End of the 30 Day Challenge-Self Portriate

We have come to the end of the 30 Day photography challenge! I have learned more about my camera and photography during the last 30 days than I have for the few years that I have owned my trusty Nikon. Today's assignment: Self Portriat-


I admit, I took these the two days ago. I have company so I don't have a lot of time to set up the camera and take pictures of myself. "Sorry guys, I know you are visiting from out of town but I can't go to Barton Springs with you. I have to photograph myself, edit the photos, and then post them on my blog."
Hahaha! Can you imagine?

Ok, here is one I took today....to make it official:
My hand holding a mighty cone.

If you live in Austin or are ever traveling through, you should really try the Might Cone in the trailer park eatery. So yummy!

I want to thank the lovely and talented Kimberly June for letting me know about this challenge. A group of bloggers joined her in the challenge and she posted everybody's daily photos on her blog. It was really neat to see them all in one place. You should visit her blog and check them out.

Black and White

This is on my mantle piece.

It's a squirrel (that I made out of a glove) inside a bird cage. What, you don't have stuffed animals in cages on your mantle?

Flower

Ahh the Stargazer Lily. My favorite flower.
Dale and I had only been dating for a few weeks before he had to temporarily move to a different city (6 hours away) for a summer internship. We both had just gotten out of long term relationships and I did not know if it was a good idea to jump right into a long distance one. The first week that Dale was away, he sent me a beautiful bouquet of flowers--stargazer lilies, roses, and irises. He also sent me a roundtrip ticket to Dallas so that I could visit him.

I went to Dallas and Dale spoiled me. We went out to eat, to see live music (Buddy Guy), and to various places like the West End and Deep Ellum. We had the most fun hanging out in his parent's back yard and talking. We would talk for hours.....just getting to know each other.

When I took the plane back to Lubbock, I knew that I was in another relationship. The long distance part was only for a few months. I could wait....and I did.

My wedding bouguet was made up of Stargazer Lilies.

They smell divine!

From a Distance

I think landscapes would be the ideal subject for a photo that is to be taken "from a distance." A majestic mountain looks as beautiful far away as it does up close. Seeing that it is 6:45 and I am still in my bathrobe, I don't think I will be venturing out to take any grand landscape shots. Instead, I positioned myself at the edge of my living room and took pictures of my dogs gazing out the front window located on the oposite end. Here is Dale's favorite:

Charlie decided to walk away in the middle of the shot.
Dale says it's much more interesting than the other ones you are about to see.

I am partial to this one for the color:


And this one for the perspective:


In other news:
I think Charlie has vitiligo. He has always had a loss of pigment on his nose but we have recently noticed this de-pigmented area just below his nose:

It is possible that he had a scab there that we did not notice and what you see is the new skin. I don't think that is the case. I mean, I really think we would notice if he had a scab. The area looks really pink in the picture but is more muted in real life. Dale found out that dachshunds are one of the breeds that commonly inherits vitiligo.

Do you know who else had vitiligo?
Michael Jackson.

Close Up

That right there is the tip of a new rubber tree leaf, about to unfurl.
We have had this plant for a very long time. I want to say somewhere between 8-10 years. It keeps growing, and growing, and growing.

Here is the new leaf from a different view:


The thing is too heavy for me to move. We ought to put it on wheels so Dale does not have to risk throwing his back out every time there is a freeze (causing him to bring the plant inside).

It's a beast!


But we love it.

Pink

I did not have high hopes for today's photo assignment. I thought, "what in the hell do I own that is pink?" Not much. I do have a soft pink traveling jewelry box. I took some photos of that, but they were not very interesting. Not very pink. Then, I saw the bougainvillea:


The purple object providing the beautiful background is a "gazing ball." It was on the clearance rack at my local T.J. Maxx. I love it...even though it sort of looks like a bowling ball.
The bougainvillea is not doing so well. Dale swears that it only blooms a few days out of the year. These blooms are on their way out.

Since I mentioned it, here is the jewelry box:

Pretty boring.

Thank goodness for wilting pink bougainvillea!

Animal

I have two dogs, but Charlie is the most photogenic:

Often, he will show his little teeth and that just cracks me up.

Charlie came to us by way of The Central Texas Dachshund Rescue. He had been in 3 or 4 different foster homes before he came to us. Poor fella had been through a lot, which may explain his...ahem... unique personality. When we first got Charlie, and for several months afterwards, he displayed some peculiar behavior. For instance, he was a hoarder. I know I have written about this before, so I will be brief. I think Charlie had anxiety problems and the hoarding was somehow related to that. He would hoard anything and everything he could get his teeth on. His hoarding spot was under the bed and I would have to clean it out every month. I would find contact solution, tissues, shoes, baseball caps, socks, bras, paper, etc. He loved going under the bed every night to spend time with his things. We would hear him under the bed chewing on things, grumbling, and shifting around.

It was funny/crazy/strange.

With every passing day, I could tell Charlie's anxiety was slowly going away. Now, he does not hoard at all. Yes, he still has to spend alone time under the bed every night but he is not rolling around in stolen laundry.

Thank goodness. I love that Charlie.

Cooper is as cool as a cucumber:

No anxiety here. This is a well balanced canine.

Sunflare

Not my favorite pic, but it will do.

My shadow:

"What's up, stretch?"

In Other News:
You should read Tina Fey's book, Bossy Pants. It is maybe the funniest book I have ever read in my entire life.

Um.....I guess that is all. Man, it's a slow blog day.

Hands

We are on day 22 of the 30 day photography challenge. Today's subject is hands. Specifically, Dale's hands.


Dale has the softest hands in the world. You think you have soft hands? You're wrong. Your hands feel like sandpaper next to Dale's.

Dales hands are extra large. He can open a pickle jar faster than you can open your eyes.

His fingertips are squishy like a marshmallow.

He let's me pop his knuckles and for that I am grateful.

I love popping knuckles...even toe knuckles.

The first time Dale's hands held my hands I felt an actual spark pass from his fingertips to mine. I knew I was in trouble after that.

He felt it too.

Faceless Self-Portriat

I had to really think about what I was going to do for today's photo assignment. I thought I might just focus on my hands, or feet, or knees....but I need a mani/pedi and my knees are not all that interesting.

So, you get another shot of me with a hula-hoop. It really is fitting seeing as how I love my hoop. I exercise with it quite frequently, especially in the summer.

Why yes, that is a Harry Nilsson record (Son of Schmilsson) on the floor next to my record player. It's a radio copy that we bought at a thrift store. There is a big sticker on the front that lists the song title and length. "Don't Play" is written in big letters next to "Take 54" and "You're Breakin' My Heart." If you know these songs, you know why they are not "suitable" for air play. If you don't know these songs, you should probably go and get this record

Back to today's project-
Here is a pic to go along with the assignment if you took "Faceless Self-Portriat" in the most literal definition:

Bwa-ha-ha! I look like a pod person that did not finish developing.


In Other News:
My good buddy Miss Bee had all of her wisdom teeth removed. The lower half of her face swelled up to elephant man proportions and the bruising was epic. Poor Bee. It was very unfortunate for her that she won 2 tickets to attend last nights Austin City Limits taping of Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears during this time of pain and face distortion.

Her misfortune is my good fortune because she gifted the passes to Dale and I. Bee, I owe you one!

Here are a few pics:


Here Dale and I sit outside of the ACL Bar, waiting for the show to start. At their old studio, they would give you free beer. Now, you pay $11.00 for a regular sized bud light and one tall boy. Sheesh!

Once we got into the studio we found a great place on the floor. Minutes later, we ran into a few friends and they joined us at our spot. Running into these two made the night twice as fun. Kim and Ryan know how to do it to it.

Dale took all of the following pics with my point and shoot. He was not allowed to use the flash. Still, they came out pretty good!

There is not a bad seat in the new studio. It's pretty awesome.


I have never seen a telecaster like this before:

Red body, Red Neck, Red Headstock. Very nice.

The Relatives came out and did a few songs with Black Joe and his Honeybears:

Let me tell you something...they TORE the ROOF off the PLACE!


When they performed "You've Been Lying" I could not help but dance and throw my hands in the air. My eyes got big and I would throw a look at Dale that said, "Is this for real?" I can't wait to see the show air. I'll find out when that is going to happen and let you know because you MUST witness that performance.

Must.

Bokeh

What is bokeh? It's today's photo assignment.

This website explains it for you. But you don't have to go there if you don't want to. Here is their explanation in short:
"It's a Japanese word for blurring and refers to a pleasing aesthetic quality to the out-of-focus areas of a photo."

Bokeh........I got this.



These are my rooster and hen figurines that I like to think represent Dale and I. He is the cock, obviously. I am the fat, little hen.

Nobody wants a skinny hen, bub. They make for shitty eggs.

Orange

Photo assignment: Orange.


That's what you get, sucka!

Orange rimmed sunglasses!

Blah! I just am not the biggest fan of orange. Not much orange in my house. Not even an orange mouse. I don't own an orange blouse.

K, gotta go. Dale and I are pickin' and-a-singing right now.
That looks like this:

Mmmmmmmmm....now Dale's talking about goin' on down to the Clay Pit and eatin' up some Indian food!

Bye!

Shoes

Today's photo assignment is shoes, and since I could not pick a favorite pair to photograph I chose a category of shoe.

Is that correct? "a category of shoe?"

Ladies and gentleman, I give you........



CONVERSE ALL STARS!



And now, a conversation I had with Dale:

(scene: I was bringing all of my Converse, stored in their plastic shoe boxes, into the living room.)

Dale: "are you going to take a picture of all of those together?"

Sarah: "yes, the photography topic of the day is shoes."

Dale: "But are you going to photograph all of them in one shot?"

Sarah: "Yes."

Dale: "People are gonna think you're rich."

Sarah: "What? Why?"

Dale: "How many pairs of Cons do you have?"

Sarah: (counts) "nine."

Dale: "Who has nine pairs of Converse?"

Sarah: "You're right, I need 1 more pair to even it out to 10."

*I only paid full price for one pair of those shoes (black ones) and I have been collecting them for YEARS!

Technology

I love my iPad 2. I am always looking for the best apps that I can use with my students. I'm telling you, every speech language pathologist should have one of these bad boys. It will change the way you prepare for a session. I only wish they had these back when I was in grad school. I could have saved so much time! See, back in 2007, we had to make many of our therapy materials. It took a lot of time that could have been used for studying drinking beer.

Ah, technology...enabling college students more time to drink on a daily basis.


Here is my blooper shot:

I accidentally hit the screen and brought up my thumbnails.
Also, the framing is all wrong.

In other news:
I am in pain RIGHT NOW but my appointment with my doctor is not until Tuesday. Ice packs, don't fail me now.
Stupid steroid shot wore off....quite some time ago. I don't know if I want another one seeing as how the first one was so short lived. I read that having too many in a short period of time can actually damage the structures you are trying to fix. Great.

I saw Super 8 and loved it! It's a must see on the big screen. Very entertaining....all that you want in a summer blockbuster. I want to adopt the pyro kid with the braces and the overbite.

I purchased True Blood Season 3. We are going to have a marathon watching party up in here! The party consists of myself, my husband, and my dogs. They love Sookie.

Long Exposure

For today's photo assignment, I thought that I would take a photo of a record spinning.


So I did, obviously:

Wish I had a tiny LED light to place on the record. That would have been cool.

As I was taking the photo at various shutter speeds, I got so into the music that I decided to bust out my hula hoops.

I look like a ghost. In fact, If I die in this house I plan on haunting it by hula hooping while guests are over. They will be standing around the living room and feel a chilly breeze as my ghost hoop brushes by their waist.

Muah-ha-ha-haaaaaaa!

Silhouette

Today's post marks day 15 of the photography challenge. I am halfway through, folks!

Unfortunately, I did not have much time for today's shoot. It's not too bad...


but I could have done better given more time. We are leaving Las Vegas today so I was (am) in a hurry.

I did not bring my tripod with me so this is what I used instead:


I am excited to get back home. I miss my damn dogs.

Eyes

Bright, clean, eyes:


Dirty, grimy, smokey eyes...er, that is to say.....EYE:

Thanks for the line, True Grit.

In other news:
My dad is out of the hospital. He will have to get a heart MRI and then they can look at scheduling his surgery.

My mom got out of the hospital yesterday. She is breathing easier, thank goodness!

Bobby Flay's restaurant, MESA is sickening. I mean that in a good way. You know, the way the youngsters use that word. Seriously though, I have been there three times now. Twice for meals and once for drinks. I would go there again for dinner tonight if Dale said the word. (The word is "ok.")

Thirteen

Everything is expensive at Caesars Palace and it's pissing me off!

Here I am with 13 of the 24 Aleve caplets that came in the bottle I purchased at the little giftshop in Caesars. The bottle of 24 cost me $10.27. When I handed the Cashier lady my $20.00 to pay for the pills, she asked if I had .27 cents in change. I said "no". She said, "you don't?" I shook my head. She gave me my change and I walked away.

I totally had .27 cents in change. I was just being an ass because the Aleve cost so much! I'm really mad at myself because I forgot my ibuprofen at home!

This morning, I bought a large latte, add sugar free syrup, a yogurt parfait, and a newspaper. This cost me around $18.00.

*gulp*

I need to bum a ride to a grocery store so I can stock up on various food items and sundries.

Bonus 13 pic:

Here are 13 of the little snack items that came in the room. Cookies, coffee, condoms, corn popped), cashews, candy, etc. There are also plenty of tiny bottles of rum, vodka, whiskey, and beer. Probably some champagne in there as well. I'm trying to stay out of the mini fridge. Talk about expensive!!

Sunset

I'm in Las Vegas.
This was the best I could do for a "sunset" photo (taken from my hotel window). The sun is technically going down in this photo...just not the pretty horizon shot full of pink and orange hues that I had imagined.

What can I say? Vegas!

I'll have more time for photos tomorrow.

Adios muchacha! Ayeyaiyai! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii hai hai hai!

Something Blue

My favorite "Blue" song- Dr. Dog's I Only Wear Blue

Video by Frank Weysos (Tour Footage, duh). You better believe I was at one of those shows during that tour. Stubb's Outdoors in Austin, TX. I highly recommend you attend a Dr. Dog show. I hear they are working on a new album now, so a tour can't be too far in the future.

And Lyrics:
I'm all bottled up
Floating in the deep blue
And you're an open book
Anyone could read you
I'm losing my voice
Barking up the wrong tree
When you can't be yourself
There's just too much to be

Let's get on with it
You have got too much time
And I don't want to stay here
Where the sun don't ever shine.

So say the word and open up the blinds

Well it came like a dream
But it went just as fast
Like a dream
Left out in the trash

She said "I know what you mean,
But I don't know who you are.
Ah, we're just two of many; fractions of a part.
Ah, we're just two of many; fractions of a part.

They said it couldn't be done,
But you went out and did it.
But it was more than you were looking for it
And there ain't no way to get it

I'm only guilty, I admit it
I'm only guilty, I...

Excuse me, Forgive me.
I only wear blue.
Excuse me. Forgive me.
I only wear blue.
Excuse me.

A Childhood Memory

One of my favorite memories of growing up is attending the various back yard barbeques, potluck suppers, and parties with my family. At these parties, food would be shared (after prayer), libations were available for the adults, and the kids would roam in packs.

The very best part of the parties was the music. Many of the party goers were blessed with musical talent. Heck, 99% of our church choir were in attendance. At some point during the party, somebody would pick up a guitar and signal to the others that it was time for music. You could hear the click of the guitar cases opening and the shuffle of the chairs gathering in a circle at everyone gathered for the show.

It seemed like half of the party members had a guitar. Like it was just as natural to bring a guitar to a party as a six pack of beer.


They played rock-n-roll, folk, blues.....

They would play and they would sing. There was harmony and laughter and it was magical. Us kids would dance in the background as we ate sliced watermelon while the sun set. They would play well into the evening.

My mom would sing with a voice so powerful and pure you would get goose bumps. And she was not the only one with a beautiful voice there. Nope. That was as abundant as the guitars.


When I grew up and met new friends, I would often tell them about these parties. I thought that is how everyone grew up. I thought it was cool, but not unusual. I found out later that it was something special. No, that is not how most people grow up.

I'm glad I have the memory.

I'm glad I have the guitars.

Someone You Love

My father


Did you think I would pick someone else during a time like this?


Besides, I've had to stare at his bald head for 4 days straight. Who else was I going to shoot?

In Other News:
I think my dad has a diagnosis. It's called Constrictive Pericarditis.
Basically, the membrane around his heart is very thick and fibrous. It should not be that way. Because it is so thick and tough, it is hard for the heart to stretch properly when it beats. As a result, the heart chambers don't fill up with enough blood. Blood backs up behind the heart, causing heart swelling and other symptoms of heart failure- like fluid buildup in the abdomen.

Surgery is recommended.

Surgery is dangerous...but so is walking around with a tight pericardium.