I bought a Raynox-250 macro converter lens for my camera. It’s a lens that goes on top of your regular lens and it allows you to take close-up pictures. These two images are a couple of test shots. The first was taken as close as I could get, with just my regular lens. The second was taken getting as close I could, with the Raynox.

I didn’t use a tripod and I had the camera on full auto. I need to play with the aperture to get more depth of field. But, all in all, I’m quite happy with it! It’s not quite as magnified as I’d like, but it will work for now and it was in the budget.

For some reason, I don’t know why, the images are smaller than the others. Perhaps it’s due to their size. Ah well… If you want to see them bigger, just click on the picture.

Well, I’ve survived another week at work! Monday and Tuesday brought computer problems, but all worked out eventually. It’s nice to actually be able to DO SOMETHING, rather than sit there and watch other people work. I’ve been told that I’m doing a great job. I still ask (what feels to me like) a lot of questions, but they say that I’m not asking a lot and the ones that I’m asking are good ones. That feels good.

I haven’t been spending as much time with the goats as I’d like – only about 10-20 minutes a day. Ray’s behavior is suffering for it, too. He has taken to biting and rather hard, from what I’ve heard. I plan on going out there this weekend and really giving them lots of attention.

The pigs are getting big. They too are bitey; so I avoid going into their pen, as much as possible. I am certain that if one stands still long enough, they will devour you.

I might do some photography this weekend. I bought an adapter so that I can use my old lenses on my new camera. I’ve only briefly tested it and for the most part it seems to work pretty well.

I’ve been maintaining my sleep hygiene; up at 6am every day (with the exception of last Saturday). I had a bad night last night, so I was draggin’ all day today. And here it’s not even 9pm and I’m already wanting to head to bed! This naturally-going-to-bed-early thing is something that I’ve never been able to accomplish. It’s completely foreign, but quite welcomed, since I’m getting up so early.  Hopefully it will continue!

Star shots from last night. I was up until 2:30 this morning, dealing with these pictures. The alarm went off at 6 and I said “Yeah, right!” Slept in ’til 7:30. I don’t think my attempt at good sleep hygiene was a total failure… After all, I didn’t sleep until 10 or 12!

Last night, silly me, I didn’t realize that it was a full moon, until I was already out there. I let the camera do its thing and when I went back out again, the sky was completely overcast. Full moon + cloud cover does not make for the best star photos!

I shot a total of 150, 30-second frames. These were then stacked in the startrails program.

Image #1 is only the first 38 frames. No color changes have been made. To me it looks like daytime!

Image #2 utilizes all 150 frames. But, the cloud cover was so bothersome, I PhotoShopped the heck out of it. I actually rather like this image…

Well, my first week at my new job is finished. I received my new computer and got all the essential programs configured. Monday is moving day at the office and I will get my own desk! Yay, enough space to stretch out!

Being that it is Friday, I am taking a little leeway on my sleep situation. I still plan to get up at 6am tomorrow, but I think I can stay up a little later tonight. Sleep deprivation won’t be so bad on a weekend. I’m taking this 0pportunity to make another star photo. Hopefully I will have it all together and posted here tomorrow. The camera has been out there shooting for over an hour now; and I’d really like for it to go for at least another hour.

I’m mad at my laptop, right now. It has decided to divorce itself from my camera, for some unknown reason. I reinstalled the software and it still doesn’t recognize it. So, I had to put the software on sweetie’s computer. I hope I have better luck! I’ll just upload the photos to his computer and then transfer them all to the network. At that point, I should be able to access them from my laptop. I hope. Fingers crossed!

I plan on getting some chores done and doing school this weekend. Yes, I’m feeling rather ambitious…

My new job is going quite well. I started yesterday and it has been fun and challenging.

I am working in the complaints department for a national bank chain and I process incoming correspondence. Basically, it’s triaging the notes and sending them to the proper departments, so they can be handled properly.

There is a lot more intricacy than I had expected and it really involves doing a lot of research (which I love!) However, I’ve found myself over-thinking some things and this hangs me up and makes me indecisive. So, I’m trying to get over that.

I fully expect to be set free and left on my own to process these things on Friday! Of course, I will have support in the form of the people with whom I will share a cubicle…

I’m working through a temp agency for now, but it’s a long-term position. Hopefully, at the end of the term, they will decide to keep me; because I really do enjoy what I’m doing.

Adjusting to working again, after being a slug for the last year and a half (almost) has also been a challenge. I’m up at 6am to be to work by 8 (there’s a 45min-1hr commute) and it is just not natural for me to be up that early!

I’ve decided that I am going to, once again, try to have good sleep hygiene. No matter what time I go to bed, I’m getting up at 6am; every single day – seven days a week! Hopefully that will help curb some of my insomnia.

Other than the sleep thing, I have no complaints at all about work. I am enjoying every minute of it!

We went to the Deschutes County Fair last night and my back has decided that I need to be punished. I haven’t had this much sciatic nerve pain, since I had my surgery! I’m hoping that with rest (and ibuprofen) it will calm down. I’m starting a new job on Monday and I don’t need to go in there broken!

But, the trip to the fair yielded a few good things, too! I got a fabulous new purse that I love immensely. And in said purse, I can even carry my camera! With this camera I can take fun pictures, like these:

We also went to see the goats. The only goats that had their horns were the Angoras (who were also in full coat). Incidentally, many of the sheep were also in full coat.

My sweetie did not like the hornless goats and he was upset that the Angoras were still in their coats. It’s been quite warm here lately, and he just knew that they were going to die from heat stress. I tried to reassure him by letting him know that their coats also insulate them from the heat. But, I don’t know if he was listening.

He also didn’t like the fact that none of the goats had their “whiskers” as he says. Their little beards… I explained to him that not all goats have them, and that females (which most of these were) are often shaved so they look more feminine. He didn’t accept that explanation and he determined to be upset about their hairlessness.

Some of the goats also managed to convince us that they were starving. They were eating their dirty bedding. It was not a pleasant thing to see, to be sure. We found some hay and gave them a little bit. We probably could have got in trouble for doing that, but we couldn’t help ourselves.

Later, we spoke to one of the older 4-H girls and she told us that most of the goats are on very strict diets and they only get fed twice a day. Ooops! Well, no one said anything to me when I carried a small flake of hay to them (and there were lots of people who seemed to be authorities around). So, maybe the goats we fed weren’t on the strict diet..? I hope…

I thought they were all very cute. There were a few mamas there with their kids, too! Talk about adorable! There was one kid that was tri-colored and had large patches of color that had polka dots inside the patches! I was instantly smitten and briefly wondered if anyone would notice if I stuck that adorable little creature under my shirt…

I didn’t take any photos of the goats, because my hunny wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. We left, with him shaking his head in disapproval.

All-in-all, it was a fun evening out, which we don’t do very often. So, it was like we were on a fun date!

I was up way too late last night, photographing the night sky and then stacking the images into this:

It was totally worth losing a few hours of sleep…

Well, I did school today; so not much goat or camera time…

I did, however, go out to visit a few times (sans camera) and fed them some carrots, parsley and celery. They LOVE celery!

I found an electric clipper that I think might work on their fleece! It’s sold on the Walmart website; and it’s an Andis brand. It sells for about $65, but it will take ALL of their Ultraedge and Ceramicedge blades! The blades it comes with will not work, I’m sure. But, I can get some replacement blades, for a reasonable price, that should work just fine! I think I will order them on Wednesday. This will make quick work of Frank’s felted fleece. (Yes, I like alliterations.)

Okay, it’s quite late and I have a job interview in the morning; so I best get to bed!