It's pretty here.
Most of the time. Sure, we had an early case of the June gloom this week, but it's mostly cleared up and we get some truly glorious mornings.
Almost makes me happy the little four legged mooch didn't need to poop so early.
Almost.
She came up to visit with Josh and me this morning.
Hi!
I got a tasty little award today of nearly 600 stock options from my company. Ironic considering my quarter, actually.
They like me! They really like me!
Strangely, I was way more excited to get a surprise burrito last week.
I have weird priorities.
The next generation in home exercise! The new Bicep Blaster by Ronco. Sturdy power band construction! Increase resistance by increasing the number of boxer dogs. Get those guns you always wanted! Only four easy payments of $19.95 plus $40 a month in dog food and roughly $1000 a year in vet bills. Order now and receive Baggie Blasters free! Increase the resistance with every load of poop.
We have us some fearsome little beasties in our house. For sure.
Although the racquet balls kicked under the couch and the exercise ball chased violently down the hall remain the favorite toys around here, the new tugger is getting a fair bit of use.
Generally the life span of a toy like this I measure in miliseconds. Surprisingly, however, this model seems to hold up.
That might have been TOO much habanero sauce.
That is all.
My friends Steph and Mia called me last week and asked me if I could do a special shoot for Mother's Day. I was to replicate a black and white portrait of their mother taken some thirty years ago only using Mia as the subject and with Steph recreating the hair and makeup. I stopped by their salon on my dog walk to get the details and to snap a few sample shots.
It was early evening with indirect light through a huge window. Pretty much the best kind of light. This is what I got:
Not bad for a sample.
Apparently, the pics I took of the two of them are already printed and are likely to make it to their web site.
Clearly, I rule.
So we did the shoot yesterday. I used my big, living room window in late evening to get the light just right and bought some thick, black felt for a back drop. We did three sets of shots, and a few goof pics for giggles. I got a LOT of really cool images.
In related news, I've tried to fix my brother up with this girl for FOUR months. He's always had some lame excuse. "I'm busy". "I'm working". "I'm sick". "I have to run twenty miles today with a bunch of sweaty Marines" Whine whine whine whine whine.
Clearly he needs work on his priorities.
I digress. The goal, however, was to replicate this image as closely as I could:
How did I do? On short notice? With zero Photoshop skills and sans studio lighting? I think I did
OK
.
I have to shoot Chelsea and her sister for their mother's day as well. And I may get to shoot my friend Lauren for the cover of her first single.
Needless to say, you might see some far prettier faces than Josh's for a little while. For this, I suspect, most of you are very very happy.
My grandfather (father's side) gave this to me when I was about four years old. It's a Native American spear head he had found on his property in Norwalk back fifty or sixty years ago. How long it had been sitting there before that I have no idea. Fifty years? 150? 650 years? Who knows.
I've been trying to find a better way to present it than keeping it in a bag in a drawer in a dresser for a couple or three decades.
Suggestions?
Amazon came bearing gifts today.
To celebrate my favorite blogger's writer's first book, Josh swallowed what little is left of his pride and, for the promise of a jerky treat (or six), gave his best Chuckles impersonation.
If ever the two should meet, however, this kind of abuse may merit Chuck getting a proper submission roll.
Marley, who has no pride at all, wanted in on the action as well.
When I first began reading her forever and a day ago (I think at the suggestion of the also immensely talented Ariel ), I said two things:
a. She is the best writer on the internet.
Read this . (Four MILLION? MILLION? That's like the entire city of Dallas, reading your shit, Heather).
b. She will one day be in hardcover.
Go buy this book.
More proof that I'm always right.
I broke down and picked up a new pack for my all too frequent trips to and through the airport(s). I've been using my old Trager bag since 2001 or so, and it's seen a LOT of miles. It's starting to look a little worse for wear, and, frankly, with the increasingly complicated and utterly undignified security process, having to go through three extra steps just to access and remove my laptop(s) was more effort than I was willing to endure. It's a matter of time before the TSA is going to ask us to bed and spread.
So now, I'm hauling around the Booq Boa3 . First and only rule when buying luggage if you happen to be a weekly traveler: if you don't think it can survive a drop from a four story window or an attack by at least one pit bull, don't buy it.
I've been looking for a new pack for a while now, and this may well be the best overall pack for the business traveler that I've seen yet. I've got some complaints, but the clean lines, the red interior, the hidden water bottle holders, and, most importantly, the separate, zippered, easily accessible and VERY padded laptop segment makes it ideal for the road warrior who wants to distinguish himself from the khaki clad clones with their corporate sponsored briefcases and the Tumi toting deal makers barking into cell phones.
Pros: Separate padded laptop compartment. This means you don't have to open the whole pack to get the laptop out for the security check. It's big. It's well padded. The red interior rocks. The external compartments on the front and side are clean and easily accessible - allowing me to get pens and GPS and biz cards again without opening the whole pack. It's big enough to carry a SLR, a couple books, a sweater and a whole shit load of power bricks but it looks relatively slim and crisp. It will carry well with a suit. Maybe not a tie, but definitely a suit.
Cons: I do see some QC issues in the construction and stitching. The water bottle compartments need to be wider. The padded waist belt is totally unnecessary for the road warrior. Leave that for the trekker. Same can be said of the sternum clasp. Ditch it. It could stand to drop a few ounces, but the zipper pulls, though nicely rubberized, could use to be beefier. Finally, shoulder strap pockets: WTF for? Just extra weight you can totally do without.
Is it worth two bills? Probably not. Is it better than most of the packs I've seen that cost that much or more. Certainly.
Saw a car show at the HB pier on Saturday after destroying the pooches at dog beach.
Back in Jr. High and High School, this was my best friend's favorite car. He's a PE teacher in Tucson now, with four very hungry boys at his ankles, so this kind of vehicle is increasingly out of hi reach. However, I promise him this. If ever I make a ridiculous amount of money (unlikely but not impossible), all he's gotta do is pick the color. I'll drive it right to his door.
A kit. Not the original. Even if I have a ridiculous amount of money, a million dollar Shelby isn't likely to survive those four boys once they get to high school.
Still, the man works harder than anyone. And if his kids are anything like he was, he's going to deserve it more than anyone.
The gas, however, will be on him.
Running down the beach just after dawn with my favorite dog and my favorite songs and watching the sea lions out past the surf it's easy to remember why I've got a pretty damn fantastic life.
Newport Beach, California. Where it's illegal (or at least immoral) to complain of anything but traffic and real estate.
