Car Tags, Bratty Puppy, and Gustav

I decided to try renewing our car tags in my hometown, this time around. This was the first time they've had that option available. There were quite a few cars in the parking lot, but everyone else must've been in different parts of the complex. Maybe I was just exceptionally lucky, but I walked in (around 9:30 this morning) and didn't even have a chance to think about taking a number and sitting down in the waiting area. Instead, I was greeted by so many "open" windows that I wasn't sure which one to go to! I know where I'll be going, from now on. (g)

(On the other hand. . . What a waste of our taxes to keep that many people there-- six? seven? or was it eight?-- if it's usually that slow!)

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Trixie has lately seemed an odd mixture of sweet little puppy and mean little brat. She knows how to make you feel welcome-- especially when she hasn't seen you for a while-- with a bouncy run, a wagging tail, and every other sign of joyful eagerness. As for the bratty part, it's mostly biting (even when you're trying to clean up after her-- something I find particularly insulting) and then yapping and posturing ("Oh yeah? We'll just see about that! You can't tell me what to do!"-- only in dog language (g)) when she's told to stop.

I guess they're all this way, when they're little. At least I hope so. . . I really, really hope she behaves better than this when she's older!

Warning: I'm about to muse (boringly) on dog behavior. Feel free to skip down to the next row of stars. (g)

Thinking about puppy behavior has made me wonder how much an owner determines his/her dog's (or cat's) behavior. (I guess it's just a twist on the old nature vs. nurture debate. Nothing new.) Do we gravitate toward animals with certain personalities, or do we somehow influence them and mold their behaviors (unintentionally, I mean-- not talking about obedience training here)?

I don't think we chose any of our dogs based on their behavior. We chose Molly because she was the only one in the litter with the color and gender we wanted. And with both Daisy and Trixie, I don't think we could really tell what kind of personality they'd have when we chose them. I know that some experts advise that you look for certain behaviors or tendencies when choosing a pet, but I'm skeptical. It seems to be mostly the luck of the draw, even if you're making a careful choice.

. . . Was the laid back Skipper ever a biter, like Trixie? I don't remember Daisy ever biting this much, but maybe I've just forgotten. Am I somehow influencing Trixie to bite? Maybe by playing relatively rough games with her, like keep-away and tug-of-war? Molly definitely was a biter as a puppy. She grew out of it. However, I still don't trust Molly as much as I trusted Daisy to not ever bite me "by accident" (or instinctive response to something unpleasant, like accidentally pulling hair during grooming). . . How much of a dog's behavior boils down to breed-- how much to breeding-- and how much to individual personality?

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The grocery store seemed a bit busier than usual. Maybe it was just my imagination. People weren't quite pulling everything off the shelves or fighting over the last pack of batteries. (g)* But-- some sizes of batteries had been sold out, and I'm pretty sure it had something to do with Tropical Storm Gustav.

It's still too early to tell where it's likely to go, but I can't help but notice that the latest GFDL model takes it right over us. (And I do mean right over us.)

Of course, the other models steer it further west, and the official forecast is also centered further from us. Still, something to keep an eye on for the next day or two. . .

*(I haven't ever seen anyone actually fighting over something in a shop, but I have been to the store before a storm only to find that certain aisles-- canned goods, for instance-- are almost bare. Can't remember if that was before Ivan or one of the other storms. . .)

ETA: Since I wrote the above, they've posted an updated set of models, and the GFDL is tending more westwardly, too. I don't wish a storm on anyone else, but I still hope it doesn't come here. That little edge in the atmosphere at the store brought back some unpleasant memories of sitting on the bathroom floor, half expecting the front door to blow in or the roof to lift off the house. I'm not eager to repeat that experience.

More B&W techniques

I've been playing around with converting another photo to black and white. This time, I chose a photo of Skipper, my maternal grandparents' Eskie.

Note: You can click on any photo to see it bigger. They all look better that way, I think.

For curiosity's sake, here's the original photo:


I gave the complicated technique I wrote about in my last post one more try:


I was disappointed with how things went in the last step or two of that technique, so I went back and dodged (lightened) his eyes a bit and softened the graininess. I think the results are more pleasing this way:


I also put poor Skipper through yet another technique for transforming color digital photos into B&W. This one uses some functions I haven't tried before, such as the Lab Color mode and the Highpass filter. The author suggests using this method for cityscapes, dramatic scenes, and street photography / photojournalism. Skipper doesn't really fit into any of those categories, but I don't really "do" cityscapes, etc., so I didn't have much to choose from. (g) Anyway, here's the finished photo:


For one final b&w comparison, I put the photo through a simple technique. Convert mode to Grayscale, then apply curves (make whites whiter, blacks blacker-- basically the same kind of curve you see in the tutorial linked above).


And just for fun, I took the image above and changed the mode to Duotone to achieve a sepia effect. I also used the dodge tool to lighten the eyes, which tended to get too dark, in my opinion.


I'm still not sure which black-and-white technique I prefer. . . I'll have to look at them all at the same time to decide. And even then, it probably depends a lot on the particular photo in question.

Who would've thought that "simple" black and white could be be so complicated? ;o)

Nothing in Particular

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Donald noticed over the weekend that mockingbirds have been pecking at our tomato plants. Annoying! He put up a makeshift "cage" around all the tomato plants, and that should work for now.

I've read a little online and found a few other ideas, too. Some people suggest hanging junk CDs, foil streamers, etc. on fishing line to frighten the birds away. My personal favorite, though, is a rubber snake. Just move it around every day or two, and the birds are supposed to think it's the real thing. (Of course, we'd have to put it so that Molly couldn't get to it, or it'd be her newest toy! I can just imagine her running around with a fake snake hanging out of her mouth! It wouldn't be good for my nerves. (g))

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Donald's parents are getting a puppy today! (Already have it by now, I'm sure.) There are photos on this page of Thorbjörn's website. Their puppy is the one sitting by herself in two of the photos. I think Donald said her name is Soffi (spelling may be wrong), but I'm not sure if that's what they're calling her or just what the mother-dog's owners have been calling her.

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I just remembered something that happened one of the evenings we were taking care of Prince and Skipper, recently. We were driving away, and the dogs had "escorted" us to the front of the yard, near the fence. Suddenly, I saw a bird "dive-bombing" poor Skipper! He must have been near a nest. I've seen video of birds attacking cats that way, but not dogs. Fortunately, he seemed to be fine, though I do think he was aware that the bird was fussing at him.

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We watched The Invasion the other night.

SPOILER ALERT!!
Don't read this section if you haven't seen The Invasion yet and don't want it spoiled.

Afterwards, I checked out what people were saying about it on IMDB (Internet Movie Database). Just because I like doing that. (g) I don't know what I expected, really, because, well, many of the people who comment there are. . . well, let's just say they're not all the best or the brightest. Still, I allowed myself to feel shocked when some of them expressed the opinion that the virus was actually a good thing. Yeah, what's so bad about something that takes away the essence of who you are? I mean, it was bringing about world peace! Who cares if we cease to be who we are-- lose emotion and autonomy-- if it means the world's at peace?

I knew the concept of the rights (and the value) of the individual was being steadily brainwashed away, but this has brought it into even sharper focus for me.

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I'm trying to learn to crochet granny squares. I got a little demonstration from Mom and Aunt Cathy on Friday, and since then I've also found a couple of helpful tutorials online. (I'm sure there are lots more.) I guess I'm making some progress, but I'm sure my tension is off, because I can't seem to hold the yarn comfortably-- and my work so far is not very pretty. I'll probably improve if I just stick with it for a while, but it's hard to want to work on it when the results aren't that great. I don't think I'll ever be known for my patience in learning new skills.

(I've made two "complete" squares, so far. Still not perfect, but at least they're square. ;o) There's a photo on my Flickr page, if you're interested.)

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We have a new camera! It's a Canon XSi, and of course it works with all the lenses we've been using with our older camera. So now when we go somewhere, we can both take photos. (g) The bigger display is really nice-- and of course the larger photos are a plus, too.

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I'm sleepy tonight. Maybe going to bed a little early would be a good idea. . . Hope your week's off to a good start!