Lilacs in the yard have come into bloom. With the lilacs come butterflies. I've been watching these butterflies cruise by my office window for a few days. Yesterday, I didn't have my camera ready, but today, I caught one of these beauties feasting on a lilac flower.
As far as I can tell, this variety of butterfly is called an Anise Swallowtail. If you are a butterfly expert, please correct me if I'm wrong.
This world constantly amazes me. If you open up your mind and start looking around with a different perspective, opportunities are boundless. Several years ago, when I dabbled in watercolor painting, an artist friend and I discussed how painters look at the world differently. We talked about how artists look at the sky and try to determine hues as well as color blends.
Artists also look at the world through a frame. Photographers, as well. Photoshopping has made framing corrections easier, but artists still view the world through frames. it's a different mindset.
Artists factor lighting into life. In photography, lighting is critical. Ansel Adams, one of my favorite photographers, would wait hours and hours for lighting conditions to change in order to capture dramatic nature shots. I have been working more on recognizing lighting in my photography.
There are many factors to consider in becoming a better photographer. The more I learn, the more frustrated I become. Most likely, I'll take at least a few more digital photography classes in the near future. Unless you practice and experiment daily with your camera, remembering how to adequately adjust settings is quite a task.
Okay, enough about that stuff...
Did you check out that Tower of Power video? Those guys really brought it. I just downloaded a John Mayer/Herbie Hancock song called Stitched Up. It's good!
As I've gotten more serious about training for the half-marathon, I've been downloading a lot of new music from iTunes. Any distraction from the one foot after the other grind of a long run. I've been loading more upbeat songs; more hip hop and funk. I'm still using my old iPod for running because it's more compact than the iTouch. Because it's only a 2gb however, I have to keep removing songs so I can replace them with newer stuff. I've been removing country/western songs. I like C & W, but I need more power for running!
I'm sure this is all very fascinating! Sorry, that's what's on my mind this morning. All of the above... and baseball.
The BoSox have been on a serious winning streak lately. You know I like that. The Sox continuing dominance over the Skanks has been marvelous! Beckett and Lester have come around, Ellsbury has come into his own and Jason Bay has shown to be more than an adequate replacement for the man-child. The Sox lead 4-1 over Philly as I write. Is another sweep is the works? (Update - No! I put the whammy on the Sox. Philly beat the pants off of the Sox today.)
Speaking of the Sox, The View From 312 Feet continues to be my favorite Red Sox blog. Author, Liz, never responds to comments (which is a bit annoying), but she has some amazing insight to Red Sox happenings on and off the field. Methinks that Liz may work for the Sox and that is why she does not reveal her true identity. Whatever the case, her inside view impresses and entices me to her website on a daily basis. Carry on, Liz...
Time to carry on. I was supposed to go for a 9 mile run this morning, but after a restless night, I postponed my trek. I will now have to run in afternoon heat instead. Running through the cottonwood bloom friday evening kicked the allergies into high gear. I'm trying to get that under control today as well. Ahh, how we punish ourselves!
Cheers. I wish a good week to you!
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