West of Whimsy

Be Your Own Beloved - Day 7

Me & My Shadow(s) . . .

Be Your Own Beloved - Day 6

Reflections . . .

Be Your Own Beloved - Day 5

So grateful for the heart & intuition that guide me - especially with my boys . . .

Be Your Own Beloved - Day 4

It was such a gorgeous day in Seattle . . . perfect for a photo walk!
In addition to spending some quality time with my camera, I also had a massage, went to a baseball game, took my teenager to a new pizza place on a whim, and went to get acupuncture. 

And oh!  I got up at 4:45 this morning to buy my kid a pair of sneakers for his birthday that were releasing online at 5:00 a.m.  It took 45 minutes  - but I got 'em . . . which has awarded me temporary rockstar status.  It also means I'm really tired - so I'm going to bed before it's dark out.  Zzzzzz.

Be Your Own Beloved - Day 3

So apparently this self-portrait thing-y isn't going to be so bad after all!  Either that or the teacher is just giving us all the easy assignments first - because so far I'm keeping up.  And actually having fun, which I so did not expect.  BONUS!



For years there wasn't a single picture of me on my blog.  I know . . . Crazy.  Suffice to say that these days I'm owning it properly.

And now I'm off to enjoy some 72 degree Seattle weather - Yahooo!

Hilarious Conversations With My Teenager . . .

Today after school, I had a very funny conversation with my 14 yr old son via text message.  To put things in context, he has been asking for the last few days if some girl could come over and spend the night next weekend - which I thought was decidedly odd, especially since I've never met her.  So I said No.

When he started asking again this afternoon I relented a little bit.  I said she could come over - but not stay over, and that while she was here he had to leave his bedroom door open.  Here's the conversation that ensued (read L to R):

I

I really do love him & his sense of humor so much.  And he took all of this in stride - even the part where I told him he better keep his pants on.  (For the record I would have DIED if anyone said that to me when I was his age.  Oh My Gawd!!)  Just keeping it real, and hoping to encourage open conversation with him about anything & everything, even if it has the potential to be awkward.

Oh - he also came clean & told me that he and this girl are a "thing".  Mmmm hmmm.  Let's see how she handles the banana bread challenge . . . 

Be Your Own Beloved - Day 2

Captured my reflection in the window of the Mercedes dealership on the way to yoga tonight.  Feels good to be taking care of myself . . .

By The Numbers . . .

As a teacher who encourages her students to take lots of photos in order to get just a few they love, I feel compelled to share that it took two pairs of shoes, some bare feet, three cookbooks, a regular camera with a self-timer, an iPhone with a remote control, 45 minutes and about 45 out-takes before I got the shot I liked for my class.

Of course I was thrilled to be given an assignment to take pictures of my feet - are you kidding me?

I've been kind of crabby for the last few days.  Being reunited with my camera during a lunch-hour filled with sunshine was awesome therapy . . . I'm feeling much happier now.

Can't wait to see what Viv gives us next!

Be Your Own Beloved . . .

For my birthday this year (May 8th - one week from today!), I bought myself a spot in Vivienne McMasters' "Be Your Own Beloved" photography e-course.  I generally hate most photos I take of myself.  In fact loathe might even be a better word. 

So I decided to embrace that which I am most resistant to - and will spend the next 30 days learning to love self-portraiture.  Eeek.

Day 1 . . .  I can do this!

Happy May Day!

Adventures In Online Dating, Part 1 . . .

I think I mentioned a while back that I might have some stories about online dating?  Turns out I do!  I do not however have any good photos that actually relate to this topic, so I will use these posts as a place to share recent random photos from the iPhone.

On January 1st of this year I decided after a 2.5 year hiatus that perhaps I would dip my toes back into the dating waters again.  Which is to say this isn't my first time around the block with online dating, but let's start at the beginning . . .

Phone booth shrine (before & after) in front of my favorite Mexican take-out place on Queen Anne
For starters, there are so many online dating sites these days - how to choose?  Well, I am a firm believer in "you get what you pay for", so I have my profile listed on Match.com.  As for OK Cupid, Plenty of Fish & Craigslist (ew!)?  They are free.  (see above - no thank you!)  eHarmony looks interesting, but given the amount of effort that would go into answering their requisite 500 questions - I think it's really for people who are looking to get married.  I don't have any intention of getting married again at the moment, so no eHarmony for me.  One friend suggested a few weeks ago that I might reach a different audience by joining "J-Date" - which sounded intriguing except for the minor detail that I'm not Jewish.  So Match.com it is, and for the most part I've been happy with that choice.

Phone-booth shrine close-up

Within a few days of rejoining the online dating scene I was reminded of all the emotional stuff that goes along with it - most of all vulnerability.  For real.  Say I see someone that looks appealing and send him an email, and all I get back is . . . a lovely chorus of crickets?  It can be a little rough!  And imagine if that's what happens 98% of the time?  It's brutal.  Google made a nice change to their email inbox recently - which looks like this when I have no mail:

In reality though?  After a while it feels more like this:

The cold hard truth is that online dating is not for the faint of heart, or those who do not have a good sense of self & sense of humor!  A really great group of girlfriends is also key - don't know what I'd do without them.
I'll be back soon with more - stay tuned!