New Year's Resolution

In 2013 the word Selfie made it into the dictionary. It's now a legitimate word, a phenomenon that could only happen after technology gave us the forward looking camera.

In earlier times you needed some artistic talent to create a realistic self- portrait. Hand drawn or painted portraits were the ancestors of selfies.

There's a glitch if you are short, or have short arms. My face takes up too much of the screen and appears distorted. So when I spotted a telescoping wand that holds the phone, and the price was right, I bought the gadget.

My first selfies included my outstretched arm. After considerable practice my photos appeared a bit more natural. However, my expression looked pained as I endeavored to keep a smile on my face while the self- timer flashed descending numbers on the screen.

Occasionally the camera slipped and rotated either partially or completely upside down. Those selfies suffered more distortion than my wandless photos.

More practice and tightening the gizmo took care of the slippage.

Now I read that using a telescopic wand to hold my I Phone is the sign of a tourist, novice, or just plain artless, or bush- league.

I am in the process of researching female mannequin hands.