I prefer color.

I had a conversation with an old girlfriend (as if there have been hundreds) the other night, and she asked me to send her some pictures ... which I originally typed as “photographs” because, to me, that is a much more photography-sounding word than “pictures” — I mean, which would you rather be known as, a photographer (one who shoots photographs) or a picture-taker (one who takes pictures)? Of course: photographer. Right?

(Kids at the high school sometimes retured to me as “The Picture Lady.” Which I found kinda cool. But then, I am not sure how much of a lady I am ... but I suppose that is a whole ’nother topic.)

Speaking of “shoots,” though: I picked up a copy of Eats, Shoots & Leaves the other day at the Fairview Heights Borders — the glorious Fairview Heights Borders, where I was finally able to find the Nina Simone CD I was seeking — and I’ll tell ya: The book really didn’t do it for me. And granted, I gave it a rather cursory thumb-through because, what the heck, what else is there for me, punctuation-wise? I mean, yes, I have too much fondness for the ellipsis ... and — let’s be honest — I would work a dash into every paragraph if it were socially acceptable. And if it didn’t diminish the intrinsic (??) power of the dash in the first place.

Anyhoo, I am not implying that I know all there is to know about punctuation, nor am I saying there are not a few (i.e. several) grammar rules in general up on which I could brush.

: )

I simply found the two passages I attempted to read to be not all that well-written and, quite honestly, a little confusing. And I am someone who knows good punctuation. Quite well, even.

And what is the deal with the ampersand in the title?

(Damn, how did I get this far off track?)

: )

Back on the topic: Cheryl asked me to send her some pictures, and then she immediately asked if they were black and white. And I told her that I did not really shoot any black-and-white photos ... although, to be honest, thanks to PhotoShop 418 or whatever version I happen to be using, I can actually shoot color and black and white, simultaneously. So I took a few of my pictures and grayscaled them and sent them to her.

One of them was a tulip from last spring.



Which, I admit, looks kinda neat in black and white. Even a little dramatic and unfamiliar, maybe, in part because of the camera angle and the focus and what-not. (I love to talk in technical, photography-sounding terms.)

And yet, still, I prefer color.



Speaking of color: Heard the song “Crystal Blue Persuasion” by Tommy James & the Shondells on my way out to the h.s. and, as always, the song made me smile.

There’ll be
Peace and good
Brotherhood
Crystal blue persuasion

And how incredibly strange is it that I woke up singing “Up, Up, Up, in a Puff of Smoke” (“and it ain’t no joke / how you broke my heart”) — and then, this afternoon, I went to take pictures of a brush fire-turned-house fire in nearby Buckner?