Photo Book

Today FedEx dropped off my 2008 Photo book.   I designed it in Apple's Aperture software, my preferred photo management program.   The results are stunning!  It's a hard bound book complete with a dust jacket.   This year, I'm making a conscious attempt to get more of my work on paper.   The books are a perfect way to do it.   I'm also trying some large 13x19 prints, but as I'm finding, they're pricey to frame.  

The intent of the book was to capture my best work from 2008.   Towards the end of the year it drifts to more of a family theme for obvious reasons.  But I tried to keep the standards high.  Some of the family shots are very appropriate for the theme as I set up them up (lights, timer, etc).  

At nearly $70 with shipping, it wasn't cheap.  But I'm very happy with the results.  At minimum, I'll plan to do one a year.  The next obvious book would be Shelby's first year in photos.

Boat Payment

As long as I can remember, the few dentists I've had over the years have never given me a hard time.   Perhaps it's a change in mindset to being hyper-preventive, but I can't seem to catch a pat on the back these days.  First I'm told to use the electric toothbrush - supposedly, it's the only way to go.  But then I'm told I don't use it enough.   Sometimes I do prefer the manual brush.  So for the last 6 months I've done my best to use the electric brush.

And what do I get?  A recommendation that I should come back in 4 months, not 6, for another cleaning.  Apparently, my technique is off.   I can't win.

I'm beginning to think I'm really there just to pay for the tv's mounted on the ceiling, the new flat screen in the waiting room, the fancy digital x-rays with more resolution that my DSLR, or the new oral cancer screening UV light.   Oh, I almost forgot the new paperless chart software. 

Happy New Year

Yes, my first resolution will be to blog a little more. Who knows what great thoughts I'm forgetting by not jotting them down. I've been thinking about other resolutions for 2009. Here are a few objectives:

1. As stated, blog more - both on personal reflections of life and photography, and in our family blog.   Little Shelby is growing so fast and while I'm not worried about a shortage of photos, capturing events and observations that might not photograph well is something that I want to do this year.  
2. Save a little more, spend a little less.
3. Begin some serious photography marketing.  I've been able to build a great arsenal of gear (hence #2), and there's no excuse not to make a few dollars on the side.   Last year I did 2 weddings for hire.  This year my goal is as least 5 paid gigs even if they're small.
4. Read some good parenting books.  I've survived so far with just a couple books and good instincts, but there's no reason not to study up.   It's a small investment with a huge payoff.
5. Push myself at work.  

And those are my resolutions for the year...   I'll check back in mid year to see how I've done.

Food Day

Once again, today was Food Day at work.  What is Food Day?  Multiple departments typically agree on a day for each person to bring in one item.   So we're talking 15-25 people, at least.  We arrive to Starbucks coffee, Panera bagels, donuts (from me), brownies (for breakfast), etc etc...  

And then around 11, lunch setup begins with fried chicken, various dips and vegetable plates, more brownies, pasta salads, multiple soft drinks and the list goes on. 

At both my current and previous employer the situation was the same - so it's not a company culture thing.

Depsite the plethora of food, I still bring my standard sandwich, yogurt, apple and diet coke.  I just skipped the chocolate bar.   Call me a creature of habit, but I prefer a reasonably consistent healthy meal.

Here's the interesting part, for me anyway.   I work with a bunch of very analytical people.   And every time the group is always amazed at the volume of food.   "Oh, there's so much here!  How are we going to eat it all?"   The surprise is what really gets to me.   If you asked any of these people out of context how much food you'd need to feed 25 people (keep in mind we don't burn many calories sitting all day), I would think they'd all agree not everyone would need to bring something.   But this never happens.  There's some unwritten social dynamic at work here.  For some reason, it's never an option to have say 5 of the 25 people bring something on one day for five consecutive Fridays.   Guess what, you could have 4 additional food days without the waste. But for some reason, it's socially unacceptable to indulge if you haven't contributed that particular day. 

Today I brought in a dozen donuts.   By 4pm, there were 4 left and I had eaten 3.    I just don't get it.  

Give Blood

I donated blood yesterday for the first time.   It wasn't that bad actually.   I was a bit light headed for a few minutes, but it passed quickly.    

My Civic Duty

Tomorrow I'll be heading to the Duval County Courthouse for jury duty. It's my first time ever - should be fun. I'll have plenty of reading material and podcasts to keep me entertained as the summons recommends.

After Dinner Guest

We had just finished up dinner and I was looking back outside when I saw this snake on the patio. It appears to be a Cottonmouth. I grabbed the camera for a few quick shots - not my best work, but I wasn't taking any chances and stayed behind the glass or screen. After checking out the grill, the creature headed back out towards the fence...

Yikes!

Wall-E and a New Belt

Pixar does it again with Wall-E. Go see it. With each new film the animation out does the last one. And each plot is just as brilliant. Would've thought you could get a feature film about a lonely trash compacting robot.

From a purely business angle, the soundtrack was thin on vocals with balance left to instrumentals. Not that it was a bad soundtrack, I just doubt it'll sell as well as previous sound tracks.

In other news I earned my blue belt in my Brazilian Jiu Jitsu training! Yes, I was a bit surprised. Some of us squeaked through without having to do another test.

Dinner, Movie and a Shuttle Launch

We saw Sex and the City this afternoon. It was quite a packed theater, especially considering it was a 2:20 showing. Just about all the loose ends were neatly tied up in the 2+ hour run time, leaving very little room for a sequel. But I don't think the hard core fans would appreciate any open questions.

We left the theater just in time to catch the 5pm shuttle launch today. Skies were clear in all directions, so once we looked in the right direction, the exhaust trail was easy to see. Unfortunately, I didn't have the heavy duty camera gear on hand, but I did have the point n shoot in the glove box. I managed to catch one decent shot. That's why a smart photographer never goes anywhere without a camera.

It's a Girl!

Kind of a duplicate post from our family blog, oh well. Now the name search can begin!

Tom Friedman for President

I'm tired of the political lies. We've got some serious issues to tackle. It's nice to see these issues out in the open. Thanks Tom.

A New Blog

We thought we'd start a separate blog just for family posts, news etc. Enjoy!

Happy Mother's Day!

We called our Mothers, as Tom Friedman suggests. I love you Mom!

The weekend was a good one, a humid one as well. The Players Championship Golf Tournament was in town. We just watched from the couch in HD - it was like being there but with A/C.

In other news, we've been rearranging the house for our new addition to the family. My new desk arrived on Thursday. It should allow me to relocate to a common room in the house. So I've been slowly migrating various items across the house, from old desk to new desk. The only irritating issue that's come up is the problems with the wireless network. It seems that my computer can't quite reach the network from the current location. I fiddled around for a few hours to no avail. Comcast will be coming out on Tuesday to reconfigure the jacks. I then downloaded this guide, which may yield a few tricks.

And speaking of Mothers, check out the new pics of Bonnie - a mom to be...

New Links, New Friends

Check out some new entries in my "Links" section, to the right. The Coverville and Jawbone Radio podcasts are two great shows. You'll hear covers better than the originals to your favorite songs. And check in with Len and Nora of Jawbone radio - voted best podcast in Cleveland. Yes, it reminds me of home. I'm usually not much for the unscripted podcast, but the dialogue between Len and Nora is quite entertaining.

The New and Improved yorkd is run by Bonnie's former colleague in New Hampshire. I'm getting some great advice from her on the baby (she just had her second child). She's also a photographer!

And in case you didn't notice, I added a beach photo from last week.

Soaking Up Sun

The beaches opened this weekend. Not that they were closed before, but now the lifeguards are on duty. So we spent the morning on the sand, thumbing through the Times and taking a few cheesy snapshots with the point n shoot camera. Until the humidity rolls in, it's quite comfortable at the beach, with the temperature in the mid 80's and a nice sea breeze.

Done baking, we headed home for lunch and a nap for Bonnie.

The afternoon led us to Target where we picked up Mario Kart for Wii. What a game! Nintendo is going to sell a boat load of this title. It's easy enough for anyone to pick up but has plenty of tricky courses to keep the more experienced players entertained.

And tomorrow it's back to work.

12 Weeks And Counting...

It's official.   We're pregnant!   She's due around Halloween.

We've got a lot to do to get ready.   The furniture is already on the move.   And baby books litter the coffee table.   The dad book I have is interesting - the basic message is do whatever she says for the next 9 months.   You'll have to ask Bonnie, but I think I'm making progress.  :) 

Taking Aim

I've never fired a gun.  But after reading this opinion piece, I think it may be worth looking into.  Florida can be a rather strange place at times.   Knowing my fellow employees may be just an elevator ride away from opening fire, doesn't help.

Dumb Deer

While driving home late Saturday night from The Villages (after visiting Bonnie's parents), we had a close encounter with a deer.    Just before picking up I4, we both saw 2 deer streak across from the shoulder.   I hit the brakes hard, very hard.   It was quite a test of my 325's stopping power - and it passed.  

Anyway, I was telling my friends at work about the encounter.   Somehow we got to talking about hunting.   I mentioned that hunting just doesn't seem fair - the deer should at least get to fight back.   Apparently, if you're dumb enough to try to shoot one at point blank range - they do fight back.

Caught a 48 Hour Bug

Yep.   I woke up Friday with a scratch in my throat.   By Friday afternoon, I knew I was in trouble. Saturday, I slept the day away.   This morning we watched a few episodes of The Wire and then Bonnie was off to work.  Finally, the symptoms are starting to subside.  

Hopefully next weekend will be more enjoyable. 

Number Three

To my surprise, I got my 3rd stripe on Monday.    It'll be a while though before the next one.  Only one more stripe and then a belt test...