Project 365: January 31

I love these new shoes that Lesley bought for me. Faux suede with silver linings. So cute.

Project 365: January 30

This is my friend Emily, and she's getting married in March. I ended up at her house all day long working on her invitation while she cut out liners for her envelopes. Weddings are fun. :)

Project 365: January 29

After work on January 29 (a Friday for the record books), I went down to Provo, ate at Los Hermanos with some friends, visited my sister and brother-in-law in Orem, and drove home. And I didn't take any pictures. I know, I could have, but I need to take my camera with me more often so I can capture more moments on the spot instead of totally forgetting.

Operation Hymnbook

My January 24 Project 365 image was of my hymnbook project. I'm a little late in posting this, but better late than never. The books were both pretty hashed; here are some images of their pages. I had to cut off the front and back pages because they couldn't be saved. But these books were pretty easy to fix since they had just come out of the linen spine that held the text block (the pages of hymns that are sewn together and glued to a linen covering).



This type of book is called a flat-back book. The actual spine of the text block cannot be glued directly to the cover spine or else the book will not open. Pull any hardback book off a shelf and look at the spine. It will most likely have a headband (on hymnbooks they are the green band) on the ends of the textblock, but there will be a space between the block itself and the spine of the book.



So because the text block separated as it did, I can glue the textblock straight back as it was with my PVA (a strong fast-drying glue that bookbinders like to use).

Someone had used clear packing tape to secure the front of the text block to the endsheet (picture below on the right), so I actually just glued that to the endsheet to hold it down. But I also took binding tape and taped the front and back of the textblock to the endsheet pages, otherwise there would be a gap there.

So that's pretty much it. I have fun figuring out how to fix these, and after I do, I'll know there are fewer sad hymnbooks lying around. :)

The Power of Blogging

Don't underestimate the power of blogging, people. If you have an idea, blog about it. Someone else might pick it up.

Lesley hosted a birthday party for Ella a few weeks ago, which I already blogged about here and here and here.

Lesley wrote about it here.

Then the Party Perfect blog (someone I don't know at all) wrote about it here.

And Color Me House mentioned it here.

And I know of a few other sites that are going to feature it as well.

It's not a viral post, but having other people in the blogosphere (besides family members and friends) thinking your stuff is awesome is pretty awesome, no?

Project 365: January 28

Our microwave went out. So I got on Craigslist and found another one. And somehow I hauled its box into my house, and it stayed there until my dad came home and I helped him install it.

Project 365: January 27

I'll admit I'm an avid sports fan for my Cougars, so I'm grateful that ESPN made an app for my iPhone. I'm sure I spent a good chunk of my evening last night following the game vs New Mexico, even while I was at institute. (I would only look about every 10 minutes or so.) I couldn't get a shooting angle on the screen that didn't look ridiculously blue.

Dear Congress

Sometimes I wonder if anyone in government even bothers to monitor the "brand" of America. If they'd listen to the people, they would see that people are ticked. Welcome to Twitter, an entire world of conversation.

Last night I enjoyed following the #dearcongress hashtag; some people had funny things to say. Here are some of my favorites that don't involve colorful language...

@_debilynn_ #dearcongress our forefathers messed up. we need to rethink this thing called government.

@kellywilliams33: #dearcongress Can u pull strings and bring back McD's mighty wings and the Louisiana hot sauce packs that came with em?

@BellaMari06: #dearcongress if you expect Americans to come together when times are rough than you should take the lead and be a team and come together.

@CraigMorris #DearCongress, I'm only writing this because it's a trending topic. Hey, now I know what campaigning for my own interests is like. :)

@WFMGINC: #DearCongress if ur salary was based on the overall health of our country, you'd work together and get things done.

@Law_nee #dearcongress i know you have bigger problems, but i'd like an iPad... make it happen! sincerely xoxo, not really a fan.

@EM745 #dearcongress If pro is the opposite of con, is progress the opposite of congress?

@Donnascamera #dearcongress get to work-quit fighting like school kids and do something

@Holden_catfield #dearcongress I have never seen a lord of the rings or harry potter movie, you mad?

@Donnascamera #dearcongress maybe you should have no free gov health insurance? See how you like it

@ItzTeebissh #dearcongress I have student loans that I need yall to take care of..hit me up asap.

@faby_pena #dearcongress have you done you taxes lately?

@Hostyle_ur_Idol #DearCongress it's a recession!!!HELLO

@promancegirl #dearcongress legalize weed, tax it like cigarettes and pay your debt. duh.

@SonneEngel3 #DearCongress I BET OUR FOUNDING FATHERS ARE ROLLING OVER IN THEIR GRAVES RIGHT NOW. They're lucky to not be alive to witness all this crap!

@Mattpagan #dearcongress certainly some much needed leadership in the Union Address, and I'm all for progress, but words are cheap Mr. President

@corynwelch #dearcongress Stop. Just stop. Seriously.

@ChiaunteVsNaomi #dearcongress where are my W2s????? Lol

@MercyFeather #dearcongress Listen to our founding fathers! "The government is best which governs the least." Thomas Jefferson. (via @jesusneverfails)

@Rymo_Backhand #DearCongress when in that stimulus check comin?

@LKtheGREAT #dearcongress you suck. please reform. k thanks :)

@faby_pena #dearcongress do you have a heart?

@AdinaVerbena #dearcongress Money doesn't grow on trees. Drunken sailors don't spend like you people do.

@Purplegrass: #dearcongress Grow up.

@ickz89 #dearcongress if u raise the price of lil debbie cakes one more time we are going to hav a prob

@magnumgladius #dearcongress pass a law that gets rid of people who dont do their job. Oops then congress would be disbanded

@StickmanImao #dearcongress Just print $200 Billion. Get inside 1500 airplanes & drop [it]...

@WFMGINC #DearCongress if ur salary was based on the overall health of our country, you'd work together and get things done.

@Miss_B_Kalye #dearcongress why is CENTRIC the only station replaying the state of the union address WE CANT ALL AFFORD TIVO!!

@paperboybabeat #dearcongress You have a job because of us...return the favor

@LBOOGSHH #dearcongress getting re-elected is not why you work for me

@MissElleWord #dearcongress bet u hate u gave us freedom of speech "don'tcha"

@QueenHustla #dearcongress lets stop the high school popularity contest and get back to the issues America is facing

@BeverageKevMASS #dearcongress please ban "LOL" and the word "Dude"

@MusicIzMySoul #dearcongress Michael Jackson said it best "All I Can Say Is They Don't Really Care About Us"

@_JessMaree #DearCongress I'm mad u can pass a bill on texting nd driving but not healthcare.

@Jae_one #dearcongress Can you cancel out my 76k student loans? I'm just sayin... who would even notice? c'mon just this one time..

@E_CLASS1 #dearcongress did ya get the swine flu shot??

@TheRealMsChase #dearcongress why do yall keep building more jails and prisons then schools..

@kerbito #dearcongress there are way too many of you. That's why you can't get anything done. A lot of you are 80+ yrs, just retire.

@cthagod #dearcongress, you better be glad a lot of the American people are sleep walking right now. WAIT TIL THEY WAKE UP!!!

@Fedex1187 dear congress, stop trying so hard to get re-elected and try a little harder to represent my best interest #dearcongress

Three Awesome Things I Found Today

I might have to start blog surfing on a more regular basis. There are truly awesome things on the web.

First, Design Police. A website after my own heart. Print out their labels and affix them to stuff where appropriate. You have my permission.

Second, Coudal Partners made these shhh cards for download. Print them out, put them in your purse/backpack/car/iPhone case, and when someone starts talking too loudly, feel free to dish them a personalized message.

Last but not least, a graphic that explains a necessity of commas [via source]:

Project 365: January 26

Happy 30th Anniversary to my parents! These little boxes were so cute I had to take a photo (gifts from my dad to my mom).

Project 365: January 25

(Copout in reverse: I took this on the 25th but I couldn't post it until the item reached its destination.)

My sister Lesley made some burp cloths for our nephew, and they are just so darling--heck the packaging is darling--that I just had to take a photo of this ensemble before it launched off to California. Cutest ribbon, cutest fabric, cutest 2.5/f photo...

Making Tortillas

My January 17 Project 365 photo was of my brother making tortillas. I documented the event for fun; he learned to make these on his mission and I figured that someday he'll forget and this will be a fun way to remember.

Slice and Dice Continued...

I now own one of these. It's pink. Awesome, no?

Slice and Dice

I can't find my Xacto knife.

Looks like it's time to go shopping!

Project 365: January 24

I resurrected a project I took up about a year ago: operation hymnbook repair. There are so many in my ward building that are in a sad state, so when I find a "sad hymnbook" at church I bring it home and fix it. Here is one I was working on last night; I'll post the whole thing about it later. But I like this view of the headband of the book attached to the spine, taken at 1.8/f...

(with apologies for no longer posting picture specs; since I'm always behind on these postings it is hard to remember to include the details)

Project 365: January 23

(Copout: picture taken by my bro-in-law, Jacob)

Nothing tops today because my first nephew was born. I will take my own pictures of him in a few weeks.

Project 365: January 22

Friday marked a fun evening of dinner at Iggy's and watching Extraordinary Measures in the theater. It's fun to have friends. Happy Birthday Jaime!

(with apologies for the use of my flash)

Project 365: January 21

January 21 brought us to Costco for a fabulous shopping spree. Amazing what happens when you haven't been shopping in forever.

Project 365: January 20

Lesley and I went on a date to the BYU basketball game tonight vs. Wyoming. These are not our regular seats, so it is always fun to sit so close to the court. And I am still sore from my knee surgery, so we took the elevator down to the floor so I only had to walk up 12 stairs. And oh yeah, BYU won. Sorry, Wyoming.

Project 365: January 19

Crafts are fun. I went to an activity with some other girls in my ward tonight and we made this accordion-style book with three sheets of paper. It looks harder than it really was, but it took us all awhile to figure it out. We used cardstock for the boards; I would have liked to use binder's board instead. :)

Project 365: January 18

My sister Stacey hasn't had her baby yet... (come on!) Meanwhile, Mom is going to visit, and she's trying to figure out how to cram all of the Christmas presents into suitcases (she's flying Southwest where bags fly free). This is the result of about five attempts to pack and secure a sewing machine...

Project 365: January 17

My brother learned how to make authentic tortillas on his mission. Sunday night he made them for dinner, and this is one of my photos from my photo shoot (he wondered how I could have so much fun taking pictures while he was cooking).

Et Tu, Brute?

Do politicians study rhetoric? Some probably do, if they studied English at all. But rhetoric appears more and more, and if you aren't paying attention, you'll fall right into their implementations of pathos, ethos, and logos.

I'm not surprised that Scott Brown won the U.S. Senate seat in Massachusetts today. He is a republican--no republican has won there since 1972. He had no ethos credibility; even the papers say that he was relatively unknown in the state. But he used a basic language that everyone can understand: plainness. And with emotions already running high, he didn't have to build any pathos into his message. He was clear and straightforward: "Massachusetts wants real reform and not this trillion-dollar Obama health care that is being forced on the American people," he said. And that's logic anyone can follow.

Coakley, on the other hand, got ethos built in for her whether she wanted it or not. I guess Obama went to campaign for her over the weekend--that's how desperate he was for his health bill, which is a health bill that most of America doesn't want (hello, are you getting that Obama? Nobody wants to live in a socialist country!) But the ethos backfired because people don't like Obama right now--again, pathos built in. So 52% of Massachusetts voters decided that anyone associated with Obama is not good for the state. Majority ruled. And now Obama is realizing that all his fancy logos and pathos rhetoric and promises from the campaign trail are failing him.

Words can be empty. They can look really good, but they can be empty.

For the record, I'm not affiliated with any party because I got really annoyed with party splits a long time ago. I vote for the guy who seems legit. And that means having fun analyzing rhetoric.

When Free Just Isn't Good Enough

I just finished going through a huge stack of articles that I've printed out at work--they're all related to social media, editing, branding, etc. I just haven't had time to read them, so I just print them up and let them stack up. And they've become just that--stacks. But this week while I've been home I've tried to go through them all one by one and find the points that I want to remember--the points that made me want to print the article in the first place.

One article I found was based around the idea that sometimes free just isn't good enough. What is free, anyway? In this case, I'm talking about people who give away goods or services out of the kindness of their hearts. Sometimes there is an ulterior motive, like building one's portfolio or trying to spread the name of a brand. But most of the time, someone is just trying to be a good soul.

Now, I don't know about you, but when I get something for free, I'm usually pretty excited about it. If I'm really excited about it, I will blog about it, which is a plus for the provider since I've just given a voluntary testimonial. (There are people who get paid to blog about services and products, but I think genuine testimonials are much more worthwhile.)

I recently attended a DSA conference where a media consultant mentioned that she is more than happy to refer resources, but if they ask for specific help on a project, she refers them to her consultant rates. This is at the point I'm at with some people. I don't think compensation is a hard thing to ask. And I don't even charge that much either. I have done free work for years, but now I'm fully employed, I consult with two companies, and I have a master's degree, so my free time is mostly devoted for myself (in its literal sense of being free).

In my own experience, I've done a lot of editing in my time--some people will verbally thank me, some people do nothing at all, some people send me gift certificates to a place I like (or a place that they would assume I would like such as Borders or Barnes & Noble). Let me tell you who wins the gratitude competition: the people who say thank you, even if it is just a little thank you. The people who keep coming back again and again who want the service but don't care about me as a person doing it for them are really irritating, and I'm less inclined to help them in the future. I can count the people on one hand who fall into that category.

I only bring up this topic because I see a lot of "what's in it for me" attitudes lately. I also had a friend email me who was wondering if I would read her sister's book. Well that would be fine if she would be willing to compensate me, but I guess she wasn't willing to do it because I never heard from her again. I would like to know what her plan was for getting her book published. Clearly some people don't respect the skill of editing and how a good editor is really hard to find. Eventually she is going to have to pay someone for their time.

Additionally, my sweet sister has a photography business and she's really improved in her technique. She had to raise her prices, and people were being rude about it. Since I've gotten into photography myself, I understand why she raised her prices--it's the same reason I don't offer free editing anymore--it takes a lot of time. I've helped her with pictures before and I almost haven't wanted to put the photos through post-production because it takes hours, people. Hours. Editing also takes hours. And even if she takes pictures for free, which she's also done lately as a favor to some people, they have been less than grateful for the photos because of all the "faults" they see. Did it ever occur to them that the "faults" are within themselves? Don't blame your photographer, especially if she's doing you a service.

The bottom line: if someone gives you something for free, be grateful. If you really appreciate the service, hire them like you would any other business to show that you respect their talents. And if you can't do that, be assured you'll never get anything free again.

Project 365: January 16

I think screenshots can be perfectly legit. :) This shows my main task for the day--to submit a paper I wrote 9 months ago about blog lurkers and having a sense of community. I should have submitted it a lot sooner, but I just haven't been able to find the time. It takes, on average, 3 months for a reply. Yikes.

Project 365: January 15

I'm starting to get around a little better. I took a few minutes to play ball with my dog, right when the light was coming straight into the living room.

Project 365: January 14

Working from home. Sometimes it is nice.

Project 365: January 13

I've now had three knee surgeries; I've never documented them. The nurse always has me write "yes" on the knee that the doctor is going to be looking at. And I felt like taking a picture of it.

Project 365: January 11, 12

I'll admit for these two days, I got nothing. No shots whatsoever. So I will show off two more of my favorite shots from my niece's birthday party on the 9th.

Festive garland

Aluminum serveware from Old Town Imports

Project 365: January 10

Copout: This was actually taken on January 9.

A seasonal decoration in my sister's window. I thought it was gorgeous.

Project 365: January 9

My sister threw a fantastic birthday party for her daughter. This is my absolute favorite shot of the table decorations.

Project 365: January 6

Who says trees are only good for looking at and taking up space? This tree next to my desk at work became a temporary paper holder.

Project 365: January 5

My sweet daddy makes me lunches sometimes. This time he wrote on the paper sack. He used to make lunches all the time when I was in high school.

Project 365: I'm Back

So I realized that most of my images for the past few weeks would have been pictures of work. Well that's not a horrible thing, per se, but I can definitely spice things up a bit.

I might be postdating some images from the past few weeks, but hey, you can live with that, right?

Want Some Help? Try This Tactic

Loving this post today by Seth Godin. Kindness makes the world go 'round!

Here's a common human trick: before you state your complaint, wind yourself up with a preface that makes your complaint even more plaintive and more vivid.

"Do you know who I am!"

"I saved up for four years for this vacation and paid your top of the line rate..."

"I've told you a million times that the most important feature was this, and in fact the only reason I bought your product was..."

"I've worked my butt off for him for years, showing up even on holidays, and now..."

You've heard it, and perhaps you've done it.

It's interesting to trick yourself by doing precisely the opposite.

"In this economy, I'm lucky to have this job, and it's almost perfect. It would be even better if..."

or

"I love owning this device, it lets me manage my life and contacts, and the one thing that would make it even better is..."

It's important to leave out the word "but."

The fascinating thing about this approach is that not only does it make you happier when you say it, it increases the chance that the person you're complaining to will actually do something to help you.

Delta Raises Baggage Fees to Lower Customer Satisfaction

SALT LAKE CITY--Air travelers will soon be carrying less, specifically in their wallets.

Delta Air Lines announced that they are raising their baggage fees to $23 for one bag and $32 for the second, which is a $8 and $7 increase, respectively. And that's the price for pre-paid luggage.

A Delta spokeswoman called the airline's fees "competitive" with other carriers. "Our customer service rate has been okay, but we felt that we could definitely do something to lower the standard of our brand and our customers. I think this move might have helped."

Kathy Longdunne, traveling from Dallas, Texas, says that this is probably the last flight she'll take on Delta. "If the airline were truly competitive, why don't they try competing with Southwest Airlines, who doesn't charge for bags at all? They seem to be doing fine--they're even growing in some areas of the country. Or does the world's largest carrier have a free pass to rip off its travelers?"

A Delta airlines representative, who wished to remain anonymous, cited the baggage increase to be part of a new strategy to incorporate features that nobody cares about. "If you follow Delta's blog, you'll see that we're offering Grammy-based Pandora stations. Do people care about this? Of course not. People have iPods, iPhones, computers with mp3 files. They can generate their own music, but we haven't reached the 5-million-users complaint limit, so they keep moving forward."

Social media has played a role in voicing disdain towards Delta's financial tactic. @kthomson noted: "Pretty soon airlines will charge for 'emotional baggage'. @Docguy wrote: "When I flew @DeltaAirLines over the holidays, I wondered if they could make it even more miserable to fly. I guess they took the challenge." Meanwhile Southwest Airlines continues to promote its no baggage policy through YouTube videos, and the company's Twitter followers are praising its name.

Calls and Tweets to Delta Air Lines were not returned.

Finding Success in 2010

I discovered a great article from Success Magazine called 44 Ways to Kick-Start Your New Year. Check out the article's advice and make the commitment to try one. Or two. Or maybe 10.

Invitation: Ella's Second Birthday

Here's an invitation I designed for my niece's birthday celebration. Charlie & Lola + coloring obsession = perfect birthday solution.

Warning: Life Imbalance

Work has taken precedence over my picture-taking hobby... I will still have 365 pictures at the end of the year, but they may not be on separate dates. I never said the project would would be easy; I just said I was going to do it!

Project 365: January 4

I was late to work, but I couldn't help but stop and take some pictures of the intricate snowflake designs on my window. Winter can be beautiful. (I even took this with my point and shoot!)

A Note about Twitter

What's the point of making a tweet on Twitter and then retweeting your own post? Clearly people who do that do not understand the retweet feature. I saw a guy on my feed who retweeted 20 of his own posts. Why?

Live What You Love Letterpress

Now that Christmas is over, I can blog about these fantastic letterpress prints that I found in hijirik's etsy shop. The prints are 8x10, and I got one for everyone in my family, all in different colors. (Sorry that there are only a few colors left since I bought two gray ones and a pink one and a yellow one and a blue one and a brown one and a black one...) I might have to purchase the green one now!

The girl who makes these is so awesome; she sent me a few of her greeting cards just for kicks, and she was careful with the packaging so that they all arrived perfectly flat. And my family loved them (I think). :) Thanks so much!

[via source]

365 Project: January 3

I always enjoy trying to tackle the small piles of stuff that reside all around my room. While cleaning off my desk, I discovered a box of trinkets, along with three Mickey Mouse suckers. I brought the original pack of 6 back from Anaheim to give to my nieces (much to the joy of their mothers I'm sure). These cute suckers sure bring back memories.

ambient 1/40, 1.8/f, @55mm, 200 ISO

Project 365: January 2

Today we took down our Christmas decorations. And in this shot, the dog watches Dad take down the lights off the house. Or, the dog contemplates life while looking into the sunlight.

Either way, this shot was just so cute.

natural 1/60, f/4, @28, ISO 200

365 Project: 1 January

This late-night posting won't be a habit (I hope). We just got back from being with the extended family.

I've watched a lot of football today, but that wasn't my picture of choice for the new year. Today it is a picture of the pictures that we put together as ornaments for my mom. My dad and one of my sisters studied stained glass, so they used the elements to make these. However, my dad didn't finish the project until today, so here is a collection of the masterpiece. These will hang in our tree downstairs and remind us of cherished family memories.

ambient 1/20, 1.8 f, ISO 200