Season's Greetings

I'm working the whole weekend, although Joel is making this somewhat more fun by joining me for the fireworks. While working on the holidays is never quite as fun being off, as work goes, I've got a pretty sweet deal. (However, if you happen to be celebrating in the region directly north of New York City, do try not to burn yourself with illegal fireworks or get killed by a drunk driver, because then I have to go cover that, too. )

Here's what I've been up to the last two days... Two down, two to go!























Wishing you all melty popsicle goodness, cover-your-ears fun and an ideal spot on the grass for your blanket.

Blast from the Past Night

I'm overwhelmed right now by a kick of nostalgia for my past, mostly brought on by the sudden re-emergence of the sun and actual, bonafide summer weather. Oh, how I wish I were a kid again.

So far I have contemplated doing the following:

-going to a community pool, making my swimsuit all nubbly by laying on my stomach on warm cement, eating freeze pops
-finding and joining a marching band, any marching band that would take an old lady like me
-waking my college roommate up at 5 a.m. her time by calling and singing the Mephiskapheles "Bumblebee Tuna" song in a high pitched voice

I have actually:

-covered a big parade kicking off the start of the Independence Day festivities here in Stepford
-eaten three sugar-free, diet-friendly popsicles (two cherry, one grape)
-amused myself with old photos being posted on Facebook by college marching band friends?
-made my stuffed Winnie-the-Pooh dance around to the Mephiskapheles "Bumblebee Tuna" song, 1998 style
-called the only other friend who would remember all the lyrics to the Bumblebee Tuna song, only to get her voicemail, then miss her return call while talking to the copy desk about tomorrow's A3 centerpiece of parade photos, then check voicemail to discover that she was putting her kid to bed when I called
-researched municipal sewer regulations for the house Joel and I want to buy

Because we're old.

What are doing this summer evening? What summer traditions are you nostalgic for?

Productivity... RAH!

Whew! Can I just say that I have been making check marks ALL OVER my To-Do Lists? Booya! I have a bunch of CDs, albums, reprints, etc. all ready to ship as I gear up for the the next round of weddings and sessions in July.

Which... July? You start TOMORROW? Really? How'd that happen?

Meanwhile, our team at the newspaper just finished our annual graduation roundup... 103 schools and colleges, 3 counties, 100 photos minimum per school, for a total of 11,863 images shot by 17 photographers in four weeks. I am all Pomped and Circumstanced out, my friends. At least until next year.

My big project, however, was a story about an amazing group of kids at a local high school. They are all English Language Learners, learning the language while navigating the teenage years. Fitting in is hard enough, assimilating is even harder. The program is different from traditional ESL programs, largely because of two amazing teachers.

Actually, you know what? I'll let them tell you about it. The video is a 6-minute mini-documentary that accompanied a 60-inch story as this past Sunday's A1 centerpiece. (And yes, I went to the prom).

Can I please brag? Just for a second?

I just want to brag about Joel for a second. Can I? :)

He's spent the last few days grading final exams and proctoring the Regents (a New York state standardized test designed, in theory, to determine that students actually learned something and didn't just daydream through the academic year) and.... (wait for it, wait for it!) 92% of his students passed. That's way above the NYC Schools average. He's all, "The exams were really easy this year..." and all that, but he's going to graduation tonight, bursting with pride for his students. I'll be shooting another graduation elsewhere, but I'm all pride-bursty for Joel. He's just damn good at what he does.

Okay, that's all I wanted to say. Carry on! :)

My Schedule

Shoot, shoot, edit, work, shoot graduations, shoot assignments, sleep, drive to New Jersey, shoot, shoot, edit, print, log, capture, panic about demise of newspaper industry and July 8th layoffs, shoot, panic, edit, shoot, drive to New Jersey again, fret about house, wait impatiently for estimate, be wholly unsurprised by window estimate, complain, drive, shoot, call real estate agent, detest crappy cell phone service that cuts off agent repeatedly, shoot, edit, work, work, drive while complaining to mother about piss-poor cell phone service, cell phone cuts out while trying to complain about cell phone service; I mean, come ON, Verizon, this is NEW YORK, grump, panic, edit, Freecell, edit, sleep.

On a bright note, all the different kinds of shooting (babies, breaking news, boudoir) are really refining my techniques, and I'm pushing new boundaries creatively. Also, all my old SU drumline friends are back. Like, all of 'em. That's kind of nice. Thank you, Facebook.

Next on the agenda: sleep.