The Other Side of Anna

Changing What's Real - Month 6

2012-04-01T17:32:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of each month I will be showcasing a photo gallery displaying the original photo and the subsequent editions that have been done. There will be a linky tool available for anyone who would like to join in the fun. The event will begin here the first day of each month and continue until the last day of the month. I believe that there are a lot of creative photographers out there and I for one, would love to see your work.

Summer is quickly approaching. The weather here has been abnormally warm and flowers are beginning to bloom already. That gives me great reasons to grab my camera and head for the outdoors.
This month's Changing What's Real is focused on a plain, tiny, yellow flower.

This is the original photo. I apologize that I don't have each edit noted this month. Time got away from me and I did the edits before writing each one down.

I hope you have enjoyed this month's edits. I am looking forward to what image you have chosen to work with this month.

Changing What's Real - Month 5

2012-03-01T04:00:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of each month I will be showcasing a photo gallery displaying the original photo and the subsequent editions that have been done. There will be a linky tool available for anyone who would like to join in the fun. The event will begin here the first day of each month and continue until the last day of the month. I believe that there are a lot of creative photographers out there and I for one, would love to see your work.

My selection for this month is more from a hobby that I used to have. I came across this photo and wondered how I could edit to make it more interesting. This is what I came up with.

This is the original photo.

The first edit I experimented with was to add Soften with a mild Vignette.

I utilized the Holga-ish edit adding a Mirrored Frame with 167 thickness, 87% polish, and a 42% shadow.

In this image, the Orton-ish edit is used at 50% bloom, 50% brightness and 0% fade. I added a Matte in creme at 80 size and 20% strength. The frame is a Museum Matte with a Chocolate outer color at 62 thickness and a Creme inner collor set at 63 thickness.

I love it when I find a photo that I can edit with Pencil Sketch. It is just one of my favorite edits, but not all photos do well with this particular edit. I Added a Drop Shadow Frame on this for simplicity reasons.

This is a little 'off the wall', but I liked the results I got. I used the Posturize edit with 29 numbers of colors, 87% detail, and 33% fade. I did not add a frame on this image.

This particular photo came out better than expected. I used the Adjustable Threshold with a 33 black threshold and a 68 white threshold. I added the Overlay in Advanced Mode with a 0% fade. The next edit used was the Vignette at 96 size, 97% strength, and 0% fade. The frame used was a simple Border Frame with a 20% outer black thickness and a 5% inner white thickness and a 960 Corner Radius.

It's hard for me to edit without venturing to the CinemaScope. But first, I edited to Black and White with the Boost edit to sharpen the lines.

My last edit was using Texture with Advanced Mode of Overlay. I used a Museum Matte Frame with 95 Outer Thickness in mauve and an 87 Inner Thickness in brick red. I probably should have reversed the colors, but was trying to see what a lighter outside shade would produce.

So, what have you got for me this month? Looking forward to seeing your entry. Please feel free to leave suggestions in the comment section. Would love to hear your ideas ☺

You Tube Tuesday - Heaven Was Needing A Hero

2012-02-21T03:51:00.000-08:00

You Tube Tuesday, adopted from Josh at Its Tiger Time, is a day set aside for sharing your favorite video. Feel free to join in each week and see how creative we bloggers can be. Please remember to leave your link on his site in the linky-tool so that we can all visit your blog. Each month, Josh will highlight a selected video and present the winner with the 'You Tube Tuesday' Award.

You Tube Tuesday - Lost Without You

2012-02-14T03:46:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine’s Day!

{this moment}

2012-02-10T02:30:00.000-08:00

This Moment

"A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."

{this moment} is a ritual found on Life inspired by theWee Man adopted from SouleMama which was introduced to me by Sarah-Jane, author of Samuel Michael's Photography. If you find yourself touched by a Moment and would like to participate, post your picture on a Friday and leave your link in the comments section.

You Tube Tuesday - Journey 2 Trailer

2012-02-07T04:31:00.000-08:00

I Met An Unusual Man...

2012-02-06T04:29:00.000-08:00

As you know, the last couple of weeks have been a little overwhelming for me. Last weekend, we needed to get a school project done for my son and it required going to the lake. While we were there, I broke away from everyone else and ventured off on my own. I just needed to find some space and fresh air, sort of clear my head?

It was a cold day for being at the lake, but no less breathtaking. As I walked alone, I enjoyed the beauty that surrounded me. All the scents of nature after being cooped up in the house was a welcome blessing. Everything was so quiet except for a few birds chippering away.

I continued to walk, snapping pictures along the way. I hadn't really realized how far I had wondered from the rest of the family. I guess they were so busy with their project, they didn't realize I had left either. Along the road, there is a place that you can get pretty close to the dam. The water was so still and clear. When I turned around, I spotted this lone fisherman.

With as cold as it was, I remember thinking he must really love fishing to be out there all bundled up like he was, trying to catch a blang fish! I watched him for awhile, and then mossied on my merry way.

When I noticed that I had wondered quite a distance, I turned around and headed back. Along the path, I spotted an unusual site. There was a man walking with a shoe attached to the end of a long pole, swinging it back over his shoulder and then forwards again, keeping beat with his steps.

He greeted me with a warm smile and a cheery 'hello', never missing a beat. My curiosity got the better of me and I couldn't help but to ask him about his 'shoe on the pole'. What an interesting story he had to share. Apparently, he had suffered several injuries to his arms in the war, and required daily therapy to keep both of his arms functional. He told me that he was not a man of money and could not afford expensive exercise equipment, so he devised his 'shoe on a pole'. He added that he walked three miles each day, weather permitting. Then, with an Irish laugh he said "if I'm feeling really chipper, I add a bag of sand in the shoe to make it weigh 8 lbs", and adds a wink. After we chatted for a bit, he asked me "what brings you up here on this brisk day?" I didn't want to get into details, so I just replied that I was a blogger and had come to get photos. That is when I got the idea to ask him if he minded if I took his picture, and explained to him that I would be using my photos for a post on my blog. A big smile came across his face and he replied "sure, if we could get the lake behind me". I told him that would be no problem, and we slowly walked over to the sidewalk, where we could get a good photo.

After he left, I couldn't help but stop and be thankful for the many things in my life. Although the journey sometimes gets tremulous, I still have a wonderful life with wonderful people in it. Sometimes, it just takes a day like today to bring it all into focus ☺

{this moment}

2012-02-03T02:45:00.000-08:00

This Moment

"A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."

Changing What's Real - Month 4

2012-02-01T07:20:00.000-08:00

February is the month of 'red', so I chose that color to work with in this month's Changing What's Real event.

The original photo is just a plain flower taken in mid-summer at full bloom.

I experimented with the Posterize in this edit. I set it at 29 Colors, 92% detail, and 28% fade. I addd a black border with 56 thickness and an inner white border at 54 thickness.

In this particular edit, I used the Adjustable Threshold with the advanced mode of 'screen' and Focal Zoom set at 58% focal size, 50% edge hardness, and 0% fade. I then added a Mirrored Frame with a creme tint, 118% thickness, 75% polish, and a 20% shadow.

I love to go to the extreme with some photos, and this one seemed to work well with the Neon edit at 45% fade red. I chose to do without a frame and utilized the CinemaScope edit instead.

This image was edited with the 1960's edit choosing the rounded corners option and a 20% fade.

Again, utilizing just one edit, HDR-ish, I set it at 20% radium, 200% strength, and 0% fade. I outlined it with a Museum Matte frame with a 25 outer thickness in black and a 40 inner thickness in white.

In my last image, I used the Space Texture with the Advanced Overlay Mode at a 20% fade. It is framed with a Reflection Frame. I wanted to accentuate the black in the photo, so I used a black 10 outer thickness with a white 5 thickness inner border. The frame itself is set to 0% blur and 60% fade.

I look forward to seeing this month's entry, especially with Valentine's Day on the horizon ☺

You Tube Tuesday - It is a Sport!

2012-01-31T03:30:00.000-08:00

This is one of my true passions in life that I miss immensely. Working as one, with an animal that has the power to crush you without a moment's notice, is not second nature. It takes a deep bond between you and the horse, a bilateral trust like no other, developed over time.

How do you look at Equestrianism? Do you think it is a sport?

When You Have No Answers...

2012-01-25T07:39:00.000-08:00

I find myself feeling a triad of emotions over the last two weeks, very alone, not knowing where to turn or who to talk to. We have always raised our children to tell the truth, regardless of the consequences. We have been encouraging but disciplined over the years with both of our children.

What do you do when you find that your child has stolen from you and then lies to you about it?

Let me back track and give you some details here so that you may understand this situation more fully. One of our daughter's diagnosis is learning and developmentally delayed. Don't get me wrong, she is quite intelligent in some areas, computer being one of them. She loves on-line games, whether it be on the computer or X-box, and is quite good at any game she gets involved in. Over the last several months, she has been avoiding her school work so I put the brakes on her 'game' time. She did not like this, to say the least. Being a teenager coupled with her delays, it was extremely stressful for both of us.

For about the last six months, she has been asking for us to purchase 'coins' for her game and a membership. I felt this was a waste of money, considering the cost, so I told her "no, not right now". Apparently, she decided, somewhere along the line, that my answer was not acceptable.

I had cashed a check to make a payment on a rather large bill and to do some shopping. It wasn't quite time to make the payment yet, so I was going to put the money in my 'stash' spot until the due date was closer and then make the payment. I had returned from shopping, laid my purse down, and figured I would take care of the money later. I went on with my daily routine and before I knew it, it was late and I headed off to bed.

The next day, I needed to run some errands. I didn't want to be carrying around that sum of money so I removed the envelope from my wallet and in counting I realized that there was $500.00 missing. I wracked my brain, trying to figure out where it had gone. Had I spent it the day before without even realizing it? I carefully went through all my receipts, added, subtracted, and no matter how many times I tried, I continued to come up exactly $500.00 short!

How in the world could I have spent that amount without knowing it??? I was beside myself. I seriously thought I was going bonkers! I didn't want to go to my family members, asking if they had taken it, but at this point I didn't have a choice. Everyone, including my daughter, looked me in the eye and told me they had not taken it. Again, I go through my receipts, coming up with the same results.

Needless to say, my husband was livid! He didn't have much to say to me other that "How in the hell could you lose $500.00???" I had no answers, because I didn't know myself.

I laid awake all night long, going over and over again in my head, the events of my day. Everywhere I had been, and everything I had spent. Still...no answers.

The next morning, while everyone was asleep, I quietly went upstairs to my daughter's bedroom. I looked around, feeling guilty already for what I was about to do. I was going to search her room. I have NEVER done that with either of my children!

My daughter wears a fanny pack so that is where I began. I unzipped the first compartment on the front of the pack. I need not look any farther. In disbelief, I'm sitting there looking down on a wad of money. Two $100.00 bills, two $20's, a $5 and six $1's. Where has the rest gone???

I was angry, upset, disappointed, hurt, and frustrated, all in one big ball of tears. No one was awake yet and I knew I had to go sort this out in my mind. How would be the best way to deal with this? I was glad my husband wasn't home. His mother had just had recent surgery and he was staying with her in the hospital.

I made another pot of coffee, lit a cigarette, and found myself clicking in and out of groups on facebook, not really paying attention to anything I was seeing. I checked my twitter, email, and whatever else I could find to distract me from the task at hand.

After I had calmed down, I woke my daughter up. My son was away for the day. I asked her again about taking the money, praying she would be honest. That is all I wanted was for her to tell me the truth. She didn't. I slowly pulled the wad of money out of my robe pocket and told her that I had found it in her fanny pack. I asked her where she got it. She replied in the feeblest voice "from your purse". Once the words left her lips, I couldn't say anything. She was crying and kept telling me she didn't know she was doing it. Finally, I was able to ask her "Why?" She answered that she didn't know. My final question was "where is the rest?' She didn't know. I knew she hadn't been anywhere except for a short trip to Walmart with my father, but what could she have purchased there, at that amount, that he wouldn't have noticed.

I spent the day, again, wracking my brain for answers. My son had come home late in the evening from his event and was exhausted, retiring early to bed. During the night, a light-bulb went off in my head. COINS! Surely, she didn't! Surely, she wouldn't! It would make sense though. You can purchase those coin and membership cards in Walmart. My father wouldn't have ever known if she bought them in the game section and slipped them into her fanny pack. I woke my son and asked him to log into her account. Once he was in, I asked him to check to see if she had any purchased coins in her account. Oh yes, there it was! Not only did she have coins, but she had a membership until the end of April. I asked him to add up the total of what she had in her account. When he got to $190.00 I told him just to log out and close it down. I had found the missing money.

At this point, I prayed that my daughter stayed asleep. I was so angry I couldn't see straight! $200 some spent on stupid, ridiculous, idiotic, and whatever words you can thing of, games! I immediately removed the game from the computer, continuing on to remove her account from the computer and changing the password so that she would have no access. The computer is locked down!

Even after taking internet and gaming access away from her, she still contends it wasn't her fault and she didn't know what she was doing. She truly doesn't understand the depth of what she did. I don't know how to make her understand. I tried to explain to her that by lying to me, I am having a difficult time trusting her and that I doubt her now every time she tells me something. I tried to explain that by stealing from me, I find myself not wanting to leave her alone because I'm not sure what she will take. She doesn't understand.

Yesterday, was an extremely difficult day. I left my phone on the dining room table and she quietly took it and logged onto You Tube. I immediately told her to log-out and bring my phone to me. We had already been arguing about getting her studies done and she wasn't too happy with me, at that point. When she walked towards me, I put my hand out for the phone, and just before she got to me she dropped it and gave me a glare. Again, I could feel the anger soaring within. I made her turn the TV off and she became extremely upset with me. She went into the kitchen and everything went quiet. I peeked around the corner and there she stood with a knife in her hands, tilting it back and forth, looking at the reflection of the sun on the blade. I walked in behind her and in a quiet voice asked her what she was doing. She stood there, with her back to me, continuing to tilt the blade back and forth, and answered "I don't know". I easily took the knife from her hands and told her she needed to get a book and read. This happened four more times before I finally got her calmed down enough to sit down and start reading. She read for about 50 minutes and then dozed off. When she woke up, she sat up and asked if she could go to her room and listen to music.

My daughter came back downstairs about an hour and a half later, went into the kitchen and made herself a sandwich. She came through the house, talking to me as though nothing had ever happened. She was happy and chipper, conversing with everyone. She was her 'normal' self. Today, she awoke early and without prompting, started her school work right after breakfast.

I feel as though I am doing something wrong. I try to remember that she has issues that cloud her judgement. But to find your daughter, glaring at a knife blade and not knowing why scares the shit out of me.

What do YOU do when you have no answers? Where do you go to find them? Who do you turn to?

What Do You Think About?

2012-01-21T10:55:00.000-08:00

What do you think about when you are 'radiod' out and everyone else in the vehicle has fallen asleep?

Recently, I had to take a four hour road trip and found myself thinking of the craziest things.

The road was long and lonely, and all I wanted to think about was a soft pillow and a warm blanket.

But of course, my mind had better things in store for me.

I thought of so many random things, but the one thought that predominated my mind was this...if someone takes a trip to somewhere in the world that is say, 12 hours behind us, have they taken a step back in time? Now, don't laugh. Think about it. You travel somewhere that hasn't gone through that time yet, but you have already. And then you would be going through those 12 hours all over again, just in a different place.

I wonder if this could be classified some sort of time travel? It works the same for those that are traveling to a place that is 12 hours ahead in time.

So, I have randomly taken you back AND forward in time with a peek into my wild thoughts while driving ☺

What do you think about when there is nothing left to think about?

You Tube Tuesday - One For The Money

2012-01-17T05:04:00.000-08:00

I am so ready for a good laugh ☺

{this moment}

2012-01-05T18:37:00.000-08:00

This Moment

"A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."

finally...

Changing What's Real - Month 3

2012-01-04T03:30:00.000-08:00

This month, I experimented mostly with different tints on a simple shot of an old birdhouse.

Edited with Sepia, no frame

This is the original photo, taken in the early
evening with minimal sunlight.

Orange tint with a simple burgundy frame and

white matte. >

Accentuating the greens in the photo with a green tint and
added a simple black
frame with white matte.
<

This photo was actually done when I was

experimenting with the Halloween edits

on Picnik. I can't remember which one it was,

but I was drawn to the pink in the background

and how the shadow across the birdhouse

was accentuated. I added a solid black

frame.

You Tube Tuesday

2012-01-03T03:30:00.000-08:00

'The Other Choice'

2012-01-01T20:00:00.000-08:00

Do you ever find yourself sitting, staring out of a window, totally consumed by thoughts? As I get older, I find myself doing this more and more.

I'm not perfect by any means, and have made my fair share of mistakes in life. Growing up, I have learned by my mistakes and have moved on. But recently, I have found myself, reviewing my life; asking myself questions about what if I had made 'the other choice'? I have always been told not to ever ask the 'what if' question about happenings in your life because you will drive yourself crazy, and that it's alright to make mistakes if you use them as a learning tool and correct yourself as you move on in life.

But right now, I'm having a difficult time dealing with some of the decisions I have made for me, and for my family. Decisions that had major effects on all of us, effects that could have been avoided if I had made 'the other choice'.

I am a true believer in God. I believe that my life has a purpose and that with God in my life, all things are possible. I pray on a daily basis and understand that not all questions posed are answered the way one might want them to be. God also tells me that we are 'forgiven' for our mistakes or bad doings in life if we seek forgiveness.

But how do I forgive myself? How do I get past the mistakes that I have made, knowing that things would have been so much different if I had made 'the other choice'?

{this moment}

2011-12-30T11:08:00.000-08:00

This Moment

"A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."

{this moment} is a ritual found on Life inspired by theWee Man adopted from SouleMama which was introduced to me by Sarah-Jane, author of Almost There. If you find yourself touched by a Moment and would like to participate, post your picture on a Friday and leave your link in the comments section.

Can anyone tell me what this is???

You Tube Tuesday

2011-12-27T04:00:00.000-08:00

You Tube Tuesday

2011-12-20T05:21:00.000-08:00

An all-time favorite!

Wishing you a Merry Christmas

and a

Happy New Year!

Someone, please explain...

2011-12-18T12:36:00.000-08:00

I wouldn't even be writing this post if not for the ridiculous nature of my experience. Last week, I received a letter from the State Revenue Service informing me that we owed ~$500.00 in tax. Ah, hello?? We don't owe any tax for 2010...the business in question was a corporation closed in Dec. 2009!

In speaking with the representative at the State Revenue Service office, who I must say was extremely polite and friendly, I found that they didn't show that they had ever received my return for 2009, BUT the tax had been paid. That seemed a little odd to me...I mean really, why would I pay my tax but fail to send the return in? But hey, I'll play along. She preceded to tell me if I could just bring in a copy of my return, my status in the computer would be updated and everything would be alright.

Early this week, I swing by my CPA's office to obtain an official copy of the 2009 return and make my 40 minute drive to the Revenue Service's office, thinking I'm just going to waltz in there, drop it off, and go on my merry way. NOT! The woman at the front desk informs me that since I was showing 'delinquent' in the computer, I must speak with this one, specific official.

After waiting only a few minutes, I'm greeted by this pleasant woman who escorts me back to her desk. She pulls up my information on her computer. Amazing what information the local government has on us in their computer! Anyway, she tells me that I paid the estimated taxes to a tune of $330.00. I'm sitting there ecstatic because according to my return, I only owe the minimum of $100.00. Whoopie! They owe me money for a change!! I'm still trying to grasp the reality that I would have paid the tax but not sent in the return. I get over that quickly and quietly ask her if I will receive a refund. And this is exactly what I was told: " Yes, you will have a refund after penalties and interest are taken out" .

I seriously had to think on that one for a few moments...Penalties and Interest??? I must have had a disturbed expression on my face because she informed me that if a return is late there are attached fees, even if the tax had been paid.

I can totally understand the penalty fee, same as a late fee. But Interest? On what? Three pieces of paper??? Excuse me if I'm being ~~an ass~~ ignorant, but "How can they charge interest on a return? If anything, they should be paying ME interest on the over-payment of $230.00!"

Definition of Interest:

1. The fee charged by a lender to a borrower for the use of borrowed money, usually expressed as an annual percentageof the principal; the rate is dependent upon the time value of money, the credit risk of the borrower, and the inflation rate. Here, interest per year divided by principal amount, expressed as a percentage. also called interest rate.

2. The return earned on an investment.

3. Partial or total ownership in an asset.

(Investor words. com)

The response I received was "that's just our government".

So someone, please explain to me the validation of paying Interest on a piece of paper!

It's no wonder that our country is going to hell in a hand-basket!

Just one additional note...I'll be lucky if I see my refund by May!

{this moment}

2011-12-16T03:00:00.000-08:00

This Moment

"A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."

Ambivalence

2011-12-13T06:24:00.000-08:00

What do you do when you find yourself sitting on the fence? Unsure of decisions about life-changing events. Is this not called 'ambivalence'? I believe it is.

Definition of Ambivalence:

1. simultaneous and contradictory attitudes or feelings (as attraction and repulsion) toward an object, person, or action

. a : continual fluctuation (as between one thing and its opposite) b : uncertainty as to which approach to follow

(Merriam-webster.com)

For almost a year now, I have been contemplating the start of a new business...actually two, but one would really feed the other. I have found every reason in the book for not making this move. I have been a business owner for the greater part of my adulthood and am comfortable in this adventure. But, my ambivalence toward beginning something new has taken me aback. This is not my norm.

A lot of times, people avoid doing something new because they are afraid of change. This has never really been a factor for me before. I have always invited change in my life, it is something that invigorates me. But why am I dragging my feet?

Probably one of the most important points in my ambivalence is the lack in capital funds. Seriously, how do you start a business with minimal funds? I have already surveyed and am aware of the success this business would have. I'm told to recruit investors. In this economy, that is not an easy task. I'm told to start it out of my home. With limited space, I don't see that being an option.

I'm told to have faith in myself and believe. I do, but the ambivalence is still there. I spend each day spinning my wheels, searching the internet for hours at a time, gathering every piece of relevant information available. I mean, really, you should see my notebook! OCD major!

Am I afraid of failure? I don't think that is it. I have failed at numerous things over the course of my life. So what is it? Why do I continue to be ambivalent about beginning something that I know to be a sure thing?

Could it be that I am stuck in my comfort zone? Have I gotten so used to my daily routine, that stepping out of it is more of a hassle to me than what it might be worth? I'm not sure. Do you see my dilemma here? What do you think?

You Tube Tuesday

2011-12-13T03:59:00.000-08:00

{this moment}

2011-12-09T03:30:00.000-08:00

This Moment

"A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."