Odd how things work out at times...

Hello True Believers!!



One of the really nice things about having a little extra time to oneself and the right equipment, is that this allows a person to experiment a little more with some things they had waned to try. Be this cooking, be this with art, be this with music...time and issues conspire to create opportunities to do so. And if you have been following this blog, you know that this has been a period where I have been baring the soul; in photographic visage as well in prose to the one who I am very deeply smitten with. In the vein of the former...seeing that the weather has forced me to take the picture taking indoors, I am working with a digital camera that I am now finally getting to know. Yes, even though I am a whiz with PC's and have garnered a reputation of being the person who very little about a Windows-based computer can get by...I have started to become more at ease with this little beastie. While 0's and 1's will not take the place of an orange-shifted, analogue red, blue green and silver coated platform, it is just nice to know that with a little practice and thinking about the one I love while posing can result in images that are as good as those I have taken outdoors.

For those of you who may be thinking that this is keeping up with the joneses at Flickr and other sites, that is not the case in the least. This is showing the person who I am smitten with that this is who will be waiting for her...diffent haircolor, different looks. But still with a smile...somewhat private...somewhat more than I show to even my neighbors [yes, some of them are amazed that your loyal correspondent actually has teeth]...but it is easier for me to do this when I can place the mind in the state of 'while others will see it, I treat this as though it is for an audience of one'. Which was something I think some may not understand in full. The vanity streak is something that does happen, even with the most jaded or jaundiced of the human race. Not that it has bitten here strongly, however this is
something that becomes easier to do when there is another rationale at play.


By the way, for those of you who are wondering what that 'ax' I use for the outdoor [more like about 97% of those]looks like, this is it in the pic to the left It is a Yashica AF-230 and while it looks like a little toy in these pics, do not let that fool you. When this was first on the market [and this for me was ages ago...back in that long lost decade of the 80's], it was considered to be one of the true breakthrough SLR's of its day. What kept it up there in the same pantheon with the Nikon F-3 and the Canon EOS [remember this was the camera that took the place of the AE-1 Program] was that it could be 'stopped down' to a manual and also introduced the 'Trap Focus' option. 'Trap Focus' allowed the camera to be set at a predetermined focal distance and set on one item in the middle of the screen and anything that would walk into the center of the field of vision would trigger the shutter. Odd is that Yashica did not effectively patent this idea, and Nikon, Canon, Konica and a few others copied this. But this was the original...and when this was found on Ebay a couple years ago, I grabbed it. It was that white whale, that perfect machine that was the toy to have for yours truly.


So there You have it for now....be it digital or film, I do this if not to improve the image, but to show my beloved that yes, this is the face behind the emails and other visual representations. One day we will connect...if only because I do not see the fates doing to this heart what it seems to do to those who are fans of the Chicago Cubs.

Til next time True Believers!!

A few thoughts to ponder this weekend

Hello there True Believers and Constant Followers!!

Well it is that time of year, what in the US and other countries is the beginning of that bachanalia of greed....the holiday season. Not that I have anything against it, far from the case. In fact when I lived in New York City, the standard joke was this was the only time of year that the city was actually NICE to one another. Yes this even includes on that mass conveyance of city commerce, the subway [or the NYC tubes for those of you across the pond]. There are fond memories of that time; going to the parade, hanging out at Rockefeller Center to witness the lighting of the tree and of course looking in the store windows at their displays. On the latter, that is what I really loved, the animation, the imagination and then....the model trains. Be thei Lionel, Bachmann or Maarklin....these were amazing to watch. Especially those in the windows of the main branch of FAO Schwartz. There was something about seeing 027, HO and N layouts operating with an efficiency that would only be witnessed in many of the real life transit systems in Switzerland. It was a time to dream....perhaps Santa Claus would deliver something similar under the tree. Or if not...at the very least maybe some money to maybe to purchase some track, a new locomotive, passenger car or freight car for the layout. It was also a time for wishes to be made....not unlike now - and in that vein..

- I do have a rather simple wish and that is to be with the person who I am smitten with, deeply love and would move heaven and earth to be with. If you have read this blog off and on with its recent updates, you know there is someone out there whose visage and words [yes it seems we read each others thoughts in a sense ...or at least view each others's blogs] have hit the heart here like a thunderbolt. Again because I prefer to use discretion here, I will not mention her name but God and the universe knows that this is my fondest wish and desire [outside of good health for myself and my cats, shelter and good friends to share this journey with] to meet talk and be with her...for no other reason than out of love. While to some of you this may sound like I have been reading Cyrano De Bergerac several times too often, there is a strong comparisson between that famous fictional romantic and yours truly. If you know the book and the legend....then you will also understand where I do make the connection....

- should there be a second wish in all of this, it would be just to maybe sustain the other little items here. Such as keeping the hair supply [no joke intended there folks] as it is. This is due to the fact that I have finally decided on what the look is during the winter
[long hair with the jade contacts] and summer [shorter hair with the hazel contacts]. It is not so much being greedy in that department, but making sure that along with the cosmetics that I can be consistent. After all, that is what I try to do no matter what; be that as a tech, photographer, parent to Rachel and Marissa, as well as to the one I love.

OK and now to add a comment to a previous post - Yes the San Diego Chargers were able to figure out Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Dolts, oops I mean Colts. HOWEVER it seems that the referees this past Sunday had another idea. Gee what is the word for it???Oh yeah CHEATING. No it is not being sore or the fact this is Marissa's team....but even the late Ray Charles could have seen that the officiating morons in chief were skkewing this game in favor of the Colts. And to them all I will say is this 'Justice may be blind, but it can see in the Dark'

And a correction to another one: the F-22 is called the Raptor, the F-35 is the official designation for what is also called the Joint Strike Fighter, which is on order for the USAF, Navy and Marines. Both of these are subject ot possible....what am I saying.......REAL BUDGET CUTS being planned by the new adminstration. Heaven help us all....

Well that is it for now....and if you see my Roxanne tell her that her Cyrano is someone who will always be here...no matter what.

Til next time True Believers!!