orange.

health care & heath bars - any connection?

ok i don't really get this topic. health care works, but i think it could be better. and heath bars, well i'm allergic to nuts so i don't really eat those. but if i did eat one i would definitely need health care. in lieu of me trying to make something up about this topic i'll give you a photo for friday.

if i could have one gadget named after me, it would be ...

April's ART5Y Apparator
Just point the transfiguration device at the desired painting, hit the button and be transported into the painting of your choice. Become one with your favorite painting, by living in it. Time is limited to one hour in each piece of art. Become the Mona Lisa, discover a Starry Night, or go crazy in a Pollock!

(i've been ready way too much Harry Potter)

frenemies

definition:"Frenemy" (alternately spelled "frienemy") is a portmanteau of "friend" and "enemy" which can refer to either an enemy disguised as a friend or to a partner who is simultaneously a competitor.[1] The term is used to describe personal, geopolitical, and commercial relationships both among individuals and groups or institutions. The word has appeared in print as early as 1953.[2] from wikipeadia

i don't think that i have any frenemies. if you and i don't get along we probably just don't hang out or talk to each other. i think that frenemies seem to come into play in more forced social situations such as school or work. i would rather not waste time on people if we don't get along, why would i want to keep them as close as i would a friend?

potential new year's resolutions for 2010

i don't make new year's resolutions. i can't say that i never have. i think that when i was younger i would do the the whole "i'm going to try eat better and exercise" thing, but i never followed through. so i don't do them. i do like to make goals or "challenge" myself--something that i need to do more often. my goals this years would be to work on my photoshop art. i used to be SO into just fiddling around and coming up with some cool stuff (like above), but i just don't do it anymore and i hate that. i also want to start working on my book. it took a quiz on facebook for me to realize or remember what i've always wanted to do--write and illustrate a children's book. i also want to stop neglecting this website and i think that this is a start. i want to continue on my reading, which i have done really well this year. and lastly just make more art, whether it's photos, or just a few doodles, it's something i need to do for me, it's my own therapy and make me, well me.

A different/unique holiday tradition you participate in...

our tradition is slightly morbid, yet celebratory. our family, mostly my mom and i mark the day my grandmother died. 12.22.00. we do things in remembrance of her. sometimes we go to the michigan city beach (yes, in the cold) or go to olive garden b/c that was her favorite place to eat. 12.22 isn't just the day she died, but we discovered that those numbers show up in her life quite a few times. the most notable was that was the address of the old farmhouse in pennsylvania where she grew up. they're her numbers and now they are ours. everytime we see them on the clock, we always think of her. she is the reason i take so many flower photos or collect owls. they're all memories of her.

my irrational fear of ...

well here goes nothing, nobloplomo time and i'm going to try to do it. my friends are such a good influence on me ;-)

i have given this great thought and i have a lot of fear, but they are common ones, like death, snakes, etc. i don't think those are necessarily irrational. mine is probably more of an anxiety than anything, but i have this irrational fear of being ill or fainting when ever, but mostly when, i'm in a social situation or especially in a confined space, like the south shore train. i get all high anxiety, but then once i'm in the sitaution for a bit i'm fine. heck i haven't even passed out in about 8 years, but i did before then. i've fainted in my getting my cast off when i was 7, in painting class, during an eye exam, and whenever i get my blood taken. it's doesn't consume me like it used to, but it's kind of always there. and just to let you know that if i ever do pass out, i'll be fine, just slap me a couple of times. ;-)

coincidence?

we had a garage sale about a week ago, so i posted a listing on craigslist. this was my security code. yee ha!

omg

i have my computer back!! yes! i am so excited, i've had it for almost 2 years and only used it about 5 times, but it's set up once again. I need to get my desk reorganized and then i'll really be living large. it's just a good feeling to be using MY computer -- it's all MINE!! yippee!

hard work

before

after


i made another perennial garden this year (i'll take pics of the other one soon). i had been gathering plants that were on sale for awhile and decided that it was time to finally give them a new home today. it took me about three hours, but it's done. i eventually would like to get some mulch, but i'm pretty pleased. i always feel so much better working in the yard, planting flowers or mowing the lawn. it makes me feel very close to my gram b/c we would plant the flowers together ever since i was little girl.

IF: drifting

drifting made me thing of the owl and the pussycat. i know, they are supposed to be in a green boat, but i thought a raft would make it a little more interesting.

IF: Theater

henrietta just finished her first ballet performance. there was a little trepidation at first, but she was able to overcome her fears and ended with a standing ovation from the crowd.

warm weather

i'm so glad it's starting to get warm. i think it helps to be outside more, close with nature and in fresh air. i say that as i'm on the internet inside the house.

spring

spring snow?! you've got to be kidding me. haven't we been tortured enough?! i don't even want to photograph it b/c it makes me ill. busy day yesterday at the time garage sale. i was the hand stamper and paper passer-outer for a few hours. that was intense. there were so many people it was crazy. it just goes to show people that newspaper advertising DOES work. there thousands of people there and they read about it in the paper. amazing. it was fun though. i walked around a bit and saw 3 friends that i was able to chat with for a bit. i also found an old polaroid camera and a few little owls. i really enjoy looking through that kind of stuff, it's kind of like a hunt to find something you like. sometimes you find stuff, a lot of times you don't. i think i should have lived in a different era b/c i love old things so much. now i'm just waiting for spring to come back, i miss the birdies.

i can hear them...

the sandhill cranes.
i've heard them all weekend. i'd love to go find them and photograph them. it's not that far away. i just have to convince my mom.
Here and here are some info about the cranes. it says that they migrate until april, maybe we'll save it until photo day with 'becca.

christmas

i hope that everyone had a great christmas. we sure did. it was simple, but good. i couldn't get to work today b/c of the icy roads. the roads out of my subdivision were blocked off, so i decided to be safe and stay home. i finished Twilight last night (excellent book) and am going to start the sequel later on today. i can't wait for my mom to start working again or at least for her unemployment to kick in. this is really hard. we're hanging on to hope right now.

oye vey

Yesterday was crazy. It was a mess of train rides, walking, walking, getting a little lost, bus ride, walkling in circles, cheerleading competition, yelling, bus ride, dinner, fighting, bus ride, bulls game, bus ride, walking, train ride and then finally car ride. We didn't get home until after 1am and i'm just worn out. the bulls game was pretty cool, except that our seats were in the very top of the arena and when i say top i mean top. i sat down in my seat and immediately had to get up. i felt like i was falling forward -- i couldn't look down. that was not good. i was going to stand in the back walkway area just a long as i could hold on to a wall. i eventually sat down in some seats set out for the handicapped and had no problem watching the game from above. it was just the incline of my original seat. i felt like i was falling. i did enjoy the game, it was really entertaining once i stopped crying and was able to breathe again. i'm just glad to be home and warm.

friday

so glad that the week is over and my holiday section are almost complete. this weekend is going to be very busy. we are going to my cousins cheerleading competition at the united center and staying for the bulls game. my mom didn't want to go at first, but we all decided to take the train up to chicago and she agreed to go. i hope we have a good time. sandi sent me this really cool link it sounds like a really awesome project. i just wish it wasn't $18. free would be so much better!

oh and my mom bought me "twilight" so i have started reading that. i'm just getting started, so i can't form much of an opinion as of yet.

IF: balloon

this is my first attempt at illustration friday. this is just a little i did really fast. i had a really crappy pen, i mean a really crappy Martha Stewart pen. Frankly, I'm disappointed in Martha on this product. anyway, this little birdie is just too chubby and needs a little lift to get some air.

thanksgiving weekend

it sure has been a very busy weekend. we had turkey day at my aunt's house and it went remarkably smooth. i only made 2 side dishes and was able to enjoy the day over there. after dinner we went and saw "four christmases", it was a really funny movie. my aunt even commented on how much i laughed -- i needed that. we went shopping at 4 AM on Friday. that didn't go so well, esp. b/c i am still not feeling well and was even worse then. we started at Carson's b/c i wanted to get my cousins these penguin sheets for their beds and of course they didn't have ANY in a twin. so they got flowers. then we went to macy's and got a couple ornaments. after that went to penny's and then called it a day. it was only 8:30 AM!! we went home and i slept until 1 PM. i was exhausted! today my mom surprised me and we went to a christmas tree farm and i cut down our christmas tree. i've never had a real tree. mom did it to help cheer me up. i think it did for now. i also finished reading Pride and Prejudice (i also watched the movie for the umpteenth time), so now i have to decide what i'm going to start next. anyway it's back to work as usual. i only wish i had brought my camera along to the tree farm.

today

i hope that everyone has a fantastic Thanksgiving today! I plan on starting back at my blogging. I've just had some minor life setbacks, but I'm fighting back.

busy

i am busy. at work and at home. i am still working on that golf course logo which is due thursday. i am going to finalize it tomorrow and drop it off wednesday morning. then it will be out of my hair. i think it's been good for me to have a different project to work on, it's making me think a little differently. which is a good thing. i've been keeping up with reading as well - just about every night. so that's what i'm going to do, read and then bed. i'll post logos tomorrow hopefully.

so

yesterday was a really good day. after work i went out with my really great friends to celebrate one of their birthdays. fabulous. the food was great (house of kobe), as well as the company. i only wish that we could have chatted a little long. these days we don't always get together as much as we used to. it was kind of odd at dinner b/c i saw 2 people i knew from high school there. didn't acknowledge them. was that so wrong? we weren't REALLY close friends, but i've known one of them for almost my entire schooling. anyway, i felt kind of bad afterwards, but it's always such an awkward situation, it's a lot of fake smiles and awkward chit chat that i just wanted to avoid. plus, the fact that i am a shy person doesn't help. but i couldn't help wondering if they thought i was just plain mean. i acted oblivious. i probably should just let it go, but part of me feels bad. oh well, someone else will probably do it to me too. today was so cold. we stayed in most of the day and worked around the house a bit and watched some TV. i need to work on a logo, but i think i will wait until tomorrow. i need to read!

reading

I've been trying to back into reading and so far I am doing a good job. I've read almost every night for the past few weeks and am getting close to finishing my book. It has been suggested that I read the Twilight series. I am not sure though. Part of me really wants to read classic novels, you know the ones "you should read". They're the ones on the required reading list for school. Anyway I guess I'll decide what to do once I'm done with my current selection. For now, I'm off to check facebook, read a bit and then bed.

brrr

i can't believe how cold it is outside. i'm not ready for it and it's just the beginning of things to come. i was laying out a page the other day and was rudely awakened by the first sentence which mentioned that the Farmer's Almanac has predicted a "catastrophic winter". Yikes and what a horrible way to start an article -- so depressing. That is why I am posting a photo of a warm place -- ORLANDO. This is Coronado Springs, the hotel my mom and I stayed at in Disney World. Enjoy!

designing

i am designing today and i'm not even at work. hard to believe! i am working on a logo for the subdivision's golf course. it's a contest and everybody knows how much i love contests. the prize is a one year membership to the golf course, so it's a sucky prize. i'm doing it anyway. i need a good contest every now and then to motivate me. i *heat* competition.

tgif

the work week if finally over. i felt it was very productive. i always feel like i'm working towards the weekend, but as we all know they come and go so quickly. and then the vicious cycle starts over again. tomorrow my mom and i are going to some craft shows. it's our yearly thing and then who knows. i like going to these shows b/c it is somewhat inspiring. i mean there's the usually kitchy crafty stuff, but not always. that unique stuff is what i like to see. my cell phone died on me, so i will have to get a new one of those.

today

i give you a great video about the life of a graphic designer. this actually happened today.

ideas

I have a lot of ideas going through my head about doing creative things. The only problem is -- my motivation. I've seemed to have lost my follow through with many ideas. This won't be one of them.

oh blogger

how i loathe thee...

trying

i am totally trying to figure this thing out. *GRR*
Here's a our Halloween pic for you to see. i am the dork in the red wig. ;-)

ok, ok... 'becca

'becca has challenged me to post everyday this month. i am going to try. yesterday, it just didn't happen. i was way too tired although it was on my mind. anyway i am going to try to get back into this whole web thing. it was a pretty big part of life a while ago and i kind of just gave up on it. it didn't help that i lost a lot of things on the way. at least i do have a computer to use now even though it's not my own. it will do. this whole blogger thing is kind of hard for me b/c i just want to write some code, but that will have to wait. ok i'll stop rambling. i am going to start a flickr page soon. today alone i shot over 2gigs of photos. it was a really good day to feel blessed my nature.

ps. i can't get a picture to upload i need my server!

...

i am broken.

blah!

i am a super sucky blogger or i guess i'm not b/c i don't blog HA.
I felt like i needed to at least write something today. there's a storm coming in and it sounds pretty cool. and we're under a severe thunderstorm warning -- great. I better get off the puter, the lights keep flickering.

just buggy

I was talking about bug pictures today at work, so i decided to post. i may use the grasshopper for the fair, or possibly a gorilla that i took at disney.

happy un-fourth of july

well it's the eight of july, but i have photos from the fourth. i did download all of my photos from florida this evening, so i can soon share some of those. i took 993 photos! not all of them are great (i seem to be having a focus issue), but others are really cool. anyway, it's been really busy with weddings and such, but i'm hoping to get "back on track" soon. i have one more wedding to go to next week and then i need to work on popcorn fest stuff and fair projects. i decided against entering anythin in the munster salon show this year. last year it didn't get accepted, that didn't make me decide against it. the reason i'm going to wait, is b/c i want to start working on my polaroids. i need to do something to seperate me fromt the other photographers. i need to experiment and really test my limits -- so next year!

wow

I actually worked on this site! Can you believe it? Let's see how long this lasts.

I had a great time at Becca and Jon's wedding. It was beautiful and we had a lot of fun dancing. I've never danced in front anyone before so I had a hard time getting used to it. After awhile I just didn't care. As for the rest of this weekend -- not so good at all.

new layout

i'm working on a new layout. it's almost there.

Happy Easter

I am in a perdicament with my computer. I finally am going to buy Adobe CS3 suite, but I'm having a hard time just doing it. It's a lot of money and it's hard to spend it on something intangible like programs for my computer. The thing is that before I can buy these programs I need to buy more memory. I just don't know how much to get and which one. Do I need to back up my files? Just so many unanswered questions. I've posted a message on the apple website and people have helped me, but for some odd reason I don't feel confident enought to actually buy the RAM. Plus, they haven't really answered the questions I have posted. I think it's all stems back to the idea of buying the programs. I think I just need to bite the bullet and do it... tomorrow.

Once I spend money on the computer stuff then I can actually buy film for my new polaroid camera and a battery too.

I really want to re-layout this site, but I want to be able to use my new software to do so. It's a just a big circle of lack of confidence, actually i think it's more like a wonky oval right now.

Yummy things :)

This site could possible take all of my money, their things are way cool. Dude (I just had to add that extra dude it there to top things off)

this fall...

I am going to my first CUBS game!! Wahoo!!

I bought my mom and I tickets for Sept. 21 (Friday) @ 1:20

I am unbelieveably excited, as I've never been to a professional baseball game and they're playing the Pirates, which was always my grandma's favorite game to watch!

a new addiction

i have a new online addiction thanks to patti. it's webkinz.com. this isn't good. basically, the scenario is that you buy these little stuffed animals at the store (i have the hippo). you go online and it becomes a virtual pet that's on your computer. now you have to take care of it, like feed it, clothe it and house it. but in order to do so you must earn money, by playing games, answering trivia, etc. it's really fun and that's the problem. it's too much fun. i have accomplished nothing in the real world, although Petunia, my hippos now has a nice bed, a tv, flowers, hardwood floors and plenty of food. this can't be good...

why oh why...

...can't i live near here?

white and nerdy

so i'm much nerdier than i thought. jeez i'm a dork!

2007!

a new year and a new day. mom and i went to the movies today. we saw "the holiday", which was really cute. my only problem with the movie was not the movie itself. it was the ignorant person sitting in front of us. we got to the theater about a half hour before the show (we were second to be seat). so we were able to get good seats. then the masses came, all of the seats were filling up very quickly, plus we were in a small theater. when we originally sat down, we had all of coats on the seat next to me, but as more people started to come we held our coats on our laps to make room. everyone seemed to cooperate, except for the woman in front of us. she was by herself and sat with one seat on either side of her. an older couple walked in and asked her if she could please move over, she said "NO", so they left the theater. a bit later, a mother and her daughter asked her very nicely if she could please move over and again she said NO. the mom asked her why and she said again "NO, I'm not moving". what a total ASS! it really makes me lose faith in the goodness of people. so the theater was basically packed, but this lady took up 3 seats! it's just so frustrating to see another human being acting so selfish... *grr*

Happy (almost) New Year!

Well, I'm alive. This new work schedule has really screwed up my days. I was looking over my photos this past year and calculated how many I have taken with both of my cameras. A whopping total of *drumroll please* 2,726! Can you believe it? Of course not all of them are great, but at least photography is the one thing I keep up. I just wish the weather would get a little more photo friendly so I can find some cool, winter subjects. So Happy New Year and here's to 3,000 photos!

Productiveness

i was productive today -- on this site at least. i put up the new layout for my artwork. it's based off of my vintage camera collection. it only took me a month to get the gumption to do it, but i did it. i built it so long ago i almost forgot how to set up the coding for it, but it wasn't too bad to figure out. now all i need to do is update it. that is my next goal.

ugh

UGH! what a hectic few weeks. it's just been unbelievable with all of the changes at work, plus all of the projects we have to finish in such a short amount of time. mom and i went to an antique show. i got some random things and at least one christmas present. i plan on making a list tonite of the christmas presents that i need to buy or make. we went to the mall today and it was already pretty crazy with the shopping. i still can't believe it's almost thanksgiving. when becca s. told me on monday i was in shock. i guess i knew, but it didn't sink in until she mentioned it. it was astonished!

weekend

mom and i went to 5 craft shows yesterday. they're ok. but i think i like going more just b/c my likes them and it's something we can do together. we went to 1 by our house, 2 in highland and 2 in munster. we really didn't get too much. i always try to find a really crazy handmade christmas ornament for the tree. last year i found this little bear that was dressed like an angel librarian. i had to buy it. this year i already found a crazy cardinal made out of poof balls. i'll have to post pix.

crazy puppy

this is one wild doggie. i was out taking pictures of one of our trees the other morning and mila began rolling around in the leaves. this basically captures her true essence -- she's wild.

work was super crazy today, there's a lot going on an a lot to take in. i'm so glad it's the weekend. i can't wait until monday for our bead making class, plus it's Becca's birthday!

in honor of halloween

this has been a very long week and a super busy friday. it really helped that i have some really great friends to help me throughout the busy days. Tomorrow is girls nite, i'm so excited. it's always a blast, then my mom and i are headed to brown county for a few days. i just finished backing up my photos and updating the ipod. i am going to miss my little puppies while were gone. i'm watching scarey movie 3 right now, it's pretty funny, i've never seen it before.... lol

i *heart* youtube.com

went to the apple orchard today, fun times. i am so pooped tho. we got apple and pumpkin donuts, plus some gala apples. did i ever tell you how much i LOVE apples?! :)

just picked it up from the bodyshop and i have to take it back photos

look ma it's two toned! it was a bad day today, it doesn't sound like they're going to fix my car. we meet with the insurance guy thursday. (i cried at work - so that's never good) and if they don't fix my car i don't know what to do. i hate it. i can't stand to look at it, it makes me sick, literally.

the car

first image is of my car the day i bought it (July 05). the other 2 photos are of it right after the accident. tomorrow i'll post the "i just picked it up from the bodyshop and i have to take it back photos". yea that's right, i picked it up and now i have to take it back. the colors of the replacement parts are NOT the same green as the rest of my car, the check engine light is on and the headlights are different brightnesses. this sucks. and i returned the rental. so now luckily a good friend is taking me to work tomorrow. oh yea didn't i mention i'm broke b/c of the rental car AND the insurance hasn't even sent the check to reimburse me. UGH!!! *pulls hair out* i just want to cry.... some more.....

fallen flower

went to game night sat. and didn't get home until 4am sunday! insane. i've never been out that late, i was so dead tired, but i had such a blast playing spoons with all of my work friends. the only way that i was able to stay awake was the intense sugar high from all of the cupcakes, gummy bears and jelly beans that i consumed. yum....

sunflower fest

i hope to finally finish my portfolio layout soon. it's actually done i just need to code it (which is not as fun as designing, lol). i've got game night tonite, we're dressing up. i am so tired, i don't know how i'm going to make it. i am such an old fart.

laziness

i am so lazy when it comes to blogging. i don't know why it's really not that hard. it just a matter of doing it. i shot this at the sunflower fest

great weekend

Well I had a great weekend. Yesterday I went shopping with Kathy and Becca, we had such a great time. I love how honest we are when trying on clothes, if they weren't with me I don't know what I would buy. Today mom and I went to the Dunes and were there for almost 3 hours. We sat at the beach for two hours and then drove around through the forest. I realized today tho that I really need to buy a new memory card for the camera b/c I have a nasty habit of not cleaning them off. I'm thinking at least 1GB. Then we went to the antique store. I got 2 little strawberry shortcake figurines and mom got 2 elephants. We ate Tortellini for dinner, which was super yummy. I hope to post some photos soon. I'm going to download tomorrow and then I need to finish the coding for the new gallery layout. I'm working on it, so hopefully soon!

prison break

another great prison break nite, it always keeps me on the edge of my seat and makes me look forward to mondays! :-)

test

i'm having archive problems, once those are solved I'm working on photos

Easy Saturday

Such a beautiful day out today. I went to the Lowell Labor Day Festival, took a bike ride (a couple of them) and cut part of a tree down. It was just nice to be outside in the blue sky :)

site's back... almost

well this is actually a pretty simple layout for me. it will do for now.



today was my birthday and i got a bike! it was a really crappy rainy day, so we went to the movies and saw little miss sunshine. it was a great movie, i haven't laughed that hard in so long -- it was great! mom and i were crying, i couldn't breathe, it was almost like i had some jamba juice -- almost. :)

i must say prison break was amazing tonite (why do i watch that, it just kills me ugh) and the shake up on fresh meat was great!