Belgium is pretty

Finally finished editing all my photos from Belgium and thought I'd do a quick post to share a few favorites. I've got a list of other stuff I want to blog about but geeze is life work keeping me busy these days. Yes still. It's a problem. I'm looking into it.

First things first, CJ is a-ok. Thanks for the positive thoughts and well wishes and such. The anesthesia was indeed risky and they had a close call, but they made the proper adjustments and he pulled through just fine. He's got a little shaved spot on his leg where the IV was and he smells like a dentist's office, but aside from that, he seems to be doing well. I'll be even more excited when his pupils return to normal size and the funny smells go away.



Here he is earlier today, back in his usual window post. Must send out my most sincere thanks to Metro Paws Animal Hospital in the Lakewood area of Dallas. They were really fabulous and very kind and I'm so glad I've found a good vet here, since the next few years will probably be pretty bumpy with CJ getting so old and such. They had a chart up in the office so you can calculate your pet's age in people years (it's a little more complicated than just multiplying by 7) and CJ is 80! He's like a grandpa. My own little grandpa. Yay!

Okay, so onto Belgium. Which is just in time, as I plan to take lots of photos of Chicago when I'm there later this week, at which point I'll again be behind in photo editing. Sigh.



Of course any photo of my niece Suzy is a winner. Here she is with her dad on the train to Bruges.



And this was taken in Bruges itself, in a church. Have you ever seen that movie In Bruges? As I was walking around there, I couldn't help but hear Colin Farrell in my head saying "Fawken Bruuuges!" like he does through the whole movie. By the way, be forewarned if you watch that video I linked to there, it's a crapload of curse words and funnier if you've seen the movie itself, so you might want to just take my word for it..



Taken on the Rue de Bouchers, the restaurant row of sorts in Brussels. Mom and I had moules et frites (that's mussels and fries) at a place near where I shot this.



That's Mom and me in a mirrored Christmas tree, near the Grand Place in Brussels. I think I might have taken this the day I flew in? Yep, I did. Christmas day.



This one was on the front steps of the Bourse, a few blocks from the Grand Place.



And this one was taken in the Royal Museum of Fine Arts - just a cool find in a stairwell.



Taken from the top of the Musical Instrument Museum. I love how the old rooftop frames the hazy skyline.



And this one, of mom poking her head out of her building, is really cool. Her apartment was just an absolute perfect location for setting out on foot daily to explore the city. Thanks for putting us up, mom!

Fleas and things

I bought these old bottle labels at the Sablon antiques market with no clear idea what to do with them other than that I liked the colors and sorta felt like they went well together.



The man who sold them to me told me I had good taste and thought I was Italian. I think that's a compliment..? He's like Grazie! and I was like Merci! and then we're both like Huh?



It was damn cold that day. The worst day I think. Which was really awful for me because I could have spent all day perusing those booths. As it went, I only bought these labels and a button card. My brother and his family had already gone back to the apartment, but mom toughed it out with me. She loves antiques as much as I do. Though by the end she was pleading with me to just pick out the labels I wanted already so we could get home. Brrr.



So, any ideas for the labels? Other than just framing them? How could I do it creatively? Maybe a shadow box-type deal?

Meanwhile, I've gotten through editing and posting day one of the photos from the trip and am now working on day two. I need a break.



Here's the Grand Place on Christmas Day. I was so jet lagged. But mom was good and knew to get me out and walking around a bit so I didn't crash too early and then wake up at 3 am ready to tackle the day or something to that effect. It worked, for the most part. Jet lag is no fun at all.

Anyway, as I get the days' worth of photos edited, I'll upload them to my flickr. Not sure how many of them I'll put on here so you can just check over there from time to time. I took some pictures of the nieces and nephew too. They are just silly cute. Speaking of...



Yeah so apparently CJ has fleas. WTF? I only noticed them when I got back from Belgium. They weren't there before. He doesn't go outside. So what gives? So I'll probably buy some flea meds on Monday or Tuesday. He's not itching or anything. You can just see the evidence that they're there. Gross. I spent like 20 minutes at Petsmart yesterday looking at cat shampoos but didn't buy any. Perhaps because CJ would not stand to be bathed. But it's a fantasy I have, to make his coat soft and clean and fluffy again, like when he was young. Much like old people, old cats don't do so well with the hygiene (he looks great in that photo, but once you get past the shoulder blades, things go downhill). And this week I found myself wistfully staring at a photo of him that was taken when he was about 1 yr old and marveling at his fur. Maybe I can talk him into it.

As for the Christmas tree report, yes, it is still up. No, I still don't want to take it down. Perhaps am living in denial?

My, she was yar.

The squirrels thoughtfully packed my Christmas present in my aloe plant before I left Austin. That's right, 7 weeks after leaving, I found a little tree growing from a buried nut in the pot. Thanks you little f'ers.

Work is useless for me today. All I can think about is this:



Yipee skippee! Xmas morning I land in Brussels for a nice long visit with mom, plus my brother and his family, who are also flying in for the holiday. Am very much looking forward to seeing Belgium, which, according to Eddie Izzard, God created on the first day. Oh how I adore you, Eddie.

I plan to take countless pictures of my nieces and nephew, who are arguably the cutest kids on earth. Might take some of Belgium too. And frites. Gotta buy some chocolate for all who requested it. I'm not a big chocolate freak to be honest. Not unless it's in a brownie or something. But the frites and waffles, I will fall prey to immediately.

And I'll have Liz in tow. Meet Liz!



She's my Christmas present to myself this year. Donations are being accepted to pay off my credit card. Clearly I don't have funds to buy a digital SLR right now, but I'd decided long ago that I wanted to get one soon. And when the Belgium trip got booked, I knew I needed it before I left. So I researched and watched the sales and pondered and polled. In the end, lowest price trumped all other factors and I got the Nikon D40. I'm looking forward to learning what all its buttons do (there are a lot more than are on my old Pani). Speaking of my Panisonic, it's not retiring forever. It is a good, sweet, if slightly temperamental camera and has served me unbelievably well. Most important, it is with it that I discovered how much I love photography, and through it that I documented New York. Yes dear, we'll always have New York.

As for Liz, she's a good bit heavier, and makes me feel very fancy and professional. And not named for who you probably think she's named for (ahem Liz Lemon). I do love Lemon, but the Nikon is actually named for Liz Imbrie from The Philadelphia Story, one of my favorite movies. She was the photographer and straight gal to Jimmy Stewart's reporter.



Here she is meeting Tracy (Katherine Hepburn). God I love that movie. It's genius. I've got this odd habit of naming electronics for characters from old movies. I've already used Bailey and Devlin for computers. And the iPods have an exclusive contract with To Kill A Mockingbird (hello Atticus, Scout and Scout 2).

Anyway, turns out a Christmas tree is a perfect thing to have around when experimenting with an SLR for the first time. All those bits and baubles to practice zooming and focusing on.



Cats too, it seems.



Office is closing early today - hooray! Better scurry so I can get everything done. Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday, and I'll see you in '09!