Oscar Time, A New Poll, And Thee...

"At least when Ronald Reagan rode off in the movies, into the sunset, he didn't take us with him."

-Walter Mondale

The Academy Awards is on tomorrow night (Sunday) do you know where your Black Tie attire is? LOL. Gosh I miss June's Oscar night parties sometimes. I guess sometimes I just still miss June. If you aren't sure who June is, she was a dear friend of mine who passed away a couple years ago. She was a snazzy lady, not perfect mind you, but she was funny, sharp as a tack, opinionated, compassionate, a pain in the butt, and the closest thing to a real mom I ever had. She was more of a mom to me then my real mother was. Sigh. Mostly she was my friend. If she were here, watching me miss her this much, she would tell me, "Oh Pook...snap out of it... go enjoy life." Ok June, I hear ya... :)

So, tell me, are you going to watch the Academy Awards this year? I think I will. I haven't seen many of the movies that were nominated, but I am thrilled to see Ellen DeGeneres on-board as host. She is so sweet, and so funny, and I think I will enjoy seeing someone with a lighter touch as host. I didn't particularly care for Jon Stewart last year, somehow he just didn't seem to have the timing down. LOL. Listen to me go on... almost like June and I are discussing the ins and outs of Oscar night, like we did for so many years. Sigh. Well, while I won't be putting on an evening gown and my best gorgeous shoes this year, I will still probably make something yummy to snack on, while I watch the show. If June were here, she would say, "It's a must."

In honor of the Academy Awards, I have placed a new Ellipsis Poll on the sidebar. Go take the poll. All of the movies listed are among my favorites, and I tried to put in a nice variety for you to choose from. You can view the results of last month's Ellipsis Poll here. Thanks everyone for the amazing response. It seems we all enjoy a good romantic song from time to time.

So tell me, what are your choices for this year's awards in the top categories?

Best Actor - Leonardo DiCaprio - "Blood Diamonds"
Best Actress - Helen Mirren - "The Queen"
Best Picture - "The Queen"
Best Song- "I Need To Wake Up" from "An Inconvenient Truth"
Best Supporting Actor - Mark Wahlberg - "The Departed"
Best Supporting Actress - Jennifer Hudson - "Dream Girls"
Best Director - Clint Eastwood - "Letters From Iwo Jima"

-OndineMonet
"Signs"
Berkeley, California
January 30, 2007
Afternoon

John Scalzi's Weekend Assignment #153: When Computers Attack

"My computer must be broken, whenever I ask a wrong question, it gives a wrong answer."

-Ashleigh Brilliant

Weekend Assignment #153: with one person but in fact were Share a story of true computer horror. Your computer blow up just before a big presentation? You forgot to take down a compromising picture before the in-laws come over? Ever thought you were IMingIMing someone else? Share! You'll feel better. Really.

Extra Credit: So, ever actually hit your computer in frustration?

-John Scalzi (By The Way)

Tee Hee. I am so boring. I have never really had a problem with my computer. While I jokingly refer to her as, "Megan," as in "this computer is making me crazy," she, in fact, has been very well behaved and quite fun to be around. In fact, she is my friend. LOL. I celebrate her birthday and everything. She is a Libra, same as my car, Lilith. :)

Oh there have been the occasional moments of frustrating computer incidents over the years, such as the time my beloved computer interacted with the wrong riff-raff computer and got a nasty virus. That was a nightmare in a half, but at the same time I learned about how important it is to run full virus scans... often. And there are times when it seems like it takes forever to get an Internet page to load. That is when I tend to make this little... GRRRRRRRRR... sound, which my cat Elvis has now picked up the sound, and tends to use it, during moments he finds frustrating. It's too funny to see and hear that little mutter coming from him, but at the same time, I am reminded about how little patience I have at times, especially when it comes to my computer. Sigh... something to work on I suppose.

Extra Credit: Hit Megan? Never... she is my friend... she shares the world with me, takes me to exotic lands, and allows me to see my friends and family whenever I want. She helped me find my pal H. P. in this big world, and she helps me keep in touch with, among others, Mr. November. No, even with all the frustration she can provide at times, I am pretty happy I have her. :) No worries.

-OndineMonet
"Megan"
Berkeley, California
Spring, 2005
Late Evening

In Search Of...

"A person without a sense of humor, is like a wagon without spring. It's jolted by every pebble on the road."

-Henry Ward Beecher

Ever have one of those weeks when, for whatever reason, you seem to be an unwilling observer/participant in other people's drama? You know... you see two motorists ready to duke it out, over the last available parking space, or two consumers, who insist that the last box of hemorrhoid cream on the shelf, is the very last one in the whole, wide world, and therefore they must conduct their silly twit fight over it, right there in the aisle that you had just chosen as a shortcut to the aisle with the antacid on it? Or some rabid neighbor decides to begin yelling at another neighbor about how offended they are about the politically incorrect homemade windsock they have hanging in their yard. I found it funny, but then again... you already know about my sense of humor. Tee Hee.

I FEEL STRESSED!

Although, I have to say, I am pretty sure I have someone up there (pointing to the heavens) who kinda likes me, because not only have I gotten some pretty good advice about how to break through this period of winter blues I am having, but two good friends of mine in the last couple days, who don't know each other, have made me laugh... OUT LOUD! Isn't that the best feeling? It's so important to have good people in your life, who always know when you simply need a kind word, or sometimes, no words at all. So thank you Mr. November, H.P, and the anonymous one, for helping me to be able to think again. :)

There are ways to take care of myself when I feel this way... restless... I am going to take one of my pals advice, and go tomorrow to find some spring, but I think I might challenge myself a bit further by trying to find moments of all four seasons through my camera lens, which might be a bit difficult, but will be good for my life focus. Yes... it's time to realign my life focus. Wish me luck! :) I will post the results of my adventure this weekend.

-OndineMonet
"Focus In The Light"
Conservatory of Flowers
Golden Gate Park
San Francisco, California
February 14th, 2007
Afternoon

Round Robin Challenge: Red

"When I am an old woman, I shall wear purple. With a red hat, which doesn't go and doesn't suit me. And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves. And satin sandals, and say we have no money for butter."

-Jenny Joseph

One day, in the spring of 2005, I went to the, Japanese Tea Garden, in Golden Gate Park, to take some photos of the new spring blossoms. The place was so alive with wisteria, and azaleas and cherry blossoms, but it was also alive with beautiful winged creatures, such as this red dragonfly. I had no idea dragonflies came in this color, so I was absolutely amazed and inspired, as I watched her float from lily pad to lily pad. Beautiful and graceful. I know I have shared her picture with you before, but really, when I think of the color red... I always think of her. :)

Here is another example of RED that I found with my camera, while visiting Alamo Square Park, in San Francisco. The park sits across the street from the famous, "Six Sisters," row of beautiful Victorian houses, so not only does it have one of the most stunning views of the city, but it also has a "Shoe Garden," which sits at the highest peak in the park. It's fascinating and magical to try and figure out, who may have contributed shoes over the years. Someday, I would like to donate a pair of my own shoes to the garden, just my little grab at immortality I guess. :)

Ruby Red Slippers, Alamo Square Park (Shoe Garden), San Francisco.

Thank you Pam, for challenging us with such a pretty subject. Pam is the author of the AOL journal, "My Photos," please be sure to pay her a visit to see her entry, and also check out the entries of the other participating Robins. Simply follow the links below. :) Don't forget to come by the official Round Robin Photo Challenge Blog on Thursday of this week, to find out what our next challenge will be. Hope to see you then. :)

Round Robin Linking List

1. Pamela... My Photos
POSTED!

2. Carly... Ellipsis... Suddenly Carly
POSTED!

3. Janet... Fond Of Photography
POSTED!

4. Karen... Outpost Mavarin
POSTED!

5. Schelle... Fractal Myth


6. Kimberleigh... I Shaved My Legs For This?
POSTED!

7. Suzanne R... New Suzanne R's Life
POSTED!

8. Linda (Lou)... Blah Blah Blog
POSTED!

9. Kerrin... Kerrin's Daily Photo
POSTED!

10. Gattina... Keyhole Pictures
POSTED!

11. Steven... (sometimes) photoblog
POSTED!

12. _rRose... WAIT-NOTYET-/
POSTED!

13. Julie... Julie's Web Journal
POSTED!

14. Nancy... Nancy Luvs Pics
POSTED!

15. Annie... The Lights Are On... But No One's Home
***WELCOME NEW MEMBER***

POSTED!
16. Gina... Gina's Space

POSTED!
17. John... Personal Effects
POSTED!

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

19. Patrick... Patrick's Portfolio
POSTED!

20. Brad... We-IS
POSTED!

-OndineMonet

Your Monday Photo Shoot: Such Great Heights

"I failed to make the chess team because of my height."

-Woody Allen

Your Monday Photo Shoot: Show off a picture taken from a height. "A height" you can define as "Higher that I could shoot by holding the camera over my head." Pictures from planes, from the observation decks of skyscrapers, from the roof of your house (although I don't want to put yourself in physical danger to take a picture) or wherever is up there in the air.

-John Scalzi

I know, I know, I have showed this view a few times before, but it is one of my favorite places to go, in all the world, to just get away from the noise in my head. This is the view from atop Twin Peaks, in San Francisco. The view you see is of San Francisco, the long street being Market street. To the right you see the lights of the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Bridge, and in the background you see the lights that dot the Oakland/Berkeley hills. Twin Peaks is 925 feet above sea level, and while I am actually kind of afraid of heights, I never feel frightened up here... I just feel really happy. :)


The View From The 9th Floor Of The Caltrans District
Office, Located In Oakland, California.

Now, if you want to talk about heights that scare me to death, it would be the one in the above picture. The funny part was that I didn't know I had a fear of heights, until I leaned over the railing to take this photo. YIKES! The world began to spin, I felt queasy, my head began to hurt, but by golly, that wasn't going to stop me from getting this shot, and so I took the photo, but I learned a little about myself in the process. OK, I am afraid of heights. Good. Now I can work on that fear, and perhaps there will be one less thing in my life that will give me stress. Make sense? So now, when I can, I try to visit places with observation decks, I look over the edge when I am on the roof of parking garages, and I ride in elevators that have a view. It's not always the easiest feeling in the world, but I at least feel like I am making progress in controlling my fears. :)

-OndineMonet
"High Above Market"
Twin Peaks
San Francisco, California
Spring, 2006
Evening