Thursday, February 26, 2009

Monochrome Monday--Snowy Field and Trees

Okay, so I'm aware that it's not Monday, but since Aileni has so graciously extended the maniacs' posting time, I'm taking advantage and posting on Thursday.

This is one of the photos I took Saturday in the brutal cold. I was actually going for a shot of the wind blowing the dry snow over a field, but every time I tried to get a good view, the cold temperatures encouraged me to get behind a tree and out of the wind. Thus, I ended up with a shot of the field without the wind effect.


For more monos, visit Monochrome Maniacs

Losing Faith In Today's Youth

Driving down Main Street in my town, I heard a DJ on the radio announce, "And now, Barracuda with... Heart." Need I say more?

True Colours Thursday--Brown!

Brown is actually one of my favorite colors--right up there with green. Here are some shots I took just today, since the weather has warmed up for a bit.


The brown leaves from our pecan tree.


Hulls from the pecans. You can tell the squirrels have been into them.


This is just a brown rock I found in our driveway. Note the brown twigs, as well.

Probably the reason I like brown so well is that it occurs a lot in nature.

True Colours Thursday is the brainchild of friend Blue

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Sorry...

Sorry I am so behind on blogging lately. I still need to do a book meme, two movie reviews, and a monochrome. I think I'm over my illnesses, but I haven't had a lot of energy lately (had a bit of insomnia while I was sick, and I think it's catching up with me). So please, bear with me. I'll try to get my TCT--brown up tomorrow, and perhaps one of the above-mentioned memes or reviews. I've been thinking a lot about the book one, so maybe that'll be the one. Or maybe I'll do the mono. Anyway, I napped off and on this evening, then got on Blogger for a little bit, and now I think I'm going back to bed. Hopefully will have more energy tomorrow...

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Good For You, Chef Boyardee

Okay, this title does have a bit of a double meaning. I'm very proud of Chef Boyardee (hence the "Good for You," but the reason I'm proud of it is that the products have become healthier (hence the "Good for You" ;) )Get my drift?

Anyway, I went to Wal-Mart with my dad this morning, and for the first time in a very long time, I was led into temptation by the canned pasta aisle. I almost resisted, but then I saw the Dinosaurs pasta that I used to basically live on as a kid. Dad lived on it when I was a kid, too. He started in about how good that was, and while reminiscing about the good old days, I was persuaded by the devil on my shoulder to pick up a can. I was shocked to see that if I ate the whole can, I'd still have 42% of my daily sodium intake to spend on something else (I'm very economic in my thinking). After I told this to Dad, he insisted that I pick up a can for him, as well.

When I got home a few minutes ago, I opened up mine to microwave it for lunch, and I saw that there was actually more potassium than sodium in a serving. Wow! And, there was the addition of other minerals, such as selenium. Here I was feeling guilty for straying and picking up a can of pasta. Still, I started with a half can. But I talked myself into eating the other half. Used to be, you only ate a whole can of pasta if you had a death wish. It's good to know that food manufacturers are getting a little more health-conscious. Now I can fudge on other things, like Kit Kats :)

Monday, February 23, 2009

The Interview

I finally got a job interview. I just got back from it, actually. I had to work at my part-time job this morning (for almost two hours). Then, I had to shop for a pair of khakis (for the interview). The khakis had to be purchased from Maurices, though, because I had a coupon that was nearing expiration. I found a pair that I liked. For once, I found something that looked better on me than it did on the shelf. That was a first. It felt good to get new khakis that fit well at a discount. Driving home, I was rocking out to "Long Haired Country Boy" on the radio. I had just enough time to get home, change into the khakis, go to the bathroom, drink a little water, brush my teeth (again), put lotion on my hands, and get out the door again. En route to the interview, my mind was consumed with "Something to Believe In" and "Lovely Rita." I never realized how funny "Lovely Rita" was until today, when the DJ explained that Paul McCartney thought it would be cool to write a song about a person that most people don't like--a meter maid. Why had this never struck me as odd before? Why did I take "Back in the USSR" so seriously? How enlightening to see that one of my all-time favorite bands had a sense of humor. As I was pondering the Beatles, it occurred to me that yes, I did find "Rocky Raccoon" to be an amusing song. Especially the line, "Her name was Magil, and she called herself Lil, but everyone knew her as Nancy." That could've come straight out of Monty Python--and that's my kind of humor. Well, one side of it, anyway.

So I'm driving along, occasionally checking the time, scared that I'm going to be late to this interview, which, by the way, was for a position at an indie coffee house. Never once did I stop to think about the type of questions I'd be subjected to. No, I was spending all my time trying not to be nervous. And really, I tend to function better if I don't rehearse.

Funny thing is, though I've frequented this coffee house before, it's always been a last stop before going home. I've never driven directly there. Thus, I wasn't sure how to get to it. So I took off on 3rd Street, thinking that seemed safe, only to see that it was, in fact, the wrong street. Having 15 minutes before the interview, I decided to keep my cool. If traffic kept moving, I'd just hang a left and drive a block down, take another left and be there. Au contraire. This was a one-way street. Right. A courthouse square. Darn it. Some cities' squares are one-way; some are two-way. I honestly couldn't remember which this was until I saw the One Way sign. No problem, I'll just go around the square and get on the correct road that way.

That worked.

Pretending that I hadn't just stupidly taken a wrong turn five minutes prior, I expertly pulled into a parking spot (taking two or three hitches at pulling in straight) and checked my watch. Ten minutes. "Well heck, I can comb my hair out again. And maybe I'd better take these loose papers out of my notebook and open it to a fresh page. That would look professional. Make it look like I give a crap. I really do give a crap, I just don't know how to show it." Leaving most of my things in the car, I got out and started walking toward the building. A car was coming around the bend in the parking lot. I ducked out of its way, pretending that I had actually intended to slam my body into the back of my own car to quickly put away my keys. I tried it again. Yanking at the waist of my new khakis, I suddenly wished I would have thought to wear a belt. And not drink that water. The interview hadn't even begun, and I already needed to go to the bathroom.

Safely inside, I opted not to use the bathroom. A young man asked, "Can I help you?"

"Yeah, I'm looking for Chase*?"

"Oh," he looked perplexed, "I'll have to call him."

"Thanks" I said looking around nervously "I'm here for an interview," I finished unnecessarily. The kid had already wandered off to call Chase on his cell phone.

I stood around stupidly for a few more minutes, wishing I'd decided to go to the bathroom, but not wanting to because Chase could show up at any minute for that interview. Additionally, I wished I hadn't gotten there so early. When he called me to set up the interview, he said any time after 4:00 would work for him, and here I was, showing up at 3:50.

I sat down. A short while later, a young guy in a green t-shirt emerged out of nowhere carrying a laptop. "Hi. Here for an interview?"

"Yeah. Chase?"

He smiled. My anxiety had begun. I wasn't nervous about this interview until it began. I hate being grilled. I have a hard enough time carrying on a normal conversation with people I know, let alone trying to make a good impression on a complete stranger. Suddenly I felt overdressed. He was in a t-shirt and jeans. And I just spent like $20 on khakis. Oh well, I thought, at least they're comfortable.

Chase was so soft-spoken and unintimidating that he scared the crap out of me. Something is up, I thought, this is a trick of some sort. I'm going to get backed into a corner by a soft-spoken interviewer for a position that isn't even open yet. Yes, I forgot to mention. This place isn't hiring at the moment, but akin to adjunct faculty pools at community colleges, they wanted to keep their options open.

I tried to explain my personality to the best of my ability. I don't know what my personality is. I'm eclectic. In everything. I'm competitive, yet easygoing. I'm shy at first, but outspoken around some. I'm not a follower, but I'm not enough of a type-A to label myself a leader. I don't know what I am. And to make matters worse, all I could think of was "I'm a Joan, Baby!" and there was no way in Hades that I was going to give that answer.

Chase asked why I wanted the job. I tried to answer as honestly as possible that I thought it would be cool to learn to make coffee drinks. And this is true. I didn't want to say anything about looking for teaching gigs because really, with the economy in dire straits, I don't know how long it will be before I'm offered a teaching position. If could be in the next week, or it could be a few years from now. Point is, I need some extra income while I'm looking. I answered the other questions to the best of my ability, thanked him for the interview, and shook his hand. Then, I stupidly said, "I think I'm going to get a coffee while I'm here" and made a point to order the only drink I have memorized without looking at a menu so I actually looked like I had been there before. Upon receiving my drink, I told Chase to "take it easy" and headed out to my car.

All the way home, I worried about not mentioning that I'm looking for a teaching job. I reasoned with myself that had I said something like that, my application would probably have been thrown in the trash. Then I told myself that my application was probably put there as soon as I walked out the door because--kiss of death--I had no questions for Chase after the interview was over. I wanted to kick myself for not thinking of questions while on the road. Why oh why did I think I had to sing along with the radio? There's time for that later. I should have been focusing on questions for the interviewer. But then, I told myself, they're not hiring at the moment anyway. Perhaps I'll get a call from a community college requesting an interview for a teaching position. By golly, if I do, I'm thinking of some questions.

*Name changed for privacy purposes

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Snow Photography: Part Deux

Remembering the good fortune I had the last time I tried to take snow monochromes, I decided to give it a go again today. I didn't know it was supposed to snow, but when I woke up, the ground was covered with a thin layer of the stuff, so I thought it would make for some nice monos.

Got in the parents' car (mine was parked in) and headed to my favorite rural photo site, armed with camera and tripod, but foolishly, no gloves. The wind would not stop blasting that horrible arctic air on me. My feet still feel frozen. Fortunately, no spills this time, since the snow was only about an inch deep, as opposed to the foot-deep stuff we had the last time.

I hurriedly set up my tripod in between rubbing my hands together and doing a dance to try to keep from freezing. Eventually, I was able to get everything set up in a workable fashion. Just as the last time, I didn't feel like spending much time out in the field, so I hope I have a salvageable shot in the bunch. Maybe I'll have one ready for Monochrome Monday in a couple of days.

Friday, February 20, 2009

I'm a Joan, BABY!

I saw that Blue, Marguerite, and BJ had all taken this quiz, so, of course, I had to, as well! Guess it goes along with my personality ;)

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are a Joan!

mm.joan_.jpg




You are a Joan -- "I need to succeed"



Joans are energetic, optimistic, self-assured, and goal oriented.


How to Get Along with Me

  • * Leave me alone when I am doing my work.

  • * Give me honest, but not unduly critical or judgmental, feedback.

  • * Help me keep my environment harmonious and peaceful.

  • * Don't burden me with negative emotions.

  • * Tell me you like being around me.

  • * Tell me when you're proud of me or my accomplishments.




What I Like About Being a Joan

  • * being optimistic, friendly, and upbeat

  • * providing well for my family

  • * being able to recover quickly from setbacks and to charge ahead to the next challenge

  • * staying informed, knowing what's going on

  • * being competent and able to get things to work efficiently

  • * being able to motivate people




What's Hard About Being a Joan

  • * having to put up with inefficiency and incompetence

  • * the fear on not being -- or of not being seen as -- successful

  • * comparing myself to people who do things better

  • * struggling to hang on to my success

  • * putting on facades in order to impress people

  • * always being "on." It's exhausting.




Joans as Children Often

  • * work hard to receive appreciation for their accomplishments

  • * are well liked by other children and by adults

  • * are among the most capable and responsible children in their class or school

  • * are active in school government and clubs or are quietly busy working on their own projects




Joans as Parents

  • * are consistent, dependable, and loyal

  • * struggle between wanting to spend time with their children and wanting to get more work done

  • * expect their children to be responsible and organized


Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz
at HelloQuizzy

Happy Birthday, Marguerite!

I know the day is almost over (and for some of you, it already is over), but February 20th is Marguerite's birthday. If you get a chance, drop by her blog and leave a pleasant greeting. Thanks :)

Thursday, February 19, 2009

True Colours Thursday--Blue!

Blue has made its way around again, and this week I went with a musical theme. These are the album covers of three of my favorite artists/bands.

Of course, the Beatles!

The Eagles

Lucinda Williams probably isn't as well-known as the first two. She has a unique style--country/bluesy/Southern rock-ish... I don't know how to categorize it, but I like it!

True Colours Thursday is the brainchild of friend Blue

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Sunday Scribblings #150--Sports

Like my mother, I was never much into sports. My reasons were solely rooted in pride. I didn't understand the rules of the games, and, somewhat ironically, I didn't want to. If I learned the rules, then I'd be expected to participate, and my lack of coordination would rear its ugly head; thus, I would embarrass myself even more than usual.

However, one sport I did learn to like and did understand (thanks to junior high P.E.), was hockey. I used to joke that I should have been born in Canada, since our northern neighbors seem to enjoy the sport more than the population of the States in general. I don't really follow pro hockey, though I claim loyalties to the Montreal Canadiens. And, to a lesser extent, the St. Louis Blues. There's really no reason for either of these loyalties. I sort of like the Colorado Avalanche and the Phoenix Coyotes because of their names and logos, also. Really, now that I think of it, name and logo have a lot to do with my choosing which hockey teams I "like," even though I don't follow any of them.

Anyway, I was talking about P.E. The only times I ever got excited in P.E. were 1) When I was asked to run an errand, thus saving me from running laps or participating in class, 2) When I was allowed a leave of absense to go to the bathroom or get a drink (not that I ever needed either, but these were, once again, chances to leave and save myself a little embarrassment) or 3) When we played roller hockey--without the skates. I became vicious and ruthless during hockey. I took the position of center, even when I was assigned a defensive position (meaning that I played both offensive and defensive when I was supposed to only be protecting the goalie box). This does not mean I was good at the sport, by any means, but it was the only sport I actually tried at.

One time, my friend, BW was in P.E. with me and she let the puck slide right past her and into the goalie box, scoring a goal for the other team. I charged her, and nearly threw my hockey stick on the ground. "What was that?!" I screamed at her.

"I don't know--didn't feel like going after it."

"Didn't feel like what!" I was turning into a drill sergeant. "All you had to do was put the stick out and stop the thing. I could have taken it from there!" I was obviously high-sticking by this point. My P.E. teacher was so thrilled that I was actually participating that she overlooked my high-sticking infraction and did not give me time in the "penalty box" (a.k.a. the bleachers).

In 7th grade I memorized the names of all the teams in the NHL. For what purpose, I'll never know. That same year, I wrote a letter (that I never sent, thank God) to the Canadiens practically begging them to allow me, a 13-year-old American female, to play for their team. Fortunately, that was also the year I took up the guitar, and my strangely eclectic interests took a turn in another, more musical and literary, direction. It's a good thing, too. I'd have never made it as a pro-hockey player.

For more sports narratives, visit Sunday Scribblings

Friday, February 13, 2009

I've Got Valentine's Plans! (But Not What You Think)

Well, my grandma and step-gramps just stopped by to visit... and to ask if I would watch my cousin (the one with Down's syndrome) tomorrow night. Fortunately, I didn't really have anything going on. This might be a great opportunity for me to get some Bourne Identity reading in. I might bring a craft along as well. I remember how incredibly sleepy I was the last time I watched her when my grandma got home late; hopefully I don't get so ridiculously sleepy tomorrow night. I guess it'll be a nice way to spend Valentine's, all in all.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

True Colours Thursday--Silver!

Hard to believe that Thursday has already rolled around again! I guess that's because I've been sick all week and one day kind of runs into the next. But this isn't the place to throw a pity party, now is it? How about we celebrate silver instead?

Unlike BJ, I went the easy route this time, and photographed two silver colored necklaces of mine.



Not much to say about them, as they're pretty self-explanatory.

Come play along! True Colours Thursday is hosted by friend Blue

It's Award Time!


Thanks so much to BJ for this awesome award!

This award has passed many hands. As usual, I'm going to quote the person who gave me the award (BJ), who, in turn, quotes Sylvia From Over the Hill

"According to Sylvia:
'This award acknowledges the values that every Blogger displays in their effort to transmit cultural, ethical, literary, and personal values with each message they write. Awards like this have been created with the intention of promoting community among Bloggers. It’s away to show appreciation and gratitude for work that adds value to the Web.'"

I'm very honored to receive this award. Now I'm going to pass it on :)

1)Alisa
2)Anna
3)Patois
4)Bobbi
5)Alf Rocks
6)Pansy
7)Marigold
8)Amanda
9)Lilly
10)Robin
11)Roadchick
12)Aurora
13)Photoblogista
14)Marie
15)Daryl

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Monochrome Monday--Just an Old Nail



I don't know why I think this photo is so cool, but I do. This is a shot I took per Aileni's suggestion of taking macros of the old chicken house. While I was getting close-ups of the wood, I thought, what the heck, and got this shot of a rusty old nail that was kind of jutting out of the building.

For more B&W/sepia shots, check out Monochrome Maniacs

Loving This Unseasonably Warm Weather :)

Well, at least for the time being, the snow has melted, and everything is muddy. That's okay with me. I'm just glad it's warm. I don't know how long it will last, but I'll enjoy it while it does. Hope to get my belated Monochrome Monday up today, as well.

Sunday, February 08, 2009

Sunday Scribblings #149 -- Art

When I was in junior high, my friend, CP and I were inseparable. If she wasn't at my house, I was at hers, it seemed. This led to our plot to cheat the system and end up with the same 6th grade schedule. Since our 6th, 7th, and 8th grades consisted of different teachers for each class, we feared that we might not see each other enough at school because our schedules might differ.

It was CP who came up with the idea of signing up for art class. I didn't want to. Not that I don't like art, I'm just not that good at it. I always took too long, meticulously worrying over whatever mess of construction paper and finger paint/glue/clay/insert other grade school art material here project we were working on at the time. This was during the years of required art class. Now that I was in junior high, art was considered an elective--and one I didn't care to take.

But I acquiesed. I was far more easygoing then than I am now. I had no backbone and didn't have a clue how to say no, and especially to a friend, regardless of how manipulative she was being. So we both signed up for art and hoped for the best. Secretly, I hoped that she'd get it and I'd wind up with a full week of study hall.

That did not happen. No, dear readers, the opposite happened. I was assigned art, and she was given the full week of study hall. So every Monday, I trudged down to the art room, certain that my art grade would bring my GPA down. Of course, CP was just as upset because she actually wanted the class and couldn't have it. I don't know why the school wouldn't just let us switch, but apparently that wasn't an option. CP and I wound up with some, though not all, of the same classes (including study hall that I now only had four times a week), but we made the best of it. In fact, we had a big old time drawing hilariously stupid cartoons and being thoroughly obnoxious (as quietly as possible) while "working together" in that shared study hall.

For more artistic scribbles, visit Sunday Scribblings

Saturday, February 07, 2009

Cooking!

I decided what to do today--cook. I'm baking bread, and I made some soup. After my butter softens, I'm going to attempt to make some cookies, too. It should be a nice surprise for my parents when they get back from shopping. And after they "hit the Hut" without me. Oh well, I won't hold a grudge :)

Feeling Good

Well, I'm feeling better today. Still sick, but with the sun shining and the weather warming up, I feel kind of hopeful. I love days like this--the kind where I roll out of bed and actually feel like doing something. Don't get me wrong, I've been enjoying my Medal of Honor games on the Xbox, but today, I feel like accomplishing something. What it is, I do not know.

Thursday, February 05, 2009

True Colours Thursday--Orange!

My apologies for getting this one out quite late, by UK standards (I think it's actually Friday morning for Blue), but I've been feeling quite sick lately. It comes and goes. After I got home from work, I didn't feel like taking pics for a long time. However, I was able to do some looking, and came up with a couple of Arizona oranges...

This is a coaster I bought at the Verde Canyon Railroad depot.

I purchased this woven bowl from a gift shop at the entrance to the Petrified Forest scenic drive.

I'm afraid to actually use the coaster for fear that I'll stain it. The bowl holds my mp3 player, TV remote, and Xbox remote.

True Colours Thursday is the brainchild of my friend Blue

Update

Thanks to everyone who sent me get well wishes. I'm actually feeling surprisingly better today. Taking it easy yesterday must have really helped. Anyway, I am still quite congested and sound a lot worse than I feel. I'll probably take it easy today as well. So I just got back from work... yeah, another of those just-over-one-hour days, but I'm just thankful to have employment. Anyway, I think my boss was a little scared of me since I have a cold. I mean, I had the Germ-X right there in plain sight--I was obviously using it. Well, I looked over two documents. Sometimes I'm really appalled by the incorrect grammar and the atrocious spelling in these real estate listings. I wonder if I could get a job proofreading those?

Wednesday, February 04, 2009

A Bit Under the Weather

Sorry I didn't post anything interesting today. I've been quite sick, though. During our Monday night group, my throat started getting sore, but I thought it was just because I'd been talking a long time.

Yesterday, I got out and had coffee with SC while I gave her some pointers on one of her assignments (I still feel like I tutor, only these days, it's not a paid job anymore). It was fun.

But later that evening (around 5:30, I'd say), my sore throat got sorer, and a massive headache accompanied it. I'm usually not much on taking pain meds (I guess the little feminist in me rares up at the thought of any sign of weakness), but eventually, after two hours of unsuccessful sleepage, something had to be done.

I noticed that RC had tried to call me, but I just didn't feel like talking. I really didn't feel like doing anything, but I scrounged around looking for some Benadryl. The best I could find was a couple of old ones, and I didn't know how effective they'd be, so I kept looking until I snagged some NyQuil in a kitchen cabinet. I then proceeded to take the only dosage of NyQuil in captivity.

But I still couldn't sleep!

I don't know how many times I got up to drink water, go to the bathroom, blow the heck out of my nose, and generally pace and worry before I decided to grab a pillow and blanket and take to the living room recliner. Even this did not work. Finally, I got the brilliant idea to take a dose of DayQuil, even though it was non-drowsy, because I thought my sinuses would clear and I could get some sleep. I mean, I literally could get no air through either nostril last night, and breathing through my mouth was difficult, thanks to the sore throat.

Apparently that worked, although I woke up insanely early, and then lounged around, finally dragging my sorry butt out of bed around 8:00. When I discovered that I didn't have to go to work, I was pretty much useless all day.

Yeah, I did some counted cross stitch, but I just wasn't feeling it. So then, I went to my room and played some Medal of Honor. It's been years since I played the old, obsolete Xbox. It was kinda fun... until I got stuck on a mission and lost interest. Then I had some soup and tried for a nap.

Though I was freezing under three layers of blankets, I actually managed a little sleep. I just got up from that nap about 45 minutes ago. Somehow I couldn't get the song "Comfortably Numb" out of my head. It was probably the fever reference. I'm not even sure I have a fever.

Anyway, I'm not trying to be a downer or complain, but if I don't have any thrilling or overly humorous posts for a few days, I'm probably still sick. I do plan on keeping up Word of the Day, though. Peace out, ya'll!

Tuesday, February 03, 2009

That'll Be That Was the Day...

Can you believe it's been 50 years since the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper? Man, I can't. Ever weirder is to know that, were the three still alive today, they would be 72, 67, and 78, respectively. I wish I could go to Lubbock today for one of their Buddy Holly life celebrations. Hey, this guy did a lot in 22 years, and he was my favorite musician for a long time. Then, somehow I kind of got out of the '50s and spent a brief time in the early to mid '60s, jumped into a quick infatuation with the '80s, and then settled comfortably into the late '60s-mid '70s.

Anyway, when I was in my Buddy Holly phase, I wasn't crazy about "Peggy Sue." I did like "That'll Be the Day," but most of my other favs were fairly obscure. I absolutely loved "Rock Around with Ollie Vee," though I have no idea what the lyrics are. And when I was in the 8th grade, I won $25 for singing his version of "Oh Boy" and playing my guitar at a school talent show. Yeah, I may have been a little obsessed with the Crickets when I tried to form my own rockabilly band in the 7th grade. One of my friends was supposed to be a drummer, and the other was to be a keyboardist. Unfortunately, neither of them knew how to play their instruments. Even more disheartening, neither of them had their instruments. It was all well and good that I was going to be the lead singer/rhythm guitarist. Heck, we didn't even have a lead guitar. It was a sorry excuse for a "band." Needless to say, that didn't last long.

For years, I actually celebrated Buddy Holly's birthday (September 7) by making him a poster and boring everyone I knew with random Buddy Holly facts (keep in mind, most of these people were kids my age who'd never even heard of the guy). And one year (not that long ago), I went to see a Buddy Holly impersonator at a theatre for my birthday. That was cool, but I wish I could've met the real Buddy Holly, though.

Monday, February 02, 2009

Monochrome Monday--Haphazard Winter Shot


This is the place where I fell down during that crazy day I wrote about in Snow Photography: A Farce. I wasn't going to share these monochromes, but I got some requests, so here's the most appropriate one. I don't mind if you laugh at me. Note the footprints--those are the ones I made once I finally got myself back up. This is what happened when I set the tripod down and pointed it in the general direction of some trees (I was too cold and irritated to spend much time fiddling with the framing). Also, you can see that I was standing on a slope, though I thought I was on level ground. Snow can be tricky that way!

For more monochrome mania, check out Monochrome Maniacs

Sunday, February 01, 2009

I Just Adopted a Word, Too!

Yes, friends and neighbors, I am doing my part to save the words. This awesome organization, which is a branch of Oxford UP, houses endangered words, and allows individuals to "adopt" them for free. You even get a nifty certificate (see mine in the upper left). It's really easy--all you have to do is visit Save the Words and pick out a word, or randomly select one, then create a username and password and enter a valid email address (so they can send you that lovely award) and click adopt, and you have adopted a new word. The point is that once the word has been adopted, you should use it as much as you can so that it doesn't actually become extinct. I believe my word's heyday was in the 1600s, so you can see how these endangered words are literally on the verge of extinction.

Warning: The words will all cry out to you pleading, "pick me!" and "over here!" It really is a sad situation, folks, so let's all do our part to keep these poor innocent words from their ultimate demise.

My friend, Blue adopted one yesterday, and then today, my friend, BJ adopted one, as well. This is how I became aware of this site.

Thank you, Blue, for the plug. I plan to put a link to this site on both my blogs to help "spread the word" (as Save the Words' motto proclaims) about this cool phenomenon!

Anyway, my word is "vocitate," which simply means to name. I chose this, of all the scores of words in need of a good home because, ironically enough, I wasn't sure what to vocitate my Word of the Day blog. That is why it is simply called, "Word of the Day."

Also, I realize that many of my friends and family members vocitate their cars. As of yet, I have not vocitated my car. I have owned it for nearly eight years now, and have yet to give it a name. Perhaps if I ever get another car, I can vocitate that one.

Don't be alarmed if I start overusing the word, "vocitate": it's part of the job of being an overprotective parent to my newly-adopted word.