Foolish gibberish
Portra 160/Yahsica Mat 126g.
Also, I caved and bought Lightroom. I had been using Bibble for photo editing for years and liked it for the most part, but when I did some prowling around I found that they were bought by Corel and renamed Aftershot Pro. After some thought, I decided to download Lightroom and give it another try. I like it very much. I can see why it is the industry standard.
This one is from August 9 2009. I was still living in Spokane. I went for a walk around Tubbs Hill in Coeur ‘Alene with my dad and step mom. I think I’d applied for the job I currently have but hadn’t yet been asked to interview. I remember talking to my dad and step-mom about my current read: The Hunger Games.
It is weird to think back on this time. I was on the cusp of huge change and exciting, and tragic, things were on the horizon.
I quoted Kurt Vonnegut in a post from a couple of weeks ago. Here, I’ll just post it again (’cause it’s awesome):
Kurt Vonnegut holds a special place in my heart. And not just because he says really awesome things. He also writes really awesome books. While I can’t choose a favorite out of all the books I have ever read, I can tell you that Vonnegut’s Breakfast of Champions
I read it when my husband and I were dating. He was an English Major and very well read and I was totally enthralled with his knowledge of books. He loaned me Breakfast of Champions to read one day and I ate it up. This was THE book in which I had that “aha” moment of realizing that the narrator was NOT the author of the story. I was discussing the book with Raf and mentioned something like, “I can’t believe Vonnegut’s mother committed suicide by drinking Draino!” Raf responded with, “Monica, the narrator of the story is not the author.” It was like a bowling ball hit me in the head. I went from dumb girl to smart girl in a matter of seconds.
Looking back, I feel like an idiot for being such and avid reader and not realizing this sooner. For some silly reason I assumed the author and the narrator were the same. Do other readers think this? Maybe I had crappy English teachers in High School. When I was a TA in college I pointed this out to a few of my students and I could tell that they had the same aha moment that I had, so maybe it is something some people assume when they read.
Anyway, Breakfast of Champions made me see this truth and it did several things. I became a critical thinker. It caused me to question. It also pointed me toward to a greater love of reading and literature and it was the catalyst that made me become a literature major in college. To this day one of my favorite things is a good, smart, book discussion.
Enjoyed the Zig Zag River today.
I finally stepped away from my scanner and Raf and I made the drive to Spokane for my brother’s wedding. My sister is here from Alaska and my niece is visiting from Minnesota and it is fantastic to see them, and on such a happy occasion.
The wedding was really nice. My niece asked, “does anyone else cry at weddings?” while we were waiting for the ceremony to start and I responded, “no not at all.” I can’t recall a single time I have ever cried at a wedding.
I lasted maybe two seconds. I had tears streaming down my face when my brother walked my mom out and they pretty much kept coming. Apparently, for my little brother’s wedding I will cry. I kept thinking about how I wished his dad were alive to be there but I know he was there in spirit, as cliche as that sounds.
I brought my Yashica and tried taking portraits, a new thing for me. I would like to do more of it. I ran through a couple of rolls of Tri-x. I also answered lots of questions about my camera. I think it blew a lot of peoples’ minds that I was using film, let alone a tlr.
Here is an iPhone shot of my family.
Blatherskite 