August 31

I did a quick glance through my photos of the day this year and was surprised that I've only used one jewelry photo thus far.

I'm friends with a jeweler, Keith, and I photograph his pieces for him in exchange for the occasional piece of jewelry as a gift. I have to say, it's rather nice to be able to commission a piece of jewelry for your mother from time to time.

These earrings, with the sea glass and Swarovski crystal beads, are fairly subdued compared to some of Keith's creations. He designed these for a businesswoman friend of his. Keith works hard to create pieces reflective of the wearer's personality as well as their desires.

I don't do product photography very often, nor is it something I usually pursue. It's nice to know I can do it, though, and show off the beauty of these unique creations.

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August 30

Today was kind of an aimless day for me. I didn't get out of the house until nearly 4 pm, then piddled away the rest of the day shopping. Around sunset, as I noticed the pretty orange sunlight on the clouds, I realized I needed a photo of the day.

It was for the best, really. Shopping is hardly photogenic.

I've taken all kinds of photos of Boston at night, and if I was going to try to pull the same trick out of my hat, I really needed to find a different perspective. I ended up at Charlestown Navy Yard, thinking perhaps the USS Constitution in the foreground would make for an interesting shot. I'm still sure it would, provided I can find parking.

This shot is really the third or fourth option I would have chosen, but the only one where I could remain near my car so it wouldn't be towed. I still like it, but I'm going to go back in the future to get the shot of the ship in front of the skyline.

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August 29

Here, in one photograph, is the entire extent of my day.

Note Pretty Boy, who has been trying -- and for the most part succeeding -- to monopolize my attention today. That's our sofa he's lying on, and where I spent a substantial part of the day watching television and DVDs. Which brings me to the DVD selection on display, which is a veritable shortlist of the movies any gay man with a sense of humor should own.

This sounds sadder than it is, really. It was a rainy day outside, and to be honest, it was kind of nice to spend it lying on the couch, cuddling with a kitty cat, and watching movies.

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August 28

I thought I should call this one "Urban Escher."

I got this shot while it was still a little sunny out, before the clouds came in and it began to drizzle. I park near this building two or three times a week, but had never noticed this courtyard with its maze of fire escapes before. Shows what happens when I actually bother to look around.

Unfortunately this framing doesn't show the maze of stairs to best effect. The trees block a lot of the view; the fire escapes ride for four or five stories on either side. It's almost too urban a scene to fit in Boston's chi-chi Back Bay.

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August 27

I worked long and hard on the flier for my photo workshop at Dudley Branch Library next month. Fortunately, I finished most of it last night and put the finishing touches on it this morning before work. That was good, because work today was a little like riding a psychotic horse toward a burning stable. It goes to the library tomorrow.

Hopefully this workshop will bring in a few more people than the teen workshop I did in June. It couldn't bring in less people, but I'd like to establish that I'm worth the money they're paying me to teach these things. I'll use the same flier, with different information for place/time, when I go back to the West Roxbury Branch Library to give the class there. By the time I give that workshop, I'll be an old pro at this.

Next goal: Same workshop, but at the Boston Public Library's Main Building at Copley.

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August 26

I just realized that this is my second flag photo in six days. Considering the reason this scene caught my attention, I'd just as soon have missed it.

This was another "driving to work" shot. I was proceeding down South Huntington Ave. in Jamaica Plain, listening to NPR eulogize Senator Kennedy, when I noticed the flag at the VA Medical Center was at half staff. It struck me as being pretty -- a hell of a thing to think, on the face of it. Still, I stopped to take the photo.

Flags on U.S. Government buildings will remain at half staff until sunset on August 30, per Presidential proclamation.

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August 25

Seeing a crumpled-up parking ticket tossed to the sidewalk in frustration isn't that unusual. Seeing a blank parking ticket, however, is unheard of.

It's a bad habit of mine to pick up discarded parking tickets and read them. It's morbid curiousity, I guess -- I like to see what other parking miscreants have done -- and between this and my own collection of the things, I'm almost able to recite beginning to end the various citations, what they mean, and how much the fine is for each.

What I'm really waiting for, though, is the chance to see someone get tickets for littering after throwing their parking ticket to the sidewalk in disgust. That would be worth paying to see.

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August 24

It was a beautiful, sunny day in Boston ... except for 15 minutes this afternoon when the skies opened up.

I work in the lobby of a high-rise in Boston, so hearing the rain from my desk is an unusual occurrence. When I went over to the windows to look out, it was a torrential downpour. Honestly, it was the kind of rain that goes through umbrellas. I had dark thoughts about the long walk to my car to move it when my meter expired, figuring I was going to get soaked through on the way.

Fortunately, the rain left and it was again a beautiful, sunny day in Boston.

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August 23

I've been meaning to take my Yashica 635 twin-lens reflex camera out and run a test roll through it all summer. Unfortunately, life and other circumstances have prevented me from doing it.

Ever since I've returned home from my vacation, I've had a serious lack of photographic motivation. With any normal person, this wouldn't be a big deal. However, as anybody who knows me will admit, I'm anything but normal. Besides, I have this project, taking a photo every day, and I take it kind of seriously.

I thought I'd take the Yashica out yesterday and run a test roll through it, and hoped that in scouting around for test subjects, I might be inspired to get some other photos as well. No such luck. The same thing happened today, with the exception that I didn't have anything else to photograph.

So there it sits, on my desk, staring at me with its matching lenses -- a steel-and-chrome vintage symbol of my current lack of motivation.

Hopefully, this too shall pass.

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August 22

I've been working on a project the past couple of weeks to scan in old family photographs. It's been a fascinating process. This photograph, of my mother as a girl, has been dubbed the "méchante" picture by my boyfriend, because of my mother's penchant for looking just a little evil when she grins. Once I'm done scanning and retouching where necessary, I'm going to make prints of the better ones.

I found the frame at Bed Bath and Beyond on sale and decided it was perfect to display the "méchante" photo. The color is complimentary to black-and-white and vintage photos, while the raised paisley pattern is just pretty.

Having bought the frame and made the print, I'm not really sure what I'm going to do with it. It just doesn't fit my decor. Hell of a thing to realize at this late date, ain't it?

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August 21

This honeysuckle is the largest that I've ever seen. It's as big as my hand.

I kind of half pay attention to plantings as I walk around. This spring I was big on flowers because I'd had a really, truly, dismally-crappy winter, but overall, flowers don't catch my attention that readily.

As I went to my car today, though, the smell of honeysuckle wafted by as I turned the corner onto St. Botolph St. It's not an "urban" smell, so it merited notice. I actually looked past these flowers three or four times looking for the honeysuckle before realizing that this was honeysuckle -- just on a Brobdingnagian scale.

It's certainly not the kind of thing you expect to find in New England. It was quite a delightful surprise.

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August 20

Today's photo of the day will be posted late because of technical difficulties.

The weather today was positively schizophrenic, perhaps even worthy of Florida, minus the impressive lightning displays. It started off sunny and hot -- no change -- before clouds rolled in and the heavens opened up and we had a gully washer, followed by clear skies and muggy, if not quite so hot, weather.

My photography was limited to the times when the rain wasn't coming down in buckets, so this shot of the United States Flag atop the Landmark Center is the best of a tepid bunch. It caught my eye because the steady wind (bringing the rain in, no doubt) had the flag waving so perfectly -- almost like a postcard.

Every other shot I captured today either has stormclouds darkening the skies, and none of them is particularly good. Thus, today's patriotic entry.

232/365

August 19

"... qu'ils mangent de la brioche."

Often -- and mistakenly -- attributed to Marie Antoinette, the phrase "let them eat cake," has a pejorative ring that is completely at odds with my experience at work tonight.

A resident is leaving us for the west coast, and his colleagues threw him a going-away party today. He's always been a very generous guy, and showed this by leaving the employees here the remainder of his cake (a quite substantial hunk of white cake with delicious icing). It made for a great dessert, especially when washed down with one of the cans of Coca-Cola another resident gave us, just as a thank you for being so nice to them.

It's nice to be appreciated.

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August 18

I can only describe this guy as a "Heck's Angel."

Note the ready-to-go attitude. That foot was kicking off as soon as the light changed -- he was rarin' to go. Then there's his business casual attire. Here's somebody who knows how to dress for success. Most of the people I see on these are dressed ... well, very casually. Then I noticed the helmet. He's not quite a Hell's Angel, but this is a motorist who loves his mount and has the devil-may-care insouciance that's necessary to drive in the City of Boston. This guy is ballsy.

So Mr. Heck's Angel, I salute you!

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August 17

Some people say happiness is the smile of a child, or a butterfly (thank you Mr. Thoreau), or two lovers walking on the beach, hand in hand, watching the sun set.

With all due respect, especially to Henry David Thoreau, those kind of saccharine musings make me think the people spouting them are full of crap.

Happiness, you see, is when your friend comes back from a break and brings you a large iced chai on a hot, humid, muggy day -- and not because you requested it, but because he knows you like it and he just did it.

That, my friends, is happiness.

*Happiness can also be the resident who asks you what kind of ice cream and toppings you'd like, just because she's headed that way.

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August 16

The recipe for Deviled Eggs is suspiciously simple for such a delicious result.

Boyfriend made the dish for me when we were on vacation, and indulges my taste for it every couple of months. Having grown up in the South, I've had many different varieties of deviled egg, and liked most of them. I have to say, though, that boyfriend's recipe is the best. So I asked him to show me how he makes it.

Hard boiled eggs, mustard powder, mayonnaise, and paprika. That's it. I expected something more elaborate, and certainly something requiring more utensils than a paring knife and a couple of spoons. It boggles my mind how he could create something so divine -- pun intended -- from so few, and so humble, ingredients.

I proceeded to eat eight deviled eggs for breakfast -- well, eight halves equals four eggs, I guess -- and thoroughly enjoyed them. Hopefully I'll enjoy them more often in the future.

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August 15

It's not possible to tell whether this is a happy kitty or an abused one when looking at this photo.

For the record, it's a happy kitty.

Pretty Boy is a very affectionate cat, and he likes to lay next to me when I'm lying down. Today, with the temperature in the living room around 85 degrees -- I still haven't put the air conditioner into the window yet -- having a cat lying next to you is a little like having a fuzzy hot water bottle against your side. Fortunately, today he decided to content himself with rubbing himself all over my feet.

What can I say? He's weird, but he's mine.

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August 14

It was a bright, sunny day. The temperature was warm but not too hot. These lucky folks were getting sailing lessons on Jamaica Pond. How perfect.

Too bad I was going to work.

The upcoming weekend looks to be nice, and I'll be putting more laundry out on the clothesline to take advantage of the sunshine and warmth. I don't know yet what I'm going to do for a photo of the day, since I haven't had the energy to plan any photo walks with people and seem to be out of the habit of going on my own anymore. Actually, having typed that, I think that's exactly what I'm going to do -- out on a solo photo walk. What nicer way to spend an afternoon?

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August 13

I loved the reflection of the scattered clouds and blue skies in the facade of 111 Huntington Avenue as I walked back to work from my break. It rained this morning, and it was overcast and cool, with scattered showers, this afternoon as I drove in to work. That made the sun's appearance at 5:45 pm all the more beautiful.

I'm enjoying the weather, truth be told. OK, I could do without so much rain, but even that has its compensatory values -- the grass is greener and the flowers more verdant just about everywhere you look.

By the way, that should be the first rule for photographers: Look. If you're trudging around with your head down, not looking at what's around you, you can't see anything worth photographing.

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August 12

Part of me finds it obnoxious that the driver of this stretch limousine parked at not one, but two, parking meters this afternoon. The other part of me marvels at the good parallel parking job he did. His most remarkable feat, however, was in finding two adjacent parking places to claim.

I had to make a few circuits of the block to find my own parking space, which is about a block further down the street from where I work. So naturally, I felt a brief surge of annoyance when I saw it. In fairness, as I walked by, I checked, and the driver had put money in both meters, so at least he wasn't being a complete jackass about it.

I suppose that stretch limo drivers don't have many options for where to park the 20-foot-long monsters in Boston. And whatever else I feel about it, I still admire his skill at parallel parking.

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August 11

So in the off season, it seems Santa Claus summers in Boston and drives a Nissan Altima.

I spotted Saint Nick while driving to work this afternoon. I was running late -- sadly, not an unusual occurrence -- when I pulled up to a red light on Huntington Ave. and happened to glance over at the car next to me.

It's sights like this that inspire me to keep a camera with me most of the time. I used to do this anyway, but since starting this blog, it's become a habit for me. That's a good thing; I find myself looking around more, seeing more, and honestly, getting some of the funniest photos I've ever taken.

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August 10

I made a trek up to Waltham today, to Bentley University, to participate in a "one-on-one paid interview" at their Design and Usability Center. They were looking for people with photography experience to review some kind of digital photo thingamabob, and they were paying $100 for sitting through a 90-minute interview. What's not to like?

So I made it there -- early -- with my 200 digital photos carefully saved to a USB drive as requested. I met the interviewer, and then I waited. And waited. And waited.

Turns out they were having technical problems with the new device, and I frankly ran out of time to sit there. I ended up leaving, but with my $100, since I'd done everything they asked of me.

Honestly, it was probably for the best that I didn't do the interview. After 90 minutes of technical difficulties, I probably wouldn't have an unbiased opinion on the stupid thing any longer -- whatever the heck it was.

222/365 -

August 09

Having spent a week in 90-degree weather, with lots of bright Florida sunshine keeping things hot, coming back to 70-degree weather with overcast skies was a nice change.

I had a busy week on vacation, and ended up spending most of today sitting in my pajamas doing nothing. I'm feeling a little tired, and think I've got a little bit of a sore throat from going from air conditioning to the humid outdoors to air conditioning over and over. Floridians are absolutely in love with their air conditioning.

I did finally drag myself out of the house to catch a movie with Boyfriend. Go see Julie and Julia if you get the chance; it's very worth it.

221/365 -

August 08

I started off my vacation album with a photo of a beautiful sunrise, so it seems only appropriate that I end my vacation album with another pretty photo.

That, and it's the best picture I've taken today.

Boyfriend and I left our timeshare in Daytona Beach too early this morning, but we got to see this stunning sunrise. We actually had enough extra time on our hands to have breakfast at Waffle House -- a real treat for me. We got lucky and had an entire row to ourselves on the flight up, so we had a little additional space. And we came home to a happy kitty cat, thanks to our wonderful landladies who took such good care of Pretty Boy while we were away.

The vacation was great, but it sure is nice to be home.

220/365 -

August 07

More than 20 years ago, when I lived in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, for a summer, I got to visit Kennedy Space Center. It was the highlight of a pretty crappy summer.

Since I vacationed here this year, I couldn't let the opportunity to visit again pass. It was just too much. So I dragged Boyfriend there with me, and despite getting caught in one torrential downpour, we were able to take the tour, visit some exhibits, and thoroughly enjoyed our tour there.

I got to travel out to the viewing platform nearest Launch Pads 39A and 39B -- the sites from where the Saturn Vs were launched to the moon, the Space Shuttles are launched, and the new Orion spacecraft will be launched. Discovery was on Pad 39A while we were there, though it was mostly hidden by the gantry. Then we saw the Saturn V rocket display -- fascinating.

If you ever get the chance to visit KSC, I highly recommend the tour. It can't be beat.

119/365 -

August 06

Boyfriend and I made the trek to Orlando and Epcot today. After a minor kerfuffle with the GPS unit (our charger broke) and about 30 minutes' detour to get a replacement charger, we were finally on our way to Orlando and the Magic Kingdom. Then we headed for a walk around the world.

Once we arrived, we headed through Canada and England to France for lunch. Boyfriend described it as tasting like "something from Air France." Morocco, Italy, Germany, the American Experience, and a few other countries along the way, we finished walking around the central lake.

We went on a couple of the rides (most notably: Spaceship Earth) and considered dinner there, before deciding to head home and eat some of the food we have to finish in the next two days.

I don't often get to visit 11 countries in one day -- especially without a passport. It was an interesting day.

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