consume

i suppose i can throw out some more philosophies to you all. i found this video from the Get Rich Slowly blog (which is usually quite a good read, you should check it out here).

anyway, here is some lovely filming that hopefully makes us all think a bit. i know i've been in this trap often & for many years. may we all find escape.

what's a twitter?

yes, i succumbed to another form of social media.
twitter.
not quite sure how to make it work with all the other stuff like the blogs, facebook, etc.
but, i'm working on it.
the twitter part is easy, it's just finding other people to twit to.
and making it work on my phone.
and do i want to make it work on my phone?

i've spent many hours behind this screen today.
time to be done.

am i a twit?

an addition to my post about communication

The Paradox of Our Age

We have bigger houses but smaller families;
more conveniences, but less time.
We have more degrees, but less sense;
more knowledge, but less judgement;
more medicines, but less healthiness.
We've been all the way to the Moon and back,
but we have trouble crossing the street to meet the
new neighbours.
We have built more computers to hold more
information,
to produce more copies than ever,
but we have less communication.
We have become long on quantitiy,
but short on quality.
These are the times of fast foods but slow digestion;
tall man but short character;
steep profits but shallow relationships.
It is a time when there is much in the window,
but nothing in the room.

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama

it's about time to dump all those old opinions

so, i must be getting old. no, my hair isn't turning gray. no, i don't all the sudden have an urge to eat dates or prunes. it's not even because i know what the world equity means (i purposely forget it each time someone explains it to me... keeps me young).

i'm old because i've decided to give up some of my stubborn opinions that i hang onto like some kind of image insurance. i'm tired of 'em. i'm tired of being bugged with certain things. or thinking that something is better than something else, just because i have some emotionally founded opinion, not based anywhere within the realms of reality.

what's the first to go? well, i thought about the country music one, but decided that might be too hard for the first one. the first one i ran into last night was all the christmas craziness. instead of being disgusted at all the extravagances, all the overdone shininess, all the materialism; i decided i'm open to enjoying the beauty of it all. the lights are pretty, even if people put them up after halloween. the shininess does create an intense season of holiday-ness.

anyway, if you're also feeling old, perhaps let go of some of those hard-held opinions that really just don't matter. maybe there is more out there that is good than we first think.

easier to communicate, harder to connect

this week i've reflected on the newer methods of communication that we rely on: email, text messaging, blogs, podcasts, websites.

email has made it possible for people at distances to quickly keep up with each other, conduct business, send documents and pictures. it's also nice because it can create a paper trail if needed.

text messaging can be a non-intrusive way to send a quick message to someone, with out the immediacy of a phone call. it's also kinda fun.

blogs, well, are a good way for everyone to have the chance to be a journalist, advertise their latest news, or spread information.

podcasts are just cool, it's like radio, but when you want it.

websites have it all and seems to do it all.

BUT! as much as i love and use all of these methods of communication, i am consistently confronted with the fact that they come up short in one area. connection. the human connection. yes, i know, you are saying, but these things make it easier to connect. but in the same breath, these methods of communication and connect also prevent us from face to face (and sometimes even voice to voice) connection. and there is something to be said about people and really being with them. misunderstandings occur. jokes not gotten. emotions misread. facial expressions lost. social skills disappearing.

i love to communicate. but, i think i need to remember that somedays i just need to pick up the phone and call. or spend an evening with some of my favorite people. because the internet is not substitute for real people.

A favorite and a not-so-favorite

So, I've taken to cooking more lately. This is mostly motivated by budgeting, but also motivated by the need for some creativity. So, I thought I'd include 2 recipes, one that we all really liked, and one that everyone else seemed to like, but I didn't.

Here's the not-so-favorite first.

Pumpkin or (Winter Squash) Soup

3 tablespoons butter or neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn
3 pounds sugar pumpkin, or any winter squash (1 medium squash), like acorn, butternut, calabaza, Hubbard, kabocha, or turban, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-to-2-inch cubes
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage or 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
5 cups any vegetable stock or water
1 cup cream or half-and-half

1. Put the butter or oil in a deep skillet or medium saucepan over medium-high heat. When the butter is melted or the oil is hot, add the pumpkin and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens, about 5 minutes. Add the herb, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and continue cooking until fragrant, another minute or so. Add the stock and bring to a boil, then lower the heat so the soup bubbles gently. Partially cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pumpkin starts to fall apart, about 30 minutes.
2. Use an immersion blender to puree the soup in the pan. Or cool the mixture slightly (hot soup is dangerous), pass it though a food mill or pour it into a blender container, and puree carefully. (The soup may be made ahead to this point, cooled, and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Serve cold or reheat it gently).
3. Heat the pureed soup until almost boiling. Stir in the cream and heat through, but do not boil. Taste, adjust the seasoning, and serve garnished with an extra grinding of black pepper if you like.
   

In the middle of it, I realized we didn't have any half and half, so I used lots more butter. Maybe that is what it was missing, but it seemed like it needed something else.

Beans & Greens Risotto

1 quart vegetable broth
1 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes
4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1 15 oz. can of small red beans or pinto beans, drained
1 small head escarole, chopped (about 3 cups)
1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
lemon wedges (optional)

In a saucepan, bring the broth and tomatoes to a boil and the reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer.

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy saucepan on medium-high heat, cook the garlic in the oil until just golden, a few seconds. Add the rice and stir until the grains are well coated with oil. Ladle in the hot broth and tomatoes a cup at a time, stirring often. After each addition, let the rice absorb most of the broth before adding more. Add the beans with the last cup of broth.

When most of the broth is absorbed and the rice is tender but still al dente, stir in the escarole, in batches if necessary, until it wilts but is still bright green. Stir in the cheese and season with salt and pepper. Serve hot, with wedges of lemon if you wish.

Tag

Here's the rules for this tag:
1: Each player starts with 8 random habits/facts about themselves.
2: People who are tagged need to write a post on their blog about their eight things and post these rules.
3: At the end of the post you need to choose 8 people to get tagged and list their names.

Ok, Michelle, my cousin, tagged me. Normally, I don't do this sort of thing, but I'm fried this week, so this is an easy post.

1. I am 60 inches tall. This translates to 4 feet, 12 inches, or just a nice, round 5 feet. I don't know how long I've been this tall, nor how long it will last, but for now....

2. I have lived on 2 different continents and 2 island nations. And, I would love to live in more places.

3. I have 5 different pairs of Chaco sandals. The newest ones got chewed on by Keene, but I'm still wearing them. I don't love them as much as I used to, but I still wear them 90% of the time (down to 70% in the winter).

4. I learned how to make bread, today! I just ate a piece of toast with butter and jelly on it. Mmmm. I have to say, I acquired the taste for it from my Aunt Judy; she always had homemade bread.

5. I read about 20-30 different blogs every couple of days. I'm learning a lot about many different things, but mostly about photography and business.

6. I'm trying to climb about 3 times a week now. I've been climbing for about 6 years now. I'd like to say I'm really good because of it, but alas, I'm not. But, it is my therapy, so I keep at it.

7. I'm a night person, not a morning person. One of my favorite things is to wake up, then curl back up and sleep for another hour or so.

8. I obsessively check the free section of Craigslist Salt Lake and Provo everyday, and freecycle every few days and KSL every week or so.

I'm going to break the "rules" and not pass this one on. I'm just not like that. But, thanks, Michelle for tagging me. This was actually kind fun to write.

ethics of neutering

so, i've been thinking about neutering. keene got fixed yesterday. before, i was quite certain that fixing the dog was the best thing for everyone. i mean, how many animals are put down at the shelters, especially labs. so, even though our dog is a pure bread, i knew that neutering him was the right thing.

but then, i started thinking about what kind of person am i to take away the choice one creature has from procreating. how arrogant we are, using our power to control what we want. yes, arrogance.

i still think it was the right thing to do.

and keene's fine. we can't hardly tell he even had a surgery, he's running around and energetic.

Sundays

This is a typical view of Sundays around here. Which means I should have sufficient time to blog, but some weeks just don't work out.

the ups and downs of our own business

I will eventually start blogging a business blog, to record all the things we're learning about running our own photo business. But, until then, I'll jot down a few things that I've been thinking about on this adventure we're on.

The downs (bad stuff first):
The lurking thought of "what if this doesn't work."
The lurking thought of "how soon will our savings run out?"
Not having a boss to put the pressure on when you need it.
Worrying about what stuff is most important.
Taxes and other accounting stuff that I know I don't know about.
Working 16 hour days all the time.
Feeling guilty about not working a 16 hour day everyday.
The worry, I suppose is the theme here.
Never really having enough time or money for all our ideas.
The scariness of the economic situation.

The ups:
Flexibility of schedule.
Knowing we are trying to live our dreams.
Being able to be creative in the directions we want.
Working with Steve.
Learning all kinds of new things.
Not having a boss around to pressure me.
Staying in pj's until noon some days.
Being able to dream.
Excitement about being able to give back to our community.
Can bring our dog to work.
I think most things we do right now are a tax write-off, because all we do is work.
It's fun.


On another theme, it has been fun learning all the in's and out's of mobile blogging. Currently, I'm typing on my computer, because it's a million times faster and easier than on the iphone.

And here is a picture of the latest present Keane has brought to us. This happened as I was typing this up. We hear a big bang at the front door, and there he is with a big deer/elk/cow vertabrae. He's still chewing on it. He is huge these days, I'm sure he's pushing 35 pounds. He's still cute, though.

fall on a wall

c & o canal

Steve took this
swaying

boats

bridge

plane

better boats

the benefactors

swirl

a cool looking federal building

I got yelled at by a big security guard for taking this photo
Posted via Pixelpipe.

Mobile blogging lessons

So we broke down and joined up with at&t and got iphones. It's been
interesting learning how to use this thing and not be embarrassed for
having them. The reason we switched from tmobile is because we had no
coverage at our house. The reason we got these phones is because we
hope to use them we the business and be more effecient with our time.
They have been helpful with navigating around DC.

Anyway, I have learned that I have to email my blog updates in. So,
that's what I'm doing.

Interesting technology. We'll see how this all works out. Anyway, I
feel like a yuppie/nerd.

corn

knocker

hinge

ibear

quaint

hobbit church

the rays

golden paths

path of peace

gates of christendom

DC or England?

definition of pining

tortured

I love it

lights and darks

tie dyed marble

reflections

I like blue

it is an i

capitol

I on me

curl 'email up

this is for you, Jenn
flat mike

solar!!!

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img_0081.jpg

Posted via Pixelpipe.

i of the capitol

We decided to capture the sites of DC from the iPhone. So, here are
days one and two images.

work week

well, last week commenced my first full-time work for "the business." still nameless, but monopolizing most of our waking thoughts, our photo business is up and running. i've realized that i need to learn how to run a business, learn financial programs and software, learn and understand the photography world, learn how to edit photos on photoshop, and work full time with my spouse. all with my very related background in recreation and therapy. well, at least the therapy will help steve having to work with me full time.

last week we shot jake and bonnie's wedding up in smithfield (a "suburb" of logan, utah). that was fun, the weather was crazy, making for exciting moments at the wedding, fun photos and an amazingly beautiful drive back to spanish fork.

we are both still excited about everything related to "the business," just wanting it to take off right now, but understanding that it will take lots of time. we're also excited for this week, with all the leaves in their peak colors. i imagine we will find ourselves outside more than not. yeah!

sorry, no photo for this post. i promise one for next time.

ups and downs of standby

so, one of our friends works for the airlines and gave us 2 buddy passes, which we intended to use for our trip to alaska. i am typing from spanish fork, which means we didn't get on the plane. oh well. we can still have a free trip sometime.

so, this week, instead of hanging out on the tundra, i'm planning on attacking our living space and making it work better (like being able to walk on the floor, etc.). and, of course, we get to keep being trained by our dog on how to be good dog parents.

last day

i've spent the past four years hanging out at a place that i call the haven. it's pretty cool. lots of girls running around. loads of cats. a dog (or two). there were even goats. cherry trees. lots of snow in the winter. more wind than you could ever harness. the best part, of course, were the folks that ran around there. and the amazing things that happen, almost on a daily basis.

i've learned a lot about myself and other people. learned about how to be flexible. how to be assertive. how to love. how to talk. how to watch really dumb movies. how to cook for 20 people. how to buck hay. how to count to 16 over and over. how to write a treatment plan. what prognosis means. how to build a ropes course. when someone really just wants attention. that cats sometimes have two uteri. how to work with a budget. how to teleconference. how to drive a huge van. how to guide a raft. how to navigate a huge van with a trailer on a muddy road with a cliff on one side. how to trust others. how to let go of some relationships. to like spanish fork. that ibuprofen solves most problems. how to go from the basement to the loft without stepping on the ground. that people sometimes like to light bullets on fire. how to eat chocolate for three meals a day. how to geo-cache. how to make latkes. how to pull a trailer, and back it up. how to get married. how to dictate. how to relax. how to listen.

anyway, i suppose the point is: i've had a good run at the haven. glad i went there. glad they were nice to me. glad to still stick around a bit. gonna miss it. gonna miss the peeps. thanks y'all.

and now off to alaska (just for the week).

the dog and california

so entering in the dog-owner world has mostly been good. there have been those "fun" moments of cleaning up poo from the living room, worrying about the couches, catching the dog before he runs into the road. but the fun moments are great, like the gnarly-looking harley rider, who walks by and says "cute puppies" under his breath, or when keene starts carrying a nalgene full of water, or when he barks in his sleep. fun times. and we make friends everywhere we go with him.

our trip to california was fun, although too short for me. we hung out in bishop and mammoth with adam and natalie. got some bouldering in, some hot springs soaking, some good food, a float down the river, and some good kickin it time.

also, because i am slow in communicating to everyone, in case you didn't know, i am quitting my job at new haven and working full time with steve on his photo business. i'm excited for the change, although i will miss all the awesome people i work with at the haven. i can't believe it's almost over; i've been there 4 years. wow. anyway, if you know anyone who needs a good photographer, let us know.

Trip on the Salmon

So, Steve and I had the chance to go with Action Whitewater on a 5 day raft trip on the Salmon River in Idaho. Steve worked and took great photos, I just don't have any of them. So, for now, you get to see a few from my little camera. Here's the link to our Flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/12467104@N06/.


Hopefully, I can get some of Steve's picks on there as well, so you can really see the beauty of the area we were in.

We had a great time. We hit some fun rapids. I was the only person who fell out of the raft (or the ducky) into the river during a rapid. I had fun, though; no better way to see the rapids than to swim them (when they're not too big). Our guides were awesome and we had a great time with them, being some of the "guide friends." That means we got the special treatment we liked, being able to help out when we wanted to, or being able to chill and be guests at other times. It was great. Steve arranged it as a birthday/graduation present for me. Sweet!

Newest of the Wiggling Walters

No, not a baby. But pretty darn close. Meet Keene, our newest family member. He came to us yesterday, August 22nd. He is 8 weeks old and came to live with us from another family with little kids. He is a gift for my upcoming 30th birthday and my recent graduation from grad school. Thanks Mom and Dad!

Keene is a Yellow Lab, but he's got a cute brown nose and some white on his belly and shoulders.

We will definitely get better pictures soon (that's Steve's job). I'll also post some photos from our Salmon River rafting trip, too.

blogging rebirth

I don't have a lot of time to post right now, but I think I've made it. I think I'm all done with school (waiting for one more grade to be posted). If I pass, I'm done with school!!!! Also means that I can start posting more.

Tomorrow, Steve and I are off to Salmon, Idaho, for a 5-day rafting trip. I'll put up some pictures when we get back.

Anyway, it's good to be back to blog.