R & R

That is something I desperately need. Luckily I have tomorrow off, so I can get at least a small amount of rest and relaxation. I got home at 3 AM last night (or I guess it would be more accurate to say this morning) from work. Another wedding reception. And then I have to be in at 3 PM today for a huge graduation party. What kind of high school graduate invites 150 people to their graduation party? Seriously? I had maybe 20 at mine. Jeez.

Feline Feature

The Feline Feature returns! Sorry for the hiatus, I've been a little busy/stressed/overwhelmed/depressed and didn't really feel like taking care of my blog, so I just didn't bother to keep up with the Feline Feature. But it's back this week!

When my friends and I were downtown recently, we walked by this sewing store on Main Street and found these cats both sleeping in the most awkward, uncomfortable-looking positions. But they were both dead to the world and barely even noticed that we were hovering outside taking pictures. There were just so adorable sleeping like that! The one actually had it's face pressed up against the glass as if it was a pillow. I don't know why, but cats always seem to find the oddest, most uncomfortable positions and sleep as if they were on a feather bed. :)

Memorial Day

I don't want to say "Happy Memorial Day" because that seems somehow incongruous. Memorial Day is not a happy occasion. So instead I will leave you with this, an excerpt from Laurence Binyon's poem For the Fallen that adorns war memorials all over the world;

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

Monochromatic Again

More monochromatic street scene for you. I so rarely have live models to shoot that when J was back in town I couldn't resist taking some shots of her and our other friend K while we were downtown.

Make sure to head on over to Monochrome Weekly Theme for more black-and-white photos from around the world!

My Memorial Day

I realize that today is not actually Memorial Day; it is on Monday. But for me, today is my Memorial Day as it is the day where the meaning of the holiday actually strikes closest to home. I work in catering, we do all sorts of events but most often they are wedding receptions, especially right now as this is wedding season. Last night we had a rehearsal dinner for one particular couple, and then today is their wedding and we're doing their reception tonight as well.

If you're wondering why this is relevant, well, it's because the groom is in the army and about to be deployed to Iraq for his third tour and all of his groomsmen are soldiers as well. He proposed on Valentine's Day, they're getting married tomorrow, and he leaves soon for Iraq. They had to rush to plan a wedding in three months--it must have been an insane amount of work, but they wanted to be married before he deployed. Sweet, but also sad.

I ended up having to bartend last night (for the first time ever; there was a mix-up over whether they were having a bar) and while I was catering and then bartending, I overheard a bit. The only one I knew for certain was in the army was the groom, because my boss had explained their situation to me, but as soon as they all showed up I knew that at least all the men in the room were military. They all had that look. And then as I was walking among them, I kept overhearing snatches of conversation, words like, "platoon" and "NCO" and various other military-isms like that. The groom is leaving soon for Iraq--and I think that his groomsmen all are as well-- for the next in a series of multiple tours, and they all had a rather somber attitude. There was none of the usual boisterous laughter and joviality; they all sat around and talked quietly together. I'm not really sure how this evening will go; they ordered two kegs and a bar so there will be a large amount of alcohol imbibed, but I'm not sure if the solemn attitude will prevail or if they will forget their impending future for a short time and let go.

Anyways, my point in sharing this little anecdote with you is to mention that this is what really brings home the meaning in Memorial Day. It's seeing how war affects real people and their families, the suffering they go through and how it never really leaves them. That is why war should be ended, or even better, never begun in the first place. If that is not possible, then at least the American public should be aware of what happens in war, of all the people that are killed, maimed, wounded, their lives disrupted, their homes destroyed, the grief of their families. They should know that it is happening.

Classic, and Classy

My old roommate J was back in town yesterday and today, to visit and also to pick up some of her stuff that wouldn't fit in the U-Haul when she moved out. It had to get left behind temporarily, but now it's going home again. But it's not all gone yet! I still have custody of two chairs, a TV stand, and a few other odds and ends. Oh well. I'm using most of it, so it's not exactly in the way. It was great seeing J again; sometimes I forget how much I miss her until I talk to her again, or in this case, see her again. I'm sad she could only stay overnight--after living with someone for two years of your life, it's hard not seeing them regularly, and she's such a great friend.

I just started fiddling with the black-and-white function on my camera, which I love because black-and-white is my favorite form of photograph, and being able to switch back and forth from color to monochrome is one of the definite perks of digital cameras. I just love the way everything looks so much more dramatic and sophisticated with black-and-white, whereas it might be rather blah in color.

If you're also a fan of monochrome, I highly recommend you check out the awesome blog Monochrome Weekly Theme (formerly known as Monochrome Monday). It showcases some fantastic black-and-white photos taken around the world.

There's Irony For You

Seriously, what are the odds? And what does that say about the fire department's fire safety abilities if their own training school goes up in flames?

Really doesn't inspire a whole lot of confidence...

Fleet lost in fire college blaze: A fleet of 11 fire engines belonging to the national Fire Service College in Gloucestershire has been destroyed in a blaze.

Through the Looking Glass II

More reflections! I like how this one is all dark and skewed. Very ominous-looking!

Through the Looking Glass

I love reflections, because it's like another, different view of the same familiar, every-day world.

New Camera!

I finally bought a new camera! And its a real camera, not a point-and-shoot little dinky one like most of my previous pictures have been from. I got it about a month ago and have been playing with it ever since. It's a Canon Digital Rebel 400D, and the lens that it came with is not very good, you can tell it's cheap just by picking it up, but it should work for now, until I can afford to buy a good zoom lens. Plus, the lens from my old Canon SLR fits the new DSLR body, so I can use that one as well. Yay for good planning by me (that's one reason why I went with Canon again)!

The picture above is one of the first that I've taken with this beautiful new camera! I've been carrying it around with me pretty much everywhere since I got it, and I took this one from my car in the parking lot after work. It had just rained and was about to start getting dark, and I really liked the way this tree's bare dark branches looked against the rainy gray sky.