O captain, my captain

Happy birthday, Walt!

exciting and new!

I'd like to officially invite you all to my new site The F Stops Here! Very excited about this new venture. In addition, I got some more work handed my way. Still working out of the house, which is a first for me. Before I moved back to Israel, I've always worked on-site, and if I did do work home, it was just something I brought back from the office. I've got lots to do. Not that I'm complaining, I could really use the money. Tomorrow begins Shavuot, the feast of the Pentecost, the holiday will be nice, but I have much to do for Sunday and Monday!
Still dealing with pain and fatigue everyday, but I seem to be doing okay. Went out two nights in a row this week, which for anti-social me is a big deal.
Just takethef.com to The F Stops Here, I'll leave the porch light on for you!

Memorial Day post

Though Memorial Day is not celebrated here (Israel does have a Memorial Day where it does commemerate its fallen, it is a much more somber day followed by the celebration immediately after of Israel Independence Day aka National Barbeque Day, which was a couple of weeks ago. I think I was the only one in the whole country who did not attend a barbeque), consider this my Memorial Day post. I miss the sales, the hot dogs, the Monday off, the M*A*S*H marathons, Fleet Week. And I've been keeping busy, networking, networking, networking, even doing a bit of socializing, still editing all these photographs I intend on posting here working on my new site, The F Stops Here; which by the way has a new URL: takethef.com, (though keep in mind, it is still a work in progress). Its purpose is show what photo editors do, so it is more of a "professional" site. (Here is where you get to be in on all my rantings and ravings. haha.) Since I haven't had much luck finding photo edit work the traditional way and in traditional publishing companies, I'm trying to think out of the box and re-"focus" my efforts on different methods and targeting different industries, such as high tech, startups and marketing.
Also, wanted to share my post on Frank Lloyd Wright and LEGO. Pure brilliance! Can't wait until the sets are available in stores.

'cause I'm leavin'.....

we interrupt this blog to bring you the following announcement:

Check out The F Stops Here for my brand-spanking new "professional" blog about photo editing...

head, shoulders, knees and toes

Today is Fibromyalgia/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (myalgic encephalomyelitis) Awareness Day, though relatively unknown, a lot of people suffer from one or both of these chronic illnesses. I was diagnosed a year and half ago with both, and while it is comforting to have a reason for what I was feeling, it is not fun. It is hard to explain what it feels like to have your whole body hurt. Or being called lazy for not being able to get out of bed. It isn't that I don't want to, it is just that I feel like I am laying under a ton of bricks and cannot move. When I first started blogging I thought I would keep the fact that I suffer from FM/ME to myself. But as I became more involved in Twitter and other social media, I realized that it is a great comfort to have people out there who, unfortunately, can relate. Being that it is FM/CFS/ME International Awareness Day, I thought I would do my part and share my story.
I have always been tired and have always had trouble sleeping. I just thought it was the way I was built, but people could never understand why I was always tired. Or why my back, neck & knees would hurt (not to mention elbows and hips). "Head, shoulders, knees & toes" is not a childrens song for me, but a list of all the places that I hurt. I couldn't understand how people could wake up in the morning feeling "refreshed." I never once knew what that felt like. It has always been a struggle for me to get out of bed in the morning. And, as tired as I am, it takes forever for me to fall asleep. Add panic & anxiety disorder plus ADD to the mix and you're in for one helluva ride! Well, over time I've learned to deal with the anxiety and ADD and hopefully I'll be able to deal with the pain and fatigue soon also. It is not fun to feel like an old lady when one is only in her mid-thirties. It is hard to explain certain sensitivities too. I am more sensitive to touch and smell, heat and cold. I hope this post helps those who don't have it understand and be able to sympathize; and for those who do, I truly empathize.

Afternoon delight

I went to the Jerusalem Botanical Garden recently, and here are some of the results. Of course, there are photos of flowers, TK. So I haven't been posting as regularly, not because I have nothing to post, but just because it is the same old same old. Dealing with daily exhaustion and pain, working on my new project, which is a good thing. Still single. It's Mother's Day, and while I applaud all mothers, especially my own, it gets me really down that I'm not one.
Well, here are the pictures: