My Favorite Writing and Reading Place

Because writing and reading are passions of mine and also, because I enjoy reviewing what people write, I have joined and become active in another place.  Writing.com is a writers delight and playground.  Of course, you can be very, very serious about your writing too!  There are many activities, contests, people to meet, and of course writing and reading.  Reviewing is an important part of the site and the community activities.


These reviewing activities can and often do, help writers become better writers.  I enjoy reading the many different topics, styles, and lengths of writing available for reviewing.  There is much written about reviewing, so that, you don't have to be concerned or worried about how to review.  And, there are many members, who, are willing and happy to help you learn about the reviewing and related information so that reviewing is a natural part of the activity you can enjoy and will like to do as time permits.


There are many different contests which I plan to start entering very soon.  So far there is something for everyone such as, poetry of all types contests, different fiction and non-fiction contests, daily, weekly, and monthly contests, etc.  I am exploring the site to see which contests I'm interested in entering. A way for me to improve my writing is to enter contests for writing which I have not tried creating yet, just to see how well I do, and then I will have an idea how much more, and what I should learn and practice writing before the next similar contest starts.


There are games other fun activities, puzzles, writing events and activities, and forums.  The list is so long,I would keep you reading more than you would be writing.


One thing I like about writing,com is all the awards, gifts, gps (gift points), and the help you receive for free not to mention help with other things.  You may even receive a free upgrade, or get enough gift points for an upgrade.


There are many different account levels which fit every budget and every need for writers.  FREE accounts are a great way to start on your writing adventure.  Free is good and when you are ready an upgrade may be just what will give you more tools to explode into writing like you never before experienced.  Would you believe, there are groups who give away free upgrades so that writers can get more functions and become better writers, yes it's true.  I thank the many friends I have at writing.com for the gift of my upgrade.


http://www.Writing.Com/main/portfolio/view/vpbanjo?rfrid=vpbanjo

Bella & I Miss Our Best Friend, Shady

Shady our best friend was diagnosed with lymphoma on 9/6/2011.  He had courage and sweetness along with many other wonder characteristics not many people knew about or experienced.  To us, Shady was a hero.  He taught us much about life and about dogs and how they can if given the chance and proper guidance, recover from a life of unfulfilled needs.

I have to stop now and plan to return to finish writing about our friend shady.

Fighting,writing,sward,and pen

http://www.Writing.Com/?rfrid=vpbanjo
http://www.Writing.Com/authors/vpbanjo/blog
http://www.writerscafe.org/groups/Your-passion/4328/
http://www.writerscafe.org/link/654437/


I found Some very useful links which will help any artist, especially the artist who uses tools such as:

• pen
• paper
• eraser
• word processor
• computer writing software

other writing tools: reference material,etc

1. The first and a very important concept about writing is with the willingness to take time, practice,openly accept constructive criticism, ask for reviews, research, learn how to plan and create a map of your plan, and regularly write and tread, you will have success.
2. After you start writing, do not quit.  Find ways to improve your writing.  read what you writ as if it was written by another author, experiment with different writing tools, techniques, and genera.  Allow yourself time and make time for writing.  Even if you don't know what to write or how to get started, write.  This has worked well for me.  Your worst writing can be a very good friend.
3. One persons trash and be another persons treasure.  Trash can be turned into gems.  Just having an idea, a few words, or a concept of what you would like to write is a beginning.
4. Even if in the beginning you write occasionally, this is a good start.
5. deciding to write is the foundation with which you can build upon.
6. Creating a structure will hold your writing together.

Finding communities of writers will be like finding a huge treasure from which you can glean many gems for your writing projects.  Writing friends will encourage you, give you pointers, and advice for becoming the wrier you want to become.

If you think about writing, write regularly, and really want to convey thoughts and ideas, then you're a writer.

Here are some links to information which has been very, very helpful to me:


http://www.Writing.Com/?rfrid=vpbanjo
http://www.Writing.Com/authors/vpbanjo/blog
http://www.writerscafe.org/link/654468/
http://www.writerscafe.org/groups/Your-passion/4328/

I Survived Another Semester

I survived another semester and am enjoying the summer break for my studies.  I plan to return to college this fall.  Meanwhile, I will use my free time until school resumes to write for this blog and find interesting content to share with you.


If you have any questions or are looking for information please let me know and I'll try to find and post information which may be helpful to you.


Please make your requests and comments available via the comments link, thank you.

My Semester Adventure

This semester is almost finished.  I have learned about XHTML & CSS in this class as well as what visually working in this element is and requires.
Creating web pages is very interesting and exciting to me and I hope to continue doing this kind of activity for many years into the future.  Hopefully I will be able to use these skills to help people and organizations and people help people.


Bella is learning many tasks to help me with my daily activities which will make getting things done much easier and possible for me.  My independence is very important to me.  Her help is priceless.  I will be adding information about her progress in the near future.


Together Bella and I will be able to do a lot of things everyone does.  This is a gift I cherish.  Being as close to normal as everyone else.  Having a life with a devoted canine friend who will work hard to help me and keep me company.  We are a team!

Creations 4 Future Projects: Sketchup & Photoshop

I'm going into a vast new world so that I can do move with my art.  Photoshop is so new to me I have no idea how to start.  I know how to crop photos, however this is the extent of my knowledge.  I'll have to become a thorough researcher and mad scientist so I can experiment with this software & get familiar with how things work.


I havn't learned how to get a project from Sketchup to Photoshop and tried a few options which didn't work, so I decided to upload these projects from Sketchup to my blog and then download the images to my hard drive which should allow me to get them into photoshop.  I hope this works.  If not I'll keep trying to move the files into photoshop and hopefully find the correct answer in a tutorial or accidentally do this the right way.  Any help with where I can find some excellent tutorials for Photoshop and other Adobe products is appreciated very much, thank you.


The upload did not work because the server rejected the file.  So, this leads me to believe I have to get the projects out of Sketchup into another file.  I can get the files onto my desk top, just not into another folder or in another form somewhere.


I figured this out!!!!!
You have to use "export" & click 2d and the name the file, make sure it's going where you can find it and select "save".  That will move your project in a 2d configuration to where you can the put your chosen project into Photoshp or other editing program.


These are the Sketchup project pictures I am going to use in some of my products at CafePress.

I hope this helps you with your art projects.

Works Of Art To Gift On Any Occasion

I have found a very artistic way to share gifts and my joy of animals, nature, computing and photography.  A short time ago, I opened a shop as a birthday gift for me which I would like to share with everyone.


http://www.cafepress.com/vpgifts


I like many of the products so much, I plan on making a purchase for myself soon.  


If there is something special you would like to have please let me know and i'll do everything possible to get it for you.  And, if it is a gift for someone I'll try to get the exact request or perhaps something very close to what you are looking for to gift to that special someone.


I very much enjoy photography, creating art, and sharing things with people such as how to find rare art items and products which go well together.  For example, there are a lot of American Pit Bull Terrier enthusiasts who may be looking for a messenger bag or pet bowl with a picture of a pit bull.  This is where you can find these items.  I will be adding new products on a regular basis.


http://www.cafepress.com/vpgifts


Most of what I'm working with right now is nature, pets, art and different products such as for the office, personal items, pet products, and adding more as soon as possible.

What are you looking for is important so let me know and we can search together so that I can put your art into reality for you.


http://www.cafepress.com/vpgifts


Here is an example of what you will find.

I would appreciate any support, suggestions, and your sharing with friends and family the url to these fine products.  This will help me get the special equipment I need to help me remain in school and be able to successfully complete my studies, thank you.

Making a website: Work Of Art

Making a website is a work of art using a computer (paint brush), Xhtml & css (mediums) and the human brain (artistic vision), which combines to create content with knowledge (words), pictures, and other interesting elements. 

I've used several different techniques and mediums to create art and didn't think of a web page or website as an artistic endeavor until I took this html.css class.  There is a lot of creativity to consider.  The page lay out; where you want to place things.  This is like deciding where you want to place objects like trees in a landscape.  Then there is the colors, font, and other objects to consider for placement and getting them to look nice together.  The nice thing about creating web pages and web sites is that you can try different ideas and easily change them until you get the results you looking to achieve.

This class has been an exciting, challenging, adventure I'm glad I decided to partake of and learn about.  I'm investing much time into understanding this new way of creativity and for me it is worth every second.

I had to Shoot Something!

I have been blessed to have enough vision to be able to go hunting.  For me art & hunting go together.  I enjoy the challenge of finding my quarry, doing the research, looking over the area in order to know the most effective way to get my victim in sight, track, then shoot.  Don't worry, ther is no blood shed.  My weapon is a Nikon D3100.  I can get away with shooting anything which interests me, anywhere, and at any time.  The beauty of all this is that there is no destruction.  My Nikon is legal, easy to take with me and ui have a lot of fun.  The very best part is being able to share my adventures with everyone.  Anyone else a hunting enthusiast? 


When I was very young; During the "open me first" Kodak camera chimerical(s) around Christmas time was when I started shooting things.  About 10 years ago after not doing anything with a camera, I got a video recorder camera.  It seems to have died.  I didn't use it much.  The Nikon seems made for me and I plan using it every chance I get for as long as I'm able to shoot.


These are some of my first pictures taken with the Nikon D3100.  The camera has a nice balance, is easy to operate, and accepts many accessories.  I don't have much to say about the person behind the camera.  I'm in learning mode and will have to practice.  Perhaps I will eventually get a degree in photography :-)


Most of these shots are a result of trying the different features of my camera.

The Art Of Photography

I wrote the beginning of this several weeks ago and saved this post as a draft intending to finish it the next day and publish it, however time out ran me.

I have a new paint brush!  For a mega amount of years I've waited and saved for my camera and now I have the tool I need to go to the next step. Learning xhtml/css will allow me to create websites, add logos, pictures, and other elements and content for dedicated subjects and projects.


My class is going well this semester and I expect to soon be a better photographer so these skills will work well together.  One of mt favorite subjects is Bella my APBT service dog & her friends.  I will be adding everyone to this blog.


As an art form photography is very technical depending on how much you want to learn and do with your camera.  I'm just getting started after many years of not taking pictures.  The last time I took any pictures was when I was a kid in elementary school.  I shot some moving images a few years ago.  These images are analog so I'll have to learn how to work with them before i can get the on the blog and other places.  If anyone has some resources which would help me learn about working with analog images, please let me know. I appreciate the help of suggestions and resources from you.  This would be a great gift.


3/7/11

I've been very, very busy working on my class assignments.  This is a wonderful class which I am enjoying very much.  My greatest challenge is doing the typing and reading of the code.  I am determined to do my very best so have increased my efforts and devoted enough time to this job to make it almost like having a full time job & a part time job. The pay is very good; knowledge is priceless!


I'm looking forward to using my html/css knowledge & camera to share pictures and information with people and help them when ever possible.


http://www.good-tutorials.com/tutorials/photography

What's Next? Future Hopes & Dreams for Me & Helping People

Looking toward the future I am planning on researching cameras for photographs and moving images.  When I am able to get my camera I will start using it to document Bella's progress in her service dog training, tell about our adventures, show interesting people, places, and things, and shoot anyone (with a camera) and anything which would be helpful for my website semester project, blog, and any other places where I can share information which may help someone.


Another next for me is to explore what computer will help me with life tasks, school, and make it possible for me to access information more easily including e-books.  I've been looking at the prices and the prices are I hope going to be reduced more which will make this challenge more easier to turn into reality.


I hope to get a handcylcle in the near future.  This will add to my freedom, ability to get some exercise, and improve my health.  Bella will very much enjoy going with me when I cycle because she likes to run and in short sprints I'm sure she will be fine running alongside.  I do not want to have her run too fast or for too long becaUSE SHE COULD HURT HERSELF BY OVER DOING THIS TYPE AND INTENSITY OF EXERCISING.  Oops I hit the caps lock.  This is good however because I want to emphasize the safety issues when cycling with canines, so I'll leave the mistake alone :-)  I'm not yelling at you as much as I want to be sure the statement is noticed; thank you for your understanding.


What does this have to do with art, school, service animals especially Bells, and people with disABILITIES?  More than you could ever imagine, know or even understand until you have an up-close personal experience in my world.  Ready?  Here we go.  Everyone is welcome to join in on this journey.  I'm very happy and glad you decided to come along with me :-)


I have dreams!  I dream of:
being able to go bicycling with friends like everyone else who enjoys this activity does and I'll probably when I can go cycling every day. Weather permitting, at least for a short ride, so that Bells can get some exercise.


A computer for me is more than a tool.  It is survival.  Because of my disABILITIES I must have a working reliabe computer so I can do the basic activities everyone needs to do as well as other tasks.


The camera is vital for getting school assignments now and in the future accomplished, telling Bella's story and teaching people about service animals, and for continuing my work on the web as well as sharing general information which may be helpful to people.


My biggest challenge is getting the funds to be able to acquire my needs and a few wants.  True this is for me; however, I don't want to hog everything and not share this with you and other people whom this information may help.  Education and information is priceless and you never know who or how it will touch someone, help someone, or change something for someone and others for a better future.


Many people with disABILITIES especially people on fixed limited incomes have to be resourceful and creative so that they can manage to find ways to get the funding they need to acquire the very expensive technology which will help them do the many tasks necessary in their daily lives.  This technology does not replace the ability to do things the same way people who do not have disABILITIES do them, it is a help and may be expensive.  Much of the wonderful technology requires the act of perhaps down loading a free software program to thousands and sometimes 10s of thousands of dollars in order for the person to have use of what this freedom offers.  I have some ideas which may help get this technology into the hands of the people who need it and who usually are the ones who can  afford to purchase it the very least.  I will share this with you later.  It is getting late, I'm tired, and I should go to bed and return tomorrow.  Many blessings and safe travels to everyone; Good night.

HTML/CSS class: Get It Done!

This class is going nicely.  My biggest challenge is reading the code and typing the code without making a lot of mistakes.  When I make a mess, it is then like looking for a needle in a hay stack.  Even with these challenges I am very much enjoying this class and so far have no regrets about being immersed in the code :-)

When the going gets tough the tough get going.  This is a statement I remember and bring to mind when I get stuck trying to learn something or start getting tired, or just need a boost to keep going.  So, I need to put on my tough and get going.  Time to return to studying. 

I'm getting better at this & with more practice expect to become more proficient working with xhtml/css in the future.

Not Enough Books!

While I was stumbling, I found a picture which caused me to have to look at very, very closely because I had to be sure it was what I thought it was.  After a double take times 2, I scanned this picture from top to bottom, left to right, and also, looked at the URL.  If you like books, you're going to really like this picture :-)

My main focus was at first the rows, then the hight and length, then I looked from the right side to the leftside of the picture to see what other information was included in the shot.  I found there was more to this picture than I realized.  I was glad to find more about the subject matter and so continued exploring this photo in more detail inch by inch.


This photo which I consider a very detailed work of art is well done with:
enough information about the area, a lot of detail about where it was taken, enough light to see well the entire environment, and enough interest to keep you searching this photo for a while.


I was very surprised to see on the right side of the photo so much material.  I have never witnessed so much of this stuff in one place before, arranged into this type of configuration and in one place, and in this type of setting.  I had to look and look again and again.

This should keep you reading all of your life :-)  It looks in this picture like there are billions of books on the shelves to the right in the photo.  Happy reading :-)

New Semester Blog

Because it was suggested in my textbook to create a blog so I could tell about:

• sites I find related to my XHTML/CSS class

• how I was doing in class

• what I was learning

• places which had good reliable information that could be used to help add to what is in the textbook any other related information

 And, this is the reason I created a new blog for this semester.
I will be adding new content to both blogs so I hope you visit ofter, thank you.
http://vpbanjo.blog.com/2011/02/07/html-in-the-beginning/

Super Sprayer

I like this unique way of creating art. The technique is fascinating and the results are amazing. This is very nice art in my opinion and I think it should be shared.

The colors are bold and out there which would go well with the outer space picture.  It seems like being accurate is importand, however if there were to be a mistake it looks like it could be fixed with out too much trouble.  


Enjoy and please come visit soon, thank you.

Bella Had Her Picture Taken Today

I escaped and was able to get as far as the mall before I was caught :-)  Actually, Bella went with me for a day away from home for a change of pace. We enjoyed walking around and window shoping, visiting with people, having a snack, and doing some price research.  

Just out of curiosity I decided to see what was happening with the prices of cameras and how technology was changing, so went into Ritz Camera.   The prices are in some cases better and others I guess because of inflation higher.  The mega pixels for high end cameras are up to 16 and may go higher in the future.  I think from what I was told that you can get a lot of camera for a reasonable price if you do your research.  I intend to check into this further in the near future so if anyone has information, please let me know.

Bella started her own private APBT party in the store and was a huge hit, making friends with everyone. They started shooting her with gusto and we all had a great time.  Here is one of the pictures of Bella.  She is making her debauch :-)

 Bela is doing exactly what she is supposed to do as a service dog; be still & quiet unless she has permission to to something.  I gave her permission to say hello to the 2 people who were taking her pictures.  Yet, there are more pictures.  It's getting extremely late, so I'll probably post them tomorrow or later this week.

I have a major amount of school work to do, so I should try to get some rest and then spend most of the rest of this week studying.  I really like the HTML/CSS class I'm in and have high hopes of learning a lot about creating web pages.

XHTML/CSS Class Has Started

I'm diving into class work for the spring semester and being challenged to the max.  So far, my biggest challenge is understanding what is being read to me when the code is read.  The print in the textbook is extremely small so I can not read it to see the code.  Now I have got to be creative and figure out how to get my assignments completed.  With Gods guidance, people helping with suggestions and resources, and thinking outside the box I should find a way to do this.

What would be nice for me would be to have at least the practive exercises in large enough font to be able to do the work.  I'm going to investigate the possibilities.

I am hopeful the technology I must have to be successful in this course will be available soon.  This technology is wonderful but very expensive.  A grant would be very, very helpful for paying for these devices and technology.

I have to get to work and study :-)  I'm looking forward to learning the material in this class.

Image to Text Art (HTML Art, Unicode Art, Ascii Art) is a site I found while exploring"html art" search words.

“Shameless: The Art of Disability” – iconic feature-length documentary is now FREE!

“Shameless: The Art of Disability” – iconic feature-length documentary is now FREE!

Shameless_The_Art_Of_Disability

This is for anyone who is interested in art, artists, and who also knows someone who has or wants to know about people who have disABILITIES.

I have many challenges and do things differently because of vision, hearing, and mobility loss.  This qualifies me to be linked with having a disABILITY, humm;  not bad.  Depending on how I or you look at the situation.  Because people do things differently, have individual talents, and are given different physical and mental assets or disadvantages; we are all disABLED or ABLED  in unique ways.  If you look up the disability you will find that the majority of people are not considered disabled :-)  Art is wonderful, people are wonderfully and uniquely made with special abilities, and people and art go together with artists who have disABILITIES providing aesthetic, wonderful, unique, contemporary, and other artwork.  This blog is all about art, disABILITY , artists and their artwork so this film deserves a place here.

Art Can Be A Figmant Of The Imagination

Yesterday I was researching unusual art and found that art is limited by only the extent of how far out brains and imagination take us.  Our minds can go far beyond and above what we think we can accomplish.  This is a serious case of [art is in the eye of the beholder].  I found enough material to keep me busy for weeks and perhaps months or depending on how far I imagine to take this blog, a year or two.  Actually, I guess in a way this blog is a form of art or an art form.  


There are many talented artists working on very unique and unusual projects.  I feel like I have found very valuable treasures.  And perhaps I may have found some friends and artists who I can learn from, share with, and get to know and enjoy their pioneer spirits.  


Their artistic tallents and works should be celebrated and shared with all peoples and all places in my opinion.  If you disagree, that's your right and is just fine with me.  After all if we all liked the something in the same way art would be a boring same ole' thing over and over again.  I assure you, this isn't the same ole' thing.  These master pieces are something else.  There are from unique and unusual materials used in the creation of the art, or unique and unusual places where the art uis created, or unusual and unique combination of both.  Imagination is hard at work in the creation of these works of art.  This is art at it's best; our imaginations.


If you can imagine you can create art.  Com'on give it a try!  Do you have a pen, pencil, crayons, paint of some sort?  Or, do you have other items you can use to be creative?  See what I mean?  Imagination is your best tool :-)  For example; if you have grass or weeds or some kind of greenery, you can create with these materials.  Perhaps you have paper and glue or tape; go ahead have at it and see what you can create.  


I'll be back in a little while with more examples and ideas to give you something to see and ideas which may help you get started on a very satisfying project of art or craft art which you can share with your family, friends, and other people.  Did you know you can create art with braille, letters, or other images?

AACC-SL

AACC-SL

Here is a little view into AACC where I will be spending much of my time this coming semester.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RGIP0P7RpA 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RGIP0P7RpA 

Dreaming APBT; Getting Ready For School

School is approaching again and I'm doing everything possible to be ready.  Bella is making progress with her education and I am confident she will continue to add to her knowledge of service dog tasks and how she can help me each day.  I think we should have many hours, days, weeks, months, years of joy and companionship together helping each other.  Shady the 11 year old Cocker Spaniel foster dog is even learning to play with Bells.  None of us are in the pits; we into pits :-)  The American Pit bull Terrier can be very friendly and helpful dog.  Bella is a hard worker and devoted friend.  There are times when she works so hard she is extremely tired.  This is an example of how tired she gets.  I will have some pics available of Bells soon, so please come back soon.

Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams

                                       
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I Read Randy Pausch's  book and was inspired to research more about "Alice" the software program.  When I did this I was also gifted information about many videos and so decided to make this video available here so you could know more about him and benefit from the wisdom and information he wants to share.  Do a search and you'll find treasures.