Episode 61: In Which Jessica Has A Case of "I WANNA GO ON VACATION!!!!"

Yeah, that's pretty much what I'm feeling right now. We just finished up the calls at work for Washington Seminar and now work is slower. I'm spending a lot of time just lurking on google+. Not cuz I'm a creeper, but because everyone keeps posting their way good pictures and so I am just looking.

I'm friends following a lot of photographers on google+ and their work is amazing. It's both inspiring and disheartening. It makes me excited and say "OH! I can't WAIT to get a shot like that" and it makes me sit there and go "blaaaaaaaah I'm never gonna get a shot like that"

The life of an artist is a difficult one I'm finding. Photographers block is worse than Writers block. When I get writers block I just write random stuff...like blogs...and eventually the words come to me again. When I get photographers block, no matter how many random pictures I snap...the inspiration doesn't come.

You can correct me if you like but I've seen so many photographers take pictures of ordinary things in an extraordinary way...like cups and forks and buttons...and the front of their house.

Sometimes I can do that...but not right now because I have photographers block. Maybe a trip to Seattle will fix it. One stroll through Pike Place Market and I'll be cured. Or maybe I'll be worse off because few things in life are as lively or eccentric as Pike Place Market.

But all in time. I'm sure I just feel like I do because there is SO much to learn and I don't know where to start.

I'm also getting nervous about applying to the photography program. Why is it that whenever you tell someone what you want to study, they ALWAYS respond with "oh, I heard that's really competetive?" EVERYTHING AT BYU IS!!!! Its ok, they aren't trying to be mean and undermine all your hopes and dreams.

Anyhow, in other news about what is going on here. Rain. A whole lot of it. And also vacation planning which is stressful. Somehow, this week we have had something going on everyday...I even have my visiting teachers coming an hour before we have to leave for the airport! There hasn't been much time for cleaning the house, or packing. Today I think we have a 2 hour window in which to pack and clean. (yes, I clean the house before I go on vacation, who wants to come home to a dirty house)

But I'm SERIOUSLY glad we are going on vacation. I wish I was there now. I can almost taste all the asian deliciousness I'm going to partake of in the international district. We're even going to go whale watching! (I think). And hopefully I'll be able to suficiently document the journey. I noticed some people clicked the "more pictures please" button. I'm willing to bet one of them was you Kaylynne. =P

Hopefully I'll get some good ones. I'm getting a LOT better at exposure. Yesterday was my friend Nate's birthday party...and even though I didn't take many pictures...the ones I did WERE exposed properly and effectively complete with thought given to the relationship between focal length and shutter speed.

Um yeah...there it goes again. Photography talk.

In other news I don't have many pictures for this post but perhaps this will help. I took it on the way to school today.

I mentioned we've had a lot of rain lately. Tuesday we went to the temple and it was pouring rain. There were rivers cascading down the parking lot (which is built on a hill), over the grass barriers, and into the next parking lot only to crash into the curb at the very bottom in a very spectacular display of a miniature Oregon Coast. (I was going to the temple so I didn't have any cameras on me at all). Andrew and I had to wade through the 2 inch deep river and when we got to the temple I had to dump the water out of my shoes before I walked inside...then I had to make the decision in the dressing room to keep the remaining water in my shoes and let my socks drip over them...or to wring them out over the newly cleaned carpet (the temple just opened Tuesday after its yearly maintenance) Don't worry, I kept the carpet dry. =P

Yesterday we had minor flooding throughout provo as the gutters (set about a foot into the ground) overflowed creating MASSIVE puddles everywhere. It was a downpour worthy of an Arizona Monsoon (the ones that actually drop rain...not adhesive for the dirt to stick to your car) and I got soaked in seconds trying to get pictures of it.

Today on my walk to school I saw that tree. It's at least 50 years old...maybe even 100...but it was on a hill and well...to quote a primary song "the rains came down and the floods came up and the [tree on the hill] washed away".  That's basically what happened...the torrents of rain cascading down the hillside erroded the hill away and the poor tree came down on the sidewalk. Sad day.

The end.

I'm sorry, this blog sounded sad. I'll fix that. I got happy news from my friend yesterday!!! :)