Virginia Breeze

This past weekend we were at Virginia Beach and I psyched myself up for going out after dark and taking some photos on the boardwalk. This is something I had not done before and I was nervous about it. I was especially nervous about taking photos of people who were walking around.

So I attached the camera to the tripod and we went strolling down the boardwalk with the tripod slung over my shoulder like a shovel.

We reached the pier without any problem and I started taking photos of the amusement park and the stores on the pier. None of them turned out very good except perhaps for one that I will post here. Perhaps my general nervousness interfered with my ability to focus on good subjects.

But I also have problems finding the correct camera settings at night. Still it’s better to go out and try to do something. Live and learn. Or die by the sword. Whichever seems applicable.

Later we went back home and Beth pointed out to me a gorgeous moon out on the balcony. It was truly a beautiful sight. And I must have taken two hundred photos of it.

None of them came out well. None of them begin to give you a picture of how lovely the moon and the clouds around it were on last Saturday night in Virginia Beach.

Here is one of those photos. Such a disappointment.

First the good. Now the bad.

We were up early and off to the zoo although it was raining slightly. The Metro runs near the zoo at the bottom of a hill. So you take this escalator that is about a mile long and goes almost straight up just to get outside. Then you walk up a hill and enter the zoo.

I wasn’t expecting much but was happily surprised by the young Panda Bear who resides near the entrance. He was running around and climbing things with wild abandon in the rain. All the children and their parents were laughing and having a wonderful time as the rain fell on us all. But isn’t that the way sometimes? You think something is going to be great and it turns out to be a big disappointment. And the opposite is true too.

Then we went into the bird house and saw some wonderful birds. I have so many photos. Afterwards we split up and Beth went off with her daughter while I took the Metro back to the Museum of Natural History.

More photos and amazing exhibits. They have some priceless jewelry on display. But the kids seem more interested in the animal exhibits (especially prehistoric animals). The place was packed and you had to wait a few minutes to get close enough to see the Hope Diamond. Here is a photo of it. It gathered an interesting history as it was passed from one person to another down through the centuries.

I have been feeling strangely detached from Virginia Breeze for the past day or so. Hopefully that doesn’t mean the affair is over. It would be such a bother starting over again. Especially in this weather. My fingers are having a difficult time typing because they just walked in from the cold weather outside. It was 28 degrees this morning.

And last evening it snizzled. Isn’t that the term for snow and drizzle? It was a big disappointment because it definitely stopped the lunar eclipse party. Tonight we may try to go out and capture the full moon. It is so very bright in the cold, clear air.

But VB deserved a break from my ministrations and so it got one. Also I am trying to figure out how to use this theme I bought a few days ago. It is a news theme produced by Mr. Adii. And it is a pretty nice theme but very different from anything I have encountered to date. More on it later. I may have made a mistake. Perhaps I should have gone with Mr. Gardner who makes similar themes but appears to have a better support system. Sometimes I act impulsively and live to regret it.

Hopefully this is not one of those times. But we will see. Here is the link in case either of my paid readers would like to look at a theme with large holes in it during their breaks.

http://newslinkbriefs.com/

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I was thinking about starting a blog that would discuss the news in a fantasy driven way. And maybe just write posts two or three times per week instead of six times per day. For awhile I was not going to link it to VB. I was going to adopt a new identity that would be completely free of the past.

But that seemed stupid after awhile. Why go over the edge and become a raving schizophrenic at this late date? Beth wouldn’t know who had just come in the door. And I would be talking to myself more often and probably becoming more confused in the process. So I confess that this all has happened and there is a theme out there that is full of holes because nobody told me you had to deal with code to get it to work!

You have to go into the theme editor to change the freaking title! Am I the only person who didn’t know this? Or is it supposed to remain the PNT The Gazette Edition in homage to its creator? Why not just make things easy so when you drop in the name of your blog it appears where it is supposed to go?

So many questions. I should have remained in my comfort zone with Sparky and the three televisions and four computers. We could all watch American Idol tonight and be amazed by the new 17 year old singing sensation whose name is David! Jordin and David! That has a nice ring to it. Actually my enthusiasm proves that this is not a fascination on my part for young women!

No. Because I can be fascinated with young men too!

Wait a minute. That doesn’t sound right. But Beth understands in any case. Maybe she will go with me tonight after they are done with their cruel elimination process on AI. We can go take photos of the moon as it reflects in the cold waters of the lake at the U.

We will see.

UPdate:  This theme is gone.  What a waste of money.  Very little support and things you have to do that require much more skill than 99 percent of WP themes.

Overpriced and not great.  The print or font color  is not dark enough and difficult to read.  

 Save yourself some aggravation.  Go to Sadish and get an elegant them for much less money. 

http://www.jordinsparks.com/biography

Here is Jordin’s bio on her website. It’s pretty good. She talks about struggling! Can you imagine Jordin Sparks struggling? People who are graceful and talented often can fool us into thinking they do not struggle the way we do.

Here is what she said…..

Perhaps her most revealing life-lesson is the tale about how Jordin nearly missed out on being an Idol contestant altogether. No stranger to musical competitions, it’s the way she handled the potentially biggest disappointment of her life – being sent home on her first Idol try - that reveals a strength of character truly rare in a just-turned-17 year old. “I remember being at that first audition looking down that long line that just seemed endless and asking myself: ‘What am I bringing to this – how will they ever notice me’ she says.’ They didn’t, with the young singer being dismissed after her first L.A. audition. “I went home, shook it off and said ‘wait a minute, I can do this if they let me.’”

Where most teenagers might have buried such a disappointment in a countless array of distractions – Jordin made a bee-line for a second audition held in her native Arizona. She won, earning her another shot in front of Idol royalty at a Seattle audition where she sang Celine Dion’s “Because You Love Me.” The rest – as they, say is – well… “Giving up is not part of my vocabulary,” she says proudly. “Sure, I get down, but I’ve learned to let the negative roll off my back. You have to if you want to keep on going in this world.”

Here is a little more insight into her personality…

My dad kept us calm no matter what was happening with his career, and my mom made me fiercely independent. She was big on teaching us responsibility and fending for ourselves. I think I understood early the importance of setting goals and being prepared to meet them.”

The sky is the limit for this girl. Her father taught her how to work hard and deal with winning AND losing at the highest level of professional sports. Her mother taught her how to be independent. She has all the natural talent in the world. And she is incredibly beautiful. Watch the Tattoo video. Part of it is done in black and white. She is down on the ground looking up at the camera and the expression on her face sends chills through me. (I get chills now instead of other things because I am a senior citizen who doesn’t exercise the way he should). Watch the video and look for this moment. Does it do anything to you? It’s too quickly over as the video flashes back and forth.

Randy, the American Idol judge, said that Jordin was going to be another Whitney Houston. I’m sure he was referring to her popularity and vocal talent. But Jordin is going to be in a class by herself. You are not going to be able to compare her to anybody in the years to come. There will never be another Jordin Sparks.