#30dayphotochallenge Day 10, 11, 12 &13

Day 10 #30dayphotochallenge  Hotel digs: I usually like traveling in a job but this pic reflects how lonely, stagnant and stifling this job really is…the trip went as expected-no socialization with others, no fun.  It also shed light on how I am so out of practice of packing for a trip- I have gone no where in the last year and I can't pack efficiently anymore.  I have never been so stuck or tied to a place before- I feel like a dog outside on a chain.  I can hardly wait to get back to the things I love and the life I had.

Day 11- First day of seminar and the only cool and funny guys lived and worked too close to the hotel for the company to pay for the overnight expense.  As I was hanging with them, couple cars were being brought into the hotel.  It always makes me giggle to think as a kid I thought everyone pretty much had a 8-6 type job.  Dad would drive us to school and we kiddos had school.  It still amazes me what people do for work and what time they do it.

Day 12 #30dayphotochallenge Last day of seminar and we’re in the basement of a hotel where the room smells like mold or at least water, one mirrored ceiling tile is missing and the surrounding lighting is starting to buckle and give.  During the morning we are gassed out with the smell of WD40 and I really start to wonder-how did I get here? This is not my life….

Day 13 I’m back at work and these showed up- felt masks of different colors.  At the end of the day, this happened.  I felt a little like Amelie—perhaps I need a stratagem myself.  Turns out, one of my favorite gals bought a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles backpack and the masks came with it.  No idea which turtle I was… _______________________ _________________________________

#30day photochallenge day 8&9 time with friends

Yesterday was two great meals with friends.  These guys know just the right thing to say and they were the right people to be around yesterday.  Thanks Jeremy and Naomi- good coffee talk (with cherry pie) and great experience at BistroLQ pop up at the Good Girl Dinette.  I loved the fact that the courses and food I didn't care for you loved and the things I loved, you scrunched your nose at. I am so glad that I found rowing and the friendships from it.  I can't wait to get back into rowing this year.

 It was a pleasant surprise to meet up with Shawna and have some girl talk and possible summer dreams of road tripping.  Sandwiches were great as always at Dinks. _______________________ _________________________________

#30dayphotochallenge: day 7-partial eclipse of the sun

I worked all day, and all I had to look forward to was this partial eclipse of the sun but then circumstances got in the way…I would be off work only half an hour ‘til full “peak” so as usual, I wouldn’t see the climax.  I pulled over to capture a little of it and kept trying to resist the temptation to look at the sun.

This whole thing reminded me of the time in college-probably Spring of 95 when I was studying for finals and scrambling to help some upper classmen pass Modern Western Civ the day of an eclipse.  The sun changing like that just does something to you and the same weird feeling came over me today.  Mostly I recall making a sculpture out of jello for my basic art 3D class, the eclipse happening and a group of us looking through pin holes outside of the art building.  My friend Brad took some liberties and ate my newly graded art project like it was a jello shot.  He was a grad student so I assumed he’d had lots of practice where that was concerned.  

All felt right with the world and the future was promising.  I hope this partial eclipse resets these hopes and brings back the same feelings I had so long ago.

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Ultra Cave Invite 1-7 July

Love that my picture of DTLA is on an invite for a show in London! Check out the credit at the bottom.

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Day 6 Hot Tub and Sore Muscles #30dayphotochallenge

I can't believe it was only yesterday I was downtown.  That was only the morning as my day included lunch with Shawna, writing, and strength training with my old trainer.  Epson salt soak in the bathtub only did so much and I cried as I worked my way down the three flights of stairs and headed to the hot tub around 10 this morning.  It was peaceful that time of day and it was just starting to warm up.  A hot soak, swim in the pool-shooing away a mallard that keeps coming round-then back to the bubbles made a bit of a difference so I could slowly clean house as I watched soccer and horse racing.  #30dayphotochallenge _______________________ _________________________________

#30DayPhotoChallenge Day 4&5 Starry Kitchen and Groceries

After my San Diego quick trip, the day was just a get through the day kinda day.  —Good news: I did!  I felt like I had been hit by a truck-probably from trying to sleep on an Amtrak train and I had the makings of a migraine.  I had been eating like a teenager at a slumber party and was paying for it.
I really didn’t have any food in the house and I’m trying to behave- both the health and money budget for the next few weeks.   Recently I have taken a few trips and eaten expensive food (last week’s excursion) as well as taking a trip next week and the week after.  Only excitement of the day was my trip to Trader Joe’s and I even forgot to take a pic of my basket.  That would’ve probably been a better self portrait but here’s the sack it all went in….

It was a Creative Mornings LA morning,  meaning I wake up even earlier than usual on my day off and fight traffic to get to an inspirational talk somewhere in LA on my day off.  It usually keeps me plugged in and energized for the month and I end up making art or writing or something (making me still feel like I “have it”!)

Starry Kitchen was speaking. I was curious what would happen.  Nguyen Tran and his wife, Tri, run one of my favorite places to eat in downtown Los Angeles (Starry Kitchen) and he is a piece of work.  He, like the food, is bold and in your face and his talk was the kickstart I need for summer. I can’t wait to see how my story unfolds, and I can't wait to finally get my rowing friends active for a night out in DTLA and a night at Starry Kitchen!

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Another #30dayphotochallenge-Days1,2,&3

Day 1: I woke up cranky and tired with a touch of ennui. I then proceeded to hustle it to work where I was greeted with a splat of bird crap on my car, which then made me giggle, knowing that this was the photo I would use today for the start of the thirty day photo challenge!

Day 2: I am stayed with my friend, Tim, in San Diego and I met a sweet but idiot dog named Maynard and his three legged friend Bailey.  That mini vacation was just what I needed!

Day 3: So tired from the trip…the train stopped on the tracks multiple times and so I didn’t get home until late or later and had a tough time winding down. This day went like clockwork and I got through it, thinking long and hard about my time with Tim, celebrating my acceptance into Ole Miss and our conversation of how creatives don’t do well in a corporate environment. I finished the day with a car wash to get the bird crap off my car from day one of the #thirtydayphotochallenge _______________________ _________________________________