Life would be easier if we just Googled it first.

Today, thanks to a Google search, I discovered Photomerge in Photoshop. I'm not sure how long that's been there, but WOW.  Mind blown.

I've done a few panoramas, and I've painstakingly put them together myself. I tried to match them up (because who needs a tripod, right??) and get the colours to match and everything. I spent hours.  Days.  TIME.

And all along, there was a GODDAMN FUNCTION BUILT RIGHT INTO THE FREAKING PROGRAM.

Well, fuck. You just pick the pictures you want, and Photoshop puts them together for you, all matched up and everything.  Even the colours are matched and even. I love it. I mean, I'm upset that I spent so much time when apparently pressing a button does it better, but love it.

Yeah, the program does a better job than I did.  I must admit, though, mine doesn't look all that bad.  I'm using it as the banner for my other blog, so I do really like that I can fix them and put them in.  I have two others that I hope to fix, which were much more badly done than this one.  And I spent so long doing them!!  Although to be honest, my "hours" of work also included Facebook time, spaced out time, and reading time.  Go ADD.

But so I think this might be my new obsession.Well, at least for like a week. Then, like always, I'll move on.

Since you asked for it: an update.

So I got a text message this weekend telling me I don't update this often enough and you wanna know what's up in my life.  Really?? I mean, hello?!?!  Didn't you see the barrage of posts??  There's, like, 4 in the last month.  That's pretty freaking incredible for me!!

God, you're so demanding.  Yeah, you know who you are.

So I figured that I'd update, since I should have been having coffee with you, except you bailed, asshole.  although you know, if you had met me for coffee like you were supposed to, you'd know what's up in my life.  Yeah, I'm sticking my tongue out at you.  That's right, I am mature.

So yes, update.

What's new??  Nothing.  I'm still applying to tons of jobs everyday.  At least now I'm starting to get some call backs or emails and interviews.  So I guess that's progress.  Hopefully I'll be able to join the land of the employed soon.

I've been reading a lot.  I was feeling sick all week, so after sending out some resumes in the morning, the sick would catch up with me and I'd lay down and read a book.  Man, I forgot how much I love reading, and just how fast I can go through a book.  Last week I read 10.

Now, none of those books were epic-sized.  They were about 300-450 pages each.  So although I wasn't as awesomely productive as I was hoping to be, at least not in the job-search department, I did manage to get some reading done.  I'm now re-reading the Witching Hour by Anne Rice.  I love her books, but I forgot how much she goes on and on and on and on and on (you get the point, right??) with useless information and descriptions and backstory.  But still, love it.  Haven't read them since high school.  Hopefully they're just as good as I remember.

Lucky is pretty blind now, so it's a challenge to make sure he's eating and drinking water and making sure he doesn't bang his head against the wall 400 times a day.  He's lost all his energy and just lays near me all day.  It breaks my heart to know that he can't see anything.  I still remember the crazy, palm-sized mini puppy that would run outside and was impossible to catch.  I just wish I could fix him and make him last another 10, 15, 40 years.  I can't pretend it's not gonna kill me when he dies, and I haven't yet accepted the possibility that it could be soon.

I don't really have any other updates.  I'm looking forward to watching The Hunger Games; I'm excited for the day it's warm enough to go to the beach; I'm looking forward to possibly seeing Matt's baby pictures soon.  I've been doing insanity, and I'll prolly write an update on that one eventually.  I've decided e-readers are NOT tools of the devil.  I really want to go kayaking or canoeing this summer, preferably while camping up in Tobermory.  I'm thinking of planning a May 2-4 trip, since I've promised Gaby for years I'd take her.  I'm making a family tree, and I've realized I've got a shit ton of relatives.

Yeah.  So updated.  Happy, jerkface??

Being sick sucks.

I have the flu. It sucks. It made Christmas sucky, and now I had to reschedule the Christmas dinner since I'm clearly too sick to have ppl over.

This shit better be gone by New Year's Eve. Otherwise, my choices are to party while sick, or stay home alone sick. Both suck.

Christmas was not the best. So we went to my aunt's for Christmas. You know, I love her, and I love her family, but I feel like she judges who we are and how we are and like she's decided we've gone wrong somewhere. But at the same time, she doesn't want to hear anything bad about her brother, so there's no point in explaining to her what we feel is wrong. So I guess she thinks it's all my mom's fault too.

She seems to think that the opinions we have of my dad are opinions that my mom put on us. I mean, really?? What are we, six years old and unable to form our own?? My dad left. He didn't give a shit, and when he pretended to, he did a shitty fucking job. How are we supposed to see him as anything besides the fuck up who walked away?? It's become a joke in our house, to say "you got that from your dad" or "well, you're definitely a Silva". Saying we're like him is an insult to us, and really, that's his fault. What kind of person makes their kids feel as though he doesn't love them or want them?? I know Gaby feels that way. It's her own opinion; my mom never told her how to feel.

In fact, my mom was more than nice towards him. She never insulted him in front of us, she never said bad things about him, she never tried to turn us against him - all of which he did to her. She never said no when we wanted to see him, or tried to stop us when we wanted to live with him. She let him have his million chances with his kids, and he fucked them all up. So please, stop looking at us like we're asshole for thinking of him as a joke. That is all he is to us. A fucking joke.

As for how we are, well, stop judging it. Maybe we're not as obedient as your kids, but we love and respect each other. Just because we call each other names and make fun of each other doesn't mean anything. If my mom were to tell me tomorrow that I can't do something, I'd laugh. I mean, really, I'm 26. The time to parent me has come and gone. But as someone I respect and whose friendship I value, I would take her advice into careful consideration. Her opinion is incredibly important to me, and at the same time, we can hang out and talk and laugh and gossip. I really feel like our relationship is incredible.

And for Jose?? Well, he's special. But we've accepted him. It's time you do too. If you can't accept who we are and how we feel about life (and about your brother), then maybe we shouldn't really be spending holidays together, regardless of how much we love you.

~Suz