Tired Tuesday

Today I was way too exhausted to work, so I came home to take a nap, and I only napped for about an hour. Then I went on a walk and now I am tired again. It seems like this happens whenever I take a day off to rest. It's the days when I don't need anymore sleep that I sleep all day.

Also, gluten free cake can be good. It goes down your throat swiftly. Then you wonder why you've gained five pounds.

I like puffy coats because I feel like a human marshmallow, which is the best kind of marshmallow. Cause let's be honest: the white marshmallows you eat aren't that great unless they're on s'mores.

Lately I have liked taking photos on my iPhone. I've needed a fast way to capture things. 

The tired face, woah:

 Appropriate at work:

Or I could just have these sunglasses:

They don't even cost anything. That's convenient.

The writing on bathroom walls makes me so happy. I go to Cup and Saucer a lot (on SE Hawthorne), and usually their walls are covered in writing. They literally repaint the walls every couple months because of how much people write on them. Unfortunately, when I went in the bathroom today, there was a fresh coat of paint, but this gem was still there:

"Did you wash your hands?"

"No"

"Well fucking do it then" (the word, "fucking" squiggled out, of corse! Let's be PC!)

"I don't have hands." (never mind, forget the PC thing!)

Two worlds colliding:

Someone's got a lavender gift on their seat:

Not only do people yard their furniture outside in the summer (pun not intended), but they use the outdoors as a closet, too!

Also,

do you see the foot deodorant inside the shoes?

And why not bring a pacifier out, too?!

Cause that's sanitary.

Apparently limb-loss is popular these days:

Look, I'm in her glasses and her chest.

Also,

a man with no arms saw a job posting for a bell ringer

the contact for the job was a priest

the man went to the priest and asked to be the bell ringer

the priest of course brought up the issue of having no hands (???)

the no-hands man said it was ok and that he'd prove it to the priest

the priest took the no-hands man up to the bell tower

the no-hands man ran and jumped, catching the bell rope with his teeth

the bell rung, and ricocheted back to hit the no-hands man in the face

the no-hands man fell to the ground

the priest ran down to help him

a crowd of people had surrounded the no-hands man

they asked the priest if he knew who the no-hands man was

the priest said,

"no, but his face rings a bell."

Admit it. You laughed. Or maybe you didn't, whatever.

Also,

A friend told me today that if he lost a limb

he might not be able to go on

but he's just drinking the haterade

and yes, I just said, "haterade"

I know

Is this doll not soooo creepy?

Yes, I think so!!

Also,

GIANT RUBIK'S CUBE!!!!!

What.

Extra Reading:

Mezzetty Art Gallery: I like this studio because it has a very commercial vibe, but the digital manipulation the artists use give the photographs a fine art quality. It looks Free People-esque with digital manipulation. 

Hard and Soft

I can be the laziest person or the most hard-working person you know. People who say things like, "my break is too long," seriously confuse me. How can you have too much time off? There is always something to do if you are creative enough to find it. Or until you run out of money. That's a problem, too!

The feeling of sitting on a real couch after a long day of work is bliss. My bed, shutting my eyes, sleeping. Unfortunately I have been doing so much canvassing that I have been starting to have dreams about it. Ha!

Here are some moments from my day:

Someone forgot their clothes, whoops:

 Gay marriage got legalized today!! Woohoo!! ...

... but there were still some homo-haters at Portland State, and one of my friends wrote this sign in protest:

That couch sitting, man:

Extra Reading:

Jakob Wagner: Wagner has so much work, and it's nice and quiet. He makes landscapes and captures the majesty of the world. Through aerial, long exposure, and travel photography, Wagner shows many angles of landscape that I think you will enjoy. 

Commercial Downpour

Today I got to be in a commercial to help promote the organization I work for, Democracy Resources. This was so exciting for me... a commercial, a commercial! I get to appear on daytime television! Luckily I was dressed in my tight, booty poppin' pants and leopard print belt for the occasion.

It absolutely poured outside today as I asked people to sign for my causes. The rain and cold make it a thousand times harder to ask people to sign because you feel like a dick for even asking. You want to make someone stand there in the rain and listen to you talk about a ballot measure? Sometimes your job requires you to be the person no one likes. Personally, I think it's a good life skill to have, so that if you're in a situation in real life where no one likes you, you're already used to it! Ha ha! 

This is what my day looked like, in pieces:

Still pleasant outside:

 Ominous storm clouds above:

 Lots of water, walking over the bridge twice:

 I got completely drenched. My jacket, scarf, pants, and backpack all took a shower, as well as my head:

 No more Maggie:

Extra Reading:

Thomas Jackson: What I love about Jackson's work is how he creates fantasy in his images. He can change a normal-looking scene by using a nebulae of inanimate objects or a strange alien as subjects. The lighting is beautiful in Jackson's photographs, and the subject matter is colorful, playful, and mysterious. 

After Wedding

Today I shot a wedding for one of my former photography teachers, Rachael. I don't have any of the photos yet because I used her equipment. However, at the end of the day, I took some leftover flowers that were going to be thrown away, and was able to display and photograph them. Since I don't have any of the wedding photos, I'll show some simple beauty that is love. 

I hope you all enjoyed this wonderful, beautiful day. Everyday should be an opportunity to be happy, whether you are at a wedding, on a trip, or at work.

Extra Reading:

Christian Oth Studio: At today's wedding, I met another photographer who told me about the work of the photographers at Christian Oth Studio. Being a group of wedding photographers who shoot all over the world, they get to experience many different venues, brides and grooms, and themes. Go check out all the different places they shoot!

Tidbits

Right now my stepdad is watching a boxing match and one of the fighter's names is pronounced "asshole-stein." The commentators keep saying, assholestein this and assholestein that. I feel bad for this guy. And no wonder he's a fighter; having a name that's pronounced like his cannot make for an easy life. He must feel the need to take his anger out somewhere.

"That's the last thing in the world that assholestein needs."
"Unless assholestein can do something dramatic, it might not even matter."

This morning, I cut potatoes into little strips, then seasoned them, baked them for awhile, and then took them out of the oven and proceeded to fry them in bacon grease. They turned into the type of fries that you don't even need ketchup with.

I like wearing the same clothes two days in a row. Clothes always seem to form to your body better on the second day.

These little tidbits have nothing to do with the photographs that I will show today. They're just little details of my life that I thought were more interesting than something philosophical and deep I could come up with about the following photos:

Extra Reading:

Nelson Treehouse and Supply: My dream right now is to build a treehouse that I can live in. The team of treehouse builders that you'll find at this link make treehouses like the one I want to have for myself. Go take a look at their work because it is amazing and magical! 

Morning and Night People

I've always thought the difference between morning people and night people was a funny one. Usually I've found that when you have a relationship with someone who is opposite you (say you are a morning person and they are a night person), it changes your relationship. Morning and night people run their days completely differently. For morning people, they could feel like their day is halfway over by noon. For night people, their day could just be starting (or not even started yet) by that same time. It seems as if morning people attract other morning people and vice versa. Each type of person has their own stereotypes as well: morning people seem to be more "type A," people who want to start their day early and end it at a reasonable hour in order to be as productive as possible; morning people sometimes seem to think night owls are lazy (they wake up late), and a little irresponsible (how could they stay up so late?). Night people, on the other hand, seem to be people who go with the flow, and are more interested in spontaneity than productivity. But they, as well, judge the other side: morning people are seen as a little crazy (why would you want to get up so early?!) and uptight (can it be ok to stay up later than ten o'clock?). Obviously, stereotypes are not always true, but what I've mentioned is what I've found to be true in my own life much of the time.

Here are some photographs from my morning. I am a night person, who was up too early for my own good.

Extra Reading: 

Paul Schneggenburger: Interested in finding out whether sleeping with a lover is a solitary act or a combined one, Schneggenburger took long exposure photographs of several couples sleeping together. He wanted to find out if sleeping together promoted shared emotions. By photographing the couples from midnight until 6 AM, Schneggenburger was able to find dynamic and beautiful results. Please go take a look. 

Talk Talk Talk

The face of a person who talks to people all day:

I am really starting to like this job. Everyday I get to have at least a few great conversations, and I get to be outside all day. Each day challenges me in new ways, and I like a good challenge. Even when people are rude... it's pretty funny how much certain people despise canvassers. But most people are pretty nice!

Extra Reading:

Benedict Campbell: Campbell, who has a lot of experience with advertising as a photographer, likes to make images where reality is enhanced, not completely altered. He also makes sets using digital art, similarly to what he does with his photography studio. Go check out Campbell's hyper-real look. His work reminds me a little bit of pop art: pretty cool!