Category Archives: Digital Art & Photos

January 21, 2016

Echoes of my Neighborhood

BRMEA

Happy Thursday! And another installment of Echoes of my Neighborhood in response to the challenge from my friend Jacqueline of the blog, a cooking pot and twisted tales.

I have worked in Admin for my entire career (decades…though I won’t mention how many!) and for the most part my working space has been located in a dark corner cubicle…or in an office with no windows. During the winter seasons it was not uncommon for me to spend an entire day never seeing sunlight, because I would leave before sunrise and return home after sunset. I have always packed my lunch as well, so I would often eat in front of my computer screen while catching up on emails or the news of the day.

So you can imagine my delight to now have a window seat of the Blue Ridge Mountains each day. My current office setting is still a cubicle (in that I am partitioned from other staff members by temporary walls), but an entire WALL of glass flanks my left! Floor to ceiling windows! I love, love, love my new digs! (well actually not new, new…been here for almost 4 years now). It doesn’t matter to me if the sun is shining or if it is raining or snowing. I don’t even care anymore that in the winter I still leave at dawn and return home after dusk. At any time during the day I can glance to my left and see that there is a beautiful world out there with trees and clouds and a sky. It has made a huge difference in my life resulting in less stress. I suppose after decades of dedicated pecking at keyboards and answering phones I have earned this esteemed spot. 🙂 At any rate, I am quite happy in my little corner of the world and happy too, to share it with you! 🙂

35 Comments | tags: Blue Ridge Mountains, cubicles, Echoes of my Neighborhood, office, windows | posted in Challenges and Writing Prompts, Digital Art & Photos, Essays, Random Thoughts and Musings

January 18, 2016

Blink

By Kat Myrman

I am fascinated by the assymetrical properties of the face. Studies have shown that we instinctively look at the right hemisphere of each other’s faces to perceive emotions. This phenomenon, known as left gaze bias, is not just a human trait, but a behavior shared by animals as well. To read someone’s face is not necessarily a conscious thing that we do…it happens quite naturally, no doubt aiding our intuition. A reminder to trust my own.

An Update:

Several of you have commented on this amazing phenomenon. Here is an excerpt from Wikipedia’s article on Animal Emotions:

Psychology research has shown that when humans gaze at the face of another human, the gaze is not symmetrical; the gaze instinctively moves to the right side of the face to obtain information about their emotions and state. Research at the University of Lincoln shows that dogs share this instinct when meeting a human, and only when meeting a human (i.e., not other animals or other dogs). They are the only non-primate species known to share this instinct.^[66]^[67]

…and a humorous note…I have long had difficulty telling my left from my right. That would explain how quite honestly I mistook “left gaze bias” for a propensity to gaze at the “left” side of the face. In fact, emotions are ruled by our left brains which in turn displays those emotions on the RIGHT sides of our faces. It all makes sense. We gaze left to view the right side of someone’s face…duh. That’s why I write poetry and leave logical thought to the mathematicians and scientists. Spock I am not! I’m more of a Yoda. 🙂 I did feel compelled to correct the poem though. Now it’s all good! 🙂

the
dark side
of one’s face,
right hemisphere,
reveals full-on
emotion unveiled,
informing intuition
through aeonian instincts
hard-wired to perceive…
survival in play
a reminder…
don’t let them
see you
blink.

kat ~ 18 January 2016
(An ascending/descending Septet)

29 Comments | tags: blink, instincts, perception, Poetry | posted in Digital Art & Photos, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings

January 18, 2016

Half Moon Haiku

By Kat Myrman

Photo taken with iPhone enhanced with a shooting star scene overlay. ~ kat

Luminous Luna
silvery bowl waxing
brimming with stardust.

kat ~ 18 January 2016

15 Comments | tags: Haiku, halfmoon, Luna, stardust, waxing | posted in Digital Art & Photos, Haiku, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings

January 17, 2016

Sunday’s Week in Re-Verse ~ 17 January 2016

By Kat Myrman

It’s Sunday, and time to lift a thought or two from each post of this past week. What an interesting week it was!

Several photo fiction challenges took rather dark turns. Overcast settings, abandoned places. Something in the air…or maybe the water? The word prompts were slightly more upbeat, but I was already on a downward spiral, so it’s understandable that my own dark side reared its head, taking out a few unsuspecting ice crystals along the way. So sorry you had to witness that! 😜

Unsolved cases, happy rescues, wrongs righted, criminals thwarted… thingifications (not to be confused with thingamajigs or thingamabobs) – hey, it’s a word. Someone on the internet said so! And remembering to breath while the moon keeps secrets to herself amidst big foot sightings. I do hope you’re breathing right now…I am feeling a bit breathless after all that!

It does seem a bit strange looking back this week. I feel a tad bit like Alice (of wonderland fame). But all is well. And it’s all good. For someone who loves words and writing them, it was a very good week indeed!

On an administrative note, I decided to tweak this series’ title to “Sunday’s Week in Re-Verse” …a combination of two words “review/repeat” and “verse”. This weekly series has been and continues to be a work in progress after all.

So there you have it. And here it is, my look back, line by line, at the week that was.

Sunday’s Week in Re-Verse ~ 17 January 2016

He never played hide and seek again.
Fire and ice collide at dawn.
Hope springs eternal
if not for the rain.
mystified wide-eyed dreamers you hope for admiration…
Old moon growing dark
Between once upon
“Yeah yeah, well here’s what ya’ came for.”
Welcome to my world!
“Are you okay ma’am?”
is a utopian myth
imagining him human
A reckless notion
‘oft uttered by “tools”
in a world filled with suffering, how tragic.
He was old school.

~ kat

If you’re new to this blog, a bit of background to explain the verse above. It is a line from each poem or prose from the previous week. Lifted and placed in the order written. A snapshot review of the week. It helps me to prepare for the upcoming week with a clean slate.

12 Comments | tags: breathe, look back, memories, Poetry, Week in Review | posted in Digital Art & Photos, Essays, Poetry, Random Thoughts and Musings, Week in Review

January 14, 2016

Echoes of my Neighborhood

By Kat Myrman

It’s Thursday and time for another entry in response to my friend Jacqueline’s photo challenge. A little glimpse into the place I call home.

This is a night view from the edge of my neighborhood. In the distance the famous Roanoke Star atop Mill Mountain watches over us all as we sleep.

…and for fun, I am adding a view of the floor in my kitchen…of my feet in fact…as they appear next to the front paws if my English mastiff puppy who hasn’t finished growing yet!!!! Welcome to my world! Haha!