Sunday, July 12, 2009

Second Birthday Concert in a Row!

Last year, I got to see Weird Al on my birthday. This year, I was able to receive some donated tickets at my work for the Cheap Trick/Poison/Def Leppard concert at the Nissan Pavilion, which just happened to be scheduled in town on my birthday! And the free tickets were a nice birthday present as well! It was just lawn seats, but it was actually still a decent spot to see the bands and we could definitely hear just fine. :) I have never seen these bands live, but I was a big fan 20-something years ago in my teen years. They actually still sound as good as I remember them back then, and they're even older than I am, despite turning a year older. Anyhoo, here are some pictures I got at the concert. Enjoy!




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Sunday, July 05, 2009

And his name is....Mochachino!

Well, the survey is over, and the winning name, by one vote, is Mochachino. (Galen was the close second)

To top it off, we found a professional pet photographer who was looking for some exotic pets to photograph for a class she is teaching. She was specifically looking for Ragdoll cats as well as sugar gliders, both of which we have. So we went for a session and she posted some beautiful prints on her blog, which is even more amazing since none of them would sit still for more than 0.5 nanoseconds. :) Link to her blog here, so you can see her pictures and her comments. Thanks so much Stephanie!!


(If the blog link ever breaks, here is a PDF of the post)

Here is a slideshow of Mochachino's portraits:





For fun, here you can see the sugar glider pictures as well:



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Help! We can't decide!

OK, we can't decide on what to call our new cat. He came with the name Mason, which I like, but my hubby doesn't particularly care for it. Here is a survey with the several possibilities that we have been considering, so please provide your input to help us decide!


Saturday, July 04, 2009

Happy Independence Day!





Friday, July 03, 2009

Rainbow!

I was waiting for the elevator leaving work today, and looked north out the window, and saw a very beautiful rainbow. I happened to have a camera on me, so I shot a picture before it disappeared. Enjoy! :)

Monday, June 29, 2009

Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen

As most of you know, I'm a Transformers geek back since the 80's. Finally got to see Transformers 2 on IMAX tonight at the Air & Space Museum - Udvar-Hazy Center, which was actually featured in the movie! Even amidst the bad reviews, I thought it was pretty good. It followed a similar formula as the first movie, and had its share of deaths and resurrections. I was somewhat surprised at how much of the traditional Transformers lore they actually incorporated this time, so I liked how they kept with some of the ideas of the original story. Don't get me wrong, though--the primary premise of the movie is lots of rumbling robots. :) I also thought score was fantastic--very "Gladiator"-ish!
(p.s. Loved the cameos of Lisbeth Scott [vocals] and Michael York & Robin Atkin Downes for 2 of the original Primes, and Frank Welker (the original Megatron from the cartoon) as Soundwave and Devastator!)





Some Cool Facts About the Movie:

http://blog.christianitytoday.com/ctmovies/2009/06/fighting-robots-are-cool.html

Fighting Robots Are Cool

Devastator.jpg

While I wasn't a big fan of Michael Bay's Transformers, the 12-year-old robot geek inside me loved the bots he and his team created. I'm expecting the new movie to have the same frustrating mix of weak plot, frustrating side tangents, needless side plots and annoyingly lowest-common denominator "comic" relief. But I am also expecting bigger and better robot stuff. Here are some cool geeky facts about Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen:

* There were 14 robots last time. There are 46 robots this time.
* If you had all the gold ever mined in the history of man, you could build a little more than half of Devastator (seen here), a robot comprised of several smaller Decepticons. (Here's the old Devastator.)
* In one key sequence, Optimus Prime will be life size on IMAX screens.
* The first movie took 20 Terabytes of disk space. The sequel took 145 Terabytes. That's seven times bigger and would fill 35,000 DVDs. (That's gonna be awkward for NetFlix.)
* If you rendered the entire movie on a modern home PC, you would have had to start the renders 16,000 years ago to finish in time for the premiere.
* A single imax shot in the movie would have taken almost 3 years to render on a top of the line home PC running nonstop.


Mixed Reviews:

Christanity Today:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/reviews/2009/transformers2.html

Crosswalk.com:
http://www.crosswalk.com/root/movies/11605045/page0/

EW:
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20286964,00.html?xid=email-ThisWeekend-20090625-Opening-Story1

Relevant Magazine:

http://www.relevantmagazine.com/features-reviews/reviews/film-reviews/17361-review-transformers-revenge-of-the-fallen

Concerns over the Jive Twins:
http://www.mail.com/PrintableView.aspx?articlepath=APNews%5CGeneral-Entertainment%5C20090625%5CUS-Film-Transformers-Jar-Jar-Again.xml&cat=entertainment&subcat=&pageid=1

The world's highest-grossing "flop" in the critic world:
http://www.mail.com/Article.aspx?articlepath=APNews%5CGeneral-Entertainment%5C20090629%5CUS-Film-Transformers-Critics.xml&cat=entertainment&subcat=&pageid=1

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Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Air Force Concert Band at the Air Force Memorial

We saw a fantastic concert by the Air Force Concert Band along with the Singing Sergeants performed at the Air Force Memorial in Arlington, VA. Here are a couple of the songs from their program that I recorded. Enjoy!

"Waltz" from Swan Lake by Tchaikovsky:


Riverdance by Bill Whelan:


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Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Arlington: The Rap

My father-in-law sent this video to me about Arlington (Where I lived for 11 years, and where my in-laws still do)....Remy's so on target...though he focuses on the Clarendon neighborhood of Arlington, it pretty much applies to most of the city-county.
It's HILARIOUS--it made me snort...twice.



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Sunday, June 14, 2009

Meet Mason!

We adopted a new cat from a local rescue. He is a 9 month old Ragdoll, and aside from being skittish with noises, he has warmed up to us nicely. He is slowly getting used to the house, and our other cat, Gigi, is still working on her hostessing skills. He was named Mason, which I don't mind keeping, but Eric may have another idea! :)



Sunday, April 12, 2009

Happy Easter!





Friday, April 10, 2009

Good Friday Reflection



Sunday, March 29, 2009

Woodbridge Flute Choir Concerto Concert!

I play flute and alto flute in the Woodbridge Flute Choir, and we played our concerto concert tonight at 7:00 pm. I would like to share some of our songs with you, so here are some highlights you can listen to:

Air a l'Italien from Telemann's Suite in A Minor, featuring our concerto competition winner, senior Avery Sandborn, as the soloist (I play C flute):



Here is a song composed just for our director, Debbie Gilbert, called Everlasting Branch. It is written by Melvin Lauf, Jr., who also accompanied us on the song with his harp (I play alto flute):



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Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Mandalas!

On the weekend of February 27-March 1, 2009, I attended an excellent training led by Carol Cox, MA, ATR-BC, LPAT and Alysa Muller, Psy.D., FAMI, covering the theory of the Great Round of Mandala created by Joan Kellogg. It was a very informative training with theory based on years of research and experience as they taught the 13 total stages in the Great Round. We drew our own mandalas for each stage, which I have included in a slide show below.




Our training was at Bon Secours Spiritual Center in Maryland, which is a very peaceful retreat center. Though we didn't have much time to explore, and it snowed on the last day so I drove home to beat the bigger storm, I saw some very nice views through the windows. I hope to go back in October to Part 2, and plan to explore more then!



Tuesday, March 03, 2009

Snow Day!

We got our biggest snowstorm of the winter (well, we've only had 2 inches so far), and got around 6 inches last night and this morning. So I got a snow day today from work....yeah! Here's some pictures to share (keep in mind, the first 4 pictures were taken at midnight...it was quite bright outside!):



Wednesday, February 04, 2009

Color Career Counselor

I came across this article and career testing based on color preferences, which as an art therapist intrigued me. Here is what it's all about:

Can Your Favorite Color Determine Your Perfect Job?

Rachel Zupek, CareerBuilder.com writer


Do you ever wish finding the perfect job could be as easy as 1, 2, 3? According to new research, it might be as easy as red, yellow or blue.

That's right; by determining which primary, secondary and achromatic colors you prefer most and least, you can figure out a successful career path based on how you approach work, the types of workplaces where you work best and how you handle work tasks.

The Color Career Counselor, powered by The Dewey Color System -- the world's only validated, non-language color-based career testing instrument -- uses color preferences to determine successful career paths. Dewey Sadka, author of "The Dewey Color System," says using colors instead of a questionnaire eliminates the chasm between self-perception and self-truth and reveals your core motivations.

"What if you misinterpret a [career assessment] question or the choices don't reflect your personality?" Sadka asks. "Color preference indicates your personality's best career fit. Preferred colors indicate passionate career pursuits; non-preferred choices establish workplace skills you least enjoy."

How it works
The Color Career Counselor is simple. First, you click your preferred primary color (red, yellow or blue). From there, you choose your preferred secondary (green, purple or orange) and achromatic (black, white or brown) colors.

"Your preferred colors determine how you attack each task. They indicate your talents -- what you prioritize first in order to be successful. They also highlight what you overdo, especially when you feel great," Sadka says.

For example, if you're partial to yellow, you're information-driven; blue preference people are idea-driven and people who prefer red are results-driven. If you favor green as your secondary color, you realistically evaluate situations; purple indicates you like fact-finding possibilities and orange signals that you scrutinize feasibility. Finally, if black is your choice from the achromatic colors, you consider value above all else; white shows that you like having options and brown confirms that you like implementation and accomplishing tasks.

On the other hand, your least preferred colors determine tasks and issues that you tend to forget.

For example, if your least favorite color is orange, sometimes you over-commit yourself by trying to do too much at once. If you dislike the color green, you try to fix everything for your colleagues rather than making them do it themselves. Or, if your least favorite is teal, you feel a deep need to prove you are competent and you don't care what other people think.

In managing these areas head-on, Sadka says you won't miss the incidentals that could impede your success.

Put to the test
To see for myself if this "scientific" test was for real, I took the test three different times and got the same results each time, affirming that I am, in fact, in the right career.

I'm a "creator," says the Color Career Counselor. I'm "nonconforming, impulsive, expressive, romantic, intuitive, sensitive and emotional." It says I enjoy working independently, being creative, using my imagination and constantly learning something new.

For my suggested "creator occupations," I was given an extensive list of careers that included jobs I've considered (architect, interior decorator, English teacher), jobs people told me I should pursue (author, creative director, public relations) and jobs that I currently hold or aspire to in the future (reporter and editor).

What about you?
So are you a researcher, creator, social manager, persuader, doer or organizer? To find out what career path you should be following based on your preferred colors, here are a few examples of what certain choices say about you, and the careers and skills that compliment them.

If you prefer: yellow, purple and white: You're the communicator.
You create profitable perspectives -- how to break into new accounts or be heard by other employees. By simply identifying a client's point of view, you develop strategies that open doors, even if they had already been shut. Your excellent communication skills can create problem-solving forums. Careers in corporate communications, marketing or religious occupations work best.

If you prefer: red, green and black: You're the investor.
You know the value of money and resources, as well as the intrinsic worth of each co-worker's contributions. Your supportive, yet analytical personality works best in finance, accounting, banking, manufacturing, property management, production analysis, investment, money management, consulting, product sales or teaching.

If you prefer: blue, orange and brown: You're the activist.
Your strong community beliefs and no-nonsense approach improves services for those around you. Occupations where you can improve existing specifications or impact social values work best for you. Consider careers in engineering, building, or developing new programs, companies or products. Also consider law enforcement, firefighting, social or government work.

These are only a few of hundreds of different color profiles. For your own free career evaluation, please visit: http://www.careerpath.com/career-tests/colorcareercounselor.aspx.

Rachel Zupek is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com. She researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues.


I took the test myself, and as an art therapist, I'm glad that the results came out the way they did! It's nice to know I'm in the right field.


BEST OCCUPATIONAL CATEGORY

You're a CREATOR
Key Words: Nonconforming, Impulsive, Expressive, Romantic, Intuitive, Sensitive, and Emotional

These original types place a high value on aesthetic qualities and have a great need for self-expression. They enjoy working independently, being creative, using their imagination, and constantly learning something new. Fields of interest are art, drama, music, and writing or places where they can express, assemble, or implement creative ideas.

CREATOR OCCUPATIONS

Suggested careers are Advertising Executive, Architect, Web Designer, Creative Director, Public Relations, Fine or Commercial Artist, Interior Decorator, Lawyer, Librarian, Musician, Reporter, Art Teacher, Broadcaster, Technical Writer, English Teacher, Architect, Photographer, Medical Illustrator, Corporate Trainer, Author, Editor, Landscape Architect, Exhibit Builder, and Package Designer.

CREATOR WORKPLACES

Consider workplaces where you can create and improve beauty and aesthetic qualities. Unstructured, flexible organizations that allow self-_expression work best with your free-spirited nature.

Suggested Creator workplaces are advertising, public relations, and interior decorating firms; artistic studios, theaters and concert halls; institutions that teach crafts, universities, music, and dance schools. Other workplaces to consider are art institutes, museums, libraries, and galleries.


2nd BEST OCCUPATIONAL CATEGORY

You're a PERSUADER
Key Words: Witty, Competitive, Sociable, Talkative, Ambitious, Argumentative, and Aggressive

These enterprising types sell, persuade, and lead others. Positions of leadership, power, and status are usually their ultimate goal. Persuasive people like to take financial and interpersonal risks and to participate in competitive activities. They enjoy working with others inside organizations to accomplish goals and achieve economic success.