PBDC Day 19/31: Cropped

This is the first picture I posted of Paula and I together. Yes, I already named her. I had only met her a few hours before, when I had walked in the building of our apartment. She was on a stand by the mailboxes, and as I saw my upstairs neighbor coming down I asked if it was his. Turns out he was moving and was going to put her out with a sign that he held up to show me, "FREE TO A GOOD HOME."

Shoot. Done. I don't know if he named her, but I named her after her dad, Paul.

I had been wanting to learn how to play the guitar for years, but never got around to getting one. With the opportunity for a free one, I have no excuse now. Thanks to my violin background and a online tuner, I was able to get her back to good and figure out steps and half steps to play scales on each of the strings.

I'm nowhere near the level of joining jam sessions, but this is damn exciting.

Here's a full body shot of my new friend

...which, technically, this was the first picture of Paula and I, but when I posted it to IG, I cropped out my feet to make the shot all about her in the square frame.

There it is. Cropped. Check.

Next!

Photo and Blog a Day Challenge Day 4/28: A Convenience

When I woke up this morning and finally got to my phone, I checked out the photo prompt for the day. Now, I'm not as creatively diligent about this photo a day challenge as I just made it sounds, I changed my phone's home screen to the list of daily photo challenges. (It isn't too late to join, so you can check it out in my Day 1/28 post here.)

Seeing that day four's challenge listed "a convenience" I almost took a picture of the toilet. Because yeah, think about it. Plumbing is a luxury. I know we've come a long way since medieval potholes, but still, you take that porcelain pot for granted. It swallows your waste every day and you don't even say thanks.

But I opted to pass on the first idea that came to mind. Another idea was my car, but that was quickly scratched. Then I thought about my shoes. Those are definitely a convenience. I may occasionally refer to them as a necessity, but they really aren't. There are sandals and socks, and even bare feet days. That being said, they aren't a necessity, they're a convenience. Even so, it was not the one I wanted to highlight.

On my way home from work I thought about some food we had in the fridge, and I pictured one of my favorites--eggs. Fresh raw eggs in their foamy box of a home awaiting your next culinary creation. Whether you're hard boiling them or getting ready to crack their shells and release they gooey, slimy goodness into a hot pan, a bowl of dry ingredients for a baked treat. I wasn't a huge fan of eggs growing up, they were ok, just not crazy about them. Hard boiled eggs I've always enjoyed, however.

It wasn't until I joined the Navy that I really began to appreciate fresh eggs. Large pans of what was being passed off as scrambled eggs. Not a sunny side up in sight for miles. And then once I got to my sub, the limitations of food storage on board meant plenty of canned foods, pouches of Just Add Water foods, and questionable substitutes.

But in port there were fresh fruits, vegetables, and eggs. Oh, the fresh eggs. The omelets with chopped veggies, the sunny side punctured on my plate wiped up with toast, reaching out to my bacon. EGGS.

But still, I do not nominate them to IG/Blogger stardom.

And then I see it. This...

My contribution to the Photo and Blog Challenge for A Convenience is a dumpster.

(I'm taking a moment to pat myself on the back for the happy accident of a full literary circle that I've created for myself.)

The dumpster, like the toilet I saw earlier this morning, is a vessel for our waste. Granted, it's not the same type of waste, but it's still trash we don't want around our home. Another convenience I believe many take for granted.

What if the dumpster wasn't there and we had to all take individual trips to landfills, or incinerators, or worse, just litter? Maybe we'd be better at composting, or creating less waste, so maybe it's partially enabling, but still..the dumpster is a sweet convenience.

And as I think about trash aboard the submarines...crushing cans and keeping them on board for weeks at a time...it isn't pretty. So yeah, the dumpster wins my vote for today.

And it helped me take another few moments today to realize how good life really is, and that too many things are taken for granted and are just accepted as necessity.

Photo and Blog a Day Challenge: Day 1/28-Light

If you're an IG user, you've probably seen (or even participated) in a #photoaday challenge. I have yet to actually complete one, and in coming across a new one (in the shortest month of the year, no less) I've decided to up the ante.

With each picture I take each day I'm going to write a blog to go with it. Right here on this page.

I'll tweet these with the hashtag #PhotoBlogChallenge

Here's the photo challenge I'm using if you'd like to play along.

No special connection to this one, it's the first one I found when I searched #photoaday on IG and I liked it because it's a little different from the others I've seen.

And here's my picture for today

And the IG link is HERE

And without further ado...the accompanying blog.

Light:

Almost a year to the day I received this watch as a gift, the LEDs started to dim and the coolest watch I've ever had began to show weakness.

Last night I finally made my way to the mall to get it replaced and now it shines brighter that it did when I first received it.

Metaphor? Maybe.

The "Faceless Watch" from Hammacher Schlemmer was the wedding gift from my wife last year. Yes, I've heard so much that the first year is the hardest, and as the watch began to get beaten and bumped and scratched all year, eventually it faded away. Not to be lost in a pile of whatever is lying around the apartment, I kept it in plain view waiting for when I could make it to the mall (after a pay day) to get it replaced.

Simple task for many, but with the weather being as wintry as it has been this year, going out for non-essential errands was for crazy people. It did feel weird not wearing a watch at first, but my wife lent me a traditional watch she wore when she was working at the ON. Not as bold as the black metal, or as bright as the LEDs, but still functional, comfortable, and I must say, much lighter.

Now having my black BA watch on my wrist (which, I've also been convinced by said wife to switch wrists) a new month/year has begun. The guy at the jewelry kiosk said it should last for two years and they'll replace it (with receipt of course) if it doesn't make it, but I should remind myself he's talking about the battery and not my life/marriage (which is totally fine since I should be able to take care of that without the help of a jewelry salesman who has never seen a watch like this before.

So yes. Metaphor? Maybe, but probably not. I just like reading into things and finding connections between just about everything.

My first thought for today's photo prompt of "Light" was to take a picture of the snowy surroundings, but as I checked the time and was pleased at how bright the time and date shined from the black background, I knew that this was a better choice.