3 years of blogging.

Today is the 3 year anniversary of my blog.

Wow.

Looking back at my old posts has made me cringe at times, but it shows me how much I have learned both in terms of my writing style and in the pictures I have taken.

I have always had a hard time updating my blog regularly. I usually post in "spurts" where I post consistently for maybe a month and then my posts drop off and I don't post for a long time. Then I remember that yes, I do have a blog, and I will go into another posting spurt. As I was thinking about my third year of blogging I thought that maybe I should post about the things that I have learned through the three years that I have blogged (consistently or otherwise.)

I have learned that no, it is not okay to capitalise letters in mid sentence.

I have learned how to spel mor beterer.

I have learned that you cannot use dark fonts with dark backgrounds.

I have learned that if you end a sentence with a "!" you do not end it like this "!."

I have learned that I have learned something.

I have learned that spellcheck does not fix bad grammar (I wish they had a grammar check...)

I have learned that it is perfectly acceptable to dress up like a nerd in public places as long as there is Lego somewhere in the room...

I have learned how to stage fight.

I learned I love Shakespeare.

I have learned how to Silkscreen.

I have learned that tumblewing gliders are indeed, very cool.

I discovered Threadless T-shirts. *sigh*

I explored the wild back yard for Tree Gripes, and found them. (they're scary!)

I discovered that I love macro and black and white photography.

I learned how to compose music. Slowly and painfully at times. (Mostly for anyone else in the house :)

I learned that Cirque Du Soleil is AMAZING!!!!

(!)

I learned to blog.

I have learned so many things that it would be impossible to list everything that I have learned.

And that's a good thing.

Your ever-learning Josh.

Origamic Architecture

I made a card last year for my friends Birthday and everyone LOVED it, so I made him another card this year. This time it's a little more complicated.
Here are some pictures.

It's St. Basil's Cathedral. (Just in case you didn't know)
It turned out pretty well this time, and I'm quite happy with it.
~Josh

Zoot

Zoot

Cirque Du Soleil (!)

My Mom and Dad found a really cheap seat sale to Las Vegas this month and went of for a mini vacation. My brother and I stayed at home for the couple days that Mom and Dad were gone.

In Vegas Mom and Dad saw KA, a permanent show at the MGM Grand. They brought back the making of DVD, the soundtrack and a book about the show, and I am hooked.

Ka is the only Cirque show that has a story line to it and the theatre that it's performed in is, to say the least, incredible. The theatre was specifically built for Ka. From the front row seats the ceiling is seven stories up and where the stage should be is a pit four stories deep.

It's massive.

There are two stages in the theatre, the "Tatami" deck slides towards the audience from deep backstage and the main stage is 25' by 50' and rises out of the pit and can tilt forward and spin.

I am saving my pennies to go to Vegas just to see this show.

It's that good.

I think that I have one of my friends convinced to come with me, He's also a homeschooler.

I think I'm going to call the trip "Homeschoolers Rock Vegas '09"

whadya think?

Go and check out Ka RIGHT NOW and then let me know if your coming with me.  :)

~Josh, he who is currently obsessed with Cirque Du Soleil.

New Pictures (or how http://ramblingsofcheesemoo.blogspot.com/ inspired me to start blogging again)

It's been a while.
My Friend over at A Brick Short of a Load Inspired me to start posting again on this lonely blog of mine.
Recently I received a cool little camera as a gift and discovered that the super macro setting on it is INCREDIBLE.
It blew my mind.
In fact it takes better close ups and videos than my mom's huge camera. And that makes me quite happy :) I was having fun with the macro setting on my Camera when I started playing around with black and white photography and was very happy with the results.
here are some photos.



















Okay, so there are a couple Sepia photos in there too.
I hope you enjoyed my photos!
Check out some more of my pictures here.
~Josh

Accordion

Yes, I do have an Accordion.
And No I do not play it.
It ways about 2 trillion tonnes and there are approximately 4 million ladybug sized buttons on the side that you are supposed to memorize and be able to play them without looking at them.
that's right, ladybug sized.

not happening.

Anyway My Grampa bought it for me about a year ago, and he drove through the mountains in B.C during a blizzard to pick it up in Vancouver.
It is a very cool accordion though, and every once in awhile I take it out and play with it, pick out a few tunes and then put it back.
this time I decided to take some pictures and show all you guys.
here they are.






It's gotta be good if it has a name like Camillo.
well that's and accordion for you.

Josh.

Boxes

Today I decided that I am going to post about my boxes.
not cardboard boxes but wood boxes. (or any box that looks cool!)

every time I go on holidays I look around and try to find a really cool box to take home as a souvenir and I have come across a few very cool boxes. and here they are!.


First up we have this chest that I bought in Mexico at Loreto. I think that I bought this on the last day of holidays... it looks really good on my shelf :p

then we have puzzle box 1, I bought this one at Pike Place Market in Seattle, the Lady who makes these cuts them out of one piece of wood!, gotta have a lot of patience to cut this out... wow. here's some pictures of it being taken apart.




this is puzzle box 2. (featured in my last post) I got this one in Chinatown in San Francisco, there was a bigger box. but, of course, it was WAAAYYYYY overpriced. :( but this one is a LOT of fun to play with!. I wont show you how to take this one apart just in case you come to my house, then you'll have to figure it out by yourself :)

and this one I didn't get on holidays, actually I found it in my garage (who woulda' thunk???)
but it looks really cool so I decided to put it in this post. and next holidays, well, you'll just have to wait and see what kind of treasures I bring back.

Have fun and post YOUR boxes, then leave a comment with a link to your blog, I'd LOVE to see them!.
until next time,
Josh.

Ten Tiny Things.

Hello there, I have been tagged by Bea at Creative Sandwich to participate in the Ten Tiny Things challenge.

here are the rules.

take ten tiny things that you like and take a picture of them all together, then (if you want) write a little bit about each object.

okay, here I go.

hmmmm.... lets start at the top left.

• This little pagoda is just so darn cool, I have had it forever and it has that cool something about it that just makes you want to hold it in your hand and turn it over to look at it.
• The spiky ball. how else can I describe it?. I found it under a tree when we went on holidays to San Francisco. I don't know what it is, but I like it a lot.
• My puzzle box. I got this in China town in San Francisco, you can only open it if you know where to slide all the little panels hidden in the intaglio. very cool.
• My little jade turtle. Mom bought this for me at the Chinese garden in Vancouver. it's one of those things that you just love!.
• My tin roman soldier that Nialle gave me. he's about an inch tall and stands proudly in the display case on my wall.
• A piece of Dinosaur egg shell, I had to have it!
• A slice of Lapis Lazula from Afghanistan, my favorite stone!.
• A small Turquoise rock. look at the color!.
• A cool coin from India. it has a wavy edge that sets it apart.
• And last but not least, a tiny rock with a hole in it I found on the Oregon coast. did I mention it has a hole in it???

well those are my Ten Tiny Things. now YOU go do this, and when your done leave a comment on the Funky Art Queens post and maybe you can win some of her art!.


happy ten tiny thing-ing!
Josh.

Camp Shakespeare.

This year at Camp Shakespeare my class did a (very) abridged version of As You Like It on the Main stage of the Heritage Amphitheater in Hawrelak Park.
every year Camp Shakespeare runs during the performances of the River City Shakespeare Festival, in which the Freewill Players perform a comedy and a tragedy. the Camps work on an abridged version of the Comedy playing that year and then Perform at the end of the week on the Main stage in the amphitheater. this is the second year I have taken the camp and we had a small group of 6, so we all had really good mentoring with our teacher.

I played Orlando, the younger brother in a family with no parents and only a jealous older brother who has withheld my inheritance and conspires to have me killed in a boxing match.
of course I win the fight and then fall in love with Rosalinde.

of course the full length play has many more twists and turns and a larger cast, but we had a lot of fun putting on a small performance and getting to talk to the people who put the entire show together. we had the privilege of talking to the Assistant Stage Manager, a couple members of the cast, and the Fight Choreographer. I am looking forward to next year and I want to Audition for the Dream Team, which should be a blast!.

Here are a couple pictures. (that's me in the white shirt)





thanks,
Josh, making his way back into the world of blogging.

I've been tagged!,

I've been tagged by my good friend at ART of Humungous Proportions. it's a book tag, so here's what you do:
Pick up a book of at least 123 pages.
Open the book to page 123.
Find the fifth sentence.
Then post the next three sentences.
Finally, tag five people to do the same.

since I'm reading Emma by Jane Austen for a class I'm taking I'll use it.
what I meant to say is that I would use it but it just so happens that page 123 in my edition of Emma happens to be and illustration.

so I'll try "Captains Courageous" by Rudyard Kipling. ( the next book I have to read for the class)

here it goes.

"then He swept his hand Musician-wise through the air,regarded the ceiling, and set to work, while Miss Kinzey's white fingers called up the continent of America. "K. H. Wade, Los Angeles---- The 'Constance' is at Los Angeles, isn't she, Miss Kinzey?"
"yep." Miss Kinzey nodded between clicks as the secretary looked at his watch."

there.

I wonder what Musician-wise means...

now I tag,

Daniel at Musings of a Liber Boy

Raine at My Commonplace Book

Josh.

(I don't have 5 people to tag so YOU can tag 7 people to make up for me, :) )