Tag Archives: pictures

Most important stuff

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The closest I’ve ever had to a house fire, thankfully, was that time The Roommate burnt popcorn so badly the living room smelled like it for almost a week. And hopefully it’s something I never have to deal with. But one of the questions that provides an answer that tells you a lot about a person is “What would you grab if your house was on fire?”

There’s been a blog – and soon, a book – made out of that question, and it simultaneously serves to feed our nosiness and maybe make people think about what’s the most important stuff they have in their possession.

It’s called “The Burning House” and people send in submissions – photos – of neatly arranged items that they’d grab if they had to make a quick exit from their home, something that hopefully they’d never really have to experience.

There are a lot of electronics, photos and pets, of course. And while I’m not sure yet if I’ll submit it to the site, here’s my pile.

I gave myself only about a minute to think about it. In case you can’t see everything- it includes the following:
• Sixteen Candles DVD
• Johnny Cash Live at Folsom Prison record from my grandpa
• Laptop
• Camera
• Peanut, my stuffed elephant that I’ve had forever and has been with me on just about every trip I’ve ever been on…
• Pictures of me and my grandpa when I was little, he’s playing his harmonica in all of them
• Boston and Louisville hats
• The Wire Complete Series
• My four favorite books: “Water for Elephants,” “To Kill A Mockingbird,” “Me Talk Pretty One Day” and “The Help.”
• Little decorated box Alistair made me in England with British pounds in it
• Door sign thing that says “Shhh Laura is sleeping” that’s been on the door in my room (except for my rooms in college) since before I can remember.

What’s in your pile?

Lonely, like a shoe with no foot, which I’d prefer to the alternative

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One time when I was driving, I saw a shoe. In the middle of the road. It was weird.

No idea how it got there. Was it thrown out? Did it fall off some redneck who was hanging their foot out the window while driving? (I say redneck, but I’d totally do it if it was more comfortable) Did someone get hit by a car? Is it a sign for something?

Regardless of what it was for or from, it was weird.

It’s not the only time I saw something weird in the road and I’m sure it won’t be the last.

There was another time I saw this dinosaur on the sidewalk.

Why does any of this matter? Because someone has made a blog out of sightings just like these.

It’s called “Sad Stuff On The Street” and it’s great. People submit photos of stuff on the street that seems as ridiculously out of place as that shoe was. And the commentary on it is even better. My favorite is the “Depressed Teddy Bear Series,” because apparently a lot of people leave teddy bears randomly on the street.

Check it out.

InstagrAMAZING

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Have you heard of Instagram? Used it yet? If your answer was no, then you’re crazy.

Just kidding, but, um, I’m hooked on it.

You know how I like photography and pictures and whatnot – I mean, I’m well on my way to being a professional, remember?

Beyond the fact that the iPhone lets you take ridiculously awesome pictures, Instagram lets you use all sorts of kick-ass filters on them and then you post ‘em and share them with your friends. It’s like everything you love about Twitter and Facebook but (in Facebook’s case anyway) but better – at the moment anyway, until like a week from now when something even more amazing comes out.

If you do have Instagram or this little blurb has convinced you to get it (and frankly how could it not…) you should follow me. @Laurtastic

And here’s a peek at the kind of photographs you’d be subjecting yourself to if you did.

#dinosaurproblems

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I have never seen the cartoon movie “Meet The Robinsons” but I will forever love it because of this one scene from the preview that makes me laugh every time.

And now, someone has taken that – and a pretty impressive drawing ability – and made it into a blog about our poor friend, the T-Rex. That big head and little arms don’t let him do a lot of things we take for granted. Like put in eyedrops, or play the parachute game at school.

I read a lot of different things during the day, for work, for fun, from news to photo blogs. And this is one of my favorites at the moment. I am addicted.

Wherein I contemplate getting a brand-new face

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I hate my senior pictures. There I said it. Hate them. It’s really not a secret though, I’ve joked on them since we got the proofs and my mom framed an 8-by-10 of probably the worst one, one that still hangs in the family room at their house, so that the only way I could escape it was to move out.

We refer to it as Lancelot, because really, there’s no other way to explain it. I’ll just show you…

Sorry it’s dark. It was 10 years ago. It’s an artifact.

Now let’s dissect it.

1. A turtleneck. WTF. That smile on my face is fake because a) I can’t smile on command and b) I am most likely choking. Turtlenecks do that to me. And it’s white. What the hell? I’m surprised there’s not something on it already. It takes me .912 seconds to get something on a new white shirt. We may have kept this in an air-tight container until moments before this photo.

2. Beautiful cheekbones, I will say that. Still got ‘em, too. I am 90 percent sure they are what fools people into thinking I’m photogenic (seriously, I get that a lot and I think it’s hilarious).

3. Class ring. Currently unaccounted for (but somewhere in this apartment so don’t freak out, Mom, it’s probably in a box in the closet) and this was the only day I wore it besides the ring ceremony where we got it – proving my point that I do not need an engagement ring when proposed to someday. Guys (well guy, I guess, whoever you may end up being), don’t waste your money on bling for me. We should spend the money on a trip instead.

4. BANGS. The bane of my existence my whole senior year – well, that and Kris. This was about the time I decided to start growing the bangs out. Do you know how long it takes to grow out bangs? They were SHELLACKED to the sides of my head at prom because they weren’t long enough to pull back or to leave like they are in this picture. Rough life, I tell ya.

5. Split ends. Also, right where that number five is? The ONE natural wave I have in my hair. ONE. Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?

Oh also? This is Lancelot.

The resemblance is astonishing.

I tell you that story to tell you this one.

The background: While in jolly olde England this summah, (yes that was all intentional) I bought my family souvenirs, because I am that sweet and thoughtful. While at Abbey Road, I bought my mom a Beatles bag, that she now uses to take her lunch and other stuff to work.

Exhibit A:

Earlier this week, she relayed to me a story involving said bag that made me wonder what exactly I must really look like, because my mirrors have got it completely wrong.

Apparently the bag was sitting in the back room and was folded over so you couldn’t see that it said anything about the Beatles. Her friend/co-worker, who is someone I used to like asked her where she’d gotten a bag/why she had a bag with my picture on it.

My picture. Or, you know, one of Sir Paul McCartney. Same thing.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go have a cry and re-evaluate every haircut and fashion choice I have made in my almost 28 years of life.

Smiley things

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I think I’ve said before that perspective is a hell of a thing. Life could be much worse and luckily, it’s not. That said, I’m not apologizing for my recent melodrama because it was the truth of what I was feeling at the time.

Now, having come out of it – and having taken a serious metaphorical chill pill – there’s less to worry about and more to be happy about.

Wanna know what’s making me smile lately?

I knew you would.

• Zee Avi’s Concrete Wall – Not the official video, but it’s got Kermit in it and it’s an awesome song.

• Alligator Sunglasses.

• Bookshelves that are overflowing. I’m never getting a Kindle. Well. Maybe. Currently reading: “Thunderstruck” by Erik Larson.

• Shameless on Showtime. Thank you, Roommate and new channels with Insight Cable.

• Photography jobs – kind of. I’ve completed one photo session with one of my favorite engaged couples for their Save-The-Dates and I have another shoot next weekend. Add that to the possibility of a third as well as being asked to bring my camera and shoot some stuff at the bf’s beach wedding and you have one happy – and busy – budding photographer girl.

• THE HUNGER GAMES MOVIE COMES OUT IN A MONTH. Sorry for the caps, but now that HP is done, I have to have a new series to get hyped about.

• The Mini-Warbler.

• A kid that wakes up dancing to rap music. This is my future child.

• Good blogs/bloggers. They make me want to be a better writer and photographer. To be craftier. Here’s a few ladies (and a gent) to follow. Kelle Hampton at Enjoying The Small Things, Heather Armstrong at Dooce and John and Sherry at Young House Love & Young House Life.

• Movie previews. There are lots of movies I wanna see.
Like this.

And this.

And this.

And this.

• This picture:

Just watching you while you sleep…

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I need more public transportation in my life.

Most of my experiences with buses or trains or subways or monorails or boats or whatever, have all been while I’m out of town on vacation.

In fact, I’m pretty sure I’ve fallen asleep on all of the aforementioned modes of transportation, especially that one time when Ash and I went to London and had such bad jet lag we slept for 13 hours.

Speaking of, I took a picture of Ashley asleep on the subway while we were there. Because it’s funny to take pictures of people while they sleep. Because usually they look crazy/weird. And by they, I mean me.

And the people at poopt.tumblr.com.. Because apparently, someone got the idea to start a blog where it’s all just submitted photos of people asleep on public transportation. (Be real, you thought for a second because of the url it was gonna be about poop, didn’t you. Sorry to disappoint.)

I wish I’d thought of that.

And also may have found a new goal – get my picture on that website. But it has to be taken by someone I don’t know. Which means my friends can’t submit a picture of me sleeping on a bus and send it in. Also, I guess that means I need to start taking the bus.

Move over, professional photographers

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I don’t know if y’all heard, but this girl got a camera for Christmas.

Naturally, the first thing I did was recruit some guinea pigs sisters and cousins to help me test out my shooting ability. I gave them no direction, just said they’d each get a turn as an art director.

The results? Probably the best shots I’ve ever taken. I mean, see for yourself. Related: I am also available to shoot your family photos, senior pictures, engagements, babies and general household photography.

We call this one “Cookie Lunge.”

“Hot Pants”

“Oh hey, these flowers are nice, but did I leave the oven on?”

“Present display”

“The Last Unicorn”

“I’m just wearing this new scarf”

“Adorable Family Photo or Adorable-est Family Photo?”

“Plank”

“In case of spit-up”

“You’re forlorn because no one is sitting in the chair.”

“Uncle Tony Photobomb”

“Red-nosed Reindeer”

“Meditations on a Hardwood Floor”

“Fight in Progress”

As I said before, I’m available for parties, family photos, engagements…

We’ve all gotten a little bit taller since then…

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Hey turkeys, I hope you had the happiest of Thanksgiving. My family’s was pretty great, but more on that later.

At Grandma’s back in the day, we always got pictures taken of all the grandkids at every holiday. I, being the oldest, have always been the designated baby-holder, ’cause I’m responsible and whatnot.

A few weeks ago, my cousin, Anna, posted this gem to her Facebook:

It was from Christmas, I think, 17 years ago. Meaning I was 10. And Anna, who posted it, is that crying baby on my lap. Since then we’ve added a few more cousins, but for the sake of comparison and hilarity, we recreated it this year with the original cast.

Needless to say, we can no longer all 8 fit on Grandma’s couch. But the dynamic and the silliness and the adorableness is still basically the same.

Not-so-subliminal messaging

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‘Member how I’m getting better at photography?

Guess what would help that even more?

Isn’t she pretty? Not mine, yet, but that’s where this blog – and hopefully my family – comes in.

You see, I don’t need much in life – I buy my own DVDs and groceries and pay my bills. And when it comes to Christmastime and my birthday and the next Christmas and birthday, I am content with nothing. As long as for one of them I get this camera.

On amazon.com, you can find them for cheap. Used, even. And that’s fine by me, as long as the thing isn’t broken or there isn’t a scratch on the lens.

I’ll even buy all the accouterments myself. Bag, card, other lenses.

It doesn’t have to be a Canon either. That just happened to be one of the first ones that popped up. I’ll take a Nikon.

All’s I know is in my last job I used one all the time and fell in love. Then this summer when I borrowed my aunt’s fancy one and used it in England, I wanted to marry the thing.

Think of the great pictures I could take. Think of how much better this blog could get! (Not much, I know, it’s already pretty great.)

So when you start making your Christmas list, I’ll be making 100 copies of these pictures and leaving them strategically placed around my parents’ house. Same goes for birthday time. I’m real sneaky like that.