Beta, more

Been a really down day. I struggled terribly to get anything done...on the first full day I've been home on my own, no boys to pick up or tend to, for dang almost two weeks.

But the evening was a big improvement: cooped the chickens up early and went to Betamore to assist my fantastic JS mentor Tom in teaching his front end web dev class. I taught the last hour. And feel like a rejuvenated, renovated human project.

Right now I've been challenged by someone on Facebook to take a black and white photo of my life each day, no people, and tag someone else to do the same. Yesterday was the first day. The photo is the chicken on the kitchen counter with the slime glove. TOday's is the one up top, a grab shot at Betamore. I was thinking of making it more interesting by having a bit of a secret theme - hands. Will have to see how that progresses.

Hen, House

yes, tonight another chicken picture.  i probably need to get out more.  this is honchcrow, the calmest and most toteable of our hens. cole brought her into the kitchen for some reason known only to cole. the glove is also cole's doing. he took a latex glove -- a new and different one! -- and filled this one with a concoction of toothpaste and water in an attempt to make new and improved slime filled ant-headache glove.  or so he says. my theory is he's secretly planning to sneak it into jack's bed and scare the bejeezus out of him...

Skeletons, two ways

what happens when you leave the 14 year old in charge of putting out the halloween decorations. and the 14 year old himself, in a back to back height check; he's been growing like mad but not quite taller than his mama yet.  i've got puffier hair and was standing slightly uphill though...so it's any day now

Chix

Have I mentioned that Cole loves his chickens so much he will no eat chicken?

Cole in the remnants of the small garden patch I had planted in one part of the chicken yard. I had it fenced off for most of the summer, but allowed them in a couple of weeks ago since the basil and squash were pretty much done for, and the tomato plants so Jurassic by this point I figure they could stand some chicken nibbles.

Human 404

Yesterday, I just realized, I never made a photo. A nice slow Sunday around the house, I actually worked through the afternoon, we watched Blade Runner, and I just. Completely. Forgot. to make a photo.

And I *almost* forgot today!  But Coley and I were messing around in the chicken yard and it occurred to me, oh yeah, pictures.

So should I put a reminder in my phone? One of the residual side effects of having Lyme disease is cognitive issues, including focus, mental fog, and difficulty with short-term memory. I jokingly call my phone "my outsourced brain" because I have to put everything in there -- when to renew library books. Remember to take my contact lenses to my optometrist appointment. Etc.

This is important. I wanted it to be something that took on life and weight of its own, but instead I feel like it's slipping away.  So I just set up a daily reminder in my phone: 5:44 pm each day it will ask, did you make a picture yet?

Also I'm not exercising enough. So after the posting is done I'm going to go do the NYT Scientific Seven Minute work out. It's scientific so it has to be good, right? All I really feel capable of these days so it will need to suffice.

Got hand

Today Cole had a vision to fill a latex glove with slime -- that concoction of glue, borax and water that was such a fad hit with last year's 5th graders. He mixed it up himself and even, after a bit of reminding, cleaned up afterward. And has been carrying around the slime glove wherever he goes. He put it on his head because, he told me, it is very soothing. He proffered the slime glove for me to try. I put it on my head. He's right, it is indeed soothing to drape a slime glove across one's face.

Winging it

The view from seat 35A on the way from YVR to ORD at 6:38 am. I like this project because these days, when I see a scene that catches my eye, that tickles that particular visually-oriented fold of my cerebral cortex, instead of noting it and going on with my day I'm pausing to make a picture or two. Under no illusions that I'm creating great art, though that would be nice. It's still all about pushing back the negative thoughts and feelings of being overwhelmed by my current life parameters. About nurturing that small bit of breathing room. That precious, precarious, sacred space within me, that was lost for so long.

One step at a time

I just returned from a humbling experience at the Node.js Interactive conference, a global gathering of über fans of the open source JavaScript runtime. I am very much still a JS beginner, and being around people who are ninjas of this stuff made me feel...well, all kinds of really not-great things. Especially since I was there to write about this conference, covering sessions from some sort of presumed knowledge. I texted my best friend Heather that I felt qualified to be one of the people tidying up the coffee stations outside the lecture rooms rather than one of those sitting inside. But I got through, and had some good conversations and saw some great talks and am generally glad I went.

The photo is from yesterday. Taking a shortcut back to the convention center after lunch (by which I mean 'quick nap in my hotel room' - my mental wellbeing at the conf was not helped by the jet lag) i liked how these stone steps converged, in a waterside park leading down to the harbor.I made others playing with the whole triangle/intersection thing but the one where my boots edged into the frame (on purpose) I like the best. Taking this as a reminder to just keep on keeping on. Even when discouraged. Just got to focus on that next step.

That's no moon

Vancouver Convention Center. Where I spent all day immersed in Node.js deep dives. Still, I noticed this coming in this morning and thought there had to be a photo there...

Ladies

I have long enjoyed the super-sized male/female icons denoting the bathrooms at BWI. I was delighted to see that the Toronto airport also utilizes giant gender cutouts for their rest rooms -- GIANT LADIES PEE HERE.  But was running too hard for my connecting flight for even a potty stop, much less a photo op.  Hopefully on the return trip.

Us chickens

working in the chicken yard in the late evening light, endeavoring to cover the top with netting to keep out the local hawks who keep coming by looking for a chicken dinner...

managed to both make photos and post them all in the same day!

Self

Snugging up the house for the night -- we have entered the time of year when days still hold the memory of summer heat, but nights are slouching toward winter, and windows are adjusted accordingly morn and eve.  Caught sight of my reflection in the glass, liked the tree line and twilight sky outside. I never have figured out how to take a self portrait that does not prominently feature my iphone du jour...

Grand Cru

Got to get righteous with the posting. I remembered to shoot a photo for yesterday, and though this happened pretty late in the evening it is a nice example of a visual situation I would have noticed, but most likely not photographed. Only one shot, and I like it better that I thought I would -- the detail of the other alumninum chairs outside through the framing of the door is pleasing.

Anyway, shot late last night, and by the time I was back near my computer it was after midnight anyway, and I was so exhausted I literally could not see straight.  So here it is, and another one from today to immediately follow.

A small goal for tomorrow: shoot another photo. Post it on the same calendar day.