Normality?

Next week is the start (well, kind of) of my mostly full time position with the Richmond Ballet, that is really part time and non contractual, yet, reliable and flexible... complicated no? This is the closest thing that I've had to a "job" in a while - I'm working with them the whole season this year. Yes, I've been working for the Ballet for the past 4 (5?) years, but only on an over-hire basis, and that's usually about 2 or 3 times a month, ish (sometimes more, sometimes less). Next week I'm working every day, 9am - 6pm. 9-6?! What's that? I'm not used to these "normal" hours... I don't know if I'll be able to handle it... or if I'll know what to do with my evenings... I don't think I even know what an "evening" is anymore... I guess I'll find out

Now, this won't last long, it is only a week - but seriously - a week of "normal" people hours. I think that's kind of crazy talk...

Highway Thinking

Have you ever been driving down the highway behind a semi, stacked high with pipe?

(no, for once I didn't take this picture)

Have you ever thought, "How would I react if all of a sudden those pipes came un-strapped?" Two nights ago I was driving Northbound on I-95 from Petersburg and one of these trucks was in front of me and I found myself thinking that very question. I thought through different scenereos, one involved me slamming on the breaks and pulling onto the shoulder, hoping the pipes didn't bounce through my windshield. Another involved me turning as hard as I could into the shoulder and driving the opposite direction. This seemed like a bad plan. I nixed that from my scenereo.

Next came stopping dead in my tracks and ducking, in hopes that if a pipe did go through my windshield it would clear my head and I wouldn't be a goner. Pulling over to the shoulder and doing the same thing was another option. Would it make a difference if I turned my car sideways? If so, passenger side towards the oncoming, almost certain wreckage, or drivers side towards it? What are the odds that the pipes would just go right over my car? What would happen if it hit the nose of my car, or went under it and hit the undercarriage? Could one of those things flip my car over? AH! Just thinking these things caused me to slow down by about 5mph without realizing as I watched the monster truck getting farther away from me. I glanced down at my spedomiter and said to myself, "It's not really worth following an almost certain death if I can avoid the situation completely..." sped up and promptly made my way into the passing lane so I could pass by it.

Around this time I was to the World War II Veteran's Memorial Bridge, where there were of course... more trucks. Apparently I could not escape 18-wheelers on the road this evening. At least these didn't have pipe on them, just oversized box trucks. I inhaled, relaxed and enjoyed the bridges I was passing under and made the rest of the journey home.

More about the squirrel

i took this blog post and fixed it up a bit... edited the grammar a lot... and posted it to JPG Magazine for the "nice to meet you" submission. Take a look and vote if you can! http://www.jpgmag.com/stories/6111

Inquisitive Squirrel

so it's just another thursday morning, i didn't really think anything exciting was going to happen today other than i was going to go to richmond camera and pick up some prints and catch a cup of coffee with a friend who's moving away on sunday. however, i was just in my back yard talking to my roomate and her mom and eating half a grapefruit that was wrapped in tin foil and this squirrel starts to get friendly, we think because he had something shiny. he's all over the fence, not even 2 feet away, and just walking back and forth and being very inquisitive. me... being well... me... gives the grapefruit to my roomate and says "keep him occupied while i get my camera" and i ran inside and got my camera bag. the little squirrel had apparently tried to climb up my roommate's leg while i was inside and had then climbed into our tree. so, first things first, i pull out my LC-A and i'm get 2 snaps off at the closest focus setting (.8 meters) and the little bugger just takes a flying jump and lands on my head.

that's right folks, nothing like nature in the morning.

i'll post the two shots i got off (even if they are out of focus because he was too close) when i get the roll developed. i had every intention of taking digital too, but after he jumped on my head and i flipped my head upside down and then had him cling to my bag, and then have me fling him off my bag in one rather ungraceful swoop, he didn't want to come back out to play. and really, i don't blame him. i actually think if i were an inquisitive squirrel, i'd try to make new friends too, he just hadn't learned the proper social skills yet.

oktokino

i won oktokino today, 10 bucaroos to spend in the lomo online store... soon i'll have enough of these "piggie points" to buy a new camera :P

if you want to see the "movie" that won (it's an actionsampler photo that is animated into a 4 frame stop animation) you can go here: www.lomography.com/oktokino

i'm so happy i'm moving

today i actually had to climb in my passenger side door to get in my car because the stupid-head who owns the red blazer that was parked next to my car was literally half an inch from my side view mirror, the door wouldn't open more than an inch.

i'm so over this building. 5 days... just 5 more days. then... all the glory of floyd ave will be mine... all mine. and my roomate's of course. ;)

how random is this?

sheep, made from telephone parts, found on www.bookofjoe.com
StumbleUpon is my friend

if you don't have StumbleUpon or don't know what it is, go download it here


sheep, made from telephone parts, found on www.bookofjoe.com

i never really post anything worthwhile

unless i'm writing a book. i've noticed that. and i don't post often... i think it's because i'm stuck not behind my computer all day (usually) and on days where i do have off i'm usually keeping myself entertained by uploading a massive amount of photos to my various accounts that i upload to (flickr, jpg mag, my lomohome, etc) and i always forget to update this.

however

i found this just now somehow... i think i ended up clicking "stumble" instead of my shortcut to flickr and found it...
but check this out, it's crazy! i want to be able to catch something like this in a photo:






the crayon one is by far the best i think, but dang, that's cool.

last night i ran lights for sister hazel, their crew rocked, hardcore. they were great to work with and easy going, and if any of them ever read this somehow i'm not afraid to say that. they were a blast. i'm crossing my fingers that i'll get to work with them in september... crossing my fingers. it might happen. if it does i'll be sure to let everyone know. you should cross your fingers for me too.

tonight i worked for incredible edibles as a caterer for a wedding. i haven't done catering since high school, i forgot how fun it is. joey (a bartender from toad's) happened to be attending this wedding. that was pretty funny, didn't think i'd know anyone at the event but hey, it's richmond. i was the turkey slicer for the better part of the evening. i sliced that turkey like it was my job. because it was. hah. i made two types of pasta dishes for a bit, aaaand i made crepes. not from scratch mind you, these were pre-made crepes that just needed to be heated in the pan and have the insides put in them. and then the peoples could top them with whatever they desired as long as it was in the bowls at the station: caramel, chocolate, strawberry sauce, peanuts, walnuts, sprinkles, oreos, and whipped cream.

the beer kegs that we got from legend wouldn't tap well, either the seals on the kegs themselves or the seals on the taps were bad or the taps they gave us didn't match the kegs, but they sucked. a lot. i was happy i wasn't working the bar.

so yeah. that was my yesterday and today. maybe i'll update this more often... but i wouldn't count on it.