a comeback of sorts

Well, I officially ran out of Polaroid film in 2009, which explains the sudden stop in posts. It's now 2011, and I've got a new instant film camera. It's not a Polaroid, but it's still something, so maybe it's time to take this dusty old blog out of retirement with some new pictures. I don't think I'll be able to do dailies, but perhaps a POTW (Picture of the Week) could work...

POTD: movies and pizza

I went out with my pallies to the cinema, where we found a nice promotional cardboard cutout of Johnny Depp. (I'm pretty sure Thi is groping Mr. Depp's goodies on purpose) I can't wait for that movie to come out! Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, David Wenham, and 1930s gangsters? Yes, please!

Afterwards we went to CiCi's Pizza, a buffet right across from the theater. Unfortunately, someone had unscrewed the cap to the pepper jar and Karen spilled the entire contents on her two slices of pizza. Oh, those pranksters...

POTD: runaway hula hoop

Isn't it frustrating when your playthings try to make a break for it?

POTD: tired

Today was filled with meetings and interviews and lots and lots of driving. The good news is, I managed to beat rush hour on the drive home.

POTD: my darlin'

My sweetie (named Tobey, which fits him, don't you think?) looked so peaceful sitting in the driveway.

POTD: it's bright out

My little cousin is a ham. She's always game for my little suggestions of "Jump off the bed!" or "Go hug that traffic cone!"

Can you tell that I love jumping pictures? I like the spontaneity of it, particularly how no matter how much you "plan" the look of the picture, you never actually know what you'll get. There's the timing of the jump, and the end result relies on the exact millisecond the shutter clicks. That crucial timing could be the difference between capturing a launch, hang time, or descent.

But I think my favorite thing about jumping pictures is discovering a person's "jumping face." Maybe it's the silliness of the act of jumping - after all, most people don't jump on a daily basis. Whatever the reason, there's something about the brief moment of air time in a jump that brings out the biggest, wackiest grins on people's faces.

POTD: red

So this is what happens when you cover the flash with your fingers...

POTD: arts and crafts?

I spent the day helping my buddy Saeid make "company T-shirts" for his design company Burn This City Studios. After goofing off at Michael's, we went straight to work cutting stencils and drafting designs. And by "we," I mean he did most of the work and I provided the running commentary.

POTD: waikiki + friends

Waikiki (the little dolphin) visited with friends today... at the dining table and at the piano, where he and Jenni performed an impromptu duet of "Funky Town."

POTD: closet haul

I don't know about you, but I love a good print and pattern on my clothes.

POTDs: mysterious monoliths, etc.

Sorry for the missed day! My life has been a flurry of job hunting and job interviews this week, and I fell behind on my Polaroid-ing. But, I'm back, and hopefully, I'll be employed soon too! -crosses fingers-

The "Granite Park" structure I found while driving around. I have no idea what its significance is, unfortunately.

POTD: giant tree

A tie-dye sky?

POTD: highway 6

The road was strangely empty on Highway 6 on my way back into the Houston city limits from Bear Creek.

POTDs: movies and music

I saw Up again with Troy today, and found a truck decked out with some steer horns in the cinema parking lot. Yee-haw!

POTD: late night monopoly

My cousin was up against some formidable foes during this round of late night Monopoly. Shamu the Whale ultimately won the game with his savvy "buy everything in sight" plan.

POTD: cups on a string

Remember the ol' cup-on-a-string method of communication? Well, it still works, even in today's high-tech world. Although I'd like to point out that if you're standing less than five feet away from the other person, simply talking might be easier.

POTDs: spontaneous "road trips" and beginner's botany

All the kiddos packed into my car (Tobey) for a trip to Sonic's after seeing the "free root beer float" promotion advertised on television. See, sometimes commercials do work. Especially if there's free stuff involved!

POTDs: goldfish in chinatown

A friend and I went to Chinatown today for lunch and bubble tea. We saw this new(ish) goldfish fountain and decided to photograph it before it is inevitably defaced. Bellaire (the main drag of Houston's "new" Chinatown) looks surprisingly (and uncharacteristically) nice in these shots.

POTDs: graduation, brothers

Can you tell what kind of animals these twin fellas are? Hint: their names are Keiko and Mini-Me.

---

There was no post yesterday due to unfortunate chaos. My cousin graduated from high school, but then got into a nasty car accident on the way to her celebratory dinner. Her car, which was still new, was crushed like a soda can. Good news is, everyone involved is fine aside from bruises and being shaken up from the ordeal.

Here's what was supposed to be yesterday's POTDs, both taken before the incident:

That's the graduate on the bottom! We were her cheerleaders.

POTDs: flight tests

I wanted to give my friend Jenni (above) some kind of flight mechanism for her "BOING!" picture, but I just couldn't think of anything. Any suggestions?

I forgot to post yesterday. -sad face- But, to make up for it, I got a couple of shots today in the Texas sunshine. As if you already couldn't tell by the abundance of jumping photos I've posted, I'm loving the trampoline.