Thanks!

Just a quick re-cap from Blogtoberfest: It was awesome! Many thanks to everyone who checked out the posts. I actually got up to 31, which is one more than last year. We'll have to see what I can get done next year!

I'll also include the Pictures of the Day from October if you'd like to check them out. You can see larger versions of them and the October Leftovers on flickr, or you can just check out the slideshow here:

What's In Your Bag?

I recently found a picture contest on Photobucket, a website where people dump their pictures. The contest had expired, but I liked the topic: "What's in your purse?" The winning photo can be seen by following this link, but the premise of the photos are simple: arrange all the stuff you've got in your bag for a picture. So, I decided to do it for a Picture of the Day about a month ago. I'd meant write a blog post commenting about it, but I never had the time... until BLOGTOBERFEST, that is!

So, here's my bag, all packed up and ready to go (I don't have a man-purse, let alone a woman-purse, so I just used my backpack instead):

...and here's my "neatly-exploded-bag" picture:

If you're some kind of a creep or something, you can check out a larger version here.

Remember that this is the backpack that I take to work, so there are obviously a lot of job-related things. Let's have a look, generally from left to right, top to bottom (just pretend you're reading my junk like a cheap romance novel you picked up for a dollar in the checkout line at Rite-Aid):

1. Mini tripod, small camera, regular camera, and plastic bag: Because you never know when you'll find a Picture of the Day, and the plastic bag is because you never know where you'll find mold in this Godforsaken country.

2. Ipod and charging cable: Because music is important.

3. Cell phone: I should probably also have a charger for this, since it's usually dead. I think there's one in my car, but in any case, it's really only for emergencies.

4. Flash drive: That's how things get done around here.

5. Re-filled bottle of water: Small enough to carry easily and look cheap.

6. Folders and books: I do teach, after all.

7. Paperclip: Like free-range prairie dogs, they seem to be ubiquitous in my bag unless I'm trying to find one, in which case there's not a single one to be found.

8. Pens and whiteboard markers: More tools of the trade.

9. Two of those little "do not eat this" packets: I think they're supposedly made to keep moisture out of packages, and I'm crossing my fingers that they'll do the same for my bag.

10. Earphones

11. Medicines: Hand sanitizer (the water goes out here more than you'd imagine), generic "anti-diarrheal," "pink bismuth," "ibuprofen," and "gas relief" pills (to counteract traveling classes or horrible food).

12. Toothbrush and toothpaste: I was surprised that everyone here brushes their teeth after lunch, just like they say you're supposed to. When in Rome...

13. Gum, mint, and more gum: For when the water goes out and I can't brush my teeth.

14. Belt: I have no idea how I manage to forget a belt so often--maybe I don't think I'll need one when I get dressed, and my pants stretch out throughout the day?--but it's good to have one on hand.

15. Mini-notebook: Old school solution for carrying phone numbers, and allows me to avoid learning how to program numbers into my phone.

16. The Book of Questions: For use when I need a fast warm-up in class.

So, what's in your bag? Have you ever shot a picture like this? It seems like I've come across quite a few of them, most of them nicer than mine, but oh well. By the way, here's the set-up for this picture:

...which made it by far the most complicated Picture of the Day I've shot in these nearly two years. 

So, that's it for now, but stay tuned for more Blogtoberfest fun, coming soon to a Sitzblog near you!

Pictures of the Day: September 2011

Blogtoberfest continues! The Pictures of the Day from September admittedly start off a bit dull, but they get better as the month goes along. It was a pretty long, boring month with lots of rain and fog and lots of hanging out inside. That seems to translate into taking lots of random pictures of crap around the house:

Thanks for reading, and be sure to stay tuned for more Blogtoberfest fun!

7 Big Ones... If A "Big One" Is A "Thousand"

My 7,000th flickr picture. Angela was working in the flowerbed the other day
so I took a picture of this hand shovel.

I realized tonight that my flickr account now has 7,000 pictures, which is pretty ridiculous by most any standard. Then again, I can sort of justify it because I've got about 7 years of pictures, plus a pretty questionable infrastructure down here in Costa Rica (I try to have an online backup of everything in case of earthquake, landslide, fire, theft, hurricane, and/or cat vomit). 

In any case, I mainly keep the flickr account updated for me and my mom, since I think we're the two people who seem to be most interested in it. But if you'd like to see some pictures, you're welcome to go check them out. You may find the following sets or collections to be interesting:

Various Trips

Life in Costa Rica (including Traditional Costa Rican Food, Coffee, and the Formerly Crappy Casita)

My Current "365" Set (where I take a picture a day... this one is less complicated than looking for each month or its "Leftovers")

So, there is obviously a lot more, and you don't have to check out any pictures if you don't want to. But I just thought I'd mention it...

My 7,001st picture. If I had known I was nearing a round number, I would have uploaded this as #7,000.
Some cats are quite a bit more interesting than a hand shovel.

Thanks for reading, and have a good one!

Pictures of the Day - August 2011

If you're interested in checking out last month's Pictures of the Day, have a look at this slideshow. You can click on any picture to go to a larger resolution on flickr, and if you want to see the description, just click on "info." Enjoy!