251/365-2 Single

'Friends Don't Let Friends Drink Alone"

250/365-2 Atmosphere

"With My Favorite Somebody"

Because my photo from Saturday was "off-prompt",  I got a little turned around with the daily prompts.  This photo is actually yesterday's self portrait that was supposed to be taken with someone else in the frame with me.  I am committed to the monthly self portraits so I decided to forego today's prompt of atmosphere or ambiance.  Or maybe this works for both prompts and I can kill two birds with one stone.  Whichever, I have taken a photo a day and that is good enough for me!

249/365-2 Off Prompt

"I've Got Friends...and Mail!"

Today's prompt was supposed to be September's self portrait.  Because of our schedule, that wasn't going to happen.  We had a fantastic day at the theater and then going out for dinner to celebrate a friend's birthday.  When we got home, we discovered that Blueper B had received a package from a friend.  

You can read all about Blueper B's exciting day on his blog:

He also has a Facebook page if you'd like to keep up with the adventures of a furry blue and orange monster.  

248/365-2 From Scratch

"Scads of Scones from Scratch"

Brooke spent all day , and night, Friday making cones and teacakes for 120 people for an event being held at the library.  This look has more to do with me shoving the camera in her face than it does having to make 240 scones.

247/365-2 Beginning

'Beginning to Become"

Thursday afternoons are my favorite time of the week.  I am done teaching for the week at 3:00.  I can leave school and don't have to be concerned about anything having to be done this evening.  It is an awesome feeling after worrying on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights about making sure that I fully prepared for the following day.  I do spend Friday's preparing for the next week, but for now, I am free!  Teaching seven different classes is a lot to keep straight!  I am finding that I have to write EVERYTHING down - what I've done in each class, what I want to do, what I need to do, what I need to write, what I need copy, etc., etc., etc.  I find myself becoming some kind of distant relative to the crazy cat lady...the crazy list lady.  Lists rule my world right now.

All that said, because Thursday affords me some truly "free" time, I had a chance to think about and experiment with today's prompt - "beginning."  As I reflected on what that meant to me in this moment, I thought about how I am beginning to get myself together and am establishing a regular rhythm for this semester.  In that moment of confidence, I also realized that though I may be getting myself together,  I am really tired and, as hard as I am working, truthfully I feel like I am only a step ahead of the game.  Dismiss those thoughts for the moment.  Don't get bogged down.  This is playtime!  What better subject for depicting "putting yourself together" than Lego mini figures.  These guys never disappoint me when i comes to using them for photographs.

I spent at least an hour outside in the driveway taking different photos.  They all made me smile.  I was having pure fun, the kind of fun a child has when they are allowed to just play - no rules, no imposed goals, just imagination.  As I was going through all of the photos later in the evening, Brooke came in and watched over my shoulder as I scrolled through them. Even she got a chuckle out of all of the mini figure antics.  With her help, I decided on this photo to represent my day just because it is so ridiculous and because the look on his face clearly says, "I am who I am!"

246/365-2 An Assignment

'Teachers Have Homework Too!

The truth is that I have stacks of assignments to be graded and assigned to my students, but I couldn't bear to photograph another stack of papers.  Been there, done that this week.  Also, Wednesdays are such a terrible day in terms of time, I needed a subject that I could photograph easily.  Enter my beloved husband...he is such a good sport.  I got a very quick, last minute of the day shot of him with a book that he is supposed to be reading as part of his school's professional development this year.  I guess he got a few pages read while I accomplished today's photo.

For all of you students, teachers have assigned homework too!

245/365-2 Back to Reality

"Paper Chase"

And week two of the semesters begins...Despite having the day off yesterday, the work week got off to a rough start today.  The alarm was set for 5:50.  We got up at 6:44.  Neither of us remembers the alarm going off all.  The scary thing is that if it went off at all, it went off six times.  We have never slept through the alarm once, let alone six times!  Surely Weber didn't hot the snooze button six times in his sleep!  Hopefully this is not our new reality.  Oh, and did I mention that I teach a 7:30 class?  I managed to make it to class on time including making copies on the way.  Boy am I glad that we live only a mile and half from school!

And being the second week of school, the first batch of homework assignments is coming in.  Somehow in this supposed paperless society, I am still inundated with paper - papers to grade, music for analysis, class handouts, and yes, a paper agenda.  If it weren't for binders and clips, my world would be absolute chaos.  Well, it still kind of is chaos, but there is no doubt that it could and would be a lot worse without these things!

There is no meaning to the labels on the clips, but they do make me chuckle every now and then.

As long as we are talking about paper, here is another mandala made from one of yesterday's photos of the pencils.