Adventures with Dr. Lady Cutie Troublemaker

Snarky trolls, man. It’s an unfortunate side-effect of heavy internet usage. To Dana and any other trolls who decide to log on, judge me based on only what you read hear and see online, don’t really say who you are, then run away… Save your breath. My dad taught me well. I see comments like those you see here, I check the email address left (usually something lame and made up) and the IP address (so I can see where you are writing from – you never seem to understand about proxy servers or other ways of covering your ass), and then I just click spam and move on with my life. I’m not an insecure person. I do know the whole story. And you know what? You’re just wrecking your karma. Hurts you more than it hurts me. Do me a favor and put some love out there.

It’s 3:15am late Sunday night. I’m supposed to be sleeping. Although as I tell everyone, I don’t sleep. It’s sort of true. Sort of. Lots going on, and blogging and being a good correspondent have fallen by the wayside. Hopefully, things will change soon, but in the meantime, I’m really trying to take care of business.

First, the crazy good news: I’m licensed! Yes, I FINALLY got that done. I received my test results from the state exam on Saturday on my way out to the Durham Flickr Shoot. Now I’m allowed to actually apply for jobs again, and tomorrow, it all re-begins. Lots of letters to write and contacts to make.

My birthday is in 4 (well, 3 now) days. What I’ve been wanting more than anything is a camera, but of course, I’m not exactly feeling great asking for anything given the fact that my parents have been supporting me. I’m VERY pleased to report that I have remembered something VERY convenient, and that’s that my ex-husband owed me a little money and is very willing to send me some when he has it, so I’ve contacted him, and between his payment to me and my parents’ kindness, there is a good change I will have a better camera by the end of the year. I have finally settled on the Canon PowerShot G9. Everyone around me is shocked I’m not going straight to a DSLR, but the thing is, I’m a gearhead. If I get a DSLR, then I’ll want the lenses, the tripod, the flash accessories, a bag, etc. This is a habit I don’t want to tiptoe into. I only want to start at the point where I can participate properly. In the meantime, the G9 shoots raw, 12 megapixels, 6x optical lens, and even at ISO 1600, there is very little noise. The images are crisp and lovely. I finally got my hands on one in Circuit City today. The nice man said he could give me a line of credit with no interest until 2009. My response? “Get away from me, Devil Man!” Luckily, he laughed. I was glad I had Shannon (voice of reason) with me, because on this topic, I’m a weak, weak woman!

I’m REALLY loving this picture Oliver took of me the other day at Helios when I was taking pictures with my current camera (A Canon PowerShot A540 with 3 broken pixels and a flash that only works sometimes!). He titled it “But she really wishes she had a G9.” Yeah, that’s exactly right. Good call!

There’s a great play going on in Durham right now called Holding Pattern at Manbites Dog theater. There are four more performances. Answering the question of what it’s about is hard, but in short, it’s about telling your own story, getting stuck, life speeding past, getting unstuck. Check out the link to learn more.

One sharpened pencil, 100 tiny troll men, and a whole sack of nuts conspire to stop The Girl Who Blows Bubbles in her tracks: a fantastical tale of the astonishingly difficult endeavor to tell one’s own story.

Go see Darjeeling Limited, too. So extraordinary and perfect in every way! Lalitree went with me, and I pretty much agree with everything she said in her review/photo description.

Click the picture for a good time.

Been busy singing and job hunting and such, but this is a news story worth sharing…

Andy Carvin just twittered that MIT is suing the architect Frank Gehry for design flaws in the Stata Center. This is huge news, since he is so well-respected, and the building is so revered. It will be interesting to see how this goes. I had the opportunity to photograph it while living in Boston. I really love it and think it fits in perfectly on MIT’s campus. I had no idea they were having so much trouble with it.

The school asserts that the center, completed in spring 2004, has persistent leaks, drainage problems and mold growing on its brick exterior. It says accumulations of snow and ice have fallen dangerously from window boxes and other areas of its roofs, blocking emergency exits and causing damage.

Mom and Dad have been in Africa for three weeks. They’ll be recounting their trip over on 1 Boring old Man (Dad in words, mom in pictures). First post is up now. Welcome home, Mom and Dad!