Two Girls with Canons

NOTICE.

2010-03-14T23:18:00.001-04:00

Blogging suspended until further notice. Life, work, and midterms are taking over. Check back next week.

It's a Eastern European thing

2010-03-08T18:59:00.005-05:00

It's probably not a good sign that I miss deadlines, since I'm a reporter. But I haven't been fired yet, so I guess I'm doing something right. Just not this whole blog thing. Sorry.

But better late than never, here's my move on theme photo.

I call this my heritage shelf. It has my personal and embarrassingly small collection of Russian and Ukrainian books. It also has an old icon, painted on wood, that I got from my grandmother's house in Ukraine. And a little statue of a kozak boy trying to mack it with this innocent, Ukrainian chick.

When I flew back from Ukraine a few summers ago, a stewardess was giving out customs forms and asked me, "Are you Ukrainian or American?" I'll never forget it.

I wanted to punch her in the face. Why can't I be both?

I believe in moving on in some aspects of my life. But my cultural background is not one of them. I like it. It's cool.

So, new theme is renewal. In honor of spring.

See you next Sunday.

Not an easy task.

2010-03-07T21:41:00.005-05:00

To "move on" might be a good idea in theory, but like most theories it proves a lot harder in practice. As a Pisces, I'm pretty much the epitome of the description for my astrological sign: compassionate, devoted, imaginative, oversensative, indecisive, and lazy. That's just the short version of the list, everything else is also true, specially in the friendship department. Which is why I find it so hard to move on... I have trouble letting go, stepping away from people, and realizing that I can't fix everyone's problems or that they might not want me to.

So for me the only way to "move on" is to...

run away.

Unfortunately, this too rarely gets anything accomplished but at least for a short time I can escape. I know I might not be an easy person to understand so hopefully this picture is worth at least a thousand words.

Now for another week, another theme, and other things to deal with.

A change.

2010-02-28T19:51:00.003-05:00

Due to our overwhelming schedules Olga and I have decided to make a small change to our blogging. Sunday will now be new picture AND new theme day. We'll start this posting routine next Sunday.

As for this week, it's still new theme Sunday so let's get to it!

I've been really busy with a million different things lately but there's one thing I keep coming back to. As time goes on, as I grow up, I feel the need to remind myself that sometimes you just have to ... move on.

So there we have it a new schedule and a new theme.

Clink, clank, clunk

2010-02-26T23:32:00.004-05:00

It usually happens when I'm asleep.

My grandma starts digging through her messy tray of kitchen tools:

She rummages through it for a while, making as much noise as possible until she finds what she needs. It's a total cluttered mess.

But I like it. I never know what I'll find. We just keep throwing stuff into it. Ukrainian wooden spoons, reusable chop sticks I snagged from some restaurant, a soft-boiled egg holder, a screw driver, rolling pins, measuring spoons and other kitchen wonders of all kinds.

Finding something is a loud process but it's always successful. And even though it wakes me up a lot, I take comfort in this disorganized, culturally eclectic chaos.

New theme Sunday, via Luba.

Just another day.

2010-02-26T21:10:00.004-05:00

Life doesn't slow down for anyone, and mine tend to run in the pretty much the same rhythm. On the weekend I have some time to clear out my desk with a lot of pushing from my mom. During the week, however, it accumulates books, papers, notebooks, and a bunch of other stuff like a magnet.

This is the end result, Friday night:

Somewhere in that pile is a list of things I need done by tomorrow, contact information for the managers are the local Target [don't ask] and a lovely parking ticket I got this week. Now I have the next two days to get everything done on my list[s], clean up this mess, and figure out a new theme.

I should get on that...

New week, new theme.

2010-02-21T12:55:00.002-05:00

See how good I am at keeping promises?

This week's theme is clutter. 'Cause everyone has some.

See it here Friday.

But it's so enticing

2010-02-20T21:04:00.005-05:00

Can I say, ooops?

I started a new job this week, which somehow pushed the rest of my life into the background. So on Friday night, I was way too concerned with trying to make it home in one piece (in 3-inch heels) after a happy hour turned into a "let's really get to know our new employee" night at the bar. I forgot about my blogging commitments.

That ramble was necessary because it helps explain why my picture this week is so lame.

This shot makes me think that the house in the background is haunted and you shouldn't enter it, as the sign says. But those bright rays of light are trippy and exciting. It makes you wanna say, "fuck the sign. I'm going in."

Which results either in you playing a part in a really bad "scary" movie or you know, crashing your car into head-on traffic because it's a one way street...

Also, it looks like it's engulfed in flames, right?

Okay, I'll stop now.

I'll be back tomorrow with a new theme. And that's a pinky promise.

Redlight district.

2010-02-19T22:13:00.005-05:00

No there are no adult themes here, just seemed like the most fitting title for my picture this week.

Although RED might seem like a really easy theme since it's so broad and common, but that just makes it harder to come up with something interesting.

So the week came and went and before I knew it I was on my way home on Friday without a theme picture. Hitting a major string of red lights I noticed [after having had my license for almost 3 years now] that there is a moment no longer than 3 seconds where the light is red in both directions.

Not only did I think this was interesting, to have a moment in time where basically everyone [at least every car] as to stand still, but I realize how rarely we get to enjoy a moment like that in our daily lives.

So outside of doing next week's theme, I'm also gonna try to follow the advice I think this photograph so perfectly portrays. Take a moment and stop, completely just stop, all your errands, all the things you have to do don't matter, just stop and enjoy the moment for what it is, utter stillness.

P.S. If the picture looks a little blurry to you it's most likely because it is. I only had time to take one shot and after a long I guess my arms just aren't as sturdy as I'd like.

Happy New Year!

2010-02-14T18:43:00.002-05:00

Because the "Happy Chinese New Year!" status updates from my friends on Facebook outweigh the ones that read "Happy Valentines Day!" or the like.

I decided it's only fitting, in honor of both holidays for the new theme to be...

Drum roll please...

RED

On that note, I have to return to running around like a chicken with it's head cut off and almost forgetting to make this post.

À Vendredi!

Shine in

2010-02-12T21:57:00.003-05:00

Let me cut to the point for this one. Other than the snow storm [which I predict wasn't going to come] and Nissan taking my car in for maintenance this week [when nothing was wrong with it], the most shocking thing that's happened to me this week was my theme picture.

I was having a pretty hard time coming up with something unique and interesting, so I was kinda just snapping pictures around every chance I got. I decided to stick with this one but not because of the exploding effect I got from the sun [which didn't hurt]. Rather my favorite part about this image is the way the branches of the tree right above the sun are glistening. I just love that almost silver look the tree gets.

So maybe it's not an overly shocking image, but it does make you wonder if this is what the sun were to look like if it actually was exploding.

Bare with me I'll put out some better product soon enough. Till Sunday, it's my turn to pick a theme!

Child's play

2010-02-12T11:41:00.004-05:00

In addition to overpriced brunch spots, Park Slope also offers its share of monotony in residential units: old and muted brown stones line the streets, fighting for breathing room.

The pattern is kind of soothing, actually. It's quaint and expected.

While frolicking around Park Slope, before snowmageddon unleashed its fury on New York, I froze in place when I saw this:

An exaggerated doll head peering out of the window on to the people passing by. Hip moms heading to yoga with three children. Freelance writers carrying groceries in reusable bags.

And as if the disturbing face isn't enough, there are those blood-colored brick walls.

My friend happens to live across the street from this creature. Apparently, it's been there since he was a little kid. It scared the hell out of him. And it sure scared the hell out of me.

I could have framed the shot better. But I didn't want to stick around.

Uuuhhh...new theme

2010-02-07T00:30:00.000-05:00

Straight up, I don't have any particular ideas in mind. I'm thinking as I type this. Life's blurry at the moment.

I spent the past like four hours browsing through design, art, fashion and generally ridiculous as fuck blogs. It's like crack. "Just one more, and I'll stop. Oo0 but this one has such an intriguing title, it could be about anything or everything. OK, I am done after this one...well, maybe I'll just peek at this one too..."

It's shocking how many of them are out there. You'd think I'd get inspired by some artsy weirdo, right?

Hhmm...shocking. I like that word. And since I'm also a weirdo with a blog, let's make that a theme.

Shock, that's it. A noun and a verb, pretty open ended.

I'm going to regret this later... Come back on Friday, okay?

99 Problems

2010-02-05T07:30:00.001-05:00

The title pretty much describes the last week or so.

Somehow when I thought of this week's theme I didn't consider how difficult it would be, that and getting sick a few days ago really took most of the fun out of this assignment. So I drove around for close to an hour today only to find that 9th Avenue ends in a place completely different from where I expected it to, thus leaving me without a picture. So what ended up becoming my picture for this week's theme was a completely unplanned snapshot I took and later realized could somewhat fit my theme.

As I went to drive away after getting some last minute groceries I turned to check both side mirrors and to my right I saw the image you have in front of you now. Something about it just felt so American to me and I snapped it. Later on while going through the pictures on my camera and sulking about the fact that I had nothing good I ran across this photograph again and simple liked it. So think of it as a sort of "where's Waldo" photograph and see how many 9's you can find. I guess the moral of the story is that sometimes you can completely stray from your original intentions and find something unexpected.

'Till next week. Hopefully it gets warmer soon.

P.S. Happy Birthday Olga! xD

Size matters

2010-02-04T19:40:00.008-05:00

2009 ushered in many changes. I graduated college, moved back to Brooklyn and switched my schedule of writing papers at 3 a.m. to writing endless cover letters at 3 p.m. It also marked a decade of my life here in the U.S.

With so many changes, I often find myself looking for constants, things that are comfortably predictable and ordinary in my days. When I saw that Luba picked nine for this week's theme, I immediately thought of my shoe size. I wear a 9.

[FYI: Click on the image to see it in full-size glory]

There's a bunch of stuff going on here. A picture of me when I was a kid in Ukraine, a "Save the Date" reminder for my graduation ceremony in May, an anxiety-inducing green flier for job searching, and two transportation cards representing the states that ignite my geographic restlessness: New York and Massachusetts. And there's a watch, time ticking away with every click of the camera.

But there's also a pair of once bright blue Converse. Now, they're old, worn out and falling apart. Although my mom has threatened to throw them out for years now, I just can't part with this damn pair of shoes.

Tomorrow, I might get a job, buy heels, wear suits and join the ranks of 9 to 5 Starbucks zombies. I'll have good days. I'll have shitty days. Trains will come late. Files will be lost and happy hours fully honored.

But I know that no matter what, I can always put on my old Converse. They'll fit. And it's going to be okay.

Not 8, not 7, not 11.

2010-01-31T18:55:00.003-05:00

But rather... 9.

In case you're wondering what the heck I'm talking about just check your calendar. It's Sunday therefore it's new-theme day! I spent many hours trying to come up with an interesting theme for the new week, and when I couldn't, I decided on 9.

What really drove me to this idea was a conversation I had with one of my friends not so long ago about how strange it was that we had two movies both called 9 or nine in 2009.

Hopefully this theme will yield photographs worthy of Oscar nominations.

Brooklyn

2010-01-29T15:29:00.005-05:00

Quick! What comes to your mind when you think, Brooklyn?

Things swirling in my head: tourists on the Brooklyn bridge, best pizza in the world, gradual gentrification, hipster bars filled with good-looking bearded men, the Q train...

In completing this week's assignment, I wanted to avoid all of those things. How else does Brooklyn captivate me?

I tried to think about moments when I become overwhelmed by my surroundings. Moments when silence allows that feeling of gratitude for where I am to win over any other thought. For the most part, it happens when I'm alone.

This week, I took a walk to a nearby nature conservation area in my neighborhood. It's not much to look at this time of the year, a place as dead and dreary as any salt marsh could be in late January.

My fingers became numb and I turned to leave. But then I first felt, and then saw, the sun. It was out for less than a minute. Just long enough to tease the yellows:

I dare to say that this is one representation of what Brooklyn is to me, if only for the fact that just by looking at it, I feel the tingles of gratitude.

And because the perfect soundtrack to this scene is Yo La Tengo's "Green Arrow." On repeat.

Luba's next on the chopping block. Until next theme, yo.

BC Baby

2010-01-29T10:42:00.005-05:00

With a theme like "Brooklyn" there is really far too much to choose from. So to help me narrow it down I decided to think of all the things that are Brooklyn to me. Great pizza, fresh bagels, the Brooklyn Bridge, my friends, the Brooklyn Botanical garden, "arange" not "orange", FDR, the last 10 years of my life... man what a trip, but most importantly... my home.
I might be a Russian, with a hint of Armenian, born in Kazakhstan but I'm a Brooklynite through and through.Currently my adventures in Brooklyn center around one place, CUNY Brooklyn. I might go to a community college but it's the best darn community college in my borough.
At dusk, the most suburban looking campus in the heart of Brooklyn, NY. I think people find it hard to believe that something that looks so peaceful can be wedged between some of the noisiest neighborhoods around.
As it will soon become apparent I really like to under or over expose my pictures, so shooting at dawn or dusk is one of my favorite things. In case you're wondering I didn't use a filter the star shaped lights just kinda happened, and I'm glad they did because it's another one of my favorite effects but sadly my camera lens can't mount filters.
I wish there was more I could share about our wonderful borough because even though a picture might be worth a thousand words you need at least a million to describe how awesome Brooklyn is.

This week's theme is...

2010-01-24T00:01:00.000-05:00

Brooklyn.

This is going to be hard. There's so much I already love about this place. But there's also lots of uncharted territory.

Photos are due up here on Friday.

Until then, fugheddaboudit.

The Canons Deal

2010-01-23T20:27:00.003-05:00

I think Olga did a rather good job of introducing our shared blog, let's give her a round of applause shall we? Ok, enough of that.

The idea as she explained is simple, we pick a theme, take pictures, and share them with the world. Comments and criticisms are always welcome but take it easy on us, Olga's just into this whole "photography" thing and I've been away for far too long.

My weapon of choice is a little bit of a dinosaur but at the time of purchase it was one of the most high tech things around, and no matter what I still love my Canon PowerShot G5.

As Olga also mentioned, this week we decided to do a black and white portrait theme of each other, obviously.

Yeah this photo might make Olga look a bit like a hipster kid from Williamsburg, but I really love the contrast on her face it's like she's two different people.

We hope you guys enjoy the blog, we'll be back soon with more themes and more photographs.

The Canons deal

2010-01-23T12:55:00.000-05:00

A few months ago, a new and quite expensive toy ended up in my hands. But for a toy, it's pretty complex. I needed to learn how to play so I can join the ranks of all the cool kids.

My toy is a shiny DSLR camera. A Canon EOS Rebel XSi, to be precise.

My friend Luba, whom I've known since middle school, also has this toy, but an older version. She's been a cool kid for a while.

So we decided to use this as a venue for getting more acquainted with our cameras and keeping us accountable for taking photos of more than just our family or in my case, food.

The premise of this blog is simple: we'll individually come up with a theme on alternate weeks. Then, we'll take photos and share the one we believe represents the theme for that week on the blog. Pretty genius, I know.

By a way of introduction, we thought it'd only be appropriate to take portraits of each other as our first assignment. Black and white portraits, just to add to the fun.

Below is my homework completion for this week. This is a photo I took of Luba that I love. She looks fierce and loving at the same time. But I'd watch out.

I'll post next week's theme soon. It's a pleasure to meet you.