Thanksgiving

Tagged

I've been tagged by my friend Megan Tidd for a Kreative Blogger Award. I think the "award" part is a loose label, but I'm flattered Megan gave me a nod. She's one of the best blog writers out there.

This is what I have to do:

- List six things that I do for joy
- Pass the award on to 6 more creative bloggers
- Link back to the person who gave me the award
- Link to the people I am passing it on to

THINGS CHANNING DOES FOR JOY

1. I like to wash dishes for joy. It's less the dishes and more the distraction I enjoy. I work from home so anything I can do to procrastinate I like to do. Also, we keep our house cold so the hot water on my hands feels really good. Washing dishes gives me a sense of accomplishment. Everything else I do is on a computer so when I finish something my desk looks the same way it did when I started, maybe messier. But when I wash dishes I start with a pile of chaos and end with a shiny sink basin. That feels good. I'm also really into domesticity right now.

2. I like to suffer for joy. Deprivation also gives me a sense of accomplishment. This includes sitting in a cold house thinking about all the polar bears I'm saving or making myself go to the gym even though it's the last thing I want to do when I wake up. When I was about 10 my father made some joke about how he likes to catch bees in the palm of his hand because it feels so good when the pain from the sting subsides. I've taken that one a long way.

3. I like to take pictures for joy. It make me sad that "this" will never happen again, so I takes "its" picture and feel better about time moving on.

4. I like to watch movies for joy. All kinds of movies. I like the light-hearted, happy, romantic comedy ones, and I also like the dark, depressing ones. Have you ever seen "The River" ?

5. I like to spend time with family and friends for joy. I'm from North Carolina, but my sister introduced me to my fiance so I would move to Boston where my sister lives. This makes me happy because not only am I lucky to spend everyday with Brooke, I'm also near my sister and brother-in-law who produced a really cute nephew for me. Once my parents move north everything will be perfect.

6. I like to go to hotel bars for joy. I like the dingy ones and the ritzy ones. In Boston I like going to the ritzy ones because the drinks aren't usually more expensive than anywhere else, they aren't crowded on the weekend, they are impeccably designed, and you can hear not only your conversation, but you can eavesdrop effectively on others. And there's lots of good conversations going on in hotel bars.

Channing's nominations for great blog reads:
Elise
Ikuru
Kevin M.
Elizabeth
Myndi
Nina

Up North

Brooke closes the door behind her as we end a wonderful evening on Snow Pond. Thanks to Chelsea and Lori for great food and a wonderful time.

Birds

Inspiration

Yoon brought a little gift to the Boston photo community by organizing us into a (so far) monthly gathering where we can share work for feed back, or just because. For a profession of folks who usually thrive on being around people, it can sometimes be a little lonely out there. Thanks for bringing us together, Yoon.

Last week Mark, below, shared some deeply personal work that greatly inspired me.

If anyone else is interested in being notified of future photo nights, send me an e-mail.

Homeland

My nephew made his first trip to the homeland last week. It was a good time to introduce him to the South as Barack Obama swung through Charlotte the day we landed there. We later watched the country elect its 44th president.

I documented the trip on my iPhone. Thanks for the inspiration, Chris.

My President

I had a few run-ins with President-Elect Barack Obama over the past 21 months. He doesn't know me, but I know him.