Armed and Dangerous
Mar 31, 2008 Photography
Now that I’ve figured out the whole white balance thing on my camera, I’ve decided to see what else I don’t know.
The library has a ton books on Photography at the library. Based on recommendations from friends and Amazon, I’m starting with these books.
- Complete Digital Photography
- Photography for Dummies
- Rick Sammon’s Complete Guide to Digital Photography
- Understanding Exposure
- Digital Nature Photography Closeup
Before you know it I’ll convince myself that I NEED a DSLR camera to do what I want. Then I’ll need to convince Ross that a DSLR will solve all my problems.
Trying to Watch Lost
Mar 27, 2008 Life
I consider myself a loyal Lost fan. It’s the only TV show that I follow weekly. In spite of my loyalty, I have a few complaint, in not particular order.
- New time, Thursday at 8:00 pm MT. The time and the place aren’t working for me. Last year, Wednesday at 9:00 pm MT, worked so well. OK, I can already hear the rebuttal from my brother. This wouldn’t be an issue if I had a DVR. That’s beside the point.
- Extra scenes. So when I do watch an episode at the appointed time, I’m not getting the full story. Nope! I need to watch Good Morning America or follow some other gimick to get the full espisode. If this doesn’t happen, I can catch the “enhanced” episode a week later. Now I can see why this works for ABC. They get twice the mileage from one episode. However it isn’t working for me.
- No new episodes until April 25. Now I could actually watch an episode tonight (the regular time). This would be the first time this month. I guess I’m going to have to actually work on a project. At least I’m not behind on my episodes. My saving grace? Downloading episodes on the web.
Thanks for listening to this little rant.
More Greenery
Mar 25, 2008 A House is a Home
As Spring moves along, the yard is getting greener and greener. Picture 1 & 3 are Grape Hyacinths. They’re everywhere in our yard: flower beds, grass, and in between the sidewalk. I’ve been told that pulling them out only promotes reproduction. I don’t mind them in the flowers beds. The grass is another story. They kind of look like crab grass. Ugh!
I’ve decided that the bulbed flowers are tulips. No sign of flower buds. So, I’m patiently waiting to see the color. See picture 2.
1. Grape Hyacinths, 2. Tulips, 3. Grape Hyacinths
Little Bits from Ikea
Mar 23, 2008 A House is a Home, Life
Yesterday, I made a quick trip to IKEA for a few things. It feels good to celebrate spring with a few new items.
1. Spring Napkins, 2. Christmas Cactus, 3. Waste Basket and Pencil Cups, 4. Bamboo Plant, 5. Waiting for Tulips, 6. Kitty Blanket
The Right Balance
Mar 21, 2008 Photography, Sewing
Since I’ve got my digital camera three years ago, I’ve been on a quest to get the right light. I know I’m not on this quest alone. I’ve read my fair share of blog entries about taking good photos. In my quest I’ve bought good lights and made a light light. Yet I’m still unsatisfied with my results. Last week, I started to read Rick Sammon’s Complete Guide to Digital Photography. While the book is geared towards Digital SLR camera, I’m still able to use some of the tips and tricks with my point-and-shoot camera.
Today’s break through moment came when I changed the white balance setting on my camera from Auto to Incandescent.
The photo on the left is with the white balance set to Incandescent, and the photo on the right is with the white balance set to Auto. I can’t believe such a small change could make such a huge difference. The left-hand photo is very close to what my eye sees. I have hope for my future pictures. They might actually be color accurate.
Now, I’m ready to play a little more. I need to buy a better tripod and fix my light box. Yes the cats have already destroyed some of the tissue paper on my white box.
Weekend Wrap Up
Mar 16, 2008 Quilting
Once again, the weekend is coming to a close. Slowly but surely, I’m crossing items off my to-do list. Yo begin with, I finished all the bibs I was making, including snap installation. Two out of the four stacks of bibs are ready to go. I just need to deliver them. The rest are waiting for babies to be born.
Yesterday was National Quilt Day. Did I celebrate? Yes! I bought four yards of this lovely fabric.
This will be the back to this quilt top. Since the top is made of from stash scraps, I was pretty much forced to buy fabric for the back. I mean I used all my coordinating fabrics for the top. (sigh) Such is life.
Now I need to buy some batting and coordinating quilting thread, and I’ll be ready to go.
Oh, and I can’t forget my most important weekend accomplishment. I finished our taxes. It feels good to have that one behind me.
