Passing Time

I'm pretty sure that every night this week, I came home to the realization that I was not as close to Friday as I felt I should be. I think by Wednesday, I was saying, "How is it not Friday yet? How???"

It was one of those weeks.

Not that it was a bad week for me personally (although anyone who remembers this particular moment in history will know at a national/global level, it was not a good week). The only real problem with it as far as I can see is that it just wasn't Friday soon enough.

And now it is Sunday and I am facing the prospect of starting all over again. Which makes me think I need some cheesecake, which fortunately, I have.

But before I go, a little something to cheer us all up in this dismal, non-Friday world we inhabit:

There is something about green coming from a drain grate when it is 20 degrees outside in January (a very non-Friday kind of month) that is just heartening. And to make this even more cheery, you can picture me kneeling on the ground (practically laying on the ground!) trying to get this picture. I'm sure all passersby thought I'd lost my mind ("Who photographs the sidewalk? What a weirdo!)

May Friday come soon.

More of the Universe's Suggestion Box

Please leave us feedback about your experience.
                                                                    Thanks,
                                                                           Management, The Universe

--Baby elephants and panda bears were a great idea. Love them. How did you learn to do all of that?

--Still waiting on teleportation. Come on, Universe!

--I would like to put in a request for my own island. Thank you.

--How do I get a TARDIS? I want one. I promise, I would only use it for good and I wouldn't interfere with the space time continuum whatever at all.

--Night time needs to be longer so I can get more sleep. Thanks.

--I'm having a difficult time locating a husband. How do I find him?

--I love the flowers but they die so soon! Could you give them longer lives?

--More constellations!

--Tomatoes are way too confusing. They look like a fruit, but I eat them like a vegetable. It's a mess.

--There are too many amazing things to see and not enough time!

--Everything on this planet is going to kill me somehow. It's a real problem.

--More roller coasters, please.

--Can I void last Tuesday? Or maybe get a refund? What's your exchange policy?

--I want a pony.

--We've got some messes in a few places that could sure use your help. We've been trying to fix them, but I think we need a professional.

--This is a pretty great place with some amazing features. Very well crafted, great workmanship.

This would make a cool chart

This weekend, the son of a friend got married and my friend asked me to take pictures at the reception--just candid pictures, not the formal ones. So I showed up and snapped my usual hundreds of photos. Then I went home and looked at them and kind of freaked out because it seemed like they were all blurry or awful. Then I went to bed and woke up the next day and looked at them again and realized they weren't as bad as I thought and breathed again. But in that intervening time, I kept thinking about what if any skills I have as a photographer. And I came to several conclusions:

First, I thought of about a half a dozen things I could have tried and done better. This is good. Knowing what isn't working is how you change.

Second, I'm not entirely sure what constitutes a great picture. I know what I think is cool, but I think that varies from person to person.

Third, I realized that one of the fun things about being at the reception was I got to be a people watcher. That is a fun thing to do.

Finally, I realized that even if I am never a terrific photographer, I don't care. I love taking pictures because I enjoy it. I enjoy watching people. I enjoy the way it gets me to think about the world and to see it from a different perspective (even if no one else finds that perspective interesting). I like creating something, and since I'm not very artistic, photography is a great way to do that. And I don't care if no one else likes my pictures, because it isn't about being the best for me. I do it because it brings me joy. (And it is way cheaper than therapy).

And given the numbers, I must really enjoy it. I checked the number of photos I have from 2014, the year where I only had my point-and-shoot camera: 2.19 GB and 1389 photos. In 2015 I got my DSLR camera, and had 8.26 GB and 3040 pictures. This year? 19.4 GB and 5125 photos.* Which makes me think that would be a really awesome graph.

And that that is a LOT of photos.

*I should also add that it was a busy year and I did a lot of traveling. But it was still mostly because of the camera.

Very mysterious

I was just trying to log in to a certain account that I use on a regular basis, and it just wasn't recognizing my password, even though I have used it every day multiple times a day for the last week. After numerous attempts, I finally just reset my password. Submitted the new one, it said, "Great, your password is reset", I tried to login, and it didn't recognize the new password. I tried again. And again. And again and again and again. And maybe a few more agains. No dice.

I was already a little grumpy because I had just reset this password a week ago, and it was an awesome new password, and I hate coming up with new passwords and try to get the most life out of them as possible. And now it didn't like my new one. I restarted the computer, because it had said something about that. Nope. So, I tried to reset it again. This time, I didn't click the little box to let me see the text, because when I did the time before, it took away the 'confirm password' box and maybe that was the problem (although, they designed the site that way, so it shouldn't be a problem. I know. It is completely illogical, but it is the please-let-this-work-because-I-don't-know-how-else-to-fix-it superstition). 

I typed in the new password. Then I typed it in the confirm password box (and keep in mind I have now come up with 2 new passwords in the space of half an hour. I can't be throwing around passwords like that!). And, it said they didn't match. I tried again. Nope. Tried the old new password. Nope. Gave up in frustration and some degree of dread, because this is the account I use for all my work, which was not making for a promising Monday morning.

Fast forward thirty minutes/to two minutes ago. I just tried it again. And, it worked. What?!?!?!?! If I could have just waited and signed in with my old password, I'm gonna be really really chagrined. (Oh, wait. I already am). 

And this is why I am a bit hesitant to have everything in my life technoed. I do NOT want to have to reset the password on my refrigerator 18 times just to get to my chocolate milk.* Just sayin'.

*Yes, I do realize that it doesn't work like that. But the point is the same: not everything needs to be computerized.