My Squircle Obsession

Photo by formerly TaGurit.

Yes, I admit, I am a Squircaholic. WHAT?? you say. Yes, I'm addicted to squircling. SQUIRCLING?? you ask. What the heck is a squircle?

In short, it's a squared circle. :) Now, before we get off on an existential tangent trying to figure out just what "squared circle" really means, I'll tell you. It is simply, a perfect circle, contained within/framed by a perfect square. That's all.

At first, I thought - ok, what's the big deal? I totally didn't get why so many people were obsessed with this whole squircle thing. A circle in a square? C'mon! How difficult could that be? And how boring and common the shots probably are. Right? Well, partly. Yes, it's easy to create a squircle (though you'd be amazed at how many people in the group post photos that are nowhere near the stated guidelines) and yes, there are tons of manhole covers, mirrors, bowls, and balls but there's also all kinds of great unusual creative ones in there too! To be honest, it really just kind of hit me one day. I began to notice circles all around me, thinking "Hey, I bet that'd make a cool squircle" and stuff like that. And so began my obsession.

Now, I won't say it's an everyday thing - I'm not constantly taking photos of everything circular to crop a square around it. Nor am I particularly scouting for things which could fit the criteria (though I did for a little while at the beginning) - but there are times when the inspiration hits and I begin once again to see potential squircles all around me. Is there help for someone like me? Would I want/need help? Just because I go around snapping 10-15 shots of the same thing to get the circle "just right" does that mean I need intervention? ;) Nah... I'm not even close to the level some have reached - like the submissions by Leo L30: 2378 in all - and I bet he's got even more lurking on his home computer :) Now, that's impressive! I don't think I'll ever reach a spot in the top posters, but that's ok. I'm happy in my obscurity. I do it cuz I like it. And that's the way it should be. :)

At the Fair

Well, the Puyallup Fair's been going on for a while, and we just went this past weekend (on Sat. and again on Monday - the ride braceletes weren't for sale on the weekend, and we'd promised the kids rides - at $17.50 for a bracelet, that's less than 5 rides-worth [$4 just for a kiddie ride??? That's insane!!] so it pays for itself pretty quick.)

It was alot of fun. Saturday we just walked around mostly. We looked at the animals, and I took the kids in the petting area. There were pygmy goats (whose coats are extremely soft!!!) and sheep, and a little tiny baby bunny only 2 (or was it 6? I don't remember ;) weeks old. So soft you could barely feel it. So sweet. My 2yr old loved it. We took them on one ride each that day; Greg went on the bears (you sit inside them and they spin... I get all nauseated nowadays on those - after being pregnant with my oldest girl, my equilibrium seems all messed up - I can't even swing on swings for very long!) with our oldest girl, and I went on the swings with the son. Gregoreo (my nickname for the hubs) took the kids on the train - it winds around the kiddie area, and goes thru a short tunnel - the kids absolutely loved it! He took some great shots too, but I've yet to upload them... will soon. He was reluctant to take them (he's not big on non-thrill rides) but I convinced him that their enjoyment of it would be the rewarding part... and when they came back, he had a big ol' smile on his face and said that he'd had fun. I was so glad.

So Monday was a rough day in general, but we did have fun at the fair. 'Specially the kids. The 2yr old went down the Giant slide for the first time (in between my legs of course - you can't hold them on your lap; it's a safety issue) and the son went down by himself for the first time. What a big boy he's getting to be! Almost 7yrs old... and over 4ft tall!! I got to take them on the train that night (I'd gotten a bracelet too - Greg wanted me to rather than him... he had fun with the baby though :) and the kids went on all sorts of other stuff. Near the end of the night, Bryant reeeeally wanted to go on the huge Ferris Wheel; pictured here. He's asked to go every year - and so this time we actually got to go! I'm not fond of big slow-moving high rides that you're not exactly strapped into (this one you sit in a basket that hangs underneath the arm) - I prefer fast high scary thrill rides (the scary part is tolerable because you're strapped in and it moves so fast you don't really have time to ponder how high you really are - except at the beginning... whereas the slow ones are scary because you know exactly how high you are the entire time)

Bryant loved it though... and after a minute or two I enjoyed it as well. I'm really glad for him that he got to go... :)

After that, we ran to the swings before the bracelet expired, and flew around in the cold night air... then found my hubs and the girls - and went home. Fun, fun.

Finally, Again!

Well I finally dyed my hair again. I first dyed it when I was 19; using the Special Effects brand, Atomic Pink color. Man I loved it. I did it the night I went to a Battle of the Bands, on Bainbridge Island; to support a friend's band (no longer in existence, sadly - the band I mean. It was called Dred.) It was so much fun...

Anywayz, I've dyed it a few times since then, mostly darker colors (burgundy, dark/bright red) but I've always wanted to go back to pink. Except Hot Topic didn't carry the Atomic pink anymore.. only a couple lighter pinks and one more of a purple color. But when I went in a little while ago, I found it!!! So I snapped it up, and a few nights ago finally took the time to bleach (but ran out- I've got so much hair!! So the blonde is a little uneven) and color. The only problem is... my hair grows so fast, i'm already seeing a tiny bit of roots!!! Ack! And the unfortunate thing is, the pink is only a semi-permanent... so it washes out with every shampoo (and turns the entire shower pink!) But it's fun while it lasts... and I've got a huge bottle of the stuff, so when it does start to fade, I can re-do it easily.

I just love having pink hair! I feel like "myself." :)

What's my sister doing?

Photo by formerly TaGurit.

What a sweet big sister she is. My oldest daughter just loves to play with her sister, and she loves to be a big girl. The other day, we went to the park, and while I was helping my mom get Aidan into his swing (he's my little brother - 8 mos. younger than my youngest) I turned and saw Rose getting ready to push Carlon. She did a good job too! They had alot of fun, and I am so glad I captured it on "film." It's definitely something I want to remember.

I'd Say So!

Photo by Katie Bug.

Yep, pretty much sums it up! Craziness no? 'Round here it's still 'bout $2.89/gal for the basic 87 octane, but I heard it's closer to $5/gal in Atlanta - and elsewhere over $3. My mom was saying something about prices going up 65¢ by this weekend - if that happens, Greg's gonna hafta start taking the bus to work - and we won't be making any long-distance drives in the near future. Too bad we have to drive to get anywhere in town - one disadvantage of living on an enclosed base. Ah well. Funny though, you'd think gas would be cheaper here on-base... but it's just as expensive as out in town, and 13¢ more than at Costco! Thank goodness for Costco.

Anyway, I just love this shot. Says it all, huh? I don't really know whether to laugh or cry at the irony. Maybe both. Heh.

The Newest Coolest Thing

So recently on flickr, fd created this really cool new app for creating "magazine covers" with a flickr photo! Omygosh I am so loving it! I've always loved writing and photography, and I've wanted to take journalism courses and create my own publication for just about ever. I've thought about creating a family newsletter just for my family to keep up with each other (we're spread out everywhere!) and all sorts of different things. Well, now I can "pretend" to have my own magazine; or at least create fun covers with silly article titles. My first creation was for the Catchy Colors group. !efatima created the group, and admins it beautifully (it's alot of fun!) and she started a thread specifically asking for Catchy Colors magazine covers. Omygosh the creativity and fun some of those covers showcase - I think it's one of my fave threads in any of the groups. She even publishes them all on the Catchy Colors Publications blog. This was my first contribution:

Isn't that fun? ;) This app creates so many different opportunities for fun. I got all excited about the different ideas/issues you could create, and started an actual "magazine" of my own. ;) Actually, it started out as just a tribute. One of my contacts, thehomsar is a soldier stationed in Iraq, (actually alot of my contacts are Military, mostly stationed in Iraq or previously have served there) and his face was a perfect cover-photo for the magazine. I get so tired of all the anti-USA/anti-Military crap that is all over flickr unfortunately (I've actually been very surprised and appalled at the things people have said... I seriously can't believe there are people so ignorant, hateful, and venomous! No wait, I take it back. I can believe it, but I'd never personally come into contact with it before) and I wanted to do something, in my own little way, to try to combat the images the anti-Military people try to flout around the web. Our men and women need encouragement, support, and respect. Not the stuff they get from the majority of media and especially the left-wingnut ignoramuses all over the place on flickr. Some of those people are completely crazy! I am not kidding. It's like they have no rational brain cells anywhere in their head! Try to carry on a conversation, a rational discussion of some topic or other - and all they can do is rant and rave and call people names and go on about this and that (stuff I don't want to repeat) and spout their lies, propaganda and hyperbole. *sigh... There was one group I absolutely loved - called Delete me! - where all the sarcasm that lies beneath my calm exterior was allowed, encouraged, and prodded to come out. Granted, there's alot of users who use pretty foul language - almost burns my eyes! - but other than that, it was a whole lotta fun. I was one of the "gang" and really enjoyed the rapport I developed with some of the members. The goal of the group was basically trash each others' photos with as sarcasm, wit, and creativity as possible... while sometimes offering a tidbit of actual critique thrown in amongst the withering comments. It was the one place I could vent all the pent-up tension of the day, and have others enjoy it - and some of the comments I read other people making absolutely would have me bent-over laughing my head off. Or at least shaking my head. (By now you're probably going "what the heck does this have to do with that new magazine?") Well, there was this one particular user in there who would take every single opportunity (and even create some) to trash the US and our Military and the war in Iraq and G.W.B. et al. It made me so sick. And then he got all upset because someone made a negative comment on a photo of his (ok, I can understand getting upset about someone negatively commenting on a photo of yourself - but the content/context of the photo was what really was causing the comment) - apparently he'd gone to some sort of anti-war protest, with a strip of cloth around his head that apparently said "Hamas" in arabic - and he wore a button on his shirt that said "We are all Palestinians." The kind of comments this guy was throwing around completely made me sick to my stomach and heartsick as well. I never said anything, because I know confronting people like that only inflames them and creates a huge flamewar - plus I didn't want the group to be all about politics just 'cuz one person had that agenda. So I did my best to get along with him and the other members of the group (although one person there I completely made no effort to get along with - after he personally attacked my views of the USA and the country in general, I'd had enough and made a very adamant reply back (it all happened on this photo.) Anyways, I just couldn't stand it anymore, so I left the group. But those couple people are only the tiniest snowflake on the tip of the iceberg. That mentality (that the military is over there "occupying" and warring against the people, and a whole load of other crap) is all over flickr - (there are tons of awesome people on too, and pro-Military, patriotic groups and people, I'm just focusing on why I wanted to actually start the mag itself ;)

So anyways, I'm totally all for showing the truth about what our Military men and women are really like, what it is they're really doing every day (in our country and 'round the world) to better the lives of US citizens and other countries' people, and to have some fun and drum up support and enhance morale of the fighting men and women of the Armed Forces. (I'm so tired right now, plus I've been trying to get this written for some hours now, in between taking care of the kids/house/etc. I feel like I'm all disconnected and rambling somewhat...) Anyways, here was the result:



I even went so far as to create a group for the creation/collaboration effort (my goal/dream would be to get a new issue done weekly; with input, articles, photos etc. contributed by a bunch of people - though if it doesn't end up happening, I'm still going to do what I can on my own) and created a Freedom Fighter blog where the issues will be posted along with the articles and stuff. I'm really excited about it. In fact, if you want to help out, I'd love to have the help! Leave a comment, and I'll get back to you; or better yet, join the group on flickr! ;)

Well, I'm finally ending this post. I promised my daughter I'd read her some books, and it's time to do that. Later on, I'll post some of the other mag covers I've run across that I absolutely love! ;)