Know What We're Doing Friday Night...

Taking this... not really, but I thought I'd be a smart ass... we'll be driving... or resting to drive... but that's another post (isn't it always...)

Seriously though, at some point I will have Mr. Waddles take this too... for now... enjoy my results... it's surprisingly and almost freakishly accurate...

ISFJ - "Conservator". Desires to be of service and to minister to individual needs - very loyal. 13.8% of total population.

Free Jung Personality Test (similar to Myers-Briggs/MBTI)

With the interpretation of the results being:

ISFJ
follows the rules, polite, fears drawing attention to self, dislikes competition, somewhat easily frightened, easily offended, timid, dutiful, private, lower energy, finisher, organized, socially uncomfortable, modest, not confrontational, easily hurt, observer, prone to crying, not spontaneous, does not appreciate strangeness - intolerant to differences, apprehensive, clean, planner, prone to confusion, afraid of many things, responsible, guarded, avoidant, anxious, cautious, suspicious, more interested in relationships and family than intellectual pursuits, not adventurous, fears doing the wrong thing, dislikes change

favored careers:
homemaker, stay at home parent, office worker, health care worker, personal assistant, school teacher, administrative assistant, child care worker, clerical employee, receptionist, library assistant, dietitian, health educator, librarian

disfavored careers:
rock star, philosophy professor, filmmaker, performer, writer, bar owner, comedian, dj, entertainer, ceo, psychotherapist, bartender, entrepreneur, lecturer, astronomer

Open Letter to Blogger.Com & SiteMeter.Com

To preserve a bit of my privacy I have an email address that I use ONLY for this blog and the sitemeter. Nothing more; nothing less. I do not place orders with this account. I do not use it for any social networks. I didn't even give it to my own mother. That being said...

Before logging out today I checked it to make sure I wasn't missing any comments that might be accidentally getting marked as "spam." Luckily, I'm not. What I do have instead in the spam folder are seven... count them SEVEN phishing emails with promises of international lottery winnings...

So... pick... which one of you two is sharing my email address... or being hacked???

Either way... I guess I should count my blessings that with my last three brain cells I wasn't taken in by these scams... hopefully there's not some poor ol' white haired lady out there who falls for it in my place...

one season following another; laden with happiness and tears...

I'm in a bit of a mood tonight... a momentary panic attack brought on by being left alone with my own rambling thoughts while I waited for the locksmith to come and open the door for me... and by open the door I don't mean just play with the lock... he literally just opened the door... but that's another story... while I was waiting I started to think about what the future holds... and I can't kid myself... it's scary shit... I don't know if I'm ready for it...

If it wasn't already 11 p.m. I'd break out the flute and hammer out "Sunrise Sunset" because I've got that song stuck on loop through the last three brain cells I have left tonight... so instead I youtub'd it for you too...



And I just have to keep remembering... One Season Following Another... that's where I'm at right now... the change of seasons... out of the Winter... into the Spring... excited and anxious about what it might bring...

Memories of Country Days Past...

Recently, a friend of mine mentioned that she had acquired a new "pet" goat. It made me think of the "pet" goats I had growing up. So I did a quick search to look up the breed of goat that my family raised (Nubians)... and found these three pictures... which were like a walk down memory lane because they are pictures of goats that are identical to three of my favorite "pets."

This is a picture of a goat that looks exactly like Annabell (picture credit). She was my brother's goat and full of spunk... just like my brother. We lost her one rough Wyoming winter... which was sad because she had survived the California heat for so long... I can't remember for sure... but I think we lost her after she was toxic from a pregnancy that didn't go so well.

This is a picture of a goat that looks exactly like MY pride and joy, Lilly (picture credit). Lilly was my prize goat. She was a great mama goat and an excellent milk goat. Yep, yours truly milked goats. Morning and night. Before school and after school. I also competed with them in the local fairs...
One day, I went to school and when I came home Lilly was gone. She had a corn on her foot that my father had decided needed removed. So he called the local vet, Dr. Wilford, out to remove it. Dr. Wilford gave her a shot of penicillin and she dropped like a fly. I remember mourning for a month. With that single shot I lost 3 goats (she was pregnant and carrying twins). It took me about a year to look at Doc and not snear out the side of my mouth at him (even though I knew it wasn't his fault).

This is a picture of a goat that looks exactly like Pebbles (picture credit). Pebbles was one of Lily's babies. She was spunky and full of fun. She was my little sister's goat... which meant I milked her too because my little sister always got away with murder... At some point my father decided she needed to go and live with the sheep herder down the road so he sold her to the local rancher and she lived out her days in the back meadows of Wyoming.

I wish I could've found a picture of the buck (that's a male goat for all you city folk) we had... Nibbles... he was named aptly... no shirt was safe if he was around...

Anyway... I hope Betsy has as much fun with her little Alpine as I had with my handful of goats... Good luck Bets!

Okay Just ONe More...

Last but Not Least...

Almost Done...

And... Just a Few More Left...

And...

And...

And...

A Life in the Day

My stepdad let me tag along with him when he went to shoe horses on Saturday morning... I tried to upload more at a time... but I'm having operator errors... so enjoy a handful of posts...

The Spring that Never Was...

It amazes me that my grandmother and great uncle are telling me stories of 105 degree weather in Bakersfield already and yet... I've not even had a chance to experience a real spring yet...

What I didn't mention in my last post was that literally two hours after I wrapped up my shoot in the park Winter decided to revisit Jackson in full force... and it continued to snow for TWO entire days...

The guys over at JH Underground wrote a great article about it here. Sadly, I am old enough to remember the snow storm on July 4, 1993. V.I.V.I.D.L.Y. Why you ask? Because that's the very first "summer" I lived in Wyoming... as a 15 year old taken from a balmy climate I was not a happy camper. Have you tried to watch fireworks in a blizzard? It's not easy.

This winter just will not give way to spring... check here for video footage and of skiers skiing yesterday in an area that still has 108 inches of snow... at the base... oh... and is a mere five miles from my front door...

Inspiration...

That's what I was looking for when I headed into GTP the other night to take pictures... and on the way home I found this spot. It was nice to take a break from unpacking the boxes and just go shoot. It helped to take a breather from every day life and the stress associated with it. This picture was awesome on so many levels... the lighting... the sun flare... and the long exposure (to make the water movement blur)... the shadows... it just all kind of came together.

Hopefully I can get time to edit a few more this week... since I individually edit all my images you'll have to bear with me...

On a Different Note...

Maybe wasting time on one of these will help me feel a bit more in a better mood and not quite so bitchy...


The Rules:

1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning of the post.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves in their post.
3. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog.
4. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

Questions:

1. What was I doing ten years ago?

Wow... let's see... ten years ago... 1998... June... I would've been working... all summer as an intern in the Utah County 4-H program and as a telephone operator here. Yes, I was the voice on the other line of the phone informing your child how to call you collect... and during Women's Week informing you that you have to dial "9" on that pretty little white phone to call your husband for the 99th time today... and when I wasn't doing that I was wrangling up steers at the local county fairs... oh... that would've been the summer I was breaking that colt for a friend and busting my arm too... yeah... you see... a ton of stuff you could've lived forever without knowing about me all ready... aren't you glad you checked by blog today?

2. What are five things on my list to do today?

a) mail Mr. Waddles' his "care package" that consists of clean underwear and socks because even though he openly has admitted that he only has about 10 hours of work this week... he can't find the time to do laundry (I love you!!! and I know enough to know... you're laughing right now ;) )

b) calling around to find a generator for Boss Man's daughter's wedding... next month.

c) calling the IRS to see where Mr. Waddles stimulus payment is because we've not seen it yet...

d) unpack the rest of the closet.

e) consider starting to unpack the guest room too...

3. Snacks I enjoy?

Mt. Dew
Twinkies
Humus and red bell peppers
Spinach dip with Ruffles

4. Things I Would Do If I Were A Billionnaire?

I'd start by buying myself and Mr. Waddles new cars... let's just say that both of ours are living on a wing and a prayer and it's only a matter of time before one (or both... my guess is they both go in the same week... because that's how we roll...) bite the dust.

After that I might be able to afford a two bedroom shanty in Jackson... have you seen the prices lately????

5. Three of my bad habits?

Jumping in feet first.

Forgetting to wear my helmet on a daily basis ;)

Trusting too easily.

6. Five places I have lived?

Jackson, Wyoming
Wilson, Wyoming
Bedford, Wyoming
Smoot, Wyoming
Bakersfield, California

and a couple of more, but they only asked for five ;)

7. Five jobs I've had?

Fry girl
Intern
Telephone Operator
Legal Assistant
Personal Assistant

8. How did you name your blog?

Well, one day I plan to be Mrs. Waddles... sometime in the next year or so... and this is my place to vent, cry, laugh, poke fun at, dwell, wallow, and generally piss off the world. So it's my take on life. As I see it, on any given day.

I should tag a couple of people, but I'm still feeling pretty bitchy... so consider yourself safe for now... unless of course you're just looking for something to do... then let me know that you've done it :) Maybe instead of tagging I'll just ask you to leave a comment with a track back to your blog so I can live vicariously through you for a day :)

Punched in the Gut...

I am in the middle of having an internet tantrum...

Just feeling a bit used. About a year or so ago I did photos for a friend in hopes of improving my skills a bit... since then have been able to upgrade lenses and software and have come a long way. Just stumbled upon a photographers blog. Let's just say, it would've been nice to have even been approached to see if I wanted to shoot the new set. But hey. You win some. You loose some.

And then you realize that there are those friends that only call when they need something. Like money in exchange for their services so that they can have gas for their weekend visit. Seeing as they were willing to pay for the shots and trade services for everything else... well... let's just say... even though I didn't say it then because I kind of thought it would've been the adult thing to offer... well... not even getting that much and then seeing the other photogs blog... well... I'm feeling a bit burnt... but hey... maybe it's just the weather... or the final blow to a long, long, long week.

I read where another photographer who gives free shoots suggests that the people give her a gift certificate for a free dinner since that's about the time it takes to do a shoot... I'm thinking that perhaps that's not a bad idea... although that doesn't take into account the 4 hours of editing that follows... but perhaps, lesson learned the hard way. Just feeling a bit like that was a hot knife... if you know what I mean...

Okay... I've got real work to do... so enough of my pissyness for now...

Struggling...

Really, really, really struggling with the ex-wife of Mr. Waddles... every fight we've had for the past week has revolved around the psycho woman... and to top it off... as Mr. Waddles put it... we've fought more this week than we have our ENTIRE RELATIONSHIP...

My horoscope couldn't have come at a better time...

Your Horoscope for JUNE 06, 2008

You have unique talents, TARA ANN, though you do not always give yourself credit for them. You set extraordinarily high standards for yourself, and can be quite judgmental if you fail to meet them. Step back and try and look at the situation objectively. You have accomplished a huge amount. Any little setbacks you may currently be experiencing are just that--setbacks and not failure. Chin up, TARA ANN.
Still... struggling...

Oh. Joy.

Because I'm not bitchy enough today...

I'm old enough to remember the last time this happened.

So much for a quiet summer...