crossrhodes

I experimented with my camera today. I took all pics in natural light without the flash. The difference is night and day, as you can see in this picture of James taken at dusk within seconds of each other.

I noticed that in shutter priority mode in natural light, the image quality tends to be noisy. What am I doing wrong? How do I correct that? Or do I just need a better camera? :) I got a few great shots (composition wise) at the marching band state championship tonight. The pics looked sharp in the 1″ LCD viewer but noisy and grainy at 100% on a 17″ monitor. I wonder how the prints will turn out.

After the competition, we stopped at my family’s for dinner. My grandma is in town from the west coast and my uncle is recovering from a heart attack. My aunt made this yummy phad thai with shrimp, a giant baked trout, mango/tomato relish, a beef stew, and fried plantains. (I can hear my sister drooling in San Franciso :) Believe it or not, that’s considered a small family dinner. I liked the way this came out, the photo AND the tasty dish.

I told Don I want to adopt a baby girl from China. Then I am guaranteed a daughter with millions of Chinese baby girls in need of loving homes. Don said he wants to adopt a cat. *sigh* Compromise? Well, how about a half-Chinese baby girl dressed as a chicken?

Click photo to view the album

I was at my brother’s house yesterday for arts & crafts with my nephew. After dinner, the moms showed off the kids’ halloween costumes. My nephew has been all of the Justice League characters except for Wonder Woman. We debated whether the baby was a strawberry or a tomato. And the chicken is the kids’ cousin who lives next door. She would look just as cute in a cat costume, but I doubt her parents are willing to put her up for adoption :)

Here’s a studio photo of the kids on my side of the family before my oldest niece left for San Francisco. I plastered their faces on my desktop so I have something to smile about when I sit down to study, which is what I should’ve been doing instead of blogging :)

Can I pick your brains for a bit? I have a few ideas for an argumentative essay. I have a hard time arguing with myself since I tend to agree with me all the time, so let me know your points of view. I thought I’d start brainstorming a topic I’m already familiar with - parenting.

Couples who wish to legally adopt endure a rigorous process of tests, interviews, training and education before they are deemed “fit” to be adoptive parents. Meanwhile, countless numbers of “unfit” parents freely have biological babies left and right just to neglect, abandon, abuse, or molest their own children. On the principle of protecting the interest and well-being of a child, should there also be a testing, training, and/or licensing process for couples who wish to have biological children?

Okay, I’ll go first. There are already legislations in place to protect a child found to be abused or neglected by his/her parents. But by the time the government steps in, the damage has already been done to the child. An approval process of some sort, in my opinion, would be a good preventative measure against child abuse or neglect. Potential parents should be asked:

Can you financially support a child?
Provide a loving family or support structure?
Intend to raise the child into adulthood?
Commit to these and other terms on contract?

I haven’t given much thought beyond this point. I’m sure there are lots of holes in there somewhere… i.e. violations of civil liberties, the consequences for failure to meet the requirements, etc. I dunno. I just think there ought to be some type of preventative maintenance before the damage is done. What are your thoughts?

(hi-ho! hi-ho! off to school i go!)

I decided I’ve been working hard and needed a mid-semester break. It’s been months since I used my scrap table. And this Sleepless In Seattle weather we’ve had in Jersey is very conducive to crafting indoors. So I made a few things for my mini-me who recently celebrated a birthday. (She’s been busting her butt on schoolwork too.)

These are my first attempts at altered books, binders, bookmarks, and (for me) a pretty checkbook cover that makes me want to look but not spend. *hihi* Beats the plain blue cover from the bank. BTW, Modge Podge is the greatest thing ever since sliced low-carb multi-grain bread!

Be inspired! Create something! (And try not to sniff the fumes :)

What was that show we watched the other night…. oh, one of the nanny-to-the-rescue shows. The parents were restaurant owners whose kids run around the restaurant all day.

My teenager in all his wisdom said, “Why do they have to work in the restaurant if they own it? Why don’t they just pay someone else to run it for them?”

He aspires to have his own business someday. For now, it’s a custom auto body shop. (I say for now because he changes his mind faster than he goes thru toilet paper :) He had this idea that being a business owner meant unlimited paid vacations. If you have the money to own a business, then you have the money to pay someone else to run it while you buff your Hummer’s rims all day in your 4-car garage mini-mansion.

Parents have to be careful not to discourage a child’s dreams, but I had to break his bubble on this one… just this once! I told him owning a business means working longer than 9 to 5. And you can’t expect it to be successful by handing it over to someone who doesn’t share your stake in the investment. I’m not confident I convinced him enough. It was pretty hard to hear me with the Hummer between my lips and his ears :)