Tour de Tanz. (VID)

A few months in the Tanz. I would give a lot to go back for just a bit longer.

CROATIA: vid for the lazier photo viewer

photagging the healing process

At the ER, the night I tore up my foot.  Kicked during a game of futsol the same time as another (much larger than I) girl.  My toes decided they'd had enough, and went their own way.

To say that I handled the news that I needed surgery on my foot with any level of grace would be an overstatement.  I took it worse than I imagine people take the news that they have a life-threatening illness.  In my mind I assumed I would wear my stupid boot for a few weeks and be good to go, but being told I had to have ligaments reattached to the bone, and would therefore be out of running for three months and soccer for six, was unexpected.  The poor surgeon, whose name I can never remember how to spell, but looks shockingly like John Cleese with crazy hair, probably wasn't expected me to be such a baby.  I did, however, appreciate that he called me a "brute," as a description of my soccer style.  So a week after getting my MRI results, I was hanging out at the doctor's office, waiting to get chopped.  Immediately after, it was no problem- they administered a nerve block (ie: injected a TON of crap into my ankle.  with lotsa needles) and it thankfully left me without feeling below my ankle.  Unfortunately, I metabolize painkillers like crazy, and just a few hours later (16 hours ahead of schedule) it wore off.  So instead of sleeping through that first night, I laid in the fetal position, making pathetic, quiet weepy noises, convinced that someone had somehow forgotten a knife in my foot.  It took a few days, but I did figure out the painkillers, and so it was just the joy of figuring out crutches...  and anyone who knows me knows that grace is not one of my attributes.  It was ugly.  

The BOOT.  This bad boy was with me for quite a while.  This was the day after my injury, when I still thought it was just badly bruised and needed a day or two off.

So, to make it through the whole process, I decided to take pictures along the way, and continuously remind myself what I was rehabbing for:  the Racine Half Ironman in July.  It will be coming just 1.5 weeks after I was supposed to start running again, but I may have cheated a bit.  Anyway- here's the photo journal.  of my foot.  You lucky dogs. 

Surgery!  I looked much more chipper than I felt.  The pic of my foot says "YES" just in case they decided to chop up the wrong one.  Complete with blood from all the nerve block shots.

Sorry.  Guess I could've warned you this was coming.  This was right after they cut off my cast.  I almost passed out while they took out the stitches, because it felt so weird.  Wasn't ready for that.

Celebrating my first cast-free day.

Two weeks in Croatia in a boot?  Sure!  Especially if you're traveling with two very patient and understanding people.

Running and biking.  My versions of rehab...  I didn't (and still don't quite) have insurance, so couldn't afford physical therapy.  I happen to have quite a bit of experience doing stupid things to myself requiring rehab, so I was able to make up my own program.

Just before my first Tri!!  I didn't exactly fly through the damn thing, but I finished.  One week before I was supposed to start running again- and 3 months since I was able to train.

Jealousy.

So...  basically these are just a few pictures I really wish I'd taken.  No backstory or anything needed, this is just some straight up jealousy here.  And this is just a couple I ran across the last couple days...  there are likely thousands upon thousands of pictures I wish I had taken.

 Somewhere in Italy.  I'm guessing this is super duper photoshopped, but I like to believe this place really exists.  and I will go there.  and take this picture.

 No idea where.  Just rad.

Iceland.  And I don't want to just take this picture, I WANT TO LIVE HERE.

now.

Stephen Hawking in zero gravity.  I want to take this picture because I would like to hang out with Stephen Hawking in zero gravity.

don't deny it, you'd love it too.

Ain't That the Truth

To be honest, this just makes me want a pet monkey.  A monkeytographer, if you will.

But it's a little true, you've gotta admit.

Marketing Done Right

I'm not entirely sure if a post about the pictures used in ads is as much a commentary on photography as much as a commentary on changing social norms, but nonetheless, here we are.  And to be honest, my posts have strayed wildly from anything pertaining to actual photography for quite awhile.  So suck it up and deal with it.

Recently I discovered two magazine advertising campaigns that are awesome beyond awesome, and I'll tell ya why:

TARGET.  Can you tell what makes this so great?  If you work in my field, you've likely seen someone post something about this on facebook or somewhere similar, remarking how great it is.  If you're unable to tell why I like it so much (beyond the fact that kids are the bestest) look at the model on the far left.  I love that Target is using a model with Down's Syndrome, and not making a big deal out of it.  They're leaving that to the rest of us.  He's not in an ad for "special kids" clothes and they're not pointing out how great they are for using a model with a disability.  He's just one of the cute kiddos selling their clothes.  That's all.  And I'm not sure if this is a HIPPA violation or anything, but I do know that Target has used child models with disabilities before.  A family I used to work with had a daughter on the autism spectrum that worked for Target.  Rock on.

MACY'S.  This ad already has people writing petitions.  Mother's groups that think it will harm their children, or some such nonsense.  Can you tell why?  Again, unless you've seen other posts about this ad recently, I'm doubting you'll have any idea what the problem is.  Actually, even if you do know why it's causing an uproar, I can only hope you don't see the problem.  Apparently, people aren't cool with Macy's using a wedding cake with two grooms on the top, and this will somehow scar children forever, making them somehow believe that the trunk is an appropriate place for a cake.  Ah, crap.  I don't mean that as a euphemism for anything, but somehow I'm sure people are figuring out how to make that phrase  dirty.  But again, I digress.  Well played, Macy's.  I like the subtlety.  Again, normalizing something that should be considered normal.  Yay love.

[to do] PART II

Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen. Michael Jordan
I believe I will add "Be Like Mike" to my list.

As it turns out, my first post got me some connections to get one of my items completed.  My cousin told me about this rad outdoor conference dealie that has a session on dog sledding.  AND on skijoring, archery, surviving a winter night outside, and a bunch of other things assumably way beyond my skill level.  Neat-o.  

So moving on, I realized that it's a bit more difficult to use photos to make the pics for items on my bucket list not yet completed.... since obviously I haven't done them yet, so how would I take the pic?  So I had to get creative, and by creative I mean be as lazy as possible.  My photography style is getting dangerously close to my writing style- which I'm guessing is pretty nonsensical as I'm trying to watch Sin City while writing this.  THAT'S a movie with some cool style.  BOOSH.

So three more items ANDHERETHEYARE!!!:

 I snapped this pic on one of my training runs...  I figured it was representative of the incredibly long road ahead of me before I'm able to be an Ironman.  I've registered for a half IM this summer, and I'm pretty excited for it :)

 Yes.  Yes this is just  pile of random travel stuff.  Pretty creative, no?  That would be a travel magazine of trips I don't really believe in (spending giant piles of cash to stay in ritzy hotels and basically stay as far away from the locals as possible), a pamphlet from one of the companies I'd like to travel through, and my Rosetta Stone for Russian.  I've been slacking on my Russian, truth be told- but I'd really really like to go and stay for a few months with a program similar to the one I did in the Tanz.  Just need money...  lots of it.  And time.   But it's going to happen.

Oh, so I lied earlier.  This is four new items, not three.  I figured these two things were similar enough to put together.  I don't entirely remember what caused me to add "Bike Austria" to my list.  I believe it was from when I was traveling around Austria with a friend some years back I was told about how they have some super amazing bike trails all over the country.  And wowza it was really beautiful there!  As for the Tour D'Afrique- I recommend you look it up.  They actually have a bunch of bike tours now, but I remember following the first Tour online- the bikers rode from Cairo to Cape Town.  Kick ass.
Also- I'm doubting I would do either of these on a Tri-Bike, but I just like taking pics of my superfantastic bike.

So, still waiting for anyone else's bucket list items?  Because I plan to steal them.