Stephen looked up at her, unsure of what to do next. She was still topless. Her wet, brown hair cascaded down her shoulders, framing her round cheeks, and green eyes. She smiled at him, as their eyes locked. Her smile dimples triggered his nostalgia. The droplets of water rolling down her brown skin, onto her bare breasts triggered his body.
Tag: life
A Few Notes
One, please stop sharing Rick Lax's videos on social media. They are by far the worst, and dumbest "tricks" on the interwebs.
There is so much better, and more interesting content out there.
Two, I am still in favor of dropping the voting age to 16. And I believe, if there is a minimum, there should be a maximum. Say, once you hit 70, you can no longer vote. Same reasons. There's nothing saying you're responsible enough at the point to truly understand what you're voting for, and furthermore, you're no longer deciding YOUR future. You're almost done here. Seems morbid, but it's a fact of life. Let the younger people choose the future in front of them.
I know, I've suggested that before, and people whine, "You can't do that! That's age discrimination!" Really? More so than saying a 16-year old is incapable of understanding issues, and how they impact the world, the nation, and their own lives? You're making a judgment on all young people, and thereby preventing them from voting based on an assumed ability, or capacity to handle that process, but not on older people who might actually have failing faculties? And yes, I know many very sharp, keen 70 year olds, but I also know some I wouldn't trust with the TV remote, so why is OK to blanket one age group negatively, and not another?
Discuss....
LIMEY!
On Sunday I donned 18th Century British military regalia, and gave my best Monty Python'esque performance for an educational video for Old Fort Niagara. The subject was preparing for the 1764 Native Council, to try and bring peace between the British colonial forces, and the Native American Nations who, honestly, didn't care for the British much at all...
The videographer was Lee Gugino, and this is a screen capture from the video.
Sushi Bandit
If you do a web search right now on the "Sushi Bandit" you will most likely find an endless string of stories about a Utah man who repeatedly did a dine-and-dash at his local Asian style restaurants. Which is a shame, because a decade or more ago that same search would have yielded at the top of the listing an amazing blog called The Sushi Bandit.
I have been posting to this blog since December 2010. Although I have owned this name, and domain since 2005, and my official start to my latest incarnation of my photography career I consider to be 2007, it wasn't until about 2010 that I began building this site, showing off my photography here, and blogging about... everything under the sun, and under my skin.
Much of that inspiration, I have to credit to the mysterious comedic blogger who went by the name, The Sushi Bandit.
I wish I could share all of the wonders of that blog. It taught you a lot about Sushi. It was funny. It was informational. It was a deep dive into the person behind it. It was whimsical. It was sexy. Like most heterosexual men, he had a penchant for attractive females, especially Asian women, and often referred to them as his "sushi." His images often bordered on the X-rated. It was everything I would hope for a blog to be.
From it I think I absconded with some of the coolest animated GIFs going. He was a master at hunting down just the right GIF to go along with his thoughts, feelings, and what he was trying to express.
I'm not sure what I'm trying to say with this one, except it seems as thought the world took a big bite out of my hero of the bloggosphere. But I believe this was one I collected from his madness. His blog shut down suddenly many years ago, and it appears as though he had a failed attempt to raise funds for the goal of turning his blog into an actual book. Not sure how animated GIFs translate to a paper page, but I'm sure he would have made it work somehow. In my research, this appears to have started, and ended in 2013, and I am finding nothing more recent.
Like mine, the Sushi Bandit's blog wasn't posted to daily. Sometimes there would be multiple posts in a day, sometimes it would be untouched by the author for weeks, or months. I guess that's the nature of blogging.
So in the spirit of inspiring others, and continuing legacies, I want to work on making this blog a better, more interesting, and more inspiring place for people to go. However, I can't just read your mind with an eye scan as you glance with disinterest at what I already have here. I need to know what would make this more interesting for everyone.
Sure, that's one of the basics, right? Make it sexier? Except no one wants to see me remove my clothes... like, ever, so aside from photographing much better looking people than myself, or adding in similar "sushi" content such as...
Or creepy content such as...
Or just funny or weird content...
I guess my question is, does it make a difference?
Here is your chance: what would make this blog more of an inspiration to you, or at least get you to read it more often?
Or, in the case of all 7 billion of you on this planet, read it at all.
Depression
The problem with depression is the cyclical nature of it.
How do you motivate yourself to do something as anxiety provoking as calling a suicide prevention line when you can't even motivate yourself to get out of bed, and face every day life?
When anxiety has you so wrung that you can barely face going to your mailbox or answering your phone, how can you take difficult steps needed to protect yourself from yourself?
On The Future
The experiences of our past shape who we are. They often help us determine our course of action in the future. Although we can't let bad experiences fill us with fear, preventing us from creating good, positive experiences in the future, we would be fools to not mind the lessons we've learned.
In relationships, we need to be able to approach new people, and new opportunities with an open heart. When we find that person that we truly want to be with, and who wants to be with us, we should be able to put down our defenses, and be vulnerable. We can relax in an openness of self, willing to give from our core energy, and open to accepting what they give. Past misgivings from other relationships need to be dealt with on an emotional level. The hurt given to us through life, whether it be with other interpersonal relationships, damage done by strangers, or just the inevitabilities, or random events that cause us pain, and grief, need to be dealt with on an emotional level so that we can come to terms with that hurt, end our grieving, and accept the good things that are ahead of us.
However, red flags are red flags. If that special someone starts exhibiting concerning behavior, it shouldn't go ignored. Frank, and direct conversations about it, expressing concerns, and the feelings generated by their behavior should be initiated long before those behaviors do damage. From there you will get a sense of how your partner wants to deal with it.
Do they listen to your concerns? Do they get defensive? Do they try to turn it back on you, or do they engage in a dialogue while accepting their own responsibility to your feelings? Do they apologize curtly, and try to end, or steer the discussion elsewhere? Do they continue to exhibit the same behavior afterward?
Take notes. I know that sounds formal, but keep a journal or a diary. Don't just rely on your memory, which might be clouded by emotions while engaging in such conversations. Keep notes in case you need to look back, and remind yourself how things happened, what was said, how it transpired. It will help keep you from feeling crazy if your partner is trying to gaslight you, or manipulate you.
But, you have to deal with you first. Take some long, hard, critical looks at your past. FEEL the feelings, and emotions tied up within your experiences. Get professional counseling if you think you can't resolve those past feelings. Trust me, talking out all of the jumbles of thoughts, and feelings that can sometimes overwhelm is vital, and helpful.
Most importantly, don't assume the worst of a person just because things can sometimes be difficult, or even more, just because your past has been difficult. Talk it out. Talk it out. Talk it out. Be open, be honest, especially with yourself. If your partner can't handle your honesty, your feelings, or what you want from your relationship, they're probably not the right one for you...
Cutting Close To The Bone
God showed these to me. I know, that's a pretty strange statement for an atheist, but it's this god, not YOUR god...
Anyway, after this week, these are so close to the truth, they literally hurt for me to read. Major props to Holly Chisholm for being able to illustrate just how things often feel...
Old Thoughts, Current Feelings
June 20, 2010
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How amazing life is.
..sometimes I have to remember to consider all the wealth I have in my life right now. Especially my kids.
Saturday they helped me get the picnic tables and benches out of winter storage at their house. A few of the benches out-weigh the boys but they worked together to move them. As a reward, they got the first of several of my old, steel Tonka trucks that I had when I was their age. They're all still in good shape and have been in storage for ages. A bulldozer. They were excited, even if the weekend's activities prevented them from using it much.
My daughter asked me what she could earn when she helps out. I asked her what she wanted. She said, to spend more time with me.
I cried.
I cried again today when she gave me her fathers day gift she had been working on. Sea shells glued to a board and a poem. It was beautiful.
She also made the suggestion of getting me a wok for father's day. It amazes me how much she listens to me and knows me.
It amazes me how good all three of them really are. They're young; they will wander, and get distracted so shopping trips are non stop efforts to keep them moving, to stay on task. Of course we take breaks at the samples and demonstration tables - hey, if they're letting you try something new, I'm all for it! But there is never a fight over what we get or don't get. I never have that battle of endless, "I want! Can we get this?" and of course, never the ensuing tantrum when the answer is "not this time," like I see so many other parents deal with.
I see those parents. Sometimes I lose my patience too. Sometimes I have to step back, take a deep breath and remind myself, they're kids. Step back and remind myself to be patient and keep a level head, even when the youngest draws on the side of my car with a rock... *ahem* He's five. It's a car. He is more important.
Yesterday he had a great time at the party we went to with the lady offering face painting. And then he painted her's. Absolute hilarity, but I'm sure in his mind it was a masterpiece.
The middle child is my tough guy, with a sensitive heart. He is the one who stands by me in the rain, helping cut roots of a fallen tree. The one who will join me in tackling a task. The one who will look at a scrape or a cut and say, "Eh, I'm fine... but can I get a band-aid?" But his heart breaks so quickly - like when he's playing a game of kick-ball with his cousins and they won't throw him the ball because they don't trust he can catch it. For those times, we sit and talk, and he listens, and his heart slowly mends.
I'm blessed by these three.
Today we went and took pictures. I love capturing their faces, naturally. Having fun, smiling... today's subject was taste-testing citrus fruits: lemons, limes, grapefruit and oranges, and capturing their reactions. We juggled fruit, we threw them at each other. I captured a lot of amazing pictures.
..but every picture of them to me is amazing.
At the end of it, my daughter and I took the remaining lemons and made lemonade.
*sigh*
I have a lot in life to be thankful for, but little compares to them.
Scotch?
Four years ago, January, I bought a bottle of Johnnie Walker. A splurge at the time, because financially things weren't well. But I felt I needed something to help me... help me relax. Help me deal with anxiety. Help me unwind where there was no where, and no one, in my life to help with that.
I just finished that bottle.
Perhaps I need to unwind more... but I'd rather do it sober.
Write drunk, edit sober.
Let the writing begin.
Websites
It has been a long time since I've put this much work into websites.
Mine is looking great. Cortney Chyme's is looking great. At least, I think so.
Very modern. Lot's of options. Media galore. I like it.