32/365- Cold as Ice

Backyard beauty, Marc Anthony, and a second snow day! woo hoo!

I'm not sure why, but I prefer my ice/snow pics in black and white. These weren't blue-ish except the one I left in color. Perhaps I just like the contrast.

January Mosaic

I'm in a better mood now. Here's why:
Snow day tomorrow - Check.
Make taking pictures a habit - check
31 days and 31 pictures - check.
Survive January - check. :)

We are now 1/12th (or, if you prefer decimals, 8.4 %) of the way through.

Reminder to self:
This project allows me

1. to be creative
2. to see things differently
3. to think about something other than work
4. to stay connected to my friends
5. to engage my brain in learning and then applying that new knowledge
6. to have a positive outlet for thoughts and emotions
7. to go to new places and try new things
8. to view and appreciate others' work and creativity
9. to form a new good habit
10. to build my photo portfolio

Each photo, good or bad, contributes to the ultimate goal of becoming a better photographer.

31/365- Raindrops and yesterdays that become todays

Yesterday I Cried by Iyanla Vanzant

Yesterday, I cried.
I came home, went straight to my room,
sat on the edge of my bed,
kicked off my shoes, unhooked my bra,
and I had myself a good cry.
I cried until my nose was running all over the silk blouse I got on sale.
I cried until my ears were hot.
I cried until my head was hurting so bad
that I could hardly see the pile of soiled tissues lying on the floor at my feet.
I want you to understand,
I had myself a really good cry yesterday.

Yesterday, I cried,
for all the days that I was too busy,
or too tired, or too mad to cry.
I cried for all the days, and all the ways,
and all the times I had dishonored, disrespected,
and disconnected my Self from myself,
only to have it reflected back to me in the ways others
did to me the same things I had already done to myself.
I cried for all the things I had given, only to have them stolen;
for all the things I had asked for that had yet to show up;
for all the things I had accomplished, only to give them away,
to people in circumstances, which left me feeling empty,
and battered and plain old used.
I cried because there really does come a time when
the only thing left for you to do is cry. ...

...Yesterday, I cried.
I cried because I hurt. I cried because I was hurt.
I cried because hurt has no place to go
except deeper into the pain that caused it in the first place,
and when it gets there, the hurt wakes you up.
I cried because it was too late.
I cried because it was time.
I cried because my soul knew that I didn't know
that my soul knew everything that I needed to know.
I cried a soulful cry yesterday, and it felt so good.
It felt so very, very bad.
In the midst of my crying,
I felt my freedom coming,
Because...

Yesterday, I cried
with an agenda.

My yesterday was wonderful. Today...not so much. While I haven't sat down to cry with an agenda, by the end of the last class period, I was fighting hard to keep it swallowed. Those lovely little darlings can sometimes reduce me to tears.

30/365- 33rd birthday snapshots

Today is my 33rd birthday. With out the two women above, I would not exist. 1. I wouldn't have been born. 2. I wouldn't have made it through the rough times without them. On the left is Gram and the right is Mom.

To celebrate my birthday, my parents, 2 aunts, Gg (Gram), 2 cousins, and I went to dinner. After that we headed over to Gg's for our favorite game "bananagrams". We laughed so hard at silly things and I loved it! I grabbed my camera for a few candids. We were giggling so much it was hard to take "good" pictures (photographically speaking), but these are the best pictures to me. Real smiles and fun memories with people I love. It doesn't get much better than that.

29/365- All that glitters

The golden fingerprint. Inspired by my dear friend's golden experience, I decided to do a little digging (on the web and in the jewelry box). Here's a little of what I found.

"Egyptians considered the bright yellow metal to be divine and indestructible, a physical manifestation of the sun itself.
The pharaohs of Egypt insisted on being buried in gold, which they believed was the "flesh of the gods."
Aztecs used the word teocuitlatl -- "excrement of the gods" -- to describe gold. The Inca referred to it as the “sweat of the sun”. And on the periodic table, gold is represented by the symbol Au, from the Latin aurum, which means "shining dawn." By any name, gold has always been associated with wealth and power.

Gold is naturally beautiful and resists corrosion and tarnishing. It is also soft and malleable, which allows artists to shape the metal into almost any design.

Gold conducts electricity better than all other metals except silver and copper. And it doesn't corrode easily.

Gold may symbolize power, strength, wealth, warmth, happiness, love, hope, optimism, intelligence, justice, balance, perfection, summer, harvest and the sun.

Auras
GOLD: high spiritual vibration, integrity, respect, freedom, clear seeing, integrating spirit and body, creating as spirit
Clear gold metallic, shiny and bright: Spiritual energy and power activated and awakened; an inspired person.

28/365-M and M Rap?

I wrote a new grammar rap for my students. I have written quite a few songs for them already, but this one was probably the hardest. It was about using the preterite or imperfect tense. What made it a challenge was that I did it to an Eminem song. I now have a greater appreciation for his lyrics and his style. Trying to "spit rhymes" like he can is difficult! I guess that's why he gets the big bucks and fame. I don't think I'll quit my day job...yet:)

Exposure 0.4
Aperture f/4.0
Focal Length 11.8 mm
ISO Speed 100
Exposure Bias 0 EV
Flash Off, Did not fire

27/365 - thoughts

Sometimes they're just like this.

Exposure 1.3
Aperture f/4.0
Focal Length 10.3 mm
ISO Speed 100
Exposure Bias 0 EV