Photo class - some preliminary results

As promised, a couple of amateur photos that I showed in class yesterday. We're off to take some pictures in class this evening, but I have low expectations for my night shots. I learned a couple of new techniques last night that I haven't gotten a chance to try out yet. Maybe the next time we go sightseeing, I'll be able to use my new skills! ;)

This shot is of the paper flowers that my good friend Rebekah helped me make last spring. We get a lot of afternoon light in the apartment and I wanted to play with the shadows.

I took my camera on a run last week and took a few shots of the bridges over the Potomac. I was trying to use the lighting to get a good diagonal in my picture. I also tried capturing the Washington Monument in a few photos, but I just didn't have a good angle to make it look interesting.

Va. ;)

More classes

This is proof that persistence pays off. J has been trying to get me to enroll in an auto maintenance class ever since my car’s battery died the day we got back from our wedding. Well… 3 years later, I allowed him to enroll me in a course, and I just finished it last week. While I think I’m probably more knowledgeable than the average woman in minor car maintenance issues – I have replaced tail lights, I check tire pressure and oil regularly, etc – it was useful to practice jacking up the car and replacing air filters. I must say, one woman in my class didn't know how to pop the hood, and another put air in her tire for the first time (oh, to have never needed to air up my tires!). And, J even learned a few things from me, such as how to easily access the headlight in the car he’s owned for 7 years!

In addition to the auto class, J also insisted that I take a point-and-shoot photography class. Again, I’m not convinced that I couldn’t take better pictures if I gave it more thought and effort, it’s just that I typically think that the reason for having such a camera is to be able to simply 1) point and 2) shoot. Indeed, that’s often what I used to do, without really looking at the settings before I handed the camera off to someone else to snap a picture. J got so frustrated with my lack of attention to the matter that he felt compelled to tape the camera setting to “automatic,” which I had to admit to in class when I pulled out my camera and the tape was still there! Absent-mindedness is not the same as a lack of understanding, but I think a little more explanation and advice on technique will do me good. Now that I am required to take and share five new photos with my classmates in two weeks, you may get the benefit of seeing a few more shots from around the District from yours truly.

These classes are, of course, in addition to the 25 hours of Lithuanian class and corresponding homework that will soon give me a “limited working proficiency” of the language.

Wow - what a year!

One year ago today (1/13/11), I took a 15 minute phone test that proved I had learned enough Russian to get into the Foreign Service. Since then, we’ve moved to DC, met tons of wonderful people, started learning Lithuanian, and found out we’re also going to Moscow as our second post. I’ve also managed to forget 95% of the Russian I learned, although I continue to believe that it’s somewhere in my brain, just tucked behind Lithuanian for the time being.

January 13^th is also an important but sad day in Lithuania’s history (in 1991, to be exact). That day was the beginning of the end of Soviet occupation in the country. Lithuanians declared independence about 10 months earlier, but the Soviets largely ignored it and few countries recognized their independence. In fact, it took the US another 9 months after January 13^th to formally recognize them.  So, back to January 13^th: Lithuanian leaders took full advantage of Glasnost in 1990, declaring independence and electing their own leaders. By the end of 1990, Gorbachev had had enough of this “anti-Soviet agenda,” and ordered tanks and military to go into Vilnius.  On the night of January 12^th, 1991, the Soviet military tried to cut off Lithuanian ties to the outside world (and to audiences at home) by taking down the Vilnius TV tower.  Soldiers also fired shots into crowds of thousands gathered in public squares and near the parliament building. Fourteen non-violent protesters were killed and over 1,000 were injured, but the Soviet aggression backfired and only served to garner international support for Lithuania, the Baltics, and the rest of the former Soviet republics. If you want to see footage (with English subtitles) of the night, you can watch this YouTube video.

While you may be thinking that I’m just late in reflecting on 2011, it seems to me that January 13^th of last year was a much bigger turning point for us, and really the start of this adventure that we embarked on just a year ago. Only two short months before we take on the world! I really do intend to be better about posting this year, and I think I’ll have more interesting things to write about. Stay tuned!