The Leg Lamp

Everyone knows where this thing comes from, right? If you haven't, turn your TV to TNT on Christmas Eve, and watch one of the greatest Christmas movies of my generation.

A few weeks back, Steph, her Mom, Sister, and Sister-in-law went to see the Nutcracker at the Coronado. It was nice for them to do something like that together, but it was all part of a master plan cooked up by Steph's dad, Matt. He had placed an order for this iconic piece long before the day of the show. When they arrived back at their house it was on display, much like the aforementioned movie, right in the front window. Obviously, it didn't stay there long. It's now been relegated to a window in the back of the house, where it's not quite as visible. I think it's a shame.

Greatest. Tee. Ever.

Okay, this is awesome. When my dad went to visit my sister and her family in California, he brought back a suitcase full of stuff from them. It was mostly maternity clothes for Steph, but there were also Christmas stuff and a t-shirt for me from my brother-in-law, Josh. Is that awesome or what? I like quirky, sometimes odd t-shirts, so this is right up my alley. Steph got some pretty funny ones too. I think we'll be taking a picture with both of us wearing them before the end of the year, so stay tuned.

Christmas Spirit

This is really the first time this month that I've felt the "Christmas Spirit." For some reason, seeing trees like this really strikes me as some sort of Christmas/December/Winter stereotype. Not that that's a bad thing. Walking out of work this morning and seeing all the trees covered in this thick layer of frost was really beautiful.

Speaking of work, I did indeed get of early this morning. As of this post, I've been awake for 24 hours straight. I usually do this on extended periods off, but it's always a struggle in those final hours. I'll likely stay awake for another hour and a half, maybe 2 hours. We'll see how far it goes.

Here's a couple more shots from this morning:

6 Days and Counting....

They days are slipping by, and we're getting really damn close to Christmas. As usual, I haven't yet finished my shopping, so I'll be braving the teeming masses tomorrow trying to get a couple more things. Tonight is my last day of work for the next 12 days, and I'm really excited to have so much time off. Not only am I off for so long, but I get to actually sleep at night for a change. That may not seem like such a big deal to most of you, but believe me, it is.

This shot is something I've seem done before, and I really wanted to try it for myself. I've seen it most recently from my photography/Mac/Xbox buddy out in Oregon, Nathan. He's got some really great stuff on his blog, and I was inspired by his time lapse styled slide show. You basically take a really long exposure, about 8 seconds, then in the last second, you zoom out with your lens. This created those streaks, and still keeps the ornament in focus. It's a really cool effect, and it makes for some pretty cool pictures.

Late Shipments

I'm a procrastinator. It's just a fact. I'm not proud of it, but I think we all procrastinate to a certain extent. This little 'problem' really manifests itself this time of year when I have packages to ship. I have one to send to my sister in California, and another to send to my brother Jon, who's stationed in the UAE as a member of the Air Force. I know that Jon's won't get to him by Chrstmas, but Kathie's package still should get there on time. Fortunately for me, I have a pretty understanding family, so hopefully it's not a big deal.

Well, it's pretty much a done deal that I'm not working Friday. Added to my other time off, I'll have a grand total of 12 days off, most of which will be paid. I can't wait. Just the opportunity to sleep at night and actually see the sun will be great.

New Camera!

I stopped in at Best Buy this morning and picked up my new camcorder. It's a little smaller than I expected, but it feels realy good in my hand, and it's very light. I haven't really had any time to shoot with it, and unfortunately, my Mac doesn't like the video files it creates. I had intended to edit and burn DVDs with iMovie and iDVD, but iMovie HD won't recognize the files this particiular camera spits out. Looks like I'll have to upgrade to the newer version, which I've heard is not nearly as good. I could always convert the video prior to bringing it into iMovie, but that's kind of a pain. I'll figure something out.

There's nothing for a photographer that's quite as exciting as getting new equipment. In this case, it may not be a still camera or a new lens, but I'm really stoked to give this thing a spin.

Favorite Shots #22: Punk in the Grass

It really helps on cold, bitter days like today to look at shots like this and think of warmer days. Punkin really loves going outside, and it's fun to try and catch shots of him before he goes running of in a random direction or tries head-butting my camera. I really love the contrast of this shot between his ginger fur and the vivid green grass.

I've been researching and investigating camcorders pretty intensely the last few weeks, and I've finally decided on the camera for me. I've decided on the Panasonic SDR-H18. It combines all the features I'm looking for in a camera, with a very affordable price point. Best Buy has this particular camera on sale, and although I really don't like supporting places like that, I have to go for the best deal. I've put the order in, and I'll be picking it up either tonight or tomorrow morning.

Dead Again

I love these headphones. They sound fantastic, and at work they block out virtually all the noise of a fully running assembly line. Unfortunately, they just don't work. I bought these beauties in February. I was looking for something that sounded good and blocked out a great deal of background noise. These things block more decibels that the earplugs Chrysler provides. About 5 months after I got them they failed. No big deal, right? They were under warranty. Now, another 6 months have passed, and they've failed again. They are still under warranty, but I on;y have one month left. What if they fail again in 6 months? For headphones that cost this much money, they should not be failing at this rate. I have an email in to their customer service. Hopefully they can extend the warranty or something.