just maryse

Chips of Color

more macro may shots.

on sunday i went to home depot for some new exterior lights (i hope they'll get installed this coming weekend) and some paint chips. people have told us that they like the red doors with the blue of the house but i think it looks a little too rah rah USA!! USA!!! not that i'm some kind of terrorist or anything, but i'm sure some of you know what i mean.  anyway, as you can see, the colors i've chosen are a little brighter and maybe a little crazy.  not to worry, i'm sure J will veto most of them. 

and monday, 8 oz of romney from adrian showed up in my mailbox.

this is the april 2012 club selection and is called SPLENDID.  and it is.

More Macros

i have to admit that shooting these macros havve been more of an effort than i had hoped.  weird how that is, that something -- photography -- that i've loved for so long has me feeling meh about it. but it's an exercise that i think is important for me to complete. i feel very undiscplined lately.  i've been eating too much and too much crap (my weight has become so much an issue that if i don't do something soon none of my clothes will fit.  i've already started avoiding social events because i feel so bad about myself), i've been spending $$ on stuff that i don't really need and sometimes don't even want once i've gotten it home, etc. you get my drift. anyway, i could easily quit this macro may thing but i think it's important that i continue only to keep me from being a total undisciplined sloth type person.  so concludes my navel gazing session for the day.

more shots with my 35mm and macro filters.

 

 

 

 

Eye Candy Friday -- Macro May 2012

the house renovation has had me distracted but i did manage to take a few macros over the course of the past few days.

i'm using my 35mm 1.8 lens with macro filters over it. 

 

and if you've missed the may 1 start, that's ok. start today!

Just a Reminder

another rut i need a good kick in the pants to get out of is my photography rut. i haven't touched the nikon in weeks, using my iphone instead as my primary camera. so the timing could not be better to push me out of my laziness (because not using the nikon is really me being lazy).

tomorrow is the first day of may which is also the first day of MACRO MAY!

i think this is year 4? or whatever.  anyway, to play along the only rule is to take at least one macro a day for the entire month. you can use whatever camera you've got. you can use your macro lens on your fancy DSLR, or macro filters like these, (which are a lot of fun to play with and easier to handle than my giant macro lens and also cheap!), or just set your macro setting to the tulip on your P&S or DSLR. and although i haven't looked, i bet there's an iphone app out there for shooting macros.

then upload them to flickr (or not) and add them to the macro may group!

 

 

March 5 - 9 Photos a Day

remember this?  so i kind of dropped the ball, didn't i.  oops. these random goals i set for myself just don't seem to be firing me up.  plus i caught the plague last week and only today did i feel well enough to go to work. no voice though.  and when  i do manage to squeak something out i sound like peter brady.  so that's a treat.

 but before giving up with this photo a day project and before i caught the plague, i did get a few shots.

March 5 - A Smile

March 6 - 5pm

 

oops yeah i missed it by 38 minutes.  I WAS CONCENTRATING ON MY WORK DAMN IT!

March 7 - Something I Wore

new clogs! also i'd like to note that there was still snow on the ground in spots on march 7th.  TODAY IT WAS 85 CRAZYPANTS DEGREES! 

March 8 - A Window

 

there is serious SCIENCE going on in that building. 

 

March 9 - RED

the scarf, the lipstick (tarte lipsurgence natural matte lip tint in fiery), the blotches on my face. heh.

yeah and that's it.  i hear that i inspired some of you to give this project a whirl, so there's that!

ok, i'm going to go to bed.

good night!

March 1-4 Photos a Day

March 1 - Up!

 

March 2 - Fruit

 

March 3 - My Neighborhood

 

March 4 - Bedside

yeah yeah i know, it's a bit of a mess. whatever....

March Photo a Day

my february plan was a bust, so i'm going to give it another go this month. 

 

this challenge is being run by fatmumslim. 

i've been neglecting my camera too much lately.

 

Already February?

gah! january has been busy. i've been crocheting up a storm (unfortunately i can't show you what i've been working on) and doing a little knitting and cross stitching  (i can show you that, just need to do a little post-processing on the photos).  i've been pretty good on some of my resolutions - the important ones - namely the writing down of everything i eat and the exercise (i average 3 to 4 days a week of at least 30 minutes - i had a doctor's appointment and she was happy because my blood pressure was in the normal range again - it had started creeping up).  not so good on the photo walks.  i managed another one, which really wasn't a walk so much as a "stop and get out of the car and take photos before i freeze my ass off" kind of walk.  i also have to process those photos.  this time of year i have a hard time motivating myself. the lack of light gets to me and i'm so much less productive.

one fun thing i did do was take a knitting class with anne weaver over at Black Sheep Knitting Company in Needham MA. it is probably my first official knitting class but definitely not my last. i learned a lot and i definitely see some shawls in my future. i'm working on the one i started in class and i can not stop working on it! it's addictive.   and then anything with anne is fun.  her energy is infectious and she makes you want to make ALL OF THE THINGS.

work's been kind of a drag though. nothing horrible, just work. i'm lucky to have a job and to work with people i admire and respect but sometimes, i just want to give it the old heave ho and do something else (what i want to do that would maintain my standard of living is another thing). i can't help but feel that my lack of motivation isn't always about my being lazy but more about not being inspired.

so what's up for february? well, now i'm going to buckle down. increase my exercise (watching L&O on my ipad while on the elliptical is the key). and i realize that without a daily photo project, i get out of the habit.  i guess i am an all or nothing girl.

a blog i found via pinterest (i love pinterest so much - if you are visual like i am, you will too) called  fatmumslim is going to help me with that.  i'm a little bummed that i missed january now.

 

ok, that's enough for now. jesus, i just typed a lot of words today, didn't i.  heh.

 

 

 

 

Thankful Thursday

a few weeks ago, carole encouraged us to think about things we were thankful for.  i was going to use that theme to start blogging more regularly but of course i didn't.  heh.  HEY I'VE BEEN BUSY!

but it's December, and it's my birthday month, if you've followed me over the years, you know i get a little introspective at this time of year and start taking stock of my life and thinking about what i've accomplished or what i wanted to accomplish and didn't. 

and when i do that, i get a little anxious and sad, and maudlin.

so fuck that.

this thursday, i'm thankful for my new kick ass boots.  yep.  boots.

i rarely bother with boots because not only do i have crazy large feet, i also have crazy big legs so sometimes even ankle boots don't fit right. 

but these are perfect. 

and they make me so very happy.  i feel like i could kick some serious ass when i wear these.  

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i also got a pair in black.  shhhh. 

Mertle the Turtle

so the stegosaurus cowl -- what does it look like on?

it's pretty long for a cowl, allowing you to pull it up over your head.

like this. 

and ...

like this .. if you don't mind looking like a turtle.

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day 199 -- crazy day at work today.  and i can't believe it's already dark.