(no subject)
Ye Gods, the last time I posted these it was day 175. To put that in perspective, today is day 250. Heeeerrre we go!
Day 176: A really simple photo, a necklace in the bottom of a vase being lit from below. I love the geometric lines of the vase coming up, it's very sculptural.
Day 177: I dyed my hair with henna to make it red, and I used the extra to draw on myself. It actually came out quite faint, but it was fun to just sort of doodle. After washing my hands twice it had all washed off.
Day 178: Not a photo I am proud of. I wanted it to be an ice cube melting on a pan, but we had no ice and I was lazy. Blah.
Day 179: Three mirrors and a desk lamp later... not exactly what I had in mind, I need either a tripod or someone to model for me to get the shots I wanted. I do enjoy playing with mirrors, and it's fun to play with angles and stuff, but I think I've realized after too many self portraits is that I really just need to get people to model for me.
Day 180: The Devil In The White City, my watch chain, and two earrings, resting on a mirror in my camera case. I used the mirror to bounce light onto the book, to avoid too much glare on the cover. The book was good, very interesting, and the photo is... not bad. Not great, but not horrible either.
Day 181: The park (Stage Fort Park) on my way home from work. I believe this was taken during Fiesta, when I wanted to get some pictures of the celebration but was unable to get closer because of scary drunk people, so I did something else instead.
Day 182: Unused and left in Stage Fort Park during Fiesta. St. Peter's Fiesta is an Italian celebration that has become part of Gloucester tradition. There are rides, music, food, games, and most importantly: the greasy pole. The greasy pole is a pole out over the water that is greasy, and young men have to climb out without falling off to win a prize (I think it's also timed?) The prize isn't as important as the social currency that comes with it. Pretty much every man that wins gets a girlfriend out of the deal, and next year the previous winner watches with a girl on his arm. The same girl that he "won" from the game now won't let him participate because of how dangerous it is.
Day 183: A pretty chair with shadows on, back before my back porch was getting fixed up.
Day 184: Whilst cleaning my room, I discovered an old photo album. Sue me for some nostalgia. Yes, that's me and Sam. The kittens we are holding were foster kittens and were sent to good homes not soon after.
Day 185: Similar idea to that photo of my sandals from a while ago. I like how it turned out. I love that shoes are something that totally describe a character... maybe I'll do a series of shoe photos!
Day 186: A globe and a bag from Lush, basically. The idea was that Lush is an eco-friendly, vegan brand and it says something about global responsibility on their bag. And it's a globe. Get it?
Day 187: Running out of ideas, and also a little shocked by the fact that it's been two years since graduation.
Day 188: Stopped on my way home from work to snag a quick photo, it came out as predicted.
Day 189: It was the weekend of the 4th of July (I had to work that day) so I took this photo of a sign by the road on my way to work. Holidays are very dangerous in terms of drinking and driving, so.
Day 190: My father's Toyota Yaris (aka Toyota Echo) which I want for myself because it's so damn cute.
Day 191: Flowers from my mum's garden.
Day 192: On one of my stops in the library for books I snagged this photo of a lovely cozy window.
Day 193: I stopped on my way home to get some photos of the sunset and happened to get a good one of this jogger's back. I did feel like a bit of a creeper, though.
Day 194: My father's 50th birthday.
Day 195: Stopped by an antiques store (The White Elephant) on my way home to get some cool photos.
I missed day 196.
Day 197: More flowers from the garden.
Day 198: A very pretty, possibly cheesy, sign that was in my living room at the time.
Day 199: An uninspired photo of an annoyed Oliver.
Day 200: The Harry Potter premiere. I went dressed as Professor McGonagul. This is my friend Catherine as Ginny.
I missed day 201.
Day 202: A pretty candle holder I got as a present a long time ago. I messed with the colors a lot to make the bokeh in the background turn gold instead of green (they're just the leaves of the tree out of focus).
Day 203: I managed to catch this photo of a bee! Did you know that the bees are disappearing?
Day 204: I spent an awesome day with my roommate, taking anachronistic photos on the T and in various subway stations.
Day 205: Wow, another photo of a flower, Anna! I liked the editing at the time, but I kind of wish I could brighten it up now.
Day 206: Some fabric I bought in a weak moment (it was preeeetty). I think it needs something else, an additional subject in the frame. Maybe a necklace slightly to the left?
Day 207: The pins I intended to buy when I got that fabric from the day before.
Day 208: The tie I gave my dad for his birthday.
Day 209: Hammond Castle held a two-day medieval faire called Abbadia Mare. On my break I photographed some of the performers and costumes there, including this talented fire-breather called Wyck.
Day 210: Another performer, one of the belly dancers that was there.
Day 211: The henna I got at the faire.
Day 212: Flowers. They're pretty, they sit still, and they don't have scheduling conflicts when you need them.
I missed day 213.
Day 214: This one actually comes with a quote from the novel (which I finished by the way).
'Oh! How good to be your age,' Anna went on. 'I remember and know that blue mist, the same as in the mountains in Switzerland. The mist that envelops everything during the blissful time when childhood is just coming to an end, and the path away from that vast, cheerful and happy circle grows narrower and narrower, and you feel cheerful and eerie entering that suite of rooms, though it seems bright and beautiful... Who hasn't gone through that?'
Day 215: My mother got a package.
I missed day 216.
Day 217: We hired some people to clean out the attic. When they were all done, this was one of the only things left.
I missed day 218.
Day 219: What was left out on the counter in my kitchen. You'll notice the watermark. There's a story:
I run a small group on Deviant Art which collects Dance Photography. I vote on what gets in, and also spend about an hour every day finding more photos to add to the group. A key member turned out to have been stealing art posted in the group and then submitting it as their own. They got caught fairly quickly, but it was kind of disquieting, considering they were someone I trusted.
I thought it would be a good idea to start putting a watermark on my own work as well. But that's sort of like... deciding what brand you're going to be now, right? You choose your own name, your logo, what website to choose. I didn't want to be Lady Blue, but my real name didn't sound right either. So I started out as A. C. Muench.
Day 220: A dragon from my old fish tank and my umbrella as a background.
Day 221: The thermostat outside. I think it's stuck.
I missed day 222.
I missed day 223.
Day 224: Woodman's is a well known seafood restaurant in Essex.
Day 225: A cherry that ended up being very delicious. ^.^
Day 226: The lake behind my doctor's office. I went to three (or four?) doctors in the span of a few days. First I had my yearly check-up before going back to school. I got a referral to a knee specialist because I've been having knee pain, but they also wanted me to go get blood drawn to test for arthritis. I went and had my blood drawn, which hurt like a motherfucker (my mom: "don't be such a baby, it only hurts for a bit... oh, you've got a bruise now, don't you, that's huge!") my whole elbow was bright purple for a while. Then I saw the knee specialist, who told me that the way my kneecap is shaped is what's causing the pain. I was also born with a very small muscle on one side which should be much stronger, so he gave me some exercises (which have helped a bit). The last doctor is my psychiatrist, which ya'll already know about. I'm on something for depression/anxiety which we're still waiting to work (it can take several weeks) and something else for anxiety to help me sleep until the first one works.*
Day 227: A pretty shed I passed on my way home.
Day 228: I just love the colors on this one. The sign is a very cool shape, too. This is the white elephant again.
Day 229: A kind of blah photo (look at all the crap on my lens!) of a double decker outside a pub in Essex. When I got home from taking this, I found out my dog was being put down.
Day 230: I drove all the way to Maine to meet up with my family (who left the night before) on my own. It was really hard for me to be alone the night before (at the time we had not yet realized that Anxiety with a capital A was the problem, and none of my meds were working). I think that night was when I really began to recognize that I was Anxious, not just anxious, if that makes sense. I kept checking the basement door, locking the windows over and over, etc. The drive itself was fine, though, actually kind of relaxing (good music, chai latte, and almost not traffic). It was great to get a weekend in Maine, too.
Day 231: The lake in Maine.
Day 232: Also the lake in Maine.
Day 233: Sensing a pattern here?
Day 234: A pretty field near where I live in Ipswich.
Day 235: A boring shot after a long day.
Day 236: This day was awesome, though. The Dancer, who is amazing, came to Hammond Castle and we took over 300 photos both inside and outside. It did rain a bit so we didn't get as much outside as we wanted, but it was overall a great, exhausting day.
Day 237: Candy! An uninspired shot I think I've taken before, actually.
Day 238: My boss put this price tag on my notebook, which contains all the information for my tour in English, Spanish, and Russian, as well as the various versions of the map and some of the stupider things customers have said.
Day 239: When re-arranging the living room, I came upon this candle holder.
Day 240: The new look for the dining room.
Day 241: I took a walk with my mum to the Crane Estate in Ipswich, which is gorgeous.
Day 242: After therapy, I did some retail therapy and got this necklace and scarf. I also re-branded myself. I thought long and hard about it: is making myself Annushka Münch in some way... cultural approbation is the best way I can think of it. I'm not German, why am I spelling my name the original German way? I'm not Russian, no reason to have a Russian nickname. I actually talked to my parents about it, and they pointed out that my name was spelled Münch before my grandfather changed it, and my dad called his grandparents Oma and Opa, and really, my mum loves the name Annushka. And I kind of like being called Annushka, I've never had a nickname before. It's kind of nice.
And yes, so maybe as a white American with no other sort of national or ethnic identity, I have grasped at the identities of others in an attempt to make myself more... something. I was a pseudo-Daoist in high school (yeah, really) and as a Mount Holyoke student I think I've become almost hyper-aware (and therefore afraid) of doing something culturally insensitive. Or something.
But I eventually did rebrand myself (or my photography, anyway) and I like it a lot better, so barring compelling arguments, this is how it stays.
Day 243: I went to Ikea with my mother and got some stuff for my dorm room (new sheets, a new comforter cover, some curtains I want to hang around my bed) and I got this bamboo. I wasn't in love with it, but as someone on Facebook pointed out, it's beautiful in its simplicity.
Day 244: This photo? Not beautiful or simple. The idea was to show of the sword I got from work (as a going away present) but it didn't photograph well. *sigh*
Day 245: Another photo of my tea set, this time backed by my bright green walls.
Day 246: Because we're getting our house ready to sell, everything is in disarray, so for a while these plants were just sort of chilling in the new-office.
Day 247: Lulu, the curly cat, sitting in the middle of the new rug in the front hall. Yes, she's quite the odd little thing (licks walls, falls out of the ceiling, grunts instead of purring, can't entirely swallow, sticks her tongue out) but we love her.
Day 248: Went on another walk with my mum. Talked, had a nice time without fighting, it was good.
I think is where I will leave it for now. If you've made it all the way through... congratulations. Hopefully it won't be so long before the next post
* The one for at night also happens to be effective in treating seizures, which I find interesting and a bit confusing. I wonder what the connection is between seizures and Anxiety, and what parts of your brain are involved in both. Very interesting. It's also, apparently, mildly physically addictive, which concerned me, but I was reassured that I'm on such a low dose for hopefully just a short time that it shouldn't be a problem. And if it is, we're all watching out for it.
Day 176: A really simple photo, a necklace in the bottom of a vase being lit from below. I love the geometric lines of the vase coming up, it's very sculptural.
Day 177: I dyed my hair with henna to make it red, and I used the extra to draw on myself. It actually came out quite faint, but it was fun to just sort of doodle. After washing my hands twice it had all washed off.
Day 178: Not a photo I am proud of. I wanted it to be an ice cube melting on a pan, but we had no ice and I was lazy. Blah.
Day 179: Three mirrors and a desk lamp later... not exactly what I had in mind, I need either a tripod or someone to model for me to get the shots I wanted. I do enjoy playing with mirrors, and it's fun to play with angles and stuff, but I think I've realized after too many self portraits is that I really just need to get people to model for me.
Day 180: The Devil In The White City, my watch chain, and two earrings, resting on a mirror in my camera case. I used the mirror to bounce light onto the book, to avoid too much glare on the cover. The book was good, very interesting, and the photo is... not bad. Not great, but not horrible either.
Day 181: The park (Stage Fort Park) on my way home from work. I believe this was taken during Fiesta, when I wanted to get some pictures of the celebration but was unable to get closer because of scary drunk people, so I did something else instead.
Day 182: Unused and left in Stage Fort Park during Fiesta. St. Peter's Fiesta is an Italian celebration that has become part of Gloucester tradition. There are rides, music, food, games, and most importantly: the greasy pole. The greasy pole is a pole out over the water that is greasy, and young men have to climb out without falling off to win a prize (I think it's also timed?) The prize isn't as important as the social currency that comes with it. Pretty much every man that wins gets a girlfriend out of the deal, and next year the previous winner watches with a girl on his arm. The same girl that he "won" from the game now won't let him participate because of how dangerous it is.
Day 183: A pretty chair with shadows on, back before my back porch was getting fixed up.
Day 184: Whilst cleaning my room, I discovered an old photo album. Sue me for some nostalgia. Yes, that's me and Sam. The kittens we are holding were foster kittens and were sent to good homes not soon after.
Day 185: Similar idea to that photo of my sandals from a while ago. I like how it turned out. I love that shoes are something that totally describe a character... maybe I'll do a series of shoe photos!
Day 186: A globe and a bag from Lush, basically. The idea was that Lush is an eco-friendly, vegan brand and it says something about global responsibility on their bag. And it's a globe. Get it?
Day 187: Running out of ideas, and also a little shocked by the fact that it's been two years since graduation.
Day 188: Stopped on my way home from work to snag a quick photo, it came out as predicted.
Day 189: It was the weekend of the 4th of July (I had to work that day) so I took this photo of a sign by the road on my way to work. Holidays are very dangerous in terms of drinking and driving, so.
Day 190: My father's Toyota Yaris (aka Toyota Echo) which I want for myself because it's so damn cute.
Day 191: Flowers from my mum's garden.
Day 192: On one of my stops in the library for books I snagged this photo of a lovely cozy window.
Day 193: I stopped on my way home to get some photos of the sunset and happened to get a good one of this jogger's back. I did feel like a bit of a creeper, though.
Day 194: My father's 50th birthday.
Day 195: Stopped by an antiques store (The White Elephant) on my way home to get some cool photos.
I missed day 196.
Day 197: More flowers from the garden.
Day 198: A very pretty, possibly cheesy, sign that was in my living room at the time.
Day 199: An uninspired photo of an annoyed Oliver.
Day 200: The Harry Potter premiere. I went dressed as Professor McGonagul. This is my friend Catherine as Ginny.
I missed day 201.
Day 202: A pretty candle holder I got as a present a long time ago. I messed with the colors a lot to make the bokeh in the background turn gold instead of green (they're just the leaves of the tree out of focus).
Day 203: I managed to catch this photo of a bee! Did you know that the bees are disappearing?
Day 204: I spent an awesome day with my roommate, taking anachronistic photos on the T and in various subway stations.
Day 205: Wow, another photo of a flower, Anna! I liked the editing at the time, but I kind of wish I could brighten it up now.
Day 206: Some fabric I bought in a weak moment (it was preeeetty). I think it needs something else, an additional subject in the frame. Maybe a necklace slightly to the left?
Day 207: The pins I intended to buy when I got that fabric from the day before.
Day 208: The tie I gave my dad for his birthday.
Day 209: Hammond Castle held a two-day medieval faire called Abbadia Mare. On my break I photographed some of the performers and costumes there, including this talented fire-breather called Wyck.
Day 210: Another performer, one of the belly dancers that was there.
Day 211: The henna I got at the faire.
Day 212: Flowers. They're pretty, they sit still, and they don't have scheduling conflicts when you need them.
I missed day 213.
Day 214: This one actually comes with a quote from the novel (which I finished by the way).
'Oh! How good to be your age,' Anna went on. 'I remember and know that blue mist, the same as in the mountains in Switzerland. The mist that envelops everything during the blissful time when childhood is just coming to an end, and the path away from that vast, cheerful and happy circle grows narrower and narrower, and you feel cheerful and eerie entering that suite of rooms, though it seems bright and beautiful... Who hasn't gone through that?'
Day 215: My mother got a package.
I missed day 216.
Day 217: We hired some people to clean out the attic. When they were all done, this was one of the only things left.
I missed day 218.
Day 219: What was left out on the counter in my kitchen. You'll notice the watermark. There's a story:
I run a small group on Deviant Art which collects Dance Photography. I vote on what gets in, and also spend about an hour every day finding more photos to add to the group. A key member turned out to have been stealing art posted in the group and then submitting it as their own. They got caught fairly quickly, but it was kind of disquieting, considering they were someone I trusted.
I thought it would be a good idea to start putting a watermark on my own work as well. But that's sort of like... deciding what brand you're going to be now, right? You choose your own name, your logo, what website to choose. I didn't want to be Lady Blue, but my real name didn't sound right either. So I started out as A. C. Muench.
Day 220: A dragon from my old fish tank and my umbrella as a background.
Day 221: The thermostat outside. I think it's stuck.
I missed day 222.
I missed day 223.
Day 224: Woodman's is a well known seafood restaurant in Essex.
Day 225: A cherry that ended up being very delicious. ^.^
Day 226: The lake behind my doctor's office. I went to three (or four?) doctors in the span of a few days. First I had my yearly check-up before going back to school. I got a referral to a knee specialist because I've been having knee pain, but they also wanted me to go get blood drawn to test for arthritis. I went and had my blood drawn, which hurt like a motherfucker (my mom: "don't be such a baby, it only hurts for a bit... oh, you've got a bruise now, don't you, that's huge!") my whole elbow was bright purple for a while. Then I saw the knee specialist, who told me that the way my kneecap is shaped is what's causing the pain. I was also born with a very small muscle on one side which should be much stronger, so he gave me some exercises (which have helped a bit). The last doctor is my psychiatrist, which ya'll already know about. I'm on something for depression/anxiety which we're still waiting to work (it can take several weeks) and something else for anxiety to help me sleep until the first one works.*
Day 227: A pretty shed I passed on my way home.
Day 228: I just love the colors on this one. The sign is a very cool shape, too. This is the white elephant again.
Day 229: A kind of blah photo (look at all the crap on my lens!) of a double decker outside a pub in Essex. When I got home from taking this, I found out my dog was being put down.
Day 230: I drove all the way to Maine to meet up with my family (who left the night before) on my own. It was really hard for me to be alone the night before (at the time we had not yet realized that Anxiety with a capital A was the problem, and none of my meds were working). I think that night was when I really began to recognize that I was Anxious, not just anxious, if that makes sense. I kept checking the basement door, locking the windows over and over, etc. The drive itself was fine, though, actually kind of relaxing (good music, chai latte, and almost not traffic). It was great to get a weekend in Maine, too.
Day 231: The lake in Maine.
Day 232: Also the lake in Maine.
Day 233: Sensing a pattern here?
Day 234: A pretty field near where I live in Ipswich.
Day 235: A boring shot after a long day.
Day 236: This day was awesome, though. The Dancer, who is amazing, came to Hammond Castle and we took over 300 photos both inside and outside. It did rain a bit so we didn't get as much outside as we wanted, but it was overall a great, exhausting day.
Day 237: Candy! An uninspired shot I think I've taken before, actually.
Day 238: My boss put this price tag on my notebook, which contains all the information for my tour in English, Spanish, and Russian, as well as the various versions of the map and some of the stupider things customers have said.
Day 239: When re-arranging the living room, I came upon this candle holder.
Day 240: The new look for the dining room.
Day 241: I took a walk with my mum to the Crane Estate in Ipswich, which is gorgeous.
Day 242: After therapy, I did some retail therapy and got this necklace and scarf. I also re-branded myself. I thought long and hard about it: is making myself Annushka Münch in some way... cultural approbation is the best way I can think of it. I'm not German, why am I spelling my name the original German way? I'm not Russian, no reason to have a Russian nickname. I actually talked to my parents about it, and they pointed out that my name was spelled Münch before my grandfather changed it, and my dad called his grandparents Oma and Opa, and really, my mum loves the name Annushka. And I kind of like being called Annushka, I've never had a nickname before. It's kind of nice.
And yes, so maybe as a white American with no other sort of national or ethnic identity, I have grasped at the identities of others in an attempt to make myself more... something. I was a pseudo-Daoist in high school (yeah, really) and as a Mount Holyoke student I think I've become almost hyper-aware (and therefore afraid) of doing something culturally insensitive. Or something.
But I eventually did rebrand myself (or my photography, anyway) and I like it a lot better, so barring compelling arguments, this is how it stays.
Day 243: I went to Ikea with my mother and got some stuff for my dorm room (new sheets, a new comforter cover, some curtains I want to hang around my bed) and I got this bamboo. I wasn't in love with it, but as someone on Facebook pointed out, it's beautiful in its simplicity.
Day 244: This photo? Not beautiful or simple. The idea was to show of the sword I got from work (as a going away present) but it didn't photograph well. *sigh*
Day 245: Another photo of my tea set, this time backed by my bright green walls.
Day 246: Because we're getting our house ready to sell, everything is in disarray, so for a while these plants were just sort of chilling in the new-office.
Day 247: Lulu, the curly cat, sitting in the middle of the new rug in the front hall. Yes, she's quite the odd little thing (licks walls, falls out of the ceiling, grunts instead of purring, can't entirely swallow, sticks her tongue out) but we love her.
Day 248: Went on another walk with my mum. Talked, had a nice time without fighting, it was good.
I think is where I will leave it for now. If you've made it all the way through... congratulations. Hopefully it won't be so long before the next post
* The one for at night also happens to be effective in treating seizures, which I find interesting and a bit confusing. I wonder what the connection is between seizures and Anxiety, and what parts of your brain are involved in both. Very interesting. It's also, apparently, mildly physically addictive, which concerned me, but I was reassured that I'm on such a low dose for hopefully just a short time that it shouldn't be a problem. And if it is, we're all watching out for it.