When good Photoshop goes bad
My husband’s a photographer, and since the big switch to digital, we get into a lot of conversations about the manipulation of images. His approach is simply to take good pictures and then enhance minimally to bring out what’s already there, much as film photographers have always done in the darkroom. You can check out some of his work at www.martinchung.com. He’s booking well into 2010, so don’t wait too long if you need a wedding or portrait shoot this year. Here’s one of his shots: There are those, however, who like to play a little fast and loose with “enhancement”. Maybe it’s just me, but are these not just a little too processed for comfort? (And yes, apparently she’s for real.) Share...
Olympic Boos? Not in Canada
Apparently I’m not the only one missing the Olympics. All over the net, I’m running into blogs and articles and posts about the amazing two weeks here, and I’m not even out looking for them. They just seem to turn up. One thing I’ve seen a couple of times is major kudos to Canadians for being so warm, friendly, welcoming and being such good sports even when we were booing the US hockey team. At first I didn’t know what they were talking about. I watched every minute of the final game, and I didn’t hear any booing. And then I realiized. Most of you have probabaly heard the explanation by now, but since I’m still seeing comments about it online, clearly not everyone has. If you hear anyone mention the booing, pass it on. Roberto Luongo, goalie extraordinaire, was not only the gold medal goaltender for Team Canada, but he’s also the number one netminder for the Vancouver Canucks. And his nickname is Bobby Lu. Every single time that man touches the puck, especially if he happens to be making a spectacular save at the time, the crowd yells, “LUUUUUUUUUUUU.” Which, admittedly, sounds very much like we’re booing the opposition for having a good scoring chance. But no. We’re just acknowledging our goalie for stopping it. Watch a Canucks home game sometime and you’ll see what I mean. The video quality’s terrible here, but you can hear a little of it during a shutout celebration: Share...
After the Olympics
Like many Vancouverites I know, I’m suffering a bit of Olympic withdrawal today. I sat down with my cup of tea first thing this morning, mentally all set for my morning Olympic update, and there was, of course, none to be had. Back to reality. I’ve been thinking a lot today about what I want to say about the Olympics. It was a pretty amazing couple of weeks, one that gave Canada a chance to celebrate – right out loud – being Canadian, something we’re not known for, to put it mildly. At the beginning of the games, we’d never won an Olympic gold on Canadian soil, despite having hosted two previous Games in this country. At the mid-point, we’d passed that hurdle, but some people worried, in fairly typical Canadian fashion, that the money put into the Own the Podium program had been wasted, because the results just didn’t seem to be happening. I was part of the wait-and-see camp, convinced we shouldn’t judge the outcome until it was over. And by the end of the games, Canadian athletes earned more gold medals than any nation has at any winter games. Ever. I’ve said before that I’m a sucker for the stories of the games. It’s not all about gold, but something came over us as a nation as the golds and silvers and bronzes racked up. The community spirit that shone through during the thousands of kilometres of the torch relay intensified every day of the games. By the time the Canadian men played the US for hockey gold on the last day, it’s estimated that 80% of Canadians watched at least part of the game. Eighty percent. And when Sid the Kid scored the overtime winner, the cheer went up simultaneously coast to coast to coast. It was something to see, and I’m glad I’ll be able to say I was here, watching. Some of my favourite moments, in no particular order: – skating at the outdoor ice ring at the Richmond O-Zone with my family and our best friends. Outdoor skating may be old hat to the rest of the country, where they really do have winter, but here in the mildest little corner of our nation, it was a novelty, and we loved it. Great friends, cheery music, and the ice under our blades. Awesome. – spending my daughter’s tenth birthday in downtown Vancouver, taking in the festive atmosphere. We were at the Olympic cauldron when John Montgomery won the gold for skelton, and we all cheered. We may even have initiated an impromptu singing of O Canada, in which we were joined by a large part of the crowd around us. Thanks to the volunteers announcing things we might want to see, we didn’t miss seeing the red Olympic rings on the water change to gold to celebrate the medal. And everywhere around us, people were cheerful, friendly, celebrating, and patriotic, whatever their nation. It was a giant, multi-cultural, family friendly party, and we had a great time. – watching the footage of the Slovenian athlete taking bronze in cross country and then having to be helped onto the podium by a paramedic because she’d skied after cracking four ribs and collapsing a lung in a fall during a practice run. – Joannie Rochette’s short program. It broke my heart to watch her holding back the tears as she got on the ice for that skate and sobbed as she finished, but it was a performance I’ll never forget. – Moir and Virtue’s free dance was the most beautiful thing I’ve seen on ice since Sale and Pelletier took gold (eventually) in Nagano. They mesmerized me, and the program seemed to go by in seconds instead of minutes. – Watching the German speed skater in the team pursuit react when she fell and slid across the finish line, first devastated, sure she’d ruined her team’s chances, and then elated when she realized they’d made it to the gold medal final. – the footage all through the games of families and lovers and fans reacting to the performances of their people. – sitting with kc over dinner during the Canada/Russia game, watching and listening to the crowd react to every call. We got a table because we gave up being able to see the TVs, but who needed them? Every nuance of the game was reflected on the faces and in the voices of the hundreds of people around us. – seeing wide shots of venues where people gathered to watch the gold medal men’s hockey game, taken when the OT goal was scored. Hundreds of people, thousands, all...
An Olympic Week
Before the opening ceremonies exceeded even my loftiest expectations and before Frederic Bilodeau and the rest of Canada got to celebrate his little brother’s gold medal, Canada’s first at an Olympics on home soil, my week was already wrapped up in Olympic celebrations. It’s been a lot of fun. First, last Wednesday, my dad got to carry the Olympic torch for a leg of the relay in West Vancouver. We all drove up to watch him go past. It was a miserable day, pouring rain and chilly, but the rain stopped just long enough for us to stand out on the sidewalk for an hour, waiting. The skies opened again just as he finished and passed the flame to the next runner. Good timing for us from Mother Nature. I think the best part was watching his face; he clearly enjoyed the experience, and that made it pretty special. And then Friday, my daughter participated in the Richmond Olympic Choir, kicking off the opening celebrations at the Richmond O-Zone. The combined band and choir, made up of school students, numbered about 3500. It was something to behold. When I dropped her and a friend off at the security point, the street and parking lot were a mass of kids in matching outfits. At the fire hall next door, the firemen stood outside their building, grinning at all the kids going by. The sheer number of kids was impressive and gave a real feeling of community that was really wonderful. During the actual performance, the crowds made it difficult to get photos or video, but this clip from the dress rehearsal gives a sense of the scale of the choir. At one point, the camera pans left and shows the choir stretching across the field. The same was true to the right of the camera position. And then it was on to the actual Olympics. I’m a fan of the games. They have their negatives, sure, the cost and the commercialization chief among them. But there’s something magical about so many athletes from so many nations coming together in primarily good sportsmanship to fulfil, in many cases, a childhood dream. I love watching the intensity and sheer athleticism of the athletes, the joy when things go as well – or better – than they could ever have hoped, and even the heartbreak when they fail. But most of all, I love the stories behind the athletes, and there’s never any shortage of good ones. Speaking of stories, I loved the opening ceremonies, which I think did a beautiful job of telling a story about Canada. I saw my Canada in it, and everyone else I’ve talked to about it did, too. It was great. One of the best parts to me was Shane Koyzcan, the slam poet, talking about what it is to be Canadian. The video quality here is poor, but just in case you missed it: Go Canada! Share...
8 Things
I’m a bit slow with this one, but my friend Pam at A Novel Woman recently posted this and invited readers to participate, so I decided to give it a shot. And then I forgot all about it until I found myself with a little time today and remembered. Like Pam, I won’t tag anyone, but if you decide to do it, post a comment with a link. 8 TV shows I watch 1. Amazing Race – we watch it as a family, and it’s my favourite. 2. Community 3. CSI 4. The Office 5. Rick Mercer Report 6. Grey’s Anatomy 7. The Big Bang Theory – we just started checking this one out after accidentally seeing ten minutes of it and laughing through the whole thing 8. Relocation, Relocation – and other British and Canadian HGTV shows 8 favorite places to eat and drink 1. Kim’s 2. Cuddled up on the couch with my family, watching a show together 3. The Boathouse Restaurant – 3 mustard salmon and garlic mashed potatoes, thank you very much. 4. Pistou Grill, Pender Island – now closed *sniff* 5. The Keg, but only the one closest to my house, which is consistently excellent 6. Moderne, when we feel the need to indulge in excellent burgers and shakes 7. Pajo’s for fish and chips right on the water 8. The lounge at the Sheraton Guildford Hotel every October, for the company and the conversation. 8 things I look forward to 1. Time spent in Victoria and on Pender 2. Returning to Scotland someday. 3. Email from friends 4. Spring blossoms 5. Getting published. 6. SiWC 7. Lazy vacation days 8. Blenz dark hot chocolate 8 things I love about winter 1. Rainy nights 2. The rare days when the rain stops and the sun gleams off the snow on the mountains and everyone seems a little giddy from the blue sky 3. Christmas 4. A fire in the fireplace 5. Dark mornings 6. Windstorms 7. Being cosy under my down duvet 8. Snow, when we get some and it falls in big, fat, silent flakes. 8 things on my wish list 1. More time with friends. 2. Days when the words flow effortlessly 3. Succeeding in the work I take on 4. Going to France, Italy, England and Scotland 5. Star Trek Transporters – who needs air travel? 6. Going to NYC 7. Being done with puppy housetraining 8. Time 8 things I am passionate about (in no particular order) 1. Writing 2. Limiting homework 3. Living in a country where everyone has health care and every couple has an equal right to get married 4. Family history and my Scottish roots 5. The people I care about 6. Books 7. Giving kids time to be kids 8. Chocolate 8 things I have learned from the past 1. To trust my instincts about people 2. Consistency is key – true in so many areas 3. Kindred spirits are worth holding onto 4. The golden rule holds that title for a reason 5. A good cry sometimes makes everything better 6. I cannot watch movies that have sad animal stories (okay, so that’s not a life lesson, exactly, but it’s true.) 7. Books are always a worthwhile thing to spend money on (thanks, Mum) 8. Having a good sense of humour will keep you sane 8 things I want/need 1. to laugh every day 2. more hours in the day 3. a good sleep every night 4. to always have a good book on the go (reading AND writing. Why not?) 5. to finish this MS 6. and find an agent 7. a new kitchen and bathrooms (mine are original, circa 1982) 8. to wake up in the morning and find my house has been magically cleaned and tidied. Share...
Books and music
Just came home from a Friday night outing to the bookstore. Does that sound pathetic? Probably not if you’re one of my friends, who is just as likely to spend free time at the bookstore as I am. To the rest of the world, perhaps, but I enjoyed it. I love shopping for books. Love bringing them home, all shiny and new and full of possibilities. It’s my one real vice, I suppose, if you don’t count chocolate. Book shopping. My mother laid the foundation when I was about seven or eight and didn’t have quite enough allowance for the book I wanted to buy, A Little Princess. She gave me the extra and told me that books are always worth spending money on. I never forgot that. I still have that copy of that book on the bookshelf in my hallway. And mum still loves the bookstore, too. Tonight, I had a funny little communal experience with the other book shoppers. I was in the bargain books section, the best place, I think, to discover new authors. I end up buying an author’s whole backlist because I took a $5 or $6 chance on a book that turns out to be wonderful. Anyway, I was browsing there, along with a handful of other people, and Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” came on the store’s stereo system. I defy you to listen to that song, whatever you think of Neil Diamond, and not be tempted to sing along. So there I am, quietly singing “Sweet Caroline”, when I realized that every other person in the section was doing the same. There we were, shopping for bargain books, un-self-consciously singing Neil Diamond in the middle of the bookstore. A couple of other people came through the section, also humming or singing. No one acknowledged anyone else, but you could see from the little half smiles that we’d all noticed. And then the song ended, and we all went back to shopping quietly, without comment. It reminded me of those flash mob videos you see on youtube, only with no mob and no plan, but just a bunch of people just shopping, then suddenly singing, then just shopping again. It was great, and I came home with a big stack of new authors to try, thanks to a gift card I’ve been waiting to use. And so did my daughter, who browsed in the kid section and picked her own books while I chose mine. I’ve passed on that same lesson my mother taught me to her. As we were leaving, I said, “I love book shopping. Makes me happy,” and she said, “So do I.” That’s my girl. Happy Friday! Share...
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