This past weekend, we had an engagement session with a wonderufl couple. The downside to living in the North is that weather is so unpredictable, especially this time of year. Outdoor shots cannot be truly planned!

This couple absolutely wanted to take outdoor shots, and being true Northerners, they bundled up, braved the cold and we went to a texture-rich area nearby. Hubby doesn’t get cold very easily, so he was fine, but I was freezing! At one point, my finger was so stiff, I could barely press the button {lol} It serves me right for not dressing properly.. I just didn’t expect to go shoot outdoors so I had a spring/wintersih coat, nice looking shoes with no liner, no hats, no mitts, no scarf. Let’s just say that I went and bought a nice hat, gloves and winter boots yesterday to match my warmer fancy winter coat!

Here is a shot that was fun to take. This couple was just full of giggles {probably to help them warm up} and lots of great ideas for location shots {we didn’t know their town very much}.

I you look carefully, you can actually see the snow on the ground all around. It is just a light dusting, but it still permeates through little leather shoes…lol

This is a fantastic shot my hubby took {I suggested the composition} with his wide-angle lens. It turned out amazing.

{I’m surprised their fingers aren’t more pink, or even blue.} They took off their coats to take a nice warm-sweater type of shot. It looks very nice.

Have a fantabulous day,

For three years, I have been playing an online game, the kind called MMO {Massive Multi-player Online} Game. Most of you have heard of these types of games, in particular World of Warcraft {WoW}. I don’t play that one, I play something else called EverQuest2.

I got started by losing a bet to my hubby, who gave me a one-week play card with the condition that I had to actually try to play for a week. I’m not one to turn down a dare, or pay my dues with a bet.

I had been a “gaming widow” for years, not fully comprehending the need for hubby to play certain nights {raid nights, if you are interested} and do certain quests that could take 3-4 hours. Or even when he was playing EverQuest {the first one}, he would “camp” his character in a zone for hours and hours, chatting with friends.

The online aspect was neat, because some of his friends live far away from us, and they kept in contact by playing this game together. I understood that part. But I never got what it was like to play. And I thought I would hate it.

My only real experience with games was playing little computer games as a kid {on my Vic-20}, an later on loving to play The Sims. Hubby bought me a used Nintendo Gamecube for my birthday one year, and I loved Monkey Ball. My best friend and I played a whole weekend, we had a blast!

So, with trepidation, I delved into this new online-type of game to pay my debt. The first day, I could barely figure out how to move the character in game. My hubby actually laughed at my “leet skillz” of smashing against walls and running into every object in the way. My character died so many times in game by running into bad areas, off cliffs, off bridges…It was pretty sad to see my learning curve.

Considering hubby and his best friend teamed up with me to help me learn the way quests work, how to use commands and just general gameplay, I have to admit I learned fairly quickly. Once my trial week was over, I didn’t want to stop playing. I loved the richness of the graphics, lush trees and flowers; the realism of certain races {like elves and faes}, who seemed so close to what I had imagined to look like; the people with whom I guilded, who were so kind and giving of their knowledge. I really loved the game.

So I subscribed for a monthly plan. I have played since. Intermittently, I do take “breaks” from the game, or certain aspects of the game just because my everyday life overtakes everything. But, I miss the game, and it’s people when I am gone for a bit.

A friend in game suggested I look into the Guide program, which is strictly voluntary, because she knew how much I loved to help people learn certain aspects. So I looked into it, applied for it and got accepted! It was a wonderful time. I have been a Guide for a while now, and it has been so much fun to run quests and help people. The Roleplaying aspect can really be fun also. Some players are amazing at playing and “talking” {through typing} like their characters. It is quite fun.

EverQuest2 just released their new expansion called The Shadow Odyssey. I look forward to learning the new zones and questing once again. My time is fairly limited for play with everything that is happening around us {our photography, my teaching and then regular life.. oh yeah, and 7 kids }, but I hope to get together with some friends online and catch up on things I have missed.

Online gaming can be a very good experience if you find a game you like, find some incredible people from around the world and get to relax a bit while you play. So far, it has been a wonderful time for me and my hubby.

Have a fantabulous day,

An Italian firm called Italcementi spent 10 years developing a smog-eating cement called TX-Active. Basically, they add photo-catalyzer (titanium dioxide) to the cement mix, and presto! smog-eating cement.

They have implemented it in the Italian town of Segrate, and say that it has reduced their smog by as much as 60%. It seems that even if it is used on buildings, it will asorb the smog, and keep the building cleaner. What an amazing invention! It even made it on the Times list for a great invention, which is very neat.

Have a fantabulous day,