My Interview with Daryl

I have just completed my first-ever interview as a blogger with New York City fashionista, Daryl, and here it is.

 

D: Do you think I would know you if I ran into you on the street? Why?

CG: Yes, I think you'd know me. You've seen my little picture on my blog. And besides, I'd probably have George with me. Everyone knows the George Clooney of the Dog World.

 

D: If you could live anywhere in the world, assume finances were not an issue, where would it be? Why?

CG: Well, I'm not a world traveler such as yourself, and in fact, have never even been out of the country so I don't have that knowledge to draw upon. If finances really weren't an issue, and in order to be somewhat close to my relatives, I'd be living somewhere on the East Coast, in a home with character and a lot of land with a view of a body of water. I'd have horses and breed them. And my husband wouldn't be sick.

 

D: How did you come to work at your current job? Why?

CG: I run the main office at a K-12 private school and I'll be there 10 years as of next week. Back in 1999, my sons attended this school and we lived less than 10 minutes away from it. My husband had just been offered a position on a horse farm that was a half hour away. At that time, I was selling advertising space at a daily newspaper in Wilmington, DE and my husband was picking the boys up from school and I was dropping them off in the morning. A position became open in the office and I accepted it, taking a pay cut in order to get our kids to school every day. At the time, I thought it was an answer to my prayers. And today, I still think that. I love the people I work with, the children and the ethics we teach.

Ok. I'll get off my soapbox now.

 

D: If I gave you unlimited access to free music, what would you choose?

CG: This is a difficult question because it's so hard to list everyone I like. It's part of the reason why I've neglected to fill in all those spaces on my Blogger profile. I like so many artists. So I went out to my car and looked in my CD holder and chose the first ten I saw: John Mayer, Damien Rice, Ray LaMontagne, Sarah McLachlan, Bonnie Raitt, Nick Drake, Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen, Shawn Colvin, John Prine.

 

D: What is your favorite food? Why?

CG: Sushi. Really good sushi. It's an explosion of fresh wonderful tastes in my mouth. I love it.

 

Would you like to be interviewed by me? C'mon, don't be shy.

Here's the directions: 1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."

2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. (I get to pick the questions).

3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.

4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.

5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

 

Have a great day and until tomorrow, my friends . . .

Keep warm!

Random musings, a Giveaway elsewhere, and I won something!

I recently entered in a Giveaway over at Drivin' 55 and was surprised to find that I had actually won. The prize was to be a Christmas Memory Book that was being handcrafted by Deb, the blog host. And guess what just came in the mail?

It's a beautiful little book, ready for me to paste in my own photos. In years to come, I'll open this treasure and think back not only to my holiday this year, but to the new friend who made this for me.

Look how intricate the box lid is. The inside is completely lined in a rich holiday red and the little accordion-style book sits inside.

Deb personalized the front of the book as well as some of the inside pages.

Look at all the detail that goes into this little gem. I'm thinking of maybe getting a couple of these for gifts next year. And Deb, if you're reading this . . . why don't you have an Etsy shop?

My favorite page! I can put a picture of George right here! She even personalized my dog's name in this book. Can you tell how excited I am?

And while we're talking about Giveaways, I've found one on a new blog called Cottage Farm Villa that's going on until the end of next week. You can enter to win on this post. Tell Cheryl that I sent you.

Readers, please remember that A Giveaway A Day has just that. Every day a different giveaway. I've got a direct link on the sidebar on the right, but you can click the link right here as well. I go there when I remember to do so.

And while we're talking about new blogs, I was wasting away in Bloggeritaville one day recently and came across the most interesting story. It's a blog that reads like a good book and every day there's a new little chapter. I haven't left a comment yet because the new google comment thing confuses me (and I'm easily confused). The blog is brand new and looks like it may have started over the holidays. I am just finding the story SO VERY intriguing. Head on over to Leif and see what you think. It's just so well-written! And mind you, begin at the first post. It won't make sense if you don't.

And, as always, thanks for your support.

Until tomorrow, my friends . . .

Life in the fast lane continues

These are just a few more pictures of our little trip down to Eastern Neck Wildlife Refuge last week on a dreary day. And then, I promise you, I'll stop, ok?

As I write this, it's rainy and cold. And dark too, because it's nighttime. George is asleep at my feet after several rousing hours games of toy fetching. Reading your comments on yesterdays post made me happy and frankly, surprised. I want to welcome all the new faces here!

After the Boardwalk Trail, we walked across the road and north a little bit to Boxes Point Trail, which is a nice hike through a little forest. Can you spot the bird in the photo above?

At the end of the trail is a nice little beach with a park bench to enjoy the view. I liked this cool piece of driftwood.

A lot of you asked what I do to my pictures and I'll tell you that I rarely use one that's Straight Out of Camera (SOOC). I'm a sucker for a good action and for the two lower photos above, I used Pioneer Woman's Soft & Faded. PW has two sets of actions that are absolutely free and available for download into your Photoshop program. All you have to do is visit her website and click on the Photography tab. Then do a search for free actions.

I also used TRA's actions, and the one above is called Technicolor Dreamworld. It's available in Set 2 (The Revenge). Please note that this is not a picture of my husband's back.

When I open up my pictures in Photoshop and begin to play around, I'll look at it and try to recreate how it looked in my mind when I took it. I know that sounds weird, but it's how it works sometimes. I wanted the water to look blue because it actually looked blue that day as the sun was just beginning to break through the clouds. But the SOOC was not what I expected. And adding the burnt edge to the photo above made the water more blue.

For the one above and for many of these photos, I used a slight edge burn, also available as a free download. It's from MCP Actions and there's several more to try out on her website.

These two trees are a silent testament to the ravages of time, aren't they? This was taken at Boxes Point looking north.

I liked how these reeds looked against the sky and water. This photo also has a burnt edge to it as well as an action called Rusty Cage, which I purchased in a set from TRA (Totally Rad Actions).

The sun made a valiant attempt that day but nothing ever really came of it. So we called it a day and headed north for home.

Hope all this talk of actions and burnt edges hasn't totally put you to sleep!

Until tomorrow, my friends . . .

Oh, and that's my new favorite hat that I bought in NYC last month. I love it!

My life in the fast lane

Last week, my husband and I took several small day trips and one of them was to Eastern Neck Wildlife Refuge, on an island off the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay. On the map, it's just south of Rock Hall and just northeast of Kent Island.

It's about an hour drive from our home and I shot some photos out the car window during our drive on this gray morning. The photo above was taken while we were driving over the Bohemia River. Hey, I know someone who lives over that way . . .

Further down the road, a deserted old farmhouse intrigues me. I ran TRA's 'Super Old Skool' action on it to make it look even creepier.

We drove through the little town of Rock Hall and continued south. This was shot going over the little bridge that connects Eastern Neck Island to the mainland.

The Chesapeake Bay washes over the bridge during storms and I assume that's what's lying all over the road here.

Just down the road is Tubby Cove. You're familiar with that little pit stop, right? I posted a similar picture of the Boardwalk trail (above) out to the observation deck on my Picture A Day site a few days ago. I am thinking of doing a series entitled "My Husband, From Behind".

Not really. He'd kill me!

Here's another one anyway. This was taken inside that little crop of trees you see in the distance from the Boardwalk Trail which leads to the viewing platform. We didn't see much and the wind was really picking up, so we got back in the car and headed to a more sheltered spot which I'll continue tomorrow.

Hey! You still awake?

I mean, I know this is a thrill a minute, but I warned you not to get too excited, didn't I? I put it right in the blog header!

Until tomorrow, my friends . . .

And the answer is "D. It is destiny."

I saw a movie over the weekend that left me in such a feeling of pure joy that I had to share it with my friends. But I'm not a writer of reviews, and feel as though I won't be able to do it justice. All that I can honestly do is to tell you how I feel and that'll have to suffice.

Directed by Danny Boyle (and Loveleen Tandan: India), Slumdog Millionaire is the one movie (besides Benjamin Button) I'd wanted to see over the holidays. I went with my friend, KathyJules. We've always gone to movies together.

There were only 6 other people in the theatre on Sunday morning, which surprised me. It sold out both Friday and Saturday night, I'd heard. We'd both read the plot, but little else, so we were not prepared with some of the horrors and atrocities that gripped us from the very start of the movie and kept us on the edge of our seats throughout most of it. I don't want to put you off about it because the rewards are great. There is love, and laughter and absolute joy.

Slumdog Millionaire is the story of the life of an impoverished Indian teen named Jamal Malik, who becomes a contestant on the Hindi version of "Who Wants to be A Millionaire?", wins, and is then suspected of cheating.

The film takes place in India, and it's not the India we've seen portrayed by the media. These are the slums and the conditions are shocking, although at the same time it's amazing how resilient small children can be when this is all they know. And the story of two little boys and the girl they befriend will stay with you without haunting you.

And the end . . . all I can say is that when we left the theatre, we were crying with joy. And I wanted to go out right away and buy a yellow scarf.

Until tomorrow, my friends . . .

The Simple Woman's Daybook

For today, January 5, 2009

Outside my window the evening wanes as I write this

I am thinking about going back to work tomorrow

I am thankful for my attitude towards many things in life

From the kitchen wafts the scent of a potato and ham casserole

I am wearing a pair of jeans, a leaf-green camisole, my vintage green sweater

I am creating a list of things to do this week

I am going to try not to let myself feel overcome by my burdens

I am reading today's Baltimore Sun

I am hoping to get a good night's sleep

I am hearing a Damien Rice tune on last.fm

Around the house not a creature is stirring. Not even a mouse

One of my favorite things is waking up on a sunny Saturday morning and enjoying a really good cup of coffee

A few plans for the rest of the week include obligations to keep and rebates to reap

Here is picture thought I am sharing

Walking up the steps to the viewing platform at Tubby Cove near Rock Hall, Maryland

I began participating in The Simple Woman's Daybook last week despite the fact that the site was closed. If you'd like to participate, please visit the link above, and have a great day, all.

Until tomorrow, my friends . . .

Place To Be

I was sitting in my warm house today, working on some photographs, when an advertisement came on the TV and I suddenly found myself riveted to the music. It turned out to be an ad for Michigan State University, but I managed to grasp a couple of lines from the song and entered them into a google search.

What I came up with really surprised me.

The music, which is accoustic, is soft, melodious, and has a faint sadness to it. And I knew I'd heard this artist before.

Nick Drake died in 1974, at the age of 26. He suffered from both depression and imsomnia. Fortunately for us, his manager had a clause put into his own contract stating that Nick Drake's recordings would never go out of print. And it wasn't until the year 2000, when Volkswagen featured a selection from his Pink Moon album that Nick ended up selling more records in one month's time, than he had in the nearly thirty years since his death.

Nicholas Rodney Drake (6-19-48 ~ 11-25-74) was an English singer-songwriterr and musiciann best known for his acoustic, autumnal songs. His primary instrument was the guitar, though he was also proficient at pianoo, clarinett, and saxophone. Although he failed to find a wide audience during his lifetime, Drake's work has grown steadily in stature, to the extent that he now ranks among the most influential English singer-songwriters of the last 50 years.

Drake signed to Island Records when he was twenty years old, and released his debut album "Five Leaves Left" in 1969. By 1972, he had recorded a further two albums, although none sold more than 5,000 copies in their initial releases, while his reluctance to perform live or be interviewed further contributed to his lack of commercial success. Despite this, he was able to gather a loyal group of people who would champion his music. One such person was his manager, Joe Boyd, who had a clause put into his own contract with Island Records that ensured Nick's records would never go out of print. Drake suffered from depression and insomnia throughout his life, and the topics were often reflected in his lyrics.

Upon completion of his third album, 1972's "Pink Moon", he withdrew from both live performance and recording, retreating to his parents' home in rural Warwickshire. On 25 November 1974, Drake died from an overdose of amitriptyline, a prescribed antidepressant; he was 26 years old.

~ Wikepedia

When I was younger, younger than before

I never saw the truth hanging from the door

And now I'm older see it face to face

And now I'm older gotta get up clean the place.

And I was green, greener than the hill

Where the flowers grew and the sun shone still

Now I'm darker than the deepest sea

Just hand me down, give me a place to be.

~Nick Drake, Place To Be

He once told his mother, "If only my music could do something to help one single person."

Well, I'd like to thank Nick. Because it's aure making me feel better right now.

Until tomorrow, my friends . . .

My husband had all his crazy friends over

On New Year's Day, we had a lovely breakfast which, for me at least, consisted mostly of mimosas. Actually, for me it was all mimosas, but let's keep that between ourselves, shall we?

Wait 'til you see who showed up later.

The ever-polite Gerald. He tweets with a British accent. Scouts honor.

The painfully-shy Vincent. Vince, turn around. Please? (He hates it when we call him Vince).

The impetuous and daring Chet.

Chet's best friends sisters cousin's ex. I forget his name.

Sneaky Pete. (I 've NEVER trusted this guy. He thinks he's all that and a bag of chips. And he's got a dishonest streak.)

This is Clarence. Always a pleasure to have him at every gathering. He just has that certain bonhomie about him that keeps everyone's spirits lifted, you know.

And finally, Gerald. Word on the street is that he used to work as a spy for the British government. Could be true. Dunno, though. He's very stealthy.

Well, this is what happens when all you've had for breakfast is a pitcher full of mimosas. And I refuse to make any apologies for it.

Until tomorrow, my friends . . .

Time for something new

 

A couple of months ago, a blogging friend, Marit published an instructional post regarding using Windows Live Writer rather than Blogger. I tried to accomplish all that she was saying, but between the silly translation of her page, and my own clumsiness, it just didn't work for me. But now it's a new year and I'm game, so here's my first attempt using Windows Live Writer.

 

 

I begin to get rather antsy around this time every year.

 

I'm almost to the point where I can't wait to get all the holiday decorations put away and the house back to normal.

 

So while they're still out and cheering me, I'd like to share some of my holiday accoutrements before they go away.

 

This is an Eldreth Pottery limited edition Santa, 2002 or 2003 and was given to me by a friend as a birthday gift.

 

 

 

One of my favorite glass votive candle holders sits on the end of the mantel in the dining room. I love how it looks when it's lit. I bought from an interior designer on Ocracoke Island, NC. I love the band around the top.

Holiday goings-on are beginning to settle down a bit. Not that they were in any way hectic for us this year. It's been fairly quiet and right now, quiet is fine with me after the autumn that we've had.

 

I love votive holders. They are so easy to incorporate into your holiday decorations.

This is a mercury glass votive that I bought on sale at Macy's this year. It's quite large for a votive holder.

At its base is a glass cranberry wreath.

 

The holidays just glow, don't they?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was something I made on Tabblo. It's a little photo cube. I did a couple this year with winter scenes. Not a good photo, but my flash was involved so I'll blame it on that.

 

 

Thanks to all the visitors and friends I've met this past year. If you're sitting there reading this right now and you've been thinking about starting your own blog, then I'd like to encourage you to JUST DO IT. Try it! If you don't like it, delete it.

And if bloggers who have been reading have any advice to a newbie who's just starting out, please leave a comment to that effect.

You know who you are. You're a person who really wants to write or to share their photography, or maybe you just want to connect with people. When I started out, I googled the words "how do I start a blog?" And up came a wealth of information.

I'm still fairly inept at all the technical stuff, but I can load photos and manipulate my header and sidebars and believe me, if I can do it, then you can.

 

And look. I think I'm actually learning Windows Live Writer.

And that's all I have to say about that.

Except for this: I've been back and forth in and out of this post using WLW and I'm not quite sure about it yet. I don't yet know how to auto post. And I'm wondering what happens in Blogger if I should go into a post that way rather than this way. All hell could break lose! So I'll keep you posted.

One thing I have noticed is that if you open this blog up in Mozilla Firefox, the post looks all over the place. But open it up in Windows Explorer and everything is where it should be. Sigh.

 

Amen and Until tomorrow, my friends . . .

 

Quiet thoughts

To everyone who comes to visit this site, I wish all the best to each and every one of you.

I'm having an extremely quiet morning here at the house, and am enjoying a mimosa for breakfast.

Later on, we may go out for a walk but bay-bee, it's cold out there!

This is a little volunteer impatiens that I found blooming in the aloe pot I keep in the kitchen window. Click to enlarge. It's a cheery little sight as the sun comes in the east side of the house.

Look into my eyes

Yesterday, as I was sitting on the couch with the camera and my macro lens on, George came over and put his head on my lap. So I snapped his photo.

I'm so glad we got this dog. He's been such a pleasure to have around. And to think that I told my husband that we didn't need another dog in our lives!

What was I thinking?

He's been a great companion, not just to my husband, who's lost his job due to his health, but to me as well.

So here's to George. He's my buddy, my driving companion, the inspiration for posts like this, and one of my best friends.

I make no apologies for that link. I'd taken a pain pill and the words just spilled out.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Until tomorrow, my friends . . .