HAPPENED SO FAST

what makes the rainbow oil spills appear in photos? magic? or greasy grease on the lens?
either way, its ok.

Advice

I recently read this article for aspiring photographers by Cheryl Jacobs Nicolai. It struck me as very true for any creative professional. Some favorite excerpts:

"Don't look outward for your style; look inward."

"Never apologize for your own sense of beauty. Nobody can tell you what you should love. Do what you do brazenly and unapologetically. You cannot build your sense of aesthetics on a concensus."

"Accept critique, but don't apply it blindly. Just because someone said it does not make it so. Critiques are opinions, nothing more. Consider the advice, consider the perspective of the advice giver, consider your style and what you want to convey in your work. Implement only what makes sense to implement. That doesn't make you ungrateful, it makes you independent."

"Excellent technique is a great tool, but a terrible end product. The best thing your technique can do is not call attention to itself. Never let your technique upstage your subject."

"Never compare your journey with someone else's. It's a marathon with no finish line. Someone else may start out faster than you, may seem to progress more quickly than you, but every runner has his own pace. Your journey is your journey, not a competition. You will never "arrive". No one ever does."

And aren't her photographs lovely?

Another First for Icelandic Golfer Olafur Loftsson

Ólafur Björn Loftsson Courtesy:  Charlotte Sports Information

A few months ago Ólafur Björn Loftsson, hit his first hole-in-one, in round 1 of the A-10 Championship.  His ace helped the Charlotte 49ers make history, winning a League-Record Sixth A-10 Men's Golf Title.

Then... just yesterday... the young man from Gardabaer, Iceland captured another history-making win at the Cardinal Amateur in Greensboro, NC.  That victory secured him a spot at this week's Wyndham Championship where he'll be the first Icelandic golfer ever to compete in a PGA Tour event.

Though not yet known for its professional golfers,  Iceland does have a unique and vibrant golf culture, with 65 courses, and an active national golf union.  The season...which generally runs from late May to early September... is somewhat short, but the days are long.  In fact, midnight golf is generally playable all over Iceland between June and the later part of July.

By the way, here's the video of Ólafur Loftsson's awesome ace.

...and for more on golf in Iceland check out the following:

The Iceland Open Experience: An Awesome Adventure

Golfer's Lament: When Iceland Lives Up to Its Name

need quick poll question answer

I'm doing a radio interview tomorrow for an Ireland radio station and the interviewer said that no one in Ireland knows about Balto - unlike here in the US where he is well known. I told him I didn't think he was that well known. What do you guys think? How many of you know or knew about him?

Fandom

Last night I saw Glee the 3D Concert Movie, and really enjoyed it--it was the perfect pick-me-up on a dreary rainy day. Now, I don't know if I'd go so far as to call myself a "Gleek," but I'm most definitely a fan of Glee. I've seen every episode, own most of the music, dressed up as one of the characters for Halloween last year:

here I am as Tina from GLEE

and yes, I've even acquired two books by one of the stars of GLEE. On second thought, maybe I am a Gleek. In fact, I'm listening to the soundtrack as I write this. But I'm not the type of fan that would scream my head off and convulse with joy just for being in the same building as the stars. I'm not the type of fan who feels that this television show has changed or affected my life in any significant way, as many of the fans interviewed in the movie believe.

On the way to the subway after the movie, my friend asked me if I've ever been a fan like that for anything, and after thinking about it briefly, I said no. I think the closest I've ever gotten to being that kind of fan was for the TV show FAME (which was the GLEE of the 80s, I suppose). I remember truly feeling like I couldn't wait for the next episode, I remember fantasizing about meeting the actors/characters, and wanting to be a student at the School of the Arts. And far after the show was cancelled, I would tape reruns to watch over and over (I still have those tapes), and now I even have the first two seasons on DVD.

And I suppose I came close in my love for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1988. I watched or listened to almost every single game that season, and after they won the World Series, I had a shrine of articles cut out of the newspaper and taped to the wall of my bedroom.

But I've never been truly geeky long-term about my passion for any one thing. I remember while editing the short story collection GEEKTASTIC, I called myself an "all-around geek" because I liked and was familiar with many of the subjects of geek affection. But I don't believe I've truly experienced true fandom. I am a fan of literature as a whole, of course, but no one book or property ever consumed my soul.

In the past ten or so years, I feel that the Harry Potter and Twilight series have created the kind of Beatlemania-esque fandom that I'm talking about. People are truly obsessed. They're naming their children after characters. They have tattoos. They know every little piece of trivia about the series. Part of me wishes that I could experience this type of consuming fandom.

So tell me--what have you been a geeky fan about? What would make you scream your head off in public? How far have you gone for a band/tv show/movie/celebrity/book/team/etc.?

***

In other news, tomorrow is my twelve-year anniversary of being at Little, Brown. And today is my two-year anniversary of joining Twitter. Happy Anniversary to me! Also, July 30th quietly passed, but it was the five-year anniversary of the Blue Rose Girls blog. It's hard to believe we've been posting together for over five years! Thank you everyone for reading.

NYC Area Golf Experiences - Putnam National Golf Course

Stacy Solomon, Mike Wolfe & I - Photo: Golf4Beginners

This past Thursday,  the New York metropolitan area enjoyed what will probably be its most beautiful summer day of 2011.  In a season that frequently featured oppressive heat and high humidity, the clearblue skies and bright sunshine were pleasantly tempered by cool breezes and the occasional cottony cumulus.

It was a perfect day for the impromptu "mini meet-up" and casual round of golf,  arranged by golf blogger and social media specialist, Stacy Solomon of Golf for Beginners.  The venue was Putnam National Golf Course in Mahhopac, NY, about 50 miles north of midtown Manhattan.

Joining Stacy and I was golf media multi-tasker Mike Wolfe, who produces the WAMGolf blog and radio show and runs WAM Enterprises, a social media marketing company. Stacy's husband Barry... who you may know as co-host of the Golf for Beginners podcast... rounded out our foursome.

Stacy Solomon, Mike Wolfe & I - Photo: Golf4Beginners

As I circumnavigated glittering Lake Mahopac on my way to the course, I thought back to the one and only time I'd played at Putnam National.  It was a couple of years ago on an unseasonably mild day in early October, and what I remembered most was how the brilliant fall foliage extended up the surrounding hills to provide a colorful vista at almost every hole.  Since then I've wanted to get back there, and this was a great opportunity.

When our round got underway I was again reminded that at Putnam National elevation and rolling terrain shape the playing experience here... for golfers of all levels... while delighting anyone with an appreciation for the beauty of woodland nature.

From my own perspective... that of a purely social golfer who just recently began an earnest effort develop a more serious game... there were challenges at every juncture. My playing partners also found the course challenging, but their substantially more developed skills allowed them to fare much better, which is to be expected.  As I told them, "... like Tiger, I'm tinkering with my swing and need more time to get it back on track"  ... and believe it or not they were too nice (or too polite) to balk, even at that ridiculously pretentious joke.

Stacy showed some exceptional sand skills when she managed to save par after finding a tricky green-side bunker on the 8th, an uphill par 4.  Then she offered me a tip that I've since used effectively.  Mike not only has a great sense of humor he's also an impressive golf strategist and a straight hitter. He deftly avoided the rough which was quite thick and demanding of accuracy.  As for Barry, he'd played the course on a number of occasions and was able to clue us in on what to expect as we made our way around the course.  It was a pleasure to be part of this golf media foursome.

Putnam National is clearly a course that can be enjoyed at a variety of levels which would make it a fine venue for corporate outings, business events or casual rounds... as well as a place where avid golfers can compete. The putting green and driving range appear well set up for those who wish to get some practice in and the Grille Room where we had drinks after our round is friendly and relaxing. 

As the summer turns to fall and nature transforms this hilly landscape into a burnished wonderland, it's the perfect time for golfers living in... or visiting... the New York metropolitan area or Hudson Valley would do well to check out Putnam National Golf Course.

Imagination and reality

There was one thing I didn't imagine: all the wildflowers.



So, the landscape is actually even more beautiful than I thought it would be; and yes, it does rain -- more than I thought it would. On some of the islands when the sun comes out they call it "a given day." When the sun comes out (and sometimes it does), everything sparkles, even the air, and the sea turns green and turquoise - like the Caribbean only clearer. The beaches are white sand and empty -- no one swims, it's far too cold.

I fell in love with the first island I visited -- here it is from the ferry, leaving:



There is a Scottish saying that if you want to come back to a place, kiss the corners of the room before you go. I repeated this to my English landlady (but didn't tell her I had done it). She laughed and said,
"If I wanted to come back, I'd book a return on the ferry."

I did.