Filed under: General

Yet Another Format

I know...  Another format... Here's the thing though... Ever since I killed the original blog, I've had a tough time deciding what I really want to do with this domain. I have no intentions of giving it up, so I figured I'd just use it to try different things.

So far, I really like Joomla as a CMS. As I explore it more, I may post things I like/dislike about it, tips and tricks I've found along the way, etc. Then again, I might not. At the moment, it seems to be a place to blog about my photos... Whatever. :)

Use the link on the left to check out the blog... I'll (hopefully) be adding more of the test and project areas as time goes by (and yes, the MacGyver section will be going back up shortly.)

Tacky

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I planned on posting this a while ago, but forgot. This is a screen-shot from Vanity Fair's website taken after the big uproar over Miley Cyrus' photoshoot. I have my own thoughts regarding the shoot itself--in my opinion, I don't think the implied nudity was a good idea. The term "kid" and "sexy" should never be in the same sentence, as far as I'm concerned. Flirty? Maybe. But not sexy. As a photographer, I think that kids should be shot as kids. Period. Anyway--that's not the point of this post. The banner ad on Vanity Fair's website states that if you subscribe now, you're guaranteed to get the Miley Cyrus issue. Way to exploit half-naked photos of a kid. I'm sure they woke up the pedophile market with that one. Mistakes happen, I suppose... So the photos were taken, and published. Specifically serving a banner ad selling those photos in the mag is flat-out tasteless. Just my opinion...

Honda Element

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Element On 8th
Originally uploaded by pdxsurreal

I picked up a 2004 Honda Element the other day. I haven't had much of a chance to drive it yet because of work travel, but I'll get to take it out to the coast and drive on the beach this weekend. I'm actually excited about that. :)

I will probably start posting the pros and cons of the Element, just in case someone is on the fence about buying one. I can say one thing initially though--I love it.

More later.

Conference Calls

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20080522
Originally uploaded by pdxsurreal

Gotta love 'em.

I've been traveling for a work project for the past two weeks. Cincinnati, Appleton, Newport News, Richmond and Raleigh. I've learned more about parts of our business in two weeks than I have in the past year. I've met some people who are incredibly passionate about the company and the work they do. I always love meeting people who are truly excited to come to work every day.

I'm not looking forward to flying tomorrow--holiday weekend and all. But, I'm heading to the coast this weekend, so I'll be happy to get home.

One Of Those Weeks

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PBR
Originally uploaded by pdxsurreal

Ever have One of Those Weeks? I'll be doing a write-up shortly on how I bricked my Blackberry, or maybe how my FCP project file became corrupted, or why it's important to check your mailbox at least once a week, or... I'll pick one and share sometime this weekend.

Until then, TGIF. Enjoy happy hour. :)

Trail

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Trail
Originally uploaded by pdxsurreal

Stub Stewart State Park opened up last year, and this was my first visit. Mom and I headed up to the Hilltop Day Use Area, and wandered around 4 or 5 miles of the 15+ miles of trails in the park. Looks like there are plenty of camping spots available, along with several cabins. Overall, a decent hiking place--and it sounds like they're adding to it all the time.

Tunnels

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TunnelsOriginally uploaded by pdxsurreal

Mom and I spent the day at Ft. Stevens. Twelve years in Portland and I've never been here. We didn't have enough time to explore much, so I'm going back in the next couple of weekends. Great old buildings, beaches, camping, etc. I'd highly recommend a visit if you're in the area--just remember that the military museum area closes at 4pm.

Raleigh, NC

We headed to Raleigh to do some filming this week. It was scheduled to be another routine location shoot... Renting lights, audio, teleprompter, etc. Actually, the shoot itself went really well. It was the flights that were nightmarish. I woke up at 5am on Tuesday morning--plenty of time to get ready, and swing by to pick pdxmac up at his place. We got to the airport at around 7am, parked, and headed to the ticket counter. The travel department where we work had set us up on American Airlines, so we headed to our gate, a little groggy but ready for the trip. We boarded the flight (Alaska MVP status got us on quickly,) and took our seats... And that's where we stayed for the next two hours. There was bad weather in Dallas, so flights heading to Dallas were being grounded until the weather cleared up. I closed my eyes and got a little sleep until we were allowed to pull away from the gate and wait our turn to take off. After a half hour of waiting to take off, the pilot informed us that the flight had been canceled. Damnit. We called our travel department, and they got us set up on a United Flight leaving later that morning (and routed through Chicago, not Dallas.) No big deal--except we had to go collect our checked baggage and re-check it on United. We did so, and went to the gate to wait for our flight. That flight was delayed by an hour, but it eventually took off for Chicago. It was a full flight, and I was in a middle seat near the back. The young woman sitting next to me was pleasant to talk to, so the flight went by pretty quickly. Turns out she works with the Army Chaplain services over in Germany, and she was headed back there after visiting her family here in Portland. We arrived in Chicago to find that our flight to Raleigh had also been delayed--and for good reason:

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Image by pdxmac