Friday, March 14, 2008

Day 75: POTD Jungle Animals

Wild Jungle Animals on a rampage. . . . .



Easily subdued by the Queen of the Jungle, Bonnie. . . .


And isn't this little guy cute?

(and my kids wondered what I'd do when they left home! Ha!)

Playing with my 105 mm 2.0 really cool macro lens. Just seeing what I can do with it. All are shot in manual mode, with manual focus, delayed timer trigger, RAW, bean bag tripod on the floor and me lying on my stomach, VR off, ISO 400, wb Incandescent. The top photo was at f/32 and ss: 20". Bonnie, Queen of the Jungle was at f/5.6; ss: .4". And the little tiger on the bottom was at f/3; ss: 1/3".

And now, for some Warped Angela Philosphy:
I listened today to NPR talking about single women in the their 40s getting to a point where they regret not marrying and having a life partner. The author who was being interviewed said that some women have been making the mistake of looking for the perfect partner, and that they would be happier looking for "good enough". She said a woman needs to think more in terms of someone who will complement her, will be a good partner in life and in running the household/raising children. She said this was quite controversial and flew in the face of romantic ideals of finding "the one." The mail she got showed a definite pattern. People who had been married a good number of years readily admit the imperfection of their spouses. . . and themselves, but that they love each other immensely "anyway."

So of course, I asked my husband, "Honey. . . dear. .. . am I perfect!" Ha! One of those questions that make all husbands worth their salt suddenly perk up and take notice. They know they've got to carefully navigate a minefield, fraught with danger, and that the whole weekend could hinge on how they deal with THIS one.

And you know what this sweetest guy on the planet said? He said, "Well, I don't want to hurt your feelings, but no one's perfect. But you come really, really close."

Awwwwww! He's perfect for me!

This was actually one of the most important things I learned, though, in being a parent. I was knocking myself out, early on, trying to be perfect. And then I realized I just needed to be a good enough mom; that anyone could ALWAYS do better, but good enough will do really well.

Feel free to comment or ignore. . .

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

That photo with the dog made me laugh our loud!!! I love it...How sweet is your hubby...
Cari

Sharon said...

Bonnie looks like she can't figure out their appeal.

Nice commentary. Your DH does sound "close enough" to me!

pakosta said...

i LOVe that one of your dog with the animal! too CUTe!
tara

Unknown said...

Perfect for this weeks challenge... cute doggie...

Alicia Barry said...

lol, the puppy looks entirely unimpressed.

Kristina said...

:) I think your dh responded quite well!

Amy said...

Those shots are too funny! That's some good wisdom there in your journaling. Your dh sounds like a great guy!

Merilee said...

WOW, look at all those animals! I love the look on your dogs face..too funny.

Lauren Hartman said...

Oh my gosh, I am totally LOL at your subjects (especially the one with your dog) and what you do while the kids are away during the day :) I love coming to your blog ans reading, you've got a great outlook on life. From one "good enough" wife and mother to another, thanks for brightening my day!

Val said...

So cute!

Jeanne said...

I surely don't know what prompted you to choose photographing these little animals, but whatever it was, I thank you! Love the photos and your dog! (yes, I am still chuckling over your description of the dog in an earlier post)

I think your hubby is a keeper, too! He manuevered that minefield almost perfectly!

I like your style, sense of fun and wonderful humor and am glad you have a blog that makes me smile, laugh, think and appreciate little plastic animals as well as dogs that go thunk!!

Becky said...

Angela, thanks for your sweet comments on my blog. I was dumbfounded to read that you admire my focus, because I struggle so much with it. And I really appreciated your explanation about cropping too. And I THINK clarity, focus, and sharpness are all the same--I use them interchangeably anyway. The focus on your macros today looks awesome to me, and I love these photos! What did you use for a background in that first one? It looks like a real jungle.

HeyLady said...

Looks like you had a fun photo shot, but dangerous. I especially like the photo of the dog. Very funny.

Krista P said...

First of all, I lvoe the shots, they turned out well, and now you kids know ;)

Furthermore, you are so wise! While "good enough" works, we always CAN strive to do better. What really matters is that we're happy, and our families are provided for. I'd like to add that I just love your DH - how cute was that answer!

Amy said...

Very creative photo subjects! Your dog doesn't look too impressed, though. As for your "philosophy rant," isn't it the greatest thing to be truly loved in spite of all of your imperfections? Priceless.

pat said...

These photos are sooo creative! Way to go, Ang. And, your DH sounds like a keeper...

Margaret said...

That shot of the dog is hilarious! What an expression! I love your journaling today, too! Nice insight!:)