Day 305

I've decided that 305 is a good day for filler.

Have some morning light, won't you?

Day 304

In which my scarf strikes a jaunty pose:




All on its own, too! I just tossed it at the bush and it chose the positioning. I think it has a bright future in the modeling industry, no?

Day 303

My poor readers! I've neglected you! I forgot to post yesterday! You must be so bereft!

Ahem. Raise your hand if you even noticed I missed a day?

*crickets*

Yeah, that's about what I thought. Still, I mean to make it up to you! I offer you another in my series of photographing the mundane.



And like the earlier photos I took to embrace this theme, I actually really like this one. I liked it the instant I saw it on the back of my camera. It's just a cord to an old printer coiled on the floor in the sunshine...and yet it somehow looks dreamy and soft to me.

Day 302

The sun is shining through my office window and I feel like purring.

Rather like this.

Day 301

I was lounging about in my bed, awake, but not yet ready to emerge from beneath the covers. Staring at the ceiling, daydreaming, letting my mind wander from place to place, rehashing the last dream I remember...you know, being lazy on a Sunday morning.

And then...wait. What the...? Did I just hear a turkey?

I flung the covers back and hurried to the window.

Not just A turkey, dear reader, but a whole flock.



Things like this are precisely why I bought a camera.

Check out the two tom turkeys, tails unfurled!



After a few minutes, they slid down the hill into the woods beyond, one by one, the dominant tom bringing up the rear.



And then they were gone, leaving only their tracks behind.



Have I mentioned lately how much I love my apartment?

Day 300

Saturday morning dawned bright and sunny. There was much rejoicing. *waves flag*

No, really, there was. I popped up, showered, and headed off for Huff Park in order to go happily snowblind wandering the wetland trails. And I did so.

But first I got breakfast. And a shot that made me happy.




Pictures of the park later this week!

Day 299

Sometimes Josh's afternoon boredom and my constant quest for amusement have brilliant results.

Take Friday. I had an orange on my desk that Josh felt compelled to throw about when he stopped by to visit. Every time. For the three days it had been sitting there. Friday he decided to use it to play handball--which didn't go so well. We chatted about its relative squishiness--and that's when I had the idea. "We should make orange juice!" I said.

We took the poor abused orange to the kitchen. Where Josh insisted that he could squeeze it until the skin burst and get orange juice that way. So he squeezed.



It was a mighty effort. Can you see the strain? Note the bi-colored flesh of squeezing. Take heed of the blur from his shaking muscles.

Unfortunately, the orange did not yield.

At least, it didn't burst. It merely absorbed the power--and the shape of Josh's fingers.



I was able to persuade him to let me slice the brave fruit in half. "We can use your strength as a juicer," I said.




Strength it took, as you can tell.

Squeeze, Josh, squeeze!!!



That may be my favorite picture ever. And every time I look at it, I start laughing again.

Please, take a closer look at his face, especially his eyes. Where are you looking, Josh?! Left eye, me; right eye, way off yonder.



In the end, we got about four tablespoons of orange juice. I added more water and ended up with a surprisingly refreshing drink.



Experiment: success!! Amusement: if the hysterical laughter throughout the process was any indication, also success!!

I wonder what else I could bring in for juicing...?

Day 298

Today I had no picture. And I despaired.

Then I found myself on The Pioneer Woman's website, reading a post about Stephen Shore, a rather famous photographer who celebrated capturing the banal. And I thought, "Hey, I'm surrounded by that!"

The sun was shining through my office window and I looked at the corner of my desk and saw my shot.



I played with it, trying to see if I'd like the contrast of black and white.



Hmmm...I believe I prefer the color version.

I love the negative space here; it makes the light the focus, rather than the objects receiving it.



And with this shot, I think I like the black and white more.



Then there's this shot. The final capture of the session. I don't know what it is about it, but I find this utterly charming.



Somehow my attempt to capture utter banality turned into a few shots I really love.

Day 297

I was running a fever last night. Nearly 102 degrees. It came out of nowhere, giving me mad chills, achy joints, exhaustion and the inability to sleep.

And by this morning, it had broken and left me with nothing to remember it by but a really annoying headache. Can anyone explain this to me?

Why, what's this?



Thirst begone! An archaic spell with which to quench a parched throat? How can this be? Is the condesation a clue?

This, my friends, is a Shamrock Shake.



It's all that really sounded good for a meal after last night. And I am very pleased to report that when I asked the disembodied voice over the speaker if they had shamrock shakes, she caroled, "Absolutely! We're Shamrockin'!!"

And that's when I became known at my local McDonald's as "The Whoo-hooer."

It was a proud moment.

Day 296

I'm not normally a sweets person. We've discussed that. But I think hazelnut chocolate is one of the best. tastes. ever.

I was originally going to use this shot



but it felt a little intimidating. A little too, "Nutella's gonna get you!"

I decided on this shot instead.




More subtle, more delicious, less...looming.

And then I thought, "Hey, how 'bout both?" Because you can never have too much Nutella. Unless you're Amy--then even a little taste is too much.

Sorry, Ame.

Day 295

I've been wanting to try another still life for a few days now. Unfortunately, I wasted all the natural light I could have gotten over the weekend. So I shot this about an hour ago under the sickly flourescent glow of my office lights. It turned out...okay.



When the farmer's market opens again, though, WATCH OUT! Still life shots every day!

Nah, who am I kidding? I'll be roaming around outside for more endless tree and flower shots. You'll be grateful if I give you a still life here and there.

Maybe I should look into leading a more interesting life...

Day 294

My Valentine's gift to me yesterday was a brand new bed! New, name brand mattress and box springs that no one else has slept on ever. Though that lump you'll see under the comforter is Hamlet who was technically the first to sleep there. Immediately after I made the bed--and several times during.



Also, check out the dust ruffle! That came in the set with the comforter but I'd never actually gotten it out and put it on. Until now. Brand new bed calls for new dressing!

I feel like everything in this picture needs a good ironing. Eh, next time. I am going to have to go home and center the rug, though. It's really bugging me!

Day 293

Happy Valentine's Day! (Or as friend Holly has dubbed it, Happy Independence Day). Whichever your version, I hope it was great!



"I want u" to have "good times." Yep.

Day 292

I am an Olympics junkie.



I love it. I love every minute of it. And if you give me half a chance, I'm likely to tell you about it in detail. The pageantry! The camraderie! The emotion! The athleticism! The focus! The inspiration!

I'm also kind of a big fan of Canada, our polite neighbors to the north.

Mounties carrying the Canadian flag into the opening ceremonies? Total win.

Day 291

Happy Valentine's weekend!



I love you, faithful blog readers. You few, you happy few.

Day 290

Breakfast: A Still Life



I went to World Market for blood orange soda. I came out with that and pomegranate soda to try.



The attempt was quite successful. Nummy, even. Recommended!

Day 289

Here's another in my series of "Ooh, look what I found in my files!"



A little sumac seed action for ya. It's so picturesque, if a bit weedy. Okay, a lot weedy. Like weeds on steriods and radioactive spider bites in the summer. But look how pretty here!

I especially like them against a blue sky with a bit of snow for contrast.



Perfect.

Day 288

Oh. My. Heavens.



Sunset is just plain awesome. I can't lie: sunrise has always been my favorite of the two. Something about the crisp freshness, the delicate colors, the...something. But sunset can just really outdo itself sometimes. I only wish my camera were able to capture the full experience.

And, to be fair, this sunset had rather a lot of the delicate coloring I love about sunrise as well.

Wisps of clouds in skyblue pink, anyone?



You really can find just about anything at Meijer. :)

Day 287

These trees make me happy in a way I can't really express.



I've been wanting to post these since last fall, but I just never got around to it. I don't know why. I love the shot below with a mad passion, but while I could see what I wanted to do with it, I just don't have the program (or the knowledge) to accomplish it.



While it's completely gorgeous--at least, to me--there was just something missing.

I was fiddling today, and I tried several things. And here's what I discovered: I'm normally a color person, the more vivid the better. But this shot? Somehow it just came to life in black and white in a way I never expected.





*happy sigh* I'm in love!

Day 286

Autumn leaves have an artistic flair difficult to match. And yet don't you sometimes wish for the bravery to array yourself in glorious raiment and collect the admiring glances you just know would come your way?



For example, I have a sudden urge to paint my nails in a very unusual French manicure. Maybe bright green with a scarlet tips?

Nah, it'd probably look tacky on me. This tree totally pulls it off, though.



My friend Adam thinks of fall as a sad time of dying, of wasting away. He finds it a little depressing, I think.

I, on the other hand, look at trees like these and see utter joy. Yes, there is death to come, but they will not meet it with resignation. They see it coming and shout defiance, bravely throwing off the summer persona to reveal the brilliance of their true selves, shaking boldness and colorful laughter into the air.

Extravagant beauty: it can be found in any season, but autumn really brings it, don't you think?

Day 285

I'm here! I'm here! I'm fairly late, but I'm still on the correct day for posting! I look for victories where I can find them.

Unfortunately, I didn't really take pictures this weekend. Fortunately, I have about a zillion pictures in reserve that I never really got the chance to post. Hooray! So this week (or at least these next three days) will be flashbacks to autumn and its incandescent beauty.


Let's begin with:
Fallen Light



Oh, do click on it to get the full effect! (Do so with any picture on here, actually).

Day 284

Last Friday, my friend Shane had a birthday and threw a party with one of the best themes ever--at least for people like us. Disaster! Not the party, you understand, the theme.

Let me 'splain. Shane, my friend Debbie, and I are all disaster junkies. That does not mean (as one coworker wondered) that we enjoy causing disasters or seeing them happen. It means we're fascinated by them and love learning about them. For me, at least, it's a way of delving into what it means to be human, how we react, think, and behave in the face of devastation and danger.

Shane has us all bring a disaster of some kind--manmade or otherwise--and share it with the group. Like a little disaster class.

I brought the tale of the first United States school bombing.



Never heard of it? Neither had I until last year. My best friend sent me a link to a different disaster, thinking I might not have heard of it. I had, but the links on that page took me to the school bombing in Bath, Michigan in 1927. Michigan! It's right outside the city in which most of my relatives still live. And yet I'd never heard of it before.



I immediately started reading books and doing research. And Debbie got me this book for my birthday. We do that, you see. We buy disaster related things for each other. Her copy of Stewart O'Nan's book on the Circus Fire is courtesy of me-- a heartfelt thank you for telling me about the fire in the first place.

She feels the same.



I know sitting around talking about large amounts of people dying wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea. I completely understand that. But for me (and, one hopes, for the birthday boy), it was one of the most fun nights I've had in a long time!

Day 283

Remember the whole "Amy M. tried out for a cooking show" saga? She had to bring a meal already prepared when she showed up. The morning of she got up nice and early and began making her hotel room full of scents.



What's she cooking here? Why, those are sweet potato fries getting all bubbly with the oil!



The finished product. Lovely, no? Also very tasty!



Amy's knife--big and shiny (which I initially spelled "sniy" and didn't notice until my third readthrough).



Amy's hand mixing her barbecue beer burgers. Faster than the speed of light!! (Or at least, faster than my shutter speed). They are also reportedly delicious, though I cannot attest to that myself--she lost me at barbecue sauce. And then the beer.



And this is one of my favorite pictures of the day. Even though I think the content is disgusting. :)



Cooking!