January 16, 2011

A quick trip down Memory Lane

I have tried to post.  I really have.  I've thought about things to post.  But then couldn't find the time, the inclination or the ability to get past the first line.

I assumed that when the boys took off this weekend leaving me alone that I would find my mojo and be back in the swing of things in no time.

Ummmmm, no.  It didn't work.

Instead I have spent all my time trying to find pictures for a slideshow I'd like to do for hubby for our anniversary.  And do you know what I've discovered?  Since the advent of the digital camera none of my pictures are in one spot.

Back in the day when you had to have your film processed I would bring the pictures home and put them in albums.  Easy.  I knew where all my pictures were.  And I was organized about it too.  I made sure to put names and dates on them and stick them in an album as soon as I got home with the prints.

Now?  Now I've got pictures EVERYWHERE.  Some are on this computer.  Some on the notebook.  Some on the dead computer that I will never be able to retrieve.  Some are on the work computer.  Some are on FaceBook.  Some are on Shutterfly.

You get the idea.  So what was supposed to be a quick project has turned into two days of hunting for pictures; never mind trying to put the slideshow together.

Although, I must admit the walk down memory lane was eye-opening and sweet.

I can distinctly remember being extremely self-conscious.  I can remember constantly comparing myself to others and finding myself lacking.  Of course, I sometimes still do this - but not nearly as often as I did then; thank God.  Apparently, I was an idiot.  Looking back, I can see now what I couldn't see then.  Obviously, I have traded my youth for a modicum of wisdom.

Also, looking back, I can now realize that I was a BABY when I got married!  For that matter, Hubby was a baby - and he's twelve years older than me!  It should be against the law to get married so young.  Wait a minute . . . . that sounds like I regret getting married; which is not the case at all.  I just look at how young I was and realize that in six short years Man-Child will be that age - and he will be entirely too young to get married.

All this hunting has made me realize that I need to get all my pictures in one place.  I do like the option of having them online as I can then access them from any computer.  But that also makes me a bit uneasy - because I remember at one point storing some on Yahoo.  Then Yahoo decided it didn't want to store pictures anymore and I had to scramble to move them - luckily I finally read one of the emails they sent instead of deleting them like I usually do; otherwise those photos would have been lost forever.  I'll have to do some research I suppose.  I have learned my lesson about storing them solely on the computer though - should the computer die of natural causes or, in the event that someone (*cough - Man-Child - cough*) drops it - then they are lost forever.  I know some of you are avid photographers - how do you keep and organize your digital photos?

I've also realized that since the "baby" was born most of the pictures are of him.  Very few of just us.  So this slideshow will mainly feature pictures pre-Man-Child.

You know what else I realized in my walk down memory lane?  I had big hair. Really, really BIG hair.


And?  I didn't have any wrinkles.

21 comments:

  1. I have the exact same problem w/my pictures. A few here, a few there, and some lost forever on the desktop upstairs that won't turn on.

    Hopefully you'll get your mojo back soon. I have found that after the busy holidays I kind of give up on everything for a while and regroup.

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  2. I have boxes and boxes of actual photos, and lots and lots of digital ones, fortunately they are all on iPhoto or Flickr and backed up on an external hard drive. But yeah, going through them looking for things is hard to do.

    LOVE your big hair photo. It's really cool.

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  3. I think you have touched on the bane of digital photography. I, and probably everyone else, have way too many pictures in way too many locations, and am not sure what to do about it.

    Let us know if you find the perfect photo repository. I dread the thought of trying to pull it all together into some kind of organization.

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  4. I take hundreds ... nay, thousands ... of pictures each year.

    Alas, I always forget where I've left them.

    Many a 'work of art' has gone missing in such a way.

    Nowadays, I leave all my photos on numbered SD cards and store them in a lockable box. I keep an index on my laptop with details of each SD cards contents (where and when taken, etc.).

    SD cards are cheap and their capacity always seems to be growing.

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  5. Oh what a nightmare....I keep meaning to copy all my photos off the computer but I would really like to scan all of the negatives so I can get photo books done so at least the photos are easily accessible.
    You look lovely but it is scary how as our children grow they are definitely far too young to be doing what we were doing at the same age. Gulp! X

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  6. well now, just look at those Curls!

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  7. I hear you about the pictures! I need to do something about mine too!

    Love the picture!

    Mojo on the way!

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  8. You were beautiful then and NOW!!

    I have the same problem that you have about this new way of doing pictures. This year I just finished making a photo book(2006) online with Snapfish because I couldn't find the cd that the pictures were stored on. At the end of each year instead of putting pictures in albums I make these photo books. I love doing this but the only problem is.....where are the pictures. Some on cds, some on my camera, some on my camera that I haven't learned to use that my husband bought me.

    So this year we are going to try really hard about every 3 months to put all the pictures on our cameras on cds. That way at the end of the year all I have to do is use the cds in order and make my books.

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  9. I would swap wrinkles for big hair any day. I hate looking at old photo's - where did it all go wrong eh?

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  10. Just read the comment about a SD card. Not sure what it is but I'm checking that out.

    I also want to get some type of fire safe box to keep cd's in.
    One day ......if and when I retire, I would like to scan all my old photo's that I have in albums. I have 100's so I am dreading that but it really needs to be done. They are already fading.

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  11. AND you were drop-dead gorgeous. :-) What a beautiful pic!

    I miss film. I've told a number of people that, and am glad I'm not alone...

    Pearl

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  12. I love going through the old photos. What a great shot of you and we all had big hair back then.

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  13. WOW - you are beautiful THEN too. :) Love the hair ... where did that style go??? :) LOL!

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  14. Big hair and no wrinkles, God we must have been separated at birth twins!!!

    You look gawjus xx

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  15. Great hair!
    How about getting an external hard drive and sticking all the photos on there? That way they are backed up and you just plug it in to each computer & drag your photos on to it.
    Good luck with the slideshow

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  16. I like your big hair.

    And your pearls.

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  17. Oh that is a STUNNING pic, and anyway I like big hair, I've speant my whole life trying to get my wisps to look like they are more than they are ( =

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  18. You are and were beautiful...with and without big hair!

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  19. ...and I think I could have written this!
    My pics are everywhere.
    Since my girls were born, all the shots are of them.
    I was afraid of the camera and now wish I had just had a few pics of me when I was youngish and cute:)

    PS you were and are still beautiful!!

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  20. My God...you've always been GAW-GEOUS, sweetie....I cannot stand it!

    I love this post...loved walking and talking with you. I'm sorry it's become such a project to put together a gift for hubby...but for me, the walk was f-u-n.

    As for the photos going forward? Buy an HP backup drive (I got mine at Target for between 60-70). I know it sounds like a lot of green, but it'll backup your whole computer and then some...and all you do is plug it into any USB port. I've lost many a roll to a dying computer.

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