New things...

So I cannot participate in my Historic Preservation Commission anymore because the mayor does not like little ladies who ask questions they should not ask, like why the codes are selectively enforced, why people are not doing what they are paid to do, and so on.  Apparently, in my town, you can only ask the hard questions and demand more of your elected officials if you are a man...

So...

I have found another way to channel my desire to volunteer, preserve spaces, and fuel my love of history and historic places.  I recently joined the Association for Gravestone Studies and hope to get into a Drew University workshop on grave site preservation.  I also found that if I join a Morris County preservation group, they need people to volunteer services and scanning items and documents is one of the needs!  Perfect!  I think one problem I have is that when someone tries to knock me down, I am so stubborn, I refuse to be deterred.

The vicious oozing blisters and rashes I ended up with after doing some clean up in a park have nearly gone away, but the scars will most likely remain.  A reminder of my foolish refusal to wear pants and long sleeves or a way to remember the fun I had while cleaning up a forgotten stretch of parkland?  I opt for the latter...

I am proud of the fact that I was able to take care of the situation without going to the doctor or getting an expensive prescription.  I used a cream I had bought in England and some natural remedies around the house.  Hopefully, by the next time this happens, the herb I am growing for this will have grown enough to use it as a poultice.  It just takes so darned long to get a doctor's appointment and I just don't like the idea of putting many chemicals in me... yet another reason I never did drugs... sigh....

Off to the garden...

Please calm down...

So I was photographed at home today for something I cannot reveal until it happens.  First I worked on some photos on the new CS6 - one was a scanned negative, the other was a still life shot in RAW.  Ok, so far so good.

Then....

Down to the basement to print in the darkroom.  Pour the chemicals in the trays... good.... negative set up... good... then go to plug in the enlarger and safelight.  Where is the damn triple plug?  Yup... key piece of equipment, gone. So I have to expose, unplug, plug in safelight, process print, plug in enlarger, repeat.  Then, I can't take my time like I normally do, do the test strips, etc..  I feel bad taking up his time, so I rush.  The print looks like poopoo. And so do I.

I am so nervous I am still shaking.  Ugh.....  Can I just set up my camera on my tripod and self time a shot of me?  Please?????

Mother said to read something relaxing.  Everything I have is political or related to teaching or unions.   That doesn't help!  And my issue of Harper's Bazaar has not arrived yet.  I may need to take a walk to Bobby's to get a fluffy magazine.  That September Vogue is a brick.  I hate Anna Wintour's staleness but I am desperate.

Ugh ugh ugh.....

Weeping...

SO I did some Guerrilla Gardening again.  I have a spot I want to fix up.  I did not see anything poisonous.  BUT... the lower part of my arms and all of my legs are covered in oozing, weeping, itching burning sores.  I haven't a clue how this happened.  Hubby helped me - I cut, he carried.  He is super allergic to poison ivy and the like.  He has not a spot on him.  I also have to fight the urge to pop all the blisters.  They itch and hurt when I bang them on something and popping them would relieve that.  But I know that opens me up to the possibility of infection, pun intended.

So I had two meetings this week.  I volunteered to be on the staff committee that selects the new teacher evaluation system.  I managed to make it through on Tuesday.  I was in pain, but played it off real well.  But it got worse as the day went on.  I just can't make it today.  I have a few blisters that are currently leaking and though I know that the ooze itself is not contagious, I know that if it was a student, she/he would be sent home.  So I will stay.  I did send one of the other attendees a couple questions I had.  Let's see if they can be answered.

I feel I can't even go out in my own garden with this.  The weird thing is, one of the scratches that had blistered was done in my backyard with a bush I know I am not allergic to.  So I figure I am hyper-sensitive right now.   So I grab reading material and just stand in the pool to cool down the wounds.

I had to get a new computer.  I will be giving my old one to my dad.  So I am trying to install CS6 right now but I fear nothing is happening.  I can't wait until I can use it at home.  I took a bunch of RAW images too.  Hooray!!

Jeez, this itches soooo much.  But it was worth it.  You should see the job I did.  Nowhere near done, but it looks nice.