More Fun Experiments with Photoshop

So here is another photo I dug out of the pile.. I have been experimenting lately with Color Efex Pro 4 I have been so sick lately of cheerful, pretty, colorful images and have been leaning towards more of a darker, drab look in some of my photos.  

I have really been enjoying the software, there is so much you can do with it!

Hot Summer Sunday Photographs

So what to do on a hot summer Sunday? ...Well, I decided to work on some random photos I had laying around in my 'To Process Eventually' folder.  

Random Thoughts

Danica Patrick vs. Kyle Petty

Not sure how many of you follow Nascar, I don't but came across this ...

Apparently Kyle Petty said this - Danica Patrick is "not a race car driver,Danica has been the perfect example of somebody who can qualify better than what she runs." She can go fast, but she can't race. I think she's come a long way, but she's still not a race car driver. And I don't think she's ever going to be a race car driver."
First of all.. she is a race car driver.. she races and she drives cars.. because she isn't one of the top seeded car drivers she isn't a race car driver?  How many MEN are behind her on the track when she races... seriously Kyle shut the hell up and go back to whatever Red Neck state you come from.

My personally feelings on her?  Maybe she is marketable, probably because she is pretty and because she is a female race car driver.. who wouldn't market that?  To say she isn't a race car driver is just stupid.    Now if someone could train the Bud Girls to race.. I might actually watch Nascar. :)

Movies - So is anyone else tired of seeing the same actors and actresses in movies lately?  I mean it's like the music industry, there are a million starving artists out there who ooooze talent and yet they play the same stupid songs from the same stupid 'artists' if we have to call them that.    Time for some new blood...
Now with the movie industry it's a bit different, while there are plenty of great unknown actors and actresses out there, I understand why they want a name to drop in the credits to get people to go see the flick, but it's time for some new faces.

So lately I have been looking for some great Independent movies with obscure actors.  Will keep you updated on any I find that are good.

NSA Whistleblower Snowden - So how does anyone possibly consider this guy a hero?  I understand the argument, and the 4th Amendment argument about illegal search and seizure but come on, first of all we don't own our phone numbers, it's service.. and since when has anything we said on the phone ever been private?  In the 50s anyone could pick up a phone and listen in on conversations.   This guy has betrayed the intelligence community and his oath, stole sensitive information and is now running and hiding in countries which in the past have not been very friendly to our country.  The guy needs to be locked up, what if he were to be kidnapped and tortured for information?
It's not always enough to be right, the world is extremely complicated and intelligence officers have enough to worry about without someone coming along and telling everyone how they conduct their business.   People have the right to vote, they get to choose the people who run the country... they don't get to know everything that goes on.. and even if they did.. most of them wouldn't understand it.

People who think this guy is some American Hero have a very naive way of looking at the world.

Sick things to do when you are Sick!

So I suppose it was inevitable that I would end up sick or in the process of getting sick.. at some point. 
My ever faithful Echinacea vitamins are doing their job, helping my immune system fight off the enemy but wow... I feel like crap...normally I can tell I am coming down with something when my coffee tastes like crap (not that I would have any idea what actual crap tastes like) ..but... anyhow yes I am not feeling great.

So since I am not doing anything today other than trying to get well again, I thought I would post some things I like to do when I am sick.  

The List!

1. Pintrest, I try to pin daily but that doesn't always work out, so when I am sick and have nothing better to do, I take some time to catch up on my pinning ... so addictive but in a good way.

2. Simming, Playing Sims3 or some other game is a great way to past time time, in fact ... one of my Sims got sick this morning.. so hoping I didn't give it to them. (Yes, I realize that's not possible.. although...)

3. Reading, Reading is such a great thing to do when sick.. or not sick, since it requires nothing but turning pages... or if you do the whole ebook thing (which I don't) then you don't even have to turn pages.

4. Watch a movie, since I rarely watch TV, I would probably put in an old movie and get comfy with a bunch of pillows and blankets.

5. Social Networking, I might not to a lot of this because if I am sick and moody I might end up saying something to someone or posting something that I might later regret.

6. Blogging, and lastly... posting a blog post about being sick and things you can do when you are sick.. is always fun. :)

A Negative Post... Sorta

So I guess this is going to be a negative post ... although not really, more like a curious thought in the form of a blog post hoping to answer a question.  Yeah, just like that.
For the last few months I have been noticing something, while reading Facebook posts, talking to friends, listening to friends talk about friends and family, and family members talk about everything else.. that people seem very bitter and have allowed themselves to become very 'pessimistic'...
Now, I get that these are not the greatest of times, the economy being what it is, jobs being what they are, but this is also not the worst time in history either, so why all the hate and frustration?

I don't really want to turn this into a negative post, since it would kind of defeat the purpose, but I would like to know why so many people seem to be so angry about everything.   Most of the problems we endure in life are caused by our own decisions, myself included, we can't always change what happens to us but we can decide how we react to it.   I know, I know, sounds very 'fortune cookie-ish' but it's still true.

It really is all about perspective, you can choose to see things as challenges and decide to keep going no matter what, or we can all just claim to be victims and talk about how unfair everything is.   The important thing, in my opinion anyway is that we do what we can for each other, after all true happiness is not found in things but in how we are there for each other.

So keep smiling!

4 Great Tips for a Better Night's Rest

Sleep...

I am so not a morning person, though I often wish I could be, I listen to friends talk about waking up early, going for a jog, or just waking up and feeling refreshed.
I don't know about you, but the first thing I do when I wake up is head for the coffee...  I have tried going to sleep earlier.. I still wake up tired, I go to bed late, I wake up tired, I sleep in... and guess what?  I wake up tired. 

So part of my 'unofficial' 2013 resolutions is to figure out how to get a better night's sleep and stick with it.
I recently did some research and found these tips... I am hoping to apply to my schedule.

Tips...

1. Stick to a sleep schedule: Go to bed and get up at the same time every day, even on weekends, holidays and days off. Being consistent reinforces your body's sleep-wake cycle and helps promote better sleep at night.

2. Pay attention to what you eat and drink: Don't go to bed either hungry or stuffed. Your discomfort might keep you up. Also limit how much you drink before bed, to prevent disruptive middle-of-the-night trips to the toilet.

3. Create a bedtime ritual: Do the same things each night to tell your body it's time to wind down. This might include taking a warm bath or shower, reading a book, or listening to soothing music — preferably with the lights dimmed. Relaxing activities can promote better sleep by easing the transition between wakefulness and drowsiness.

4. Get comfortable: Create a room that's ideal for sleeping. Often, this means cool, dark and quiet. Consider using room-darkening shades, earplugs, a fan or other devices to create an environment that suits your needs.

#1 and #2 are a definite necessity for me... because I have no sleep schedule, I often have to force myself to go to sleep because I am a night person, and unfortunately all my best ideas, thoughts and inspirations always seem to arrive when I should be sleeping.  So that, I need to work on.

I got these tips over at www.mayoclinic.com so head over there if you need more info, as for me.. I will be trying to implement these tips into my schedule!

 

Blogging for You and Me

I have been blogging for at least a few years now, I remember sitting in a doctors office reading a magazine, and came across an article about blogging and thought it sounded very interesting, so I decided to give it a go. When I created my first blog, I wanted it to be about things I found interesting, personal adventures and experiences, photographs and just fill it with everything I loved... but after visiting a few 'how-to' sites I came across 'how to bring in more traffic' or 'how to make money blogging' and I got caught up in it all, and I found I hated it, I became obsessed with getting more traffic, that the whole reason I wanted a blog in the first place went out the door...and I quickly got bored and deleted it.  

A while later I decided to start again, this time promising I would avoid all of those sites and do it my way, and I did.  I started a blog which aimed to spread the word about organizations that helped others, in a hope to spread compassion.  It was something I very am about, and the blog lasted years, but slowly it began to seem more like I was reporting rather than sharing my own opinions and experiences and being involved in the process...and like the first it slowly died as I lost interest in reporting daily 'news'.

So at this point you are probably thinking... 'maybe you just don't enjoy blogging' right?  Well, not true, I look at this as a journey, and these 'mistakes' are not just my own, I have heard many well-intentioned bloggers say the same things.  The important thing is not to give up.  So, now here I am with a third blog.... you may be wondering how long this will last?  For as long as I can type.... I have decided to make this blog about everything I love, and hate.

Here are some random thoughts about blogging and some things I have been noticing lately...it seems as if the majority of blogs now days are either Photo blogs or art blogs trying to get their stuff viewed and sold (which I don't have a problem with) or 'how-to' type blogs trying to teach you how to make money with your blog or what to write about.  I am wondering if others have forgotten the purpose of Blogs...   I mean do a Google Search, in fact I will do it for you, CLICK HERE ... you will find sites offering to teach you how to blog, or make money or create an audience. 
While I don't have a problem with those things, I think people need to get back to the basics, sharing your own thoughts, not reporting, or trying to create an audience so they can click your Adsense.
Blog because you love to write, blog because you feel inspired or alone, happy or sad, because you want to share your interests, blog for you and for me so I can read your stuff and comment, but make it important to you, no matter what you do.  See ya next time!