Now I am dying to know what Diana made and will update this blog post ASAP when she posts!

UPDATE!  My little Christmas ball pales in comparison of Diana’s Baby Silverware Shadow Boxes.  Absolutely adorable! She also invited others along to join* and please do this.  I’ll make sure to share your link and ooh and aah over your project as well.

*No need to live 1850 miles away, anyone can join, no matter your distance!

I am very satisfied that I chose to do this with my iPhone.  I could take, edit and upload a photo standing in the same spot.  I felt it gave me more time to be creative and spontaneous. I didn’t play with various apps to manipulate an image with. I took a photo, cropped it, played with the light levels and filters available with Camera+, and that suited me fine. I focused on creating the image in front of the lens and got to know how I could manipulate it with the app I had for the look I wanted. I have been finding that iPhoneography seems to be more about mixing and creating something different from the image you started with, I’ve looked at some and can’t begin to tell you how they created the image they ended up with. My images don’t change that much, more of WYSIWYG. Using the iPhone, the lens and its aperture and focal length was set, by forcing me to work with what I had meant I didn’t go in circles trying to figure out all the elements. I focused on composition, backgrounds, highlights and shadows. I did my best to not get identical images (or attributed them to the same day if I did). I learned to look for images/inspiration everywhere. Now I am ready to sit and munch on the technical details, I need the depth that the DSLR will afford me (but can I afford the gear?) I am particularly keen to work on macro and product photography, where tiny details matter and I have more control.

The one regret from this 365 is that I didn’t get involved in a community.  I had started with mostly365.com and that didn’t have a community (that I could find) so I moved over to Flickr.  My mistake was not finding a different 365 community to play with, and there are plenty out there, I just didn’t think to look and engage. I should have, I could have met some new people and cheered them on as we all headed for the finish line on December 31^st. Ah well, I now know the importance of  being connected.

The big surprise was the number of self-portraits I took (around 80, that’s over 20% of my 365). Perhaps not that surprising since I was usually the most interesting object lying around. I was also compelled to take some photos of myself that I was pleased with. Mission accomplished.  I have since found a number of self-portrait artists I admire and hope to do more.

I tried to pick a favourite, I did but I am emotionally invested and remember how I felt and where I was when I took the photo. It’s not like I love them all but there are about 20 but they are too different.

*****

This blog is about to change over (with a new shiny link and everything) but the photography musings will not be following. I’ll be over at 500px.  Any writing about photography will be under the blog tab.  I’ll be aiming to put my best work up, keep improving and  find new artists to be inspired by. I’ll be keep my Flickr account, and thinking of doing more daily musings when the mood strikes :)

Everything is good and getting better so bear with me, 2012 is shaping up to be an awesome year, promise.

So Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, I’ll send my well wishes out now in case I don’t check in for a bit. Until then, I’ll share my recipe for Cinnmaon Kettle Corn.  Kettle corn is  sweet/salty popcorn treat, it’s an American thing and is making a comeback.

First thing first: you need a stove-top popcorn maker.  I have a Whirley Pop which hasn’t failed me and can be found at Lee Valley for $28.50  Honestly, it’s my favourite and most-used kitchen appliance.

Ingredients
1/3 cup of white popcorn kernels (you can use yellow too)
2 tbsps. canola oil
2 tbsps. white sugar
1/8 tsp. salt (I have spun mine through a coffe grinder so it’s fine like popcorn salt)
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Put all the ingredients in the popcorn popper and place on stove with the heat on med-high and crank quickly.  Crank until the popping ceases (or slows down) and keep the cranking fast, sugar burns easily. Dump the popcorn onto a cookie sheet to cool and break it up. Best if eaten immediately but you can store in airtight containers if you have will power :)

I am working in Gingerbread Kettle Corn that I will add to this post if I get it to something I am happy with.

I hope all your holidays are shiny and bright,
Tamara xox.

First, I want to thank everyone who donated money to Movember and I am happy to report that a mustache will never grace Chris’ face again.  I don’t mind mustaches but it did nothing for his upper lip. He’s even bought a fancy new razor to do the honours on December 1st.  For those who were wondering that I managed to post about Movember and nothing else.  Forgive me. We just got our internet sorted out on the 22nd and I was using my iPhone as a hotspot to get online. I posted about Movember, visited my Dropbox and did my banking.  That was it. As for writing and posting at work. Yes. I may *seem* organized but I’m not.  I fake it half the time.

We are still settling in and Chris has been taking care of the major things.  In fact, tomorrow he’s insulating the attic.  We are leaking heat (didn’t need the energy audit to tell us that). We’ve been busy even thought we still have cardboard boards in all rooms except the washrooms and kitchen.  It’s doable and I figure we’ll clean up as it drives us crazy.  These things take their time, no need to rush it.

As for my adjusting, I have less time in my day. I leave the house at 7:10 and often don’t get back until 6:30. Twice a week I stay in the city and meet Chris and I don’t get home those evenings until 11:00. Thankfully, my job isn’t stressful and the bus ride is on a cozy commuter bus. We do have a new car.  A cute Mini, it’s the youngest used car we’ve ever owned and the fuel efficiency is great and most importantly, fun to drive! So between the bus and the car, I spend a lot of time rolling.  I keep my Sundays free for me. I do my best not to schedule anything and I have a chance to get all caught up before the next week rolls in.

The house is good and we’ve turned to the pellet stove to be our primary source of heat.  Chris hooked it up to a thermostat so it comes on automatically in the morning and keeps the place warm throughout the day.  We also have a propane furnace as well and it takes care of the house at 2am if it gets too cold. It’s noisy but when it comes to cost, it’s darling.

I am starting to get a routine down and actually exercising again and now that I am into roller derby, it’s nice to pour that energy into something fun instead of I-have-to-do-it-because-its-good-for-me.  Also, getting to the end of the 365 with the iPhone and since I now have an iPhone 4S, I’m loving the new camera.  I tend to take the photos in batches now. I’ve been behind by 2 weeks or so, but now I’m only behind by a day or two.

Um, so that’s it for now.

Day twelve.

A photo of Chris with his rugged, outdoorsy look. We’re standing in our backyard. The trees are enough to make me weep, add the plaid and I’m all over it.

For the photography part, I used one strobe off to my right at the lowest setting (I should probably know my equipment better and be able to tell you more about it, some other time).  I don’t have battery packs so Chris pulled out a few extension cords and I placed it up on a table so the light was at the same height as his head.  The right side of the photo is flatter where the strobe hits the bark of the tree and Chris’ face, and the left side of the photo is richer with the light from the setting sun, but there are more shadows on his face.  Also the light in the right is white and the left is gold.  As for directing Chris to model, it’s a skill I need to work on. 

As for the kissing?  Week one was rough.  Week two has been prickly.  I don’t like it but eventually the upper lip becomes numb and c’mon, I’m not about to turn down getting kissed! I am thinking week three will be more ticklish, time will tell!

This year, Chris is joining The Movemberists team led by the dashing David Hicks. I have never seen true facial hair on Christopher. He shaves about once a week and that’s about it. Not much care needs to go into his facial follicles.

I have heard tell that a number of spouses aren’t that keen on the idea of their partner growing a moustache. I really doubt this. It’s a month, only 30 days, and for an important cause, I don’t think any of us really mind but for a laugh we might play it up a bit ;)  I do know that by the end, I probably won’t take anything Chris says seriously as my eyes will be affixed to the hairy upper lip in total fascination. I won’t be able to help myself. Let’s hope nothing serious occurs or we’ll be conducting meetings in the dark. As for kissing, *that* I am curious about…

For fun, I’ve been encouraged to turn this into a photography project. I am putting down the iPhone (I know, I know) and finally pulling out the DSLR and my two new strobes.  I have a lighting app called Light Studio and Chris has helped Justin out on a few shoots so I am aiming to try different lighting configurations and scenarios as the month goes by and the Mo (it deserves capitalization, don’t you think?) makes its appearance. I’ll also learn how to direct my model and how to edit photos without a touchscreen.

Want to make a contribution? Want to see how the Mo is progressing? Check out Chris’ Mo Bro page. I am pretty sure this is going to be an amusing month. Hair-larious. Ha ha.

Again, how long until December 1st?

In the meantime, here’s what’s been going on.

Yesterday was my last visit to our old property.  The new owners take possession on the 3^rd of November, we’ve already dropped the key off to our lawyer and signed it away. We needed to get the last of our stuff out and that’s it!  From tip to tail this whole process took about 17 weeks. Not too shabby and fits in with how we do things here, we are decisive and don’t screw around.

We moved on the 19th and I returned to work on the 24th.  We are no where near unpacked and as I am finding out, moving into a older home, wait, make that an older home in the country, is entirely different than a new home. First: no Tarion.  I can’t go to anyone and have them fix the problems I find. I have to suck it up and get it fixed myself. Second: the dirt is more than dust. Use your imagination. Third: there are way more Whiskey Tango Foxtrot moments.  Chris and I called to each other frequently showing each other things and mutter “what. the. fuck.” under our breathe. “Really? Really?!” and “What were they thinking?” were also popular choices.  We know this property has been owned by 6 or 7 other couples and we’ve cursed them all, we have a lot of work to do because of things they did or didn’t do.  But what they all had right was the property itself, so instead of ranting like I will in many, many future blog posts, here’s a list of the highlights and perks that will make it all worth it.

1. The property.  It goes without saying that this property is gorgeous.  It’s under an acre and the maple trees are big and tall.  There is something about the trees that just takes the stress away.  Laugh if you will, for some it’s water, or a mountain view, for me it’s trees. Add a circular driveway and traditional Lanark fencing, totally bonus.

2. The view.  The night sky, the sunset, the sunrise.  I am actually experiencing a day in all its glory, and I’m going to experience each season! In the townhome, I never saw a sunrise or a sunset, there were too many buildings in the way. And the night sky? Un-freakin-believable.  I’d sell my soul for stars.

3. Better floorplan. We went from 1800 sqft. to 1100 sqft. but this house makes more sense. The rooms don’t dictate how you have to set them up, there is flexibility and choice. The townhome was narrow and had strange angles, this is boxier and more workable.

4. Pellet stove. It’s a cheap, easy-to-use source of heat. Cats think it’s the greatest invention in the history of ever.  The fan is a bit noisy but you can’t beat the price.

5. Fireplace.  Untested right now, but we can have heat even if the power goes out.

6. Dead end. The only traffic coming down the road is made up of vehicles who need to be there. It’s quiet. Bonus: it’s a school route, so the road is plowed early in the winter!

7. Commute. I love my commute.  Honest.  I take a coach from Carleton Place to half a block from where I work. I didn’t realize how much I hated public transit. I have a comfortable seat, with a headrest and a footrest. The temperature is controlled. I can catch up on Twitter, play games, read, listen to my audiobooks. there are overhead bins for my stuff. Also when I don’t feel great, I know I’ll be comfortably seated for the ride. Love. Love. Love.

8. Beckwith Township. We’re having no problems getting information, we just call someone. Need to know when the road will be plowed? Call the public works guy. Need to figure out the garbage and recycling? Visit the town hall.  Everything is so much easier here. Things might work a bit slower at times (hunting season, being one reason) but you can enjoy the view while you wait.

9. Big ideas. We have big plans for this place. It feels obtainable and real here.

10. Privacy. We do have neighbours but not on top of us. We can breathe. I can goof around and no one will see. I don’t have to listen to my neighbour chatting on the phone or the dinner conversation from a house over. 

11. Fire pit. I can toast marshmallows outside whenever I want. Enough said.

Having all the time in the whole doesn’t guarantee creativity.

The good thing is, I know how to solve it but I need a little accountability to get my rear in gear.

So instead of posting progress shots (I’ve taken them, just never posting them) and numbers I’m simply going to tell you how close I am to my goal in percentage. I don’t need to share my waist measurements or how large my biceps are and since you don’t know my body as well as I, sharing my weight won’t tell you anything. All you have to know is that this is the beginning and I have 100% to get to my goal so I am at 0%.

Exercise? Getting the running bug at this time of year seems to be my thing and I might even run during lunch, at least get out and walk. Plus I have my skates sharpened for the Rideau Canal in January, a have a treadmill in the basement, a property to meander around and for those who haven’t checked out bodyrock.tv, some killer workouts to do in my own living room (once I have internet). Exercise is squarely covered, I just have to move my ass.

 Food? I have no rules, just common sense.  I haven’t removed anything or substituted, but I’m leaning to making better choices and preparing a lunch for work.  Once I get all the balls in the air, this is easy.  I’ve done it before, and without a doubt, I’ll have to do it again but I figure I’m miles ahead of the folks who don’t know how to pull up their socks.

There is no magic formula and I might do a ‘Day In the Life’ that was in vogue a couple of years ago so you can see a glimpse of it. I do the occasional stupid thing, like exercise too much, or not eat enough that day thinking it will help me, but I’m smarter (for the most part) and I am grateful that I have success in the past on conditioning.  Really, I’m returning to my normal life by making it a bit of a game and besides, I really want to wear those pants again.