Bad Attitude

Well hello readers, it has been a while. I come to you today with a confession, not an apology. I am lazy, and if I recall I may have wrote another blog entry at one point stating the same fact!

I took an unplanned leave from the world of blogging and photography. Why you may ask? Well, because my heart has just not been into it. I am lazy. Seems like way to much work for little to no payoff. I have lost my mojo.

It would be less humiliating to come up with a tonne of excuses and lame reasons for my disappearing act, some of which are completely valid, while others are full of shit. I could post meaningless mindless mumble jumble as I have more frequently than I care to admit. I could re post other peoples work as a way to get content into my blog, but I am even too lazy to do that! I have tried getting this blog mobile so that when I am away from the computer I can share morsels of wisdom, but I didn't bother to do anything with all of those apps that I purchased.

I could tell you a tall tale about how I was abducted by alien pirates and forced into cooking and cleaning for them. While that is not far from the truth, I must let it be known that my family are not aliens nor pirates. Being a full time stay at home Mom kept me very busy for many years, but the kids are getting older now and are in school full time. They don't keep me away from my "work" unless it is March Break or summer vacation.

I would like to tell you that I live in a 20 room mansion that requires all of my time to keep it clean and running smoothly. But lets face it, if I were wealthy enough to live in a mansion, time is not what would keep me away from blogging. If I am that rich, I wouldn't give two craps about sharing anything with the common folk ;)

2011 and so far 2012 have been fantastic. We were blessed to take a few really nice vacations all of which I could brag about here, but then that would just be bragging. Maybe the odd person out there would like to hear about my adventures in Italy or how when we went to Puerto Vallarta over Christmas we went swimming with dolphins. Sure they were great vacations and I have wonderful stories to tell, but I think my family and friends would rather hear about it, not the reader.

Perhaps I could share the fact that I was sucked in by all of the hype over the book 50 Shades of Grey, and much to my surprise I actually enjoyed the series. I know, shocking! I don't like romance novels, give me a good murder mystery any day, but there was just something that captivated me with the books. Do you really want to hear about how I found myself become hot and bothered by those books? No...I didn't think so!

As I sit here writing this, I realize that it does sound like an apology, a lame one at that. But let me assure you it is not. Honestly, I am sure that readers don't care if they ever see anything in this blog again. I don't share content that is going to change lives. I share stories about my life, interests and the things that make me go Hmmmm. That's it. I blog about my views and opinions, right or wrong, I don't care, they are my opinions. I may come off sounding surly in this entry, and that is fine by me, I am surly. I have often been called a bitch even by the people who love me the most.

I hope that getting this off my chest will inspire me to share more of my pissy attitude with you, sooner rather than later. Perhaps next time you check in I will have written 3 posts! Fancy that! So until next time, bugger off!

Look What I Discovered!

I have mentioned before that I like to do "research" for my blog by trolling about on the web and discovering new blogs (at least they are new to me, sometimes I am late discovering things).

Well this week so far I have found a blog by a lady who made me nearly piss my pants. I appreciate her candid and sometimes crass sense of humor. It is humor that I can totally relate to. So I would like to pay it forward and share my great find with you. Visit Kristine over at Wait In The Van for a good laugh.

Excuses From a Lazy Blogger

I am back. Did you miss me? Did you even notice my absence from the blogosphere?  Frankly it has been a while since I last felt like I had anything worth posting! I have been in a rut lately in all of my creative outlets such as photography and writing. I just have not been that "into" it! But like any procrastinator or lazy bum out there I feel the need to come of with excuses for not having updated my blog in a while.
Let me share with you some very lame and careless reasons for not posting new blog entries!


1. Too Busy - I have been so very busy with the family and house that I have had little time for myself let alone writing a blog post. Actual reason - Lazy! I would rather Stumble or visit Facebook and troll about looking at old high school chums status and photos and laughing at them. The Young and The Restless is just more interesting than what I have to say.


2. Poor Timing - Often times when I think about updating my blog it is in the middle of the night. Sometimes I am startled out of my sleep by angry blog readers hunting me down looking for a new entry....(self important much?!). Rather than get out of bed and loose precious hours of slumber I choose to put of writing until the mood strikes again. Sometimes I think about blogging when I am sitting down to eat some ice cream and watch Oprah...really do you think I am going to give up that precious time to blab about how I am gaining weight. Shit...I just realized I may be gaining weight because of the mindless eating and inactivity....damn you Oprah and Pralines & Cream!

3. Research - I am doing research for my blog by reading countless other blogs! What that research is has yet to be determined, but be assured I am reading other blogs... then wishing that my blog was as good as some of the others out there. This then spirals out of control because I get down on myself for having a crappy blog and then I just want to give up. Then I find myself saying "No! You can do it! You ARE the best blogger out there! Keep up the hard work, just focus more and do your research!"...see, vicious cycle.

4.Writers Block - this is just another fancy term for I just have not put any thought into it. You can be the best writer or the worst, but you almost always have ideas to share and opinions to boast. If I took the time and just chose one topic to focus on then I am sure I would have plenty to say. I would likely be able to write several entries on one topic that I feel passionately about....hey maybe I'm on to something here....oh wait, I have to check the television to make sure I am not missing any good cooking shows, oh and I am feeling a bit tired right now, maybe I will just sit and stumble for a while....friggin' laziness!

5. Lack of Focus - out of all of my excuses this one is the most accurate and honest. Since I started my blog I feel as though I have lost my way. I try to think back to why I even started blogging. I have plans to discuss everything from parenthood, food and photography to travel. It is with this large scope that I overwhelmed myself. I realized that I was trying to pay too much attention to everything and as a result absolutely nothing was accomplished!  I need to narrow down..... Hey look! Something shiny!.... See, my focus is terrible!What I was trying to say is that I need to narrow down the niche of my blog.

In all they are pretty lame excuses for something known as Laziness! I really want to promise you that I won't disappear again, but honestly...I know I likely will. Unless this blog some how earns me the big bucks, I can't imagine putting countless minutes a day into it! I am not saying that I won't try, but maybe I need to fine tune my expectations. I should start by narrowing down the type of content I write about. I think I will let go of the dream of sharing photography tips and recipes on this blog ( save those for my other blogs - Cibo and Licini Photography) and just rant about being a woman who happens to be a crazed Mom and wife! Yeah, that's it! Half cracked wife and mother...something I certainly know a great deal about!

7 Things About This Goddess

I was having a relatively gray and bland day until I received an award from fellow blogger Sandbox Gems. Instantly I was lifted out of my funk and was encouraged to be creative. Along with being recognized by fellow bloggers as being versatile I am also encouraged to share 7 things about myself with the whole world. Nothing too shocking for sure, I am pretty vanilla.

1. My camera is my best friend. I would rather spend time with my camera and go about taking shots of what appeals to me than spend time with people (family excepted).

2. I am a foodie. Maybe not as hardcore as some out there, but I do spend a great deal of time pouring over cookbooks, visiting gourmet grocers and watching Food Network like it is the best channel around.

3. I have a cat and a dog that I love dearly. They are like my kids. I love them so much that I have created characters for them and voices as well. I imagine what they would say and say it for them in their own unique voice....now I will sit back and wait for the men in the white coats to show up at my door.

4. I can't get enough of those paranormal/ghost shows on television. I watch them all; Ghost Hunters and Paranormal State are to name but a few. I don't know if it is that I believe in all that stuff, I just like to sit back, feel a bit spooked and wonder if there really is something to all of the claims made on these shows.

5. I hate shopping for clothes. I am way too impatient to try the clothes on, I get frustrated when they don't fit me and just hate feeling fat when the store clerks are all 20 something bone racks.

6. If I had way too much money to burn, I would get plastic surgery. I am not a vain person by any means, but I would certainly go for a tummy tuck and lipo!

7. My favorite song of all time is Everlong by the Foo Fighters.

Now to share the love and a great award here are a list of bloggers that I feel deserve some recognition.

Mama's Losin' It! 

I'm Gonna Kill Him

Barefoot Foodie

AmateurSnapper

Tartelette

Designs By Amie

I'm Gonna Kill Him
Have a great day everyone and spread some love!

When Laziness Gets In the Way

I have to admit something very personal, it is something I am not proud of, I AM LAZY!
That's right, LAZY!

I often find myself dreaming up wonderful crafts to do with the kids, but often they never come to fruition. Why? Laziness. I don't feel like purchasing the supplies to do the craft. I would rather watch a movie with the kids than have to clean up the mess that would surely be involved in said craft making venture.

Not only does my laziness prevent me from being a good mother, wife and housekeeper, but it also gets in the way of my one true hobby, photography. As a budding photographer I have snapped hundreds, if not thousands of photos over the years. In the beginning I was 'gung ho' to get the photos developed. I filled at least 30 albums. As time passes though I find my interest in developing the images has waned.

The walls of my family room are a dedicated showcase for my photographs. 90% of those photos are of family or special places we have visited. Recently I was going through my deep archives of pictures on the computer and came across quite a few images that have not been printed and that should be on display in my home. I was embarrassed. One picture in particular is loved by so many family members who have seen it on Flickr, but I was too lazy to give them prints. I don't even have a print, not even a small one.

So I have vowed to get off my lazy ass and get multiple prints of this photo printed. I will also spend quite a bit of money to get 500 more photos printed. This sounds excessive, but when your a 'photographer' it is the least you should do!

My Beloved Is On The Mend

Since I received my first DSLR camera 3 years ago, a Canon EOS 40D, I have been hooked on photography. The camera is with me whenever I leave the house. I have become one of those crazy stealth shooters, always sneaking up in my loved ones and snapping some dreadful candid shot. The camera has become my third eye if  you will.

I am sad to report that the 40D has decided she needs a break. For the last few months I was having difficulty getting shots. The camera had trouble focusing therefor the shutter would  not release. At first, being a newbie to cameras, I though the sensor needed cleaning. Then I started to second guess what I thought I knew about exposure and what not. I decided to put the camera through as many 'tests' as I could thing of. First I did some indoor shots using all 3 of my lenses, with and without on camera flash and speedlight. I used every single setting on the camera. The shutter would only release 1 out of every 10 attempts. So then I took it out on a nice sunny day and did the same thing. Still I had the same problem. I brought it into a camera shop and had the guy test it and he concluded (as did I) that there was a malfunction in the camera body, not a problem with me or my lenses.

I shipped the camera off to Canon and am crossing my fingers and hoping that the problem can be repaired. Thank God I still have warranty left on the camera, even if it is only a few months remaining!
I can't wait until my beloved 40D and I can be reunited. My shooting finger has got a terrible itch!

Best Blog Award

Imagine my amazement and delight today when I come to check on my wee blog here and found a new comment from a fellow Mommy blogger and blog buddy that I was granted a Blog Award!
The wonderful lady that thought  my blog deserved a bit of recognition is a BusyMommy over at Adventures in Mommyville . Now for those of you who have not visited this site, you should. It is cute, informative, sprinkled with really fun story telling.

Now that I am a proud award winning blogger, I too shall pass the the award on to other bloggers that I feel deserve some attention and love.

Drum roll............

1. Adventures in Mommyville

2. I Love The Way She Blogs

3. Sleep Talkin' Man

4. 2 Kids....3 Martinis

5. Everyday Mom Ideas

6. Dooce

7. David Rocco

8. Dream of Italy

9. When in Rome Tours

10. The Healthy Moms

11. Hiding From The Kids

12. Sandbox Gems

13. Expatriate Games

14. Scary Mommy

15. Beyond Megapixels

I suggest that when you have some free time, check out these blogs, maybe even award one yourself! If you would like to award a favorite blog that you visit, just grab the award picture and write up a small entry about your favorite blogs!