Today's portrait is a quick-and-dirty, reflecting the unexpected flow of my day--an emergency trip to the pediatrician. All is well now, thankfully. I like to think of this picture not only as a self-portrait, but as a snapshot of the haphazard life of a full-time parent trying to run a home business. I held the picture frame up to disguise my haggard face & disheveled hair. Flash off to camera right, on remote trigger, to cut down on reflections on the frame and on the frames in the background. I edited it out of the final photograph, but I didn't even change my shirt, which was covered with smears of graham cracker and kid ooze.

And even though it's quick-and-dirty, it manages to be meaningful. The photograph in the frame is me--a me from about eight years ago, when I had long flowing hair and more youthful skin. I printed it about eight years ago, too, on silver gelatin RC paper in my college darkroom. It was one of my first gifts to my sweetheart-now-husband, who hangs it over his desk. In the background are other college memorabilia: the giant senior show print, a portrait of Stephen from seven years ago in the upper-left, a framed letter from him beneath that, and then a small picture of Ruth, our recent history. It's a picture that looks backwards and forwards and presently all at the same time.

I promise I'll try a shot where my face is showing tomorrow, wink wink.