Self Portraits

Happy first blog post of 2011!! I'll post something more heartfelt once I have more time to sit down and write/think...but for now, some comedy.

I own a Mac, and I LOVE it. Love it, Love it, LOVE IT and it was worth every single over-priced penny! And one of my favorite features about my mac is the built-in camera! Being far from home for so long, this handy-dandy built-in camera made Skype very easy and made being away from loved ones a little bit easier. You may wonder, "What other use does the built-in camera have if you don't use Skype?" My friends, welcome to the wonderful world of self-portraits! Mac has a program called PhotoBooth which allows you to not only take pictures of yourself, but also gives you the option to take black & white photos, sepia photos, and can even make your pictures look like the art in comic books! And what else do I think to do when I'm bored and have my laptop sitting in front of me? Keep updated on current events? Email a friend or family member I haven't talked to in a while? Upload those pictures from last year to Facebook? NOPE. I find my dog and take self-portraits with my fabulous built-in camera. And while waiting for a text message about my plans for this evening, I tired from Facebook and deleting old emails so I tried to take some pictures of me and Elphie.

Now try to understand that taking self-portraits with Elphie, especially using the computer, is a hot mess. Dog hair in my mouth, wet nose marks on my computer, paw in my windpipe kind of hot mess. Elphie will hop up on the couch and lean up against me, and based on my current attire and the kind of hair day it is, I sometimes think that this pose will be a cute picture. W-r-o-n-g. The very second I click on PhotoBooth, she squirms. Her paws are now in my hips and my free arm is poorly attempting to restrain her from moving so that I might be able to capture the moment if she would just sit back down. Let me take you on a photo tour of my PhotoBooth collection.

This was in the very early stages of experimenting with computer/human/animal self-portraits. A once-cute picture of Elphie laying on my stomach was ruined by her *sudden* urge to stand on my stomach, leaving me without air and baffled, as you can clearly see in Exhibit A.

Exhibit A

Throughout the bordem, I tried to think of clever ways to snag a good shot of the two of us. Here in Exhibit B, Elphie looks adorable, but I look...well...bored. Any viewer can also easily count the wrinkles in my forehead in my feeble attempt to get in the same shot with the dog.

Exhibit B

Now here, in Exhibit C, I have gotten a little smarter and realized that if I want her to sit still in a shot, then I need to partially restrain her. Somehow, I got her interested enough in the computer for her to actually look and stay, but me? I've got a shit-eating grin on my face because I think I finally won. It wasn't until after I let her go, that I realized half my head was chopped off and the underwear on the wall in my apartment (a long story for another time) is visible. This is not a picture I can send home to dad. Elphie: 3 Me: 0.

Exhibit C

I WIN!...for the most part. In Exhibit D, Elphie is immobile, my entire face is in the picture, and it could have only been better if she was looking at the computer. Finally! (And the peasants rejoice!)

Exhibit D

But, as you can see from this evening's picture, Exhibit E, the battle for a good self-portrait is ongoing and chaotic.

Exhibit E

Here's to a New Year full of good pictures of my pup and me.

Happy birthday America!

Who doesn't love a good afternoon at the ballpark?

I went to beautiful Busch Stadium and saw my Cardinals get creamed (12 - 5) by the Brewers on Saturday :( But the weather was wonderful; hot, but not humid and sunny with a very slight breeze.

It was a great day at the ballpark and I got some pretty cool shots with the sun setting over the stadium

And of course I got one of me in front of the field. It's hard to beat a care-free Saturday at the ballpark!


Updates of the Elphster

She sheds constantly. I can't even keep up anymore. I can brush her for a half hour and accumulate a fur ball like the one in the picture above and she'll STILL shed like I didn't even brush her. Sometimes you have to know when to pick your battles.

Also, I took her to the dog park in St. Charles last week. A friend from work takes her dog there and I had some time to kill a few nights ago so Elphie and I hopped in the car and ventured off to the dog park. She's been to a dog park one other time when we lived in Washington but got really scared because it was a small dog area and there were already lots of dogs who were suddenly bombarding her with attention. Mind you, Elphie loves attention, but when she's in a place new to her and is the smallest dog in the bunch, she gets freaked out very easily (which I feel is natural for most animals and occasionally for humans). Needless to say, there was much cowering, snarling and peeing. Since then I haven't really had the chance or need to take her to a park until I've recently moved to an area without a big and safe enough yard to run around off leash.

This time I was determined to make this experience a better one. I packed up a bowl, extra water, a ball, some poop bags and headed to the park. When we got there I noticed this park was much bigger than the one in Washington with ample room to run from overbearing dogs with ridiculous amounts of energy. Elphie did great and ran around for a bit with some of the other dogs. But then a group of pit bulls showed up. Now don't get me wrong, pit bulls are wonderful dogs, but they have SO much energy! And Elphie got circled by the pit bull gang. Freaked out, she ran to me and and didn't leave my side the rest of our time at the park. What a weenie. But I don't think she piddled everywhere this time and she seemed to enjoy herself more than she did a year ago at the dog park. I hope to make this a more regular outing (hopefully at a dog park closer than St. Chuck) so she doesn't chicken out on me again.

Hope every one is having a wonderful holiday weekend! Until next time...

Puppy Dog Face

This is the face I see everyday when I leave for work...

Talk about sad puppy faces.

Thank Goodness

Thursday is Thanksgiving!!!! Can you believe it?

The holiday season is upon us and the year has flown by! Fortunately, I have my Charlie Brown Christmas Tree all set up in my room and some spiced wine to welcome the jolly season! I've decided that until the holiday of thanks arrives officially, I'm going to blog about things I'm grateful for being in my life.

Day 1 of Thanks: Elphaba Lincoln McGruff III, Esquire.

Yes, my dog. She's a silly little pup with short, stubby legs, but I have learned some lessons from the little rascal. Every morning, she's always very excited to be alive and to go outside and play or bark at chipmunks. She's always happy and is determined to get the people who wouldn't pet her yesterday to pet her today. And when I've had a rough day at work, who is always waiting for me with a wagging tail? Elphie! She reminds me to be hopeful, be silly, bark when the leaves roll by, and enjoy sunbathing. I am ever so thankful for my little pup!