In my Undies
Today, I road my bike to Potash from Moab, about 40 miles in total. I drank about 150oz of water, swam twice in the colorado to cool off. Picked berries from a tree by a natural spring. It was 99 degrees outside which gave me the first stages of heat exhaustion. Since the heat was so intense, about 10 miles into the ride I decided to strip down to nothing but my boxers. I got to see some dinosaur footprints, and some indian petroglyphs. Today was a good day.
This is me being exhausted in Potash, which wasn’t really a town but a mining company, I found some shade just off the road near their warehouse.
Where I am
I’m currently in Denver on my way today to Moab UT, I gotta hurry cause the hotel is gonna kick me out in an hour. Yeah, I slept in a hotel last night. I cheated 
So, here’s where I am!
If you are friends with me add me on google latitude and you can get a better view at where I am.
Summer!
I’m really looking forward to this summer. I’m kicking it off by reading this new book I got, which looks fun and filled with cool stuff I can’t wait to try.
So what on schedule so far for this season?
-Drive cross country revisiting old bike ride memories and friends from 2 summers ago.
-Hike, camp, river rafting, in Moab, UT
-San Francisco
-Maybe bike from SF to LA
-Start my internship with the LA Tourism Bureau
-Go to Hawaii (Still tentative)
-Shoot Sarah Michael’s wedding
-Back to Rochester for a week of school
-Fly to Austin,TX to see Carlos an shoot another wedding
-Then back to Rochester to fight school and winter yet again. But hopefully I’ll be better prepared for this fight this time.
I can’t wait! I’m so overdue for some adventure in my life.
Mr. Nice Guy Part 2 (How to be a REAL man)
So, I found this photo online and I’ve gotta say it was pretty challenging, and sort of woke me up and reignited this passion within myself to once again strive for excellence. I’m going to put it here as a reminder for me, and maybe some other guys out there. I’m not saying I identify with everything on this list but this is a really good reminder to read once in a while and remember what a real man is.
RIT, Rumors, and Waterfalls
So, I had like three people come up to me today asking why I wasn’t coming back to school next year, even the chair of my department asked me. I would just like to let everyone know that I am coming back. Not sure how this all came about.
Also here’s a video from my dogtown bike ride yesterday and venture out to closest anyone can ever get to high falls and live to tell about it.
You know who you are…
Shakespeare said it best:
…if thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool, for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them
Mr. Nice Guy
So my friend Mandy pretty much knows all my social dilemmas and she said something interesting to me tonight. That I remind her of her brother, and that I’m a “nice guy.”
So there you have it. I’ve tried so hard not to be the nice guy, yet I always slide back into this role, this person.
I really want to change, but the only thing I can do is then just become a complete jerk and I don’t want to be that guy.
I’m in a lose lose situation.
Driving back to California
So, I’m driving back to California at the end of the month. I’m going to be going on this tentative route.
I have to be in Moab, UT on June 1st. I don’t have a leaving date from Rochester yet. So, if you’d like to see me and you’re not too far off the route I’d love to swing by and meet up! Friends, bike buddies, strangers. If you know someone in a city let me know. I’m even down to do some free portrait sessions along the way.
Also, if you can think of any way to geek out the trip. I can’t really buy any equipment but I was thinking of maybe doing a Roadside America adventure. On top of that, if you want to ride with me from and to anywhere on the map, you are definitely more than welcome.
Good Job Obama and Good Riddens Osama
I just finished watching President Obama give the his speech about the death of Osama Bin Laden. Another thing, only later did I realize that this speech was also the first time I’ve ever watched a live presidential feed on my phone via a news agency (Al Jazeera). THE FUTURE! Another thing I just realized is I now watch and trust an Arab news agency more then an American one! Lolz… we are one crazy country sometimes.
On another note, listen to this and tell me you’re not proud to be an american.
DIY Ring Light
I built this ring light for portraits. The lighting is beautiful and even.
Total cost was roughly $30 almost all of that expense being the lights themselves. It took about 4 hours of fumbling and wiring.
Things that Make Me Smile
Coming home today, after spending the night at a friend’s house. I was welcomed by the sound of my housemate Amanda singing at the top of her lungs with full confidence to some pop song playing off her laptop. It made me smile, a genuinely large smile. It just made me completely happy and it a thought that snowballed into this post. I listened to a podcast yesterday called “Planet Money” and the subject was happiness. Is it true, that money brings happiness? It was an incredible discussion and since then, I have had this nagging question in my mind. As soon as it pops up I ignore it, I distract myself. (This is something I’m realizing about myself and is an entirely different blog post, heh.) However, I confronted it today. And the question?
Am I happy?
As I struggle with this question on a much larger scale and what it means in my life. I’d rather, for now, talk about what makes me happy. The little things in life, that bring a genuine smile to my face. Here’s a list:
- Seeing a dad playing with his son
- Hear “I love you” from someone I love
- Thinking there are no more cookies and I’m wrong
- Hearing from an old friend
- Going out late, and taking night photos with a friend
- Hitting all greens on the way to school
- Brand new socks
- Successfully solving a problem by building something
- Finding money in my pocket
- A good cup of coffee on a Sunday afternoon
- Postcards
- The admiration of a dog
- A new toothbrush
- Taking a photograph of someone, that really shows who they are
- The cool brush of wind on my face as I ride my bike
- Adventure
I could go on, maybe I’ll just post them as I think of them.
Glee Episode 2.7
HO-LEEE CRAP! The ending was so incredibly touching. When Mercedes and Rachel talk in that car and have this really touching moment in the rain. Then when Mercedes sings she had me in tears, and then with Mr. Shue and that substitute teacher lady, I was weeping. I guess I just really related to all those characters and scenarios. Just things I’m going through and I was so moved. I made a clip to share:
So I watched that solo 3 times. AMAZING.
Yeah, I don’t think many people know about my love for this television show Glee. I’m sort of proud and ashamed.
Flickr and Critique
Pic related… it’s like a flickr critique group with no outside input!
So, I popped in on a flickr group called “Tell Me What You Really Think.” So, I did… and this user named amadrush got REALLY butt-hurt about it. I wrote a huge reply and took time doing it only to find the person blocked me. Blech. So unfulfilling, so I’ll put it on my website instead and link it to her stuff. I get this email in spanish:
“Ante tus comentarios En mi país somos más políticamente correctos. No te voy a explicar la esencia de las fotos porque creo que realmente no te interesa. Si no te gustan haz como las otras personas que las han visto y no han puesto nada. No se quien te crees para poner que una foto es aburrida. Yo las criticas o las observaciones las agradezco siempre y cuando sean constructivas, lo cual la tuya no lo es. En la fotografía como en otros aspecto en la diversidad esta la riqueza,… si a ti no te gusta lo que hago la verdad es que no me importa, pero no lo critiques como si fueras Dios. Gracias por no volver a comentar.”
Roughly translated thanks to google translate:
Before your comments In my country we are more politically correct. I will not explain the essence of the photos because I really do not care. If you’re not like other people do who have seen and have not put anything. Not who you think to put a photo is boring. I criticism or comments of thanks provided they are constructive, which yours is not. In photography as in other aspect of diversity is wealth … if you do not like what I do not really bother me, but do not criticize like you’re God. Thanks for not commenting back
My response:
Hey, I’m not entirely sure if I got your message correctly since I had to run it through a translator but from what I understand you’re upset that I critiqued your photo. I’m going to explain myself clearly but please don’t mistake this as me acting like I’m “God.” This is really me being extremely sincere. I critiqued your photos based on what I felt. You asked me to critique your photo when you joined this group: http://www.flickr.com/groups/1628391@N22/ The name of the group is “Tell me what you really think.” Please again, take no offense to this, the reason why people put their photos in this group is because they want to grow and expand as photographers. Just because everyone else is saying “OHHH I LOVE YOUR PHOTOS” isn’t a help to you. It isn’t going to make you a better photographer. I know it feels good when people like your photos, trust me I’m a self taught photographer and it’s groups like this that helped me hone this talent and skill in. About your work. No I don’t know who you are, I don’t know the meaning of the photos. Are they part of a collection? a series? You’re right, I don’t know. However, you asked me to critique your work on a still by still basis. Your photos are boring. This isn’t meant to make me feel better, and truthfully it’s awkward and I hate saying it. Take a look on flickr, you’re not posting anything different then everyone else. Hands, a flower, a landscape with a lake reflection. These have all been done before. I don’t know how far along you are with learning photography and I do understand that everyone takes these photos when they first start out. I did. However, that doesn’t make them interesting. Sure, they’re pretty to look at, but they come, and then they are forgotten. never to be remembered again. Do you want your photos to be that? If so, then why did you put them into a group to have them critiqued? -Joe
Anyways, photo’s suck but I guess some people would rather sit in their room and masturbate to their images instead of learn how to improve. I wouldn’t have bothered at all, to each his own, but when you ask someone to critique them, then calm down!
A trip to New York in March
I took a trip to New York between March 26th and April 2nd.
Some photos I took on my trip:
DC and Baltimore
BREAK! Finally school is over, and I got a break. I drove to DC and spent about 3 days there. My first time in my nation’s capitol. I didn’t know what to expect, my only experience of DC is from 24 and NPR stories about the ghetto. However, I was quite surprised at how fancy, clean, and annoyingly perfect it was. The subway, errr metro, sorry, was like a space station platform. With lights, holographic advertisements, and lack of color or art. I was visiting my friend Amber and we ended up going to one of the Smithsonian museums, specifically the one of portraits. I saw tons of great americans and what they looked like. It was pretty cool.
I’m in Baltimore now as I type this, at my friend Bill Adams’ place. He’s such a great guy and I’m really fortunate to be friends with him. Yesterday was my first full day in Baltimore and we walked around the piers and took some photos. Then he took me to this place, “Bertha’s Muscles” to meet a friend for drinks. Now, if you know me, I hate alcohol. I hate the taste, the feeling of it in your stomach. So I’ve never been drunk before, but I figured I’m in this really awesome old Irish (i think) bar with some awesome people and I’m on vacation, time to gain some experience points. Now I hadn’t had much to eat before hand. Just a little sushi with Bill, I was happy but not crazy full. This is also when I made a new friend Nicole Joyce.
So I had three glasses of something called Golden Monkey, I just ordered it after I had a sip of Nicole’s but after my third one she had told me that the bartender had warned her about the 9%+ alcohol content. I should have listened to the drunk mechanical engineer from Liverpool sitting next to me tell me how strong that beer is. Well, I got crazy drunk as you can imagine, stumbled out of the bar feeling pretty funny.
It was now time to get ready and dressed to go to a Samba Dance party that I was going to photograph with Bill. Nicole took me to her house so I could try and sober up before the dance party. I immediately fell asleep on her bed and felt like throwing up the whole time. Through Nicole’s suggestion and my twitter friends @annohio, and others, I promptly threw up. Oh and remembered that I had indeed eaten some of Bertha’s Muscles.
Long story short, I made it through the Samba dance, feeling horrible, but survived. Made it back to Bill’s trying not to throw up despite Nicole hitting me in the stomach and laughing. Got home and promptly fell asleep. I had a bad dream about a girl I love, fate is a bitch sometimes, woke up excited then realizing it was a dream tried to go back to sleep but couldn’t. So here I am, writing this post.
I’m glad I did it, so I know never to do it again.
The end.
My Trip to DC and Baltimore…
I took a trip to Washington between March 1st and March 3rd.
Some photos I took on my trip:
Flickr France
Holy crap! Flickr used one of my photos as the main photo for their blog post today!
Here’s the link! http://blog.flickr.net/fr
And a screenshot.
