Victori.us

Having a great summer so far! Drove down to Solomons Island for the 3rd annual Worldwide Photo Walk and got some neat photos, playing with the new camera. Those will get posted over at my 365 site (check out the link over there on the right!).

I started volunteering at the BARCS shelter in Baltimore, and I’m excited to be able to help with getting the animals adopted. I’ll be taking photos and walking dogs, and escorting possible adopters through the shelter to meet the animals. Eventually I’ll be working at awareness events and training the dogs, which I’m looking forward to.

Just a few weeks left of summer semester, and I’m already signed up for the fall. System analysis and design, and network security. Since this semester started out actual information assurance classes, I’m really getting into the course topics like cryptography. So I’ll keep on digging through it!

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Said goodbye this week to a good friend who’s going on leave before shipping out to Hawaii at the end of the month. While it hurts to see him go, I’m really proud of him and happy that the Navy seems to be working out for him. And I’m glad that I got to spend the time with him that I did, all the more special because it was so brief. You know I’ll miss you, but you’ll be in my thoughts. Stay safe!

It’s hard to stay in touch with folks, really. We all have so much going on, and my closest friends (and family!) are the ones farthest away. So I actually sat down and wrote some letters this week…ink, paper, stamps and all! Feels good to take the time to make a personal connection, longer than 140 characters.

Sunday I intend to catch up on my (abysmally behind) photo project, and hopefully get some of them printed. I have stationery ideas for a few of the best images…so if you want to see them, email me your address and I’ll write!

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We’ve had a couple weeks worth of heat waves already – I mean high 90s and eeeew, humid. So it seems like I’m already late for bikini season. But with a little boost to the budget, I’ve paid off some stuff and converted that part of the budget into a new gym membership! Turns out that the Lifetime Fitness here in Columbia, is just as close as it was in Chanhassen. I think we’ve been over there 8 of the last 11 nights, and some time during the day on weekends. I forgot how much I love the outdoor lap pool! And I’m starting to see results in my muscle tone again, even if not on the scale yet. It’ll get there!

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It’s been a great weekend with friends and Justin’s family visiting. I want to wish everyone a healthy and peaceful Memorial Day, and hope that you were able to celebrate with your loved ones. To be thankful to the veterans and family members of those who died in service – to celebrate the ones still with us – to remember the freedoms and human rights for which they fight and fought…that’s what today is about.

So to Kristian, Jeff, the guys from Ft Polk and the 509th; to Dave I, David H, David N, Jonathan and Brian; to Amy, Jincy, and all the military spouses I’ve known…

I’ve been honored to call you all my friends. Thank you for your service and dedication.

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Just because I had leftover almond cupcakes, and I’d already thawed out the extra chocolate-kahlua buttercream and softened the modeling chocolate…

So the gang at work got a batch of cute little cupcakes.

And when I get home, I’ll finish the batch of lemon & white chocolate ones for company tonight!

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Had a chance to run down to the dock for some gosling photos tonight, and met a really cool gentleman, John, and a really cool young canine miss, Abby. She’s a Belgian shepherd, and a little nervous, but extremely friendly once she’s gotten used to you. So, new pics!

Dockside

Some fun shots from the Dock (12.05.2010, 8 Photos)

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I totally forgot to upload these last month – but I took a whole bunch of photos when we went down to DC last month after Justin’s birthday. Kinda fun!

DC Trip April 2009

(11.04.2010, 22 Photos)

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I finally decided to just jump in and get started….

I’ve been thinking about getting into a Photo 365 project for about 4 months now. It seemed like a fun way to work on my photography and photoshop skills, and to make sure that I take some “me” time between school and work. I started playing around with a new photoblog theme on part of the site…and decided, what the heck? I’ve got the infrastructure set up…I might as well dive in and get started, before I start coming up with excuses to put it off!

So check it out: Victori365 – A Photo 365 Project.

So far….so good!

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I’ve finally completed my first semester of grad school!

Feels like I really accomplished something…I know I have an A and a “pass” (in a pass/fail course), and I’m hoping that I’ll find out next week that the other grade is an A as well. At the very least, I know I’ve got a B…so keep your fingers crossed!

I’m already looking at classes for next semester – and this week I’m attending training for some of my new responsibilities at work. For the first time ever, I feel like I’m in a place where I can actually set myself a goal of “where I’d like to be in 5 years”…and have it be at the same place. I’m working my tail off, but I feel really good about the work.

Haven’t had much time to do anything outside of school and work, but I did manage to coordinate a bash for Justin’s 30th birthday this month!  And I’ve found a bit of time to play with my new DSLR – I have a lot to learn, but I’m starting to figure out how to make images at least as good as those on my trusty little point-and-shoot. Everyone was too busy chatting (or arguing about Canadian healthcare) to take other pictures at the party, but I did get a decent one for my newest Picasa album cover!

Success!

The handful of photos that came out successfully - out of 200+ in the first round of shots on the new camera. (19.03.2010, 16 Photos)

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I’m sure everyone knows that Congress is debating the new health care bill. It’s all over the news. But did you know that the current bill:

Yes, you read that correctly. The Democrats in the House are planning to attempt to “deem” the health care bill as passed – without ever hearing a vote from the Senate, where the bill is definitely not going to pass the way it’s written now. Is this legal? Technically, within the exact letters of the laws, yes. Is this arbitrary, purposeful sidestepping of the 2-house check-and-balance system in the spirit of the Constitution, and the intent of our founding fathers?

Absolutely not.

I am all for health care reform, but this is NOT being done correctly. Mr Obama, President, sir, you need to get yourself a Project Manager and get some definitions for 1) what’s wrong with the system, 2) where you want the system to get to when it’s all fixed, and 3) how you’re going to get it there.

And let’s not forget that Congressmen and Senators will never be affected by this bill themselves, since they have a separate insurance/health care system that will not be going away. So this new reform is supposedly good enough for Americans…but they don’t want to be a part of it themselves. Doesn’t that say something about the quality of this bill?

Call your representatives. Tell them to uphold the check-and-balance system our founding fathers put in place for situations EXACTLY like this. Tell them to fix their bill, and then put it to a REAL vote in both the House and Senate. And remind them that YOUR votes put them in their seats to represent YOU…and your vote can put the next guy in their seat.

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