Monday, September 27, 2004

Pure Delight

For a Monday, it's been pretty good. I got home from work and decided to try some more Fall photography in the park behind my house. And everything just worked. The sun was blazing, and the leaves were pure gold. I found some images that I loved; some that I looked for and some that just materialized in front of me. (Like the ducks swimming in the lake.)

There are times when photography just sweeps me away. When I see everything around me through a lens, and it all looks like magic. Those moments are joy and happiness in it's purest form. When you wouldn't change even the tiniest thing, because at that moment, everything seems perfect.

That was the kind of photography moment I had today. So of course I needed to finish off my film (only 2 pics left!) so that I could take it in to London Drugs tonight and get it developed. I used the last 2 frames for a still-life and an abstract pic at home. And I have to confess, I was so excited to get my pictures developed that I could hardly sit still in my car on the way to the store! Like a kid at Christmas...

Alas, I will not be able to pick up the photos until tomorrow, as they were already full for tonight. Sigh.....

So I settled for buying a book :-)

And that was my fantabulous photography day. I'll let you know tomorrow how the pictures turned out.


Sunday, September 26, 2004

Sunday in September

It was an absolutely beautiful Fall day today. The leaves rustled across the parking lot with the breeze, and the sun shone warm on my face. I went to the early service at church, and it was fantastic! The sermon today was the 3rd in a series, all based on music, and it was entitled "Faith that Sounds like Blues." The worship team did a few amazing blues numbers, aside from our regular worship songs. Then I went for lunch and was out and about all afternoon, enjoying the day. (Complete with ice cream from Dairy Queen!) I capped it all off with a productive yet relaxing night.

This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Friday, September 24, 2004

Aaarrgghh!

For some reason I am unable to add any of the links promised in my previous post. I will try again tomorrow...

The Missing Link

The Missing Link

I've added a few links....

Compassion Canada - because I sponsor a child through them, and I think they are an amazing organization. One day I would love to be able to visit my sponsored child...

The Off Broadway Dinner Theatre - because they rock! Seriously, the food is fantastic and the acting is top notch!

[Aside: While surfing the web, I happened across a site entitled Canada Only. Apparently if you're outside Canada and you have a hankering for some good old fashioned canuck food, you can order it here. The funny thing is, if you go to the Marketplace section, where you can order your food, you have to change the currency because "All prices in the Marketplace are in U.S. dollars." It's an all-Canadian site and still the prices are in US dollars?!? How much sense does that make? I mean, I suppose if you're ordering from the site you're probably not in Canada, but wouldn't it make more sense to have it in Canadian dollars and then convert to whatever the currency is wherever you are? Anyways...I didn't know that Maynards Wine Gums are Canadian. They have the funniest commercial right now....the one where the girl backs into the car? Funny. As an aside inside an aside, you can find reviews on just about anything on the web. Here's one on Maynards Wine Gums. Incidentally, it was posted by someone in Ireland. A former canuck??? Possibly ordered from the Canada Only site??]

The Motley Fool - a good place for unbiased financial advice that anyone can understand.


Fabulous Fall Foliage

Fabulous Fall Foliage

Aahhh...Autumn. The trees are awash in color, longing to be photographed. So out I went, in search of stunning Fall photos. With my camera bag strapped to my back, I hopped on my bike and took a tour of the neighbourhood. I started with the wonderful park behind my apartment complex, and found one shot along the bike path. Lying on my back, looking up through the lens, I captured this tall golden tree, flanked by the tops of two evergreens. With such a promising start, I carried on to a few more parks across the way. Alas, I was only to find one photo tonight. The sun was almost a bit too bright, and washed out the colors a bit. (Although I'm not complaining about the gorgeous weather we had today!)

I decided to check out my favorite spot next - the grasslands. I love to hike and take pictures out there, but hadn't been there yet this year. (That I can recall, anyway). I figured that with so many different kinds of trees and grasses it would yield at least a few amazing shots.
Well. It was not exactly the picture-paradise I'd been hoping for. Rather, it was bug central. So here's me, walking down the skinny paths waving my arms like a windmill, mouth clenched tight lest I swallow a swarm of flies, barely even noticing the beautiful riverside scenery. Needless to say, my hike did not last too long.

And now I am home. I hope to go out again tomorrow, perhaps into some of the older neighborhoods, to photograph this city that is daily changing. Today it is greens and yellows and reds, tomorrow browns, until the snow-white of winter covers the land...

Wednesday, September 15, 2004

Melange

I went to the library today after work. I love going to the library. I could spend hours there. Sighhh....so many books, so little time. I went to see if they had a particular book in - The Wealthy Barber. I've read it before, but I want to try and implement some of the guidelines into my own life. The book was not at the branch I was at, so I decided to look some other financial planning/investing books. There are a lot of them. And while I do know a little bit about investing, I would like to learn more, and be able to apply it as well. The problem with me is that I like to learn things, but I have a short attention span. I would like to read a few pages of a book and then know how to successfully invest my money. Or read part of a tutorial on HTML and then be able to design a really cool web page. Or learn a few chords on the guitar and then be able to solo with the best of them. So....I must learn to be patient and methodically study something, anything!, and then apply and practice what I know. Just one more thing on the "to do" list....


I've been getting back into photography a bit. I would like to start a photo blog, but at the moment I do not have access to either a scanner or a digital camera. But hopefully I will have one or the other soon. Until then, stay tuned.


I came across this interesting article the other day. (When I googled "Mary Poppins".)


I added a new blog (dooce) to the list of blogs that I like to read. It can be quite comical and also quite touching. The last sentence of yesterday's post is one of those that just cycles through your brain because it is so poignant...."my soul wrapped inside the palm of a baby." Read the whole post to get the big picture.

melange: a motley assortment of things (as per dictionary.com)

Oddly enough, the word, omnium-gatherum means the same thing. wha...???

Sunday, September 12, 2004

Mary Poppins

I had an original thought today while dusting and cleaning up my house. I wonder if my mom is actually Mary Poppins? The reason being, her house is never dirty. Ever. I have never accidentally come across some forgotten layer of dust in some out-of-the-way place. At my house on the other hand, there are forgotten layers of dust in just about every room. That may be because I rarely dust. And the reason I rarely dust is because there are so many surfaces in my house! I started yesterday and still am not finished today. How in the world can someone possibly keep all of those surfaces dust-free? All the time? That's what got me thinking....Mary Poppins.

Saturday, September 11, 2004

The View Is So Much More Colorful

Good Article.
link

Friday, September 10, 2004

An Investment in Happiness

You know, it's funny how inconsistent I can be. I'll drive to the store specifically to pick up toilet paper if it's on sale, and then pick up a bunch of other stuff that I really don't need while I'm there. So I decided today to make a concerted effort not to spend money unnecessarily. As a result, I talked myself out of buying everything that was on my shopping list tonight. Except for a gorgeous spray of yellow daisies for my kitchen table. How can I justify cut flowers that will just die in a little while? Well, I consider it an investment in happiness. They are so bright and cheerful, they improve my mood as soon as I walk into the kitchen. And while I am trying to be a little more frugal, I think that you still need to make room for those little extras that can mean so much.
Hey, they even made the checkout lady at Superstore smile!

Hang a Question Mark

Hang a Question Mark

"In all affairs it's a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted."
Bertrand Russell
English author, mathematician, & philosopher (1872 - 1970)