Saturday, December 30, 2000
Well, another year draws to a close and in looking back on it, what do you see? It was a year like any other, too much pain and heartache, the rush and bustle of our daily lives rearranging our schedule with little regard for our dreams. Long and tireless efforts smashed by what might as well have been a capricious twist of fate but it still feels like a betrayal in your heart. Yeah, the past year was a real winner.
So, you get out your new calendar to scope out the New Year and it's just like opening Pandora's box.
[editor's note: Pandora was some chick in Greek mythology. Her name means "all gifted", as she was created by the gods to encompass the span of human capabilities, given intelligence, strength and beauty; balanced by curiousity, weakness and vanity. She was also given a beautifully carved and fashioned box, with a strong injunction that she should never open it.
Of course she opens it. And the box contains not some fantastic treasure, as would be fitting for its marvelous exterior, but rather it holds all the evil in the world. Pain, suffering, hunger, disease, hatred, jealousy, envy... every rotten thing that can make life such a living hell.
And they are now loose upon the world.
Way to go Pandora.]
Enjoy the new year about to bring in a new millenium. It'll probably be a whole lot like last year...except for the last item held in Pandora's box.
It's the one thing that makes all the ills of the world bearable to some degree. It's the one thing that keeps all of us from taking that long walk on a short pier. It's the one thing that makes us dig down deep inside for one more push towards the light.
You see, after all the awfulness unleashed from that dreadful box, the last thing to come crawling out was Hope.
And sometimes, Hope is enough.
9:25 PM
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Holiday decorations with AOL CDs
Yet another use for junk mail.
10:02 AM
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Friday, December 29, 2000
This guide to developing B and W film is clearly written enough that even I could probably follow the steps. The entire process is covered in an overview and then carefully in a detailed step by step method, with clear photo illustartion and helpful suggestions.
10:21 PM
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Use the "wrong" film for a great shot at dusk. Blue dusk... yeah. :)
3:17 PM
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Looking to capture some of the New Year's fireworks on film this year?
Hope that you got a good tripod, a telephoto lens and a cable release for Christmas because that's what you'll need in addition to a good location. Long exposures and a bit of luck are the order of the day when trying to catch fireworks.
2:39 PM
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After the police fail to respond adequately, a Vermont school teacher tracks a pair of stolen Victorian ironwork cemetery gates to a salvage yard in Connecticut. His persistence and detective work result in the return of the gates to the local cemetery.
2:24 PM
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Thursday, December 28, 2000
Macon, Georgia photographer Horace Holmes is using his talents to give a holiday gift to the case workers at the Department of Family and Children Services by providing a free family portrait session for the case workers. Holmes has worked with them in providing over 100 portraits of children looking for permanent homes.
If you have any sort of talent or skill, you'll find that doing pro bono work for your commmunity or a local non-profit agency is a wonderful way to build your skill level and do a great deal of good all at the same time. There's plenty that needs to be done, you may even see a special need that only you can fill. Best of all, the warm feeling in your heart is exempt from local, state and federal taxes. ;-)
10:26 PM
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Wednesday, December 27, 2000
Through the efforts of a special projects officer for the Parks and Recreation department, San Antonio, Texas is gaining new appreciation for its cemetery district as an historical treasure.
5:15 PM
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Tuesday, December 26, 2000
Wrestling with two diametrically opposed directions to take in trying to improve my photographic skills.
Option 1: Digital
Pro: Free to shoot a large number of pictures with no economic restraints due to processing costs. Immediate feedback of seeing the image and doing a quick self critique may help in seeing why the image worked, or more likely, didn't work, with the chance to quickly try some new approach.
Con: Resolution is fine for the web but for printing? Rapid changes in technology means that I'll have obsolete equipment by the time I get home from the camera store.
Option 2: Large format
Pro: The very nature of working with a view camera would force me to slow down and carefully consider each shot. Viewing the image on ground glass would give the same immediate feedback as a digital. Timeless nature of the technology would give years of use from initial purchase. Can build my own camera.
Con: In the long run, would require construction of a darkroom. Lots of equipment to lug around.
What works for you?
1:08 PM
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Monday, December 25, 2000
Christmas day schedule:
3:45 a.m. Convince wife that she should go back to sleep and that it is way too early to get up and see what presents she got this year.
5:15 a.m. Try to convince dog that it is way too early to go "walkies"
5:30 a.m. Give up arguing with dog. Start preparing turkey for dinner.
6:15 a.m. Wife can no longer contain her childlike excitement... insists that we exchange gifts right now. It's so much fun watching her shake, squeeze and poke each present, trying to guess what it is. She's pretty darn good at it but I still have a few secrets and camouflage tricks to get her with at least a few of her gifts each year.
7:00 a.m. Finish turkey prep, preheat oven, enjoy one more cup of coffee and watch the sunrise.
8:00 a.m. Turkey is in the oven and we are in the car.
9:00 a.m. Escort Mom to Mass.
10:00 a.m. Back to parents for more gifts and pre-brunch snacks.
11:00 a.m. Brunch with parents at retirement community.
12:30 p.m. Back home, rescue turkey from oven.
1:00 p.m. Resuscitation of turkey successful. :)
1:30 p.m. Wife decides she was up too early and she needs a nap.
1:45 p.m. Find cookbook
2:00 p.m. Wrestle with finding middle road between cookbook, directions on food packaging and what I "know" is right.
2:50 p.m. Gently wake wife and remind her that her family will be here for dinner soon. Reassure her that, yes, I peeled the potatoes before I mashed them, yes, the turkey has been carved and sliced and that sweet potatoes and dressing are in the oven.
3:15 p.m. Call some friends to share holiday greetings. Promise wife to stay off computer until after guests have left.
4:00 p.m. Mother-in-law and brother-in-law arrive. Dinner prep almost complete, except for frantic stirring of lumpy gravy.
4:30 p.m Sister-in-law arrives. More gift exchange.
5:00 p.m. Dinner. Yes!! They all went back for seconds. :)
No one noticed.. or perhaps they were kind enough not to mention the small marbles floating in gravy. ;)
7:00 p.m. Postprandial exhaustion. Sweet wife tells me not to worry, she will do all the cleanup. Life is good. :)
8:00 p.m. Guests have left... free to engage in online addiction.
8:51 p.m. Merry Christmas :)
8:51 PM
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Sunday, December 24, 2000
In this season's rush from shopping, running to see friends, then racing off to be with family, take a moment, just one brief pause in your hectic schedule.
Take a moment...
and remember that no one is alone on this day if they are held in the thoughts and hearts of those who hold them dear.
Take a moment...
and remember that time, distance and even death are physical obstacles that the heart can overcome. If you hold your loved ones in your heart, they are with you.
Take a moment...
and recall the spirit of Christmas. Resolve to yourself that it will last the year and not vanish with the last bit of wrapping paper or the last bite of holiday dinner.
Take a moment...
and find the peace within your own soul.
9:00 PM
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If you're looking for a real macrophotography challenge or just some darn good pictures of some miniature winter miracles, Taking Snow Crystal Photos has some useful tech tips and a great collection of examples. Each snowflake's a unique and lovely winter bouquet of beauty.
8:31 AM
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