A Slow Week

I guess it's been a slow week because I haven't had much to say. I shouldn't complain about boring weeks–that means there haven't been things going wrong at home. But that leaves me with no interesting stories to talk about.

So speaking of 'slow' I guess I'll post some pictures of me running a race a few weeks ago. I completely forgot about this race in more ways than one. I not only forgot to mention that I was doing it and write about it, but I also actually forgot that I was planning to run it in the first place. With just about no training what-so-ever, (I ran exactly TWO times since Thanksgiving) I somehow managed to complete this 5K. I'm not gonna lie to you, it sucked. But I managed to bust out a couple of smiles. The biggest smiles were before I started the race . . .


And when I crossed the finish line . . .

I'm pretty sure there was no smiling going on during the rest of it. And strangely, I've started to run more regularly since this race. Last night I did another 3 miles and it was a breeze. I guess I'll try to keep this up so I'm ready for next Thanksgiving.

Hungarian Dinner Party

This past weekend was mostly completely consumed by a party we threw on Saturday. I was quite proud of myself for not completely stressing out (this is all part of the new and improved Paula). I didn't obsess with practicing the dishes. I didn't obsess with cleaning the house (although I did, of course, clean it). I didn't really obsess about anything, but I still managed to have all the details in place to host a great party.

We spent all day on Saturday prepping. Karlo magically converted our dining room table into jumbo mode. I set and decorated the table with tiny Hungarian flags that Jessica painstakingly cut out and mountain laurel that I think I can be arrested for cutting. Shhhhhh, don't tell anybody. I cleaned the house and washed the floor, set up the porch and cleaned the gazebo tent furniture. I even ripped some Hungarian music to my iPod and charged up the batteries in my video camera. And you know what that means . . . . I made a new video . . .



And most of the day on Sunday went to recovering from the night before. Apparently I had a little too much chocolate wine and plum brandy, which, by the way, may not be a good combination. I certainly wouldn't recommend trying it! I slept in late and basically didn't move much off the back deck all day. Our plans for a big bike ride went out the window and instead the most energy we exerted was to drive to Killingly and pick up some big pieces of wood. Stay tuned for what we have planned for them.

Week 25 in Photos

#170

The theme for today's photo assignment was solid color texture. I found this amazingly challenging and didn't end up using this photo for my class. I took another shot the next day, but this is the best I could do on this particular day.

#171
You already know all about these new little coworkers of mine. I've yet to really get to know them, but there's plenty of time for that.

#172
Today's photo assignment was nearly impossible. I was supposed to take a photo inspired by my favorite photographer. Since my favorite is Scott Kelby (known for fashion, sports, travel, and landscape) I had a problem. The first two specialties are out for me and since it was miserable rain all day I was forced to find some new inspiration. The photo above is a done with a technique called 'painting with light.' The outcome was less than stellar, but it was a hoot trying it out and I'm ready to get more serious with it and create some nice shots.

#173
I loved this assignment. I was supposed to exemplify the meaning of a particular color. I think I nailed it with yellow meaning happiness :-)

#174
Today's assignment was to photograph books. Since this class is all about "Color" I figured these graphic design books were fitting.

#175
Karlo and I hosted a Hungarian-themed dinner. What a ball we had. More on that soon.

#176
In preparation for our dinner party we went to Home Goods earlier in the week for some glasses. How I ended up with a chicken on a bicycle, I'm not sure, but I love it. Today's assignment was to photograph something whimsical.

Dog's Room Decorating

Just like the foyer, it's been nearly 4 years now that I've wanted to decorate the dog's room with photos. I have no idea why it's taken me so long, but I finally got around to printing some pictures. I think the motivation was the fact that we finally took down the hideous track lights that were in this room. We installed some new, more modern and stylish lights.


And we were debating where the three spot lights should shine when it hit me that they should be pointing toward the non-existent pictures on the wall. That was the kick in the pants that I needed. Within a week I had the pictures framed and here they are on the wall.


I always wanted to frame that picture of Bentley. It was the last one taken of him :-( sniff sniff. Now I get to see my baby every day again and that makes me so happy. I hope the doggies like it.

Then I went one step further and moved the cool picture of my car that my cousin gave me from my office to above the doorway going to the garage. I figured it was more fitting to see the car on the way to the garage. And now I will look at this every day too (and think of my super thoughtful cuz.)


And now that I'm looking at this picture I'm wondering why on earth the door is blue. And not just blue, but dirty ugly blue. Uuuugh, I hate it and it must go. Add another project to my list.

My New Co-workers Have Arrived

There has been rumors of this for over a year, but when I saw a big fence go up on the side of the barn here at the office, I had a sneaking suspicion that my dream was finally coming true. We were getting chickens!

This place is simply amazing. We started out a few years ago with community garden plots. I tried my hand at farming, but I was a miserable failure and simply relied on the pity of co-workers to share their veggies with me. But then things got even better. The owners decided to plow a huge area in the field and have the landscapers plant and maintain "company plants" that they would harvest all summer long and supply the employees with fresh veggies every day. What a treat.


Now this year the company plants have tripled. Every possible veggie is growing out in the fields, and not get veggies. This year we'll have pumpkins and there is a huge strawberry patch too. What could be better than that? Oh wait, chickens could be better than that!


On Monday, 20 new little coworkers have been added to the roster (ooops, I almost spelled that rooster!) We have a variety of colors and they are all so cute. Pretty soon, in addition to all the free organic veggies, we will also have totally fresh free-range eggs at our disposal. And aside from the egg benefit, I'm just excited to get to know the chickens. Lisa, and other friends that have chickens, swear they are like pets, each with their own personalities. I just hope they are not camera shy.


I have elected myself in charge of naming them and so far I have 17 cute (CAD/CAM-software-related) names:

Milly
Artsy
Woody
NURB
Alpha
Beta
Swarf
Flow
Cutlet
Swiss
Cammy
Caddy
Nugget
Filet
Leftover
Dynamica
Peck

I need three more. If you have any suggestions, please leave a comment.

This Maybe the Answer

Last week I added something new to my dream board. I figure, if you're gonna dream, you may as well dream big . . .

I know somebody that is afraid to dream for fear of disappointment. I'm not sure I buy into that theory. Dreaming about something doesn't mean that you are necessarily going to achieve it, but it sure is fun to dream about it. Why deny yourself the dream? Why not dream about things you probably never will have the opportunity to achieve? I realized lately that my 'so called' dream board was becoming nothing more than a shopping list. I don't need another list in my life. I need more real dreams. So I added this Fisker Karma to the board:


And if I start saving $10K a year I'll be able to buy one when I'm 50 or maybe 51. I just love the name. It's solar/electric powered so imagine the money I can save in gas! Or . . . I can just dream about it and leave it at that. I look at the car and it makes me happy so it's doing its job on my board.

And in more practical terms, I just discovered something else that may make it to the board. It's almost funny that I'm calling this 'practical' but it sure would be a smart idea to combine my two cars into one super cute and super fun-to-drive vehicle. Enter the soon-to-be-released MINI Roadster:


Now wouldn't that make sense? I love the Boxster because it's yellow, but still the MINI is more fun to drive. This new MINI has GOT to be the best of both worlds. I wonder if it's silly to have two cars on my dream board.

Father's Day Video

Here it is:

Week 24 in Pictures

#163

I took a dreaded ATV ride to the river to capture this rare opportunity when the river was rushing under completely gray skies.

#164
The newest love of my life. My coworker just got a German Shepard puppy. The cutest thing ever. I want to steal him.

#165
I happened to notice some pretty water droplets on the hostas in front of the office building on this morning as we went whizzing by on the motorcycle. I just had to unpack my camera and run back over to them to snap a few pictures.

#166
Ever since Jessica's visit I've been inspired to cook real dinners. I was on a roll this week and cooked something really good every single night. This particular night was a potato, pepper, and sausage concoction. Delicious. So proud of myself.

#167

It was raining most of the day today so our after-work activity choices were limited. We opted for a hike in our rain jackets. I used my super cool, ingenious little waterproof camera bag and took advantage of the lack of sun again to take some pictures of a waterfall long the trail.

#168
At last, we furnish the new little gazebo tent that we bought for the deck. We had the furniture in it for a week, but the constant rain prevented me from putting the cushions and pillows out. It was such a thrill to finally set it all up on this morning. We sat out here every chance we got this weekend. Lovin' it!

#169
What a great Father's Day we had. I snapped a shot of all the Dads. We took a motorcycle ride down to Haddam and spent the day with my family. The ride was awesome, the lunch outstanding, and I even got a boat ride in. Just a perfect day.

Dad's Day Recap

What a great day I had. You would think I was a father myself for all the fun I had. The day started early (due to the fact that I struggle to sleep past 4 am these days) and I was happy to be up and making the most of the beautiful day. I treated Karlo to some Belgian waffles and we lounged on the deck in our new gazebo tent, sipping our hot beverage of choice.


It was so peaceful to listen to the birds chirping and watch the sun rays beaming through the trees. My photo assignment today was to capture the "color of calm" and "zoom into a peaceful moment." As I was walking through the porch to get to the deck I notice the sun lighting up a little vase I had on our bistro table. It really caught my eye and I thought "bingo, homework assignment done by 7am."


We had big plans to spend the day with my family and I was simply thrilled to drive our bikes down to Haddam.


We let the GPS pick a perfectly picturesque route and I enjoyed every second of our 80 minute commute. The river was hopping with activity and we had such a nice time visiting. Dad was thrilled to have us all together and my brother christened his new grill with some mean filet mignon.


It was been exactly 5 years since I had a piece of steak, but I did just fine eating it. No tummy aches at all. Wow, impressive. Lunch was fit for a king. What a treat.

After lunch Karlo and Dad got into a very long conversation. I'm still wondering what they were talking about for so long.


And I went for a boat ride with Ang, Penni and John. Thankfully, this time I stayed dry. I was perfectly content being in the boat as opposed to the jet ski. Nicole preferred the jet ski and luckily there were no mishaps this time and nobody went for a swim.


I also got to meet my niece's bunny and holy cow is she cute. I got to hold and pet her and bond with her and what do you think happened? Of course . . . I decided I now want a bunny. Until it was pointed out how ridiculous it would be to bring a bunny home . . . to two greyhounds. Ok, bad idea. Now I'm back to wanting a duck!


I would have had a nice video of the day for you by this point, but due to my broken internet connection at home, it's going to have to wait. Please stay tuned for that.

Cool Music App

It's time that I blogged about another one of my favorite apps. I'm afraid I've been leaving poor Jean hungry for more app ideas. That, plus I don't seem to have the energy to come up with anything more creative to say. All I can think about right now is how much my arms hurt. Yes, the dreaded day is coming . . . the "I-gotta-do-one-more-push-up-from-now-on" day. Funny how that evil day motivates me to get back to the gym every year. I gave Karlo the green light to kill me and he's doing a good job. Luckily typing doesn't require any shoulder movement . . .

So anyway, one of the cool apps that I wanted to share is called Shazam. It's this nifty little app that will tell you the artist and title of whatever song you happen to be listening to. So let's say you're driving along (as the passenger of course) in the car and a song you really like comes on the radio. Yeah, I know most car stereos have a digital read out that tells you the artist and song, but this is even cooler because it automatically gives you links to buy the mp3 file online . . . which of course gets instantly downloaded to your phone. Here's a little video that explains it better:



So if you find yourself saying, "oooh, I love this song. I wonder what it is. I want to buy it." this app is for you. It's free, so why not download it - just in case.

What I Won't Do For a Picture

I've awaken hours before sunrise on several occasions . . . I've frozen my fingers and butt off . . . I hiked all alone in the pitch dark braving the wild moose in Maine . . . Last week I got half naked in my office . . . And this weekend I did something that I swore I would never ever do again - EVER . . . all for the sake of getting some pictures.

Yesterday we took a hike down to the river with the dogs. It never occurs to me to bring my camera along because it's the same old scenery that I see every day on this same old hike. It's all getting very ho hum. But yesterday's conditions were a bit different than the usual. Because of all the recent rain we've had the river was flowing much fuller and swifter than normal AND it was very cloudy and overcast. This is the perfect recipe for long exposure silky water photos. Dammit. Why didn't I just bring the darn thing? It's a good 10-15 minute hike to get back to the house and then I would have to do the entire hike all over again. But I was willing, especially since the day was nearing an end and I had yet to take my 'picture of the day.'

I announced to Karlo that I was going to re-do the hike by myself to shoot the river. I wasn't about to ask him to come with me since the poor guy had been working like a dog (yeah right. I mean working like a draft horse) all day long and he was pooped. But Karlo, being the loyal companion he is, offered to drive me back down to the river on the ATV. Gulp. Do I DARE get on the back of that thing again? I dreaded it and I really didn't want to, but since Karlo was being so nice to offer to do this for me, and I made him promise to go easy, I agreed.

It was a mistake. I was still terrified. And this time it was even worse because I had my precious camera and tripod with me, not leaving me many hands to hold on with. I couldn't help thinking about all the guests we've had that have gone on ATV rides with Karlo (Penni excluded of course) that come back out of the woods with huge grins on their faces, wanting to do it all over again. God bless them. You ain't catching me on that thing again - at least not on the back of it. I made it three quarters of the way to the river before I insisted that he stop and let me off. I could only take so much of the off-trail woods blazing.

And here are a few more of the pretty shots I got.

Week 23 in Photos

#157

My photo assignment today was to shoot something white on white. This is always a challenge to shoot (technically speaking), but for me taking these daily shots is an even bigger challenge because of my shortage of time. On this particular day I just happened to be wearing white shorts, sandals, and a watch to work. In between my yoga routine and eating my lunch I closed my office door, slipped off all three articles of clothing, and quickly snapped this shot.

#158
Today's assignment was nearly impossible so I had to cheat a little. I was supposed to shoot "something yummy in my kitchen." Yeah right. As if there was anything in my kitchen, forget anything yummy. So I grabbed my father and we headed to Friendlys where we just HAD to get ice cream for dessert . . . just so I could shoot it!

#159
I already told this story about how the guilt of cheating on my homework drove me to go home and shoot the assignment for real. This was taken on the dock by the pond.

#160
Today's assignment was to take a picture of textures. Of course it was supposed to be a colorful texture (since the class is all about color), but I was stuck in a machine shop all day and night so this was the best I could do.

#161
Today's assignment was to capture the colorful 'tools' we use to create. Since my favorite tool is not colorful at all – it's black (my camera) I had to improvise.

#162
One of the most exciting parts of my day–placing this new furniture in place and filling it up with my photography equipment.

#163
The conditions were ripe today to take long exposures of the flowing river in our backyard. They were also ripe to get eaten alive by mosquitoes.

More Dreams Come True

I guess this blog covers three of my small dreams come true . . .

I meant to blog about this little shopping find a month ago, but never got around to it. While we were strolling the shops in South Beach Miami a couple of months ago, we stumbled upon a really cool artsy shop. In fact I think it was the art deco museum shop where I spotted this 'deco dog.'


I positively loved it and found it to be a bargain at $95. My only problem was lugging it on the airplane. I was actually contemplating inquiring as to how much shipping would cost when Karlo pointed out all the signs that said "NO PHOTOS PLEASE" and this was, of course, after I took a half dozen pictures in the store. I got nervous and high-tailed it on out of there sans-deco dog. So sad.

So you can imagine my delight when I spotted this pooch at Home Goods a couple of weeks later for $25.

I couldn't grab it and get to the check-out fast enough. It was such a great score. I got my very own deco dog for a quarter of the price and I think he's just as cute. Only problem was that I had no place to put him for the past 2 months. He's been living on the wood stove in our bedroom, but that's no fun. Nobody will ever see him in there. Enter dream come true #2.

It's been 4 years now that we've been in our new house and for 4 years I've been wanting a piece of furniture in our foyer. You enter the house to this big empty foyer with positively no character. Yes, I know the house has enough character on it's own, but I wanted the foyer to reflect a little bit of Karlo and I. I wanted something to light up the space and, more importantly, I just wanted something to fill the open space. I truly can't believe it took us four years, but we finally got a piece of furniture that we both liked. And, on it we placed our prize deco dog and a sculpture of a couple on a tandem bike. Can you imagine a better welcome to our house? Here it is in place:

And dream come true #3 . . . notice that this piece of furniture includes storage space. That wasn't necessarily the intention of this piece, but the fact that it just so happened to have storage space was a huge bonus. It took me 30 seconds to decide that this would be my very own photography cabinet. Can not tell you how excited I am to have all my photography equipment in one place. Well, almost all of it. I have my lenses, hoods, filters, chargers, bags, cleaners, clips, holders, dog collar, every photo gadget I own neatly stored in one place. Heaven!!!