March 31st Pic!

"The Roof is on Fire!"

On the way home today I saw a plume of smoke from a distance, I loudly hoped it was my house, but realized I'd miss my Mac too much. The fire was actually from one of the Plants near my house, not sure what the plant produces, but it's done serving its purpose. 

I got home picked up my camera and ran out again and in the span of 10 minutes the fire went from totally badass to kinda cool. I pulled into a secluded spot, or what I thought was a secluded spot until I saw a big body Benz (read very expensive) probably a 2003-4 S500 all black and Tinted windows. People in Laveen don't drive these type of cars unless they're drug dealers. I figured I walked into a drug deal and I was either going to get killed or get beat-up or worse get my camera stolen. I figured I lived a good 26 years and just set-up my camera and started taking pic's, the lady in the car sticks her head out and yells "Good time of pic's isn't it?" I thought that was code for "Would you like to get shot in the head or stomach?" I replied yes and waited for my camera to finish the shot so I could run the hell outta there. If you ever wondered how long 30 second exposures take...they take 30 really really long seconds!

As you guessed I made it home safely because the people in the car decided to leave within 2-3 minutes. I almost felt like an investigative reporter for a few minutes, either that or I'm watching too much TV and my imagination is getting a little too creative (can't say that for my writing though) 

"Power Lines"

 "Hybrid Power"

Once the "Drug Dealers" left I decided to play around with my camera a bit more and got some cool high exposure shots of my car. In the second pic (30 sec exposure) you can see the traffic light go from Green to Yellow to Red! Awesome! 

Disregard the bird poop on my car hood...thanks!

March 30th Pic!

"Fore!"

A plastic waffle ball - golf ball, don't hit it too hard it'll still fly away. 

I purchased it to improve my golf game and used it a 100 times or so over the course of last 3yrs. Last October on the eve of our company Golf Tourney I decided to practice for 2-3 hours on all aspects of my so called golf game. I'd like to think I shot well for the first 3-4 holes but after I crashed the Golf cart my game went down hill...I couldn't even make contact with the ball...awful. The lesson I learned was don't drive a golf cart when you're way too sober.

March 29th Pic!

"Cash Box #8"

A cash box for all the donations we took at work for a local charity...not a lot of cash in there because most people just wrote checks but I still have to go to the bank tomorrow and exchange all the quarter and bills for a money order! That will be fun!

On a totally unrelated materialistic non-charitable note, Wall Street Journal reported today that the Iphone WILL be coming for Verizon in September and an announcement will likley come around late June early July. Being a Mac owner and biting my nails to chum while waiting for the Ipad...I really don't think I can wait till September...only if I could freeze myself and wake up in September in-front of an apple store.

I might just get a Google Nexus One when it comes out on Verizon any day now...screw Apple and their closed Eco-system.

March 28th Pic!

"Bargain Hunters"

Good update for sunday coming....didn't have time last night or this morning to upload my pic's...Went to Mill ave for the Arts Festival 

Double Pic update! ...second pic is personal to me you'll just have to wait and see till I put it up this evening...

Updated Mon @ 11pm: OK the pic above is from the Art's festival on Mill Ave...I went just as everyone was closing shop. I tried to be sly about taking pic's incognito, if there's one thing I hate, it's strangers looking into the camera as I'm taking a pic! I don't know you, you're not famous don't look at me as I'm taking a pic!

"End of an Era"

The last time I went to India (August 2006), my family and I went to some temple on a mountain, not for any spiritual reasons it's because they had the second largest bull sculpture in South India (really). Anyway after we visited the temple/2nd largest bull we all got prayer bracelets. I've worn mine for almost 4 years (!!!), I figured it added a touch of culture. Well Sunday night after much thought...ok Eva convinced me that I should cut them off! In her defense they were getting a little ragged and dirty looking. I saved the evidence and now my hand seems to have a permanent tan line! I'm pretty sure if I wore long sleeves I'd be white!

March 27th Pic!

"On a Timer"

I don't really know how long a chick takes to hatch but I have a feeling this one stayed a little too long in it's shell. 

Saw a shot similar to this on the National Geographic website....so two days of Egg related shots...this was the same shell from the pic below. I saved the shells a whole day so I could do this pic....so In this case the idea for the Shell shot came before the egg :) 

March 26th Pic!

"Sunny Side with Shell"

It's a delicacy in France! - I probably made that up but it might be true

I officially ran out of ideas today but after a nice shower the gem above came to me...remember back in middle school when they had the drugs are bad campaign...well above would be your brain on drugs! 

March 25th Pic!

"Max"

Got a counter back when I was in hardcore marathon training mode....when I run I tend to drift off into my imagination and forget how many laps I've run on the track...with the counter I can be at least 90% accurate. Last time I ran with the counter I kept passing a group of girls walking on the track and they'd hear my clicking and they'd look back each time...I should have worn my hoodie and scared the shiz outta them! 

March 24th pic!

"On a rack"

A pic of a few DVD's on a rack...awesome! (yeah).

In more exciting news, I submitted a pic to National Geographic Photo Contest, if mine gets pic'd (ha) then it will be printed in their next magazine as a reader pic!

If I make it to the vote's stage I'll definitely put a link up and pimp out my blog on facebook/twitter/flickr etc etc...

So cross your fingers, rub your rabbits tail and throw some salt over your shoulder (just watch out for Seabass!) and pray that my pic get selected!  ...cuz then you can say you read a blog by a guy that was in National Geographic! your NPR street cred just got 2x'd!

March 23rd pic!

"Slow Reflection"

Left my camera at home :( ...pic with Eva's camera, good thing it's the same type as mine. Above is a turtle sitting on the edge and a reflection of me taking its pic! Good times!

March 22nd Pic!

"Six Shooter!"

It's kind of a bummer shooting with the Kit lens today (the lens that comes with the camera when you buy it...just a starter) after having played with some L-Series lenses worth thousands of dollars (rented) over the weekend. I didn't really understand why people would spend more on the lenses than the actual Camera it self but after shooting the pic above I understand. 

It took me almost 15mins to frame the pic above to get the shot I liked...but with the L-Series I would've had it in 1min or less. 

Oh well...more reason to save up and get a nice lens!

March 21st Pic!

"Beezness"

What else do you expect me to title that pic! ...shot with a Macro lens, I had to get real close to this guy as he did his job. It was quite a rush with scores of Bees surrounding me, I figured the pic would be worth getting stung, but luckily I didn't! 

"Ahhh!" 

This flower either looks like the Rolling Stones lips or a snake springing from the desert. On Sunday we drove down to a different elevation to see some blooms, there were sparse but we found a few good ones. 

"Cactus Bloom" 

The flower on the Cactus isn't all that waxy, pretty light and fragile actually.

March 20th Pic!

"Home with a View"

Day two at Joshua Tree...most of the day consisted of a 7.5 mile hike to a place called the Lost Palms Oasis. All the signs on the trail leading up to the "Lost Palms Oasis" had the word Oasis in it, until the last one which just said "Lost Palms", at which point I wondered out loud...are there Oasis's without water? ...YES! yes there are!...OK well the water was under ground and the Palm trees grew from it, but Imagine our disappointment when we carried approximately 20 lbs of Camera equipment (rented 3 lenses for this trip, they're bigger than some babies)and when we risk our life to get down to the "Oasis" there isn't a drop of water! WTF! 

The pic above is of a Common Raven perched on a Joshua Tree. 

"Chillin"

On our way back from our "Oasis" hike we found this Raven just hanging out as a group of us just took pic's! It's a good thing I had my massive Telephoto lens out...

"In Bloom"

This time of the year Joshua Tree is supposed to be in full bloom however the rain fall was delayed by a few months so there might not be much blooms this year. The guide explained to us that flowers blooming is much like having a baby, it always takes 9 months....I would rather have seem some premature babies rather than no babies! (we're speaking of flower blooms here...I don't care to see real babies anytime soon!)

"Water Free Oasis"

The Oasis I was complaining about earlier...damn Oasis. Also there were boy scouts down there being pretty annoying so we couldn't even stay down there too long since it was so noisy. The hike however was still awesome!

March 19th Pic!

"Joshua Tree"

One of the final pic's I took on Friday (19th), we were chasing the sunset and this was one of the most beautiful locations we could spot. In an attempt to get more great sunset shots we drove around the park but none could top this! ...upon spotting this sunset, Eva yelled "STOP!" nearly killing me...It was worth it! 

"Pictoglyphs"

The Indians (Feather not Dot) that lived on this land made marking on the caves....above is an example. Sadly some vandals decided to highlight the original markings with paint for better visibility. Some call it vandalism I call it Photoshop B.C. 

"May appear Closer"

Eva's contribution, took the pic as we were about to go chase more sunset pics.

March 18th Pic

"Auto Pilot" "Hard Left"

This is a pic of me messing with the controls on my car dash Pic of me driving away from a gas station, yes even Prius's (Prii?) need gas!...Eva and I drove to Joshua Tree on Thursday night, when the Picadai opportunities were limited...we were in a hurry to get the hell outta AZ for the weekend.

P.S. If you noticed that there wasn't a pic, you're right...since Eva took the Pic (I was driving), I'll be getting it later tonight for the update)

Updated P.S. The Auto Pilot pic didn't turn out so good...I don't like putting pic's of myself on the blog but when your options are limited you do what you gotta do! ...An Eva Z. contribution :) 

March 17th Pic!

"St. Patty's on Mill"

Out of town till the 18th!...Going to Jousha Tree National Park, will bring back some amazing pic's! Huge update possibly on Sunday Night or Monday morning!

Before I get to today's pic, you might be wondering about the header pic "antz"...well Eva and I went to see Mark Moffett a National Geographic writer/photographer/explorer talk about ants, frogs and other insects...mostly ants. He spoke about how he photographs them and had a ton of interesting stories about his travels around the world. Mesa Arts Center has a bunch of cool upcoming events, check em out!

In regards to the pic above, Mill Ave was packed for St. Patty's day, all the bars had scores of people lined up...even the shitty ones!

"Collect Call"

Who uses pay phones anymore!? I hope this guy was drunk and just forgot that he had a cell phone! 

"Working Girl"

I like this pic because it shows the hustle and bustle of Mill ave and the pedal cab's. I've never been on this things in the U.S. but I'd feel guilty having someone bike my adult ass around. I can walk just fine thank you!

March 16th Pic!

"Can't Stop, Wont Stop" Prius 08'

Being a 2008 Prius owner I happen to think that Cali Prius story is totally bogus...how do I know...well having driven over 38k miles the past 26 months (17k a yr, I'll save you the math..that's a lot of miles, it comes with the territory of owning a hybrid, you're always driving) I've never had issues stopping when I felt like it. 

The Pic above was a bear to take, I set my exposure at 5 sec's and let the Prius slowly roll into the frame, the intended effect is the whole Prius looks intact but with a blur in the back, and the caption would've been "Stops on a Dime"...regrettably my camera nor I are coordinated enough to pull off the shot. 

  "Showroom" 

This was the original pic, but I was struck with some creative vision at the last minute and 20 minutes later the first pic above is what I got. I'll eventually do one of these with my real Prius...It's a good thing I have a table big enough to fit a Prius on...on that note if anyone reading this wants to buy a BIG ass conference table that weighs about 6-800lbs please let me know.

March 15th Pic!

"Spaghetti ! It's whats for dinner!"

Spaghetti with Asparagus, and Archichoke hearts and goat cheese! good stuff! Eva's just happy that I wasn't the one cooking :) 

"Soy"

10 Points! ...I'm not even gonna announce who won...but let's just say defensive scrabble was involved. I may know words but spelling them is an entirely different story. My first FULL game of scrabble...I still think Monopoly is the best game ever invented! 

March 14th Pic!

"Alone in the Field"

A lonely mailbox in the middle of farm land! ...I wonder if the mail man gets mad when the owner doesn't check the mail on a daily basis...He had to drive all the way out to the boonies to deliver this one guys mail and he doesn't even check it everyday! 

Maybe I'll start collecting mail from mailbox 5912. I've been driving past this thing everyday for the last 3 years, It always looked bright yellow, but in reality it's a faded yellow, also the mailbox has lips.

March 13th Pic!

"Living in Color"

Colorful landmarks in Tempe...these apartments were built to be economical, their purpose was to keep the heat out so not much AC would be used. Too bad they supposedly fail miserably at it, New Times had an article that mentioned that fact a while ago. 

Driving past these colorful abodes I always thought it would be an easy pic, but once I got close I realized how little space I had to work with. I'll revisit these buildings again because this pic really needed to be taken from the middle of the street for a full effect. 

I wonder how much they charge for rent...it'd be pretty cool to live there.

March 12th Pic!

"Graphs and Glasses"

It's a good thing I'm headed to Joshua Tree Nat'l Park next weekend because I'm a little dry on ideas! 

The pic above is a another part of my highly correlated series, reading leads to glasses...there's a reason why people naturally assume I'm smart, in most cases I can't resist opening my mouth but slowly I'm learning the art of nodding and smiling. I also uses phrases like "Highly correlated", "I concur","I concur profusely", and the last ditch effort if asked to do something that I have no clue about ...I always answer "yes!" ..I'll figure out how to do it by reading a book or Googling it (If there's one thing I learned in college, There's always a mother effin' solution!), maybe that's why I have glasses...hmm, it's a vicious cycle but fortunately I might learn something during one of the cycles.  

March 11th Pic!

"Highly Correlated"

Ice Cream eating and TV watching...yeah they're probably highly correlated, It's not like people are eating Ice Cream while running or doing laundry. The Ice Cream in question is Haggan Dass (I could probably Google "How to spell Haggan Dass" and get it right but I refuse to!), its their FIVE brand, meaning the Ice Cream is made using only 5 ingredients! I just finished the last scoop of Vanilla I had left, Ginger is also good! ...next up is Coffee.

On a side note I have very flat feet and when I run I make a thumping sound.

March 10th Pic!

"Allstar Cookie"

Another contribution from Eva...today she earned 2..TWO! Gold stars! One for the awesome pic above and another for being an awesome cookie maker (I think that makes her a baker). 

I digress...the cookie is an "Allstar Cookie" because it contains Peanut butter, peanuts (the white looking thing in the pic), chocolate, and as if that wasn't enough Cinnamon! ...Sugar, Spice and Protein (Peanuts) I picked this over a brownie, it's that big a deal! 

I have two analogies for this cookie

Version 1: On paper It's like Joe Montana throwing the ball to Randy Moss, and Barry Sanders in the back field for good measure! Trust me this cookie aint like the lowly Redskins...what's on paper translates to on-field performance! ...err taste test.

Version 2: It's like a movie where 3 love stories intersect, a young couple played by Robert Pattinson ( or Frankie Muniz if you're into midgets ;) ) and Kristen Stewart, a middle aged couple played by Leo DiCaprio and Jessica Alba and a slightly older couple played by George Clooney and Sandra Bullock. They all sit and have long conversions and write letters to each other because e-mail is the antithesis  of romance. I bet a movie like that would make bank...so the 3 stories come together like the ingredients in the cookie and hell even Roger Ebert would love it...the movie not the cookie...poor Ebert can't eat any more :(     

March 9th Pic!

"Natures Other Porcupine"

Eva's contribution! she went to the Desert Botanical Garden and braved the elements, 54 degrees with light rain. Good thing she's from Wisconsin, she laughs in the face of AZ cold!

"Whoooohooohoohoo"

...and the pic I took in homage to Eddie Murphy's most famous song.  

March 8th Pic!

"...and the Oscar goes to.."

Well it is the end of awards season...sometimes it pays to be a pack-rat because I found this old film reel in my pile of "stuff". I donated to some arts cause a while ago at the Camelview 5 and they gave me a reel of film as a fun souvenir. The film in the reel? Kung-Fu Panda! It's the scene where the Panda (don't remember the name I think it's Foo or Po) climbs up the stairs of the ancient warrior temple to watch some martial art tournament and its the scene where he barley makes it...it's to illustrate how out of shape our protagonist is and how it's a crazy idea that he'd become a kung-fu master.  I've said way too much about Kung-Fu Panda...I'd recommend it as a fun in-flight movie.

March 7th Pic!

"Raindrops fallin on my Chair"

It rained all day on Sunday :( ...Pic from the Gregio rooftop. Speaking of rain, guess the Hurt Locker rained all over the Avatar parade at the Oscars...good thing Avatar made 2 Billion with a B before the the awards were given out! ...speaking of 3D movies, saw Alice in Wonderland and Sat..a fun movie, Tim Burton's a hit and miss kinda a filmmaker, Alice is a hit.

March 6th Pic!

"Caddy"

A pic from SAT in front of Pizzaria Bianco...went to check out the Phoenix Art Museum, ended up a little lost, which was NOT my fault for once (I wont point any fingers). If anyone is ever planning on eating at Pizzaria Bianco expect to wait a really REALLY long time before you eat...the wait time quoted to us was 4 to 4.5 hours! thats right FOUR hours or more to eat a freaking pizza!! ...Granted we checked on a Sat an hour after they opened at 5:15pm....but really four hours! Eva and I decided the longest we'd wait was 1 hour or 1 hr 15mins at the MOST. My interest in that place has peaked!

March 5th Pic!

"Jammin" 

A big update for the 5th! the pic above is from "First Friday" an art walk in downtown phoenix. Eva showed me a cool new trick with setting my exposure. As you can see in the pic the musicians and the cops for the most part were the only stationary objects. 

"It's for Kids!"

As Norville Barnes (The Hudsucker Proxy) proclaimed...if regular hula hoops are fun, just look at how much more fun lighted hula hoops are!!...the girl in the pic sure thought so. 

"No Batter, No Batter!"

Glendale Baseball Park, went to see the Dodgers kick some White Sox ass! fun game took a million pic's so I feel obligated to put one up!

I'm gonna stop myself now with a 3 pic update for Friday!

March 4th Pic!

"Victim of Dinner"

Umm....I cooked, I don't need to explain any further...Eva's mouth was on fire. The recipe did NOT call for any Jalapenos or peppers, guess what I added to the recipie. While the food was cooking I thought it smelled a little too much like vegetables, so I remedied it with some peppers. Not a good idea.

March 3rd Pic!

"Fresh and so Clean"

33% done cleaning....but it feels good to be productive at home after a long work day! Pic above is of my dish washing gloves. I realized while washing a few dishes that the right glove has a hole which allows hot HOT water to run through. There is a reason why I prefer to cook and not wash dishes!

March 2nd Pic!

"Autobiography"

I'm a rebel I write over the lines! I've been typing for far too long! I was reviewing some notes I took during a meeting today and realized I couldn't read my own chicken scratch. I have awesome handwriting skills...not cursive or anything, but it's a mix, I need to get back to basics and not worry about getting an Ipad but a regular pad! 

Anyway...back to cleaning the house, it's so much fun :)

March 1st Pic!

"Eagle Eye"

Yes that's a real Eagle out in wild in Phoenix! An Eva contribution, she had the eagle eye (lol) to spot this big bird up in the trees! Sometimes it pays to walk with your head up! 

I was at work all day today and since Eva had the day off I asked her nicely to take a pic for MY blog...considering most of the compliments I get are for the pic's she takes I figured I was in good hands. Today however she went all National Geographic me and captured a Bald freaking Eagle!! ...here is a shout out to her Flickr account, a lot (all) of the pics should look familiar. Except for the flowers...no flowers on my damn blog! BTW be on the look out for Eva's Gallery, it'll be opening 2011!

The caption by the way is no reference to the lame Shia Lebouf movie that came out a yr or two ago. Ok the movie was actually ok, 5-6 on a 10 scale, if you're really really bored on a Sunday afternoon, and there's nothing else to do and the movie happens to be on HBO...then watch it. 

Now for some education...Eagles like to eat fish, they have huge wing spans, and they're the National Bird of the U.S. They're also no longer endangered but it's illegal to hunt them.