Last Day!!!

I know I'm incredibly behind on my blog, but I just had to post my last picture on my last day.  I'll go back later and add the posts for the last few months (I took a picture every day, by the way...just wasn't good at posting them).

But for now...CELEBRATE!!!!!  I'VE FINISHED!!!

Days 286-292

The following pictures are from the week of March 14-20.

Day 286: Too Cool for School

Katie loves those sunglasses.  She wore them during her entire visit at our house today. Too cute!

Day 287: FAIL

Oh guys...saddest day ever.

I forgot to take a picture yesterday.  Completely spaced it!  I remembered around 3pm TODAY that I never took one.  I double-checked my phone, my iPod, and my camera for stray pictures, but there was nothing.

So SAD!  But since I'm so very close to the end of my journey with this project, I've decided to keep going anyway.  So here is a picture I took this evening that I will use as a filler for yesterday's screw-up.  I call it: Walk on By

Day 288: Headless

Self portrait number...whatever.  I still feel awful about missing yesterday's picture so I'm portraying that frustration by cutting my head out of the shot here.

Day 289: Old School

The two most used cook books in our house: Grandma's Betty Crocker cook book and the Better Homes and Gardens cook book we've had forever.

Day 290: One of These Things is Not Like The Other

I didn't stage this.  I found the cans perfectly lined up like this in our food storage shelves.  Pretty cool.

Day 291: Fun and Games

Hyrum and Esther trying to play Foosball tonight at the family dinner.  It's a good thing they're both on the same side because they were slamming those rods back and forth and were sure to poke somebody's eye out.

Day 292: Movie Food

Yum!

Day 242: Don't Laugh

Me...again.

Ok, so here's what happened.

I took a picture of myself in my new swimsuit today - in my bathroom mirror - purely for personal documentation.  It was supposed to be my "before" picture, and then after I loose the 10 lbs I wanted to loose to look good in this new suit, I was going to take an "after" picture and compare them.

I was not planning on using it for my blog.

Ever.

But when I realized at 1AM that I hadn't taken a picture for the day (aside from the one above) I realized I was up a creek.

So I cropped it to death.

Because this is - after all - a before picture, and, by no means, do I want anyone to see it but me!

Day 239: Typical

Me and my wet hair

I knew it was time for another self-portrait, but I didn't want to deal with thinking of something clever.  So I took a bunch of shots of myself around the room and this is the one I ended up with.

Typical.

Typical facial expression.
Typical hair shot.
Typical editing job.

Whatever, I'm too tired to care now.

Day 226: Stress Case

What my stress looks like on paper.

Tonight at dinner I was telling my mom and sister that it would be interesting to see what my stress looked like if it were on the outside instead of bottled up in silent terror.

I've been a little stressed today, if you can't tell.

We all joked about it.  Christine said it would be like some kind of intense aura, Mom said it would be red to convey the stress, and I said that wasn't good enough, that it would have to be noisy as well as bright.

Fireworks were mentioned.

I thought about it after dinner and thought it would be fun - and perhaps therapeutic - to try and represent my internal struggles from today in a picture.

This is what I came up with.  The scribbled lines around my head equal the noise and confusion I've been feeling all day, and my expression is what I've been doing all day as well.  I'm pretty sure I wiped my makeup off by 10 this morning.

To get this shot, I set up my camera in my room after I drew the squiggly lines all over some paper on my wall, then I set my camera to take a picture every second (like in a photo booth), that way I would have a chance to think of a good way of expressing my anxiety.  The result was pretty funny, and did help to alleviate my stress a bit.

Below is a GIF file of the experience.  I tried to make it into a time lapse video tonight, but my computer wasn't cooperating.  My favorite part is when I make that horrible face and crack myself up.  See if you can find it.

Day 203: Snow Cap

Me.

It snowed last night.  Boy did it snow.  And it was wet snow all day today (mixed with rain).

When I saw how bad it was outside, I armed myself with my new scarf/hood.  It's very convenient for days like this, when it's cold and wet, and I actually did my hair.  When I got home from work, I decided to take a picture of my new favorite accessory because I haven't done a self-portrait in a while.  

The thing is...this picture makes me look like Lara from "Doctor Zhivago."

I promise I'm not from revolutionary Russia.

Day 169: Self-Portrait #9

My hair...it looks longer than it is.

I'm thinking of chopping off my hair again.  I haven't decided for sure - I keep going back and forth about it - but just in case I make a split-second decision, I wanted to take a picture of how long it's gotten since the last time I chopped it.  Now, this picture makes it look super-long because I was tilting my head back, but still.  It's a good length.

A little too good, actually.  It's driving me crazy.  And I end up wearing it in a bun 90% of the time lately, so it feels pointless to have it this long and not show it off.  Plus, I hate the cut.  From the back, all trailing behind me, it looks great.  But from the front it's frizzy and limp at the same time.  It's my own fault though.  I tried to trim it myself.  Anyway, it's really annoying and it doesn't make me feel cute.

But, there's always that little voice in my head (usually my brother's voice from when he was in high school and wanted to indoctrinate me with his wisdom) saying, "Guys aren't attracted to girls with short hair.  It makes them look manly, and that's not what guys like.  Guys like long hair...it attracts their attention...you want their attention, don't you Valerie?"

It's a sneaky little voice, and 80% of the time it wins out...mainly because it's been whispering that to me since I was 7 or 8 years old.

Thanks Dave.

But, we'll see.  I've ignored the voice before.  Once I even went so far as to attempt a pixie cut (it wasn't a pixie cut, but it was definitely boy-short)...I'll never do that again.  But I do have a few favorite short cuts, so I might decide to "carpe diem," as they say, and do what I want.

Or I might not.

Day 148: Amused

Me.

Some people have those kind of faces that make you laugh.  And it's not because they are ugly or funny-looking, but rather, they look like they think something is funny.  Do you know who I'm talking about?  The people with a permanent half-smile on their faces?  The ones who look like they're trying to keep it together because they're about to burst out laughing?

I know a few people like that, and they just make life a better place some times.  I can't help but smile around them because I'm sure at any second they'll tell me what's so dang funny.  And if you haven't surmised already, I really love to laugh.  So if someone has a funny story, I really want to hear it, just for an excuse to laugh at something.

Day 118: Bling

Yet another self-portrait.

So I went back and forth on my theme for this week, and I'm still not sure if I'm decided.  But I think I'm going to go with "Bling" as my theme.  I'll try to take a different picture every day of some sort of bling.  It was either that, or the hat I'm sporting in this pic.  I will probably use that theme later, but not yet.

Anyway, I have another bad headache tonight - can't seem to shake this one too easily - so I'm keeping it short again.

For the purpose of this week's theme, I'm loosely interpreting the word "bling" as being anything shiny and/or gaudy.  I do not mean it by the definition found in the Urban Dictionary:  "The word "bling" refers to any unnecessary accumulation of metal or jewellery which impresses the simple-minded."  Because, frankly, it's hard to find that kind of look around here, and I take issue with the phrase, "simple-minded." :)

Day 106: No Talkie

Shhhhh.

Reason # 3 of why I like being alone:  No talking

I discovered this reason today when I went to pick up my parents from the airport.  I got used to not talking on my down time - in two days I got used to it.  So during the drive home from the airport, I couldn't seem to keep the conversation rolling.  I tried to think of things to say or ask, but I kept getting distracted by other thoughts that weren't relevant to the conversation, like what I needed to do when I got back to work, or the weird dream I had last night, or the new story I've been toying with, or the hilarious music video I saw on YouTube the other day.

This is a good and a bad thing, not talking.  It's good because I allow myself to just think freely, which usually ends up with epiphanies or remembering something important.  But today was an example of why it's bad.  I get used to not voicing my thoughts way too fast, and then I become a mute who kills conversations in the throats of its victims in mere minutes.

My poor parents.  They were all hyped up on their awesome trip to Alaska, virtually bubbling with stories and happy words.  But ten minutes with me, Debbie Downer, and they soon lost their thunder and any will to continue the conversation.  By the time we got home, the car was a tomb of silence.  I definitely need to watch out and stop myself from repeating that next time.

I tried to apologize later, but a lost conversation - especially one stopped mid-run - is like a regretted comment.  Once it's gone, there's no getting it back.

Day 80: Spinning

Playing around with an umbrella...INDOORS.

I read this article the other day on using blurry objects in photos to enhance them.  One of the example photos was the classic spinning umbrella, and when I saw it I realized I haven't done that one yet.  So here we go.  I rather like the look of the spinning umbrella. I may use it again later.

Tonight I'm wondering about all the things that I want to do, but don't seem to have the time for.  Like writing all the short stories that come to my head when I'm driving home from work every day.  Or deep cleaning and organizing my closet and dressers.  Or reorganizing my pictures on my hard drive.  Or reading the millions of books in my bookshelves that I own but have never read.

I'm wondering when I'll ever accomplish some of these things that are worthwhile tasks that would make me feel better about myself.  Why is it that I never find time to complete - or even start - any of them, but I have time to watch meaningless TV shows and needlessly edit all my blog photos before posting them.  And why is it that I can't sleep any more?  I've always had a hard time going to sleep, but once there I usually sleep pretty soundly.  Nowadays, if I fall asleep within 2 or 3 hours of my goal, I'm in good shape, and if I stay asleep longer than 4 hours it's a miracle.

No wonder I'm grumpy sometimes.  When there are so many things weighing on my mind, just beyond my consciousness.

Day 69: Shine A Light

Self portrait.

When I was young, I would daydream about living in a world where things like fairies and unicorns were real. I'm sure every little girl had similar daydreams.  In my daydreams, I would imagine myself meeting fairies in the woods.  And they would perch on my shoulder and whisper secrets in my ear and giggle and sprinkle fairy dust on me so that I could do impossible things, like disappear or fly like Peter Pan.  Sometimes I imagined being one of the fairies, where everything was small and dainty, and where I would make music when I walked and talked.

I still like to imagine impossible things.  Only now my daydreams usually consist of ordinary things, like being able to flirt with boys, or being devastatingly gorgeous and having as much money at my disposal as I need.

But every once in a while, I'll remember my childhood daydreams and long for the unhindered creativity of a 5-year-old once more.  On those days, I CREATE.  I create beautiful things in my mind and make plans to turn them to reality.  I create pretty pictures, or short stories, or little do-dads that have no practical use.  Those are good days!

Day 46: Air Conditioning and Heat

My pigtails turned to ringlets.

It was so hot today!  I don't like heat.  I don't know if I've ever mentioned that, but I wilt in the heat...and our A/C is on the fritz.

I spent most of the day in an uncomfortable sweat, my face a rosey shade, my hair frizzing up, and my clothes sticking to me.  Yuck.

We went shopping in the early afternoon, and I complained about the heat in the car.  Then we drove back home and I complained about the heat in the house.  Then I had to return an item to the store we just returned from (a broken picture frame that I didn't notice was broken when I bought it), and I complained about the heat walking back into the store.  The sun beat down on me while we walked around outside until my head throbbed and my vision blurred.  I stuck to my seat at the movie theater - where the A/C was also on the fritz - and I dreamed of ice cream and cool drinks on the way home.  I stared listlessly at the computer screen this evening as I tried to decide which picture to choose from today, and more than once today I've stared in disbelief at the box fans all around our house that aren't doing a thing to cool things down.

I don't like heat.

Contrarywise...I still had a great day.  I got to relax, splayed out on the floor in the living room in front of a box fan.  I got to play with my pictures and the new picture frames I bought.  I got to see a movie with my dad and sister and eat yummy popcorn.  I got to go out to lunch and shopping with the girls (always a favorite).  And I even got to read my book, which I'm almost finished with.

Oh, and my favorite part of the day?  Complaining about the heat to everyone, all the time.  hehe!

Day 20: Self-Portrait

Me.

I had the greatest idea for a self-portrait, but I didn't have the time or resources to follow through with it today, so this is what we get.  At least it was fun to mess around with the photo settings in Picnik.  I'll do the other idea another day.

The sparkles in this picture reminded me of the band, Sparklehorse.  I have a few of their albums (not sure how I got them) but I never listen to them because it's not really my style.  I thought for fun, that I'd look up the lyrics and see if any of them fit this picture...

um...

Sparklehorse is WEIRD.  I don't relate to a single song!  I mean, they use lyrics like, "But if you was a horse/I could help you with your chains/I could ride you through the fields/By your fiery mane"

...

I thought I had writer's block before, but those lyrics just chased any vestige of creativity right out the proverbial window.  Sparklehorse has to go.  As it is, I've deleted the band from my hard-drive, so I guess I got my revenge and chucked the band out the proverbial window.

Lame.

Day 7: At Work with Valerie

So today, for fun, I set up my camera to do a time-lapse of my desk.  I wasn't planning on using any of the shots from it for this project because - well, frankly - I didn't think they would be any good.  But, a few of them turned out kind of cool, so I decided to pick this one.

This is a look of pure concentration.  THIS is someone truly in the Zone.  I was INTENT on my task.  I was FOCUSED.  I was...studious...
Earnest?
Rapt?
Occupied?
Immersed?

Oblivious.



ps. Here's the time-lapse video of my day: