the new year

Only 5 hours and 19 minutes until 2009! How exciting. I felt the song of the day should be fitting to the occasion...

Song of the day: The New Year- Death Cab for Cutie

Happy New Year!

resolutions

And the time has arrived to start making New Year's resolutions that will probably last 3 weeks into January. One of my resolutions this year is to follow my New Year's resolutions. Sneaky, eh? But besides that, I am going to attempt to work out or run at least 3 times a week, in addition to eating healthier. 

I'm not sure what else I could resolve to do...or not to do. I would like to photograph more, so I think I am going to try taking one picture a day. The idea was suggested by a friend who managed to complete a whole year. Gasp! I'm not sure I can match that, but I'm going to do my best. Hopefully it will help me improve my photography and will help me think of ideas more quickly, rather than brainstorming for days...or weeks. Anyway, more on New Year's resolutions to come! Hopefully I won't be waving any white flags. 

Song of the day: Love You Madly- Cake

song of the day

Song of the day: Happiness is a Warm Gun- The Beatles

Song of the day

Song of the day: Fire- Jimi Hendrix

sweet home Chicago

I'm home for winter break! First semester is all done, I finished my last final yesterday, and I have no schoolwork for three weeks. I'm pretty excited about it. I have no idea what I plan to do, hopefully a lot of photography. I guess we'll see what happens. I'm just very excited to be home...pretty exhausted too. I am definitely looking forward to watching a movie and sitting on the couch all night tonight. Maybe I'll be productive tomorrow...

insomnia part 3

Why am I still wide awake at 3:25 a.m.? This is ridiculous, my roommates went to bed about 4 and a half hours ago, and here I am still putzing around. Well, I did do a couple hours of self portraits so it wasn't entirely counterproductive, but you would think after photographizing (new word) for a few hours I'd be at least a little tired. Nope. No dice.

I have a long day of studying ahead of me though, so I better go make a pathetic attempt at sleep. Only one more final exam, yahoo!

experience of a lifetime

I just had an experience that I will never forget...I actually had a pleasant and successful experience with a tech support for our internet service. Normally when I call tech support for anything it is a painstaking and torturous conversation. I actually got my problem resolved without complications from a language barrier or anything of the sort. I am now feeling quite optimistic, and maybe I have judged tech support wrongly in the past, and for that, I apologize.

toilet paper plus hopes and dreams

It is really unfortunate that environmentally friendly toilet paper is not butt-friendly toilet paper. I will not go into detail, but I would just like to say that I am a little disappointed. I was quite excited when I saw that CVS carried toilet paper that was better for the environment, but I did not realize it would be so crappy (no pun intended). I think I can handle it though...if it's for our dear earth.

Besides the minor toilet paper fiasco, I had quite a fabulous day. I managed to finish my ginormous psychology paper, and get it sent to my teacher for him to review it before the due date. This particular paper is worth 25% of our semester grade so I really need to make sure I did well on it. It isn't due until 11:59 p.m. Wednesday night, so I've got some time. 

Now all I have left to do is study for my Spanish linguistics exam which isn't until Thursday. I discovered that it is impossible for me to get an A in the class, no matter what I get on the final. That is quite unfortunate. But the good thing is that it is also almost impossible for me to get less than a B-. I discovered that I can get a 65% on the final exam and still have an 81% in the class. The final will most likely be insanely difficult, so I do need to study in order to get above a D+, but I don't think I need to pull any all nighters if I'm most likely going to end up with the same grade no matter what I get on the final.

I did learn something about myself today: one of my dreams is to be on the game show Family Feud. I watched the game show network earlier while I was actively not studying, and decided that it would be an incredible experience to be on that show. Quite fun too. I would probably be terrible at it and I would be one of those contestants who answers questions more wrongly than anyone would think possible... but I would love it. 

I also learned that I might not be as bad at talking on the phone as I previously believed; It's possible that I'm not be that socially awkward, yahoo! But unfortunately I am almost 97% positive that I'm going deaf. I legitimately felt bad for the person on the other line.

Ah well, I should probably go to sleep. I have a big day of studying ahead of me! I probably won't end up studying the whole day, if I'm being honest with myself. Maybe I'll get some time to take some photos or work on Photoshop a big. Hey! Or I could download Lightroom and Creative Suite CS4 which IU now offers FREE to students. I need to do that ASAP. But right now, I need to hit the hay. 

Wow, this is a much longer post than my last few. I guess the last few have been from text messaging...which I am now obsessed with. More to come tomorrow, I'm sure.

Peace, love, and environmentally-friendly toilet paper.

It's really incredible the amount

It's really incredible the amount of work i get done when there is no internet access where i am studying. Who invented the internet anyway? jeez

Trying to do my final

Trying to do my final psych paper and kind of failing. I really am my own distraction...how annoying of me.

Auntie Em!

It sounds like there is a tornado outside. Our windows must be extremely thin or the wind is actually doing something crazy. It is literally howling. I'm not sure if it's even that intense, but I really have no desire to go outside and check it out...it is probably freezing.

Anyway, it is really difficult to concentrate on studying with the WOOOSHHHHH going on outside, so I decided 5/8 of the way done on a take-home test deserves a break....to shower. And even though I am disconnected from the internet while doing this test, I am still managing to distract myself...with myself. Damn my thoughts. So maybe the shower will force me to get all my excess and random thinking out and I'll actually be able to concentrate afterwards. I can only hope.

I never thought i would

I never thought i would meet someone who shares my undying love for fedoras. Maybe there is a God....or just coincidence. Still...very exciting.

Someday, I will go to

Someday, I will go to New York and I WILL get in the cash cab. Watch for me on tv. I'll be the one in the taxi reeling in the cash.

It's snowing!

It's snowing! And instead of playing in the snow I am stuck inside studying...damn finals. Maybe if I stopped procrastinating that would help.

texting my blog?!

I figured out that i can send things to my blog from my phone! This is pretty gosh darn exciting. Also, i am in serious need of a nap

finals week

I put the "pro" in procrastination. 

cacaphony

The people in the apartment upstairs are clearly having a raucous game of "toss the furniture." That is the only explanation I can come up with for the noises that are so easily floating through the ceiling. It used to sound like they had installed a roller rink in their living room, but now it's not so much a constant noise but rather very loud bangs which can only mean they are playing bocce ball with the kitchen chairs and table.

I would also like to share how unfortunate it is that buttered microwave popcorn smells terrible but tastes delicious.

Danielle's poem

So my friend Jon wrote a poem about me which I thought was quite lovely...here it is

She’s heavy and she’s low
She gets up and she goes
She says, “Ya know…
All I need are looks and wine to get by.”
We’ll probably die in this design
Cuz round here we’ve got noses in books
but nobody’s asking “why?”
She says she sees colors in the rain 
and that no one can feel her pain
She snaps pictures with her eyes
Of the world she believes to be
High and dry
She loves Black and white
Because the colors don’t bleed
She says she died with Lennon
Back before she was born
And her lungs burn 
from these damn smokes
that whisp and curl in the night
under the fading street lights
and she goes on her own
because she knows
It’s gonna take more 
than these long white lines
To keep her on the road

insomnia part 2

As I was enjoying my most recent battle with insomnia (which is happening right now), I realized that I really enjoy that word: insomnia. It's quite beautiful. Maybe that should be one of my children's names. I'm sure it would be very fitting when they are at the crying-in-the-middle-of-the-night stage. So, anyway, I then started thinking about all the other random words I love for absolutely no reason at all. I should start a list.

insomnia

perplexed

ludicrous

onomatopoeia

noodle

dweeb

quite

awkward

swizzle (as in swizzle stick: see M*A*S*H)

sporadic

That's all I've got for right now. More later, perhaps...hopefully when it's actually light outside.

worms?

Hmm...maybe I should actually ADD a worm to my advertisement. It might make the apple part of it seem more realistic. But then it might also imply that by using these candles you get worms in your house...might not be the best idea. I'll sleep on it.

insomnia

Why can't I sleep? I read somewhere (can't remember...of course) that it takes the average adult 7 minutes to fall asleep. I must be the opposite of an average adult. It takes me at least an hour, maybe two to completely fall asleep every night. Half an hour on a good day. But right now, I am wide awake. I got in bed about two hours ago, and it's true, I haven't turned out the lights, but I should be exhausted. I haven't had more than 5 and a half hours of sleep any night this week. Shouldn't I be passing out right about now? 

I actually accomplished a lot today, which is very rare considering it's Friday. Well, technically yesterday was Friday. Anyway, I finished my final photography project due on Monday. I'm not really a fan of it, but at least it's done. I actually think it's quite bad. Since I've moved almost completely to digital I feel like I'm losing some of my passion for the darkroom process. I still love it, but I don't enjoy slaving over one print for hours anymore, where I used to embrace it and get excited about the end result. Today I felt like I just wanted to get it done. True, it could be because I don't feel very strongly about my photos, and if I don't like a photo, I don't want to spend my time with it. I would rather be taking new pictures or working with ones I love. Unfortunately, my photography class is mildly restricting time-wise. We have a very short amount of time to complete a project, so even if I have great ideas, they don't turn out so hot.

Ah well, I just need to forget about this one project and move on. I'm starting to like my project for my photoshop class though. One option was to create an advertisement, so wahoo! Right up my alley, since hopefully I'll find a job in the advertising industry after graduation. I'm creating an ad for apple-scented candles that basically make your house smell like you live inside an apple (except without all the rotting and bugs), which is basically what my ad is. I'll post it on here when I'm finished, hopefully tomorrow.

All righty, I think it may be time to fight the insomnia. But knowing me, it is entirely possible I will wake up at 4am and have the urge to study. That tends to happen to me as finals week approaches.

the split

I created a separate blog just to write about my photography and art. It seemed like it might be a good idea to separate photography from my ramblings, so that's what I did! Now I have my photography blog linked from my photo websites instead of this one...might seem more professional right? I mean, people can still find this one, but the first thing they see will be my artwork rather than my rantings about incompetent teachers and the election.

Danielle Kay Photography Blog

2000 views!

I finally surpassed 2000 views on my RedBubble photography website! I'm not sure if this is a lot, or a little, but I've been a member since July 2008. It seemed like a good milestone to record, since I don't remember when I passed 1000...oops. Maybe this means people are starting to like my work...hopefully!

My RedBubble

Odd

So a bunch of posts seem to be getting cut off on the ends...very strange. I am just posting this one to see if it keeps doing it. I must have screwed something up. 

Then back to my psych paper, which I have clearly been avoiding :)

sparkling leaf

sparkling leaf
Originally uploaded by DanielleKay

I just found out that I can upload photos directly from flickr.com to my blog! This is awesome :)

But I need to stop thinking about photography and do a psych paper. My concentration on this research paper keep getting interrupted with thoughts for a possible logo. Danielle Kay Photography needs a logo or at least a main photo with my name and contact info on it...hmm...

I'll deal with that once I finish this darn report. More photos to come thanks to the newly discovered blogging tool on flickr!

I sold artwork!!

So today is World AIDS Day, so to remember all the lives that were lost to this terrible disease, and to celebrate the progress that is being made in research, there was a Gala/Ceremony in Bloomington, IN where I go to school. I’m a member of the Indiana University Photography Society, and we were invited to donate photos to a silent auction. All proceeds from the silent auction went to Positive Link, the HIV/AIDS clinic in Bloomington.

We weren’t really sure that we would sell much, if any, photographs, but it turned out pretty well! All three pieces I had in the auction were sold, and one of mine had the highest bid out of all photographs! It may seem trivial, but I was very excited about it. I have never sold a piece of artwork before, so today has been an eventful day. It was also wonderful that all proceeds went to the AIDS clinic; I was glad to donate artwork to such a wonderful cause!

Hopefully my first sale will stir up a whirlwind of selling…but probably not. We’ll see where I’m at in a few years!

These are the photographs that were in the auction:

 

Dulled

 

Bridge to the Mountain

 

River and Sky