Too many photos......

..... aerial photos, that is. I've been staring at aerial photography of the Waco region from 1972 for hours. Days, actually. My eyes are getting crossed from matching up road intersections (imaginary? perhaps.) between 1972 and 2010. And I still have the 1941 set to do! Yaaaay.....

Does this look like that?? Does it fit on the overall map??? Oh the questions........

Is it sad (or maybe just very indicative that I am in the right field) that I am not even truly sick of the snail-paced process itself.... just frusterated with the slowness only because I am on a deadline? (I daresay that if I didn't have a deadline, and if I got paid, I wouldn't mind this work so so much.......... brave words? Ha.)

Nevertheless, I need a break every once in awhile. And what better way than to.... enjoy the photography of others!! :) New photographer-love:

this modern romance || color and dust

I could spent soooo much time looking at, teasing apart and being inspired by these images! Alas.... my own images call me.

Spring banner!

The new banner has arrived! There's nothing quite like Texas spring flowers. Enjoy the bluebonnets!

Pretentiously drinking coffee...... for a cause.

I attended my first ever coffee cupping last night..... I never thought I'd ever drink coffee in such a frou-frou manner but there you have it. :p I actually learned alot - about coffee tasting, the coffee itself, and where the coffee comes from! The event was hosted by Common Grounds, our favorite artsy-fartsy coffee house in Waco (arguably my favorite anywhere). Located on the edge of campus in a little house, CG brims over with good coffee and creativity, and plays host to many concerts and shows.

What made this particular evening extra special was the fact that we weren't just there to enjoy a good cuppa joe. The coffee cupping was held in concert with a photo show to raise support for a little orphanage in Guatemala (Los fundaniños Orphanage). It is filled with the most precious little kids, and we spent the evening learning their stories. Being reminded that these aren't just nameless faces in a photograph - that behind each set of brown eyes was a life. Being part of the voice to tell these kids that people a world away are thinking about them.

Some peeks from the night (sorry about the poor photo quality.... all I had was my phone camera!):

Photos from the orphange taken by Jamie Montgomery were strung all around CG's backyard using wooden clothes pins and twine.

Photo gallery of some of the kids. I love this method of presenting photos! (Photos screwed onto wooden planks and randomly framed by wire)

We were encouraged to take our time looking at the photos, and to take one home so that we would be reminded of the children. For some reason, the boy on the right makes me smile when I see his photograph. We also had our pictures taken so that when our cheque made it to the Orphanage, the kids would know that there were real people supporting them and thinking about them.

This little one made it home with me. His name is Alejandro and I could. not. resist him. Seriously, how could you resist that face?? He's about a year old and they don't know much about his story.... only that he - like lots of other babies there - never cries because he's learned that even if he did, no one will come to comfort him. It makes me so sad. Children so little shouldn't have to become so jaded, y'know? I pray through his being at Los fundaninos, he will get loved on and cared for, and that one day he will be able to trust again..........

Today's schedule

4h30 :: wake-up 5h45 :: actually wake-up

6h50 :: arrive at school

7h00-9h00 :: do some major creative writing for a grant due Monday (that I found out about yesterday late afternoon). Pray. Alot.

7h10 :: Mum calls to offer encouragement and a prayer (hurray for mommies!)

9h30 :: Meet with Dr. Joe regarding said grant (this will be interesting....)

11h00 :: Meet Bestie et al. at home

11h30ish :: Embark on major birthday festivities in Austin.

Goal :: make it to 11hoo with sanity intact.

Self-professed dork.

I read alot of blogs. They are the perfect length of reading (or looking, in the case of photo blogs) in between interpreting thermal-band satellite imagery and grading papers - and let's be honest - while procrastinating. I love getting a peek into other people's lives and see how they put their lives together, and how/what they create. Oftentimes their creativity sparks my own.

A little while back I stumbled upon Oh, Mishka..... what I love about her is that she is both a stylish and creative soul while studying and loving geology! She posted a very fun list of nerdy tidbits about herself today, which has inspired me to make my own list (yes, laugh. I know you are.).

My list, however, will be a list of dorky tidbits because as my advisor and I have established, a nerd, a dork, and a geek are not the same thing. You have to be really brilliant (think Sheldon Cooper) to qualify for nerd-dom. A geek is slightly less brilliant, but still very very smart. A dork is probably the lowest on the smart cookies spectrum, and is also somewhat goofy/quirky. In otherwords: me. Without further ado:

* I openly claim to be a dork and am fairly proud to be one. I'm not sure that there is anything dorkier.

* When my little sister was in first grade, she was looking for something to bring to school for show-and-tell. I gave her rocks, and proceeded to teach her the three rock types. I successfully convinced her that rocks are cool!

* Every time I watch Kingdom of Heaven and it's the scene where the men are digging a well, when they hit water the thought, "They hit the water table!" rings in my head. Without fail.

* In high school, while the rest of my class moaned and groaned their way through Shakespeare, I read ahead while my teacher explained each scene and puzzled as to why they found it so hard to understand.

* I love Star Wars. I wish I had a light sabre.

* When I see a bird, I think about their flight pattern (bounding? soaring?). When see a kitchen countertop, I think about the minerals that comprise the granite. 'Nuf said.

Lol. There are SO many other things, but this is incriminating enough! What are some quirky/dorky things about YOU?

ps: My brother is now a married man! I can hardly believe that the boy who used to build Lego towns and read Calvin and Hobbes with me is starting his own family. Photos will be posted.... soon....

pps: Spring has arrived in Texas! New banner and photos are coming!!