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EL and I drove to see my grandmother this weekend. Staying in my home town always takes me back to when I was a kid. Today, we went to the beach and relaxed. I need to retire.

Make a map and find out how much you've been missing.

Today has turned out to be a shitty Friday and continues to get worse. I'm not a happy camper.

What a shitty way to start the day. You wake up excited like it's the first day of summer and find out they've extended school another two months. Fortunately, my boss is at a meeting offsite, so his circus antics aren't pushing my already agitated buttons this morning. It would be nice to keep my job a while longer and stay out of prison. I hate traffic. I'm having a terrible morning.

Kitty Menoo. When I was young and stupid, I was married to the wrong woman. I didn't know it at the time and for a brief while, I was blissfully ignorant. She had a cat. She had an absolutely gorgeous silvery grey cat with long, luxurious hair and deep green eyes. The cat was officially named Menoo, but only answered to Kitty. I'm not sure if this was a ploy for self amusement or cat humor in its finest form, but "Kitty" Menoo was special. She was born with a crooked tail that was about a third the length of a normal (proportionate) cat tail. She was a princess. When my ex and I first got together, said cat was, as many cats can be, a bitch. When my ex got into a terrible accident and fell on a penis when I was 8000 miles away defending our country, the cat was still a bitch. When I booted the ex to the curb and inherited sole custody of the cat, the cat softened up a little and began to see that there was more to life than elitist cat antics. Years past and Kitty grew into a wonderful and nurturing big sister to my baby Penny and really evolved into a huge bundle of love... with a little attitude so no one forgot where she came from. The short form of a longer story amounts to Kitty residing with my mother in my home town while Penny and Bianca stayed with me. Recently, Kitty has been battling a strange illness that was thought to be some form of cancer. Today, after conferring with the vet that there was no hope for her, my mother had Kitty put down. I cried. It is really like losing a friend or family member. I don't dress my pets in silly clothes or talk to them in baby talk gibberish, but I love them bunches and Kitty's death hurts. For what it's worth... I just wanted to share. She was almost 14 and I've had her most of her life. God bless "Kitty" Menoo. Rest in peace.

With PMA just around the corner and the rumors of Canon's next pro body already on the street, they decided to make it official. Canon throws down with the EOS 1D Mark II (product shots). A lot of people are saying they are disappointed in the specs... they expected more. This, my friends, makes me sad. I fear that as time passes, we will all sucumb to the perils of Moore's Law all camera-fied. I think that the ever faster improvment of digital technology is great for increasing the tools in the bag for acheiving the end result, but photography isn't a race... for me anyway. I am not 1/10th the photographer required to exploit the potential of the existing product line, much less what's on the horizon. I think the new gizmo coming out sounds fab, but I don't think it lessons the value of functionality found in a 1D. When you see photographers (in the true sense of the word) share the fruits of their labor coming from much "lesser" cameras, it reaffirms that old saying that "the best camera is the one you use". Man, all these new inovations like more sensitive sensors, wider internal bus bandwidth, faster ASICs, etc. all add up to fun and excitement, but let's please not lose sight of the joy of photography and all the goodness of it. My absolute favorite photo of my wedding was taken by a guest with a disposable camera left on a reception table. I'm not saying that nice gear doesn't aid in acheiving nice results. I'm saying it shouldn't be a crutch. The better I get at this, the more I believe that quality glass far outshines quality camera body in the gear assisted poll. I hope that as DSLR's fall prey to the bigger, better, faster market, we photographers stay just that... photographers. I'm off to yet another meeting. I ordered a toffee nut latte at Starbucks with "one half the syrup" because they are way to sweet for me. So she squirts what amounts to be 1 and a half squirts of syrup in the cup... two full squirts being half of what they normally put (supposedly) and realized the pump has no more suction. Well in an act of genious, she decides that the toffee nut juice residue in the bottom of the bottle (huh... huh... I said nut juice) was approximately half a squirt and dumps it in my cup. Mother of GAWD! This is some sickeningly sweet shit. I was late already, so I rolled with it, but I seriously need some rat poison or something to cut this with... ugh! Off to meeting. Ciao. update: The official press release.

From lunch to breakfast just like that... my how time flies. I had to leave work yesterday around 2:00 for a medical appointment for my shoulder. It was good to get out from behind the desk after that mutated beast of a burger from Lankford Grocery. I think there was a whole cow on that thing. Anyhoo, I did spend more than 10 minutes on the computer at home last night... a freakin' all time record for me. I know it sounds strange, but it feels like I'm behind on something. I'm sure it's nothing being stranded on a deserted island with no running water or electricity for 5 years wouldn't fix, but on the short term, it sucks. The redeeming factor was spending time with EL. She's the best. In spite of our awkwardly poor-ish state right now, we succumbed to the Elfa sale at The Container Store and put up four rows of shelves, at 30% off mind you, in our utility room. It is amazing to me how much space we were wasting on those bare walls. EL says I'm a pack rack. I have my doubts, but as I gazed at the glorious shelf space, I wondered if there may be some truth to her theory. I mean, just looooook at all that storage space! I'm a dork. I'm running late for work this morning because, as if living and commuting in the fourth largest city in the US wasn't enough, the SuperBowl has caused this place to turn into a monkey mad house. There are people from all walks of media, commerce, and self-justification just oozing from every pore of the city. We have these METRO awareness signs (presumable funded by the Texas Department of Transportation) telling commuters how long in driving minutes to the next "checkpoint" along your commute. Normally when I get onto I-45 southbound in the morning, my first sign says "8 minutes" to my first "checkpoint". These days preceding the SuperBowl, it's been in double digits. It has taken me well over an hour to get to work every day this week. I'm riding the bus today as I type this and even the HOV is clogged like an artery after consumption of the deep-fried-Monticrist-Mac-on-a-stick-with-chougat (a special proprietary blend of cheese and nougat). In a ninja style switch of subject, I am shooting a darkly lit venue next week and I'm a little nervous about the potential outcome. I'm not worried about know how to expose the shot... it's my job to know that... I'm worried that this mercilessly low lit venue will not provide enough ambient light to expose correctly within the limits of my camera and "film". I shot this place last year at f/2.8 and had to use ISO3200 to get handheld shutter speeds. I'd like to use the 70-200mm f/2.8, but will probably have to fall back on the 50mm f/1.4 for the extra light. Another issue is my camera will only support up to ISO1250. Well, I suppose it's not an issue because I was sorely disappointed with the digital noise at ISO3200 anyway, but some post processing foo can go along way these days. We'll see. I'm sure everything will turn out fine. I am just a bitch when it comes to noise. I hate noise unless I put it there for effect (which rarely happens). I'm so ready for some coffee. The last couple of days at work have been pretty stressful. My partner in crime was out the last two days and there was no one to load balance the never ending trickle of whiney bullshit that rings in during the day. I hope today is better. Well, my bus is just tucking in under the dramatic sky blanketing downtown Houston this morning, so I'll sign off. Next stop: CorpoHell!

Ahoy matey! It be lunch!

Giant Pez... and that golden light... with (unfortunately) no clouds...

Real Men of Genius.

I got home from work at 7:30. P-effin-M That sucks.

Right. So I'm out of the loop... literally. I mean, yeah... geographically, I live out of "the loop", but I'm out of the loop. Apparently, since I've been sleeping, they opened an Alamo Drafthouse in Houston. Now playing: Chopper Chicks in Zombietown. There was a revamped Romeo and Juliet this last week where the familiars were recast with the Montagues as punks and the Capulets as goths. I would have been interested in checking that out. I need to throw EL over the shoulder and get out more. The days are slipping.

Ok. You remember the tale of the squeaky wheel? Well, my slowly failing laptop is what prompted the squeak, but it worked. Finally, today, I exchanged my old ass, crippled, hunk-o-dung laptop for a shiny new IBM Centrino ThinkPad... integrated wireless, 1.5Ghz, half a gig of RAM, 9000 series mobile Radeon, integrated DVD/CD-RW, blah blah blah... it's skinnier, and a hell of a lot sexier. Most importantly though: It allows me to work more efficiently. I love that I can once again do my job without constantly fighting computer issues. Amen.

- A young child says to his mother, "Mom, when I grow up I think I'd like to be a musician." She replies, "Well honey, you know you can't do both." - Conductor: A musician who is adept at following many people at the same time. - Female vocalist asks her keyboard player, "I'd like to do 'My Funny Valentine' tonight... but can you think of a way to 'jazz' it up?" Keyboard player replies, "Sure, we can do the first chorus in G minor, then modulate to G#minor for the second chorus in 5/4 time, then modulate to A minor in 3/4 time for the bridge, then cut off the last 3 bars!" She claims, "that might be too complicated to do without a rehearsal!" Keyboard player responds, "Well, that's how you did it last night!" - Glissando: A technique adopted by string players for difficult runs. - How do you keep your violin from being stolen? Put it in a viola case. - How do you stop the spread of a deadly disease?Let EMI distribute it. - How does a violist's brain cell die? Alone. - How does a young man become a member of a high school chorus? On the first day of school he turns into the wrong classroom. - How many trombonists does it take to screw in a light bulb? None, but it's the only thing they won't screw. - Music: A complex organisations of sounds that is set down by the composer, incorrectly interpreted by the conductor, who is ignored by the musicians, the result of which is ignored by the audience. - Musica ficta: When you lose your place and have to bluff until you find it again. - Relative minor: A guitarist's girlfriend. - Subito piano: Indicates an opportunity for some obscure orchestra player to become a soloist. - The girl singer says to her saxophonist lover, ³Honey, I think you better pull out now.² He replies, ³Why? Am I sharp?² - Two tuba players sitting in a car. Who's driving? The policeman - Tuba Player: "Did you hear my last recital?" Friend: "I hope so." - Vibrato: Used by singers to hide the fact that they are on the wrong pitch. - What did the drummer get on his IQ Test? Saliva. - What do a guitar solo and premature ejaculation have in common? You know it's coming and there's nothing you can do about it. - What do a viola and a lawsuit have in common? Everyone is relieved when the case is closed. - What do clarinetists use for birth control? Their personalities. - What do you call a beautiful woman on a trombonist's arm? A tattoo. - What do you call a drummer in a three-piece suit? "The Defendant" - What do you call a guitar player that only knows two chords? A music critic. - What do you call the guy who hangs out with the musicians in a band? The drummer. - What is another term for trombone? A wind driven, manually operated, pitch approximator. - What is the difference between a drummer and a vacuum cleaner? You have to plug one of them in before it sucks. - What is the dynamic range of a bass trombone? On or off. - What will you never say about a banjo player? That's the banjo player's Porsche. - What's the definition of a minor second interval? Two Soprano Sax players reading off the same part. - What's the difference between a guitar player and a large pizza? A large pizza can feed a family of four. - What's the difference between a jet airplane and a trumpet? About three decibels. - What's the difference between a SCUD missile and a bad oboist? A bad oboist can kill you. - What's the difference between an oboe and a bassoon? You can hit a baseball further with a bassoon. - What's the first thing a girl singer does in the morning? Puts on her clothes and goes home. - What's the latest crime wave in New York City? Drive-by trombone solos. - What's the similarity between a drummer and a philosopher? They both perceive time as an abstract concept. - Why are harps like elderly parents? Both are unforgiving and hard to get into and out of cars. - Why did the clarinet player marry the accordion player? Upward mobility. - Why do certain people play trombone? Because they can't move their fingers and read music at the same time. - Why do some people have an instant aversion to banjo players? It saves time in the long run.

The African Grey has always been my favorite bird in the whole world and the only flavor I think I would consider as a pet. (neat link via Lisa)