More digi stuff

I had to finish this layout for my class this week, but I'm not sure if I'm happy with the lettering or not, so I may go back and work on it some more this week....but here's the initial version....

We got it!

After hanging around Borders for a few hours checking out all of the cool costumes, we got our book! They started distributing them at midnight, but we didn't get ours until about 1:00 AM, so not too bad! We were pretty excited!

Amazon.com should be delivering one to our door today as well, and I think Grant ordered the UK version from them too.

Did you know that they actually alter the American version to translate for some of the British phrases? I sure didn't. Can't wait to check it out!!

Thoughts on Potter, the end is near

Over the past several years, I've come to the conclusion that I don't like endings. No, seriously.

Grant's been dying for the new and final Harry Potter book to come out since, well...since about the day after the last one came out! (The half Blood Prince).
Not me.
I am really excited, but actually, to some extent, I've been dreading it a bit.
I really love these books, and enjoy emerging myself in the whole experience. Every detailed description, every theory....I continue to replay in my mind over and over again from time to time. Basically, I am pretty content reflecting on the current book for a couple of years, and the past books as well for all that matters. I do look forward to the next book, but I'm in no hurry. Especially now.
Because this is it. The end. The grand finale.....basically, of something that I don't want to be over. Didn't we just get The Half Blood Prince? I'm not even over the whole Dumbledore thing yet. Perhaps, I'm still traumatized. I know, the answer is no, it's been out for a couple of years. It's time for the next installment, which of course I wouldn't mind except for the fact that it's the last one...the ending.

You see, the older I get (not that I'm anywhere near old yet), the more I've come to not like endings. Now, if it's one movie, one book, etc....sure! I want the ending! But when it comes to a series, I've found that I unconsciously avoid it.
For example....if a television show that I really like is ending, when it starts getting close to the end, I somehow stop watching it. I'm still sad that that it won't be on anymore, but even though I have the episodes on the myth TV, for some reason it takes me forever to watch them. It's like, I don't want closure. Weird, huh?

I still haven't seen the last episode of Dr. Who from the first season that the series was brought back, because I knew that they were going to be changing doctors. (and I really loved that doctor, Christopher Eccleston,( Christopher Eccleston) although Grant swears to me that I'll love the new doctor as well.) I haven't seen the last episode of Dawson's Creek, and I'm sure that there's a lot more. I did watch the last episode of Mad About You, and of Ally McBeal, and they both left me feeling flat. I didn't particularly care for the episode, but yet, after having seen it, I knew how it ended....and in those cases, not how I would have liked, but yet it is still there. It feels done, and I don't really reflect on them anymore.

Still haven't seen the last Matrix movie.I'm sure that there are tons more that I can't think of right now, but you get the idea. On a recent note, I somehow ended up not watching the entire last season of Stargate SG1, I guess because I knew that they were canceling the series. I really don't actively mean to do it. I guess that I just start feeling more emotional about it, and decide to avoid dealing with that. I don't know. This must drive Grant nuts.

We have a myth TV (the home made Tivo that Grant made for us) full of an entire season of Dr. Who, the SG1 last season, and the remaining 2-3 episodes of Battlestar Gallactica that I haven't watched from last season, (probably because it's my favorite show, and I didn't want the season to be over with). Heck! They're finishing the series after next season, so god only knows what I'll end up doing. Perhaps it's that I just want to continue to have something to look forward to...
However, I didn't do this with Revenge of the Syth. (the final Star Wars movie) I really looked forward to it, couldn't wait to see how it would end, but perhaps this was because it was the final prequel, and I actually already knew how things ended in the actual end (3 movies later), and pretty much have it as part of the make up of my culture since I can remember.

When I met Grant, he told me that he reads the endings of books right at the beginning, which I thought was just horrid! Any twists, tricks, emotional rollercoasters are all in vain because you know how it will all turn out. My biggest argument against that is that the author wrote it in a certain way using various literary devices to unfold the story in a specific artful matter, and that by reading the end, it screws with his or her art. So, he sweetly, doesn't do that with books that I give him to read which I've already read, and that I am clearly giving to him because I enjoyed the experience so much. He's the best. However, at times, I do see his point. Perhaps just knowing from the get-go would resolve any anxiety that I would have about actually reaching the end. ...Nah! Definitely not worth it.

But anyway, back to Potter.....

I do admit that I tend to get a bit too emotionally involved....particularly in these books .... and of course, we're going to go pick up one of our copies at midnight tonight....and of course I will start reading it right away, since if I don't, someone will surely tell me the ending anyway....which would suck beyond belief.

I tend to read slowly.
I picture every last detail, and think everything through most thoroughly as I go along.
So, on top of it being the ending, I'm pissed because I'll have to try and read it as fast as I can to try and avoid hearing any spoilers. Grrrr....
But....at least it will make sure that I will actually read it....not speculate when I'm 40 about how I really need to finish that last Harry Potter book. : )

Oh, and btw....I'm so rooting for Neville!

It's a montage!

Right now, this is one of my favorite pictures. Even though Ronan looks silly in his braids.


Ok, so I'm finally at the point in my class where we're starting to do photo montages. Learning lots of cool blending and mask techniques. Very neat.
Here's one of my class assignments, work in progress...I still have to do some graphical and text things to it for class, but it'll give you some sort of idea. Pictures of Ronan and me.

Digital class

Ok, so I'm taking a pretty cool Photoshop Elements scrapbooking class this month on Digitalscrapbookplace.com Very cool. I met the instructor, Emma, at the digital crop that I went to in Arlington at the Great American Scrapbook Convention last month.
Her classes are very detailed and pleasantly complex. I've taken several other digital classes and they've all been pretty basic and about the same, even the more advanced ones. So, I'm liking it!
Learning lots more stuff about things that I thought that I already knew about, and I'm only on week 2. Groovy.

This is one of my class assignments. Not my favorite, but I was basically just trying to incorporate all of the techniques that I learned in the 1st 2 weeks of class. No premade items, everything had to be pretty simple, and I had to use 3 photos. So, not too bad for having constraints. It was nice taking a digital class where it wasn't like...take this element and put it here. It was like, here are 4 different techniques to make photo mats....use them.
Luckily, I have a great photographer. (Love you, Grant!) Pictures are from the Meadow Creek Schooling event that we went to last month.

It was pretty cool. Laura Mann and I both won our divisions, which is pretty trippy, since we've done that 2 or 3 times now at this particular show! (she was in Training with Sparky, and I took Ronan in Beginner Novice). Laura's been busy with her new job this past year, so we hadn't really gotten to go to any shows together since this time last year. It was awesome to have her back.

Usually, it's wicked hot at this show, but this year it was cooler because....oh yes, just like every other show since we got Ronan....it was pouring down rain. Yuck.

Damn! I'm tired.

Movie was cool, getting up after 2+ hours of sleep is not.

It's Potter Time!

And so it begins...

Tonight, well actually it's extremely early tomorrow AM, we're going to the 12:00 showing of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Can't wait! It's going to be awesome. Umbridge is truly disturbing. (I'm terrified of her.) and I've heard that her portrayal in the film is excellent! As scary as that may seem, at least I can be waiting for those centaurs...they should know that I'm counting on them.
Still got a few weeks before the book. I'm not sure that Grant will be able to wait that long after seeing the movie tonight!

Matt is so COOL!

So late last night, I'm struggling with some concepts from my digital PSE class, and feeling creatively blocked and frustrated when I get this email from my friend Shannon (of Matt and Shannon who ride out at Falconwood ).

It said something like:
Matt said that you wanted a copy of this song....

and there it was....the Elvis Costello cover of "She" from the movie Notting Hill that I went rambling on forever about last week (isn't that what blogs are for anyway?) after a much too time consuming attempt to find it. See post from July 4th

IS THAT NOT THE COOLEST THING???

It just made me so happy! I've listened to it like 6 times. : )

Matt, you're the absolute best!! Thanks.

I have the grooviest friends.

Groovy Weekend

Wow! I had the weekend off, and we were at home! No shows, clinics, trips, etc. Whew!


I think that we really needed a break.


I did take Ronan out to Pine Hill on Saturday for our lesson, which was awesome! He was perfect. Jumped a whole bunch of new cross country jumps on the novice course. No problem! Just like it was nothing! Very relaxed....Go Ronan!




Otherwise, it was an eclectic mix of things this weekend....lots of fun.




1.) Went to see Ratatouille....


Awesome flick. Loved it! loved it! Loved it!! Pixar's done it again. Too cool. So funny. Had cooking for Grant, and Rats for me, what more could we ask for?





2.) Rode bareback on Sunday AM for over an hour. I just love doing that.





3.) Saw a preview for the new "Underdog" live action film....oh no. Unfortunately, it has a beagle, which I guess the real underdog was, but still....

The movie looks pretty bad, but had some great tag lines...


"One Nation Under Dog!" - Love this one! How great!

Coming this August..."Evil Gets Licked!" - that's the best.

4.) So, because of Underdog, I'll probably get stuck seeing more beagles (Arrrgh!), but hopefully, because of Ratatouille, I'll get to see more RATS! (That would be awesome!)

5.) Had corn on the cob for dinner last night. Mmmmmm. My favorite. Got it from this little farm on the way home from the horse farm....so good. Also got some new potatos, which Grant made with garlic and rosemary to go with the corn..... Now I'm hungry.

6.) Got new pajamas! Cute ones with Marie the cat from The Aristocats

7.) Went to brunch at Jasper's Sunday with Grant....Vanilla French toast with bananas and nuts....mmmmmmm.

8.) Tried to do some scrapbooking, failed miserably.

"

Play

Been working on my PSE skills.
Here's some pics from one of last month's lessons....
(can't figure out how to get the picture to be larger in the post but if you click on it, you get the full effect.)

Photos by Grant Goodyear

She

"She" I'm talking about the song...(not Heidi Swapp) that goes....

She may be the face I can't forget
The trace of pleasure or regret
Maybe my treasure or the price I have to pay

....and so on.

Well, it was originaly written by Charles Aznavour and Herbert Kretzmer.
Anyway, Elvis Costello does this awesome cover of it on the soundtrack for the movie Notting Hill, (one of my favorite films, by the way.)

So, I've been wanting to get a copy of that version of the song for years now, and the only place that I've seen it is on the Notting Hill movie soundtrack, which I refuse to buy, mostly because I absolutely hate Ronan Keating's version of "WhenYou Say Nothing at All". Yes, lots of people have covered that song, and there are some out there that I feel are even better than the original( Alison Krauss), but the reason that I hate the Ronan Keating version (and yes, he does have an awesome first name) is because he changes some of the lyrics, (and I know that this happens a lot, but it bugs me with this song) and takes out one of my favorite lines...

"Old Mr. Webster
could never define,
What's been said
between your heart and mine"

Yes, I know that it's cheesy, but hey, it's a country song! Anyway, he changes it to....

" Try as they may
They can never define
What's been said
between your heart and mine "

Which to me, is significantly less memorable...I mean, what the heck is wrong with Mr. Webster? He is the expert on defining now isn't he? Was Mr. Keating afraid that perhaps a definition would surface if you pointed people to the man at the top?

But forgive me, I digress....

Anyway, the point is that I refuse to buy the stupid soundtrack. So, I think that Elvis Costello has some 2 disc greatest hits collection or something, but I already have tons of Elvis Costello, and it's like $20.

So....I think, a-ha! Steve Jobs can help me with this dilemma....so I go to itunes, which is where you can purchase just one song off of an album (pretty much the only time I buy itunes over traditional CDs, unless it's some unreleased rarity etc.) and guess what...

They don't have it. Grrrrrrrr.

I'm sure that there are other MP3 sites that carry it, but I'm not in the mood to go checking all of them today. I'm also sure that I could easily download it illegally....and my defense would be that "Steve Jobs let me down!", but I'm not willing to mess with all that either.

So basically, "She" will have to wait.....probably another 6months till it pops into my head again, and think, "Man, I really love that version, I should get that..."

It's Raining Again....

Well, it rained again this weekend, so what were we doing? At a horse show of course! I swear that every show that we've done since getting Ronan, except for the combined test. the weather's been bad. In the last month alone, we got poured on at Meadow Creek, I got rained on all week at Horse camp, and then we got poured on again at the Pine Hill show on Sunday. The trailer's an absolute mess on the inside. It's going to need some serious cleaning. Lovely...but hey! Ronan's great in mud and wet.

He was awesome again this show. Such a good boy.

So, I've decided to move him up and give him the chance to kick butt at the Novice level in eventing! We don't show again until end of September, so we'll be ready. But for now, I at least am looking forward to a much needed break.

Other events.... (ripping off a blog style from Karen Russell)

1.) Just playing with my new iphone.
That thing is just so awesome. I'm completely enthralled. Loaded some music, a movie, and some pictures on it last night... No Lilo and Stitch, It wasn't available from itunes. Bummer.

2.) Imersing ourselves in Harry Potter...we've already got our movie tix for the 12:01 AM showing of Order of the Phoenix....watched Goblet of Fire on DVD last week. Can't wait, and then there's the final book....
I'm listening to the Half Blood Prince on my ipod to give me a refresher before the new one comes out. Grant of course re-read all of the books (again) in the last 2-3 months so he's going to be ready. Oh, and Grant also got me a book entitled something like "Severus Snape, Friend or Foe" which has some theories by a few people including the sci fi author Orson Scott Card. Really cool.

3.) Diogital Scrapbooking... Taking a new PSE class from Digital Scrapbook Place this month, and I've got a digital/hybrid album class from Big Picture Scrapbooking coming up this month too.

4.)Fireworks.....2 times within the year, I am gloriously reminded of the number one advantage to living in Houston outside of the city...Can't wait.

5.) Hermione month...yes, the little wild and crazy, whippersnapper is back! Dad's gone on and off all month, so Hermione is back at Camp Goodyear. She and Ophelia were chasing each other around the loft and down the catwalk last night at 1 AM. Such energy.