Shooting people

A dear friend sent me a surprise gift in the mail last week.

necklace

It was a necklace. Do you know how hard it is to take a picture of yourself wearing a necklace. Here’s what it looks like up close.

necklace 2

It says, “I shoot people” and has a picture of a camera on it. It reminds me of all the signage at my dad’s house. Like this one:

sign

The necklace kind of has that sarcastic edge that suits me well. Ruthanne knows me pretty well.

Take a look back up at that first picture and let me tell you a story. A few weeks ago my Canon Rebel started giving me the error 99 message. I took it in and they told me it would have to be sent off to Canon to be repaired (at no cost to me, I had a warranty) and it would take 6 to 8 weeks.

I came home and decided I needed a second camera. 6 to 8 weeks was far too long to be without a camera.

I mulled over what I wanted to do and looked at all the Canon cameras out there. I finally decided on the 40d. I got a used one off Ebay with three batteries and a grip and was able to pay with it from money I made “shooting people.”

I’m having a lot of fun getting to know my new camera. It did not come with a user’s manual. I always read the manual, cover to cover, whenever I get any new gadget. I like to know what all it can do. So, this is frustrating for me. I spent about an hour after I got the camera in the mail just looking at it confused. Though it works a lot like the Rebel, for me, reading always comes before using.

Yesterday evening, I finally picked it up and started practicing. I still feel like I’m missing a huge piece of the camera. I will probably have to find a manual online and order one. I need it in my hands.

Here are some of my practice shots.

walking with the pack

owen 1

b and maggie

cl

ebs, july 2010

And you know there will be more to come.

Google chat

I was chatting with Suzanne tonight and I had her laughing, as usual. I’m so funny to her. Maybe she’s easily amused at 10 pm, I don’t know. Maybe you can tell me.

(The baby and her stash: multiple pacis, a drink and her banana).

Suzanne:  I need a pep talk to start my blogher review.

me:  ok.

you can do it, yes you can. if suzanne can’t do it, no one can!

Suzanne: :)   :)

you at least took the pain out of it for me.

me:  a tylenol could have done that

Suzanne:  but it wouldn’t have made me smile.

me:  what are you reviewing?

Suzanne:  why do i dread this so much?

some crystal light little insta drink things.

i hate failure.

i want to be perfect.

there.

me:  ok, i know this sounds silly, you write all the time, but it helps me

Suzanne:  i said it.

me:  make an outliine.

Suzanne:  okay, i’m listening.

me:  i’m serious. limit yourself to 3 words per line. I. crystal light. 1. tastes great  2. pretty color 3. don’t have to share with kids

this will keep you on track and get you jumpstarted.

i broke my own rule on #3 but i was trying to be funny

Suzanne:  yeah, i’m followin’.

me:  then when you write it, break the outline rules. the outline is just to get the ideas pumping. use it if you need to, but if it feels too restricting, abandon it.

Suzanne:  gotcha.

that does help.

i hate staring at a blank screen.

me:  i’m a wealth of information

Suzanne:)

indeed you are.

i’ll let you know if i’m stuck again.  i’m sure you can talk me out.

or give me a chocolate recipe.

me:  listening to pearl yodel on beverly hillbillies

yes, i can.

Suzanne:)

me:  chocolate sounds good right now.

Suzanne:  i have some new oreo cream chocolate covered cookie things.

have you tried ‘em?

oh my.

me:  no. don’t like store bought cookies

Suzanne:  are you kidding me?

i forget who i’m talking to.

me:  i know

the freak

i found out another freaky thing about me tonight.

Suzanne:  i’m with ya on most store bought cookies, but oreos don’t technically count as a cookie.

yeah?

me:  one thigh is bigger than the other.

Suzanne:  hahahaha!

whatever.

me:  i keep putting on pants and one leg is always tighter.

Suzanne:  you’re like seinfeld.

me:  i know. i’m a seinfeld show every day

Suzanne:  it’s always something.

me:  i know

Suzanne:) :)

Suzanne:  she smells like soup, he’s a close talker, she has man-hands, the wrong light, one thigh’s bigger than the other…

matt and i have about every episode memorized.

me:  some people really do smell like soup

or grandma powder

Suzanne:  hahahaha!

“grandma powder”

crackin’ me up.

me:  some people smell like mustard

no pickles

i get them mixed up. hamburger ruinations

Suzanne:  and THIS is why i ask you to give me a pep talk.

hahahaha

me:  it doesn’t really seem like a pep talk.

more like a bizarre blog post

Suzanne:  trying to stifle my laughter for my whole sleeping house.

me:  i don’t have a post tonight. maybe i could copy and paste this.

Suzanne:  pep talk, distraction, whatever it loosened me up to not worry so much about crystal light.

go for it.

think anyone else will find it nearly as funny as we do?

Joyful Chaos

I took some pictures for my friends Suzanne a little while ago. Suzanne, not to be confused with Ruthanne (though my son does often confuse the two). Both have five kids, both have four boys and one girl, both blog and homeschool, both live far enough away from us as to be confusing, both names end in Anne.

Suzanne

suzanne 2

Ruthanne

ruthanne

See the difference?

Glasses, no glasses, straight hair, curly hair. Both prefer to come to my house when they visit. Right ladies?

So, SUZANNE was here and I forced her kids to let me take their picture. I started with the yummy, blue-eyed baby.

fingers

Then I made all the other kids stand really still.

jump

It’s great to have friends with big families.

wagon

More kids to practice on!

Related Posts with Thumbnails