Comfy

   Our elevator here in the dorms looked a little bleak for some reason and I've been trying to figure out why. After discussing it with some friends we decided that it was too bare - not exactly somewhere you'd want to stay for any amount of time. But now that we knew the problem we also had a solution  . . .

Comfy!
   Sixth floor was generous enough to donate a chair and now the elevator is warm and welcoming, someplace you'd be happy to curl up a read a good book. So if you find your elevator lacking maybe it's time to add some appropriate furniture!

Retro Photography

   Now that school is over for the semester I've had some time to play around with my photography. I found some really cool retro effects that I liked online and discovered that using a toy camera or a plastic lens can produce some amazingly unpredictable and beautiful photographs that have that soft retro look.



   These effects are due to the cheap materials and construction used in making these cameras. This means that each camera will produce unique and often unpredictable photos (which in this case is a good thing).

Consequently, I've added a plastic lens and a couple of toy cameras to my photography wish list:
- Holga makes both a toy film camera and a plastic lens for my Nikon D-SLR.

Holga 120S
Nikon Lens
Holga on a Nikon D-SLR

- Or there is the classic Diana camera

Diana Toy Camera 
   Until I add these to my photography kit I'll have play with similar effects in Photoshop. In this case having so much control is a good/bad thing because the effects are not so random when using Photoshop. But here's what I've come up with so far:

Hanging out on campus.

Ever find one of those trees that just looks like a perfect seat?

Hale Library on the KSU campus.


Homework?

Why do homework when I can do this?

New Photos!






Ya, I know this isn't fall colors of Manhattan! Call it a bonus. . .

Back to School

New, new, new! New major, new room and roommate, new classes, new school year!
I'm back at K-State, down and across the hall from my old room in Marlatt Hall and quite pleased with our new setup:
View from the door

North View

East View

South View

West View

My Desk

My desk . . . with someone in my chair! Hey!

     We borrowed the L-Shape idea for the bunks from our neighbors and modified it a bit to fit the futon (new to me this year courtesy of my grandparents), the moon chair, desks and appliances (don't get too excited - we've only got a mini-fridge and microwave - just like last year). The outcome is a relaxed room with lots of seating but enough room for board games, hence the card table: currently on loan from the mule barn (read: home), which folds away and stores neatly beside my desk when not in use.
     Having *finally* gotten the majority of my basics out of the way (finishing up with Economics this semester) I am now enrolled in much more interesting classes that relate more directly to my future profession - which is still Elementary Education (I know - it's been awhile since the last posts). Now that I'm in more specialized classes I've found another trend: elementary teachers, as it turns out, tend to be female - which translates into favorable gender ratios in most of my classes - a perk of the major I suppose.
     Continuing this stream of good news is the announcement of my part-time job, which is also new this year (do you see a trend here?). I now work as a Childcare Assistant (How's that for an impressive title? No? Well I also got a ID badge which definitely qualifies as impressive - at least in my book . . . which unfortunately hasn't been published yet . . . as it turns out you have to write something before anyone is willing to publish it, but now we've gone and got off track again . . . where were we again? Oh, right the job . . .) for the afterschool program at Bergman Elementary.
     I made it back to Grace Baptist this Sunday after I got back and was glad to see friends from last year and get involved again for the school year. I get to help with Children's Church and Awana Clubs again this year and I think I'm just as excited for Awanas to get started as the kids. Our Bible Hour this year is focusing on 1 & 2 Kings and we have the same excellent teacher as last year and I'm eager to continue our studies next Sunday. Last Sunday also brought about a new experience (have you found the trend yet?) when I was able to partake in the Lord's Supper at Grace.
     Last (for tonight) but certainly not least I was able to take some new (if you haven't caught the trend yet you might want to just stop reading now . . . and if this annoys you - you've probably read too far too - just save yourself the pain and stop. No, really, stop reading - it doesn't get any better. Seriously - just move on to another page - why don't you try checking the weather? Ok, now you're just making me ramble - back to business - for those crazy enough to dredge through this mess) pictures this summer during our vacations that I'm looking forward to sharing with you soon. Until then . . . well . . . find something to do that will help you pass the time (because I know you can hardly contain yourself - just calm down and wait - you know the old saying, "Good things come to those who procrastinate," or something like that . . . )
Until next time!
God Bless,
Brad


P.S. - Internet Explorer hates me right now so if there are any errors - you know, pictures look funny, text skipping around, bad grammar, misspellings, odd ramblings, etc - it was my browser - I swear.

I'm Still Here!