In November of last year, I came across the disposable cameras while shopping at Target. I’d never used one — at least not recently — and the only memory I really had of them was of my nana winding the film and pressing the button that ignited the infamous blinding flash.
The concept of the disposable camera is horrendously anti-eco-friendly. I’m surprised they still sell them, frankly. But I have been wanting to get into film photography since I took a class during my sophomore year of high school.
Learning technicalities of photography has always interested me, but I wanted to start learning with something simple so I wouldn’t get overwhelmed. I decided that disposable cameras were a good way to start, seeing as there’s only one button, and only two settings (flash/no flash). Pretty easy.
I got an Etsy gift card for Christmas and decided to look for some next-level film cameras. I was looking for something that you needed film for (so the disposable title would no longer eat at me), and I found one for super cheap. It’s very clunky, but I’ve been having fun experimenting with it. In 2021, I want to shoot one roll per month — whether it be via disposable camera or actual 35mm film.
In photography class, developing prints was so frustrating to me, but being able to see the process first-hand helped me appreciate photography that much more. The idea of not seeing your photos for weeks or months is very special to me. The drive to and from Walgreens to pick up my prints was filled with so much anticipation and excitement, and I was so eager to get them onto my computer and share them.
So without further ado, here are just a couple of my favorite photos I took with my disposable camera from January 2021. Once I finish my first real roll of film, I’ll share that (assuming they all come out okay).
Also, a PSA: because I’ll likely be questioned: the friends I’m with in some of these photos are all a part of my close circle. They are all very Covid-conscious and vocal about their whereabouts, well-beings, etc.
I took a solo trip to Misquamicut State Beach in Rhode Island on the first day of the year.This is one of my favorites. I don’t remember if I used the flash or not, but the colors are insane!My friend Jordyn in the bread aisle at Stop and Shop. Watching the sunset with my friend Brooke. You can see her forehead in the bottom right. I’m not sure if this is creepy or cool, but I wanted to document my outfit, so Brooke took this photo of me outside of Target. Me with Corinna, Alison, and Lauren. C&A’s brother took this one and swore it didn’t come out well, but it is genuinely my new favorite picture. Cigarette box shadows at the gas station. Brooke & I listening to Taylor Swift and eating Wendy’s frosties. Sadly, I failed to use the flash on this one and it came out kinda weird. But I think it looks cool anyway. Lastly, Brooke and me in front of our favorite place.
I look forward to writing more blog posts this year & getting back into my writing groove. I hope you liked seeing these photos! I do wish I had gotten into photo-taking at the start of the pandemic, but better late than never. I know I’ll be so glad to have these someday; I’m glad to have them now! Photography is a beautiful thing.
The Smiths were my first favorite band. They changed my life, my mind, and my relationship with music. Here’s why:
PSA: Before starting this post, I would like to disregard Morrissey’s current state of being for just a few minutes and let you know that this post is solely regarding the music and effect of The Smiths as a collective band.
The first time I remember hearing The Smiths was at the end of middle school. There Is A Light That Never Goes Out was on my Discover Weekly playlist on Spotify. I remember thinking, that’s an interesting voice and being intrigued by the lyrics I can now only describe as sparkling. “To die by your side is such a heavenly way to die.” I had never heard anything like it in a song. Morrissey’s lyrics sparkle,and I thought that from the moment I first heard them.
At that point in my life, I loved music but wasn’t much of a deep thinker. I listened to music solely for its sound, as background noise while I worked on homework (which, don’t get me wrong, I still do). Music often went in one ear and out the other, literally. I never questioned or examined lyrics. I never focused on what made the song great, or what cultural impact it had made.
This isn’t to say that those are the only reasons to listen to music. It’s not. But I realize now that these are some of the main reasons I love listening to music: because it is both a therapeutic and an intellectual experience. It can be enjoyed with or without deep thought, and both scenarios are equally magical.
Jeeeeez. Why’d he have to grow up to become an asshole?
I don’t think I had ever been truly taken away by a song until I heard The Smiths. When I discovered them, however, many of Morrissey’s lyrics meant nothing to me. I still thought boys were gross; the closest I’d gotten to romance was being asked to a 7th grade dance while grabbing my lunchbox from my locker (and I didn’t even say yes).
Over the years, his lyrics have grown more and more relevant as I experience and go through new things (e.g.: Sixteen, clumsy, and shy). But regardless of their relevance to my personal life, I have found Morrissey’s words so meaningful because, well… they actually meansomething.
Listening to The Smiths was like a rite of passage into maturity for me. Once I began listening to them, my childhood began to end, not so much because of lyrical content, but because of the way they were written. These songs were saying so much more than those that took over the top charts. They were poems disguised as songs, flooded with imagery and rhyme and anecdote. I had never heard anything like it.
Of course, there have been so many other things that have helped shape my mind and thinking, but once I began to listen to The Smiths, I really began thinking for myself. I began rethinking ideas and asking more questions. I became curious and interested and more willing to learn because I finally realized that everything — from song lyrics, to color choices in film, to syntax throughout a novel —can be analyzed and questioned.
And, of course, The Smiths opened my eyes (no pun intended) and led me to some of my favorite music which, in turn, has led me to even more. I’ve been given a great dose of music history from both of my parents, but after this discovery, I felt a huge deal of freedom to explore on my own, thus leading to many other wonderful discoveries (many of which are, frankly, far better and more compelling than The Smiths).
I’d even say they were the group that (unintentionally) taught me how to listen to music, because it wasn’t just lyrics that captivated me: it was the sound that played alongside them. Hearing the haunting final riffs during the last 30 seconds of Well I Wonder and Pretty Girls Make Gravesis like a religious experience every time I listen to them (thanks, Johnny Marr❤️). Or the strange, back-and-forth guitar that opensHow Soon As Nowand repeatedly creeps up on you throughout…so good. (By the way, check out this fantastic video on that song if you want to learn about some of the influence and history behind it.)
The Smiths are no perfect band. Some of Morrissey’s lyrics are questionable, and there are certainly a few songs by them that I don’t care for. But what was so profound and important about my discovery was that it was something new. This alternative, jangly, sometimes-upbeat-and-sometimes-depressing music was something I’d never heard before. It made me think, if I’ve gone my whole life without hearing this…what other music am I missing out on? And I’ve never looked back since.
I realize there’s lots of very specific connotation surrounding The Smiths. From the few films I’ve seen in which they are the protagonist’s favorite band (e.g. Perks of Being a Wallflower and 500 Days of Summer), they are often a very troubled character. They’re lonely, traumatized, a hopeless romantic, or all three combined.
Perhaps my love for The Smiths means that I, too, am lonely, traumatized, and a hopeless romantic. But I’d also like to think that I’m a critical thinker, a person that asks questions, and a person who is interested in learning more about the world and the people around me. And I can thank my discovery of Morrissey and The Smiths for much of that.
Now, for your daily dose of deep lyrics, I present to you:
Some Of My Favorite Morrissey Lyrics
Take me out tonight
Where there’s music and there’s people
Who are young and alive — There Is A Light That Never Goes Out (I’m sure we can all relate to this one right about now.)
No it’s not like any other love This one’s different Because it’s us — Hand In Glove
They were born
And then they lived and then they died
Seems so unfair
I want to cry — Cemetry Gates
Under the iron bridge we kissed and although I ended up with sore lips it just wasn’t like the old days anymore — Still Ill
They’re in order, but I do change my mind all the time. Enjoy.
As for why I wrote this post: I was struck by inspiration to write this which hasn’t happened all that much lately, so I decided to take advantage of it. I never feel qualified to talk about music and always get nervous to share my opinion because of my lack of formal music training and music theory knowledge. But I am slowly learning more and gaining a greater musical perspective, and since I have a lot of experience listening to The Smiths, I felt confident enough to write this post.
I really liked writing it, and I’m actually somewhat proud of it, so maybe this’ll be the start of a new blog series in which I discuss some of my other favorite music. Or not. Sometimes I get lazy, as you know. 😉 Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. Happy Wednesday!
Last Tuesday, April 7th, I turned 18. The weather was gorgeous, and it was by far the best day of the week to have a birthday, despite the current state of the world.
Just a little over a month ago, I had plans to visit my mom in Vermont. I also had plans to visit the city to see my friends and to celebrate birthdays in our group. But as this year has taught us all, plans change, and sometimes we just have to adapt, accept, and go with the flow.
On the morning of my birthday, a family friend of mine & her daughter came over and decorated the fence in front of my house with paper decorations and a sign that said “Happy Birthday Josie.” She also left a sweet birthday card and some cupcakes. It was a really lovely start to the day. Thanks, Mrs. Morin & Mary ❤️!
Then, I had online school throughout the day. I’m probably one of the few people that actually enjoys having their birthday on a school day. I guess I just like the attention 😉. It was a really great day at school, though. My Italian class sang to me (in Italian, of course), along with my ceramics class, and my piano teacher played a dramatic rendition of Happy Birthday for me, too. I so wish I could have been with them all at school, but their virtual presence and songs made me so happy, even from afar.
After classes, I Zoomed with both my friends from school & from the Italy trip. Zoom is really fun, and all of my friends were putting pictures of me as their background 😂. Also, PSA: should you ever attend a virtual birthday party, singing Happy Birthday is not the most, uh…nice-sounding tune 😉.
I went on a run after my virtual birthday parties ceased and enjoyed Mother Nature’s gift to me. Then, my dad & brother made dinner, and I blew out the candles on my cupcakes. I talked to my mom, grandpa, and aunt on the phone, and then chatted with one of my friends until the day was officially over.
Earlier this year, I had never been so excited for a birthday in my life. Turning 18 is so exciting, and I was totally bummed out when I realized we’d still be in quarantine when the date came around. But thanks to my friends and family, it was just as wonderful as I had planned. It’ll be nice to celebrate with everyone in person someday, but for now, we’ll keep our six-foot distance and give air hugs until this is all over.
Is it just me, or are the weeks going by ten times faster than usual? During the day it feels as if it will never end, but at the end of each week, I find myself wondering how it went by so quick. Time is a hazy concept these days.
I can’t believe we’re going into our fourth week of quarantine/online learning/all this craziness. This week, I turn 18. In the very first blog post I wrote for this series, I wrote that all I wanted for my birthday was to be back at school because I genuinely thought this would only last a week or two. Back then I had so much more hope! Now, my wish is to be back in school before Memorial Day, but we’ll see.
This week was…alright. Like I mentioned last week, piano is my favorite class, and it’s really the thing I look forward to every day. This week we started a unit on music appreciation/history, and it’s so interesting. We are learning about three composers from the Baroque era now (Handel, Vivaldi, & Bach).
I also said this last week, but learning how to read basic music myself makes me so much more appreciative and impressed by these composers (and all musicians in general). Like, obviously I knew they were considered “great,” but it never really clicked as to why until now.
My other two classes were fine. Ceramics is getting more and more difficult for me now. Not so much because of the assignments, but because I am so eager to work with clay again. I really really miss it.
Here is the owl I promised I’d share with you last week.
It is made of all recycled materials/things I had around my house. The base is a cardboard tube, the head is paper mache, the wings are cardboard and tissue paper, the feathers are old paint samples, and the ears are wire with string wrapped around it.
For this week’s fun piece of entertainment, I wanted to encourage you to watch the Bon Appetit Youtube channel! Listen, you don’t have to be a cook or a baker to love these videos. They’re so much fun, and everyone in the test kitchen crew is wonderful. I’ve been a fan since they started making Gourmet Makes, and the channel has totally taken off since then. Now it’s kind of like a really really good reality show. Go watch a video or two to cheer up (and get very hungry)!
That’s about all I wanted to share for this week. I just wanted to check in with y’all and share these updates. This coming week I’m thinking about doing a couple of posts, one for my birthday and another sharing a playlist I just finished. But anyway, how are you doing?
I hope you all have a relaxing Sunday night. I’ll be back soon, only next time I’ll be an adult :0
Tuesday’s snowfall which quickly got ruined by an overnight rainstorm.
This week I decided not to write a post every day for the sake of repetitiveness and for my lack of inspiration. Thus, here is a recap of my week indoors and of my eLearning experience…
This week I woke up late every day. Well, late meaning 9:30 a.m. Each morning, I quickly jumped in the shower, grabbed a piece of fruit, made myself an iced coffee, and logged into my first class at exactly 10 a.m. Over the past two weeks, I have enjoyed being able to stay up later at night, but it has certainly not helped me be a productive person the next morning.
In Italian class this week, we continued working with the past tense and discussed how to mix it with the imperfect tense. Today, Friday, we didn’t have school (since we only have formal classes Monday – Thursday now), but we took a quiz. I also met with my classmates who are planning to take the AP Italian exam later in the spring, and we went through ten (very difficult) multiple-choice questions. We only got two wrong – whoo hoo!
In Ceramics, we continued to work on our found object sculptures. I can’t remember if I mentioned this last week, but I’m making an owl. I’ll share it when I’m done, but so far I have been very grateful for my superfluous amount of leftover cardboard and paper scraps. Each day for homework, we take a video of our daily progress and submit it so our teacher can see a 3D example rather than just a photo of the front side.
In Piano, we learned about chord inversions and continued practicing chord creation. We also took a test on everything we’ve done so far in the semester, and yesterday we did music trivia (and I won ;)! ). Even from afar, I am loving piano class because it makes me realize how little I know about music. There’s so much to learn, and it’s making me more appreciative, attentive, and curious while I listen to music on my own.
Week two was definitely easier than week one. I have come to realize that we will most likely not return to the school this year. I mean, the Olympics were postponed…and they’re in July. I can only hope and pray that we are able to come back for at least a couple of weeks. With new alarming statistics and scary stories coming out about this pandemic every day, it is becoming increasingly difficult to remain hopeful, but I’m still trying.
Aside from school, I have been talking to friends and family a lot through FaceTime. I had a Zoom “reunion” with all of my friends from my Italy trip on Wednesday, and it was so much fun. We’re planning another one on Sunday and I can’t wait. Seeing them, and all of my other friends & fam, over FaceTime just makes me that much more eager to see them in real life. It’s just scary because I’m not so sure when that will be.
And now, here’s my happy piece of entertainment for you! I wanted to share this awesome website/app I came across. I shared it with my piano teacher this week and I’m totally obsessed with it. It’s called Radiooooo and it’s basically a music discovery program. You can pick (almost) any country in the world and mix it with any decade from 1900 – now. Then, you can select a type of song from the three categories: slow, fast, and weird (weird is my favorite).
Users of the app can add songs, so there are thousands for each decade/country combo. It’s very well-made (although, the iPhone app isn’t great; I’d go with the tablet version or the web version), and it’s such a cool idea. There are a lot of other neat features I have yet to play around with, but if you’re into music at all I highly suggest checking it out for a fun “trip around the world” from inside your house 🙂
ALSO, this week I watched the Amy Winehouse documentary, Amy, which is available on Netflix. If you are at all a fan of hers, I can’t recommend it enough. I have thought about it every day this week and can’t stop listening to her music. Go check it out this weekend and have a happy Friday!
Studio Josie 