It doesn’t happen all that often here . . . Topaz couldn’t wait to get back inside, but Gus and I played outside for a while 🙂

Monthly Photo Contests for the magazine ‘Our State North Carolina’
Check out ‘The Photographers Page’: http://www.ourstate.com/mag/photo.html
Here is where you can find an assortment of photo needs not listed on the editorial calendar. Since the content of the magazine is a work-in-progress, we will endeavor to update this page as new articles come in. Incidentally, we work several months in advance and prefer to use seasonal images when possible—please keep this in mind when shooting and submitting photography. Specific needs are listed below:

APRIL 2007 deadline 2/1/2007
Photo Essay: “Wild About Flowers” wildflowers throughout the state
“mini” Photo Essay: Panthertown Valley in Jackson County (Spring / Summer shots are preferred)

MAY 2007 deadline 3/1/2007
Photo Essay: “Double Take” seven lighthouses shown in contrasting scenes (summer + winter, sunrise + sunset, etc.). This is our annual coastal and lighthouse issue.
May town: King
May county: Madison

JUNE 2007 deadline 3/30/2007
Photo Essay: “Signs of the Times” old and vintage signs that hearken to another era
June town: Burnsville

JULY 2007 deadline 4/27/2007
Photo Essay: “Reader Photo Contest” We are looking for amateur entries for the contest, submissions similar to what we get for the Tar Heel Image (the photo featured on the last page of every Our State). While the submissions are open to everyone, if you are a regular contributor or a professional you might want to sit this one out. Instead of our regular submissions address, contest submissions should be sent here: Our State Reader Photo Contest, P.O. Box 4552, Greensboro, NC 27404
July town: Lumberton

AUGUST 2007 deadline 5/25/2007
Photo Essay: “Front Row Seats” visually demonstrate the drama of theaters across the state
August town: Hillsborough

SEPTEMBER 2007 deadline 6/29/2007
Photo Essay: “Back to School” a nostalgic look at schoolrooms and schoolhouses of yesteryear
September town: Hendersonville
September county: Carteret

OCTOBER 2007 deadline 7/27/2007
Photo Essay: “The Midas Touch” the sun-kissed gold of a North Carolina Autumn
October town: Wilson

NOVEMBER 2007 deadline 8/31/2007
Photo Essay: Beautiful North Carolina sunsets
November town: Laurinburg
November county: Durham

DECEMBER 2007 deadline 9/28/2007
Photo Essay: “Christmas Presence” a look at historical celebrations and traditions in NC—photographs of places, decorations, architectural details, docents dressed up in period costumes at various venues for events, etc.
December town: Statesville

*** Anyone up for some field trips this year? ***

Deadline: March 15th 2007 @ 5:00pm
One (1) entry (.jpeg or .gif) per person
http://hometownviews.dja.com/

	Upload a picture highlighting what you love about your hometown.
	40 finalists get their poster-size photos sold in local Staples® stores and receive royalties. Plus, they get a $100 Staples Gift Card.
	ALL entrants receive a FREE coupon good for a big color poster (12″ x 18″).

Q. What are the prizes?
A. One Grand Prize Winner will receive a 5-day/4-night photography adventure for two to Reykjavik, Iceland. Trip includes round-trip, economy-class air transportation for two from the major airport nearest the winner’s home city to Reykjavik, Iceland; four days, three nights first-class hotel accommodations at The Radisson SAS 1919 Hotel or similar (based on double occupancy); daily buffet breakfast and the opportunity to take the following tours: a relaxing Blue Lagoon tour upon arrival, a Golden Circle tour and a whale watching tour. Approximate retail value of the prize is $6,000.

Forty (40) Finalists (five {5} per region) will receive a $100 Staples® Gift Card and the opportunity for their photograph to be sold at select Staples® stores within the region they reside in. Finalists will receive $1 for each photograph that is sold, up to a maximum of $5,000. Photos will be available for sale from approximately July 1, 2007-September 15, 2007. In the event the Sponsor, in its sole discretion, determines a Finalist’s photograph is not one the Sponsor wishes to commercialize, then only a $100 Staples® Gift Card will be awarded.

See the official rules for more details.

Q. When will Winners be announced?
A. Finalists’ names will be posted on the Winners’ link at http://www.staples.com/hometownviews no later than May 1, 2007. The Grand Prize Winner will be posted on the Winners’ link at http://www.staples.com/hometownviews no later than May 15, 2007.

Check out the rest of their FAQ’s

Let me know ifyou win!

Thanks to Rick for passing on the info

If you love gift wrapping, stationary, stickers, etc just as much as me 🙂 then check out Whimsy Press [http://www.whimsypress.com/], I found out about them in Domino Magazine.

They have some super cute wrapping paper and I love their New Valentine’s day collection (Haiku and Shanghi) ,their Asian inspired prints under Dim Sum, and they have pet inspired papers with dog breed silhouettes.

A little expensive at $4.50 a sheet or around $36 for a collection, but worth it if you like to wrap gifts and make them look special! 😀

Not much going on right now, Gary was on conference calls for work mostly this weekend. I took a 3 hr nap today. Weekends rock.

Gary’s parents came over for a puppy play date and lunch and later I went shopping at Macy*s with a gift card I had gotten from Christmas . . . I love sales 🙂

Fun Stuff.

So I found out about this Gorilla pod on another blogger’s blog http://xof711.wordpress.com/

Kind of a neat concept [http://www.joby.com/gp3.html] There are three kinds, the gorilla pod for compact cameras, the slr, and the slr-zoom which is is $50, weighs 8.5oz and can support 6.6 lbs.

It looks like it could be useful if you were shooting same-location or knew you needed to attach your camera to a pole and you would most likely get the most use out of it with a shutter release.

Prolly one of those toys that would be fun to have, but not sure how much use one would get from it since I use my tripods not only for stability, but also for their height . . . and they are a pain as it is to move, let alone to have to climb up a pole and unravel each time.

I might give this do-dad a better “review” if they sent me one to try out 😉

Last sunday I met Sarah, Rick, Larry, and Trisha. We set up a few sets of studio lighting to experiment and play with. We mostly shot fruit . . . nothing extaticly exciting 😛

So during my lunch break today I went to the closest pet store near my work and got a plant for the aquarium and a bridge (with smooth sides).

I placed the plant in the far right corner and then the bridge digaonally in that corner so Maximus has a nice little cave and the moss flosts around mostly on the right side of the aquarium. Then I bought some freeze dried brine shrimp which he loves (and a little goes a Long way!)

SO Recap:
betta fish (red male) = $3.50
Aquatic Gardens Delux Plastic Aquarium with Lid = $9.99 (Medium – 11.5″W X 8″D X 8″H)
moss = free (from co-worker)
Hikari Betta Bio-Gold Food = $2 something
Betta Safe by Tetra water conditioner = $3/$4
plant = $1.49
bridge= $4.49
brine shrimp by Hikari = $7.49
hydor mini heater = $14.99
submersible thermometer = $2.99

But now I have a happier Maximus 🙂
So you must know by now we spoil our other pets too -haha

this pic was taken with my cell phone camera and i know its kind of dark in the office so a little hard to see

I went to a taping of a TV show last night with a friend of mine and we were sitting right behind the judges!

Everyone had to sign a release form for if you were caught on tape that they could use your image, etc, etc. I can’t tell you what show, and I can’t tell you who the final 5 winners were that were “one step closer” to becoming ________., but the show is in its 3rd season.

The celebrity guests judges were Hal Sparks (star of “Queer As Folk” on Showtime and VH-1’s “I Love the 80’s”) and Kim Coles (from the TV show “Livin Single”).

I’ll let you know when the tv show airs ’cause I want to see if we are in the studio audience 😀

Though I doubt it will be any time too soon.

This is so cool! If you have cats, I found this top entry litter box which is so great. If you have dogs, most won’t be able to get in and it reduces litter on the floor around. I found it on the Petco website and we bought ours there but Petsmart also sells them. We got one but I think I’ll be getting a second one to replace the two we had been using. Just a neat product 🙂