Click here for maximum splash viewage in gigantic size

Another "cookie splash" photo but this time focusing on breakfast. Although this photo is totally a lie. The glass of milk was poured over Shreddies today. Though I did have some toast, a yogurt and a nice, juicy orange.

Also, the glass is a Vancouver 2010 one. If you look closely you can see the Inukshuk logo dead center. I'm extremely excited for Canada to compete in a few days. I hope our athletes bring home lots of gold; if they do I will for sure be crying because the national anthem always has that effect on me.

Strobist: 580exii at 1/4 power through umbrella, bounce off ceiling, camera left even with glass

I had a rather cranky day (what else is new) but I've been watching The West Wing so it's helped with that. I'm also spending a lot of the evening reading "The Creation of Eve", my LibraryThing Early Reviewer book. It's historical fiction, which is usually right up my alley, except it's written in a diary format. The author is good enough that it is working pretty well except that my favourite part is that I'm getting unintentional lulz from the heroine being too dense to understand that pretty much everyone knows that Michelangelo is a big gay. There's even Spanish Inquisitors asking her questions and she's like "buh?"

The back of the book promised me a love triangle, so it better deliver, is all I'm saying.

The end.

I didn't take pictures today at all until after 11pm. I've been kind of disapppointed lately in my photography for the last few days but I tried a little something new tonight and this is what I came up with. I know it's not Wednesday so technically the bokeh is a day late but still. ♥

I'm cranky and don't really feel like taking photos today. So...icon meme.

( meme )

So I missed the porn battle. Again. I always seem to have absolutely no will or desire to write as soon as a porn battle or drabble-a-thon comes along. It never fails.

So I'm considering just using the prompts and playing with the plotbunnies anyway. I especially want to do it for fandoms I've never written before like Doctor Who, Legend of the Seeker and The Good Wife.

Now that I've written it down I probably won't do that either.

"I told you not to go back there, Artoo! Now look what you've gone and done!"

Artoo totally would investigate a shrink ray.

Something a little more fun and silly. I think that I'm actually going to take toy pictures for the next week. So until next Tuesday the week's theme is "The Secret Life of Toys".

( ncis )

I forgot to watch The Good Wife tonight. I usually watch it on Friday or Saturday with my mom when it's quiet.

Okay, so in addition to the Star Wars action figures I have lying around, I apparently also have a shitload of unopened, still-in-original packaging figures. Including a special edition that was only given out at theatres so even though it's only worth about $20-80 (depending on where you look) I'm loathe to open it. Yet I really need to get rid of a lot of crap.

Poll #1520393 What should I do with my old toys?
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 14

What should I do with my old toys?

I've also got a shitload of Star Wars Galaxy magazines, Star Wars Inside magazines, the Dark Empire comic series, large Darth Vader bank that plays music and talks when you put money in, a Polly Pocket-esque Death Star that opens up to Tattooine and a lot of cards from either cardpacks or cut off of something.

And you thought I was a terrible geek before.

"In cherry blossom
shadows, no one, really, is
a stranger now"
~ Kobayashi Issa

This photo session was pretty much a bust. My flash was dying and sort of ruined quite a few shots but I think I learned a lot by experimenting. In all honestly I'm displeased with almost every shot. Some might have been cool but I screwed them up in some way; this was just the first I took a genuine look at. Maybe tomorrow when I don't have such an insane headache I'll try again.

I have another headache, one that was made worse when I went out today, so I've been avoiding my computer for most of the day. I really hate when I get headaches across my forehead because it hurts whenever I furrow my brow, which I do a lot when I read.

I managed to take some pictures today but I have no idea if any of them turned out. I'm checked now but I might post today's picture tomorrow.

"Adam was but human - this explains it all. He did not want the apple for the apple's sake, he wanted it only because it was forbidden. The mistake was in not forbidding the serpent; then he would have eaten the serpent."
~ Mark Twain

To be honest, I am far from pleased with this picture, as I had a fairly frustrating session, but it was the only one with the water doing anything interesting. I think it was because the apple was far too tiny so it is off to the grocery store tomorrow. :)

I've had a very lazy day today. Nothing happens on Sundays. So it was spent watching How I Met Your Mother in front of the fire. I made a nice spaghetti dinner too but it made me ache for the summer when I just go out onto the deck and grab as many fresh herbs as I want. Food is always better if you can add fresh basil, oregano and thyme.

I went out with my dad yesterday, slept the whole way there in the car (and we drove from Ajax to Brampton and then back), then the whole way home. And then went to bed at 8pm. I could barely keep my eyes open so there wasn't much chance of me firing off a photo yesterday. I wanted to take two today but it took me about two hours to really get this shot so I'm resting and watching the West Wing while I think of what else to photograph.

This really required a ridic set-up. Most of the How-To guides seem to require some sort of remote flash trigger that used either sound or motion. And I just don't have that kind of stuff so I rigged up a little thing that allowed me to do it manually, though it took longer and isn't nearly as accurate.

ONTD can never top the Kylie post of awesome but today it's trying pretty hard. There was a Smallville post where everyone is spamming with with Tess gifs and now there's the news about the Tommy Schlamme/Allison Janney/Matthew Perry tv show.

I REPEAT: THOMAS SCHLAME, ALLISON JANNEY AND MATTHEW PERRY. In the same show. Add in Richard Schiff and it would be my new happy place. Of course, he's got another show premiering soon so I am still getting Toby fix.

Also, this gif:

I just finished The Gargoyle in the bath. My family got a little concerned because they could hear me sobbing. Not just crying but big, loud, out-of-control sobs. My mom asked if it was sad and I honestly don't know.

I got to the final 20 pages and I just felt like all this emotion was being pulled out of me. I haven't felt that way about a book in a very long time.

It might take me a few days to write a review and I have to watch Season 1 of The West Wing, because, as you all know, that is the happy place I go when I'm overwhelmed with emotion.

I cannot fall asleep so I'm stanning for Kylie on an ONTD post because seriously, is there such a thing as a popstar who can even TOUCH Kylie Minogue? I mean, Beyonce and GaGa pretty much steal everything she's ever done because Madonna is too obvious.

I keep meaning to compile a picspam that but I always get distracted halfway through.

I am too easily distracted from everything except photography, tbh.

Oh! I just found this great quote from Mark Hamill about being in Star Wars where he said he felt like a raisin in a fruit salad and he didn't know who the cantaloupes were. And now I want to recreate this scene with action figures in a fruit salad. I even have the Luke in Stormtrooper gear action figure. No Han unfortunately though. He's dressed normally.


I have another idea involving a Yoda action figure but I can't find a role of regular gray duct tape, I can only find the red. I'm also trying to think up inventive tea set-ups because I'm obsessive compulsive.

"While there's tea there's hope."
~ Sir Arthur Pinero

There is a tea shop in Stratford, Ontario called Distinctly Tea. Every time I visit the area, I love going to that shop and picking out some loose tea. I believe they package all tea themselves. They put them into packages of various sizes but I like the tiny metal containers. They contain enough for a few cups, enough to determine whether I like it or not.

This one is a fruit tea, Turkish apple, with large pieces of fruit melange and apple. You guys know how much I love my nighttime tea. Why don't I have a tea icon?

Strobist info: 580exII, 1/4 power, through umbrella top left, behind object

So, I just want to say that for the past two weeks I've been watching Legend of the Seeker and it is essentially my new happy place.

I know a few of you have been watching it a while, so are there any important picspams/fic/mixes/crack that I should catch up on?

One of my first attempts at a physiogram. I'm going to try again, maybe tomorrow.

I am SO bored tonight. Nothing is entertaining me like it usually does.

Another Star Wars one. Seriously fellow LJ-ers, you do not want to see my whole collection of Star Wars stuff, largely amassed before my 15th birthday. Hats, shirts, books, banks, action figures, magazines, puzzles, toys. Pretty much everything you can imagine, I have in some sort of Star Wars form.

Unfortunately, the prequels totally ruined my obsession. And it's not helped by the fact my brother watches them all the time and actually DEFENDS the validity of Episodes 1-3. For everyone that has seen Spaced, please insert any of Simon Pegg's rants in this place.

Long story short: I am a serious geek.

Now I really want a Dalek action figure so I can put it with the Jawas. All you need to do is throw Data in there and it would be all my nerdy sci-fi favourites together.

I'm having a seriously boring/restless day. It's been raining all day and even if it weren't it's shitty weather in the GTA so I can't even go out and take pictures. I've really been aching to hike over to a conservation area near where I live and take some pictures of the stream but the effect is somewhat muted by barren snowless landscape. :(

Also, some random kid didn't understand the Christian oppression pie chart and keeps trying to tell me that I'm both stupid and a troll by pointing out that Christianity covers many denominations. I'm getting tired now and it's not funny anymore so I've popped in The West Wing and am considering making myself a decaf tea. ...and, um, maybe taking pictures of it

Took this yesterday after seeing a show at Casino Rama. Not a very good picture but pretty much the only one I took yesterday. The show, Cirque Dreams Illumination, was good but totally overloaded my senses and I had to rest by myself all evening.

Clearly I am not a "people" person.

I'm trying to think of something to take for today's picture. 'Tis hard trying to be inventive.

Physical evidence that heartsways is romancing my mom. These flowers came for her the other day. Interesting.

Clicking all four takes you to larger versions. They're all basically the same but with different coloured backgrounds.

( added some alternate shots )

I've been ordered not to take pictures of food anymore and instead make my famous oatmeal raisin cookies. Or take pictures while I make those.

It's like my body is falling apart! I have two pimples and one, on my cheek, is big and actually hurts a lot. I don't get acne, well, ever so it's a big deal to me.

Another one is that my teeth are aching. The other night I had a dream that not only did my teeth fall out but that my gums were just peeling off with them. It was disgusting and disturbing and now I'm a little freaked out I'm going to get that dream again.

D:

On the other hand, I liked The Mentalist tonight. And I enjoyed the hot girls in tonight's Supernatural. And, I know this is an incredibly unpopular fandom opinion, but I'm glad Castiel wasn't in it.

heartsways got me The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson for Christmas and I've been reading it. It took me a few days to work through it, a few pages before bed, while I ate my breakfast, etc. But a few days ago it really captured my attention and I've been breezing through it fairly quickly, but not so quickly that I don't savour the words.

As it looks in that picture, I'm about halfway through the book. I'm quite in love with it, though I'm not sure how I'll feel by the end. The author uses language brilliantly, his turns of phrase and metaphors are just achingly beautiful.

Fire is a central part of the story, for many reasons, so I wanted to portray a physical representation of the novel.

Tried something new tonight based on this awesome photo. Mine is obviously subpar but it was neat to experiment. Plus, I have an obsession with Coca-Cola, as anyone who has ever supped with me knows.

Also, title is an exerpt of lyrics from a Kylie song. If you know which one without cheating, tomorrow's picture will something you want or are interested in.

Bah, watched Lord of the Rings: Return of the King all night. Love these movies so much it hurts.

"Chains do not hold a marriage together. It is threads, hundreds of tiny threads which sew people together through the years."
~Simone Signoret

Speedlite 580exII center left overhead at 1/32 power through an umbrella
Reflector to the right

To preface this picture, let me just state that Flickr keeps broadcasting THAT I HAVE ONLY FOUR MORE DAYS until my Pro account runs out. I mention this for no attention whore-y reason, just to say that they use a lot of italics and bolding and I got the point about five or six days ago. *eye roll*



The books next on my reading list covering all my favourite genres: modern fiction, historical fiction, trash, short stories and fantasy. WITH DRAGONS. That would be "Empire of Ivory" the fourth book in Naomi Novik's Temeraire series, not the Cheryl Cole biography, just for clarification.

Ooh, and "The Creation of Eve" I just got a few days ago in the mail. I'm part of LibraryThing Early Reviewer Program. I've mentioned it before but I don't know if I've explained it. I apply for a great number of books a month, pretty much everything that is fiction and available in Canada. The publishers offer up something like 25 or 30 books, sometimes more, sometimes less, and several hundred members apply to receive it so there is great demand. The more and quicker you review, the better your chances of getting another book are. I tend to read through them as quickly as possible so I've gotten six books in the past two years. Four in the past seven months alone. Pretty cool, eh?

A request for something "less pretty", a close up of an old toothbrush and the last of my toothpaste for sensitive teeth. I have extreme tooth phobia. I always dream about them falling out so I get a little anal about always having a back-up toothbrush and such. I also have a thing where I always have to have a pink toothbrush. It probably stems from having two brothers so I always had to have the pink one and now it's become an imperative.

My warm-me-up-so-I-can-sleep tea. Raspberry Mist Herbal Tea.