sure enough…

Wow. Today. Crazy. Here’s what happened:

knew i had 9 hours of breaks to record. Was told i could come into the station wicked early to get a jumpstart on it, since i had to leave the station at 11:30 to go to the new job (and an 8 hour store meeting). So i woke up at 6, get there early and find out that they won’t be done with the logs (scripts) till 10.

effing fucking effing 10 fucking hell.

so this woman, Tina, is on our show. she’s a well-respected journalist for the courant. the last time she was here, i got this GREAT shot of her smiling and she mentioned to me that she should call me when she needs a portrait for her book! I am thrilled at the huge compliment, and hope she does call me. i see her at this other event, and again, she says how she’ll want me to take her photo.

she’s on the show this morning, i go to take her picture (as i do for every guest on the show when i’m there), and she sees me – gets SUPER nervous and says, “i used your photo for my book”.

i am exactly half thrilled and half pissed fucking off.

when was she going to tell me this? Was she hoping i wouldn’t notice? The book wasn’t there, but a handout/advertisement was, with the picture, and NO CREDIT. no credit, no check, no nothing. if i wasn’t there this morning, would i ever have known?? I couldn’t believe it. Honored, yes. Pissed, yes.

i told the guys in the news room, and once she left, John and i had a LONG, good talk about it – i decided to ask Ross what to do (after he gets back from atlanta), and John suggested i write Tina a nice letter thanking her for choosing my photo, and attach an invoice for however much i should be paid. She’s self-publishing it, so she’s the go-to woman.

it just pisses me off, man. i can’t babysit my photographs. and i wonder, like every photographer, what other shit of mine has been used? And what’s the alternative, watermark every photo i take? No way. not living like that. Catch 22. Oof. Pissed.

so i don’t get any breaks recorded because of this. BUT. i DID get to talking to John about paying me for my work there, and he’s gonna see about getting that done. which would be a dream come true.

i ZOOMED to work, met my new t-mo family and store (huuuuuge windows! and near a chuck-e-cheeze! YAY!!), and sat in a day-long meeting. but it was good. i feel so good about this choice, and i’m really excited. the store opens on wednesday.

after the meeting, i went back to my OLD store to pick up a few things, and then went BACK to the station to do my breaks. it is now 11:55pm and i am effing DONE. cooked. baked. fried.

tomorrow, i work from 10-5, and then my cousin kelly is coming from NY to get away from whatever it is she wants to get away from. and she wants to get drunk – she’s in the secret service, and every time she gets drunk, i try to get information out of her. she’s too well-trained though, and no shot of jameson is strong enough. looks like we’ll be walking home from the bar and sleeping in the next day. it’ll be good for both of us.

night.

i really love that i woke up this morning and took a double-take because there was snow on the roof of the house that i see out the window. It’s just a wet layer, probably be gone by 3pm, but ah – so nice. SO nice.

Looks like Saturday is my last day at the mall… i asked to open on black friday (no WAY i’m spending 2 hours looking for a parking space if i’m in for the closing shift), and for one last closing shift (i always close) on my last day, saturday. My boss, Jeff, will have the same shift as me both days, which warms my heart. He is very special to me, and it means a lot that he’ll be there.

THEN! The new store opens Dec. 1st – which leaves a week open. There is a planned store meeting on thursday, but it looks like otherwise i’m free!! So that week looks like fun: Monday, photo work at WNPR, i’m going to THIS, Tuesday, photograph the author of The Struggle For Kirkuk, Wedesday, accompany my producer George to his MRI at a hospital so i can take stock photos for the health desk for the station… Friday, i do believe Joanna will be in Boston to dance, so i’m gonna try to make that… Then we open! So it’ll be a nice week to do stuff i love before i start at a new place.

Time to scrape off Froggy!!!

so check it out!!!

T-Mobile is opening a new store on the berlin tnpk, and i’m gonna be transferring at the end of the month! After almost 10 years in the mall (and 8 years in the same ROOM – The tmo store used to be the Coffee Beanery, and i worked there TOO!), it’ll be so good to get out of it. to see the sun and the weather during the day. To not have “employee parking”. To not work until 10pm. Effing beautiful. It’s a big risky change, but i’m sure it’ll be good for me.

i also am thinking about upgrading my lenses – i need a 55mm and a 200 or 300mm with a lower aperture allowance than what i have, so my photographs will be clearer in dark light. i’m limited with what i’ve got, so i’ve gotta open those doors! or, shutters!

by the way, it’s finally getting cold out! i am a happy camper.

rah!

PHOENIX, Arizona (AP) — Sandra Day O’Connor’s husband struck up a romance with a fellow Alzheimer’s patient after moving into an assisted living center, and under the circumstances, the retired Supreme Court justice is just glad that he is comfortable, her son told a TV station.

Wow.

i just got back from the BEST walk.

outta nowhere, i felt the urge to go for a walk tonight, so i bundled up (a little more than was called for – i am practicing for when it gets REALLY cold!), put my Red Sox hat on and took a long lap around the center of my town, Plainville.

I decided not to bring my cameras. in all seriousness, i wanted to make sure i could go somewhere without it. These cameras are never more than 30 feet away from me. At. All. Times. Including bathroom breaks. For years now.

Turns out that i’ve come home now, all buzzing with ideas about shooting Plainville at night – i lost my breath so many times seeing how very very telling this center is – all about the town, the people in it, what’s not there, what is – all accentuated by the lighting and life at night. i now have a photo project and i think i might just be down for going back out tonight with the Canons. OR write down ideas and let them simmer.

i wish i had a monopod (as opposed to a tripod) for this project; It’ll look like a cool walking stick AND it’ll be less bulky than the tri (not in that order). point is, the very good reason that i’m never without my cameras is because it feels good to have them in my life and the whole opportunity they offer just electrifies my imagination. I’m in a constant state of learning and all i have to do for more is to continue participating. what a delectable cycle. i’m so glad i took the walk.

to the monopod in each of us!

what a day!

Sheff v. O’Neill update on the show this morning – got to meet and photograph Elizabeth Sheff, which was very cool. Did my recordings for sat. night (8-10pm on WNPR.org – das meee!), booked it to Jonatha’s to let Banjo out. Got to the mall to drop off my Mac for servicing – the CD player won’t work. They told me it’d be 3-5 business days and i actually teared up.

After realizing that i have TWO shooting gigs this weekend, i decided to get my computer back and drop it off another time. When i came back, they told me that the technician thinks he can fix it by 6 tonight!! Elated, i told my straight crush, Little Red (who, for the record, has been initiating IM chat with me on a DAILY BASIS since the halloween party. i am still unconvinced that it will lead to anything, but what fun my heart is having pounding like this), and she ASKED ME OUT TO LUNCH. I nearly lost my balance, and had to lean against a wall and grin like an idiot as i casually responded, sure……..

had lunch with the girl. could barely look at her. i played it so cool until i thought i’d lost my Sidekick (she has one too, so she understands). i got up to look for it and she pointed out that it was in my back pocket. in one dramatic FOOMP, i turned bright red. She pointed that out, and the more red i got. i gracefully departed and went to work, all smiles. saw her later and we both blushed. she said she had no excuse. oof.

then after work i went to gerald’s to help him with a few things and now i’m tired and need to go to bed. tomorrow i work, then photograph for L M F, then my friend ET DAWN’s BIRTHDAY PARTY!! It’ll be at a drag bar and i’ll hide from the lesbians behind my camera. lesbians are terrifying. but Et Dawn is worth it.

i also spoke a LOT of spanish today. Woo!

Slante. bed now.