Living in the Past

Some might say I'm living in the past. I prefer to call it nostalgia. But I love vintage posters, cars, clothes, and more. I don't exactly drive around in a Ford Falcon, but I admire things all the same.

So you can imagine my sadness when Polaroid announced it was discontinuing making its instant film. How could they get rid of the original "instant gratification" photography? In the pre-digital world, Polaroids helped you pick outfits, record funny memories, and decorated dorm room walls. What could be more classic and fun than taking Polaroids? We even had a Polaroid guestbook at our wedding!

However, with time comes change and it is not always for the worse. Polaroid has launched the PoGo, a new digital device that takes and prints pictures without even using ink! That is pretty neat. I haven't actually seen one of these babies in action, but I would be interested to know if anyone else has. I'm immediately adding this plus the Canon G10 to my "wish list."

Until then, I have two sad packs of Polaroid film left. I have to decide what is worthy enough to use my last 40 Polaroids on.

Daily Inspiration

Hello, my name is Jamie and I'm addicted to magazines.

No, seriously.

I like reading books and I know I should watch the news more, but I love reading magazines. I subscribe to quite a few and when I get home at night, there's nothing I like quite so much as curling up and poring over those glossy pages. Since they are so short, I feel a real sense of accomplishment when I finish them and I can go back and look at some articles or pictures over and over.

Even better, magazines serve as a constant inspiration for my photography. This month's InStyle had a beautiful photo shoot with Sandra Bullock that I just loved. The muted light in the desert, the casual and relaxed look and feel... What could be better?

A Swift Kick in the Pants.

It's funny how when things don't turn out the way you wanted them to sometimes it's better.

Recently, I didn't get something I wanted at work and it sent me in a spin for a few weeks. During that time, I started thinking about what I really wanted and what skills I have that I'm not utilizing in my work. For example, I am very creative and my job doesn't necessarily lend itself to that (although one might argue counseling 18-21 year olds takes a huge imagination)!

I also was recently passed along the book "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch. If you haven't read this book, I highly recommend it! In this book, confronted by a terminal cancer diagnosis, Randy Pausch talks to his students, colleagues, and his children about pursuing your childhood dreams. If you are true to those dreams, he argues, you will be most true to yourself and happy.

As a child, I dreamed of being an author, an astronaut, a poet, a fashion designer, and a socialite (okay, this was pre-Paris Hilton... I knew I just wanted to throw fabulous parties and dress up and be rich, not be scandalous and make sex tapes). With the exception of astronaut, which I could probably never have done since I could never fully grasp Calculus or Physics, they are all creative pursuits that I still wouldn't mind dabbling in.

Now, as I move forward, I am just starting to realize all the reasons and possibilities that are opening up when I didn't get what I thought I wanted.

It just took a swift kick in the pants to get me moving.