Goodness gracious, I sure have been away for a while. Too much to do, not enough time, I'm afraid.
But it seems everyone else has been busy too. What lovely shots! I saw macros I really liked, and a moon shot, as well. I'd go through and comment on them all, but 1. I'm too lazy and 2. there's a lot.
The one thing I'd mention on the rule of thirds; While it's a great guideline, I would only call it that. The guideline of thirds so to speak. If you don't have an eye for composition, it's great, but as a lot of photographers (writers, artists, etc.) will tell you, learn all the rules of the trade, then break them.
The rule of thirds is good, but can become boring if all of your photos are shot the same way. And if you have a fast motion shot, you may not be able to position to obey the rule of thirds. Never don't take the shot! (If you have digital! I can't imagine the cost of living by that philosophy if you shoot film). You can always edit later.
Now, speaking of editing, I recently acquired Photoshop elements 10. But I'm still miserable at this whole photoshop thing. I've been playing with it. Eh, I'll figure it out eventually.