Musings by the Hairslave

I thought it might be fun (and it turns out a little challenging) to write a post from my new iPad!

Let me start by agreeing right off the bat, that I didn’t really need an iPad.  No one does. It’s just another fancy electronic toy.  However, in my defense, since I use my computer at work for scheduling and client records, I was getting a little tired of my heavy (ha) MacBook.  It wasn’t very practical carrying it around on busy days, and it was never where I needed it.  Not so with this baby!  It’s always with me, and rightly so.  I’ll go out on a limb here and say that this is the future of computers!  It’s the future I’ve been waiting for.

The iPad feels like something out of a sic-fi movie (as a matter of fact, I think there was something like it in Avatar).  Don’t get me wrong, it’s not there yet.  A few of the issues I’m having are with multi-tasking, printing, data transfer (I had to come up with a work around just for posting).  I don’t like a lot of the apps, I’m learning to finger type (a little ironic considering I think of my typing classes in high school to be one of the best class choices I ever made), and AT&T 3G totally sucks ass.  But overall I don’t regret the money spent.  The battery lasts for hours, the screen is fabulous, and though a lot of web sites don’t work well yet (come on Apple, no Flash?  Really?), I still have the good old laptop for emergencies!

Yes, at this point I didn’t need it, but I feel like I live in the twenty first century now.  And to a kid growing up on a constant diet of comic books, that’s worth almost any amount of money.  Now I just want my flying car…

Note: By the end of typing this post I learned to love the Quickoffice app, but I still had to “post” it with my MacBook…

I was sitting on my front step the other evening, enjoying the glorious spring/summer weather.  The light was perfect, and I became inspired.  I went in search of my camera.  Unfortunately, I was sidetracked, by my two extremely evil dogs, who decided they didn’t need to wait for me to let them out.  It was my fault I’m sure for not taking care of their needs first.

Don't let the cuteness fool you, pure evil lurks in their hearts...

Pets are such givers.

Anyway!  After a few minutes of cleanup, eeeew, I was back on task.  The light was still great when I returned with my beloved Sony SLR digital camera.  It more than suits the needs of this amateur.

I started with a test shot, just something that caught my eye.  To see how the light was going to photograph.  It was so-so…

A similar shot edited...

and so I progressed to another test shot, and then a couple of light test shots…

A simple test shot to check light, framing etc.

A slightly better test shot, edited

A lighting and angle test

Then I hit on the shot.

The Ah Ha! shot

I call this shot, the Ah Ha shot, because it’s the magical moment when something clicks; and I become inspired.

With this particular photo, I love the way the light is almost from the side because the sun is so low (thanks mutts!).  The unusual angle of the light makes the flower glow, and the background is practically black.  It got me focused on the textures, and the fabulous softness of the flowers petals.  I love how the edges fade away, and give the flowers a feeling that they could be made of porcelain.  It’s not a perfect shot, but it sets the stage for what is to come…

The same composition with a slightly different edit

A new angle is better

Might be my favorite, definitely the best composition

Last one, then the sun was gone :-((

A better edit...

This illustrates what my painting teacher used to describe as the happy accident.  Letting the work take you where it will, until something good (hopefully) happens that you would never have taken yourself to intentionally.  The happy accident.

I was staring at my closet this evening.  The reason I happen to be sitting there was because of my son’s cat, Ebi.  We’re watching him for the summer.  He’s very pretty, and pretty much the flightiest cat I’ve ever seen.  He was yowling at me to pay attention to him, so I did.  But I made the mistake of trying to touch him before he had settled.  Big cat mistake I’ve found.

He's actually got a few brains as well as the good looks.

Anyhow, after he fled while howling, I sat and thought about what a stupid cat he is.  It’s all beauty for the poor fellow.  And when I focused on my closet, I realized what a neurotic I am as well.  My closet is an organizers wet dream.  I’m a neat freak.

No, Pete's side doesn't look like this, but it's closer than it used to be!

I had suspected it for a while.  My first marriage fell apart because of what a slob my ex-wife was.  Or was it because I was a neurotic neat freak?  Oh wait,  I remember,  it was because I’m gay…awkward.  And my ex-wife was a slob.  I love her like a sister, and if we had been a little more compatible, she probably would have been willing to be my beard for years.  But I’m neurotic.  I truly hate chaos.  Eventually I fled to my own Immaculate 1 bedroom apartment, in fashionable “east” Woodland.

So, there I am having my neurosis epiphany, and  I think, “Wow!  What a fabulous wardrobe…