Dahlia

The dahlia is such a spectacular flower. To me it encompasses what a flower should be, what a flower should look like. I was in a beautiful section of the public gardens recently and found a wonderful dahlia garden, with so many amazing species of the flower some I had never seen before; all gorgeous explosions of colour and beauty that captivated my attention and created a huge warmth of happiness in my heart. I snapped a couple shots of some of the flowers that just blew my mind, and made my day just that much better.

So You Think You're a Professional?

I haven't really had the time or the mental capacity to post anything in a while, but now that classes are over and I have a great interesting job that I love I think I'm going to start posting more regularly.
Anyway, my birthday was a little while back and as a gift I received a beautiful "professional" camera.
I love photography, but have never tried it. I love drawing and painting, and would have to say that I have a pretty creative eye. So when it came to the camera I thought the pictures would look great from any angle, any light. But I was so wrong.
It's not the camera as I have learned, it's absolutely an art I have to get used to. I can set up a picture how the way I want it to look, but that doesn't mean it's going to turn out the way I want it to. It's a whole new experience to think of the light, the texture, the everything! Anyway here are a few shots that I'm working on. Hopefully I can only get better.

Not Another Snow Day...

When I was younger the beginning of the new year ment one thing, snow days.
One thing I loved without any doubt was a snow day, especially a well deserved snow day.
You know, one of those days where you didn't expect it, one of those days that just come out of the blue. Me and my brother would sit around the radio waiting to hear the cancallation, with my mother making breakfast behind us also wishing for that cancallation, being a teacher.
But now, now that I'm in university the last thing that I want is a snow day.
Now that I pay for school, and now that I have hideously long labs, that if missed comprimise my entire class mark.
Today is one of those days, I'm waiting on comfrimation on afternoon classes, seeing as morning classes are cancelled.
Please, please don't let me miss my stupid organic chem lab...please.

Snow dangers..

Snow.

I love snow, to an extent.

And I do believe the barrier of which I love snow is definitely being pushed.

One of my very best friends is home from school, and another is home after being halfway across the country for almost eleven months. Tonight was the night I was going to see them for the very first time, along with many other friends that have been away for school.

Unfortunately a storm has hit, this storm continues to pelt my town with centimeters and centimeters of snow.

The snow makes the roads unbearable.

It would be easy enough to just walk to my destination, but the threat of freezing rain is keeping me indoors. I personally enjoy my Christmas break sans pneumonia.

So I'm stuck.

Inside.

Away from my friends.

Away from everybody.

Alone.

I'm so discouraged, maybe I'll bake.

Baking cools me down, evens me out.

And even if I it doesn't cool me down, I can always eat what I've made and veg out on the couch.

Jelly-belly-yum.

A simple pleasure I have in life is jellybeans. I like to think of myself as a jellybean connoisseur. I like plain jellybeans where you can't really tell which flavor is which, expect in the case of the green ones which are always mint (and my favorite). But my preferred choice are gourmet jellybeans.

Gourmet jellybeans not only have a plethora of flavors and colours but an entire mystery behind them. With every bag comes a list and picture guide for all the tasty flavors contained in the sack of fun.

Each jellybean has to be eaten separately; each jellybean needs a moment.

Within this moment the jellybean has to be distinguished from its many other brothers and sisters; savored if you will. With gourmet jellybeans I find the flavour much more enhanced, so it would be a travesty if i were to pop a hand full in my mouth without giving each on its time to shine.

My favorite are the American Medley jellybeans by Jelly Belly, the flavour is just so vivid, the lemon and lime the cherry even the grape (which I'm usually not too fond of) taste amazing.

Beyond the fact of fun jellybeans brings, I love that it reminds me of my childhood, which I must admit was not that far away, but in times of stress it is a great release.

So in a way a hand full of gourmet jellybeans are my therapy. They fit into my obsessive need to categorize and conquer my sweet-tooth cravings. They're just one more thing that make my life fun and quirky, and they make me..me.

Jack-o-Lantern Crazy!

Midterms are over. Some stress has been relieved. Pumpkin carving to come.
I love pumpkins, like previously mentioned. And I love to carve pumpkins.
Jack-o-lanterns are one of my favorite things to do, I wish I could carve them year round.
When I carve my pumpkins I usually don't go for the average toothy smile and triangle eyes.
I usually like to express my creativity through my jack-o-lanterns.
One year I carved my pumpkin into a haunted house, complete with ghost in the window.
Another year I carved a old knotted looking tree into my pumkin.
And almost every year we get trick or treaters wanting to take pictures of our masterpieces.
This year, I was thinking about doing something original, but I'm not quite sure what I should do.
This year I bought 5 pumpkins total, so I was looking into maybe a theme. But I'm not sure of anything yet. I'm hoping to get some consistency through out my pumpkins. I also thought about including some gourds into my carvings. Whatever I end up carving I'll be sure to post some pictures of the process and the final product.

Stress level rising...

Stress.
I hate stress, and lately I've been experiencing some serious levels of it.

I can't seem to get away from midterms, assignments, quizzes....

But to be honest those aren't the things that are causing my heart rate to quicken.

It's the marks.

The marks, the averages....they are everything.

The other day I got a letter from my university stating that I had made it on the Dean's list.

I was very happy, but this just added to my stress.
Now I have to keep up my marks, and make sure I make the Dean's list next year.
I can't wait until next Tuesday, no more midterms and the idea of Jack-o-lantern carving are in my future.