Here is the story that is in the news:
"FRISCO, Texas (AP) -- A Texas art teacher who was reprimanded after one of her fifth-grade students saw a nude sculpture during a trip to a museum has lost her job.
The school board in Frisco has voted not to renew Sydney McGee's contract after 28 years. She has been on administrative leave.
McGee says her troubles started after a field trip to the Dallas Museum of Art last April. McGee's lawyer says the principal at Fisher Elementary School later admonished her after a parent complained that a student had seen nude art.
McGee says the principal had urged her to take the students to the museum.
School officials deny they were reacting to the field trip but say there have been problems with McGee's work."
GIVE ME A BREAK!!!
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Grrrrrrr!!!
This sneering post of my grandson is to express my frustration. Below you will find two identical posts, the only difference being that one is grammatically correct in having a question mark at the question and one is not since the punctuation is missing.
The site posted the blog entry twice, and when I tried to delete one, it would have neither of them listed as even existing, so I can't delete or edit what does not exist.
Bummer!
By the time this explanation is posted, one or both will likely disappear and you will wonder what the heck I am talking about.
the title of the errant twin posts is: How Do You Feel About the Privacy of Your Home?
So, if they both disappear, I will try to add one once more. If they are both there, you needn't feel that you must comment in duplicate.
If only the one missing the question mark in the title is there, know that I haven't been able to do anything about that.
Just a little more chaos in my chaotic world of late.
thanks for your patience!
The site posted the blog entry twice, and when I tried to delete one, it would have neither of them listed as even existing, so I can't delete or edit what does not exist.
Bummer!
By the time this explanation is posted, one or both will likely disappear and you will wonder what the heck I am talking about.
the title of the errant twin posts is: How Do You Feel About the Privacy of Your Home?
So, if they both disappear, I will try to add one once more. If they are both there, you needn't feel that you must comment in duplicate.
If only the one missing the question mark in the title is there, know that I haven't been able to do anything about that.
Just a little more chaos in my chaotic world of late.
thanks for your patience!
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
The Myth (?) of the Starving Artist
When I was an art student, we often reminded each other not to “prostitute” our art. What we meant by that, was that we would promise each other not to go out into the world to create kitsch or sell out, or work for a corporation while our artistic talents dwindled away until they were only a sad memory.
I was relating, recently, the story about how my dad and his friend, Eric Larson, were approached by Walt Disney, way back when he only had a storefront in Burbank, to be on his first team of animators. Eric accepted the offer and went on to create Bambi, Thumper, Flower, etc. I am sure my dad agonized over the offer, and in the end, he turned it down. He thought it was too risky. My dad was a pretty good artist, and we grew up seeing our likenesses turned into cartoons on many occasions. As a teen, and an artist, myself, I felt angry at my dad for turning down that offer, (especially when I was at Disneyland).
It wasn’t until I was older that I realized that he made the sacrifice for us. I am sure he would have preferred to have an animator for Disney. Instead, he finished grad school to be a psychologist, and worked hard to support his family.
No matter what business Disney was starting back then in Burbank, it would have been a risky endeavor. A business in the arts, even riskier.
I spoke to my next-door neighbor yesterday because I saw him installing a wrought metal gate. I knew that he worked in metals and was trying to make a living at it. Mark has said to me, “He’s an artist. Like you.”
I took a few photos of his gate and he was telling me about how he was probably going to have to close his business; just do it on the side. He was doing well, but the costs of materials was getting to be too much. And when he priced his work to reflect the costs of his better materials, the business went elsewhere.
When it comes to the arts, people tend to want what is cheap and mass produced. There is certainly more of a trend for people to expect free or very low cost digital photos these days because they know they can take a photo and it will only cost them the price of the paper to print it.
Too often it is forgotten that it is much more than the cost of the materials. I’ve often heard the story of the woman in France who asked for a watercolor of a street artist. He whipped up a watercolor for her with a flourish and when she asked how much, he told her his price. She was astounded at the price. She complained that the paper was cheap and that it only took him ten minutes to create the painting. “No, Madame,” he responded, “it took 35 years!”
Recently someone approached me with a similar question. She was admiring my photos and complaining that she wasn’t able to take photos “like that.” She asked what equipment I was using, and if that was what made the difference. I responded that it was probably about 40 years that made the difference
When I was an art student, computers were not even a thought in any of our minds. In commercial art and design classes, we had to learn to hand-letter advertisements, which would then be reduced. We had to work hard to learn the elements of design, and to work with a variety of medium. But even then, the idea of craftsmanship was in peril as the masses were already buying “sofa-sized” mass produced paintings in colors to match their décor.
Throughout history, artists have been under-appreciated, at least while alive, and confined to a loft somewhere, to spend food money on a particular, expensive shade of rare, red pigment.
I told the metal crafter that he should not give up. He agreed that he would continue to produce his art, even if only on the side.
As I walked back to my front door, camera in hand, I thought of how, in college, I had a second major in psychology (just in case?) and I thought of the stack of manuscripts waiting for me to edit and told him that, yes, I have a day job, too. But hey, at least I am not creating kitsch, and I am not doing school portraits for a company that only knows how to line them up and shoot them like pinned down specimens. I have not sold out, and I will not give up.
Support your local starving artist! Crave beauty!
I was relating, recently, the story about how my dad and his friend, Eric Larson, were approached by Walt Disney, way back when he only had a storefront in Burbank, to be on his first team of animators. Eric accepted the offer and went on to create Bambi, Thumper, Flower, etc. I am sure my dad agonized over the offer, and in the end, he turned it down. He thought it was too risky. My dad was a pretty good artist, and we grew up seeing our likenesses turned into cartoons on many occasions. As a teen, and an artist, myself, I felt angry at my dad for turning down that offer, (especially when I was at Disneyland).
It wasn’t until I was older that I realized that he made the sacrifice for us. I am sure he would have preferred to have an animator for Disney. Instead, he finished grad school to be a psychologist, and worked hard to support his family.
No matter what business Disney was starting back then in Burbank, it would have been a risky endeavor. A business in the arts, even riskier.
I spoke to my next-door neighbor yesterday because I saw him installing a wrought metal gate. I knew that he worked in metals and was trying to make a living at it. Mark has said to me, “He’s an artist. Like you.”
I took a few photos of his gate and he was telling me about how he was probably going to have to close his business; just do it on the side. He was doing well, but the costs of materials was getting to be too much. And when he priced his work to reflect the costs of his better materials, the business went elsewhere.
When it comes to the arts, people tend to want what is cheap and mass produced. There is certainly more of a trend for people to expect free or very low cost digital photos these days because they know they can take a photo and it will only cost them the price of the paper to print it.
Too often it is forgotten that it is much more than the cost of the materials. I’ve often heard the story of the woman in France who asked for a watercolor of a street artist. He whipped up a watercolor for her with a flourish and when she asked how much, he told her his price. She was astounded at the price. She complained that the paper was cheap and that it only took him ten minutes to create the painting. “No, Madame,” he responded, “it took 35 years!”
Recently someone approached me with a similar question. She was admiring my photos and complaining that she wasn’t able to take photos “like that.” She asked what equipment I was using, and if that was what made the difference. I responded that it was probably about 40 years that made the difference
When I was an art student, computers were not even a thought in any of our minds. In commercial art and design classes, we had to learn to hand-letter advertisements, which would then be reduced. We had to work hard to learn the elements of design, and to work with a variety of medium. But even then, the idea of craftsmanship was in peril as the masses were already buying “sofa-sized” mass produced paintings in colors to match their décor.
Throughout history, artists have been under-appreciated, at least while alive, and confined to a loft somewhere, to spend food money on a particular, expensive shade of rare, red pigment.
I told the metal crafter that he should not give up. He agreed that he would continue to produce his art, even if only on the side.
As I walked back to my front door, camera in hand, I thought of how, in college, I had a second major in psychology (just in case?) and I thought of the stack of manuscripts waiting for me to edit and told him that, yes, I have a day job, too. But hey, at least I am not creating kitsch, and I am not doing school portraits for a company that only knows how to line them up and shoot them like pinned down specimens. I have not sold out, and I will not give up.
Support your local starving artist! Crave beauty!
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
How Far Back Can You Remember?
I was talking to friends tonight about back-to-school. One friend’s daughter was starting third grade. I said, “I remember third grade.”
Boy do I remember third grade. I remember what my teacher looked like, what she wore, and the boy who told everyone he would kiss me before the year was over (a thought that terrorized me the entire year. And true to his promise, on the last day of school, I was waiting to get on the bus, and he appeared out of nowhere, planted a wet one on my cheek and disappeared into the cheering cacophony of his buddies! Ewwwww, yuck!).
But when I said that I could remember third grade, the others were astonished. Some said that they could only remember back as far as fourth grade. Some said that junior high was their limit. I was even more astonished than they were!
I told them, and it is the absolute truth, that I could remember being a baby. I can remember being held horizontally, all wrapped up, I remember my grandmother’s lace curtains making me sneeze. I remember getting my diapers changed. I remember gnawing on zwieback when I was teething and how my gums felt. I remember breastfeeding. I remember the feel of soggy cloth diapers, being in a crib, crying on my dad’s shoulder and the feel of his whiskers. I remember when my brother was born when I was two, I remember my sister’s birth and my next brother’s birth. I remember being a toddler. I remember what scared me and what comforted me. I remember everything about being five and the first day of kindergarten. I remember the scratchy, fussy dress my grandmother made me for kindergarten, and I remember how relieved I was to change into “dungarees” after I got home again.
I remember first grade. I remember everything about my classmates, my teachers, my room, my toys, my books, and what my siblings said and did and what got us into trouble, and how we got out of trouble. I remember my childhood shoes, my toys, and what I liked to eat and what I didn’t like to eat (I hated cheese around age 5-9, and have been making up for that lapse ever since). I remember the first time I saw television when I was around age one (which was also around the time that most people first saw television). It was a huge piece of furniture with a tiny little black and white screen.
I remember hiding under the bed in my room when I was very young. It was a trundle bed so it was a very nice place for hiding from brothers. Really, there is very little that I DON’T remember. I was as surprised at how little my friends could remember as they were at how much I could remember.
They suggested that I survey people to find out how much they can remember. So here it is. How far back can you remember?
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Forget Diet, Exercise, and Pills
Forget Diets, Exercise and Pills!
This is the new era of cyberspace! We shop online, we communicate online, we send files online. There is virtually no need to ever go anywhere anymore! We can just stay home and utilize our windows to the universe for all of our needs, including the need to shed a few pounds and look MAH-volous!
A recent “news” item is all about how Katie Couric shed 20 pounds thanks to modern technology. Yep. Apparently an enthused photo editor thought she could use some slimming and so he used his mouse, and voila! 20 pounds gone, just like that! Who would ever know? I certainly will never see her in person, will you?
Let’s see, if I just never go out in public, and why would I need to, other than to get groceries and work out, I could just maintain a certain look, via software. I can get my groceries online, and if there is no need to work out, why should I?
Of course, her response to the controversy (and to me, the controversy is, and ought to be, how far should photo editors go to alter images? But that is an entirely other topic), was that she liked the original photo better because there was “more of me to love!” Hmm…imagine being narcissistic enough to…well, never mind, that is also a different topic. It’s just that my irony alarms seem to be going off here.
So, we no longer need to worry about such things as love handles or double chins, because they can be removed in seconds thanks to modern photo editing software.
Okay.
(I am wondering if there is any kind of elongating tool, I have always wanted to be around 5’7” to 5’8”, I’d only need 2-3 inches added.)
PS-I used this photo of my grandson and my sister, who is about an inch or two taller than me and in no need of digital lipo-suction because that way no one could accuse me of altering the photo, or of using someone in need of alteration.
This is the new era of cyberspace! We shop online, we communicate online, we send files online. There is virtually no need to ever go anywhere anymore! We can just stay home and utilize our windows to the universe for all of our needs, including the need to shed a few pounds and look MAH-volous!
A recent “news” item is all about how Katie Couric shed 20 pounds thanks to modern technology. Yep. Apparently an enthused photo editor thought she could use some slimming and so he used his mouse, and voila! 20 pounds gone, just like that! Who would ever know? I certainly will never see her in person, will you?
Let’s see, if I just never go out in public, and why would I need to, other than to get groceries and work out, I could just maintain a certain look, via software. I can get my groceries online, and if there is no need to work out, why should I?
Of course, her response to the controversy (and to me, the controversy is, and ought to be, how far should photo editors go to alter images? But that is an entirely other topic), was that she liked the original photo better because there was “more of me to love!” Hmm…imagine being narcissistic enough to…well, never mind, that is also a different topic. It’s just that my irony alarms seem to be going off here.
So, we no longer need to worry about such things as love handles or double chins, because they can be removed in seconds thanks to modern photo editing software.
Okay.
(I am wondering if there is any kind of elongating tool, I have always wanted to be around 5’7” to 5’8”, I’d only need 2-3 inches added.)
PS-I used this photo of my grandson and my sister, who is about an inch or two taller than me and in no need of digital lipo-suction because that way no one could accuse me of altering the photo, or of using someone in need of alteration.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
New Online Photography Workshop
For those of you who have been waiting, and you know who you are, or for those of you who are interested, I finally started the online photography workshop. Find it here:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/kczphotoclass/
http://www.flickr.com/groups/kczphotoclass/
Friday, August 18, 2006
child denied her childhood
Have we actually found the man who murdered this poor little girl? I have heard that he said such things as that he kidnapped her from school, and that he drugged her. Well, if this happened the day after Christmas, what was she doing in school? No one has school the day after Christmas. And the autopsy showed not a trace of any drug in her body. So, right there, two lies.
I also heard that his ex-wife stated, basically: what the heck is he talking about? he was with me in Alabama that day! (not her exact words). Ex-wives are not necessarily known for their loyalty to their ex-husbands, so why would she offer him an alibi? She wouldn’t. But she’d probably be eager to speak up immediately if he said something totally wrong. Lie number three?
It has also been stated that there is NO evidence, anywhere, ever, of his ever having been in Colorado, ever. Okay, hmmmm. Lie number four?
So, it appears that he might be a liar. But a murderer?
It has come out that he was obsessed with the Jon-Benet case, and that he was emailing Patsy, the mom, quite a bit, throughout the case. And now he is confessing to kidnapping her from school the day after Christmas, etc.
Maybe he is mostly a nutcase. A nutcase who likes to spend time in the pit of depravity. Maybe he gets a thrill from imagining himself as the murderer. Maybe all along, he has been attracted to the case and wanting some notoriety. Maybe he just wants to attach himself to something he finds to be thrillingly wicked.
And maybe the investigators are just happy to have someone so willing to confess that the facts can be bent a little.
I don’t know. And I suppose I have no right to speculate, not having the facts, all of the facts, and just the facts. It will be interesting to see if the truth comes out.
I do know this. This little girl was murdered, in spirit, a long time before she was physically murdered. She was denied the right to have a normal childhood, to be accepted as she was, and to be able to grow up climbing trees, not caring about what she looked like. She had a lifestyle foisted upon her that was not normal. For the sake of their own pride, her parents stole her life from her. She was sexualized by her parents long before someone molested her. She was used. She was made into a symbol and denied the right to be a real girl.
It takes a village to murder one little, innocent girl!
I also heard that his ex-wife stated, basically: what the heck is he talking about? he was with me in Alabama that day! (not her exact words). Ex-wives are not necessarily known for their loyalty to their ex-husbands, so why would she offer him an alibi? She wouldn’t. But she’d probably be eager to speak up immediately if he said something totally wrong. Lie number three?
It has also been stated that there is NO evidence, anywhere, ever, of his ever having been in Colorado, ever. Okay, hmmmm. Lie number four?
So, it appears that he might be a liar. But a murderer?
It has come out that he was obsessed with the Jon-Benet case, and that he was emailing Patsy, the mom, quite a bit, throughout the case. And now he is confessing to kidnapping her from school the day after Christmas, etc.
Maybe he is mostly a nutcase. A nutcase who likes to spend time in the pit of depravity. Maybe he gets a thrill from imagining himself as the murderer. Maybe all along, he has been attracted to the case and wanting some notoriety. Maybe he just wants to attach himself to something he finds to be thrillingly wicked.
And maybe the investigators are just happy to have someone so willing to confess that the facts can be bent a little.
I don’t know. And I suppose I have no right to speculate, not having the facts, all of the facts, and just the facts. It will be interesting to see if the truth comes out.
I do know this. This little girl was murdered, in spirit, a long time before she was physically murdered. She was denied the right to have a normal childhood, to be accepted as she was, and to be able to grow up climbing trees, not caring about what she looked like. She had a lifestyle foisted upon her that was not normal. For the sake of their own pride, her parents stole her life from her. She was sexualized by her parents long before someone molested her. She was used. She was made into a symbol and denied the right to be a real girl.
It takes a village to murder one little, innocent girl!
Thursday, August 10, 2006
War. What Is it Good For?
WAR. What is it good for?
I hate war. When I was a kid at the movies, war scenes always terrified me far more than any horror flick ever could! Even as an adult, war scenes make me cry, cause me to lose sleep, terrorize me. I cannot even stand to read about war. From a very early age, I sensed that war was the ultimate evil.
And yeah, I don’t like violence, in general, and I don’t like guns (even though I have a really good aim, my dad taught us to shoot at tin cans in the desert when we were young), and I don’t like mean people, and I don’t even like anger!
One might say that I am a pacifist through and through.
Would I like it if we were not at war right now? Absolutely!
Imagine if you would, that you live on a street in a make-believe neighborhood. You are living your life to the best of your ability. You have friendly neighbors on this street, and sometimes you socialize at each other’s homes. Down the street, though, there is this one family that hates you. And, in fact it hates you so much that it wants to kill you and your family. And, in fact, it believes that if its members were to rape your daughters, torture and maim your sons, and kill you, that they would be doing a noble thing. They don’t care about laws or the land, morality, what’s right and wrong, or anything like that. To them, the only thing that is right is to destroy you.
There are other neighbors who feel the same way. They fight amongst themselves, and often you see patrol cars pulling up at their homes to try to settle some dispute or to arrest someone who kills or harms one of the others. But, they are unified in their hatred for you, and have secret meetings and plots.
As time goes on, the threats against you and your family grow, and there are even attempts to destroy you. There have been assaults on your home and family, and upon your neighbors. Oh, and by the way, you cannot move.
So, what do you do? Do you go have a chat with these people? Do you see if you can work out your differences? You tried that a long time ago, and they made it clear that they do not want to hear anything you have to say, and they have no desire to compromise or reason. They intend to destroy you, and that is all there is to it.
Sometimes there is no avoiding war. Sometimes one must defend oneself and one’s own. And when war cannot be avoided, we must be vigilant about protecting and defending.
So, the neighborhood forms a kind of group to protect and defend those being attacked. The group may need to use weapons and it may need to use force, and it may even need to spy a little to stay on top of the actions and plans of those who wish to destroy you.
Amazingly enough, there will be some who will be more angry at that little band trying to protect us than they are at the ones who would destroy us.
Throughout history, the story has been told and retold.
War is evil. It will be with us until the end of time. I hate war. But I realize that without war there would be many countries that would not be enjoying the freedoms they do today. Without war, Nazism would likely still be a major force, as one example among many (and thank goodness for the brave men and women of WWII who took on that evil!). Sometimes war is necessary.
As much of a Pacifist and violence-hater that I am, you can bet that if a rapist had invaded my home and attempted to assault my daughter, I would have used whatever force necessary to protect her. I would have risked my life. I would have called upon my good aim, if necessary.
I support our troops who are defending us. I support our leaders who are working hard to protect us. I am grateful that they prevented the deaths of innocent citizens flying from London in the last 24 hours.
War. What is it good for? For freeing the oppressed, for protecting the innocent, for preserving our freedoms.
I hate war. When I was a kid at the movies, war scenes always terrified me far more than any horror flick ever could! Even as an adult, war scenes make me cry, cause me to lose sleep, terrorize me. I cannot even stand to read about war. From a very early age, I sensed that war was the ultimate evil.
And yeah, I don’t like violence, in general, and I don’t like guns (even though I have a really good aim, my dad taught us to shoot at tin cans in the desert when we were young), and I don’t like mean people, and I don’t even like anger!
One might say that I am a pacifist through and through.
Would I like it if we were not at war right now? Absolutely!
Imagine if you would, that you live on a street in a make-believe neighborhood. You are living your life to the best of your ability. You have friendly neighbors on this street, and sometimes you socialize at each other’s homes. Down the street, though, there is this one family that hates you. And, in fact it hates you so much that it wants to kill you and your family. And, in fact, it believes that if its members were to rape your daughters, torture and maim your sons, and kill you, that they would be doing a noble thing. They don’t care about laws or the land, morality, what’s right and wrong, or anything like that. To them, the only thing that is right is to destroy you.
There are other neighbors who feel the same way. They fight amongst themselves, and often you see patrol cars pulling up at their homes to try to settle some dispute or to arrest someone who kills or harms one of the others. But, they are unified in their hatred for you, and have secret meetings and plots.
As time goes on, the threats against you and your family grow, and there are even attempts to destroy you. There have been assaults on your home and family, and upon your neighbors. Oh, and by the way, you cannot move.
So, what do you do? Do you go have a chat with these people? Do you see if you can work out your differences? You tried that a long time ago, and they made it clear that they do not want to hear anything you have to say, and they have no desire to compromise or reason. They intend to destroy you, and that is all there is to it.
Sometimes there is no avoiding war. Sometimes one must defend oneself and one’s own. And when war cannot be avoided, we must be vigilant about protecting and defending.
So, the neighborhood forms a kind of group to protect and defend those being attacked. The group may need to use weapons and it may need to use force, and it may even need to spy a little to stay on top of the actions and plans of those who wish to destroy you.
Amazingly enough, there will be some who will be more angry at that little band trying to protect us than they are at the ones who would destroy us.
Throughout history, the story has been told and retold.
War is evil. It will be with us until the end of time. I hate war. But I realize that without war there would be many countries that would not be enjoying the freedoms they do today. Without war, Nazism would likely still be a major force, as one example among many (and thank goodness for the brave men and women of WWII who took on that evil!). Sometimes war is necessary.
As much of a Pacifist and violence-hater that I am, you can bet that if a rapist had invaded my home and attempted to assault my daughter, I would have used whatever force necessary to protect her. I would have risked my life. I would have called upon my good aim, if necessary.
I support our troops who are defending us. I support our leaders who are working hard to protect us. I am grateful that they prevented the deaths of innocent citizens flying from London in the last 24 hours.
War. What is it good for? For freeing the oppressed, for protecting the innocent, for preserving our freedoms.
Friday, August 04, 2006
babytalk
Oh Brother!!!! Is this a shockingly, disgusting, and gross photograph. Not at all!!!
I am one of those people who is not immersed in popular culture that much. I do not subscribe to PEOPLE, I think the tabloids are sources of amusement during waits in supermarket lines, on those rare occasions when I actually go into a supermarket (I usually shop where there are no magazines and no toyfoods). I am not much of a TV watcher. I seem to live in an alternate dimension. Perhaps this makes me qualified to speak on this issue because I am not brain-washed as to current societal norms.
And so, when I see certain immoral and immodest types being role models to pre-teens, to me that IS shocking. When I see pseudo stars gaining popularity by accidentally producing and selling sex videos featuring themselves as accidental porn stars, that to me is disgusting.
When I hear people explaining why they had five children, each by different fathers (or mothers), to whom they were not married, at the time, and, in fact, when all were actually elsewhere committed, to me that is gross. (“It just happened!” They say as an explanation as to why they screwed up their lives and those of a trail of innocent victims. Or “I fell in love” to explain why they abandoned family and/or destroyed another family. When feelings and impulses rule us, the society is doomed!)
When I read of people who destroy or even murder for gain or power, I feel discouraged and I feel contempt for such acts.
So, read the article and come back and tell me what you think:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060804/od_afp/afplifestyleussocialbreastfeeding
Shocking? Disgusting? Gross?
What is happening in our world where what is pure and beautiful can be seen by some as being ugly and unspeakable, and what is ugly and unspeakable is seen as being worth our attention and focus?
Some people have it turned all around backwards and inside out.
To me, this is a truly beautiful photograph! This is a loving moment that is pure and inspiring. Look at the baby’s expression! This is what mothering is all about and this is what produces a human being who will be kind, moral, and decent.
I applaud BABYTALK.
I am one of those people who is not immersed in popular culture that much. I do not subscribe to PEOPLE, I think the tabloids are sources of amusement during waits in supermarket lines, on those rare occasions when I actually go into a supermarket (I usually shop where there are no magazines and no toyfoods). I am not much of a TV watcher. I seem to live in an alternate dimension. Perhaps this makes me qualified to speak on this issue because I am not brain-washed as to current societal norms.
And so, when I see certain immoral and immodest types being role models to pre-teens, to me that IS shocking. When I see pseudo stars gaining popularity by accidentally producing and selling sex videos featuring themselves as accidental porn stars, that to me is disgusting.
When I hear people explaining why they had five children, each by different fathers (or mothers), to whom they were not married, at the time, and, in fact, when all were actually elsewhere committed, to me that is gross. (“It just happened!” They say as an explanation as to why they screwed up their lives and those of a trail of innocent victims. Or “I fell in love” to explain why they abandoned family and/or destroyed another family. When feelings and impulses rule us, the society is doomed!)
When I read of people who destroy or even murder for gain or power, I feel discouraged and I feel contempt for such acts.
So, read the article and come back and tell me what you think:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060804/od_afp/afplifestyleussocialbreastfeeding
Shocking? Disgusting? Gross?
What is happening in our world where what is pure and beautiful can be seen by some as being ugly and unspeakable, and what is ugly and unspeakable is seen as being worth our attention and focus?
Some people have it turned all around backwards and inside out.
To me, this is a truly beautiful photograph! This is a loving moment that is pure and inspiring. Look at the baby’s expression! This is what mothering is all about and this is what produces a human being who will be kind, moral, and decent.
I applaud BABYTALK.
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Is it Just Me, or Is My Frustration with Adobe Photoshop Justified?
Here's the thing. I've been wanting photoshop elements for some time, because I've heard it's a good, basic, photo editing software with some of the tools that I like to use.
Mark got it for me for Mother's Day, last May. Cool!
I didn't install it until sometime in late June, due to travel, etc.
I finally installed it, loved it, used it 2-3 times, tops. (Lots of travel in between.)
Home again, went to open it, and it went to a window that appears to be an attempt to upgrade it. Okay. I have several programs that like to upgrade themselves from time to time, I'll just wait for it to do that.
It never finishes. N E V E R. I can let it upgrade for the rest of my life and it will just be in the process of trying to upgrade, so eventually I have to force quit.
I contact the adobe people. They're really helpful until I say that I am using adobe photoshop elements 2.0. They can no longer register or support that because it is considered, by them, but not by a lot of photographers, to be obsolete. I can, if I wish, upgrade through them, for the huge editing program, that I never wanted in the first place, using my current softwared, for a mere 170.00 bucks.
I guess that is a startling bargain because, I am told, that if I were to buy it outright, it would cost something like 800.00.
But, I only wanted elements.
So, why would amazon.com sell software that is considered to be obsolete? Or, why would they not tell their customers that it is, so that they can know that before they purchase it?
So, I got to have the thrill of using it no more than three times? So my husband purchased a very short term trial software at the cost of regular software?
Is any of this making any sense whatsoever?
So now, I have to either upgrade to the whole enchilada, or write to amazon and see if they will take it back, and shop, all over again for suitable photo editing software.
Bleh! Any commentary, advice, suggestions are totally welcome!
Mark got it for me for Mother's Day, last May. Cool!
I didn't install it until sometime in late June, due to travel, etc.
I finally installed it, loved it, used it 2-3 times, tops. (Lots of travel in between.)
Home again, went to open it, and it went to a window that appears to be an attempt to upgrade it. Okay. I have several programs that like to upgrade themselves from time to time, I'll just wait for it to do that.
It never finishes. N E V E R. I can let it upgrade for the rest of my life and it will just be in the process of trying to upgrade, so eventually I have to force quit.
I contact the adobe people. They're really helpful until I say that I am using adobe photoshop elements 2.0. They can no longer register or support that because it is considered, by them, but not by a lot of photographers, to be obsolete. I can, if I wish, upgrade through them, for the huge editing program, that I never wanted in the first place, using my current softwared, for a mere 170.00 bucks.
I guess that is a startling bargain because, I am told, that if I were to buy it outright, it would cost something like 800.00.
But, I only wanted elements.
So, why would amazon.com sell software that is considered to be obsolete? Or, why would they not tell their customers that it is, so that they can know that before they purchase it?
So, I got to have the thrill of using it no more than three times? So my husband purchased a very short term trial software at the cost of regular software?
Is any of this making any sense whatsoever?
So now, I have to either upgrade to the whole enchilada, or write to amazon and see if they will take it back, and shop, all over again for suitable photo editing software.
Bleh! Any commentary, advice, suggestions are totally welcome!
Sunday, July 16, 2006
I Just Want to Know!
Is there like some kind of secret society, maybe run by the devil,
that insists that if you are young, female, have a little bit of
talent, or an inclination, you can achieve stardom if and only if, you
become blonde and get a boob job so that you fit the mold of the
young, female star (and all look the same)?
It's just so annoying that all female singers, for instance, seem to
go to this secret society, some kind of stepford stars soceity, and
sell their souls, which are sucked out of their bodies with some kind
of wierd sci-fi vacuum, and then they are left empty, but blonde and
buxom.
Britney, Jessica, Christina, Paris, Nicole, the list goes on and on.
Brunettes entering the machine and coming out all looking exactly the
same!
What's the deal anyway?
So along comes Avril, and she is different! She is skinny, flat,
scrawny, angry, with her dark hair parted down the middle, almost
hiding her face. She's a little bit punk and a lot individual (well,
at least more so than the the stepford stars).
So, look at the photo, and tell me.
She's gone and done it, too, hasn't she? She got sucked into the
stepford star machine and spit out the other end, looking like every
other young, female star, and lacking the soul that was just traded in
for her new star-making looks.
It's just so tiresome!
that insists that if you are young, female, have a little bit of
talent, or an inclination, you can achieve stardom if and only if, you
become blonde and get a boob job so that you fit the mold of the
young, female star (and all look the same)?
It's just so annoying that all female singers, for instance, seem to
go to this secret society, some kind of stepford stars soceity, and
sell their souls, which are sucked out of their bodies with some kind
of wierd sci-fi vacuum, and then they are left empty, but blonde and
buxom.
Britney, Jessica, Christina, Paris, Nicole, the list goes on and on.
Brunettes entering the machine and coming out all looking exactly the
same!
What's the deal anyway?
So along comes Avril, and she is different! She is skinny, flat,
scrawny, angry, with her dark hair parted down the middle, almost
hiding her face. She's a little bit punk and a lot individual (well,
at least more so than the the stepford stars).
So, look at the photo, and tell me.
She's gone and done it, too, hasn't she? She got sucked into the
stepford star machine and spit out the other end, looking like every
other young, female star, and lacking the soul that was just traded in
for her new star-making looks.
It's just so tiresome!
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Female Photographers
This morning my husband pointed me in the direction of some other female photograhers who are shooting much as I did when my kids were young, in a journalistic style along with the writing that accompanies it.
I recall, even before I became a mom, and in fact, probably even before my first day of Kindergarten, thinking that I was an observer. I liked (like) to observe people and anything visual. I would be really quiet, a lot of the time, mostly deep in observation (when not climbing trees, exploring canyons, or riding waves, all of which, in a sense, for me, are other forms of observing).
When I looked at a couple of their blogs, I was entranced to find fellow observers. It brought me right back to my center. It is akin to the feeling one might have when, after being a stranger in a strange land for some time, returning home, and immediately recalling all that one values.
Thank you Mark. And thank you ladies. If you wander over here and see this, you will know who you are. And perhaps in the very near future, if it agrees with you, I will link this blog to you because you are creating beautiful photographs of childhood, and a beautiful history. And you are being wonderful, gentle moms, that is very evident.
{note on the photo that accompanies this blog: I took this about five years ago. It is my daughter-in-law with my first grandchild, who was supposed to be napping. Clearly, mom is tired, as all moms are at this stage. The photo is actually a film photo, and I copied it with my digital, and plan, one day, soon, I hope, to rephotograph it on a stand, with a tripod to make a more crisp copy. In the meantime, I am savoring this soft, dream-like copy, because that is like my memories of my children at this age.}
I recall, even before I became a mom, and in fact, probably even before my first day of Kindergarten, thinking that I was an observer. I liked (like) to observe people and anything visual. I would be really quiet, a lot of the time, mostly deep in observation (when not climbing trees, exploring canyons, or riding waves, all of which, in a sense, for me, are other forms of observing).
When I looked at a couple of their blogs, I was entranced to find fellow observers. It brought me right back to my center. It is akin to the feeling one might have when, after being a stranger in a strange land for some time, returning home, and immediately recalling all that one values.
Thank you Mark. And thank you ladies. If you wander over here and see this, you will know who you are. And perhaps in the very near future, if it agrees with you, I will link this blog to you because you are creating beautiful photographs of childhood, and a beautiful history. And you are being wonderful, gentle moms, that is very evident.
{note on the photo that accompanies this blog: I took this about five years ago. It is my daughter-in-law with my first grandchild, who was supposed to be napping. Clearly, mom is tired, as all moms are at this stage. The photo is actually a film photo, and I copied it with my digital, and plan, one day, soon, I hope, to rephotograph it on a stand, with a tripod to make a more crisp copy. In the meantime, I am savoring this soft, dream-like copy, because that is like my memories of my children at this age.}
Sunday, July 09, 2006
Attack Beagle
Things are not always as we might expect. I was taking a brisk walk in downtown Huntington Beach, and passed by this house with a Beagle at the window.
He had his chin on the sill and he peacefully watched me walk by. I thought, Awwwww. But I didn't take my camera out (being so recently victimized by the mean camera thief, and also not having all my stuff replaced yet, I have tended to not take out my camera as often as I used to. I am still paranoid that someone will take what I do have, and then I will really be despondent and hopeless).
I rounded the corner, and my inner muse kept nagging at me to go back and take that photo, because I would regret letting it pass by.
I was nearly to the next corner, but I decided that my muse was right, and so I turned around.
As I walked back, I thought all about how cute this photo would be. I used to have a Beagle and he was so smart and sweet. This would be the best photo. I was remembering how sweetly he was basking in the sun on the window sill, watching me go by, docile and peaceful.
I got to the location and he was still there, thank goodness. Still peacefull basking. I pulled out my camera, and he immediately reared up and began to bark at me.
He barked the bark of a threatened dog in need of protecting his territory. I snapped and I went on my way.
It was a completely different photo than what I had imagined. But then, c'est la vie, n'est pas?
He had his chin on the sill and he peacefully watched me walk by. I thought, Awwwww. But I didn't take my camera out (being so recently victimized by the mean camera thief, and also not having all my stuff replaced yet, I have tended to not take out my camera as often as I used to. I am still paranoid that someone will take what I do have, and then I will really be despondent and hopeless).
I rounded the corner, and my inner muse kept nagging at me to go back and take that photo, because I would regret letting it pass by.
I was nearly to the next corner, but I decided that my muse was right, and so I turned around.
As I walked back, I thought all about how cute this photo would be. I used to have a Beagle and he was so smart and sweet. This would be the best photo. I was remembering how sweetly he was basking in the sun on the window sill, watching me go by, docile and peaceful.
I got to the location and he was still there, thank goodness. Still peacefull basking. I pulled out my camera, and he immediately reared up and began to bark at me.
He barked the bark of a threatened dog in need of protecting his territory. I snapped and I went on my way.
It was a completely different photo than what I had imagined. But then, c'est la vie, n'est pas?
Friday, July 07, 2006
Non-Existent Words that People Use Anyway
Would this woodie go quicker than present day cars? Did you know that there is no such word as "quicker"?
It does not exist. You won't find it in the dictionary.
There is quick, quickly, quicken, but there is no "quicker."
It's probably Ogden Nash's fault, because, a little while ago, he wrote:
Candy
is dandy
But liquor
is quicker.
He was just bending the rules to be funny. Or "funner"?
What other words are there that we use as if they were real words when they really aren't? Can you think of any?
Just curious!
It does not exist. You won't find it in the dictionary.
There is quick, quickly, quicken, but there is no "quicker."
It's probably Ogden Nash's fault, because, a little while ago, he wrote:
Candy
is dandy
But liquor
is quicker.
He was just bending the rules to be funny. Or "funner"?
What other words are there that we use as if they were real words when they really aren't? Can you think of any?
Just curious!
Monday, July 03, 2006
What Lies Within
What is your interpretation of this Ralph Waldo Emerson quote? I mean, yes, it's pretty simple, in many ways, but what is your personal take, and what kind of person meaning do you attach to it? And/or, what do you think he meant by it? Feel free to wax philosophic!
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us."
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us."
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Where Does One Get Itty Bitty Blindfolds and Who Would Be Dexterous Enough to Put Them on Ants?
The latest research (did we pay for this with our tax dollars by the way? Just curious), is that ants count their steps, and that is how they know how far to go to find their homes (after they leave mine with whatever it is that was so important).
That sounded pretty bizarre to me, imagining the ants counting, two million, thirty-five thousand, and...drat, I forgot where I was!
But it gets better. It seems that there have been many theories over the years, here are some:
"One is that they do it like honeybees and remember visual cues, but experiments revealed ants can navigate in the dark and even blindfolded."
I just want to know who blindfolded a bunch of ants, and how they did it!
"Next, the researchers performed a little cosmetic surgery.
They glued stilt-like extensions to the legs of some ants to lengthen stride. The researchers shortened other ants' stride length by cutting off the critters' feet and lower legs, reducing their legs to stumps."
Just where is Peta anyway???
"The ants on stilts took the right number of steps, but because of their increased stride length, marched past their goal. Stump-legged ants, meanwhile, fell short of the goal."
I am just imagining all these ants, their "feet and lower legs" cut off, unable to get home again. This is truly heart-breaking. And then those ants on stilts.
Who answered the ad to put stilts on ant legs anyway? What was the going rate for that task and what kind of people showed up to apply for the job? And what about all those ants on stilts who marched right past their home?
At least I know where they are, they are marching into my kitchen! Ants on stilts!
That sounded pretty bizarre to me, imagining the ants counting, two million, thirty-five thousand, and...drat, I forgot where I was!
But it gets better. It seems that there have been many theories over the years, here are some:
"One is that they do it like honeybees and remember visual cues, but experiments revealed ants can navigate in the dark and even blindfolded."
I just want to know who blindfolded a bunch of ants, and how they did it!
"Next, the researchers performed a little cosmetic surgery.
They glued stilt-like extensions to the legs of some ants to lengthen stride. The researchers shortened other ants' stride length by cutting off the critters' feet and lower legs, reducing their legs to stumps."
Just where is Peta anyway???
"The ants on stilts took the right number of steps, but because of their increased stride length, marched past their goal. Stump-legged ants, meanwhile, fell short of the goal."
I am just imagining all these ants, their "feet and lower legs" cut off, unable to get home again. This is truly heart-breaking. And then those ants on stilts.
Who answered the ad to put stilts on ant legs anyway? What was the going rate for that task and what kind of people showed up to apply for the job? And what about all those ants on stilts who marched right past their home?
At least I know where they are, they are marching into my kitchen! Ants on stilts!
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Died Tragically While Rescuing His Family From the Deck of a Sinking Battleship
I often see little snippets of films. It's because I will haul some laundry in front of the TV, and just turn it on. I find things like sorting laundry to be tedious, so I like the distraction, and sometimes the little snippet is pretty interesting. Sometimes it's just a bunch of commercials for equipment guaranteed to, at last, get one totally in shape in just 15 minutes a day, and it folds down compactly to store under the bed, too!
Recently I was matching up socks and saw the end of "The Royal Tannenbaums." There is a visit to the grave and it is revealed what has been inscribed on the marker, "Died Tragically While Rescuing His Family From the Deck of a Sinking Battleship."
It is a comic moment that is also tinged with pathos. How many of us lead very ordinary, very safe lives? How many of us are Walter Mittys, imagining heroic acts?
And how many of us would just like to have the sense of humor to arrange to have such a thing engraved on our own headstone, knowing that no one would actually believe it and just chalk it up to one last attempt to break away from the mundane?
What say you?
Recently I was matching up socks and saw the end of "The Royal Tannenbaums." There is a visit to the grave and it is revealed what has been inscribed on the marker, "Died Tragically While Rescuing His Family From the Deck of a Sinking Battleship."
It is a comic moment that is also tinged with pathos. How many of us lead very ordinary, very safe lives? How many of us are Walter Mittys, imagining heroic acts?
And how many of us would just like to have the sense of humor to arrange to have such a thing engraved on our own headstone, knowing that no one would actually believe it and just chalk it up to one last attempt to break away from the mundane?
What say you?
Friday, June 16, 2006
Happiness and Gratitude!
I went into my flickr files to find one of my favorite macro shots, one to portray the sense of gratitude and joy that I feel, knowing that soon I will be back to taking photos like this and whatever else moves me.
For those who are waiting for me to do their family photos, just hold on a bit longer. For those who are taking the photog class, I will demonstrate primarily with your equipment and the ability to demonstrate (with my own stuff) ought to expand along with your ability to comprehend. For the rest of you, watch out, because soon I will be back in the game.
I feel like I am anticipating Christmas, birth, a wedding, a trip to Europe, or all of the above, or whatever is exciting, and taking too long to get here.
It has been an interesting journey as I have experienced various ways of being, from the initial shock and loss, and how much it felt like something important had been amputated from my soul, to the ways of getting around it:
sorting photos, going through and uploading the ancestral photos that my sister copied with a digital point and shoot, seeing what my p&s could do, trying various devices (close-up filters, telextenders, etc.), and generally getting out of my own way to keep the creative juices flowing, in little streams, around the massive dam of the missing equipment.
I am OVERWHELMED and AMAZED at the generosity of others. It is such a healing balm for the wounds I suffered at the greed of a thief.
You people have so restored my faith in humankind, for this, and for many other misdeeds commited, not just against myself, but against all people. I know that sounds like a political speech or something, but I mean it. I can get bogged down with how much hate and violence there is in the world, but hey, there are still kind and generous people everywhere. That makes me happy to know this.
THANK YOU...THANK YOU...THANK YOU!
I am most humbly and gratefully indebted to so many of you. I will find a way to thank you each in a meaningful way.
I can't say thank you enough. While I am still rather paranoid about the thieves amongst us, I feel like the sun is starting to shine again. I feel like soon I can come out and play again, only with a new appreciation for what I can do and an immense gratitude for the ability to do it, and for the tools that make it possible.
Thank you with all of my heart!
For those who are waiting for me to do their family photos, just hold on a bit longer. For those who are taking the photog class, I will demonstrate primarily with your equipment and the ability to demonstrate (with my own stuff) ought to expand along with your ability to comprehend. For the rest of you, watch out, because soon I will be back in the game.
I feel like I am anticipating Christmas, birth, a wedding, a trip to Europe, or all of the above, or whatever is exciting, and taking too long to get here.
It has been an interesting journey as I have experienced various ways of being, from the initial shock and loss, and how much it felt like something important had been amputated from my soul, to the ways of getting around it:
sorting photos, going through and uploading the ancestral photos that my sister copied with a digital point and shoot, seeing what my p&s could do, trying various devices (close-up filters, telextenders, etc.), and generally getting out of my own way to keep the creative juices flowing, in little streams, around the massive dam of the missing equipment.
I am OVERWHELMED and AMAZED at the generosity of others. It is such a healing balm for the wounds I suffered at the greed of a thief.
You people have so restored my faith in humankind, for this, and for many other misdeeds commited, not just against myself, but against all people. I know that sounds like a political speech or something, but I mean it. I can get bogged down with how much hate and violence there is in the world, but hey, there are still kind and generous people everywhere. That makes me happy to know this.
THANK YOU...THANK YOU...THANK YOU!
I am most humbly and gratefully indebted to so many of you. I will find a way to thank you each in a meaningful way.
I can't say thank you enough. While I am still rather paranoid about the thieves amongst us, I feel like the sun is starting to shine again. I feel like soon I can come out and play again, only with a new appreciation for what I can do and an immense gratitude for the ability to do it, and for the tools that make it possible.
Thank you with all of my heart!
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Teaching Photog Class Soon
Starts the end of the month. Haven't taught photography in a while. I will begin, at first session, by assessing student levels and what they want to learn. It's a really casual class, obviously.
Was starting to think, though, of a way to share the class with any online friends.
Any suggestions?
Was starting to think, though, of a way to share the class with any online friends.
Any suggestions?
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