Absent

I thought that once the wedding was over, I'd have so much time I wouldn't know what to do with myself. That has not been the case. As is the year of 2012, these past two months have flown by. Hence, no posting since early September. But all these wonderful things have happened since then. Great wonderful things that all deserve posts of their own. Some several.

Like getting married.

 Like going to Panama for my honeymoon.

Like how we Dog Shamed Taylor for eating a present we brought back for some friends. 

Like this photo shoot on one of the most gorgeous fall weekends I can remember.

Like redecorating this bedroom and getting a new king size bed.

Like our sweet old cat Itchy who sadly passed away right before the wedding.

Like how cute my dog is.

Ok, that last one not so much. I've talked about that a lot, so maybe it doesn't warrant it's own post, but he's too cute to not post a picture.

So anyway, a lot going on in these parts right now and in the months to come. Here's hoping I get back to posting some more things here before the New Year. 

Instagramming: July

If I had to put July in the fun or lame column, it would be so far in the fun column that it couldn't even seem lame. It was that good.

I got to hang out with my favorite people in the whole wide world during the month of July and got to see a lot of my fair city. My fair city was also my hot city, as Chicago baked under 90+ degree temperatures for most of July. I complained about the heat, but not too much because there was too much fun to be had.

Here is a little of the fun I had in July.

 July

- the heat, my God the heat - MY BACHELORETTE PARTY - Chicago architecture cruise - 

spending a lunch hour in Millennium park with my sister and nephews - watching my garden grow - drinking on my back porch - a photo shoot in Lincoln Park - sending out my wedding invitations and getting some responses back - a weekend in Michigan at my parents lake house - ordering wedding decorations - getting my passport renewal in order so I can go to Panama(!!!) - a Sunday concert in my hood with Mike - charity dog wash - hanging up artwork on my walls

Imperfect

I often strive for perfection. That unattainable goal that only crazy people think is attainable. It makes me delay things like purchasing clothes, sending birthday presents, having conversations, sharing photos and publishing blog posts.

This post isn't perfect, and neither are the photos  I am about to share. But in this case, I don't have a perfect version. I have what I have, and it's so much better than good enough.

Mike, Taylor and I spent this past weekend in Wisconsin at his sister's house - the sister that lives here. As I've said before, it's relaxing to us city dwellers and a place we can go to unplug. I don't even get cell phone reception.

The house has a really long dirt driveway surrounded by cornfields - in fact, the whole house is surrounded by cornfields at the moment. We let Taylor run free and off leash the entire time we're there because the cornfields serve as a pretty nice buffer and pseudo fence. On Saturday evening, we were taking turns taking the bikes for a spin up and down the driveway. And every time Mike or I would hop on a bike, Taylor would race us full speed ahead up and down the driveway - totally reminding me of why we are not running buddies. Dude is way too fast for me. He beat me every time.

He loved it. We loved it. I don't know who had the bigger grin on their face while sprinting down the driveway - Taylor or us. It's a moment we can't have in the city.

These photos aren't perfect. The lighting is a bit off, nothing is in focus and Taylor is but a big blur. But in my mind, it imperfectly captures that little moment - all the while somehow capturing it perfectly.

Insta-reflecting: May

I have totally jumped on the Instagram bandwagon. It's a bandwagon that is hardly new. iPhone users everywhere had been snapping photos with it for years by the time I downloaded the app. Being that I am an Android, not iPhone user, I was blocked out of the Instagram fun for quite some time. However, as soon as the app became available, I downloaded it.

I've been playing around with it since April - April 9 to be exact. That day also is the day that Instagram announced it was being bought out by Facebook. Coincidence? I think not. You are welcome Instagram.

While I still ultimately prefer my fancy Nikon DSLRs, they are a little cumbersome to carry with me at all times. My phone, however, is always by my side. As a result, in the short time I've had this app, I've fallen in love with it's ease of use and the ability to turn ordinary phone snapshots into something a little more unique. It's become a great way for me to document my everyday life, and now also, a great way to share my everyday life via my blog. I present to you, my first installment of Insta-Reflecting: May Edition.

- May - 
- Haircut - Taylor gets a pool and a pretty steady girlfriend, Chloe - Spotted a baby deer while on a walk in the Cook County Forest Preserve - NATO Summit - Memorial Day BBQs with pasta salad and margaritas - Hail storm - Graffiti on the El - Beautiful days and wandering downtown on my lunch hour - PRC Art Show (My print hangs in a gallery!) - Our roses bloomed -

That last photo I admit did not make it onto Instagram, but I love it so much that I had to share it. I took it on my way home one night after hanging out with my co-workers for an extended Happy Hour. I've said it many times, but I still believe I live in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.  Thankfully, Instagram and I are capturing more of it nowadays.

If you'd like to follow me on Instagram, you can find me @amysayre.

I used to come home from work every night to then sit on my laptop for a few hours. In fact at one point I remember making the declaration that I was going to institute a self rule that my computer must be off by 10 p.m. And it was a really hard rule to follow that rule. Mike was in the habit as well. So many nights we sat side by side on the couch, each on our respective laptop many times with the TV on as well. I called this dueling laptops.

Sometime around the start of this year, I stopped doing that. it was as if a switch flipped and the very last thing I wanted to do was spend one more minute staring at a computer screen, even if it meant being creative and sharing photos that I'm very proud of. I just didn't want to do it. And for the first time since I started this blog almost five years ago, maintaining it started to feel like a chore.

That is the last thing I ever wanted this blog to be. It was supposed to be a creative outlet, and suddenly I felt void of any creativity. Or the times when I did, I was simply to tired to put thought to keyboard. 

It was around this same time that my job became the most demanding thing in my life. I started working more and wanted nothing more than to come home and zone out. What little energy I had was spent making dinner, doing the dishes, staying on top of my laundry and every once in a while picking up the phone when my mom or sister called. I admit I dodged their calls way too often, but I was exhausted and didn't really have much to say beyond "I'm working a lot."

My work schedule is still in hyper drive, but I'm managing with it and finding ways to not let it become my life. And even though I'm finding more time, it doesn't mean it's being taken up by blogging. The more time goes by, the more I realize I am OK with that.

The truth is, I'm not really sure what to do with my little corner of the Internet any more. I started this blog with the intention of keeping an active, current record of my writing that I could hopefully turn into a freelance career some day. Those dreams have long since dissolved. This blog then in a somewhat surprising twist of fate became the thing that launched my photo career. But I'm not really sure how much I want to make this a blog strictly about my photography. And at the same time, if I do want to make this a blog about my photography, I need to spruce up my blog platform significantly. I read a ton of photo blogs and this one doesn't live up to the caliber of what I think of as a good photo blog. Also I am not really sure how much of my life I care to share with the world any more. As such, at the same time I've stopped blogging, I've also kind of stopped using Facebook. Oddly enough, I've become more of a Twitter user despite being adamant that I didn't see the point in it for so long (ahem Kelsa and Lexi).

What does this all mean? I don't know. This isn't some grand going away declaration. I'm not closing up shop over here. But I also can't say how often I plan on updating. Who knows, maybe now that I have this off my chest the ideas will start flowing. I just don't see that happening though. As much as I used to make sitting on my laptop a part of every night, I've now done the opposite. This isn't a part of my every night, and I'm not itching to make it that again.

I do want to say though that my 365 project is pressing on, so even if I'm not over here, I am still providing glimpses of my daily life over on Flickr.

Why Hello Again

Yes, yes I know. It's been a while (sorry mom). Even though I haven't been posting here, I have been diligently keeping on top of my photos of the day. I just haven't been very good about blogging them. Or anything else for that matter, including my fabulous trip to New Orleans.

It would take forever and a day at this point to post all my photo of the day photos, so instead I'll point you to days 38 to 57. They can be found here. Check out Day 43 in particular. That was an awesome day, one that will be hard to top.

I'll be back hopefully soon with photos from Naw'lins. It's definitely worth reminiscing about.

Checking One Item Off

I have a lot rolling around in my head right now, not that you would know this from my lack of posting. But I assure you these things are directly related. Blogging is on one of my many to do lists items, but the problem I'm having right now is navigating my many to do lists.

This time of year seems to be the time of lists. Lists of presents, packing lists, lists of the top songs and movies of the year, lists of groceries to buy for dinners to make and lists of New Year's resolutions. Possibly all this list making is ingrained in us at a young age, trying to determine if we've been included on Santa's good or naughty list. If so, it stuck really well with me. I am the queen to lists at the moment. Honestly, I don't know how parents, especially single moms, ever stay on top of life.

I recently downloaded an ink pad app for my phone. It functions as my very own virtual post-it note, which will forever remain a favorite place for my many to do lists. This app I should say is in addition to the To Do List Task Manager app I downloaded last month. Apparently one list making device was not enough. In full disclosure, I also use my calendar on my phone as a reminder of sorts. I am pretty sure the dog would never get his heart worm pill and our neighbors would never get their monthly rent for the parking spot Mike and I use were it not for reminders on my phone. So yes, three. I need no less than three phone apps to help me keep my life straight.

And still with all these list making functions and dinging reminders, I still let so much fall through the cracks. My nephew's birthday was last Tuesday. Were it not for an email from my mom the following day, I might have forgotten his birthday entirely. That's not something I'm proud of, but it's true. Also, today I finally made a long overdue dentist appointment. I was due for a six month check up in August. Instead I'll be going in early January. My good friend Yvonne, someone whom I enjoy talking to very, very much (and unfortunately lives many states away) I have meant to call since early fall. I have thought about calling her so many times, but never actually have. It always seems life gets in the way before that happens.

I think that's why I feel so frustrated right now and possibly why my blogging has been so sporadic. Blogging lately hasn't been about writing about what I'm feeling or seeing. It's been about posting what I feel I have to. And honestly, if I don't feel that I have to post anything then I have a hard justifying taking the time to write about what's on my mind. How can I when my to do list for any given night includes, among many other things, tending to laundry, returning email, making dinner, editing photos and returning long overdue phone calls to my mom. It seems that every night by the time I finish the things I feel obligated to do, I have about 20 minutes before I need to go to bed. And then I usually remember something I have forgotten to do that night which I inevitably put off until tomorrow bumping one or two of those things I was going to do tomorrow until the day after and so on and so on until months have gone by and I wonder where the time went.

This wasn't intended to be a confessional about my lack of blogging (or blog reading) but that's what it is. I do still really enjoy blogging. And I will continue to rearrange my to do list in order to share the things that are rolling around in my brain. I promise. It's on my to do list.

And just because this picture makes me laugh, here is a photo of my dog I meant to post months ago when Mike and I took him to our neighborhood Howl-o-ween parade.

HA! I swear he was not run over by a car, but that was probably the funniest possibly way he could have laid down. And in case you are wondering why he's wearing a football jersey, that was his costume for the doggie Halloween parade. (You know you love it Lexi!) And this next photo also is just because I meant to post it  back in October. It's our little family, minus the cats, which are pretty much like whiny, step children now that we have a dog.

OK, that's all for now. I'll be back. Hopefully soon. Please don't wander away too far.

Picture Perfect

As my little business grows I find myself constantly having to make decisions about how much to let it grow. One of those decisions came in the form of having somewhere more professional to display my work than Flickr. Sure, Flickr is nice, and I actually use it to upload most every photo that goes on this blog. But I also didn't like how public and unprofessional it felt.

I started toying with the idea a while ago about selling some of my travel photos on Etsy. And while I do think Etsy is a great place to do that, logistically it just didn't make sense for me. I'd still need to find someone to print my photos and then find an easy way to ship them.

Enter Zenfolio. I now have a print site that is hosted by Zenfolio.

The beauty of Zenfolio is that I can upload and display my photos, but I can also sell professional, high quality prints from it. I've started using it as a way for my clients to preview their photos online. And yesterday, I got my very first ever print order from it. That was thrilling to say the least. I have officially sold prints! It also allows me to change the settings so people can download their photos directly from my site. This has made the single biggest difference in my little business because I don't burn CDs anymore (I hate CDs), and I no longer have to wait in line at the post office to mail out CDs (I hate the post office).

I also like Zenfolio because it give me a platform to sell prints of my non-photo shoot photos. The stuff I snap here and there that catches my eye. That used to be the only type of photography I posted on this blog, but my how times have changed. I still take those types of photos, and I still want to share them. I hope to start posting them more regularly on my print site, and when I do, I'll let you know. But what you could do to help me out is let me know if I'm missing anything. I put my favorites in the art prints section of my Zenfolio site, but I know I'm missing some. So if you have ever seen a photo on this site that you would like to see on my print site, let me know in the comments. And if you think you might want to purchase any of my prints, let me know. I might have a little discount code for you. Yeah, my print site does that too.

So without further ado, please go check out my print site, found here.

I took the following photo a Galen and Kristin's wedding. It's currently the desktop photo on my laptop, and guess what? It's going on my print site.

A Photo Collection Unlike This Blog Has Ever Seen

I have featured countless photos other people on this blog. I thought today I might turn the tables on myself. I'm not in front of the camera often (I prefer hiding behind the lens) but I happened into a windfall of photos when I was home last weekend.

My mom handed me a stack of photos from various family events over the past few years that were mine to keep. It seems I can't escape her lens. And it also seems that her lens does not like me. I present to you a collection of ugly and embarrassing photos of me. Please keep in mind that I had to scan these pictures because my mom gave me hard copy prints so the quality isn't so great. Please also keep in mind that my mom thought these photos were print-worthy.

Up first, Christmas 2008:

I am in the top right corner of this photo, looking very uncertain of things - mom's camera? Dinner? My crazy nephew in front? Who knows.

March 2009:

My mom, sister and I went to a friend's play in Stockbridge when I was home that weekend. I apparently brought my fake smile and crazy eyes on the trip.

May 2009:

I stole my nephew's bike and took it for a joy ride. I am that kind of aunt. I actually love this picture. I only wish you could see my face and the child's helmet I'm wearing a bit better. The scan doesn't do it justice.

The next three photos are all from my friend Dorrie's wedding last September. I had a great time at this wedding, but these picture will lead you to believe otherwise.

Two things I feel I need to clarify: 1) I love Mike very much and do not think I was angry with him when this photo was taken and 2) I am not a mouth-breather.

We like to call ourselves the Selma Street gang. (Our hands are spelling the letter S in case you can't tell). According to the faces of the other members in this gang, our gang is nice and friendly. According to my face, I'll cut a bitch.

This last one is my favorite and it's a shame it didn't scan better. This photo was taken right after my solo violin performance was over. I was happy and relieved. Yet this photo captures a very different Amy. This Amy has a machine gun in her violin case and isn't afraid to use it.

These photos makes me question what my face looks like on an average day. I don't think I generally walk around with my mouth open, with a crazy smile plastered face and certainly not like I am plotting other people's demise. But with the high percentage of crazy looks my mom was able to capture with her camera I am second guessing that. So I guess what I'm saying is if I pass you on the street and I look mean or crazy, please know that's apparently just what my face looks like. It must run in the family.

This is my parents on New Years Eve this past year. I can't really tell what my dad's about to do here, but I'm guessing they had a pretty fun night.

I love you mom!

A Little Bit Of This And A Little Bit of That

This post is not an attempt to be witty or insighful or really even coherent. This is a post I am writing simply to fill the time it will take for my dinner to roast.

I am making salmon and roasted carrots. They should be delicious. And they should be done in a matter of 15 minutes. So what can I tell you in the next 15 minutes? Well a few things.

First, this weekend was the official Chicago St. Patty's Day celebration. And if you have never heard of my town's St. Patty's Day celebrations let me tell you they are Legen - wait for it! - DARY. We even dye the river green. See here. Sadly, yesterday was not as nice as the day in that photo. It was dark and rainy, but that doesn't really stop anyone from going out. It's almost as it its Chicago's Groundhog's Day. Practically the entire city comes out of hibernation, hoping to see its collective shadow. But even if we don't, there's still a giant freaking party. Mike and I did our part. We left home at 9 a.m. and didn't return until after 6 p.m. We visited three different establishments, drank green beer, heard an Irish band and partook in some silliness on the el.

It was a job well done.

Now it's Sunday night though, and my mind is drifting toward all I need to do tomorrow at work. And honestly, some of what I should do tonight. I didn't leave work until 6 p.m. on Friday despite having enough work to stay another couple hours. But I just couldn't. I was spent and hoping I'd be able to finish one project this weekend. I have not yet. See St. Patty's Day paragraph above for reasons why. Despite all my work, I still will tell anyone who asks that yes, I do love my new job.

I took some photos to CVS today for prints. They turned out like crap. I didn't think they'd be great, but they look terrible. I had them printed as a gift for a friend. CVS ruined my gift. I am growing increasingly frustraated with my lack of photo printing options. So much so that I'm considering buying my own printer and just doing them myself. I'm not usually this much of a control freak, but I'm not happy with anywhere that prints my photos. I might just take matters into my own hands.

Also on the photorgaphy front, I've spotted the next lens I want to buy. Given the number of shoots I have coming up in the next four weeks, this purchase would be completely paid for. And then some.

Mike and I made an impulse purchase at Sears today. We bought an old school Orville Redenbacher popcorn air popper. I have never been so excited to eat popcorn in my entire life.

Speaking of eating, my food is done. I'm hungry. Later gators.

Just Call Me Poe

I'd like to write a blog post

but I have nothing much to say.

I'd like to post a picture,

something that would brighten your day.

At the bottom of this page,

I did update my photo stats.

However all the photos I took this weekend

were only of my cats.

I have lots of things planned

for next Saturday and Sunday.

A photo event, a book reading,

and a photo shoot with a little beh-bay.

But as for now, the most I can offer

are these few measly, little lines.

You probably notice I haven't said much.

But hey, at least it rhymes.

Hope you all had a good weekend! Did you do anything poem-worthy?

A Quarter For My Troubles

Mike and I took our extra weekend day to get in some Wisconsin skiing. We went to Cascade Mountain, which is where Mike and I skied the day after Christmas. The mountain was just as good - all the runs were open and the sun never came out and rendered us blind. However, as good as the skiing was I think I'll remember the weekend more for this thing.

The night before we went skiing, Mike and I, and couple friends of ours had hotel rooms by the mountain and empty stomachs. We set off for the booming mecca of downtown Portage in search of nourishment. We walked into three bars before we found one that served food and had TVs. These were our requirements. The bar we settled into was a pretty typical Portage watering hole. It was wood paneled and crawling with regulars, some who looked like extras from a ZZ Top video. But it did have games. Lot and lots of games. We played darts (the boys won - boo!) and some pinball. Those paled in comparison however to the quarter game (pictured above).

You see the quarters in that machine? I think Nicole and I added about half of them that night. We tried it, first putting the spare change we had in our wallets into the machine. Unfortunately that's what got us hooked. The sound of the quarters dropping was intoxicating. You see, there were two slots for quarters and two little wheels that would spin the quarters we dropped. Once the quarter dropped we hoped it would push enough quarters from the first level (which also had a $10, $20 and $50 dollar bill) that it would knock quarters from the second level down to us. We got good enough at timing the wheel spins that we started getting some quarters coming back to us. I couldn't tell you though how many we won.

Like these six quarters that we won (probably after feeding 15 into the game). They were immediately put back into the game to try and garner us more winnings. That is what we did with all our winnings. Put them back into the game.

The next morning as we were reliving our night in the Wisconsin townie bar, Nicole and I tried to figure out how much money we spent. We stopped counting after we realized we may have put $30 into it. OK, actually $40. It's not all our fault though. Our men at one point brought us a $10 roll of quarters. And then they brought another. Nicole and I sis walk away at one point. Just when we thought we had successfully slipped from its grip, she spotted a quarter on the ground. We of course had to play it. And as I did, I jammed up one of the slots. We didn't even stop then. There was still one working slot. I think we only finally quit because we couldn't find any more quarters in our purses and our men, sensing, our crippling addiction stopped bringing us quarter rolls. We were cut off. And it was a good thing.

Um but skiing... skiing was fun. I'm glad we went.

And I'm glad I don't have a quarter game in my home because I'm pretty sure I'd be playing that instead of writing this blog post right now.

Just Like Us

Remember when I was in California and wanted to see a celebrity? And despite the entire state being lousy with them, I didn't see a single one? Yeah, well life is a little funny. Within a one week span beginning Friday, October 16, I had two celebrity sightings. And I was nowhere near California.

The first was in Chicago. Mike and I saw the play Million Dollar Quartet last Friday. We knew the actor playing Johnny Cash and scored some free tickets as a result. As a side note, I must say that if you live in Chicago or are visiting Chicago GO SEE THIS SHOW. It is nothing short of spectacular.

We were waiting in the lobby for our actor friend to emerge from backstage when one of the extended members of our group came back from the restroom and announced Elliott Gould had been in the stall next to him. I am a bit ashamed to say I didn't know Elliott Gould by name. His major acting contributions were a bit before my time. It wasn't until someone said, "You know, Monica's dad on Friends" that I though OOOOOOOHHHHHH. I have watched every single episode of Friends approximately 1,002 times so I then knew who Elliott Gould was. When he stepped into the crowded lobby I spotted him right away. He's pretty tall so even though he was on the other side of the room, he was hard to miss. And then he was gone. But for those few moments we shared a lobby it was exciting! I promise.

This past weekend at the Hilton Head wedding, my brush with fame was a bit more prolonged. Going in I knew there was a possibility of a celebrity sighting. Mike has told me before that the groom's brother is dating the funniest female character on SNL - Kristen Wiig. As we took our seats in the church on Saturday, I looked and there she was sitting a few rows in front of me. But we didn't just see her at the church. She was a part of every event that weekend, from the ceremony, to the reception to the post reception after party to the Sunday morning brunch. However, throughout the entire weekend I couldn't think of anything I had to say to her, so I didn't. My claim to fame though can be this: after the reception, her parents gave Mike and I a ride back to the hotel in their car. They were incredibly nice. Kristen seemed incredibly nice too. I probably would have found that out first hand had I been able to muster the courage to just start talking. But I couldn't. I honestly reverted back to junior high school Amy. The girl who didn't think she had anything interesting to say and froze up completely around the cool kids.

Regardless of my inability to actually speak to any celebrities, I found my brushes with fame none the less exciting. It's just not all the common in the Midwest to see famous people. But if I have learned anything it's that celebrities are just like us (thanks People magazine). They also live and visit places outside of California and I should probably keep my eyes open for them more often. Or I should just continue living my life normally and stop caring about such things.

Looking Up

Ways in which my mood has improved since my last post:

- Our tub is draining. (Yeah team plunging effort!)
- I will be going to bed after I finish this post so I can get up and work out tomorrow morning. (Yeah exercise!)
- Mike loved his birthday presents. (Yeah for knowing my man!)
- I still haven't caught Mike's illness and my headache has gone away. (Yeah immune system!)
- I took some photos tonight. None of which I have uploaded to my computer, but a simple shutter release made me feel better. (Yeah photography!)

Still a problem, stupid whiny cats. Ah well. Such is life.

So what's been occupying my mind now? Home redecoration. Mike and I have been talking housing options lately and whether we stay or whether we go, we'll need to do upgrades. I have turned to the one design source that simultaneously inspires and intimidates me - Apartment Therapy. My home looks no where near as good anything on this site, but maybe I can make some minor improvements. For starters, Mike and I will be doing some rearranging of our furniture this weekend. If it's not a complete disaster, I may be showing our improvements on this here blog.

Verbal Diarrhea

These are the thoughts that have been circling my mind as of late. I can't get beyond them to put up anything decent on my blog, so I'm hoping that if I just put them out there I can mentally move on.

In no particular order:

Our tub may never drain regularly again. My hair is no match for our drain. It's no match for a lot of drains. It's a shame because I don't like taking showers in standing water.

I've got a photo shoot coming up in two weekends. I'm excited for it but incredibly nervous for the weather. If it snows, which it very well could, I have no back up plan. And my friend is driving from Wisconsin.

My home would be so much cleaner without cats. And I'd never have to wake up to whiny meows. I hate waking up to whiny meows.

I haven't played my violin since the wedding. I am afraid with nothing to work for, I'm going to let my skills skip. I need to stop being so lazy.

Speaking of being lazy, I wonder if I will every find a workout routine I will actually stick with. I'm having a hard time waking up in the mornings, but I can't bring myself to go at night. Turns out I like my daily routine sans gym. I however do not like my waistline sans gym. I do not know how to reconcile these two facts.

Mike's birthday is in two days. I hope he likes his presents. I always stress about getting presents people will actually like. He'll like them. I think. I hope.

I make some darn good lemon poppy seed bread. Two weekends ago, I found some poppy seeds in my and Mike's spices cupboard. I say cupboard and not rack because we have way too many spices. They take up a cupboard, and I'm constantly amazed at the random spices I find in there. Last weekend, I found lemon peel in our spill over spice cupboard (yes, it's that bad). I now feel compelled to make lemon poppy seed bread until these spices are gone. One batch down, dozens to go.

I am voluntarily watching Monday night football. And I enjoy it. This is new.

I went for a walk on Sunday afternoon to a nearby neighborhood for shopping and some photos. I bought a necklace and a bracelet but did not take any photos. This is the second time in the past few weeks I've done this. Everything I read about becoming a better photographer says you need to shoot, shoot, shoot. I know this and yet apparently don't actually follow this advice. Photos should take priority over accessorizing.

Mike's been sick for a little over a week now. I never caught what he had, but I've been much more tired that normal. And I've got a headache. I've had it since yesterday when I ran into the back hatch of Mike's car with my noggin. Be that a lesson to you all: when walking around to the back of a car, make sure the hatch of the car has gone all the way up before rounding the corner.

I may go to bed now. It will alleviate at least two of my concerns - my sleepiness and my headache. Sadly though, it means I'll be waking up to whiny cats in no time at all.

So tell me, what's been on your mind lately?

Scheduling Mishaps

As I sit here on my couch with eyes dilated, injection sites in my arms, a band aid square on my back and a temporary filling in my tooth, I've realized something: I really should have spaced out my doctor's appointments.

It started a month ago when I realized I was overdue for my yearly medical check up. I also realized I never made that dermatology appointment I meant to years ago. On top of that, I had been wondering for a while if I could blame allergies for the general congestion I'd been feeling for the past few months. So decided to take yesterday off work and scheduled those two appointments - one in the morning, one in the afternoon.

I already had scheduled my appointment for my tooth filling and last week I ran out of contacts, so on top of everything, I now had to go to the eye doctor. The soonest appointment they could give me was this afternoon. I didn't actually plan on all of these visits falling within the same 36 hour period, but due to my doctor's availability, that's exactly what happened.

I hadn't thought much of the timing. In fact I was kind of comforted by the fact that I could just get all this over with. It wasn't until I was sitting in the dentist chair this morning that I started to regret my scheduling.

About a half hour into my 8 a.m. dentist appointment all was not well. After four numbing shots to my gums and several attempts at drilling my tooth, my dentist and I gave up. My tooth had formed a little sink hole and the nerve that was exposed would not get numb. It was painful, very painful. A pain that I certainly wasn't prepared to deal with on an empty stomach so early on a morning. The fact that I opted to visit with out of town friends the previous night until 1:30 a.m. probably didn't help either.

I'm heading back in a few weeks to get a permanent filling put in. I hope the tooth takes to the numbing medication because I'd really hate a repeat of this morning's visit. Even if it does go terribly, I can at least take solace that it will be the only doctor's visit I will have that day.

I will say after having gone through all these appointments, I did learn a lot about myself. For instance:
- My general practitioner was right. The mole on my back was suspicious. Suspicious enough that my dermatologist hacked it off on the spot. I'll find out in a week if it's cancerous, even though neither of my doctors suspect it is.
- I may have gotten a mole removed from my back, but I was informed by my eye doctor that I have a mole on my left eye, under my eye lid. Did you know people can have eye moles, because I certainly did not. It felt very yin and yang. Lose a mole on my back Friday, gain one on my eye Saturday.
- My vision has not changed. Whoopie! That's a first in years. Usually it gets slightly worse with every visit. It's still crap, but at least it's not crappier.
- I totally had more than pre-cavities. Once my dentist got in and started drilling, one of my teeth practically caved in. She described it as a small crack turning into a sink hole. And then she showed me a picture of the crater in my tooth. Let's just say I'm surprised I didn't have an echo every time I talked. That's what she's working on when I go back.
- I am not allergic to anything. I let the allergist prick my arms up and down with needles and nothing, no reaction to any of them. All I could think as I sat there, my unresponsive arms making a mockery of me is "Huh. I didn't know I was a hypochondriac."
- I am very healthy person, and I really should stop torturing myself with all this preventative modern medicine.

I Wish I Knew Why

I told myself when I came home tonight I was going to work out. Instead after having stuffed my face with food and rested for a bit, I find myself sitting on the couch watching Wipeout. Really, I was going to work out and then somehow I found this show and haven't managed to do anything except watch Wipeout.

I ask you this, why is it so funny to see other people injure themselves?

This show's basic premise is to get the maximum number of people to smack into slippery, rotating foam objects. They've mastered it because just about everyone face plants at minimum three times a minute. I remember watching America's Funniest Home Videos when I was young. This was the original with Bob Saget (before he developed his severe potty mouth), and I simply couldn't get enough of it. I would laugh and laugh and laugh at dad's getting hit in the nuts with bats, at grandpas falling off their chairs and at people playing mean pranks on one another in the shower. My grandma used to watch my sister and me watching this show, and her comment was always the same. "Why is it so funny watching other people get hurt?" I never did know the answer. As I watch Wipeout tonight, I learned I still don't know why it is so funny, but darn it, it still is.

Blah

It's been a while since I wrote. But sadly that's about the only observation I can think to share. Nothing terribly interesting has happened to me as of late (not even during my day flight home to Michigan last weekend) and my creativity seems to be in a deep slumber at the moment. So until I actually do something worth writing about or my creativity decides to wake up, I'm afraid this is all I have.

I at least wanted to let you, my dear readers, know I am still alive lest you think my last post was some terrible foreshadowing. Rest assured I have not plummeted to my death in an elevator shaft.

Between Ten and Twenty-Nine

I rushed out of work yesterday hoping I didn't leave too late to catch the 6:44 train home. I stepped on the elevator and sighed, as I always do, when it stopped three floors below to let on another passenger. My office is on the 50th floor, so both coming and going to work sometimes takes longer than I expect.

Thankfully, the bank of elevators I take is express from the lobby to 10th floor, and then the 10th through 29th, and 29th through the 39th floors. It's really only those 11 floors between 39 and 50 that delay me because it's a rarity that the elevators stop on 10 or twenty-nine. And I long ago gave up leaving right at 5:00 p.m. It takes forever just to get to the 40th floor.

Once my fellow passenger got on, the doors closed and we began our descent past the 39th floor. I was thankful it was express from there to the lobby. I'd have to walk fast, but I'd have plenty of time to catch my train.

But then the elevator started to unsteadily slow.

And then it stopped.

And then the electronic floor indicator flashed "10". But the doors didn't open.

And then it flashed "29". But we hadn't moved.

And then it flashed "--". So I started to get a little nervous.

My fellow passenger and I looked at one another. He expressed his frustration at being stuck and kept pushing the button for the lobby, hoping that could give us momentum in one direction or another.

Nothing. It wouldn't do anything. The button wouldn't light up. Nothing registered. We just sat there in the elevator hoovering somewhere between 10 and twenty-nine.

I've heard stories of my co-workers getting stuck in the elevators. One of my fellow paralegals was once stuck between 50 and 51 for four hours - on a Sunday. It seems not a week goes by that the maintenance crew isn't working on an elevator in my firm's lobby. It's the price we pay for the penthouse view. Well that and probably the actual rental price for the penthouse view.

As I and my fellow elevator passenger hung there in the balance, I momentarily thought about free falling anywhere from 10 to 29 stories. I didn't want to go there, but that's where my brain went. Really, I reasoned, it didn't matter. The 19 floor difference wouldn't factor because the first 10 floors would be enough to do me in. I became acutely aware of the slightest sensation of movement at my feet. And then because I didn't want my fellow passenger watch me begin to freak the 'eff out, I pushed the emergency response button.

A women with a very kind-sounding voice responded immediately and asked what the problem was. I explained our lack of movement. She apologized and then worked her magic. The elevator slowly began to rise.

"You should see the doors open in a moment," she said over the intercom.

Sure enough, the elevator stopped on 41, the doors opened and I explained to the nice elevator lady that all seemed to be working just fine now, thank you. She apologized again and our elevator descended once again to the lobby. My fellow passenger and I both said we hoped we would be able to make our respective trains after this untimely delay. As he and I finally exited the elevator I wished him good luck in catching his train, but honestly what I really wanted to say was "HOLY MOTHER OF ALL THAT IS GOOD I AM SO GLAD WE'RE ON THE GROUND!" I guess making my train was good enough.

What About Number Two?

I am continually amazed at the web sites that people create. Aside from a few sentences or a properly cropped photograph, I just don't think I'm all that creative. Especially when it comes to naming things. It's quite surprising that to this day Oscar is "Oscar" and not "My Cat."

I once had a teddy bear that I absolutely loved. I remember looking at it for a long time and not being able to think of anything suitable to name it. After a while I decided on Gund, which was not coincidentally the name of the bear's manufacturer. Seriously, the name was affixed to the bear in the form of a little plastic tag. I never removed that tag because, you know, that was his name. My bear came with his own name tag! And you're welcome Gund for all the years of free advertising my unoriginality gave you.

But back to these Web sites and other people's creativity. In my years of blogging, I've stumbled across a lot of good Web sites via other people's blogs. These aren't Web sites that will make the world a better place but they'll probably make you laugh, like this one, and this one, and this one, this one and of course there's this one, oh and this one, and I'm not gonna lie I check this one several times a day. And someone told me about this one once.

Every so often though, I'll hear about a Web site that just makes me say, "Huh? I can't believe someone thought of that." Like today, when I was listening to NPR. There was a four-minute segment with the creator of RunPee.com. It's a Web site dedicated to informing movie goers of the most opportune times during a movie to... use the facilities. I don't see movies in the theater a lot, so I doubt I'll use this Web site often. If I were a regular movie goer though, it would be worth a quick glance before catching a flick. I guess either that or not ordering a double big gulp.

Any one else got some creative Web sites they'd like to share?