Self Portraits - Done My Way!

One of the challenges of travelling by one’s self is the ability (or lack thereof) to climb into the picture frame on occasion. I chose to handle this by screwing around with reflections, shadows, and sporadically, pressing others into photography service. We’ll see how this turned out.

This first photo I took on the Bonneville Salt Flats, and as I was utterly alone in the middle of nowhere, this is where the idea of being clever about my portraits first came up. What I love about the photo, more than the shadow, is how cool the salt looks. It reminds me of ice. I expected a sandy texture, but this time of year, it was smooth and completely reflective, untouched by speed demons and their tires. In the distance, the salt flats glittered like the surface of a lake. It was beautiful, and peaceful -- just me and the wind for an hour. I’m sure it’s transformed during Bonneville Speed Week, when speed freaks (me, for instance!) come out by the thousands. I’m signing up for the next one!!


One of the other places I stopped along the way was Patrick’s Point State Park along the northern coast of California. My mom-in-law mentioned it and she was right, the sea lions/seals (not sure which) were sunning themselves down on the rocks. They seemed to revel in making a huge ruckus. Not unlike the rest of the Seal family, might I add! ;-> I happened to arrive at low tide and a couple of photographers took me under their wing and showed me the coolest places to climb down to the rocks along the beach. I took this one of my shadow on the rocks that had just been exposed by the outgoing tide. There were hundreds of tide pools teeming with starfish and other aquatic life. It is insane to me to witness life carving out a niche, merely to surrender the space to the ocean again and again. Profoundly beautiful and poignant, too.

In the photo, my shadow is the circular form in the lower right corner. I altered the color photo first to black and white, and then I applied an effect that makes it look like the photographic negative. I get kind of a ghost-like feel from it. And, as I had just started on my journey, I wasn't feeling totally corporeal yet, anyway. So, it fits.



The Magic 8 Ball also led me to Ashland, Oregon. I hadn’t been planning it at all, in fact, I’d been expecting to go north to Portland, but the 8 Ball knew better. I spent three days there in Ashland, catching some wonderful plays at the Shakespeare Festival, wandering through fantastic parks, watching deer wander down the main street and making friends with a little black bird. And, the people! The people there are amazing!! I felt so welcome there. I’ll write another post about that experience later. But, the self-portrait I took there was of my hand through the glass of my brunch table at Green Leaf by the creek that runs through town. I like that you can see my wedding set through it, as the hubby was having to live vicariously through me on this trip, and so I took lots of pics of the rings that represent our trip.



Another surprise stop for me was Bend, Oregon. As was the theme of the trek, I met the most wonderful people there and spent time looking at the world through Amy’s eyes. I met her there during my first few minutes in town -- she’s a professional photographer, an art-recommender extraordinaire, and purveyor of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer (who knew it would be the perfect thing to drink in Bend? ;->). She likes asymmetry and lines and all things spatially wonderful and wonky. We made a perfect pair! So, in keeping with the weirdness of my self-portraits, I asked her to do one of me. (Yes, I realize that cancels out the self part of self portraits...but work with me, people!) Here, we are at a park by the river that cuts through town (I was stunned by its presence!) at sunset. We took advantage of the wonderful light and both our shadows are shown against the rocks. I love how it turned out!



And, I love how the trip unfolded…

More soon,

Peace, Love, and Self-Portraits to you all!

Lao Tzu – Too True!

Hello again, All!!

A study in contradictions, as always,
I have returned from my trip…having just started my journey.

Long story!

I’ll share it with you as best I can. Profoundly life-altering experiences can be hard to put into words. Thank god I took pictures!! Over a thousand of them!

Yarrrgh! I know you’re thinking, “Holy Shit, Girly, please don’t foist them ALL on us! I won’t, I promise. I’ll try to apply a judicious eye to my pics and select a few you might like to see.

It all starts with a road.



I took the time to smell the flowers along the way.





And, found, that I went on the road looking for one thing, and returned with something else entirely, something I didn’t even know I needed. But, the universe knew…she always knows!

Looks like I’ll be philosophizing and talking in circle-speak for a while until I can sort through all of this.

WOW! Might just begin to cover the experience.

I hope you don’t mind going on this journey with me.

Buckle your seat belts, get your snacks ready, and let’s run away from home together!



“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” – Lao Tzu

Peace, love, and road trips to you all!

On the Road Again

So, the intrepid adventurer has set off upon a quest. A quest for vision, enlightenment, and probably cheesy fries.

A little background. Kristen is currently traveling the American West using a magic 8-ball as her guide. But, through the miracles of modern technology, her blog will go on. Edited and posted by a guy who is deployed. Did anyone see this coming? I am pretty sure this was not covered in the pre-deployment briefings.

Like all great adventures it got underway at the crack of daw…errr noon. The weather was bad. Now, I am not saying that Christopher Columbus didn’t keep a sharp weather-eye to the horizon, before setting sail to the new world. But, Castle Rock by lunch is more of a shopping trip than an adventure. I am just saying...

The first ‘real’ stop on, oddly enough, has turned out to be the Bonneville Salt flats. What were the odds? Kristen takes off on a road trip and finds a place to drive even faster, in the middle of nowhere.





All accounts are that the Mexican food was good, good and hot! This may be a contributing factor to sppeds attained on the Salt Flats.

There is a story about a speeding ticket coming, but we are having to run it past our lawyers before we post it. Take care everyone.

Editor in Chief - Jon

Simply put…

…do what you love. I know it seems like a ridiculously simple piece of advice for anyone dealing with a deployment separation, but one that more of us should follow. Turns out, what I love to do is mess around with photos to see what kind of art I can create with them. I’m sure I’ve mentioned the Luna Pic website a hundred times already, but it is my version of a video game. I can sit and play with it for hours. What’s better is that it’s free, easy to use, and helps me churn out art that makes me happy. And, people, that’s what we’re going for during the deployment…some level of happiness!

So, if you’ll indulge my latest addiction. Here are some of the pieces I made today:

First, I blended two images. One is of our cat Lucky, the second was posted on a website that hosts photos of baby zoo animals.



Next, I applied a cartoon effect:


Then, I turned added text and a poster border.



I can't help it - I just love my cat! And, I think all cats dream that they're Tigers every time they go to sleep.

Walden Done Weird

Hello, People!

I find it fantastic that author Seth Grahame-Smith took one of Jane Austen’s most famous novels and turned it into Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. As an English Prof, anything that helps me hook students into reading is a bonus…and Zombies are it! Lately, I’ve given them the option of writing their mid-terms on whether they’d rather be a Ninja or a Pirate (forces them to form an argument and support it) or who they think would be better suited to survive a Zombie attack – me or their Math instructor, and why. They seem to warm to both of the challenges. Hmm, maybe they just like the idea of Math and English instructors being devoured by Zombies. Great students!!

I’ve only read bits and pieces of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies so far, but I love what I’ve seen. He also wrote one called Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter, which I’m looking forward to taking on my road trip with me. Can’t get enough of Lincoln or Vampires! Should be a fun summer read on the beach…as we all know I’ll be safe from the vampires there in the sun! And, I'm probably safe from Lincoln, too...but he's wily, that one! :->

Both of these books got me to thinking about other classics that might benefit from a mash-up treatment. Blasphemy in someone's world, I'm sure, but I started with Alice in Wonderland. Problem is, Zombies would fit right in to a story with White Rabbits wearing waistcoats and grinning Cheshire Cats hiding out in tree branches. Sadly, Zombies run the risk of seeming almost de rigueur in a novel such as that. So, then the hubby made a joke over Skype about Zombies running amok through the pages of Walden. Here poor Thoreau writes of a peaceful life and then has to fend off Zombies…I like it!! But…Zombies have been done already…so how about turning Thoreau into a Vampire, instead? I’ve taken the liberty of starting this project, so as you read the next few paragraphs, imagine that the main character is a Vampire instead of human – it totally changes the feel of his prose. I think it will be a perfect fit! My sincerest apologies to Henry David Thoreau…and literature professors the world over, but I’ve already begun to reshape his novel with a few of my own words. And, as I’ve said before, changing things injects dopamine into your system.

Here’s to Walden and Dopamine!

Economy
When I wrote the following pages, or rather the bulk of them, I lived alone, in the woods, a mile from any neighbor, in a house which I had built myself, on the shore of Walden Pond, in Concord, Massachusetts, and earned my living by the labor of my hands and my teeth only. I lived there two years and two months before I was summarily evicted by the angry throng. At present I am a sojourner in civilized life again. I should not obtrude my affairs so much on the notice of my readers if very particular, very boisterous inquiries had not been made by my townsmen concerning my mode of life, which some would call impertinent, though they do not appear to me at all impertinent, but, considering the circumstances, very natural and pertinent, as these townsmen were only looking to protect their families and livestock from me and my ilk.

Some have asked what I got to eat; if I did not feel lonesome; if I was not afraid; and the like. Others have been curious to learn what portion of my income I devoted to charitable purposes; and some, who have large families, how many poor children I maintained, how many I consumed. I will therefore ask those of my readers who feel no particular interest in me to pardon me if I undertake to answer some of these questions in this book. In most books, the I, or first person, is omitted; in this it will be retained; that, in respect to egotism, is the main difference. We commonly do not remember that it is, after all, always the first person that is speaking. I should not talk so much about myself if there were anybody else whom I knew as well. Unfortunately, I am confined to this theme by the narrowness of my own Vampiric experience. And, perhaps in sharing information regarding my peculiar condition, I might be able to save others from this fate.

Okay, my literary friends, what do you think? Is this worth pursuing? Can this be funny, irreverent, and still honor the original? Feedback, people!! Feedback!! :->



I've also taken the liberty of building a photo mashup of one of the iconic scenes from the 1922 horror movie Nosferatu and the lovely cabin drawing by Sophia Thoreau used in Walden. Hmm, is this how Thoreau looked while walking up the stairs after a night of feeding frenzies around his peaceful cabin retreat? I shudder to think! :-)

Peace, Love, and Mash-ups to you All!

Hitting Walls and Magic 8 Balls

Hello All! It’s been a while since I’ve checked in with everyone. My parents came out to visit for a while and we spent time just hangin’ out as a family again. It was cool. Applied some of my own deployment survival advice and signed us up for something new, too. (Gotta get my hit of dopamine, don’tcha know!) We attended a glass –fusing class at an art studio. Super – Fab! Anytime I get to depart the premises with some art supplies and completed jewelry, I’m in heaven. I’m now covered in sparkly, chunky, colorful glass necklaces and rings. Actually, I sort of resemble a feminine version of Mr. T. I’ll write more about that later, and I’ll post pictures of my new stuff, too, in case you’d like to see the Ms. T Starter Kit. But, for now, let’s talk about a dirty little secret: the “deployment wall.”

Apparently, I can deal with about four and a half months of separation with few stress cracks showing in my oh-so-Zen demeanor…however, a day past that, and – WHACK!! - I hit the wall. The deployment wall that most of us have to deal with during a long-term separation. It’s the moment when you decide that you’re done with the deployment, the government, the military, and anything to do with separations…all at the same time, and getting over that wall seems like an impossible task to accomplish during your sprint through this crazy obstacle course of military service. According to the grapevine, both the State-siders and the deployed members end up battling this malaise at some point. The hubby mentioned that his whole office over there has become sluggish right about the same time; they are all trying to figure out how to get up the rope to the top of the wall. The view on the other side is worth the effort, but it can be tricky getting there.

The point of this discussion, guys, is to let you know that most of you will go through this, too – so there is no need to feel alone when you do. If you feel like you’ve gone batshit-nutjob crazy, then you’re probably right on track! Comforting, no? But, hey, nobody is going to judge you for it, even if you show signs of going bonkers, barmy, or round the bend. And, since I’m currently in the business of offering advice to make this separation easier, here goes…

Pick up the phone and call somebody, or grab your art supplies and make something beautiful…or even something really ugly if that helps, or find a wall that no one will miss (preferably not one that belongs to a school, grocery store, your landlord, or a police station) and take a few swings at it with a metaphorical pickax. Work out your aggressions and frustrations on a literal or a figurative wall…it’s up to y’all! But, either way, you’ll feel better. Take up yodeling, take a class; just don’t take something you didn’t pay for at the store…they don’t like that very much. :-> (Groan!!! Yeah, my jokes still suck, people. Now, come on, don’t act like you’re surprised by that!!)

Or, you can do what I’m going to do in order to get over, or maybe just through, the wall. Go with the chaos. Part of the reason we smack our foreheads, and other more tender body parts, on this figurative wall is that we are aggravated by a complete and total lack of control over our lives and relationships right now due to the deployment. My thought is this: why not go with the chaos instead of fighting against it? Embrace the anarchy!



Here’s how - Go buy a Magic Eight Ball. You remember, the little black and white hollow ball that has an icosahedral-shaped die floating inside with twenty answers on it. You ask the universe, or in this case, the Magic Eight Ball, a yes or no question, and then you flip it over to see which of the twenty answers floats to the top. So…chaos captured in a bottle, that you can use to direct your trip down Looney-Tunes Lane. According to Wikipedia, here are the twenty answers most commonly inside the Magic Eight Ball:

● As I see it, yes
● It is certain
● It is decidedly so
● Most likely
● Outlook good
● Signs point to yes
● Without a doubt
● Yes
● Yes - definitely
● You may rely on it
● Reply hazy, try again
● Ask again later
● Better not tell you now
● Cannot predict now
● Concentrate and ask again
● Don't count on it
● My reply is no
● My sources say no
● Outlook not so good
● Very doubtful

So....wait for it...I’m going to take a road trip as directed entirely by the answers contained within the Magic Eight Ball. I first asked it if I should go West (remember, yes or no answers…I couldn’t just ask a “where should I travel” question of it), it responded with a definitive “It is decidedly so.” Cool! So, I’ll be starting for the West Coast in a few days. Besides using it to answer the overarching, macro questions of cardinal driving directions, I’ll also take it with me to ask about restaurants, tourist destinations, and activities. I’ll let you know how my foray down the rabbit hole goes. Who knows? Maybe random answers are better suited to giving a person like me some guidance than my own (kinda, sorta) well-thought-out plan to get over the wall. Umm, my plan involved explosives…thankfully, the Eight Ball and the local fire department overruled me. Okay, so they made the wise choice. Sigh... So, now, I guess I should let the Eight Ball make some more decisions for me. :->

Cross your fingers, here we go!