Getting Old

My little Brother turned 23 today.

So why do I feel old?

Gotta admit, the boy is fly!

This could be awwkward....

Mommy reads my blog.

Do I care? No. There's nothing here for me to be ashamed of (and even if there were, it's my blog!)

So . . . why am I mentioning this? Because Mommy didn't like how I characterized her in a previous post. Hmm . . . What was it that I said?

She's prissy, ultra-ultra-feminine, a shopaholic, a do-it-my-way-or-hit-the-highway, emotional sort of person.

Right.

Well, that is you Mommy. But, I suppose in the interest of fairness, I can expand on that a little more.

My Mother, if you ever meet here, is one of those gorgeous individuals with absolutely no concept of her own beauty. She doesn't dress to impress other people; she dresses to make herself feel good. She still has (most) of her figure and she makes the most of it when she dresses. Males between 13 and 80 still double take after her.

Consequently her looks have bought her plenty of ill-will from other people (well, women and/or hateful ass bitches) who believe that, despite the fact that my mother has been happily married to the same man for over 20 years (and with him for 25), she must be looking for some extra play or she is deliberately flirting. Sad part is, most of the time, these men are flirting with her, but she's so wrapped up in her own world she either ignores it and thinks they must be teasing her.

(This part of the explanation never sounds good, because most women remain aware of their effect on men and exploit that power to the best of their ability. My mother doesn't. She's just that clueless).

So, this has caused difficulty for her, even with her own daughter.

How would you like to be the 14-year old whose mom is considered hotter than her?
When the objects of your affection hit on your mom instead of you?
And she's still freaking clueless?

Between 14-18 I hated Mommy.

I still cry a little thinking about it. Even knowing my mother like I do, I still cannot believe that any one woman can be that damn dense.

But she is.
It's who she is.

And it didn't help that I'm considered a replica of her. Same face (except for the eyes and lips), same build, same voice, same looks. All of it, but bigger. About 50% bigger.

I'm the "What the hell went wrong there?" version.

Now that I've left my teen years behind, I am (grinding teeth) grateful for that experience. It taught me a few things:

1. Any man who hits on my mom gets dumped the same day. (obviously)
2. I cannot afford to be that clueless about the opinions of people around me. I don't have to care, but I do need to be aware.
3. Whatever I've got, I better flaunt it.
4. Some people really do float through life unaware of what's going on around them.
5. High-mindedness is good, but no one ever climbed the corporate ladder being high-minded.

Mommy, if you read this post, just know . . .a decade later and I'm still not over some of that stuff. It would be really nice if you came down and lived in the real world for a little while.

New Play Toy

Mommy is gone.

I should be happy about this, but I'm not. She left on Monday and I've missed her ever since, especially since my friends (Andrea, Nikki, and Ashley) arrive tonight. Since they're staying until Sunday night, I won't have my apartment back to myself until Monday.

(sigh)

Anyway, I mentioned in my last post that I built a light box. It cost me all of $5.

1. Box - Free. Left over from my move to Florida


2. Tissue Paper - $1.79 at Wal*Mart, for a jumbo pack.


3. Glue - $.33


4. Tape - Free. Left over from my move to Florida


5. White Poster Board - $.50 at Wal*Mart

Hmm . . . OK, $2.62. Not Bad. . .oh right

1. Daylight light bulbs - ~5.00.

Well, that's about $7.00. Not bad. Wanna see the results?

The Inside:


And this is my little setup. When I'm ready to take the picture, I angle the light right next to the tissue paper to illuminate the interior, setup my camera on it's tripod, and snap away.

Why?

This is what a light box will do for your pictures:

Without a light box: Taken on the kitchen counter top, under florescent lights. Edited with Picasa, using Sharpen Filter and "I'm Feeling Lucky"

And knowing me, probably taken somewhere near midnight with flash.



In the Light box, with a special "Daylight" bulb. Macro settings on camera, no flash. Edited with Adobe Photoshop...(I can't remember all the filters, althought I know "Auto Levels" came in somewhere).

Definitely taken after midnight. You can't tell can you?


The Brilliant colors of the Baby Cable sock is really coming through. The light box makes everything look much more lifelike and honest. So in what could only be termed as a "fit of stupidity" I decided that I wanted to take new pictures of everything in my stash using the light box....

I'm betting my friends will ensure that craziness doesn't go anywhere.

Today's Random Thoughts

1. When is Mad Men coming out on DVD?
2. I need to buy some books from KnitPicks before they go off sale.
3. I need to buy Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister...Next month, definitely.
4. I need to clean the house and buy fruit.
5. Do I have enough vegetables?
6. I'm tired to thinking . . . and my eyes are tired.
7. It's 4:59 on the Thursday before Independence Day . . .I'm allowed to shut everything down now, I think.

Oops. 5PM. Time to go.

Today's Random Thought

Moral indignation is jealousy with a halo

I considered atheism, but there weren't enough holidays.