Language Map

Now this is a cool treasure I found on one of my favorite blogs, Pedablogue. Detailed language maps from the Modern Language Association (MLA). As an avid foreign language learner and a former ESL teacher, I thought this was fascinating. Check out the map: http://www.mla.org/resources/census_main
Check out the post I stole this from: http://blogs.setonhill.edu/mt/mt-tb.cgi/1105

Portrait Update

I have some good news on this front. Well, it is partially good news. I sent an email to the photographer that was supposed to take the pet portraits letting her know I was mad at the pet shop and the replacement photographer for not being forthright in telling us the photographer had changed. She emailed back offering a free sitting for us! That was really unexpected and generous on her side. We will definitely take advantage of that offer.

The bad news comes from trying to contact the photographer that took the photos. I left a message with her yesterday, but of course I have not heard anything back from her. I really don't expect to hear anything. Since she wasn't the most professional photography in her style, I don't have expectations that she will handle our dissatisfaction professionally. It's a pain in the butt.

Finding the photographer

I tried calling the replacement photographer again today. This time I at least got an answering machine. I left a message and just when I was about to leave my phone number the recording ends Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep! For a moment I thought someone must have ended it on purpose, I mean it was a complaint so if you can keep them from leaving a phone number you can avoid them. I called back and left my numbers. I will call every day until I hear back from her. It still pisses me off that the dog looks like an evil freak in the picture. If she couldn't fix the red-eye then why did she say she would?!? Argh.

svenmusic.com

A great site with cool art, cool music, and cool things you can buy: http://www.svenmusic.com.

My favorite song on the site is "In this moment I drift". Download it at http://svenmusic.com/haadve.mp3. I love it that you can also buy dog t-shirts, a clock, a mug, etc with the artist's work or signature. Visit now!

Pet Portraits

We were bamboozled by a local pet shop that advertised pet portraits with a well-known, experienced photographer. We of course signed up, showed up, and paid our money. Turns out they replaced the photographer with an inexperienced one at the last moment and didn't bother to tell any clients. It explains the sub-par quality photos we got in return. The only way I found out about the swindle was by calling the original photographer to complain. She filled me in and I contacted the pet shop who only said, "Sorry for the miscommunication, " and gave me a phone number for the replacement photographer. I called the replacement photographer, and what do you know, the number had a voicemail that wasn't set up and you couldn't leave a message. I have a feeling we are out our 2 clams. I hate that we put our trust into businesses and professionals and they let us down. We should have known better and simply walked away without ordering prints we weren't pleased with. But, damn, the photographer said she would fix the red-eye in one of the photos and we get them back to find that the dog looks like a freak! Evil! I wouldn't frame those photos for anything. On the other photos, the lighting was weird, washing us out on one side, and the angles were just not the best choice. She took a lot of them from the top of a ladder. Whatever. Not my taste. So now I am trying to get a hold of the allusive replacement photographer to get our money back. I wonder how successful that will be.

Lili

This place needs a photo, and this is one of the cutest I have on my machine right now. Lilikoi as a day-old foal.

Forever and a Day

It has been forever since we posted something. I would think I could post more than once a year!

Our most recent activity has been painting our basement family room orange. It actually looks great, and with some key furniture and accessories from IKEA, we are looking pretty cool. My sister is coming home for Christmas (she lives in The Netherlands with her husband), so we are trying to make the guest bedroom down there look cool so she wants to stay with us.