Round Robin Challenge: Two Halves Don't Make A Whole

"What is life? An illusion, a shadow, a story. And the greatest good is little enough; for all life is a dream, and dreams themselves are only dreams."

-Pedro Calderon de la Baraca

WOW Nancy, this challenge really put me through my paces! LOL. "Two Halves Don't Make A Whole" was suggested by Nancy, who authors the blog, "Nancy Luvs Pix," and boy oh boy was it challenging to me! It had me completely stumped, so much so, that I very nearly didn't participate, but in the end, I decided to step up and meet the challenge. After all, that is what a challenge is supposed to do, challenge us! To wussy out wouldn't be a very good example to set for the Robins, now would it? So, without further delay, I present to you my examples of photographs, or rather two halves of photographs put together, which just don't quite seem right.

I started with the picture at the top. I could have put the two halves of the Orange Nemesia in a more wacky fashion, but I thought it would be kind of nice to show the two different parts of the same photo, just taken with different settings on my digital camera. The same, but not really.

Look! Is that one wacky Scarecrow or what?

Hmmm... Is there something wrong with that tomato? Is it organic? Inquiring minds want to know!

Actually, it was an organic tomato, and it was delicious! Is there anything better then home grown vegetables? (Insert evil laugh here: BWAHAHAHAHA)

This challenge was fun! And hey, we are always looking for new ideas, so, if you have a good idea for an upcoming challenge, please send it to either Karen, Steven or myself, and we will add it to the RRC pool. You can find our email addresses on the sidebar of the official RRC blog. Now, to see what Nancy, and all the other participating Robins came up with, just follow the links below. You'll be glad you did.

:)


Linking List

1. Nancy... Nancy Luvs Pix
Posted!

2. Jama Hameed... Sweet Memories


3. Karen... Outpost Mavarin
Posted!

4. Sherrie... Sherrie's Stuff
**Welcome New Member** - Posted

5. Gina... Gina's Space
Posted!

6. Martha... Menagerie
Posted!

7. Connie... Far Side Of Fifty Photos
Posted!

8. Steven... (sometimes)photoblog
Posted!

9. Carly... Ellipsis
Posted!

10. Gattina... Keyhole Pictures
Posted!

11. Liz... Visual Counterpoint
**Welcome New Member** - Posted!


If you enjoy the Round Robin Challenges, you might have fun with the Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot as well. Check back here at my blog on Monday, for a new EMPS assignment!

-OndineMonet
"Orange Nemesia"
Berkeley, California
Summer 2008

Rock The Vote!

"I believe entertainment can aspire to be art, and can become art, but if you set out to make art you're an idiot."

-Steve Martin

I bet when you saw the title of this entry you thought it would be yet another long, boring rant about politics. Well, NOPE. See, this girl, thankfully, does not live by politics alone. I love entertainment. Not that politics can't be entertaining. Just try to sit through a Sarah Palin press conference, without breaking out into laughter! How many exclusive interviews did she do last week? 12 was it? And to the wicked, biased, liberal media! Go figure. Oh well, that's her/their problem. As for me, well, I am doing some stress busting, even as I type this, by listening to the soundtrack from Mama Mia!

La La La La...

You are the dancing queen, young and sweet only 17
Dancing queen, feel the beat from the tambourine
You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life
See that girl, watch that scene, digging the dancing queen.

-Dancing Queen by Abba

I think Mama Mia was my favorite movie this past summer. Look, it wasn't Meryl Streep's best movie, and it was a little funky with some timing, but it was fun, and that was important when I went to see it. I just wanted something to ease my terribly broken heart. Elvis's diagnosis was tremendously hard on both of us, so a momentary break was just what the doctor ordered. :) I sang along with the movie, and danced a little bit, and clapped along with the rest of the audience. It was nice. That is what entertainment is supposed to do, give you a temporary break from the harshness of reality. Right?

So, this morning as Regis & Kelly were discussing the People's Choice Awards, I wondered to myself how might an average person such as myself might be able to vote for my favorites? I had never voted before, but with the click of my mouse, I found the website, and for the first time, actually voted for my favorites to win a PCA! It was fun! In a few minutes, hopefully by the time you read this, you might see a little widget I picked up at the People's Choice Awards website, installed on my (work in progress) sidebar! :)

So tell me, have you ever voted for a movie, or song, or actor/actress to win a PC award? If so, have you voted this year? Who are you rooting for among this year's contenders? Do you have a favorite movie? Song? TV Show? I would love to know who you vote for. Go vote, then come back here and share!

Tell me everything. :)

People's Choice Awards

-Carly

Martha's A-Z Photo Challenge: N - O - P

"I take photographs with love, so I try to make them art objects. But I make them for myself first and foremost - that is important."

-Jacques Henri Lartique

Oh my goodness, where has the time flown? It seems I looked away for just a moment, and a month has gone by. The last letter I played for Martha's A-Z Photo Challenge was the letter M, and now she is up to the letter p! YIKES! So, in an effort to get caught up, and keep my promise to support her in her photo challenge, here are my entries for the letters, N, O, and P! Thanks for being so patient with me darling Martha. I am back on track now, and I should be on time from now on! And thanks again for helping me the other day, get all up to speed with things!

The large photo you see above is the letter "N." N - is for NEW YORK TIMES! I took that picture on Tuesday, November 4th. Election Day. After Alan voted, he and I kicked back at our favorite Starbuck's. I am hopelessly addicted to the news, politics and Starbuck's to the point I could use a support group for all three! LOL. My favorite warm morning beverages are the Caramel Apple Cider and the Hot Chocolate with Raspberry syrup. OMG! YUM! I don't indulge often, but on Election Day, with my nerves in tatters, it seemed like the thing to do. :) After I drank the warm, comforting beverage my blood glucose number was 89! :) Now that is the way to chase the bad blood away!


For the letter "O" I chose yet another photo of the new ORANGE tabby kitten in the house, Dylan. He is very patient, and extremely photogenic. It seemed like a purrfect fit! LOL.


And finally we come to the letter "P." Considering the time of year, I just had to show you a PUMPKIN don't you think? LOL. I love photographing pumpkins, I swear each one has a soul. Gourds are good people! Tee Hee.

:)

Martha is a sweetie, and her photo challenge is great fun. Have you tried it yet? If
not, you really should. Just drop by her place for all the details!

-Carly
"N Is For New York Times"
Starbuck's
Berkeley, California
November 4th, 2008
Morning

Caption Me! (A Contest) 11/12/08

"A new kitten will turn your house upside down, and at the same time make everything feel right."

-Unknown

I am working on the sidebar this week, and doing a lot of cleaning for Thanksgiving, which is creeping up faster this year then it did last year, so no deep political ranting today, or gourmet recipes, or any of my usual subjects for that matter, but what I do have is an impossibly cute photo of new kitten Dylan, just waiting for a clever caption. What do you think? Care to make a caption for the photo? Oh just go for it! The author of the winning caption will receive a mighty hefty pimping of their blog, and an original photo by me via email. You have until one week from today, November 19th, to submit a caption, along with your first name and the link to your blog. The winner will be announced on Friday, November 21st! Good Luck!

Note: All those who enter, will be listed on a Linking List, just for playing along. :)

-Carly
"The Wining Caption Goes Here"
Berkeley, California
November, 2008
Late Evening

Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #11: Windows

"Our senses are indeed our doors and windows on this world, in a very real sense the key to unlocking of meaning and the wellspring of creativity."

-Jean Houston NOW CLOSED!

EMPS #11: WINDOWS.
Windows. We look out of windows hoping to see something interesting. We look into windows hoping to see something interesting, although we have to be careful how interesting that something might be! LOL. We decorate windows inside and out with lights, and drapes, and shutters, and mannequins and flower boxes and political signs. We call the eyes "the windows of our soul." Some of us use the Windows operating system on our computers. Windows almost always need washing. Sometimes we get food from a drive-thru window. We roll down the windows in our cars to let the wind blow through our hair. Sometimes, it is a good thing to have a, "window of opportunity" to act on. We all have windows in our lives, so, for this week's photo shoot assignment, let's photograph them. :)

Extra Credit: Show me your world through your car window!

As always, you have until next Sunday evening at 9:00 PM Eastern time to submit your EMPS entry. All you have to do is post it to your blog or journal, and comeback here with the direct link to your EMPS entry. Please do not leave a general link to your blog, the link you leave must be specific to your entry.

Linking List for EMPS #10: Feet. 11/03/08

NOW CLOSED!

Judi shows us some beautiful feet, in some beautiful brown shoes. LOVELY!

Jama photographed the feet of her favorite niece, in her favorite shoes. :)

Karen shares the paws of her dog, the feet of her barbies and her feet next to her favorite shoes. A nice group of pictures to fit the theme! :)

Laura shows off some FABULOUS purple pumps, and her feet in them! GORGEOUS!

Connie, and her pal Chance, show us paws that don't need shoes, and feet that do, in boots! Brrrr... it's getting cold out there! :)

Martha photographed her feet, and the feet of others, in black & white! Very Arsty!

I really enjoyed seeing all those feet & paws! Good job everyone! :)

Ok, Go Be Photographers. Go Get The Photo. I will see you in one week, with a new assignment, and the links to all your WINDOWS!

-Carly

Getting My Act Together, While Chasing Leaves

"The secret of all victory lies in the organization of the non-obvious."

-Marcus Aurelius

I have been a bad little blogger lately. October, and the first part of November, have completely slipped away from me. But I am back now, and playing catch-up. Thanks for being patient with me, as I meandered my way through the loss of a pet, vacation, a nail biting election, a second AOL Exodus and the acquisition of two new kittens. It has all been something of a whirlwind! But now it is time to catch my breath, and get back to some serious blog jogging. My blogging plans for the coming weeks include some very overdue blog jogging, the posting of new photography, the major pimping of my favorite memes and the revamping of my sidebar.

I am thinking about completely changing my sidebar, so it reflects some of my newest photography and interests. I know my blog roll could use some work, so if you are a regular reader of mine, and you would like to be listed on my blog roll, leave me a comment with your name and blog address. If you are one of those who were a part of the AOL Exodus of 2008, I would appreciate it if you left me your new information, even if you think I already have it. It would be a big help in getting things organized. My goal is to have my sidebar done by the end of the year. Yikes! Can you believe it, we only have about 7 weeks left in 2008! Can you believe it? Ten, nine, eight, seven, six...

-Carly
"Golden Leaf"
Tilden Park
Berkeley, California
October 31st 2008
Afternoon