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By Jillian L., January 21, 2013 2:43 pm

I do, of course.

Last December, I went a got a second tattoo. I had this dream earlier this year that I was at a tattoo parlour, looking back over my shoulder into a large mirror, admiring a new tattoo. It was of a golden spiral:

In the dream, I was so happy. It looked great. So when I woke up without it, I was a bit disappointed.

So what did I do? I went and had it tattooed on for real.

Veronique at The Scarlet Ink did such an amazing job. Her ability to make perfect lines was amazing. I had been hesitant to get the tattoo until I saw her portfolio through my brother. I was blown away by her skill.

It was surreal standing in front of the big mirror in her studio, looking over my shoulder just as I had done in the dream. A supreme sense of deja vu.

Yesterday, I had the touch ups done and I’m so excited. It’s perfect.

It’s been awhile since I posted on any sort of regular basis. I feel badly about that, not because I know some of you are reading, but because I do this site mostly for myself and it feels like a let down to go so long without posting. This is the first post of what I hope will be a more regular schedule.

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By Jillian L., June 4, 2012 7:30 pm

It’s less than a month away until I’ll be getting on a plane to go back to Jordan. I can’t say I pack this way, but I think it’s been tempting for everyone. There’s alway that thing you think you might need and what if that very situation comes up and you don’t have that thing and oh god if only you had brought it?!?!

I am contemplating more posts soon. I’ve fallen behind again, but if you could see my personal journal, you’d probably feel bad for me. At least here, I’m close to caught up, there I have entries dating back to December to write in.

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By Jillian L., May 17, 2012 12:00 pm

My latest tutorial for Photojo is up. While not teribly interesting, it’s useful information, especially for beginner photographers. Read it here.

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By Jillian L., May 3, 2012 12:00 pm

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This is probably the best tutorial I’ve written for Photojojo. I’m really happy with how this one turned out. It’s the favourite of my tutorial babies. Read it here.

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By Jillian L., March 12, 2012 12:00 pm

It’s been a strange year. I didn’t think so much could change in one year and yet, here I am. I look back on last year’s birthday post and I’m like, “Man, that feels so long ago.”

So here’s 2012′s look back on 2011. Give or take a few months.

My favourite events from my 27th year (in no particular order because playing favourites is for chumps… most of the time).

	Jonathan “Riker is a Ladiesman” Frakes Oh the flirting! This man made my comic con. I totally thought Kirk would be the highpoint, but the what girl can say, “no” to Jonathan Frakes?! Have I told you I’m going to meet Sir Patrick Stewart this year? My knees are already weak. (Read the original post).
	Erinn graduated. I know this isn’t something that effected me much personally, but I was just so proud of her. Erinn had found something she was passionate about and brilliant at and finished a degree in it. Where she goes from here is up to her, but Erinn’s eye for beautiful art is one of the best. (Read the original post).
	Photographing Ian & Christine’s wedding. I’ve photographed a lot of things. As the years go by, I’m doing more and more as a professional photographer. It’s a slow game, breaking in and making a name for myself. Ian and Christine’s wedding was the first time I felt like I really belonged somewhere as a pro photographer. It was like I wasn’t pretending or making it up as a I go anymore and it totally showed in the photographs. I’m proud of the work I did for them and it was such a beautiful day, filled with so much love. (Read the original post).
	Putting ancient ceramics back together. I love archaeology and I found a new type of archaeology that I love. I wasn’t sure how much I’d enjoy fiddling with tiny pieces of ancient ceramics in an attempt to put it all back together again, but my god, it was fun. It’s so satisfying to see something go from shards of nothing to a complete something. (Read the original post).
	Falling in love with one of my favourite people. I don’t often get too personal here on this site, but this is one I feel comfortable sharing. Friends for years, neither one of us saw this coming, but I couldn’t be happier or more satisfied with how things have progressed. It works.
	Archaeology Day with Sashiere If you haven’t noticed, I need a little adventure now and then. If I don’t get adventures, I get restless and slightly depressed. Adventures make life feel so much more satisfying. (See the photos on Flickr).
	Beautiful Bulgaria I had trouble leaving for Bulgaria. I really did. I loved Bulgaria though. It’s a great place with amazing sites. As eager as I was to get home when it was all over, it was bittersweet. Seeing Bulgaria makes me want to explore more of the Eastern European countries. I have my eye on Romania at some point, Macedonia, too. (Read more posts about Bulgaria).
	Menta One of the greatest discoveries I had in Bulgaria. Mix it with Sprite and you have a party in your mouth. I wish I could find it here.
	The best photo I’ve ever taken My sister’s wedding was great. Beyond great. She married one of my favourite people in the world and I couldn’t be happier for them. And then, I got the privilege to not only be maid of honour, but also their photographer. And then I took the best photo I’ve ever taken. (See more of their photographs here).

Now I’m going to go have a drink for the coming year!

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By Jillian L., December 31, 2011 6:06 pm

I’ve been saying for a long time that the staplers at work look like whales, so I suppose this was the only natural conclusion to that thought.

Thank goodness for staplers, cell phones with video capability, and quiet moments at work.

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By Jillian L., December 26, 2011 9:04 pm

I wrote this post at the beginning of November, but then my host got completely hacked and that took a few weeks to fix. And then it was the Christmas rush. Now it’s the end of December and I can finally have some time to work on my own projects again. Isn’t that something?!

November 11, 2011

It’s been an interesting few months. After my blog died in September, I spent a couple weeks trying to get it up and running again. My host was little to no help and, as you know, I lost a good deal of posts in the process (thank goodness for backups and the kindness of internet geeks, yo!). I’ve managed to get everything fixed, so here’s to writing new posts again! Hurray! [Little did I know, two weeks later, my host would be completely hacked. Fail.]

You and I both know the library was the first thing to get set up.

Towards the end of September, things got really busy. It wasn’t just the whole fitting-back-into-real-life-post-travelling, it was that my whole life suddenly changed somehow. I ended up moving and spent most of October working on that. I don’t want to move ever again.

Also, I own too much stuff.

Of course, working three jobs suddenly wasn’t enough for me and I took on a job writing tutorials for Photojojo. Most of the time that could be spent writing has been spent working on those. Trying to write in a different voice is time-consuming, but it helps pay the bills and is a tremendous amount of fun, like a good job should be.

Now, I’m trying to settle into my routine and get my schedule together. It’s been an interesting Fall and I’m quite loving life right now. My place is awesome. I’m totally in love with one of my favourite people in the world. Work has been fun. Life couldn’t be better!

… Well, unless I had more time to play World of Warcraft. Then life would be complete. Maybe I should just stay up later. Sleep is for the weak!

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By Jillian L., November 3, 2011 12:00 pm

The second of my tutorials for Photojojo. Read it here.

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By Jillian L., October 20, 2011 12:00 pm

Things have been busy here – hence the lack of blog posts – but you should know I wrote a tutorial on my film stickers for Photojojo. Check it out here.

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By Jillian L., September 25, 2011 12:00 pm

As I’m about to leave Bulgaria and head back home, I have something to confess: I’m done with solo travel.

It’s not that it hasn’t been fun or that I haven’t learned a lot from it, it’s just that it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. If you spend any time reading some of the popular travel blogs, you’ll find articles about how solo travel is great and that really, it’s the only way to travel. Many of these articles will tell you you’re missing out on a new culture by going with a friend, since you don’t get to completely immerse yourself in a culture.

I have to say that’s a fallacy and it honestly makes me think of hipster kitty.

Really, I think you should travel any way that makes you happy. If you feel comfortable on tours, great. Want to go it alone? No problem! Feel like taking your best friend? Fantastic idea!

I think the way of travel you prefer can change over time, too.

I’ve always had trouble leaving for trips. Saying goodbye to my dogs has been the hardest part, but there’s also that part of me that’s been scared to go – a bit of fear of the unknown. Of course, once I get somewhere, it’s no big deal and I settle in. Travelling alone has had its advantages, experience-wise, but lately, I find I like and even need that comfort of going with a friend.

The trouble is, when you’re travelling alone, you come home after its over and you’re the only one with your memories. There’s no one to share it with, no one to laugh with you when you think back on those slightly sketchy situations you might have found yourself in and how funny they are in hindsight. It’s just you, your journal, and your mind.

With this post, I officially declare and end to the solo-travel for me. From now on, when I travel, someone is coming with me.

And I‘m not ashamed to say it.