Photostory Friday: Two Birds, One Stone

Hosted by Cecily and Carrie

As many of you are now aware, I have -- insanely -- committed to shoot a picture every day for the entire year.

Again.

Last year, my photo week ended on Wednesday, at which point I would then post my pictures. This year -- years being the way they are -- my week ends on Thursday, which coincides with Photostory Friday (or, as I like to call it "Photostory Thursday Night"). So, rather than overwhelm you with inanity and dull wit for eight stories, I've chosen to combine the two projects (for now, anyway) and only subject you to seven.

You'll thank me for this.

So, without further ado, I present:

2010: Week 1

Day 1

January 1: (It's so easy to keep track of the days, early on...)

Matthew received a magic set for Christmas, and it turned out he was amazingly adept at card tricks. It took me several astonishing rounds before I realized that every card I drew from the deck was the five of hearts.

That's one of those great life lessons: when you can't count on luck, make sure the deck is stacked in your favor.

Day 2

January 2: Matt and the coveted Ripstick.

Matthew surprisingly took to this two wheeled menace like a fish to water.

His father didn't fare so well -- but it's his blog and you can't make him post those pictures.

Day 3

January 3: My faithful old piano -- the first thing I ever bought on credit. It's been moved more than any piano ought to be, and I have no real loyalty to it (I'd trade up for a baby grand in a heartbeat). But, it's built like a tank, and the scars give it character.

 After I bought it, I thought "You know, it's nice to put things on, but you should really learn to play it."

So, I taught myself. I would not recommend this method.

I thought about dusting it, but then I didn't -- just keeping it real.

Day 4

January 4: It wasn't my fault.

I mean it was, I'm the one who did it, but what I did should not have resulted in this.

My wife collects snow globes, and as our expenses have risen, the size of the globes has considerably shrunk. She purchased several mini globes last year, when we were at Disneyland, this one with the Mickey ears among them.

All I did was touch the ear, and it fell off, and all the water fell out.

I swear that is EXACTLY how it happened!

Day 5

January 5: 11:49 pm

And I wonder why I'm having these weird dreams lately...

Day 6

January 6: Self portrait -- me and my gyroscope.

This is the hardest shot I've worked for in a LONG time (and I still didn't get just what I wanted).

Do you know how hard it is to set the camera on self timer, spin the gyroscope, get it balanced on your finger, and then try to stay in the picture, and in focus?

About 220 shots worth, that's how hard.

Day 7

January 7: Now you didn't think I'd go an entire week without shooting Emma (I mean photographing Emma), did you?

We got the new Toy Story Mania game for our Wii this Christmas. It has a 3D feature on several of the boards, and came with two pairs of those cardboard 3D glasses.

Well, you can guess how long the lifespan on those glasses would be -- so I got everyone in the family their own pair of these plastic 3D glasses. They are really cool.

If your idea of cool is red and blue plastic horn rimmed glasses. And I know it is.

They just arrived today. From China!

The next 10 songs on my iPod: Round 3

It's been a year and a half since I did this last...

Yes kids, gather round the ol' blog, it's time for everybody's favorite game:

THE NEXT 10 SONGS ON MY IPOD!

(also known as "filler" during these months when I get the wild hair to post every day)

So, I take iPod in hand, set it to shuffle, aaaaaaannnnnnnnd.......we're off!

1. The Pretenders: Revolution 

I love this song. Mostly.
I like the idea of breaking down barriers, and fighting for a cause -- though this song seems to advocate revolting for the sake of revolting, which seems pointless to me.

But the song sounds cool!

2. Jon Schmidt: All of me

Jon Schmidt is a local piano player, and he's incredible. Nowhere is that more evident than on this song -- it's called "All of Me" because, by the end of the song, he's literally playing with his whole arm.
It's something to behold live. When he's done, he does a backflip off of the piano bench, and then throws Hostess Ding Dongs to the audience.

I'm not making that up.

3. Kurt Bestor: Fishing the Sky

Another local musician. He's really fallen off in terms of quality in recent years (it coincided with the inflation of his gigantic ego), but back when he was making good music, he made an album called "Sketches."

His inspiration came from leafing through a sketchbook of Leonardo DaVinci's inventions. He composed a piece called "From Leonardo's Sketchbook." From there he found inspiration in the work of other notable people: John Wesley Powell, Sojourner Truth, Stradivarius, and Thoreau -- who's Walden was the inspiration for this song.

4. The Lion King Soundtrack: Circle of Life

I still maintain that the opening scene of this movie is the best scene Disney has ever created. I love this song for many reasons -- it's a universal message -- but mostly it reminds me of the year I met my wife.

5. Jimmy Buffett: Biloxi

Jimmy Buffett is an acquired taste. He's become more well known in the mainstream music scene in recent years. Unfortunately, he hasn't made good music in at least ten years, and it's been even longer since he made anything great. I found the brilliance of Buffett through constant exposure to him, while working graveyards at a gas station, in a small town in southern Utah. A friend gave me copies of the CD's from his box set "Beaches, Boats, Bars and Ballads," and I played them endlessly to keep myself awake at night. This song is a love letter to the Gulf Coast -- a place I've never been. But I feel like I have.

But that's the brilliance of Jimmy Buffett. He's not simply a singer, but a writer who sings songs. If you like songs with more than the average craft to them, you may like Jimmy Buffett.

6. Chris Thornblad: Stars

Who is this guy? Yes, I'm shamelessly plugging my own music. Thanks to Garageband on my Mac, I can now compose and play my own piano music. This short little piece is actually something I wrote as an intro for a DVD I made of my kids first trip to Disneyland, a couple of years ago.

It's a compilation of "When you wish upon a Star," from Pinocchio, and "The Second Star to the Right" from Peter Pan. Hence the name "Stars."

7. Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes: Up Where We Belong

The classic from "An Officer and a Gentleman." Who doesn't love this song? Would you like to know which movie it reminds me of?

Return of the Jedi (there's a reason).

8. Jimmy Buffett: Margaritaville

In the winter months my iPod overflows with Jimmy Buffett. Some people claim that there's a woman to blame, but I know it's my own damn fault.

9. Bob Marley: Three Little Birds

I guess I've got that tropical vibe going tonight. Am I the only one who constantly mixes up Bob Marley and Jacob Marley? It's that dang Bob Cratchit that screws everything up!

10. Taylor Swift/Def Leppard: Pour Some Sugar on Me (live)

I love Taylor Swift -- I just adore her (more on that in a couple of days -- when I need more filler). And I used to be a big Def Leppard fan. This is from the CMT show "Crossroads," where they take two unlikely groups/artists and pair them up to see what happens. Evidently, Taylor Swift grew up a big fan of Def Leppard, and it was she that suggested this collaboration.

They do many of the most famous songs from both artists, but this is the finale, and they really do bring the house down. Now, in all honesty, I should mention that I think that the line "pour some sugar on me, in the name of love," is the second stupidest line I've ever heard in a song -- the dumbest is "with an iron-clad fist, I wake up and french kiss the morning," from Bon Jovi's "Bed of Roses (go here for that rant), but...

I have to admit, this is really cool. Plus, I'd listen to Taylor Swift sing the phone book.

A general plea for amnesty

I've been sitting here thinking about my life, and I've come to a conclusion:

I did a lot of things I shouldn't have done.

Now don't misunderstand me, I never killed anyone or knocked off a bank or voted for a Clinton, but there are a few indiscretions that I would like to request at this time be expunged from the record. In that light, I hereby offer the following apologies/confessions:

To my mom: There are a more things than I could detail in a year of blogs, so we'll just focus on a couple here. Remember ALL those Star Wars figures you bought me? There were dozens of them, and most suffered the same ignominious fate -- buried up to their shoulders, and their heads golfed off. I'm a parent now and I buy toys. I am REALLY sorry.

And the statue on top of the piano -- I'm sorry we played soccer in the living room.

And I'm sorry I was (am) such a know-it-all.

And I'm sorry for breaking into your locked bedroom, just because I could.

And I'm sorry our house had red and green and blue and yellow shag carpeting (this wasn't my fault, but I'm still sorry).

To the owners of the local grocery store: I'm sorry I climbed up on your roof, and threw Oreos at your patrons.

To most of my teachers in High School: For not taking you serious when you told me that I should really try to come to class more often...you were serious?

To my childhood neighbors: I'm sorry we randomly fired sharp arrows over the houses, into neighboring streets. I'm so glad no one was hurt (or at least no one I ever heard of...) And to the Crapos in particular, I'm sorry I shot an arrow into your roof, and another through your garage door. It was nothing personal, just poor marksmanship.

To the little bird at Scout camp: I'm sorry I threw that hatchet high up into the tree, over and over again trying to hit you. And to all the scouts on the ground under the tree, I'm sorry I endangered your lives -- over and over again. Obviously I never made it to Eagle Scout.

To my wife: I'm sorry I fell asleep that time in the dorms -- while you were kissing me.

To Mrs. Olsen, my sixth grade teacher: It was me. I did it. The Respect Book -- that wonderful experiment in discipline that you tried that year, the book that we miscreants had to write our names in whenever we acted up, gradually progressing in stages of severity, until it climaxed in a meeting with our parents and the principal, THAT BOOK -- you may have noticed that it was missing. I stole it. Not only did I steal it, but I ritualistically burned it on our back patio. The little yellow blob of melted plastic -- the stain of my sin -- remained fused to the cement for many years afterward.

It was my one great act of defiance, and I do not apologize, but I do confess. I did it for sixth graders everywhere.

To all of you that I snowed into thinking I was a good kid: Forgive me.

I think that's enough for now.

Ripples

I thought about ripples today -- the ripples in a pond, after you've dropped a small pebble into the water. Though the stone is small, it's influence radiates outward, in ever widening circles.

As we sat in the funeral for the young man I mentioned yesterday, I looked around at the overflowing chapel, and wondered at the influence of a young boy, whom some -- perhaps many -- in the congregation may never have personally known.

Brian's close friends and family.

Those, like us, who know his family.

Those who were inspired by his faith and courage.

We were all there today, and we all wept -- with sorrow for the loss, and with quiet joy for a life well lived, in sixteen short years.

I also thought, as I sat there, what a gift it would be to see your own funeral -- to see the great celebration of your life, by those who love and know you best. Maybe, if we gave more thought to the way we would be remembered, we would give more thought to the way we live.

We usually think of the choice experiences of life as happy experiences. It would be untrue to say that today was a happy experience, the loss is still too close.

But, to be there...

To feel the influence and spirit of this young man, as it radiated through every person in that chapel, was one of the choice experiences of my life.

When there's nothing else you can do

This is not what I planned to write about tonight.

Sharon and I just got home from helping to set up for a funeral, taking place tomorrow.

A young man, from a family in our ward (LDS congregation) lost his battle with cancer on New Year's Eve. He was sixteen, and was sick for fifteen months. We never knew Brian, he's been out of view for most of the time that we've lived in the neighborhood. But we know his family, and they are loved. His father was our bishop (ecclesiastical leader) for the first year that we lived here.

Nearly a year ago, when Sharon was diagnosed with stomach cancer, this humble man, and his wonderful wife were some of the first (of many) to come to our home. They saw to it that my little family was cared for, when I nearly lacked the ability to put one foot in front of the other. They came to the hospital. In the midst of the most devastating trial of their lives, they were there for us.

And we were not the only ones. Anyone, and everyone, who suffered pain or loss or heartache or grief or want felt the compassion of this man, and his family. And then they watched the life slowly drift away from their son, and there was nothing they could do. Eventually, there was nothing anyone could do, and Brian, aware and prepared, left the embrace of his family and entered into the embrace of his Savior.

At a time like this, it's natural to want to help -- to somehow make it better, though you know you can't. You can't say the right word. You can't embrace anyone long enough. You can't make the pain go away.  Grief is an inescapable, and inevitable part of life, and there are no short cuts through it. We cannot heal this family. God, and time, will see to that.

But we can make sure that the floors they walk on tomorrow are clean.

We can be sure the tables that they eat at are properly set, and beautifully arranged.

We can see to it that the chairs are set up, and that microphones are working and that hymnals are accessible, and that windows are cleaned.

We cannot change the path they must walk, but we can see that it is as smooth as possible.

It's the least we can do, but it's something.

365: Everything you need to know

So, it's the new year, and you're full of ambition, and excitement. The world is your oyster. There is nothing that you can't do.

"I think," you say to yourself, "that I'm going to take a picture, every day, for the entire year."

What's wrong with you!?

I'm kidding, I'm sure you were just born that way.

Ha ha, really, I'm just kidding. I applaud you for taking on this challenge, it's going to be a very rewarding experience. But, there are some things you need to know...

First and foremost you should understand, this is going to take a YEAR! You know how it seems like the older you get, the faster the years go by? Well, that's absolutely true in all aspects of your life...except this one. Actually, though the year can really drag, the days and hours will fly by -- you will take more than one picture at 11:59 pm. You may even resort to some wishful thinking/time zone manipulation ("it's still Friday in Hawaii"). By February (or maybe the second week of January) you're going to feel overwhelmed, but stay true. You CAN do this.

Second: You will not take 365 award winning pictures. You will not take sixty-five award winning pictures. You will take a LOT of mundane shots. You will take a fair amount of GOOD shots. You will take a respectable number of extraordinary shots. And you will take a handful of take-your-breath-away-blow-the-doors-off-stand-in-wide-eyed-amazement-this-is-why-I-started-taking-pictures-in-the-first-place-my-neighbor-WISHES-she-could-take-pictures-like-this shots. That's the pay off -- part of it anyway.

Tips

1. Take your camera with you. EVERYWHERE. Never put your camera away. Leave it by the door, or your car keys. I hang mine on the stair railing, by the front door.

If you ever forget your camera -- snap something with your cell phone camera. You can just lump that picture in the "mundane" category.

2. Take pictures. Duh.

But seriously folks, take pictures. There are going to be days -- many days-- when you feel uninspired. Don't wait for your muse -- she has a notoriously bad sense of direction, and is frequently lost. Something magical happens when you place your eye up to the view finder -- the more you try to create, the greater your capacity TO create will grow. I truly believe that. Shoot something. In fact...

3. Shoot 'em all!

Shoot ANYTHING that catches your eye: lines, shapes, smiles, tears, clouds, weeds, messes, cars, hands, fences, shadows, cookies, household appliances...well, you get the idea. You may find something better later on. Actually, I can't count the number of times in the last year that I worked, painstakingly, for a shot -- shooting several dozen pictures to get the right image -- only to stumble, serendipitously, upon something better later on that day. Taking A picture relieves the pressure of that day's obligation, and opens up your senses to find and take THE picture.

4. Most importantly, if you miss a day, do NOT stop. Last year, I shot faithfully everyday until mid-April. Then one Friday I forgot.

I just forgot.

I was watching a marathon of Diners, Drive Ins and Dives, on the Food Network, fell asleep on the couch, and woke up a failure. I did it again in August. I blame Guy Fieri.

Don't think of this as a project to take one picture per day for 365 days, think of it as a year long project to document your life in pictures. If you miss a day, pick up and start again. The great pay-off in the end is not the sense of accomplishment at surviving, but the amazing documentation of your life's journey over the previous 365 days.

5. Share your pictures on a regular basis (I recommend weekly) -- it's easier to stay committed once you know people are planning on dropping by to see your pictures.

6. Know that I am here for you! If you feel like dropping by, and berating me for talking you into this project, that's okay -- as long as you keep taking pictures. And not just me -- others will find your pictures, and you will meet new and wonderful people.

Good Luck!

Maybe it would have been more helpful to post this on December 31...

An Announcement?

I'm thinking about posting every day in the month of January, but I'm still undecided. Still trying to gauge my readers' tolerance for inanity, so early in the year...

Just in case, I thought I'd better put something up for tonight. Is that cheating?