Monday, October 31, 2011

Wonderful Weekend, More Updates Coming Soon!

I've been unable to upload my photos from the last few days of the 30 Day Photo challenge because my computer has died! I'm hoping I'll have be able to use someone else's computer soon to post the rest of my photos.

In other news, I had a great weekend with friends. Saturday there was a community celebration Uptown, which I went to with Elaine. There was a lot going on at the community celebration, from music to food, and we had a good time. Later we went out with a group of friends to Cuisine Malaya for dinner, followed by seeing Gigi Dover & The Big Love at the Double Door Inn! Dinner was wonderful, the concert was fantastic, such a fun night!

For more fun, tomorrow is Charlotte Chamber Music's Free First Tuesday Concert in Uptown Charlotte at First Presbyterian Church! There are two concerts, one at 12:10pm and one at 5:30pm. I will be there volunteering for the evening concert! :)

Also, Shmanderz & I have plans to bake a Day of the Dead Cake on Wednesday. Let's hope it turns out well!

Thursday, October 27, 2011

30 Day Photo Challenge, Day 26

The photo challenge for today was a photo that represents my day.

Photo taken with the Canon PowerShot A520

Photo taken with the Canon PowerShot A520
I love how the extremely shallow depth of field turned out in this one.
Photo taken with the Canon PowerShot A520

As you may have guessed, I did quite a bit of reading and writing today. I also watched The King's Speech, which I thought was excellent & I highly recommend seeing, and listened to lots of music. If you are looking for some good music, you might want to check out Annette Hanshaw, a jazz-influenced singer of the 1920s and 1930s. One of my favourite songs of hers is "Moanin' Low":


Wednesday, October 26, 2011

30 Day Photo Challenge, Day 25

Yesterday's photo challenge assignment was a photo of something I ate. Cousin Shmanderz suggested I do "before" & "after" photos, so what follows is my before & after soup series.

Photo taken with the Canon PowerShot A520

Photo taken with the Canon PowerShot A520

Photo taken with the Canon PowerShot A520
Mmmm. Gotta love soup season. I made a huge pot of it, most of which is now frozen. The original batch wasn't very flavourful, but the soup that sat in the fridge for several days gathered a lot of flavour from the spices & whatnot and is sooo yummy! Potatoes, carrots, sautéed onions & mushrooms, peas, lots of garlic, chicken sausage, and organic chicken broth.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

30 Day Photo Challenge, Day 24

My assignment for yesterday was a photo of anything I wanted. Honestly, the next time I do a photo challenge like this I will probably weed out assignments like yesterday's that aren't really much of a challenge. Anyway, this is a pumpkin's-eye-view from our front door at 300 East.

Photo taken with the Canon PowerShot A520


"Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate,
The first one said, 'Oh, my, it's getting late!'
The second one said, 'There are witches in the air!'
The third one said, 'But I don't care.'
The fourth one said, 'I'm ready for some fun!'
The fifth one said, 'Let's run, and run, and run.'
'Wooooooo!' went the wind.
And OUT went the light!
And the five little pumpkins rolled out of sight."

30 Day Photo Challenge, Day 23

Sunday's photo challenge was a picture of me with someone I love. Since aside from work I wasn't really around other people much that day, my photos for this challenge are somewhat cheating...

Photo one is of me with our cat, Baby-Friend. Not really a great photo, but it's hard to get a good one when you are distracted by a cat. It also makes it hard to get up and go to work.
Photo taken with my Samsung Restore phone

Photo two is of my grandmother, Nana, and me when I was two or three. I love this picture of us (and the camera she's holding is the Canon AE-1 Program that I now use)!

Saturday, October 22, 2011

30 Day Photo Challenge, Day 22

Today's assignment: a photo of my smile.

Photo taken with the Canon PowerShot A520

30 Day Photo Challenge, Day 21

Yesterday's assignment was a photo of my least favourite body part. Although I have nothing against feet (as a matter of fact I find them quite useful &  have a great appreciation for them), aesthetically speaking I would have to admit they are my least favourite body part.

Photo taken with the Canon PowerShot A520

Photo taken with the Canon PowerShot A520

Thursday, October 20, 2011

30 Day Photo Challenge, Day 20

My photo challenge assignment for today was a photo of me dressed up. Since I had bought a cool new pair of red shoes today, I decided it would be nice to get a picture of me wearing them, and I thought the shadows cast by the blinds and the cigar table could make an interesting backdrop. What do you think?

Photo taken with the Canon PowerShot A520
I can't believe the 30 Day Photo Challenge is already 2/3s of the way through! Only 10 more days remaining!

I've been staying at my mom's house a few nights this week, and tomorrow morning we will be doing yoga together while my sisters are at school. We haven't done yoga together in a while, so that will be nice...luckily she has an extra yoga mat since I forgot to bring mine. Other plans for this weekend include reading (I have a couple different books I'm in the middle of), spending time outdoors, possibly going to the Renaissance Festival with my sister Kit & cousin Shmanderz on Saturday, and planning a Halloween costume. What are your weekend plans?

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

30 Day Photo Challenge, Day 19

My assignment for today was to photograph an object from my childhood. These egg cups belong to my mother and my aunt, and were bought for them in Germany by my grandparents.

Photo taken with the Canon PowerShot A520

30 Day Photo Challenge, Day 18

Yesterday was Day 18, a photo of my favourite food. I got distracted yesterday and forgot to post, so I am posting it now, and today's assignment will be up by tonight. Being a pasta-holic, I thought it would be fitting to photograph some of my vast pasta collection for this assignment:

Photo taken with the Canon PowerShot A520

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

30 Day Photo Challenge, Day 17

Today's photo assignment: a photo of my legs. Hmm, looks like it's time to vacuum my car:
Photo taken with the Canon PowerShot A520
I worked both the lunch and dinner shifts today, AND it was Payday, which combined with getting birthday money means I feel rich right now (not really, but I can pretend). After a trip to the bank, I stopped by Pasta & Provisions to pick up some fresh-made pasta. Now I can't wait to try the basil fettuccine! I think that will be dinner on Wednesday, along with homemade San Marzano tomato sauce.

And a bonus image - Princess (foreground) & Baby-Friend (background):
Photo taken with the Canon PowerShot A520

Sunday, October 16, 2011

30 Day Photo Challenge, Day 16

Today's assignment was a photo of my most loved possession. This was an extremely difficult challenge for me, as I have a number of possessions that mean a great deal to me, many in connection to people I love. Most of these items are equally important to me, but since I could only choose one, today it is the encaustic my mother, Ugly Stepsister, made for me of Ganesh, the Hindu elephant god. He is doing yoga, and his little rat can be seen crawling under the yoga mat in the corner (next to my turquoise Laughing Buddha statue). Ganesh is known as the Lord of Obstacles, as the Lord of Buddhi (knowledge/wisdom & learning), and as a protector.

Photo taken with the Canon PowerShot A520

30 Day Photo Challenge, Day 15

Day 15's photo challenge was a photo of me with a member of the opposite sex. Most of the family was together yesterday, so I took the opportunity to snap a picture of my grandfather & me.

Photo taken with the Canon PowerShot A520

Little sister, Aimsee, watches as Cousin Bri tries on the creepy Halloween mask.
Photo taken with the Canon PowerShot A520
 Umm, what is this thing??
Photo taken with the Canon PowerShot A520

Photo taken with the Canon PowerShot A520
Aimsee directs us to dance while she drums & sings.
Photo taken with the Canon PowerShot A520

Friday, October 14, 2011

30 Day Photo Challenge, Day 14

Yay, Day 14 means I've kept up with the photo challenge for two weeks! Only 16 more days to go. It also means it's my birthday! Since my uncle's birthday was yesterday, we will be celebrating both birthdays with the family by going to an Italian festival (Ciao, Italia at St. Matthews Catholic Church on Ballantyne Commons Parkway) tomorrow evening. And we will hopefully be getting a Day of the Dead cake!

Today's photo challenge was a photo of my hand. One of our cats, Baby-Friend, decided to get in on the camera action:
Photo taken with the Canon PowerShot A520
I realise that photo is mostly cat & not so much hand, but c'mon, it doesn't get much cuter than a cat licking someone's hand. Just look at that little pink tongue. And those whiskers!

A few more cat photos for your viewing pleasure:

Photo taken with the Canon PowerShot A520

Photo taken with the Canon PowerShot A520

Photo taken with the Canon PowerShot A520

Photo taken with the Canon PowerShot A520
 Aaaaahhh! A 17 pound Beast is attached to my camera! Good thing he's a gentle giant.
Photo taken with the Canon PowerShot A520

Thursday, October 13, 2011

30 Day Photo Challenge, Day 13

Today's challenge was a photo of my favourite outfit. My favourite outfit changes over time, but this is my current favourite (perfect for fall, I might add):
Photo taken with the Canon PowerShot A520
I'm glad I made it home in time to get some good natural light to take this photo by...this afternoon I very nearly got swallowed up by the vortex that is the book store. It honestly took me two-and-a-half hours to buy a birthday card for Uncle S & some coloured pencils because I kept getting sucked into looking at all the journals and reading random books, including a dream interpretation book that I probably spent at least 40 minutes reading. Thank goodness I steered clear of the astrology section, otherwise there is no way I would've made it out of there with any money left for the coming week!

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

30 Day Photo Challenge, Day 12

Photo assignment of the day: a photo of my mouth:
Photo taken with the Canon PowerShot A520
Having more or less recovered from my cold, I decided today was a good day for an adventure. The barn at McAlpine Business Park, where the Carolina Claymatters Fall Pottery Festival was on Saturday, is an interesting old structure, with three adjacent silos, and has been condemned, so of course that is where I went to explore! I pretended to not see the No Trespassing sign and tried to get some good shots of the barn.

Photo taken with the Canon PowerShot A520

Photo taken with the Canon PowerShot A520

Photo taken with the Canon PowerShot A520

Photo taken with the Canon PowerShot A520

Photo taken with the Canon PowerShot A520

Photo taken with the Canon PowerShot A520


Photo taken with the Canon PowerShot A520

Photo taken with the Canon PowerShot A520
Photo taken with the Canon PowerShot A520

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

30 Day Photo Challenge, Day 11

My assignment for today was a photograph of my shoulder. I had thought this would be pretty straightforward, but then I had never attempted to take an artsy photo of my own shoulder before. In any case, this is what I came up with:
Photo taken with the Canon PowerShot A520
As you can see, I've been doing some reading. Today has mainly consisted of reading, pestering the cats, and being knocked out by the Robitussin I took for a cold I've managed to catch, which is fitting considering the rainy cold weather we've been having today. Perhaps tomorrow will be a more productive day.

Monday, October 10, 2011

30 Day Photo Challenge, Day 10

Today's photo challenge was a photo of my favourite body part. What a difficult decision to make! Perhaps in part because I started off thinking about it in a purely objective way, as in "which one is the most useful or could I not live without." Seeing as they're all pretty darn useful, looking at it that way was little help. Then I was reminded that I could consider the question in more of an aesthetic sense, which narrowed it down a bit. Ears? eyes? hands? lips? Hmmm, which one? After thinking about it a while longer, it occurred to me that my hands are probably one of the most versatile body parts, they are the ones I see the most of each and every day, and I just like them. So that settles it, my hands are my favourite of my body parts. What is YOUR favourite body part?
Photo taken with the Canon PowerShot A520
Photographing my dominant hand in action was a bit of a challenge in and of itself, as was the drawing of my hands that I photographed my hand working on. The following photo was the runner-up:
Photo taken with the Canon PowerShot A520
I also thought this one was interesting, particularly considering my drawing and that my ring says "Love":
Photo taken with the Canon PowerShot A520
After work today I took the Lynx light rail Uptown, wondered around snapping photos with my Canon AE-1 Program (and now need more film!), and visited The Light Factory - Contemporary Museum of Photography & Film where they are showing "The Night Time is the Right Time" - photos by Mitchell Kearney and "Streetwise: Masters of 60's Photography." I especially enjoyed the "Streetwise" exhibit, but both are very cool and are free & open to the public. If I can find the funds & space is still available, I would love to take the black & white photography course being offered at The Light Factory November - December. Here are a few more photos from my day:

St Peter's Episcopal Church on 7th St is cute:
Photo taken with the Canon PowerShot A520
I love the red doors & wrought-iron fence:
Photo taken with the Canon PowerShot A520
My Canon AE-1 Programs rides the rails:
Photo taken with the Canon PowerShot A520

30 Day Photo Challenge, Day 9

The assignment for Day 9 was a photo of half my face. Elaine is letting me borrow her Canon PowerShot A520 digital camera (which is just a slightly different model from my old broken camera that I used to love), so I had fun playing around with it today. I think this is the best shot from today's photo shoot, at least as far as pictures of half my face are concerned:
Photo taken with the Canon PowerShot A520

I also like this close-up. You can see how much my nose & cheeks got sunburned yesterday! If I had tried to take a close-up like this with my Traveler camera it would have been all blurry, and I would probably have looked yellow:
Photo taken with the Canon PowerShot A520

Sunday, October 9, 2011

30 Day Photo Challenge, Day 8

For Day 7's challenge, a photo of me with a friend, I actually have two pictures!
Today I went to the Carolina Claymatters Fall Pottery Festival where my friends Elaine & John had a tent set up to sell their fabulous pottery. It was a gorgeous day to be outside...75F & sunny all day, and a good time was had by all!
Here Elaine & I are in the tent:
Photo taken with my Traveler XS 40 digital camera

 And our cowboy boots were just begging to be photographed!:
Photo taken with my Traveler XS 40 digital camera

Since I brought my Canon AE-1 Program with me, I was mainly focused on photographing with it, therefore I won't have many more pottery festival photos until I get that film developed (soon I hope!). The festival, which happens each fall & spring, takes place on the grounds of an old dairy barn. At the site there is a really cool old barn & silos which have been condemned. I got a couple photos of them, but I am planning to go back soon to get some better pictures of them when they aren't surrounded by tents & cars & such.

I do have one more digital photo to share from today, of the work of my friend Gary, whom I hadn't seen in several years. It's always great to run into old friends at an event like that! The way the vases, shadows, & trees were all arranged, combined with the lighting, seemed really cool to me:
Photo taken with my Traveler XS 40 digital camera

All of my photos from this evening at Petra's Piano Bar were taken with the Canon film camera, so I have none to share (yet), but hearing Ethan & the Romanian young man he is hosting play piano was a lot of fun. It will be interesting to see how my photos came out, as the lighting in Petra's was extremely dim and I had forgotten to bring my flash. In any case, I can't wait to get all my film from today developed, especially since the first roll I shot had about 12 mystery photos on it - whatever could they be?!