Taken this time last year in Indiana.

This one from the musical episode, "Once More with Feeling."



I haven't had time to take any pictures. But I am going to the San Diego zoo on Friday to see the baby panda, so perhaps I will have something for you then.

A "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Muppets" crossover wallpaper. Best wallpaper I ever made.

1. Are you a vegetarian? Vegan?: i don't want to be defined by labels anymore.
2. What's your favorite food?: pizza
3. White bread or whole wheat?: ww but if it's my mom's homemade white bread right out of the oven...Mmmm
4. What's for breakfast?: smoothie. sometimes cacao.
5. You're making a sandwich. What's in it?: pb&j
6. What's on your pizza?: baked pizza would have tomatoes and soy sausage, soy cheeze.
7. Coffee, tea, milk, or soda?: tea or water
8. Dark, milk, or white chocolate?: RAW bb!
9. Teetotal, beer, wine, or hard liquor?: I don't drink
10. Does cilantro taste like citrus, or like soap?: it tastes like vomit. I loathe cilantro.
11. Is chorizo the greatest thing ever or is it totally disgusting?: I have no idea what this is...
12. Do you use garlic like a vegetable or like a spice?: spice
13. Onions: tolerable if cooked until very soft
14. Does broccoli taste sweet or bitter?: uuh...neither...perhaps a bit bitter
15. How do you feel about fish?: I like them ALIVE and swimmy. I miss my fishies.
16. How about sushi?: I had veg sushi once. it went in my mouth and then right back out. I don't like things that taste like ocean.
17. Fave ethnic cuisine?: italian
18. What's your favorite fruit?: mangoes!!!
19. Cheese - thumbs up or thumbs down? down. but to this day i still have cheese issues.
20. Finally, favorite dessert?: raw walnut brownies with cashew ice cream is lovely. Hmm. I might make that soon.

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I'm home today because I have to be.. and bored.

fun stuff to do...

celebrate my accomplishment by spending the day dt to look for books, antiquey things and maybe eat out.

work on a new photo.

go to Michaels. that store makes me salivate.

eat out with the rents.

buy flowers because I like to buy a bouquet every month just for me.

go to see Avatar matinée. everyone says how great it is. it better not suck. I'm mainly going for the 3D and popcorn.

I actually considered buying this. Almost 2 pounds (1 kilo) of chocolate-covered goodness. I took a picture instead.

One big lesson I’ve learned recently is that you will gain more wisdom from failure than you ever will from success.

I have certainly learned a lot from my mistakes which have prepared me for the future. I wanted to give up feeling more despair about having to go on living than I can remember. But, something kept nagging me to keep trying because I had to believe there was more for me than just what I was living. I asked Hecate for so long to be shown the path I should take. I was answered and the path was illuminated. Though, part of me already knew I just gave up feeling I should forget about it. But, I couldn’t let go feeling that I was given a gift, a special one just for me, and I had to keep trying. So, I told myself to suck it up, fight for it, grovel if necessary and make it happen.

Now 2 of my photos, both full pages, have been published in the winter issue of ..



It is dedicated to holistic health with a big focus on raw foods. Very big in the raw food world.


It all happened very quickly a month ago. I expected the editor to say she wanted them on a plain, white background basing it on my previous experience last year. Piece of cake! But, surprisingly, she wanted something imaginative outdoors.

I had one morning to shoot 2 photos, a green juice and green smoothie, outside in 70km+ winds! I did have a potentially awesome idea but it was just not possible in that amount of time. Thank goodness there was no snow down yet.



Do you know what happens when you mix green, orange and purpley/blue together? That’s right, you get brown. Not attractive but it seemed to work out fine somehow. I can see a bajillion things that are wrong with both photos…lol…but I supposed that’s the artist in me.



I have realized that I can work on extremely short deadlines. When I’m focused…which is hard… I’m like a machine! I have learned that it’s most important to do exactly what the client wants to the best of my ability. (that was a big lesson) and how to network with people which is easier through email than in person, for sure.

We did work very well together and it was really nice that she gave me leeway with the creativity. I don’t expect it will necessarily always be like that, however.

I feel my food photos are very imaginative and unique. I’m always coming up with new ideas to present food far beyond sticking it on a plate with a white background which I find incredibly boring. I sometimes do it so potential clients will see I can be versatile. I prefer movement, theme, colour. I often get downloads for new and interesting ways to display food. I feel so incredibly lucky to be given such a gift. Of course, there is a lot more to learn but that comes with practice and life experience.

Now I am a real published food photographer with the actual beginnings of a potential career. Right now I feel like I have purpose and it feels good.

This is just the beginning but I won’t say any more because who knows what will change as my path twists and turns; I’m just enjoying this moment. I feel like there are amazing things out there for me if I work hard for them with inevitable mistakes to learn from along the way.

Raw vegan or cooked vegan. Food is amazing and I’m glad I get to share that.

I did it! I handed in my resignation at the office. Its a new decade and I'm going to be 48 years old. I have to clear some of the toxic elements from my life.

Funny, since I've given notice I've only had one colitis attack and my eczema is clearing up.....

Всех поздравляю с наступившим НГ, хотя видимо мало кто сидит в инете. Мы тоже ещё до завтра находимся на горнолыжном курорте. Инета практически нет (только в отеле), зато котеджи офигенны, но что удивительно там есть всё (фондюшницф, фритюрницы, посудомойка, стиралка, сушильные шкафы для вещей, кофеварка), но нет ЧАЙНИКА!!!

I made a similar plate for myself, except that I had no tortilla and half an egg.

( Broccoli slaw recipe. )

years ago I was a big ABBA fan. heh.

tonight I watched Mamma Mia....it was fun and silly.


then, I watched Muriel's Wedding. I have fond memories of this back in '94. J and I in MUN library in the middle of studying for exams suddenly decided to just leave all our stuff on the table and go see it. nice memories.


and now I'm singing along!

Statue from the San Diego Museum of Art

Robert and I decided to have a late lunch at one of the best restaurants in this city yesterday and found it closed, we moved onto our second choice and found it closed.

Arriving at our third and most expensive choice, we found it open and walked in to find it absoluely deserted, an ocean of empty tables and zero staff in the place. I'm looking at a very expensive sound system I could easily walk out with and wonder how hard it would be to crack into the cash. We spot a chef way way in the back and Robert calls out and asks if they feel like feeding us.

Oddly enough, yes, the chef is willing to cook for us, and tells us he's sorry but he's sent the only waitress out for helium filled balloons for the fully booked bonanza he's holding later on for New Year's Eve.

He tells us to sit wherever we like, we take the best table with the most comfortable chairs beside the fireplace that he later sends an employee over to light. Niiiiiiice!

We order wine and kalamari to share and sit with our menus in peace and frikin' quiet. He brings us warm homemade bread and takes our order, he apologizes again for not having 'proper' wait staff and we tell him that we are the easiest customers he's ever going to have in his restaurant.

We tell him that this is going to be the absolute best dining experience we're ever going to have in our lives because I have been plagued with always having the screaming toddler seated next to me in restaurants. We tell him to take his time with our food and he goes off and we sit in more peace and frikin' quiet.

Soft jazz plays as a background to our conversation, our meals arrive and being the slow eaters that we are, we spend the next hour in continued peace and frikin' quiet eating our perfectly executed pasta.

The chef comes to remove our plates, asks if we'd like dessert and coffee, we decline and he brings the bill and we make our way to the cash, and we're completing the transaction with him when a couple with two toddlers walk in, glance around the deserted restaurant and ask if it's open.

The older child slaps his little sister and she breaks out into that special pitch of screaming that sends the hairs on the back of your neck into full salute position and I look meaningfully into the chef's eyes and high-five him.

We walk out and I mull over the idea that maybe I was wrong - maybe there really is a God.

One of my New Year's Resolutions is to come back to Live Journal in 2010.  I had thought there would be time enough for both LJ and Facebook, but as it turned out, FB used up all my social networking time.  I think part of that was because it was a year of SO MANY reconnections, and there aren't too many people from my past or present left that I expect to come across, so I hope to better manage that time and split my efforts between the two sites.

2009 had a lot of lows, and I'm not going to miss it.  There were some really good times, too, and I will try to only think of them when I reflect back, but mostly, I'm just going to try to look forward.

Another goal of mine is to take at least one picture per day, even if it's just from my camera phone.  That sounds easier than losing weight, so I think it stands a real chance at sticking.

Charles is playing soccer on XBox.  Dog is snoring after a stressful bout of fireworks that had her racing around in highly distressed circles.  Cats are all asleep.  I'm about to go to bed.  We are rock stars.

I have one specific request for 2010 so far, and that is for Dick Clark to please retire and let Ryan Seacrest do the next countdown.   That probably sounds more mean than it feels in my head, but man...the last 30 seconds of the year felt really uncomfortable.   I'm glad he is feeling well enough to do the pre-recorded job, but it just seems like the time has come to pass that torch.

I love you people, you know that?  Wishing you all only the very best things in the coming New Year!!

There is a full moon tonight--a blue moon.

I made raw chocolate avocado pudding for breakfast. yum. 1 whole avocado is way too heavy for me, though.



kinda made it up on the spot.

blend..

1 avocado
agave (sweeten to taste)
2-3 tbsp. raw cacao powder
almond milk. enough to get it to blend
1/2 tsp. vanilla
pinch of sea salt

probably enough for 2 servings.

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I am looking forward to eating mostly raw this year but it all depends on my on my anxiety and heart issues. I really believe in this diet but high raw is what I'm able to do right now. I'm never going to be all raw and I'm fine with that. some heavier cooked foods make me feel less anxious for some reason.

my paradigms are constantly changing as I learn more. I'm not sure if all raw is best over many years. it does depend on the individual person, of course.

i want to find a balance so I can eat some cooked foods and not binge. sometimes I get myself into a terrible cycle of staying raw and then binging on the most disgusting junk food. I want to include some grains, brown rice, lentils.

I am excited to be learning more about raw sprouted oats and buckwheat.


I love being so very right brained.

I hate being so self-aware sometimes. to the point where I feel extremely aware of my physical body..my organs, bones, intestines, brain and especially my heart. i am still having anxiety issues about death. I go to bed at night worried that my heart will stop suddenly and then, of course, I can't sleep until daylight. I was doing better but then I read about brittany murphy's death and that stirred up something again. sometimes, i will get just a twinge of pain and my body will go into panic mode. I really want to get past this. I have too much living to do and I'm simply not done yet.

I got brown mary jane flats for xmas. hurrah! I love mary janes. years ago I used to have a pair of mary jane docs and I loved them. these are a little dressier. nice to wear in autumn with a jean skirt.

I have run out of books to read! my mom gave me chicken soup for the soul: what i learned from the cat. I can't read it though. it makes me too emotional. I need a real novel length story to read. guess, I'll have to wait and make a trip to the bookstore next week. I need ideas first!

I don't do new years...I haven't in 13 years or so. I consider solstice my new year. I am going over to the house tomorrow for supper, however.

i am hoping with a lot of work some of my dreams will come true this year.




p.s. I am totally going with "twenty ten". it's flows better and sounds cooler. heh.