Thirteen Thursday: Lighten Up
1. My camera is becoming like a second pen. I pick it up and snap almost as much as I jot down notes. Taking pictures is a lot less work than writing is. With one good click you get an instant story.
2. Every time a bird lands on my birdbath angel’s head I think about the Queen of England because it looks like the angel is wearing one of those big hats that only the Queen and Camilla Parker Bowles can pull off.
3. Unlike butterflies and birds, when I photograph tulips they stand still while I snap.
4. Now that global warming and the reasons for it are out of the bag, and right wing Republicans and corporations can no longer keep it in, Earth Day is going mainstream. It took 37 years. Last week Oprah dedicated a whole show to going green and Diane Sawyer hosted an Earth Day special the next night.
5. If every American home replaced just one light bulb with a compact fluorescent one, we would save enough energy to light more than 2.5 million homes for a year and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of nearly 800,000 cars, says a site co-hosted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy That’s very impressive, but I clicked all over the site looking for a warning about the mercury in the bulbs and information on how to dispose of them, and discovered that it wasn’t mentioned.
6. Can you dig this? I was recently talking with a woman my age who mentioned losing her thongs. I immediately thought underwear, but then she reminded me that when we grew up flip flops were called thongs. Our generation came up with some pretty “cool” lingo that is still used today, including ripped off, freaked out, bummed out, mind blown, a drag, a blast, a crash, and turned on.
7. I think of a light bulb as a moon wannabe.
8. Our best personal assets tend to also be our worst liabilities when overused, like my husband Joe’s sensitivity is his best asset as a counselor, but it can also be his downfall if he feels so strongly that he carries other people’s pain for them.
9. Mara says: I have a date. I answer: Oh, not like a fig, but like a boy and girl date? Knowing her last partner was a woman and the one before that was man, my next question was the obvious: So is it a boy or a girl? Mara says: That depends. He hasn’t had any surgery yet. I answer: Oh, this could be complicated.
10. Will those who continued to listen to Rush Limbaugh, even after he said that those involved in Abu Ghraib were just letting off some steam, finally turn him off now that he’s gone so far to say this about the Virginia Tech mass murderer: This guy had to be a liberal. You start railing against the rich and all this other — this guy’s a liberal. He was turned into a liberal somewhere along the line. So it’s a liberal that committed this act.
11. Along with debates about gun control that are sure to be discussed in the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings, as a country we also need a serious dialogue about THIS.
12. Can you see the above image both ways, concaved or convexed like I can? I found this wonderful artist via Kenju. You can browse her gallery HERE.
13.What would you do if you were riding on a subway and THIS happened!?
Thursday headquarters is here. My other 13’s are here. View more 13 Thursday’s here.
April 25th, 2007 11:17 pm
We have only a few regular lightbulbs in the house – all the rest are fluorescent. I didn’t know about the mercury until yesterday (where was I?) and will now have to set them aside for hazardous waste drop-off as they burn out. Oh well, there are worse chores.
April 25th, 2007 11:41 pm
Very interesting TT ! Camilla’s hats are unpayable in all meanings ! Global warming starts to become a good business and my opinion about weapons is that if no private person is allowed to buy a weapon, such shootings wouldn’t happen. In Belgium (and most of the other European countries too) no one is allowed to buy a gun legally. Only hunters can buy a rifle with special permission. For all the others it’s very, very difficult to buy a gun, you have to fill out mountains of papers and almost prove that there had been no criminal amongst your ancestors ! Even Policemen are not allowed to take their guns home, since one had killed his wife with one. We had here the case that a boy wanted to probably do the same like at VT but he only had a knife and therefore could only kill one person, which is already more than enough. There will always be mad people who would need help. As long as they can buy a gun like a mobile, it will happen again.
April 25th, 2007 11:52 pm
I stared at the colorful tube for a full five minutes… my cats now think I am some sort of nuts….It didn’t look as if it were going up or down. Now I am perplexed.
April 25th, 2007 11:54 pm
Thanks for visiting my posting this week. I work for the provincial government here in BC and we recently released the BC Energy Plan – that’s very green and all about conservation. http://energyplan.gov.bc.ca
I wanted to THANK YOU for posting you tube video on the subway. Very cool, also introduced me to Sue site. As always, a visit to your blog is an education. Keep having fun with your camera!
April 26th, 2007 1:17 am
Great list; I love a liberal. I never get too upset about Rush Limbaugh though—I don’t think even HE believes the nonsense he spouts; he’s just trying to wind us up, you know?
I have a lot of questions about the cause-effect relationship between psychiatric meds and violence (e.g., would he perhaps have gone nuts sooner without them?) But you’re right that we need to discuss it; they may give a false sense of security.
April 26th, 2007 4:13 am
I agree with this.
April 26th, 2007 7:39 am
i love your tulip picture. I really wanted to take a picture of the hummingbird in my back yard, but he’s too fast for me. 🙂
April 26th, 2007 9:01 am
I would love to see someone burst out singing. that would be awesome!
You are so right about all these drugs these kids are taking these days. I know that the public school system was very hard on one of my kids. It took a lot to go against them. You have to be a very strong parent, these days, to go against those who think they are in charge.
So should I get the bulbs? Now that I know there is Mercury in them….WHAT DO I DO? I hate for every good thing there seems to be, there is a bad thing also.
That picture is awesome!
April 26th, 2007 9:28 am
We replaced all our light bulbs with those curly looking energy efficient ones…they are a bit to get used to but eventually you don’t mind. I still thing the stairs overhead is burned out all the time because it seems to have a really long delay.
We’ve really tried to make this house energy efficient over the past two years…from heat pumps to attic insulation to replacement window. Every little bit helps I’m convinced.
I like that swirly shot…very colorful. It almost makes you dizzy.
When I bought my cool new gold Kate Spade’s in Charleston..they are called thongs. High with the strap between the two, but when I say I bought these great thongs everyone thought I meant my panties.
April 26th, 2007 10:27 am
At work, replaced most of the lights with compact fluorescent ones, and even found a dimmable version! The beautiful image is convexed (or “sticking out”–I can never remember the difference)because of the bright “star”. If it was concave, it we be shadowed. At least, that’s my professional opinion.
April 26th, 2007 11:21 am
Colleen, Colleen, Colleen…
You’re always mis-quoting me! WHAT I SAID when you asked me about my date, “So is it a boy or a girl…” was: “Depends…” which in my opinion is a much wittier response. 🙂 Oh, and also, sonnets are like ties because they are ridiculous, not corny. Although according to David Wojahn, an amazing poet who is visiting our class next week, and in my opinion should have won the pulitzer prize, sonnets “are a fascist form.” Though he does point this out WITHIN a sonnet, go figure.
April 26th, 2007 11:26 am
Re: #13 – I’d turn up my iPod 🙂
Love that spiral design, the colors are awesome!
April 26th, 2007 11:35 am
#1 – Taking pictures is a lot less work than writing is. With one good click you get an instant story.
So true…and easier than drawing too. Very gratifying that picture snapping…
#2 – We have all flourescent now. They look a little ugly in some of our fixtures, but who cares?
#8 – Our best personal assets tend to also be our worst liabilities when overused
Yes, yes! so true.
#10 – So we can all be at peace now, knowing the origin of the shooter’s rage: liberalism. mmmkaay, um, yeah. Sigh.
#12 – yes I can see it both ways, but it took me longer to see it convex. Interesting!
Execellent TT, as usual :). So fun to read your blog…
April 26th, 2007 11:42 am
Mara, I misquote you just to get you over here reading and commenting. No really, I left out the best part and fixed it. Thanks!
April 26th, 2007 12:48 pm
I remember thongs!!! and love that spiral, have to check out that site. Nr. 13: I get tired of having all those people singing in the subway whenever I go downtown. I want to have my own moment of quietness and be able to read my book (my ride is 30 min. long), alghough I must admit those boys are good!
You always have such enjoyable TTs, happy thursday 🙂
April 26th, 2007 2:06 pm
Fun blog. DO you do photographic journalism?
April 26th, 2007 2:18 pm
ditto on number one….and your tulips are beautiful!
i was wondering about how to dispose of the compact flourescent bulbs, too, and no one has given me an answer. if you find out, let me know!
i don’t listen to rush, but i have heard lots of wacky staements about the VT shootings from both ends of the political spectrum. including a statement on a liberal website claiming the parents of the VT victims had blood on their hands because of the war in Iraq. i’m not sure why anyone is linking the war in Iraq to the VT shootings.
April 26th, 2007 3:51 pm
Number 2 and 6 have me giggling still!
Clever take for Thursday!
April 26th, 2007 4:57 pm
I remember the very first “Earth Day” TV Special… Bette Midler played Mother Earth and it was packed with celebs. It’s nice that it’s still around/still important.
Loved the Metro video. And the Japanese one, too. Fun. Seems like the world would be a better place if things like that happened more.
Great list as usual. Esp. the Rush “I’m a Bit Fat Idiot” Limbaugh comment.
~S
April 26th, 2007 5:08 pm
Rush is still on the air? Thank god they finally canned Imus.
April 26th, 2007 5:20 pm
Ah, I remember a very young Josh Bell. I was living in the same Indiana town and the college there, Indiana University, nurtured his incredible talent at a very young age. He rocks.
April 26th, 2007 5:46 pm
Cutting back and cutting off has been away of life for some of us for so long, it does seem odd to be going with the flow for a change. But there are still SO many things that need to be changed!
April 26th, 2007 11:45 pm
Hi Colleen – Nice Thirteen! I like photographing tulips better than kids, too…
And I saw the tunnel AND the tower in that awesome picture!
Michele sent me today.
April 26th, 2007 11:47 pm
I’d probably stop and listen to him play.
Finally, we’re slowly getting it in our heas that we really can put a dent in the huge energy problem.
I’m going to hear David Suzuki speak in 2 weeks and can’t wait…I love that guy.
I still call them thongs! I think I had them in green, blue and yellow!
Add..”groovy, Right on! Peace baby, cool man, trucking, on a real trip,smoking a butt….”
April 27th, 2007 1:52 am
I hope I would enjoy it as much as most of those people did..How Fabulous to be treated to this on a Subway!
I saw that wonderful artists work over at Kenju’s—went to her site and after viewing Everything…I’ve contacted her….Will update you when I know more…I LOVE Her Work!
As always Colleen, a fascinating TT!
April 27th, 2007 8:07 am
Hello, LLN! Nice to meet you. I used to live in Lynchburg, years ago. Nice to see a fellow citizen from the BRM; one of my favorite places to hang out in the fall! I envy the pictures you are gonna get later this year.
Good list. I would buy those special lightbulbs, but I’ve had customers tell me they last as long as a regular light bulb, so why do I want to pay three times as much for them? I don’t. I’ll stick with the sun, it’s free!
There has been such a push lately to go “green” but I’ve noticed that there are still hundreds of SUV’s and Monster Trucks on the highways & byways. My question….why buy light bulbs, paper or cloth bags (cloth being the wiser choice), recycle your trash, plant trees, conserve water, you-name-it on whatever else, but you won’t even bother to buy a smaller car? Hmmmm, what’s wrong with this picture?
Of course, I do not know what you drive, I’m just ranting on about a personal item that bothers me. Sorry I used your comment space 🙁
Q for you: what kind of camera do you have?
Thanks for visiting my site!
April 27th, 2007 9:55 am
Oh thank you for posting that Youtube subway video, that was SO awesome, what a great way to start my day. Loved this post. Hello! and Michele sent me.
April 27th, 2007 10:42 am
And each solution creates other problems, so small actions, carefully weighed, probably are best.
As for singers on the subway, I’d move, turn up the ipod, too. Feels very intrusive, presumptive. There have been exceptions, but not those guys doing obnoxious pop songs.
April 27th, 2007 1:48 pm
wow! i love jen stark’s work! it’s wonderful. the lets are fans now too 🙂
great 13 as ever. keep writing and snapping babe. you do both brilliantly 🙂
April 27th, 2007 3:30 pm
We’d be better off if every American replaces one hand gun with an energy efficient bulb!
Nice tulips.
April 27th, 2007 3:43 pm
I pinched your number 13 youtube. Those guys are from MY subway.
April 27th, 2007 5:25 pm
Colleen, thanks for the link. I am glad you enjoyed Jen Stark’s link. I think her art with paper is phenomenal!
I went to Home Depot on Earth Day and they were passing out those florescent bulbs. I have been using them for about 2 yrs. now.
April 29th, 2007 11:19 am
~~ I wish my tulips were still growing ~~ I planted over 40, and to date they only came up one time. Now I have one left, and it isn’t lookin’ too good, either.
Like, like like the energy-saving light bulbs…but make sure that they are adaptable to every fixture you’re putting them in. We have a small chandelier in the dining room, and when my youngest went to replace the old bulbs with the energy effieient ones, the whole fixture started to make this humming noise..and the wall switch too. Seems that the bulbs were doing a number on the whole set-up, and it freaked me out so bad, I had the old bulbs put back in. So the new ones are in other light fixtures, and seem to be fine.
Going green isn’t all that easy for me…but since The Very Fine Automobile is parked in the carport not running, does that qualify for saving energy? Or does it mean I just have a dead car filling up with spiders?