I had my birthplan meeting and photo shoot with Christa today. She is so beautiful--I am very excited to see the photos. She let me so some peek-a-boo belly shots, too, with her shirt unbuttoned to show a little of her beautifully pregnant tummy. I took them with her sitting on the floor on a deep purple duvet cover. She is sitting in that old-fashioned style with her legs to the side and she's leaning back slightly against the couch (where the duvet cover is also draped). I took them from a higher position--standing on a chair--so I have her face and her luscious tummy below. Using that angle also minimizes the pregnancy-face she was concerned about--that fuller face and under chin area that she didn't really care for. She has some really beautiful, expressive eyes and natural posing ability so I think these will be some wonderful photos. If they turn out, I'll print up a nice one for her to keep.

My WIP photo critique went very well today. People really liked my photo of Joey. It's very dramatic with half of her face in dark shadow (though her features are still visible). Her eyes are big and wet and her lips are full and almost pouty, but not quite. She has a mostly blank expression--almost a worried expression, actually, but not too worried. Anyway, she looks really great and the class responded very well to that photo. I love being able to brag on her beauty because since she's adopted, it's not like I'm bragging on myself, too. :-)

I'm feeling very fulfilled with photography right now. This is such a delightful change from last term when I was so depressed and feeling so lost and directionless and like all I wanted to do was sleep sleep sleep. This is better. I still felt like sleeping today, though. I took a nap from 4ish to 6ish today. I hadn't had a lot of sleep last night and I got up earlier than usual (and stayed up) but the worst part is that my allergies are kicking in and I'm feeling the effects of that. Histamine seems to have quite a dulling sensation for me. I've had a slight sinus headache throughout the day, too, but I'm trying to ignore it.

Ed and I watched part II of the PBS special Frontier House. It was very interesting. Based on the 1900s House that they did a couple of years ago, they took 3 families and turned them into 1883 homesteaders, a la Laura Ingalls Wilder. It was really interesting to see how each family reacted to it and how their interpersonal relationships were affected. One couple were like a couple of children always sniping at each other and fighting and criticising and blaming. Blame must always be assigned for them--for everything. It was really tiring to watch them--I wanted to change the channel a few times when they were warring. I read a tiny article about them and the man said that halfway through he realized that he didn't want to be married to his wife. They're now separated. I think that their marriage was rocky to begin with and the strain of their survivalist 1880s lifestyle was too much to overcome. That and the fact that this guy was an arrogant son of a bitch. The wife had her bossy issues but he was a jackass.

One of the other families became pariahs when they traded baked goods for vegetables and meat with a 21st century family. Then they set up a distillery and made $25 (which was a lot back then--enough to buy 2 horses) selling it to the local merchant as tonic. They were definitely looked down upon by the warring family but at least they had a good, happy family life. All things considered, I'd rather be part of the moonshine family, even if I am a teetotaler.

The third family was a newlywed couple who got married during the program. She was having a hard time because she wasn't much of a cook but he had the best attitude--he was there to have fun and to learn and to experience a different lifestyle. They were entirely too pleasant for the cameras to spend much time on them so they definitely got short shrift in the filming department. The producers put too much of the domestic squabbles for my taste. Why not show them making soap or something? That would be much more interesting to watch than all that bickering. Still, it was an interesting program and I'd recommend watching it in reruns if you can.

Still don't have my laptop running well so I have to use the office computer which works fine and all but is not in front of the TV so it's not nearly as fun to use. ::sigh:: This may be just the way to curb my internet usage. Hmmmm.... we may be on to something. :-(

Later, y'all...

--L