Light

Do you know what is different about today's post? Are you paying attention to the day -Tuesday. Do you read my blog enough to know what Tuesdays are? Normally, they are 100 Strangers two-faced Tuesdays.Today is not .. I'm sorry. I am sure you're cursing me in your head now but I do have a good excuse! I was going to take a photo of a stranger on the beach this afternoon when WHAM! We got hit with a lot of rain, forcing me to run home. Before leaving, however, I did manage to get a shot of the stranger but they were far away in their rain gear (clearly better prepared than me!) walking on the sand. I'm sorry I have failed this challenge so early in. Although I also promise TWO photos next Tuesday so it sort of builds the anticipation, right?!

Since I failed miserably on that front, I decided I needed to do something productive with my camera. So I read up on slow sync flash ..just in time to realize yet another reason to upgrade my camera. Rebel XS does not have the ability for a slow sync flash :( Okay so mental note: read the difference between 1st& 2nd curtain flash and figure out if there is anything cool / worthwhile learning about it. So I moved on to the next topic (have you figured out yet that today was not my day?) which is- LIGHT! Off I went to my room with a flashlight to play around. I officially cannot wait until this evening so I can play with light outside in the dark. Assuming the rain holds off this time! At first I wasn't sure what to do with the light. I mention this a lot around here but I'm really not that creative. So then I did what everyone with no ideas does -I wrote!

So original but this was my very first attempt ever so you have to cut me at least a little slack, right? At least it's readable! After writing some words, I quickly got bored with that and moved on. I realized I could spotlight things. Which is kind of cool and will work super well near Halloween! Graveyards in the dark with flashlights for ghostly images?! I. am. in. Since I don't have anything spook in my bedroom ..I just sort of shone the light on random things. I settled on my crazy giraffe! He just sits there wearing a boa I stole from someone one night in a bar on St. Pats. He is awesome!

Yeah ..so I'm not going to win any awards anytime soon but this was my first attempt. I'm trying to learn about everything my camera can do (and in the process really learning how much it CAN'T do) and make at least one attempt. So here is my first attempt at 'light painting' but you can guarantee there will be lots more photos where this came from because I actually really enjoyed it :)

Have you ever painted with light? What is your favorite camera 'trick'? Anything I need to try? Fill me in ..I'm super curious what else I can do with this thing!
Also does anyone else have a Canon Rebel XS and find yourself being disappointed as you move along in the photography world at what it lacks? Oh well.. live& learn. I had no idea what I was buying when I made my first dSLR purchase. Now I know a lot more.

Building lamps

I tried my hand at this last night. For the last ...I don't even know, but a LONG time, I had the same light in my room! It was a sweet little lamp with moons& stars on it. It reminded me a hat of a wizard would wear. Maybe that's a little weird, but here's a photo for proof:

See?! The only downside to my lamp was that it was starting to show it's age. It was making scary noises that sounded like there was a loose wire laying in water and it would flicker a lot. I wasn't ready to give up on it ..until Mom brought home a new lamp for me! It needed to be built though. Uh oh.

So, I slaved away while watching the ball game (ps the Lakers game the night before last? They lost. Sad day.) and eventually? I managed to put it together. The light bulb gave me a lot of grief because I thought it was supposed to just snap in. Noooo .. you have to turn it like a regular light bulb.

Stupid lamp. In the end.. I win! Sucks to be lamp. It now has to shower me with light whenever I click the On/Off button :) In honor, here is a late night lamp photo! I hope you appreciate how nice the light my lamp makes is ..or something. I know I appreciate the fact that it doesn't sound like it's going to explode or start sparking whenever I made ahaha

Slightly color changed ..because I was bored. Also, see that sweet medal? You can just call me the fastest runner EVER. Except the part where everyone got a medal .. and I wasn't the fast.
What have you put together lately? Anything? Are you way better at this stuff than me and actually done something crafty in the last little while? The most I can do is take extremely long to put together a lamp. I hope your skills are better than mine :)

Friday evenings..

..are best spent at my job? No, wait. That doesn't sound right. Let me try again:
Friday nights are best spent looking through Vogue, Shape& In Style. Along with dealing with increasingly strange customers. Yeah. Still not sounding like the best way to have spent this evening, although perhaps was the best way to earn a paycheck. At the very least, it provides me with the desire to have style, to cut off all my hair (or have it grow long miraculously fast) and choke some people off.

I will start with the strange, strange man who called my store tonight. Affectionately known as Creepy. So, I'm leaving the store at the end of the month ..somehow Creepy finds this information out. He calls my store and this is our conversation:

Me: *sees caller ID.. groans. Picks up anyway, despite her better judgment*. Cogans.
Creepy: Hello, this is Creepy. I heard you're leaving the store!
Me: Yup.
Creepy: Oh my. Well, that's too bad. Are you going to let me buy you a tea tomorrow? I know I can't buy you a doughnut because you're on that weird diet thing.
Me: Umm .. maybe.
Creepy: You should you know. Are you working in the morning?
Me: *seriously debating lying to him ..but he'll just come in for both shifts anyway* Yeah.
Creepy: Well I'll be there before 3 to make sure I can get you something from Tim Hortons.
Me: Yeah, okay. Bye.

SERIOUSLY. What the hell is wrong with people like this?! Have I not been clear enough that I do not want anything that you can do for me? Take a hint. Please. It is times like these that I'm so excited to be done there. Then I remember the strange world that awaits me outside the convenience store bubble. This brings me great sorrow.

So, aside from Creepy calling the store, my shift was fairly uneventful. The regular strange customers .. lots of people who wanted Lotto Max tickets but couldn't figure out how to order them .. men who were inappropriate .. women who tried to get more free pulltabs than they had earned .. then one guy who won $100 and gave me $10! Thanks, your generosity was super appreciated. I will be spending it on something I don't need, like nail polish.

What I wish I had gotten? Enough money to buy all the amazing clothes I keep seeing in magazines. FINALLY things I like are in:
1. Skinny jeans
2. BRIGHT colors

...yeah. That completes my list. It also is basically the only thing I wear, so it's amazing that suddenly the fashion world has decided to make me cool with little to no effort on my part. I just have to purchase them. I'm looking for some cheap cool pieces (oh my god. I'm such a fashionista. Is that even what they are called? ahahah) and I am determined to try harder than 'I put on pants. What more do you want from me, people?!'. I figure I may as well, since I finally like what's considered hip& cool. Mostly the things I want are from Marc Jacobs. I either can't afford what I want (1,295$ raincoat, anyone?) or no stores around here sell what is cheaper. All of this is so sad. Oh well, I suppose I should stop complaining.

Onto the next feature of this blog, which would be what folks?! You should know this by now! In case you don't, I'll remind you; photo of the day! I am doing so good at consistently posting one. Go me. My photo is so cool. Although not as tasty as yesterdays :( It is cuter ..or well, I guess they are cuter. I know, I know. The anticipation is killing you. Without further ado ..