The pure color of these rose petals reminds me of fresh spring rain, washing away the cold mud of winter from plants too hesitant to fully bloom. There’s the expectant hope of better, warmer days, and the creamy, bright, white background practically radiates optimism. Yes, I manipulated the colors, but that’s makes this photo more interesting to me.
By coincidence, I heard two pieces written by Franz von SuppĂ© within the last 24 hours, and realized he’s always been one of my favorite composers, although I never knew his name. If you’ve watched cartoons, then you’ve definitely heard his Light Cavalry Overture, and chances are you’ve also heard his Jolly Robbers Overture. They’re both popular pieces, both are fast-paced, and both will make you smile when you hear them.
Franz von Suppé had to have been an optimistic, contented man to have written such beautiful music. There was no mistake in his choice of career. After all, he turned down both law and medicine for music. His father wanted him to study law in Padua, and his mother wanted him to study medicine in Vienna. I heard this on WETA yesterday, as they introduced his Light Cavalry Overture.
If you aren’t a fan of his music already, try it out. You’ll likely become a fan. And if you’re in the area, tune in to WETA. They have some pretty cool music, and the little biographic capsules they offer about composers are pretty nice as well.
This little daffodil was spreading its pure petals back in mid-March, signaling, and unequivocally so, that spring had arrived. This was one of the first days I had my Canon EOS 30D and 100mm macro lens, and that’s when I realized, also unequivocally, that I’d stepped onto new photographic terrain, and didn’t want to go back.
Aaron Johnson, the creator of What the Duck, has apparently seen this post of mine, where I talk about image theft. He’s just sent me an email to let me know of today’s WTD, which handles the issue of watermarks and image theft in that wonderful, funny way that I’ve come to love.
Here’s the strip in question, reproduced with Aaron’s permission. Click through to view it at full size on WTD. And if you haven’t already, bookmark the site or subscribe to the RSS feed. If you like photography, then you’ll love WTD.
Here’s the classic “Who’s on first?” routine from Abbot and Costello. Must-see comedy — still funny after all these years. It’s interesting to see how they distilled bits and pieces from their earlier routines into this.
Graham Chapman was part of that seminal group of British comedians known for “The Monty Python”, and other wonderful pieces of comedy. He died in 1989. Here is a segment from his funeral service. (Yes, it’s funny.)
Richard Pryor, on kids telling lies.
Have a look at how authorities respond to perceived terrorist threats in Australia. Not much different from the US, really.
Weird Al Yankovic’s “eBay” song, mashed up with a user-made video:
Here’s Bill Cosby on dentists (absolutely hilarious):
… and on natural childbirth:
Raoul Pop 