I spent the day cutting matboard with a classmate. It took forfreakingever! I matted four prints and it took me more than 5 hours! Cutting the outside of the mats took much longer than cutting the window mats. Then after the mats were cut, I had to hinge the backer board to the mat and then mount the photo.

Only one of the classmates showed up. Kim was supposed to be here at noon but she never made it and she didn't call. Tim was all worried about her and wanted to call and check on her but I figured she's a big girl and she can find some other way to cut her mats if she doesn't show up on our appointed day and time. I wish she would have called, though. I mean, it's not that hard and it's just a matter of respect to tell the host who is doing you a favor by lending you her tools that you won't be making it over after all.

Tim and I got a pizza at Papa Murphy's and made brownies before we got to cutting the mats. He showed me his portfolio and we spent some time just talking about photography in general before we got down to the business of mat cutting. (Note to self: get a new self-healing mat for cutting on--the old one is warped and makes for wonky cuts.) He completely supports himself selling various and random things on eBay. That's a good job for someone who is a full-time student. It's a big job, though, with all the computer work of listing, closing, communicating, taking digital pictures, mailing, etc. He likes it though. He's sold several photos on eBay, too. Eventually he'd like to focus on just selling art and photography with both an online gallery and a brick and mortar gallery. That would be fun.

I titled my photographs today when I matted them. The pictures of Johnny, Bill's dad, are close up face shots--so close that the pictures are actually larger than life. One, where is face is pointed slightly down and his eyes are downcast, I titled "Resignation" because he looks a little sad and it was a brief, intimate moment where his deep feelings seemed to show. The other, where he is looking toward the camera with an ever-ever-so-slight smirk on his face after eating a piece of candy (which he isn't supposed to have because of his diabetes), I titled "Hunger." Hunger for food, for sweets, for human interaction, for the future that he wishes he could have, for the man he used to be. It really summed up his personality while we were shooting--he was very chatty and flirtatious wiht me like he didn't realize he was an elderly man confined to a wheelchair. It was very cute.

The other two photos are of my friend Joel who is the first violist with the symphony here. I took them while he was playing and the word I associate with them is music. While I was busy snapping photos, he was playing beautiful, rich music that filled the room. I could have worked with him for hours. In one photo, he is looking toward the strings and furrowing his brow. I remember that he was going over and over a passage that was giving him trouble and that is written all over face and in the furrow of his brow. I titled that one "Harmony." In the other photo, he is looking away from the strings, actually his eyes are closed, and he is leaning in to the viola, listening intently to the music. I titled that one "Melody." The pictures complement one another like the harmony and melody complement each other in a symphony. I was thinking that I could title the picture I took of his little daughter playing her tiny violin "Descant."

In other news, there is no other news. I'm delighted to hear that the Canadians will get their much-deserved Gold Medal. Joey wanted to watch O Brother, Where Art Thou on my new DVD player so we watched that tonight as a family. It was wonderful. I could watch that movie over and over and over again. ::sigh::

Any of you boys smithies? Damn, we're in a tight spot. I like the way my hair smells. A pleasin' odor is half the point. My hair! I'm a Dapper Dan Man. Do...not....seek...the....treasure. We thought you was a toad. What's goin' on, Big Dan? Looks like I'm the only one that remains unaffiliated. He's a suitor. He's bona fide. 'Speck you want them chains cut off. Mrs. Hogwallup done R-U-N-N-O-F-T. I suppose it would be the acme of foolishness to inquire if you have a hairnet. I've got several in yon bura. Well ain't this place a geographical oddity--two weeks from everywhere. That don't make No Sense.

--L