Category: Picture Time

Categories
Educate Me Picture Time

A Dream Come True…

After several people left comments here about my “Taste the Rainbow” print, and I’ve had some inquiries recently via Flickr asking about buying prints, I decided to pursue a dream. I’m going to buy an enlarger so I can print photographs at home.

In 7th & 8th grade, I did a science fair project on Photograms. I made it to the Illinois State Science Fair both years, which was a great experience. But what probably stuck with me even longer was working in my own “darkroom” of sorts. My parents set it up in our small second bath, and since I was doing photograms we only needed developing trays and a red-light plus some photographic paper to make them. I loved working on them – it was so much fun! So the passion was ignited. Matter of fact, one of the first items I ever purchased with the babysitting money I earned was a 35mm point-and-shoot camera. I’ve been hooked on photography ever since.

My senior year in high school, I took Photo I. I loved working in the darkroom. I loved the creative process. Elaine & I were trying to explain this to Kathy last night, and it came down to the fact that everything you can do in Photoshop, you can do in the darkroom. That is, after all, why it is called Photoshop. Since I took that class back in 1986, I’ve always wanted my own darkroom.

When we first looked at our house, I noted the fact that there is a second bathroom upstairs. It is sort of odd, because there are three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The original owners, who we bought the house from, had 3 teenagers when they moved in – so with a girl and two boys, it made sense to have two bathrooms. Jason doesn’t need two bathrooms though, so my first comment? “Look! This one would make a perfect darkroom!” There are no windows. I would have running water. It would be a dream come true.

Now, after the latest photography experience, I don’t want to walk away from working in the darkroom. Plus, I don’t really need to take Photo II because I don’t need any more electives for my degree. I would like to take it so I can learn more, because as I said the other day there is a lifetime of learning out there when it comes to photography. I will not take it with my current teacher though – if I take it, it will be at a different campus. Or I will take continuing education courses for fun. But the cost of a used enlarger and the cost of tuition for the course are about the same. No need for the extra credits, I’ll take an enlarger instead.

So, thanks to the joy of Craigslist, I have found an enlarger. Not only that, the photographer that is selling it actually wants to sell off all of her darkroom equipment, for a fantastic price. MUCH lower than retail.

In order to help get the darkroom set up, I’m planning on selling a limited edition run of the flamingo prints, numbered and signed. Both the hand-colored flamingos and the sleeping flamingos. I’m working out the last of the details right now, so I will keep you posted. I’ll probably set everything up after Thursday, when the finals are over.

I’m *so* excited, I can’t even put it into words. Seriously, it is a dream come true. Thank you again to all of you for your support and encouragement – with out you, I’m not sure if I would be brave enough to follow the dream.

Categories
Educate Me Knittastic! Picture Time

Taste the Rainbow…

Taste the Rainbow

Click on the photo to get the uber-cool large view.

Originally, I hand-colored all of the flamingos pink. They looked … so … something. Plain? Boring? Expected? I don’t know. Just not right. So I removed all of that color – the joy of working with chalks! – and instead went with the rainbow flamingos. This scan doesn’t even do them justice – they turned out very nice in person.

They are now sitting in my Photo I portfolio that I turned in today. I went in yesterday to develop my last two rolls of film. I exchanged minimal words with my instructor, and he was back to normal. Well, what I thought was normal all semester long until Tuesday. I forgot to mention that at one point a few weeks ago he made some quip to me about something – the usual banter that goes on in a lab class like that – and said to me that he was glad he knew me well enough to say what he said. (I think it was something about a joke they had just made on the radio. His comment stuck with me a lot more than the context.)

I think that was part of what bothered me so much the other day. I felt as though I had met another photography lover, something that brings a common bond between anyone with a passion for their art. Knitters? We have a bond. Photographers? We have a bond. Although looking at it now, I realize the bonds are different. Both are arts, but knitters share their passion so freely – while some photographer guard it so close and can be quite snooty about other people’s work. You don’t see this in the knitting world. If I come across a new knitter, I welcome them – no matter what. I do not critique their work. I value it. I am the same way with photographers, but the lesson that has been driven home by this experience is that not everyone feels that way.

I refuse to be a skeptic though. I refuse to let it get me down. I will still embrace all photographers, because as I said the other day – we all have something to learn from one another. Knitters have taught me this lesson time and time again. No matter what your skill level is in any craft, there is something that I can learn from you.

My other lesson for today? To remember to love your inner geek, your inner freak, your little quirks – whatever it is that makes you who you are. Don’t let the world smother that part of you, but instead you need to set it free.

My last two Biology tests are over now. I made a B on the lab practical, and I am confident that I will make a B on the exam too. I’m down to three final exams on Tuesday, Wednesday and maybe Thursday of next week (depending on whether or not I take the photo final on Wednesday or Thursday), and then the semester is done. For tonight, I am going to enjoy some needed down time. Tomorrow there will be the MOMs group, studying, and then we will get together with Daysies to have dinner and wish her well as she moves off to Dallas. I still can’t believe she is leaving – I’m just glad she will always just be a phone call away.

Categories
BlahBlahBabble Picture Time

Some Days, People Suck…

Eiffel Tower at Sunset

Pretty picture shared to remind me to focus on the good things and not the bad.

Gah. Some days, people suck. I mean, really suck.

I don’t normally rant about anything related to Blogomania here. Matter of fact, I don’t really rant about Blogomania at all – it is actually fairly smooth 99.998% of the time. People need hosting, I set up their hosting, their sites run.

Back in 2004, there was a problem with the online registration form. Depending on web browsers or on the type of computer people were using, the form broke and they didn’t get sent through to PayPal to pay for their hosting. No problem, we normally set them up, sent them the link, they paid, all was good in the world. A little inconvenience, but we could never duplicate the problem to fix it, and eventually it just stopped happening.

Fast forward to today. A client wrote that he wanted to shut his site down. No problem. Close the account on the server. Go into PayPal to find his payment subscription and make sure it is cancelled. Can’t find it. Write him and ask for the e-mail address, as sometimes PayPal is weird about searches on names. He sends it. Repeat search. Find that he has no payment subscription. Ever. Odd, but look around some more – and discover that he is one of those people that we set up when the form failed.

Problem is, he never got a payment link. So he has been hosted for 17 months without any payment at all for the hosting.

Ugh. I write to him, explain the mistake, point out that it is entirely my fault for not catching it – oh, 16 months ago. Ask him if he would be willing to pay a small, greatly reduced portion of the fee. I offered to take payments. Anything. I considered not writing at all, since I have nothing to hold over him – I can’t suspend his account as it is already closed, and … well, it is my own fault. I was just hoping to maybe make up a small portion of the lost fees.

He wrote back that I offered no proof, he really didn’t see any reason to pay anything. A “better luck next time” sort of response. Uh, hello? The proof is right there in HIS bank statements, or in HIS PayPal account – he hasn’t paid a thing. I can’t log into these things to show him this proof, and I already told him everything I know, down to the date he initially signed up. It wasn’t a ton of money, but still – I guess I just didn’t expect that response. Whatever. Sigh. At least his account is closed and gone.

People. I normally have a lot of faith in the good of mankind, but it has been really rocked tonight. Oh well, karma is a bitch sometimes, and they always say that what goes around comes around.

Categories
Birthday Wishes Picture Time

On Display and the Birthday Boy…

I still can’t figure out how to send a text message along with a photo from my phone, and I can’t get it into that speed typing text mode either (something 9? Those of you that text know what I mean) so I didn’t send a full message with my photo of my photo last night. Then when I got home, I was so tired I crashed by 10pm, right after watching a very interesting documentary on the concentration camps of Nazi Germany.

I was told before that all photos submitted would be on display, but that was not the case. The correct statement was that all photographers that submitted work would have something on display – one print from each person that submitted work. My “Don’t Lose Your Head” (Click to see it larger) print was selected, so it was pretty cool to walk in and see my work hanging on the wall. I wasn’t sure if they would all be there or just one at that point. It was also interesting to see other people looking at my work. I thought about taking a photo of someone looking at the print as it was hanging there, but I thought that would be sort of weird and I didn’t feel like asking anyone if I could take their picture. My phone makes this really loud sound when I take a photo with it, so no stealth photography for me. That is why I was so far away from the print when I took that shot! Although it would have been easy enough to explain that it was my picture, so I wasn’t violating any copyright law.

They have already done the judging, and I didn’t win any prize. However, I didn’t really enter for the prize – I entered more for the opportunity. So in the end, it is ok. I hope the winners were people that really needed the money to continue their education. It would have been nice, but financial issues are not standing in my way and keeping me from registering for the fall semester. (Organic Chemistry, Trig, and a required Psych class that you have to take for the scholarship I am applying for. Already registered on Wednesday.)

The big news for today? JASON TURNS 14 TODAY!!! Oh my goodness. 14. How did that happen? It seems like only yesterday he was a cute little baby. Now he is 14! He will be in high school in the fall! Yes, I have to use exclamation points with everything related to his birthday! Tonight we will go to eat with a few of his friends from school, and then the guys will go and play Laser Tag. Afterwards, it is Cold Stone ice cream cake (yum!) and X-Box time at our house, and one of the guys is spending the night. Tomorrow night we have family dinner plans with my parents.

14. I still can’t believe it.

I had this gushy post in mind yesterday, but I didn’t write it right away (being half-asleep and all that) so now I don’t remember it all. I wish I did. I’m sure it will come to me later though, and I think I’ll save it for just him. Something sappy to remember how much Mom loves him.

Happy Birthday, Jason! I hope 14 is a fabulous year for you!

Categories
Picture Time

Chloe’s Toys…

I have no idea why, but Chloe decided to move all of her toys together into one pile – right in the middle of the floor. She loves all her stuffed animals, last week we went out shopping and got a lot of new toys for Christmas, including an alpaca plush which is handmade and beautiful by the way, hope it doesn’t ends destroyed but I bet she will love to put it in the pile with the rest.

Stuffed animals are a universal staple of any child’s bedroom. In fact, if a child has only one toy, it’s likely to be a stuffed animal. From tigers to penguins to dogs to elephants, the fluffy dolls come in all shapes and sizes to suit nearly any taste. Even in an age of fancy LEGO sets and flashy electronic toys, stuffed animals haven’t lost their kid appeal. Here’s why your child is crazy for teddy bears and stuffed animals.

1. They encourage nurturing.
After being bossed around all day, children want a chance to play the adult. Stuffed animals make great recipients of a child’s pretend care and discipline. They’re small, lightweight, humanoid and perfectly compliant. Playing “mommy” or “daddy” to a stuffed animal makes children feel capable and in control. Some Child Development Experts suggest that such imaginative play is crucial to their mental and social development. Besides, when you’re three, nothing beats the sheer awesomeness of having a ‘baby’ with a kitty face or an alligator tail.

2. They’re always smiling.
Stuffed animals are immune to the letdowns of life. No matter how many times they are dropped, sat on or left alone, they always greet their owners with heartwarming, reassuring smiles. Those fuzzy, happy faces make the world seem like a nicer place, no matter what’s happening in the child’s life. Mommy, daddy or teacher may be disappointed, but Teddy is never disappointed.

3. They give the best hugs.
Nothing chases away the blues like a warm, squishy hug, and it doesn’t get warmer or squishier than a stuffed animal. Not only that, but stuffed animals will take hugs of the greatest length and intensity without gasping for air or rushing off to answer the phone. Hugging a toy robot or a Barbie doll, on the other hand, just doesn’t measure up to that irrepressible softness.

4. They’re easy to clean up.
For a child, nothing is easier than picking up stuffed animals from the floor after playtime. Their overstuffed bodies are gentle on little hands, and putting them away often means tossing them onto the child’s bed (with glee). When the stuffed animal itself needs cleaning, a quick run through the washing machine usually takes care of the job. Picking up a barrel of building blocks, however, feels like a real chore—plus they hurt when you step on them.

5. They’re dependable.
Stuffed animals last long after most toys have fallen to bits. Stuffed animals don’t bend, break or dent. They don’t have screens that crack, batteries that run out or parts that get lost. A child can pick up or put down a stuffed animal at any time with no fuss or muss. They’re great for taking along on a car ride or plane trip. If a stuffed animal happens to rip, it can be repaired with a needle, some thread and a little extra fluff. With their forgiving smiles, cuddly hugs and years-long durability, stuffed animals really are the perfect friends. Click the links here and see some of our favorite stuffed animal dogs and stuffed horses.