Freedom of Choice

I saw them several years ago at the Inland Invasion and DEVO rocked! Sure they were older and a bit paunchier but they were great. So great that Hector and I saw them again at House of Blues where they looked to be in better shape. :)

Devo in concert at the Hollywood Park Thursday night...can't wait!

Luau

Josh's first grade class along with another class put on a Hawaiian performance and luau.

Marching in.

Running into position.

There were about 45 kids up there so Josh is doing a bit of his dance just for me.

Aloha spirit. Can't wait to go.

Draft Day

I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the 2010 NHL Draft day in Los Angeles which was the first to be held in California. Kathy and I headed to Staples center where we checked out some of the activities there before heading inside.

We got great seats to the right of the stage then all of us general admission people got booted out because staff weren't informed of where the reserved seating (draft prospectees and their families) was. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. Lots of people and all the teams were well represented by their fans. Let me tell you, those Oiler fans are pretty rowdy. They had their own cheering section and had a group of 4 men dressed all in orange. Like leprechauns, but orange.

our first seats

Sent to the back.

The Stanley Cup was the main attraction for me.

We managed to get some decent seats even though it was at the end of the center. I managed to snag a free T shirt. The first day was just for round one and boy, it took a long time. Of course, the big deal was for pick #1 & 2. The Oilers picked Taylor Hall which wasn't too surprising. Anyway, each team selects a rep to announce their pick then all the bigwigs pose with their draft pick wearing the team jersey and hat. The Kings weren't supposed to go until 19th but then miraculously another team traded their spot for some others and the Kings went 15th. Otherwise, we'd be waiting another 30 minutes.

 After the Kings picked, Kathy and I headed to see the Stanley Cup. There was a line but it wasn't too bad at all and we had about a 15 minute wait.
There were all these trophies that I don't know about but the cool thing with the Stanley Cup is that each player on the winning team gets to spend a day with the Cup. Very unique and cool. There are lots of stories and history behind it. The Cup has a very busy schedule and even has a full time handler. I recognized him from TV and in mind he is a celebrity in his own right. He even agreed to pose with Monster Bear. Yay!!

Daisy Stages

Took these pictures on my walk home yesterday.

yup

on my walk home.

my jumping bean.

Last day of school.

Necklace

Lots of necklaces made and I finally put the magnetic clasps on last night. Little A was hanging in the park so I could give her one for her and her big sis. She was very willing to pose for me and I'm sad she will be starting kindergarten in the fall. That means we won't hang out as much...and I lose a fantastic model. Hmm, maybe I can work something out with her mom.

Experiments

It's officially summer! The boys are very excited. Hector and I are in the midst of discussing plans; nothing set in stone yet.




Photos from last week. I was playing (experimenting) around with lights and filters. I don't have Photoshop on this computer yet so you will see how dirty my ring is if you click on the picture to enlarge. I am also claiming the excuse that diamonds are extremely difficult to photograph.

Here goes nothing:

My engagement ring. Reset in a Verragio setting on our 5th anniversary because my gold setting was bent and scratched from recklessness. Platinum is awesome but still gets scratched. Time for a cleaning and polishing.
Used manual settings, macro lens and crosshatch filter.

Next up is my 10 year anniversary band. Much better photos IMO and I really like the reflections. All were taken on the kitchen counter.

Some apple strudel muffins that Tyler and I love. It's a recipe Tyler gave me for Mother's day when he was in the 2nd grade.
The gift that keeps on giving.

Arigato, Mr. Roboto.

Inspired

I've been taking pics of everything lately. Here are my best.

Such a happy boy, especially in jump mode!

Serious warrior mode.

Playing with a starburst filter.

I love how the small holes in the lamp look like snowflakes.

Taken this morning. Unidentified berry/pod.

Really trying to use manual setting and fiddling around with light. No photoshop at all. The color just pops.

All photos taken with Canon Rebel XT, 100mm macro lens.

Have a great weekend and Father's Day!

Practicing

Photography is mostly fun for me. I try some settings, tweak a bit and take lots of pictures. The one thing I definitely love is that is there is always room for improvement.

I place myself in the advanced beginner phase. I strive to take better photos and hopefully learn something in the process.

I finished another beaded knitted necklace. Pretty rose tones and clear on the beads while the yarn picks up on the pink,lavendar and blue hues.

Loving the colors. Will fit a girl or someone with a fairly thin neck. The weight of the beads should stretch the yarn a bit making the necklace bigger.

Today I was trying to capture the true colors of the yarn and beads the way I see them. So here goes...

flash

Manual

the last photo is probably the closest to the real thing although my lights cast off that yellowish tint.

I tried flash, aperature mode and manual.

I've been working the last week on the Action Sampler that Hannah loaned me. I took pictures every day and had Josh jump off everything we could find. Today I went to pick up the film at Costco and my prints were awful. Only about 2-3 frames came out on each print so there is a black or white square where a frame should go. Total bummer. Hannah said maybe the shutters are broken. I left it all at Costco since I didn't want it.

I'm gonna try again with a new yet same cheap camera soon. Fingers crossed.

Swedish Pancakes and Legos

I had the last of the Swedish pancakes I bought from IKEA. So easy to make, just nuke and fill. Yum. Time to buy some more.

Here are some of the boys' Lego mini-figures. They come packaged individually and it's a mystery which figure is inside. We did very well; the ten I bought, we have 9 different mini-figures but we could use the extra robot.

Ugh, me caveman. See my big stick!

Mexican wrestler (I call him the Chupacabra), the Ninja and Robot.

Lego guys reflecting.

The Chupacabra.

The 3 amigos. Wouldn't this make a great action/buddy flick.

Robin Hood type, gunslinger and space adventurer.

I might have to make some short films with these guys.

These totally rock!

Conversation with Tyler

This happened yesterday...

Me: Tyler! I can't believe you will be 11 this year!
Tyler: Yeah! Pause. Do you know who Gloria Estefan is?
Me: (not knowing where this is going) Yes. Do you?
T: Yes, she is a famous singer and she's been married for 20 years and their anniversary is in (dramatic pause)  Sept. 1st! (Tyler's birthday)
Me: Wow!

It kind of left me wondering how he knew this and why. It turns out that this fact was in one of his textbooks. Why? I have no idea. But he takes after his father by inheriting a knack for memorizing information (useful and the not so useful).

C'mon everyone, let's do the conga.

Necklace

I found a use for my leftover sock yarn. The scalloped beaded necklace. I can churn these out pretty fast but the stringing of the beads takes me a long time. It might be time to invest in a bead threader.

Cross Stitch Block socks

Cross Stitch Block from More Sensational Knitted Socks.

I got the yarn on sale for $3.75 per skein so that's really good. Plus the yarn comes with reinforcing thread to add to the heels and toes if you so desire. I tried it for the first time and it definitely makes the heels sturdier. I don't wear wool socks a lot but these will be for snow season.

My Pretties

Yesterday was Hat Day at school. Josh went the summer look while Tyler went for the cold weather look. Tyler said he got lots of compliments from students and teachers. He was proud to say that his mom knit it!

I think my sock knitting mojo has returned. Not knitting any faster but I found the right pace and challenges to keep me going.

Since I have all these leftover balls of sock yarn, I'm trying to come up with ways to use them up. My latest attempt is the Fair Isle socks. Not too difficult in the actual kntting but I have to read charts and remember when to use the correct color yarn. So far I am loving these socks especially how the colors pop against the brown, but I'm not sure if I'll have enough of the yellow mix yarn for the entire sock. I hope so; either I will have to make short socks just past the ankle or continue on with another color yarn once I run out. I am knitting toe-up this time too which holds new challenges for me.

Inside out. Enough tension so no really loose floats to catch a toe.

Right side of sole. Neat little flecks and no puckers.

Anyway, I learned from past mistakes with puckered knits to carry the yarn loosely along the inside of the sock but sometimes it is too loose and holes appear. I read a handy tip to flip the sock inside out and that gives just the right amount of tension. It took my a while to get used to this method but wow, what a difference. My socks look perfect, if I do say so myself. :)

The inside of the instep (top of foot).

The outside of the instep. It will be a pity to run out of that pretty yellow combo yarn.

Stay tuned.