40

Shadowform + Horse = W00T!

First Day in Seattle

Long day! I'll be short tonight because I'm tired :) Work sent me to Seattle for Kodak software training. I have class Monday and Tuesday this week. I am really looking forward to it. It was a stretch to be able to leave for this great opportunity, but Zach is covering for me (thanks Zach!). I hope to bring back valuable information about this software for use in our lab.

Well, driving on my own, I made it from Keizer to Seattle without any stops. I think I drove it in about the average time it usually takes our family to get to Olympia :) I miss my girls and Krista already and it's only the end of my first day :(

I am not directionally blessed. I drove, zigged, zagged, up hills, down hills, through neighborhoods and all kinds of stuff and finally ended up where I was happy taking photos. I photographed downtown Seattle for about an hour and a half. I wanted sunset and night shots. Hopefully tomorrow night I'll post more. I took 260 photos today. I have 3 up on my flickr account:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/englishw/

I probably won't blog again from Seattle, but be sure to check out my flickr page - I will upload more pictures. Don't know if I'll have time to stitch my panoramas I shot, but we'll see :)

Accepted & Flickr

Is it odd that I just created my Flickr account yesterday? I know it's been around for awhile, but I just haven't used it. Well, now I'm on Flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/englishw

Also, my second panograph attempt was accepted and I was invited to the Panography group on Flickr! That was exciting!

Second Panograph

Well, my first panograph was rejected by the Panography Flickr group. This is what they had to say:

Hey,

thank you for your picture. But at least this is no panography.
Panographies are wide angle pictures that make up the vision of reality seen like a person would when looking around from one point of view and unconsciously putting the pictures together in their head.
Your photo could also be done with a wide-angle-lens.
Please try "crazier" angles that look more interesting and please: Apply again! Thank you!

This is my second attempt. I think I like it better than the first. I went out to shoot the capitol building and this was just a stop on the way back. I really like it. Again, here are desktop background sizes:

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First Panograph

Okay, I posted earlier today that I was inspired to try panography. Here is my first attempt. I have sized them if anyone wants a desktop background version. I am very happy with how it turned out! Can't wait until Tuesday when I can print it out at work :)

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Inspiration From Panography

Okay, first off, I'd like to say sorry for not posting much in the last several months. I am still working 50-60 hour work weeks, but those are about to end - hopefully. I may even be able to work four 10 hour days later this month for a couple months. That would be a nice change.

Every now and then I see something REALLY cool in photography that makes me want to go out right then and try it. Today I had that inspiration: Panography. Check out this link:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/panography/pool/

Panography is taking dozens of individual photographs and merging them together to make one larger photograph. I have done panoramas this way, but always with the intention to make it look like ONE photo...not an artistic composit like these.

It's funny, because just last night I was at a friends' house who had done something very similar with 4x6 prints - laying them out so they matched to look like one large photo made up of 15-20 smaller ones. Very cool.

I don't know when (or if) I'll ever come up with anything as cool as in the slideshow link above, but be sure that is my next photo project and I will be posting progress!

8 Years Ago

8 years ago I had a wish. I wanted to get and send e-mail from a portable device I could have with me anywhere. I never dreamed of instant messaging, web browsing, etc. on my portable device…let alone that it would double as my phone! But, for me that day has arrived.

A couple weeks ago I started an unlimited data plan with Cingular. My Blackberry device acts as my phone and data device. It has a qwerty keypad and works very smooth. I was able to downgrade my cell phone plan at the same time, so I end up paying $20/mo. more than before – and that’s for UNLIMITED data traffic! Simply amazing.

I now have Google maps, my e-mail, message boards, instant messaging, and all the web browsing I desire – on my cell phone. I am loving it!

I know I’m a little behind – this isn’t ground breaking technology or anything, but for me, it’s the first time it has been affordable. I highly recommend RIM’s Blackberry devices and Cingular’s data service. For a cell phone, it is very fast!

*Happy Dance*

7:20PM - Where I Am

[UPDATE: I was able to leave at 9:30pm]

Yeah, I'm still at work. Someone accidentally highlighted the contents of thier "C:\" drive and hit "Delete" (while in an FTP application). I am spending my evening recovering documents and rebuilding their computer. Zach is on his way over right now with a 4-patty BK Stacker meal for me - I am very excited about that!

Today marks the end of my first week as the sole network administrator. It has been crazy. Last week was pretty much 5am to 5pm. I'm sure things will settle down, but just when I think I might be getting control of things, something like this happens.

Despite the long hours and the stress of situations like this one, I am loving my job! I am in the industry I want to be in, I am doing what I love to do, and I am gaining valuable experience! The people here are great and the work is challenging. I will say that I am looking forward to production's busy season (Fall) when I can go down to 40hrs/week and maybe take a vacation :o) That will be nice!

Well, the data recovery application is asking for input, so I'd better sign out of Blogger, I just thought it would be fun to do a "real time" update...even though you all are probably reading this weeks after it happened because you gave up on me updating my blog :o)

Couldn't Let It Go A Month

Tomorrow will be one month since I last blogged. I just couldn't let my blog go that long without activity, so I decided to post a quick one.

We've been busy lately with VBS and work, so my blog has been pretty much last on my list. I do have one fun thing to share; my Picasa Web Album:

http://picasaweb.google.com/englishw

If you don't have one already, go get a Picasa web album, download Picasa, and start posting free web galleries! It is great fun!

~ Bill ~ 

Princess Prep Post 2

And for photos from the actual party Mikayla went to, click here for Krista's blog!