I just re-read my last entry and can't believe it was barely a month ago when I wrote it. As per usual with the end of every semester, my life shifted from a hectic near-panic time crunch, to days of nothingness, quickly followed by loads of Bravo reality t.v. shows. Now, as I sit here at work, my brain fuzzy from lack of sleep, I feel relieved that the stress of my last entry is long gone. I'm not remotely ashamed that for the past month I've literally done nothing productive, haha.
Well, I haven't exactly done "nothing." Immediately following the end of the semester I got out of dodge quick, and flew straight to the "in-laws'" home in Philadelphia. It was too cold there to venture outside, so Dana and I took the time to catch up on television. After a week of relaxation I flew home to St. Louis to spend the holiday with my family. I spent all of Christmas Day tipsy with my mother. It was good times. Then on the 29th I hopped a train back to Chicago to prepare for my NYE party. A few friends from St. Louis came up for the event, which turned out to be semi-raucous (Jessie broke out her best dance moves). Now, I'm back at work, mentally preparing for the beginning of the spring semester in a couple of weeks.
Before the holiday break began I photographed a Music Department performance at the Sherwood Conservatory. As with my last performance gig, I was again faced with extremely low light situations. I wasn't particularly impressed with the results. But hopefully they like the images enough to put them on the school's website. Here are a few images from that night.
However, in spite of these challenges, the more I've thought about my future the more I see myself doing this exact type of photography. My ideal has always been to work for a magazine. I've since learned that unless you're an editor of some sort, photography is usually freelance. I've been researching different magazines, both print and online, that I might apply to in the future, even for just internships. As a rather politically motivated individual, I know I'll thrive in an environment that agrees with my morals, specifically women and GLBT related organizations. My ideal job has always been to further/improve causes that I believe will change this world for the better.
In light of the new year (which, by the way, has not really brought about any changes thus far), I've at last given in to a much needed (and thoroughly uninsured) eye doctor appointment. When it finally dawned on me that one of the reasons I haven't been photographing as much lately has been because of my eye problems, I said enough-is-enough and hopped on the bus to the nearest eye doctor.
Let me back track a little. About six months ago I started having problems with my eyes. They would grow freakishly red and remain that way for days on end. I thought it was due to allergies, which in some part it probably was. But eventually my eyes grew so irritated that I stopped wearing my contacts regularly. This may sound like a cop-out, but I hate photographing with my glasses on. It's uncomfortable and I never feel like I can see as well. So, since I stopped wearing my contacts I've photographed less and less. I guess I put off going to the doctor because I thought I would make it back to St. Louis to a place my mother's insurance would cover.
Anyway, the doctor concluded that a combination of dry eyes and wearing contacts has resulted in tiny scratches over the cornea's of both of my eyes, which she believes was at one point infected with bacteria. It sounds much worse than it really is, because my eyes are rarely in any pain. For the past week I've been taking medicated eye drops and using re-wetting drops to clear up any sort of infection that may remain. The next step is to order a new brand of contacts, specifically for dry eyes. I'm hoping that once all of this is fixed, I will be more inclined to pick up the camera.
As for the immediate future, my roommate Jessie unexpectedly moved out. I'm now in search of a new roommate. The upcoming semester is fast approaching. I still feel mixed excitement and nervousness when I think about the workload. I officially have a senior standing, with 93 credits. I've decided not to graduate early and instead spread out my remaining requirements and take a few extra classes that I will really enjoy.
2009 will hopefully bring about positive change. We start off with Obama going in to office. But we also start off with more war in the middle-east and total economic recession. It's frightening to think that I have entered adulthood at such an unstable time in U.S. history. But I think I can handle it just fine.
In light of the new year (which, by the way, has not really brought about any changes thus far), I've at last given in to a much needed (and thoroughly uninsured) eye doctor appointment. When it finally dawned on me that one of the reasons I haven't been photographing as much lately has been because of my eye problems, I said enough-is-enough and hopped on the bus to the nearest eye doctor.
Let me back track a little. About six months ago I started having problems with my eyes. They would grow freakishly red and remain that way for days on end. I thought it was due to allergies, which in some part it probably was. But eventually my eyes grew so irritated that I stopped wearing my contacts regularly. This may sound like a cop-out, but I hate photographing with my glasses on. It's uncomfortable and I never feel like I can see as well. So, since I stopped wearing my contacts I've photographed less and less. I guess I put off going to the doctor because I thought I would make it back to St. Louis to a place my mother's insurance would cover.
Anyway, the doctor concluded that a combination of dry eyes and wearing contacts has resulted in tiny scratches over the cornea's of both of my eyes, which she believes was at one point infected with bacteria. It sounds much worse than it really is, because my eyes are rarely in any pain. For the past week I've been taking medicated eye drops and using re-wetting drops to clear up any sort of infection that may remain. The next step is to order a new brand of contacts, specifically for dry eyes. I'm hoping that once all of this is fixed, I will be more inclined to pick up the camera.
As for the immediate future, my roommate Jessie unexpectedly moved out. I'm now in search of a new roommate. The upcoming semester is fast approaching. I still feel mixed excitement and nervousness when I think about the workload. I officially have a senior standing, with 93 credits. I've decided not to graduate early and instead spread out my remaining requirements and take a few extra classes that I will really enjoy.
2009 will hopefully bring about positive change. We start off with Obama going in to office. But we also start off with more war in the middle-east and total economic recession. It's frightening to think that I have entered adulthood at such an unstable time in U.S. history. But I think I can handle it just fine.
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