Eye on the New Year

I don’t make New Year’s resolutions anymore, but I’m hoping I can get back to having a little more of a social life in 2015. Not dating per se, I just need to go out and do things. Other than grocery shopping or vet visits. Even though I’ve never been a very social person, I have missed so many things I actually did want to do this year (including a local Goth even I’m missing tonight tonight) and have spent way too much time hiding in my comfy little house with kitty. Which, in moderation, isn’t a bad thing. But I’m beginning to feel a bit agoraphobic. Some alone time is necessary for my sanity, I am not a people person. But too much thinking can be a bit destructive to me. And, as much as I love my cat, it’s healthy to talk to other people occasionally.  In real life, not just via text or or email.

Things started off badly with a bad cold snap for Mardi Gras, and I only ended up going to a few of the parades.  Even my normal group didn’t go, I went to Muses alone, and I missed St. Ann’s for the first time. Which I may also do this year if the weather is not cooperating.  That is probably the most exhausting day of the year for me, and being outside all day, walking, in large crowds is not always worth the tradeoff for the photos I get. I rarely drink anymore, either, so being around large crowds of highly intoxicated people is just not as much fun sober.

I’ve done some great things in small doses. Convergence in Chicago was amazing, but even there I was having a great deal of difficulty walking so I was a bit of a grump. I’ve had some nice trips home to Houston, though not as many as usual.

During the summer I had my first camera accident in a lifetime of owning nice cameras, and a strap malfunction caused my beloved Sony Alpha 65, with it’s a brand new, very heavy Sigma 18-35 1.8 lens (on it’s first trip out of the house, it took a year to receive it due to the demand and general Sony shenanigans) to go smashing to the ground on a stone floor of a shop in the French Quarter, cracking the camera body and resulting in it having to be mailed to Sony for repairs, so that was disheartening. $400 and a month later it was returned good as new.

Soon after that I bit the bullet and decided to buy a used full frame Alpha 99 with the coordinating Zeiss 24-70 2.8 lens (also used) so I could go ahead and use them for Halloween.  The ARVLFC Meet & Greet was my first outing with it, so Halloween was a crash course in photography for me. I was going to wait for the A99 II, but the original was quickly dropping in price, so I jumped on it.  I was not, however, expecting an upgraded version of the lens to come out a little over a month later, that stung a bit because I did not get as much of a discount on the lens.  Oh well, trying to keep up with technology is pointless.

Halloween was fun and exhausting, as it always is, so many events back to back, so many photos…  I had to miss trick or treating this year due to the timing of the ARVLFC Ball, but I made it to everything else.

My poor cat has also been sick a lot this year, culminating with major intestinal surgery week before last, which knocked out my plans to go to Houston before Christmas, so my holiday visit to my mom (and my friends) will have to wait till after the New Year.  I’ve been having to confine Phoebe, make her wear a cone, and (attempt to) give her four different medicines daily. But she seems to be improving quickly, she’s eating well and has been behaving better than I thought.  And the kitty is always worth the sacrifice, she’s been my baby for 12 years now.

I haven’t ridden either of my bikes this year and in protest to my neglect they both expelled all the air from all four tires.  (Sigh) I have spent a lot of time studying online (though I’ve probably spent an equal amount of hours playing video games. (Oops) And now the year is ending and December has always been my least favorite month, and I’m not much fonder of Christmas. And I’m not Christian or Jewish so I could completely live without the whole psycho shopping, crowds,  pine tree/cinnamon scented lot. Growing up in a retail family does not make you particularly fond of the holiday season either. Plus I despise cold weather, it’s physically painful for me (excuses, excuses, bitch, whine), so I’ve always got my eye on January.  Almost my entire family had birthdays in the two weeks following Christmas so yeah, come on New Year (and spring).  Though after 50, I’ve got kind of mixed feelings about birthdays.

So, unless it’s raining, or freezing cold, I’m planning to welcome 2015 by photographing the fireworks over the Mississippi and hopefully I can get back on track with life.  And go somewhere other than Whole Foods and Petsmart.

 

Fireworks Over the New Orleans Skyline

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