QotD: I Turn My Camera On

What kind of camera(s) do you own?

I have one of the Nikon Coolpix digital cameras. I can't remember the exact model number, but it cost about $250 a year ago. In general the camera is great for someone like me–I like to take "arty" shots, but I am an impatient amateur (and most of my photos are shot on the run while on business trips or personal trips, and no one likes to wait for me to sit around fiddling with settings.) I can use the built-in macros to do quick point and shoot images. My only regret: I should have shelled out more dough for a model with image stabilization. My hands are chronically shaky and this is becoming more and more of a problem as I aim to take night shots and close-ups of plants and textures.

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QotD: Pants on Fire

Tell us two truths and a lie about yourself.

Oh fun, so I get to list three statements about me and then make you guess which one is false? OK, here goes:

Guess which 1 of the 3 factoids about Random Anna listed below is untrue:

1. Random Anna has a third nipple, considered by some to be the sign of a witch.

2. Random Anna has eaten balut in the Philippines. (Balut is defined by www.deependdining.com as "a popular Filipino street snack and is essentially a duck egg with a fetus inside, typically between seventeen to twenty days in gestation.")

3. During a concert held on her university's library steps, Joey Ramone pointed at Random Anna as she jumped around in the mosh pit, thus confirming to everyone that Random Anna does indeed exist.

Hmm, I'm going to have to leave everyone guessing forever about this one…

 

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QotD: Memorial Day

Do you know any war veterans?
Submitted by Fightin’ 6th Marines.

Yes. My brother-in-law served as a Marine in the first Gulf War. My father, now deceased, was a sailor in World War II. My customers at my job are military servicemembers. I blogged about Memorial Day on Vox yesterday. By the way, I have this theory that Marines are the funniest people on the planet. I imagine you need a good sense of humor to deal with the more grim moments of the job. Thanks, Vets!

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For Memorial Day

My father, now deceased, served as a sailor in World War II. My brother-in-law served in the first Gulf War as a Marine. One of my best friends, Roger, served in the Marines. My great grandfather served in the Union Army and protected the then-unfinished Washington Monument during the Civil War. I thank all of these family members (and I include Roger as family) for what they contributed and what they sacrificed. (Whether they faced active combat or not, each of these men definitely contributed and sacrificed for the greater good). I also thank all of the other American veterans out there for what they have sacrificed and for what they have contributed. Freedom is never free, that's for sure. Our freedom might be flawed, but in general we live quite richly here in the USA, and I am not sure that would have been the case, had our ancestors and our family members not stood up to defend what they believed in. We can argue endlessly over whether any of these wars were justifiable; but we cannot argue the fact that our veterans have shown amazing courage and amazing dedication, and these actions should be remembered and praised.

To find ways to support our veterans, visit the website www.americasupportsyou.com.

 

 

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QotD: Pet Person

What do you think your pets would act like if they were people? Do you think you'd get along with them? 
Submitted by Melissa.

The one pet of mine that I could see clearly in human form is Red the Cat. Red would be like a loveable adopted autistic child who is always clinging to my hand.

Red has always wanted a Mommy. Red was born in our back yard, and she used to cling to Sweetie Pie, her mother cat, to the point that Sweete Pie would nip at her to get her to go away. The other kittens separated from their mother much faster than Red did. After Sweetie Pie abandoned the litter, and most of the kittens were captured to be placed in loving homes, Red would cling to her brother Inky the same way she used to cling to Sweetie Pie. Then, when Inky was captured and given to a loving home, and Red came to live into our home, I became Mommy to her. REd is afraid of everyone else.

A few notes on Red's family, while we are at it:

Red's father is unknown.

Sweetie Pie disappeared after being with the litter for about 8 weeks or so. It seemed like a purposeful abandonment because we never saw her again, and we had noticed her becoming more and more irritable about the kittens being near her.

The first kitten to be neutered and placed in a home was Speckles, Red's sister. Speckles lives with us.

Red's brothers, Inky and Pumpkin, went to live with our neighbors across the alley.

Sister Chloe went to live with my friend Roger. So all the kittens were spayed/neutered and found loving homes.

The kittens were named by committee. We had banded with sr]everal different neighbors to try to feed them and acclimate them to people. At the time no one could predict what would become of them, and we needed names to refer to the different cats, so the cats ended up with sort of generic or goofy names referring to their appearance. Red and Pumpkin are orange and white cats; Inky is mainly black; Chloe was a calico; Sweetie Pie was just cute.

As I was writing this Speckles came up to nudge me for attention, so I will go now to pet her.

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QotD: Weekend Plans

What are your plans for the weekend?

Today I went shopping with my friend Tamm in Columbia, Maryland. Tamm and I have been friends since 6th grade. We are close, but don't get to see each other very often, so it was nice to do some girly shopping together and talk about life. Also, I got my first department store makeover today. A stylist at the Chanel counter at Lord and Taylor was insistent about doing my makeup. She gave me kind of a beachy, summery, golden and glowy kind of look, not clownish or garish. I splurged on a palette of lip glosses there because I had such an annoying and depressing week.

Tomorrow I am going to go into my backyard with two variants of herbicide to attack my insidious Bermuda grass infestation. I plan to use both full bottles entirely and show no mercy. I hate this invader grass and I am out to destroy it. I have tried all the gentle organic methods for killing this stuff, including digging into the earth a foot and a half deep to pull out roots by hand, but nothing works. It is now time for poison. I mean business. No more fooling around. This is full on chemical warfare.

On a side note, I wish they could figure out a way to make ethanol out of Bermuda grass, dandelions and bamboo.

Does anyone out there know how to kill Bermuda grass, by any chance? Can you tell this stuff is driving me insane?

As for the rest of the weekend, it will involve sleeping, blogging, helping a local charity with some paperwork, cleaning things in preparation for Matt's brother Dave's arrival on June 2, petting my cats and looking for ripe strawberries in my garden.

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How to Stop Having a Bad Day: Give to Someone Else

Here's what I did to make myself feel better this week: I made a microloan to a female entrepreneur in Eastern Europe who sells fruit and needs funds to erect a new fruitstand to protect her from the elements. You can help her, too, or help someone else in need, at www.kiva.org.

 

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QotD: Favorite Finale

What was your favorite TV season finale this year? 
Submitted by Kristine.

I really enjoyed the Lost finale. I like how they started switching the flashbacks with "flash forwards," a neat little twist. I also enjoyed watching how the solidarity of "the Others" is beginning to unravel. My favorite character, John, didn't die afterall, and even though he did a bad thing in this episode, his intentions were good. Now I hear the producers want us to wait until 2008 for the next episode. That's so evil!

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One of those days…

I am just having one of those days when I feel bleak. It might be hormonal; it might be because I have been fighting off an illness; it might be because I forgot to take my medicine last night; or maybe it is all of these things combined, or maybe it is none of these things at all…but I just feel bleak.

Typically I would describe my state of mind as "content" or "happy." I spent a lot of my youth–the first 25 years of my life on this planet, in fact–feeling miserable, so I hate it when I get a little taste or flash of that old misery, even though I know it is transient.

Tomorrow will be better, because tomorrows usually are, but tomorrow feels very far away. I guess I just need to accept the fact that there are certain broken things that I cannot fix, no matter how hard I try. 

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Weimaraner Dog Stolen from Loudoun County

To all my readers who live near Leesburg, Virginia:

My friend's male Weimaraner dog, Kona, was stolen from the Leesburg / Lucketts area yesterday afternoon.

Please be on the lookout for anyone in your neighborhood who might suddenly have a new grey Weimaraner dog. Stolen purebreed dogs are being resold on the black market for cash, so in all likelihood whoever ends up with Kona is not the thief, but you should still notify local police if you suspect you have found Kona.

Approximately 30% of stolen dogs are reunited with their owners, and Kona is microchipped, so there is hope that Kona will be reunited with his owners.

If you think you have spotted Kona in the Leesburg / Frederick area, please also contact my friend Roger at the following email address:

poundgreensand at yahoo dot com

 

Kona the Dog Stolen May 22

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