Black Friday

Ahhhh Black Friday…. I grin at those silly folk who rise at ungodly hours to spend money… I actually admire the tenacity and bravery it takes to get out and pull off this type of combat maneuver, alas, I am far too lazy to venture into the uncharted waters for the post-Turkey Day pillaging of the local mall. Actually, I did it once, with my mom, when my children were very young. 0500 into a KMart because I was a single parent, very little cash, and mom was nuts enough to offer to take half the list. A bangup Christmas the kids had that year, but I saw an apocolyptic side of humanity that day I would never again want to view. Mom and I should have gotten matching KMart Tattoos or something, some symbol of solidarity to show for our having survived the event.

Today, I spent Black Friday morning with my mom at a doc appt. Then, I toodle home, entering the house to smell the aroma of nuked Turkey leftovers hanging in the air, while the sound of Guitar Hero’s horrific Lynyrd Skynrd Freebird cover plays for the umpteenth time. Please God, let him reach Superstardom… (or did that only exist in the South Park episode?) I wonder, could it be worse were there a “Ukelele Hero” complete with Don Ho hits, or a Burt Reynolds/Ned Beatty inspired “Banjo Hero”? It could be worse… maybe tambourine hero? Spanish Guitar Hero, packaged with a couple of 45s, two ammo laden bandoleros and jug of Patron Tequila might be a delightful alternative. As I enter the kitchen, my very own Guitar Hero turns to me and says “You’re two hours late. I COULD have gone to the hockey game.” And I replied “Tell Grandma’s doctor.. and you weren’t going to the hockey game ANYWAY.” (get a job, do your homework, why aren’t your chores done, and where is that Tequila?)

Today is the post-Thanksgiving jaunt to find a tree. For most families, this is probably a joyous, momentous occasion. My family is not most families – not by Woman’s Day, Better Homes & Garden, or any mushy TV Advertisement standards… HOWEVER, I believe my family is far closer to reality than “most” families will ever admit. I secretly KNOW Martha Stewart and her kid had some near miss brawls in the car going shopping, or tree hunting… Anyhoo… Snapping and snarling, with rope and a very sharp saw (this has the makings of a fabulous movie plot) we pile into the Jeep, and off to the tree farm. One beautiful thing about living in the Northwest, is you get your Christmas tree CHEAP, you cut it yourself (NO! not by the side of the road either!).

In the four mile drive, I only hear the muffled bumpin’ of my son’s MP3 player, and my daughter’s hyper euro-pop tune whispers whooshing from HER MP3. My husband is strangely giddy… (tequila?) chattering like we are candidates for the next monthly issue of THE WATCHTOWER (or a psych magazine – and no, we are not Jehovah’s Witness). We arrive at the tree farm with the same number of passengers at the trip onset (this can be an important factor on our outings, as anyone pissing off the captain of the Jeep is liable to be thrown off the ship midway and forced to walk). The the guys groan their usual groan when I announce we must drive to see ALL the fields where cutting is allowed this year. It is my inherent right, as the mother of this brood, wife of this man, to demand we do not purchase from the first lot. My husband wonders aloud (as long as he pretends to wonder, I allow him to live) why I do this every year, and without fail, select the same type of tree each year. With the myriad ornaments we own, only certain types of trees will support our collection, and like any woman, I have to make sure I’ve looked the competition over before selecting.

Success! One hour into the trip, we find *THE* one, and my husband expects the boy to cut down the tree. To our surprise, my 16yo daughter takes the saw, and cuts the tree! I am proud! My budding chef might have a potential second career in the logging business! YEAH!!!!!

Upon arrival back home, I realize our lovely Lab Sophie has left me a gift in my office! (It’s the ONLY downstairs room w/carpet…. go figure) You see, I use the Martha Stewart method of cooking a turkey – she’s not failed me these last three years. A bottle of sweet white wine, and a stick of melted butter (no nasty margarine!) mixed together, soak your cheese cloth in this concoction, and cover your bird. Baste every 15 minutes.

I am a moron. Because I’m not crazy about white wine, i bought a 4pack of some screw top mini-bottled white-wine-wannabe crap at the grocery thinking it would be enough. I guess I’m not very good at math when it comes to calculating the difference between a bottle of wine, and a 4-pack of those airplane wine shots. I ran out half way through baking the bird. Crap. Wait! I have a delightful half bottle of ice wine from a private Oregon vintner that I bought for 35.00 ten years ago… I bet THAT stuff is “sweet”… Who cares what it’s worth, I bet it would be good (and OMG it was not good, it was heavenly, it was Deeeee-VINE!!!!!!!!). Ohhhh how I wish I’d saved that beautiful bottle, it was absolutely MAGICAL. It did wonders for my dinner as well! The turkey was great. The gravy made from the drippings was unlike any giblet gravy I have ever had… Being a southerner, I pride myself in rating gravy. The stuff I made is what Psalms were written about. It was just amazing. Apparently the dog thought so too. I tossed the cheesecloth after cooking. I don’t know when she did it (there’s no living or mechanical thing on earth with more stealth than a Labrador who steals food), but Sophie got the cheese cloth from the trashcan… and ate it. I knew she didn’t act like she felt well this morning, and now I know why… The cheese cloth was returned, minus the fabulous flavoring in exchange for some other odd bits, but thank you God my goofy hound wharfed it up on the carpet. I am thankful for my goofy gal, and that she’s safe.

We finished the day with a trip to Red Robin for outrageous hamburger, and no fights. (This family has potential, I think…) They boy went on to meet up with a friend for a sleepover and allnight XBox HALO marathon, while my girl went to spend the night with a friend who recently moved to Everett, but was in town with family for the weekend. Wow… Marc and I , and no kids! Off to walk grandma’s dog, get her doctored, fed and watered, and back to the theater (record time of 35 minutes) to see Stephen King’s THE MIST. I have mixed emotions about King. Sometimes I like his stuff, sometimes I wouldn’t be caught dead near it. I remember the book “IT” scared the bejeezus out of me, but a freaking clownfaced spider at the end was when I broke up with him. The mist was Hitchcockian (sp?) in it’s thrill… full of anticipation… Leave it to some Hollywood bumfungler of a writer/director to screw up a great flick. Someone with serious religious issues wrote this screenplay. I’ll not reveal the plot, but it COULD have been a MOST excellent movie!!! It followed the book BEAUTIFULLY (except in a few places where it went south in a BIG way) and it was a tad too long (1/2 hour too much, IMHO) . I only give this movie two out of five. It could have been a 4.5…

All in all, it was a great day! Tomorrow, there will be kids to pick up, a grandma to carry to the mall for pants (I’ll need that tequila for sure – I hate the mall), and new adventures, I’m sure. :O)

Who’s Yer Daddy?

As I deal with my mother’s poor health, I find in some ways, it has been a hidden blessing for our relationship. In our day to day lives, we tend to hustle about, always intending to spend more time with family, but never actually doing it… Since mom’s health has been so unstable as of late, I’ve been going over every morning and evening to make sure she’s got what she needs for the day/night, the dog (Eiko – a Shiba Inu) gets pee’d and poo’d, that mom eats properly and has everything she needs. You can’t just pop in your mama’s house and pop back out lickety split… that doesn’t happen in REAL life. :O) We usually have a few minutes in the morning before I take red rocket (my nickname for Eiko) out to walk the beach, and we enjoy our Americanos (mom and I, not the dog…). In the evening, after picking up my middle boy from karate, we’ll head to G-ma’s on our nightly trip and gossip/watch Wheel of Fortune and try to win the big money, and impress each other with our ability (or inability) to guess the puzzle, and laugh at the folk’s mistakes on TV, as if WE would do MUCH better were Pat bantering with us on our spins.

I began sharing with Mom, some details about my wonderful neighbor Mary W., and her quest to document her family’s history for her two daughters. (Mary is 75) Mom said she would love to see our history researched, and I agreed that it might be a fun project. Armed with some limited info from our chat, I went home and began googling. Tonight, I shared the results of my Google, and mom provided me with an envelope (small – I’m on probation) of information. I read the info, we chatted, and I began to seriously record that info on Ancestory.com. I also started scanning the few documents she provided so that I have items to share with other family members, should I be lucky enough to get them to share pictures. I know my sister has some images, but she doesn’t talk to us anymore, and I guess only she knows why. <sigh> It’s a shame. Life’s tough enough, having family around makes the burden easier, or at least more bearable.

On a different note, I joined the Professional Photographer’s of America today. I believe it is important to be serious about your photography, and to stay abreast of current trends, issues, legal changes, etc. I never want to stop learning, and I know the PPA is a vast resource of education. One beautiful thing about photography is that you never reach a limit of learning. You NEVER will know it all. No one will. For every way you find to do something, ten other people have a different way, and everyone can learn from each other. I’m also joining the Wedding and Portrait Photographers International. You learn from your peers, and when you see work you like, it only makes you strive harder to surpass that quality or style. I will be taking the exam for the Professional Photographer certification as well. I wonder, does the public really understand the implication of joining the PPA, or gaining your certification? Anyone can set up shop, not everyone is serious about that shop… I think it’s important to project professionalism, and to do it with gusto. My business is young, and I am always learning. To ignore business lessons is nuts, and many many people/business owners do it on a daily basis.

Running a business, I guess, is very much like riding a bike. When you first get that bike (business), you wobble, you hit the curb, you skin your toes/knees/etc. and get your pants caught in the chains umpteen times. The important thing is that you keep riding, y ou learn to roll up the one leg of your jeans so you don’t keep ruining clothes. I think about the “weekend warrior” photographers. They’re on big wheels, or tricycles, afraid to ride, afraid to get a big-girl/boy bike and ride the right way. What a shame! There are some talented weekenders out there… if only they wanted to feel the wind in their hair, ride hands free, jump the ditch by old man Kirby’s house…

I credit my mom with inspiring me to ride my photographic bicycle. My research for family history will go hand in hand with my research and education for business. One tells me who I am, the other tells me what I will be.

Cheers!

Do You See What I See?

Having just read Bryan Peterson’s LEARNING TO SEE CREATIVELY, I find myself, once again, impressed, inspired, and more educated having read one of his books. Should you have the opportunity, Bryan is a master teacher, take a class.

Learning To See (Revised Edition) is a wonderful book that, while many may feel states the obvious, encourages you to stop seeing the same thing the same way, and rather, to find different ways to see things paying close attention to texture, composition, color. Brian encourages photographers to stop shooting flat footed, climb, squat, crawl… Anything but point and fire. I think this book is a fine example of what a photographer should read, and periodically re-read.

Friday, I had the pleasure of attending a Photoshop seminar taught by Bert Monroy. What a gifted artist! Amazing to think many images of his that I’d seen, and thought to be digitally manipulated photographs, were actually “from scratch” artwork. His talent, and cunning thought processes in the build and execution of artistic creations totally stupifies me. I am amazed, uttlerly dumbfounded when I encounter an artistic mind like his. Check him out: http://www.bertmonroy.com.

Two MOST interesting books purchased at the NAPP event:

1. Scott Kelby’s 7-Point System for Adobe Photoshop CS3

2. Adobe Photoshop CS3 for Digital Photographers (ooops, I just bought this 3 weeks ago… HA! No wonder it looked familiar!)

I’ll be starting chapter 1 of the 7-Point system tonight, my results using Scott’s images (as per the chapter “lessons”) and one of my own will be posted with each blog entry. Between Ben Willmore, and Scott Kelby… whew! Great teachers! I have to add Eddie Tapp in with the bunch.

catch ya on the flip flop.

The Road Less Traveled

Many moons ago, I was a baker by trade. I have always loved to cook, and find it a therapeutic means of expressing one’s creativity. Now, at sixteen, my daughter has expressed a desire to seek training as pastry chef. While she’ll not die rich, she will enjoy a rewarding life of VERY hard work, a circle of culinary friends, the likes of which no other society or social level would ever offer <smirk>, and the joy and pride of seeing her efforts transform meaningless ingredients into wondrous forms that assault the senses, bring old and new friends together, nurture souls and bodies, and delight palates young and old. This choice of hers makes me proud, and has provided us an opportunity to bond during what would have otherwise been very difficult mother/daughter times. A headstrong lass she is, feisty, mouthy, tempestuous, ill tempered, gifted, beautiful, and sixteen and female. Hurricane comes to mind when describing her. I need all the help I can get so as not to strangle her in one of our many quarrels.

Our mother versus teen daughter battles have reached a cease fire as we huddle in the kitchen, scheming and plotting the demise of grocery bag contents. Perusing cookbooks over mugs of cocoa, and watching irreverent and allways entertaining cooking shows offers an opportunity to share parts of our minds, and souls which might otherwise have gone ignored. We are particulary attached to anything with Gordon Ramsey, Top Che, Anthony Bourdain, Ace of Cakes, Barefoot Contessa, Iron Chef America… <sigh> We watch WAY too much television.

A particularly interesting viewing is the Travel Channel’s “NO RESERVATIONS”. Having been a longtime Bourdain fan, reading all his books, and watching him when he first aired on Food Network, I’ve decided to share these shows with my daughter. The excusions through varied un sundry city/country underbellies opens our minds to a world of delights most Americans would die before trying. Her shock at seeing someone SMOKE on television continues to provide me with a chuckle. I remember the Tarryton cigarette ads from my mother’s cartons saying “I’d rather fight than switch”, complete with gorgeous woman sporting a fake black eye. The important part here, is that Bourdain is intent upon exploring off the beaten path, yet, very much on the beaten path. Shunning tour buses, and guides, he opts to visit the REAL parts of a given city or country. He travels like I do – get up, wander, and find your adventure. You’ll certainly reap rewards of experiences no airconditioned bus rider will possess.

This same pattern is applicable to photography. Get up, get off the beaten path. Shirk the paved trails, and slip off onto a road less traveled. Look at the world upside down when all are looking right side up. As of late, I’ve been combining my photographic desires with food, and have invested in a number of (YES!) books on food photography. What a fascinating area, so overlooked and ignored. The simple tricks of this trade are immeasurable!!! To quote Christopher Walkin in Saturday Night Live’s The Continental, “Wow! Wowie wow wow!”

Digital Food Photography, by Lou Manna is a spectacular book for getting started! Numerous details, and loads of photographs make this a wonderful addition to your photographic library. And, if you’re like me, living in the Northwest, where fall and winter days tend to be very dark and wet – you need things to do inside! Tinkering with food photography provides the best of both worlds… You advance your knowledge of light (you simply CAN NOT photograph food without manipulating light – and in very controlled moves too!), you learn tricks that will make you view that latest issue of Martha Stewart, or Bon Appetite, or a Swanson’s Frozen Dinner package just a LITTLE differently.

Here are some fun sites for starters:

http://digitalmedia.oreilly.com/2004/09/15/food_photos.html

http://www.photostylingworkshops.com/store/product.php?productid=16

The bees knees of the industry book (as I’ve been told, may be wrong) is “Food Photography and Styling, How to Prepare, Light, and Photograph Delectable Food and Drinks” by John Carafoli and Rosalind Smith. The above link (photostylingworkshops.com) states that Carafoli’s book is now in reprint. Look around, you can find the original ‘92 version online via Ebay or used booksellers. This is a cornerstone book, I love it! (It’s OOP)

Well, my job is done. I’ve brought together two passions, er, no three – my kiddo, photography, and food in one blog entry. WAIT! Make that four passions – books. BTW – I bought only two magazines this week… PRO PHOTO and Shutterbug. Am I the only one who noticed many of the Shutterbug Ads were out of date??? Ohhh fall… perfect time to make Lebkuchen (of which I could easily eat until I turn into Mrs. Creosote!) BTW – if you don’t know who Creosote is, check out Monte Python’s Meaning of Life…