Let's Call it A "Feature"

Given that the skies hadn't opened up to dump buckets today, I decided to venture south to Tacoma to shoot some pictures with the lenses I'd rented over the weekend (50mm macro and 24-105mm IS USM L). Seeing that I wasn't super familiar with the sights in the city that used to be known for its aroma, I scoured the internets looking for points of interest, parks, museums, etc. After choosing a few promising locations, what a better way to plot my route for the day with anything other than, yes, GoogleMaps. I created a Tacoma Photo Shoot Map in MyMaps, complete with each stop, hit the print button, and voila, I'm ready to pop out the door! Snatching the fruits of my labor from the monstrous all-in-one that is my printer, I noticed that not only were all my beautiful pins with their addresses/titles not on the page, but it wasn't even centered the way it was on the site..

So, mental note. Use GoogleMaps to plot locations, but have your handy dandy marker out and ready to duplicate your efforts if your planning on going mobile.

The Winthorpe's Take to the Lake

The sun was out today and I've been getting a smidge bored with the jogging about neighborhood. So I laced up my sneaks and ventured over to Greenlake for my inaugural run there since I've gotten off my ass and accepted that running isn't evil afterall...I bobbed and weaved my through the thousands of other people who had the same idea as I did, and managed to make it around the lake at a pace that even caught me by surprise. Apparently my recent efforts are paying off.

After catching my breath, I walked another lap, digital camera in tow. Nearly half way to the grandstands, I realized that if I continued to stumble along and take shots here and there, that getting back to my car was going to take several hours. Sure I wanted to enjoy one of the seldom sunny days in Seattle (say that 5 times fast), but a girl has things to do! I came out of hiding from behind my lens, and completed the loop while soaking up my surroundings.

People watching was at its finest. When I'm getting ready to go out and get some exercise, I always slather on the make up and strap on my finest Ugg boots, don't you? Some even mistook the almost 60 degree temperature for a tropical heat wave and dressed themselves in next to nothing.

Families were out in droves. Most notable was a couple with a 2-3 month newborn; the woman had the baby snuggled tightly to her chest, while dad followed closely behind pushing the stroller. Doesn't sound out of the ordinary, but the man was wearing a cable knit sweater with a shirt and tie under it, had loafers on and was puffing away on a cigar! Dude seemed a bit out of place; perhaps he would have fit in better at the local tennis club.

Shortly after passing Biff and Buffy, two young boys went sprinting by. Normally such a sight wouldn't catch my attention, but I noticed that these pre-teens were decked out in the latest and greatest runner's gear like that of a marathoner. And they had good form to boot. Were they training for some sort of race? Perhaps. But the a few questions came to mind...How did kids of this age get into running as a sport/hobby? Children typically chase one another while at play, but ten year olds doing 2.8 mile laps? Something I definitely hadn't witnessed before. One of my questions was answered as I rounded the bend. The boys had met up with their parents, who, you guessed it, were big runners themselves.

Weather.com predicts that the rains are returning tomorrow, so it'll be back inside to the gym for me. Hopefully you took full advantage of the sunshine!!!

Shooting Around Town

I had some extra time on my hands today, being President's Day and all, so I thought that I might take the opportunity to get out and take some photos. Everyone's been to the Pike Place Market the waterfront, and the crowds are still flooding to the Olympic Sculpture Park. I wanted to go somewhere I've not been before or perhaps shoot something out of the ordinary. My mind began to wander through all the possibilities, but I was just plain stumped.

As always the internet proved to be an extremely helpful resource. Though there aren't any sites devoted to The Top 10 Photos You Need to Take While in Seattle," I did find a few that pointed me in the right direction:

Flickr - Several groups are focused on Seattle, and even a few concentrate on specific locations or themes. Take a peek and I'm sure you'll get tons of inspiration, I sure did!

SEATTLE FLICKR GROUPS:

• Seattle Scene
• Seattle
• Seattle Food and Drink
• Guess Where Seattle
• Seattle Art Scene
• Seattle Street Art/Grafitti/Stickers/Posters
• Live Music in Seattle
• Seattle Flickr Dogs
• >>And MORE

THEMES AROUND SEATTLE

• Neon Signage
• Architecture/Building(s)
• Boats
• Bridges
• Gardens
• Views around town
  

Photogs looking to meet others in the area, and for a chance toshoot some new sights can join the Seattle Flickr Meetup group where they organize trips around the area twice a month.

Or if you just want to get together and dish on the latest equipment, share shots you've taken, etc you can hook up with the Eastside/Seattle Photography Groups on Meetup.com

You can always give yourself a mini homework assignment if you still can't make up your mind; take 5o photos within a city block to test your creativity, work on your long exposure skills at night, look for subjects with contrasting colors, pan a few moving objects, or try to find subjects with repeating items or patterns. Regardless of what you choose, you'll hopefully get some experience and see some improvement in your shots.

Given that it's still winter, and very blustery, I actually decided to stay in where its nice and cozy. At least I have quite a few choices of where to go next time I get a spare moment and have camera in hand!

Music Appreciation

A little over a month ago, I joined my friend Joyce at Hidmo Eritrian Restaurant for a little spicy finger food and traditional African music presented by Atlantic Melody.

Many times during the evening, the 7 or so year old son of the drummer (Edward Sourarez) made his way into the middle of the dance floor becoming the center of attention. You could tell that even as shy as he was, he really wanted to join in singing with the band. He attempted to get on the mic several times, but every time, he stood there terrified, turned around, and ran back to mom. I'm not sure what tipped the scales, but he eventually blurted out a few words of the chorus, and was hooked. The crowd of course loved him, and he ended up finishing out the remainder of the song. I was in awe that someone so young was brave enough to get up there, and was expressing himself through music.

As usual the rhythms were absolutely contagious, bringing even the most unsuspecting of characters to the dance floor. It was a lot of fun seeing each person translate the beats into dance in their own unique ways...Which to a certain extent is what prompted me to write this post :)

Recently I've been thinking a lot about music, and what aspects of the art I appreciate the most.

• As I mentioned above, everyone interprets music slightly differently. Many, including myself, can hear a song on the radio, know some or all of the words, but couldn't really tell you what the artist is chirping about. Those who have a deeper understanding of a tune's lyrics amaze me - most songs are chalk full of phrases with double meanings, and metaphors are plentiful, making it nearly impossible to follow the stories the artist intended to convey. Due to this complexity, several individuals may have a completely different take on what the song is truly about – we are given creative license to decide on our own. We give symbolism and importance to the verses, lines and words that are currently relevant in our lives and elicit emotion.
• The smell of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies remind you of grandma's house? Like certain scents lingering in the air, music evokes memories. Many tunes remind you of a momentous occasion or an eventful moment when they were playing in the background. If you are feeling down, listening to a song that takes you back to good times can quickly brighten your mood. Not only that, but certain genres of music make you reminisce of a special loved one in your life..Because you learned to delight in the style together, because it guided their life in their day to day work, or simply because they appreciated its unique qualities.
• Each individual hears music in a different way, and therefore interpretation of beats, reflected by movement, can vary widely. For a given song, I may hear a certain rhythm, while you hear that same song, but detect a twice as many beats. Others may perceive a tempo at half or quarter speed. Put several people on a dance floor, and you will observe not only distinctive styles of movement, but individuals dancing many different rates.
  

Rhythm and beat have always been a part of my life. And no, I wasn’t one of those kids that was a dancer from the age of 5. My first memory of dance was when I took part in a ballet class in second or third grade, but because I wasn’t very flexible, the pastime was short lived. Junior high brought about many new things, including the dreadful, chaperoned, co-ed dances. Even with all the teenage nerves, each time I looked forward to the opportunity to hang out with friends, and to get on the dance floor and get my groove on. At this age, everyone is trying to find their inner rhythms, and just how to translate the pulses into steps. Many hid in the darkness avoiding the dance floor, some failed miserably, and then there were a handful of standouts which I constantly attempted to mimic (adding my own special flare of course). It was there and then my signature moves were born, and I became addicted to movement through music. Ask anyone I know, and they’ll say that it’s nearly impossible for me to sit still when I hear a good beat =)

A Future Travelled

I recently found this quote in yet another fun book at Fireworks...

The future is not some place we are going to, but one we are creating; the paths to it are not found but made; and the making of those pathways changes both the maker and the destination..

(Motto of the Australian Commission for the Future)

Five Things Meme

So recently a friend of mine did a post entitled "5 Things."

As I started reading, I realized that I wasn't entirely sure what the post was going to be about. Sure there were references to those pesky chain-letter like rituals we all get roped into, but I still wasn't sure what to make of it. There were no questions to be answered, nor a completely obvious theme. For a few moments, I acutally felt a bit out of the loop...

I suppose I could have deleted an email from my mom or one of my many high school friends asking me to tell them useless facts about myself. Bacon or croutons? What does that really tell a person about me? Absolutely nothing. Or was this something that I had no immediate knowledge of because I am not a regular blogger? Maybe. So I decided to go find out.

Off I went to trusty Google to try to figure out just what "5 things" was all about. And of course, the first result I came across, satisfied my curiosity...Simply put, the items in the post should be 5 things that not many people know about you. And like any other getting to know you chain letter, you have to pass it along to keep it alive.

It was interesting because I actually felt no direct pressure to post any sort of response. And given my general distaste for these types of things, and the fact that I have had blogs die quicker than most Hollywood marriages, I am somewhat surprised that I actually want to. However, for some reason, I actually feel that this might be a valuable introspection exercise and perhaps I along with others may learn something interesting about what makes Aimee, well Aimee.

1. Between the ages of five and eleven, I attended at least five different elementary schools. Its pretty sad, because I can't even name all of them, and I actually think that I might be leaving one out...
   
   Most would assume that I had a parent in the military, and that we were forced to move around a lot. And yes, my dad was in the Air Force, but he and my mom had divorced when I was extremely young. In fact, I actually don't have any memory of them ever being together. The very first person I can remember being in my mom's life was my then step-father Reid, and he worked either as a bartender/maitre d' in fine dining restaurants or in the mortgage business. So honestly, I have no clue what triggered the constant need to relocate, because it surely wasn't my parents' jobs. Regardless the reason, I really think that having to frequently make new friends helped shape the gregarious person that I am today.
   
2. I might get the lame card for this one, but given my recent history with reading and magazines, most wouldn't believe that I used to be an extremely avid reader.
   
   Its funny because I have always been compelled to buy books...As a child I eagerly awaited the newest book order sheets, and I'm guessing that on average bought 3 or more items each time. For whatever reason, I spent a fair amount of time in my room in my early years. I had pretty much everything I needed; toys, music, TV, video games and of course my expansive collection of books. At dinner time, my mom would have to call to me multiple times because I would be so engrossed in the book of the moment that I didn't want to put it down. I can remember many times reading a single book in just two or three days. I kept up this kind of pace, devouring books, for probably 5 or so years.
   
   I can only speculate what may have contributed to the decrease in time I devote to reading...I know for a fact that I was extremely put off in high school when I was forced to read fiction books just because someone else told me I had to. Yes, I'm sure there was some value to doing so, but I just couldn't do it. Sad as it may be, I don't think I actually ever read any assigned book cover to cover. I somehow found ways to get around it. But it seems to me that I probably stopped reading books on a regular basis earlier than that. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that I got a computer in 6th grade, and a Nintendo to boot. However, I don't really think that I spent that much time consumed by either. Maybe there is a slight correlation with the fact that my family settled down in one location and I finally had an opportunity to develop strong relationships with my friends. Or could it be that I was very involved with sports and after school activities, which left little time for things other than homework in the evenings? Unfortunately, I'll never know.
   One thing that I do know is that I really do want to get back into reading books. Given that I'm one of those people who have the need to be constantly learning, doing so would really fuel that desire. I'll be the first to admit that I watch WAY too much TV, and it would be really easy to take an hour out of my viewing schedule and devote that to books. In recent months I've tried a bit harder than usual. I completed Marley and Me in no time flat, and recently picked up where I left off in The Man Who Ate Everything. Perhaps I'll be able to finally watch the DaVinci Code in the near future (I'm one of those who has to read the book before watching the movie)!
   
3. I was a part of the University of Washington women's crew team...Twice.
   
   Though I had no experience rowing a shell, when I received a notice about the opportunity to walk on to the novice team, I jumped at the chance. The workouts were the most grueling form of exercise I have ever experienced, but it was definitely worth it from both a physical and mental perspective. I loved being so close to the water, the sound/rhythm of the oars breaking the surface, and the pattern of ripples created by the boats skimming across the lake... It was extremely peaceful.
   
   During the first quarter of school, practices were held in the afternoon, but as fall turned to winter, the team's schedule shifted to the time of day most associate with rowing -- 6am. Sadly, since I lived at home in Bothell, and commuted via the bus, I wasn't able to get onto campus until after the boats were put in the water, and that was the end of my first year on the team.
   
   The experience was so great the first time around, that I decided to give it another try the following year. This time it wasn't the morning practices that ultimately killed my career, but the fact that Saturday morning practices were added to the program. Saturdays were the day that I made the most money at work, and I had no way to switch hours with anyone. The coach had recommended that I quit my job, but that wasn't exactly an option, and at that point, I decided to call it quits for good.
   
   Morning person I'm not, but I think that becoming involved with a rowing team might be one of the things that could get me out of bed before the sun rises...
   
4. This inflexible, 5'10" body lettered in gymnastics my junior year of high school. One of my closest friends expressed interest in joining the team, but for some reason, she was afraid to do so on her own. She really had the potential to be great at it, so being the good friend that I was, I decided to give it a whirl. At my height, bars were out of the picture. The beam pretty much scared the crap out of me. I didn't have the technique to perform a floor routine. But hey, I could straddle a vault with the best of 'em! To give you an idea of the difficulty of this skill, the maximum score I could receive was 6.0 out of 10.0 even if I performed the vault perfectly and stuck the landing. At first the coach wasn't going to letter everyone, but at the end of the season he surprised us all, and presented each of us with a certificate!!!
   
5. Blonde as I may be now, I wasn't born that way. For the first 6 months of my life, I was a red head! That must be where some of my fire comes from ;)
   
   And yes, I will post a picture as soon as I get one from my mom!!!

Exercise in the great outdoors means different things to different people...

I've probably come to this realization before, but today while running with Paul, it definitely became more apparent.

Paul led the approximately 3 mile jaunt about our neighborhood, and apparently it is the route he typically takes. When we turned onto 35th St. NE and remained on the main street of Wedgwood, I was quite surprised. The street was extremely busy and not to mention noisy. After about fifteen or so blocks, we turned onto yet another active road - NE 75th St.

From my perspective, I like to enjoy my surroundings before I can even begin to appreciate the physical benefits of exercise. This is especially the case with regard to running; its not an activity that I have ever really taken pleasure in. During our run, I felt that the activity around us was overly distracting, and I wasn't able to really focus on anything: from attempting to maintain a pace that wouldn't make me pass out, to thinking through whatever topics that were at the forefront in my mind. The run just wasn't putting me in a peaceful place, and I guess that is something that I really needed.

For Paul, he is less concerned with the environment that surrounds him, but is more focused on ensuring he gets a good work out. And again, since he has been running for quite some time, and perhaps that has something to do with it. But it seems that he exercises just for the sake of it, and doesn't actually enjoy it, or the things around him.

Perhaps once I become more comfortable with running, and other cardio activities, I too will be able to filter out most distractions. Until then I'll stick to my course through the hushed side streets of the neighborhood.