News to come...

Doctor's appointment tomorrow. Find out the results of the neurological tests. Ironically, the arm and wrist have been hurting like the Dickens.... real bad. I try heat, cold, a muscle rub... all to no avail... sigh...

And can I say that I wish I could get home in less than 45 minutes at least once this week? Car fire, downed power lines... as my family says, the commute form hell...

For the first time, I am offering the Photo I a choice of assignments - motion or portrait. I may regret this, but for the most part, I think they are mature enough to handle it. They seem to have developed very definite ideas of what they like to shoot and I want to test that with this next assignment.

And have I ever mentioned how I love thinking a student is absent only to find out they are not - they just came in and got to work in the darkroom so quickly I never saw them!

Career...

So not one person thought of a career that does not involve actually taking the pictures - such as gallery director, museum curator, photo editor for a magazine... Yikes!?! Does it reflect badly that no one even thought of teaching? Oh, that's right... no way of making a living on one's own doing that in NJ...

Went to New York State with friends yesterday... took the Diana 35 and finished the roll from DC... did not completely rewind the film prior to opening (do not walk, talk, and rewind film at the same time!) but I think it was actually the last pics that exposed...

There was a really nice place we went for lunch in Warwick called Tuscan Cafe. They have open mic nights, bands playing, and local artists' stuff on the walls. And the food was super! They have vegan options! Just really nice. Some of you students would love the place. Cafe Eclectic without the attitude... We ended up being out much later than expected so I will spend the whole day at home today to make it up to Millie...

Very aggravated that my printer is still not working and I have a great deal of submissions to do... I have a craft show in a week and wanted to print new business cards... obviously not going to happen...

There are some students who could not get into Photo III because of scheduling conflicts. A couple want us to have a Photo Club. Dems and I think we will do it as long as the students buy their own paper and film... Oh dear, no free time at all! But I may be quitting my town's Main Street organization. Not very happy with the way the Executive Director is running the thing... but I saw an article in the paper on this group that restores graveyards and I have had a burning desire to do that for a couple of the ones in my town. I thought I would have to do it guerilla style, but I may be able to do it legally now... Righting fallen headstones, trimming grass, pulling weeds... oh boy!

DC, how I love thee...

Third annual Foto Week began this past weekend... went to the National Gallery of Art to see an exhibit of Pre-Raphaelite photographs and was delighted to see watercolours and paintings included! Including - oh boy - a piece by Dante Gabriel Rossetti! Oh gosh, and photos of Lizzie Siddell and Jane Morris, and oh, it was just too much! Then on over to the East building and happen upon an unadvertised, not listed Edvard Munch exhibit! Prints and prints and more prints! I felt lightheaded and giddy.... So many versions of Vampire and the Madonna and it was just too much!!!!

Then on over to the American History museum and finally bought the book on photo booth photography... cannot wait to open that baby!

We tried to go to galleries open late for First Friday, but late in their eyes is 8 pm and we barely made it... did see a good one at Hillyer Art Space featuring photographs dealing with Central and South America and immigration within those countries... and by the way, the ginger tea at Teaism is fabulous...

Saturday was my first foray to the Phillips Collection... two photography exhibits there: Pictorialism and Coburn portfolios. Just amazing... so many ideas for the students and just more proof that digital cannot compare to film and older analog methods. And there were so many other amazing works we saw there too and we only made it to half of the building because some is still being refurbished. Just sooo good!

Then off to Georgetown for a visit to Foto Week's Satellite Central. I found my two thumbnails on the wall there... looked at some amazing self-published photo books from the Independent Photo Book Library and the display of other published photo books from the past year. Also saw a nice exhibit in a gallery in Adams-Morgan. The woman makes her own medium format cameras from parts and lenses and such. The images were so dreamy...

Oh and we went to the Punk Rock Flea Market and I bought a couple of books and had an amazing vegan cranberry and pistachio cookie and stood next to the singer of a good band from the 80's! Woo hoo!!! And discovered the beauty of Meridien Hill Park... Hidden DC is just so great!

After realizing I probably wouldn't get into the Bruce Davidson talk at the Corcoran because I did not register, I decided to go to a student photo exhibit at Georgetown University. Underwhelmed is a nice way to put it. Let's just say they do not compare to the PV students! Ha ha...

Then spent the rest of the night night shooting with the T1i in Georgetown... this time I did not try to shoot through peoples' windows....

Sunday in Baltimore.... blissful...

Shot two rolls with the Holga, one and a half with the Diana 35. I sense a trip back in the spring... I can't stay away...

Poke...

The tests did not even take an hour. The needles were like acupuncture. The other test involved sending an electric shock through my hand. That one hurt like heck. The claim from the doctor was that it did not look so bad. Ok, so then why is the pain constant and getting worse. I have a hunch it will be another round of occupational therapy. Woo hoo... it will work for a while then the pain will come back...

Decided to bring the Holga, Diana 35 and the T1i to DC. Oh, and maybe a mint green medium format camera... All packed and Millie knows. She saw the suitcase... There are photo exhibits at the Philips Collection and the NGA. There is also a good one on gender identity at the American Art museum and then all the galleries open for First Friday and the Foto Week festival.

Hooray for the HPC!!!

We had such a great meeting tonight. Sure, we were there for two whole hours! But, I brought Dunkin' Donuts and we stood by our town codes and we stuck together. We all agreed that we need to protect the integrity of our historic district and I just walked out of there with a great feeling tonight. And no one cried! Sure, someone was a little miffed at times because we weren't just accepting what he presented to us, but we all agreed to work together in the end. If we can do this, why can't politicians?

I know I sound like a real cornball, but I just love volunteering so much. I get aggravated when the two or three difficult people get in the way, but other than that, I really love doing something for my town. Until I became involved in these two groups, I had not volunteered since high school when I worked at the elderly care center in my town. I did not feel very appreciated by the volunteer coordinator there, but I did it for three years because of the patients. Here in freak town, I feel appreciated most of the time and it is just so much fun!!! Anyway, if I did not volunteer officially, I would be driven to go back to guerrilla gardening!

Trying not to think about the needles.... obviously not being successful....

Needles and pins...

Tomorrow at 9.45 I will have a bunch of needles in my arm and fingers for about an hour and a half. I think that will wall for a Dunkin' Donuts treat afterward! I need to sew some buttons back on some pants and cannot do it because I can't thread the needle... Hand hurts too much.... I did buy a gel wrist rest thing for when I ma on the computer. It feels neat but I hope Millie doesn't chew it.

I have an HPC meeting tonight. I have to remember to stand by my beliefs regarding what is historically accurate and what is not. I think tonight will be tough meeting. I also want to get the point across that we should be more than just the "sign police" and use our advisory abilities, but we shall see. There are some in town who like to disparagingly call us the "sign police" but will do what they can to block us from exercising any other type of authourity... grrr......

Also have to plan what cameras to bring to DC. Last year it was the Imperial, the Yashica 35 and the Nikon Coolpix. This year, the T1i and I do not know what else. I do have a bunch of 120 film on 620 spools ready to go, so no respooling in the museum this year!

Voting..

So apparently some 18 year-olds in PV expect the school to take care of their voter registration! Well, relying on people to do everything for you is incredibly lazy and you should have all taken care of that on your own. Having the right/ability to vote and not taking advantage of it is just foolish. Particularly my fellow women. We have not always been allowed to vote, you know. From the time I was 18, I only missed 2 minor local elections ant that was because of the limited polling hours and I was stuck in a studio class... What's your excuse?

Now that I am done with my rant, I do wish the Photo III mope group would get on the stick and work. I think the class should be an escape from whatever bad thing is happening. When I have a rotten day/night/whatever, getting into 026, I drop whatever is going wrong and make the most of my time with the students. I have a million and one things to do, but I do my best to get them done. I have two volunteer groups that need things from me at home, I help my sister out with Lucy, my parents need me for things sometimes and I have to do my own art and work. All of that and have a social life. Yes, it is a lot. But I work to find a balance and not let anything slip by. To do that would be neglecting someone or something and I don't want to do that. Sure, I wish I could get by on only 4 hours of sleep. But that's not the reality. So, I make sure I give everything attention. Maybe not always equal attention, but at least I give it some. And here is a tip: in college, most professors think their class is the only class you have. Get used to budgeting your time.... no one person owns you...