November was a typical month. Lots of working, time with my little girls, church stuff...
Friday, November 30, 2012
November flew by!
November was a typical month. Lots of working, time with my little girls, church stuff...
Monday, November 26, 2012
Flirty Homeless Dude.
Oh my. So you know those mornings that just don't go as planned? Well, this morning was one of those mornings.
I work at the mall so traffic on I-580 West in the mornings is a battle. I don't usually work early mornings, but on days that I do, I leave a few minutes earlier to get coffee. This morning I decided to go to the Starbucks in Safeway so I could avoid all the lines. There was a homeless man sitting outside so I greeted him as I walked through the doors. I ordered my peppermint mocha and ordered him a coffee as well. When I walked out the doors and handed it to him, he was so excited! He set it down on the ground by his backpack as he chattered away to me. He thanked me and went on and on about how hard it was to be homeless when it got cooler outside and how no one would even look at him.
I assured him that I would be praying for him and that I would say "hi" whenever I was at that Safeway. I also told him that there were a handful of places in Livermore and the Bay Area that could offer assistance. Then, out of nowhere, he lunged forward to kiss me. Thankfully I have quick reflexes and turned my head enough so he kissed my cheek instead.
At that, I bid him goodbye and practically ran to my car and got in.
None of the Urban Ministry classes I took at Moody prepared me for that. Just sayin'.
I work at the mall so traffic on I-580 West in the mornings is a battle. I don't usually work early mornings, but on days that I do, I leave a few minutes earlier to get coffee. This morning I decided to go to the Starbucks in Safeway so I could avoid all the lines. There was a homeless man sitting outside so I greeted him as I walked through the doors. I ordered my peppermint mocha and ordered him a coffee as well. When I walked out the doors and handed it to him, he was so excited! He set it down on the ground by his backpack as he chattered away to me. He thanked me and went on and on about how hard it was to be homeless when it got cooler outside and how no one would even look at him.
I assured him that I would be praying for him and that I would say "hi" whenever I was at that Safeway. I also told him that there were a handful of places in Livermore and the Bay Area that could offer assistance. Then, out of nowhere, he lunged forward to kiss me. Thankfully I have quick reflexes and turned my head enough so he kissed my cheek instead.
At that, I bid him goodbye and practically ran to my car and got in.
None of the Urban Ministry classes I took at Moody prepared me for that. Just sayin'.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
cutting corners
Today at work I spent two hours cleaning up a mess made by someone else. It was a mess that shouldn't have happened in the first place. It was a mess that happened because someone hurried through their work and tried to cut corners.
I got to work and my manager didn't look happy.
"Andrea, I know you didn't make this mess, but I need you to untangle all this jewelry for me."
There were piles and piles of necklaces that needed to be untangled. They shouldn't have ever gotten that messy in the first place, but since they had, it had to be fixed.
I went to work and about two hours later had detangled close to 100 necklaces from each other and had them all carefully laid out and organized on trays.
The jewelry was nice and neat, but I was so annoyed and tense.
I knew who made the mess and how it happened.
I knew that she rushed through the task.
I knew she intentionally cut corners to get it done faster.
I knew she lied about it.
I knew that she didn't really care.
And knowing that she didn't care annoyed me! Sure, it's a part time retail job, but it's still something to do well!
"It is worth it to live our lives well."
"If better is possible, then good is not enough."
I have those two quotes on the notepad app in my phone. I see them periodically and am reminded to do the best I can in everything, whether it seems important or not.
I guess I should also add a quote about not getting annoyed with people because they're not as much as a perfectionist as I am.
Whatever you do, do your work heartily as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. - Colossians 3:23-24
I got to work and my manager didn't look happy.
"Andrea, I know you didn't make this mess, but I need you to untangle all this jewelry for me."
There were piles and piles of necklaces that needed to be untangled. They shouldn't have ever gotten that messy in the first place, but since they had, it had to be fixed.
I went to work and about two hours later had detangled close to 100 necklaces from each other and had them all carefully laid out and organized on trays.
The jewelry was nice and neat, but I was so annoyed and tense.
I knew who made the mess and how it happened.
I knew that she rushed through the task.
I knew she intentionally cut corners to get it done faster.
I knew she lied about it.
I knew that she didn't really care.
And knowing that she didn't care annoyed me! Sure, it's a part time retail job, but it's still something to do well!
"It is worth it to live our lives well."
"If better is possible, then good is not enough."
I have those two quotes on the notepad app in my phone. I see them periodically and am reminded to do the best I can in everything, whether it seems important or not.
I guess I should also add a quote about not getting annoyed with people because they're not as much as a perfectionist as I am.
Whatever you do, do your work heartily as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. - Colossians 3:23-24
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Monday, November 19, 2012
baby hippo.
My love language is not gifts and I really don't like opening presents and I'm terrible with surprises, but my birthday and Christmas are coming up in the next month and I need this cute little hippo. Please and thank you!
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Today is the day.
This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. -Psalm 118:24
Today I woke up to chickens loudly clucking, the neighbor children screaming, and someone playing a trumpet. I had a hard time paying attention in church. I got "trapped" in the middle of a row and the guy behind me kept sneezing. All food smells repulsive today and springs my tummy into a nauseous tangle with just one whiff. And I have an unrelenting headache.
But this is still the day that the Lord has made. So even on days that are "eh', we're still told to rejoice and be glad in it.
Today I woke up to chickens loudly clucking, the neighbor children screaming, and someone playing a trumpet. I had a hard time paying attention in church. I got "trapped" in the middle of a row and the guy behind me kept sneezing. All food smells repulsive today and springs my tummy into a nauseous tangle with just one whiff. And I have an unrelenting headache.
But this is still the day that the Lord has made. So even on days that are "eh', we're still told to rejoice and be glad in it.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Saturday, November 3, 2012
1 Corinthians 13:1-3
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.
1 Corinthians 13:1-3
This particular passage has been on my heart lately. I could be the most wonderfully helpful person in the world, but without love, it's worthless. I've obviously got some things to work on.
Friday, November 2, 2012
Gypsies!
This is a dual purpose post...
First: If I don't make it as a professional journalist, I may be a professional gypsy. Stephanie and I dressed up as gypsies for Halloween! Surprisingly enough, we found everything in our closets and pulled together our colorful outfits!
Second: I love Stephanie. Life is lovelier with her in it.
First: If I don't make it as a professional journalist, I may be a professional gypsy. Stephanie and I dressed up as gypsies for Halloween! Surprisingly enough, we found everything in our closets and pulled together our colorful outfits!
Second: I love Stephanie. Life is lovelier with her in it.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Photographer Pet Peeves
Things a photographer doesn’t want to hear...
"You have a great camera! I bet it takes nice pictures. "
Why yes, I do have a great camera! But it’s not the camera that has studied photography and spent many hours playing around the with lighting, backgrounds, models, and settings. That would be me. All me.
"Just Photoshop that! "
“I’ll just Photoshop that!” I say that jokingly all the time, but it’s annoying when people say that seriously. Photoshop isn’t magic. The whole process of implementing Photoshop into my workflow is a pain. It takes so much time. Then to have a list of demands to make someone taller, skinnier, prettier. It’s just extra work that shouldn’t need to be done when I get it right in the camera in the first place. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got no problem removing a spot off a photo or something simple like that. But if an endless amount of things are changing, the ethics of the photograph is gone. I’ll write more about my issues with Photoshop another time.
"I'll just print them at Wal-Mart. Just put the pictures on a CD for me. "
Really? If I spend all this time and effort to take photos and make it all look amazing for you, please print them somewhere nicer than Wal-Mart’s photo center. Please. I have a places that print photographs professionally and will happily do it for you or give you references for those places.
“I hate having my photo taken.”
I’m sorry. I suppose I should be more sympathetic with people who don’t want their photos taken. But, if you’re at an event where there’s a photographer, there’s a good chance that your photo is going to be taken. Avoid the camera as much as you want, but don’t go out of your way to tell the photographer you don’t want your photo taken. At events, I personally don’t care who happens to be in my photos since I usually don’t know most of the people there anyways.
“I wanted to invite you to a party (wedding, any other thing). You should bring your camera!”
“Do you mind bringing your camera?” is essentially the codeword from friends who want a professional photographer, but don’t want to pay for one. There are a few families who I’ll do this for, but I happily offer to do so. They don’t have to ask! But for the rest of the world, I do mind bringing my camera. If I’m invited to an event, I might want to be able to relax and enjoy the event. Sometimes I bring my camera with me to events and I don’t use it at all, but I have the freedom to do what I want with it.
Can I have all the reject photos, too?
Nope. They’re rejects for a reason. They’re duplicates of what I’ve already taken or they’re just not good enough. My portfolio is only as good as it’s weakest photo, so by including all the crappy photos, the quality of my work goes down when I give you the rejects. Trust me when I say that the ones I give you are much better!
"Can I borrow your camera for this event (that you won't be at)? "
Uh, no. Would you ask a doctor to borrow their stethoscope for the weekend? I don’t think so. So don’t ask me. I’ll undoubtedly say “no”.
"What's the discount if I edit the pictures you took myself? "
100%. You just won't get any of the photos either. My name is behind my photos, so I’d like to do 100% of it.
"Can you take your watermark off the photos you posted to Facebook? I just want to print them at home."
Really? No!
"Can you make it all black and white except for my eyes? "
That’s tacky.
"When are these going to be on Facebook?"
They’ll get there when they get there. I have another job and many other responsibilities. I’ll put them up when they’re ready! And not all of them will go up.
"Your job is easy! You just click a button all day."
I love photography, so I happily do it, but that doesn’t make it “easy”. As with any skill, it takes practice and training and lots of trial and error.
"Will you take my picture with this camera? "
This one makes me laugh. I’m not good with little point and shoot cameras or those disposable ones. I’m capable of using an expensive SLR one. If you want the photograph to turn out well, let me use my camera. And if it’s at an event, it’s rude to ask the photographer to use some cheap camera when they’re getting paid to shoot the same event.
"You have a great camera! I bet it takes nice pictures. "
Why yes, I do have a great camera! But it’s not the camera that has studied photography and spent many hours playing around the with lighting, backgrounds, models, and settings. That would be me. All me.
"Just Photoshop that! "
“I’ll just Photoshop that!” I say that jokingly all the time, but it’s annoying when people say that seriously. Photoshop isn’t magic. The whole process of implementing Photoshop into my workflow is a pain. It takes so much time. Then to have a list of demands to make someone taller, skinnier, prettier. It’s just extra work that shouldn’t need to be done when I get it right in the camera in the first place. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got no problem removing a spot off a photo or something simple like that. But if an endless amount of things are changing, the ethics of the photograph is gone. I’ll write more about my issues with Photoshop another time.
"I'll just print them at Wal-Mart. Just put the pictures on a CD for me. "
Really? If I spend all this time and effort to take photos and make it all look amazing for you, please print them somewhere nicer than Wal-Mart’s photo center. Please. I have a places that print photographs professionally and will happily do it for you or give you references for those places.
“I hate having my photo taken.”
I’m sorry. I suppose I should be more sympathetic with people who don’t want their photos taken. But, if you’re at an event where there’s a photographer, there’s a good chance that your photo is going to be taken. Avoid the camera as much as you want, but don’t go out of your way to tell the photographer you don’t want your photo taken. At events, I personally don’t care who happens to be in my photos since I usually don’t know most of the people there anyways.
“I wanted to invite you to a party (wedding, any other thing). You should bring your camera!”
“Do you mind bringing your camera?” is essentially the codeword from friends who want a professional photographer, but don’t want to pay for one. There are a few families who I’ll do this for, but I happily offer to do so. They don’t have to ask! But for the rest of the world, I do mind bringing my camera. If I’m invited to an event, I might want to be able to relax and enjoy the event. Sometimes I bring my camera with me to events and I don’t use it at all, but I have the freedom to do what I want with it.
Can I have all the reject photos, too?
Nope. They’re rejects for a reason. They’re duplicates of what I’ve already taken or they’re just not good enough. My portfolio is only as good as it’s weakest photo, so by including all the crappy photos, the quality of my work goes down when I give you the rejects. Trust me when I say that the ones I give you are much better!
"Can I borrow your camera for this event (that you won't be at)? "
Uh, no. Would you ask a doctor to borrow their stethoscope for the weekend? I don’t think so. So don’t ask me. I’ll undoubtedly say “no”.
"What's the discount if I edit the pictures you took myself? "
100%. You just won't get any of the photos either. My name is behind my photos, so I’d like to do 100% of it.
"Can you take your watermark off the photos you posted to Facebook? I just want to print them at home."
Really? No!
"Can you make it all black and white except for my eyes? "
That’s tacky.
"When are these going to be on Facebook?"
They’ll get there when they get there. I have another job and many other responsibilities. I’ll put them up when they’re ready! And not all of them will go up.
"Your job is easy! You just click a button all day."
I love photography, so I happily do it, but that doesn’t make it “easy”. As with any skill, it takes practice and training and lots of trial and error.
"Will you take my picture with this camera? "
This one makes me laugh. I’m not good with little point and shoot cameras or those disposable ones. I’m capable of using an expensive SLR one. If you want the photograph to turn out well, let me use my camera. And if it’s at an event, it’s rude to ask the photographer to use some cheap camera when they’re getting paid to shoot the same event.
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