A Photo Diary

w00t

2012-01-09T19:20:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is my first day as Adjunct Professor of Photography at UNL. Yikes!

One of the assignments will be urban photography:

Grasslands

2012-01-01T12:58:00.001-08:00

I sure do love native grasslands!

Larger Photos!

2011-12-31T09:39:00.000-08:00

I think it's time for a slight redesign. Enjoy the new, larger photo format!

It's been a long December

2011-12-31T09:12:00.000-08:00

It's been a long, tiring, and difficult year.

I poured my soul in to a project that was warmly received and rather successful. I created some of the best images of my life and then let them go, permanently, as a way to find some sort of catharsis.

I know the hip thing is to shun resolutions, but I have one, and I don't think it will be too hard to maintain. You'll see the fruits of it here.

Cheers to a good year for all.

Presale!

2011-09-06T14:23:00.000-07:00

I spoke with Anne Burkholder and got the OK to do a pre-sale for my November show at the Burkholder Project!

So, if you've been following my posts and photos that I've been doing lately for the show, and you've been interested in getting one for yourself please let me know! Any sales I make will go to paying for the rest of the frames I still need to make the show a reality!

Everything else you see is for sale! First come, first serve.
SOLD: Leaf, Chair, Grass, Magnolia, and Vines

Remember, this is going to be a super low print run, making the prints very rare. We're talking one print each, signed as such! I'll be selling them at the show for $75 each, but for the pre-sale I'll do $50 as a thank-you to those of you helping me out and taking some ownership over the show with me!

The only catch is that you have to let me display the photo for the entire month of November. It'll be marked as sold, so no one will be able to buy it out from underneath you!

Thanks in advance!

Another Project Update!

2011-07-31T19:39:00.001-07:00

Went out with a new Duaflex today, different dust, same cool effect!

Simple

2011-07-24T19:41:00.001-07:00

Loving this at the moment.

Movie

2011-07-22T09:18:00.000-07:00

I have some photos making an appearance in a movie that's being filmed in Lincoln. It's called: "Vino Veritas" (http://vinoveritasmovie.com/synopsis/). I know the set decorator, and she contacted me to see if I'd be interested. The director of the movie is from Lincoln originally, and wanted to use local artists that had pictures taken elsewhere in the world (as one of the main characters is a photographer that travels the world).

The only regret is that I had a VERY small notice, so I had to go with what I already had printed to get them there on time. Note to self, keep tons of prints around! Both prints are from Prague, Czech Republic.

She sent me a couple of photos via her cell phone:

2011-07-10T20:27:00.001-07:00

Capitol

2011-05-09T21:26:00.001-07:00

Update III

2011-05-05T19:36:00.000-07:00

Here's a shot of me taking the leaf picture, courtesy of Lanette! The contraption gets a lot of attention, and you can see why! Usually people are like what the heck is that thing?!?!?

Here's the leaf:

And here's one I took today of St. Mary's next to the Capitol building.

Update

2011-04-26T19:18:00.000-07:00

I'm now over 10 edited photos with my new project, with quite a few sitting squarely on the fence that can go either way. I'm shooting (lol pun) for around 50 total photos for the show, so this is quite a nice start. Here are a couple of photos as an update. I wanted to keep most of the shots a secret to entice you all to come to the show, but I'm so excited with what I've been getting I can't help but to keep sharing images!

The best part of the project? Constantly wanting to be out shooting!

11 | 11

2011-04-10T13:58:00.000-07:00

I have finalized what I'm going to do for my full show at the Burkholder Project in November, and here's a sneak peak!

I bought a device off of a gentleman who does a lot of DIY photography projects. The objective is simple: It connects an old TLR, in this case a Kodak Duaflex II, to my camera, and I shoot through one of its lenses. You can get some neat effects doing this, including original dust build up and the frayed frame edges. The effect can be similar to those iPhone and Android apps that you can buy, but in this case I'm using actual hardware to get the core image.

I'm going to do a lot of shooting over the next few months for the show using this set up. Ultimately I'm going to print 5 x 5 prints matted and framed to 10 x 10. But the really cool thing about the show originates from an idea given to me by Lydia. Each photo will only be printed once. Anyone that buys one of the photos gets the satisfaction of knowing that they are the only person in the world that will have it. Each print will be signed, and marked 1/1 for authenticity. I'll retain a digital copy for portfolio/promotional purposes only.

I'm hoping to shoot at least 50 new, worthy images for the project, which should drive the price down in regards to my costs, thus making it so that I can offer the prints at a price point people can afford.

Please let me know if you have any thoughts on the project!

Sandhill Cranes

2011-03-25T19:40:00.000-07:00

With a severe snow storm moving into the Burwell area tomorrow morning, Lanette and I have decided to forgo the prairie chickens this year. No one wants to spend 3 hours on the highway with ice and 5 inches of snow.

Instead, we'll hang around and hit up some more cranes!

View Large!

Spring Creek Prairie

2011-02-12T07:12:00.000-08:00

I'm gearing up and getting ready for my mini show at the Burkholder next month. This image is a variation on a picture that I've posted before, but I like this one a bit more, as getting a good action shot can be a bit tough.

Luis and I are fully moved into our new gallery space, and First Friday is March 4th, so I hope to see you there!

Upstate New York

2011-02-11T12:31:00.000-08:00

View Large and On Black

Fall in Vermont

2011-01-24T13:31:00.000-08:00

Going through some old files... this could take weeks! And though it sounds like it, I'm not complaining. Visit my Flickr for other shots I've been finding.

Taxidermy

2011-01-16T07:45:00.001-08:00

So I've written about images that I've forgotten about. This image is from the other side of the spectrum... an image I've always remembered, but just never felt I could do the justice it deserved. I decided to take another stab at it with PSCS5, and I quite like the final result here. To be honest, there's not a lot of editing that would warrant me HAVING to wait until PSCS5, but I really feel like the new RAW editor handles things differently and handles a full tonal range much better. Even with JPEGs, which this image is based off of. Once upon a time I never shot in RAW because I was an idiot. Now it's all RAW all the time.

This was taken in February of 2006 on one of those amazing outing with Ryan and Lanette.

I decided to throw this image into PSCS5's HDR Toning filter, and I kind of dig the results. It's like a super powered B&W Red Filter! What do you all think?

Crane Season...

2011-01-12T09:53:00.000-08:00

I'm getting excited for the upcoming Sandhill Crane season. Here's an image I found while going through folders this morning.

Looks like I'll have some of my crane photos published in the Prairie Fire newspaper this year, so that should be fun!

Butterfly

2010-12-11T09:32:00.000-08:00

It's a cold, windy, snowy day in Lincoln. I think we're going to go Christmas shopping since it's beginning to finally look like the right season. I also had a peppermint mocha, and it's heavenly. And for some weird reason, my Flickr was in Indonesian today. Thank you Google Translate for identifying it for me, and allowing me to get back to the norm.

Here's one of those pictures that gets lost in the fold until I go to clean up my desktop:

Apple

2010-12-08T09:36:00.000-08:00

The holidays have helped to increase sales at the Burkholder Project. Speaking of the gallery, I've signed on to do two shows in 2011. In March I'll be part of a three artist grouping, and in November I'll be pairing with a potter for a 2D/3D show.

Set up the home studio today and took this picture:

I found that the most challenging aspect of taking this photo was trying to keep highlights from the studio lighting from showing up. I ended up splitting the aim of the softbox between the apple and the white background, which ended up working quite well.

Bug Week: Day 7

2010-09-08T00:30:00.000-07:00

W00t, we've made it an entire week!

I've saved the best for last with the amazing Crab Spider! Once again spotted by Lanette, these elusive arachnids aren't like their wussy relatives that need to make webs to catch their prey... no, they lie in wait and ambush an unsuspecting passerby!

View Large and On Black

View Large and On Black

Bug Week: Day 6

2010-09-07T08:08:00.001-07:00

Bug Week: Day 5

2010-09-06T10:20:00.000-07:00

Bug Week: Day 4

2010-09-05T07:14:00.000-07:00

I like this one quite a bit. It's the perfect blend of macro and subject focus! It actually looks kind of surreal to me!

This one is certainly worth viewing large and on black!

Lydia and I went to the zoo yesterday, and the first Husker home game, so all in all it was a pretty fun day. Today we have a Labor Day picnic, and then tomorrow off to an apple orchard for our beloved Honeycrisps. A busy, yet fun long weekend.

Bug Week: Day 3

2010-09-04T05:54:00.000-07:00

Imma bee imma bee imma imma imma bee.

Bug Week: Day 2

2010-09-03T13:24:00.000-07:00

Damselflies!

I've NEVER taken a good picture of a Damselfly until the other day when I went out shooting with Lanette. She is absolutely the best insect and animal spotter ever!

Bug Week: Day 1

2010-09-02T18:52:00.000-07:00

I have TONS of macro shots from Spring Creek, so I'm going to try to update at least a photo per day here! Then after that, I have zombies to go through, as well as some shots from the Aaron Zimmer concert.

Eastern Tailed-Blue

Thoughts?

2010-08-25T00:34:00.001-07:00

I'm back and forth on this image... what do you all think? Keeper or stinker?

Random

2010-08-25T00:30:00.000-07:00

I did some head shots for an old friend the other day. I think overall this was a pretty good use of an outdoor wall, and much more compelling than a boring ol' backdrop.

In other news, I hit another Getty sale, and signed on for my first wedding next year. Slowly but surely!

Spring Creek Prairie

2010-08-08T19:51:00.000-07:00

Visited Spring Creek Prairie the other day with Lanette. Got some great insect shots.

Busy busy busy

2010-06-06T10:56:00.001-07:00

I haven't been posting much, and with good reason. Lydia and I bought a house, and I secured my first ever gallery space!

Needless to say, things have been a bit hectic, and as a result, I haven't been shooting much. Hopefully that will all change here soon, as I'm finally starting to catch up with life!

Here's the gallery (only part of it, but just to give you an idea):

And one from a recent model shoot I did:

And finally one from a model shoot I did 6 months ago that I recently came across, and liked better than my initial edit:

OK, I feel better now that we're all caught up. I'll try not to be such a stranger!

Bus Blind

2010-03-26T14:13:00.001-07:00

This is the blind I used to photograph the Prairie Chickens last weekend. We rented it from the Calamus Outfitters, who were a great bunch of people! Honestly, check them out if you get a chance, they do things year-round.

Large

Juvenile Bald Eagle

2010-03-25T15:30:00.000-07:00

I decided to try my luck on a bridge East of Kearney Saturday night for some sunset pictures. I didn't get too many great crane photos, but a juvenile Bald Eagle flew right over our heads. We were fully immersed in golden hour at that time, so I really love the light. It also marks the closest I've been to an eagle in the wild, as they're usually pretty skittish and take off once they know you're watching them.

Large

Crane Dance

2010-03-22T13:47:00.000-07:00

Today's picture is of a beautiful Sandhill Crane throwing a piece of detritus into the air.

From the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission:
The "dance" of the Sandhill Crane is well known. Pairs engage in elaborate bowing displays with outstretched wings and leap high into the air. Often, a corncob or stick is picked up and thrown upward repeatedly. This behavior is believed to strengthen or establish new pair bonds. Although cranes generally "mate for life" (i.e. pairs remain faithful), they are hunted in several states and provinces, and if mates are lost, cranes will select another mate if necessary. Consequently, the Platte has been referred to as "the greatest singles bar for cranes" or "the melting pot of crane world", since it provides the best opportunity to find a new mate as sub-populations from throughout the Northern Hemisphere mingle.

Birding

2010-03-21T19:45:00.000-07:00

Went out birding again this weekend! Got lots of great shots, but unfortunately, I'm super tired as I got up at 3:15 this morning, and work early tomorrow, so just one upload tonight. I'll try to post a picture every day here over the next week or so, as I've got quite a catalog to re-edit from the last couple of weeks.

Today's picture is of booming Greater Prairie Chickens. They are really interesting birds that make funny sounds, and have a super interesting mating ritual, which includes some martial arts, as seen below. I like to think that the top bird is about to round-house kick the lower bird a la Chuck Norris.

Sandhill Cranes

2010-03-14T19:04:00.000-07:00

I just got back a few hours ago from photographing the Sandhill Cranes with Lydia.

Saturday

This picture goes out to Lanette, who reminded me at the last second that I needed to book a blind for Saturday morning.

Large

Unfortunately, this is all I got in the blind. Just as the sun was coming up, we all start switching out for our larger lenses, and *whoosh*, in swoops a Bald Eagle and scares the birds away. They all left. But it was a cool experience nonetheless.

Large

Large
This is after sunset on Saturday. Literally, it was black outside, but I decided to chance a 5 second exposure, and came away with this.

Sunday

Today's focus was panning.

Large

Large

And finally, a non-crane!

Large

I'll be at it again next weekend!

Capitol Shoot

2010-03-06T21:00:00.000-08:00

I got a message from a very talented local photographer named Kyle the other day asking whether or not I'd like to join him on a shoot this morning with a new and talented model from Omaha named Morgan. At the time, I had declined because I had been planning on heading to the Grand Island/Kearney area to photograph Sandhill Cranes, but after checking in on the numbers of birds that had moved into the area, I decided to stick around Lincoln instead. I'm glad I did, as I got some pretty cool shots, and it's always a blast shooting with Kyle.

View Large and On Black

Photograph Nebraska

2010-02-28T15:05:00.000-08:00

Just got back from the Photograph Nebraska Symposium, and it was quite a fun event! I got to spend two and a half days with like-minded individuals talking about all sorts of photography. Joel Sartore and Michael Forsberg were absolutely amazing keynote speakers, and really helped reinvigorate me.

It was great meeting so many new people, and if what everyone has said is true, it looks like I've got a lot of new photo buddies to go shooting with.

We didn't do too much actual photography during the Symposium, but I did manage to take a few images.

I really like this shot. It's of a small tree limb with hoar frost on it. It looks kind of like a centipede to me. View Large for detail

Technically another hoar frost photo. Sometimes landscapes in Nebraska don't get the recognition they deserve, as we're known as a flat, fly-over state. You can find beauty anywhere, including the lined rows of corn leading into a line of wind-break trees.

Cinnamon Apple Martini

2010-02-15T19:38:00.000-08:00

Bonus points if anyone can actually tell me what the liquid is in this photo!

I really like studio photography. I'm hoping that sometime in the near future I can add this to my repertoire and do some good things with it! This photo was taken a few years ago at the studio in the J-school at UNL. Lydia was my trusty assistant, and we made some pretty awesome looking drinks!

This is another blast from the past, by the way.

Burrowing Owl

2010-02-12T20:58:00.000-08:00

I've been steadily making my way through some old images in the hopes of finding some unique shots that I missed the first time through. I think this shot certainly falls in that category. It's of a Burrowing Owl, which is considered endangered in some states, and threatened in some countries.

View Larger, and on Black

Goldfinch

2010-02-08T15:07:00.000-08:00

Went out shooting with Lanette and Joel from the Photo Shoppe yesterday. We were in search of Bald Eagles at Desoto Wildlife Refuge. Didn't get a lot of great shots of the Eagles, but we did see two bald eagles, and a youngling, so it was pretty awesome. Hopefully I'll be able to make it back a few times early this spring, as the numbers should be higher.

Here's a picture of a Goldfinch having its dinner. Desoto is pretty awesome by the way, I highly encourage people to take a trip out if you get a chance!

Simplicity

2010-01-31T13:32:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, the simplest of photos can grab and hold your attention.

I went out shooting with Lanette yesterday. Ryan was going to join us, but there was a pretty bad car accident in his family, and he had to leave shortly after getting to Lincoln. Luckily everyone is doing OK, though a bit shaken and beaten up.

Sunset

2010-01-30T20:37:00.000-08:00

Hot Chocolate!

2010-01-21T15:25:00.000-08:00

I took this photo yesterday at the coffee shop. We're looking at upping our presence on both Google and our website, so I was taking some photos of some of our products to use it as a visual element in coupons. I quite like it, and I'm really digging the overall quality that the 7D is putting out. Sadly for you, the viewer, this small image doesn't do the shot near enough justice. I like the crop on this one, I probably won't use it for the coupon, but I like it better than many of the other images. Also, it's kind of dramatic, no?

7D | 80mm | 1/100 | f3.5 | ISO 400

In other news, my modeling career has taken off, as Ryan has sold 4 photos of me in it. One of the sold photos has caught my attention, as it was purchased by the new TV show "Caprica". Here's a link to the photo: Clicky. As the royalty check was pretty small, they must not be doing too much with it, but it's cool nonetheless.

You may have also noticed that I've been trying to write more with the blog entries. Hopefully this has offered some insight to my work, and I plan on continuing!

Storm Chasing

2010-01-19T19:35:00.000-08:00

My friend Ryan is a fantastic storm chaser. This photo is from one of the first chases I went on with him. We ended up in northern Nebraska during this shoot, spending much of our time driving back and forth between Columbus and Schuyler, based on current weather conditions, and actively trying not to be hit by a tornado. I know he reads this blog, so let it be known, that if he doesn't take me out at least twice this year, I'm disowning him :D

View Large and On Black

There are many cliché photographs that photographers go for. The trick is to make whatever cliché you're going after unique. That being said, I think every photographer needs their very own, "Grass blowing in the wind" shot. Luckily, the killer storm was giving me a beautiful backdrop.

Horned Lark

2010-01-17T15:31:00.000-08:00

Lanette finally got a DSLR, so we had a mini lesson yesterday, and then went out shooting for a bit. I found my very first Horned Lark, so I consider this a pretty good shoot!

Canon 7D | 640mm | 1/800 | f10 | ISO 400

(yes, I know it's on snow, and 400 is overkill, but I was afraid he was going to take off, and took some safety shots. Once I switched lower, he was gone.)

Espresso

2010-01-13T07:24:00.000-08:00

Canon 7D | 80mm | 1/60 | 1.8 | ISO 1000

My coffee addiction is coming along quite nicely!

This picture was taken yesterday with my new Canon 7D, which is truly an amazing piece of equipment. I really like the focal plane that runs along the handle and rim of the pitcher.

I just got in a battery pack, extra battery, and a couple of high capacity CF cards, so I'm good to go!

I'm also going to start posting some of the info on the picture, in case it helps other photographers that read this blog.

More Grasslands

2010-01-10T14:20:00.000-08:00

Here are two more from Nine Mile Prairie. I'll work on getting some new material soon!

Untitled

2010-01-08T16:14:00.000-08:00

Definitely worth looking at large, and on black!

Found while photographing Nine Mile Prairie with Ryan.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T13:59:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately, we're in the middle of a fairly bad ice storm and blizzard.

View On Black

Another night shot

2009-11-26T19:43:00.001-08:00

Grasslands

2009-11-23T21:45:00.000-08:00

View Large and On Black

View Large and On Black

Wedding Shoes

2009-11-23T14:54:00.001-08:00

Wedding

2009-11-03T19:29:00.001-08:00

Jebediah

2009-11-01T16:37:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I forget I have a blog... Sorry about that, for the 3 of you that read it.

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays of the year, and we had a pretty good week leading up to it. I got to scare the crap out of Lanette, I went to 2 pumpkin patches, had two costumes, multiple parties, massive beer consumption, and Monster Squad!

Anywho, last night we went to a Halloween party, and I dressed up as an Amish gentleman. I loved the costume, and it was super simple, since I had the beard, shirt, jacket, etc.

Moth

2009-10-13T20:48:00.000-07:00

View large, and on black

Summer

2009-10-12T19:58:00.000-07:00

It's getting cold around here. We've already had our first measurable snow fall, and I find myself longing for just a bit more time out in the beautiful summer air.

Have I ever mentioned how much I actually hate all the wind in Nebraska? Coupled with cold temperatures, it's a real drag.

Here's to memories:

Go Big Red!

2009-09-29T17:22:00.001-07:00

We went to the 300th sell out on Saturday, it was quite a great time!

Zebra Longwing Butterfly

2009-09-05T19:24:00.000-07:00

Went out shooting with Ryan and Lanette yesterday, more to follow. Probably.

Wheat

2009-08-30T18:16:00.001-07:00

...

2009-08-20T22:27:00.000-07:00

Went out shooting with Chelsea again. We always end up with some killer shots!

I need to start shooting more this month. I'm officially a Getty Correspondent now, and I get to submit anything I want to their stock pool, which could generate some cash down the road. Anyone have any awesome ideas?

Tick

2009-08-07T07:28:00.000-07:00

Lanette spotted this guy during a Pioneer' Park outing a while back. I remembered the photo when Lydia and I were watching an episode of 'most extreme' on Animal Planet yesterday. They were talking about how they can go 15 years between meals... extreme indeed.

Welcome to the Holiday Inn of Doom!

2009-07-26T07:43:00.001-07:00

View Large!

Another shot from the other night when Ryan, Lanette and I went out shooting.

Lightning

2009-07-24T22:06:00.000-07:00

View Larger

Went out shooting with Ryan and Lanette tonight, and happened upon a storm. I love lightning, and got some cool images. I'm behind in editing other photos, so I'll likely add more to the blog sooner or later.

Espresso Beans

2009-07-19T09:10:00.000-07:00

I've become quite the addict since working at Sunrise...

Farmer's Market

2009-07-15T09:05:00.000-07:00

All un-posed, by the way.

Bright Lights, City Nights

2009-07-12T09:24:00.000-07:00

Went out shooting with Chelsea last night, and got some great night shots.

Flower

2009-07-02T20:53:00.000-07:00

Are the 7 days up yet? I'm running out of material...

Kitties always find the light

2009-07-01T18:13:00.000-07:00

New Whip

2009-06-30T20:05:00.001-07:00

2009 Subaru Impreza :D

Lincoln Zoo

2009-06-29T17:56:00.001-07:00

Strawberry Creamosa

2009-06-28T13:07:00.000-07:00

mmmmm

Kitty Stretch

2009-06-27T00:08:00.000-07:00

Yikes

2009-06-26T21:02:00.000-07:00

Since I'm super lame and haven't been updating, today is the first of 7 in a row where I'm going to post a new picture.

Roobie

2009-06-03T19:30:00.001-07:00

Well, Lydia and I went out this afternoon and picked out a fantastic new bike. She got one for graduation last week from her parents, and I've been wanting one for years, so thinking that it would be a great way for us to be active together, we went to Cycle Works today and picked out a rootbeer colored Trek 7100. It's a 'comfort' bike, but that's all I really want. I'm not going for distance, or trails or whatnot. I just want a nice bike that I can go out and ride during all these beautiful evenings we've been having.

We went out riding for a bit this evening, and it was a lot of fun! Can't wait to go again.

His name is Roobie, based off the color, and partially because I think it sounds awesome :D

Where I've Been...

2009-05-28T21:07:00.001-07:00

Sorry for not posting much lately, here's the rundown.

First and foremost, my camera died. As a result, I haven't been shooting as much. It was a good little camera, and I've had it since it's first week of release. I'm positive I've put over 100,000 actuations on the shutter, and it's served me diligently through many memorable events. I bought a Rebel to replace it while I scrounge up some money for the 50D, or its rumored replacement that should hit this fall. I can't wait, as there is certainly a difference between their entry level DSLRs and the prosumer and higher lines.

Went back to Vermont for Lydia's graduation, and it was a blast, though it was sad saying goodbye to everyone. Here's a pic:

I don't know how much I'll be shooting with the Rebel, but I do have a bit of a backlog, so hopefully I'll be posting more pictures soon.

Rugby

2009-05-01T18:20:00.000-07:00

View Larger

My good friend Denise mentioned that UNL's Women Rugby team had a game last night, and asked if I'd like to take some pictures. I've never been to a Rugby match before, and thought it sounded kinda awesome. I took my camera, and had nostalgic flashbacks to my photojournalism days as I photographed from the sidelines. I think this shot is the most artistic of the lot, and I'll likely post more later.

Osprey and Cedar Waxwing

2009-04-22T20:13:00.000-07:00

A couple of the many birds we saw yesterday.

Prairie Chickens

2009-04-21T19:48:00.000-07:00

View Larger

This is a bit different for me, and I think it looks quite nice larger.

Went out photographing with Lanette again today. We were hoping to see some prairie chickens, but didn't have any luck. We did get to see some cardinals, grouses, cedar waxwings, and an osprey!

Never seen an osprey in the wild, or a grouse for that matter!

More to follow, but for now sleep, as I got up at 3:20 a.m. this morning to go shooting.

C25K

2009-04-20T15:09:00.000-07:00

I started Couch to 5K this morning. It's a pretty sweet program that Lydia introduced me to. It's basically a 9 week program designed to take someone literally from their couch to being able to run a 5K.

I got some new running shoes for the occasion, as my normal gym shoes aren't that great with support when it comes to running. I tried on three Asics after many recommendations, but found that every single style slid along my heel too much, which would lead to some very serious blisters. Guess I have some odd feet! After asking salespeople in 3 random stores, who all recommended the same shoe, I ended up with the Nike Zoom Vomero 3's, which could possibly be the most comfortable shoes I've ever worn. And they fit like a glove! They were even on sale at the last store, so I saved a cool $25.

I even went with the red and black pair to commemorate my return to the land of Huskers. Though the yellow and black were pretty hot.

It's been awhile...

2009-04-14T19:33:00.001-07:00

... which is due to me driving back to Nebraska this last weekend! So, I'm back, looking for work and a place to live.

Lanette mentioned that there were still a few Sandhill Cranes hanging around mid-Nebraska, so we decided to drive on over to take a look. Words cannot describe their beauty. Their sounds, dances, and even the way they fly and land are amazing. The numbers were low, but we still got to see some!

And as usual, other birds were about:

My favorite, the Meadowlark

The ornery red-winged blackbird

We also saw a pheasant, many kestrels, a cardinal, robins, etc.

And on a sad note - One of my favorite bridges burned down a couple of weeks ago

Ryan had mentioned this at dinner last night, but I had to go see it for myself. Sadly it was true. I used to go there fairly often to get outside during undergrad at UNK. Apparently there had been a controlled burn across the river a while back, and then a couple weeks after that some high winds rekindled a large pile of debris, which led to the fire going on uncontrolled, and it eventually reached the bridge.

I hope they rebuild it.

Skating Party

2009-04-06T08:15:00.001-07:00

We went roller skating with some friends on Friday, and it was awesome! Lydia got completely into character, and totally rocked it!

It was seriously a blast, and not nearly as tragic as I was expecting :D

Ha!

2009-04-03T07:03:00.000-07:00

I got a birthday surprise from a couple of my officemates this week! I guess Abe (pictured) and his daughter stayed up wicked late the night before making the flames, which is very appreciated. And thanks to Hannah for the photo and being a part of the decorating team.

And to those wondering, I'm not 45, rather that was a reference to the MPG of our amazing Prius.

Good times. I sure am going to miss a lot of people. One week and one day from now, I'm heading to Nebraska.

Tree

2009-03-27T05:48:00.000-07:00

Chester Again

2009-03-24T12:36:00.001-07:00

Sunrise

2009-03-23T07:48:00.000-07:00

We had a beautiful sunrise this morning!

Though short, this weekend was nice. We showed our place off and have already had an offer on it, we went out for amazing Mexican food, watched Role Models with some great friends, and I killed many zombie-type things yesterday.

Less than 3 weeks until I move home. Yikes.

Killzone 2

2009-03-16T07:16:00.000-07:00

I like video games quite a bit. Lydia bought me Killzone 2 for Valentine's Day (romantic, no?), and I love it! There's a challenge within the game that involves the online multiplayer. Basically, the top 1%, 3%, 6%, and 10% of players in a week's time earn a ribbon and trophy, which includes a specialized color doohickey next to your name so that people can see your accomplishment. I made a goal this week with Lydia out of town, and thus more video game playing time to get one of the ribbons. Over 390,000 people played online this week, so I had to be in the top 3,900 players alltogether. When it was all said and done last night, I finished in spot 1,546, so I was in the top .5 percentile!!! Not too shabby considering I'm relatively new to the whole online first person shooter playing style :D

Anyways, I couldn't have done it without Milo giving me good luck cuddles while playing:

And proof (notice the red ribbon under 'overview' and the custom title 'Natural Born Killer' off to the right):

One of these things is not like the others...

2009-03-13T05:48:00.001-07:00

In a rare act of cuteness, Chester strikes a pose.

More Snow

2009-03-09T08:22:00.000-07:00

I've actively been thinking that I need to get away from posting snow pictures, but that's really hard to do when you live in Vermont and it snows ALL THE TIME! So we're in the middle of another half foot of snow, and the drive in today was horrible. I actually fishtailed on the interstate a bit, going 35 mph. There were 5 cars that had gone off, including a PT Cruiser that had passed me 3 minutes before easily going 50 in an unplowed lane. I know it makes me a bad person, but I secretly like it when those people go off the road (without injuries to them or others of course). I hope it teaches them a lesson and makes them slow down a bit next time.

I am very ready for summer, though not ready for the move and job hunt that will happen between now and then.

Ready for summer...

2009-03-02T07:07:00.000-08:00

So, we're about to get another half foot of snow here today, and it has left me, on the second day of March, really wishing for some nicer weather. I yearn for longer days, shorts, and a general lack of snow.

And above all else, I want thunderstorms.

Another shot of Chelsea

2009-02-27T07:25:00.000-08:00

Man I love this shot! The bokeh is near perfect, and it really holds up at larger sizes!

Smiling Face

2009-02-25T05:34:00.000-08:00

The background looks a bit like it's smiling, no?

I'm seeing a frog, what do you see?

More snow!

2009-02-22T20:44:00.000-08:00

It's too bad that people like to steal photos that they find on the internet... I'd really like to share these with you a bit larger.

We're in the midst of 10-16 inches right now, and it's as beautiful as ever. Lydia suggested that I take some photos, so I headed out with my trusty 20D and 50 1.8 and did some low light shots since it was nearly dusk. It was pretty awesome, as this translated into some beautiful blue light. The snow is supposed to continue into tomorrow morning, then we're slated for a break, followed by more snowfall in the afternoon. All said and done we'll easily have a foot and half of snow, which is always a blast.

Snow!

2009-02-19T06:36:00.000-08:00

We got a bit more snow today. Roads were pretty hectic coming into work, but the beauty it creates is well worth it. It's a super wet snow, as the temperature is hovering around 32, so it's clinging to trees, and there are rumors of a snow ball fight or sledding around here at lunch time.

I like working with hippies.

Game Night

2009-02-15T12:59:00.000-08:00

One of my most favorite things in the whole world: Getting together with friends and playing board games. We went over to Allison and Josh's place last night and had a ton of fun. Which included me playing Scrabble for the first time ever! I don't know why, but I had just never gotten around to playing it before, but it was nice to do so. The hand is Lydia's, and she's putting down the final word, effectively securing us the win! Beginner's luck is beautiful!

'09's New Fashion Statement

2009-02-12T17:43:00.000-08:00

What's up with the new 3D craze? Two commercials during the Super Bowl. The television show, Chuck, was in 3D the next night. Coraline is in 3D if you see it at an Imax theater. Aliens Vs. Monsters, which will be a summer blockbuster is also coming out in 3D. I've heard there's new technology out, but wow, what a sudden influx!

Me? I'll wait for VR :D

Lake Placid

2009-02-09T19:09:00.000-08:00

Taken when Ryan came up and visited in October. This is Lake Placid, which really didn't live up to its name. It was very windy! But a pretty nice little town nonetheless!

Yet another new photo sees the light of day, courtesy of my future post folder.

Law Prom!

2009-02-08T13:25:00.000-08:00

Every year the Student Bar Association at Vermont Law School puts on the Barrister's Ball, which is more affectionately known as Law Prom by the students and partners. Lydia and I went up early and had dinner with Nick, Mary, and Ryan at the Vermont Culinary Institute's restaurant, and we had some amazing food and drinks. After that we headed into the Prom, and danced like there was no tomorrow! I think I set a personal record for the amount of time I spent on the dance floor. Afterwards we retreated up to our room and had copious amounts of hard liquor, and passed out sometime after 2:30.

It was a fantastic day!

Moss

2009-02-06T19:00:00.001-08:00

Photographed this while out with Ryan last October. Don't know why, but I keep coming back to it. Love the varying depths of the branches, and the cool light I guess.