102 and Willow too!

Enjoy the rhyme-y, strange title! It reminds me of 'Tippecanoe and Tyler Too!', which is sad since History class really is wearing off on me. I hope people understand that reference, otherwise I'm going to seem more odd than I already do, haha.

Anyways, this is a rather important post, since it celebrates Avery-Here's 102 followers - what a great milestone! Thank you all so much for following this blog and putting up with my ramblings, rantings, absences, etc. I means a lot to know that people actually do read this and I'm not just talking to myself. :P

In order to celebrate these 102 amazing followers, I planned out an AG post! Finally! I know, I've been terrible with photographing the dolls, which is kind of what this blog is supposed to be all about. I took over for a little while, and I'm sorry about that. I hope to focus more on the AG's soon.

I posted about Lanie a while back asking for name suggestions, but kind of left you guys hanging and I haven't mentioned her since then. I've been super busy and haven't had much of a chance to do much with the poor girl. Well, I'm pleased to announce that I now have her name - Willow Delanie Holland. I used Delanie as the middle name so she can also be called Lanie, and I've started calling her Lanie-Bug. :) I was debating on Willow/Willa, but went with Willow since Willa Holland is an actual person/actress that I didn't even know existed. And I've typed Willow and Willa so many times that I'm losing the meaning of those words, haha.

She's a shy girl, who likes reading and biology and being outdoors, no matter what time of year, though she's glad that the weather is warming up and it's more feasible to be outside. Sadly, that's about all of her personality I have figured out now.

So enjoy the pictures of Willow! :) I love cross-process. I usually try not to edit my pictures too much, but I was bored and thought it looked cool.

Hope you are all having a wonderful day!
-Brooke

Très Bonne

Très Bonne, muy bien, sehr gut, molto buona... however you want to say it, today has been very good. I don't know why, it's just been one of those random great days that I can't really explain the reason why. It's a multitude of things, I guess.

The highlight was burning old papers from classes I had last semester. The most liberating thing ever. I really recommend it, just don't burn your house down. :P Also burned a copy - well, more like singed a few pages - of Atlas Shrugged. You know it's a good day when old homework is toasting in your fireplace and Atlas Shrugged is smoldering and the corner of the cover is crumbling to ash. That sounds really sadistic, but it's true, I'm a raging, psychopathic, pyromaniac. /sarcasm. (Totally kidding. I'm a really sarcastic person, but it doesn't come across very well on the internet. So I thought I'd clarify.)

I even got a half ways decent picture today! See above. There's some mild bokeh up in the corner, too. That's they best photo I've gotten in a while, which isn't saying much. I haven't had much time for photography, or the AG's, or blogging (SORRY!), but I was glad to get outside, I trudged through like 15 inches of snow for that picture, and my hands were so numb that I could barely press the shutter. But I suppose it was all worth it. Not the best, but I'm sort of happy with it.

Well, I suppose I'd best get started on that mountain of homework waiting for me. Procrastination is beautiful.
-Brooke

PS: I just realized I have 100 followers! It really is a good day, haha. :O Thank you so much! I will do a more official post, that is actually AG-center, later.

Art evokes the mystery without which the world would not exist. - Rene Magritte

(larger flickr version here)
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I really like how this turned out (my favorite photo in a while). I was playing around with settings on my camera, and somehow I made the pictures all very dark. With some minor editing in color, softening, and text, this was the result!

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Happy holidays, everyone! :)
-Brooke, Avery, and the gang

Snowy Days (and random pictures)

Finally, some snow pictures! There has been a huge amount of snow where I live for the last week or so, but I'm just now finding the time to take pictures. And these photos are horrible. I cannot find my camera so I had to use an old one that is broken, but still sort of works, haha! Anyways, this is Elizabeth in the woods. She's wearing Felicity's holiday gown, but I always thought AG messed up and switched Elizabeth and Felicity's dresses around. (Elizabeth looks better in blue, and Felicity looks better in green. Just my opinion. :/)

Now for the random pictures part! Insert random inspirational pictures here! I'm too lazy to make a separate post... :P

Happy Holidays,
-Brooke

Randomness

This post is exactly what the title entails - randomness! I'm bored and haven't updated in a while, so thought I would ramble a little bit. A huge storm hit last night and there's so much snow. It looks like a winter wonderland. I was going to take pictures, but I was too lazy and it is freezing (below 0 degrees Fahrenheit with wind chill - brrr!). So, instead I include the sunny, warm picture of a horse that I took what seems like ages ago when I was on vacation. Yeah, I literally walked down the road from the beach to this pasture on the side of the road and took a picture. I'm weird like that.

Things are pretty good, I'd like to say. (I. Did. Awesome. In. Exams. :D :D :D x1,000. I would brag for a second, but I really don't want to for fear of coming off as arrogant/selfish/all that other stuff.) The holidays are coming up, and that means sort of a break. Hopefully I'll get some posts/photos in.

I LOVE THE WHIFFENPOOFS. Specifically BEN WEXLER. ♥Yeah... that was weird. I think I owe some explanation to that statement. Well, I'm not a huge fan of TV in general, pretty much everything is terrible, especially reality shows. But NBC's "The Sing Off" caught my interest. It's an a capella singing competition. One of the competitors were the group from Yale called the Whiffenpoofs. I love their voices and the arrangements. :) They were eliminated, but now I'm addicted to them, haha. Sorry for the random "fangirling". Speaking of Yale (the Whiffs' are a collegiate group that has been around for over a century), wouldn't that be an awesome school to go to? It's one of the top in country. I doubt I'll be admitted there anytime soon, though.

Well, there you have it. Rambling at its finest.
Over and out,
-Brooke

PS: My youtube channel is undergoing some modification, so no videos are up right now. They're still "out there" if you search, just the module that shows them isn't applied to my channel. No worries. ;)

La Lumière de la Vie

Life is a lot like candle light
So vibrant and bright
But so easily snuffed out.

Rest In Peace E.L. ♥
[an acquaintance of mine who passed away from a car accident. D': ]

The Tridge

What is a 'Tridge', you may ask? Well, it is just what it sounds like. A bridge with three spans! (Picture is not mine, but I hope it helps give a better picture of what the Tridge actually is.)
It's quite cool, actually. Last weekend I was in the town where it was located and shot some pictures. I have to say I'm very pleased with how they turned out. These are all SOOC (Straight Out Of Camera) - meaning there was no editing! All I did was crop them and give them the sepia tone (yeah.. I'm addicted to black and white/sepia). Honestly, I usually do a little bit of color-enhancement, contrast, adjust the brightness levels, etc. Just making small tweaks that improve the photo, but these I really didn't want to, or need to. I think these are my best photos in a long time.

This is a view from the bank of the river. I like how the branches of the tree sort of 'frame' the photo. The texture from the smooth and rippling water is nice as well.


This is a picture standing at the entry to go on to one of the spans. The walkway sort of leads in to the distance in this shot, which I like. It's a foot bridge - meaning only walking, or biking, roller blading, etc. I love the light and the shadows, it creates a lot of good, contrasting lines.


The last and final of the three best shots of the day. This one is darker than the other ones, but I think it has the best picture of the water. The reflection is perfect! When I looked at the thumbnail, it almost looked upside down since it's such a mirror image in the water. The brambles of twigs creep up the edge of the photo, too.

---

Well, some more photography. I really like these three shots for some reason, I'm not why. Hope you enjoy them as well!
-Brooke

Can You See Me?

Can you see me
Through the ivy
Climbing up the wall?

Can you see me
Through the raindrops
Falling to the ground?

Can you see me
Through the sun light
Glinting up above?

Can you see me
In your dreams
When I catch you as you fall?

---

I know, I know, it's becoming a terrible habit of mine to post in poem form. I hope my awful writing doesn't annoy you all too much. But this is a post, none the less! Two in the past few days, that's pretty good for me, haha! Anyways, I have a shed in my yard and it has these vines growing up the sides. I was outside yesterday looking for a place to take a picture, and I realized I could take it there! It's a really nice place, actually, I'm sorry I didn't think of it sooner.

Black And White

"Black and white are starkly different, but they make many shades of gray."-Moi

A glance around me shows
The world is content,
Yet I am not.
The distant thought hiding
Will not surface.

The world is not simply
Made of good and evil
Right and wrong.
Black and white.
So many things lie in between.

My shell, my armor
May protect my physical being,
But it cannot protect my mentality.

What is worth it?
Worth the tears, the sacrifice?
They say it's the
The simple beauties.
The everyday miracles.
But even I
No longer see the novelty.

Empty.
Broken.
I am.

Well... that was rather depressing, wasn't it? Yeah, sorry for the dark poem up there. ^-^ I'm not suicidal or anything, I promise. The inspiration just kind of hit me. Black and white photos usually do that - inspire. I don't think it's a big secret that I love black and white photography. It's an unhealthy obsession, haha! I think it's classy, elegant, vintage, and has an feeling of mystery as well.

Some photos just demand to be taken in these tones, like the ones I included. These are the last in my secret storage of never-before-seen photos. I took them Spring of 2010, but just for myself. I didn't think they turned out very well (the first one looks like an illustration?) but since I've neglected this blog so much, I decided to post them.

Anyways, I again apologize for the lack of posts, but in this one I'm going to bore you with random facts about myself! Yipee! In light of a recent lovely (sarcasm - it was really troll-ish) message I received on flickr, I'm in a pretty good mood. Well that's a contradictory sentence, now isn't it? People who try to insult you 'lyk dis' amuse me and I find it pretty funny. My troubles seem quite small after I hear those crazies. It's like a good friend of mine said "Every time I read something like that, it reminds how stupid all the people are around me." Not implying that those reading this or stupid, or anything. I think you get the point. :)
So, I feel like I rant about everything and have had this blog for almost two years, yet no one really knows all that much about me outside of the AG's. I thought I would share some random facts about myself, not like anyone really cares...

Now for the fun part! Random facts:

• AP Bio is my favorite school subject. It's an insane amount of work, but I love it!
• I've met the man who was the first person to teach genetics in Russia.
  
• I'm a nerd. Plain and simple. Which is why I find the above fact interesting.
  
• My birthday is September 11th. :/
  
• I could eat raw cookie dough until I barf :P
• I've never dyed my hair.
• I love Harry Potter (hopefully seeing the seventh movie this weekend)
• Glee is my guilty pleasure. Every time I see it, I think how stupid it is, but yet there I am, watching it and having a smile on my face.
  
• I'm really, really socially awkward, shy, and quiet in real life.
• I like creative writing, but I never finish any stories I start.
• I wish I could draw figures, like people. I'm a decent artist, but anywhere near as good as I'd like.
• All my grandparents have passed away.
• Chinese movies are the most hilarious things on the planet.
  
• I've never gotten less than an A- on a report card. :D
• I play soccer, volleyball, basketball, and run cross country.
• Jeopardy! is an awesome show.
• I love band!
  
• I'm a fan of anti-humor, the punch line of a joke is so logical it's funny. Example - "What does the man say when he burns his finger on the stove? Ouch, that hurt!" "What's red and has the consistency of blue paint? Red paint." ... Reading this, it sounds really stupid. I guess it's a QB thing.
• I've never broken a bone.
• I'm a terrible dancer. Emphasis on the terrible.
  
• I haven't worn a dress in... who knows how long.
• I've jumped 20 feet off of a cliff/ledge and into a river. It's pretty exhilarating, not 'gonna lie. ;D

Okay, congratulations if you actually read through all that. Thank you if read through it, and actually cared and/ or found it weird/interesting/random. Well, I was bored and had nothing else to do. (Well actually, I have a lot of stuff to do but I'm procrastinating...)

Over and out!
-Brooke

*Disclaimer: Not that they're much to begin with, and I think you're crazy if you want to steal them, but all quotes, poems, and pictures are my property!

Lissie in the Autumn

The coppery leaves
Match her hair
As it blows gently in the cool breeze.

Her yellow skirt ruffles
Butter-colored leaves chasing at her hem
It is autumn.

Explored? What? :)

Yes, this photo was explored on flickr! :) It is of autumn leaves in my backyard. I'm so proud of my little Kodak point and shoot. You see that? It's bokeh! haha
This is quite the good news. I had no idea, so it is great to hear. It couldn't have come at a better moment.

So, just thought I'd share. I still have another post planned for this week. Yay for spare time!

-"Brooke"
^Someone asked me in a message a while ago, and no it's not my real name. Just a pseudonym that I use for online and when I write. I just thought I'd address that. :)

Floraison Octobre

Floraison Octobre - Blooming October

...
And that was the day that I promised
I'd never sing of love
If it does not exist
...
Maybe I know, somewhere
Deep in my soul
That love never lasts
And we're got to find other ways
To make it alone
Keep a straight face
...
And I've always lived like this
Keeping a comfortable, distance
And up until now
I had sworn to myself that I'm
Content with loneliness
...
Because none of it was ever worth the risk
...
I've got a tight grip on reality
But I can't
Let go of what's in front of me here
I know you're leaving
In the morning, when you wake up
Leave me with some kind of proof it's not a dream
...
You are the only exception
You are the only exception
You are the only exception
You are the only exception
...
And I'm on my way to believing
Oh, And I'm on my way to believing

...

[I'm a fairly depressing mood for some reason. It's a combination of things (but I'm not getting into that... not that you'd want to hear it anyways) along with the weather. Cold, rainy, and windy.
The pictures above are the same, taken earlier this summer. I was bored so uploaded them, did some editing, and tada!
The one of the left reflects a more jubilant mood, the one on the right represents my current depressed feeling.
The Lyrics are The Only Exception - Paramore. I heard this song on the radio a while ago (I knew it before Glee... so yeah) and I really liked it. I'm trying to learn it on piano, though that's pretty much a failure.
Sorry for my selective copying down of lyrics, I left some chorus out and a few lines of the verse. Don't shoot me.
Sorry for not posting much too. AP Bio's a killer. Along with the rest of my busy schedule.
I do have a photo or two in store for this week, though. Not that anyone reads this blog much anymore, haha! It's been neglected lately, and not even about AG's (but the upcoming photos are!). Sorry about that. And sorry for all the apologizing :P , I just feel I need to.]
[[-Brooke]]

Going back to school is like a rainbow. You have the dismal rain and dark skies, but then there's those short beams of sunshine and the rays of colorful light that make it all worth it.

That's how I'm feeling at the moment. I'm not quite sure how to feel about going to a new school. In a way I'm excited and can't wait, and in another way I'm sad to leave my friends and am dreading all the work that the school year will bring.

It is back-to-school-eve (yes, I made that up) and I'm just getting the finishing touches done. I'm moved into my dorm room and share it with a few girls that seem all right. I have my backpack ready to go and I checked out my textbooks yesterday. All that's left is tomorrow, the first day!

Wish me luck,
- Avery Voisin

PS: The photo included is of Gwen outside on the porch this evening. Isn't she lovely? :)

Felicity & Elizabeth

"Elizabeth?" the redhead asked, looking over to the girl doing her sewing.

"Yes, Felicity?" she responded, setting down her needle and thread and looking towards her friend.

"It's a wonderful day, we should go outside," Felicity proposed, a smile spreading across her face. She loved to run around the field, picking flowers and climbing trees. The warm sunny day was especially inviting, and she did not want to be stuffed up indoors.

"That sounds nice," Elizabeth said. "Just let me get my bonnet and shoes and I'll be right out."

"Lizzie, you don't need those! No one is watching," Felicity said, eager to get outside. She gave the blond a pleading look.

"Oh, all right." Elizabeth gave in after a bit of thought and followed Felicity out the door and into the fresh air. Lissie could always end up convincing her. She really was a bad influence, breaking most of the rules set forth, but the two always wound up having a good time and nothing else seemed to matter.

Outside, the girls were free to do as they wish. Running around barefoot with the sun on their cheeks, because they were in their own world having fun where nothing was expected of them.{A short tribute of sorts to these two lovely ladies. Word on the street is they're being archived. D': I didn't want to do the usual "OMG they're gone!" post, but something that embraces the dolls' characters and history, etc. and does not focus on the archival, but the dolls themselves. If that makes any sense. Something tells me I've put too much thought into this. -Brooke}

Retour à partir de Paradis

{return from paradise}

That's right, I took an unannounced leave, not that you all noticed anyways since I've been horrible about posting lately. But I have returned from this impromptu rendezvous, which was wonderful might I add. And the destination is, you may ask? After a fifteen minute boat ride from the mainland and I arrived on Mackinac Island.

It is literally one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, despite all the tourists and fudge shoppes! The scenery was absolutely breathtaking, the architecture amazing, and the whole "atmosphere" was just incredible. It was an absolutely stunning place to be, chock full of history and gorgeous, undisturbed, nature. Eighty percent of the island is national park, and I biked around the entire circumference (8.2 miles). Almost all motor vehicles are banned on the island, with the exception of a firetruck or two, so to get around you have to bike, or ride in a horse and buggy. I did both, haha! The island actually has more horses than people; there are only just over five hundred year round residents, compared to 475 horses owned by just one company (there about two others, plus independently owned!). Another interesting fact is that is completely illegal to pick any flowers! You can be fined up to one hundred dollars for each flower, depending on the kind. You can also get a speeding ticket on a bicycle! A few things that I found intriguing that I would share.

Endless nature trails combined with a historic downtown section and a fort from the late 1700's make for one magnificent area. I took many a photograph, the best two of which I will share. I'm not the greatest at photography and I know these aren't the best, but it was a blast going around taking pictures even if it made it obvious that you were a "fudgie" (what locals call tourists).

The first photo you see is of Arch Rock, my personal favorite location within the entire island. It is absolutely magnificent to see in person, pictures really do not do it any justice. The view is literally breathtaking, and humbling as you stand there looking out onto the lake, with no sounds except the crash of waves and the occasional bird chirp. It was especially neat because some brave soul headed into the water and assembled stones in the shape of a heart. It is a little hard to see in this smaller but photo, but the larger version is on my flickr.
Arch Rock stands 146 feet above the water, and is composed of limestone, which is rare for a natural bridge since it is not the best material for stability. Yet the rock still stands.
Just a note; there is extremely little editing done to this photo, nothing more than a simple crop, re-sizing, and a few little tweaks. These are the true colours captured, first hand they are even more stunning but the water was really all those shades of beautiful blue.

The next picture is in front of the Grand Hotel, my second favorite place. Construction began in 1886 and it was finished in well under a year (I remember reading something that said somewhere along with line of three months with over 300 workers, but can't verify that), which was quite a feat for a building of that size in that era. It has the longest covered porch in the entire world at over 660 feet. Five presidents have stayed there over the years along with Thomas Edison and Mark Twain. This particular shot was actually taken while I myself was on a horse and carriage ride. We were passing by the hotel and I just happened to get a quick picture in, and I love the way it turned out. The colors were nice, but it looks especially nice in black and white, I think.

Sorry if this has bored you to death, and sorry that it is extremely off topic, but I'm pretty interested and enthusiastic in these sorts of things, if you couldn't tell.
-"Brooke"
{^For those of you wondering, it is indeed a pseudonym.}

PS: I'm thinking of taking this blog in a new direction. Higher quality posts, more pictures, etc. There's a new layout/design to go with this, do you like it?

Blueberry Picking - Cueillette De Bleuets

Outside in the sun
Fruit ripe, ready for picking
Hair blows in the breeze

It is a wonderful day, the perfect kind; sunny but not humid, warm with a cool breeze. What better to do than to get outside with such fine weather! Mia noticed that the blueberries were beginning to ripen about a week ago, and went back to check them today to find them ready to pick! The tangy but sweet blue fruits are Miss St. Clair's favorite, so she found it especially pleasing when moving here to learn that Mondale had its own bushes out back for a continuous supply of berries throughout the late summer months.

This is the first 'harvest' that many have been looking forward to! Mia has a whole basket full of blueberries, perhaps we'll bake a pie later?

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On another note, I (Brooke) am getting very fed up with flickr/picnik. I keep trying to re-size photos and it destroys the quality of them. :/
I don't know if it's a setting on my camera or what, but it is getting really frustrating, so that is part of the reason there is a lack of pictures lately. I hope that made sense.

-Brooke

Out By The Flowers

It's a sunny day here, and Jasmine/Lina/Jocelyn (her name is all over the place, as is her "personality") took advantage of the warm (VERY WARM) weather. ;P
The garden is slowly wilting in the summer heat and most of the flowers have had their reign, but a few remain.

There's been a major heat wave as of late, making for miserable times. The temperature I could maybe handle, but it's the humidity that really zaps the energy right out of you. Especially when you live where temperatures rarely get over 85 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer!

But, even with the heat, I have newfound inspiration for taking pictures, so stay tuned!

Liz in The Garden

There has been surprisingly wonderful weather here in Yorkshire as of late, just the kind we enjoy. Warm and sunny, with a bright blue sky dotted with puffs of white clouds, and just the slightest hint of a cool breeze. Doesn't that paint of lovely picture?

Now, imagine a blonde girl with shiny golden pin curls framing her face, in a butter yellow summer dress. She's running about the garden in her bare feet, her fair skin turning red from the sun. Her blue eyes are filled with wonder as she roams about the colourful flowers. A dream-like atmosphere ensues, with only the slightest of sound and a blur of beautiful scenery.

I'm feeling rather descriptive today, can you tell? (:

-Brooke

Photography Feature

Art Photography/Color Select

Experimenting with some new editing techniques today, and posting some long over due photos! I stumbled across this picture, and used it as an inspiration for my own AG version.

It kinda looks like the eye is messed up, but it is just the way the light happened to fall. I had fun with this shoot though, it's a bit more artsy than other things that I have done before, and I've never really used a pre existing photograph for inspiration before.
-Brooke

Rosenbrock Academy Orientation

I accepted the invitation to visit Rosenbrock for an orientation, meeting teachers, students, and looking around the campus. I went this Friday (5/28/10) and it actually went very well! I was shown around by Emma Adani, eighth grade student council president, Katie Kennedy, president of the Nation Junior Honor Society Rosenbrock Chapter, and Elle Sanders, president of Student Activities committee. The assistant principal, Miss Finley, also accompanied us on the tour.

Emma Adani

Emma: president of Rosenbrock's student council, and possibly the United States some day. She truly is the 'go-to' kind of girl, very loyal and reliable. From spending the day with her, I could tell she's very organized and on top of things all of the time. Emma is very helpful and gave me a lot of tips if I ended up coming to Rosenbrock. She loves to help out where ever she can and is very involved in the school and its many organizations and activities.

Katherine "Katie" Kennedy

Katie: president of NJHS and one of the most genuinely nice people I have ever met. She has a very happy demeanor and is extremely friendly. Katie talks a lot and is great at getting people into conversation. Even though we were basically complete strangers, she made me feel like I was her best friend.

Hazelle "Elle" Sanders

Elle: president of the Student Activities committee, and though not as personable and charismatic as Katie, she really knows how to handle things well. Elle's in charge of everything from sports teams, to the school paper, to the various clubs. She is bluntly honest and tells it like it is. Elle isn't quite mean, but doesn't sugar-coat anything. The truth hurts, I supposed, and she warned me of a few things at Rosenbrock.

Miss Jane Finley

Miss Finley: assistant principal at Rosenbrock and one of those teachers that are strict, yet nice. She doesn't tolerate nonsense, but is very nice if you stay on her good side. She taught English for twenty years before coming to her current position. She cares a lot about her students and wants the best for them.

Avery-Marie "Avery" Voisin

Avery: also known as me, the potential, brainy, new girl. After seeing Rosenbrock, I'm really not sure what to think. Mondale's still great... but things here aren't half bad, either.

Still thinking,
~Avery