wall-e & eve-a, a love story

He: "I really enjoyed WALL-E!"
She: "It was wonderful. It looked so real I almost forgot it was animated."
He: "The short film they showed before it called Presto was also great! Really creative and funny."



She: "There were kids of all ages in the theater, including us :). Everyone seemed to enjoy both movies and weren't fidgeting around, including us. All Pixar movies seem to send the message - don't give up, you can do it."
He: "True. The main themes in WALL-E were about love and the trashing of Earth. I don't think there was anything unusually scary for kids, but there's always the customary tense moment at times. The situation about Earth was probably more "eye-opening" for the adults, but kids are pretty savvy these days."
She: "Man, I was so anxious at that one part. We better get with it, or we'll be lucky to end up on a cruise ship floating in space. I loved EVE-A (Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator) and the M-O (Microbe-Obliterator), a cleaner-bot program with some serious OCD. Oh, and I really loved that WALL-E was a collector!”



He: "EVE-A had some qualities that reminded me of you."
She: "She was good with technology?!"
He: "Well ..."
She: "She was good with plants?!"
He: "Sure [I was thinking feisty, but I'll go with her answers to save myself ;)]."

Check out this blog devoted to Pixar
Photo Credits : Disney/Pixar

are you sleeping?

She: [Scott went to bed early and I watched Live From Abbey Road. I'm not a big country music fan, but Rascal Flatts was on and they were great! I love this series and can not wait for the show with the Stereophonics. I wonder if he's sleeping.] "Scotty?"
He: "Yes angel?"
She: "I'm sorry I'm such a pain."
He: "Stop honey. Don't worry so much. Stuff happens."
She: "I know, but I'm always into something new."
He: "I like that because I'm Mr. Routine."
She: "Yeah, but it's annoying."
He: "I like the new furniture and stuff."
She: "I don't think we should re-do the bathroom so soon."
He: "Ok." [Gives a hug.]
She: [Hugs are good. When he wakes me up at 6:00 am before leaving for work, I'll tell him that I'd rather go to San Francisco! I've never been to California.]

Side Note: Baby iMac is now with Tech Support so they can "bust it open and run some diagnostics" to identify what all the buzz is about. I've been warned that it might be a bad hard drive - eek! I gave them the brand new external hard drive I was going to use, so I hope if that's the case, they'll be able to back it up. But, I still have my PC hooked up just in case. xo, Cindy

Photo Credit : A sleepy Cindy

getting ready for WALL-E!

Although we're not having any love affairs with technology this week, we still can't wait to see WALL-E (short for Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) this weekend, during the day, with lots of kids in the audience. You can also build your own robot on the site. Cool!

Photo Credit : Disney/Pixar

imac needs first aid!

Thanks for all of the well wishes yesterday, I really appreciated them. But, unfortunately, the saga continues. One of the reasons we're changing from our old pc to a new mac is because when we start the pc the fan makes a loud noise for about 20 minutes. Plus, it's big and we've had the hard drive crash and other heartaches.

Yesterday, just as I finished migrating all of my data to the iMac with the help of a my neighbor who is a very patient technology consultant, it started to make a buzzing sound. He had left by then and I was finishing up in Quickbooks - double ugh.

Although it doesn't sound like a fan, I thought it could be as both computers were running in the same area and it was a little bit hot. So, I shut it off. Put on the air conditioner. Come back later. Try again. Buzz, buzz, buzz. Call Tech support. No difference. Now, we have to take it to the Apple store for repair. Ugh!

But, I'm not complaining. I'm not COMPLAINING. I'm NOT COMPLAINING. I'M COMPLAINING!

Has anyone ever have a problem like this with a Mac? I just hope they can fix it without losing all of the work involved in moving my files, emails, etc. and that it doesn't become a recurring situation.

6.26.08 Update: iMac is now with Tech Support so they can "bust it open and run some diagnostics" to identify what all the buzz is about. I've been warned that it might be a bad hard drive - eek! I gave them the brand new external hard drive I was going to use, so I hope if that's the case, they'll be able to back it up. But, I still have my PC hooked up just in case.

7.8.08 Update: iMac had a misaligned fan and it was replaced. Phew!

xo, Cindy

Photo Credit : Ribattak

better today

Oh man, enough of that whining - "oh, it's so hard to get new stuff, whah whah"! People are really struggling and I should know better than to complain. Shame on me. So, here's a moment of Zen with some pink sweetheart roses from the corner deli.

xo, Cindy
Photo Credit : Cindy with no Photoshop, but I'm not complaining

knickers in a twist!

Despite her best efforts to chill, and feeling like last week was the best week ever, and the luckiest girl in the world, someone has gotten her knickers in a twist. Although it's all for good reasons, i.e. migration from an old pc to a mac, new bedroom furniture after 20+ years, and a new slipcover for the new couch, change can still be stressful.

Once the raging OCD is in check, she hopes to be back on track with stories and pics. After all, it was self-inflicted.

Photo Credit : Jill Greenberg

so duckin' cute!

This photo of a Mama duck and her ducklings crossing Park Avenue, against the light, was on the cover of the New York Post today. We couldn't resist posting a picture as it is so cute.

Cab driver, Sergio Castillo, stopped his car to make sure they made it across all intact before volunteers returned them safely to Central Park. Needless to say, they tried to elude capture, and were allegedly on their way to Bloomingdale's ;).

Have a lovely weekend - quack, quack.

Photo Credit : Andrea Renault/Polaris

happy summer!

Just love this song by Kelly Jones. Multiple choice -

1. Have a listen
2. Make a shape from a cloud
3. Enjoy a wonderful weekend
4. All of the above!
   

Summer
Gliding birds wings
Watch them fly
Diving down and
Climbing high
Shooting stars fly
Through my sky
Ripe black cherries
Taste like wine

Then I feel like lying down so still
Making shapes from clouds in the sky with you

Water drops from honey dew
Decreasing circles
From stones I threw
Greasy skin shines in the sun
Today's the day
And you're the one

And when the sun has gone away
And I feel I wanna stay
I taste a raindrop in my mouth
I pick you up and the sky comes down

Then I feel like lying down so still
Making shapes from clouds in the sky with you

(c) 2008 Kelly Jones

viewfinder in rectangles

[Surfer in Cape May]

I'm trying another filter, which I found in the Noise and Dust Through the Viewfinder group on Flickr. One of the added benefits of using it is my photos wind up in uniform sizes. I'm a little bit crop happy and can only imagine what will happen if I print some of my photos after I slice and dice 'em. Maybe I'll use the files as templates, square or rectangle, even if I don't apply the the filters.


[Measuring Cups]


[Water Balloons]


[Bride & Groom]

xo, Cindy
Photo Credit : Cindy + Breanna's filter

sun dry it redux!

[Water Balloons]

Target almost eluded attack by refraining from his usual whistling.
Hmmm - what's up with that?
Regardless, attack was initiated because I saw the car go past-yay!
Target was not hit, but was startled, and so was a cat.
Sorry about the cat.
Now, I gotta' go clean-up the mess and do something productive.
Target suggested something about getting one's head examined ;).
Maybe that wasn't such a good idea as I have ammunition to spare?!
Target will be back later. Use it or lose it.

xo, Cindy

Photo Credit : Cindy

sun dry it!

[Water Balloons]

The other day we saw a little boy with water balloons.
It looked like fun.
Scott is driving home from work to drop off the car before taking the subway to a class this afternoon.
He parks his car in the garage in our building and exits through the back door just below our window on the second floor.
He usually whistles to let me know he's home.
See where I'm going here?
The plan is not to hit him, but since I don't want to, I'm sure I will.
If that happens, I'll remind him that when he was little and got wet,
he would say "sun dry it".
He loves to tell me about it.
I'd love to hear it today!

xo, Cindy

Photo Credit : Cindy who got soaked filling up the balloons!

polaroid pocket printer

I don't mind saying that I'm not the technology-guru in this house, but even I think this small Polaroid PoGo printer looks like it could be fun. It will never replace the Polaroid Instant camera, but might ease the pain (a bit), or provide a diversion.

The PoGo prints 2x3 inch color photos (with sticky backs) in less than 60 seconds directly from Bluetooth cellphones and digital cameras with PictBridge. Available July 6th at Best Buy for about $150. You can read a full (and funny) review in Wired.

Cheers, Scott

Photo Credit : Wired

those sure are pretty!

[English Rose Fairy Dolls]

It all began with wonderful Pia,who led me to wonderful Jeska,who led me to wonderful Magpie and the Wardrobe. Yes, I'm channeling the song It's A Wonderful World as sung by Louis Armstrong (wish that would have been our wedding song, but I digress).

Owner, Sam McKechnie's, English Rose Fairy Dolls are so charming. Each Fairy is hand-painted, dressed in a ball gown made from antique French linen, and adorned with vintage flowers. The fill includes softly scented lavender & rose petals. I love the way the shoes resemble ballerinas en pointe and each one comes with a wand. They're a little pricey, about US$200, but oh my goodness!


[Project #002]

And then, from lovely Lori Marie who led me to Jayme and her lovely shop Roadside. Jayme's wonderful three-dimensional paper art may be small in scale (my preference), but big in creativity. Currently, she is working on Project #002, which is a series of three-dimensional cut paper portraits housed in handmade oval frames. I think they're really interesting and very reasonably priced at US$35-55.

xo, Cindy
Photo Credits : Each artist

thinking of the usa

It seems like our planet has been enduring some severe weather in recent months. Suffering significant loses of property, and more importantly, lives. First Myanmar. Then China. And, along the way, extreme heat and storms in the Northeast, fires in California and Florida, flooding and tornadoes in the Midwest. It's hard to believe that the changes in weather patterns have nothing to do with the way we abuse the earth's resources.

When we heard about the Boy Scouts who were caught in a tornado in Omaha, Iowa we felt broken-hearted. The Boy Scouts still conjure up old school innocence. It makes us sad to learn that they were watching lightening storms, something we've done, only to see the tornado on the horizon heading in their direction. After the tornado hit the camp, the stories of the bravery and preparedness you would expect from Scouts were uplifting. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the four Scouts who died and the others who were injured.

Life is unpredictable. Have a safe Father's Day weekend.

xo, Cindy + Scott
Photo Credit : ABC News + The Boy Scouts

looking through the viewfinder

[Pink Garden Roses]

Livy from A Field Journal recently mentioned her experiments with applying filters to her wonderful photos. The filters are designed to give the effect of the dust you would find when taking a photo of a plain white wall with a vintage camera. It gives the photo some grit.


[Tin Toy]


[English Gardening Books]

You can find many filters in the Noise and Dust Through the Viewfinder group on Flickr. I loved the look and I used this one. [Update 4:30 pm] I didn't do this correctly until Livy told me exactly what to do and I have updated the instructions. [Note to self: books are meant to be read; the Photoshop book is 12" away!] Here are the correct instructions -

• Copy the filter and create a new layer in your image file.
  
• In the drop down menu near the top of the layer tray, change "normal" to "multiply" and it will clear the white background in the right places.
• That's it! I corrected all of my images and now they look cohesive. I'd really like to find a unique, recognizable style for my photos and this could be interesting!
  

[Pansies]


[Vintage Drapes + Geranium]

Give it a try; it's so easy ;). And, be sure to take a look at Livy's photos, which are so moody and wonderful. Thanks Livy!

xo, Cindy
Photo Credit : Cindy

creature comforts turns 1!

Creature Comforts has a special place in our hearts and on June 28th celebrates it's FIRST birthday! Now, it seems like when a milestone is achieved by a blog the gift giving is reversed. So, Ez is having a very generous give-away of goodies from an amazing line-up of creatives. All you have to do is leave a comment on Creative Comforts, which includes your favorite quote - ours was "Keep Calm and Carry On".

The winner will be chosen on June 28th! But, we're all winners, because Ez + Creature Comforts combine to create a wonderful place to visit for a daily dose of inspiration.

Happy Birthday Ez, and many more!

Photo Credit : Creature Comforts

studies in green

[Jadite Measuring Cups]

Last week I had a lot of fun working on photos for the I Saw Red project and decided to continue on through the color wheel in no particular order. The next color I'm working on is green. I love green, and as in nature, think of it almost as a neutral. So, there will be flowers, as usual.


[Vintage Drapes, McCoy Planter + Geranium]

Martha also has a project this week called s t i l l, which has to do with the art of still life photography. Martha mentioned a few things that I'm going to keep in mind:

• Photograph simple, everyday objects.
• Focus on the presence or absence of light.
  
• Frame the shot; limit the use of the crop. I think it's kind of like using a digital camera in the same manner we use film cameras. Don't rely on the luxury of Photoshop to improve the photo.
  
• Try to emulate some of your favorite photographers.
  

[Yin & Yang Cereal]

Please check out the flickr pool set-up for Martha's project and join in. I'm not able to say that I integrated all of her criteria into these photos (especially cropping), but I can definitely see the influence.


[Cranstone Chintz Compote & Lace Shadow]

xo, Cindy
Photo Credit : Cindy

celebrity deathmatch: carrie vs. indiana

She: "It's sooooo hot today, would you like to go to the movies?"
He: "Sure. What should we see?"
She: "Well, I looked in the paper and we could see Sex and the City, or Indiana Jones."
He: [Surprise, surprise.] "How should we decide?"
She: "Odd or evens?" [ I hope he picks evens, I always prefer odds.]

He: "Evens, or you'll pout."
She: [Yay!] "Ok, 1, 2, 3 shoot!"

She: [Yay!] "ODDS! Ok, 1, 2, 3 shoot!"
He: [Oh, I'll shoot all right!]

He: [Yes!] "EVENS, EVENS!" [Come on!]
She: "Chill, it's just a movie. Ok, last one. 1, 2, 3 shoot!"

She: [Yay!] "ODDS AGAIN! I'M A WINNER!"

He: "OH NO! Not that movie! The HUMANITY!" [I mean I like Kristen Davis and all, but come on, that's for girls. What's it rated anyway?]

She: "Indiana Jones here we come - hubba hubba!"
He: "Really?"
She: "Sure, just not TODAY!" [Note, I tried to do the Tom Cruise thing when he was on Oprah, but I don't think I pulled it off. I wanted to jump on my brother's brand new leather couch, but he just gave me the stink eye. Boys are crazy.]

UPDATE : We've seen the movie and it was gorgeous ...
He: "COUPON!"
She: "Oh please let me tell them what you did at least 3 times during the emotional scenes!"
He: "COUPON! COUPON!"
She: "But, it was so cute. You know when Carrie gives Louise the Louis Vuitton bag?" [hint hint]
He: "You're pushing your luck if you keep typing!"
She: "Oh, ok. Thanks for going with me; you're such a good sport. [Drat those coupons yet again!]
He: "Ok, but next time it's my call. And, I had that idea for renting bags years ago when it seemed like you had a new kate spade bag every week!"
She: "Yes, cutie." [He did! And, is it me, or did Carrie's apartment increase in size by 100%? I loved it the old way, but the electric blue and the modern touches were so fabulous. Oh, and all of the wedding stuff - "big" time swoon.]

Photo Credits : Top two the respective movie studios, the rest were by us with some help from Flickr Toys.

sex and the city movie book!

I just read about the Sex and the City: The Movie book, by Amy Sohn, on the New York Magazine website and thought I'd pass it along. Talk about eye candy! You can buy it here for about $20, which is less than two tickets to the movies, plus the fixins'. Wish they would do one for the interiors a la Design for Mankind!


I also saw this bride and thought the simple wedding [and the city] sounded genuinely fun and grounded.

xo, Cindy

i really want these, now!

Unfortunately, they're not yet available, but can be pre-ordered!
(listed by release date)


For the Love of Light, a Tribute to the Art of the Polaroid, Various Photographers : Available for pre-order June 5, 2008 (limited edition of 500 - oh no!)


Viva La Vida, Coldplay : Available June 17, 2008


Printing by Hand: A Modern Guide to Printing with Handmade Stamps, Stencils, and Silk Screens, by Lena Corwin : Available July 16, 2008


A Year of Mornings: 3191 Miles Apart, by Maria Alexandra Vettese, Stephanie Congdon Barnes : Available September 3, 2008

The Gentle Art of Domesticity, by Jane Brocket : Available September 17, 2008


Handmade Hellos, from Hello! Lucky : Available September 17, 2008


Stitched in Time: Memory-Keeping Projects to Sew and Share from the Creator of Posie Gets Cozy, by Alicia Paulson : Available November 11, 2008

I'll just have to wait patiently. Well, I'll try to wait patiently.
xo, Cindy

Photo Credits : The Publishers

more red

She: [Oh, Scott’s home! I’m so excited to show him my new photos. When I first "read" about I Saw Red week on Sadie Olive ~ Le Journal I didn't think I had much in the red department. Then, I looked around, and I was wrong! I'm seeing it everywhere, which is much better than seeing dead people. I should wait until he gets settled.]

He: “Hi!”

She: “Hi, you made it home fast today [yay!].”

He: “Yeah, it only took me an hour to drive 20 miles [sometimes, it can take 2 hours!].”

She: [Oh, I want to call him over here! These projects are so much fun as I've recently discovered that I really, really love to take pictures. Of all the creative outlets I've explored over the years, photography has become the one that makes me understand how artists get so caught up they don't eat, or do laundry, or much of anything else. I can’t wait any longer.] “Come over here, I want to show you something.”

He: “Ok, I’ll be right there. Did you eat your lunch?”

She: "Yes. [Oh, hurry, hurry. Even though I only use a little point and shoot camera, natural light and no tripod (very bad), I am learning a lot from my own work and by looking at others (see 3191, Alicia and Jen). I want to get an SLR, but think I should improve my photography skills first and not use having a simple camera as an excuse. There's a whole art to what you do after you take the shot - like how you crop it. Here he comes.] Look at the photos I took today!”

He: “Those are so nice, all the red. You’ve never really done anything in red.”

She: “I know, I like the apples and the heart the best.”

He: “I like the apples, too. I was born in NYC so I’m partial to that one.”

She: “Ok, carry on with your bad-self. Thank you. [Yay! After some research, I'm thinking about getting a Nikon D40 with an upgrade to a VR lense. I'm definitely an impatient photographer and would like something light in weight and that can compensate for my lack of patience when it comes to tripods. If you guys have any suggestions, please let me know.]

PS There's still plenty of time to participate in the project as it runs through June 8th. All you have to do is look around for red, click and post it on your blog or in the Flickr group.

Photo Credit : Cindy