ten.

another lighting assignment.

Yeah.

Lexicon.

Sometimes I just feel like I need to write.  It feels good just to type, and to see the volume of my vocabulary and understanding of basic sentence structure fill a page.  I find it interesting that even though I used to thrive on creative writing, the happier I become with my life, the harder it is to spend time in an imaginary one.  I wonder how many writers find themselves in a similar predicament?

As I've become sucked into the popular crime show Bones I enjoy the way that Dr. Brennan speaks through mouthfuls of vocabulary.  I know that there are so many words that exist in the English language, and somehow I have even attained a degree, without even having to know or understand a great majority of them.  I can read Shakespeare and at least have an understanding enough to laugh at about every fourth joke, but there really are so many great words that I am not taking advantage of.

When I was in middle school and high school I found that my wider vocabulary often set me apart from my peers.  Even in college, some of my favorite phrases drew uncomfortable looks from those around me.  Not to say that my favorite phrases were in any way inappropriate or uncouth, but simply unpopular.  I can't stand the way it has become unpopular to be smart, although I certainly understand the vexation caused by those who enjoy putting their wits on display.  It is a difficult line to walk, to use your knowledge, but not flaunt it.

Nine.

SO I promise I had a wonderfully full and eventful weekend, and that's why I totally ignored my new commitment to myself.  Sometimes it just feels good to ignore a commitment to yourself.  Especially when hormones are raging.  It especially feels good to ignore a commitment to yourself while hormones are raging, and there is no end in sight, and no victory to be won.  Until there's ice cream or nachos in sight, that's pretty much how it goes down.  To be fair, I ditched my yoga class in conjunction with ditching out on my blog.

BUT I did take my crazy, out of control Friday, and ran around with my camera.  Or rather, Eryn Chiu Neff ran around, and I photographed her.  Here's just one image, that comes from my inspirational idea of where I've been, and where I am now.  Granted, I don't run around in high heels, but boy do I love making my friends feel the pain for my own glory!

This idea originated from my assignment in film class (notice how I went digital instead) that is all about studying motion.  The fun part about this shoot with Eryn, is that I was able to take many of the photographs sequentially, leading Eryn to say, as she flipped through these fabulous images, "It's amazing what the human body can do."  I think that's just another testament to the genius ideas of Eadweard Muybridge, who photographed the first action photographs!  Check out this awesome study of human movement!

Eadweard Muybridge

This incredible wonder, the ability to stop motion took photographers to amazing places!  It lead me straight to this wonderfully girly and inspirational photograph by fashion photographer Richard Avedon. It's a little bit girly... but a little bit more "Wonder Woman Goes Shopping."  Gotta love that!

Richard Avedon

Photography; I like it.

Eight.

For my photos of the day I have to show off some of the super fun interior design I've been creating in my new house!  These first two images are of my "Super sweet, New York loft art," as Brittney Vega put it.  After three grueling (but wonderful) hours of shopping at Ikea, I found myself with two and a half yards of this incredible dandelion fabric, and not much of a clue of what I was going to do with it.  It just so happened that my mother in law had a frame she had made during her art studies at the U of A.  So I stole it.  I used a staple gun, and in about an hour I had this clean, beautiful, modern piece of art.  But what use is a piece of art if there's no matching accents around the room?  So I chopped up the left over yard of fabric into rectangles, sewed up the edges, and after two bags of stuffing, I had a super cute (and comfy) accent!

My other super fun project in in our bedroom (please ignore the junk on the tables, and the messy bed!).  I bought these various different picture frames at Dollar Tree.  I ripped out the back board and glass, and spray painted them red!  The right shade of red took a couple of tries to find, but thanks to the many choices at Lowe's I was able to find one that gave the perfect pop of color.  I love the way the picture frames all together look like an art installation, rather than separate pieces, and up close they are pretty interesting to look at!

 To decorate in an inexpensive way, when I have an inspiration, I make it a point to stop at Ross often.  It a very good place to find exactly what a room needs.  I found the wall clock for $13.99, and the white vase for $7.99.  I'm still looking for the perfectly red flower to put a pop of color in the vase.

As for the artsy fartsy photography bit, I thought these two photos were sloppily composed, but still fun! This room may have photographic potential very soon.

Seven.

Film is fun.  This photograph is part of my project, to show my past, and my current interests, or the girl who was, and the woman who is.  This photograph is my depiction of the girl who grew up, or in other words, the Toy Story perspective.

Six.

Day six!  Today I got to spend a wonderfully long time in the dark room, smelling all of those perfectly mixed chemicals for a time much longer than I really want to admit to myself.  So I take a deep breath (or two or three) and forget the smell of chemicals, and confess that I could have stayed in that darkroom all day.  Were it not for the bane of my existence, my appetite, I would have gone through my entire package of Ilford pearl paper without a hint of a break.  So here's what I did.

Love.

Five.

It's Monday, after a seriously action packed weekend (including getting lost on the 202 in Phoenix, AZ), so please don't judge me when I say that I made no photographs yesterday, but rather fully enjoyed every aspect of the words, "Day of Rest."  Luckily I have a small bank of photographs from the last two weeks. Since I've been taking three different photography classes all at once, I've been taking quite a few photographs, and I am proudly sitting atop a few gems.  This one one of them.

This is definitely one of the more abstract images that I've taken in a long time, because my love of portraiture has captured my creativity, and I have yet to escape that frame of mind (no pun intended, but I'm still pretty proud when I make a joke accidentally).  This image was taken during the very first day of Digital Photography I, and the area is my little secret, shared only by the girl in the window.  I absolutely love it, and I actually think, though abstract, it is still a portrait.

Four.

There might be a theme in my life.  Maybe the theme is telling me that I should be a zoologist, a biologist, or a veterinarian.  Or maybe I can stick with the idea that taking photographs of animals is pretty much my favorite hobby.  I like that a little bit.

 This weekend we celebrated my birthday by going to the coolest zoo in Arizona, Wildlife World!  We had a blast, and treated it like a photographic safari.  We enjoyed the animals, and enjoyed discussing apertures and shutter speeds the whole time.  It was the best birthday ever, including my two favorite things at once, super cool animals, and photography!

 So since I had such a great time, I have to share more than one image, of course.

Poison dart frogs!  These tiny amphibians are absolutely incredible.  So many incredible colors on an animal that's only about an inch long!  So amazing!

This fish was one of my absolute favorites!  Discos!  Doesn't that name seem absolutely appropriate for this colorful cutie?

According to my husband Zebras are just big, stupid horses, and as I photographed these beautiful beasts, he enjoyed startling them time after time, just like big, stupid horses.

I loved this trip to the zoo, because as William Beebe said, "Modern man's trip to the zoo... is his emergency return to nature."  It was so amazing to view, and contemplate all of these incredible animals, covered in colors, patterns and textures.  It was definitely obvious that the Lord enjoyed creating this beautiful Earth for us to enjoy!  How grateful I am for this planet, covered in so much beauty, and to capture that beauty in photographs.

Three.

Day three of my project makes two pictures of dogs out of three pictures.  You know that all photography instructors absolutely hate photographs of dogs, especially puppies, because there's absolutely no proof of your skills are a photographer within those cute little faces.  But that's okay.  Today I only need proof that my sister made the best decision of her life when she brought Molly home with her.

Molly really is happy to be here, but she doesn't like being teased with treats.  She was being so good, and he made her wait MUCH too long for her Cheerio.  I think she was telling me, "Please let me have it?"  Cute!

Two.

Here's day two of my 365 day project!  Indiana is my baby, and she is a crazy beast, as you can see.  I kind of like her.

I also like to brag about her beautiful teeth.  She loves her toothbrush.  Poultry flavor toothpaste!

One.

So today I'm doing the hip thing to do as a photographer!  I'm starting my 365 project!  I'll be taking a picture every single day, inspired or not, for a whole year, and I'll be posting them up here for the world to see!  It'll be so fun!  ... some of the time.

So here's photo number one: Also the start to my other project.  Images of my shoes, where they go, where they rest, and how dirty they get along the way.

Black Beans and Rice

MMHM! You guessed it! This sweet, creative blog has just been transformed into the typical recipe blog.  Don't read it if you don't want to.  I'm doing it for my own brain.  I've got to remember the stuff I've invented in my natural realm, the kitchen.  I sure do flourish in there.  Maybe that was the start of my waistline problem...

So today I made a huge batch of Brown Rice.  I made two cups (plus water, expanded, blahdy blahdy makes so many cups of rice, who knew?) so that I'll have some in the fridge for the next few days.  Then I rinsed a can of corn, diced half a green bell pepper and one teensy tomato, grated two carrots, and pinched apart a few tiny bunches of cilantro.  I heated up a can of black beans, submerged in some of the juice.  Plating goes like this: Brown Rice, Lime Juice, Salsa, Veggies, Black Beans, Lime Juice, and a little slosh of Balsamic Vinaigrette, but we all know it ends up the same place, so plate as you will.

Eat it.  It's good.

Vegan?

Getting pregnant, it can take so much time! So here I am, nine months after the start of this blog, and this conception plan, and no baby to show for it!  I do however have a big ol' bump to show for it, unfortunately lacking the baby within.  What's going on?!  Since I said sayonara to my measured out hormones, and my perfectly balanced life, I unwittingly said the same to my waistline!

Since the day I went of of the pill there were several immediate signs of...  What do you call it?  Womanhood?  Insanity?  I'm not sure, but there were immediate signs that my body, my moods, and my personality were changing.  I have of course, shared some of those changes with you.  I'm moody, grouchy, grumpy, however you want to name it.  I'm whiney and selfish.  I no longer choose to wield the tools of a strong woman, and I make my husband fix all of my problems (What? Isn't that what they're for?)  And all the problems the husband can't fix, are quickly cured with large doses of sugar and fat.  To say the least, I've become a lump on the inside.  AND THEN all of a sudden I looked in the mirror, and I have also become a lump on the outside!  (It's funny how the whole, beauty on the inside thing works out...)  So here I am, thirty pounds heavier than I was last year, as I prepared for my wedding day, and slipped flawlessly into that beautiful white dress.  MmHm.

So finally after a couple months of realizing this was happening and doing nothing about it, I stood on the scale and instead of skulking off to the fridge, I stood upright and looked myself in the mirror!  I am beautiful (I have no doubt about that).  I have a strong will (My husband will tell you all about it).  I am lactose intolerant (Why didn't I just listen to the pleading of my bowels?).  I have nothing standing in my way of once again being the hot mama Michael married.

Losing weight is easy, I've done it before.  Luckily I have a bit more confidence and self-esteem than the last time I weighed this much.  This time I also have a man who loves me, and will willingly watch me suffer through it all (no doubt while stuffing cookies in his mouth).  I am ready.  I can do this.  I am going to be back to my proper weight in no time, but I'm not stopping there!  I'm going to change my whole life.  I'm going to change my lifestyle.  I'm going to be that skinny girl in yoga class that smells like lavender and sage.  I'm going to be vegan.

VEGAN!  But it's not for the animals, not even for the baby ones.  I'm going to be Vegan so that I will learn to love vegetables.  I'm going to learn how to cook them, and eat them raw.  I'm going to live off of grains the way nature intended, and screw oil!  Goodbye fat!  Hello crunchy delicious bell peppers.  I'm so ready for this!