Picture~Taking

 I love taking pictures of the outdoors because it's easy to take pictures of objects; they don't move or feel self-conscious. On the other hand, people have qualities that can come through in photos. They can smile, and when a good picture is taken, the eyes are viewed "like windows to the soul".
I need to practice taking better photos by not placing the subject in the center and knowing how the camera's flash and focus settings work. When something catches my eye I think, "I have to take a picture of that." My photos will improve if I can find backgrounds that are not distracting when taking pictures of people, and if I can take the picture at a certain time of the day when the lighting is just right.
Newspaper photos are different because they are not carefully posed and planned; they are taken on the spot when the person needed in the photo is available.

Chile Mine Rescue

It's been more than two months that the miners have been trapped half a mile underground. Doctors have been monitoring their health and nutrition; the miners have to exercise and have had shots to prevent disease. Supplies has been lowered through small pipes. Mothers, wives, and sisters have waited, hoping for the safe return of their loved ones. 


The rescue capsule is expected to be lowered today. The capsule is only wide enough for one person, so they will get out one by one. The healthiest are to go up first. They will have a camera attached to them and the technicians and rescue workers will be monitoring their ascension.

Am I SAFE?

Truthfully I believe the valley is safe. Or at at least I feel that it is. I haven't heard shooting outside my window or seen any real violence around me. Obviously I am aware that there is plenty of it elsewhere, since I hear about it in the news and from people that live in ghetto neighborhoods, but my neighborhood is simply calm and boring.
My cousins from Mexico come over and say that it is so quiet at my house compared to theirs. I also have some friends that go to my church that live in Reynosa, Mexico--right across the border. They talk about the things that go on over there, but, even though it's so close, it feels like it's far away because I myself am not seeing it.
I hope the violence will not spread all over the valley; the local news makes it clear that there is a lot of issues close to and around the border, but I still think this is a safe place to live.

My Latest Senior Moments

We've all had them. Those evil moments that leave you feeling dumbfounded. You may start imagining wrinkles, or age spots, or my friend's favorite thing to say when she feels old, "My back hurts". I am almost certain these things are just in my head, but when those senior moments come, I begin to fear the worst.

Lately I've been having mini senior moments where I am talking to a friend or my mom and I just suddenly forget what I was saying. It has always happened to me, but now it is happening all the time. It is very frustrating because my mind just goes blank and decides to take a vacation.

I can't seem to remember any other senior moments, but I know I've had plenty of them. My moments might not be so drastic as to lead to the extinction of dinosaurs, but they are certainly a conversation-ender.