S'More!

I am currently suffering from a s'more obsession. I've had one other prolonged episode, when I was in college. Preparing them in the microwave wasn't cutting it, so I would hold them over the burners of the stove with a fork...

This time, I have discovered the joys of owning a toaster over. I have been making s'mores under the broiler. After much experimentation, I have decided several things:

-the toaster over solves the problem of how to get the chocolate to melt--you can put the cracker, topped with chocolate chips and marshmallow, on a pan and as the marshmallow crisps the chocolate will melt. Just be sure not to leave it in too long, or the cracker will burn.

-mini marshmallows work better than regular ones. Regular ones tend to puff up so much that they fall over, and only a little bit at the top is browned. Mini ones provide more overall crispiness. Although strawberry flavored marshmallows are an interesting idea, and are fun to eat raw, plain ones are better on s'mores.

-putting peanut butter on the cracker before adding the chocolate chips and marshmallows not only holds everything on, but also tastes great. (Not to mention adding protein.) Freshly ground pb is the best, and is even better when lightly toasted.

-fruit is another fun add-on. I have tried blackberries, which were good, and just recently pomegranate seeds, which are fabulous.

-using Anna's Ginger Thins instead of graham crackers is also a delicious, international, variation, and very Christmas-y.

We'll see how long this obsession lasts. It started on my birthday, when my roommate asked what dessert I'd like. I am on my 2nd bag of marshmallows, box of graham crackers, and bag of chocolate chips (although I tend to eat them all separately, too).

I'm noticing that a lot of my blog posts are about food...what does that say about my life?

Dreaming again

Do you ever dream that you are waking up? Sometimes, in the morning, when I need to get up but can't yet, I'll start to dream that I am waking up, getting out of bed, and going into the bathroom. But then I'll realized that the bathroom that I am in is very different from the real bathroom in my apartment. So I'll try it again. I'll get up, walk into the bathroom...no, still not right. When I slept in a loft bed I would be convinced that this time I really was getting up, going down the ladder, I could see each step, feel my body moving. But then I'd get to the bathroom, and it just wouldn't be right. I'd have to start all over. Sometimes I'll go through this 8 or 10 times before I really do wake up.

I reminds me of a nightmare I used to have as a kid, where I'd be in this huge house with lots and lots of rooms. I was lost and scared. So, I'd start to look for my parents room. "I just need to go up the stairs, to the end of the hall, the door on the left," I'd think. I wanted to wake up and really go to my parent's room, but instead I'd just try to go to it in the dream. It was the same helpless feeling, where I was trying so hard to really do something, knowing the steps to do it, but not being able to really get it done.

Once I dreamed that my bedroom, which is on the 4th floor of an apartment building, had a back door that lead out to a grassy hill. People were picnicking and enjoying the day. I wish that were true.

Today I'm 28

Well, actually it's 12:00 am, so technically yesterday I turned 28. I was telling my friends at dinner that I've already been telling everyone most of this year that I was 28, because I got mixed up. Which is really too bad, since I like the odd years better, and 7s are especially great, so I missed making the most of being 27. (Or at least thinking that I was. If you're following this, congratulations. I know it isn't easy.)

I've always loved birthdays. I hope that I always do. I think it's wonderful to progress--to start another year of life. It's also a great time to celebrate yourself, and pamper yourself.

It isn't quite the same being far from family for a birthday. Luckily I was with family a couple weeks ago, and had a joint birthday party with my aunt. My family tends to extend and re-celebrate birthdays anyway, making them last most of the month. It's a good tradition. Maybe I'll celebrate again at Thanksgiving.

Last Friday I went with a few friends to a dance concert as a birthday outing, and tonight two good friends and I had dinner together at a Moroccan restaurant. I announced that I wanted dessert since it was my birthday. Actually I always want dessert, but it was nice to have a good reason. R did tell the waitress, discreetly, that it was my birthday. So she put a candle in the scoop of ice cream on my piece of cake. But she didn't sing, which I appreciated. It was a nice, subtle touch.

Well, here's to another year. Tonight started out fabulously.

Some of the best portraits...

just happen.

These photos weren't taken with great lighting, or in a great location, or with any direction or styling on my part. We were just spending time together, and I happened to have my camera and got a shot. Even people who weren't there when they were taken somehow see a bit of the personality, love, and connection between the subjects (and the photographer.)

This first one was taken 2 years ago, when these two were newly engaged. They've now been married over a year.



This is much more recent, taken in June. J. and N. were engaged then, and K. is N.'s daughter. J. and N. just got married last Friday.



as J. said, "This is my life now." I'm glad that they are all a part of my life, too.

my kind of houseplant

It seems that I've been over-watering my cactus...



can you find the friend that's moved in?

Tour de Manhattan

Cycling is my family sport. My dad doesn't watch football games, he watches the Tour de France.
My dad, brother, and I used to ride the local bike trails on weekends. Our favorite was the path that ran up Provo Canyon to Bridal Veil Falls. In college, I started regularly riding the Jordan River Trial, along the river all the way out the to lake. Riding next to the water, with tree hanging above, was so much better than riding on the asphalt trying to avoid car fumes on the way to campus and back.
Now that I live in NYC, I enjoy riding the bike trail along the Hudson River. It does get me closer to the water and away from the cars. I need to make time for it more often.
These photos were taken by my good friend and fellow photographer Elizabeth Leitzel last summer.

The Day the Garlic Press Died

So, I was cooking lentils today, and wanted to add some garlic and onions. I got out my garlic press, and a bulb of garlic. One clove went through fine, but when I put in the second clove to press, the press cracked! I didn't cut off the tough end, like I usually do, and I guess it was just too much for the press. I'm sad, because I got this garlic press when my oldest (though younger than me by 18 months) brother came to visit me 7 years ago--has it really been that long? I was a sophomore in college, and he was shocked to find that I didn't own a garlic press. (He cooked for me while he was there. Weeks later I found all my hot pads on top of the refrigerator. Which, since he is 6'6" is probably a reasonable place for him to keep them.) So he, my best friend/roommate, and I went out and bought a garlic press.

We didn't get a fancy one that doubled back to clean itself. We just got a basic one. And today it died. A noble death. At least no pieces ended up in the lentils. (I hope!)

I *heart* film

Got some film back from the lab recently that I shot with my holga camera. It's a toy camera that both amateurs and professionals embrace, as it can create fun effects like vignettes, light leaks, and double exposures. It's also very lightweight and easy to carry around. But to get to the point, shooting with film is fun--I love the suspense of waiting to get the picture back and see what's there. You can have happy accidents, like this,



where two different exposure overlap with a beautiful effect.

It was a lot of fun photographing J & N. K wasn't being so cooperative, but I had fun photographing her on the trampoline.









Can your digital camera do that?

The Summer of Weddings Part 2

The second wedding that I attended this summer was in Philadelphia. It's only a two hour bus trip away, but I decided to stay overnight so that I could see some of the city, as I've never been before. I found a great hostel to stay in, the apple hostel, right in the heart of old city.

I arrived around 4 pm, and was able to see a few of the sites before they closed. I went to the Betsy Ross house. I hadn't realized that few people knew that she designed the flag during her lifetime. They also have a neat program called Once Upon a Nation where they have storytellers tell stories from the city's history.

After the historical areas closed, I wandered around Chinatown. Here's a view of the downtown.



Here's a self-portrait in a window.



The next day I attended a Quaker service at one of the oldest Quaker buildings in America. Then I went to the wedding.

V and A had a very fun, relaxed wedding that fit their style. The ceremony was at a park right across from their house. Here's their front door.



V choose a vintage dress.



The reception was at a science fiction bookstore.



Specially decorated for the evening.



The cake is Alf.



The highlight of the reception was when A's grandfather broke out the harmonica.



The cake cutting.



The bouquet toss. (Taken by a friend of V & A's with a sweet vintage polaroid camera.)



Me and V

Routine

Sometimes it's nice to have routines. For instance, when I go to the beach with my friends J and R, we always stop and get basically the same picnic supplies:

8 pack of potato rolls or hamburger buns
1/2 lb swiss cheese
1/2-1 lb smoked turkey
1 lb potato salad (to eat as a side and also put some in the sandwiches)
lettuce
tomato
watermelon (from a truck in harlem)
Sun Chips and/or Doritos
Double Stuff Oreos for J and Peanut Butter Oreos for me & R (although we'll all eat some of each.)
Something to drink--usually water or Fresca

Usually we get together in the morning and go to the store together. We have to stop at MacDonalds either before or after so that J can get a large diet coke with extra ice, and R and I can get ice cream cones or fries. Then we drive an hour or so to the beach, set out our sheets, umbrella, and J's beach chair, and eat. Next we get in the water, then spend the rest of the day between the water, laying out, reading, and eating more. It's a great routine, one that we will hopefully keep up throughout the summer.

My Super Power

According to my soon-to-be sister-in-law, I have a talent that I was not previously aware of. This is not a talent that I've heard of in anyone else. It's pretty amazing. I can cause rainbows to appear. Not just any rainbow--double rainbows. It's not something that I have conscious control over, but it's happened three times now. Once when we were together in Ohio, once in Utah, and again this week when they received a package from me. (Apparently I can do this at a distance, since I was in New York and the rainbow was in Utah.)

Now the question is, will I use my powers for good, or evil?





Look carefully in the corner for the second rainbow!

Just another day on the subway

I was reading my book on the subway tonight on my way home. Since the car was full, I was standing, holding onto the pole. After several people got off at one stop, I looked around to see if there was a seat open. No such luck. Oh well. At the next stop, I noticed an elderly woman sitting at the end of the row, gesturing that there was a seat available across from her. Since I only had one more stop before transferring to another train, I smiled and thanked her, but said that I only had one more stop to go, and stayed standing.

I thought that it was quite nice of her to notice that I had wanted a seat, and to let me know when there was one open. As I got off the train to transfer, I realized that it probably had more to do with the book I was reading than with her observing me looking for a seat. The book was Your Pregnancy Week by Week, which I'm reading not because I'm expecting a baby, or planning on having one any time soon, but because I'm certifying to become a birth doula, someone that helps pregnant women leading up to and during labor. But she probably assumed that I was pregnant, and really needed that seat!

The Summer of Weddings Part 1

Working for a wedding photographer, as well as photographing some weddings myself, I am often surrounded by weddings. But this summer is different, as I have been to several weddings as a guest. Here are the highlights:

May 9th I was actually invited to 3 different weddings--one in Boston, one in S. Carolina, and a Sikh one in San Jose. I wish that I could have gone to all of them, but decided on my best friend from high school's. I didn't take any photos at the wedding or reception, but they did have a lovely photographer. I even am in few of the photos on the photographer's blog. (The two b&w of her getting ready, and one of my hand with a plant.) It was a beautiful wedding, complete in every detail. The ceremony incorporated much music, and the reception focused on dancing. I am so happy that the two of them are together, and that I could be there to witness their union. Here's one photo I did take, at the bride's apartment, where she graciously let me stay:



Both hat and cello belong to the bride.

As favors they had a bottle of honey (from Ohio State bees! Educated bees make the best honey.) and elm tree sprouts, which they raised themselves. Two people at my table were not taking their trees home, so I brought home three. One didn't make it, and I was worried about one of the others, but I have 2 healthy plants right now. Here are some plants in their greenhouse:



In the next installment: Phun in Philly or Alien Nuptials...

Undiscovered Talents

So I found out tonight that I can not only drive stick shift through the city, but I can do so with a kitten climbing on my lap and over the steering wheel. Who knew?

I would explain, but I think it's more fun for you to wonder.

You know you're tired when...

You try to use your subway card to pay for your groceries.

Baby Steps

I don't know why I didn't think of this before. I've been "working" on my new photo website for over a year now. Maybe even two years.

I think that the main thing that's been holding me up is my perfectionism--I want to do a thorough job, go through all my files and find the best photos. Decide what the best number for each category is. I've probably sorted through the same wedding photos 5 or 6 times now, making sure that I have a good sample from each wedding, well balanced and as even as possible. I finally weeded it down to 75 photos--25 each from 3 of my favorite weddings.

I also am busy with so many other things that I haven't been devoting much time to the website project. Recently, though, I've started working on it again.

Tonight I was talking to the friend who's doing the website design, and she suggested that I start by picking 5 photos for each category. I quickly went through the photos I've been collecting, and although it was tough to only pick 5, having that limit was helpful. I picked 5 from each category & formatted them in about 40 minutes.

I can't wait to get them up and have a functioning site!

Unexpected Reunion

Some photos of a family get-together recently.... randomly in April.
I guess not so random since it fit with the end of terms for several
of us.



a rainbow! There was a double one, but I couldn't get it all in the frame...



Hanging out.



Dental hygiene is very important. He's taking parenting tips from the monkeys in Thailand, who teach their children to floss by example.



trying to smile...

The conservatory:





Eyes like a butterfly's



the main attraction.



Is that a glass butterfly? (Look closely for the real butterfly)





fish pond. I did not fall in.



who can resist heart-shaped leaves?





Sketching & texting. Or maybe photoing.





Jade plant



At a favorite indoor market, where we got lunch and yummy ice cream:







I wanted to be the goat!

Happy Curtains

Since I first moved into my apartment in August, I wanted to make some curtains for the big beautiful window in my room. It seemed like a pretty simple idea--get some fabric, sew some straight seams, put them on a curtain rod, and volia!, right? It ended up taking a little more work than that. The first, and hardest step, was clearing off my desk to make room to set up my sewing machine:



The fabric I choose came from a wonderful little shop only a block away, that I happened across. They were even on sale for $2-3/yard! I like colorful things, and am not so concerned about things matching, so here are the three fabrics I picked:





Once I had the sewing machine set up, I was able to make the curtains over one weekend. (Although I did decide to stay home and work on them instead of going out on Sat. I wasn't sure if they'd ever get finished if I didn't finish them that weekend!)

Here's the final product:





It looks much better than the bed sheet & shower curtain that I was using!

Here's a photo my brother took with his webcam of my old arrangement.