Archive for February, 2005
word of the day
Feb 26th
sternutation
noun ~ the act, fact, or noise of sneezing
Julie knew she was wearing too much perfume when she took a seat in the car and immediately heard a chorus of sternutation from the other passengers.
Merriam-Webster’s 365 New Words Calendar, www.pageaday.com, Workman Publishing
friday five
Feb 25th
1.) If you were in a band (you know, a successful one…), and you HAD to remake an old song, what band/song would you choose and why?
2.) If you were a Make-a-Wish child, what would you wish for (and why)?
3.) If you had the chance to learn when you were going to die, would you take it? Would you tell anyone if you knew (either your date of death or theirs)?
4.) If you couldn’t die until you helped someone, would you rather live forever selfishly or die earlier?
5.) If there’s any goal you haven’t accomplished yet, what is it and what is stopping you?
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Today is Jonathan’s 40th birthday. I wish I was there. He’s having a birthday party and I wish I was there to laugh and have fun and spoil him.
I sent him gifts but it’s just not the same. I wish I had been there to see him open them. I wish I had been there to see his face.
Happy birthday, Jonathan. I hope it was everything you wished for and more.
standing alone
Feb 25th
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I was standing in a co-worker’s office and saw this through the blinds. I liked how the blinds framed it and how the dark skies made the flags seem even more isolated.
In the summer, the flags aren’t even visible through the leaves on the trees. However, in the winter, the flags look lonely to me.
It’s a melancholy image for me, I think.
word of the day
Feb 25th
mugwump
noun ~ a person who is independent in plitics or who remains undecided or neutral
Ross’s campaign adviser was convinced that the Democratic and Republican votes were already decided and that those of the remaining mugwumps would decide the election.
Did you know? –> A 17th-century Massachusett Indian might not recognize his people’s word for “war leader” if he saw it used today. In colonial America, “mugwump” was used derisively to refer to someone who was a “big shot.” The first political mugwumps were Republicans in the presidential race of 1884 who chose to support Democratic candidate Grover Cleveland rather than their own party’s nominee. Their independence prompted one 1930s humorist to define a mugwump as “a bird who sits with its mug on one side of the fence and its wump on the other.”
Merriam-Webster’s 365 New Words Calendar, www.pageaday.com, Workman Publishing
word of the day
Feb 24th
palindrome
noun ~ a word, verse, sentence, or number that reads the same backward or forward
Mrs. Strong asked if we could think of a single-word palindrome that had seven letters and, after giving it some thought, I came up with “repaper.”
Did you know? –> Palindronic wordplay is nothing new. Palindromes have been around since at least the days of ancient Greece and our name for them comes from two Greek words: palin, meaning “back,” and dramein, “to run.” Nowadays we can all appreciate a clever palindrome such as “top spot” or “tuna nut,” but in the past (until well into the 19th century), palindromes were believed to be magical. Some folks actually carved them on amulets or walls to protect people or property from harm.
Merriam-Webster’s 365 New Words Calendar, www.pageaday.com, Workman Publishing
motion
Feb 23rd
This weeks Theme Thursday theme is “motion.” I thought about doing the long exposure auto lights shining by or about people walking by but I just couldn’t get motivated to get one of those. They seemed way too common for me. I suppose the image I chose could be considered the same thing but I think it’s the emotional value of it, for me, that makes it fun.
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Dakota and I play a game where we rush towards one another and then swerve away and circle around to do it all over again. We’ve done this since he was a puppy and he is usually the one that starts it. It makes me laugh when he does this.
growth
Feb 23rd
I’ve been photo crazy lately, I think. I see photographs in everything. I’m seeing the world through the lens of my camera. I tilt my head to and fro, looking at things as I would through the lens.
I’ve had over 5000 visitors to my photoblog. Wow! 5000. That’s a lot of people. I’m sure a lot just click on links to see what I contributed to a meme or are passing through from comments on another site but it just strikes me as a lot of visitors.
I wish more people would give feedback. I want to become a better photographer and anything that is shared is so welcomed. I can read all I want but it isn’t the same as direct feedback. Real people looking at my photos give me an invaluable insight into how to better myself.
Today I was talking to someone at work about my photography and his wood-working. He said that it’s so much easier to do when you have a muse. He said, though, that because his muse is his wife, his work becomes so personal, so much a part of his life, his relationship.
I understand that.
I’ve had a relationship with cameras my whole life. I was always the one taking the pictures of the family and there are very few pictures of me with my family because of this. I’m not sure it was expected. I think I just liked being the one to take the pictures.
It started with an old Kodak Instamatic 110. It grew from there.
I would like to think my images have improved over time. And over the years, I’m not sure I’ve had a muse. I’ve taken photographs for the pure love of it, for the pure beauty of what I see before me.
I was saying to my co-worker that my photography has recently taken a turn. I know a lot of it is that I’m a bit more serious about it. A lot of it is that I’m given good feedback from the people who do take the time to comment on it with great constructive criticism.
Some of it, though, is because I think about what Jonathan would say. He would tease me that I’ve centered it or taken another macro or maybe he would think that I just hadn’t taken the time and care with a shot that it deserved. He pushes me to be a better photographer. He pushes me to push my photographic boundaries and to see something in a different way.
I think his support and his feedback has been invaluable. I am seeing the world through a new lens that is more vivid and more dimensional.
llama
Feb 23rd
My neighbor has a lot of animals. I think she has 5 horses, 10 llamas, around 10 dogs, 3 goats, some rabbits, and maybe a few other animals that I don’t see. They are always coming up to the fence line to defend it (the dogs), to see if I have food (the horses), or to just check me out (the llamas).
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I was walking my fence line when my neighbor’s llamas came up to chat with me. This one was actually posing and it was funny.
dawn
Feb 23rd
This morning, it was snowing as I got ready for work and drove into town. It continued to snow as I settled down at my desk. When I got up to make my oatmeal at the microwave, I noticed a beautiful sunrise and I ran to get my camera.
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This morning’s dawn struck me as a beautiful thing because we have not seen the sun in quite a few days. This is a much needed change.
word of the day
Feb 23rd
effrontery
noun ~ shameless boldness: insolence
The other guests at the party were astonished by Patrick’s effrontery toward the host.
