Just being Camera Happy!

[Lynnie]

As many of you know already, I have gotten a new computer. I cannot express how excited I am to have it. Compared to my old one, well, there's just no comparison. It's so fast! And new! And compatible with more programs! And beautiful! And wonderful! Ok, enough of that...

Among the programs it's compatible with is my digital camera software and driver. I installed it today, and what d'ya know! It works!!! So I decided to have some fun and take pictures so I can share them. :bloogrin:

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa1/Lynnie_Lyn/Aug23_09.jpg
Here's my new computer! It's an IBM Thinkpad T41. It's sitting on top of my old computer, a Thinkpad 600E (which is now folded up). You have no idea how much I love this thing!! And, ack, you can see my old couch, lol!

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa1/Lynnie_Lyn/Aug23_08.jpg
My desktop. I like this wallpaper, it's so artistic. I'm sure some of you have seen it before, huh? Heh heh...

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa1/Lynnie_Lyn/Aug23_02.jpg
This is my Bloo Hoodie, which I got from the CN online store last year. It's draped over my sewing chair in my bedroom. And it's directly across from the door into my room from the hallway. So as soon as I walk into my room, there's little Bloo, grinning at me. He's the second one to welcome me home every day (my cat is the first), he's so sweet, lol. He also glows in the dark, so after I go to bed, he's my little night light until I fall asleep.

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa1/Lynnie_Lyn/aug23_04.jpg
This is my closet door. And the wonderful Foster's poster on it. I bought it hmmm.... almost a year ago now. It's a thick paper, almost a cardboard, and after having been stored for over a year in a poster tube (before my buying it), it still wants to roll. I had to wrap the tape all the way around my closet door to keep it flat. You can kind of see it's still wanting to curl up, though. Any suggestions on how to flatten it without ruining it?

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa1/Lynnie_Lyn/Aug23_03.jpg
I FINALLY got to the mall, and this is what I got while there! The brown paddle-ball Bloo shirt, the black waffle weave "Icy Chill" thermal top, the colorful hoodie (it's behind the two shirts, since we've already seen pics of it, but you can see the hood at the top), and the Bloo and Cheese lapel pins. I plan to put my lapel pins on my camel-back pack which I use when hiking. It's a boring blah black, and I've been personalizing and decorating it with pins. It's about time I have some Foster's ones to put on it. Ugh, they're on my bed, and it looks like a mess. Ok, yeah, maybe it is. :P But the fact is, I propped the blankets up more with pillows so I could get a better shot of the tops from an angle.

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa1/Lynnie_Lyn/aug23_05.jpg
This is a drawing my sister did for me, which I have magneted onto my fridge. It would have been better with a scanner, but I don't have one of my own (yet), so this'll have to do. Bloo and Mac are both wearing jet packs. If you can't read what it says, Mac's saying "HELP! Bloo! What are you doing?" Bloo's saying "I will rule the World! Muwahahaha!" Ed's saying "I still like potatoes". Wilt is saying "Nice Jet Packs!" (Yeah, his bad eye is on the wrong side, but she doesn't know any better) And Coco is saying, and I quote, "Coco Coco Coco Coco". LOL! Yeah, really random, my sis is silly (there's a toungue twister!), and I love her. She's done a few others, too. Maybe I'll share them sometime as well.

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa1/Lynnie_Lyn/Aug23_07.jpg
And lastly, one of my other hobbies is dolls. Same goes for cartoons- You're never too old to play with toys! I'm a member of some clubs for adult doll collectors, and yeah, some might be surprised, there's a lot of them out there. It's fun collecting miniature things for them (like the little sofa, little toys, little kitchen utensils, little radio that you can barely see there at the bottom of the picture). It's also lots of fun making clothes for them, and then dressing them and styling their hair. Yeah, it's definately a "girl" thing though. Anyway, Hadassah is reading a fun story to her baby brother Preston, who is sitting on Fayelyn's lap. They all seem to be enjoying the book.

So, there you have it. Pics from Lynnie, because Lynnie is so happy and excited she couldn't help but take pictures so she can share them. :yeah:

[Sparky]

I know what its like to *finally* get a computer that will run modern programs. I went to college with a Commodore 64 and later an Apple IIe (this was in the 90's). I even tried to turn in essays printed on a dot-matrix printer and was told they wouldn't be accepted, lol...Then my brother gave me his old PC with Windows 3.11 on it in my last year. It took ages for me to progress to a modern computer from there.

Having a "sewing chair" in your bedroom earns respect from me. ;) Says the person who just gave her computer desk to her knitting machine...

Your Bloo hoodie glows? Is it a Youth size? I have an Adult one and it doesn't glow.

[Lynnie]

Yeah, Bloo glows. His eyes don't though. So it's kind of strange seeing him glowing because he has these two black "holes" in his face, haha. Poor Bloo. 8-) Yup, it's an Adult size. That's odd that mine glows but yours doesn't. :terrconf:

I like to sew, although I haven't really done any for a while. But every now and then inspiration will hit me and I'll sew a bunch of stuff within only a few days (usually doll stuff, or small crafts like throw pillows and table cloths). I crochette some, too. :frankiesmile:

[Cassini90125]

So, there you have it. Pics from Lynnie, because Lynnie is so happy and excited she couldn't help but take pictures so she can share them. :yeah:

And we're awfully happy that you did. Bravisimo on all counts! :frankiesmile:

[Medikor]

Thanks for the pics, Lynnie! I had now idea that a lot of those items existed.

[Lynnie]

Thanks guys, and you're welcome. :) I like seeing pictures, so I just thought I'd share some with everyone else. I thought it was pretty cool to see "my" poster on the wall at the CN Studios during the Fried Dynamite ad. Looks like theirs is slimmer, though. And certainly not trying to roll up like mine is. :jk:

[Partymember]

to un-curl most posters lay them on a hard flat surface and put a lot of weight spread evenly over them (heavy, big books do just fine). Leave it there for a while. Takes most of the curl out.

try doing that with a 3x5 foot Absinthe Robette poster ::)

[Lynnie]

I tried that, actually. I had it on my floor with two dining room chairs (on their sides) on it for a whole week after I got it. It didn't seem to help much. It's a thick paper, almost a cardboard. I thought about steaming it in my bathroom, or maybe a low setting with an iron, but I'm afraid the moisture would ruin it. I finally just put it up as it was. I had to wrap the tape all the way around the door because if it wasn't, the poster would roll and lift the tape right off. Ah well... It looks tacky, but it works. :cheese:

[Partymember]

I tried that, actually. I had it on my floor with two dining room chairs (on their sides) on it for a whole week after I got it. It didn't seem to help much. It's a thick paper, almost a cardboard. I thought about steaming it in my bathroom, or maybe a low setting with an iron, but I'm afraid the moisture would ruin it. I finally just put it up as it was. I had to wrap the tape all the way around the door because if it wasn't, the poster would roll and lift the tape right off. Ah well... It looks tacky, but it works. :cheese:

hmm...sometimes trying to roll it up the other way can help, although sometimes you'll put creases in it inadvertantly. Its a two-person job.

[jekylljuice]

Wonderful collection there, Lynnie - thanks for sharing. And I can sympathise with your poster woes. I once kept a poster in a tube for less than a month and from then on could never quite curb its compulsion to roll itself back up into that position, even after days of keeping it sandwiched between two hard flat surfaces. Keeping it taped up for several months might eventually persuade it to assume its natural shape.

[Lynnie]

I called in to work today because I simply couldn't get out of my parking space. I tried! After the snow that fell last night, the drifts of snow are just too deep! I took some pictures of the winter weather Seattle's been hit with over the course of the last week or so. Thought I'd share some of them. We're use to snow, but not this much in this short amount of time.

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa1/Lynnie_Lyn/DSCI0441.jpg
The ever green trees my state is nick named for, covered in snow.

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa1/Lynnie_Lyn/DSCI0442.jpg
My parents' cherry tree. The fence around it would blow down a few days later due to high winds.

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa1/Lynnie_Lyn/DSCI0444.jpg
One of the buildings in my complex with a blanket of snow about to slide right off the roof. Wouldn't want to be standing under it when it does. A number of buildings had this happening, including the one I live in.

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa1/Lynnie_Lyn/DSCI0445.jpg
My car before leaving work Sunday night, before I brushed all the snow off. As you can see, it's still falling.

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa1/Lynnie_Lyn/DSCI0446.jpg
The hill that my apt complex is built on. I slid down it sideways a week ago, and since then refused to park in my reserved parking spot so I wouldn't have to deal with it at all. Those headlights down there belong to a car who was stuck. They eventually backed up back down the hill and parked on the street at the bottom.

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa1/Lynnie_Lyn/DSCI0450.jpg
The sun actually came out today! It made the snow laden trees look great against the grey sky.

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa1/Lynnie_Lyn/DSCI0451.jpg
Another tree, heavily weighed down with snow.

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa1/Lynnie_Lyn/DSCI0449.jpg
And Joey, burrowed in the covers of my bed. He's been sleeping under the covers with me at night. Let's me hold him like a stuffed animal. I love him to death. :)

[Ridureyu]

Not only is the snow gorgeous, but your cat is cute! SNugglable, in fact.

[Lynnie]

Thank you, Rid! :) What would we do without our furry kids? He sure helps keep me warm. He's still burrowed in that same spot as I type this.

And although I didn't take this picture, this happened only a few miles from me. Not one, but two buses slid down an icy hill and crashed through the barrier, and were left dangling over I5 just north of Seattle. Just another outcome of this solstice storm.
http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa1/Lynnie_Lyn/BUS_ACCIDENTsffembeddedprod_affilia.jpg
Thankfully no one was seriously hurt but man oh man, was it scary!

[Cassini90125]

Looks like quite a mess up your way. Not much better on my side of the continent; we took a serious pounding over the weekend. :P

Great pics! ;)

[Lynnie]

Yeah, I know the whole country is being hammered with wintry weather, excluding the severe southwest and severe southeast. I hope this is the worst we get this season, but I know that may just be wishful thinking as the season literally just started. I hope we're not in for too long of a winter. :macwor:

[Cassini90125]

I would love to see a major blizzard here. Howling winds, 30 inches of snow, zero visibility, you know, "storm of the century" stuff. I would also like it to miraculously not cut my power or internet connection. 8D

[Howard]

Lynnie these are great photos! I have been reading about the weather up there, and Colorado as well (since my parents decided to spend Christmas up there in Pagosa). They have a house here in Sun City, but they wanted to spend the holidays at their other house in Pagosa. My GF and I went to the lights of Prscott (around the courthouse square). I took some pics as well and I will have them up soon!:frankiesmile:

[Lynnie]

Thank you Ducky! Yay, more pictures, bring 'em on! :D The lights are one of my personal favorite parts of this time of year. :)

[Mac-a-lacka]

Ah, snow is great. :)

Awesome pics my fellow Washingtonian! :D

[One Radical Dude]

These photos make me wish for a good snow where I am (except for the one with the accident). :bloogrin: I know you're probably sick of dealing with it right now, but at least it's not all ice you're dealing with. Freezing rain is not fun at all (though they can create some interesting images, too).

[Lynnie]

Portland actually had it worse than we did, and for that very reason. They got a lot of freezing rain along with the snow. The city was crippled for about two days. I'm glad we didn't have it that bad.

I wish I could send you some, I know you'd enjoy it. :)

[Sparky]

I heard it was going to snow here on Christmas, but if it does it's not like it'll be "nice" snow, probably just slush or ice.

[jekylljuice]

Beautiful pictures, Lynnie, thanks for sharing (aww, Joey is awesome). You know, I've yet to actually experience a white Xmas myself...I've lived through plenty of white Boxing Days, though. The snow's timing around here has always been slightly off.

[Lynnie]

Thanks for the comments, everyone. :) We're expecting more snow starting tomorrow (Christmas Eve), but thankfully it's not suppose to be a whole lot, and we're suppose to be getting above the freezing mark so it shouldn't get too icy either. I'm crossing my fingers that the meteorologists are right this time, and it won't be bad at all.

Aw, looking at that picture of Joey is making me sad now. Not just after reading the Post to Post thread, but he went home with my parents today so I can head strait to their place after work tomorrow instead of coming back to my place first to pick him up. I know he's going to miss me over the next 24 hours, and I know I'll miss him tonight when I'm so use to him snuggling with me. :'( I actually teared up a bit after they left (he was crying too, he hates riding in the car). He loves his Grandma though, and she him, so I know he'll be taken care of. Plus he's got his two baby cousins to play with all day tomorrow. It's just going to be very weird without him here, and I know he's going to be looking for me, but I won't be there either.

[koosie]

Those are some lovely christmas-card- type images there, Lynnie. Thank-you! It makes one feel much more christmassy than the dreary gun-metal skies over northern England today. Hope you have a nice re-union with Joey and a great day. Hey, you guys over there have got northern Europe's weather right now it seems, the bears in Moscow zoo havn't even bothered hibernating this year as it's barely snowed there at all which is very strange.

[pitbulllady]

It's supposed to be in the '70's here on Christmas day, though it's got some way to go. Right now, mid-day, it's still in the '40's, and damp, the sort of damp-chill combo that can bring on hypothermia really fast. We've only had a white Christmas ONCE in the over-200-year period that records have been kept, and that was in 1989, following Hurricane Hugo. I guess that just screwed up the whole weather pattern over the South that year. The last time we got any measurable snow at all was about 10 years ago; we get plenty of cold air, and plenty of damp air, but they don't happen at the same time, usually, which is why we miss out on the snow. I can live without it, although I love a "snow day" off from school as much as any kid:) , but I live in fear of ice storms. I have electric everything, so if the power goes off, that's a real problem. I have reptiles and arachnids that can die if they get too cold, and I worry about them much more than me. I can always put on more clothes, or if push comes to shove, stay with my elderly neighbor, who has a wood stove for heating and cooking(it's really efficient, too), but he's scared of snakes and spiders, so I don't think he'd appreciate me hauling the whole lot up to his house! I'd love to see a nice snow, though, just so I can go "camera-happy", too. It's a shame having a nice digital camera with nothing much to take pictures of outside of snakes and bugs and the occasional sunset. I've never even gotten to try out the "Snow" scene feature on my camera:(

pitbulllady

[Howard]

I told you I would have the lights of the Prescott, AZ courthouse square lights. My GF and I took the dog and we went up there to get pictures and roam around in one of AZ's famous towns.:bloogrin::frankiesmile:

The front of the Courthouse:
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c315/duck2k/DSCF1058.jpg

Again:
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c315/duck2k/DSCF1054.jpg

The tree:
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c315/duck2k/DSCF1056.jpg

The west side of Courthouse:
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c315/duck2k/DSCF1052.jpg

The gazebo:
http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c315/duck2k/DSCF1063.jpg

[Cassini90125]

Wow, these are great! I particularly like that last one of the gazebo. Excellent pics, dude! :up:

[One Radical Dude]

Great photos of the lights, duckman. 8-)

[Mac-a-lacka]

Beautiful. ;D

[Howard]

Thanks you guys. I wish you could come with me to Prescott, and see for yourselves. It is so peaceful.:frankiesmile:

By the way, while getting pics - I could not resist getting this one. Prescott draws a lot of tourists, and evidently these familiar friends were checking the court house out as well. Evidently Mac wanted to get some pics too, instead of leaving.:frankiesmile:

http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c315/duck2k/DSCF1052b.jpg

[One Radical Dude]

Thanks you guys. I wish you could come with me to Prescott, and see for yourselves. It is so peaceful.:frankiesmile:

I wouldn't mind visiting Prescott, AZ at some point, if I ever stop by Arizona again in the future. The closest I've been to that community was going through the I-17 route between Flagstaff and Phoenix (quite a shift in altitude by about 5,000+ feet).

[Lynnie]

Beautiful sights there, Ducky, thank you so much for sharing! :frankiesmile: Sorry for not replying last night. My parents' internet went down before I got a chance to see them, and haven't been able to come back until now. Haha, I love that last one. Yeah, Mac's an artistic one, I can certainly see him wanting to take it all in some more. :)

[Lynnie]

Want more pictures of snow? :)

http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/45/l_dbdcf3955ad445b6bd1af95c48806c6a.jpg
My parents' back yard on Christmas Day. We got about another foot of the stuff, which fell all night Christmas Eve and most of the day Christmas Day. It was amazing. The wire fence thing is a rabbit pen, it's three feet tall. And the white cage is the rabbit cage. Look at all the snow that piled up on the water bottle! :o The rabbit by the way, was safe inside the house in his indoor cage. You can also see here a section of the wood fence that blew down in that wind store we had a week ago.

http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/60/l_a57a16654efa4753875c367402b16850.jpg
My car on Christmas Day. Buried. Again. Look how deep it is around the base! And I was already parked on 8-10 inches of packed snow already on the street.

http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/3/l_b11c001fa3fa4ed1bc4c7319b10f5915.jpg
This drift where the wind had blown the snow against the house is about 6 feet deep. It's completely buried the bushes and even the sapling growing in front of the house (you can see a bit of one of the bushes here).

http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/46/l_1a916722fcc64be788971e5b0d9882d8.jpg
My dad's car, stuck in the driveway. Not going anywhere for a while.

I don't even think we reached much below freezing last night, and the snow is melting fast. Though I'm sad to see it go, I have to admit I'm a bit relieved as at least it will no longer be a nightmare driving around now. Now we're just worried about flooding.

[Mac-a-lacka]

Yay! More snow pics! :)

[Government Man]

Great pictures, Lynnie!

[One Radical Dude]

*takes a dive into the deep snow* :bloocross:

Sounds like the snow you had on the ground is becoming a memory now, then, eh? Hopefully, there won't be any flooding in your area.

[Lynnie]

Brrrrrrr Ord! I hope you're wearing many layers. ;)

Yeah, it's going fast. The drifts are getting shorter. There are even patches of grass reappearing. But I'm just glad to see asphalt again. :bloosmirk: Although there's still a lot of slush in neighborhoods and parking lots. Including mine. I'm still too scared to park in my reserved parking spot until it melts even more. Slush can be just as slippery as ice. :P

[Cassini90125]

Today was so warm that aside from the piles created by snowplows, we have virtually no snow left. Water everywhere and some slush but little snow.

[Lynnie]

I think I'll awaken the thread again to share that I got another fish! :D

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa1/Lynnie_Lyn/Fishy.jpg

I haven't officially thought of a name for him yet, right now I'm still calling him "Fishy" like I called my last one for most of his life. I'm kind of thinking about naming him "Fishy Cracker", which is the same name my last one had. But even though my last one officially had the name merely a few months before he departed to the fish's happy hunting ground, it was still his name during that short time, and I don't really want to use it again. So I'm open to suggestions. :)

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa1/Lynnie_Lyn/Fishy2.jpg

Here's a better shot at his fins. He's another white Betta Fish (aka Siamese Fighting Fish), like my last one was, but he's not as white as my last one. His fins are kind of dark, but they're cool looking because the ends of his fins turn white and almost transparent.

My furry niece, though I love her to death, is NOT getting a hold of this one!!! :scaryberry:

[Subzeroace]

Squee! I love Betta's to death! I have two, a dark red one named Finneus and a light light grey one with hints of blue on his fins named Maxwell. One of my kittys (Akima) likes to drink out of Finny's bowl, I should get him some more it's only half full right now x___x My kitty is too lazy to go into the other room to drink, the Beta's are close to her fave spot to sleep ya see.

I've tried to take pictures of them before but they never turn out.

[Lynnie]

Yeah, I went through a bunch of pictures, messing with the settings on my camera on each of them, until there was two or three pics that were clear enough. Flash wouldn't work because it glared off the bowl. And I couldn't have lights on in front of the bowl either, because they also glared a little bit (in one pic he was right behind the glare spot, it irritated me because other than that it looked like it turned out great ::)). So I upped my exposure so I wouldn't need to use the flash, but with that I needed a tripod so the camera wouldn't move, but of course I couldn't stop the fish from moving. After uploading them I realized there was one more setting I should have tried, which was the "close" setting so I could take a picture of something a mere inches from the lens, so the items closer would be clearer than the items in the distance. Oh well, these turned out good enough for now. I may try to take more later. Perhaps I'll even move him out onto my patio so there'll be natural light and won't have to worry about exposure.

My cat Joey sometimes drinks out of the bowl, or at least, he did out of the bowl when I had my old fish. I don't like him doing that though due to the water conditioner the fish needs for his water. Thankfully though, Joey's never tried bothering any fish I've ever owned. He'll enjoy sitting there watching it, but he won't disturb it. My furry neice, and Joey's cousin, Arwen, however, found it irresistible to bat at the fishy, and last April while house sitting for my parents, she scooped him right out of the bowl during the night, and I ended up finding him dried out on the floor the next morning. :'( It was tragic. Naughty Arwen! Eh, I can't help but love her though.

[Imaginary Light]

Aww, Lynnie, your story about Joey watching your fish reminds me of my kitty. She'll jump on my dresser where my betta, Mr. Todd, is and watch him very intently. If he starts going crazy (I have him in front of a mirror to keep him occupied :P), she'll get so excited; it's adorable!

[jekylljuice]

Congratulations on the new fishy, Lynnie - here's to hoping that this one enjoys a longer lifespan than the last. :smed:

I've never actually kept fish myself, so I've no idea how my own kitty cats would react to them. The closest I've come was owning one of those battery-operated "living aquariums", in which the little plastic fishies within are kept in constant motion due to vibrations in the water. It doubtlessly pales next to the genuine article, but at the time I thought that it was quite a neat little device. It held Cleo's attention on one occasion, but she never really looked its way much after that.

[Lynnie]

He must have been in a romantic mood last night. I woke up this morning to see he had blown a bubble nest. :rose: When they do that though, it leaves a slimy coat over the surface of the water. I've had him only a few days, but I feel the need to change his water already. :P

[Sparky]

When I kept a betta ("Blue Meanie", he flared at *everything*, lol) I used a feeding ring so I could still feed him even if he made bubbles everywhere else. The ring floating on the surface of the water made sure that within that circle the water tension was normal despite stuff like betta bubbles or adding medicine to the water etc.

[Lynnie]

Not a bad idea. :) And we do carry them at my store, I should look into that.

[Sparky]

Plus it keeps the food from getting all gummed up in the plants and stuff. It's also fun to watch the fish turn and stare expectantly at the ring every minute or so. 8D Mine used to flare at it when it was empty.

[Lynnie]

Presenting, a time lapse of the tree just outside the front door of my side job.

http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs227.snc1/7425_1273072585774_1198698954_815248_2523258_n.jpg
Three weeks ago

http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs275.snc1/10234_1279378943429_1198698954_835883_1456411_n.jp g
Two weeks ago

http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs080.snc3/14737_1284252145256_1198698954_850952_3867526_n.jp g
One week ago

http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs115.snc3/16231_1290429499686_1198698954_871058_6290394_n.jp g
And today. I think the leaves on the ground were all blown away the last few days. It was pretty windy.

[Cassini90125]

Fascinating to see a tree go through it's annual metamorphosis more rapidly than it does in real time. Good job! :P

[koosie]

Beautiful! You know what I'm going to ask....I'd guess a Maple of some kind.