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When my contract ended in December, I recevied a great gift certificate from the Marketing dept. to the local camera center. So, I decided to update my studio equipment and buy some new lighting gear. I have had studio lights for awhile but needed to get some diffusers, reflectors, etc. So, the gift certificates bought me some new gear.(with $3 out-of-pocket expenses--it was a very good gift) So, now I am shooting lots of tests of things I did not shoot before. Here are a couple of samples.

a visit to the Auto Show

It has been years since I ventured into the Auto Show. My friend Sam called to say that he was going to the show and asked if I would like to attend. Sure, sounds good and off I went. (it was also good for me to get out of the house that I have been spending far too much time in these days)

Growing up in the Detroit area afforded me a love of the automobile and an annual trip to the Detroit Auto Show. It was great to go down with my family to check out all the cars and get all the freebies (which are very different now). It's funny, 'cause now I don't even want the freebies and since I am not in the market for a new car, I have no reason to pick up the new car brochures. The brochures always spurred on dreams of a new cool car and the fun times that would be had in it. Now it is just more paper to add to a landfill or hopefully a recycling center.

I did spend time looking at the cars. I got in a few of them but behind the wheel of none. The kids seemed to love getting into the cars and I was hit by a few anxious kids running from one car to another to get in to the car of their dreams. Kids don't really see adults they just seem to see what they want and go for it. There were some very cool cars there. Some crazy 4-wheel thing from Jeep (a concept vehicle) and a pretty cool looking truck from Dodge called the Dude? I have tried to locate it on one of the websites, but cannot locate it. I said that Sam needed to buy the Dude(Assuming it is a real truck) since he says "dude" a lot. The only thing I could think of is the movie "dude, where's my car" or in this case, truck. How much research was done on this name? I am sure it must be a challenge to name a vehicle that isn't already used by another manufacturer, but Dude? Could it be confused with Dud? You wouldn't want to buy a dud... Perhaps they are marketing this car to the 18-25 year old male pot head or surfer that says Dude far too much. Not sure, but thought it was an odd choice.
There were lots of convertibles to look at. Honda has a new one that reminds me of the Mazda Miata. I thought it could have been cooler looking. Honda makes a nice car.
The other thing I noticed was that many of the cars look like the cars by other manufacturers. Like they are all trying to compete for the same buyer so all the cars regardless of manufacturer have very similar features. Nothing really stands out as "brand x". They seem to be homogenized.
There was a Kia that had the front end of the Jaguar and a few brands that had the same back ends. (Not like GM vs Pontiac but GM vs Jeep or Ford.)

Pricing was interesting. Some of the cars you would think were "cheap" actually had a higher price tag (Kia was a good example of this). Also, there were some cars that seemed awfully expensive for the style and fuel efficiency that they had to offer. With the price of gas these days, I was surprised to see so many gas guzzlers on display. However, there are people making lots of cash and feel it is important to look good in whatever car/truck/Hummer they buy. My car has not gone up much in 4 years which is good.
All in all, it was good to go downtown GR to people watch, look at cars and have something to blog about. : )

Live Music - Truck stop style

Last night I went to a bar to see my good friend Greg (as seen behind a few guitars at the drum set) play with his latest band the Truck Stop Cobras. They are an offshoot of Los Cobras by adding a singer to the three-piece instrumental surf band from Grand Rapids, Michigan. It was their first public performance and it went well.
The music was soulful and had a nice groove to it. Job well done.
I was able to photograph the guys "in action" but it was my first time shooting a band. I am used to studio or outdoor shots. Oh well, here are a couple of the shots. Check them out if you are in the Grand Rapids area and would like a change from the everyday.

The holidays are officially over

Well, it seems that the employed are back to work after recovering in January from a long holiday break. Either that or they are just now are getting UN-buried from the work that slipped away during the holidays. At any rate, those adding employees to their companies seem to be calling now. January was a rather slow month in regards to hearing from companies and this week things have really picked up. I am now getting calls daily about possible opportunities. (This is good.) I hate not working and not hearing from people.
So, to all those people who told me to try and enjoy some of my time off, I am. (This is the first time in nearly 7 years that I have not been working.) It feels weird and I want to work again. I actually enjoy working and helping people out where I can, but I am enjoying some of the down time.

The other thing I discovered on my time off? How little money I need to spend on a daily basis and how much I was spending. (Ouch).
Oh well, this time off has been a good learning experience. (Trying to figure out what I can do, what I will do, and what I won't do for a living.) I know that I do not want to work fast food, be a door greeter or a receipt marker at the big box stores, do tele-marketing, sell insurance, or drive a truck for a living.
At this point, relocating is also not an option. I have had 2 offers to do that and I am not interested in moving. I own a home in town, my friends are here, and my family is within 2.5 hours of me. So, I am not willing to move to Bloomington, IL or Auburn Hills. : (
Call me crazy, but I like it here in GR.

Double JJ Ranch with the boyscouts

On Saturday, I left GR (with a couple of inches of snow on the ground) to head north to the Double JJ resort in Rothebury, MI where I would join my sister, brother-in-law, and nephew and his boyscout troupe.

I spent the day watching (and photographing) the boys go horseback riding, dogsledding, and snow tubing. Just some of the winter activities available at the Double JJ.

The day started off nice and sunny although it ended up just pouring rain. Rain in the middle of winter is rather bizarre, but I guess nothing surprises me this winter. I believe a good time was had by all even though there was no snow up there. Dogsledding without snow is accomplished by creating a "sleigh" with wheels that the dogs pull quite easily. I was pretty impressed with the dogsledding operation.

They have approximately 20 dogs that live there year round. The dogs work 5 days a week and take in a high protein, high-fat diet of 2,500 calories per day. They can eat more than that, but it is all just waste after the 2,500 calories. Interesting. Each dog can pull approx. 200 lbs. The "sleigh on Wheels" weighs about 700 lbs without people. So, it takes 4 dogs to pull the sleigh and another 3 dogs for the people. The smallest fastest dogs were in front and the bigger, slower dogs were in back by the sleigh. It was really cool to hear the details about the process. The guy training them has been working with the dogs for 9 years. The dogs just relax in the summer and work in the winter.

It was pretty cool to see the dogs start barking when their trainers came over to the pen as if to say, "Pick Me, Pick Me!!!" You can tell these dogs really want to pull the sleighs (wheels or no wheels). They showed such excitement when they took off and seemed happy to be attached to the sled as the chosen dogs. With so many dogs, they all get turns.
The boys all wanted to pet the dogs and the dogs were OK with that.
The Bull got loose:
Yes, the bull got loose from it's pen but was quickly wrangled back. The animal handlers all do a great job. It was pretty awesome to be so up close and personal with the bull. I had a nice time taking pics of the animals that I don't normally get to see out on the honey creek.
I would recommend a winter weekend to the Double JJ ranch. I enjoyed the activities, food and lodging in the cute little cabins. Too bad we didn't have snow.

Weather Rollercoaster

I have always heard the following: If you don't like the weather in Michigan, wait a minute and it will change. Well, that has certainly been true this winter. We started out with a lot of snow in West Michigan (40" by January) and then, Poof! No snow. Then earlier this week it snowed. And poof, it is gone again. However, tonight the weather people are predicting 6" of snow in this area by Saturday morning. Wow, this winter has been very bizarre and cannot seem to make up it's mind as to whether or not it wants to be unseasonably warm or snowy... The pics were taken on the 18th (snow) and 20th (no snow). Very bizarre and not easy to plan the clothing.

Morning Person

Perhaps it is because I was born at O'dark30 or it just agrees with me, but I am definitely a morning person. The past couple of days have made me quite happy to be a morning person since I witnessed an incredibly red sky yesterday and the moon setting this morning. Love the moon shadows at night and the moon shining into my bedroom window in the AM.

Cleaning out

The Bathroom. Now that I have a bit of time on my hands, I have decided to thoroughly clean my house. Today's task was the master bath. Too much dust and OLD products in there. Purge, purge, purge. Hundreds of vitamin tablets went into the trash. (What a waste of money.)

I must say that I have not used any of them in years. So, it was time. Time to pitch out the useless stuff in my life. I had no place for all those expired vitamins. Now I know how often I am willing to take things like Echinacea or St. Johns Wort (that someone sent me years ago). Never. Should you really take Echinacea if you are allergic to pollen? Seems like a bad idea. And who in their right mind wants to subject themselves to St. Johns Wort? It may be from a "Saint" but I have never been fond of Warts. : ) So, those products and about 5 other vitamins were dumped. Good riddance. More space for the stuff that was on the counter. How much money do you waste on Vitamins?

Looking for jobs

is not fun. I would rather be employed. I enjoy working. I don't enjoy looking for work. It is no fun.

I am staying busy, but it is not enough for me. I loved what I was doing... some would say I am a fool for that, but I enjoyed the balance between the technical world and the creative. I enjoyed trying to figure out why something wasn't working and how to get it working again. Ah well, soon enough I will be working again and will wish I had some more free time in my day.

Day One, Not Working

but organizing. Cleaning out the office that was filled with paperwork and cds. It was time to clean it out and organize it. I will be ready to meet with the accountant early this year. I will also be ready to work on my photo business and put some presentation materials together. Day one of not working felt weird, but overall it was productive. Productive is good.

My Last day at work this Year

is tomorrow. Happy hour tomorrow night with the gang from the office. It should be fun. It has been a great 6.5 years there and I will miss them. However, I am sure that we will cross paths. So, I look at this time as a new beginning. My new adventure begins in January.

Cliches

All good things come to those who wait.
All good things come to an end.
When one door closes, another opens.
Everything happens for a reason.

Yes, these are just some of the many things I have heard this week now that I know my job of 6.5 years is coming to an end. Thankfully, I have had many, many positive notes from soon-to-be former colleagues. They are refreshing to hear. I put all the positive comments together in a note for myself, as a reminder, that I am smart enough, good enough, and gosh darnit, people like me. Ah, Stuart Smalley was great. ; )

So, January will start a new year and new endeavors and I welcome them!

Quirky waitress

OK, so last night after the movie we decided to go out for a bite to eat. Soup at Panera Bread actually. We walk in and the girl behind the counter is singing Christmas carols. She was very "chipper". A little too chipper. And I believe she took a liking to us (because we were the coolest people there:) as she kept stopping over to talk to us while we were eating. Not like, how's your food, but very personal stuff like"my boyfriend is in Vegas right now and called me to say he was at an all nude strip bar"; she continues: I was like, what do you want me to do about it? We mentioned we had just seen king Kong and she carried on a conversation about that, getting a bladder infection from holding her pee too long and then went off onto the Brokeback Mountain movie and how she wanted to go see that. 'Cuz the guys are so hot. Hmmm. Very bizarre little college girl working at Panera bread. Entertaining, but not, because we wanted to talk to each other but she kept popping her head into our conversation. She even tried to take away the food my friend was eating while he was still eating it?!? Very bizarre. He and I had a good laugh about her. She was either heavily caffeinated or...Ah, to be 20 again. I felt so old.

King Kong - My review

Well, my friend and I went to see King Kong. He was much more brave than I was. You might say that I was rather whimpy even or that the special effects were so good it scared me out of my seat a few times. Luckily, he was there to let me know that it was just a movie. The special effects were very good and the creatures were very disturbing at times. I had to look away many times although I ended up peeking thru my scarf to see if the creepy scene was over. All in all, I say, GO see it! King Kong is the creature you grow to love.

King Kong

Tomorrow's the day it opens in GR. I will be attending tomorrow night with a friend. It should be fun (and scarey). Just looking at his face scares me!

Shopping for the perfect Garage Fridge

My sisters and I decided we would go in on a Garage fridge for my dad to replace the old one that finally bit the dust. Not wanting to spend a fortune on such a storage device, I did some shopping online and at various big box stores and found fridges for around 300. However, ABC Warehouse, had one advertised for $257. By the time we add in taxes and delivery, we are looking at the magic 300 and some change. Dreading ABC warehouse, I thought perhaps I could call the store close to my dad's house, order it and set up delivery for after Xmas. Sounds easy right? Well, they referred me to the local store who could set everything up. So, off I trek in the cold blustery snow to one of my least favorite appliance stores to get the $257 garage fridge. (I should have known it would be a challenge when there were NO cars in the parking lot other than what seemed to be employee cars. I was the ONLY customer stepping foot into the store.)
Low and behold, ALL of the sales people are sitting around kibbitzing, and like a vulture looking for the latest road kill, the closest salesperson to the door swooped in for the kill.
With flier in hand (printed off their website) I go back to the Refrigerator section. Salesman closest to the door follows me all the way back.
What can I help you find? A garage fridge, I say and show him the one I am looking for. He walks me over there and shows me the model in the ad. Hmm. It is marked at 317 and not marked on sale. But I have the flier with the lower advertised price.
His sell begins. "We do not have ANY of those in stock." (Of course not, that's just what you advertise to get me in the door) Well, can you check your computer and see if one of the other stores in MI has it? "Well, uh, well."
Finally I have persuaded him to check the inventory levels. Sure enough, 0. No guarantees that we will have any by xmas. Once again I tell him, that's fine because my dad will be out of town until New Years.
The bigger story/sell now begins (trying to make me worry that my dad will not have a garage fridge for the holidays). Let me see what I can do. [He walks me down the fridge aisle to the more expensive models and says he can sell me the 499 fridge for 399.] whoopee! Such a deal!
but really, I am only here for the garage fridge, an overflow fridge, nothing fancy, nothing pretty, just something to keep some beer and a few odds and ends cold. Lots of hemming and hawing now. He casts judgment on the sale fridge (and essentially me and my sisters for wanting to buy it) and really wants me in the upscale model. No deal. I am here for the $257 model.
If you and the store would like a sale tonight, please, take my money. I don't want to miss the sale price.
He clearly does not want to do this. However, I am persistent like the Boston Terriers we had that would not let go of the sock when you were playing tug-of-war. He takes me to the register to ring up the $257 fridge. Well, you know, you should really buy the extended warranty on this item because the Garage is VERY hard on the compressor. No, thank you. Dad had the last garage fridge out in the garage for 15+ years. I explain I don't think it will be an issue since he has insulated garage doors, etc. I just want the fridge delivered to my dad after new years!
Finally, I have a receipt for $314 which includes the 257 fridge 40 delivery and taxes.
I am sure his commission was next to nothing, although it was more than ANYONE else in the store was getting since I was the only customer. Hmmm, I wonder why?

Hopefully, they will get the fridge I ordered, if not, I will get another (better) one for that price. Just because of all the grief I went thru to order dad's xmas fridge. It will be fun. I hate going into ABC Warehouse, but would only be able to find that "deal" at the scratch and dent store.

Turkey day has come and gone

It seems as though Thanksgiving was ages ago. However, I am pretty sure it was just a week ago based on the calendar. Time has flown by fast this year. I cannot believe it is already december and there are 22 days until Christmas. Wow. Well, most of my shopping is done. Just a few more little things to get. Pics are from Thanksgiving. There was turkey, pork, (and lamb for the Australians) attending. There were 3 pies and one fancy mereinge dessert. Too much food for the size group we had but there were plenty of leftovers for those that do not mind eating them. It was a very nice evening for all with no family fueds which makes it a bonus.

ipod - do you?

Normally, I am not one to buy the latest and greatest techno gadget to say I own it. However, in an effort to listen to more music (that I already own and enjoy) I decided to buy an iPod. To consolidate my collection of CDs into an easy access format. Specifically, the 30gb iPod Video - in Black. Yes, it is beautiful. I never thought I would be as hooked as I am, but I am officially hooked. My buddy Dave (who has every iPod since the birth of the iPod), has the newest one and raved about it, so here I am, the proud owner of a new iPod, cables/transmitters for the car, stereo, and a new external Hard drive so I can back up my computer. Gee, the $299 ended up costing a bit more. Oh well, merry christmas to me! Perhaps I can put a few thousand images or a few videos on it as well. I don't care, I just know that I love it and so far it only has music on it. : )
Now I just need to upload all my tunes...a good winter project.

Knee Surgery

Well, my sister successfully made it thru her knee replacement surgery. At 42, she is quite young to have the surgery done, but since Rheumatoid Arthritis has obliterated the joint there was not much else she could do. She was in a ton of pain before the surgery but sounds awesome now. The amazing thing is that she had the surgery done on Tuesday at about 2 pm and she left the hospital today! I hope that she continues the speedy recovery. I will go home tomorrow to help out for the weekend. Shopping, laundry, whatever, I just want to help out my sis and her family.

First Snow of the Season

As much as I hate winter, it is now upon us in West Michigan. Tonight we are getting "Lake Effect" snow. Oh, joy. One of the things I love about snow is the ability for it to wipe out the color in a photograph. Winter can be very Black and White. It's hard to believe that just four days ago we had highs in the mid 60s. I was out hauling and stacking wood in a long sleeve shirt and jeans. What a difference a few days make.