I love you in order to begin loving you. :)

 
I'm learning my camera this week. The shot above was taken this morning in my bedroom.  I shoot mainly in manual and aperture-priority but now I am learning shutter-priority and it is fun!  I'm zipping around the house taking test-shots of things with different shutter speeds and various white balances. I really want to know what I'm doing when I get to Jordan, and seeing as the technical functions of my camera aren't my forte-I am studying hard.  I'm more of a point and shoot kind of gal, in aperture-priority mode.  I will be on this trip with people that swamp me in technical knowledge and gear, so I'll be "the little engine that could" hanging on for dear life! Wish me luck I only have a few months to really know what I'm doing.

I have some link love today;

Gallery Thirty One, a twenty-photo essay about the Day of the Dead festival in Mexico.   

This ornament would make a startlingly beautiful addition to any festive tree!

We are heading out to get a turkey today, and all the trimmings (so they are as fresh as can be) for tomorrows little gathering at our house for Thanksgiving. I'm no Martha, but I want to make it a pretty presentation.

How many times have you judged, without trying to see both sides of the story? Or bought into a single story of a person or place? There is danger in a single story. 

One of my best friends lives here.  What a hip city!  I have her, her husband & daughter on my "must visit" list. Her and I try to talk on the phone a few times a week, it is our time to vent & laugh.  You can read a little more about her here.

Happily reading the following:

Digital Rebel XTi/400D Digital Field Guide

Paulo Coelho's BRIDA

Paulo Coelho's THE DEVIL AND MISS PRYM

100 Love Sonnets by Pablo Neruda

Here is a snippet of one (that fits beautifully with Day of the Dead celebrations): 

XCII

My love, if I die and you don't die,

my love, if you die and I do not,

let us not give pain more territory:

there is no expanse like the one we lived.

 

Dust in the wheat, sand in the sands

of time, the wandering water, the lazy wind

carried us like sailing grain.

We might not have found each other within time.

 

This prairie in which we find ourselves,

oh small infinity! we give back.

But love, this love has not ended,

 

and just as it had no birth

it has no death, it is like a long river,

it only changes lands and lips.

(Yes, there are 100 like that in this book.  Such delicious words!)

Last but certainly not least...I'm topping off my list with Frommer's Los Angeles 2009.

***

Have a love infused week.  Stay true to who you are; bow down to no one...forgive yourself mistakes you've made and pledge to learn from them.  Embrace new opportunity.  Carve out a new niche for yourself.  Study something new...the brain thrives when you feed it new information, so give it a good old fashioned work-out.  Sleep well, eat well, and take brisk walks.  Remember how important your contribution is, don't diminish yourself with pity, or self doubt. 

xoxo

Comments

[Rochambeau]

Have a love infused day Gill,
Love your your learning on your camera!
You have a new baby!!
So EXCITING what a camera can do!
So excited you will be going to Jordan! Can't wait to see these photos and hear about how your life will be changed!!

Hugs,
Constance

[Greg]

Good luck with your camera - so exciting! Can't wait to see more of the world through your eyes.

Thanks, especially, for your last paragraph here. A reminder I might even print out and put up on the wall somewhere hereabouts. You're just beautiful.

Happy Thanksgiving.

[urbaniche]

have a lovely thanks giving Gillian and im liking your book reading list. one thing i havent made time for is reading a book in a while now! i think that is my next project for the self.

and best of luck with your camera im sure you ll create magic and capture some awesome memories!!

and thank you always for such beautiful wishes that you send our way!

xox

[MiddleAgedWomanBlogging]

Cameras are so much fun! Instant gratification, now that they have gone digital! I can't wait to see more!! Love the last paragraph of this post..... I need to copy it and put it where I can see it daily!

[Paris Parfait]

I'm glad you're familiarising yourself more w/ the technical bits of your camera - but don't worry - not all the people on the trip will be photographers! The point is to enjoy the adventure and soak up the beauty - the photography, etc. is icing on the cake.

Happy, happy Thanksgiving to you and yours! And lovely poetry and wise words of advice. Will catch up w/ you soon when I'm back in Paris (will email you later). xoxox

[Paris Parfait]

P.S. Besides, I think your photographs rock! Yes, it helps to know more of the technical bells and whistles. But you have the eye and that's what matters! xoxox

[ella mental]

Muhaw! You are so sweet ;0)
I love that you love yourself enough to share all of the many wonderful facets of Gillian with us!
Good luck learning about your Canon, I look forward to even more rich and beautiful pictures from you.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you and yours! xo

[Tracy]

Such fun and joy here, Gillian...Wishing lots and lots of love! :o) ((HUGS))

[christina]

Danger in a single story, left me in tears, open, filled with hope,ready to begin a new.
Thank you, dear friend. Thank you.
xo

[Art Dolls by Du Buh Du Designs]

Fantastic Dia de los Muertos images and poetry! You are so fortunate to go to be able to travel to Jordan~your images will be amazing I'm sure of it:)

[Yoli]

Thank you for the love infusion my sweet!

[randi]

check out thepioneerwomen.com... she has lots of tips and tricks for photography and i think she even tells you all about your camera if you need it. I totally need to brush up on my technical camera knowledge too. :)

[Relyn]

I just got back from that TED talk. Thank you so much for the link. I have much to think about.

[Gillian daSilva]

relyn xox

[Amy@ProgressivePioneer]

Mmmm, I haven't read Neruda in quite awhile, makes me want to dig up my old, pink copy of the sonnets book. Have you read the book called something like "Ten Love Poems and a Song of Despair?" Absolutely heartrendingly beautiful.