I went to my last photography class today. It was kind of strange. I felt like I was graduating, almost. I'll be back in the lab tomorrow but I'll be working on personal stuff, not class-related stuff. I negotiated with my teacher for darkroom time next fall but I have to meet with him during the first week of school and I have to sell him another photo or two to make it more even. I'm totally ok with that.

Delyn came over to look through my contact sheets tonight so I could print photos of her two little ones (they were two of my Face of Time models) and she told me that I could advertise in her kindermusic studio. She has over 250 families with lots of small children and the topic of photography comes up frequently so she said I could create a little sign and some cards and display them on her bulletin board. I'm also going to be doing the candids for her studio and printing them large to frame and put on her walls. It will be advertising for me and decoration for her. I'm tremendously excited about it. She also asked me to photograph her 12 year old son who hasn't had a decent non-sporting photo taken since he was 7 years old. I'm getting so excited. I'll be a professional before you know it! And then I'll be able to start writing things off like a new digital camera, new PC, new printer, film, paper, processing.... The mind boggles. My favorite thing about working before was being able to buy all kinds of cool stuff and writing it off. :-)

This brings me to a very important point, though. I need to get a new camera post-haste. I'm thinking a nice medium format SLR for my color work and then fix the mirror on my two 35mm SLRs as adjunct cameras. I can have the medium format camera loaded with color and the 35mm for B&W. This will be good. We just need to get that new camera. (I'm not sounding impatient, am I?)

I made some delicious quesadillas tonight. I grilled some dry marinated boneless, skinless chicken thighs on the grill tonight along with some thick slices of sweet onion rubbed with olive oil and salt. Then I sliced the chicken and put the soft, grilled onions on the tortillas with some cheese and cooked them up til they were golden and crispy. I paired them with some sour cream (fat free, even!) with a pinch of ground chipotle peppers and some homemade guacamole. Tasty tasty dinner. I have enough chicken and onions left for one quesadilla tomorrow. I'll make it for breakfast before I head into the darkroom tomorrow.

Only three more days of school left for Joey. And they can't come a moment too soon! Not a moment too soon, I tell you.

I'm so glad I get to set my own schedule now! Life is good.

--L