I took a last-minute trip to Chicago on some days off from work... bought a little bit of Ikea goodness for my house, went to the Art Institute, saw some friends, ate some pizza, and, actually, didn't take many photos. (Hey, we all need a vacation sometime.)

From last weekend's trip to our printing press...

Winter was more fun when I was younger, when there were snowball fights and sledding and warming up with a big mug of hot chocolate. It's not so fun as an adult, having to dig/push my car out (twice) and shovel the walk for the first time in at least ten years, though I did feel a certain sense of accomplishment at seeing my sidewalk clean.

I was pretty proud of myself last night, having made it from Iowa City to our printing press and all the way home in the snow (on eerily empty streets) without incident. Until I pulled into my alley, and promptly got stuck. (At 1 a.m.) After a few minutes (okay, maybe 20) of fruitless attempts to dig myself out, I walked up the street until I came across some kind neighbors who helped me out (they were thanked with a big jar of cocoa this morning). If only I hadn't parked in the street and had my car buried by a snow plow overnight..

Still, winter gives me an excuse to wear legwarmers and cozy sweaters and sit around drinking hot chocolate by the gallon, and in the mornings my kitchen window is beautifully, perfectly frosted.

For my birthday weekend (24?! As Alyssa so kindly pointed out, I'm now in my mid-20s. Yippie.), I went to Ames to shoot Cy-Hawk (ISU vs UI) basketball and wresting, ate questionable cherry cobbler pizza stuff at right about 3:33 (the actual time of my birth, I've been told). The birthday wasn't a total bust, though, as I hung out with a photographer friend from Utah in town for the caucus. For now, a few random outtakes..

hello, cedar rapids

Iowa welcomed me back with an ice storm. What fun! These kids from my neighborhood were taking full advantage of the ice-covered hill (and having more fun on it than I've been having on my ice-covered steps).

goodbye, salt lake

It's been a busy week as I settle into my new house and new job, so here are some overdue photos from the drive to Cedar Rapids...



My dad came along on the 18-hour drive.. and made sure we stopped at Little America for the best 50 cent ice cream in... Wyoming? Utah? Where were we?? Of course he made the stop worthwhile, getting a double helping.



Eastern Utah, Wyoming Nebraska all sort of look alike...

how many photographers does it take to carve a turkey?

feast with the beasts

The zoo was open today for kids to watch the animals eat Thanksgiving dinner -- these are a few outtakes, of camera-shy Akara eating a pumpkin and Tucker watching a leopard devour a meat-filled piñata. Mmmm. Time to go enjoy my own feast and slip into a turkey-and-stuffing induced coma...

along the way today...

dirtboarding

A downside to the beautiful weather we've been having lately: these kids didn't have much snow for their first snowboarding lesson. Side note: re-waterproofing is needed on my boots. Brr.

sunday park day

It was absolutely too gorgeous to stay inside today, so Mike and I ventured out to Sugar House Park to enjoy the day..

It feels like every day this fall has been this beautiful. (But beautiful fall days mean no skiing for me before I head to Iowa. Sadness..)

dream america

I photographed the UMFA's Warhol exhibit a few weeks ago, and this quote was hanging on the wall...

"Everybody has their own America, and then they have pieces of a fantasy America that they think is out there but they can't see. When I was little, I never left Pennsylvania, and I used to have fantasies about things that I thought were happening in the Midwest, or down South, or in Texas, that I felt I was missing out on. But you can only live life in one place at a time. And your own life while it's happening to you never has any atmosphere until it's a memory. So the fantasy corners of America seem to atmospheric because you've pieced them together from scenes in movies and nusic and lines from books. And you live in your dream America that you've custom-made from art and schmaltz and emotions just as much as you live in your real one." - Warhol, America, 1985

ode to the black pants

At first I thought my camera was broken. Quickly I realized that one particular ref just kept jumping in front of me. (see also: Ref Ass via sportsshooter)

marry me

I was halfway to my early assignment this morning when I got the call that it was postponed until tomorrow, so I headed back into town with Sufjan keeping me company (hello, my name is Liz and I'm addicted to Christmas music. I can't help it, his cover of 'Come Thou Fount' gets me every time.) I apparently was in some sort of a daze, which I snapped out of to realize that I had passed my exit, three exits ago. But it was a good detour, when I passed by this note from Dave to Elaine, at the Ritz bowling alley on State Street. I wonder what she said?

mini leica!

Do you find this as incredibly adorable, and terribly tempting, as I do? (Ohhh, Urban Outfitters, what useless thing will you tempt me with next? Click the photo for the link to buy one for you, or one for me.)

Did you see me on tv? No? Oh, I was the one behind the FSN guy during his mid-game updates. I shot my first Jazz game (the scrimmage a few weeks ago doesn't really count) -- actually, my first basketball game of the season -- last night, with pretty decent results. Shooting with strobes is a completely different kind of challenge, really forcing me to pay attention to the game lest I fire too soon or too late. One shot every two seconds, if I'm lucky, is all I get. On another note, my back is still sort of out of alignment from trying to lean around a video guy to see the net. I'm sure that I'm not the first photog to have video get in the way a bit, but c'mon, we all have a job to do.. can't we all just get along? Fortunately, it wasn't a crowded game and the nice folks at the Trib made room for me.

First up: after any sporting event, I come back with several "could've been" frames, with another player, or ref, in the foreground. I'm not sure why, but I keep a file of the "best" of these on my computer. (Above: I'm not sure where the connection is between "jazz" and "giant bear," but I have to say, that's one tough lookin' bear. Then, a few of the photos I submitted to the paper.)