Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #117: Historical Places

"If you want to understand today, you have to search yesterday."

-Pearl S. Buck







EMPS #117: HISTORICAL PLACES Now Closed!
I am a history buff! I love visiting places of HISTORICAL INTEREST. Here you see a picture of Alcatraz Island which used to be the home of Alcatraz Prison. It fascinates me, and captures my attention whenever I cross the bay, but, alas, I haven't actually been on the island there yet. Sometime I must play tourist and actually land on the THE ROCK. Now, I want to see the areas of HISTORICAL INTEREST in your area!

Extra Credit: Tell us, in a couple paragraphs, why you chose the particular PLACE OF HISTORICAL INTEREST!

Guidelines for Assignment Submissions...

1.The EMPS closes each Sunday evening at 9:00 PM (ET). No submissions will be accepted after that time.

2. Submit your entry by getting your photo, uploading it to you blog or website, and then comeback here and leave me your link in the comment thread. PLEASE REMEMBER... THE LINK YOU LEAVE MUST GO BACK TO AN ENTRY WHICH IS SPECIFIC TO THIS WEEK'S ASSIGNMENT! A general link to your site will not do and will not be added to the list of those participating the following Monday. HYPERLINKS ARE NOT ACCEPTED!

3. Please be sure to provide a link back to the assignment in your submission, so your readers can find the assignment and join us. Everyone is welcome to play along!

4. Please keep in mind that the image you submit for the EMPS assignment, must be your own original photography. NO LIFTING!

Please Note: I have set aside two days during the week for visiting your submissions. Thursday and Sunday, so look for me then!

Participation List for EMPS#116: Cold Beverages 03/21/11

Jama

Freda

Ruth

Karen

Nicely done this week everyone! I will be looking forward to seeing your entries for this week's assignment! See you next Monday! :)

-Carly

Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #116: Cold Beverages

"Without a Coka-Cola, life would be unthinkable."

-Henry Miller
The Air-Conditioned Nightmare













** We have a couple new participants this week, so, WELCOME!

EMPS #116: COLD BEVERAGES NOW CLOSED!

Do you have a favorite COLD BEVERAGE? I sure do, my very favorite COLD BEVERAGE is Coka-COLA Classic! I don't drink it as often as I would like, because I am a type 2 diabetic, but that's ok, Diet Cherry Coka-Cola comes in as a close second! How about you? This week, grab your favorite COLD BEVERAGE, whatever it might be, and photograph it. Iced tea, milk, Iced coffee, Lemonade, vodka on the rocks, it's all good!

Extra Credit: Pepsi or Coke? Tell us why!


Guidelines for Assignment Submission...

1.The EMPS closes each Sunday evening at 9:00 PM (ET). No submissions will be accepted after that time.

2. Submit your entry by getting your photo, uploading it to you blog or website, and then comeback here and leave me your link in the comment thread. PLEASE REMEMBER... THE LINK YOU LEAVE MUST GO BACK TO AN ENTRY WHICH IS SPECIFIC TO THIS WEEK'S ASSIGNMENT! A general link to your site will not do and will not be added to the list of those participating the following Monday. HYPERLINKS ARE NOT ACCEPTED!

3. Please be sure to provide a link back to the assignment in your submission, so your readers can find the assignment and join us. Everyone is welcome to play along!

4. Please keep in mind that the image you submit for the EMPS assignment, must be your own original photography. NO LIFTING!

Don't forget to leave your name, or online handle, so I can add you to the participation list and give you a proper WELCOME! :)

Please Note: I have set aside two days during the week for visiting your submissions. Thursday and Sunday, so look for me then!

Participation List for EMPS #115 Cell Phone Photos 03/14/11

1. Karen

2. Ruth

3. Jama

4. JR Cline

5. **Seedsower

6. **New Player

Great turnout this week! I am so pleased you enjoyed the assignment! That's it for now, you have your assignment and I look forward to seeing your awesome photos! See you next Monday with an all new assignment!

-Carly

Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #115: Cell Phone Photos

"To be happy in this world, first you need a cell phone and then you need and airplane. Then you're truly wireless."

-Ted Turner






EMPS #115: CELL PHONE PHOTOS Now Closed!
Almost everybody has a CELL PHONE today, and most of them come with some pretty awesome cameras! Let's show off what our CELL PHONE cameras can do. Instead of using your usual camera, grab your CELL PHONES and take a CELL PHONE PHOTO! If by any chance you don't own a CELL PHONE with a CAMERA, then feel free to show me a PHOTO from any other source, such as an old CAMERA, or any CAMERA other then your usual one.

Extra Credit: Show us your favorite CAMERA ACCESSORIES!


Guidelines for Assignment Submission...

1.The EMPS closes each Sunday evening at 9:00 PM (ET). No submissions will be accepted after that time.

2. Submit your entry by getting your photo, uploading it to you blog or website, and then comeback here and leave me your link in the comment thread. PLEASE REMEMBER... THE LINK YOU LEAVE MUST GO BACK TO AN ENTRY WHICH IS SPECIFIC TO THIS WEEK'S ASSIGNMENT! A general link to your site will not do and will not be added to the list of those participating the following Monday. HYPERLINKS ARE NOT ACCEPTED!

3. Please be sure to provide a link back to the assignment in your submission, so your readers can find the assignment and join us. Everyone is welcome to play along!

4. Please keep in mind that the image you submit for the EMPS assignment, must be your own original photography. NO LIFTING!

Please Note: I have set aside two days during the week for visiting your submissions. Thursday and Sunday, so look for me then!

Participation List for EMPS #114: Mardi Gras 03/07/11

Karen

Jama

Well done Karen and Jama! :) Thank you so much for your patience! You guys are super! Now, on to our next assignment! See you next week with an all new photo challenge!

-Carly

Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #114: Mardi Gras

"Not even Katrina could stop Mardi Gras"

-Tony Scott












Hi Folks! As it turns out Alan and I didn't move after all! Actually, that's not accurate, we have moved twice in one week! I will explain fully in a post later this week, but needless to say the last couple weeks have been a HUGE ADVENTURE! Basically, last Monday was supposed to be our last day in the cottage in Berkeley. As we spent the day taking care of the final packing and cleaning, we were pretty much good to go, when the phone rang and our new landlord informed us that something had happened and he couldn't rent to us after all! It's a mess. A BIG MESS. Anyway I will share more details later, so stay tuned! In the meantime, I will be around to visit your entries per our usual schedule... I promise! Now, on to the assignment...

EMPS #114: MARDI GRAS NOW CLOSED!

MARDI GRAS is this week, so put on your mask, grab some beads, and your camera, of course, and let's go to CARNIVAL! Anything associated with MARDI GRAS will work fine. Are you making a special MARDI GRAS inspired meal? Photograph it! Do you have a collection of beads from a MARDI GRAS past? Show them to us! You get the idea... lets get our party on!

Extra Credit: Title your photograph for this assignment!


Guidelines for Assignment Submission...

1.The EMPS closes each Sunday evening at 9:00 PM (ET). No submissions will be accepted after that time.

2. Submit your entry by getting your photo, uploading it to you blog or website, and then comeback here and leave me your link in the comment thread. PLEASE REMEMBER... THE LINK YOU LEAVE MUST GO BACK TO AN ENTRY WHICH IS SPECIFIC TO THIS WEEK'S ASSIGNMENT! A general link to your site will not do and will not be added to the list of those participating the following Monday. HYPERLINKS ARE NOT ACCEPTED!

3. Please be sure to provide a link back to the assignment in your submission, so your readers can find the assignment and join us. Everyone is welcome to play along!

4. Please keep in mind that the image you submit for the EMPS assignment, must be your own original photography. NO LIFTING!

Please Note: I have set aside two days during the week for visiting your submissions. Thursday and Sunday, so look for me then!

Participation List for EMPS #113: Ooops! 2/25/11

1. Karen

See you all next week, with an all new assignment!

-Carly

Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #113: Ooops

"Take chances, make mistakes. That's how you grow. Pain nourishes your courage. You have to fail in order to practice being brave."

-Mary Tyler Moore












EMPS #113: OOOPS! NOW CLOSED!
Hmmm... it would seem that the above photo is a little bit too large for this entry... OOOPS! You get the idea here, right? I am looking for some OOOPS. OOOPS are also called MISTAKES, FOLLIES, FOIBLES, AND ERRORS. All will do just fine for the purposes of this assignment. Think outside the box on this one. Go for the OOOPS!

Extra Credit: Show me something PERFECT!


Guidelines for Assignment Submission...

1.The EMPS closes each Sunday evening at 9:00 PM (ET). No submissions will be accepted after that time.

2. Submit your entry by getting your photo, uploading it to you blog or website, and then comeback here and leave me your link in the comment thread. PLEASE REMEMBER... THE LINK YOU LEAVE MUST GO BACK TO AN ENTRY WHICH IS SPECIFIC TO THIS WEEK'S ASSIGNMENT! A general link to your site will not do and will not be added to the list of those participating the following Monday. HYPERLINKS ARE NOT ACCEPTED!

3. Please be sure to provide a link back to the assignment in your submission, so your readers can find the assignment and join us. Everyone is welcome to play along!

4. Please keep in mind that the image you submit for the EMPS assignment, must be your own original photography. NO LIFTING!

Please Note: I have set aside two days during the week for visiting your submissions. Thursday and Sunday, so look for me then!


-Carly

Be Right Back...

"I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I am not sure you realize that what you head is not what I meant."

-Robert McClosky

The quote for this post describes, quite accurately, how the communication between Alan and I sometimes goes. Especially as we are smack dab in the middle of the move! So, as I mentioned last week, we will be skipping the Monday Photo Shoot for this week. The new Internet connection at my new place is scheduled for Friday, the 25th, so, with fingers crossed, we will be resuming on Monday, February 28th. I have scheduled assignment #113 to publish on the 28th, and, in fact, each additional EMPS assignment for several weeks after that. I am sure all will go well with the installation, but in case there is a snag, just play amongst yourselves, and I will be back soon!

Participation List for EMPS #112: Love 02/14/11

Ruth

Freda

Greg

Jama

Karen

Vicki


The photo you see above was taken at the Berkeley Marina. It was at the end of a very hot summer day. The cool breeze off the bay can be a little piece of heaven on summer days. The bridge you see in the background is the Golden Gate Bridge. It's scenes like this I will miss the most. I am only moving about 20 minutes away, and Hayward has a shoreline to, but instead of photographing the Bay Bridge, and the Golden Gate, I will have to get used to photographing the San Mateo/Hayward bridge instead. :) New horizons! New photo opportunities!
See you on Monday, February 28th, with an all new assignment!


-Carly ;)

Don't forget, the Round Robin Photo Challenges and the Weekend Assignment is always looking for new participants! If you haven't played before, why don't you give it a whirl! Karen would love to have you join in!

Weekend Assignment (Karen posts a new assignment each week!)

Round Robin Photo Challenges (A new challenge posted twice a month)

Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #112: Love

"It takes a minute to have a crush on someone; an hour to like someone and a day to love someone... but it takes a lifetime to forget someone."

-Unknown





PLEASE NOTE: WE WILL BE SKIPPING NEXT WEEK'S ASSIGNMENT. THE MONDAY PHOTO SHOOT WILL RESUME ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28TH! :) THERE WILL BE A PARTICIPATION LIST POSTED, SO BE SURE TO CHECK BACK FOR THE LINKS.

EMPS #112: LOVE NOW CLOSED!
Today is Valentine's Day, so why not celebrate LOVE?! Romantic LOVE is good, but if romance isn't really your thing, then other loves will do fine. That's the nice thing about Valentine's Day, it's not just about romance, it can be about other types of LOVE, such as LOVE between friends and LOVE of your children. LOVE of your pets. In fact, lets also include LOVE of your community. LOVE of your favorite movie, or even LOVE of reading or photography. Think about this assignment, and interpret as you see fit. Just show me the LOVE!

Extra Credit: Let's see the flip side, show me HATE!

Guidelines for Assignment Submission...

1.The EMPS closes each Sunday evening at 9:00 PM (ET). No submissions will be accepted after that time.

2. Submit your entry by getting your photo, uploading it to you blog or website, and then comeback here and leave me your link in the comment thread. PLEASE REMEMBER... THE LINK YOU LEAVE MUST GO BACK TO AN ENTRY WHICH IS SPECIFIC TO THIS WEEK'S ASSIGNMENT! A general link to your site will not do and will not be added to the list of those participating the following Monday. HYPERLINKS ARE NOT ACCEPTED!

3. Please be sure to provide a link back to the assignment in your submission, so your readers can find the assignment and join us. Everyone is welcome to play along!

4. Please keep in mind that the image you submit for the EMPS assignment, must be your own original photography. NO LIFTING!

Please Note: I have set aside two days during the week for visiting your submissions. Thursday and Sunday, so look for me then!

Participation List for EMPS #111: Walking Away 2/7/11

1. Greg

2. Ruth

3. Jama

4. Karen


It was fun to see so much enthusiasm for our last assignment! Let's keep up the good work! See you next Monday with an all new photo assignment!

-Carly

If you like the EMPS, you would also enjoy...

Round Robin Photo Challenges (Played every other Saturday)

Weekend Assignment (New assignments each week)

Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #111: Walking Away

"The single most powerful too for winning a negotiation is the ability to get up and walk away from the table without a deal."

-Unknown



Before we begin, I want to share with you, in case you don't already know, I am in the process of moving to a new house. Alan and I will be in full packing mode for the next several weeks. I want to apologize in advance if I don't get around to visiting your entries. I will be in the new place as of March 1st, and things will be back to normal soon after. So, please be patient with me m'dears! :)

EMPS#111: WALKING AWAY NOW CLOSED!
Easy, easy, easy! Show me someone, or something, or a group of someones, or somethings WALKING AWAY!

Extra Credit: Show me a photo of someone or something coming toward you!

Guidelines for Assignment Submission...

1.The EMPS closes each Sunday evening at 9:00 PM (ET). No submissions will be accepted after that time.

2. Submit your entry by getting your photo, uploading it to you blog or website, and then comeback here and leave me your link in the comment thread. PLEASE REMEMBER... THE LINK YOU LEAVE MUST GO BACK TO AN ENTRY WHICH IS SPECIFIC TO THIS WEEK'S ASSIGNMENT! A general link to your site will not do and will not be added to the list of those participating the following Monday. HYPERLINKS ARE NOT ACCEPTED!

3. Please be sure to provide a link back to the assignment in your submission, so your readers can find the assignment and join us. Everyone is welcome to play along!

4. Please keep in mind that the image you submit for the EMPS assignment, must be your own original photography. NO LIFTING!

Please Note: I have set aside two days during the week for visiting your submissions. Thursday and Sunday, so look for me then!


Participation List for EMPS #110: Friendship 01/31/11

Freda

Jama

Karen

Nice job! You are really inspiring me, this year, with your wonderful photography! Keep up the good work! See you next Monday with an all new assignment!

-Carly

Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #110: Friendship

"A friend is someone who understands your past, believes in your future, and excepts you just the way you are."

-Unknown







EMPS #110: FRIENDSHIPS NOW CLOSED!
Okay, folks lets celebrate the FRIENDSHIPS in our lives. So me your best friends. Animal FRIENDS. Human FRIENDS. Old FRIENDS. New FRIENDS. Sometimes I call my favorite comfy, cozy sweater my BFF, so, if you want, you can do the same. Feel free to be creative with your interpretations. It's all good.

Extra Credit: Show me 3 different types of friendships.

Guidelines for Assignment Submissions...

1.The EMPS closes each week at 9:00 PM (ET). No submissions will be accepted after that time.

2. Submit your entry by getting your photo, uploading it to you blog or website, and then comeback here and leave me your link in the comment thread. PLEASE REMEMBER... THE LINK YOU LEAVE MUST GO BACK TO AN ENTRY WHICH IS SPECIFIC TO THIS WEEK'S ASSIGNMENT! A general link to your site will not do and will not be added to the list of those participating the following Monday. HYPERLINKS ARE NOT ACCEPTED!

3. Please be sure to provide a link back to the assignment in your submission, so your readers can find the assignment and join us. Everyone is welcome to play along!

4. Please keep in mind that the image you submit for the EMPS assignment, must be your own original photography. NO LIFTING!

Please Note: I have set aside two days during the week for visiting your submissions. Thursday and Sunday, so look for me then!

Participation for EMPS #109: Garbage 01/24/2011

Ellen

Ruth

JR Cline

Jama

Karen

Have an excellent week with the camera. I will be looking forward to your entries this week! See you back here next Monday with an all new assignment.

Hey, by any chance have you played the Round Robin Photo Challenges or the Weekend Assignment lately? If you haven't you really should be! Karen hosts them both and both are unique ways to express your creativity! Go have a look see, or better yet, join in!

Weekend Assignment

Round Robin Photo Challenges for 2/13/11 "True Colors"

-Carly

RRC: Goodbyes

"Goodbye isn't painful, unless you're never going to say hello again."

-Unknown

Never say NEVER. :)

Structure vs GOODBYE

If you are like me, you will avoid change at ALL COST. You will stay in relationships that drive you crazy. Stay in homes that fall down around you. Refuse to give up cassette tapes for those newfangled CDs. Order the same damn thing at all your favorite restaurants. Refuse to throw away a ragged old moth chewed on sweater because it just seems to "get you." LOL. You will eat your meals at the same time each day. You will do your laundry on one specific day each week, for me that day would be Thursday. But you get the picture... change BAD!

I realize that I lead an overly structured life. And I realize that the paragraph above refers to structure more then it does GOODBYES, but to me, GOODBYES cause my structured world to become discombobulated. Not the end of the world, but it makes me feel like an alien until I readjust myself to accept my new circumstances. I suppose I am obsessive/compulsive, but it's in a good way I think. For example, if you invite me for dinner, I will never be late! LOL.

Hello/Goodbye...

Whatever the reason, to me, the worst of all blows to my equilibrium is GOODBYES. YEARS ago, as Mr. November was running, screaming from my life we had a conversation about GOODBYES. I told him that once I find something I put in roots. He laughed. I guess it was the mental picture of me, at 4 ft 11 having grown roots! Which would make me seem taller... right? LOL. I have to admit, I laughed too, but on the inside. I wasn't going to give up in the moment and admit that sometimes GOODBYES are really necessary. When it came to that GOODBYE, I pulled the emotion off like a band-aid. Quick and painful, but then it healed in time and now there is no scar... just the memory of someone I really loved and the time as it was.

This Next Part Will Make You Laugh...

Raise your hand if you miss the HELL out of Keith Olbermann! LOL. I watched that man faithfully each night while I fixed dinner. Oh MY GOD... how that man could seduce my ears with all that beautiful PROGRESSIVE talk and values. LOL. NOTHING TURNS ME ON LIKE TALKING POLITICAL PROGRESSIVENESS! LOL. I am teasing... somewhat... but not completely. I appreciated K.O. for the truths he shined a light on, but for one of the best elements of his show... "Fridays With Thurber." After a long week, when stuff in the world would go wrong, or something stupid would happen to me, like the time Alan fell on me, no matter what had happened, my Fridays would come to a gentle close as Keith read Thurber, and suddenly everything made sense again!

A week ago Keith made one of those band-aid GOODBYES like the one I had with Mr. November. The only difference was there was NO animosity with Mr. November, just a wish from both of us that we would find the roads we both needed to be on. Keith's was more of a F&$K Y^%$. We, the viewers, suddenly had the rug pulled out from under us. One of my friends lamented "what do I do now? I laughed to myself and replied... "I know I am lost too." LOL. "Who is going to help me fix dinner now?" Not really thinking about how much better Keith's life probably is now, just who is going to help me fix dinner. LOL. There is a selfishness in GOODBYES that can happen on both sides.

Goodbye To The Music...

In just a little over a month, I will be saying goodbye to my beloved cottage in the Berkeley hills, for a lovely little cottage 19 miles away in Hayward. I am going to miss this place. I have been here 10 years. We moved in with Elvis... the biggest GOODBYE I have ever said ... and we will be leaving with Dylan and Hendrix... my BIGGEST HELLO ever! One morning, not too long after we first moved in, I was sleeping like a baby in this cottage, when the phone rang. It was 9/11/01 at 9:08 AM. The voice on the phone was Alan telling me what had happened. I will never forget opening the back door, just off the kitchen, and hearing complete silence. No planes taking off from the Oakland airport. No dogs barking. No birds singing. Just quiet. It was surreal. Everybody in the area was glued to the TV, watching the news, and waiting to see what came next.

It was so quiet.

Late in the afternoon, of Tuesday September 11th, 2001, the silence was broken when the Ethereal Musician began playing "America" on his saxophone. It was the only sound outside.It meant a lot to us to hear him playing that song, at that particular moment. Of all the elements of living in this cottage, I will miss the Ethereal Musician the most. I have never met him, I don't even quite know from which direction the music comes from, all I know is that it did, and many times it brought me such comfort. Sometimes it made me smile, sometimes it made me cry a little, but in a good way. It's hard to say GOODBYE to that presence. Actually, it's almost impossible. I don't know what I will do. I guess I will be ok... but I will always smile when I think of him.

At least I think it's a him... could be a her... but somehow... I think it's a him.

Goodbye Little Birdies...

Saying GOODBYE to the Round Robins isn't easy either. I will miss choosing a subject for you, and getting together with Karen to see how we can make it better project for all of you. It is a project I am proud of. I am not sure if you know this, but the RRC was Karen's idea. It all came about because she was being a good friend to me. I was a little down in dumps, and she suggested a photography challenge between she and I. I took the challenge, and then she did one I suggested, and pretty soon some friends asked to join us, and the Round Robin Challenges was born! I don't remember what I said GOODBYE to in order to say HELLO to the challenges every 2 weeks, but whatever it was, it didn't matter. Something special had begun.

Sometimes HELLOS upset my equilibrium in really good ways. :)

Great... now I have Hello/Goodbye by the Beatles in my head! Sheesh I'm simple. LOL.

It's not really GOODBYE. I will still be around. I will be playing along with the challenges once in a while, and I still have the Monday Photo Shoot. If you want to play along, you are more then welcome to join in. Check out this blog each Monday morning... at exactly 12 midnight ET... for our next Monday Photo Shoot assignment. Whoops... there goes that structure stuff again!

:) Thanks for all the fun everyone... GO BE PHOTOGRAPHERS! Love ya!

Now that you have read my entry, go check out what my fellow Robins are up to! Just click on the links below!

**Welcome to our NEW PARTICIPANTS!

Carly...Ellipsis
Posted!

Karen... Outpost Mavarin
Posted!

Monica... Shutterly Happy - The Photo Blog
Posted!

Freda... Day One
Posted!

**Kelley... Silent Serenade


**Analee... Sugar & Spice And Everything Gneiss
Posted!

Jama... Sweet Memories
Posted!

Flashbulb 100w


Peg... Who Can Discover It?
Posted!

Vicki... Maraca
Posted!

Julie... Another Chance Ranch
Posted!

Gattina... Keyhole Pictures
Posted!

-Carly

Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #109: Garbage Day

"I've lived through the garbage, I might as well dine on caviar."

~Beverly Sills










EMPS#109: GARBAGE DAY NOW CLOSED!
Into each life, a GARBAGE DAY must come. At the moment, my GARBAGE DAY is Thursday, and it consists of rolling my receptacle down a long private driveway. But that's my experience, now I want to see yours! Big cans. Little cans. Duck shaped cans, that open their beaks when something needs to be discarded. Big industrial cans. Teeny tiny waste baskets... it's all good. So show me already! Don't be afraid to get artistic. Think outside the box. Have fun. Look at GARBAGE DAY in a new way, through your camera's lens!

Extra Credit: Sometimes we see odd items that have been discarded somewhere other then a proper garbage receptacle. Tell us, in a couple paragraphs, about the strangest thing you have ever seen or found after it had been thrown away.

Guidelines for Assignment Submission...

1.The EMPS closes each week at 9:00 PM (ET). No submissions will be accepted after that time.

2. Submit your entry by getting your photo, uploading it to you blog or website, and then comeback here and leave me your link in the comment thread. PLEASE REMEMBER... THE LINK YOU LEAVE MUST GO BACK TO AN ENTRY WHICH IS SPECIFIC TO THIS WEEK'S ASSIGNMENT! A general link to your site will not do and will not be added to the list of those participating the following Monday. HYPERLINKS ARE NOT ACCEPTED!

3. Please be sure to provide a link back to the assignment in your submission, so your readers can find the assignment and join us. Everyone is welcome to play along!

4. Please keep in mind that the image you submit for the EMPS assignment, must be your own original photography. NO LIFTING!

Please Note: I have set aside two days during the week for visiting your submissions. Thursday and Sunday, so look for me then!

Participation List for EMPS #108: Sugary Goodness. 01/17/11

Ruth

Jama

Well done! Okay, see you next week!

-Carly

Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #108: Sugary Goodness

"I went to the bank and asked to borrow a cup of money. They said, 'what for?' And I said, 'I'm going to buy some sugar.'"

-Stephen Wright







EMPS #108: SUGARY GOODNESS! NOW CLOSED!
YUM... SUGARY GOODNESS! It's been a stressful week, and when I get the jitters... I bake! LOL. What is my favorite thing to bake? Why SUGARY GOODNESS of course! Most of the time I make the SUGARY GOODNESS with a sugar substitute, which, of course, still provides some SUGARY GOODNESS! But with less guilt! ;) If like me, you can't partake of refined sugar as often as you would like, feel free to show me your favorite SUGARY GOODNESS of the substituted kind. Splenda. Equal. Fructose. Sucrose. Cane Sugar. Brown Sugar. Honey. Raw Sugar. Liquid Sugar. Spun Sugar. Powdered Sugar... it's all good!


Extra Credit: Show me something SALTY that you enjoy as a snack!


Guidelines for Assignment Submissions...

1.The EMPS closes each week at 9:00 PM (ET). No submissions will be accepted after that time.

2. Submit your entry by getting your photo, uploading it to you blog or website, and then comeback here and leave me your link in the comment thread. PLEASE REMEMBER... THE LINK YOU LEAVE MUST GO BACK TO AN ENTRY WHICH IS SPECIFIC TO THIS WEEK'S ASSIGNMENT! A general link to your site will not do and will not be added to the list of those participating the following Monday. HYPERLINKS ARE NOT ACCEPTED!

3. Please be sure to provide a link back to the assignment in your submission, so your readers can find the assignment and join us. Everyone is welcome to play along!

4. Please keep in mind that the image you submit for the EMPS assignment, must be your own original photography. NO LIFTING!

Please Note: I have set aside two days during the week for visiting your submissions. Thursday and Sunday, so look for me then!

Participation List for EMPS #107: Gateways 01/10/11

Freda

Jama

Greg

JR

Karen

Okay, good job everyone! Nice turnout! Have a good week! I will see you back here, next Monday, with an all new assignment!

-Carly

Glooopy Glooop Gloop

"It has always been my private conviction that any man who pits his intelligence against a fish and loses has it coming."

~John Steinbeck

There is a time to rant, and a time not to rant. That's not biblical or anything, lol, it's just my personal philosophy. :) Time for balance. Nothing makes me feel quite as good as seeing beautiful creatures, doing their thing. Fishes swimming, kitty cats chasing imaginary mice. Puppy dogs running after a stick, or enjoying a swim in a pond. It's relaxing and safe to step into their world for a bit. Here you have sea creatures, which I photographed at the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park, just swimming about, doing sea creature things.

Beautiful. Quiet. Sea Creature pursuits.

It was a good day.

I am glad I had this in my archives to help refocus my thoughts and energy toward something a little more positive. Balance in all things.

Oh, about the title. Glooopy Glooop Gloop is the sound I imagine when I think of swimming. You know... gloooopy gloooop gloop.

:)

-Carly

Note: This was one of the things Alan and I did on our vacation last October. I will be sharing more about our vacation in the days and weeks to come. It was a lot of fun and very relaxing. Hope you enjoy the photo. :)

Poor Sarah

Sarah Palin: "America's Enduring Strength" from Sarah Palin on Vimeo.

"It may be tempting and more comfortable to just keep your head down, plod along, and appease those who demand: 'Sit down and shut up,' but that's the worthless, easy path; that's a quitter's way out." --Sarah Palin, announcing her resignation as governor, July 3, 2009


This woman is DANGEROUS... but you already knew that. This woman is, at best, INSENSITIVE... but you already knew that. This woman doesn't understand THE WORLD... but you already knew that. This woman has NO regard for the EARTH or for LIFE... but you already knew that. This woman has ALIGNED HERSELF WITH AND GLORIFIED VIOLENCE IN ALL ASPECTS OF HER PERSONAL AND PUBLIC LIFE, but you already knew that. This woman is IRRESPONSIBLE with her WORDS AND HER ACTIONS... but you already knew that. This woman represents the very worst of the human condition... but you already knew that.

Sarah Palin truly believes that words have no meaning. Unless SHE is the one speaking. She believes that all her troubles stem from a liberal media who either misquotes her, or, in her words, commits a "blood liable" against her. As a Jewish person, I find her use of that phrase hurtful and unfortunate.

Poor Sarah... the world doesn't understand her pain. Poor Sarah... the world doesn't understand her need for attention. Poor Sarah... the world doesn't understand her.

I suppose she didn't hear that it wasn't just the "liberal media" in America who connected HER WORDS to the events of last Saturday, indeed the world's newspapers made the connection as well.

She poses for photo ops with guns. In mid November, 2008, just after she lost her bid for the vice presidency, she stood in front of a turkey being slaughtered at a turkey farm, and talked about how much fun it was to be there. On her TLC reality show, "Sarah Palin's Alaska" she clubs fish, with her young daughter, laughing the entire time she clubs them. On a different episode of her show, she is seen shooting a caribo 5 times. On a map, which she displayed on her website, she put sights over the home bases of politicians she hoped to see unseated. One of the targets was Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. The map was removed from her website over the weekend, after the shooting of Giffords, and was explained away as not gun sights, but rather surveyor sights.

Wasn't it Judge Judy who said, "Don't piss down my leg and tell me it's raining."

Notice of the maps violent characteristic came up when she first displayed the map, and at NO TIME did she say it wasn't a gun sight, in fact, she tweeted a short time later: "Don't retreat, Reload." That has NOTHING TO DO WITH A SURVEYOR'S MAP. That refers to using a GUN.

It's been a few days since the shooting in Arizona, and while there has been nothing to directly tie the shooter to Sarah Palin, I stand by my original belief that HER WORDS MATTER! HER ACTIONS MATTER. IF SHE CONTINUES GLORIFYING VIOLENCE IT WILL SPEAK TO THOSE WHO FOLLOW HER BLINDLY AND SOMEONE WILL ACT OUT AGAINST ANOTHER IN HER NAME. It WILL happen. And she still won't hold any responsibility, because she HIDES behind that.

Sarah Palin is a COWARD... but you already knew that.

Now, imagine AMERICA in the hands of a COWARD.


"Dr. Laura: don't retreat...reload! (Steps aside bc her 1st Amend.rights ceased 2exist thx 2activists trying 2silence "isn't American,not fair")" --Sarah Palin, in a Twitter message coming to the defense of Dr. Laura Schlessinger, the talk radio host who apologized and decided to retire from her highly-rated program after using the N-word on the air 11 times in 5 minutes, Aug. 18, 2010

Poor Sarah Palin... so misunderstood. Poor Charles Manson... so misunderstood. Poor Jim Jones... so misunderstood. Poor David Koresh... so misunderstood. Poor Marshall Applewhite... so misunderstood. Poor Hitler... so misunderstood. Poor Jim Crow.... so misunderstood.

Sarah Palin had a REAL opportunity to bring intelligent thought and dialog to the country. She could have admitted her words had consequence. She could have made the decision to no longer bring images of violence and hatred to the forefront of American politics, and vow to never do that again. Instead she chose the path self pity, ignorance, and justification.

If you do nothing else today, please look up the meaning of "Blood Libel."



-Carly


World Media Reacts To Arizona Shootings

Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #107: Gateways

"He who wants to do good knocks at the gate; he who loves finds the gate open."

-Rabindranath Tagore







EMPS #107: GATEWAYS NOW CLOSED!
Okay folks, simple concept here. Show me some GATEWAYS! Feel free to think outside the box, or the GATEWAY as the case may be. If you photograph your favorite GATE that's cool, but you might also photograph your GATEWAY computer if, like me, you just happen to own one. I can't wait to see what you come up with!

Extra Credit: Tell us a little something about the GATEWAY you chose for this assignment. One or two paragraphs is good. As for my GATEWAY, well, that is the GATEWAY to the Shakespeare Garden in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.

Guidelines for Assignment Submissions...

1.The EMPS closes each week at 9:00 PM (ET). No submissions will be accepted after that time.

2. Submit your entry by getting your photo, uploading it to you blog or website, and then comeback here and leave me your link in the comment thread. PLEASE REMEMBER... THE LINK YOU LEAVE MUST GO BACK TO AN ENTRY WHICH IS SPECIFIC TO THIS WEEK'S ASSIGNMENT! A general link to your site will not do and will not be added to the list of those participating the following Monday. HYPERLINKS ARE NOT ACCEPTED!

3. Please be sure to provide a link back to the assignment in your submission, so your readers can find the assignment and join us. Everyone is welcome to play along!

4. Please keep in mind that the image you submit for the EMPS assignment, must be your own original photography. NO LIFTING!

Please Note: I have set aside two days during the week for visiting your submissions. Thursday and Sunday, so look for me then!

Assignment Participants for EMPS #106: Whatcha Been Up To? 01/03/11

Greg

Jama

Karen

JR Cline

Have fun this week with your photography! I will see you next Monday with an all new assignment!

-Carly

The Acts Of COWARDS!

Sarah Palin removed this graphic from her website today, after the tragic shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D - AZ) at a Safeway store in Tucson Arizona. I am here to tell you, I won't be forgetting this act of terrorism, which was not only encouraged, but suggested by Sarah Palin. Sarah Palin, and those who suggest violence against others, have NO PLACE IN SOCIETY! She needs to be held LEGALLY accountable for this!

Consider joining me in asking our leaders to declare SARAHPAC a terrorist organization!

-Carly

Ellipsis Monday Photo Shoot #106: Whatcha Been Up To?

"If you think in terms of a year, plant a seed; if in terms of ten years plant trees; if in terms of 100 years, teach people."

-Confucius






EMPS#106: Whatcha Been Up To? NOW CLOSED!
Welcome Back folks! It's been a while since we last shared our photography with each other, so let's get acquainted again... shall we? It's an easy assignment for our first one of 2011! Simply show me what you have been up to, in terms of your photography, since we last shared an assignment last September.

Extra Credit: Show us the one picture you felt you could have done better with.

As before, there are a few things to keep in mind about participating in the EMPS, so please read the guidelines for participation below!

Guidelines for Assignment Submissions...

1.The EMPS closes each week at 9:00 PM (ET). No submissions will be accepted after that time.

2. Submit your entry by getting your photo, uploading it to you blog or website, and then comeback here and leave me your link in the comment thread. PLEASE REMEMBER... THE LINK YOU LEAVE MUST GO BACK TO AN ENTRY WHICH IS SPECIFIC TO THIS WEEK'S ASSIGNMENT! A general link to your site will not do and will not be added to the list of those participating the following Monday. HYPERLINKS ARE NOT ACCEPTED!

3. Please be sure to provide a link back to the assignment in your submission, so your readers can find the assignment and join us. Everyone is welcome to play along!

4. Please keep in mind that the image you submit for the MPS assignment, must be your own original photography. NO LIFTING!

Please Note: I have set aside two days during the week for visiting your submissions. Thursday and Sunday, so look for me then!

Okie Doke. That's all there is to it. I will be looking forward to seeing your first submissions of 2011.

Please Note: Folks, I am planning on keeping my options open, in regards to the Monday Photo Shoot. It will be offered on a week by week basis. If enthusiasm for participating in the MPS has waned then we will close it for good. Either way, please feel NO pressure to participate. We all need to follow our bliss, and I will understand if you have found other horizons. :) It's all good! :)

-Carly

Happy New Year! 2011

"We will open the book. It's pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and it's first page is New Year's Day."

- Edith Lovejoy Pierce

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! :)

Don't forget, the Monday Photo Shoot returns this Monday! Everyone is invited to play along, hope to see you, and your awesome creativity, in the new year!

Have a wonderful, safe and prosperous 2011!

-Carly

Happy Holidays :)

"As long as we know in our hearts what Christmas ought to be, Christmas is."

-Eric Sevareid

For your holiday viewing enjoyment...



From our house to yours...

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!





-Carly, Alan, Dylan and Hendrix :)

Welcome To Winter! And Hey, Look... An Eclipse!

"Love awoke one winter's night
And wander'd through the snowbound land,
And calling to beasts and birds
Bid them his message understand.

And from the forest all wild things
That crept or flew obeyed love's call,
And learned from him the golden words
Of brotherhood for one and all."

- Author Unknown

The lunar eclipse was beautiful, but the air was a little too cold for me. But I had to try, because after all, how often does a full lunar eclipse happen to fall on a winter solstice? Well, the last one was almost 400 years ago! Cold be damned... I just couldn't let the chance pass to photograph this event! My camera would never forgive me! It was cold, and it had been raining quite hard earlier in the evening, but right about the start of the eclipse the clouds receded and the sky became crystal clear! I ignored the pain in my hands and concentrated on the beauty in the sky above me. It was totally worth it, and I got a couple nice shots from my poor broken camera, so I am a happy girl. I just wish I could have photographed the entire event. Still, it kinda makes me smile to think that when I lie down tonight, it will still be going on just above my head. And to think, by one estimate I read yesterday, as many as a billion people around the world could possibly viewing it with me. Cool, very cool!

Welcome to Winter, December 21st, 2010!

-Carly

Weekend Assignment #346 Holiday Shopper

"I like my money right where I can see it, hanging in my closet."

-Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) Sex And The City

Weekend Assignment #346: Holiday Shopper

Ack! The holiday shopping season is upon us! What is your shopping strategy for this time of year?Do you spread out your shopping over weeks and months, or try to get it all done at once? Do you mostly shop online or in person? How heavily, if at all, do you rely on gift cards, gift certificates or plain old fashioned cash and checks?

Extra Credit: Do you enjoy shopping Friday and after-Christmas sales?

-Karen Funk Blocher (Mavarin)

Holiday shopping... all I can say is... YES, YES, YES! But let me explain. Alan and I have a lot of traditions around the holidays. We begin the "Holiday Season" in September, as the first day of autumn starts our holiday season. We have lots of stuff going on, most of which includes some form of shopping. October has our wedding anniversary, the seasonal opening of Apple Hill, The turning of the leaves in Plumas County, Family Day, which is our own made up holiday, and of course, Halloween. If it is an election year, you can find us, at some point, buying campaign buttons to add to our collections. November is a bit more laid back, but then Thanksgiving quickly comes upon us, and with it comes... BEAUTIFUL... MAGNIFICENT... CHILLY... SPARKLY... EXCITING... BLACK FRIDAY! Not really a holiday, but celebrated in our house as if it were Christmas itself.

Shopping plays a role in all these events, but only to a small degree. We have little traditions when it comes to shopping that keeps it all fun, but doesn't take away from the meaning of the season. Take Apple Hill for instance. You could spend a fortune there, between all the different farms and specialty goods they have. YIKES! Alan and I have discovered the very best of the place, such as Rainbow Orchards and their AMAZING Apple Cider donuts. We go there for the donuts, and maybe some fresh apple cider, but keep our heads when it comes to buying all the crafts and goods. It's an amazing time of year, and if you don't keep your wits about you, it could get crazy.

Black Friday, which I believe is the "official" shopping start of the holiday season is a big deal in our house. We don't do much shopping that day, but we do people watch! We begin the day in Union Square, in San Francisco, and after enjoying a Mocha for Alan and a Hot Chocolate for me, we walk the square, then its down to Maiden Lane. It's gorgeous this time of year, from the decorations, to the wonderful street performers singing opera. It's a unique time to be in San Francisco, and something we don't miss, come rain or come shine. After we enjoy the square, we head home for Thanksgiving dinner... part 2... then it's up the hill into Tilden Park to the carousel, to enjoy the Christmas Fantasy in the Woods.

The Carousel has a dozen or so lighted Christmas trees, with amazingly beautiful Christmas ornaments for sale. All of them more than reasonable, and all of them sweet and sentimental. Alan and I always give each other an ornament from the carousel each year for Christmas. It's one of our main gifts. Our little tree is now covered in Christmas memories. All bought from the Tilden Carousel Christmas In The Woods. Each one of those ornaments remind us of the fun we have there, or the fun of watching a child laughing or a little old couple cuddle, while holiday music plays and lights twinkle. It's special. It's the only time I really enjoy holiday music. I always balk when some dismal person insists that the holidays have become too commercial. They are only as commercial as you allow them to be. You know? It's pretty much up to you how you want to feel about things! You can choose to walk around cynical, or you can start your own holiday traditions and take a walk in the light! It's up to you!

The only other shopping tradition we have, is to purchase an Advent calender on Black Friday. We usually get that in Union Square.With the exception of the Advent calender and the special ornaments, I don't schedule my shopping, but I do look for bargains for what I plan to buy. It just makes life simpler. I do love to go out and walk around the crazy shoppers, while feeling perfectly at ease with my shopping style. It's fun to feel like the sane one once in a while! ;)

Karen, I hope you don't mind if I make this WA a bit of a pictorial. I just think the pictures complete the story...

Union Square Christmas Tree...


Mocha and Hot Chocolate...



Maiden Lane...


Maiden Lane Performer...


Xanadu Gallery (Building Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright)


Tilden Park Christmas Tree...


Tilden Carousel...


A Really Lovely Ornament...


Extra Credit: Yep... but then you already read that didn't you! LOL :)

Happy Holidays Everyone!

-Carly

Happy Thanksgiving 2010 :)

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to charity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.

~ Melody Beattie


It's a beautiful Thanksgiving day here in California. Alan and I are together, and we are having a ball with out two little guys. I am making a big Thanksgiving feast today, but first Alan and I are going to cuddle up and watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. He has had to work every Thanksgiving for the last 8 years, but this year he decided to take the day off. Can you guess what I am most thankful for this year?

If you follow me on Twitter, you probably know my oven died the day before yesterday! YIKES! There was some concern that the part that was needed to fix it wouldn't be available in time, but it did happen to come in and now it's back to it's old reliable self again, and Thanksgiving is indeed back on! Can you guess what I am thankful for this year?

Jennifer Grey won season 11 of Dancing With The Stars! I have been a big fan of hers for years! It was really nice to see a woman, about my age, win the competition. She is a talented lady, and I must say, I admire her for a lot of reasons. She is a good role model for ladies my age. Hey, don't look so surprised, it's true, even ladies my age look for role models. Can you guess what I am thankful for this year?

In November, Californians went the polls and turned California a lovely shade of BLUE. I like to call it CLEAR SKY BLUE. :) Can you guess what I am thankful for?

It took California a little longer this year, then it has in other years, to start showing it's autumn colors, but it kicked in just in time for Thanksgiving! It's really cold right now in the Bay Area, but it's GORGEOUS! The leaves are in bloom! LOL. Alan and I are going to go out, after lunch, and do some leaf picking. I have some projects all lined up for them, to keep me busy on rainy days. I am going to back an autumn leaf bed tray, and maybe some platters. I love autumn! Can you guess what I am thankful for?



If you would like to share what you are most thankful for, please feel free to share it with me in the comment thread. I would love to hear about what makes you happy!

Don't forget, The Monday Photo Shoot will be returning on Monday, January 3rd 2011! I will be looking forward to seeing all of your beautiful photography when resume the photo shoot project! I hope you will be able to join us! Be sure to check back here for holiday updates between now and New Years! Can you guess what I am thankful for?

FROM OUR HOUSE TO YOURS...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

:)

-Carly

Autumn Leaves Must Fall

Beautiful, messy, fragrant, delicious autumn. I can't get enough of it!



"I am rich today with autumn's gold
All that my covetous hands can hold;
Frost-painted leaves and goldenrod,
A goldfinch on a milkweed pod,
Huge golden pumpkins in a field
With heaps of corn from bounteous yield
Golden apples heavy on the trees
Rivaling those of Hesperides,
Golden rays of balmy sunshine spread
Over all like butter on warm bread;
And the harvest moon will the night unfold
The streams running full of molten gold.
Oh who could find a dearth of bliss
With autumn glory such as this!"

-Gladys Harp

As you begin your week...

If you are feeling stressed out this week, take a couple moments to stop and watch the leaves turn and fall silently to the earth. You will be surprised by how calming it can be. Let your mind wander, not on all you have to do, or all you haven't gotten done, but instead think about those you love, maybe even those you miss, and for once, let yourself feel all those feelings you would usually put aside. Let yourself feel, for as long as you need to. Breathe in, and breathe out the stress until you feel yourself relax. You deserve it. :) It works... trust me.

-Carly

Jumping The Shark And Other Political Pursuits...

"Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it whether it exists or not, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedy."

-Mahatma Gandhi

Okay, I know, Santa will probably put me on his naughty list for this, and if so I will take my lumps but the thing is... IT'S JUST SO FUNNY... It REALLY, REALLY IS! To hear FOX NEWS go on and on about how critics everywhere have panned Sarah Palin's new reality show, "Sarah Palin's Alaska" made me a little giddy. As they openly mocked her, I not only enjoyed it for a moment or two, it made my whole day! I smiled for hours! But please, let me explain. I don't approve of folks bullying each other. I don't care for name calling, or talking behind someones back, because I know how it feels to have someone treat you like you are dumb or irrelevant. So please understand, it's not that I condone this treatment of Sarah Palin. The reason why I smiled all day was because everyone, including Sarah Palin, was given the opportunity to learn what FOX NEWS really thinks of her. You see, when you have the full information you can begin to make intelligent decisions. Like who you want to associate with. Who you want representing your ideas and ideals, and you also get the chance to learn who your friends really are.



What Sarah Palin will do with the information isn't really clear. I couldn't find a link to her response to the mocking. I thought I heard that she called them "lamestream" media as well, but I could be wrong. If you know a link to what her response is feel free to leave it in the comment thread. All this is interesting to me because, like most humans, I have had to let myself learn some lessons in life, some of which were quite painful. I have a couple scars from those lessons, but I thank GOD for them everyday because I am a smarter, more confident person for it. I don't know about Sarah, and the lessons she has let herself learn, but this week alone, both Sarah and her daughter Bristol have had a chance to not just learn, but to grow and unfortunately, both seemed to have made a decision to pass on the chance.

Deep down, Bristol Palin has to know that she hasn't really earned a spot in next week's finale of Dancing With The Stars. It has been confirmed that a number of conservative websites have been bragging about manipulating the rules and voting for Bristol in blocks. On one site I read a comment from a man who was bragging about voting for Bristol over 900 times! If that's true, ABC should know the truth, and if it has registered an inordinate amount of votes for Bristol, then it should make it known and act accordingly. Bristol had a real chance this week to show what she is about, and instead of addressing those claims, and appealing to her followers to vote fairly, she denied the claims of cheating, and then she, and her sister Willow engaged in homophobic comments on Facebook aimed at a commenter who didn't think much of her mother's new reality show, "Sarah Palin's Alaska." The behavior of Bristol and Willow is a clear indication of how these two girls have been raised. It gives the world an honest glimpse into what their values really are. Not just by how the girls behave but by how their parents respond to their actions.

Bristol has said she deserved the DWTS mirror ball trophy because she has come a long way, and she has I agree. She has also said that she deserves it because she is "relatable" to average people because she isn't "one of those Hollywood types." Bristol, dear, the show is called DANCING WITH THE STARS, hon, you, by definition, are NOT A STAR, so in reality, no pun intended, you don't qualify. But ABC made a decision to include you, and now everyone has to deal with what it meant to allow someone, who doesn't fit the definition of STAR, to compete. I feel like all those teabaggers, who decided to manipulate things on her behalf are the cruelest ones of all. By cheating, the teabaggers have robbed this young woman of the chance to grow as a person. The bigger message here is that hard work and talent really doesn't matter, as long as you have someone to help you buck the rules.

I used to enjoy Dancing With The Stars. I enjoy the artistry of dance. I love the ballet, and I love to bust a move myself once in a while. That usually amounts to me dancing around the house as I do my chores, it's not something I would take to the national stage to do. LOL. But I love watching DWTS to see all the different dances and enjoy the music. It always brings back dear memories of cuddling with my Elvis as I watched it. Elvis loved music, and he loved to cuddle, so that's what we would do on Monday nights, while Alan worked overtime. As soon as the theme song played, Elvis would settle into my arms and we would enjoy the show together. He actually watched the TV right along with me. He is gone now, and my two new fellas sit with me the same as he did, which is nice, but there was something about watching it with Elvis that I miss terribly. Now, add in the controversy from this season, and I don't know if could ever feel the same about the show. If Bristol Palin wins DWTS next week, because of politics, I think it will definitely be official, DWTS will have JUMPED THE SHARK! And, I fear, if Sarah Palin does make it to the White House one day, America will have JUMPED THE SHARK as well.

By the way, can someone explain to me how Sarah Palin can bash reality shows, and those who compete on them, and then sign a deal for one of her own, and praise Bristol for joining one? How does that work again?

Hey, just askin'.

I miss my Elvis every single day. And after next week, I will be missing Dancing With The Stars as well.

:(

-Carly