Day 342/365 - If Only Life Came with One of These

I felt considerably better today than I did yesterday, but still not 100 percent. I didn't sneeze much and my eyes were mostly fine, but I was very drained after being run through the wringer by my allergies yesterday.

Unfortunately, life doesn't come with a stop button and I still have a lot of work that has to be done by the end of the month, so I went into the office for a bit this afternoon to pick up some files to work on and shoehorn in a quick conference call. I think I'll be pretty much back to normal tomorrow, although I may go ahead and take the morning off just to be sure. I have enough files with me to keep me busy.

No rest for the weary. Well, maybe a bit. I did take a three hour nap this afternoon after all.

(Taken with my Nikon Coolpix S200)

Day 223/365 - Push the Button

All day long I kept trying to think of something cool and reflective I could use for shooting this week's self-portrait and I kept coming up empty. Then, on the way over to the Sports Pub to grab some dinner while the photos I took at my nieces' wedding uploaded, I saw this crossing signal button and had a 'eureka!' moment. Done!

And in the spirit of this shot, here are a couple of 'push the button' songs I like. One is a guilty pleasure and the other is just badass:

By the Sugababes

By the Chemical Brothers and Q-Tip

(Taken with my Nikon Coolpix S200)

Day 123/365 - Coraline in 3D

I'd never heard of Neil Gaiman's book 'Coraline' before, but when Erin got all excited that they were making a movie about it and gave me a quick synopsis of the story, I figured I had to see it as well. I'm glad I did. And I'm even more glad that I saw it in 3D.

I think the first 3D movie I ever saw was the old black & white monster movie 'Creature from the Black Lagoon.' When I was a kid the high school my brother and sisters attended had a screening of it one weekend as a fundraiser. I still remember this arm sticking straight out of the screen and in my face.

The 3D they use in 'Coraline' is quite a bit different than the old school variety, as are the glasses. Instead of white cardboard frames with red and blue lenses, the new 3D (called Real 3D) glasses look sort of like Ray Ban wayfarer sunglasses. There don't seem to be as many gimmicky 'comin' right at ya' moments in the modern 3D movies either, although there was a scene with a sewing needle early in 'Coraline' that had me drawing back in my seat.

Watching a modern 3D movie such as 'Coraline' is a lot like watching one of those old Viewmaster Viewer paper discs that has been turned into a movie. The depth of field and illusion of distance are amazing. In particular, there is a recurring scene in 'Coraline' involving a secret tunnel that just seems to stretch on and on and on far beyond the wall of the movie theater.

'Coraline' strikes me as being more of an adult fable than a kid's story. Parts of it are quite creepy, nightmare-fuel and there is a mildly racy bit involving a buxom old burlesque/cabaret performer prancing about in pasties and a thong that I'm sure had some parents in the audience second-guessing themselves. The litle boys sitting behind me thought it was hilarious, though.

The story is captivating, as are the characters. Coraline and her negligent, 'please leave me alone/I'm busy' parents have just moved into a strange old house with strange old neighbors and it doesn't take long for our spunky young heroine to discover that the house contains a passage to an alternate world peopled with an 'other' mother and 'other' father (not to mention 'other' neighbors) that are attentive and indulgent.

It seems at first as though this alternate world holds everything Coraline could want and nothing she doesn't. If only they didn't have those creepy buttons for eyes. And therein hangs the tale. I really enjoyed the movie and now I want to get my hands on a copy of the book. I'm sure it will be even better than the movie, despite the fact that it's only in 2D.

(Taken with my Nikon Coolpix S200)