free to be me

so i totally scrapped my 'self recorded' project....for now.
i really am not motivated to take shots of myself everyday. been there, done that.
i thought about transitioning it into a 'photo of the day' kind of project, but quite frankly, i can't be bothered. and besides, that's what i do anyway. i take pictures everyday. it's my therapy.

day 16 'peeling'

friday, august 29, 2008

the summer sun is peeling off. yep. real tasty.

day 15 'i have angels on my back'

thursday, august 28, 2008

a testament to the amazing people i was fortunate enough to cross paths with here in nyc. gonna miss you jenny jen jen.

my friend jen wrote a poem about me...she's my friend jen.
what a sweet friend!
jen is a gem! ;P
jen wrote:

i found this friend in nyc...


i found this friend in nyc
tall & brave
a courageous....
'SHE'

i found this friend in nyc
hip & chic
downtown gal...
S-A-S-S-Y

in a new york day...
she claims her joy...
joy belonging to her...
forward on - she sweetens other's pain...

treks the city streets by bike....
snapping shots in mid air...
capturing urban secrets...
with her artistic flare...

she never chases life~
it simply comes to her!
i found this friend in nyc
myFriend...myJules...myJulie!


by Contini
(a.k.a.-waterworks-)2008

gonna miss ya girl!

day 14 'digital unwind'

wednesday, august 27, 2008

after a 13-hour day of doing jobs i love, i am finally free to get my fill of internet time.

day 13 'bruised'

tuesday, august 26, 2008

so i guess tubing took a bit of a toll on my body. i did fly up off the tube a few times after crashing into some waves from the wake. but i don't remember experiencing too much pain. i guess i was too focused on hanging on to the rope for dear life!
i discovered this doozy had grown in size pretty rapidly since sunday. it wasn't this red until i got off the plane on monday night. and to top it off, i have one to match on my arm and on my breast.

it's pretty nasty looking, eh?
yeah, that's what i thought.

day 12 'last flight home'

monday, august 25, 2008

in the past two months i have flown from nyc to iowa round-trip three times. that's 6 plane rides as i have to make connections each time.
but this particular flight was really special. this would be the last time i flew into nyc while i still called it home. i've got one more month in nyc before packing up and motoring back to iowa for a new beginning.
and lucky me...we rolled into town right at dusk. i got to enjoy amazing skylines of the city with a summer sunset.

so very bittersweet.

day 11 'tubing in iowa'

sunday, august 24, 2008

i had the best day under the sun!
it had been ages since i had done anything like this! when i was in college i was at the rez all summer long. boating, water skiing, swimming and soaking up the rays.

i'm such a water rat. i was at the coralville pool right before this. the very same pool i spent my summer days at as a child. i would spend so much time in the pool as a kid my bleach blond hair would turn green. good times!

day 10 'beers with kimberly'

saturday, august 23, 2008

kimberly is a total sweetheart with a heart of gold!
i hadn't seen this school mate in 15 years!!!

she was able to escape motherhood for a night to hang with the girls and drink some brewskis...she has triplets under the age of 2 and a 4 year old. and she wouldn't want it any other way! such a trooper! and did i mention that her girls are freakin' adorable!?!

day 9 'smurfing'

friday, august 22, 2008

i'm a HUGE smurf fan.
i picked up a few different characters in this series in cedar falls, iowa while i was antiquing with emily.
yes. these are considered antiques....at least in pop culture terms. remember back in the day when Mickey D's gave these out with a food purchase? i collected them back then, too!

day 8 'light'

thursday, august 21, 2003

i just wanted to take advantage of the light...
emily's home is oh-so-lovely. always a treat to be in her space...

day 7 'digging in'

wednesday, august 20, 2008

if you had to sum yourself up in one word, what would it be?

working on resume bollocks.

day 6 'baby-sittin' the boys'

tuesday, august 19, 2008

these two guys are so much fun!
baby-sitting in iowa is so different. it's so nice to be able to take the kids out in the backyard and fill up a wading pool on a summer evening and let them go wild.
even though these two can be a handful...the ease of iowa's lifestyle makes caring for them that much more enjoyable.

day 5 'fake photobooth'

monday, august 18, 2003

my childhood friend and classmate, bridget, was in town and i was able to meet her two girls, violet and stella, for the first time.
stella really wanted her picture taken in the photobooth at the mall...so we plugged in three dollars worth of quarters and nothing happened.
so i pulled out my camera while we were stuffed in like sardines and took 4 continuous shots....
this is the result!

fun fun! :)

day 4 'my birthday'

sunday, august 17, 2008

saturday, august 16, 2008

it had been ages since i had been on the steps of my high school, west high in iowa city.
so i dropped by to say hi. not much has changed.
15 years since graduation! how time flies!

day 2 'brat pack'

friday, august 15, 2008

got together with two of my best friends from high school (kristi and emily) for our big 15 yr high school reunion in iowa city....
we were in the cab here, coming from a sushi dinner downtown, on our way to grizzly's in IC for drinks and to meet up with the rest of the kids from school!

good times had by all...can you tell?!?!

day 1 'home sweet home'

thursday, august 14, 2008.

i've been living the transient lifestyle in nyc for over 6 years....
in may of this year i decided after witnessing my brother's home search here in iowa (his budget was $125, 000-135,000) that i was really getting sick of chasing my tail in nyc and having nothing to show for it!
approaching 33...my priorities have changed. i want space, nature, to be closer to my family, to have my own place for the first time...to feel fully expressed! i know i DON'T want to raise kids in the city...and someday soon i would like to find that magical someone who will want to have children with me and be a loving nurturing supportive force in my life. not too much to ask for, i think.
so i made the decision to return HOME. i never thought i would say it, but my frequent visits back home during times of the year other than winter (xmas time)...really helped me shift my perspective on what IOWA has to offer. sure...there aren't as many opportunities here as in NYC...BUT...i know i will be healthier here, more sane and be able to take care of my self in ways that i was limited by in NYC.
i'll be here for a nice visit till the 25th...then i head back to brooklyn for one more month before i officlally trek cross country with my dad and a mini van full of my stuff on september 29th.

so here's my way of documenting my journey home. this is not 365 round two...this is my own spin off....
for the next year i will document, record, discover and explore my journey home...back to my roots....self recorded.

Peace & LOVE at Tspoons in Iowa City!

Fresh off the plane from Brooklyn and I've already hung some art in Iowa City! This is so exciting!!!!
Peace & LOVE

my photo is history

the sugar factory on august 14, 2007

almost a year later to the date....
the sugar factory on august 10, 2008

What's the Hook? at BWAC

Peace & LOVE art reception!!!

Good times had by all!!!

Peace & LOVE closing reception!!!

Peace & LOVE Art Reception and Open Mic!!!
Open Mic hosted by GigLizzy!

Featuring artwork by:
Jennifer Contini
[paintings]

Amber Maida
[paintings and prints]

Julie Staub
[photos on canvas and prints]


August 7th, 2008
Thursday, 6pm-9:30pm

Peace & LOVE Cafe
378 1/2 Greenwich St. at N. Moore
NYC 10013
212.349.8500

Nearest subway:
1 train to Franklin
or the
2, 3 to Chambers

Cupcakes, Appetizers, Punch, Music, and Art!
FREE event!

15% of Julie Staub's artwork sales
will be donated to Iowa Flood Relief Fund