I did these today. Michael said to document the date, because I did my first solid (outline only) piece today 
Go me!
More Tattooed Melons Ahead!
4 August 2008 By Leave a Comment
it’s a bit pre-emptive
5 June 2008 By Leave a Comment
I ordered my camera I’m actually paying for it tomorrow. Looooooong story, but short version is, my card was freaking expired, so the company is express mailing me a new card, that will be here tomorrow morning. I will immediately call to pay for my camera, and it should be here on Tuesday.
For those of you following my “wtf should I get” mess, I went with the D80. I got it on sale from Ritz, so it is coming with 18-135 lens and a 55-200 lens. I also picked up a bag for it (that I hope is big enough for everything – it should be) as well as a UV and C-PL filter/carry case that was also on sale.
What else do I need? I am thinking the bulk of my picture taking is outside or inside with tons of ambient light. I try to use my flash as little as possible on my current cameras, so I couldn’t see spending 125$+ on a flash. I found one for 100$, but I just can’t justify it right now. Is it something I should put money away for ASAP?
I am having massive self-guilt over this, because I feel like some members of my extended family think I should spend this money on a short trip north in September instead of this camera. No one has actually said anything to me about it, and I really do think I am reading too much into the emails/projecting, but… I can’t shake it. There is a big family get together LaborDay weekend, but we can’t afford for all five of us to go. I could potentially get just myself up there, but it’s a *family* event, and I’d feel even worse without *my* family there with me, not to mention having to hire a 24 hour nanny for while I was away b/c DH still has to work. Oh yah, and school. It starts here on August 18th. Anyway! I don’t feel bad about this. I sold my stuff for this camera. I worked for it. It wasn’t money that fell into my lap, and it’s a purchase I’ve wanted to make for quite some time. I feel bad that I think other people think badly of me, if that makes any sense.
Something other than camera geekery? Dorian is signed up for Hebrew school starting the Sunday after Labor Day. Weirdly, it is Sunday mornings only through 3rd grade. I always went two afternoons a week, and added Sunday as it got closer to my Bat Mitzvah. Don’t even get me started about having to save for three of these, so close together too! We did not sign Malachai up. I need to talk to the school about it. I completely forgot to ask the teacher this year, but I think it might be best to wait and see how he does beginning of next year anyway.
Did I mention my MIL fixed my compost? I knew she could It was all maggoty and gross. There wasn’t a good brown to green ratio. We’re good now, and hopefully will get it right. If not, we know the fix!
There was more, but I have a brain like a sieve.
more camera stuff
30 May 2008 By Leave a Comment
OK, here is some good advice I got from someone who I trust:
hi, there are good deals on d80s because they are coming out with d90s real soon. you can get a d80 and 2 lenses for around $1000. get the widest angle zoom and the longest focal length telephoto. they are probably the 18-55 and the 70-200 or 300. other than that, i saw a d60 kit in costco for less than 900. the d60 will take you a long way. i’m pretty sure it has a totally manual setting so you can get as creative as you want. anything over 8 megapixels is a waste unless you are doing 20×24 prints all the time. and if you do you can always get an internegative to print from. let me know what you got and good luck. you might also go to a photo shop and see what they have that’s used. they are some pretty good deals that way.
So I emailed him back with some more questions, but it looks like it will ultimately come down to these:
I just want to make sure I get the most for my money without overspending or getting junk.
I am looking at this one (the d60):
http://www.ritzcamera.com/product/SLR1182.htm?GSESID=utvgyere2zl2kom1iaoiwx55&GSID=4387101&GSCID=1
(the lumix)
http://www.ritzcamera.com/product/542391560.htm?GSESID=utvgyere2zl2kom1iaoiwx55&GSID=4387101&GSCID=1
the d80′s I see come with just the one lens
http://www.ritzcamera.com/product/SLR1147.htm?GSESID=utvgyere2zl2kom1iaoiwx55&GSID=4387101&GSCID=1
New opinions anyone?
my morning.
30 May 2008 By Leave a Comment
So I was expecting a delivery yesterday that had to be signed for (I didn’t realize it had to be signed for) so of course we were’t here when they were here. I called UPS to see if they could deliver earlier or much later because we are *never* here when UPS is here (they are always here between 12 & 1). They made a note to please deliver just 10 minutes earlier (they arrived at 12:06 yesterday). Well, they were here around 10 this morning! The guy said he had an overnight to deliver in the development, so they brought this too. Rock on! What was in my package? Thanks for asking! I got two grips all of my own (the one I’ve been using is very small and so I got a 3/4or1 inch [depending on the side] to make my old arthirtic hands happier) for the tattoo machines, some more needles, stencil paper, and michael got some disposable aprons to test. They also sent a keychain and a suuuuper cute pen make out of a disposable tube. Michael was gonna keep it, and decided I should have it to write with instead, isn’t he sweet?
Today after UPS came (there was a total purpose to that story) we went to the food store. We went back to Doris’ for meat, and decided to hit Albertsons when we were done there. I have a produce delivery coming on Wednesday. This should have been a quick trip. Well, I ran late at Albertsons and we rushed home at 15 after 12 and the motherfucking city is repaving the entrance to hour development. I knew this, as they ripped up countless feet of perfectly good road to replace it with blacktop. They also ripped up our turn lane and entrance. Well, they were laying the blacktop in the entrance so we couldn’t get in. Except one car came out and a FedEx came in so I said fuck it, drive over it! We were already late to get Michael to work b/c we had to unload, put away, and then leave when we should have been leaving. So the workers were all sorts of pissed (so was I, there is only one entrance/exit to our development, it’s not like there was a second option) and I was all sorts of pissed and once we got everything put away Michael phoned the bossman and told him he’d be a bit late. So around 15 to 1 (when he should be at work) we left and the workers were gone. ZOMG what a fucking struggle. Why not do *half* the entrance so we could go in/out the exit side while the entrance side set (the entrance is 2 lanes, the exit is one, plus a median) and then do the other side? It was just stupid and not thought out.
So that was my morning.
I have also started my own 365 project – I am taking lots of photos and will be “showcasing” (for lack of a better word) one for each day in my online gallery. I haven’t set it up yet, so once I do I’ll post the URL for anyone interested.
Go me
19 October 2007 By Leave a Comment
I wanted to post while I was still happy about it.
I drew (traced) a koi today. It was on an 8.5×11 sheet of paper – it was slightly smaller, but took up most of the page. It has some flowers and some bamboo in with it. I took it with me to pick up Malachai, and in about 25 minutes I had traced the entire thing. I had expected it to take much longer, so I am really quite pleased with myself.
I mentioned it to Michael, and specified I traced it, not drew it. He said it took him an hour to an hour and a half to draw from scratch a koi, and would have taken him maybe 15 minutes to trace it. I am still quite pleased with myself for doing, what I felt was a good job, in 25 minutes.
I looked at some of my old (10+ years ago) work and it was tight. The lines were clean, the pictures well thought out. I just keep reminding myself that I was drawing on a daily basis then, and I’ve only started to do so again in the past three days. I didn’t expect to leap out of the gate and win, so to speak, but I really believe that a nice, steady pace will get me there just the same.
