Going crazy political.

Well, I've gone and done it. I've gone and gotten all tangled up in politics and the election and Joe Biden's teeth and you know what this means?

I'M OLD.

This is the first year, since I turned eighteen and was officially able to vote, that I've been interested in the election. (Confession: I didn't vote in 2004.) I've been watching debates, doing a little research, reading a million personal opinions... and I can sum up everything I've learned into three little words. I'm still stupid.

However, I'm also uncontrollably angry and have had to cut off all communication with the people around me to avoid kicking someone in the balls teeth.

And I know what you're thinking... What's got Stephanie all hot and bothered???

It's proposition eight and everyone who thinks it's OKAY TO TAKE AWAY A PERSON'S RIGHT TO MAKE THEIR OWN DECISIONS! (Insert loud, frustrated scream here.)

I've always had a terrible way with words and getting my thoughts out in a coherent manner has never been easy, so I'm resorting to my thieving roots. The following are a list of comments that I've stolen from random people who commented on one of my favorite blogs.

"...That's what the whole separation of church and state thing is about. Taking religion out of our laws. No law can make you recognize a homosexual marriage as "right", only legal. Christ said "give to Caesar what is Caesar's". This wasn't just referring to taxes, but to the laws that the government imposes. Your beliefs are inherent to your life, just as mine are to my life. I would never try to make a law that forbade you from worshipping in the way you believe, so why would you want to make a law that keeps me from expressing my beliefs in the way i see fit?" -InfamousQBert

"...I wish more people would just see how ridiculous it is to deny equal rights to people based only on their sexual preferences." -Casey

"Our country was born on the premise of religious freedom; separation of church and state. You have your religious freedom and faith but that should not be imposed on anyone else. If I chose one rule from each religion in the United States, we could be a country with a ban on coffee, no electricity or cars, women without voting rights and children running helter skelter because use of birth control sends you straight to hell. Where should we draw the line?"

"Thing I really don't get about Prop 8 is... why do you care (those that support it)? I understand opposition or support for propositions that affect how much you'll pay in taxes, etc. But this one? No affect on you. Your perfect little marriage will still be there, just the same. There was an article in the Sacramento Bee the other day and they were talking about the Mormons around here that are giving up their life savings in support. I am sure they will still make it to the space ship behind the comet regardless of people they don't know who get to enjoy the benefits of legal marriage. As Heather said, it's a civil rights issue. So while we're at it, should we also make their votes only count 3/5ths? Make them ride in the front of the bus? Squirt them with fire hoses?"

"...Separation of church & state is precisely what allows you to embrace your religion so completely. If government were given the right to impose laws based solely on religious precepts or given the right to mandate a national religion - this would infringe upon your religious rights, as there is no guarantee that the government's religion would match your faith. You, as a result of free will, choose to believe in your faith, just as everyone else has been given that same choice to make - and it is not one that the government can or should make for you."

"...If someone's against gay marriage, I suggest not marrying someone of the same gender. That's really the only possible way it's ever going to affect one directly. Any other complaints towards it (even those religiously based) are bigotry, plain and simple. When Canada legalized it, they didn't devolve into into a hedonistic state of polygamy or bestiality, they didn't fight a civil war or religious revolution, and the role of religion did not diminish within people's individual lives. What do people really think is going to happen if gay people have the right to marry other gay people? I'm genuinely curious."

"...You both have the right to vote the way you want to. What you do NOT have the right to do, according to the Constitution of this country, is vote to restrict certain civil rights. I fully believe that even if Prop 8 passes, this will soon come in front of the US Supreme Court, and your vote will be determined unconstitutional."

I could keep going, but I suppose you catch my drift and probably have a fairly decent understanding of my feelings on the subject.

Now don't even get me started on abortion...

Please, please, please vote no on proposition 8.

Hobbies

This week we have the National Model Railroad Association in the hotel. It's interesting to see these old guys get excited over building teeny-tiny model trains. They're here for two weeks and half the time they sit in groups building their models and the rest of the time traveling around Southern California, finding real trains to study and later build.

As much as I love photography, there's something about a hobby where you actually create something that interests me. Like, I've always wanted to take up quilting. I would love to quilt my child's first blanket. It's a rather strong want, so much so that I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to accept a baby blanket from anyone else. Is this strange? What if I never get around to learning how to quilt (or, at the very least, knit!) and my child grows up blanket-less?

Although, on the flip side, there's something about my photos and them not taking up any space, except on my hard drive, which makes me happy I don't have one more thing to worry about finding a place for. I know this makes Hubs happy, too. We have enough crap.

I've also realized over time that I am a collector at heart, but the only thing I've ever managed to collect are Disney movies. Everything else I've ever held an interest in just never panned out. Again, it's probably for the best. It'd probably end up in a garage sale one day and I have vowed to never hold another garage sale again. Unless it's in December. And I have my own garage.

I suppose if I had a garage I'd have a place to hold all my crap.

Daunting Tasks

Over the last week, I've taken a lot of pictures. It seems I'm making up for those four lost weeks during which I completely ignored the love of my life: my camera. Unfortunately, Hubs and I have had so much going on that I haven't had a chance to do more than just take a quick glance at them.

My process when it comes to photos is quite long and time consuming, but necessary as far as I'm concerned.

1. Upload all pictures from camera to computer.
2. Before any editing takes place, burn all pictures to a CD for safe keeping.
3. Create contact sheet to be able to quickly identify said CD in the future.
4. After verifying that all photos have been safely copied, delete from camera.
5. Move photos from computer's hard drive to external hard drive and organize into appropriate folders.
6. Only after all photos have been titled correctly can any editing take place.

Every once in a while, like now, I find myself facing so many photos that I just want to chuck my computer out the window and pretend nothing happened.

It's times like these that I'm grateful I only have two 1GB memory cards and haven't yet purchased the 4GB monster that's been tempting me. At least with these cards, there's a limit on how many pictures I can take. Until I upload them and free up the space, that is.

See, I shoot in RAW and JPEG format which reduces the amount of pictures I can take to approximately 75 per 1GB memory card. If I find myself in a situation where I know I'm going to want to snap a lot of pictures, I have to carefully choose my moments, otherwise, before I know it, both cards are full.

Could you imagine if the amount of space suddenly doubled and I came home with twice the amount of photos? Holy shit. May I just say that indecisive people like myself should be warned away from photography as a hobby. First it took my a full month to finally decide on a camera. Me! The Queen of Impulse Buying! Now I come home with 8,000 pictures and I have to decide which ones I want to edit, print, upload, etc!

It's just too damn much and sometimes all I want to do is sit in a dark corner and play video games.

Sucking down coffee faster than you can say "I love Starbucks!"

This past Wednesday saw the family through a major, life-altering event . The Attorney, who we've all come to know and love, turned Fifty. I feel the importance of this monumental occasion calls for capitalization. Yes, she turned Fifty. And she is going to beat me no less than fifty times when she reads this.

In celebration, Teeter and her army made the trip from Utah and we've spent the last two nights staying up way too late playing Drabble.

Why we play this game, I have no idea. We're all much too passionate and sensitive and always, at least once, get angry and fight. The Attorney is very good, so she spends the majority of her time making us feel bad about ourselves and humming the Jeopardy theme song. Teeter scores high points with words like "Ya" and "Et," the loser. (Did you know "et" is a past-tense of "ate"? Go ahead and use it in a sentence. I dare ya!)

I'm not very good at scrabble. I think I've mentioned that before. The letters jumble around in my brain and it's hard for me to sort them out and make words.

However, I realized last night that I am the ultimate clutch scrabble player. Towards the end of the game, when there were no letters left to choose from and everyone only had vowels and Z's to work with, I was able to create words with carefully placed O's and I's that made two to three words at a time, earning me 10-20 points each turn when everyone else was only scoring 3, 4, and 5 points. No, I didn't win and, in fact, came in third (Teeter and The Attorney were nice enough to remind me of this fact multiple times), but I think I did damn good there in the end.

All I have to say is thank God tomorrow's Saturday and we all get to sleep in. Well, almost all of us. Teeter will be making the long journey back to Utah, which I believe means "Death by 120 Degree Heat" or something like that.


(On a side note: I just ran this post through a spell check and I want everyone to know that "ya" was not recognized as a word!!! T, you cheated!!!)

A Cat Nap

I recently spent the night at my mom's apartment, an experience which would take too long to tell you about in what I promised myself would be a quick post (ice cream is calling my name).

Anyway, that night, as I was getting ready to lay down, I looked over and this caught my attention:



I swear to God, she was utterly comfortable and stayed this way long enough to snap several pictures. Well, five at least. Hey, I was tired!

And, apparently, so was she. What a turd.

Phases and Changes and Life, oh my

I realized a few years ago that I am somebody who goes through phases. It's scrapbooking for a month, then it's reading, then it's movies, then it's... whatever. (I thought this was normal until I met Hubs and realized he has two hobbies and they never change: sports and poker. So which one of us is the weirdo?)

These phases can last anywhere from a week to 6 months and during that time, all I want to do is that one thing, whatever it is. Then something else catches my attention and a new phase starts.

I've gotten used to this. I know that, eventually, I'm going to lose interest, but I also know that it won't be permanent. Eventually I'll pick up again on whatever it was I left off of. I may not scrapbook for a year, but the interest is still there, in the back of my mind, just waiting to be in the forefront again.

What I'm not used to, however, is losing interest in everything all at once, which is what I'm experiencing now. It seems all I want to do is watch the Food Network and play my new Nintendo DS.

The fact that I've picked up on some new "hobbies" isn't really cause for concern, except I'm kind of sad to find I have no interest in the things I did a couple weeks ago... 'cause they were a lot of fun! I know what you're thinking. If they were so fun, start doing them again! But... I just have no motivation.

And it doesn't help that the Academy Award winning movie I've recently tried to watch stinks. I know West Side Story is a classic (yada yada yada), but I just do not enjoy.

I'd like to complain a bit

It's just not fair. When it's 100+ degrees outside, you shouldn't have to do laundry! You should be allowed to sit in front of the TV, underneath the cool air conditioning, and just eat ice cream all day.

We had a great weekend, even if it was a million degrees outside. Hubs and I and some very good friends of ours went to San Diego to celebrate Hubs turning another year older. Well, I celebrated. Hubs cried a bit.

So, we did the only rational thing we could think of. We stood him up in the pool and supplied him with liquor all weekend. It certainly seemed to cheer him up a bit.

Today it's back home to responsibilities that, sadly, include laundry. Ugh, there's nothing worse than having to collect hot clothes out of a hot room and walk them back to your hot apartment in hot weather.

Can you tell I'm not a fan of the heat? I'm ready for winter and summer's only just begun. Sigh.

Funny how it was just a few short weeks ago that I was complaining about the cold.

The den is done.

And I have to say, I've never liked plain white paint so much as I do right now. I realize there are some people (cough HUBS cough) who are sad to see the Vikings paint gone, but some people (cough HUBS cough) weren't the ones to attempt the two-tone paint job and figure out for themselves just how difficult it was.

The den is now completed to my satisfaction, including not just the paint, but the over-stuffed closet as well. And, actually, it wasn't even that full! Turns out a frame jammed the doors, but when I finally got it open, I realized it was quite organized already. It was a very pleasant surprise.

I rearranged a couple things then added a couple things from the bedroom that have been driving me nuts: a VCR, CD player, and an old cable box that have been sitting stacked in the corner of our bedroom where Hubs set them down months ago. I probably should have just thrown them away but thus is the game we play.

Now it's late and I'm sleepy and the thought of tackling any more projects makes me want to run far, far away, but... there's something about getting clean and organized that just makes me feel so much better.

Kicking the habit

I have a bad habit. Okay, I have a lot of bad habits, but one that's especially bad and, well, gross.

I pick at my cuticles. (Pick? Scratch? Whatever.) I abuse my poor cuticles until they're raw and bloody. It's terrible.

I didn't think it was a nervous habit necessarily, but as I become more aware of when and where I'm doing it, I'm starting to think that nerves might have more to do with it than I thought.

These last two weeks have seen me though a lot of nerves and stress and frustration and I've found myself nearly incapable of stopping from tearing at my poor fingers.

It's embarrassing and definitely not hot. I won't even let myself get a manicure!

I told Hubs that when he quit smoking, I'd quit this, but... I think the time has come.

Well, it's been two days and let me just say, the urge to start picking at my cuticles is unbelievable! I want to give in so bad! Breaking a habit shouldn't be this hard when picking it up was so easy.

If I don't write for a while, you'll know it's because I'm busy sitting on my hands.

The Paint

Another project completed! Gosh, I'm feeling accomplished.

I'm especially glad to have completed this one because not only was it a total eyesore but it was impossible to hide away like I do so many other things that I don't like or have use for.

Two Christmases ago, I bought Hubs paint in the Minnesota Vikings colors. They accompanied a giant Vikings Fathead. I had grand visions of painting the wall in our den and thought Hubs would go crazy for a whole Vikings Wall.

Well, he loved the Fathead, but the paint sat and sat. Finally, I decided to go for it. I painted a hard-to-explain-in-this-post strip in the middle of the den. The outermost part I painted gold and the middle was painted purple.

It turned out to be incredibly hard to paint. The paint bled underneath the painters tape and I was constantly doing touch-ups when I finally got frustrated and quit. The paint job was terrible, but I was so upset that I never went back to fix it.

On Saturday, I finally decided I was going to do it. And do it right. So, I made an attempt. Then I made another. At this point, I was trying to make it look right. I still thought the idea was interesting.

It was in the middle of the third attempt that I put the gold paint down, grabbed my purse, and went to Home Depot, where I picked up some primer and some white paint.

There is no more purple and gold paint in our home. I'm afraid it just wasn't meant to be.

Two down, seven more projects to go

This weekend was spent buried in my closet. You know... the burial ground? Well, it's finally organized.

Not only that, but I also cleaned out my dresser. Five out of six drawers are now completely empty and I have two more bulging bags of clothes marked for the Good Will. There were a couple things I couldn't bring myself to part with. One was the first t-shirt I ever "stole" from Hubs. It became my most favorite sleeping shirt and I wore that sucker until it was worn with holes. I'm sure Hubs himself would tell me to throw it out, but... I just didn't want to.

I also couldn't bring myself to throw out a pair of shoes that I fell absolutely in love with three years ago. Sadly, the shoes are all scuffed up now and they're a size too big, but they're so freaking cute that I left 'em sitting on one of the shelves in my closet.

It's silly to leave them there when I know the next time I clean out my closet they'll probably get the boot. Haha, get it? Boot?

Anyway, these are the other projects I'm hoping to accomplish this week.

1. Finish re-painting the trim in the den.
2. Completely clean/organize the closets and cabinets in our bathroom and dressing areas.
3. Hang towel racks in bathroom and dressing areas.
4. Clean/organize storage closet in the den (the one I haven't even been able to open due to it being so stuffed with... stuff).
5. Clean out each and every junk drawer.
6. Organize all the files in my desk.
7. Lastly, get everything I've decided to get rid of OUT OF THE HOUSE! and not just shuffle it around from one spot to another before Hubs finally sticks it somewhere because "out of sight, out of mind."

I might be biting off more than I can chew. Please send help.

Laundry Day

After ten loads of laundry (that's right, I said ten), I think I'm finally done for the day. Now that I'm back home, I feel a strong urge to get organized. It seems like I've accumulated eleven tons of crap, which I told myself I would not let happen again after our one and only garage sale last summer. (Shudder.)

I am quite skilled at collecting stuff that I have absolutely no use for and then finding random places to store it until it starts to feel as if all the stuff is beginning to smother me and I finally break down and get organized.

And Hubs has eight junk drawers. This does not help.

I struggle with getting rid of anything. I don't want to throw it away if it's still usable, but I procrastinate on actually doing what's required to sell or donate it. And then there's the stuff that I really want to keep and I really want to use... but let's face it... I've had this junk for more than a year and it's still sitting in the same box in the same spot in the corner of my bedroom where I set it down the night I brought it home. I just can't admit to myself that it's time to LET GO! I'M NEVER GOING TO USE IT!

Things I've accumulated that it's time to say goodbye to:

One box of pre-designed scrapbook layout pages.

One HP photo printer.

Several random frames that I'll never use 'cause I'm anal and they don't match.

One huge bag of "fat" clothes that I keep meaning to take to the Good Will. (This bag has been sitting in my closet for months!)

One computer that I've held onto "just in case." I think the damn thing is broke, so I'm not sure how it would come in handy should my beloved laptop ever crap out on me (knock on wood).

One stereo that I've had since I was all of 16 years old. It holds a lot of memories, this stereo. I bought it when I was "in love" and had just started listening to country music. The first CD I played was Jo Dee Messina's I'm Alright. This stereo has seen me through a lot. A broken heart and later, true love. A big move. A new apartment when all we had was Hubs' old sofa (more fond memories) and a TV that sat on a dining room chair. We've come a long way.

On second thought, I'm not getting rid of the stereo. In fact, why is it buried in my closet?

Now that I think about it, why has my closet become the burial ground for all my unused crap? This has got to stop.

I need help III

Well, I think this one is going to be way too easy, but you never know. I've been surprised before...

So, which photo do you like better?

Number 1:



Number 2:



Choose wisely, my friends.

Roses

I need help II

Okay, that last one was too easy. You picked the right photo, by the way, so give yourselves a big pat on the back and a huge bowl of ice cream.

So, we're on to the next. Which photo do you like better?

Number 1:


Number 2:


I think this one might be a bit harder. At least, it is for me.

Good luck! And, this time, there's a big prize in it for whoever picks the winner!

(Yeah, just kidding on the prize.)

I need help

Because I constantly second-guess myself, I'm turning to YOU to answer this most important question.

Which photo do you like better?

Number 1:


Number 2:


Choose wisely.

Thank you.

Suffering, Day 2

Today has not been any easier than yesterday. In fact, it's getting harder. And more painful. I need chocolate. I'm dying for it. I fear that I may be moved to violence if I don't get any soon. I already snapped at my boss today. He looked at me, frowning, and instantly knew what my problem was. He bought me a popsicle. He's a nice man. But the popsicle wasn't made of chocolate, so I'm still slowly suffering, wilting away into nothingness.

Someone send help immediately. Please. A giant Hershey's chocolate bar would be a blessing. A miracle even. And I'd love you forever.

Rough Night

I'm into my third week of this incentive program. So far, so good, but last night was rough. I just wanted to keep snacking. And I made the mistake of buying almonds again. I don't know why I keep doing that. I love them, but I just don't get enough to justify the points. And, no, I'm not trying to start another debate on almonds. I KNOW they're good for you, but I want to eat the whole dang package, not just 24. 24 almonds goes by way too fast, and then what? I've just blown 4 points. I could have a good, satisfying meal for 4 points! (And, yes, I realize 24 almonds might be a satisfying snack for some, but it just isn't for me!)

Anyway, I've had these 3 weekly flex points hanging around (weekly flex points are points I can use anytime during the week on whatever I want in addition to my daily points). I keep expecting to eat them and then something comes up and grabs my attention and before I know it, I'm getting into bed without having touched them.

I really thought I would use them last night because the munchie cravings were hitting me hard, but then I started talking to the Student online and she convinced me to come over and go on a walk with her instead. So, I still have those 3 little points just waiting to be eaten. It'd probably be more, except I blew through most of my WFPs on Saturday when I had a run-in with the Laffy Taffy. Stupid, chewy candy.

I really miss eating out right now. And ordering in. Or picking up. Whatever. I was super jealous of Hubs the other night when he ordered pizza. And I don't even want pizza, I just want to be able to go out and get some good food that's been prepared by someone other than me and bring it home and... well... stuff myself. Is that too much to ask?

I'm sure this is all just 'cause I started my period. Stupid female hormones.

(That's right, I said PERIOD! Ooooh, scary!)

My Car, My Love

This past Saturday, I was forced out of the comfort of my home and dragged along on a bike ride with that monster, my mother. One hour, I said, that's it. Three hours later we finally got back and I felt moved to write the following sequence of haiku's. Enjoy.

In the car I love
Good music I sing along
I produce bad sound

In the car I love
Strong leg muscles I need not
Even against wind

In the car I love
I am fast like lightening
Slow am I on bike

In the car I love
Sun beats hotly on the roof
Inside I stay cool

In the car I love
My poor hands this won't happen
In the car I'll stay

Amen.

Brand New Bag

I recently bought a new camera bag. It's just big enough to fit my camera and one lens. And my wallet, cell phone, keys, and a chap stick (just one of twelve, sadly).

Normally, I would not encourage anyone to carry anything other than a camera and their accessories in their camera bag, but I can promise you that these few personal belongings are clean and are being kept in smaller, separate pockets.

The reason behind this? I decided that from now on, instead of a purse, I'd carry my camera bag. I thought long and hard about this. See, I don't like not having access to my camera. I often find myself wanting to take a picture of something or someone and then end up frustrated.

For example, a few days ago as I was leaving work, I noticed a man who had paused during his walk, had his camera out, and was taking pictures of Hispanic workers loading fruit onto a truck. This intrigued me. What did the man find so fascinating? Well, I immediately wanted to take his picture.

And then there was the car I was stopped behind at a red light and the license plate read ADHDX5. I knew various ADHD members of my family would get a giggle out of this (for the three seconds they'd be able to focus on it), but did I have my camera? Of course not.

I don't carry my camera around because, well, as much as I adore the thing, it's... bulky. And my camera bag is even more bulky. And carrying that, along with my purse, was not something that would make me happy. Quite the opposite, in fact.

So, I finally decided to get a new, smaller camera bag, call it a purse, and get on with my life. So far, I'm loving it. Have I found myself needing it now that it's finally at my disposal? Of course not. Except the other day while Hubs and I were at Starbucks.

I call this "My Idea of a Good Time".



So, maybe I haven't taken tons of grand pictures, but it's only been a few days. And it's there if/when I need it. That's all that matters.

So, how about some more random pictures?

I call this "I Don't Know How To Ask For Help".



I call this one "Dinner".



The weekly assignment over at the Digital Photography School website was "low light/night photography." I wanted to submit a photo, but it was the last day and so I did the only think I could think of. Turn off all the lights and take a picture in the dark. Of my dinner.

Believe it or not, that photo was taken in near pitch black. Unfortunately, I was too late to submit a photo and all I had to show for it was slightly burnt asparagus.

Then, as I was watching Idol (and, yes, the right David won, thank you very much) I did this:



This was fun because I recently learned that, when photographing the sun, you can achieve this star-like quality if you use a very small aperture.

Well, this is a candle, not the sun, but I tried the same effect and I kinda laughed out loud and maybe said a couple words of encouragement to myself when I saw that it worked. Note to anyone who might try this: you have to pair the smallest aperture possible (in this case, f22) with a long exposure (I used a 15 second exposure in this picture) to achieve this effect.

The only problem with a long exposure is that it can really blow out your photo. (Haha, get it? Blow out? Candle? Aww, c'mon!) So, you'll notice that the candle is way too over-exposed. Oh well, it was still fun.

That's all.