.away for a little while.

Hello blog and all my Bloglandia friends. Please forgive me for having been away much longer than normal. The last two weeks I have been in a miserable funk, both emotionally and physically. I've had to step back from the internet for a little while, only checking my emails and the occasional visits to Facebook, also some small projects. I realize I have a lot of catching up to do as I'm sure many of you have wonderful stories to share! As I sit here, I can tell you that emotionally I'm okay. There were some very low days, struggling with blah blah blah. Right now, I am at, what I'm hoping, is the tail-end of a cold. Allergies hit me like a freight train on Friday and it's been downhill since then. The little one has caught a bit of it. Energy is low which means my intentions of having a wonderful craft filled 5 days off was not in the stars this time.

I'm keeping this short simply because I'm feeling dizzy and nauseated. Yay! But before I go, I do hope everyone out there is doing well! Here's a clip from a new movie that I'm anxious to see!

.sp wednesday::2.

Some days, the camera on my laptop takes my picture.

Some days, I realize, I really shouldn't play in Photobooth

because that's when scary pictures like this one pop up!

.film fading fast.

This morning I woke up to my dog barking. Nothing is wrong that I can tell. It is 5:30 in the morning. Oh, did I mention that he also woke me up at 2:30? Yeah, I'm not a happy camper. ANYWAY, the advantage, I guess, to being disturbed from a semi-conscious state is that you tend to remember what you woke up from. Does that make sense? Forgive me if I am rambling, but like I said, it's way too early for me to be up. I remember I was looking for new cameras. Or rather, old cameras. Actually, specifically FILM cameras. This is where being up at 2:30 in the morning and not being able to go right back to sleep comes into play. . . me at my computer, flipping through fantastic images on Flickr. . . loving the images made by Polaroids and Holgas. . . envious of the artistic soul that captured them. So in my dream, I go into what is supposed to be a Walmart but is not. Does that ever happen to you? You dream you're in a place that should be one thing but is absolutely NOTHING like the real thing? Okay, so that's what happened here. I'm looking at a camera display beside the store front window and I notice that there are a couple of pegs full of Polaroid 600 film except the packaging was totally different. Instead of being in that blue cardboard box, it was in a plastic wrapper, much like what inkjet printer inks are kept in. So I go up to a guy who was putting up stock on the other side of the display to ask him if this was truly Polaroid film. Of course he says yes that it is and that to the best of his knowledge they will continue to sell this film. I was elated! The price was set at the same amount it was when I bought my last few packs of 600 film at a real Walmart (the last place I was able to find them locally sold). All of a sudden images of things I wanted to take started to flash in my head, quickly. . . and then. . . Keoki. . . damn dog, started barking. Ugh. I realized then, that my inner artist is fully awake when I'm asleep.

So I recall a conversation I had at work with one of my managers and another associate yesterday. We talked about photography and how much things have changed so quickly from film to digital. That's when the debate over the quality of digital and film come in. I like digital. I love film. In this conversation, that's when I found out that Kodak discontinued their production of Kodachrome film. What?! That bit of information really tells me just how rapid film is fading into a thing of the past. I'm encouraged by the fact that there is still a strong following and maybe this'll help keep other films around a little longer. Maybe even bring some back to life. An Impossible Project?

Before I leave you today, I wanted to share some of my favorite and inspiring photo sites featuring images shot with Polaroid film. If you can think of any other spots that I have not mentioned here, please let me know. I like to visit! Have a wonderful weekend folks!

• Bradley Johnson::Flickr
• Andrea Jenkins::Flickr
• Mikael Kennedy::Blog
• Jenifer Altman::Blog
• For the Love of Light::Collaboration

.sp wednesday.

So today I officially take part in "Self Portrait [sp] Wednesday." Having participated in Susannah Conway's Unravelling e-course, I am slowly, oh so very slowly, trying to embrace all the aspects that make me me. The last 5 years of my life have been a roller coaster ride and I think, no I KNOW that it has had a toll on me emotionally, mentally and physically. Decisions, both good and bad, have an affect on us in ways that I don't think we even realize.

One thing I have noticed as I try to capture my "face" is that I don't smile as much. The right side of my face (your left) is actually swollen. It's kinda hard to tell but it is. And I look tired. So maybe you can't tell that looking at these photos, but believe me, I do. ha!

There's more I want to share with you today, like how sometimes I really hate the fact that we females have these hormones that make you want to cry for the silliest of reasons. But I'll share that with you some another day. ;o) Have a wonderful one!

.a bit of home.

Some days, I get home sick. After digging through some of the boxes we still have in our basement from our move here last summer, I happened across a tall, glass jar filled with sand and seashells. The sand I remember collecting from a beach back on Kauai, prior to me moving to California. I honestly don't remember which beach it was that I took the sand from! It doesn't matter I guess, although I can almost say with certainty it was Poipu. Maybe. I look at the course grains of coral sand and I'm immediately transported back to a place where the waters are sparkling blue topaz. The light fabric of my pareo dances on an ocean breeze. The gentle murmur of people enjoying the delights of the beach swim in the soothing sounds of waves breaking on the shore. The scent of Coppertone, salt water and barbeque fill my nostrils. My stomach growls. I can almost feel the sun . . . almost. ::sigh:: I miss the beach. ::sigh:: I hate being home sick.

.exploring nashville.

Ahh. . . Nashville. My home away from home. Why have I never really noticed you before? Well that's going to change!

In an attempt to get to know my surroundings better, I decided that I needed to take a different look at Nashville. I say different because I've lived here off and on for a total of almost 10 years. I was always too busy and too indifferent to really see Nashville for it's groovy self. Yes, it's Music City, but what else is it? Why do I always find myself moving back here?

I guess I'm going to find out. One thing is for certain, I'm determined to get out there and shoot some sights. Yeah, some of it is going to be cliched like the honky tonk bars and boot shops with their fancy neon signs that run up and down Broadway. It's no wonder this town was also nicknamed NashVegas.

On this journey, I plan to record some of my personal favorite spots. There will be no photos of Target, Hobby Lobby, etc. I'm talking more along the lines of Sam & Zoe's, The Beaded Bungalow, Bongo Java, Chef Yang's, you know, the cool local places!

Now considering this is Music City, I'll have to catch some shots of well known music spots like the Exit/In, Printer's Alley, the Ryman. . . well, you'll see. I'm excited to share this place with you, and maybe as I do, we'll both make some new discoveries along the way! To check out what I've captured so far, look here.

Hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday weekend! And happy wishes to you all for this upcoming week!