Things I learned this week- Supermodel edition

On Saturday, Madison and I went to Pioneer Park in Corvallis to meet Ray from Old Moon Photography. A week or so ago, I answered Ray's ad on Craigslist- she was willing to trade her time and photography skills in order to build her portfolio.
I have to be honest, I wasn't expecting much. The reasons I agreed to do it were because 1. I will sign up for anything, 2. There aren't many photos of my daughter and I together as I am the designated family photographer, and 3. Madison needs practice being in front of a camera.
When I told Madison that I had arranged the photo session with Ray, she was less than thrilled. "I ruin every picture I am in." she said, and challenged me to describe a good photo of her, which I did. While I object wholly to the notion that she ruins photographs, I do have concerns about the way in which she contorts her face when she is aware she is being photographed. Rather than call to mind an amusing thought which may bring upon a smile, Madison focuses on her facial muscles, contracting them so that the corners of her mouth turn up into a crescent. The result is a grimace, and it isn't attractive. This causes some frustration on my part which eventually leads to frustration on her part.
Which leads me to Saturday.
Ray was prompt, charming and unassuming. She walked us around the park and pointed to areas where we could stand, sit, jump, crouch. We chatted a bit- she is studying cancer biology and grew up in the UK, which really impressed my Anglophile daughter. She has been in the US for only 3 years, and her accent is almost undetectable. She did call something "brilliant" which impressed Madison. About halfway through the photo session which madison had been dreading, she whispered to me, "This is so fun!" And it was.
Ray posted some preview shots on her blog, and she is mailing me a DVD of edited images. It's okay with me if none of the ones turn out any better than the ones I have seen, because the best part of the whole thing was having a good morning with my kid.

So, here's what I learned this week:

I learned that there is a new consignment store coming to Albany, which pleases me. I took her some things.

I learned that 1% of things that we buy are still in use 6 months later. This comes from the video "The story of stuff" which has a great message buried in some propaganda... and it makes me wonder if that figure is true. I suppose it probably is if you count gasoline and groceries.

I learned that Madison and I will be going to the (radio announcer voice)National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland in June so that she can participate in a Turner Syndrome research study. We will have some evenings free, so we are excited about seeing some sights.

I learned that Starbuck's mocha powder is the key to a fantastic mocha.