Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Laura Callaway
My friend Alex has a
blog that includes jumping pictures of all her friends from all over the world. And let me tell you, she has many friends, and from many parts of the world. She also has many friends on Kwajalein who like to inundate her mailbox with large attachments of jumping pictures.
These pics are harder to coordinate than you may think. Especially when you have more than yourself in them (and even getting yourself off the ground can prove challenging). Timing is key, but the camera's timer is not always reliable (neither is counting: "Go ON three, or right after three? Or how about four? I think four is better. Ok, so four, then?"). Take 20 shots, and you might have one good one. It is nice to have some planned action for a photo, though. Much better than the obligatory peace sign or absurd gang hommage (I've been known to throw out a West Side gesture - an arthritic combo of the 'W' and snapping - always a hit).
On this particularly sunny and springy day we had a half day off from work. All the more reason to celebrate!
And celebrate we did. Repeatedly. It took a lot of celebration to get this stellar photo. See the outtakes below:
Finally! A good one!
While we were busy taking off and jumping and landing and running to check the camera in between each shot, the clouds rolled in and threatened to end our rather fun quad workout.
So we sat around for a bit, drinking and splashing and figuring out what to do with our un-sunny freedom. Well, jump more, of course!
For a time it was just us four: Anne, Josh, Kerri and me. But then Lisa happened by. Nevermind that she was on her way to run an errand, or that she was really quite sick. We demanded she join. And she obliged.
And then even more people happened by! No one was safe heading down 6th Street. The toll was a jump (or 10), and everyone paid!
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Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Laura Callaway
Anything that's worth doing is worth doing twice. Right? I think the saying goes something like that.
___I chose to be Stephen King's Carrie for this past Halloween. I realize I was this about 5 years ago, but since no one here knew me even 5 months ago, I felt it safe to have a repeat performance. So don't tell anyone.
___
Also, bear with me while I have entirely too much fun on
picnik.com. It's an online photo editing site that I absolutely love but have little to no time to play around with. UNTIL NOW! BWAHAHAHA! Exhibit A: My lovely collage to the left.
This first one's called "ghostify." You can adjust the focal point and the ghostiness of the blur. Very fun. And then I stuck it in a Polaroid frame and made it askew.
The second one involved music note stickers, star stickers, and a confetti frame found in the New Year's Day section. Perfect for a man rockin' his own disco ball!
Group shot! The one in the hat is...I actually have no idea. Tweedle Dee? Then there's Quailman in the back (salute to Nickelodeon circa 1995) with half a head, an owl, Mary Kathrine Gallagher, the Dude, Carrie, and Dwight Shrute. This effect's called "Panography-ish." You can adjust the "kookiness" of the individual squares and the opacity. Woo!
Stay tuned for more picnik abuse.
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Friday, November 12, 2010
Laura Callaway
Welp, for all the fun this was, not many pictures came about! Dang! Items missed: The list of home brews, the fantastic docorations, the food, the contests, and the duck race! But I did get some shots of all the pirates and wenches, so here you go! Nevermind the terrible lighting and poor-quality photos!
Here we have a cabin girl (small boy's costume purchased at one of our three fine stores in town), a wench, and...oh look, another wench. All the ladies were wenches, pretty much. And all the dudes were pirates. We had a few cabin boys. No one dressed as a parrot, though. Maybe I'll do that next year!
Here's a picture of a Micah taking a picture of Dustin. I just can't get over how awesomely amazing my camera skills are as of late. Anyway, dinner was great. We arrived kind of late (pedelling was slow in 4" heels), so we missed out on a few dishes. But they did have beef satay w/ peanut sauce, veggies, hot wings, and cheese and crackers. It was delicious! The beverages were quite tasty, too. There were 4 homebrews (blonde, pale ale, red, IPA) and rum punch! I wish I would've taken a picture of the drink menu.
Here we have a pirate with some nasty dreads, a tattered referee (?), and what's that? Another wench? No way! We're all hanging by the bar. Typical.
A thumb might've gotten in the way here. I can only tell because the cool decorations (lights, torn pieces of cloth) are blacked out. Oh well. Kerri's got her awesome Vogue-wench outfit on, and I'm a 70s wench. I'm not sure what the headband deal was. I felt it needed to go on my head for some reason.
Sure, we're smiling. But we've got our sharp (plastic) swords to each other's neck! This was taken after some awful race in which I was forced to participate. It involved panty hose, some oranges, and a tennis ball. I'd go into detail, but it was rather lewd. I didn't win, and that's OK.
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Tuesday, November 09, 2010
Laura Callaway
A few weekends ago the Kwajalein Yacht Club held their (however many) annual Swashbucklers' Ball (post coming shortly). To kick off the party, the captains of the various sailboats had a naval water balloon fight during the day. My friends and I were happy to lend a hand!
The throwing technique really only worked well if the boats were close. And, sometimes they were. A little too close, maybe...
Nah, our captain (and all the other boats') is a proficient sailor. He's even dressed the part!
If the boats were more than, say, 30 feet away, we had to inact the sling. We were the only boat w/ one!
Sight set...
Aim...
Direct hit!
I believe our boat, Down East Trader, did end up winning the battle. It's hard to say, though. In the end, I think we went through about 900 water balloons. Provisions have already been ordered for next year!
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Thursday, October 07, 2010
Laura Callaway
Hello! I made it back safe and sound from my
three-day excursion to the northern island of Roi-Namur.
My friend and I sure packed a LOT of stuff! It's hard to ride your bike when it's weighted down with clothes, food, and beer!
I was able to use some PTO hours (yay, real job!) to take a half-day on Saturday. We all hit the high seas at 1pm and sailed to Meck, an island about mid-way between Kwaj and Roi.
We anchored at Meck for the night with three other boats. Luckily our Captain had a dinghy with which he could shuttle people from the three other sailboats to the party boat (Stinger). In order the boats are: Down East Trader (the one I was on), Stinger, and the rental boat. I didn't get a pic of the other, but it was nice!
Yes, that's a pirate flag on our boat! We're serious sailors!
After much drinking and debachery, our crew headed back to our sailboat, Down East Trader. We had a lovely dinner of cheese and crackers and seafood pasta. Yes, we had a chef on board! Then we all took the mattresses from down below and placed them around the boat to sleep outside. It was a lovely, warm, starry night. Much better than sleeping in the galley!
Early the next morning we awoke to impending doom: a storm cloud was fast approaching. Luckily our captain had packed provisions, involving tarps, bungees, and adult beverages. We waited/drank out the storm, then set sail for Roi.
We arrived at Roi around 3pm and achored about 200 yards off shore. We floated and drank for a bit, and then took the dinghy ashore. Once on land, we hopped on a golf cart and putted to our hotel rooms where we had nice showers and stable buildings.
Oktoberfest occured on Roi that evening, so we all decided to grace it with our presence. There were costumes, beers, and a chicken dance contest! Fun was had by all.
The next morning we hung around Roi for a bit to check out the WWII ruins and the tide pools.
Ruins (Bunker and guns):
We took the dinghy back to the boat, climbed aboard, and set sail for Kwaj. We arrived home 8 hours later thanks to some great windspeed (the estimate was more along the lines of 10-12 hours!)
All in all, it was an excellent trip. I've even been invited to join the Yacht Club!
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