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.

Too... Many... Magazines

I've gone a bit magazine crazy. I've always been more of a book reader, but recently I've found myself reading more and more magazines. I've always had a subscription to EGM, but that's really been the only one I've consistently subscribed to. Recently, I decided to subscribe to Newsweek. It's a really great magazine, but it comes weekly. I often find myself not finishing it, and the unfinished issues have been piling up. Add to that a free sub to Wired, and I simply don't have the time to read them all. They're nice to have at work for breaks and downtime, but that's about the only time I read them. There simply aren't enough hours in the day.

The Second Shot....

As I said in a previous post, we're going to be taking pics of Steph roughly every two weeks so we can look back at her progress after the baby is born. Yesterday was two weeks, but considering the news from yesterday, we obviously waited until today.

Well, the job search still continues. I check the websites daily, but it's pretty slim pickings. There's usually about 5 or 6 jobs posted daily, but either I'm unqualified, or the pay is way too low. I just keep looking, and hopefully something will come up. I've heard the Lowes Distribution Center is hiring, and I've filled out my app for them. Hopefully I'll hear something soon.

It's A Girl!

Horray! We had the 20 week ultrasound today, and fortunately for us, the baby decided to cooperate. We got some great looks at her various "parts", and this fantastic "4D" shot of her face. Steph says she looks like me, but I can't really see it yet. Everything looks great, and she is exactly where she should be at this age. It was pretty amazing to be able to see her spine, ribs, organs, fingers and toes. I really wish that we could do an ultrasound every month-- it's my favorite part by far. We've decided on Violet for her first name, but we haven't yet picked her middle name yet. I guess it's a good thing we're having a girl, because we had absolutely no idea for a name of a boy.

Icy Night

Having to do the bulk of my photography at night is a real pain. The literal translation of photography is "writing with light," so obviously the fundamental part of that is light. No light, no photographs. Sometimes, that lack of light can make for some amazing spectacles. Tonight, after some pretty serious ice and rain, everything around is covered in a thin layer of ice. When I took the trash out tonight, I saw the light passing through the ice on these branches against the shadows of the branches themselves, and I couldn't pass up the shot. Beautiful.

Well, tommorow is the big day! At 8am, we have an appointment for Stephanie's 20 week ultrasound. This is the big one. If the baby cooperates, we should be able to see if it is a boy or a girl. I've said all along that is doesn't matter to me either way, and I still very much feel that way. I just want a healthy baby with an easy birth for Stephanie. If I can get those two things, I'll be happy. Look for an ultrasound tomorrow!

Little Shirts

It's so odd and exciting to see stuff like this around the house. It's such a foreign thing, to see baby clothes laying around, but it's something I'll become all to acquainted with over the next few years. We've started looking for some of the "big ticket" items we'll be needing to buy. This is the ideal time to be getting them, since I really have no idea what kind of job I'll be getting, or what kind of money I'll be making. Steph has picked a pretty nices stroller/carseat combo, and I've started researching video cameras. I know a video camera may not be a necessity, but it's something I want for sure. I'll also have to invest in some serious external storage for my computer, as the 160 gb external I have now is nearly full, and digital video takes up some space. I have to admit, it's nice to have a valid excuse to buy "toys" like that. It's for the baby!

Amazon Prime

Amazon Prime is something we've been thinking about getting for a while. If you sign up for it, you get 2 day shipping for everything Amazon sells. You can also get discounts on things by signing up for "subscriptions" of that item, like diapers or toilet paper. It's a pretty good deal at $80/year, and since I did so much shopping last night on Amazon, we decided to sign up for it. Now would likely be the only time we could afford to do it, with my inevitable release in February. We found some affordable biodegradable diapers that we'll be using, and that company provides a series of affordable, "green" products on Amazon--from baby wipes to paper towels. I know it will be difficult and a little more pricey that normal, but we'd like to try to be as environmentally friendly as possible with the baby.

Late Nights, Laundry

Sometimes it feels like the only thing I accomplished on a weekend was getting a few loads of laundry done. Is that normal, or is that a "I Sleep During the Day" third shift thing? There's really not a whole lot you can do at 2:14 am, so I guess I shouldn't feel too bad about it. I also spent about 2 hours on Amazon doing some Christmas prep. At least now, being the self-imposed recluse that I am, I can still get some shopping done. Oh, and laundry too. 2 months to go....

Overcoming Illness

The last few days have been rough. I've been battling a particularly nasty cold, and it's forced me to miss a couple days of work. I'm feeling much better today compared to yesterday, but I'm still not out of the woods. My voice has dropped a few octaves, and I'm coughing up some spectacularly green stuff. Not a lot of fun at all.

Oh, and you're not imagining things. I did indeed miss a day. That day I was really sick, and I actually spent the last two hours before leaving for work asleep in the recliner. The way I was feeling, posting on the blog was the last thing on my mind. Had it been in March or some earlier month, I'd have surely posted something. Considering how close I am to the end of this thing, I think I'll let it slide....

Snowy Roads

We got hit today with our first major snowfall of the year. We got about 5 inches, and sitting on top of a layer of ice, it's a little nasty. The first sonwfall is always so beautiful, but that is soon shattered by the cold reality of winter.

I'm still pretty damn sick today, but to avoid any disciplinary action at work, I'm going in tonight. Hopefully when I get there I'll be able to get an early out.

Oh, and by the way, I'm pretty sure that streak in the upper left is actually a shooting star! It only appears in three shots I took, and I took those shots in rapid succession. Pretty cool!

Favorite Shots# 21: Crazy Corn Face

I know I've been doing this "Favorite Shots" thing a little often lately, but considering how awful I feel today, I don't feel a bit guilty. I decided to stay home tonight and try to rest. I'll likely get in trouble at work, but at this point, who cares? They're going to lay me off in 2 months, with absolutely no hope at a call back. Does it really matter at this point if I get a write up? Yeah, I didn't think so either. I'm usually not like this when it comes to work. I like to think that the one good thing (and probably the only good thing) that came out of having Dennis for a step-father was my work ethic. He may have been a work-a-holic, but for some reason it stuck with me that it's important to put yourself into your work. I dunno. Maybe I got it from him, maybe I didn't, but the bottom line is I really don't like the fact that Chrysler is driving that out of me. I can't wait to get out.

Oh, the picture! You're probably wondering what the hell it is. All I can tell you is that I think it's a sign for sweet corn. As to why is so incredibly creepy and potentially frightening to small children, I have no answer. I thought it was cool.

Christmas Prep

We've never really decorated that much for Christmas. When we first started living together, we had a full sized tree with all the decorations. That soon went away, as the cats simply would not leave it alone. The tree got smaller and smaller, and now we have this 3' Christmas Shrub that we put up. We have to put it up high so the cats can't get to it, but it's good enough for me.

Reading Material

Steph and I stopped in at the new Barnes and Noble at Cherryvale Mall on Friday night. I was looking for one book in particular, but ended up getting two. I had heard on NPR about a new translation of Beowulf, and after watching the new movie, decided to pick it up and read it. In the process of browsing, I also discovered the new movie with Will Smith, I Am Legend, is also based on a book. I've been interested in the movie, so I picked up the book so I can compare the two. I really haven't read many books the last couple years, and it felt good last night to sit and read for a couple hours.

Hot Tea

I don't know what it is about hot tea, but the only time I really want to drink it is when I'm sick. Nothing soothes my sore throat like hot tea with a spoonful of honey. I've been feeling pretty crappy for the last 4 days or so, and this weekend has probably been the worst of it. Constant draining sinuses has given me a pretty upset stomach. It should be fun to go to work tomorrow night.

Well, my new project- a family driven blog- has gone live. I've invited my 5 (computer owning) siblings to contribute to the site, and I've also invited my dad. I thought he'd get a kick out of it. It should be a lot of fun to read what everyone else writes.

November: In Review

Brrrr! It's damn cold. It's that time of year, and my intolerance to cold is starting to get to me. It never seems that the good weather lasts as long as the winter months, but I'm sure that's my imagination. Nevertheless, winter is certainly here, so I guess I'll deal with it like I usually do.

Well, I have one more month of this thing left, and at this point, I've decided I will not continue into next year. It's gotten to the point where it's become a real chore to try and force myself to photograph something every day. I feel like it's having a negative impact on my photography, and that's something I don't want. On the other hand, something completely unexpected has happened in the creation of this blog. I've learned that I really enjoy the writing of the blog. Never for a moment did I believe that would be the one thing that I took from this. So what does that mean? That means that I will be continuing to blog in some way. I haven't yet decided what that format will be, but I was thinking about creating a blog not only for myself, but one all my siblings could also use. It would be a great way for all of us to keep up with each other, and it would be great for me to read about you guys for once. I'll keep you all updated on what I decide, and hopefully I have something up and running by the end of the year.

Here's my favorite shots for the month of November:

Super Mario Galaxy!

I try to avoid as much as possible writing about video games. They are a big part of my life, and by far my favorite pastime, but I'm keenly aware that most of my readers are not quite as interested as I am. That being said, for those of my readers who do get into games, I feel I have to talk about Super Mario Galaxy for Wii.

I originally wasn't going to get this game, but when there was a killer deal on Black Friday, I decided to give it a shot. Considering the glowing reviews this has been getting, at the very least I could always sell it on eBay. Considering the cost, I would likely make money on it anyway.

I've never really been into the 3D Mario games. I guess I'm a bit of a purist when it comes to platformers, preferring them to come in the "classic" 2D style. I didn't like Mario 64, and I hated Mario Sunshine, but this game has made a believer out of me. It's really unlike anything else I've played before. I'm not going to get into the specifics, since there are a lot of reviews out there that do that already. Let me just say that if you have a Wii, there's no reason for you not to have this game. If you don't own a Wii, this is a great reason to get one. Today. No, I mean it. Go right now.