Hello to all and welcome!
I can't really say what you should expect to see here as I've never before tried blogging or anything similar. It'll have to be a work in progress. I'll probably talk about photography in general (and mine in specific) as well as point out different things that are going on that I find interesting or worth commenting on. If anyone (assuming anyone actually ends up reading this) has questions or suggestions on topics, feel free to let me know.
I'm here you're with me, here at the beginning of all things.
Roger
p.s. Comments and feedback are very welcome.
Three books
I finished 3 fairly different books this past week or so. Two for clubs and one because it arrived at the library finally.
So, the one that arrived was "Ever After" by Kim Harrison, the newest book in her Hallows series. I can't say I was disappointed with the book, but it wasn't my favorite. In some ways, I think she feels like the story is at a crossroads and wanted to try and clean up the world and maybe see if there is a new direction to take things. So, between the last one and this, there are lots of secondary characters that are/have gone away. And it seems like things are changing between Rachel, Ivy and Jenks as well (not nearly enough Ivy in this book). I'm willing to wait and see how the next one turns out, but this one was a bit forced and I hope things pick up again.
The first club book was "Hounded" by Kevin Hearne, the first in his "Iron Druid" series. I really enjoyed this one, even though there were some aspects that I thought were unnecessary. The main character is Atticus O'Sullivan, a 2100 year old druid living in Tempe, AZ. Some of the Celtic gods are hunting for him because he acquired (some of them say stole) a magic sword millenia ago. Others are trying to help him. Aided by his sentient dog, vampire and werewolf lawyers, and some humans, he tries to stay one step away from death while attempting to figure a way out of his problems. I wish Hearne had not felt the need to throw in vampires and werewolves, not because they are not good characters but because it felt unnecessary, bringing in folklore rather than sticking with mythology. Book 2 is currently in transit to the library, so I look forward to getting into that one shortly.
The third book of the week was "Wyrd Sisters" by Terry Pratchett. I've never been quite sure what I think of Pratchett's books. Partly because I find the lack of chapters annoying. Partly because humor is so hard to make good when reading it (but which comes across so amazingly well in the movies, even the animated one of Wyrd Sisters that was shown for book/movie). This one, however, was quite fun and quick to read (and maybe reading it quickly is part of what made it work better than others did). The plot is a typical one for the discworld books (if such a thing can be said of them), covering/parodying witchcraft, Shakespeare, ghosts, actors, playwrights, royal succession (and assassination), the nature of kingdoms, and a whole bunch more. Of the ones I've read, Hogfather remains my favorite, but this one is certainly worth the time (and, as I said, check out the animated movie version as well).
It's the little things
At Tuesday's Geeks Read meeting, someone had a Girl Scout Cookie order form. I mentioned that I never buy them because they'd be sitting around the house and probably not last very long (to my detriment). One thing led to another and a couple people mentioned how much they like the fudge covered Oreos but have trouble finding them. While I've never had them, I have seen them at one or more of the supermarkets near here. And, some of those who expressed their enjoyment of that particular cookie are possibly going to be at the Book/Movie meeting on Friday. So, I went to the market yesterday to buy a box to share.
And then I saw it...
That bright yellow box with white lettering...
MALLOMARS!!! Boxes and boxes of Mallomars!!! Probably the best cookies ever created! And for some reason, they don't carry them in Minnesota. It has probably been over 10 years since I saw them in a supermarket here, and that was maybe for one week [seriously Nabisco, why aren't they here all the time???].
Needless to say, after doing a small happy Snoopy dance in my head, I changed my mind on what I would be purchasing. So, anyone who shows up to the Book/Movie meeting tomorrow will have a chance to share in giddy happiness.
Sometimes, it is the little things that have the most effect.
Among Others
I didn't want to include this in the previous post. If you've read that one, you'll understand why.
I finished a couple of books this past week (and seem to be falling behind on reporting on them). The first one was "Sharpe's Escape" by Bernard Cornwell. I think it is the 10th chronologically in the Richard Sharpe series (it is sometimes hard to count because they are not written that way). I'm enjoying this series quite a bit. It shadows the Duke of Wellington's campaigns in the early 1800s (from a trio in India through Waterloo and maybe past that a bit). Part of the fun is that they deal with infantry rather than naval history/combat (such as seen in the Hornblower books or the Patrick O'Brian ones). The tactics and differences in equipment are new to me. I also like the fact that Sharpe is a really good soldier, but not a nice person. It is an interesting dichotomy with the "officer and a gentleman" attitudes that prevail in the time (and the books).
The other book I finished was "Among Others" by Jo Walton. I enjoyed it quite a bit but know people who will probably fall in love. It's mostly set in real world 1979-80 (with bits of fairies and magic thrown in for flavor). The main character is a 15 year old girl who is an obsessive reader, mostly of science fiction (with some fantasy, historical fiction and philosophy thrown in). I guess that's why I think others will like it so much more. There are a LOT of books (and authors) discussed, many of which I haven't read. It does make me curious to read a bunch of them, but the lack of familiarity is a bit of a barrier to full enjoyment. Worth reading, though.
It's always something...
Why is it that annoyances always seem to come up at the worst times?
1) I was cutting up some onions for a pot of chili and the garbage disposal died.
2) The homeowners association says to seriously consider replacing the electric panel in the house.
3) Another interview that I had thought went well fell through (which would at a minimum have provided funds to deal with the first two).
4) The book for Tuesday's book club is still showing as "in transit" to the library.
One advantage of having a blog, I guess, is that you can vent as much as you want, get it out of your system, and move on. Thanks for your indulgence.
Photography: Portraits
I have to admit that I really dislike having my picture taken. They never look right to me. I got to wondering why this might be.
Eventually, I realized the problem is that there are only two ways individuals have of seeing what they look like. One is in photos (or other types of artwork) and the other is in a reflection. The difference between these is that photos show how you look to other people, while the reflection is how you look to yourself. So I started wondering if I would be happier if the portrait was actually taken of a reflection. The other option would be to flip the portrait using photoshop. Below are the results:
These two images are the reflection and the reflection flipped.
These two are the straight photo and the photo flipped.
I think the results would have been even clearer if my hair had been freshly combed (with a strong part). That said, I prefer both the reflection and the flipped photo to their counterparts. Try it yourself and see what you think. However, you might want to recruit a friend (like I did) because taking self portraits (especially in a mirror) is really hard.