10-31

My grand finale is an origami fail. What a way to end things, Jessiroo. I just couldn't seem to figure out the instructions on this, so instead of photographing a lovely pink lotus (actually, I was planning to make two and then place them just so on my black coffee table for a dramatic, yet delicate, look--I had it all figured out in my head), you get a crumpled green paper.

FYI, that paper is two sided--one side being the green leaves, one side being that blurry pink design. I think maybe I started folding it in the wrong direction? It wasn't very clear, but I'll try again sometime.

Anyway, you'd think that for my last photo--that happens to fall on a holiday--I'd go all out, but nope! I decided to underwhelm you instead.

Goodbye, October.

10-30

I couldn't wait for the third season of New Girl to make it to Netflix, so I've been watching it online.

Happy Halloween Eve! If you're reading this in the few hours after I post it. :) Are you dressing up? Doing anything special?

10-29

Hey, I haven't posted any photos with trees yet this month! This one is by my office and I love it, but it's sort of underappreciated (in my opinion).

10-28

I neglected to purposely take any photos for my photo-of-the-day project, but I took this for a work photo shoot, so I'm using it. I ended up doing a group portrait here, and was testing out the scene with this snapshot, I guess. The lighting was great!

10-27

Lame photo alert! It looks like I took it with a cell phone (which I didn't). Using flash (which I didn't). But the point is not the photo quality--it's the cute origami bats! Dania got me an origami book for my birthday, and this project was perfect for the season. The orange one turned out a bit better. He's more sleek, unlike Fatty the Purple Bat in the front there. 300 more tries and I'll be the best bat-maker in the land!

I actually used to do a lot of origami back in elementary school. I had a teacher (for three years) who was really big on it. But I've kind of lost my knack after all these years. Enter The Joy of Origami by Margaret Van Sicklen.

Okay, I have a calzone in the oven and an episode of Revenge that's not going to watch itself, so I'll talk to you later.

10-26

I didn't know what to photograph today, so after tweeting about it (that's talking about it on Twitter, for those of you who don't know), my friend Fayelle suggested a macro shot of something. Here's a necklace I got for my college graduation. It was a gift from some family friends, Sid and Jane, and I love it! I was really into music back then, and I'm pretty sure they heard me play the same song on the piano a jillion times. That's because I only played about one song semi-well. :P

10-25

A fall scene outside my office building.

I'm definitely losing a little steam with this project, so it's good that it's almost over. I do enjoy having a little something to blog each day, but sometimes choosing a photo and getting it posted is not as fun as it might sound. :)

10-24

I didn't take any photos today, so I just took this one tonight to meet my daily requirement. It's not exactly a framer. :) These are my birthday cards this year, minus one or two I think. Sorry if yours is missing! I really appreciate that people took time to buy/choose/make/sign cards for me (especially since I'm so bad about getting cards for others). Thanks again, everyone!

10-23

Just some leafy goodness. And yeah, that's two photos--no rules, remember?

10-22

(Click image for a slightly larger version.) This morning, there was a pretty layer of fog over the field near where I work.

10-21

Monday night we celebrated my friend Becky's birthday. She's my Birthday Buddy (meaning, we have the same birthday), but we had separate celebrations this year. I think Deborah headed up the party, and this was apparently her gift of caffeine--a Dr. Pepper cake. There was also regular cake. :)

10-20

One of my birthday gifts was this cute little rainbow maker that I had added to my wish list a few years back. When direct sun hits it, it spins and shines rainbow dots all over the room. :D This morning I happily watched it do its thing while listening to music and enjoying my sunny livingroom.

10-19

Happy Sweetest Day! My friend and I had sandwiches in a pretty (but kind of strange) park, but the yellow jackets kept trying to get at the food. Meanwhile, some people were LARPing in a field, but it was a super pretty day!

10-18

10-18! That's my birthday! I meant to post this yesterday evening, but things were busy and I didn't get a chance.

Do you like my sloping cake? I didn't make it, Safeway did! This is a tiramisu cake--so it's like half tiramisu, half white cake. It was pretty good, but not as good as real tiramisu. I chose it because I've seen it before and it looked good, but wasn't something I'd just buy for no reason. Seven candles is all I had, but that sort of works because I turned 37!

Anyway, my birthday was pretty good. I got some fun presents and had lots of greetings and happiness. :) (I'd talk more about it, but I don't have the energy right now.) I have big plans for 37. Not in that I'm going to travel the world and invent a cure for cancer, but I'm hoping to tackle some goals and try a few new things.

10-17

I was very excited to photograph a spider web this morning. When I saw the thick fog, I grabbed my camera with the macro lens and tripod before heading to work. I planned to look around for a spider's web to photograph, but while walking to my office, I saw a large one beautifully displayed next to the door to my building! It was perfect, and even the height and location made it convenient for pictures. God's birtheve present to me. :) I took several (of course!), and basically got high on the experience. This kind of rare opportunity thrills me! It was a bit harder than I thought, though. I tend to forget that wind is a factor. It wasn't windy, but any slight breeze moves a web, so I had to keep refocusing and taking lots of pictures to get a few that worked.

Now, for my first time during this Project 31, I'm going to post additional photos instead of just the one.


The "large" droplet made it easier for me to focus, so I stuck with it, and I like how it gives a bit of perspective and a focal point.

If an awesome, dewy web wasn't enough, it also happened to be positioned well enough that you could see a tree through the drops. It was hard to focus on both the drops and the reflection, so this is a composite of two photos, plus it's been flipped upside down so the tree is right side up.

More trees!

I also wanted to share a little story that I was thinking about this morning. Several years ago, it was another foggy day like today and a coworker noticed one of the webs and mentioned it to me so I could photograph it. I took several photos, but they didn't really capture it all that well. I sent her one or two, and I remember she said something like, "That's pretty, but I was hoping you could capture the droplets more closely--to show how they look like a beaded necklace." I felt like I had failed because I didn't know how to get the detail she was talking about. At the time, I didn't even know macro lenses existed, so I didn't realize that you need one to photograph such tiny items with any clarity. I wish I had known, because I could've explained it to her instead of feeling like I just wasn't good enough. Anyway, that's a life lesson. ;) Mostly for myself. Maybe you think you're doing something wrong, but the reality is that you just don't have the proper tools, and sometimes that's out of your control.

10-16

"Excuse me...Jessica? Can you help me with this door so I can raid your pantry?" Um, no.

I've had more squirrels than usual on my deck lately. It's making me wonder if my downstairs neighbor has something they like, because I have nothing on mine.

Okay...what is the little extra I shall post today? How about some small updates:

CURRENT WEATHER: We're having awesome weather, but I think I already told you that. High 60s and sunny all week.

BEST CURRENT WORK PROJECT: I've just started on a Christmas poster that should be kind of fun. I'm going with vibrant colors, I think.

CURRENT CONCERNS: Spiritual matters, my failures, what to do in some situations. Sorry so vague. :)

CURRENT HAPPIES: Birthday week! The weather, duh. My newly cleaned and rearranged living room. The pretty wall art I got for my living room.

LOOKING FORWARD TO: This weekend, and early November when I go to CA and see family.

SHOPPING LIST ITEMS: A new bath mat. I think I got the rest of my items already.

CURRENT SOUND: My dishwasher and clothes dryer running.

CURRENT AIR WICK SCENT: Sweet Vanilla & Pumpkin

CURRENTLY WATCHING: I've been watching Ghost Whisperer most evenings, and I saw Lovestruck: The Musical the other night.

CURRENT PRICE OF GAS: I just bought it for $3.41/gallon today, which was nice.

CURRENT PRAYER REQUEST: For a productive new year and better understanding of grace.

Feel free to share your currents!

10-15

This is my "I don't know what to photograph" picture of the day. Night sky. Ta-da. The moon (seen as a starburst here) is prepping for its big night on Friday. Full moon for my birthday! See here.

My day has been fine, but I've not felt my best. Just drained and tired, and second-guessing a lot of things while I worry about other decisions that have already been made. But the good news is, I have some dark hot chocolate in the cupboard, a full set of Candy Crush lives, and a comfortable couch to be useless on.

Oh and before I forget, I wanted to direct you over to my friend Brenda's blog post. She wants more guy participation (particularly single men) in answering a few questions. It's pretty interesting, so please go have a look: He's Not That Into You (Or Is He?)

10-14

The other day, Pami asked me about doing something for my birthday. After I assured her that I do enjoy get-togethers and making it special, she quickly planned a girl gathering at her place for tonight. I was so surprised that everyone invited was able to come (plus Becky's son :D)! With the short notice and week night (the only day that seemed to work in both Pami's and my schedule), I wasn't expecting many to show.

Tonight was really fun. First, we had delicious enchiladas de Pami, and then we got to play a couple of card games! A somewhat rare treat for me (unless I'm playing on the computer). First we played Nertz (I'm terrible at it) and then I taught the girls 31 (Thirty-one?), a game I only learned in the past year or two. I even got presents!! I totally didn't expect that.

We also had some yummy ice cream (my requested dessert) and conversation. It was an awesome way to make my birthday week more festive. To any of the ladies reading this, thanks again for putting up with me. :) Sometimes, I really don't know why, but I very much appreciate it.

PS Happy birthday today (10/14) to my dad!

10-13 - Pumpkin Spice Bread

Tonight I made pumpkin bread! I've eaten this recipe before, but never baked it myself. It turned out well. I used this recipe from Hostess with the Mostess, but I'll paste it here in case that web page ever changes. Oh and I think mine came out a tiny bit denser than it's supposed to, but I may have needed to cook it for a couple more minutes. It's still delicious. I hope my coworkers like it!

INGREDIENTS

2 cups canned pumpkin
3 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon ground cloves

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 350. in a large mixing bowl, combine pumpkin, sugar, water, vegetable oil and eggs. Beat until well mixed. Measure the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, nutmeg and cloves into a separate bowl and stir until combined. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture, beating until smooth. Grease two 9 x 5 inch loaf pans and dust with flour. Evenly divide the batter between the two pans. Bake for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 10-15 minutes, then remove from pans by inverting onto a rack and tapping the bottoms. Slice and serve plain, buttered, or with cream cheese.

10-12

Today I've been rearranging and organizing my livingroom, which included adding a few items to this scrapbook. I am not much of a collector, but I do save tickets and other flattish items from various places I've been. I started this scrapbook in the late 90s, so it's yellowed and many of the tickets are too faded to read. I chose to photograph a page that was more colorful and interesting than some of the others.

Today starts the first day of my birthday week (as in, the week leading up to my b-day)! I love my birthday, and especially the anticipation. So to make it more special, I'll try to add extra info in this week's posts. For this one, I'll tell you what each ticket on this spread is for. How many can you read without me telling you? You can test your eyesight against this list. ;)

In no good order:

1. Beauty and the Beast | Musical | Sacramento, CA | 10/1/2000

2. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum | Musical | Sacramento, CA | 7/20/2000

3. MS Dixie II | Lake cruise | Tahoe, CA | No date, but I believe it was June of 2000 for my Mom's 50th birthday weekend

4. Disneyland | Need I say more? | No date, but again I believe this was June of 2000 when I was in southern CA for my cousin's college graduation

5. Sarah Brightman | Concert | Sacramento, CA | 10/26/2000

6. Loser | Movie | Vacaville, CA | 7/21/2000

7. Two Weeks Notice | Movie | Yuba City, CA | It looks like 1/18 but it doesn't say the year

8. World's Tallest Building (CN Tower) | Elevator ride | Toronto, ON | 8/17/2000

9. Maid of the Mist | Niagara Falls cruise | Niagara Falls, ON | no date, but it had to be close to 8/17/2000, if not that very day

10. Charlie's Angels | Movie | Yuba City, CA | 11/25 (2000?)

11. Space Needle | Elevator ride | Seattle, WA | 8/5/2000

12. Esther | Movie | Yuba City, CA? | 9/30/ (2000?)

Wow, I was much funner back in 2000!

10-11

I'm getting crazy with large, square pictures. And back to trees! I pass this one on my way home each day, and I have been meaning to stop and get pictures, so I went by tonight.

10-10

My elaborate fall decor.

1/3 down, 2/3 to go! :) Happy Friday tomorrow.

10-9

This is day three of being stuck on level 140 on Candy Crush. I will never beat it.

PS I beat it!

10-8

I made a version of this soup. (I added Italian sausage and left out a couple ingredients.)

10-7

Special days! A gorgeous nutria feasts on a tasty leaf. There's nothing prettier on a fall evening than seeing a large rat lumbering around by the lake. Nothing prettier.

10-6

I really didn't have the energy to make much of a picture-taking effort today, so here's a view right from my deck. (Some of you saw a similar photo in Instagram.) There's a tree that is coloring in this cute/funny way where it has bright red on top and then the yellow and yellow-green leaves more toward the bottom.

Okay that's three three photos in a row. Tomorrow I'll have to try for something different. :)

10-5

The 5th was a crazy-busy day full of photo assignments for work. So I took a lot of photos, but it was hard to think of which one should be my photo of the day. I decided on a more general picture I took at the Oregon Garden, where the final event was taking place. It was perfect weather and the evening light was really nice.

I was going to use a picture of the dining hall we used at the garden, but I've already posted it to Instagram and elsewhere, so I figured people would be tired of it. :)

Now to get a photo for today. It's a much-needed day off and I am not really in the mood to take pictures, but I'll think of something.

10-4

It's a beauty of a day, and should be like this through the weekend. I was a little drained today (lots of work-event photography this week) and the weather really helped refresh me.

10-3

It's the end of an era! My coworker Hollie's last day is tomorrow, so we had a dessert time in her honor. I'll miss you, Hollie!

10-2

One of the prettiest rooms at work: the mezzanine.
The draping artwork above was designed by my boss.

October dailies 10-1

Happy October to one and all! You know I like this month, and I'm very much hoping for another great one this year. For fun, I'm going to do a photo-of-the-day project for the month of October, and I'll try to post them here each day. No guarantees, though.

The rules for this project are: no rules. The photo doesn't have to represent the day or be my best or anything like that. It just has to be taken on the day. Okay, so one rule.

With all the rain we've been having, the mushrooms are springing up left and right, so I went out taking some pictures today.

Later!