I realize that I need to expand my subject matter to include people other than my daughter, but I liked this one so much that I just had to include it today.

Had my shutter speed cranked way up, and caught the wind-in-the-hair look.  One of my favorites.

I’ve been meaning to get a nice camera for quite some time, and I finally got around to it.  I’ve been in the graphic design business for my entire professional life, and photography seems like a natural progression.  There is a lot to learn, and I don’t know if I’ll take to it or not, but if I don’t, I’ll at least have more camera than I need to take pictures of the kids.

This is a shot of Zoe that I took in the backyard.  The grass still has that winter-brown look, so it was actually a nice backdrop for her.

After much research, I decided that all cameras within the same class are rated about the same, but for different reasons.  I settled on the Nikon D5000, and so far it’s been awesome.  I decided to use the blog here to try to document my learning process.

I’m new to photography, so I wanted a book that covered the basics as it relates to my specific camera.  I found a book called Nikon D5000:  From Snapshots to Great Shots by Jeff Revell.  I got the Kindle version to read on my iPhone which has been pretty cool.

Though the D5000 has lots of automatic scene settings and such, I am trying to keep it all manual so I develop (haha) a better understanding of how everything works.  My friend, Mark, is an excellent photographer and has been giving me some tips on balancing ISO, shutter and aperture, and I think I have a good understanding academically-speaking, but I’m sure it will be a while before I can quickly set things up where I need them to be for a shoot.  Check out Mark’s great work here, by the way.

This week, I have taken a handful of photos that I really like, and my experience with post-production tools like Photoshop and Lightroom certainly helps the me tweak the final product.  I have already decided that I like shots that have an artistic slant to them, and I don’t know that I am going to be a big fan of shooting landscapes.  Granted, we don’t have a lot of great scenery in this part of Texas, and that could be why.

Below is a picture of Claire that I took the day of her birthday party.  The shot was actually really overexposed, but I tend to like that look anyway, and by making it black and white, I was able to create some nice contrast.

I’m not sure where all of this is going, but I’m enjoying it at the moment, and I hope to keep documenting the process as I continue to learn more.

Well, it’s been a while since my last post. This is due in no small part to the amount of time spent preparing for the ALC production of “The Prison”. Frankly, I was worn out. I was just tired of writing, and I needed a break.

But after a little bit of rest, I am back. I have a lot of people to thank, and I think it is only appropriate that I use this site to do so.

I’ll start with the behind-the-scenes team.

Laura Powers – PRODUCER

I just realized that you did not give yourself a producer credit on the playbill, and I wish I would have caught it sooner. Thanks for all of the valuable experience you brought to the table, and for managing the details of the production that I would have inevitably let slip through the cracks. You coordinated staffing, press, practices and many, many other elements that made the entire thing come together. It was much appreciated.

MULTIMEDIA

Chad Nordstrom
Thanks for being the creative force that you always are, and for providing your input (and production work) on everything from script to video to music to lighting. Without your support, the production (and all of the others we have done) would not have the impact that they do. They would be small little churchy plays at best. And thanks for your patience with my last-minute changes.

Sara Clodfelder
As always, your precision timing and organization made the multimedia experience very engaging. I really appreciate your attention to detail. Also, thanks for sacrificing your Sunday plans to accommodate our last-minute decision to have two more performances. It wouldn’t have been the same without you.

Jonathan Shamlain and Jason Freeman

As I happened to sit up in the balcony during this performance, I got to see firsthand all the work that goes into setting up mics, adjusting audio levels, and controlling, managing and troubleshooting all things audio. Thanks very much for the work you put into making things run smoothly.

Justin Aycock and Stanton Daniels
Thanks for your help in capturing the production on video. I know of several people who wanted to come but simply weren’t able to for one reason or another. The work you did will give family and friends an opportunity to see it all after the fact. Thanks for your help.

BACKSTAGE

Tommy Manning
You have quickly become our “go to” guy for managing and coordinating all backstage happenings for the ALC Players. Your attention to detail, commitment to practices, and ability to adapt quickly were critical in this production. We had an unusual amount of live set changes this time around, and you and your crew did a great job of making it all happen.

Jami Miller
Working closely with Tommy, you managed to organize and assemble props for us in a production that had much to manage. I appreciate you coming in at the last minute and helping Tommy out by getting everything coordinated and configured. You also did a great job in timing when to bring out what to whom. Thanks very much.

Logan Manning, Stephen Summar and William Salgueiro
Guys – I have to say that without your ability to make major adjustments at the last minute, I think we would have had a pretty chaotic presentation. Your willingness to run around on and off the stage, and your commitment to attending practice each week was critical to our success. Thanks to all three of you.

SET DESIGN

Jim Huff
As always, our productions benefit greatly from your ability to make complex sets in record time. In spite of several attempts to destroy the prison cells (I’m not naming names), the work you put into the set made a large impact in “selling” the production. Thanks also to Donna Huff, DJ Loveland and Timothy Loveland for assisting in building the sets based on your designs.

COSTUMES AND MAKEUP

Amy Nordstrom
Thanks for all of the work you did in finding our great costumes, coordinating and finding key props, and for making everything fit. You are always a valuable component of every production we do, and we really appreciate it.

Thanks to Kim Aycock, Melissa Patterson, and Rebecca Beckford for your help with makeup. We would have been all boring and shiny without your “enhancements”. Thank you for the extra (ie. unexpected) support on the additional performances as well.

CONCESSIONS

Thanks to Jessica Reynolds, Jennifer Freeman, Elizabeth

Minchey, Jeff Manning, Xavier Burns, and Janet Simons for giving of your time to assist in feeding the hungry. It was a nice reprieve from the heaviness of the drama to see your smiling faces in the foyer at intermission.

PHOTOGRAHY

Mark Henry
You captured some great moments, my friend. We will certainly know who to call for the next performance. Thanks for your help in showing our good sides.

***

And now for the people that brought it all to life with their performances (in order of appearance).

CAST

Gary Powers
From comedian to dramatic actor – you were the man with the most lines by far. I really appreciate your commitment to the material, your ability to accept direction, and your willingness to step into such a difficult role. The entire drama hinged on your performance, and you delivered. Thanks for a job well done.

Tommy Manning
Though your part was small, it was significant. You totally sold it as a tough cop. Thank goodness that wasn’t a real gun you were carrying.

Greg Potts
Our official jail cell tester. You did a great job of bringing dramatic and (intentionally) humorous aspects of your role to life. Thanks for your commitment and hard work – particularly during our late nights.

Mary Blasingame
I didn’t know you or Aundre before this production, but I’m certainly glad you decided to audition. You fit this role perfectly, and I got nothing but compliments on your performance. And special props to you for fighting through your sickness and failing voice during the days leading up to the production. You took a chance on making your situation worse by powering through, but it really paid off in the end. God was good enough to bring your voice back in the nick of time and we’re sure glad he did.

Steve McKiddy
As one of our strongest and hardest working actors, we can always count on you to get the job done and do it right. This performance was no exception. Thanks for putting up with my last minute changes and for being a great Carl. I still really liked your lesser-known “zombie” version of the graveyard scene. Hoping I have that on video….

Daphryne Bedair
Another newcomer to the ALC Players, you proved yourself to be both a great actor and a reliable member of the team. One thing I learned from your work in this drama is that I definitely would like to see you in future productions. You understood your characters very quickly, and were one of the first to really perfect your characterizations. Thanks again for your hard work.

Katrina Potts
I’m very glad you decided to take a role in this production. You gave Susan a certain attitude that was very easy to recognize and access. It must have been doubly difficult to commit the time with both you and Greg in the production – trying to manage a baby. I appreciate the effort.

Laura Powers
As if producing wasn’t enough, you took the time to memorize lots of lines and deliver a memorable performance of a very pivotal character. Your emotional interaction with the other characters was important to the role, and you did a great job as the “bringer of hope.” Outstanding as usual.

Aundre Blasingame
As the actor who probably deviated most from the script (in a good way) while giving his character some unique characteristics, you did a great job of making an impact on the whole performance. I got tons of compliments on your natural mannerisms and flow, and I think your character really helped define the attitude I was looking for in a guard. I sure hope you make more appearances in future productions.

Kris Banks
As our resident scary voice, you had a great way of adding charisma to your role as guard. The interaction between you and the other guards was relaxed and natural, and your taunting of Wesley during one of the last scenes was particularly memorable. Thanks again for all your hard work.

Threasa White
You were tasked with driving one of the few (and much needed) humorous scenes in the production as Wesley’s over-the-top mother. You did a great job of making her a little funny without devolving into slapstick. Thanks for your commitment to the production, and for being one of our strong players.
 

VIDEO CAST

Jessica Reynolds
Thanks for contributing your time to a role that was very important to the final product. You did a great job of playing Wesley’s deceased wife – even if you didn’t know ahead of time that you were doing so.

Mark Henry
Thanks, man. Your ability to step in at the eleventh hour saved the day.

***

And finally, thanks to Pastor Hennigan, Pastor Manning and Shana Barber for fitting the production into the busy ALC schedule, and for giving us the leeway to just run with it. All of your support and encouragement makes it an enjoyable process, and your willingness to promote our productions makes all the work worthwhile. We really appreciate it.

Google Latitude, that is.

So, how much do you like new technology? Do you like it enough to give up a lot of privacy?

Sadly, I do.

A new feature on Google Maps called “Latitude” provides you the ability to see where your friends are – and allows them see where you are – using GPS or cell tower triangulation. Now, at any time you can manually set your location, or turn off tracking altogether, but the general idea is that you leave it on all the time – and (certain) people know where you are. Pretty scary. I have a couple of friends who are connected to me (and several who ignored the request), and I find it convenient to be able to see who’s in town, if they’re at home, etc. When we decide to meet for lunch, I can get a real-time update to see how far away they are without having to text and say “where you be at?” So, that’s cool.

Worth it? Absolutely not. Cool? Absolutely.

Email me if you want to play.

I think it’s important to push the limits of your comfort zone. I’m not talking about jumping out of an airplane or singing karaoke, but rather doing things on a regular basis that push you outside of the boundaries of what you would consider a typical day.

I think a balanced life is all about perspective and recognizing what’s important and what isn’t; what’s worth worrying about and what is worth blowing off. And yet, knowing this does not always help. So whenever I do anything that pushes the limits – my limits, I get edgy. Is that normal? I don’t really know. I imagine that some of it is fairly normal, but I think I have a real problem with perspective. I have a problem stepping back and thinking, “what’s the worst that can happen if this situation goes wrong?” In my case – the answer is usually “nothing.” Or at the very least, it would result in a minor bump in the road. Rationally, I know this. It’s not like my life is on the line, or that I’ll actually lose everything if event XYZ does not go smoothly, but that is not always communicated to the rest of my body. The feeling in the pit in my stomach, the cold hands and feet, the rapid heart rate. Is it chemical? Maybe. I am hoping so to some extent. But maybe not… maybe I need to give my mind a workout on a regular basis. It reminds me of what happens when you physically workout – or rather, you don’t. The less you do – the smaller you get, the weaker you get, and the more pain you go through when you do actually have to “exert” yourself. I need to keep pushing out of the shell in order to get far enough out to gain some perspective. I need to voluntarily do the things I don’t like to do more often so that I don’t dread those things when I actually have to do them.

Here’s to keeping perspective.

So, I have heard it said over the pulpit recently that we Christians are no longer allowed to pray to God at work or school. I’m told that we are being restricted from praying out loud or discussing Jesus Christ at the lunch table or in front of any coworkers. Frankly, I have not encountered such things, and I am curious to hear from those who have.

I have apparently been fortunate enough to work for some pretty large corporations who have not imposed such restrictions – as I have spoken to many on the job about my church while mentioning that we believed in Jesus along with baptism in Jesus name. I have not encounted any closed-door reprimands or uncomfortable silences; no marks in my file or phone calls from upper management.

Maybe I’m just not making enough noise.

Granted, I don’t pray loudly in the hallways or ask everyone to join hands in meetings for a quick prayer, but I certainly don’t feel shunned for my beliefs. I haven’t had any “sensitivity training” that outlines how my prayers should be generic or non-specific, and I wouldn’t hesitate to say “Merry Christmas” during the holidays, though I often opt for “Happy Holidays” in case a coworker is Jewish or non-celebrating. But that isn’t because I feel persecuted, I’m just trying to be polite.

Maybe schools are different.

Although, a while back, my niece was given permission by her school to conduct a Bible Study on school premises at a high school in the Austin area. She and her supporters spoke openly about Jesus, and were able to do so during school hours. I don’t believe she was asked to remain “generic” in her representation of God, and I believe that they ended up having a great turn out. And that was liberal Austin, mind you – not quite the Bible Belt that we are in up here.

So what say ye? Are we the lucky ones?

I’d be interested to hear your stories.

People. Please. When you are on a phone call, and you are making several points – don’t recap all of your points every time you have one more thing to say.

Truly. It kills my spirit.

“So, anyway, I will be in touch with you to talk about that new project we need to work on, and I’ll follow up with Jim Bob about the fax machine problem, then I’ll email everyone with a status update next week. Ok, so I guess that’s everything…. oh wait!

We also need to remember to tell Mary about that missing expense report, so…

So, like I said, I will be in touch with you to talk about that new project we need to work on, and I’ll follow up with Jim Bob about the fax machine problem, then I’ll email everyone with a status update next week. We also need to remember to tell Mary about that missing expense report. Ok, so I guess that’s everything…. oh wait!

We should probably send the client a budget update tomorrow sometime as well – so ok….

Just to make sure we’re all on the same page, I will be in touch with you to talk about that new project we need to work on, and I’ll follow up with Jim Bob about the fax machine problem, then I’ll email everyone with a status update next week. We also need to remember to tell Mary about that missing expense report. Then We should probably send the client a budget update tomorrow sometime as well.

Anybody else got anything….?

NO!

Trust Me
This show has potential. First episode was decent, but the second one was great. It has been added to the DVR. I’m hoping since it’s on TNT, they’ll actually give it a chance. Stupid networks.

71 Degrees
It has been hit or miss this week, but the weather was great at certain points. I appreciate it.

Weebly.com
Have known about this website builder for a while, but I am suddenly interested in building a site. So, I’m looking forward to checking it out in detail.

Beck – Modern Guilt
Can’t get enough of this album. He’s probably my favorite Scientologist.

Steve Taylor and Blue Like Jazz
Turns out one of the most influential musicians in my formative years is set to direct one of the most influential books in my later years. Nice.

London Fog
This is a mighty tasty Starbucks beverage. You got your Earl Grey, you got your milk and then you add some vanilla. Sold.

Big Love
More TV, I know. But this season is very, very good so far.

Allen Dog Park
Finally I have a place nearby to take the girls. Zoe and Katy both had a great time on Sunday, but they need to quit chasing the little ones… even if they are just joining in to the pack mentality. Cesar would not approve.