Last Tuesday, I was walking past the Aditi yoga centre in Edinburgh, and they had a sign out – they were taking sign-ups for the new term. So I popped in (scary thing to do, for me), and asked about the beginners yoga class. The way it was discussed wasn’t heavy on the ‘spiritual/enlightenment’ side which (in fact, it wasn’t mentioned at all). So I signed up. 8 week beginner course, started last Saturday. We’ll see how it goes.
OK. Definitely not a standard self-portrait ‘picture of me’. More personal than that. Something very internal. Nothing came to mind until I remembered a picture I took almost a year ago. It’s not a very nice picture; I actually find it quite scary. Luckily, it’s aso not that clear:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/aislinnv/533728665/
Well, I now know of one ‘official’ release zone in Edinburgh – there’s a shelf downstairs in Always Sunday. It’s a nice cafe too. Trouble is, it’s also Always Full – at least when I want to go there.
However, as soon as I find and organize a book to be released, I intend to attempt to release it there.
Didn’t have any ideas about this one. Well, I did figure there were a couple of ways I could go, one of which was to find something which would have been considered futuristic at the point in the past when it was created. The other was the normal all shiny glass and steel kind of thing. I ended up with something a bit more abstract, but which I think still fits the definition.
31 May: here’s what I took: http://flickr.com/photos/aislinnv/523606872/
OK, I didn’t submit anything last week. I did come up with an idea, but I never actually got round to taking the picture. Oh well.
This week, something large.
A long time ago, when we were both still living at home, Duncan used to drive me home ‘the long way round’. This could sometimes be a very long way. Anyway, occasionally we would leave early, and take a flask of tea and some sandwiches (I know, how romantic…) and park somewhere, usually in the rain. OK, it wasn’t quite midnight, and not quite a picnic, but that’s the inspiration for this goal.
This year, we’re going to Orkney. At midsummer. When it stays fairly light all night, for at least one night. If the weather’s good, this might be a good opportunity. And if it’s wet, well, there’s always a flask of tea and some sandwiches, parked in the car somewhere.
Amber. The colour of a traffic light changing from green to red. A semi-precious stone, which is basically fossilised tree resin. Also a girl’s name, but I don’t know anyone called Amber :)
Well, for various reasons I didn’t get my pictures from last week posted in time. I may put one up on Flickr anyway.
This week, smoke. Lots of possibilities there. Won’t be the classic cigarette smoke because, well, it may look good in pictures but it’s horrible. So anything from chimney smoke to the smoke from a snuffed-out candle.
11 May: submitted this one: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aislinnv/492901003/
The need for this could only have been thought up by a man: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6606927.stm
‘Sex-boost slimming pill’ indeed! OK, I know it’s a journalistic interpretation of something that’s probably completely different but honestly.
Relaxation? What’s that?
Actually, I have a fair idea. I was off work on Friday, and took a trip to Edinbutgh. Lovely sunny day, so lots of people lazing around in Princes Street Gardens. Relaxing. I’ll see if any of them turn out.
Well, I guess where I live counts as the country. So all I need is some sunny weather – or at least, something not as grey and rainy as it is now – to show it off, and some time to go out, and I should be able to find something for this.
26 April: It stayed grey and rainy. So I submitted this one, taken last year: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aislinnv/472748451/
Oooh, lots of possibility here. Anything blue in colour. Anything sad. Not depressing, that’s not blue it’s grey. Or, of course, an interpretation of the musical style. Time to dig out my ‘fingerstyle blues’ guitar book maybe?
19 April: Ran out of time, so I went with an old photo that’s predominantly blue: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aislinnv/286041613/
Another one where I’ll just have to wait and see what comes up. Could be the act of blessing being performed, or something that people generally would consider as being ‘a blessing’.
12 April: this is what I ended up with: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aislinnv/456926850/
Did you ever have a ‘worry thing’? You know, like a piece of wood, a stone, or that little string of beads that you carried around and fiddled with? I know I did. I was looking at somebody in a meeting today (well, they were in a meeting, I was looking at them through the office window), and they were playing with their phone. Not in any specific way – not fiddling with the buttons, just turning it round in their hands. And I realised – I do exactly the same thing with mine. And it’s exactly the same thing I did with my worry wood when I still had it. Phones seems to have become just the perfect size to sit in the palm of your hand and fiddle with. So next time you see someone playing with their phone, they might not be being rude – it might just be today’s substitute for their old worry thing.
Well, it’s Spring, so this is appropriate. Lots of new shoots and buds bursting forth on trees, flowers and the like. Let’s hope for a sunny day so I can get out and find some.
5 April: well, I didn’t end up with what I was expecting. I ended up with this instead: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aislinnv/446429071/
Sentimental:
- effusively or insincerely emotional
- appealing excessively to the emotions
- marked by tender, romantic or nostalgic feeling or emotion
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. ‘Sentimental’ seems to have become a dirty word. Except for that last definition – it’s kind of a ‘looking back with affection’.
Out of ideas. May have to sit this one out.
28 March: No, I didn’t have to sit it out. A chance look up on Saturday gave me this: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aislinnv/437918290/
OK. I live in Scotland. It’s the middle of March. Heat? Not unless I go out and set fire to something.
Of course, there’s all kinds of other things I could go with that have heat associations. I do have some old failed shots of fire, but they’re really too bad for anyone else to see.
So, the cliched pile of chillis it is then…
22 March: Well, I tried a bunch of things. Here’s the entry I submitted: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aislinnv/430308938/ and here’s one of my alternatives: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aislinnv/430308937/
Well, having a look through the photos that have been posted so far for this, I see a lot of people smoking. So what am I going to do? Well, I could figure out what I like that could be classed as an ‘addiction’ and use that. What do we have? My jewellery making stuff; books, maybe just cookbooks; tea (many different kinds). Other ideas? What do I think a bad addiction would feel like, and what could I use to represent that?
15 March: It hit me when I was driving home on Tuesday. Well, not literally hit me, but, well, I have a very bad habit when I’m driving: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aislinnv/422014839/
Well, the first entry on this goal was more than a year ago. Have things got any better? Not really. Oh, I do try – occasionally my brain pops up a flag: ‘oi! you’re slouching! sit/stand up straight!’ And then I do. For a while.
I guess this is something that just needs perseverance. And maybe a little tool on my desk/desktop that goes off at random intervals and says ‘oi! you’re slouching! sit up straight!’.
Well, what to do for this. I don’t think I can ‘create’ something, so I guess it’s a matter of keeping my eyes open and seeing what, if anything, presents itself. Something doesn’t have to be on its own to be alone – being the one different thing could count as being alone. Or something solitary in amongst groups? It also doesn’t have to be sad.
If nothing turns up, I think I do have a picture that would fit this – although it is a sad one.
7 March: This week, I found what I wanted for the challenge:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/aislinnv/413966223/
Well, this should be fun. It’s definitely an ‘abstract’ picture. Possibly use of macro, but then again, not necessarily. I’ve taken a couple of pictures of water that would qualify for this (waves, and raindrops), but I don’t want to use them. I do have another idea, coming from breaking the word down: text-u-red. Wonder if I could do something with that? Although I bet someone already has.
1 March: Didn’t go with my idea. I went with this instead: http://www.flickr.com/photos/aislinnv/406034746/
