tuxcomputers's blog/

Don't get wrong I love my wife and she loves me but unlike the movies we don't spend every waking minute looking lovingly into each others eyes.

We do aot of things together but we also have our seperate interests. I have my photography and my wife does Reiki and that alternative stuff like Tarot cards etc.

I watched 'Knocked up' last night it was a good movie BUT it annoyed me for several reasons. First the main characters sister was so dam clingy her husband had to make stuff up to get some time to himself. I can't remember the other reason it annoyed me right now.

Chris (my wife) and I have things we do together (like watch movies at the cinema), things we do seperate (as explained above) and things we sometimes do together and sometimes not (like going for a walk). Other times we go somewhere and she does er thing while I do mine. Today we went up to Mooloolaba, she went shopping with her 3 friends while I went for a walk along the beach taking photos. We met up for lunch and then came home, great day all around.

In movies they appeal to the unrealistic romantic side to women and the logic is "If you don't want to be with me, then you must not love me", HOLY CRAP!!!! If my wife wanted to be like that then our relationship status would not remain 'married' for very long.

I was walking along the beach at Mooloolaba today taking photo of various things, rocks, sand patterns, a jogger, sea gulls etc. On the beach and in the surf were a group of some kids. They were obviously from a school or something learning to handle a surf board, a boogie board etc.

I was taking some photos of the kids on the surf boards riding the waves back in, the expression on their faces was great. One of the supervisors came over and I forgot what he said but I whacked out and totally over reacted. I know I have a right on a public beach to take photos of anything I want to, kids or not and there is no law against it.

I have no idea why but I was a mental case, I am ashamed of my actions. It was not violent or abusive but it was confrontational. They kept insisting there was a law against what I was doing but I know dam well that there isn't.

There was an a guy that claimed he was an off duty policeman there and I would not back down and did not play his game. The uniform cops were called and they were real nice, Sue the constable just asked what I was doing and if she could see the photos I had taken.

I gave her the camera and showed her how to scroll through them. She explained that the parents there had some concerns but after looking through my photos she said that she could tell that I was what I claimed to be, just a photog on a beach.

I certainly plan on doing better next time (in this day and age of paranoia there WILL be a next time) and not react the way I did. I still have no idea why I did wat I did but I don't want to do it again.

I have been thinking about getting a t-shirt printed that says "Photography is NOT a crime", it won't help but it would be so cool.

I have decided to write a book about GIMP to give me greater knowledge on:

1. The GIMP,
2. The typesetting program Lyx, and
3. Writing a book.

It will almost always be a work in progress because I am still learning stuff about the GIMP and it keeps getting updated. I have plenty of time on my hands both at work and at home.

While at work there is nothing to do at night time so I will be working on the book. During my 2 weeks off at home I am often just sitting around bored.

This book will be available for free on-line as a web book as well as a PDF. I am still ot sure if I want to publish it using a site like Lulu.

It will divided into 3 sections:

1. Information on GIMP, how to install it, how to configure it etc
2. The tools available in GIMP
3. Photo manipulation task orientated tutorials.