52 photos/halfway there!

It's almost the end of June (where did the time go?!?) and that means I'm at the midpoint of my 52-photos-one-photo-per-week challenge (I never did come up with a snappier name...oops). And here's the thing: I know all last year I was doing my photo-a-day thing and monthly wrap-ups that said something like oh well even though I didn't get exactly 30 (or 29 or 31) photos because I spent the month in a darkened cave of a theater I still love this project oo look how many pictures of the sky I now have! But that was just a big 'ole lie to myself. Lies, I tell you, lies!! The parameters of the project (that I created for myself, mind you...way to go, Mar) were just not conducive to my lifestyle, and that stressed me out to no end. So at the beginning of this year (2014), I took a good long look at my current photography habits and future photography goals and gave myself a much more manageable challenge - take one good photo per week that accurately portrays or evokes my state of being during the week in question.

And boy, do I love this project. There is so much freedom in not having to frantically search around every day for that perfect photo. Instead, I have an entire seven-day span in which to really ask myself what it is I want to portray. Granted, there have been some weeks when I've had a bounty of pictures to choose from (I've smattered some of the "rejected" ones throughout this post). I've had the luxury of going on a few vacations and for a few long photo walks around the city which resulted in a handful of pretty great images - but in those cases, the name of the game is editing - something I never had to do in the previous year. I now find myself looking at a series of pictures taken over the course of a few days or a few hours, and though I love them all, I can only chose one to represent the week - which in turn creates a really fascinating way of reflecting over the past seven days.

Without even meaning to, I'm focusing heavily on the changing seasons. Rather than a bunch of selfies and random pictures of friends (which I was secretly afraid I was going to do), my photos are a visual representation of the polar vortex winter we all went through and then the collective relief we all felt when the weather finally calmed down - I went from wool hats and snow-covered cityscapes to budding plants, short skirts, and every public green space I can find in the city.

But most of all, these pictures represent me - my little journey through one year as a now-30-something female in New York City. The food I eat. The sights I visit. The drinks I consume. The friends I keep. The vegetables I learn to grow. These snapshots are little slices of even smaller moments of my life, and I love that about this project. I am so happy that I decided to scrap the photo-a-day thing and instead focus on one photo per week. It's a schedule that I can keep - it works with my life, not against it, and it's just the right amount of push I need to keep me creatively inspired and snapping away.

52 photos is my personal challenge to take one awesome picture per week in 2014. All photos were taken by me on either my iPhone 5s or Cannon EOS Rebel T3i (my "big girl" camera). If edited, I use Snapseed, Instagram, or Adobe Lightroom. Follow me - @maspad - to see these and many more pics!

summer(2014): book report #1

Every summer in high school, I had reading and writing assignments to complete. Sometimes I'd have a list of books I needed to have read by the first day of school, other times I'd have to write a history paper and send it in to the teacher by a certain date in July; summer before senior year, I was faced with both types of assignments. Though it was a bit tricky to comprehend a detailed account of the Civil War while surrounded by blaring whistles, screaming kids, and the reverberation of the nearest diving board and corresponding ker-splash of an unfortunate belly flop (what, you weren't a lifeguard too?), I didn't really mind having to work my way through a tower of books all summer long. With graduation, though, came end of my summer reading. I spent that summer before college (and a few summers after that) bathing in the glow of the newest Cosmo magazine and not much else. However, I eventually grew to miss what had previously been a huge part of my life - reading for pleasure. It took me until I moved to New York to really get back into the habit of regular reading (long subway rides proved to be the perfect vehicle to rekindle my love of literature...pun intended), and now with my iPad I can't even use the excuse that a particular book is too heavy to fit into my purse (don't roll your eyes. it's a harsh reality of life in the big city.)

I am always looking for book recommendations. It's probably a result of all those high school summers, but I can't resist a good reading list - so in case you're looking for a little reading inspiration yourself, below are some of my most recent favorite reads. Almost all are novels (though I desperately want to be, I'm just not a non-fiction kind of gal), and you've probably heard of or even read most of them. But just in case you haven't, why not give 'em a try this summer?

I Was Told There'd Be Cake and, How Did You Get This Number by Sloane Crosley - I'm not normally a fan of essays or short stories, but each tale hits so close to home that these books could have easily been my own (more well-written) diary. Starting out as a struggling artist in New York. Traveling solo in Europe. Awkward presents from ex-boyfriends. If you want a beautifully funny patchwork of what it's like to be in your 20's in the 2000's, grab one or both of these books.

The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving by Jonathan Evison - I got this book after picking up one of those free iTunes downloads at Starbucks one afternoon. I hadn't really even intended to read it (I don't usually put too much stock in free downloads) but after having nothing else to do on the train one day, I started it - and then couldn't put it down. I found myself absorbed in an anti-hero's odyssey and desperately wanting to be included in such an unlikely group of people's northwest road trip.

Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson - this is a bizarre book about an even more bizarre childhood, but Lawson imbues so much humor and love into her story that you can't help get on board.

The Telling Room by Michael Paterniti - truth be told, this book gets a bit long and lost in the narrative at times, and there are way too many footnotes for my liking. But it's evocative descriptions of rural Castile and dozens of passages devoted to the taste and smell of cheese may have you booking your next vacation to a tiny village in northern Spain.

Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple - part mystery, part travelogue, part diary, and part satire, this book is that rare combination of comedy and page-turner that I thought about for weeks after finishing it.

Seating Arrangements by Maggie Shipstead - this is a beautiful and unassuming story about a wedding weekend fraught with lust, envy, regret, and an exploding cetacean. You may grow to really dislike the family's patriarch, but you'll certainly want to stick around to see what happens.

Wild by Cheryl Strayed - the movie version is coming out this winter, so do yourself a favor and read the book first. If you're like me and think "hiking" is when you walk up a few stone stairs in Central Park, then let yourself get lost in the beautiful desolation of Strayed's solo hike on the Pacific Crest Trail.

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt - as the most recent winner of the Pulitzer prize for fiction, nearly as much has been said about this book as it is long. Clocking in at almost 800 pages, this tome takes you on an near-fantastical journey from New York to Las Vegas to Amsterdam as the protagonist tries to protect a stolen work of art and meets a dizzying cast of insolent and self-absorbed characters along the way. I could NOT put this book down.

The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P. by Adelle Waldman - set within Brooklyn's nouveau-lit community, reading this book was like reliving every date and dinner party I've been to in the past five years - not necessarily a pleasant experience, but since the novel is told from the point of view of the guy, an educational one.

  

The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer - while at times this novel had a Forrest Gump-like quality as it chronicled the lives of a group friends over the course of almost 40 years, it was a fascinating look at the development of the "me" generation as the narcissistic and self-absorbed teenagers struggled to find fulfilling careers and relationships.

Please note: the above are affiliate links, which may earn me a small commission if you click on them (but at no extra cost to you!) Regardless if I get paid or not, I still stand by my recommendations and hope you enjoy them too ;)

My Met

Guys, I have a confession to make: I love the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Wait, you knew that already? What gave it away - my tendency to visit the museum every time I get a day off? My instance that I know the perfect route to the best artwork? My knowledge of the most hidden and line-free bathrooms? The fact that I know some of the security guards by name?

I had a day off this week, and true to form, I spent it at the Met. I didn't really have an agenda or schedule to my afternoon so I simply let myself wander the halls, focusing on not only the artwork but also the architecture of the building itself and the patrons and employees who inhabit the museum.

So without further ado, I give to you a little photo essay I call "Seen at The Met Museum, 6/18/14"
(note to self: be more creative with photo essay titles in the future)   ;)

If you go: The Metropolitan Museum of Art is located at 5th Avenue and 82nd St., open seven days a week from 10am-530pm (later on Fridays/Saturdays), and asks a $25 admission. Do remember, though, that the full entrance fee is just a suggestion and you are not required to give the full amount! Because I visit the museum about five or six times a year, I usually give about $3 each time and feel completely good about doing so.