Back from oblivion

Since I never post anything around here anymore, I will stop trying to create a perfect post and simply post what I'm up to, or what I'm thinking about. Here's a start, from my vacation to Colorado just before I started back to school this year. This is a toddler sized Angelo (here he is at a chubby 4 months), my cousin Kimmy's firstborn. And now she has another, Peter Rocco. So cute!

Going back to school

Wow, I intended to post this in October.

It's been mighty silent around here for awhile, as last summer I decided suddenly to go back to school! I never made it past more than a year of community college, which was many years ago, and school never seemed to suit me. But, I was never at an art school, and that has made all the difference. My first and only choice of a school that I would gladly attend was Cornish College of the Arts here in Seattle, and I applied and was accepted, and that's where I am! I've been going full-time, which has been all consuming but fabulous, and I feel like I am exactly where I'm supposed to be.

Photography was my intended major. Between semesters I switched departments to Design (which is turning out to be great so far), but still get to take photography classes. And I'm technically a freshman, with a handful of transfer credits, so I have a few years ahead of me yet. So the tentative plan is eventually to double major in photography and fashion design at a different school, after a couple years at Cornish, and hopefully end up with my B.F.A., with a lot of extra elective credits (because I'm crazy like that and have a gazillion interests). And I want to do a study abroad semester/year in France or Italy. And why not? Now that I'm in school, I've decided I'm not limiting my dreams anymore. :)

I'd like to try and start posting again, and maybe I'll even include some of my school projects. You'll likely be hearing more from me!

Congratulations to two of my dearest friends!

Jen & Tim, married August 2, 2008

Several odd and fascinating quirks of mine

Quirk: a peculiarity of action, behavior, or personality; a strange attitude or habit

I'm finding that memes can be a good distraction when I'm trying too hard to focus or quit procrastinating on important stuff. There are rules to this game, but I am ignoring them all (one of my quirks, perhaps?)... racking my brain for evidence of my quirkiness is turning out to be a lot of fun, so the specified six just won't be enough. Haven't posted anything in awhile so here you go.

- For emphasis, or to show excitement or empathy or as a general all-purpose response, I frequently say "Wheeee!" Covers just about anything.

- When I'm tired I often let out an audible and dramatic sigh. I'm usually not aware of it.

- I have seven different bottles of shampoo, of varying kinds and sizes, and I use them all.

- I prefer to eat my dinner standing up in the kitchen. I've done this since I was a teenager.

- If I'm eating hard candy I have to crunch into it; I never manage to leave it to dissolve in my mouth.

- I like long, shoulder length hair on guys, especially if it's curly.

- I check 40 to 60 books out of the library at a time and barely read any of them.

- I've never liked talking on the phone. If I must call someone I always hope I get voicemail. Or I just email or text message them in the first place and avoid calling entirely. There's something about talking on the phone that I find intimidating and almost too intimate. Despite this, I was a receptionist for four years. Don't ask me to explain that one.

- I love having ridiculous conversations in exaggerated, goofy accents - british, southern/hick/appalachian, and hard of hearing little old ladies (eh, what's that Ethel??). My roommates are silly enough that they play along with me (quite spectacularly I might add). We end up laughing so hard we start crying and can't talk anymore.

- If I am web surfing, I will go off in so many directions & tangents that after an hour I can have about 50 different webpages open. I'll check my email then think of a blog I want to read which leads to an article that's interesting which reminds me of something I've been meaning to follow up on/learn/write/research/buy/post, and on and on and on. It's exhuasting, actually. No wonder I think I have ADD.

- I collect recipes from magazines and off the internet and keep them well categorized in several 3-ring binders. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, soups, vegetables, latin american, middle eastern, etc... The largest binder is desserts, my specialty, and has about fifteen sub-categories (cakes, pies, cookies, puddings, chocolate, ice cream, and so on). If I make a recipe and it doesn't turn out well, I throw it away. If it turns out decent, I'll put a tiny sticker on it to indicate that I've made it. If it's a phenomonal recipe, I will add up to three stickers to indicate how fabulous tasting and/or well-received it was. I am quite proud of this system, which I came up with all on my own.

Check out my Photography blog!

Pentecost Novena

Pentecost is fast approaching... the novena begins today!

The Mustard Seed

From an amazing article on the evangelization of Muslims: 

Osama bin Laden recently accused Benedict of plotting a new crusade against Islam, and instead finds something far more threatening: faith the size of a mustard seed that can move mountains. Before Benedict's election, I summarized his position as "I have a mustard seed and I'm not afraid to use it." Now the mustard seed has earned pride of place in global affairs. 

A Muslim convert to the Catholic faith, a well known Italian journalist, describes it this way:

His Holiness has sent an explicit and revolutionary message to a Church that until now has been too prudent in the conversion of Muslims, abstaining from proselytizing in majority Muslim countries and keeping quiet about the reality of converts in Christian countries. Out of fear. The fear of not being able to protect converts in the face of their being condemned to death for apostasy and fear of reprisals against Christians living in Islamic countries. Well, today Benedict XVI, with his witness, tells us that we must overcome fear and not be afraid to affirm the truth of Jesus even with Muslims. 

We do not have a timid Pope. 

My friends Rachel & Paul are getting married in a few weeks, and I had the pleasure of taking their engagement photos over the weekend. We were blessed with an absolutely gorgeous afternoon at Alki Beach. Aren't they cute?!

One of the oddest articles related to the Pope's current visit to the U.S. that I've come across is from FOXsports on various random connections between sports and Catholics/the Catholic church. This one is great:

• A skiing competition for about fifty priests took place in Italy in February. The contest, the ninth edition of the Priests' National Ski Championship, was held under the motto "May the Lord ski with you." 

Tintypes by John Coffer

Throughout my life as a photographer, I've always held a fascination for photography in its earlier stages, in the 19th century, and have occasionally thought how I’d like to re-create photos that look authentically that old. Recently I came across an artist from New England who specializes in tintype photography, which was at the height of its popularity during the Civil War.

Interestingly, this man - John Coffer - also lives much as if he were alive in that era, on a rustic farm in rural New York (check out this interview I found). In fact, he has spent much of his time over the years travelling by horse and buggy to and from Civil War re-enactments, where he sets up his camera and photographs soldiers and "battle" scenes with his specially made cameras. NYC galleries show his photographs, as well.

Now I've added his 3-day tintype workshop to my long list of things I want to do someday. The tintype above is, I believe, a self-portrait of his. Who would ever guess it's a modern photograph?