gailwernerphotography.com

Have any of you heard of Google’s “Street Map” function? Well, if any of you have used Google Maps for driving directions or to find an address, this function takes it one step farther and shows you, at street level (hence the name), your home.

Google brought its satellite cam truck to Indianapolis recently, and apparently decided to cruise around Muncie too because, lo and behold, here’s Nick and I’s home:

What’s ironic about this is that, despite getting a bird’s eye view of our house, they labeled our address wrong (they say it is “approximately” 672 N. Brentwood Ln. Umm … well, I live there, and last time I checked, the numbers over our garage read 608!)

My understanding is that, eventually, Google wants to take “Street View” everywhere. So what do you guys think about this feature? Is it a gross invasion of privacy? Is it a way for us to all feel “closer,” as a Ball State professor says in this Indianapolis Star story?

I don’t really know how I feel about the function yet, but I do see it as a sign of the times that, with today’s technology, there’s no such thing, really, as privacy. (and I’m just glad Nick and I weren’t out working in the yard when this shot was taken — apparently, there’s a Web site out already of odd things and or people caught in unflattering “Street View” images. You can check that out here.)

(On an unrelated note, if any Mac users out there ever need to know how to do screen captures like the one above, I found this Web site to be a big help with this post and some other fun Mac tricks!)

I got to open a few presents early this year after a little get-together with my work pals, Michelle and Joy. I adore these ladies soo much, and look forward to this tradition every year.

This year, we all seemed to have made a point of buying our gifts from local merchants and I LOVED everything gifted to me!

First up - so this is total random, but for the longest time, I’ve been looking for a cute apron for when I cook. Joy remembered and bought this ADORABLE creation from a local gourmet kitchen shop, Casella’s. This thing is so cute, I may just wear it over a top because I can’t bear to get grease on it! (Joy also bought me AMAZING Andy Warhol coasters - she knows me SO well!

Getting my 2008 IKEA catalog makes for a happy day in the Werner household.

But not as happy as I’ll be when THIS gets finished!

This week we had a Christmas cookie exchange at work. Feeling motivated, I thought it’d be a blast from the past to make homemade cookies, the kind mom used to make dozens upon dozens of when I was a kid and that my brother Mark would make his sole food group through January.

What was I THINKING? I knew there would be work involved here, but I have a whole new level of respect for all those years my mom made these sweets (and better understand why she’s less inclined nowadays to make them!) Making the dough from scratch, rolling it out, cutting the shapes, baking the cookies (only one out of eight dozen burnt!), making the frosting and then frosting them — I think this may be a once-every-five-years kind of treat!

You can tell by this photo that I was making these late at night
(and at that hour, there’s no such thing as natural light!

If anyone wants the recipe — let me know - they really are super good and perfect for dunking in milk!