Week In Review - 11.26.10

Hey Everyone,
Only a few updates from the past week.

Getting Ready - This week in my cycle I don't usually get up to anything.  It is more a week to recharge my batteries.  Next week I start the new cycle so I get with the heavier chemo and steroids. 

Tried out some new techniques - this past week I was out photographing and trying out some new techniques.  To do them properly I need to have a tripod because I have to keep the shutter open for so long and doing it hand held makes the photos a little fuzzy.  But I wanted to see if I liked the outcome before getting the tripod.  It turns out I do like the outcome (check them out at Aaron Offord Photography).  I also want to get in night photography.  I plan to get a cheap tripod soon and continue to do some experimenting with zooming and panning.  Also the tripod will allow me to start experimenting with night photography. 

Greatest Invention Ever - This week I went and got a Bosch Tassimo.  I have always wanted a single serve coffee maker since working at the Oakville office.  There we had a Keurig and I absolutely loved it.  I loved the ability to make a fresh cup of coffee without having to make a big pot.  In addition, it was very easy to try many different types of flavours.  So for the last little while I have been researching into getting one.  After researching the Keurig I found a lot of negative reviews of it breaking after a couple months.  Then I came across the Tassimo.  Not only did it not have the same durability issues but it makes many different flavours.  This machine is awesome.  It makes lattes, cappuccinos, hot chocolate, coffee, and tea. 

Continue to make progress - I am still making progress on the treatment of my foot.  One is almost gone and the other is getting smaller.  I still treat it each week and hope it will be all healed before I go into the hospital.  I have now decided to treat it but not to the point where I can't walk at all during the week. That just makes life miserable. 

No New News - There is no new news on the transplant front.  When we met with them we were told it could take a number of weeks so I am not fretting.  It looks  like I could be in the hospital for the super bowl again this year.  It would be kinda cool if I was back in the hospital for the same time period as I was the first time, it would add a little symmetry to the disease :)  Truthfully I would rather it in the new year just because I don't think I am fully mentally prepared for it yet.  I completely prepared for the gruelling treatment but I am not ready to have the bone marrow tested again.  I dread that testing day (the biopsy is super unpleasant).

Don't Judge - I am pretty excited for tomorrow.  I am off to see the new Harry Potter movie.  I read the books years ago and they continue to be one of my favorite series.  For those that haven't read it, don't judge they are actually wonderful stories.  Before I read them I had the same misconceptions but agreed to read the first book on a trial basis.  It was one of the few books where reading at night was a bad idea because I didn't end up getting any sleep.:)


Well hope everyone had a great week and has a great weekend.

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Cole Trickle...The Best Photography Teacher

Starting out in photography can be an overwhelming venture.  There is so much to learn when starting out and if you go to the internet people can be very snotty towards you if you aren't shooting manually.  Choosing all your exposure modes can not only be confusing but it can take a long time and you will often miss your intended photograph. 

I like to look at learning photography along the same progression Cole Trickle takes in the movie Days of Thunder.  When he first shows up at the track he didn't know anything about the car but knew how to drive really fast.  It was only as he continued to drive did he start to learn more about the car.  We can look at learning photography in the same manner.  When first starting out only focus on making great looking photographs (colour and composition).  Only once you start making great photos should you start to play around with the exposure settings of your camera.  I can guarentee that when most people see your great photographs that they won't ask what your settings were ;)

For me I do use some of the manual settings of the camera but only when they have a specific purpose for the photo I want to shoot.  For the most part I shoot on the P mode (auto exposure) so I can spend more time taking photos and less changing my camera settings.


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A Hobby That Gives Back

Over the past few months I have written about the importance of getting hobbies when going through difficult times.  Today I wanted to do a quick reflection on what my newest hobby, photography, has given to me. 

The most obvious thing is it has provided me with something that takes up time in my day.  You would be surprised at how much time you have when you have nothing to do.  Photography fills up many hours in my day because it fills time when I am actually out shooting with my camera and when I am at home reading about photography techniques.  A second benefit is by learning something new I am providing my brain a workout (more to come on this in a later post ;) )

One of the most surprising things it has given me was the application of a composition technique in my everyday life to control my brain to maintain pain levels.  Applying and playing with this technique has become very fun in my life.  I often find myself becoming aware of what my mind has made the subject and the background and how it changes.  I find it makes you so much more aware of your surroundings.  They do say you can't control you mind until you are aware of it.  So if we don't' practice becoming aware of what our mind is focusing on, we won't be able to refocus it when we need to.  Has anyone else tried focusing on your mind's subject/background??

The best thing photography has given me is a new way to look at the world.  My world has become so much more vivid.  Now when I walk around, even when I don't have my camera, I look at everything as potential pictures.  My favorite pictures involve lots of vibrant colours and colour contrast so I pay much more attention to the colours in our world now.  It has made my world so colourful.  :)

The next thing I am going to try and work on is really work on changing my point of view.  I already have my assignment planned out to work on it.  I am going to spend one afternoon taking pictures from the point of view of a squirrel.  So if you happen to be in Port Credit and see a big man crawling around the park ground, don't worry I am not crazy...just changing the way I look at the world ;)

Have any of you taken up a hobby in the past year that has given back many gifts to you?


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Is Living Everyday Like its Your Last Even Feasible?

I recently wrote a couple posts with regards to living life to the fullest.  Often times we spend our lives coasting, until something catastrophic happens and wakes us up.  Unfortunately, this catastrophic event can often be so grave we do not get a second chance.  I have been blessed that I have faired well so far in my battle with leukemia.  This has given me the time to reflect and wake up.  I realized that before I was got sick I was coasting, and have now begun to make plans to live a better life.

Often we hear live your life to the fullest or "Live everyday like it is your last".  But is this really an achievable goal?  If we were focused on living everyday like it was our last, we would most certainly fail, or become extremely frustrated and quit our crusade.  It just isn't feasible to live like that because we have so many daily demands to attend too. 

I think a more realistic goal is focus more in weekly buckets.  At the end of each week you should be able to look back and be happy with what you have accomplished. 

Of course you should have a list of things you want to accomplish in your life.  This can come in many forms, but the easiest is the Bucket List I wrote about recently. 

If you can look back on each week and be happy with what you have accomplished, you will live a happy life.

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Using Your Mind to Overcome Pain

I originally took up photography because I felt my new perspective would enable me to take interesting pictures.  I knew all along that my leukemia would help with my photography but I never expected my photography to help my battle with leukemia.

When we experience discomfort, it is often with debilitating consequences.  Over the past year, my treatment has provided me with ample uncomfortable moments to try out different coping techniques.  The technique I use most often is taking a deep breath as a procedure is being performed.  This deep breath often reduces the pain. 

But what happens when you are experiencing a constant pain?  I used to try and just focus on my breathing and forget the pain.  Unfortunately, it is very hard to keep your focus when you are in pain, and your mind easily drifts back to the pain. 

It wasn’t until recently that I discovered that a large component of pain is in our mind.  Ironically it was studying photography techniques that led me to this realization.  One technique in photography is the relationship between positive and negative space.  This is the same relationship that psychologists define as subject (figure) and background (ground). 

It is impossible to have a subject without a background.  The purpose of a background is to define the subject by giving it context.  Our mind is constantly selecting subjects and backgrounds.  For example, you are having a conversation with someone at a party with a radio playing in the background.  At the moment your conversation is the subject, and the radio is the background.  But if your favorite song was to come on the radio, the radio would become the subject, and the conversation the background.  Your mind cannot view the subject and background simultaneously, only sequentially. 

You may be saying to yourself, this doesn’t explain how to deal with pain?   Recently I was at the doctor undergoing a painful procedure.  While lying on the table afterwards, trying to cope with the pain I decided to see if I could apply the photography techniques of how our minds works, to control the pain.

I realized that in that moment the pain had become my subject, and everything else the background.  I thought that if I could make something else the subject, and therefore the focus of my mind, the pain would become the background and not hurt as much.  I started tapping on the top of my head with both hands fairly hard.  To my pleasant surprise, my mind instantly focused more on the tapping than the pain. 

Have you ever been told to pinch your finger if you get a cramp while running?  If you have ever done this you have applied this principle without even knowing it J

This technique can be applied to more than just pain.  It can be applied to anytime your mind has focused onto something unpleasant or discomforting. Next time you experience these feelings, try to shift the focus of your mind to a different subject.  If all else fails just start hitting the top of your head.  You may look funny but it works :)

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Have you ever wanted to complete a marathon....TNT can help.

Is completing a marathon, half marathon or triathlon something that you are interested in doing?  Have you ever dreamed of doing this one of these events in Paris, Hawaii, or any other of the famous destinations around the World?  Is competing in one of these events something that interests you but you don't know how to train for it? 

Well if you answered yes to any of these questions I have the perfect program for you.  The Leukemia and Lymphoma society has a program called Team in Training that will help you accomplish all of these questions. This program is such a wonderful program for those interested in any of endurance sport because not only will you be making a difference in your life, but the lives of 67,000 Canadians living with leukema, lymphoma, and myleoma.  While part of the team you will have a fundraising goal to reach which will go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  Being part of the team has many benefits though: When you sign up you are given access to a professional coach which will give you support and advice.  You will have weekly meetings and training sessions with others in your area (if there are some available).  The Team in Training will give you great Web based tools to help you fundraise. 

In addition to having access to teammates and a professional coach, there are two amazing benefits to being part of this program.  First, you will get access to some of the most famous endurance events around the World even if they are sold out to the public. Second, you will receive transportation, lodging and race entry at the even of your choice (your fundraising covers these as well).

Go to http://www.teamintraining.ca/ for more information.

I think this is a wonderful program and perfect for anyone interested in endurance sports.  Go check it out, even if you aren't that interested.  You never know, this program might just get you inspired!

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