Sorry for my slack...

I know it can always be an excuse, but I've been slammed. I haven't even thought too much about this blog in the past month so. Almost two months...

So, once again, to the few of you out there who check this. Sorry.

I've been in a transition time lately. At the beginning of the year I officially begin working with a new photographer here in town. He does some different stuff so that's cool. A little less fashion and a little more advertising. I should be able to learn a lot in this new studio. And I will get to travel some too. However, I will miss the life of being freelance. Being bound to no one but myself and God is fun and scary at the same time. One thing I won't miss about being freelance is wondering how my next month will work out financially. Living off the busy months during a slow one.

There is a lot more I could say here, but it is time for me to leave work. So, if I have time, I will continue my thoughts later...

Change is good.

A chasing after the wind...

"The sleep of the laborer is sweet,
whether he eats little or much,
but the abundance of a rich man
permits him no sleep."
--Ecclesiasties 5:12


Five good things:
1. Candy corn
2. Catching up with, and playing music with some old friends this weekend
3. An extra hour of sleep due to time change
4. Hang time with friends and family last Friday (my birthday)
5. A good meeting last Thursday

Reminder...

Only 10 shopping days left till I enter the third decade of my life.
:)

-correction-
I will be completing my third decade and entering the fourth. For those of you that are a little slow on the math, this means I'm turning 30.

Great customer service...

I must first tell you the back story before I get to what happened today.

Here is the quick version of the back story: Four or five months ago I was talking with my boss about random stuff and I happened to ask her about her "old" iPod. (it had died on her and instead of getting it fixed she just bought a new one) She told me that she never got around to getting it fixed and it was just sitting on a shelf in her house. Then she said that I could have it if I wanted. Thinking that it might (if I was lucky) still be under warranty, I took it home. When I charged it up, IT WORKED! I was pretty excited to say the least. The only down side was that she doesn't take very good care of her stuff so it was very scratched and had been dropped several times, so there was no promise as to how long this thing would last. Until recently it worked without a hitch. Lately it had been freezing up on me and doing a few other weird things. So I tried to reset it on my computer last weekend and it did something very odd. When I cleared it off, it told me that I basically had a 23 gig iPod , when in fact it was a 60 gig. I tried to restore it several times but to no avail...

Today, on my way home from work, I stopped by the trusty old Apple store. Since it was way out of warranty I thought there was nothing they could do, but I figured I might as well give it a shot. I walked right up to the help desk and was asked what kind of issues I was having. I told the guy, and he seemed perplexed. He took my iPod to the back to plug it in and see if there was anything he could do. About 10 minutes later he came back out. He told me that he had never seen this problem before and that he was going to replace my iPod for free. Yep, you read that right, FREE! I must remind you that it was at least 6 months out of warranty. I guess he was just having a good day, but in about 10 more minutes, he re-emerged from the back with a "new" (actually it was refurbished, but you would never know it wasn't new) iPod for me. No questions asked. All in all, I spent about 30 minutes in the Apple store, and all I did was tell them my problem and they fixed it without a single question.

Needless to say, I was pretty excited to get my new, scratch free, iPod. Just another reason I really like Mac, great customer service...

Palms and five...

Palms of Santa Monica Beach, CA...

Five good things:
1. Purchased lift tickets for a snowboarding trip this season.
2. Migrating birds - another sign of the changing of the seasons.
3. Friends finding out they are having a baby boy in March.
4. Velveeta & Rotel
5. A much needed rain...

Five good things...

First of all I must apologize to the few of you who frequent this site to see what is going on in my life. What I had planned on being a weekly habit has turned into a monthly habit. I've neglected my blog. Sorry. Hopefully that will change...

Next, I should explain where my inspiration for this post comes from. As an aspiring photographer, I visit several photoblogs daily. Sometimes I see cool stuff that inspires me and other times I see typical photos. I recently (within the last month) discovered a new photoblog of someone who inspires me more often than not. I noticed that underneath the picture each day was a little comment followed my a little section called "five good things". Everyday (or at least most days) she posts a picture she lists five good things in her life. I really liked that concept. They are just five little things to be thankful for. Sometimes as simple as a good snack or a letter she received in the mail. Anyway, I thought that would be something good for me to implement into my blog. Sometimes I might post a random photo and list five good things. Other times I might just log on and list five things and nothing else. I figured that even when life gets you down you should be able to come up with at least five things that are good in your life, otherwise you might need to change your outlook. We shall see where this concept takes us. Hopefully it will keep me inspired to post more often. So here goes list #1...

Five good things:
1. Patty Griffin's 1000 Kisses (2002) - I just recently discovered this album. Some people would call it folk, others might call it country. The simplicity and raw grittiness makes me want to pick up a guitar and sing my own stories. Great road trip music.
2. A change of seasons - I think Fall is my favorite season.
3. Dinner plans with some good friends tomorrow night.
4. A "later than normal" call time tomorrow.
5. Getting a phone call from a new photographer yesterday.

I'm off to sunny California!

Through one of my good friends, I have met another new friend who lives out in LA. It just so happens that my new friend in LA is a commercial photographer. Our schedules worked out just right so that I get to go out to LA for a week and work with him. Not only will I get some work experience in a new market, but I also get to see my sister. Not to mention I, once again, get to step away from the Dallas heat! Work, friends, family, and the nice weather of sunny LA...Who could ask for more?

Life is good...

Where I laid dormant for the past week...

Life slowed down (and cooled down) for me over the past week. It was a much needed break. After completing a very hectic schedule over the past 2-3 months, I timed my vacation perfectly. I sat back, hung out with family, enjoyed the cool weather and beautiful views of Newfound Lake and the surrounding New Hampshire mountains, and just plain relaxed.

Click on the picture above for a larger view of where I spent my last week relaxing. And to view my first attempt at using Canon's PhotoStitch program that came with my new camera. After I put this picture together, I learned a couple of things that I would have done differently while taking the picture(s). There are a few visible seams, but it definitely gets the idea across.

Enjoy. I know I did.

Please excuse the bad photography.

I know it's not the best shot in the world but I wanted to post it anyway. As I was on my way to set up my drums at a local church early this morning I saw several hot air balloons in the distance. This one flew right over my car as I was driving under it. It was probably only 50 feet above my car. I actually rolled down my window to wave at the riders and they waved back. I came upon them so quick that I barely had a chance to fire off a shot.

Anyway, just a random occurrence that started off my Sunday morning and I thought I'd share it with you...

Mt. McKinley & Wonder Lake, Denali National Park, Alaska

...as captured by the great Ansel Adams.

I'm living vicariously through my parents and their retirement. They are currently in Alaska. They just spent a week doing some tours on land (including a couple days at Denali National Park) and are now on a cruise ship for the next week seeing the sights from the sea. Aaahhh...to be retired!

So much to see in this world, and so little time.

Keeping myself in check.

I work in downtown often. In fact, the studio that I work at the most often is actually on Main Street. One of the things that goes along with working on main street is having to deal with the homeless people that roam around the area. I have been approached countless times by guys looking for a buck. There are a number of canned stories about why they need the money that you hear very often. My most often response is that I do not carry cash on me. And that is not a lie. It is not very often that I carry cash in my wallet. I do however carry a little stash of ones in my car since I have to pay for parking everyday, but my response is not a lie to the beggars since I am almost always approached while walking to or from work. Seldom will they will approach you in your vehicle. I generally get to work a little early since I believe in punctuality. Sometimes I have to sit in my car and wait until someone else shows up before I can get into the studio. Well that happened this morning. As I was sitting in my car, listening to the radio. I was playing with my phone when I saw someone out of the corner of my eye heading straight for my car. I glanced up and there was a homeless man approaching. After having this happen before, and being the cynic that I am, I generally just wave at the people in a manner to tell them to move on. This generally works and I go on with my life. I always feel bad about prejudging these people and assuming that they just want a buck, but everytime I talk to them it is the same story over and over. And in the back of my head, I am always thinking "this money is just going to buy more booze". That's me, the cynic. I don't like the fact that I always think this way, but it is almost always what I think.

This morning was no different. When I saw the man approaching, I waved him on without even looking him in the eye. He just stood there, I looked up and he mouthed the word "please". I shook my head in a "I'm sorry, but no" manner and went on with my business of messing around with some settings on my phone. Excuse my language but, I felt like a real ass (but not as bad as I was about to feel). Anyway, the man began to stumble around the parking lot (which is rather small by the way), I saw him looking at the ground, every now and then bending over to pick something up. I assumed he was finding change. He walked near my car again and reached down to pick something up again. As I looked over, I saw him eating half of a cracker that he had just picked up off the ground. My heart sank. Here I was, sitting in my nice car, playing with my cell phone, while this man outside my car was outside eating a cracker that he just found on the ground. Feeling very ashamed of how I acted toward him just a few moments earlier, I began looking for any food or snacks that I had in my car. I found a pack of peanut butter crackers and quickly rolled down my window and tried to get his attention. It took a second, but he came over to my car and I handed him the crackers. I could tell by the look on his face that he was VERY thankful. He, very sincerely, said "thank you and God bless you". I could tell that he was very happy to have something to temporarily fill his stomach. He stumbled away, leaving me with my thoughts. I just sat there for the next few minutes (before venturing into work) thinking about my actions and remembering how good I have it, no matter how tight the money might be sometimes. It definitely gave me a different outlook on life for the day.

Bye Bye Bumper-to-Bumper

Let's all have a quick moment of silence for the passing of a dear friend that we all like to call a bumper to bumper warranty. Even though I never really had to use it, I was a little sad. I think I just liked the comfort of knowing that if anything happenned, I was covered. Just think, it only took me a year and a half to do what Toyota thought would take me three years. I wonder where the next 18 months will take me...

The Real March Madness

I was already a little upset about all of the protests that have been going on around the country in the past several days, but when I saw it with my own eyes it really got to me. I work on Main Street in Dallas, and the day was going along just like any other normal day until I looked out the window around 12:30 and saw four police cars coming down Main Street and clearing the street for a protest march. Very close behind were literally thousands of high school kids, holding posters and waving Mexican flags. I literally saw 2-3 thousand kids driving in cars and walking in protest to the immigration bill that is on the Senate floor. Not only did I see thousands of kids marching, I saw how many police were required for this to happen safely. When all was aid and done, I probably saw 20 police in their cars and another 20-30 that were on foot following the route of the protest (and I probably only saw half of the students and police that were involved). Another great use of our tax dollars. I saw one student with a sign that read "We're not Criminals!". While the student holding that sign may not have been an illegal immigrant, the sign was supporting those who are here illegally. What part of the term "ILLEGAL Immigrant" don't these people understand?! Another thing that kills me is the fact that all of these illegal immigrants and their families are mad at the AMERICAN government for not representing them. But our government was not put in place to be the voice of those who are not even citizens of this country. If you want a voice in our society, come here legally and become a citizen, then and only then do you get a voice. (However, I don't know how well our government represents its own citizens anymore anyway, but that is a blog for another time)

I understand that this immigration problem is not an easy problem to fix, but there is a major change needed. The beginning stages of fixing this problem properly could be very ugly to many, but it is something that is needed for the health of our nation. If our Senators and Representantives cave to the cries to these protests, WHAT IS NEXT?! Terrorists protesting or filing a lawsuit against America because we won't allow them to effectively practice their religion on our soil by killing themselves and murdering others in the name of Islam. I mean we do have "freedom of religion" in this country, and we don't want to deny anyone the freedom to practice their religion in our country, right?!! You may think I'm joking, but I wouldn't be surprised if someone at the ACLU hasn't already thought of this scenario.

That's enough for tonight...

Yes, I'm still alive...

I just have not found the time to post anything. I've got plenty of stuff to write on, but not too much time. Lately I've been getting home from work somewhere between 7:30 and 8:00. When I get home from work I generally spend about an hour to an hour and a half making something to eat (sometimes), eating, decompressing from a long day and trying to relax for a few minutes by watching a little TV. Then I generally head upstairs, get ready for bed, check my e-mail, and try to stay awake long enough to watch a little news while lying in bed fighting the weight of my eyelids. Every now and then I wake up around midnight or so and find myself with the TV still on and the remote, amazingly, still in my hand or somewhere close to it. Soon afterwards, I wake up, and the cycle begins again.

On the up-side of me not having the time or energy to post anything is the fact that I am working very consistently. (something that is a very good thing for someone who works freelance). I would much rather be tired every night than not have any work and struggling to make ends meet. It makes me think of a quote from the movie Bruce Almighty. While talking about manual labor, Morgan Freeman (God-in the movie) says to Jim Carey's character, "Some of the happiest people in the world go home smelling to high heaven.". While I may not "stink to high heaven" when I come home, my work could definitely be considered manual labor on most days. I think our society (America) fails to recognize what manual labor can do for your body and soul. We, as Americans, are too focused on making as much money as possible, as quickly as possible, with as little effort as possible. I hope our ignorance, our misdirected pride, and our greed does not become our downfall as a nation.

Sorry to get all philosophical on you for a second, sometimes it just comes out.

I'll talk to you all soon (hopefully).

Blog Funk...

Sorry to all of you who like to check up on me via my blog. I have been in a blog funk lately. I think it's like a sickness that you can catch because another friend of mine is going through the same funk. It's not that I don't have anything to post on, the problem is more about me finding the motivation to spend the time to post. Anyway, I' thought I'd give everyone an update and let you know I'm still alive after my trip to Colorado.

A quick trip update for everyone:
Overall, the trip was very successful. The only mishaps were a broken wrist (my friend's wrist, not mine) and a cracked windshield. Yes, the broken wrist sounds like a pretty major ordeal, but my friend had a good attitude about it so it was not as bad as it could have been. It was early in the trip so the night it happened and the next day we were all a little sad. But we still had a lot to look forward to, so our spirits were up. On the up side of the trip we were able to visit Evan Hecox (one of my favorite artists) in his studio, and we all left there with at least a couple pieces of work. Now I have to buy frames so I can have a little more art to display in my very meager collection. We also were lucky enough to know about a special edition Nike shoe release that in the long run should turn me a small profit. These special edition shoes are on a limited run and only release in a few special stores nationwide. The store we bought them at was the only store in Denver to get any and they only received 18 pairs. Also on my trip I was able to see several of my old friends and work mates along the way. It was great to see them.

Hopefully this blog funk will pass soon. It is looking like I've got a VERY busy week this next week, so even if I am motivated to post, I may put it off till the next week out of sheer exhaustion. But who knows, this week may turn out fine and you may be hearing from me very very soon.

till next time...

Off to Colorado...

Well, early tomorrow morning some of my friends and I leave for our trip to Colorado where once again I plan on conquering the mountain on my snowboard. Pray that we have safe travels on the road, and on the mountain.

A week in the mountains, on my board, and with friends. Who could ask for more?

Good things come in fours

I was recently tagged on the four lists. Meaning it is my turn to fill out the list of topics to let you know just a little more about me. Hopefully you enjoy it.


Four jobs I’ve had,
1. Chick-fil-a: 2 1/2 years in high school
2. Flower Delivery man
3. Computer Manufacturer: as a friend likes to say, I put the “Q” key on the keyboard. Okay, it was a little more involved than that…
4. Gamma Phi Beta Sorority: I kept the ladies in line….well, um…ok, maybe not, but I did keep the building up and running. And hey, I got to live in Denver, CO for a little while.

Four movies I’d watch on repeat,
1. Bottle Rocket – enough said…
2. Garden State
3. Amelie – it’s a little quirky, but hey it is a foreign film. I don’t know if I could actually watch this one on repeat but I do enjoy it a lot.
4. Happy Gilmore – My friends and I practically did watch this on repeat while in high school. Happy’s best pick up line…” My girlfriend’s dead you know? She fell off a cliff and died on impact.”

Four TV shows I love,
1. The Office – it took me a little but to get used to the American version after seeing the brilliance of the British version, but now I am on board 100%.
2. Lost
3. My Name is Earl
4. Seinfeld – I know it’s not on TV anymore (other than reruns), but I still love it.

Four vacation spots I’d love to frequent,
1. Colorado, Colorado, Colorado
2. California – I love all of it, the south side, the north side, the national parks…
3. New England and New York. I know that New York is not technically part of New England, but I will include it in this section. I love it all, New York City, Boston, Cape Cod, the lakes and mountains of New Hampshire and Vermont, coastal Maine, all of it.
4. The northwest. I’ve never been there, but I’ve only heard good things about Portland, Seattle, the western part of Canada (specifically, the Rockies in Canada), and Alaska.

Four websites I visit daily,
1. eBay
2. blogs of friends
3. Wooster Collective – it’s all about street art. While I don’t always like the art or the politics, it is usually interesting
4. Drudge Report – I don’t dig into it quite as deep as some people, but there can be some interesting stuff on there.

Four radio talk shows I love (ok, I added this category. But I have to admit that I’m a radio talk show junkie. It keeps me up to date with the news and helps my critical thinking skills, something that is easy to lose once you graduate college. The one thing I miss the most about college is the active engagement of my brain.),
1. Michael Savage – Simply the best in talk radio. Sometimes he can be hard to listen to if you are not used to him, but I recommend giving him a chance over several days, I think you’ll soon see why I say he is the best.
2. Dennis Prager
3. Bill Bennett, I was a little disappointed when the local station cut two of the three hours off this national show to bring in a local morning guy. The local guy is growing on me a little, but I think I still like Bill better.
4. Matt Drudge – he is only on the radio on Sunday nights, so I don’t get to hear him too often, but I have really enjoyed the times I have been able to listen.

Four foods I lust for (I don’t know if I actually lust for these foods, but I do really enjoy them.),
1. IN-N-OUT Burger – it can’t be beat.
2. Mi Cocina, Bryan/College Station, TX – Not to be confused with the Mi Cocina that is invading all of the big cities around the country. The big corporate one is too trendy to have good Mexican food. Not that the food is bad, but it is nothing to write home about in my book. The little hole in the wall Mi Cocina in Bryan/College Station however, has some of the best, simple, Mexican food I’ve tasted, not to mention their queso and hot sauce is simple yet supreme.
3. Chick-fil-a – Okay, I may have worked there but that in and of itself should say something about the quality and cleanliness of their food. After working there for 2 1/2 years, I still crave it.
4. A homemade Filet Mignon Steak – While I may have had some good steaks at different restaurants, nothing beats a nice cut of meat, seasoned and prepared to perfection over a slow cooking fire with some woodchips added for a little smoked flavor. While I have overcooked some steaks in the past, the times that I get it right are oh so good!!

Four changes to my house,
I don’t have a “my house” so I must bow out of this category.

Four beers I like, (I have never grown to like the taste of beer or almost any alcohol for that matter. So I will list some alcoholic drinks that I like without the alcohol in them. Some of you may disagree but I think the flavor of these drinks are much more vibrant without the alcohol in them.)
1. Virgin strawberry daiquiri
2. Virgin margarita
3. Virgin Pina Colada
4. I will stretch the category a little more here, but I like things that have Kahlua in them. I have had several desserts and chocolates with Kahlua in them and have enjoyed the taste. So I might like a drink that has a touch of Kahlua in it.

Four (actually six) artists I like, (a category I added and it was hard enough to narrow it down to six)
1. Barry McGee
2. Margaret Kilgallen
3. Evan Hecox
4. Chuck Close
5. Richard Avedon (photographer)
6. Mary Emma Hawthorne

Four tags (i.e. tag you’re it, meaning this is where I list people that I would enjoy reading their four list.) I know that some of you that I will list don’t have blogs, but I wanted to list you because I thought you might have an interesting list.
1. Brad C.
2. Jon M.
3. Ross (I don’t know if you even read my blog or not but I figured I’d list you anyway. I'd love to read your list.)
4. Caleb


I hope you enjoyed my list.

Photo Show

If you are in the Dallas area on Friday night and are looking for something to do, go check out my friend's show.

Where: Magnolia Theater
When: 6:30pm-8:30pm
Free Admission

If you can't make it to the opening, it will be up until March 9.
Support Matt. Buy a print.

See you there.

Kipling...

I'm not normally a poem guy, but I heard a poem the other day and portions of it stuck with me so I thought I'd share it...

Don't rush over this one, try to soak it in.

"If"

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!

By Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936).

Who is Bozo Texino?

A film project by Bill Daniel which began in 1984, and was finally completed late in 2005. The idea began with Bill's fascination of Hobo Freight Train Art, and one moniker in particular, Bozo Texino. He decided that he wanted to find out who Bozo Texino was and why he wanted to leave his markings on so many trains across the nation. This search led him to find so many well known Hobo artists and get their stories. A very interesting documentary on the Hobo subculture and the Hobo Freight Train/Graffiti Art movement.

I heard about this documentary about 3-4 years ago and did not know it was incomplete at the time. I have been trying to see a viewing of it ever since. Well, yesterday I finally had my chance. And after years of anticipation, I was pleased with the documentary.