Diana F+ - 55mm Close Up Lens

I haven't been intentionally putting off my lens testing project, but I sure have been slacking since the debacle that was the last 2 rolls of failed film. It's making me very very nervous!

Today I went out & shot a roll of Fuji Velvia slide film with the close up lens. I attached a marked ribbon to my camera to insure the accurate 6" focal distance was met. It was pretty cloudy out today & that film is only 100 speed so I am hoping that it comes out alright. I want to develop one of those rolls of Velvia normal, but I'm not sure if I should cross process this one or not. Decisions, decisions.

Next up is the 55mm lens. I have a lot of film to use up so I'm also adding to my testing list the 2 separate flashes I have as well. Plus, I can not deal with the price it costs to develop & scan at the lab, so I'm on the hunt for an all in one wireless printer that hopefully can scan negatives as well. Researching is one of my least favorite things to do, so I'm not looking forward to it, but since my printer has died, it's something I need to do soon.

I really want to do some fun photography projects. I need to get some friends over to goof off in front of the camera.

An Open Letter To Dr Pepper 10

As a woman, I couldn't let a blatantly sexist commercial ad campaign that is currently running for Dr Pepper 10 continue without a formal complaint.

I first heard a radio ad over a month ago stating that Dr Pepper 10 is not for women, they are not allowed to have it as well as other ridiculous statements, including the implication that diet soda is for women (which by the way, many men I know drink diet soda).

Tonight I saw a commercial air on NBC where the men are supposed to be action movie characters, introducing that the movie is not for women, and ending that the soda is not for women.

This ad campaign is completely sexist without a hint of irony or humor that they aren't serious.

I am lucky enough to have grown up in a time where women have pushed for so many rights and equality, that I am completely disgusted by this ad campaign. Shame on you Dr Pepper for advertising such a sexist commercial and reverting back to a time where men thought it was okay to treat women separately and not as their equal.

You have certainly lost a customer, and I guarantee I am not the only one now boycotting your products.

10 Year Vegetarian

Sometime in March 2002, I completely stopped eating meat. For most of the year before that I was down to only eating chicken. My last chicken meal was at The Olive Garden and you can thank them for nailing down that coffin. I had no desire to eat that again.

For the most part, I don't miss meat at all. I will get a strange longing for my mom's pork chops or chicken wings occasionally, which I think is insane b/c you can't get much closer to a dead animal than meat still on the bone. However, those longings are not anywhere close enough to break my diet. I did once eat stuffing from the turkey my first year in California, mostly due to lack of willpower, but ever since then I've been a very good girl.

See, the thing is, I like meat, but I just don't feel the need to eat it. I'm totally fine with other people eating meat, but with the world's population as big as it is, we're not all eating some naturally raised meat from down the street. I'm happy to be a vegetarian and try to help balance out this crazy world.

It took a while to wrap my mind around making a meal that wasn't centered around meat. I got the knack of it, and while I'm not super trim (mostly due to lack of exercise than diet), I'm actually pretty healthy. So I try to cook myself meals more often than not and keep learning how to make better meals for myself. I even bought myself a vegan cookbook. While I don't make meals from there often, I do put the effort in at times.

My mother really came around to it after being stumped why I couldn't have the spaghetti sauce that had sausage cooked in it. She will send me recipes from time to time and when I go to visit, she always goes out of her way to make veggie meals from scratch. My dad doesn't know how to even go about cooking a meal for me (he's a real meat / potatoes / 2 vegetables kind of guy) but he is nice enough to buy me a subscription of Vegetarian Times every year. It's nice to have the support... and it doesn't hurt to have a couple friends who are also vegetarian or vegan.

10 years. Amazing. It seems like no time at all.

Parallelogram (2011)

Parallelogram is now up on YouTube in full 1080p HD. A special congratulations to Athena & Brad (who star in this) on getting engaged this weekend. Such a special night & I'm so happy to have been a part of it. Brad surprised Athena at her Logan's Run themed 30th birthday party with a video many of us friends contributed to, then proposed to her at the end. It was sincere, funny and a total tear fest. So happy for the both of them!

Enjoy!



Parallelogram on IMDB
My YouTube Channel
Athena's YouTube Channel
Brad's YouTube Channel