The Happy Thread V

[Nerdanel]

Originally Posted by RÃ*an

Congrats! Your pictures are lovely

Thanks, RÃ* I put some up here today...

[Rían]

unrelated to your photography - I wasn't wild about the wedding dress, but I loved the reception dress!!!!

related to your photography - you are a-MAZING at catching glances. I was trying to put into words what I liked about your photography, and that just came to me. You have a wonderful ability to catch really meaningful glances (when you photograph people, that is ) and intimate moments. A person looking at your photos feels pulled into and included into the story. I LOVE that glance in the first dancing photo, for example. And in the second pic, the expression of the person holding the book (did she do the ceremony? and does she know the groom well? The glance sure looks like it) just makes you want to know what she's thinking, and what she knows...

And the other half of what I like are how you catch the intimate moments - not in necessarily the traditional sense of intimate; maybe more like private or special or intense. The girl blowing bubbles is a great example of that.

Anyway, thanks again for sharing

I'm heading off to Yosemite again next month - I hope to get some more lovely pics I can't wait! I don't have your ability, but in a place like Yosemite, it's hard to go wrong!

[Earniel]

Five resident frogs in the pond! All pretty and lively. But no frog nests this year, boo. But 4 toad nests! Which means lots and lots and lots of tiny toadlets next month, whee! And we have two hedgehogs! I nearly stepped on one last night, but wow they're fast. Not so good for my frogs, though, but wildlife diversity takes sacrifices and there ought to be enough snails to keep them well-fed. And enough wild, undesturbed spaces for hibernation.

The garden's absolutely lovely, flowers everywhere. And a new bee swarm has arrived, always great to see them. Not so great that they live in the wall of the house, but ah, sacrifices.

[Nerdanel]

Originally Posted by RÃ*an

unrelated to your photography - I wasn't wild about the wedding dress, but I loved the reception dress!!!!

related to your photography - you are a-MAZING at catching glances. I was trying to put into words what I liked about your photography, and that just came to me. You have a wonderful ability to catch really meaningful glances (when you photograph people, that is ) and intimate moments. A person looking at your photos feels pulled into and included into the story. I LOVE that glance in the first dancing photo, for example. And in the second pic, the expression of the person holding the book (did she do the ceremony? and does she know the groom well? The glance sure looks like it) just makes you want to know what she's thinking, and what she knows...

And the other half of what I like are how you catch the intimate moments - not in necessarily the traditional sense of intimate; maybe more like private or special or intense. The girl blowing bubbles is a great example of that.

Anyway, thanks again for sharing

I'm heading off to Yosemite again next month - I hope to get some more lovely pics I can't wait! I don't have your ability, but in a place like Yosemite, it's hard to go wrong!

Thank you so much, RÃ*an - that's some of the greatest feedback I've recieved. I really like the things you pointed out - and it also helps me look at my photos in a different way, and learn about how I take photos... Mostly, it seems to be intuitive, but it's nice to know more to be able to develop.

Can't wait to see your pictures from Yosemite! I'd really love to go there... Have a great trip!

[Mari]

Got a job and graduated in the past two days. Days well spent if you ask me

[Varnafindë]

Congratulations, Mari!
That's great news

[Earniel]

Both things in the same two days? You go, girl!

[Nerdanel]

i've been teaching field courses for over a month (away from home), and the few days i have been home, we've moved into a new flat. but, the joyful part is, i'm going home in 2 days! and then i'm going to stay there. for a while.

i've taken so many pictures that i haven't even had the chance to look at yet: from dc, west virginia, ny, different field stations and helsinki. when i get home, i'll have a new, colour-calibrated monitor that i can process the pictures on and drown the world with photos.

my absence has also been a bit hard on my relationship, so i'm hoping to fix that, too...

anyway, only 2 more days of reading students' texts, commenting on their presentations and teaching them about research. then i'm finally going home!!!

[Mari]

Sounds like busy time, but time well spent. Now go get reacquainted with 'normal' life

[Aikanáro]

I've got a new computer for my very own and it's incredibly fast and just awesome and fits perfectly in the space I designed for it.

I've been sharing a computer for the past decade, so this is important enough for posting here.

[Varnafindë]

Congratulations, Aika!
Yes, it's good to have your very own!

[Mari]

Indeed it is! Congrats

[Mari]

after 15 years of wanting a cat, I've now got 2 kittens: Tybalt and Puck

[Earniel]

Kittens!

(I was going to say something else, but I forgot because of kittens!)

[Mari]

Kittens are awesome and all you need to remember at any given time *grins*
I've got pics on FB, but can't seem to link them here.

[Earniel]

What do they look like? Are they related? What size? Are they still so adorable with blue eyes and all features in their face crunched up together like kittens always tend to have? Any specific reason for the Shakespeare names?

Went to collect our three cats from the pension and friends earlier this week. The oldest didn't recognise us, never does, but then his memory (and brain) were never quite state-of-the-art equipment and um... prone to glitching. Getting him in the carrier involved quite a bit of hissing and cat-handling. Took him three days to recognise us but he immediately knew where his food and sleeping pillow were. His people are clearly not a priority.

The other one recognised us immediately, sat up as soon as he saw us, all purring and wanting an hug and 'Mommy! Yeay! Take me hooome! (And feed me!)' He came home with the leash just fine and promptly went out to catch a mouse (which he then lost in the hall inside. Typical).

The third one... went mental. She scratched the floorboards, pied on the furniture, transformed into a screeching hairy ball of nails and teeth and went for every inch of skin like a demonic possessed stapler. Honest. My tumb was punctured at least 14 times and painfully swollen for two days (which my toddler nephew whom I was babysitting that evening delighted in squeezing - repeatedly ). Suddenly my friend who kept the cat while we were away was very happy she didn't suggest catching and bringing home the cat herself. I felt very silly constantly repeating 'she usually isn't like that'. Katten in het nauw... Shouldn't have forgotten that.

[Midge]

Funny... Yesterday, my husband caught a stray kitten for me. We'll have to get her taken to the vet and debugged () before we can keep her inside, but she is a sweetheart kitty.

I'm leaning towards naming her Slipper.

[Mari]

They aren't related. Tybalt is about 3.5 months old and is a grey and black tiger striped cat (i.e. a common house cat) with beautiful stripes and Puck is about 3 months old and is white with black spots. I choose the names because I teach English and I can use them in assignments, plus I liked them and especially Puck is really suited to that little clowny cat.
Tybalt is already a smallish cat, Puck is still very much a kitten also in behaviour. He's like a toothing baby. Biting everything :P I lost my slippers to him. It were either those or my hocker (poef)... And he loves climbing on my shoulder, play with my hair whilst nuzzling my neck. Tybalt is very affectionate in a more adult way.

[Earniel]

Kittens!

It never gets old.

Tyrfing had a biting habit too when he was a kitten. We used to joke he had an identity crisis and thought he was a puppy. You should have seen the way I had to secure my yucca-plant.

[Midge]

Update: Her name is Cricket - we caught her hopping around the backyard at night from shadow to shadow.

I went to see my parents tonight. My dad is an avid cat-hater. But after just telling the story of her name, my mom goes, "Can we PLEASE get a cat?"