without getting in to all the details, the engagement shoot we had was less than desirable. kerri and i decided to put together our own set of shots in our book for the wedding. no pressure, right? i hadn’t lifted the camera in a few weeks, the wedding date is getting closer, and we can’t rely on pictures we already had…we have to take new ones.

even after just talking about it, i was getting motivated. we came up with some (hopefully) creative ideas for some themed shots for the book, and went out last weekend to roxborough state park for our first set. here are a few of our favorites.

i’m going through some old family pictures for the montage we’re putting together for the wedding. among the several (very embarrassing) pictures of me was solider dave.

an old friend was in town tonight. his name is A.C., and for some reason i had all of these thoughts running through my head of cheesy things to say that were a play on his name. for example, today broke our stretch of 90+ degree days, so the “air conditioning” reverence was obvious. along the same line were all of the “cool” memories that it brought back from my first life after the army with all of my “cool” coworkers and all the “cool” things we did, like drink a lot of “cold” beer.

actually, i think that was all i really wanted to say. i rushed to the computer to write that when we got home, and that was all that came out. i was loosely thinking about the time in my life, mostly about the cool things we would do after work and just the atmosphere around the time, and it makes me glad that i had that time. i met some life long friends during that time, and people that i could not and would not want to imagine my life without, even if our lives have brought us to different places in the country or world. there were a lot of things about that time that i prefer not to remember, but i’m just glad that there are good parts-indeed, “cool” parts-that have survived the years and the miles and bless my life every day.

i had a situation today where my immediate reaction was the exact opposite with what i would have advised someone to do in the same situation. it got me thinking about how easy it is to tell someone to turn the other cheek, or to suck it up, or any of the hundreds of other quotes that we rattle off every day, and how interesting it is that it wasn’t my first reaction.

i’ve come a long way, and i still have long to go.

ps. john lennon was the man.

weird, sad news. johnny schou from tickle me pink, the band i had the opportunity to shoot a few months back, was found dead last week. i don’t think any details were released as to the cause. it’s just crazy. the band was in town to celebrate the release of their debut album and then this.

it’s weird. i’ve met these guys. i saw them perform and got my first photo pass to shoot the show. when there was a mixup getting my pass, johnny was the one that actually signed me in.

very sad.

i was going to post something longer tonight, but i ran out of time. i did, however, manage to get a few new pictures up which should display over the next few days, and i updated our wedding site.

as much as i obsess over patterns, i think i also need routines. i need to make things a part of my routine, and then it gets easier to do. working out was is a great example. before my surgery last year, i worked out three to four times a week, every week, for years. it was such a part of my routine that i would see the clock hit 5 or 5:30 and head downstairs to the gym at work. i don’t think it was just the surgically induced interruption that caused my downfall, though. i think i have other activities that have since become part of my routine and have taken over that time slot.

finding time to do all of the things i’m trying to do has become quite problematic…if it’s not part of my routine now, it takes so much effort to get there, which is why i think it’s so hard to get back to it. right now, working out is my main focus to get back, and photography is a close second. i’ve been doing more guitar lately, no writing to speak of, and a lot of work mixed with some wedding planning and social events. i wish i could build a better balance and get things spread out better. i’d like to feel like i’m getting better at photography as i do about my guitar playing.

where will the time come from, though? right now, the job is taking a lot of time. and there is wedding planning. the job may settle down and the wedding will eventually happen, but then there are kids some day, and that is a welcome chunk of time gone. i think it will be harder and harder to keep up with all of this stuff unless i make it a part of my routine now, which isn’t really that bad. it’s not like i have 100 things to choose from. i chose (or life chose for me) things that i’ve had to drop, or re-prioritize. and that’s not a bad thing. it’s life. we can always do everything we want to do all the time.

i think it’s about momentum. i need to do these things regularly for awhile to get them officially back in the routine, but i can’t seem to get enough momentum going to carry me through the uphill parts. i think if i could push this stone up at least once or twice, gravity would do the rest. i need to make the effort to do it more, to build that momentum, to let the weight of the stone pull me with it so that i can focus on not only just doing it more, but improving. feeling better physically. or sounding better musically. or writing better. or taking better pictures. or any of the thousands…millions of things that i feel i’m falling down on right now.

and here, i’ll stop. i think i’m rambling. i do that. i think that’s one of the things that i’ve done enough and is a part of my routine, so it comes effortlessly. so in hopes of replacing that part of my routing with something more constructive…

das ist alles.

(oh, did i mention that i’m relearning german? and trying to learn some french?)

sometimes i feel like i have two distinct, completely separate lives.

one life revolves around my work life. i get up, go to work, spend my day doing the best that i can to make a difference. indeed, an ant can’t move a rubber tree plant.

my other life outside of work is a series of hobbies, events, and eternal exhaustion. i try to cram so much stuff in to my free time that i never feel like i accomplish anything but, at the same time, i get to do some amazing stuff. last night, i had the distinct pleasure of shooting a concert for The Happy Headlines. they interviewed Tickle Me Pink, a band out of fort collins. the band was great, and very gracious for giving the interview and allowing me to shoot some pictures of their set. it was all very surreal, but i got some good shots, i think. we hung out after their set to watch the headline group Sick Puppies, too. the bass player was, as the kids would say, indeed sick. her technique was insane, and her right hand moved at ludicrous speed!

this post was going to be more deep and meaningful, but i started it days ago and have since lost the momentum. not on my other life, of course, just on the post. my other life is what, i think, will keep my work life from driving me insane.

the ultimate fighting championship was in broomfield last night, and some friends and i were in attendance. i posted a few pictures on flickr . the fights were great, and one of my highlights was getting my picture taken with forrest griffin! the fighters and really a lot of people in the organization were very fan friendly, and many of them were walking through the crowd.

be sure to read the file names of the images he’s showing.

Episode 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXeZ0s8DXZ0&feature=related

You Suck At Photoshop

Episode 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_X5uR7VC4M

Episode 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWn0lxRNqos&feature=related

Plenty of more on YouTube.