Monday, February 09, 2009

Friendship Award

My sweet virtual friend, Sherry bestowed a friendship blog award upon me! Here is the description of the award:



“These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.”



Aww, I feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Thank you, Sherry, for thinking about me!
As for my eight friends, I will pass this on to:

1. Andrea
2. Lee
3. Jayne
4. Lindsay
5. Robin
6. Cyn
7. Heidi
8. Jen

You guys all rock!

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Nice Day

Temperatures peaked today in the 60's and brought the kids outside to play. Brian changed into shorts as soon as he got home from school, declaring "Mom - what were you thinking this morning when you picked out a long sleeved shirt?".
Really, I wasn't thinking about much!



The past four days have been a nice respite from the last two months of cold, snow and ice. We hope it will continue!

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Sunday, February 08, 2009

Six a cappella Groups Rock the House

I don't know how many years the Unity Music Boosters have sponsored last night's annual a cappella concert, but all six groups who performed rocked the house with their voices - no instruments allowed. Four groups were from the U of I, one from Indiana University and one group from the local community.

The Other Guys from the U of I:

Highlight - their 7 song medley of Beach Boy Songs.
Flashback - their song intro where they "Introduce Themselves by shaking hands with each other". I recall using that shtick back in 1986!

The Girls Next Door from the U of I:

Highlight and Flashback - Singing the Carpenter's Superstar (Don't you remember you told me you loved me baby? You said you'd be coming back this way again maybe. Baby, Baby, Baby, Baby, my Baby. I Love You, I really do)

Straight No Chaser from Indiana University:

I think EVERYONE has seen their YouTube video of the 12 Days of Christmas. Just do a search for "Straight No Chaser 12 Days". The video has been viewed over 400,000 times. The original members have long graduated, but the quality of group carries on.
Highlight - Their Straight No Chaser Song.
Flashback - Lion Sleeps Tonight. Complete with silly animal sounds.
Pseudo Flashback - Africa. (not a real flashback for me, because I sang a cappella before EVERY group had an arrangement of Africa - BTW, the Chorallaries arrangement is better!).

Following intermission, a beat-boxing competition was held, with one of the X-Chords winning by singing and beat boxing Michael Jackson's Billy Jean. Wow.


Next, a surprise - a local women's barbershop quartet called Illusion performed:

They proved that you don't have to be in college to perform close harmonies, so I guess there's still hope for me.

The last two groups annually perform in this concert and anchored the night's performances.

The Rip Chords from the U of I:

Highlight: It's Raining Men

The Xtension Chords from the U of I:




Highlight: Insomniac
Flashback: Repeats of last year's Jesse's Girl, What We are thinking when We Sing, We Love Illinois.

OK, so I was a little disappointed with the XChords because, with the exception of "Insomniac", their set was the same as last year's. I understand why that is, I hope next year they'll bring something fresher.

My favorite group of the night? Straight No Chaser.
Was something missing? A Mixed SATB group of course!
Did I buy a CD? I always come away with a CD - I purchased one from Straight No Chaser, one that had "Back to Pooh Corner" on it. Because I'm nostalgic.

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Saturday, February 07, 2009

Tagged!

I was going through my list of recent Blog updates and read KariAnn's post. She put a cool spin on the people she tagged - she tagged the first 6 people to read her post, and since it is 7:45 am on a Saturday (even my kids are still sleeping!), I figured I was one of the lucky ones.

I am to go to 6th album in my photos and share the 6th photo with you.

I am maniacally organized when it comes to my photos - every month has a folder, then within the folder, subfolders for each picture taking event (for Project 365, I have a folder for each day!). I also shoot in RAW and have the RAW files and converted JPG files and then the subfolder of the pictures I want to develop.

I'm sure I've just shared way too much information. I just need to post that 6th picture.


Erica and her baby, Hannah. One of the extra pictures I took on April 12, 2008 that didn't make my "12 on 12" post.

As for tagging, if you want to participate, just leave a comment!

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Friday, February 06, 2009

I Love ...the 11th Thing that Starts with "T"

Tickets! Not the bad Traffic tickets, but Concert tickets:


I happened upon the concert announcement via Facebook last night, and I hit the ticket office when it opened this morning:


My friend, Jill, has agreed to go with me, although she is not the rabid fan I am. I bet she thinks I'm a little obsessed. I'm just excited because I haven't been to a concert in several years (make that 10+ years).

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Wednesday, February 04, 2009

Brought to you by the Letter T


A fitting icon from my old stomping grounds - Boston's MBTA, aka "The T"

I signed up to participate in Sherry's interactive Alphabet Meme. Sherry assigned me the letter T, and I picked 10 things I love that start with that letter.

First, I thought this would be really easy - the letter T is frequently used. But it has taken me a week to even come up with my list. (And somehow, I was able to list lots of things I dislike that start with T - go figure?)

Here's my list, ordered by how they came to me:

1. Teresa
That would be my sister. Of course, I thought of her first! She's 15 months younger than me and always managed to beat me up as a kid (I have the scars to prove it!). Really, we are SO alike and I love her dearly.

2. Tea
One of my favorite drinks, I love Tea in the winter and the summer. Right now, I would really like some Mango iced tea, but with the current sub-zero temperatures outside, it's not going to happen.



3. Tulips
My favorite spring flower. Alas, I have no recent pictures because I haven't planted any since we moved here in 2002. They are so graceful and beautiful. I prefer the Ivory colored blooms, but Dutch Gardens sold a variety called "Shirley" that are white with purple edges. Yes, I bought and planted them.

4. Technology
Who doesn't love Technology? The gadgets and gizmos that make our lives easier. My favorite Technology gadgets include the iPod, the laptop, the cell phone, the DVR and my camera.

5. Tae Kwon Do
I love how Tae Kwon Do has been such a part of Brian's childhood, how he has developed athletic and leadership skills from his Tae Kwon Do experience.

6. Tchaikovsky
One of my favorite composers, I loved playing his Symphony #5, the Andante Cantabile movement with the fabulous French horn solo.



You can check out a recording here:


7. Tonic trimmer
What would I do without this great tool - it cuts 12x12 paper accurately. Sounds like a simple task, but you would be surprised how many trimmers out on the market don't "cut it".


8. Trees
Not that we have many trees here on the prairie, but I grew up in New England, surrounded by their shade and beauty. My parents enjoy this view from their deck.


9. Tanqueray and Tonic
My favorite mixed drink, with lots of lime. Did you know that they glow under black light? It's from the quinine in the tonic, but folks don't need to know that! Something cool for your next party.

10. Travel
I love to travel. It allows me to experience different cultures, people, places. I always learn something about myself when I travel. I've been fortunate to have the opportunity to travel within and outside the US. This year, I am looking forward to our trip to Colorado, a state I have never explored.

There they are - my Favorite "T"'s!

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Finally Answered - 5 Questions from Lee


Lee posted a meme on her blog that I chose to participate in - Lee posed 5 unique questions to each participant, a "get to know you more" dialog, but on a more personal level. I had fun with her questions, even though it has taken me almost a week to get them answered!

1. How did you get into your line of work? Is it what you studied to do? If not, why didn’t you go into the field you studied?

At work, I am in charge of the automation and control of our chemical manufacturing process. That may sound complicated, but it really isn’t. My degree is in Chemical Engineering, so working in a Chemical manufacturing facility is pretty standard. I do work more with computers, and that is something I pursued 15 years ago because I wanted to “know how those automation systems worked”. It continues to be a growing field, with lots of new technology and opportunity.

2. You are always so incredibly positive: is there any one thing for which you would like a “do-over”?

Gosh, there are days when I don’t feel very positive. When I commit myself in writing on a public forum, I am forced to really think about the message I am sending. Maybe I sub-consciously paint myself in a super “positive demeanor”. “Do-over” – I somewhat regret my senior year in High School and all the grief I gave my parents. I wish I would have stepped out of my comfort zone and applied to colleges in California, like Stanford or Berkeley. Don’t know if that would have changed my college choice, but if you don’t even apply…..

3. What is your most favorite theme or subject for your photography?
I don’t think I have a favorite theme or subject, although I find myself drawn to light and its influence on a subject. I love the golden light of the sunrise and the brilliance of sunsets. The beauty of nature never ceases to amaze me.

Is there anything you would like to learn to broaden your photography experience?
There is always something new to learn, in any field and that includes my little hobby of photography! On the Post Processing end, I would like to learn how to use Photoshop for color conversions, addition of textures, color correction, etc. I have not focused on that end of photography because I want to take great pictures straight out of the camera. But I also realize that part of Photography is the conveyance of an emotion and that can be achieved through the application of these effects. I also need to improve my low light / flash skills and wide angle photography skills. I often go through my day “framing” pictures in my head, and I am often disappointed when I attempt to transfer that to the image off the camera. Part of that will improve with time and clicks of the shutter.


4. Do you believe in an after-life? If so, what is it like?

I definitely believe in an after-life. Our Sunday school class just finished up a series on Heaven and from that class, I believe that we, as mere humans, cannot begin to fathom what Heaven is like. I know it will give us a different perspective and we won’t need the things and comforts we seek on earth. I don’t want to go to Heaven anytime soon, but don’t feel anxious about what awaits me there.

5. How did you meet Scott and how did you know he was “the one”?
Scott and I met in 1989, having just graduated from college and in our first jobs. We were “enrolled” in a Engineering Management classes with a slew of Mechanical Engineers, so being the only Chemical engineers in the group, we were teamed together in the various project assignments.
I don’t recall how I knew he was “the one”, I just liked being with him, he has great moral values, is fun to be around and most importantly, he has great green eyes (that’s my weakness).

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All images on this blog (unless stated) are the intellectual property and copyright of SLPhotography and shirley319 (© 2009, 2010). Do not steal, borrow or pirate the images here.

The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code. and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act) prohibits the use of digital property to be used without the consent of its owner.

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