Ugh. Yet another chaotic weekend for us, with little time for hobbies. I did manage to watch Unforgiven, which was the 1992 Oscar winner, so I suppose that's something. It definitely wasn't my favorite from the list, but I think I'm a bit biased considering it's a Western (I'm not a big fan of Westerns). It was alright, I suppose, but I've seen other Clint Eastwood movies that I've enjoyed more.
I did get my taxes done as well...finally! And I'm getting a refund back, which was wonderful news. We really need all the help we can get financially, and I was not looking forward to shelling out even more money to the government. Thank goodness for student loan interest. Sometimes those darn things come in handy...
Anyway, I'll get back to photography and working out tomorrow (hopefully), once I'm finished with work. With any luck, it'll be a nice relaxing week!
J
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
Epic fail
This has been the busiest, most stressful week in a long while. Needless to say it was not a good week for starting a photo project, so Raw Sienna will be taken care of in the coming week instead. We bought an exercise bike, so I've been working out more, and we've been taking care of a lot of extra stuff. Not to mention work has been a nightmare and I haven't been taking my camera since I've been so busy there. Ugh.
I feel like I'm making excuses, but quite frankly, it's just been plain overwhelming. So, I'm starting fresh tomorrow. Ta ta!
J
I feel like I'm making excuses, but quite frankly, it's just been plain overwhelming. So, I'm starting fresh tomorrow. Ta ta!
J
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
The birth of my very own Project 64
I went to the store today to purchase my box of inspiration for the next year. 64 colors, 64 opportunities to let my creativity shine through. We'll see what comes of it, I suppose, but I have high hopes for this project. I spent most of today looking at other people's Project 64 pages, which helped me get even more excited to start (like I needed any more excitement lol).
I've decided to have my week run Saturday through Friday for the purposes of this project. There are two main reasons for this. Reason #1: It allows me to start sooner, as Saturday is only two full days from now. Reason #2: I have a feeling that the majority of my shooting will occur on the weekends, since I have more time to get out and explore. It would just be silly to split my weekends up, because then I'd spend Saturday wrapping up one color and Sunday starting a new one. It just makes more sense to start new colors on Saturday, when I'll have two full days to find them without any pressure from the chaos of my work week.
I also made my list of colors in the order I'll tackle them. How did I do this, you ask? When you open a Crayola box, the crayons are all in there randomly. There's no rhyme or reason to the placement of them. I, being the obsessive-compulsive weirdo I am, prefer to have my crayons arranged by color so that I can find what I'm looking for quickly. I'll post a photo of my nicely organized box tomorrow. :) Anyway, since I was going to be organizing the crayons, I decided to just close my eyes and randomly pull them from the box. Whatever came out would be the next color on the list, until all 64 had been removed and placed with their color families.
It was actually a pretty effective system. There were only a few times when I pulled similar colors one after the other, and in those cases, I just put the crayon back and chose a different one. That way, I won't end up with weeks of various reds, or a back and forth between shades of green and shades of orange for a month. In case you're curious, the first color I pulled was raw sienna. I'll begin my hunt for it on Saturday, and I can already tell that it'll be a fun challenge. I was unaware of just how many shades of brown there are until today, and it'll be interesting to try matching raw sienna to the world around me.
In the meantime, I'll be continuing to check out other people's blogs for inspiration, as well as continuing on in my quest to complete my massive list. I'm a tenth of the way there already! Can you believe it?
J
I've decided to have my week run Saturday through Friday for the purposes of this project. There are two main reasons for this. Reason #1: It allows me to start sooner, as Saturday is only two full days from now. Reason #2: I have a feeling that the majority of my shooting will occur on the weekends, since I have more time to get out and explore. It would just be silly to split my weekends up, because then I'd spend Saturday wrapping up one color and Sunday starting a new one. It just makes more sense to start new colors on Saturday, when I'll have two full days to find them without any pressure from the chaos of my work week.
I also made my list of colors in the order I'll tackle them. How did I do this, you ask? When you open a Crayola box, the crayons are all in there randomly. There's no rhyme or reason to the placement of them. I, being the obsessive-compulsive weirdo I am, prefer to have my crayons arranged by color so that I can find what I'm looking for quickly. I'll post a photo of my nicely organized box tomorrow. :) Anyway, since I was going to be organizing the crayons, I decided to just close my eyes and randomly pull them from the box. Whatever came out would be the next color on the list, until all 64 had been removed and placed with their color families.
It was actually a pretty effective system. There were only a few times when I pulled similar colors one after the other, and in those cases, I just put the crayon back and chose a different one. That way, I won't end up with weeks of various reds, or a back and forth between shades of green and shades of orange for a month. In case you're curious, the first color I pulled was raw sienna. I'll begin my hunt for it on Saturday, and I can already tell that it'll be a fun challenge. I was unaware of just how many shades of brown there are until today, and it'll be interesting to try matching raw sienna to the world around me.
In the meantime, I'll be continuing to check out other people's blogs for inspiration, as well as continuing on in my quest to complete my massive list. I'm a tenth of the way there already! Can you believe it?
J
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
A spark of inspiration
I don't know if I've mentioned this up to this point, but the thing I hate about 365 projects is how monotonous they can become. In the beginning, I was excited about it, and I was taking really great photos. I was going places with my camera and challenging myself. It's gotten to the point now where it seems more like a chore. I'll get caught up in the rush of the day, in doing things with F and A or spending quiet time with C, and just completely forget about photos altogether. Then I'll remember, at 10 o'clock at night, that I haven't photographed that day, and I'll snap some random shot of something just for the sake of taking a photo. It's not creative anymore, it's just something I have to do every day.
Luckily, I found a 365 project that may work for me. It's called Project 64, and it involves photographing colors more than subject matter. Tomorrow, I'm going to head to the store and purchase a box of 64 crayons. I'll choose a crayon a week, and take photos that make use of that particular color. It'll challenge me to see the world through a different lens, give me a direction with my project, and won't necessarily require daily photos. This way, I'll have some wiggle room with my photos, and won't feel so stressed on days that I can't get out and photograph for whatever reason.
I feel so much better about the direction this particular list item has taken. Goodbye old 365 project, hello Project 64! :)
J
Luckily, I found a 365 project that may work for me. It's called Project 64, and it involves photographing colors more than subject matter. Tomorrow, I'm going to head to the store and purchase a box of 64 crayons. I'll choose a crayon a week, and take photos that make use of that particular color. It'll challenge me to see the world through a different lens, give me a direction with my project, and won't necessarily require daily photos. This way, I'll have some wiggle room with my photos, and won't feel so stressed on days that I can't get out and photograph for whatever reason.
I feel so much better about the direction this particular list item has taken. Goodbye old 365 project, hello Project 64! :)
J
Mundane
I don't really feel like I have anything interesting to report, but I'll do it anyway. :) I do have some photos to put up, so maybe I'll just keep it at that. I've been busy working, and getting back into writing. C's been sketching up some characters for me, which has been a blast so far. I'm always excited to see what he creates, and it's even more exciting when it's something that comes from my head instead of just his.
Enjoy the photos, and I'll check in later!
J
Enjoy the photos, and I'll check in later!
J
Friday, March 11, 2011
Books, books, books!
So I've been on a bit of a reading spree lately. I breezed my way through the Need series by Carrie Jones, devoured the Hush Hush saga by Becca Fitzpatrick, and giggled through Paranormalcy by Kiersten White. I'm currently reading City of Bones by Cassandra Clare, which is proving to be just as wonderful as my other recent reads.
I cannot begin to explain how awesome teen fiction is. It's got romance, but not sex scenes every other page, and the morals are so much stronger. Teens have a lot to figure out, and I feel like the lessons in teen novels speak so much louder to me than adult ones do. Apparently I still have a lot of things to figure out too. :P Honestly though, I was starting to get discouraged by all the books that were just copying each other in recent years. It's nice to know there are still fresh ideas out there! I recommend any of the titles I just listed, by the way. Go do some reading!
Today was a very successful day at work. We had to stay home because the housekeeper came today, but we played outside for an hour and soaked up some sunshine. A didn't really sleep well today, and she had a pretty bad meltdown before she went down for her nap, but she woke up in such a good mood that she made up for it. :)
Tonight, we're heading to the Cheesecake Factory for C's birthday extravaganza. I'm looking forward to pasta carbonara and cheesecake, along with some really wonderful company! :D Enjoy my photos from the last couple of days!
J
I cannot begin to explain how awesome teen fiction is. It's got romance, but not sex scenes every other page, and the morals are so much stronger. Teens have a lot to figure out, and I feel like the lessons in teen novels speak so much louder to me than adult ones do. Apparently I still have a lot of things to figure out too. :P Honestly though, I was starting to get discouraged by all the books that were just copying each other in recent years. It's nice to know there are still fresh ideas out there! I recommend any of the titles I just listed, by the way. Go do some reading!
Today was a very successful day at work. We had to stay home because the housekeeper came today, but we played outside for an hour and soaked up some sunshine. A didn't really sleep well today, and she had a pretty bad meltdown before she went down for her nap, but she woke up in such a good mood that she made up for it. :)
Tonight, we're heading to the Cheesecake Factory for C's birthday extravaganza. I'm looking forward to pasta carbonara and cheesecake, along with some really wonderful company! :D Enjoy my photos from the last couple of days!
J
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
So far behind!
I haven't posted in ages! It's surprising, considering there hasn't really been much going on, but I'll try and recount it all the best I can.
Friday, I completed an item from my list. I ate a piece of broccoli, for the first time since I was 7! It wasn't awful, but it's still not my favorite food by any means. Here's a photo of the piece I ate. :)
Can you see it?! It was delicious stir-fried vegetables and steak with rice, and I wasn't too keen on the broccoli part, but I ate it anyway. And I didn't die. :P
Saturday was...interesting. C gave me his cold on Friday, so Saturday was day 2 for me and day 3 for him. I had to get the tires changed on my car, so we went out and did that. We discovered an amazing new Thai restaurant in the process, so that was good, but we wore ourselves out in the three hours that we were waiting for the tires to be changed. We got home and both chilled for the rest of the evening. I did, however, put on makeup in an effort to make myself feel better, and snapped a few photos in the bathroom after it was on. :)
Eyeballs! :P
Sunday was day 3 of the cold for me. C was mostly over his, but I was pretty much bed-ridden. I sounded awful, and felt even worse, but C was nice enough to spend time with me anyway. We played a game on the back porch and watched the sun go down, and it was wonderful (even though I was sick). :) I snapped a photo of Sydney after her bath. She looked so peaceful. :D
Yesterday was back to work. I was still feeling a little crummy, but F and A made things easy for me, thank goodness. After work, I hung out with K while C went out to finish an art project with his buds. I was supposed to help, but I wasn't really feeling up to it. Plus, I think the guys had more fun together than I would have had. K and I spent a lot of time chatting, and then read for a while. We've both been on a reading kick lately lol. I snapped a quick photo when we got back at 11:30. Definitely not my best work, but it still counts for something.
And finally, we're caught up. Today went pretty well at work. F and A were both in good moods, and even though they didn't nap for long, we had a good day overall. We made cupcakes for C's birthday, and I took a photo of them in all their delicious glory.
Yum!
When I got home, I made C a delicious birthday dinner while he painted on his computer. Once dinner was done, we all sat down together and ate it. We finished off with cupcakes, cake, and presents. Yes, we're awful, but it was tasty and fun! :D
Hopefully tomorrow goes well too...enjoy!
J
Friday, I completed an item from my list. I ate a piece of broccoli, for the first time since I was 7! It wasn't awful, but it's still not my favorite food by any means. Here's a photo of the piece I ate. :)
Can you see it?! It was delicious stir-fried vegetables and steak with rice, and I wasn't too keen on the broccoli part, but I ate it anyway. And I didn't die. :P
Saturday was...interesting. C gave me his cold on Friday, so Saturday was day 2 for me and day 3 for him. I had to get the tires changed on my car, so we went out and did that. We discovered an amazing new Thai restaurant in the process, so that was good, but we wore ourselves out in the three hours that we were waiting for the tires to be changed. We got home and both chilled for the rest of the evening. I did, however, put on makeup in an effort to make myself feel better, and snapped a few photos in the bathroom after it was on. :)
Sunday was day 3 of the cold for me. C was mostly over his, but I was pretty much bed-ridden. I sounded awful, and felt even worse, but C was nice enough to spend time with me anyway. We played a game on the back porch and watched the sun go down, and it was wonderful (even though I was sick). :) I snapped a photo of Sydney after her bath. She looked so peaceful. :D
Yesterday was back to work. I was still feeling a little crummy, but F and A made things easy for me, thank goodness. After work, I hung out with K while C went out to finish an art project with his buds. I was supposed to help, but I wasn't really feeling up to it. Plus, I think the guys had more fun together than I would have had. K and I spent a lot of time chatting, and then read for a while. We've both been on a reading kick lately lol. I snapped a quick photo when we got back at 11:30. Definitely not my best work, but it still counts for something.
And finally, we're caught up. Today went pretty well at work. F and A were both in good moods, and even though they didn't nap for long, we had a good day overall. We made cupcakes for C's birthday, and I took a photo of them in all their delicious glory.
When I got home, I made C a delicious birthday dinner while he painted on his computer. Once dinner was done, we all sat down together and ate it. We finished off with cupcakes, cake, and presents. Yes, we're awful, but it was tasty and fun! :D
Hopefully tomorrow goes well too...enjoy!
J
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Blah blah blah
This week has been a struggle for me. It's been a rough one at work, what with both kids having temper issues, and it's been rough with C spending all his time working on his new computer. I've been left to my own devices quite a bit, and while I normally wouldn't mind, it gets a bit boring after a while. Today, when we finally would have had time to spend together, C has a nasty cold and has been sleeping most of the evening. He was awake to watch American Idol, so that was something at least, but sometimes I feel so lonely.
I think my mood has been slipping into my photography lately. I just haven't been feeling creative, haven't really seen anything that's really caught my eye. I've been photographing, because I know the way to get out of these slumps is to keep moving forward, but I've honestly been feeling a bit empty, like I'm just going through the motions.
Today, though, I finally got a spark back. :) I was wondering what it would be like to see things from an ant's persepctive. They're so low to the ground, and I haven't really experimented with different levels like I should. So, I laid down on the ground and photographed in the backyard. And I got something I'm really quite proud of. :D
What do you think?
J
I think my mood has been slipping into my photography lately. I just haven't been feeling creative, haven't really seen anything that's really caught my eye. I've been photographing, because I know the way to get out of these slumps is to keep moving forward, but I've honestly been feeling a bit empty, like I'm just going through the motions.
Today, though, I finally got a spark back. :) I was wondering what it would be like to see things from an ant's persepctive. They're so low to the ground, and I haven't really experimented with different levels like I should. So, I laid down on the ground and photographed in the backyard. And I got something I'm really quite proud of. :D
J
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Of sunsets and babies
Last night we hung out with P and K, so I didn't have time to post then. I did get some really great shots of last night's sunset though, including this one.
Today was marginally better than Monday and Tuesday, but there were still far too many tantrums for my liking. We're really going to have to work on that... We went to the railroad park today, which went pretty well actually. We rode the train, and I managed to get both kids in the car and home with no fuss. Naptime was a disaster though, as the dog is inside the house due to landscaping, and she decided to go berserk while the kids were sleeping. Hopefully tomorrow will be better. Until then...look at this little face!
Enjoy!
J
Today was marginally better than Monday and Tuesday, but there were still far too many tantrums for my liking. We're really going to have to work on that... We went to the railroad park today, which went pretty well actually. We rode the train, and I managed to get both kids in the car and home with no fuss. Naptime was a disaster though, as the dog is inside the house due to landscaping, and she decided to go berserk while the kids were sleeping. Hopefully tomorrow will be better. Until then...look at this little face!
J
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