Articles from Valfal

Returning to Action!

nobody@ipernity.com (Valfal) — Sat, 06 Aug 2022 02:47:32 +0000

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Hello friends,

It has been a long time since I last participated in any activity on ipernity. I guess the move I made to Florida was more tiring than I thought it would be. We are for the most part settled in our new home, but my routine has been so disrupted that I don't even take photos like I used to. I do plan to get back to my camera soon, though!

I will post some photos in my stream that I took during the past year. Thank you for your understanding, and I hope to participate regularly again very soon. I have missed you all very much!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

nobody@ipernity.com (Valfal) — Sat, 25 Dec 2021 23:53:52 +0000

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Hi all! Just a short message to wish you season's greetings and to let you know that I'm still alive, lol! My new home will be ready to move into by the end of the week and it will feel so good to get back to normal again! I hope all of you enjoyed your Christmas holiday, and wish you health and blessings for the coming year!

My Favorite Month!

nobody@ipernity.com (Valfal) — Fri, 01 May 2020 16:38:22 +0000

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Spring is in full swing in my part of the world, and I couldn't be happier! I must say that if we had to endure lockdown during a pandemic, it happened at the best time. Can you imagine how much worse it would be if we had to go through this Covid pandemic during the winter months??

One of the activities that I am able to do thanks to this time of year is my garden. As a matter of fact, this was the earliest I started it (late March, soon after I took leave of absence from work). Now on May 1st, I am reaping early rewards!

My husband has started a vegetable garden in the back yard which has been a godsend to him.

Another activity that I am doing that I never did before is to tear myself away from the computer and get out to walk through my neighborhood on a regular basis. Many of my neighbors are doing the same thing. I can't believe how much better I feel just doing that! It will be a routine that I do long after lock down ends, I think.

Yes indeed, Covid-19 has changed my life in ways that I couldn't imagine. Maybe we all needed this time to shake up our daily routines and get us to slow down. To think about what is important and what is not. Maybe we will appreciate our families and friends a little more, and appreciate all the many blessings in our lives as we return to normal.

A Time to Stay Home...

nobody@ipernity.com (Valfal) — Tue, 24 Mar 2020 15:46:46 +0000

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After the announcement yesterday that one person in the next town over from me has been diagnosed with Covid-19 (two more have since tested positive), I made the hard decision to take time off from my job until it is safe to return. The job entails serving customers directly on the sales floor, checking them out at cash registers, handling their money and merchandise they touch, all of which effectively prevents me from practicing "social distance" from the customers I serve. While I have no "pre-existing" conditions, I am over 60 years old, and more important, I have a retired husband at home who is also over 60 and diabetic. My husband is the main reason why I go into self-imposed isolation. I am employed with a big box store that sells food and other necessary supplies in addition to entertainment goods and clothes. The only reason it is still open is because it sells the necessary food and medicine supplies. However I work in a department that would be considered "non-essential". While I feel sorry to leave my coworkers to pick up the slack, I feel no guilt leaving until it is safe for me to return. I only hope that I was not exposed to the virus before making this decision to leave. I will know in two weeks. My husband and I have practiced social distancing with each other as best we could for at least the past week. I hope it is enough.

As of today (March 24th ), the State of Maryland reports 349 citizens diagnosed with Covid-19. Yesterday that total was 288. I know that these numbers seem miniscule compared to what some other states and countries around the world are going through, but this is really only the beginning for us. We have neighboring states with far higher infection rates (most notably New York). I hope the aggressive policies being instituted by the Governor of my state works to drastically lower the potential infection rate that will prevent overwhelming our healthcare system.

The "Corona" Way of Life...

nobody@ipernity.com (Valfal) — Tue, 17 Mar 2020 16:15:19 +0000

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It seems the Corona virus has infected more than just people; it has infected a way of life. The impact it has in my country (USA) is downright unprecedented! All our public schools in Maryland are closed for two weeks. Other states are also closing their schools. All sports venues are cancelled indefinitely, as is entertainment centers like Broadway. Restaurants are doing deliveries only, no sit down dining. Businesses who service large crowds or who must phyically interact with customers (such as catering or hairdressing) are fearful of losing their livlihoods if this crisis lasts too long. Office personnel are working from home. Even the "big box" store I work at is limiting business hours (though I don't know what good that will do except drive even more people together to shop shorter hours). Rules prohibiting more than 50 people from congregating are being instituted in many places. Some people are choosing to self-quarantine in an effort to avoid possible contact with Corona virus (which is good thing!).

How these measures will play out over the next two weeks will be interesting, to say the least. The best outcome would be that many lives are saved and many spared from contracting the virus with only a temporary impact on our economy.

Having said that, there is such a thing as over-reaction. As you know, many staples of life (like toilet paper) are suddenly in short supply. The hoarding instinct has been aroused in people terrified by unnecessarily sensationalized news they've heard every day for the past month coming from a 24 hour news media that constantly paints worst case scenarios.

We need to put this situation in perspective. So far, almost all of the victims who actually died from Corona throughout the world were either very old or compromised by pre-existing disease or both. If you are younger than 60 and have no other health issues, the chances of you dying from this virus is minimal at best. Some people infected by this germ don't even exhibit symptoms (Actor Idras Elba is a famous example). Yes, Corona is deadly, but so is the common flu (from which tens of thousands have already died in my country alone this season!).

While we shouldn't downplay the dangers, we must not overreact to the point of creating a situation more dangerous than the Corona virus.

A Very Happy and Healthy 2020!

nobody@ipernity.com (Valfal) — Tue, 31 Dec 2019 17:30:16 +0000

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I want to thank all my ipernity friends for the friendship you show and all your beautiful photos and works of art! You have enriched my life and I hope I have in some small way done the same for you. May 2020 be even better for us all!

Taking a Short Break...

nobody@ipernity.com (Valfal) — Mon, 18 Nov 2019 04:03:22 +0000

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Hello Dear Ipernity Friends,

I will be taking a short break to care for my very sick husband who was diagnosed with severe sepsis this week. Thankfully the antibiotic is working and he is for the most part "out of the woods". He is hospitalized and remains very weak, though. Hopefully I will be back sooner than later. Thank you all for your understanding. x

A Very Merry Christmas!

nobody@ipernity.com (Valfal) — Mon, 24 Dec 2018 09:27:21 +0000

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Just a short note to wish all of my ipernity friends a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. It has been a great year for ipernity and I am so blessed to be a part of this fabulous community! :-)

A Very Busy Season!

nobody@ipernity.com (Valfal) — Sat, 01 Dec 2018 07:05:42 +0000

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Hello my Friends,

If you don't see as much of me lately, it's because I am busy with my job during the holiday season. I have increased hours with the accompanying increased stress and fatigue, so it has been very difficult to take photos on a regular basis or even to stop by and comment on your photos as much as I wish. I want to thank all of you who visit my page regularly, and I hope to visit you more frequently after my schedule returns to normal. In the meantime I will visit you as often as I can, and I wish you all a wonderful season! :-)

Very busy lately!

nobody@ipernity.com (Valfal) — Sat, 17 Mar 2018 16:12:53 +0000

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If I appear slow to visit and comment on photos, it's because my work schedule has changed in a way that makes it harder for me to keep up with groups like HFF and Macro Mondays 2.0. As I am someone who likes to comment on all my fellow members' photos in a prompt manner, it has been a frustrating to not be able to wish you a HFF ON Friday. Please forgive the delay, I will eventually get to visit and comment on your photos. Thank you so much for your past support and encouragement, ipernity friends! :-)

My Internet is Down

nobody@ipernity.com (Valfal) — Sun, 04 Mar 2018 04:19:54 +0000

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Hi Friends,

Due to a severe winter storm with high winds, my internet service is down. I am able to access on my phone, but it’s a bit of a nuisance trying to comment on photos with it, so I will wait until I can use my computer. Thank you very much for you patience and have a beautiful weekend!

Too Many Groups!

nobody@ipernity.com (Valfal) — Sun, 01 Oct 2017 13:08:54 +0000

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Over the past 4 years that I have been a member of ipernity, I somehow managed to join over 400 groups! This is way too many for me to keep up with! In an effort to be a more engaging member to the groups I regularly participate in, I must downsize. Groups that I rarely or never contribute to are the most logical to drop from my list.

To the administrators of these groups that I must quit, please don't take it personally! My guess is you probably won't miss me anyway if I haven't contributed much during the past year. Since the process of ipernity changing hands began, some of these groups have become inactive anyway, so "cleaning house" was something I needed to do. Thank you all for your understanding. :-)

Explore Returns!

nobody@ipernity.com (Valfal) — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 15:55:12 +0000

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I have been slowly getting back to participating on ipernity again, and it was such a pleasure to learn that Explore is finally up and running! I don't know about you, but this was an important tool for me to use to meet new people and as another way to keep up with old friends! I didn't realize just how much I would miss it until it was gone!

I know some people look at Explore as litttle more than a "popularity contest", but that is not the real purpose of this feature. It was intended as a tool to "explore" a sampling of the wonderful photographers in the community and to meet new people with shared interests. I couldn't do that as efficiently through the news page or group sites alone. I hope everyone will use Explore to become better acquainted with the community at large, and just have fun again! I also hope that it will attract new people to visit the site and perhaps join us in fun, too. :-)

I'm Ba-a-ack!

nobody@ipernity.com (Valfal) — Tue, 15 Aug 2017 19:44:31 +0000

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Hi all,

It was good to get away for awhile, and now I'm happy to be back with renewed energy to photograph and post images. During the interim I was away, I upgraded to an iPhone 7 Plus just for the camera feature. It didn't cost me any more to get it than if I had chosen the regular Iphone 7. It was exciting to discover the merits of this phone camera, and I must say that it is truly a large improvement over any other iPhone camera I ever used (and I really liked the 6s a lot). Last week I had the prime opportunity to use it. I visited Longwood Gardens and its refurbished main fountain; what a glorious experience that was! Even though lighting wasn't the best that day, I was able to snap some rather remarkable photos with the 7 Plus iPhone camera. Over the next couple of days I will post some of the best of these images I captured that day.

Now that I'm back, I look forward to catching up with you and seeing all the beautiful pictures you posted over the past couple of weeks! :-)

P.S. We are halfway through August and I was hoping by now that IMA would have taken over the platform. Can any member from the Association give us an idea when the transfer will happen? I understand if you can't answer specifically, but it would be nice to know it will happen very soon...

Taking a short Break...

nobody@ipernity.com (Valfal) — Wed, 19 Jul 2017 18:37:33 +0000

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A lot has been going on in my life lately, and if you don't see much of me during the next few weeks, it's because I'll be taking a rest from all the websites I participate in. It seems that I've lost some of my enthusiasm for photography and just need to "recharge the batteries" so-to-speak. My deepest thanks and appreciation to all of my friends who have commented and faved my work over the years. Hopefully ipernity will have many more years for us to continue on as a community. I wish you a pleasant summer, and don't worry, I'll be back again very soon. ;-)

Sorry I Haven't Been Around As Much...

nobody@ipernity.com (Valfal) — Fri, 06 Jan 2017 17:41:45 +0000

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It seems I'm in the same position I was three and half years ago: going back and forth between ipernity and Flickr with regularity. I learned long ago that it is impossible for me to do two photosharing sites at the same time in equal measure. So, until we find out for sure what ipernity's future is, I am forced to divide my time on both sites. As a result, you may not see as much of me as you usually would.

On top of that, I am trying to save my important albums to my computer. I only wish I could save all the many kind words of praise and encouragement I have received from you over the past three and a half years here on ipernity. I learned so much about photography, and indeed, I developed my love for it thanks to wonderful photographers like you on this site!

I wish the best outcome for ipernity: that it be saved. But until we find out something one way or other about its fate, I will feel like most of you do: in "limbo".

Regarding the End of ipernity...

nobody@ipernity.com (Valfal) — Sat, 03 Dec 2016 17:53:13 +0000

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I have been very busy the last two days working, so it has been hard for me to process fully what is going on with ipernity. I feel sadness, anger, and yes, even disgust with the decision made by the IP team to shut down this site.

As some of you know, Sami Serola, LutzP and I began the group, "Win a Club Membership !", working diligently to recruit members who were willing to donate a club membership to new or old members of ipernity who were not club members. This was both for the purpose of raising money in the short term for ipernity and for hopefully cultivating a larger paying membership base to keep the site afloat. A large number of members volunteered their time and money to make the group a success. We feel betrayed and disillusioned by the IP team's decision to end ipernity.

That being said, Ipernity was a godsend to me because it is here that I discovered my love for photography almost three years ago. I have learned a lot and made many good friends on this site. I do not want to lose touch with anyone, but, unfortunately, not all of us will go to the same site to recongregate. I learned this when I first left Flickr to come here. I lost touch with many contacts purely because it was hard for me to keep up with more than one circle of friends. Now it will happen again. Such is life.

The one thing I didn't do was give up my Flickr membership, so it will be easy for me to relocate there. I know many of you are there as well, so if you are going back to Flickr and wish keep me as a contact, here my address:

www.flickr.com/photos/mychildandtoys/

My deepest thanks and love to all I have had the pleasure to meet and interact with these past three years! May everyone find a new place to "live" and continue to enjoy one another's work and love for photography!

Val

More Tears for France...

nobody@ipernity.com (Valfal) — Fri, 15 Jul 2016 21:39:42 +0000

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What can one say when terrorism seems to rule the day? Where are the leaders who can do something about this? Is there no one who can stop terrorist groups like ISIS in it's tracks?

My heart grieves for the citizens and tourists who lost their lives during another senseless act of terror in Nice, France. I am sick of crying and sick of being angry and helpless at seeing the bad guys win all the time.

We must put a stop to this madness, or civilization as we know it will cease to exist.

I think It's Time to Speak...

nobody@ipernity.com (Valfal) — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 16:47:03 +0000

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After seeing several good members and friends close up shop and leave ipernity, I've decided to express my thoughts on this development...

Sure, ipernity has its issues, but what photo sharing site doesn't? I think that the photography community here on ipernity is much more alive and interactive than any other photo sharing site I've visited. Thanks to the many gifted and friendly photographers I met on ipernity over the past 2 1/2 years, I learned more about photography than I ever thought possible. I also learned to leave my fears of the technical aspects behind and explore the artistic side of me through this medium. I will forever be grateful to all of you who share your talent with me, and for the extremely appreciated support you give as I explore what little talent I have for the medium.

I am especially saddened whenever I see any member leave ipernity for Flickr. I still have an account there, but hardly use it except in the capacity of serving as a moderator in one of the largest groups there and visiting my friends in the doll community (the reason I originally joined Flickr). I find the photography community there rather like a large city; cold and impersonal.

It is here on ipernity where I met a photography community that behaves like one. It would crush me to see it die, especially if it's because of members who choose to leave because they mistakenly fear that the "ship" is sinking. When they do that, they contribute to making their fears our reality.

When the IP team updated us on their status, they were honest enough to admit their financial difficulties, and, if you read their message closely, they seem to be throwing out "feelers" to gauge the attitude of the members. If too many of us choose to withdraw the very support that they need to keep this site operating, then the IP team will have no choice but to either close down ipernity or sell it to the highest bidder. That being said, Team ipernity must make the committment to its members who support them to allow us to help them! When many members cannot renew their club memberships because a glitch in the system doesn't allow them to pay, then the IP team shoots itself in the foot!

Does it make sense to throw away a great photo sharing site that even many of the members who left acknowledge has the best interface of any other site of its kind? Or do we make every effort to help preserve a wonderful place to share our photos and hearts with each other? For me the choice is clear. If we who always loved ipernity would stick it out and contribute to saving it through our support, we can keep the community we love in one place, and continue to enjoy operating on the best interface in the cyber world for photo sharing.

And as for Team ipernity, don't let go of your devoted members; show us you care by making it easier to support you!!

I Begin a New Chapter in Life...

nobody@ipernity.com (Valfal) — Fri, 02 Oct 2015 18:11:26 +0000

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If you haven't seen as much of me in the last week or so, it is because I am training for my new job as an Americorp volunteer coordinator. It is intense and comprehensive. This job is actually a one year contract for the purpose of working with my assigned non-profit organization to execute a plan to effectively recruit all the volunteers they need for the coming year. It is also my responsibility to set in place a sustainable plan that the organization can use to continue recruiting volunteers as the need arises. It is labor intensive and requires me to learn new skills. It is a bit overwhelming, but hopefully that feeling will be replaced by success in a job well done.

I may not be as regular in visiting you as I used to be, and for that I am truly sorry. Hopefully once everything settles down in a routine, I will be able to make time to regularly pariticipate on ipernity again. In the meantime, I will visit and comment as often as I can. Seeing all your lovely photos calms me down and gives me joy!

Have a wonderful Autumn, dear friends! :-)