Photogenic Friday: Back to Basics

Andy is the real photographer in this family. It was part of his major in college and, though he isn't usually artistic, he does have a talent for photography as an art form.

I, on the other hand, have always been artistic and creative, but never managed to find a camera useful in terms of an artistic instrument.

It seems like everyone is taking gorgeous pictures these days. I'm being left in the photographic dust. For a while now I've wanted to remedy that situation.

Which is one of my major reasons for joining Project 365.

Having an eye for photography (and patience, not something I'm famous for) is a major part of taking beautiful pictures. The right equipment, however, also makes a big impact on the outcome of the photographs a person takes.

Right now I take all of my photos with a Nikon Coolpix point and shoot. It has served me well for the nearly two years I've owned it. But I'm afraid it doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles. The camera is good for snapshots and not much else. Which is exactly why I bought it. I could take it out of the box and start using it, instructions be damned.

But now I have this entire year looming in front of me armed with a tiny point and shoot that is beginning to have some hitches in its get along.

This morning, while we were making breakfast, I was telling Andy about Project 365 and that I'd like to have a slightly more advanced camera in my arsenal. Nothing too major, because fancy cameras are expensive and also because dropping a lot of cash on something that could be a passing whim is irresponsible. Not to mention that we don't have the kind of cash that would need to be dropped.

So I told him that for my birthday I'd like to have something in between the coolpix and a "bells and whistles" camera. (You see how camera illiterate I am? I don't even know what they're called. DSLR sounds right, but what does that even mean?) I have about three months until then and I think I can manage with my small camera until then.

Then Andy suggested that I use our Nikon film camera that he used in his photography class.
Personally I think that suggestion is a little stroke of genius. The camera is complicated enough that I can learn something and simple enough that I can still use it. Also, there is something exciting about using a film camera. Every time you have a roll developped it's a surprise. In this digital age I think film cameras have gotten a bad reputation.

So here it is, the first photo of Project 365.


I took it with the coolpix, obviously. I took about 20 photos to get this one and I'm not real pleased with it. Sometimes the coolpix can be difficult to use and even a novice like myself sees all its shortcomings.

I have a lot to learn, but that's kind of the point, isn't it?

***********************************************************************************

I said yesterday that I wasn't sure which blog I would use to document my Project 365 journey, but now I know. Photogenic Friday is already a tradition on this blog, so on Fridays I will post the previous week's photos. It just makes sense.

But that's not all.

Who can only take one photo? If I'm going to go to the trouble of hauling a camera with me every day I'm going to take more than one picture when I turn it on.

Go here to see what else I have in store for 2010.

The plague I mean, resolutions...

So how is 2010 looking so far to all of you?

I certainly hope everyone has avoided disaster to this point - especially since it's only the first day.

We're just getting started.

Anyone care to share their resolutions with me? Losing weight? Building muscle? Cleaning out your closet? Saving money?

Can you tell I'm stalling?

Making resolutions has never really been something I've done. Mostly because I feel like I'm setting myself up for failure, and that's no way to start out the new year. Am I right?

Last year I resolved to be grateful for something every day. More specifically I joined in on 365 days of grace in small things where the challenge is to blog daily about 5 things you are grateful for. This is something that has had a profound effect of my life this last year; something I will talk about a bit more later in the month. I did manage to stick with it, but a few things got in my way and my 365 posts will not be done until January 19th.

Given the success of this 365 day resolution I've decided to do another. I'm jumping on the bandwagon with a fellow blogger and attempting to do Project 365 which challenges you to take at least one photo a day for a year. That doesn't sound too difficult does it? One would think not, but I can see how, on those boring days, it might take some creativity to take a different photo than the one you took the day before.

Right now I have a second blog dedicated to my current 365 challenge. I haven't yet decided if I will continue using it as a 365 blog or if I'll let it stand as a gratitude blog and post my Project 365 photos here. I'm undecided, but I won't be posting daily for this project. I will definitley take a photo every day, but there might just be one post a week dedicated to the project. It will make life easier for me and hopefully keep this photo thing from seeming like a chore.

Either way, I'll post my first photo by the end of today. Stay tuned.

On to resolution number 2.

Did I just say 2? I'm pretty sure I did. Holy cow!

I am an avid reader. Reading is sexy and all that jazz.

As hobbies go this is my favorite and certainly the longest running.

I don't do book reviews on here because I'm bad at them. I have a hard time keeping it short and sweet and not spoiling things. Just ask my English lit professor that asked me to write a four page paper synopsizing Emma by Jane Austen. My paper was at least double that.

Another love if mine is bookstores and new book smell. This can sometimes be a problem. Which brings me to my next resolution.

For a few years now I've been collecting books on my shelf that I either a) mean to read, b) start to read but don't finish or c) receive as gifts and don't get around to.

So, I am resolving to read all the book in my "to be read" pile before I allow myself to buy another book. Gasp!

Let me add a disclaimer to this: I will never refuse a book as a gift. Just in case you were wondering.

I gathered up all my unread or half read books to take a photo and document the beginning of my challenge. The size of my pile was much larger than I had anticipated.


There are four compilations books, so in all I have 32 books to read before I set foot in make a purchase at a bookstore.

Here is the list, in no particular order:

The Devil Wears Prada, Weisberger
The Fabulous Girl's Guide to Decorum, Izzo & Marsh
The Host, Meyer
Atonement, McEwan
The Jungle, Sinclair
The Yada Yada Prayer Group, Jackson
French Women Don't Get Fat, Guiliano
Moll Flanders, Defoe
Son of a Witch, Maguire
The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Rowling
The Choice, Sparks
Saving Graces, Edwards
Little Women, Alcott
The Chronicles of Narnia, Lewis
*The Magician's Nephew
*The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Horse and His Boy
Prince Caspian
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Silver Chair
The Last Battle
The Complete Novels, Austen
Sense and Sensibility
**Pride and Prejudice
Mansfield Park
**Emma
Northanger Abbey
Persuasion
Lady Susan
Three Plums in one, Evanovich
One For the Money
Two For the Dough
Three to Get Deadly
More Plums in one, Evanovich
Four to Score
High Five
Hot Six
An Echo in the Bone, Gabaldon (not pictured)

*I have read these already, but plan to read them again.
**I have read these already and probably won't read them again. Not right now anyway.

The last book by Diana Gabaldon is the most recent one from the Outlander series which my mother-in-law and I have been reading together. I do not own the book, but she does and as it has already been purchased I'm including it on my "to be read" list. And if you've read the Outlander series you can't possibly expect me to read all these other books before I read An Echo in the Bone. I mean, let's get real here.

Wish me luck. I might even attempt a review or two, but I'm not promising anything.

2009 - Blog Year in Review

Here's a look back at what 2009 was like on my blog and in my life.

January brought lot's of excitement.

First I set a goal that would take an entire year to fulfill.

Our country turned over a new leaf by inaugurating a new president. I'll keep my personal feelings on his progress to date under wraps; as is the tradition on this blog and in my personal life.

Also, my very best friend found out she was pregnant. She told me the same night she told her husband and then swore me to secrecy. So I didn't blog about it and we all know how much I like to keep secrets. There for a while I thought I might implode.

February was a quiet month, but I managed to overcome a personal battle I'd been fighting for some time with my first successful pie.

In March I was allowed to tell the world about Julie's pregnancy and her ever growing belly. Also my newest niece graced us with her presence. It's been a big year for babies. And I celebrated one year of blogging by blogging every day for a month (almost).

Next up was my all time favorite month of the year, April.

First up was my birthday. I turned 27 and got geared up for another fantastic year of ME!

Eleven days after my birthday, on April 14th, came the day that changed my life. That fateful day where I said goodbye to my car and hello to a lot of new doctors.

May found me on the sofa all.month.long. Blogging in an inebriated state. Trying to find the silver lining in the situation and evaluating my new reality.

By June I was ready to shed my cast, but shortly after escaping my sofa I found myself imprisoned there again after a second surgery.

But after my short recovery period I was able to get up and start walking again. Rebuilding my strength. This also allowed me to take a good hard look back at how far I'd come.

Along with walking came getting out and rejoining society. It was truly splendid.

When July rolled around I was ready to show my face to the world again. Also, I took over as primary driver of The Hulk. And by the end of the month we took our first road trip together to see Julie and celebrate her first baby shower!

The first week of August we found ourselves at the beach. Me, for the first time in several years. The rest of the month I took a break from blogging because there was a dismal lack of activity that month. It was pretty fantastic.

We rang in September by celebrating three years of marital bliss and then I took another long break to enjoy the last lingering days of summer. I also spent some time in Raleigh with Julie and Frank helping them welcome baby Mina into the world.

The spooktacular month of October wasn't scary at all, but it was very busy.

We spent a good bit of time enjoying the outdoors because the warm weather stayed around for a good long time this year.

I took a moment to reminisce and be grateful for the blessings I'd received.

The end of the month took Andy away from home and on a great cross country adventure. When he came back I gleefully welcomed him home.

November, another busy month, but a good one.

First on the agenda was Julie's baby shower. If I do say so myself it was a hit and I so enjoyed seeing them again. Mina changes daily and it's going to take some effort on my part to keep up.

Andy and I declared war on the gnats that had invaded our home.

We celebrated Thanksgiving. The first in our home with our family with me as the chef. Which is something that made me very, very grateful.

By December we were ready for the year to end, but 2009 was sure to go out with a bang.

I kicked off the month by entering a cookie contest. I didn't win the whole shebang, but I did win a prize and so did one of the lovely ladies that voted for me. That's something I'll fill you in on during the new year.

The holidays are always an adventure and our house was certainly no exception.

Half way through I took another trip down to Raleigh to celebrate the season with Julie and some of my internet friends.

The next weekend brought snow, snow and more snow. We also had to say goodbye to a good friend. Something that is always difficult but when it comes during this special time of year it seems brings and extra bitterness.

Christmas week was bittersweet. And Christmas day can be best described as hellish; thanks in large part to the ice storm that tore through the area on Christmas eve.

That brings us up to date.

I can't remember another year that had such a big impact on my life and how I live it. Nor can I recall a time that I was so happy to see the new year roll around. It's fresh, new and full of possibility.

The year's lessons are something that I will carry with me always. I have been forever altered by the turn my life has taken in 2009. I can't say that I would change any of it, but there are many things that I certainly wouldn't want to do over.

I am so very grateful for all the friends I've made - through this blog, on my medical journey and by happenstance. The love and support I've received from everyone, family and friends, is a priceless piece of joy that lives in my heart.

I'm ready for the new year.

From now on change is something I welcome, and I know that with so many people standing by my side me I can handle whatever comes.

Drumroll please!

Thanks to all who participated in my poll. I tell ya, this was such a life altering decision, I don't know what I'd have done without you all.

Ok, I'm being sarcastic. Remember what this blog is called. And what I said at the end of yesterday's post.

I'm afraid I did not listen to the majority. And the other two poll options were split fifty-fifty in voters.

So which was it?

Let's start with the before. I managed to get my camera charged and take a snapshot of myself before I left this morning.

And, this is what I came home with.


Andy was on the phone when I walked in the door and he told the person on the other line that I was missing twelve inches of my hair.

But after he had a minute to process it he gave his approval. And I love it too!

I'm ready for what 2010 has in store! Bring on the new year!

Haircut hangup

Let me begin by saying that I haven't set foot in a salon since May. I know!

Usually six months is my max for going without at least a trim, but a hair cut just hasn't been in our budget. At least, not the kind of hair cut I want. Going to one of those super cuts places is not an option for me. I just won't do it.

The trouble is that whenever I make an appointment this time of year I usually make a drastic change. My hair is really long right now. Longer than it has been in nearly ten years. Given the dry weather and the static that plagues me daily I would like nothing more than to chop off my tresses a la dooce. I mean, how awesome is her haircut? And that baby? Well, we aren't talking about babies - we're talking about hair.

Anyway, I've had a pixie cut before and loved it! But a pixie cut requires a trip to the salon every six weeks or so. Let's remember the budgetary constraints here.

I've decided just to get myself a good trim. Some extra layers to give my hair movement. Also, I've grown very fond of having some form of bang in the last couple of years. Since my last cut my bangs have completely grown out and I hate it. So the major decision here is what kind of bangs to get.

Heavy and blunt:


Or light and wispy:


I had planned on taking a picture of myself today so that you could see exactly what my mop looks like, but then remembered that my camera battery is dead and the charger is being held captive in The Hulk with Andy.

So, this will have to do:

This photo was taken almost two months ago, so my hair was still somewhat reasonable. Imagine it kind of stringy and messy all over.

In case it matters; my hair is fine, but with medium thickness. Thin enough for a big pony tail holder wrapped around three times, but too thick for a skinny one, those just won't hold my hair. It also has a fair amount of natural curl that is easily beaten into submission.

So which face framing fringe should I ask for? What do you think?

Also, keep in mind that I am wildly spontaneous when it comes to my hair and the more I look at that photo of dooce the more I want to chop off all my hair. It is very likely I will ignore all advice and my own judgment and come home missing about a foot of hair.

Update! I added a poll in the side bar for all you non-commenters.

*Photos from Hair Thursday.

So I went shopping this afternoon...

Guess what I bought.


I bet you can't.


Come on! Give it a try!


No?


Alright I'll tell you.


First I stopped at a gas station and purchased petrol for The Hulk.


And then...


After spending several hours going in and out of stores I went back home.


The end.


Not a damn thing, that's what I bought!

My grievances:

• The sales (if you could call them that) were terrible. I realize that we're in a recession and that stores aren't making as much money, so they want to squeeze every penny they can out of an item, but WE'RE IN A RECESSION! People can't afford to pay full price for things! Not to mention that it's the week after Christmas and there are supposed to be good sales. Come on retailers!
• What is up with all the horizontal stripes? I mean, I can deal with a few horizontal stripes, they aren't the most flattering things, but in the right colors and on the right top they can work. But horizontal stripes in multiple colors and widths on one shirt? Even the mannequins look fat.
• Short people can not wear tunics. If you are short, don't bother shopping right now.
• The clothing is poorly made and ill fitting.
  
• How about the "pencil skirt" that resembles a pencil skirt as much a flip flops resemble suede boots? That was a real joy in the fitting room.

I hate shopping online, but I'm to that point. I love winter clothing and to say I'm disappointed is a major understatement.

What are some online shops that you like? I'm in dire straights here. My Christmas cash is burning a hole in my threadbare pocket. Help!

Follow up to my cranky Christmas post

After I had my meltdown on Friday night I made myself put down my phone so I wouldn't call anyone and begin to verbally beat them, I walked away from the computer so I couldn't bah humbug anymore and then made myself some food.

(Let me add here: I fully expected to wake up on Saturday to some nasty comment about how there are starving children in Africa with no house at all and that I should quit my bitching and just be grateful. That's something I've been telling myself since I hit publish on Friday night and I totally would have deserved it. But no one said anything (yet) about how I was being a major brat. Thanks for that.)

So anyway, back to the food. Turns out I was kind of hungry. Ok, like a lot hungry and putting something in my tummy other than Reese's peanut butter cups was a very good decision on my part. Then I sat down in front of the television and put Julie & Julia into the DVD player. It was a gift from my fabulous in laws and I hadn't seen it yet. I LOVE it! The combination of eating good food and watching a movie about people making good food improved my mood considerably. And right about the time the movie was over our water came back on. It just so happens that we are on a well and the pump for the well is on a different power line than our apartment. The power for the well hadn't been restored yet. Not until about 10:30.

At first the toilet was making some seriously crazy sounds. I thought for sure it was going to blow up, which would have just been the icing on the cake that had been Christmas day. So I shut the door to the bathroom and walked away. Next, I called Andy to tell him about the water coming back and the toilet situation and he said, "You just shut the door?" Um, yeah I just shut the door. What the hell did he really think I was going to do about it if the toilet did explode? Being covered in sewage would have completely destroyed the small semblance of a good mood I'd managed to create and I thought shutting the door was a stroke of genius. I told him just that and that if the toilet did explode then at least the mess would be contained to one room.

But, whatever, the toilet didn't explode. So at 11:00 I took a shower, then Andy came home from work and he took a shower and we happily tucked ourselves into bed where visions of working plumbing danced in our heads.

On Saturday I finally got to see my family.

There were several people missing, but it was nice to see most of them anyway.

Highlight of my day:

When my youngest nephew opened his present from Andy and I (a t-shrit with a Mr.Potato head face on it). He held it up to his chest, said, "OH! Thanks!" then tossed it over his shoulder to contiue playing with the toys I'd interrupted him from. I do not have that on video, though I wish I did.

What I do have on video is my family trying to arange themselves for the annual Christmas picture I impose on them.

I thought it might be funny to document, but instead of telling them I just set the camera up on the tripod, pressed record and waited.

Let me apologize in advance for how nasaly and whiny I sound. Apparently that happens when I'm being bossy. I'm gonna' have to do something about it.

What you can't hear is that my uncle Tony is making farting noises at me the whole time. He hates having his picutre taken, like my sweet little husband, and has grown increasingly surly about this photo every year. Also, my grandmother had not had a bath yet that day and refused to be in the photo at first. We got her in there, but she's probably going to tell me not to put the picture on the internet the next time she talks to me. Too late.

There were several missing components to our family because I was there a day late, but I still insisted because there were more than four of us gathered at one time. That's something that only happens on holidays, and after losing some vital people in my family unit I've decided this is absolutely necessary. One day they will all thank me.


It did turn out to be a wonderful Christmas anyway. Somehow it always does. I think it's just the season.

I hope yours was merry and even if you don't celebrate Christmas I hope that you've taken some time out to spend with your family. Even if they drive you batty it's worth it.