Thursday, April 23, 2009

randomness to clear my head*


fitful sleep, filled with nightmares about the environment and global warming, tossing and turning and hearing the alarm even tho' it wasn't ringing. strangely, when i woke up, the bracelet i always wear on my right wrist was on my left one. i don't really remember the dreams exactly, they were disjointed and noisy and colorful yet dark at the same time. there was some kind of planned landing in water (my dreams always involve planes), where we smoothly went under and lodged in the soft bottom of the sea and proceeded calmly to gather our things and get ready to leave the plane as if things were totally normal. at least no wings were sheared off from landing between tall buildings that were simply too close for that--that's what usually happens. and there was something about sabin being missing and me frantically searching for her. i woke up, heart pounding, having to check that she was indeed here, because although disjointed, it was very real. but it was strange to wake up to the life that's going on over here in the (ostensibly) awake world. perhaps i should go to bed before 2 a.m. tonight.

* * *

please check out the wonderful, giving post on how you can help kelaya over on tangobaby. kelaya is a woman who fled an abusive husband together with her three children and because all of the shelters are full, she needs your help. the lovely and talented tangobaby has set up a way for you to do that. because she's just that cool. please go read kelaya's story and do what you can, even if it's only leaving a note of support.

* * *

the poor swedish police, they always seem to have the worst luck. just reading in my newspaper that a 40-year-old swedish count and his 38-year-old girlfriend were brutally shot on tuesday outside his daughter's school in the middle of gamla stan in stockholm. and, as is often the case (remember olof palme and the early days of the anna lindh case, tho' thankfully they eventually solved that one), they have no clue who did it, despite it happening in broad daylight. they brought in some jetset ad exec for questioning (he's friends with the count's ex-wife), but released him again after a few hours.  meanwhile, the count and his girlfriend are in critical condition in a stockholm hospital. 

* * *

interesting:
annual danish military budget: 20 billion danish kroner
amount made by maersk on US military shipping contracts in 2007:
18 billion danish kroner
source: information 

* * *

a few people among my influx of new readers here and those checking out my photostream on flickr have asked me for advice for amateur photographers. ha! imagine that, asking me for photographic advice! i am the most amateur of amateur photographers myself, i'm just fortunate to have access to some good cameras and lenses (nikon, nikon, nikon). and also fortunate to be part of the digital age. when you take a dozen pictures of every subject, one of them is bound to turn out, right?
 
but to be serious for a second, i will say that developing your eye is the best advice i can offer. and carry your camera with you everywhere. everywhere. i take my camera in when i go to the grocery store (that's only partly to do with the fact that it's worth more than my car). i am never, ever without a camera.  and when you do that, you start noticing things...like shadows and light and eyeballs on the trees. 


you also find that you get increasingly fearless in stopping and snapping pictures (i don't do much of that with people, mostly with things, if you take pictures of people, you should ask them if it's ok). you lose your self-consciousness and you get down on your knees to get the right angle, and you stop caring what people might think of that. you may also start carrying a little pouch containing subjects that you photograph in various places.


so my best advice to amateur photographers--take your camera everywhere and be totally fearless. 

* * *

please tell me i did not just hear a CNN weather man say expecially....

* * *

please forgive crappy quality of phone picture

do you ever stand next to such a door on a plane at cruising altitude and feel a nearly irresistible urge to open it? don't worry, i resisted. they were about to come around with cocktails and those great little bowls of posh mixed nuts (no peanuts), so the urge passed.

* * *
and finally, a question: what would your dream job be? it sounds like a weird question to ask in these troubled economic times, but perhaps a bit of creative thinking is warranted these days. what would you most like to do?

*this may become a regular feature. my head seems to need a lot of clearing.

14 comments:

Stu said...

Nice blog. But I have no idea what it's about.

julochka said...

hi stuart--i suggest you don't try to figure that out from reading only one post. :-) i've written them all and i'm not sure what it's about.

Extranjera said...

Firstly, I had no idea a blog had to be about something.

My dream job. Have no idea, but this thought did occur to me while reading your blog (and haven't even been drinking): When I die I would like to come back as a bull elephant. They get to hang out with other elephants when it strikes their fancy, they sleep like 18 hours a day, they can squash a Toyota Yaris as an afterthought, and, as a coup de grace, they can rip a tree up from the ground if it they find it inconveniently placed.
Oh wait, that's already what is going on, only the Toyota Yaris is the ants in my sugar and the tree dirty clothes. Who knew, I already have my dream job...

Delwyn said...

Hi Julie,
like your mixed nuts this post is a mixed bag of bits and pieces but expecially interesting fun.

Remember 'mixed nuts' - a Steve whatshisname Martin thats it, movie?...

Yes I always carry my camera...
yes I am always squatting on the pathways snapping little weeds 'n stuff...
yes I have thought about that door handle many times...
yes the antarctic is growing on the eastern side...
but yes it is melting on the west..
and yes it is shrinking all over...
and yes it's probably global warming...
yes the word verif is 'warmalli'...


Happy days

Suecae Sounds said...

I like your advices for photography!

I would like to add one too. Don't feel afraid or be ashamed because you're an amateur. Also: experiment with the dials and settings. Go closer then you think you should. 'Zoom with your feet' as an old teacher said to me.

Pattern and Perspective said...

Julie:

2 a.m. ish...not sure if I could stay up that late anyway, though I've always heard very creative types do stay up late. It's probably due to the fact that your mind starts to wander when you get tired.

Secondly, the dream job...I could imagine many at this point. Anything that involves working from home, near a beach, writing a children's novel or designing fabric like AMH (I so wish I was better @ pattern making on illustrator).

Thanks for the rock inspiration, too. It was therapeutic, but would have been even more so if I could hae smashed it through a window....Actually, I feel better just saying that.

Just Jules said...

Oh girl.... wow! What thoughts your head is filled with.

Let me answer two of the questions:

the plane door - yes! Every time (which is rare) that I have been in a plane I have this thought and an imagination stream of what would happen....

dream job- I would own my own shoppe. It would be in one of our old houses in downtown - a kitchen/dining area in the back for hanging out and my friends to stop by during the day... This was almost a reality last Spring. I have a business waiting for me that I can buy---sometimes it just isn't that easy

Unknown said...

Good advice, always carry your camera! I happened to leave mine at home yesterday of all days!!!! So no Earth Mosaic photos from me! :( Although, apparently they've been overload and nobody can upload photos anymore. Did you manage to sent yours?

will said...

What is it about? Who says everything is about something? Stuff is.

About cameras. Nikons are nice but I like my Canon 5D with an image stabilization 28-135mm zoom.

Tho I do miss using my old Nikon F.

Char said...

isn't that strange about airplane doors - something about the forbidden I think.

hope your dreams are better tonight.

icastico said...

Lovely photos...

Lorac said...

I really enjoy your site Jules. I have just recently started blogging and have a few sites to start with. See which one I end up liking! Anyway I just was laid off after 8 years and I am reinventing myself. My dream right now is to be a web developer/designer. After working many physical jobs and paying for it now3 with aches and pains I believe I would like to work at home.

Anonymous said...

I *do* think about opening that plane door! And then I imagine that other people must, too. And then I hope that the other people have as much self-preservation instinct and are practicing as much self-restraint as me! lol.

My name is Erin. said...

Expecially! What is wrong with seemingly educated people?!