multimediaLiz

I'm moving!

2006-12-31T16:14:00.000-05:00

I'm moving my blog! Since I f-ed up this one and I can't seem to get my cool template back, I'm moving to wordpress where they have cooler stock templates and more options. You can find me here. Please bookmark my new blog. Enjoy!

Newer Version of site

2006-12-27T21:39:00.000-05:00

OK, I'm getting close to a site that I like. You can check it out at:

here

I need some more feedback. Mostly, how does it look and work for you? Any bugs? I know I need to work on the "about" section more. I think I will need to make my images smaller for the final version.

You will also see in my portfolio that there are a couple of cases were there are 2 version of the same subject. For example: Fern Lake, dogwoods, the panoramic with Steggy. Which one do you like better? And if there are any other images you think I should cut, let me know.

One last thing, Turkey Hunt doesn't count. I was just checking to see if I could create different albums for my site. I can!

Happy Christmas Eve!

2006-12-24T18:21:00.000-05:00

I got up this morning, packed up my stuff and Snappy, and headed home. First, I looked for more Christmas Ale, but I think there is none left for the season. So sad.

Once I was home and unpacked, my brother and I decided to head into Wooster. This would be my last attempt to find Christmas Ale, and he had to do running around for mom. No Christmas Ale. But we did find Coldstone Creamery! I decided I wanted ice cream for lunch. We went in, ordered, and while I was waiting to pay, they (the workers) started to sing. I became very uncomfortable.

Not much is going on now, just hanging until 7ish when my brother and I go over to Jenny's for their annual cocktail party.

Heading to Wooster:

After setting the table for dinner, Mom gets a little target shooting in while Heidi watches:
Tater:
And just because I didn't get around to posting this last weekend:

The line to get into The Christmas Story house:

Weekend guest

2006-12-10T18:26:00.000-05:00

My roommate's girlfriend spent the weekend. She's lovely but this apartment is too small for 3 people to stay here. Especially when I'm rushing back to get cleaned up just to rush out. I come home, I have 10 minutes to eat and they are both in the small kitchen cleaning and cooking. So I have to squeeze in a try to grab some food quickly.

She does my dishes! I should love this because I hate doing dishes, but she shouldn't be doing them. She's the guest, and I can do my own dishes-eventually. Also, she wears make-up even though they don't go anywhere. She watches hours of sports with him even though she's obviously not into it. I don't approve of this dynamic. To each his own I guess, but I wish I wasn't watching this happen in my apartment. Needless to say, I was gone for most of the weekend.

Good news, they both left. She went back to Indiana and he went to Tennessee for an interview. I get the run of the apartment for the day. I thought I needed a roommate to keep me from getting lonely and to help with housework. I realized that all I need is a dishwasher and a project like my upcoming trip to Ethiopia.

stonecoldbikini on ice

2006-12-10T18:18:00.000-05:00

Erick took me to stonecoldbikini on ice last night. Let me back up. Stonecoldbikini is a radio show on WRUW. christine hosts it and she plays all kinds of fun indie music. That is where I usually learn about cool new bands. I now download the show and listen to it when I find time during the week.

Someone came up with the brilliant idea that christine should dj for an open skate at a local ice skating rink. The result: stonecoldbikini on ice!

So we went. And I had a blast! I got to skate to cool bands like Broken Social Scene. Erick quickly learned that he really can't skate. He made it around once and clung to the wall the whole time. He gave up after that and went to find hot chocolate. I skated on and off for a while. He then went looking for christine, since I kept going on for days about how I wanted to meet her. He found her and I got to meet her!

Is there anyone out there?

2006-12-04T22:04:00.000-05:00

In one of my previous posts, I mentioned that I am re-doing my website. I asked my readers to give me some input. I've gotten 2 responses. Please take a minute and look at my site and tell me the 5 photos you like and the 5 you don't like and your favorite.

i.heart.cleveland

2006-12-04T00:28:00.000-05:00

I spent the day hitting some of my favorite spots in Cleveland. First I met Erick for brunch at the Inn on Coventry. After my power-breakfast, I went to Suite Lorain, this awesome vintage store on the west side. I was looking for old frames for my cross-stitch presents. I didn't find frames, but I found lots of cool vintage stuff. After forcing myself not to shop, I moved on to Talkies, a coffee shop in Ohio City. I chose this coffee shop over one closer to home because of it's big, comfy, leather chairs. They also had a fire going in their fireplace. So it was extra cozy. I spent a couple of good hours relaxing and reading there. After that, I shot some photos. On film. So I can't show off my work right now. Later, I went to the Cinematheque to watch Fire. A movie by the lady that made Water.

Website redo

2006-11-26T21:40:00.000-05:00

One of the things I learned from the conference in NYC was that my website needs to be redone desperately. So I've started selecting images that might wind up in the portfolio. But I have way too many images. So my mission for you is to pick the five best and the five worst images. Then tell me what 1 image you think is my best. You can post it as a comment or email me.

new site

Happy Anniversary

2006-11-26T16:47:00.000-05:00

I've past my 1 year anniversary of my blog. It's taken some getting used to. At first I didn't know what direction to take with it. Do I talk about more personal stuff or do I stick to just my work? Then for a while, I really didn't think anyone was reading my blog. Until my friends started requesting more posts. I think I finally found my groove. And I have good news! I'm going to have another blog! At work, we decided that I should try to keep a blog from the field in Ethiopia. I'll post weekly on the progress of the field work. When I have a link, I'll post it. Also, during the time when I'm in the field, I will not be posting here. Gotta conserve my internet time.

Thanksgiving

2006-11-25T10:14:00.000-05:00

The day went better that I thought. The heat actually worked and since my parents still used the space heater, I was actually warm in the house. My disowned stepbrother didn't make a scene. Though, I do think he felt a little uncomfortable. But probably because he hasn't attended a holiday in like seven years. So yeah, the day was pretty uneventful. Now I have to lose my money playing poker.

My twin

2006-11-25T10:06:00.000-05:00

My stepbrother found this photo in his new house:

He and the rest of the family insisted that it looked like me when I was little.

Which led me to look for old photos of myself so that I can see if it's true. These are what I found:

Cute huh?

Let the games begin

2006-11-22T23:31:00.000-05:00

I recieved a call from my mom early this morning:

Mom: "Do you have a space heater?"

Me: "Yes."

Mom: "Could you bring it? Our heat isn't working."

My parents have no heat for Thanksgiving. I find this sort of funny. Mostly because my mom is not freaking out about this. I would be freaking out at this point. My mom is more like: "Well the oven will be going so that will put out some heat, and I could light the fireplace."

My response was: "Yeah...that might be a good idea."

I was able to get 2 space heaters. But I'm wondering how effective they will be in the space. The house is very open. The kitchen leads into the kitchenette (where we will be eating) which leads into the 2-story, vauled living room. This is alot of space to heat.

But there is more:

Originally there was just going to be 4 of us. My parents, my brother and me. Now Chris, my step-brother, his wife and 2 children are coming (good!). And our disowned step-brother will be there. He was disowned because he can be a really big ass. This Thanksgiving has a possiblity to be very interesting.

Great sites

2006-11-22T23:21:00.000-05:00

I picked up this great new zine at the book store yesterday:

Craft Zine

which led me to this site:

instructibles

Bring on the Holidays!

2006-11-20T23:10:00.000-05:00

I am so ready for the holiday season. It's not even Thanksgiving and I'm almost done with my Christmas shopping. I learned last year, when I was shopping up until days before Christmas how stressful that was. This feels much better. So bring on the cookies, the snow and the tree. Let's watch National Lapoon's Christmas Vacation I'm ready to kick off this holiday season! I'm also happy because I can spend December getting ready for my trip to Ethiopia.

Rize

2006-11-20T22:52:00.000-05:00

What happens when a great photographer and music video director shoots a documentary on krumping? He creates a beautiful film. David LaChapelle's film has so much energy and was so colorful. There weren't any of the the technical flaws that I see in so many documentaries: a subject that's out of focus, bad audio levels, and times when the story seems to lag.

This was smart, well done, and it was very obvious that the film-maker obviously cared about his subjects.

Keep in mind, the last time I bought a film for myself was October 2005 when I bought "War Photographer."

Check out the site here.

26 Up

2006-11-19T13:09:00.000-05:00

I recently turned 26 and I have been thinking about getting older. One of my friends said that each year keeps getting better and she definatley doesn't want to go back and re-live a prior year-and she's thirty. And the same is true for me. I wouldn't want to re-live any previous year. I think just like wine, I keep getting better with age. I've become more focused, more confident in myself and my work. And my selection of friends is highly refined. Which became clear when they cleaned up my birthday party after I got drunk on tequila and passed out. I've been doing alot of good things recently. I've finally become somewhat happy with my photography. I'm producing what I feel is consistanly good work for the Museum. I still wish I was in a bigger city and shooting on a more regular basis. But these are things for me to shoot for in the future.

Hello kitty robot

2006-11-18T16:08:00.000-05:00

I want this.

Meet Jane

2006-11-15T07:49:00.000-05:00

This is Jane, our new Juvenile Tyrannosaurus. I shot her before I left for New York.

I Hate Macy's

2006-11-12T22:16:00.000-05:00

While in New York, I bought this beautiful black winter coat. I tried one on and it fit perfectly. While I was checking out, the sales clerk changed it out for one that had a tag. When I got home to Ohio and tried it on, I realized that that the lining in one of the sleeves was sewn in crooked, making it hard for me to slide my arm in. When I took the coat into Macy's here I found out that they don't carry that brand. I hoped that instead Cleveland Macy's could send the coat back and get me a new one. The manager, Michelle, was very helpful and contacted the Macy's store in New York to get them to send me a coat. After and hour and a half of arguing with the manager at the New York Macy's, we were no closer to getting me a new coat. It seems that even though I had bought the coat with my Macy's card and they had proof that I had bought the coat there, they couldn't simply exchange it because I didn't have a recipt. I find it hard to believe that if I had the tags and proof of perchase that no one couldn't do more to replace a defective coat. Yesterday, I finally gave up and returned the coat. Today, while cleaning, I found the recipt.

Return from New York

2006-11-11T21:55:00.000-05:00

So I'm home and I finally found time to edit my photos. So here is what I did on my vacation:

Thursday I spent the day at the PhotoPlus Expo. Later, Bernard Michael and I went to the Corner Bistro for beer and bacon cheeseburgers. I was a little full so I just order bacon grilled cheese sandwich.

Friday was spent at the Photo Expo and later Adrianna came into town. The four of us went to Momofuku for pork buns (awesome) and noodles. Another night of great food.

Saturday we got up and walked to John's to get, according to Bernard, the best pizza in town. And I think I'll take his word for it because the pizza was awesome. After pizza we checked out Murray's Cheese shop:

I went shopping in Tribeca where I found a Kid Robot Store. Michael and Adrianna went to Central Park and Bernard worked on writing and coached basketball. After shopping I picked up a treat at Bruno's

Later we all met up at The Brooklyn Museum of art the check out the Annie Leibovitz show. After that we went to Freeman's for dinner.

Freeman's is this great rustic restaurant that is tucked away in an alley in the East Village. The rustic theme carries over into the food. I had rabbit and morrel pot pie. Except there were no morrel mushrooms, but button mushrooms instead.

Michael taking a smoke break outside of Freeman's

Something I found on the wall in the alley leading to Freeman's:

Sunday: Bernard, Michael and I went to Prune for brunch. I had my first mimosa. Yum! Michael and I went running around the city. First we went to Battery Park to see the statue of liberty. Next we went to Ground Zero.

After that we went to the American Museum of Natural History

Later that night we went to Buddakan. After this great big meal they brought out desserts for mine and Michael's birthdays.

First day, last image

2006-11-03T00:06:00.000-05:00

Brooklyn Museum of Art

First day continued

2006-11-03T00:01:00.000-05:00

Bryant Park

one girl cookies

Prospect Park

First day of New York

2006-11-02T23:57:00.000-05:00

Looking out the plane at Cleveland

Mood:

I love New York.

2006-11-01T20:27:00.000-05:00

I arrived in New York today. I'm spending 6 days here. Two of the days will be spent at a Photo Expo and attending seminars on photography. It will be great and inspiring. The reast of the time will be spent with my friend, Bernard. Who is funny and smart and constantly makes me laugh. Also Michael and his sister, Adrianna are coming in to visit. So it will be a reunion of sorts. Bernard has planned out the next 3 days of my or our visit.

Today we went to Mood, the fabric store featured in Project Runway, then to Bryant park, also in Project Runway, then to the Brooklyn Museum to see the Annie Leibovitz exhibit. It was a good day.

Mood was completely overwhelming. It was 3 floors of fabric from to floor to ceiling. I wanted to buy fabric but I couldn't decide on what I wanted. I plan on going back on Monday.

I love New York?

2006-11-01T20:13:00.000-05:00

I ended up watching the reunion show of The Flavor of Love. New York, one of the ladies after Flav. She was actually on both seasons. She came on at the end of the show making a huge scene. She exclaims "Look at me, I'm fabulous!" and "Look at how beautiful I am." As she twirls in a long dress and extensions on stage. When the other girls try to question her, she claims to forget who they are because she is so fabulous and famous. This lady is obviously a train wreck. So what? VH1 is giving her her own show similar to the bachelorette to meet the love of her life. She's a jeaous, posessive bitch, and I can easily predict how this show will go. She will sleep her way through these men and when she gets down the the few men that she "really connects with" they producers with throw in some new women or ex's and make her freak out. VH1 just dropped down a level.

More Work...

2006-10-21T19:16:00.000-04:00

Hello,

After a small hiatis, I am back. This no internet thing is really cramping my style. I keep trying to fix it and I keep getting thwarted.

Anyways. Things don't ever really slow down for me. I've spent the past week spending time with alot of friends, attending parties and working late.

This week I will be busy preparing for my Day of the Dead birthday party. So I will be cleaning the apartment (finally). Making white chocolate skulls, buying lots of liquer and finding easy-to-make mexican food. Must not freak out. Must not freak out.

On a lighter note, Photographed a field trip this week check it out here.

2006-10-16T19:29:00.000-04:00

I shouldn't blog angry. Oh... but if I could!

Oh, My, God!

2006-09-28T00:57:00.000-04:00

I HAVE to have this!

Chech it out here

Paul

2006-09-26T23:50:00.000-04:00

I realized something while watching Sex and the City tonight: Charlotte and Anthony bonded over Charlotte's wedding dress. It made me thing of Paul, my gay boy, and how we bonded over gay porn and disco bingo. I scored pasta bowls that night that I've never used but I keep so that I can one day use to entertain and later tell the story of how I aquired them. I want to go to Chicago really bad to visit him. But I need to go to NYC.

And more...

2006-09-25T22:29:00.000-04:00

Ironing is done. Sex and the City is on, Kitty is happy and Iife is good. And that's all I got for tonight. No more work.

I'm Back!

2006-09-25T21:22:00.000-04:00

Finally done! These past three weeks and this past one in particular was very rough. I essentially worked 7 days a week for 3 weeks. Including 3 12-hour days in a row last week. I feel sorry for Bernard because he became concerned about my health when he called late one night last week after my brain had stopped for the day. So all my replies were very slow and poorly expressed.

Today is my first day of freedom. By that I mean I was home by 8pm to get stuff done around the apartment. But to celebrate surviving this month and to make myself feel like it was all worth it. I did some shopping. I went to the eye doctor and ordered new glasses. {Designer.} They should last me at least 3 years so I splurged.

I also did some clothes shopping. And I finally went to JoAnn's. I finally picked up the book, Sew U. And I have been chomping at the bit to start working on some projects. In fact I have alot of sewing that has been piling up. Mostly hemming since I'm short and have curves. Anyways, I picked up some tools the book recommends to help with my sewing. I also scored some cute Hello Kitty Fabric! Hopefully by the weekend I will be well on my way to sewing a skirt. (Out of muslin, as a test, before I make one for real.)

Back to ironing (more catch up), before I settle down with Sex and the City and Kitty for more blogging...

What the...

2006-09-14T18:10:00.000-04:00

I found this hack to include a slideshow of my images from a flickr account on my blog. I finally got it work, but now I need to finetune it. It might be hard for some people's computers to run it. Let me know.

Flash Slideshow test:

2006-09-14T17:51:00.000-04:00

Flash Slideshow

Someday...

2006-09-12T17:33:00.000-04:00

So I'm sitting here dreaming about the day when I will have an entire day off to do stuff like bake or make soup. I found a recipe for African Peanut and Yam Soup from this blog. I can't wait until I have a day off to give it a try. Maybe October. Here is the recipe:

8 C veggie stock
2 T vegetable oil
1 large onion, diced
6 T minced ginger
4 cloves garlic
1 T cumin
2 T coriander
1/2 t cayenne
1 t paprika
1 red bell pepper
4 chopped yams
1 can pineapple, with juice
3 chopped tomatoes
5 T peanut butter
1 bunch cilantro
2 limes' juice
hot sauce

1. Warm the stock
2. Sautee the onion and some salt, until translucent
3. Add garlic, ginger, and spices, and sautee until soft
4. Add red pepper, yams, and more sal until things start to stick.
5. Add enough stock to cover, boil, and simmer until the yams are soft.
6. Add the pineapple with the juice, tomatoes, PB, and the rest of the stock and simmer for 30 minutes
7. Puree until smooth.
8. Simmer for another 10 minutes
9. Add cilantro, lime juice and hot sauce to taste before serving.

My friend makes a soup like this and it is amazing. I don't like yams or peanut butter, but these ingredients mixed together in a soup are amazing! His recipe makes like 3 gallons of soup-way too much for my needs.

New photos!

2006-09-12T17:15:00.000-04:00

I was asked to photograph some of the birds in our Perkins Wildlife area a few weeks ago and I got to use my new 80-200 lens for this assignment:

Catching up

2006-09-02T00:13:00.000-04:00

I've been told yet again that I don't do a good job keeping up with this blog. I'm warning you that in this next month, I will probably do a horrible job. Once October comes around, I should do much better. It's late and I'm tired so I'm just going to do a few updates here:

First I worked on a few sewing projects last weekend, including this arm cuff. I also made a matching tote bag.I first saw it on this site

Also, I bought a new lens. It's call a Lensbaby. It is cute and fun. Here are some photos from playing around with it:

Multi Multi Media

2006-08-08T21:10:00.000-04:00

Here is the Multimedia aspect of my multimedia blog:

I've decided to market myself more as a wedding photographer and offer set packages. As opposed to my usual make-it-up-on-the-fly packages. My package will contain a bound and printed album. I made a demo one from my most recent wedding and blurb will print it.

When I was at the fair over the weekend, I picked up a brochure for a local wedding and portrait photographer I'm going to borrow some of their ideas for packages. I also checked out their website. Their photography was mediocre, and I feel I can compete in the Cleveland Market. When I redo my site, I will have a wedding section.

I'm working on a fun site called tetsutoinflight.com. It will contain a video/slideshow of my friend Tetsuto demonstrating 2 theories on the origin of flight. I was considering trying to figure out how to do this in Flash. But I saw the program iWeb has a teplate for a website that contains video. So I should be able to create that site after a much smaller learning curve.

Hopefully, once I'm finished with these projects I can finally turn my attention back to sewing. There is this book that looks really good and it includes some patterns.

And, of coarse, I plan on working on personal photo projects.

More Photos from the Fair

2006-08-05T20:57:00.000-04:00

Medina County Fair

2006-08-05T20:27:00.000-04:00

Today I went to the Medina County Fair with my mom, brother and nephew. It was fun to hang out and remember the days when we practically lived at the fair. When my brother and I were younger, my parents had a food booth so we were usually brought along while our parents worked. As we got older we were expected to work. For a few years we were in 4H and I showed horses and I think my brother showed one of our goats one year. So, yeah, I have fond memories of the fair. This is the first time in years that I was able to make it and here are some photos from our excursion:

Finally home

2006-07-29T11:34:00.000-04:00

I'm finally back home. Well, I've been home for 2 weeks, but I barely had time to catch my breath before I was gone again to Columbus for the burnoff I worked at all weekend. I think the trip to Alberta and working in Columbus left me worn out. I feel really run down in the mornings and I don't bound up and down stairs like I normally do.

But Alberta was amazing. It went far better then I expected. I thought I was going to get bored with the digging, nope. Stayed interested the whole time, and actually left the trip with a greater appreciation for what paleontologists do and I'm more interested in dinosaurs.

I did, however, realize that I need to do more research before I go on these trips.

Columbus was good, too. I got to see everyone from the circuit that I don't see so much now that I have a full-time job. And it was nice to work outside again, and have the work be straightforward. "Liz, make some pork." "Someone get me ribs." Also, no one is paranoid and though we are working 14 hours in what I think is the rudest city in the nation, no one bitches too much. But I guess the grass is greener on the other side.

Since I've been home, I've realized that my roommate does just suck. He hates my cat for no good reason (because he leaves furballs around the apartment). Please. This, of coarse, pisses me off. When I lived with Meghan and Lulu, we were up to our eyeballs in fur, no one died. Actually, you could say we came out for the better because we are all good friends. Luke and I talk and get along for the most part. But I never want to hang out in my apartment (which is good I guess since I am never home). Unfortunately, I feel like I am walking around on eggshells, because I know it is only a matter of time before he really bitches again, pushes me too far, and I really lay into him. This feels just like it did when I lived at home and my stepdad and I were fighting. He plans on moving out in October, hopefully he does.

OK, now I'm off to Louisville to see Sleater-Kinney one last time.

2006-06-15T18:22:00.000-04:00

Which Tarot Card Are You?

You are the Devil card. The Devil is based on the figure Pan, Lord of the Dance. The earthy physicality of the devil breeds lust. The devil's call to return to primal instincts often creates conflict in a society in which many of these instincts must be kept under control. Challenges posed by our physical bodies can be overcome by strength in the mental, emotional, and spiritual realms. Pan is also a symbol of enjoyment and rules our material creativity. The devil knows physical pleasure and how to manipulate the physical world. Material creativity finds its output in such things as dance, pottery, gardening, and sex. The self-actualized person is able to accept the sensuality and usefulness of the devil's gifts while remaining in control of any darker urges. Image from The Stone Tarot deck. http://hometown.aol.com/newtarotdeck/
Take this quiz!

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Update

2006-06-10T10:54:00.000-04:00

6/5

This past Saturday, I got my first digital camera ever. I use digital cameras all the time at work, but I finally after years of consideration, broke down and got the D200. Like my Nikon film camera, but digital. I'm in love. But now that I am finally able to shoot what I want without worrying about the cost of developing, so I plan on shooting as much as possible. There are 2 inspirations for this. First there is a famous photographer who did this project called "A Photo a Day." He's inspired Greg from KPA to do the same thing. And Greg has some amazing results. Also, I've been reading this book, On Being a Photographer, and I learned that Henri Cartier-Bresson described "photojournalist" as someone who keeps a photo journal. And this is what I intend to do. And I plan on using this blog as an outlet for my images. So since I got my camera, here is what I captured:

Me in my fabulous new $40 Betsy Johnson dress before getting margaritas with Biljna.

The Lake County Captains game, a minor league team in Lake County. Good, sunny fun.

From Monday:

Lunch at Ians:

Ian with his new oven.

Some of the food being preped.

Josh with kale.

The bathroom at work.

And my bedroom at night.

Why am I hiding in my bedroom, watching Sex and the City and working on the computer? Because one of the unforseen side effects of living with someone else, is when that other person is in a bad mood. He could be mad at me or kitty for something. So I'm laying low this evening.

Maybe this project will inspire me to update this blog more often.

2006-05-23T21:48:00.000-04:00

Kevin Smith
Your film will be 52% romantic, 39% comedy, 27% complex plot, and a $ 31 million budget.

Kevin will take your slacker life and turn it into the cult classic it deserves to be --- like Mallrats (just kidding). If you can handle the menacing presence of Jay and Silent Bob all throughout your film, then Kevin is willing to oblige. Basically, he can take the lives of people who don't have much of a life and make it entertaining, so you're in good hands. Go watch your copy of Clerks, now.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:

You scored higher than 16% on action-romance
You scored higher than 73% on humor
You scored higher than 8% on complexity
You scored higher than 49% on budget

Link: The Director Who Films Your Life Test written by bingomosquito on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

My life

2006-05-10T20:28:00.000-04:00

I heard from my friend Mandy today, and I guess from my blogs, I sound a little stressed out. And I guess I am. But then again, I'm thinking about this after day 3 of running around. And I'm looking at a month of packing, moving, cleaning, shooting for the website, and prep for a lecture I am giving later this month. And now I'm ready to drink.

Let's move on to boys:

Mike is cute and nice and funny, but quiet. We spent the day at the zoo on Monday and it was fun, but we didn't really talk. We didn't take advantage of the time to really get to know each other, to find out those things that we love or hate so much. And this sorta throws me off, because now I'm getting shy around him and I don't talk as much as I normally do, and he isn't really saying anything to engage me in some conversation. Then I get all worried that he is going to lose interest because I'm not talking so much. But then, that's his loss, because all he needs is some time to really get to know me and see how awesome I am. Right? Luis told me to chill out and take things as they come. Obviously I'm freaking out.

When it rains, it pours.

2006-04-25T23:35:00.000-04:00

I was upset a couple weeks ago after I got dissed by my salsa partner. He arranged to have another girl and myself over at the same time to practice. This hurt. Not because he's practicing with other women, but that he felt it was ok to practice with the both of us at the same time. He told me that when I get tired, he'll dance with her. First of all, I don't take that many breaks. I stop, drink some water, and I'm ready to go again. Please. He left me alone in his apartment to go meet her in the parking lot. And I grabbed my shit and left. On the way out, I found him in the parking lot. And he tried one more time to convince me to stay, telling me that the other girl had no problem with him practicing with the both of us. I told him I did and left. I have no problem being the bitch in this situation.

This experience left me a little hurt. I felt he didn't really respect me. And since he hasn't called me, I must be right. So I've taken a break from salsa at Moda. Partly because I don't want to see George, but also because I have been busy.

After being dissed, I was a little bitter towards all men. Why couldn't some guy come into my life and and think I'm fabulous and treat me with respect, and (here's the catch) I like him back.

Well, I went on a date on Friday. And the guy called me at least once every day since. He's made it clear that he likes me. Hell, he came right out and told me. But there are a couple of red flags. First, all the calling. Second, he invited himself to breakfast with me.

Let me back up here and explain: My new ritual is to get up early on Sunday, stumble down to the Inn on Coventry to have breakfast by myself. It's my weekend treat that I cherish. Only certain people are welcome to join me. But when he invited himself along, I immediately started figuring out how to still go, but without him. I told him I overslept.

So he seems a little too eager.

But there's more. I went to the Grog Shop (a concert club down the street) to see a co-worker's band play. Now Mike at work is cute, stylish, but very clean-cut. We hardly talk. But in a band, on stage, he is very different. He has tatoos (hot), and on the drums, he rocks! I saw him in a very different light. And after their set, he seemed very attentive, offered to buy me a beer, gave me his band's CD's and walked me out when I left. Could he be interested? We'll see. We might be hanging with mutual friends this Friday.

Updates to come (weeks late, as usual).

New photos!

2006-04-04T18:32:00.000-04:00

Here some web galleries from my latest assignments:

Future Scientists

Salamander Run

My Life

2006-04-03T19:33:00.000-04:00

I was told that I don't write enough. So while I'm sitting at the laundromat, I'll do something more productive than surf the net. Work has been busy and stressful. We are redoing our website, so I have been going out in the field and shooting alot. On weekends. So I am racking up the comp time-that is time that I can take off later like vacation time. But because most of my time lately has been devoted to salsa dancing and work, I don't have time to take care of other stuff, like emailing or calling people back about side jobs that could earn me extra money. I feel like I'm slacking but I also feel very stressed out. And I'm looking at being busy every weekend from now until August when I leave for Mongolia.

Luis is coming into town in May. This is an opportunity for me to use my comp time and spend time with him. But lately it seems like he's too busy to talk to me, and I'm re-thinking this whole calling-off-work-to-spend-time-with-him thing. We'll see how things go. I have a month to figure that out.

I'm also going to move out of my apartment. Tonight I'm going to meet with a possible roommate, check out the apartment, and convince her that I make a good roommate. This apartment sounds great. I'll be sharing rent and expenses rather than paying for everything myself. Also, it is in Ohio City, so no more paying takes to 2 cities. Hopefully no more traffic or parking tickets, since Cleveland Heights is notorious for that. Yet another opportunity for me to save money. Maybe I can finally afford the toys I want. A digital camera, a Sony PSP, and a motorcycle. I won't have to fight for parking (hopefully). And kitty will have playmates. It has a porch for me to eat breakfast or drink on. And it has a yard-that I don't have to take care of! And there is laundry on-site. Do more driving down the street and paying $2.25 a load!

Most importantly, there is air conditioning, so I won't bake all summer long, and the landlord sounds like he doesn't suck like mine does now. Finally, living on the West Side puts me closer to Moda, my club for salsa dancing.

So what's up with salsa dancing? Well I traded in my original partner, Chris, for a better partner, George. Chris called me and started meeting me at Moda beginning in January. But by the middle of February he had lost interest and stopped going (and he stopped calling and hanging out with me, bastard). But the good thing is by the middle of February, I was ready to move up from the beginner class to the advanced class. I stayed in the beginner class, to be nice to Chris, who wasn't ready to move on. Once he stopped going, though, I moved up and met George. We decided to practice together. This is good , because he is a better dancer than me and I can learn alot from a good leader. Now I practice about 3 times a week and go dancing at Moda on Fridays. Unfortunately, George is going to Greece in the middle of May to visit his family, so I will be losing my partner. I'll need to find a new one. Which I may already have. We'll see what unfolds.

Mongolia

2006-03-15T18:42:00.000-05:00

I'm freaking out. I'm making arrangements to go to Mongolia with our vertebrate paleontologist in August to photograph a dinosaur dig. I need to come up with at least $5000 plus a digital camera plus an audio recorder plus all the extras that I would need for this project. So I've been looking for grants that I might be able to apply for. I'm planning having funraisers and I'm going to straight out ask for money. I'm going to do whatever it takes to get me to Mongolia.

There are a couple things that keep getting me excited:

1. When I went to Borders, there were NO books on Mongolia.

2. When I tell people where I plan on going, they ask me where it is.

3. This trip will give me some experience for my possible trip to Ethiopia next year.

More details later, I need to do some work. Or freak out some more.

New Curtains

2006-02-25T16:31:00.000-05:00

Over the summer my blinds broke and hung all uneven, making my apartment look just a little more ghetto. Over Christmas vacation I picked up some see-through fabric for like $1/yard. Then I found this more solid fabric. Last week I finally finished my curtians. I have to say it's a great improvement. Now I can move on the a better clutch, a dress and silk-screen printing.
Before

After

I'm Back

2006-02-23T23:39:00.000-05:00

I just got back from Santa Fe and I just want to go back. I left a sunny, warmer, exotic place for this cold, grey Ohio. I just want to go back and snowboard, and sleep and salsa dance and cuddle. I got so used to spending so much time with one person, that I miss him after 3 days.

I've already started looking at where I want to go next. Though I think I should buckle down and start traveling to places I want to live so I can possibly find work. Like Chicago or New York City. I wish so bad I could find work in Santa Fe. That place and the guy is growing on me each time I go there. But then there is South Korea. I really should and start saving so I can go there. When will I get a chance to visit a friend there?

Welcome to the Natural History of Chocolate

2006-02-14T23:01:00.000-05:00

I planned on photographing the Natural History of Chocolate for a few hours then head home to relax and hopefully finish my curtains. But when I arrived, Renee, my friend from Botany/Natural Areas, informed me that 2 people cancelled and we were going to get the meal. Score! This $150 meal sold out weeks ago and there was about 40 people on a waiting list. I wanted to go to this event so very bad. So bad, in fact, that I pushed back my trip to Santa Fe a week, so I could possibly make it to the event. Since I was staff, it would have cost me $75, but I was holding out to shoot it and possibly score a free seat. But when I found out that the event had sold out, I was disappointed. I worked the event hoping I could try some chocolate. But I got so much more. The courses were:

Soup:
Mayan Plantain Soup, Topped with a Scallop, Tomato and Pepper "Seviche"
Wine: Marques de Caceres Satinela, Spain, 2004

Seafood:
Grilled Cocoa and Coffee Dry-Rubbed Sugarcane-Skewered Shrimp on a Chayote & Black Bean Relish with Ancho Aioli
Wine: Rodney Strong Charlotte Home Sauvignon Blanc, Sonoma County, 2004

Salad:
Sweet Lola Russa & Boston Lettuce Drizzled with a Honey-Ginger Dressing with Golden Raisins, Toasted Almonds and Chocolate-Dipped Sun-Dried Apricots
Wine: Boutari Mososchofilrio, Greece, 2003.

Pasta:
French Chocolate Linguini with Roasted Duck in a Plum Wine Sauce Garnished with Roasted Clementine
Wine: Terrazas Malbec, Argentina, 2004

Poultry:
Grilled Chicken Sausage on Mole Sauce wit h Potato & Cheese Enchilada
Wine: J. Lohr Los Osos Merlot, Paso Robles, 2002

Meat:
Cocoa Beef Tenderloin in Rosemary Red Wine Sauce with Saffron Moroccan Couscous and Grilled Vegetables
Wine: Rosemount Grenache/Shiraz, Australia, 2004

Dessert:
Chocolate Trio: Boule de Neige with Candied Violet & Fresh Whipped Cream; White Chocolate Mousse with Rasberry Coulis; Milk Chocolate Terrine
Wine: Bonny Doon Framboise, NV

Ok, so now is the part where I pretend I am a judge on "Iron Chef America." The soup was texture-y and amazing. I was looking forward to it and it didn't disappoint. The wines, I'll skip until the reds because I like those the best. The Shrimp was actually good. I don't usually like seafood, much to
Bernard's dismay, but dry-rub shrimp is crispy and good. The Salad: my least favorite. I think there was too much dressing or something, it seemed too strong. This was a favorite of Renee and Mary. I think this was obviously a stretch for applying a chocolate theme to salad. Pasta: I was totally looking forward to this dish. French Chocolate Linguini! Malbec! And it was awesome. The linguini was great but not what I expected, and the Malbec was good too. The other 2 dishes were good too, but I don't remember much, because by then I had had 4 glasses of wine. Moving on to the dessert: Fucking Awesome. I was very full at this point, but cleaned my plate. This wine was really bad, though. Way too sweet.

So I'm not as descriptive as the judges on "Iron Chef" but fuck it, I came home full and sleepy (and buzzed) after work. THAT is a good day at work.

Myspace

2006-01-31T19:26:00.000-05:00

After all this pressure from my friends to join myspace.com, I finally gave in and set up my profile page. Like I need another thing online to maintain. Myspace is similar to Blogger but way funnier because it seems to be a place for bands to promote themselves and for people to meet. In this site, people are all about sexy photos of themselves and making music automatically play when their profile loads. Both things I find very annoying. Just because other people do it, doesn't make it a good idea. You can also keep a blog, but since I have a hard time keeping up with this one, I think I'll not take advantage of that. So what will I do with this site? Pick on or keep track of my friends.

Of the two options, blogs or MySpace, I think I prefer blogs. I have a few that I follow because of the the content. I can keep track of friends who use their blog as a way to inform people of their doings, rather than a way to meet people. I read many craft blogs for inspiration. And I follow my friend Rami's photo blog because I like to watch him grow as a photographer.

Salsa Mama

2006-01-15T00:28:00.000-05:00

I'm learning salsa dancing. This is something I've wanted to do since the summer but never got around to taking any classes. But when my friend from Santa Fe offered to take me out if I learned it, I suddenly had an incentive. Now I have been learning for 2 weeks and I have been to 5 classes offered at 3 different places. I finally got to see how hot salsa is live and in person and now I want to be good at it so bad! So I have been taking any class I can find to try to learn it as quickly as possible. Because, you see, I have a deadline now. I fly out to Santa Fe on February 18 so I have until then to get good.

But there is more to this: anyone who knows me knows that I love to dance. I love to get out on any dance floor and shake my booty. Usually, though, I never have anyone to go out dancing with me. But now I have been able to go out dancing 3 nights in a row! I can see how this can get addicting. Also, these last few classes there was definate improvement and I was able to turn and keep in step with the guy. My timing is so good in fact that I know when the guy is turning me at a wrong time.

More importantly, I've danced with so many men. I could see how this could be a great way to pick someone up. Much better than having someone grinding all up on me.

What I finally picked up because of the incentive is quickly becoming a favorite pastime of mine. And since all of my friends moved away, this is a great way for me to get out on a Friday, or Saturday, or even Thursday night.

New Year's Wedding

2006-01-01T12:55:00.000-05:00

I made this cluch for my friend Meghan's wedding. It's the second clutch I made and though it has some flaws, it is way better than the first one I made. The first one was lopsided, had a zipper, and because I didn't use any interfacing for support and the clutch was really floppy. For this one, I measured better so it isn't as lopsided, I use interfacing, but it wasn't enough and the purse still didn't have the support it needed . And since I used a magnetec button this time, stuff kept falling out. I need to use cardboard or something for the support on the inside. Hopefully, the next clutch for the next wedding will work way better.

The wedding was fabulous. I got my hair done up (the first time since 9th grade). It was pretty but there was so much hairspray in my hair that it held even after a night of dancing. I danced with this 5 year-old, Emma Sophia. We had fun, but she wore me out! Later Meghan's mom told me that I was a "dancing slut" (in a good way) because I will dance with anyone (true).

I seriously think it was a best wedding ever. I could be biased since it was the first wedding I have ever been in, but the everyone there was alot of fun. The food was great. There was brie AND cheesecake! And it was New Years. They got a deal with the Holiday Inn close by so people can stay there rather than drive home after a wedding and New Years. So right now I am living it up like a rock star in a king size bed until 4pm when I have to check out.

Medina, Ohio

2005-12-24T19:39:00.000-05:00

I spent most of yesterday with my friend David S. I was upset about a guy so I decided to lay it all on him since I get to hear all about his relationship problems. And it helped. I needed to get out of the apartment and forget about my problems. Plus, after being rejected, sometimes I need to hear good things about me.

I have known David since elementary school and David keeps in contact with people from high school. Last night he was heading over to Adam D.'s house and brought me along. I crashed the party. I hadn't been to Adam's house since 6th grade. There were all these people that I hadn't seen since I graduated 7 years ago.

It's great to learn what everyone is doing. One lives in Oregon, one lives in Seattle and works for Lockheed Martin, and the rest of us are still in Ohio doing our thing. When I graduated, I always thought I would never want to see these people again.(Not these people in particular, just people from high school in general.) But I really enjoyed hanging out with people I had grown up with and seeing how much everyone has changed. We are all grown up.

Tonight, I am going to Jenny's for her family's Christmas party. This has become a tradition for me, parting with Jenny and her family every Christmas eve. Jenny is also a friend from high school, though we didn't start hanging out with each other until college. Jenny lives in Atlanta now so I only get to see her around holidays when she comes up to visit her family. Again, this is a chance for me to catch up with old friends that I don't get to see very often.

Nashville

2005-12-13T22:42:00.000-05:00

I spent the weekend in Nashville visiting friends. The town is pretty fun, and the people there are cool. Musicians are bursting from the seams. And though it would be great to live in a city where I can go see a live band almost any time of the day, it's not for me. I need a city with a more urban feel. But the trip was fun for the most part. We went to Honkey tonks and heard some live country. Though, I don't normally like country music, I did when we were out. Maybe there is better live country in Nashville, or maybe I was just really drunk.

Tonight, I edited about 70 images from a wedding I photographed the first weekend this month. Overall the conditions for the wedding were great. The church was huge and beautiful. And the pastor and very accomodating. The bride and groom were really cool and laid back. The best part was that the reception was at the museum I work at, so I already knew the conditions I would be working in, plus I had access to get to areas the gave me the best overall shots.

The part that made the wedding somewhat difficult was one of the groomsmen decided that he was going to photograph THE ENTIRE WEDDING. Which meant that he was uusually under foot and in my way while I am trying to work. I don't think he affected my photography, I made shure I got the shots I need before he could get in place to get his. But I was so frustrated that it took me about a week to even look at the images let alone start editing.

So far, looking at the images, I think this is the best wedding I ever shot. Not perfect at all, but I'm generally happy with my shots. This is great, I finally have an entire wedding I can show to get more work.

Photoshop CS2

2005-12-07T20:04:00.000-05:00

We finally got the new photoshop at work and I have been playing! First things first, I can finally shoot raw format with our D2X. But when photoshop wasn't opening the files like it was supposed to, I realized that I needed to download a newer plugin. I downloaded that and a flash webpage to add to the 2 cool flash pages. And I tested them out with my images:

Painted butterfly contains images of a painted butterfly (duh) that lived at our museum's discovery center. The lepidopterists visiting the museum claimed it was the oldest one they ever saw.

The Museum Work gallery contains some of my favorite images from my work at the museum. Alot of the images are redundant because this is a the group I narrowed down for a talk I gave to the Kirtlandia society.

Finally, the Museum Work 2 gallery is some of my most recent favorites. This is also my favorite gallery that photoshop offers.

Another fun work project: we finally ordered 15 ipod nanos. So I have been trying to get our audioguide ready for when they arrive. Because the nano has a color screen, and can show images (unlike our current audioguides) I have been going through our archives to add images all the stops. This is going to rock!

Broken Social Scene

2005-12-01T01:43:00.000-05:00

So I love when I walk into a business and they are playing one of my favorite obscure songs. I went to That Place on Bellflower (aka The Flower) for lunch and they were playing Broken Social Scene, one of my new favorite bands. Not only were they playing that band, they were playing my favorite song, "Windsurfing Nation." And I thought this only happens in NYC.

Thanksgiving

2005-11-29T01:48:00.000-05:00

My thanksgiving was fun. It started out at my parents and moved to the cabin in southern Ohio. I haven't been to the cabin since April and since then, my parents have changed it quite a bit. Mostly by hanging more stuffed animals everywhere. Did you ever see that commercial for that website where you can search hotels? The parents find a hotel, a lodge actually, and they imagine all these big stuffed animals freaking their kids out. Well, the cabin reminds me of that.

My time at the cabin was spent shooting (photos), 4-wheeling, and watching lots of TV. I wandered into Athens during the day Friday and it was my first time there in years. I went to all my favorite shops and reminisced about the times I had gone to these shops with old boyfriends. Then I got a call from a friend of mine seeking advice for his relationship, and I suddenly didn't miss being in a relationship.

Joe, my brother, passed out early both nights and would snore while I tried to watch TV.

The First Snow

2005-11-23T21:29:00.000-05:00

So we are in the midst of our first snowstorm of the season. The first few times the snow is so magical and exciting. But by March or April I'm pretty sick of the stuff. But for now, bring it on! The more it snows, the sooner I can snowboard!

Hello!

2005-11-23T15:18:00.000-05:00

This is my first blog ever and this is my first post ever! Hello out there!