Going Higher

Tags

food, misc., photography, second touch, sports, videos

Once again I have been painfully MIA. Which I tried to avoid and clearly didn’t succeed. First I got sick and was in bed for three days (thanks, cold. That was really friendly of you) and then there were ski lessons and un-announced days out on the hill and then, finally, I’ve spent the last couple of days getting ready for the ‘official’ launch of Second Touch.

Which has kind of been worth me not being around, oddly enough. Because when I finally looked up from all the support we’ve been getting for this project, I realized how much I missed posting here. I missed editing and putting up pictures and telling a story. So, don’t worry: I’m not leaving. I will probably be more sporadic than I was before, but also not as completely not here as I have been the last week and a half.

The above picture was taken on Saturday on a hike I took. I’ll have more pictures tomorrow, as per usual! But when the trail signs say that the trek is ’1 hour’, but it’s up the mountain and you’re carrying your photography equipment, it’s best not to be too surprised when it takes you three. Followed by a simple half hour descend because that’s just how these things work. It’s also best to not be ridiculously surprised when you can’t move your legs properly the next day. These are things to keep in mind, which, naturally, I did not.

Things I’m Loving:

+ This fabulous first article – (Seriously. The amount of pride I have over something I didn’t even write is ridiculous. In such a good way.)

+ This vlog – (Because Elizabeth Bennet in the 21st century just can’t be a bad thing.)

+ This website – (Because this is exactly the sort of thing I’m drawn to: good ideas.)

+  These still lifes – (Food photography is one of my favourites and these are all so wonderfully thought out.)

Thursday Thoughts – Journalistic Integrity

Tags

food, journalism, links, misc., photography, the young turks, thursday thoughts, video

One of the changes that I’m going to try on my blog is doing a Thursday Thoughts.  Between the blogs that I follow, the various Twitters I follow, things that friends post on Facebook and then things that I just stumble upon myself, I end up reading quite a few interesting articles/seeing interesting videos/etc. I figured that it could be something different to post up on my blog, say a little bit about what I think on each piece and people can discuss their thoughts in the comments. Just something to break up all the photo posts and to add a little bit of variety to my blog.

The first one is the above video about CNET senior writer Greg Sandoval quitting his job because the parent company, CBS,  asked him to revoke an award he had given to Dish Network’s Hopper.

There’s more information in the above video (as well as here), but one of the things that the video says that I find interesting is that: this happens more often than people think. They say at one point that there are advertisers who have nothing to sell, nothing you can buy at a store or really consume, that spend a lot of money to have their name on their because the company will be a lot less likely to run a negative story on that company. Which says something about the media that we consume and how that’s not just true for companies. It applies to politics, something that we expect our media to report truthfully about.

On one hand, I don’t think that that’s an earth shattering surprise and that, on some level, people acknowledge that this happens. However, on the other, I think that that says a lot about the way that our news has evolved. Journalism is supposed to be there to tell us about what’s going on in the world. To be unbiased and tell us the facts. That was something that was always stressed about in our Ethics classes: was that you needed to find that balance of being there and present, but of also being able to pull away and to not be a part of what was happening, to be someone observing and then relaying what was happening to other people.

Obviously the companies need the advertisers to continue, they need that money. But, as much as it might be difficult, they also need to be impartial and to not let that stop them from reporting what’s going on.

The good thing to take away from this is: Sandoval quit his job (which is why this is making the news like it is) because, according to his twitter, “I no longer have confidence that CBS is committed to editorial independence.” That’s a good thing because it means that there are journalists out there who are willing to do that because they want to be known as honest journalists, something that Ana Kasparian emphasizes at the very end of the video. And I think that that’s something to hold on to.

Things I’m Loving:

+ These tools – (Because we’re always looking for ways to make life easier and more organized and manageable. I’ll be testing a few of these out.)

+ These photographs – (I haven’t really gotten into the HDR photography deal (yet, you never know) but these are stunning. They definitely make London pop off the screen in a new way.)

+ This recipe – (I don’t think I’m brave enough to try to make macarons and probably won’t be for awhile, but if and when I am, these will be the ones I make.)

+ These tips – (I don’t own my own place, and probably won’t for awhile, but that doesn’t mean that I’ll let money saving tips pass me by, either.)

Second Touch

Tags

football, links, magazines, photography, random, sports

Something a little different today. A good friend of mine, Vimbai, had this great idea and is working on trying to find people to support it.

The link will lead you to the write up about the whole thing, however, to summarize:

Second Touch is hoping to be first a website and then a PDF quarterly about football (soccer) with content created solely by female fans and writers. Females account for at least, if not more than, half the viewers of the sport, yet if you look at any of the famous blogs (Just Football, A Football Report and In Bed With Maradona to name a few) or the quarterlies (The Blizzard, Howler, XI), the creators and/or (regularly contributing) writers are not even close to equal.

The idea is that there are female fans out there who do want to write and do have things to share, but that because football is still, though it’s changing, such a boys’ club, there’s not the push for them to do that. So, this is about changing that. Contact information is in the post and if you know anyone who might be interested, please pass it along. The blog does look a little bare right now, I know, but give it another week or two as support starts up and ‘About’ pages are filled out and ideas start being fleshed out.

Besides: everything has to start with some sort of small idea, right?

(Full discloser: I’m the ‘partner-in-crime’ in this endeavour, because there’s no way I couldn’t be.)

Things I’m Loving:

+ Skype Sessions – (With people I talk to almost everyday, and with people I talk to once a week.)

+ My new watch - (Because apparently I’m an adult now and adult’s have watches. Though: extra long wrist band keeps it from feeling ~stuffy.)

+ Shows coming back – (I think, though, I miss the shows only second to the fact that my sisters and I would watch them all together.)

+ Exploring flickr - ( Somedays I just really miss looking at other people’s work. Which sounds ridiculous considering the internet is at my fingertips, but it’s not the same as when we were in school.)

Listen To This

Tags

misc., playlist, random

Have you heard of Songza yet? (Maybe I’m just behind.) A friend of mine introduced it to me a few days ago and I’ve been using it nonstop.

It’s an app where you can choose from days of the week, times of the day, mood you’re in, genre, and then multiple playlists to find music.

For reasons I have yet to figure out, I don’t like having music on my phone and this app takes care of that. I don’t like having multiple programs open while I’m editing (like iTunes), so it also means I can find new music while giving my computer a bit of a break. Win-win.

I’ll Get To That….Later

Tags

computer malfunction ahoy, life, links, wedding

For once I have more things to show and share than I have time for. I finally just got my computer back on Friday and have been furiously editing wedding photos since. And a lot happens in two weeks. Like getting your visa in the mail and getting new glasses (though I desperately wanted either these or these but the first wouldn’t fit properly and I already have a pair of orange glasses.) There’s also the new suitcase I got (that I actually don’t know where my parents stored…) and work schedules that have been switched around.

On top of that there’s trying to get in a ‘good bye’ day and getting pictures of the family done for my sister’s grad….next June, since I won’t be here.

I’m hoping for a proper update and more than a single photo within the next few weeks, but as of right now, I can’t promise that. I did have things planned out and scheduled so by the time we got to this part of August, I wouldn’t be scrambling and anxious and flipping coins between staying in bed an extra hour or going swimming with my mom in the morning.

But life got in the way (two weeks without a computer: case in point) and that is where I am and I have desperately (oh my goodness, I can’t even describe how much that’s true) missed photography and the editing and the whole process.

So, I am coming back. It’s just going to take longer than I thought it would.