Tag: satisfaction

So, Wuzzup?

Wuzzup? 

I have been following my New Year’s resolution pretty steadily.  Painting, photography, study, socializing, reading, and doing things I enjoy.  Somewhat scheduled, somewhat not.  I kept a record for about a week of what I did in the morning and afternoon – in between which was lunch and a nap usually – and thought about how I felt about my day.  In general, I found I enjoyed each day a great deal more.  I didn’t do the same things every day (other than the usual boring daily routines), but found I did enough to find satisfaction.

Doing some watercolors was satisfying.  I hope to do some later this morning before heading out to meet up with a friend.  I haven’t done any gouache this year, but that is also on the agenda.  Here are some of the paintings.

I also read some fiction – a favorite novel from the 1940s – and started some nonfiction, a book about photography I received as a Christmas present, Behind the Camera.  It’s nice to sit outdoors with a book and a cup of coffee or tea, put my feet up, and read.  The weather has varied from chilly to warmish, and so have I!

Add to that, I have been learning about a camera which I recently bought: a used Pentax (Honeywell Asahi) non-MLU (mirror lock-up) 6×7 camera.  It has been frustrating and fascinating.  First, the thing weighs in about 5 lbs.  Lugging it around is amusing.  I pulled out a tripod.  It takes 120 film, and you get ten 6×7 images out of it – supposedly.  Out of the 10 exposures I made, only 3 came out, and all came out under-exposed.  No idea why. 

As a result of these mishaps, I loaded up more film, and logged every picture I took.  And did it with a second roll, too.  I bracketed my images as well as varied exposure factors to get the same picture exposures (i.e. 8 @ 1/30 then 5.6 @ 1/60) using Lomo Color Negative 100 film.  I took the two rolls yesterday morning, and dropped them off around noon. 

Here are the three images from the first roll, which is Portra 400 – what a waste!

Pentax 6×7 Kodak Portra 400
Pentax 6×7 Kodak Portra 400
Yashica D – Fuji Pro 400 H

I am really curious as to what comes back from the photo lab – hopefully fairly soon. If these are also dismal failures, back the camera goes to the vendor!

So, nothing exciting in my life, like flying to Paris for lunch on a whim. But, some satisfaction, and some frustration, just like real life!

Laziness . . .

. . . looks attractive, but work gives satisfaction.

Remember reading this?

It really is true.  Finishing something, even minute, if viewed from the perspective this is what I am doing with my life – with !?!? or @$%*(&! added to the end – makes one reconsider the smallest activities.

Monday was a holiday, Martin Luther King Day specifically, and that day I sat down with my pile of UFOs from my husband’s office.  I finished off the ends of two sweaters, two pair of socks.  I finished  a hat.  I sewed on 10 buttons.

The result was quite satisfying, although one sweater is not really to my liking as much as I hoped.  The other one I am pleased with and wore it yesterday.  It’s construction is simple, knit in the round, raglan sleeves.  The other has set in sleeves, something I really dislike, that I sewed in rather poorly and then felted.  The fabric itself is nice, but the neckline is lower than I like as well as a bit puckery, but I believe I can fix both problems with a bit of thought.  Then that sweater will be more satsifying.

Laziness?  On that subject, when I am feeling lazy, I am either restless or bored, and cannot focus.  When I am in a leisurely frame of mind, I am far from being aimless.  Leisure is a luxury, and something I savor because it is a treat of an ethereal nature, and can be filled with a conscientious choice to do nothing, or filled with pleasures, such as knitting, reading, gardening, painting, or whatever appeals to me at the moment.  It can be very unproductive when it comes to completing tasks, but very productive in restoring a sense of well being on all levels of existence – mental, physical, spiritual.