fun with wide-angle lenses!

today i decided to go play with my wide-angle lens. until now, i had just been using the macro, but thought a change was in order. i wanted a picture of a tall building, but being here in the bustling metropolis of gainesville, that's not possible. the best i could do was ben hill griffin stadium, otherwise known as the swamp. and being a hardcore gator, it seemed the perfect choice! :)

here we go:
here is the outside from gale lemerand drive (formerly known as north-south drive, must be nice to have enough money to have a street, among other things, named after you). i was standing directly across the street:

shots inside the stadium, first is the scoreboard in the north end zone:

the view of the home side of the field, skyboxes and all...

while trying to go as high up as i could, i started to realize i'm a little ascared of heights! what a time to figure that out...grrr...but here is the view from (almost) the top of the north end zone:

now we're moving outside the stadium, toward the gator walk (the brick road that the team walks up every home game, the bricks are engraved with fans' names, i will have a brick on the gator walk one day...but first, here is the gator outside the stadium (i think this was my class' senior class gift but i'm not positive, it was a statue somewhere, i know that much lol)
the first shot is focused on the mouth--CHOMP CHOMP!

the second is focused on his eyes:

now moving down the walk...you get one of these in your brick if you pay a LOT of money:

and this is in recognition of our back-to-back basketball/football championships:

and the end of the gator walk (or the beginning, depending on your perspective). it took forever to get a shot because as i was walking to the end, there wasn't a soul around, but after i got there, 40,000 people magically appeared with cameras trying to take pictures. WTF? then two douchebags stood around in front of me like forever (and they did turn around and saw me sitting there patiently with my camera in hand) talking about how cool they will be after they graduate in 5 years (hahaha) standing outside that stadium blah blah blah. my thought was how cool it would be if they get the hell out of my way so i could get a picture. anyways, here it is:

and for my last shot, i took a walk across the street to the alumni hall to get a pic of the albert & alberta statue. i really wish this had been there when i graduated (i took less than 5 years, by the way lol). maybe i'll borrow a cap and gown and go take a pic one day...

until next time folks...

thoughts on a road trip...

first, i had plenty of tunes to listen to, thanks to reloading the mp3 player in my phone (ipod what?), about 200 songs, more than enough to get me from point a to point b. plus, i had 60+ miles of this to look at:


miles and miles of woods. no phone signal so no one to talk to. so my mind wanders.
a sampling of the thoughts i thought about:

1. prince is a badass no matter what...he can make singing about purple bananas cool!

2. why is it so hard to get a good self-portrait in the car?


(this was the best out of 15 tries, no joke)

3. what is the point of getting in the middle lane of the interstate and going 60 mph? isn't that what the right lane is for?

4. the gap band's "you dropped a bomb on me" is one of the best car-dancing songs EVER. i dare you to disagree.

5. why the hell don't stores sell nehi peach soda anymore? the last time i found it was in south carolina a few months ago. i should have cleaned out the whole stock. alas...this is what i had to settle for (but at least I paid $1.59 for gas!)


6. why am i even TAKING pictures in the car?


7. should i stop for gas...or keep going for a cheaper station?

(look...the gas light was on and everything. i made it to the above-mentioned holy grail $1.59 gas. go me!)

8. it is impossible to be in a bad mood when you've got such beautiful warm weather to drive in.

9. so what, i'm still a rockstar!

and last but not least,

10. guns'n'roses peaked at the opening riff to sweet child o'mine.

yes, i said it. sorry if the truth hurts. ;)

(the playlist was removed...i tried to re-do it so it wouldn't start automatically but I kept getting an error message. if i get it fixed i'll repost it...)

Thanks a freakin' lot, Donna!!!

:grrr: Now I'm hooked.

Pirate, Ninja, or Redneck...

Your result for The Pirate Ninja or Redneck test!...

Pirate!

You are a pirate mate! I should probably write something entertaining and witty here, but I am not feeling any more creative today.

Take The Pirate Ninja or Redneck test! at HelloQuizzy

CYOA...what????

A Choose Your Own Adventure test! Anyone remember these?

Your result for The Choose Your Own Adventure Test...

Hug for the poor

After the night was over, you had 65% health, $9 left, and were 78% appealing to your date.

While it was a treacherous night on the town, you managed to make the best of it, handing most of the night's situations seamlessly, and your date really appreciated it, just one small problem - You didn't have enough cab fare to make it to your dates home. So it took about a mile of running down the street before you guys could find a payphone and call for help. When you finally got back to their place, they were pretty tired and didn't feel like hanging out much, so they gave you a hug as a thank you before turning in for the night.


Perhaps how much you did or didn't drink or smoke was the difference in not appealing more.

Understanding your scores:

Health: Good, Badly Hurt, Dead.
Money: Enough, Not Enough.
Appeal: Loved, Liked, Indifferent, Disliked.

Take The Choose Your Own Adventure Test at HelloQuizzy

Another quiz...

Your result for The Which Lolcat Are You? Test...

Longcat

Protector of truth.


Slayer of darkness.


Loooooong.


Longcat may seem like just a regular lengthy cat, but he is, in fact, looong. For proof, observe the longpic.



It is prophesized that Longcat and his archnemesis Tacgnol will battle for supremacy on Caturday. The outcome will change the face of the world, and indeed the very fabric of lolcatdom, forever.



Be grateful that the test has chosen you, and only you, to have this title.



To see all possible results, checka dis.

Take The Which Lolcat Are You? Test at HelloQuizzy

Donna's quiz...

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are a Katharine!

You are a Katharine -- "I am happy and open to new things"

Katharines are energetic, lively, and optimistic. They want to contribute to the world.

How to Get Along with Me

• * Give me companionship, affection, and freedom.


• * Engage with me in stimulating conversation and laughter.


• * Appreciate my grand visions and listen to my stories.


• * Don't try to change my style. Accept me the way I am.


• * Be responsible for youself. I dislike clingy or needy people.


• * Don't tell me what to do.

What I Like About Being a Katharine

• * being optimistic and not letting life's troubles get me down


• * being spontaneous and free-spirited


• * being outspoken and outrageous. It's part of the fun.


• * being generous and trying to make the world a better place


• * having the guts to take risks and to try exciting adventures


• * having such varied interests and abilities

What's Hard About Being a Katharine

• * not having enough time to do all the things I want


• * not completing things I start


• * not being able to profit from the benefits that come from specializing; not making a commitment to a career


• * having a tendency to be ungrounded; getting lost in plans or fantasies


• * feeling confined when I'm in a one-to-one relationship

Katharines as Children Often

• * are action oriented and adventuresome


• * drum up excitement


• * prefer being with other children to being alone


• * finesse their way around adults


• * dream of the freedom they'll have when they grow up

Katharines as Parents

• * are often enthusiastic and generous


• * want their children to be exposed to many adventures in life


• * may be too busy with their own activities to be attentive

Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at HelloQuizzy

Starting Over...

Well, I tried to change my background and somehow jacked up the entire blog and couldn't figure out how to undo it. SO...I deleted the old blog and started a new one. Kind of symbolic, really. I've been feeling crappy for a while, as a result of several personal dramas, none of which I care to discuss at the moment. I've long made it my belief that I shouldn't worry about things I can't control, and for the last few months I've been letting other things control me. Which is very distressing. So I hereby declare NO MORE. NO MORE. NO MORE.

There comes a time when you realize it's time to start fresh and look at things in a new light. So here I am, with a fresh blog and a fresh start in life.

I will probably be working on restoring my blog for the rest of the afternoon, but I'm going to make it better than before. Hopefully I will be too. :)

Have a great day!

xoxo,
a~