No Creative Title

PS...

2012-01-02T11:53:00.002-05:00

i know you think i'm basically a chicken, but a direct quote from our ABC station:

As of 9 a.m., more than nine vehicles have slid off the road on I-75 because of the snow and ice, according to officials from Hamilton. Conditions in Lebanon are not any better as dispatchers reported that “conditions are awful” and “cars are skidding off the road everywhere.”

puppies (1/2/12)

2012-01-02T10:59:00.006-05:00

M&D - here are shots of all FOUR MALES. i havent gotten an email with the females yet -- but i'll ask her to send if you want. there are two brown males and two black -- one of each appears to be a tri. the brown tri is the one she recommends.

the two pics above are both of the tri cherie recommends. i like the white between his eyes...

Above: these are the two liver males. the tri is on top, the bottom just looks like liver at the moment.

these are the two black males. cherie said the one with white on his back is a tri.

this is the other liver. not a tri, less brown on his back, but no white on his face...

sorry i didnt make it up there today -- news reported that 9+ cars slid off 75 before 9a - so it wasnt just me being chicken...275 was a mess. i called cherie when i turned around and she said it was pretty bad up by her. just not worth spending 7+ hours driving in that when i wouldnt be able to get within a few feet of the puppies anyway. she said dolly would be pretty protective for a while.

i'll call g&p to check in.

lemme know what you think...you can either leave a comment here (i'll delete this post eventually so it wont be here for posterity...) or text me. hope you're having fun... jen

I Shot Cincinnati

2009-01-19T22:07:00.004-05:00

My first attempts at nighttime photography....

Shameless Plug....

2008-11-04T23:33:00.006-05:00

Wanted to share some pics from the latest theater endeavor... I'm stage managing God's Man in Texas at Mariemont Players. The show opens this Friday, runs for three weeks... If there are any locals reading this, I'd encourage you to check it out. It's a good one... In a nutshell? A commentary on power, greed, and how sometimes the commercialism and "big business" so often found associated with religion overshadows what religion is actually about.

This show also marks the first time I've taken on the show photography and arranged the lobby display... Mounted enlargements of the following are due for delivery tomorrow and I cant wait to see them. They will be hung on the bulletin board in the lobby for patrons to see while they wait for the house to open.

Class of 2009

2008-10-05T11:58:00.005-04:00

Wow. This year's seniors are class of 2009. That makes me feel really old....

Before we left for the France trip, one of the moms called my mom to see if I might be interested in taking some senior shots of her daughter while we were on the trip. Dont ask me why no one thought of that before -- what a cool idea to have the Eiffel Tower in the background of your senior pictures...

I wasnt sure what kind of sport C would be about the whole idea...let's face it, not all teenage girls think their mothers' ideas are good ones. (Dont ask me how I might know that...but I think I hear my mom laughing all the way in Dayton...) But it turns out C was completely up for it and humored me every single time I said "hang on! stand right here...it's pretty here!!" The one challenge was that we were at the mercy of wherever we happened to be...meaning it was too sunny sometimes, too crowded, covered in scaffolding.... But in the end, we got a lot of good shots of her and it was a lot of fun. Or at least I had fun. And she humored me. ; )

Lindsay & Josh's Wedding

2008-09-28T15:58:00.009-04:00

Back in August, I spent a long weekend in the Berkshires, to attend my cousin Lindsay's wedding. (Technically, she's my mom's cousin's daughter, but that makes my head hurt.) The wedding was in the most beautiful spot -- right in the mountains, with the reception held inside a barn. It was great to spend the weekend with the family - we all live so far away we only see each other about once a year.

Her wedding photographer gave me some great pointers -- completely unsolicited! I didnt want to be one of those annoying wedding guests who pesters the wedding photog for advice while he's trying to do his job -- but while Linds was getting ready, he encouaged me to join him, told me how best to set the camera, where to point the flash...and assured me I wasnt in his way. I was really happy with the shots I got -- helps that Lindsay was an absolutely beautiful bride.... ; )

Then we headed ouside for the family shots....
There's the groom, Josh, with his mom, dad and step dad.
The ceremony was beautiful. Very....them.
After the seed planting (in lieu of a unity candle) it started to rain just a little. Not enough to really bother anyone, just enough to water the seeds the wedding party had planted. As you can see...the rain couldnt begin to put a damper on the event...

Congrats, you two... And welcome to the family, Josh... I coudnt be happier for you guys.

Sprinkles

2008-09-19T01:51:00.005-04:00

Greetings from the Portofino Hotel in Redondo Beach, CA... I'm here for the AVP Manhattan Beach Open this weekend - one of our clients is a sponsor, so we're here for work. It's a tough job, but someone has to do it... ; )

We flew into LA this morning and had a very uneventful flight. Our hotel is beautiful -- right on the water, with balconies off each room. I took a couple pictures, which I'll share, but I'll get better ones in daylight when I can get the view out the back. There are even sea lions out in the harbor -- they're kinda noisy, but the hotel provides free earplugs if it bothers you... : )

We didnt really have any work obligations today, which was nice... But one of my favorite radio reps drove up from San Diego with her husband, one of my favorite DJs/promo directors, to take us out to dinner. We had a great time with Tina and Geoff -- it's too bad they live so far away. Tina and I have worked together for 3ish years now and she's one of a handful of radio reps who has really become a friend over the years. We had a wonderful time at dinner and I'm so glad they were able to meet up with us.

As if taking us out for dinner wasn't enough.... For as long as I've known her, Tina has been talking about Sprinkles cupcakes. Apparently all the celebs eat them and they're just to die for. So Tina and Geoff braved the miserable LA traffic to stop by a Sprinkles on the way to meet us.

I promised Tina a full recap -- with pictures -- so here you have it....our first Sprinkes... The one with the pink and yellow dots on top was lemon, the white icing with chocolate sprinkles is called the "black and white" -- a combo of dark chocolate and white chocolate icing, and the dark one was "mocha" -- chocolate cupcake with mocha frosting.

We each had to sample all three of them...Molly did the honors of splitting them up...

Yeah, they were pretty freaking good. I liked the lemon a lot more than I thought I would, but I think I'd have to say that my fav of the three was the black and white. I'm a big fan of icing, and it was really fantastic. What am I saying...they were all fantastic...

Many, many thanks, Tina and Geoff, for coming out to see us. And for dinner. And for the cupcakes. And for the station goodies and CDs. And for making my job SO easy every summer. And just for being two of my favorites! : )

France - Day Four

2008-09-06T18:35:00.006-04:00

Didn't I say that it would take me AGES to post the entire France trip? I wasn't kidding!!

Day Four took us to Versailles and Chartres....

Versailles was the home of Louis 14th. This was the first time I've been there so early in the day. I've never been able to get a clear picture of the building with all the people in the way. It really was a treat to be one of the first groups in the place. Tho I was able to get a "people-less" shot, without a much wider lens, you cant get the whole thing in a picture. It's just huge.

I dont think I can express how completely over the top it is. Every inch is decorated -- and so elaborate. The ceilings are particularly impressive.....

In one of the first rooms, there's a painting on the ceiling with all the Greco-Roman gods in it.... Then each of the next rooms is dedicated to one of the gods in particular, with the decor and paintings relating to that god.

Then there's the Hall of Mirrors.... The last few times I've been here, this room has been under rennovation. I think this is the first time I've seen it in its entirety. Wow.

Anyone who knows me knows that I dont like random people in my photos... But I couldnt resist this shot down the hallway. Again, I've never been in the building so early, and usually this hallway is PACKED. So even tho there are people, there are far fewer than usual! (on the left with the backpack is our tour guide, Evelyn).

Oh, and they use Swiffer Dusters to dust the statues. We all thought that was pretty funny.

Here's the canopy over the Marie Antoinette's bed. I'm pretty sure that would go great in my bedroom...

The gardens in the back go on as far as you can see. Unfortunately the one time I was there with enough time to really explore, it was freezing and raining, so I didnt venture far.

After Versailles, we drove to the town of Chartres.

A little side note... One of the first times I was in France, I took a train by myself out to see Chartres. I got in a little trouble on the train because I didnt know that I was supposed to have gotten my ticket validated. But my very basic French (that only got worse as I was getting yelled at) and completely clueless expression made the guy realize I wasnt trying to scam my way onto the train...it was an honest mistake and he didnt throw me off. Anyway, I had a wonderful day strolling through this quaint little town and I have to say it might be one of my favorite places. The church is beautiful. It's old and looks it. It's as peaceful as it is eerie. It's dark and cold...and yet comforting at the same time. Definitely the highlight of every trip, I think.

I didn't take many pictures of the outside... There was scaffolding on the front of the church too, and I have a zillion pictures from previous trips. I did take some of the windows from the inside. Chartres is famous for the blue in the stained glass -- sort of makes the whole church glow...

We stayed that night in Tours. Day Five we went to Chenonceau and Chambord....maybe I'll actually post those days before the end of the month.....

We interrupt France.....

2008-08-06T18:13:00.006-04:00

I promise I'll get back to the France Trip....but if I wait to post these, they'll never go up.

The exciting news on my end is that I'm going to try to transition from "photo enthusiast" to "photographer for hire." A lot of people have encouraged me to do so, so we'll see where it goes.

I've started up a new blog - jenmielbrecht(dot)blogspot(dot)com - that I'll keep strictly for photos (oh look...there's a link to it on the left...) -- perhaps I'll branch to a real Web site one of these days too, but I figured a photo-exclusive blog was a good start.

I was excited that my first "official" gig was with one of my dearest friends....Emily has a beautiful family and I had so much fun shooting them....

DAY THREE, PARIS

2008-07-22T18:51:00.009-04:00

I swear, people reading this are going to be sorry they asked me to post pictures. I thought the "day one" had a lot....then "day two" had more...and "day three".... Yeah. More.

Anyone who knows me knows that when I have a plan of action in my head, I like to stick to it. Any deviation from the plan moves my cheese. And I dont like that. Day Three moved my cheese... We started out at Ste Chappelle. We got there as soon as it opened, because there tends to be a line as they day goes on. So we hopped the metro....

and were at Ste Chappelle by the time the doors opened. Or were supposed to open. Apparently some dignitary was set to visit, so the public wasnt allowed in. Not to worry, we did get back to it -- but you'll have to wait a few days for it...

Instead, we headed over to the Orangerie. This is a museum tucked in the Tuillerie Gardens, and has been closed for renovations every time I've tried to go to it. Rumor had it there were some beautiful Monet panels there. I'm so glad I didnt know more than that. Not knowing what to expect when we walked in, it took my breath away. The first thing I managed to say to Mom was, "It's so pretty I could cry."

Oval-shaped room, 4 HUGE panels of GORGEOUS Monet Water Lily paintings with doorways in between each panel. I sort of didnt want to leave. But there was a second room. Same layout. Four more panels. If you looked down from overhead, the rooms are shaped like an infinity symbol. Apparently Monet was commissioned to create the panels specifically for this space and they were designed to be hung in such a way that you felt like you were part of the water.

Ok, I'm going to stop trying to describe them...because I cant do it justice. The pictures dont either. Seriously? I've never seen anything so beautiful.

Downstairs, there were several other beautiful paintings, too. Several by Renoir, one Picasso, and others I vaguely remembered from High School French, but this (Renoir) was my favorite.

Just outside of the museum, they had a replica of my favorite Rodin sculpture, The Kiss. The Rodin Museum was on the list of "if we have time we'll try to get there..." but we didnt have time. But at least we got to see this one!
After lunch we headed over to the Opera.
By the end of all the France postings, you'll see a trend of statue faces... These are all out in the front of the Opera -- under the names of composers. I think they're supposed to be muses, but I'm not positive.....

Inside the foyer... There are statues of composers.....
The main staircase leading up to the auditorium. This is the first time I've bothered to take pictures inside -- usually it's too crowded and I've never wanted to waste film in a dark place... The color isnt great on these lobby shots, but you get the idea...
Downstairs there was a neat exhibit with props and costumes and art from ballets that have been performed here....
The Gallerie la Fayette is right around the corner from the Opera, and since we had some time to kill before meeting for dinner, we gave the kids some free time to roam through the mall... Mom and I went up to the observation deck -- and even tho it was dark and gloomy (it actually rained pretty hard about 14 seconds after I took this), I thought this was a neat shot. Everyone knows the Eiffel Tower is big. But you never really get a sense of HOW big until you see it from this vantage point.
Inside the Gallerie La Fayette.....
The Christian Dior makeup counter...
And over in the grocery side of the mall... A huge counter with spices....

We left Paris the next morning for Versailles and Chartres.... Coming soon....

DAY TWO, PARIS

2008-07-21T18:50:00.007-04:00

So here we are with Day Two in Paris.

We started the day with a bus tour, probably my least favorite part of the trip -- it's definitely more fun to just wander the streets, but because there's SO much to see in such a short time, the bus trip is the only way to do it. One of the first stops was the Eiffel Tower, but we went back specifically to go up in the tower later that day, so I'll start in the Luxembourg Gardens.... We got off the bus on one side, took a quick walk through and the bus picked us up on the other side...

Aside from beautiful flowers everywhere you turn, there is a replica (a really small one) of the Statue of Liberty. I'm pretty sure there are three of these throughout Paris. Maybe two.
Shot this window on the way back to the bus. Every window in Paris is decked out with beautiful window boxes. Mostly colorful and bright -- tho I thought this was a pretty one as well....
Another stop on the bus tour was to get out to see the Hotel des Invalides -- where Napoleon is buried. But the medics were on strike that day...
So we only got a shot of the dome through the bus window. Sorry about the glare, but figured it was worth sharing anyway.
After the bus tour, it was on to the Louvre... Unfortunately, you cant get far enough away to get a picture of the whole place...and anyone who knows me knows I hate having random people in the way of my picture. So I dont have many exterior shots ...Inside, we hit the "big three" first... The Mona Lisa:
Venus de Milo:
and the Winged Victory:Also a neat display of "objets d'art"
The ceilings are actually as impressive -- if not more so -- than the paintings on the walls...
After the Louvre, we took a boat trip along the Seine...this is one end of the Louvre, taken from the boat.
and the Conciergerie, where Marie Antoinette and her son were jailed before they were beheaded...
The boat tour dropped us off at the Eiffel Tower....
The view from the observation deck....
The Arc de Triomphe
Sacre Coeur
And one last parting shot of the Eiffel Tower... I took a zillion pictures of the tower as the lights came on....and the last one I took was the winner. I wish we had stayed long enough for the moon to be higher, but we had to get to the metro before the ticket window closed...
Day Three soon...Stay tuned!

Drumroll, please.....

2008-07-15T18:47:00.008-04:00

I'm FINALLY posting about the France trip!!! We’ve been back a few weeks now and I’ve been busy sorting through the 1300+ pictures I took while we were gone. I kept a journal and intended to go back and type it up to post here with pictures, but the more I read over it…it’s just not that entertaining! I ended up writing up the day’s activities just before going to bed and every entry is essentially “We went here. We saw this. I need to get some sleep.”

So instead, I’ll go day by day and throw up some pictures and keep the dialog to the high points.

DAY ONE – PARIS
We landed in Paris about 9ish. Getting out of the airport was interesting… The taxis were on strike. They were all lined in the right lane, and driving slowly in the left – just enough to keep things at almost a standstill. Apparently this is what they do over there…they get in the way for a day, then it’s back to work as normal the next day. Not sure how effective it is, but nice that they don’t drag it out forever.
First stop was Notre Dame. The bus parked in the Latin Quarter so we walked around the neighborhood, across the river and over towards the church. Here's some random scenery from the walk and the neighborhood around Notre Dame...

Before we went into the church, we walked over to the Holocaust Memorial. It’s hard to describe…you walk down a narrow stairway and eventually into this little cave-like stone room. Very dark and claustrophobic. Down the hallway, there are jewels on the wall for every French person who lost their life in the Holocaust. “Appropriate” is the only word I’ve been able to come up with to describe it. When you consider the atrocities that took place during that time, it’s hard to imagine ever being able to sufficiently memorialize it… But they succeeded in making it uncomfortable and beautiful and moving all at the same time.

The entrance:

The crystals representing those who died:
A sculpture outside:
Above the door: Forgive, don't forget...
Then we went into Notre Dame.....

After Notre Dame, we headed back through the Latin Quarter to meet the bus and went back to the hotel for the night.

And there's Day One! Only how many to go? Any bets on how long it'll take to get the whole trip posted?

I shot Rachel

2008-06-15T19:58:00.008-04:00

As much as I enjoy taking pictures, I've never really tried to take them of people. Flowers and scenery are easy. They dont blink and you dont have to worry that they're making a weird face... But I have always wondered how I'd do shooting people and I finally got the chance this weekend...

A few months ago, my friend Rachel was looking at some vacation shots I had taken and asked if I'd come over and photograph her family so she could have some updated pictures to hang. I happily agreed -- but we decided to wait until I had the digital camera - and until things were blooming in her yard.

Yesterday the weather cleared just in time and I spent a couple hours shooting away at Rachel and her fam and we had a blast. Having never worked with living, breathing subjects, I wasnt sure what I'd come away with. Fortunately there were several keepers -- It helped that the three of them are pretty photogenic and not a bit camera-shy... ; )

Here are a few of my favs from the day...

In other news, Mom and I head to France tomorrow with a dozen of her students...back in a week and a half. Will definitely share stories and pictures when I get back... Fingers are crossed that we have an uneventful trip.... A bientot!!

Mother Nature puts me to shame

2008-06-05T18:28:00.005-04:00

Here’s the most impressive “before and after” that I’ll ever post and – aside from documenting it – I had nothing to do with it. I went out a few weeks ago with my camera to get some pictures of the poppies (which were gorgeous, but unfortunately they didn’t last long – I should post some of them too…next time…) when I noticed the buds on the two peony bushes around the side of the house.

I’d never seen peony buds before, but I couldn’t get over how…perfect…they are. Perfectly round, kinda shiny. Like little natural marbles. The peonies had pretty much had it by the time I moved in last year, but I remembered them being pretty big flowers and I couldn’t quite believe what that these little round buds were going to turn into.

I also learned from a few of my more botanically-aware friends that the ants I’ve seen all over the buds belong there. Apparently the buds have sugar on them, which the ants eat, allowing the buds to open. Who knew?

If I were a more poetic person, I’d probably mention something about the natural beauty of the world we live in and the need to take care of it and that only in nature would you find that ants and flower buds needed each other…

But instead, after a year of posting Before and After pictures, I’ll give Mother Nature full credit for the most inspiring transformation so far...

Jenny vs. The Garden, part two

2008-05-30T17:22:00.002-04:00

As promised, here is the latest installment of pictures from the ongoing Garden Project.

I started with this little section – mostly just weeds to begin with and some random poppies in the corner.
I know they’re pretty, but there’s a whole planter of poppies by the driveway, so I pulled them. If they’re persistent enough to come up again next year, maybe I’ll let them. We’ll see.

Anyway, after I pulled everything, I planted two day lilies that came from a friend’s garden last year. I had planted a few things from him last year and just ran out of steam before I found a place for these two. I left them in the plastic bins I transported them in and figured they would never live through the winter. But they did. And look every bit as healthy as the plants that have been in the ground. So I figured if they’re hearty enough to live in a plastic tray for a year, planting them in a real home is the least I could do for them. The little grassy things in the front should spread out and will have purple flowers at some point. But I don’t remember what they’re called…

Then I moved on to the bigger part of the garden. The section I worked on really needed more attention than the rest of it does, so I mentally split it in half and will get started on the rest of it this weekend if the weather holds up.

I hear hostas are good in shade, so I planted a couple of them – and actually found some tiny hostas underneath some ugly vine-y weed…so I moved them and hopefully they’ll get established and grow too.

The balance of the front garden doesn’t need as much of an overhaul as that section did – I think just a lot of weed pulling and a new layer of mulch and it should be set. Famous last words, I know.

So far I’m still enjoying all the digging. There’s so much to do – I figure I should get as much done as I can before the typical steamy Ohio weather shows up…and while I’m still enthusiastic about the project. I’m sure I’ll lose interest long before it’s really finished…. ; )

Step away from the daisies.....

2008-05-25T22:12:00.004-04:00

Our office was closed Friday, so I spent a good bit of the morning vegging on the couch, catching up on old episodes of Boston Legal. Just before 10, the doorbell rang. I think I had fallen asleep. Since I wasn't expecting anyone -- and I was still in my PJs -- I opted to see who it was before throwing open the door... So I went into the guest room and discreetly looked out the window...

It was Anna, the woman who used to own my house -- the same previous owner I badmouth somewhat regularly... I figure she's visted the blog and is ready to go a few rounds with me. She's standing on my front porch, hands on her hips with the same annoyed look on her face that I got to know pretty well last summer. What could she possibly need to talk to me about? It's not like we got chummy during the closing... She complained nonstop to Jason (our mutual realtor) about changes I was making to "her" house -- it's not like she'd want to come in and see that there is absolutely no evidence she was ever there...

So I opted not to answer -- who needs her unpleasantness to ruin my perfectly peaceful morning off... But I kept an eye out the window as she surveyed the front yard... She took inventory of everything (weeds included, I'm sure, but that's the next post...), walking through the front yard over to the side (where the peonies are *this close* to blooming)... Then over to the other side of the house (I just kept moving to different windows to keep watching) where she inspected my work along the garage and then to the backyard, where she just stood and frowned.

Seriously, what's she up to??? I admit to feeling irrationally annoyed by the fact that she was walking around like she owned the place. I know she lived here for 30 years and I'm sure it's hard for her to see someone else's car in the driveway, but GET OUT OF MY YARD!

Finally I see her get into her car. But she didnt leave. She backed up across the street, and camped out in my neighbor's driveway, still watching the house. I finally stopped spying on her and went back to Boston Legal, but looked out a while later and saw Lily the Neighbor outside talking to her.

Later that day, I went across the street to get Molly's mail and I ran into Lily who says, "I see Anna was stalking your house again."

Again? Awesome.

She explained... Apparently when Anna feels bummed out about her new living arrangements, she comes by the house. I dont know the exact details, but she bought a place with a younger couple -- the thought being that she would buy the house and they would take care of her as she gets older, then keep the house when she dies... And I guess on and off, she debates the soundness of that decision... So that's when she decides to make a visit to Beacon Street. Sometimes she walks around, sometimes she just sits in her car at the street. I cant imagine what it must feel like, knowing that the place you called home for decades has someone else sleeping in it... And for a second, I felt a little guilty for not answering the door and spying on her as she walked the grounds of her old home-sweet-home...

But just before I started to feel too bad for her, Lily says that the reason she was pounding on my door was because she wanted to talk to me about digging some things out of the yard. The yard I've owned for a year. That she left overgrown with weeds. That doesnt have anything exotic planted that you couldnt find at Home Depot. Is she serious? She thinks AFTER A YEAR that she can just come over with a shovel and take what she wants? Now I almost wish I had answered the door. I'm pretty sure I would have laughed in her face.

Speaking of the plants Anna will only be able to dig out of my garden over my dead body... The next post (I promise it will be soon) will feature before and after pics of the second major battle between me and the weeds.

Jenny vs. The Garden, part one

2008-05-19T12:58:00.002-04:00

I know it has been a while...again.

Thought I'd share the latest Beacon Street Before and After photos...

Now that the sun is out and the inside of the house is more or less done ("done" isn’t quite the right word - there are plenty more things to do, but they're all on a more long-term to do list...), the landscaping projects begin. The previous owner (aside from having hideous taste in paint) let the gardens go over the last few years or so. I've seen pictures of the yard in its "glory" and she was a really impressive gardener. However, by the time I moved in, the only thing impressive about the gardens was the sheer magnitude of weeds.

I've been a bit intimidated by the idea of starting outside – there’s so much to do it’s hard to know where to start…. (Not to mention…in most cases, I’m not sure what’s weed and what’s plant…) But finally I decided I need to just make a list of all the areas that need attention and focus on one at a time – and not really think about the big (scary) picture.

To the side of the house is a 3x33' stretch of...dirt. And weeds. And small trees that had seeded themselves and were left alone long enough to become pretty substantial (and HARD to get out of the ground).

Sunday morning I dug everything up, turned over the soil and planted a groundcover (dwarf periwinkle). Am hoping I don't kill it - and hoping it will, in fact, cover the ground. I had thought about doing something a little more involved or interesting, but in the end decided I had plenty of other places for "interesting" landscaping. And hopefully a groundcover will make this fairly low-maintenance. The leaves are really pretty – yellowish with a dark green “outline” and apparently in the spring, there are lavender colored flowers.

It definitely feels nice to cross at least one project off the list. This weekend, I think I’m headed for the front yard. Stay tuned...

One of the Coolest Things I’ve Seen in Real Life

2008-04-16T18:10:00.004-04:00

During the last summer Olympics, I was glued to the swimming events. I couldn’t remember the US ever having a team so dominating – and of course I was as in awe of Michael Phelps as the rest of the world. (Seriously…is there an event this guy cant swim?) The one thing I remember saying was that I wish someday I’d get the chance to see him – and the rest of the US team – swim in person. A couple weeks ago, there was a swim meet at Ohio State that was part of the Toyota Grand Prix series – and Michael Phelps, Aaron Piersol, Brendan Hansen, Katie Hoff and a few other well-knowns were in it. I’ve seen and participated in my fair share of swim meets over the years, but this was just incredible to watch…

Michael Phelps: 400 IM - Backstroke
Michael Phelps: 400 IM - Breaststroke
Michael Phelps: 400 Free
Aaron Piersol: 100 Back
Aaron Piersol: 100 Back (left lane)
Brendan Hanson: 200 Breast
Brendan Hanson (silver cap): 200 Breast...was neck and neck with Eric Shanteau most of the race and just barely out-touched him...awesome.
Katie Hoff: 400 IM

Fancy New Toy

2008-03-31T18:50:00.007-04:00

"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."

--The Velveteen Rabbit, by Margery Williams

After many years as a self-proclaimed film snob, I swore I’d never go digital. I have always loved the smell of film, hoped someday I’d have a darkroom to play in, thought digital photography was making everyone lazy because “you can just delete what you don’t like.” But I finally caved. As of this weekend, I am the proud owner of a Nikon d80 and I cant wait to figure out how to use it.

I spent a good bit of yesterday neurotically reading the owner’s manual. I’m not usually one to read a manual page by page, but there are just too many buttons to “wing it.” So far, my favorite thing from the directions: “When operating the viewfinder diopter control with your eye to the viewfinder, care should be taken not to put your finger or fingernail in your eye accidentally.” Awesome advice.

I did feel a little pang of sadness packing away the body of my film camera. I’m sure I’ll still get it out from time to time, but it is definitely like the old toy that gets put away for a while in favor of the new one with all the bells and whistles. But that “old toy” traveled a lot of miles with me and took a lot of great shots… And as my first “real” camera, it has helped to develop (seriously, no pun intended) a hobby I hope to continue for many years.

Is it weird to get all poetic and sentimental about a camera??

Anyway, I thought I’d share a few of my favorite pictures taken over the last few years…

Wait Until Tomorrow

2008-03-27T10:55:00.004-04:00

This is why John Mayer could be my boyfriend.

Hang Up...Hold On...

2008-03-24T18:29:00.001-04:00

A couple weeks ago my dad was down in Cincinnati, helping me with some house projects. Before we started, I went through my CD collection, found five that we could agree on and put them in the stereo on shuffle.

(It’s funny…when we went on car trips when I was little, there wasn’t much beyond Fleetwood Mac and the Beatles that we could all be happy with (especially when I was all about eighties glam rock)…now that I’m older, I find that I like a lot of “their” music…and they like a lot of “mine.”)

But I digress…

One of the CDs I pulled out that day was Arlo Guthrie’s Outlasting the Blues. When I was a kid, this was one of the albums everyone in the car could sing along to, but it’s not one that I listen to all that often these days.

One song in particular struck me as funny…. Here are the lyrics to “Telephone.” (If they’re not completely accurate, blame it on the lyric site I found…)

Every morning just as soon as it's light
Get out of bed and I'm feeling alright
Make me some coffee and I sit down alone
The rest of the day I'm on the telephone

Hang up, hold on
You got a dime so you come on so strong
Save your money and let me be
Hang up the phone and quit bothering me

I got a phone in my bedroom and one in the barn
A phone in my car and one in the yard
A phone on my saddle for when I'm out on the range
A phone in my pocket for when I'm down at the grange

Hang up, hold on
You got a dime so you come on so strong
Save your money and let me be
Hang up the phone and quit bothering me

Now with devaluation all over the land
The whole wide world has got more money in their hand
They'll be calling me up from Peking and Nome
I'm going to rip out my telephone

(It probably loses something if you don’t know the tune that goes with it…)

Anyway, I remember liking the song when I was a kid because it was just so ridiculous. How could you ever have a phone in your pocket? Or in your car? Hmmm…

Tyler’s the Ultimate. Just ask him.

2008-03-04T17:44:00.000-05:00

Most people know I like to cook. My mom turned me onto Tyler Florence and I have to say his cookbooks look great, but I cant stomach his tv show, Tyler’s Ultimate. Typically I look through the tv guide to see what he’s going to make and if it looks good, I’ll record it.

Last night, I watched the “rainy day” episode. The recipes du jour? Tyler’s ULTIMATE chicken noodle soup and Tyler’s ULTIMATE grilled cheese. In case you were wondering, everything he does is ULTIMATE.

My thoughts as I watched:

1. ABSOLUTELY. Does he HAVE to use that word in every sentence? Does someone pay him per use? Also beautiful and fantastic. He must get extra points for 'absolutely beautiful' and 'absolutely fantastic.'

2. BOOM. Every time he puts something in the oven. Every time he puts something in a bowl. Every time he puts a pan on the stove. Boom.

3. ADJECTIVES. Somewhere in his contract it must say that every sentence must have at least three adjectives. "We're going to cut these onions. Look at how absolutely beautiful and fragrant these fresh delicious onions are." Some things don't need adjectives. Onions are onions. Just cut them and move on.

4. THE INTRO. It’s so forced and scripted. I saw in the title what you're planning to cook. I don't need a poem about rainy days and the sunshine in the kitchen. Fire your writing staff and just show me how to cook.

The man just talks too much. It’s a shame, because his recipes usually look really good. Last night’s grilled cheese – excuse me…“last night’s ULTIMATE grilled cheese -- glorious artisan bread with fragrant, beautiful pesto and fresh, delicious mozzarella cheese” – looked delicious.

But seriously...he's ABSOLUTELY annoying.

On the chopping block next week? Rachel Ray

Jon Stories, pt 1

2008-03-03T19:07:00.001-05:00

A few people have said that the Jonathan entry should be a series. I don’t know if I’ll make it a series, but I do have a couple funny Jon Stories worth sharing.

My parents went out for his annual progress meeting the other day (they were called IEP meetings when he was in school…they have a name now, but I don’t know it off-hand). Overall, Jon is doing well and everyone there loves him. But they did share these three stories that my parents and I got a kick out of…

They’re always working with Jon to become more independent (as much as he can be) in everyday tasks. Over the years, they’ve worked on getting him to bring his dishes to the sink after meals, putting his clothes in the hamper when he changes and putting things away. And the latest – bringing his clothes hamper to the laundry room when it’s full and back to his room when it’s empty. Amazingly, he does it…but as soon as he gets back to his room, he empties his closet of clean clothes into the hamper because hampers are supposed to be full of clothes. In his head, having an empty hamper isn’t right, so he fills it. In the meeting, it was suggested that maybe they put a towel in the hamper that can always be there – so it’s never empty…and then someone suggested a shirt or other article of clothing – because knowing Jon, the hamper should have clothes. Not towels.

As long as he’s lived in his current home, they’ve had issues with him unrolling the toilet paper onto the floor. Who knows why…he never did it at home that I can remember. Given that the staff at his home wont really get in his face and yell at him for it, he’ll probably never stop. Anyway, they’ve realized that there is a pattern to his paper unrolling… He does it when he has snow days or other interruptions to his usual schedule…almost like he’s mad about not being able to do what he’s supposed to do, so that’s his little way of lashing out.

The third one is my favorite… Just inside the front door of his home, there’s a bathroom. Mostly intended for guests and the staff, I assume. There are bathrooms for the residents in both hallways by their bedrooms. For whatever reason, Jon has decided he’d rather use the bathroom in the foyer. When the staff sees him head for that bathroom, they redirect him to the one by his bedroom. I don’t know if he makes a fuss about it or not, but he hasn’t given up. The staff has watched him sneak out the back door, walk around the house and come in the front door so he can get to that front bathroom without being seen.

Just makes you wonder exactly what that kid knows. He doesn’t know today is Monday, but he knows how to outsmart the adults who don’t want him to use the bathroom in the front of the house. There are plenty of other similar stories that have made us all shake our heads over the years…I’ll post them as I think of them.

Amazing what a few coats of paint can do...

2008-02-09T18:05:00.001-05:00

Said Sara, "You're the poet in my heart
Never change, never stop
But now it's gone
It doesn't matter what for
But when you build your house
Well, then call me home."
-Stevie Nicks

I know I've been promising before and after pictures of the house for six months now... And finally -- here they are. They're not so much "after" as "now." There is still plenty to do and plenty to rearrange. Havent decided what to hang where, so the majority of the walls are bare. But plenty of you have asked for pics, so here's how the place looks so far.... (I apologize for how long this list is, but blogspot is less than cooperative placing photos...if anyone has mastered placing pictures side by side, please let me know. I finally gave up...)

The Guest Bedroom... (Yes, those are two shades of blue on the walls -- it's not just the photo. I'm inheriting some bedroom furniture with my grandparents' move, which will allow me to throw out my last piece of Sauder, nailed together particle board "furniture," which furnished my entire first apartment. The dresser pictured has broken and missing pulls and the bottom drawer wont open. It's time to turn the poor thing into firewood....)
My Bedroom... (Oddly enough, the white, flowery curtains the previous owner left behind match my childhood bedspread -- and they make good paint drop cloths... I have some leftover fabric from the blue curtains -- eventually I'll make a couple matching throw pillows.)

The Family Room... (When I first looked at the house, my realtor said it would take some "vision" to love this house. Exhibit A: The Pink Family Room. Truly hideous.)

The Kitchen... (These pictures are a little out of order, but you get the idea. The kitchen was ugly. Then it was gutted. Now it's burgundy.)

The only room left to paint is the dining room -- it's still sort of a dingy mint green on two walls, but I cant decide what color to paint it yet. Seems to be a trend with me. I also have some trim to paint, but that's fairly low on the priority list. I think that's enough for today. I'll post the dining room when it's finished -- it too is inheriting some new furniture soon, so I'll probably wait until then to take any "after" shots.

It's funny...It seems like I've accomplished a lot since I've moved in....But the to-do list never really goes away, does it?

Jonathan

2008-01-31T09:44:00.001-05:00

“Maple syrup is supposed to be on the table before the pancakes.
Of course when they bring the maple syrup after the pancakes, it'll definitely be too late.”
-Rain Man

My friend Robin recently pointed me towards a blog – “Confessions of a Pioneer Woman” that has gotten me thinking recently. The Pioneer Woman writes (a lot), she takes pictures (gorgeous ones) and she cooks. One topic of interest to me? Her brother, Mike. Her first entry about Mike starts like this:

“I Have a Retarded Brother. His Name is Mike.

I love not having to whip out annoying euphemisms like "Developmentally Disabled" or "Mentally Challenged" or "Intellectually Delayed." As a blood relative of a retarded person, I’m automatically exempt. I get to say retarded. Retarded.

I love Mike. He’s my big brother. Well, he’s my older brother. I’m bigger. Taller. About 8 inches taller. Overall, having Mike as a brother has been a good thing.”

Most anyone reading this probably already knows why it struck a chord with me. I, too, have a retarded brother. His name is Jon. I nodded knowingly when I read her comments about euphemisms and the rights afforded a blood relative. Because Jon is retarded. He’s not developmentally delayed or challenged. He’s retarded. I realize that’s not the PC way to say it anymore and I absolutely hate how that word has morphed into the common vernacular. I cringe every time I hear someone say “You’re retarded…That show was retarded…This game is retarded.” When I say something “un-PC” about Jon or the people that surround him, I usually preface it with, “he’s my brother, I can say that.” I had no idea that other siblings of retarded people also said that.

I too, catch myself having to explain that he’s my older brother but more like a younger brother. I admit sometimes I dread when someone making small talk asks if I have any siblings. Because you can never leave it at just “Yes.” It’s always followed up with “older or younger?” No one ever expects that there isn’t a short way to answer that.

“Well, he’s older, but he’s mentally retarded, so he’s sort of like a younger brother.” That usually gets a tilted head and an “Aww, I’m sorry to hear that. That must have been hard on you.” I never really know how to answer that. Would life have been easier on all involved if he had been “normal?” Who knows. Would he have been an angelic, straight A student with an equal aptitude for athletics and the arts? Probably not. He probably would have had his own “normal” issues that we, as a family would have to deal with. I was “normal.” And by “normal,” I mean a moody, bratty teenager. I got good grades, but I argued and back-talked daily. Jon is what he is and, not knowing anything different, I’ve gotten used to that.

It’s funny. I don’t think of myself as different because of Jon. It’s just not something I think about all that often. Over the years, people have said that I’m probably a more compassionate person, more patient, more understanding of people who are different. Obviously everyone is a product of their surroundings – I sometimes wonder what I would have been like if Jon had been a normal big brother.

As I read through some of the reader comments attached to Pioneer Woman’s blog, they’re all positive. They all commend her for her funny, heartwarming stories. Because that’s all they are to them. Sweet stories. I read her entries about Mike with tears in my eyes, understanding every word, feeling like I’d just met a kind of kindred spirit. Even tho it seems her experience with her brother is worlds different from mine, everything she said rang true to me.

It’s funny. I read things all the time that I agree with or that “speak to me,” I don’t know why these particular blogs have gotten me thinking about Jon. One comment Robin made was that if PW’s blog did anything to open the eyes of her zillions of readers, that she’s doing a really good thing by talking about her brother.

And maybe in my own rambling way, I can do the same thing.

Happy New Year

2008-01-03T14:30:00.001-05:00

"Sixteen springs and sixteen summers gone now
Cartwheels turn to car wheels thru the town
And they tell him,
Take your time, it wont be long now
Till you drag your feet to slow the circles down"
-Joni Mitchell

I know it’s cliché to say that I cant believe it’s already 2008…that I cant believe it’s already January…that I cant believe I’ll be HOW OLD? in another month. But just the same, I really cant.

One nice perk in my office is that we shut down between Christmas and New Years, so we all have a nice long break without having to use vacation days. I spent several days up in Dayton with my parents and my grandparents, which was nice.

A good bit of my time was spent in the kitchen… Last Thanksgiving I attempted a new apple pie crust recipe… I thought I had blogged about it then, but I think I just commented on Robin’s site when her husband tried it. Anyway, I was impressed with it at Thanksgiving, but apparently I really got the hang of it this time, because, if I do say so myself, the Christmas apple pie put all my other attempts to shame… I think I’ve finally mastered the unwritten stuffing recipe (tho I’m still a bit squeamish about actually stuffing the bird…) and mom taught me how to make gravy. Not sure I could fly solo on it just yet. Mom and I have a running joke at Christmas about whether or not we’ll make “Grandma’s Butter Cookies.” We always intend to, and always run out of time. I made them (covering the kitchen, myself and even the dog at my feet with flour), but we never did get around to decorating them. Maybe next year…

It was nice to have some time to relax -- I confess, I did have to bring some work home with me…but if the company is giving me more than a week off, I’ll live with having to work for a few hours (from my couch in my PJ’s with my feet up, of course).

The big news from our family is that my mom’s parents have finally decided to move up to Dayton – a difficult decision, but one that I think everyone feels good about. They will be moving to the Lincoln Park retirement community in Kettering – about 20 minutes south of my parents’ house. Hard as it will be to leave their home of 25+ years, they feel it’s important to be closer to family and want to make the move while they can do it together. Fingers are crossed all around that their house sells without too much hassle and they’ll be in their new apartment early this spring.

I swore I’d take a much-needed theater break after Dearly Beloved wrapped up in the fall, but I was asked to take on stage management duties for Mariemont’s January show, Give ‘Em Hell Harry, and I just couldn’t say no. It’s a one-man show -- performed by Bill Hartnett and directed by his wife Ellie Shepherd (both of whom have more talent in their little fingers than most of us have altogether!). The bonus for me is that I didn’t have to attend rehearsals until tech week, so it hasn’t been a huge commitment yet, time wise. I’ve worked with Bill and Ellie several times now and it’s always a pleasure. They’re both so professional and there’s never any drama or ego…I cant say enough about them. They cast me in my very first Cincinnati production back in 1998-ish and again in 2001-ish and both shows rank pretty highly as my favorite theater experiences to date. But I digress. The show opens this Friday and if there are any locals reading this, I urge you to check it out: Give 'Em Hell Harry

And because no post is complete without mention of the never-ending (or constantly-procrastinated, depending on how you want to look at it) kitchen project is that I FINALLY picked a color (burgundy wine -- was finally talked out of brown) and primed the walls and painted the ceiling a few days ago. Probably wont get around to the actual painting (anyone want to take bets on how many coats it will take? I don’t want to think about it…) until after the show closes, but I feel like it’s still an accomplishment.

Guess that’s all for now. Hope everyone out there had a lovely holiday and a Happy New Year.

Already December....How did that happen?

2007-12-19T18:33:00.001-05:00

“If you wrote me off, I’d understand it
Cause I’ve been on some other planet.
So come pick me up…I’ve landed.”
-Ben Folds

Yeah, I know it’s been a while. A long while. Sadly, there isn’t much new since the last post. Work has been absolute madness and I still haven’t painted my kitchen. (I am closer to taking before/after pictures, tho…which I still promise I’ll post…)

Let’s see…Work. Back in October, we were pulled into a new project for a “Major Camera Manufacturer” promoting their digital SLR camera. We’ll call them MCM for short. Essentially, they had a bunch of money to spend before the end of the year, and needed help spending it. Enter LMC. Unfortunately the turnaround time on this project was insane. And every time MCM gave us feedback on anything, it was filed under the category “Things that would have been helpful to know a week ago. Or even yesterday.” Fortunately the program is up and running, seems to be going really well and the client is happy about it. As an amateur photography enthusiast, I admit it’s been fun to work on a product that interests me and I have learned a lot about photography (digital in particular)…I guess the silver lining makes the headaches worth it…

What else. Theater… I spent the fall working at Mariemont Players on their production of Dearly Beloved. I stage managed a wonderful production of Murder of Crows there last fall, and when the director of that show asked me to stage manage this one, I jumped at the chance to work with him again. The only drawback was work – the fall is busy anyway and after the MCM was added into the mix...let’s just say I took a really long nap when the show closed. Anyway, the production was a lot of fun, audiences loved it -- and when MCM required a trip to NYC for training in the middle of the show's run, Delta got me home in plenty of time for the performance that night!

What’s left… The house. It’s coming along. All the boxes are unpacked (or hidden in the basement, but we don’t need to talk about that…), curtains are up in the guest room and my bedroom (I made tie-up shades for the guest room and roman shades for my room)… I bought a new ceiling fan to replace the tacky monstrosity currently hanging in the dining room and I have zeroed in on a paint color for the kitchen….but haven’t had the guts to go get it. It’s called “warm brownie” – sort of a yummy reddish brown. It’s really dark. I love it and I’ve been aching to paint something brown – a few of my friends are all for it and a few have hinted that I might be crazy to paint a small kitchen dark brown. Yes, it’s only paint… But cutting around all the appliances and cabinets is going to be enough of a pain that I know I wont want to redo it if I hate it. (Yes. Painting before cabinets/countertops/appliances were installed WOULD have been smart. But if I’m having trouble picking a color now that the whole kitchen is in front of me, imagine how I would have done it with a 1-inch square of countertop material, a brochure indicating the cabinet color and the faint memory of the appliances I ordered.)

I think that’s about it. See? It’s been months, but nothing has really changed… I promise not to stay away so long next time…

Weekend in Cinci

2007-09-18T18:31:00.001-04:00

And it's just another story
caught up in another photograph I found.
- Jamie Cullum

Had a great weekend with my oldest and dearest friend Robin. She lives in Florida with her husband and three kids (who I have to thank for letting me have her all weekend!), but hitched a ride back up to Ohio with her dad on Thursday to spend the weekend with me. They arrived in time for dinner and she flew home Sunday.

Oddly enough, we’ve both developed an interest in photography since we’ve lived apart. In fact, Robin has started up a photo biz in Ft Myers, specializing in shooting kids. She does nice work, which you can see here (www.robincornett.com). We spent a good bit of Friday hanging out behind our camera lenses – until my camera decided to conk out on me. Eventually we worked our way over to a camera shop where we determined it was just the battery. Usually when I have a dead battery, it simply wont take a picture. But this time, just to be weird, it died mid picture with the shutter wide open and blinked error messages at me – even when I turned it off altogether. But it did give me the chance to play with Robin’s digital, which (the film snob in me has to admit) pretty much rocks. I am not a fan of butterflies (anything with wings, for that matter), but when you’re not worried about wasting film, trying to get a good shot of one is a fun challenge. I got a few and threw away about a million. Robin posted our whole day (and labeled who did what) on flickr. http://www.flickr.com/photos/littler_chicken/

We had dinner Friday at the Dilly Deli and then headed to the movie theater in Mariemont Square to see The Bourne Ultimatum. Unfortunately, Paul Greengrass thought it would be cool to shoot with a handheld camera while chasing Matt Damon all over Europe…Robin thinks that’s enough to make a person sick, so we bailed mid movie. I’m guessing it had a mostly happy ending, but I’ll wait until it comes out on DVD to find out. We ended up sitting outside of Starbucks for a while, enjoying the music of one of Dilly Deli’s musicians. The weather was perfect – cool with a nice breeze. (of course it’s supposed to hit 90 again by the end of the week….so fall’s not here yet)

Saturday we had a pretty lazy start to the day, which was nice. We had a leisurely breakfast at First Watch and ended up at a fabric store… How do I make this a short story? She has (and I ordered) a really nice camera bag that has an interchangeable cover. You can order a bunch of covers online for $40-$70. Or you can make your own. For much less. Which we did. And I confess…I sort of want to make one for every day of the week.

We hosted my parents and her dad for dinner Saturday night – made (what Robin called scrumptious) pork with apples and roasted red potatoes with fresh lavender and rosemary from my cousin Kelly’s garden in Seattle. Robin and I cant get together without making chocolate chip cookies, so that was dessert.

Then I took her to the airport Sunday morning so USA 3000 could deliver her back to her husband and kids. It was wonderful to have her here.

All About Two

2007-09-12T18:02:00.002-04:00

Celebrate we will
Because life is short but sweet for certain
We're climbing two by two
To be sure these days continue
-Dave Matthews Band

After my last post, I heard from my mother that she was disappointed that I didn’t start off with a movie line/song lyric. Apparently I sent a precedent, so I promise I wont disappoint again. Maybe I don’t promise, but I’ll certainly try…

I know I haven’t posted much of anything lately… Life has been busy, I’ve been out of town (was in Vegas…that’s another post for another day…), work has been busy, etc. All the typical excuses… Anyway, someone emailed this to me and I thought it was kind of fun.

1. Two Names You Go By: Hmmm..the obvious ones, Jen and Jenny. Tho Stacey at work calls me Jennerator and my best friend Robin sometimes calls me Jofer.

2. Two Things You Are Wearing Right Now: Khakis and a black shirt. Pretty much the usual.

3. Two Things You Want In A Relationship: Honesty and Friendship

4. Two of Your Favorite Things to Do: Enjoying long dinners with good company and good wine, Sightseeing with a million rolls of film in my backpack

5. Two Things You Want Very Badly At the Moment: for my house to be completely unpacked and clean and a new camera bag

6. Two Pets You Had/Have: Maverick and Fred

7. Two Things You Did Last Night: Finished unpacking and did laundry. I’m fun, aren’t I?

8. Two People You Talked to Last: Molly and Robin

9. Two Things You're Doing Tomorrow: Robin is coming to visit tomorrow! So I will be making homemade pizza and enjoying it with Robin and her dad (who is dropping her off en route to Dayton). But I have to go to work first.

10. Two Longest Car Rides: Denver, Colorado, and Orlando, Florida

11. Name Two of Your Favorite Holidays: Christmas (because everyone gets together) and my birthday (because there’s cake)

12. Name Two Favorite Beverages: Diet Coke and really cold orange juice with no pulp

Not much, but...

2007-08-08T12:41:00.002-04:00

Slowly but surely, I’m making progress on the house. I spent most of last week trying to clear out some of the chaos (check out the pic from the day I moved in…ugh) so I could have my family down for lunch. My mom and dad hosted most of my mom’s family for the weekend (which was so much fun and so good to see everyone). Everyone who had made it to Dayton by Friday morning headed down to Cinci for lunch and to see the house. I did manage to get the place presentable – I wont mention how many boxes were stuffed in the closets…

The biggest news on the house is that the kitchen is mostly finished and mostly functioning. The appliances and countertops arrived last week and the rest of the electrical work was done this weekend. I’m still waiting on a small cabinet to arrive – it had to be special ordered to fit in next to the dishwasher. Also need to make up my mind on the light fixtures and paint, but I’ll get there…

I’m noticing a trend as I go through my pictures of the house progress… In the middle of a roll of film, I head outside to get some shots of the flowers that are coming up. Perhaps it’s my way of making sure there’s something pretty in the roll of film – amongst all the pictures of holes in the walls and torn up floors! Anyway, there’s a planter next to my driveway that has been blooming all summer – there were poppies before I moved in, pretty white daisies a few weeks ago and now these black-eyed susans. There are plenty of weeds too, but I confess I don’t quite know what’s what, so I hesitate to pull anything just yet.

Fly Count

2007-07-30T17:32:00.001-04:00

Man who catch fly with chopstick accomplish anything.
-The Karate Kid

Bugs are not my friends. I don’t want them in my house. When I was a kid, I’d wake my dad up in the middle of the night to kill a spider in my room. I wouldn’t go near them. Irrational, yes. They have more legs than I do. Maybe that’s the problem.

Tho I still don’t love bugs, I really think I’ve grown when it comes to bug-killing. I’ve become quite a master, if I do say so myself… I usually have multiple cans of Raid accessible from any corner of my residence so I don’t have to take my eye off a bug before drowning it in poison.

However on Friday night, I realized that my can of Raid was still at the apartment. And I needed it. The guys had been working in the kitchen all day and I’m guessing they’d left the door to the garage open because I was inundated with flies. No, they wont hurt anything, but they’re annoying -- and without a fly swatter, they’re hard to kill.

As a public service to my fellow bug haters… Should you find yourself in a situation where you need to kill flies and you have no bug spray at your disposal… Use hair spray. I found that if I sprayed a fly with hair spray (I was unpacking the bathroom when the Fly Battle started) it disoriented it enough that when it landed, I could smack it with a shoe. (I know, this probably falls under some form of animal cruelty…)

By the end of the night, the Fly Count was up to 13. Seriously. The next day I let two more in while I was bringing in a couple boxes. So that’s 15. And there were three more swirling around the garage door, just waiting for me to let them in the house… So we’re up to 18.

I think word has gotten out to the Fly Community not to mess with my house, cause I haven’t seen one since Saturday.

New Blog, New House

2007-07-27T16:18:00.001-04:00

A bit of earth,
She wants a little bit of earth,
She'll plant some seeds.
The seeds will grow, The flowers bloom,
Their beauty just the thing she needs.
-The Secret Garden

As much as I enjoy reading the blogs that my friends write, I thought I’d start one of my own… I won’t pretend that I’ll always have something interesting to say…but has that ever stopped me before?

So the big news on my end is that I just moved into my first house. It’s a 2-bedroom, brick Cape Cod in Anderson Township. (For those not familiar with the neighborhoods around here, it’s near Riverbend; and for those not in Ohio at all, it’s about 11 miles southeast of downtown Cinci)

After what feels like a massive amount of paint (there’s still some to do), it’s starting to look like mine. (will post extensive before and after pictures at some point) The family room was a nightmarish shade of pink and the bedrooms were just a dingy, dirty off-white. The dining room is still on the to-do list, as is the bathroom. The big project is a complete remodel of the kitchen. I don’t know how else to say it – it was just ugly before. I’m putting in (or rather, having my friend, realtor, contractor and all-around construction guru Jason put in) new cabinets, floor, light fixtures and appliances. So far, the floor and cabinets are in and they look great. (again, will post extensive before and after pictures…)

Only one glitch so far… Yesterday I arrived with my parents and the movers to find that there was no running water. Apparently the guys had to turn off the water in the house to install the sink base. And, thanks to the age of the house (and therefore the water valve in the basement,) the valve failed to turn the water back on. So Water Works was to come out, shut off the water at the street and allow Jason to replace the valve. But they never showed. I spent the first night in my new home without water and had to shower in the morning over at the apartment. Good thing I still had the keys. Water Works still hasn’t arrived, but Jason used his own “only in emergencies with water shooting out in all directions” street key to shut the water off to the house and his guys are fixing it now. Not exactly an inspiring endorsement for Cincinnati Water Works…at this rate, I’d be without water all weekend. Amazing.

The place is in absolute chaos at the moment. Save for a path from the front door through the family room, there are boxes everywhere. Many headed towards the kitchen – which cant be unpacked just yet. Once the kitchen is finished up, anything else on the Beacon Street To Do List can wait until I get around to it. There are a few other cosmetic things I’d like to do with it, but nothing that’s too urgent – so in the meantime, I can just enjoy my new home (which I’ve already made a New House Resolution to keep neater than I did my last apartment…)

Oh, and there’s a cage in the basement. It’s very “it puts the lotion in the basket.” Story is that the previous owner raised parrots at some point. I’d love to turn it into a dark room; I’ve always wanted one. It would take some work and some drywall, but it could be done. Expensive hobby, I know…and I’m slowly coming to terms with the fact that I’m the last person on earth who still shoots film, so perhaps that’s money that should be spent to go into the direction of digital… So for now, the cage will just remain in the basement as the best conversation piece I could ever ask for. And in the meantime….for any unruly visitors – that’s where you’ll sleep!