Sunday, June 29, 2008


181/366 Look Right, originally uploaded by AquaAmber.

This crap picture of some flowers might have been more entertaining but George had already started the car, so I hopped in.

Saturday, June 28, 2008


180/366 Tunnels, originally uploaded by AquaAmber.

I have been meaning to take a stab at this picture for a long time but only this Saturday did I get the opportunity. It's much more entertaining to ride the metro in the last seat than anywhere else I've ridden it.

I didn't get to the Folklife Festival this weekend but I'll be hitting it up come Saturday, believe you me.

Friday, June 27, 2008


179/366 The Water Tower, originally uploaded by AquaAmber.

The water tower near George's house and the Braddock Rd. metro.

Monday, June 30, 2008


182/366 Dirty Mirrors, originally uploaded by AquaAmber.

I set up Feedburner not too long ago and there are actually a handful of people/services subscribed to this blog. Not enough to be statistically relevant but it means I may have at least one reader. That's plenty of reason to take out the time and think about what I will post each day. So hello out there world!

Today I accomplished a culinary milestone: I roasted a whole chicken. I used Nigella Lawson's recipe. The bird was juicy but a bit flavorless. My colleague suggested it was because I used a crappy grocery store bird instead of a free-range organic-type bird. This may be the case.

You won't be seeing any photos of chickens anytime soon. I have definitely not mastered the art of food photography.

Thursday, June 26, 2008


178/366 Housing, originally uploaded by AquaAmber.

Today I had an interview at The Container Store. Did you know they regularly land on Fortune's Top 100 Best Places to Work (or whatever the title is)? They have a three or four-step hiring process!

This building with some interesting rust stains was sitting across from the spot I parked in and had to wait around because I am always ass-early for everything.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008


177/366 Drainage, originally uploaded by AquaAmber.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008


176/366 Playing Portraits, originally uploaded by AquaAmber.

This is George. This is how I see George. He's unpretentious but brilliant. He's not fussy or whiny or extravagant. He's kind, patient, loving, affectionate, curious, and intense for just the slightest flicker of a moment. Everything I can find wrong with him is petty. Saturday will be our one-year anniversary and I still have no major complaints against the man.

He doesn't like having his picture taken but I'm slowly, slowly breaking him.

Monday, June 23, 2008

I seem to have come into a photograph-after-sunset thing and I believe it's actually working. The lower levels of light mean a longer exposure but if I can keep the damn camera steady, it seems to behave very well. The soft light prevents me from looking like a monster or overexposing part of my face.

Sunday, June 22, 2008


173/366 On the Porch, originally uploaded by AquaAmber.

The big news today is that George and I signed a lease! We'll be moving into the Cavendish August 1st, if all goes well. If it doesn't, August 10th.

This is a quick shot in the sunset rain taken on my front porch. I thought there wasn't enough light but it turned out to be quite flattering. If only I could get the pose better...

Saturday, June 21, 2008


172/366 Epcot, originally uploaded by AquaAmber.

This is George in front of the Epcot "golf ball." I was not terribly impressed with Epcot, to be honest. It lacked the imagination and creativity of the other parks. We all agreed it was the "least magical."

Friday, June 20, 2008

172/366 Tower of Terror
171/366 Tower of Terror, originally uploaded by AquaAmber.

You can't really get the full impact of this guy unless you see it big. I was trying to creep out the viewer but may have put myself too small in the background.

In any case, this was at the amazing Tower of Terror ride at Hollywood Studios. Again, they had some amazing set work and the ride itself was terrifying without making you want to puke - a real feat!

Thursday, June 19, 2008


171/366 Travels to Thailand, originally uploaded by AquaAmber.

The truth is, I can't get enough of these put-your-head-through-the-hole things. Thank God George finally got the picture and did something when I asked him to.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008


170/366 Mount "Everest", originally uploaded by AquaAmber.

With all the traveling and such, I completely forgot to take a photo on Wednesday. But oh well - here's one from Thursday!

I was very impressed generally with the quality and diversity of the rides throughout the Disney parks. They have really stepped up their game since I was a kid.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008


169/366 Without a Subject, originally uploaded by AquaAmber.

My photography teacher told us we took lots of photos that needed a subject. This is clearly one of them. It was taken in Washington Circle on my way to an allergist appointment which I survived. I am allergic to everything.

Monday, June 16, 2008


168/366 Puddles, originally uploaded by AquaAmber.

Even though today's storm wasn't the worst to come through the area in recent weeks, it affected me the most. Downed trees knocked out power and killed our commute, which ended with a trip to see Mara, our new landlord! George and I will sign a lease Monday or thereabouts to live in a new place, together. I'm sure you'll see photos of it when that happens.

This is a highly processed photo of a puddle taken through George's fogged-up and rain-splattered window.

Sunday, June 15, 2008


167/366 Suspicion, originally uploaded by AquaAmber.

Today I dragged myself and George to the Potomac Mills mall for three horrific hours of outlet shopping. And I still hadn't photographed anything so my face in the bathroom mirror served yet again.

Saturday, June 14, 2008


166/366 The Marina, originally uploaded by AquaAmber.

We took a walk to the marina today, something we had been meaning to do for months. It was quite pleasant as the sun was hiding behind some thick clouds. Just as we were getting home, it started to rain and we spent the rest of the night watching movies and eating steak.

Friday, June 13, 2008


165/366 Postage, originally uploaded by AquaAmber.

George received this very small package in the mail.

Thursday, June 12, 2008


164/366 The Allen Lee, originally uploaded by AquaAmber.

Today I walked 4 blocks or so to work so George could have the same commute he might otherwise have. This is beneficial for both of us because I could use some more walking and he could use an extra 10 minutes getting to work.

The rust on these railings contrasted nicely with the blue of the windows. To get the shot, I had to hold the camera way up over my head, which made composing difficult. I might otherwise have put the door further to the left.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008


163/366 Mirror Bath, originally uploaded by AquaAmber.

I took a bunch of "stock" photos today in attempts to start an extremely tiny side business of selling such photos. They all came out really crappy so I'm probably going to drop that idea.

This bird was taking a bath in what looked like a piece of the fence above it. When I tried to get out of the car, it immediately flew away.

Also, I was practically offered a job at The Container Store today. I never would have considered a job in retail before that moment but now it seems completely right - I love compartmentalization.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008


162/366 Stevens, originally uploaded by AquaAmber.

Today I nearly fainted at the allergist. I've never been a real happy camper around needles but for some reason I've lost it twice in a row now - the last time at my GP getting a second round of Hep A serum. I didn't lose it all the way but close enough . They chastised me for not eating breakfast and made me consume two granola bars before I could be released into the world.

I still have a malicious set of double bumps across my right arm from where they had to prick me a bunch of times. Seems I am allergic to everything under the sun, especially tree pollen. The oak bump was impressive.

I shot this photo of Stevens Elementary School on my walk from the doctor back to work. The school is from 1800-something but looks pretty run down now. I had trouble figuring out if there were children inside. If so, the learning there is very serious and quiet.

Monday, June 9, 2008


161/366 In the Sunroom, originally uploaded by AquaAmber.

This took a really long time to do in GIMP (aka Photoshop). I'm not even sure I like it better than any of the single pictures but I put it in too much effort to turn back.

Today was the hottest day of the year so far - almost 100* and horrific humidity. Can you tell? Do I look sweaty? I was.

Sunday, June 8, 2008


160/366 Adjustments, originally uploaded by AquaAmber.

I messed up again and forgot my photo. I always seem to forget on Sundays...

Saturday, June 7, 2008


159/366 On the Road Again, originally uploaded by AquaAmber.

After Jenny and Ernesto's wedding, David and I didn't have much to do around town. Omaha is hardly an exciting place to be. So we got up early, having gone to bed fairly early, and headed out into the unknown which is Omaha surrounds. It was all farmland and hardly any rotted out barns, which you will note are one of my favorite photographic topics.

This is what he came up with when I asked him to "do something" in front of the train.

Friday, June 6, 2008


159/366 David, originally uploaded by AquaAmber.

Hi David! You're one of my only readers so I figured I might as well throw you up on the site. Plus, all the pictures I took out there in the field while we were attempting Kite Aerial Photography turned out kinda crappy. You can see two more on my flickr page.

As it were, we had been waiting to fly the kite camera for some time now but agreed to wait until we could fly it together in Omaha, of all places. David scoped out a nice park with a ridge (seen above), from which we attempted to fly the kite. Despite strong winds, the thing didn't stay up for very long and as the intervalometer built into the camera took just one picture a minute, we didn't end up with much. Perhaps a link will appear in the comments with pictures from the kite camera ::wink wink::.

Thursday, June 5, 2008


157/366 Great Safety Adventure, originally uploaded by AquaAmber.

No one can make safety exciting. No one. I don't know why anyone even bothers. Think how much it cost to get this truck painted. And for entertainment, let's examine the definitions of these two words (via Miriam Webster):

Safety: the condition of being safe from undergoing or causing hurt, injury, or loss

Adventure: a: an undertaking usually involving danger and unknown risks; b: the encountering of risks

I believe you'll agree that the phrase "safety adventure" is an oxymoron.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008


156/366 Peace, originally uploaded by AquaAmber.

I vaguely remember turning down my camera's settings but can't believe I would actually forget to put them back. Thus, my picture for today and tomorrow is less than 100KB. It's kind of okay, though, because the quality on the guys certainly leaves something to be desired.

The contrast on this went way past what I saw on the viewfinder and is actually much more interesting, if you can believe it.

Tuesday, June 3, 2008


155/366 Movies, originally uploaded by AquaAmber.

I rented "27 Dresses" from the RedBox. I knew it would be bad and it was bad. That's about all I have to say about this photo.

Monday, June 2, 2008


154/366 Contrast, originally uploaded by AquaAmber.

Some lovely little yellow flowers near my house. With George gone and all, I thought I'd go for a little stroll myself and read at the coffeehouse. I've almost finished What Color Is Your Parachute and I have to say I think it's going to change my life... as trite as that sounds.

Sunday, June 1, 2008

I like the fall-off on this flower a lot, even though it doesn't make for a very strong composition. I have been feeling the camera envy acutely recently. It may almost be time for purchase...