every year we age.
every year we grow.
every year we laugh.
every year we talk.
every year we cry.
every year we smile.
every year we gather.

see our photo set here.

It’s been over six months since I began my project365 [a photograph a day for a year].
My thoughts so far on the project are as follows:

+ having a camera with me at all times actually feels natural
+ my favorite photos are never planned or staged
+ the best image usually comes on the fourth try
+ people like to be the day’s photo
+ I take a lot of pictures of buildings
+ eight of my friends have now started 365 projects
+ most photos are taken during the second half of the day
+ I’ve photographed most everything in my room
+ I love the macro mode on the camera more and more
+ something lovely really can be found in the everyday ordinary
+ each day contains at least one beautiful moment
+ I like collecting moments

I have done some website updating on www.jillm.com to give some visual refreshment and create a better interface for this project [p.s. if you know anything about php and why my comments won’t work, please help me out!] If you  click the string with the ‘pull’ tag above, you’ll find new website chapters:

a space of process: occasional blog entries and summary of photos for each week
a pursuit of beauty: all images I take and upload to flickr
a collection of days: website specifically for project365 [more information below]
a place of learning: someday I’m putting together a site which will share all of the things I’m learning in about sustainability and green living… but now it won’t take you anywhere.
a search of home: the about me section of the site which tells you a little about who I am and what I’m doing. 

By clicking ‘a collection of days‘ you will be taken to the project365 website. At the top right of the page, you’ll find several other title options:
project365: thumbnails of all the 365 images
photo details: read the stories of the images and see the image specs
tag: words used to label photos
about: why I’m doing this project.

If you have been a faithful reader, I thank you for your patience with me as I try to make the project easier for you to follow… If you haven’t been joining me in these first six months, enjoy the ride for the next six months! The second half of anything is always better!

I hope you’re inspired to find beauty in your everyday ordinary.
much love.

mitsubishi iMiEV: i’m totally savings my pennies

ivy grace pinkstaff
july 3rd 12:22am
bangalore, india
6.4 pounds 19 inches

in what was perhaps the most intense moment of your parent’s lives,
you made your arrival.
after a two hour taxi ride to the hostpital, you were born 45 minutes later.
the nurses pleaded with your mom not to push, but you refused to listen.
the doctor arrived just in time to catch you.
it was chaotic, scary and incredibly intense…
india wouldn’t have had it any other way.

your indian birth is a testament to the faith, love and obedience of your beautiful family.
may you live knowing you have been given a unique story to share with the world.

i wish i was there to welcome you myself.
but until then, know that you are already loved by someone you’ve never met.

but best of all, i’ve been able to write. i’ve finally had the space to let my thoughts become tangible, to give a external voice to the internal burried within (small excerpt)…

I hear voices in my head… from so many people wanting so many things… more than I have to offer… more than I have to give. They remind me of my inadequacies and faults… of my insufficiencies and my weaknesses. The voices tell me I’m not good enough or lack the confidence or don’t have the talent or I just don’t belong. The voices seem to be everyone else’s voice but my own. Where did I go? When did I stop speaking what I knew to be true? Somehow, I lost my own voice when started listening to them. Or rather, I turned my own voice off when I started projecting theirs.

and so today, i declare my independence day. finally, there is freedom from what has been binding, escape from what has held me in. it’s not an overnight transformation but more a realization that what is now cannot continue… i want to thrive and not survive. no doubt changes will take place in the weeks/months ahead due to the realizations i’ve made this week.

just as important as knowing where i’m going is where i’m not. so here’s to the time andprocess it take to tell the difference.

From the Exhibition Sorry, Out of Gas

Want to find twice as much gas as can be pumped out of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge every day? Just get every driver to slow down, drive just 5% less, and keep their tires properly inflated. That is what the Alliance to Save Energy says, as reported in CNN Money.

Steve Hargreaves writes a surprisingly sensible article, noting that it will take years to build the pumping platforms and pipelines to bring offshore and arctic oil to America, but that conservation can kick in immediately.

“Some of those conservation barrels can be had cheaper than the drilling barrels,” said Samantha Gross, an oil analyst at Cambridge. “It has an immediate effect, and it’s happening.” ::CNN Money via ::The Moral Equivalent of War

I tried to see the wind once.
I strained my eyes so hard to see it blow to watch it move.
But it remained elusive, it evaded my view.
I can see the effects of it, I can watch it move the branches.
I hear it rustle the leaves, I feel it against my skin.
But somehow I still miss it.

Tonight I walked the trails near the place I’m house sitting. I finally reached the top of the mountain and just laid on the ground. All the other times I’ve lie on my back watching the sky came back to memory…
the camp site in Colorado…
the drive way in Wichita…
the roof top in India…
Same sky, same me,
But different place, different view.

The sky is this soupy gray which seems impenetrable against the rays of the setting sun. The marina layer flew in and rolled all over me. The fog twisted through the trees blurring the lines of their branches. I could see the water dripping from the air and felt it land upon my skin. I watched the sky thicken which each gust.

And suddenly I realized, I could finally see the wind.