There comes a point in everyone’s life where they stop trying to please other people and instead focus on themselves. Okay, so maybe not everyone does this in their lifetime. Some people are perfectly content in allowing other people to dictate what they say and do. You know who you are. I suppose as an introvert it comes to me more naturally, but I typically have no problem cutting people out of my life when it suits me. Yes, there are times I am tempted to reach out to the offending people and try to make amends, and then I remember what they did to me and consequently remember why they don’t deserve my time.
Personal
I didn’t know him as John. I didn’t know him as Jack, as he preferred to be called. I knew him as “Pap”…always have, always will. I said goodbye to my other grandfather in 2012 (Victor) and it’s with regret that I have to say goodbye again now.
Watches are a dime a dozen nowadays, but very seldom do I find any that are both different AND stylish. Then JORD (“Yode”) watches came along. I honestly sat at my desk for an hour going back and forth trying to decide which style I liked the best. I’m fairly sure that my favorite is the Meridian Series, specifically the Dusk and Argent watches, but I also liked the steampunk feel of the Dover Series.
Normally I’d post something like this on my news feed, but front page posts tend to be a bit more visible. That’s important, because I want to let as many people as I can know how thankful I am for all of the support you’ve given over the last five(?)…six(?)…seven(?) years. Without you, I wouldn’t have been able to surpass my latest milestone: reaching 30k YouTube subscribers. My ultimate goal is to get to 100k, but it’s cool to know that I’m almost a third of the way there.
Pat Benatar had it right…love is indeed a battlefield. It’s been a full year since my life suddenly derailed when the woman I was dating for thirteen years decided to cheat on me with another woman. The event threw me into a pit and I’ll be honest, there were plenty of times where I just wanted to give up on life. I’m glad I didn’t. I wish I could go back in time right now and tell my one year younger self that everything would turn out OK. It wouldn’t be easy, but life does have a way of moving on. This blog post will hopefully serve as hope to those of you who are currently going through what I did not too long ago.
After finishing up the latest batch of work on my desk, I decided to take a stroll into the kitchen to refill my coffee mug. Imagine my surprise when I saw a young woman rappelling right outside the window. I flashed her a cheesy grin and a thumbs up, then looked outside the window and down upon the gathering crowd. Unknowingly, my workplace was smack dab in the middle of an event called “Over The Edge Pittsburgh” by Our Clubhouse, a free emotional and social support group designed to help those touched by cancer in western Pennsylvania.
I stopped using my blog to vent a year or so ago, but in this case, I had to make an exception. It started with a harmless stroll through Sears at Ross Park Mall in Pennsylvania on a lovely Sunday afternoon when a nice guy talked me into buying a bed. God, I wish I had just chosen a remote control bed like my neighbor did. It had been ten years since I purchased my last one and admittedly, it was falling apart. Those Sleep Number beds aren’t all they’re cracked up to be, but that’s another story. The salesman was extremely nice and knowledgeable so I was very satisfied with that side of things. In the end, I paid $1500+ for a queen mattress, queen box-spring, and a frame. It was to be delivered that Friday. Five days until delivery…pretty impressive, I thought. Oh, how was I wrong.
I’m taking a timeout here to blog about something I’ve seen on social media everywhere…the mass dumping of ice water on people’s heads in the name of ALS. This meme/fad originally started with Pro Golfer Chris Kennedy and his trainer, James Whatmore, when the latter was assigned to complete an ice bucket challenge and pass it on. The idea here was that you had to donate to charity should you fail to complete the challenge within twenty-four hours. This started a revolution that swept the nation, to the point where celebrities and other famous persons became involved. I’ll be honest, this idea is both ingenious and incredibly stupid. Just as a side note, I had originally titled this article as “Freezing your ass off for ALS”, but opted not to for SEO reasons.
It’s been about a year since I bought my Nikon D3100 and unfortunately, about that same length of time since I’ve last blogged. The title, as it suggests, is meant to address both issues. I’ve learned a LOT over the past year, though I wouldn’t go as far as to call myself an expert…at least, not yet. A year ago, it would have taken me a minute to play with the shutter speed, aperture, and ISO settings to get an ideal picture of whatever was before me. Now, adjusting these settings based on the current situation is almost second nature. If it’s really bright outside and I’m trying to take landscape photos, for example, I know to start with a shutter speed of 1/500-1/1000, maintain a low ISO, and go from there. Of course, a good photographer will be able to adjust these on the fly as the need arises…I think I’m at the point now where I can safely say that I’m there.
Have you ever tried some of Kashi’s products like “GOLEAN Crunch!” cereal? I have. It tastes great going down but holy hell, it gives me gas like you wouldn’t believe. I’m apparently not the only one…there are forum threads out on the web devoted to people who have the strongest sphincter muscles in the world because of this smelly problem. I know what you regular readers are thinking…WTF is he smoking and where are “my” game reviews? No worries…I occassionally go off on tangents like this. Why? Because I can, and it’s fun.
Haven’t seen the new Star Trek movie yet? Well, you’re in luck. “Star Trek Into Darkness” is beaming down to most retail stores everywhere on September 10, 2013 (locations & dates may vary). If you don’t feel like waiting in line, you can pre-order the movie on Amazon and select “two-day shipping” to receive it in the mail on release day.
My recent trip to the Pittsburgh Zoo was a success overall, but I felt that I could have done better. Out of the four hundred pictures I took, only seventy-five of them didn’t have that grainy look about them. This was partly my fault, as I was trying something new this time around…Auto-ISO and Manual mode.
So, not much has happened since my last post. Created a website on Zenfolio, scheduled my very first appointment for a photo shoot, drafted up price lists and customer FAQs, you know…the usual. You can’t see me right now, but I’m jumping up and down like a little school boy who bagged his very first rare Pokémon. Okay, obligatory update over.
It’s been one heck of a ride thus far…that is, in terms of photography. Since my last article, I’ve shot and edited many a photo. I came up with a name for my photography quote unquote “business”, went out and bought Adobe Photoshop Elements 11, and have now begun seriously considering expanding on my lens collection.
I’ve been pretty lacking this past week in terms of game reviews, but I’ve had a good reason. I put down the controller (temporarily) and replaced it with my very first digital SLR camera. I’ve always loved taking pictures, even as a kid. Well, it was finally time to splurge and bring one of the hobbies I’ve been neglecting all these years to the front burner. When I first opened the package and began playing with its features, I admit that I was overwhelmed. In fact, you can read about all of that in my first impressions article (click on the hyperlink to the left).
So…the saga begins. Like almost everything else I do, I’ve decided to jump head first into photography, having no prior experience beyond the point-and-shoot cameras I’ve owned over the years. I’ve always wanted to take my board game reviews to the next level by taking nicer pictures, but I’ve also been dabbling with the idea of doing portraits & landscapes. Who would have thought that all-knowing logical me would have an artsy side?