Dear Mr. Einstein….Am I Insane?

I love quotes. Whenever I find a new one I copy paste it to a document I have titled..(wait for it)…”Quotes”. There are so many wise words that have been spoken by so many people. At times it overwhelms me because I want to be those things, all of them. But that is crazy (I have a lot of quotes). Today I started thinking about that quote that talks about doing the same thing and expecting different results. This train of thought came because of a call I had made to my mother three days ago.

I have to backtrack to May 5th when I hurt my neck. I’ve always had stiffness on and off but this time something happened. That Saturday I stayed home and had to move carefully and move my torso as a unit, essentially do the robot just not in an ironic way. Just the act of laying down and getting up hurt. It had started to dissipate but then “it” happened again this past Wednesday. I called my mom the next day because the neck pain had come back and I wanted some encouragement. Without getting into the nitty gritty details, I got none and received a lecture instead which just caused more tension to an already painful neck situation. I told her I had to get back to work and gritted my teeth until my first chiropractic appointment later that day.

So back to today, this quote is in my head so I google it. It turns out it is an Einstein quote. I am not sure if this quote applies exactly to my situation but I have known for a while that if I go to my mother looking for emotional support I do not get it and instead am told what I should be doing. Because who doesn’t need a good kick when they are down? I, ever the optimist, (or amnesiac, take your pick) like to think that this time….no scratch that. I don’t think about it I just call my mother, you know because she is my mother, and I need a sympathetic ear. I do not think my mother is trying to be unkind. As she puts it she just has to tell me the truth and doesn’t want to sugar coat things. I completely appreciate that type of person but I do believe there is a time and a place. But really, I am asking a fish to fly and that is just not fair. So let’s hope in this type of scenario I stop repeating the same thing and therefore stop being insane.

To put a positive spin on this introspection I decided to review these quotes from Einstein. There are ten of them which is a bit overwhelming but it is the weekend so why not? Though he would never have been a person I would have picked as someone I would have liked to have met, I mean what would I say to such great physicist, “I take photos…do you like photos?”. These quotes, though they could all be related solely to science they are also completely relevant to life in general. This possibility makes him seem a bit more relatable and I appreciate him from a different point of view.

1. “I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.”

2. “It’s not that I’m so smart; it’s just that I stay with problems longer.”

3. “Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves.”

4. “Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions. Imagination is more important than knowledge.”

5. “A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.”

6. “I never think of the future – it comes soon enough.”

7. “Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.”

8. “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

9. “Information is not knowledge. The only source of knowledge is experience.”

10. “You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else.”

Also, though my May 5th was ruined (it was Kentucky Derby Day & Cinquo de Mayo and I was laid up at home!). I did manage to feel well enough on Sunday afternoon to go take photos of a “field” of poppies I saw on the way to my mom’s house. It is more of a patch of land at an exit off a major highway but the photos don’t show that because I’m so tricky;). What better to go to wise words than the beauty of poppies in the setting sun?

Accidental Me, Thankfulness For My Mother On Mother’s Day

I was an accident (or to be politically correct, unexpected gift ), the product of a diminishing relationship. I can’t remember how long I have known this but it never has bothered me. My mother got the news (of my impending arrival) when she was 34 and coming out of a committed relationship. She didn’t think she would get another opportunity in time to have another child, considering that back then (1975) it was no so common to have a child after her age. So she chose to keep rather than abort me as “my father” wanted.
This is not the story of a mother and daughter who are best friends. In fact some days we have trouble getting along. Our strained moments used to bother me but now I am grateful for what we do have because well it really could be worse. Maybe we are similar in a few ways (shudder) though I’d like to believe I am a better version of her. Not because I think so highly of myself but because I am the more recent model. I am sure my mother would argue that point.
I have come to learn that we get along swimmingly in short bursts. So this past Sunday, Mother’s Day, I headed over to my mother’s house to make us breakfast. I arrived right when she woke up and got to work preparing the planned breakfast that included scrambled eggs, croissants with marmalade, fresh squeezed grapefruit juice and coffee. We sat out on her patio and enjoyed the food and weather.
We caught up on each others inconsequential current events and ended up learning we both have never been on a hot air balloon ride but both want to do this. I told her we needed to get this done this year rather saying we would do it later. It was a lovely morning that included no disagreements. So in short it was a success in my book.

 

 

(This image was taken of the only Water Lilly in her small pond)

Greensboro Grasshoppers Mascot Dogs

As the warmer temperatures approach people are coming out of their hibernation and starting to get out more. These warmer temperatures mean something else to baseball fans, the beginning of baseball season! Well back at the end of last year when it was not that warm I got a message from my friend and a wonderful artist Joshua Hendry. He needed recent photos of the Greensboro Grasshoppers other “mascots”. There is a giant furry grasshopper that launches t-shirts into the crowd but who picks up the bats and balls? Well nothing says summer more than a baseball ball and a dog (or two). So the GM of the grasshoppers, Donald Moore, decided one day that his black labs, Miss Babe Ruth & son Yogi Berra, would be part of the best summer show. These two high energy “team members” take care of picking up the discarded bats and getting balls between innings. At the end of the game they race each other around the bases to retrieve treats . This idea was pure genius. What baseball loving individual doesn’t love watching a dog?

So in January of this year I drove to Greensboro to capture these two characters. With the help of Mr. Donald Moore I was able to capture some great photos of both of Miss Babe Ruth and Yogi Berra. This could not have been accomplished without Mr. Moore because these two were full of energy and ready for the approaching baseball season.

Once the photos were taken and sent off to my friend Joshua, this is when the magic began (seriously, check out this time lapse video: http://youtu.be/Yp4bCKQc0xs). I had to take the time to do a side by side comparison of the actual photo and the finished artwork. They are fairly similar but the artistic differences can be seen that make his art superior to my photograph. Enjoy!

 

Is It Important?

I’ve been a little out of sorts on the photography front. The lack of paying work gets me a little down. Then this week I saw Facebook posting that was a bit of a slap in the face. It said “If it is important to you, you will find a way. If not you will find an excuse”. So today I decided to edit a few photos that I had taken around the house. What I loved about photography while in school was the creative process. So today I played in the new Lightroom 4 and used VSCO presets, they emulate film characteristics. I’ve recently become obsessed with flowers especially since Trader Joe’s has beautiful options at an affordable price. Unfortunately I have to stick to dried or cut flowers because I can’t seem to keep the potted plants alive. My heart is green but apparently my thumb is black….gangrenous and about to fall off, sighhhh. So I have resorted to photographing flowers so I may immortalize them in their short yet splendid lifetime during this photography “slump” of mine. I know it’s been done but it’s all been done before so there. Well perhaps dried Billy Buttons in a mini tequila bottle hasn’t been done before but it has now;).

 

 

Christina & Ryan: Fall Picnic Engagement Shoot

Last weekend was Christina and Ryan’s engagement shoot….. finally! I don’t usually say this but we had been coming up with ideas for the shoot and with each idea came more anticipation for the day. I met Christina a couple of years ago through a Raleigh Meetup group. Since then she met and dated Ryan and got engaged. We scheduled to all meet at Starbucks and talk about the details and also for Ryan and I to actually meet. The one thing that Christina made clear is that for the engagement shoot she wanted to incorporate her Grandmother’s quilt and that she liked rustic barns. I suggested a picnic since both of them love the outdoors and work in jobs that help protect it. And so began the creative ideas.

I searched high and low to find the perfect spot for the shoot. I was hoping to find private property because we wanted to incorporate their gun in some images since they like to go shooting. No luck. What I did find was public property with strict rules about no guns. Oh well. It turned out the that they loved the spot I found.  Also, Ryan’s first land surveying assignment had been right across the street from where we took the photos. A lot of fun details went into the shoot from Anthropologie items to Etsy treasures. The tote that we used for the quilt is actually an Anthropologie shopping bag that the wonderful assistant manager,Sara, at the Southpoint Store let us borrow. It is amazing what you can get if you just ask!

I had so much trouble narrowing down photos. This is the best I could do (read: be prepared for a long blog post filled with photos).

Some of the vendors items from the shoot:

Simply Scrumptious…Julie provided the apple tart and the truffles you see Christina and Ryan enjoying in the photo above the boots photo. If local and organic (and yummy!) is your style then Julie is your baker.

Jagg Classic Wholesale….The wonderful Suzy over at Jagg answered all my questions and helped me choose some great flowers for the shoot.

Bragging Bags….This great Etsy store is where I got the natural and rustic wood vases.

I Wished For You….Another great Etsy shop with the sweetest name provided the rustic burlap “love” banner. I literally want to come up with inspiring words and order these banners with them and hang them all over my room.

Bella Forte Bookbinding

I discovered Bella Forte Bookbinding quite by accident, this particular accident was a happy one. I suggest that if you have an unhealthy obsession with great presentation, book cloth and pretty papers that you check out Bridget’s site. All of her work is custom and if you have a special occasion that needs to be commemerated in a book  or album she is the person to go to. I asked her to create a 5×7 proof box for my clients and the images below are what she created for me. Bridget has a variety of book cloths and interior papers to choose from.

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Kulula Airlines….LOL…Seriously

I am not a huge fan of the acronym LOL but this email I received made me actually LOL…. at least 4 times. This is why I had to post in on my blog. When I get to Africa to see “my” elephants I will have to fly with this airline purely for the entertainment value. If I owned an airline it would be like this. If this is South African humour I have got to get myself some South African friends. Here it is:

This is one of the most hilarious e-mails, EVER….would love to fly with this bunch of loonies. Kulula is a low-cost South-African airline that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Check out their new livery! And have a read about their Customer Relations. WHAT A PITY KULULA DOESN’T FLY INTERNATIONALLY – WE SHOULD SUPPORT THEM IF ONLY FOR THEIR HUMOUR – SO TYPICALLY SOUTH AFRICAN. Kulula is an Airline with head office situated in Johannesburg . Kulula airline attendants make an effort to make the in-flight “safety lecture” and announcements a bit more entertaining. Here are some real examples that have been heard or reported: On a Kulula flight, (there is no assigned seating, you just sit where you want) passengers were apparently having a hard time choosing, when a flight attendant announced, “People, people we’re not picking out furniture here, find a seat and get in it!” —o0o— On another flight with a very “senior” flight attendant crew, the pilot said, “Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve reached cruising altitude and will be turning down the cabin lights. This is for your comfort and to enhance the appearance of your flight attendants.” —-o0o— On landing, the stewardess said, “Please be sure to take all of your belongings.. If you’re going to leave anything, please make sure it’s something we’d like to have.” —-o0o— “There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, but there are only 4 ways out of this airplane.” —o0o— “Thank you for flying Kulula. We hope you enjoyed giving us the business as much as we enjoyed taking you for a ride.” —o0o— As the plane landed and was coming to a stop at Durban Airport , a lone voice came over the loudspeaker: “Whoa, big fella. WHOA!” —o0o– After a particularly rough landing during thunderstorms in the Karoo , a flight attendant on a flight announced, “Please take care when opening the overhead compartments because, after a landing like that, sure as hell everything has shifted.” —o0o— From a Kulula employee: “Welcome aboard Kulula 271 to Port Elizabeth . To operate your seat belt, insert the metal tab into the buckle, and pull tight. It works just like every other seat belt; and, if you don’t know how to operate one, you probably shouldn’t be out in public unsupervised.” —o0o— “In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, masks will descend from the ceiling. Stop screaming, grab the mask, and pull it over your face. If you have a small child travelling with you, secure your mask before assisting with theirs. If you are travelling with more than one small child, pick your favorite.” —o0o— “Weather at our destination is 50 degrees with some broken clouds, but we’ll try to have them fixed before we arrive. Thank you, and remember, nobody loves you, or your money, more than Kulula Airlines.” —-o0o— “Your seats cushions can be used for flotation; and in the event of an emergency water landing, please paddle to shore and take them with our compliments.” —o0o— “As you exit the plane, make sure to gather all of your belongings. Anything left behind will be distributed evenly among the flight attendants. Please do not leave children or spouses..” —o0o— And from the pilot during his welcome message: “Kulula Airlines is pleased to announce that we have some of the best flight attendants in the industry. Unfortunately, none of them are on this flight!” —o0o— Heard on Kulula 255 just after a very hard landing in Cape Town : The flight attendant came on the intercom and said, “That was quite a bump and I know what y’all are thinking. I’m here to tell you it wasn’t the airline’s fault, it wasn’t the pilot’s fault, it wasn’t the flight attendant’s fault, it was the asphalt.” —o0o— Overheard on a Kulula flight into Cape Town , on a particularly windy and bumpy day: During the final approach, the Captain really had to fight it. After an extremely hard landing, the Flight Attendant said, “Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to The Mother City. Please remain in your seats with your seat belts fastened while the Captain taxis what’s left of our airplane to the gate!” —o0o— Another flight attendant’s comment on a less than perfect landing: “We ask you to please remain seated as Captain Kangaroo bounces us to the terminal.” —o0o— An airline pilot wrote that on this particular flight he had hammered his ship into the runway really hard. The airline had a policy which required the first officer to stand at the door while the passengers exited, smile, and give them a “Thanks for flying our airline”. He said that, in light of his bad landing, he had a hard time looking the passengers in the eye, thinking that someone would have a smart comment. Finally everyone had gotten off except for a little old lady walking with a cane. She said, “Sir, do you mind if I ask you a question?” “Why, no Ma’am,” said the pilot. “What is it?” The little old lady said, “Did we land, or were we shot down?” —o0o— After a real crusher of a landing in Johannesburg , the attendant came on with, “Ladies and Gentlemen, please remain in your seats until Captain Crash and the Crew have brought the aircraft to a screeching halt against the gate. And, once the tire smoke has cleared and the warning bells are silenced, we will open the door and you can pick your way through the wreckage to the terminal..” —o0o— Part of a flight attendant’s arrival announcement: “We’d like to thank you folks for flying with us today.. And, the next time you get the insane urge to go blasting through the skies in a pressurized metal tube, we hope you’ll think of Kulula Airways.” —o0o— Heard on a Kulula flight: “Ladies and gentlemen, if you wish to smoke, the smoking section on this airplane is on the wing.. If you can light ‘em, you can smoke ‘em.”