Monday, May 16, 2011
Sunday, May 15, 2011
5/12/11
I'm testing out the auto-posting via phone. If this works, this is a pic I snapped while walking into Panera with Sonia. We had soup and talked about children's books of the 1940's.
EDIT: So I guess it works but there are some limitations. I can auto-post on blogger via my phone's camera app, but I can only do one photo per post. Only in-phone photo editing. Can't decide the placement of the photo - looks like it's set to auto-post on the left side. And the images are pretty small, I think the phone compresses them. But now we know.
5/11/11
May 11th, the day I murdered my Canon point and shoot camera.
At work, we had a 2 hour picnic lunch to celebrate Ben's upcoming wedding, which was fun. It was also Bobby's birthday, his 35th. (We'll be celebrating next week sometime.) I left work at 5:45ish to head up to Methuen to celebrate my papa's 85th birthday. We had a really nice time.
A few minutes before I left, I went to the bathroom and washed and dried my hands. I took my little Canon out of my pocket and turned it on, because I was going to take a picture of something in the kitchen for my photo of the day. Gram had these beautiful flowers that Jesse had given her a few days earlier for Mother's Day, I figured that's what I'd take. The camera just flew out of my hands (they weren't still wet or anything, I was just super clumsy) and hit the floor with force. If it hadn't been on, I actually think it probably would've been fine, but it was on and the zoom lens bent and wouldn't retreat back into the camera when I turned it off. The camera still take pictures, but they all look like this - these are the beautiful flowers I was talking about:
I was going to take it to Hunts in Melrose to see if they could fix it, but the camera is 4 years old. I brought it home and fiddled with it to see if I could unbend the lens (thinking that maybe the problem was just that) but after playing around with it a bit I am pretty sure that something inside the lens broke when it hit the floor.
I was pretty devastated because even though I have an SLR, it's huge and terrible to lug around on a daily basis. It's a vacation/special event camera, not something I can have on me every day. It was also so expensive that I worry about it when I take it out, I can't have it away from my person for a split second without serious anxiety. So it's definitely not something I'd bring to work or leave in my car while running an errand.
Anyway, I was really sad, so when I decided that it was dead, I pulled out the memory card and downloaded all of the photos and videos from the last month. And you know what's weird? All of the videos had horrible feedback and scrambled white noise sounds instead of sound. And half of the pictures were grainy (despite not being on a high ISO setting). I thought that I had murdered my camera, but I now think that he knew he was dying and he jumped from my hands on purpose, to get it over with quickly.
RIP little Canon. I loved the last 4 years with this camera; if I could buy the exact same camera today, I would - but it's old now and a trillion small point and shoots have come out since, so I really need to read up on the reviews before I buy. Over the next couple weeks, as I research and save up a little cash for my new point and shoot (because the truth is, I cannot live without one), I'll still post daily photos. But I'm going to have to change my format a bit, because having a pocket camera is pretty necessary for a one-a-day blog.
I'll post mostly daily cell phone photos.
At least a few times, I'll lug out the SLR.
And to fill in the gaps, I'll post some of my favorite photos that I've taken with the Canon over the last 4 years.
Sadly, this is the last picture I'll take with this camera:
At work, we had a 2 hour picnic lunch to celebrate Ben's upcoming wedding, which was fun. It was also Bobby's birthday, his 35th. (We'll be celebrating next week sometime.) I left work at 5:45ish to head up to Methuen to celebrate my papa's 85th birthday. We had a really nice time.
A few minutes before I left, I went to the bathroom and washed and dried my hands. I took my little Canon out of my pocket and turned it on, because I was going to take a picture of something in the kitchen for my photo of the day. Gram had these beautiful flowers that Jesse had given her a few days earlier for Mother's Day, I figured that's what I'd take. The camera just flew out of my hands (they weren't still wet or anything, I was just super clumsy) and hit the floor with force. If it hadn't been on, I actually think it probably would've been fine, but it was on and the zoom lens bent and wouldn't retreat back into the camera when I turned it off. The camera still take pictures, but they all look like this - these are the beautiful flowers I was talking about:
I was going to take it to Hunts in Melrose to see if they could fix it, but the camera is 4 years old. I brought it home and fiddled with it to see if I could unbend the lens (thinking that maybe the problem was just that) but after playing around with it a bit I am pretty sure that something inside the lens broke when it hit the floor.
I was pretty devastated because even though I have an SLR, it's huge and terrible to lug around on a daily basis. It's a vacation/special event camera, not something I can have on me every day. It was also so expensive that I worry about it when I take it out, I can't have it away from my person for a split second without serious anxiety. So it's definitely not something I'd bring to work or leave in my car while running an errand.
Anyway, I was really sad, so when I decided that it was dead, I pulled out the memory card and downloaded all of the photos and videos from the last month. And you know what's weird? All of the videos had horrible feedback and scrambled white noise sounds instead of sound. And half of the pictures were grainy (despite not being on a high ISO setting). I thought that I had murdered my camera, but I now think that he knew he was dying and he jumped from my hands on purpose, to get it over with quickly.
RIP little Canon. I loved the last 4 years with this camera; if I could buy the exact same camera today, I would - but it's old now and a trillion small point and shoots have come out since, so I really need to read up on the reviews before I buy. Over the next couple weeks, as I research and save up a little cash for my new point and shoot (because the truth is, I cannot live without one), I'll still post daily photos. But I'm going to have to change my format a bit, because having a pocket camera is pretty necessary for a one-a-day blog.
I'll post mostly daily cell phone photos.
At least a few times, I'll lug out the SLR.
And to fill in the gaps, I'll post some of my favorite photos that I've taken with the Canon over the last 4 years.
Sadly, this is the last picture I'll take with this camera:
5/10/11
I forgot to charge my camera battery and I turned the camera on at work, snapped one photo just to see if it was working, and it turned itself off. This is the photo. Took me forever to find the charger - I put it somewhere 'for safekeeping' when I was cleaning and forgot that meant it was in the pocket of my yellow bag. Duh.
5/08/11
After waking up at Becki's and having a little bit of Malandrino family time in the morning, I headed to Derry to see my parents for Mother's Day. I got my mama some jewelry, flowers, and a card, and had plans to spend the day with my parents and brother, then my 4 grandparents would come over in the afternoon and we'd grill burgers and have a simple family lunch. Then my parents changed the plan a bit and asked me and Jesse to get there at 10am and help them paint the pool deck. I actually really enjoy painting INDOORS, but have never been a fan of outdoor painting (decks, houses, garage doors, etc). So of course I said I'd do it for them, but I wasn't even remotely looking forward to it. Oddly enough, it was kind of fun. And it went a lot faster than I thought it would.
Alison came over for a bit, and when we were done, I ran some errands and came back to get ready for a late lunch with the grandparents. Right before they all showed up, I went downstairs to move my clothes from the washer to the dryer and realized that the brand new bottle of detergent that my mom had asked me to put on the washer had fallen off and smashed. Most likely, I'd put it just a tiny bit too close to the edge, and when the washer hit spin cycle, it just fell off. It was absolutely disgusting - the liquid detergent was all over the floor, and it had covered some of my clean laundry (seeped up through the bottom of my laundry bag) and a bunch of laundry waiting to go into the washer. It took me 25 minutes, 3 rolls of paper towels, and a bucket of water to get all of that soap up off the floor. WHOOPS. I still owe my mom a new bottle of detergent and some paper towels.
Apart from that, it was actually a really great family day. Here are a couple pictures of the pool deck - the new pool is coming soon. Forgot to take a before pic - it was gray and very weathered. It looks awesome now. It was a gorgeous day until about 3, then it poured.
5/07/11
Every few weeks, I stay with Becki and PJ for a night. I love these weekends - so nice to spend time with some of my best friends, and their son Liam - my little muffin! We read lots of books, sometimes we play trucks or diner (he has a little 50's diner set, and he makes me of invisible coffee), and between bathtime and bedtime, I get lots of snuggles! He's also the happiest little dude in the morning - we do lots and lots of laughing in the mornings.
5/05/11
Cinco de Mayo. Wasn't thinking when I agreed to meet Josh, Jess, and Sonia at Margaritas - it was mobbed. Tried to take a picture of a guy in a parrot costume but I was slow pulling the camera out. Here's my beer.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
5/04/11
At work, this guy was sleeping outside. That happens a lot when the weather is nice. Our benches are like magnets for the people of Malden who have nowhere else to be.
This other guy was washing the windows of the building next door.
This other guy was washing the windows of the building next door.
5/03/11
I took the day off from work to go to Becki's grandmother's funeral. It was a sad and beautiful day - I was so glad to be there for one of my very best friends and her family, who I love dearly. I almost took a picture at the cemetery, because it was one of the most beautiful spring days that we've had so far. But I thought that might be a bit weird. I took a pic of some graffiti I saw when leaving the post-service lunch in Salem (MA).
Becki wrote a really beautiful tribute to her Oma here if you want to read it. It's very touching. Love you Beck!
Becki wrote a really beautiful tribute to her Oma here if you want to read it. It's very touching. Love you Beck!
5/02/11
Terrible picture but I had just started my car after running an errand and figured I should document what happened today. Pretty big news, I guess.
5/01/11
Went to Target to buy some flip flops and couldn't get in because of a bomb scare.
Stopped in at Home Depot and got some white paint - I'm paining 2 pieces of unfinished furniture (a corner hutch that was lightly stained many years ago and a short 3 shelf bookcase that is completely untreated) and when I eventually paint my bedroom gray, I'll freshen up all of the crown molding, baseboards, the 3 doors, and window trim with white paint. Forgot to take a 'before' pic of the corner hutch so I took a pic a few minutes after I started to show the original colors.
After the first coat, did a second that I didn't take a pic of, and I think it might need a third!
And finally - what is this BOOM sign I keep seeing everywhere? What does it mean?
Stopped in at Home Depot and got some white paint - I'm paining 2 pieces of unfinished furniture (a corner hutch that was lightly stained many years ago and a short 3 shelf bookcase that is completely untreated) and when I eventually paint my bedroom gray, I'll freshen up all of the crown molding, baseboards, the 3 doors, and window trim with white paint. Forgot to take a 'before' pic of the corner hutch so I took a pic a few minutes after I started to show the original colors.
After the first coat, did a second that I didn't take a pic of, and I think it might need a third!
And finally - what is this BOOM sign I keep seeing everywhere? What does it mean?
4/30/11
Went to Ikea on 4/30, because I wanted a rug and some new curtains and picture frames. Got the new rug and curtains, but am really sad to say they've discontinued the picture frames I've been buying for years. Now anything I buy in the future won't match, and you KNOW that's killing me.
Took a pic of the sky when I left for Ikea (gorgeous day) and one of the sky on my way home (pic doesn't do any justice, the sky was amazing). And a few pics in the middle - close ups of the lamps in the lighting section. And a lamp I really want.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
4/29/11
April 29th is my brother Jesse's birthday. I didn't see him, but it was a beautiful day to have a birthday. The warmest day so far this year, so sunny. I brought stuff to make salad for lunch but didn't want to bring it outside, so I ate it at my desk and I brought out an orange and a water and a Harry Potter book to sit in the sun for a bit. Colleen met me out there, and I was jealous of her pizza which looked way more delicious than my salad, so I took a picture of it.
After work, Bobby and I went to Hugh's for a drink or two. Or three. Sonia met us there after a couple hours. Every year I get so sick of Hugh's (it's our neighborhood pub near work) but then they put the outdoor tables out in the spring and I remember why I love them. It was our first outdoor after work beer all spring!
When I got back to my car, there were fireworks going on, somewhere in the vicinity of Cambridge I think. Possibly further out, I couldn't really tell where exactly they were coming from, just saw them far off on the skyline. I got one crappy picture but wanted to post it anyway. It was such a nice day, I was happy that it ended with a fireworks show.
After work, Bobby and I went to Hugh's for a drink or two. Or three. Sonia met us there after a couple hours. Every year I get so sick of Hugh's (it's our neighborhood pub near work) but then they put the outdoor tables out in the spring and I remember why I love them. It was our first outdoor after work beer all spring!
When I got back to my car, there were fireworks going on, somewhere in the vicinity of Cambridge I think. Possibly further out, I couldn't really tell where exactly they were coming from, just saw them far off on the skyline. I got one crappy picture but wanted to post it anyway. It was such a nice day, I was happy that it ended with a fireworks show.
4/28/11
Went to Market Basket, saw this thingy next to my car. Something from a motorcycle? There was a guy snoozing in the car next to me and woke up and looked at me weird when he saw me pull out my camera and take a picture of the ground.
4/27/11
I took the day off because I had a few "use it or lose it" days from 2010 to finish up before the end of April, and because I had a doctor's appointment. It was my first appointment with my new primary care physician, and I really like her a lot. She pulled some strings and got me hard-to-get appointments with an allergist (I need major food allergy testing) and a psychiatrist (for reasons I won't get into in my photo blog!). She's also working on getting me a sleep study appointment, since I haven't had a good night's sleep in a hundred years. I kind of love her!
It was a beautiful, sunny, warm day, and I noticed that everything suddenly was in full bloom. Right after Easter, I noticed all of the little buds starting to pop, and within only a couple of days, everything was green!
This was taken from my front porch.
4/26/11
Some days, I pretty much wake up, go to work, come home, and go to bed. These are the days you'll see pictures of things like the view from the parking garage, which is what this is.
4/25/11
The most exciting thing that happened on 4/25 was a crazy loud explosion noise that we heard at work. Then sirens, lots of sirens. Then the area between our building and our parking garage was full of firetrucks, a police car, and an ambulance. And when it was all over, none of us had any idea what had happened. And to this day (weeks later), we still don't know what it was.
4/24/11
I've taken a picture a day every day since 4/18 (it's now 5/11). But I haven't posted for weeks. I kind of hate that part! That's why I failed last time. I pulled all the images off my memory card and sorted them by date, so over the next few days I'll catch up and hopefully will get better at this posting thing.
Sunday 4/24 was Easter. I checked on Becki and PJ's cats in the morning, since they were away that week, and then went home and made potatoes and squash and helped my mom out with some of the other cooking. My grandparents (mom's parents) came over to eat, we watched the Celtics, and then afterwards, I stopped in at my other grandparents' house on the way back to my place. It was a really nice day!
Saturday, April 23, 2011
4/23/11
I'm home at my parents' house for Easter this weekend. I saved my picture of the day for when I went out for drinks with my friends Eric and Jim, but Eric wasn't feeling well and we're going to reschedule. So I'm going to eat an orange, read some Harry Potter, and go to bed early instead. This is my giant blow up bed for when I crash at my parents' place, since my old room is now my mom's craft room. Although I was excited to see Eric and Jim, the truth is, I'm just as excited to read and fall asleep before 11pm! Maybe you'll see a picture of them next month sometime instead.
4/22/11
I went to CVS during lunch and saw this sad little flower on the ground near the methadone clinic.
In other news, Becki started her 365 project today! We both really wanted to do this, and I opted to start on my birthday and she decided to start on her wedding anniversary. We thought starting on a meaningful day might help keep us motivated. Seems like a lot of friends are looking into doing this as well, so I'll post links as they get theirs up and running.
4/21/11
Went to All Seasons Table for my birthday dinner with Colleen, Jen, Marissa, Sandy, and Jessie. I wasn't sure if they wanted to be featured on the photo blog so I'm posting a picture of the decor. I took a photo of Sandy's lovely blue drink but it was too dark in the bar and I didn't want to blind people with my flash. All Seasons has great food, but I had a pretty underwhelming meal - I should've gone with the best thing on the menu, the Mango Chicken. Since AST is a block away from work, my other Colleen and I go there every couple of weeks for lunch - the waiters always know what we want before we order. I'm pretty predictable.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
4/20/11
After work on 4/20, I went to Exchange St Bistro with Josh, Jess, Sonia, and Bobby. I sat next to Dave Andleman from the Phantom Gourmet (everyone knows I hate those guys) for 3 and a half hours. Like, close enough that we banged elbows about 30 times. I would've taken a picture of him and posted it here, since it was the most notable thing that happened to me all day, but I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of being recognized. I almost said, "I love you on Jersey Shore!" because he looks like the Situation, but I opted to not say anything at all. Didn't want to be the object of the 3 jerk brothers' rage on next Saturday's radio show (like that poor steakhouse hostess). Anyways, this is a picture of a beer. I had several of them.
4/19/11
4/19 was boring, all I did was work. Had a touch of a hangover and a sore ankle, was incredibly sleepy all day, and did nothing worth photographing. That's going to be the challenge with this project - for every day I do something fun and interesting, there are 2 more days where I have to figure out how to take a new and interesting picture of something in my immediate work/home surroundings.
Here is some graffiti in the parking garage near work.
4/18/11
I turned 31. I went to the Boston Marathon for the first time. I had beers with my friends. I twisted my ankle near the Hynes Convention Center t stop and it still hurts 3 days later. I cheered for some runners. I went to trivia at Bull McCabe's with Josh and Jess (our team name was Happy Birthday Nipplecakes, which was Ian's happy birthday greeting to me on facebook earlier in the day). It was a fun and exhausting birthday. I couldn't decide on a picture, so here are a few from 4/18.
This is about 4 hrs and 15 min into the marathon. The winners had already won, and these runners only had about a mile to go. At this point, I was on the wrong side of the street and had to go underground to cross then fight the Sox and marathon foot traffic going in the opposite direction to get to my friends who were less than a block away. It took over an hour to walk that half block.
At the bar - many strangers, many friends.
We stopped to take a few pictures and cheer on our 1 mile walk to the finish line.
Coll picked me a flower. I still have squished up petals in my bag.
I had to crop a guy's big fat head out of this picture, he walked directly into the shot. And that's it for 4/18! Here's to a great year in photos.
This is about 4 hrs and 15 min into the marathon. The winners had already won, and these runners only had about a mile to go. At this point, I was on the wrong side of the street and had to go underground to cross then fight the Sox and marathon foot traffic going in the opposite direction to get to my friends who were less than a block away. It took over an hour to walk that half block.
At the bar - many strangers, many friends.
We stopped to take a few pictures and cheer on our 1 mile walk to the finish line.
Coll picked me a flower. I still have squished up petals in my bag.
I had to crop a guy's big fat head out of this picture, he walked directly into the shot. And that's it for 4/18! Here's to a great year in photos.
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