Snow!

Snow?!?! In Richmond? Surely not! Oh yes, my friends. It is a sign that all is right in the world.

We have about seven inches in our backyard and it appears that even dirty ol' Richmond is beautified by a blanket a snow.

Kona is having the time of her life. This is her first real snowfall and she has been spending as much time as possible outside. I'm pretty sure she would have enjoyed sleeping in it last night. We went to the dog park this morning where she roamed in her natural habitat. She is currently passed out at my feet; even sled dogs get tired sometimes.

Update

All has been quiet on the Sea Pig Front lately. Why, you ask? It seem that the main contributor--and I won't mention her name for anonymity's sake--has become addicted to World of Warcraft. That's right, I'm calling her out.

Please stand by because we may have to stage an intervention shortly. I'm getting worried. She has attached fake ears to herself to more closely resemble her Elfin character in the game*. Occasionally she will attempt to cast spells on me**, which, as of yet, have not been successful.

We may or may not be able to pull her away from the computer long enough to finish wedding plans. Stay tuned..



*ok, so that it hasn't gone that far just yet
**I can neither confirm nor deny the accuracy of this statement

This is America the Way It's Supposed to Be

All photos courtesy of the Huffington Post

"Allow the president to invade a neighboring nation, whenever he shall deem it necessary to repel an invasion, and you allow him to do so whenever he may choose to say he deems it necessary for such a purpose - and you allow him to make war at pleasure. "

"My dream is of a place and a time where America will once again be seen as the last best hope of earth."

- Abraham Lincoln

What Are You Doing Today?

Polling Place Photo Project

I'm kicking myself for not posting this earlier. The New York Times is doing a cool polling place photo project!



Here is a bit of info about the project from the NY Times site:

The Polling Place Photo Project is a nationwide experiment in citizen journalism that encourages voters to capture, post and share photographs of this year’s primaries, caucuses and general election. By documenting local voting experiences, participants can contribute to an archive of photographs that captures the richness and complexity of voting in America.

We are especially interested in photographs that document your voting experience, including what works and what could be improved. If you are wondering what to photograph, take a picture of that! We're looking of photos of interiors, exteriors and other views that are part of your voting experience. Obviously, you need to follow the rules at your local polling place, and you should be respectful of other citizens who may not wish to be photographed.

On a related note, if you have any voting related questions or need help, please visit the National Association of Secretaries of State website. This nonpartisan site was created by state election officials to help eligible voters figure out how and where to go vote.

Have fun voting tomorrow!

Photo to Comic Effect

Happy November! I hope everyone had a fun Halloween. Matt and I saved our energy for playing Rock Band tonight at a friend's house. I'm going to try making mulled apple cider. I bought mulling spices from Penzey's (warning: the store will convince you of the need for spices you've never even heard of). They recommend heating a pot of 1/2 apple cider and 1/2 cranberry juice with 1-2 tablespoons of mulling spices. You can also add a splash of spiced rum or brandy. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Let's jump subjects and talk about Photoshop again. I have the 7.0 version and I love it (thanks Dad!). I recently found a tutorial on how to turn a photo into a comic book panel. While I was working on it, I got to thinking how cool it would be to make a comic book with photos of how Matt and I met, and what our life together has been like. It would be a neat way for guests to get to know us better.

Then I mentally slapped myself (yes, I can do that). I think DIY has turned into DIYUYD (Do It Yourself Until You're Dead) for me. If I do all these projects I have sitting in my head, Matt and I will wind up having to get married sometime in 2088.

But that doesn't mean someone else can't do it. Here is the picture I used for the tutorial before the modification:



You can't tell, but Matt has black and red hair in this picture. These were his rock and roll glory days before becoming a responsible adult (no sniggering). Here is the end result:



Nifty, huh? Most printing companies should be able to take your modified photos and print them in a comic book format. If anyone winds up doing this, please let me know so I can look at it and feel insanely jealous.

Here is a link to another comic book effect tutorial for a slightly different look.

Oh, Young Love...

Ummm, I'm not quite sure what to say about the wedding I'm going to show you today. All over the internet, you can find elegant, beautiful, inspiring weddings. This is not one of them. I figured other blogs have the market cornered on those. Let's spice things up a little.

Meet 16-year-old Missy Quinn and her husband, 17 year old Thomas Moghon, both from the UK. Click here to read an article about them from Closer.





Her dress weighed 336 pounds!!!! This completely blows my mind. I assume it's due to the glacier attached to her rear end. Missy accessorized her dress with a £500 crystal bouquet, sparkling choker, tiara, belly-button jewel, hair clips and garter, plus fake tan, false eyelashes and body glitter. Whew, I'm a little impressed.

Oh, but it gets better my friends. Meet her bridesmaids:



This gives me all sorts of ideas... *evil smile*

Want to meet some guests?





Yes those are fur coats, Chris Hansen would be alllll over this.

Maybe you're wondering how these kids came to have this particular sense of style? Meet the parents:



I might have to copy that little boy's suit for Matt.

Want another example of why people should not get married at such a young age? Here is a quote from Missy, “Thomas might expect me to cook and clean, but I’m not going to. He can look after me as far as I’m concerned!”