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Beware the Ides of March!

More and more my days are a blurred. Today is a stereotypical Monday. I wish I could rewind to Friday night over at Sam's... good wine, cheese, and conversation. I want to replay Saturday with the family... far away from here. Today wins the Academy Award of Suck. I have so many firewall parts strewn across my office that it looks like a truckload of PIX's exploded in here. The 60Hz hum surrounds me. Rock out to the sound of surround cooling fans! I hear it's all the rage these days. I received an email this morning from a coworker (a forward from a friend of theirs) with directions to a family nest of bald eagles just on the other side of Austin. I have maps, mileage, and markers. No GPS coordinates, but I don't have a handheld receiver in my camera bag yet, so it doesn't really matter. It's a shame I'll probably have to work this weekend. That would have been a cool road trip. I get such a great satisfaction from photographing wildlife in their natural habitat over captivity. The only real advantage to captive shots is that we (North American inhabitants) can see species not native to our region of the world. Speaking of photography, expect to see more macro now that the weather is turning. My goal this season in the macro realm is to uncover some truly hidden world that we miss with the naked eye. Extreme macro takes a lot more skill and technique and I think I may be up for the challenge this year. We'll see. I've come up with a new lighting strategy for macro, but I can't try it out until I off-shoe my speedlight. I should get the missing part I need in the next few days, so maybe I will post some test results next week. I'm jonzin' big time. I'm going to take a photograph of something today no matter what... maybe I'll just shoot something in my office to get this monkey off my back. I need some coffee.

It was a little cold in the house this morning, so EL took an old sock of mine and cut the end off it, added to arm holes and made Henry his first "sweater". Now that's funny.

Whoa.

Henry is finally old enough that we can leave him for short period. EL and I went out to our favorite little Italian restaurant last night for the first dinner out together in over a month. Yesterday's gloominess put a stop to most outdoor festivities, but this morning is gorgeous despite the weatherman's forecast. I wonder if it will hold up. Anyhoo, I'm still trying to figure out the whole photoblog thing, but I added quite a few more pictures just so there was content since I haven't been out depressing the shutter in a week. Ugh! I'm suffering from withdrawals.

Well, it's not exactly where I want it to be, but the photoblog is up. Currently, it's not exactly a photoblog either because I've been pre-loading it with old images to test the templates and shit, but eventually it'll be progressive on a daily or weekly basis ala blog. Anyhoo, here it is.

Friday!

Ok. This photoblog thing is shaping up to be more difficult that I thought.

It is by caffeine alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the beans of Java that thoughts acquire speed, the hands acquire shaking, the shaking becomes a warning. It is by caffeine only I set my mind in motion. Damn network has been down all morning. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Um, at home, not at work. Anyway. It still sucks. Fotofest event schedule for those interested: Friday • Downtown Main Street Plaza. Street Projections, music and food. 6-11 p.m. Sunset Coffee Building, 1019 Commerce. Fish Flag Mourant, Malachi Farrell. 6-9 p.m. Joan Wich & Co., 402 Main. Our Town, curated by David Crossley. 6-9 p.m. Christ Church Cathedral, 1117 Texas. Personal Favorites, Aubrey Calvin. 6-9 p.m. Bank of America Center, 700 Louisiana. Mystical Dreamscapes, Elliott McDowell. 6-9 p.m. Houston Center, 1221 McKinney. The Serpentine Swimming Club, Andrew Buurman; Free Elements, DoDo Jin Ming; Waves, Kevin Griffin. 6-9 p.m. JP Morgan Chase, 600 Travis. A Personal View. Various artists. 6-9 p.m. One City Center, 1021 Main. Aquascape, Karen Glaser and 13 Currents, Mark L. Tompkins. 6-9 p.m. Reliant Energy Plaza, 1000 Main. Various artists. 6-9 p.m. Travis Tower, 1301 Travis. Surface. Various artists. 6-9 p.m. Museum of the Heritage Society, 1100 Bagby. Latitudes and Longing, Don Glentzer. 7-9 p.m. • Around town Gallery 101, 1011 Washington. Cross Currents. Various artists. 8-10 p.m. Houston Center for Photography, 1441 W. Alabama. Bertha Alyce: A Photographic Biography, Gay Block, and We Are the Camera, three artists. 5-8 p.m. Koelsch Gallery, 3202 Mercer. Arctic Light, Arctic Time, four artists. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Mackey Gallery, 5111 Center. Water Ex-Votos, Francisco Larios, and Still Chambers, Luciana Abait. 6-8:30 p.m. Arthur Meyerson Studio, 2710 Bissonnet. Jay Maisel 50 Years. 7-9 p.m. Negative Space, 68 Yale. Debbie Riddle and Anderson Wrangle. 6-10 p.m. Poissant O'Neil Gallery, 5102 Center. Three artists. 6-8 p.m. Redbud Gallery, 303 E. 11th. Streets, Suzy Paul. 6-10 p.m. University of St. Thomas-Jones Gallery, 3900 Yoakum. Water Lilies: Water and the Spirit, Sheila Ernst-Bifano. 5-6:30 p.m. Xnihilo, 2115 Taft. Walking on Water. Seven artists. 6-9 p.m. Saturday • North Downtown and Warehouse District FotoFest headquarters, 1113 Vine. The Inner Language of Water, a film and print installation featuring: Riverglass, Andrej Zdravic; Fountain, Bohnchang Koo; Ocean, JungJin Lee; The Sea I Dreamt, Hang Sungpil: The Three Gorges Dam and the Yangtze River Valley, Steven Benson; The Lake Project, David Maisel; Rio de la Plata, Water as Graveyard, Helen Zout. 6-9 p.m. Buffalo Bayou Partnership, 1113 Vine. Women on the Verge of Something Else, a group show. 6-9 p.m. O'Kane Gallery, University of Houston-Downtown, 1 Main. A Fluid History -- Water Under the Big Sky, Marcy James. 6-9 p.m. Dakota Gallery, 23224 Shearn. Fernando Stein: The Easter Celebration. 6-9 p.m. DiverseWorks, 1117 East Freeway. PG-13 -- Male Adolescent Identity in the Age of Video Culture, Janet Biggs and Barbara Pollack and The Banality of Terror, Lori Nix. 6-8 p.m. Dramos Studios, 1121 East Freeway. Twice Removed, Joe Meppelink and Brian Wesley Heiss and Uh-Oh, Brian Wesley Heiss. 6-8 p.m. Gallery 3, 1101 East Freeway. Parallel Alchemy: The H2O Triple Point & 3 Icons Transformed, a group show. 6-9 p.m. Raw Space, 121 St. Emanuel. Synesthesia, a group show. 6-9 p.m. Estrada-Solis Studios, 121 St. Emanuel. Living Waters, David Daniel Gonzalez. 7-11 p.m. • Around town Blossom Street Gallery, 4809 Blossom. A group show. 1-3 p.m. Deborah Colton Gallery, 2500 Summer. Reviving Downtown -- My Address Book, Maripol. 6-10 p.m. De Santos Gallery, 1724 Richmond. Clyde Butcher Photographs. 6-9 p.m. Gremillion and Co., 2501 Sunset. Ten Years: From Pinhole to Wet Plate, Tom Baril. 7-9 p.m. Houston Studio Glass, 610 Jackson Hill. Water Lilies: Glass and Photographs. 6-8 p.m. Iklektik Designs, 2500 Summer. Waterworks, Vicente Wolf. 6-10 p.m. Lowell Collins Gallery, 2903 Saint. Four Visions, four artists. 6-9 p.m. Talento Bilingue de Houston, 333 S. Jensen. Thirst for a Better Life, Orlanda Lara and Delilah Montoya. 6-9 p.m. Texas Gallery, 2012 Peden. Thomas Joshua Cooper. 6-8 p.m. 5004 Feagan, 5004 Feagan. Michelle Grinstead and Nancy O'Connor. 6-9 p.m. Silver Street Studios, 1904 Decatur. Fluidity, group show by American Society of Media Photographers. 4-8 p.m. • Performances Stories, Maps and Notes From the Half-Light, Boxhead Ensemble. Aurora Picture Show, 800 Aurora. 8-11 p.m. Sunday • Around town Project Row Houses, 2501 Holman. Ocean Apart, Ingrid Pollard; Manuel Pellicer; and Pinhole Photography Project, a group show. 4-7 p.m. Stages Repertory Theatre, 3201 Allen Parkway. Houston Photographic Society, a juried show. Noon. • Film and video Warm Water Under a Red Bridge, directed by Shohei Imamura. Angelika Film Center, 510 Texas. Noon, 2:30 p.m., 5 p.m., 7:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. Other showings 5 p.m., 7:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, March 18. Bertha Alyce, by Gay Block. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 1001 Bissonnet. 5 and 7 p.m. Monday • Around town Gallery E, 4100 Westheimer, Suite 149. From the Center, Leslie Field; Natural Dichotomies, Colin Blakely; and Water Witchery, Fannie Tapper. 5:30-7:30 p.m. Williams Tower Gallery, 2800 Post Oak. Water in the West, a group show. 6-8 p.m. • Film and video An Injury to One, directed by Travis Wilkerson. Dean's Credit Clothing, 316 Main. Presented by Aurora Picture Show and Voices Breaking Boundaries. 9 p.m. Also March 22, 9 p.m. Tuesday • Around town FotoFest fine print auction and fund-raiser. Warwick Hotel, 5701 Main. 6 p.m. Museum of Printing History, 1324 W. Clay. Down in Houston, Documenting a Blues Community, James Fraher and Roger Wood. 7-9 p.m. Kingwood College, 2000 Kingwood. Water, Water, Everywhere, a group show. 5-7 p.m. Wednesday • Around town Rice University Media Center, 6100 Main, Entrance 8. River People, Alvaro Leiva. 6-8 p.m. March 18 • Around town The Menil Collection, 1515 Sul Ross. Locations, Luisa Lambri. 6-8 p.m. University of Texas Health Science Center, 6431 Fannin. Faces of Our Community, Frank White. 5-7 p.m. Holocaust Museum Houston, 5401 Caroline. Photomontage and the Art of Resistance, John Heartfield, and There Is No Why Here, Karl P. Koenig. 5-9 p.m. Houston Museum of Natural Science, 1 Hermann Circle. Coastal Essence, Jim Olive. 6-8 p.m. Alliance Francaise, 427 Lovett. Diptych, John Bernhard. 6-8 p.m. Barbara Davis Gallery, Warwick Hotel, 5701 Main. 2004, Ann Stautberg and Jerimy Kidd. 6-8 p.m. Jung Center, 5200 Montrose. Animals, Earth and Man, Shawn Fitzgerald. 6-9 p.m. TALA (Texas Accountants and Lawyers Association for the Arts, 1540 Sul Ross. Water Babies, Avery Danziger. 6-9 p.m. • Film and video Independent Exposure: FotoFest 2004. Lawndale Art Center, 4912 Main. 9 p.m. Coming up March 19 • Around town Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 1001 Bissonnet. Hungarian Avant-Garde Photographers From the Manfred Heiting Collection and MANUAL: Two Worlds, the Collaboration of Ed Hill and Suzanne Bloom. 6-8 p.m. The Station, 1502 Alabama at LaBranch. Memorias del Agua -- Orinoco River Project, Edgar Moreno; Bhopal Exhibition -- Exposure to Corporate Crime, Raghu Rai; and Arabic Pins and Al Awda, Jumana Abboud. DeFrog Gallery, 218 Westcott. Etat d'Ame, John Bernhard. 6-8 p.m. Anya Tish Gallery, 1740 Sunset. Thumbtacks and Modernism, Contemporary Russian Photography and Vintage Photographs and Photocollages and Soviet Photojournalism. 6-8 p.m. March 20 • Downtown and Warehouse District Erie City Ironworks, 1302 Nance. Discoveries of the Meeting Place. 7-9 p.m. Mother Dog Studios, 720 Walnut. Water Drinks Light, Rainroom Conversations, a group show. 6-10 p.m. • Around town Bernabe Somoza Fine Art, 2415 W. Alabama. Storm Washed Talking Poles, Egabrag, and Nicaragua, John Bernhard. 6-9 p.m. Dean Day Gallery, 2639 Colquitt. Garage Sale Sentiments, Mark Netoskie. 6-8 p.m. Fleury Gallery, 2643 Colquitt. Ma, Between the Past, Osamu James Nakagawa. 5-7 p.m. Goldesberry Gallery, 2625 Colquitt. Meditations on Buffalo Bayou, Billie Mercer, and Selections From the Animal Series, Nine Francois. 6-8 p.m. Hooks-Epstein Galleries, 2631 Colquitt. Reverie, Frederic Weber. 6-8 p.m. John Cleary Gallery, 2635 Colquitt. Weegee the Famous, Weegee. 6-8 p.m. McClain Gallery, 2242 Richmond. Bill Beckley. 6-8 p.m. McMurtrey Gallery, 3508 Lake. Anima, Keith Carter. 5-7 p.m. MBS Studios, 528 Northville. La Tino Iconography, Stella Lujan and Richard Sanchez. Noon-2 p.m. MKG Management, 2825 Colquitt. Ineffable Dialogue, Christine Bruni Fondren. 6-8 p.m. Moody Gallery, 2815 Colquitt. MANUAL. 5-7 p.m. New Gallery, 2639 Colquitt. Rapture of the Deep, Susanne York, and Other Raptures, Elinor Carucci. 6-8 p.m. Parkerson Gallery, 3510 Lake. Subterranea, Sally Gall. 5-7 p.m. Sicardi Gallery, 2246 Richmond. Oscar Munoz. 6-8 p.m. March 22 New World Museum, 5230 Center. River and Shorelines, Susan Derges. 7-9 p.m. March 24 Allen Center One, Two and Three, 1200 Smith. New York's Waterworks, Stanley Greenberg; Water Wasteland, Manuel Pina; Looking at Water, David Goldes. 7-9 p.m. Continental Center 1, 1600 Smith. Sacred Places: Water and Spiritual Rituals, three photographers. 7-9 p.m. March 25 Houston Community College. 3517 Austin. Pale Water; Edge of Water, three artists. 7-9 p.m. March 26 Blaffer Gallery, University of Houston Entrance 16 off Cullen, Sharpening the Point, a group show. 7-9 p.m. March 27 • Film and video Interpreting Anthropogeomorphology, curated by Matthew Coolidge. Aurora Picture Show, 800 Aurora. 8 p.m. Also, 3 p.m. March 28. March 31 • Film and video Exit the Waiting Room: Contemporary Media Art in Houston, a panel discussion with artists and collectors. DiverseWorks, 1117 East Freeway. 7 p.m. April 1 Global Forum on Water. Opening presentation, 7 p.m. The Menil Collection, 1515 Sul Ross. The forum continues through April 4.at various times and locations.

If it's not one thing, it's something else. My two main accomplices in this crime called work are out today... one sick and one on personal emergency. My boss seems to the think the doorknob to my office is the Batphone. I haven't taken a decent photograph is five days. It's bothering me. I'm considering starting a photoblog to stick stuff that I particularly like periodically. I'm not talking about a portfolio or anything, just somewhere to post a photo of the day or week or whatever without words. I've seen some formats I really like... just not sure how to set it up. Of course, I haven't looked into it because I've been so damn busy at work. I know Michael is working on a dedicated photo site as well, but I'm not sure how collaborative he intends it to be... maybe like a group photoblog? Anyhoo, I need to rework my actual portfolio site so there are browsable photos there as well as some sort of online ordering system. These are all things that sorta fall aside while I'm out grinding a living. Chalk 'em up on a list and revisit them every now and then... someday, I may get around to them. Someday.

Damn busy day. The morning was a friggin' blur. I had a business lunch at Massa's. Great food... artery narrowing, rich, chunky as hell lobster bisque followed by jerk seasoned red snapper over sauteed spinach and gratin potatoes with a tawny port mushroom sauce and fresh pomegranate kernels. A refreshingly tart key lime pie with fresh berries, powdered sugar, raspberry sauce, and homemade whipped cream finished the meal with a delicious coffee accompaniment. Yeah, the highlight of my afternoon. I ended up leaving early... stressed out. I need some down time... or serious changes at work. Either will suit me fine. Cheerio.

Ornate Hawk-Eagle

Current list of Canon lenses that are environmentally sealed (in case anyone cares): EF300mm f/2.8L IS USM EF400mm f/2.8L IS USM EF400mm f/4 DO IS USM EF500mm f/4L IS USM EF600mm f/4L IS USM EF16-35mm f/2.8L USM EF17-40mm f/4L USM EF24-70mm f/2.8L USM EF28-300mm f/3.5-5.6L IS USM EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM EF Extender 1.4X II EF Extender 2X II Toodles.

What a kooky day. The winds of change are blowing. My new Vice President stopped by my office today to shake my hand and thank me in person for working so diligently this weekend to get the e-commerce systems back online. Nifty. I had forgotten what appreciation in the workplace felt like. Joe and I went to Chipotle for lunch with "jury duty" Dirk. That guy pulls more jury duty that anyone I know. Last time it was a murder trial that went on forever and then, in the final hours of deliberation, the defendant plead guilty. Think of all the time that would have saved... heh. Anyhoo, more troubleshooting this afternoon. Happy happy, joy joy.

I've become numb to the work week. The hours that comprise a day pass without memory and the days blur together. It's a hollow feeling. An emptiness that leaves a lingering feeling of helplessness. Monday through Friday (with the occasional weekend, such as last) slip through my fingers and my life passes by out of reach. It wasn't always like this, so perhaps I'll maneuver back there again someday. The trees in my backyard are inundated with tiny holes. The woodpeckers have left the surface of the bark looking like a colander. I took a photo of it, but don't remember where I put it. It's no like the surface is cosmetically distasteful to the eye... it still looks very stylishly tree-like however, wearing a polkadotted pullover. The weather this weekend was exciting. It was so pleasantly warm and sunny. Nature, or so it seems in my neighborhood, is waking. I see little bees and baby dragonflies, spiders, tiny lizards, and blooming flowers. The winter in Texas may not be harsh, but it is dreary, damp, and mostly ugly. "White as the driven snow" is something you see on postcards down here because the view from any window is overcast and brown. I do miss the four seasons... especially the brilliant colors of autumn. Someday. So, this morning (after copious quantities of caffeine, preferably coffee, of course), I have to participate in a post mortem of the firewall failures this weekend. Fortunately, the corrupt upper management that thinks in terms of "who can we fire" have been let go... presumably they found their own end through this behavior. The problems I dislike the most are the ones I can't explain. It's a personality quirk. For example, there was a network issue of recent that caused two distribution layer routers (L3 switches) to stop passing EIGRP hello updates the instant a new neighbor relationship was established. This would instantly start the queue count increment and the SRTT would simply never come down. They just wouldn't talk. No L2/L3 connectivity issue between the neighbors, no errors or logging problems, nothing obvious... of course hindsight is 20/20 and I should have further investigate corruption of hardware address information in the CAM table and any problems with flows in the forwarding table, but it's difficult to convince my management to choose a path to recovery that might not be the straightest point between A and B, but rather one that will aid in understanding. The two chassis were cold booted and the problem was gone upon reload. No explanation. I can't reproduce it and will probably never know. The true irony is people expect the network guys to know no matter what... that's comedy. My bus just hit downtown. It's a beautiful morning and looks to be a beautiful day. If you're going to be outside, please enjoy some it for me.