obCHELsive

no longer a "newbie."

2012-02-27T15:42:00.000-08:00

I don't know when it happened. It wasn't like a BAM moment, or like a lightning strike or anything like that... it must've been a slow creep (kinda like weight gain... HA!). But somewhere along the way, I stopped being a "newbie" and started to really understand the technicalities of what I'm doing... with my camera, photoshop and my business in general.

It started simply enough. Still playing with the idea of holding workshops the help the average person capture better everyday images in a creative way, I gave a "test" workshop to a couple of people several months ago. To say I was nervous is an understatement. I know I have the creative eye, but still didn't feel strong with the technical side of things... from the lingo to the settings, I was afraid I would stumble along the way. But it was awesome! They were very appreciative of the information I did impart... which gave both of them several a-ha moments of their own. And I surprised myself with the depth of knowledge that I did possess... almost like a "hey, where did THAT come from?" kind of day.

And as I shoot more and more, my style is becoming apparent. I am definitely learning more of the technical aspects of it all... to the point where now that I know the rules, I am more confident when I break them and know the reason WHY.

Yesterday was a nice surprise. At the OC Photog Shootout (Rockabilly theme), I totally stepped up and held my own against the more seasoned photogs. I spoke up, I directed, and I didn't back down when one of them tried to change what I had in mind for a setup. In short, I rocked it hardcore.

And in one of the setups, the leader asked who the seasoned ones were, and who the novices were. I raised my hands as a novice... I'm not afraid to admit it. After all, I'm there to learn, not to show off what I already know. And so, the leader approached me to try and help out... but then he found out I was shooting RAW. And Kelvin. And in Manual. And he laughed and told me I wasn't a novice. I guess I just still see myself that way... I know there is a LOT to learn, and I know that I don't know it all yet. And never will. But I feel like there's always something new to learn, and I don't have years and years and years of experience under my belt like some others do. And I did pick up a few new things that day... being open to learning new things actually helped me that day... I picked the brain of a few of the different leaders and gained a few new awesome nuggets of knowledge. Totally worth it. And once I came out of my shell a bit more, I was actually praised by a few others for my eye and my skill with working with the models.

I still find it incredible how so many of us can stand side by side and see totally different things.

But there I was... crouching and bending and twisting and finding different things that the other "seasoned" photographers hadn't picked up on yet. I pointed out an archway to use (that ended up being used by the leader as a model's location for the rest of the day). I bent down and looked up to catch a bit of glare off a windshield... pointed it out to the others and had them all try to capture the same shot I just did. I went head to head with a "seasoned" photographer to make sure I had the model stand where and how I wanted (no, I don't WANT her directly under the greenery... even though it would frame her face, I'm tired of battling the green cast that follows)... and I GOT my shot. : ) And I was praised for chatting up the model when everyone else during the rest of the day had been silent. I got in close, I got friendly. I got my shots and I didn't have to step on any toes to do so.

Whew. Kinda fabulous.

And today, facing my newest challenge... I am DETERMINED to not be afraid of the FLASH any longer. By the time the end of the year rolls around, I will have a working knowledge of the basics so I don't cringe any longer. So I was checking out a recommended book online, and reading the reviews... I hesitated when I read a comment that stated it was "not for novices"... stating that the technical jargon could prevent the novice from using the book effectively. The sample sentence of technical stuff: "drag the shutter speed to let in a bit more ambient light."

That's it? Huh. I know exactly what that means.

I guess I'm not as novice as I thought. ; )

BIG Bootied HO!

2011-04-08T15:41:00.000-07:00

trying this whole "blogging" thing again. don't care if anyone else reads it... sometimes I just need a PLACE to vent, to collect my scattered thoughts before I lose my mind. so, here we go again...

This time around, I'm inspired (again) by wanting to get in shape. well, I'm already in a shape... kinda lumpy. I just want to be in a *prettier* shape. one that doesn't make me feel like ms. potato head...

I've been feeling the urge to work out and eat better for a while now. but I haven't DONE anything about it except feel guilty for knowing what I SHOULD be doing...and then doing the complete opposite. sigh. but enough is enough. i am tired of not recognizing myself in the mirror. i am tired of being afraid to wear a bathing suit, even if just in the jacuzzi in the dark. i am tired of being stressed out. i am tired of having no energy to do anything. in short... i am tired of being tired.

My mom just got diagnosed with "water behind the knees" and a pretty bad case of arthritis... for a while now, she's barely been able to WALK. I know that I already have knee issues... why am I making things worse for myself in the future?

So, I make small changes. baby steps. the problem is... I'm really REALLY lazy. I need someone to kick myself in the ass a lot at times before I make any sort of movement towards change. Sucks, but true. It's not a cop-out, it's who I am and who I've always been. I know I need to change this, and I'm working on it, but any kind of change doesn't happen overnight, especially since I've spent 30+ years forming these patterns in the first place.

for the last few days, I've made the time to shop for groceries and actually COOK my meals. And so far, so good. I've made pretty healthy choices, made enough to last for lunch the next day, and saved a LOT of money in the process. let's compare, shall we?

typical weekday of OLD way:
breakfast: scone = $2
lunch: sandwich and soup in cafe downstairs: $9
dinner: mcdonalds (or other fast-food): $9
total each day: $20

NEW way:
groceries to last 2+ full days: $25

wow.

here's what I've cooked so far in the last 3 days:

ground turkey patties with bbq sauce and mushrooms, cottage cheese, steamed zuchini & mushrooms, and 1/2 an avocado.
chicken sausage & tortellini in olive oil and green beans with feta cheese
teriyaki chicken with pineapples, mushrooms & snap peas on a bed of jasmine rice, with edamame and a side salad

I'm still deciding what to create for tonight. hmmmm.... I've got one thing in mind, but might check allrecipes.com for another idea.

now, let's get PHYSICAL!!! I haven't gone to the gym in a loooooong time. I know, I suck. And I DOUBLY suck because I'm still paying for a gym membership. YIKES! I bit the bullet today and upgraded my membership. Um, why?!! Because it will give me access to the HUGE new gym that is a block away from my home. because, let's face it... I'm lazy and it's all about convenience. If I have time to talk myself out of going to the gym on my way OVER there, I simply won't go. And that sucks. Because I KNOW how much I actually enjoy it when I'm there. It's just getting my lazy butt there in the first place. So, here we go. And, for extra motivation, I'm gonna stop off on my way home to pick up a cute new outfit to wear while working out. Cuz let's face it... my pants look like I'm waiting for a flood, and my outfits in general scream "soccer mom trying to lose baby weight." And, um, I don't HAVE any kids.

And, one more piece of motivation... WRITING IT DOWN. I broke out my FitBook today, and will be creating my plan of attack, and then charting my progress as I go. It plans for a 12-week program, which is perfect! Starting on Monday (April 11), that means that my 12 weeks will be up on July 4th for this round! NICE! And just in time for the swimsuit season, too... Now, I'm not expecting to look totally skinny and svelte here... I just wanna look and feel better than I do NOW. And do something that might actually STICK.

So, others might frown on my goals if they heard them... but I'm trying to keep things realistic here. And I know that I can always step things up as I go along... that once my body starts feeling better, I'll want to put junk into it less and less. But, in any case, here are my goals:

walk the dog 4+ times a week. (yeah, I KNOW I should be doing it daily. But I don't. I suck.)
go to the gym 2+ times a week. (again, I KNOW it should be more than this to REALLY get in shape. But I'm trying to be realistic here and not burn out before I start.)
do a group class at the gym at least 2x a month. They've got some fun ones. This should be easy.
cook more meals at home.
eat less junk food, especially from the drive-thru. Limit my McDonald's consumption to once a week.

okay. I think that's it for now. I'm documented. I can do this. I can DO this. let's GO!!!

this gets filed under "what the F***???!!!"

2010-07-15T12:36:00.000-07:00

Another "I hate my job" moment:

today sucks. and blows. all at the same time.

My boss has a meeting scheduled for 10:00. So, of course, at 9:55, he asks me to print out 2 Excel documents for him that he desperately needs for the meeting. Okay, no problem. I print them out and give them to him. He then asks, are these the only excel spreadsheets in our system for this client? I need them ALL. Oh, and re-print the ones you already gave me, in color.

Okie-dokie.

Unfortunately, my computer runs R-E-A-L-L-Y slow for some godforsaken reason. (They've been trying to fix it for a few months now; I think I FINALLY got through to them and will be getting a new computer soon.)

And, add the fact that these are EXCEL documents that need to be printed. Those that use Excel, groan along with me. Because you understand my pain... each page has to be properly formatted to fit to the page size before printing.

And there were 15 documents to print. Which, with my slow-ass computer, took me a half-hour to do. (Made even MORE complicated by the fact that my co-worker decided to use our shared printer at that very moment to start printing off a bunch of random return envelopes to replenish her stack. Totally unnecessary. And she did it TWICE.)

So, my boss comes out to me and asks where the documents were...says that we might be having a "miscommunication." Nope. Just took forever and a day. (sigh. hand over documents that JUST finished printing out.)

5 minutes later, he hands me the 2 documents I had originally printed out for him (but in color this time), and says that he needs copies of these... he doesn't need ANY of the others. (WTF?!)

And then there's the lunch issue. My boss asks me to order lunch for the 3 of them in the meeting. And even though I order from this place online on an almost daily basis, of COURSE there are issues this time around and I have to call customer service to straighten things out. And of COURSE when I go to pick up the order that was delivered downstairs, I find that we are missing a salad. And of COURSE it's the salad for the attorney with the biggest attitude.

I offered to make a TOGO's run, but thankfully the other 2 people offered to share their salads. So I brought him in a bowl to use for his share.

And then, F-me, my boss pokes his head out of the conference room and asks if I could come back and SPLIT the salad FOR them!!!

Really? Yes, folks. This is my job. THIS is what I went to college for, graduated with my B.A. in Psychology for, and even started by own photography business for... so that I could stand there and move lettuce from one bowl to another while the grown men talk.

F my life.

typical day at the office

2010-05-20T11:19:00.000-07:00

My boss sends me an email, requesting that I see him regarding "whitelisting" clients. Uh-oh. I'm not sure what this means, but it's guaranteed to be a tedious project.

It's worse than I thought.

Over the weekend, my boss didn't receive an email that he was supposed to, because it went to his "spam" folder. So, rather than simply get into the habit of checking his spam folder each morning for anything that might have been incorrectly labeled and sent there, he has decided to take it upon himself (correction: assign to ME) to make sure that this doesn't happen in the future.

He flippantly tells me that "someone in the office, not necessarily you" (read between the lines... definitely ME) needs to add ALL of the possible contacts of his to this "whitelist" in Outlook, to make sure that all of those contacts' emails will get through to him.

I look at him with incredulity, my jaw practically dropping to the floor... because he has hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of contacts. And some of them have multiple email addresses, so they would ALL need to make it to this list.

I inform him (again) that since the spam filters have been updated, there will only be the occasional email that gets trapped there, and that all he needs to do is to click on an email in that folder and "accept" the sender, which automatically adds them to the "whitelist." He says that he simply cannot take that chance. And that we need to add ALL the people he has been in contact with... even if he hasn't been in contact with them for several years, just in case they send him something out of the blue. (his words, not mine.)

My jaw tightens with anger as I grasp the absurdity of this project.

I take a deep breath. Then, calmly, I let him know that there is no official office "whitelist," and that all of the other attorneys decided against doing something like this, since it seemed like an awful lot of work for something that could be gotten around in a simple manner (by just checking your g**damned spam folder!!!), and that he was the only one requesting this.

He said he understood, but wanted to proceed, nonetheless.

He said that I could start with the list of his contacts that I had created for him over 6 months ago, when the office had changed names... (flashback... the attorneys in the office were supposed to send out an email to their contacts, to make them aware of the name change of the firm. My boss had me create this precise list for him, which took me nearly a month to do (with all the research and revisions involved), and then the email was never sent out. And all my work was for naught.)

In any case, he mentions that I might start with that list I put together for him those many months ago. However, he states, the list only includes one email address per person... and he needs to make sure that ALL email addresses per person be included on this "whitelist" of his.

I close my eyes tightly, press my thumbs to my temples, and try to collect my thoughts. Before I lose my mind completely.

"Okay, so just to clarify," I say..."you want me to go through the hundreds of people on this list, and add those names and addresses to this other "whitelist." Then I need to go one by one and look up each person in your Outlook contact folder, and make sure that those additional addresses for every single person are also added to this list?"

Yes, that is correct.

He says that I should get in contact with our IT person, and maybe there is an easier way to do all this. (I want to scream... you mean, like checking your DAMN SPAM FOLDER, like EVERYONE ELSE seems to be okay with doing???!!!)

ugh. I hate my job.

I leave the IT guy a voicemail, and now I wait to see how bad this is really going to be.

excerpt from the office

2010-05-20T10:57:00.000-07:00

I am standing in my boss's office as he scans the accounting charts I've just handed him, against my better judgment. Because I know that he won't just take a quick scan and let them go. Nope. He takes it upon himself to go through the document line by line, questing each payment and calculation made. I remind him that I just got off the phone with the accountant, and that she said (with a sigh, knowing how difficult my boss can be) that everything was up to date; that nothing had changed since he put her through this same process last week.

At first, my boss asks me direct questions about the different entries; he asks me to run the calculations myself and make sure the numbers compute. I take a deep breath, then calmly remind him that the calculations were made in the accounting program itself; that since no human was involved in the addition, the numbers would be correct. And I remind him, again, that the accountant just told me that everything is current and up to date.

He grunts, then continues to go through the documents. Muttering as he goes along. I focus on my breathing. In. Out. In. Out. Try to ignore the tightening in my stomach as I stand there. The minutes tick by. I'm still standing there, and he's still mumbling. I tune him out so that he becomes background noise... the sound of a pesky fly buzzing nearby.

"...2,653 on February 12... 12,865 on March 13... but what is this?"

I realize that he has stopped talking, as he had just asked a question. Oh, crap. I wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention. I am instantly transported back to my trigonometry class during my senior year of high school. As the teacher calls on me and all heads swing my way, and I haven't got a clue. He might have been speaking another language, for all I know...

The silence is deafening, as the blood rushes to my ears and I try to think of something to say. Something, ANYTHING, as he is waiting for an answer. My mouth starts to form a word... "um" is the best I can do to stall for more time. But before I can utter a vowel, he continues to talk to himself.

"okay. that makes sense now."

I continue to stand there. And stand there. And stand there. My eye is caught by some pictures hanging from his computer screen. They are familiar to me... pictures that I took of his daughter. And I hone in on those images... they are my salvation as I stand there, biting my tongue till I can almost taste the blood. Those pictures are why I am here. Those pictures are my goal. Those pictures are what makes this drudgery all worth it... because one day, taking pictures like those will replace this nightmare of a daily office job.

I stand there and hold onto that thought until my boss looks up and dismisses me from his office... 20 minutes later.

fail.

2010-02-19T11:20:00.000-08:00

I'm remembering when 2010 was new. Bright & shiny, and full of possibilities. And I was filled with determination. This will be the year I get healthy. This will be the year I get in shape. I was full of energy and motivation and ready to conquer the world.

Tony gave it two weeks.

In actuality, I only lasted one-and-a-half.

*sigh*

I suck.

I haven't seen the inside of the gym since mid-January, and my Wii Fit is already collecting dust. Even my late-night infomercial purchase of a 10-minute workout dvd routine (at Tony's urging, mind you) goes unused by me. (Thankfully, Tony has been getting some use out of it.) While I have been continuing my walks around the neighborhood, even those are less frequent than before, and often at Tony's urging.

*double sigh*

I've noticed that my eating habits are slipping back towards the dark side, as well. (NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!) Fridays in my office mean that there are fresh donuts and bagels. Oh, and fruit, too. But I see the fluffy carbs. And cream cheese. And I give in.

This whole blog post is the result of me noticing that I had gone back to the kitchen for a piece of sprinkled donut. (And this is after I'd already chowed down on 1/2 a bagel and 1/2 a donut already.)

Crapsticks.

I could give my normal "shpeel" about how I don't have time to workout, I've been stressed, yada yada yada... but those are just excuses. Those things will never change. I will always be short on time. And I will always be stressed about one thing or another.

So, while I sit here and type this (and have NO intention of going to the gym later today), at least I can console myself with the thought all of this has been REALIZED. And, it's been said that knowing is half the battle... (G.I. Joe?)

And, there's always tomorrow, right?

I'm in LOVE...

2010-02-12T22:23:00.000-08:00

So, I rented a new lens tonight. I thought I'd give it a shot, upon hearing several wedding photographers swear by this one in particular. Back to basics: I'm talking about a 50mm fixed-length lens. Hmmmm... I've always passed this one up, thinking that I didn't need it since I had a zoom lens that was able to adjust to that length. But MAN, I didn't know what I was missing. This one is SWEET. (As long as I remember that I have to move MYSELF in order to zoom...ha!) This makes for some AWESOME portraits with shallow depth of field.

Not wanting to wait to test it out till tomorrow (at Shaun & Hollie's engagement shoot), I just used a favorite subject of mine tonight: my dog, Jasper. He's a pretty good model, especially when I bribe him with a few treats.

These photos were taken in my condo, in the near-dark (the lighting is bad in my house), with no flash.

I can't wait to use this lens tomorrow, under better conditions. Seriously, I think this will be my next purchase.

connecting the dots

2010-01-29T15:02:00.000-08:00

My head and heart are so full right now

I read this posting from Jasmine Star this morning, and was deeply touched by it:

Yesterday I sat at my desk and spoke into the phone while JD sat on the floor typing away at his computer. That's when it happened. The quiver in my voice, the sting in my eyes. My nose turns red right before I'm going to cry, it's a dead giveaway. There I sat like Rudolph the Reindeer and tried to keep my ish together. I thanked the guy on the other end of the phone for his time and hung up.

I leaned my head back on my chair and fought the tears. I was fine until JD reached up from the floor and touched my hand. Much like touching a full sponge, I leaked. As the tears fell, he promised everything was going to be okay. Not like all dramatic and soap opera-ish (cue the soft lights, the stringed music and please throw in a line that starts with By God I shall never leave you...). It was more like we've been here before.

It's just that I feel lost and I don't know how to connect the dots, I said.

JD and I are working on a new project and for the first time in a long time, I feel like my world is rocked. Strangely enough, this is how I started my photography business. And I'm feeling quite the same way. Lost, frustrated, worried, overwhelmed. I'm posting this blog entry because I want to remember. Remember the emotion that comes with risk and being on the cusp of success. Or failure. Oh that blurry line I so strongly detest.

I know there might be a few others who know how I'm feeling right now. Oh, Internet, I get you. I tangibly know the feelings of frustration and worry ... but I also know the emotion that accompanies risk: joy, excitement, and fear. I hope this post makes you feel less alone. Or, really, makes me feel less alone. Because if I was totally being honest, all I really want is for a random blog reader to find me in the street today and say By God I shall never leave you...

I kid, Internet, I kid.

Her posting and the emotions revealed within it are so very real to me. I feel as if I am in the same exact place right now. And it's just so. very. hard.

random thoughts: tony.

2010-01-29T14:41:00.000-08:00

I was writing another blog post, and these words tumbled out from my keyboard. So I decided to give them their own post instead:

I have a wonderful partner in Tony, in that he has always been supportive of me, whatever it is that I choose to pursue. He and I are both creative/artistic souls, and he understand how big a part this plays in our lives. Tony is so amazingly proud at what I have accomplished with my photo business already, and is (almost) equally excited as new triumphs occur. He tells me that he's never surprised, though... always telling me how good I am, and that it will just take time, but that I'll get to where I want to be someday. He doesn't mind the long nights I spend on the computer, where he barely gets a chance to play his favorite obsession (Bejewelled), and our conversations occur across the room because he is on the couch and I am stuck in the computer chair. He doesn't mind that I stay home on weekend nights because I have a deadline to meet. As I sit there in that chair, night after night, and rub my eyes from bleariness or let out a deep sigh, he wanders my way and stops behind me, massaging my tired shoulders and laying a relaxing hand across my forehead. And in those moments my frustration bursts through and I curse or get choked up and try not to cry, he is there, moving me aside and taking over. Taking the stress and strain off of me, he handles the technical stuff so it's one less thing for me to worry about.

He is a wonderful partner. And I miss him.

For the last few nights, we have gone out walking together. We take the dog and the flashlight, and walk the 2-mile loop around our neighborhood. Half uphill, half downhill. It's great exercise, it tries our patience (as we take turns struggling to make the dog cooperate), and it gives us a chance to unwind from the day. Together. I can't speak for Tony, but for me, it's been very cathartic. I feel united with him, and at peace with us. We went out to dinner last night, and it felt like a date. Not just a dinner where we vented about our day and spoke of our "to do" lists, but a date.

And this morning we went for another walk before heading to work. It was Tony's idea, since the dog was going to be cooped up longer than usual (we're meeting up with his family for dinner tonight). It was a wonderful way to start the day. It just felt good to walk beside him.

formspring.me

2010-01-22T22:36:00.001-08:00

Ask me anything http://formspring.me/suitcasestudio

whirlwind.

2010-01-19T09:13:00.000-08:00

that's my life right now. a big, swirling, crazy, FUN, scary whirlwind of activity.

still figuring out the balancing act between my friends, family, husband, dog and SELF. still trying to maintain that drive to exercise and eat healthy, and take better care of myself.

still spending a lot of time working on my growing photography business, the Suitcase Studio. and just as i start to wonder when things might pick up with my biz... a flurry of new activity begins! i'm so excited about what this new year seems to be bringing my way already.

i had so many wonderful experiences this past weekend. on saturday i met up with a a group of 8 in san juan capistrano for a family shoot. husband, wife and 6 kids between the ages of 6 and 21. i'd met the husband/father before, as he was the best man at a wedding i had shot a few months ago. (repeat business is always a wonderful thing, and speaks volumes). i'm still editing those pictures, but i'll share them soon.

on sunday i had an engagement shoot for a couple whose wedding i'll be photographing in late march. unfortunately, our shoot got rained out so we had to reschedule for another time. but since they had driven such a long way to get there, i thought we might as well take a few shots since they were all dressed up. so, dodging the raindrops, we wandered around the balboa funzone area just a bit before things got too bad. here are a few favorites from that mini-shoot:

Later that evening, i met up with Eva from Utterly Engaged and Red Velvet Occasions to hand off some promo cards for her... Utterly Engaged is throwing a new year's bash on wednesday night... a neat mixer for wedding professionals and brides-to-be (and their families and friends). i'm attending as a sponsor, so my promo cards are going into the goodie bags that the guests are taking home with them.

It was nice to finally meet Eva (since we'd emailed and tweeted back and forth a few times). And I'm looking forward to wednesday night, where i'll get to meet a lot of other professionals, too. i'm bringing a friend with me to be my wing-woman, since she knows how to work a room, and can give me a little nudge here and there when needed. it promises to be a great night; i've already made connections with a few of the other vendors, and it turns out that my friend is also friends with a few of them, as well. so, we'll have our own little party within a party.

besides that flurry of activity, i've received several inquiries regarding my services over the last few days. so future work looks promising, too.

and on top of that, my pictures will be appearing in the March issue of Orange Coast Magazine, which will be out in print next month. Then there's the WPPI Expo in Vegas in early March, and then the Speak Up! Gallery at Cal Poly Pomona where my photos will be on display for all of April.

so, yes... a whirlwind of activity so far. and we're just getting started... : )

Project 365: January 10, 2010

2010-01-11T12:46:00.001-08:00

January 10, 2010
Originally uploaded by chelbug

At the Irvine Spectrum. This just looked really cool to me. I couldn't get over how awesome the sky looked with all those bumpy clouds.

2009 Holiday Recap

2010-01-06T21:34:00.000-08:00

This year was one of the best holiday seasons that I can remember having in a LONG time. Crammed full of holiday parties and get-togethers, it was a total whirlwind of activity. Here are the highlights of my holiday season:

My work party was held at Muldoon's Dublin Pub. Great food (including appetizers) and free drinks. I always look forward to this party so I can taste the wassails. Shaun and I both sang, of course. The following week we had our in-office party, complete with white elephant gift exchange (I got fishing ornaments...yay?). Shaun made the party more festive by using the Pandora app on his iPhone, and filled the room with Christmas music.

(pic of me and my husband at Muldoon's:)

Next up was a reunion of sorts. In high school, I was a member of the Swing Choir (a singing/dancing performance group). We were a pretty tight-knit "family," and our choir teacher would hold holiday parties at her house, where we'd also go caroling around the neighborhood. Now that it's been well over 10 years since my high school days, I've found that Facebook is a wonderful tool which has helped keep many of us Swing Choir members in touch with one another. This season, of my high school buddies organized a surprise party at our former teacher's house. It was nice to gather with everyone in person once again, watch our old performances on video (scary) and reminisce about old times. We even went caroling next door, which was an experience in and of itself. The neighbor invited us into his home and asked us all to gather around his Christmas tree, where he videotaped our "performance." (Less freaky than it sounds, I swear!) We moved this guy to tears! After we sang, he asked if we wanted a beer, or pizza, or anything else... and even invited us back for a party he was having the upcoming Saturday. Now that was a friendly neighbor.

(my former teacher, answering the door, and surprised to see us all caroling outside:)

scary flashbacks...

looking thru our music, old choir photos, caroling, sharing a beer or two, and me with lawn decor:

the next highlight of the season was the Newport Beach Boat Parade. I've told myself for YEARS now that I would see this "someday"... My friends and I finally got smart about it and carved out some time well in advance, buying advance tickets. We went thru Goldstar.com and got discount tickets to actually RIDE on one of the boats that were IN the parade itself... a cool way to get up close with all the other decorations and get a tour of the bay area.

It was mass confusion for a while, though. Traffic was HORRIBLE getting there. It seemed like everyone had decided to be there that night. And as if finding a parking space at the beach isn't difficult enough, try having an event like this. Bleh. I ended up having to drive waaaaaaaaayy past the site and find parking in the residential area. Thank goodness for my iPhone, though. I used the map feature to find my way back to the boat area, which was (according to google maps) 1.8 miles away. SHEESH! Loaded down with my camera bag, heavy jacket and trapper hat, I made my way there. (Luckily my friends were kind enough to give me a ride back to my car after it all...)

I met Jen and Michelle there, and we didn't have to wait all that long before we were directed to our boat for the evening (and all the passengers were paraded down the block to get there). It was fun. I forgot my glasses, so I saw a lot of colorful blurs. (oops.) We followed a boat that had music on it, so it was even more festive. And when we got too far away from that boat to hear it, I turned on Pandora for a while so we could hear the Christmas tunes. It was a neat experience but after a while, I was DONE. You know... you can only see so many colored lights on so many boats and be impressed. We were headed back to the harbor to dock, but other boats were taking up space doing the same. So our captain said that he'd take us out for another half-hour. Joy? We finally started heading back, and then the captain almost hit a post. Seriously.

Finally... it got to be Christmas Eve! We were at my mom's house by 3:00 for our celebration with that side of my family. Oh joy of joys... my mom asked forced us to go caroling. (ugh.) No one there really likes to do it (and she knows it). And we don't know her neighbors. And it wasn't even dark outside. But we did it anyways, to make her happy. (And it helped that a few of us had a couple of shots of "liquid courage" ahead of time, too... )

faces we make while caroling:

Then it was time for the white elephant gift exchange. Why? Another thing my mom gets a kick out of. Dinner was good...and interesting. None of the traditional foods were present. Instead, my mom thought it would be "easier" and "festive" to cook Mexican food. Alrighty, then. I mean, I'm not complaining because I LOVE Mexican food. But it was just weird.

Then we opened these cursed little silver boxes... one for each of us... Why cursed? A few years back, my mom had a wonderful idea for us to write down on a piece of paper what we would like to see happen over the next year. It was great... in theory. Because, flash forward to a year later, and having those little pieces of paper read ALOUD, we were reminded of some things that had never come to be. And some of what was written down had been of very personal nature and it was difficult to hear our "failures" and shortcomings read aloud for all to hear. The "rules" for the boxes have been tweaked each time, but every year it is still a bit strange and disheartening. This year we were supposed to write down something that we are grateful for...hopefully this will be SAFE to hear about next time around.

Finally, opening our gifts is always my favorite part of the night... not because I want to receive a lot, but I really enjoy seeing others' reactions when they open the gifts I have chosen for them. It's blissful. Since we chose names this year rather than buying for ALL, things went a little bit quicker than normal.

strange faces:

After my mom's house, we made a mad dash over to my in-laws' place, where we had our second dinner of the night. Then a very special treat; the kids put on a SHOW for us. It was their own idea, and they'd put the whole thing together themselves, complete with tickets. It was wonderful to watch and even brought a few tears to my eyes. Grace played her clarinet, Laura played piano (she had taught herself a few songs just for this occasion), and Michael conducted them both. Then they all sang together. And Michael even did some acting out of the words. It was freakin hilarious, and I loved it so much!

The kids started getting anxious; they were counting down the minutes till present time. It's tradition in this family to wait till midnight to open presents; however, they "cheat" and count it as time when it hits midnight in Colombia, where most of the rest of their family still is. So, we pretty much go by New York time... when it hits 9:00 here, we open gifts. But first, another tradition... new jammies! The kids take their showers and get all dressed up in brand new pajamas (made by my mom-in-law, of course)! The presents were WAAAAY too much this year. Laura received a real working microscope and Grace got a LAPTOP computer! (Her dad was way jealous...) And they all got Disney annual passes. Tony and I struck gold, too... we received a Wii!!! Holy cow! (I am sooooo in love with this thing!) And it was even more unexpected because his parents had already given us money to renew our Disney annual passes. Wow.

It was a great night for so many wonderful reasons.

(gingerbread dog house, marshmallow "Snoopy," cuteness... )

The next day, it was our turn... since we have so many family things going on during these days, my husband and I carve out a bit of time just for the two of us. For our OWN family time. That would be Christmas morning. We open stockings and exchange gifts, and just hand out with each other. This morning we celebrated with pumpkin pancakes and new toys.

Then it was time to head to my dad's house for our afternoon and evening celebration. My dad's birthday is on Christmas day, so we do double duty. Stockings first, then some presents. A fave toy this year was a little disk gun my dad SANTA put in each of our stockings. Then we did some Wii bowling. My dad (who used to bowl in a league) fell in LOVE with that game, and almost wanted to keep it hostage for a while. Nope! Finally, it was off to the movie theater. Trying to see Avatar in IMAX, but it was sold out. So we saw had to wait an hour till the next showing in 3-D. It was a long wait, and people made a mad dash for seats (thank goodness my brother was one of the first ones in and saved some awesome ones. The staff hadn't even been in to clean the theater yet and wanted to kick us all out, but no one would move. Everyone was ready to throw down to keep their seats. (Welcome to the 9-0-9.) But for the movie itself, it was my dad and brother's first time seeing it, and they both LOVED it. Hooray!

The next celebration was the very next night. The get-together with my girls... my best buds Jen and Michelle (and her boyfriend, Sean). The girls and I have been friends since elementary school, and we've been doing this Christmas dinner since junior high. So it's a long-standing tradition. Good food (that didn't almost happen because Honeybaked was sold out and I had to make a mad dash to grab the grub from Coco's), gifts, and laughter. Oh, and maple syrup alcoholic drinks. : ) And have wii, will travel. I had to bring it along and share the fun. It was a good night.

There were a few days of rest, and then back to work. And then more celebrations.

Tony and I spent our New Year's Eve with his sister and brother-in-law... we headed to their house after the kiddos were asleep. Hung out, played wii, and drank a bit. (Not too much, though... Maria is pregnant, so she can't drink...Tony was driving, so he couldn't drink too much... and I had a stomachache from drinking the night before. Boooooo!!!)

It was a fun, relaxing time.

I have a long-standing New Year's Day tradition to get up (somewhat) early and hang out in the living room watching the Rose Parade. I snooze off and on, but since they repeat the parade all day, I eventually get to see the complete thing. This year I stayed awake enough to see it quickly enough. And I wasn't impressed at all.

A newer tradition has been to spend the afternoon at Disneyland. That didn't happen this year. We were both too tired to spend the afternoon walking around. So we went the following day instead. And MAN, we were sooooo glad we had waited. Both parks were practically empty. (Or as empty as they can get...) Tony and I had a blast, and since the crowds were thin, we got to see and do a lot. Tony sent a message to his sis to let her know about how good Disney was for the day, so she and her husband packed up the kiddos and joined us! (YAY!) Disneyland is always better through the eyes of a child.

So, that was my 2009-2010 holiday season. It was full of many moments that became wonderful memories. I can't wait to see what the rest of this year holds for me...

Project 365

2010-01-06T14:44:00.000-08:00

So, along with all the other thousands of projects I've got going so far this year, I thought I'd add one more...

Project 365.

For those who haven't heard of this before, the basic concept is that you take one photo a day. For a year. (Hence, the "365".) The images don't have to be fancy, don't have to be indicitave of the day overall, but merely have to be a piece of what was seen or experienced personally. For me, this project is probably going to consist of mainly shots from my iPhone, since that's the easiest way for me to do this on an ongoing basis.

Please join me on this photographic journey!

All you need to do is upload an image to Flickr and tag it with the appropriate words (like, "Project 365") for it to appear in a search. I've created a separate set for my images for this project. Please feel free to view and comment on them. There is a link in the sidebar of this blog for you to follow along each month.

Here we go!

DAY TWO: Wiiiiiiiii...

2010-01-06T11:22:00.000-08:00

Body assessment: ouch. Seriously. (And even worse this morning). I'm sore aaaaaallll over. Hurts to move, hurts to walk, hurts to laugh. But at least I know I'm doing something, right?

Food: I've been eating healthy. (Yes, me!) To help me stay more aware of what I'm actually putting in my mouth and how it affects me, I've started using the Daily Plate again. And there's a coordinating app for my iphone, so I can keep up-to-date when I'm out and about, too. So far, so good. I feel more accountable when I see just how many calories are in that teeny-tiny piece of chocolate. Sooooo not worth it. Tired of paying $6.50 a pop for a salad or sandwich from the food vendors that visit our office, I stopped off at Trader Joe's on my way home... and spent a fortune on good food. (Man, it's expensive to eat well!) But, I figure that if I get 10 meals out of my purchase, then I beat the cost of the vendor, and I won't feel so bad. So there.

Exercise: I exercised using Wii Fit last night. Yup, the Wii! Who knew exercise could be so fun?

First up: yoga poses. And I was told that my balance was off. Yeah. I kinda knew that. But it was kinda cool to see the little things on-screen to help me focus and align my balance properly.

Next came some strength training. Unfortunately, I couldn't do too much of this last night because I realized that I need to invest in a yoga mat and balance board cover, since the board was slipping on the carpet and my hands were slipping on the board. But what I saw was neat. And challenging.

I did some aerobic exercises next. The hula hoop was awesome, and I came back to do it a few more times. I did the boxing a few times, as well. Though, when I tried the advanced level of boxing I totally felt uncoordinated. Dang the video game for making me feel like a fool. I think I'll stick with the basic level for a while. At least the basic step game was more forgiving.

I went for a jog, too. Totally cool. You hold the controller in your hand (or put it in a pocket) and it measures how quickly you jog in place. Really really cool. Neat scenery on the screen, and you have to keep pace with another "mii." I'm gonna like this...

I love the new "plus" exercises that are on this version of Wii Fit, too. Rhythm kung-fu is a favorite of mine. Just makes me smile. I tried out the bike ride, too. MAN, that is a workout!

All in all, I was thoroughly entertained and actually got a halfway decent workout for the night. I wouldn't suggest using this in place of actual exercise (outdoors or even at the gym), but it's great for moving on those "off" days. According to the balance board and game (which seems creepily accurate, thus far), I managed to burn 189 calories in 40 minutes. Not too shabby...

DAY ONE: get ready, get set... SWEAT!

2010-01-05T10:57:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was my first day of working out... after a hiatus of nearly 6 months. It felt GOOD. I rediscovered all the muscles I had forgotten even existed.

Hello, 24-Hour Fitness. I knew the gym was gonna be PACKED with people like me, who had decided that January was a great time to get in shape. Again. So I wasn't surprised when I arrived there to find that most of the machines were already in use. It was all good... I was expecting to spend a few minutes exploring the place and figuring out where everything was.

First up, the locker room. (Sidenote: I know it's been a long time since I've been to the gym when I forgot the combination to my lock... I had to borrow Tony's lock. Oops.) The locker room is tiny, but clean. Sign posted said that "maximum capacity" was 35. wow. But kinda cool... there's a tv in there. Not necessary, but neat-o.

Next up, machine assessment. Most of the aerobic machines are on the first floor. And there seems to be a LOT of all the different kinds. I noted 2 different types of treadmills, 2 stairclimbers, 3 bikes, and 3 elliptical styles. I LOVE the variety. Unfortunately, I also noticed a lot of broken machines, too. Not good...especially when they all seemed to be one particular type. Hmmm....

I hopped on a treadmill and stared at the buttons, trying to figure out the controls. Then I was off. Not wanting to push myself this first time around, I opted for a quick walk at a low incline for 15 minutes. Not bad. And with the Ting Tings album pumping in my ears, it was wonderful. Oh, and added bonus... there are several tvs with different programs on. And each piece exercise machine is equipped with a special box to plug your headphones into and "change the channel" so that you can actually hear what is going on. Very cool. (Now if they would only get some halfway entertaining programs on, besides sports and news...)

Next up, I tested out an eliptical machine I'd never seen before. And thus, I found my nemesis. This thing is gonna kick my butt... while it shapes it. It was difficult at first while I figured out the motion of the machine. But once I got going, I was in heaven/hell. While treadmills are wonderful, I can't keep up a jogging pace since I'm out of shape. And I worry about my bad knees. And I like the traditional elliptical machine because I can keep up a quick pace and it doesn't hurt my knees. But it doesn't give me the range of motion like a treadmill. Enter this new machine, which was like a combo of the two. Seriously, it was like cross-country skiing (or what I would imagine that to be like, anyways). I felt my muscles being used. It felt good...even while it hurt like hell. This first time around, I only managed to use the machine for 10 minutes on a super-low level before I was spent.

My legs were like jelly at this point, and I seemed to float up the stairs into the free weights area. I headed straight for the "big boy" wall to grab some dumbbells... and found most of the weights I needed were gone. Hmmm... not good. There were few women in the area, so either they grabbed them and headed elsewhere in the gym or else the weights are just missing. I'll have to keep an eye on this. In any case, there was a set that I could use, so I got to work. Biceps, chest, and came back later for triceps.

I felt a bit lost, spending a lot of time trying to locate my favorite devices. Thankfully, the gym uses color-coding in their machines, so that all "arm" machines have blue pads, all "legs" are green, etc. Made things a whole lot easier. I found most of what I need, but since it was so busy, I had to wait my turn every now and again. (I need to do some more exploring and find some back-up machines/exercises to use for when this happens.) But no worries... got my workout done. Inner & outer thigh presses, leg lifts, crunches, and back & side stretches. Whew! I actually wanted to keep going... I was feeling so pumped up. But already I was feeling like jelly, and knew I should stop for the night.

It was awesome. I can't wait to go back tomorrow (today I'm doing some stuff on Wii Fit). I woke up a bit sore today, and I know it will only be worse tomorrow. But it's wonderful.

reach for the sky.

2010-01-04T21:14:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again... time for New Year's resolutions to be made. Traditionally, I know that people make their resolutions more along the lines of wishes... something that they would like to see happen, but have no intent on actually working towards. I have learned to be a bit more realistic with my resolutions. I set yearly goals for myself. No, the goals aren't always completely reached, but I strive to do my best. And I set little mini-goals that I can actually reach along the way, treating it more of a "to-do" list than a wish-list.

Here is what I want to work towards this year:

2010 Resolutions

1. Build my Business. This is one of my main focuses for the year. With the goal of eventually being able to depend on my photography business as my sole source of income, I have a lot of work to do. What I'm shooting for:

minimum of 2 sessions a month.
get my images published. (note: this is already being accomplished! My images will appear in the March issue of Orange Coast Magazine, which will be available for sale in February!)
get new marketing materials in place: keep up with blog and newsletter, create sample albums and even a compilation book of some favorite sessions for a good overview look of what I do.
keep up-to-date on accounting! (whew...this one piles up fast!)
shoot at least 3 weddings this year!!! (I've got one booked already...)

2. Get Healthy. (let's get PHYSICAL, physical...) ah, yes... I'm going to be one of THOSE people crowding the gym in January. But I really, REALLY need to get healthy... this goes beyond wanting to lose a few pounds. I just don't FEEL good anymore. So, here's the plan:

eat better. (more homemade meals, less fast-food.)
exercise (walking the dog, walking on the treadmill, wii fit...whatever!!! Just get up and DO something. at LEAST 3x a week.)
sleep more. Easier said than done... but I need to make this commitment to myself...less time at night on the computer so that I can wind down and go to bed just a bit earlier. I need my zzzzz's.. I'm sick of carrying this matching luggage below my eyes. Seriously.
relax! I'm a total stress-monger. Time to lessen that, if and when possible. Tony's been trying to convince me for AGES to take up yoga. ironically enough, I don't think I have the PATIENCE for that. ha! hmmm... maybe as a wii game? (can you tell I'm addicted to that already???) But seriously, I need to relax more. I've actually gotten a LOT better ever since Jasper joined the household. Seriously...he's like my little chill pill. But I want to pay attention to my body's signals more, and then take care of myself. Pamper myself. Actually USE the gift certificates for massages...I've got TWO saved up! Get a mani/pedi every once in a while. Continue to read for fun. Just breathe...

3. Stay true to my SELF. This kinda goes along with the "relax" above, but I wanted to go into even more detail with this one. I want to stay AWARE of myself. I feel like there just aren't enough hours in the day already, and I don't want to lose myself while trying to cram everything in. Between my secretarial job, the photography biz, being a wife, running the household, taking care of the dog, and all the other miscellaneous roles that I have, I don't want to fade into the background. I want to stay PRESENT in my life. That was my "word of the year" of 2009... "present." Because I wanted to remember that each day is a GIFT, and in the other form of the word, remember to stay aware and THERE in the moment; be an active participant in my own life. So... I want to continue focusing on this in 2010.

Don't take on projects just because they are paying gigs. Keep my schedule and my sanity in mind.
It's okay to say NO to potential clients, to family, to friends...
I don't ALWAYS have to photograph everything, and I don't always have to keep my GOOD camera with me. It's okay to enjoy other areas of my life just as much.
Stay aware of when I'm stressed. Don't ignore it... and actually address the cause.
Remember that no one can make me feel inferior, insecure, a failure, etc. without me allowing them to do so. Take responsibility for my emotions. And pay attention to what they are telling me, too.

4. just DO it. Easier said than done. (But I'm gonna try.) I am a list-maker (as you can tell by this posting alone). I've got post-it notes all over the place reminding me of what I should be doing at any given time. I plan and plan and plan, and do some research, and make more lists, and research some more, and then think about it, and then get other people's opinions, etc. It's exhausting, and nothing ever seems to get done. So, I need to think a bit less and DO a bit more.

5. Simplify. My life is feeling a bit CLUTTERED as of late. Both physically and emotionally. So, it's time to clean house, so to speak.

clean the HOUSE!!!
organize the loft area upstairs so it can actually be USED for something.
don't feel the need to save every scrap of paper or ticket stub.
Don't buy stuff unless I really really REALLY want it. And have room for it.

Whew! I've got a lot to do this year. Better get started...

hello calves... remember me?

2010-01-04T15:50:00.000-08:00

So, I'm OFFICIALLY starting to workout again today. (Let's see how many times I repeat that phrase this year...)

But seriously, it's time. I miss my abs. I miss seeing my cheekbones. I miss the sore feeling I get after a workout... like I've accomplished something. And I miss all my cute clothes that I can't fit into anymore!! (sigh.)

So, here we go again. As a new member of 24-hour fitness, today I'm heading to the gym to get reacquainted with the place. I've never been to this one before, so I need to find my way around a bit. Figure out where everything is located, and find my groove in it all. I don't plan on staying TOO long tonight... just a quick workout so that I don't totally hurt myself the first time around.

So, I'm excited. And nervous.

I got a bit of exercise over the weekend. Feeling inspired, I took my dog for a 2 mile walk around the block on Saturday morning; one whole mile being UPHILL. I felt good. And music makes everything better, too... I was using the Pandora app on my iPhone for a bit of a boost. Worked like a charm.

I felt wonderful during that walk... I spent the first quarter mile fighting with the dog (which is typical), since he likes to stop and sniff everything in sight before bursting ahead of me, then stopping to sniff, etc. You get the idea... Luckily, going uphill wears him out quite quickly, and he and I found our pace. We passed several other dogs/walkers, and it felt kinda cool to be "one of them." My dog is much better behaved when he's tired, and remembers his manners... it was nice to just have him sit on the grass to the side of our path and wait for the other people/pets to pass, then give him the "okay" signal so we could continue our walk. I felt in sync with my dog, and it's a heady feeling. In any case, we wrapped up our walk (with the dog getting just a bit more hyper again in the last quarter-mile, as he realized we were almost home). But it was a great walk overall, and I felt stronger for it.

Later that day, my husband and I decided to go to Disneyland. We had been planning on only staying for a few hours; just long enough to renew our passes and see some of the holiday decorations that were disappearing in another day. But for whatever reason, the parks were EMPTY, and we couldn't pass that up. Tony called his sister to inform her about the quietness and next thing you know, we were joined by his sis, bro-in-law and their 3 kiddos. So we stayed for a few more hours, leaving right before the fireworks were set to begin (so that we would avoid the crowd that always exits right after the show). And I realized that we did a LOT of walking while we were there (about 7 hours). So much so that yesterday (Sunday), both my husband and I were totally wiped out and did as little as possible.

So, it should be interesting to see what the workout TODAY is like. I'll let you know how it goes...

Baby Steps

2009-12-30T14:31:00.000-08:00

You know that commercial from a few months back... not even sure WHAT it was advertising... either Starbucks or an energy drink or something... but this one guy starts his morning, and takes a sip, and everywhere he goes there are people cheering him on and chanting his name like he's at a sporting event, and then the mascot does the "worm" across the floor?

That's what I see in my head. (da da da DA da... CHEL!)

I've got my cheerleaders; I've got my external motivation. Now it's time to bring that power to the inside.

I stopped off at the local 24-hour fitness last night on my way home, wanting to scope out the place. As I was being shown around, the guy asked me what I was interested in. I named off a BUNCH of things, saying that I get bored easily. Then he asked me if I switched up my routine every two weeks or so. I told him "No... that's about the time I STOP working out altogether." Not exactly what he meant by "switching it up," I'm sure. He asked why I stopped... I told him that that's about time I got bored. Boredom seemed to be a recurring theme... (time to remedy that!)

I was proud of myself, though, because I didn't make a snap decision right there on the spot. My intent in stopping off at the gym last night was not to sign up, but merely to have a look around. get myself acquainted and make sure that this was a place I could see myself coming to on a regular basis. And then think about it.

I stopped off at Target right after that, and again, had to restrain myself. I almost walked out of there with a Wii Fit Plus. But again, I surprised myself with my (not-too-common) restraint, and decided to hold off on that purchase for the moment.

And now that I have had time to think things thru and talk it over with my husband, I feel like I am making a good choice. A strong decision, not just an impetuous one.

Tonight on my drive home, I am stopping off at the gym to become a new member. Woo-hoo!

daily obsession: get FIT

2009-12-29T14:51:00.000-08:00

It's almost January. Which means that I, along with thousands of other people, have FITNESS on the brain. After months and months (and months) of being lazy and overstuffing myself with whatever foods were within grasp, I have decided (yet again) that it is time to get into shape.

And I need help to do so.

I don't know how he does it, or where he got this from in the family (maybe he's adopted?), but my brother is in awesome shape. Now, to be fair, we both have pretty good metabolism. But where that ends, my brother actually does what doctors and fitnes experts tell you to do... "eat less, move more." We used to go down to the office gym at lunchtime and work out together. But I get bored. I have 2 movies on my iPhone that I watch over and over (not going to mention which ones... you'll laugh at me. promise). And I have music to use, but can only listen to the same songs so many times on repeat. Ugh. So, I fail. My brother continues to work out downstairs, and when he doesn't do that, he bikes, runs, or when he's feeling lazy...at the bre minimum doesn't resort to the junk food like I do. Dangit. Willpower, where ARE you?

I won't make excuses here, but suffice it to say that I KNOW myself. And so, though my bro has offered yet again to head downstairs to train with me, I know it won't be enough. I get bored. (Not to mention that the place is tiny, and come January, I'll be fighting with all the other "new-years-resolution-to-get-fitters." Like me.

Looking into other options...

1. Walk the dog more. Okay, so I need to do this anyways, but more difficult in the wintertime, when my dog is just as hesitant to go outside as I am. And I don't relish the idea of taking a long walk in the dark, when coyotes and other creatures are known to roam nearby.

2. Wii Fit. Okay, okay... so not exctly a solid workout in itself, so I've been told. But it should be a great way to get me through the times when I'm feeling bored and/or lazy, and still make me move a bit, right? downside... $100 for the board and game. I've been told that there's an even better game out there which can actually be counted as a workout, but then again... there's another $50.

3. Gym at Condo. Kinda cool... a small workout room with everything in it to get fit. Pro: free. Con: sometimes too full to be able to use anything, and sometimes equipment is broken. Bummer. And again, the boredom thing. I can only work out for so long while staring at myself in a mirror. Blech.

3. Gym Membership. I haven't had a gym membership for nearly a year now. I got into the habit of going, and then I got lazy and stopped. Then I went again, and then found more excuses and stopped. Then I went again, and actually got really into it, but then a nearby gym got crowded and overflowed this one and I stopped going because it was always so crowded. (See a theme here?) But I have been thinking this over more, and this seems to be my best bet as a boredom buster. Pros: there are different routines I could do (in case certain equipment is being used), I'm not afraid of entering the free weight area (like most chicks seem to be), so I don't have to worry about overcrowding as much in there, and there are lots of different group exercise classes to choose from. Those always seem to keep me focused... as long as I go. Another plus: there are LOTS of different gyms locally to choose from, including one that is 2 minutes away from my house! And they've got a special deal going on right now (before 12/31), where there is no enrollment fee and no annual contract. Which means that if I change my mind (again), I can bail. Hmmmmm..... Cons: An extra $30/month. Which really isn't much to pay, if I actually USE the facilities. And the dog will be alone for more time at night, so I have to make up for that, too...

I'm going to head to the gym either tonight or tomorrow to check it out. But right now it seems to be my best bet in fighting the battle of the bulge. Anyone wanna weigh in on this?

new blog.

2009-12-28T15:52:00.000-08:00

Let's try this again, shall we?

I have decided, once again, to have a personal blog which will be kept separate from my studio blog. I found that while I wanted to write my stories, not everything seemed to fit in with the studio stuff. I don't want that blog to get bogged down with my personal life, just like I don't want this one to be bogged down with my studio pics.

But I miss writing.

Yes, Facebook and Twitter have filled up a little bit of that hole inside of me... but not quite enough. A few days ago I read through my old blog entries for 2008 and I fell in love with my life stories again. Seriously. The memories came flooding back to me, and I scrolled through the pages, entranced. So, even if this blog has no visitors other than myself, that's okay. I just want to get my stories out there again. Some of them are mundane, but there is beauty in the norm. This is life.

And with that, here we go...