new toys

so...tired of being uninspired with a broken camera. i decided to branch out a bit and look at what i found:

a holga medium format camera and a pinhole camera...two different designs...two messy images that are going to take me to a new level of creativity -- tis time, tis time!

this week, this beautiful toy will be mine! can't wait for the inspiration to begin.

now it's your turn...

next week. one day. 3,000 dogs. it's your choice. your chance. your turn!

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-01-13-pet-adoption_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip

One day, 3,000 adoptions from pet shelters, no fees

By Sharon L. Peters, Special for USA TODAY
They're pulling out all the stops next week — including giving pets to some adopters at no charge — in a nationwide effort to boost the number of shelter animals that find new homes.

Three hundred shelters across the USA are holding Change a Pet's Life Day on Jan. 24, aimed at focusing attention on shelters and rescue groups and enticing potential adopters. Fees for the first 10 adoptions at each participating shelter will be paid for by Topeka-based Hill's Pet Nutrition, which organized the event.
Adoption fees generally range anywhere from $25 to $300, depending on the shelter, species, pet's age and whether it's purebred...

fear not

why do we fear? i find myself fighting this dreaded emotion regularly...fear of offending, fear of failure, fear of the unknown. at times i can harness this emotion and transform it into positive energy, drive, a catalyst to perform. but more often than not, it stays within me...eating me up inside, causing worry, concern, loss of sleep and dreaded wrinkles.

i seek answers to know how it is that sometimes i can replace anxiety with action, a static state of 'what if' with a dynamic state of 'yes i can.' i have not mastered that switch. but if i can at least click it on and off every now and then, perhaps there is hope that i will find that magic balance between fearful and fearless. that hazy place in the middle that drives me to success without creating a frenzied state of inaction.

for the time being, i will turn the knob...surround myself with those that i love, those that find happiness in the little things and those that understand life has many callings -- fear not.

eiffel tower closes due to inclement weather

happy new year, everyone!

when the eiffel tower closes, you know the weather is bad. luckily, i'm sitting in new york city today with mild temperatures of 40 degrees. and of course it took a usa today article with a picture of the eiffel tower to get me back to blogging.

for those of you experiencing the european snowstorm...stay warm and enjoy the read:

European snowstorm forces Eiffel Tower closure
PARIS (AP) — A winter storm brought blankets of snow across Europe on Monday, forcing the closure of an icy Eiffel Tower in Paris and causing flight cancellations. Up to four inches of snow was recorded in parts of France, the national weather service said. Most areas, including Paris, got around half that amount. French authorities issued traffic alerts in around 30 regions because of icy roads.

The Eiffel Tower, one of Paris' main tourist attractions, was closed because of slippery conditions. "We can't put down salt because it's metallic," Eiffel Tower press officer Isabelle Esnous said. "We can't use sand either ... because it risks getting into the elevator (cogs)."

The cold, she said, is no problem, but snow can be dangerous.

A dozen flights were canceled at Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport, officials said. The Paris airport authority said bad weather in other parts of Europe contributed to the cancellations. Workers had been deployed since midnight Sunday to clear runways at Charles de Gaulle and the smaller Orly airport.

In Germany, heavy snowfall snarled road traffic and flight delays and cancellations at the country's international airports. Duesseldorf International Airport said no flights were allowed in or out between 6-9 a.m. local time Monday because clearing crews were unable to keep up with the snow. More than 30 flights were canceled because of the bad weather, airport spokesman Christian Witt said. Up to four inches of snow was reported in Duesseldorf and around six inches in Potsdam, just outside Berlin.

Flights from Frankfurt International Airport were delayed as much as an hour but none had to be canceled.
Traffic stopped for hours on many of Germany's autobahns as snowplows struggled to clear the roads amid heavy post-holiday traffic. Germany's National Weather Service is forecasting subzero temperatures for the coming days. Snow also fell across Britain. Children built snowmen in parts of England, including Cambridge.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.