Xander

2009-04-04T22:44:00.000-04:00

Got a haircut and a new pair of shades.

2009-03-14T17:21:00.001-04:00

2009-03-13T13:01:00.001-04:00

I have my own email address!!

2009-03-04T15:05:00.001-05:00

Hey Everyone,

I now have my very own email address!! I would love to hear from you!

xander (dot) brody (at) gmail (dot) com

Love,

Xander

I'm so talented!!

2009-03-04T14:58:00.002-05:00

These are some drawing I did with Mommy a few days ago. I love robots and Mommy thinks I'm very good at drawing them! In the top picture you can see I already have a sense of foreground and background when drawing. The little robot in the middle is standing on a hill surrounded by flying robots and wheels. The second drawing I did with Mommy. She seemed very impressed with the wheel design I added to her flying robot.

2009-03-04T14:53:00.003-05:00

Picture 1: Me drinking my ice water from Tim Horton's with my fancy straw. I love the chocolate dipped donuts from Tim Horton's

Picture 2: Taking a bath to was off the smiley/sad/angry faces that are drawn on my hand. I like to watch Mommy draw and it's even more fun when she draws on my hands. Lately I've also been loving fake tattoos. We get them at school as rewards for different things. I have a lot of them on my arms!!

Picture 3: Taking a walk around Ypsilanti with Mommy on one of the warmer days we've had lately.

Picture 4: Mommy giving me kisses while I sleep.

Busy Little Bee..

2009-02-21T13:53:00.003-05:00

Since helping Mommy out with taking photos of Aunt Sissy a few weeks ago I've been a busy little bee. I have dance class every monday and I am really enjoying it. A few times I've tried to skip to the big kid class, but my instructor (and Mommy) tell me I have to learn the beginning steps just right before I can start dancing with the big kids.

Kindergarten starts this fall and I'm doing my best to prepare. A trip to Dr. Kochar's office was in order- I needed a check-up and a shot. The shot hurt a little, but I didn't cry to much. Mommy kept calling me her brave little man and bought me a new stuffed dog, so I guess it was worth it. I went with Mommy and Daddy to Kidnergarten Round Up. The teachers were very nice and the school is so big- I can't wait to go there everyday. I've been practicing writing my name and Mommy seems to think I'm getting pretty good at it. Mommy and I have also been practicing memorizing my address and phone number, the phone number is the hardest part.

On top of all of that I had dinner with Aunt Sissy and Poppy on Valentines Day and also got to have a play-date with Chloe. Chloe and I hadn't played together in years, it was good to see her. I even named my new stuffed dog Chloe-Anna....

That is all for now. Mommy's going to help me make a movie out of the almost 200 self portraits I took with PhotoBooth the other day. It should be a fun video to watch.

Love,
Xander

Photo Assistant

2009-02-02T15:05:00.004-05:00

Last Saturday Aunt Sissy was preparing for Snow Ball (winter dance at her school). I went with Mommy and helped out on taking some photos before Aunt Sis and her friends left for the dance.

I always love getting to hang out with Aunt Sis....she's the best.

Wall

2009-02-01T11:17:00.001-05:00

This is a photograph of the wall that I took the other day.

Mommy thinks it's brilliant.

Love,

Xander

2009-01-23T12:21:00.002-05:00

This will probably be my last post. I've decided to let Xander take over....of course he is going to need my assistance, but I thought it would be fun to start posting from his point of view. Here's a few pics to hold you over until Xander can make his first post :)

2008-11-24T14:36:00.001-05:00

On occasion Xander likes to play with the point and shoot. I'm happy when he's interested in anything other than cars and trains.

I've posted the rest in photobucket :)

Happy Halloween

2008-11-01T17:26:00.000-04:00

Will Work For Popsicles

2008-10-13T23:48:00.002-04:00

Xander wanted a popsicle. I wanted to take some pictures.

So we compromised.

I gave him a popsicle in exchange for his willingness to model.

Xander's First Rally..........

2008-10-08T13:46:00.002-04:00

......and all he did was steal my camera.

Check out his pics in photobucket :P

This Kid Tickles Me...:)

2008-09-28T00:21:00.002-04:00

Xander has been helping me move our things into our new apartment. I have to say he's done really well.

Today after we ate dinner I could tell he was getting a little tired of all this moving stuff. He likes to play games on my laptop and watch "Thomas Babies" (Thomas the Tank Engine homemade videos) on YouTube, so I let him decide what he would like to do on Mommy's laptop. He started playing a Curious George game on PBSKids.org and for whatever reason it had him laughing and giggling for at least an hour. I'm not exaggerating. I was running around the apartment and could hear him just giggling away.

I only bring this up because we did our last run to the new apartment really late tonite- I think it was around 10:00. On the way there he just kept giggling. Finally I asked him what was so funny and he said "George is funny.." and proceeded to laugh at the replay in his head the entire trip.

On the way back he was visibly tired, but managed to sing along to the radio for a little bit before passing out.

2008-09-12T00:28:00.002-04:00

So...a bunch of you came up for Rachel's birthday and little did we know (or maybe we did ;)) that Miss Taylor was a fancy little photographer.

I've uploaded all the pics to photobucket. I'm pretty sure she took most of them :) And if they are blurry, it's because she intended for them to be that way- which means she's awesome!

2008-08-25T20:31:00.002-04:00

Xander is sick today. He's sleeping at the moment, and I hope that it is just rest that he needs.

Sick babies are no fun.

There are lots of pics in photobucket if you'd like to see :)

2008-08-11T13:20:00.000-04:00

2008-07-25T09:35:00.004-04:00

It Has Come To Be...

2008-07-17T20:59:00.001-04:00

...Xander has learned the art of the awkward smile.

2008-07-12T12:27:00.004-04:00

Xander likes to use his finger to find his way through mazes. He also likes to hide the eggs in weird places in the refrigerater....

:)

Summer is Fun!!

2008-07-11T11:31:00.000-04:00

Took Xander to the water park on Thursday.

We tried the water slide again, with me going down with Xander this time. He still didn't like it enough to go twice. I think the splash was to big at the end.

Check out the pics in photobucket:)

Projecting....

2008-07-10T11:42:00.002-04:00

The aftermath of what happened at Xander's previous daycare center has effected not only Xander, but myself as well. A few weeks after pulling him from his previous daycare, where he had been going since he was 1.5 years old, I realized that I was going to have to choose another daycare or something equivalent soon. I was nervous for him-I wasn't sure if he would adjust well, I was afraid he would be forever afraid of any schooling situation.

Initially I looked into nanny services. I felt like Xander would do much better with one on one care and also it would work out better since my schedule isn't always 9-5. Unfortunately having a nanny isn't an affordable option at this point. Consequently I checked into daycare centers in the area and made some appointments. Ultimately deciding on a center in Ann Arbor.

Leaving your child with anyone is always a little unsettling, especially when they are basically strangers. Xander wasn't super excited about going and during the first few visits was especially clingy with myself or Tony. He's old enough now that he talks about his day more and speaks of specific teachers. While I know he would rather be home with Mommy or Daddy, he seems to be adjusting slowly but surely.

There was a moment when I decided I was going to take him out again, based on nothing but over protectiveness and my own scars from his past daycare experience and my distaste for public schools. Tony had a moment of clarity and pointed out to me that we had no reason to suspect any wrong doings at this new place and to give Xander a little more time to adjust. He also made the point that Xander isn't going to get use to a school environment with class room structure if he isn't exposed to it.

Fair enough.

I pick him up from daycare Monday and what do I find? A little boy with lots of mosquito bites and slightly soiled underpants that are on backwards. Turns out they don't treat the play ground, which is near a marshy area, for mosquitos. I also found out that Xander has been giving them a hard time about helping him when it's potty time.

So I communicated and hopefully neither of those things will happen again.

Notice I said I "communicated". I didn't overreact and leave to never return. Yeah....that was difficult to do to tell you the truth.

None of those things comes close to being as awful as finding out that your 4 year old child was physically attacked by another 4 year old child that obviously has emotional issues only to be told that your child is " a passive child and needs to learn how to deal with these kinds of things because when he goes to public school there's going to be more of the same."

Brilliant, right?

Despite the itchies and backwards undies Xander seems to be adjusting and starting to have a good time at his new daycare. Maybe he's realizing that you can't always be in control of everything and so long as you communicate and don't loose your patience situations that you may initially be leery of can become valuable and wonderful experiences.

Or that may be me projecting a thoroughly adult thought process onto a 4 year old.

Either way, Xander's happy.....and above are some big huggy pictures, that Xander took,to prove it.

"...to big for the big slide."

2008-07-08T11:45:00.002-04:00

This past Saturday Xander and I went to the Rolling Hills water park. My point and shoot is broken so I didn't get any pics.

Rachel and I took him last year but he was still afraid of everything but the little sprays of water that shoot out of the ground in the kiddie pool area.

This trip he loved everything but the big slide. He loved having his own tube in the lazy river, insisted that I take him repeatedly into the wave pool despite my initial nausea and ran gleefully around the sand pit even though I'm sure his feet had to be burning up.

His fear of the big slide, I hate to say, is not an innate fear. He was eager to try it out and I wasn't aware that you had to go down one at a time until we reached the top of the line. I was going to forgo the whole thing when a nice lady that was ahead of us suggested that she let her husband and daughter go first, then I could slide down so I could catch Xander, then she would stay with Xander in case he got cold feet and would walk him back down if that happened.

I thought that sounded like a good plan, so down went the nice ladies husband, down went the nice ladies daughter, down went the bad decision making Erica.

We're all waiting at the bottom of the slide. The nice ladies husband, daughter and me....waiting to see my little turkey come down the slide. Waiting.....Waiting.....

Then we see the nice lady (whose name was Maria, by the way) with Xander in her lap coming down the slide smiling away.

I thought the life guard said only one at a time?

He did, but at the moment I was less concerned with that.

So, here they come sliding down the big slide. The nice lady and Xander. Then they get stuck right at the end. She lets Xander go so that I can catch him and about 3 feet before he gets to the end I see a man come zooming down the slide. He plows into the nice lady who then plows into Xander and all 3 of them crash past me and plunk under the water.

And that is why Xander does not like the big slide.

He took a needed break and cuddle after that, then was up and ready to go back in the wave pool and lazy river all the while reminding me that he was "to big for the big slide". Which translates to " to small for the big slide".

:)

Things....

2008-07-07T12:44:00.000-04:00

I've been thinking about starting my own blog and dedicating this one for Xander related updates only. I think separating myself from things Xander is up to will make it easier for me to keep things updated. And keeping things updated and myself organized is something that needs to be done now...right now.

So, what is Xander up to you ask? Lot's of stuff!!

I found him a new daycare in Ann Arbor. It's a bigger place with more kids of different ages. He seems to tolerate it,and I've noticed he's becoming interested in other things besides cars and trains, but still isn't super excited about going. It has me thinking that he would do better with a babysitter or a nanny. I've found there's always one person at the daycare centers who is wonderful and everyone else just seems to be passing the time. So wish me luck in finding someone who is better suited to give Xander a happy place to be.

Speaking of becoming interested in new things, he is now into bug catching! I'm excited because for a long time he was afraid of bugs. I don't know where he got that from, but at any rate it's cute to see him searching for ants, beetles, butterflies and the elusive spider. Right now his bug catching box is on the balcony filled with ants and a fly.....and of course a piece of cheese bread for them to eat. Oh! and a dried up worm :( It dried up because he didn't want to let it go...sad...

Maybe this new found need for animal companionship stems from the fact that Heartbreaker doesn't live with us anymore. I decided to take her to stay with Mike a few weeks ago. Xander wasn't vicious with her, but just couldn't stop treating her like a 60lb pitbull.

He is still slightly obsessed with Thomas the Tank Engine. He constantly wants to "buy thomas babies at the walmart store". When he's with me that doesn't happen. I can't speak for Tony's resistence to his giant brown eyes and pitiful pleas :P

We have plans to go to the lake tomorrow. He's been asking to go for sometime, but it's been unseasonably cool here. Tomorrow it's suppose to reach 80, so we're taking the chance and heading out to the lake.

I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but hopefully if I update this more I won't forget the little cute things he does:)

2008-07-04T14:39:00.000-04:00

Happy 4th Birthday Xander!!!

2008-06-14T21:40:00.002-04:00

While our thoughts were with our uncle Larry today we still managed to have a nice birthday for Xander. He was grumpy and tired by the middle of the afternoon...just in time to take him to his dad's for his side of the celebration :P

Of course..lot's more pics in photobucket:)

2008-06-09T19:01:00.001-04:00

more pics in photobucket:)

2008-05-03T22:34:00.001-04:00

Untitled

2008-04-19T11:57:00.004-04:00

As I sit and write this Xander is watching Max and Ruby in his room, my apartment is a disaster, my chest feels like it's on fire and the need to take some real photographs is eating at the pit of my stomach.

I am so far from where I want to be. I have let so much slip through my fingers. I find myself just a little bit overwhelmed by everything....poor me :P

We've been dealing with some issues at Xander's daycare that has forced me to make the decision to take him out. I hate to do it because they've really been wonderful, but I feel like the instability of another child is severely out weighing the good that Xander gets from his interactions there. I suppose we will find another daycare, but maybe not considering classes are over next tuesday. We're just going to play it by ear for a while.

More importantly my Grandmother has had surgery recently. She made it through with out any issues, and while I'm so incredibly relieved that she is doing very well I still have a nagging ache that tells me I should have been there. I decided not to make the trip down during her surgery because I thought I could be more useful afterwards. Well...now I'm sick. Really sick. While the plan is to go down for a week when classes are over, if I don't shake whatever it is that has decided to make it painful to breath then it looks like my Grandmother will be back to normal before I even make it down. Then she'll be taking care of me, as per usual:P

There are so many little things going on too.....I've missed bachelorette parties, birthday parties,and other social functions.

I don't really know what I'm rambling on about....

I'll see you all when I make it down to Kentucky.

I've added pics to photobucket, so take a look if you feel the need:)

Holy Crap! Love!.....and run on sentences.

2008-04-03T11:50:00.008-04:00

Ok..I've been trying to write a post about how much I love all of you people. Because apparently it's GPD08(google it...I can't link for some reason) The attempts have either been rambling, mushy nonsense or extremely vague stupidness.

So....here;

I Love You. I love you very much in varying degrees of intensity for various complex reasons and you should probably know why and if you don't then do not hesitate to email (just say "why?") me and I'll tell you exactly why, but for me to list everyone I love and why would just take an insane amount of coordination that is kind of spent right now on writing a term paper on Frank Lloyd Wright.

K?

K:)

XO

Finally...

2008-03-29T19:21:00.005-04:00

...it was warm enough out today to take a walk down to the park. Xander had fun writing with the sidewalk chalk, throwing rocks and sticks into the water, jumping in the "bubbles" (puddles),checking out the bugs, and attempting to climb trees. I had to carry him most of the way home, which was exhausting but worth it. I won't be able to carry him forever.

When we got home I wanted him to take off his wet shoes and pants so that.....well, so that he wasn't wearing wet shoes and pants. He commenced to throwing a tantrum because he couldn't get his left shoe off. Of course me trying to help made it worse because he's a big boy now.

I decided to just ignore him...since he was being completely unreasonable. Next thing I know there was silence.

I peeked down the hallway and found him completely passed out. He's still asleep as I write this.....I should probably wake him up so that he will sleep tonite.

More pics in photobucket if you would like to check them out:)

Oh...and I'm hoping to get something put together from all the little videos I took today as well. Hopefully that will be done soon.

xo

Macro Xander

2008-03-29T01:26:00.002-04:00

Xander fell asleep while running errands today. Seeing that he weighs more than 40 lbs and is half as tall as me carrying him was not an option. Instead I decided to let him sleep and I occupied myself with the macro setting on my camera:)

Xander likes my new MacBook too :)

2008-03-25T16:46:00.004-04:00

We have fun taking silly pictures with Photo Booth on my MacBook. Xander also likes to make little movies as well.....so hopefully the little video thingy I've added ( thanks to Mike for showing me/helping me/doing it for me;))at the top of this page works (let me know if it doesn't).

It seems Xander and tony had a great time in Ky over Easter weekend. I wish I could have made it down, but I'm glad he and tony got to visit at least.
Xander woke me up this morning singing all the verses of twinkle twinkle little star. It was the sweetest thing because he was actually singing not just talking loudly as per usual. At bed time tony reads him a book of nursery rhymes....apparently it's sticking:)

Okay...that's about it. I've put tons of new pics in photobucket to paruse at your leisure.

xo

" You're the Best Big Girl Ever"- Xander

2008-03-07T22:37:00.004-05:00

I just realized that it's been a very long time since I've posted anything. There is no excuse or even reason why. I suppose I've just been.........busy.

Busy.......with things.

Hysterical

2008-01-29T23:02:00.001-05:00

Tony's 42......please call him and tease accordingly.

Late Report of Destruction...

2008-01-28T14:05:00.000-05:00

As I said in an earlier post, here is a what my tree looked like after Xander and Breaker had their way with it.

It's hard to tell in this pic, or any pic really, but the tree was completely annihilated. While I was out of town Miha was nice enough to keep an eye on Breaker. She tells me she tried to put the tree back together several times and then just gave up. Adding that she just pretended Breaker was helping to take down the tree :P Let's just say I had about half of the ornaments that I started with and all of the branches were folded down by the time I got to put it away.

In Xander's defense he tried to help by adding new "ornaments". Ornaments like books, toothbrushes, underwear, dvds, etc.....I'm not sure his style of decorating will catch on.

2008-01-07T13:55:00.000-05:00

2008-01-05T15:04:00.000-05:00

There are an overwhelming amount of new pics in photobucket, if you care to look........

2007-12-13T13:53:00.001-05:00

At this point there is no way that this post is going to be anywhere close to coherent. I'll just say it before I even start.........

The holidays are great because I always get to go to Kentucky and see my family, but the holidays are also incredibly stressful because I usually have a million other things going on that need to be strategically coordinated.

This year seems to be worse than any other. I find myself thinking about Mom quite a bit. It's not that I don't normally think of her, but lately it's been what I would call uncontrollable. I don't know if it's the stress of the past few months that's bringing this on or if it's the reality that she is gone that is causing all the stress.

Since February I've gone between being numb to feeling all out despair. I've also known that it is only going to get worse before it gets better. I hope this is the "worse" part.........
I'm not trying to worry anyone. This is a normal as far as I can tell. I think that I just want to say that I may be even less accessible than normal for a while. I feel pulled in a million different directions and I will admit that it's taking a toll on me. I haven't been me lately. I haven't been the best friend, sister, daughter, mother, niece or anything lately......and I need to regroup. I need to deal with things on my own...figure them out on my own....refocus.

And I'm pretty sure all of what I need to do starts with Mom.

So, that's that.

Xander took this:)

2007-12-05T14:22:00.000-05:00

I'm sure I'll think of something to say after I post this but, until that happens I'll leave it at this:

Xander was playing with my point and shoot resulting in several interesting pics:) They are in photobucket.

Enjoy

xo

2007-12-04T00:30:00.001-05:00

30 Days Until Christmas.....

2007-11-26T14:58:00.000-05:00

After loosing my tree that I only bought 2 years ago, buying a new one(and decorating it), then finding the old one.....I feel like the countdown to Christmas is starting off well:)

I have to admit it is cheering to decorate a Christmas tree. I love all the little ornaments I've collected over the years. Now my collection has been merged with Mom's collection. Now I have ornaments Rachel made when she was little and the angel topper I gave Mom the first Christmas after she was on her own after 10 years of marriage. I also have an M&M ornament I'm pretty sure belongs to Clint, but it's mine now:P

I was thinking that I should post this pic of the tree then at the end of the month when HeartBreaker and Xander have had their way with it.

Yep. That's what I'll do.

Thanksgiving was..........

2007-11-24T14:13:00.000-05:00

............filling.

2007-11-18T14:03:00.000-05:00

I finally posted Rachel's Homcoming pics to photobucket. I am not impressed by them. I was late, we were rushed, Xander was there being an adorable distraction.

It is painfully apparent in the photos that I was not paying attention. They aren't exposed correctly; some areas are to light, others to dark. Poor Rachel and Elliot don't have feet in the majority of the shots and for some reason they are backlit with no use of flash.

If you would like to see them anyway, they are in photobucket.

2007-11-17T13:10:00.000-05:00

" You don't pay back your parents. You can't. The debt you owe them gets collected by your children, who hand it down in turn. It's a sort of entailment. Or, if you don't have children of the body, it's left as a debt to your common humanity."

-Lois McMaster Bujold, A Civil Campaign, 1999

2007-11-15T12:17:00.000-05:00

"Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing."- Helen Keller

Let's Share....

2007-11-06T10:31:00.000-05:00

....Just thought I'd make a post to let you all know there

are some more pics of Xander in Photobucket.

Enjoy at your leisure:)

Chicken Butt....

2007-11-01T13:24:00.000-04:00

....This year when Xander and I went costume shopping I fully expected that he would be insistent about which costume he wanted. To my delight he passed up Thomas the Train costumes, Lightning McQueen costumes and the like. He really didn't seem interested in any costume at all. Even when I explained (in case he forgot....he's only 3 you know.) that he needed to pick out a costume in order to go trick-or-treating and get ......CANDY. That didn't grab his attention either.

So, I decided to take full advantage of what will probably be the last time I will be able to pick out a costume that will thoroughly embarrass him when he brings his first girl friend home and I break out the baby pictures. As you can see I chose a fuzzy, cuddly, absolutely adorable chicken costume. His first girlfriend will think it's the cutest......and every girlfriend after that will too.

Sadly, I didn't get to parade him around for Halloween. I had to work in the lab, but Tony took him out to Onsted to visit Poppy and with every intention of going trick-or-treating. Apparently he was serious when he said he didn't care about the.... CANDY. He informed Tony and Clint that he was "tired" and wanted to play with "Poppy trains".

Okay then......fair enough I guess.

end.

Poor Kitten....

2007-10-18T21:44:00.000-04:00

....Oh my goodness. A few days ago Xander tried to flush Heartbreaker down the toilet.

This is her after being rescued and bathed.

I don't think anything else needs to be said.

2007-09-23T19:41:00.000-04:00

It's becoming apparent to me that my life is typically rather boring. However, every so often a series of life changing events will happen.........all at once. So far this year has dished out an overwhelming amount of changes for me. Some I couldn't control, or at least I try to convince myself of that; others I suppose I brought on myself. While there are days (more than I like to admit) where I feel very overwhelmed; it is precisely the end of these days that I find myself stronger and more aware of my goals and how to achieve them.

As most everyone already knows, Tony and I have seperated. While it seemed abrupt, it was something we knew was going to happen. Tony is a wonderful person, and a great father. There are so many ways that he has become a solid part of my life and those will not change. Our focus now is Xander and coordinating our lives to provide a happy enviornment for him.

Xander seems to be adjusting well to the changes. He has been asserting his independance and going through his temper tantrums and utter mode of destruction. These things are normal, I know, but coincided with a time when he has become confused about Mom being gone. All of these things on top of adjusting to two homes is quite a bit for a feisty three year old to handle. While he has his days, he seems to be adjusting just fine. He is talking so much more and so much more clearly. He "reads" himself books when I'm so tired my eyes can't focus. He tries to flush many things down the toilet at once, and has picked up a nasty habit of constantly having his hands in his mouth. He enjoys pushing the elevator buttons in my apartment building and will get very irritated if someone does it before him, and to my delite has become a very willing model. Xander is just a happy, curious, and super friendly little boy. So curious sometimes that he seriously distracts me from homework......

I have two more semesters of classes left and then (yay!)I will finally graduate. On one hand I am beside myself with excitement that it's almost over, and on the other I'm terrified of what's going to happen next. I have never had any intentions of staying in Michigan, ever. So, now I face the rather daunting task of getting my portfolio together and finding an internship. Where will my internship be? I do not know. Are there places I would really like my internship to be? Yes. Only time, some hard work and very thoughtout decision making will tell.....let's keep our fingers crossed:)

On top of all the craziness I've decided there are certain things I need to catch up on.

1) I need to read more. Not school related things, but other things. Anything really....the news would be a start I guess.

2)I need to watch more movies. So many of my friends watch movies all the time.....I rarely get to:(

3) I need to workout. I was doing really good over the summer, the past month I haven't moved any more than necessary.

4) Sleep. I don't really sleep that much, then I'll get so exhausted I sleep all the time. It goes back and forth in that vicous circle and makes me very unpleasant to be around:P

5) Make more blog posts.....I am such a slacker lately...

6) Call my friends and family more. There's just so many of you I wouldn't get anything done if I talked to you all the time:P

Being physically far from most of the people I care about is hard, but through all of the ups and downs I've experienced lately and through out my life I've always had amazing support from my family and friends. While I tend to be stubborn and do things the hard way, I realize now more than ever that I would not be where I am today without them. I would not have the strength to push forward without the safety net of unconditional love that they provide. Regardless of whether they are next door or many states away I somehow, someway have been insanely lucky enough to have formed such solid relationships based on trust and love that the distance doesn't care.

So, with that thought I think I will end this. It's becoming rather long and rambling anyway.....one more reason to do these more often I guess.

One more thing, I have finally posted some new picks to photobucket. Enjoy:)

Summer is Good....

2007-07-16T11:57:00.000-04:00

Nothing of interest to say, just wanted to let you know there are more pics in photobucket. Also, class is getting out a week earlier than I thought. That means a trip down to Ky. is going to happen! Pending of course there are no disasters of any kind:)

Hugs to you all...

Scattered...

2007-07-06T14:39:00.000-04:00

Well......exciting times. Two Sundays ago we took Xander to see Thomas and Friends Live! at the Fox theatre. He wasn't feeling so hot, but he loved it. I have to say it was rather entertaining.....or maybe I just need to get out more! They didn't allow cameras, sad. I did however take some really bad shots with my camera phone! I just haven't got around to uploading them yet.

This past weekend I photographed a wedding. It went incredibly well. Jo was my assistant....couldn't have done it without her. Also last weekend I did some senior portraits and they didn't turn out half bad either. Yay Me!!

Sometime within the past couple weeks I thought it would be a good idea to go to a job site with Tony and take some shots. Not one of my better ideas. The guys aren't to comfortable around the camera and of course the one day I decide to go they're on a really steep roof. Hence the look of terror on my face in the above shot(I know it looks like I'm actually laughing, but trust me it wasn't funny at all). I got up there just fine, and then froze. It was hilarious.....or at least the guys thought so. To top it all off there wasn't really anything to photograph once I got up there.

So, that's that. Just scattering myself all over the place lately:)

Potty Training Complete!!!!

2007-06-22T19:35:00.000-04:00

The last weekend of May I put Xander through a "crash" course in potty training. I was determined to have him potty trained before he was 3. While I waited until the last minute, he came out of it much better than when he went in. However; he was still having accidents so I hesitated to get to excited. I am happy to report that the past week there have been no accidents in the pants, or on the couch or in the bed, in the car seat..etc...etc...! I never thought I would be so happy to see turds in the toilet.

This coming Tuesday will be my final day of spring classes. I am not ashamed to say that I really don't care what my final grade is so long as I don't fail......this math (if quantitative reasoning should even be called a math :P) class is so completely asinine and drawn out much longer than needed.

My summer ceramics class will start a week after my spring final (i'm taking requests for vases and ashtrays:P). Xander will start a tumbling/gymnastics class in July (hopefully) and in August we will be going to North Carolina.....I can't wait for that trip. It will be nice to get away and just enjoy the company and scenery.

Throw in some photo gigs, trying to plan a visit to Ky, planting some flowers and that is what this summer is adding up to be.

*more pics in photobucket of course:)

Xander is 3!!!!

2007-06-10T23:22:00.000-04:00

We had Xander's birthday celebration today. He made out like a bandit as usual. Cars, trains, sand boxes (yep, he got two), sand, transformers, clothes, bubble makers and even a kite. He loved playing with Taylor, wearing himself out every nite. He loves it, as do I, when we all get together. Even though we are all usually exhausted by the end of it all.

Thanks to Aunt Mitzi and JC we had delicious burgers. Uncle JD put together the sand box and played with the transformers. Auntie Miha provided plenty of sand for the sand boxes. Tony, Mitzi,Taylor, JC and I attempted to fly a kite.......with no wind it didn't work out so well. Aunt Sissy joined us as well, but I'm not sure what she was doing throughout the day. Oh that's right, she kept Poppy entertained with her girly stories......

Now it's late, and we are both tired.

^&*#@!!!#&%$@#@#!!!

2007-06-05T13:50:00.000-04:00

My computer finally died.....a quick, beeping, smoking, sputtering death. I'm sad, but mostly REALLY frustrated. Of course I can barely find the lightswitch in the office so the unit was taken to someone who might possibly be able to fix it....since I have a tendancy to exaggerate when I get frustrated said person has agreed to take a look at it before it's trashed.
Either way I must have a new computer and soon. Even if the old one is salvagable it's to slow for my photo stuff. Plus I want CS2 and a laptop..:P

Xander is a turkey as usual. Talking more everyday, and singing too! He stole the stage at the Greek Festival we went to over the weekend. I'll post pics when I get my computer back. It was hilarious! His birthday is next week. I can't believe he'll be 3. They really do grow up to quickly.

Not much else is going on. I've done a few photo gigs and am booked for a couple more, so hopefully the working trend will continue. I'm not going to go into the details of my recent hair coloring nor will I scare you with the happenings at my latest laser hair removal appointment......because not only is that boring to anyone but me, but it's gross too.

Ah yes.....my life is so exciting:P

Nothing new going on.....

2007-05-23T10:22:00.000-04:00

.....I'm taking my last math course this spring. Fun times. During the summer term I will be taking ceramics. I anticipate this will also be fun times.

Xander is in daycare 3 days a week. I've been trying to take him on more outtings seeing that the weather has been gorgeous lately. The image above is from our trip to the UM Natural History Museum. Xander would stop his mad dashing to look at the dinosaurs and other displays. If he stops running for anything you know he's interested!

He will be going to the Toledo Zoo next week with his daycare. I'm slightly jealous....I wanna go to the zoo! We are planning on taking our own trip there soon. Tony and I both love the zoo and I know Xander is old enough now that he will get a huge kick out of it:) On our outting to the park with auntie Heehaw (Miha) we came across some goslings that actually let us touch them!! I think I was more excited than Xander. Of course I didn't have my camera.

A job for me is in the near future. Whether it's going to be at Starbucks, in a studio or for myself is yet to be decided. It seems very feasible at this point to get a job of some sort. My classes should only take up 2 days a week (sans lab time and studying) for the remainder of my semesters until I graduate. I've been working on getting flyers made to post around town. Also, I've been working on getting up a website to house my portfolio. Both of these projects are half done! At least I have buisness cards ordered:P

Other than all the daily comings and goings we're doing well. I feel like a crazy lady most of the time and forget my name most days....but, I think that will pass soon enough. I hope.

As of Mom's birthday I began what I think is a ritual that I will continue. I bought a card, filled it out, sealed it and put it in a box. Sounds crazy, but it makes me feel better. I think it makes me think actively about her and with each card the reality sinks in a little more. Most of the time I still feel numb.....the cards make me feel something. So far there is a birthday card and a mother's day card in the box.

I don't know how many of my family members (and friends:)) still read this. I know I haven't kept it up like I should. But, if you do know that I love you. I love you all so very much. I think of everyone of you every single day. I took Mom's strength for granted and now.......................

I don't know how to say what I'm thinking or feeling........rest assured I'll let you know when I figure it out.

Kissing Bandit!!!...

2007-04-21T11:49:00.000-04:00

Check out photobucket! Xander got into my lipstick and ultimately covered me in several tiny little kissy marks.....it was quite sweet.

Me, Tony and Xander

2007-03-18T22:30:00.000-04:00

More pics on photobucket:)

He said Granny......

2007-03-07T23:11:00.000-05:00

He finally said Granny. I wasn't sure what to tell him. Since he has been asking for her for a while I decided to tell him that we can't see Granny to hug her, but we can see her in our hearts and talk to her in our hearts. I'm not sure if he understands completely, but I didn't want to lie to him. I think he will understand eventually.

Love you all.

Growing up!!

2007-02-10T13:54:00.000-05:00

I haven't written much about how Xander's been growing lately, and he has been growing! Let's see.....for a while now he's really enjoyed reading his alphabet and numbers but would never say them on his own or with coersion! Just the other day he picked up his alphabet flash cards and scrambled them all about(he loves to scramble things about) and then picked up various cards and was saying the letter each card had on them....without anyone helping him!! Needless to say he's been talking quite a bit more, asking what things are and repeating it back. No full and coherent sentences yet, but he's on his way!
He also likes to stand on his stool and help me in the kitchen and he really enjoys helping out with the laundry! His opinions are getting stronger and loves to inform us that it's time to go bye-bye when he becomes bored or irritated. I've also gotten him addicted to Flickr. It's a photosharing website and he loves to browse for Geo's (trains).
That's about all I can think of......I really should write things down more often as to not forget, but I usually run around like a crazy woman most of the time. The pic is after he thought Mommy's coffee mug had "pop" in it.........yeah, he was not happy to say the least! I had to kiss his tongue to make it better!!! The things mother's have to do sometimes.
There are some new pics in photobucket.

*Mitzi, if you read this...I'm learning some new tricks in class as far as image correction goes, so I'm still working on Taylor's shots. Hope you haven't decided to disown me for being so late with them. Remember.....I Love You.

:P

2007-02-09T13:28:00.000-05:00

Check out the website if you think this is just your speed! They have some very comical e-cards.**but, please don't if you are sensitive.Some of them might be considered offensive.**

http://www.meish.org/vd/

Well...that's odd.....

2007-02-01T14:54:00.000-05:00

I really don't like this pic of myself, but it's the only one that would render any look alikes. Not what I expected..I'll say that.

Getting Cabin Fever.......

2007-01-31T15:07:00.000-05:00

Xander's been very antsy lately. It's been far to cold to play outside and our trip to Echo Valley was cancelled for this weekend due to the fact that it's going to be way to cold to play outside with a 2 1/2 year old. Oh, who am I kidding...........It's to cold for me to play outside!
Granny and Poppy have rescued him twice in the past couple weeks from the boredom that is Mommy.
I'm busy with school and my camera. One of my pics was selected to be published in Eastern's art's publication Cellar Roots. So, I'll be off to the gallery opening on March 13 where my image will be in a showcase of all the work that will be published in Cellar Roots.Quite frankly I was stunned, but excited none the less.

Not much else is happening..........I guess I am a magnet for boredom.

!!

2007-01-22T21:57:00.000-05:00

Well, Xander has been growing. We still haven't been able to interest him in the potty, but I think that's ok for now. He's talking more, mostly repeating words, and at last we are beginning to communicate a bit better!
Nothing of interest has really been going on here. Same old,same old.

The pic of Xander and Tony I took tonite when I got home from class and caught them sleeping! The other is of Xander and Poppy (Clint). Xander spent the nite at Granny and Poppy's the other day and Poppy was nice enough to get out his electric train set. Xander would have watched it for hours I believe.

Of course there's more in photobucket if you feel the need:)

I thought it was January?????

2007-01-06T09:13:00.000-05:00

Wasn't Christmas over a week ago?? Then why do the gifts keep pouring in, and the one year that I was a scrooge! Xander has gotten so many gifts this year he doesn't even know what to do with himself. I hope that doesn't happen again because I'm afraid he will end up.....well.....spoiled. Still, no one seems to listen. MOM & MITZI!
Classes start on Monday. I think this semester will be slightly easier to handle than the last, at least I hope so or the chances that I'll have a nervous breakdown are pretty high.
Mom starts her class on Monday as well. I'm excited for her and hope that her shoulder injury doesn't prevent her from attending.

I can't say I'm particularly excited about the upcoming year. I think it's because it's my last year of school and it seems to be dragging along. I'm getting nervous about graduating and quite frankly my house depresses me, but I push on..........and on.

happy new year.

2006-12-31T14:45:00.000-05:00

It's not that I don't feel he got what he deserved. I just think it's disgusting when people celebrate someone's death. Death is death regardless of the circumstances.

Back From Ky............

2006-12-30T21:36:00.000-05:00

...........we had a lovely visit. We all were spoiled, especially Xander. The weather was fantastic for the most part. We were able to visit with everyone and Xander even has several new words: one being baby bull! It's cute. It's good to be home and getting ready for next year.

More Xander!

2006-12-20T09:25:00.000-05:00

Memories.....

2006-12-14T00:49:00.000-05:00

Remember when he was this big? He was so sweet.

Should I Feel Bad?

2006-12-12T19:49:00.000-05:00

I kind of feel bad about putting a t.v in Xander's room:

We gave in and brought the small t.v into Xander's room. Weak, I know. We thought it would remedy the fact that Cars plays 24 hours a day in the living room, and he doesn't even watch it half the time! Unfortunately, now Cars plays in the living room and Bob The Builder takes turns with Thomas The Tank Engine playing in his room. Again, he doesn't even watch it! He just wants it on. This pic is from the first nite he had the t.v in his room. Believe me, the facination peetered out.

I don't feel bad at all that Tony's sister had her baby and I feel nothing. Could care less:

I might try to fake excitement for Tony's sake, but that's just not me. He can be excited all he wants. I seriously don't care. I felt a twinge of uncomfortableness, but it passed when I remembered that, well.....................doesn't matter.

Somedays my heart feels like a cold lump of coal. I love those days!!!!!!!!

Toledo, Spain - Panorama

2006-12-10T23:07:00.000-05:00

Toledo, Spain - Panorama
Originally uploaded by chrisjfry.

This photo was posted by one of my Flickr contacts. I thought it was a beautiful photo and I thought the sentiment was beautiful as well. Just wanted to share. Thanks to Chris for letting me post this.Must, must,must view this large!

Thank you.

2006-12-08T23:30:00.000-05:00

I know I said I was to busy to post until after Christmas, and so far this makes the second since that comment, but this is important. I promise.
Today I was on my way to pick up Xander. He was with Tony at the job site where they are currently working. Well, the car ran out of gas. Not the most brilliant of moments for me, but I've moved on.
I was not far from a gas station. So, I walked there and obtained a gas can and some gas....of course. A gentleman asked me if I needed a ride and I declined. Not because he seemed creepy, but because I read the news.
On my walk back to the car, and let me remind you it was bitter cold, a young woman about my age pulls up and offers me a ride. I gladly accepted even though I was not far from the car. We chatted briefly about strangers and she and I agreed that being approached by a woman when in a situation like I was in is far less threatening than being approached by a man.
After a two minute drive she drops me at my car. I said thank you and she said your welcome.
As I stood pouring the gas into my car a white truck pulled up behind me. An older gentleman was in his work truck and he did not get out of the vehicle, but motioned to see if I was in need of assistance. I motioned no, but he stayed there at the side of the road, in his truck, until I pulled away. He was making sure I wasn't hit buy a car.Considering I was smack dab in the middle of an exit I would say that was a very nice thing to do.
I am writing this because today was one of few where my hope for humanity glows a little brighter. Quite frankly, most of the time I am ashamed to be a human being. Today gave me a rare glimpse into the genuinely kind hearts fo people that do exsist. Their gestures were simple, but greatly appreciated.

Just Gawjus Darlin...........

2006-12-07T21:29:00.000-05:00

Does anyone know how to spell georgeous/gorgeous/gorjus/gawjus/etc.......... the dictionary says it's spelled gorgeous. So, why do I think it's spelled georgeous? I think the dictionary is wrong. Stupid Websters. How many other words have they spelled wrong, huh? Makes you wonder doesn't it?

AHHH! Finals.

2006-12-05T20:52:00.000-05:00

Yep. It's the end of the semester and I'm running around like a crazy woman. Xander has deleted a paper I am working on.....twice. Aside from that things are great! My laser hair removal is going well. In case you think that's too much information I am only saying so to let anyone who is curious know that laser hair removal is fantastic. Considering I am as hairy as a monkey I think that I am a good source to sing the praises of laser hair removal. It is rather painful, but the treatments are quick. Ok. I'm done.
I probably won't post again until after christmas.

Oh Really?!

2006-12-04T16:23:00.000-05:00

Who would have guessed? The media a propagandizing tool?! I am so shocked. (didn't you hear me hit the floor?)

2006-11-29T22:43:00.000-05:00

Thought I'd post a pic of Xander. Since that's all you really care to see anyhow:)

*

2006-11-29T12:51:00.000-05:00

I was sitting on the couch last nite with my camera. Discussing the projects we should work on and singing eachothers praises when we decided to play with the shutter speed in low light. I thought this one was neat and my camera thinks we definately need to explore this slow shutter speed thing more in depth.

I'm A Wretched Procrastinator.

2006-11-27T21:09:00.000-05:00

Not sure what I was trying to accomplish here, but I scared the baby with this one. We were looking at pictures, mostly of him. I would ask who it was and he would say "me, me". Cute. Then this one came up and I asked who it was. He covered his face, whimpered, and buried his face in my shoulder. Kinda funny.
I didn't like this shot at first, but now that I have terrified my child I think I was looking for something else.Something not scary, but scary works!
So, why am I posting this nonsense. Because I should be working on my term paper, but I am a wretched procrastinator.

Funny Picture.

2006-11-27T18:55:00.000-05:00

I can't think of who this reminds me of, but the hairdo had to be shared with the world. Ha! I feel like the camera should just be permanently attached to my face. It would save some time. I was able to hang out with Xander and do some fun things today for a bit. And when I say a bit I mean a bit. There are , of course, more pics in photobuck
et:)

It's 3 a.m

2006-11-26T02:51:00.000-05:00

It's 3 in the morning. I've spent the past 6 and a half hours taking pictures.

Of myself. For another project. I'm getting really tired of looking at me. I never really like looking at me to begin with and having to look at myself over and over again for 6 hours knowing there is only going to be more fun filled Erica hours to come in the dark room only adds to my disgust.

One person should not be forced to stare at themselves for such a long period of time. It's unhealthy. I'm starting to see things....blemishes, scars, stretch marks, hair,etc...that I know will never be noticed by anyone but me. And maybe someone else who decides staring at me for 6 hours is amusing, but I highly doubt I'll ever come across that person. At any rate......No one else may ever notice my new found faults, but I know they are there. Just like dust bunnies and dog food under the fridge, and it will annoy me just as much.

Speaking of annoying me. After 6 hours the above picture is all I got that was worth anything. So... let's see that makes this particular photograph worth $300 if I were charging by the hour.

Happy Thanksgiving.

2006-11-24T10:15:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving was nice and quiet this year. Mom cooked and the rest of us ate like piglets. There are some more pictures in photobucket. Check them out, especially if you'd like to see Xander's latest boo-boo.

Trudging...

2006-11-19T18:39:00.000-05:00

2006-11-19T11:09:00.000-05:00

Gilligan was the focus of all the love yesterday.

Sweet Condemnation!!

2006-11-15T09:46:00.000-05:00

Well now, one would not expect that having your house condemned would be a good thing. Today is the exception. Turns out yesterday someone, somehow called the police department and consequently the fire department came to the house in Ypsilanti. Cited as a fire hazard are the following;

9 people living in the house that were not on the lease. Which means there were 11 people living in a 3 bedroom house.
Excessive number of pets and pet excrement.
Uncleanlyness to the level of creating a fire hazard.
Holes in the walls (which the lovely tenants puched through themselves to run cables) with exposed wires.
A room in the basement with no eggress window.(this is not a room, but a cubby hole for the utility box that, yes, someone was sleeping in.)

The Fire Department, who are now on the top of my favorite people list, consequently told everyone that was in the house at the time they inspected to take their pets and whatever they could carry and leave the premises. The house is now padlocked and inaccesible to anyone but Tony and the Fire Department!!

Tony had filed eviction papers expecting it to take months to actually evict them. In the meantime they were having a great time trashing the place even more. It's been a nightmare. Finally it's over. Sweet Condemnation!

Oh Me Miha..Oh Me Miha.

2006-11-14T21:05:00.000-05:00

The holidays are fast approaching. I'm not sure I'll even notice them this year. Do to the fact that my head is in a pretty good spin right now and I can't see it stopping until closer to 2008. At any rate...me Miha sent me the most wise email today. I thought I would share it with you, oh internet. Here is what me Miha has to say about the end of this semester and the coming holiday break.

"I have come this far and I will finish. Come hell or high water I will rest when this is over. I will roll in the snow capped hills and fall on my butt trying to ski. I will have white knuckles from holding on to the rail to hard on the ice-rink and I will do a belly flop on a snow-tube. I will sit on Santa's lap and wish for something, then go buy it myself so that my wishes will come true this holiday season. I will lose my voice singing Christmas carols. I will send everybody and their mother a card for Christmas and I will make a Christmas tree and have little presents underneath. I will host a Holiday Salsa Night and snuggle between my flannel sheets and then ....then if I'm tired and exhaused....I won't care, because then I'll feel as though I've lived and my sleep will be peaceful."

ps-the image is of Rachel. She is winter.

Ceremonious Burning of the Pinhole Camera.

2006-11-05T09:30:00.000-05:00

I made this pinhole camera out of an oatmeal can for a project in class. I must add that I seriously disliked my pinhole camera not all pinhole camera's. Actually some people make pinhole camera's out of pretty nifty stuff and take some awesome pictures with them. I am sticking to my 35mm for now.
At any rate

I decided to use the ceremonious burning of my pinhole camera in my new assignment. Which is to capture time. These are some pics I took with my digital. I'm planning on making a collage with my black and white prints and coloring in the flames. Should be nifty.

Photo's Playing at the Park.

2006-11-04T15:58:00.000-05:00

Xander and I went to the park this afternoon. A place we had not been in a while do to how cold it has been. I got lucky and was able to get quite a few good shots of him. The ones that are blurry are suppose to be. Which means they're good because it was intentional.Whereas if the blurryness had been a mistake, the shots would have been considered crap. Make sense right?:) Ask my photography instructor...I don't get it either.

If you'd like to view them just go to photobucket!

Just When I Thought I Was Smart...

2006-11-03T08:15:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure if anyone recalls the time when I sent my brand new zoom lens back to the manufacturer because I was sure it was broken, and it ended up that I had left a wide angle adapter on it. Yep. That was a moment of brilliance that I want to remember for eternity. Alas, that moment has passed and a false sense of security convinced me I was smart again. Until yesterday that is.
You see the negatives for all of my projects have been horribly underexposed.(keep in mind I've never used a manual film camera) I was nearly brought to tears after developing the roll that I shot of Rachel and found that not only was it underexposed, but more often than not there wasn't even an image to be seen. I put away my camera for a few days and mulled over what the problem could be.
Was it me? Was I a terrible photographer that should run screaming away from anything to do with photography?Maybe.
Was it the camera? Was it broken?No.
Had I bought a bad batch of film?Unlikely.
Was the light meter broken? Yes. That had to be it!
So, yesterday I sat down with my very patient and kind instructor to discuss the problems I was having. Within 30 seconds it dawned on me what I had been doing wrong.
The first thing I asked was for her to check my light meter and make sure it was working since I had decided that had to be the problem. It just couldn't be that I was a blundering idiot. Turns out that I was wrong. My light meter works fine. Here's what I was doing wrong:
My SLR camera is aperature priority(the aperature works like the iris of your eye). Which means that it is my responsibility to decide which aperature setting I'm going to use and then the light meter suggest the shutter speed. Makes sense and I knew that but for some reason I wasn't using that knowledge.
I, being smart and stuff, was not changing the aperature. I had it in my head that the light meter suggested the shutter speed and then the aperature was to be set accordingly. Which means that I was taking all of my pictures as f/22 and anywhere from 1/1 to 1/4 and even at the bulb setting. Which means that the aperature was the smallest it could possibly be letting in very little light. I was confused as to why the camera was metering every situation similarly, but took the pictures anyway.
Live and learn, right?

Anyhow, the pictures I have posted I took with my digital camers. Hence, why they are visible. Xander is constantly climbing on Delilah. She has saintly patience with him. He loves every minute of it!

Halloween Dragon!

2006-11-01T20:32:00.000-05:00

I'm still waiting on more pictures..don't ask....just enjoy them as they come.:)

My 100th Post..and on Halloween!!

2006-10-31T07:49:00.000-05:00

Rachel was kind enough to model for my photography project. I think I wore her out. I haven't developed the film yet, but I did take a few shots with my digital camera during the session. I didn't have it on the tri-pod so they are a bit blurry. I wanted to post them now because I realized that Rachel looks like my aunt Tammy.
This is a revvelation because forever people have said she looks like her fathers mother or her fathers sister..which would have been enough of a compliment if it were true, but I never saw it. I could never figure out who she looked like. Until I saw these pictures and I realized she looks like our Mom's sister Tammy! Rachels nose is turned up, but she still looks so much like her.
Check out the rest of the pictures in photobucket..you'll see. Keep in mind the picture I have posted of my aunt is the only one I have digitally. It's not the best and I hope she doesn't strangle me for posting it, but just look at the facial structure and compare it with Rachel's.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

2006-10-29T11:06:00.000-05:00

There are more photos in photobucket. And.........there will be even more after Xander has gone trick-or-treating both later today and this coming tuesday. Which is the official day of Halloween. As of now there are a few pictures from our Halloween party. There will be more of those once Irena sends me the pics from her camera.
Fun was had by all...except for poor Irene-Marie. She was brave enough to come over despite her allergies to dogs. Consequently her visit was short lived, but she and Jimmy were able to come to the comedy show with us! Which was bloody hilarious. Pop and Politics with Jimmy Pardo at the Comedy Showcase.
Everyone looked awesome! It's great to hang out with people who don't take themselves to seriously!!

I will post Xander's Halloween adventures as they unfold.

Happy Halloween!!!

2006-10-26T15:37:00.000-04:00

Normally putting foot in mouth is not a pleasant experience, but I must concede that in this case it tastes pretty good. My long standing views on post-modern art evolving into beautiful experiences that have given me the much needed confidence to work in a style I once thought was foolish. I am blissfully learning that a piece of art(be it painting, sculpture, photography, etc...) does not necessarily need to portray something that any viewer will grasp as a specific subject or concept. Rather, the works can take on a meaning wholly inherent to the individual viewers experiences. It can mean different things to different people.

It seems obvious that our world is ever exspanding. There are no general experiences that will create a multipurpose reaction from the general public because each individual has their own reality effected by their enviornment and upbringing. So, while and artist may create something that has specific meaning to them it is meant to translate to a broader audience based on the audiences reaction to it. Not in just knowing what exactly it is that your seeing, but relating it to your own experiences and thoughts.

I feel as if I've had this knowledge, this whole other world, hanging above my head my entire life and only now have I taken the time to look up and see that it is there for me to have.

The picture I've included is by Francesca Woodman. As of yet I have never seen images so raw. Raw with emotion and a beautiful mind. She commited suicide when she was 22.

Lastly I want to add that I am still having considerable trouble grasping (for lack of a better word) seriously abstract and minimalist works. I let you know when that epiphany hits.

2006-10-26T15:12:00.000-04:00

Couldn't you just eat him!!?? This is one of my favorite pictures of Xander. His GrandDaddy took this while visiting us for Xander's first birthday. I love his expression, his giant brown eyes, and those chubby little cheeks!!Oooooh! He's so cute.

Happy Candy!

2006-10-23T17:06:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Jill for the picture of this precious little doggie!! Love it!!
She's like happy candy:)

Sweet! An Invisibility Cloak!

2006-10-22T20:01:00.000-04:00

I thought this little article discussing recent breakthroughs in Invisibility Cloaks ( yes, that's what I said) was pretty amazing. The pros of having a cloak of invisibility are fantastic; ranging from hiding objects to protecting entire cities from earthquakes! Can't wait to see where they take this new technology.
Of course my innate pessimism can't help but wonder how this possibly, eventually, will be used to do something nasty and destructive.
At any rate...I wish that I had one now. I would throw it over Tony's rental house in Ypsilanti and rid the world of a disgusting eye sore. You know the kind of house I'm talking about. The kind that needs to be painted. The kind that is in desperate need of some decent landscaping. You know...The kind that have tenants that throw their dead cats into a iron bathtub in the back yard and have weeks of garbage on the back porch and have 4 dogs instead of the agreed upon 1 and several cats, birds, lizards, fish and I swear I think I saw a monkey, but I may have been hallucinating from the miasma of animal excrement,body odor, beer, smoke and general funk that oozes through and out of that horrid place. You know...That kind of house.

Photography 101.

2006-10-19T20:51:00.000-04:00

I finally finished my very first photography project, so no more will you be seeing an overabundance of my self portraits. The images seemed to be a hit during critique, but for their content only. My technical skills are still lacking. After tearing my first roll of film and then subsequently exposing the entire roll to daylight I was sure nothing else could go wrong. Right. I love how delusional I can be sometimes.
The second roll of film made its way to the dark room and even went so far as to be developed......with an unsufficient amount of chemicals.
Still, I managed to use several of the images to print. Albeit with some serious filter use and much trial, error, burning and dodging. Of course during the printing process the chemicals expired and I was not aware of this considering it was the very first time I ever printed and secondly because it wasn't my responsibility to keep up with the chemicals. There is a lab assistant to do that and answer all of our novice questions.
At any rate...despite the technical problems I am rather happy with the content of my photographs. I recieved the highest of compliments during critique when my instructor and other class mates compared this image of me in the tub to Gustav Klimpt's painting style. Wow! was I ever flattered.
If you are unfamiliar with Gustav Klimpt please check this out. He is my favorite painter ever.

:( it's snowing.

2006-10-12T15:46:00.000-04:00

Xander slept the entire nite in the bed with Tony. In case this seems irrelevent to you remember that we sleep in the same room, but in different beds. Xander usually sleeps in the bed with me. I am sad.

I'm Too Sexy For My Blog....

2006-10-08T16:49:00.000-04:00

....Just when I was trying so hard not to take a cheesy picture of myself for my project..... Let us all have a laugh at my expense so I can feel like a valid photographer again.

I got nothin.......

2006-10-08T14:05:00.000-04:00

I have nothing intelligent to say today. Days past and upcoming are debatable as well. Still, here are some brief thoughts that I have had this week. Brief in explanation and brief in their existence in my head.

The 2/3 of the Parthenon frieze taken by Lord Elgin in 1806 should stay in England. They were bought, however shady the deal may seem by today's standards, and since most people realize there is no legal precedent for returning the marbles it is only a bit whiny to claim that Britain is under "moral" obligation to return said works. But, hey if one insists on pursuing that argument I would suggest that the entire United States of America gear up for some serious changes because that would mean we should give the American Indians their land back.

Brava to Ms. Magazine and their campaign to promote the right to choose. Next week the magazine will publish and issue that contains the names of thousands of women who have had an abortion and were willing to put their names out there to support the right to choose. Brave women.

I love dogs in clothes. I don't care how stupid it may seem to others I think it's down right adorable. So there.