Christmas Day/The Third Shot

Not only is today Christmas Day, but it's also been two weeks since I took a baby belly shot! It's now been 6 weeks since I took the first one, and you can clearly see a difference from then, and also from the second shot. Steph says she can now feel the baby kicking on the outside, but I have yet to be lucky enough to be around when it happens.

Today Steph and I drove all over creation. We started by stopping in at my Aunt Linda's house to visit my Dad's side of the family. I don't get to see them very often, so it was nice to go and see everyone. We then drove all the way to Pecatonica to Steph's Grandma Eaton's house. We got there a little late, so every one wasn't there anymore, but we did get to see almost everyone. I had a great conversation at one point with her Uncles, Mike and Jim, about Mac vs. PC. I love talking about that stuff.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmas Eve

Tonight is Christmas Eve! I spent the evening with family in Poplar Grove, and shot mostly video. Since I've bought the video camera, I've been neglecting my SLR a little. This picture was actually taken with my video camera, and it will likely be one of the last I take with it. It's pretty clear it's not really made for that. Steph and I usually separate on Christmas Eve, since both our families have gatherings on that day. With the baby coming, this will probably be the last year we do it this way. I really don't want to be separated from my family at this time of year. I think mom mentioned something about having it on a different day, so hopefully that will happen.

Oh, and yes, I did miss another day. I think 2 days out of 365 is acceptable, right?

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.

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.