Today was a productive day.  While I didn’t get everything I would like to get done, done – I did get some things done.

• Got through about 400+ photos from the kink party.  I went thru and got the set to edit down to 130.  I edited them all as low light requires me to do some noise removal so they aren’t too grainy; and in order to honor the policy of no non-consensual photos, I have to blur people out of photos or remove them in other ways.  After I got done with that, I had eliminated about 15 more photos which had issues that could not be fixed (easily) through PhotoShop.  Then I decided to see if I could get the set down to 100 photos.  I got it down to 82.  Usually my philosophy is to throw out as many event photos as possible.  I mean, I tend to toss out more photos than I keep which not everyone agrees with my decisions.  So I error on the side of “too many” photos.   This time, I said fuck it.  And tossed out things I just wasn’t too happy about.  I will have to say one thing.  My 85MM fixed lens was the perfect purchase.  While it annoys me sometimes because I cannot zoom, the amount of light it lets in allows my photos to pop.  They are vibrant compared to other photos I’ve seen people try to take in those circumstances.  That makes me happy.  Now if they would just get rid of those fucking red lights!
• Wrote up and created the events for the August art show.  Looking at the clock and realizing that the next show is 19 days away, I figured I should get my shit together and start promoting it.  And in doing so, I realized I have no artist for September.  In talking to a guy who is a friend and who also happens to run an online (and in print) magazine, he may have hooked me up.  (Fingers crossed.) . And it would be perfect if he did because this guy is getting national recognition for a photo series he has done.  He is being featured in the magazine in September, so the cross promotion would be amazing.  Always good to have connections.  Now, here is hoping the August show has a good turn out.
• Dealt with the cable / internet repair guy.  A week ago, the cable box went kaput.  After about 30 minutes in repair chat hell, it was determined that a technician would have to come “fix it”.  Yeah, no – they were going to come, see the issue, and give me a new box.  He was supposed to be here between 8am – 12pm.  I logged into the repair portal at 7:30am to find out that he was expected here at 1:30pm.  He called at noon to tell me that it would be 1:30pm.  When he arrived, you could tell he was having a long, crappy day.  He walked into the house, saw the giant red X on the screen, and commented this was going to be the easiest call of the day.  “Let me just get you a new box.”  He was here a total of 10 minutes, and most of that was waiting for the box to boot up and get configured for our account.  “Now, just so you know – these boxes are refurbished, so they may or may not have the recorded shows from the last owner on it.”  Of course, as soon as the door closed, I had to go look.  The previous owner was a Pittsburg Steelers fan as there were 5 games recorded.  He also was very much into the Carol Burnett anniversary special as well as Gilligan’s Island.  At least that is handled now.  Another thing off of the checklist.
• Worked with the fence guys.  These poor guys.  Between the heat and the fact the digging for the fence has been part fence building but part archeological dig, they have not had an easy road.  Only thing left tomorrow is getting the gates completed.  Then they will be done.  They have truly done an incredible job.  They have built the fence right.  They have made it so we have more privacy now than we had with the old fence.  They have taken great care in making it right.  Worth every penny.  I am glad we gave them the business.
• Coached my oldest through meltdown number 10 about college.  Don’t read too much into that one.  She is fucking excited to go.  She is just having every damn issue one could have while trying to get registered for classes.  Software challenges, departments needing to do shit before she can get this or that done, and wait lists for classes she needs this year.  She encountered yet another one today…..and she was just done.  She was feeling stupid and late and frustrated at the idea of traveling all that way to college only to be a “you might get the classes you need”.  I kept reminding her it would work out.  It will work out.  But she was at the end of her rope.  She has a path forward, but she was more frustrated at the fact that she needs (again) another path forward.  She melted out. I hugged her and told her she would be fine. Then I went in and got some aromatherapy spray I have for stress and doused her with it.  She ended up laughing so hard at the fact I was spraying her that she recovered just fine.
• Battled the fucking sugar ants in our house.  I decided at one point that they were trying to take me down a la Gulliver’s Travels where I am the giant and the ants are the Lilliputians.  Sugar ants are horrible for most people in this area.  No matter the conditions, I know most people fight them.  And poison does not seem to work.  So, I spent the day spraying them down.  Then I would find that being close to them resulted in having two or three ants crawling on me.  Fuckers.

Now, if I can find a new (to me) couch and get the laundry room sorted out and get my own laundry done – today would have been an even better day.  Oh well, tomorrow is another day.