Breakfast Delight: Pancakes with…

…dark chocolate, whipped cream, and vanilla bean maple syrup.

These pancakes have the perfect balance of vanilla maple syrup, as well as the option of whipped cream and special dark chocolate from the famous Pennsylvanian chocolate factory (*hint, hint*).

Not only did the pancakes taste great, they also were very quick to make. The pancakes were  the freezer variation (made from scratch would have been the best option), which was the most efficient option, time-wise.

It’s a writer’s breakfast! At least for this author.

Misconceptions of the Wise

Rainbow (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I’ve begun taking English composition, Psychology, and Government courses at a local university.

I am surrounded by people of all ages, with as various dreams and aspirations as the hues of the light spectrum. Yet they all manage to flow together and coexist.

For differences do not make dissonance. It is often our generalizations, reservations, and purported revelations that are inharmonious.

‘Your hands have made me and fashioned me, An intricate unity; Yet You would destroy me [1].” 

(This quotation is drawn from Job 10:8. It illustrates a point which is in itself is a misconception. See 1 Cor.)

Of all the Christian Bible, I am most continually drawn to 1 Corinthians 13, which I have drawn upon before. I would argue that it is a universally acknowledged truth, whether you are an adherent to Christianity or not. The relationally corrosive properties of selfishness are all encompassing.

13 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. ² And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. ³ And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

⁴ Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; ⁵ does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; ⁶ does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;⁷ bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

⁸ Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whetherthere are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. ⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part. ¹⁰ But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.

¹¹ When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. ¹² For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

¹³ And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love [2].

Making Waves: Anon, a Duck

A duck makes waves as we pass by in a canoe.

As I was equipped with a Kodak Easyshare, and aboard a rickety canoe, I wasn’t able to capture as clear images as I had desired. I utilized the GIMP sharpen mask to try and get things back into shape.

Cheval Ailé et Tour Eiffel: France Photography

Ahhh, beautiful Paris! This wonderful sunset scene was captured a few paces away from “Le Coucher du Lion.” Also in the vicinity of the popular Louvre and the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel.

As the others, this photograph was taken using the Kodak Easyshare M341, with a focal length of 6mm, and settings at 1/400s, f/3.1, ISO 80. Thank-you WordPress.

 

 

 

A Parisian Medley: Photographie

A photographic medley of France. I incorporated flowers from Monet’s Garden in Giverny and the memorial cross of Joan of Arc in Rouen. ©2012 Zechariah Barrett – All Rights Reserved.

Up the Mangled Tree: Leaning on Firm Ground (II)

“We found this tree while searching the mountainside for our kayaking destination. I struck me as peculiar and I decided to snap a pic while stumbling over the steep, rock-strewn slope.” And boy was it steep at times, or perhaps it only seemed so, since I was attempting to take decent compositions along the way while keeping up with our party. Note the blur in the upper-left hand corner, tis’ evidence of my… “gracefulness.”

The Likeness of a Pear

At the moment, I’m focusing on refining my still-art skills through Art Academy.

Via today’s lesson, my subject is a pear, which has been placed in grayscale for an easier model.

My sketches have been rough at best, though improvement is on the horizon!

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The Crashing Waves

The first imagery presented in my novel is that of crashing waves (and a rude awakening to boot). Within the prologue, it sets a mysterious tone for the novel, albeit does not come to fruition until the seventh chapter. It was also the first passage I turned to when I began systematically revising my novel for stylistic disruptions.

Below are photographs I’ve taken on my travels, any guess as to where? Or what [type of] body of water? The answer may seem surprising.

A beautiful portrait of the interweaving hues of blue, lapping against the shore with great tranquility.

This crop is my favorite of the two, albeit not the one used for my “working cover,” due to size restrictions. The scope of the waves, and the flow of the water is much more comprehensive.

 

The location was by far not the most striking, as Oregon, Ireland, or France. Although I attained some nice compositions, with some slight altering to return them to their intended beauty.

 

 

Lackluster & Brilliancy: Contrast in Photography

Often times, when a photographic gem presents itself, it must be captured in the spur-of-the-moment, during which the adjustment of the lens, exposure, and whatnot will result in the loss of a moving subject. A few days ago I provided a glimpse at what little steps I take to restore compositions to their intended beauty.

Below is the original (albeit cropped and resized for space preservation and artistic purposes) version of the Courageous Takeoff, as well as the modified version which was included in the Goose~ology post.

Unaltered with exception to cropping, resizing, and reformatting (JPEG – PNG). No touch-ups.

What follows “The Triumphant Charge?” The Courageous Takeoff.

The difference is staggering, is it not?

 

 

 

 

Duck~ology: Neighbors Set Apart

The duck population and the goose population, while inhabiting the same territory, keep their distance. While the “doose hybrid” is excluded from both parties.

The evening light dances upon the waters as a duck awaits its companions.

A mallard surveys the tranquil waters.

The celebration tonight was a tremendous success and I had just enough time to go canoeing with a friend and engage in some photography. The lake where these ducks live is, unfortunately, filled with pollution from the city streets. Garbage and toxic chemicals make the place rather unhandsome for fishing, and an odious habitation for the wildwife.