4/365-3 A Reflection of Me

"Give and Take"

I am see to be in my introspective period...

3/365-3 Open Possibilities

"Possibilities"

We had a great day with friends today.  We went to see Into the Woods.  I thought it was well adapted to the big screen.  Despite its basis on fairytales, it is not a children's movie.  Oh wait, fairytales were never really intended for children.  Someone forgot to tell this to the family in the back row with the screaming baby.  They did finally take the unhappy little person out to the lobby.  And then there was the pre-schooler in the second row... The other thing is, and this is rather sad, most children today do not know the stories of the fairytales well enough to understand or appreciate the mastery by which this particular story was constructed.  

The movie, because we went to the "earlybird" showing (translation: cheap) was over at 3:30.  We all had "lupper" together at a local Italian restaurant.  By the time we had finished eating, I had missed the good light for taking pictures.  Oh well...Weber and I went out to see what we could see.  I had fun playing with the possibilities.

2/365-3 Think Over

"Don't Think.  Just Be."

The left-brained academic in me often overpowers the creative free-spirit that also resides within but only occasionally is set free to come out for recess.  I am always thinking, planning, trying to learn, hoping to improve whatever I think needs improvement, which often feels like almost everything.  

For Christmas I was given the book Photography as Meditation by Torsten Hoffman.  I picked it up early today just to take a peek.  I was sitting near a window that seemed more like a percussion instrument thanks to the heavy rain beating against it.  I closed my eyes.  The rhythm, and even the melody, of the raindrops was mesmerizing.  So random yet measured, chaotic yet peaceful.  

When I opened my eyes, I looked down at the book that I realized that I had rolled into an arch in my hands.  The abstract landscape image of its cover served as a warp upon which the reflections of my window, my rain...my now...became the weft.  Like the raindrops, the lights and darks of the jumbles images were both random and peaceful.  I reached for my camera to capture that image.

When I looked at the photo on the computer, the picture that I captured was exactly what I saw with my eyes, but it did not stir the same sense of wonder an awe as it did when I held the book in my hands in front of the window only moments earlier.  I wanted that feeling back, at least for a moment.

I sat in front of the computer trying to name what it was that I felt in that previous "now" that which was gone in the image.  I decided that what was missing was the randomness, the unpredictability, the impermanence of every moment.  And truthfully, all of those things are antithetical to photography,  which seeks to preserve the fleeting moments of our lives.  With those thoughts bouncing around in my head (that I was trying to not use to think), I decided that I wanted to try to create a photo that some how might elude to the idea of impermanence. 

Today's image is that photo that I mentioned above, the one that left me emotionless.  I pulled it into Photoshop and began playing, trying things whose outcome I had no way of predicting.  You can see where I landed.  In reality this image will never change, but in its abstractness, and with the ever-changing state of my own perception, each time I look at it, there is the potential for something new to be revealed to me.  I like that.  And with that, I accomplished my goal for today's photo without too much thought.

I have yet to read a word of Hoffmann's book, but if the material in the book is as inspiring as is simply holding it in my hands and looking at the cover, working my way through its contents ought to make for quite a journey.

1/365-3 Good Morning 2015!

"Thanks and Possibilities"

Welcome 2015!  What better way to start a new year than with a warm cup of coffee in a mug given to me for my birthday by an awesome friend.; the wisdom on the mug is a perfect mantra to take into the new year.  And, by looking back at all that 2014 gave to me.  For Christmas, Erin collected my photos from the year and had them printed in a book.  On the cover is my photo from January 1, 2014.  So this morning I am looking back and giving thanks for the joys and sorrows of the past year and opening myself to the possibilities of 2015!

I wish each of you happiness, love, and joy in this new year!

365/365-2 Party

"No Dancing Shoes!"

Yes, I forget to post this "yesterday," but it was after midnight when I got home so technically it would have been today anyway...

This is not the photo that I would have liked as my final image for the conclusion of my second year of a picture a day, but this is what my life was today.  And the point of this project is to document my life, so here it is.

My leg is not fractured.  It is as injured as it can be without being broken.  The good news is that it is not broken.  The bad news is that the injury is potentially more painful and takes longer to heal than an actual break.  Oh well, I don't have to go back to work until the 20th of January so I have some time to rest and recuperate.

We did spend a quiet evening with friends to usher in the new year.  It wasn't actually a party, but it was a joyful celebration - food, friends, and watching the ball drop in NYC.  It all made me happy!

Happy New Year everyone!

364/365-2 Cozy Indulgence

"Birthday Indulgence"

Today I could either get cozy or indulgence, but they didn't both happen at the same time.  I decided to go with just indulgence because it made for a much better picture!

Having a birthday so close to Christmas, like anything, has advantages and disadvantages.  This year the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages because I got a new lens on both occasions - not a joint gift, but actually two lenses!  I freely admit that this is a major indulgence and that I am quite spoiled.

This lens was delivered today.  We knew that it had to be signed for when it arrived so we planned to be home most of the day.  I could have dug out from beneath the Christmas mayhem that still blankets most of the den and dining room, but instead Weber and I watched the movie August Rush.  It is not a new movie but for some reason it has never been available on either Netflix or Amazon and I have wanted to see it for quite a while now.  Brooke brought it home from the library for me; having a librarian in the family makes it easy to get the movies that you want,  especially when that librarian is the one whose job responsibilities include developing the movie collection for the library.  This movie, however, they already had so I did not abuse my connections.

August Rush is a sweet movie about the power of music, just a feel good sort of story.  And yes, Erin, I stayed awake for the whole thing!  I suppose that watching a movie in the middle of the day is an indulgence of sorts for us as we do this so rarely.  And the dog, who snoozed curled up in the afghan on my lap was definitely cozy.  I guess this scene could have worked for today's prompt, but my head didn't go there at the time.

The other potential for cozy was not an image that I wanted to preserve in a photo.  I had to have an MRI on my leg today.  I am seriously claustrophobic; if the injury had been any further up on my leg we would have had serious issues or needed serious drugs!  As it was, the tube stopped right level with my shoulders and I talked myself out of freaking out.

Almost two weeks ago I misjudged a step while out taking photos of Christmas lights one night.  When I did it, I heard a pop in my leg followed by intense sharp pain, but I did not actually fall.  I immediately sat down and let the pain subside a little and was able to hobble back to the car.  I stayed off of my leg for about twenty four hours during which time I also iced it.  The next day it felt a little better, the sharp pain had dissolved to a nagging ache. On the third day, their was bruising.  I thought to myself that that explained the ache and all would be well once the bruises healed.  Not the case.

It still hurts.  I finally decided that I needed to seek a medical professional when I saw a video (taken by my beloved husband with his new Polaroid Cube) of how weirdly I was walking.  

I went to the doctor late yesterday.  Based on the symptoms that I was presenting, the doctor seemed convinced that I had broken my fibula, but the X-ray was apparently inconclusive so her ordered the MRI.  It was scheduled for 5:30 this afternoon.  I did not leave the imaging center until nearly 7:30 tonight and I don't know what, if anything, the MRI showed.  They did send me on my way after their doctor looked at the images saying that there was nothing that needed immediate attention so I am figuring that I just need to take it easy on that leg for awhile.  I assume I will get an official report from the doctor tomorrow.

All of this to say that the whole MRI experience was cozy in its own unappealing way and I was not going to take a picture of it!  The new lens makes me much happier!

363/365-2 Orange

"Surprise!"