old habits, new things

I like to take pictures.
They're usually not all that good, but I like to do it anyway.
Here are a couple that I happen to have on me that I thought were pretty good.
I call this first one: (I actually haven't thought of a title yet...)




I was at the Indiana State Fair (which I will miss this year, which is very very sad) last year and there were these old women line dancing. It was this whole Clarian Dance for Health group thing, so they danced for us at the fair. It was pretty cool, you know, good music, sideline entertainment, whatever. Anyway, most of the people were super nervous. But this woman was so in to her dance. She was like a natural on stage!! She was having a total blast, so I had to take a picture of her because she just made me smile. I have another photo of her somewhere that is also pretty good, but this one's my favorite because you can see her whole face, which is pretty much all smiling. Yeah, I would be her friend.





This next one also doesn't have a title.
Clearly titling my photos is not my strong point.
Maybe I'll just call it "Luke" - since that's who is in the picture.




He was holding ice up on his knee because he fell or something. He just had this really disappointed, kind of pensive look on his face. The whole bottom third of the photo is the table, but I don't mind. I like the kitchen utensils on the top right. I don't know, it just looks real, like a real home or something. I like the way the light captures all the curves of his skin on his face and on his arm.

So that's enough for now. Nothing exciting going on. I'm a nanny for my baby cousin, which is turning out to be a 24 hour deal. I don't mind so much, because I love her, and I don't mind taking care of her because I know the alternative. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm not having kids for a looooooong time, if ever, but I'm glad to have something to do. And it's family. It's not even a matter of "do I mind" or "can I" - it's just "do" because she's family. That's what families do. I wonder what Layla will be like when she is older...

communal life

How can I be an effective member of a community when I am always on my way out of wherever I am? I am always moving on, and this isn't fair to the people I am with when I am actually with them. It's a balance between building relationships and not getting too close, too attached, because goodbye is always certain. But when this is all over, I am going to have some great story to tell, eh? And the world I knew will have lived on without me, and I will be alone on top, though on top, alone nonetheless.

"Life is not a lonely experience, but an alone experience, and I think that's why writers write." ~Susanna Childress

(You are never dead until you are dead. Until then, don't stop living.)