tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47368077831250077102024-02-07T11:53:31.154-08:00My photo life.All things photography related in my life! Including but not limited to: portraits, snapshots, gardening, sewing, friends, family, digital, film, and really just whatever else is going on that I'd like to share with the world!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00907893741675401085noreply@blogger.comBlogger159125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736807783125007710.post-4799980989556999912012-01-03T08:30:00.000-08:002012-01-03T08:30:03.035-08:00A little holiday wrap-up :DWell goodness! The last two weeks really slipped past me. With all the traveling and daily postings over at A Bit of Geek (plus leaving the camera at someone's house and waiting for it to return to me... oops), I simply didn't have the time or the material to check in over here!<br />
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It was a lovely holiday with a full week and a half up in Washington visiting friends and family. Andrew and I have never had to split a holiday before, so there was some confusion and anxiety on our parts xD But everything worked out splendidly!<br />
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<i>Our first Christmas together!</i></div>
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Christmas went on as usual with a fun and festive afternoon at a tree farm and subsequent decorating. My family and I opened gifts on Christmas Eve, which was a first, and Andrew and I spent Christmas Day with his family.<br />
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<i>The tree farm was on fantastically beautiful property.</i></div>
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It was strange, to be sure, but we're really lucky that our families live so close to one another. Hopping from one house to another was not a big deal whatsoever.<br />
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The holidays were fairly low key this year, considering the traveling, and the best part was truly spending time with my loved ones. That's really what the season is all about for me.<br />
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<i>A completely candid shot of my lifelong </i></div>
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<i>friends (and me!) playing Catchphrase.</i></div>
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I came away from it all feeling refreshed, happy, and I managed to get some pictures, too (as you have seen)!<br />
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Hopefully all of your holidays and new years were wonderful. I'm feeling the photography itch once again, so I expect some nice images to be heading this way soon!<br />
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-MJAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00907893741675401085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736807783125007710.post-15531247726116542512011-12-13T08:30:00.000-08:002011-12-13T08:30:00.400-08:00Hats on, stockings hung, tree decorated. Let's find some cheer!Prepare yourselves for some festive fun!<br />
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<i>Stockings hung by the chimney with care... and old gaming consoles.</i></div>
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This week I have taken a whopping zero photos with the real camera, but boy have my hands been busy with crafting projects! Christmas is creeping ever closer, and I am doing everything I can to fill the house with cheer. I've been diving into quite a few <a href="http://pinterest.com/mjphotolife/holidays/">Pinterest</a> decorating ideas, and I'm pleased to say it has been very successful. </div>
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<i>We diligently turned all of the construction paper into chains.</i></div>
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While <a href="http://listsaurus.blogspot.com/">Jacki</a> was in town we set to stringing the house full of red and green paper chains. <a href="http://drawingwithandrew.blogspot.com/">Andrew</a> quite liked what we were doing and requested even more chains than I had anticipated. By the end of the night my fingers were sore from ripping tape. It was totally worth it though.</div>
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In addition to wanting the house full of Christmas for my own pleasure, we also had a festive/holiday party on Saturday night. How can one have a holiday party without adequate decorations? Andrew was concerned that the house wouldn't be decked out enough, and I was quite willing to rise to the occasion. </div>
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<i>The sock portion of the stockings were very easy, which was nice.</i></div>
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Over the course of two days I made the Christmas stockings shown at the beginning of the post; the proved to be a larger challenge than I anticipated. I had a hell of a time comprehending how everything needed to be sewn together in order to have the cuff folding over. One of them I re-sewed four times. By the fourth stocking I finally had the hang of it.</div>
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I attempted to branch out and make smaller decorations that could be scattered throughout the house. Andrew and I made some large silver stars that were hung on the wall (and looked very lovely) and a few weeks ago I made a large 'Merry Christmas' banner to hang in a window. One of my projects brought me to making these little yarn trees, but after making two of them I burned my palm rather wickedly with the hot glue. The crafting ceased after that.</div>
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<i>They were cute, but I'm not sure the burning was worth it.</i></div>
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The crowning gem of the night, for me, was the (mostly) successful construction of two Santa hats! Andrew asked if I could make some; I was feeling bolstered by the success of the stockings and so I said yes. Again I encountered serious issues with the folding cuff issue. The hats are a little wonky, but are hand made with lots of love and Christmas songs.</div>
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<i>Simple beginnings and very festive completions! I felt like the Grinch making his costume!</i></div>
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After all of the work, minor stresses and dedication to the cause, the holiday party was a great success and the house looks lovely and Christmas-y. It was all worth it. Plus, I now have homemade Santa hats and stockings. I love this time of year!</div>
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-MJ</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00907893741675401085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736807783125007710.post-59705160537741645082011-12-06T12:11:00.001-08:002011-12-06T13:49:56.351-08:00Surreal dream come true.I don't have a list of "things I believe will never happen", but if I did, "going to Disneyland with lifelong friends Chase and Blake" would definitely be on that list.<br />
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But, that's exactly what happened this weekend.<br />
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<i>Not a great cellphone picture of our Space Mountain photo,</i></div>
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<i>but there we are: Jacki, Blake, Chase and me.</i></div>
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A few months ago I was informed that Chase, Blake and Jacki would be making a trip to Disneyland with Chase and Blake's mom. I thought that was just lovely and looked forward to being in the park with them.</div>
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<i>Our second Space Mountain photo <3</i></div>
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It wasn't until the four of us were on Thunder Mountain Railroad, slowly clicking up the incline before a fast drop down the mountain, that it occurred to me how truly wonderful and surreal it was that I was in Disneyland, with Chase, on Thunder Mountain.</div>
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Life is so funny sometimes.</div>
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::: Jacki and <a href="http://drawingwithandrew.blogspot.com/">Andrew</a> dragged me onto Tower of Terror. I'm not a fan.</div>
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::: Simply amazing photo of Blake, Jacki, their friend Justin and me on California Screamin'.</div>
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::: There was a minor issue with Jacki's pass when we got to the park, so as an apology we were given two of the super amazing fast passes. Score!</div>
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::: Jacki in a seriously windswept state, followed by her gleeful frozen yogurt smile.</div>
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::: The castle all pretty, lit up and snowy <3<br />
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::: Romantic embraces in front of the Christmas balls in Bug Land!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN2OkfoKkwQpJWp4K8rfL7M50w_LUa6BKAkm0gOdZuLhsTOW27Qp_z4a7r3Rg72PRFFQQKFOsxbWU1jZxL5jkJbzs0KjP8FWXYp0ApGYlqWKtVdMUggyZ62IdVjoAYgUjay0_NqtsOyvSt/s1600/_MG_8072.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN2OkfoKkwQpJWp4K8rfL7M50w_LUa6BKAkm0gOdZuLhsTOW27Qp_z4a7r3Rg72PRFFQQKFOsxbWU1jZxL5jkJbzs0KjP8FWXYp0ApGYlqWKtVdMUggyZ62IdVjoAYgUjay0_NqtsOyvSt/s320/_MG_8072.jpg" width="213" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijlHhXap0xhedPxPddbHBEAUs80_xtmN_gSgWwObQyOjNFAhzHWfQESwWtJajbGHCZdr1LrIJ8zxRJPnzzSzD_V5Of9OSHge9GjXt3lexTlG8_SM8LpHizjzIZCE-gFq_eqW_WS4ZTL0W6/s1600/_MG_8075.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijlHhXap0xhedPxPddbHBEAUs80_xtmN_gSgWwObQyOjNFAhzHWfQESwWtJajbGHCZdr1LrIJ8zxRJPnzzSzD_V5Of9OSHge9GjXt3lexTlG8_SM8LpHizjzIZCE-gFq_eqW_WS4ZTL0W6/s320/_MG_8075.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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::: Jacki loves Beast, so she simply had to have a kissing photo in Beast's Library.<br />
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::: All of us on Jungle Cruise, courtesy of Andrew!<br />
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::: Blake and Chase trying to taste the honey. Uhh.<br />
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::: Jacki, Blake and Chase hopping in for a must-have photo in Disneyland.<br />
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::: Aaaand a lone romantic shot.<br />
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::: I stopped them to get a shot of the festive main street area.<br />
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::: Then I asked Chase to take one of Andrew and me!<br />
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We had quite the fun few days bouncing back and forth between Disneyland and California Adventure. Andrew was able to join us one day, which was great, and I really feel that we had a well-rounded experience at both parks. </div>
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Thank you universe for such an unexpected and wonderful weekend.</div>
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-MJ</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00907893741675401085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736807783125007710.post-66142085545817725622011-11-29T11:00:00.000-08:002011-11-29T11:00:05.281-08:00Tuesday is for fun things.Hello everyone. How was your Thanksgiving? If you don't celebrate it, then how was your Thursday? Anyone go out for any crazy Black Friday shopping deals? I ended up shopping Friday afternoon, but it was leisurely and enjoyable, thank goodness!<br />
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Today I'm bringing you a camera-phone glimpse into the fun encounters I've had over the past week and a half. I downloaded a new camera application too, it's called <a href="https://market.android.com/details?id=pixlr.OMatic">Pixlr-o-matic</a> (it's also available as a <a href="http://pixlr.com/o-matic/">desktop application</a>!) and I've been taking more snapshots than usual in order to try it out.<br />
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Time for fun things!<br />
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::: Roses in front of the yard happily drinking up the rain that LA received last week<br />
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::: Snazzy close-up of the wreath that I made (pictures later in the post!)<br />
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::: A new paper cutter! I made sure to break it in right away<br />
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::: The front of a birthday card that I made for one of our roommates<br />
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::: The inside of the card! I was so proud of myself<br />
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::: Editing photos last week while enjoying some amazing hot cocoa <3</div>
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::: My lovely mother making some slam-dunk delicious mashed potatoes<br />
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::: Holiday banner that I made for the kitchen</div>
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::: Experimenting with Pixlr-o-matic on the front doors</div>
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::: I had never made a wreath before!</div>
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::: I finished another <a href="http://www.weirdlittlemonsters.co/">Monster</a> and this is a sneak peek<br />
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::: A cute and silly photo of <a href="http://drawingwithandrew.blogspot.com/">Andrew</a> playing <a href="http://www.amazon.com/USAopoly-CH005-191-Super-Mario-Chess/dp/B00168PI9S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322543545&sr=8-1">Mario chess</a> with me (he won)<br />
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People that have Android devices: what are your favorite camera applications? I use <a href="https://market.android.com/details?id=com.littlephoto&hl=en">Little Photo</a> almost exclusively, but Pixlr-o-matic may push into the lead! For various specific actions I use <a href="https://market.android.com/details?id=vStudio.Android.Camera360&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsInZTdHVkaW8uQW5kcm9pZC5DYW1lcmEzNjAiXQ..">Camera360</a> (tilt/shift feature!), <a href="https://market.android.com/details?id=ymst.android.fxcamera&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsInltc3QuYW5kcm9pZC5meGNhbWVyYSJd">FxCamera</a> (fisheye and Polaroid are my favorites) and <a href="https://market.android.com/details?id=com.kiwiple.mhm.free&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImNvbS5raXdpcGxlLm1obS5mcmVlIl0.">MagicHour</a> (you can make your own filters. I enjoy this one enough that I ended up getting the pay version). I recently downloaded <a href="https://market.android.com/details?id=com.northpark.labelplus&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImNvbS5ub3J0aHBhcmsubGFiZWxwbHVzIl0.">LabelPlus</a>, which is responsible for the banners and silly heart icons on that photo of Andrew. I'd love to hear other people's thoughts!<br />
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I hope everyone has had as nice a week as I have!<br />
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-MJAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00907893741675401085noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736807783125007710.post-76376021708768995852011-11-22T11:00:00.000-08:002011-11-22T11:00:02.339-08:00Under the Sea - la la laHow many of you are in love with aquariums? Personally I am a huge fan. I used to visit the <a href="http://www.seattleaquarium.org/">Seattle Aquarium</a> multiple times a year. The exhibits never really change, but I enjoy it just the same. My favorite parts are the octopus, cuttle fish, sea dragons, jelly fish and otters. How come aquariums never have any squids? So disappointing. I've come to develop a fierce loyalty to the aquarium in Seattle, so going to new ones makes me wonder if they'll stack up. I don't even know how the Seattle one stacks up to the others in the US, I just know that I love it.<br />
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When visiting the <a href="http://www.aquariumofthebay.com/">aquarium in San Francisco</a> with my mom November of last year, I was mightily impressed by their sea nettle exhibit. I stood in front of it for at least ten minutes just watching them float around, and I took some great pictures too. A cursory search of my archives shows that I apparently never posted photos from the aquarium. How did that happen?!<br />
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::: One of the many large and beautiful sea nettles at the San Francisco aquarium<br />
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On Friday <a href="http://drawingwithandrew.blogspot.com/">Andrew</a> and I went to the <a href="http://www.aquariumofpacific.org/">Aquarium of the Pacific</a> in Long Beach. You can rest assured that no one will be missing out on our experience, because this post will be pretty much all photos! We had a super amazing time and spent a whopping four hours there! The place was crazy crowded because of multiple elementary school field trips; I was nearly mown down by more than a few children.</div>
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The exhibits did not disappoint. The building was huge and had mini viewing tanks <i>on the way </i>to the actual exhibit areas! One viewing tank was three stories high! So impressive! We took our time exploring all there was to see, even back tracking and visiting some fishies multiple times. There were a lot of surprises too, including the most adorable white arctic fox and some absolutely terrifying bird encounters. We spent time with a boat load of sharks and I befriended a sea turtle.</div>
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Please enjoy these photos and join me in appreciating the wonder of the ocean world!</div>
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::: Super tall viewing tank</div>
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::: Beautiful clown fishies and adorable sea horses<br />
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::: Elegant jellyfish and the most beautiful crab I've ever seen<br />
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::: Leafy sea dragons are one of my most favorites things/creatures EVER<br />
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::: Prowling fish and an eel hugging a lobster<br />
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::: Beady eyed pipefish-type creature<br />
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::: A Lorikeet. There was an area full of them and they were scaring the crap out of me<br />
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::: The majestic sea turtle <3<br />
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::: Beautiful and impressive sea star<br />
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::: I love that rays always look happy<br />
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::: Lone fish and the most adorable garden eel<br />
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::: Teeny tiny shrimp!<br />
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::: White Arctic fox; this little guy stole my heart<br />
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The few non-aquatic creatures that were present have me seriously jonesing for a trip to the zoo. Maybe sometime soon Andrew and I will go to the San Diego one? That would be so great!<br />
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Overall I give this aquarium a very high ranking! They only had one octopus and it was hiding big time. That was a let down, but it's also very common. My biggest complaint is their lack of cuttle fish. What gives?! Perhaps I'll write them a letter ;)<br />
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What's your favorite aquatic creature? :D<br />
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-MJAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00907893741675401085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736807783125007710.post-7961267650174329492011-11-17T18:24:00.001-08:002011-12-02T10:48:28.770-08:00At this point it's not too early.I am ready for the full holiday swing! Some people may be displeased at those of us who simply cannot wait until after Thanksgiving to get festive, and to them I say just be glad I waited until after Halloween! There's something so wonderful about the holiday season that I am always anxious for it to begin. I love the twinkling lights, brightly colored decorations, Christmas songs and festively colored candy. I can't get enough of it! This year I don't really have any of those things. All of my decorations are actually my mom's, so with this move to California I have a big fat <b>zero</b> number of Christmas items! A devastating discovery, to be sure.<br />
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Fortunately, <a href="http://drawingwithandrew.blogspot.com/">Andrew</a> is all about making things and has supplied me with an extensive number of craft items. We are all set to deck our halls to the nines this year, we just have to get started. I've found a number of ideas via <a href="http://pinterest.com/mjphotolife/holidays/">Pinterest</a> (let me know if you'd like an invite to the site!), and my fingers are itching. Andrew has been on vacation, so our time has largely been wrapped up in Skyrim and loafing. But today I decided I was ready to dive in. Today, I made a wreath!<br />
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We visited some friends last week and they had made the cutest <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Burgundy-Holiday-Door-Swag-Christmas/dp/B0044XI5W4">holiday swag</a> for their door. I felt all riled up and decided I had to make a wreath. I really like them and I've never made one before. A few years ago my mom started buying them when we'd go get our tree, and I enjoyed that. They make the house look so gosh darn pleasant.<br />
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So in the spirit of the season, and my excitement at crafting, I present this non-scheduled entry!<br />
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::: Supplies all laid out! Empty wreath, bells and colored berry things. Also, a decent peek at my work space! Colored thread, utensil bucket and a photo of my sister and me!<br />
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::: Appreciating the simple things, like a fake wreath free of bugs and sexy elves behind me</div>
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::: Preparing the berry things for plucking and cutting<br />
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::: All finished with the red ones, time for the silver!<br />
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::: My "these wires are tough to cut!" face<br />
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::: Waiting for our beastly hot glue gun to heat up</div>
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::: Playing with the bow ribbon, wishing I had a cat that would do it for me<br />
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::: Legolas wanted to wear the bow, and how could I deny that sweet face?<br />
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::: Adding the bow, the finishing touch!<br />
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::: Is the glue dry yet?<br />
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::: He makes an excellent wreath holder. I may just place him on the front porch<br />
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I hope you enjoyed this spontaneous entry! I was so excited to share the photos (and finished product!) with everyone that I simply couldn't wait until next Tuesday. Plus, it looks as though Andrew and I will have a busy weekend so I'm thinking I'll have enough other things to share next week. How wonderful! </div>
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I went ahead and tried some new things for this entry. I've been browsing around some new blogs lately and I am filled to bursting with inspiration. I'd really like my blog to be more fun, and if possible funny, but I am frequently afraid of coming across as badly goofy. If I go for intentionally goofy then I can't really mess up, can I? What do you all think? Do you like the new things? Are the new things even obvious to anyone other than me? But most importantly, have you started holiday decorating yet?!</div>
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-MJAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00907893741675401085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736807783125007710.post-61185073138099889232011-11-15T11:00:00.000-08:002011-11-15T11:00:07.870-08:00Fun things all around me.Compared to the previous two weeks of fun, excitement and friends, this last week has been quite mellow. <a href="http://drawingwithandrew.blogspot.com/">Andrew</a> is between shows now and thus has some vacation time. We've been catching up on leisure sleep, late night crafting and lots of video games. Betwixt these thrilling activities I've managed to take phone snapshots of some of the things around me. I'm feeling so serene about the images I have to share today, I hope you enjoy them!<br />
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The other night Andrew and I went out with some friends to the Paramount theatre. Paramount as in Paramount Studios. It was awesome! His friends had some tickets to a movie and they invited us along. We arrived a little early, so we used the opportunity to explore the outside area a bit and enjoy the scenery. There was a water fountain in front of the main entrance to the studio, and across from that a courtyard filled with willow-esque trees. An employee was stringing holiday lights from all of the trees, and it looked just wonderful! The photo of Andrew and me was taken with the flash on my phone and I'm really pleased with how it turned out. Technology is so superb.<br />
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::: In front of the fountain :]</div>
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::: Enjoyable scenery!</div>
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In some immediate new and exciting news, I sold a print on Etsy a few days ago! You can view the print in question <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/76677240/salthill-prom-rocks-reserved?ref=af_shop_order">here</a>. The woman who purchased it said so many kind things to me about the photo; I was all aflutter and glowing as I read her messages. She has been to Ireland herself, but says that her photos weren't able to capture the essence like mine did. Talk about a compliment! I feel all giddy again just thinking about it.</div>
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The print arrived yesterday and I'll be shipping it out to her today. I was excited to see the photo in a large, hard copy form (she purchased a 16x24 print, the largest that anyone has ordered before) and <i>wow</i>, I was not disappointed at all. The photo is one of my favorites from my trip last year and I've never had it printed before. It has such beautiful accuracy. I'm so happy with it. I showed it to Andrew and he was also very impressed. We are now considering buying one for ourselves! hehe</div>
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::: Not the best shot of it. Mostly I'm attempting to demonstrate how large it is compared to my hand. Also, that blue streak on the left side isn't supposed to be there, that's just glare.</div>
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I've been spending a lot more time in the garage at my work bench. I don't know what the changing point was, but it's starting to feel like my space now. Andrew bought some new storage bins for me and now the space is cleaner, more organized and much more accessible. We set up some of my shelves along one of the walls and now there are surfaces for some of my favorite nick nacks. It's easy to smile out there. I should take some pictures for next week! </div>
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Andrew hung a bunch of my posters on the wall in front of my work bench and there's still a large blank spot directly in front of where I sit. I have some framed photos of my friends and sister that I'd love to put up there. It'll make it even cozier and happier. Also, in a surprising moment, I discovered that I had a small test photo of our erstwhile cat, Unjuy, from the large print I gave to my mom two Christmases ago. It was a sad moment, seeing as he disappeared in July and my family and I miss him terribly, but I am also happy to have a copy of the photo for myself. It is now framed and ready for hanging among the photos of my family and friends.</div>
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::: He'll always be watching me work now :')</div>
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The following photos don't have any sort of specific reason or home, but they all make me happy. So now it's time for a list of things that bring joy to me!</div>
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::: This Christmas craft that I made. The frame was only $3!</div>
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::: This fabulous spool holder that Andrew built for me. The thread is so pretty all laid out!</div>
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::: These in-progress Christmas stars made from cardboard, paper mache and spray paint <3</div>
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::: This fun and cute doodle of Jacki, James and me courtesy of Jacki!</div>
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::: This spooky and Halloween appropriate snapshot of my sister's cat Loki</div>
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::: This super cute Totoro hand towel from Japan, sent to me from my friend <a href="http://inakaeve.blogspot.com/">Eve</a>!</div>
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It's nice to have so many things to share with everyone, even if they're little or silly!</div>
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Today's last tidbit is something very fancy! Andrew finally has the meat and potatoes of his video setup purchased, and he's very thrilled about it! It has certainly brought the video and photography capabilities of our household to the next level. He has a lot of exciting things in store and brewing around in his head. It'll be super awesome when some of his projects are complete! For now though, the camera stands ever ready. </div>
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::: If I could explain everything that's in this picture, then I would</div>
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It lives in a little harness type thing which doesn't make the camera difficult to get to, per say, but it now takes a little finagling to access. I suppose it is more difficult to get to than when it was only in the camera bag, this is true. I'm sure I'll get used to removing it and replacing it though. For now, I'm OK with my all camera phone photos because they're accurate snapshots of my life!</div>
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Hope everyone is having a nice Tuesday. Does anyone have any little things that are making them happy lately? I'd love to hear about them! :)</div>
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-MJ</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00907893741675401085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736807783125007710.post-62881969036566720382011-11-08T11:00:00.000-08:002011-11-08T11:00:07.467-08:00Some flowers and a beach. A lovely week.There have been some pleasant photo taking opportunities over the past week. I have witnessed blooming plants, a beach visit and even a trip to Ikea. Wednesday afternoon saw the departure of James back to Washington, which was extremely sad. Dear Jacki leaves tonight. It has been a spectacular two weeks of friendship and memory making. I'm feeling refreshed and very excited to get back into some projects that have been on hold while they've been visiting.<br />
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Last week we were able to squeeze in a trip to Manhattan beach. James read and Jacki drew while I decided to wander about in search of seashells. I've always been a big fan of shells. In Washington there are so many beautiful oyster shells, but they're not allowed to be removed from the beach. Down here I've found an abundance of clam shells, but they're tiny! I'm used to the mammoth clams of the Pacific Northwest. Down here most of the shells I've found have been smaller than a quarter! I don't know very much about common ocean life in Southern California, but I must say I am heavily disappointed in their sea life sizes ;)<br />
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::: Jacki frolicking and making a triforce for us<br />
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::: Soakin' up that sun<br />
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::: My shell collection! I found a button, too!<br />
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It was quite the trip to be at the beach and be in shorts, a tank top and super warm all while remembering that it was early November. The "warm year round" thing will take a long time to get used to.<br />
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Over this past week the weather has cooled down significantly though and we've had wonderful, life giving rain. Some wind storms too! This was greatly appreciated by me, until Andrew informed me that my tall (and top heavy) plants in the garden had been knocked to the ground by the gusts. Fortunately they weren't broken and the roots remained firmly in the ground. I've had serious issue getting them to remain upright ever since though. I bought support sticks from Home Depot, but the plants are just so heavy. After trial and error and the addition of bricks, I think I finally have them good to go again.<br />
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::: Some fun detail shots of the 'Love Lies Bleeding' variety, as well as a newcomer.<br />
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::: They're taller than I am. Note my brick stacking handy work<br />
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::: If Jacki is around while my camera is out then she <i>will </i>have her photo taken<br />
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It really has been such a nice two weeks. This last week was amazing for some solid BFF bonding time. I was sad to see James go, and I can't believe Jacki will be back up in Washington tonight *cry* The silver lining is that they were able to visit at all and I managed to get some really fun photos of us all. Plus, I can't forget how seriously revved up I am to get kicking with some sewing, crafting and papering! The hope is that next week's entry will be boasting some completed (or nearly completed) projects!<br />
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::: Just for fun! A shot of Jacki being cold outside of the Ikea. Love you always P2!<br />
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-MJAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00907893741675401085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736807783125007710.post-73853357612065198602011-11-02T12:37:00.000-07:002011-11-02T12:38:20.541-07:00Friends make the best photos.Or rather, they're the best subjects of the best photos. Or the best photos are of friends. Friends make any photo better. I think you get the idea.<br />
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My camera has had excessive amounts of use over the past few days seeing as my friends Jacki and James flew in on Wednesday! Yay! We've had especially good times taking pictures at pumpkin farms, Halloween parties and Disneyland. I'm typing this up quickly before dashing off to partake in more fun activities, so I'll leave you with some of my favorite photos and moments that have cropped up so far.<br />
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::: Finding a really amazing and beautiful pumpkin patch outside of the city<br />
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::: Taking frame worthy photos with my friends</div>
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::: Imitating sad scarecrows</div>
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::: Reaching for one another inappropriately<br />
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::: Being super psyched to hold a pumpkin</div>
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::: Sharing a refreshing pineapple shaved ice</div>
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::: The first chance for us to show off our annual passes<br />
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::: Imitating a sassy and nonchalant pixie<br />
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:::Waiting in line for the Nightmare Before Christmas decked out Haunted Mansion<br />
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::: Watching the fireworks and the sunsets<br />
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::: Riding The Little Mermaid ride alone<br />
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::: Getting to date a sick and tired man while being dressed as Batman<br />
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::: Photos of Jacki and me in matching costumes for the first time ever<br />
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::: My "Your parents are dead. And you're afraid of bats" face.</div>
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::: Unwilling photos of James, and posing with Captain Hammer</div>
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How have you been for the past week? October has been awesome, and I'm really looking forward to a fantastic November! :)<br />
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-MJAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00907893741675401085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736807783125007710.post-5227935696648985172011-10-25T15:34:00.001-07:002011-10-25T15:34:35.704-07:00A very special day<div><p>Today's post comes to you from my phone. It's short and sweet, and is a very special Happy Birthday message to my wonderful mother. I'm up in Washington to celebrate with her and my sister.</p>
<p>I love you mom! You deserve all of the best days.</p>
<p>-MJ</p>
<br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3ZUeJpOmb58eu04mFTnX6WNYWwMK9zsJLegvknYI71L2R7MqsjeQHlRdUlgjwOgK3Hkg7gCcM6EbgM0LAgimujA3uED8EhpiFSYzHwlmX95gVklHii7QcrOVvVkaPuueLIJqVrrDZ/' /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00907893741675401085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736807783125007710.post-5888921616016693722011-10-18T13:05:00.000-07:002011-10-18T13:14:23.342-07:00Two rolls down, lots more to go!Hello all! I'm super happy to report that I've finished two rolls of film since last week! The rolls were already partially completed, but I'm not going to allow that fact to get me down. One roll was <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lomography-Three-Color-Negative-120mm/dp/B004CI7RI4/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1318968586&sr=8-7">color 120</a> for my <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Holga-144120-120N-Plastic-Camera/dp/B000AL8JKW/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1318968612&sr=1-1">Holga</a>, and the other was <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lomography-X-PRO-Slide-Film-35mm/dp/B002J9G5MC/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1318968628&sr=1-2">35mm slide film</a> for my Nikomat (Japanese Nikon).<br />
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I don't have a whole lot to report on this week, so I'm going to share a few little tidbits and add in some photos I've been taking with my cellphone. :D<br />
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<i>The Holga that I once hated.</i></div>
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It's really great to be able to tell everyone that I am psyched to get started on shooting more film. Right now I'm out of 120, which is a bummer, but I'm hoping Andrew and I can pick up some this weekend from <a href="http://www.samys.com/">Samy's</a>. I have a lot of 35mm film, although it is all expired and it is all slide film. That will make the photos quite interesting. I can't wait until I have a film scanner so I can share my captures with the world!</div>
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In the meantime I've been using an application for my phone called <a href="https://market.android.com/details?id=com.littlephoto&hl=en">Little Photo</a>. It has a slew of different filters that can be applied and there's a fair amount of control to the images as well. I've been enjoying the heck out of tweaking my pictures to look like film. I know how that sounds, and I'm OK with it! I'm just so excited to be embracing the unpredictability of the Holga and my expired film. I want the weird focus and off-colors and the surprise of what comes out.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ_tmFqXTvMprP0GcmaC6AFILqzMaLAxVSdZJe19IL99rBOME238nA9pZsIbyid0XHDcySkYbcotywoW9KlciWwV9Gzth6B7fTyKzPS0xhQDnyh_6P2T0HhDbf0zvnmYtwp-C3t60fsRpa/s1600/11+-+1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ_tmFqXTvMprP0GcmaC6AFILqzMaLAxVSdZJe19IL99rBOME238nA9pZsIbyid0XHDcySkYbcotywoW9KlciWwV9Gzth6B7fTyKzPS0xhQDnyh_6P2T0HhDbf0zvnmYtwp-C3t60fsRpa/s320/11+-+1" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>I made a kitty. I didn't know what to use him for, so he's a pincushion.</i></div>
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Yesterday while I was cleaning the kitchen I found a horrifying maggoty WORM... <i>thing</i>. I was not happy about it. I yelled at it and blew on it, inspecting it with revulsion. I decided to try to move it outside and near the garden, but my attempts at picking it up with a paper towel eviscerated it instead. Oops. It might have been good to take a photo of it, but I was too busy being angry.</div>
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<i>Andrew bought some new books. Also, he made a delicious and cute dinner!</i></div>
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I've been sewing a lot lately, which has been really fantastic. I wish I could share with you all what I've been working on, but it's top secret! It should be revealed soon though, so make sure to check back. It's been really great to be working on so many creative projects at once. The only downside is that most of them are either secret projects or gifts for my friends and family, so I can't share them publicly! But rest assured, exciting things are in the works.</div>
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<i>It rained last week! REAL RAIN! It was beautiful. Also, some colorful</i></div>
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<i>paper scraps from a few of the crafts that I've been working on.</i></div>
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On Saturday I went to Disneyland with Andrew's friend Mikki. She might be my friend at this point too. I dunno, I'll have to ask her xD I didn't take any photos because we were too busy having a totally awesome time! There was so much I could have taken photos of though! Oh wait that's not true, I brought my Nikomat! Gosh I am so anxious to get the film developed. Maybe I'll hop out to the store and drop them off today. *squeal*</div>
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Andrew has suggested that I go to Disneyland whenever I'm feeling a little bored or isolated, or if I feel like I need some inspiration. It never really occurred to me to go to the park alone, but I have an annual pass so I may as well. What a different experience it would be to wander alone and truly do whatever I wanted! I think I will soon. I bet I could blast through so much film. Oh my gosh now I'm really excited.</div>
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<i>My Mickey Mouse Ghost souvenir popcorn bucket!!! I love it so much.</i></div>
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<i>There's me in front of the stand holding my new Disneyland item.</i></div>
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Well, it's time for me to sign off here. I have some fun things to work on and more film to shoot! What do you all think of film versus digital? Do you have a preference? Does anyone miss the surprise of getting their developed photos back? Let me know! :D</div>
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-MJ</div>
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<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00907893741675401085noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736807783125007710.post-22656850098107777132011-10-11T11:13:00.000-07:002011-10-11T11:13:55.149-07:00Never thought this would happen.Here I have some musings, changes and a random assortment of photos that have nothing to do with this blog entry. Enjoy!<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fYRg_iWrzAQ/TpSBbG5W_2I/AAAAAAAAGI0/I376kvV2WfU/s1600/11+-+2" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fYRg_iWrzAQ/TpSBbG5W_2I/AAAAAAAAGI0/I376kvV2WfU/s320/11+-+2" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Me in front of the Mattel Toy Store in El Segundo.</i></div>
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After much consideration, confusion and uncertainty, it would appear that I've come to some semblance of a decision. Sort of. Maybe. I don't know quite how to say this, but I'm having a very strained relationship with photography lately. I'm sure it has been obvious based on the lack of real photos in my self-proclaimed "photo blog". I don't know what to say though. I'm feeling a disconnect. I love photography; I am appreciative of my education, knowledge and equipment. I still derive joy from the hobby and I love to document my friends and family. But. But...<br />
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This problem would be very easy to solve if I had the key to figuring out what went wrong in the first place. It was a gradual change inside of me. I began picking up the camera less and less. Fewer things were inspiring me. Whenever I did have the camera in my hands I would start to feel aimless. I wasn't approaching subjects with vigor and enthusiasm and would take very few shots. Andrew has been reminding me to bring the camera places, but I've been shrugging and saying no to the suggestion.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W9ckAzN1wTE/TpSBbMqc-oI/AAAAAAAAGI4/Ii5-sX_o3bg/s1600/11+-+3" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W9ckAzN1wTE/TpSBbMqc-oI/AAAAAAAAGI4/Ii5-sX_o3bg/s320/11+-+3" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Christening my new ramen bowl! Andrew bought it for me :D</i></div>
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The feeling has been uncomfortable, unsettling. Photography is the longest lasting interest/hobby of my life. I went to school for it. I travelled around the world for it. And now I don't want it? Well, I wouldn't say that I don't want it. I do want it. But not in the way that I've always had it. I suppose that would be the key. I need a new approach, a different angle. Fortunately, I have options.<br />
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Andrew has a dabbling interest in shooting film. I happen to have experience in that from school, as well as multiple film cameras. I also have a back stash of expired 35mm film, and he likes to buy 120 film for my <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holga">Holga</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-agPiTMjLp3I/Toef7awRrDI/AAAAAAAAGHQ/Bj3Z7b2CfOA/s1600/IMG_20111001_161823.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-agPiTMjLp3I/Toef7awRrDI/AAAAAAAAGHQ/Bj3Z7b2CfOA/s320/IMG_20111001_161823.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>The inside of the birthday card that I made for my nephew.</i></div>
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When he first expressed interest in shooting with the Holga I sighed exasperatedly to myself. That Holga has been the bane of my existence ever since my teacher gave it to me two years ago. He wanted me to branch away from the technical aspect of digital and focus simply on the art and composition aspect of a photo. I was not happy. I liked the technical; I loved everything I had learned and I was not willing to give up control to a plastic lens and spontaneous light leaks. He tried and tried to get me to see the value of letting go and seeing what happens, but I wasn't ready to do it. I think I am now. I think I finally see what he meant.<br />
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I know I've mentioned the camera store <a href="http://www.samys.com/">Samy's</a> before. Andrew and I go there to look at camera equipment and compare prices. They have a large film section with a lot of products, including the items necessary to do an at-home lab. My eyes grew a little when I saw all of the chemicals and supplies. Analog processing and printing (although this place doesn't sell <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enlarger">enlargers</a>) was indescribably fulfilling and interesting. It stretched me and frustrated me, but the thrill of a print that I deemed perfect was simply delicious. To add the cherry on top, this place does processing; it would satisfy just about all of our film needs. The last piece of this puzzle would be a film scanner for us to use at home. We're currently keeping our eyes open for one.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--y3RuVWJyys/TpSBa3iRhhI/AAAAAAAAGIw/I0guJUH_ByM/s1600/11+-+1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--y3RuVWJyys/TpSBa3iRhhI/AAAAAAAAGIw/I0guJUH_ByM/s320/11+-+1" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>The front of the card that I made for my nephew.</i></div>
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He and I have also discussed the option of creating a make-shift lab in the laundry room. It could definitely work. We'd only be able to do black and white, but that's not really a bad thing. I don't imagine we'll be doing that anytime soon, but it's something that we'd both like to have someday.<br />
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I've derailed myself a little bit. Allow me to get back to my point.<br />
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Andrew and I went out on Sunday and he told me to bring my Holga and my Nikor film camera. I snapped a few photos while we were out and noticed that the familiar feeling was creeping back. The good feeling. The love-of-photography feeling. It was then that I decided a switch to an emphasis on film photography was the right decision. I'm finally in that place where I understand the benefit to letting go of technical aspects and simply finding things to appreciate, regardless of the math/science/knowledge behind the shot. I suddenly want to focus on subject matter, feeling and abstraction. This has never happened before! It's a strange sensation. I feel good about it though. I feel positive about it.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ndsmDs6NV74/TpSBbTni_SI/AAAAAAAAGJA/LJEHTa-O27Q/s1600/11+-+5" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ndsmDs6NV74/TpSBbTni_SI/AAAAAAAAGJA/LJEHTa-O27Q/s320/11+-+5" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>It rained last week! Glorious, beautiful rain.</i></div>
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I don't know yet exactly what this means for my photo blog, but things will definitely continue so no worries there! I'm not going to stop digital photography altogether either. I'm considering doing digital photos one week and analog photos the next, just alternating. This depends on how much film I shoot (a lot I hope!) and of course how soon I can get my hands on a film scanner.<br />
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I believe that a large portion of my internal process to want to focus on film stems from a blog titled <a href="http://daintysquid.blogspot.com/">The Dainty Squid</a>. She switches between digital and film, and posts such a wide variety of fun and interesting photos. I forget how much I love the aesthetic of film. She's wild and free, snapping photos that feel so moving and full to me. I want that. I want it back.<br />
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<i>Andrew and I are now proud owners of a baby apple tree!</i></div>
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Her blog is also just generally enjoyable to read. I definitely recommend it! She has a bunch of cats, which is great. She loves mushroom hunting and posts the coolest pictures of all of the mushrooms that she finds in the woods. She also has a super funky and fun wardrobe and really likes to thrift shop. I'd like to go thrifting more often, and so would Andrew, but we only have a Salvation Army near us and it happens to be absurdly expensive. No good.<br />
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Perhaps sometime soon we can research better locations near the city and we can have ourselves a fun day trip? I'll run that idea by him and see what he thinks ;) Time to go take some photos!<br />
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-MJAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00907893741675401085noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736807783125007710.post-36765114189117609372011-10-04T11:21:00.000-07:002011-10-04T11:24:50.634-07:00Encounters with nature.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This week you get to hear all about some crafting projects I've been working on, as well as a thrilling adventure I had with a surprise guest in my garden!</div>
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Lately, circumstances have been such that I have taken hardly any photographs. I'm still going through a wide variety of adjustments and settling in, and the hobby has simply slipped to the side. I've been trying to go strong on my phone though so that I have at least a slight documentation of my goings-on! Most of my energy lately has been dedicated to blog endeavors and ideas (exciting things in the works!), as well as crafting! I've always enjoyed minor crafting, sewing and the like, but lately I've decided to really kick it into higher gear.<br />
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I know <a href="http://mjphotolife.blogspot.com/2011/07/monster-creations-sunsets-and-last.html">I've mentioned</a> <a href="http://weirdlittlemonsters.co/">Weird Little Monsters</a>, which has been inspiring and fun and is largely responsible for my diving headfirst into more creative projects. I've taken my interest in sewing to a new level by working freehand and confidently to great, successful effect! For instance, Andrew and I are <a href="http://abitofgeek.blogspot.com/2011/07/story-that-lives.html">huge Harry Potter fans</a> and wouldn't object to owning some awesome cloaks. So, I decided to make a tiny practice cloak for one of the Monsters.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pAkerp0l7EI/TnFN0fikrtI/AAAAAAAAGBo/ErF14J3Pg6M/s1600/IMG_20110914_175815.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pAkerp0l7EI/TnFN0fikrtI/AAAAAAAAGBo/ErF14J3Pg6M/s320/IMG_20110914_175815.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>A button closure and everything!</i></div>
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My next step is continued practice via making cloaks for my niece and nephew! They'll make excellent Christmas gifts. Before too long Andrew and I should be sweeping about the city in our own cloaks, and maybe even one day I'll make actual clothing. So many things to look forward to.</div>
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In other exciting sewing news, I decided to make a Koopa shell for my nephew. The little cutie (soon to be four years old!) is a big Mario fan (just like his auntie! haha) and is going to be Mario for Halloween. I immediately thought of how great it would be to make something to go with his costume. I miss him a bunch and want to gift him thoughtful items that will remind him of me. We've bonded over Mario a few times before, so this seemed like a great idea. My first thought was to make a 1-up mushroom, but Andrew suggested a Koopa shell.</div>
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It proved to be more complicated than I anticipated (and I wish I had taken in-progress photos!) but ultimately it came together very well and I'm really proud of it.</div>
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<i>A video of me showing off all aspects of the shell's construction.</i><br />
<i>Also, I'm watching Friends in the background :D</i><br />
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The newest addition to my crafting interests rests in working with paper. Unfortunately, everything that I've done so far have been gifts and so I can't post them here! Once the recipients have received the items then I will gladly post the photos for your viewing pleasure! I'm feeling really good about what I've made so I am very anxious to share them with everyone.</div>
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And now it is time for the real meat of today's post! Lizard encounters in the garden!!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo6umh5E18KkxAzDz_UDUGgy5GC_bIF1RIB2-wV-Zw-pTq5elbmDjg7sGm-tszkL03x0ccrdQbkJAjebMCCybb2WCaz7OAlG5k5jasMYg6H5jGC9BJd2mYCFqGG8BuxzFM58Ht4H0XR8Cd/s1600/_MG_6259.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo6umh5E18KkxAzDz_UDUGgy5GC_bIF1RIB2-wV-Zw-pTq5elbmDjg7sGm-tszkL03x0ccrdQbkJAjebMCCybb2WCaz7OAlG5k5jasMYg6H5jGC9BJd2mYCFqGG8BuxzFM58Ht4H0XR8Cd/s320/_MG_6259.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>'Sup, ladies?</i></div>
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It all started innocently enough, like any other day really. I ventured out to the back patio and into the sun, urged by Andrew to take a break from inside things and to tend to my garden. I observed my cucumber plant with a sigh and a frown. What was once a full, lush and bountiful plant had been reduced to shrivels and brown leaves, positively ravished to near death by ferocious aphids. For a few weeks I've been attempting to keep the beasts at bay, but to not avail. The black spots continue to take over.</div>
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I haven't seen any new cucumbers since the last harvest that is currently being converted to pickles. It's disappointing, but I'm trying to stay positive at Andrew's reminders that we did yield a fair amount of veggies. I'm not ready to give up on the plant. I was so psyched when it started to grow, I have a sentimental attachment to it now!</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Fq-qbdqIVlg/Too8hSowwQI/AAAAAAAAGIE/4Zi73CrAwWQ/s1600/11+-+1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Fq-qbdqIVlg/Too8hSowwQI/AAAAAAAAGIE/4Zi73CrAwWQ/s320/11+-+1" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>A few weeks ago that thin, weak looking cucumber arm</i></div>
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<i>was a flourishing plant that covered every inch of the</i></div>
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<i>square of garden plot. So sad.</i></div>
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Anywho, I set to deadheading the plant, hoping that the one burst of aphid-free leaves left on the plant might thrive. I started to pull weeds and turn the dirt, being ever vigilant for spiders and horrifying centipedes. There are so many more bugs in California than Washington. It is not cool.</div>
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I worked my way toward the mystery three foot tall flowers near the corner. Actually, they're no longer a mystery thanks to Andrew's aunt! I sent her photos and she directed me toward a website that revealed they are amaranthus, specifically the "love lies bleeding" kind. Kind of an emo-tastic name for a plant if you ask me, but once they're done blooming they're going to look rather amazing!</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yF0wb9L2pO0/Too8hhGPYVI/AAAAAAAAGII/GOfXOJC1nb0/s1600/11+-+2" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yF0wb9L2pO0/Too8hhGPYVI/AAAAAAAAGII/GOfXOJC1nb0/s320/11+-+2" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>The tufty pink thing at the top of the plant </i><i>is going to get </i></div>
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<i>super long and drape </i><i>down toward the ground soon!</i></div>
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At the base of the amaranthus there lives another flower plant. They're kind of like tulips and they're white. Very pretty! They're done blooming for now though. When I started the garden initially it was filled with rocks and broken bits of brick (in addition to the weeds and grass) and I piled all of these stone-type-things near the base of this white flowering plant. Many weeds and grass clumps have thrust up, so I began to pull at them. Suddenly something largeish and hyper fast jumped out and landed on the bricks next to me. I let out a shriek before realizing what it was.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9KRa4QpdIHo/Too8lOgWTtI/AAAAAAAAGIU/I1hdQ2FGvkI/s1600/11+-+1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9KRa4QpdIHo/Too8lOgWTtI/AAAAAAAAGIU/I1hdQ2FGvkI/s320/11+-+1" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Where I was when I was accosted by the mystery wildlife.</i></div>
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Turns out it was a lizard! And what a cute one as well. Just a tiny, itty-bitty thing.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDbVR_nYfozqK5d6qIGOdjiF9uSo-AjRVGN6tUW4ECWC8uK519iMxacI_E4Z1Lsey-2W65LMwueC5wUX0ph3wnam6oLEbJxSuxj4gWjKzl3G2mwj4xRVkzRuJTHtr-3V2CQ_WMOjC-arZ0/s1600/_MG_6263.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDbVR_nYfozqK5d6qIGOdjiF9uSo-AjRVGN6tUW4ECWC8uK519iMxacI_E4Z1Lsey-2W65LMwueC5wUX0ph3wnam6oLEbJxSuxj4gWjKzl3G2mwj4xRVkzRuJTHtr-3V2CQ_WMOjC-arZ0/s320/_MG_6263.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>See?! Tiny!</i></div>
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I called out for Andrew, who came to investigate. We marveled at how small and cute it was before he decided he was going to try and catch it. He chased it around the back patio for a bit, attempting to trap it so we could look at it for longer. The lizard proved to be a formidable opponent and ultimately evaded capture. I followed it around the patio, attempting to keep a safe distance so it wouldn't dart away too quickly for me to be able to follow. Andrew went into the house to get the camera while I continued to inspect the little fellow.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAQYwiezHG3WNa169ylR5ZFQwQsjmbFW3bvznpOBwb10d-OtTJe2AX8CjYOy4ySOeleU6CvTO5F9iFhDb-UrYPrt6O4t2lJr4fPWdLTIzJTu3x07h9DBTwtliFoRu0QF5T1cc6g5TakPB2/s1600/_MG_6247.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAQYwiezHG3WNa169ylR5ZFQwQsjmbFW3bvznpOBwb10d-OtTJe2AX8CjYOy4ySOeleU6CvTO5F9iFhDb-UrYPrt6O4t2lJr4fPWdLTIzJTu3x07h9DBTwtliFoRu0QF5T1cc6g5TakPB2/s320/_MG_6247.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>It travelled far and wide to find a new hiding spot.</i></div>
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I had a blast photographing the tiny thing. I really wanted to use the 50mm so I could get some up close, super detailed shots of him, but there was no way I'd be able to get that close to him. I opted for the zoom lens so I could keep a safe distance and began to snap-snap away. He darted around a little bit, and a spider even came into play a bit. I found myself feeling pleasantly annoyed at the spider's presence, as opposed to terrified, because it was interfering with my picture taking opportunity!</div>
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At one point the lizard ducked down under a ledge of the garden and I poked him with a blade of grass to get him visible again. After I grabbed myself a few good photos he decided he was done with being famous and took a quick dive down the wall. With that, he was gone. I wasn't yet done taking his photo so I felt a little sad. Andrew suggested I bring the camera out with me whenever I garden because, as I said, there are a lot more wild things out in California!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigM-5sIsVGqZF3BpavFaYWEI0ZiVikkN81pUZsoafMjBQSZzymc080JkK2LRuuL4bw8M7prAP9rkWGCKOgGclnquL-H3dE7E-goMiQHUPmvBMKrsPZRR6wxSr8DMaawAk7Mcwy6b1vBr1z/s1600/lizard_background.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigM-5sIsVGqZF3BpavFaYWEI0ZiVikkN81pUZsoafMjBQSZzymc080JkK2LRuuL4bw8M7prAP9rkWGCKOgGclnquL-H3dE7E-goMiQHUPmvBMKrsPZRR6wxSr8DMaawAk7Mcwy6b1vBr1z/s400/lizard_background.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>These are cropped in super tight, which means I can't print them large,</i></div>
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<i>but they reveal all of his beautiful, scaly detailing! </i></div>
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I'll end this post with a little story from my childhood.</div>
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As a young girl of around ten years old I desperately wanted a pet gecko. When I was nine my mom, sister and I went on a vacation to Hawaii where we visited some family. While there I saw many-a wild gecko and found them fascinating and fun. This is where the interest started. I pestered my mom, who took me to the pet store to get acquainted with them in person before committing to the "unusual" pet. The woman working there took a gecko out of the terrarium and I held it, comfortably letting it skitter around and enjoying its presence. We took this as a sign to proceed, and I received a gecko as a gift.</div>
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I was excited beyond belief, and the gecko was soon set up and living in my room with me. I was anxious to take it out and hold it, play with it. My ten year old self was certain, ready and determined. The lid of the terrarium was opened.</div>
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And then.</div>
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I screamed. In the comfort of my own home the gecko <i>terrified </i>me. I tried to touch it, but as it ran wildly around the terrarium I just shrieked more. The lighting fast reptile darted out of its glass home and into the depths of my bedroom. I jumped and danced and continued to wail while my mom exasperatedly and angrily barricaded my bedroom door and we set out on the great gecko hunt of the decade. </div>
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This happened on more than one occasion and I only grew to be more terrified of the innocent little thing. Feeding it crickets once a week became an anxiety ridden, gut-clenching, dread filled day for me. The gecko, who I named Sam, always made mad breaks for the opened lid. On one such occasion of his great escape my mom had had just about enough of my terror and tears over this creature that I begged and begged her for. We had cornered the lizard; it sat green and quivering, ready to run. My mom yelled at me to pick it up. I hesitated, irrationally terrified, and my mom yelled again for me to pick it up. I reach down and snatched it up by the tail.</div>
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Now, I'm sure that anyone reading this entry is perfectly aware of what will happen to a lizard when it is picked up by its tail. You don't know? Well let me tell you: the tail will fall the fuck off. </div>
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As a ten year old with minimal knowledge and interaction with lizards, I did not know this. Upon holding the lizard up in the air, it promptly shed its tail and dropped to the ground, leaving little me to stare in <i>absolute horror</i> at the still moving tail in my hand. My tiny mind snapped, confused and afraid, and I began to scream. Repeatedly. Loudly. Unstopping.</div>
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My mother very nearly had to slap me in order to get me to stop shrieking. Sam was returned to his tank, and I learned a very valuable lesson about lizards. Over time his stump of a tail grew back, a constant reminder of that fateful day. After a few months Sam grew ill and passed away to the great lizard beyond, forever scarring my psyche. </div>
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-MJ</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00907893741675401085noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736807783125007710.post-29681153109046397042011-09-27T14:40:00.000-07:002011-09-27T16:23:37.576-07:00My day at Warner Bros., and a dream come true.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last week I went on a journey with my friend Mikki that took me to places that rest deep inside of my dreams and heart: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108778/">Friends</a> locations on the Warner Bros. lot. She sent me a message telling me she was going on a Warner Bros. tour and asked if I wanted to join her. It sounded like a lot of fun, and some of my favorite things are from Warner Bros.! Harry Potter and of course Friends. I hopped online and <a href="http://vipstudiotour.warnerbros.com/">bought my ticket</a>, then headed out the next morning to meet her. I ended up getting turned around a few times trying to get to her house, and that set us back about twenty minutes (whoops!) but we made it to the lot just in time to get into our tour!</span><br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Group B! What a group to be in.</span></i></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Going to the Warner Bros. lot was really interesting. Being in the Hollywood area affords all sorts of new and surreal sights and opportunities. When <a href="http://drawingwithandrew.blogspot.com/">Andrew's</a> movie Mr. Popper's Penguins came out, we went to the Fox lot to see it in one of their theatres. It was so interesting being among the buildings that serve as sets for so many movies and shows! The same experience was present at Warner Bros. Seeing the water tower was crazy awesome and I sent a picture to my sister right away. For those of you that don't know, Friends means a great deal to my mom, sister and me. It is our favorite show, and the three of us watched new episodes together until the end of the show. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhx8tZapsdjUyJ2NtG7F-kT4F9B2xzZi1cOR3ySiKaBnaDSz-IqgHTWLR1OYO6llYJp2G9Z8xIxuVnU7JTswzumYqp6obuB8B6TRsZ3DopoYdQdxs8W5Inisqqad9sXQTLligBfrPvahD7/s1600/warner-bros_water-tower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhx8tZapsdjUyJ2NtG7F-kT4F9B2xzZi1cOR3ySiKaBnaDSz-IqgHTWLR1OYO6llYJp2G9Z8xIxuVnU7JTswzumYqp6obuB8B6TRsZ3DopoYdQdxs8W5Inisqqad9sXQTLligBfrPvahD7/s320/warner-bros_water-tower.jpg" width="213" /></span></a></div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There's something so bizarre about seeing it in person.</span></i></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My sister and I both have the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Friends-Complete-Collection-Jennifer-Aniston/dp/B000H6SXMY">series on DVD</a>, and we watch all the time. We use them as background noise for all occasions, and whenever we're together we're constantly quoting the lines to one another. It's our "thing", and I very much wish that she could have been on the tour with Mikki and me! I'm currently conspiring to get my sister down here for a weekend, perhaps we'll go on the tour together...! :D</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But I digress! </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Upon entering the gift shop/tour starting area (which was full of incredible merchandise) we were greeted by super tall statues of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. I felt so gleeful! The tour started with a ten minute video on the history of Warner Bros. studios, as well as clips from their most famous movies and television shows. After that we were loaded into our little trams and the tour began! Our guide asked us to cheer for our favorite Warner Bros. properties, and I made sure to yell my head off when she said, "Friends". </span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cA2xLgFmNlg/ToI0Nb-3FiI/AAAAAAAAGEo/fAqsdzwJA9g/s1600/11+-+1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cA2xLgFmNlg/ToI0Nb-3FiI/AAAAAAAAGEo/fAqsdzwJA9g/s320/11+-+1" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I wanted to hug them.</span></i></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We were carted around the lot and she talked about the history of the studio, including fun stories and tidbits of information. We stopped at multiple locations to unload from our tram so we could be shown in-depth aspects of the sets and buildings. One of the first stops was a "street" of New York that hosted scenes for films such as <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110475/">The Mask</a>, and a bunch of other ones that I can't remember, hehe. We rounded the corner of this "street" to be presented with a location from Friends(!!!) and the fire escape from the infamous <a href="http://xef.xanga.com/476c552641130130561723/z87327757.jpg">Spider-man upside-down kiss scene</a>. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii0dMNPPEMTA_kIif6Z6JEqR5vKQ3xVFsyfWw9ZtCzq1tErYHB_Bqj1Ylv76mF6tuVepAyT1xxsOZx_YcJIbcGC7TOWKCjXNP0bYsqcWcZOOEAMqFIA5u291rDQ_sosXpFjU6Ir5rMfH4A/s1600/friends_warner-bros_in-the-jungle_scene.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii0dMNPPEMTA_kIif6Z6JEqR5vKQ3xVFsyfWw9ZtCzq1tErYHB_Bqj1Ylv76mF6tuVepAyT1xxsOZx_YcJIbcGC7TOWKCjXNP0bYsqcWcZOOEAMqFIA5u291rDQ_sosXpFjU6Ir5rMfH4A/s200/friends_warner-bros_in-the-jungle_scene.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmaCW3wD1vNGtiOdDLTBxQboWn2MnGw-CHiYiUyypzRXCFTAT-lJICo4Q12OLcXJ5riumMW9swc1jnYD_p7J0qMGYl-brC8WDJA_A1KlixRB7Lzwc-8afw8h05xZ42Vz-XnBdVcSZT8m1a/s1600/me_alley_friends_warner-bros_monica-rachel_jean-claude-van-dam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmaCW3wD1vNGtiOdDLTBxQboWn2MnGw-CHiYiUyypzRXCFTAT-lJICo4Q12OLcXJ5riumMW9swc1jnYD_p7J0qMGYl-brC8WDJA_A1KlixRB7Lzwc-8afw8h05xZ42Vz-XnBdVcSZT8m1a/s200/me_alley_friends_warner-bros_monica-rachel_jean-claude-van-dam.jpg" width="133" /></a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <i>Left: from season one, when the Friends sing "In the Jungle" to Marcel </i></span></div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">on the set of "Outbreak 2: The Virus Takes Manhattan". Right: me standing</span></i></div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">where Monica and Rachel stood while talking about Jean Claude Van Dam.</span></i></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our tour continued on to a room full of cars from Warner Bros. movies and TV shows. The <a href="http://www.thegrantorino.com/">Gran Torino</a> was there, as well as the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scooby-Doo">Mystery Machine</a> and a sampling of Batman vehicles. Most exciting to me was the presence of the flying Ford Anglia from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets! Mikki and I learned that there were twelve different versions of the Anglia made for the film, each in a different state of destruction. The car present at Warner Bros. was the final stage after being beaten by the Whomping Willow. This was thrilling, of course, but I have to say I was disappointed by the lack of Phoebe's yellow taxi!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <i>Left: me thrilled beyond absolute belief. Right: Mikki representing Harry Potter pride.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The latter leg of our tour took us to the prop department, which was awe-inspiring; crammed floor to ceiling with every item imaginable. There were famous pieces on display, such as the couch from Carrie's apartment from Sex and the City. It was a lot of fun to wander the halls and take in all of the fun furnishings, especially all of the lighting. There were innumerable amounts of fixtures, it was like the lighting department from Home Depot multiplied by ten. Also a lot of old fashioned pieces such as wardrobes and desks. They were so ornate and fascinating. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;"><i>pièce de résistance </i>of the tour (for me, at least) was the surprise unveiling of the Central Perk set from Friends. I believe that our tour guide kept it as a surprise for my sake, because I heard another tour guide explaining to his group what it was ahead of time <i>after</i> we were done in the set room. I certainly appreciated her not spoiling the surprise ahead of time! </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpzMs2M9gzbZUO-rCjpeAlCMG12-0BaTsl2_g54OPWhPF73yhwFQXIkQkf2EXZgD_GVYCErI_OiJo7ZAQ4XTz_GLpeB_e08XIlWnyQMvzrYoDwPF1bibUTTa-ulXjeM9iruyqdW1_IaISx/s1600/friends_central-perk_orange-couch_warner-bros.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpzMs2M9gzbZUO-rCjpeAlCMG12-0BaTsl2_g54OPWhPF73yhwFQXIkQkf2EXZgD_GVYCErI_OiJo7ZAQ4XTz_GLpeB_e08XIlWnyQMvzrYoDwPF1bibUTTa-ulXjeM9iruyqdW1_IaISx/s400/friends_central-perk_orange-couch_warner-bros.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Central Perk in all of its shining, preserved glory. *cue angelic singing*</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The set has been kept meticulously intact in the prop department behind an inconspicuous large black door. This came as a wonderful, fabulous, dream-come-true shock to me. I've watched the behind-the-scenes of the season ten DVD set, and I watched with tears in my eyes as the sets from stage 24 were torn down. My sister and I mourned the loss of the sets we loved, and the loss of opportunity to ever see them in tact and in person.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <i>The menu board and the espresso machine.</i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiQ7A-YlVvfUtWKOoOywB092bt9a7VuVR0aZBWNQ1ha5oYiy_a00Mzwq2-A8U-MEUWXGlFRXSWpMkSxQPM2LCNYLnmA4Uyx9AVNaEEf-QHrOAQTSpecyXumaP0qXwN55kaoIX97LqNeLIZ/s1600/friends_central-perk_warner-bros.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiQ7A-YlVvfUtWKOoOywB092bt9a7VuVR0aZBWNQ1ha5oYiy_a00Mzwq2-A8U-MEUWXGlFRXSWpMkSxQPM2LCNYLnmA4Uyx9AVNaEEf-QHrOAQTSpecyXumaP0qXwN55kaoIX97LqNeLIZ/s320/friends_central-perk_warner-bros.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Behind the counter. I could practically see Gunther.</span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKiGKE2s9rjFoH60m0JN38wXl8xxmpkAd7v_xCchy-qRgetNv_5jXhyphenhyphenIN0maf9XS_3KkzGRghNrQoH2ZmdDlliGec5MXt2zFbv-YFwTNEkgZKrL6Cc2cxgp-bGB0kW-Fco-2_bxdJ2XQAp/s1600/friends_central-perk_service-sign_warner-bros.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKiGKE2s9rjFoH60m0JN38wXl8xxmpkAd7v_xCchy-qRgetNv_5jXhyphenhyphenIN0maf9XS_3KkzGRghNrQoH2ZmdDlliGec5MXt2zFbv-YFwTNEkgZKrL6Cc2cxgp-bGB0kW-Fco-2_bxdJ2XQAp/s320/friends_central-perk_service-sign_warner-bros.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The sign is so iconic and comforting.</span></i></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I simultaneously wanted to scream, cry and pee my pants when the door opened. I wanted to call Cassidy right then to bring her as close to the experience as possible. I took as many pictures as I could, and shook with delight when the tour guide told us we could sit on <b>the</b> orange couch and have our photos taken with Central Perk as the backdrop. I wanted so badly to wander the whole set and sit at the coffee bar, the tables, the bench seat near the window. SIGH. We were confined to the couch area though, so I simply looked on with longing and took it all in.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM85yDZCjV6ECsraXdT9Hi059tHEydmxspK5wFwR-sKOki6n5A_SbfpqmkJ83wjXEDo0iHnMTsoy_h0rzblqhbOmy6WVnMIhDZikTtsmXGcyghuaZ7fDocLpkuo8rrGWopyozbJRN8WW11/s1600/friends_central-perk-sign_warner-bros.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM85yDZCjV6ECsraXdT9Hi059tHEydmxspK5wFwR-sKOki6n5A_SbfpqmkJ83wjXEDo0iHnMTsoy_h0rzblqhbOmy6WVnMIhDZikTtsmXGcyghuaZ7fDocLpkuo8rrGWopyozbJRN8WW11/s200/friends_central-perk-sign_warner-bros.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2pgXALoazECFBVDMR9cKv_e17hYlianW2LEFP48PRFQUPtL7pNPJrf1dtLJ3WKMrAEL4NiMDqIUdSoidZVrNUnG6COWvFT_UbKGhK0axxri6_d0PFPbNs6P67oIuLn_NYwm0mdG6P-YiS/s1600/friends_central-perk_doors_warner-bros.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2pgXALoazECFBVDMR9cKv_e17hYlianW2LEFP48PRFQUPtL7pNPJrf1dtLJ3WKMrAEL4NiMDqIUdSoidZVrNUnG6COWvFT_UbKGhK0axxri6_d0PFPbNs6P67oIuLn_NYwm0mdG6P-YiS/s200/friends_central-perk_doors_warner-bros.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <i>Left: a close up of the window to the right of the doors. Right: the front doors.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The whole tour included a few more stops, including the sound stage for <a href="http://www.cbs.com/shows/2_broke_girls/">2 Broke Girls</a> and a museum of Warner Bros. props and costumes, with the entire second floor devoted to Harry Potter items. Mikki, another huge Harry Potter fan, and I made a beeline for the second floor. We had only a scarce twenty minutes to enjoy the two floors, and we spent the majority of it wandering the Harry Potter items. The costumes were so ornate, and there was a giant spider that was positively terrifying. We also had a chance to be sorted, which was thrilling. I can't wait for <a href="http://www.pottermore.com/">Pottermore</a> to open next month!</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkgmU-ycdznm1Peg6xu2vAwnO75p_Z079rgwO3H-oSh61MVK5ZEGai7AKeZFkS0Yd_ZnZeUF1MjYymIqD7VGC1mdtDMhMBF3dyKIsCFunpV1KQvXIvpU0fvaI6ezZ9lZccASzW0fop1fHC/s1600/mikki_me_friends_central-perk_orange-couch_warner-bros.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkgmU-ycdznm1Peg6xu2vAwnO75p_Z079rgwO3H-oSh61MVK5ZEGai7AKeZFkS0Yd_ZnZeUF1MjYymIqD7VGC1mdtDMhMBF3dyKIsCFunpV1KQvXIvpU0fvaI6ezZ9lZccASzW0fop1fHC/s400/mikki_me_friends_central-perk_orange-couch_warner-bros.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy, shocked, disbelieving smile on my face. So glad Mikki invited me!</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the end of the tour we decided to spend a bunch of time exploring the gift shop. There were sections for a bunch of major Warner Bros. productions, as well as general Warner Bros. products. I fawned over the Friends section, hemming and hawing over which item I simply couldn't live without. Mikki spent as much time in the Harry Potter section and came away with a jealousy-inducing amount of items xD I eventually decided on a Central Perk t-shirt for myself, and a FRIENDS emblazoned coffee mug for my dear sister.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLVDboU6jLV-e-_L7MUgAq4MstzOC0AYMlU-OyPg_pkGQATrn2hTL2IpmYyRwWhAhMm7x7c9Yf9E32v9pnzjwe7noKPP54a0lMM0iUfagZmOJ4NZ5UQLYU8DiK9f58TlVO6ZAAMl0lAmFJ/s1600/movie_theatre_friends_joey_movie-premiere_warner-bros.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLVDboU6jLV-e-_L7MUgAq4MstzOC0AYMlU-OyPg_pkGQATrn2hTL2IpmYyRwWhAhMm7x7c9Yf9E32v9pnzjwe7noKPP54a0lMM0iUfagZmOJ4NZ5UQLYU8DiK9f58TlVO6ZAAMl0lAmFJ/s200/movie_theatre_friends_joey_movie-premiere_warner-bros.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYMS6sZheN2joPZD9rLOWk-zQXnG8BjEuTnDBlkuihDJA0-3R1N3d3XWgY8NsyyNHTzxK5f3uXyqb9qsyf4ssaKYwg1jLiTd5MEV5zyw6tGvUmnjOIwhGkhPMaVWNvLcmCw2FguSQGJJpY/s1600/warner-bros_friends_rachel_horse_park.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYMS6sZheN2joPZD9rLOWk-zQXnG8BjEuTnDBlkuihDJA0-3R1N3d3XWgY8NsyyNHTzxK5f3uXyqb9qsyf4ssaKYwg1jLiTd5MEV5zyw6tGvUmnjOIwhGkhPMaVWNvLcmCw2FguSQGJJpY/s200/warner-bros_friends_rachel_horse_park.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <i>Left: location of Joey's movie premiere. Right: the Central Park mock-up</i></span></div>
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">where Phoebe runs weird and Rachel runs into a horse.</span></i></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have to thank Mikki again for inviting me along, and Warner Bros. for the preservation of Central Perk. It was a magical day.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEx2mhyphenhyphenJd1Z0eTccvw6KRCajQf60iDJHzcDtZyijHBU2_OZ6QxgCaihxHhfSx7j-CsxOKgJnS-qiDlzckkzpfipkykjnJOpozuHx5RuyLh8-FF5UhV3JgpTi2SwB0TcWHlbc4rpRLbGI0Q/s1600/friends_stage-24_warner-bros.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEx2mhyphenhyphenJd1Z0eTccvw6KRCajQf60iDJHzcDtZyijHBU2_OZ6QxgCaihxHhfSx7j-CsxOKgJnS-qiDlzckkzpfipkykjnJOpozuHx5RuyLh8-FF5UhV3JgpTi2SwB0TcWHlbc4rpRLbGI0Q/s320/friends_stage-24_warner-bros.jpg" width="213" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stage 24, the house of Friends for ten long years.</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">-MJ</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00907893741675401085noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736807783125007710.post-21800976652828098432011-09-20T10:16:00.000-07:002011-09-20T10:16:55.747-07:00Following a blog, never miss out again!Hiya everyone. This week's post will be unlike any that I've presented before. I'm taking a one-time (well, most likely it's a one-time) break from my normal posting to give a little tutorial on how to follow a blog! I figured this would be a handy guide for my own readers as well as anyone who happened to be stumbling through the internet trying to find this information. I've had a few people ask me how they can follow my blog posts to make sure they don't miss any updates, and I thought this was the best solution for everyone. Prepare yourselves for an illustrated guide!<br />
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There are a few different ways that one can follow a blog on the great wide internet. I'll cover them here and you can decide which is best for you!<br />
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First option is simply checking the blog website regularly. This option is OK in certain circumstances. For instance, I have a few websites that I visit with extreme regularity so I never forget to check them. I know which days they update and I've been reading for so long that it is now a habit. I don't suggest this option for most people. It's easy and common to forget to check a page, or forget a website URL, or go on vacation and slip away from the digital world surrounded by nature and a lack of electricity. Perhaps you ran off to Narnia for a bit and you ate some delicious candy and when you came back home you couldn't remember that you'd ever read a blog. Whatever the case may be, there are a lot of scenarios where one will forget to check a blog. Let's move onto some better ways.<br />
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Another OK option is to create a Blogger account. From there you can choose to 'follow' any Blogger/blogspot.com blogs. You must simply click the 'Join this site' button present on almost all Blogger hosted blogs, and you will be taken to a confirmation page. From there, all updates from any blogs you choose to follow will appear in your Blogger login homepage. Pretty simple! The only issue here is that not all blogs are hosted on Blogger. There are many different host sites, and a lot of folks do their own hosting as well. If you're interested in following only me, then this option would work wonders for you since my blog is on Blogger! Keep reading for the best option.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD-jyRM8g3f-nmGLTpPnTeY9EETPfrBzxJRLcjalkuKGYfzmF_B65K1lqWoniGlQE03wvGTpBHijKesKk44KkY3ZnplcMEwwpiG1xqO1Dp-_wG_j7pa5f62rejPFP3o3HJkMiSGCFQhOok/s1600/mjphotolifefollow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD-jyRM8g3f-nmGLTpPnTeY9EETPfrBzxJRLcjalkuKGYfzmF_B65K1lqWoniGlQE03wvGTpBHijKesKk44KkY3ZnplcMEwwpiG1xqO1Dp-_wG_j7pa5f62rejPFP3o3HJkMiSGCFQhOok/s400/mjphotolifefollow.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>After clicking "Join this site" you'll be taken to a confirmation</i></div>
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<i> page. </i><i>Be sure to confirm! It's easy, I promise!</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNBoLJiCh9nZj1e0tejXQrlj2wlxWG06hQw6YE2Gdjr9boDaXU8_o3odwRNbgsgyjtIQpAoMpyP3ViisiUgIZiN4IlDyphs1xeAY28piF14F-IRImJ7zNHBulxlkfXlP-VEVadpwt9EYLw/s1600/blogger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNBoLJiCh9nZj1e0tejXQrlj2wlxWG06hQw6YE2Gdjr9boDaXU8_o3odwRNbgsgyjtIQpAoMpyP3ViisiUgIZiN4IlDyphs1xeAY28piF14F-IRImJ7zNHBulxlkfXlP-VEVadpwt9EYLw/s400/blogger.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>What your blogger.com login will looks like once you fill it with</i></div>
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<i>RSS feeds. So many blogs to read!</i></div>
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Best option? RSS readers! In case you're wondering, RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication", which I think is a <i>hilarious</i> name. RSS readers are used to publish frequently updated webpages, such as blogs, directly to you (the reader) through your RSS reader of choice. This may sound a little complicated, but bear with me because I promise it's "Really Simple" hahahaah-ahem. Sorry.<br />
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My personal favorite RSS reader is through google! Wonderful, integrated, friendly google. You <i>will</i> need a gmail account in order to use this service, but I don't see why you wouldn't already have a gmail account! Google has so many amazing and great services that if you don't have a gmail account and you make one because of this post then I just opened the door to many amazing internet things! <i>You're welcome.</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWca-JIE0oYCKg8qL6pndiOMbBnw6DiRVxf2FgZgJQW21-NSbCYi5vKZkl7Br_POn0To3mhxtDEqi5OLL4_O3dW7Kz99-f7j2lXK45c1pnH7f5Vzm7VyoeFycrcK3JqTqsiJRblCnyq-iO/s1600/mjphotoliferssfeed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWca-JIE0oYCKg8qL6pndiOMbBnw6DiRVxf2FgZgJQW21-NSbCYi5vKZkl7Br_POn0To3mhxtDEqi5OLL4_O3dW7Kz99-f7j2lXK45c1pnH7f5Vzm7VyoeFycrcK3JqTqsiJRblCnyq-iO/s400/mjphotoliferssfeed.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>After taking these screen shots I realized my own google reader</i></div>
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<i>was a jumbled mess, so I organized it. Feels good to be streamlined.</i></div>
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Anyway, more about google reader! Google reader is one of the many off-shoots from the main gmail account. You can access it from your gmail login page, there will be a link along the top menu bar, or you can go to www.google.com/reader. From there, you click on "Add a Subscription" (upper left corner of the page under the "Google reader" logo) and enter the URL of the webpage whose updates you wish to follow. So, click that little button and enter "http://mjphotolife.blogspot.com". Once you've entered the URL of the blog that you wish to follow, click the "Add" button. Your RSS reader will refresh itself, and the newly added blog will appear! Voila!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivfp5yFbIuDzwKb5Im6XoJf_hQirxGIt9ZAYJqOSfPs4reDV069kjFI-0b41DD56SKHGINkAUgec9sxzsDu838StH_N3U5hLht56LHISf-eQkby0IVi5HXij0fjCrsXigarTzUmZZVLCvZ/s1600/mjphotoliferssfeed2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivfp5yFbIuDzwKb5Im6XoJf_hQirxGIt9ZAYJqOSfPs4reDV069kjFI-0b41DD56SKHGINkAUgec9sxzsDu838StH_N3U5hLht56LHISf-eQkby0IVi5HXij0fjCrsXigarTzUmZZVLCvZ/s400/mjphotoliferssfeed2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i><i>Once the page refreshes your newest addition will appear at the bottom.</i></i></div>
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<i><i>Click on the tiny arrow on the right hand side of the blog name column</i></i></div>
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<i><i>and you'll get this handy little pop-up menu.</i></i></div>
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You can do this for as many websites that you'd like to keep up on. Even if you are away from your computer for an extended amount of time, the blogs and webpages will simply queue up and wait patiently for your return. No more missing out on exciting posts! Another great feature is that you can access your RSS reader from any internet connected computer. It's the same as checking your e-mail! There's no need to remember names of blogs and web addresses, the RSS reader will do it for you. Isn't it wonderful when things run so smoothly?<br />
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And finally you could always<a href="https://twitter.com/#!/bionicT"> follow me on Twitter</a>, I update there when a new blog post goes up :]<br />
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Just for fun I'm going to throw in a little bit of extra information here.<br />
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Did you know that you can access google reader on the go? It's true! <a href="https://market.android.com/details?id=com.google.android.apps.reader&hl=en">Android </a>and <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mobilerss-free-google-rss/id333925239?mt=8">iDevices </a>have an application for google reader, making it easy to keep up with your favorite news and blog sites. Just a nice added bonus for those equipped with savvy smartphones.<br />
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Lastly, here are a few suggestions I have for you to add to your budding RSS reader family! <a href="http://thebloggess.com/">TheBloggess</a>, you will not regret reading about her adventures.<a href="http://wilwheaton.typepad.com/wwdnbackup/"> Wil Wheaton</a>, entertaining man and Geek insight. <a href="http://honeybeeinthecity.blogspot.com/">Little Chief Honeybee</a>, an inspirational blogger who makes things happen for herself!<br />
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Do you have any suggestions for me? I'd love some more blogs to follow!<br />
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-MJAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00907893741675401085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736807783125007710.post-76915718220864806442011-09-13T16:31:00.000-07:002011-09-13T16:33:19.032-07:00Guest post: Eating with AndrewHello everyone! This week's post is a special guest post for one of Andrew's blogs, <a href="http://eatingwithandrew.blogspot.com/">Eating with Andrew</a>! Be sure to visit his page as well because I'll be posting additional images there.<br />
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Just to make sure we're covering all the bases, let me tell you a little bit about his blog! It is actually one of many that he has in an effort to cover a bunch of his interests. His most popular is <a href="http://drawingwithandrew.blogspot.com/">Drawing with Andrew</a>, although he hasn't updated it in a little while. I've been attempting to encourage him to continue it, but we've been busy with a lot of other things. In Eating with Andrew, he cooks a large meal for a group of friends and has someone (in this case, me) photograph the cooking process as well as the finished product. Andrew then gives a rundown of his process and shares the finished photos.<br />
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I was quite pleased when he asked me to take photos for him on Labor Day. We invited some friends over and had a fun cooking and hanging out session. Andrew made some delicious burgers and an impressive vegetable spread. It was very attractive and fun to photograph.<br />
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<i>Homegrown cucumbers! Courtesy of my garden :)</i></div>
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The afternoon started off with the cutting of the vegetables. He picked a lovely selection of onions, mushrooms, red peppers and tomatoes, as well as cucumbers from my garden. Just to be clear, only the cucumbers were home grown, the rest of them came from the store. It'd be amazing to have a garden like that someday though!<br />
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<i>Andrew chopping the cucumbers. </i></div>
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The cucumbers were divided between the large tray of vegetables to be grilled and a dip that he prepared from a recipe he found online. I don't have a photo of the dip, but it turned out nicely. It was light and thin and tasted very fresh. Since he made it we've used it as vegetable dip, salad dressing and sandwich spread. Very diverse!</div>
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<i>The finalized grilled and seasoned vegetables.</i></div>
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The tray of vegetables were set aside to be grilled in a new wire basket that we bought from Crate & Barrel. Andrew was very excited to use it, and it served us well. We consider it a good purchase. Between preparing the vegetables and starting the patties, he mixed up a delicious and fruity concoction for everyone to drink while we socialized. He fancied up an orange to put into the new pitcher (also from Crate & Barrel!) and added all manner of random fruits, juice, soda and alcohol. He's such a good host, and was sure to refill it whenever it ran dry (which was often haha).</div>
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<i>Partaking a bit for himself! haha</i></div>
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As the vegetables slow cooked on the grill and the cucumber dip thickened, Andrew began preparing the burgers. He prefers to buy ground beef and shape them himself. I'm used to pre-made patties, but shaping them is nicer because we can cater the sizes and thicknesses to suit our current needs. For his birthday he made sliders, which was great for how many people came over for the party. On nights when it's just the two of us he favors patties that are a bit heartier, and for our cookout and guests he made plump, slightly smaller than average burgers.</div>
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<i>The main course cookin' away!</i></div>
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The next step for the decadent spread that he created for everyone was potatoes! Oh how I love potatoes. He made an enormous amount and we have been eating them all week. They held up well over the days and he's been re-grilling them each night so they retain their flavor and consistency. They were particularly wonderful on the day they were made, of course, seared on the oven top and seasoned to a light flavor.</div>
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<i>Andrew gettin' fancy with the frying pan.</i></div>
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Once the potatoes were finished there wasn't much to do except for chat, drink and wait for the burgers to be finished. When they were, we had a large and beautiful spread to choose from. Everything was so fresh and vibrant, I really love to photograph produce! The whole endeavor was fun and satisfying, and perhaps the best part was the amazing dinner afterward! I'm really pleased with how the majority of the photos turned out. The design of our kitchen made for the occasional lighting issue, but I think I was able to fix most of the problems in post.<br />
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<i>Believe me, it was as tasty as it looks. I'm hungry.</i></div>
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I hope you'll tune in for his next <a href="http://eatingwithandrew.blogspot.com/">Eating with Andrew</a> post!</div>
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-MJ</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00907893741675401085noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736807783125007710.post-415257984745901712011-09-06T14:20:00.000-07:002011-09-06T14:20:24.809-07:00Would you like to see my creepy face? Keep reading.It's almost one p.m. and it is eighty-three degrees outside. That's not even as hot as the high for today. No matter what I do I am too warm, even just sitting here! The doors and windows are all open, and any breeze that crawls through the house is stagnant and warm. This is California, apparently.<br />
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While I work away on today's blog post and accompanying photos I attempt to distract myself from the heat with tasty snacks and ice cold soda. It's not really working. At least sitting at my computer moving only my hands helps to keep the heat levels down. Thank goodness for the small things.<br />
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<i>Neat looking building downtown in Culver City. I like how the</i></div>
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<i>colors turned out! We tried to get the back side of the building</i></div>
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<i>as well but, unless we wanted to step into traffic, there were</i></div>
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<i>too many trees in the way. Oh well.</i></div>
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But enough with this downer talk! I have a jam-packed post for you today! This week saw quite a few photo opportunities, thanks to Andrew, and I have a lot to share. This is one of those marvelous times where I have to leave out photos so the post isn't too image heavy. Isn't it great having good "problems"?<br />
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I don't believe I mentioned it here, and if I did then clearly I forgot, but I have a new system for making sure I have fun photography experiences each week. As a way to familiarize myself with the area and the city, in addition to photo taking, once a week I'll be picking up Andrew from work and the two of us will go exploring! We started this grand new tradition last Thursday and it was a lot of fun.<br />
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<i>Left: Andrew standing in front of the building used for Flynn's Arcade</i></div>
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<i>in Tron! It's some sort of fancy coffee shop. Right: The pizza place</i></div>
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<i>where we had dinner. Yummy garlic knots! (Click to enlarge)</i></div>
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Our plans are very loosely outlined, and the goal is only to find somewhere to take photos. Last week I was in a serious mood for pizza and I told Andrew so when he got into the car. He didn't know of any good, inexpensive places in the area, and my phone wasn't finding anything either. So we called a friend and were directed toward a really good place in Culver City! The pizza was delicious and inexpensive. Once we ate we were geared up to walk around and take photos of some buildings. It was very dark by the time we started, and we left the tripod in the car, so the pictures are fairly noisy. I was able to take things down a notch in editing, but that's just the way things are.<br />
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<i>This is the first shot I took to show him what could be done</i></div>
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<i>with zooming during a long exposure.</i></div>
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We went back to the parking garage to head home when Andrew suggested we grab the tripod and take a few panoramic city shots. They weren't turning out all that well, so we directed the camera toward some brightly lit buildings. It was then that I remembered how ridiculously fun it is to spin and zoom and move the camera during a long exposure. I showed this to Andrew and he was immediately excited. I know I have a fairly limited range when it comes to creative endeavors, so it's absolutely fantastic to work with Andrew and get to glean off of his brain. He went ape and did so many fun things. I really look forward to our adventure for this week!<br />
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<i>Pretty sure this is a shot that we took together. One of us</i></div>
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<i>rotated the tripod and the zoom, while the other rotated</i></div>
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<i>the focus ring.</i></div>
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At this point I am totally comfortable with the Canon, so familiarization phase is over. The tripod is new though, and very sophisticated, so it's been nice to use that and learn a new piece of equipment. He bought one that is versatile for video as well as stills. We've only used it for video once, a silly thing of me gleefully riding my bike back and forth, but I imagine more moving pictures will happen soon. Maybe I'll even post them here!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Ccev29c8VPh2-uX7d1h7smdAhIwma3o-0GANMMqsN0dBTCaAL36DCSau_cMUPIjPGQlHkUGm2h-SCwcZ_uWQMgI2mBynDWOwPkU0Nbiy4C9JsaAF5R_ZHz1vcKIxFRzjSEK5gO_d-6bu/s1600/out-of-focus_light_streaks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Ccev29c8VPh2-uX7d1h7smdAhIwma3o-0GANMMqsN0dBTCaAL36DCSau_cMUPIjPGQlHkUGm2h-SCwcZ_uWQMgI2mBynDWOwPkU0Nbiy4C9JsaAF5R_ZHz1vcKIxFRzjSEK5gO_d-6bu/s320/out-of-focus_light_streaks.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>This one is my favorite. Another one where we worked together</i></div>
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<i>to rotate the tripod, zoom and focus. </i></div>
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<br /></div>
Last night we had an incredibly fun and impromptu photo shoot based around painting with light. I don't think Andrew had ever done it before, and I have only ever dabbled. He, of course, had a bunch of wonderful and interesting ideas that I had never thought of before. While I simply waved a flashlight around in the dark, he incorporated movement and a variety of dim light sources to great effect. Some to intensely creepy degrees. It felt good to go off of his creative leads in order to do new things.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6cVPpyXguLNWzqbOij4T75GL4qQ3NPIsfNsEj78ee6SROiuIbRvQFiy3ClV80kJ6AouzRL4ihsWbRBH1NAK0Zxk8IuP6AvSYi0thUwKK7LUllRGjPDKkwuRvxKceUi821dV5tI8vOUWDW/s1600/andrew_wizard_wand2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6cVPpyXguLNWzqbOij4T75GL4qQ3NPIsfNsEj78ee6SROiuIbRvQFiy3ClV80kJ6AouzRL4ihsWbRBH1NAK0Zxk8IuP6AvSYi0thUwKK7LUllRGjPDKkwuRvxKceUi821dV5tI8vOUWDW/s320/andrew_wizard_wand2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>He makes for a most pensive and calculating wizard.</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
However, the star of the night was definitely our wizard photos! While we experimented with lighting up one another and adding in magic type shapes and ideas, he suggested I grab my wand (yes I have a wand). This prompted a whole slew of photos of us posing dramatically with light and stars shooting out of the wand. So. much. fun. He has even more ideas, many that I never would have even dreamed of. I'm really excited!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFNDamBbE3beu9LWlSJl7U9kT-FfWMT37d08UoxaU4moOk21S40s92jQRebQdXyRA68Djue3jttZtU8zxltjZczigIm3K68ogKAx7P_R6fhQ766YFupv9qUxrr0t6punwGDIQQAVsjKyKK/s1600/me_wizard_wand3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFNDamBbE3beu9LWlSJl7U9kT-FfWMT37d08UoxaU4moOk21S40s92jQRebQdXyRA68Djue3jttZtU8zxltjZczigIm3K68ogKAx7P_R6fhQ766YFupv9qUxrr0t6punwGDIQQAVsjKyKK/s320/me_wizard_wand3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>This is my new favorite picture of myself. Taken by Andrew.</i></div>
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The third fun photo opportunity of this week occurred yesterday. For Labor Day we decided to have a bbq and invite some people over. Andrew asked if we could use it as an <a href="http://www.eatingwithandrew.blogspot.com/">Eating with Andrew</a> entry, and I happily obliged. He has one entry up so far, but he'd like to do more showcases of his cooking (complete with photographs). I think it's pretty great for us to team up together because it can be content for both of us, practice for both of us, and dinner afterward! I just love happy endings.<br />
<br />
Food photography is interesting considering the fact that most 'food photography' is fake food, or non cooked food that is painted to look cooked. I remember learning that instances where one is shown images of hot corn on the cob with melting butter on it that in reality, the corn is cold and the pat of butter is hot. Weird.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwvDLTTFYzyQ6WxUuIFwu8pNXhaur-GXIvOgWeIJegjMOlDzKruXdo2M78jb1wMzbFGu-Sy8zV0FhUa2a7FN-StF-RiZvK3MWIEUEppj56cpYvlVo-WdWGVWnBOLag3sBhz0ixz16L9L0H/s1600/homegrown_cucumber.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwvDLTTFYzyQ6WxUuIFwu8pNXhaur-GXIvOgWeIJegjMOlDzKruXdo2M78jb1wMzbFGu-Sy8zV0FhUa2a7FN-StF-RiZvK3MWIEUEppj56cpYvlVo-WdWGVWnBOLag3sBhz0ixz16L9L0H/s320/homegrown_cucumber.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Homegrown cucumbers from my garden! Four monstrous ones!</i></div>
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<i>I have a bunch of new sprouts too. Gardening is super fun.</i></div>
<br />
I knew that my goal in helping Andrew was close ups and bright lighting. The first few shots I took looked plastic-y and had gross harsh shadows. I decided to pull out the big guns, so I grabbed my light stand and one of my silver umbrellas. This helped to disperse the light really nicely. Parts of the kitchen are still dark though (which is where a secondary flash unit would be <i>wonderful</i>) but on the whole I think they turned out well.<br />
<br />
Most of the problems that I ran into revolved around poorly planned work space (not enough counter area to move other prep items so I could get a clear shot of him working), and also his hands moving too quickly for the camera to focus on time. For a few instances I asked him to pose, which feels awkward, but it achieved the desired effect.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGstbADEH4XypcZ8wTGaP4TXxSGGLnf0tRfdXhnVfCSEf0ew7AKJh8ziTdR5QMatL0e2dmBcfZ1PMzVDEU2xQnq_GcCTVDpBk2YFJtFFYs6twpWY6todIWDtwEt4NGnpa5YFZ97pfpzWxg/s1600/cucumber_slice_hands.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGstbADEH4XypcZ8wTGaP4TXxSGGLnf0tRfdXhnVfCSEf0ew7AKJh8ziTdR5QMatL0e2dmBcfZ1PMzVDEU2xQnq_GcCTVDpBk2YFJtFFYs6twpWY6todIWDtwEt4NGnpa5YFZ97pfpzWxg/s320/cucumber_slice_hands.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<i>Here's a preview photo for Andrew's upcoming Eating</i></div>
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<i>with Andrew post! Many more will be included there.</i></div>
<br />
He'll have his entry up soon, and I encourage you to take a look at it! Can't wait to see what we find this week :)<br />
<br />
Oh, I wanted to ask how people felt about the coloring in the first image. Is it too purple? Is it an OK amount of purple? Is the photo believable, or is the purple too unrealistic? It's how the picture turned out and I like it, but I am very curious to know the opinions of others! I'd love to hear!<br />
<br />
-MJ<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkiZ-IuDOan2bprqAQhe3Z2nsyfzXBWtmf_hrK2HmdzEtTsVsDlpjHsfwetXujKohlOC1mAcjGbhHkazZByemLFeeJsCNgz6JoVo3KK4Af9svGqnMLUdEP5FLVBeg2nrIiDHGL-9_hYPJn/s1600/painting-with-light_creepy_face.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkiZ-IuDOan2bprqAQhe3Z2nsyfzXBWtmf_hrK2HmdzEtTsVsDlpjHsfwetXujKohlOC1mAcjGbhHkazZByemLFeeJsCNgz6JoVo3KK4Af9svGqnMLUdEP5FLVBeg2nrIiDHGL-9_hYPJn/s320/painting-with-light_creepy_face.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Bonus creepy image for those of you that stayed for the whole post!</i></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00907893741675401085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736807783125007710.post-44624430291944668742011-09-05T17:07:00.000-07:002011-09-05T17:07:04.898-07:00A schedule tweak<br />
Hello all.<br />
<br />
I know things have been a little wonky lately with a bunch of phoned in posts from my phone. I started my scheduled blogging in April and since then I've kept up with it fairly well. This blog (and my others) mean a lot to me, and I spend a lot of time thinking and planning for them. With that said, I have some changes that are coming. Part of that process includes some schedule shifting to suit my needs.<br />
<br />
My Photo Life posting is officially being moved from Monday to Tuesday. Tomorrow you can expect a full post that details the adventures Andrew and I had last Thursday night. We ended up doing some super fun camera experiments in Culver City on top of a parking garage. Can't wait to show them to you!<br />
<br />
-MJ<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00907893741675401085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736807783125007710.post-5472253329071296152011-08-29T17:15:00.001-07:002011-08-29T17:24:45.039-07:00Today has been so unusual<div><p>I actually almost forgot to blog!</p>
<p>I'm on my phone at my aunt's house. She lives not far from where PAX is held, and my quite awesome cousin lives with her too. I didn't get a chance to say bye to them last month, so spending today with them before my flight has been nice.</p>
<p>This entry could have contained real photos, but I didn't bring my laptop to Washington. The pictures will be up in a few days I'm sure. For now you will have to be satisfied with a few cell phone images of my most excellent weekend.</p>
<p>Full coverage of my PAX experience will be available on my geek blog, abitofgeek.blogspot.com this Friday :)</p>
<br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5xIXHAdnzWaOveemhv_cOGJeodySevQwUrcGyOtKEqv4juf5FdgJGyYgzv2PQelzsthXsYzc6JuV5EK7n7HxQihk4DR-WFWkB8lE0G9_URLnJPjZQbM6rJ-4S4CzhpMIN52Z-9XZ5/' /><br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwLp-EycGOeFbFsJMg50dDY7fSqdJ7aedyY7K2uuEYDZKdXqVb5IA4wBnuGJpmrCIon51fNEaXv006wXSS7czMP1_u_rLjaFwfdI6cspJoV4j5QfotewqMnkf9iMVX-mtAdqXvxiIU/' /><br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKfA6PwH3_0yjbD8156pf4Do4xuVEQdyQq-lBu0Iza_crOPdcD5MBJa97ntd7KS4Me_CCkMr7rbQTidBApTw0nOtTH43Gjo9XCWVyoy1NsNIh7bOyYK17acleWMpn8BsaMkrZiRGPm/' /><br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyzi1xWss1vVTqkggBs0fvyoYXDVhC6v-CvkaA9XI-XiRYLNSbzeZ607uIWOlYifvU0NN3z3B8_IoQ3bNc460LaR_N1m1OcO4Pl4zYjyPG0ctxBT5CKixdc-84se_qz5xeZ8rClIve/' /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00907893741675401085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736807783125007710.post-25122569663201660752011-08-22T13:51:00.000-07:002011-08-22T13:55:12.238-07:00Adventures from the beach.My sincerest apologies for the short blog last week but I believe the payoff for today's post will be worth it! I had my first 'true' beach excursion since moving down here. Andrew and I have been so busy with cleaning, organizing and crafting that we haven't had a chance to head down to the ocean. Plus, neither of us do particularly well in the heat (i.e. we bitch and moan when it's 70 degrees outside). Even with that fact I still love going to the beach very much. The ocean makes me feel so good. Fortunately, his mom loves the beach and being out in the sun.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz2rWobzDUcKT8lR9TjRd3jO35C4i4xnd4mWl_sTt-0idc8UvtH7dRIaWKexdCMbBcA3Hdp8tZWS9RGg-IjMdEFTu0PgKzWvcBSSB7JYLUU7ijG3vh4pK7BRQFAfKg61dBsRYJXud4snpV/s1600/_MG_5716.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz2rWobzDUcKT8lR9TjRd3jO35C4i4xnd4mWl_sTt-0idc8UvtH7dRIaWKexdCMbBcA3Hdp8tZWS9RGg-IjMdEFTu0PgKzWvcBSSB7JYLUU7ijG3vh4pK7BRQFAfKg61dBsRYJXud4snpV/s200/_MG_5716.jpg" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOh0mMSLsU-hGBL0YLxvKSgwtosOftfdeFjHynsIu7PRvruRe7OtUoBPSY22xIaAnad4V17Eogv-xinPOq-dGJmbstaKCjPtVeQypkHk4F8zTANvTYKXWY55FEeEri1xClshr9fU_z25C9/s1600/_MG_5789.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOh0mMSLsU-hGBL0YLxvKSgwtosOftfdeFjHynsIu7PRvruRe7OtUoBPSY22xIaAnad4V17Eogv-xinPOq-dGJmbstaKCjPtVeQypkHk4F8zTANvTYKXWY55FEeEri1xClshr9fU_z25C9/s200/_MG_5789.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Unusually pretty seagull! And some rather cute sand prints.</i></div><br />
We set out with no particular destination in mind and started to explore near the water. She grew up very nearby to where we live now, so she had a good sense of the lay of the land. We wound up at Redondo beach in no time. There we walked the horse shoe shaped pier and found some very active seagulls. Normally I'm very much a 'birds are weird get them away from me' sort of person, but one that we came upon was quite well preened and had shiny white feathers. He (or she? I'm not sure but it <i>looked</i> like it was wearing lipstick) sat and posed for us for a few shots. We came across another seagull who had managed to find a small plastic bag with a few fish in it. This soon attracted the attention of plenty more honking birds, so we stood and watched them fight and peck over the meat. Fascinating business.<br />
<br />
After our brisk walk we decided to get back in the car and go straight for Manhattan beach. That was her primary place of interest and where we ended up spending the majority of our day. It was perfect beach weather and we snapped a lot of fun photos. I decided to get real adventurous, so I walked into the street to take a photo of the pier. Watch out world, I'm not afraid to get hit by cars! (there weren't any cars)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUhn5M6u5CM-gtPD5zCbwvi9keXozjAfAo23CdNAPAtWDLi0F6h50YsWPgz0d6fMcsly1SNs0LGJxCOUh4hlUbQuehH1-7wBs2jNBHe1utJiEwIOnvRJQpehmpfImuTXjy2QEOZ_8tQO71/s1600/_MG_5755.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUhn5M6u5CM-gtPD5zCbwvi9keXozjAfAo23CdNAPAtWDLi0F6h50YsWPgz0d6fMcsly1SNs0LGJxCOUh4hlUbQuehH1-7wBs2jNBHe1utJiEwIOnvRJQpehmpfImuTXjy2QEOZ_8tQO71/s320/_MG_5755.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Manhattan beach pier from the middle of the road.</i></div><br />
Before meandering down to the sand she wanted to go to the end of the pier. I had no particular objections, so off we went! There were plenty of people fishing and the breeze was lovely versus the hot sunshine. By the time we reached the cafe at the opposite end I was actually getting a little cold. Out over the water things cool down much more than I had anticipated. The view was just wonderful though!<br />
<br />
A funny thing ended up happening that very perfectly demonstrated to Andrew's mom why I do such a poor job at talking to strangers; the strangers that talk to me first are always total weirdos. Andrew makes fun of me for my social ineptitude on a regular basis, and his mom didn't fail to notice why he does so. I'm glad she was present for this event.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwI5F9Psqu25SfZXJ8V0gVBcdN5HufwyPfdct8HKXevwzAOPDqbNq4LzmrcWXBlcQDmLRMOqq221HBzui-uGFVoit_cs7cmh-cJyMPOSCczoGhC-47ceMhJVuPfD9PLgXJy7v6GTPMqqDQ/s1600/_MG_5757.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwI5F9Psqu25SfZXJ8V0gVBcdN5HufwyPfdct8HKXevwzAOPDqbNq4LzmrcWXBlcQDmLRMOqq221HBzui-uGFVoit_cs7cmh-cJyMPOSCczoGhC-47ceMhJVuPfD9PLgXJy7v6GTPMqqDQ/s200/_MG_5757.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFXDmm8DMziWkuK0wpPuVVa1tzJYGHMODp2SS_kDrSc6yLQfu1BgmKw8AZLPAEN6CqiEwaSzkN_9qcoYMzxsXISF-k1gAbnYIE0BW5UVakJ6WvNNCv0CIDU8G-G8hWDkNnM8przSKEw7yX/s1600/_MG_5762.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFXDmm8DMziWkuK0wpPuVVa1tzJYGHMODp2SS_kDrSc6yLQfu1BgmKw8AZLPAEN6CqiEwaSzkN_9qcoYMzxsXISF-k1gAbnYIE0BW5UVakJ6WvNNCv0CIDU8G-G8hWDkNnM8przSKEw7yX/s200/_MG_5762.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Beautiful ocean views. I really enjoyed myself.</i></div><br />
We were standing at the end of the pier about to head back when two men came our direction. The man on the left had particularly wild hair. He looked at me and started to emphatically ask me about my camera.<br />
<br />
man - "Oh hey nice camera, what model is that? Is that a canon? A 60D? That's great! Do you like it?"<br />
<br />
me - "Uh, yeah. It's really good."<br />
<br />
man - "Awesome awesome. It's so crazy man, fourteen, fifteen years ago you never saw people with cameras like that and now they're everywhere. Crazy"<br />
<br />
me - "Yeah"<br />
<br />
man - (in reference to my necklace) "Oh hey is that an owl?!"<br />
<br />
me - "Uh, yeah"<br />
<br />
man - "That's great, that's cool, owls are my favorite bird"<br />
<br />
me - (smile)<br />
<br />
man - "OK well, you two ladies have a good day, God bless"<br />
<br />
And then he and his friend walked away. Now, this exchange may not seem all that bad, but my words are unable to properly convey his body language and how abrupt everything was. He was perfectly nice, but it was definitely awkward. I turned to Andrew's mom and said, "And this is why I'm so uncomfortable when I talk to strangers because <i>that</i> is the kind of interaction that normally happens to me!" and she laughed.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMCf7ckTVUHTyGe3lUmfW_4DkY-w5IIzgIoNUx7yL7Cz8lrRFEOqO2zKrjkLMVOpiT46fOq8-EiS7wKIkMi2_fZiWNE5tkDayRRLluGIaimutXD0pld5v3drnVT7vu0W8Hl7txV2b2JK9U/s1600/_MG_5791.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMCf7ckTVUHTyGe3lUmfW_4DkY-w5IIzgIoNUx7yL7Cz8lrRFEOqO2zKrjkLMVOpiT46fOq8-EiS7wKIkMi2_fZiWNE5tkDayRRLluGIaimutXD0pld5v3drnVT7vu0W8Hl7txV2b2JK9U/s200/_MG_5791.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJhnuiTTgO-he-AchpShe8qdgWwQsNUbkchwxAEQV-Jb47DcKIEYLis7mgboj50-sb4OuWDQXgNoaEeTlHC-4gScrAYsaPN5DCVlCIuPP41uO-BIdo0I7WyI6pzOlCXJbXNiLEGpXXJcvG/s1600/_MG_5770.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJhnuiTTgO-he-AchpShe8qdgWwQsNUbkchwxAEQV-Jb47DcKIEYLis7mgboj50-sb4OuWDQXgNoaEeTlHC-4gScrAYsaPN5DCVlCIuPP41uO-BIdo0I7WyI6pzOlCXJbXNiLEGpXXJcvG/s200/_MG_5770.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Some classic views of the pier and then under the pier! It's awesome in person.</i></div><br />
We continued our excursion down to the sand where I promptly exclaimed that the sand was scorching hot and decided to walk under the shadow of the pier. It was much cooler there. I had a good ol' time attempting to run in the sand, all the while flopping my arms and slipping. It has been a very long time since I was at the beach and clearly I forgot how to maneuver it.<br />
<br />
Arriving at the water's edge was a relief; the breeze off the ocean felt amazing and it became less of a mystery as to how people get sunburned! With all that cool air you don't realize that your <i>skin is cooking itself</i>. I wore sunblock though so worry not, my skin stayed safe.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFeyFw-Q0Cx7W2wED09qcXfLLR47HF8U3i6fNg5xW-20EtA9JPl3SBPOFqn4-zSeNC2o7nQ-WvhroKQZ6MCy4wngzbg2bKAs67fWD3XZI90ImkZmDuNZKkROAm1Bm8HgfCuOx-S52hOl5v/s1600/_MG_5634.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFeyFw-Q0Cx7W2wED09qcXfLLR47HF8U3i6fNg5xW-20EtA9JPl3SBPOFqn4-zSeNC2o7nQ-WvhroKQZ6MCy4wngzbg2bKAs67fWD3XZI90ImkZmDuNZKkROAm1Bm8HgfCuOx-S52hOl5v/s200/_MG_5634.jpg" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicaRkrIrSH4XrL0xO6ga4LJZ6WhMI3BmxX1LE_eFmVbH58FcxoxEuBW5N5TPkHKsAt4r666Snw6EoK9pS3mqU-WLwQ4zQh3eB5I2swvAhXGZY7q6sGkOuTBv5QDLV4SjUQMdj16pf3do0x/s1600/_MG_5636.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicaRkrIrSH4XrL0xO6ga4LJZ6WhMI3BmxX1LE_eFmVbH58FcxoxEuBW5N5TPkHKsAt4r666Snw6EoK9pS3mqU-WLwQ4zQh3eB5I2swvAhXGZY7q6sGkOuTBv5QDLV4SjUQMdj16pf3do0x/s200/_MG_5636.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7RyrMRqMFvIz_eAtZx4W14HgdcDeBOHi5wSqrth0q0G9a7x77tamr3soUJ1tfQL535HvHms8yL3_hxtsUhz18i6u5tvoDZJZpvHXRCI1CduoKkhE9FM4D-Yf14aDYy9vhE-jvvhk44Pfo/s1600/_MG_5609.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7RyrMRqMFvIz_eAtZx4W14HgdcDeBOHi5wSqrth0q0G9a7x77tamr3soUJ1tfQL535HvHms8yL3_hxtsUhz18i6u5tvoDZJZpvHXRCI1CduoKkhE9FM4D-Yf14aDYy9vhE-jvvhk44Pfo/s200/_MG_5609.jpg" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-QVvQ_eAbVklPvD_I2iIm6MOF3D8mw0qt2iAKHqkYD-jGMWRqDsPD8Z4BXLWmtt0CgIzURgPl3MF-ZuyTQ3kJIOXMeXaANeJ44AYz89cyWvMLa3Cpp-2ve0mWeX4ATPZ3bO4S56dj9gpA/s1600/_MG_5624.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-QVvQ_eAbVklPvD_I2iIm6MOF3D8mw0qt2iAKHqkYD-jGMWRqDsPD8Z4BXLWmtt0CgIzURgPl3MF-ZuyTQ3kJIOXMeXaANeJ44AYz89cyWvMLa3Cpp-2ve0mWeX4ATPZ3bO4S56dj9gpA/s200/_MG_5624.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Here's a jumbled mess of photos that I took while we were at The Getty</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>last weekend. I've taken similar photos before when I was there March 2010.</i></div><br />
I'm going to close this entry with a story that is completely irrelevant to anything else.<br />
<br />
When I first arrived in California in May to visit with Andrew before officially moving down, we started to decorate our bedroom. He has a lot of prints and original drawings and sketches from various artists and he wanted my input on deciding where on the walls they should go. In addition to all of his prints he had also purchased some empty frames that I could fill with my own work (what a sweetie!). Seeing as I didn't have anything prepared, we decided to hang the empty frames on the wall just so we'd know where they were going.<br />
<br />
A fair amount of the frames are over the bed, and some of them are a little large and heavy looking.<br />
<br />
me - "I don't know if I like them over the bed."<br />
<br />
andrew - "Why not?"<br />
<br />
me - "What if they fall?"<br />
<br />
andrew - "They're not going to fall"<br />
<br />
me - "There are earthquakes here."<br />
<br />
andrew - "The frames aren't heavy enough to hurt you"<br />
<br />
me - "Those ones are."<br />
<br />
andrew - "Well if they fall they're going to land on me, so you'll be fine."<br />
<br />
me - "But then you'll get hurt! Broken glass will hurt you, you know."<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aVVsFK5yoBI/TklScP2yidI/AAAAAAAAFos/GKaGV_4ot_w/s1600/IMG_20110815_100635.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aVVsFK5yoBI/TklScP2yidI/AAAAAAAAFos/GKaGV_4ot_w/s200/IMG_20110815_100635.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-saXX3D4OfQ0/Tkq2ONqcOhI/AAAAAAAAFrI/9jnaOCV_R8c/s1600/IMG_20110816_111737.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-saXX3D4OfQ0/Tkq2ONqcOhI/AAAAAAAAFrI/9jnaOCV_R8c/s200/IMG_20110816_111737.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S1NVw0vXpDY/TlKxnvx5C5I/AAAAAAAAFvA/nIACxUEz1HU/s1600/IMG_20110822_124338.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S1NVw0vXpDY/TlKxnvx5C5I/AAAAAAAAFvA/nIACxUEz1HU/s320/IMG_20110822_124338.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>A brief intermission of the final story to show you some progress from</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>my garden! The bottom photo is the same cucumber as the upper left</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>photo. They're getting so big! It's very exciting.</i></div><br />
Initially, our sleeping arrangement had Andrew closest to the wall, but then he had to clamor over me to get up for work, so now I sleep closer to the wall. My paranoia of falling frames has grown over the past few months, especially once we added one particularly large and heavy ~36x36 print. Sometimes I lie awake and stare at them, wondering how fast I can curl up to protect my precious squishy inner mass.<br />
<br />
All has been well though, and my fears were unfounded.<br />
<br />
Until the other night.<br />
<br />
There we were, sleeping soundly in bed. I opened my eyes, half awake, and looked at Andrew before rolling over to the wall to snuggle deeper into the blankets. With my right arm up behind my head I rolled face first into the pillow, severely misjudging how close to the wall I was. My elbow collided directly with said wall, shaking it hard enough to knock down the topmost heavy rectangular frame <i>directly onto my ribs</i>. Corner down, might I add.<br />
<br />
I awoke completely with a loud yell, and Andrew jerked awake immediately concerned but still pretty much asleep and therefore essentially oblivious to what had actually happened. Silly sleepy boy.<br />
<br />
me - "The frame fell and hit me in the ribs!"<br />
<br />
andrew - "Oh I'm sorry"<br />
<br />
me - *whine*<br />
<br />
He began to rub my ribs while drifting off to sleep, before I asked, "Uh, can you put the picture frame on the floor...?" which he did, and then off to sleep he went. I have an invisible bruise, and it does not feel good.<br />
<br />
-MJ<br />
<br />
P.S.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVfi3NHh9FmRvA_qc2VhQmRKLhkQs0KfCjMHo6Uyg6dL91yaj9jBy1A_vahSW_aeChQUxX_5RRd4-HOhdepAfRRXBQoKXXa3b3FS87CgREbSxOwD0r3vWaOpYZ_ImxbUd2mFnqlL3cAC9N/s1600/11+-+1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVfi3NHh9FmRvA_qc2VhQmRKLhkQs0KfCjMHo6Uyg6dL91yaj9jBy1A_vahSW_aeChQUxX_5RRd4-HOhdepAfRRXBQoKXXa3b3FS87CgREbSxOwD0r3vWaOpYZ_ImxbUd2mFnqlL3cAC9N/s320/11+-+1" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Hells yeah, the beach!</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="text-align: left;">I forgot to share this little anecdote. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Andrew's mom and I took turns taking photos of one another to share with our families. You know, just a little bragging rights to us being in the sun at the beach. I guess karma got me back asap though, because moments after I sent my photo out to friends the tide rushed in shockingly high and washed my sandals out. Spoiler alert, I ended up getting them back. It was a close one though.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00907893741675401085noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736807783125007710.post-54601239094761865692011-08-15T13:19:00.001-07:002011-08-15T13:19:48.146-07:00Hello from the beach!<div><p>Coming to you this week is a brief run down and only one photo. I'm currently at Redondo beach with Andrew's mom and we are having a lovely time in the sun. She flew in on Friday and the three of us have been busy since then! Disneyland, the Getty and now the beach! Unfortunately Andrew has to work, so she and I are making sure to have enough fun for him too :D</p>
<p>I have a fair amount of photos that have been taken this week, and also some exciting developments in my garden! You'll all have to wait until next week though because I'm out laboriously enjoying the sun, sand and ocean. Pity me.</p>
<p>-MJ</p>
<br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLzPk61YXhjpfUvxCwk03nAHfD0dGJc0awTKX_Q_CtdJT58G2EK5Pp750A-xs9QejYto5da6g0mi-W8moLBLuDI0IFN5MoZnDq-Mlawv-ggXgvbX5m0ikLPE02VL0gbadmlo-d_lZl/' /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00907893741675401085noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736807783125007710.post-53571483192431374982011-08-08T15:19:00.000-07:002011-08-08T15:20:38.917-07:00Photos everywhere! So much excitement to share.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>I am taking a break from my busy schedule of cleaning and organizing the house to bring you this blog entry.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8HBrFlQjVjCzr5fvqlqKoKeT83KSWAidCJ_RExJlTkvgl6O2J_J95IKeW0pNw-Iftx01zQzIoDYkgulHTOABvnm7kqZClWeXsyVbxwFXpvTKblbNvc2LwoJ2j22YNXEUW6RCUpKDZ/s1600/_MG_5396.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8HBrFlQjVjCzr5fvqlqKoKeT83KSWAidCJ_RExJlTkvgl6O2J_J95IKeW0pNw-Iftx01zQzIoDYkgulHTOABvnm7kqZClWeXsyVbxwFXpvTKblbNvc2LwoJ2j22YNXEUW6RCUpKDZ/s320/_MG_5396.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>This is Hermy. Andrew made him from a munny and gave</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>him to me for our six month anniversary :3</i></div><br />
This week has seen one photo session, which is great! I finally made the time to wander and take photos with intention. I did another circuit around the house seeing as there are some new things to look at! Most of the new things are related to the fact that I live here now. My bookshelf is now loaded down with many of my favorite belongings, which makes me very happy! That may seem a little silly, but I can't help but smile when I look at my shelves covered in Nintendo and Harry Potter items.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia4ec2DV9MVMo4Ixt0iVBcijZEXgDoh1NysruV5NJwxmLT59lHeK3iJ8tj5jIlYg14VNL0ULRrjUxPVa9HGFreqPkY9EYQGZ0RDArZ5hZzn-o2yeD53jwSeBjHPuKsbGH5L0ov9CEz/s1600/_MG_5378.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia4ec2DV9MVMo4Ixt0iVBcijZEXgDoh1NysruV5NJwxmLT59lHeK3iJ8tj5jIlYg14VNL0ULRrjUxPVa9HGFreqPkY9EYQGZ0RDArZ5hZzn-o2yeD53jwSeBjHPuKsbGH5L0ov9CEz/s200/_MG_5378.jpg" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJEkvhjjnGzNBFUkvDdgvZG3DMZYkipcvIlq8auzM7PAEpcPyl9gY9PDVKGU-IevKb9OeTEsJrG7lGYKSB2bXbDnxg7t1eRg-7y00Is0uKO4_CoeM1Lb3Ouur1EzVENGP-8OTJGSA1/s1600/_MG_5384.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJEkvhjjnGzNBFUkvDdgvZG3DMZYkipcvIlq8auzM7PAEpcPyl9gY9PDVKGU-IevKb9OeTEsJrG7lGYKSB2bXbDnxg7t1eRg-7y00Is0uKO4_CoeM1Lb3Ouur1EzVENGP-8OTJGSA1/s200/_MG_5384.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Fun detailing such as his head ridges and eyebrows. I also really like</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>the curves at the edges of his excellently large smile.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlDalhu8Km5Owumorav69LgwSZ-4iBdvzTErYTdU8sfmgBd0lOgh8f_4gDtFlUj4Ch5pteUcOx6fswlPcGW_q81yPSkZePSd4fV9AE0qvj5o6plpoRiS44pnwxSlkjUlko74_tAQh6/s1600/_MG_5389.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlDalhu8Km5Owumorav69LgwSZ-4iBdvzTErYTdU8sfmgBd0lOgh8f_4gDtFlUj4Ch5pteUcOx6fswlPcGW_q81yPSkZePSd4fV9AE0qvj5o6plpoRiS44pnwxSlkjUlko74_tAQh6/s200/_MG_5389.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <i>Dat ass.</i></div><br />
In other news, I'm sad to report that of all the cucumber, onion and wild flower seeds that I planted, I have only one cucumber plant to show for it. I've never been much of a gardener, and I usually kill any plant that is left in my care (which reminds me I have to water the plant that my mom gave me!), but I still had high hopes for more than one plant to grow! I suppose the upside of this is that the one plant that grew appears to be extremely fertile, seeing as there are a lot of yellow flowers sprouting. At least three of them already have a chubby, tiny cucumber growing! So very exciting.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5-S7LwJNmOqqXj4jeMtgnwYufVOSllqH3UQVWGsEIF7ctcmJ0JOtp9pucgiWJlX3YxsDHMvQvzPTRtGNstZXSmJjP0M6KGhKClZD_NrpaTvLAmjtvy52naWYrM9WJ_gBNYItDhbc3/s1600/_MG_5351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5-S7LwJNmOqqXj4jeMtgnwYufVOSllqH3UQVWGsEIF7ctcmJ0JOtp9pucgiWJlX3YxsDHMvQvzPTRtGNstZXSmJjP0M6KGhKClZD_NrpaTvLAmjtvy52naWYrM9WJ_gBNYItDhbc3/s320/_MG_5351.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>The majority of the shelf. You can't see the bottom</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>shelf, which contains all photo albums.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4QAwbeoC4w9wEZ_MFxiDpjAddpxnCq04qw-GIaFhoVxbcPU1bA1U3Vm4w3MLpLYz_j_TQHNkx98xN9p51hwYfjehz_oewj_LYy2aIbBb15tr-CFS6PtaSurzvJe-FS8fhWtPElJEy/s1600/_MG_5362.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4QAwbeoC4w9wEZ_MFxiDpjAddpxnCq04qw-GIaFhoVxbcPU1bA1U3Vm4w3MLpLYz_j_TQHNkx98xN9p51hwYfjehz_oewj_LYy2aIbBb15tr-CFS6PtaSurzvJe-FS8fhWtPElJEy/s200/_MG_5362.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1MF93U7hVxJaERG5kEc1cWsVDARs-i8zv9ZDxkz8cdl4XjDNicXnjveK-qfXVjBo8efTro9Lynhst6AIvkR-esZhpVTdd6PvhenLnAnd5NM3YzW3Hxd53fdqpb1ja6Z-lm3lhyfg/s1600/_MG_5355.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1MF93U7hVxJaERG5kEc1cWsVDARs-i8zv9ZDxkz8cdl4XjDNicXnjveK-qfXVjBo8efTro9Lynhst6AIvkR-esZhpVTdd6PvhenLnAnd5NM3YzW3Hxd53fdqpb1ja6Z-lm3lhyfg/s200/_MG_5355.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>So many lovely Nintendo items to surround myself with!</i></div><br />
There are a lot of tiny sprouts in random spots in the garden plot, and it's hard to tell if they're late bloomers or just errant weeds. I'm afraid to pull anything because I can't tell what's what! The most I can do is keep watering and loving. Another positive spot is that one of the two flower plants that already lived in the plot is blooming like crazy. I don't know what they are, but they resemble smaller pink lilies, which makes me happy since those are my favorites! Not necessarily the pink ones, but just lilies in general.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSG7JzPAjkJngZtC7ACmguzI1SCUgcwH4sBHYqJVJS_naHKNpsJcVtMV9A6T2fsO6rBMsa_OfWHmpkVKVDzVYuZTd6z1NCyYsK2bIWuaLqtXQDaw49Aw15qG-u4k7MEkgbFksRf2cp/s1600/_MG_5310.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSG7JzPAjkJngZtC7ACmguzI1SCUgcwH4sBHYqJVJS_naHKNpsJcVtMV9A6T2fsO6rBMsa_OfWHmpkVKVDzVYuZTd6z1NCyYsK2bIWuaLqtXQDaw49Aw15qG-u4k7MEkgbFksRf2cp/s200/_MG_5310.jpg" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieoEAjUh-T64QUl9fjEezhDbG72JqGDhJuhfmHo8_XeFYd9Q0iFWkVu4gIBl3aUeBMd-L1FOJhvNR6fgDB9owY2CTKcdiSWZG-mRudbGlPv8rk42iQR-zfJCxhyphenhyphenwSgSZcWLS0MNpGX/s1600/_MG_5315.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieoEAjUh-T64QUl9fjEezhDbG72JqGDhJuhfmHo8_XeFYd9Q0iFWkVu4gIBl3aUeBMd-L1FOJhvNR6fgDB9owY2CTKcdiSWZG-mRudbGlPv8rk42iQR-zfJCxhyphenhyphenwSgSZcWLS0MNpGX/s200/_MG_5315.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>One of the many bunches of pink flowers that have been blossoming</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>large and proud. Also one of my sprouts that was savagely attacked </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>by one of the cats that revels in pooping in my garden plot!</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BdDDCr1u_aU/Tj2ADn5TRTI/AAAAAAAAFh8/IwHtWpQ4GHs/s1600/IMG_20110806_105107.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BdDDCr1u_aU/Tj2ADn5TRTI/AAAAAAAAFh8/IwHtWpQ4GHs/s320/IMG_20110806_105107.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Look at all those potential cucumbers!!</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div>Andrew and I have been making some exciting headway with the <a href="http://weirdlittlemonsters.co/">Weird Little Monsters</a> (keep that site bookmarked!)! More sites, more designs and so much more in the works. Among all the hullabaloo of moving I've managed to finish my third monster and start on a fourth of Andrew's design. Things in the sewing department are going a bit slower than I'd prefer, but they're still moving forward which is a positive thing.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_9DUadntGv6IQ2smSv_2MeUYKlYe4fTFZ3WxDXdVKEGsJu9Jn6viEqZs4xF3ZMYy37FoyPISjwtqkXHT5jyXK9YnlUE54bERUHf37K9C-KHpnBY3j86gpXSx2uJOMip5wAdYN9LTu/s1600/_MG_5257.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_9DUadntGv6IQ2smSv_2MeUYKlYe4fTFZ3WxDXdVKEGsJu9Jn6viEqZs4xF3ZMYy37FoyPISjwtqkXHT5jyXK9YnlUE54bERUHf37K9C-KHpnBY3j86gpXSx2uJOMip5wAdYN9LTu/s200/_MG_5257.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUk944z23fqfYVIEtM3km97ygEvh87gSzS5NQhzAtGLnN85uQ3PEkFv2gLDqM_qW1F-84-F5PO_js8iPK7Kz5r4foNiXPfinX5UeDjdKowYPgdp3ijmd3psHL52Cl4HwiB_OiK0NT1/s1600/_MG_5259.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUk944z23fqfYVIEtM3km97ygEvh87gSzS5NQhzAtGLnN85uQ3PEkFv2gLDqM_qW1F-84-F5PO_js8iPK7Kz5r4foNiXPfinX5UeDjdKowYPgdp3ijmd3psHL52Cl4HwiB_OiK0NT1/s200/_MG_5259.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Monster number two, Rohmer.</i></div><br />
I've been reading a really great book on sewing and there are so many useful tips for putting together really great monsters. As a result my sewing has slowed down because I'm trying new techniques. My stitch work is feeling a little shoddy, but I know that things will improve. It's thrilling to be trying and making new things. I've always wanted to be better at sewing! And it's incredibly satisfying to have a physical manifestation of my imagination.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIuEoupwr0D74b_XLNjhNpJs3ZqqBBfjRqVSu_N8PR3VYT2rTqI3KUSmY5mzTvrjm8yOm0cQS6PRRjVFgrs55qjmm2xr3JY3sQwYFdqGKovn_arcCeMlZB_q548um87pM_SXlBbHJI/s1600/_MG_5255.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIuEoupwr0D74b_XLNjhNpJs3ZqqBBfjRqVSu_N8PR3VYT2rTqI3KUSmY5mzTvrjm8yOm0cQS6PRRjVFgrs55qjmm2xr3JY3sQwYFdqGKovn_arcCeMlZB_q548um87pM_SXlBbHJI/s320/_MG_5255.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Monster number one, who has yet to be named.</i></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje24GiTtN9lwmuAHSx1BIuz9Fca1vUnEeA7WgA7ZF6zkWhyphenhyphenuvrrHBnIBIyPzGaNIFbcgHA6-sCzlqKD1wixSvR4NK5oecAY2fWb5ram5ErCvzRAduP9E8TvEgk1jYbuxeLrPswljOA/s1600/_MG_5274.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje24GiTtN9lwmuAHSx1BIuz9Fca1vUnEeA7WgA7ZF6zkWhyphenhyphenuvrrHBnIBIyPzGaNIFbcgHA6-sCzlqKD1wixSvR4NK5oecAY2fWb5ram5ErCvzRAduP9E8TvEgk1jYbuxeLrPswljOA/s200/_MG_5274.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNnTDHevc7sCSjOyCJvw0TgRz9S3ISHuKG6EsJeNPy1CTHHgEI0-XyBlmj11h1eRcl1wmdD9ywfZ3Q408mAANa1osoUwH_nGn3qIuyHszPyMjb2FKXmAI3L2MJyDx5lY3HWQIXqeAA/s1600/_MG_5276.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNnTDHevc7sCSjOyCJvw0TgRz9S3ISHuKG6EsJeNPy1CTHHgEI0-XyBlmj11h1eRcl1wmdD9ywfZ3Q408mAANa1osoUwH_nGn3qIuyHszPyMjb2FKXmAI3L2MJyDx5lY3HWQIXqeAA/s200/_MG_5276.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <i>Monster number three, who we've been calling Frenchie. That's </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>probably not going to be his permanent name. </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9Lnt_1GwPuA/TjxiBe4U-kI/AAAAAAAAFhY/wDrnd-Os-F4/s1600/IMG_20110805_143439.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9Lnt_1GwPuA/TjxiBe4U-kI/AAAAAAAAFhY/wDrnd-Os-F4/s200/IMG_20110805_143439.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cLNAQyNiQU4/TjyBVTaIN0I/AAAAAAAAFhg/KV6t5770i-U/s1600/IMG_20110805_164814.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cLNAQyNiQU4/TjyBVTaIN0I/AAAAAAAAFhg/KV6t5770i-U/s200/IMG_20110805_164814.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>There's finished Frenchie on the left with his hat and side pouch.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Pictured on the right is one of Andrew's designs that I started on.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div>And now for a completely unrelated segue!<br />
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The purging of all Nikon related items has begun. Andrew has a very handy network via his job, so he's handling getting the word out. It is greatly appreciated because I don't want to deal with ebay or craigslist. I have a lot of mixed feelings, of course. I'm glad that the items are being sold because the money will be very useful for a lot of things! I'm sad for the items to go though, seeing as I have loved them for so long and they carried me this far. But, I'm in a new stage! And I already have almost everything that I had previously, just for Canon instead.<br />
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And speaking of Canon, here are just a few more photos from Andrew's brother's wedding, which was an amazing and fun opportunity to further familiarize myself with the camera and gain speed and accuracy with the controls.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkyXt5VARN8reUaeMgBnJKROEpZuMUHRl5i0Fkc2nWNnQ7NLglkmZY9MuuAk3U51d-n3mrg5HGWsHTVNasbd3BAcKKG2FzSmWx8tO938uhKt8rNWjMv9dOUnVDXWQ6Z2h63eYEdvpc/s1600/_MG_4701+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkyXt5VARN8reUaeMgBnJKROEpZuMUHRl5i0Fkc2nWNnQ7NLglkmZY9MuuAk3U51d-n3mrg5HGWsHTVNasbd3BAcKKG2FzSmWx8tO938uhKt8rNWjMv9dOUnVDXWQ6Z2h63eYEdvpc/s320/_MG_4701+copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>The bride and groom with their brothers :)</i></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQa7hYUPV9DjavxKAQiOJnAvdfEVimw6L1m1kOs5gOHJGz1-YSzlmA86qik8f4FxTwJwgYfCuDqN2xvSogO_em2R4BMZQ_ABM2JR-AhlSbLvYKSKncZuJe6pEpCS8Y_-jfW8VQwKpA/s1600/_MG_4399+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQa7hYUPV9DjavxKAQiOJnAvdfEVimw6L1m1kOs5gOHJGz1-YSzlmA86qik8f4FxTwJwgYfCuDqN2xvSogO_em2R4BMZQ_ABM2JR-AhlSbLvYKSKncZuJe6pEpCS8Y_-jfW8VQwKpA/s200/_MG_4399+copy.jpg" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGm8kuO2-Qv3o3SUP00vwrdUnxt3t1yYKf_YlbJPCwlsOHxg2vjy2EpurO-RyquFT56nc5ePGhUtAhryzp-zq_hRh2VT-UCJu6G1jDETbbqhz3Mgem1q1gQ6BgXJMnUwzxt9SAx4IX/s1600/_MG_4403+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGm8kuO2-Qv3o3SUP00vwrdUnxt3t1yYKf_YlbJPCwlsOHxg2vjy2EpurO-RyquFT56nc5ePGhUtAhryzp-zq_hRh2VT-UCJu6G1jDETbbqhz3Mgem1q1gQ6BgXJMnUwzxt9SAx4IX/s200/_MG_4403+copy.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Some more photos of the property. The lanterns were a wonderful</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>and beautiful touch. The sky couldn't have been bluer that day.</i></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipv7ysxTi-B_66aEFeZ-iBcEjP3Jy-WICtnjNXBhwNu_ypgO_D6ezFoGAfW-eO0uo56fPTigvgXPPGv1qNxHPlChviRTC0fJdjPGqDZPVnpmr7gpR-h9NMhYG9VtTxFo67FeosefOM/s1600/_MG_4803+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipv7ysxTi-B_66aEFeZ-iBcEjP3Jy-WICtnjNXBhwNu_ypgO_D6ezFoGAfW-eO0uo56fPTigvgXPPGv1qNxHPlChviRTC0fJdjPGqDZPVnpmr7gpR-h9NMhYG9VtTxFo67FeosefOM/s200/_MG_4803+copy.jpg" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM1-1r9H2BIUrFhytecCDt4Dwfa-EZ-0N81MEp63XB1uMmzlJLfjUBtJL6sgeivKX4jfGC5gCFa-Ac2FBHc9X5u8DDJzT4hzczQuY_3yTwu-rBCDA8sN96o2dxAbU8sJg__DefK1Dd/s1600/_MG_4835+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM1-1r9H2BIUrFhytecCDt4Dwfa-EZ-0N81MEp63XB1uMmzlJLfjUBtJL6sgeivKX4jfGC5gCFa-Ac2FBHc9X5u8DDJzT4hzczQuY_3yTwu-rBCDA8sN96o2dxAbU8sJg__DefK1Dd/s200/_MG_4835+copy.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Andrew's friend Alex there on the left, and then a snap of Andrew and me.</i></div><br />
I'll go ahead and close with some information about the fashion/product shoot that I tagged along on last week! It was incredible, and a really fantastic time! I went as assistant to <a href="http://www.brittany-lauren.com/Brittany_Lauren/Welcome.html">Brittany</a>, makeup artist extraordinaire! She ended up not needing me much (but damn am I a pro at handing out bobbi pins!), but that's OK because that left me a little more time than expected to really take in everything else that was going on.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEaLPAAo0mvOKjAPK0mhVzI9mFY39YxepkzjWDpat6NkVa8z7UgGAGd1N5nvq20_tHndstbEpxZP0uc_ZmJ1RR1njOoeO7pgIWLfju7ioSXLuIEb12kNJFT0q_ftYSadJwqUZZ4uEX/s1600/_MG_5288.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEaLPAAo0mvOKjAPK0mhVzI9mFY39YxepkzjWDpat6NkVa8z7UgGAGd1N5nvq20_tHndstbEpxZP0uc_ZmJ1RR1njOoeO7pgIWLfju7ioSXLuIEb12kNJFT0q_ftYSadJwqUZZ4uEX/s200/_MG_5288.jpg" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMJKS4m-okLGsNhYuPqgGdrO6dy1Jhf8bTcDFz6tEwzpNUrWytSbASYETKlQ0_aFv2jpZw-EJxVQEHjwnQRK9ilgqbRo8AFeSO1Tqbo9GxVCPc2PCq7lBwm0l4BiUt7qqLPWkLaMf7/s1600/_MG_5292.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMJKS4m-okLGsNhYuPqgGdrO6dy1Jhf8bTcDFz6tEwzpNUrWytSbASYETKlQ0_aFv2jpZw-EJxVQEHjwnQRK9ilgqbRo8AFeSO1Tqbo9GxVCPc2PCq7lBwm0l4BiUt7qqLPWkLaMf7/s200/_MG_5292.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <i>This is a moon sculpture that Andrew's uncle <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Michael-DAmbrosi-Design/198639340162005">Michael</a> made (fb fan page).</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>It's really very beautiful and detailed, it is next to the bathroom. You can view</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>more of his work <a href="http://www.bluecoyotegallery.com/MichaelDAmbrosi.htm">here</a>!</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br />
</i></div>The shoot was for <a href="http://www.wattoonline.com/">Watto</a>, an Arizona based company run by a very lovely husband and wife duo. They started off with only making belt buckles but have branched off into a variety of jewelry types. Their work is really amazing and interesting. It's all very chunky and loud and large. The shoot was in a garage space and the style was all very rockabilly. The models were so so so super nice, as were the designers and the photographer! The whole experience was incredibly positive and I'm really thankful that Brittany ended up needing someone to go with her.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw-g7AANLkftvBaEDuV_3sn0OWP05kT3FmEcwEHU43n9FWsrAb4u_cZqVAOqkIfu1M3EDJj6kZz4l1QzCuaNhc8DWItr4wjh1R1sjnTJRZ696B5WWfdxhe9bOOsKP1fUZxa-vD380g/s1600/_MG_5422.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw-g7AANLkftvBaEDuV_3sn0OWP05kT3FmEcwEHU43n9FWsrAb4u_cZqVAOqkIfu1M3EDJj6kZz4l1QzCuaNhc8DWItr4wjh1R1sjnTJRZ696B5WWfdxhe9bOOsKP1fUZxa-vD380g/s200/_MG_5422.jpg" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHHVgt7zz9EQ-XiKDo8WujgQD-GMPt_JpSa2GDs1qgL0FfYWq-4hpCt1VxVy4rRu7NGP48MbrHhAPQwa5PbFnTIILcGg2ayyPSMEUTIXj_XTK-X6OPVSPYlbvjOO787tXVHWUH-tSh/s1600/_MG_5339.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHHVgt7zz9EQ-XiKDo8WujgQD-GMPt_JpSa2GDs1qgL0FfYWq-4hpCt1VxVy4rRu7NGP48MbrHhAPQwa5PbFnTIILcGg2ayyPSMEUTIXj_XTK-X6OPVSPYlbvjOO787tXVHWUH-tSh/s200/_MG_5339.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <i>A teeny tiny fraction of the books that Andrew has. There are so</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>many amazing and interesting ones in his collection, and this </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>section of Disney books really stands out to me. On the right is </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>the sun streaming in through the front door.</i></div><br />
I spent most of my time inside with Brittany watching her do hair and makeup for the models. I wish I had their contact pages so I could link you all to their work. They were very talented and professional. It was a real treat interacting with them in a relaxed and goofy manner and then watching them transform into serious, focused workers while the camera was on them.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho-8G_-VbMmnSYVdPy6gCwlpIA1QHwP0OAvIV2T10LeW1hoSt3CI9b6u45LBODeADCC-VEiMCDTSmVPtwx4b4ZIi-j2tLF2ftSVakLwAAlEHmep-WxXaC42PfHchBSv7KLnXHsqIFL/s1600/_MG_5452.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho-8G_-VbMmnSYVdPy6gCwlpIA1QHwP0OAvIV2T10LeW1hoSt3CI9b6u45LBODeADCC-VEiMCDTSmVPtwx4b4ZIi-j2tLF2ftSVakLwAAlEHmep-WxXaC42PfHchBSv7KLnXHsqIFL/s320/_MG_5452.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Everyone that assisted/worked on the <a href="http://www.wattoonline.com/">Watto</a> shoot was given</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>$100 in credit to shop from their store. They had many items on</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>hand, and I am now the happy owner of this very cool belt buckle!</i></div><br />
The shoot lasted about six hours and was fun the entire time. The last session circulated around a series of story photos with an old fashioned car. It all had a classic, traveling, definite rockabilly feel to it. Everyone did such a great job. I wish I had any photos at all to share with you all, but I have none! Not even a cellphone photo! I didn't feel comfortable intruding with my phone. Of course, if you keep checking back to the <a href="http://www.wattoonline.com/">Watto</a> website you'll see the photos before too long! Here is a <a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150756250220177&set=a.317093185176.334327.191510025176&type=1&theater">sneak peek</a> that Brittany linked on her <a href="http://www.facebook.com/brittany.lauren.mua">facebook fan page</a> (go be a fan, she's very skilled and has beautiful photos up from the shoots that she participates in!). I can't wait to see the rest of them.<br />
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-MJAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00907893741675401085noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736807783125007710.post-44317147274674946012011-08-01T12:30:00.000-07:002011-08-01T12:31:37.649-07:00Interesting things are happening and I hardly have a chance to talk about them!First off I'm going to apologize for two lackluster posts in a row. This is going to be short.<br />
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I'm about to pack a lunch and wrap up a few things around the house because today I'm going to be out with <a href="http://www.brittany-lauren.com/Brittany_Lauren/Welcome.html">Brittany</a> being an extra set of hands for her on a photo shoot in Long Beach. She does makeup and also hair for photo shoots and it should be a very exciting and interesting day. I haven't done much exploring of the city, or socializing outside of the house, and I'm also extremely low on my photography meter. There's just so much else going on involved with moving, cleaning, unpacking, getting settled and job hunting that my camera has slipped by the wayside a bit. Very sad.<br />
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Fortunately, I have a few photos for you all from James (Andrew's brother) and Annie's wedding. The weather was amazing for the Pacific Northwest, and many happy faces were captured. Andrew and I shared custody of the camera to cover the days.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc74MSTGDN70OiChUf4I1VOYuJu1sslnlwF8Adadur5Cfg4U1akXQXG-zphs0piYywNkARsH5r8yBkJQ1C8VurrfWSe8s6Mvl86FzoTQ-x7n14wpuXHxCO0SSS5pQuxZ5sj8qrwQSX/s1600/_MG_4052+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc74MSTGDN70OiChUf4I1VOYuJu1sslnlwF8Adadur5Cfg4U1akXQXG-zphs0piYywNkARsH5r8yBkJQ1C8VurrfWSe8s6Mvl86FzoTQ-x7n14wpuXHxCO0SSS5pQuxZ5sj8qrwQSX/s200/_MG_4052+copy.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPaRtpppJ0eeelyntWpo-zeqf64lSoyCr0wa0jiCxkRJjoXdOMX7J3dVK6g_ZCZT_Q10X-CIe_ARLBx5iUl2Xubj-dRMJeoDCos-Mb-IZc5ieHPxFw2pBHkGu9IeE47Wju9OlALVkh/s1600/_MG_4056+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPaRtpppJ0eeelyntWpo-zeqf64lSoyCr0wa0jiCxkRJjoXdOMX7J3dVK6g_ZCZT_Q10X-CIe_ARLBx5iUl2Xubj-dRMJeoDCos-Mb-IZc5ieHPxFw2pBHkGu9IeE47Wju9OlALVkh/s200/_MG_4056+copy.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Annie's parents have beautiful property nestled in the woods. There were trees, animals, gardens, flowers, vegetables and just the most serene nature settings one could have asked for.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHN1F7EBrvre9XrCKE-zHHw0tjFrc4KKUp3Qn4tBPXELqZrYem1CB5is5KX6IZ1WCqxOKZzbSLVNdCgGIEz7P97ATfhCCwObsSgdadFyR0nWhtqCjnjiUt6mMh6_1doZ1BPtpcsluW/s1600/_MG_4148.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHN1F7EBrvre9XrCKE-zHHw0tjFrc4KKUp3Qn4tBPXELqZrYem1CB5is5KX6IZ1WCqxOKZzbSLVNdCgGIEz7P97ATfhCCwObsSgdadFyR0nWhtqCjnjiUt6mMh6_1doZ1BPtpcsluW/s200/_MG_4148.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvqrFo0m3xa0LG_xLWqCXmGI0I4mll76nEshH9VPblt-DrTs05hWVnGDHSisXvZywe0me3Jy-FVId6r6Cn6iywm03_M2PDeCltCi_fzMvrABzGGE1Ky4NW72_7_afV4oEVB-Sv4qW1/s1600/_MG_4214+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvqrFo0m3xa0LG_xLWqCXmGI0I4mll76nEshH9VPblt-DrTs05hWVnGDHSisXvZywe0me3Jy-FVId6r6Cn6iywm03_M2PDeCltCi_fzMvrABzGGE1Ky4NW72_7_afV4oEVB-Sv4qW1/s200/_MG_4214+copy.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The shot on the left is just after they signed their marriage certificate, kissed and toasted. Very sweet! The shot on the right is one of Andrew's captures :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T768sH9coz8/TjZTr8gd5lI/AAAAAAAAFSo/pyt9sjTTSA4/s1600/IMG_20110801_001734.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T768sH9coz8/TjZTr8gd5lI/AAAAAAAAFSo/pyt9sjTTSA4/s200/IMG_20110801_001734.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BKCSpXhqxmA/TjX5KNoJF_I/AAAAAAAAFSU/Na-IvNsNZQo/s1600/11+-+1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BKCSpXhqxmA/TjX5KNoJF_I/AAAAAAAAFSU/Na-IvNsNZQo/s200/11+-+1" width="150" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In additional exciting news, I started work on another new Monster! He's about 85% complete and I'm hoping to finish stuffing and sewing him up before Brittany gets here this afternoon. The shot on the right is my new house key! Quite exciting indeed.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">From the road trip down here last week I have some rather nice scenery photos. Sadly I haven't even had a chance to touch them other than putting them on the computer. Next week, fingers crossed!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It occurred to me the other day that I'm not <i>quite </i>doing everything I can with this blog. Dear readers, is there anything that you would like to know or hear about? I'd love to be providing more content!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sandwich time!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">-MJ</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00907893741675401085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736807783125007710.post-21761979626152270512011-07-25T18:22:00.001-07:002011-07-25T18:35:34.258-07:00What I'm doing instead of blogging!<div><p>Hello all! Last week I warned that I probably wouldn't be able to blog today seeing as Andrew and I are en route to California! We left at 8:30 this morning and have had a few stops along the way so far. Right now we're chugging through Oregon and we're still a ways away. I think the pit stops were worth it though :)</p>
<p>The purpose of this post is to direct you toward Andrew's blog travelingwithandrew.blogspot.com where we are posting updates for each stop that we make! Once we stop for the night we're going to go back and edit the entries and fix the photos and probably add more content. Be sure to check it out into tomorrow as well as we finish our two day excursion : D</p>
<p>P.s. Sorry the photos are the wrong way! I'll fix it later</p>
<br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimouVgqwTcXGveofOY4CpCKOQ935aegtaxTxRrWPJE4PyTEJJmtMHTnQ7RzMI-Zy4y0-ms7tBYsKhiA0TyheJZH8tcnUOrMWPMJLZltc2QqMJm1wm8qYSAR0n5wLaM8Z7YbJwClPp_/' /><br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOjre3n8QqqInKcAm4BIJnHBAYFmjpjQZl_nQd2jXaE6O43lUGMxMuXxMiWtcaf75DflXGeneDSH5b2ngOzsnn4UtOlLOvohiBpCLlgWoy6r5qJ-MlC7yqq1tVcFjY9v1GpIF-3x9m/' /><br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiChiBCpxB_etSj6DEBeDUKjKBtQUWaCbY8xUiGauURImZ9Ldmb_JMPhlx_EjispwxY24yflxnqL1pHvLGKBhWg8sUUhSBXEGDy1ToMN43urJL-z35NYVvaXlXOb1kJhmEwJOEVG7UG/' /><br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5VeTFTVmf5SYsqCAWSCdHHZwHhlMjlERrvfuCkw0U8VlbBiaO6yfoiukClD3ZHYdZlW9wjkaF31Iw4aOGstgKDa3h6lsmRdhFEb6vAZkb9wjO5ThfodlsSJ2WvgmH6BTuJEr8PKCG/' /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00907893741675401085noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4736807783125007710.post-20506376997328641362011-07-18T22:25:00.000-07:002011-07-18T22:25:23.146-07:00Monster creations, sunsets and a last minute dog photo!How is it Monday again already? Although I think a more important question is how this week managed to both fly by and drag <i>at the same time</i>. Positively baffling. I should stop thinking about it though or else I'm going to get sucked into a mental vortex and I'll never complete this post.<br />
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I have had a mondo busy week so again I allowed my laziness to overcome my urge to take photos. I've been sleeping in because I can; I'm still kind of on vacation, I think? Everyday I have visited someone, driven to a few places and I believe that more days than not I was at my storage unit hacking away at the enormous task of packing all of my possessions.<br />
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The good news is that I have quite a few photography project ideas beginning to brew in my mind. Little still life things here and there that I'm excited to put into motion. Unfortunately this week won't see the progression of any of those ideas because this coming week is going to be even busier than the last! Shopping, moving, family gatherings and a wedding. I really believe that my calendar has never been more full.<br />
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Now that I've rattled off my excuses for why I have little content for the second week in a row, here's what I <i>do</i> have for you!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsMJNGib3H-YndJ0vHrueok9n89s67mA38c2O7dDoh7u5sRMLGN5BDVGlOMn4mpaQmMkQ2uhVxa1wVDPHOVb5BBqiVIvFX0X8YCWjtfRLb4nP76aSXa_Ha6FoBCOA3cSTEJa9icVvt/s1600/_MG_3679.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsMJNGib3H-YndJ0vHrueok9n89s67mA38c2O7dDoh7u5sRMLGN5BDVGlOMn4mpaQmMkQ2uhVxa1wVDPHOVb5BBqiVIvFX0X8YCWjtfRLb4nP76aSXa_Ha6FoBCOA3cSTEJa9icVvt/s200/_MG_3679.jpg" width="141" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwKvsF56y56oqf8COrjnUY2Y8xD-pDwQCPLQXvoPajZGJBl5mrvHWWs6cpa-HIWo180XkXyV4QwRzV-K5Fo_co5m5UtANiL6fp3xA0smVQhorjyWqNAUYG_ldnaERjmJY6uMr9mNYk/s1600/_MG_3681.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwKvsF56y56oqf8COrjnUY2Y8xD-pDwQCPLQXvoPajZGJBl5mrvHWWs6cpa-HIWo180XkXyV4QwRzV-K5Fo_co5m5UtANiL6fp3xA0smVQhorjyWqNAUYG_ldnaERjmJY6uMr9mNYk/s200/_MG_3681.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <i>This guy still needs a name. He was supposed to have arms, but his feet ended</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>up looking like flippers and Andrew liked it, so I left the arms off.</i></div><br />
First off is a preview of some Weird Little Monsters that I've made. In a nutshell, Weird Little Monsters (trademarked name, I think? I'll have to double check with him!) is a business idea that Andrew has had for a few years and has experienced a few stop/start attempts at getting it going. He asked me if I'd be interested in helping him get the venture off the ground and I gladly said yes. I really enjoy sewing and the thought of creating and assembling original monsters is very exciting.<br />
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The first little guy came together extremely sloppily; a combination of unforgiving slippery fabric and me being severely out of practice. Also really just poor attention to detail and a total lack of measuring. I suppose I could be obnoxiously negative and continue talking about what's wrong with him, but I'm going to stop. I'm proud of the fact that he's together in one piece and doesn't look like an Ugly Doll. He even has some flipper-like limbs that are firmly attached! I'm excited to make this same monster again with some different fabric and a greater attention to detailing for the eyes.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDiZU6-rCwbOXimBJX6YBYoGDJE8vEHGytZnzgn1uYZ5nHVzfgtc55B_2lDBvvF1bDAEuUe7BdRt8s1KmgpYMLj1GyWrM8lsmInbNJOMHPjaCYCbYPgvfWSU5ykKFaW8R-qBSVyHxk/s1600/FxCam_1310667842883.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDiZU6-rCwbOXimBJX6YBYoGDJE8vEHGytZnzgn1uYZ5nHVzfgtc55B_2lDBvvF1bDAEuUe7BdRt8s1KmgpYMLj1GyWrM8lsmInbNJOMHPjaCYCbYPgvfWSU5ykKFaW8R-qBSVyHxk/s200/FxCam_1310667842883.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnQh1ylCvSnNybC2fhE9P47y2Q7qWCTylCwQNlK1fAWJ4uPx2r5RS4DeE5HYDBMZfFYbPGZ6vCuM9mHzBc8V8N2LRJzLQs359LimmDF7yXLtpi71lfPrc_c2xxGTJTlRyXXmYmPUhq/s1600/FxCam_1310667922007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnQh1ylCvSnNybC2fhE9P47y2Q7qWCTylCwQNlK1fAWJ4uPx2r5RS4DeE5HYDBMZfFYbPGZ6vCuM9mHzBc8V8N2LRJzLQs359LimmDF7yXLtpi71lfPrc_c2xxGTJTlRyXXmYmPUhq/s200/FxCam_1310667922007.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Glamor shots of Rohmer from my new camera application. I have yet </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>to </i><i>take any real photos, but I plan on it!</i></div><br />
Monster number two, my favorite (and very first original) design, came together much more smoothly. My choice in fabric really helped with the aesthetics, I believe. The muted blues look much more comfortable. I'm glad that I still have so much canvas to work with as well. His pants just feel so sturdy and I like it! The only thing missing from Rohmer (named by Andrew) is the monocle that I drew in his original sketch. I'm still brainstorming possibilities on how to best construct it. I have some ideas in my head involving internal magnets, so we'll see what happens next time I make another Monster of this style.<br />
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When I first bought my new phone I spent a good amount of time researching interesting, free camera effects applications. I found two that I like (one for a wide range of edits and one that has a tilt/shift feature. LOVE tilt/shift) and I've been working with them for the past month. Just a few days ago I decided to take another look and see if I had somehow overlooked something particularly good. To my delight I found a free application that includes a fisheye filter, as well as a rather fun polaroid filter. It's easy to accidentally overuse these sorts of things, but I think they definitely have their place in the world.<br />
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There's just something about those two photos (fisheye and polaroid of Rohmer) that I enjoy. I look forward to more opportunities to explore and experiment with my various applications. It'll be some time before I have a real tilt/shift or fisheye lens. I'll take it however I can, and free is perfect for the time being. I hope to have a <a href="http://store.lensbaby.com/products/Composer-Pro-with-Double-Glass.html">lensbaby</a> lens sometime soon, they open up the door to creative freedom in similar ways to film, but with the easy and enjoyability (for me anyway) of digital. And as far as I know they offer the most affordable tilt/shift lenses for digital SLRs.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy4BvgP1iidw5-GkJrE_Bq00Y1hpp79a8U8eFipyz4XjgXGVnrLGBO6AkhMS_ZjUBpnjmCI-7J2RSQ4NcOftb8aP7Zpxr2qIddz_R44qovgUEK1mhvMwmkWZPTXZBb1J5OgFlOrB3x/s1600/_MG_3697.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy4BvgP1iidw5-GkJrE_Bq00Y1hpp79a8U8eFipyz4XjgXGVnrLGBO6AkhMS_ZjUBpnjmCI-7J2RSQ4NcOftb8aP7Zpxr2qIddz_R44qovgUEK1mhvMwmkWZPTXZBb1J5OgFlOrB3x/s200/_MG_3697.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhye_pYL2yLrXJktWKXE89FMBdHgRnfytrEUp16CK4YHt4U57_U-jREKJ6qWTjmin3-kZqobTFM3UjqqFgOhjmUeb1spOvBumz-6J-NYsFjmvwx-GAFIsHwoydVtai-QgJe8KTNSQdh/s1600/_MG_3703.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhye_pYL2yLrXJktWKXE89FMBdHgRnfytrEUp16CK4YHt4U57_U-jREKJ6qWTjmin3-kZqobTFM3UjqqFgOhjmUeb1spOvBumz-6J-NYsFjmvwx-GAFIsHwoydVtai-QgJe8KTNSQdh/s200/_MG_3703.jpg" width="163" /></a></div><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"> <i>It looked so much better at first! Some really great rays piercing through the</i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><i>trees! Also, had to zero in on the mountain there. The views here are spectacular.</i></div><br />
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On Saturday evening I arrived at Andrew's parents and was greeted by a rather wonderful sunset. They live in a highly advantageous area for sunsets, so I stood in front of the house and enjoyed it for a few moments. Then I remembered that I'm a photographer and I have a camera and I needed to move my butt into the house and get the camera. Of course by the time I got back outside (roughly 45 seconds later) the sky had shifted to something much less spectacular.<br />
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I snorted in irritation at the inconsiderate nature of the sunset, exhibiting such a lack of concern for my interest in capturing its beauty. I did what I could. It wasn't a total loss.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzTi3UnTwDZ4dDV4V26wG5KVtzQAuxFbwoBxGP6AFZAN4Q8CZYxNsGxRkAoZNZzRKQo28olXDpfZTGlmWM2_H4qin5rwjoBNs-9v53WLElN6kDRMxU-jkA6C9dE0Y2UF9cBFqZ_s_z/s1600/_MG_3141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzTi3UnTwDZ4dDV4V26wG5KVtzQAuxFbwoBxGP6AFZAN4Q8CZYxNsGxRkAoZNZzRKQo28olXDpfZTGlmWM2_H4qin5rwjoBNs-9v53WLElN6kDRMxU-jkA6C9dE0Y2UF9cBFqZ_s_z/s200/_MG_3141.jpg" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1_SAo6uPtQoMAG1gQvSzvOAecdJuyPxaJXlFgTiv19-fxP4VzjTqu1IJBG6PWkJ0pgZid7D-y9xmlT_K_jGdxFJnC1op1R7tihD4vLTFaU8D4RcnzdOm9Oxc1pWk4CriIek5L9sO/s1600/_MG_3314.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1_SAo6uPtQoMAG1gQvSzvOAecdJuyPxaJXlFgTiv19-fxP4VzjTqu1IJBG6PWkJ0pgZid7D-y9xmlT_K_jGdxFJnC1op1R7tihD4vLTFaU8D4RcnzdOm9Oxc1pWk4CriIek5L9sO/s200/_MG_3314.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <i>Shot of her lovely engagement ring, as well as their carving.</i></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAQitoI1bNQhA1HhuHj5ekTWjwWh772PU36vwjLYYHz0X6vu1gr9CZHwEvQ8AcN8h9tkWEQsCe9Lf935gcxohpX2Fcv2sfPARu_UYAA7tOZ8S2PkK7q8Jm2v7sRHvgvEsYIWOqwxSH/s1600/_MG_3654.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAQitoI1bNQhA1HhuHj5ekTWjwWh772PU36vwjLYYHz0X6vu1gr9CZHwEvQ8AcN8h9tkWEQsCe9Lf935gcxohpX2Fcv2sfPARu_UYAA7tOZ8S2PkK7q8Jm2v7sRHvgvEsYIWOqwxSH/s320/_MG_3654.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Happy smiles all around :]</i></div><br />
I have to apologize for not having any photos of Slinky. I'm taking them tonight, so that doesn't really line up well for this earlier entry. I wish I could promise that they'd be in next week's blog, but <i>next week</i> I'll be in the car with Andrew on our way to California! I anticipate blogging from the car entirely with photos that I've taken with my phone. I'd better keep that in mind while I'm snapping away with the Canon this week.<br />
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So much to look forward to!<br />
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Oh, also, I included a few more photos of Rachel and Zach. They are from their choices. I spent a lot of time coming up with some new editing ideas and styles that I'm feeling pretty proud of. As a result it took me quite a long while to complete them, but Rachel is thrilled with them and so am I. Mission accomplished, I'd say!<br />
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EDIT:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8bNHtZP6ysQXwZcEmER_uBGk5Ndthpa39pEddwVJH1ge5ISMvsDHcn94YMSBd92wT6igvCNnOwGoWqaAutc588Kk-r3kk2FZl9Gp_xS0sQzJW64CFj2SF_kkhUIzF2Drvrx62YxP9/s1600/_MG_3751.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8bNHtZP6ysQXwZcEmER_uBGk5Ndthpa39pEddwVJH1ge5ISMvsDHcn94YMSBd92wT6igvCNnOwGoWqaAutc588Kk-r3kk2FZl9Gp_xS0sQzJW64CFj2SF_kkhUIzF2Drvrx62YxP9/s320/_MG_3751.jpg" width="228" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Slinky! Sweet nine year old dachshund. </i></div><br />
Snuck in a photo of Slinky :D He is an extremely camera shy dog, so this was an exercise in patience and creativity. I'd say probably 90% of these photos he is a blur or it's the back of his head. Harumph.<br />
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-MJ<br />
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-MirandaAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00907893741675401085noreply@blogger.com0