Scifres.com

I seem to have picked a cold. Not so bad except the never ending runny nose and sneezing.

You have probably heard of a six pence, right? Have you seen one? I think the design seems very Celtic. Wonder what the flowers are? I see holly and clover but what are the other three flowers?

Anna had a class project to create a cell model this week. We tried Jello yesterday – fail! So, we resorted to making a cake for our medium. I took a picture of the cake, which I’ll post below and then created an outline version of the image that was more representative of the cell model. I think both versions look pretty good and most importantly her model is yummy! I want to go to her class tomorrow.

I’ve got to get out of the house soon, I’m running out of stuff to shoot!

P.F. Chang’s frozen meals are fantastic. I’ve had several of them previously with no regard to calorie content. Anyway, now dieting, I thought to check them out for their appropriateness for my diet. The problem with most of the meals is that you want to serve them with rice and that really drives the calories through the roof. But with the noodles, the calories stay relatively low at 350 per serving.

Bottom line, you can’t beat the taste for calorie ratio of this dish. I did add small handful of peanuts right at the end and allowed it simmer the final minute.  Yummy!!

I’ve continued to make steady progress this week. Yogurt for breakfast and salads for lunch most days. I’ve discovered a pretty good lunch at Panera consisting of 1/2 a Smoked Turkey sandwich on wheat and a cup of Chicken Noodle soup. You can have them give you an apple instead of the baguette. Total of 280 calories. We have also been enjoying some tasty Talapia dinners. I’ll post that recipe sometime this week.

End Weight: 195.4
Previous Weight: 198.8
Loss: -3.4 lbs
Net Loss: -12.6 lbs
BMI: 25.09
Percent of Goal (175 lbs.): 38.18% Complete

Leah and her friend Sailor enjoy a pop-up book together during a sleepover tonight. The book is Dragons & Mosters by Matthew Reinhart and Robert Sabuda.

I thought this came out really sharp. Are you thirsty now? I created black glass this week to shoot some of our product on for work and this was a favorite today. 4 second exposure ISO 100 @ f/22.

Found this @Junkyard Gypsies. Took a lunch time trip to the second had store today thanks to a tip from Caroline. Purchased an old camera and snapped a shot of this radio while I was there. It can be yours for $50.

It doesn’t get much better than this down home song on my Victrola. In case you have never heard this song, here is a very nice version by Allison Krauss and Lyle Lovett: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UxOcZgDOpc.Enjoy.

If you guys see Sarah flying by please tell her it is past her bedtime and time to come home for the evening before her broomstick runs out of gas. This first picture is her friend Katie. This one had better color so ran with it. The one of Sarah was under exposed and had some issues so I converted it to B&W to salvage it.

Yes, under 200 lbs. again and I already feel lighter. I’m about 6 weeks away from my skinny clothes, the fat bin is waiting for me to load it up and pack it away again. Unfortunately, all the easy lbs. are all almost gone and soon it will be time to settle in for the ground war with the remaining 20 lbs.

End Weight: 198.8
Previous Weight: 202.4
Loss: -3.6 lbs
Net Loss: -9.2 lbs
BMI: 25.52
Percent of Goal (175 lbs.): 27.88% Complete

Day 14 – Self Conflicted. I had fun tonight and introduced Anna and Sarah to extended shutter exposures. The pictures were taken with the shutter open 30 seconds. Which one do you think should be my picture of the day? I couldn’t decide.

Yes, this is my very, very dusty Telecaster. It desperately wants to be played. Don’t take a picture of me . . . . play me!!

This is a reproduction set of the Isle of Lewis Chessmen (or Uig Chessmen). It is the earliest know chess set. Discovered in 1831 in Scotland, a total of 78 pieces were recovered including 8 kings, 8 queens, 16 bishops, 15 knights, 12 rooks and 19 pawns. The heights of the pawns range from 3.5 to 5.8 cm while the major pieces are between 7 and 10.2 cm. It is believed they were probably made in Norway, by craftsmen in the 12th century. They are owned and exhibited by the British Museum in London, which has 67 of the original pieces, and the Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, which has the remaining 11 pieces. Sarah, in 4th grade now, joined the chess club this year and I can’t wait to play a game with her using this set. The board arrives next week!

Caroline purchased this wonderful medium format 120mm Yashica-Mat film camera for me for Christmas. I love this camera, it is so beautiful. Also in the picture is an #168 Boxwood antique wood and brass two foot ruler. It folds both vertically and horizontally, very unusual. And to the left of the camera are some Buckyballs. If you don’t have any of these, you need to get some. Seriously.

There was a light fog this morning and I tried to catch it but I was a little late. You can see it in the tree lines. I wish I had been 30 minutes earlier. Even so the heavy frost and early morning sun were great. The tree on the right is the second biggest dogwood in America. Wait until this spring!! And yes, it is haunted! We have video proof.

Anna has developed a new hobby in part due to her cousin Clara. She loves to make jewelry now. These are some beads from one of her favorite bead stores here in Bowling Green.