It's a cloudy, rainy day in December, and I'm in one of those funky, artsy, calm-but-hyperaware moods that the rain always puts me in.
I'm sitting in bed, doing AP Government homework and listening to Enya music.
But I'm also ripping some Stargate Atlantis episodes.
But I'm also dying to go out and dance in the rain.
But I'm also writing a story.
But I also just kind of want to curl up and go to sleep.
See what I mean? Southern California rains are just so rare, and real cold winter rains, complete with clouds and raindrops running down your window are just so rare. There's a big tree right outside my window and I can see individual raindrops on its leaves from across the room. I'm slightly in awe. I went outside and sat in my backyard for a bit, just watching the world turn. My backyard is huge and a bit wild, and when it rains I feel like I should see garden fairies or something. I'm normally a more analytical person, but fairies have always held a special place in my heart, and the rain brings out all the wild myths that I've always half believed in.
The rain washes LA clean, more, I think, than in other cities. All the colors are sharper, the air is more welcoming, the city is more alive. You feel like you should see plants growing in front of your eyes, and the world has a new soundtrack for a bit. That's why I love the rain, it's wild and powerful and beautiful and it brings you life.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Politics: The Next Generation
Hey guys! Ashley and I have started a new blog aimed at making politics fun & relevant for teenagers. It would be awesome if you would check it out and tell all your friends. We're trying really hard to get the word out, because we think this is something that could become really big over time. You can find it at http://doubleapolitics.blogspot.com. :)
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Firefox vs. Opera vs. Safari vs. Camino vs. Shiira vs . . . Chrome?
Now that Google has finally released a Chrome beta for Mac, I have of course downloaded it . . . and am now seriously considering making it my default browser. Now, I have to say that I happen to have every single web browser listed in the title. And I know that that's far more web browsers than any normal self-respecting person needs, but I have never claimed to be normal. And besides, how can I say that one web browser is the best when I haven't tried all of them?
Firefox. Well, what can I say that hasn't already been said? Widely regarded as the fastest, best, coolest browser, with thousands of add-ons (which other browsers don't come close to replicating). However, maybe because I feel like being a rebel, I find I don't use it that often.
Opera. I've used it as my default for a while. It has some definite shortcomings, including a tendency to freak out over my school's website and refusing to let me tag people in statuses on Facebook. However, those are more than made up for with its Speed Dial feature (which other browsers, like Safari and Chrome are starting to copy), the Widgets (I love playing Pandora through its widget, and any of the multiple "get lyrics" widgets), and the ability to save different groups of tabs as sessions. In the end, Opera suffers most from its relative anonymity (although I think it's used more as a mobile browser than on computers) because it's an excellent browser without the widespread recognition it needs to become the next Firefox.
Safari. Well, I know it's the default browser for Macs, but I have to admit that between Firefox and Opera, Safari has mostly shown up as a blip on my radar, and "oh, shoot, I need to update Safari to get x other application to work. That said, Safari 4 is nice. I don't really use it, but I like the Top Sites feature (though Opera's speed dial still wins in a debate between them, I think) and it does play videos (like on YouTube and Hulu) faster than either Firefox or Opera.
Camino. I'm kind of eh on this one. I mean, it's basically Firefox customized for the Mac without the add-ons. It's fast, it's pretty, but I really use it only when I'm testing my website in different browsers or when my dad wants a screenshot of it to add variety to one of his books.
Shiira. You know, it's a bit of a hassle to use because pretty much the entire development team is Japanese, which makes their website full of typos, but apart from that, I actually really like Shiira. It gets better with every release – and real, tangible improvements, like adding tab expose and RSS feed support in the latest version, not just an "oh it runs faster" update. Shiira is a web browser that I would love a lot more if I had more time to devote to exploring it, but I still highly recommend it.
Chrome. The new love of my life. Fast, sleek, pretty, with nice themes, a really cute home page that mimics Opera's Speed Dial while adding in what my recently closed tabs are. I think I'll be using Chrome a lot more in the future, but I'm still not giving up on Opera :)
Probably the most non-professional reviews of web browsers you've ever read, but it's nice to get a new perspective sometimes, yeah?
Firefox. Well, what can I say that hasn't already been said? Widely regarded as the fastest, best, coolest browser, with thousands of add-ons (which other browsers don't come close to replicating). However, maybe because I feel like being a rebel, I find I don't use it that often.
Opera. I've used it as my default for a while. It has some definite shortcomings, including a tendency to freak out over my school's website and refusing to let me tag people in statuses on Facebook. However, those are more than made up for with its Speed Dial feature (which other browsers, like Safari and Chrome are starting to copy), the Widgets (I love playing Pandora through its widget, and any of the multiple "get lyrics" widgets), and the ability to save different groups of tabs as sessions. In the end, Opera suffers most from its relative anonymity (although I think it's used more as a mobile browser than on computers) because it's an excellent browser without the widespread recognition it needs to become the next Firefox.
Safari. Well, I know it's the default browser for Macs, but I have to admit that between Firefox and Opera, Safari has mostly shown up as a blip on my radar, and "oh, shoot, I need to update Safari to get x other application to work. That said, Safari 4 is nice. I don't really use it, but I like the Top Sites feature (though Opera's speed dial still wins in a debate between them, I think) and it does play videos (like on YouTube and Hulu) faster than either Firefox or Opera.
Camino. I'm kind of eh on this one. I mean, it's basically Firefox customized for the Mac without the add-ons. It's fast, it's pretty, but I really use it only when I'm testing my website in different browsers or when my dad wants a screenshot of it to add variety to one of his books.
Shiira. You know, it's a bit of a hassle to use because pretty much the entire development team is Japanese, which makes their website full of typos, but apart from that, I actually really like Shiira. It gets better with every release – and real, tangible improvements, like adding tab expose and RSS feed support in the latest version, not just an "oh it runs faster" update. Shiira is a web browser that I would love a lot more if I had more time to devote to exploring it, but I still highly recommend it.
Chrome. The new love of my life. Fast, sleek, pretty, with nice themes, a really cute home page that mimics Opera's Speed Dial while adding in what my recently closed tabs are. I think I'll be using Chrome a lot more in the future, but I'm still not giving up on Opera :)
Probably the most non-professional reviews of web browsers you've ever read, but it's nice to get a new perspective sometimes, yeah?
My Cameras :)
I suppose you all have gathered by now that I'm a photography nerd. I'll be the first one to say that my knowledge is . . . well, not all that vast, but what I lack in that area, I make up in enthusiasm and a desire to learn more. I mean, I can tell you what ISO means, and I can tell you what a slow shutter speed means, but I'm not one of those people that obsesses over cameras. Either way, though, since I'm hoping to make my photgraphy a bigger part of my blog, I figured I'd write a little bit about my cameras.
Right now, the only camera I own (for sure) is a little Canon Powershot A590. And actually, it's not even my camera, it's the family camera and I'm the only one who takes good pictures. It's basically a really high end point & shoot, but I can adjust enough of the settings when I shoot on Manual or Program to make it worth my while.
It's got the basic ISO settings: 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600. I generally try to shoot around 200 or 400 for everyday photos & school events, but I shoot on 80 or 100 when I'm doing city scenes (my pictures from downtown LA & Denver were all shot on either 80, 100, or 200.) My yearbook teacher actually told us not to shoot above 400 because it would "hurt her feelings". Well, I can say she's taught me well. My shutter speed goes from ... to ..., and aperture settings go from ... to .... Now, I have to say that I personally find dealing with shutter speed and aperture on the A590 a pain. Maybe it's just me, or maybe I need more practice, but I usually end up shooting on Program and letting the camera automatically adjust most of the settings.
On the other hand, I absolutely love my cousin's Canon EOS30D, and I found its light meter (to adjust shutter speed/aperture) really easy to work with. I only played with that camera for a few hours when I was over at his house for Thanksgiving, but I had sooo much fun. We went down to the pool at like 9.30 at night, and put the camera on a tripod. With 30 second shutter speed, we got pictures that looked just like they were taken during the day! We also had a lot of fun taking "ghost pictures": walking into the shot for 15 of the 30 seconds and half-appearing in the photo. Here's an example . . . I'm holding one of my cousin's other cameras up to my face, that's why it looks like there's a random hole where my face is supposed to be :P
Annnnnd . . . I've played a bit with Ashley's Leica film camera, not as much as I'd like too, but from what I've seen of it, it takes GREAT pictures. I love the focus . . . ^_^
One last camera . . . and this is the reason I said I only own one camera "for sure" is because my mom apparently has a BEAUTIFUL old Olympus camera from when she was in high school, complete with hugely long telephoto lens, that I am getting as soon as she gets it out of the garage. Unfortunately, our garage has more similarities than I'd care to admit to a black hole, so the odds of finding it anytime soon are pretty small. But I will for sure write a post devoted only to it once I find it.
I'm looking at different cameras to ask for for Christmas (preferably digital), that are high-quality and not point-and-shoots that aren't too expensive. Something like Canon's Rebel series. If you have any suggestions, please comment!
More politics posts coming soon, and stay tuned for a new, politics-only blog that Ashley and I are going to be launching over our Christmas break! =)
Right now, the only camera I own (for sure) is a little Canon Powershot A590. And actually, it's not even my camera, it's the family camera and I'm the only one who takes good pictures. It's basically a really high end point & shoot, but I can adjust enough of the settings when I shoot on Manual or Program to make it worth my while.
It's got the basic ISO settings: 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600. I generally try to shoot around 200 or 400 for everyday photos & school events, but I shoot on 80 or 100 when I'm doing city scenes (my pictures from downtown LA & Denver were all shot on either 80, 100, or 200.) My yearbook teacher actually told us not to shoot above 400 because it would "hurt her feelings". Well, I can say she's taught me well. My shutter speed goes from ... to ..., and aperture settings go from ... to .... Now, I have to say that I personally find dealing with shutter speed and aperture on the A590 a pain. Maybe it's just me, or maybe I need more practice, but I usually end up shooting on Program and letting the camera automatically adjust most of the settings.
Annnnnd . . . I've played a bit with Ashley's Leica film camera, not as much as I'd like too, but from what I've seen of it, it takes GREAT pictures. I love the focus . . . ^_^
One last camera . . . and this is the reason I said I only own one camera "for sure" is because my mom apparently has a BEAUTIFUL old Olympus camera from when she was in high school, complete with hugely long telephoto lens, that I am getting as soon as she gets it out of the garage. Unfortunately, our garage has more similarities than I'd care to admit to a black hole, so the odds of finding it anytime soon are pretty small. But I will for sure write a post devoted only to it once I find it.
I'm looking at different cameras to ask for for Christmas (preferably digital), that are high-quality and not point-and-shoots that aren't too expensive. Something like Canon's Rebel series. If you have any suggestions, please comment!
More politics posts coming soon, and stay tuned for a new, politics-only blog that Ashley and I are going to be launching over our Christmas break! =)
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Itouch!
I just updated my blog from my dad's iTouch! I feel like I just fulfilled a major life goal :)
"So if you jaywalk and the cops don't see you, is it still jaywalking?"
Ah, isn't that the million dollar question in Denver! Practically nobody waits for the light to be on their side before crossing the street, and even fewer actually bother to find the crosswalk.
So, I suppose you're wondering why I'm even talking about Denver, right? Well, I was there for the Irish Dance Western Regional Championships (Oireachtas), and I had brilliant fun . . . but more on that later. This post is about the city.
I went to Denver without any real expectations as to what the city would be like. My previous experience with Denver was 4 hours spent at a layover in the airport on a flight to Costa Rica with some kids from my school last April. It was so much cooler than I had thought! For such a big city, it has a wonderful fronteir town feel. Basically, it just feels small and home-y. It's not a place I would live . . . at least, the part where we stayed isn't. But it's an absolutely beautiful place to spend a few days.
It was pretty cold while we were there -- I don't think it ever got above 55 or so. I loved it! I'm such a cold weather nerd (when I was in Ireland, I teased my family for being such "tourists" because they were always wearing huge jackets), and the fact that there was snow on the ground was brilliant! I'd never actually seen snow in a city before, except for Mammoth (and that doesn't really count, 'cause we go up there to ski anyway in the winter). I was also glad that it wasn't actually snowing, because that would have made lugging dance gear around/enjoying the city so much harder!
We stayed in a 30+ story hotel that was right across the street from the Convention Center, where we were dancing. Just a block up was 16th street, which was full of shops. In fact, cars aren't even allowed there, there's so many people -- you have to take this really cool shuttle up and down the street. I must've rode that shuttle about 10 times, to different cafes, stores, etc. My dad and I found this amazing independent bookstore, called the Tattered Cover, during our explorations. It's this amazing 3 story brick building that, when you walk into it, just feels like home. There's a little coffee place inside that makes amazing pumpkin "steamers" (what coffee-free lattes are called) and nutella croissants (YUM!). They have books on every single subject, and magazines, and . . . pretty much everything! I got Madeleine Albright's Memo to the President, a Stargate magazine, and a copy of the latest Macworld. Yeah, that describes me in a nutshell.
We also went to Union Station to take pictures. As you might've realized from my last post on my photography trip with Ashley, I have a fascination with trains, train stations, etc. They're so beautiful and haunting, and even more striking when they're practically empty, as they were when I went. Except . . . guess what!? There was another guy there taking pictures too! He had a nicer camera than me, but when we saw each other, we smiled and, I think, recognized each other as fellow artists. Such a cool encounter. . . . Denver is a brilliant city to photograph. Not just in the more urban parts, but when we went down by the Platt river, there was no shortage of photos there either.
We ate at this awesome little Irish pub by the river called McLoughlin's that had these amazing little flatbread pizzas, among other things. Which brings me to another topic about Denver . . . the food! There's all sorts of cool little places to eat on 16th street (which was mostly where we were). There was a Cheesecake Factory, a chocolate factory, the pub, multiple Corner Bakery Cafes, about 30 different Starbucks, and so many more places! If you're ever in Denver, check out 16th street for the food.
We also visited the state capitol, which gets major points for having beautiful poetry all around the walls. The legislature wasn't in session, unfortunately, but we did get to see all the empty rooms. I would have loved to watch the House or the Senate meet . . .
So yeah. That's Denver. I feel like I have a really hard time describing it in words, so maybe some of my pictures will do the trick.
So, I suppose you're wondering why I'm even talking about Denver, right? Well, I was there for the Irish Dance Western Regional Championships (Oireachtas), and I had brilliant fun . . . but more on that later. This post is about the city.
I went to Denver without any real expectations as to what the city would be like. My previous experience with Denver was 4 hours spent at a layover in the airport on a flight to Costa Rica with some kids from my school last April. It was so much cooler than I had thought! For such a big city, it has a wonderful fronteir town feel. Basically, it just feels small and home-y. It's not a place I would live . . . at least, the part where we stayed isn't. But it's an absolutely beautiful place to spend a few days.
It was pretty cold while we were there -- I don't think it ever got above 55 or so. I loved it! I'm such a cold weather nerd (when I was in Ireland, I teased my family for being such "tourists" because they were always wearing huge jackets), and the fact that there was snow on the ground was brilliant! I'd never actually seen snow in a city before, except for Mammoth (and that doesn't really count, 'cause we go up there to ski anyway in the winter). I was also glad that it wasn't actually snowing, because that would have made lugging dance gear around/enjoying the city so much harder!
We stayed in a 30+ story hotel that was right across the street from the Convention Center, where we were dancing. Just a block up was 16th street, which was full of shops. In fact, cars aren't even allowed there, there's so many people -- you have to take this really cool shuttle up and down the street. I must've rode that shuttle about 10 times, to different cafes, stores, etc. My dad and I found this amazing independent bookstore, called the Tattered Cover, during our explorations. It's this amazing 3 story brick building that, when you walk into it, just feels like home. There's a little coffee place inside that makes amazing pumpkin "steamers" (what coffee-free lattes are called) and nutella croissants (YUM!). They have books on every single subject, and magazines, and . . . pretty much everything! I got Madeleine Albright's Memo to the President, a Stargate magazine, and a copy of the latest Macworld. Yeah, that describes me in a nutshell.
We also went to Union Station to take pictures. As you might've realized from my last post on my photography trip with Ashley, I have a fascination with trains, train stations, etc. They're so beautiful and haunting, and even more striking when they're practically empty, as they were when I went. Except . . . guess what!? There was another guy there taking pictures too! He had a nicer camera than me, but when we saw each other, we smiled and, I think, recognized each other as fellow artists. Such a cool encounter. . . . Denver is a brilliant city to photograph. Not just in the more urban parts, but when we went down by the Platt river, there was no shortage of photos there either.
We ate at this awesome little Irish pub by the river called McLoughlin's that had these amazing little flatbread pizzas, among other things. Which brings me to another topic about Denver . . . the food! There's all sorts of cool little places to eat on 16th street (which was mostly where we were). There was a Cheesecake Factory, a chocolate factory, the pub, multiple Corner Bakery Cafes, about 30 different Starbucks, and so many more places! If you're ever in Denver, check out 16th street for the food.
We also visited the state capitol, which gets major points for having beautiful poetry all around the walls. The legislature wasn't in session, unfortunately, but we did get to see all the empty rooms. I would have loved to watch the House or the Senate meet . . .
So yeah. That's Denver. I feel like I have a really hard time describing it in words, so maybe some of my pictures will do the trick.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Roswell! Oh, and Happy December :)
This started out as a comment on Tay's reveiw of Roswell (found here), but it got so long that it deserved it's own post.
I have to start out by saying that I've only seen the first seven episodes, so if I say anythng glaringly strange, considering how the show ends up, well, that's my excuse.
~Katherine Hiegl is brilliant
~The show is VERY unique. I've never seen anything quite like it before, even in the other scifi shows (Stargate, X-Files) that deal with the Roswell crash.
~Julie Benz's character, the guidance counselor/FBI agent is probably my favorite so far. Her drop-kicking the creepy sheriff has got to be my all-time favorite moment so far! Although, since I know her mostly as Darla from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I always get creeped out whenever she's with any of the kids alone. I feel like she should be trying to eat them or something! :P
~I love how all the shots are set up to focus on the characters. It's very clear that they, and not the surroundings/action is the main focus. There's interesting uses of reflections/lens flares, not exactly normal, but then again, the whole premise of the show is that life is abnormal.
~Maria deLuca is one crazy amazing friend. Czechoslovakians, anyone?
~I love how Max just looks like a normal guy. No super-hottness, no idealized view. Just a normal kid I'd like to hang out with. That's so rare in shows, especially those targeted at the teen age group.
Overall . . . I am liking this show very, very much! I'll put up a recap at the end of season 1 with my final thoughts, it'll be interesting to see how my views have (or haven't) changed.
And finally . . . happy December you all! Make it an awesome last month of 2009!! :)
I have to start out by saying that I've only seen the first seven episodes, so if I say anythng glaringly strange, considering how the show ends up, well, that's my excuse.
~Katherine Hiegl is brilliant
~The show is VERY unique. I've never seen anything quite like it before, even in the other scifi shows (Stargate, X-Files) that deal with the Roswell crash.
~Julie Benz's character, the guidance counselor/FBI agent is probably my favorite so far. Her drop-kicking the creepy sheriff has got to be my all-time favorite moment so far! Although, since I know her mostly as Darla from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I always get creeped out whenever she's with any of the kids alone. I feel like she should be trying to eat them or something! :P
~I love how all the shots are set up to focus on the characters. It's very clear that they, and not the surroundings/action is the main focus. There's interesting uses of reflections/lens flares, not exactly normal, but then again, the whole premise of the show is that life is abnormal.
~Maria deLuca is one crazy amazing friend. Czechoslovakians, anyone?
~I love how Max just looks like a normal guy. No super-hottness, no idealized view. Just a normal kid I'd like to hang out with. That's so rare in shows, especially those targeted at the teen age group.
Overall . . . I am liking this show very, very much! I'll put up a recap at the end of season 1 with my final thoughts, it'll be interesting to see how my views have (or haven't) changed.
And finally . . . happy December you all! Make it an awesome last month of 2009!! :)
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