June 22, 2005
TimAri and the Africans
Words fail me. No, I did not create this photo in Photoshop. It's real. More details on their blog...
June 21, 2005
Autistic Camp
Last week I took some photographs for a woman here in Chattanooga who organizes and runs a day camp for autistic children. It's called a VSA camp, and I believe it's somewhat federally funded. She was hoping to raise more funds with the use of my pictures.
From what the camp director explained to me, people with autism often have a difficult time reading facial expressions and usually struggle with what we would consider basic social graces. Their minds just work in a different way and she was also hoping to use these images to help explain different facial expressions to the children. This little girl, a particularly happy child, provided a number great facial expressions.
June 18, 2005
Progress on the study
My parents arrived in town on Monday to spend the week here. Dad had General Assembly meetings for the PCA and mom has spent much of the week working on my house. (Dad has too, now that his meetings are done!) I was able to get the painting finished in the study right before they arrived. I'm pretty happy with the "Deep Walnut" color and after a few more little projects, I should be ready to start on the first bedroom.
June 07, 2005
Niece Niamh
This is my mom and my niece Niamh. Niamh is the cutest baby in the world. Now I know there is a tendency to think babies related to you are cuter than babies that aren't related to you, but not in this case. She is the cutest baby in the world. Period.
June 06, 2005
Mendonsa Help
Those of you who have been following the story on Asher Mendonsa will be familiar with some of the needs of the Mendonsa family of late. Right now they need someone to volunteer to mow their lawns later this week. If you think you could lend a hand, drop me a line. They have a riding lawnmower that you can use. Thanks!
Skypin...
Wow... I just had my first Skype IP-based conversation with Jake Stuart. If you haven't gotten Skype yet and you have a laptop with microphone or a headset, I recommend trying it out. The sound is pretty great and it's completely free. Plus if you use your headphones with a laptop, you get the conversation in stereo which creates this very bizarre effect of a disembodied voice of whomever you're speaking with. Very cool. Now I just need Tim and Ari to get set up with Skype in Uganda.
House Update
I'm making continual, yet very slow, progress on the house. This is the study, the room that I've tackled first. I meant to take a picture before I started priming, but forgot to. The walls were a combination of flourescent pink and yellow, but now every square inch of the room has been covered in primer. It's a very satisfying feeling to step back and look at room with a coat of primer on it. I imagine getting the paint on will be even better.
The window has been repaired and will be installed soon. The HVAC is in and paid for and just in time too. We had our first real summer day yesterday and temperatures today will likely hit 90. Cranked the A/C last night and slept with the windows closed for the first time. The washer and dryer are working, the cable is hooked up, and I've purchased a new mattress. All in all I feel like things are moving along. With any luck the study and my bedroom will be painted by this weekend and I can begin settling in.
Saw Star Wars III on Saturday night. I was predictably disappointed, but also found it the best of the latest round of SW films. Its pretty dark which is nice in that it brings balance to the saccharine feel of the first two. Anakin and Padume's (sp?) dialogue is atrocious -- so bad I was squirming in my seat whenever they came on screen together. I just don't find their relationship compelling enough to merit a turn to the dark side. But Yoda was cool. And Obi Wan is pretty solid too.
Back to work...