30 day photo challenge - DAY 30, Last Day

Day 30 - A picture of someone you miss.

Papa and Nana in 2003

 I miss my grandfather so much. It's taken me almost a week to work up to this last one. I'm creating this post while crying, so it's taking about twice as long as normal.

Papa and Killian in 2004

 Papa loved kids, which makes sense for a man that had seven. My dad's dad died before I was born, but I had my papa always. He was here on earth with me for almost 26 years.

Papa and Ellie in 2005.

 Papa died June 27, 2007. I love you so much and I miss you.

30 day photo challenge - DAY 29!

Day 29 - A picture that can always make you smile.

Have you seen Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog? It totally counts! It's a movie PICTURE, isn't it? Like everything that comes from Joss Whedon's wonderful wonderful hands, it is fantastically funny. Plus: it's a super-villain musical! It is utterly and completely quotable. "What a crazy random happenstance!"

GO WATCH IT NOW. It'll make you happy.

30 day photo challenge - day 28

Day 28 - A picture of something you’re afraid of.

I'm slightly agoraphobic, actually looking at that definition more than slightly.  Wide open spaces (as well as many of the other agoraphobic issues) freak me out. So, living in Kansas was severely odd. Particularly when I was moving from the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia to Kansas. Where I live now (and grew up, as well) you can't see for more than a mile without a hill or mountain or TREES being in the way. And Kansas...except in suburban areas, Kansas doesn't really have trees, or more properly it doesn't have forests like Virginia does. It has farmland. Lots and lots of farmland, all on the way to the university where I got my MLS. Fields of soybeans as far as the eye could see. AND YOU COULD SEE ALL THE WAY TO THE FREAKING HORIZON. I like small spaces. I've had several MRIs because of my epilepsy...and I've fallen asleep during them. I like being inside, being where I can see everything that's going on and everyone that's there. Basically, this picture is a freaky sort of picture to me because there is NO WAY TO ORIENT YOURSELF. You are in a field, and that's all there is for miles and miles and miles. Do you need a soothing nature picture now? I know I do. Ahh, tree covered mountains...

30 day photo challenge - day 27

Day 27 - A picture of yourself and a family member.

From August 2009

It's a two-fer for you! My mom, me, and my niece at the beach a few years ago. I think Jen was taking the shot, otherwise you would see all the women in my family. My niece was only three, and just a little bit freaked out by the (relative) hugeness of the waves, so she's gripping my hand pretty tightly. Notice how I stay the color of milk, even in full summer? And how little Ellie-belle is about 12 shades darker, even though Jen religiously puts SPF30 on the kids when they're outside? My mama always uses self-tanner before the beach, otherwise you would be able to tell that SHE'S the reason for my paleness, not my dad. (Even though she's still tanner than me in winter.)


And it's GIVEAWAY time at Work With What You've Got! (Other) Erin is giving away one of my handmade necklaces, so head over to this post and enter. And remember, this month is 10% off with the coupon code SWEETIE at Birnam Grove's etsy shop.

30 day photo challenge - Day 26

Day 26 - A picture of something that means a lot to you.

 This is so superficial. Like, beyond what I truly want to admit. It's my hair, okay. My hair means A LOT to me. I've had it cut professionally three times in my whole life, and all three times have been a disappointment. (Actually, the first two times made me cry.)  I trust my mama and my sister to cut my hair, no one else. And I'm trying to grow it back out, to this length at least. The third salon time, this summer, I ended up with these funky layers that ended up not sitting well, especially when I didn't go back every month for a trim. Time has shown me that my hair looks best in an at-my-shoulders-or-longer blunt cut. It doesn't matter that it's wavy, or incredibly thick. Layers or thinning layers or whatever. I am not good with styling my hair, either, so I need something this simple. If it's nicely cut, I can do something pretty like this (a sort of crazy hair homage to Helena Bonham Carter), or braid it in thick ropes. One thing that scares me most about my epilepsy is the fear that it might get bad enough in the future to necessitate one of the implanted brain chips...and to implant them they have to shave part of your head. Seriously, that's the kind of stuff I worry about in the middle of the night when I can't sleep. I have a huge head, but not one that looks good with super-short hair. I tried it, and it was not pretty.

Day in the Life (30 day photo challenge - day 25)

I got to work a little early, so I grabbed these snaps outside while I still looked awake!

Notice my necklace? It's a new piece from Jewelmint that came in last night! My first gold necklace in years.

It's the Farrah necklace; and it's pretty much a gold metal lariat. Very neat, and very long.

The first thing I do on Saturdays is straighten up our DVD section. The library has over 3,500 DVDs, and students can get them wildly out of order.

Oh look! It's my work desk. Fairly messy, and strewn about with polished rocks.

Lunch. I was supposed to have some other bagels I brought, but they were moldy, so I went to the on campus Au Bon Pain. Along with raw almonds, a cheese stick, some pudding, a little bit of chocolate, and V8 Fusion to wash it all down (Cranberry Blackberry). Once when I was sick, I did actually drink one of those whole 48 ounces in a day...I felt better and peed a lot...for the next 24 hours.

And where am I now? Waiting for dinner to cook, and typing this all on my baby, an Acer Aspire One netbook.

Shirt - Avenue
Jeans - Avenue
Shoes - Crocs

30 day photo challenge - Day 24

Day 24 - A picture of something you wish you could change.

I suffer from an anxiety disorder. When I have an anxiety attack...it's like I freeze. Anxiety attacks come on me like a curse, literally freezing me in a position, usually sitting. I feel both like I'm made of stone and like I could dissolve into a million pieces if I move an inch. My mind races, screaming at me "nononono", telling me I can't do something or achieve something. I'm stuck, trying to work it out myself.  It's one of the scariest things I've had happen to me, and I'm an epileptic! Luckily, I rarely have an attack, and I've never had one at work.

30 day photo challenge - Day 23

Day 23 - A picture of your favorite book.
Do you have ANY idea how hard this is? I own several hundred books. I've read (rough estimate) well over a million. I'm giving you several favorites, and you're going to like it.

 Full of great shoes, a plus-size heroine and some great sex. I own it in paperback and hard cover.

Foul language, bizarre situations, and the world being rescued from political domination through a book.

A favorite fairy tale/ballad reset into 1970's liberal arts college. I've worn through one copy, and I'm on my second.

 

 The religious book I love more than the Bible. Julian is a Catholic saint who saw visions of Jesus in a very feministic, loving way. This is the translation I like best.

30 day photo challenge - Day 22

Day 22 - A picture of something you wish you were better at.

I am horrible at waiting. I ordered something online? I want it NOW. It's almost Christmas/someone's birthday/a holiday? I want to celebrate NOW. Waiting for something new to read/watch? NOW. Having to wait at all? No, I want it NOW NOW NOW. Can I give you your present NOW? Can I eat the dessert NOW? Is it time NOW?

I would love to have more patience, to not be overrun by NOW thoughts. And lately, it seems like the world is trying to force LATER on me rather than NOW. Maybe that's a lesson in patience that I should be learning. Could you tell me NOW?

30 day photo challenge - Day 21

Day 21 - A picture of something you wish you could forget.

This is my leg after my car wreck in Kansas. I had a seizure and wrecked my car. I black out before my seizures so I remember: driving...waking up in a stopped car and seeing a policeman at the window...being in the ambulance...being at the hospital and my sister coming in and staying with me while they stitched up my leg. I walked with a cane for months. I haven't driven since then, and that was years ago. They had to use the jaws of life to get the door off the car and get me out, because I totaled it. My scar is not very evident, but I lost most of the nerve sensitivity in the skin along it, and the skin dips slightly in at that point of my leg.

30 day photo challenge - Day 20

Day 20 - A picture of somewhere you’d love to travel.

I'm a devoted Anglophile. If you gave me the choice of spending a month in the Bahamas or a week in London, I would pick London every time. It's my dream vacation.

30 day photo challenge - Day 19

Day 19 - A picture of you when you were little.

So.

This is my mom's favorite picture of me. Not because she hates me. But because we both have horrible tempers and get very upset very easily. She says that this picture of me makes me think of her and how she felt a lot during her childhood.

30 day photo challenge - Day 18

Day 18 - A picture of your biggest insecurity.

I know, you're totally expecting a picture of me with some awkward expression.

But.

My biggest insecurity, the thing I feel the most cringe-worthy about at this time in my life; it's the fact that I don't have a full-time job.

I have a Masters in Library Science. While I was getting my graduate degree, I had a full-time job, benefits and everything. 

Then I moved back to Virginia.

And there was a total dearth of jobs in my field. I went almost a full year without any work. I work part-time now, no benefits. I like my job...BUT. I feel embarrassed telling people, "Nope, still part-time. Nope, that interview fell through." I know, I could look wildly outside my field. I could work in fast food, I could do lots of stuff. But I don't have that many expenses (don't drive, live at home) and...I want my education to MEAN something.

Please don't flame me for this, I will cry.

30 day photo challenge - Day 17

Day 17 - A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently.

knitted cold virus, found here

I was knocked out flat this past week by a horrible cold/cough/PLAGUE. You know it's bad when your eyes are crossing too much to watch a movie, so you just watch episodes of "The Backyardigans" on your netbook. I still sound like a crazed old woman when I laugh (ahahahaha, all screechy), but my voice is sounding much more like my real voice and I'm well enough today to go into work.

30 day photo challenge - Day 16

Day 16 - A picture of someone who inspires you.

(I know, I totally disappeared for a few days!

I didn't even post my 30 day photos!

But I have the cough from HELL. Still.

I spent yesterday in bed watching cartoons.)

So, who inspires me? That depends on what kind of inspiration we're talking about. Spiritually, Julian of Norwich inspires me. As for my blog, I'm inspired by these two sweet and lovely ladies:

Erin of Work with what you've got. Seriously, she's like a strange amalgamation of me and my sister and an extra dash of cool. She remakes jewelery to make it awesome, puts studs on her leather jackets, and isn't afraid to let her lame bits show (sorry, other Erin, but I have no love for the Spice Girls!). Plus she's sweet enough to agree to do a giveaway of my jewelry! This is a girl who's enamored of Wendy Brandes jewelry!

And Sal of Already Pretty. She posts a quadrillion times a day; links, videos, outfits, tutorials on how to do everything you ever thought you couldn't...and I totally blame her for my new obsession with scarves. Sweet and always giving credit where it's due, Sal is the kind of blogger I would like to be.

30 day photo challenge - Day 15

Day 15 - A picture of something you want to do before you die.

Write a book. And get it published.

30 day photo challenge - Day 14

Day 14 - A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without.

Jen is 21 months older than me. She's my sissy, my tiny big sister, Jenny when we were little. I would be a completely different person without her. And even though I can imagine a life without her, I'm so glad that I don't have that life. Even though she has a bony chin that she digs into my shoulder when she naps on me during car trips.
 

30 Day photo challenge - Day 13

Day 13 - A picture of your favorite (band or) artist. You know, I thought about this one for awhile last night as I was trying to fall asleep. There are a lot of bands I like: Ludo, Nickel Creek, White Stripes, Nirvana, etc. There are a lot of artists I like, too, like Lady Gaga, Regina Spektor, Ingrid Michaelson, Neil Young, Sean Watkins, etc. But I figured that my favorite was probably someone whose songs I could sing along to (knowing all the words), who I could listen to in almost any sort of mood. And I came up with two. Because I have a hard time making up my mind, you know that! So I chose the fantastic Johnny Cash and altogether underrated Gillian Welch.


What can I say about Johnny Cash that hasn't been said? His early stuff was amazing, but I believe the American Records series blow everything else away. Covers of songs by artists like Chris Cornell, Tom Waits, Beck, Tom Petty, Nick Cave, Depeche Mode, and of course the mind-blowing cover of "Hurt" by NIN, are sandwiched in between traditional ballads and Cash originals for a sound that's crazy-amazing. The songs can make you angry, make you sad, make you laugh. And the video for "Hurt"...Good Lord, you would have to be made of stone to not have it affect you. And if you want to see just how many famous people love Johnny, see if you can count everyone in this video (around 40).

Johnny Cash God's Gonna Cut You Down. Watch more top selected videos about: God'sgonna cut yuo down, Johnny Cash

Gillian Welch is an extraordinary singer. Her voice is pure folk bluegrass - moonshine undiluted. She writes her songs with her partner David Rawlings, and they play together, but her star shines. Like Cash, she can sing anything. Her songs are sometimes traditional, sometimes bluesy, sometimes rocking. You want a song about a woman who kills her rapist and is then haunted by him (Caleb Myer)? Want a song about robbing a bank (Pass You By)? Want a song about going to heaven to meet her (adopted) parents (I Had a Real Good Mother and Father)? Or just a song about a monkey (One Monkey)? Or do you just want to hear a good smack-down song about a boyfriend? Then listen to My First Lover, conveniently embedded below!

30 day photo challenge - Day 12

Day 12 - A picture of something you love.

 WEBCOMICS!!!

 They're like graphic novels only you get more every day (or 3 or so, depending on how often they update). My favorites are:

 

http://www.questionablecontent.net

By Jeph Jacques

http://templaraz.com

By Spike (This is a picture of Reagan, a no-nonsense plus broad).

http://www.freakangels.com

By the wonderful poison pen of Warren Ellis

CAUTION: These all sometimes contain language that could be viewed as foul, violence, and (drawn) nudity. But they are funnier than anything else I regularly read.

30 day photo challenge - Day 11

A picture of something I hate...

There are two colors that I truly despise, to the point that I won't buy anything these shades. One is orange. (Yes, my bedroom carpet is orange, but it was that color when we moved and I don't have the $$ to recarpet.)

The other color is teal/turquoise. I HATE these colors with a vehement passion. I'm truly sorry if one of these is your favorite color, but to me they are horrible. Although I have no problems with actual oranges being orange, or ocean water looking teal occasionally. I just don't think anything else should be.