mac is a guy

clearly i'm not a real blogger

2009-09-26T07:37:00.000-07:00

just like every other self-proclaimed internet nerd who has a personal blog, i haven't updated mine in awhile. probably because like every other self-proclaimed internet nerd who has a personal blog, i made the rediscovery that real life is actually more interesting than not only blogging, but reading other blogs.

regardless...i've drawn inspiration from somewhere to post. and here's what i have to offer:

found myself in Cuba last month working with kids in a town on the eastern end of the country.

(click here to see more)

spent an quick afternoon in havana before flying home.

(click here to see more)

my roommates rich and mindy finished recording a new album and played a show at o'brothers earlier this month.

(click here for more)

on my days off from work (which are becoming more and more frequent) i've been walking around riverside with my camera.

(click here for more)
(and more)

that's my life. and that's my update. don't worry, i'm sure i won't post again for another couple of months. real life turned out to be pretty amazing.

i'm not a cat guy, but....

2009-05-21T14:26:00.001-07:00

the weather's been crappy, i had the day off and felt like distracting myself with my camera and Tom was the only one in the house with me...so i broke down and started taking photos of the cat. i hate to admit it...but clearly not enough to keep me from posting. so here's Tom in all his lazy glory.

shangrala at the brian hicks benefit show at eclipse last night

2009-05-18T14:53:00.001-07:00

found myself at eclipse last night for the stop brian cancer II show. shangrala were top notch as always, this time with the added bonus of beautiful mustaches. grabbed some shots (that are ridiculously more fuzzy than i was hoping for) during the show.

i have never wanted nicer camera equipment more. regardless....enjoy.

and some faces in the crowd...

john carver band cd release show at freebird

2009-05-17T06:49:00.000-07:00

last night the john carver band played at freebird to promote their new album. if you weren't there, you should have been. buuuuuuuuut, i guess i'll share the photos with you anyway.

on the way to five star pizza...

2009-05-16T16:59:00.000-07:00

anyone know what that poster's all about? they're all over riverside.

rich and the studio

2009-05-16T13:21:00.000-07:00

what happens when i find inspiration

2009-05-02T21:12:00.001-07:00

rich and mindy were recording tonight and it made me want to get off my ass and do some photography. i dug out my old tripod and decided to just goof off on the couch. so, here's what it looks like when i'm feeling inspired...

murray hill photo excursion

2009-04-27T12:40:00.000-07:00

felt the photography bug kick in on my day off and decided to drive around murray hill to see what i could find. here's what i came up with...

the new digs

2009-04-01T13:39:00.000-07:00

while the economy is a real downer these days, at least there's a silver lining for everyone. and by everyone, i mean me. because i have no job, which means i have no cash to pay my landlord, i had to move out of my apartment. how is that a good thing? because my friends rich and mindy offered to let me stay with them for awhile. how is that a good thing? because their house is full of love, and it's good to be part of a family on a day to day basis. (don't hold me to that...i'm only 2 days in...)

so, i thought i'd go ahead and give you a quick tour of my new murray hill home, which you're more than welcome to come visit.

dinner table/computer table/table dancing table?

view from the tv

the art room, complete with crayons and fingerpaint

the kitchen...guess it's time i learn to cook

the music studio. oh yeah...did i mention my new house has a full on recording studio? because it does.

and finally...my bedroom. shutup, rent's free.

bathtub iv

2009-03-18T19:59:00.000-07:00

here's a great video made from tilt-shift photography still images. basically tilt-shift photography uses special camera lenses to make real life look like a miniature model....

bathtub iv by Keith Loutit

Bathtub IV from Keith Loutit on Vimeo.

2009-03-17T13:05:00.000-07:00

for those of you like me (no...not awesomely cool nerds who's genius has yet to be discovered) who don't REALLY understand how we got into this whole economic crisis (even though i have a business degree) here's a really well done video about how we got here. i guess all i needed to understand what was happening was some cartoon graphics, and a calm, well-maintained narrator voice...

The Crisis of Credit Visualized from Jonathan Jarvis on Vimeo.

rag tag army

2009-03-03T11:47:00.000-08:00

seeing as i'm 27 and have been unemployed for a month, and don't have enough cash in the bank to pay my rent for this month, well...i've been beating myself up pretty bad lately. i found more encouragement and freedom than i could ask for in the past two days, from a number of different sources and people. i wanted to share one with you that really made me smile.

it's a really short story (really short, and worth reading i promise) that has a lot of truth in it. enjoy.

I think God must be very old and very tired. Maybe he used to look splendid and fine in his general's uniform, but no more. He's been on the march a long time you know. And look at his rag-tag little army! All he has for soldiers are you and me. Dumb little army. Listen! The drum beat isn't even regular. Everyone is out of step. And there! You see? God keeps stopping along the way to pick up one of his tinier soldiers who decided to wander off and play with a frog, or run in a field, or whose foot got tangled in the underbrush. He'll never get anywhere that way. And yet, the march goes on.

Do you see how the marches have broken up into little groups? Look at that group near the front. Now, there's a snappy outfit! They all look pretty much alike-at least they're in step with one another. That's something! Only they're not wearing their shoes. They're carrying them in their hands. Silly little band. They won't get very far before God will have to stop again.

Or how about that other group over there? They're all holding hands as they march. The only trouble with this is the men on each end of the line. Pretty soon they realize that one of their hands isn't holding on to anything-one hand is reaching, empty, alone. And so they hold hands with each other, and everybody marches around in circles. The more people holding hands, the bigger the circle. And, of course, a bigger circle is deceptive because as we march along it looks like we're going someplace, but we're not. And so God must stop again. You see what I mean? He'll never get anywhere that way!

If God were more sensible he'd take his little army and shape them up. Why, whoever heard of a soldier stopping to romp in a field? It's ridiculous. But even more absurd is a general who will stop the march of eternity to go and bring him back. But that's God for you. His is no endless, empty marching. He is going somewhere. His steps are deliberate and full of purpose. He may be old, and he may be tired. But he knows where he's going. And he means to take every last one of his tiny soldiers with him. Only there aren't going to be any forced marches. And, after all, there are frogs and flowers and thorns and underbrush along the way. And even though our foreheads have been signed with the sign of the cross, we are only human. And most of us are afraid and lonely and would like to hold hands or cry or run away. And we don't know where we are going, and we can't seem to trust God-especially when it's dark out and we can't see him.! And he won't go on without us. And that's why it's taking so long.

Listen! The drum beat isn't even regular. Everyone is out of step. And there. You see! God keeps stopping along the way to pick up on of his tiniest soldiers who decided to wander off and play with a frog, or run in a field or whose foot got tangled in the underbrush. He'll never get anywhere that way!

And yet the march goes on...

(From The Way of the Wolf by Martin Bell. Originally published in 1968)

life in checkout lane 10

2009-02-25T23:35:00.000-08:00

this guy's story is unreal. it's what i want for my own life. to be used by God in powerful ways in unexpected, everyday situations so that people can experience His love. and to have the courage to just pray for folks like this dude does. (Also, I love how this guy pronounces "donuts.")

Nails and Dante

2009-02-05T17:11:00.000-08:00

For the past few days Nails and his four month old dog Dante have been crashing on the couch. Nails has been riding trains around the country for the past 5 years. Originally from Texas/The Midwest, he's now living a day at a time on the rails.

He's an interesting guy, and we've had a lot to talk about. He's definitely taken most of the romanticism of being a train hobo and thrown it out the door. He's living a tough life...but one full of stories and adventures all its own.

Think he's plannin' on staying through the weekend before he catches a train heading north to Baltimore or Philly to meet up with a fellow road dog.

Nails and Dante relaxing and enjoying some solid video game action...

Some more of Dante because he just couldn't get enough of the camera...

Kevin McCallister lives!

2009-01-30T14:03:00.000-08:00

Seeing as I'm learning to play the guitar, I figured I'd go ahead and just skip most of the learning process and start writing my own songs. Here's the first one: "Christmas Vacation" or "What I did with my first afternoon after losing my job."

Yeah........I know.

Anyway, the lyrics go a little something like this:

Chorus:
Kevin you're what the French call le incompetant
Kevin, you're such a disease
Look what you did you little jer
Did anyone order me a plain cheese pizza?

I don't want to sleep with Fuller, he wets the bed
Fine we'll put Fuller somewhere else
Kevin get upstairs, I am upstairs you dummy
I made my family disappear

Buzz I'm going through all your private stuff
You better come out and pound me
Buzz's girlfriend, woof
Guys I'm eating junk and watching rubbish

I'm gonna give you to the count of 10
To get your ugly, yellow, no good keister off my property
1, 2, 10
Keep the change you filthy animal

This is it, don't get scared now
I'm the man of the house I have to defend it
Marv, where are your shoes
Harry, why the hell are you dressed like a chicken

Repeat Chorus

Pretty amazing I know.

Invitational Artist Exhibition

2009-01-28T13:28:00.000-08:00

Submitted an application to the Folio Weekly Invitational Artist Exhibition. Submitted the following 5 examples of my work:

And here is the "artist's statement" I came up with (that was a required part of the application):

Mac is a guy. A guy that digs an off-kilter sense of beauty and simplicity. His goal is to share this with those who would listen (or look) in the hope of rearranging how they see the world around them. He aims to do this by photographing roadside junk, abandoned buildings and any other seemingly hum-drum scene that goes unnoticed or gets lost in the daily grind of a busy life. Mac is a guy who encourages everyone to take time to appreciate cracks in the sidewalk, faded paint jobs everywhere and the serenity of finding shapes in the clouds.

(Yeah, pretty pathetic I know.)

The response from Folio was encouraging. We'll see what happens. This amrks the first time I've ever tried to get my stuff into a gallery or show.

this feels good...

2009-01-26T22:43:00.000-08:00

...to be editing and posting photos. here are some bottles from some old dude's house...

yes kristy...i'm still in love with blacks. i'll get over it one day.

some recent photos

2009-01-22T21:34:00.001-08:00

haven't been doing my own photography thing for awhile. grabbed this first shot today driving back to work after interviewing some lady for a story. grabbed the second one at a retirement home last week while working on another story. makes me want to get out and use my camera more...

scary movie

2009-01-19T12:13:00.001-08:00

Scary movies are one thing. This is something altogether different. It's a 30 minute summary of the movie IOUSA. Check it out (it's a good use of 30 minutes) and leave your thoughts.

new life

2009-01-03T17:20:00.000-08:00

so, let me just go ahead and save everyone the trouble of interpreting the title of this entry like we had to interpret the symbolism in a a separate peace back in 6th grade.

a new life....for this journal. a reason to update on a much, much more regular basis. it has to do with the third reason for this entry.

a new life...in my daily life. i quit smoking and have been without a cigarette for the past 3 days. yeah, it's only 3 days....but i think if i can make it 3 months (which i plan to) i can make it as long as i need to...which the plan calls for that period of time being the rest of my life.

a new life...style. in september i joined couchsurfing.com. it has turned out to be one of the best decisions i've ever made. it basically consists of people who offer to let travlers stay in their homes at no charge, instead of staying in a hotel or hostel. it's a way to bring the world together, to live cheaper and to make friends from around the world.

since september i've had about 10 groups of people come through, some traveling alone, some consisting of 2-4 people. and it's been amazing. i've had people from all over the states (from vegas to philly) and from around the world (two brothers from iran and a couple of folks from germany.)

my brother sam thought it'd be a good idea to blog about people who have stayed here, and i agreed. (he's a smart guy, good thing i taught him well.) so with that...here's a photo recap of one of the most recent groups to come through. four students (three from poland and one from chile) came through for a night and we had a pretty good time together.

here's the five of us walking along the river on our way to london bridge...one of the best real pubs in town.

at london bridge with jaga, ewa, piotrek and rodrigo.

then it was back to the apartment where the girls cooked some pasta.

they left the next morning and headed down to the florida keys. and that's pretty much the life of a couch surfer. a good time together, good conversation, a lot of laughs...and the next day that's it. though i have had some folks stay for up to three days.

and with that...here are some photos of other couch surfers that have come through and enjoyed life at casa de awesome. (unfortunately i don't have photos of all of them. but with regular updates, hopefully that will change. lucky you.)

honnes and johannes from dusseldorf germany who stayed for three days...

bjorn from zurich, switzerland who stayed for a night...

my friend ashley from new york, and petra (a couchsurfer and professional tennis player) enjoying ourselves...

diachi and sana, a brother and sister from seattle who rode their bikes cross country w/ jacksonville as their very last stop...

amir and ardalan, brothers from iran who are driving to california right now...

and finally...anna and hendrik from cologne germany roasting mini-marshmellows over my scented glade candle...

so yeah. that's couch surfing. it's amazing and has radically changed my life in a number of ways. i won't even pretend to be able to describe how...but it has. truly. and so now when someone stays, the plan is to write about it on here and share it with all of you. does this blog just keep getting more awesome or what?

Storm Track '08

2008-12-15T20:34:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who made a guess as to what story I was writing about in my last place. The correct answer was that it was a story about a guy who pretends to be Santa and calls kids at home. (Not nearly as creepy as it sounds...really.)

On a completely separate note...here's a video I just uploaded tonight. When Hurricane Fay came through town earlier this year, Sam, Stefanie and myself went out to document all the destruction. (We just got around to editing it all. And by editing it all I mean Sam left the camera we used, with all our footage on it, in another state for awhile.) Things got pretty hectic. Check it out...

Storm Track (or Storm Chase or Storm Watch) '08:

The best contest of your life

2008-12-04T07:39:00.000-08:00

I got this idea from my brother Sam, so I credit him for his greatness. (There, I declared you great in a public forum, for all the world to see. Don't say I never did anything for you bro.)

I'm going to write out the notes I took while interviewing someone for the newspaper yesterday. I'll write out exactly what I wrote, in the order I wrote it. It's your job to guess what the story is about.

The winner will get something. Probably.

INTERVIEW NOTES:

- 4 or 5 years
- It's fun, I get a kick out of it.
- I get a lot of I love yous and how they'll make cookies and what type they'll make me.
- They're so shocked sometimes all they say is yes sir.
- Look forward to it.
- Sometimes at least 75 households.
- Hundreds
- Curtis L. Lewis II
- Rec specialist

Alright, there you go...let the guessing begin.

Peter Schiff tried to tell everyone what was coming...

2008-11-24T13:30:00.000-08:00

It's amazing to watch the following clips of Peter Schiff who says time and time again our economy is going to weaken and everyone acting like he's crazy. In 2006 and 2007 everyone seemed to believe the economy would only continue to strengthen...except for this dude.

Seems to me he knows what he's talking about. Here's hoping that he can give me some financial and investing advice for the next few years.

Laura and Greg's Wedding

2008-11-10T15:17:00.001-08:00

Laura and Greg held a small wedding ceremony in September at a small house in Riverside here in Jacksonville. Here are some of my favorites from the day...

I Can't Believe it Actually Happened

2008-11-07T09:13:00.001-08:00

When I was 12 years old I heard the greatest band of all time. They were called The Presidents of the United States of America. They introduced me to rock music. 15 years later, no one really listens to them anymore..except nerds, and still they continue to rock. I always wanted to see them live, and never did for one reason or another and began to think I never would because they had no reason to tour.

Until now. The Presidents recently released a new album (which of course rocks your socks off) and are on tour. Last night I went to see them. I had been waiting 15 years for that to happen. Not only did I go to the show, I was given a photo pass, and was the only audience member who was allowed to have a camera. At all.

It was almost too much. My favorite band, and I'm the only one allowed to take photos. It was insane, and so was I. According to my friend Ashley and brother Sam who went with me, I was like a 12 year old girl at an N'Sync concert. And I'm fine with that.

So here you go....photos from the first three songs of the show (the standard professional rock concert limit). Photos of my favorite band ever. Photos of a dream I lived. (Interestingly enough, this also marks my 100th post in this blog.)

Before the show...

The show...

my first haunted corn maze...

2008-10-27T12:14:00.000-07:00

...and my first regular corn maze for that matter.

earlier this month, stefanie, sam, some work friends and i went out towards gainesville for a haunted corn maze. it was stef's idea and it was a good one. turns out haunted corn mazes are a real good time.

before we even mazed it up, we enjoyed a good ol' fashion corn box.

what's a corn box? a box full of corn.

then it was time for the maze. here's the entrance. spooky spooky!

and into the darkness we went, but i wasn't scared...no matter what anyone else might say.

at first it was relaxing and everyone enjoyed a beverage.

...and that's exactly when a little kid in a skeleton masked popped out.

then came this chainsaw guy. and despite what the group may tell you, i only ran away screaming from him in order to build the atmosphere and sense of fun for everyone else.

then it was back to finding our way through the maze.

for the next thirty minutes, life consisted of walking calmly through the dark, stopping often to decide which path to follow.

towards the end, we encountered another chainsaw guy. sam was most definitely scared and crying for his mama. but me...i wasn't scared. at all. really.

finally we made it out, unchainsawed and and spirits unhaunted and intact.

then it was time for the haunted hay ride. which also i wasn't scared of.

it was basically the seven of us and a bunch of high school kids trying to cop a feel and make out when no one was looking.

then some scary stuff happened.

and then this guy jumped on board. i started screaming that he was using a real sword, and it sounded like i was scared...but again, i was just trying to build the atmosphere for everyone else. (and i have no idea what sam is doing back there.)

after that it was time to jump into the hay pile.

definitely a great night.

katie and andrew

2008-07-21T12:05:00.000-07:00

katie and andrew got married in may at the rebault club around fort george island in florida. it was a beautiful wedding, with beautiful people on a beautiful day. and it was a hell of a good time.

the 5th...

2008-07-06T03:05:00.000-07:00

the fifth of july. the day after. i slept until 12:30, woke up, watched movies, ate pizza and basically recovered from a long/great night before. then, around 8 or 9 p.m. people showed up at my apartment. then, some people went home, and other people joined in. at this point it was me, stef, kelly and dave hanging out on kelly's porch.

dave and kelly got into an argument that could only be decided by arm-wrestling. stef acted as ref.

dave won. kelly was sad...but not too sad, because she let him win

dave however was fully living in the moment of victory

then my friend altes showed up...he's the hairy guy on the right

kelly provided us with glow bracelets. altes made a glow necklace.

without the flash it looked like this

then we just sort of went crazy with the camera

then it was time to go home, even though home was only ten feet away. altes did a jig.

then reached for a door. i'll let you decided whether or not if he knew it was the right one

eventually he found his way (though it was creepily lit with ghost lights)

once home safe, he showed his true pirate colors using a beer cap

i fell asleep around seven this morning. it was a good night.

the fourth

2008-07-05T18:00:00.000-07:00

spent last night with an incredibly random and incredibly fun group:

my neighbor kelly, kristin my friend since third grade and my buddy george

we watched fireworks on the river about half a block from my apartment. here's what the view looked like

the drinks flowed heavily all night, and after the fireworks, we kept the festivities going with three bottles of champagne and a number of delicious beers.

we kicked things off with a great toast

then we decided everyone had to make a face for the camera

*george had a great photo that he asked me not to post. booooo*

then kristin decided to let her hair down and really just let loose for the night

then george got lucky

then there was a staring contest

george won and kristin accepted defeat with dignity

kelly wa sjust happy to have witnessed the event

she was proud to personally know the winner

then she demonstrated her own techniques for winning a staring contest

i tried to learn her style but just intimidated everyone. probably because i worked out once in high school

george wasn't impressed

to redeem myself, i tried to impress my neighbor with my strength

but we both knew it was a joke

kristin was amazed at everything going on

five minutes later, her expression hadn't changed

we shared a final toast together as things began to wind down

then i peed in the river as kristin tried to take a photo

it was a great night. the best 4th of july i've had in a long time. after the river, we went back up to five points and had another round of drinks and laughs. ended up staying awake until 3:30 talking on kelly's porch. great, great night. rough, rough morning.

as the guy who's usually behind the camera, i don't often post photos of myself. but kristin hijacked my camera and after setting it up for her and showing her what button to push, she managed to document the many faces of mac mitchell during a night of drinking...which i will share with you now.

hope everyone has an excellent weekend.

some junked planes i found

2008-06-30T20:10:00.000-07:00

recent random stuff

2008-06-23T19:12:00.000-07:00

Dish

2008-06-02T20:34:00.000-07:00

My new favorite band played this weekend at the Mill Top Tavern in St. Augustine. DISH is comprised of two brothers who jam on an acoustic guitar and a set of drums made out of old buckets and hubcaps (and cymbals). Check out their myspace page and listen to the song Flutter. The day of their show I bought a new lens, and borrowed a flash from a friend and decided to test out both that night. Here's what I got.

the band is good friends with my buddy george, and they asked him to come up and play a song or two.

it's good to be back in the bars with music and a camera. real good.

Just in case anyone still reads this...

2008-05-28T09:53:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd post the covers of the newspaper I work for that contain my photography. I doubt anyone still reads this blog as I've left most of you out in the cold like an old eskimo tribesman on an iceberg waiting for death...but in case you've yet to suffer your cold fate and are clinging to life by visting this page, here you go.

(By the way, I completely lost myself in that metaphor and can only hope you managed to find your own way through it.)

My fisrt cover shot...a story about folks in wheel chairs going horseback riding. I'd mention my ideas for possible headlines, but then I'd go straight to hell.

A story about a bobcat being released into the wild. This photo was taken right before he ripped the face off a young child who got too close to the cage.

Earth shattering community news story about limited parking at the local little league field...I'm hoping for a Pulitzer.

Feature interviews with three local, young muscians who admittedly all spoke better than I did. Punks.

You may be wondering what kind of perks I get regularly as a reporter. Well, for one I get to hang out with high school principals AND I get the insider's sneak peek at the new high school being built. Forget backstage passes and VIP parties...public education is where it's at.

This guy may look like Gollum, but he's got one hell of a break shot. Along with one hell of a hair cut.

I'm photographing a wedding this weekend and will throw up some shots from that. Until then, check out my daily blog posts for work (called Your Daily Dose) at MyStJohnsSun.com

i guess i'm a real reporter now?

2008-04-25T07:19:00.001-07:00

i know i haven't updated in ages. let me give you a quick recap of everything that's been going on:

i am the co-owner of a nintendo wii. it kick ass.
um, i've taken some excellent naps.
work is keeping me busy.
i had a delicious Guiness the other night.
one of my recent news stories and photos made it into the Times-Union today. it was printed on the cover page of the metro section...what what!

also, i've become a huge Lost fan...i've finished the first season and am currently working on season two. it's fantastic.

what i've learned so far

2008-04-01T17:10:00.000-07:00

being a reporter is going well. i enjoy it. there's only one part that isn't working out so well.

it turns out reporters are supposed to know what they're talking about. i rarely do.

frustrating.

this just in...

2008-03-25T13:38:00.000-07:00

i just got to submit my first "just in" story for the times-union (the newspaper i work for). the "just in" articles are for 'breaking or interesting news'. granted, most articles in the paper make it in as a "just in" article...but since i work for a small, weekly, community section...our articles hardly ever make it.

so here's a link to my first "just in" article.

also, the photo included with the article, along with another, are possibly going to be printed in the metro section of tomorrow's paper. make sure to check it out.

florida photos

2008-03-23T11:56:00.000-07:00

after being back a month, i decided it was time to drive around and go on a photo excursion. here's what i came up with...

the mortgage crisis

2008-03-20T08:28:00.000-07:00

have you guys heard about this subprime mortgage crisis thing? i don't know much about it, other than it's bad, and that it's on the news and stuff a lot. but i don't really watch the news...not even when dad has the remote and we're watching tv together. even then i just kind of tune out and stare into space...which is more entertaining than watching the news. plus, it's not cool for people in my generation to watch the news anyway.

but i did find a funny video on the internet (which is very cool for people in my generation...funny videos are like the hot rods of the 50's. whoever can come up with the best one gets all the chicks. and by chicks i mean email.) of an australian comedy duo explaining the subprime mortgage crisis.

it's pretty funny AND informative...which means i look twice as cool.

check it out.

idiots from one town over

2008-03-17T12:07:00.000-07:00

today is the first in a new series i'll be including here in the journal. allow me to explain:

this new job of mine comes with some really excellent benefits. no, i'm not talking about a great HMO or a splendid spouse package...i'm talking about st. johns county police reports, which i have access to as a member of the media. it's also my job to browse these reports daily, publishing those of merit in our weekly paper.

i have decided it is my public duty to share some of the more off-kilter reports with those of you who may never get to read our little paper. so without further ado...

Today's Idiot: Angela Lansbury (I can't release actual names to the public, so I will instead substitue real names with those of celebrities)
On 03.14.08 I was dispatched to *address* where I met Angela Lansbury who stated that sometime between 9:00pm on 03.13.08 and 6:00pm on 03.14.08, an unknown subject entered her vehicle and changed the time on her vehicle's clock radio. She then stated no items were missing from the vehicle. When asked if she changed her clock the previous week for Daylight Savings Time, she said no.

so there you have it...a local woman calls the police because someone supposedly broke into her car, and changed the time on the dashboard clock. what an idiot.

journalism photos

2008-03-13T09:08:00.001-07:00

here are some photos i took this weekend for an article i wrote about a paraplegic rehabilitative sports program who took its participants horseback riding. keep in mind the photos have to run in newsprint, which means i can't edit them the way i typically would. anyhow, these are my first photos as a photjournalist, and i'm looking forward to seeing them in print on saturday. my editor really liked the first shot and decided to make this story our centerspread (main article) so that he could run that particular photo on the cover.

another blog

2008-03-12T09:01:00.001-07:00

i thought i'd mention to everyone that a couple of weeks ago i was asked to contribute to an incredibly awesome blog known as The Cheap Shot Posse. it's worth checking every couple of days and thought you should be aware.

also...week two as a reporter is going well and will continue in that direction as long as no one asks me if i'm jimmy olson, which everyone seems to think is hilarious.

So, I'm a Reporter Now...

2008-03-10T10:39:00.000-07:00

Some of you may know that since returning home to Jacksonville, I have found a new job working as a reporter/photographer.

Last week was my first, full week on the job. I was thrown headfirst into the deep end as I wrote a cover story, conducted an in-person interview, attended a county traffic safety meeting and contributed a letter of introduction for our readers. Needless to say it was a busy and educational week.

This week I am again writing what could be our lead cover story, as well as providing all the related photos, and also writing my first movie review.

So I guess I'm a full-fledged reporter now. It's really not a bad gig at all, and I'm looking forward to being here for awhile. I have no idea where this job will lead me. It's just nice to be grounded for awhile and actually contributing to society.

tree house

2008-03-08T12:07:00.000-08:00

a girl named poo

2008-03-05T21:13:00.000-08:00

my cousin peggy once had a dream that she owned a pug named poo poo. upon waking she was disappointed to discover that in fact it was just a dream, and she had no dog to wake up to. a couple of weeks later she decided to follow that dream and got a pug, and named it poo poo. after a long, fruitful life, this is poo as she is today...

i don't want to make a habit of posting photos of cute, little animals...but damn, how can you not love this dog?

back on the east coast...and i found more old cars

2008-02-28T17:06:00.000-08:00

believe

2008-02-13T14:56:00.000-08:00

i don't care if you're a dreamer, a sports lover or just someone who loves a great show. watch field of dreams. let it inspire you to dream, let it encourage you to play harder, or allow it to entertain you. regardless...watch it. it's full of hope, imagination and love...three of my very favorite things. plus, if i watch it with my dad, we can bond, because it's about sports. and i like that.

snapshots of i-10

2008-02-12T13:05:00.000-08:00

the bus...

2008-02-10T09:44:00.000-08:00

home again home again, jiggidy jig

2008-02-08T16:56:00.000-08:00

my journey has come to an end. i am now back home in jacksonville, florida. i'm very glad and very tired. it's been a long trip, the second half of which seemed to take forever. here's the recap. (it should have been in two parts, one on wed. and the second on thurs., but i didn't have any internet access at my two final pit stops. so it's now one, fairly long entry...but i think you should read it. it'd be a confidence booster for me if you did. so why not help a brother out?)

part one:
i left el paso, tx around 9am on wednesday morning. now i know i said earlier that the 75 mph speed limit in arizona was the greatest invention ever. well, i was wrong. the greatest invention ever?

that's right. 80 miles an hour. how i love you texas.

forty-five minutes outside of el paso, i noticed something about 200 yards off the interstate. this old bus:

i also noticed a dirt road that would allow me to drive out there. i wanted to take some photos of the bus, so i got off the interstate at the next exit, turned around and headed onto what was most likely private property. which was most likely inhabited by a crazy loner mole-man who had an affinity for junk. i took my chances and grabbed some great shots of the bus (to be shown later). as i was leaving, i noticed another dirt road that would take me back to the nearest exit without having to head west on i-10. again i took my chances...

then i came upon this patch...

i knew i could possibly get stuck as the sand looked pretty deep, and very fine (just like my future girlfriend), but for the third time in ten minutes, i took my chances. and i got stuck. the incline on the opposite side was steeper than i thought it was, and my tires quickly dug into mother earth. i threw the truck in reverse, and then back into low...no good. i tried again. still no good. i began to freak out. i was in the middle of nowhere texas, my truck was stuck and at any time mole-man was likely to spring up from out of nowhere and man-nap me, keeping me prisoner in his hovel. i took a breath and prayed. i asked God to get me the hell out of there. after another four or five minutes of throwing the truck into reverse and then into gear, i finally made it up the hill. i was thankful not only that God got me out, but also for having spent four years in south carolina learning how to drive a truck off road with my college buddies. i never though i'd see the day where redneck knowledge would help save my life. i vowed not to take any more dirt roads for the remainder of the trip.

it was a beautiful drive and a beautiful day. and for those who've never met, i'd like to introduce you to texas. texas, everyone. everyone, texas.

needless to say, texas is almost as flat as my 7th grade girlfriend. but the weather was perfect and i was content. towards the middle of the state i began to notice some interesting rock formations...

i found these natural formations incredible. impossible even. i was further amazed when i realized that there was always just enough space between them for four lanes of interstate. it sure is lucky they're there. otherwise i'm not sure where they would have built the road.

eight or so hours into my day i came upon san antonio. it was getting dark, and i forgot to take a photo of the skyline...but i did manage to grab this shot...

it's an exit sign for the alamo. i was simply doing what i had been told to do since second grade and remember the alamo. or at least, i tried.

then it was onto houston. it's a good thing i went through at night, otherwise i would have stopped and spent the next two days exploring the budweiser brewery. after crossing all 880 miles of texas, and driving about 25 miles into louisiana, i stopped for the night in the quaint town of sulphur. and by quaint i mean craphole. i made my second vow for the day; i will never again stop in sulphur.

part two:
the next morning i left sulphur and it's namesake stink behind ready for my fourth and final day of travel. turns out louisiana isn't just swampy in the movies, but in real life as well. for a stretch of about 15 miles the interstate is elevated over the bayou. it was slow and crowded driving, but the scenery was really something.

fifteen miles or more of this...

the bayou...

the rest of the state is swamp and trees...

a couple of hours later i found myself in new orleans. on the eastern side of the city signs of katrina's destruction were everywhere. it really caught me off guard. i wish i had the camera ready when i drove by an entire neighborhood in ruins, however, all i managed was a shot of the skyline. my bad.

after that it was onto and through mobile, alabama. real exciting.

an hour east of mobile put me across the state line and into florida. pensacola greeted me with open arms and a beautiful sunset over the water...

the only problem was that i was supposed to be somewhere in that direction. i accidentally exited off i-10 onto i-110. (quick note: i-110, i hate you. when the sun glares off your exit sign, you look like i-10. please stop being a jerk and causing copious amounts of unnecessary trouble. thanks.) so i spent an extra 45 minutes driving through the city, over a bridge, only to have to turn around and come back, finally making my way onto i-10 once more.

i began to get reaally tired, and wouldn't find myself in jacksonville until after midnight. i decided to stop in tallahassee, and stay the night with a buddy. i was back on the road this morning with just under three hours to my final destination. and around one o'clock this afternoon....i was back in jacksonville. it was beautiful...even more so than my previously mentioned 7th grade girlfriend.

it was over and done. my truck and i had done it. it felt great...and i really had to pee.

here's the truck that drove from oregon to florida...

and here's the guy who drove the truck...

sadly the castro beard was heavily trimmed this afternoon for a job interview.

final total:
3108 miles
50 hours
8 states
1 dead bird
and a trip to remember

and now dear reader, if i may indulge for just one minute more of your time, i'd like to present the roadies, the america's favorite cross-country road trip awards.

The Roadies! (da-da-da-daaaaaaaa)

The "Ridiculous" Award goes to......Texas! Texas, you are ridiculously and unecessarily large. you proved you're more of a man than i am.

The "What? ANOTHER Construction Zone!?" Award goes to....Louisiana! Louisiana, the amount of construction on i-10 in you is stupidly large. having road construction every 4 and a half miles is absurd, and quite frankly a little offensive.

The "I'd Marry You if it Were Legal to Marry a State" Award goes to...Arizona! Arizona, you have beautiful eyes, i mean sunsets. you treated me with love and you have exquisite curves, i mean mountains. how do you feel about vegas?

The "Awwwww, Roadkill" Award goes to....Mississippi! Mississippi, you have incredibly dumb birds that fly in front of toyota trucks going really fast. i don't appreciate you causing me to tear up slightly when i nailed that little guy. though i do appreciate the incredibly entertaining style you have of sending that bird straight up after coming in contact with my bumper, only to be hit yet again by the semi-truck behind me as it fell back toward the ground.

The "I'm Sorry I Didn't Really Get to Know You" Award goes to...New Mexico! New Mexico...you seemed nice enough. maybe we can spend some more quality time together in the future. how do you feel about vegas?

The "My Younger Brother Lives in You" Award goes to...Alabama! Alabama, my younger brother lives in you. also, that tunnel in mobile had a really great echo.

The "Crazy Driver" Award goes to...California! California, you seriously let people drive like that in l.a.?

The "Bittersweet" Award goes to...Oregon! Oregon, you're more confusing than talking to girls for the first time. some days you gave me were great, and some were terrible. i grew to love you, but we both know it would never work out between us. i will cherish the memories we have and wish you the best of luck in the future. also, you have some incredibly, incredibly delicious beer.

The "I Know I Don't Deserve It" Award goes to....Florida! Florida, i know i left you high and dry a couple of months ago. i told you i may never be coming back and i thought life would be better without you. i know i don't deserve to just come back to you after having said those things. thank you for taking me back anyway.

well friends...thanks for joining me on this great american adventure. thanks for your prayers and well wishes as i traveled across this great land. i hope you enjoyed the journey as much as i did. stay tuned for more photography from the trip coming soon!

this land is your land...

2008-02-05T23:33:00.000-08:00

...so i'd like to say 'thank you' for allowing me to cross it from one glorious coast to another. i just finished my second day of traveling back home to florida, and now that i have free internet access, i'd like to share that journey with you.

i started early monday morning in the beautiful state of oregon. there was a lot of snow, and not a lot of snow driving experience on my part. however, i persevered through the trials and tribulations of driving through a mountain pass in the pacific northwest in the middle of winter. and it looked a little something like this...

as you can see...beautiful, but dangerous. like a lady of the night.

however, once i moved into the golden land of california, everything cleared up nicely.

i made it to los angeles in roughly eleven hours, and stayed overnight with my second cousin. i think she's my second cousin...i never really learned how super extended family works. maybe she's a regular cousin twice removed...or once removed...or nonce removed. who knows? regardless...she gave me a warm bed, a warm heart and a warm belly full of food.

i departed early in the morning hoping to make it into texas by the end of the day. i won't spoil the surprise of whether or not i achieved that goal...but instead will invite you to join me on the journey and discover the answer for yourselves.

here's what the hollywood hills look like at 7:15 in the morning.

and here's the capitol records building at 7:28 in the morning.

california treated me well, and handed me over to arizona, where i spent most of my day. it's also where i encountered one adventure after another. for starters, i came across some really weird, really interesting trees. i'd never seen anything like them. i managed to grab a shot, despite being completely dumbstruck.

a few hours later, i came across some more interesting plant life. a cactus! i wasn't sure if i'd ever seen one before, so i took a photo, just to be safe. it looked exactly like this:

but mostly arizona looks like this:

after enjoying all this scenery for hours...and hours, i began to get a little hungry. before i could even begin to think about where or what to eat, exit 63 provided me an answer. in-n-out burger. the best burger joint in the world. the last time i was fortunate enough to sink my teeth into a slice of heaven was an in-n-out burger five years ago. actually it's more like four years and eight months...but who's counting? i cannot stress enough how amazing this place is. it's so amazing, they even have a SECRET MENU! also, the employees are always really friendly. especially the guys who took my order and made my burger. the picture says it all.

heaven.

after lunch i was back on the road. and before long, i noticed something out of place. this:

what's wrong in that photo you ask? that 'police' truck is actually a border patrol truck. so, why is that a problem? well...the border was hundreds of miles away. AND he was speeding....but not towards the border. come to think of it...he could have been off duty. or it could have been an illegal immigrant with a wonderful sense of irony who stole the car.

after that, i drove through phoenix. it looks like this (though it's far less exciting in person)

the sun began to set, and as it did, i realized i liked arizona. and during a sunset it's beautiful.

i then made it into new mexico. and at the end of the day...i found myself (i guess it's find myself...) in el paso, tx. i had done it! i was in texas and one state closer to home. one ridiculously large state. a state i don't think i can cross in a single day. and now i'm going to bed. more to come over the next couple of days. thanks for joining me on my travels. it was great riding along with you. goodnight.

p.s. this was my attempt to take a shot of the 75mph speed limit sign (which is the greatest invention ever), but for some reason it took a 30 second exposure, providing me with this (a combination of head lights, brake lights and my feet):

travel update #1

2008-02-02T07:58:00.000-08:00

i got snowed in. i got about 15 miles out of town, and the snow was getting worse and worse. i didn't like the thought of having to cross a mountain pass in about 2 hours, which was getting even more snow than around here. so i turned around and came back to the house. i checked the weather/highway report before i left and decided to disregard the severe weather warning, which stated: Through the Siskiyou Pass, snow will increase over the region through the morning as another potent winter storm enters the region. A Winter Storm Warning means significant amounts of snow... Sleet...and ice are expected or occurring. Strong winds are also possible. This will make travel very hazardous or impossible. Hazardous or impossible?...neither of those seem good.

I just checked the highway camera up around the pass and it's pretty nasty.

Check it out:

Unfortunately, there really isn't any other options as far as alternate routes go. And since chains are currently required, and the road is under a couple inches of snow, it looks as though I'm going to have to wait until Monday once the warning is lifted and some sunshine is expected.

you can never go home again...

2008-02-01T18:00:00.001-08:00

...actually, that isn't true. i've been back home once (from china) and am doing the same thing again, this time coming home from oregon. the plan is to leave in the morning. the only thing that might mess things up is the weather. i might get snowed in for a couple of days, so we'll have to wait and see what the conditions are in the morning. currently, while taking the interstate through southern oregon, the requirement is to at least carry snow chains, which i don't have. and even if i did, i have no idea how to use them. my knowledge is centered more around flip-flops and beer.

regardless, i will be home at some point in the next two weeks. oregon is a great place...just not for me. at least not right now. i'm looking forward to being back amongst family and close friends. i'm going to try and do as much photography along the way as possible...maybe updating when i stop at night, maybe waiting until i'm home.

i'll keep all you readers (which is about three of you) posted on the travel schedule. for anyone in oregon, it was great being a part of life out here. for anyone at home, i'm looking forward to being a part of life there. for anyone anywhere else, i'm glad to be a part of life on the internet.

snow photos

2008-01-29T22:24:00.001-08:00

it's been snowing a lot here recently. and for a florida guy, that equates to about two inches. kristy and i went outside the other night to enjoy it while it lasted, and i snagged some photos of her in the process.

and here's what it looked like the following morning.

the kids down the street built a snowman, while i have simply been standing around outside, enjoying it like an old man. and for the record, kristy took that last shot, and edited the ones i took of her. gotta give props where they're due.

another video...

2008-01-29T09:43:00.000-08:00

my apologies for spamming you with video clips....without a single ounce of photography to go with it. but i wanted to share this clip of montel williams talking about how the media focuses on celebrity deaths (lately heath ledger) and yet never seem to mention the names of those who are dying in iraq. i completely agree with him.

the hosts make some arguments, but would it truly be that difficult to spend five minutes each day focusing anyone who has sacrificed their life in the war in the past 24 hours? no. it wouldn't.

romney erupts!

2008-01-25T00:24:00.000-08:00

This clip from The Daily Show does a great job of showing how television media completely blows things out of proportion.

Here's another example. This report on a new video game called Mass Effect, claims the game shows full digital nudity and graphic sex, implying the player has complete control over the different types of sex acts you're able to perform in the game. They bring on a guy to defend it, and everything he says is true. Funny enough they cut him off early and go on to a 'discussion panel' (of completely uninformed idiots) where they continue to bash the game without knowing anything about it or having actually played it themselves.

Let me tell you, after playing through this game completely, this story is completely unfounded and completely false. Here's the real deal: The game shows nudity and sex on the level of a PG-13 movie. You see the top of a butt, and the profile of a breast. They don't show the sex, and there is no frontal nudity. None. Also, the sex comes as a result of establishing a romantic relationship throughout the 30 plus hour game. When it does show up, it is not interactive in any way whatsoever. It's even very possible to not even establish this romantic relationship at all...leading to, surprise surprise, no sex. The game is 30 plus hours of dialogue, space exploration and space shootouts, with a possible 2 minutes of PG-13 rated sex.

Seriously...no research at all was even attempted in this story. It's completely and utterly blown so far out of scale it doesn't even count as journalism. They basically just made stuff up (or made zero attempt to check their facts, which is just as bad) and there has been an outcry from the video gaming public about the issue. In response, many gamers have left numerous negative 'reviews' on Cooper Lawrence's book on Amazon without actually having read it...just as she did with the game Mass Effect. And while this is basically stooping to her level, I think it also has the possibility to make a serious impact on how she'll 'review' things in the future. What kills me is that when she was asked whether she'd even played the game, she laughed happily as she said, "No". THEN she makes the claim that the game objectifies women and isn't respective of them, yet refers to her male counterpart as Darlin'. Yeah, great objective and insightful reporting there Cooper.

I know this probably all sounds trivial...but I just want everyone to realize how preposterous television news channels are. They all have an agenda. None are fair and balanced, especially Fox (as the game manufacturer has asked for an apology and a correction, with the argument that 100's of people worked hard on this game, have their names attached to it, and do not deserve to be slandered on completely unfounded accusations. Yet Fox has refused this request). So please don't listen to everything they say and remember to think for yourselves first. I'm not saying television news outlets are completely bad or worthless. Not at all. Just don't follow them blindly.

My apologies for the rant. At least The Daily Show clip was funny.

this time i REALLY do know someone on american idol...

2008-01-23T23:41:00.000-08:00

i know i said i knew kristy lee cook, who auditioned for american idol and made it onto the show. but i just found out that a girl i knew in college just auditioned as well. i met her through some friends and even talked to her sitting on the front steps of her house. and with that being said...

this is London Weidberg...(the picture is messed up for the first five seconds or so.)

so her audition wasn't incredibly strong, but i think she has potential. now the question is...do i root for her to win, or for my future wife miss kristy lee cook. of course i'm rooting for both...but if they make the final two, then i might turn into this season's crying girl.

and yes, i realize how sad it is that i'm blogging about american idol.

and yes, i realize it's even sadder that i know about the existence of crying girl.

there sure are a lotta me's out there...

2008-01-23T22:33:00.000-08:00

every couple of months i search for the name 'mac mitchell' on facebook. today's search came up big. two new mac mitchell's have joined facebook recently. and of course i automatically sent them friend requests. here's a quick synopsis of some of the other mac mitchell's i've discovered out there:

1. mac mitchell: age 21 (lufkin, tx) - graduating from sfasu in '08. he enjoys tennis, grey's anatomy and doesn't like to read.
2. mac mitchell: age 15 (houston, tx) - graduating from cypress creek high school in '10. he's single, like's video games and WE HAVE THE SAME BIRTHDAY!
3. mac mitchell: age 26(?) (gainesville, fl) - UF graduate, married and has two dogs. i actually heard about this guy from some of my UF friends. i also met his roommate who came to clemson for a tour.
4. mack mitchell: age 19 (cheyenne, wy) - graduating from WU in '09. enjoys break dancing, the ladies and has excellent taste in music and movies.

i am really interested in the other mac mitchell's of the world. the ones i've found thus far are all different and live all over the country. it's amazing. though, they are all named mckenzie...while my name is macgregor.

which led me to search for macgregor mitchell as well, and all that came up was a married couple whose last name is macgregor-mitchell. they weren't interested in adding me as a friend as they prefer to keep their profiles 'private'. and i guess by private they mean not private, as i was able to see all their photos and interests and everything. which led me to the saddening conclusion that it is possible for people to have the greatest last name of all time and still be jerks. i hope their kid (whose name is clarissa....ya, real "private" profile you got going there guys) does the name justice as her parents are clearly smearing it with mud.

p.s....if i was to marry clarissa macgregor-mitchell, i'd drop my middle name of dean, and replace it with my last name of mitchell...making me:

macgregor mitchell macgregor-mitchell. i might just have to keep tabs on this kid...

why i love kids...

2008-01-22T21:06:00.001-08:00

1. kids are honest.
2. kids know bullshit when they see it.

kristy lee cook

2008-01-18T10:10:00.000-08:00

for those of you who saw American Idol this week, you may remember kristy lee cook:

well i know her. so booyah! alright, alright...i don't ACTUALLY know her. but i do know someone who actually knows her. my friend kevin is a local photographer, and has used kristy as a model for years. apparently she did really well on her audition and has a shot at making it pretty far in the competition. she can't tell us (yes, US. can't you let a man dream?) whether she made the top 12 or whatever, because of the secrecy agreement she has to maintain with fox. but she probably did. and kevin probably told her all about me. and she probably wants to marry me and be famous together and stuff.

so...that could be cool.

what's wrong with our current educational system?

2008-01-16T02:19:00.000-08:00

this guy will tell you.

the link is to one of the TED lectures i mentioned in my previous post. the speaker talks about how our current/modern educational system kills creativity. he makes some excellent points and even more excellent jokes. it's worth twenty minutes of your time without question and i highly encourage you to watch it.

ted talks

2008-01-14T22:00:00.000-08:00

some of you may know about TED. and i'm not talking about your favorite drunk uncle. TED stands for technology, entertainment, design. it's a conference held (from what i can gather) twice a year. it features performers and speakers spanning the three previously mentioned topics, and everything in between. it's basically a smart people conference. and a creative people conference. and they have posted a ton of videos of said speakers and performers. and out of the twenty or so TED lectures i've seen over the past couple of months, every single one has either been incredibly enlightening, inspirational or entertaining, if not a combination of the three...much like a favorite drunk uncle. though sadly, unlike your uncle, the videos aren't able to tell stories about how crazy mom was back in college.

in all seriousness...go check out some of the TED videos. allow me to suggest a couple to get you started.

What we can Learn from Spaghetti Sauce
Underwater Astonishments
5 Dangerous Things You Should let Your Kids Do
The Tragedy of Suburbia

and here's one for all the writers and bloggers out there: Redefining the Dictionary

enjoy.

al's fifty year lot

2008-01-14T14:51:00.000-08:00

le toliets

2008-01-12T21:02:00.000-08:00

1 to 100

2008-01-11T10:29:00.000-08:00

here's a really interesting video of 100 people playing a drum...ages 1 to 100.
(my favorites are 44, 78 and 91)

really great stuff.

been awhile...

2008-01-06T13:41:00.000-08:00

my apologies for leaving everyone in the cold here. i flew home for a couple of weeks to spend the holidays with the family. it was a couple of weeks well spent. i learned how to make pasta with fresh clam sauce. i got to talk, laugh, hug, argue and laugh again with close friends and family. and i jumped in the atlantic ocean early in the morning on new year's day. it was hard to have to leave...though i do feel as if i'm returning with a renewed spirit and slightly more direction. i'm hopeful for 2008.

i'd hate to leave you empty handed, as i don't have any photos to share, so instead i'll simply encourage you to watch the following movie trailers.

wall-e: looks to be the most charming pixar film yet. and that's saying something.
quiet city: sort of an indie 'lost in translation'. i have high hopes.
b-boy: documentary of the world breakdancing championships. what more needs to be said?

happy new year everyone.

one town over

2007-12-10T15:33:00.000-08:00

i drove around the town of merlin the other day, and really enjoyed the stuff i found. it was mostly old junked cars, trucks and a bus.

dan's junkyard...and some other stuff

2007-12-05T01:03:00.000-08:00

back to my roots

2007-12-01T19:11:00.000-08:00

i've been shooting people (with my camera) so much lately i haven't gone out and photographed any still life images, which is what got me into photography in the first place. yesterday i drove around for an hour or so in an attempt to do just that. and it felt really, really good. here's the result...

i'm closer to thirty now.

2007-11-29T10:23:00.000-08:00

i turned 26 on sunday. i was in portland with my roommate and some people she knew. we had a solid time, and it was a great birthday...other than getting closer to 30.

this also marks one of the very few birthdays where my buddy Captain Zoom didn't sing me my personalized birthday song. for those who don't know, Zoom's song is the highlight of my birthday, as he makes a trip all the way from the moon to sing me a song as he zooms overhead. it's a very special occasion. if you go to his website, and give him some money, Captain Zoom will also provide you your very own birthday song as well. it's worth it. seriously.

here's a quick sample of the song. though in this case, Zoom is singing to some nerd named Jason.

this truly is one of my favorite songs ever, and the best part of my birthday. you can bet that when my audio cassette is all worn out, i'll be ordering a new version on CD. though i have to say, Captain Zoom makes a very high quality product, and i doubt the tape will ever wear out.

thanks zoom. see you next yeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaarrr!

tara

2007-11-18T13:41:00.000-08:00

here are some of my favorite shots from tara's senior photoshoot....

my (second) first wedding

2007-11-14T16:01:00.000-08:00

my friend amanda got married, and asked me to be her wedding photographer. a huge leap of faith on her part. (the only bigger leap of faith anyone could make would be to ask me to pose for their 'beefcakes of photography' calendar.) so after a few nights of restless sleep plagued by photography nightmares i ended up at the wedding with my camera in hand. these are some of the shots i came up with. i say this is my (second) first wedding, because on the only other wedding i photographed i was just an assistant. this time i was all on my own. scary stuff...but really crazy exciting as well. alright, on with the photos.

getting ready...

the ceremony...

the bride and groom...

the (not so) formals...

(we did some serious ones, but i liked these best.)

the toasts...

the dancing...

the rope swing...

yours truly...

the end of the evening...

needless to say, everyone enjoyed themselves. it was a great weekend all around and i enjoyed the challenge of being the sole photographer. i learned a lot...a whole lot, and can't thank amanda and josh enough for providing me that opportunity. you guys are completely rad!

something you should know

2007-11-11T16:26:00.000-08:00

i just finished writing an email to my friend justin. and after rereading it, wanted to share it with all of you. before you read it, please read this post first as it was the inspiration for the email.

hey man...this got a little longer than expected. it just kind of started writing itself, so my apologies up front for the length.

thanks for the email hookup. i wanted to write in response to the entry you made about me some time ago. first off, i was surprised and honored. but more importantly, i was ashamed. because while me going everywhere, trying new things, and living with abandon is in and of itself interesting, it hasn't been for the right reasons. well, maybe the right human reasons...seeking out my passions, not compromising, living for adventure, taking risks and not settling. i think those definitely play a role in how i live. but there's something deeper, hiding underneath the surface. something i make sure stays hidden. until recently. i just wrote my old bible study in jacksonville an email explaining this very thing. i have done all these things out of fear, weakness and confusion. i left for chicago to seek an identity for myself. my love of improv gave me a great reason to do so. but i went seeking fame and a sense of purpose. i went trying to run from the confusion of not knowing who i was. but that caught up to me. i left for china for the exact same reasons...plus an additional one that seemed to jump on board thinking i could easily bear the load of more burden. i left chicago because i found no identity there. i also left because i was just beginning to find a great group of friends i cared about, and who cared about me. when my friendships started becoming intimate and honest, i bailed. i was afraid of that. of the effort. i was scared, weak and confused and had to get out. so why not china? in china it was the same. i found no identity. and when i started to truly know a few of my students, and establish meaningful relationships, i bailed. i was afraid of the commitment required on my part. i have discovered i'm a selfish person. very selfish. selfish enough to seek identity in myself...rather than in my Father, who provided me with the very identity i was searching for. i left jacksonville for oregon again in search of identity. this time not as an aspiring-could be actor, or an international teacher, but as a could be photographer. someone with creativity and passion. i also left because i was just beginning to really involve myself in my bible study. with people who liked me for me, and who i liked for them. and i was afraid to let them see that who they thought i was wasn't who i really was. i was scared to make the effort true love and friendship requires. and so, i bailed. i've fallen into this habit of running. and then running again because what i was running from was always right beside me. in fact it was me. and i think i always knew this, but would never admit it to myself. and now in oregon, it has caught up to me again, and i have been miserable. i've been lonely and wallowing in self pity. and fortunately God is saving me from that.

God is reminding me of the person i used to be, and the person i used to want to be. someone who doesn't seek himself...but seeks God. someone who doesn't worry about himself, but worries about others. not worries...has compassion for. i used to want to help people, to serve others, to make a difference in the world. to use my time on earth for good...for love. and somewhere i just completely abandoned that whole ideal. i started living for myself. i started trying to make something of myself. and that journey has led me around the world, through a number of different careers, and plenty of depression and heartache. and God is saving me from that. He is patiently brining me back to that place of compassion. that place where self doesn't matter. He is leading me into a life of servanthood i think. i hope. and even in that i feel selfish. i feel that i want to serve to avoid my own problems. to take on the problems of others to avoid my own. and maybe that's ok. maybe not...i'm not really sure. and maybe i honestly feel that way, the selfishness i mean, or maybe it's the devil's unrelenting grip on my life. trying to hold me back. i don't know. the one thing i do know is that God's grip is stronger. that i like the idea of serving others. of finding joy in sharing God's love. taking refuge in Him. ok, so that's technically more than one thing.

my point is...a lot of people mention to me how brave i am for always trying new things. and what they don't know is i try those things for the opposite reason...out of fear. i'm simply willing to risk change in exchange for my fear. and it has never worked. not once. and that's a good thing. because if it did, then i'd be screwed...because that's how i'd live the rest of my life. instead God has used this journey to teach me. to teach me i have a passion for change, for going to new places. to teach me that i'm good with people, i adapt well to different kinds of people and can relate to them in some form or another. that this is a gift from Him (and useful in improv as well). to teach me i have been happiest when involved in a community. when i have have shared experiences. when God's love is between me and one or two or a thousand other people. these are the times i feel most alive. and He has shown me that my heart wants more of that. gah, more than wanting more, my heart craves it. shared experiences in Christ. through His love. that is my purpose. that is my reason to exist...and life is too valuable to be worrying about ourselves. and this for me is a struggle, as i am having to allow the undoing of years of cynicism, bitterness, selfishness and doubt that i have shrouded myself in...and it's hard to shed that. but God is doing that. and it is awesome.

i used to be inspired by people who did great things. who were reckless and passionate. and these things still get me excited...but i am finding more and more that what inspires me the most is honesty. people who are honest with themselves, those around them and God. and it's this honesty that leads to passion and excitement and growth and joy and love. and it's that which has inspired me to write you. that you would know why i've done the things i've done. all of which were for good reasons, but not great ones. all of which has taught me something. all of which have been touched and used by God in one way or another. and that in seeking myself, i have discovered God in a whole new way.

photobooth

2007-11-09T21:00:00.000-08:00

unfortunately a few keys on my keyboard stopped working (i'm on my roommate's computer) and it won't be fixed until wednesday. so the wedding photos i promised will be slightly delayed...bummer i know. we'll all have to grin and bear it together. in the meantime, this video has convinced me to have a photobooth at my wedding*.

*it might happen. someday.

two items of note...

2007-10-31T23:43:00.000-07:00

three. i lied.

A. photos from the recent wedding i did will be posted in the next day or so.
2. a black cat crossed my path tonight. halloween night. no one around me seemed to care when i blurted it out in public as it happened.
D. i discovered something incredible tonight. Rifftrax. it's the same guys who did mystery science theater 3000. you download mp3's they've recorded making fun of and riffing on movies. you play the mp3 seperately, but at the same time while watching the movie. i'm probably not explaining this very well. basically it's mystery science theater 3000, but on your computer, and with recent big-budget movies. and if you don't know what mystery science theater 3000 is (the BEST television show from my adolescence), we can never be friends.

ever.

(also, if anyone can name the movie i took my lettering system from [a, 2, d] you win a prize. and it will probably be something awesome. probably. probably really awesome. or close to really awesome. it will at least be SOMETHING. probably.)

my first wedding...as an assitant

2007-10-15T16:31:00.000-07:00

shot my first wedding about two weeks. a photographer friend asked me to second shoot (assist) on her clients' wedding. here's some shots i ended up with...along with the idea of becoming a full-fledged wedding photographer.

it was an interesting experience, being at someone's wedding that i didn't know, and having them trust that you'll capture it all on camera. and i almost lost the bride's wedding band in the process...but at the end of the day, found myself enjoying the experience as a whole. the next weekend i was the sole photographer at my friend amanda's wedding, and as soon as i finish editing those shots i will post them.

my apologies

2007-09-27T23:27:00.000-07:00

i hate to post some random internet video on my photography blog, but it's had me laughing all day. darth's got the blues...

life at four a.m.

2007-09-25T06:48:00.000-07:00

i couldn't sleep tonight, and so around four this morning decided to just drive around town and photograph whatever caught my eye. after an hour or so i ended up with the following.

also, these photos are presented along with the logo i made for myself. i'm sure you're just as excited as i am...

phil wickham

2007-09-17T00:02:00.000-07:00

phil played tonight and gave me an opportunity to shoot my first concert since moving out here. he's solid and puts on a great show all by himself. check out his website.
his website
his myspace

california family

2007-09-08T12:32:00.000-07:00

more from santa cruz...with commentary. lucky you.

2007-09-04T00:57:00.000-07:00

last week kristy and i went down to san francisco and santa cruz. we photographed a family, and spent the next five days hanging around with some folks she knew. while in san fran (is it lame to call it that?) we went to the de young museum for the last 35 minutes it was open.

the courtyard...or the walls vs. themselves

the walls outside the courtyard...or the mirror of humanity

the lobby of the museum...or one guy pretending to understand a really big art thing on the wall

the next day we made our way to santa cruz to meet up with tanja and greg. tanja is a crazy talented photographer who did some shots of kristy and i (which might just be used on the wreckless studios website). and greg is a guy tanja knows...and who now, i know. i didn't do a whole lot of shooting myself, but managed to grab a few shots.

kristy...or thinking how rad mac is, but surprisingly not appearing to be too excited by the idea, which is unfortunate

kristy...or thinking about one of the hilarious things mac just said

kristy...or musicans don't wear shoes

while we were shooting, we met this dude named david, who leads a pretty rough life, played some songs on guitar for us, and who met neil young a couple of times...one of which he was hanging onto the mirror of neil's tour bus while drunk.

david...or hope never dies, and if it did, that'd be ok

then we drove to this burned down house to do more photo stuff.

the house...or punk bums' hideout

and here are some shots of greg...who lived in china the same time i did.

greg...or what mac's abs look like when they aren't covered up by a slight beer belly

greg again...or insert witty caption here, because i'm ready for bed

and with that, i'll call it a night.

the blogosphere...

2007-09-03T21:55:00.000-07:00

...if the blogosphere was arrested, its mugshot would look like this:

and if you took a candid photo, it would look like this:

the reason i bring this up, is because i don't read too many personal blogs. and i'd like to. there's a couple i check in on...and tons of nerd oriented blogs i check every couple of minutes. but i'd like to bookmark more of my friends' and aquaintences' blogs. and read them. and memorize them. and then go to their houses and spy on them. with the goal of studying their innermost being...in order to surprise them with the perfect birthday present. i wouldn't stalk them to be creepy. i'd stalk for birthday presents. which seems like a reasonable reason to stalk someone...for their benefit.

so, if you have a blog (and love birthday presents!) let me know. and livejournal blogs don't count...because i already have a lot of those i read. also because i'm not 13-24 anymore. though i did update my journal there about two days ago....

and if you don't have a blog...start one. that's how you get cool on the internet.

this post has nothing to do with photography...

2007-08-30T00:07:00.000-07:00

...before i begin (which i clearly already have) let me say that i just finished watching stranger than fiction. if you haven't watched this movie, i really hope you do in the near future. if you have watched it, watch it again.

with that said, i just want to say that i think a part of me wants to (and has always wanted to) be a writer. and not a tom clancy or robert ludlum (who are incredibly fantastic), but more of a roald dahl or douglas adams or anyone else who gets inside your pysche and emotions and makes you think. even if all they make you think about is daydreams. jimmy buffet wrote (and i'll kindly paraphrase seeing as i'm terrible with quotes), "it always seemed arrogant for anyone to write a story before it was finished." he was referring to writing an autobiography. and i think he's right. but at the same time, donald miller wrote blue like jazz...the story of his own personal religious journey...though he's only in his thirties, or late twenties...or something older than me. far from a finished story if you ask me...which i'm sure you were about to. and it's a wonderful read and hits home more than anything i've ever read. but who says that journey's over? yet he wrote about it. and i think i use the excuse of waiting for the story to be over before i sit down and write. and that makes me an idiot.

today i tried to think about everything i've done in my twenty-five years on this planet. i started with the following, which were the first to come to mind:

1. wash a dog
2. play a game of frisbee
3. watch an ant climb a blade of grass, only to turn around at the top and continue whatever it was he intended to do
4. hug my father and mother
5. meet someone famous and have a conversation with them
6. read a book that i knew i loved after only 3 pages
7. curse someone at the top of my lungs directly in their face
8. cry in a movie theater

and i realized, i've done more things, had more experiences than i'd ever be able to list. and that single fact made me incredibly happy. i've seen and done more things (for better and worse) than i'll ever be able to remember. and then, immediately, i became incredibly sad. sad i couldn't remember them. that no matter how hard i tried, i'd never be able to, despite my incredible desire to do so. and then i thought, "that's life". followed quickly by, "life sucks".

and that one thought made me angry. why can't i remember my entire life? why do i remember forging my mother's signature on a school document in 7th grade and not some memory where i was completely at peace with the universe? why do i remember making fun of an elementary school companion and not sometime that i felt an incredible inspiration? and i had no answer for myself. which is frustrating. mostly because i rely on myself to answer everything. why doesn't that guy have a girlfriend? because his social skills on are par with that of oscar the grouch. why do we have to fight with those we love? because we want them to understand our point-of-view more than anyone else in the world. how come girls don't fall in love with me everyday? because they're idiots. and so, when conan o'brien, william shatner or motley crue can't answer something for me, and i have no answer for myself, i get angry. because that means no one has an answer. (and yes, those three sources should be able to adaquately answer most any question you may have.)

and this leads me to what i want to say. enjoy life. do something you've always wanted to. whether it be learning how to dance (which i can teach you...mostly what not to do), asking for forgiveness from someone you know shouldn't forgive you, but just might because of love or writing a short story from which you got the idea in a dream where you were flying in a go-kart made of jello. do it. and remember the time when you got the idea in the first place. and what an idea it was at the time! think about how you've convinced yourself that it's a stupid idea that no one cares about (which i think about every idea i've ever had...except for a story about flying a go-kart made of jello....that's a sure fire winner). and after you've convinced yourself that you've been lying to yourself, and you should engage in whatever activity you've been wanting to...go do it. and enjoy it. and let it enrich your life, and the lives of those around you. and then smile.

then treat yourself to a cup of jello.

an evening with santa cruz

2007-08-27T23:33:00.000-07:00

tyler

2007-08-26T20:59:00.000-07:00

jason and susie

2007-08-26T16:25:00.000-07:00

around town...

2007-08-22T21:57:00.000-07:00

a view from the tilt-a-whirl

2007-08-18T17:33:00.000-07:00

some shots from our bubble on the tilt-a-whirl....

i'll decline to mention that afterwards i actually felt a little sick. which made me feel old. and sad.

the jospehine county fair

2007-08-18T17:00:00.000-07:00

the fair's in town this week. i think the last time i went to the fair was somewhere around 1994. being the nerd i am, i went with the sole purpose of doing photography. which i did. however, i also managed to win two goldfish, a pair of black, fuzzy dice and ride the tilt-a-whirl in the process. enjoy...

...then things got a little crazy...

and finally...the champion at work...

winning our two newest pets...

the view from my championship seat at 'rock n' roll racing'...producing a brand new pair of fuzzy dice for the truck...

definitely a good time. i highly encourage you to support your next annual county fair.

lynsey

2007-08-18T16:51:00.000-07:00

lynsey is kristy's sister (kristy being my photography partner) and was in town for a couple of days. went out for just about an hour and ran out of daylight about halfway through. and since neither of us uses a flash, we had to improvise as it got dark...

grants pass girls

2007-08-17T15:53:00.000-07:00

here's a sample from the shoot with jaclyn, monica, kelsey and spencer...for those of you who weren't there, you missed out on some good times.

last first day of school

2007-08-17T13:46:00.000-07:00

this photo submitted by my brother sam, who celebrated his last first day of school today. however, if dad had anything to say about it, we'd probably hear, "you never stop learning. everyday is a school day." which is very true, plus sam...you have yet to attend my highly esteemed class, How to Talk to Girls: From a Guy Who Has Tried it Twice. that my friend will truly be your last first day of school.

study of a dead mill: part two

2007-08-16T23:26:00.000-07:00

study of a dead mill: part one

2007-08-16T14:14:00.000-07:00

there's this fifty year-old sawmill/random factory/warehouse thing by our place that's in the process of being torn down. decided to walk through last night to see what weird stuff was around. and i discovered that an abandoned factory is creepsville at night...

maria's

2007-08-14T16:52:00.000-07:00

this is maria's mexican kitchen:

THE BEST mexican food of your life. and maria cooks every meal herself. it's apparently been here 27 years, and tomorrow is the last day they'll be open. because home depot bought their lot, so they can build. what a waste. decided i owed it to the world to capture the magic that is maria's mexican kitchen while i could...

heads up...

2007-08-14T13:59:00.000-07:00

...for those expecting to see a photo or two, your world is about to be shattered. sorry to disappoint, but there is something everyone needs to be aware of, and while i thought about trying to explain it all using photographs, it seemed slightly easier to communicate through written language. so prepare for communication...

my friend tim is an improvisor in chicago. i actually met him once in north carolina before we both moved to the windy city, then saw him eyeing me like a piece of meat on a train car up in chicago. while i unfortunately had to refuse his advances (oh regret!) we built what i thought of as a solid friendship. and that friendship continues to this day...in an age of 14 second commericals, and cheap reusable toliet paper, it's good to know that some things last over time.

so why am i mentioning this? because this hero that i speak of recently blogged about this blog. and i was surprised and slightly embarrassed, yet appreciative. and after reading some of his entries, i was reminded of his talents as a writer able to inform and entertain in one fell swoop. much like hemingway, with a touch of conan o'brien, and far less Spanish carousing. and so i decided to return the favor of mentioning his blog, Ramble Ramble which is more than worth your time to visit. and some may say i am posting this out of guilt, that i'm simply linking to his blog because he did the same to mine. and those people would be right. on opposite day. which is not today. making them....say it with me...wrong. so go meet tim. get to know him through his words and images. and thank me later.

morgan

2007-08-13T18:20:00.000-07:00

some samples of the results from my first senior portrait session...

jamie and tom

2007-08-13T10:20:00.000-07:00

my first portrait session shooting alongside kristy. these two kids have been married for just over ten years now...

we had a crazy time, and it was a great chance for me to get my feet wet in the world of portrait photography. i learned more than i thought i would, and am looking forward to the next shoot.

saturday market

2007-08-11T14:52:00.000-07:00

grants pass

2007-08-08T16:42:00.000-07:00

first photo excursion...

limon, colorado

2007-08-05T22:36:00.000-07:00