So this happened...

Been thinking about it for awhile. And in my current climate of "why not?" I decided to just go for it.

It's a terrible portrait and my hair is still wet, but you get the idea.

Waiting for a call from my parents in 3...2...1...saying "OMG you turned into one of those Californians who puts crazy colors in their hair because THEY WANT TO BE NOTICED."

And I'm going to respond, "No, Mom/Dad, it's just that blue is TEH PRETTY."

365 Days, 365 Photos: 02/21/2009

EXIF data

This photo makes me extremely happy. I took Nick to the beach that morning for the purpose of filming some stuff, and we couldn't have asked for better lighting, weather, etc. And oh, the clouds! It helps knowing that I took it while frolicking in the waves - or rather, teasing them by running towards them as they were going out, and running away from them as they were coming in. Sometimes it's nice to act like you're 5 years old.

365 Days, 365 Photos: 02/20/2009

EXIF data

Spruce Street suspension bridge. I really like this place. It's absolutely gorgeous, especially when Shredder's not there. Not the greatest place to shoot video though, at least not if you don't have production assistants to stand on either end and keep the other people off of it. Oh well.

365 Days, 365 Photos: 02/19/2009

EXIF data

365 Days, 365 Photos: 02/18/2009

EXIF data

I used the on-camera flash for this photo. Pretty impressed with how not-flashy it was. It's been so long since I had a working pop-up flash (the Rebel's crapped out at some point, I'm not even sure when), that I tend to completely forget it's there. Good to know.

Also - rad movie. Still holds up today.

Sorry I've been slow in posting the last few days. Last weekend was a doozy, but oddly enough, it was exactly what I needed. Funny how that works out sometimes...

Portrait of a photographer at breakfast

Despite going to sleep around 3AM last night, Nick and I were both randomly awake by about 7AM. So I had the brilliant idea of hitting up The Mission for breakfast, and then going back to sleep. The going back to sleep part never really happened, but we did spend quite an enjoyable day watching a shit-load of Arrested Development episodes. And then went to South Beach for some fried shrimp tacos for dinner. Delicious.

Shows that even when plans go awry (or rather, the person you have them with completely flakes on you), you can still have a damn good time with some damn good people...

365 Days, 365 Photos: 02/17/2009

EXIF data

Finished it the other day. I liked it, although in real life I'm not really one for believing in fate. Or God for that matter. Irving has this great talent for describing things in almost excruciating detail. It's something I always admire in others, because I never have the patience for it myself.

365 Days, 365 Photos: 02/16/2009

EXIF data

Yeah, not my usual style, but I'm trying to learn Photoshop for realz so this is what happens. Maybe a bit too much in the post-processing department, but I like it.

Taken somewhere up in Cardiff, near a guitar store and "some weird chicken shop," as Alex Swim Party said. The boys wandered away to look at guitars, I wandered away to take photos of a tractor-y thing. Priorities.

New Swim Party song

Francine was nice enough to shoot this with my camera while we were up at Spaceland last night.

As of now, the song doesn't have an official name, but I feel like it should be something totally pretentious. "Wherein Swim Party Succumbs to Their Post-Rock Tendencies" or something equally absurd. We'll see.

I really like it, but then I'm biased because it's the first keyboard part I've really written on my own, in the sense of "here's the chord progression, see if you can work something out." I like what I've figured out so far, but there's definitely room for expansion as I get less nervous about screwing up complicated piano lines on stage and you know, actually start to play something complicated...

And oh, sorry the song clocks in at almost 8 minutes. That's how post-rock rolls.

Checking in

Just got back from a fun trip to LA to play Spaceland with Swim Party. The fact that places like Spaceland exist up there almost make me want to move to LA...almost. And that's saying a lot.

The sound guy was spectacular, the set sounded great, and I got a chance to use the 40d to take some concert photos. Just a quick note on it vs. the Rebel - the shutter is much more sensitive/responsive, which takes some getting used to, and shooting in burst mode is a lot faster. Which led to me accidentally shooting four photos in rapid succession a couple times when I only meant to take one.

Also, I'm still retraining myself as to where all the buttons/functions reside on the 40d. It's set up totally different from the Rebel, and in a way that makes much more sense, at least for manual shooting. But after two years of extensive (some might even say excessive) shooting with the Rebel, all that muscle memory needs to be reset. I need to stop entering the menu screen to try to change the ISO...

Francine was kind enough to take some photos with my SD1000 while I was playing (I'm still too nervous to let anyone else hold the 40d), and she also shot video of the new instrumental song that we've been working on. So I'll post that, hopefully tomorrow, after I get a couple hours of sleep.

I'm beat. Off to bed. Now.

365 Days, 365 Photos: 02/15/2009

EXIF data

I found a marble on my doorstep this morning. I'm guessing it came from the kid who lives upstairs? Random.

I used all my close-up filters (+1, +2, and +4) for this shot, and sent the flash through the marble to create the shadow.

365 Days, 365 Photos: 02/14/2009

EXIF data

I was talking to a friend about the Lensbaby today, when I realized I hadn't tried to shoot anything with it in awhile. And since this bike was just hanging out outside my lab, it made a decent enough subject. I'm back to trying to use the Lensbaby to replicate a Holga, but oh well. I like it.

I thought about doing something Valentine's Day-related, but I didn't have any bacterial agar plates lying around to streak out an E. coli heart, and turns out that Hershey's Kisses frozen in liquid nitrogen look fairly similar to regular Hershey's Kisses. And they don't shatter anywhere near as well as you would think...

365 Days, 365 Photos: 02/13/2009

EXIF data

Rain! Which means I don't feel the least bit guilty about hanging out on my couch in PJs tonight.

365 Days, 365 Photos: 02/12/2009

EXIF data

Part of the Valentine's Day package my mom sent to me. It smells awesome.

365 Days, 365 Photos: 02/11/2009

EXIF data

PJ pants. It's been pretty chilly in my apartment (for San Diego), so I had to break these out the other night. I've had them since college - they were a Christmas gift from my ex's sister one year. They don't get much use out here, but boy are they comfy.

You can't tell, but this guy is dancing. As evidenced by the music notes just out of the frame above his head...

365 Days, 365 Photos: 02/10/2009

EXIF data

One of the first photos taken with my new Canon 40d. Sadly, I haven't had too much time to play with it lately, since work has been crazy (in a good way). Hoping to head up to the mountains on Sunday to muck about in some snow and take some photos...

Somehow, I'm not surprised

Although personally, I would have gone with "a tanked sailor," since that's an anagram of my name and all.

Via Cursebird.

365 Days, 365 Photos: 02/09/2009

EXIF data

Casbah 20th anniversary poster. It will probably continue to live on my living room floor until my friend Nick comes to visit in two weekends and sleeps on the pull-out sofa. I have about 6 things lying around that need to get framed, and I give it about 3 years before all of that actually happens...

Consider this fair warning

365 Days, 365 Photos: 02/08/2009

EXIF data

Not really sure why it took me 26 years to realize that THIS is what my super thick wavy hair needs. It's probably the same reason why my little sister always asks to do my makeup when I come home over Christmas...

365 Days, 365 Photos: 02/07/2009

EXIF data

There was a collective "Wha?!?" in the car as D, P, and I drove past this on the way to the Ken Club Saturday night.

365 Days, 365 Photos: 02/06/2009

EXIF data

Writer performing at X1FM's studio.

365 Days, 365 Photos: 02/05/2009

EXIF data

"Then the snow started falling
We were stuck out in your car
You were rubbing both of my hands
Chewing on a candy bar.

You said 'Ain't it just like the present
To be showing up like this?'
As the moon waned to crescent
We started to kiss.

And I said 'I know it well...'"

- Bon Iver "Blood Bank"

The rain always makes me feel like this. I think that's why I miss it.

365 Days, 365 Photos: 02/04/2009

EXIF data

Cattails are rad.

365 Days, 365 Photos: 02/03/2009

EXIF data

This cloud made me happy when I was leaving work today.

Had my committee meeting yesterday, and they're all well-aware that I want to get out ASAP. I'm aiming for a year from this point; a year and a half AT MOST. Something we agreed was doable, but I need to work my ass off between now and then in order to have something to show for the last 5 years.

My experimental system is super close to being up and running, so all of today I was trying to wrap my brain around what to do next. I've spent so much time trying to get to this point (about 2 years, if we're being honest), and it's weird to suddenly realize you have to think beyond that point. It's also mentally exhausting.

It is really nice to finally see a genuine light at the end of the tunnel, though...

365 Days, 365 Photos: 02/02/2009

EXIF data

This has been hanging in my friend D's car ever since I met him. It's probably WHY I'm friends with him, actually. Did I mention I have a 1Up air freshener in my car?

365 Days, 365 Photos: 02/01/2009

EXIF data

If I gave you a plate of homemade oatmeal raisin cookies, you'd probably tell me that I can graduate in a year, right? Right?

Keep your fingers crossed for me. Committee meeting's at 11AM, P's thesis defense is a few hours later, and I might not remember much after that.

Why did we plan this shit for the day after the Super Bowl? And oh yeah - YAY STEELERS!!!

365 Days, 365 Photos: 01/31/2009

EXIF data

Nord keyboard, on loan from Eric from Swim Party.

I have no idea what most of these buttons/knobs/dials do. I just play the keys?