Day #358 - Learn by Doing

It has been a very rainy Saturday. Spent the entire day on PennyFinding stuff again.

Draft #2 of the Guidebook has arrived. I have not yet opened the file. Anticipation …

This morning I tried numerous ways to get photos to Chaz, the graphic artist. Then this afternoon Doc and I did a photo shoot.

(| I will write that additional story below. People who know Doc and I will read the humor in it. If you don’t really know Doc and I, you might not “get it”).

At 6:30 PM Doc said: “We need to brave the rain and go Penny Hunting! Grab your umbrella”.

First stop: Trader’s Groceries. Fruit, but no coins.

Second stop: Sprouts Groceries. Freshly ground peanut butter, but no coins.

Third stop: Stater Bros. groceries. I asked Doc to park a little further away so we could search along other storefronts leading to the entrance. While passing the laundrymat, Doc saw a dark spot through the open door. We detoured inside and collected today’s penny. (Coin #1) Yippee! There was one customer in the place. He asked if we were on a scavenger hunt? “I guess you could call it that”. Then I shared the story and a business card.

We were successful at the Stater Bros. Doc found his penny outside at the newspaper stands. Then I found one at a closed check out line. Doc spied a penny by the popcorn section, then retrieved another one at check out (Coins #2-5).

Doc insisted upon getting coffee on the way home. A stop at 7-11 resulted in finding a very wet parking lot penny. (Coin #6). The store guard was watching us suspiciously. Tony, our friendly night manager, smiled and handed us his found penny for today.

Today’s Total: 6 pennies

Penny Finding Rate (PFR) = 6 (6 coins per hour).

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(|) The REST of the Story

All week long I have been dreading the thought that I need to find a photo of me for the Author’s Biography part of the Guidebook (Ugg) and the Press Kit (double Ugg). Avoidance. Denial. I was whining to Doc about it. The events which transpired after that were simply hilarious (in retrospect).

After hearing my griping, Doc said simply, “Hand me the camera and I’ll take a picture.”

Conversation:

Tina: “You don’t just use a candid photo in the kitchen for something like this!”

Doc: “Why not?”

Tina: “You need a professional camera, lighting, makeup, hair done nicely, and a photographer who knows how to make you look good!”

Doc: “So go out and get your hair cut”.

Tina: “Honey! It is Christmas season. You need an appointment on a peak Saturday like this.

Besides, it is raining and my hair would be sopping. Plus I still would need makeup. Also, it is pouring rain outside, so the photos would need to be inside. Yuck! There is no attractive backdrop in this house”.

Doc: “Do you need the photo done today or not? If Yes, then we are doing it - the Cal Poly Pomona way. Learn by Doing! Go upstairs and prepare while I grade these Final Exam papers.”

I went upstairs. This was really difficult. I opened the makeup drawer. Some of it I had bought over 20 years ago. It was dried up so I threw it out.

Now how to use these colors? …

Next project, my hair. It is a rainy day! My hair is exSTATIC about this - I am not. I heated the hair curlers and curling iron. This was hilarious. How to use these tools? I want my hammer or reciprocating saw, not these things!

Now, what outfits to choose? Serious, playful, wild, conservative - heck let’s do 5 or 6!

OK. I was prepared.

Doc and I moved the sofa and furniture out of the way, then tried the living room drapes as a backdrop. The formal drapes just did not go with the safari type clothing. We needed a more outdoor look. So Doc hauled over the silk ficus plant. Wow honey - can you see ficus on a savannah?

Doc: “Maybe we should download a few of these photos and see if we are on the right track”.

Tina: “Eee Gads! My eyes are on fire in every shot!”

Doc: “So what’s new?”

Tina: “Honey, maybe you should try using the red eye feature”.

Doc: “Where do I find that?”

Tina: “Some experienced photographer you are! I guess ‘You get what you pay for’!”

Learn by Doing

Doc next suggested a sky blue background - the bathroom wall! You must understand that our bathroom is very tiny. Doc was laughing in remembering … when the kids were little I needed a desk area. So I used an old door laid across the bathtub to serve as my desk. Doc said, “So you are back to the bathroom as your office again.” We were giggling like kids.

We took dozens of photos in various outfits. I’ll show you just one but you need to step back and envision the rest of the scene: We are in the tiny bathroom. Doc is sitting on the toilet with the camera about 3 ft. from my face. He can’t back up any more, because that is the width of the room.

To his right is the shower/tub with house plans and sample items for our new house. I am wearing totally wrong colored pants and the dogs are jumping at us and wondering what is happening.

Thoughts: Pictures are worth 1,000 words, but you have no idea what is happening just outside the border of that controlled snapshot. Maybe that’s how we are in this dimension. Only seeing such a limited view of the vastness which is around us in the other dimensions.