Project 365, Day 96. My bags are packed.

Well shit.

Weather prevented me from leaving yesterday. I was supposed to be in Africa right now.

Looks like I'll try again tomorrow.




At least my bags are packed.


Again, no music tonight, just getting the blog caught up before I leave.

Project 365, Day 95. Hurry up and wait.

I figured this blog would be hard to keep up once I got underway with my travels.

Only I didn't get underway with my travels as I had planned yesterday.

High winds prevented me from flying out of Colorado Springs to Denver, there by making it impossible to make any of my following connections to Africa. You can tell by the clouds, if you know something about cloud formations....

I shot this picture while I was waiting....



No music tonight, just trying to get caught up before I go.

Project 365, Day 94. Clean up on aisle one...

Finally.

I got a job. Looks like I fly out to Africa tomorrow. After Afghanistan (and Louisiana) how bad can Africa be? Of course, the locals are less likely to eat me in Afghanistan.

Don't look at me like that Louisiana. If I stepped out in front of a speeding Ford dually, you know I'd be the main course at dinner that very night. Dump enough Frank's or Slap Ya Mama seasoning on me and I'd taste just like that gator or whatever the hell it was you ran over last week.

Speaking of dinner...

In honor of my new found employment, Emily and I had Chinese tonight. Apparently, I spilled some of my sweet and sour sauce coming up the stairs.

That did NOT go unnoticed by Sera, who was kind enough to provide...wet clean up...
Yet another reason we don't have kids. How are we going to explain to anyone why we've taught our children to lick the carpet clean? That just seems awkward.



I love her sullen look. The look that says "All I got was the goop on the stairs. I didn't get ANY of daddy's chicken..." She reminds me of Marvin the Paranoid Android. Props to any of my geek friends who understand that reference.


Music for tonight:
Little Red Corvette by Prince
Simple Man by Lynyrd Sknyrd
One Night in Bangkok by Murry Head
Best of Both Worlds by Van Halen

Pic O' The Week #14

Sometimes, it's 9PM on a Sunday night before either of us gets around to working on a picture for the day/week. I would like to attribute this to being busy with something else really important, but if I were to be honest I'd have to attribute it to sheer laziness. Well, that, and I got a hot tip on where to buy clotted cream in Denver (Whole Foods), so Brian and I spent most of the day yesterday in a semi-conscious overdose of clotted-cream-covered scones. Mmm.....

But anyway, when it's 9PM on a Sunday night and there still needs to be a picture taken for the day, there's a fair amount of scrambling for interesting subjects. Brian pulls out the fancy gear....



Which unfortunately doesn't always provide inspiration...


I, on the other hand, tend to resort to the old standby of Hatch photography....the dogs. Of course they've been shot to death by now, so in the interest of giving you something different I present: Abstract, With Dog Face

Project 365, Day 93. Healed!

If you looked at the title and noticed the number, you might think I have skipped a day.

Naw, just got off on the numbering. It's quite a ways back and I just dont have the time to fix it right now.

I have not missed a day of shooting. Might not be until the next day that I post, but I havent missed a day yet.

Almost thought about it. It snowed today and was cold. I wasn't in the mood to go outside either.

However, today is Day 10. Stitches came out today!

It was almost as big of a production to get them out as it was to put them in. It took my eyes and Doug's hands to get them out. I did pop one of my stitches that first night. The skin had started to heal over the stitch, almost didn't get that one out.



It still looks a little rough around the edges, but it's all closed up. It'll probably scar a bit and be sore for a while longer.

Oh, I know what you're thinking. Since I'm not actively bleeding, I took the time to set up this shot better than the first picture of the open wound. Well, the only thing I did different here was add flash.

I still set up a tripod and picked out a lens and shot several test shots while I was bleeding all over the place. All in the name of art doncha know.


Music tonight:
I Want To Break Free by Queen
Lighting Up The Sky by Van Halen
Electric Head by White Zombie
Animal by Def Leppard
Let It Bleed by Rolling Stones
I Want It All by Queen

Project 365, Day 91. Immortalized in plastic!

Check it out!

Hasbro has immortalized one of their biggest fans....ok....customers...in plastic!

Me!

That's right! I have my very own action figure! I only found out today, when I came across him at Wal-Mart.

It's about fucking time too. The only people that have more of my money than Hasbro is Nikon and the US government. It's the least they could do.

The figure is a Rebel Commando from the Return of the Jedi movie. Odd. I fancied myself more of a Sith Lord or Imperial commander of some sort. Alas, I cannot complain.

He is quite the dashing handsome young rouge.

I....er....he... comes with a helmet, a cloth cammo coat, a backpack that looks like a combination of a microwave and an WWII radio set, a blaster pistol that slides into a working hip holster and an assault blaster rifle.

The rifle is a little more....bendy...than you'd normally expect in a high quality assault weapon...
That's why I have no respect for the Rebel Alliance. They are trying to take over the galaxy using crap like this. Losers.


You have to admit, for a four inch figure, the resemblance is striking...



I plan on ripping his little head off and creating a self-custom. Stay tuned for that.

I also shot a few of the lilac buds in the setting sun. I got a few nice shot and got lost in the moment, just shooting like crazy, coming up with great results.

Why is that?

I had my own personal harpist playing while I shot. Beat that Joe McNally, mister fancy pants. Bet you never had a harpist play for you while you shot. (Or had your own action figure...)



Oh, and don't mess with the bouncer. She looks like she'll tear your leg off if you mess with the harpist. Or piddle on your foot. Either way, it's a risk I don't recommend taking.


Music for tonight:
Goodbye To Romance by Ozzy
Gimme Shelter by The Rolling Stones
Staying Alive by The Bee Gees (Because disco fucking rules!)
Behind Blue Eyes by The Who
Hot For Teacher by Van Halen
I Want To Break Free by Queen

Project 365, Day 90. On the road.

Once again, I didn't post yesterday, but I did shoot.

I was on the road with Ma. She accompanied me to Buena Vista to keep me from eating everything in sight, as I had not eaten in more than fifteen hours for a fasting blood glucose test. That was part of my pre-deployment physical.

So was pissing in several cups and getting stuck by several needles.

The nurses took pity on me for the length of time I had to go without eating. I am not build to go that long without food. One ran out for some donuts for me. Bless you.

I took this shot on the road between Buena Vista and Salida.



While I love this lens (17-35mm f/2.8), the lens hood that it comes with is a piece of shit and broke while I was still in Afghanistan. That caused lens flare. Some feel this is an interesting artistic attribute in a picture. I find it highly annoying. I feel it's a crutch of a photographer trying to make up for the lack of ability to compose a decent picture. I think if more photographers read this blog, I'd probably catch some flack for that statement, but there ya go.

I didn't get home until after 10pm. Didnt feel like posting.


Music for tonight:
Another Brick In The Wall by Pink Floyd
Layla by Eric Clapton
19th Nervous Breakdown by The Rolling Stones
Stairway To Heaven by Led Zeppelin
I Must Be Dreamin' by Cheap Trick
Dreams by Van Halen