Everyone Needs a Sharpie

A few months ago, I was finally able to break away from Sprint, so I broke down and bought a phone with a camera.  Of course, being a photographer, I had to find the best camera-phone offered stateside without the ridiculously expensive price tag.  The Nokia N75 is what I settled on.  Yes, the reviews say that it doesn’t have a long battery life, but that’s not a major concern of mine.

Since I can shoot at will now, I have enjoyed taking pix of graffiti or any signage that may be a little bit off. Here’s what I’ve got so far…

“Avast! Me mail is off tha stah-bahd bow!”

“You an eye ah destayned ta drinka eh Co-ka. Hunh, hunh hunh!” *wink*

 

The women’s bathroom in Wal-Mart.  At least there’s an option.

Chinese Take-Out:  This one speaks for itself… I think!

Turkey Day Greetings

I created this image to send in an HTML email to wish all I know a Happy Thanksgiving.  Of course, it reflects my humor best.  

Happy Thanksgiving! 

The Gingerbread Cubicle

Seeing Christmas trees at the store yesterday lead me to think about how I may decorate my office space this year. Since I no longer have a cubicle, I will have to be ten times more creative. Last year’s “Cubicle Decorating Contest” at ACerS may have people talking for the ages.

“Think outside the box.” While it’s easy to say, most people don’t do it. When the very idea of decorating my cubicle was presented, my first thought was definitely outside the cubicle. I blurted out over lunch, “I want to make a gingerbread cubicle!” If anyone was going to accomplish this feat, it was going to be me.

I measured out my cube walls knowing that I would have to pay special attention to the one full wall that faces the main walkway. My idea included a roof line that would tower over my 4′ 6″ high cube. I’d also have to throw some doors on my wide open cube to really create the gingerbread house effect.Brown paper, cardboard, colorful construction paper, lots of packing tape, glitter, glue, real candy canes, Hershey kisses, and some pure white caulk for frosting created the perfect recipe. I stirred it all up and got the results I was looking for.

I won the contest and was dubbed most competitive person in the office.While I will not deny being a competitive person, I will admit that I put 110% effort into my gingerbread cubicle. It was a design and decorating challenge. Web design is one dimensional. I can’t really touch or feel the site when it’s done. So, I look for other things to do as a creative outlet. The cubicle decorating contest provided me with the venue. I thought of the idea, broke it down into pieces, and figured out how to “build” it from the ground up. It was a creation that I was very proud of.

This “exercise” helped me understand how my brain works. Think it. Deconstruct it. Build it. I guess that’s why I like being a web designer so much. It appeals to my creative and my mind.

Promote Yourself

I like networking and meeting new people, but most of my work has been generated from people who have worked with me. Word of mouth is a wonderful thing! However, I do find myself looking at Craigslist.

At least two or three times a week, I’ll peruse the latest Craigslist ads in the Columbus area looking to see if anyone has a gig for a photographer or a web designer. Another freelance web designer had turned me on to Craigslist. Free self-promotion if I felt like putting an ad on there and a possible good lead on a job. Fortunately, the later panned out as I found my present position at AFS Web / At First Site Inc. Sent my resume in on a Tuesday night and got an email early Wednesday afternoon wanting to set up an interview. Yes, quality people are looking for quality jobs and vice versa.

In regards to the regular classifieds, a friend of mine had taken the normal route when he wanted to sell his hot tub. He paid for the ad in The Dispatch, but unfortunately, after a week, he got nothing. He put the ad up for free on Craigslist and received multiple responses within hours. By the next morning, a woman was scheduled to stop by with cash and a pickup truck that Saturday. Not bad!

So today, as I was getting my Craigslist fill, I came across the following ad:

Need look a like

Reply to: gigs-xxxxxxxx@craigslist.org
Date: 2007-07-30, 1:53PM EDT

I need Friday off of work however I have no time left to use and cannot afford to take it unpaid. I need someone who looks like me to stand in and go to work for me for one day only. Needs to be about 5′4″ 300 lbs have dark hair and missing one tooth. This should not be hard as my manager doesn’t really come by much but if no one is sitting in my seat she may notice.

View the post. Note: the ad will only be available until September 12th.

Absolutely hilarious!

Now, you may be thinking that everything I said above must not be true. Well, do not believe that at all. Just every once in a while, you may just see something to brighten your day a little.

I’m WIRED!

I have a reached a new geek status for myself. I appear on the cover of my own July issue of WIRED Magazine! Don’t rush out to the store and expect to see it on news stands though. It is truly my own issue.

A few months ago, WIRED Magazine asked for photos from their subscribers. The first 5,000 subscribers to submit their photos with the required specs would receive their July issue with their photo on the front. This promotion was sponsored by Xerox. (Yup, gotta plug ‘em since that’s what got my photo on there!) How very neat!

I’ve uploaded my cover here. And, you can check out more personalized WIRED covers at the Flickr Group: WIRED Covers: 15.07 .

Enjoy!

Weddings and What-Not

Shooting photos at weddings is so much fun and so very tiring. Almost six hours straight of being on my feet. And, today, I chose to wear heels. I wear heels all the time, so it doesn’t really bother me. However, I’m not usually on my feet for six hours straight.

Sitting down to enjoy the lovely catered meal of chicken and steak with garlic mashed potatoes, I began to feel the weight of the day and the camera sink in. Or perhaps, it was just the potatoes.

Today, I caught one of the groomsmen holding one of the bridesmaid’s flowers. I said, “How manly!” and pressed the shutter-button. Then, at the reception, I snapped a shot of another guy trying to get the flower girl to dance with him. Holding a beer, he looked like a chicken strutting to the dance floor. He was embarassed when he realized that I was the one who had taken the photo. It will be posted for all to see! I’m sure he’ll have fun telling the story to go with it.

I love candid. Those are the best photos. People just being themselves. I guess that’s why I like taking photos of little kids so much. They don’t think about their good side or how their face may contort because they’re making a face. Fresh faces. That’s what’s good to see.

Tomorrow, I’m off to the races. The Tour de Grandview is going on this weekend. And, I love bike races! I’ll have to break out the telephoto lens, so it will be another exercise in photography and firming up the muscles in my right arm.

Photos will be posted to Flickr as soon as I can get them there!

Coffee Talk

Like [insert color here] is the new red, the coffeehouse is the new office space. Forget cubicles, stale meeting rooms, and calls on speaker phone. The aroma of coffee and bagels fills these spaces, and there is a constant buzz of conversation. The young, the old, the weird, and the conservative minds meet over the age old cup of joe.

This is not at all a new thing. The coffeehouse has been a social gathering place since the 16th century. Of course, nowadays, people like me are sipping away at their teas and cafe mochas and clicking away on their computers thanks to free wi-fi.

I know all of the coffeehouses and bagel shops in the area that have wi-fi, and I have gone the step further to have created a mental blueprint of all the electrical outlets in each establishment. I never plan to step in for a quick cup of coffee and a fast look at my email. When I step into the coffeehouse, I unpack my gear and set up camp for a while. An unlimited supply of provisions are readily available, so I’m in a for a long haul.

My meetings are usually at a coffeehouse or cafe, and I consider each and everyone of them my office. I think the non-office environment is inviting, and the atmosphere encourages discussion. People are more open about their ideas and are open to listening. Forget the suits. Flip flops and casual clothing are acceptable.

Taking my design classes online, I would consistantly resort to the coffeehouse as my classroom. I guess it is only fitting that I continue to support the coffee-making industry.

I’m definitely addicted. To caffeine? Check. To coffeehouses? Very check.

A Photo a Day in May

For the month of May, I am going to try and take at least one photo a day. I figure it will be a fun project for me to do for no other reason than I love photography. Being only the second day into this month, the people I have told about my fun project have been interested. “What a neat idea!” they say with a smile.

In addition to this blog, Flickr will be the home of this photo blog: www.flickr.com/photos/diannadesign/

Enjoy!

On this Mac…

Here’s my new spot for my general musings about anything web or tech related. I’m actually excited about this because I think on this stuff all day everyday. Then again, it’s what I do. I think the longest I went without being close to a computer with an internet connection was a little over a year beginning in 2000. Those were my flight attendant days. Now, people are suprised if they don’t see my Mac literally attached to my hip. It should have it’s own frequent flyer miles by now!

On this Mac, I shall write my blog.