Squished Noses

Squished Noses, originally uploaded by AshwinK.

Squished Noses. Noses. Hmm.. that sounds funny. Not exactly funny, but maybe odd. I've never used 'Noses' in a sentence before. Moses. Poses.

Perhaps it should be nosii.

Nosii. Country of origin, please. Use it in a sentence. Alternate pronunciations. Yeah, Nosii would definitely mess with kids' heads in a Spelling Bee.

Oh, never mind. Perish the thought. Nose-Noses.

Have a good weekend, folks.

(Hmmm, folkii... No Reshma, STOP! It's getting ridiculous now. Now?? Ridiculous started when I first typed Nosii! Well, I have typed way too much to delete now. So it stays, ridiculous or not.)

Squished Nosii.

It's been a long week...

(A transcript of my monkeying mind as I stepped out of the room after typing 'Squished Noses'.)

View entire 'B/W Portraits' series in High Definition*".

Shopping For A Boat

Shopping For A Boat, originally uploaded by ashwink.

We're shopping for a new car. (My husband was involved in a car accident last Friday, but that's a different story.) We're at the breakfast table discussing car models. Car-mileage and reliablity are, of course, on top of the list. We've been happy with some Japanese cars in the past and come up with some popular names. Yeah, we're a rather predictable and boring family that way.

"We could buy a Hyundai car", chimes in our 4-year old, AKA Mr. Auto-complete. He loves to get involved in all matters of importance.

"Hyundai?", we both look at him.
"Yes, a Hyundai car, that's what we need to get."
"Well, that's not what we had in mind, Bud."
"Let's get a Hyundai Jeep then. I'd like a Jeep."
" We don't have a Jeep.", he persists.
"Babe, we don't have a boat either, you know...", I say slyly.

The wheels go click-clack, click-clack, click-clack (a little like 'Jeopardy' theme tune) in his little head before he blurts out triumphantly, "We could buy a Jeep and then hitch a BOAT behind it!!"

Sarcasm is completely lost on Mr. Auto-complete.

NOT On My Couch!

NOT On My Couch!, originally uploaded by ashwink.

It requires special talent to put on a sunny expression, suppress your utter horror and let the budding artist blossom as he enjoys his queasy paints. "Oh, that is wonderful, babe! Sure, let's try that black paint now..."

(What I'm really thinking: NOT on my Couch! No, don't touch the floor! Only on paper means ONLY on paper!! Mind your shirt! Finger painting is not an Art form, so could we stop and try crayons now?... )

Except for some paint on the hardwood floor which came off easily, yellow on his chin which required some scrubbing, blueish-green under his toes which I completely missed, and some brown under his nails which I chose to ignore, the Art project went smoother than expected. I might have missed a few heart beats but I'm okay with that.

The final masterpiece looked quite different; a dirty brown color, bolder strokes, heavier layer of paint but just as precious.

Now, it was a completely different story when we went out for Ice cream that evening and he had his very first cone. Let me just say we shouldn't have let him pick that bright blue-colored stuff with cookie bits in it.

A Macro, A Macro!

A Macro, A Macro!, originally uploaded by ashwink.

So, I bought a new macro lens (Tamron 90mm). Of course, if you buy a macro lens, you need to do the customary flower shot, the rite of passage as it were, and stick it in all the macro and flower groups on flickr.com to congregate with 3.68 billion other flowers out there, swaying, caressing and and vying for your attention. Once there, the flowers will mingle together, say "hi" to each other, compare their DOFs and show off their color and sharpness, and maybe even flirt with a few of those butterflies who sneaked in.

Unfortunately, God forgot about our little neighborhood and dumped 5" of heavy, wet snow on us, snuffing out any little chance that those sleeping tulips will ever peep out this year. Yeah, blame it on Him, instead of global warming. So, I used the excuse of having company over the weekend to buy flowers and test my new lens. :-P

Ta-da! May I present to you - my flower MACRO!

You say that you've seen 3.31 million shots identical to this one? Oh, I doubt any of those is as loved as this one! (Shhh! You want to make a newcomer feel special, don't you?!)

One More Time!

One More Time!, originally uploaded by ashwink.

Dear God Almighty, can I ask one more time?

Oh, please, please, please (in red, bold, uppercase, 3D, underlined, glowing, glittered, neon, lavender scent, and in dolby stereo), let the Chicago Bears win the Super Bowl in Miami tomorrow (Feb 4th, Sunday evening)!

This football game is making me a believer!

It worked last time!

Edit: Monday morning. We lost.

Winter Be Gone

Winter Be Gone, originally uploaded by ashwink.

I know it's January and summer is a long way, but I start my winter rants early.

December is wonderful! There's a spring in my step, my mood is sunny even as the air is chilly, the holiday lights are cheery, the shops are merry, the snowy blanket is oh-so-pretty .... and then it's all over, it's downhill from there.

The roads are slushy, the snow white is now muddy and dirty, roads are messy, clouds are gloomy, people are surly and I just can't wait for summer anymore! Brrr!

I saved this photo from last summer for exactly this kind of wintery day. Stay warm, everyone!

About the photo: I like the paper-like translucence and texture. The imperfections and water drops amid the symmetry make it for me. Simple post-processing involved 1-click conversion to selective coloring using Picasa. I bumped up the saturation and cropped a wee bit.

Go Chicago Bears!!!!

Go Chicago Bears!!!!, originally uploaded by ashwink.

Today, at 2:00PM, the Chicago Bears (our American Football team) will be hosting the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Championship game. If we win this, we go to the Super Bowl to win the ultimate trophy! The last time that happened was more than 20 years ago, so it's huge!!

It isn't going to be easy. Thanks to a media-led frenzy, the *rest* of the country is rooting for the Saints who have had a Cinderella-like story this year, a miraculous comeback after a devastating hurricane Katrina hit their city last year.

The only support we have right now is the Bear country weather here in Chicago - snowing and utterly cold, making for slippery conditions, perfect for the grizzlies. We hope. :-)

Now, did the Saints have to have 'Saints' in their name?! Oh, dear God, we may not be saintly, but, please, please, please, let us win! I want Chicago to celebrate!

I want the Bears to go to DISNEY WORLD!!!

Edit:
We won the game, 39-14.
Miami, here we come! It's the Bears against the Indianapolis Colts on Feb 4th for the Super Bowl . Woo-hoo! :-)

Can You Hear Him Now?

Can You Hear Him Now?, originally uploaded by ashwink.

Most photo-shoots end when he makes an appearance... Sigh! But it's his toy I was playing with, so we're even.

It took us about 10 minutes to regret this purchase. First-time parent mistake.

Dirty Sink

Dirty Sink, originally uploaded by ashwink.

It's the same old story. I'm on a task, something catches my eye, I drop everything and fetch my camera.

In this case, the soap against glass and the window blinds made for an interesting pattern. Or so I thought.

When you're doing the dishes, everything else is more interesting.

Ouch! This Can't Be Good!

I asked if it was okay for me to take their picture and added a tongue-in-cheek remark about how they could do nothing about it anyway. :-) The young adults (6 of them) obliged and I got a bunch of shots.

The other members of their party soon started to throw some food around them to attract the birds and a commotion ensued.Luckily for them, my little boy and his friends started chasing each other, squealing and screaming, and unintentionally frightened the birds away. Boy, were they relieved!

Kindness returned, I told them.

What would possess sane humans to get themselves into such situations, I don't know!

(This foto was taken while on a picnic in Illinois State Beach Park (Lake michigan shoreline). If you didn't know better, you'd think it's a sea, complete with beach, waves, and water as far as the eye can see. Considering we live in mid-western USA, so far from a real sea, this is a sweet deal.)

Wide-Angle And Wide-Eyed

Sometimes, it is so much easier to travel and appreciate beauty in far-off places than in your own backyard, and that has certainly been the case with us. Close to where we live, there is an equestrian training and boarding facility surrounded by expensive equestrian homes, complete with bridle trails, barns, green pastures, and white picket fences. Every time we drive by, we slow down to catch a glimpse of the horses. "One of these days we must stop by", we say, and in the 5 years we've lived in the area, we have never done that.

Yesterday, after the little fellow was done with Summer Camp, we had the rest of the day to ourselves. The rain had finally stopped and it was lovely outside. The Park was too wet and yet, it was a shame to be indoors. "Let's see the horses!", I blurted out. Little children make you do impulsive things like that.

The folks there were surprised to see us but welcoming nevertheless. We peered into the stables, picked our favorite horses, watched one being groomed, all the while keeping a safe distance. In the Indoor arena, there were developmentally challenged kids in a therapy session. Finally, it was time to see the horses in the pastures, roaming wild and free. There were none. It had rained all morning. But, of course! Sheeeeeesh!
"One of these days, we need to stop by to see the horses in the pastures", I said, as he happily splashed through every single puddle on our way back to the mini-van.

NOT On My Couch!

NOT On My Couch!, originally uploaded by ashwink.

It requires special talent to put on a sunny expression, not let your utter terror show and let the budding artist blossom and enjoy his queasy paints. "Oh, that is wonderful, babe! Sure, let's try that black paint now..."

(What I'm really thinking: NOT on my Couch! No, don't touch the floor! Only on paper means ONLY on paper!! Mind your shirt! Finger painting is not an Art form, so could we stop and try crayons now?... )

Except for some paint on the hardwood floor which came off easily, yellow on his chin which required some scrubbing, blueish-green under his toes which I completely missed, and some brown under his nails which I chose to ignore, the Art project went smoother than expected. I might have missed a few heart beats but I'm okay with that.

The final masterpiece looked quite different; a dirty brown color, bolder strokes, heavier layer of paint but just as precious.

Now, it was a completely different story when we went out for Ice cream that evening and he had his very first cone. Let me just say we shouldn't have let him pick that bright blue-colored stuff with cookie bits in it.

I wish he'd pedal

I wish he'd pedal, originally uploaded by ashwink.

He loves his new bike. I wish he'd pedal more but, no, we need to take the scenic route around the countryside at snail's pace.

He's the sort who likes to pause, take it easy, look at the "jungle", say hi to the giraffe, pedal forward a few yards, stop again, ask a dozen profound questions, pedal some more only to stop 2 seconds later to fill gas in his "car", then say hi to his aunt, take a break at the rest stop, pluck some leaves, make sure imaginary Mickey is still sittng behind him, stop in India, meet Simba at Disneyworld (The fella has only half a clue what Disneyworld reeeally means)...

Can we just pedal! If you stop or pedal less than -minimum- speed, then it is hard to get started again. Why? Something called traction...No, the road isn't too bumpy, you just need to keep pedaling. Pedal now.

My friend sees Ashwin on his bike and is amazed at how well he is doing in just 3 days. Her daughter, she says, has been on a bike for a long time but she won't pedal. She likes to stop , look at the flowers, say "hi"...

Simple Pleasures

What could be nicer than spending a warm Saturday morning in a boat going nowhere?

The few times we've been on a boat before, our little monkey would fall asleep when we hopped on a boat and wake up promptly when the ride was over. This time was different. Once he got used to the idea of this thing moving in the water and the stick that controls it, he decided that he was in charge.

So there we were, left at the mercy of a 2-3/4 year old, the boat going in circles. No, that's not how it works, you guys! Let's chase the ducks, get closer to the kayaks, get close-up shots of the weeds, go under the bridge... but Father and Son would have none of it. So I just gave up trying to take any photos and put my cam away after a few attempts. This shot was one of 'em.

And then I start to think. (Oh, no! :-)) This boat ride is our life in microcosm. The little rascal, ever since he came, has taken over our lives! We have no clue what lies ahead, where we are going; he is into everything. While all other boats looked quiet, peaceful and on a deliberate course, ours was free-sailing. Right there in the middle, we were a mad trio just letting the wind and a happy kid guide us.

I left the pictures of the ducks, flowers, kayaks and row boats for later. It's time to savor the moment and soak up the sun. And cherish those squeals and giggles.

What could be nicer than spending a Saturday morning in a boat going nowhere? And that's exactly how we spent Dad's birthday.

Birthday surprise

The better-half's other half likes to call home every so often from work to find out how the family is doing. "What are you guys upto?", he asks. "Hmm..nothing...", I manage nonchalantly. Next, it's the little one's turn to chat. A minute into the conversation and he bursts out "Mama is baking a cake for you." What?? Didn't I just tell him it was a secret? A surprise? Of course, the voice on the other end shouldn't have asked "What kind of cake?" next, becuse this voice here promptly says "Tiramisu layer cake". Nothing is sacred around here anymore. Kids learn to speak too soon. Hmmph!

The cake is ready now but we have so much left to do. So the mom-son team hit the stores. First, the balloons. I wondered for a moment if it was possible to hide a balloon from him but how does one do that?? Next, we look for presents. Sure, it's a last minute thing but men are so difficult to buy for. "Papa doesn't get a present, I guess", I say as we browse around. Finally we're back home, and it's time to teach this child a thing or two about surprises and secrets. We don't tell Papa about the balloon, okay? Why? It's a surprise. Why? It's his birthday tomorrow. So can I have a big balloon for my birthday? Yours isn't until August....Is it August now? No, just remember this, we don't say anything about the balloon, okay?

The not-a-surprise-anymore cake is ready, the balloon is hidden and we're ready. I can hear the garage door open. He's home. 1 minute 32 seconds go by before I hear a "We bought you a birthday balloon!!". Okay, I thought it was going to be closer to 15 seconds. "So, what else did you both do today?" Motor-mouth proudly says "We didn't get you a present". I can tell the birthday boy is enjoying all this. But did he have to ask such a leading question?? My heart is in my mouth. STOP talking to that boy!

Can I have some cake now?

We end up celebrating an early birthday. The balloon comes out of my closet, the cake is cut and devoured. I am still hopping mad. Can't I buy a balloon in this house anymore??

The chatter-box is finally in bed. I pull out the birthday present. A-Ha! He didn't have a clue! I can still be sneaky if I have to!

Tiramisu Layer Cake