No entry yesterday. I simply couldn't think of a single thing to write that wouldn't have bored me silly so I did something very uncharacteristic. I kept my mouth shut. Or my fingers. Same difference.

Joey wasn't feeling well today so Ed worked from home while I went to school and then ran errands including grocery shopping. I got soaked bringing the groceries in when it was raining. If I hadn't have had frozen food and meat in my groceries, I'd have left them in the car until the rain passed. Oh well--I needed a shower.

I love that Ed is so willing, most days, to share sick-kid duty. And really, why not? He can work from home and call in to all his meetings so it was really no big deal for him to stay home today. If I'd have missed class, I wouldn't have learned how to tone prints, which is something I really wanted to do.

And speaking of toning prints, I'm crazy about sepia toning! I put 4 prints through the sepia bath and I loved it. It was really fun to watch and the prints turned out really great. I'm going to do more soon. I tell you, I could just spend all day long in the dark room. I *so* wish I had a dark room here in my house. Then again, if I did, I'd probably turn a more ghastly shade of white like a mushroom from lack of light. My family would never see me. But boy! I'd be in photographic heaven. I spent $75 on my own sepia toner, film, a gentle soft focus filter (called a diffuser) and a couple of different types of paper--some semi-matte, matte and pearl. The semi-matte is a warm-tone paper that should be interesting to work with. I think it will be great for the nudes I'm shooting this weekend.

I got my film back on my dad. Out of 36, there are about 8 that I really like. I'm happy if I get 1 out of 10 that I like so this was great. There are so many that I really like that it will be hard to narrow my focus on these. I got one shot of the cue ball just at the very instant of impact on the break--it looks pretty cool. Of course, you don't really know what it is without someone to tell you so it's not a good photo on its own. I was thinking I'd enlarge a series of 3 and put them in a frame and give it to Daddy for Christmas. I think he'll love it. I'll do my own matting, too. (Better get my mat cutter out and learn how to use it.)

I have a mess of stuff to do tomorrow to get ready for the Halloween party at Joey's school, not the least of which is to decorate at 2:15. Why am I not excited about this party? I was, before, but now it just seems like a big damn hassle. I think it's because I'm not that crazy about my room co-mom. Oh, she's nice enough and all, but she's kind of fussy. And she overtalks. You know the type. It takes her 5 minutes to express 30 seconds' worth of information. People like that wear me down. I'm not a fussy person. And I'm somewhat succint (this diary notwithstanding). I appreciate brevity. Talk all you want, but make sure you're actually saying something. That is the way to keep people interested in what you're saying.

We carved pumpkins tonight. Ed helped Joey with the small pumpkin and I carved the big'un all by myself. I carved this really great witch and a cauldron on the front and two menacing ghosts on the back (to splash ghost-shaped light on the wall behind the pumpkin). It looks really great, if I do say so myself. It was really hard, though. Man--that pumpkin was about 2 inches thick! It turned out so great, though, that it was *definitely* worth the effort.

I bit my tongue really hard today--through and through. It bled copiously and now it feels like I have a big glob attached to the side of my tongue. I'm just sure I'm going to end up biting it again. It hurts and makes me talk funny because I don't want to move my tongue and scrape it over my pointy teeth. I think I need a tongue-bite present like Weetabix's ass-splinter gift. If I had time, I'd put a link in there for you but I don't so I shan't. Look it up if you want--the entry was from last Saturday the 20th, I believe.

Time for a drink. (That didn't come off the way I meant it. I mean a drink of *water*.)

--L