I recently completed a project I called “365 Days of Julia." Between April 13, 2007 and April 12, 2008, I took a photo of myself each day*. It actually turns out to be 366 because of leap year, but who’s counting? Would you like to have a peek? You can view a composite poster or the photo set on Flickr. Viewing all the thumbnails side by side now makes me feel like a bit of a nut, but I'm pleased.



Seeing the project to its end has seemed like a feat in itself, and it is with relief that I remind myself the past few days that I no longer have to take a photo! Some additional thoughts about the project:

It’s harder than you might think not only to take a photo every day (I think I forgot about 6 times, so I took 2 the following day), but also to be inspired to take a new, different photo every day. *Some days I cheated and used a photo that someone else had taken of me. 365 done well means a lot of different poses, facial expressions, locations, etc. Many of my photos are simply a face from arm’s length, and a number of them are clearly uninspired, but on the other hand a few have become some of my all-time favorites.

Regrets? Foremost, I regret working on another 365-type project simultaneously. Many days, photo-taking became a chore, and I was not able to set aside time enough to compose a decent shot. I also wish I had better skills with composition and lighting, especially when compared to other 365 projects I’ve admired on Flickr. I would consider this project again, but only if I learned more about photography and felt I could truly improve on the first project.

[Edited to mention that I do recommend this to anyone who thinks it looks like fun. You'll never forget it, for better or worse, and when you're done you have a pretty cool visual log of a year of your life.]

I've just solved a mystery that has been puzzling me for some time: why this picture tops my list of most-viewed photos on Flickr. The photo is unexceptional, taken in poor lighting at my cousin's wedding, but it has been viewed a curious 154 times.

Apparently, there is a popular band among youngsters these days called the Jonas Brothers, one of whom is named Nick. Because my photo has both the tags 'Jonas' and 'Nick,' it probably turns up in searches performed by gushing tweens.

I'm pleased to report Jonas fixed his car last night, replacing a part that I'm going to call the ignition switch because I can't remember what it was really called. It completely took care of all the problems he'd been having the past few months (which the repair guys failed to diagnose, I might add). Of course, now he thinks he's MISTER HANDYMAN! :)

Along the lines of my current 365 Days of Julia project, Jonas has decided to initiate a project of his own: Year of Geocaching. Starting January 1, he has made a point to find at least one geocache every day and to take a photo of himself in the process. Click the link to see his progress so far. Now we'll just have to hope he doesn't suffer geocaching burnout.

I can't stop myself from checking Flickr Stats daily now. Some of the results, like the one I mentioned yesterday, make me laugh.

Today two of the search terms used to land on my photos included scrapbooking mess and painted chickens.

I love the internets.

Yesterday morning as I was driving to work it was -17°F. No joke. I was surprised and thankful that my poor little car managed to produce some heat for me.

Flickr Stats can be a source of amusement. A few days ago, someone viewed one of my photos of a plate of spaghetti and broccoli. Their search terms had been: joy alive oil chomp model. WTF? I can't even begin to imagine 1) how those terms applied to my photo, and 2) what they were really looking for.

World Without End arrived for me at the library. This means I have some serious reading ahead of me. It's 1,000 pages long and only a 2-week loan.

For those who aren't familiar with it, WWE is the sequel to Ken Follett's earlier work, Pillars of the Earth. Or so I thought. Today I saw a newly republished PotE, redesigned to complement WWE, and the bottom of the front cover said: "The prequel to World Without End." Huh? So if I write a book, and then write another book that takes place in a time period following the first, the first book becomes a prequel? That stinks suspiciously like a marketing ploy, especially given that PotE was recently chosen for Oprah's book club.

Last weekend I made banana bread, and it was warm and sweet and good. I ate the last of my loaf this morning and also had a slice of Jonas' loaf (with nuts). Mine was slightly on the dry side, and I wonder if that's because I left out the nuts called for in the recipe. They might help the moisture level with the oils they release when heated. If I make it again, I'll add more yogurt to compensate.

I'm addicted to Scrabulous. I thought I was doing well until Belegur slapped a 221-point play on my ass, but I haven't let that discourage me. :)

I've made somewhat productive use of my day off today, and have uploaded a photo set from my scrapbooking retreat in Wisconsin. Included are two group photos. Can't wait until next year!

One last thing, the best quote I've heard in a while: "Don't like gay marriage? Then don't get one." Haha!

This may be one of the funnier photos I've taken. I couldn't stop giggling when I saw how it turned out. Be sure to view it at a large size so you get the full effect of the endearingly goofy expression on Jonas' face.

Tee hee.

Forgetful me forgot to get gas last night before coming home, so I had to get up a little earlier than usual to be able to do it before work. Not a big deal, except that I really value those few extra minutes of sleep. :) I'm the worst morning person -- usually hitting snooze between 2 and 5 times before making it out of bed.

I went out to Minnetonka to give a digital camera demo, and stopped by home to pick up my lunch before heading to EP for the rest of the day. While I was in the bathroom Jonas came home too, which was amusing. Here we are both working full, regular 8-hour days and we both happen to stop home for something at the same time the same day. (He was picking up some pay stubs and bank statements to give to the bank loan guy.)

While giving the camera demo, some random practice photos were taken of those who were there. Here's mine -- the freshest picture of me in existence, hot out of the oven just this morning.

I've got a huge list of things I hope to get started on or accomplished this evening, one being the semi-awkward phone call to Dad to ask whether he still wants to help us out with our down-payment. He offered a few months ago, but hasn't brought it up since. The loan guy will need all that sort of paperwork by the end of next week.

Holy.

It's been too long since I updated. *apologizes to self*

I'm sitting down with a bowl of ravioli, thank goodness for Chef Boyardee. Jonas is at work still, but I have the day off and work tomorrow instead. I just sent a message to his phone hoping to make some fun plans for tonight. Now to see if he's unoccupied enough to respond.

Well, they have begun digging our house! It started on Wednesday, and we drove by yesterday afternoon to see what had happened so far. The foundation is all dug out, and it looks like they have most of the footings lain. It was kind of weird to walk around the piles of dirt and try to imagine it being our yard! We're going to stop by again today to take more pictures. Since we had planned to take lots of pictures anyway, one of Jonas' co-workers recommended we make sure to take detailed pictures of how the foundation is laid out and other things that will eventually be out of sight once everything else goes in -- both in the event we decide to sell it's proof of what sort of and the quality of foundation as well as for our own knowledge if we ever need to poke around down there we know what's where.

Another sunny day again today, but too bad it is still chilly! Seems like we've been waiting weeks to finally start blading again. I prefer it to be at least 70, otherwise my nose starts dripping and it's kind of annoying to have to keep blowing it while skating around the trail. So here's hoping for some WARM, sunny days soon.

I've been on a photo scanning spree this week. So far I've scanned every roll from 1996-1999 and continue to move forward. No reason, other than to get them preserved on disk. I've still got all my negatives and everything, but a little extra safety net can't hurt. I keep telling myself I'll someday scrapbook all these pictures, but it may be a grand fantasy. I don't know where I'll find the time!

It for now.