Have you ever compared your life to a movie, for which you are writer and director?
Who are your co-stars?
Who’s in a cameo role?
And which actors should be fired?
Appreciate Oscar-worthy co-stars. I’ve learned invaluable lessons from Jessica, Sally, Pamela, and Kellen. For example, avoid interrupting a story with your own anecdotes. Don’t judge. Balance your desire to protect one from pain with the knowledge that life is pain. We’ve made some great movies together.
Some actors in cameo roles deserve Oscars. Betty is cast in that role. Wicked sense of humor, a great listener, full of wisdom, and, most importantly, boldly herself. She inspires me to be a more generous, compassionate person.
Photo ~ Or keep it simple. Cast nice people.
In lieu of an Oscar, learn how to give good hugs…a hard lesson for some of us.
The 50mm f1/8 is a popular lens for street photography. For years, I primarily photographed landscapes and my humorous basset hound Star. Star died, and taking pictures of flowers got old. One day I decided to start taking more pictures of people. Many factors contribute to an expressive candid photo. I have to be in bubbly/chatty mode to start talking to strangers on the street. The subject must be receptive to conversing with a stranger and have a few minutes to spare.
Here’s a photo from the Mission district in San Francisco. The gap-toothed smile of the Arabic woman struck me, with those rosy cheeks. The little girl in her rhinestone-studded shirt and fuzzy tendrils. Mom spoke little English but did understand when I held up my camera. Smiles are universal.
Paul Flack, an artist at Raleigh’s Artsplosure, had no problem being himself.
Here’s a photo I took near the corner of Cyril Magnin and Ellis in San Francisco one morning as everyone rushed to work. My intent was to catch the handsome Lenny Kravitz lookalike in front. Somehow, the yawning little guy sneaked in, probably not an intentional photobomb.
I had an interesting (I dare say “fascinating”) discussion with Greg and Stephanie today about the value of summer interns and tips for working with them. Stephanie is in the masters in tech comm program at NCSU and works with Greg on his web site.
There’s much to say, which might end up in an STC Carolina newsletter article, so I’m not going into great detail.
Summer interns can be cheap labor, sure. Sometimes they’re stuck with unglamorous tasks, such as taking dozens of screenshots or categorizing wiki pages.
But they have different skill sets and perspectives that we older folks (the 30 and over crowd) can adopt. For example, Stephanie bends WordPress to her will and is building her resume. Greg will have a fabulous web site, he’ll know WordPress like the back of his hand, and he’s learned a lot about search engine optimization (SEO).
A B C. “Always be closing,” as Alec Baldwin’s character repeated in the movie Glengarry Glen Ross.
or
A B C. “Always be curious.”
Continue to learn about the latest developments in technical communication, the more effective tools and writing methods.
My previous residence was in one of the yuppiest areas of Cary, North Carolina, a few hundred feet from a busy road. The apartment was so noisy, I spent little time there. And sleeping was impossible without earplugs. Green Acres Farm across the street provided visual but no aural consolation.
Fast forward to my current residence in a quiet, cozy cul-de-sac. Listening to the humming crickets and katydids is so relaxing. For the first time in decades (for many reasons), I actually enjoy being home. It’s my little nest.
On one side of the house, I’ve discovered a different kind of hum at night…a deep rumbling vibration that comes in swells. I envision a neo Dr. Frankenstein in some musty basement, with Rammstein masking the cries of his subjects.
Gene Wilder as Young Frankenstein
I Googled “constant hum” and discovered that Dr. Frankenstein does not live down the street and I’m not delusional.
Turns out, people around the world also hear The Hum. One likely source is cell phone towers, many of which live in my vicinity beginning a few blocks away. Go to AntennaSearch.com and look up your own house.
An article in the Journal of Scientific Exploration provides details about this worldwide phenomenon. The Hum: An Anomalous Sound Heard Around the World. Written by David Deming (College of Geosciences, University of Oklahoma), the fascinating read concludes:
As a working hypothesis, it appears probable that the Hum can be attributed to electromagnetic radiation that some people have the ability to interpret as sound.
(Mathematicians, skip to page 19 for the equations.)
Regarding item #3, I’m the STC Carolina chapter president for 2013-2014. The eternal questions for the chapter president and admin. council are “What makes members happy?” and “How do we attract new members?”.
This I know: One of the most crucial issues is free time. STC activities are up against tough competition. Loving (or not so loving) families and friends. Work. Play. Sleep or the attempt to get said sleep. Shiny new electronic gadgets. Netflix.
Where does the STC fit in the above list? What are the compelling reasons to attend a two-hour monthly meeting every third Thursday of the month or write an article for the newsletter? I will attempt to answer these questions in the next year. And I’ll share my personal answers in future blog posts.
She (let’s call her Candy) and I first met the previous night when I spotted her flitting across the living room floor. It’s a wooden floor, so flitting didn’t take much effort. She saw me and took cover behind my weight stand.
Killing is low on my list of OK things to do in life. Plus, it’s messy. The first low-impact, natural, environment-friendly method that came to mind was drowning. I once read that dousing a cockroach in water would result in death…the death of the cockroach that is.
Turns out, unexpected dousing incites anger, and Candy ended up chasing a shrieking Sheila across the kitchen and then disappearing. Somehow I managed to sleep.
Fast forward 24 hours. Guests are coming over tomorrow night, and the kitchen is a mess. I feel something land in my hair. Swatting the air (and my hair) madly, I look up and see Candy spinning through air. After that, all I remember is a tumble of curse words and a scratchy creepy sensation spreading over my body. A vengeful cockroach? Surely not.
A cockroach tried to kill me tonight.
Death by dousing, unsuccessful. A powdery delicacy known as boric acid…mission accomplished.
Candy, blanketed in the pretty white powder, let out a death rattle, a metallic screech of pained anger.
