February 21 2009 A Bonnet with All The Frills Upon It

A birthday gift made by one fashionista for another, simply designed, appropriately fancy. My fashion designer has an exceptional eye, and the only way anyone can influence a great child's artwork is to take it away at the right time.


The model is the artist, and was incredibly antsy. Of course, her pop telling her that she was a model helped still her long enough for one more well-composed shot.

February 20 2009 A Painting of No Importance

I did a lot of drawing once. It was part of my identity. I have binders and notebooks full, illustrations, comics, designs, doodles, and in the fight for creativity, my writing won. I do not feed my drawing muse much anymore. The girl-student did a lesson Grecian art, and painted vessel-shaped replicas on construction paper with tempura paint. When the project was over, there was still some paint in the dish. It became mine. At first, it was just lines, and then it became what it is, and I filled it in. I was pleased.



Nothing special about how I took the picture today. I opted for an angle that showed off the style, but that's about it.

February 19 2009 A Delicate Process

I hate cleaning up, I really do, but what makes it worth it is to do something I've intended to do for a long time. Today, I knocked three of those off the list at once. One: the Christmas decor is finally all put away. Two: I moved the round table with the delicately finished top and the lace table cloth out of the walkway and switched it with the narrower table, which is hardier for daily use. Three: I washed the lace. I felt very old-fashioned hand-washing the old lace. It smells distinct. I can't imagine always having lace cloths to wash all the time. It would be a common scent. Anyway, it is up to dry, and will go back on the delicate table against the wall out of harm's way.


I used the flash for without was too yellow. I used bokeh technique in my position and zoom so that the focus is about...there. A good focal point. Auto and Macro. That's the story. The end.

February 18 2009 A Dog You Didn't Know I Had

What, there were no photo worthy moments today? The Grecian Vessel art project? The kick arse movie Bill Maher did? The fact that the girl at the knitting circle had the exact same orange color I have been knitting with (a blinding kind)? The girl's hat? The tasty bread? Nothing? No, it must be I am a slacker. What are the rules of this thing? Since it's my game, I guess I get to make them. Obviously, every photo doesn't have to be taken with my camera, nor is every photo even by me. So what then? I get to take a photo of something about today, and post it today (by cheating at the post time). Okay, sounds like a good rule to me. Here's the creature that lives in my house and noses at my legs and thinks she's a lap dog.



"Can you sit still? Must you sniff my jeans for everyone I was near today?" Dogs don't understand English. Can we fix this? Make a chip or something? "Oh, you're lying down now. Fine. No--Don't--Stay there...Oh crap." I used the setting for "Kids and pets" and it seems to do some good. Odd pet-eye reflections, still, but a faster shutter speed and a crisper action shots. That will do.

February 17 2009 A Toast to Nothing in Particular

Don't serve a girl like me a Belgian like this unless you intend on taking good care of her for the duration. But only serve a girl like me a Belgian. Anything less is too light.


Stand back and zoom. Fully automatic, I'm not in the right mind to think about it more than that.

February 16 2009 A Writer Writes

This writer writes. This writer writes a lot. This writer writes a lot of nonsense. This writer writes in awkward positions to see what has been written and what will be written. This writer is inconstant. Yet, this writer writes. I write for pleasure, I write for pay. The writing conference is on the horizon. I will listen to the writer. I will teach and listen to young writers. I will talk about writing.


Dumb battery problem still, resulting in choice for flashless, but the complement of yellow to white from one writing surface to another is a good end product. Yes, I do write this way. Not always, but many days. Composition is so much easier when you stand back.

February 15 2009 A Forge for Jealousy

It is heavy. It is amazing. It gets hot. It melts stuff. It is power. A forge. From whence all good things are made, what separates man from his civilization predecessor. Melt and mold metal. Create. Hephaestus. Wealth. Industry. Fortune. History and future. Working out in the garage, making room for the new forge, I wore myself weak and wielded new respect for the artist and the twists and turns he makes from small things to strong to bend. This, the new tongs, used by several sets of hands before his, will help him create something amazing, out of nearly nothing.


It is the right distance,the right zoom, and even though I was tired I didn't shake too much.