I've just finished reading a book that I'm sad to see end.  I liked it so much because it was a quiet book, thoughtful and slow-moving, written by a woman who is describing her own life, and the lives of others in a way that allowed me to find myself there in the story.  I'd recommend it to you if you like a quite book, about someone else's real life. It is called, Dakota:A Spiritual Geography, by Kathleen Norris.  It will make you think about place, and faith, and a round assortment of other things too. 

 

Now I'm not sure what comes next.  I'm eager to keep reading, but not ready to shift gears.  I've work to do, but most of it will wait until Monday.  I'd like a cup of tea, but I've already had two of coffee.  Maybe I'll just sit, but probably I'll work, and drink some tea, and pick out another book for when the gear shifts. 

 

Oh, and a quote for You to sit with too...

"I have learned to trust the processes that take time, to value change that is not sudden or ill-considered but grows out of the ground of experience."  (145)

Ok..  so there was a bit of ironic truth to my last blog entry.   I am going to try and keep writing whenever I can and I know Katy will jump in soon enough with her own entries.  

      I think I have talked ad nauseum about my lack of creativity when it comes to art or conjuring up pictures that might strike a soft chord in people's hearts and minds.   I am glad that I have Katy for that.  Nevertheless, I think I may have found a way to use the computer to doctor my work so I can at least pass for a decent appreciater of the finer things in life. Case in point, photoshop.  I have recently been tinkering with this powerful software.  Now, like most average joes, I knew that photoshop can be used to cut somebody's head off and replace it with somebody else head (e.g., Gandhi).  What I didn't realize were the other features that it possesses.   I have been doing tutorials on it and while a lot of what I have learned is very sweet, such as adding layers and using blur and sharpen features effectively, I have also discovered the liquify tool!  Now, this tool, along with the spot healing brush and the clone stamp tool is one of my favorite weapons.   The liquify tool especially is great for making people really skinny and toned..  but one thing that it does especially well is it helps open up people's eyes (if they are squinting in the picture).   There are so many tools that I am still learning to use on Photoshop and its been great....

 

.......BUT!  The flipside to all this is the fact that Katy still has a hard time with Photoshop.  Being an avid photographer who relies heavily on camera techniques and natural lighting, photoshop sucks the joy out of a good picture.   While she enjoys hiking and waiting for just the right time to pounce upon nature to capture the sun shining brightly on a placid lake, I can recreate that picture with a few clicks on the mouse.   Now, I am not saying that she cannot use Photoshop... she probably will somewhere down the road.. but it's just interesting.  Anyway, I am done pontificating about my new indulgence.  I am attaching some pictures.  One is the original..  one is the product after my experiment on it.. and the last one..   umm.. lets say..I went crazy with the liquify tool!:) 

Alright,   my obvious new year's resolution for this year was "Not updating my blog frequently".. kidding.  I hope all of you are off to a good start this 2007.   Katy and I are now in the beginning stages of planning our next trip to India.  There are two primary groups that will be going to India this summer.   This is fun for us to set in motion.  There are quite a few logistical details that need to be taken care of and this where I think Katy and I form a good alliance.  Katy is the most organized person that I know.   She is detail-oriented while I tend to think big.  On good days.. this is the very essence of perfect complements but on bad days...its like pulling your finger-nails off using a swiss army knife.   (Ok.. not as bad.. but you get the idea).  

     While there is plenty of discussion regarding our India trip, another topic of conversation that never seems to have a rest is the topic of getting a dog/puppy.   Katy and I have made a couple of trips to the pound here in town and it gets harder and harder each time to walk away empty-handed.  I am the cautious one in this (ironically).  I just don't know how ready we are to have a dog at the moment, especially considering our huge trips that we can't seem to avoid.  Our travel schedules already complicate relationships with people...throw in a dog and soon you are left with another living being who wouldn't understand why its masters are constantly leaving it behind.  Now, I know that there are plenty of lovely people who have volunteered to look after our dog when we are away but I am still a little hesitant to take that plunge. The other part of me knows full well that we are, for all intents and purposes, never going to be ready for a dog.  I'll keep you posted but do let me know if you have other thoughts.

      January has finally started to see temperatures come down.  It has been a pretty balmy winter but for some weird reason, I am glad it is finally cold.   I was a little freaked out when we had 50 degree (F) weather during much of December.  We do not have a lot of snow, just a small frosting of it to assure you that its all ok.:) 

     This should be a good year.   I am looking forward to it... from my vantage point, I can sense big things coming.  I hope you feel that way too!