Don't let that get in your way. But passionate, build a niche and find your way. Marcus Swanson was one of the speakers. His presentation was filled with passion. He told a story of doing a photo shoot with an Olympic Speed Skater from China. YangYang was the ultimate athlete he explained. Yet she was petite, pixie like. He described the off side chance of taking her portrait, while doing the shoot. The opportunity arrived and he was able to get the perfect shot. It gives him goosebumps to describe the shoot when seeing the picture. Marcus - it gave me goosebumps too. His presentation was positive. It helped others see a path through the system that is advertising photography. He spoke of giving back. It was the best speech of the day.

His theme: the same as mine. Capture the moment in time, it will invoke memories for years. I was surfing the web this morning, Pixiegenne's blog is a favorite of mine. She has a post today called "it's a small world". She speaks of finding a relative through flickr. Of seeing his grandad's photo and seeing her father in those pictures. She shares a photo of her grandparent's wedding day, speaks of the church and the funerals 80 years hence, in that same church. That is what photography does. It binds us together through time and feelings and families.

There were a lot of other technical things I learned. About how long an entity owns the rights to a photo of yours, called an embargo in the magazine world. It's three months for most US magazines, then you own it outright, 4 months for European magazines and sometimes if it is a weekly publication the embargo is only a week long. I didn't know that. Good to know. Not that I am pursuing magazines, but another little factoid to keep in mind.

I learned that the New Yorker guy that spoke on the panel, I didn't get his name, doesn't respect food photography at all. His statement: "anyone can go in their closet and shoot a photo of a cheeseburger and use it in print". And he wonders why I didn't get his name...

I learned that photo editors are some of the busiest people on the planet. How to effectively get their attention. How not to waste their time. And why oh why to build a website that is user friendly and not artsy if you are trying to get noticed by them.

And then I also learned that the Orange County fairgrounds has a farm on the property so inner city kids can see what farms are: Cows, Horses, Mules, Pigs, Chickens, sheep and all the trappings. It was a small farm (I kindof felt sorry for the bulls and cows being crammed into such small quarters, and hope they get out a bit) I saw plants growing in rows and knew that having something like this available to children really puts a face on their burgers and other foods.

Smiley bull

All in all a great day, a good day.

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28 September 2007

Free Friday!

I am taking off today to go to the O.C. Yep, I'm actually going to be allowed access to the prestigious OC to go to a photography seminar (they're calling them town hall meetings). It is being sponsored by several camera companies and hosted by PhotoShelter. It starts mid-day and I should be returning home by about 10 this evening. The best thing is that it's free! I get to mingle with the best in photography today and all it costs me is time! PhotoShelter is hosting 6 of these seminars around the nation. Not anywhere closer to where anyone else I know who is into photography can attend, but check them out if you live in Portland, Atlanta, San Francisco, New York or Chicago.

I am looking forward to a day immersed in photography and its challenges in the digital age. There are going to be several speakers and I am sure I'll see something new in equipment. Yay. A free day for me!

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24 September 2007

Adobe suite

Oh my holy hannah! I have been in the midst of learning these programs fire hose dose. Dreamweaver is my favorite by far, but I still struggle. My brain is swamped and then when I think I can't find my way around it, I wake up in the middle of the night, remember a snippet of the tutorial and then can move forward with the web design.


Thank goodness for Lynda.com. If it weren't for this group of learned people, I'd be really struggling. I feel like I know Garrick Chow personally by now! His voice is very calming, it helps learning the concepts easier. He's the Dreamweaver tutor. Every program I've used on Lynda has been worth the money spent. If you are struggling to learn a program, check them out. I am not being paid for advertising for them, but I do think they're worth the expense.

Soon, soon, soon there will be a new 3 Hip Sisters site. Yay. I think it will always need something new as my critical thinking cannot let anything go. Why is it that I can admire the creativity of others yet second guess myself continually???

Some of the categories will be paper goods, glass art, jewelry, vinyl slogans, wall art, photography, art on canvas and other neat stuff. That's just from the family, now, I'd like to also let you know that if you'd like to join the sisters (once the new site is up) I'd love to help you support your family too. I'll be looking to add other "sisters" as we go along to grow and support the community of moms and creative women.

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20 September 2007

HP and Gwen Stefani

Gwen Stefani Paper dolls

How cute are these? I haven't cut them out yet. They are the Gwen Stefani paper dolls available at HP. She has designed some really cool stuff for HP. The paper dolls, you configure and then print out. There are so many different configurations you could probably end up with 100 or so different dolls. Well, actually a whole lot more but you get the idea. I think I'm going to print them on shrink film and really have some fun!

Go here to get yours: Gwen Stefani's paper dolls

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Tim Gunn - His Guide to Style

Photo from the Bravo TV website
Bravo TV has really done it right with this show Tim Gunn's Guide to Style. I wasn't sure exactly how it would fare against What not to Wear, but wow! I am really enjoying the "style" of this show.

Tim Gunn spent 23 years at Parson's School of Design honing his skills and interacting with students and industry leaders. He brings his "Guide to Style" book to life on the show. Rather than tell the "styletestant" how poorly their style skills are, he and his partner "accomplice" Veronica Webb carefully guide each to a renewed view of themselves.

I say carefully because they are just that. Not that it doesn't lead to tears, quite the opposite. Tears are shed anytime someone is trying to rediscover themselves. It's hard to realize your personal style is just wonky. However, unlike What Not to Wear's Stacy and Clinton (whom I still think are great) Tim and Veronica actually allow their clients to choose for themselves, all the while carefully guiding them, building their esteem and confidence. I find their methodology much more kind, constructive and a bit more fashion forward to realism for each person. Tim takes into consideration life changes, place in the world, and reality based fashion advice. Sure a woman wants a beautiful caftan style Hawaiian dress for a fancy get together; but if she is going to wear this dress more than once, is a classic caftan really the best choice right now? Remember, we've tossed a whole wardrobe, time to replace it with long-term style musts for this individual, not a one time event type of fashion.

I'm enjoying the show. I love that Veronica calls Tim "professor". They do not always agree on a clothing choice. Tim's reaction to "leggings" was classic. Veronica's reaction to Tim was hilarious. She was shocked and perturbed, yet they still worked to benefit the client. It's fun, and will help you look at yourself in the mirror a bit longer before making a fashion choice.

My favorite quote so far: "You will never be able to control how you are perceived, you can only control how you are presented." I like that.

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19 September 2007

Ahoy Ye Maties!

It's International talk like a pirate day! Seems we should be swabbing the decks, and filling oursleves with grog and grub, merrie making should be the height of the day! I am not sure of the origin of this day at all. I should Wiki it to find out more. No, wait! Pirate Day has its own website! It's all fun and games with the Jack Sparrow gang!



My pirate name is:


Bloody Mary Rackham



Every pirate lives for something different. For some, it's the open sea. For others (the masochists), it's the food. For you, it's definitely the fighting. You have the good fortune of having a good name, since Rackham (pronounced RACKem, not rack-ham) is one of the coolest sounding surnames for a pirate. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

Arrrgh! this name thing doesn't look as good here as it did on the name page!

The main page is down on the website above, but there is a translator and a name generator and all around swabbing of decks, pillaging of towns, and walking the planks to do! There's also another Talk Like a Pirate Page with history and all kinds of neat stuff. Go both places and take a gander or we'll have to make you walk the plank!

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16 September 2007

Me and my car


People find it down right weird that I enjoy cars so much. Not just any car, but the one I drive and a few others. But there is a bit of method behind this madness.

For starters, my current car. We're a lot alike. Our genealogy is British. We both have British grandfathers. Mine hails from Gloustershire, and my car's from Oxford. My favorite color is blue. My car is Indigo Blue. My car has starred in a couple of films, most well known for The Italian Job. But my fave was The Bourne Identity. My grandfather's name is Bourne. My car emigrated in 2003. My grandfather emigrated in 1916. We still feel a twinge of excitement when we see a curvy road. And we both love to go faster than we should. Neither of us intentionally plans to leave anyone stranded.

That brings me to my affinity for cars in general. While growing up we had nothing but hunks of junk. Inevitably, we were pushing or pulling some lethargic piece of metal down the highway. Or sitting waiting for some stranger to take pity on us and lend a hand. Usually all it took was a gallon or two of water. I remember once when someone stopped to help and let my mom know she had a broken fan belt. She hiked her skirt up, undid her nylon hose, tied a knot in it and replaced the belt temporarily. I never wanted to own a car named Rambler, Ford, Chrysler, Corvair or a plethora of others. These cars had left us stranded. The last straw, being on a deserted highway when I was 14. The car my mom forced us to travel in, was in poor condition. She just knew we'd not have a problem because we were doing church stuff. Well, physics being what they are, church didn't matter to the car. It up and burst into flames. We all, the firemen included, stood and watched its magnesium transmission flame away for at least two hours. Magnesium cannot be put out with water or retardant, it has to just burn out. Well, at least in 1969 it did.

I told myself then, and stuck to it, that I would not get my license until I decided to. I would not be at the mercy of one of my mother's car ever again. My brother, on the other hand, drove us all over in her terrible cars. Finally just before graduation luck came my way. My parents purchased a VW Bug for me. They paid $400 for it. It was the best money the ever spent on a car. (The how they paid for it was a whole other story of which goes down in the famous book of why don't we try this encyclopedia's we've written over the years.) It had its quirks, but it ran! And run I did. Straight out of town, coming back to visit my little sisters on occasion. But my love of cars began then and has continued ever since. Mine looked a lot like this one, minus the sunroof.


I learned what they would do, could do and why you had to keep them stocked with plenty of oil and gas, water came later, as the bug didn't use water. Ever since then I have enjoyed foreign made cars. The old US standards failed me as a child, why would I want to go back to them. After being married a few years, I got talked into buying American and put three stinking transmissions in one, before I went back to foreign. I'll own my little car I have now forever. I may add another to the barn, plus a Vespa and maybe a Smart car, but unless it's a tractor, the US built trucks will have to be purchased by my husband.

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15 September 2007

Aussie Blogging Friends


Peter bearing gifts, originally uploaded by foodchronicles.

The wonderful Kirsty made note that her husband was going on a trip stateside and then on to Europe. Hmmmm. I wondered. I wonder if he'll be in our area?

I emailed Kirsty and asked if he'd be in LA. She said yes, that would be one of his stops along his way. So I suggested a little swap. Well, actually I asked if I could possibly meet up with him so I could send Kirsty a little gift. Who knew it would lead to wonderful bits of Kirsty coming to me!

I have to admit, I felt a bit like an intruder, stalker, crazy woman, (add the adjective of your choice here) in asking to meet up with a perfect stranger. But hey, I am old enough to know that if you don't act, you lose out. I wanted to reach out a bit and send a gift to someone I admire down under. So I did.

Emails were sent, calls were made, a meeting point was arranged. This morning I got the call to come and see Peter. He was being chauffered about by a dear friend here in LA. They graciously gave up a bit of their time to let me drop a gift for Kirsty. The picture above shows the exchange. Kirsty had sent me a gift too! Neat. The meet up didn't last long, as I knew Peter must be just a bit tired from an 18 hour flight and I wasn't going to make him sit through a meal making small talk with a perfect stranger. So I came, I met, I went home.

Went home with a little package of my own!

Kirsty sent me this:

Gifts from Kirsty A wonderful bag, made from fabric her brother bought in Provence! It is my favorite colors of all. It matches the kerchief I have in my car and it is perfect! She is an amazing seamstress as it looks like it was store bought!

Along with the bag, she sent a pin cushion I have been dying to have and a lovely stash of girly fabric as she knows I have a grand daughter! Lovely, just lovely!

Pin Cushion and Stash

Thank you Kirsty! I'm glad we're blog friends. Next time I hope to meet you!

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13 September 2007

Reading - Craft Inc.


For my recent birthday, thanks to one of the offspring, I was able to purchase this book. I have to say I am only into the third chapter but it has already made a difference in that I am doing. Meg Ilasco has settled my mind.

I am doing several craft fairs coming up for the holidays. I thought I needed to have a lot of things for people to buy. Meg has helped me understand the difference between a lot of things and a lot of your artwork. I am a crafter. I can do all kinds of things, but I am learning that the more dedicated I am to one medium the better I'll do. It makes complete sense. Sometimes I look back and wonder how I got so far. But then again, it is all about learning and doing.

If you are thinking being an artisan or professional crafter, I suggest purchasing this book and applying its principles. It will help you to focus your efforts and possibly lead you in the path of success.

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12 September 2007

Going Green

Speaking of being earth friendly....

Walgreen's is offering a free ink cartridge refill TODAY only. Print your coupon and go get a refill! Sorry but the fine print reads it excludes Canon and Epson print cartridges. Thank goodness I have an HP!

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Anita Roddick



Anita Roddick passed away this week. It seems the good go together. For those of you unfamiliar with Anita, let me tell you a bit about why I do. You may recognize her from the picture above.

I found out about her while watching a new channel back in the late 80s. She was this wonderful vivacious woman. She had a compelling story, animal testing for the sake of cosmetics was wrong! When I had the opportunity to hear her speak in person I jumped at the chance. We were converts. I have shopped The Body Shop since they had a store close enough to shop at in SoCal. She became a rockstar in our family.

It was that part of our life that made us strange. My daughters and I in our Birks, and Body Shop t shirts. We used weird products like essential oils and body butter. Our home was filled with the aroma of "exotic"; the oil burner being a constant. More than anything, we learned that you could have and enjoy simple products in your home that were good for the environment, that weren't tested on animals, and that being a strong woman did not diminish the men in your lives. Anita helped us understand why it was okay to be weird, in a good way.

I still have my against animal testing button on my cloth grocery bag. And this is one of the shirts that continues to inspire us:

Body Shop

Thank you Anita for blazing new ground. For having the courage to start The Body Shop. For being a wonderful wife, mother and sister. We all owe you a bit of respect and honor. You made life better wherever you went. We should all be so lucky.

From her website after her death:

"If we all take that spark of Anita within us and lean into the fire, collectively, maybe, we can accomplish what one Anita Roddick could have in our lifetime. We must take this awful blow and turn it into something useful. We must all of us finish her work, and carry it on. We must take the love and inspiration and pay it forward.

As Anita loved to say, “The job of a citizen is to keep his mouth open.” So we ask only that you take your spark, go out and do something. Engage. Learn. Be fiercely kind. Have a child’s sense of wonderment. Tell someone you love them. Write a letter to the editor. Demand a better media. Contact your representatives in government. Talk about sex shamelessly. Eat pasta. Give change to a homeless person. Buy organic. Donate to or volunteer for Greenpeace, Amnesty International, Reprieve, The Coalition to Free the Angola Three, or the cause that most connects with your heart and soul.

As her website still exhorts: Get Informed. Get Inspired. Get Outraged. Get Active. Trust us, she means it."

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11 September 2007

Remember


USA, originally uploaded by foodchronicles.

As I put the flag out this morning, my thoughts turn to people of the United States. Their losses, their strengths and their sacrifices. We must never forget the fortunate circumstance it is to be living here. We must remember every day to be grateful for our blessings. We must each day reach out to lift another, to help those less fortunate than ourselves, and remember that there by the grace of God go us.

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Jenny B has always been one of my favorite sites to visit. Her banner alone lifts my spirits. She has such a great view of the world, right now she is doing a tour of Scandanavian bloggers. Today I went to check out her digs and found this meme. I laughed out loud to myself so many times I had to consider myself tagged (she told us we could all play).

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car),
Cat Cooper

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie),
Chocolate Mint Chocolate Snap!

3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name),
R-Goo

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal),
Blue Cat

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born),
Jeanne Port Huron

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first),
Goo-Ro

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink),
The Aubergine Frapp

8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers),
Sidney George

9. STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy),
Minty Chocolate

10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names ),
Carol Darrell

11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter),
Decock Denver

12. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower).
Autumn Lavender

13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”)
Pear Teesie

14. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree),
Nothing Aspen

15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”),
The Glass Thunderstorm Tour

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10 September 2007

Promises

A few weeks back, in the throngs of traveling to and fro, I purchased a bag of Dove Promises. Yep, those creamy little morsels of chocolate that come in handy when stuck in traffic for 6 hours. They actually make the day go by a bit more harmoniously.

I decided to save the wrappers as I drove along. Here are some of the promises I received along my drive:

"Don't think about it so much"

"Send a love letter this week"

"When two hearts race, both win"

"Learn something from everyone you meet"

"Lose yourself in a moment"

"Go against the grain"

"Be fearless"

"Decorate your life"


I know which two are my favorite promises right now. They'll change along the way. You never know what life will bring. Heck it's just a wrapper from a chocolate drop, I tell myself.

Which promise is your favorite? What will you promise yourself?

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Back to the studio

It is finally cool enough for me to go back to the garage. For weeks it has been so hot I couldn't even begin to think of sitting out there and firing up the kiln. But this week I'll head back in and begin fusing glass. I am looking forward to seeing just what gets made. I know I have to try something, I'm dreaming of glass in my sleep.

I'm also trying to really learn the Adobe Suite. It takes a lot of time. I should just give up sleeping.

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07 September 2007

Alpha Mom - Who knew?

Two years ago I finished my degree. Was is a bachelor's degree? What subject? A Masters? Neither. Not a doctorate either. My degree was obtained over a twenty five year stint as a Mom. Not just any mom. A mom of three daughters. Yeah my poor husband. When I gave birth to our third daughter I told him the only thing I could guarantee for the next twenty years was that someone would always be in tears at home. Probably it would be him. Two years ago, we celebrated the marriage of the third daughter. Diploma, obtained. Graduate work to come.

The courses I took. Cooking 101. I told my growing gaggle that by the time they could tell their friends I was a good cook, I would be. Grade A+

Slice of baked apple roll

Decorating 102. This one was a struggle. I still am in remedial classes, and have a tutor on occasion. If I could just go buy a whole room, it'd be easier. Grade C

Harvest table

Psychology 400. Oh yeah, this has been a mentoring class. My husband is the family therapist. Sitting in on a few sessions, has helped refine my objectivity fairly well. I found it easier to pretend my daughters were neighbor kids when the hard questions came along. Transference can be a good thing at times. Grade B+

P.E. This class was always the best. Who doesn't like going somewhere fun, especially if you can get wet? Grade? This was always an easy A.

some kids have all the fun

Art 101, 214. Art is subjective. I always liked to call it "Necessity is the mother of invention". Never did special artistic need meet with financial availability. It seemed if we needed a cool costume, diorama, or anything that need to be creative, it was between paydays. So you learn to do things on the fly. I crochet, fuse glass, work with paper goods, and can make you into a chicken using sleeper jammies and construction paper! Grade A+

retro glass tray

Oh and there are all types of other classes, accounting, teaching credentialing, music, performance art, first aid, home economics, photography, wedding planning, event coordination, computer science. The field trips were always the best. I tried to stay current with trends and technology. We were the cool parents, had a recording studio in the house, that was great for sleep-overs.

So what is my degree in? I thought it was Mom-ology. We all got one, some with better grades than others. Constance Van Flandern recently has become famous by coining the phrase "Alpha Mom". Reading her description, I guess that's what you could call us. Alpha Moms. Not needing anything but a desire to be the best mom, with or without a lot of money, because money doesn't make you a good mom, the desire to do well is all it takes. So for my daughters, in pursuit of their own degrees, time young ones, time. It all comes in time. Just like cooking.

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06 September 2007

Fogged in - Daily weather report


fog!, originally uploaded by foodchronicles.

Yes! This is what we woke up to this morning. A glorious fog has descended upon the valley. Now this is the September I remember. We'll have a couple of weeks of weather like this and then the following three weeks of indian summer. I can hardly wait. Not too exciting for the beach dwellers, but for the land lubbers, this is everything.

(oh, and you can see all the optimists have put their trash out this morning, sorry folks, Monday was a holiday, trash day is tomorrow)

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05 September 2007

Rest in Peace - Luciano Pavarotti

Luciano Pavarotti 12 October 1935 - 6 September 2007

"The Maestro fought a long, tough battle against the pancreatic cancer which eventually took his life. In fitting with the approach that characterized his life and work, he remained positive until finally succumbing to the last stages of his illness." Terry Robson, Manager

Farewell, dear friend, sleep peacefully. I raise my napkin to you, and will shed a tear or two also.

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Not him too!

The world must be collectively praying for this wonderful gentleman. He is suffering from the effects of pancreatic cancer. I would not wish this disease on my worst enemy. A dear friend's father passed away last year from it and I know many other people who have suffered with it also. Luciano Pavarotti singlehandedly brought opera to the masses in the late 70s. We have learned to love the sound of the tenors, and pause each time one raises a voice. It is music that stirs the soul, and fills the air with heaven.

I've got Panis Angelicus on and enjoying every operatic syllable from him as we speak. It shreds me to think his voice will be silenced soon.

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04 September 2007

Ahhhhh a bit cooler today.

It only got to be 102 today. I know you must all be waiting for a daily weather report. Heh.

I am awaiting autumn. It is my favorite time of year. The changing colors are so beautiful. Soon, it will be here. But not without a few more days, possibly weeks of intense heat. This is what I look forward to:

Fall leaves

changing leaves

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03 September 2007

Labor Day

I have to admit I have never ever really understood this holiday. My grandpa tried to explain it once, something about labor unions and the celebration of all that is work and the wonder of the "union" family. Mostly I heard, blah, blah, blah, unions, blah, blah, day off to celebrate.

I was once a member of a union. What Labor day meant to us at that point was, if you work on Labor day, you get paid triple time! Yes. I could work two days that week and get paid for five. Yahoo.

It still troubled me. Mostly because my Labor union didn't seem to grasp the idea that we shouldn't be working that day. It was to be a day off. But, the rest of America got the day off, and we were there to serve their needs. Hmmmmm. My brother-in-law always seemed to have the day off. There was, I supposed, something wrong with my union. He was a member of a union. Somehow, his union got the idea of the day off, just no tmine. The union I joined was a "service" related union in a service industry. My bad. Somehow, my choices were skewed, once again and I worked while others around me played.

Today I went to Wikipedia to see what I could find there. What is the "offical" word on the holiday that is Labor Day. It reads: "Labor Day has been celebrated on the first Monday in September in the United States since the 1880s. The form that the observance and celebration of Labor Day should take were outlined in the first proposal of the holiday — a street parade to exhibit to the public "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations" of the community, followed by a festival for the recreation and amusement of the workers and their families. This became the pattern for the celebrations of Labor Day. Speeches by prominent men and women were introduced later, as more emphasis was placed upon the economic and civic significance of the holiday. Still later, by a resolution of the American Federation of Labor convention of 1909, the Sunday preceding Labor Day was adopted as Labor Sunday and dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement."

Yeah so for every holiday I worked, I have only my brotherhood to thank. Well, at least I got paid triple what I normally made, to meet the worlds needs. I just wish we could've just closed for the day, and everyone else too. So if you, like so many other Americans today, do go out and "employ" others to serve your needs today, be nice, tip big and let them know you appreciate their not having the day off, so you could have fun.

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01 September 2007

Holy Canoli! Someone left the oven on!

Wowzer! It is hot here. We decided to go do some shopping today. At one point as we were heading off to lunch the temperature was reading 111 degrees. Oh my! While we were heading into Target to see if they had a copy of the 4th season of 24 on sale (which they didn't) I stopped by a store with sweaters on sale. Too funny! I did however pick up two new sweaters. Heh, I can't pass up a sale. They were 2 for 1.

Speaking of 24. Is anyone else wrapped up in that saga? I have not seen it before and this year we have decided to watch it season by season. We are through season three. So no spoilers please! I just love the fact that Sherry is done in. Thank goodness. If you are not a fan but intend to do the same as me, sorry.

We went to lunch at a new place called Famous Daves. I knew we were in the right place when I saw the neon sign on the wall telling us to "eat like a pig". The brisket was smoked perfectly. Very good. They also have a nice selection of sauces from which to choose. I enjoyed it. Didn't take pics though.

Then it was off to see Stardust. Good flick. I enjoyed the film quite a bit and if you're thinking of going it is worth the $6.50. The theatre was well cooled and the audience seemed to have my sense of humor. That's always good. However, after a well spent couple of hours in the cool I was welcomed back to reality when stepping outside. Aaaaack! 114 degrees at 6:20????????

Please. Someone turn off the oven.

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