snapshots

Melting Pot

2008-01-27T12:04:00.000-08:00

This school year has been particularly exciting for several different reasons. The most obvious is that it is my last one before college. Following in second place is all the 18th birthday parties happening. It is so strange to be officially considered an adult. Personally, I still feel like I'm thirteen years old. The concept of being able to buy lottery tickets (among other things) seems completely out of place for me; however, I will admit that I have exercised my newfound right to go and get piercings. Much to my father's dismay, my nose now has a shiny new stud.

Today is a friend's birthday. Last night we all went out to celebrate at this restaurant chain called The Melting Pot. It was a bit pricey for us teens (about 25 bucks a head!), but I would have to say that the experience was definitely worth the money. The Melting Pot is a fondue place, and up until last night I had never really had a fondue experience. It was awesome! The atmosphere of the place is really cool, although it was a bit dark inside. Ten of us squeezed around one table, and we got to enjoy three different types of cheese fondue.

The waiter comes around and mixes the cheeses in front of you, and then they bring out platters of goodies (apples, breads, vegetables, chips, etc). Everyone has their own fondue forks and off you go! We finished all three pots of cheese within about fifteen minutes tops, and then the chocolate was brought out. Needless to say, the chocolate went even faster. Mmmm, it was soooo good.

The Other Boleyn Girl

2008-01-20T12:12:00.000-08:00

I have always enjoyed learning about European history. Don't get me wrong, American history is equally fascinating, but it just doesn't date back as far as I wish it did. One of my favorite topics has always Tudor England. For Christmas I received this necklace. Look familiar? If so, it's probably because you've seen it here.

Ugly Betty sports the same necklace. Whenever I wear mine, I always get the same remark: "Oh my gosh! Where did you get Ugly Betty's necklace?" I have to hold back laughter because, little do they know, my necklace (and Betty's!) are replicas of someone else's jewels. Who, you ask? Anne Boleyn.
The Other Boleyn Girl (a wonderful read, by the way) has been made into a movie that is going to come out this February. Needless to say, I can't wait. Anne Boleyn is one of the most intriguing women in history. Anne was one of Henry VIII's mistresses. Somehow, she managed to convince him to seek a divorce from his Spanish queen, Catherine of Arragon. She single handedly helped tear England away from the Catholic Church, and it was her daughter Elizabeth I that lead the country into its golden age. Unfortunately for Anne, she never gave birth to the son she promised Henry. She was executed for witchcraft. The whole story is quite fascinating.

Life After People

2008-01-18T09:33:00.001-08:00

No new pictures as of the moment, but this post is going off of my last. History Channel is coming out with a show called "Life After People." It depicts what might happen to the planet if humans disappeared. For example which buildings would crumble the fastest, which animals would thrive, etc. It looks really interesting, and I guess a lot of the footage was filmed in Chernobyl, Ukraine. It premieres on Monday, January 21 at 8 PM central.

Here's the website: Life After People

Apocalypse?

2008-01-15T19:01:00.001-08:00

A full view is probably best for this, otherwise the text is kind of hard to read. This image is a part of my final project for my Photo III class. Our teacher let us take pictures of whatever we wanted, and so I decided to continue with the abandoned places theme. To add a personal twist, I wanted to see if I could manipulate my photos to depict what the world may look like after some sort of apocalypse... It's in the spirit of The Road which is a truly haunting book. Pick it up, if you get a chance. :) The Farmer's Wife introduced me to this location-- it's a beautiful house, despite its advanced stage of decay. The writing on the wall was added in photoshop. I do find the graffiti on abandoned places to be a fascinating subject in itself, but this house didn't have any to display. I didn't have the heart to really deface it, so I had to go to the computer to do my dirty work. I think it came out quite nicely!

Evening Hawk

2008-01-12T19:42:00.001-08:00

"Evening Hawk" by Robert Penn Warren

From plane of light to plane, wings dipping through
Geometries and orchids that the sunset builds,
Out of the peak's black angularity of shadow, riding
The last tumultuous avalanche of
Light above pines and the guttural gorge,
The hawk comes.

              His wing
Scythes down another day, his motion
Is that of the honed steel-edge, we hear
The crashless fall of stalks of Time.

The head of each stalk is heavy with the gold of our error.

Look!  Look!  he is climbing the last light
Who knows neither Time nor error, and under
Whose eye, unforgiving, the world, unforgiven, swings
Into shadow.



         Long now,

The last thrush is still, the last bat
Now cruises in his sharp hieroglyphics.  His wisdom
Is ancient, too, and immense.  The star
Is steady, like Plato, over the mountain.



If there were no wind we might, we think, hear
The earth grind on its axis, or history
Drip in darkness like a leaking pipe in the cellar.

2008?

2008-01-02T13:11:00.001-08:00

How is it already 2008? Ever since elementary school, I've used the numbers 08 as a part of my login ID to get on the computers since it is the year that I graduate from high school. In this way logging onto the school computers has almost been like a countdown of the time I have left here. Amazing. June will be here before I know it, and then no more high school. Off to college I go. Scary!

Anyway, I know I've been horrible at updating this blog. One of my goals this year is to do a better job. So check back often!

Paris

2007-12-17T16:05:00.000-08:00

It's been a good few days since I've posted anything. This is an older picture, taken in Paris. I enjoy playing with the hues in photoshop :)

Seeing Double?

2007-12-10T18:47:00.002-08:00

Today I skipped school (with parental permission!) and went downtown again with my mom and some of our friends. Surprisingly, it wasn't too busy considering the holiday season is literally just around the corner. We ate lunch in the Walnut Room at Macy's, formerly known as Marshall Fields. Like always, the tree was stunning, but I never managed to snap a decent picture of it. The hustle and bustle of getting to and from the train station made it hard to stop and take some really serious photographs, but I did manage to catch this reflection shot while the other women took a bathroom break. The city is beautiful this time of year. It was rather overcast today, so all the Christmas lights were aglow. Stunning. Simply stunning.

Apparently tonight we're supposed to get a big ice storm. Do me a favor and pray for a school cancellation. :)

Always Take the Snow Day

2007-12-08T14:50:00.001-08:00

On Thursday a close friend of mine attempted to take her life. Luckily, she admitted to this, and she is now in an institution where doctors and psychiatrists can help her. The whole situation was horribly shocking; I never saw it coming, and I feel extremely guilty for that. Suicide is the third leading cause of death for kids 15 to 24 years old. That's so wrong. At that age, we still have our whole lives in front of us. I can't even comprehending having a desire to cut it short.

Yesterday was Friday, and around ten that morning I was sitting in English class. We were discussing Dandelion Wine, which has several characters who realize the magnificence of life throughout the novel. Fittingly, we started talking about how beautiful life is. My teacher made the comment that it is so great because it is so short. Think about it- the fact that we only have maybe 90 or so years to explore the earth and all it has to offer makes the concept of life seem a lot more important. If we lived for thousands of years, the idea of living would lose its luster. The fact that our time on this planet is so finite is what makes it so unbelievably amazing. As humans, we never know how long we have on this planet. Something could happen, and we may not be around to see tomorrow. It's so important to always live your life to the fullest.

"That's why," my teacher began, "you always take the snow days. A lot of the time the faculty and students alike complain that they're a hassle because you have to make them up in the summer. But the truth is guys, something could easily happen and summer might never come. Always, always take the snow days."

Galaxies

2007-12-03T15:27:00.000-08:00

Reaching Out

2007-11-28T19:43:00.000-08:00

I recently went into the city on a field trip and managed to snap this image while crossing the street. Stopping in the median is not always the best idea. Cars were speeding past so quickly, as if they were trying to rip the violet petals from the small patch of soil.

A Sequel of Decay

2007-11-27T15:17:00.001-08:00

This image deserves a post, a fleeting piece of immortality that it will never have the chance to see in real life. The location is for sale; it will likely be torn down, its lands ravaged for new developments. Where once a home stood and a family lived, new stores and neighborhoods will grow like weeds, erasing these structures from existence and eventually, from memory.

Abandoned farm houses have a strange presence. Not necessarily a haunted one, but upon entering those forsaken walls, the air is heavier. These places obviously have amazing stories behind them: how did the original owners manage to leave behind their children's toys? their Christmas lights? And most importantly, what happened to them?

Places like this are beautiful. In a haunting way, definitely, but beautiful none-the-less. It breaks my heart to know that soon they won't be with us.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-22T17:17:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope that everyone enjoyed their day and was careful to keep in mind all the things we should be thankful for. :)

Around my household, the pre-holiday morning isn't such a blast. Mom whirls around the kitchen and dining room in one last attempt to make sure the rooms are spotless, and urges (against my will!) me to do the same. However, by the time the guests have arrived, the immediate family has all but settled down; we are able to thoroughly enjoy one another's presence around a great table filled with all sorts of food imaginable. Turkey, ham, potatoes (mashed and sweet), cranberry sauce... is there really any holiday better than Thanksgiving?

For our family, today marks the start of the month long Christmas celebration. Outside our lights are already blazing, and within the weekend I imagine that the Christmas tree will be up and running as well. I love this time of year-- if nothing else, it really is a season to be jolly.

Cold November Rain

2007-11-21T11:42:00.000-08:00

Day two of blog-- successful! I actually remembered to bring my camera with me on a quick shopping run. November is just whizzing by, isn't it? Normally around this time, my little corner of the woods is already blanketed in a nice white sheet of snow. Not this year. Instead, it's been raining ceaselessly these past few days. Today was no exception; the gray clouds stretch on for miles ad nauseum, and it looks like the sun has gone into hibernation for the winter. Goodbye, sun! See you again in the spring!

This picture was taken at a stop light on the way home from last minute Thanksgiving errands (the bread needed to be picked up from the local bakery, etc). I fumbled with my camera to get a quick snapshot of the rain on my rear-view mirror, while my brother kept an eye on the red light for me; I only had seconds before he anxiously shouted "Green!".

New Beginnings

2007-11-20T12:47:00.003-08:00

Many of my friends and family members have given this whole blogging thing a whirl, so I figured that I might do the same as well. There are few things that you need to know about me-- I am a teenager who stumbled into possession of a camera and fell in love. I will try to post pictures daily of things that I encounter in my every day life. Don't be afraid to leave comments. Don't be afraid to leave constructive criticism. Any help that you're willing to give, I'm certainly willing to take! So, without further adieu, welcome to my silly little blog. If nothing else, I hope you enjoy my pictures.

This was taken outside of my home a few days ago. It is one of the more beautiful sunsets I've seen recently; it's as if the sky knows that it's autumn, and it matches its colors accordingly. The past week or so, the sunsets have been stained with a beautiful array of deep reds and vibrant yellows, which melt with the purple hues beyond the immediate horizon. I wish that the silhouettes of the houses were not in the way; I would have loved to watch the sun set completely, without any inch of its majesty hidden from my view.