Happy Christmas and a Merry Festivus

Well, its that time of year again. Time for meeting with the relatives, and hating every moment. Fucking christmas. Its a day where I get to go meet with family, only to realize just how different I am, and how I dont fit in. Then comes the fun part: making them believe that I do fit in, and that I am one of them. Ah well, whatever. It was'nt all THAT bad. I mean, I did end up with 60 dollars more than I started with, and a new white t-shirt from foot locker. I did get to see some of my cousins I like, and I got to scare the hell out of some I dont. I also managed to get away from the people and be myself for a little bit, if only while on the phone. Oh, I also got to see my uncles new house (work in progress). Its absafuckinglutely amazing! I loved the place. Its gorgeous and huge, and it has a GIANT back yard. I mean, the house is HUGE, and the backyard is 3 times that size. The house has a bar, a sauna, and all that good stuff. But you know what's even cooler? Knowing that my uncle put in so much time and labor and sweat into building something that hes proud of. It really makes me happy to see teh look on his face and in his eyes as hes showing me around, telling me, and showing me, every thing hes done. Theres a huge sense of accomplishment that beams from him. I hope to be able to have that look in my eyes, one day. I just want to one day have that look that says that I did something that I horribly proud of. Only time will tell. Well, in the spirit of Christmas, or whatever pagan belief you may have, I wish you all a good time, and good luck. Take care, and enjoy your holy days and holidays. Remember not to eat more than you should, but to finish what is on your plate. After all, there is some starving kid in Africa that would walk 50 miles for that food. END TRANSMISSION.

The good news is...

Well, the good news is, after 20 long years of waiting, I have my own room. The bad news is, it's still on my parent's property. Well, we cant win 'em all. I like it.

Story of a Girl

Well, I hope to write one for all of my friends that are close, but we'll see how motivated I am. Youll know who you are if you read it.

I once knew a girl who came from a place that was far, far away. She traveled across many lands searching for something, but what that something was, she did not know. One day, in the midst of her journeying, she realized part of what she was searching for, was herself. Once she realized that it was not a tangible object that she was searching for, she began to search a different realm. A place within herself. After a long period of searching, she discovered a calling that came from within. A dire need to accomplish what she longed for overtook her, and she began her journeying once again. Amd so she travelled across many more lands, until she arrived in the Land of the Golden Sun, in the City by the Bay. Once having arrived, she discovered that though she was close, she had not yet discovered exactly what she searched for. So she came to realize that although she had journeyed so much, she was still very far. At that time, she returned to her home, weary of her travels, to rest and recover her strength, which had been drained throughout her quest. While resting, she realized to where she must go, and having packed her bags, she once again set out towards the Land of the Golden Sun. This time, though, instead of going to the City by the Bay, she went to the City of Holly, where there was a great wood. From there, it was only a leap and a bound before she ended up staying in the Abbey of Saint Monica, where she began to study the art of capturing essences and souls. While studying under one of the Guild Masters, she encountered another. This other was of a strange, quirky nature (whom we will now call S.Q.), but understood her well, and through this understanding grew a friendship. The friendship was bright and merry, and the two learned well with each other. Soon afterwards, the newly formed duo made the aquaintance of the Other during one of the many dronings of the Pseudo Master. The other was like a chameleon, who adapted to his environment, but rarely showed his true colors. He introduced himself in a pleasing fashion, and was allowed to enter the trial for membership into the exclusive duo group. It was only through pity that he was allowed to enter the group. Nevertheless, because of the nature of duality, the dou morphed into a trio. Once changed, it could never be rewound, but only changed and warped for better or worse. And so the three shared stories of adventures past, and went on to create many new adventures. And through this bonding they became a solid trio, which was of such strength, that it formed itself into another link within the chain of allies that were gathering and growing before the arrival of the storm.

High School Hydrant

This is the high school shot I was refering to. It was hydrant on campus at Pali. The original was black and white, and the next version had the yellow nozzle only. The final version is the sepia one. They were all done years ago, and were amongst the first artsy photos of my own that I edited. Here are the 3:

Here's Something Quick

I was walking around the pier shooting, while Ngoc was shooting her own project, and came across this. Reminds me of a shot from high school (coming soon).

Revisiting the Sierras

Yes folks, thats right. The highly anticipated film portion of the sierras has finally begun. It may take a while, and I dont promise 1 a day, but it will come. Here is the first.



P.S. Cyndawgs House be a hater. You dont know the shit I went through either. Gimme a call, and well talk like civil human beings. Really.

Well, Its time to talk.

School school school. Not much else to say. Its driving me crazy. I am working my ass of to get good grades, but end with something thats only decent. I dont know what the hell Im doing wrong. I have better looking negs than other people, and better looking prints than other people, and yet, my grades are worse than theirs. I just dont understand. I pay attention to all the little details, but get major points knocked off for something minor. Other people have worse mistakes, and alot of 'em, and get hardly any points taken off. It sucks. Oh well.

A Final Red Rock

This is the last photo from the ones Ill be putting up form red rock canyon. I think Nick will like this one.

Something in the Archives

Here is something I found while going thru old pics.

On a Different Note

There are things on this planet that are grander than the story of few humans. Sometimes we forget that.

Okay. Hold on a Minute

Based on the Comments Within My Last Blog:

Okay, if youre going to hate on me, at least let me know who it is by leaving your name with your anonymous comment. And at what point did I become such an ass? If you are basing your opinion of my assholeness based on the comments and monologues of an anonymous person, maybe you should talk to me before reaching a final conclusion. Maybe you should hear both sides of the story before jumping to conclusions. Maybe you should be openminded and willing to give me a fair trial, instead of declaring me guilty until proven innocent. Call me. Im sure anonymous will give you my number. Either that or AIM me @ bringerofthedead. Just talk to me in REAL time. I dont think Ive done anything unfair or wrong, and its not my fault that someone couldnt catch on before getting hurt. I didnt want to hurt anyone, and if you have been hurt, Im sorry. Im living my life for me, not you. Take off your blinders.

Life is Good

The world just got a little warmer.

A Quickie

Here you go, now Im off to work.

This be Holy Ground

Well, actually, its a wall, but whatever. More Red Rockness. Gig with p-h to the seventh today @ SMC. Ooooooo0. I wish I knew less people, and less people knew me, cause were gonna suck ass. Enjoy.

Be Cool

Sometimes, you have to look at the filter you see through.

More Red Rock

Somethings arent meant to be said, but instead experienced. Enjoy.

A Side Trip

Well, Ive been going to vegas a lot recently, and I made two side trips recently to red rock canyon, which is right outside of vegas. Heres a shot I got from there. More to come soon. Dont worry, the film stuff of the Sierras will be coming, Ive just been real busy.

So Busy

Ive been too busy to do anything, so here:

Look Closer

Heres a little detail I liked. Happened during a photo shoot that Brenda was having with my cousin Adiel. Now Im off to vegas (in a bit).

Dream me a Dream

I had a very strange dream. In my dream, I was at my house, but it wasnt my actual house. It was just understood that it was my house. I was hanging out with a freind whom I like (female), and we were talking. At some point, she and I decided to start going out with each other. We were very happy. We kissed and hugged. It was a very nice warm feeling. I thought that we were very happy together, and it filled me with warmth.For some reason, I decided to change clothes, and got distracted when I started talking to someone. I lost track of what happened to the person I liked. It was then that I realized I was at some sort of party or gathering. I wandered throughout the house that wasnt my house, looking for her, and asking people if they had seen her. I finally reached the last room in the house, a childrens bedroom, and I opened the door. When I open it, I see her giving one of my guy friends a blowjob. As soon as they realize Im coming through the door, they stop, but there is no awkwardness about it. There is this underlying cynisism on their part. I remember feeling dead on the inside. I remember asking the girl how she could do this to me. How could she break my heart. How could she hurt me so much, and she just sits there, unashamed, not saying anything. I just started getting this feeling that I was never meant to see this, but
that it happened because I was an asshole. I asked my male friend how he could do this to me. I tried punching him, but he would stop it everytime. I felt so helpless and weak. He would just sit there and do nothing but block my blows, and the girl had a very evil uncaring smirk on her face. At this point, I realized that I was only going through the motions of caring. As soon as I had seen what they were doing, I died on the inside. I was so hurt, that I was already emotionally dead. I wanted to cry, but I couldnt. I wanted to put anger into my punches, but I couldnt. I wanted to hurt, but I couldnt. I was dead already. How could they have done this to me? I wanted to feel emothion, but they killed me. I then drifted back into the awareness of reality, but was very disturbed by the dream. It lingers in my mind. It really saddens me, and makes me feel alone. Maybe this dream is meant to remind me of the pain Ive already gone through once. Regardless, it scares me. I never want to feel the pain I felt before. I just want to be happy again. I want to be happy, without fearing pain.

Just a Snack

Ive been really busy with my photo classes, so I have not been able to start scanning in photos. I did take a trip to vegas, which was paid for by the democratic party (i helped promote kerry. I was the political version of a Jahovas witness), but really, I went to shoot. Here is a shot I got from there. I lost the MAIN negative that I went to shoot, so Im going to be reshooting it this weekend. Yes, Im going back to vegas. But because of this, I will not get to work on scanning yet. To hold your ravenous hunger for more, I have something to hold you, just like a snack. There may be a few more to come. From vegas to you, enjoy.

Photo Camp, part 16: The Morning of the End

This is the last of the Digital Photos. This is a photo of sunrise at the Alabama hills, the day we werent lost. I will be taking a short break before starting to scan in the negatives that I have. Stay tuned, Ill be back with more photos soon. Hopefully Monday will be a starting point for Act 2. Hope you liked the digital series, because it was the longest. I will not be scanning in more than 5 or 6 color negs, and 5 or six black and white (if any b/w. depends how I feel). Enjoy it. Also, If you would like any of the Digital ones, mention it in the comments section, so I can talk to you. Or, you can IM me. AIM: bringerofthedead, in case you didnt know. But just start thinking if you want any, and Ill start shopping around for a printer.

Photo Camp, part 15: A Moment of Self Appreciation

A self portrait of myself. I had to get cocky at some point, after all. Once again, couldnt decide which I liked better (color or sepia), so I put them both. By the way, I changed the sepia photo in the previous post to a new one. Take a look at that one again, and see if you like it better. I know I do.

Photo Camp, part 14: A Final Sunset

This is the last digital sunset shot in the series. I may have more that are on film, but they have not been scanned yet. I could not decide which version of this photo I liked better, so I posted them both. I hope you enjoy. There are only 2 more digital shots remaining in the series, and then Ill take a day or 2 off before I start to publish scanned photos (some of which are AWESOME). Anyway, enjoy these both.

A Quick Edit

For number 13, I didnt mean that it is my favorite landscape from all the photos. What I meant was that it is my favorite photo from southlake. Maybe Ill mention which is my favorite once I finish with them all.

Photo Camp, part 13: A Visit to the South

There is this place we went to called South Lake. Most of the people who went, went to shoot Aspens. It was very pretty and all, but I must admit, I wasnt horribly impressed by the aspens, so I wound up shooting alot more landscapes and such, which was cool. That is where I got this one. There is a really funny story involving southlake, which Brenda has told within the comments section of the previous post. Oh yeah, this is where I slept with Brenda a second time. It was very pleasant. Here is my favorite of the landscapes I shot there.

Photo Camp, part 11 and 12: Double Feature

I got lazy yesterday. What can I say? So to make it up to you all (what, 3 of you?) I have decided to post 2 photos in this update. The First is of a type of tree called Aspens. They change to REALLY cool colors during this time of year. The second, is another sunset at Ancient Bristlecone. Sorry I dont elaborate on the Aspens, but I wasnt horribly exited by them, and Im in a bit of a hurry. Enjoy.

Photo Camp, part 10: That Damn Arch, Again

Well, here is the other shot I was talking about. This photo was taken by pointing my camera in the general direction of the subject, hoping the auto focus worked, and hoping my exposure was right. Heres what I got:

Photo Camp, part 9: Still Lost

Well, this is as we were wandering lost. You all know the story by now.

Photo Camp, part 8: Another Day, Another Sunrise

Well, this is another sunrise at the albama hills. This was shot on saturday morning as the sun was rising. It was awesome. The colors were great. There isnt really much to say about this trip, but it was just really really cool. More of this sunrise are to come soon. I really think I got some cool stuff from there, but Ill let you all be the judge of it as things come. Heres the first:

Photo Camp, part 7: The Infamous Arch

Well, this is the arch that I keep refering to. As it turns out, we originally started looking in the wrong area. After wandering around and realizing we werent in the right area, we dicided to go back to the car and see if we could find it. We started driving, and just as we were passing the dirt road we were supposed to turn into, I, with my keep eyesight, spotted it. We pulled over, and crossed onto the unmarked trail. The map said walk, looking towards the north, and youll eventually see it. Fucking horrid map. Looked like it was drawn by a 5 year old. Maybe a 4 year old. Ok, it looked like I drew it. That bad. So we I finally spot the arch, and we start making our way towards it, climbing up the side of a small mountain to get to it. We finally reach the top and realize that the whole reason we went there, to get this one shot we had seen in a photo gallery, was impossible to do without rock climbing gear. The arch was about 10 to 13 feet above the ground at the lowest point. It was windy as hell up there, too, so getting the photo I posted here, actually turned out to be very difficult, seeing as how I was on another rock 4" across, while leaning forward to a VERY precarious point. I couldnt even look through the view finder of my camera. I just pointed the camera in the general direction, and snapped off a few. Ill put one those up later. The one you see below was actually taken from a much easier vantage point to the side of the arch, as opposed to directly in front of it.

Photo Camp, part 6: Another Aspect to Being Lost

Well, once again on top of the hill. I already described the story in part 3. This photo is taken looking towards the east, in the direction of the rising sun. Those are the white mountains in the background, instead of the sierras.

Photo Camp, part 5: Revisiting the Ancients

Well, this is back at the white mountains, the same sunset as before. Right before leaving for the white mountais, Brenda's car got a flat tire. We had to change it and get the other flat one repaired, so we were runnign WAY behind everyone. People began to leave because of the cloud coverage that did not allow the sun to come through. JUST as we were getting there, the sun came below the clouds and above the mountains. As the sun went down, the temperature dropped as well. Before too long, i was freezing. It got to the point where I couldnt feel my hands, and I actually had to LOOK at my finger pressing the shutter release on my camera. Before too long, I was the last one shooting, but happily doing so.

Photo Camp, part 4: A Different Perspective

While wandering semi-lost in the alabama hills looking for the arch, I saw in the distance a cool rock formation. We came upon this formation that was made by 2 rocks leaning on each other, and I saw this tunnel that was created between the 2 rocks. Inside of this 5 to 10 foot tunnel, you saw this. I liked it, so I decided to shoot it. It was taken at about 730 am in the alabama hills on monday. Its all about the view.

Photo Camp, part 3: Sunrise by Surprise

This is the third photo in the series. This photo is a photo of the Sierras during sunrise, shot from the alabama hills, near lone pine. Theres an interesting story that goes with this shot. We woke up at 500 am in order to shoot sunrise at a place known as "the arch", which you will see later on. Unfortunately (or fortunately) we got lost. We had no idea where the hell this thing was, and the sun started shining over the white mountains. A decision was made, and we decided to just start shooting where we were. I dropped my camera bag, took out 2 of my camera bodies and strapped them across my shoulders (my color neg body and my digital body) and I held my 3rd (b/w neg) body in my hand (cause it has no strap) as I started running up this hill we were standing next to, so that I could clear the tree line (seen at bottom of frame). I just kept climbing and climbing, and it wasnt till when I finally got to where I wanted to be that I realized just how high I had gone. Well, i started shooting film and digital as the sun just rose over the white mountains and hit the sierras, but I soon realized I forgot my film in my camera bag. I only had what waws left in the camera, which made me start shooting MUCH slower. Well, out of those, came this. I really like it. Getting down was a bitch.

Photo Camp, part 2: Sunset with the Ancients

This is the second photo in the series. It was taken atop one of the white mountains, in an area called Ancient Bristlecone. In this place, the oldest trees known to man reside. The snow capped mountains in the distance are, once again, the sierras. In the foreground are the white mountains, and I cannot recall if the trees are bristlecones, or just pines. There will be more sunset shots coming shortly. This is my least favorite in the series of Bristlecone sunsets, but I still really like it.

Photo Camp, part 1: An Introduction to a Photographic Journey

This is the first photo in a series of photos that will be coming from the camping trip I went on. I only used photoshop to control brightness and contrast SLIGHTLY in all of the upcoming photos from the series. These were all taken in the eastern sierra nevadas, not too far from the base of mount wittney. We were aproximately 50 miles north of lone pine, which is a small town. These are not in any particular order. I welcome any and all comments on this whole series. If anyone likes any of the photos, talk to me, and we can work out a print. I really like them. Enjoy.

This first photo was taken from the campsite we were staying. The mountains in the distance are part of the sierra nevadas.This photo was taken at about 710 am on Sunday morning, 10 minutes after I woke up.

Eastern Sierras? Awsome!

This past weekend, I went on a photo camping trip near the Eastern Sierras and stayed at a campsite near the town of independence, CA. It is not too far from a place called lone pine, which may be easier to find on a map. We were between the white mountains and the sierras, near the base of mount witney. It was awesome. If youve never been there, I really suggest going one day. Photo updates coming soon.

Notes on being an Evil Overlord

I found this in an old E-mail. Its something I should start modeling my life around. Thanx for sending it Brenda.

Notes and advice on being a successful Evil Overlord

Being an Evil Overlord seems to be a good career choice. It pays well, there are all sorts of perks and you can set your own hours. However every Evil Overlord I've read about in books or seen in movies invariably gets overthrown and destroyed in the end. I've noticed that no matter whether they are barbarian lords, deranged wizards, mad scientists or alien invaders, they always seem to make the same basic mistakes every single time. Therefore, if I ever happen to become an Evil Overlord:

1. My legions of terror will have helmets with clear Plexiglas visors, not face-concealing ones.
2. My ventilation ducts will be too small to crawl through.
3. My noble half-brother whose throne I usurped will be killed, not kept anonymously imprisoned in a forgotten cell of my dungeon.
4. Shooting is not too good for my enemies.
5. The artifact which is the source of my power will not be kept on the Mountain of Despair beyond the River of Fire guarded by the Dragons of Eternity. It will be in my safe-deposit box.
6. I will not gloat over my enemies' predicament before killing them.
7. When the rebel leader challenges me to fight one-on-one and asks, ``Or are you afraid without your armies to back you up?'' My reply will be, ``No, just sensible.''
8. When I've captured my adversary and he says, ``Look, before you kill me, will you at least tell me what this is all about?'' I'll say, ``No.'' and shoot him.
9. After I kidnap the beautiful princess, we will be married immediately in a quiet civil ceremony, not a lavish spectacle in three weeks' time during which the final phase of my plan will be carried out.
10. I will not include a self-destruct mechanism unless absolutely necessary. If it is necessary, it will not be a large red button labeled ``Danger: Do Not Push''.
11. I will not order my trusted lieutenant to kill the infant who is destined to overthrow me -- I'll do it myself.
12. I will not interrogate my enemies in the inner sanctum -- a small hotel well outside my borders will work just as well.
13. I will be secure in my superiority. Therefore, I will feel no need to prove it by leaving clues in the form of riddles or leaving my weaker enemies alive to show they pose no threat.
14. I will not waste time making my enemy's death look like an accident -- I'm not accountable to anyone and my other enemies wouldn't believe it.
15. I will make it clear that I do know the meaning of the word "mercy"; I simply choose not show them any.
16. One of my advisors will be an average five-year-old child. Any flaws in my plan that he is able to spot will be corrected before implementation.
17. All slain enemies will be cremated, not left for dead at the bottom of the cliff. The announcement of their deaths, as well as any accompanying celebration, will be deferred until after the aforementioned disposal.
18. My undercover agents will not have tattoos identifying them as members of my organization, nor will they be required to wear military boots or adhere to any other dress codes.
19. The hero is not entitled to a last kiss, a last cigarette, or any other form of last request.
20. I will never employ any device with a digital countdown. If I find that such a device is absolutely unavoidable, I will set it to activate when the counter reaches 117 and the hero is just putting his plan into operation.
21. I will design all doomsday machines myself. If I must hire a mad scientist to assist me, I will make sure that he is sufficiently twisted to never regret his evil ways and seek to undo the damage he's caused.
22. I will never utter the sentence "But before I kill you, there's just one thing I want to know."
23. When I employ people as advisors, I will occasionally listen to their advice.
24. I will not have a son. Although his laughably under-planned attempt to usurp power would easily fail, it would provide a fatal distraction at a crucial point in time.
25. I will not have a daughter. She would be as beautiful as she was evil, but one look at the hero's rugged countenance and she'd betray her own father.
26. Despite its proven stress-relieving effect, I will not indulge in maniacal laughter. When so occupied, it's too easy to miss unexpected developments that a more attentive individual could adjust to accordingly.
27. I will hire a talented fashion designer to create original uniforms for my legions of terror, as opposed to some cheap knock-offs that make them look like Nazi storm troopers, Roman foot soldiers, or savage Mongol hordes. All were eventually defeated and I want my troops to have a more positive mind-set.
28. No matter how tempted I am with the prospect of unlimited power, I will not consume any energy field bigger than my head.
29. I will keep a special cache of low-tech weapons and train my troops in their use. That way -- even if the heroes manage to neutralize my power generator and/or render the standard-issue energy weapons useless -- my troops will not be overrun by a handful of savages armed with spears and rocks.
30. I will maintain a realistic assessment of my strengths and weaknesses. Even though this takes some of the fun out of the job, at least I will never utter the line ``No, this cannot be! I AM INVINCIBLE!!!'' (After that, death is usually instantaneous.)
31. No matter how well it would perform, I will never construct any sort of machinery which is completely indestructible except for one small and virtually inaccessible vulnerable spot.
32. If I am engaged in a duel to the death with the hero and I am fortunate enough to knock the weapon out of his hand, I will graciously allow him to retrieve it. This is not from a sense of fair play; rather, he will be so startled and confused that I will easily be able to dispatch him.
33. No matter how attractive certain members of the rebellion are, there is probably someone just as attractive who is not desperate to kill me. Therefore, I will think twice before ordering a prisoner sent to my bedchamber.

For Brenda

Well, here is the original photo of the one below. Exactly as it was taken, no levels, no curves, nothing. Oh yeah, and a SUPER cool site: Real Basic Origami

This is just a spacer

I really didnt like the banner on top of the image below, so instead of redesigning the page, Ive made a spacer. By the way, if you wanna view the images a little more cleanly, you can visit my photobucket album.

Space

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And just to be on the safe side, Space

May a Light Shine Upon Your Path...

...and Guide You on Your Journey

My creative process:

Step 1: Me with a digital camera at SMC bored
Step 2: Go home and unload images form camera
Step 3: Go to bed
Step 4: Forget about images
Step 5: While looking on computer, I say what the hell is this?
Step 6: Me with photoshop at home bored

Farewell to an Era of my Life

Well, I believe that I will no longer be working at Magicopolis. The problem with that is, that I had'nt been working much lately, so I am kinda broke right now. It is over for me, unless they want to pay me ALOT more. After training this new guy, Jason, they decided to give him the shows. Its okay, cause I already knew it was coming. This is what gets me, though: I had to call them to know I wasnt working anymore. That, is bullshit. They didnt have the common decency to call me and tell me. Oh well. As it turns out, Jason will soon be leaving the place (cause he hates them, and things happened exactly as I told him they would). He is looking for a new job as I write this, and says he will be leaving within 2 weeks. If I should get a call from Magicopolis, which I somewhat hope I dont, I will tell them that in the time I was "let go" I acquired a good deal of lighting experience, and that I now consider my services to be worth cosiderably more. Well see what they think about that. If they dont like it, its not my problem anymore. By the way, if youve never been painballing before, I highly recommed it. It is fun. Very fun. I am thinking of taking an internship at a photo lab, but I am really debating it. Working for no money.... damn. Decisions decisions. I am also considering taking out a student loan. I just dont know. I could just live off student loans and not find a job, and that would be awsome. Is it spelled awesome, or awsome? Too lazy to look it up. Someone find out for me. Anyone have any work for me? I could use some photo work...
=^ )
I think Ill be a contracter. A lighting one that is. No long term things anymore. 4 weeks maximum contract, then well either renew or end. Im getting ahead of myself. I want to be a mercenary, though its not really practical anymore. I want to be a highly trained super spy, or a highly trained assasin, or a highly trained bounty hunter. I tired of the same old humdrum that life is offering me. Its time to step up to the plate and do something different. Ok, Im gonna go find myself a job. No 9-5 kinda jobs, and hopefully itll be a photo job. Time to draw on my connections.

Death's Monologues

I wish I had more comments...

This is for Nick

This is another Sequoia pic. This is the campsite in which the cool kids were camping.



Heres a link to a high res version of the tent pic.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v252/bringerofthedead/HighQTent.jpg

Return to Sequoia

Well, here is another photo from sequoia. This one took ALOT of photoshop work to get to look exactly how I wanted. Probably one of my harder projects yet.

More Confessions

Some of the ones I enjoyed as I was reading through the grouphug thing.


Having good friends is like pissing in your pants. Everyone else can see it, but only you can feel its true warmth.

I tell my girlfriend she isn't fat, but she is.
I'd love to tell her the truth, that the fact that she is fat is a turn-on for me, and makes me want to fuck her brains out all the time.

I had sex with my boyfriend, then we went to a party, my boyfriend passed out, and I had sex with my ex-boyfriend.

Everytime i see my best friend, I want to tear off his clothes and fuck him until he pukes.

I ordered a tamagotchi digimon from Hong Kong for $20...man I'm a nerd...

I want to have a one night stand with a girl but I worry that my house isn't nice enough.

I keep talking to this girl across the country and it's only because we have lots of great phone sex. I really can't stand anything else about her.

once i used my dad's electronic toothbrush as a dildo.

I rip the labels off the matresses

i stole money from work - i'm so bad. but i feel good.. FREE MONEY :D:D

I like Ninjas more than pirates

One time when i was a little kid I took a crap in the bath tub. I didnt know what to do so I screamed really loud and ran away.

I'm 37 and I still suck my thumb.

Everybody lies, but it doesn't matter because nobody listens

My confession is that I hate long confessions. I only consider looking at ones that are 10 lines or less.

A Random E-mail

So, someone wrote me an email asking how long the band has been together and how we all met. I decided to give the story from myview, though it may be biased. Here is the REAL ph7 history. Enjoy.

Well, Nick and I started a band a LONG time ago named
HalfStaff. We sucked. But I knew Nick since 9th grade.
Max I met in middle school. Linda I met in elementary
school. Linda and I lost touch with each other till high
school, when we started riding the bus home together in
the 10th grade. Max and I knew each other, but we
werent really freinds till the 10th grade or so. Nick and I
hit it off since we met in the 9th grade in a computer
programming class. Oh, the fun we had. But NE way,
back to HalfStaff. HalfStaff was formed sometime in our
10th grade year. Or maybe it was 11th. whatever. The
band consisted of 5 members. There was a guy named
david, jesus, nick, linda, and me. Oh god we sucked.
Linda played on buckets. Our amps were stereos, and
our singer didnt know what a note was, much less hit
one. Soon after halfstaff was made, Linda started dating
the Bassist, Jesus. Not good. Problems arose in the
band. We realized david sucked as a singer, and
everyone stopped showing up to practice. Soon,
HalfStaff was me and Nick. I sang and played guitar,
while he made fun of me and played guitar. He was
always the better guitarist, but I always had the better
ear. Well, in senior year, Nick and I decide to start a
new band. I had been in the high school jazz band the
year before, and I decided that there needed to be a
high school rock band, so I pitched it to the music
teacher and he bought it. Ph7 was originally made up of
a guitarist named david (not the same david as before),
a gutarrist named nick, a singer/guitarrist named dan
(thats me), a drummer named adrian, and a guitarrist
named max. Thats right. Max was a guitarrist. He used
to play a mean classical guitar. Now he sux. Also, ph7
started out as a cover band. But NE way, I was the
singer. Not the greatest thing in the world. So were
practicing on misc types of equipment, like a kareoke
machine for an amp, a amp for a PA, etc. Nick and I
were the only ones with real amps, but at least this time
we had drums. So we get max to only use the low notes
on his guitar, to simulate a bass untill he can buy one.
We made max the bassist, cause he wasnt used to
playing with a pic NE way. The guy david, well, he gets
kicked out of the band by the music teacher, cause were
a school band and he can do that. The reason he was
kicked is cause he kept trying to play the drums, and the
teacher hated him NE way. So its down to 4. This singing
thing aint working for me, so max brings in this little
asian girl from the madrugals class. She was the freind
of a freind named Xiao. The little girl was named
stephanie. She lightens my burden, and I no longer half
to sing. You should be grateful youve never had to hear
me sing an entire song. So steph becomes our new
singer, and we become ph7. Wait, what about linda,
right? well, shes not part of the original ph7. Adrian was
the drummer, and he was a DAMN good drummer. the
only problem is, what good is a drummer who doesnt go
to practice? So one day, he really pisses me off, and I
make an ultimadum: either he goes, or I do. Whew. The
vote is in my favor. I get to do the honors of kicking him
out. Dont get me wrong, I didnt hate him or anything. I
liked the guy, it just wasnt happening. So now, we have
no drummer. This is now right before we graduate. So
we start auditioning drummers, and its just not the same.
Adrian was DAMN good. Plus, all the people were
auditioning arent really part of our crew. Theyre not our
freinds or NE thing. So I ask laizy if she wants to try, and
she says she hasnt played drums since halfstaff, even
though those were buckets. Well, we give it a go, and
though shes not as good as adrian, shes got a couple
tricks that we really like. So we keep her. Thats the ph7
you know now. Weve been this way for about 2 years.
Adrian was with us for about 6 months, so I guess weve
been together about 2.5 years.

And there you have it folks. Please, mention if I am missing anything, or comment on its inacuracy.

Payback

HA! Eat this Ngoc:

Fuck you

okay, this goes to you kel. Stop posting your stupid depressing bullshit on my fucking blog. My blog is not here as a source of relief for you. Get your own. If youre gonna post, at least make it fucking relevant to the post, you ass.

A while ago....

A few weeks ago, I went to a place named Sequoia. Its very pretty. I went camping with nick. Interesting adventure. Ill talk about it later. Meanwhile, here is a photo that I took there. More will come eventually.

Death to Summer

School Sux.

Okay. Update time.

So, its time to update this mofo. We played a gig yesterday, eh, day before yesterday. It was good. Umm. yeah... Yesterday I went paint balling. It was awsome. That is my new sport. I like it. Its not as painful as I thought it could be. I dont have NE bruises. No battle scars. Awwwww.... But yeah. Labor day weekend at SC village. Join me. It will be awsomeness in a can.

Pops' Bucket

Pops' Bucket

So far, I like this blog. Cuddle Parties.... heh.

Respond/Comment

Well, I have been checking out alot of other bogs recently, and If I posted in yours, its cause I found something about you, your profile, or one of your blogs to be interesting. Please, leave me feedback and the answer to my questions, if I asked you anything, that is.

Writting at work... after intermission.

I am so fucking pissed.
On the verge of quitting, again.
I do my job, and I get shit.
I cant notice everything all the time.
My job is to make sure shit runs smoothly.
As much as they want me to notice everything, I cant.
I feel like shit when Im treated like shit.
If you have enough shit, youre bound to step in it.
Dont be surprised when your shoe smells foul, you made it after all.
Its like pulling on a horses tail.
If you do it enough, youll eventually get kicked.
So what if they fire me.
Im over caring.
I sometimes wish they would.
Things would be so much easier.
Only 3 things keep me here:
1. I love my job.
2. I love the locale, and the idea behind the business.
and 3. The green devil.
I want to scream.
I wish I could let it all out.
Why have I felt this way lately?

Writting while at work

To love.
Not to settle, but truly to love.
Maybe I have missed something along the way.
I lust.
I wish I didnt, but I do.
I truly want to believe that there is something more.
I long.
I want things that are beyond my reach.
If only I had a step ladder to help me reach the unattainable.
Beauty.
Something I look for but rarely find.
It is attidutde, composure, intensity, confidence, and self appreciation.
Passion.
To truly believe in something.
To be willing to risk everything for something I believe in.
Hate.
That I know.
To hate so much you dont care anymore.
Fuck.

Tired II

Tired of all the daily crap. Tired of not being able to leave the monotony of daily life. Tired of not caring about what others think. Tired of caring about what others do. So much crap that I have to deal with. Sometimes, I just wanna beat the shit out of some inanimate object just to relieve some stress. To be able to leave behind the daily shit and just let out anger. Let out frustrations. I wish I could be myself, and not have to be who others want me to be. I wish I could know who I am. I wish I could just tell people to fuck off, and mean it. I wish I could tell people I like how I felt. I wish I wish I wish.

Whats the point?

Mary?

Mary...? You know, mary, the cool girl? Yeah, that mary! Oh yeah. Shes pretty cool...

I was asked to make a bio:

I am working on designing lights for a show called "What the Butler Saw" and they asked me to write a bio. This is what I came up with:

Born in 1894 (1984 for you non-dyslexic people), Dan Sandoval is probably the youngest and least noteworthy member (hehe. member.) of the Butler crew. Classically trained by the hobo down the street, Dan began his lighting career in a small tent in the woods, because he was afraid off the dark. Later on, while in a tree, he decided he was afraid of hights, and made a choice: he would become a lighting designer and climb tall ladders, because it probably pays well (he was wrong, the pay aint that great). Dan has lit over 30 shows, and has not gotten screamed at for doing a crappy job yet. A big fan of musicals and magic, Dan is currently studying something that incorporates them both: photography (it really has nothing to do with any of those, but it flows). With his keen eye (thats his right one) he intends to free the world from the evil clutches of the wolves, whom he was raised by as a child. Am I done yet?

It was rejected because it was too long (there was a 100 word limit to the thing) so I had to rewrite it. When I did, it looked like this:

Classically trained by the hobo down the street, Dan began his lighting career in a small tent in the woods, due to his fear of darkness. Later, while in a tree, he decided he feared hights, and made a choice: he would become a lighting designer and climb tall ladders, because it probably pays well (definately wrong. The pay ain't that great). Dan has lit over 30 shows, and hasn't gotten screamed at for doing a crappy job yet. A fan of musicals and magic, Dan currently studies something completely unrelated: photography. (Disclaimer: no drugs were used while writing this.)

What the hell is my problem?

Oh lord

I just realized how much of a soap opera some of my posts have become. Im a sad little man...

A vegas wedding

So this last weekend I went to Vegas. I made the drive all on my own. It was a long 4 hour drive. I made the drive there all right. I was wide awake and doing well. It was an awsome little venture. I drank lots o water and listened to "the drive" which is the radio station that plays rock along the entire 15. As I got closer and closer, I switched to NPR radio and listened to the BBC world report while driving at 90 with my windows down. Left about midnight on friday, got there around 3 am friday. Talked for a while with my uncle, and then went to bed. Well, the next day was wild. What happened in Vegas stays in vegas. It was awsomeness all around. Next day there were a few other things that were associated with the wedding, but there was alot o hanging out to be done. In the end, it was a very fun vegas style wedding. lasted about 30 minutes, and I liked it when the lady who was conducting the wedding had the guests declare them bride and groom. Heres a photo I took of the couple:



Very pretty, arent they? Well, there was an after party for the wedding, and there are some things that happened, that I would like to forget. The next day, there was a reference made to something that happened the night before. I will never see water bottles the same way. Ughh.... damn you ben!!! NE way, the next day was kinda fun. Sunday was a slowdown day. Had some brunch, played at the arcades, and watched harold and kumar. Good times. Good good times. NE way, Im gonna go now. Watching 24 now. God damn. Check it out if you can. Good stuff. Adios all. Or, in the words of Nick, Ja.

Because I can

I had to do it. I really liked it, and so Ill show it off. Created by max in his bordomeness.

A request from someone

Someone has asked me to post the following:
"Something"

My biological timebomb is ticking.

The pattern of your wake/sleep cycle is known as your circadium rythm. My shit broke, and it needs to be reset. I read an article somewhere, that says that the ideal ammount of sleep for the average adult is not 8 hours, we have been led to believe, but is instead 7 hours. Any more than that, and your body starts to get lethargic. After prolonged time periods of sleep, your body will go into a state of hyper-activity, which is alot like having adhd. you find that you become very fidgety for short periods of time. Also, when you have these long periods of sleep, your body has a harder and harder time going through the "wake up" process, which means that it takes longer and longer for a person to become fully concious and aware of their environment. Studies have shown that getting too much sleep can affect the way one absorbs information. If you sleep too much, you have more difficulty absorbing information. What about less sleep? Well, less sleep, remarkably, enhances your performance in the short term. By sleeping less, your body expells extra ammounts of energy to keep you going. This in the short term makes you feel a little more energetic and liveley. However, once your reserves start running out, your body attempts to shut itself down, which is sometimes reffered to as "crashing". After long periods of time, if this continues, your body will attmept to find a point of equilibrium, which results in lowered efficiency and less crashes. Less is the keyword, though, beacuse they never really go away. How does less sleep affect your learning abilities? Studies have shown that the less sleep you know, the more trouble you have remembering things. Instead of affecting your learning abilities, it affects your ability to remember things. It mostly affects your short term memory, which is what helps you remember the day to day things, but also affects your long term memory. It is shown that the less sleep you get, the worst it becomes. It does, however, reach its all time low at 4 hours, and actually starts going SLIGHTLY up again. It has also been shown that nay ammount of sleep under 3 hours usually unhealthy and can lead to permanant physical and mental damage (whatever that means). So, I get 4 hours of sleep, which puts me at peak forgetfulness. I t sux not being able to sleep all the time. It sux that I stay up all night accomplishing nothing. My circadium rythm is off. My maximum amount of sleep is 6 hours, but I usually only get 4. If anyone finds this interesting, tell me, and Ill try to find the article. I think it may have been in print, but Im not really sure (possibly Discover magazine). Good times, though. If it wasnt for my lack of sleep, you wouldnt be reading this. Goodnight.

You know what sux?

It sucks that there is someone I like, but they will probably never know. God damned complications...

Confessions:

I found a site where people go to confess. Here are the ones that kinda relate to me.

sometimes i worry that people will figure out that i'm a nice guy and not a complete asshole.

Everyone that knows me thinks that I am not a shy person. But in reality I am so damn shy when it comes to asking women out on dates. I can easily talk to them, but when it comes to me trying to show interest...I must know that they are interested first. Damn I suck!

i want to be a boytoy.

i really did love [her], but right now i'm okay that we aren't together.

i ate my mom's last ice cream sandwich and blamed it on my dad.

i sometimes spend more time on the computer than talking to my son

i have the softest hair in the world. i keep asking someone to touch it, but no one steps up.
sigh, no one will really know how soft my hair truly is.

I recently gave my girlfreind my mother's phone number so they could talk. Not the wisest move.

I'm not ready to try harder

I have a really serious crush on an actor from a TV show. I'm about the same age as her, but there's no way in the world that i'm ever going to meet her. Whenever I tell my friends, they just laugh hysterically.

I spend way to much time reading this site. But I'm a loser and don't have anything else to do.

And there you have it.

p.s. the site is: http://grouphug.us/

And so....

Well, seeing as how everyone else has gotten around to writing their blog that at the very least mentions the gig at the Gig, I may as well get to mine, while at the same time playing withe the new font editor that the people at blogger have so graciously provided us. So, the gig at the gig went well. We had a surprisingly small turnout for one of the potentially biggest gigs yet. I was very disappointed in some of my peolple, but on the other hand, if you did go, I like you that much more. So, how did it sound you may ask? I have no god damned idea. See, the problem was, we did a quick sound check before the show, but unfortunately, I didnt hear everything together... or maybe I just wasnt paying attention. But I am pretty sure that things were good, in general. Im actually very exited about some upcoming talks that I will be having with people on behalf of ph7. So, as it turns out, our roles in ph7 also become a little more defined. Linda is the drummer, and is our liason to the latin culture (cause she is cool with the latin youths). Nick is the guitarist (the good one) and is also equipment manager, because he seems good at that kinda stuff (cause hes pretty organized... well, at least in comparison to the others). Max is the bassist and financial advisor/treasurer (cause hes Jewish... but im still not sure I trust him...). He is also assistant equipment manager. I am a guitarrist (the loud one) and the public relations advisor/manager/spokesman/head of promotions (cause thats really ALL im good at, the oratory skills. Even then, im not THAT good.). Lastly, there is Steph, the singer. Ummmm, she also has the most important job from all, the ummmm..... singer? For the sake of giving steph a title, Ill make her my personal assistant. It is her task to assist me with the stuff I do, like, uh, stuff. You know... Whatever, she has her job. Well, I will be talking to some folks in teh upcoming days and weeks, and hopefully, one day well be good. But that doesnt matter, cause were having fun. At least I hope we are...

Well...

Well, it seems my blogger mania is starteing to wear off. I no longer feel the need to post on a daily basis, but instead shall post whenever I have something to say. You know, time is a funny thing. It kinda reminds me of driving on the freeway at 75. It takes a while for me to pass up a car going 65, but as soon as I pass it, the distance between grows greater faster. In the same way, time goes slow as you are living through it, but once you look back, you realize that it wasnt just yesterday that something happened, it just seems that way. You know, sometimes life isnt fair. Sometimes you try soooo hard to accomplish something, only to later realize that it cannot be done. "Shoot for the moon, that way if you miss, youll land amongst the stars." Great, go ahead. Shoot for the moon, and land among the stars wandering aimlessly throughout the vast void that is space. Just dont worry, cause people love you for trying. Bullshit. People like someone who makes it. I hate the fakeness that society has us believe be the way the world is. People are not "shiny" and "happy". People are cruel motherfuckers who really know how to ruin your day with their "phoney"ness. You know, I jsut hope that someday, ill find someone who knows whawt Im saying and can explain it to me.

If the end of the world came...

Ever notice how little you truly know about how the world works? Do you really know how your car propels itself, or how your television projects images? Do you understand how a computer works? You know, if some cataclysmic disaster were to strike the earth, wed be pretty screwed. We would lose ALOT of the technology we have, because chances are, not very many people have the knowledge necessary to develop or maintain much of todays technology. Maybe I should learn a few things; make myself a bit more useful.

Maximum Max

A simple portaiture assignment.

Here it is. The assignment was to create a photo using a few different lighting elements (main light, hair light, and background light) and to add a setting or mood to the scene. This is what I did.

Our nation

(To the music of "America the Beautiful")

Across the ocean we will fly,
We'll kill for oil rights.
And though the innocents may die,
We know will win our fights.
America! America!
How cruel can you be?
If you so will, then you can kill
All those across the sea.

If it is not our own belief,
Then we must go to teach.
We're not but a simple thief
Of cultures beyond our reach.
America! America!
God has passed on his plague.
Others must see christianity
Or be killed by our crusade!

-Dan Sandoval

Ooooooooooooo, shiny....

Santa Monica from Palisades. Its perty. I like it.

Warped Tour!

Today, was a good day. I went to the warped tour and saw mucho music. It was great. I go to the warped tour every year, not because the bands, necessarily, but becuase the atmosphere. Picture the LA county fair with a musical theme. Thats what it is. There are booths everywhere where you can get all sorts of cheap/free goodies. The people there are usually all there to have fun, and thats why it creates a very light hearted atmosphere. The only problem with it, though, is the lack of indoorness. I am burned. I am like the toast I make. But you know what? It dont matter, cause I had an awsome time, and its all about having fun.

Ahhh well.

Whatever, im done with it. I quit that photo.

Like this?

I dont like it, but well see what you think.

Better?

Is this what you guys meant? Does this make it better?

Gig it my dawgs.

Sunday: gig was a success! It was a great event and a great step in the right direction for the band. Made a couple great contacts, and most importantly, HAD FUN!! So, it turns out that there was a song that we started playing wrong (oops!), but it was all steph. I think that thats cool, cause it makes people forget about how many times i fucked up on my own, lol. It seems that everyone is putting up a variation of the photo that max seems to have acquired, so I decided that I needed to put up a version of the photo, too. So, after a few minutes of playing with photoshop, i came up with my own take on the photo. I hope you enjoy. Tell me what you think, seeing as how I really do read the comments, and I like to hear from whomever reads this.

Here's a little something for the Ladies

Just playing around again