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Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Canada, eh?

I believe I mentioned in my previous post that I might be going to Canada.  The "official" word came yesterday.  I'm going to the PanAm Games as a photographer!  Specifically for the equestrian sports, but my understanding is that my credentials will include access to all sports. 




Applications to be a photographer were due last year.  I opted not to apply.  Well not to have my friend apply (she organizes the big bunch of us that photograph at Rolex, and the smaller groups that do other events).   Why did I opt not to apply?  Well I wasn't sure about work.  I can't elaborate, but that was near the top of the list.  Also near the top was the fact that come hell or high water I want to be building a house this year.  That's a topic for another post, but if the house doesn't happen I want to be buying my *own* house.  Yes you read that right.  My husband will not move off the farm and rightfully so.  So it would be me leaving to buy my own house.  Again, a whole other topic.  So I just declined to apply.  This weekend my friend sent me an email that said they may have an extra credential and was I interested in going? I  took that as a sign.  First of all I know my friend and for her to send an email meant that she was 99.9% sure there would be a credential.  So I said yes.  I did talk to my husband, but I had pretty much decided.  Like I said, it was a sign.  My thoughts were also such that I don't expect my husband to commit to building a house this year.  So why not do whatever the hell I want?  This is in July afterall.  I can focus on my house goal in the second half of the year.  And if my some miracle the heavens open up, the planets align, humans become immortal, horses can fly. . . . and house plans actually happen, they can continue while I'm in Toronto.  The games are July 10-26.  I don't know that I would attend the whole time, but a decent amount of time.  The bigger question is fly or drive?  While this sounds all fancy, this is done on my dime, as is Rolex.  There are a million perks to doing this that make it worthwhile so I'm not complaining.  But travel, lodging, food. . . nothing is paid for.  (Though often times companies feed the press free meals.) But I'll still take the gig. 



One of the things I needed for my PanAm credentials was a passport type photo.  Well I needed one for my FOID card too.  So off I went to Walgreens at lunch yesterday.  Their camera was broke.  So I go to CVS.  I get the photo and I ask if I can get a digital copy.  No go.  Back at work I scan the photo.  But the photo is so small that it's likely not going to work for the credentials. I did send off my FOID card application though.  I didn't realize the FOID card is an IL thing.  I thought all states had this.  I can't buy a gun or ammo in IL without this card.  In MO you can buy both apparently without any kind of card.  As an IL resident I can go to MO and buy ammo without any issues, but not a gun, cause that has to transfer to me in IL and I need the FOID card for that.  Leave it to IL to be complicated.  I figure it's just for the money cause it costs $10.  Of course IL is still in debt, so . . . 

When I get home I dig out one of the last photo backdrops I still have.  I'm actually selling it on Sat to a friend.  The backs of the paper drops are all white.  I hang this on the wall in my house.  I ask Roger to snap a photo.  That takes about 10 tries.  He kept cutting off the top of my head or a shoulder.  I pay close attention to composition, but I guess that's from practice.  So we finally get one.  I email two of them to my friend and she has the scan of the passport photo too.  I'm not sure which they ended up using.  As they had to size them for the credentials.  The rules were similar to a passport photo - no shadows, no hair blocking your face. . . but I was also not allowed to smile.   On my passport I'm smiling, so that isn't a rule, or wasn't at that time.   So this is the one I hope gets used if I have to walk around with it hanging around my neck during the games.  Of course it'll probably be cropped to be mostly my face.  Eh - it could have been better and would have been if we had taken it earlier in the day.  My hair had been in a pony tail by this point.  Imagine that. 






Today we have a clinic at my barn.  I haven't had a lesson with my trainer since November (by my choice).  I made cookies . .. chocolate chip with Valentine's M&M's.  I'm sad to say that I had some dough and one baked cookie. :(  This was the demise of my clean eating.  Ok not the demise, but I felt horrible. More guilty than actually feeling bad.  Though it's funny how I was sitting on the couch after I had eaten the cookie and I swear it felt like I was 20 lbs heavier and all my fat rolls were magnified!   Funny how the brain works. 



As for my comment in the last post regarding Vegas. . . well if you're a horse person you might know what's going on there.  I'm still waiting to hear about that.  It poses other complications due to timing.  But I'm kind of keeping my fingers crossed.   


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