ladykatza

I have always been interested in photography. It started right about the time I realized I’d never been anything more than mediocre at drawing. I mean, sure I could practice and practice, but it would still leave me at sub-standard skill levels. So, I turned to the camera. However, in my very ADD way, and the expense of developing film, I never stuck with it. That and I could never really get into whatever it was I was photographing. It always left me feeling the way you do after eating one of those “diet” snack cakes. You know, that almost-but-not-quite satisfied craving?

So years go by, I get older, I have kids. Digital cameras and photoshop come along. First it just starts out as a casual thing, then I realize. I really LIKE photographing my children. They are interesting and willing subjects, full of that spark of life. They are unconcerned about how they look, or being to old, or too fat. They just ARE, and so are fun.

Now, I’m not out to make a living doing this, or become famous, or any of that. I just want something that is more interesting that random snapshots or posed pictures. Sometimes, however, I see something and think “YES, that’s it” and I try to rope the kids into cooperating with that vision. Take the High Museum trip this past Saturday. My ability to take pictures was limited, and most of it was quite boring. In particular, I always thought modern art exhibits to be *YAWN*, but looking at them though the eyes of my children became a very different experience. Now I had my camera out. My use of flash and such was very limited, so I played a bit with the pictures in photoshop and while they aren’t prize winners, they certainly capture the character of the children. Which, in reality, is the whole point. Its all subjective, right?

And in case you are interested, here are a few:

So daecon and I have long had a thing against Valentine’s day. Even prior to our being together, I never expected much more than a single flower and a box of chocolates. (I’ll take chocolates just about anytime, though) This year, however, I was alerted to a troupe called Big City Burlesque was having a show. It just HAPPENS to be on the same day as Valentine’s. I had been wanting to see them for a while now, I’ve always been fascinated by the artistic side of the “strip tease”. Sooooo, I bought tickets and told the hubby we’re going out that night. We had already splurged a bit on dinner at a hibachi place earlier in the week because we had a gift certificate.

I also tried to interest some friends. Most couldn’t get baby sitters, the rest were out of town, or SO’s not interested. That’s fine, since I figured I’d run into people I know anyway. I was more than correct on this one. We ran into one of daecon’s old high school friends, who also plays a a local “personality” at conventions and Ren Fests. He ended up sitting with us. We also ran into Ace Talkingwolf, another local personality that’s pretty much trying to start up the steam-punk scene in Atlanta. We went to Manuel’s Tavern with them afterwards and had a nice, long catching up.

In any case, the show was not just burlesque, but also vaudeville. No one was actually dressed up in black-face, but they did have a BIG BLUE GENIE, who also doubled as the “Strong Man”. The show itself was entertaining, but far from polished. Some of the girls had very polished routines, others didn’t. I think the ballerina and miss peacock were my favorites.

The two BIGGEST problems I had with the show were 1) wardrobe malfunctions and 2) lighting. I had a conversation with my Mom some time ago about this sort of thing. She pointed out that Hollywood has made our expectations of such things very high. People are so used to the perfectly polished image that anything less so is “Sub Standard”. Even so, the two problems I listed above could have been better. Having an expectation of the costumes being done for a dress rehearsal would have been good to hammer out problems. As for whoever was doing the lighting? I hope they aren’t getting paid, and even so, I’d fire them and get someone who knows how to point a spotlight.

All in all, I was entertained. Which is the point, really. I got to meet some of the girls afterwards and they are quite nice. I loved the fact that none of them were stick figures. In fact, many of the girls were quite voluptuous and some older. The theater was standing room only. I’m hoping with more money and exposure, they will have the ability to improve the quality of the show.

Try and try again.

That seems to be my motto when it comes to vegetable gardening. I’ve had two attempts at veggies since I have lived in this house. The first attempt was a commando style where I planted a few things here and there in the few bright sunny spots. Logistically, this was not the greatest of ideas. All the things I planted in pots on the back porch did great. Anything in the yard was overtaken by weeds or pests. In some cases I just plain forgot where I put stuff.

So, I skipped a year. LAST year I tried a traditional row type bed in an area that I thought might actually get enough sun. I was off by a good bit, because I wanted it closer to the house and not further away. This one tried to do well, but again, I got overwhelmed by how labor intensive it was and everyone else in the house is like plant kryptonite. Second try, fail.

Nuts.

Well, when were were in the apartments in Kennesaw, I did a pretty successful container garden. I did some lettuce, tomatoes, and bell peppers with pretty good success. Recently, I found out about a method called square foot gardening. Some guy came out with a book in the early eighties, I think. You can read most of the book here. Well, this actually may be just what I was looking for. I have a very small area on the side of my house next to the driveway that gets about 7 hours of direct sunlight a day. The ground itself there is not conducive to tilling and planting because of drainage. BUT a raised bed like you use in a square foot garden would work just fine. And it is higher off the ground so I won’t strain my back as much. And I can build my first 4 foot by four foot planter, add dirt and plants, for less than 100 bucks. That’s 16 squares to plant in. And it will be right next to the front door and the driveway, where I walk by ALL THE TIME.

I’m a bit excited about this, can you tell? The other great thing is I don’t have to worry about watering restrictions because food gardens are exempt. And because I live in Georgia, our growing season is phenomenally long. Not as awesome as California or Florida, but close. I am also trying to curb my obsessive nature and keep it simple. I will only do one planter box. IF it works out well, I will add a second one later. Two would be the max. After that I run out of full sun space options and have to look at cutting down trees.

I’m going down to visit Mom and Dad this Saturday and I plan on hijacking Dad’s workshop to make the planter. With his help of course.

So here’s hoping the third time will be the charm.

“Its cold” has been a popular subject this winter. I mean, its obvious as to why. Its because its been BLOODY COLD! Even here in the southeast we’re huddling under blankets and burning firewood. The ductwork in this house is less than optimal, so we’ve been keeping the heat turned down and using space heaters. And its just felt colder in other ways. Everyone is trying to find ways to save money (like not turning up the heat).
Let’s face it. Things in this world are not looking very “up” at the moment. Sure we just elected our first black president and so very many are happy about this. Of course, many are not happy. Those of us that ARE happy can’t understand why others aren’t. Mostly for the same reason why they didn’t understand why Bush Jr. and his policies were so hated. But I digress.
I have been working the overnight shift for six months now and its starting to wear me down. I’ve always preferred to stay up late and sleep until noon. Still, that gave me some daytime to work with. But barely seeing the daytime, barely seeing my family and a long cold winter can wear down one’s psyche. I’m thankful for the job that I have. Its not a bad job at all, nor is it a bad company. Its just that the pervasive overshadowing of “dark economic times” coupled with the actual dark I’ve been living in has made it hard to remember I have plenty to be thankful for.
I have been trying to keep myself occupied with creative endeavors. Things like photography and scrapbooking. Something that has made me smile recently is figuring out how to do cool stuff in Photoshop Elements. Here is an example:

Felicity is three in this photo and we were trying to do a nice photo set with my friend Tommy. There were… cooperation issues on the kids’ part. This is one of her peaking out from behind the backdrop with that lovely genuine smile she has. Its seeing those smiles and hearing their laughter that helps get me up on these cold nights and make the long drive into work.
I have never been a big fan of “resolutions” for new years. It started when I came to the realization that decisions are made in the now. One does not have to wait for a new year to re-evaluate one’s life. The evaluation should be an on-going process of self-awareness and conscious decisive action. This is, to my knowledge, a uniquely human trait that is rare even for humans.

Simon and Felicity are playing with their new foam swords they got from Christmas. After a while Felicity puts on this really pretty coat I found at the thrift store and says “Simon, this jacket makes it harder to hit me.”

Simon responds with “Oh yeah, well my sword gives me +200 health and regenerate”.

*WHACK WHACK WHACK*

“Oh yeah! Well my jacket gives me regenerate TOO!” says Felicity.

“Stop playing Calvin ball Felicity!” yells Simon.

*sighs*

It took me approximately 25 minutes to de-seed and cut up a five pound sugar pumpkin and get it on the stove to cook. Soon I’m going to try doing some baking with the fake butter I got at Trader Joe’s. I also found a non-dairy recipe for pumpkin pie. Still has eggs, so its not vegan, but that’s not my concern. My biggest problem is dairy. I have to re-think how I cook.

Now, I say all this. I feel better than I have in a LONG time. Months I think. I used my new insurance to finally see MY doctor and I had a nasty bladder infection. Bad enough I was told that if I started running a fever or it got worse/stayed the same after a few days of antibiotics, I was to go to the hospital. Then I got a cold as I was just getting better. BAH, bleh, yeck. The good thing, I was already on antibiotics so it prevented it from turning into sinus issues, which will then turn into bronchitis and… well yeah. Top that off with working like mad. I spent the last three days doing a whole lot of nothing.

Now I feel like baking.

On to another thing on my mind. Scrapbooking! Yup, that’s right. I have SOOO many pictures and keepsakes and interesting things that I have saved over the years that I have loads of material. It can be a pretty expensive hobby to get in to. I’d say I’ve invested around $250 in equipment over the past 2 years. This doesn’t count consumables like paper, cardstock, and stickers. However, I finally sat down and really made an effort to work put these things to use. Its terribly rewarding. I’ve gotten Jennifer V. into it as well. Right now she comes over and uses my tools, which I think is great.

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Six hours later I have a pie, cookies, and soup done. Now I must sleep.

I wrote the following letter in response to the emails of fear that I got from some in my family. Written a bit in haste, so excuse grammatical errors.

I think its silly to be fearful. There was a lot at stake no matter WHO won. IF one looks at this with the eyes of history, this is what America is about. Almost all of us were immigrants at one time or another. Not less than 40 years ago a black men were beaten and killed and shot for trying to win the right to vote and less than 100 years ago, women did not have the right to vote. We have come far enough in our fight for “Truth, Justice, and Liberty for ALL” that a man of mixed heritage could be elected to office. A man that I feel is a great inspiration to what can be accomplished.

I would also like to remind everyone that its not just the President that makes all your decisions. There is congress, and local governments, and the judiciary system. Your representatives there have a lot more weight. Your voice and the ability to WRITE A LETTER or MAKE A PHONE CALL to your other elected representatives makes a difference.

If you want smaller government, the fight to take back some of the States rights of governance. If the government is too big, it is because we have become too complacent in speaking up and becoming involved. This is not a time to sit back and wring our hands. There are many MANY things that need to be fixed. So pick what you believe in. Be it better education, sustainable agriculture, or taking the control of government OUT of the Corporate Oligarchy. Whatever it may be, ROLL UP YOUR SLEEVE AND DO SOMETHING.

And no matter what, you are still family and welcome to eat at my table.

With Love and Respect,

Ladykatza

–
Jesus was a community organizer.

When you both forget your own anniversary.

I hope you love me anyway, hon.

I went to the fabric store. They were have a SALE! All their clearance fabrics and their home decor fabrics are 50% off (JoAnn’s). I have been eying a particular fabric for curtains in the front room for some time now. It started out at $18 a year, it finally got knocked down to $6 on clearance. So, I got it for $3 a yard. WOO!

Simplicity patterns are $.99 each (limit 10 per person). Then there was the “project fabrics”. I have to get crackin’ on holiday gifts now. And finish the baby gifts.

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I just got word that my husband’s grandmother has died in the hospital. The call came in while he and his brother were digging around the house to find the water leak that has been eroding the foundation of my house.

More news later.

Why are more banks not doing this?

I’m working on a Christmas present for my parents and came across this following quote:

Life doesn’t count for much unless you’re willing to do your small part to leave our children – all of our children – a better world. Even if it’s difficult. Even if the work seems great. Even if we don’t get very far in our lifetime.

BARACK OBAMA, speech, Jun. 15, 2008

I never heard this speech, and now I wish I had. I find it ironic he gave it on my birthday.

So I have had many a conversation with Mythos and other “northerners” in recent months. Mythos pointed out to me that “the other day” seems to be a phrase more commonly used in the SouthEast. Apparently confusing since “the other day” could be any time between yesterday and months ago (or in the case of some old folks, years).

Right. So, I have this conversation and Mythos says “You know that conversation we had earlier about ____?”

I’m thinking and thinking and I realize. Oh. Wait.

Me: “Oh, you mean the other day?”
Mythos: “Well yes, I’m trying to get into the Southern idea of time.”
Me: “That’s awesome, but ‘earlier’ implies the same day. You meant “the other day” since its not really the same day.”
Mythos: “Why does it have to be so confusing?”

Ok, so this is somewhat paraphrased, but you get it, right? So I’m relaying this conversation to my husband because I thought he, being raised in the South, would appreciate it. He laughed and then said. “Well, its not as confusing as Next Friday on a Thursday afternoon”.

This has not been the greatest of weeks emotionally. I finally got over being sick to be faced with some turmoil in my employment situation. I’m in a holding pattern at the moment. This good news is I’ll be able to pay my mortgage. This month.

Wednesday I had gone over to K&J’s house for game night. Ben was there, though J&A were not. This was probably not the best thing to do. Usually when I’m feeling that upset I hide, but that might have been a worse idea. Still, I ended up yelling at K and he was very confused since he wasn’t present for my bitch fest. Daecon grabbed my purse and led me out to the car. I was very upset with myself for being such a bitch, but it seems I’ve been forgiven. J&A took me out for dinner Thursday night. After talking to to them for a while, I did feel some better.

I have been meaning to post about Dragon Con and how much fun I had, how incredibly cool it was. I will still do so. Soon. I recently got a copy of Photoshop Elements after my photoshop CS3 trial expired. PS CS3 is not for me. There are too many widgets and I find it difficult to navigate. PS Elements though is just my thing. Its geared toward your average user who just wants to do some touch-ups and maybe a few fun things for scrapbooking. I’m loving it.

Its getting cooler finally. The leaves will start changing colors soon and I am suppose to be getting together with Emmanuel later next week to go searching for good places to take urban photos. I also have to start on my crafting projects for friends’ new babies and the holidays. I started playing with my sewing machine’s embroidery function. I’m loving the heck out of it.

The kids are doing wonderfully well. Felicity is really getting into school and is learning how to read and write. Simon still has trouble with focusing in class. He’s exceptionally bright and inquisitive, just a space case sometimes. Daecon and I knew that at least one of them would have this issue. We’ve been doing some research in how to help keep him on track and, so far, his teachers have been very responsive to him and feedback.

A lot of people I know really dislike the area we have chosen to live in. Mostly because of the “conservative rich snobs”. But there are a few reasons we chose the area. One: My husband’s family lives close and gives us a support network. Two: The schools are some of the best in the state. Simon and Felicity both have less than 20 kids in their class. The Kindergarten teacher has an assistant and they also have “room moms” who volunteer to help out for both of them. My mother-in-law will switch off working in either Simon or Felicity’s class.

If I do not get the permanent position at my current job, I will most likely start volunteering at the kids’ media center, plus go back to working with the homeless outreach program’s computer center as well. I miss doing that work a great deal.

Yesterday I was a nervous wreck. I had two interviews, back to back. Literally 15 minutes apart. Both of them were panel type interviews. Before I even went to these I had to work. I could tell I was nervous by the overwhelming urge for junk food and caffeine. I missed some important tasks. It was just… arg.

I swear other people could hear my heart beat the way I could in my ears.

Finally the first interview, the one for the promotional job. I felt like I’d done awful. I really had to think about how to answer some of the questions. Body language told me they weren’t impressed at all. I kept feeling like I was floundering. I was not happy with how it went.

The second interview was for my current position, only permanent. I.. think it went OK. I do not know for certain, though.

When all was over, said, and done with, I was shaking and working to regulate my breathing. My knees were weak going out to the car. I had to concentrate on breathing all the way home. Finally I had a glass of wine, and some good food. Then I was much better. Still, I was exhausted and went to bed pretty early.

I should know by next week.

The following email subject just made me laugh.

ALERT: Network Incident - Hammer not working

I got a book the other day at the craft store of “copy write free images”. It came with a CD, so I can use them for making my own scrapbooking pages and that sort of thing. I am playing around with images. Here is my first one. Let me know what you think

I once sang this song while playing the Vampire LARP I met my husband at. I was really into the 40’s retro at the time. I was playing a Human Servant. And for some reason, I was singing this song in my dream last night and woke up with it in my head.

Your momma never told you
How you were sposed to treat a girl.
Your poppa never told you and
Now youre all alone out in the world.

Sirens are streaming
Inside the winding sheets are pale.
Devils are dreaming
Dreaming of the blue angel.

Now I lay me down to sleep
But troubled dreams are all I find.
Pray the lord my soul to keep
Pray so I wont lose my mind.

Sirens are screaming
On wings tonight, Ill soon set sail.
Devils are dreaming
Dreaming of a blue angel.

Your mommas going to take it hard
You always were your mommas boy.
Your laying in the graveyard
Now you’re not your mommas joy.

Streetlights come streaming
Ill bat an eye and cast my spell.
Devils are dreaming
Dreaming of a blue angel.

So other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?

So yesterday, after a rather annoying second half of my day at work, I got a call on the way home saying that my mother-in-law had a flat tire and no spare. daecon asked me to go with him to use my AAA membership to get it towed. I agreed, because you know, I DO want to help out when I can.

However, I couldn’t help be annoyed at the fact that my plans to make hamburgers and have a nice family dinner was interrupted. Grrrr. So when we were told there was a delay in getting a tow truck, we went to go get something to eat. As SOON as we were seated, they called back and said they found someone who will be there shortly.

*sigh* Can’t win for losing.

But, it got taken care of and we managed to stick to the “no going out to eat until Dragon*Con” goal.

Now I just ask the Universe to conjure up a nice, cushy, well paying job for daecon WITH MEDICAL BENEFITS. And that other good thing I’m working on getting would be nice, too. KTHXBYE