Oct 31, 2013

The day was pretty good teaching art to elementary school children. One of the classes didn't show up, and I only had a few proper classes so it went well. I was bored some of the time but had fun playing with googly eyes. I watched some Oz on my downtime and went home for my long lunch. I also hung up and spread out some work fliers in the teacher's lunch room so hopefully something will come of that.

After a little time at home I went to Alex's, dodging trick-or-treaters along the way. I drove her car for the next two hours north of Philly to the Gardenville Hotel, but not before the GPS took me to some guy's dark, somewhat creepy yard. The guy was very nice and out playing with his dog. He gave us directions down the road to where we were actually supposed to go. We got to the hotel, saw a line of costumed show-goers in line and decided to get a six pack of Sam Adam's Oktoberfest to pass the time until the doors opened. I only ended up having two and then we went in.

It was a small place, akin to a VFW hall where we used to have local shows. Tigers Jaw played first and they were really good. Unfortunately, the speakers were not cooperating and kept cracking over the vocals. I would definitely like to listen to them though. We went outside to cool down because that room got hot with all the people. It was a bit of a wait, but the vibe was so different from big shows. I liked it.

Circa Survive came out next, all in costume and smiling. Anthony is so happy all the time and just full of insane energy. They opened with Get Out and launched into an amazing set of songs I haven't heard them play in a long time. There was no barrier, so the crowd swayed to and fro as the makeshift security force held the crowd back. It was civil though. And Anthony kept diving into the crowd, crowd surfing, and holding the mic up to people to scream along with them. It was an awesome, insane, frenetic energy the whole time. He kept saying how great it was to play that show and they missed small shows, and that didn't seem contrived in any way. I love those guys. It was so good.

We had a long ride home ahead, but it was enjoyable. We were still pretty hyped up from the show. Hyped and sweaty. We made it home without falling asleep, which is always my goal while driving.

Oct 30, 2013

I got a job for a "floater teacher" at Vineland's Memorial school, and it turned out I was in for one teacher: a gym teacher. I really did nothing all day except stand on the sidelines and watch them play "speed ball," which combines basketball, football, and soccer somehow. It was entertaining to watch, but the day still dragged on. I had one Health class that I showed a drunk driving video to, but Vineland has 9-period days so it didn't last long. I got a long lunch and learned the hard way that I should never get lunch from Vineland again.

When I got home from work, my new lens had arrived so I took it out and tried it on. It's so heavy, but I look forward to using it. Alex told me that Circa Survive announced a secret show for tomorrow night in PA so I got tickets immediately. I am excited to see them, and I was just wondering recently if they'd be playing on the east coast soon. After that I filled out some paperwork in preparation for my upcoming U Penn Alumni hockey game shoot. Tax forms are fun to figure out as an independent contractor. I'm pretty sure I'm messing something up every time. But maybe I'm not.

Later it was Quizzo time. Last week Steve-O told us if we wore a costume for Halloween we would get extra points so I made something up at the last minute and dressed as a tennis player. Chuck and Matt agreed that other than the headband and tennis racket it was something they wouldn't be at all surprised to see me wearing. We played okay, but we didn't come close to winning. I think every team got the extra points for a costume also since other were dressed up, so that didn't put us ahead. Oh well, it was fun.

Oct 29, 2013

I worked as a French teacher at Lakeside today. We watched Shrek in French, and the kids kept asking why we were watching in that language... Yeah. The classes weren't too bad mostly, but a few got annoying. I was happy to be done. I went to play disc golf with Kate after I got changed. It was a really nice day and I had some good drives, but I wasn't putting very well. My game is always inconsistent. It was nice to be outside though.

Later I headed up to Philly to see Emery at the Troc Balcony. I sat in the car for a bit listening to a podcast while I waited. I saw Phil at the door since he still works there so we talked briefly and then I headed upstair to the small balcony stage. It seemed like a whole different room when it's filled with people waiting for a band to play. It turned out to be the perfect size room and the crowd was a lot of fun. Emery played The Weak's End from front to back, playing some of my favorite songs of theirs. It was so much fun hearing those songs and getting into with everyone. Not to mention it seems like on every tour they do there is no Philly/NJ date for some reason. No idea why. This show just made me want to see the play another tour with mixed songs as well as just see more bands at small shows.

Oct 28, 2013

I was in for my favorite Spanish class at Lakeside today. Not really. I don't know what it is about this particular class, but no matter what year it is and what new students come through, they always seem to be the worst classes. I have been there when the teacher is in the room and the kids are still being assholes, so I'm guessing it has something to do with that. In any case, they had work to do, and they didn't want to do it, so I had a fun time moving people around and yelling at them to get back to work. Happy Monday!

I spent the night online, some parts wasting time reading random things, looking at videos, and stumbling, but I also spent some time researching which lens I want to buy and deciding I want the most expensive one that will hopefully last me a very long time and get great shots. I also spent an hour or so watching an online engagement photo critique. It was really interesting and informative hearing critiques of others' work that I think could help inform my own. There were some really awesome shots on there too. I want to watch more of the tutorials and crits they have on there. That was really my night, and I'm okay with that.

Oct 27, 2013

I was up early and it was nice out so I drove to the parking lot for the lake trail loop at Belleplain State Park and got ready for a run. Since I haven't run as much lately I wasn't sure how I would do. Once I got started I felt great. I knew I could keep going and I did. The mental aspect of running has always been the struggle for me. My body can do it, and I rarely if ever give out physically. Normally the ennui kicks in before I start, but once I get going I'm good. I ran 5 miles through the beautiful autumn forest whose trail was blanketed with crunchy leaves and whose trees waved red and yellow flags to mark the season. 'Twas a great run.

When I got home I guess I hadn't had enough because I biked up to Vineland to meet Ryan for a round of disc golf. I just wanted to keep being outside. We had a great game and then decided to take a walk around the lake while we were there. After that I biked home. I had lunch, a shower, and a nap. It was a nice afternoon. Later I went to Kate's and had a few beers that were leftover from previous outings. Thus concluded my day of excitement.

Oct 26, 2013

I slept as long as I could in the morning and met the crew downstairs for a quick breakfast. I finished getting dressed and dragged all my gear downstairs to the truck and we headed to the arena. There was a lot of traffic coming into the parking garage when we got there so we jumped out early and took the gear in while Derrick parked. Our setup wasn't bad. We put up a backdrop on either side of the stage, put the cameras and flashes together, taped our marks, and then tested everything out. It went pretty smoothly and then we just had to sit and wait for the first speakers to go through their speeches before the graduates started coming up.

The whole room seemed smaller than I expected. The graduates came down the line, one by one, stepping up in front of the backdrop and I shot them quickly and they moved on. It was a well-oiled machine and it worked out perfectly. It seemed like we got through the whole crowd really fast and suddenly it was time to break down. Pretty easy and still fun. After breaking down, we headed back to the car, said goodbye to Kevin and Max, and were back on the road to PA.

We dropped Rena off at home once we were back in Maryland then Derrick and I stopped for something to eat in the car for our remaining few hours. We made good time until we got to 476 in PA, of course. There was an insane amount of traffic on a Saturday afternoon for some reason and we inched along, knowing that if it was clear we could be at the office in twenty minutes. Finally, we made it back and unloaded the gear and took it upstairs. Then I was home free.

I listened to a few podcasts on my drive home and then fell happily into my computer chair where I remained for the evening until I was ready for bed. The long drive really took it out of me even though I wasn't behind the wheel. It was just nice not being in a car seat for a while.

Oct 25, 2013

I got to sleep in a bit in the morning, but I still was not looking forward to the drive to the Legacy office. I got there on time, but, as I figured, everyone wasn't there or ready yet. We had to wait for Derrick to get there, and then we had to wait for Dave to get there with his car because he didn't realize we were leaving that early or something. Once all our gear was packed, checked, and stowed in the back of Dave's Volvo though we were ready to hit the road. After a stop at Wawa of course.

The drive wasn't bad. I enjoy conversations with Derrick so that helps the time go by much more quickly. Plus I can occupy myself on my phone when there is nothing being said. That's the nice part about being a passenger. We picked up Rena at her place in Maryland and continued down Route 13 to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. I remember being much more enamored with it in the past. I think the idea of it was always cooler than the actual experience. Or maybe I just want to see it from above or on the water. You can't see it that well when you're driving it.

We stopped briefly at the rest area in the middle of the bridge as the sun was going down. Kevin and Max were right there with us in their car somehow. I thought they'd be way ahead. When we got to the Aloft Hotel, I was eyeing up my coworkers, wondering who I'd be rooming with. To my surprise I saw five keys being handed to Derrick and then he distributed them at random. I had my own room! A wonderful surprise. Too bad we weren't really staying long enough to enjoy it. We headed to our respective rooms, which are super nice, and took a short time before we headed out to get dinner.

We went to Carrabba's, where I got a tasty Sam Adam's Oktoberfest at the bar while we waited to be seated. Beer tastes better when it's paid for by the company card. So does the food. We had some great food and good conversations at the table. Rena and I have a lot in common, especially when it comes to skiing. She told me about how different skiing in Colorado is on fresh powder. One day I'll find out for myself. Maybe this year...? We hung out there for a while after we finished our meals and then spent a little time at the hotel bar before retiring to our rooms for the night. The bed was really comfortable and I wish I didn't have to set an alarm...

Oct 24, 2013

Go ahead, read the bold, underlined part. Yeah. All I can say is that the classes were actually pretty well-behaved. I didn't expect that since this teacher's classes last year were terrible. And that's even by Lakeside standards. Sadly, they just worked on their test and packets for the whole class. I usually expect him to leave a Bill Nye video and I always enjoy that. It was a pretty long day.

After work Kate, Chuck, and I headed down to Cape May Brewery. They were having an "industry night" with specials. Apparently I don't know what that is because when I got there I was told it's only specials for people from the bars that serve their beer. After showing a few pieces of NJCB identification we were granted the discount anyway. We used our sample chips to do a flight of all the beers on tap. The Pale Ale and City to Shore Double IPA were both quite tasty. The Stout was good, but the Avalon Coffee Stout was great. Overall I can usually take or leave their beer. I used to like the atmosphere there a lot more, but now that they've expanded it seems less friendly beer guys pouring and chatting with you than a hip brew pub. Oh well. So it goes.

After we came home I had some food before heading back out to meet Davonne at the movie theater to see Runner Runner. I hadn't seen her in a while and we had been talking about seeing a movie for some time, but we rarely have similar schedules or similar taste in movies. The movie was quite good. I like Justin Timberlake as an actor and of course I like Ben Affleck so the pair was a win for me. A busy and fun day, it was. Good prelude to sleeping.

Oct 23, 2013

I didn't get a job for the morning and neither did Kate so we got food and complained about no work and the shitty weather then watched Brew Dogs. I did end up getting a job for the afternoon at Barse Elementary in Vineland. I figured I may as well do something. The class was okay, but there was not really any work for them to do so I had to wing it and make things up. I had them playing games on the computer by the end of the day just to keep them occupied.

I met Chuck and Matt at Applebee's later for Quizzo. We were off to a good start and Matt killed the Super Bowl-themed matching round where you had to pair the year with the Super Bowl champions. Our waitress, who actually knew what beers were on tap, told me about the Just IPA by the Just Beer Project that was recently tapped so I gave it a try. New favorite IPA. It's so good. It's a session beer and it's really smooth and full of flavor. It tasted like another beer. So I had one. It was a good night to order some beers because we dominated the game and came in first so we offset our final bill by $25. It felt good to finally win again.

Oct 22, 2013

I passed on jobs last night hoping a full day Millville job would come up this morning, but it did not. So I ended up waiting and taking a Special Ed job for the afternoon in Vineland just so I had something. Their Special Ed "Life Skills" program is pretty sweet. They have a separate section for the students where they do copying, printing, collating, and other office jobs for the Board of Ed. They also have a kitchen area where they cook and serve coffee and snacks for the teachers in the morning. I like that they are teaching them by doing actual jobs and I think that helps the students feel a sense that they are helping people too.

This being my first experience with Vineland High School (and Vineland subbing in general) I wasn't thrilled on their procedures. They didn't have a teacher's folder for me with any information like a building map, emergency procedures, behavior referrals, or emergency lesson plans. They left that up to the teacher. But as a first-time sub in a new building, I have no idea where things are or what the usual procedures are. The people in the office were also very unhelpful, and even though I was done at 2 and my class had left the building to go get their bus, I was told I had to stay until 2:23 because that's when subs can sign out. Like I was literally supposed to just sit on my ass in the office until the big hand went around 23 more times as I do nothing at all. Needless to say, I did not stay until 2:23.

Instead, I went over to South Vineland Park and went for a quick run around the lake before I met Scott and Bill for a round from the yellow tees. I played about average for me as I watched them nail putts with ease that I would be ecstatic to make. I did make quite a few good shots myself. One thing I can say about playing with them is that they genuinely enjoy the game and are very encouraging with the praise even if my shots aren't as good as theirs. It's just fun to play with multiple people too. After Bill left I played another 9 holes with Scott from the white tees this time and then headed home.

I came home for dinner, then I relaxed for the evening waiting for a job to come up for tomorrow.

Oct 21, 2013

I worked at Memorial as a gym teacher today, being the referee for the girls' flag football games. It was easier since they didn't care as much about the game so it was easier for me to make calls. It was a pretty relaxed day of playing, and then my last block I had to do alone so they played mat ball. Things went pretty well, but a couple of people questioned my calls in that game more than I ever got for the football games earlier. To be fair, I wasn't totally paying attention.

Later in the evening Chuck and I went to Kate's to try some beers we had picked up the other night. Kate had gotten The Shed IPA which is really good. Chuck got several Alcoholic Ginger Beer by John Crabbie & Co. That stuff is amazing. It tastes like regular ginger beer. I love it. Glad he got three of those. We had a few others by Evil Twin and Duck Rabbit as well. Chuck picked up the guitar and started playing at one point. It was a good time sitting around the brew barn.

Oct 20, 2013

I actually had the house to myself in the morning so I spent an hour or so playing bass. I miss having the nights to be able to play as much as I wanted. That's the time when I'm most motivated to play. I biked over to South Vineland Park to play a round of disc golf and then biked home. It was a nice day, but the breeze made it chilly while biking. It was a pretty lazy day after that. I watched Brew Dogs with Kate later and then Ryan and I went for a walk around town. The day was as concise as this paragraph.

I finished off the peanut butter.

Oct 19, 2013

I headed up to the Asbury Park area to meet Quinny, the photographer I was second shooting for today. He seemed like a good guy and we got along well. We had a busy schedule for the day so we got started right away talking about the logistics, then I went to the groom's house to shoot the guys getting ready. Of course the guys are usually done getting ready when I get there for this part, but there's always the same problems like trying to figure out how to put the flowers on their lapel or how to fold their pocket squares. It's always funny to watch, and I still don't understand why they leave it up to the guys to figure it out. Despite this, we got some cool shots in the road and house, including one of my favorite shots I've taken with groomsmen. When he said, "Do you mind if we take a picture with the guns?" I had no idea this would happen.

The guys caught the trolley, stopped at the liquor store that the family owns, then headed over to the church. It was a while before everyone arrived and filled the pews so I shot around and watched the bagpipers practice. It was a proper Irish Catholic wedding. Once getting started the ceremony went quickly (for a Catholic service) and all went well. After the receiving line, we did grouped pictures with the family inside and outside with the wedding party and then it was off to the beach!

We went down to the Asbury Park boardwalk to shoot in the old Casino building and on the beach. Quinny has his routine down so much that he was going really quickly with each shot. I did the best I could to keep up, but not knowing exactly what he was doing each time made it harder.  I liked a lot of the shots he was doing and took a mental note of them for the future. I wanted to direct the group sometimes, but he was in the zone so I didn't interrupt. I suppose I should be more assertive sometimes.

Our next stop was Monmouth University. This place is beautiful. The inside has gorgeous lighting, marble staircase, arched doorways, and an awesome garden outside. We made use of all of these aspects. Quinny and his videographer got some really great shots here. It was a hard balance for me trying to shoot details and close-ups while also getting some wide portfolio shots of each scene for myself.

Finally it was time to head to the reception at a beautiful hall not far away. They had the cocktail hour setup outside on a deck. The food was decadent and seemingly never-ending. It started raining a bit which drove some people under the awning and pressured the people in charge to get things moving. The reception was very nice and classy. All the usual events took place and I circulated, taking photos of couples at tables and people dancing. We even got a tip from the bride that Quinny was nice enough to share with the videographer and me. I had a great experience with him and I hope to shoot a wedding with him again. I had a long drive home down the dark parkway, but my podcasts kept me company until I made it back to my bed.

Oct 18, 2013

I worked at Memorial for a gym teacher and it was track day. They ran races and did other events. I was in charge of the discus station. I just watched them and kind of organized them. I also threw the discus a few times. I was okay at it. I don't think I've thrown one since high school though. The day was pretty fun since I basically just hung out with kids throwing things and didn't have to discipline them for it. After work I charged my batteries and got my camera equipment ready for the wedding tomorrow, then I got ready to go out for the night.

Chuck, Kate, and I got up to the Piazza plenty early. We were the first in line to enter the Living Social Beerfest, but we only had to wait 15-20 minutes before they let us in. It was a small fest and generally open season for the first half hour or so. We breezed through quite a few breweries in a short period of time. Victory's Dirtwolf was one of my early favorites.

Once we made our way through one side of the tents we went back out to the entrance to meet Tracy and Mike, who finally made it. They joined us to work our way down the other side. We had started slowing our roll a bit by this point. We had some good beers from Brooklyn, Yards, and Sierra Nevada. A wise man once said, "Beer fests are terrible places to taste beer." And he was right. I have a hard time remembering most of the beers we tried. Too many beers in a row are hard to evaluate for taste. It's really just an excuse to get drunk on good beer and have a good time.

Have a good time we did. After we finished sampling all of the beers we wanted to try we tried the handful of ciders that were available and then we went back for seconds. Even though I told myself I wouldn't do that, at this point it was a forgone conclusion. We were drunk and dancing by this point. No one was really into the cover band that was on stage the entire night, but we went up and danced right in front of them for a little bit, and I asked them to play some Blink. What seemed like a long time passed and then they finally played All the Small Things. We were happy.

Once we had our fill and then some we left and went over to The Abbaye for food and sobering up time. I had something that was delicious followed by the best pecan pie I have ever had. You can never go wrong with food from there. Kate was not feeling well at all, unfortunately, and we had to help her back to the car so she could sleep in the back on the way home. It was certainly worth the $29 for that ticket to the beerfest, so thanks for that, LivingSocial! Until next time.

Oct 17, 2013

I worked a Special Ed math class at Memorial during the day. It was an interesting day, as I had another teacher in there with me who had no idea how to do basic algebra, which is what the students were learning. More than once she explained something incorrectly to the student and I had to go tell them the correct way. She was also trying to look up how to do it on her phone and sneakily come back with the answer. It was bizarre, annoying, and quite sad. I had a good time working with the students on the algebra though. I always enjoy math classes.

I had last block off so I left early and went to the Vineland Board of Ed to drop off my physical form and find out my next step. The substitute coordinator seems to be impossible to get ahold of. She never answers her phone and I was there about a half hour before she left for the day and the secretary said she was on her lunch break. Then she looked at me weird when I thought that was odd. Anyway, I was told I'd have to wait for board approval, which I already got, and then I awkwardly left. Thanks for the help. On my way home I picked up Dave and Chelsea's pictures at T & F. They look good printed.

I met my mom, Sarah, and Aiden at Kawa for dinner for my mom's birthday (only two weeks late!) We had a good dinner of sushi and beer that I got for my mom to try. She wanted a mixed six pack of different styles so she could find out what she likes. She liked the stout a lot and, predictably, not so much the IPA. It was nice trying them with her though and we had a good time talking.

After dinner had settled a bit later I decided it was time for a neighborhood run. I ran 5 miles after initially feeling like I wouldn't make it much farther after the first. I love the boost I get in the middle of a run. Sometimes I feel like I could just keep going. It's been a while since I have just kept going, but I need to do that again. Time to get back to long distance running and running more often in general.

Oct 16, 2013

It was another early morning at Merion Elementary School for portraits today. Lots of kids coming through very quickly without much of a break this time. There weren't really any problems, just the usual tedium of getting the kids to actually sit up and smile, while trying not to be rude to kids who have different smiles. One kid just would not smile, so I gave up on it and let his picture go looking like he just got punched in the stomach. It turned out his mom would not be happy about that one, but her kid is an idiot, so that's her problem. After we wrapped up for the day, I went back to the office for a brief graduation training session with Derrick. It was a quick run through, but I feel like I got the idea of what I need to do. (It's distorted because it's probably illegal to show his face..)

Once I got home and showered and changed it was out the door and right back to Philly with Chuck for Left Hand U Buy the Glass night at The Abbaye. We met Kate, Cody, and his friend there. They had the Polestar Pils, which is always great, the 400 Pound Monkey, Milk Stout, and one I'd never had before called Ambidextrous Ale Step 3 - Great Juju. That one was fantastic. My favorite of the night. I got the seitan cheesesteak because the vegan lasagna was sold out (damn!) That's not a problem really, because the cheesesteak is one of my favorites they have. We had a good night and Chuck won a shirt in the raffle so bully for him! After we left the bar we stopped in at the Foodery to pick up a few beers to bring home.

Oct 15, 2013

I subbed for an English teacher at Lakeside. It was one of the few times the students were disappointed to have a sub and not their regular teacher, because everyone loves this guy. I don't blame them. He's a cool dude and seems like a good teacher. The classes were all pretty good as well. I suppose they didn't want to anger their favorite teacher. Later I picked up sushi from Kawa and went to Kate's to watch Boundless. These guys are doing the most extreme races all over the world and started with a multi-day ultramarathon in Iceland. It was pretty intense, but even them struggling made it look too easy. I need to find something that will let me travel the world for work and soon. I took a short walk around the neighborhood later at night listening to Childish Gambino. Not sure why I never listened before, but I really like him.

Oct 14, 2013

Since we had the day off work I was up early and trying to be productive. I had to play with Aiden for a while since he and Sarah were here when I got up. I went to T & F to drop off photos to be printed and then went to Five Below looking for headphones. Unfortunately the pair I got were terrible so I took them back and exchanged them for another terrible pair. Looks like I will need to get my headphones somewhere else. I met Ryan at the course for a game. We both played pretty well, and the weather was perfect for being outside.

I had a phone meeting with the guy I'm shooting a wedding with this coming weekend. He just wanted to talk about details and make sure I'm right for the job. He thinks I am so I'm hired. I was still wired and wanting to enjoy the weather so I went for a run at Silver Run. I ran all the trails in a few loops and finished around sunset. What a nice day. I spent the rest of the evening mostly watching Burn Notice and looking up marketing strategies for my work.

Oct 13, 2013

It was a nice day for sleeping in. When I finally got around to leaving the house I went to Parvin for a run around the lake. Despite knowing the trail so well, it never gets boring running there. Later in the afternoon I went and played a round of disc golf with Kate at the park. As the days get shorter I just want to be outside as much as I can, but there still isn't that much to do around here that doesn't get old fast.

Later I went to Kate's where we broke open the Anchor Brewing sampler pack. The Anchor Wheat is really amazing, but unfortunately it's only available in the sampler. I'd definitely like a six pack of that. The Anchor Steam, Porter, and Liberty Ale are all great as well. I'd really like to visit Anchor next time I'm in the Bay area.

Oct 12, 2013

 

Before doing anything I had to go to get my PPD checked by the doctor in Vineland. He was nice enough to open the back door before the place opened and sign off for me. My drive down to Wildwood in the morning started off very hopeful because the weather was great in Millville. The closer I got to the shore, however, the darker the clouds got. By the time I parked near the pier it was raining pretty good. I walked through the rain to meet Charles by the far pier where he was shooting. I had rigged a plastic bag to cover my camera and took my position near a jumping obstacle to catch the racers in the air.

The rain came and went, as did the runners. I made friends with zombies nearby and talked about the weather and the race. One cool thing was that they got to go down the big water slide that's part of the water park along the race. It seemed like it was probably a fun run. The last couple of hours seemed to go on forever and it was getting cold. I was happy when it was finally done. I gave Charles his card, he paid me, and I went quickly on my way home.

That night, Ian and I went up to Starland Ballroom to see AFI. Once again, they put on a crazy awesome show. Davey is such a fantastic frontman. During the first song's breakdown, he did a front flip into the crowd and went right on singing. Regardless of how much I enjoy most of their music, I'd go see them just for his theatrics. After the show we met two of Ian's friends and went to a diner on Rt. 18 for some post-show treats and conversation. We had a good time, but I was ready to gooooooo. I was so tired when I got home that there was no waiting before I laid down and passed out.

Oct 11, 2013

I worked ACI at Memorial today. I only had a couple of kids throughout the day so it was quite easy. I did some reading and some internet surfing. The biggest problem with that job is that there is really so little to do that it goes slowly and you need to have something to occupy your time. After work I got an oil change that I needed badly and then went home to eat.

We decided to have a game night at Kate's so a bunch of people came over to play. My sister, Chuck, Alex, Ryan, Erika, and Steve. We opened some beers, including the Forever Unloved Sandy by Flying Fish. It's really good and I guess it's doing well since I thought they were done producing it a while ago. We played a game of Cranium, which was fun for the most part, but a bit crazy, as it can get with that many people. After that we played Telestrations, which can also get ridiculous with a lot of people, but it tends to be the good kind of ridiculous. After a few crazy rounds we were all ready to disperse and head home. It was a lot of fun getting a group together for games again though. 

Oct 10, 2013

I had a history job for Memorial in the morning. I just showed a video for most of the class. I was supposed to travel to the senior high for the last block of the day, but I got a call telling me I was taken off because they still don't want me to work there after the "incident" last year. First, it's shitty that it's still a thing that I can't work that after that bullshit happened, and second, it sucks that I was able to take the job and then get screwed in the middle of the day because of that.

After I finished my half day I went to the doctor in Vineland and got my physical taken care of for employment at Vineland Public Schools. The doctor had me in and out really quickly. He was a jovial and friendly guy so I enjoyed the visit. I came home and watched TV and had a nice nap to make up for some lost sleep from last night. When I got up I wanted to go for a run, but it was raining too hard. I had a couple beers and watched Big Bang Theory and then other shows before going to bed for real. It was a good night.

Oct 9, 2013

I worked at Lakeside in a Gifted & Talented class. The best part of those classes is that I only have about 3 classes all day since the others are all special groups that come in when they're called. So I had a lot of time to watch Burn Notice and look up photo jobs online. After work, I spent some time lounging at home before I had to head to Baltimore. The sunset on the drive down was gorgeous, reflecting off the clouds and setting the sky on fire. It seemed like such a crazy, mundane thing to be driving on highway when such amazing beauty was burning overhead.

When I got to the show I stood outside trying to sell the extra ticket, but I went inside to see What's Eating Gilbert. They are pretty good, but I'm not their biggest fan. Not at Ram's Head anyway. I went back outside after they finished, coming back in for Bayside, who played their usual great set. A few songs were left out that I wanted to hear, but they still have such a fun energy that it didn't matter. Justin Pierre came out to sing Megan, which was a sweet surprise.

I went to the bar next door and had a Resurrection by Brewer's Art between bands. It was pretty good but overpriced. I went in to see Motion City Soundtrack play a really different and awesome set. It seemed like the crowd wasn't as into them, but after Bayside it's hard to get that energy back I suppose. They played a few songs I haven't heard in a while so that was cool. While I do love this band, it was a bit of a lackluster ending to the show. Still very enjoyable, but it just lost something after the switch. The drive home was long, dark, and sleepy. I saw strange things like a family walking along a dark two lane road by the river. It was weird. But I got home and in bed.

Oct 8, 2013

I woke up in the night feeling strangely dizzy and disoriented. I was worried, and I don't get worried. I went back to sleep hoping that would fix it, but I still felt that way in the morning. I decided to push through it and go to work without eating anything. I just drank a bunch of water. Once I got to my car, I threw up, prompting me to think I'd stay home, but once I came inside I felt better so I went for it. I started feeling bad again and awkwardly sat through my first full English class, looking and feeling like I was going to vomit at any moment. I ate a banana, but it didn't help. Eventually, I slowly started feeling better, and by midday I was back to normal somehow. I have no idea what that was or why I felt it.

I felt good enough to take a half day job at Alternative School. I was an art teacher, which is about the same as the other jobs at Alternative but even easier. They just drew and worked on previous projects while I looked over them and casually browsed the internet. When I got home late I spent the night watching Brew Dogs and hanging out until bedtime.

Oct 7, 2013

I worked for Ryan for the first time today. What a strange thing. So I had music classes in the morning for younger kids where I showed The Backyardigans. That went over pretty well, but I still had to corral them regularly. I had a very long break in the middle of the day where I watched my own shows and had lunch in Ryan's office. The afternoon was worse with the older classes. We watched The Blue Man Group DVD and it was hard to keep them interested. One class was so bad that I had them sit silently and write an apology to Ryan for their behavior. I enjoyed that punishment.

I spent my evening watching Southland and playing with a Spanish app I downloaded. It's not quite Rosetta Stone, but it does insult you in strange ways...

Oct 6, 2013

Kate and I headed to Delaware in the morning to go to Iron Hill DGC. The forest was beautiful in autumn colors and leaves covering the ground. Regardless of how we played, the scenery was worth the trip to walk around the woods. There weren't many people there, so we didn't have to worry about crossing over anyone. The game went pretty well for both of us. I had some really good shots and some really bad ones. Overall it was a good day of playing though.

I always forget how long the course is. I start questioning whether it's a 27-hole course, but then I remember it's just because each hole is 400 ft or more that it plays longer than the ones I'm more used to. After finishing up the long course, we headed to Stewart's Brewing to get a flight and some food before we headed back. I didn't expect the place to be such a sports bar. There were TVs everywhere and fans with many different jerseys. I asked to be placed near the door since it was furthest from both loud TVs and yelling fans. Most of their beer was middle of the road, but the Big Bear Amber Ale was damn good. Definitely a smooth, drinkable beer.

On the way back home we stopped at Eliza's birthday party at a gymnastics gym. Aiden was there with Devin, and of course Tracy was there doing backflips down the trampoline thing. The kids and adults were allowed to play in the big foam-filled hole so we were doing dives and flips into it. Aiden was really enjoying himself just like the rest of us were. After singing happy birthday it was time to head out.

Later we gathered at Erika's to play games. We played a round of Settlers of Catan and that took up quite a bit of the night. It seemed like everyone was just on the brink of winning before Ryan finally did. We need to have more game nights.

Oct 5, 2013

Scott asked me in the morning if I'd like to play a round with him at South Vineland and, of course, I did. We met and played a round from the yellow tees. I'm not sure if it's because I'm not used to them as much or because they are just harder, but I play much worse from those tees a lot of the time. Some of them just seem unnecessarily narrow or out of the way. We played a round from the white tees after that which I enjoyed much more. It's just more fun all around I think. Especially for hole 18. The yellow is just not good.

When it got closer to sunset I went over to Kim and Chester's house to shoot their maternity photos. I reshot some of the photos we did for their engagement and then we did some new fun ones. I think they came out pretty nicely and we had a fun time doing them. Chester picked me some green peppers to send home with me. They live such a different life than I do. I stopped on the way home to shoot some photos of the sunset over the farms and power lines. It was so nice. The rest of the night was having some beers and relaxing.

Oct 4, 2013

I went up to North Jersey to meet Nicole, the girl who hired me to second shoot a wedding. She gave me the wrong address so I ended up at the bride's house where she was. She gave me the right address, but the wrong spelling so I ended up at the wrong place again. Eventually I found the groom's house and got some shots of the guys getting ready. I still had plenty of time. They weren't really my kind of people, so I waited outside after I got the shots I needed. The bridal party came over for the first look and then they left together in the bus.

We went to a nearby park and took shots in front of the building, on the bridge, and in a field. It was strange shooting close ups and candids of people while someone else took the lead. I was trying to get good shots myself while finding good angles that Nicole wasn't shooting.

We went to the beach and took some shots outside with the palm trees. This place was really nice. They had the ceremony area set up outside and a separate dining room downstairs for the cocktail hour before going upstairs for the reception. The ceremony was very nice. It was short, which is always preferable.

During cocktail hour I had some food and took a few shots of people hanging around. I went upstairs to get ready for the reception and shot the details like the awesome cake toppers. I definitely liked the overall style that this couple went for.

The reception itself was more like a night club after dinner was over. The DJ was playing a lot of dance music and modern stuff rather than the hackneyed set list that most weddings are plagued by. That was a nice change of pace. I always feel strange sitting down or not shooting at a wedding, but Nicole made me feel much more comfortable knowing that there wasn't anything to shoot sometimes. I even had a chance to get a Sam Adams Summer Ale. Toward the end of the night I transferred the photos to my laptop and gave Nicole my SD card and then began the long drive home. I think I like second shooting weddings. No worry about editing a bunch now, I'm just done.