2009/08/08

Homecoming Outtakes

DaGoddess @ 04:00

Outtakes from a homecoming I shot a month ago. I’m still working on photos and charging full speed ahead, trying to catch up. There are a LOT of photos to be edited. Thing is, when you’re capturing those moments of a reunion, you can’t take one shot every couple of minutes. You have to keep shooting and shooting and shooting because you never know when the kisses and smiles and tears will come. Hence, the many photos I carefully try to pick through to select “the best”. Next week I’ll have photos of my clients to share. I caught some sweet moments I know they’ll always treasure…and I will, too — they’re a truly awesome young family.

Until then, here are some shots of random people I saw during the long wait. I *heart* them all.

Homecoming 7-6-09

Homecoming 7-6-09

Homecoming 7-6-09

Homecoming 7-6-09

This last one — the boy reminded me of Little Dude. I did a double take when I first saw him, knowing full well and good that it wasn’t my son. Still…

2009/08/07

iHeartFaces Fixit Friday #23

DaGoddess @ 16:28

It’s Fixit Friday #23 over on Heart Faces. I haven’t participated in a while, but I had a couple minutes today and figured I’d take a shot at it.

Original

Quick fix

Using Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 – Cropped and adjusted levels

Final fixit

Using Photoscape – Filter –> Film Effect –> Cinema: Medium; Vignette –> #1 –> 30%; Antique Photo #4

Now, go have a look at all the other great edits people contributed.

2009/08/06

Dreamy

DaGoddess @ 21:41

Dodge Royal Lancer

Royal Lancer

Royal Lancer

LD ended up hanging out with a cute little dog named Rocky. I ended up drooling over cars. More photos on

2009/08/05

PROMPTuesday #67 – Duos of All Sorts

DaGoddess @ 05:59

1) A small church brings in a new pastor. He’s fresh out of ministry school and is determined to lead this church to salvation. As he reviews old records, he finds that this little town holds a secret that they don’t want known. What is the secret?

The secret is they’re all massive fans of J0hn M@y3r, whose name will never be typed out fully here because he’s obviously made a pact with the devil to achieve the level of popularity he has. The young parson understands this and realizes that he can forgive almost anything except the worship of a barely talented attention whore barnacle. The new cleric opts, instead, to transfer to the deepest, darkest, most remote part of Colorado (Broomfield) and work with the crazy odd Up With People people at their headquarters. At least there he can work with real young people with real talent and see a bit of the world.

Iconic Me
2) Iconic me: breasts and cameras. I should just go ahead and have lenses implanted into my nipples when the time comes to make the camera an official part of me. Then it’ll be like a twin lens reflex in my bra. I’m hoping the card slot is my cleavage because I refuse to have to fiddle around elsewhere to get it.

I hope I didn’t the scales of propriety too much this week with my answers. If I did, well, fuck it. Not to be rude to Debbie or any of her or my readers, but, damn if this hasn’t been (and still is) a very stressful week. My head’s all ‘splodey and I can barely formulate actual sentences when I interact with others. At least I’m not running with scissors though, right?

And what’s going on? Same old shit, different month, except this time the ante’s been raised to a level where only one of us can win. It comes down to this: I need to be packed up and moved out of here by the end of the month. My roommate and I cannot inhabit the same domicile any longer and it’s just better that way. My problem is that I don’t currently have a regular income beyond sporadic ad revenue and the odd photography job that comes along. I’ve been doing some casual under-the-table work for a couple friends, but they don’t have a whole lot to offer me at the moment. I cannot have a regular job until my case is settled. Needless to say, I have to scramble to get as many photography jobs as possible (or other work: copy writing, copy editing, reviews, event coverage, data entry, invoicing, contract writing, nannying, cooking, laundry, cleaning, live-in home health aide, elder companion, etc) just to get the bills paid right now. I don’t have steady income (and won’t until my case is settled…no, no idea WHEN that will happen) to show a prospective roommate either. Which makes people very uncomfortable. They figure I must be a drug dealer or something, to which I reply, “sorry, no, my drugs are only consumed by me”. Even rent of $400 (which I did find in two places) cannot be guaranteed paid each month at this point. Additionally, having a 12 1/2 year old son who is good looking, smart, kind, healthy, thrifty doesn’t go over well with most people. ElderHelp has now officially said they cannot place me in a home because of my lack of income and my increasingly (disappointing) dismal credit rating.

I’m basically fucked.

I have had an offer from two different sets of friends for temporary accommodations. Both are generous and exceedingly kind. One is for longer and is in a lovely home, but it’s far from P.T. (for which part II of the more intense and major sessions soon start) and Little Dude. For P.T., it would take 6 hours round trip. For LD, it would be a case of only seeing him on weekends. Forget taking a photography job — no car of my own.

The other offer is just across the street and would be for a couple weeks. Long enough for me to get LD registered in school again. I would be helping out a very good friend with her mom and we all get along well. But it’s only a couple weeks and then I’d be back to searching again.

I’m currently selling off as much as I can to raise some cash so I can pay for a storage unit for the rest of it. I’m keeping very little. Only that which is family heirloom-type stuff.

There’s no changing of minds this time around. This situation can no longer continue. It’s time.

As the narrative goes in Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont (my happy spot these days): “…there were signs it was time to move on. However the question this time was, ‘where to and what for?'”

I just hope my fate doesn’t include a broken hip, pneumonia and other complications, and death as hers did.

If you have friends in the Southeast Poway area, please ask if they have a sofa or at least a beanbag chair on which I might find a bit of sleep (which I desperately need). And I need to bring a kid along.

That’s the big pile of crap I’ve been climbing the past week or so and I appreciate all of you checking in on me. Thanks for listening to the constant whine emanating from this corner of the world. You’re good friends and I love you for it.

And for my roommate who’s undoubtedly reading this: stop, okay? Just…stop. All it does is piss you off and make you even meaner and shittier to deal with. You want to know what’s going on? Ask me. Or leave me alone. Either way, this’ll be over and done with soon enough and I would prefer to not be cyberstalked any longer.

2009/08/02

A Father and His Daughters

DaGoddess @ 10:44

Liberty Station Event

Liberty Station Event

I’m still alive and toiling away.

As Gomer would say, “all the best to you and yours!”