Photography and Dyscalculia: An Evil Combination

I returned to college for Spring 2016 to take a photography class. Let me tell you, there is a lot more work to learning digital photography that I dreamed there would be. My sleepless nights weren't caused by college gear or by the massive amounts of equipment that a photographer needs. All of that seems perfectly reasonable. You, frustration looms large and you will never guess why.

Photography is math based.

Yup. It's the math part that's the burr under my saddle. Not the photos, steadiness or composition. 

What is the mathematical relationship between focal length and beating your head against the wall? An 18-140 mm lens works well. Unless it's a 181-40 or a 1-8140 mm. Dyscalculia wreaks havoc in a class like this.

Taking a photography course in college means learning the f-stop numbers and a bunch more math gobbledy gook. In f-stops, a small number means a lot of light gets in. Large numbers mean the opposite. My professor insists that these numbers make sense because they double each time and not only that but each "stop" cuts the light in half. It's all so clear now.

Uh huh.

Here's the f-stop chart.
f/1, f/1.4, f/2, f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, f/16, f/22, f/32, f/45, f/64, f/90, f/128  Making matters more difficult is that my camera measures these f-stops in 1/3 increments. This means multiplying by 3 to get the difference in the stops. For example, if the objective is to move from f/4 to f/8 that's two stops. 2 x 3 =6, so I turn the dial six times to move the two stops, three stops would mean nine clicks and so on. Thank goodness the camera software helps me adjust!

Confused? Welcome to my home.

At least the ISO numbers make sense at 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200 and 6400 - as long as they aren't confused with the shutter speed numbers.

Shutters speeds control how long the shutter is open. This chart doubles too. See?
1/250, 1/125, 1/60, 1/30, 1/15, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 1
 Because we all know that half of 125 is 60 and half of 15 is 8.

What this really means is that the faster the rabbit runs, the slower you move. It really doesn't matter because space aliens don't care and the dog is asleep anyway.

If you need me, I and my Nikon D2700 be hiding in the closet.

International Women's Day: A moment to celebrate

International Women's Day is a worldwide celebration of women. It is a way to recognize our accomplishments, highlight the plight of women who are in difficult circumstances throughout the world. It is not Mother's Day, as the event encompasses all women and is celebrated on a global scale.

Even though women and men work together to improve the world there is little equality. Women and children are more likely to live in poverty than our male counterparts. A wage gap still exists between the genders and almost 2/3 of minimum wage workers are women.

The good news is that we are making strides. The number of women in higher education is out pacing men and our life expectancy is over 81 years. We are contributing to science, medicine and technology in record numbers.

I personally know women who are clergy, construction workers, police officers, doctors and truck drivers. For many trail blazers, breaking into these traditionally male-dominated fields came at a personal cost, but acceptance is growing.

I also know women who happily homeschool and are stay at home moms and wives. They throw themselves into family and home and help make life better for all of us.

The video below was created in honor of our achievements. I put it together to celebrate International Women's Day and hope you enjoy it. If you do, share it with a friend and make her smile too.

Mother's Day sermon based on John 19:26-27

Mother's Day is the one day of the year that we recognize and give thanks for the mothers among us who make our lives what they are. Today we celebrate the mothers who have loved us, nurtured us and cared for us, whether they are our biological mothers, adopted or acted as surrogate mothers in the place of our own. As we celebrate the mothers that we are or will be.

Me and my girls

This passage of John 19:26-27 speaks about mothers on very different levels. The first and most obvious is that in this passage, Jesus is taking care of the physical, earthly needs of his own mother. He is also giving John a mother to love and care for. From this point on, he is to be Mary's son and she is to be John's mother. It is task that John accepts for the rest of Mary's life.

This speaks to me because it speaks of a mother – child relationship on several levels. Some of us grew up with mothers that we love and would want to see cared for as Jesus did with Mary. Those with nurturing, loving mothers have much to be grateful for. They are are gifts to be treasured.

These are women who carried us home from the hospital and loved us despite our 3:00 a.m. hunger pangs, homework and were there for us through the heartbreak of our first young relationship. We are grateful for moms who taught us life skills and who loved us enough to discipline us. These are mothers to be cherished.

However; not all of us are so fortunate. Some of us grew up with mothers who were absent either in presence or emotionally. During this time period it was expected that a son would care for and provide for his mother in her old age. It is interesting that we don't hear anything about John's mother mentioned in the Gospels.

We do not know if she died an early age or if she had a relationship with John at all. What we do know is that she is not mentioned as the other women who were there. This may indicate a mother who was either emotionally or physically distant from her child or one who passed away. It is a passage that gives encouragement to those who had unhealthy relationship. John's life is an example that through God you can be blessed and a blessing to others.

The relationship between John and Mary is also an adoptive relationship. Jesus called upon John to take care of Mary, to adopt her into his home. He accepted and Mary did as well. We know this because John took her into his home for the rest of her life.

The love between adopted children and parents is often as strong (and sometimes stronger) than that of biological families. This too, is a gift to be celebrated.

This passage also speaks of women who do not have their own children. By living in John's home, Mary was agreeing to nurture any children that he may have. This is no small thing.

How many times have we been influenced by women chose to nurture and care for us in the place of their own children? I know many who have taught school, led Sunday School classes and worked in advocacy centers because they care about the lives of children. Surrogate mothers like these are to be celebrated.

This passage from John also speaks to women who have suffered a loss. Indeed, this was the case for Mary after Jesus perished on the cross. Nothing can replace the loss of a child. However; we know that through Jesus we have the hope of seeing our child again in the heavenly beyond.

Previous post: Jones Chapel Ladies Conference.

What I like about Hanes brand products

One Hanes Places offers some of the best brands in bras, hosiery and casual wear that you can find. We're talking about brands like Hanes, Bali, Playtex, Champion, Legg's and more. The difference is that One Hanes Places offers these brands at discount prices. Even better news is that you can save even more with a one hanes place promo code.


This is good news for me and for you. I use Hanes products and have been consistently happy with them. I can't imagine finding a more comfortable t-shirt than Hanes sells. My kids and I frequently decorated our t-shirts when they were younger. We would paint or tie-dye them according to the occasion. The shirts themselves always held up to repeating washing even when our artwork wasn't up to the challenge.

Necessity of Yoga in Life

We can see that everybody around us is quite busy in their daily routine. No one has the time to spend to retain their health, which is very necessary to gain good output daily. An easy means of doing all this is through yoga. It is an art, which has been providing its benefits to people from a very elongated period of time. It helps an individual grow in mentally, physically and spiritually. All these are a very important part of life and also a great necessity to lead a healthy and perfect life. One should always do yoga and also educate about the benefits of yoga to the people in surrounding and to kids. One important thing which one should inform the new learners is, about the importance of the clothes which one should wear during yoga exercises. Yoga dress that one should wear depends upon the season. In summers and pleasant weather one can wear yoga shorts. These are very comfortable while doing the exercises which involve the movement of legs.

An important fact to note about yoga is that, one should prefer to wear loose clothes. Wearing loose clothes have a lot of advantages. It helps in free movement and passing of air through the clothes, which helps in soaking the sweat, which is released from the body. In summers this is a major issue, everyone has to go through it. To prevent the problems of sweating, one should always wear cotton fabrics. In cold weather, one can wear yoga pants, which helps in protecting from the cold breeze of the morning.

There are a number of benefits of yoga; one can understand all this, once an individual has stepped into doing these exercises. A person who has started doing yoga can feel the difference, by watching the results of the daily activities and in the activeness which is experienced while doing all the routine work.

Memories of fall festivals in the East Tennessee Mountains

There is no place like Tennessee in the fall. A festival happens somewhere in the Knoxville area every weekend and corn mazes are open daily. Of course, an afternoon drive through the Smoky Mountains is a great way to get away from the office. Why stay inside when fall foliage and cool temperatures of the Appalachian Mountains are just outside your door?

Cades Cove fall foliage in the Great Smoky Mountains 2011

I love that the mountains are close enough to Knoxville that getting ready is a snap. Throw one of those lightweight women's sweaters in the car next to a picnic cooler and you're almost ready. Toss in folding chairs or a large quilt and you are on the way. I just love it. If I can catch a fall festival then the trip is even better.

My husband got me hooked on fall festivals when he was working in Jefferson County. Three of his country churches each held one in October. These were always complete with auctions, crafts and always homemade treats to take home.

Fall leaves in the Great Smoky Mountains 2011

People came from all over to these festivals but the crowds were smaller than at Dollywood. The crafts and food items were just as good or better than those in a large festival. This was proved by one of the churches.

Homemade apple butter cooked the old fashioned way is a huge draw for this church. Despite the cool weather the butter was cooked outdoors in a huge cast iron pot. The hot apple butter was carefully ladled into jars and allowed to cool.

The jars were sold during the afternoon auction. Those who were able to purchase were envied by the rest of us. Apple butter cooked this way has an unbeatable flavor. There isn't anything in the grocery store that comes close to the taste.

I haven't see it cooked that way before or since. The benefit of a smaller crowd meant actually getting to watch the full process. This remains one of my fondest memories of fall in Tennessee. What is your favorite memory? Let us know by leaving a comment.  

Blue Sky Scrubs makes a difference for cancer patients

Blue Sky Scrubs helps cancer patients feel better. Every time you buy medical scrubs online a hat can be donated to a cancer patient (or you can choose to keep it or donate it yourself.) This is a gift that can help brighten the day of someone who needs a smile the most.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The month is an even better time to help cancer patients. Blue Sky Scrubs will donate $1.00 to the National Breast Cancer Foundation for every Pink Ribbon hat that is purchased.

There are four different designs to choose from. Each one has a special meaning. You can choose to order Survivor, Courage, Courage for a Cure or Ribbons of Hope. These are stylish and practical. When you wear one it makes a silent statement of encouragement to cancer patients. Plus, you have the reassurance of receiving some of the highest quality products in the medical profession.

Blue Sky Scrubs focuses on total quality. Sales and distribution processes are monitored in real time. Each and every item is tested and inspected multiple times. Only after the item passes these rigorous standards are the items prepared for shipment.

When you order $155 or more the shipping is free. Plus, returns and exchanges are free on all orders. There are no charges for restocking, shipping or other fees. Are you ready to experience the Blue Sky Difference? Visit them today at http://www.blueskyscrubs.com/.

Silsbee High School tries to force victim to pay legal fees

Silsbee High School in Texas should be ashamed of themselves. They want the parents of a sexual assault victim to pay for the school's legal fees.

It's in this ABC News report. Really, how ridiculous can you get? I thought this was 2011. Apparently folks, we have been transported right back into the stone age. Or at least it seems this way by the actions of Silsbee High School in Texas.

Student H.S. (name protected ) only wanted what a lot of high school students dream about. She wanted to help cheer her high school sports teams on to victory. Like most other high school students she worked hard academically and physically to stay on the cheerleading team and to prepare herself for college.

Becoming a rape victim could have destroyed that for her.  What was left of her life after the sexual assault seems to have been destroyed by the Silsbee High School and District in Texas. How did they do that? By trying to force the victim of sexual assault to cheer for the perpetrator when he continued his athletic life at Silsbee High School.


The report says that this perpetrator was indicted by a grand jury of felony sexual assault of a minor. He pleaded it down to a charge of misdemeanor assault sentenced to:

The news report says that school officials did the right thing by expelling the perpetrator after the indictment. He received a one-year suspended prison term and he gets to perform community service. Two years probation and a $2,500 fine are also part of his judicial system punishment. 


Oh yeah, and the Silsbee High School expelled him for awhile. When the perpetrator returned they let him back on the athletics team. Then they tried to force the victim he assaulted to continue to cheer for him, by name. 


Ah! But Silsbee High School didn't seem to be finished with the cheerleader. When she refused to cheer for the scumbag who assaulted her the school kicked her off of the cheerleading team. 


Her parents sued the school. They felt that the school's position violated their daughter's freedom of speech rights. Guess what the legal system did? They said that a cheerleader is only a mouthpiece for the school and sided with Silsbee High School. 


Yes, folks. Cheerleaders are required to be smart and keep their grades up to stay on the cheerleading team. Apparently, they aren't allowed to use those brains. 


You would think that officials at Silsbee High School would be happy with the messages they are sending. Shouldn't this have been enough for the school to heap upon the victim? Nope. 


In a final act of meanness, the school system has heaped more insult onto the victim and her family. They want her parents to pay thousands of dollars in the school's legal fees. By losing the battle to protect their daughter's freedom of speech it opened the parents up to having to pay. 


But wait, there's more. This online petition has more details. It's probably a good thing that I took my blood pressure medicine before reading and signing the petition.


This is one school system that I won't be cheering for. How about you?

Buy from Blue Sky Scrubs and donate a hat to a cancer patient

When health care professionals are looking for nursing uniforms their first choice is often Blue Sky Scrubs. The uniforms have extra details that help them to stand out. Not only do they have decorative stitching on the back pockets but they also have identical stitching on the scrub top.

Blue Sky Scrubs Hat

Blue Sky Scrubs isn’t your typical hospital scrub uniform. To help make the tops more flattering they have a tapered waist. The fashionable scrub pants are equally fashionable and are in between a tapered leg and a flare leg. These provide health care professionals with both style and comfort. They are a great way to liven up your professional scrub wardrobe.

Blue Sky Scrubs also make mens medical scrubs. The scrub tops are long enough that they can be tucked in but short enough that they can be worn loose. Their men’s scrub pants are made with wrinkle resistant fabric. They have a single back pocket and a tie in front.

Customers will appreciate the free UPS ground shipping that is available with a minimum pre-tax order of $155. A variety of other shipping options are offered for those who need to receive their orders by second day or overnight delivery.

These are all great reasons to buy your medical clothing from Blue Sky Scrubs but there is another reason to buy from them. Purchasing from this company not only makes you feel good but it can help others too.

For every purchase that you make, a scrub hat can be donated to a person with cancer. A quality product and a chance to make someone smile are two good reasons to consider Blue Sky Scrubs.