.lately.

it's not that i haven't been taking pictures. i have. i don't post them here is all.

i'm doing Project365. you'll find me there.
of course, you'll also see me at my food/craft blog or on twitter. i even write sometimes.

visit me.

.for.the.love.of.animals.

my roommate is an animal lover, through and through. i didn't grow up around animals, the token dog i had was a german shepard in africa and she was a guard dog, pretty to look at but not so much to play with. i'm actually quite scared of animals, big or small, cuddly or not. i am drawn to PBS and Discovery channels for their nature documentaries. does that count?

recently, we went to the Baltimore Zoo. she needed her animal fix. since moving in with me 8 weeks ago and realizing that the only pet i have is a cactus plant that i ignore, she's been without. poor dear.



they're not deer. they're something that starts with an "S" and originate from africa. i kept yelling out "Bambi!" tho.



this was also part of the "africa trail". now that i think about it, the Baltimore Zoo has a very good african section.





oh, how i love giraffes. the smallest one kept following the biggest one around. it was adorable. i think i stood there for a good 10 minutes, just gawking at them.



and then the biggest of them all: the elephants. this one was alone, seperate from the other two females. i don't know why. my only criticism of this zoo is that the placards didn't provide much information about the animals beyond what the species were. i wanted to know the names, how they came to the zoo, what their habits were etc. *that* interests me. the Zoo in DC is a bit better, with even more animals. this time around, the polar bears were resting in the shade, the lions weren't doing much and i couldn't find one of the cheetahs.

.wedding.dress.

pretty scenery, but even prettier ceremony.

Happy Love Thursday!

.definition.of.fun.

Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again. ~C.S. Lewis

over at the Shutter Sisters, they're hosting a new project called the One Word Project. for the month of february, i chose the word FUN in the hopes that i can capture this joyous word in some form. i don't have to take a picture everyday (altho it would be nice...) but at least ONE picture to highlight that word. today's pic is just two different viewpoints on fun reading. can you guess which one is mine?

for more beautifully inspired One Word pix to take your breath away, check out the Shutter Sisters Flickr Pool or their pick of the day.

.first.snow.

it was freezing last week, the coldest it's been in the six years i've lived in baltimore, dipping below 0. it was not nice. today was cold but it reached to the upper 30s. and yet it snowed. and stuck.



i caught these from a meeting room in the office. the building we're in is an old renovated warehouse that has gorgeous windows.

.day.6.

8:21am

.shadowy.door.

this week's what's your play picture was taken by killashandra. it's a lovely picture, one that brings up images of early autumn mornings, going out to play in the woods or apple picking. (not that i ever did any of that back in the day...) however, i've been seeing a few scary halloween commercials and watching weird paranormal shows on tv (fringe, heroes, the sarah conner chronicles, not to mention most of the CSIs and Criminal Minds). for some reason, when i first saw this picture, i was scared. whatever, i have a vivid imagination! so my take on the picture is slightly dark. it just reminds me of the dreams i have of someone chasing me and i can't see clearly, due not only to the fact that i'm scared but also because my contacts aren't in.


i softened the edges a bit, added a boost of color but turned the lighting down low so there was a more shadowy effect. so now it looks like you're in the corner of this room and it's uber bright out, the kind of bright sunshine that makes the dark inside more pronounced. {creeeeeepy}

note:
i'm doing this event next month: Saving Boobies for Breast Cancer Awareness. Please participate in baking/making something pink and/or in voting.

.leaving.

my cousins came to visit this weekend. we cooked. we hung out. made fun of each other. even woke up early to go to the farmer's market. then they left. sigh.

note:
i'm doing this event next month: Saving Boobies for Breast Cancer Awareness. Please participate in baking/making something pink and/or in voting.

.kicking.balls.

i show up most games with not a clue of what i'm doing. and i leave the field usually with scrapes and bruises and a few days later, very sore muscles.

"What are the rules? I said & she said you run & you run & you run until you fall over. There's a couple others in there for variety, she added, but that's the main one." ~The Story People

Last note, don't forget about the Save the Boobies Project, aka Boobie Bake Off!

.hearts.can.be.blue.too.

i have a collection of buttons. i actually have three bags full of random buttons. you just never know when you might need one. or you just had to buy the assorted buttons for a cardmaking spree you went on last winter. either way, it's always like a treasure hunt when i dig into these bags looking for that something special. and look what i found the other night?

happy Love Thursday!

note:
i'm doing this event next month: Saving Boobies for Breast Cancer Awareness. Please participate in baking/making something pink and/or in voting.

.my.boyfriend.hearts.me.

i've been having a shitty week. just in general, the summer hasn't been all that pretty. so my boyfriend sent pretty flowers to my office to make me smile. :) thanks honey.

and so we're off on vacation this weekend. we were going to hit puerto rico but the weather blows down there, it's postponed till... whenever. we're hitting the OC instead. as in, Ocean City, MD. hopefully i'll have plenty of picture opps and reviews next week. stay cool and dry. tootles.

.yarn.and.hook.

.first.love.

i love books. i always have and i always will. i just do.

currently reading The Romanov Prophesy by Steve Berry.

Happy Love Thursday!

.these.are.a.few.of.my.favorite.things.

oh but today's Shutter Sisters' post made me misty eyed.
buu's always been my #1 fan, probably since birth. she's always been an advocate for my writing, my random hobbies and even when i'm wrong, she'll see the right side of things. i think she's a keeper.

and when buu wasn't around, books were a constant source of companionship.

for more inspiration...

.from.Maryland.

i may have lived in 4 countries, 3 states and a number of towns/cities but i've always thought of myself as a Marylander. with the exception of the 8 years i lived with my grandparents in Takoma Park/Silver Spring, MD, my stint in Baltimore is the longest i've been in one place, willingly. it'll be 6 years in Sept.

.moi.

obx, nc, spring 2007. photo courtesy of my boyfriend jab. at the time i was feeling so small.

in my office, with my camera phone. just a random shot. i think i was feeling pensive then.

china (summer palace and the great wall), march 2008. photo courtesy of my youngest sister pascale. overall, i'm just really a goofball.

"don't be fooled by the mask i wear, for i wear a thousand masks and none of them are me..."

for more beautiful shutter sisters.

.who.i.am.

edit: January 2009

at least 1 shot between the hours of 7am - 10am. that's all. and as little edit as possible.

i'm just someone who likes to play around on my camera, figuring out the different buttons and trying to snap a pretty picture. i don't know the first thing about composition, lens, different brands and quite frankly, all the information out there is overwhelming and gives me a headache. i've learned a lot about photography from foodgawker, tastespotting, use real butter, and sunday night dinner. as you can see, they're all about food. that's how it all started. technically, it started when my awesome, doting and very patient boyfriend bought me a digital camera for my 30th but when i realized there was a blog world of masterful chefs and photographers out there, i had to be a part of it... even if it was just as a role of a newbie/wannabe/what are you doing with a camera-er?

i read up on their techniques, and then i play. a lot. i do my post editing on picnik. recently, i read David Lebowitz's post on how he goes about taking pix of his fabulous food creations. it was very insightful, and also listed a few other food bloggers with exceptional photography skills. i think this new hobby will be something i'm constantly learning about, and i hope to learn to take pictures of things other than food. perhaps merging on over to people/potraits. who knows what will tickle my fancy? this blog will hopefully chronicle what i see and how i choose to show my perspective.