for chris

happy birthday to a dear old friend.

hmmm:

here are a couple of my recent fuji mini instax shots. i seriously was sad all day with a sinking feeling because it hasn't replaced my polaroid. i mean, in some ways its better than nothing, but it some ways it just makes me more pissed off. i'll shoot some more, dear readers and see what happens, maybe it'll start taking better photos. meaning, they wont be so white washed. though i can see that effect being fun for some people. heh, yeah, like people who appreciate an extremely large painting in a modern art museum that is JUST A SOLID BLACK PANEL framed into a SOLID BLACK FRAME. okay, i am being more whiny than i should be. i mean, its allright. but not my old pola cam. (sniff sniff). i'll just have to splurge and purchase the new polaroid film by the IMPOSSIBLE PROJECT!! (SWOON!)

what do YOU think of the fuji shots?

today i had a very enlightening inner dialogue:

self to layli: you have a blog, right?

layli to self: yeah.

self to layli: well why the hell have you not thought of anything cool to blog about lately?

layli to self: blleeeeccchhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...

-->this drawing was the coolest thing i could think to make for you, my two dear readers:

best laugh of the week:

| big ups to my buddy warren for showing this to me! |

na'im and i collaborated for a global Baha'i project:

its really exciting and you too, should come check out the really cool project!!

here is the link: nineteendays.wordpress.com

i'm going to make baktash sing this song to me every night:

thanks to roxanne for this.
wow. just WOWWWW.

19 days!

this is the second year in a row that i have been stoked to be a part of a projekt of some super awesome Baha'i photographers from all over the world. i blogged about it last year as well. what we are doing is participating in one of our Baha'i obligations of fasting for 19 days, hence the project's name nineteendays. every day, two photographers post photographs from dawn, then another at dusk, both the times that Baha'is start and end their fast everyday. this is a time of heightened spiritual development and insight as well as a time to clear our minds and bodies of anything excess "toxins" (these are my words...). so there you have it, folks. i will make sure i post on the day that is my day for the blog (March 15, 2010) which i will be pairing up with me bro in china. it will be fantastic.

there has been a book made from last years fast. thanks to amy and leila. and you too, can own one (they are really quite amazing) - by purchasing it here.

its a great time to bond and share a collective spiritual feat with this group of people, most of who i know, some of who i don't. but it helps make us feel like we have a larger world community, all sharing in this blessed time of purification, detachment, clarification and joy.

take a look at the site, and check back everyday until March 21st, as there will be a new amazing post daily. here is the site: http://nineteendays.wordpress.com/

360 days apart

as many of you dear readers know, i adore this tree right here. and this place to go trekking. its one of the few places in SD that i know of besides state parks where you can trek somewhat freely without fear of a rancher or cowboy driving up in his diesel pickup with a loaded shotgun.

well, i was fortunate enough to take my father here during this frozen, barren winter. what is really neat about this is that these photo pairs were taken about 360 days apart from one another - of the same places. crazy that i've been here that long and also neat to see the contrast.

i was so happy to have my father with me on this day, as so often, i would daydream while i was field trekking, that my father would be able to be there with me, to feel the wind on his face, to smell the sweetgrass, to hear the prairie grass like waves, gliding along the horizon, to feel alive.

HELL YES mark twain!

"whenever you find yourself on the side of majority, it is time to pause and reflect."

| mark twain |

man, if that quote doesn't get me pumped up, i don't know what will. i feel so good that i want to punch something or break some bottles on some large rocks.

i am dying for this:

six twenty nine
Originally uploaded by antimethod

please spring, warm weather, golden sunshine come to stay and warm me and my husband's spirits. we need you to come so we can star gaze and frolick and watch the sunset.

thanks to towfigh for showing me antimethod and thank you antimethod for this beautiful clip.

3 new cameras. 1 dope husband.

on my birthday i received a FUJI INSTAX mini cam + a canon rebel dslr.

i also shot with my newish SMENA COSMIC SYMBOL (35mm) camera for the first time this past week. so yeah, a pretty big ars week for yours truly. the fuji shot is the post below and i will be showing you some from the symbol + the canon, you know, just to share with my few little dudical readers.

as you may know, i am MUCH more comfortable shooting film shots, be it, 35mm or polaroids than i am digital. so the digital shots are for the most part taken by baktash, and not me. i have to find a way to love it. but i still prefer to shoot with my little cameras. isn't that strange but kinda cool?

my parents were here last weekend, and it was fantastic. we celebrated Ayyam'i'Ha together, which is a Baha'i Holy time of family togetherness, gift giving and all around awesomeness, we are all also meant to celebrate as we are preparing for our Fast for 19 days, which started today (more about that later. and by later i mean, like in the next day or so).

| digee |

| smena symbol |

neat, eh?

look who got a fuji instax mini!!!!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

SOOOOOOO EXCITED!!!

"THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE. BUT NOT UNTIL ITS FINISHED WITH YOU."

- david wallace