Nicci Writing

The observer effect

My co-author and I are working on a science fiction novel and yesterday I was pondering the so-called “observer effect” in quantum physics. Puzzling stuff, but then the birds outside my window gave me a lesson.

Dozens of birds come to bathe and drink out of our waterfall every day. They usually come in groups of the same type. I really enjoy watching their antics. Yesterday, when the pools were filled with at least a dozen birds, I decided to try to photograph them for today’s blog post, grabbed my camera and stepped out my office door.

Bye bye birds. I stood still, holding my camera ready, for a long time. But they all had fled to the power lines and trees. The sounds of so many birds in the neighborhood was amazing. It sounded like an aviary out there.

But the birds didn’t come back. Then I moved and one of the little chirps turned to a cry of alarm. Many of the birds took off, not even daring to hang around in the trees. All I could do was capture them sitting far away.

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I brutalized the following photo, but I wanted to show you the activity.

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To reduce the observer effect, I think I need to go to the next level and get a tripod with a remote shutter cord and put that outside my door. Then I can sit and write all day and take photos of the little creatures for you!

But for now, I am going to try to get my head around another dimension of the observer effect posed by my co-author, who never ceases to surprise and challenge me.

Happy Thursday to my local friends and happy Friday to my Australian friends, including my co-author!

Nicci Local, Travel

Soft sky

I am amazed how much of the U.S. is under deep freeze right now. Many of the bloggers I follow are doing a great job finding the beauty or just chronicling the phenomenon of the polar vortex. Here are a couple, in case they aren’t in your WordPress Reader:

http://sethsnap.com/2014/01/06/cold-close-up/

http://herladypinkrose.wordpress.com/2014/01/06/a-few-hours-later/

http://herladypinkrose.wordpress.com/2014/01/06/north-pole-vortex/

Meanwhile in California, we’re having a warm, dry winter. Here are shots from my evening walk:

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I just had my phone with me. Sorry… the DSLR and even the compact camera are better. But at least I could get these shots. That’s the saving grace of a phone.

I’m blogging every other day this year so I have more time to visit other blogs.

Nicci Travel

Capitola, California

Life was conspiring against me completing my one year of daily blogging. (Today is the last day.) I had hoped to take new photos today but had forgotten to take all my cameras including my phone. But today, Capitola looked much like it did in June when I posted this picture (except for the cute seal we saw today, *heart pang*) so I decided to go back and do a painting rendition of that photo.

On that day I also didn’t have my camera so the phone saved the day.

One of these days I’ll get to the beach with my DSLR. Maybe on a stormy day…
I think that long dark streak is seaweed.
Capitola 002_Painting

Nicci Australia, Travel

A rusty wheel… and thoughts on the new year

Tomorrow is the last day of one full year of blogging every day. And today I was dry! I almost blew my streak!

After my triumph with the Australia, interpreted post yesterday (thank you all for the kudos!), I found it impossible to get something else unique. I tried more putting together different photos using layers and textures, but nothing worked out. I thought I was going to miss a day.

Well, I was just looking through my photos and I spotted this one that I hadn’t shared yet. I like it just as it is, just a plain old snapshot.

From Ravenswood in Queensland Australia
From Ravenswood in Queensland Australia

I have to check my WordPress Reader to see how people are doing, but I’ll offer a thought before I do that. Do you feel like we ended the year with a big hurrah and high expectations for the new year? And maybe a lot of goals and resolutions?

The start of a new year coincides with the end of the holidays and can feel anti-climactic. After all, we’re faced with the reality of going back to work. The slog of all these resolutions.

Well, here’s what I learned from last year. I was afraid to check my goals because I knew I couldn’t have done what I set out to do, because I completely changed what I was working on. But I checked them and they were good goals. The specifics of writing x number of short stories and y number of novels, no, that didn’t happened, not in that configuration, but I set a goal to write an average of 500 words a day or 150,000 words total and I exceeded that. I had a goal to blog every day and grow my Twitter followers. Those ones I did. I think it works to have somewhat general goals and leave a lot of freedom to allow things we never thought of to happen.

My advice is to set some goals and then set them aside. Check them next year. They can set a direction for you and the process of checking them at the end of the year is a chance to reflect on what you did do. I didn’t do this, but I did that. I was amazed how much I did, both on my goals and otherwise.

The other advice I have, and really all this advice is mostly for myself, is don’t worry about the big events, the successes, the struggles… those things happen. Mostly life is built on doing a little every day and on showing up. If you just do that, you’ll have a great year.

Nicci Australia, Travel

2013 retrospective, part 3

I learned from Leanne Cole it’s not a big deal to tote along my DSLR. Just use a backpack and you’re good to go!

Or have it nearby so when something amazing happens outside your window you can just step outside and shoot.

I also learned to make sure I have the battery charger in that backpack. These were the only ones I got to take in Australia with the camera due to leaving the charger behind. But I do like them a lot!

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I learned from iPhone Photographer that there’s a lot you can do with photography with just a phone. I’m going to look for a similar app for an Android.

I learned to think differently from VeganComics. (We’re eating veg 5 days a week and there’s a word for this — occasionarian!)

I learned a lot more from other people’s blogs, but I just highlighted a few things I learned that were reflected here in my own posts.

Happy new year! May it be creative, healthy, peaceful and happy.

Nicci Art school, Australia, High Sierra, Local, Paris, Travel

2013 retrospective part 2

As I said yesterday, through my daily blog I discovered or re-discovered my enjoyment of the arts. In looking back I discovered that I seek out art when I’m traveling.

New York is a gold mine for art. 

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Paris is amazing:

Sculpture by Cezanne outside Louvre Cathedral de Notre Dame Bust at the time of Venus de Milo Feature Venus de Milo Ain Ghazal

And Amsterdam is heaven for art lovers, too:

I didn’t go inside any museums in Australia. I would like to do that some day, but I didn’t need to go inside to find art there:

Tomorrow is new year’s eve in the United States and I’ll do my final post of the year about the people I’ve met through blogging and what I’ve learned from others through blogging.

Nicci Art school, Australia, High Sierra, Local, Paris, Travel

2013 retrospective

Leanne Cole inspired me to use the waning days of 2013 to reflect upon the year. I want do this, particularly since this was my first year of blogging.

I do have one more award to post, but I’m going to do that on January 5, on my blogging anniversary.

I know that my blogging style has changed since I started. When I first started, I tried being edgy.

Because I blog every day, though, the “real me” came out quickly and I settled into a pattern of… the arts, I guess. Photography, digital art, book reviews, poetry. In that order, really. Well, travel too, certainly, but I think after I get the photos up from the travels, I like to settle in and spend some time working with the images artistically.

Ravenswood
Ravenswood, Queensland AustraliaRavenswood
Ravenswood, Queensland Australia
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Port Lonsdale, Victoria Australia
Snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef
Snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef
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Before the storm, Saratoga
Impressions 8_Painting
Amsterdam
Bikes_Painting 3
Amsterdam
Horse at the park
Paris
Paris Impressions 1
Paris
At the park 2 Painting Paris
Paris

I’ll post tomorrow about other ways that I think my interest in art came out through blogging. Then I’d like to talk a bit about the people I’ve met through blogging and what I’ve learned from others through blogging.

Nicci Travel

Sunshine Award, and some sunshine from Southern California

sunshine-award

Many thanks to Michelle at KidazzleInk for nominating me for The Sunshine Award! I invite you to go check out her wonderful travel memoirs blog. Like Michelle who said in her Sunshine Award post that blogging has become a passion for her, blogging is a passion of mine because of the community of people. The positive thoughts and encouragement combined with getting to see so many perspectives on this world is now a background against which I live my life. I think about what I read and the conversations I have in the blogosphere, I’ve made friends here, I think about what I can do to share something with you every day, and my world is expanded.

Now for 10 Interesting  things about me:

  1. I’m finishing up the first draft of a science fiction novel that I’m co-authoring with a poet I met on Twitter. (We expect to do four drafts before we start looking for an agent.)
  2. I’m really not sure I would want my genome mapped. (The price is coming down on it.)
  3. I believe the world is getting better.
  4. I lived with a family in the south of France for three months when I was 22 and by the end I started thinking in French and dreaming in French.
  5. I was an English major and then became a math major in college because I wanted to develop both sides of my brain. It felt kind of weird in my brain, but that might have been my imagination! In any case, getting through Calculus and so on really boosted my confidence and later the combination was excellent for being a technical writer.
  6. I went to Australia and visited a friend I met through blogging.
  7. My dreams usually have sound tracks.
  8. I sometimes “write” in my dreams.
  9. I’m on the border of being an introvert and extrovert. The internet has been perfect for me because I can spend all day writing (introverted) but still stay connected to friends (extroverted) including making a friend who now co-authors with me (see number 1!).
  10. I used to be able to run long distances (15 miles) without training.

I would like to pay it forward to these bloggers who add to the sunshine in my daily life:

For my nominees who would like to accept this award, here are the rules:

  1. Display the Award on your blog.
  2. Announce your win with a post and thank the blogger who awarded you.
  3. Present around 10 deserving bloggers with the Award – “who positively and creatively inspire others in the blogosphere.”
  4. Link your awardees in the post and let them know of their being awarded with a comment.
  5. Write 10 interesting things about you

To close this day of gratitude, here is a bit of sunshine from Southern California:

Santa Monica
Santa Monica