I've always had a philosophy about books on tape (and now CD) that they were the spawn of the devil, would eventually lead to wipespread illiteracy and were best avoided, unless made necessary by an excessive long solo drive and then I would only listen to a book that I had previously read in traditional paperbound form. But I've changed my tune.

My new theory about audiobooks hasn't changed all that much. I still think they are essentially evil, however I'm now willing to listen to something different, a new genre of literature I like to call, things I will never read in a million years. With that in mind, on the drive down to San Diego, I listened to a book called "The Bushes", an unapologetic profile of America's right wing dynastic family, starting from S.P. Bush, down through Prescott, Prez #41 and all the way through to W and Jeb.

Most of it was laughable, histories, scandals and affairs glossed over, defeats taken with incredible humility and victories with uncompromising character, all delviered in assured deep baritone of Harry Chase. So much of the known history of the family, especially recent events in the lift of the current commander in chief, was ignored. I would have loved to hear something more revealing and perhaps truthful. As Jon Stewart said, you can't spend most of your adult life in a drug and alcohol induced stupor and wake up in your 40s and decide to become president. Wait!

On the other hand, the portrait painted of the family was interesting in that they are so competitive, hard working and ambitious in a way that I and most of the people from my generation can hardly comprehend. Maybe I'm not looking in the right places, but with a few notable exceptions, most of my friends and acquantainces don't want to conquer the world, but merely want to carve out a comfortable niche for themselves. That's all I really want.

Posted by andrew at 11:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I'm down at the ass end of California visiting some friends, going to a party, generally hanging out and escaping from Northern California. I like San Diego for the weather, the variety of neighborhoods and it's proximity to Mexico, but every time I come down this way, I'm more shocked by everything. The twisting spaghetti of traffic clogged highways. The red leather-faced lackadasical beach bums. Teeny booper girls bouncing around PB and La Jolla who all think they're Jessica Simpson. And yet I find myself considering a move down here. It's inexplicable.

Posted by andrew at 11:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

This post is specific to my friends and former colleagues in Samoa. Sorry if you feel left out.

It's been over 7 months since I left Samoa and yet I can't get some Samoan words out of my head. When something is finished, it's not done, it's uma. When you are correct, you are sa'o lelei and I when I want to get someone's attention, I think sole. It's frustrating that no one will know what the hell I'm talking about.

Posted by andrew at 03:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Yesterday I was at the Wells Fargo ATM and I was shocked to see "Hmoob" as one of the language choices. Hmoob? I consider myself well-traveled and generally knowledgable about these sorts of things, but Hmoob through me for a loop.

A simple check on Google this afternoon revealed that Hmoob is actually the language of the Hmong, a hill-tribe people in Southeast Asia. Which begs the question, what the hell is Hmoob doing as option on my ATM? Not that I have a huge problem with it or anything. It just seems bizarre.

I visited the Hmong people on a trip through Northern Thailand. I stayed in the Hmong Guest House near Chang Saen. I know that a certain number of them have emigrated to the US, especially in and around Minneapolis. However, I wasn't aware of any presence of Hmong in Northern California, let alone one significant enough to have a presence on my ATM.

Anyway, as they say in Hmoob:
Niam txiv npluanuj tubki tsis kawm txuj.

Posted by andrew at 04:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

It's becoming harder and harder for me to get up the energy to blog consistently. I don't know why that it is. It's certainly not for lack of time (I'm working only from 4-7pm most weekdays and on the weekends). And it's not for lack of anything interesting to talk about. Maybe it's just getting tired and I need to move onto something else entirely different. Maybe the site needs a face lift or I just need a vacation from typing.

Posted by andrew at 12:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Well it's not really a war. It's not even a battle. It more like a fight you have with your sister. You know the one. You piss her off and she gets back at you by not talking to you. That's right, The Silent Treatment.

So I can't tell if Compaq is angry with me (for buying one of their defective computers no doubt) or is just plain incompetent. How many voice mail messages can you leave with the promise of a return call within 2 hours during regular business operations before you assume the worst when your call is not returned?

For my part, all I want is simple. I want them to replace the lemon they sold me with a new laptop so I can turn around and sell it to someone else which wiill allow me to buy a computer from a company that actually can make a computer that works the way it is supposed to. Someone like Dell.

I don't even know what possessed me to buy a Compaq in the first place. It must have been the thin air in Colorado. Anyway, the poor thing is in the shop at the moment, for god knows how long, and I have no hope that they are going to replace it or even fix it.

Posted by andrew at 12:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

So the shoot with Brightroom at the Napa Valley Triathlon went well. I had to leave to at 5am to get up there in time for the race, but I was done at 1030, which is the way it should always be.

I didn't get to see much of the famous wine growing valley but I did make a nie cruvy drive up the shores of Lake Barryesa that made me wish I had a Porsche instead of a Subaru.

The race itself was mostly unremarkable. That is too say that all triahlons are remarkable, just for the accomplishment. I should know. I ran one in Samoa. But this one was no more special that any other.

I sat out on the course and shot first bikers and then runners. I was flashed by some woman. This took me so much by surprise that I missed the shot. One second she was unzipping her top, and I thought she was just trying to cool off, but the zipper kept coming down and I was so shocked I forget to hit the shutter.

Then there was one racer that left me in awe. Number 500 was competing minues one limb. I saw amputee athletes all winter in Vail. Most of them were incredibly good and I formed this opinion that they were fearless because they had less to lose than the rest of this. It's probably way off base, but it's as good an explanation as any.

However this guy was a different story. Skiing might be hard work, even for the fully limbed, but it's also serious fun. Triathlons, however, are just gruelling labor. And for this guy to participate, let alone cross the finish line ahead of many competitors was an awe inspiring example of the will of the human spirit.

Posted by andrew at 07:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Jen was dancing last night at Amira, a restaurant in the Mission district in SF. I brought the 10D along and since the restaurant was mostly empty, I was able to take a few pictures without getting in the way of the patrons.

The light is notoriously bad in these Middle Eastern restaurants. Well, that's not true. It's great for the mood and the dancing, but not so hot for photography. I have a nice speedlite flash, but I hesitate using it at night because I detest the effect of having a large shadow on the wall behind the subject.

Instead I went for my fastest lens (50mm 1.4) and a moderately high ISO of 800. I was really happy with the camera's ability to maintain focus in such low light and while the images came out with a slightly orangish yellow cast, that's fine, because that's the way the light looks inside the place.

So far I love this camera, the only problem being the 3 frames per second. I really need something a little faster for shooting soccer and baseball and other sports, but for landscape and portraits, the 10D is brilliant.

Posted by andrew at 01:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by andrew at 01:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Brightroom is a company I've worked with before. They shoot road races and triathlons all around the country. But now they've gone totally digital, hence the reason for the 10D purchase (it's not really a toy, in fact, it's tax deductible).

They called this morning to see if I can work a triathlon in Napa Valley. Of course I can. Not only will be able to spend afternoon in Napa, but Brightroom also pays 60 bucks an hour. If only they had work for me every day, I wouldn't have anything to worry about. Unfortunately, it's only one day a week at best and 3-4 hours at most. It's the sort of thing that makes me want to start my own business.

Oddly enough I'm also shooting in Napa on Sunday for Action Shooters. I will shoot that same amount time, working much harder because it's baseball instead of running and I will get less than half the amount. It's the sort of thing that makes me want to cry.

Posted by andrew at 12:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

After waiting all day for the FedEx man to arrive, I was thrilled to take possession of my new toy, a Canon 10D. Whoo-hooo!

The Canon 10D is sort of a mid-range digital SLR. It's what we were using at Vail and it's a decent camera. It's not as fast as my film 1-V which takes 8 frames per second to the 10D's 3, but it's digital and it takes great pictures. No more scanning. No more film. No more processing.

I need to get a few more lenses. I have a 50mm 1.4, that's standard. Got to have that. And I have a 70-200mm 2.8, which is a brilliant all around lens. With the 2X teleconverter, it's perfect for close in sports, without it, it's a great portrait lens. I need to get something wider, say a 17-35mm and something longer, either a 300mm or a 400mm. The problem is I don't have a spare several grand sitting around. The damn thing about photography is that it is a seriously expensive hobby. The 10D alone set me back more than 1300 when you include shipping. I did sell my Nikon Coolpix 5700 but that's still some serious shrapnel.

BTW, this picture of Fil is one of the first taken with my new toy.

Posted by andrew at 09:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I shot baseball, soccer and softball tournaments for Action Shooters in the 9 months or so before I left for the Peace Corps. It's hard to believe, but I'm back working for them again. I guess I need the money.

I went down to Pleasanton (an oxymoronic placename if ever there was one) to shoot some kids playing baseball. It was the Pirates against Diamondbacks, not that means anything. All that mattered was that I was being paid to be there and take photos.

Action Shooters still uses film, which was a strange reverse transition for me. For the first half of the first roll, I kept looking at the back of the camera to see what the pics looked like only to see the flat back where the film goes instead of an LCD screen. It was disconcerting, but I got over it.

I had some problems with AS just before I let for Samoa. Mostly because Toby, one of the owners was a complete dick. He would lie to me and the other shooters. We'd go on long road trips to Southern California and he'd be driving the van and smoking pot while I was sitting in the back in a folding lawn chair. It made me slightly uncomfortable and, since I wasn't being paid all that much, very expendable. Toby also had some odd traits like referring to change as "shrapnel" which would confuse the hell out the customers and when a parent complained about the photos, he'd pretend that he didn't own the company, which was easy for anyone to buy because the guy was a simple scumbag.

AS has since opened a branch in Orange County and Toby has moved down there so I don't have to deal with him. Most of the guys who I used to shoot with have moved on too, hopefully to better things. There is one guy that I did shoot with before who still shoots on occasion, Hassein. Hassein owes me 500 bucks so I can't wait to see him and I'm certain the feeling is mutual.

Posted by andrew at 01:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

MAK ON HIGH RODENT ALERT

Since I moved back to California, I've already seen more wildlife here in the WC than I did in three months in Colorado. To be fair, I did see a wolf trying to steal burgers off our grill one night, which I would never see here. But just in this apartment I've seen a thief of a racoon sneaking into the complex and several ducks bathing in the pool (eat your heart out Tony Soprano).

The latest critters to catch our attention have been the squirrels that live in the trees across the street. Mak and Fil go nuts every time they see one of the rodents scurrying around. Everyone knows squirrels are a threat to national security in general and the integrity of this apartment specifically, so the kittens are natually on high alert, doing their part to keep America safe from rodentia.

Posted by andrew at 01:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (1)

THAT'S RUBY ON TOP AND SMUDGE ON THE BOTTOM

The reactions are predicable. Fil has taken everything in stride and while is no friend to the two previous occupants, she is hardly antagonistic. Mak on the other hand is a pain in the ass. Of course, he's the only male in a home full of estrogen, but that's no excuse for being a prick (in most cases anyway).

Jen's cats Ruby and Smudge are having a difficult time with the additional housemates as well. Ruby is a skittish cat to begin with and with the arrival of Mak and Fil has taken up permanent residence in the bedroom, hissing at anything that dares enter her private lair. Smudge is more nonchalant, going about the house with nary a care in the world, that is, until Mak decides to randomly attack her.

Smudge is a super sweet cat with some adorable idiosyncrasies. She will come to you. All you have to do is whistle the theme song to "I Dream of Jeanie." When she does come, she will set her bulk on your chest and lick you. At least she has always done me, which either means I taste really good, or I'm seriously dirty and need to be bathed.

Posted by andrew at 07:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I wanted to get out of the WC today and head up Heavenly where they have re-opened the mountain for the day to celebrate something. I don't know what. I really wanted to ski. I don't want my season to end just yet, but I couldn't justify the trip because they were only running the gondola. Even at 40 bucks for a lift ticket, which on most days would seem a bargain, the thought of skiing a run and standing in a massive line at the gondola was enough for me not to make the three hour trip back east to Tahoe.

Squaw Valley is open until the end of the month and if we get any significant snowfall, I'm there.

Posted by andrew at 04:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)