one lonely success

super sunday (vegas was built by winners)

Published on February 7, 2010 at 12:05 pm Comments

so in a few minutes, I’ll be loading up the Buster and heading to leanne & brandon’s mansion in the hills to enjoy super-bowl-sunday. while I’m still considering any potential wagers, a recent SMS-convo with @st0ney helped put things in perspective:

me: hey I need wager advice: Saints are 5pt underdogs and the over/under is 57. Thinking of parlaying the over and Saints to win. A $100 bet wins $360. Thoughts?

@st0ney: Colts are going to win by 23 points, so factor that in…

me: LOL, well that would change my waging stratedgery.
me: also, I’m blogging that for the record.

@st0ney: you heard it here first: 30-7, Colts.

me: Damn. So you’d take the Colts, give NO 5pts and take the UNDER? that’s a helluva wager right there.

@st0ney: Has there ever even been a 57 point Superbowl? Scoring is always down in the sb.

me: Good question…if only there were some sort of information retrival device.

@st0ney: Only 5 times in the last 20 years have teams scored 57 or more and the last time was 2004.

me: Well, feck, now I don’t know what to do.

@st0ney: That’s why they call it gambling and not sure-thinging.

me: I just love having “action” on a big game.

@st0ney: I hate making rich people richer.

me: I know and what’s strange is that I don’t really gamble in vegas for that reason.

@st0ney: dude! Vegas was built by WINNERS!

Tags: chat, stone, superbowl.

checking in

Published on February 7, 2010 at 11:42 am Comments

this is quickly becoming my life…and i love it.

Tags: foursquare, location.

buster remains resolute

Published on January 26, 2010 at 7:44 pm Comments

so on sunday, i loaded up buster into the jetta and drove to my sister & brandon’s mansion near the hills.

because it was “championship sunday” brandon & i knew it would be socially acceptable to spend the day with copious amounts of food, beer and laughs. you see, brandon and i watch a lot of football together—not on a weekly basis—but definitely when the game is important enough that the local market adorns its aisles with celebrity-cardboard-cut-outs and cases of “supplies” stacked to the ceiling.

yes, on these hallowed-of-days we hangout for 10-12 hrs just being awesome.

so buster loves going over to the mansion b/c they’ve got this elevated bbq/lounge area in the backyard that looks out to the surrounding mountains and stands almost 6ft above us grounded mortals. give buster 5-10mins and he’ll sneak up there until someone goes out and coaxes him from his lofty heights.

so we watched as the ny jets blew a 1st half-lead to the machine that is peyton manning and that really bummed buster out bc he had $50 bucks riding on the jets-to-win. You can buy a lot of science diet for fifty-bucks.

soon, we hit hour number 10 of being rad and reality set in; brandon remembered that he’s a grown-up attorney who had important things to do the next day in LA and I had to do…well, pretty much more of the same thing i do everyday on campus.

buster remained resolute but would spend the next 36hrs sleeping off the fun.

Tags: brandon, buster, football, mansion.

all i could find were these mountains

Published on January 23, 2010 at 9:11 pm Comments

so remember yesterday when i got all dressed up in my junior-photographer-snow-gear and drove up to the SoCal mountains? and then it started to rain and I got frustrated? and all i took a photo of was that one yellow fire hydrant?

well, this morning the skies were blue after a week’s worth of storms dissipated. i took advantage of 50F temperatures and sunny skies to inspect the storm’s fallout.

this time i had more luck but all i found were these snow-covered mountains. here’s the best of a few hours of shooting and the rest can be found in this flickr set.

more and more i’m finding that getting away from everything for a few hours and snapping a few photos is very therapeutic.

Tags: photography, snow.

all i could find was a fire hydrant

Published on January 22, 2010 at 5:50 pm Comments

so this week’s worth of storms dropped tons of rain and eventually snow in SoCal. i took advantage of a short day at lab and drove 20mi east to snow-drenched mountains in hopes of photo ops.

the roads up the mountains were closed off—even with chains—so I had to resort to parking in the riteaid parking lot and trekking around in my bad ass sorel boots while protecting my camera gear from the elements.

so even though i was decked out in my snow jacket, and was super-excited, the photography conditions were subpar. Everything was grey, washed out and then the freezing rain started and frankly i just didnt care enough to stand out in freezing rain.

so you get a photo of a yellow fire hydrant. sorry.

Tags: photography, snow.

TWiT at CES 2010 in VEGAS

Published on January 13, 2010 at 12:45 am Comments

so re-posting mobile photos from a week ago seem so dreadful that I can barely stand to look at them more less subject you to such dread.

jesus.

while I was there the kids from TWiT were broadcasting live and I brought out my stupid long lens and shot these photos.

if you’re still reading you can choose to view the whole set here or just scroll until your head explodes.

right on.

Tags: ces, twit, vegas.

Autopost Blows Balls

Published on January 13, 2010 at 12:33 am Comments

so last weekend, I was in Las Vegas for CES and I presumed that you would enjoy all sorts of awesome content via posterous.com and their autopost feature. Turns out I was wrong and the lesson learned is that if you want to do something right…well you know. Standbye for NEWS!

Tags: las vegas.

CES 2010 in Vegas

Published on January 8, 2010 at 12:05 pm Comments

Buster the Dog is looking forward to the holidays being over.

Published on January 6, 2010 at 12:51 pm Comments

Sent from my iPhone

Happy New Year 2010 – 5 Years Redux Edition

Published on December 31, 2009 at 8:40 pm Comments

5 years ago tonight I was the loneliest-popular-person you’ve never known. surrounded by people and lonely beyond words…

I wrote these two blog posts for her with the hope that she could hear me. Five years later, I know she did…god…has it been that long?

“Happy New Year” Originally posted Dec 31st 2004:

to the literally ten’s of people who visit this site, happy new year. my fancy shirt is ironed and ready to make its debut appearance. the appropriate people have been called. reservations have been made. people are expecting us. all that remains is some fun and debauchary.

and now a look back at 2004…it really sucked. sure i learned a lot about myself and those i love. sure my life took on a new non-existential meaning. sure i find myself more at peace than a year ago. but none of that means that 2004 will be a year that i will look back on with a smile. in fact, 2004 was all about emptiness, loneliness and grieving. now this shouldn’t at all reflect upon the best parts of this year.

you know who you all are….and you know that you made me smile…over and over.

so brothers and sister, won’t you join me in giving 2004 a big “fuck off”.

peace and love in 2005. but especially peace.

and earlier that same day…

“god speed“ originally posted Dec 31st 2004

the rain is coming down harder now. individual puddles are joining forces with their friends in an evil plot to take over the streets. the sounds of the drops are very rhythmic and almost organic in a way.

p&l in 2010.

Tags: 2010, new year, redux.

the rebellious colours

Published on November 25, 2009 at 7:09 pm Comments

so I left campus a few days early and am enjoying being at home with the pretty girl. despite the fact that southern california doesn’t actually experience autumn, I still dig the cool, wood-burnt smell of my hometown air in late-November.

while I wait for vacation to catch up to my wife’s work schedule, I’ve been playing around with my new lens—a Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS. our front yard consistently puts on an autumn spectacle as colors fade from a uniform green to rebellious yellows, oranges and reds.

after shooting these shots for about 15mins, our neighbor came outside and asked, “can I ask why you’re standing underneath the trees with your telescope? can you even see the sky with that thing?”

Tags: autumn, photography, thanksgiving.

proud

Published on November 20, 2009 at 8:59 pm Comments

Ceiling Painting (YES Painting), Yoko Ono, 1966.jpg

today, my sister found out that she passed the california state bar exam. I am so very proud of her. this was her first time taking an exam that has about a 45% pass rate and she did what she always does, accepted the challenge and met it with determination, hard work and grace.

congrats today and on achieving the balance of your dreams.

Tags: sister.

new toys

Published on November 20, 2009 at 12:25 pm Comments

so I brought Buster the Dog home a new toy today. it survived about 10mins which equals out to about a dollar per minute. it was totally worth it though b/c he got to have some fun and I got to play around some more with the 70-200mm lens in “action mode”.

you’re welcome.

Tags: buster, photography.

here we go

Published on November 18, 2009 at 8:23 pm Comments

finished with the med center for the day. walk home. the 1/4mile walk feels shorter with each trip.

walk up to my front-door to find a package. addressed to someone at least 3 blocks away. need to return to the post-office or deliver myself. the breadth of the mistake makes me laugh.

fiddle with my key. FUCK. this lock needs some lubrication. remember to pick up some WD-40 the next time we’re out. crack the seal; walk inside.

buster greets me and reminds me why he is the best part of my day. petting ^2.

flip through the mail. give buster a snack. repeat. there’s correspondence to be dealt with.

I NEED STAMPS…noted and logged for future reference.

grab the unfortunate package and head for the door. buster lets out a whimper. comfort the sorrowful. drive to the post office and am the nice guy in the parking lot who yields to others.

“yes we can. yes we can.”

wait in a relatively short line—for the post office that is. hand the older lady behind the counter the package left at my door. “misaddressed and erroneously delivered” i explain.

“i would have kept it if i were you“, she replies, “what if there’s something good in here?”

((awesome…at least your honest.))

“what does your bracelet mean?” the mischeivous-would-be-thief-behind-the-counter asks?

“it means I’m awesome” i reply while trying to channel the world’s most interesting man.

“so why are you awesome?”

“because I bought this bracelet.”

“that will be 88 cents for the two stamps.” i pay the tab and drop two envelopes in the box on my way out.

drive home. the trip seems shorter with each drive. maybe life is going by quicker. need to do something about slowing that down.

if you have any suggestions, i’m all ears.

Tags: stream.

the most uninterested of subjects

Published on November 18, 2009 at 6:32 pm Comments

after being very underwhelmed with the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L, I decided to exchange it for the mother of all Canon lenses…the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS.

The good news for Buster was that I needed something/someone to shoot…and well, you know where I’m going with this:

Here’s buster peeking out the back door and being captured sharply at 200mm.

…and here’s Buster acting more bored than I’ve ever seen him.

also, I find these photos funny b/c Buster is unaware of what life is like without having a camera firing at him ad nauseum.

Tags: buster, canon, photography.

the unamused subject

Published on November 16, 2009 at 5:50 pm Comments

When I stuck the camera in buster’s face this afternoon, I was met with this look which can be interpretted as: “Seriously? Again with the camera?”

You would think after literally 1000s of photos, he’d be used to it. he-is-not.

Tags: buster, photography.

you meant it

Published on November 12, 2009 at 11:47 pm Comments

the genius of michael stipe is especially appreciated when he participates in music outside of what has been crafted as his own. tonight’s example is his collaboration with dashboard confessional on their emo/hipster tune “hands down”. (tune and video available here)

once you’ve heard the stipe-infused-duet, the original track finds itself screaming demands for stipe’s baritone influence.

enjoy “hands down” by dashboard confessional featuring michael stipe (track available on iTunes):

all of this being said, no one can question Chris Carrabba’s ability, inspiration or command. compare, contrast and enjoy:

p&l

Tags: dashboard confessional, michael stipe, Music, video.

Lifestream

Just ordered a replacement LCD for my Canon PowerShot SD960. Cost me $50 and hopefully I can repair the damage my fat ass caused. [jeffcarter]

— 19h ago via Twitter
Cleaning up after the rock show that was our Super Bowl party. [jeffcarter]

— 1d ago via Twitter
Just won HUGE on the SB with my best friends!!!!! [jeffcarter]

— 2d ago via Twitter
Thank you who dat nation. # [jeffcarter]

— 2d ago via Twitter
Ten minutes to take the game no one thought you could win. go saints. #superbowl #whodat [jeffcarter]

— 2d ago via Twitter
RT @gruber: Field goals aren't going to win this game. Problem isn't that the Saits went for it on 4th. Problem is they didn't throw it. [jeffcarter]

— 2d ago via Twitter
Dear New Orleans Saints, Freeny is NOT hurt. It's time to double team him. kthxbai [jeffcarter]

— 2d ago via Twitter
To quote @lewisesq : oh shit! That's a BEAVER! Playing a violin!! #superbowl [jeffcarter]

— 2d ago via Twitter
Thanks to Focus On the Family and Tim Teebow for reminding us during the SB that ignorance is alive and well in the USA. #superbowl [jeffcarter]

— 2d ago via Twitter
Go Saints! (as long as the combined score by both teams is under 59pts--otherwise I could care less). [jeffcarter]

— 2d ago via Twitter