80 gazillion twinkle lights

Last week Jenn posted some very cool and very trippy images she had taken of her girls last year at Zoo Lights at the Denver Zoo. It reminded me that I had a bunch of images that I took last year at Zoo Lights that I never did anything with. So because there are no original ideas left in the world I decided to steal Jenn’s idea and post some of Zoo Lights images of my own. (Thanks Jenn W00T W00T) I had never been to Zoo Lights. It was something I talked about doing every year and then never got around to it. So last year I made sure to go because I didn’t know how long it would be until I was in Denver for Christmas again. The night Husband and I went was cold as hell…no surprise it being December in Colorado and all. I wanted to take photos but was not all that excited about taking my gloves off to do so. We walked around a bit looking at the lights and bitching about the cold. We then stopped to get a hot chocolate and were pleasantly surprised to find that for a few dollars more you could get some peppermint schnapps added. Yes please! Nothing like a few shots of liquor to take the chill out of the air. I had been snapping a few shots here and there. Pretty basic, nothing too exciting. Then I got this one of the dragon… …and decided to have a little fun with my camera. The rest of my images look a little something like this: Yeah for cold, twinkle lights, peppermint scnapps...oh and Jenn too...you know for the idea!

takin' pictures

The thing I wanted to be most when I was little was a Solid Gold Dancer. I could not think of any thing cooler. Those skin tight outfits, big hair, high heels and legwarmers…oooooh leg warmers. Dancing around with hunky bare chested guys was also a plus (a big one). But alas Solid Gold was cancelled and I had to choose a new dream. The first semester on my freshman year of high school I took the Photo I class. It seemed like a fun class that would not take much effort. So borrowed my mom’s Canon AE1 and I went about the class with that attitude and I did not do well. The teacher had a little chat with me at the end of the semester. She told me that she could tell that I half assed my way through the class and thought that I could do better. I took the class again the following semester. I opened my eyes and put a lot of thought and effort into the images I wanted to produce. I found that I loved photography…and I was good at it. For a better part of a decade I never went anywhere without my camera and I spent as much time in the dark room as I could. I had a good eye and there was not one thing I did not love about the process. Most of the money I made in my crappy part time job went to pay for film and paper. I knew this was what I wanted to do as a career. I worked hard and built a strong portfolio. The School of Visual Arts in New York City and the Institute of Art Chicago wanted me to come to their schools…and I wanted to go. But I got distracted. Now I can’t remember by exactly who or what but it caused me to put my camera down. I think I was somewhere in my mid-twenties when Jenn went back to school for photography. She would show me her work and would sit there thinking “I can do that. Why am I not doing that? I should start shooting again. I SHOULD GO TO SCHOOL!” Then I would find a 101 lame excuses of why I can’t or blah blah blah I suck. But I did pick up my camera again. I was traveling quite a bit at the time and was snap snap snapping away. I came home from one two week trip in the UK having shot 23 rolls of film. Again I got all caught up and put my camera down. Then everything went digital. I had a new excuse…I could not afford the camera I wanted. “I would totally get back into photography if only I could afford the camera I wanted”. I have had several point and shoot jobbies and would get a good image here and there, but that never stopped me from bitching about if only I had a better camera. If only… Jenn came out to visit in August and let me shoot with her Canon 20D. I started to fall in love again. I wanted one! Then out of the blue I get an email from Jenn that one of her friends is selling a barely used 20D with a lens for next to nothing. I get all excited and contact the friend and then sit back and wait to hear the camera is mine…ALL MINE BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!! The response I got was not the one I expected. Someone had beaten me to it by 10 minutes. 10 MINUTES!!! I was crushed. Husband was there when I found out I had missed out on the opportunity and saw how upset I was. He did his best to comfort me. Little did I know that he was hiding something up his sleeve. Turns out ol’ Husband was once again in cahoots with Jenn on a little Melinda sneak attack. About two weeks later while on the way home from the gym I get an urgent text from husband that FedEx is on the way to our house with our new phones and I was to rush home to sign for them. I pull into our neighborhood and see the FedEx man on his way out. I flag him down and as he hands me the box he asks if it’s anything fun. I tell him its new phones to which he respond he does not think so. I look down at the label and it is from Jenn. WTF?!?! I rush inside and call Husband to ask him what is in the box. He tells me to open it…and sitting inside is the 20D. Turns out that Husband was the one to buy it out from under me as an early birthday present. What a sweet, giving, loving Mr Sneaky Pants. He wanted me to have it in time for our trip to Colorado for a friends wedding. I am having a fun time getting used to the camera. It is so different from what I am used to. Are there nicer cameras out there…sure there are. But I am off to a good start. I am finding that I am a bit rusty (understatement) and am not sure what my point of view is yet. I took over 645 pictures last weekend of which I maybe like 20. I did manage to get one image that I think really captured the intimacy of the moment. I think I may be off to a good start.

bitches

10:14pm Melinda: look at us being all passive aggressive 10:14pm Jenn: I am SO proud! we are such bitches! We ARE the bitches we bitch about! 10:16pm Melinda: yes...yes we are

a whale of a fish story

My friend Jenn from Denver has been staying with us for the last couple of days. We have been all over the place taking photos. Yesterday we drove up to Edmonds to take the ferry across the sound to Kingston. One of her friends had told her about a lighthouse not too far from there at Point No Point. So we arrive at the lighthouse and decide to kind of scope things out before we pull out all the gear. We take a little walk on the beach and don't do much scoping...but Jenn found a handful of cool shells and I found a lot of sea glass. as we turn to head back for gear my phone rings. While in the process up answering my phone I look up and see 4 dark grey tales slip back into the water about 20 feet from the shore. At first because they are so close I think dolphins and then they pop back up with black and white heads. ORCAS! So instead of saying hello to my mom who has just called me I yell "WHALES! THERE ARE WHALES! WHALES!!!!! CALL ME BACK!" Two adult females and 2 calves. And it figures that all of the cameras are in my truck. So we rush to take a few shots with our phones and both got a lovely shot of them submerging that really doesn't show anything. We asked a few other people who did have cameras if they got any good shots; but in the excitement what they captured was a what looked like fins and with a hint of black and white. There were fishermen that had waded out about 10 feet from shore in hopes of catching salmon. The whales popped up about 10 feet from the end of one guy's pole and he nearly had a heart attack. Another told us that in 20 years of fishing that spot he had never seen anything like that. I would have to say that that was the coolest things I have ever seen. As much as I hate living up here I will venture to say it was worth the move just to see those whales. Now we have to get Roman to see some whales so that we can move away from here already.

Portrait

This is a picture my friend Jenn's youngest daughter Gabe drew of me. If this is what I look like to children it is no wonder babies cry when I hold them.

McRib is BACK!

4 (yes 4) text conversations I have had about the McRib (yes really) in the last 12 hours...

With Jenn...
Jenn: all I’ve been thinking of lately is the mcrib from mcdonalds so I won’t be much help trying to find something good.

Me: Is the mcrib back?

Jenn: Yes. Yes it is. Bain of my existence. I love them with their fake rib shaped meat and sauce. What is wrong with me?

Me: nothing…I thought is did not come back until stock show

Jenn: They brought is back early

Me: WooHoo!


With Mike...
Me: mcrib is back

Mike: Oh Hell Yeah! I know what I’m having for lunch tomorrow

Me: LOL…Jenn is all excited about it too

Mike: Love the f’ing mcrib!!!


With Dan...
dan: oh boy you poor thing

me: yes...feel sorry for me

dan: did you remember to bring your flask?

me: NO

me: but McRib is back...so I have that to be happy about

dan: at Mc Donalds?

me: yes

dan: That is pretty much the coolest thing ever


And Mike Again...
Me: I had a McRib for lunch

Mike: damn it! i forgot and have been on calls all day

Me: well there is always dinner

Mike: well i had yucky tuna fish for lunch...not a yummy mcrib

Me: well there is plenty of time for you to enjoy the porky, saucy, oniony, pickley goodness that is the McRib

Mike:mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Awe...but he is such a cute puppy

My friend Jenn recently rescued a great dane puppy. I got a text from her recently that make me think that things are not going so smoothly. Jenn: Zues ate my red asian satin mules Me: That sux! Those were cool shoes. Jenn: I know. In their honor we will eat asian style...dog for dinner.

Jenny Lee 1

So yesterday I asked my friend Jenn to send me a link to her blog so I could link to it from my blog. Of course she asked me what direction I had wanted to take my blog in. I said I had no idea and that I would probrably just tell stories about her. I have a lot of stories...funny stories. I have been friends with Jenn for going on 13 years. Needless to say we have been through a lot together...having a Kid (her), divorce (her), marriage (me), having another kid (her), marriage (her), divorce (me),etc, etc, etc. And through all the craziness(mostly her)we have remained close friends. A year or so back Jenn lost her mother to cancer. I remember getting a call from her that morning and being at her house witin what seemed like seconds with donuts and flowers and all the other stuff you want when you feel like shit. I spent the next few hours making her laugh because that is how I deal with loss and they say it is the best medicine. At her most recent gallary show she had me sit down and read the photo essay she published about the journey her mother took while battling her cancer. At the end of the book she thanked those closest to her and I was one of them. That meant a lot to me. Well Jenn I don't have a big fancy book to thank you in, but maybe this is the next best thing. I want to thank you for always being there for me. You were the only person that I was able to turn to when my marriage ended. Thank you for actually listening to me when I was a sobbing mess, even though I know it freaked you out because I am not the cryer. Thank you actully being what you said you were going to be when you grew up because you have inspired me. But mostly thank you for being my friend. Okay enough with being mushy...next time I am telling one of your stories.