Introducing, the Max:

I love them. The floor I live on is called the Max-- it's named after the diner on Saved by the Bell. We even have a signed photograph of the real Max-- the diner's owner on the show.

Last night was our spring floor meeting. Denise and I are the RA's on the floor, so we get to plan events and we're also the go-to's if anything happens (there are lots of floods on our floor-- we've had 2 already this year...). We told them about our upcoming events (like the LA flower market this Saturday!), and got a chance to catch up with each other. Here's some photos!

Emily Rose Lilley and Vanessa

Danika, my inspiration.
This is our (very) long hall-- I found Danika in a huge chair talking on the phone.... in the middle of the hall. Every day is new at the Max :) I absolutely love it. This one was taken today, not at the meeting.

Sabrina, Kendall, Lee Ann, Katie, Madison (nice pose, girl.), and Ciara
Megan, Mallory, and Rachel

Becky, Shanna (my roommate!), Shelley (my suitemate!), and Judie

It's perfect: Albertson's made us soda with our name on it!

We did an art project: they made something to put on their door that would display their uniqueness. Here's Judie's. Obviously, it emulates her very well.

I will be pretty much be posting about every event we do. These girls are quality, and are such a blast to hang out with... It will be fun to record our random adventures on here :)

Take it to the Max.

Okay, I get a little excited.

Just so you know, I had to skip two of the songs: Sinkin' Soon and Be My Somebody. Too-- not Norah. Too loud and jumpy. I know, I know-- if these weren't in there I'd fall asleep...but that's exactly right. I was in my bed, trying to fall asleep, and Sinkin' Soon came on and interrupted my dreams because it was just so loud and all over the place.

I think I basically love her voice and her hair. I approach music like this: I like one person with one instrument. That's my top priority. Oh, and quietness. It can't be loud. For me, the lyrics are recognized in phase three. I know. I've got growing to do.

don't worry,

I've posted about a Norah Experience before.

I feel like she is my go-to. When I need to rest, think, work, or cry, I turn on It Feels Like Home and the world is better. Her new CD came out today. And by today, I mean-- 43 minutes ago. I pre-ordered it, and was it worth it? Yes. I will be so bold as to say just her voice alone is enough to bring you to your knees. I don't care what she's singing-- whatever comes out of her mouth is just beautiful. But on top of her sound, her lyrics are so sweet. Sweet. That's my word for her. Graceful, careful, soft, and sweet. Words I never would have known would be coming out of my mouth in praise of someone else. I like to think of myself as bold, edgy, strong, and limitless, and I tend to place value on people who are like that as well. Well, at least I used to. The world is changing, folks, and I like the delicate things of life these days. The questions, the raw unobstructed honesty, the reality. "Oops i hit my elbow on the door but i don't even care."

Who writes like that? I love her.

Aww- now she's whistling. AHHH! Friends, seriously. This is so lovely.

I feel myself falling asleep now, so goodnight. I will wake up inspired, I just know it. I have it on repeat, and will for the next few weeks most likely.

while doing the laundry today,

I noticed a few things.

+ I like grey. A LOT. I have 7 grey T-shirts, two of which are the same. I think I wear a grey shirt about 4 days per week.

+ I haven't done my laundry since Christmas. Woops.

+ I like to pair all the grey with a little shocker of a color. Orange works really well, so does lime green.

+ I have about 10 cardigan sweaters. Two are the same color of lime green. Well, it's more of a yellowish muted green, kind of like the "art in everyday life" header.

+ Even my bed goes with the theme: green sheets, grey blanket, orange pillows.

So, the conclusion is this:
life isn't black and white.

A taste of LA

The Grand Central Market: an eclectic mix of culture, an opportunity to interact with new people, and it's only a metro-ride away. I would love to live in the city sometime soon, simply for the opportunity to discover new people and new places like we did this afternoon.


Alex, Justin and Jon .
This is the sweet woman who took our picture

So there was this...minty milk. Advice: you shouldn't buy it.
Jon and Monica, way to be tough.

Yeah, it was REALLY bright.
Denise, thank you for being my model, every day of my life.
The exposures would be off without you.

Papa CEO apparently couldn't quite drive his stick-shift Mercedes...

Shannon Leith

25 cent dry

WHO KNEW?? Right around the corner from my school is a small laundromat. The other day, I went to buy some apples from Stater Bros. and as I was walking in I saw this small gem. It's classic. A long line of washers on one side, dryers on the other. Old silk flowers line the middle, and there are cute signs all over the walls. This is my third year living at Biola, and I have never become aware of this wonderful photography studio until now.

But hey, the timing was perfect:
just in time for our new staff photo!

Here's me, Juli, Alex, Rachel, Heidi, Monica, Denise, Jon, Justin, and Katie.
you can double click to see it larger

We are RA's in Sigma together, one of the dorms on campus, and my-oh-my do we ever have a blast. We've been preparing all week to head into spring semester, and today part of the agenda included this photo shoot to update our wall. On the docket for tomorrow: Grand Central Market in LA! Exploring that city is one of my top five favorite things to do, so tomorrow will be such a blast, especially since I've never been there before.

Get in gear for an debrief of our adventures!

Shannon Leith

Here is an album:

These are photos from a trip I took to Europe in 2005.
Finally after two years, an album!

Along with photography, I really enjoy graphic design.
Designing this book provided hours upon hours of fun :)

If you'd like to see more, here's the whole thing: http://shannonleith.com/europe/
>> The song you'll hear is Jason Morant's 51st,
and is guaranteed to bring delight to the room.




:: News! ::
My new website is coming soon, thanks to my friend Alex,
a wonderful graphic designer. I am so jazzed!
For now, its a slideshow-party.

from McNally82 @ night

Picnic in the hall

Blythe and I wanted to have lunch together, and decided to ditch Panera and embrace...the hall.

On our menu:
Spiral Macaroni and Cheese
Avacado and Tomatoes on Crackers
Raspberry Jello
Water
Mixed Greens with Cranberries
Hawaiian Bread
Peanut Butter
and Apples.

It was a joint effort: we both scoured our cupboards and contributed anything that we had. In my case, I looked all around my 15'x15' dorm room-- on shelves, in my mini-fridge, in drawers, and in the community fridge, and gathered whatever I could.

I love eclectic adventures, especially alongside a dear friend.
Blythe and I will grow old together, guaranteed.

bow to the 4x5

One of my favorite photography ventures has been learning to use the 4x5 large format camera. If you're not a photo fanatic like me, just think: the big accordian cameras on tripods with a black cloth to put over your head. Translated: they're very large, and very wonderful.

I explored the day-to-day lives of some of the girls on my floor by going to their room, setting up the camera, and taking a photograph of them in their real environment. These are all girls who live on my floor, the Max, where I am an RA. There were no outfit changes, no one cleaned up the mess on the floor, and I gave no direction as to how they were supposed to pose. I usually took the picture while we were having a conversation, without them noticing. I love the style of image that the 4x5 camera makes. I didn't do any retouching or adjustments. The authenticity of each person that came through is so beautiful to me.

My inspiration: Alec Soth.

Jen

Annelise

Jesse

Lindsay and Juli

Rosanna and Beth

Melissa

Nova Express

One of my favorite places to be is Nova Express, a space-themed restaurant in LA. The environment is entirely mellow, almost hypnotic, with their spacey music, low lighting, and the dim glow of lava lamps and black lights. A giant alien hangs in the corner of the restaurant, the beauty being that the owner made it himself. Genius. On top of the environment being perfect, their food is outstanding; I highly recommend their pizza because the crust is to die for. It has a hint of honey in it-- it's the most unique, delicious pizza i've ever tasted. It's open from 7pm-2am Monday-Thursday, and 7pm-FOUR A.M.! from Friday-Sunday, making it the most ideal place to go for a night out (or, as I did-- to study astronomy in a conducive atmosphere). They often have live bands playing there, and there are even book clubs that meet there on a regular basis. On top of all that, the staff is great too! They're all so relaxed and nice. And again-- the food. Tonight I had cheesecake with fresh berries, and it was incredible.

Bonus: Nova means new star.

Buy these and you will melt

Since it's only a week and a half until classes start for spring (AHH!), I have all my textbooks coming in the mail right now. I get a package almost every day, which adds excitement to the astronomy-filled days.

Well, yesterday, I got another package slip of course, and when they handed it to me, it was books. Of course.

BUT WAIT! I looked at the return address, and it was from these amazing folks at Ex Libris Anonymous, aka: BOOK JOURNALS! "What? I haven't ordered anything from here in months!"

A little background info on what I'm talking about. This company makes journals out of old books. They put blank pages in between the original pages of old books, and bind it all together to make a completely new, but still vintage journal. What is so great is that each one is so unique. I have a bunch made from old photography books, one called "Enchanted Stories" (every time I open it I feel like I'm writing a kids fantasy novel or something), they have old geometry text books made into journals, and old advice books like "How to Eat Right and Keep Fit". Essentially, they have anything you could ever imagine. Please look at the link, and fall in love. Tell me which one you buy.

Here's where the heart-melting part of the story comes in. Around Christmastime, I was looking on their website, loving everything I saw. I already have about 4 of these, and have already filled them all up. Being in the market for a new journal, I of course fell in love with every single one on their site, and narrowed it down to four. When I went to buy them, something happened and I couldn't find my credit card. I searched everywhere, and it was gone. The next day, I went back to buy them, and decided to just skip it and save the money. I sent them an email to cancel my order, telling them to have-no-fear, I would be a lifelong customer, but that right now it was more important to try and get OUT of debt, not plunge further in.

Feeling quite proud of myself for the decision, I went on with life.

Fast-forward to yesterday! MY JOURNALS ARRIVED IN THE MAIL!! I almost cried I was so happy. They just, mailed them to me for free. Wow-- I am still in shock. Even though I was already a die-hard fan, I have now fallen even harder into a complete fanatic, and everyone I know will be receiving a journal for their birthday, Christmas, etc. (not my free ones. I'm not that cheap, and they are now my symbols of grace.)

So, thank you, Jasmine and Jacob (the owners of Ex). You gave light to my day. I think I will remember my free journal in the mail story for the rest of my life.

*sigh*

Griffith + a Mini Photoshop Tutorial

Rauly, Nate and I went to the Griffith Observatory today-- one of the highlights: stopping at a random Indian food place in LA for lunch! We had no idea what we were eating, but it was pretty good. Well, we probably won't go back ever again, but it was fun in the moment.

Here's some shots from the Observatory. I photoshopped these things to death, and thought I'd show you my process. I usually don't do crazy color things with my images, but felt like going wild with these ones since they were classic touristy i'm at a musem with my friends pictures. Plus- what better way to NOT do homework?

Here's what I did in Photoshop. (Each of these are a new layer)
- My Color Balance numbers were at -57, -68, and -100. I duplicated this layer so that it made them even more yellow-green
- I made the image black and white, and took the opacity down to 26%
- I made about 4 different S curves to make the images more contrasty, and lightened them using levels.
- I made a vignette around the edge. I have Kevin Kubota's Action Pack 1, and it comes in there.
Regarding the size, I decided to crop them like this because each of the images had dead space at either the top or the bottom. Cropping them to a panoramic size helped bring more focus to the subject of each photo.
And finally, sharpened the important parts of each image.
The end result looks like kind of a mix between a cross-processed image and a holga-- and all they needed was a little love.

Without further to do, the first original:

and then...WOW!


from blah

to ZING


at first I looked like an eclipsed sun

and now i dont!


Oh, our field trip was cancelled for yesterday. No night photos...

Also-- thanks to everyone who has been commenting-- if you have thoughts while you're reading entries, write me a small note. It will most likely make my day. :)

Nathan and Rauly-- a fun multicultural day learning about how we're...stardust.

Slideshow

Sandy and Josh, here's your engagement session slideshow! click right here

Two art shows in one night!

1st stop: Blythe and I went to Dana Point tonight to see a photography show that our teacher from high school, Ellen Seefeldt, had work displayed in. I just realized I never got a shot of just her work. Shoot. She displayed three photos from her recent trip to China. They were all taken from the Katamaran that they toured in. You can see the edges of the photos behind us in this one:

I wrote yesterday about the Africa photos-- well, she was the one who pushed me to do something with those! I am so thankful for her inspiration and help, and love visiting her when I'm in town. It was so special to be invited to one of HER shows though. I really enjoyed being there.
When I was in high school, she encouraged me to enter a local contest, Color Me Orange. I walked away with an ORANGE ribbon (I think about half the entries did... but hey.) Here's the photo (another Africa shot-- this one w/ my little Powershot), and a 16 year old me.


All this Africa nostalgia makes me want to go back. Oh! Which reminds me! My brother is there right now! You should check out his blog. He is a film major, and is documenting the water crisis in Kenya with a team from a church that hired him (and he's only a freshman in college...!) So, keep him in your prayers.

The second art show was at a church, and had about 6 artists who displayed their work. The most impressive was Amy and Jen Hood-- twins who are both art majors, and had some amazing drawings. After talking to them they gave us some of their work! Here's an awesome screenprint of Bob Dylan, and the photo on the right is a print of a graphite drawing. I KNOW. These girls have some serious talent.


A great night with a great friend. Thanks Blx :)

Leslie Under the Hat

Found photos. I love using them.

I discovered the photo I used in this piece at an antique shop in Old Town Orange. I looked through an old box filled with photos-- and this one caught my eye so I bought it for a few dollars and have had it in my desk drawer for about 6 months, waiting for the perfect project to add it to. On top of the little girl being SO precious, the writing on the back just killed me: "Leslie under the hat"-- in perfect Grandma handwriting.

In one of my art classes we had to find a space on campus and go to it every day for 2 weeks. We could do whatever we wanted, and I decided to make this piece while I was there. I have a newfound love for embroidery thread, the color orange, and tea. The dried flower on the bottom is actually a tea flower that my friend Blythe gave me for my birthday. It was one of the most exciting cups of tea I've ever experienced-- watching that thing expand and float in the cup. (I drank the tea for one of the days sitting in my space too). The wire is a vent that I found at Home Depot for a dollar.
As I made the piece, winding thread for hours through the wire vent, I began to develop words for why I liked the photo so much. A small fragile girl, SMILING WITH ALL HER MIGHT! on this barren ground with a hat too big and her smile under a shadow.






Here's the thing. Each day brings new freedom as I learn to let go of myself, let go of the smile, and sit in an empty stairwell so I can learn about who I'm actually sitting with.

A few of my first real photos

My photography passion was ignited in high school. I was in a photo 1 class in 11th grade to fulfill an art requirement, and after a semester of utter confusion, it somehow began to make sense to me. It was so confusing because we had to use old cameras, shoot fully manual, develop our own film, and print our own photos in the darkroom. What a process to be thrown into! Well, a few months later I went on a trip to Kenya with my church, and brought along my Nikon N60-- a basic SLR film camera. My experience in Kenya was so liberating. I love the raw creativity that was in me throughout the trip. I remember being so inspired at every place we went. It seemed like I just saw SO much, and had no other option but to capture it through art. I got back, developed my 20 rolls of film over the next few days (I was so anxious that I ruined a few...), and these are a few of my favorites. It is now four years later (Its hard to believe that I went to Kenya at sixteen years old), and I still love going back to these images- the start of learning how to put to image what I saw with my eyes.

And we even have the same birthday.

I can't tell you how much today's mail made my heart sing. For Christmas, my parents originally gave me a Bible. I decided that since I already had three different versions, adding a fourth would probably be excessive. I returned the Bible (I told the cashier that I was leaving the faith-- and she looked at me wide eyed, and said nothing. It was one of the highlights of December), and with the money I bought books from my new favorite author, Madeleine L'Engle.

She writes about faith and art, and her style of writing is so...free. Her most famous book is A Wrinkle in Time. It seems like every kid should have read it, but apparently I somehow missed that boat. I'm glad that I'm going to be reading it in this phase of life though, because there is no way that I would have been able to get into a fantasy science-fiction novel in elementary school or jr. high...or high school for that matter...if my life depended on it.
Madeleine's writing and I coincided this past semester in my drawing class while reading a book called Seeing by Douglas Campbell. It seriously changed me. There were a few quotes from Madeleine throughout the text, and this one is my favorite:

The Great artists, dying to self in their work, collaborate with their work, know it and are known by it as Adam knew Eve, and share in the might act of Creation. That is our calling,, the calling of all of us. But perhaps it is simplest for the artist (at work, at prayer) to understand, for nothing is created without this terrible entering into death. Without this death, nothing is born. And if we die willingly, no matter how frightened we may be, we will be found, and born anew into life,a nd life more abundant.

I just realized that was kind of a long quote-- thanks if you took the time to read the whole thing. I am beyond excited to read these four other books of hers, because I resonate with her words so much. It is as if she is putting the movement of my heart to words. Just for a little background, I have never LOVED an author. If anyone used to ask my who my favorite author was, or what my favorite book was, I would honestly have no answer. It is so wonderful to finally have one, and to top it all off...we have the same birthday. November 29th! It was meant to be! My goal is to meet her. She lives in New York, and I am hoping to study abroad at the NYCAMS program in New York in the fall. I found out that she holds a writers workshop and a book club. I'm definitely joining.

Don't be a stalker, comment!! Have you read any L'Engle books? Tell me about your favorite one :)

Einstein was here!

Two words for my astronomy field trip to Mt. Wilson: freezing and enlightening.

We saw two huge telescopes, but standing inside the domes was incredibly cold. At any rate, seeing these huge instruments was really mind-blowing.

Another really mind-blowing aspect of the trip: we learned that EINSTEIN used to study there! WOW! Now, it wasn't as revolutionary as walking Paul's footsteps in Ephesus... but it was sure neat to see pictures of him standing in the exact same places as we were.


Heres my professor, Dr. Bloom (left) along with our precious 88 year old tour guide (right). The brightness is an image of the sun-- we were looking at sun spots.

And, apparently they like organization here at Mt. Wilson: (it's confirmed...my calling is definitely not to be a scientist)


Next week we're going another field trip, this time to the desert to look at the stars. Check back to see some exciting night photography!

A homemade five-course meal!

One of my dearest friends, Blaire, and her roommate Kristin had a dinner party tonight at their new apartment.
Here's the hostesses in their aprons, which Blaire sewed herself

A completely wonderful five course meal was served. SO IMPRESSIVE!
On the menu:
Artichoke dip and fresh vegetables
Tuscan Bean Soup
Caprese Salad (my favorite salad of all time!)
Spinach Pasta
and...Chocolate Fondue PLUS Kristin's secret-recipe cookies for dessert!

The typical self-timer group shot...

And, the Bl-Bl-Sh Totem Pole: A new tradition. The three of us have been best friends since 11th grade in high school-- thats almost 5 years! I guess after hundreds of photos together, the creativity eventually results in things like this. Oh, how I love my Bl's: Blaire and Blythe. (it goes in height order from top to bottom: Blaire, Me, Blythe)

And, the results of Blaire and Kristin's new favorite hobby: garage saleing. Who knew empty frames could look so rad?


What a classy night. LOVED IT! Thanks Blaire and Kristin!
See you every 3rd Wednesday of the month...

My beautiful...ceiling?

I needed a science class, and taking astronomy over Interterm sounded like the perfect idea to me. I absolutely love the stars! I also love planetariums. Well, I've only been once, but the recent opening of the Griffith Observatory made me so jazzed! So, here I am... alone in my dorm room after class, reading 3 chapters from my textbook and learning all about the cosmos.

As amazing as it is, taking astronomy and everything, I found myself needing a break from the stars this afternoon. As I frequently do, I turned on one of my best musical companions: Norah. Laying flat on the floor, looking up, I caught a new view of my room that I hadn't noticed before:

The texture and line that I saw in a new light brought a deeper appreciation for the vastness of the sky I had been saturated in all day! It also helped me realize that I don't have to stop at Starbucks... or my new favorite place, T on Fairfax to have a break. Inspiration came by simply noticing the beauty that exists right above me.

What a find!

Welcome, 2007

My friends and I celebrated at Steamer's Jazz Club in downtown Fullerton. It was my ideal night: great food, a relaxing atmosphere, and close friends. I don't really like dancing, and I don't really like crazy parties-- so Steamer's was the perfect place! They had amazing chicken pesto pizza, great hummus, and fabulous music.


Little Chris and the Nightcrawlers-- thanks for a great show!



4 of the people on my RA staff were there. Here's Katie, Denise, me, and Justin. What a treat to get to be together!



Blx was my New Year's kiss. We have spent the past 4 or so New Year's Eve's together, and take this same photo every year.



Along with being my New Year's kiss, she also hit me in the eye twice by accident. Once with her noise-maker, and once with her hand when we were jumping up and down. Blx-- don't worry, it made for good memories.



Happy New Year, everyone!