Egads! It's a tick!

I went on a camera laden adventure yesterday (pictures to follow later once I'm at my actual computer) and had the most wonderful time. I discovered an abandoned basketball goal in the middle of the woods next to a river and a man-made dam. Up the hill was an abandoned house/building that was surrounded my bare trees and fallen crabapples rotting on the ground. I looked in awe at this once inhabited place wondering why the people left.

Afterwards I went to an old mansion, abandoned but not forgotten since it is now the towns historical society's major restoration project. Behind the mansion is a city park full of trails and sports fields to give anyone who visits something to do. After a few shots from my camera, I packed it up and went home to take a nap.

It was about five minutes into that nap that something on my arm woke me up. A tick!!! I jumped up and ran to the kitchen to kill it (later found out I was a deer tick), threw off my clothes not caring that my shades where open, ran into the shower and washed my hair thoroughly. I then called the vet to find out what I should do about the cats.

I did the right thing by killing it, bathing myself, and washin the clothes I wore while out in the woods. I then went to the pet store to by a flea and tick spray for he cats and the car, since I did drive while the tick was on me. I'm still super paranoid, afraid that my cats or I will get Lyme disease. No bullseye marks on me that I can see somaybe I'm in the clear but just the thought of it crawling on me gives me the shivers.

I wish that ticks and fleas hybernated in the fall and winter so that I wouldn't have to worry but alas they don't.

I Need Filters!!!!

I finally figured out why my photos never turn out the way that I see them! It's because I don't have any filters to balance out the colors and light! D'oh! Why hadn't I figured this out before?! I was going through my B&H Photo magazine and came to the page that sells filters. In it they give descriptions of what EACH FILTER DOES! Yes!!! Now I know what I need to do! Monday I think I will take a trip to the Big Tall City and head on over to B&H for some camera shopping fun!! :-D  


Here are a few photos from yesterday's adventure. Keep in mind, I took these without the filters. Just imagine how much better they would be if I had the right filter on!


*Note: All photos below are (c) 2009 Lydia R. Gillis LRG Photography. Please DO NOT COPY.

I loved how big and bare this tree was in comparison to the other smaller trees surrounding it. Directly below this tree were hundreds of what I believe were crabapples rotting under my feet.

Near the tree pictured above was this abandoned basketball goal. This area was suddenly flat and even than what I was walking on previously. I wasn't looking ahead and literally stumbled upon this. It was discovering this (and a giant birdhouse that was nearby but not shown on this blog) that my curiosity peaked.

This Man-Made Dam is LITERALLY behind that basketball goal.

I stood on the wall of the dam when I took this.

Up the hill to the right of the dam (when facing the dam) was this abandoned building/house. As I climbed the hill to this spot I noticed several wooden boards that created steps. Obviously grown up for the most part by nature, it was evidence that someone put some serious effort into making this land habitable. Unfortunately, only the critters are left to enjoy its remnants.

This is the land behind the dam. But don't dare walk on it because it's really just swamp. All water and no solid ground awaits ahead.

This is the view from the abandoned foundation. Peaceful, no?

The path that I took to the damn and abandoned foundation. There are just a few trees holding onto their golden leaves.

There is a name for this old mansion but I do not know it. It is located in my town where Turkey Park lies behind it's stone face. The town's historical society is raising funds to restore this once beloved home.

Early Morning

Technically I've slept in given the fact that most mornings I am up at 1:30. However, I am still up before the sun and am now debating on whether I should attempt to capture the sunrise or not. Time is of the essence so I need to make a decision quick. - 6:52 am.

7:45 am....

I had decided to go down to the lake and enjoy the sunrise with my camera. Good Morning America!

(c) 2009 Lydia R. Gillis LRG Photography

Please do not copy.

Breaking the Rules

Our new blue uniforms are rather nice when compared to our old rent-a-cop like white uniforms. I think they make us look more professional and the badges were a real confidence booster for the employees. When we started wearing the new uniforms we were told of the new uniform policy that was only slightly different than the old policy.

The policy, in laymen terms, says that any officer who wears the short-sleeved shirts are to NOT wear the tie whatsoever. I then asked the Manager does this rule apply to those who would wear the vest or sweater over the shirt and his reply was that even with those garments covering the shirt, the tie was still NOT to be worn because it was not designed for that purpose. So I said OK and went on with my day.

Fast forward a year to where I finally receive my sweater in the mail and I wear it this entire week over my short-sleeved shirt WITHOUT the tie. No one says a thing because I am not violating the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) in regards to our uniform. Today however one of the managers had a hissy fit because I was not wearing the tie. Here is our conversation:

Him: Where is your tie?
Me: I don't need to wear a tie sir because I am wearing the short-sleeved shirt underneath this sweater.
Him: You MUST wear a tie when wearing the sweater.
Me: Um, sir? That is not what the SOP states.
Him: You MUST WEAR A TIE! (he then storms off)

I follow him to the office
Me: Sir, may I see the SOP Please?
Him: NOT RIGHT NOW LYDIA!
Me: Sir, it is my right to see the SOP.
Him: DID YOU NOT HEAR ME? NOT AT THIS TIME!!

(I am not exaggerating here, he really is yelling at me and I am speaking to him calmly)
Me: Sir, I'm not trying to argue with you but just requesting to see the SOP because I was told differently by another Manager that I was not to wear a tie with the short-sleeved shirt, regardless of the sweater.

(he storms off the the supervisor where he asks for the SOP, tells her why, and I overhear her standing up for me saying that I am right).

Two hours pass and I am called into the office. By this time I have already removed the sweater just to avoid more conflict and as a result I am literally freezing at work. See, they are doing some construction at the airport within our checkpoint that has resulted in the windows being taken out and an uninsulated plywood wall to replace them for the time being. Despite the fact that the heat is on, the cold air seeps in and makes the checkpoint the same temperature as outside. Which at 4am was 37 degree fahrenheit. Brr!!

To end this story I will simplify what happens next. I man up and apologize for appearing to be disrespectful towards the manager even though he was disrespectful towards me and never even bothered to apologize. The supervisor told me that I was indeed correct and that I was not violating the uniform policy. However, she then said that she and the manager had added a rule requiring officers to wear a tie with the sweater. If I come in tomorrow to work without the tie then I will be written up for deliberately disobeying her REQUEST.

So damned if I do and damned if I don't. By wearing this sweater I am breaking someone's rules. If I wear the tie then I am violating the SOP. If I don't wear the tie then I'm violating HER and the MANAGER'S rule. Either way, I lose and will be punished for such nonsense. So tomorrow I will be going to work in my short-sleeved shirt and without the sweater. Then if I get sick I will sue their asses.

Ok I probably won't sue. Mainly because I'm leaving in 6 months. However, how dare they threaten to punish me for NOT EVEN BREAKING GOVERNMENT POLICY!?! It's completely insane I tell ya...INSANE!

Why don't I wear the long-sleeve shirts? Because the collar rubs my neck raw to where it bleeds. I refuse to be in physical pain because of a poorly made uniform.

And if you are asking: How can they tell which shirt you are wearing under the sweater? You can tell because on the short-sleeve there is no room for the tie to fit comfortably. On the long-sleeve shirts there is an extra piece of fabric about 1/2 inch in width that is sewn on to accommodate the wearing of a tie whereas the short-sleeve shirts do not. It is so very obvious too but apparently I am the only one who noticed this difference between the shirts.

Seriously, I work with a bunch of assholes. *rolls eyes and sighs*

Unwelcomed. Uninvited.

I am at work sittng in the breakroom while my coworkers are all sittng around me eating. They decided that today they were going to have a party. I had overheard cnversations about the party but not once did anyone ask if I wanted to bring anything or have anyhing to eat. One of our coworkers not assigned to our checkpoint asked why I wasn't participating and I simply said that I wasn't told about any party. When she asked them why I wasn't asked to participate one of them said it was because I don't eat meat.

A new low for mankind, uninviting someone because they are a vegetarian. It isn't as if there aren't foods on the table that I can't eat. They have noodles, mac and cheese, cupcakes, raw veggie platter, etc. But I'm not eating any of it because I don't want to hear them talking behind my back accusing me of mooching. No problem. I'm used to not being welcomed.

At the Lake

(c) Lydia R. Gillis "LRG Photography"

Gulls skimming the water.

Yesterday I went down to the lake to enjoy some peace and quite and to also get out of the apartment. I'm always staying in these days but recently have decided to make it a point to go out whenever possible. Of course, I took my camera with me and tried to get some close ups of the gulls. The birds didn't want their photo taken and took flight the moment I got too close. At least I was able to capture this before they got too far.

Simple Pleasures

I don't go outside enough. I don't enjoy nature, the silence, the beauty that I used to enjoy as a child. When I drive I find myself mesmerized by the stars on the horizon and the brightness of the moon's glow as it lights up the roads on my way to work. During the daylight hours as I drive home I stare at the trees as their leaves change and the way each leaf flutters, twists, turns, and flips as the wind pushes it away from the branches and onto the ground below. I enjoy these simple pleasures at a fleeting glance and then my attention is diverted again to the reality of me driving and slamming on my breaks.

As a child I would go outside and climb my favorite gum tree in our front yard and watch the world go by. On days when my dad needed me to go on the roof and clean the flue (which wasn't as often as it should) I would stay and sit on the rooftop feeling I was the queen of the world. I could see the entire neighborhood and for some reason no one seemed to see me. It was nice. Peaceful. Perfect. I don't know why I stopped.

Maybe it is because I grew up? Maybe it is because other things took over my life. School, band, theatre, college, parties, boyfriends, events, etc. It was all that I knew and all that I did and before I could even say goodbye, the simple pleasure of sitting outside and enjoying the day seemed to slip away from my things-to-do list.

I'm finished with school and although I go to work, it seems like a boring extracurricular activity to me. Just something to do to past the time as I wait for my favorite T.V. shows to air or for my career in the Navy to begin. Today, however, I made it a point to go outside. I'm sitting on the front stoop of our apartment watching the suns rays kiss the golden leaves goodnight as it makes it way under the cover of the clouds. My feet are bare, the mosquitos are buzzing in my ear, really annoying country music plays on my iPhone (it's on a movie soundtrack that I'm listening to), and the air is crisp as I type this entry on my laptop. Do I care that I'm a bit cold or that I'm fresh meat for the insects? No. I'm simply relishing in the fact that I actually have time to sit around outside and do absolutely nothing while thinking about absolutely nothing and it's wonderful.

I should really go outside and enjoy what's in front of me more often. Someday soon I will again find myself too busy to even smell the roses.

I hope I never that busy.

Currently Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants 2 By Original Soundtrack Sunset Man by James Otto see related

It's a Celebration!!

Happy Birthday Taylor!!!!! ^_^