Seaweed Chronicles

Seriously - this was a school assignment I had this week.

I had to photograph "an object of interest" demonstrating bracketing technique (keeping one aperture but changing shutter speed or vice versa), examples of different angles of the same object, and examples using all ISO settings available on my camera.  Here's the link to the full (somewhat repetitive) set and a few favorites below. 

This sure beats writing papers comparing and contrasting different types of biological and chemical weapons.  

Things are gonna change. I can feel it.

An amazing thing happened today.  Our company is rolling out a pilot program to allow alternate work arrangements such as compressed work week, off-prime shifts, etc.  I spent about a week building my case to convince my boss that I was a good candidate and should be allowed to participate in the pilot.  I had my bullet points all lined up before my meeting with her today:  history as a top performer, good attendance, predictable workload with few emergencies, no staff that report to me, I work independently 95% of the time and attend few meetings, etc.  

But it didn't go as I expected.  At all.

As soon as I spit out the words "About the Alternate Work Arrangements program . . . " she began nodding her head.

Nodding it.  Not shaking it left to right, or tilting it with that "you must be crazy" look, or just keeping it straight with the dreaded chin-down, raised eyebrows combination ("just TRY convincing me, TRY it").* 

She was nodding and before I had two full sentences out, she said "I have no problem with that."

Woo hoo!  So within a few weeks I'll be working four ten-hour days a week with three off days. What a difference this is going to make.  Twenty percent less time in the car/gas money/wear and tear, less vacation time used up for doctor or dentist appoinments, every Monday holiday turns into a four-day weekend, more sleep. MORE SLEEP!   

And more time with kittens!  

* I mean that in a totally generic kind of way - it's not my boss's style.  She's definitely one of the fairest people I've ever worked for.  

What HE said.

In this era of mine of rare posts, mainly pictures and few words, I rarely have reason to link to anything else.  It's not like I feel a need to fill up the page every day.  But it's been a bad week for too many people in Aurora, CO and it leaves me speechless.  I cannot understand how it is possible to take another's life and I would find it nearly impossible even in self-defense.  I'd probably hold off until the last second and then end up dead myself for the procrastination . . . maybe not the smartest thing but that's the way I am. 

I have been characterized as an empath by more than one person because of the emotions I absorb and display from others. Mostly the bad feelings are what I get.  The pain others feel when they experience a death or suffering or some other tragedy is real enough to me, certainly, and I honestly don't care what the title or the name for it is, or what it makes me.  I would love to make it go away if I could.  But many other feelings, such as whatever that demon with the red hair in CO is experiencing . . . THAT, I do not feel. Maybe he is suffering, but I don't get how he can turn that into what he did.   I can't connect.  I just do not understand. I have no empathy there. 

Fortunately, I learn occasionally that there are people with sense and compassion and hope and optimism also.  People who are dreamers, like me (and I have the tattoo!).  Finding a kindred spirit who can also write eloquently about those feelings and what they mean in relation to this week's tragedy, well . . . THAT has to be shared.  

Please take a few minutes to enjoy reading A deadly rampage of shocking kindness.

I agree with what Mark Morford wrote in that piece.  And with what Halle Gannestad said in response to a similar horrible incident in Norway a year ago:  "If one man can show so much hate, imagine how much love we can create together."   

There shan't be any unintended consequences around here . . .

The kittens have been a whirlwind of fun. I highly recommend this to anyone.  We have constant entertainment, and it's been healthy for the older cats - they are playing a lot again also.  But the kids are also work.  They have to be somewhat supervised, cleaned up after (messy eaters), fed (frequent eaters) and boxes cleaned often (did I say frequent eaters?).  So Sparky, being home all day, has had his hands kind of full between all that and a few vet appointments for shots.  But he's never experienced living with a kitten before, let alone two, and he loves it.    

Fiona has adapted better than we thought.  She was hissing at them for the first week and would not stay in the same room with them.  She's fifteen, for heaven's sake. She thought we were in a 55+ neighborhood.  And we just brought newborns home?  BAH. She was not happy.  But now she watches them throughout the day (when she's awake) with a look that borders equally on amusement and scorn.  She has played with them a bit.  Then taken a nap.  But it's better than hissing.

Max didn't know what to do the first few days.   Defend his territory?  Hide?  Show them around the place?  He mostly hung out inside the three-foot tunnel we bought the kittens to play in.  It crackles when it's touched or walked on by cat feet. Max thinks he's hiding but it sounds like the Fourth of July when he's in there.  Anyway, after about a week Max became the big brother, playing and napping with the kids and being very gentle with them. He's been very much the third kitten since then.  Our twenty-pound kitten. So cute.    

But last night, Max got a wee bit too aggressive with Mickey.  Started trying to chase and tackle him and wouldn't stop.  I was at work today when it dawned on me that maybe the reason for the change in behavior was because the kittens' hormones might be kicking in.  They are approaching four months in age.  I sent Sparky an e-mail and said "Hey, when is that spay/neuter appointment, anyway?"  You see, I had left him with this task on the honey-do list about two weeks ago.  

He wrote back a while later:  "Well, the Monmouth County SPCA had the best prices, and I left them a message but they didn't call back.  LOL.  Patience is a virtue, right?"

It took me four seconds to respond: "No, patience is definitely NOT a virtue in this case.  Patience will result in more KITTENS.  Can you handle 8 or 10 more like Maggie and Max running around all day?"

The appointment was made within the hour.  The kittens will be . . . um . . ."fixed" next week.  

Back to the Cat Channel . . .

OK, enough with the creepy bugs for a while. Have some cuteness instead.  

Big Brother Max and little Mickey.

Enough of the Cute

The kitten pictures are cute.  I have a great one of Max and Mickey that generated a lot of "awwwwwwww" on facebook today.  But I am a creative monster right now. The photography class has me playing around with some of my camera toys and settings again that I'd forgotten I had.  Like a set of cheapo macro lenses. With some supplemental flashlight and pattern paper for background, and of course the dead cicadas I collected in tupperware, I now have a great set of bug photos.  Here's the slideshow:  Bugs Bugs Bugs Bugs Bugs Bugs

You already met Ed.  Now you can find out why he's Dead Ed!  (OK, maybe an actual kitten picture tomorrow.  Maybe.)

Yes we have cute kittens . . .

but I'm taking pictures of bugs instead.  I saw this dead cicada on the sidewalk in my work parking lot last week and the light reflected off it in some special way.  I walked twenty feet past it and then turned around, realizing this was potentially another dead blue jay (about two of you know what I mean).  Anyway, I wanted to take pictures and thought I could fit him in with the theme for my Photography 101 Final Portfolio idea I'm considering.  I nicknamed him Ed, short for Edison, the college that is giving me 3 credits for taking pictures of anything I want to.  Like this (click on the photo to enlarge, please):

Kitten pictures soon.  But be warned . . . I found a second dead cicada the day after I found Ed. And this morning, I took about 200 pictures of the the two of them together  . . . .

Weekend Notes - Yes, we left the kids Home Alone!

It was hard being away from the new babies for a weekend, but we had a prior commitment in Round Hill, CT for a band competition.  I knew the kids would be well cared for by my daughter in our absence, so we went off and had a good old time making music and mayhem.  Here are the edited pictures (including Photoshop removal of tongue piercings and beer bottles).  A few highlights below.  

Our girls talking to Matt who dared to vacation in Hawaii instead of coming to CT . . . .

 

Under the Lucky Weeping Beech Tree again.

"Lynne!!!! Those boots are the line judge, OK?"  

Additions

Well this adoption process has not gone smoothly but in the end, we got two wonderful kittens.  Their shelter names were Seth (boy, orange) and Sybil (muted Calico),  but they have renamed themselves since we got them home today.  

Meet Mickey:

And Maggie:

 

I loooooove our newest family members!