Almost a year after Instagram was released, I decided to download the app and give it a try. Instagram is just a fun way to share photos. With Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, Tumblr, etc. integration, they have made it brain-dead simple to share photos across these platforms. I am not the biggest fan of the retro filters that seem to evoke the Kodak Instamatic and Polaroid cameras, but I do like a few of them. In the right instance, Instagram’s filters can definitely give a photo an added retro-something.
Personal
Easter Eggs
Am I the only one that find the idea of human-sized rabbits, that lay colored eggs and break into your house to leave chocolate and other goodies? At least my son agrees with me and thinks so…granted, he’s 2-years old. While he was non-interested (and by non-interested I mean scared to death) of the Easter Bunny again this year, he was VERY interested in dying Easter eggs. He even understood the concept this time around, unlike last year when he wanted to smash the eggs and drink that nasty water, vinegar and egg dye concoction.
A Family Day in the City
We had a nice family day in the city, on what turned out to a pretty nice mid-March day. The temperature outside struggled to get out of the mid-40’s, and there was bit of a breeze blowing in off Lake Michigan, but being outside in the sun was nice…and the sun definitely made it feel warmer than the mid-40’s.
Bye Superdawg!
My 2-year old son, saying “Bye, Superdawg!” as we left the other night…although, it sounded more like, “Bye, Sooodaw!”
We Will Miss You Erika
It is with sadness and a heavy heart that I post this… In the early morning hours of Sunday, November 1st, Erika Meyer, a close friend since high school, passed away from complications due to cancer.
In late-June, Erika was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of uterine cancer, called MMMT, which affects some ridiculously low percentage of females…nearly all of whom are over the age of 65. Yet, despite being diagnosed with this rare and poorly understood form of cancer, Erika kept a fantastic attitude. And although there were very difficult times, and the reality of her diagnosis was daunting, she never stopped fighting and looking forward. Erika lived her life to the fullest, laughing, joking and finding humor in situations that someone not facing cancer would probably never even see. Testament to this can be seen in her Cancer Sucks blog, which she started keeping after receiving her diagnosis, and to all those who knew her.
We received the unexpected news of Erika’s passing on Sunday morning, and truthfully, the reality that Erika is gone has not yet set in. Perhaps it’s the fact, that we last saw her just a couple weeks ago, that she was still teaching her first grade class last Thursday, or that she still had a lot of life and fight left in her. In reality, it is probably a combination of all that. Regardless, Erika left us far too soon, and she will be missed by all those whose lives she touched.
My deepest sympathies and condolences go out to Erika’s husband, Andrew, her brother, Evan, and mother, Laura. With that, I think Andrew, who posted news of Erika’s passing to the world on her Cancer Sucks blog, says it best…
God Gets An Angel (via Wayback Machine)
UPDATE: November 3, 2009 7:31 PM
On Tuesday, the Daily Herald had a very nice article about Erika: Lake Zurich Teacher Succumbs to Cancer (via Daily Herald)