Two Black Sheep

You & Me (Acoustic)

Sorry for the silence, but right around the time of Lola's last post, my school suffered a devastating water main break, and it has been kind of chaotic ever since. Luckily for me, my room wasn't damaged, but many of my friends and colleagues have lost just about everything. As a school, we really have come together to make the best of a bad situation because, truly, what else can you do. So, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, here is what I am most thankful for this year:

1. My husband and daughters - they pretty much are the reason for getting up every morning. They make me laugh, smile, cry, scream . . . insert a verb . . . that would be them.
2. My sister and my extended family - Lola makes me a better sister and person. We don't get to talk as much during the school year, but it doesn't matter that much. A quick hour-long phone call once every other day gets the job done. The whole clan - all umpteen of them - might not participate in the knitting craze, but they do offer up nuggets of wisdom (and humor . . . probably more humor than anything).
3. My knit night crowd - we've grown bigger and more diverse, but they are my haven from any insanity that might be sweeping through the world. Without them, I wouldn't know what to knit next.
4. My team - I happen to think that I work with the best team of teachers in the world. Sure, we have our issues and our roles to play, but when it come right down to it, our students come first, and they are the beneficiaries.
5. You - Without someone to read our insipid posts - with and without the curses - we wouldn't do this. Who else will offer suggestions about knits or photos or parenting and ask for so little in return.

Enjoy the holiday . . . and get ready for the Christmas season! I can officially begin listening to Christmas tunes today.

Ava

PS - Contrary to the photos I have been posting, I really have been knitting. More on that on Saturday!

Thickfreakness

Flickr Rant #3

Again not a huge rant against Flickr, but just a rant that Flickr has helped fuel.  After spending a lot of time flipping through photos & reading discussion threads, I realized that photography is really an expensive hobby!  Geez.  I know that knitting can become expensive, but there's plenty of economical choices for the budget friendly knitter.  Umm, Cascade 220.

I knew lens were expensive, but some people are suggesting XYZmm lens or ABCmm lens for a good all-around kit.  We're talking way over $2,000 for an all-around kit & that doesn't include the camera body.  Wowzers!  I've flirted with the idea of adding another lens or even a better flash, but I'm not sure I can justify another $400+.  Guilt washes over me because it is just a hobby.  Just a way to remember my kids when they are cute & cuddly.  For the time being, I'm going to look into a nice camera bag.  My current bag isn't protecting much.  Maybe that will scratch the itch.

Whheew.  That was a little rant & I feel much lighter.  Now I'm free to project my energy into better places.  I'll get back to knitting (got a new book that I'm loving), taking pictures (again, got a new book that I'm loving), getting ready for the holidays (Christmas Ale is out!), finding a good pizza stone that won't break.

L

p.s.  I do a Flickr rant with no pictures?  Clearly I'm not thinking.

Tangled Up in Blue

Flickr Rant #2

This probably isn't a huge rant about Flickr.  But Flickr had kept this rant burning, so I'm adding to my Flickr Rant.  

Awhile back, we had family friends that got a new camera.  All of a sudden, they've got a photography business.  What the hell?!  From a Point n' Shoot to a DSLR to a professional photographer?!  Are you kidding me?  And the pictures weren't that fantastic.  Sure they looked better than the older pictures (thank you DSLR), but not something outstanding.  Ava & I were guessing that people were shocked by how good the photos looked (thank you DSLR) & this led them into the photography business. 

Maybe we're jaded.  Ava & I are so used to seeing beautiful, creative, & inspiring photos.  I think that surfing blogs will do that for a gal's eye.  These pictures from the new professional weren't composed beautifully.  But even worse, were really over-processed.  Shadows that made the subject unattractive or even unnoticeable.  Some were even really blurry & not artfully so.  The subjects were positioned in a manner that didn't help.  Double chins don't have to exists, hello?

I'm afraid that people will read this & say, "Who does she think she is?"  Nobody at all.  Read back to the first Flickr post.  I don't know what I'm doing.  But I'm learning how to capture my kids' emotions at the right time.

Maybe that's why people on Flickr can be cunty.  They've spent hours in classes or years shooting to create a profitable business.  And anyone with a nice camera thinks they can be a paid photographer.  I got lost in a stream & read what this woman was charging her clients.  I decided to click & see what her work looked like.  And I was shocked by her price tag.  Who was going to pay for those photos?!  One picture that was full of praise was of a sweet baby on a pink background.  I'm assuming that the baby was suppose to be in a flower because her face was covered with an Overlay of bees & butterflies.  You could barely see the kid's face through the swirling insects. 

Now I feel horrible for typing that last paragraph for two reasons.  One, that baby picture was this woman's art.  And my mom has been telling me for years that people can have a different opinion from my own.  I understand how it feels to put yourself out there.  It isn't a comfortable place.  I have no business being critical of anyone's pictures.  But when you charge people, do you open yourself up to that?  Maybe or maybe not.  Two, affordable DSLR cameras have made it possible for so many people to express themselves.  Smaller cameras & even cell phone cameras fill this world with inspiring photos.  This accessibility has made it possible for me to document our lives.  And while I understand that this might anger Professionals, it should also fill the world with tons of different pictures.  Tons of different expressions.  Tons of different examples of beauty.

I'm not saying that only people with degrees or truly experienced people should start a business.  I'm not saying that people shouldn't get paid for following their passion.  Starting a business is brave.  But there are probably thousands of people that should be getting paid for their photography skills.  Thousands!  Go on, click through Flickr.  It's amazing.

Great.  Now I sound cunty, huh?

Excuse Me Mr.

I'll get back to my Flickr "discoveries" after this nugget I spied while on the road.  Now if someone could please explain why my bread stones keep breaking, I'd buy another one & start baking again.

Polite Dance Song

Flickr Rant 1#

I used to love when Ava would call up & say, "Have you been following the drama on XYZ.com?"  Good ole blog drama is like car crash.  We're so small that we don't get those mean/snarky Anonymous comments.  So I can't say how I'd react, but the blog drama follows the same format each time.  Blogger writes something.  Anonymous reader spits something back that's usually pretty mean.  Readers slam Anonymous in the Comment section.  Blogger replies to Anonymous.  And it usually ends there.  I can understand why the Blogger would be upset.  No one likes to be disliked.  Especially by a stranger.  Sure you read a blog, but do you really know them & does it give you the right to say horrible things?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  But I think the big issue is with the niceness of the Craft Blog-asphere.

Everyone is so darn nice & perfect.  We've had these rants before on TBS, so I won't elaborate.  99.5% of comments are praising the blogger.  Reassuring them of their color choice.  Complimenting the finished sweater.  I don't think that nice comments are a bad things.  You're part of a community & have shared ideals.  It's a place to be with others that share your addiction!  Of course the comments should be nice!  With all this praise & sweetness, I can certainly understand when a snarky comment finally sneaks in & smacks you off of your comfortable couch.  But that's life.  A couple weeks ago, a woman cut in front of me at a fabric store.  She saw that my kids were reaching their point.  She even had a teenager with her, so she should have had some understanding.  Today, I was trying to order coffee & the people kept talking about their evening.  They finally said with tone, "Do you want something?"  These past couple weeks have shown me that people don't care or respect other people as much as I think we should as humans.  

Flick seems to follow Real Life more than the Craft Blog Life.  I discovered that if you meander into the more techy groups (Nikon D90 users, 50mm, even Nikon Learning Group), people can be rather cunty*.  It's also funny because I've noticed that it's more men than women.  I've never been on the receiving end, but I think it's because I know my place.  I'm not about to get into a discussion on ISO & shutter speed for a noon shoot.  People are down right mean.  Taking the time to answer questions with these types of statements: "Slapping my head again" or "Weren't the answers you got on this post (link) enough?" or "If you'd learn the basics, you wouldn't have to ask stupid questions," & people actually praising other members that ripped into the Asker.  I was particularly upset by one exchange because it was in a learning group.  I'm not saying that people have to be nice all the time.  The world is full of assholes & the Internet is no different.  I guess they hide better in the Craft Blog World.

So I've learned to not read a lot of discussions in the techy groups.  I've learned that I don't care about the true differences between Bokeh & DOF.  I've learned that if you ask the best lens for XYZ, you'll get a variety of answers.  Some are helpful & others that are just from smart asses.  I'm sure that there's a good reason for this cuntiness* & maybe tomorrow's post will scratch its surface.

L

*sorry if you hate the word Cunt or Cunty or any other form of the word.  I used to hate it & would still fly into rage if I was called it in anger. A couple years ago, I heard Alexis Stewart use it to describe a woman.  And I've jumped out of the "I Hate the Word Cunt" camp.  Sorry.  I won't use it a lot.  Promise. 

Private Lawns

In the last post, I shared pictures from my Flickr account.  The non-Two Black Sheep account.  I got that account before Tuck was born hoping that it'd be easier to share the mountains of newborn photos.  It worked well for awhile & then Facebook came along.  No longer did I have to send the "I put more photos up" email.  They popped up when my family members logged on.  You can't get easier!  I didn't add to it for a couple months.  I think I was caught up in everything else life was tossing my way.  Then, my hobbies changed.  Knitting became a manageable hobby.  Something that didn't consume me.  I wasn't snatching up every new book or buying yarn because it was a good price.  I was knitting because it calmed me.  More or less. 

Enter the camera. 

I wasn't as crazed about the camera as I was about needles & yarn, but I still wanted my camera with me all the time.  I started seeing things other than the kids to take pictures of.  I started to check the Photography section after the Knitting section when I was as B&N.  I became consumed with what my Nikon couldn't do & how I could get a new one.  When that happened, I began to take more pictures.  With some encouragement from one of my favorite bloggers & Flickr friends, I dove into Flickr.  She was right.  Join groups.  Become inspired by others. And you'll take better pictures.  She was right.  I can get lost in Flickr streams just like the old days of my Knit Blog love. 

The other day I sat down with knitting & a new photography book.  SK said, "Make your mind up.  You're either a knitter or a photographer."  I cringed & quickly fixed his statement.  "I'm a knitter.  Not a photographer.  I just like to take pictures."  There's a huge difference.  Photographer is someone who clearly knows what they're doing.  I really don't have a clue.  While I don't use the Automatic mode & I can muster up a good explanation of Aperture & Shutter modes.  But I can't tell you how to position subjects towards the best light, bracketing, exposure values, etc. I knew my shortcomings way before I ventured into the Flickr world.  That's good to know because it's a lot different from the sweet little Craft Blog-asphere.

I figured I'd share the three things I dislike the most about Flickr in the next couple days.  One, it will get me to blog more.  Two, maybe I'm not alone. Three, I just need to vent about something.  Ava has been really busy these days & I'm usually staring down a highway.  I swear that I'm not really bashing Flickr.  I love Flickr!  It's the characters that lurk.  Or maybe it's just a transition from the Knitterly-types to Photo-types.

I'm so tired I can't think of a single fucking song title.

Again work has kept me from doing anything other than being exhausted or moody.  So here are some quick photos from the holiday.  (Sidenote: these are from our family account.  I no longer have a good reason for two accounts.  I share more of them on that account & it seems wrong to not share this account with our readers.  No one on that account would get the Lola reference, so keep it hush-hush.  Apparently, my MIL enjoys flipping through that Flickr account.  Add me as a contact if you wish, I'd love to see your stuff!  More on this dual life in a later post.  Maybe tomorrow.)

I got a break from work & finished up our Halloween plans.  The boys got the best of me this year.  I had always planned for Tuck to be Max, but after watching the trailer on You Tube, Gus requested to be Carol.  Or as he put it, "The Wild Thing that smashes the other one on rocks."  Deal kiddo.

Tuck was delicious in his wolf suit & Gus loved running around scaring people.  I'll post details later.  Promise.  I'm not driving anywhere tomorrow & I've been told by a loving Husband to "sit around & do nothing".  Deal.

The Song Remains The Same

Busy, busy, busy . . . pretty much sums it up. But, there's always time for Martha. I wasn't going to go this year since the parent who set it all up in the first place has a student in the program again was chaperoning, I kind of lost my space on the trip, which was fine . . . until he got sick and canceled this afternoon . . . for tomorrow's trip. So, it's off to NYC for a Martha taping! The teacher who runs the trip queried when he called, "You have your knitting ready?" Luckily I remembered that I had students in the room before I answered, "Does a bear shit in the woods?"

Clear The Area

Being 40 is kind of stressful (thanks for all the birthday wishes):

• on-line course that is requiring beau coup amounts of time; 
• three classes of writing quizzes to grade;
• two presentations at work in one day that required me to summarize ten days' worth of training into two hours;
• children home from college for the weekend with pick-me-up shopping to be done;
• one of whom has a fever and now I am paranoid; and
• miles of garter left to go before I sleep (and many apologies to Mr. Frost for that bastardization). 

Ava

Help.

What's wrong with me?  If he wants to be a ninja in two days, I'll will sign him over to a circus.