year of fun

It’s hard to want to do something fun when I’ve spent most of my day following the story of today’s tragic shootings. Our normally boisterous box office was silent as more and more details came in and we listened to our President speak, all of us tearing up thinking about the totally innocent lives lost. I’m at a loss for what to say or do and it has been quite some time since a violent act has weighed on my soul so heavily.

Honestly, all I could think to do was look to Facebook and Twitter and see what people, friends and celebrities alike, had to say. Many were sending out prayers and love. Others wanted to get to their children and hold on tight. And still others wanted to take action–writing their congressperson and signing petitions. Obviously, the debates surrounding gun control in this country have been going on for longer than I have been alive and are probably more complex than I will ever know. So I don’t mean to oversimplify but it just seems to me that the kind of weapon this young man used to slaughter children should not be in the hands of anyone who is not an active duty soldier. This was neither a weapon used for hunting game nor a heirloom proudly displayed on a shelf. It is not necessary for protecting a home. Too many mass shootings have occurred in recent history to justify personal ownership of assault rifles.

So while I did have some fun this morning and I will probably have some tonight, I am choosing not to write about those things and would instead like to take this opportunity to ask those that read this blog, be they very few or very many, to consider writing to their congressperson as I did just now.

This comes from another suggested activity–take pictures with real film! Because my film camera currently resides at my parents’ house, I took it one step further and created the disposable camera challenge wherein I buy a disposable camera (the guy at the Walgreens photo counter didn’t even think they still sold them), take that disposable camera to work, and proceed to take a whole role of film in one day.

My coworkers and I had a lot of fun taking pictures with each other. I also asked them to each try a self portrait and I left the camera with them while I went on a break… Not being able to see the results set us free from the pressures of taking a perfect picture to be immediately posted to social media. Also, the sounds those cameras make, the loud click, the winding of the dial, took us back in time. It felt like middle school or summer camp or something as equally nostalgic.

Getting the film developed and pictures printed will surely be Part 2. I’m excited to see how they turned out!