Wordless Wednesday: The photos you can take with an iPhone

I have an app on my iPhone called Project 365. I'm sure many of you are familiar with the project. I don't carry my camera with me everyday so it's more suitable to use my phone. It forces me to look around at everything differently.

There are so many photo apps for the iPhone that you can virtually do anything to your pictures.

These were all edited in CameraBag, one of my favorite apps.

Off to camp

Remember long, long ago, spending summers as a kid running around the neighborhood with your friends? Wasting hours upon hours at the community pool? And... and that's about all I can remember doing in the summer. I remember once I went to a week long "camp" at a local community college with my two best friends, and we met boys! Nathaniel. He was so cute. And his friend, Tommy. Tommy liked my friend Kelly. I took a picture of them with a pinhole camera that I made. I need to find that. The picture that is. That would be funny to see. I think we were 10.

Anyway, since I work fulltime I don't have the freedom to lounge by the pool all summer with the girls. My extra 10 lbs are happy about this. They don't like to be exposed to the elements. The rest of me is very unhappy. And so are E and K. So off to camp they go. However, from the all-morning-long crying fit K threw, you would have thought we were sending her off to work the fields alone with her bare hands in a remote country with no food where it never rains.

It didn't matter what I said to her.

"K, you are going to have the best time. Arts and crafts, games, playing in the water, meeting new friends. You're bored at home. This is going to be so much fun."

From the fetal position on her bed, "Camp is BORING!"

"You've never been. How do you know?"
Hugging multiple stuffed animals, "I want to stay home with my animals."

"Then who's going to take care of you? Make you lunch? Play games with you? The rest of us have places to go."

I even rallied E to help convince her since she was there last year.

"Camp is BORING! I'm not going!"

I got her calmed down enough to eat breakfast. So I asked if there was anything special she wanted in her lunch.

"Peanut butter."

"Well, nuts aren't allowed, just like at kindergarten so I'm just going to make tuna."

"I've had tuna for 180 days. I HATE tuna! Tuna is BORING!"

And here we go again.

This lasted 45 minutes. I started to get worried that we might actually not get her out the door. At least not without hubs throwing her over his shoulder fireman-style and buckling her in the car.

What sucks most is that I remember that feeling. It's like the first day of school feeling. Going somewhere new. Not knowing anyone or what to expect. That feeling sucks. As much as I wish I could make it easy for her... as much as I wish she didn't have to experience it, it's just part of life. You have to go through it.

So this afternoon, I get a text from our sitter...
They had a blast. They love the counselors and both girls made new friends.

Pierced

I remember being 5 years old when I had my ears pierced for the first time. I don’t remember much else except that my mother and grandmother were there.

So as a way to celebrate the end of the school year and the beginning of summer, E got her ears pierced.

Anticipation …

A split second before…

And after…

She barely flinched, but seemed slightly shocked. Then she got a look…

Afterwards, she said excitedly that she feels different. Do I look older? she asked.

Of course, it didn’t take long for our decision to be questioned. One friend asked me, “You don’t think she’s too young?” Well obviously I don’t. And clearly you do. Even the hubs was hesitant about it. I don’t see what the big deal is. It’s not like she’s wearing giant chandelier earrings. Pierced ears have been around forever. And it’s not a ritual into womanhood. Regardless, she was very excited and loves how it looks.

Photos lie

We waited until the last minute to make beach plans because we couldn't stay the entire week. We wanted a partial week and a deal. Who wouldn't take some rent over zero rent? We found our place in the area we like, close enough to the beach and boardwalk so we can walk to everything. The pictures made it look pretty nice.

After meeting the owner at the house and, since there was no time to send a check ahead of time, handing him cash (which he greasily counted in front of us, like a drug deal), we saw it in person.

Initially, it just appeared small. No big deal. We're just here for a couple days. We'll be on the beach and the boardwalk most of the time. It actually has new floors and a newish kitchen. Then, we started looking around.

No wine glasses.

NO WINE GLASSES?!

WHAT?

Who ever heard of such a thing. At the beach? It's not like it's the end of summer and they've all been broken. From what I could tell, we might actually be the first people in for the season.

Then it gets better.

Or worse.

It's Senior Week. Not senior, as in, citizen. As in, high school.

And they are staying right above us. The only saving grace is that the window air conditioners run continuously and block out all sound, inside and out.

So we wandered around the house:
Picture frames with no pictures. Weird.
Lamp with no lampshade. Blinding.
Dirty dishes in dishwasher. Gross!
No washer or dryer. Oops. Forgot to check that one on the lease. Imagine if we stayed the whole week?! I actually like fresh towels for the beach.
Cable isn't hooked up and the DVD player doesn't work. Which is probably not the worse thing for the girls. But still.
Fire alarm is sitting on the dresser. Effective.
TV trays. Shame I didn't bring my Hungry Man tv dinners.
Teeny tiny porch, which looked spacious in photos. We might as well sit on the sidewalk.

There's a small alley between this house and the one next door. The next door house has a motion sensor light. Which. Kept. Going. Off. All. Night. Like. A. Tacky. Motel. Sign. Shining. In. My. Bedroom.

This morning, when I made coffee, not only did I find a petrified muffin stuffed behind the microwave, there were still grinds in the coffeemaker.

Now, we are not first time renters. But we do rely heavily on photos. We probably jumped too quickly at the first available place. It's an adventure, we keep telling ourselves, laughing it off. And thanking God, we're only here for three days.

We're outta here

Is there really so little news going on in the world that the local channel needs to report on chickens running wild in a town in New Jersey? Just wondering. Because, really? Who gives a shit.

We're packing up and heading to the beach - it's going to be sweltering hot here and the girls are dying to get to the ocean. Just a few days, but I'm looking forward to changing it up and kicking off the summer the way it should be. Relaxing with my feet in the sand. I'm sure I'll have something to blog about then.

After that, it's a 40th birthday celebration, girlfriend-style. If I remember eating my dinner at Osteria, there could be a review. Most definitely a post.

Then, a graduation party. For a girl I knew as a toddler. Scary.

Ticks

And not of the uncontrollable muscle spasm variety.

There used to be a day long ago, before TV, when you pulled out a tick with tweezers, and then burned it. And that was that.

My neighbor found a tick on her leg recently and rushed herself to the ER, whole family in tow, to get antibiotics necessary to ward off the impending Lyme disease or Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever or Leprosy.

This is immediately what I thought of when I saw the weird "scab" on little K's back. Except instead of operating in stealth mode with my tweezers, I grabbed it with my fingernails and yanked it out of her skin. Unsure of whether it was a tick or an actual scab, I put it on the sink for further examination. After a minute, E spotted the scab sprouting legs and a head and starting to wiggle.

Of course, because all drama happens at the most inappropriate times, I was getting ready to put the girls to bed. I really don't want to spend the next 3 hours sitting in an ER. A quick call to the pediatrician, a nervous 20 minutes to wait for a return call from the nurse and now I have some helpful information to share, at least regarding a deer tick.

You do not have to run to the ER or to your doctor for a prescription. They do not treat prophylactically.

What you should do is: pull out the tick carefully, wash the area and your hands, treat with a antibiotic ointment, like Neosporin. You only need to do this one time.

Mark the date on the calendar.

If your child gets a fever, headache, or develops a rash within the next two weeks, call your doctor.

I googled this information before the nurse called and nothing seemed to be very up to date. I did find this:
http://kidshealth.org/parent/firstaid_safe/sheets/tick_bites_sheet.html

I was also told you do not need to keep the tick for testing. Whether the tick has Lyme or not, is no guarantee that the disease was transmitted.

Also, don't burn the tick while it's still in the skin. That would be bad.

And, this thing was tiny. I only even noticed it because I had just given K a shower and was putting lotion on her. However, she was on a field trip today and was hanging out in the grass, which is where deer ticks like to wait in vain. You're really only at risk for Lyme disease if the tick is not found. So, keep your eyes peeled.

Medical disclaimer: this information should not be substituted for a call to your own pediatrician. I am not a medical professional. Don't sue me.

Enough time for grit

I read recently that we actually have more than enough time to get everything done that we want to. Want being the operative word. We need to spend time doing what we want to do, not what we think we should do. Get it? We get stressed out spending time on stuff that doesn't matter to us. And if that doesn't open up pandora's box ...

Anyway, I did something this morning that I wanted to do. Even though I didn't really think I had time for it.

And guess what? I still made it out the door on time.

Could I be a minion leader?

For as long as I can remember, I have a default age for doctors and people in senior leadership positions, and generally most people I meet that don’t look 18 years old. Everyone is older than me.


And I am much younger looking than they are.

This morning listening to a presentation given by a senior member of our team, it occurred to me. She’s probably the same age as I am. Or maybe a couple years older because I look younger than her. Is what she’s doing so hard? Once you get in that “take charge” empowering frame of mind, and have access to the same information and people, anyone can do what she’s doing. And yet here I sit, a minion of sorts. Making a third salary of what she’s making. I should be up there. Or somewhere, making 3 times what I’m making, talking to minions.

Then, I start to think, “I’ve got it pretty easy: no stress; I don’t bring work home; I’m not under a ton of pressure to perform miracles or win awards; I can work from home when I need too. Do I want to be a minion leader? Is it worth the money? How long can I … coast through my career?

Of course, I have no answers.

I can’t imagine working in advertising until I retire. I can barely stay at one company for 3 years. Besides, I'm starting to get really tired of working for someone else. And not in the sense that I want to be my own boss, although I do. More in the sense of, my hard work is making someone else a ton of money. And that just doesn't fly anymore.

Serious business photos?

Another reason I felt like a wedding photographer (see previous post)...while everyone was eating, I hid. Well, I stayed out of the way.

After my friend and her husband and her mother tried to talk me into joining the family for lunch, our friend grabbed me for a professional photo. He wanted serious businessman photo. I was afraid it would look too angry. What do you think? E thought he looked "worried". By the way, no flash! I love natural light!

I was a photographer - for real!

I've been into photography since college, taking every possible class my university offered, even running the darkroom (as if you can remember what film ever was). I'm only into it as a hobby, taking photos of my kids and for friends and family. But a week ago, a good friend asked me to photograph her parents 50th anniversary party!

I suddenly felt inadequate. I don't have a fancy professional camera - although, any professional will tell you it's the photographer that matters not the camera - and I suck at indoor/flash photography. Always have. But, she said if I didn't do it they were just going to use their point-and-shoots. So I agreed.

I sort of felt like how I imagine a wedding photographer must feel. Having to get dressed up on a weekend for someone else's event. Ask complete strangers to get up from their tables and gather round for some photos. I have to admit, I felt slightly awkward. Fortunately, I've known her family for a long time so it wasn't horrible. Plus, she organized all the family photos. There wasn't any dancing so I didn't have to capture anything more that posed group shots. Really, anyone could do that.

I did have a photographer moment though when I found a quiet vestibule with great lighting and was able to take small groups in there for photos. Anything to not use a flash!

It was an interesting experience, but I can't imagine the pressure of doing that every weekend. Having someone rely on you for photos of their special event. What if you were sick? What if all the photos were terrible, or the flash didn't go off? Can you imagine? I think I'll stick to writing, and taking photos for fun.

Marriage proposals

I have an opinion on marriage proposals. They don't belong at the ball park. Tacky. They don't belong in a restaurant. Boring. They should never ever happen on a holiday or your birthday. Not original.

I imagine, however, that it's hard to come up with something creative if you're that type of person. And I imagine, that this by far is a hard proposal to top. You must check this out.

It's booorrrring!

Find more fun blogs to read when you click on the button. 
The end of school and the beginning of summer is just 10 days away for little K and E. But it's not ending well for K. Already she is bored to tears (and tantrums). This morning in fact, she told me quite frankly that she wasn't getting dressed because it was a day off. Nope, I said. It's Friday. But tomorrow is a day off.
Cue the insta-tears.

I WANT A DAY OFF!

So do I, but today isn't it.

"I DON'T WANT TO GO TO SCHOOL! IT'S BORING! IT'S ALL WORK! I HATE SCHOOL! SCHOOL IS BORING!

If you don't finish kindergarten, then you can't go to first grade.

I WANT TO GO TO FIRST GRADE!

Ok, then let's get dressed.

FIRST GRADE IS BORING!

She is literally SCREAMING this at me. And sobbing. The hyperventilating kind of sobbing.

Poor E tries to get involved and talk K down. But her head gets ripped off too.

Every morning this week has resulted in a temper tantrum with her insisting that school is boring and she's not going. I can't help but assume that these sudden outbursts mean something's going on at school. Usually, she comes home and tells us what a great day she's had. It was guuurrreat, she would say, just like Tony the Tiger. Then she'll tell us about one boy in particular who's always in trouble and bothering her. So I know she's not one to hold back.

But now it's a different girl who's calling her names. We know this girl well. We also know her parents. I'm not surprised she's being a little shit. She's always been a little shit. Unfortunately, K isn't mature enough to ignore her or just play along. She gets mad. Really mad. Which incites the little shit even more. I tell K all the proper things to do: tell her to leave you alone; tell the teacher; ignore her; walk away; try not to stand near her where she can bother you. But what I really want to tell her is to give her a good punch when the teacher isn't looking. I'm sure one day someone will punch this girl. She's obnxious, loud and doesn't listen. Mainly because her parents are slack on the discipline. I know this for a fact because they've said as much. Either way, that girl's a bully in the making. She's been getting in trouble since preschool. I mean, how else could her future be, because who gets in trouble in preschool?

You know what's boring? Mean kids.

The tale of two kids

Never interrupt little K when she is playing a game. Even if it's to get a picture with her sister on her sister's birthday. She will not be happy. Dare I say, disgusted? She will be very mad at you. She will try very hard to smile like she's asked. But it doesn't quite work.

Other Wordless Wednesdays happening here and here.

Writer's Block

Happy June everyone!
I'm struggling a bit with writer's block today, so I'm going to take the easy way out and join a meme. Run over to Boobies, Babies and a Blog to join in and find some new blogs to follow and to get followed. Follow Me Back Tuesday is also hosted by Survey Junkie, Little Yaya's, and Review Retreat.

If you're coming here from FMBT, welcome!