A Year's Worth

365! Missed one, the 2nd day when I had trouble with the site and then I couldn't find a photo from that day to backblip! But I'm happy to be here and celebrate that little gold camera!

I do not have any clever essay prepared but I would like to make some random comments about this really, really fun addiction. I think I get low marks in social networking - I don't do facebook or twitter or write a blog. I've tried writing a journal before -never lasted too long and it was boring. Blipfoto appealed to me because it was a PICTURE a day and I (being an introvert) wouldn't have to talk or write. Well, it didn't take me long before I realized that is not the case for many blippers, who are such good and often witty writers. I'm envious. So I started with few words but the more I realized what a great place this is for remembering each day, I had to add a few more. It is about memories for me. I made a collage at 200 with every blip and today I made one from then until now- it was so much fun to look at each day and remember something special about it. Of course there are lots of grandchild photos -I'm watching them grow up! And I can see where I was at a glance. It's great fun! So I did this 365 thing with photoshop over the photo of the water from today's row. Not all 165 photos are visible this way.. (Aquamarine is the journal's name because of water and boats, but also it's a color to suggest the artist....) I'll bet by next year we'll be able to buy a page like this or a book from the blip shop (be a lot easier than making my own!)

I need to keep my little sphere of subscriptions small or I'll get overwhelmed. There is some talk of 365 "burnout" - I don't feel like that at all - I feel like this is such a special community - look how very sad we all are about Molly, who I've never even met. She epitomized the kind generous spirit of blip and I'll miss her and her interesting witty journal. There was a rumor going around about 161,000 blippers - well that overwhelmed me even more - I try to look at someone new every day - but that number is just a rumor - Blipcentral tells me there are 165,000 VISITS to blipfoto per month, including friends and family who are non-blippers. Some of those are my friends and family who just look and then might comment to me later in an email. This works. It's also confusing to me with 2 names for most journals - hard for me to remember -I'm thinking about adding "Nanna K's Day to Aquamarine. NannaK is not an eskimo name like it looks :-) -it's really Nanna Karen, which I get called a lot, even by husband H at times.

I've learned so much -from sheelas in ireland to wedding dress in Indonesia and colorful power plants in the netherlands to poignant stories of earthquakes and tsunamis and wonderful people all over the world- about neutral density filters and locking the mirror in the camera and HDR photos - so many things I'd like to try. I will say that I'd be very happy , and not offended at all! with any comments about my photographs and how they could be improved. I know I could learn a lot. it's interesting and surprising to me to see what sort of photos interest me the most - what grabs me from the thumbnails (not going to tell.....)

One other thing - I've sometimes been accused about being wishy washy making a decision - well, blip forces us to decide, doesn't it. It's good. I am going to try to just stick with that photo and not add more -( I did put some Egypt pictures on Flicker.) I am trying to make it simple - no stars and hearts - comments I will work on...

Way too many (rambling) words for me, i know, but this is my evaluation for my journal now- who knows, maybe in another year, it might be different! I'd like to think I could skip a day now and then, but we'll see....:-) . I've already told blipcentral how fun this is and thanked them for such a classy photo site- A big thank you to anyone of you who comments or stops by! You are ALL inspiring!