Yuccas a another type of plant that are notoriously difficult to get a good shot of. I usually get a picture of an over-exposed flower stalk sticking right out of the ground. I think this shot came out just a bit better than my usual attempts.
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Monday, May 16, 2016
Yucca Shot
Rocks and Snow
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Even during the winter, you got to get out a little bit. When cabin fever became too much for me and spit me out of the house, I ended up in Kolob Canyon and took this shot. I'd say it was worth it to get out.
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Thursday, November 05, 2015
Thanks for the Compliment
The other day my boss asked me if I had completed all the necessary scheduling for an upcoming conference and I replied, "Yeah, who wants to know?" See, we've got this tongue-in-cheek, antagonistic relationship where we are constantly trying one up each other with dry, witty comments. The problem is I'm not very good at this, so I often say something that just insulting minus the witty part. I had been okay until recently when I noticed the boss man didn't banter with me so much. I wonder if I had crossed the line with one of my ill-timed comments.
The other day, Mr. Boss-Man wandered into my office and said, "What's up loser?" It was then that I knew that I was still in his good graces, for this mildly-insulting greeting that could only be offered to someone in his inner circle. Office politics and the communication therein is a weird thing.
The other day, Mr. Boss-Man wandered into my office and said, "What's up loser?" It was then that I knew that I was still in his good graces, for this mildly-insulting greeting that could only be offered to someone in his inner circle. Office politics and the communication therein is a weird thing.
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Gavin's First Picture....That He Took
Gavin asked to see my camera and snapped off this shot of Theo. I think it's pretty good. The pic is in focus; I believe it captures the essence of Theo. We'll just have to work on getting a bit closer to the subject.
Monday, June 15, 2015
An Actually Okay Photo of a Columbine
I find that good pics of flowers are hard to get. The photos usually look washed out or generic no matter how much I zoom in, or how many different angles I try. Still, there is hope. I took the following pic and then really darkened the background. The Columbine is a very beautiful specimen, and I'm proud to finally do this flora some justice.
Monday, August 25, 2014
Bye to the Badger
Well, this sucks. There's no other way to put it. Our other cat that we brought back from Korea was hit by a car. We went camping and when we came back I noticed that Badger wasn't around. I walked around the neighborhood hoping that I'd see her bounding through the weeds behind our house, running to me at the sound of my voice, but as hours passed, I this feeling of emptiness got bigger. It's the kind of emptiness where you start to realize that nothing good is going to come of the situation. The emptiness that is the only thing preferable to the panic and desperation that tries to take over.
The next morning, after dropping Walter off at work, I decided to drive for a bit and look around. I put on my signal to turn left but it shut off. That's nothing big; turning signals just click off at times, but this time I took it as a sign and turned right. That's what eventually lead me to her body.
When Nallie got hit, we were devastated. I told myself, at least this won't happen to Badger. Badger was our fat dorky cat that liked to stick more to the house. She was the one that was going to be with us awhile.
I never understood why anyone would want to clone an animal before. Now I get it. There won't be another Badger. She'd lay down and let you give her a vigorous tummy rubbing. Gavin would lay on her without a complaint from the cat. She'd jump on my stomach while I lay in bed, often scaring the crap out of me, begging for some pets.
It's hard not to be bitter, but it's not enough to say "these things happen" either. We just have to be happy for the time we had with our Korean cats and remember them the best we can. The most honest thing to say about the situation is they are missed.
The next morning, after dropping Walter off at work, I decided to drive for a bit and look around. I put on my signal to turn left but it shut off. That's nothing big; turning signals just click off at times, but this time I took it as a sign and turned right. That's what eventually lead me to her body.
When Nallie got hit, we were devastated. I told myself, at least this won't happen to Badger. Badger was our fat dorky cat that liked to stick more to the house. She was the one that was going to be with us awhile.
I never understood why anyone would want to clone an animal before. Now I get it. There won't be another Badger. She'd lay down and let you give her a vigorous tummy rubbing. Gavin would lay on her without a complaint from the cat. She'd jump on my stomach while I lay in bed, often scaring the crap out of me, begging for some pets.
It's hard not to be bitter, but it's not enough to say "these things happen" either. We just have to be happy for the time we had with our Korean cats and remember them the best we can. The most honest thing to say about the situation is they are missed.
And Now Back to Color
In the previous post, I talked about how I was taking more black and white pics. That doesn't mean that I don't secretly want to be an HDR master. Here's probably my best HDR to date.
Black and White in Color Country
I was all excited to relocate to southern Utah, partially because of the desert and red rock scenery. It makes for some pretty photos, but here I am posting black and white. Some times the stark contrast of black versus white adds for more drama, the photo comes out as I see it in my mind's eye.
Thursday, January 09, 2014
Homesick?
It's odd when this pic makes me a bit homesick.
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| Pic taken from 3 Wise Monkeys Post: Long-Timer Says Farewell. He says it very well. |
Sunday, December 22, 2013
Abrupt Fading (a bit of goodbye)
Korea is fading. It goes by bits and pieces. When we first moved back to the states, we brought with us a bunch of Korean products; toiletries like shampoo, toothpaste, and the occasional medicine. While the toothpaste was still Arm and Hammer, it had Korean writing on it-- a reminder of where we had come from. But then the toothpaste tube ran empty and it was time to get a new one. We threw the old tube away and a piece of Korea, a reminder of where we had lived, went away as well. The cultural residue that we were immersed in for 7 years has become less sticky. I'm nostalgic for Korea at times; an emotion that can only come about when escape from a place or a culture has become complete.
These nights, I often dream that I'm back in Korea. The dreams follow a similar pattern. I'll be glad that I'm back, glad to eat the food that I miss, glad to see the places I long for, and glad to see old friends again. But then the dream will change. I'll question why I ever left. When this happens, someone in the dream usually tries to talk to me in Korean. I'll then reply in a mishmash of English and Korean to which the speaker will look totally confused. I will then repeat the phrase with exaggerated gestures. This part of the dream mirrors my reality in Korea pretty well. It's like the dream is trying to remind me that not everything there was peachy and that there are reasons why I moved back to the states.
The fading of past people, places, and experiences happens, but unfortunately, that fading sometimes comes abruptly. Walter (my brother-in-law) and I were out shoveling snow from the driveway yesterday when I noticed a snow covered mound off the side of the driveway. As I walked closer I noticed that the mound looked like a cat. I thought to myself that thank goodness it wasn't one of our cats because I had just seen both cats... wait, I couldn't remember when I had seen our smaller cat, Nallie. Relief was replaced by a wave of worry and then instant despair when I looked closer and saw a glimpse of Nallie's purple collar. By what we can tell, she was hit by a car and then struggled to get home. The idea that this couldn't be Nallie, that she was just 4 years old, could not hold up to the heartbreaking reality in front of me. I checked to make sure that there wasn't any life (rigamortis had set in) and then I steeled myself to go inside and break the news to Kat. Our morning was consumed with comforting each other, digging a grave, and getting all ready for her burial.
She was the first member of our little family. We've snowballed a bit bigger: another cat, a kid, a recently claimed brother in law-- but Nallie was like the first child. In Korea, we moved into a bigger apartment, partly so we could get a cat. Nallie was a rescue; during a typhoon, she was blown into a storm drain and rescued by a kind ex-pat. We responded to a Craigslist post about Nallie, and smuggled her home on a bus in Kat's purse. We spoiled Nallie and that molded her into the grumpiest / sweetest kitty ever. That's the honest truth. She'd bite me when I didn't pet her just right, but she'd also wake me in the night, licking me on the forehead, thinking it was the perfect time for a bath. She'd follow me around the Korean apartment, either for an epic petting session or to attack my feet. She'd often lay at the foot of Gavin's bed, his protector in the night.
Everything fades. I think I may feel this progression more than some, not because of some heightened sensitivity (I am often one of the most oblivious people I know), but because my life has been so compartmentalized. There were the Salt Lake days; the Flagstaff days; the Central America journey; the boomerang back to Salt Lake; the Suji, Gangnam, Yatap and Seohyun days in Korea. Now there are the Cedar City days. Abrupt changes in location lend to a compartmentalization of my life. I'm split into chapters and the move back to the States is a transition to a different chapter. I had thought that our friend Nallie would weather this transition with us, but unfortunately, she is part of the fading also. That's doesn't mean she will be forgotten. She won't be a part of our day to day lives, but she will fade to memories, and we have a lot of good memories of her. For that, we are thankful.
These nights, I often dream that I'm back in Korea. The dreams follow a similar pattern. I'll be glad that I'm back, glad to eat the food that I miss, glad to see the places I long for, and glad to see old friends again. But then the dream will change. I'll question why I ever left. When this happens, someone in the dream usually tries to talk to me in Korean. I'll then reply in a mishmash of English and Korean to which the speaker will look totally confused. I will then repeat the phrase with exaggerated gestures. This part of the dream mirrors my reality in Korea pretty well. It's like the dream is trying to remind me that not everything there was peachy and that there are reasons why I moved back to the states.
The fading of past people, places, and experiences happens, but unfortunately, that fading sometimes comes abruptly. Walter (my brother-in-law) and I were out shoveling snow from the driveway yesterday when I noticed a snow covered mound off the side of the driveway. As I walked closer I noticed that the mound looked like a cat. I thought to myself that thank goodness it wasn't one of our cats because I had just seen both cats... wait, I couldn't remember when I had seen our smaller cat, Nallie. Relief was replaced by a wave of worry and then instant despair when I looked closer and saw a glimpse of Nallie's purple collar. By what we can tell, she was hit by a car and then struggled to get home. The idea that this couldn't be Nallie, that she was just 4 years old, could not hold up to the heartbreaking reality in front of me. I checked to make sure that there wasn't any life (rigamortis had set in) and then I steeled myself to go inside and break the news to Kat. Our morning was consumed with comforting each other, digging a grave, and getting all ready for her burial.
She was the first member of our little family. We've snowballed a bit bigger: another cat, a kid, a recently claimed brother in law-- but Nallie was like the first child. In Korea, we moved into a bigger apartment, partly so we could get a cat. Nallie was a rescue; during a typhoon, she was blown into a storm drain and rescued by a kind ex-pat. We responded to a Craigslist post about Nallie, and smuggled her home on a bus in Kat's purse. We spoiled Nallie and that molded her into the grumpiest / sweetest kitty ever. That's the honest truth. She'd bite me when I didn't pet her just right, but she'd also wake me in the night, licking me on the forehead, thinking it was the perfect time for a bath. She'd follow me around the Korean apartment, either for an epic petting session or to attack my feet. She'd often lay at the foot of Gavin's bed, his protector in the night.
Everything fades. I think I may feel this progression more than some, not because of some heightened sensitivity (I am often one of the most oblivious people I know), but because my life has been so compartmentalized. There were the Salt Lake days; the Flagstaff days; the Central America journey; the boomerang back to Salt Lake; the Suji, Gangnam, Yatap and Seohyun days in Korea. Now there are the Cedar City days. Abrupt changes in location lend to a compartmentalization of my life. I'm split into chapters and the move back to the States is a transition to a different chapter. I had thought that our friend Nallie would weather this transition with us, but unfortunately, she is part of the fading also. That's doesn't mean she will be forgotten. She won't be a part of our day to day lives, but she will fade to memories, and we have a lot of good memories of her. For that, we are thankful.
Biting the Biter
This picture details our antagonistic relationship. We often competed against each other to see who could be the most cantankerous. We bonded over our ability and predisposition to be grumpy.
Introducing Nallie
Introducing Nallie a video by karmking1111 on Flickr.
Here's Nallie as a kitten. Warning, this is something you should not do with a kitten least you want to raise a cat that won't stop biting your hand.
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