Paying for college? A broke student's tale...

OK. So I'm really the broke student in this scene, but at least I got your attention. I'm trying to pay for my next semester in school. I need 70 people to donate 20 dollars each. In exchange, they get art.

Check out the official website (which I made by the way). www.yellowcowphoto.com/college

Pass it on to as many people as you possibly can. I have 9 days to make my goal.

My Christmas List

Ok.

Right now, I am just interested in big ticket items like plane tickets for Greece and college tuition, but I've also come up with other things for my Christmas list that people can look at if they desire to get me a gift. Of course, all of them are photography related.

1.) A plane ticket to Greece Approx.. $1500
2.) Help paying for my current semester in school Approx... $1100
3.) One of these. Specifically a snazzy one that I can use to archive CD's. Approx... $35.00
4.) 512 MB CF cards for my camera. Approx... $50.00
5.) One of these.
6.) Some NICE looking photo albums about this size. These need to be pretty nice so that I can use them for handheld portfolios.
7.) A nice electronic dictionary so that I don't have to carry a paper one around with me all the tine.

Jared's Chrismas List

Hello,

I'm posting this up here in case anyone was wondering what to get Jared for Christmas. He is pretty easy to shop for. Let me know if you have any questions.

Warm Down Ski Coat
Warm Shoes
A new pair of jeans
A new pair of sweat pants
RAM for his computer
a 250 GB hard drive for our server
the website www.jaredsbrain.com
Warm slippers
New underwear

There you have it. Let me know if you have any questions.

Interesting Digital World

You know, it is an interesting world that we live in where you can do everything online. Only from a string on the back of your computer, or if you're even more high tech WIRELESS. You can find out the news without ever turning on the TV or having a paper delivered. You can research almost anyhthing. You can even order flowers with such websites as www.dotflowers.com Just thinkg of all the possibilities for the future. Many people can do all the shopping they need from the comfort of their own homes by looking online. The service fee--shipping :)

Jimmy Neutron in Trouble Again!

Who will save him this time? Hurry, before the Sherwood Express runs through town.
 

What's for Dinner

Tonight, I was missing Greece an especially lot, so I was looking online for something to satisfy my need to have something Greek. Well, in that situation, the best thing to do is look at food. When I was in Greece, I remember having this incredible pastitsio that was just the best. So, I made arrangments to make that. While I was making it, I was thinking about how much I miss souvlakis, so I started to put chicken on skewers to cook. I also figured that while I was at it, that I might as well make spanikopitas, so I got everything ready to do that. I was in the kitchen for more than 3 hours just painting phyllo dough with butter and cooking noodles for my pastitsio. However, nothing is better than coming out the other end with a fully Greek meal. I told my husband that the only thing he should expect from me foodwise for the next couple of decades is Greek food.

My latest and greatest adventure involves being able to speak Greek fluently. I'm not too shabby right now, but I've got to figure out a way to learn it faster. Time to go to my other favorite site, www.craigslist.com to post and see if there are any Greeks that are willing to talk it out with me!

Reunions and the Amazing Things About Old Friends

Ok. I haven't been posting so diligently, but I guess that it's time that I start again. This weekend, I went out to Delphi. There was a reunion of all of the Alumni that have ever gone to the school. It was good to see old friends and find out what everyone has been up to since the last time that you saw them. I really enjoy seeing the people that graduated in the same class that I did and talk about how things have been going.

I got to meet up with someone very similar to me. She graduated from Delphi as well. She then immeditaly went on to Greece to the Aegean Center for the Fine Arts. She spent two semesters there and then went on to NYU. I then went this last semester, and we hadn't talked about it before. We were roommates before at Delphi. When I saw her, we immediately launched into talking about Greece. It was totally amazing. It was just like being back there. We got eachother very excited about being in Greece, and we have made plans to return next fall together. I'm excited about that.

I also met my friend Nicko that is Greek, and he just got back from a vacation there. All in all, it was a very productive trip out to Delphi. More plans for Greece to come in the future.

Another Hurricane Katrina Photo

OK. So this one is a little more scary! 

Hurricane Katrina

This is a picture of hurricane Katrina coming in. Very pretty, but I wouldn't want to be there! 

Photos of Our Condo

To those people that wanted to see our condo and didn't get to. Here are the photos of it. Enjoy and pass them on!

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/christibale/my_photos

Photos of Our Condo

To those people that wanted to see our condo and didn't get to. Here are the photos of it. Enjoy and pass them on!

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/christibale/my_photos

My Doggie--Flaff

This is my totally cute doggie. Doesn't he look like he just needs some love? Please pet me Chris. 

Chris In Greece

So, What do you think about that huge cliff behind me? Am I going to fall down it? This is my new wallpaper for my computer, and I love it! 

The New Things in My Life

Ok.

So it really has been a long time since I last updated you all on my blog. I'm going to try to be better, but isn't that what I always say when this stuff happens :) I am now, at the very least just going to update you on what's going on in my life.

I am working in Portland right now helping out at my Church. I'm having a lot of fun doing that. It looks like in the next week that I'm going to be helping out with several hundred people that are going to be coming to live here in Portland. All the people are victims of hurricane Katrina. It will be really nice to help those people that need help.

Jared and I adopted a pug. He is really cute. We found him online, and we inquired about him pretty quickly. It turned out that he was a breeder, but he wasn't being used anymore, and they wanted to get rid of him. He was sent to a shelter place that takes care of animals, and he is really cute. We adopted him with a lot of red tape. Can you believe that we actually had to fill out an application that said who our vet is and name all the pets that we had previously? Also, we had to have a house inspection where they saw where he "reacted in his new living space." It was pretty crazy. However, all in all, he is very cute. He has a kennel at our house and a bed. He likes being around us because Jared really stays with him all day long. It's actually been a good move because Jared and him go out for walks all the time, so Jared doesn't spend his entire day in the same house all the time. It's been really good for the both of them. Actually, the dog (Biff but renamed Flaff to match the character in Jared's book), was abused we think because he flintches every time you bend down to pet him. He's getting much happier though with us. I'll keep you updated on this, and I'll post pictures as well.

Another exciting thing is that my sister Melissa and her baby, Eli have moved closer over here to me, so I get to see them more often. Eli is very cute, and I plan to visit as much as possible . :)

I recently got a new laptop, and it is helping me do my job a lot better as a photographer. It's been very worth it. I'm actually getting more photo assignments now, so I take it to the shoot with me and show it to the clients after the shoot. That way, the shoots are way better.

I've officially decided that I am going back to Greece next April or May. Jared is going to come with me, and we'll be there for 1 months together, then I'll be off to do my European tour adventure alone.

Cool eh?

Chris Making the News!

Christine Anderson, a 2002 graduate of the Delphian School, recently returned from a semester abroad at the Aegean Center for the Fine Arts in Greece. She is the third Delphian School graduate to attend the program.

The Aegean Center for the Fine Arts is a school based on the Greek

island of Paros. The school focuses on small classes of students who

come together to raise their ability in the arts. Anderson studied photography, digital photography, painting, drawing, figure drawing, literature, art history, photography history, mosaic, drama and writing.

When she arrived home in May, Anderson held a seminar for a group of Delphian School literature class students who were reading Homer's The Odyssey. She explained what the school was like in Greece, demonstrated how to pronounce Greek names, taught the students how to speak a few words in Greek, and cooked a traditional Greek meal for the class so that they could get some real understanding of the Greek culture.

She told the class: "I had a lot of fun in Greece enhancing my ability as an artist. One of the ways the school intends to educate is to surround a person with so much beauty that they can't help but be inspired to create something beautiful on their own. It was just what I needed to become inspired to produce beautiful works of art.

"My education at The Delphian School gave me the ability to balance studying many subjects at the same time and to succeed in all of them."

The Delphian School is an independent, co-educational day and boarding school offering college preparatory, English-as-a-Second-Language and summer programs for elementary through high school students. The Delphian School is licensed to use Applied Scholastics(TM) educational services.

http://www.delphian.org

Very Exciting Wedding

So, I've been doing a lot of weddings and things lately, and I've been trying to get odd jobs here and there to make money doing my absolute passion as a photographer. A couple of weekends ago, I was out shooting a wedding, and someone came to me and asked me if I would be willing to do their wedding. I said of course, and since then we have been coming up with agreements and things like that!

I put together a super small and super fast portfolio. It is temporarily available online, and you can see it. It is available at

http://yellowcowphoto.com/photo/wedding/wedding.html

Chek it out!!!

Brand New Bathroom

The other day I was in my bathroom looking at how boring it looks. It was totally white, everything was white, and the tub had some stains on it. There were also the remnants of a glass shower door that didn't exist anumore. I decided that I was going to take down the metal tracks from the door. However, that one small project turned into an entire makeover for the bathroom.

I went to Target--twice and to Home Depot--twice. I bought new everything. A new towel rack, a new shower curtain. A new soap dispenser. New baseboards, new towles--EVERYTHING! Then, I decided that I was pretty tired of the ugly old white, so I bought green paint and went at it.

I spent two days until midnight painting and cleaning and redoing and screwing in new fixtures, but the result is much better. The bathroom is very clean and beautiful. I love the green paint, it just works so well. I've never been able to paint something before just any color. Now, every time I catch a gimpse of my bathroom, I just adore it. It's so much better and so much more exciting.

I also bought some bubble bath, and after I was all done, I sat in my bathroom and just looked at it.

It was rather enjoyable. The one remaining project in the bathroom now is to tile the floor and get a new cabinet and tile the top of it. However, that's much more expensive than just a new paint job!

Update

Here is my one update for Melissa. I was redoing my bathroom until just after midnight last night. I promise I'll tell you all about it with photos when I'm done!!

Ok, I know I disappeared

Hello everyone.

I know that from all appearances that I have disappeared from the face of the planet, but, in truth, I am still alive and actually doing quite well. I have been pretty busy recently, so excuse the lapse, and I am going to try my best here to start posting a lot more often.

Things have changed a lot for me. When I got home from Greece, I was pretty burned out from having worked so hard before I got there and then working so hard while I was there. I was very happy to have the opportunity to help take care of Jared and sleep a lot and get things ready and set up for my next greatest adventure.

In that time I

1.) Got set up and got all the supplies ready for me to paint.

2.) Built an entire darkroom in my closet that is going to work very well for the professional work.

3.) Worked very hard to get some photography jobs and got at least one! I am going to be working to do a wedding for a friend, and that is very exciting. Though it poses some interesting problems!!!!!

4.) Made my husband very healthy so he is off and running on his job and just generally doing very well in life, which is more than I can ever ask for.

5.) I signed up to take two college classes this summer, Geography and Poetry. They are two more core classes that I need and I am very happy to be working on them. I love college, so this should be another step on the path of me getting me degree, which will prove useful I KNOW!

6.) Paid off the last of my student loans regarding my high school education.

7.) Unpacked our house so that it is now beautiful and in use, my favorite!

8.) Cooked, A LOT!

9.) Worked on a course in Professional Photography and have almost completed it. I must complete it by June 24th, and I've got a ways to go! Wish me luck!

10.) Made arrangments to return to my beautiful country of Greece WITH the husband.

11.) Turned 21.

12.) Bought a bike that I use to ride everywhere. It is my new best friend, and I really like it!

13.) Started to work at the church for 40 hours a week, this is really good.

With all of these things in total combination, I am quite possibly the happiest person I know! So, that's the update on me. I will continute to write, so now, please do keep checking!

Chris

Thank you John Pack

John,

I've been meaning to write you an email to tell you how much going to Greece meant to me, but I just kept getting sidetracked, and here today I realized that I needed to say hello at least.

I know that people are going to start leaving for the semester tomorrow. I will and do miss that group so much and I think you for bringing us together.

I'm doing very well here. I have built my own darkroom here in my house, and I really enjoy it. I also have photoshop on my computer and I'm working on getting set up to do digital things.

I have been asked to do two exhibitions here in Portland. One in August and one in September. I'm so excited to do them, but I've never done one before so I'm going a little crazy trying to figure it all out. Not to mention what I want to display and getting them all ready. It is exciting. And also, rather than go back to a mundane job, it looks like I'm going to make it as a freelance photographer at least until I return and finish up the rest of the semester! I've got two weddings lined up too!

I wanted to thank you so much for the experience over there. I can't really put it into words, but I've been back for a month now and there are some definite changes in my life that never would have happened without your help. You are one of the most wonderful people I've ever met John Pack and I'm just sorry that my experience with you had to end so abruptly. I have made several very needed changed while I was in Greece including making the decision that I can make it as an artist. I have more direction and determination in my life. Not to mention the fact that I am hopelessly in love with that country and I WILL return many times in my life. So thank you.

I went through some notes that I wrote while I was there and here are some quotes to express my thanks.

"On the art side of life, I am making some pretty incredible breakthroughs in all areas at once, and it is overwhelming to me (in a good way) every day when I am in class. I realize how much I have progressed, and I am just so happy to know that I am making such incredible progress. I still wonder what I am going to look like on the other side, but I know that if I progressed no more at this point that I would be incredibly happy."

"The help of the people here at the Center is so incredible and I am ready to forge ahead with where I am going now."

"It’s just incredible, and if you could see the difference in my work now and…ever, you would be so proud of me."

And here is a piece that I wrote after you showed your portfolio to us all.

War with Art


When I was younger, I was at war with art. I had this understanding that it was an unnecessary thing in society that children were forced to study because it was something that our less sophisticated ancestors did, and the tradition needed to be continued.

I was deeply, deeply wrong.

Since the beginning of time, people have described religious experiences. These have occurred on many different levels including seeing a physical spiritual being. For the most part, however, these have consisted of deeply personal and inexpressible moments in time that shape our lives forever.

Somewhere in the middle of my high school career, I realized that there was something missing in my life, so I took up pottery as a recreational activity. I didn’t really realize that I had been mastering an art form until one day my friend invited me to attend a seminar where young artists get together and develop their skills further. I reluctantly joined, but realized that it would be at least half-fun when I realized that one of the people I admire most in the world was going to preside the meetings.

This was the thing that was going to fill the hole that I felt in my life. However, I didn’t realize how gaping the mouth was and how deep the crack until I began this weekly ritual.

I believe that I will never be able to describe what happened in that room. This was the first truly spiritual experience that I ever had. I passionately consider each second of these meetings week after week to be deeply-spiritual, religious experiences, and they have shaped my view of the world and of myself permanently.

Several things came from that:

· I realized that I am an artist at heart and that is what I do every morning, I get up and create what will happen that day.
· I realized that I can create beautiful things that communicate to other people and that they can appreciate.
· I realized that everyone on earth is an artist in his own way and that he strives to create in one way or another—some people just happen to make a profession out of it.
· I gained the confidence to really be an artist.

This shaped me in ways that I can’t explain, but it patched a big hole in my life and set me up for the rest of my life, or so I thought.

I actually had a spiritual experience today that I hold at that level. It struck me by surprise because I guess somehow I felt that I had received my allotment for my life.

I decided to study at The Aegean Center for the Fine Arts to continue my studies in the arts and put final touches on my ability to create art and get it out into the world. I never dreamed that I would experience something on a higher plane, and here, three weeks into the program, I’ve had such a profound experience that I can’t help but believe that this again will be one of those life-defining moments.

In producing my art, I got pretty stuck in the mundane technical aspects. You put this type of paper in this developer and it comes out like this and you could do this or that to it to change it and make it perfect. I think that I got pretty stuck in the fact that I was just making an image and it was going to create an effect, and I guess I felt like I had no more control after I hit the shutter. Bam! That photo was made.

I met someone today that really loves the process. This man had a communication to deliver to the world and he knew exactly what it was the second that he clicked the shutter. He had the technical aspects down so well and all that was going on was the fact that he saw the world in a new way or he had a new experience that he was interested in sharing with the world.

I also discovered again that through the things that the artists have been saying through history, they really have effected the changes in this world. Through the things that they are saying results are created. People become aware of the artists view of things and they realize something deeper there and change.

I guess I kind of forgot about that part. It all came and hit me at once. As he sat there going through photo after photo showing us the things that he had to say about the world, I realized that that was what I had been missing. I was being sucked into the technical aspects of what it was that I was doing. Of course, I needed to be patient and do whatever it took to get the effect that I was trying to create, but what WAS the effect? What was my communication? I was trying to say something when I was pressing the shutter. My frustration with the arts shattered, and I realized once again that I wasn’t trying to duplicate reality exactly. I have something to say, and I’m here studying how to get that thing said!


I love your Center and the experience I got.

Thanks

I hope all is so well with you, Jane and Gabriel.

Love,

Chris Anderson