JANUARY - AT A GLANCE | 365

Here is my January at a glance, taking a bird's eyes view of the month as a whole. I thought I might be able to pick out patterns but overall I think this is a random assortment. Different perspectives, different editing techniques, different subjects. Some pictures taken with great care, some with no care at all. This is a big step for me because I can actually look at my own photographs with fondness and acceptance, without wanting to destroy them. 

This month I...

• Celebrated New Years with family
• Went dumpster diving... a lot!
• Discovered a new park right by my house. Really explored and took daily walks!
• Found a safe haven on the roof of a parking garage
• Dyed my hair "red" and freaked my family out on Facebook with "bloody" photos
• Read THE CASUAL VACANCY and WARM BODIES
• Cooked yakiniku for the first time
• Took two self-portraits that don't make me want to gag (one of which is now my profile picture for everything)
• Fell in love with chasing the perfect light, sunrises, sunsets, and that magic twilight hour
• Bought a hat and tie that make me feel like a true gentleman!
• Made oatmeal peanut butter cookies more than I would like to admit! 
• And...started this blog to house my 365 project, but it has become more than that. Now I like to think of this space as my own little corner of the internet where I can share my photography, thoughts, and reviews to hopefully connect with other people who share my interests. At the same time, this is a chronicle of my daily life and serves as a record of my time and how I spend it for my future self and family. I can feel my memories draining out of me and slipping away whenever I cast light on them. Without taking these photos and making entries on this blog I can 100% honestly say that I would have looked back on this month through a thick haze and not be able to tell you one thing that happened. That is what my mind is like. My past is foggy, my present is clear, and my future is uncertain. I genuinely thank each and every one of you who visits this blog or leaves a comment. It means so much to me that you took the time and it makes me want to continue. Thank you.

WARM BODIES | BOOK REVIEW

WARM BODIES was an awesome book - I couldn't put it down, and finished it in a day. I am going to see the movie tomorrow and I couldn't be more excited and less hopeful if I tried!

MARION | 31/365

Review coming soon!

THE CASUAL VACANCY | BOOK REVIEW

I have complicated feelings about this book, which I explain more in the video.

CHIVES | 30/365

SWEET OATS | 29/365

ROCK CREEK | 28/365

Walking in the rain. Splashing in puddles. Smoking cigars. Exploring, together.

THINGS THAT SAY A LOT ABOUT PEOPLE

The way in which they treat their waiter/waitress:
How they feel about the weather:
Whether they dog ear pages or highlight in books:
Fingernails:
Hands in general:
Their preferred creative outlet:
How much they dread/enjoy talking on the phone:
Whether or not they drink coffee:
If they ever forget to eat:
How honest they are with themselves (and others):
If they correct your grammar:
Whether or not they get nervous before haircuts:

I am always dashingly awkward with strangers - I give them a winning smile and my best manners, but fumble over my words and try to get through ordering as quickly as possible.

I love all types of weather. I like rain and snow the best, foggy days are still and ominous, and sunshine makes me happy. There is something good and special about whatever kind of weather that particular day throws at me.

Books are sacred. I try to keep them in the best condition I can, although the spines break from re-reading too much. I never dog ear or highlight, but my bookmarks are usually found objects like receipts or dollar bills.

Currently my nails are long with chipped black nail polish. Usually my nails are short and natural.

Hands are sexy and expressive. I am an absolute sucker for knuckle tattoos. My hands are always warm.

Stream-of-consciousness typing white on white with only a vague idea of where I should be headed. Writing allows things to bubble up and surface that I tend to repress.

Talking on the phone? Loathe entirely.

I have only recently started drinking coffee and I am already addicted. But, I prefer to drink Mountain Dew.

I skip meals a lot. I learned this from my dad who only ever eats dinner. The cravings come in the night time and then I gorge.

I honestly wish I was more honest and had more integrity with myself and others. Deception was a necessary survival skill growing up.

Grammar jokes are seriously the funniest thing. I will correct you by making fun of you.

I tend to jump in to things on a whim (and then quickly lose interest), but I cut my own hair, so I don't think nerves factor in to it.

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 Questions via the lovely Katie of BIRD AND WILLOW - answers are my own.

OUR MUTUAL FRIEND | 27/365

Currently reading.

EAST MEETS WEST #2 | EXPRESSIONISM + KOLORIT

EAST MEETS WEST features a unique juxtaposition between the Eastern (Asian) and Western (American/European) experience. This is a showcase for photographers and artists across the globe, shedding insights in to what makes us human. Taking inspiration from the sun's daily trajectory, this feature hopes to discover the parallels between these two hemispheres.

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This week's theme is abstraction and expressionism, using unconventional methods and subjects. What do a four-year-old girl and an ancient Hindu ritual have in common? In both cases, it is up to the observer to extract meaning.

Cosmos 3

Island Princess

Stars, Nebulas, Angels & Bottle

Eagle Nebula

Super Nova

Gold Bug
All paintings and photographs by Aelita Andre

All videos by Aelita Andre via Youtube

"Painting is really beautiful, I don't know how to actually describe it. It's almost like...the breath has gone out of your mouth. But the best thing is just paint and watch the sun rise in your own way." - Aelita Andre, 4

I can't remember how I stumbled across Aelita Andre, but I sure am glad I did. She painted those works of art above when she was four. These jaw-dropping pieces are absolutely gorgeous and I would love to have my own private gallery of her work. There is something so remarkable about abstract art that I never understood before - the ability to find meaning and see something of yourself in a painting is akin to cloud-watching. Some of these are so BRILLIANT it is actually physically painful to look at them and realize that some little girl was just splashing paint around. Island Princess looks like a rat samurai, Gold Bug has incredible texture, and Super Nova belongs on a folding shoji screen in my house, like now.

It is one thing to gaze at her stunning paintings, but another thing entirely to watch her paint. I just had to marvel at the amazing parents who set up a studio for her, buy her a million and one acrylic paint sets, and let her run wild. She obviously loves it, but is serious at the same time! I can't make up my mind whether she is happy or unhappy, a genius or simply a kid. Can you imagine following your creative pursuits with intuition, passion, and unrestricted confidence in yourself to make mistakes and try new things? Ugh. She is brutally fascinating. 

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All photographs by Katrin Korfmann

"The photographs register a Hindu ritual which entail the use of colour pigments and water. Here, Korfmann is not searching for a monochrome background, which reduces the space to a neutral point, yet the human figures themselves form the material which the colour field is created, resulting in an abstract image which has a remarkable likeness to a painting." - Katrin Korfmann

I urge you to visit Korfmann's website to play around with these images - you can zoom in and drag the view around to inspect every minute detail or zoom all the way out to see the image as a whole. Stunning. I am very drawn to abstract photography. 

                

DEVILED EGGS | 26/365

When I get bored I make recipes that I have never tried before - like deviled eggs.

THE BACHELOR | FRIDAY FILM

All screencaps by Caitlin Plavala. I take no credit for this show.

I am enjoying this Season 17 of The Bachelor, so far. Sean is such a good-hearted guy who is easy to like - I truly wish for his happiness and want to see him find the perfect wife! Although, I think it is too much to hope for this season being drama-free. I just don't want to see him get his heart broken. He is the most genuine and thoughtful guy, so sweet. 

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Like always, I go in to further detail and rant/wax poetic about my thoughts and feelings of the films I review in my video, here:

DRAIN | 25/365

FLICKER | 24/365

Cucumber melon candle burning all day. Catching up on Youtube videos. Pigging out on oatmeal peanut butter cookie dough. Not a bad day off.

LIPSCHITZ | 23/365

Made out like a bandit at the dollar store today without even trying! Purchased a classy black and red neck tie, Drakkar Noir (knock off) perfume, lipstick in the shade "sunset frost" (whatever that means), loose black eyeshadow, some lavender and rose petal bath salts, and a cd of spa music with sounds of rain and ocean waves ("gotta collect them all!"). And since Oregon has no sales tax, everything truly was only a dollar. I am abnormally miserly and cheap, so I will go to great lengths to have cheap stuff that looks expensive. I am super classy, I know.

MOON | 22/365

LIGHT MY WAY | 21/365

It is very difficult to convince myself to go take photo walks anymore. Now it is more like shuffling to the deck to snap a few pictures and bundle up inside for the rest of the day. I almost wish I was sick *knock on wood* so that I would have an excuse to stay under the covers. 

LORRAINE | 20/365

Lovely quiche this morning shared with family and friends. Fun game of Pathfinder that left my cheeks aching.

However, the night has turned sour with worry. One of my family members is sick and in the hospital and not acting like himself and I have no more information. How is it that we have no training for these types of situations? Never know the right thing to say. Colin's response is to clam up and divert attention until further information arrives. I get agitated and want to talk things through. Disconnect.

FREMONT | 19/365

This is the Fremont Bridge in Portland that I cross every day that I go to work. I love seeing the symmetry and the arches in any kind of weather - foggy, sunny, rainy, snowy, etc. Passing under the Fremont Bridge and seeing the cemetery are my favorite parts of my commute.

*I apologize for the smudge from my windshield and the size of the photo due to using the straighten tool. Lesson learned, my friends - pictures taken inside of cars rarely turn out! Oh well.

SUNSET | 18/365

Tonight was Friday Date Night with Colin. We went to the BJ's restaurant that just opened up. They always have amazing food and amazing service. This time, our waitress accidentally mixed up our receipt with the table behind us and they ended up paying for our meal (meaning we had to pay for their meal to cover for her mistake). Not a huge deal, just pretty embarrassing for her, I guess.

I am falling in love with sunsets, again. Maybe some year I will do a 365 project of just sky portraits!

SKELLINGTON | 17/365

1-3. Keto!
4. Dear Nightmare Before Christmas-crazed owner of this vehicle, I know this is creepy, but, your level of obsession for Jack Skellington, while a bit Hot Topic, is in fact, very endearing. I find your extreme car decorations charming and I think we should be friends.
5. Nice new hat! I am a gentleman, now.

DOCTOR | 16/365

This is how I like to cook - Dr. Phil on tablet and recipe on phone. These photos are just getting lazier and lazier.

CLARITY | 15/365

Have been reading this since January 1st. Hard to get through so far. I need to push through it because I hear it is amazing.

Note to self - don't take pictures of things on the carpet because then you will have to photoshop the picture to death in order for it to not look like you took a picture of something on the carpet.

YAKINIKU | 14/365

1. Dyed my hair. The bathroom looked a horror film afterwards. Hopefully this picture will freak everyone out on Facebook (I am actually evil).
2. Tried out a superb Japanese yakiniku recipe that I saw on NHK World. Basically really nice cuts of beef, marinated, and grilled. You can wrap them in large lettuce leaves with some cucumber and sesame seeds. The marinade was what really made it though: there's ginger, grated apple, garlic, soy sauce, sugar, honey, leek, etc. Heavenly! Pair that with an egg drop soup and homemade lime sake sorbet - voila! You can find the recipes here. I have had two successful attempts at mimicking what I see on Japanese cooking shows so I am encouraged to continue trying!

MILKATTACK | 13/365

This is where I spend most of my days. Desktop illustration by Milkattack / Carly Elizabeth Schmitt. She has been my favorite (unknown) artist for almost a decade. 

PRIMITIVE | 12/365

1. My car was so frozen this morning that I couldn't even open the door. I watched an NHK documentary on the March 2011 earthquake/tsunami which was super depressing. Then I got to work and there was an outbreak of Kennel Cough, which is basically like an airborne virus similar to a common cold for dogs. It can be transmitted to other dogs and humans and if it gets worse, could lead to pneumonia. My boss took things very seriously - basically quarantine-ing the two dogs. I had to suit up with special gear and gloves just to take them out potty. We weren't allowed to use the door closest to them, so it changed the whole flow of the work environment. Pretty apocalyptic morning!

2. Colin bought two monitors for his computer (which look really cool!). I got his old monitor (yay!). We ended the night by smoking cigars on the porch (and froze our butts off!).