.film fading fast.

This morning I woke up to my dog barking. Nothing is wrong that I can tell. It is 5:30 in the morning. Oh, did I mention that he also woke me up at 2:30? Yeah, I'm not a happy camper. ANYWAY, the advantage, I guess, to being disturbed from a semi-conscious state is that you tend to remember what you woke up from. Does that make sense? Forgive me if I am rambling, but like I said, it's way too early for me to be up. I remember I was looking for new cameras. Or rather, old cameras. Actually, specifically FILM cameras. This is where being up at 2:30 in the morning and not being able to go right back to sleep comes into play. . . me at my computer, flipping through fantastic images on Flickr. . . loving the images made by Polaroids and Holgas. . . envious of the artistic soul that captured them. So in my dream, I go into what is supposed to be a Walmart but is not. Does that ever happen to you? You dream you're in a place that should be one thing but is absolutely NOTHING like the real thing? Okay, so that's what happened here. I'm looking at a camera display beside the store front window and I notice that there are a couple of pegs full of Polaroid 600 film except the packaging was totally different. Instead of being in that blue cardboard box, it was in a plastic wrapper, much like what inkjet printer inks are kept in. So I go up to a guy who was putting up stock on the other side of the display to ask him if this was truly Polaroid film. Of course he says yes that it is and that to the best of his knowledge they will continue to sell this film. I was elated! The price was set at the same amount it was when I bought my last few packs of 600 film at a real Walmart (the last place I was able to find them locally sold). All of a sudden images of things I wanted to take started to flash in my head, quickly. . . and then. . . Keoki. . . damn dog, started barking. Ugh. I realized then, that my inner artist is fully awake when I'm asleep.

So I recall a conversation I had at work with one of my managers and another associate yesterday. We talked about photography and how much things have changed so quickly from film to digital. That's when the debate over the quality of digital and film come in. I like digital. I love film. In this conversation, that's when I found out that Kodak discontinued their production of Kodachrome film. What?! That bit of information really tells me just how rapid film is fading into a thing of the past. I'm encouraged by the fact that there is still a strong following and maybe this'll help keep other films around a little longer. Maybe even bring some back to life. An Impossible Project?

Before I leave you today, I wanted to share some of my favorite and inspiring photo sites featuring images shot with Polaroid film. If you can think of any other spots that I have not mentioned here, please let me know. I like to visit! Have a wonderful weekend folks!

• Bradley Johnson::Flickr
• Andrea Jenkins::Flickr
• Mikael Kennedy::Blog
• Jenifer Altman::Blog
• For the Love of Light::Collaboration

.sp wednesday.

So today I officially take part in "Self Portrait [sp] Wednesday." Having participated in Susannah Conway's Unravelling e-course, I am slowly, oh so very slowly, trying to embrace all the aspects that make me me. The last 5 years of my life have been a roller coaster ride and I think, no I KNOW that it has had a toll on me emotionally, mentally and physically. Decisions, both good and bad, have an affect on us in ways that I don't think we even realize.

One thing I have noticed as I try to capture my "face" is that I don't smile as much. The right side of my face (your left) is actually swollen. It's kinda hard to tell but it is. And I look tired. So maybe you can't tell that looking at these photos, but believe me, I do. ha!

There's more I want to share with you today, like how sometimes I really hate the fact that we females have these hormones that make you want to cry for the silliest of reasons. But I'll share that with you some another day. ;o) Have a wonderful one!

.a bit of home.

Some days, I get home sick. After digging through some of the boxes we still have in our basement from our move here last summer, I happened across a tall, glass jar filled with sand and seashells. The sand I remember collecting from a beach back on Kauai, prior to me moving to California. I honestly don't remember which beach it was that I took the sand from! It doesn't matter I guess, although I can almost say with certainty it was Poipu. Maybe. I look at the course grains of coral sand and I'm immediately transported back to a place where the waters are sparkling blue topaz. The light fabric of my pareo dances on an ocean breeze. The gentle murmur of people enjoying the delights of the beach swim in the soothing sounds of waves breaking on the shore. The scent of Coppertone, salt water and barbeque fill my nostrils. My stomach growls. I can almost feel the sun . . . almost. ::sigh:: I miss the beach. ::sigh:: I hate being home sick.

.exploring nashville.

Ahh. . . Nashville. My home away from home. Why have I never really noticed you before? Well that's going to change!

In an attempt to get to know my surroundings better, I decided that I needed to take a different look at Nashville. I say different because I've lived here off and on for a total of almost 10 years. I was always too busy and too indifferent to really see Nashville for it's groovy self. Yes, it's Music City, but what else is it? Why do I always find myself moving back here?

I guess I'm going to find out. One thing is for certain, I'm determined to get out there and shoot some sights. Yeah, some of it is going to be cliched like the honky tonk bars and boot shops with their fancy neon signs that run up and down Broadway. It's no wonder this town was also nicknamed NashVegas.

On this journey, I plan to record some of my personal favorite spots. There will be no photos of Target, Hobby Lobby, etc. I'm talking more along the lines of Sam & Zoe's, The Beaded Bungalow, Bongo Java, Chef Yang's, you know, the cool local places!

Now considering this is Music City, I'll have to catch some shots of well known music spots like the Exit/In, Printer's Alley, the Ryman. . . well, you'll see. I'm excited to share this place with you, and maybe as I do, we'll both make some new discoveries along the way! To check out what I've captured so far, look here.

Hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday weekend! And happy wishes to you all for this upcoming week!

.before I was your mother.

Dear Aisie,

You know, I wasn't always your Mommy. Once, I was also a little girl, very much like you. My hair was always unruly and tangled, and I got into trouble ALL the TIME! I like to think that I had 'character.'

Before I was your mother, I had (and still have) a best friend named Mischa. She and I knew each other since we were in the third grade. She and I (and your Auntie Iris) would spend many summers having fun going to Kailua beach, walking up to Liberty House so we could spend what little money we had on Sanrio pens and erasers, and putting on plays for your Tutu to enjoy. We used Grandma Sylvia's yellow blanket wrapped around Auntie Iris's head like a towel so she could play Rapunzel one time. We would have Barbie soap operas in our room while Tutu was watching "All My Children." Most of the time, while Tutu painted in her art room, we played downstairs and painted too. We'd create different paintings to hang in our "gallery" so that Tutu, our art director, could appreciate them. Ask Auntie Iris about "Dorky of Oz" someday.

I wasn't always your Mommy who tells you "Don't do that! That's a NO NO" all the time. As a matter of fact, your Grandma used to say the same things to me. Especially when I was caught pulling the leaves off of her ficus tree. She didn't like it when I pulled the leaves off. There were many times when I'd do something I shouldn't have like play with your Grandpa's cameras that were hanging in the bedroom closet. Whenever he needed to take a photo of something, he'd realize that the film was used up. When he had them developed, he found that most of the pictures were of the bedroom. He didn't like that very much. For a long time, I think my nicknames were "hard-headed" and "smart-alec." I think that meant I had character.

Before I was your Mommy who tells you that you need to eat your vegetables, I used to be a kid who loved Big Macs from McDonalds. My favorite drinks were root beer and Dr. Pepper. I was a junk food junkie! In the second grade we had to write down some of our favorite things. One was our favorite hobby. Mine at the time was eating.

Before I was your mother, I used to be a chubby little girl who loved going to the beach. I'd stay in the water all day and watch your Auntie run from the waves as they approached the shore (she was scared of the water). I loved to play in the sand. But at the end of the day, I hated having to dump clumps of them out of my underwear. I miss the sound of people laughing mixed in with the gentle roar of the waves crashing and the savory scent of barbeque! See that picture above? This is what I'd look like NOW in a bikini. Funny how some things never change.

There are so many more stories to share with you. You know, someday, you will have a little one that you can share YOUR stories with too, like how you love to sing "Happy Birthday" or rather "Halabirtday" every day since you turned two. You could tell them that your most favorite things in all the world are riding the carousel at the mall and your little doll, Mele. You could even tell them that your Mommy said YOU were a "character" and you are, my sweet, unruly haired child that I love so SO very much! X.O. ~Love, Mommy

Inspired by the book, Before I Was Your Mother. Written by Kathryn Lasky and Illustrated by LeUyen Pham.

.everyday matters.

As most of you already know by now, I'm addicted to books. It doesn't help at all that I work in a bookstore. I will be the first to admit that I have a problem. But please, no intervention for me. I love the fact that I'm addicted. "Hi. My name is Kat and I'm a book junkie." Here recently, the selection of books that have made their way from bookshelf to checkout to my eager hands have fallen under the "self-improvement" category. Specifically, in the improvement of my "artful" self. I'm very much a visual person so when the book The Creative License by Danny Gregory was brought to my attention, I had to get it. From the moment I opened it up, I knew that I also needed to read his memoir, Everyday Matters. Having just finished it, I'm glad that I did.

Unlike most memoirs, the pages are not filled with paragraph after paragraph describing what has taken place in the author's life. Rather, Gregory documents his life as he saw it, literally. Dealing with life after a tragic accident that left his wife paralyzed from the waist down, he allowed himself to absorb his surroundings by taking the time to look at them and record them with pen and paper. Whether it be the contents of his medicine cabinet, a sketch of his wife and son, or the rich scenery of Italy, this creative process allowed him to see and appreciate the beauty of every aspect of his life. In turn, sharing his journal has inspired many, including myself, to do the same.

The first "assignment" in The Creative License is to draw a mug. This one is mine. Don't laugh. Okay, laugh. The "shadow" looks more like a beaver tail. Ha! Yeah, I've got some work to do.

One of my favorite mediums to play with is watercolor. One, because I love the way the colors bleed into one another, and second because it's easier to clean up! I wanted my daughter to have some fun in our little "art room" so I brought out the Strathmore watercolor pad and the paints. She had more fun dipping her brushes (she had to have two, one for each hand) in the mug (the one in the sketch) and slapping water on the paper instead. Once she realized that she could add color, the above "painting" is what she came up with. I decided to outline her hands so that one day she'd be able to see how little they were.

I hope you folks are having a wonderful weekend so far! I'm gonna get ready for work and place my order for a new book: An Illustrated Life, also by Danny Gregory. Remember, no intervention!

.cake crazy.

There are several things that I love in this world. My family, my friends, photography, music. . . well you get the picture. But there is another love that I have, a love of the "indulgent" kind. You know, the one you feel guilty for and yet you can't seem to break it off. No, I'm not talking about the type that sends divorce papers to your mailbox. I'm talking about the bittersweet relationship I have with cake! I've come to accept the truth that as long as there is cake in the world, I will forever sport a belly. But wait! Is there hope?!

There seems to be a multitude of cookbooks out there with yummy images of cupcakes, slathered with mouth watering frosting so neatly displayed on the front cover! Porn for the sweet-toothed. When I saw the book Babycakes on a display table at work, I had to stop and take a peek. My interest grew as I noticed that the recipes were vegan and gluten-free. I am not a vegetarian and I am not a diabetic. However, trying out recipes, especially to cut back on the sugar, seems like a great idea. And if it tastes good, all the better! The photos in the book are too awesome!

It's apparent that I'm not the only that thinks cakes are scrumpalicious! These wonderful delights can be seen anywhere and everywhere. How about on television? The Food Network features a show all about the decadent world of cake decorating. The show "Ace of Cakes" is a glimpse of what the amazing folks out at Charm City Cakes can do with cake layers and fondant! And what about music? How can you not love a band simply named Cake? Something a little more mellow and perhaps from the land of Lucky Charms? Tunes by The Cake Sale are rather tasty!

And last but not least, need a good laugh? Visiting the quirky blog that is Cake Wrecks is like taking a stroll pass the bakery department of your local grocery store, only the baker is out and the meat department guy is filling in, fully prepared with an icing bag and bad grammar. (Iris I don't mean J. hee hee) So the next time you attempt to put your Wilton cake decorating class skills to use and find that your roses look more like a cluster of cabbages, grab your camera! Be on the lookout for Jen Yates' Cake Wrecks book which will be out this October.

So now that I've got you thinking of buttercream frosting and fluffy layers, if you don't mind, I'm going to cut myself a slice! Happy rest of the week to you all! Let's eat cake!