Hurry Up and Wait

I don’t talk about my work too much, since it’s not really appropriate. However (and isn’t there always a however), I want to talk a little bit about the waiting and the hurrying up.

I work on a temporary basis, contract by contract. I am like a freelance writer. But I am not a freelance writer. Wouldn’t that be cool though? Like a freelance writer, I get called up when there is a job (or story in their case) available. The boss sets the terms. For each contract, the initial work period is generally 90 days, and can be extended out to more, depending on the duration of the job. So, I agree to work for 90 days and then I jump on a plane to wherever the new job is and I start working. Hence the “hurry up”. Usually 72 hours or less (usually more like 24 hours) after I get a call, I am on a plane heading somewhere new.

Sometimes the work lasts 90 days. Sometimes it lasts for years. Usually, as long as I work at least the agreed upon 90 days, I can leave afterwards at any time. Generally, I do not leave after only 90 days; I would rather work as long as I can, since afterwards it is unknown as to how long I will have before the next contract.

Right now I am in the “wait” portion. This is where I have finished my last contract and am waiting for a call for the next. Each part has its ups and downs. Both the hurry up and the wait make it hard to plan the rest of your life. Will the current job last for 90 days or 900? Will I wait for days or weeks or maybe even months for the next job to come along? Financially, it can be hard. You work and save but you are not sure how much you need to save and then you have time off but you try to be frugal in case another job doesn’t come along soon.

Mentally, it is difficult. I gave up my (great) apartment in San Francisco because I couldn’t justify spending that much money each month on rent when I was never home. So, all my things are in storage and when I am in between jobs I stay with my parents. This is fine for a few weeks, but when weeks turn into months I start to wonder what I am doing with my life. I start to think that maybe it is worth spending money each month, just to have a place to come home to and to call my own. Does anyone want to rent me a very nice apartment in San Francisco for less than $500? No? I didn’t think so.

Then I get the call again and I hurry out the door once more and my angst about needing space and a place to hang my hat goes by the wayside. New fears take its place. Remember when I talked about change? Starting over again every so often is hard. I end up in a strange place and don’t know the lay of the land or the people. This can be fun and exciting, but it can also be scary and tedious. It’s like a new relationship. First dates are fun and exciting, but isn’t it nice when you get to year one and you know everything about each other and you are comfortable? I sometimes get tired of going on yet another “first date” and having to ask the same questions over and over. I want to be comfortable.

I guess what I am trying to say is that it’s not very often that I am comfortable. Whether I am hurrying up or waiting, I am a little on edge. I am a little uncertain at all times. Will I get a job? When will I get one? Now that I have one, will I do a good job? Will I get along with the new client/boss/coworkers? How long will this last? Doubt is not fun. Luckily it is not always there. It comes and it goes. Just like me. Coming and going. Hurrying up and waiting.

Is there a situation where you have doubted yourself? What was the result?

An Apple a Day Monday: I

As you may know, fall is apple season. You are probably tired of the “pick your own apple” places and all the apple hype, but I am not. I love apples. I am so happy to have several trees to “pick” from at home. Last weekend, an orchard near us invited everyone to come join them in picking the last of their apples and making cider from them. You could bring your own apples if you liked, even knobby, small or slightly holey ones or you could use their apples if you didn’t have your own (free of charge). Once picked, the apples went into a hand cranked cider press and came out as cider! It was great fun! We brought some of our own apples, picked some of theirs (and ate many of theirs!) and hand pressed our own yummy apple cider.

There was also a pot-luck, so we brought a dish to share and some chairs and hung out all day with friends and family, chatting, taking photos, eating apples and enjoying the fall weather (which has been unseasonably warm this year!)

Next up: There is more than one way to skin an apple. Don’t forget to check back next Monday to find out how...and for another edition of “An Apple a Day”, which will be a feature each Monday in November.

What is your favorite apple related food? Have you ever picked your own apples? How do you get YOUR apple a day?

Environmentally Friendly Salad Dressing

Today, instead of a beer (inspired by Kim), I encourage you to grab a bottle of salad dressing, get comfy on the couch and look what I did this week. Did you know that this Vinaigrette is now made with 20% LESS plastic? Did you know that it was made with plastic at all? Me neither. But apparently it still has the same delicious flavor.

On Tuesday, I hiked to the top of this mountain. See the flag? I put that there when I got to the top (approx 6500 ft elevation.)

Here we are, trying to get to the top. Can you see the tiny people? Where's Waldo?

I picked, ate and cooked a lot of these. In fact, I am starting a series tomorrow called An Apple a Day. Check back to see what it's all about!

Dog Rock. I like to look at the comparisons in different times of year. Kind of fun, isn't it?

I went hunting for fall foliage with my Mom. We are surrounded by Evergreens, but we do have some little pockets of yellow.

Remember the canvas I made everyone vote on? I got it in the mail and it turned out good!

I went for an 18 mile run. It was hard. It started off nice, like this. La Di Da.

And then I found myself here. I think I took a wrong turn at Albuquerque. I had to backtrack to try to find a more level ground. I think it added another half mile (uphill) to my run. NOT FUN.

As I mentioned before, I did a ton of cooking. Thank you, Joy of Cooking. Can you tell this one is well used? I think that's a bit of banana bread batter there.

How was your week? Did you do anything exciting? Are you getting all "nesty" like I am now that it's getting colder and darker?

In Pursuit of Fitness

Training for a marathon is not easy. You have to run a lot. I have skipped a lot of social outings because I needed to get a run in. However, I have not let running be an anvil around my neck (or is it an albatross? I think I am getting two sayings twisted up) .

Instead I have embraced running in all the places I found myself in. If I had a friend to visit, I made sure they knew there would be a run involved. Sometimes they even ran with me. Other times I found out more about a city or a new place than I thought I would. Running brings you closer to the real heart of a place. You get down and dirty and check out the streets, the parks, the people. Running makes you get out of the house and see things. Running makes you "street smart". So, I thought I would show you a few places I may not have known about, or seen, except for the fact that I needed to get out for a run.

Rhode Island: 

Bristol

Missouri: 

Cape Girardeau

Columbia

Massachusetts:

Fairhaven

Newburyport

Minnesota:

Minneapolis

California: 

Sierra Nevadas

New York:

NYC

There are several more but I didn't get photos of all of them! Running really has been a great way to meet new people and to see new places!

Don't forget to go over to Jill's place for Fitness Friday!

Where is your favorite place to run? Have you traveled somewhere specifically for a run/race? Have you discovered new places due to any fitness related activity?

9:12 Portraits

Well, we have somehow already made it to week 9, which I admit I was kind of dreading, as portrait photography is not really my forte. But, here we are, so I took a stab at it. You can join in, even with a Point and Shoot! This week's lesson is HERE. 

This week's assignment was to choose one or all of the following options for taking your photos:

1. Take a portrait of an individual.

2. Take a group portrait if you have the opportunity.

3. Take a portrait in front of a backdrop or colorful wall or a fun outdoor setting.

4. Take a portrait with black & white film or convert your photo to b&w. (In fact, we'd love to see both versions - color and black & white, if you care to share.)

There are a few tips you should follow when taking photos of people. First, no matter what f/stop you are using, make sure to focus on the subject’s eyes. You don’t want to turn out having their shirt or hair or even worse, the background, in focus while the subject is just a tad blurry. I have accidentally done that before, since you can’t quite tell in the camera that it is not quite all the way focused. Don’t do this! You will be sorry later.

Portraits often look better if you lower the f/stop, which literally puts the focus on the subject and blurs the background so that the subject really pops. You can even do this with a point and shoot. Use the icon called Portrait (a little head). If you are taking photos of tall people, try to get them to sit, or you should stand above them (because a picture of the bottom of your chin is never flattering!) If you are taking photos of children, try to get on their level.

Taking a photo of a group is of course hard. The more people you have, the more likely one of them will not be looking at the camera, not smiling or goodness only knows what else. It’s good to take as many shots as you can. Never take only one group shot. And try to loosen things up a little with a fun shot. My family did a bunch of normal, smile for the camera group shots last Thanksgiving. Then we said to, “act as silly as you can”. This was the result. 

They also suggest using a fun background. In this case, I used a plain background so that the subject would really stand out. That’s me by the way. Mr. L made me put on his hockey equipment and block some shots. Have you ever smelled a pair of hockey gloves? Nasty. 

What did I learn? I still need a lot of practice with this, and some willing subjects (Mr. L is tired of my putting my camera in his face). I am much more comfortable with inanimate objects.

Join in next week for Week 10, Landscapes (also can be done with a P&S -- the little "mountain" button). 

Do you like taking portraits? What is your favorite silly group shot that you have seen? Do you prefer color or black and white? 

The World. The Wide. The Web.

I was flying out of Missouri the other day, looking out the airplane window at the flat, tree filled expanse below, and I thought, “Before I came here I never really knew much about Missouri.” Before I came to Missouri, I didn’t realize it would have huge limestone bluffs. I did not know that in the fall, the colors would be so beautiful. I did not understand that there were (smallish) mountains here. I did not realize that they grow almost as much corn and soybeans as Iowa. I was unaware that there are hiking trails and running trails and wineries. Wineries! I did not know any of that.

But you know that. Because I have posted photos and wrote things about many of these things. If I didn’t post anything, someone has. Somewhere on the internet you may have seen something about one or all of the above things.

The internet has been good in this aspect. It has broadened our horizons. It has made us realize what is out there, in the great big world. It has made what once was unknown more accessible. For this, I love the internet. I may have never known that I wanted to travel to Bhutan without the internet. I would not keep in touch with and go visit some of my friends who I have met while traveling. I would not know that there was such a thing as diving with great white sharks, hiking in the fjords of New Zealand, or eating rotten whale meat in Iceland.

I read a lot, so some of these things I may have found out through books, but I think the internet has opened us up to so much. I don’t have to buy a whole book about The World’s Largest Animals. I can just Google it and see what the top 5 are. I don’t need to buy a Glamor magazine full of ads when I can see in a glance what the latest fashions are.

However, sometimes I also think that the Internet has caused us to learn less. Why bother learning the capitols of the 50 states when you can just Wikipedia it? Why bother calling your Mom to ask her who starred in Kiss Me Kate, when you can IMDB it? How many riveting discussions have been cut short by a quick look at Google?

I still have mixed feelings about the internet. Sometimes I think that you don’t really need to know everything off hand and having Google can be a blessing. On the other hand, are we too reliant on the internet, so we are not bothering to remember anything anymore? Which of these things are important to learn yourself and which ones are okay to Google and forget?

Do you think that the internet has had a more positive or negative impact on society (or you personally)? In which way has the Internet helped you in your life? In which way has it made things worse?