Conquering The Himalayas

Before Christmas, a certain someone came to me with what she thought was a brilliant idea. She thought it would be fun to sign up for a 5k obstacle race aptly called “The Hellish 5k.”

Instead of going with my instinct and asking her to leave my office with her crazy idea, I went online and signed up the boy and I. When I told the boy, he didn’t seem upset. It probably has something to do with the fact that he’s 16 years old and has a lot of life to learn. Me? I know that this 5k WILL be hellish.

The lady responsible for this craziness, Miss Deb, and I go way back. We have a history so to speak. I’ll tell you more about it in a bit.

But first, I want to vent the first of many vents about my training regiment.

I have been running off and on the past few weeks outdoors in the cold. I was doing what I thought was a nice easy two miles each time. My stamina increased but I stayed within what I thought was that two mile range because I wanted to start slowly. Very slowly.

A couple of nights ago the girl and I drove the route that I have been running. It’s not two miles. It was 1.8 miles. I was deflated. I turned to the girl and I said, “I’m a wimp.”

She said, “Mommy, you can run down Jones Road and do that loop thing. That should be two miles.”

That thought has crossed my mind. But the reason I don’t do the loop thing is because there are hills. Or rather there  is one hill but it might as well be the Himalayas.

I am a wimp.

In any case, this morning, I started out to conquer the Himalayas and about 3/4 of the way through, my right hamstring started to tighten up. I stopped and walked the rest of the way because I wanted to take it slowly, very slowly.

Total mileage for the loop thing? 2.3 miles.

Tomorrow is my yoga class. I am so looking forward to it . . .

January 30, Aloha Planet

I created a little planet with the Honolulu skyline. I could use a little aloha warmth right now! Oh spring . . . I long for you.

That’s just a little Shakespearean prose for this Monday. I love this little experiment with this Photojojo tutorial. Gives me quite a different perspective.

Happy Monday!

Virtual Friends Are Just As True

There are so many wonderful bloggers across the internet. It’s this wonderful medium of self-expression that has truly revolutionized our society.

And I wish I could visit them all.

I have a special virtual friend though. Shirley from Behind the Lens and I both have a photographer’s disposition and I’m pretty sure we are both tech geeks.

She also has become my facebook friend and encouraged me in my new found commitment to getting into shape. In a moment of temporary insanity, I signed up for a “Hellish” 5k in the spring. It’s an obstacle course, with repelling walls and fire pits. I still am not quite sure why I did it – but there it is. It’s playing havoc with my emotional stability. I’m really worried about it. So now I’m running outside in the cold and the snow. Thank goodness for virtual encouragement.

I digress.

Shirley just awarded me the Stylish Blogger Award. I’m so honored.

In return I am to tell 8 things about myself and pass along the award to 8 other bloggers.

I won’t do the former but I will pass this award to a few other bloggers.

Mrs E. of Easy Street – I “met” Mrs. E a few years ago and I enjoy visiting her. Her school was just rebuilt after a natural disaster leveled her town. Her daughter just got married and she’s got a dog named Baxter. Do you find it odd that I know so much about her?

Katie of Can’t Get There From Here – Katie is a wonderful writer. Good writers are also readers and Katie loves all kinds of books. And she loves football too:)

Artemis Clover of A Real LA Love Story – another kindred spirit of sorts. She’s also a very compelling writer and I want to take this opportunity to say – Marry him Artemis! Marry him!

Austin-Lee of Bunches of Barrons – she’s got a great photographic eye. And her kids are just adorable.

I visit a plethora of photographers and they are all fantastic, from the wonderful Marcie Scudder to the irrepressible Bob Towery as well as all of the wonderful ladies at Vision and Verb. There are so many great photographers out there. Thank goodness for this miracle of the internet.

Update: How can I miss the wonderful Char at ramblings . . . ? Sometimes I want to just get in her head.

Alright I’ll tell you ONE thing about myself.

I like violent shoot-em-up movies. It’s all I watch when the husband is away on his trips because he will change the channel while he’s home.

There you go!

Hello Canvas Valentine’s Day Discount

I am such a huge fan of Hello Canvas that I had to pass along that they are having a 25% discount for Valentine’s Day. Yeah! They are a fantastic canvas company that I found a little while ago and I love their products. Use the code “valentine” when you order.

I won’t be putting the above photo on my wall. It literally took me three minutes from shooting the photo to editing it. I wanted to experiment with a technique I found on Photojojo’s site. It’s simply fun and fascinating and I will be looking for landscape photos this week so I too can make little planets.

Here’s what the above photo looked like before.

I hope to see what you come up with! Then put it on your wall with Hello Canvas! Happy early Valentine’s Day and kisses to you!

It’s Not So Bad

Our home is hormone filled right now. You don’t want to get too close for fear of getting pulled into our vortex. All neighbors, stay away!

The boy likes to bring wayward boys home for us to feed and this week was LCAT Matt’s turn. This boy was so funny that the husband and I were in stitches the entire time he was here. He regaled us with stories of misdeeds that left us asking ourselves how his parents continue to let him live. He was hilarious but it did make me want to hug the boy. Because no matter how much pain I think we’re in, it could always be worse.

I don’t believe LCAT Matt came over because I make a mean frozen pizza. I believe he came over because his friend the boy, happens to have a very pretty sister. The husband told me a few weeks ago that he found out that the girl was the “hott” freshman in school.

I said, “What boy in his right mind told you that?”

Well it so happens that it was the crew on the wrestling team. Which didn’t make the husband feel any better.

As soon as LCAT Matt came into the house, the girl disappeared to her bedroom and we didn’t see her the rest of the night, to our great satisfaction we may add.

Look at those faces. Make you want to just pinch those cheeks don’t you? They are posing as angels and though it doesn’t seem like they are in their actions at times, they are precious all the same.

I tend to wax sentimental about parenting because I just think there is so much at stake with our kids. No matter how exhausting it can be at times, we can’t ever give up. It’s not even a choice. It’s so easy for them to get caught up in the fickle winds of peer pressure and temporary societal whims.

So I will continue to feed whatever boy happens to show up for dinner. If it’s LCAT Daniel, I know to cook in large quantities. If it’s LCAT Matt, I’ll know to warn the girl ahead of time.

January 28, Man Vs Nature

I just love the beauty of ice and crystals but it does cause havoc with man’s plans for the day. The husband’s car was covered with a thin layer of ice but it’s beautiful on the trees!

Commuting in Washington DC has been a nightmare this week. It makes me very grateful for my short commute . . . Speaking of commute, I’m watching a news story on how Congressmen are sleeping in their offices to save money. That’s one way to do it! It’s quite a take on working from home!

On another note – since it’s Friday, here’s a fun video. You have may seen it before but I thought this lady was so cute that I’d post it. I do hope to grow old like her. Have a very wonderful weekend.

Ready, Set, Actions!

I like use Photoshop actions to edit my photos at times and there are some I use over and over again. However, I still do experiment quite a bit and there is a plethora of wonderful inspiration on the web to draw from.

I’m going to play . . . here’s the SOOC.

Before Due

I’m Feeling Retro

Antique action by doveelydesigns. I particularly like this one with this photo.

Vanilla Sky

Almost Exclusive

I found all of these on a nice design blog called Vandelay Design. It was recommended by a friend of mine who also happens to be a fantastic graphic artist. If you veer toward graphic design, this is a nice site for you. There’s also some fun things for photographers as well.

Enjoy!

Today Is Love Thursday, Love146

Today is Love Thursday.

My co-worker Miss Jackie sent me this link and I cannot stop looking at it and thinking about it.

It is Love146 and it’s pure heart break.

Their mission? The abolition of child sex slavery and exploitation. Nothing less.

It’s an incredible mission for your life, yes?

I have poured over their site and it leaves me feeling somewhat raw and helpless. I admire their courage. I think that all I can do is this.

I will purchase these love cards today.

And then I’ll go home and hug my children.

How about you?

January 27, Lucid Wonder

It snowed again last night but before it did, there was thunder and lightning. The kids slept with their pj’s inside out and apparently it worked since they are ensconced in their beds with their dad and I brave the roads for work.

And most of all . . . happy birthday Brother.

January 26, The Month Of Jaunary

The calendar I have at work is wrought with misspellings. Can you spot it here? I think it’s amusing that I have to double check the date on my computer to make sure I’m actually on the correct day.

It’s a special day today. Please visit me at Vision and Verb.

Next Page »