The Slideshow

You are now looking at a slide show of my prints of FineArtAmerica. Feel free to click on it and browse through my site!

I'm trying to branch out into photography, and I hope you'll check out my photos!

Rrrose

And the Winner is...

Me! I was surprised indeed when I saw I took first place in my own contest! And my the first contest I hosted, too! LOL.

For those of you who don't yet know, I've started a webpage over at Fineartamerica, rrrose-pix.fineartamerica.com. One of the options available there is to host a contest, which allows other photographers who share your interest to compete for votes. Most contests are just for the fun of it, but I promised the winners I'd go to their pages and give them search engine votes.

I didn't feel right awarding myself the prize, though, since each vote raises one's rank in the search engine when people are looking for specific things. To make sure folks find your images, you really need to make sure you have LOTS and lots of keywords, and vote for your own images, and get your friends to vote for them too.

So in the interest of fairness, I bumped the prizes down, so second, third, and fourth place get mentioned in this blog as well as voted for.

Mary Deal, who got Second Place with her fantastic Rock Fisherman, (http://fineartamerica.com/featured/rock-fisherman-mary-deal.html) gets ten images voted for by me.

Ellizabeth Hart, Third Place with her wonderful Rhythm (http://fineartamerica.com/featured/1-rhythm-elizabeth-hart.html) got five images voted for, as well as the mention here.

Kristin Elmquist's Blacksmith (http://fineartamerica.com/featured/blacksmith-kristin-elmquist.html) netted her two votes, and this plug.

There were some other very AWESOME participants in the contest (Shoutouts to Rory Trappe, Emanuel Tanjala, and Karen Wiles, among others).

Please make sure to visit any of these wonderful artists' pages, and vote for the images you like. :)

And please, feel free to join the newly formed Kinetic Photography group!

Rrrose

Photo links and some shameless promotion

Well, I'm finally getting around to creating a website for my photos. It's pretty nice, and you can check it out here: Rrrose Pix
DK's site is at DK Hawk and the one that Pam Lambros created for her is dkhawkphotography.com


To see photos by other artists who also like nature shots, go here
nature photos

If you like my "light travels" series, or the other motion photos I've created, try these too: motion photos

Aw, heck, here's a list for various styles of photos by other excellent artists.

landscape photos
sky photos
sunrise photos
still life photos
abstract photos
light photos
surreal photos
bird photos
water photos
snow photos
winter photos
wildlife photos
reflection photos
provincetown art

I will add some more links to photos... because each time I do, my photos get posted on the aggregate webpages. The marketing mantra is... exposure, exposure, exposure!

Hope y'all are having a wonderful 2012... My next book should be out soon. :)

Answers

To life's questions? Hardly! I do have the answer to "what are your New Year's Resolutions?" Only one: I resolve to enjoy this coming year with my beloved wife. That's it. Nothing else really matters.

Oh, I do have 100 other answers, but they're still not the answers to life's questions... I did promise, and it's the fifth day of Christmas (you DO know they start on 25 December and run through 6 January, don't you?), so here are the answers to last week's carol conundrums:





1. 3 squared + 3 yuletide diurnal periods
twelve days of Christmas
2. 5 p.m. to 6 a.m. without noise
Silent Night
3. A joyful song of reverence relative to hollow metallic vessels which vibrate and bring forth a ringing sound when struck
Carol of the bells
4. ABCDEFGHIJKMNOPQRSRUVWXYZ.
Noel
5. Admirable royal exemplar of Eastern European origin
Good King Wenceslas
6. An emotion excited by the acquisition or expectation of good given to the terrestrial sphere
Joy to the world
7. An Event that Arrived on a Cloudless Witching Hour.
It came upon a midnight clear
8. Ancient benevolent despot
Good King Wenceslas
9. Approach everyone who is steadfast.
O come all ye faithful
10. Argentum and Aurum
Silver and Gold
11. Arrival Time: 2400 hrs – Weather: Cloudless
It came upon a midnight clear
12. As the guardians of little wooly animals protected their charges in the shadows of the earth.
While shepherds watched their sheep by night
13. Asian Aristocratic Trio
We three kings of Orient Are
14. Azure celebration of the natal day of an Israelite child
Blue Christmas
15. Bantam producer of sharply defined aural stimuli
Little Drummer Boy
16. Behold us, a group of off-key singers approaching.
Here we come a-caroling
17. Behold! I envisioned a trio of nautical vessels.
I saw three ships come sailing by
18. Blessed Evening
Oh Holy night
19. Boulder of the tinkling metal spheres.
Jingle Bell Rock
20. Castaneous coloured seed vesicated in a conflagration.
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire
21. Creator, cool it, you kooky cats!
God rest ye merry gentlemen
22. Creature of of crystallized vapor
Frosty the snowman
23. Cup shaped instruments fashioned of a whitish metallic element.
Silver bells
24. Decorate the entry ways.
Deck the halls
25. Deity Deactivate Blithe Chevaliers
God Rest Ye merry gentlemen
26. Ditty of nativity
The Christmas Song
27. Do you perceive the same longtitudinal pressure which stimulates my auditory senses?
Do you hear what I hear?
28. Dolf of the rose-colored proboscis is aware of the nature of precipitation, darling.
Rudolph the red-nosed raindeer
29. Duodecimal Enumeration of the Passage of the Yuletide Season.
Twelve days of Christmas
30. During the time ovine caretakers supervised their charges past midnight.
While shepherds watched their sheep by night
31. Embellish the corridors.
Deck the halls
32. Expectation of arrival to populated area by mythical masculine perennial gift giver.
Santa Claus is coming to town
33. Exuberation to this orb.
Joy to the world
34. Far back in a hay bin.
Away in a manger
35. Father Christmas approaches the metropolis.
Santa Claus is coming to town
36. Festoon the entryways with colourful decorations.
Deck the halls
37. Frozen precipitation commence.
Let it snow
38. Hallowed post meridian
Oh Holy Night
39. Hard fruit being rendered edible by combustion
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire
40. Hey, Minuscule urban area southeast of Jerusalem.
O little town of bethlehem
41. I apprehended my maternal parent osculating with a corpulent unshaven male in crimson disguise.
I saw mommy kissing Santa Claus
42. I Shall Return to the House by December twenty-fifth
I'll be home by Christmas
43. Icy the Figure Made of Winter Precipitation
Frosty the snowman
44. I'm fantasizing concerning a blanched yuletide.
I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
45. In distant location the existence of an improvised unit of newborn children's slumber furniture
Away in a manger
46. Jovial ancient caribou driver
Jolly old St Nicholas
47. Kong, Lear, and Cole -- That's Us !
We three kings
48. Kris Kringle is Going to Visit the Village
Santa Claus is coming to town
49. Leave and do an elevated broadcast.
Go tell it on the mountain
50. Listen, the winged heavenly messengers are proclaiming tunefully.
Hark the herald angels sing
51. May the Deity bestow an absence of fatigue to mild male humans.
God rest ye merry gentlemen
52. Monarchial triad.
We three kings
53. Move hitherward the entire assembly of those who are loyal in their belief.
O come all ye faithful
54. Natal celebrations devoid of colour, rather albino, as a hallucinatory phenomenon for me.
I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
55. Nocturnal time span of unbroken quietness.
Silent night
56. Obese personification fabricated of compressed mounds of minute crystals.
Frosty the snowman
57. Obtain a personally exuberant, minuscule celebration of yuletide
Have yourself a merry little christmas
58. Oh small Israeli urban centre.
Oh little town of Bethlehem
59. Oh, member of the round table with missing areas.
Oh Holy night
60. Older female relative who became aerodynamic venison roadkill
Grandma got run over by a reindeer
61. On the high fastigium surface
Up on the rooftop
62. Our fervent hope is that you thoroughly enjoy your Yuletide season.
We wish you a merry Christmas
63. Parent was observed osculating a red-coated unshaven teamster.
I saw mommy kissing Santa Clause
64. Perambulating through a December solstice fantasy
Walking in a winter wonderland
65. Pledge to make a domestic December appearance
I'll be home for Christmas
66. Present me naughty but dual incisors for this festive Yuletide.
All I want for christmas is my two front teeth
67. Punch out the Passages
Deck the halls
68. Query Regarding Identity of Descendant
What child is this?
69. Quiescent Nocturnal period.
Silent Night
70. Regal, noble and virtuious male of Bohemian Nobility
Good King Wenceslas
71. Removed in a bovine feeding trough.
Away in a manger
72. Repeat the Message in an Alpine Setting
Go, tell it on the mountain
73. Seasonal harmonious composition regarding the Tintinnabulation of a poem by Edgar Allan Poe
Carol of the Bells
74. Seraphim and Cherubim we aurally detected in the stratosphere.
Angels we have heard on high
75. Sir Lancelot with Laryngitis.
Silent Night
76. Small, Wingless, Bloodsucking Insect that has a Pater in the Armada.
(heh heh.) Fleas Navy Dad = Feliz Navidad
77. Stepping on the pad cover.
Up on the rooftop
78. That exiguous hamlet south of the Holy City.
O little town of bethlehem
79. The amicable untamed quadrupeds
The Friendly Beasts
80. The Apartment of Two Psychiatrists.
Nutcracker Suite
81. The Autocrat troika originating near the ascent of Apollo.
We three kings of Orient Are
82. The Christmas preceeding all others.
The first Noel
83. The coniferous nativity.
Oh Christmas Tree
84. The first person nominative plural of far eastern heads of state.
We three kings of Orient are
85. The primary carol.
The first Noel
86. The red suited pa is due in this burg.
Santa Claus is coming to town
87. The slight percussionist lad.
Little Drummer Boy
88. The smogless bewitching hour has arrived.
It came upon a midnight clear
89. The tatterdemalion ebony atmosphere.
O Holy night
90. The thing manifests itself at the onset of a transparent day.
It came upon a midnight clear
91. Tintinnabuli fashioned of Argentum
Silver bells
92. Tocsin chunk of lithic material
Jingle Bell Rock
93. Tranquility upon the terrestrial sphere.
Peace on Earth
94. Transportation via snow-enabled carriage
Sleigh Ride
95. Two hundred and eighty-eight Yuletide hours.
The Twelve days of Christmas
96. Uncouth dolt has his beezer in the booze and thinks he is Dark Cloud's boyfriend.
Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer
97. Valentino, the roseate proboscises wapiti.
Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer
98. Vehicular homicide was committed on Dad's Mom by a precipitous darling.
Grandma got run over by a reindeer
99. Wanted in December top forward incisors.
All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth
100. What offspring abides thus?
What child is this?




Many blessings throughout the coming year!

Holiday cheer

Well, it's time to celebrate the Solstice, Yule, Christmas, Sol Invictus, or whatever you choose to call this season. I hope you have a joyous time, whichever way you celebrate. Now as I'm a mischevious little girl, (and Santa has already stopped by here!) I will leave you all with a seasonal quiz. I'll post the answers by the new year. Note: there are a lot of rephrasings. I couldn't come up with/find alternate titles for 100 seasonal songs!



1. 3 squared + 3 yuletide diurnal periods
2. 5 p.m. to 6 a.m. without noise
3. A joyful song of reverence relative to hollow metallic vessels which vibrate and bring forth a ringing sound when struck
4. ABCDEFGHIJKMNOPQRSRUVWXYZ.
5. Admirable royal exemplar of Eastern European origin
6. An emotion excited by the acquisition or expectation of good given to the terrestrial sphere
7. An Event that Arrived on a Cloudless Witching Hour.
8. Ancient benevolent despot
9. Approach everyone who is steadfast.
10. Argentum and Aurum
11. Arrival Time: 2400 hrs – Weather: Cloudless
12. As the guardians of little wooly animals protected their charges in the shadows of the earth.
13. Asian Aristocratic Trio
14. Azure celebration of the natal day of an Israelite child
15. Bantam producer of sharply defined aural stimuli
16. Behold us, a group of off-key singers approaching.
17. Behold! I envisioned a trio of nautical vessels.
18. Blessed Evening
19. Boulder of the tinkling metal spheres.
20. Castaneous coloured seed vesicated in a conflagration.
21. Creator, cool it, you kooky cats!
22. Creature of of crystallized vapor
23. Cup shaped instruments fashioned of a whitish metallic element.
24. Decorate the entry ways.
25. Deity Deactivate Blithe Chevaliers
26. Ditty of nativity
27. Do you perceive the same longtitudinal pressure which stimulates my auditory senses?
28. Dolf of the rose-colored proboscis is aware of the nature of precipitation, darling.
29. Duodecimal Enumeration of the Passage of the Yuletide Season.
30. During the time ovine caretakers supervised their charges past midnight.
31. Embellish the corridors.
32. Expectation of arrival to populated area by mythical masculine perennial gift giver.
33. Exuberation to this orb.
34. Far back in a hay bin.
35. Father Christmas approaches the metropolis.
36. Festoon the entryways with colourful decorations.
37. Frozen precipitation commence.
38. Hallowed post meridian
39. Hard fruit being rendered edible by combustion
40. Hey, Minuscule urban area southeast of Jerusalem.
41. I apprehended my maternal parent osculating with a corpulent unshaven male in crimson disguise.
42. I Shall Return to the House by December twenty-fifth
43. Icy the Figure Made of Winter Precipitation
44. I'm fantasizing concerning a blanched yuletide.
45. In distant location the existence of an improvised unit of newborn children's slumber furniture
46. Jovial ancient caribou driver
47. Kong, Lear, and Cole -- That's Us !
48. Kris Kringle is Going to Visit the Village
49. Leave and do an elevated broadcast.
50. Listen, the winged heavenly messengers are proclaiming tunefully.
51. May the Deity bestow an absence of fatigue to mild male humans.
52. Monarchial triad.
53. Move hitherward the entire assembly of those who are loyal in their belief.
54. Natal celebrations devoid of colour, rather albino, as a hallucinatory phenomenon for me.
55. Nocturnal time span of unbroken quietness.
56. Obese personification fabricated of compressed mounds of minute crystals.
57. Obtain a personally exuberant, minuscule celebration of yuletide
58. Oh small Israeli urban centre.
59. Oh, member of the round table with missing areas.
60. Older female relative who became aerodynamic venison roadkill
61. On the high fastigium survace
62. Our fervent hope is that you thoroughly enjoy your Yuletide season.
63. Parent was observed osculating a red-coated unshaven teamster.
64. perambulating through a December solstice fantasy
65. Pledge to make a domestic December appearance
66. Present me naughty but dual incisors for this festive Yuletide.
67. Punch out the Passages
68. Query Regarding Identity of Descendant
69. Quiescent Nocturnal period.
70. Regal, noble and virtuious male of Bohemian Nobility
71. Removed in a bovine feeding trough.
72. Repeat the Message in an Alpine Setting
73. Seasonal harmonious composition regarding the Tintinnabulation of a poem by Edgar Allan Poe
74. Seraphim and Cherubim we aurally detected in the stratosphere.
75. Sir Lancelot with Laryngitis.
76. Small, Wingless, Bloodsucking Insect that has a Pater in the Armada.
77. Stepping on the pad cover.
78. That exiguous hamlet south of the Holy City.
79. The amicable untamed quadrupeds
80. The Apartment of Two Psychiatrists.
81. The Autocrat troika originating near the ascent of Apollo.
82. The Christmas preceeding all others.
83. The coniferous nativity.
84. The first person nominative plural of far eastern heads of state.
85. The primary carol.
86. The red suited pa is due in this burg.
87. The slight percussionist lad.
88. The smogless bewitching hour has arrived.
89. The tatterdemalion ebony atmosphere.
90. The thing manifests itself at the onset of a transparent day.
91. Tintinnabuli fashioned of Argentum
92. Tocsin chunk of lithic material
93. Tranquility upon the terrestrial sphere.
94. Transportation via snow-enabled carriage
95. Two hundred and eighty-eight Yuletide hours.
96. Uncouth dolt has his beezer in the booze and thinks he is Dark Cloud's boyfriend.
97. Valentino, the roseate proboscises wapiti.
98. Vehicular homicide was committed on Dad's Mom by a precipitous darling.
99. Wanted in December top forward incisors.
100. What offspring abides thus?

Geez, it's been a while!

So, laptop issues resolved. Got a Vaio. Yay. :)

Haven't had a whole lot to say recently. Married life is wonderful, and I fall in love with my honey a little more every day. We go to work, we come home, we watch TV or sit and write, or go out and take pictures or shoot pool or hang out with friends. Same basic experience a lot of people have.

We do have one exciting bit of news, though. The book we're both published in, Poetry: A Window into ones' Soul, has been nominated for an "Eppie" by EPIC, the Electronically Published Internet Coalition. That's pretty darn cool, dontcha think?

Now if only we could stop pirates from stealing our work and posting it out there "for free" -- a practice which robs us of the rewards our work has rightfully earned us -- then I'd be a lot happier. I'm not going to rant about that here, because people like Karin Kallmaker and KG McGregor have spoken often and eloquently on the issue.

So I'll keep it short for today and just say "I haven't forgotten you" to my friends, readers, supporters, and whoever else reads the blog. I'm glad I have the freedom of speech to post it, deeply grateful to those who have ensured that freedom is viable, and thankful that I have a vast and erudite vocabulary I may show off here every once in a while.

Peace to all of you. And thanks to the vets who've made it so.

Why can't computers just ...work?

Now my e-mail is hosed via Outlook. I accessed my e-mails via a webmail service from my ISP instead of Outlook, and now Outlook doesn't recognize any of my outgoing servers. So I can read what you write, but I can't answer. And all I did was look at my e-mail with a different viewer. This doesn't make sense. I miss the old days, when I knew DOS and I could write batch files and all the programs were so much simpler -- you could understand how it worked, and therefore you could fix it. But right now, there are so many variables in any piece of software you get, that it's easy to overlook that ONE little setting that's going to make it all better.

It's not just computers, though. It's  your smartphone. And your television. And you car, even. Everything runs off a computer nowadays, and while I like the ease of use when it all works, I absolutely loathe the feeling of helplessness when one minor thing is just "off" enough to royally hose things. Sigh.

So, color me helpless today.


Lucky me, I've got a wonderful wife who looks at me and says "BREATHE, Honey."