Sunday, August 27, 2006
Reunion
I guess it would be nice for me to work in some kind of update for this month. It's been a real whirlwind. The first of the month started off with me heading up to Knoxville for my 20-year high school reunion. I drove up on a Friday afternoon with a cooler full of water and Mt. Dew and a few packs of Chewy Spree candy. As I got closer to my destination, I recognized all sorts of things and got that "I'm almost home" feeling that I haven't had in years. I think it's been 17 years since I've been back there. It was suprisingly easy for me to find my way around and I was at my hotel in no time. I got checked in and found out that I was on a "quiet floor". They had a list of rules for this floor, no kids, no loud TV or radio, no slamming doors, quiet in the hallways, etc. I was in HEAVEN.
I headed down to the waterfront to meet up with a few friends for dinner. Kathy and Dave were already there and I joined them on the balcony outside. Tracy J. joined us soon after and we spent several hours just catching up. It was pretty late when we decided to call it a night so I went on ahead and retired for the evening.
The next morning I woke up early and headed out with my camera to my old neighborhood. I went by one of the places I used to live and checked it out. I made it over to one of my elementary schools to look around. Even though it was Saturday, the head custodian and the current principal were there preparing for the students to return that following week. I talked with them for a bit and they let me have free reign through the building. WOW, talk about having some old memories! Everything seemed so SMALL now. For me, it was fantastic to be walking down the hallways and peering into the classrooms of my youth. The school was in amazingly good shape for its age.
Across from the school was the building I used to meet in when I was in Cub Scouts. My dad was our scout leader. Now that I think back on it, I really appreciate my dad taking the time to work with me and the other kids. That was really cool.
I next tried to get over to my old high school, but unfortunately it's surrounded by a fence and I couldn't get in (well, I didn't try). It would have been nice to get in there and walk the halls again. Maybe for our next reunion that could be arranged. Anyway, the elementary school I attended in first through third grade is on the same plot of land. I learned that it's been converted to a carpentry school. It's in pretty bad shape though. I looked in some of the windows but really couldn't see much.
Next, I headed over to the west side of town where I used to work at a computer shop. The building complex where my office was is gone now, replaced by a strip shopping center. Oh well! I drove around some more and just looked at hom much things had changed. On my way back to the hotel, I drove through the UT campus and went by many of the buildings I went to class in. Sigh... I miss being a kid.
I got back to my hotel and cleaned up for the reunion party. One of my classmates sent her husband to come pick me and LeAnn up from the hotel. When I arrived, it was like we were all 18 again. It was fantastic to see everyone. We all had an awesome time. I don't remember us being quite so alcoholic though (LOL). We ate, we drank, we laughed, we danced, we talked, we hugged... it was a fantastic time.
After all that fun, driving back home kinda sucked.
I headed down to the waterfront to meet up with a few friends for dinner. Kathy and Dave were already there and I joined them on the balcony outside. Tracy J. joined us soon after and we spent several hours just catching up. It was pretty late when we decided to call it a night so I went on ahead and retired for the evening.
The next morning I woke up early and headed out with my camera to my old neighborhood. I went by one of the places I used to live and checked it out. I made it over to one of my elementary schools to look around. Even though it was Saturday, the head custodian and the current principal were there preparing for the students to return that following week. I talked with them for a bit and they let me have free reign through the building. WOW, talk about having some old memories! Everything seemed so SMALL now. For me, it was fantastic to be walking down the hallways and peering into the classrooms of my youth. The school was in amazingly good shape for its age.
Across from the school was the building I used to meet in when I was in Cub Scouts. My dad was our scout leader. Now that I think back on it, I really appreciate my dad taking the time to work with me and the other kids. That was really cool.
I next tried to get over to my old high school, but unfortunately it's surrounded by a fence and I couldn't get in (well, I didn't try). It would have been nice to get in there and walk the halls again. Maybe for our next reunion that could be arranged. Anyway, the elementary school I attended in first through third grade is on the same plot of land. I learned that it's been converted to a carpentry school. It's in pretty bad shape though. I looked in some of the windows but really couldn't see much.
Next, I headed over to the west side of town where I used to work at a computer shop. The building complex where my office was is gone now, replaced by a strip shopping center. Oh well! I drove around some more and just looked at hom much things had changed. On my way back to the hotel, I drove through the UT campus and went by many of the buildings I went to class in. Sigh... I miss being a kid.
I got back to my hotel and cleaned up for the reunion party. One of my classmates sent her husband to come pick me and LeAnn up from the hotel. When I arrived, it was like we were all 18 again. It was fantastic to see everyone. We all had an awesome time. I don't remember us being quite so alcoholic though (LOL). We ate, we drank, we laughed, we danced, we talked, we hugged... it was a fantastic time.
After all that fun, driving back home kinda sucked.
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Ooo look! An update!
You would almost thing I've forgetten about my blog with my VERY infrequent updates. I think things will slow down a little for me to catch my breath in the coming weeks - after my high school class reunion this weekend...
Lately, I've been in touch with old friends I haven't seen or heard from in about 20 years! I'm really very excited to see lots of my old classmates, some that I've been friends with since elementary school. We've already exchanged emails and reminisced about our times together. It's truly amazing the sorts of things that come back to you once you start talking about it. In preparation, I've dug up my high school annuals and pictures from "back in the day". I really wish I would have been more serious in my photography back then to have a better record of all the goofiness that went on with all of us.
Oh, just a little side note that some of you might find amusing. Most of you have heard of Johnny Knoxville I'm sure. Here's my tie-in. Johnny (then P.J. Clapp), was a freshman at my high school when I was a senior. He seemed normal back then. LOL!
Anyway... guess what I still have? My orange safety patrol helmet from 4th or 5th grade. I don't have the belt and badge. I think I had to turn those in. If I have time this weekend, I'm going to get a picture made of me standing at my old "posts". I'll have the helmet with me although it no longer fits as it should. If it did fit, that would be kinda weird.
I'm really looking forward to spending time with old friends. That'll be great!
I have some more exciting news... coming sometime in February '07, I'll be an uncle! How cool is that? I'm very happy for my sister and her husband. This also means I'll get to see my parents around then too as I'm sure they'll be coming back to the states for the birth and then for mom to help her out those first few weeks. That reminds me, I probably need to get my sis the book I get for pregnant friends... the "What to expect when you're expecting" one. From what I've heard, it's THE book to have for first-time moms.
That's all the big news for now. Oh, I did pick up an early birthday present for myself a few weeks ago. A Dunnett titanium snare drum. I looked into one of these a few years ago, but the price of them was prohibitive. Through a friend, I was able to now have one of my own. If you're a Dave Matthews fan and have watched the Live in Central Park concert DVD, then you've see what this snare looks like. Other than being .5" deeper (13X7 instead of 13X6.5), it's identical. Gold hardware, translucent purple finish, black hoops... mmmmm... and a sound to match the looks. VERY "crispy"! When I got the drum, I wasn't particularly enamored with the hoops that were on it. They were more of a vintage style hoop with claws. I changed those out for some more modern style triple-flanged black chrome hoops which I like the looks of better AND am used to playing on. The thing with the claws is that the come up over the edge of the hoop. When I'm playing rim shots, I would somtimes hit a claw instead of the hoop and get a funky kind of tone out of the drum. That's not an issue any more. :-)
Switching gears - Kyle's new home is coming along nicely. I rode by there with him yesterday to check it out. I didn't get to make it all the way through because of a huge storm that came through while we were there. There's no roof yet. Not even close. They are still framing the first floor. From the looks of it, the builder is probably going to start on the second floor soon. To me, one of the nicest features of the place will be the recording studio area above the garage. There will be a control room, drum room and a room for the guitar amps. We talked a little about some of the wiring that needs to be done to make those rooms as easy to use as possible. Neat huh?
Church went well today. Jack did a good job delivering the message and me and the band held the music together - for the most part. Kevin, our lead singer and rhythm guitarist was out of town on a retreat with some of the youth of our church leaving Pam to sing, Kyle on guitar and Jack S. on bass. Jack S. normally plays guitar but can fill in on bass as needed. (Our bassist was on the same retreat as Kevin) Jack had a moment in the first service where he couldn't read the music and the more he squinted, the worse it became. We came close to a train wreck (very close) but managed to keep the train on the rails somehow. I had a bit more to do today though as "Preaching Jack" needed me to assist with some illustrations, one of which involved me playing the intro to "Wipeout".
It looks like another weekend AND month is coming to a close. It's been a good one. I was able to take a nap both yesterday and today. That's always good. It was just WAY too hot and humid to do anything outside.
Time to wind down and hit the sack in a few mins.
Lately, I've been in touch with old friends I haven't seen or heard from in about 20 years! I'm really very excited to see lots of my old classmates, some that I've been friends with since elementary school. We've already exchanged emails and reminisced about our times together. It's truly amazing the sorts of things that come back to you once you start talking about it. In preparation, I've dug up my high school annuals and pictures from "back in the day". I really wish I would have been more serious in my photography back then to have a better record of all the goofiness that went on with all of us.
Oh, just a little side note that some of you might find amusing. Most of you have heard of Johnny Knoxville I'm sure. Here's my tie-in. Johnny (then P.J. Clapp), was a freshman at my high school when I was a senior. He seemed normal back then. LOL!
Anyway... guess what I still have? My orange safety patrol helmet from 4th or 5th grade. I don't have the belt and badge. I think I had to turn those in. If I have time this weekend, I'm going to get a picture made of me standing at my old "posts". I'll have the helmet with me although it no longer fits as it should. If it did fit, that would be kinda weird.
I'm really looking forward to spending time with old friends. That'll be great!
I have some more exciting news... coming sometime in February '07, I'll be an uncle! How cool is that? I'm very happy for my sister and her husband. This also means I'll get to see my parents around then too as I'm sure they'll be coming back to the states for the birth and then for mom to help her out those first few weeks. That reminds me, I probably need to get my sis the book I get for pregnant friends... the "What to expect when you're expecting" one. From what I've heard, it's THE book to have for first-time moms.
That's all the big news for now. Oh, I did pick up an early birthday present for myself a few weeks ago. A Dunnett titanium snare drum. I looked into one of these a few years ago, but the price of them was prohibitive. Through a friend, I was able to now have one of my own. If you're a Dave Matthews fan and have watched the Live in Central Park concert DVD, then you've see what this snare looks like. Other than being .5" deeper (13X7 instead of 13X6.5), it's identical. Gold hardware, translucent purple finish, black hoops... mmmmm... and a sound to match the looks. VERY "crispy"! When I got the drum, I wasn't particularly enamored with the hoops that were on it. They were more of a vintage style hoop with claws. I changed those out for some more modern style triple-flanged black chrome hoops which I like the looks of better AND am used to playing on. The thing with the claws is that the come up over the edge of the hoop. When I'm playing rim shots, I would somtimes hit a claw instead of the hoop and get a funky kind of tone out of the drum. That's not an issue any more. :-)
Switching gears - Kyle's new home is coming along nicely. I rode by there with him yesterday to check it out. I didn't get to make it all the way through because of a huge storm that came through while we were there. There's no roof yet. Not even close. They are still framing the first floor. From the looks of it, the builder is probably going to start on the second floor soon. To me, one of the nicest features of the place will be the recording studio area above the garage. There will be a control room, drum room and a room for the guitar amps. We talked a little about some of the wiring that needs to be done to make those rooms as easy to use as possible. Neat huh?
Church went well today. Jack did a good job delivering the message and me and the band held the music together - for the most part. Kevin, our lead singer and rhythm guitarist was out of town on a retreat with some of the youth of our church leaving Pam to sing, Kyle on guitar and Jack S. on bass. Jack S. normally plays guitar but can fill in on bass as needed. (Our bassist was on the same retreat as Kevin) Jack had a moment in the first service where he couldn't read the music and the more he squinted, the worse it became. We came close to a train wreck (very close) but managed to keep the train on the rails somehow. I had a bit more to do today though as "Preaching Jack" needed me to assist with some illustrations, one of which involved me playing the intro to "Wipeout".
It looks like another weekend AND month is coming to a close. It's been a good one. I was able to take a nap both yesterday and today. That's always good. It was just WAY too hot and humid to do anything outside.
Time to wind down and hit the sack in a few mins.
Sunday, July 09, 2006
Weekend fun and games.
Friday night I made it out to see Pirates of the Carribean Dead Man's Chest over in Huntsville. A local radio station had a costume contest to see who had the best looking pirate get up on. There were very few "good" ones and then just a bunch of goobers with tattered clothes on. Ultimately, a baby with a bandana doo-rag on won. Geez.
I spent Saturday morning doing stuff around the house including giving the dog a bath and giving my car a good washing and waxing. After my trip to Indy, I had quite a collection of bugs on the front bumper that I needed to get off of there. Packed up my camera after lunch and headed to the annual church picnic (the Pig Out) over on the Elk river. Had a great time eating and relaxing with good friends.
I had drum duty today at church. Besides a minor issue getting one of my drums tuned, all went well. Lot's of folks there today along with some old friends that showed up. That was nice. Tried having lunch at Red Lobster afterwards. Everything was going along nicely when a storm came along (I washed my car, rememeber?) and knocked out the power. Nice. We did get our cheese biscuits and salad though. Even though that didn't fill me up, it was better than nothing.
I had some time today to add a few more photos to my blog from my Seattle visit last month. Hope you enjoy them.
I spent Saturday morning doing stuff around the house including giving the dog a bath and giving my car a good washing and waxing. After my trip to Indy, I had quite a collection of bugs on the front bumper that I needed to get off of there. Packed up my camera after lunch and headed to the annual church picnic (the Pig Out) over on the Elk river. Had a great time eating and relaxing with good friends.
I had drum duty today at church. Besides a minor issue getting one of my drums tuned, all went well. Lot's of folks there today along with some old friends that showed up. That was nice. Tried having lunch at Red Lobster afterwards. Everything was going along nicely when a storm came along (I washed my car, rememeber?) and knocked out the power. Nice. We did get our cheese biscuits and salad though. Even though that didn't fill me up, it was better than nothing.
I had some time today to add a few more photos to my blog from my Seattle visit last month. Hope you enjoy them.
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
You know what stinks?
Getting back from vacation...
I was moping around this evening feeling kinda down. After being away from work and having days filled with fun activities, returning to normal day to day stuff seems well, kinda depressing. I tried working on the new song we're playing this week at church and just wasn't getting it like I thought I would. That didn't help my mood. Sigh. I don't get bummed out very often or for very long, so this feeling should pass soon.
On a more positive note, I did get a lot done around the house on Monday and Tuesday. I got my livingroom cleaned up and no longer looking like a suitcase exploded in there. I also sorted through this huge pile of papers on my kitchen table. I can almost see the surface of it now. My drum room is straight as well after looking like the stock room of a music store after an earthquake. Speaking of drums, I rearranged my drums and went back to the conventional way of placing my rack toms directly above the kick drum instead of off to the side like I've had them for a few years. It's just a lot more ergonomic to have them arranged like this. The other way had a cool "look" to it, but I'm over that and more interested in things being easier to work with.
I'm tired. I'm going to bed.
I was moping around this evening feeling kinda down. After being away from work and having days filled with fun activities, returning to normal day to day stuff seems well, kinda depressing. I tried working on the new song we're playing this week at church and just wasn't getting it like I thought I would. That didn't help my mood. Sigh. I don't get bummed out very often or for very long, so this feeling should pass soon.
On a more positive note, I did get a lot done around the house on Monday and Tuesday. I got my livingroom cleaned up and no longer looking like a suitcase exploded in there. I also sorted through this huge pile of papers on my kitchen table. I can almost see the surface of it now. My drum room is straight as well after looking like the stock room of a music store after an earthquake. Speaking of drums, I rearranged my drums and went back to the conventional way of placing my rack toms directly above the kick drum instead of off to the side like I've had them for a few years. It's just a lot more ergonomic to have them arranged like this. The other way had a cool "look" to it, but I'm over that and more interested in things being easier to work with.
I'm tired. I'm going to bed.
Monday, July 03, 2006
Back to Bama
After a short week at work, I made my way up to Indianapolis for the Formula One US Grand Prix festivities. My drive up was pleasant as I had no fixed schedule to meet. I stopped over in Nashville at Fork's Drum Closet to pick up new heads for my drums as well as a few pairs of drumsticks. Next was a stop just before the Kentucky line at Jeff Wald's place - a drumming friend of mine whose wife recently received her real estate license and needed some headshots for some of her materials. I was happy to have been able to help out. Played on Jeff's drums a bit then had a bite to eat before continuing on to Indy. I checked in at the hotel without incident and soon was off to sleep.
Friday morning came a bit earlier as I was in the eastern time zone now instead of central. After a quick breakfast, I headed to join my friends at the BMW Corral and get all my paperwork and vehicle pass for race day. Finally, I was at the track. This time, I was only planning to take photos on Friday so I'm not hauling around all my camera equipment the rest of the weekend. I got several good shots, some of which I'll post here and then put the rest on my photo gallery (the link is in the column on the right). I got a good shot of Scott Speed, the only American driver in F1. During practice, he had a problem with his car as he was going down the pit lane exit and he walked right by where I was on his way back to the pits.
I got my shopping done on Friday also. Not too much this year, just 2 shirts. I try to get that done right away as later on in the weekend, vendors run out of the size I need and all they have left are XXL stuff. I spent the remainder of the day moving around the track and hanging out with friends.
Friday morning came a bit earlier as I was in the eastern time zone now instead of central. After a quick breakfast, I headed to join my friends at the BMW Corral and get all my paperwork and vehicle pass for race day. Finally, I was at the track. This time, I was only planning to take photos on Friday so I'm not hauling around all my camera equipment the rest of the weekend. I got several good shots, some of which I'll post here and then put the rest on my photo gallery (the link is in the column on the right). I got a good shot of Scott Speed, the only American driver in F1. During practice, he had a problem with his car as he was going down the pit lane exit and he walked right by where I was on his way back to the pits.
I got my shopping done on Friday also. Not too much this year, just 2 shirts. I try to get that done right away as later on in the weekend, vendors run out of the size I need and all they have left are XXL stuff. I spent the remainder of the day moving around the track and hanging out with friends.
Monday, June 26, 2006
Billy Ward and Me in Nashville at Soundcheck Studios. He was in town to do a clinic and promote his DVD as well as DW Drums. He's drummed for several different folks, most recently on tour with Joan Osborne. In the last fifteen years Billy has toured and /or recorded (among others) with jazz artists Jim Beard, Bill Evans Supergroup, Leni Stern, George Russell and Living Time Orchestra, pop artists The Knack, Jimmy Webb, Carly Simon, Richard Marx, ex-KISS star Ace Frehley's Comet, and unclassifiable talents like Bill Champlin, Robbie Robertson, Yoko Ono, and Chris Whitley.
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Sunday, June 11, 2006
Photos and more photos...
OMG. Sorting and processing this last batch of photos from the dance recital a few weeks ago has been quite an ordeal. I really took a few thousand shots... all in RAW. I shot in RAW because of the rapidly changing light conditions and to easily set the white balance for each scene... of which there were 68 in each show... and there were 3 shows. Thankfully, I'm about done with that and can start uploading those this week. Jawana tells me that some other parents of kids in the recital were getting kid of antsy to see the photos so the answer to them is "VERY SOON NOW". These shots don't go straight from my camera to be uploaded - some work has to be done to them before they're ready. That's the time consuming part.
Shot a wedding this past Friday afternoon. Thanks to Lesa, I had a backup camera body to use in case mine malfunctioned for some reason. I did get one error that locked up my camera but it was cleared when I removed the batteries for a few seconds. Whew! It was an outside wedding so you can imagine I was pretty warm as I was doing my thing. After the wedding and the reception, I was pretty much worn out.
Saturday was a day of domestication as I did laundry and general home stuff. I was able to get out a bit and get some shots of a soccer tournament going on for a work project before coming home and taking a much deserved LONG nap. Joined some friends to grill out steaks and enjoy a nice evening in the country.
Church was a blast today! Music went off without a hitch with some really good crowd participation in the last songs. Wow! That was exciting. After a quick lunch at Quizno's, it was back to church again for band practice. I pretty much spent the rest of the day working on photos so that would be how I wrapped up my weekend.
Oh, I did get to tape then watch the British Grand Prix. Ya know I can't be missing my F1 races now...
Shot a wedding this past Friday afternoon. Thanks to Lesa, I had a backup camera body to use in case mine malfunctioned for some reason. I did get one error that locked up my camera but it was cleared when I removed the batteries for a few seconds. Whew! It was an outside wedding so you can imagine I was pretty warm as I was doing my thing. After the wedding and the reception, I was pretty much worn out.
Saturday was a day of domestication as I did laundry and general home stuff. I was able to get out a bit and get some shots of a soccer tournament going on for a work project before coming home and taking a much deserved LONG nap. Joined some friends to grill out steaks and enjoy a nice evening in the country.
Church was a blast today! Music went off without a hitch with some really good crowd participation in the last songs. Wow! That was exciting. After a quick lunch at Quizno's, it was back to church again for band practice. I pretty much spent the rest of the day working on photos so that would be how I wrapped up my weekend.
Oh, I did get to tape then watch the British Grand Prix. Ya know I can't be missing my F1 races now...
Sunday, June 04, 2006
Ah... the weekend's here!
After another busy week at work, it was nice to wrap up with a Photoshop seminar up in Nashville Friday. I learned a lot of new things along with better ways to do things I HAVE been doing. Good stuff. After class was over, I met up with a friend of mine from Pearl Drums for some dinner at Big River Brewery. Excellent cuisine. Had fun talking about a variety of topics from drums to photography.
Afterward, I stopped in at Guitar Center to see if they had a bag I could carry my bongos in. I was in luck and they had what I needed. I much prefer Fork's for my drum gear but they had closed at 6 and it was already past 7.
When I got home, I started uploading the first sets of shots from the Cinderella dance recital up to my gallery. There's a BUNCH so that will be a time consuming process.
This morning, I finally unpacked my drums from last weekends show. From the heat, they had gone way out of tune so I tinkered around with them to get them sounding like they should. I was lazy and didn't set them up yet. I may do that before I head off to bed shortly.
I decided that today I really needed to wash my car. It was filthy. What took the longest was getting all the bugs off the front. I had to break out the bug & tar remover to get about a zillion gnats off of there that wouldn't wash off. I did the whole works, vacuumed the interior and the trunk, wiped off all the leather, washed the exterior, cleaned the wheels and tires, cleaned the glass inside and out... I even went ahead and checked my tire pressures. 3 of them were down a pound of air so I got them aired up to where they needed to be. Car looks good now. I did find one place where my paint got chipped. GRRRR. I've got touch up paint so I'll fix it tomorrow.
Went bowling tonight - it was my first time in probably 6 years and you could tell. Yikes! I bowled WAY below my average, but I didn't expect much after not having bowled in so long AND being tired from working outside all afternoon.
Time to wind down for the evening. I may make myself a nice drink and watch some tube before I drift off to bed.
Afterward, I stopped in at Guitar Center to see if they had a bag I could carry my bongos in. I was in luck and they had what I needed. I much prefer Fork's for my drum gear but they had closed at 6 and it was already past 7.
When I got home, I started uploading the first sets of shots from the Cinderella dance recital up to my gallery. There's a BUNCH so that will be a time consuming process.
This morning, I finally unpacked my drums from last weekends show. From the heat, they had gone way out of tune so I tinkered around with them to get them sounding like they should. I was lazy and didn't set them up yet. I may do that before I head off to bed shortly.
I decided that today I really needed to wash my car. It was filthy. What took the longest was getting all the bugs off the front. I had to break out the bug & tar remover to get about a zillion gnats off of there that wouldn't wash off. I did the whole works, vacuumed the interior and the trunk, wiped off all the leather, washed the exterior, cleaned the wheels and tires, cleaned the glass inside and out... I even went ahead and checked my tire pressures. 3 of them were down a pound of air so I got them aired up to where they needed to be. Car looks good now. I did find one place where my paint got chipped. GRRRR. I've got touch up paint so I'll fix it tomorrow.
Went bowling tonight - it was my first time in probably 6 years and you could tell. Yikes! I bowled WAY below my average, but I didn't expect much after not having bowled in so long AND being tired from working outside all afternoon.
Time to wind down for the evening. I may make myself a nice drink and watch some tube before I drift off to bed.
Monday, May 29, 2006
I survived!
The past 10 days have been some of the busiest in recent times! My schedule was JAM PACKED with photography, band practices and performances, travel for work, etc. The previous weekend I was doing some shooting for a local dance studio's performance of Cinderella. 2 different shows on Saturday and a matinee on Sunday. The average length of the show was in excess of 3 hours so by the time all that was done, I was pretty much wiped out. Mixed in with all that was a morning band practice on Saturday, playing in 2 church services Sunday morning and then playing through our full set list for our youth group Sunday night in preparation for our band's performance at the Alabama Jubilee the next Saturday.
After getting home that night, I spent the remainder of the time packing for my trip to Seattle. Normally when traveling, I prefer not to check baggage if at all possible. That wouldn't work this time because I had to bring my camera gear and laptop as well. My laptop's huge and needs its own bag so I can pack it with my camera. There goes my 2 carry-on limit. My garment bag would have to be checked.
I need a lighter, thinner laptop. There. I said it.
Somehow, everything came together and at 5:45 AM Monday morning, I was sitting in a plane. After a brief stop in Atlanta and an almost 5 hour flight from there, I arrived in Seattle. Checked in at the Hilton there then stopped in to meet with a client before joining them for dinner at Salty's. Dinner there was FANTASTIC! I think I had one of, if not THE BEST dinner I have ever had. I'm a big fan of seafood and just everything was SO fresh! The lobster tails, mussels, oysters, Copper River salmon, scallops, crab legs, wine, chowder... OMG it was glorious! I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.
Tuesday was all business. When the last meeting was over, we headed downtown to look around. Strangely, a lot of the attractions there closed at 5:00. It was after 5:00 so there wasn't too much to do other than walk around and look. Dinner was in the restaurant at the top of the Space Needle. The retaurant rotated slowly so as you ate, you saw every direction around the city. It was gorgeous! After eating, I got up on the observation deck and took more photos and just took it all in.
Despite Seattle being know for rain, it's also interesting to note that there was very little humidity. I don't think I ever sweated or got sticky there AT ALL. Granted, lows were in the 50's and highs in the 60's but it was always pleasant.
Wednesday I was up in Everett which is just north of Seattle. There I saw to Boeing assembly plants for their largest planes. WOW. Those plants are the largest structures I recall ever seeing. They are just MASSIVE.
Ate lunch there in town and took some shots of the ferry to Whidby island before coming back to town. The plan was to go back to the Pike Street market which was closing up when we arrived the previous day. This was the place where the fish monger throws the fish around to the guys behind the counter when he makes a sale. I also had a chance to get a mocha latte at the FIRST Starbucks Coffee house. How cool is that? Next, we made it over to the Science Fiction museum to check out some unique things. They had Captain Kirk's chair from the Enterprise, the Death Star they used in the Star Wars movies, the suit Charlton Heston wore in 1968 for the original Planet of the Apes, the arm and skull of The Terminator, the yellow hydraulic loader thing Ripley used to fight the alien queen from the movie "Alien"... just all sorts of stuff. This was the real deal! Kinda geeky, but fun.
Spent the next little bit shooting photos outside the museum and in a neighboring park. The sun came out and made for some nice shots. After a nice quiet dinner, headed back to the hotel to pack for the trip home the next day. Thursday was a travel day. Flew out at 6:30 AM and arrive back home about 5 that afternoon. While I had fun, I looked forward to my own bed.
After work Friday, I came home and started packing up my drums for Saturday's performance. Jack would be over in the mini van the next morning at 10 to pick me and all my gear up. Took it easy that night and rested.
After getting up and taking a shower, I brought some of my drum gear outside to get loaded. It was then I realized that taking a shower was a moot point. I was sweating as soon as I stepped outside. It was blazing hot. When we took to the stage, it was 93! Thankfully, I brought along my BIG fan which kept me cool while I was playing. Kyle took a few photos and some video as well. Maybe I'll have a clip of us playing soon. (thanks dude)
When we finished playing, we packed up again and headed home. Jack and I unloaded all my stuff and got it back in my house. Cleaned up then met up with everyone again for drinks and a snack at a place on the river. Ahhhh... A friend of mine and I continued on to Huntsville for a nice dinner at Macaroni Grill. That was a great way to wrap up a long and busy week.
After church Sunday, I watched some of the Grad Prix of Monaco. The Formula 1 circus was there racing in the principality this weekend. I did venture out in the heat though to get some photos at the Jubilee for work. Soaked with sweat, AGAIN. Joined up with friends in Hartselle to do some shooting on a farm. We all had a good time! Oh, there was this one incident where Matt's .44 made me jump. Some powder or other material came out the side of the revolver and hit me in the neck. That stung for sure. I was definitely glad I had protective glasses on. If that had hit me in the eye, that would have been a bad thing. The rest of the evening was spent eating pizza and just hanging out at Will and Helen's place.
It's good to be home.
After getting home that night, I spent the remainder of the time packing for my trip to Seattle. Normally when traveling, I prefer not to check baggage if at all possible. That wouldn't work this time because I had to bring my camera gear and laptop as well. My laptop's huge and needs its own bag so I can pack it with my camera. There goes my 2 carry-on limit. My garment bag would have to be checked.
I need a lighter, thinner laptop. There. I said it.
Somehow, everything came together and at 5:45 AM Monday morning, I was sitting in a plane. After a brief stop in Atlanta and an almost 5 hour flight from there, I arrived in Seattle. Checked in at the Hilton there then stopped in to meet with a client before joining them for dinner at Salty's. Dinner there was FANTASTIC! I think I had one of, if not THE BEST dinner I have ever had. I'm a big fan of seafood and just everything was SO fresh! The lobster tails, mussels, oysters, Copper River salmon, scallops, crab legs, wine, chowder... OMG it was glorious! I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.
Tuesday was all business. When the last meeting was over, we headed downtown to look around. Strangely, a lot of the attractions there closed at 5:00. It was after 5:00 so there wasn't too much to do other than walk around and look. Dinner was in the restaurant at the top of the Space Needle. The retaurant rotated slowly so as you ate, you saw every direction around the city. It was gorgeous! After eating, I got up on the observation deck and took more photos and just took it all in.
Despite Seattle being know for rain, it's also interesting to note that there was very little humidity. I don't think I ever sweated or got sticky there AT ALL. Granted, lows were in the 50's and highs in the 60's but it was always pleasant.
Wednesday I was up in Everett which is just north of Seattle. There I saw to Boeing assembly plants for their largest planes. WOW. Those plants are the largest structures I recall ever seeing. They are just MASSIVE.
Ate lunch there in town and took some shots of the ferry to Whidby island before coming back to town. The plan was to go back to the Pike Street market which was closing up when we arrived the previous day. This was the place where the fish monger throws the fish around to the guys behind the counter when he makes a sale. I also had a chance to get a mocha latte at the FIRST Starbucks Coffee house. How cool is that? Next, we made it over to the Science Fiction museum to check out some unique things. They had Captain Kirk's chair from the Enterprise, the Death Star they used in the Star Wars movies, the suit Charlton Heston wore in 1968 for the original Planet of the Apes, the arm and skull of The Terminator, the yellow hydraulic loader thing Ripley used to fight the alien queen from the movie "Alien"... just all sorts of stuff. This was the real deal! Kinda geeky, but fun.
Spent the next little bit shooting photos outside the museum and in a neighboring park. The sun came out and made for some nice shots. After a nice quiet dinner, headed back to the hotel to pack for the trip home the next day. Thursday was a travel day. Flew out at 6:30 AM and arrive back home about 5 that afternoon. While I had fun, I looked forward to my own bed.
After work Friday, I came home and started packing up my drums for Saturday's performance. Jack would be over in the mini van the next morning at 10 to pick me and all my gear up. Took it easy that night and rested.
After getting up and taking a shower, I brought some of my drum gear outside to get loaded. It was then I realized that taking a shower was a moot point. I was sweating as soon as I stepped outside. It was blazing hot. When we took to the stage, it was 93! Thankfully, I brought along my BIG fan which kept me cool while I was playing. Kyle took a few photos and some video as well. Maybe I'll have a clip of us playing soon. (thanks dude)
When we finished playing, we packed up again and headed home. Jack and I unloaded all my stuff and got it back in my house. Cleaned up then met up with everyone again for drinks and a snack at a place on the river. Ahhhh... A friend of mine and I continued on to Huntsville for a nice dinner at Macaroni Grill. That was a great way to wrap up a long and busy week.
After church Sunday, I watched some of the Grad Prix of Monaco. The Formula 1 circus was there racing in the principality this weekend. I did venture out in the heat though to get some photos at the Jubilee for work. Soaked with sweat, AGAIN. Joined up with friends in Hartselle to do some shooting on a farm. We all had a good time! Oh, there was this one incident where Matt's .44 made me jump. Some powder or other material came out the side of the revolver and hit me in the neck. That stung for sure. I was definitely glad I had protective glasses on. If that had hit me in the eye, that would have been a bad thing. The rest of the evening was spent eating pizza and just hanging out at Will and Helen's place.
It's good to be home.
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Saturday, May 20, 2006
Click. Click. Click.
I think I had a photo shoot every day this week. No kiddin. Some architectural stuff early in the week then some product photography midweek. Wrapped up the week shooting at a college girls softball tournament going on nearby. 22 teams are here for it, one of which my employer sponsored. I've got a truckload of shots from that. They had set up some scaffolding for the photographers to use so I took full advantage of that. Up high, you don't have the protection of the fence or net so you have to keep one eye on the action at all times or you could be in for a nasty (and PAINFUL) suprise. The weather cooperated and made for a very pleasant time outdoors. I'm glad I work my thick khakis because the tops of the scaffolding were very rough (for traction I'm sure) and I was kneeling most of the time.
After I finished at the ball game Friday, I went by the venue where a local dance studio performs. I had to pick up a copy of the program and production notes as I'll be doing all the performance photography this weekend. These notes will be a guide for me so I'll know what to expect from each performance. It'll be a fun but VERY busy time for me. I'll have my kneepads on for sure as I'll be doing a lot of crawling around between the first row of seats and the stage to get my shots.
My buddy Kyle will be upstairs shooting video, but he has the luxury of being in one spot watching what he's recording on a laptop screen. Between performances, I'll join him there on a bank of laptop computers to download photos from my memory cards and burn the data to DVD so I'll be ready for the next round. I am READY this time. I have 12 GIGS of memory cards on me and 2 camera bodies. The 2 camera bodies lets me put a short lens on one and a long lens on the other so I won't have to go through the hassle of switching lenses (which can be a bit tough in the dark) to get all the action, just grab the appropriate camera and shoot.
As if that isn't enough fun for one day, I have band practice this morning. I'm really glad we were all able to fit a practice in though. It's been a hectic week for all of us in the band but you still have to get in a practice somehow. Our gig is coming up this weekend so practicing is a good thing.
After I finished at the ball game Friday, I went by the venue where a local dance studio performs. I had to pick up a copy of the program and production notes as I'll be doing all the performance photography this weekend. These notes will be a guide for me so I'll know what to expect from each performance. It'll be a fun but VERY busy time for me. I'll have my kneepads on for sure as I'll be doing a lot of crawling around between the first row of seats and the stage to get my shots.
My buddy Kyle will be upstairs shooting video, but he has the luxury of being in one spot watching what he's recording on a laptop screen. Between performances, I'll join him there on a bank of laptop computers to download photos from my memory cards and burn the data to DVD so I'll be ready for the next round. I am READY this time. I have 12 GIGS of memory cards on me and 2 camera bodies. The 2 camera bodies lets me put a short lens on one and a long lens on the other so I won't have to go through the hassle of switching lenses (which can be a bit tough in the dark) to get all the action, just grab the appropriate camera and shoot.
As if that isn't enough fun for one day, I have band practice this morning. I'm really glad we were all able to fit a practice in though. It's been a hectic week for all of us in the band but you still have to get in a practice somehow. Our gig is coming up this weekend so practicing is a good thing.
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Thanks, but no.
As more and more people find out about the photography side of my life, I naturally receive more requests to do shoots. That's a good thing. Today though, I got asked about shooting another wedding. I say "another" because I've shot 2 already. The thing is though, I just don't feel comfortable enough shooting weddings. Not the technical aspect mind you, I can definitely get the shots, but more so knowing what shots the family wants to get. I have a good friend that's a wedding photographer. I've offered to help he and his business partner shoot weddings as a third phtographer or assistant so I can at least learn from someone who shoots these types of events for a living. That should happen soon so maybe I can pick up a few wedding gigs here and there. Aside from that, I also need additional items like a backup body and another flash unit. I'd hate to be responsible for the images at such an important event only to have an equipment malfunction totally messing up the day. Those additional items can put quite a dent in the wallet though. For a second body, I'd really love to have either Canon's 1Ds Mark II or the 1D Mark IIN - the latter for it's speed and usefulness for sports.
Despite all the above, I did accept a request to shoot an outdoor wedding for a friend's friend. I've got a good handle on lighting outdoors PLUS the bride and groom are furnishing me with a list of shots they want. That should make things easier... I hope.
Anyone see the F1 race today in Spain? Renault's Fernando Alonso won! I just like that kid. Maybe this year I can get an autograph or something at Indy. That would be cool. We'll see. The CBS coverage I was dreading wasn't too terribly bad which was a pleasant surprise. Two weeks from now they'll be racing in Monaco. There's not a lot of passing there but it's exciting to watch. If I had the means, that would be a place I'd like to see the race in person at.
In other car news, I got the hail damage repaired on my car this week. The damage was light enough that the paintless dent repair (PDR) service was all it took to get the metal back nice and smooth without damaging the paint. It would really stink to have a car not even a year old needing paint work!
Today was a good day for me... church this morning, lunch with friends at Kyoto then dinner at Jawana's. Watched Extreme Home Makeover afterwards then stopped off at my sister's new place before heading to the homestead.
Sigh. The weekend's over. Back to bizz-nass.
Oh, I've added my buddy Kenneth to my list of blog buddies. He's a good friend from back in my high school days!
Despite all the above, I did accept a request to shoot an outdoor wedding for a friend's friend. I've got a good handle on lighting outdoors PLUS the bride and groom are furnishing me with a list of shots they want. That should make things easier... I hope.
Anyone see the F1 race today in Spain? Renault's Fernando Alonso won! I just like that kid. Maybe this year I can get an autograph or something at Indy. That would be cool. We'll see. The CBS coverage I was dreading wasn't too terribly bad which was a pleasant surprise. Two weeks from now they'll be racing in Monaco. There's not a lot of passing there but it's exciting to watch. If I had the means, that would be a place I'd like to see the race in person at.
In other car news, I got the hail damage repaired on my car this week. The damage was light enough that the paintless dent repair (PDR) service was all it took to get the metal back nice and smooth without damaging the paint. It would really stink to have a car not even a year old needing paint work!
Today was a good day for me... church this morning, lunch with friends at Kyoto then dinner at Jawana's. Watched Extreme Home Makeover afterwards then stopped off at my sister's new place before heading to the homestead.
Sigh. The weekend's over. Back to bizz-nass.
Oh, I've added my buddy Kenneth to my list of blog buddies. He's a good friend from back in my high school days!
Saturday, May 13, 2006
A catch-up of sorts.
I've finally posted a couple of photos from recent personal stuff I've worked on. I have plenty more that I'll get posted as time permits.
A few weeks ago, me and some of the band got together one night to record a quick and dirty demo CD we needed to provide to some venues that we were hoping to play at. Despite the less than optimal circumstances of recording outside of a studio environment, it came out sounding pretty decent although I wasn't overly thrilled with my playing. We didn't have the luxury of listening to each track as it was recorded - we just played then moved to the next song for the most part. It did make me look forward to doing a studio session in the near future though.
Formula One. That's a topic I haven't talked about lately. The engine and rule changes this year have made F1 races the most exciting I have seen in quite a while. Cars are more closely matched and no one in particular is running away with the championship so far. Renault is leading in the meantime but Ferrari is clawing away at their lead. McLaren and Honda aren't too far behind, they're definitely in the mix. The USGP is coming up in a few weeks. I always look forward to that weekend to see the race live and in person! I received my tickets not too long ago. Whee! Tomorrow they're racing in Spain. CBS is covering the race... I MUCH prefer it when Speed TV covers it but oh well. I think that out of the 19 races, 4 are on CBS including Indy.
Anyway, had a productive Saturday. I got out the hedge trimmer and whipped the bushes in front of my house back into shape. They were starting to get a bit out of hand. This wasn't the holly bush hedge though. If you'll remember last year, you know how much I look forward to dealing with that. After cleaning up all the clippings, I got cleaned up and headed out for lunch and to get some shopping done. I hit the local mall but ended up in Huntsville where I finally found what I was looking for. Came back home and watched some racing then messed around the house a bit (which includes this blog update!).
Time for bed.
A few weeks ago, me and some of the band got together one night to record a quick and dirty demo CD we needed to provide to some venues that we were hoping to play at. Despite the less than optimal circumstances of recording outside of a studio environment, it came out sounding pretty decent although I wasn't overly thrilled with my playing. We didn't have the luxury of listening to each track as it was recorded - we just played then moved to the next song for the most part. It did make me look forward to doing a studio session in the near future though.
Formula One. That's a topic I haven't talked about lately. The engine and rule changes this year have made F1 races the most exciting I have seen in quite a while. Cars are more closely matched and no one in particular is running away with the championship so far. Renault is leading in the meantime but Ferrari is clawing away at their lead. McLaren and Honda aren't too far behind, they're definitely in the mix. The USGP is coming up in a few weeks. I always look forward to that weekend to see the race live and in person! I received my tickets not too long ago. Whee! Tomorrow they're racing in Spain. CBS is covering the race... I MUCH prefer it when Speed TV covers it but oh well. I think that out of the 19 races, 4 are on CBS including Indy.
Anyway, had a productive Saturday. I got out the hedge trimmer and whipped the bushes in front of my house back into shape. They were starting to get a bit out of hand. This wasn't the holly bush hedge though. If you'll remember last year, you know how much I look forward to dealing with that. After cleaning up all the clippings, I got cleaned up and headed out for lunch and to get some shopping done. I hit the local mall but ended up in Huntsville where I finally found what I was looking for. Came back home and watched some racing then messed around the house a bit (which includes this blog update!).
Time for bed.
