Round Robin Challenge: Camera Resolutions

"The other day when I was walking through the woods, I saw a rabbit standing in front of a candle making shadows of people in a tree."

-Stephen Wright

My pal Steven has chosen this Round Robin outing for us to come up with topics we would like to tackle here on the challenges in the future that will flex our photography muscle. The idea is to post a photo of one, and suggest two additional ideas, which makes three topics total. :) Here are mine...

1. The first one you see is "Earth Tones." Photograph any object that has a natural deep color to it. Here is a handy color chart that will be provided with the challenge. http://squarework.com/notebook/earth.html

2. "Safe & Secure." Photograph anything the makes you feel "Safe & Secure."

3. "Candlelight." Set up a scene, and photograph it by candlelight.

Be sure to follow the Linking List below, to find out what everyone else has come up with for future challenges, or better yet, come on and play along. All you have to do is visit the official Round Robin Blog for the details. Who knows, your idea might just be the next one chosen!

Linking List

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

2. Karen... Outpost Mavarin
Posted!

3. Monica... Photographer's Choice
Posted!

4. Terri... Ways I See The World
Posted!

5. Gina... Gina's Space


6. Linda... Mommie's Treasures
Posted!

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

8. Nancy... Nancy Luvs Pix
Posted!

9. Marina.. Milepebbles
Posted!

10. Annie... Pictures Of Craziness
Posted!

11. Sherrie... Sherrie's Stuff
Posted!

12. Julie... Julie's Web Journal
Posted!

13. Gattina... Keyhole Pictures
Posted!

14. Wammy... The Ellis Family Cincinnati


15. Vicki... Maraca
Posted!

16. Suzanne R... SuzyQ421's Photo Blog
Posted!

17. Kathy... Through The Viewfinder **Welcome New Member**
Posted!

18. Carly... Ellipsis
Posted!

-Carly
"Muted Cherries"
Berkeley, California
January 9th, 2009
Afternoon

Things I Think About While Wrapping Alan's Birthday Present

"A hug is the perfect gift; one size fits all, and nobody minds if it is exchanged"

-Unknown

It's a busy day around my house today. Alan is at a class, and I am not sure what time he will be home, so I have a million things to do before he gets here. Like make the pie for dessert tonight, and get the balloons from the party store. Should I get 47? Should I just get 4, one for each of us? Decisions, decisions. There's stuff going on everywhere, and it is all so interesting, not to mention the things happening in my little world, like the fact that I don't actually have kittens... I have flying monkeys! They look like kittens, but they fly. Kittens don't fly. LOL. Whatever they are... they are too cute, even when they are being bad. :)

Here's what else I am thinking about today...

1. "Joe The Plumber" is becoming a war correspondent? What? Huh?

2. I hate the skirt I am wearing, it tends to fly up a little too easily in public. So why am I wearing it?

3. There is a couple in New York going through a divorce, the husband donated his kidney to his wife in 2000, and now he wants it back. He claims she cheated on him, and therefore she needs to give the kidney back because of the pain and suffering she inflicted on him. I have felt like I lost a piece of myself over a break-up, but this is a taking it to a whole new level.

4. I really like the color green.

5. My toaster broke this morning. How did fate know I was craving a piece of cinnamon toast with my entire soul this morning?

6. Damn it... now I have to shop for a toaster!

7. We are going to see "Bride Wars" tonight at the movies. I love looking at wedding dresses. If the world ended tomorrow, and I was the last person on earth, I would totally raid wedding shops!

8. Tom Cruise is not all that!

9. David Duchovny is still all that. I hope he and Tea Leoni work things out.

10. I just love Dove Cucumber and Green tea stick deodorant.

11. Yes, I am wrapping the very manly gift I gave Alan for his birthday in Christmas paper because I couldn't find birthday gift wrap that I really liked. LOL. Thank you for asking. :)

12. The Tasmanian Devil has the strongest bite of any living mammal.

13. You say Ketchup, I say Catsup. Let's call the whole thing off.

14. MACY*S is closing 11 stores nationwide, due to the economy. If the government decided to expand the bailout to include retail, I would want them to be at the top of the list. Can you imagine Thanksgiving without the MACY*S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE? :(

15. I think Kevin James is a little bit hot!

16. I wish I could send a condolence card to John Travolta and Kelly Preston.

17. A young man from Hayward, Oscar Grant, was shot in the back and killed by a BART police officer, in the wee hours of January 1st. It is a tragedy that shouldn't have happened, and it seems that the authorities are dragging their feet in the investigation. Amateur video of the shooting has been playing on the news nearly every night since it happened, it was senseless. How could this young man be dead? If you are interested in seeing the videos and learning more about this story, click here.

18. I really need to get my hair cut. It grows so fast. No bangs. I look terrible in bangs.

19. I want to drop 15 pounds... anyone want to join me? If so, speak up. We'll do it together! It's always easier when you have a pal along for the fun.

20. La la la la...Time passages, there's something back there that you left behind, oh oh time passages, buy me a ticket on the last train home tonight. (Time Passages, by Al Stewart)

21. Pop Tarts have way too many calories for me, but goodness I could really go for one right now. Especially if it had some frosting on it.

22. I have exactly $3.56 in my wallet. LOL.

23. I just heard on the news that Long's is now laying people off, as the new jobless figures show that the unemployment rate is the highest in 16 years. It is now 7.2 percent.

24. I am going to do my holiday shopping for next Christmas a little at a time over this next year.

25. My after breakfast blood glucose reading is 96!

26. I wonder if Rod Blagojevich will resign, now that Illinois has moved to impeach him?

27. Sarah Palin seems to think that if she had been running on the democratic ticket, she would have been embraced. No Governor Palin... you wouldn't have! She just doesn't get it.

28. I wonder who Barack Obama will name to the office, George Bush created, Director of Lessons Learned? It pays $100,000 per year.

29. I can't find my blue notebook.

30. January 26th is National Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day! I better start planning... time is flying so fast, it will be here before I know it!

That's it. That's what I think about while I wrap Alan's present. How about you? What kind of randomness goes through your mind while doing a task or errand? If you want to... feel free to share! What do you think about while you read my blog?

-Carly
"Manly Christmas/Birthday Wrap"
Berkeley, California
January 9th, 2009
Morning

Facing Life Without George (Rated PG - 13)

"A diplomat is a man who always remembers a woman's birthday, but never remembers her age."

-Robert Frost

I have decided to tackle more then one subject in this entry. Short little vignettes, or Carly being random.

Better Than A Heating Pad!

I haven't posted in a couple days, because these cold days of January have been getting to me. My mood is good, but my arthritis is working overtime. Sigh. It's a little better right now as I write this, but I know that by this afternoon I will be sitting with the heating pad on my knee and lower back. It's not so bad, I usually get a few laughs watching the kittens at play. When Dylan first came to live with us, he was shy, and reserved, and really didn't play a lot. Hendrix was all play, so I was a bit worried about how well things were going to mesh. Now, as I type this, they are playing with the favorite box! Beautiful, growing like weeds, and brothers until the end. They make some happy noises! When they get tired, one or both come over to me, and sit on my knee. It's better then the heating pad, for both my arthritis and my soul.

And You Thought Life Would Be Boring Without Him!

Have you been following the senate race in Minnesota and the goings on regarding the senate appointment in Illinois? I am just amazed at what I have seen this election season! Although I don't know why... after all... it's politics! It seems to me that Roland Burris has a legitimate right to that senate seat. He hasn't been accused of doing anything illegal, but he is a bit of a thorn in the side of politicians who were embarrassed by the actions of Rod Blagojevich. Simply being a thorn isn't enough. Perhaps if being a thorn were enough, we could have gotten rid of George Bush without waiting for his retirement. Sheesh.

Just after the election was over last November, I kept hearing folks talk about how there was almost a bit of sadness that the whoopee cushion that was George Bush was going to be leaving the spotlight. Where would we turn for comic relief? Sarah Palin wouldn't even be around to carry on the NINCOMPOOP torch? What were we to do? I told those people, "Don't fret, we have only lost George Bush, we still have politics! We will always have politics!" And sure enough... I feel entertained this week anyway. LOL.

He's The Birthday Boy or Life With George!

Tomorrow is Alan's birthday, and I want to make it especially nice for him. This is the first year since the death of his brother, Daryl, and I know he has been missing him a lot lately. It is especially sad because they were born on the same day, 4 years apart. So it's Darryl's Birthday also. {{Weep}}. I loved that guy, and of course, so did Alan. All these feelings will be coming up again, as we approach the one year anniversary of his death. As hard as this all is, I really want to make Alan's birthday a nice one. I got him a George Foreman Next Generation Grill for his present, and I am making him a fresh cherry pie, his favorite, for dessert. After dinner we will go to the movies, with the second set of our Old Navy movie tickets. I think we are just going to take the day as it comes. It will be ok I think.

Reasons To Grill...

I have wanted to get him this grill for a long time. We like grilled foods, and it does drain a good bit of the fat and grease from the meat. I like BBQ foods, but there is so much in the news about the carcinogens from burned meat, so this little gadget seems like a good way to have that yummy flavor of grilled meat, only in a little healthier version. Also, I am afraid of fire, so I never do the BBQing, so this will be a nice way to surprise him with a big steak once in a while, especilly when there is something to celebrate. :)

Like Inauguration Day!

Alan and I are so relieved to have George Bush leaving office, we have decided to have a fancy special dinner that night... complete with champagne! I have been reading about people throwing big inauguration parties this year, in fact there seems to be more parties celebrating Obama's inauguration then there were on New Year's Eve. I suppose 2008 didn't leave folks with much to look back fondly on. A year of sorrow and loss. I am hoping that with the Inauguration will come a fresh, happy, new start. We know things will be getting worse, before it gets better, but at least we all see it coming.

Facing Life Without George

Will life be dull without George W. Bush? Perhaps. Just look at some of his quotes from times past...

"I don't know where Bin Laden is. I have no idea and I really don't care. It's not that important. It's not our priority."

-March 13, 2002

"So what?"

-George W. Bush, responding to an ABC News correspondent who pointed out that Al Qaeda wasn't a threat in Iraq until after the U.S. invaded, Dec 14th, 2008

"I'll be long gone before some smart person ever figures out what happened inside this Oval Office."

-Washington, D.C., May 12, 2008

I don't know about you, but I am looking forward to George Bush leaving Washington on January 20th. I can believe the damage that was done to America while he was president. I breaks my heart to think about the way he changed America, and the wedge he managed to drive between us. I don't know if Obama will be able to fix a lot of what's happened, but I still believe it might just be our best chance. And just think... it will all be getting much, much worse, before it gets better. That's a profound thought. Sigh.

We'll Always Have Rod Blagojevich

Oh well, Sarah Palin is the gift that keeps on giving, and we have Al Franken now as a senator from Minnesota, and in a pinch, we will always have Rod Blagojevich. The republican party seems a bit amused with that whole mess, and you know what? So am I! The appointment of Roland Burris to Barack Obama's senate seat was one last FUCK YOU for the road. It's the stuff of a bad paperback political thriller. LOL. I, for one, am eternally grateful for the amusement. GO ROD, GO ROD! And good luck Mr. Burris.

-Carly
"I Love You Deerly"
Christmas Fantasy In The Woods
Berkeley, California
December, 2008
Afternoon

Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #19: Nap Time

"What a better world it would be if we all, the whole world, had cookies and milk at about three o'clock every afternoon, and then lay down on our blankets for a nap."

-Barbara Jordan, quoting Robert Fulghum, in 1987, at Middlebury College

EMPS #19: NAP TIME.

THIS ASSIGNMENT IS NOW CLOSED!
Does anything feel better then a nice refreshing nap in the middle of the day? It feels especially nice on a cold winter day, so, here is your photography assignment for this week. Photograph what NAP TIME means to you! Do you have a favorite place to take a quick NAP? Does someone who lives with you take NAPS? If so, photograph them, with their permission of course, NAPPING away. How about your pets? My cats love a good NAP, maybe yours does too. If so, photograph them in mid-snore. Where do you NAP? Couch, bed or recliner... it's all good! Show me where you NAP! This week it is all about NAP TIME.

Extra Credit: Show me a favorite blanket, comforter, afghan, throw or pillow that is essential to your NAP TIME routine!

**PLEASE READ**

You have until next Sunday evening, at 9:00 PM ET to get your photo, post it to your blog, journal, or website, and then comeback here and leave me the direct link. Remember folks, I cannot accept hyperlinks. You can leave a hyperlink in addition to your full link, but you must remember to also leave me the full link back to the entry that is specific to this week's photo shoot assignment! Also, please include a link back here so other folks can find the assignment and play along as well. :)

Linking List for EMPS #18: Watching The Clock. 12/29/2008

NOW CLOSED!

1. Em Dy

2. Sherrie

3. Karen

4. Suzanne

5. Jama

6. Terri

7. Liz

8. Judi

9. Vicki

10. Wammy

We saw some gorgeous time pieces this week! Thanks for participating everyone!

Go Be Photographers! See you next Monday with an all new Photo Shoot Assignment!

-Carly

2 Good 2 B True

"Laws control the lesser man... Right conduct controls the greater one."

-Mark Twain

As of January 1st, 2009, it is no longer lawful to text message while driving, here in California. Last July a law went into effect that said that you must use only a hands free method while talking on your cell phone, so I am assuming that the specifics of text messaging weren't written into the law concerning cell phone use, and that's why there was a delay in putting into place a law specifically concerning texting. But when you think about it, shouldn't that have been covered in the original law, under the words, HANDS FREE DEVICE ONLY? Strange. Very Strange. I saw on my local news, that the hands free law is being broken right and left anyway, because the fine doesn't really amount to much, and there is at least a bit of resistance to new law. I love the excuses folks have been coming up with, when stopped by a CHP officer...

1. My dog ate my Bluetooth.

2. I have an ear ache.

3. People look at me funny.

4. My mother is hard of hearing, and she can't hear me very well when I use this thing.

5. The battery isn't working.

6. I can't hear my stereo as well.

7. Honestly officer, I just lost my Bluetooth out my window, like 5 minutes ago!

8. Law? What law?

I like driving, and yes, sometimes I like talking on my cell phone, while I drive. That's why I bought the phone. I hated the fact that I had to go out and purchase a device that made the whole experience hands free, because I can actually talk, and drive at the same time, and it felt a lot like I was being punished in a way, for the actions of other's who couldn't. But I was a good girl, and I went along with the law, but sometimes it seems like I am the only Schmuck who does. Just the other day I counted 5 cars, with folks behind the wheel, talking on their cell phones, and texting, while driving and it was not hands free. What's a girl to do?

Well, I mind my own business and daydream about laws, regulations and or officialness I would like to see on the books...

1. There must be a major tax exemption for anyone who owns a pet! If you own two, then you get even more money back.

2. If you annoy the majority of people, in at least one national poll, then you have to go away. Not die mind you, just slink back into the woodwork from which you came. So long Joe The Plumber! Goodbye Sarah Palin. You're outta here George W. Bush! Oh yeah, that's right, you're outta here anyway! (SMILE)

3. No more 4 years for a president. National elections should be held once a year. You have one full week to cast your vote, with April 15th being the deadline.

4. You should be able to surrender your pet at a firehouse, or police station or pet hospital, no questions asked. Folks are living in dire times, and pets are being abandoned along with the houses being foreclosed on. It's tragic.

5. Every third Thursday of the month, everyone needs to just stop whatever they are doing at 1:00 PM, take a death cleansing breath, and just shut the hell up for 5 minutes!

6. Smoking comes with a license. The $10.00 cost of the license goes directly to the American Cancer Society. Hopefully it would inspire folks to try to quit, and actually help curb underage smoking. Doesn't it just break your heart when you see a kid of 14, or so, smoking?

7. Chocolate really does need to be the official national food! Dark chocolate is actually good for you!

8. One night a week should be Television Classics night on at least one network. All wonderful old classic shows. I Love Lucy, Burns & Allen, The Phil Silvers Show, Our Miss Brooks. There are a lot to choose from.


What do you think? Are my dream laws for the birds, or is there one there you like? What fantasy law would you like to see on the books for 2010? Would it be a fun law, or a serious one? Share your ideas with me.

-Carly
"Life Goes On"
Berkeley, California
April 20th, 2005
Mid-Morning