Parties, Jackets and Cats

holy crap, where do i get all this energy to party? oh simply borrow it from tomorrow. had to take an emergency nap today to try to normalize after last night, did some band photos and then was viciously corralled into drinking more. i'm crossing my fingers about the posed ones, have no hopes for the live ones. keep remembering someone else i talked to last night when i went to the bourbon and watched bands. i know, i didn't think i did that anymore either. i remember when i was fun and not lame. saw a band which is either a band that i know or a group of dudes who play musical chairs and change members with the day of the week, either way was glad not to see that one idiot ex in the line-up.
still thinking about winter and how to avoid it's effects, cuz it's been getting colder, like it always does. earlier this week stetson and i went on a nice ride, though the ride back after the sun went down was so freaking cold, it wasn't even funny. i decided that i finally need to get a riding jacket, and have been debating for days about which one. should i go with the leather or textile version? or the other one? stetson is tired of the subject. but it's so exciting, can't wait to order and get my sweet non-retail dealer price:))) went to el chaparro for lunch with stetson today, we finally split the fajitas, they were good, and a great deal for two people with reasonable appetites to share. please alert the press with that one.
bill and xana need hobbies. cuz they are bugging the crap out of me. they just lose their toys under the couch, and that's always a depressing place to retrieve them. the only toy they don't manage to lose is this stupid shakey plastic ball that they've pulled all the yarn covering off into a foot long tangled mess that hangs on by a piece of glue. i finally decided that if they lose their toys, then they can get them themselves. i lifted up the couch and see one of their favorite toys, and bill runs under there to get it. he comes out with a sucker and i take it away from him and make xana go under there to and get the toy, and she comes out with a dentapick. dang it cats, don't you know you're supposed to do what i tell you? i finally get the toy for them, but bill is already fiercely playing with the sucker, like eyes wild and ears back and trying to tear it apart. now they're playing with the jingle ball toy, i expect to hear it stop jingling any minute now when it goes under the couch. you think they'd learn, but no. they jump up on my chair and squeak and meow (which is really cute) and push their way onto my lap because they want to help me type. sometimes i imagine there is evolution going on and they'll imitate me, like typing my emails or using the toilet. but i'm not holding my breath as they always chase the laser pointer. NO MATTER WHAT.

good bye summer!
so dark in the morning, needing jackets in the evening, last state fair in lincoln - (bozo has been replaced by "SNAPS", a more polite dunk-tank clown), wedding season slowing down, thinking about oatmeal instead of mini spooners, shop is slowing down, school has started for kids.
for all the love and attention i gave my garden, this is what i get in return:
5 tomatos, two zuchini, buckets of cucumbers (tired of them after 2 weeks of all cuc recipes), and about 3 weeks of good salad greens. now there's about 15 green tomatos on the vine, who knows if they'll ever ripen before the frost or they just go bad.
the worst thing about looking at winter from a season away, is the light.
things to look forward to are the pumpkins. and apple cider at arbor lodge, and soup night!!! and i always love thanksgiving and the holiday season. close-out catalogs for motorcycle stuff (the clothes, i'm gonna get a nice jacket and boots finally), and blankets.
i'm going to make a winter survival guide for people who look at winter with dread (Ok, i'm making it for myself, it may apply to other people) with all sorts of great tips and hints.
first thing to do is get these with galoshes:

ball of stress

maybe i need to bring my minispooners (generic mini frosted shredded wheats) to work with me so i never have to be sad/hungry again. or maybe i need to go to bed earlier or do things right now instead of last minute. and maybe i should be rich.
bill
ms. xanadu weatherbyyes, i set up a backdrop and made my kitties pose for me.

today i bought my first bottle of perfume. so now i'm becoming an old lady! oh well. i had a crap ass day, super behind on photos and stuff, need to stay up late and get things done. NOT drink beer with friends.

biz

summer is zipping on by with no help from me, i've just been working away in front of my computer and pulling weeds in my yard for a fun break. i've been thinking about changing the online proofing and ordering for my clients (again) and there doesn't seem to be one great place that does it all. some have super customizable layouts and awesome streamlined features like push-button proof books and instant order fulfillment, which would save soooooooooo much time and energy on my end. other places are EASY to navigate and use, which is a major thing for me. if i can't get around and figure out some sample gallery, my clients DEFINITELY can't do it. not like i'm really amazing on the computer, but you got to think about the grandmas out there. the grandmas with money. if the gallery makes it easy for people to pick out what they want, navigate around, have fun and order a bunch of expensive things, then that's waht i want. but hmmm.. decisions.
i think stetson and i are going to take the rz for a ride tonight, finally!
i gotta get me some summer!

my top things & stuff

new photos!!!
packages
petting my cats
text messages
when the lawn is mowed
when it's raining when i wake up
listening to the radio
client praise
coffee
fat checks
being on top of my game
laying in bed
clean kitchens
eating
running

the last few times i've gone running, it's been crappy. and that sucks. because when i have a bad experience doing something, i shy away from doing it again. and i just call that smart. but with running, that's not how i want to feel. maybe one day i didn't drink any water, or i'm hungover, or i've just shot a wedding (for example) and i then decide to go out a little earlier than usual, when it's still hot out and next thing i know there's a hot diamond pressing into my forehead with all my blubber pinching into my stomach and i feel vomity. then i walk home, kind of ashamed that i wimped out. but there's been days where i get up that hill feeling all great and strong and think about how i've really made some sort of break through and i'm gonna say good-bye to muffin-top in the next few months. but hell, then i do the long route in nothing flat, i'm like "what muffin-top?" but everyone has muffin-top, in varying amounts. true.

my mom and i went on a trip around nebraska in june, finding some of the most beautiful camping spots around. our trips are usually a highlight of my year, and sometimes my only vacation. this time was no exception, though knots in my stomach because of biz difficulties and pissed off phone calls from family members made it harder to lose myself in photographing than it has in the past.

things are getting better though, computer probs fixed and internet fired up and connected. working like mad on photos from forever ago, watching the greasy young teens walk up and down the block, to and from the gas station for gallons of pop, reveling in the amazing puberty which has caused them to grow and feel funny.

here is a pretty pretty picture of some pretty pretty peonies from my garden. this is one of the reasons i moved back to nebraska, to have my own patch of dirt to play in. and ha, i got one helluva big patch of dirt now, which constantly needs mowing and weeding and watering and tending. and it totally rules.