The Landing Pad

They go by many names. My mother called hers The Junk Drawer. It was in a corner by the telephone and everything under the sun was there. Except for a pen that worked, a telephone book, the right kind or size of screwdriver that you needed right now or a paper clip. I'm sure you have one in your kitchen as well.

In my house I call it the Landing Pad. Everything just kind of lands there. It is in the corner of the kitchen island, the first place to set things down when coming in the house. My keys and cell phone are stored there. The rubber bands off of the newspaper are corralled in a dish to be recycled to the carrier. Reading glasses, pens and pencils are there.

Unfortunately, over time lots of other items find their way into the drawer, sometimes because the doorbell rang and I want to clear the junk off the island. But more often than that, I just plain don't know what to do with an item so I shove it in there, out of sight and soon forgotten. Until the drawer won't close anymore.

Today I cleaned out the Landing Pad. Here are a few things that were hiding in there:

Eight (yes, 8) eyeglass cases plus five reading glasses.
Three old cell phones (the girls will be delighted!).
A mass of jumbled up ear buds, probably three sets.
Various road finds (2 golf balls, man's watch, jewelry bits, car wash tokens, etc).
Six road find tools that went in my tool box.
Unidentifiable single keys (I think I know what the #48 fits).
Motel room key from a Fairfield Inn somewhere.
Stack of Great Harvest cards, probably enough for three loaves of bread.
A strange piece to my camera. Binged it and found that it is a filter holder for the flash unit.
Cough drops to last a year and five tubes of lip gloss.
A torn dollar bill that Zeus offered to take to the bank. No, it goes in with the rest of the pieces. Lots of bits of paper that went into the recycling bin.

Now it looks like this. It won't stay that way for long.

$4.06 plus a Sony Memory Stick.

It's all good.

It's been a good day. A very sunny, warm, good day.

Here's my list of good things that happened.

1. Went to the big SLC to attend photography workshops on lighting. Learned some new techniques from both classes and also realized that I knew more than I though I did. Unlike a few years ago, the mere mention of f-stops and apertures does not faze me anymore.

2. Picked up the new brown backdrop that I've been trying to find for over a month. I'm ready to go!

3. Listened to Rod Stewart and Bette Midler croon the oldies at top volume.

4. Got good news from both Athena and Eris tonight! Being a very proud mother is one of my FAVORITE THINGS!

5. Someone peed on a stick and it came up positive! Yippee!!! (Not related to #4.)

6. Wore jeans that I haven't worn for two years.

Yes. Life is very good.

$.93

(I know the picture doesn't have anything to do with the subject. On the other hand, they make me smile, too!)

Seeing green

In the past I have played around a little with chroma key photography, sometimes called greenscreen. If you ever watch the weather reports on television or have been to ChuckECheese you have seen this technology. The subject stands in front of a bright green background and through the magic of computers that green is replaced with weather maps. Any color will work as long as it is bright, solid and the color doesn't appear in the main subject.

Keeping our overabundance of cooties confined to our house has been a real challenge lately so today I stayed home and played with my camera and computer. Littlest and Little were here so I had some good models to shoot. Here's the process:

Start with two cute little girls in front of the screen. Pose them to look like they never fight or argue.
Through the magic wand of Photoshop remove all of the green pixels in the image.

Through some more Photoshop layers magic insert the subjects into another photo, this time an image I took last spring at Thanksgiving Point. I've been struggling with layers for a long time. All of the work today just might have been a breakthrough.

I'm nowhere near mastering the complexities of Photoshop but at least this is one more challenge well on the way. A few more images are posted on the Shooting Blog.

$1.82 plus a 20 Mexican centavo coin and a Canadian nickel. I did manage to get out yesterday but will probably take another few days off. It's not easy to run with a box of tissues in one hand while sucking on cough drops. Damn these bugs!

Ghosts of Halloweens Past

Happy Halloween to all of you!

This year I was smarter than last. All candy to be given out to the little goblins was specifically chosen because it's NOT chocolate and can be resisted. The kids will like it.

The menu for supper tonight is Pumpkin Soup. No kidding. After that we will be welcoming our favorite little trick or treaters for brief visits.

If you would like to see other scary photos click and click.

Note to self: cropping photos with decorative scissors, stupid idea.

$0.00 (hopefully back out on Monday)

Buddhizing Numismatizing

Yesterday morning I attended a lecture given by Zeus on Buddhist Ethics. He only had a few hours notice because the scheduled speaker was unable to make it due to a snowstorm up north. Of course, Zeus did a masterful job. His subject matter, along with the MoneyWalker's (bleason) comments on my last post have prompted this subject matter.

I often joke about picking up coins while ralking. But seriously, I do realize that there is a fine line between what I do and pocketing money that doesn't belong to me. Bleason and I seem to be travelling the same paths many time zones apart and he has touched on the ethics of our strange hobby.

About five years ago I started daily walking, at first finding random coins in gutters that I thought were quirks. As my walking continued and I ventured out onto other streets I began to realize that there was coinage all over the place, a person just had to know how and where to look for it. For a while I didn't talk much about it to others but then my finds became common knowledge to those around me. Oh yes, I have taken a fair amount of teasing, mostly good-natured and always deserved.

Along the way I have developed my own "rules" for numismatizing, most of which are similar to Bleason's. I will share a few of these with you.

1. Walk early and fast. Most of the fast food establishments have not even opened when I go under the windows. Coinage that has been left outside all night is fair game, right??? Regarding "window wardens", I've seen all kinds of them, from the fun woman at a McDs who called me back to tell me that I missed a quarter to the guy who threatened to call the cops. That was in a different city and I never went back. Oh wait, there was one really rude guy who I told to catch me if he wanted his nickel back. He didn't. Also, I won't interfere with business. Coinage in the street, all mine, baby!
2. Safety. I've been on a morning ralking hiatus this week partly due to the pitch black darkness that lasts until seven. Of the three places I frequent one is scary in the dark and the other two are unsafe due to traffic. I wear ID and reflective clothing and have learned to never trust drivers making right turns. This weekend the time changes. Hallelujah!
3. Never miss an opportunity. Vending machines, telephone booths, parking lots, car washes, they all are ripe and ready for picking. Learn to laugh when others look at me quizzically.
4. Smile and say good morning to everyone I pass. It's a challenge to see who will reply.
5. Relish the sunny days and enjoy the rain. Endure the bone-chilling cold with more layers and thinsulate. Sleep in on the windy or icy days or hit the pool.
6. Realize that numismatizing provides needed motivation to get outdoors and enjoy the solitude. Who could have guessed that I would love mornings?

7. Mostly, be grateful that in my senior years (ouch!!) I can still ralk and that the circumstances of my life allow the time and luxury to do it. Also, the support of Zeus is priceless.

$.93

My miracle children

For the last few years I have looked at Athena and Eris and marveled at how they turned out so well. They are intelligent and both excel in their chosen fields. They each revel in new challenges, especially big ones, and are fiercely independent yet at the same time dedicated to families and life goals.

During their formative years the cutting edge technology in our home consisted of books, paper, crayons and scissors. Imagination was also a necessity. Television was four channels, one of which was PBS and included Sesame Street and the Electric Company. When we traveled they read, slept or sang along with whatever AM radio station was available. No multiple video players, Ipods or Gameboys. We kept track of state license plates, drew with an etch-a-sketch or played Fish. Or slept some more.


Circumstances in our home during their early school years didn't allow for the latest technological marvels. We were thrilled when we were given a secondhand BETA video player and later a Texas Instruments Computer that even had MUNCHMAN installed on it. (The old TI got me through college in the late 80's!)

Today I feel vindicated. It has been announced that Disney will issue refunds for those who purchased the Baby Einstein products. Apparently there is no proof that exposure to these videos will make a baby smarter. Who would have guessed that books, paper, crayons, scissors and a healthy dose of imagination would work just as well?

$1.26

Felines

I know before I even type one word that this is a very risky post. Some of you may be offended and for that I am deeply sorry. Gonna do it anyway.

Cats are not my favorite animal. They are temperamental, moody, aloof and hairy. If they are indoor cats they can often be found in many places that they don't belong. If they are outdoor cats they are chasing birds or pooping in the neighbor's garden. OH YES, THEY ARE!!!

Last night as I left Ms. Dub's house "Kitten" was nice and comfy on the hood of my car. Obviously, no one had warned this cat about who he was dealing with because he refused to budge, even after multiple camera flashes and the engine starting. Nope, he taunted me by sauntering right up the windshield and perching his hairy kitty butt on top of the car. No physical harm came to the cat as he was removed and placed behind the rear tire... ummm, I mean on the sidewalk.

Cat lovers, commence flaming.

$3.62