The French Press Photos

Since I am supposed to know how to use photoshop...

2010-06-28T20:12:00.000-07:00

I am making an effort...

Lake of the Isles

2010-06-19T20:26:00.000-07:00

I went in search of a good park with scenery, few crowds, and a bench in the sun. And I found one, around a deceptively large but lovely lake surrounded by giant homes. Some of which were listed by Sotheby's (at which point I think they cease to be a house and become a villa or mansion or something).

Laundry

2010-06-16T20:22:00.000-07:00

IPA

2010-06-15T20:16:00.000-07:00

My preferred method of coping with the warm, painfully humid afternoon.

Upon the celebration of the end of the internet famine.

2010-06-14T20:20:00.000-07:00

Now I really live in Minnesota.

2010-06-13T15:33:00.000-07:00

Going to a Minnesotan Lutheran church and seeing Garrison Keillor should get me into some exclusive club. Maybe these are just the pre-winter initiation rites...

Hello, my beautiful 90% off darlings.

2010-06-12T15:36:00.000-07:00

These ones are related:

2010-06-11T15:42:00.000-07:00

Two seemingly unrelated photos (Or, Nora Comes to Visit)

2010-06-10T15:38:00.000-07:00

It makes me happy every time I see it... but we opted for the Muddy Pig. Thanks for the drinks Nora!

I should patent this jetlag cocktail... One part creepy monk tea, one part melatonin.

The Best Morning Adventure Yet...

2010-06-09T12:24:00.000-07:00

Ax Man Surplus, home of Huggy Jesus.

I must take Quade there.

Meet Frida

2010-06-08T12:19:00.000-07:00

When I finally read her label I discovered that she is a desert rose, who needs lots of sun and very little water. And then I felt bad for watering her daily and putting her in the corner of my room. Then I questioned the wisdom of buying a desert rose in Minnesota. Hopefully she meets a better fate than both Chris In the Morning and Benjamin...

For Sam (Or, Minneapolis Is a "Real City")

2010-06-07T14:05:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when I am lost I take random photos out my car window to console myself. I spend a significant amount of time half-lost these days. Expect to see more.

This is awesome.

2010-04-20T18:00:00.001-07:00

A feminism photo project on flickr.

My current method of time wasting:

2010-04-19T11:20:00.000-07:00

Making photo books I will not be able to buy until my student loans are paid off!

I was inspired by Miriam's recent nostalgia and my own pining for Lugano. Instead of spending all day ranting about it here I channeled all of my energy into creating books on iphoto... Which I am now ranting about here. My plan was obviously flawed. STILL, you have no idea the emotional photo spewage you were spared. Anyway, it is great fun and they turned out rather lovely.

Some of the pages are actually nice to look at:

But most of them are mass chaos. Chaos that happens to be close to my heart...

I would also prefer this to regular photo printing because certain photos that you can spare space and provide context for in a book are not necessarily photos you would have printed but are nonetheless important historical relics. For example:

I started at the dawn of the the DSLR and am working my way forward. The post-harem years have yielded some high quality images but not quite as much hilarity :)

Someday I will stop taking photos of my mail.

2010-04-15T22:59:00.000-07:00

(Can we take a moment to discuss how an address on THE Fenway is really cool? Almost as cool as via Ponte Tresa)

Thanks, but...

2010-04-14T22:56:00.000-07:00

This hurt my soul a little, but I survived.

From Quade's phone: A disturbing finding at the grocery store

2010-04-13T21:28:00.000-07:00

Or, Why America Scares Me

Adventures in gnocchi.

2010-04-12T23:02:00.000-07:00

I really miss the OK Bar and their soul-restoring gnocchi and salads.

I want to go to grad school more than I want this car.

2010-04-10T12:03:00.000-07:00

So far craigslist is failing me. I am going to spend lots of time praying... and cruising like Nancy Drew with a scarf and large sunglasses.

Between 8th and 9th.

2010-04-09T12:01:00.000-07:00

Another library treasure:

2010-04-08T16:49:00.000-07:00

I noticed that WEARY was used in place of WARY on page 40. My pet misusage.

My kindred spirit started his or her corrections on page 78 and lost it twenty pages later and penned this little tirade:

Apparently this did not deter this individual from finishing the book, because the corrections continued. Unforgivable lack of proofreading aside, it was a rather good book. I read it in one sitting.

I promise someday I will stop posting boring, empty, almost-spring, crooked landscapes.

2010-04-07T11:58:00.000-07:00

But this [watching plans that looked like they were about to land into this farm house] was very exciting for an airport enthusiast.

Once upon a time I won concert tickets to see Spoon.

2010-04-06T11:02:00.000-07:00

Because I forced my sister to text 'SPOON' to 68255. Great accomplishment. Anyway, It was a really exciting time in my life, in fact, one of the few photo-worthy moments in the past few weeks. Except my camera was not allowed because it was considered professional. It was banished to the car, hence my blatant copyright violation sharing of this photo:

(I actually don't want to be a jerk to this guy because his photos are awesome. I want to be like him when I grow up. Complete with a photopass.)

I would have unobtrusively taken some fine non-professional photos from my general admission standing room only perch with my wimpy lens.

In any case, it was a great night. Katie and I visited the Vine Street Pub beforehand, which was delightful. There was also a high concentration of men at the event. And they were not bad looking.

Never have I ever had options. Crap.

2010-04-05T11:36:00.000-07:00

Regarding Easter and Seduction

2010-04-04T23:11:00.000-07:00

I realize that is inappropriate. As is the fact that I was in a shoe store on the sacred day of resurrection, but look what I saw:

It reminds me of a certain seducers and easter festivities past:

I am trying to live in the present, but I really could not help myself:

"Sticks & Stars"

2010-04-03T23:31:00.000-07:00

The words the four-year-old Acadia used to describe this.

More on this tomorrow

2010-04-02T23:26:00.000-07:00

18 eggs

2010-04-01T23:34:00.000-07:00

Important life moments often involve quality pizza.

2010-03-31T11:52:00.000-07:00

Today was not particularly auspicious and no pizza was consumed. Connection? Perhaps...

Dear Alauna,

2010-03-31T11:08:00.001-07:00

I understand you are experiencing technical difficulties, but I am getting bored without you.

Please come back soon.

Love and DSLRs,

Alyssa

Spring, the Colorado edition

2010-03-30T10:59:00.000-07:00

This is quite crooked. I decided not to fix it. Ever since we looked at the Marc Jacobs ads in CLCS 110 I decided that sometimes it is better to own the lack of perfectly level ground. More if you are Juergen Teller, revolutionary Marc Jacobs photographer, than me.

Glad tidings in a large envelope

2010-03-29T10:54:00.000-07:00

A magical afternoon

2010-03-28T10:48:00.000-07:00

Thrift store chair.

Mothership Wit.

A drive into the hills.

Loads of photos.

Rock skipping on a lake.

On an unrelated note, March is not green here. It is sunny and bleak. I am not complaining, it just does not make for verdant Luganoeque photos (does anything?). All that to say, I vintaged the photos to make me feel better about the lack of color.

I live on the high plains.

2010-03-27T10:45:00.000-07:00

Where, I am almost certain, the cows outnumber the humans.

Death by corn syrup.

2010-03-26T10:43:00.000-07:00

I no longer cook in an ikea-stocked, elf-sized kitchen.

2010-03-25T10:40:00.000-07:00

It is fun. Until I have to do the dishes.

A successful experiment

2010-03-24T10:36:00.000-07:00

Tower Road

2010-03-23T19:31:00.000-07:00

Taken before driving home thorough a thunderstorm blizzard.

Since nothing interesting happened today,

2010-03-22T19:14:00.000-07:00

I would like to continue discussing how Nora is a musical badass.

I like to call this one "I am Nora and I get to stand up before all you suckas!" Not because Nora would actually say that... out loud. I just think she deserves to embrace her superiority.

None of them are Nora, I just sitting near them. And I like how frantically they appear to be playing.

Tonight only, the fabulous Blues Brothers. Rhythm and Blues review.

2010-03-21T19:06:00.000-07:00

Or the Luther College Symphony Orchestra. Epic all the same.

I miss Sil.

2010-03-20T18:49:00.000-07:00

She is responsible for bringing sushi into my life and participated in a wide variety of food (and drink) related procrastinations over the years. Family dinners. Tipsy cookies. History exam beignets and iced coffee. Curry adventures. Celebrating freedom with prosecco in Parco Florida and whining about thesis writing with wine... Am I seriously getting this emotional over a photo of the Safeway sushi bar?!

Anyway, cheers to Sil, her upcoming marriage, and her enduring coolness.

I love these boots.

2010-03-19T00:02:00.000-07:00

I find rather alarming in many ways.

But it is true.

There are some things I do not understand.

2010-03-18T23:58:00.000-07:00

Per esempio: Why are there two cases of Arizona tea in the kitchen?

Enlightenment

2010-03-17T23:51:00.000-07:00

Also known as Guinness Chocolate Cake.

Census

2010-03-16T23:41:00.000-07:00

It was really hard for me to take it seriously. And to admit on paper that I was both white and a permanent resident. But in the interest of science, academia, and information integrity (or just the fear of governmental retribution), I was honest.

The Marketplace of Ideas

2010-03-15T23:33:00.000-07:00

There really is something for everyone... I wonder if anyone else looked at this and found it as amusing as I did?

Beyonce had to ruin it for all of us.

2010-03-14T23:21:00.000-07:00

I don't really have a problem with her, but try to think of something to say about this without that song playing over AND OVER in your mind.

"I would feel better if you had a gun"

2010-03-13T23:15:00.000-08:00

My father repeats this, without fail, every time I discuss moving anywhere remotely urban (therefore inherently sinister). I don't think this is what he had in mind.

Pad Thai

2010-03-12T23:08:00.000-08:00

Also on that note: there is a great void in my life without the asian market. That place was close, cheap, and they had everything.

Today in History

2010-03-11T10:53:00.000-08:00

(because my today in this hemisphere failed to satisfy the precedent)

Spoleto, Umbria, Italy

The Valley of the Pigeons, Cappadocia, Turkey

I need my keys.

2010-03-10T10:29:00.000-08:00

I really enjoy driving Quade's truck. While listening to Ani DiFranco. And basking in the incongruity.

Sometimes I like to think of new names for Leyna's dog.

2010-03-09T10:24:00.000-08:00

It makes Leyna mad and confuses everyone else. Don't you think Ludlow is a great name for him?

A seriously good week:

2010-03-08T10:38:00.000-08:00

Resurrection

2010-03-07T22:31:00.001-08:00

Good things are about to happen.

Proof:

Thanks again, NPR.

2009-11-23T21:38:00.001-08:00

Hello, friends! Here is yet another great NPR link from The Picture Show. Some of these photographs are really amazing.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/2009/11/mystery_ghost_photos.html

Forever is Tomorrow is Today

2009-10-29T09:18:00.000-07:00

Vanity

2009-10-28T09:26:00.000-07:00

I had fun buttons. And a happy necklace I found at the saturday flea market.

Also, with all the time I spend in my room writing my thesis, I am fast running out of things to look at.

All you need is...

2009-10-27T09:29:00.000-07:00

Peanut butter and jelly. Seriously.

Colors

2009-10-26T09:31:00.000-07:00

I got this bracelet in Cairo and I was so excited to wear it. When I got to the top of the hill and removed my coat though, I discovered it had dyed my arm blue. I am the classiest person I know.

To add to my day full of odd pigmentation, this wine was very inky and purple.

White clothing, beware.

Pictures, Drugs, and Rock and Roll

2009-10-25T21:28:00.000-07:00

I still don't have a camera, but I have a keen interest in NPR articles. I found this one and thought I would share it...

http://www.npr.org/blogs/pictureshow/2009/10/indonesia.html

Kelidescope

2009-10-25T09:37:00.000-07:00

Not really, I just felt I should compensate for the less-than-spicy photo with some over editing fun. And I like the way that it looks like the world from some sort of looking device (um, other than a camera?) The light was really cool on San Sal, with a super long, skinny shadow cast by the Swisscom tower... and I was still suffering from the cairo-funk and in self-imposed quarantine, so I was happy to see something photo-worthy from my balcony.

Some Faces

2009-10-24T09:46:00.000-07:00

I kinda like them...

I like this and I did not have a photo for this day:

2009-10-23T09:43:00.000-07:00

Tahnee

2009-10-22T15:58:00.000-07:00

Little Lights

2009-10-21T16:03:00.000-07:00

The Good Life

2009-10-20T15:57:00.000-07:00

Stella on the Nile. I love travel.

Lindsay

2009-10-18T15:54:00.000-07:00

This photo is not of anything ancient, iconc, of highly entertaining so I have not given it enough attention, so I felt like it deserved some blogspace.

Alexandria: Cavorting with Cleopatra and Cavafy

2009-10-17T15:47:00.000-07:00

The photos were not mind-blowing... I was still in a dehydrated stupor but I feel like modern Alexandria lacks personality. STILL, the idea of history, poetry, libraries, and lighthouses was intoxicating

Al Azhar Park

2009-10-16T15:39:00.000-07:00

This was an incredible park built on a hill with a view of Cairo stretching into the smog. What was once a giant garbage dump became one of the only open green spaces in the city.

It is also one of three photos I took this day... I spent most of the day fending off death at the Hotel Cosmopolitan (also known as the twilight zone) while everyone else was galavanting around the city learning things (actually, I think the only thing I really missed out on was the Starbucks in Heliopolis).

Yes, I took a photo in the restroom at the American University of Cairo

2009-10-15T15:34:00.000-07:00

Franklin has a lawn... AUC has everything else. Rather than making us jealous I think we all thought it obscene (the whole production, not this restroom).

Also, I love this photo of Claire.

I need a photo opportunity, I need a shot at redemption

2009-10-14T15:26:00.000-07:00

I got what I was looking for.

*Also, let it be known that I love Paul Simon

October 10th: Tragedy Strikes

2009-10-14T12:29:00.000-07:00

To all our faithful followers (not that we're a cult or anything, but the website dubs you 'followers,' so I guess I will too),
I have some very sad news as a photographer and an unemployed human: I dropped my camera today and damaged it rather significantly. I can still take pictures, but they are very blurry and if I try to zoom or change any settings, it's all for naught.
I did some crying, then some research on camera shops around the Twin Cities, and I'm at a loss. I have no job and no extra money for such things as camera repairs. I'm afraid that for the time being, my photography days are on hold.
As Alyssa, is on Academic Travel, there will probably be very few new photos coming up over the next week or so. Thanks for following us! This project has truly kept me going over the last year and we love knowing that we have so many friends and family that enjoy our hobby, too. I'm hoping to find a good place that can fix my baby for cheap, but I'll keep you posted.

Arrivederci,
Alauna

The Last Camel Died At Noon

2009-10-13T12:02:00.000-07:00

No camels died. It is a book I was reading. It filled my mind with fanciful thoughts about action and adventure and archeology. Dangerous stuff, I tell you.

The City Victorious

2009-10-12T12:01:00.000-07:00

I am never leaving.

2009-10-11T11:56:00.000-07:00

Until tomorrow.

And...

November 6th.

Thanksgiving.

The End of All Things, December 13th.

But other than that I am never leaving.

Great Ages of Man

2009-10-10T11:54:00.000-07:00

An unlikely pair...

2009-10-09T12:18:00.000-07:00

It's official: I hate global climate change. As Minnesotans, we are a people prepared to deal with harsh winters. It is not uncommon to have snow on the ground from November to April. Five months of winter is just about as much as a person can take.

So far, 2009 has been a beast. We had snow all the way into May (and June, in the North Country), and this fall it snowed October 9th.

The only way to deal with global climate change in this part of the country is to accept the cold, try to find the beauty, and listen to Josh Groban's Christmas album, even if the first snowfall does preceded Halloween by a number of weeks.

Love and Betrayal

2009-10-09T11:51:00.000-07:00

We thought we would have some fun carving him up before he became pie and soup. Lura had been talking to him for a couple days so it was a little bit hard for her to let him go...

Don't Despair

2009-10-08T11:47:00.000-07:00

Those are words you use to try and make someone feel better when someone has died or all is lost, they are not words that make people feel like they are succeeding.

It really was okay though... PROGRESS.

I win.

2009-10-07T12:17:00.001-07:00

Halloween: An Ode to Chocolate (Muffins)

2009-10-07T12:15:00.000-07:00

Kendra and I did some delicious baking. :)

Crayola wish list.

2009-10-06T12:13:00.000-07:00

I will tell you about it some time

Castagne Love

2009-10-05T12:12:00.000-07:00

She came downstairs like this...

2009-10-04T12:09:00.000-07:00

Scenes from a real kitchen with a fake camera...

2009-10-03T12:06:00.000-07:00

I have taken this photo a thousand times.

2009-10-02T12:04:00.000-07:00

... but the view never gets old.

Photography Tip #1

2009-10-01T15:50:00.000-07:00

Since we are now in the early stages of October, and have been blogging since January, I believe it is now time to give my first photography tip. To all of our followers, please know that this tip comes solely from my own experiences...I am not suffering delusions of grandeur. So, without further ado, Alauna's Photography Tip #1:

When taking pictures, always remember to bring your camera.

I have had and missed the opportunity to photograph no less than five deer recently, all within 30 years, and some closer than 20. I missed these opportunities because I did not have my camera with me. Now, one of these instances was not my fault. I actually did have my camera with me, and was in my car, sitting still. I looked up, and along the treeline was a deer, staring right at me! I watched it for a long time, neither of us moving. And then I decided that it was actually a hunting target and not a deer. So, I stopped watching it, felt like a fool for being tricked by an inanimate object (again), and got out of my car (senza camera). It was then that the deer turned tail and ran into the woods. That wily beast!

Later that same evening, two more deer came trouncing through the yard. Since I had left my camera in my car, however, they got away without photographic proof of their existence.

Another evening, I was driving around the time of sunset. The sky was gray and bleak, but the sun was a giant orange ball, glowing in the sky. It seemed very out of place, but it was totally beautiful. I had planned to drive to the corner of highways 18 and 17 and take a picture, because I knew it would be a wonderful spot for such a photo. I got to the corner, which is home to the tiniest Lutheran Church and cemetary I know, and realized I did not have my camera. I made the angry seagull gurgle sound that Marcel occasionally makes and looked up, only to see yet another deer watching me with a mixture of confusion and satisfaction (I'm sure). We watched each other for a while, and then one of his friends came bouncing along and there were two deer watching me. I swore, and they ran away, and that was the end of my sad saga.

So, whether you are an experienced photographer or a newby of sorts, always remember to bring your camera.

Happy shooting.

Temptation

2009-10-01T12:01:00.000-07:00

I got a package. Of Emergen-C and this...

Nalapak

2009-09-30T12:25:00.000-07:00

**Note: Mickel's food is nearly as long as she is tall.**

We recently went to Nalapak, located on Central Ave. in Columbia Heights. It was sublime.

We both ordered different kinds of Dosai, and when the waiters brought out our dishes, we both looked and each other and said, "We should have split a meal!"

But, we both finished our plates of copious amounts of food without a problem.

Redezvous

2009-09-30T11:56:00.000-07:00

We ditched a lock-your-doors hall meeting in favor of our own. At the monastery. With food.

I know it is not very good, but it makes me happy anyway.

It was tricky... It was dark, but the floodlights were bright, and there was a nasty glowing fog...

Beauties of Fall

2009-09-29T12:21:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things: Fall trees with all the colors: Red, Orange, Yellow, and a few lingering Green leaves. Gorgeous.

MacBook

2009-09-29T11:37:00.000-07:00

Have you ever read a book you remember being good, but when you read it again you are older and wiser and it is no longer the challenge and stimulation you remember it being? It is like reliving an experience with a different brain...

This class is like that. It is pretty much the Media and Culture class (only not as bad, taught by a professor with a soul, and thank the Lord, missing a few key imbeciles) I am pretty sure it counting as my last COM requirement is the result of a series of odd events and major loopholes; the cycling through of four different professors, the drastic change in course

offerings, drastic changes in core requirements, the fact that I have been here for a million years, and my desperation to graduate. Anyway, it is like reliving the same story all over again surrounded by small Franklin children... and they make me a little bit crazy.

That has to do with this photo because we had to have a mid-semester chat about plagiarism, critical thinking, and weaning yourself off of all forms of technologically mediated communication during class (rude). It was a good chat. Perhaps it means the macbooks (and phones, blackberries, ipods, etc) will stay home.

Windowsill Produce

2009-09-28T12:12:00.000-07:00

'Tis the season of harvest.

A Confession

2009-09-28T07:53:00.000-07:00

This was not taken today, and it was not taken Monday, the day I posting it for... Actually, I have stretched the most interesting 4 days of the past 3 weeks into about 12 days. My thesis is eating my life. It is okay- I like it, it is going well, and I need to devote my time to it. It is just not very good for the everyday photography because a) I am in my room working, and my tiny corner-less room can only yield so many interesting photos if a pile of books an paper, which is essentially what my life looks like right now, and b) I have been lacking any drive to do anything else- other work, cooking, cleaning, dressing in a socially appropriate manner. The good that has come of all this is that when I do venture out into the world it seems even more striking and lovely and deserving of copious photos. I just thought I should confess.

Pumpkin, pumkin, who's got the pumpkin?

2009-09-27T12:05:00.000-07:00

I love fall! This beautiful time of year always reminds me of a certain Deep Thought by Jack Handy. When the stress of the semester gets to you, consider this wise option:

"Sometimes when I feel like killing someone, I do a little trick to calm myself down. I’ll go over to the persons house and ring the doorbell. When the person comes to the door, I’m gone, but you know what I’ve left on the porch? A jack-o-lantern with a knife stuck in the side of it’s head with a note that says 'You.' After that I usually feel a lot better, and no harm done."

-Jack Handy

Bern

2009-09-27T07:52:00.000-07:00

I had no idea how cool the place was... It deserves to be the the capital.

Work is Sad

2009-09-26T12:10:00.000-07:00

I went to Mickel's office today. It actually made me a little happy to be unemployed, but in a very sad way...

(By the way, I especially like the title "Thank You Power." What in the heck does it mean??)

Interacting with Art

2009-09-26T07:51:00.000-07:00

Another Good Find

2009-09-25T07:50:00.000-07:00

Reason to Love Fall #874

2009-09-24T11:53:00.000-07:00

Yessss, these are caramel apples. Mickel' and I made them, because she can't really move very much these days and we thought it would be a delightful delight? Yes, that makes sense.
Yummy, yummy treats.

P.S. Happy birthday, Jill!