Photo slump

Where DID the past two weeks go?

No, don't answer that. I'll just say that I will be very, very happy when I'm no longer president of a certain civic organization which shall remain nameless here. And even happier when students stop calling me at home to ask for letters of recommendation that, of course, must be mailed within two days or they'll miss the application deadline for whatever-it-is.

So, anyway, I'm in a photo slump, and for the time being I can only offer up the blurred and/or flash-contaminated messes you see here. The backgrounds, though . . . notice the deeply cool backgrounds by Mary Madewell (see

the_impassive's LJ for more information, because you want at least one, trust me)? They deserve, and will get, much better airtime when I get my brain terminals grounded again.

Books that are making me happy:

Saiyuki Reload 7 (omgggggggggggggg youkai!Hakkai *grglrowrrrrrrrrrthud*)

The Physics of the Buffyverse (go. Read.)

Japanese the Manga Way (no kidding. It's amazingly helpful with the grammar.)

The resin crew report that all is well on the home front, and ummmmmmm, we'll have a couple of new arrivals to introduce in the next few weeks or so. Plus an embarrassment of good goodies from friends. Send camera mojo, please!

Tags: bjd, dailyblah, saint

15 comments — :

( 15 comments — Leave a comment )

zagzagael

2007-04-22 03:35 am (UTC)

So wonderful to see your voice again! I've missed you! Civic duty...sigh. And yay for new arrivals!

sedens

2007-04-24 12:48 pm (UTC)

It's just amazing, isn't it, how easily people decide for you what your duties are.? *grrrrr*

Buuuuuuut the shipping invoice for an experimental arrival just came--she'll be my birthday present to myself! Next, to figure out whether these Mecha Angel cravings are live or Memorex . . . ;-)

the_impassive

2007-04-22 04:59 am (UTC)

Yaaay! I've missed you!

The backgrounds looks fantastic, I can't wait to see you get more involved with them when you're less frazzled. But they look great, and Atsu is always delicious.

I have a new batch of Mary's backgrounds ready to be photographed, and anyone who's not on my F'list will be able to find them on DoA soon.

2007-04-24 12:50 pm (UTC)

Oh, I looooooooooove what Mary is doing!! And these backgrounds will make pictures so much easier for me--I can hang them over my fireplace and get the good light anytime during the day, instead of trying to grab the five minutes when the sun is in exactly the right place.

doll_paparazzi

2007-04-22 05:00 am (UTC)

You are WAy to hard on yourself missy!

Hey, I thought of you today. I found this street where there were about five Victorian relocated homes from different areas of Los Angeles. I took a bunch of shots and bought a book called, "The Socialable or 101 home amusements" which was published in 1858 or so. I will hopefully be able to use it in my project. I was hoping to find other books for my "project" at their store, but per usual... they only had books on New York slums 1850-1900 (WTF?) OR California 1850-1900... which I could care less about. :(

Why is it so difficult to find a general history about American specifics (i.e. lifestyles in Boston, Chicago, Virginia, Atlanta and in the middle and upper class)? I don't WANT to read about the fucking Civil War or about cowboys. God !@#$%?

::sigh::

Oh well. I'll stick with England like I've done all the research already. But it would have been nice to do the American middle/upper class thing. Oh well.

2007-04-24 12:56 pm (UTC)

It is SO true--there's a ton of good work on domestic life in Victorian England, but in American history, yup, seems like it's almost all Wild West or Civil War. There is one general American book I can think of, but it doesn't get at individual cities: it's called The Light of the Home. Pretty basic, but it might be worth a look??

Don't you love those 19th-century home-entertainment books? I snatch them up anytime I see them in used bookstores, those and cookbooks and etiquette books. Too much fun! (By the way, there's a brand-new academic book by Andrea Broomfield about food and cooking in Victorian England--)

2007-04-24 02:30 pm (UTC)

COOKBOOKS!!! I WUB cookbooks!!! I collect cookbooks in general, but I weeded out my modern ones and have mostly historical ones and SOME modern. I would love to know which historical ones you think are interesting. The historical ones I have are mostly earlier (per Victorian) like "Dining with William Shakespear," "To the King(Queen)'s Taste," and about 20 other books that are in the Middle Ages period. However, I would love Victorian. I would especially love the book that was used by that chef in Manor House. I think he used one in particullar, but I don't know if he ever said what book he used (I loved that freaken reality show... I can't remember if you ever told me if you saw that or not...course that was Edwardian).

Cooking... I fucking <3 that shit. D00d.

2007-04-24 02:45 pm (UTC)

When I was in grad school, I was the Victorian Party Queen--we had big Christmas parties and spring picnics every year for about five years, using recipes I tested from the original cookbooks. The best ones are by Alexis Soyer (chef to the queen for a while, but also a restaurant entrepreneur, and he wrote cookbooks for all income levels) and then the great classic, Beeton's Book of Household Management. It isn't too hard to find secondhand copies of the first (1861, I think) edition of Beeton's--it was reprinted a couple of times in the 1970s/1980s! Such a fabulous book--it's not only full of recipes, but menus and all kinds of advice about how to manage the family and household. I wouldn't be surprised if that were the book that the Manor House chef used; it was THE cookbook for the second half of the 19th century. (I think every middle-class Victorian bride got a copy as a wedding present, lolllllll.)

dollseye

2007-04-22 10:53 am (UTC)

The backgrounds.... it's lovely to see them. I think they're such a fabulous idea and I'm very much looking forward to mine arriving. Don't say blurred, say soft focus! I think it very much suits the mood of the first photo anyway... it's always great to see your dolls and your pictures.

2007-04-24 12:58 pm (UTC)

Ohhhhhhh, I'll look forward to seeing which background you got, and how it looks to your camera!! I adore mine, and Mary is such fun to get to know--

crybabymommie

2007-04-22 02:58 pm (UTC)

yes,where did the time go? ..wasn't it JUST aprils fools day and now look ..gah
well hopefully you'll have some time to bond with "new arrivals" thats sounds fun

2007-04-24 12:59 pm (UTC)

Hey, the last time I looked, it was Valentine's Day!! *argh time passing grrrr*

I have to catch up on commenting, because your Marcel is amazing--what a fabulous hot MAN! Hurray for new developments in BJDland--

keeley_keena

2007-04-23 05:51 am (UTC)

Join the photographic slump club! *laughs* I've kinda been in that place for about a month now. Of course, am not happy with what I turn out . . . but agree that you are too hard on your self. I am enjoyed seeing the photos and seeing your wonderful Saint again. Just take photos and enjoy the process. :)

*sending good photo mojo for you* ^____~

Ohhh yeah, tell me about the backgrounds please!!

2007-04-24 01:04 pm (UTC)

Oh, the backgrounds are *wonderful*! Bel will be posting about them on DoA, with contact info for Mary Madewell (the painter)--but, in short, they are handpainted canvases with dowels at top and bottom and a hanging cord, about 3 feet square or a bit bigger. Plenty of room to pose BJDs against them, with no wall showing around the edges! And Mary has such cool ideas for the designs: after seeing her wintery forest background, I asked her to make me an autumn forest (because I love muted reds and browns). Since I really don't have a lot of imagination when it comes to using household things for backgrounds, I love having these to spark me.

bjdbackgrounds

2007-04-25 12:52 am (UTC)

Awww, I've been on vacation and just now saw this.

You're a dear.

:)

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