Post-its

Last month I decided to brighten people’s days by leaving anonymous Post-its in various places. It was fun to leave little notes that said things like “You are awesome”.

Since Laralee is extra cool, I thought I’d leave some for her as well. They weren’t very anonymous, but each day I added one more to my collection. Eventually they formed sort of a heart shape, because hey, I’m a romantic sometimes.

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Thanks, Kyra

I clothe her, I feed her, I provide shelter and love and respect for her. For almost nineteen years, I’ve treated Kyra like my own daughter.

And this is what she gives me for Christmas.

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Kameraspielen

I don’t know if “kameraspielen” is even a word, but if not then I think I’ll make it one. It means “playing with a camera” in German, and as I continue to work on improving my photography, I’m just playing around to learn the tricks of the trade. Today I popped in the prime lens for my Nikon D90 and took a few shots around the house. I’m working on lighting, f-stops, depth of field, that sort of thing.

Then I download the photos to my computer and mess around with Darktable, which is a fantastic photo-editing package. That’s where I’m learning things about levels and contrast and base curves. Digital photography absolutely relies on good post-processing.

So, at my desk as I was running through different tools in Darktable, I saw my little Lego guys and figured I’d take a few shots. Here’s my favorite minifig, King Arthur with the Holy Grail:

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And my second-favorite, the generic pirate, complete with parrot and treasure map:

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Longtime readers may remember when these guys first showed up.

Thom gave me a thick book on photography techniques, which I’m going to start reading in hopes of learning more. And then, more kameraspielen.

Duet

Kyra and Laralee decided to sit down and play a duet on the piano. It’s not really a duet– they’re each playing one hand of a two-handed piece. But it’s pretty funny to watch them work through it, keeping time so they’re in the same place.

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I, of course, am still limited to right-hand-only playing, because I can barely read music. One of these days…

Dumpy

This is an actual conversation between me and Zaque this morning:

Zaque: When I grow up, I’m going to live next door to a dump.

Me: No one wants to live next door to a dump.

Zaque: No, it’ll be great. My house will be cheaper, and I’ll be able to get all kinds of free stuff!

Tough

It’s tough to go to work when the rest of the family is sitting around at home enjoying their Christmas break.

I actually threw a party this morning (yes, 9am on a Monday morning) and had to kick everyone out at 11am because I had to go to the office. That ain’t right…