Photoshop Elements

Well, here's a new experience for me; I have signed up for an online class in Photoshop Elements! It is a unique experience. First of all the classes are very quiet! You get your first class, print it out and then find the items mentioned on the screen. What makes it a challenge is that I have a newer version of the software. So far that doesn't seem to be a problem although locating what they are talking about is often a guessing game. What I have found is if I just noodle around I usually find what I'm looking for. I am not ready to make this my "main" program. For now, I will continue to download pictures into Picassa. This first class has been a tour of some of the tools, now I'll spend the rest of the week practicing what I have been introduced to. A major plus of the class is there is a forum where you can post questions and also read what other people in the class are experiencing! This is big time fun!!!

Pedicure

So, its been rather cold and damp here so I decided it was the perfect time to get a pedicure. I've been rather concerned about using some of these Korean places so I went to my dermatologists office instead. Having used the Korean places in the past it was interesting to compare the two experiences. First, at the doctor's office, the person speaks to you and its English; the Korean place gives you something to drink (water, soda, etc) as soon as you sit down; doctor's office, nothing! Now the actual pedicure: the doctor's office, warm water and lots and lots of bubbles, in fact so many that at one point I think we are both going to float out of the room; Korean place, very hot water, no bubbles! Then the "fun" part, doctor's office, lots of removal of corns, nails cut very short, the emphasis is on making the feet soft and clean; Korean place, polish is the main concern of the day. Legs: doctor's office some cream on your legs and then hot "boots" on your feet for about 5 minutes; Korean place, honey scrub and your legs wrapped in hot towels, hot towel over your eyes, lean back in the chair and the attendant messages your feet for 5 minutes. Kit of supplies: doctor's office you buy all the disposable materials they use. this includes the polish, files, corn removers, sandals (rubber that can be reused) cuticle softener, base and top coat of polish, cotton, etc). Korean place, you pick out what polish you want and everything else is used by everybody. Cost: doctor's office $65 and one time charge for kit $60; Korean place $45.

so what was my decision for the next time? I'm going to stick to the doctor's office. I like the cautiousness of having my own polish, tools, etc. When I asked why you had your own polish, for instance, she said that they are concerned about fungus that can be transmitted by more than one person using the polish, tools, etc. Maybe I'm just a high maintenance person and the Korean place would be just fine...I just don't want to take chances! Bottom line, pedicures are not my favorite thing, I don't like people messing with my feet! However, I don't seem to be able to do an adequate job myself so it makes sense to me to go to the doctor! Now if only the insurance would cover it!!!

Get out those soup recipes!

Earlier in the winter we talked about trying new soups; well, now we are going to have to put that idea to the test. Our hostess for the Super Bowl has set the theme for the evening to be "New" since both teams have new in their name. I am responsible for the soup. Rules: it must be something new for you to make, in other words a recipe you have never tried. Tonight I have my soup cookbooks spread out to read so I can make a decision. Recently there was a recipe in The Times for Beet Curry Soup, sounds good to me but I know not everyone likes beets. Another recipe is Chicken and Almond Soup, the description says "this spicy soup makes an excellent lunch or super dish when served with Indian nan bread. I'm concerned this may be too spicy. so, back to reading my books!

Art Deco Hotels in Miami

Friday afternoon the plan was to drive to Ft. Lauderdale where we would be staying with Aunt Shirley (Grammie was already there) and then flying from there back to NYC. We decided before leaving we would do a walking tour of the area. We stopped in to visit a few of the hotels in the area. Here is some of the art work and decor! What a beautiful site!

We're back!

To those of you who check my blog to see if I've posted anything, thank you for stopping by. I'll see if I can be more regular with postings!

Last week David and I went to Miami for a sales conference held by his company. I have not been to Miami Beach for decades and staying at this hotel made the wait worthwhile. We were at the Loew's Miami Beach which is actually in South Beach. What a place, what a neighborhood, what prices! My experience at the hotel was basically sitting at the pool, reading and paying for food. The food was good and the help was outstanding! The night we arrived David had a meeting which included dinner; I had been invited but decided it would not be fair to him to have to worry about me so I told him to go on his own. I went down to one of the dining rooms and asked to be seated outside. As the hostess showed me to my table I noticed a young woman sitting by herself, reading a book. After I was shown to my table I went back and asked the woman if she would like to have dinner together. I explained I was not trying to "pick her up" (answering a question that would have been my concern) and so we had dinner together. What fun! She is from the Netherlands and was staying with a friend who was at the GE conference going on at the same time. We talked about American customs in eating and serving that seemed strange to her. For instance, why is the coffee always so cold...I told her that the Americans, in most cases, did not heat the milk before they added it to the coffee/tea and hence the cold coffee/tea. We spoke about Landmark Educ, she also had taken some seminars! Wow, it really is a small world! The next night we ate together at Emeril's Restaurant that was also in the hotel. The food was excellent, service, not up to the European standards (mine either!)! Wow, getting pretty demanding, don't you think. We both talked about how quickly the food was served and how fast the check appeared; not at all European! Well, if we go to The Netherlands we definitely have someone to visit!

Photography

Well as many of you know, photography is one of my very favorite passions. Recently I decided to see what I could do about selling some of my work. My doctor (Alan Falkoff) has invited his patients to display their work in his office. He is an amateur photographer as well and had one of this pictures printed on canvas. What a beautiful process...almost looks like a painting. So I had one of my China photos printed on canvas and it is being displayed in the hair dresser's where I get my hair cut...we'll see. This is the print that I had done. Now I have to decide if I should have another picture done to show more of my work, or, perhaps I'll put together a brochure. Stay tuned!