Summertime festivals

Does it get any better than a festival when you're a kid? Mt. Clemens premiered its Stars and Stripes festival this weekend, and I talked my sister into going. Bands, food, games and rides - so much fun! I had a great time with my digital camera, snapping away until I caught just the right shot. Here's E on the swings, just pretending to fly. I rode once with her, a few rows behind, and got a couple of good shots while we were both in the air. I love this one, though, as it represents what the freedom festival is all about, to me. Just let go and enjoy this great country we live in!

Rain

After a few hot and humid days, we finally got the rain we've needed for so long. Everywhere you look, the grass has turned to straw. I've been watering my annuals, but the perennials and the grass were long overdue for a soaking. I heard a couple of storms pass by while I was at work (25 miles away), but my house seems to be in a dry zone, so I wasn't convinced it rained at home. Fortunately, it did, and it looks like we'll have more tonight. Unfortunately, tonight is when the big Detroit fireworks were scheduled for, and they may have to be moved for the first time in five years. Hopefully, the temperature will allow it to cool down below 80 degrees in the house so I can sleep tonight!

Motorcycles

My dad has had a motorcycle my whole life. I remember when I was young, he told me he never looks at accidents since he saw one involving a motorcycle, where the rider lost his life. Yesterday, at 6:20 am as I was on my way to meet my carpool, traffic was being diverted around an SUV/motorcycle accident. I saw the motorcycle under the SUV, and had to look away. I am so careful around motorcycles on the road, hoping that everyone else is careful around my dad. And then there are the idiots who weave in and out, tailgate, and otherwise drive recklessly on their bike. Without the protection of a vehicle around their whole body, it is just a short move away from a nasty accident. I can't stop thinking about yesterday's tragedy (I can't imagine the rider walked away). Please be careful around motorcycles!

Technical difficulties

Computers are so frustrating! I have been connecting to the Internet through a local wireless connection for a couple of months, now. Occasionally, my dial-up MSN screen pops up, and I click the X on the corner and ignore it. Today, even though I was getting a strong wireless signal, I couldn't get to my opening page of the browser, and that irritating MSN screen kept coming up. Finally, since I really wanted to get online today, I went for the dial up. This entails me standing in the kitchen at my only phone line waiting MINUTES for each page to load. Between the fast connection at work and the constant wireless, I forgot how excruciating it is to wait for a dial-up page to load. I hope this is a temporary hiccup!

Garage sale

A co-worker (and my carpool buddy) decided to have a garage sale, so I told her I'd help. I loaded up my SUV, mostly with books, and headed over there early this morning. We agreed to have the sale Friday-Saturday. She lives on a fairly busy road for a residential area, so we didn't advertise or put out signs other than right in front of the house. My goal was to make $50 over two days and get rid of some stuff. I brought home $56 today, and hope to do well on Saturday. Barb did even better, since she had lots of furniture. Worth the time!

Power outage

This morning, about 10:20, the power went off at work for about 30 seconds (long enough for my smart-aleck boss to say, "I didn't do it!" A little after 11:00, it went out again and didn't come back on. We went out to lunch early, since we planned to do Thai Thursday anyway. When we came back an hour later, the lights were still off and cars were streaming out of the parking lot. The word was that the building was closed as of 1:00 since the power wasn't expected back on for hours. Woo hoo! I have tomorrow off to help a friend with a garage sale, so my long weekend just got longer. I hit a couple of stores on the way home, and now I have the rest of the day to load my car with garage sale stuff, and maybe even read, scrapbook and go for a bike ride. Happy me.

Kids

I don't have kids, but in the last week, I went to a dance recital and a t-ball game. I am lucky to have lots of kids in my life, and all are very involved in everything from soccer to swimming and dance to gymnastics. This gives me lots of opportunities to take pictures! Tonight, in 93-degree heat, I watched a bit of a t-ball game played by the only boy in my group of "nieces and nephews." He gives me lots of opportunites for shots, since he doesn't hold still and I have to take dozens to get a few good ones. This is where my new digital camera comes in handy!

A sucker born every minute

Okay, I have no patience when it comes to comparison shopping for big-ticket items. I was waiting outside of Best Buy when they opened this morning, and headed for the digital cameras. I left an hour later, spending $100 more than I was planning on spending, but darn it, I have a great new camera! I knew from Internet research this week that I wanted something in the Canon PowerShot family, but I didn't really know which model. My mom said it would be an emotional decision, and once I held them in my hands I would know which one I wanted. I ended up with the SD750, and it's so small I can fit it in my pocket! I've been annoying my cat (see photo added to previous post) and walking around my yard shooting everything (this post). The kid manning the camera department was very patient, and knew what to say to keep me interested. Without pushing me (which gets me mad) he stood back and watched me gravitate towards the more expensive of the five I was considering. Hmmm. I'm a sucker, all right!

Today I am thankful

Things I am thankful for today (in no particular order):

• My cat, Meeko (the most spoiled pet around)


• Thousands of books on my shelves


• The warm sunshine - and fans to keep the heat at bay


• My health that enables me to walk the neighborhood for exercise


• A good job


• Magglio Ordonez, my Detroit Tiger (even though he couldn't save today's game)


• Pasta in all its wonderful forms

Digital cameras

I have resisted getting a digital camera for many reasons. I am pretty obsessive about my pictures, putting one copy of each print in an album (I'm up to 16 very full albums) immediately after picking them up from the developer. I get triples of each print - one for the album, one to scrapbook, and one to give to the people in the photos. I am so afraid of censoring my pictures and deleting them if I had a digital camera. When I look back at old pictures, I see details that I'm so glad I have in shots that would probably have been deleted at the time they were taken. Also, as a scrapbooker, I don't trust pictures that are printed with computer ink on photo paper. The chemicals used to transform film into photos has proven to last, but digital photos look funny to begin with and then fade.

All this is leading up to today's decision to get a digital camera - as a supplemental camera. Since I claim to be moving into Web 2.0 (see first post), I find myself entering photo contests at LibraryThing and wanting to add photos to Flickr that may not be things I want copies of, but just want to take a picture of and share somewhare. My mom says I will get hooked on digital photography, and will move into a better camera, but I'm starting with something small, just for kicks. You'll see the results in this blog soon!

Detroit Zoo

I love the Detroit Zoo! I've been a member since August of 2001, and wanted a membership for years before that. I get to bring in another person with me each time I go, and parking is paid with the pass. Last summer, I talked my sister into getting a pass, too, and she's happy she did. Today, I played hooky from work and we spent a glorious four hours there. It was a warm (but not too warm) sunny day. There were lots of field trips and other groups, but we started at the back to avoid the crowds. We watched the polar bear swim above our head in the tunnel, walked among the kangaroos, tossed pennies in the historic fountain, and tried to get a butterfly to land on us. I tried to sneak in science lessons whenever possible, so my 6-year-old niece and her friend could learn as well as have fun (Why is that penguin coming up for air? What is that baby prairie dog eating?). We're so lucky to have such a great place to go in the Detroit area.

Exercise

I do not like to exercise, but I do like to eat junk, so exercise I must. I have taken a step class at the local YMCA for several years now, and like it enough to keep going. However, my teacher is taking a maternity leave this summer (she taught through 8 1/2 months, what, she couldn't just drop the baby and keep teaching? ;-) ) so I'm on my own this summer. I cannot bear to attend a class taught by subs who do not know an 8-count. Some teachers end up working one side way more than another, or are just so off the music I want to scream. How difficult can it be to find an aerobics teacher who can feel the music? Apparently, very difficult. So, now I must walk, swim, bike, and garden on my own, while working all the muscle groups and getting my heart rate up enough to burn fat and calories. I'm counting on friends to encourage me to work out with them, 'cause it's so easy for me to make excuses. Wish me luck!

My backyard

When I bought my house nine years ago in October, the backyard had no grass. I spent the winter dreaming of the gardens I would have. Since I have no kids or dogs, I didn't need grass! When spring came, I borrowed a tiller and turned all of the yard over. I bought cement blocks to define special gardens (herb, perennial, vegetable) and then planted wildflowers everywhere else. That was the last time my yard has looked at all respectable. Who knew how many types of weeds existed in Michigan? Who knew how many hours it would take each week just to keep on top of the yard? What a mess! Many years later, I have conceeded to growing grass and mowing the weeds along with the grass. This, too, is a major project, but at least I'm seeing progress. Today, I spent three hours weeding, seeding and watering another section of the yard. So much work, when I'd rather be sitting on the couch with a good book. Sigh.

Grandpa's 84th birthday

What do you get a man who is hard of hearing, doesn't see well, and has Lewy Body, a form of Alzheimer's, for his birthday (when Father's Day is two weeks later)? Today I brought my grandfather some of his favorite candies (Raisinettes, Ice Breakers, lemon drops) and took him and my grandmother out to dinner. It is so difficult seeing him today, remembering what he was like when I was little. He struggles to find words, doesn't want my grandmother out of sight, and has trouble just getting around. When I was little, he would tell stories, do magic tricks, and create treasure maps for me to follow. Now, I just hope he can come up with my name. My heart goes out to all the people who are dealing with loved ones in this situation. Happy Birthday, Beepa!

Welcome to Web 2.0

As a librarian, I have been reading about advances in Internet tools for a while now. MySpace, RSS feeds, MP3 players and more have just been words on a page until recently. Last year, I got a laptop, and then an iPod. This year, I have been involved in my company's switch to a new intranet on Microsoft SharePoint, and I have created my first RSS feeds, and even a wiki for internal employee use. I decided to try more fun sites, and joined LibraryThing, Flickr, and even Second Life. Look at me go! Tonight, I begin my first blog. Hopefully I will find my groove and turn it into something interesting!