I'm a dirty rotten liar today. Ugggghhhhh.

Teenage Luuuuuuuuuvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

I've just purchased a plane ticket to visit Alana. And we're going to see Travis. All my high school giggles are bubbling up. Oh, Fran Healy. Gigglegigglegiggle. Ahhh I hope they play "Flowers in the Window." I would revert to eighteen and melt away.

And in June, Oscar and I are going to try to go to Columbus to see the Decemberists. I hope I hope.

It's been maybe two years since I've been to a concert.

I hate it when suspicions are confirmed. Even when they are so obvious that they should be conclusions.

I also hate dreams that are so perfect, they leave me wishing I could sleep the rest of my life. That's easier to deal with. The feelings of losing the perfect life to waking are fleeting. But knowing the truth of your suspicions is weirder.

Plus dreams are never solid. Like this perfect life from last night. Was just a generalization. An impression of a perfect life. All I know is it was urban and perfectly mismatched.

I've been having an inordinate amount of pregnant dreams lately (not last night, though).

Top five pointers for casual photos

Just some quick pointers for taking informal portraits of people for things like theater production programs and non-profit newsletters.

1. Don't stand people in front of a glossy or shiny wall. Your flash will reflect and suddenly it looks like God dropped in to put rabbit ears on your subject. Similarly, do not put people in front of a window if it is daytime. Mmmm backlighting=bad.

2. Give them a day's notice and suggest that they wear something in a midtone, particularly if everything is to be printed in black & white.

3. Don't stand too close to them. Even the most dry-skinned person can have a glaring nose if you're too close. However, try not to include feet. You really only need from the elbow up.

4. Try to use natural light. Then you don't have to use a flash and you're less likely to end up with blurry photos. This is especially important if you've got a big group of people. If you've got to light up eight rows of people with the flash of a point & shoot camera, the back half is gonna be too dark.

5. Know your white balance. Set it for the appropriate lighting. Or be safe and leave it on auto.

I want to work in a place that is professional. Where buddies don't barge in, leaving me standing alone with my ignored greeting while they go and chat with my boss and the other girl. Where all the clients are equal. Where promises are made but when it comes time to dole them out, there is a second interpretation and I get shafted.

I guess more important than this is I wish I had the (no ifs ands or buts, these kids got) guts to actually tell my boss that the way he stated above promise did not for one minute make me think of the second, shafting interpretation.