I haven't disappeared...

I just wanted to leave you all with some pleasant sleepy-time music...

So, here are some pics I took playing around with the Harvest moon the other night. The straight moon shots I took while Linda was driving.

This one I thought was kinda cool...

The other was done at a cemetery we passed on our way home.

I did a little editing to this one, but the best effect actually came from the flash on the stone, making it uber white against the darker background. I simply added a "lomo" effect to it.

At the comic-con

This weekend I went to the Mid-Ohio Comic Con. It's my second year going and it seems to be getting better.

As we walked in there were the artists of Cyanide and Happiness.

They were hilarious and made a sketch for me...

There was a lot of Dr. Who... I've recently gotten into the show (new Doctors, not so much the old).

Anyone who is a fan of the Doctor, will surely know what these are:

"Exterminate! Exterminate!"

There were several stars there as well...

Superman:

Jean-Luc Picard:

And probably one of the most recognizable stars of them all:

One of the best things that happened at the con, happened while I was trying to take a picture of a hot chick in yellow fish-net stockings and a red mini-mini skirt. My friend Jo kept interrupting, calling my name... after the third attempt I began to recognize the urgency with which she was calling.

I turned around and there was Patrick Stewart getting ready to leave the convention... so I started snapping shots (lost track of the fish-nets). As he was walking I realized he was coming my way, so I was polite and lowered the camera. He walked by me, bumping into me along the way. He turned to me and said, "Excuse me." in that perfect Picard voice... of course, I heard, "Excuse me, Number one."

Stuff

Fair and Balanced (bullshit)... between them and Yahoo!News I can't see two more biased news outlets (each leaning in the opposite direction)... It's sickening to see, really.

Fun times to be had here... Ummm... seriously, it doesn't appear that the gov't will EVER go paperless. I went through at least four reams of paper (500 pages, double side printing) in the last two days. I was a bit stressed today. Lemme just say, "I'm NOT the fucking 401k plan administrator!" I don't know how, or why, but it seems that I was given the entire task of leading this audit. Not just coordinating, but contacting third party administrators and former third party admins to produce documents that should be IN OUR OFFICE. They should be already held by our PLAN ADMIN, who, by the fucking way, ISN'T ME!

Uh huh, it's this weekend! I'm going with my friend Jo. Patrick Stewart, Eliza Dushku (mmmmm), Val Kilmer, Dean Cain... gonna be fun. :D

November, baby... woo hoo!!

Swearing in Day

I arrived at 11:30 to find her with the jobs counselor... he asked me if she should give a shot at lifting 20 more lbs than she was able to during the physical - she lifted 80 then, needed 100 - to which I said, yes. She agreed...



Doing this opened up the job selections considerably. Based on test scores, her physical, and the lifting, she was able to come up with 8 job selections, including aircraft tech - essentially she would get a plane that was her responsibility... her name would actually be on the plane, along with the pilot. Pretty cool.

Then, after waiting, and more paperwork, and more waiting... they were ushered into a room (there were only five of them... three guys, and two girls.

Soooo serious...







There was some thank you's and instructions given, then the swearing in...



This ceremony was started over... after the girl on the left passed out.









My girl is in the United States Air Force now... can't leave for a minimum of 30 days, but can get orders any time after that.

I'm so very proud!!

Finished Birthday renovations

I spent the day completing the renovation I started two weeks ago. I told her I'd get it done today, and so I did. (She wasn't pushing, just told her I don't like to leave projects undone, and I'd finish today.)

Here are a few shots of the completed bathroom. It really does look beautiful all put together now!

I installed a new showerhead... it's really awesome! I added the brushed nickel robe hook for towels (she didn't want a towel bar).

This was the curtain we used to choose the colors and decor scheme.


Sydney painted the vanity, which was faux oak, while I restored/add brushed nickel fixtures.


The vanity lighting was an ugly gold, with green paint... amazing what spray paint can do to old fixtures.

Subsidized rentals get a bad rap | The Columbus Dispatch

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/home_and_garden/2012/09/02/1-subsidized-rentals-get-a-bad-rap.html
A little story about the industry in which I work. Tom Feusse is the CEO of the company I work for.

Just dropped Logan off to take his ACT. He was understandably nervous. In a new place, taking a test that, as he put it, is his future.

Hmmm... xanga isn't working properly on my Kindle.

At Deer Creek State Park lodge. Tomorrow is the company summer event. I am the photographer. Fun...

Top 25!!

Chuck
Sent from my iPhone

Busy weekend

So, you may have noticed... or not... that I've not been around much this whole weekend. I've been a busy boy. Today was Linda's birthday, so Sydney and I treated her to a bathroom remodel.

Last night I removed all of the old wooden, country chic hardware and launched it to the dumpster. There were weird birdhouse things, and dusty ol' flowers... gone. The bathroom was painted green -light green on top, and kelly green on the bottom, with a freaking flower/country border through the middle... ugh. You can get an idea here... I already removed the flower border, and this is where I previously repaired the wall.

Today I started with repairing all the holes and things that were left from poorly hung hardware, and corrected mistakes made by previous "handy-people". Just a lot of "smoothing out of rough spots". I removed the medicine cabinet from the wall... It's a simple oak piece, but just needed some... sprucing up.

Sydney had the job of sprucing...

She did a wonderful job! I also took some of the plumbing fixtures and updated them to match the incoming hardware, which will be brushed nickel. 

I spray painted the faucet, door hardware, and heating/cooling vent to match the new brushed nickel shower curtain bar, and tp holder.

I painted the bathroom a very light blue, with almost a silvery touch of gray. I have some touch-up to do from a prior painting mishap, as well as some tape removal boo boos.

I also found, when I started taping and mudding holes, that another wall piece had simply rotted away next to the shower, so had to replace that...

Still have some work to do, but we both got a lot accomplished today... Sydney still have to finish painting the vanity, and I have to get some bits and pieces of plumbing hardware to reconnect the fittings.

After that, all that is left is to replace the shower head with a new brushed nickel power jet head, hang the beautiful curtain that Linda found (that we kinda based most of the room on, as well as a future sink), and to hang the hardware. (Oh, and trim painting...)

At the end of a long, and productive day, I prepared a dinner of t-bone steak, broccoli with cheddar sauce, and a pasta salad her cousin made.

Happy birthday Linda!!

Picture Perfect - Heart of the matter

I knew what I wanted to shoot as soon as I saw the awesome theme from my aquatic and scaly buddy, Gator.

I don't know if it's competition worthy, but I thought it was cool. I used a cotton linen bag as the drop, and used LED flashlights for the lighting... I shined it off of a piece of white paper to reflect back onto the crystal. The crystal is a watermelon tourmaline.

Picture Perfect - Week 7 - Heart of the Matter

I knew what I wanted to shoot as soon as I saw the awesome theme from my aquatic and scaly buddy, Gator.

I don't know if it's competition worthy, but I thought it was cool. I used a cotton linen bag as the drop, and used LED flashlights for the lighting... I shined it off of a piece of white paper to reflect back onto the crystal. The crystal is a watermelon tourmaline.



Picture Perfect - Heart of the Matter

I have an idea for my PP... I just gotta find the time to execute... I'm sleepy though. Not executing now. G'night all!!

My bit of sunshine

So, it apparently did clear up a bit. :-)




Chuck :D
Sent from my iPhone

Columbus Museum of Art

 

Sunday Linda and I went to the Columbus Museum of Art. I wanted to go for two specific reasons... There is a 1,700 year old Roman mosaic that was unearthed in Lod, Israel that was being shown in only 5 US cities. Columbus is the last one before moving on to the Louvre. The second reason was the exhibit of The Radical Photographer. It's an exhibit of the depression era photography group "The Photo League". They were documentary photographers at a time when documentary photography was unheard of. People of the time didn't want to see the failures of the US economy, but this group was determined to bring the inequality in urban environments to life through their still shots.

The picture above is of a Chiluly glass sculpture permanently on display... it's just a beautiful piece.

The shots below are from an Alice in Wonderland chess exhibit in the outdoor garden area...











The following are of the amazing detail of the Roman mosaic.

















There was no photography allowed in the photography exhibit... of course... Take my word for it. If you ever have a chance to check out the works of the Photo League, do so...