Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Unexpected Comedy


  Yesterday I had to do some grocery shopping and took Benjamin to Sam's to pickup a few things (which for anyone that's been to Sam's that's next to impossible to only get a "few things").
  Well before we head off in search of a palette of dental floss I had to make a pit stop in the men's room. The only option I had was to hold Benjamin as I stood at the urinal. I thought it might be a good introduction to potty training for him. "See Benjamin this is what big boys do when they have to tinkle."
  My idea wasn't well thought out. I never thought about how he would react to the situation. Let's see. First he was fascinated what Daddy was doing at the urinal. (He loves to be around water. Loves to splash in the bath or pool so you can imagine he being fascinated by this.)
  Then the chrome of the urinal flusher grabbed his attention and he wanted to pull on it. I quickly pulled him away from the flusher while keeping my aim accurate.
  While he was trying to flush for me a man walked in to the restroom and took the urinal next to us. Benjamin leaned over to see if he recognized the gentleman and then realized he was doing the same as daddy with the splashing. He got excited about the whole encounter until another man entered and went for a stall. 
  This captured his attention as he heard the man fumble around and make noise from behind the door. He kept looking down at the man's feet which were viewable under the stall door. Then switched back to watching our urinal mate. Yeah it was a bit creepy.
  All of a sudden there was that shiny chrome handle and Benjamin went for it and flushed daddy's urinal. He had so much fun making his own splashing from the flush that he repeated. By this time I was finished and made my way for the sink.
  The one-hand sink wash is an accomplished skill let me tell you. Benjamin couldn't get over all the water splashing that was going on inside the restroom. I just hope it was a positive introduction to the bathroom and that he'll one day be excited about using the toilette like big boys. Until then I better lay off the coffee.

Saturday, December 27, 2008

A New Start to an Old Friend


EDITOR'S NOTE: THE FOLLOWING IS A TECHNICAL BLOG ENTRY AND MAY BE BORING TO SOME. BUT FOR THE GEEKS IT'S PRETTY COOL.
  Well now that I've written about our Christmas let me tell you about one of the toys I got on Christmas. My mom gave me something I've been wanting ever since it came out almost 2 1/2 years ago. The gift was Apple TV.
  Now I know I wrote about this already but that was from an observers stand point and not from an owner/user standpoint. Now that I've had it for 48 hours I can give some better impressions about the unit.
  I guess I should explain for those who are unfamiliar with Apple TV. Essentially what it does is store your digital media on it's hard drive as well as access other digital content via it's wired and wireless internet connections.
  The very first thing I had to do was to figure out how I should wire it into my home a/v system in the family room. As you may remember we upgraded our receiver back in August and it has been wonderful ever since. And after a little research in the owner's manual (yes I actually read it from time to time) I figured out a way to wire in the digital audio without having to buy additional hardware or wires.
  The next step was to transfer part of my digital media library over to Apple TV's 40GB hard drive. Bare in mind that I have 3500 songs, 160 movies, 20+ TV shows and 28,000 images currently in my library. Not all of that would fit on the hard drive so I had to decide which would go and which I could stream if necessary.
  I went through my library and selected a dozen movies and all of my television shows to send to the media server in my living room. I decided that I wanted the Apple TV to have more video content than pictures or music as it's main selling point is that it's connected to your HDTV. Might as well make the most out of that.
  Here's one of the draw backs. It took over six hours to wirelessly transfer the 16 GB of content from the iMac in my office to the set top box in the family room. Now if I had the faster WiFi router (802.11n) it may have only taken three hours.
  So right before Cathy and I went to bed the transfer was completed. Man I didn't want to go to sleep after that. I had all this cool stuff that previously I could only watch on the computer, iPods or iPhone. Now it was on my 56" television. Nice!!
  Another draw back is that unless your video is stored as 720p or higher (here's were my Uncle Ron's eyes roll back if he's even made it this far on my blog) it's going to look shoddy. When I was ripping my movies from DVD to iTunes I did so with the idea that the resolution would be for my iPhone. This was mainly because the files collectively wouldn't take up as much room on my iMac's hard drive. A high-def movie will weigh in around 12GB compared to the 370MB my "ripped" movies take up now.
  So my DVD collection doesn't look great but I can always pop them in to the upgrading DVD player if I really want to see it in it's full splendor.
  Another feature to Apple TV is the ability to purchase or rent movies on iTunes all from your living room TV. It even allows you to buy or rent movies in HD. Granted their HD is 720p with 5.1 audio and Blu-Ray is 1080p with 7.1 surround sound (stay with me Ron) but the clips I saw were pretty good.
  It also allows me to watch things such as trailers for upcoming movies, access the full YouTube library or watch a slide show of my various photo galleries.
  In the last two days I've watch more video using the Apple TV than from my Brighthouse cable box. That could be attributed to the fact that it's the new toy or that we've already watched every show saved on the DVR.
  As a quick side note, I read a story in The New York Times a few weeks ago about people who watch a lot of TV shows but don't own a television. They watch all the shows on the networks' websites or download them from iTunes. It's interesting to me that I could essentially do the same thing with Apple TV. The drawback is that I don't feel like spending $35 for a season of House nor do I really want to own all those episodes. Maybe in the future you can pay a smaller amount to "rent" the episode.
  I told Cathy that I could see movie studios in the future distributing first-run movies through something like iTunes and Apple TV. My prediction was based on the fact that movie audiences are shrinking annually and the number one movie this week likely won't be number one next week. So my theory is that studios will still premiere the movies in the theaters but starting the third week or so they'll open them up for premium rentals on iTunes for $25. 
  This could be a boom for studios and especially ones that release family movies. Families with many young children would probably prefer paying the $25 premium for the rental of a first-run movie over trekking out to the mall and spend maybe twice that for the tickets. Not to mention if one of the kids (or Dad) has to use the bathroom or grab a snack from the fridge they can hit pause and not miss a moment. 
  So for those still reading, I am very enthusiastic about my Christmas gift from my mother. Apple TV is simple to use and enjoyable to watch. It does have some drawbacks but I can adjust to those for it's features.

Friday, December 26, 2008

It Wouldn't be Christmas Without a Cold


  Yesterday we had an enjoyable Christmas as a family. Benjamin developed a cold this week and it seemed to really get worse on Christmas Eve. So much so that it felt like Christmas Eve 2007 as we were getting up every two hours tending to our little guy.
  So Cathy and I were a little weary when morning came around. We ate breakfast together as a family before going to the front room to open gifts. I don't think Benjamin understood what was going on as he just wanted to run around the house. 
  We had fun exchanging our gifts and watching Benjamin play with the toys he received. I think his favorite toy was a train that my Aunt Dorothy sent him. He was a bit impatient as Cathy tried to remove it from the box. Eventually he went down for a nap and allowed Cathy and I to prepare for the grandparents.
  By the time the in-laws and my mom arrived Benjamin was up from his nap and had a hearty lunch. He came running out to see his grandparents as if he was a fit of health. It looks like this kid already knows how to work his grandparents. 
  The lunch was a nontraditional one. Cathy baked a lasagna and we had the grandparents bring some side dishes. After lunch we headed back to the living room for round 2 of gift-giving. 
  We told everyone not to buy Benjamin any toys this year as he has too many already. But that didn't stop the grandparents from getting him things for him with which to play. Thankfully he did receive clothes and books which were on the gift list.
  Last night was a bit rough trying to get Benjamin to go to sleep. It too felt like last year as we headed out to look at Christmas lights in the hopes of calming Benjamin who was exhausted and unable to go to bed due to his stuffy nose and coughing.
 It worked thankfully and in the process I think solidified our family's first tradition. You see I've been thinking about what traditions I wanted to start with my family. When I was a kid my mom and I had a tradition of going to the movies on Christmas day. My dad and I made a tradition of going to watch the Bucs' training camp every August. These traditions are sentimental to me as they help me define my childhood. These types of traditions are things I wanted to try and create with my family. I just never expected it would be Benjamin who would be the one to establish the first tradition. Life is truly special when it's unexpected.

Thursday, December 25, 2008

The Human Spirit


  This is just a quick note about a man I photographed last week for a Times' story. Reggie Williams is a remarkable person and what he's endured is truly amazing.
  Reggie played 14 seasons in the NFL and was in two Super Bowls before he retired. Then about a year ago Reggie resigned his VP position at Disney's Wide World of Sports to focus on rehabilitating his knees which were badly injured during his time in the NFL. 
  His knees were so bad that doctors thought that they would have to amputate his right one due to infection. Reggie decided to drive his Lexus to the New York hospital where the operations would take place using his left leg in case the driving leg was amputated for the ride home.
  After several operations last summer, doctors were able to avoid amputation and save Reggie's right leg. After months of recuperation, Reggie was able to drive the Lexus back to Florida with that driving foot.
  While following Reggie around last week we got to talking about what has changed for him. He told me that through it all he found out something about people and himself. He found that always being positive is a very hard task. He thought that people gravitated towards the negative too easily. 
  Everyday is tough for Reggie as he slowly hobbles to his corner Starbucks to grab his coffee. It seems like life, which 20 years ago was at an NFL pace, is now more about appreciating ever day.
  In the Times' story columnist George Vescey asked Reggie what kept him going during the darkest days. George said it was the love from God.
  Merry Christmas

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Testing the Water


  Yesterday I had to do some testing of equipment for a travel story I'm doing this weekend (you'll have to wait and read about it laer.). The story entails me getting wet. And for that I needed to borrow Robert's underwater housing for my Canon.
  The housing is more like a big plastic bag that allows me to put the 5D and and flash inside and take underwater for up to 100'. Not bad but I only need it for waste deep water. And actually I don't know if this will be totally underwater. It'll be more of what they call over/under which is like the above image where you capture what's under and on the water.
  So I needed to make sure that I knew how to use the housing properly and decided to head to the neighborhood pool. Yes I'm aware that Christmas is a week away but we've been having highs in the 80s (and yes I'm bragging). 
  The camera fit securely inside the housing once I propped it up a bit using Benjamin's rubber building blocks. The bag is clipped on the side and sealed using screws that clamp the opening of the plastic tightly.
  With great reservation about putting my $2,700 digital camera in the pool I slowly submerged the rig in the shallow part of the pool. I looked to see if I noticed any big bubbles rising to the surface. None. Whew!!!
  Then it was time for the big test. I first dipped myself in the chilly water before taking the bag way under for a true test. Holy crap the water was chilly. I don't know if it was my body acclimating to the temp or just hypothermia setting in but I eventually got used to the water.
  I waded over to the camera sitting on the side of the pool awaiting its fate. Sploosh!!! It was fine. No water anywhere inside the bage. Now it was time for some fun.
  I set the camera to time delay and watched the front light blink for eight seconds before going under and doing something fun. I tried a few different angles and faces to see what I got. It was just so cool to take my camera under the water for a change.
  Now I can't wait to leave for my assignment Friday morning. Should be lots of fun. Stay tuned.

A Slow Death


  Twelve years ago this week I graduated from USF and looked forward to starting what I thought would be a career as a newspaper photographer. The next month I was hired as the staff photographer at the Leesburg Daily Commercial. Three years later I got out and haven't regretted one day.
  You see as most people have read or heard newspapers have been suffering from declining circulation for years. And with it they also were losing on advertising revenue. Now factor in the tanking economy and you can imagine the slashing that is going on in the newsrooms these days.
  Call it divine intuition or dumb luck on my part (and that is always likely with me) but I'm glad that I made the decision 10 years ago to resign my staff photographer's position at the Warren Tribune-Chronicle and go it alone. 
  I know the primary reason for my leaving Warren was I was unhappy with the job and the area. I knew that I wanted to be in Pittsburgh with Cathy and that was my future not Trumbull County, OH.
  But in the back of my mind I saw that this career would never afford me the ability to achieve the financial goals I had set for myself of homeownership, secure retirement and providing for my family. At the time, I was making $23k a year and with hard work and moving to a big city paper I might be making $45k by the time I was 35. Might! This wouldn't do.
  In my opinion, newspapers lacked the vision of how integral the web would be to today's newsreader. They should have been pushing hard for it ten years ago. They should have taken the attitude of every minute is a deadline on the first day they wrote html code.
  Instead they viewed it as a supplement to the printed edition at best. I remember most editors' opinions in the late 90s was that it should appear first in the paper and then on the web. Now news breaks the opposite way. Had they taken the approach of getting it out on the web first and then the printed edition maybe they would be in a better situation now.
  In the last few years newspapers have jumped on to every internet news bandwagon there is. They have anyone associated with the newsroom write a blog (Which I hate as it goes against journalistic teachings of objectivity. Let columnist write blogs and not the cops beat reporter. It compromises the reporter's objectivity.). They make staff photographers shoot video (Which I think is good but give them time to tell a story not make a YouTube video.). And they promote the hell out of celebrity news. (Come on. If I want to know what Brittney is doing I'll go to TMZ.com not orlandosentienl.com)
  So now Detroit's two major daily newspapers are cutting back to three home deliveries a week and transitioning more to a web presence. I think you'll find this trend continue to most of the nation's papers. It just makes since that the incoming generations are accustom to reading their news on websites and RSS feeds. 
  I've said for a long time that I think you will also see newspapers come in and do away with their staff. Like the magazines did in the 70s, some bean counter will realize that journalist are scared of unemployment and they'll take whatever you give them. My guess is you'll see a major newspaper tell their remaining staff of photographers, reporters and editors that they are all fired and the paper will now allow them to bid for a contract. This will help reduce a significant piece of overhead for the paper which is labor costs. 
  The paper will no longer have to worry about certain taxes, benefits and other costs associated with labor. Everyone will be on contract and be responsible for making those payments. 
  Knowing the people in the industry who are presently trying to fly low under the radar in the newsroom in the hopes of not getting axed they'll take the contract. Some of those I know who have been let go from the paper where they worked for years have told me they don't know what they're going to do.
  "I guess I'll go freelance," is usually their response. The problem is that it's just not as simple as that. Trust me I know. It takes years to build up a clientele that'll keep you busy throughout the entire year.
  So here I am ten years after leaving the newspaper industry reflecting on the road I didn't take. I feel that I made the right choice in my life. It's kind of funny when you think about it, I've been unemployed for the last ten years.

Saturday, December 13, 2008

A Sad Finding


  I turned the television on a little bit before noon Thursday to watch the local news while I made lunch. Instead of seeing the tail end of The View I saw our local ABC affiliate already on the air. I found out that the reason for their early broadcast was that the Orange County Sheriff's Office had discovered the remains of a small child. The bones could be those of Caylee Anthony a missing Central Florida three-year-old who has made national attention now that her mother was indicted last month for her suspected murder.
  For the next two hours I watched the reports, ate lunch and began planning my next move. If I was going to cover this as a one-man band I needed to form a plan of action instead of just rushing to the scene.
  I've covered enough of these types of news events to know that it will move very slowly and since it was raining there was no need to get out there just to stand in the rain. Around 2pm I decided to drive over to the scene which was down the street from the Anthony's house which was kind of near the airport. I could get my crime scene pictures, roll over to shoot stock images of the family home and then head to the airport in the hopes of getting pictures of the grandparents as they returned from the west coast where they were interviewed on the Larry King Show the night before.
  It wasn't hard to find the area with all of the traffic, news helicopters and police flooded in to this suburban neighborhood. The sheriff's deputy checked my media badge and told me I'd have to park on a side street.
  I grabbed my long lens and other gear from the back and walked to the police tape to set up shop. I stood next to my friend Red Huber who's been covering this story for the Orlando Sentinel since it broke in July. Red got me up to speed with the who and what and I updated him on what I had heard on television before I left.
  It wasn't long after I arrived that the rain stopped and the real images were made. The Medical Examiner was easy to spot as he kept walking back and forth underneath a tent where he was collecting forensic evidence.
  I got pictures of the ME carrying out brown paper bags from the tent and putting them in the back of his van. Then came the real pictures.
  The ME descended in to the wooded area with a smallish, white bag. In my experience this was a small "body" bag. He came back up a few minutes later with a fuller bag and made his way to the van. That was the shot.
  I made some other pictures of the players in this story. Sheriff Beary, Lead investigator Sgt. Allen and others before heading down the street to the Anthony house.
  The house was a very quick shoot. I got some overalls of the home as well as some shots of the deputies who were placed in front of the house to secure it before the search warrant was issued.
  After getting my house pictures I headed to the airport to meet the media herd I knew were already there waiting for George and Cindy Anthony. I really didn't expect that the grandparents were going to walk through this gauntlet of media and airport spectators in order to retrieve there checked bags.
  And they didn't. The plane was met by police who took the Anthonys off the plane at the gate and drove them off in a squad car.
  I felt bad for George and Cindy who found out about the discovery as they were boarding their five-hour flight back from LA. That had to be torturous for them. Finding out that remains of their missing granddaughter had been found close to their home and then being out of touch with developments for five hours. The flight must've felt like an eternity.
  This case has been a very strange one in deed. I'm not surprised that it's so strange as I've always said weird stuff happens in Florida. But this story is just plain sad.
  As the case has ridden it's roller coaster over the last five months I've had opinions about it. But today knowing that the skull found is likely Caylee and watching those videos of her makes me sad.
  Everyone is innocent until proven guilty. That's the way our judicial system works. But I will say this that if a jury decides, based on the evidence, that she did in fact decide that her partying was more important than being a parent than she should be left to rot in a prison cell until she dies. Given the fact that she's 22-years-old, that's a pretty long time to think and have nightmares about researching chloroform and neck-breaking on her computer, putting tape over her daughter's mouth, putting her dead body in the trunk of her car and then tossing her in a wooded area like unwanted trash.
  Makes want to hug Benjamin that much closer so he knows how much he's loved.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

The Host with the Most


  Last night Benjamin and I hosted his friends from Gymboree for a little Christmas get together at Westyn Bay's Clubhouse. This was brought about because of the Halloween Party.
  Some of the moms and I were talking at class a few weeks ago that we should try and do something during the holidays instead of attending the Gymboree Christmas party.  We felt that while the Halloween party was fun, it seemed like it was geared more to the two-year-olds than our one-year-olds.
  So Melinda and I started talking about what options we had for throwing our Alt. Gymbo Xmas Bash. I suggested having it at our community room in our subdivision. That way none of us had to host it our our homes. Listen the last thing I wanted to to do on a week when Cathy's away on work is to clean the entire house for a party. All I had to do was fill out a reservation form and give them a security deposit which was totally refundable if we didn't trash it (which is always in the realm of possibility with a baby).
  Melinda spearheaded the email list and coordinating the potluck portion while I handled the location.
  In total we had nine of our Gymbo babies come to the party along with their parents. It gave the parents a chance to visit while our little ones got to play which wasn't possible at the Halloween party. Not to mention the room only had one outlet and indoor/outdoor carpet so it was essentially baby proofed.
  Each parent brought a dish and a play toy so that our little guys (and it was all boys at the party BTW) could be entertained while we stuffed our faces.
  I baked some mini pigs-in-a-blanket which were a hit. Others brought food from Panera or made cookies and spinach dip. Benjamin ate like a horse having four of my hotdogs, some chicken tetrazzini and part of a banana. 
  By the time the party was slowing down Benjamin was running out of gas and I had my mom take him back to the house for bedtime while I helped clean. 
  In this busy season of holiday parties and friendly get togethers, it was nice to have one less formal with a lot of screaming, crying and spitting up.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Spiderman?


  Ever since Benjamin started crawling and subsequently walking we improvised a containment strategy. The plan consisted of using the sectional sofa, entertainment center and sliding glass doors. By sliding the ottoman over to the sliders and end table as well as using his pack-n-play as the other gate by the sofa and entertainment center we successfully made a play area for him that was safe large enough for him to play with his toys. That was until this week.
  As I was working in my office I heard Benjamin playing in what has come to be called the Kiddie Corral. Then what I heard was part scary but it also made me proud. I heard giggling and footsteps. I turned around to find Benjamin standing in the doorway of my office smiling and clapping. He had freed himself from the Corral.
  I wondered how he'd done it. I looked and the Kiddie Corral was as I had left it. He must've climbed on the sofa and walked to the end before climbing down. But how?
  Last night I watched in amazement as he demonstrated. He either pulls the throw pillows on the floor and uses them as his booster step or his pack-n-play like the picture above. 
  I have a sense of pride about how smart and innovative my child has become. He's resourceful and physically adept at tackling challenges. He has learned how he can pull himself up on the pack-n-play with his arms and feet and then climb on to the sofa. Once on the sofa it's an easy climb down to freedom.
  Like I said I'm fascinated by how smart he is. I just wished it was because he was solving algebraic problems IN the Kiddie Corral not because he's learned how to spring himself from the pokey.

Monday, December 8, 2008

Championship Weekend



  This weekend I covered the Division II Men's and Women's Soccer Championships for NCAA Photos. The Women played Saturday afternoon and the men on Sunday.
  The women's game featured West Florida vs. Seattle Pacific and kickoff was slated for 3:30. The weather when I left the house seemed to be a little windy but overall I felt I would have good shooting conditions during the game. Boy was I wrong.
  Some mysterious front moved in off the Gulf and took away my beautiful late afternoon light and left me with a dimly lit Pepin/Rood stadium on the campus of the University of Tampa. And by the end of regulation it started to drizzle. The two teams battled through the first overtime still tied 0-0. (I know. What a complete bore of a game. I asked the TV guy if these ladies were here to win a title or have frickin' tea. Let's play!!)
  During the second overtime it was pouring. I brought no rain gear but the cameras are pretty weather sealed for moisture. I felt like this was the variable to end the game and avoid penalty kicks. Finally Seattle Pacific scored with 2:19 left in 2OT and the team went crazy. I got my trophy shot and ran back inside the press box to dry off.
  The men's final was less anxious. The Toros from CSU- Dominhuez Hills beat Dowling 3-0. I was thankful that the Toros scored a goal and gave me a great jubilation shot at 1-0 in the first half.
  They followed that up with two more goals in the second half which deflated Dowling. I was so happy to avoid OT for the men. I just wanted to move my 12 images and get home.
  I like shooting a couple of soccer games a year but couldn't see doing more than those. It's a tough sport to shoot because you need a lot of lens to follow the action around the field. But this weekend gave me the fix for another year.

Friday, December 5, 2008

Listening to a Legend


  Yesterday I was shooting a story for The New York Times at the Del Webb Father-Son Challenge here in Orlando. The Father-Son is a non-PGA golf tournament that pairs pro golfer dads with their sons, daughters or grandsons. Kind of a neat concept I guess. It's a more laid back tournament and features the likes of Arnold Palmer, Paul Azinger, Nick Faldo, Lee Trevino, etc.
  One of the Father-Son teams I followed to 18 was Jack Nicklaus and his son Jack II. Jack "Dad" was the first in the group to come in followed by Jackie. 
  As the All-Time Majors Winner (until Tiger surpasses in 2011) walked off the 18th green reporters gathered around the stands to talk with the Golden Bear. He began to talk and I couldn't help but listen.
  It was an opportunity to hear from a player who helped write a lot of golf's history and any fan would've welcomed this story time.
  Jack talked about a wide range of subjects. From where he stayed the first time he went to the Masters to Tiger's pending passing of his record to his grandson who plays high school football. It was all fascinating to me.
  When asked about how the game has changed, he said that the equipment has done a lot to how he designs golf course these days. He now has to make the long ball hitters equal to those not so adept when laying out a course.
 He talked about how he watched a hobbled Tiger win the U.S. Open last summer with his knee injury and was amazed by his ability. He said after the round he called Tiger to congratulate him. A reporter asked Jack what Tiger's response was in the hopes of getting some new insight of Tiger Woods.
  Nicklaus said that Tiger replied,"Thanks!" That was it. Nothing more. Typical Tiger.
  It was a cool moment for me to just hang out with Mr. Nicklaus and listen to him talk about the game and about his life. The Times reporter and I walked with Jack to the clubhouse and talked with him about our story. Jack wanted to talk about how his grandson, a highly touted tight end, was going to play in the regional finals. 
  In the end I was grateful to have had the chance of walking and talking with a legend. I'm sure I'll embellish the story over the years... "You know there was this one time I had a chance to play a round with Jack Nicklaus.."

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Dad..who's the fat guy with the beard?


  Last year we abstained from taking our one-month-old down to the mall to have his portrait taken with Santa Claus. First of all, it wasn't because we feared germs or long term psychological scaring on Benjamin. It was selfish actually. We just wanted to get some frickin' sleep.
  So this year we thought it would be nice to get his picture taken with Santa so we could torture him with embarrassment for years to come. We chose to do it on a weekday at the Altamonte Mall figuring no one would be there. We were actually right this time on our assumption.
  Catherine and I met up at the Santa stand around 1 o'clock on her lunch break. We thought this would be a great chance for her to spend the middle of the day with her son and make a nice memory in the process.
  "Wait a minute. Where's Santa going," I thought.
  "Oh, I'm sorry sir Santa takes lunch from 1-2 pm," the helpful elf told us.
  What? When the heck did Santa join a union? I mean I know he has to keep his signature physique and all but come on can't he just eat in between kids? It's not like they had a line full of parents trying to contain their children or anything.
  So we walked around the mall for the next hour killing time in stores we had no intention of purchasing any items. (Side note: I found the Yankee Candle Store an excellent place to go if you have to break wind.)
  Finally it was time for Santa to punch back in from lunch. We were first in line, of course. We opted for the CD instead of the prints. (I mean come on. I need this in jpeg form so I can blog about it, import it into my Benjamin folder in Aperture for future uses, and other foolish reasons.)
  I sat Benjamin on the big man's lap and he just gazed magically into his eyes trying to figure out who this man was and why on earth would his parents leave him in the lap of a stranger. He couldn't stop looking at Santa. I think it was the white beard and hair that drew his attention.
  Meanwhile Dad is off to the the side saying his name in a prepubescent, high-pitched voice in the hopes of drawing his attention towards the camera. But he just kept staring up at Santa.
  We shot three images right away but I wasn't happy with them. (Look I'm not a typical parent. I know what my child is capable of doing in front of the camera and that wasn't it. KEEP SHOOTING ELF!!!)
  The second batch of three went better mainly because I resorted to tickling Benjamin on the foot and quickly jumping out of the frame. And so instead of turning into one of those parents I conceded that the fourth of his six was the one.
  I grabbed Mino off Santa's lap while Cathy paid for the CD. I have to say I was proud that Benjamin wasn't ever scared like some kids with Santa. He's a very curious kid. Now elevators... that's scary but a jolly fat man with a big, white beard in red velvet. That's interesting to Benjamin.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Pictures I like


  For the last week I've been working with a company to design my new website. All of this is in an effort to take my photography in a new direction. I've been going through my archive and pulling more recent images to put on the website. I have to say that it's amazing that I haven't updated the site in something like four years. 
  Looking at the old site versus the new one, I have much better images to display of my photography than what's currently out there. I guess that's how it's supposed to work. As time goes on you take better pictures. 
  So as I was putting together my portrait gallery for the new site I selected some images ranging from corporate to sports. This one portrait in particular I especially liked. Not only was it one I was found of but it was one of the easiest and cheapest I've ever done. 
  It's the above portrait of USF defensive end George Selvie. I shot it during Media Day (or Portrait Day as others may call it) this past August.
  I set up two different portrait sets to shoot the top players for the Bulls. One was the bigger set with a background and three strobes with the main light being a beauty dish.
  The second was a quick, artsy set to get something different in the hopes of catching the eye of an art director/ picture editor. After setting up the first set I only had about five minutes for the artsy one as my players were coming down for their pictures at any minute. 
  The inspiration for the second set came from a job I did assisting Gary a few years ago. He was shooting a portrait using Kino Flo lights. It was a cool looking portrait and had a certain look that was different than the usual softbox portrait. 
  These lights are essentially daylight balanced fluorescent lights that portrait photographers use as well as video and film production companies. They generally cost $1000 for one light and I needed two for this setup which I couldn't justify spending $2k for a portrait. Instead I opted for the DIY approach and headed to Lowe's.
  In the lighting aisle of the home improvement store I found some fluorescent strip lights that could be plugged into a standard household outlet. Granted this is not nearly as bright as the Kino Flos but it would be possible to emulate the look for the second portrait without breaking the bank. I think the lighting for the second portraits cost me less than $15. Nice!!
  I attached the strips to light stands using a couple of superclamps and placed the two lights on either side of my subject's face. I was so rushed that I didn't even have time to gaffer tape the black background over the concrete block wall.
  I had Selvie watch his step around all the extension cords lying on the ground and asked him to put his face in between the two strip lights. It was key for me to use a tripod as I had the ISO up to 800 and had a relatively slow shutter speed.
  I grabbed about two dozen portraits of George at the second portrait set before whisking him to the main one during my five minutes with the Bulls' DE. 
  I don't know why but I'm drawn to this portrait over the other set. I think it's because it's so different of a style for me. I even like the concrete wall in the background. The image was processed slighting in the computer to enhance my vision more but it's not too different than what was captured in camera. 
  In the process of combing my images I keep finding treasures. This was just one that I wanted to share.

Saturday, November 29, 2008

A Quick Word of Thanks


  I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who made Thanksgiving special over the last two days. Thursday, of course, was the big day but we also have our annual Friday party.
  Cathy and I really enjoy having all of our family over to the house on Thanksgiving. It just makes it a little easier I think for everyone, especially Benjamin. This turkey day was much different than last year. As you may remember, last year we gave thanks just for getting some sleep. 
  Cathy does a great job of delegating culinary responsibilities to our guests. We take care of the bird and stuffing along with some other fixin's but our guests help fill the table with the other traditional side items of Thanksgiving.
  We had my mom, dad & stepmother, Cathy's mom and our neighbors Lisa and Bruno show up around 1:30 in the afternoon with the intention of sitting down to eat about an hour later. This would give everyone some buffer time if they were running late. It was also to give Benjamin enough time to wear out his grandparents.
  Overall it was a nice dinner. It gave us all a chance to catch up with one another. More importantly it was a relaxing afternoon of food and conversation.
  Now Friday night is completely different. The night after Thanksgiving has turned in to the annual Livingston Leftover Party (no family allowed). We started this a few years ago and liked the idea of having friends over to help finish up the leftovers the night after Thanksgiving.
  So last night Lisa and Bruno came back over. Our friends Adam and Amy brought another friend James with their leftovers. The Leftover Party is a little more relaxed than Thanksgiving which is saying a lot. It's like having a small, intimate dinner party for friends where you don't have to cook that afternoon. Just throw it in the microwave. Voilá!
  So there you have our Thanksgiving wrap up. Thank you to all that came through our front door. You helped make our home warm (not to mention the refrigerator but we won't go there) this holiday weekend.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Expanding my Digital Library



EDITOR'S NOTE: THE FOLLOWING IS A TECH ENTRY.
  As I  blogged about a couple of months ago our Samsung DVD recorder broke and the company did not want to offer any assistance. And so we went without a DVD player. That is until this week. 
  I liked the ability to burn shows from our DVR to DVD and then rip the shows to my iTunes library for posterity. It was great that I could archive some of my favorite 90210 episodes and watch on my computer, iPod or iPhone whenever.
  So this week I went to Best Buy and purchased a new Toshiba upgradable DVD player. (As a side note: I read many reviews about the pros and cons of going Blu-Ray vs Upgrade DVD players. The conclusion with some tech writers was the DVD had more bang for the buck but Blu-Ray was better just not by much. My thought is that in two years it won't matter Hi-Def video will be all on servers and hard drives.)
  (Back to the story) So after hooking up the new DVD player to the home system I pondered whether I made the right choice by not going the DVD recorder route again. And so I started researching how I could record the shows off our DVR to iTunes. What I found out was there was a way to hook up my laptop to the Bright House cable box and pull off the saved shows.
  The only thing I had to actually purchase was the MPEG-2 component for Quicktime for $20. The other two pieces of software I needed to accomplish my goal were free off the internet.
  I used a Firewire cable to transfer the video from the cable box to my Macintosh laptop. Once the video is saved to the laptop I then use another software to convert the file to another format that iTunes can recognize and won't take up a lot of space on my iPhone. Then I can pull it into iMovie and edit out the commercials before archiving it to iTunes.
  I know that many readers are looking at this and thinking, "Man Chris has a lot of free time." Probably true but I'm just looking to the future. And in my future is apparently 90210.
  

Monday, November 24, 2008

Taking Care of the Customer


  So I have to write a quick blog about a company that actually took care of this consumer. You see in this day and age it's rare that a company goes out of it's way to make sure it's customers are happy and satisfied.
  During the MLB postseason I was wearing my iPhone on my hip utilizing the Contour Showcase's holster. The case itself is one of the best I could find when I purchased my iPhone. Contour uses acrylic for the majority of the the Showcase with the edges wrapped in rubber to help protect the cell if you drop it (which isn't out of the ordinary for me.). 
  Anyways, during the ALCS I was walking around when the case caught on something which caused the clip portion of the holster to snap. I was no longer able to put my iPhone on my hip. Not that I wore it there frequently but I liked having it as an option especially when shooting games where the ambient noise would prevent me from hearing the ringer. In those situations I would just put it on vibrate and feel it ring on my belt.
  OK so it's been a month since the incident and I had gone to the Apple store as well as other retailers to see if they sold a replacement holster but to no avail. The only option I had was to purchase a whole new Showcase and holster. I really didn't need a new case just a holster in which to put my iPhone.
  So this weekend I went to the Contour website and emailed their customer service department to explain my situation. Then this morning I received an email from Julie of Contour asking for some additional details about which model and my address. She informed me that Contour was sending me a new holster for my Showcase.
  It was so refreshing that a company was going to go out of it's way to make sure that one of it's customers was satisfied with it's product. Just for the record I asked Contour to help me find a retailer who just sold the holster and they offered to replace my broken one free of charge. I really feel that my money was well spent when I purchased the Contour Showcase. Not only is it the best case designed for the iPhone, in my opinion, but the company stands behind their product. Thank you Contour. 

Thursday, November 20, 2008

What Was I Thinking?


  Well I haven't gone running since Saturday's 5K and I was feeling a bit out of shape. That was probably due to the pizza and inordinate amount of bread I had Wednesday with my tomato soup.
  So I decided to go for a longer than normal run after dropping off Benjamin at school today. I got back to the house and scarfed down a banana and four Ego waffles to build up some carbs for my long run. 
  After some stretching I plugged in my Schure earbuds in to my iPhone and headed out. I figured I should be reachable if I'm running for over an hour. The last time I went out running I lost an assignment for USA Today.
  I hit play on a couple of podcasts and headed out to the West Orange Trail. I usually would go running between 3-6.5 miles previously. On the last couple of runs I felt I was ready to extend my distance. And why not? The weather was gorgeous out there today. The temperature was around 65 degrees and hardly any humidity. 
  I quickly worked in to my pace and tried to keep it a little lower in anticipation of a longer run. I thought I would go to downtown Winter Garden before turning around which would give me a 9-mile run for the day. Not bad I thought. That was until I got to Winter Garden.
  As I approached my potential turn around point, I assessed my status. My breathing was good. My legs felt great and not showing signs of fatigue. I felt like I could maybe stretch it even further and if I over did it I'd simply pull up and walk a little bit. No biggie.
  I ran all the way to Oakland before turning around. This new point would give me a run of 13 miles or roughly half a marathon. The thought of me completing that run was inspiring. Now all I needed to do was keep a good pace.
  Honestly I was doing great with everything until mile 10. It was then that I felt some twinges in my going muscles. This then worked in to some aches in my lower back and my right calf. All the while I never felt winded which was pretty good I thought.
  I am proud to say that I completed my impromptu half marathon run in 2 hours and 10 minutes. It's odd for me to say that I ran 13 miles today. 
  Upon my return I soaked in an ice bath and took two Aleve to stave off any aches. Let's just say I don't want to know what it would've felt like if I hadn't taken those actions. My legs hurt so much right now. 
  Today was a test for me. I'm considering racing in next month's Florida Half Marathon in Clermont. I just wanted to see if I could do it. Apparently I can. Now all I need to do is to do it again. In the meantime I will maybe keep my runs to 9-11 miles for the next few weeks.
  I'm still impressed that I was able to run 13 miles. I guess it's the whole setting my mind to accomplishing that goal that's pretty cool to me. By the way, no one called me while I was running. Figures!

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Seeing the World


  Well with the OK from Benjamin's pediatrician we decided to make the big purchase of a forward-facing car seat. To this point Benjamin was getting to be a handful putting him in to his car seat. He fought us like an Olympic wrestler. He would twist and turn in his infant carrier.
  So Cathy and I drove down to Babies R Us and picked up the new seat as I hoped it would in some way distract him while I buckled him in to the seat. Hey at this point if flaming baton torches could distract him enough to get him in to the seat I'd had done it.
  OK I have to give some advice to the uninitiated. NEVER TRY TO INSTALL A NEW CAR SEAT WITHOUT THAT FIRST CUP OF COFFEE! Believe me I speak from a frustrating experience. I mean whoever wrote that stupid instruction manual must not have a kid. Really!!! And the whole "let's bungee strap the booklet on the seat" is warped. Who really needs to be able to read that at arms' length anyways?"
  The end result is that Benjamin loves his new seat. In fact, he really likes to look out the front windscreen to see the action. Seeing the world as his parents see it is interesting to him. I think he just wants to be treated just like the other big people. 
  Some other observations I've made are he thinks his main source of entertainment is Daddy looking back at him in a peek-a-boo way. Also trying to find his travel buddies is probably not the safest way to operate a vehicle. And lastly I find it difficult to hand feed Benjamin in this new position. Just give him the whole container of Cheerios already.
  It's such a different world for both my son and I. I think it's such a different perspective and one that I have to get used to.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Continuing a Tradition


  Today I took Benjamin to Tampa for lunch with my Dad and stepmother. The bigger news was we were taking him to have his first hot dog at Mel's. For those who don't know Mel's is an institution in Tampa. They serve some of the best Chicago-style hot dogs around.
  My dad and I used to go there when I was a kid. Usually it was Friday nights when I was spending the weekend at his house. I look back on those dinners as some of the best times with my dad. We would have those father-son talks over a couple of Mel's Special Dog baskets.
  Mel's was also a favorite place to go with my grandmother. Granny loved to go up to Busch Blvd. and have a dog with me any time we had the opportunity. She loved to go for lunch and suffer the wisecracks from no other Mel himself. He always would put a smile on Granny's face.
  Back to the lunch at hand. We got to the dog stand right before the lunch rush. My dad and Sylvia had already gotten the order at the table when Benjamin and I walked through the door.
  Dad had the high chair setup for his grandson along with a kid's basket as well as a Special Basket ATW (All The Way) for me. I got Benjamin set up with his high chair cover and Sylvia started cutting up the hot dog and French fries for him.
  Let me tell you this kid can eat some Mel's. He gobbled up some of the dog, chewed on the fries and scarfed down the bun. Then top all that off with some juice and I had a great diaper change this afternoon.
  Overall it was a great lunch. I think I got more of a kick out of taking my son to Mel's than my dad treating his son and grandson to lunch. I look forward to taking Benjamin when he's older to have the some of the same dinner conversations that my dad and I had.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Middle of the Pack



  For the first time since the 1978 USF Bull Run, I ran a road race. While it was only 5km it was a start. I've gotten back in to running recently and decided to enter the Winter Garden 5K race with our friends Ryan Kelly.
  I felt a little intimidated as the Santurris have run marathons previously and I ended up chickening out of my second race, the 1979 Gasparilla 5K (Hey I was 5 and it was cold, loud and scary. Sorry Dad for making you take me back to find Mom.).
  So I made Cathy and Benjamin my personal cheering section and gave them a map of where to get pictures of me to document my deterioration along the route. I joke about that as I felt I kept a solid pace throughout the race. Heck my usual runs at home are around 10km.
  The horn sounded and everybody around me just stood there mildly walking. "Get out of my way people," I thought to myself. I wanted to run this race in under 30 minutes and they weren't helping me.
  The first mile of the race (for the metrically challenged that would be about 2km) I had a great pace going. It also didn't hurt that we were running downhill but hey I'll take my breaks where I can.
  Then my left shoelace started giving way. "Dang it! I thought I double-knotted." So a quick 5-second break to tie it and I was back in the race.
  This is the point where the hill went from down to up. I gradually rolled back my pace and tried to get my breathing in check. Meanwhile kids were passing me. Stupid kids.
  I got to the second "shooting" spot and Benjamin was looking at the trees and didn't have a clue that Daddy was running past him. Cathy got some shots of me as I dramatically (for the pictures of course) grabbed a cup of water and threw it over my head. (Hey I needed blog material people it was a slow week.)
  Now the road was leveling out and it gave me a chance to keep my pace low to start a second wind for the end of the race. The route meandered through the surrounding neighborhoods of Winter Garden. There were some residents cheering from lawn chairs and then there was this one guy. 
  There he stood. Wearing a bath robe, t-shirt and ratty shorts. Drinking his coffee and picking up the morning paper. As if we were an impromptu parade to gawk at for a little while. Dang it I wanted that coffee.
  As we turned back towards the direction of downtown and the finish line I felt good. That was until I saw one of the top runners from the front of the pack now cheering me and the rest of the hacks on and running in the opposite direction. 
  "OK either we were getting close or he's taunting me," is what I thought as I hit fast forward on the iPod shuffle. (BTW, for some reason my iTunes that it would be humorous and shuffle in some Harry Connick Jr., Bob Marley and other mellow tunes for my run. Not funny!)
  The course took a right turn and in the distance I could see the finish line. I started ramping up my pace. Big Audio Dynamite was playing in my ears and gave me some added energy to finish strong. I felt like I had some stuff left in the tank to pass a large group of runners ahead (Stupid kids. I'll get you back.).
  "Uh oh Maybe I didn't have THAT much left in the tank," I thought to myself with around 2/10th of a mile left.
  I quickly hit the volume up button on the iPod and gave it my all. I ended up having something in the tank for a good kick and crossed the line with the clock reading 28:49. Not bad. I did better than my goal and didn't embarrass myself.
  The final result was that I was 81st out of 300 and 11th in my age division. Ryan was first in his age division and was awarded a first place medal. Kind of cool. Then I heard my name called for the award of "Middle of the Pack" for the 35-39 division. I received a $10 gift certificate to Tri & Run. Ryan was jealous. VERY COOL!
  So it's been 30 years since my last race. A lot has changed since then but it's still putting one foot in front of another. But I gotta say I don't remember it being that stressful when I was 5.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Happy Birthday Benjamin


  It's funny how to a one-year-old his first birthday it just another day. To his parents it's an incredibly special day. Or that's the way it felt to me yesterday.
  Benjamin rustled awake earlier than normal around 6:30 a.m. and wanted something to eat. I made a bottle of whole milk (I can't tell you how much I won't miss going to the store and spending $24.98 every fifth day for formula.) and some Cheerios.
  I went out for a quick run so that I could be back in time to celebrate his birth at 8:24 a.m. It was all we could do to keep him around until then as he wanted to take a nap around 8:22 a.m. 
  "Yea! Happy birthday. You were born at this time. Ok let's put him to bed," was about how the celebrating went.
  Later in the morning we had a date with the pediatrician for Benjamin's one-year check-up. He is right on track at the 50th percentile. He weighed in at 19 lbs., 12 oz. and was 29 1/4" long. The doctor said he was a little under the 50th percentile for weight but still fine. They attributed that to his activity now that he walks. And boy does he ever walk/run/fall down and do it all over again.
  Cathy took the day off and we had planned to go to Sea World after his doctor's visit but the shots did in Benjamin. He was tired and just wanted to go home to sleep which he did for two hours.
  Once he woke up we packed up the family and drove down to the community center to shoot some portraits. Well the talent really didn't want to sit still and have his pictures taken. He wanted to chase his shadow around the soccer field (it was so cute watching run after his shadow).
  Later in the evening Ryan and Kelly invited us over to their house to help finish with Bella's and Benjamin's leftover cakes. The two toddlers had a ball playing while the parents visited. It was really a great way to end Benjamin's first birthday. 
  It still sounds awkward to say, "I have a one-year-old." 

Sunday, November 9, 2008

If There's Smoke there's a Party


  Today was Benjamin's first birthday party. Even though he turns one tomorrow we celebrated with family and friends today.
  Cathy and I decided that we would have a cookout-type of party with hotdogs and hamburgers. In theory that sounded great but reality was much different.
  We had so many people come to celebrate Benjamin's birthday. All the grandparents (with the exception of Sergio who was in Croatia) were in attendance. Let's just say Benjamin didn't need to walk if he choose. There were plenty of people who wanted to hold him.
  Once the guest arrived I had put burgers and hotdogs on the grill. My dad took over on the cooking in order to free me up for hosting duties. 
  In defense of my father I hadn't thoroughly cleaned the grill in a while which lead to heavy smoke pouring in to our house. Thus causing the smoke alarms to go off all throughout the house. Seriously it was laughable the noise in the house. We ended up having to pull all the batteries from the smoke detectors as well as pull the breakers. The noise was deafening.
  I have to say that even though it was a baby's party I think that the adults had fun. Cathy and I tried to make it as entertaining as possible with the toddlers running around the house. 
  Thanks to all of Benjamin's grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends and loved ones who came to his party. We appreciate every one of you.
  As I am typing this I remember a year ago. I was driving my very pregnant wife to Winnie Palmer and we had just settled in to our delivery room. It would become the longest day of my life. I never felt the fear I did that night and never felt such joy when the sun rose and my son was born. This has been such an incredible year for me. I look forward to all the years ahead of us as parents.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Back in the Pool


  Today I went back in to the pool for the first time in a year. Before Benjamin was born I used to go down to our community pool and swim laps as an alternative to the biking and running. It was a great cardio workout.
  Back in high school I use to swim a lot as the sole diver on the school swim team. It was lot of hard work but very fun. Our practices usually started off with a 500 yard warm up. Then we would have other exercises with varying yardage for the remainder of the two hour practice.
  So today I decided to give my legs a bit of a rest and head back to the pool to swim today's workout. I told myself that if I could complete the 500 I would be satisfied. I felt that getting 500 yards in was decent for someone who hadn't swam laps in a year. It'd give me a good entry back in to the swim of things (pun intended).
  I started out the set a little sluggish and slowly worked in to my pace. By the time I kick turned at 300 I felt good. So much in fact that I almost forgot where I was in my routine. 
  You see with swimmers there's a lot of thinking time involved in workouts. When you go out on a run you can put on some good tunes or a favorite podcast to pass the time. Not really an option underwater (although they do now make waterproof headsets and cases for iPods). All that you have are your thoughts.
  I think about many things swimming. "Did I mail off the power bill? Shoot we're out of bunny food. I've got a great idea for a movie." Swimming allows you to get out all of the stupid stuff in your head.
  So here I was now kick turning 800 yards and still going strong. I felt great. I had a good pace going. My breathing was efficient. The only thing truly stopping me from going to 1,500 was time. I had to pickup Benjamin at school in a little over an hour and I was starving. "What do I feel like fixing for lunch? We've got that sliced turkey breast..." See what I mean about thinking time.
  I completed 1,000 yards and called it a day. Over half a mile of swimming I felt was beyond my expectations for the first time back. As I walked around the pool in the 68-degree water I remembered that back in high school we used to do somewhere between 2,000-2,500 yards in a practice. Not what I used to do back in the day but that day was 20 years ago. Man that sounds old. I guess at this point I should feel fortunate I didn't forget to breathe.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

A Witness to History


EDITOR'S NOTE: AS MANY ALREADY KNOW I TRY TO SIDESTEP POLITICS ON MY BLOG. I FEEL THAT THERE ARE TOO MANY POLITICIZED BLOGS ALREADY OUT THERE AND I DON'T NEED TO ADD TO THEM. HOWEVER I FEEL I WOULD BE REMISSED FOR LETTING THE OPPORTUNITY PASS AND NOT TALK ABOUT THE ELECTION.

  Last night we hosted a small, quiet election-watching party. Our friends Brian and Christina brought their 6-month-old son Joseph over to eat dinner and watch the returns. As we flipped around the networks we watched states turn red and blue. Eventually the Equis left around the time the networks were trending an Obama victory.
  Benjamin didn't even make it for the first state to be called for either candidate. He had enough of all the campaign commercials and called it a night.
  Cathy and I stayed up to watch as all the major news organizations called the winner of the Presidential race at 10pm. Cathy was able to make it to Senator McCain's concession speech but headed to bed soon after.
  I stayed up and watched as 200,000 people listened in Grant Park to President-elect Obama talk to the country. I listened to the 44th President talk about how he came to this point and more importantly where we as a country needed to go.
  No matter if you are Republican, Democrat, Green Party, Nader lover or none of the above you had to take in what was happening. A new chapter in our country's history was being written.
  After turning off the television, I walked into my son's room to make sure he was sleeping comfortably. I looked down at him, rubbed his back and told him, "You will never remember this night but you'll always be able to say that you were there when President Obama was elected."

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Crazy Anthony


  Last night was our friend Adam's annual Halloween party. Yes it was the day after Halloween but it was still fun. 
  In years past we went as Drs. Livingston. Last year Cathy went as a drunk and pregnant Britney Spears while I dressed again in my surgical scrubs (Just in case Cathy went in to labor early.). 
  This year I started planning our costumes back in August. I thought Cathy could go as alleged child murderer Casey Anthony and I would go as Casey's father George. The costumes could be made with stuff we already had and would be comfortable.
  If you don't know who Casey Anthony is allow me to fill you in. The national story first broke back in July when Casey was arrested for child neglect when she waited a month to report her daughter Caylee missing. Since then her soap opera-like story appears nightly on the Nancy Grace show. If you need more info just Google Casey Anthony and read all about it.
  The party was a lot of fun as always. Adam went above and beyond last year's effort. Guests entering through the garage found themselves walking through a scary maze and I hate things that scare me. Inside the Avitable house Amy and Adam decorated the walls to look like the inside of a tent to go along with the theme of the Neverwas Fair: A Sideshow of the Forgotten.
  The catering was yummy with meatballs, bacon-wrapped chicken and Halloween mixed drinks. In one of the guest rooms Adam had a photographer shoot portraits of us in our costumes. 
  Well we couldn't stay all night as my mom was watching the sickly one. It kind of felt like I was back in high school and had a curfew. I had fun at the party but was glad to get home and wash the baby powder out of my hair.

PS- Benjamin is much improved since Friday night. The medicine seems to really be helping.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

A Croupy Halloween


  Well Benjamin's first Halloween was not what we planned. Instead of dressing him back up in his monkey suit and trick-or-treating in the neighborhood we stayed at home and ran the humidifier for our barking seal.
  Yesterday morning he woke up with a congested sound. I would've taken him to the doctor but I wanted him to spend the day with Cathy's folks before her dad left today for Croatia. Tell me I didn't feel guilty about that decision last night.
  I have to say our pediatrician, Dr. Yarckin, is very patient with first-time parents. He talked me down and let me know that he'd seen this hundreds of times over the years and it was nothing new. (It also didn't help that we were watching House.) Dr. Yarckin told me he'd see us in the morning.
  So with a little Vick's and some Robotussin we put Benjamin in his humidified room for the night. Cathy decided she'd sleep on the floor while I took up all of our bed. Throughout the night she refilled the humidifier and gave him Robotussin.
  We were the first ones in the office this morning. Dr. Yarckin gave Benjamin a steam treatment to help open his breathing passage and told us that he had Croup. He sounded so much better after the steam and fell asleep in the car on the way back to the house.
  So now I've gotten through my first real bout with sickness and Benjamin. It was a bit stressful. I felt a little helpless as I rocked my sick little boy. All he wanted to do was breath more easily and sleep. I just wanted to do what ever it took to help him. Just like any parent.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Thank You Rays


  As I watched the Philadelphia Phillies close things out in the World Series I felt sad. I was sad that my home town team didn't win the game and bring the Series back home to win it.
  That sadness was short lived. You see my Rays gave me a season that every fan will look back on with great admiration. Kind of like the '79 Bucs who turned things around after going 0-20 went to the NFC Championship. 
  The Rays to this point were looked upon as all of MLB's farm team. It was the team that aging players went to to finish careers and the team up-and-comers played for before hitting it big somewhere else.
  This season I shot more games at the Trop since then their 1998 inaugural season. I shot 15 games in St. Pete which included a great end of the season series against the Red Sox. I spent two nights covered in Champagne inside the Rays lockeroom. I shot an incredible Game 7 and saw my Rays win the Pennant.
  And finally my Rays allowed me to shoot my very first World Series.  Thank you Rays!

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Introduction to Democracy


  Today Benjamin learned about what makes this country great. Today he watched Daddy vote in the 2008 Presidential Elections. In Florida we started early voting last Monday and ever since the news has talked about the record turnout at the polls.
  This morning I gave Benjamin a very brief Civics 101 course while he drank his first bottle. I told him about term lengths for our elected officials and why it was important for citizens to participate in the democratic process. He just looked at me and probably wondered why Daddy still had a piece of oatmeal stuck on his cheek.
  I told him how his mother got her undergraduate degree in political science and that she was fascinated with how the U.S. and state governments worked. I also informed him that if he ever had any questions with regards to names of certain Congressmen or Presidents in our nations history he'd better block out a couple weeks if he ever asked Uncle Ron. (It may take a while. TRUST ME!! We all speak from experience.)
  I chose to early vote at the West Oaks Library a few miles from our house. Luckily our neighbor Kelly had decided to take Bella to vote at the same time. This came in handy as it took an hour and a half to make it to a voting booth.
  Once we made it from the parking lot inside the library Benjamin wanted to run around. He couldn't stand being in my arms any longer. So off he went screaming down the stacks. (Apparently the librarians waived the whole no talking policy.)
  So here I was in our little voting booth holding Benjamin in one arm and making sure to bubble in my votes correctly (Let's not revisit the whole hanging chad portion of Florida's history.) with my other arm. He could've cared less who I was voting for in the hotly contested Orange County Soil Conservation race. In fact, he kept grabbing for the partition between us and the gentleman voting next to us.
  We turned in my ballot and got our "I Voted" stickers and headed for the door. I held great pride in showing my son one of our country's highest responsibilities. I can remember going with my mother to the Temple Terrace City Hall and watching her vote. It was a very cool feeling to now be doing it with my son... oh crap he just spit up in the library. Now what did I do with those wipes?

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Monkey Business


  Last night was the unveiling of Benjamin's Halloween costume at his Gymboree Halloween Party. Cathy found a great monkey costume for our little monkey on the internet. It's so cute and he looks adorable in it.
  Growing up in Florida I can remember Halloweens were painful if you had a hot costume in which to go Trick-or-Treating. I can remember one particular Halloween going as Casper the Friendly Ghost and sweat pouring down my face underneath that plastic mask.
  So you can imagine my horror putting my son in a thick monkey outfit when it's 78 degrees. Once we got him in the car and blasted the AC he was fine. Plus they won't remember a lot of this stuff later on unless a therapist drags it out of them.
  He had a great time at the party. It was a lot like his regular Gymboree class. They had games and exercises along with a costume parade. His friends were there but I think it throw him off a bit. Benjamin could sense that this wasn't the usual. 
  For starters he must've thought, "What a minute it's not Tuesday. And second why are we here at night?" 
  He played along for most of the hour before finally running out of gas. By the time it parachute time he was ready to check out. He reached for Cathy and wanted just a bottle before falling asleep in his car seat.
  It was nice that we could use his monkey costume more than once on his first Halloween. I just can't wait to see what he'll do Friday night.

PS- Happy 8th Wedding Anniversary, Z! I Love You!!!

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Doing Something Else For a Change

  It felt so good yesterday to go out and do something other than shooting a game for a change. I've been looking forward to the Florida Land Rover Club's annual Fall Rally for weeks now. Ever since I did it last year I've been telling Cathy how fun the event is and how she'd like to see what her truck could do while on a trail ride. 
  So we decided to send Benjamin off for the day with Mimi (my mom) while we drove to Lake City and went trail riding with other Rover lovers. Besides Benjamin had a very busy social calendar and I didn't have the energy to keep up with him.
  I did all the driving through the Osceola National Forrest and Cathy watched. She said she found the rally to be very relaxing. We actually had the whole day to just catch up with one another while we climbed over fallen trees, ran up dirt hills and forded waist-deep mud waters. It's the little things that bring romance back into a marriage.

Friday, October 24, 2008

Now We're Even


  Well I have to say that I'm more pleased with the result of last night's game as opposed to how Game 1 ended. The bad part of it was that I spent more time in the workroom than I did out shooting on the field. We just had more images coming in that needed to be uploaded to our editors due to the fact that there was more action during Game 2 than the previous night.
  As for my cold, I felt better than I sounded. A friend of mine told me that if the photography thing didn't work out I could go in to radio with my new, cool voice. It sounded like I had smoked three packs a day for 20 years. And yes I had my hot tea with lemon last night.
  At the end of the game I grabbed a few images of the Rays players celebrating the franchise's first World Series win and scrambled through the crowd to file the jubilation images on the wire before grabbing my two remotes.
  Finally I got something worthwhile on my remotes. A play at the plate involving Tampa Bay's Rocco Baldelli and Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz got me the above image on both my remote cameras. I like how Rocco flew up in the air and decked Ruiz hoping to pop the ball loose and score a run. Ruiz held on but it's still a nice frame.
  My feeling is that they'll come back and play a game 6 where the Rays will win it. (I'm knocking on wood right now like you wouldn't believe.) But for now I have the weekend off for a change and I'm really looking forward to not shooting baseball.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

A Night of Running and Hot Tea


  Ugh!! I feel horrible this morning. I got this cold during the ALCS and have been fighting it all week. Well it won last night. I lost my voice right before the start of the World Series which made it difficult for my editors to hear my voice annotations on key images during the game.
  I got to Tropicana Field around 3 pm yesterday and set up my remotes. Once those were locked into place I decided to go find some hot tea in the Press box upstairs. I think I squeezed a whole lemon into that cup but boy did it help. I couldn't talk but it helped sooth my throat.
  During the World Series I drew that up position which meant I was responsible for running back to the photographers' workroom throughout the game to dump cards to our editors in San Francisco and Boston. So after the first inning I began my game-long relationship with the Trop's stairwell. Once back in the workroom I dumped my card and three others from my two shooting mates. Ran over to AP to grab the "pool" card of the pitchers, dumped them and ran back up to the Whitney Bank Suite.
  Stayed there during the third inning to run back to dump more cards. This continued about three more times during Game 1. I will say that the seared ahi tuna was exceptionally good last night.
  By the end of the game I was drained. I forgot how many images I dumped to the editors but for just three shooters I think we held our own against AP, Reuters and Getty who always overstaff these events.
  After packing up our gear Rhona, Matt and I headed to the post game party inside the Batter's Eye Box which is a restaurant in centerfield that gives patrons a great view of the game. We talked about the game over drinks and what the shooting situations were like. I grabbed my commemorative shirt and headed to my car to drive back to my hotel room.
  And now I get to do it all over again. Game 2 here we go!

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Ready to Go



  While I'm fighting this cold I picked up during the ALCS (I think it was from the night Cathy had the AC cranked at the hotel after Game 6.) I'm packed and ready to go. I spent this morning thinking about how I wanted to shoot my first World Series and where I wanted my remotes. Last night our staffer in charge of baseball sent out the shooting assignments and I drew the up position which is good and bad. The good is that I like being the up shooter and have a little flexibility to move around during the game. The bad news that I'm responsible for dumping all the card the three of us shoot. 
  I'll try and explain what I'll be doing during the next two nights. We have three photographers, including myself, that'll be covering the games in St. Pete. After the first inning I'll head back to the workroom under the stands to download the compact flash cards to my laptop and then drop them in a FTP folder to our editor in LA. (For those unsure what a FTP folder is it's where I connect to a remote computer and drop and drag the pictures from my laptop to the remote computer.)
  After doing that I have to obtain the "pool" images of the starting pitchers. Usually one of the wire photographers is allowed behind home plate during the first inning to get straight on shots of each team's starting pitcher and then make them available to everyone. (Look for it tonight in the first if you're watching the game.) After transmitting those images I'll have to check to see if the our photogs sent any more cards back and move those. 
  Then if there's time I'll go back to my position and shoot for another inning only to return to the workroom and continue making the donuts (and by that I don't mean Dunkin' Donuts I mean taking disks and dumping them to the editor.).
  Around the 8th inning I'll head back out to the up position and finish shooting the game. Then all three of us will return to the workroom and move a few images each from the end of the game.
  I plan to stretch before the game so I don't pull anything. I'm very anxious about shooting my first World Series. I shot my first National Championship a few years ago down at the Orange Bowl when USC won the BCS but this is a pro championship. A little different but in the end it's still just a baseball game.  Go Rays!!

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Back with Barak


  So with 3 1/2 hours of sleep I rolled back from the ALCS to cover Barak Obama in Orlando. I first had to drop off a camera I borrowed at Rob's house before picking up Benjamin at my in-laws. 
  After I got back to the house I had just enough time to download my stuff from the weekend and pack the necessary gear for the rally before dropping off Benjamin at a neighbor's house.    On the radio I learned more details about the political event at Amway Arena. For starters it was going to be outside of the Magic's home arena on the North side. Secondly I found out they were expecting 40,000 to show up (50,000 actually showed up.) for the 6pm event.
  Everything kind of fell my way. I drove to the arena through the Parramore part of town which isn't really the safest way but I figured it was the quickest. Once there I asked a police officer where media was parking and showed him my credential. He told me to go on through and pull in to the lot directly behind him which was adjacent to the entrance. Once through security I scoped out the positions. They had the standard two camera platforms with much of it was reserved for the traveling press corps.
  I found a spot that was open and immediately marked it for myself with a Sharpie. It was on the "cut-away" platform and utilize the stairs leading up to the entrance of the arena as its main backdrop. I knew the stairs would fill with people helping to illustrate the size of the crowd.
  By the time Senators Obama and Clinton took the stage the light was really nice. The auxiliary lighting the campaign brought in really complimented the ambient.
  I was able to move around to the various positions, including the buffer area around the stage, to get different shots of the Democratic Nominee. It was nice to be able to make a variety of images during the 45-minute rally.
  As Barak made his obligatory hand shaking tour of the crowd I got my pictures and ran back to my car to get ahead of the crowd. I remember what traffic is like after a sold out Magic game so doubling that I didn't want to get caught. Besides I had to get home to transmit as the campaign didn't offer wireless internet access which was unlike my previous experiences on the campaign trail.
  I got home and rushed to my office to transmit. luckily I had already downloaded the pictures off the cards and onto my laptop while driving home from the rally.
  After moving 12 images to EPA I grabbed a glass of Merlot and took a long, hot shower to relax. I was finally home and could sleep in my own bed for a change.

Monday, October 20, 2008

World Series Bound


  I'm still in disbelief that my hometown Rays are not only the AL Champs but they are going to the World Series. More importantly I'll be on the field with them Wednesday as they host the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series. Wow I'm shooting the World Series!
  Before the game last night I could feel a buzz around Tropicana Field. The problem was I couldn't tell if it was a buzz that the Rays would win or if the Red Sox would hold the momentum and not let it swing back to Tampa Bay. We all felt anxious for an end to this grueling series and knew that these two teams would take it to the end.
  I made the decision yesterday that I was going to help my Rays win this by throwing all of my photo support to the Sox. Yes you heard me I was going to set myself up to shoot great images of the defending Champs which meant that I was actually jinxing myself and not the Rays.
  As I mentioned in yesterday's blog entry I adjusted remotes for game 7 after Saturday night's game. I decided I wanted to set up a Red Sox "high-five" cam right next to the dugout where Francona stands to get images of Red Sox players returning to the dugout after scoring. I thought it would be a win-win situation because I would either have some cool wide angle shots of jubilation that the other photographers wouldn't have or I'd get nothing but a trip the World Series. My jinx worked.
  As the Rays dugout ran onto the field to pile on relief pitcher David Price and catcher Dioner Navarro I followed. After a few moments of celebration pictures I headed to the clubhouse for the obligatory Champagne spraying images.
  I didn't have to wait long in my poncho with a camera inside an underwater housing. The players streamed in to the locker room and almost instantly had corks popping before shaking and spraying. I didn't care I had all my gear protected and a change of clothes... bring it on!
  At one point Fernando Perez sprayed me with the bubbly and got some in my eye which burned. I ran over to a counter where the clubhouse manager had set out Nike swim goggles to put on to protect our eyes. So here I was soaked in Champagne running around a locker room taking pictures with an underwater rig of baseball players spraying each other. I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.
  I got back to my hotel room this morning around 3 and slept for a few hours. Now I've got to get some things taken care of, pickup Benjamin at his grandparents in Kissimmee, drop him off with a neighbor and head to Amway Arena to photograph Barak Obama and Hillary Clinton. 
  I'm exhilarated and exhausted. I'm looking at some long days ahead of me this week but it doesn't matter. I'M GOING TO THE FRICKIN' WORLD SERIES!!!!!