Feb 28, 2011

I didn't work in the morning so I met Ryan at the courts to play a few games of tennis. They were still wet from the last last night so it was slightly precarious whenever we stepped on the really slippery, wet spots. After the game we went over to the mall to get lunch at Saladworks.

I came up to school and got some things together for my sculptures and then met Christy in the studio to shoot. We got some really good shots in there and then I decided to start out an idea for another series.

I want to use small spaces and contortion to create interesting shapes with the figure and make unique poses. I put Christy in a cabinet, a trashcan and a filing cabinet drawer among other places and some of the shots were looking really nice. The cabinet was by far the best.

We looked around Westby trying to find other places we could shoot and I think we tried most of the possibilities before giving up until another day.

I met Shannon at Landmark for some drinks and to catch up since we hadn't talked in a while. We played musical bingo again and I had some Coronas. It was a good time.

I went back to Westby and worked on editing some of the photos from the shoot while Alex worked on Gallery stuff. I was there until late and then I came home and didn't go to sleep for a while anyway.

Feb 27, 2011

A breakfast celebration was had for Nathan's visit to South Jersey at Bob Evans. Jamie, Ryan and Erika joined us for a big meal with a strange waitress.

Ryan and I were supposed to go skiing, but the weather was so nice we decided to stay around and play tennis instead. We played a few games and it was great to be playing again. I stuck around and took some photos for my assignment after he left and then went over to the course for a walk around.

I spent the rest of the evening working on photos at home and later I went out for a six mile run because I was feeling restless and the weather was nice. I hope the weather stays this way.

Feb 26, 2011

Nathan met up with Alex, Cait and myself and we headed to Wissahickon Creek in Philly to have a hike. It's been too long, outdoors!

There were a few people on the trails, but for the most part we had it all to ourselves and we had a good time with it. We climbed up some hills, some of us more enthusiastically than others, and went over the Walnut Street bridge.

We took a little break at a water crossing to enjoy the scenery. I climbed over the side since Cait said I wouldn't. I did not sit down on the other side.

When we began to head back, Nathan took to the rocks and climbed up onto them.

I joined him shortly after and climbed to the summit. Okay, it was only about twenty feet up but it looks pretty impressive, right?

This is us walking... or standing on one of the many cement crossings in the park.

Nathan is by far the most comfortable looking person in this picture. We took some photos and then took another trail back to the trailhead where we parked.

Cait directed us to a nice little restaurant off of South Street called The Latest Dish. It looked promising and the food didn't disappoint. I got the Seitan meatloaf. It was awesome. So much on the menu looked great but I think I made a good selection. And I know a place I'd like to return to.

I went home for a while and then headed back up to Cait's to watch the BBC Life series. We watched a few of those and the behind the scenes parts before putting on some random television shows. We had Golden Monkeys to enjoy as well.

It was a long, fun day and night. More of these, please.

Feb 25, 2011

The weather was beautiful when I got up so I took advantage and went for a run around town. There were a few people out but the park and the river walk were surprisingly empty.

I went up to Rowan to do some paperwork things that I have needed to get done for some time and then met Alex, Elaina and Christy at Burger King for our fundraiser. I got a veggie burger that was okay. It wasn't good but the onion rings were alright.

Another handful of people showed up to eat with us and we hung out in our back corner having a good time after we ate. It was probably the most fun I've ever had at a Burger King.

I went home for a while and came back up to Alex's with some movies to watch. We started with Wall E because Alex had somehow never seen it. Needless to say, she loved it.

We went to pick up Cait at the bar and brought her back to watch High Fidelity with us. She didn't really pay much attention to the movie and Alex was focusing on work so we'll have to revisit that one.

After picking up Cait's friend Eric from the bar and then hanging out for a while longer we finally decided to call it a night.

Feb 24, 2011

After exercising at home and going for a run, I went to Westby to pick up Alex and Lindsey. We got to the right neighborhood in Philly and had to walk around for a bit to find the entrance to Project Basho.

We all submitted work for this gallery, but none of us were chosen for it. The collection was mainly candid portraiture. It had a defined mood to it and it was clear that the juror was going for a certain aesthetic.

We hung out there for a while staring at certain pieces, either because they were really great or because they were confusing. There were a good amount of really nice photos there. Keith showed up while we were there and talked to us about the setup of the gallery and the images.

We went back to the Crane building, where there were several exhibits on display. Alex and I wandered through the photo section and into some of the sculpture galleries next.

One room was full of a bunch of sculptures relating to the human body and sexuality. There were some really awesome things and some disturbing things. All around a really cool gallery space. We went to Maoz on South Street to split a falafel for lunch before heading home. It's been a long time since I've had one and it was delicious.

When I got back Lauren helped me finish shooting all the 2D work for the Gallery. There wasn't as much as I had expected so it got done quickly. Putting things back in the acetate that we took off wasn't nearly as easy.

I gave Lauren some lessons on studio lighting and she did a quick shoot with me. She did extremely well with direction. I could learn a few things from her there. Fair trade.

I spent some time going through the studios in the building and shooting people working on things so we would have some shots for the publication.

Elaina came in after her class to do a photo shoot. She was an excellent model. She seemed to know exactly what she was doing without me having to tell her anything. She made it look easy. I'm really happy with the shots I got. I got a lot of keepers.

Christy was there helping as well using the reflector, aka Space Taco. The little bit of light from the reflector really makes a lot of difference.

After the shoot I stayed in the computer lab editing the photos and talking to Alex until 2am when we had to leave to not get tickets. Clearly we were the last ones there.

I finished editing some photos when I got back home and then watched a few things before going to bed.

Feb 23, 2011

Sometimes subbing is easy. Sometimes you have three classes full of annoying pains in the ass. Today was one of those days. It seemed like every class had their own special way of being annoying and, even with the promise of a movie after they finished their work, couldn't find it in them to just work calmly for a short time. It was a very long day and I was glad when it was finally over.

After having something to eat, I went to meet with Keith at Rowan. Our meeting took a while longer than expected. After that Alex and I met with Doc to find some extra work from core classes to put in the Gallery publication. That also took longer than expected. Eventually, after I moved some things around in my schedule, we got to shooting the work for the book. I had to stand on a wobbling chair but it got the job done.

I got to Quizzo a little late, but in time to get us at least one right answer on the first round. We played a good game, even though the last question killed us. Who thinks of banks and oil companies when you hears "richest companies in the world"? Either way, we were only fifty points out of first.

Chuck rode home with me so I didn't have to drive by my lonesome and it felt good to get home and go to bed after an exhausting day.

Feb 22, 2011

I had decided that we wouldn't be having school because of the ridiculous snow I drove home in last night but it turned out I was wrong. I didn't go to my first class anyway, but I came up for the next one. As I walked out the door, the UPS guy gave me a package which was my new camera! I put it together and charged the battery during class, where I showed my "power" images from the beach. I forgot what the assignment was but I had those photos so I used them!

In the next class, no one really had the images ready so we went into the studio and looked at some product lighting and I left a little early.

I got all my stuff from the house and then we headed over to my mom's basement so we could have our first band practice in a really long time with Zack. After we got all our stuff working again we played through a few of the songs, which Zack had never played before but he seemed to know all the parts already. He was really good.

Jeff wasn't feeling well so he didn't want to sing, but he made sure to let me know every time I messed up. Hey, it's been a while! Overall the practice was a great success though. I'm really happy to be playing again. I hope we can practice weekly.

Chuck came over for a short time to make some reservations for our trip to New York in a couple of weeks and then I watched some TV before bed.

Feb 21, 2011

I had to get new tires put on my car because I got a stupid flat. I took my car to the tire place and then got dropped off at the gym for a workout. I ran back to the tire place when I was finished and they were all done with the car. Good timing and a good run.

I went up to school to see what I could do with my sculpture. I polished it down a bit to get some of the markings off of the one side and decided I liked the rough edge so I didn't grind it down. I looked into some other ideas for the steel and then just hung around Westby for a while.

I met Elaina at Saladworks for dinner. After much careful consideration of the menu, I got something new. It was alright, but there's a reason I stick with what I know I like. I wish they weren't as expensive or I'd go there all the time.

I came back for the Gallery meeting, where we went through the rest of the digital artwork to decide what pieces would be used in the publication. We actually got through it all pretty quickly and then we talked about some of the more logistical issues we're having with it.

I hung out with Kat and Heather for a while after that. They were applying for things and being productive while I sat and talked with them. I made some mac and cheese for everyone while laughing at Craigslist ads for photographers and models.

After some deliberation, I decided to drive home in the heavy snow. There was a ton of snow on my car to clean off before I could leave and the highway was terrible. It was unplowed and the cars were going really slowly in no set lane at all. It took an hour to get home and I saw a guy hit the guardrail after passing me like an idiot. When I made it back home I fell asleep watching House. Must have been tired.