Hola!

Let’s see. What’s happening in the World? Last Friday, Standard & Poor downgraded the U.S. credit rating, which removed USA's perfect triple-A designation for the first time in history. CRAZY STUFF. And since then, that’s all that’s really been talked about. Oh yeah, that and the stock market crashing :( because of the downgrading, and of course the finger pointing that is happening on the Hill. What I haven’t seen explained much are the long term impacts from being downgraded. What is going to happen to us common folks? Maybe I’m burnt out but hearing this talked about all day on the news is tiring to me…and perhaps this makes me sound really pathetic, but I prefer to watch Saved by the Bell right now because it is much more relaxing.

On another note, I am growing increasingly tired of myself for not enjoying work as much as I used to…lately, there is just this dreadful feeling.  I think I'm inching closer and closer to really being sick of it and maybe the tipping point to finding an exit is just around the corner!

At this moment I know that I need to keep moving forward and somehow things will fall into place, I know they will because they have to! In the meanwhile,  we must all focus on things that make us happy...like eating Nando Peri Peri chicken AND froyo for lunch...of course that experience is made infinitely better and more special if you can share it with someone cool like you!

I love their mashed potatoes with their spicy sauces..yummmm

T-0 Days!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had exciting plans for this post....I've been cleaning my apartment all day...and after all that, I was going to go take a photo to celebrate the fact that today's the day that ICM returns home and that this is the last post of the challenge!  It involved a jumping picture of course.  

Well, 2 seconds ago I went to take out the trash and recycling.  2 seconds after, now, it started thundering and storming.  It is pouring!  My plan sabotaged by crazy amount of precipitation!!! GRRRRRRR.

Oh well.  I guess this lets me off easy and is begging me to veg out a little more :)  Though I hope this does not delay his flight!

A drawing will have to do :) 

T-1 Days! So glad it's Friday.

If I had to summarize what this week at work was like, then I only have three letters for you "WTF?"
For the first time in my adult life, someone said "Screw You" to me in a work place even though I was only trying to be nice. I've had to work with multiple incompetent and inefficient human beings this week (which isn't a rare occasion) but these people were also confrontational and also obviously suffered some sort of entitlement issues.  In addition, today I was reminded of how much I cannot stand dishonesty...so let me just vent a little bit.  I HATE IT, I HATE IT, and if I think you are a dishonest person, then please remove yourself from my sight because I don't like you and I no longer respect you...especially if you lie for self gain and do it even if you know you are doing something wrong.  SO DISGUSTING.  And no, I will not keep silent and condone this kind of behavior!!!!!!

Because of all these people...I've had to remind myself over and over again this week: "For every crap person out there, there is an extraordinary and awesome person there as well."  Thank goodness school kept me occupied most of this week and took my mind off of these things...I can't imagine behind more annoyed...

To put this behind me for the wonderful upcoming weekend and so I can be ready for T-0 days, I decided to select photos that make me happy!  Going through my files, I realized I never posted photos from our trip to San Francisco and Glen Ellen from back in November.  I picked a couple of my favorites and here they are.

Photos from the Little Red Barn - one of my most favorite places in this world. When I used to live in Glen Ellen, I loved going to the Red Barn to pick up leafy greens with poppy petals.  I miss those days!

The office I worked at in Glen Ellen was right across from a Sonoma State Park pictured below..

how lucky was I, huh? 

I love lavender.  My goal is to do a photo shoot at a lavender farm!!!  Too bad I missed their bloom this year.  Lavender melts all stress away. Really!

And how can I be in a bad mood in the presence of a sweet sweet dog.  :)  Too bad it's not mine!

Going to go make myself some Tranquil Herb Tea now.

T-2 Days!!

This morning I woke up with a mission...to pick up my prints and my portfolio book at Penn Camera as soon as the store opened.  The metro ride downtown was a breeze...early...not too many people, actually relaxing.  Sadly, the ride from Chinatown back to Silver Spring was horrendous!!!  The metro station was humid, tons of people on both platforms, no trains came by for 15 minute except a "no passenger train."  It caused a lot of stress.  As I stared across the platform where TONS of people were pushing past each other to get on the train or to get out of the station, I thought...is that my blood pressure going up???  OH NO. How do these people deal with this EVERYDAY???  At that moment, I was super thankful that I live in Takoma and my commute consists of 1 metro stop.  Thank goodness. 

Commuters.  Just looking at them stresses me out.

On a brighter note...one of the houses on my street has a beautiful garden out front.  Included are 2 gigantic sunflowers on the side walk and I've been eyeing them since I saw the 2 big flower buds.

My favorite of all the others.

Notice the cool spirals in the center!

Another great news is I turned in both of my final projects today!!!  I get a 2 week break now.  YIPPIE!!!!  On my walk home tonight, I saw this kid with his headphones underneath a bunch of street lamps and couldn't help but take a picture.  At that moment, I kind of wanted to be him...

Takoma.

Tomorrow is Friday and ICM will be back in T-2!!!

T-3 Days! (Yes, I failed..no T-4 post)

So yes, I failed my own challenge on the 8th day.  RIDICULOUS!  Perhaps I really am incapable of doing the 365 days photo-a-day challenge :(

<--I'm not happy about this and this is precisely how I feel about my failure!!  Thank you to the two people who called me out on it...this is a good thing...there needs to be accountability in this world!!!

To be honest, I am a little tired of posting photos from my projects since I've been staring at them for too many hours.  I miss the ocean right now, so I picked a few photos from Costa Rica. 

I want to be where that guy is standing.

It's not super clean water...but I'll take that right now anyways. I just want to be OUTSIDE!

And to anyone who might be dabbling in a little bit of bird watching...GOOD LUCK :)

I think I took this when I was at the Monteverde Cloud Forest in 2007.  I miss Costa Rica SO MUCH.

All of these were taken with my Canon Powershot IS2...I loved that camera!

It's 07:38PM, I am super sleepy.  So good night!

T-5 Days!

Pigeons outside Union Station

Last night, I had a dream that I was in Asia somewhere.  When I was on a really busy street, I noticed my camera got stolen!  :(  Needless to say, I was super stressed about losing all my travel photos and basically spent the rest of my dream trying to find the person who stole my d300s :( 

Ultra short post because:  I've always had bad study habits, however, I believe I am a pretty awesome procrastinator.  I was glad to find out I am not a procrastinator when it comes to photographing assignments (because it would be impossible to turn in photos that I like) but sadly, that is not the case for exams.  So it is now cram time.

T-6 Days!

Happy Sunday!  This countdown posting thing is making the days feel like it's going by slower!!! nOOO.

Will have to keep this post ultra-concise...shouldn't have taken a napped when I was supposed to study.  So here are a few other photos from the Forbidden Meadow on Friday...the one thing they have in common is that they all remind me of pencil sketches and drawings rather than actual photos themselves.  Sorry, no storyline today! 

Dinner time!

T-7 Days! (Tout de Sweet photos!)

After sleeping a total of 16.5 hours last night, I am feeling quite refreshed!  So far, it's been pretty productive.  Met up with some wonderful girls over breakfast-ish things and headed to the Farmers' Market.  I got some fresh corn and am so excited to be making my most favorite corn recipe with my own planted basil!  After doing what feels like a ton of laundry and sending off some prints to WHCC for my intro project, I finally finished working on photos from Tout de Sweet (The Pastry Shop) from last week (link).  And without further ado, here they are!

 I am eye-ing that pistachio cupcake...can't wait till Tuesday when I can finally get my hands on one!

Left to Right:  Romain Cornu, Andrea Sepulveda, Pastry Chef/Owner Jerome Colin, and Owner Sofia Colin.

The green ones are my favorite. I think it's lemon basil.

This was the first time I've ever contacted a store and asked to photograph them, their products, and their staff.  I wasn't sure what the experience would be like except I was really nervous about getting good photos that I could give to them as a thank you for letting me get in their way for a good hour.  What I didn't expect was their wonderful involvement in helping me photograph...they'd ask me if I want them to take cakes out of the refrigerator, what colors of macaroons I wanted, where I thought they should stand, etc.  Somehow I didn't expect it and I should have...of course they care that these photos correctly represent what they've created so beautifully! Besides, they are just such nice people!!!  I got really lucky.  What I also didn't expect (because I've never done this) was how much I enjoyed discussing ideas with them and hearing and working on their suggestions.  It was a lot of fun. 

One of my favorite parts of my hour there was after I was about to finish packing up, Chef Jerome asked me if I could take action shots of him and his wife Sofia eating outside.  I saw him go in the back of the store to grab 2 plates of cakes while telling his wife to make 2 espressos.  I loved it because at that moment, I felt that he was enjoying the process as much as I was...and more importantly, I got a glimpse of their relationship - there is familiarity, humor, and wonderful chemistry.  Such a cute couple, it made me happy to have witnessed that.

Tout de Sweet - thank you again and I wish you guys all the best!

Tout de Sweet

7831 Woodmont Ave.

Bethesda, MD 20814

(301) 951-0474

www.toutdesweetshop.com