FMTSO: Temptations and Guilty Pleasures

This week's theme is very fitting considering I live in the city of sin.

There are temptations all around the streets of Las Vegas.

There are strip clubs, all nude bars, gambling, alchohol, sex, drugs, prostitution.

Okay, I'm sure these temptations are everywhere, however,

they are probably a bit more prevalent on the streets of Las Vegas.

But don't worry, I'm not going to show you any of that stuff. 

What tempts me is pure indulgence in food, in objects, in activities.

Every time I drive by the Psychic Eye Book Shop

I am tempted to get one of these.....

I love to get readings. 

It's definitely one of my guilty pleasures.

I'm still looking for a really good psychic though.

I've only come across two so far that I would put in the really good category.

Maybe one of my readers can hook me up with a good psychic or medium.

I don't feel guilty reading books, but going to the book store is a guilty pleasure because I have no self control.  I can't even leave the store without spending anywhere from $100.00 to $200.00 on books.

My last trip to the bookstore netted me these four photography books.

When I had my business, I was much worse than I am now because I could right it off as educational materials. 

 I would spend hundreds of dollars about once a week on personal development and leadership books,

not to mention books on the paranormal, astrology and sex.

Needless to say I don't make many trips to the bookstore anymore.

Now, I have to restrain myself every time I go to Costco.

I just bought two books from Costco yesterday.

Ugh! 

Magazines tempt my wallet every time I go to the grocery store.

I have gotten much better about buying on impulse but I still love to bring home a good quick read.

Surfing the internet is a guilty pleasure when I spend too much time on the computer.

It's so tempting to keep hopping from one web site to another.

And then there's this awful addiction I have when I get on the computer....

Yep, before I do anything else I must harvest my farm in Farmville.

This is a picture of my farm.  I am now at level 74.

I have no idea how I got so hooked on this game but It helps me be creative.

Has anyone ever tried Raising Cane's?  I absolutely love their dipping sauce and I feel so guilty every time I eat it because I know that it is packed with calories and fat but sometimes I must indulge.

Let's open the bag and see what I got this morning just so I could take a photo for this shoot out.

Mmm.  A maple bar.  Even though it was meant to be a prop for this shoot,

I just couldn't resist the temptation to eat it.  The things we do for photography.

One of my favorite fast food restaurants is Wienerschnitzel.

They have the best chili cheese dog.

Messy, but well worth the guilt. 

Yummy.  Now you all know what I had for lunch today.

I like having a glass of wine every now and then too.

I don't feel guilty about that though. 

It's pleasure without guilt.

Ah, so many temptations, especially in the realm of food.

My biggest temptation is to keep on driving even though I don't have anywhere to go.

I love being in the car and I love travelling.

I should feel guilty about all the gas I waste but I don't.

Well those are the photos I took today.

I didn't want to go into archives so this is a fresh perspective at least in this moment.

To see more guilty pleasures and temptations click here.

Randomness all over the place

This photo has no signifigance other than to express how chaotic life can be.

This picture is an example of how busy the inside of my head is.

My thoughts are a jumbled mess, just like this photo.

There isn't any order to the thoughts I'm processing, however,

some of my thoughts are extremely colorful.

I saw the most adorable baby picture today.

It was a photo of two babies sitting in an old hard cover suitcase,

the baby girl was dressed in a pink tutu, a headbad with a pink flower, and a pearl necklace around her neck. The baby boy was dressed in a cute hat and a tie with no shirt.

So, upon seeing this photo it got me thinking about babies in general.

I love babies. 

They are so sweet.

Just about everyone I know either has kids or grandkids.

Having no children myself, it kind of feels like being the only smoker among a group of non-smokers.

I'm an outsider looking in and there isn't a parent or grandparent in the world who wants my opinion on raising kids.

I'm an observer.  I think I have great insight.

Most people put their children number one in their life.

I've always believed that your spouse should come first and then your children.

If a parent chooses to make the children number one, then what happens to the marriage?

I could go on and on about this subject because I feel very passionately about it.

My main concern with parents is that they enable their children by giving them everything they want when they want it.

What is that really teaching them?

It isn't.  It's causing more harm in the long run than good.

But what do I know?

I'm only an observer, not a parent.

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I used to write a lot.  I enjoy writing.

When I started this blog, it was meant to be a forum for my writing.

But now, it's something more, something different.

I can't write what I really want here because too many emotions to express.

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Have you ever had a friend just walk right out of your life?

It's happened to me a lot throughout my life.

Most of the time, I just let it go because that person's time has filled a purpose in my life.

No hard feelings.

But every now and then there's one person in your life who has effected you so positively that you never want to see them leave.

When it does you feel like a part of you has died. 

It's a grieving process.

Sometimes that person comes back from the dead, so to speak

and life is good again.

But it can't always be so easy.

Sometimes as much as you want the person to come back around,

one day, you'll have to put a bolt on the door and say, sorry,

you can't use my friendship anymore.

I've grieved you long enough and I can't do it again.

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Sasha isn't feeling well today. 

Well, most days she doesn't feel well.

Except when we go on walks.  That's the only time I see a little bit of spark in her anymore.

She'll be 15 years old next month.

For those of you who don't know,

Sasha is my dog.

I took her to the vet yesterday to get her ears and eyes checked.

I came home with  four different medications.

I also asked about creamation services.

I plan on keeping her ashes when the time comes.

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I have been designated as prize coordinator for our annual Christmas banquet for my camera club.

It's my job to solicit businesses for gifts to donate for our raffle.

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More potentiaally good news to come later but I cannot discuss the details right now.

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Tomorrow is my 16th wedding anniversary.

Woo Hoo!

That is a long time.

The good, the bad, the ugly.

I guess all marriages go through many stages.

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Well, that;s it folks.

This writing wasn't thought out in an organzied manner.

It was completely free form.

So please, don't judge me on my writing skills.

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Now pizza for dinner.

FMTSO: Over Your Head (Look Up)

It's Friday, it's Friday.

My favorite day of the week and my favorite blog posts.

This week's theme is to look up and photograph things over your head.

My photos were taken down on Fremont Street in Las Vegas, Nevada

just a couple of weeks ago.

I hope you enjoy.

Well that's about it for now.

Click here to see more and/or to participate.



Doggie models

Last night my camera club set up a pet photo shoot.

The doggies were so cute and excited and loved all the attention.

Some had less attention span than others but it was great fun and the dogs were really sweet.

Meet Ed and Skyler.

Ed is in charge of all of our field trips and he has done a fantastic job choosing subjects and locations.

Skyler was such a sweet girl, gentle and loving and very good.

Skyler has a best friend named Kayla.

They live together in harmony.

In fact, I was told that Kayla thinks she's a dog and attacks other cats.

This is cocoa and her owner.

Cocoa was a little excited the whole night and her attention span was very minute.

But she was a sweet girl too.

Cocoa ready to get out of the spotlight.

This is Kim and Luna.

Luna has been on many of our field trips.

She's a very smart dog and well behaved.

She was very focused on her mama the whole night.

Luna in an upright pose.

Luna is a cool cat.  I mean she's a cool dog.

This is JJ.  The only male dog at the photo shoot.

Some would say he's a lucky dog.

JJ likes sporting different looks.

He was such a cutie.  I think I fell in love.

I thought about bringing Sasha to the photo shoot but I didn't want the hassle of dealing with it.

It's so much harder now that she's lost her hearing. 

She's  a good girl though and now I wish I would have brought her.

Yeah, Sasha would have enjoyed mingling with all the other dogs.

But......

She would have been after that cat.

Forgotten Order

Today I retrieved a nice little package from my mailbox. 

I had forgotten all about ordering this item.

Nonetheless, I was thrilled to have a package to open.

It's so much fun to view the contents inside and see the opportunity for growth.

I'm not sure how I found this item but I do recall getting side tracked and landing on their website.

I liked what I saw and decided I needed some reinforcement to help with my vibrational intentions.

I can't wait to begin listening to the CD's and conducting the exercises in the workbook.

I know.....I'm a freak. 

I can't help that I enjoy getting assignments to complete.

I like homework.

I like learning and growing.

And right now, I need to inject some spiritual serum into my soul.

Click here if you'd like to know more about this spiritual tool kit.

Oh so sweet and good...........

The other day I received a forwarded email from Gayla informing me of the health benefits of honey and cinnamon.  I had done my own research on the benefits of honey several years ago and since then have kept my cupboard stocked with raw honey.

The benefits of honey and cinnamon  are even more astonishing.

Together, they help build a strong immune system, but that's not all.

They are great for the digestive system, maintaining a healthy heart and it also aids in having healthy hair, skin, teeth, nails and bones.

Another benefit is that it can be very helpful in weight loss management.

So, for three days now I've been mixing up a concoction of honey and cinnamon, in hopes of benefiting my body as a whole and getting myself to a healthier me.

Here is the recipe for my concoction.

Start out with one cup of hot water.  You can boil it on the stove or you can microwave it.

Add one tablespoon of raw honey and stir until dissolved.

Then add one teaspoon of cinnamon and stir until it is mixed well.

The result is a delicious hot drink that tastes similar to sweet tea with a touch of cinnamon.

The cinnamon is more difficult to get smoothe and doesn't dissolve very well so you may want to use cinnamon sticks, however, I'm not sure it would add the same benefit.

I promise you it is very tasty.

Oh, and one more fact about honey.  It is the only food that doesn't go bad and doesn't expire.

Here's a little tip. 

If your honey has a white color to it and looks like little crystals all you have to do is put the honey jar in a ziplock bag and run hot water over it until the crystals disappear.

Wah lah!  Good as new.

Never heat honey in the microwave as the enzymes in the honey will evaporate, thus losing the nutritional value.

For more information on this wonderful combination of cinnamon and honey

I've provided a link for your curiosity.



FMTSO: The Letter N

My first thought for this week's theme was naughty and nice. 

But the naughty images going through my head are probably a little racy for the FTSO blog.

So instead,

you will be seeing images of Night shots in New Mexico taken with my Nikon and other things that begin with the letter N.

My trusty Nikon.  Well actually, this is Justin's trusty Nikon.

I took the photo with my Nikon though, which is pretty much the same except for the lens.

Almost every night that we were on vacation we picked out a location to shoot the moon and the stars.

This was our first night in Santa Fe and we drove north about twenty or thirty miles and found this dirt road off the highway.  Most of my shots did not include the road or our truck, however, I really liked this shot and I converted this photo into a post card the next day and sent it out to several people.

The next day, we spotted this camel shaped rock on our way to Bandelier National Monument.

We took mental note of its location as a possible night shoot.

Obvisously, we found our way back to this rock where we practiced taking night shots.

This was a difficult place to shoot because there was a casino nearby and the lighting was almost too much.

Also, we were getting lots of light from the freeway.

This is what the area at Camel Rock looks like when you turn around.

Those streaks are traffic trails from the freeway.

The moon was really bright and I haven't quite mastered the art of taking its photo.

On our way back from Camel Rock we stopped at the Veteran's Cemetary in New Mexico and took several shots.  They had the cemetary locked to cars but we found a way to get past the gate.

This was the best angle I could get and you can see the moon peeping through the trees.

On our way home we passed some ruins in Arizona.  We kept on driving and got a room in Flagstaff and after settling in and eating dinner we drove back to the ruins which was about 33 miles east of Flagstaff.

We stayed out there for a couple of hours and then we even drove back the next day to see what we couldn't see in the pitch black of night.

More ruins east of Flagstaff.

This is the picnic area of Canyon Lake just east of Mesa, Arizona.

The lights were a golden yellow, therefore the entire foreground of the grass and trees were painted with light.

So now that you've seen a sampling of my NIGHT images,

I'll go ahead and post a few items I found around the house that start with the letter N.

A box of old nails laying around in the garage.

Nail polish.  These are the latest colors I fancy.

Needle.  

 This is my sewing machine and you can tell by looking at the layers of dust that it's been awhile since I've actually used it. 



Nickels to add to my collection of saved coins. 

I rarely use my change. 

 I like it to pile up and then count it out and put it in the bank for bigger and better things.

Nuts.   Hubby likes to snack on these at work. 

I make sure I keep the cubbard well stocked for his lunch box.

Nose.  I bet I've placed over a million kisses on that nose over the years.

Isn't she cute?

My town mr linky dot blog spot dot com is where you need to re-route to see some more letter N photos.