The eyes tell a story.

Just about everyone that knows me, knows I like to take pictures. And they rarely have any people in them, I am not good at capturing people, expressing them in the photo is hard for me, I have trouble accurately putting people on film. But this past Friday I had an opportunity to photograph my grandmother. Something that we have not done in a few years, because for some reason, we try not to document the condition she is in, as if not taking her picture means we don't have to accept what has happened to her. But I changed my thinking on it. She is still alive, she is still my grandmother, and I still love her dearly. I did not want to let denial get in the way anymore, I wanted to capture who she is now, because this is how she is now. She seems to communicate with her eyes, she watches and fixes her eyes on the people talking to her, and to me, her eyes are captivating, and they are the only form of expression she has left. So I took her picture. She seemed to enjoy it, because she kept staring right through the lens at me. One picture captured that, communicated that, and accurately depicts how I felt when I looked through the viewfinder. It captured a moment.

We did what we were told...

...and now we have to pay.

As most people who pay attention know, the southeast part of this country has been in a very serious drought for about 3 years. At one point last year, the water supply in Lake Lanier was estimated in days, and there were only 2 digits in that estimate. The water levels in all of the lakes were at double digit lows compared to normal pool levels. Everyone went into water saving mode. All of the government agencies screamed and hollered, telling everyone to stop using water outside, cut your water use, stop using water, they placed very restrictive bans on water use. Our county, Fulton County, actually sent out a letter, that told us if we did not cut our water use, we could face fines and penalties followed by a higher water service charge for delinquents. So we did what we were told.



We stopped watering the plants, and many died, or did not bloom at all this spring. I stopped washing the cars, and it is showing, the paint on both cars is looking pretty sad, and the cars stay in a state of filth, not seen since the days of Pigpen. I replaced all of our toilets, with low flow toilets, that save about 1/2 gallon of water every time they get flushed. We have even gone so far now as to buy a new washer and dryer, a washer that uses less than 25% of the water used by our old one. All in an effort to save water, because I do understand the severity of the situation. But last night, I got pissed.

The small city newspaper, had a front page article, stating that Fulton County was going to have to raise the price on water and sewer service. And guess what the number one reason why was...wait for it...less consumption, means less money coming in and they can't meet the budget numbers. I was floored. I nearly blew a gasket. They had the nerve, the courage, to tell us that the 15% increase in fees was due to less consumption, something they forced on us. Who do they think they are? This is insane, I would gladly go back to watering my yard, washing my cars and carrying on life as it was before their restrictions, and would be happy to pay for the water I use, but to charge me more because I used less, just like you said, that is just theft in my opinion.

There is a public hearing on the issue in December, and I think I am going to go. At least try to voice my opinion. Because if no one complains, we will get walked on by those in charge.

Changeling

We went and saw Changeling this weekend. There were not many options, and anything with Angelina Jolie is generally a no-go for Andrea. But, with few options, and both of us wanting to see a movie, we went. And were not disappointed. She put on a very good performance in my opinion, and Andrea even agreed. It was a good movie, based on a true story from the late 1920's. It was a little graphic, and a little intense at times, but it was good, and I would recommend it.

Reading Room

When I was in High School, I enjoyed reading books, all sorts, from a variety of authors. I would stay up way too late on a school night, reading, just thinking, I will finish this chapter and go to bed. Only to realize, it was almost time to get up and get ready for school. But for some reason, when I got to college, my attention span for books went the way of the Dodo. I would pick a book up, and be bored by it about an hour later. I have tried a few different times, and a few different types, from Glenn Beck's book, which I thought I would enjoy, since I liked his show. Got bored with it. I then tried John Daly's auto-biography. I figured, it was about a golfer, who liked to drink too much, and made a spectacle of himself, surely that would be a good read. It was, for the first half, then I lost interest, and have not picked it back up. I had all but given up, on what used to be something I really enjoyed.

But in the airport last week, I decided to pick up a book again, I had not read a fiction novel in years. I had gotten tired of just reading magazines, that take about 20 minutes to go through. Since I really don't have the attention span to read articles more than a page or two long. But I picked up the new John Grisham book, The Appeal. I read over 60 pages between the time I got to my departure gate and when we landed in Pensacola. Then I read another 60+ pages on the return trip home. It is a good book so far, and I have enjoyed it. I will probably read a little more tomorrow.

Then, a friend, who is not a book reader at all, hands me a book he says I should read, Crashed & Byrned: The Greatest Racing Driver you Never Saw. AN autobiography about a racing driver, that my friend knows. And with Motorsports being a recent infatuation of mine, I thought, if he can read it, so can I. So I am going to start that one tomorrow, he says it is a quick read, and I am looking forward to it.

I am hoping this trend continues, it sure makes those flights seem shorter. And it feels like my brain is getting a stimulation that it has not gotten in years, that of reading something other than a car magazine. Great as they are, they just pass the time.