One:
Step Brothers. Really funny. I mean, where the hell has this movie been my whole life? Probably the funniest movie I've seen in the last 20 minutes.(1)
Two:
Wordpress. You suck. Yeah, yeah you have lots of hip and cool options and what not. But could you be more complicated to modify?
Three:
Vista. I just (ok, not just, it has been about a month) picked up a new lap top for my fetal photography business. I like the PC because I get twice the processing power for half the price. Sorry MAC-o-Philes but when it comes to digital obsolescence I'm gonna go with the cheap alternative that I can just throw away in 2 years as opposed to the more expensive but hipper alternative. But I have this one complaint. All the shortcuts - you are killing me. I type really, really fast and every so often you piss me off because I will hit a short cut when I don't mean to.
Four:
Working a day job while putting in place your ducks for your dream job sucks big rocks.
And Numero Uno Cynco:
To the banks and stock broker types - ok enough is enough. pick up your bras and get back in the game. Our economy won't recover until you stop wetting your selves and start our little system back up again. So crawl out of your little shells and start investing/lending again so we can all get on with our spending and throwing away again. Until you do I am stuck working for the man.
1. It might also be the case that I was really drunk when I watched this movie.
5.18.2009
4.29.2009
weird how things happen
when i was a little boy if you would have asked me what i wanted to do when i grow up i would have said one of three things; a marvel super hero, John Wayne, a truck.
but i always loved the still image. i was a late bloomer and didn't really read much until college, but i loved going to the public library and looking at books full of images.
when i was a very little boy i found a book on the Dust Bowel that featured images from Dorothea Lange. i could spend hours pouring over those images in black and white. i loved how they could tell a story without using words.
but in my little mind with my undeveloped imagination for what was possible for a little farm boy from Kansas i never dreamed that i could just go out and capture images.
i do remember running wild with a Polaroid and a 110 camera as a child. fast forward to 15 years ago when i was working with teens in San Jose. i went out and got a little Nikon to snap picks of my kids at events to give to the kids and post on our bulletin board. right away people started commenting on my ability to capture great images of people.
that started me on a path to where i am today. it began with snapping pics of friends and family just for shits and giggles. then people on the street. then friends asking me to shoot their weddings. then i started shooting weddings for strangers.
now i'm in my first official year in the business of photography.
i can't think of anything else that brings more peace to my mind than when i'm shooting.
so here i am doing my best to understand marketing and business models to generate leads and CSS and other not so interesting subjects to develop a website and what not. all just so i can go out and shoot.
i have a ton of confidence in my style and abilities, all i need now is enough business to quit my day job.
but i always loved the still image. i was a late bloomer and didn't really read much until college, but i loved going to the public library and looking at books full of images.
when i was a very little boy i found a book on the Dust Bowel that featured images from Dorothea Lange. i could spend hours pouring over those images in black and white. i loved how they could tell a story without using words.
but in my little mind with my undeveloped imagination for what was possible for a little farm boy from Kansas i never dreamed that i could just go out and capture images.
i do remember running wild with a Polaroid and a 110 camera as a child. fast forward to 15 years ago when i was working with teens in San Jose. i went out and got a little Nikon to snap picks of my kids at events to give to the kids and post on our bulletin board. right away people started commenting on my ability to capture great images of people.
that started me on a path to where i am today. it began with snapping pics of friends and family just for shits and giggles. then people on the street. then friends asking me to shoot their weddings. then i started shooting weddings for strangers.
now i'm in my first official year in the business of photography.
i can't think of anything else that brings more peace to my mind than when i'm shooting.
so here i am doing my best to understand marketing and business models to generate leads and CSS and other not so interesting subjects to develop a website and what not. all just so i can go out and shoot.
i have a ton of confidence in my style and abilities, all i need now is enough business to quit my day job.
4.12.2009
Hey It's Been A While
that H in awhile is exaggerated, Stewy Griffin style just so you know.
life is really interesting right now. let me recap.
first, unlike many unfortunate Americans i work, a lot. by a lot i mean a crap load. 7 am to 8:30 pm 6 days a week is not uncommon.
i shouldn't complain. at least i have work right? but the job is pretty stressful for some really lame reasons and all that working is cutting into what i used to call my life.
the upside is i'm learning tons about sales. turns out i'm not too bad at it. who'da thunk it.
photography wise i'm making progress. got a few weddings booked, and some commercial stuff is in the works. things are happening. i really need to work on my brand, which means i need to hire a firm to design my blog and etc. which means i need to put some money together.
speaking of the root of all evil. i payed a visit to H and R Block today. last year i got laid off and the state wouldn't pay me unemployment (which btw i paid into and would be taxed on = MY MONEY) so i started to find work on my own. turns out that i OWE taxes. to add insult to injury i paid H and R Block $260 to tell me i owe Uncle Sam money. awesomes.
hope the douche bags at AIG enjoy the bonus checks i am paying for.
that is all for now.
thanks for reading.
be sure and check out the photography www.alighttightbox.com.
oh yeah i almost forgot. i hold the world record for the largest afro wig photo shoot.
i know right?
life is really interesting right now. let me recap.
first, unlike many unfortunate Americans i work, a lot. by a lot i mean a crap load. 7 am to 8:30 pm 6 days a week is not uncommon.
i shouldn't complain. at least i have work right? but the job is pretty stressful for some really lame reasons and all that working is cutting into what i used to call my life.
the upside is i'm learning tons about sales. turns out i'm not too bad at it. who'da thunk it.
photography wise i'm making progress. got a few weddings booked, and some commercial stuff is in the works. things are happening. i really need to work on my brand, which means i need to hire a firm to design my blog and etc. which means i need to put some money together.
speaking of the root of all evil. i payed a visit to H and R Block today. last year i got laid off and the state wouldn't pay me unemployment (which btw i paid into and would be taxed on = MY MONEY) so i started to find work on my own. turns out that i OWE taxes. to add insult to injury i paid H and R Block $260 to tell me i owe Uncle Sam money. awesomes.
hope the douche bags at AIG enjoy the bonus checks i am paying for.
that is all for now.
thanks for reading.
be sure and check out the photography www.alighttightbox.com.
oh yeah i almost forgot. i hold the world record for the largest afro wig photo shoot.
i know right?
3.21.2009
3.15.2009
a little update for you
wow i feel like i've been crazy busy over here in Murrow Land but for the life of me i couldn't tell you why.
thought i would take a litte time away from what will prove to be a total waste of time (ie: filling out my tourney bracket) to keep you good folks updated on life around these parts.
been pulling a lot of calls at work. i'm on a hot streak right now and covering the pay role for the company so they are kicking me more calls. which is rad in that it keeps me working but that is about all that is rad about it. but i will bitch about work another time.
last week i did a model/promo shoot for "The Worlds Largest Afro Wig Photo Shoot." you can check some of that out HERE. will do a second promo shoot on the 21st and then work as main photographer for the event - and hoping i won't be the ONLY photographer.
as far as the roommates go not much has changed. by that i mean they are both Tools. Rob w/1b is walking tall and carrying a big stick across the pond.
Jon, who we may start calling Jack from here on out just because we can is back on the internet dating horse. he brought home a girl the other day who is pretty rad, but also a little crazy. don't want to give out too many details here but i'm pretty sure she is an arsonist. which means that when he breaks up with her i will have to put my gear in storage - that way when she fire bombs our place i won't loose my stuff. either that or we will have to move and then he can break up with her by email.
thought i would take a litte time away from what will prove to be a total waste of time (ie: filling out my tourney bracket) to keep you good folks updated on life around these parts.
been pulling a lot of calls at work. i'm on a hot streak right now and covering the pay role for the company so they are kicking me more calls. which is rad in that it keeps me working but that is about all that is rad about it. but i will bitch about work another time.
last week i did a model/promo shoot for "The Worlds Largest Afro Wig Photo Shoot." you can check some of that out HERE. will do a second promo shoot on the 21st and then work as main photographer for the event - and hoping i won't be the ONLY photographer.
as far as the roommates go not much has changed. by that i mean they are both Tools. Rob w/1b is walking tall and carrying a big stick across the pond.
Jon, who we may start calling Jack from here on out just because we can is back on the internet dating horse. he brought home a girl the other day who is pretty rad, but also a little crazy. don't want to give out too many details here but i'm pretty sure she is an arsonist. which means that when he breaks up with her i will have to put my gear in storage - that way when she fire bombs our place i won't loose my stuff. either that or we will have to move and then he can break up with her by email.
3.01.2009
Agnostic Insights Into Life
life is a real son of a bitch sometimes. its like Bill Malone(1) sings;
the thing is we've all got shit on our hands from crawling around this world trying to rule our own little empires of dirt(2). i suppose its true that misery loves company. if you open your eyes to the lives around you'll catch on that most every one else has got their own suitcase(s) full of shit, some of which they will pretend is not there as a matter of survival and still other things they won't let you see.
fuckin' times are tough all around. as soon as i'm tempted to think my path is tough and i don't know how i'll make it through i run into a friend whose dealling with similar shit or worse and while it does confirm my belief that if there is a god he's a real uncarring bastard or a malitious S.O.B. it also reminds me that every day of every year that people have been bobbling around in the dark down here since the first one of us gained awareness right after we climbed out of the trees. its the way it is and none of us is the first to face the void of the hopeless unknown tomorrow. and some how in a fucked up way that is encouraging.
1. If you are not yet a fan of Bill Malone and the Vigilantes of Love get yourself started with the Records "V.O.L." and "Audible Sigh." But be fore warned. If you are of the perpetual glass-half-full-everything is ok despite the evidence types you might not get the power of his poetry. Which is sad cause you are more in need of meditation on his lyrics and the melodies than any one else. If only because it will help you become more of a real person and connect with the rest of us who walk about with our eyes open.
Of course another song of his that comes to mind is the haunting "Resplendent" sung with Emmylou Harris (another singer who can educate the soul), written long before the Bush Era not-a-depression hit retells the story of a "Great Depression" era farmer.
2. thank you Trent Resner and Johny Cash for the imagery
I got things in this suitcase I'm carrying
I got things some o' them you can't see
And the others lets pretend they're of no consequence
Yeah I've always had this black cloud over me
When the ground you stood upon is given way
under the rip tide and flood they call sea
yeah the heart keeps making tracks to where it shouldn't be goin back
Yeah I've always had this black cloud over me...
the thing is we've all got shit on our hands from crawling around this world trying to rule our own little empires of dirt(2). i suppose its true that misery loves company. if you open your eyes to the lives around you'll catch on that most every one else has got their own suitcase(s) full of shit, some of which they will pretend is not there as a matter of survival and still other things they won't let you see.
fuckin' times are tough all around. as soon as i'm tempted to think my path is tough and i don't know how i'll make it through i run into a friend whose dealling with similar shit or worse and while it does confirm my belief that if there is a god he's a real uncarring bastard or a malitious S.O.B. it also reminds me that every day of every year that people have been bobbling around in the dark down here since the first one of us gained awareness right after we climbed out of the trees. its the way it is and none of us is the first to face the void of the hopeless unknown tomorrow. and some how in a fucked up way that is encouraging.
1. If you are not yet a fan of Bill Malone and the Vigilantes of Love get yourself started with the Records "V.O.L." and "Audible Sigh." But be fore warned. If you are of the perpetual glass-half-full-everything is ok despite the evidence types you might not get the power of his poetry. Which is sad cause you are more in need of meditation on his lyrics and the melodies than any one else. If only because it will help you become more of a real person and connect with the rest of us who walk about with our eyes open.
Of course another song of his that comes to mind is the haunting "Resplendent" sung with Emmylou Harris (another singer who can educate the soul), written long before the Bush Era not-a-depression hit retells the story of a "Great Depression" era farmer.
2. thank you Trent Resner and Johny Cash for the imagery
2.22.2009
why it pays to be nice
i went on a call out to a doctor's house the other day to check out a toilet stoppage(1). now we are a very expensive plumbing company, but then again we also have the best plumbers in the area and are very customer service oriented so you gets whats you pays for.
at any rate i found some other issues in the home that needed to be addressed and explained to the good doctor what it would cost to take care of all his plumbing issues. right away he takes issue with the price. the cherry line, "i'm a doctor and i don't charge that much and you are JUST A PLUMBER."
i didn't say a word but simply picked up my tool bag and headed for the door.
he came after me and we had a little bit of a conversation about 1) i went to school longer than he did, 2) i didn't appreciate his elitist 'tude.
realizing he was up shit creak (figuratively) he decided that maybe it was worth it to pay me to take care of his shit (literally).
usually i will find some way to cut someone a break or throw in a little extra work for free if the bill is already pretty high just to make it a win/win situation and keep everyone happy. but because the guy was such a dick i went by the book and he ended up paying full price.
the lesson: when you are up to your eye balls in your own shit you should play nice with your local turd herder.
1. read that as "someone birthed a humongous growler and the old piping in the house just couldn't handle it."
at any rate i found some other issues in the home that needed to be addressed and explained to the good doctor what it would cost to take care of all his plumbing issues. right away he takes issue with the price. the cherry line, "i'm a doctor and i don't charge that much and you are JUST A PLUMBER."
i didn't say a word but simply picked up my tool bag and headed for the door.
he came after me and we had a little bit of a conversation about 1) i went to school longer than he did, 2) i didn't appreciate his elitist 'tude.
realizing he was up shit creak (figuratively) he decided that maybe it was worth it to pay me to take care of his shit (literally).
usually i will find some way to cut someone a break or throw in a little extra work for free if the bill is already pretty high just to make it a win/win situation and keep everyone happy. but because the guy was such a dick i went by the book and he ended up paying full price.
the lesson: when you are up to your eye balls in your own shit you should play nice with your local turd herder.
1. read that as "someone birthed a humongous growler and the old piping in the house just couldn't handle it."
1.06.2009
Too Many Words For Twitter
currently i'm:
trying to reconcile my populist sympathies(1) with my uncanny ability to sell ice to an Eskimo(2).
which leads me to contemplate: how maybe all those years selling an invisible man to people so they could; A) have a hook to hang all their hopes and dreams on and/or, B) find that proverbial port in a storm - maybe that sales job prepared me for my current occupation(3).
1. but leaning more toward anarchism
2. make that Inuit.
3. not to mention some other heretofore (and likely hereafter) undisclosed "super powers."
trying to reconcile my populist sympathies(1) with my uncanny ability to sell ice to an Eskimo(2).
which leads me to contemplate: how maybe all those years selling an invisible man to people so they could; A) have a hook to hang all their hopes and dreams on and/or, B) find that proverbial port in a storm - maybe that sales job prepared me for my current occupation(3).
1. but leaning more toward anarchism
2. make that Inuit.
3. not to mention some other heretofore (and likely hereafter) undisclosed "super powers."
1.01.2009
365 - 1 Self Portrait, Everyday in '09
i am attempting to do one self portrait everyday in '09. that's 365 self portraits if you were strugglin' with the math.
'08 was not a good year for me. but in the final hours i kicked '08s butt...
... this is me sleeping in after a fine showing on NYE
stay tuned for daily postings on here and my Flickr page where i post just about every photo i take good and bad. you can also follow all my photographic adventures on my photo blog.
'08 was not a good year for me. but in the final hours i kicked '08s butt...
... this is me sleeping in after a fine showing on NYE
stay tuned for daily postings on here and my Flickr page where i post just about every photo i take good and bad. you can also follow all my photographic adventures on my photo blog.
resolutions are for tools
wow. 2008 really sucked the big one. the first 20 hours of the 31st were kicking my ass but i managed to find a happy place the last 4 hours.
here's hoping '09 will be better.
i normally think things like resolutions are for tools(1)but i do have a few:
1. was doing pretty well going to the gym but fell off a bit the last month. so i'm rededicating myself.
2. i need to get back into writing, i just haven't come up with the motivation. so this resolution is a work in progress.
3. i'm gonna do a self portrait everyday. which will be tough i think. but i'm excited about the possibilities.
what are yours?
1. i still do.
here's hoping '09 will be better.
i normally think things like resolutions are for tools(1)but i do have a few:
1. was doing pretty well going to the gym but fell off a bit the last month. so i'm rededicating myself.
2. i need to get back into writing, i just haven't come up with the motivation. so this resolution is a work in progress.
3. i'm gonna do a self portrait everyday. which will be tough i think. but i'm excited about the possibilities.
what are yours?
1. i still do.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
