Martha Swann Photography

…racing across the tundra and then suddenly it flips over, pinning you underneath. At night, the ice weasels come.

– Matt Groening, “Life in Hell”

Remember summertime when the temperature actually stays above freezing?

Although all the snow may have been washed away by last weeks showers, the thermometer continues to register chilly temps.

Ew.

Here’s to only 3 months and 19 days left (and counting) til summer ’09!

Pre-spring break blues don’t cover the half of it. It’s currently 12 degrees here in blustery Syracuse, the heating is apparently on the fritz here at work, and there are a million and a half things to be done before my Wednesday sojurn to NYC. Luckily, I have the advantage of a somewhat restful weekend to fortify me for the trials that lie ahead, but something tells me that will only get me to half past noon today.

What with agonizing over the looming laundry list of menial tasks to be done before I leave (from actual laundry to packing to making shepherd’s pie for dinner tonight) and the seemingly inexhaustible options for simply passing the time, I seem to be avoiding the inevitable quite nicely.

There’s lots to consider when planning my spring break- namely that I’ll be flying solo (figuratively speaking– really it’s Rob who will be doing all the flying this time around). Rob’s going to visit his brother Daniel in London. He’s been studying there through the SUA program this semester with his girlfriend Katie and Rob should have a blast with them as his tour guides.

Meanwhile, I’ll be toiling away here in Syracuse fulfilling my obligations as photographer for three group projects that constitute the bulk of my Senior portfolio class here at Newhouse. One is food photography, the other portraiture… each one equally interesting, and I’m just as ambivalent about one as the other. I seem to still be stuck with the mentality that spring break should constitute a glorified vacation getaway to some balmy tropical island where I can nap on sandy beaches and soak up the rays (which, here, as the poet said, are made conspicuous by their absence).
But c’est la vie! At least I’ll have Maximus to keep me company, and I’ll finally have some “me” time to devote to my much neglected scrapbook/journal/pilates projects. And to quote Stephen Fry, it’s always a good time to spend an evening with an improving book. I may even have a chance to try my hand at the Hugh Laurie version and spend an evening with an improving dog (ie. spend some time in Utica with the fam and Spock).

And who knows? Maybe these projects will prove to be more interesting once I have more time to devote to them, and don’t have to worry about lab shifts, classes &etc. Time will tell…

M

Gotta love being back home :) not only was I greeted by one gorgeous guy at the airport, I was also surprised by an adorable cat waiting for me at home! Meet Max, a short haired oriental purebred form Vermont. Likes: waking me up at 4 a.m. to play, talking, playing with his mice and string, yakking on my new duvet cover and sitting in the window. Dislikes: quiet time.

I finally got settled in to my apartment and set to work making a few improvements. Like curtains, houseplants and picture frames. I have lots of free time, so Robert and I have been eating pretty well so far. I started baking and have been trying my hand at all of grandma’s recipes. The free time is also giving me a chance to play catchup with my photo organization and cataloging.

Though there’s a few things planned for this summer (a trip to Texas in July, Sarah coming home in June, and a camping trip or two) it’ll be a relaxing few months… I hope everyone’s doing well, and enjoys their time just as much :)

Ok, so I fibbed. But it was just a little eensy-weensy little lie, and on top of that it was a mean to the purest of ends: to surprise Mommy Dearest on Mother’s Day.

For those of you who missed the punch line, the last post was the red herring, and I’m writing you from home sweet home.

I got in to JFK (after a b-e-a utiful flight) at 18h30 last Wednesday and was met at the gate by Robert. After a couple of days with his grandparents, we drove up to Syracuse, and surprised Mom Saturday evening.

Allow me to paint a picture: Martha and Rob standing patiently on the front stoop, bouquet of fresh flowers in hand, while Dad (the conspirator) tells Mom that “a friend has popped by to see her and is waiting at the front door.” She comes downstairs, still groggy from a mid-afternoon nap and greets us with a “Hello, Div—AIIIIIIIIIIGH!!!!!” Actually, the screams were simultaneous, and only came from the female members of the party. Dad, who had beat a hasty retreat (no doubt fearing the shrillness of our reunion) and Robert were fairly mute.

And so the deed was accomplished with minimal hitches (we had planned to arrive Sunday morning, but had to change plans due to Rob’s work schedule), and lots of help from Dad Swann (thank you Daddy!) and Robert (awww). I couldn’t be happier to be back!

Hope you all are enjoying the end of the semester (and the beginning of the summer frivolities!), and that this post cleared up any misconceptions re my return home ;)

See you soon…

Love,
Martha