Photo project

Many people are committing to a Project 365 for 2011. For those that don't know, that is taking a photo everyday and posting them. I came across a list of suggested weekly themes to help accomplish this. Notice I haven't once said that I am committing to this! No, that would completely stress me out if I didn't take a picture one day - I envision laying down to go to bed at night and jumping up so that I can go snap a pic just to satisfy some random resolution.

So what I am proposing to do is use the list of weekly theme suggestions and try to take a picture, not daily, but each week. The title of each photo post will be the theme from the list. I'll try to post them weekly, but if I end up posting a couple at a time, so be it. This is a personal project that I hope will: a) help me learn to use my new camera (Nikon Coolpix L110), b) allow me to express some creativity, c) give me some blog fodder! This isn't becoming a photo blog, I'll try to share stories or some description with the photos too. Hopefully the photos will illustrate the theme and any description will add to it. To really view the photos, be sure to click on the photo itself to see all the textures and details - the pics aren't as clear directly on the blog as they are if you click on them.

If anyone else wants the list of themes, I can send it to you, or you can probably find it or something similar by googling it. I always appreciate any comments or suggestions - constructive criticism as well as excessive praise ;) (I'm totally kidding about that - if you know me, you know I don't accept compliments well.)

Say cheese!

Personal Choice

Recently I was faced with a decision that is very personal for women - I needed a new purse. The strap on mine broke beyond repair.

You probably think buying a new purse is a relatively simple task. You go to the store, find the accessory department - ah, purses, here they are, grab one and buy it. Done deal.

If that is what you think, let me just say that you are WRONG. It took me 4 separate shopping trips to find my new purse. You can't just pick up any old handbag. There are a lot of choices and decisions that go into finding THE purse. Some women go the designer route, but I can't justify spending more money on the purse than I'll actually carry in it. Plus if you spend less, you can get a new one more often.

Last year I had a great purse that was exactly what I wanted. And with all the thousands of purses out there, amazingly my sister showed up with the identical purse in a different color. I guess we think a lot alike!

The first requirement for me when buying a new purse is the strap/straps - I can take a single or a double strap, they just have to be long enough for me to carry the purse on my right shoulder. Some women like the shorter straps to just carry on your arm - much like my grandmother carried her pocketbook. Or of course you could choose a clutch and not have a strap at all. Then there is the backpack style - very popular with the teens and tweens. I even came across some that had the shorter double strap with a detachable longer strap - attempting to meet the needs of everyone.

Regardless of what you've heard, size IS important - I don't understand the point of a small purse except for an evening bag. My daughter K likes a really BIG purse - she even carries her school stuff in it. Somewhere in the middle is best for me.

Another must for me is it HAS to zip closed. I've done the snaps, the drawstrings, tie closures and even the open top hobo bags - not secure enough for me. I've had my purse get dumped off the carseat from a sudden stop enough not to go that route again.

And I want pockets inside, at least a couple for my cellphone, sunglasses and other items I need to be able to find quickly.

Next consideration is what it is made of - cloth, leather, woven - lots of choices. Color plays a big role in the decision-making too. I wear a lot of black, so I usually get a black purse (though I do have a brown one I can carry in a pinch) so I don't have to switch it out to accessorize. But it's Spring and I've been carrying a black one for a while so I checked out other options too.

In the end, I found a black purse with white trim - making it acceptable for the season I think - and the stitching is tan so I can even wear brown with it.


And now you can sleep easier having the inside scoop on how I choose a new purse.

Finding My Voice

Today I woke up to find I had no voice. It seems like it happens every year, I get a cold that runs through various symptoms and eventually settles in my throat and I end up not being able to talk. My job requires me to take calls and provide answers - today I was able to squeak out a greeting and communicate, but I was very frustrated trying to make myself heard. You would probably ask: Why not take a sick day? And I would reassure you: I feel fine - very good actually, and we only get so many days each year - what if I really need this day later? So I went to work, did my job and helped others.

This voiceless day reinforces my new respect and appreciation for the Web 2.0 technologies. Much of my work interaction today took place through email. On the personal side, I was able to text my daughters and not worry about being heard. Twitter allowed me to converse with friends, colleagues and even my husband. And my Facebook provided me with the social interaction that would have had to wait till my voice came back.

My day with no voice may actually provide additional insight as I continue to encourage my office to engage in these new technologies. It definitely reinforces my motivation for staying current.

Whether I have anything to say or not, and despite not having a voice to say it, I have the means and connections to make myself heard.

10 Random Things About Me

I am trying to "learn & play" along with my old and new friends at the library. They were given an "assignment" to come up with ten random things - I thought this would make a good topic on my blog as well. So here they are - things you may or may not have known about me.

1. Fly-fishing is one of my favorite pastimes - any kind of freshwater fishing really. I love being around a pond with the cattails, frogs and dragonflies.

2. I didn’t go take my test and get my driver’s license until I was 25. I never needed to drive anywhere, I always had someone to take me where I needed to go. I could get to most of the places I needed to go by city bus - I lived right off of High Street, went to Ohio State, worked at Whetstone Library – all right on the bus line.

3. I made my own wedding dress. Lace inserts, pearl beading and all. I’ve made 2 other wedding dresses since then (and probably close to a hundred bridesmaid dresses).

4. I can’t swallow pills – when there is no liquid version available, I have to crush or dissolve them. I remember choking on a cherry Lifesaver in the backseat of a car when I was very young - maybe the reason.

5. Never had even a single puff on a cigarette, ever – honest!

6. I love Ohio Stadium: I was an usher for the home football games when I was in Girl Scouts; My mom bought a piece of the old turf when they tore it up years ago; I sat in Block O when I was in college; I used it as the subject of my photography class at OSU; I made sure I graduated in the Spring so the ceremony was in the stadium; We made a donation and have a commemorative brick at the south end still today.

7. My stupid human trick – I can name all 50 states in alphabetical order in less than 30 seconds.

8. When I was 12, I was the horseshoe champion in my age bracket for the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department. (Unfortunately, I haven’t retained any of my horseshoe throwing ‘skilz’ though…)

9. I have become a germ-a-phobe. Hand sanitizer is never far away. (Especially right after punching the numbers on an ATM machine or handling the canister in the bank drive-thru. Gives me the heebie-jeebies!)

10. Someday I’d like to have an old house to refurbish. Home improvement projects, knocking out walls, laying tile, installing faucets, decorating, painting, design and layout – bring it on!

To blog or not to blog...

Okay, okay. I give up. I'm trying to stay current, so I'm starting a blog.
Me! Netter! Can you believe it? I like computers, I can design spreadsheets, database management is my job, I like to Photoshop/edit digital photos, and I even create and maintain our foundation website, so why not?
Why not? Because I can't figure out why anyone would really care what I have to say. Anywhere you go online you can find someone ranting or giving their opinion about something they know nothing about. Why do they think anyone cares what they have to say?
But I think I've come up with my motivation. To come up with something interesting or relevant or humorous or important is challenging. And what do I have that challenges me? There are the usual daily hassles dealing with schedules and social dramas of my daughters (a 7th grader and a sophomore in high school). My husband is my best friend, and my marriage is wonderful - while he can be stubborn about certain things, there are no real challenges there. I enjoy my job, and even though some of the people I deal with on a daily basis aren't model employees, I'm not particularly challenged by them.
I am a quiet, thoughtful person. In social situations, I have always been an observer, rarely sharing my ideas. So for me to step out of my comfort zone and actually be introspective and say what's on my mind ... that is truly challenging.
This is an opportunity for me to gain some insight, share my thoughts, and on the practical side - keep everyone informed of what our family is up to. (If you know me at all, I am above all else, practical!)
I'm up for the challenge!