Sleep coma

I seriously think that I entered one yesterday. I wasn't tired& I was getting ready to go to the barn. I decided I'd read until 3:30 then get dressed to go visit Pony. Cue Dry by Augusten Burroughs ..one of my favorite authors. I made it to roughly page 40 before falling asleep for 3.5hrs. This is so unlike me. Moral of the story? Don't take time out of your day to read ;)

Linked with {snapped}!

Clearly, my dog is very much enjoying the lazy times we are spending together. There was a time he would complain about laying in bed all evening but it seems to be his favorite activity these days! Such an accommodating dog. He just wants to hang out with his momma 24/7. He doesn't find much fun in coming to the barns or being outside in the winter .. he is definitely starting to show his age. He still loves a good romp outside in the summer but the winter wears him out. I think a lot of us are in the same boat as him when it comes to hating winter! I know I am certainly over it.

Poor old bugger keeps getting older on me, despite how often I tell him he's not allowed to. In this photo, he actually looks like he loves me. A rare photographic capture. I promise he does love me in real life, he just absolutely hates when I make him do ridiculous things in order to get a great photo. I can't say I blame him ..but I am so happy I'll have a really great bunch of photos to remember him with! I'm definitely going to get at least one printed out on canvas for myself. I love my pup more than anything!

Selfie Pinspiration

I know, I know. Everyone is on Pinterest. I am not that late to the party ..I've been there for quite some time now. Since embarking on Project 366& my weekly self& pup portraits, I cannot thank Pinterest enough. I know, it's only halfway through February but I'd have already been out of ideas for myself, my dog& my other five days through the week. I usually start by looking up some great pins, imagining how I'm going to recreate the look, get the setup going& then end up with a shot that look nothing at all like the image I was trying to recreate. I am not sure what that means ..does anyone else have this problem? I usually think my end result is a lot less spectacular than the one I was originally looking at but, oh well. That all being said, I pin lots of photos to Inspiration boards& hope for the best.

Last week, I officially failed one of my resolutions. I lost track of the days& managed to forget to do a self-portrait. That sucks. So, I made sure not to forget this week by getting it done first thing! I was sort of dreading it but I took off my lazy clothes& started playing dress up. First, I found the purple birthday skirt I got from Meg& used to make my dog a ballerina. So I put it on .. don't judge. I got everything ready& snapped a photo.

Linked with Tones on Tuesday

Okay. So this wasn't my first shot. It wasn't even my first outfit (..or my last) but the first 20 aren't worth mentioning ;) I kind of like this shot for some reason which shocks me because I didn't like in camera. Another one of those times I'm glad I learned to never delete things until they are uploaded. Since I didn't originally love this one, I decided purple skirt just wasn't really working out for me. Time for my third outfit change. I opted for my jean dress from Le Chateau. It is prettier than you would think a jean dress would be. Seriously .. just keep scrolling& you'll see it!

Linked with Sweet Shot, Communal Global&

Sweet Violet& Tutorial Tuesday! Check them out :)

Neat, eh? I actually love this shot. The best part is that the background is just my regular wall with a texture overlay. I grabbed the martini glass from my bookshelf& channeled my inner socialite. I don't even really know what that means but I know they only drink fancy things ..hence not just picking up the entire vodka bottle like I had planned from the start!

Self-portraits have become so much more fun than I ever thought. I love planning& shooting them ..even when getting the zoom& focus right makes me want to cry. I just think it's a great learning experience because you never know when these skills might come in handy. Terrorists attack& the only thing keeping me alive? Photojournalism& some snappy action portraits!

Resolution check

Is everyone managing to keep up with their resolutions? I know I am! Day 39 of 366 is photographed, 70 laps have been swam& I'm still writing in my day-by-day calendar every evening. I have to say, this is going pretty swimmingly.

Today's photo is of my faja. He's a pretty cool guy. He used to come to the barn& take photos for me because he's just that awesome. He works away& he doesn't have a blog, unlike my mother, so he doesn't get mentioned around here as much. Plus, he doesn't read my blog so hopefully Mom passes on the memo that today's post is about him :D You rock, pops!

He is pretty good to me. I have to say, I think I'm his favorite. Don't tell my brother. Dad is too kind to ever admit it out loud but I know ;) I also love this photo of dad .. you can tell how happy he is! I'd say it was to see me but I'm pretty sure he just looks that happy 24/7 in his garage. Seriously. Him& my boyfriend are very similar when it comes to liking the garage more than the house. Actually, my mom really loves the garage too. That's currently where her& Dad are. I'm not sure why .. I don't get the attraction.

PS half-marathon training is going well. Managed 70 laps in the pool this evening. Then I ate some eggs, an Orange Julius smoothie& just a little slice of chocolate cake with boiled icing. SO GOOD. I'm practically super ready.

So, I re-ask.. is everyone else keeping up with their resolutions?! What were they& are you glad you made them? I am so glad I made mine .. well, until I fail miserably with keeping up with them, that is.

5 weeks of me

So far because, yup, I made a few promises this year& at the end of the first month, I'm still holding firm to them. I am managing a photo a day. One photo a week of myself& one photo a week of my pup. I am also managing to do a micro-journal where I jot down some of the positives& negatives of my day at the end of every evening on my day-by-day calendar. Which is from Someecards so no matter how crappy my day was, I'm usually laughing by the time I switch my day.

I thought that I would really dread having to do a self-portrait once a week but, oddly, I'm finding it really fun! I can do weird things& have 100 retakes because it's just me. I don't mind looking like a tool a few hundreds times to get a good shot. I do strange things that I wouldn't ask other people to do. An example? My self-portrait for this week. I just took it today.

The setup for this was hilarious. I had my tripod straddling the toilet& the legs of it were on shoe boxes. I completely set up the camera before I got in the shower (foresight ..I am getting it!), I got an entire shower first to get that steamy effect& then proceeded to hit the shutter button a few times& make weird faces. If I ever decide to post the outtakes from some self-portrait sessions, people may never speak to me again!! I have to admit that I am having a blast taking them& learning lots in the process. This one came out pretty decently when you consider I had absolutely no idea at all what I was doing.

I hope everyone is having a lovely Tuesday! I have been super busy& neglecting the blog world slightly but I promise to make more of an effort. I need to get myself together for another scavenger hunt& catch up on a few of my favorite blogs! If anyone else is doing a 366 Project, give me a shout out in the comments ..I'd love to know a few other people suffering through this with me ;)

Titles.

*Submitted this post without a title. Titles& I do NOT get along. I hate thinking of them. I hate typing them out& I'm certain they are never interesting enough to draw readers in.

The weather here is crazy ..one day, it's mild. The next, it's freezing cold. I have no idea what it is like today because at 10:40AM, I'm just deciding to start the day. Later, I have grand plans of going to the barn to play with Pony& then go swimming. We'll see how that all pans out. I also didn't get photos done for Scavenger Hunt, so that sucks. Instead you're getting a regular post from me on a Sunday.

Yesterday was the official end of week 3 of my Project 366! I've been doing so well ..knock on wood! Not only have I taken a photo every day for 21 days, I've managed to keep to my promises about my weekly photos. What promises are those, you ask? That I take one photo a week of my dog& one of myself. The other 5 days are random. I'm having a blast with the self-portraits& puppy portraits, though! They are really forcing me to be creative ..who knew I had it in me? I sure didn't! So, cue yesterday when both of my weekly 'musts' were photographed& I had no other ideas. It was 10:30PM and I was feeling like failure was imminent. Uh oh. Last year I made it to day 90. Was I really going to end up having to tell people I failed after a mere 20 days? Not even three weeks?!


Nope. Cue the momma bear! She was just sitting there at the table, talking on the phone to my dad. Who doesn't blog. He works out west& for a long time, I had no idea what exactly he did out there. Turns out, he tests high voltage electrical equipment before it goes into use to make sure the electricians did their jobs right. He's like a super-electrician. I hope he gets danger pay ..

Linking to Simple Things!

I love this photo! I don't think she knew I was taking it (or did you, Mom?) plus it is wayy better than my other options for photos ..a little scarecrow doll or some pretty paperclips. Not to mention- how fabulous does her hair look? The answer- pretty fabulous! So, now I'm off to enjoy a lazy Sunday photo session with my friend, her cat& that little dog bed! I have to say.. this is shaping up to be a pretty wonderful start (or end) to the week! Now, if only I can find the motivation to go ride Pony.. if not today, tomorrow for sure :) I hope everyone else is having a fabulous day as well!

Manic Monday

*Rounder is officially back in business. Despite my crazy day, I actually managed to get Sarah's post up! I think this means good things for all future Mondays :) Check it out ..just click here.

Seriously. Today I woke up, realized my pool bag I need for work in Sydney was at the wrong pool on the northside. Fantastic. Opposite direction I needed to head in to get to where I had to be at work in 50 minutes. It was bitter cold out. Then I forgot my sandals so I had to steal a pair from my northside pool. Got to the other pool, hopped in, taught for two hours, hopped out long enough to get a hot shower. After the shower, it was back in the water to swim some laps. I helped a friend with her strokes then swam a few laps but was frustrated by how slowly people were moving in the fast lanes. Then I went with Garret for an afternoon of lazing around. Then I put on another bathing suit, headed back to the northside& went to AquaFit for an hour. Then sauna& a tea to cap the evening off.

Can you tell from my massive block of text that I am so tired. I did manage to get a photo for Project 366 of a candle. It's a decent shot. This one is from yesterday ..can anyone guess what it is?! I also am managing my other task for this year. I got 366 day-by-day calendar& every night when I switch to the next day, I'm writing the highlights (or downers) from my day on the back of it. It is a really fun idea& I have missed keeping a journal regularly. This is a nice compromise since it only takes a minute or two to write out!

Okay. Now I'm off to see if the Lakers game is being played on my TV& probably to crash into bed before the first quarter is over! I hope everyone had a delightful-as-a-Monday-can-be Monday!

Post-birthday

My boyfriend got me a dog bed for my birthday. I know you're currently asking yourself why in the world he did that, aren't you? Well. I asked for it. It is a tiny little dog bed. Squirt hates it already. It is SUCH a perfect prop for small animals. Small children, too ..although I don't have any of those hanging around my house so you're going to have to settle for animals at the moment. Well, animal. Squirt.

Linking with This or That&
You Capture& Fabulous Friday!

What do you think? Most perfect birthday present ever? Sure is! The dog& I will both get to enjoy it. He'll sleep on it (assuming he learns to love it)& I'll get to steal it from him from time to time to photograph little animals/ people on it! I am completely loving this so far. I am going to try my best not to flood you guys with photos of my dog on his bed ..but I can't promise I won't flood you guys with other animals on it.. variety is the spice of life!

Plus, how lucky is the dog to wake up every morning in the lap of luxury? When you consider how spoiled my dog is.. well, he's very lucky! Plus, I think it makes up for his awful vet experience the other day. My poor pup ..I think he's mostly forgotten about it by now though. The only thing left for him to forget? His hatred of his new bed ;)

Glittery self-portrait

So I promised myself that at the end of 2012, I would have 52 new self-portraits. Not just regular self-portraits though. Nope. These were all going to be really cool& creative. I was going to really expand my horizons for these bad boys. I started pinning like crazy. I made an Inspiration Board ..I was SERIOUS. So, once a week I have to take a photo of me. That means that I needed a photo by yesterday. Cue panic mode. Thankfully, when I was purchasing my red balloons to float my dog away, I also bought some star glitter. I had pinned a few photos of people blowing glitter into the air. Brilliant. My turn!

Okay. Probably not the greatest& I definitely want to repeat the whole glitter thing. I had about 10 minutes to shoot& edit this though because my boyfriend was waiting for me to hang out. Sorry, boyfriend. I cannot fail this early in! Failure is not mine yet!

Tips& tricks for this photo:

1. Tripods always make life easier. Use it. If you don't have one, lay your camera somewhere stable where it won't fall down. Because that would suck.
2. Stand a tall object where you'll be, then focus the camera. If you're using Autofocus click it to Manual after you have it set. 
3. A remote would be awesome. My Rebel XS is too lowly to be able to use a remote. I use 10 second timer. Then I run!
4. In a situation like this, you should use burst mode. You set how many photos it will take after you wait the first 10 seconds. 3 frames worked the best for me.
5. Click away& pray.

 So, it definitely isn't a perfect attempt but it also wasn't bad. I took, uploaded& edited the photo in 11 minutes altogether. Mission accomplished. Now taking suggestions for this week's self-portrait! I am going to set aside a day when I'm not nearly as busy as I was yesterday. I think I'm really going to enjoy my once-a-week selfie! I also promised myself I'd do a photo a week of the puppy so if anyone has any clever ideas for him, I'm open to hearing those as well ;) I hope everyone had a lovely Sunday! I'll post a few photos from my photo session yesterday at some point through the week. Stay tuned .. they came out pretty great!

Also -linking this up with www.rocktheshotforum.com because they are having a self-portrait link up with some pretty great prizes! If you have a fun self-portrait (or take one before January 27), be sure to check out their site& link up! Should be really fun.

Well then!

The photo session for my friend was canceled. I guess she decided she didn't want to brave the weather ..can't say I blame her there! Instead, I took my bundled up self& hung out with some horses. After that, I considered going for a run but got a nice, hot shower instead. It was definitely a wise life choice! Man, winter has finally arrived in Cape Breton. So very, very cold out there today. Not looking good for tomorrow, either. After all that, I decided Squirt's vacation from the light box was over.

Linked to Texture Thursday& This or That!

Check out the other great photos over there!

I have to admit. The break was very good for him. He stayed in the basket for about 10 minutes. I changed lenses, changed batteries in the flash, readjusted the lighting& he just sat there. Looking at me pathetically but being such a good dog. I told him he would get a treat if he was good& boy did he. After this photo, I went out to the garage (aka Mini Shack) to hang out with some family. They proceeded to feed him about 50 chips ..this was sugar-induced heaven for my little dog because he rarely gets people food. Perk to this? He may be content to get in the light box next time because memories of Lays chips will be forever associated with it!

Also, I'm on day 4! Only 362 left to go ..that means I've completed 1.1% of Project 366. Well, gee. When you put it that way I am clearly heading strongly for the finish line ;)

Busy Wednesday!

Today is going to be very busy! First off, I have to go teach kids how to swim at the YMCA for two hours. How exciting will that be?! The answer? Not very! Then after that, I have to do a quick look around for some cute photography props for future endeavors with my camera. I spent last night watching a Lakers game& cutting out the letters K& T for a shoot I'm doing at 1:30 this afternoon. The letters came out cute ..I'll post the link to the album when I'm done editing them! Hopefully they came out excellently.
*Swimming was canceled due to a snowstorm. Now, just to wait& see if the afternoon shoot is off or the folks want to brave the weather!

Assuming I get lots of editing done, I'll be taking a break this evening to hit up my pool& swim a few kilometres. I'm aiming for 3k& then some serious sauna time. I really only swim to enjoy the post-swim heat. I am seriously back on the health train ..the holiday binge has caught up to me& I'm just feeling blah. On that note, you guys are finally getting to see a photo from my 366! I am determined (!) to fully understand everything about my camera so with that being said I shoot fully manual. I know all about aperture, ISO, shutter speed, bracketing, what have you. I am doing pretty good when you consider I've really only been doing this for just under a year. I have so much to learn still that I am going to use this Project 366 to tackle some of them.

This photo is really grainy because I had my ISO at 800 (yes. Rebel XS only goes to 1600. 800& 1600= crazy grain, sadly) because I was too lazy to find a spot with better light. There will be lots of 'because I was too lazy to..' in my 366. I'm working on it. The moral of this story is that in this photo, I manually focused! GO ME. Okay, I know. Some of you don't find this exciting at all. Lots of times I'll auto-focus on something then set it to manual to keep the focus in the same spot. I did not do that here. I looked through my viewfinder& decided when the focus was correct.

I did a pretty good job, eh? I don't know if it's just me that struggles with it or not but I find manual focusing really hard because I could never tell if it's in focus through the viewfinder. As I get more& more used to MF I am definitely improving. Which tells me it's worth it regardless! So, do you guys use manual focus or automatic? Is there any point to me learning manual? What should I tackle next? Do you like hot chocolate with whipped cream& marshmallows?! Yumm. Also - I apologize for all this rambling!

Project 366

I took a photo yesterday, but didn't get around to posting it on here. I was too busy watching a River Monsters marathon. I officially have 1 photo of 366 taken! If you're interested in keeping up with all of them, I'm going to be posting them on my facebook page. I won't always be posting my photo of the day here since sometimes I don't post on the weekends& sometimes they just aren't interesting enough.

Not to mention, I have some photos that I haven't shown you guys yet that I think deserve some blog exposure ;) For example, I took a photo 2 days ago of my pup. Remember how I kept saying I wanted a floating photo of Squirt with balloons? Well, I searched high& low for a place that would fill balloons with helium. It took some time but I found one! Then I had a photo shoot with the pup. He hates my soul but in my defense he did have about 3 weeks free of any photos. I held up my end of the bargain! Plus, I kept it short& sweet so he didn't get too bitter.

Not to mention, he plays the look-how-pathetic-I-am-floating-away dog perfectly! Well, now it's 11:13AM& my boyfriend is waiting for me to get to his house. I need to shower before I leave ..so I guess I should really hop to it. I hope everyone has had a lovely start to their new year! Anyone else out there doing Project 366? Leave me a link to where& I'll be sure to check it out ..I need motivation people! I only made it to day 90 last year!