January 28, 2009 Frozen Dandelion

January 28, 2009 Frozen Dandelion, originally uploaded by catescott.

Photo of the Day part 1!!!

I have already photographed this particular dandelion (http://catesphotoblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/january-16-2009.html) . However; today it was frozen and I had my macro lens. I shot at f2.8 to create the blurred background and floating flower effect. I am so intrigued with how object freeze. I might start freezing random household objects and study them scientifically. By scientifically I mean poke them with sticks and document with photographs.

January 27, 2009 11:30PM - READ PM as in NIGHT

January 27, 2009 11:30pm, originally uploaded by catescott.

Photo of the Day!!!

Grilled Cheese Recipe (or rather instructions) coming soon. The pictures are already up on flickr but i'm tired and a bit cranky. I've been waiting for this "Ice Storm" to hit. They talk about it on the news like it's the election. "ICE STORM: 2009!" or "ICE STORM: YES YOU CAN!". It is definitely cold and there is definitely ice (my butt and the back porch stairs almost got acquainted) but it's not that thrilling. anyway - I'm excited for tomorrow morning - hoping for cool ice related photos tomorrow :) and maybe some hours off work... (non-Austinites: Austin freaks out over stuff like this - you people in New England should rightfully be laughing)

Phew! Cutting it close today. 5mins and counting until it isn't today anymore and I would have had my first true fail. I was so frustrated with today's photo of the day. not this photo but the assignment itself. I took well over 100 photos today. I would say that about 70 were of KC. 12 were of the grilled cheese i made for dinner. The rest were just shots. I was torn between this one and two others. those are on my flickr site if you are interested.

In case you are interested in the tech specs of this shot: ISO 125 280sec f/8 mounted on a tripod - no flash just the light from the outdoors.

Thank you and I'm tired. G'night

Hey Matt, you can't bite a dog!

Hey Matt, you can't bite a dog!, originally uploaded by catescott.

Bonus KC fix!

Matt is a photo of the day overachiever. He wanted to be my photo of the day but I can't give him that honor. Sorry Matt.
But funny story...if you notice in the photo - Matt is wearing KC's inflatable collar. He borrowed it and that made KC anxious. Battle ensued. KC won. May Matt rest in peace (at his house with his wife, hope they have a good night) See you in the morning Matt.

She's got crazy eye Day 17

She's got crazy eye Day 17, originally uploaded by catescott.

KC fix of the day!!!

KC woke up with an ear infection today. Her breed is very susceptible to them. We were so sad because her other ear had finally gotten better and now her left ear was acting up. At least they aren't both infected at the same time! I had to break out her donut (technically called the ProCollar Premium Inflatable Protective Collar but donut is easier to type). It is a most awesome invention. You weave the dog's collar through the inner loop and it Velcros shut at the gap. It is lightweight and KC doesn't mind having it on. She is very attached to her collar (if you take it off she gets anxious) so having this on must give her that extra security. It prevents her from scratching and rubbing the infected ear. The only time she doesn't like it is when she first lays down to take a nap. Then she realizes is like a built in neck pillow and falls asleep like a baby. I took her to the vet this afternoon to get her ear checked out. She had a minor infection and some dried ear wax that was most likely causing the irritation. The vet is lovely and very good with KC. She feels much better now and is donut free for now. Yay!

Bonus Post - Potato Chip Recipe (with photos of course)

I was cooking some food tonight - yes i can cook (sort of. nothing really complicated or french). I started taking pictures as I was cooking the potato chips. I really hate to call them that because they are so much better. Hmm, Todd suggests potato crisps which is really just a British way of saying Potato Chips. So back to square one. How about this - you read the recipe and see the almost finished product and you decide. K?

Potato Chip* Recipe !!!

Ingredients:

• 1 Potato! - sweet or white work the best
• Some cooking oil! about 3/4 of an inch worth in a frying pan. I personally use Smart Balance (Omega). Don't know why but it works just fine.
• Sea Salt
• Ground Pepper (you can use a shaker if you want but ground pepper tastes better and you get to grind something)

Things you need that are not ingredients:

• Large Sharp Knife
• Tongs - metal not plastic (don't cheat and use salad forks either - you are working with hot oil and need some precise gripage)
• Frying pan
• Stove with working burners (very very key)
• Paper Towels
• Tray, casserole dish, plates (to put the chips on as they are cooling down)

Instructions:

1. Prepare your chip resting dish. I don't know what else to call it. Take your casserole dish or plates and cover them with 2 layers of paper towels. you will use this later to put the chips on as you retrieve them from the oil. You want to do this now because those suckers cook pretty fast

2. Wash your potato. Wash it good. You don't want to eat fried dirt later. Leave the skin on

3. Start heating your oil

I have a gas stove so my oil gets hot fast. Hot Oil HURTS people. Do not stick your fingers, toes, tongue etc into the oil to check the temperature. It will burn you! Don't set your burner to high - set it to medium low - this allows for slower oil heating and gives you some time for the next step.

4. Cut you some potato. Be careful with sharp objects. Cut the potato into thin slices. Thicker slices work too if you like a little bit of a softie potato. Thinner obviously will yield the "crisp" part of the recipe. You can cut it into rounds or half moons. Squares if you want. I don't care.
1 regular sized potato actually yields quite a bit of chipage. Enough for at least 2 people if not 3.

5. Your oil should be hot by now. Take your tongs and start sliding the potato slices into the oil. You want to slide them in to prevent oil from splashing onto your face, arms, hands, new shirt, or dog. Slide enough potatoes in to create a layer of potatoes in the oil.
6. After a few minutes you should start seeing the potatoes turn brown around the edges. Time to flip! (potatoes not you) Use your tongs to turn the slices over. You will see that the bottoms are a nice golden brown. Not long now!

7. After a few more minutes (maybe not even that long) start removing your chips to your pre-prepared resting area. Let them sit for a few minutes - you can start adding the second batch to the oil at this point.

8. After they have rested for a few you may now address them with the salt and pepper. Apply the pepper liberally if you like a little kick. Put about 1/2 as much salt as you think you will need. You will be surprised at how too much salt can completely ruin a chip. I don't have any pictures of the absolute end product because Todd and I ate them too fast. Enjoy!

January 26, 2009 Bonsai!!!!

January 26, 2009 Bonsai!!!!, originally uploaded by catescott.

Photo of the Day!!!

This is Hunter's Bonsai Tree. We aren't sure if it is dead or just sleeping through the winter. It has been like this for several months now. If you touch it the needles fall off. They also hurt like a mother#*$&@#. If you squint your eyes you can see the spider web in the way back of the tree. I've also seen a lizard and some ants hanging out back there. We refuse to throw it away in part because we believe in miracles. Maybe that's why we still water it every once in a while. Mostly it just sits in the back window being forgotten. Lonely little dead/alive/dead Bonsai.

Interesting Cate fact of the day: I thought Bonsai was spelled Bonzai. I'm very disappointed that the correct spelling involves no zed. It seems more powerful and mysterious with a z.

Let me in please, I'm done Day 16

Let me in please, I'm done Day 16, originally uploaded by catescott.

Daily KC Fix!!!

First let me apologize for the atrocity that is this photo. I was running late for work and didn't have time to mess with exposure settings and what not.
Second: I did not forget her this time.

KC was staying home from work to be with Todd today and he had already fed her but forgot to let her outside. So i let her outside, ran around putting all my gear together and was coming back to the kitchen to let her in. I snapped this because (snif snif) she wouldn't be coming to work with me today and I didn't know what the evening would turn out like. I didn't want to miss getting a photo of her so I guess a bad photo is better than a good one??? No, it's not. I will try for something better tonight.
I let her back in and she was happy. She tried to swindle me into feeding her again. She is sneaky like that.

I do enjoy it when Todd is home for more than just the weekend but I also hate it because usually it means I have to leave KC at home instead of taking her to work with me. I'm going to go pout now.

January 25, 2009 Thirsty?

January 25, 2009 Thirsty?, originally uploaded by catescott.

Photo of the Day!!!

Honey! I don't think we have enough G2s!! We're almost out!

So Todd has this thing where he likes to have a large assortment of beverages in the fridge. As many as possible in fact. We have 5 different colors of G2s (orange, red, purple, pink, and green - orange, fruit punch, grape, kiwi-strawberry, and lemon-lime in case you were wondering)(G2s are actually another marketing strategy for Gatorade). We also have: Skim Milk, 2%Milk, Guinness (in a can), Cranergy, Sprite Zero, Diet Coke, Dr. Thunder (nasty), MGD Light (64 calories in a bottle - Todd's not mine), 1 Hoegaarden (mine), 1 Stella Artois (mine), Orange Juice, 1 Bottle of champagne, and water.

All of our beverages take up 2 of 3 shelves in the fridge.

Whenever my friend Michelle comes over she asks if she needs to bring her own drink. As abundant as our beverage assortment is sometimes you just need a Dr. Pepper.

Hmm, this taste like fresh water Day 15

Hmm, this taste like fresh water, originally uploaded by catescott.

KC fix of the Day!!!

KC will not drink out of her water bowl if the water is more than 2 hours old. I have actually caught her drinking from the toilet even though both of her water bowls are completely full (please note that one of the bowls is in the bathroom!).
I am perplexed to say the least. She eats random things she finds on the ground but won't drink "stale" water.

There are tons of KC pictures every day and it is hard to pick just one for the blog. If you want to see more of her silliness just click on the photo and it will take you to my flickr page where you can see an abundant assortment of KC.