Saturday, May 19, 2007

Restlessness

"Know what's weird? Day by day, nothing seems to change, but pretty soon, everything is different."

-Bill Watterson

Sometimes I simply have too much on my mind to blog. I sit down to the computer, and I think about what I want to say, and I realize there isn't one reason in the world why you should care about the things I care about. How I feel about the war in Iraq. How lame I think the new House and Senate seems to be. Why should you care if I am worried to death about Elvis's health? Do you care that I counted 16 gray hairs on my newly dyed head? What do you really think about my Monday Photo Shoot entries, or my Weekend Assignment efforts? I am not really sure how many folks actually read the posts I put so much time into, although one person did take the time to tell me, in a comment, that my problems where petty this past week. Sorry if my little life isn't quite dramatic enough for you, "Anonymous" next time I will try to break a hip or something.

My writing isn't as good as my photos. I am not lost to that fact, but I think my photography has gotten better since I began blogging in 2003. This year has been a gigantic pain in my ass, as I have seen people come and go in my life, right and left, and I miss them more then I wish I did, but do you want to come by Ellipsis, just to read me whine about it? It's a valid question, because my numbers seem to drop when I write about what goes right in my life as opposed to the craptasticness that has been sitting on my shoulder. Weird. What holds your interest when you read a blog? Is it the positive or the negative?

This coming August 23rd will be my 4th anniversary as a blogger. That is a long time for me. I really wasn't sure that I would last that long, but with every day, came the desire to share some part of me. Good and bad. I think if I laid it all out, I know that I have a pretty good life, and I like sharing it. Do I have problems? Yeah, you bet! It doesn't have to be a part of Ellipsis. My blog is meant as a place to share ideas, and creativity. Sometimes my view gets a little dark, but most of the time it is about life. My life. When I first started blogging, I had no idea if anyone would ever see my photos, or read the quotes I looked up, but slowly, folks did come by. It felt good to have the feedback, not just because it was usually someone either agreeing with my opinions, or enjoying one of my photos, but it was the human contact. I am happy to say, I have rarely deleted a comment, either here on Blogger, or in the days of AOL Journals. I think between the two places, I have deleted a total of 5 comments. That's a good feeling.

I don't know. I guess I am wondering if maybe I might consider retiring as a blogger. Ellipsis was a bigger success than I have ever really planned for, but something in me is restless. Maybe I just need to get to the fall, when I always feel refreshed and renewed. Maybe there are people, places and things you just never get over, no matter how hard you try. I wish I knew. It's like there is this vague message being sent to me, from some far off place, telling me there is something I need to do, or experience. There is something waiting for me... but somehow... it doesn't feel like I can quite get there from here. Where I am now. Something needs to be different. You know? Am I wasting time here? Am I just filling empty time here?

I found out the other day that I am not getting DSL after all. It seems that even Earthlink, considers me a girl from the wrong side of the street. The lines they need in order to make DSL work are not on the side where I live. Sigh. Now I can get Comcast cable Broadband, but I don't want to. Nope. I swore that when I threw my cable box out the window, I would never do business with them again. And I won't. But there lies the trade off. Either I can go to what is currently available, or I sit, and wait, and hope DSL is eventually made available to me. Sigh. But do you really care? And is it petty to consider it one of my problems?

It's my opinion that we shouldn't try to play that game. We all own our problems, large or small. When will folks realize that we can't compare problems or accomplishments. My life is just that, my life. I shouldn't have to apologize for what's going right in it, or feel bad because my troubles don't fall to a certain level of drama or tragedy. But does sharing either make for good blogging? Would you rather read about the positives in a person's life or would you rather read about the same patterns of grief and displacement?

Personally, I read a what I think is a nice variety of blogs, some that make me laugh, some that make me feel less alone, and some that just show me the beauty in life. But I don't know. I just don't know what I have to offer. I guess while I continue to figure it all out, I will just keep doing what I am doing and see if everything doesn't begin to make sense again. I have given up on May, but June is just around the corner. Maybe then, maybe then. Right now everything just kinda reminds me of that old Barry Manilow song, "Ready To Take A Chance Again."

You remind me, I live in a shell,
safe from the past, and doing ok, but not very well
No jolts no surprises, crisis arises, my life goes along as it should
It's all very nice, but not very good.


Why does everything... everything... have to be a trade off?


-OndineMonet
"Weird"
Conservatory of Flowers
Golden Gate Park
San Francisco, California
February 14th, 2007
Afternoon

Friday, May 18, 2007

John Scalzi's Weekend Assignment #166: Rock Out

After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music."

-Aldous Huxley

Weekend Assignment #166: Name the three songs you listen to when you totally want to rock out. Note that they don't have to be rock songs - they can be in any genre whatsoever, and from any era. They just have to be the songs that get you pumped up and ready to go.

Extra credit: And name one song to cool you back down.

-John Scalzi (By The Way)

Only three? I could name many more than that, I love rock music, from every decade from the 50's up until now. :) Only three... hmmm... where shall I start?
I know, let's start with the Ramones...

1. Sheena Is A Punk Rocker. By Ramones.

Well the kids are all hopped up and ready to go now

They're ready to go now

They've got their surfboards

And they're going to the discotheque a go-go

But she just couldn't stay, she had to break away

Well New York really has it all, oh yeah, oh yeah

Sheena is a punk rocker, Sheena is a punk rocker, Sheena is a punk rocker now.

2. Rag Doll. By Aerosmith

"Every life has a measure of sorrow, and sometimes this is what awakens us."

-Steven Tyler (Aerosmith)


3. Jazzman. By Carole King

Lift me won't you lift me, above the old routines, make it nice, play it clean

Jazzman

When the Jazzman's testifyin' a faithless man believes

He can sing you into paradise, or bring you to your knees

It's a gospel kind of feeling, a touch of Georgia slide

A song of pure revival, and a style that's sanctified

Jazzman, take my blues away

Make my pain the same as yours, with every change you play

Jazzman, oh Jazzman...

And that is just three examples of different types of rock that I enjoy. I also love the Beatles, Rolling Stones, REM, B 52's. It's really difficult to name just three songs that get me going. :)

Extra Credit: Now when it comes down to something nice and relaxing, again I find myself with a long list of songs and music that bring me a little peace. I think I probably listen to Sting most often for something mellow, one of my favorite songs is, "If I Ever Lose My Faith In You," but I also have some favorite New Age music, by Dan Alvarez and Dennis Hysom, that I listen to when I do my meditation. One especially beautiful song by Alvarez/Hysom is, "Memory of Snow" from their "Ancient Voices" CD.

"It's not that you have a huge canvas to paint on, or a novel length to fill. You've got to tell the story in two verses a chorus and a coda and that takes some skill."

-Sting

-OndineMonet
"Music Store"
Santa Cruz, California
October 14th, 2006
Afternoon

Thursday, May 17, 2007

3 Out Of 5

"The point of philosophy is to start with something so simple as not to seem worth starting, and to end with something so paradoxical that no one will believe it."

-Bertrand Russell

LOL. If you click on my blog, as opposed to reading me through a syndication feed, you probably know that I have done a major amount of sidebar maintenance in the last 6 months. I have added some Google Gadgets that I thought would make Ellipsis more interesting to those who visit me, most recently I added the virtual cat "Maukie." If you haven't tried playing with Maukie, stop by my blog in person, and give it a try. :) While you are here visiting, give the Fortune Cookie Generator a try, usually it will provide you with some sort of positive affirmation, but sometimes it will lay it all on the line, such as with the above message it left for me recently. "Stay The Curse." LOL. Well, I guess the better the devil you know! LOL.

Anyway, I am happy with things in life over all, despite this being one of my least favorite years so far. As I was telling Sarah yesterday, there are a few things that continue to hurt my slightly damaged heart, and who knows if this is the best it will get, or if I will one day wake up and not feel that sadness? It's a mystery. Life is a mystery. So, in the mean time, how about a quizapalooza to fill the time? I took all five of the following quizzes, but what I want you to do is to choose 3 out of the 5 quizzes, do them, and then leave me your results in the comment thread for this entry. Simply click on the links below, to be redirected.


1. What Are The Chances That You've Been Abducted By Aliens?

2. Are You A Candy Heart Or A Candy Fart?

3. How Rare Is Your Personality?

4. If You Were Born in 2893...

5. What Kind Of Sundae Are You?


OK, your turn, take the quizzes. You know you want to! ;)

"Being a philosopher, I have a problem for every solution."

-Robert Zend

-OndineMonet


Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Round Robin Challenge: "Pink"

"One of the most important things for a critic to learn is how to sleep undetected in a theater."

-William Archer

Pink is my favorite color! It has been my whole life, although I am rather fond of green as well, but there is just something about pink that makes me feel happy inside. I am so pleased that someone chose such a happy color to honor. As I looked in my digital photo files for something pink, I realized something peculiar, it seems that while pink might be my favorite color, as it turns out, I have photographed very few things that are pink! Odd. I will have to work on that. I did come across a few examples that represent my favorite color well, such as the picture above of the, Fremont Theater, in San Luis Obispo, California. It is such a pretty theater, especially at night when all the lights are on. The next time I am in SLO, I will have to take more photos of this historic movie house. As a matter of fact, I have been thinking about doing a photo series of theaters this summer. My camera is always on the move... well... as much as I can find the energy for. :) I hope you enjoy the following examples of "Pink."

Fireworks at the Kaboom concert, May 2006.

Pink orchid at the Conservatory of Flowers, summer 2006.

Gorgeous pink/purple cliffs along the Monterey Bay, spring 2007.

Renee, author of the blog, "Ode to the Muse" chose this challenge for us. Thank you Renee, for the fun challenge! Please be sure to drop by her blog and the blogs of all our participants to see their entries for this challenge! And don't forget to drop by the official Round Robin blog this Thursday, to find out the topic for our next round of the challenges!



-OndineMonet

Linking List

1. Renee... Ode to the Muse
POSTED!

2. Karen... Outpost Mavarin
POSTED!

3. Carly... Ellipsis... Suddenly Carly
POSTED!

4. Kerrin... A New Day
POSTED!

5. Janet... Fond of Photograhy
POSTED!

6. Meg... In Quest of the Truth
POSTED!

7. Cosette... Birds of Venus
POSTED!

8. Marie... Photographs and Memories Too
POSTED!

9. Gina... Gina's Space
POSTED!

10. Teena... It's all about me!
POSTED!

11. Gattina... Keyhole Pictures
POSTED!


Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Your Monday Photo Shoot: The Letter "B"

"A gourmet who thinks of calories, is like a tart who looks at her watch."

-James Beard

Your Monday Photo Shoot: Take a picture of something beginning with the letter "B". That shouldn't be too brain-busting, right?

-John Scalzi (By The Way)

YUM! How about this for a "B" photo? A Banana Burrito, with chocolate-caramel sauce. This dessert is a favorite of ours, whenever we are in the mood to split an after meal treat. Where can you find this decadent dream dessert come true? Well, it is served at Don Jose's Mexican restaurant, in both Castro Valley, and Danville. All the food on the menu is fabulous, but this dessert is really something special. :) It's name may start with the letter "B" but it is definitely an "A" list menu item. :)

-OndineMonet
"YUM"
Don Jose's Mexican Restaurant
Danville, California
May, 2005
Afternoon

Monday, May 14, 2007

My Weekend Of Fun :)

"Even if happiness forgets you a little bit, never completely forget about it."

-Jacques Prevert

Here, as promised, are the photos I took this past weekend. It was fun to have Alan home on a weekend, it is a rarity with his job, so we made the most of it. We did a lot, shook off a lot of stress we have been feeling because of Elvis's diabetes, so it was a good time for us... all of us! I had planned to go over to San Francisco on Sunday to photograph the parts of a clipper ship, from the 1800's, which recently washed ashore on Ocean Beach, but by the time Sunday came around my energy level was simply too low. Sigh. The ship only surfaces about every 20 years, so I guess I will just have to plan on being available again in 2027. LOL. Stay tuned. :) For now enjoy the photos from the chili cook-off from Friday night, where I bought the yummy kettle corn you see in the above photo, the Rowell Ranch Rodeo Parade on Saturday morning and the Kaboom concert Saturday night!

Friday Night...

Hannah, of Java Bob's coffeehouse. She makes the best mocha's!

Hannah also made the best chili of the cook-off! We voted for them to win!

Saturday Morning...

Rowell Ranch Rodeo official website


Miss Rowell Ranch 2007, Amanda Delaplane.


"Chippy" The CHP officer.


Local traffic guy, Mike Inouye, NBC channel 11.


Castro Valley High Trojans Marching Band.

California "Teacher of the Year" Charles Reynes.

Alameda County Supervisor, representing Castro Valley, Nate Miley.

You don't see a unicorn every day!

:) Pretty Horse :)

Saturday Night...

KABOOM! KFOG 104.5

I look forward to the second weekend in May every year, it is a good chance to shake off all the worries and woes, and just kick back and have some fun. We needed that, and it paid off. I was finally able to give Elvis his injection, and I did it perfectly. That was a major weight lifted off me. After I failed twice to inject him properly, I considered not ever trying it again. I think all I needed was to take a step back and relax, and this weekend did that for me. I know it will all be fine now!

-OndineMonet

"Kettle Corn"

Java Bob's

20991 Redwood rd, Castro Valley (510-733-2627)

Sunday, May 13, 2007

Illumination Night

"In photography, there is no shadow which cannot be illuminated."

August Sander

I love fireworks. I love photography. But I really love working on my fireworks photography. :) Last night gave me a great opportunity to do just that. It was time again for the annual KABOOM concert and fireworks show, sponsored by KFOG 104.5. Great music, and an awesome extended fireworks show, was just what the doctor ordered. After the Rowell Ranch Rodeo Parade, we came home for a nap, then it was off to the music, and the Marin side of the Golden Gate, so I could get the fireworks, and the skyline of San Francisco together in the photos. Lots of wind made things somewhat difficult, but I was able to hold the camera in place with the tripod, with only a little resistance. The were some low clouds, and some of that famous San Francisco fog to deal with, but I think it adds a little something special to the feel of the photo. Overall I am happy with the results.

I am still fighting a cold, and I am exhausted, so I will probably be paying for my time out with the camera this weekend, but somehow my spirit feels a sense of wellness that it hasn't felt for a while. It has been a good weekend, and hopefully tomorrow, I will meet one more goal I have set for myself rounding things out nicely, and giving me something interesting to share with you. Wish me luck on that, my energy level is low tonight, but hopefully some sleep, and a warm sunny day tomorrow will bring about the energy I need. I can always rest next week. :)

Enjoy!


Here was my favorite song from the simulcast play list.

Shiny Happy People
By REM

Meet me in the crowd
People, people
Throw your love around
love me, love me
Take it into town
Happy, happy
Put it in the ground
Where the flowers grow
Gold and silver shine

Shiny happy people holding hands
Shiny happy people holding hands
Shiny happy people laughing

Everyone around
Love them, love them
Put it in your hands
Take it, take it
There's no time to cry
Happy, happy
Put it in your heart
Where tomorrow shines
Gold and silver shines




-OndineMonet
"Kaboom 2007"
May 12, 2007
Vista Point
Marin side of the Golden Gate