A few favorites from Joss’ benefit party

The whole set is here.

Tally… hoo boy.

I’ve taken a leap. Kind of. More like a step. A short bounce? A movement forward whose small increments are way out of proportion to the level of excitement/anxiety I’m feeling at the moment.

I filed a Trade Name Application for “Snerkology Media”.

And I bought snerkologymedia.com. Site design is currently underway.

And I applied for an upcoming Photoshop seminar in Phoenix, hosted by Kelby Training.

And I’m designing and ordering business cards.

Eep.

Last night, I took my camera with me to Joss’ benefit party. Of COURSE I took my camera with me. I take my camera EVERYWHERE, all the time. Whether I’m shooting in an “official” capacity or not.

Anyway, seems the photographer they’d arranged for the evening actually FORGOT HIS CAMERA at home (it boggles the mind), and since I had my “fancy camera” (their term, not mine), I was thereby elected to take the official photos for the event. Which was fine and dandy with me, seeing as I was planning on taking a million pictures anyway.

So I chased Joss around for the entire evening and took a whole LOT of pictures (final count to be determined, I haven’t had a chance to get them off of the card yet). The woman mingled non-stop and totally wore me out with the amount of energy she had. I love her SO MUCH and I’m so glad she had such a fantastic turn-out. You’ll be regaled with pictures soon, rest assured.

Anyway (again), the owner of the establishment offered to pay me for my night’s work, but I pished at him, “Of course you don’t need to pay me, it’s for Joss!” To which the man replied, “Well, I’d love to hire you sometime for the stuff we’ve got going on around here.” To which I responded, “OKAY!”

Two more people asked me over the course of the evening if I was “for hire”. To which I responded, “Well, SURE!”

Nothing specific is lined up yet, but I did come to the glaring realization that, hey, if I’m actually going to, you know, do this thing, I need to be able to represent myself in an official capacity. No more directing folks to my blog and/or Flickr account, then trying to explain why I blog under a nom-de-net. No more jotting my name and number down on a cocktail napkin. Nope, I need a professional website, and BUSINESS CARDS, b’gawd.

So. That’s my current project.

I’m excited about the seminar I’m attending – I’m a total fangirl for All Things Kelby (though he won’t be the instructor – that’ll be Dave Cross, who is equally awesome). Attending this seminar will do two things for me – further enhance my Mad Photoshop Skillz (TM), and give me a great networking opportunity.

Looks like I’m still going to have to explain where “Snerkology” came from, though. “The guy” from Go Daddy called me yesterday to confirm some details about my domain purchase, and he was all, “What the heck is a snerk?” So I said, “A cross between a snort and a smirk.” And he totally got it. The reason I originally spelled it “snerk” instead of “snirk” was purely aesthetic. “SNERKOLOGY” just looks better than “SNIRKOLOGY.”

Am I wrong?

My very, very, VERY FIRST tagline to explain the origin of the name was, “An uttered noise which denotes amusement/disgust/derision/disbelief.” With, of course, the “ology” at the end referring to the study of those things which cause amusement, disgust, derision, or disbelief.

I think that sums it up nicely. I think I’ll use that tagline again for a while.

So… yeah. Things are starting to get interesting!

Real quick like

A quota entry!

Going to Jersey’s tonight for Joss’ benefit party. I really hope we have a great turnout! Well, I’m sure we will, Joss is well-known and loved by a TON of people. The bar and restaurant industry, she is incestuous, and they’ve all worked with each other multiple times, at multiple establishments. I’ll bring the camera, of course, and have a ton of pictures to share soon. Because I know y’all can’t get enough of my pictures. Admit it.

Is it weird that I’m more looking forward to Thanksgiving than to Christmas? I think Marie is going to have the expectation that we decorate, since she’s home with us this year, and I SO don’t want to do it. I guess I could tell her that if she wants it, she has to do it. But I know come, oh, January 17th, the stuff will still be up and I’ll be the one who has to drag it all back down again. Meh. I ADORED Christmas when Calvin and I first got together, it waned a bit when the kids got older and Michael moved out, surged to the forefront again with the grandbabies were born, and now I’d like to just skip it altogether.

I’m such a bad, bad Christian.

I am pretty much over being sick, which means I have no more excuse to not work out and eat right again. It’s kind of nice to put everything else on hold but the goal of just feeling better, when you’re sick. I didn’t give a good god damn about my appearance or my weight, didn’t feel guilty that I wasn’t eating right (kind of because I wasn’t eating much at all!), and it didn’t cross my mind once that I should flop around on the elliptical. Now, all of those “gotsta do’s” have come right on back. Phooey.

Uh, okay. That’s all I got today, folks!

(Today’s icon = just because.)

Oliver!

I went over to Jen’s house for a couple of hours on Sunday, and met Oliver! He’s just four days old in these pictures.

Such a sweet little bug!!!

Stolen from Ms. Sugarpants

This one is Karen’s fault:

What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Living in Maine, in a loft in downtown Portland, with my husband. Making a living out of my writing and photography, such that Calvin doesn’t have to work and we have plenty of leisure time.

What is your greatest fear?
Death. Mine or my loved ones.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Sometimes I don’t try hard enough. I have to battle through the white noise in my head, and it comes across occasionally as not caring, or indifference.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Laziness.

On what occasion do you lie?
When I’m hiding something positive, like a surprise or a gift.

What is your greatest extravagance?
I won’t get my hair cut at one of those chain places, I spend $60 for a scalp massage and a layered cut at Chris Anthony’s.

What is your current state of mind?
Enforced relaxation. There’s stuff I could be stressing or worrying about, but I absolutely REFUSE. I spend enough goddamn time stressing.

What is the quality you most like in a man?
A giving heart.

What is the quality you most like in a woman?
A positive attitude.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
“You know I’m not wrong.”

When and where were you happiest?
On the beach, barefoot, at the ocean, hand in hand with my husband.

Who are your favorite writers?
Mary Stewart, Susan Cooper, JK Rowling, and a bunch of others.

Which talent would you most like to have?
I wish that I could play the piano, play the guitar, and speak Italian.

If you could change one thing about your family, what would it be?
Immediate family: I wish my daughter was more secure in herself, I wish my son would find a vocation that he was really enthusiastic about, I wish my husband and I saw eye to eye on everything. Extended family: yeah. I wish we all just got along.

If you died and came back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?
It would be just like “What Dreams May Come”. Calvin and I would find each other, every single time.

What do you dislike most about your appearance?
I’m chubbier than I would like to be.

Where would you like to live?
Maine. And, Maine. And also, Maine.

What is your most treasured possession?
All of our photographs. And my journals, hand-written and on-line. And the starfish necklace that Calvin gave me. That’s three, I’m a rule-breaker.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Mourning.

What do you most value in your friends?
Constancy.

What are your favorite names?
Cricket and Firefly – pet names my husband has called me, that make me smile every time.

What is it that you most dislike?
Light: stupid commercials. Heavy: selfishness.

What is your greatest regret?
I haven’t finished my degree yet.

How would you like to die?
In a non-violent, painless way, surrounded by the people who love me.

What is your motto?
“Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.”

Seven

Last night. It’s like deja vu all over again…

Me: “Hello?”
Rep: “Hello, may I please speak to Laura?”
Me: “This is she.”
Calvin: “Who is that?”
Me: *waives at Calvin to shoooooooosh*
Rep: “Did you recently place an on-line order with Pizza Hut?”
Me: “Yes I did.”
Calvin: “If they want money, hang up.”
Rep: “Would you be willing to participate in a brief survey about your experience?”
Me: “Sure.”
Rep: “Okay, on a scale of one to seven, how would you rate your overall experence?”
Me: “Seven.” *eyeballs Calvin, knowing what’s coming next*
Calvin: “Seven what?”
Rep: “Next question, how would you rate the ease of site navigation?”
Me: “Seven.”
Calvin: “Six! Fourteen! Two! Eleven!”
Me: *starts to giggle*
Rep: “How likely would you be to order from Pizza Hut on-line again in the future?”
Me: “Seven.”
Calvin: “SEVEN WHAT???”
Me: *waives at Calvin to shoooooooosh*
Rep: “How would you rate the accuracy of your order?”
Me: “Seven.”
Calvin: “Two four three… five six four… five seven… six seven… SEVEN! SEVEN! SEVEN!!!
Me: *Start to crack up, apologize to the rep.*
Rep: “That’s okay, ma’am, we’re almost done. Would you like to record a brief message about your experience?”
Me: *eyeballs Calvin, who is wordlessly holding up seven fingers in the air, head thrown back in mock ecstacy* “Uhh, with my husband standing right here, I’d better not.”
Rep: “I understand, ma’am. Thank you for your time.”

———-

Have lens, will bore!

Debating

Got up at 4:00 a.m. It’s close to 5:00, now. Going to make an attempt to go into work today. It might be a short day, though.

———-

So, at what point do you guys go to the doctor? I have nasal/sinus congestion and my ears are so muffled that I’ve driven Calvin to new levels annoyance with all of my, “What? Huh? Sorry? Come again?” I’m going to investigate different OTC meds that target such symptoms, but I’m concerned that this congestion will turn into a sinus and/or ear infection, or will descend into my lungs at some point. That last one I can REALLY not afford, given my already limp-lunged asthmatic status. Bronchitis is my mortal enemy.

My Grandma’s “rule of thumb” was to take me to the doc’s if I had a fever. No fever to speak of during this illness (unless my thermometer is faulty, but I don’t feel feverish, to myself), and I honestly don’t think the doctor would tell me to do anything differently than what I’m already doing (rest, fluids – no problem because I’ve been constantly thirsty, ibuprofen). He might be able to give me better drugs (maaaaaan), but in the end, are they really any better than, say, Tylenol Cold & Sinus?

So. I’m undecided. Somebody tell me what to do!

———-

And now I’m at work. I must admit, I kind of like how quiet it is when I get here at 7:00. The starting gun doesn’t really go off until 8:00, so I have a calmer hour to get my tea and water, sort through my e-mail, and get myself organized for the day. Also? The air handling system is really loud – like a space shuttle, pre-launch. That’s something I didn’t notice, really, before. The clackety-clack of keyboards, drone of conversation, and sound of foot traffic along the isles usually drowns out the vents.

Know what else I didn’t notice before? The coffee stain on my shirt. Lovely.

———-

I was thinking about a topic for Beyond Megapixels this morning. I thought it would be nice if readers would share the one photograph that they took, that they are the most proud of. There’s a few, that qualify for me:

I’m proud of this one because I think it’s composed well, and I think I did a good job at the post-processing. You’d never know to look at it, that there used to be a stop sign and a vehicle in the picture, would you?

See, here’s the original (trust me, the truck is in there if you zoom – I didn’t notice it until I zoomed in to do some close work):

I’m proud of this one because, well, it’s just darned pretty:

This one just makes me happy. I like the composition, the colors, the bokeh, and the fact that it’s so sharp you can see the tiny hairs on the stems.

Really, I’m proud of all of the pictures that I have in my portfolio, which I add to on a consistent basis. Do you guys have photographs that you’re particularly proud of?

Tea and Toast

Still sick, and practically living off of tea and toast. It’s a good thing I really LIKE tea and toast – two items it’s hard for me to get tired of – because I’ve had a metric ton of each in the last couple of days.

That up there is my favorite mug, because it’s YOOGE and solid and fits comfortably in my hand. It contains a Jasmine tea that consists of black and green leaves. Also my favorite.

I think I have a bad head cold or sinus thing – no disastrous piggy flu for me! Totally stuffed up head, crackly ears, a nose that alternately runs and plugs, runs and plugs, righteous sneezing sessions, minor throat irritation, and vaguely achy. My temperature is normal (I originally typed “I don’t have a temperature”, but I do! 98.2!), I’m not coughing, no tummy symptoms, and my appetite seems to be okay.

My “v’s” and “m’s” come out like “b’s”, my “l’s” are missing, and my “n’s” come out like “d’s”. I hab a code id by dose.

———-

In case you didn’t see my maniacal Twittering yesterday, Jen’s baby boy, Oliver Robert, was born at 11:31 a.m. weighing in at 8 lbs 5 oz, and measuring 21 inches. Both mom and baby are doing very well! I’ll be taking pictures of the baby within the next week (as soon as I kick this stupid bug that prevented me from being there for his delivery!), and with mom’s permission I’ll post a bunch here. In the meantime, there’s a few pics up on Jen’s blog, so go on over there and wish Oliver a happy birthday!

———-

LENS WATCH 2009: In Secaucus, NJ, on schedule for delivery tomorrow! I haven’t been keeping up (already!) with my picture-a-day goal for November. Meh, what are ya gonna do? The view hasn’t changed from the bed I’ve been hanging out in since Tuesday afternoon. My own sorry face, staring back at me from the mirrored closet doors. Nobody wants to see pictures of that.

Wow, that last pair of sentences sounded mighty pathetic, didn’t they? Heh. Woesy woesy me.

Wracked

Jen is going to revoke my friend status, I think. She’s in labor right now, at the hospital, and I’m not there.

No, I’m at home with a stuffed head and a sore throat. She texted me this morning to say she was at the hospital, and I texted her back that I was sick and thought maybe I shouldn’t attend the delivery. She agreed, of course – germs and brand new babies don’t mix!

Still, I feel guilty as all hell about it. We’ve been planning on me attending this delivery for YEARS – right after her first son was born, who is three now. She kept joking that I wasn’t allowed to move back to Maine until her second child was born so I could be there.

And where am I, instead of at the hospital, camera in hand? In my jammies. In bed.

She and her husband already think I’m a flake, because I’ve had to bow out of our plans a couple of times in the past for unforseen circumstances. This one, though? This is ONE BIG MISS. I’m wracked with guilt.

GAH. This sucks.

———-

In other news, I am no longer afraid of my Neti Pot.

I started feeling way crummy yesterday afternoon – what I thought was allergies turned out to be a full-blown cold. Head stuffed, the beginnings of a sore throat… so I stopped at the store on the way home from work and stocked up on sickypoo gear. Advil, cold medicine, nasal spray, lozenges, Gatorade, rye bread (for toast, my favorite sick food), tea, honey, and crackers.

Once home I got in my jammies and curled up on the couch with an afghan and a pillow. Calvin made breakfast skillet for dinner, and I had a couple of cups of tea. I was stuffed to high heaven, so Calvin suggested that I finally crack out the Neti Pot that I bought a couple of years ago. It has languished, unused, under the sink since then.

I mean, it’s kind of creepy, right? Pouring water up one side of your nose and having it run back out the other side, carrying snot and detritus and goodness knows what else?

At that point I was willing to try anything to un-stuff my head, so I cracked out the Neti Pot, read the directions, heated up some water and stirred in some kosher salt, then stood in the bathroom, staring at myself in the mirror. I practiced contorting and tilting my head for a moment, then just womaned-up and stuck the thing in my nose. I tilted the pot up and could feel the warm water in my nasal cavities. A moment later, a steady stream of… well, we’ll call it water… poured out of the opposite nostril and neatly into the sink. I un-tilted my head a bit too soon, and swallowed salt water. Still, not uncomfortable. I tilted my head the other way, repeated the process in the other nostril, and was again successful. Then I “blew vigorously” out of both nostrils to clear the passages of water.

I straightened up, and discovered that I really did feel better. Lookit me, being all brave and stuff!

I went to bed at about 8:30, ears crackling (GEEZ I hope I don’t come down with an ear infection), throat burning. I had the most MESSED UP DREAMS about being in high school, and being picked on by the other kids, and trying to fend for myself but being interrupted because MY TEETH KEPT BREAKING UP AND FALLING OUT. So I’d have to spit tooth shards into my hand before I could give my tormentor what-for.

Cold medicine is DA BOMB.

A new routine

I got to work at 7:00 this morning and I didn’t die. Not that I expected to, really, but getting up an hour earlier than has been my routine for the past, well, YEARS – and in the DARK, even – was less painful than I thought it was going to be.

I switched my schedule at AcronymCo around so that I’m working 7:00 to 4:00 instead of 8:00 to 5:00. Getting home at 4:00 is SUPPOSED to motivate me to work out. See, I can’t get up an hour earlier just to immediately jump into exercise (I. Just. Can’t.), but I CAN get up an hour earlier in order to get to work an hour earlier and then LEAVE an hour earlier so that I can get home and exercise before the evening whirlwind of dinner/night chores/TV. That one hour window from 4:00 to 5:00 is now sacred unto exercise.

Uh, yeah. We’ll see, anyway.

I drained, cleaned, and re-filled the hot tub yesterday – it’s heating as we speak and I shall use its lure to further motivate me to make my muscles achy with cardio and weight training.

———-

I leave you with some straight pimpin’ – more of my photography articles were published at various on-line locations. I did a roll-up of those articles over at BMP if you’re intersted in reading them.

OH, and I got the tracking info for my lens – it’ll be here Friday! WOOT!

Toodles!