Dances With Waves

day fifty-six /366 :: training & overexposed

2012-03-04T18:29:00.000-08:00

everything, today was over exposed. I guess I was feeling rather sunny,
probably, mostly, because we got to play with Kai & Megan...

George had a pretty adorable 2o/2o face.

*cringe* er, more box work, I think.

he did better the second time through... still, more box work.

now for some photos of the ever-beautiful Kai! (even though they are all so very overexposed.... I really need to look at the photos I've already taken and alter my settings. cloudy day settings =/= bright and sunny day settings... well. lessons learned, I guess.. )

above is the first ever Cruft's agility course! (in 1978) pretty crazy, eh?
photo from http://agilitynet.com/.

day fifty-five /366

2012-03-03T22:19:00.001-08:00

palm trees are a well-known property line. I was trying to take a photo of the mountains behind.
we were on our way to Turlock and hung out there for the entire day..
my photos today were rather boring. *sigh* I guess it was a lazy-ish day.

day fifty-four /366

2012-03-02T22:13:00.000-08:00

dinner! doesn't it look good? we even got fancy Japanese soda to match with our tempura shrimp, vegetables and rice!

day fifty-three /366 :: rain!

2012-03-01T22:10:00.004-08:00

it was raining, so I got some awesome lighting. everything was so crisp and green! yay!

day fifty-two /366 :: leap day!

2012-02-29T21:00:00.000-08:00

Leap Day, Mockingjay!
I'll never forget, the extra day of 2012, the day I finished one killer series, pun intended!
I finished Mockingjay in three hours of non-stop, reading, savoring each word carefully.
and now that I'm finished... I really thought the ending worked out.
Though I was all entirely surprised with Katness' vote about the "next" Hunger Games..
I won't give away too much here., but it was fantastic.

day fifty-one /366

2012-02-28T21:47:00.004-08:00

Mason! I like the detail of his fins in the black and white version of this.
not to mention, the actual lighting is an eerie green. hmm.

day fifty /366 :: seawolf!

2012-02-27T22:59:00.000-08:00

aaaahhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
we'd be seawolves now, George and I.
it's happening.

day forty-nine /366

2012-02-26T21:13:00.000-08:00

lost in Panem once again, finally!!!
and tsk me, I didn't buy the third one... so after I finish this (probably tonight) I'll be going crazy until I get that third book. ahhh.

day forty-eight /366

2012-02-25T21:08:00.000-08:00

homework (aka, more catch-up!)

day forty-seven /366

2012-02-24T21:06:00.000-08:00

gotta love instagram!
(thanks Matthew for letting me borrow your ipod to play catch up!)

day forty-six /366

2012-02-23T16:37:00.000-08:00

overexposed and black and white.,
his confidence is growing little by little.

day forty-five /366

2012-02-22T23:35:00.002-08:00

hi, my name's George and I'm pretttyyy cute.

day forty-four /366 :: why do people buy geraniums?

2012-02-21T21:40:00.002-08:00

geraniums, 2008

that is one thing, I'll probably never understand. I wish I were more like a geranium... those plants are hearty and strong and somehow, no matter what happens to them, manage to bloom and show a lovely, bright color. If you cut off a piece of a geranium that has a leaf and some stem room, and stick it in some dirt, and give it water for a few days, it'll soon bloom into a lovely bush, of course small at first but they grow, like any plant... and spread, everywhere.
That was one thing I missed about our old yard. All of the geraniums. Everywhere. As soon as a new bush would pick up I'd get clippings from another one and start a new bush. Geraniums were my main topic of choice (besides George) in 2008 when I got my first point and shoot camera. I have a thing for hearty flowers, perhaps because I am not so good at keeping the wimpier ones alive. Again with the heartache, I just spent fifteen minutes searching for my favorite of my older geranium photos through my portable hard drive. The old photos, the old memories. I even have photos from when I'd steal my Mom's point & shoot camera on here... Most of the photos are of George. I tried a few self portraits (but I remember deleting most of them, unsatisfied with my appearance) and the rest are of flowers and humming birds.

so, onward with life. I need to stop going back and re-living the past. I mean, it's the past, I can't go back and change it, right?
(addition, NCIS LA connection here, Hetty stops to tell Kensi "you're not who your past says you are... you're who you want to become" or something like that. I thought this was relevant. humph. sounded so much deeper when Hetty said it.. ) So... today, we went to go pick up my Mom at the airport, I've learned that I need to bring my camera wherever I go so, I managed to capture a good five hundred-ish photos today,

this (above) is my whole [human] family, not including George and Mason (the two-year-old fish)
and today, I went through a slight phase of obsession of all things linear. they became my subjects, over, and over, and over again!

because one does not simply sit, in an airport. I was completley bored out of my mind. and with my camera at hand, it was easy to find subjects. and in airports there quite a few attractive "linear" things. I suppose it just made the whole place feel huge and clean. it was nice and modern.

this (above) is the outside window of the tram that takes one from the boarding/ getting off/ security area to the regular people/ dropping off/ picking up and parking lot area. the tram parks here. (below) while people get off. In the airport there were a lot of glass features- elevators, railings... you name it!

and because we were completley bored.. why not do a couple of cartwheels? right. in an airport. what a lovely idea.

and then, after which we decided to check the time... of course, you had to know which timezone you were in...

and we, geniuses know how to embarrass our awesome Mom...
we got so many ... interesting... looks from by passers, it was indeed quite an amusing experience.
and the suspicious looks I got for having my camera out. I was almost scared someone was going to say something. ugh. but it was all fun and games.

like why would a crazy maniac take photographs of their shoes? (aren't my shoes awesome, Forrest Gump says you can tell a lot about a person by their shoes, mine say I am living in the wrong era... )

and then, of course, the occasional plane photo, but since I don't have a zoom lens, most of the photos turned out really poorly, like (below) the coast guard plan that kept circling, before it landed.

or other things that people find fascinating, like lifesavers!

but I enjoyed the mirror on the ceiling probably the most, so here's another self-portrait for good measure.

after our trip, we went to Chevy's by the river. yum. (see more linear lines, today, I was obsessed!)

but by the time our "lunch" came out it was two-something-o'clock and I was too starving to actually photograph it. so here's some salt and pepper., for your enjoyment.

and another quote because I just saw it... and it sounded good.

"There are plenty of others willing to call you a failure. A fool. A loser. A hopeless souse. Don't you ever say it of yourself. You send out the wrong signal, that is what people pick up. Don't you understand? You care about something, you fight for it. You hit a wall, you push through it. There's something you need to know about failure. You can never let it defeat you."

day forty-three /366 :: accepting

2012-02-20T18:30:00.000-08:00

my brain keeps obnoxiously reminding me that I won't have George at school/ constantly with me when I go to college and it makes me want to cry. I mean, what am I going to do? Who's going to do my homework? (see exhibit a, right) Am I actually supposed to do it and not just take photos of it? what? but that's what my George is for.. but I guess I'll see him when I go home.. it won't be the same though. I'll miss everything about life with him all the time. if you know what I mean. I'll miss life with my family a ton too, but they're not going anywhere, George is nine. and four years from now he'll be thirteen. and I'll be wondering where time has gone. oh wait, I already am. why do I always get so sappy when I think about college. ugh. now for some serious inspiration. I didn't copy the entire poem for you, but it's artwork... (also, don't ask why there are shorts on my desk... hah..)

"I’m beautiful to those few,
I bring hope their hearts when their world comes crashing down,
I bring reassurance to when doubt is raised and morals are shaken.
I bring them the ability to be free,
To be free to live a life without stereotypes that before caused them to hide their true selves, the freedom to not second-guess their hearts and to love without worry, the freedom to let go of their past burdens that make up the bulk of what’s on their minds;
No, I’m not just a disturbance or a hassle to them." Chrissy Marie, Rain.

day forty-two /366 :: jump grids!

2012-02-19T22:00:00.000-08:00

(below) look! it's me, George and my camera... all in one picture!!!
this has got to be my favorite photograph of all time!

first of all, I'd like to re-introduce myself.
hi, my name is Nicole, and somewhere along this process of learning how to properly use a slr, I completley forgot how to focus one. apparently. it's quite embarrassing. I feel quite lucky that I do have some sort of editing abilities to make up for my lack of ability to take photos now. humph, they all looked focused in my viewfinder. I think. Needless to say, all of the above photos were taken by Megan Miller, photographer extraordinaire. Thank you very much!!

and now... I present, much to my embarrassment... my photos...

and for good measure, a video is in order...

day forty-one /366 :: blast from the past

2012-02-18T22:51:00.000-08:00

today, I stumbled across an old photo, from 2009! this is pre-slr, and knowing anything about cameras/really taking pictures! I was sort-of surprised at my ability to follow composition rules... without actually knowing it. Now, of course, my ability to take photos has improved since 2009 (and pre 2009)... which is why I haven't been keeping up on this project... er... haa. yes, I will catch myself up. soon. I just had to post my discovery!

day thirty-eight /366 :: concept

2012-02-15T20:16:00.000-08:00

I had thought of a concept. Honestly, I had higher expectations for myself.

until I realized how difficult it is to manually focus & set a camera... with a timer. The only added effects were increasing the contrast & putting the photo in grey scale. I think I need to work on my concept idea, but here's a start. I guess for this project I've mostly been documenting... but today I decided I wanted to sort-of be "out there" in my choice of concept for the day. This is what I got.

or, you could go for option b, I can't quite decide which is better... actually, no I like the first option better. the second one is just well, less. I don't think it gives less of the effect, you know? (click to view full sized and get the "full effect" hah) I think the whole concept just makes me confused. (the bottom one has a few more effects added to it) I need to get the idea straight in my head. What am I trying to convey anyways? I still have yet to figure any of this out. humph. art.

and the eye. what's up with the eye. I have no idea where that came from. I felt like I needed something other than a bracelet on that arm. So I got out my make up and started drawing. It was pretty cool drawing with make up. It's mostly eye liner, I was able to smear it to create the shaded effects.

that is a lot of make up on my arm. I'm not exactly looking forward to trying to get it all off. I just felt the need to do something out of the ordinary. I think this qualifies. I think. Maybe.
--
later... February 16th... I decided to take these into photoshop...
so below is with the added brushes

and now... with a black background..

creepy .

day thirty-seven /366 :: Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T18:01:00.000-08:00

happy Valentine's Day!
of course, I had to pick out a candy piece that could be agility related...
but the focus of this was to concentrate on building my light-exposure practice to get effects I wanted without editing the actual photo. okay fine, I sharpened it because the greyish haze was too much for me but I think I'm learning, maybe.

day thirty-six /366 :: rediscovering myself.

2012-02-13T21:51:00.000-08:00

I feel back. back to being, well me. and it needed some Hunger Games and drawing (and Bob Seger) to do that for me!
I know I’ve been for sure *off* these past four years of High School. I’ve lost a sense of myself and became completley overtaken by school and the obsessed with doing the “right thing” and “growing up” I lost, well, myself…. and for some reason, today, I was able to find myself again. I think it might have to do with a mixture of rain, staying up all night to read a *really* good book, drawing to no end, listening to my ‘old’ favorites, trying new and different tricks with George and writing!! For the first time in YEARS I’ve felt the urge to begin to write again. I used to love writing, nearly as much as I love reading… but for some reason, my freshman year had been the start of a mental block that had left me in a haze and without writing in me until today. Today I feel a sense of clarity, like oh hey, here’s the real Nicole! I guess I was lost. Figures a book would put me back on track. Last night I spent from seven to one o’clock in the morning reading The Hunger Games. My heart is yearning for the next books. This all makes sense to me, to everyone else, I probably seem out of my mind. To function properly my brain needs a really good book. Without one, I get foggy, I loose my abilities to write, to draw…. it kind-of drains out of me. When the final Harry Potter novel was released, I was lost. There was no book there to hold me up and pull me through life. I think the connection is extremely odd, and oddly vital. I need good, really good, books to keep going. Mhhh. Finally, I’m feeling reassured that I’m headed in the right direction, my focus on life, restored. Finally.
Oddly enough I never would have guessed any of this, (I still have my doubts that any of this is true.. ) but the odd sense of direction returning to me after reading I couldn’t help but wonder and speculate… then to find, I might just be right! Perhaps. I might be wrong. Today just might be a clear day for some other reason. But that’s less likely.
Kind of crazy, how much books influence my life. I think I’m going to read The Hunger Games over and over until I get the next book. That’ll be my experiment. If clarity maintains in my mind, I’ll know that it was the books. humph. I’m so weird. Oh well.
in other news, George can do a handstand on a wall. Most of the time. It depends on how high-value the reward is. He’s getting much better at it since the last time when I videotaped him. ahhh right now I feel better. Now all I need to do is add a photograph.
I’m going mad. This is surely a sign, I mean, my clarity dependent on books? But it’s true… from third grade all the way up to seventh grade I’ve consistently had Harry Potter, then in Eighth Grade I read The City of Ember series and various other books that kept me hooked for a short time (this is when my agility obsession really began and I started to give up on finding new books. all I wanted to do was train George. luckily for George my highest jump was eighteen inches… but that was another time. before I was really erm, educated. to put it lightly.) … and when Freshman year came around I was book-less. I remember trying to write a story I’d started in eighth grade and not having anything. Serious, full on, writer’s block. Now I feel renewed, rejuvenated… and recharged. ready for life. all because of another book.
crazy I tell you.

day thirty-five /366 :: the hunger games

2012-02-12T19:20:00.000-08:00

got hooked on this book. and well. I got it & finished it on the same day- I mean it’s not exactly a long book, in fact it’s quite short. I got it yesterday at around five or so, and began reading it at seven I believe. I finished it at twelve-fifty.. unable to put it down. it’s a killer read and I really only recommend it if you have time to read it. Because now I’m dying for the next book after that ending (and waiting out the whole last part because I was certain something bad was going to happen to them) good grief.
So the novel itself hooks you in from the first page, and you probably won’t be able to put it down until you finish the whole thing. ugh. what was I thinking not getting Catching Fire. mmhhh.

day thirty-four /366

2012-02-11T19:16:00.000-08:00

I bet you're sighing of relief it's not one of my awful drawings. ;)
I'm still trying to get better at still life. humph.

day thirty-three /366

2012-02-10T19:13:00.000-08:00

woof. I know. three whole days of taking pictures of coloring?!!
this guy is pretty. I drew him based on texture, not on realism.
his shading is the direction the fur is pointing. Have you ever noticed things like that?
pretty cool.

day thirty-two /366

2012-02-09T18:54:00.000-08:00

she's sad. her nose is too big. I need to work on proportions.

day thirty-one /366 :: pastels

2012-02-08T00:03:00.000-08:00

this is a major side effect of having spare time, and being sick. or allergy ridden. or both.
I think it's both though. I'm not a great artist. I just get carried away. And I needed a subject for my 365 project (well, 366.) so.. bam. two seconds.

day thirty /366 :: lack of focus

2012-02-06T22:37:00.000-08:00

my lack of ability to focus a camera today was pretty crazy. I was sick and obviously not seeing clearly (I swear the photos looked focused while I was taking them... at least my settings were decent.. )

and a sneak preview...

day twenty-nine /366 :: yuck.

2012-02-05T21:26:00.000-08:00

we trained with Kai & Megan today! They are really awesome. I was too tired to move and I have this theory that George takes from my energy to get his own and you can imagine how low his energy was. We were walking courses pretty much. I really don't care how awful I feel agility > just about everything sooo... I need to go to sleep or something because my brain is obviously not working. ugh.
but I learned two things from today, 1. stop forgetting your SD card and 2. allergies & attempting to train George are a very tiring combination.

day twenty-eight /366 :: lighting

2012-02-04T23:24:00.000-08:00

essentially, photography is capturing light, and as I found, in some places, getting even halfway-decent photos with below-adequate lighting is an awful feat, and to quite my utter demise, photographs yesterday were less-than my average "decency"

So, I was taking photos at two places with less-than-halfway-decent lighting, one being the sports complex for my brother's soccer game and the other was the restaurant after words, because it was the last game of the season for indoor soccer. Yayyyy, when outdoor comes, then I'll be able to get some decent shots! I really want a new lens... and for your entertainment, I present to you, a gross source of lighting. it was awful, really... you would think, in a sports complex lighting would be at least adequate... oh well. it's all a learning experience, that's what life is, I suppose.

indeed, cruddy lighting caused most of my photos to turn out like this, that is, if they were bright enough. ugh. lighting. (I chose this particular photo because it didn't have any faces... clever, eh?)

day twenty-seven /366 :: what is fear

2012-02-03T23:19:00.000-08:00

I am inevitably and undeniably behind on my 366 project. but that's okay, I'll play catch-up, I always do. So that latter of this post I did actually write upon watching this film/arriving home. I got erm, outvoted to see Woman in Black (as opposed to my preference in the whale movie... what can I say...) so here is what I wrote, yesterday... it was just unpublished because I didn't get the photograph from my phone until today.

I handle “scary” movies in a strange way. Needless to say, the people around me were either laughing hysterically throughout the entire film, or getting irritated by my remarks.
everybody handles things differently, I guess you could say it. So when I was overruled to see this movie (you see, I wanted to see the whale movie, obviously a better choice) I had to make the best of the situation. I don’t do creepy dolls, or ghosts. they don’t seem to phase me, for whatever reason. So whilst we were watching this film I immediately began to reference Harry Potter, as the main character was indeed played by Daniel Radcliffe. I guess I didn’t even catch his character’s name I was too busy referencing Harry Potter. My friend was sitting next to me and she does not react well to horror-type movies so I began to whisper quotations from harry potter movies to her and we’d both burst out laughing. soon, I was saying those harry potter quotes, like “excuse me, can you get me to platform nine and three quarters” and “Dobby, give me the lamp!” and when the ghost-lady was flying around or whatever I attempted to do my best impression of Bellatrix “I killed Sirius Black!”
so overall this move was quite entertaining. the people in front of us turned around multiple times to tell us to shut up (through our bouts of hysterical laughter), all the while some people in the theatre, who couldn’t hear me were screaming. It was quite the movie-going experience, I must say.
I still wish we’d gone to see the whale movie…
and for those of you who do enjoy a good bout of fear, I think this is supposed to be one of the scariest movies this year. I don’t do well with being afraid of things. I guess, like a boggart, the best way to get rid of fear, is laughter. More HP references. good grief, I’m on a roll.

day twenty-six /366

2012-02-02T16:24:00.000-08:00

a photo of something will go here, eventually.

day twenty-five /366 :: icing

2012-02-01T20:00:00.000-08:00

I think maybe this is just the side effects of being stressed out for so long. Or maybe I am just crazy... or some odd mixture of both. For once, I don't have any homework tonight. I finished it all (rather proud of myself for not procrastinating) and somehow, I'm still overly stressed out. Not to mention, I did manage to get out and hang out with friends today. Two accomplishments. I still can't quite figure out why I'm still stressing like a crazy person. It's just worn on me. I need to take a chill pill and shower and sleep maybe. Do some super relaxing things. You know. Hopefully it'll work.

Maybe it's because college is on the brain. constantly. Anxiety mixed with anticipation. The idea that though I'll still be seventeen for like the first month of college, I'll still be *in college* and able to grow as a person. I've also been contemplating random little things that don't really matter until I get there I guess. Like what to bring. I don't think (for at least the first month) that I'll bring my camera, it's just too dangerous to leave it by itself in a dorm room with other human beings. It just seems much to dangerous. So this blog is soon to be filled with a bunch of phone photos /crappy camera photos... but it won't be forever not to mention I might have my camera during breaks and weekends when I go home and such... or I could plan it out after I get used to it. I don't know how long I'll be able to live without my camera though, honestly. Life without my dog AND my camera? ugh I don't even want to think about it, it's like cruel and unusual punishment. yuck.

And above, here is some free advertising for Icing on the Cupcake! Thanks Shelby for this lovely surprise!!!! Mind you, it was delicious, (as most Icing on the Cupcake cupcakes are, they are worth it if you are looking for a delicious cupcake, that's for sure!). Though in the above photo, (now as I see this from another computer, the issue was not nearly as obvious on my monitor's lower definition screen) my photos have a sort of a greenish light to them which is kind of weird, especially for food... but this is true of all of my photo and I have to figure out what's going on because food is supposed to look warm and delicious. Maybe I just need to play with my settings more to make sure the photo looks 'warm' humph. anyways back to the story - Carrying it around all day (because I had to get a photo of it... well... photos..... ) was amusing, random people I didn't know would stop me and ask me if it was my birthday, or tell me happy birthday... or try to steal it. By the end of the day, my day was clearly made (well, especially after the Sam vs. Courtney's car incident, that was really funny too haaaa.. another story for another time perhaps). Now all I have to do is figure out how to calm my insane stress. ugh. why. I think I might go looking for my clay. Hopefully it hasn't hardened, I haven't shaped anything in quite some time. Nor have I done agility in quite some time... for me anyways.

I feel strange going out to the new field like I need an invitation or something... maybe because it's Kristi's house and well at Fran's, I was comfortable because she would come out every now and then and drown me with praise and it felt so good... like she really wanted me to be there. Kristi came out last time when I was playing with George, and I suppose she was flustered but she, too, complimented me. I don't know. I over-think things a lot. George just needs to focus and run. We need to work on that a lot.... and now that I have a car, I should drive us to places he hasn't been /isn't familiar with and work on recall and maybe some one-jump work or something like that. You know, basic stuff! I could do it... and it would help him out too. I think I have a plan. this is why I like blogging so much. My thoughts, instead of staying in my mind, get put on the internet, for all to see. it's kind of a relief thing. which is why I should blog more often. I think.

edit: I guess I am old fashioned.... thanks to Tori for the reference on this one. Linda brings up a good point in this and I'd rather agility be about fun and bonding more than money, because then what are enthusiasts like myself going to do about our less-than-stellar (pun not intended but I'll go with it) dogs over here. But the world is changing.

day twenty-four /366 :: he's a monster

2012-01-31T16:51:00.000-08:00

alas, a George photo! I've been trying to expand my photo skills to thing that aren't George... but now I realize what a lack of the essence of George is actually occurring on this blog and it bothered me! I wasn't having a great day, but nobody cheers me up like my boy, he sits on me (all forty seven pounds of him) and rubs his back against me until I pet him. it's adorable. then he rolls around on the floor like a dork and most of my photos did turn out like the above. Not to mention the lighting in my room sucks so it was incredibly hard to get a halfway decent photo. It was all in good fun though, the dork made my day.

so... there was this creepy monster in my room that played a weird game where he threw up his tennis ball and caught it. it was pretty darn adorable for a furry monster. and shoot me now, look at the noise in this cruddy photo (it's funny still.. hahaha) my room lighting is terrible and I (oops) left my shutter at 1/30,.. f/3.8, ISO 300... so all of the photos turned out almost black., awfully embarrassing, I know. and editing was tough. I increased the brightness/contrast so much. yuck! so let's just say I was going for a vintage effect. or something. hahahh. oops. it's just all play anyways. hmmm so this day is good after all!

day twenty-three /366

2012-01-30T15:28:00.000-08:00

nutella! distorted nutella. yummmmmm. I couldn't figure out what to take a photo of today. ah well.

day twenty-two /366 :: learning

2012-01-29T22:31:00.001-08:00

I have learned that it is better to have an overexposed photo than an under exposed one, it makes editing and life much more simple. hmm.

day twenty-one /366

2012-01-28T22:21:00.000-08:00

"I congratulate you!" I'm almost caught up.

day twenty /366 :: murder, mystery & mayhem

2012-01-27T22:20:00.000-08:00

our lit class theme .

day nineteen /366 :: slacker.

2012-01-26T22:14:00.000-08:00

no excuses, I'm a slacker.

day eighteen /366 :: what's going on, peace and love

2012-01-25T22:01:00.000-08:00

okay, I admit it... I've been a slacker on my 366 project these past two days. Monday I actually had a photo I was going to use, yeah, I was lazy and it was a phone photo but I actually took a photo for that day. But I thought my fake water was cooler. so. I guess that's life.

and don't worry. I have an explanation for such a cliche title. don't worry, I didn't become some cliche monster while I was out creating water displacement filters. I swear, it's still me.

...so here's day eighteen (the "love" part of the title), for real, I took it just now:

yes, I get it, it's still January and we have a while to go before Valentine's day... but my Mom surprised us with the heart candies. Mmm. I don't exactly know now why I picked that heart-candy to take photos of. Actually now, looking back I wish I had actually looked for a decent one... instead of picking the oddball on top. humph. it's just a picture. or two. for my project. ah well. projects.

and now for "peace" ... this odd pill bottle. My Mom had acupuncture done and was prescribed these pills that are to aid your chi. or something. chi, as in inner peace or something, inner balance? what.
I don't actually know, I'm just trying to sound interesting like I actually have something slightly amusing to write about that people just might read. nahhhhhhh I'll just come up with random, really random stuff... sounds like a plan, eh?

day seventeen /366 :: it's Tuesday.

2012-01-24T22:13:00.000-08:00

and more rendering water! yay! this is Ruby Tuesday, appropriate for today, yes?

day sixteen /366 :: lots of fake water.

2012-01-23T08:12:00.000-08:00

I didn't take this photo. I'll put one of mine here eventually.

day fifteen /366 :: still life.

2012-01-22T10:32:00.000-08:00

for my digital art class, we have an assignment to take still life photos... and quite honestly I had no idea what I was getting at with these... but I know that in my front living room, on our chess/checkers table, when it's raining and I set my camera correctly, it gives this eerie blue lighting which is pretty neat.

this plane belongs to my brother, it's number two, of the blue angel fighter jets.

day fourteen /366 & NADAC debut video!

2012-01-21T13:57:00.000-08:00

this rain feels so good!

thirteen /366 :: there's a storm coming, Harry.

2012-01-20T19:45:00.000-08:00

it's Friday, and we're on number thirteen. last week was Friday the thirteenth.
and today was a pretty awesome day... but then again, we just had an inspirational/funny movie marathon so my mood is a bit odd. (in a good way, I hope) I hands down recommend watching the film "The Replacements" it's a wonderful movie about underdogs coming out and rocking because they had heart. Then I practically almost had a melt down driving to panda with my Dad, it was one great song after another and our reoccurring theme song led the playlist (You can't always get what you want, by the Rolling Stones) and I feel completley re-charged and have re-gained my good attitude on life... and agility. I was starting to drag a little there, pouring my energy out between family, newspaper and [attempting to] train George. I guess it takes a lot out of a person to have all of those things to work on and nothing is coming from it yet. I guess you could say it's been a battle, but mine is not nearly as difficult as other's. I can do something about mine and I am doing something about it. I've been told time and time again, with George, with Newspaper, that I'm fighting a loosing battle but you know, I don't see it as so. I think, before you step into a battle, before you step up to the starting like you know if you are going to win or not. It's like that quote, "Winners never quit, quitters never win." I know George might not be the greatest (lol, he's not ;)) but I love him no matter what, he's my best friend... and when we set out on this journey I told him we'd Q. That was my goal and you know what, we Q'd (twice, I might add). And oddly enough, when I checked the stats to see if we'd Q'd or not, or when I picked up his ribbons.... I could care less... but when we ran, and he looked at me like he would run (by run I mean trot this out- George style-) this for me. He didn't have to. He could have gone and run around sniffing scents and ignoring me like he's done in the past. And once he did run for me, it felt like nothing else mattered. Who cared if we Q'd... I certainly didn't. because last time I checked... I didn't start agility because I had the intention to Q. I didn't start agility because I wanted ribbons, or times, or anything like that. I wanted to play agility because it's the most fun game I've ever played with my best friend.
writing this made me feel really good about myself, and about George. and re-watching the videos, our jumpers run was still my favorite. NQ for quite obvious reasons (he went to sniff quite a bit of stuff then I made up my own course) but it was really, really fun and deep, and re-watching it I think it's almost representational of our agility journey.. yeah, we've come across tons of bumps in the road, but here we are, still playing fun and running because we can. It felt really good. You know when agility people say run every run like it'll be your last... well... if that were our last agility run, I'd be happy with that. But it's not. We're going to keep going and practicing and training and playing because I believe in us as a team.

day twelve /366

2012-01-19T21:26:00.000-08:00

it's going to rain!

day eleven /366 :: self portrait

2012-01-18T19:01:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling un creative.

day ten //366 :: it doesn't rain here

2012-01-17T08:49:00.001-08:00

so we learned how to make fake rain in photoshop. haha.

(photo not by me, raindrops are though.)

day nine /366 :: what are running contacts?

2012-01-16T17:05:00.000-08:00

George thinks, if he runs at least most of the way down, Nicole will throw the ball.

day eight /366 :: take a hike!

2012-01-15T21:43:00.000-08:00

Today we went on a hike with Megan & Kai!

George was being very opinionated and vocal as usual. I swear he is my complete opposite (well, except the wavy hair/fur, we have that in common). And I couldn't quite pick a photo for my 366 project... so I guess all of them will do for today.

(below) George, sometimes enough is enough... even Kai is annoyed by your non-stop talking.

(below) this is out of focus, you may or may not be able to tell-but his expression was... well... comical so I had to keep it..

and Kai's amazing new toy deserved a few photos!

day seven /366

2012-01-14T20:37:00.000-08:00

mmm late, but still... not quite so behind...

I have yet to fully photograph this lovely friend of mine.

people say, freedom comes with wheels. mine comes in the form of a jetta.

lovely car, I really do love it!!

well, this was my timed day seven photo ;)
the car was a complete surprise!

6/366 :: superstition

2012-01-13T22:20:00.000-08:00

yes. it's Friday the thirteenth. and quite a few people are superstitious, I not being one of them. In fact, I had a very nice day today. But for some reason (I guess it was the awful lighting) I could not, for the life of me, focus my lens. So I just left the whole thing out of focus.... oh well. So I gave it some retroish effects. enjoy.

day five /365

2012-01-12T22:08:00.000-08:00

well, it's leap year so I suppose it's 366. one more day. I can do this!
I think... it's only day five... today I was running low on inspiration.

drowning in sunsets

2012-01-11T09:26:00.000-08:00

I think, I might as well drown you in sunset photos, as I currently have an excess in such things.
let me be honest here. the only reason I've been keeping up on this 365 thing is because so far is because I've been relying on scheduled posts. hahaha. cheating isn't always bad. I think I'll really get to using it when I get back home... but for now, enjoy last night's spectacular sunset.

and uggs on the beach. I thought that was... slightly ironic.

day four /365

2012-01-11T05:56:00.000-08:00

well, it's day four and I'm still going!

I'm trying my hand at various (free) editing software programs but none really compare to photoshop. I wonder if they still sell CS2... because I think that was my favorite version. CS5's sticky sidebar is... well... too sticky for my liking. hmm the day is only starting...

city by the sea

2012-01-10T12:13:00.000-08:00

San Francisco as the sun is coming up is quite lovely.

even with the fog.

there's a sheltie in the hotel room next door. it's barking like crazy but in some ways I find it comforting... I miss George way too much. We're watching NCIS and NCIS LA right now... it's so good.

I can also hear waves crashing outside. It's a wonderful sound. I love the sea!
Hopefully tomorrow morning I can go out on the beach before we leave for Powergetics

Powergetics is a wonderful place, the energy is strong and productive. You cannot sit and do nothing there! I got so much done it was wonderful... though I am wondering what everyone is doing at school without me.

hmm, until tomorrow!

day three / 365

2012-01-10T06:54:00.000-08:00

woah, I'm keeping up, what?

day three, San Francisco. Where I'll be until Thursday.
and this photo was edited in Lightroom 4! I got the beta version for free until March, so why not?

I'm not sure if I like it though... still figuring it out.

day two /366 :: draw

2012-01-09T16:57:00.000-08:00

I haven't really drawn in a long while but today, I felt the need to.
my random sketches are not very good, but they were fun to do.
on the left is from my fifth period English class... each drawing is somewhat relevant to what we were talking about, except the car. (painfully bored, completley relevant. I was painfully bored)
on the right is from my econ class, mm the hand was originally supposed to be playing the piano but it turned into a keyboard because I got carried away. The odd shaped leopard/ cougar thing was sort of mimicking a photo on the wall. I'm pretty excited to have made it to day two. I think this is locking me in, I mean, if I make it through this week I'll be set!

break the mold.

2012-01-08T23:18:00.000-08:00

what is life to tell you that you can't, to knock you down and refuse to help you up when you fall.
to lift you up and show you the world.. please tell me for I do not understand, life, beyond words is something myself, I, cannot comprehend. Many question it's reason, it's wonder, it's why? Yet, who are we to question such things, as when the rain falls, and thunder strikes, there is nothing we can do to make it stop. Who are we to create such answers and drop blame into the open arms of others. It is not our place to blame, hate, nor tell what is just and what isn't. We are young, untested against the will of time... and only time, will tell.

day one /365 :: you can't always get what you want...

2012-01-08T23:03:00.000-08:00

but you can try some time, you just might find,

you get what you need. -Rolling Stones

yes! rice crispy treats! they look kind-of odd in the photo, but I liked the lighting so I went for it. I think the majority of my photos today were oddly underexposed... which usually I see too it that my photos are brighter... just because it has a happier connotation, now looking at these, they all look slightly gloomy.

Today, we got to play agility with Megan and Kai!! George was finally beginning to relax... usually when we practice at Fran's field, he is edgy and won't play with his ball or his recall isn't as great as it would be in places where he is comfortable, but today, his recalls were great, he was playing and he even tugged with his ball! As for his A-Frame, we'll be working groundwork so he remembers to add his second stride... and his dogwalk... he's quite enthusiastic about his dogwalk... I think mainly as long as he gets his striding, and I maintain criteria it will turn out well. ahh!

So, you've probably guessed by now... I've stumbled upon a treasure! My Dad's old Polaroid Camera, there are six pieces of film left... and no batteries. I'm not in a hurry to waste the film, but I thought it was a fun subject, and now that I look at these photos, it reminds me of Wall-E.

so, erm, I've been thinking about trying the 365 project. one photo. every day. for a whole year. I mean, trying it does not mean that I'll have to complete it... it's just an idea. but ideas have to start so below is my first out of three hundred and sixty five.

well. this thought, too, has been bugging me for quite some time. Wordpress versus Blogger... what do you think? it's been three years now and I still can't decide. three years of keeping up on two blogs and trying to decide on which I liked more, that idea amuses me greatly. but still., which do you like better?

I don't have anything clever to say about New Year's

2011-12-31T20:52:00.000-08:00

(okay, fine, when the sun comes up tomorrow I'll take pictures with George and these things.. I am just too lazy and I didn't have a picture to put here. oh the excuses...)

happiness is a choice, to be- or not to be happy is a decision we must make every day.
well, today… today… today…
This was a Secretariat weekend, I've watched it twice so far this weekend... so enjoy the movie references, I thought it fit.
today, new years eve, was George’s NADAC debut.

“This is not about going back. This is about life being ahead of you and you run at it! Because you never know how far you can run unless you run. ” -Penny Chenery

I walked into this trial, expecting nothing from him. I told myself that it didn’t matter if we Q’d, all we had to do was learn and have fun. So, right off the bat was Chances… which we blew. the run in itself was erm, not really a run. I started then he got distracted, what’s new? After which too many people were complaining about his never ending need to describe his feelings so I took him and crated him in the car (which to everyone’s content he fell fast asleep). It seemed like hours had gone by when we walked the first Standard Run… I liked walking it, it was very smooth and simple and the positioning of the contacts was perfect. So, soon shortly, we were on the line. The run flowed nearly as neatly as I walked it. He jogged at a steady pace and focused on me. He ducked out of the A-Frame the first time (my fault, I was standing awkwardly..) but I brought him back over and his derpy running contacts were lovely. His dogwalk was erm, very derpy but he was grinning the whole time so I thought it wasn’t completley awful. We Q’d and got first. I thought I was seeing things, I had to check our score twice and I still didn't believe it. Mmmm that set the tone for our next run.
Standard two was standard one backwards. (that was a confusing sentence… sorry hah) Anyhow, as much as I liked standard 1, standard 2 was going to pretty much rock. so it did. He did his weird canter-like stride throughout this course, I guess he was just waking up or something ;). Hit his contacts, had a nice A-Frame performance and decent weaves. Over all a decent run… yeah… and we got a Q, 1st! again?!

He’s slower than a fat man encased in concrete being drug backwards. -Lucien Laurin

NQ & 6th for tunnelers. We got 2 faults. ehh. this scoring kind of confused me, the judges cheered like I Q’d but when I went to check- apparently not. it was a really fun run though.
NQ for Touch N Go, we really need to work discrimination’s. oh so badly.
E for Excellent in Jumpers ;)! Welp, massive off course… but my made up course was much more fun. I think I did like five rear crosses in a row. lol. it was pretty darn awesome. Not to mention some hugging and playing in the ring was required and worth it. Probably the greatest way to end the day.

It’s not whether they think we won. It’s whether we think we won. -Chris Chenery

and won, we have. I am quite excited about how this trial came out.
I think the best part was celebrating during and after every run, no matter how awfully we did (or not..) and I genuinely felt good about every run (well, not including chances… hahaha;))
and a million thanks to Megan!

I don't know what I'm looking for...

2011-12-29T02:46:00.000-08:00

however, I'm certain I haven't found it yet. There is this odd sense of longing looming over me like a shadow and I feel as though time has been pulled out from under my feet, causing me to fall. Ironically, it also seems as though time is dragging by slowly, as a cat would creep up on it's prey... almost ready to pounce.

So, in a sense, I've been on edge. Little things make me tick, and I keep questioning if I'm doing the right thing. Second guessing myself, over and over and over again! Should I be doing this, or would this have turned out better had I acted on that? Yet still, I'm finding no answers.
I realize, this talk is all very vague. I didn't quite exactly mean it to be that way. But at the moment, that's how I am seeing life right now. quite vaguely. Maybe that's the answer I was looking for.

"This is about life, how it's ahead of you, and how you have to run at it- with the passion to win" Secretariat.

This afternoon, George and I trained with Megan & Kaiya... it was a wonderful training day., and now I have a list of things to improve on my handling. It felt good to run, and that course felt pretty awesome. I'm also getting really excited about the consistency of George pouncing into the contact on the A-Frame... I still need a cue word for it, but called a hoop "over" on course a few times, he gets the gist from my body language. but I still want a cue word.. and he's being hesitant about running up the slatted side, which since I'm pretty sure we'll be staying in NADAC will be fine... I couldn't figure out what was getting him though (maybe because I was hesitating and didn't realize it? Now I can't quite recall..) nor was his dogwalk perfect but I may think (at the spark of the moment thing) have him hold a 2o/2o because his is reliable and his dogwalk isn't even close to being trained. (though we worked it on the ground today)

"I don't care how many times they say no, I don't care how many times they tell us we can't do it. Our horse will win and they can't tell us otherwise." Secretariat.

so... about these Secretariat quotes... this movie is easily becoming among my favorites- and not just because it is about racehorses, but because I can relate to the little things they say and do, their never ending pursuit and determination renews my own. It makes me feel good after watching.... which is why I spent ten dollars buying it on itunes just now... humph. anyhow, afterwords it leaves you with this feeling that you can do anything if you work at it. The odds were against them and still, they managed to show the world no fear as they pushed forwards without the slightest bit of hesitation they managed to conquer what the rest of the world deemed impossible.

so, now I'm tired and I'd rather not conclude this... but looking forward to 2012. It'll be my last year as a junior, so I want to trial as much as possible with the cost of runs being lowered. I want to actually get together some sort of plan out my future.
good night!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T23:22:00.000-08:00

well. I haven't downloaded photos from my camera yet, so enjoy an older one ;)

five days until Christmas

2011-12-20T13:31:00.000-08:00

and what on earth am I doing? I'm not done shopping, I'm certainly not ready for the holidays yet! Anyhow, I forgot to mention, I got what I really needed, and just in time too (God's looking out for me). I got a crate in almost perfect condition for $20. How do I get so lucky?

Since I'm stuck at home and this is the only thing on my mind, I might as well tell you. George's debut this New Year's Eve is official, for real this time (unless I pull out at the last second, but that's not likely., I think we're ready... and we've been ready, but not confident ready. I think we are this time.) So, because this is my last year as a junior, and I don't expect us to Q (this trial anyways), if we do, keep an eye out for flying pigs...haha. I've signed us up for Regular 1 & 2, Jumpers, Chances, Hoopers, TNG, and Tunnelers. I could not be more excited. Well, it'll probably grow as the date approaches. Now all I need is a parent signature (the only ehh thing about being a JH) and a postage stamp and it's off!!
(shhh but this is probably the best Christmas present everrrrrrrr! debuting on New Year's Eve!!!)

the greatest leash, of all time

2011-12-16T21:51:00.000-08:00

did I mention it's our colors? and it's so well braided, and my Mom didn't even believe that Megan made it. ahhh it's gorgeous. I'll stop talking and let you do the drooling.

George is even licking his lip to say thank you. THANK YOU MEGAN!!!

I could not be more excited , it's on my nightstand right now.

so apparently, today I was not coordinated enough to tell George to hold the leash and take a photo at the same time, so I had to be creative... look at him begging. eye boogers, hehe.

You may have guessed, because we did get together with Megan & Kaiya today, we got to do agility!!!! It's always more fun when Megan and Kai are there. ~~I think~~ today, for that reason, was the highlight of this week. I also learned that I need to be a better handler and a better communicator. George was doing exceptionally well, he was so enthusiastic about training he whined the whole way there in the car, his tail wagging so fast his whole backside was shaking back and forth- it was pretty adorable. So, communication. We some backyard dogs work from CR and I (a) need to teach George a 'real' lead out and (b) need to learn how to follow through with my handling. But it's good. I'm learning and so is he!

(then afterwords we went and looked at lights, I got some photos but I'd rather go to sleep right now.... so. tired.)

"Stop the press!"

2011-12-14T23:57:00.000-08:00

today, after finals the editors and our teacher decided to take a trip to visit the press where our paper gets printed....

Cav showing us something...

the original Auburn Journal newspaper & printing press

Newspapers!!

this machine above stuffs the paper with inserts (like flyers) automatically

these giant columns (covered in brown paper or just plain white) are the paper that is used in the actual printing

know what CMYK stands for? this is how the printer works: it divides the colors into Cyan, Magenta, Yellow & Black (K) and the paper runs through the color to be dyed a certain way, after it has been run through the colors it gets filtered out via plates

above is a paper going through magenta and below is one going through black

above are Shelby (Entertainment Editor) and Sara! (Editor in Chief), gasping at a paper that is still quite magenta.

above we are discussing the option to move to thirty-eight pound paper.

above, talking about ways to innovate our newspaper in the meeting room...

and below, this is how I study for a government final.

soon, it'll be Christmas

2011-12-13T09:48:00.000-08:00

some digital art from today... I think this may end up being my montage for the final.

I like it very much, I took all of the images in it,... so I guess it qualifies (the book is One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, if anyone is curious). I am feeling overly uninspired, drained, and unmotivated lately, perhaps it's senioritis but I'm not quite "tired of high school" - I'm just tired. The days seem to drag on and on, except, well, the ones where I have what I would call a social life. In those cases it goes by smoothly and happily.

Christmas must be in the air, though I have yet to get that feeling of excitement, for now it's only wishing for more time to get presents as I rush to get them all before this wonderful holiday.

To my disappointment, there has been a huge lack of agility - or any real training for that matter- thanks to finals and other stuff (time is restrained and I erm, pulled some strings to get out last friday... needless to say it was worth it, but not completley er- within the rules.) I suppose I could pull something like that for agility, but I know myself all too well. I'll be gone for hours and hours, we may not actually get anything done, but we will be at an agility field. that's how my brain pretty much works. These past few days... without agility (or really 'real' dog training), I've been going through withdrawals (I guess you could call them that) where no matter what I'm doing, my mind is on the subject of "why am I wasting my time doing [insert tedious task here] when I could be training [insert trick/ agility skill here]." I'm not the only one going crazy here either, George is behaving brattier than ever, until he sees what looks like a clicker, or hears keys jingle, or sees his *pink* agility leash, then his whole backside swings back and forth and he runs in circles and gives tons of play bow's.

Which leads me to the subject of college... how am I going to survive again? Someone please explain this to me because for some reason, I see my (and George's) mental states being compromised. No amount of agility videos could possibly help soothe the torture... but we're only a little crazy., and a little crazy isn't too bad... right?
ah, well, I'll have to figure it out. Just don't ask me the amount of times I've contemplated getting a small dog who's breed isn't known to be exceedingly noisy.. to sneak into college with me. Too many times this week. In fact, since I've reminded myself... yes.. I have a plan. sort-of. Not too long ago, I wouldn't have even considered these smaller dogs... but times have changed... hmmm, yes, I probably should stop talking. I'm turning myself psycho.I can do it. Lots of college kids get by... right? Perhaps after a year I can find someone to share an apartment with or something. Then problem solved. Just a year, I can do it... I think... not to mention, holidays and weekends... I can just distract myself somehow, try to be like Hermione and just do homework and study until my brains burst. So, um, while you're judging me for being a crazy person, I'd like for you to roll your eyes, sigh and say/think "oh it's just Nicole, getting carried away writing again.." whilst, had you been reading my blog a while, you know... that happens occasionally... I have my moments. especially with the lack of anything going on, there was a potential hazard.
Speaking of Christmas (notice how I tactfully change the subject, haha) here is our Christmas card photo!
Merry Christmas from my family to your's!

... and did I mention how unreasonably excited I am now about this new layout? It's awesome.
...or, what do you think?

thanks Megan!!

2011-12-03T15:41:00.000-08:00

so this morning my Mom surprised me with two discs, filled with photos & videos...
from Megan!!! Obviously, with an awesome surprise like that, what else was there to do than to start editing & playing with such amazing content... Megan is a very talented photographer so her photos didn't need much editing, but here are a few to hold you over.
(thank you Megan!!!!! you made my day!!!)

(above, my little monster & below, hahaa..)

and I don't think I could post these without beautiful Kai...
ahh George is so scruffy and she's so beautiful.
this photo is hilarious.

thank you!! videos shall be posted soon too!

giving thanks

2011-11-25T21:31:00.000-08:00

this is one of those timer-quick-run-it's-about-to-take-the-picture-I-hope-it's-in-focus shots. Achieving halfway-decent shots like this is quite complex and can take a lot of hands and effort, making running and posing even harder. I'm the one on the bottom row with the long hair and grey sweater.

I’m feeling quite mystified… more like a weird mixture of materialistic wishes, (I suppose you could call them this-) ‘health’ wishes and being thankful for what I have. Oddly enough, I think I get a lot out of holidays where family gets together. It really puts things into perspective.

I spent the yesterday and the majority of today with my cousins, we mostly messed around, not too many deep thoughts, just certain situations that made me grateful for what I had at home, a stable, consistent household in a beautiful town where you don’t have to worry about taking a walk around the block-or most places here. We joked around, cooked a lot, and watched a ton of movies, all while jokingly making ‘Christmas lists’ (mine includes all of 1. Wire Crate for George, because we gave ours away ages ago and I can’t afford to buy one. help. me. Santa! lol.)

When we got home tonight, I proceeded to admire the warmth and beauty of ‘home’ and enjoyed the feeling of appreciation for it all. There really is no place like home. We unpacked, ate dinner and relaxed when my feeling of appreciation for what I had was soon about to get larger.

(a pumpkin cupcake, created by Noelle)

The green light on the answering machine was blinking. We played it and the voice of my aunt soon came on, wishing us a happy thanksgiving. then that of my uncle.
you see, nothing is ever as bad as it seems, when you get a call from your uncle who is temporarily living in Texas, getting treatment for Leukemia- who, for the record still was in great spirits as he got to go celebrate with his wife and daughters.

So it really puts things in perspective. Yeah, you don’t get along with your brother/parent/friend/acquaintance- but it doesn’t mean your whole life is terrible.
anddd, also a point I’d like to make- Nothing good comes from pity, it is all about the attitude. Because really, you can do anything you set your mind to. So why not do it?

yes, Rocky (above) I know, I probably should blog more, and I probably should also learn how to use (and not completley hate) my flash. oh dear. Happy Holidays

playing with lights

2011-11-19T16:09:00.000-08:00

photography is simply writing with light.

well. I had not tried this yet (knowingly) so when I took my camera along to go photograph the Lions' soccer end-of-season-banquet I decided to snap some shots of the light. and play with it....
first off, is the traditional bokeh dots, lovely lights out of focus.

these two below are both the rainbow bridge!

more awesome random drive-by lights.

and for the banquet... pizza at round table!

and someone already has Christmas decorations up?!

tonight is Kimmie's birthday dinner, so happy early 18th birthday!!:)

Proofs!!!!

2011-11-03T22:20:00.000-07:00

I know this makes two posts for one day, but I just got the email from Susan and, well,
this guy is a great photographer...

ahh I want the above & below pictures... but $15 for a picture is kind of a lot.
...but these pictures...

and below. because it's really funny. hahahaha me.

I'm all in pieces, you can have your own choice.

2011-11-03T20:41:00.000-07:00

But I can hear a heavenly band full of angels
And they’re coming to set me free

I guess my feet know where they want me to go

-James Taylor

a wonderful adventure of stress- today was. I did, however get to go to Color Me Mine and paint to get pictures for an advertisement going in the newspaper.

it felt odd, but good feeling versatile enough to be able to adjust to another camera (especially since I haven't used anything but my d-slr for a longgg time)

settings were easier than pie. I kept my flash off (I strongly dislike flash) and my macro on. Makes taking pictures easier, and works well even in poor lighting.

lighting was wonderful though. and we had fun.

not to mention, it rained!!!!!

using this camera was fun (it's a Cannon G11) but I think I'll stick to my slr's... thank you very much.

I still find it amusing that when I walked outside I looked at the sky and grinned. perfect lighting. I wish I our portrait project wasn't due yet for digital art- today was a perfect shooting day.

good night- and did I mention how happy I am for this weekend to come?
my lack of motivation to do anything is driving me crazy.

1.11.11

2011-11-01T23:03:00.000-07:00

I think it might be the showing signs of a possible oncoming obsession. I hope not. I just think Kai is gorgeous, and I do have a lot of good photos of her.

Well, I did spend my entire digital art class creating this (and a to-be-finished one of George..)

it was really fun. I love photoshop. so yesterday I got a letter from CSUMB. This makes two colleges so far who've sent me letters in regards to my applications. I've also gotten emails but the letters in paper seem so much more official. That weird feeling when I'm holding a letter from a college in my hands thinking about life and how fast it's going by.

today is the first day of the rest of your life.

happy halloween

2011-10-31T21:34:00.000-07:00

for my defense- these are from the howl-o-ween fun match!

but Megan posted some pictures of George and Kai on facebook, so I felt at liberty to steal them.

oh what to do.

anyways- Megan is amazing. I hope she reads this and smiles, because she really is.

thank you for the pictures... I'm sorry I stole them.

I think she could teach me a thing or two about cameras. I love her lighting in all of them. love. love. love. love ! it's brilliant, the diluted greyness of it all. That probably made no sense to anyone but me. It's gorgeous.

above, Kai, I just felt weird without including her.

so today was wonderful! I didn't really celebrate halloween, instead I talked with my dad about making a change in this world... in regards to fuel and energy and such. It was a brilliant conversation and now my head is spinning with ideas (better write those down... )

the above picture captures George's attitude for that whole day perfectly. He was just having fun, and I'm glad. I don't think I'd have it any other way- especially with George. I know some dogs are work-oriented, but he is for sure play oriented. and prey oriented. He spent most of the time (when we were taking pictures) sniffing for signs of other dogs marking/prey. He would have gone crazy if he knew there were mice and birds on the other side of the building.

and below, my absolute favorite picture. His big smile, and drool and eager eyes... it's just so George! I think it's ~~all~~ most of his personality crammed into one photograph.
ahh Megan! Major talent!!!

exposure 1/250 sec and f-stop f/5 (noted for future reference // thanks megan!!!! x a million!)

alert!: more pictures from Megan!

daww! George plus my breast cancer awareness bracelet (rip, it broke in the shower. darn.) that only lasted for the month of october: breast cancer awareness month... anyone else find that odd?

my goodness I don't think I can emphasize how much I love these photos.
it's a totally new experience when you see someone else shooting your dog.

thanks again for the pictures Megan!
I feel like a complete slacker, I didn't post any pictures from today.

match weekend!!!

2011-10-30T09:00:00.000-07:00

yes. this was yesterday- and in my opinion the greatest day ever. again.

why? well. we had the greatest match ever, I came in with next to no expectations and George amazed me.
and now that I think about it... see that red dog? I think this is their blog. (fantastic pictures!)

but for sure, the results of this means in a few weeks (hopefully) will be George's NADAC debut!

and now, I present our lovely tunnelers-game video! This was our first run of the day and I had no idea what to expect. I walked the course trying to figure out my course more than anything... it turned out really fun though! And this is just the start of George blowing my mind.

Kaiya was bored, this was before any of her runs... I think she would have won the tunnelers game had she run. ;)

We met a new friend!!! Kim (I think is her name...) my goodness I'm terrible with names.
her dog did get first in the twenty-four weave pole challenge (or second?) though!!!

George also did the weave race, we ran it twice but sadly only the second one got filmed. He's never done twenty four weaves before! His first try, I did push him for speed and he popped once or twice, but in his second attempt I didn't push him and he didn't pop! eeek!

oh our many attempts at taking a good portrait of all four of us.

and yes, it is George's job to make a face in every picture.

...now he's laughing...

I decided that for our first Jumpers run, I'd run the Novice course (since we had a choice and the courses were nested- I walked both) I was now starting to feel confident that he would listen..

and a whippet. My mom kept commenting about how much she loved his structure.

George relaxing... wait, what?

and an awesome Mal,

after that awesome first jumpers course I decided why not. It's just a fun match (not to mention by now I was making bets that he could make the toughie part of the course out of the blue tunnel...) and I really wanted to try all of the fun crosses.... this run was so much fun. ahhh! I wish it were in focus.

and now, prepare to be bombarded by photos of one of the most beautiful dogs...

okay, I won't bombard you with all of the pictures...

Now standard was inside!! I did a few reps on the A-Frame with him which, well, we haven't worked the A-Frame in a while so I didn't expect a whole lot. I was just happy he didn't completley freak out when I picked him up. I also decided to try him on the full sized dogwalk for the first time. I'm so glad I did!! Of course I'm still going to work on his Running Contacts (more so now!) but now I know I will be able to do standard, because he is somewhat confident on it!

he even slept in his crate.

slightly obsessing over this aussie's extension... gorgeous...

yesterday was amazing... I'm so excited to start trialing and I hope to do more updates on how his running contacts are looking!!

Special thanks to Megan, Mrs. Miller & My Mom!!!

and congrats to Kai & Megan for getting into Splash Dog Finals this weekend!!

People aren’t remembered by the styles they followed, but the trends they set.

2011-10-10T08:34:00.000-07:00

the weekend is over

2011-10-09T23:10:00.000-07:00

what a busy weekend.

and I was planning to work on college apps- like I had time...

and I don't really feel like waiting hours for my ginormous photos to upload from my camera...

so enjoy, the beauty of instagram...

p.s. congrats to the USA World Agility Team, you guys rock.
To Ashley & Luka, the gold. dang... and Tori & Rev, that jumpers was amazing..
I didn't get to watch all of the runs, but I hear everyone did wonderfully.

happiness!

2011-10-06T21:34:00.001-07:00

well, of course I'd say yes!!!

and thank you Courtney for the picture

the wind blew and the rain fell

2011-10-04T23:01:00.000-07:00

and I became an artist once more.

below is an outtake, but I need to learn to m/focus faster. because a/focus doesn't work in poor lighting.

yay, more edits!!

2011-10-03T08:44:00.001-07:00

yesterday

2011-10-02T16:33:00.000-07:00

and because you need a video...

so my horoscope today was right

2011-10-01T23:28:00.000-07:00

"you will be tested" it said, but today was also ranked a nine, extremely high.

well. creepy and correct. SAT's today. We had a proctor who was twitching the entire time and on her phone, either not being able to breathe through a laughing attack or making weird faces.

then agility.

I have a ton more photos, but I'll post them tomorrow, when I'm not about to fall asleep.

H a p p y [estimated] B i r t h d a y G e o r g e ! ! ! !

(the point, George, is to HIT the contact-yellow- but apparently it's poison. humph.)

...he actually didn't do too bad, this is one of two photos of him stretching to miss the "HIT!!!"

aspire to inspire

2011-09-28T22:32:00.000-07:00

-another life 'aspiration' for me. ah. so many.

"some folks are born to wave a flag" -CCR, Fortunate Son, apparently tonight's theme song....

so I've got some edits of the photos from yesterday

they're getting there. I still need some help with my editing. it's a bit..

...interesting...
anyhow, today has been great, it went by much too fast.
we watched a video about Richard Avenaugh (sp?) in digital art- it was really, really, good.
so.. um, we managed to watch a movie in all of my classes today.
I'm a bit stressed for tomorrow, I've got so much to do. newspaper... newspaper.. newspaper. Great class. Just tons to do, you see, we're going to press on Friday.

I'm bummed that I missed out on the photography club meeting but I had youth group tonight which was really fun.... ahh there are not enough hours in a day.

I'm so tired. good night...

save the world

2011-09-27T22:38:00.000-07:00

this one is going out to the world team, rock in France, okay.
that wasn't a question.

anyhow, I had five minutes and the sun was still up so we have some pictures! Excitement, not my boring usual stuff you know

I'm trying to focus faster. And I actually used treats *shocker* for the first time today to get George to pose, and I was pretty happy with my results

I won't lie... I wanted today to go by fast, but not that fast. It just blew past,
there was so much to do, so little time. My brain went haywire as it usually does and I manage to work the impossible under a large amount of stress. But I did it. Life goes on, I hope tomorrow drags on for a while....

he looks so sly. I get to sit and stay and I get treats, omg what a concept!
so... yeah, we practiced stand stays today, I suppose you figured that out. Just stays in general.

yeah, he did pretty well. He's good at generalizing stuff, sort-of.

so, on a super happy note, Hayden is back!!!!

okay, he spotted the other piece of bacon and looked at that instead. argh. but you get the idea right?

he is so weird... my dog rocks.

lots of thoughts going through my head, it's very unlike me to write them all, as this is what my blog is for but I'm feeling very.... unable to write them down, I almost feel as I need to keep thinking them through.

which I do, so you just get to enjoy the pictures

focus on his paw is intentional. I wouldn't have posted it if it wasn't- or I'd make in an "outtake" hah.

see, below is an outtake, but too funny to resist posting-

want a fun, George-fact?

he is more vocal than all the shelties I know combined, and that's a lot of shelties.

so, farewell for now!

2011-09-27T08:39:00.001-07:00

anticipation has it's short-comings

2011-09-26T22:14:00.000-07:00

This morning, I could feel the rain, smell the rain... I even had a dream about rain (and agility... ) last night! But what's new? it didn't rain. I mean it's still September, so we're not even supposed to be anticipating rain until mid-October, but still, I could be hopeful.

I also think trying to predict the weather here is overrated. it just doesn't happen.
So... today went by really fast, (probably because it was a busy day) and didn't enable me to display my usual gallery of odd photos... maybe tomorrow, I tell myself... maybe tomorrow.

but for now, I'm tired... so back to Gov flash cards...

two hundred posts later...

2011-09-25T22:13:00.000-07:00

this is my 200th post on this blog!!
Today I thought about the future, and I got to have dinner with Camryn, who I haven't seen in much too long (We need to do such things more often, next time chinese food and oreo's)
and see my "s" key, it's obviously fooling you... or trying to, but when I type "s" too quickly...

things like this happen, actually, the key usually flings off and you're left wondering what just happened. I don't know, I think it's just dell computers and dysfunctional s-keys, this happens pretty frequently, so I wasn't too worried... and by now I'm pretty sure I know how to fix it.

so, deep thought today on the future... where I'm going to go for college,
how life is going to look and change and some serious lining up of pros and cons of going straight to a four-year versus a JC

it was so close to raining today, I got so excited rain was in the air, it was cool, overcast and it even smelled like rain... but the rain never came. Soon, soon, the rain will come!

but for now... good night!
p.s. Hayden, come back!!!

untitled

2011-09-24T19:59:00.000-07:00

night two of listing to Folsom Live blaring outside. I'm trying to tune it out and do some homework, I'm still having issues with my government notebook, I'm missing one page of WTP Q&A stuff...ick...

we went out to breakfast at ihop, we haven't gone out to breakfast in so long! it was pretty cool, then we went and drove around some JC's and looked at cars at Sierra... where I saw the coolest Mini Cooper. Sorry about the phone shot, it still looks halfway decent, right? It plus a bright yellow BMW from Europe (with plates still) were the coolest cars there... in my opinion...

I also did more a-frame groundwork with George, and attempted working with him on his stand stay, he was slightly confused as "stay" typically means he's sitting or lying down (his down stay is the most reliable I think.. ) so... interesting... we're going to build more on it. Hopefully, Tuesday I'll go to the field again and practice more while Sean's at soccer....
I'm so tired. Time is going by too fast, all though I'm really looking forward to the fall weather!
good night!

it all starts to come together

2011-09-23T23:26:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting here at my laptop feeling awfully exhausted despite the mug full of black coffee I just had and trying to get my brain to stop stressing about all the things I'm forgetting to do. It doesn't feel like Friday at all, but I'm so glad it is. If only it would just register in my brain. Don't get me wrong though, today was a wonderful day, not as close to last 'weekend' of agility craziness... I want to go for another lesson this upcoming week so badly!!! ahh. but today.... I hope you don't mind this disconnected post, it will make sense eventually.

at school, the seniors had the senior meeting! There were people who talked about Sober Grad and our graduation, but then there was this man who came to talk to us about how we were going to change the world.
His name is Mr Hawkins and he said "Dreams never leave us, we give up on dreams"
In a sort of secret way the way he spoke reminded me so much of the Bible. I couldn't think but help of the story of the children. I usually don't preach like this, but I thought the connection was neat and the literal thought was very interesting.

in the Bible (this is from memory.... feel free to correct me): Jesus stops in a town and children come to see him, the apostles begin to tell the children off and send them away but Jesus stops them, reaching out and saying we should all become like children.

children can be wise, they don't judge people on race, they don't care how much money one has or what their grades are, they don't care what other people really think unless it hurts them in some way, they only want to be happy. Happiness is their goal.

and here, grown adults are telling us that to become what we now label 'success' we must go to college and get a fine, money making career and a good job. That's all that matters to them, but their forgetting the basic fundamentals of truly being 'successful' to be a success, wouldn't that mean being happy with what you have and who you've become? A child would know that, but a grown person, I beg to differ.

These same people tell us to hold off or forget about our dreams, if we don't hold onto our dreams... then what do we have? Where are we? Certainly not successful.... we just have money.

Why can't we follow our dreams, our hearts, for that's what we were originally here to do, because had God intended us to make money for him (a human creation by the way) the world would be a totally different place. Why can't we learn to strive for happiness in everything we do?

and after we've achieved our dreams, why can't we help others?
Isn't that what we did as children? If our classmate fell of the monkey bars, would you help them?

there's some deep thoughts to think about.

I'm going to leave you with a few more photos before I publish and go to sleep.... I am so tired right now, coffee doesn't do anything for my energy....

good night!

these stories of dreamers

2011-09-22T19:58:00.000-07:00

firstly, before I get all deep into this post, I have to wish Hayden good luck- he's doing a triathlon in Utah.

so, I went crazy trying to find glue to finish my Government (class) notebook...
and spotted my camera (through these endless empty glue sticks..)

and I found my little gadget (he's called Spinney) from the Exploratorium in San Francisco...
so, I've been searching for inspiration, there are two things I need right now- a good silhouette, and a photo that has 'diversity' all over it. and not just something as simple as the flower one, yeah it's pretty but it's so 'whatever' I want them to stop and stare, and give it some good thought. not just, it's just another picture... whatever type thing. argh!

from day to day, you hear stories about dreamers, or entrepreneurs who had a vision and went for it. After hearing such things, one usually feels awed or inspired, to try to create something of their own... to have their own vision...

but what one doesn't see, is the harsh reality of one of those dreamers. You wonder why we pause in awe as we think of such people, who followed their dreams and made a big change, they had a hard battle to get where they got.

but they didn't give up, did they?

I think that's my motto for life: never give up.

but then today and most other days snaps me back to reality. I know it's an uphill climb. I know I can't sit back and watch the world go by. I've got to do something, make something from every day- because in reality- our days are numbered.

we only get one shot, one chance, to make the right chance. We can't go back- we can't look back... we've got to keep moving forward. There is no point to stopping and looking back, making wishes what you could have/ would have done.

So now what.

I keep thinking back Sunday's sermon.

Don't compare yourself to those more successful, you're setting yourself up for failure

"Look, if you had one shot, one opportunity- this is everything you ever wanted, would you capture it? or just let it slip..." Eminem.

good night! (although I recon I still am looking for inspiration... )
and still dreaming about agility... maybe this weekend.....

from July // unpublished photos

2011-09-21T23:08:00.000-07:00

I haven't taken pictures in two days, there must be something wrong...

no, I'm just crazy busy. So enjoy some flashbacks from July which I was too embarrassed to upload because I can't seem to master a point and shoot? um.... enjoy.

yeah. lots of dogs. I find it amusing to take pictures of random people's dogs wherever we go. they're just so... interesting.

and overly-friendly sea gulls, I was this close to this bird. He probably would have let me touch his wings.

this dog lady had like five dogs, not being judging or anything... but she walked back and forth the beach with them. Kind of entertaining watching them. (three were on a leash, two were running around near them, see the sheltie at the bottom of the page and another older looking GSD who was slowly dragging along behind them)

and this golden was so enthusiastic about everything her owner wanted to do. I think that's just part of the breed standard, they're just so excited about people.

yum, chai. the closest thing to coffee I'll buy from a coffee shop.
so good though.

sorry you may have to cran your neck sideways, this looks like it came from a fairy tale, right?

newspapers!!!

CRAZY hats at this tourist trap- pretty neat though, I was slightly tempted, but then I decided against it, I'd never wear one (not to mention they were way overpriced!)

really liked these glasses. the squares and the colors were pretty cool, but I already have sunglasses.

focus is right.

this was on a chair outside of a shrimp-type-restaurant with a huge waiting line...

I told you, I'm only slightly obsessed.

hope you enjoyed the flashback, maybe I'll take pictures of stuff tomorrow!
Good Night!

greatest day ever

2011-09-19T22:24:00.000-07:00

almost. I didn't get any pictures/ videos/ proof of any kind except I'm twenty dollars short of what I was an hour ago, but totally worth it, more than worth it.
So today was a great day in general. Then after school, layout, got work done. So then, George and I attended our first agility class ever. Megan (thank you times a million, you're the best!!!) brought us along for a drop-in class. I walked in, with no expectations, my heart soaring and my actions cautious. So we walk around, George gets all foamy and excited, I sort-of expect this behavior by now, new place with dogs = tons of drool. but his drool bubbles when he drools too much. Typical George.
So after some relaxing, much sniffing and peeing, we go inside and set up our soft crates. George beats the shelties in being the most vocal dog there, a few dogs reply his excited barks and whines, but that's it. He's all alone, enjoying his own voice. I kind-of chuckle to myself, he really does love the sound of his own voice... but then I hope also that he's not driving anyone crazy. I introduce myself, and warn them of his love for his own voice. They smile. A good sign. I always have my back up plan, keep him on his leash and hopefully he'll calm down a bit... hopefully. So I brought pancakes for treats, he favors them over his ball. (surprising, but true)
We go over the first mini course, George knows his weaves but I'm debating in my head telling Kathi. I do, So I walk the with-weaves course, (sorry, my course is pretty off, scale wise..)

So when the 16 jump height came around I got George out. No criteria, I told myself. I'll just reward him like crazy if he responds. But he seemed to be responding, so I thought, maybe, just maybe.
So I put him at a sit-stay (which, he broke, okay, now I know it's normal George talking) So I put him back in sit-stay and he breaks it, so I just go with it. and bam, he misses the second jump and shoots for the tunnel. Right now my mind is going crazy- I kind of want to jump up and down, like "hey guys, did you see that?! He shot for the tunnel?!!!!" but then Kathi backed me up (whew, and put me in a decent mindset. Criteria, this is class, not a match/ trial, Nicole) So I put him back in a sit stay behind jump two (see diagram) sent him towards the tunnel, pulled off a decent front cross and sent him through the weaves. I honestly didn't expect anything. So when he didn't hit his entry, I wasn't worried. I pulled him back, one more time and he got it, I didn't push him so he didn't pop. Over jump six and I'm pull a rear cross. Nice cross, but are you trusting that he'll be reliable in a new setting like this? I even pushed him. He popped. So I re set, gave him some space, and pushed him again. Pop! So I re set him and laughed at myself. No pushing. Don't be pushy. I let him weave, shot him through the tunnel, for a front cross and over! YES!!! Major rewards. And George's brain was going haywire "PANCAKES" I laughed and don't think anyone could have wiped that smile on my face. I didn't expect anything. And here he goes, being a rockstar. AHH GEORGE.
So moving on to course two.... We didn't work on the more challenging weave course this time, which was good. But I wanted to sort of show the proximity of how close the tunnel, dogwalk and teeter were thought hey were sort of irrelevant for us, as George hadn't learned a full dogwalk or teeter yet (the teeter was facing the opposite way anyways...)

So I walked it. I hesitated a million times. Front cross while he's in the tunnel or rear cross over the jump (4)... I couldn't make up my mind by the time it was our turn. So I grabbed a pancake and excitedly jogged over with George barking like a madman towards the jumps. Megan (and Kathi) both talked about not always doing a sit stay, and since he breaks it anyways, I decided to just let him have a running start! And it turned out beautifully, over the first jump he had tons of drive and pushed in front of me (those words are usually rare) to the tunnel. He gave me distance. I stood by #2 when he rushed through the tunnel. Still in shock, I had no time to make up my mind so I front-crossed, called him over #4 jump and called him through the #5 tunnel and onto #6. Perfect. A clean, fast run. I wanted to faint. Huge reward for George. Tons and Tons and Tons of pancakes. haha.
So then we worked the A-Frame. I really really hoped he'd generalize it like he did at the field. I pulled him up in a stand stay at the second slat above the contact zone where he stayed brilliantly. Then I slipped up and said "okay" his release word. Like always, "okay" means you can stop doing whatever your doing. So he lept from the a-frame. Okay. I have to stop using that word when it comes to A-Frames. I put him back up, stand back and say hit it. YES. Win. he does it! So he gets too enthusiastic at this point and refuses to stand-stay (which is okay, I never really trained a stand stay, whoops......... ) and did a couple more awesome reps.
So I need to go back and work some more groundwork. I need to work distance and the points on the box.... Thanks so much to Megan & Kathi!!!
I hope to go back soon. That was an amazing day.

that awesome moment when

2011-09-18T18:53:00.000-07:00

Picture this... you're sitting in an agility field watching your friend run her amazing puppy, and you hear Ashley Deacon's voice behind you saying "Luca, come!" like you've heard so many times before in videos (remember those podcasts of agility vision you have on your ipod, don't lie, I know you do.... ) And when you look inside and see Marcy Mantell calling "Wave!" through a sequence.

first thoughts.... is this heaven? Oh wait, Tori & Rev weren't there.

and the only picture I have is a cell phone picture. and I brought my camera... but it's okay. I was too excited about being there, meeting Kathi and (I'm so sorry I forgot your name) who own's Fred in the background. and seeing the ring-hogs ;)
Life just keeps getting better!!!

because I got some pictures

2011-09-17T16:55:00.000-07:00

so, George got tired fast, poor guy- I don't blame him, it's hot doing agility in the day time for a change!

so I took advantage of the opportunity to get some pictures of Kai...

Megan is the best! She built almost all of the equipment there (which is incredible, that a-frame looks purchased, right?) I feel bad like I need to contribute, at least my jumps, or maybe my shrimp-like-rainbow tunnel.

and just because I wanted to tease you...

sorry only one rep, I told you it was a teaser!

on top of the world

2011-09-16T10:51:00.001-07:00

this screenshot is rather irrelevant to how amazing today was. I feel like I'm in a dream and I can't help but close my eyes and remember all of those times I promised myself I'd never give up. Well guess what? We're almost there. I'm so tired, and blissful. Good night-

diversity project

2011-09-15T09:38:00.001-07:00

The concept of diversity encompasses acceptance and respect.

It means understanding that each individual is unique,

and recognizing our individual differences. These can be along

the dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs,

political beliefs, or other ideologies. It is the exploration

of these differences in a safe, positive, and nurturing environment.

It is about understanding each other and moving beyond

simple tolerance to embracing and celebrating the
rich dimensions of diversity contained within each individual.
-university of oregon

tired.

2011-09-14T22:10:00.000-07:00

I don't feel like writing tonight, enjoy some delicious pictures- don't worry I didn't get to eat them either.
off to read Clean Run- good day!

there is no better feeling in the world

2011-09-13T22:29:00.000-07:00

coming home from a wonderful night, doing the best thing in the world (well, to me)

where for the most part, your teammate behaved and gave everything we did 110%

and you got to make a new friend who shares the same passion as you

and you got to train and train and train

and your teammate did everything you asked, and surprised you with more (with holding a 2o/2o on the A Frame- when I didn't ask for it- I want to teach his aframe/ dogwalk running and obsessively playing on the teeter)

and you got to watch dogs play agility, right by your house...

I think maybe, I might just be in heaven.

and I think I might just be going back tomorrow.
I think I might just have found heaven on earth...

Hanna says Hi, Kai is focusing. They're so awesome- So is Megan!

Thanks for an amazing agility-night and letting me borrow your CR Magazines!!!

okay! good night, I'll be reading Clean Run until I fall asleep!