Showing some Hometown Pride!

Let's go Pittsburgh!!!

Photography and other things.

Since I originally started this blog to talk about my photography I thought that perhaps I should be talking about it more. The winter months have hit and though there are some wonderful views I never seem to catch them.

• Reason One: I sleep all day. The perils of working a graveyard shift. Its been snowing rather heavy and early into the year so far. Usually we don't get severe winter storms until around February. (We had a little snow on the ground for Christmas. Which rarely happens...but for the most part is was just wet and cold.)
• Reason Two: I don't like the cold. AT ALL. I have a low tolerance for the cold weather and I've been fighting off a cold for a few weeks now. I walk to work most days which isn't anymore than a 5 minute walk, but when its 20 below 0 or snowing 2 inches and hour its not a pleasant walk.
• Reason Three: My camera isn't designed for cold weather either. In fact...none of them are...I've got 2 digital and 2 film.

However, I risked it a few times...but they aren't that fantastic. The photos that is. I think I just wanted to show how much snow we've gotten and keep track. Though some of them were simple minded amusement. For example:

Pretty miss Virgin Mary. (I'll leave it open for your own opinion as to her...attire. Interestingly enough, the church has yet to clean off their statue.)

Now, I took this photo because it amused me. I found the comparison of the Catholic religion and the views of other influential organizations compelling. (This being very little comparison.) I'm not going to get into it in further detail. I'm not an overly religious person and I find the study of religion fascinating. My roommate and I have a similar mind frame and both found the same joke at the same time. Hurray for perfect roommates! <3 style="font-style: italic;">Brisingr yet. I started reading Angels and Demons by Dan Brown....and I'm a tad disappointed with it. Its not even close to the brilliance of The Di Vinci Code. To top it off...I've picked up another book about creation myths. Its obviously a non-fiction but I enjoy mythology. So, we'll see how that goes.

As far as "The Bucket List" goes its going fairly well. However we are failing miserably at a few things on the list. Like limited Soda intake status: Epic fail. Its only resulted in an increase of carbonated goodness. I do enjoy a good Coke-cola. Though I have been drinking more tea lately...and also smoking more cigarettes...I'm sure they cancel each other out. Again...Fail.

Heh, This blog feels scatterbrained. It probably is.

Everybody Sing, like its the last song you will ever sing.

This year has gone so fantastically well for the first few weeks that I was wondering when it was going to crash. And it is crashing. Slowly, I think, in larger doses than needed.

I've come to find out that its harder to be happy with what you've got when what you've got isn't much at all. I'm going to try and stay positive and list things that I do have that is worth it...After I list all the things irritating me lately.

My Job. Which was fine because I needed it and I was thankful. However, Its now pushing me to my limit. They took me off of night shift because I had too much of a hard time with the aroused drunkards. Not that I'm that attractive...when one is horny and drunk, you don't care who you're flirting with to get off and get out. Then, I had to be placed back on night shift due to certain circumstances that were acceptable. However, now its getting harder and harder to stay like this. I have no life because I sleep all day. Nothing gets done when I need it done unless I go without sleep...which is dangerous for those who've seen me sleep deprived. I've also been promised a raise, but that hasn't come yet. Still working minimum wage with more and more work being piled on the night shift because we're slower.

My Mother and her Money borrowing schemes. I'm supporting two families on minimum wage. Its insane. Its not as simple as saying no anymore. She doesn't stop calling....even if I don't answer the phone and I can't ignore her forever.

My Apartment. My lease hasn't been renewed yet for this year. Which may cause me to move out on short notice, but I suppose it won't be that short...because I've already talked to someone about an apartment to move into. The Roommate agrees and we'll split everything, just as soon as the land lady confirms the deal. I can also have My little dog with me. Free cable, but I have to pay for garbage. Which isn't a big deal. A fridge and a stove might be needed, but I don't know yet. I might even have to find myself a washer and a dryer. Man, I feel like an adult.

My Car. Without sufficient funds I can't seem to get my car afloat. Its being repaired and inspected. Bit by bit I am paying the mechanic and once that's done, I'll have to get a plate and insurance. I cringe at the thought.

But, to summarize all of that. there is a great deal of good things there:
I HAVE a job.
I HAVE a Mother.
I HAVE a place to go.
I HAVE a car. &
That car is being FIXED.

Point in case: I've got quite a lot AND things seem bad, but I think they are pushing me to do better and get farther ahead.

Its Snowing and I'm reading.

Well, Isn't just lovely living in Pennsylvania? =] We've got well over a foot of snow (my Dad tells me that Rochester New York had about 2 and still going.) and everything is so lovely with the fresh powder...but I'm just so tired. I work night shifts again so, its cutting into my photography time. I work 10pm to 6am...I'm up for about another 3 hours and then sleep until its dark out again. Its rather depressing. I'm off on Monday night, but I'll be sleeping all day again that day. So, the earliest I'll see daylight might be Tuesday and by then everything will look rotten and miserable. Dirty snow from plows and people walking through all the pristine smooth mounds of snow.

Oh! The agony! Though I do have to go to the store today. I might get a chance if I can manage to stay awake until about 10am. Here's to hoping.

I've finished 2 books for my 50 books challenge. I'm working on a third, which is proving to be more difficult than the first two. Though, the second one was only about 75 pages or so (give or take a few)and this one is at least 600-700 pages long.

Here's what I've completed so far:
1.) Looking for Alaska- John Green
2.) Harry Potter: The Tales of Beedle the Bard - J.k. Rowling

Now, that's not a bad start for being only 11 days into the new year, if I do say so myself. However, Brisingr by Christopher Paolini is going to prove a challenge in itself. Eragon, the first book of the Inheritance Trilogy, was incredible! I loved the characters, the world, the logic behind the use of magic, everything. It had a terrific ending leaving the reader begging for more. However, the second book (Eldest) was rather difficult to read because the first one ended after a battle of epic proportions and the next book picked up immediately where it left off. Which isn't all that bad, but Paolini ( Much Like Tolkien) leaves nothing to the imagination.

Paolini has a tendency to describe the entire journey, which in the book, took about 3 months to complete...but it also took up 1/3 of the book. Nothing much happens aside from conversation, camping, and learning a little (and I mean a little) about the leading Elf character, Saphira the Dragon, and a few Dwarfs that accompany our heroes the the city of the Elves. Granted, Eragon learns a few things...but its mostly scenery and animals that we learn about. Nothing really picks up until they reach the edge of the Elves' territory. This also ends with the finishing of a battle and a promise made to a family member to be continued in the third and final book Brisingr.

This time the book didn't start out so slow...but it grew slow after a few chapters. Its like he's dragging his feet and not wanting to end the trilogy at all. Now I'm still reading this one and I'm not even half way through it. So, I'm hoping that everything he mentions is worth knowing by the end of the story. Otherwise I think I'll feel cheated a little bit.

Paolini has a great deal of imagination and I believe he wanted us to get the full picture of this world he created, but perhaps he should have made this a longer series of books to fit all the wonders and secrets he's sharing with us. I understand that this all had to fit in a time frame and he does an excellent job of making the main character have true human qualities. There is much to love about this trilogy, it just take dedication to finish it...at least on my part.

And by the way, DON'T watch the movie Eragon and think that the book doesn't need to be read, because it does. The movie was such an incredible disappointment I couldn't help but feel relief that I didn't pay to see it in a theater. I'd have been tossed out on my ass for sure this time. I'm not a big fan of books turned into movies. At all.

One Year in 40 Seconds.

One year in 40 seconds from Eirik Solheim on Vimeo.