Everything crossed for you, Sue.

I so suck at lighting photographs. I'm working on composing shots and being aware of lighting. I do turn off the flash because I hate that washy foreground fill. But I wind up messing with it in post.

I don't even have official Photoshop--my pro video editor BiL gave us the program and I had to give it back. It was too complicated and intimidating. But I have a couple of much simpler photomanipulation programs, and I love them. Cropping to level, or cropping out distractions, or cropping down to focus on an object in a shot--or several distinct objects in the same shot, playing with lighting and contrast and saturation.... It's like fingerpainting in kindergarten. I've managed some fairly decent results from extremely indifferent photos.

I just keep trying to better my actual picture-taking, because I can't get over feeling like the P-shop is a cheat.

I am clearly looking at the wrong examples, because when I look for inspiration, I find selfie projects like this and this, and I'm just trying to find some clear space in a cluttered apartment. Someone suggested I make a softbox, and I had to demur gently.

Damn, why does it take *effort*???

Is it practical to preserve writing on a normal mug? Assuming I can avoid the dishwasher, is there some sort of treatment (or a specific medium) that could make markup feasible?

Mmm, gingerbread anything! Marked for later.

Clafoutis anything as well! This things a keeper.

I am going on a short roadtrip with one of my friends at the crack ass of pre-dawn tomorrow (3:30). We are a bit silly about it. It is for her oldest step-son's band competition (big deal actually and his school band is often State champions - btw - this will be mac's school). We plan to have lots of coffee and loud music and possibly some outlet shopping on the way back around noon.

And Combos. I don't know why, but somehow they became our ultimate roadtrip food.

Combos are weirdly filling, as I seem to recall. Haven't had any in a couple decades, but I used to use a pack to skip lunch. The fake cheese must have expanded in my stomach, or something. Do they have peanut butter too?

Is it practical to preserve writing on a normal mug? Assuming I can avoid the dishwasher, is there some sort of treatment (or a specific medium) that could make markup feasible?

I just saw a DIY thing about this recently, but of course I can't remember where. I think the blog said you could just use a Sharpie, but other people said no, it would wash off, and you should use a special kind of marker.

Ah! The one I saw was here, and apparently the key is baking it.

The one I saw was here, and apparently the key is baking it.

Yes! China markers! I have seen those, and forgot. Thanks for connecting the dots, Jesse. In this case, I couldn't risk it being one of those instances in which it washes off.

Lighting like this blows my mind.

Hey, Abreva ad? Please hire me so your models don't look so ridiculous fake punching. Ta!

Huh. Is there a job "Punch Doctor"? There should be. And I should have it.

Google + previously-clicked links being a different color is magic for me.

Hey tommyrot, did you ever sell those bitcoins?

Yes! China markers! I have seen those, and forgot. Thanks for connecting the dots, Jesse. In this case, I couldn't risk it being one of those instances in which it washes off.

They work really well. I had Emilie Autumn autograph a tea cup with one.