Photo mayhem

OK so our next task at Betty Blogger is to explore Picassa.

I opened an account on Picassa over a year ago. I mucked about with it a little and then went to put a picture in my blog and...entered a parallel, Bizarro universe. Fans of Superman know what I mean (Why do I sound like such a nerd and what the hell is Goofy? Is he a dog or a person or what and why, if he is a dog does he own a dog called Pluto?), it kind of looks the same, but doesn't act the same as when I was putting pictures in through other means. Don't ask me what those other means were back then cus I don't know. I'm on a MAC now and use i-photo to post pics but sometimes I seem to have problems adding pictures this way so I put them in some other way. I don't know how. Somehow I just make it happen. Cross my heart, I'm not making this s**t up.

All of a sudden I had 2 blogs titled Awakening Choice but with slightly different URLs. I even discovered a fan I didn't even know I had stranded out there in the dark side of Awakening Choice land II. I had to bring him over to Awakening Choice, aka the light side. I had to post an entry basically saying, "Oops, you've got the wrong blog.  Click here and come on over the real blog," in order to round up anyone else who could be wandering around over there thinking How lame is she; doesn't she ever finish an entry?

So when I go to my dashboard it looks like I have 2 posts and they're both called Awakening Choice - it's a lie - the deleted one lays dormant just waiting there, haunting me. It's creepy.

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I thought I'd enter in a nice picture from my Picassa album. But I can't get it to work. I click on the insert image icon in the tool bar but  I can't "choose" one pic only the app icon itself which makes the MAC spinny thing show up. Maybe Picassa can't be used this way? I tried entering it through Blogger which seems to launch me into the parallel universe. Not going there!

OK then I'll choose one from i-Photo, but nope I am blocked at the app and can't choose an individual picture.

What the hell I'll just go into i-Photo again, export the photos I want into "my pics" and...ureka, here they are. I'll be back in a day or 2 and try again. NOW WOULD BE A GOOD TIME FOR A COMMENT ANYONE - HELP!

Til then enjoy pics from Montreal Jazz Festival festivities.

NOTICE GUY WORKING THE HOOP AMONGST THE CROWD

MONTREAL Je t'aime - part III(a) of III

As I promised here are some pics of my Cirque de Soleil performer imitation.

this is a picture of intense concentration

I should give credit to the nice people at SLACKLINE MONTREAL for putting up the lines and giving us a chance to have a little fun. I blogged about the slacklines a few posts ago - see it here.

and this is the graceful shot before I almost did a face plant

just chillin' afterwards
juggling in the park, notice people just doing their thing

MONTREAL Je t'aime - part I of III

Last Sunday Rod and I were hanging out with our friends Kathy and Jim and their son Chris on Mount Royal in Montreal taking in the "tam tams" as Kathy calls it. We got there around 2pm and the festivities were in full swing. People were gathered in groups scattered around a square playing drums of all kinds. Although there were other instruments present in some of the rag-tag bands, the focus was on the beat of the heart of mother earth. For hours on end a steady driving rhythm pervaded the airwaves enticing you (well OK, me and a few hundred others) to dance, sing, hoot, and clap or simply soak in the atmosphere from a distance.

People playing, dancing, singing and just enjoying the scene.

This happens every Sunday, weather permitting during the summer and is an event not to be missed! We brought a picnic and found a nice place under some trees to act as a home base from which to take in all the activities around us and people watch. Rod said it was like a flashback to the '60's, but I felt it offered the freedom and opportunity for people of all ages to play un-self-consciously; such a rarity these days. As you know, I'm big on playing so this is one of the many reasons why I feel totally at home here. There is a gaiety and abandon that is embraced in this fantastic city that I have not found in Ontario.

Around the perimeter of the statue vendors sell their wares.

Notice the curious man considering his next purchase.

Curious man, having made his purchase,

heads home after a day of fun and sun in the park with the "tam tams".

And here is our memento, all cheery and whimsical, at home in our little back garden.

Notice the rainbow effect on the lense?

It makes the picture look like an action shot;

as if the whirly gig is spinning, smokin' fast.

It's not, the air was still yesterday.

Just like me as I try and "land" and take hold of my everyday life once more after 8 days in glorious Montreal.

TO BE CONTINUED...