This is from September, that's how behind I am on making and processing photographs. Le sigh. To post more, I have to make more. I'm slowly rehabilitating this practice.
Labels: abstract, autumn, details, light, NanoTime Photography, nature, photographs, photography, reflections, water
¶ 5:51 AM 0 Comments
This photograph has a soundtrack, the wonderful song "Ghost Town" by the Swedish sister duo First Aid Kit:
Their new album "The Lion's Roar" is fantastic, and I highly recommend checking it out. Sometimes, their voices make me shiver.
I'm now in some crazy-busy times - I am taking a Proficiency Exam in order to graduate from my Masters' Program (along with my last two classes), which involves writing two 8-12 page papers in two weeks on two separate topics which I just chose out of 10 possible. No pressure, though, nope.
Our attic is empty; yesterday the basement was triaged, and old boxes were bound up for the recycling center. Old furniture goes to the curb on Tuesday evening to be picked over.
So I'm in deep waters, but I swim, I'm a swimmer. So I'm keeping on. But I feel somewhat tied with heavy ropes to these particular railroad tracks (by a cackling villain in a top hat twiddling a handlebar moustache). Still, after I'm untied, I'll come back to you someday.
Labels: a day in the life, fauna, first aid kit, light, music, NanoTime Photography, nature, school, winter
¶ 7:54 AM 5 Comments
From another snowy day in the neighborhood.
Labels: haiku, NanoTime Photography, photographs, snow, snowtograph, winter
¶ 6:42 PM 0 Comments
I'm slightly weirded out by 84 degree F temperatures in October, but I'll take it. It keeps the butterflies around.
I have a dj gig coming up in a couple of weeks - the first live in gig in at least 3 years! I'm nervous, but I've been listening to music like mad, and Dr. Nick and I rocked the living room tonight. We have such fun playing music. The dog doesn't like it much, though. Not even the Skinny Puppy, which is supposed to be his favorite band :)
Labels: autumn, blixa, butteflies, djing, gigs, music, NanoTime Photography, Nick
¶ 7:49 PM 0 Comments
So how's my Y/A novel going? Not so well, maybe. The title of this blog is "Semi-Professional Muse for Hire" because I'm very good at encouraging and inspiring creativity in others. I'm not as good at motivating my own self to sit down and do the work. I read Chuck Wendig's "25 ways to defeat the dreaded writer's block" several times this week.
However, I've roused as much of the crew as possible (especially Yarnberd and Metahari ) to join me in a Fear of Writing 10K Day tomorrow. Eep. Should be ... fun?
Stay tuned.
Labels: friends, NanoTime Photography, puddletography, reflection, writing
¶ 7:41 AM 2 Comments
Another from the Ann Arbor set. (You can see all I have so far here.)
I'm still working my way through my many, many photos from the past couple of months. This one strikes me, though. It's a rather emphatic example, for me, of the creative life.
People say it over and over again, in books like "Do the Work" by Stephen Pressfield or "Mugging the Muse" by Holly Lisle, and in countless blogs, but the idea is: you don't wait for the Muse, you get to work, and she meets you there.
She usually meets me in the shower or while I'm driving, but those are brief visits: if I go down to the diner and get to work, she usually will hang around.
I'm struggling to work, but I'm working. She'll find me with a damn fine cup of coffee and a pencil, or camera, in hand.
You may have seen it, but I'm sharing it again - a most excellent graphic representation of some wise words from Ira Glass of This American Life:
Labels: Ann Arbor, creativity, ira glass, May Lee, meeting the muse, NanoTime Photography, work, writing
¶ 11:40 AM 2 Comments
This is Evelyn. You'll be seeing more of her, soon, since I was practicing portraits with her and her sister this weekend. I couldn't resist that face!
We were out at a Lake for a party, and there was weird storm light in the afternoon that provided this sepia atmosphere. I didn't touch up the color in this at all.
I've missed the Midwest.
Labels: children, lakes, Midwest summer, NanoTime Photography, portraits
¶ 6:29 AM 0 Comments
I don't know what these are really called, but Jillian calls them "red hot pokers".
Greetings from Ann Arbor, where it's very hot, but kind of awesome, and we have eaten many delicious foods, swum in a too-warm Midwestern lake, and partied with derby girls.
Not to mention, played several rounds of Settlers of Catan. I think another round is starting up now, in fact. Hope you are all having a wonderful Fourth of July weekend if you live in the States; and a generally wonderful summer weekend wherever you may be!
Labels: Ann Arbor, friends, holidays, Michigan, Midwest, NanoTime Photography, nature, weekend
¶ 1:44 PM 0 Comments
A cool, grey, and rainy day at Chez Nick & Heather WV. So I thought the photo above was appropriate. That's the shut-down post office at Thurmond, WV. If you're waiting for the mail, you'll be waiting a long time. I have that same kind of feeling of waiting for something today.
Dr. Nick is pulling up the nasty carpet in the bedroom, revealing the hard wood below. It needs some sanding and refinishing, to be sure, but it's still perfectly lovely hardwood. We are starting to think that the closets are not original; and then when someone did a shoddy job with the closets they also put down the horrible carpet, which somewhat covered that up. Anyway, Nick's doing the hard work - pulling up the staples and tacks & so forth that held the mat down - and I'm helping by moving things around and sweeping and rolling the carpet back a little at a time. Oh, we are making a grand chaos in the bedroom.
We've had a quiet weekend. I went downtown yesterday morning to the Library Book Sale (I only spent $5!) and the Capitol St. Art Fair. I ran into some artists I know, and had a few pleasant conversations.
I've still got hundreds of photos that are unprocessed, all the way back to May. I'm not sure why I'm dragging my heels, probably because I'm feeling a bit insecure. Surprise.
My novel-in-progress is going rather slowly, too. I have about 5,000 words on paper, but many more thoughts in my head. I am not out of the game yet, and this is no NanoWriMo. I consider any progress by the end of August to be success.
Still there are things to look forward to: we're going to Ann Arbor next weekend - and friends are visiting - and the upstate New York trek happens at the end of July/early August too. I'm not really in hiking shape, but there's still time to improve that.
For my friends who like 80's music, which is most of you, you might enjoy this John Maus album that you can stream at NPR First listen. It's called 'We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves'. Love it!
Labels: books, Charleston, dr. nick, NanoTime Photography, photography, Thurmond, travelling, writing, WV
¶ 2:01 PM 0 Comments
I'm out for the weekend to the Wilds of West Virginia with good friends; it is expected that we'll be off the internet grid. (horrors!) Take care and do good work while I'm gone!
Labels: Kanawha State Forest, NanoTime Photography, summer, vacation, WV
¶ 8:12 AM 0 Comments
This is one from the archives, from our trip to Bemidji, MN last summer. It's appropriate.
1. It's pretty much summer here in tha WV, and hot enough that we've had to use the air conditioning already.
2. We had our Third Annual Memorial Day party on Sunday; it was a great day for it. Good company and food was had.
3. We reprised our party for an audience of two on Monday; Mohnacky, the guitarist from our wedding and much-missed Charleston friend, is visiting from NYC with his girlfriend Megan. So we grilled with them again on Monday. Also, we're taking a long weekend away with them starting Friday. We're heading to the wilds of West Virginia! We'll be bunking in a cabin in the Greenbrier State Forest and doing some day trips for activities and sight-seeing. For sure, we won't have internet for four days. I expect that to be lovely.
4. My physical copy of Kate Bush's new album came today (Thanks, Amazon Prime!). The photography in the liner notes is pretty great, and I recommend fans pick up a hard copy.
5. I won't have internet this weekend, but I will have my laptop along, so I can upload the (hopefully) many photos I'll be shooting, and so I can work on my summer project.
6. Which brings me the Summer Project; I feel I should come clean about it so people can help keep me honest. I'm writing a Young Adult novel in three months this summer, starting today, as per this blog post by excellent writer Theodora Goss . I've gathered a small but mighty crew, I'm aiming for 1,000 words per day and a goal of 75,000 - 90,000 words total. So that's happening.
7. Dr. Nick and I have been married now for three years. Yay!
8. Dr. Nick is making me his Caesar salad; and then we're going to watch more Farscape. I have no complaints.
Labels: dr. nick, food, friends, NanoTime Photography, summer, west virginia, writing
¶ 4:34 PM 0 Comments
In other news, I've started a NanoTime Photography Zazzle Store to sell my photo greeting cards online. From now until December 31st, all photo cards are 50% off! If you use the code ZAZZLEACSALE. This is a bit of an experiment in outsourcing production of photo cards, so we'll see how it goes.
I wish a Joyous New Year to all my friends! Thanks for reading. Some day, there may even be words as well as photographs in this blog. It's a bit of an experiment, too (isn't everything).
Labels: 365, NanoTime Photography, new year, photo cards, YIP, zazzle store
¶ 8:51 PM 2 Comments
