Making me smile this morning …
The delightful essay Solitaire in Talking Writing Magazine, that brings to mind that conundrum I’m experiencing this month of balancing discipline and productivity with just a dash or two (or three) of what I call creative procrastination.
Making me reflect …
Bullying. No, I have not seen the new documentary just released, though I hope I have the courage to watch it when it comes to my area. I’m referring to comments made in the Ezra Keats biography mentioned in yesterday’s post, and stories told by Mister Rogers in a documentary now airing on PBS. How both men as young boys were bullied and how the experiences influenced the art of Mr. Keats (check out Goggles) and the life work of Mister Rogers (see Mister Rogers and Me).
Making me imagine …
Dandelions. Through the office window where I sit, I…
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TAKE ACTION – GOOGLE
jan 24,
Thank You Congress
A groundswell of opposition against PIPA and SOPA.Thank you – and the more than 7 million other Americans – who stood up for the Web.
Wednesday, January 18th was a big day for the Web. Americans stood up in opposition to PIPA and SOPA – bills that would censor the Web and impose harmful regulations on U.S. businesses. Many of your favorites sites went dark, Americans made thousands of phone calls to our elected representatives in Washington, and we asked you to raise your voice by petitioning Congress through this page.
Your voice is being heard. Your elected representatives are beginning to recognize the damage these bills could inflict on the Web, and as a result, votes on PIPA and SOPA have been delayed. But this debate is not yet won. We at Google remain committed to working to address the problem of piracy without compromising our freedoms and risking our industry’s track record of innovation and job creation.
Thank you for your support. As you can see, it has made a tremendous difference.
jan 18,
End Piracy, Not Liberty
Millions of Americans oppose SOPA and PIPA because these bills would censor the Internet and slow economic growth in the U.S.
Two bills before Congress, known as the Protect IP Act (PIPA) in the Senate and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House, would censor the Web and impose harmful regulations on American business. Millions of Internet users and entrepreneurs already oppose SOPA and PIPA.
The Senate will begin voting on January 24th. Please let them know how you feel. Sign this petition urging Congress to vote NO on PIPA and SOPA before it is too late.
You are the webWhile the push and pull of business and politics will continue, the lasting and most forceful power on the Internet is you. So stand up and be heard – start a conversation about how the web empowers you, makes you more productive, or just makes you laugh.This tree reflects a small piece of the value of the web, and how together the Internet has grown into an incredibly powerful force for good in the world. To say that the web has created jobs is an understatement; it’s spurred the development of an entirely new sector and completely remade every industry that came before it.
Thanks to the Internet, we’ve changed the way the world communicates, how we work, and the way we share with one another. Take a look, appreciate what it means, and share your own story.
Sometimes when a photograph has been accepted for publication, the editor has asked me for the “story behind the picture.” Similarly, when my little four-year old friend sees some of my work with colored papers, she often asks, “Why did you do that?” And since she is looking at me intently waiting for an answer, I take a deep breath and try to share with her the story of why I made a sky green and a blade of grass blue. Well, on this quiet afternoon, I decided to share with you some of the stories behind my most recent works on paper. 😉 Mostly they were done at night, to help me settle my brain before bed, by doing something different with my hands.
The story: In reading “The Snowy Day and the Art of Ezra Jack Keats,” I was reminded of that striking scene in the picture book…
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Save Money on Cleaning Products with WHITE VINEGAR
White vinegar is often regarded as a magic cleaning solution because removes dirt, germs, and soap scum, disinfects and deodorizes, refreshes and rejuvenates fabrics, and even removes stains from virtually any surface. Many people assume that they have to spend money on multiple different cleaning products at the store, but the fact is that using basic white vinegar can save you cash on your monthly cleaning expenses.
Kitchen Uses
The cleaning aisle of your local grocery store is chock-full of various kitchen cleaning solutions – from disinfecting wipes to silver polish, and oven cleaner to floor scrubs. The fact is that you don’t need any of them because white vinegar can do it all. To remove tough stains and grease, gently rub white vinegar over the surface, let soak a bit and wipe away. If you want to just clean shelves and counter tops, mix equal parts vinegar and water, spray and wipe. This kind of vinegar solution can also be used to remove mineral deposits and to clean your garbage disposal. Running a cup of vinegar through a dish washer can clean and deodorize.
Bathroom Cleaning
Conventional bathroom cleaning products often consist of heavy-duty bleach and other toxic chemicals. White vinegar is just as effective in fighting mildew, soap scum and mold. The trick is to allow yourself time and let the vinegar sit in the affected areas before scrubbing. If you have tough stains in between tiles, simply add a little baking soda to the mix. Disinfect and clean your toilet by letting several cups of vinegar sit in the bowl for about a half hour, rinse and flush.
Furniture and Blinds
Instead of turning to expensive furniture cleaners, consider using white vinegar for spills and stains. Vinegar is even safe on leather and suede furniture—just blot the surfaces dry after removing any stains. For spot treatments on other furniture and carpet, dilute white vinegar with five parts water in a spray bottle.
Blinds can be difficult to clean, and many people waste money on purchasing fancy dusters and cleaners. Instead, grab a cotton glove and a solution of equal parts water and vinegar. While wearing the glove, dip your finger in the solution and gently wipe across each blind. After they have dried, repeat on the other side.
The Bottom Line
Cleaning with vinegar is an effective way to save money. It is far less expensive to purchase a large bottle of vinegar than it is to buy multiple various cleaning solutions. At the same time, your family will not be exposed to the toxins that are associated with other kinds of cleaners.
If you plan on using white vinegar for multiple cleaning jobs, you should purchase larger bottles. This will save you money overtime because you will end up paying less per volume. Having a wholesale club membership helps because you can easily buy the vinegar in bulk and save even more.
A very dear friend of mine, who happens to be Godmother to my youngest has an amazing well tended garden behind her historic townhome. I sang with her today for Easter and spent a little time strolling the grounds enjoying the company, the smells, and sights. It was a therapeutic end to a very hectic few months. I hope you enjoy!
Mike awoke, and as was often the case did not immediately know where he was. In that space between light and shadow he dreamed. Mike called these awake dreams and often began speaking aloud to characters that were not present, even before he was unconscious and by all accounts, still awake.
This morning his dream framed images of his uncle shot at close range by his cousin and then a victim list on a television news broadcast. The confusion of time shifting always makes perfect sense in a dream and when Mike would become cognizant of an absurd shift is usually when he would wake or on other occasions fall deeper into the dream.
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Once again we have come to the end of another nature challenge! It has been a very interesting seven days of exploration and learning, as we went through the animation process to explore some aspect of the natural world.
For today’s challenge, I finalized my animation, putting together all of the still images taken yesterday, which ended up coming to about 150 frames. While the standard fps (frames per second) rate for all hand-drawn animations and motion pictures is 24fps, many web animations are shot at 12-15 fps (which is the standard rate for quality television animation). If you’d like to read more about timing and pacing in animations, check out this great article!
And now, onto my animation! Due to time constraints of this challenge, my finished animation moves at a rate of approximately 4-5 fps (which accounts for the jerkier movements). Check it out:
Given more time, I…
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Lights, Camera, ACTION! Today’s challenge was to finally shoot the animation, after 5 days of planning and set preparation. All told, I ended up shooting a little over 100 still images for my animation. Here is one sequence that I shot:
For tomorrow’s challenge, it’s time to put everything together to create your animation! Since I use a Mac, I will be putting my images together using iMovie. There are, however, other programs that will work just as well. MS Powerpoint would work–it’ll just take you a little longer, since you’ll have to insert your images individually onto slides. I don’t know about you, but I’m excited to see how it all comes together!
‘Til tomorrow…happy explorations!
Tracey in Maine 