Day 11| Sunday, January 11 | 2009

Darkness on the Edge of Town...

Woke up today around 6 with one of Caitlin's residents knocking on the door.  They had locked themselves out of their room and needed a key.  They managed to wait for about 3 hours and then they knocked on Caitlin's door again at around 8.  Thus, that is how the day was started.  Caitlin and I got off to a pretty productive start -- I finished two of the papers I needed to get done and by then it was only 10:30.  

I went home, got a bite to eat, talked to Amanda a bit and then did two modules of my tutor training exercises.  So thus far, I have completed 6 out of 8 and should get them done for tomorrow.  

Later, I went to the Donkey to meet and talk with Ellen.  I hadn't seen her in such a long time and it was nice to hear what was going on with her.  She is trying to get into a midwife school in Maine but will not know until February.  

I am frustrated right now because I am really slow at getting my music theory work done.  We will have a quiz tomorrow morning so maybe that will help me gauge where I am in the class.  

I love you, Caitlin. :)

Day 10 | Saturday, January 10 | 2009

Jeff and Clare...

Today Caitlin and I put up some plastic covers on my bedroom windows, in an attempt to preserve some of the heating in my room.  It isn't that cold but I presume it will get a lot colder as Winter progresses.  

It was nice to talk to my parents today at length about some of the things that have been on my mind.  I am looking forward to them being close by again, which will be happening soon.

Today was well spent -- with good friends at a pot-luck dinner at the Bruce Manor.  The Bruce Manor is the name of a house on West Union street where a lot of local DIY (do it yourself) house shows are held.  Musicians and other performance artists from all over the continent have come through to play to an intimate gathering of friends and/or otherwise associated people who dwell in Athens and beyond.  Anyways, it was nice to see Larry, Jeff, Clare, Julia, Nicki, and Jaime and so many others.

Caitlin and I are now working on our respective school work at the library before we go to bed.  I am feeling overall well and I am hoping this feeling lasts for a long time.

Day 9 | Friday, January 9 | 2009

Moku Coffee...

There is a new coffee shop on West Union street -- all the way down towards where the Habitat for Humanity House is located.  The coffee shop is nice.  It has a comfortable ambience and a wonderful view of the Hocking River and White's Mill.  

Caitlin and I met today with Leslie who is such a wonderful person through and through.  We spent some time talking about her recent trip to India and then also Caitlin and I talked about our recent trip to Switzerland.  I am amazed at some of the implications of Leslie's stories.  It makes me feel lucky to be so privileged in comparison to many of the people that live in abject poverty.  

Most of all, though, it was just nice to spend time with a friend.  

Day 8 | Thursday, January 8 | 2009

Windowsill...

It's been a pretty cold day -- outside temperature is about 26F and falling.  There is something about Winter that sucks the life energy out of me -- including any ability to focus on my hopes and dreams for the future.  I think in times like these it is important for one to focus on the good things that are going on for them and all of the blessings they have in their life.  Blessings is a loaded word of course but you get the picture.  

These days I am feeling a little defeated but that will in time subside.  I have spent most of my day working on schoolwork and trying not to be anxious.  So far it has worked.  This weekend will be a good time to relax and re-examine my priorities and plans.

 

Day 7 | Wednesday, January 7 | 2009

Uptown...

School has been okay but I think it is going to be really challenging for me to get motivated in the next following weeks.  The weather has a huge effect on me and I think as time progresses I become more anxious about life in general.  

Day 6 | Tuesday, January 6 | 2009

Secret Spot...Pollution...

It's been a terribly disgusting day -- cold and wet.  This picture is perhaps fitting because it shows what a mess humanity can make (in terms of pollution).  Perhaps there is a slight chance that the smoke coming out of those stacks aren't pollution but I doubt that.  Anyway, class is going okay and my spanish class is going to be especially good.  My teacher is Amado Lascar and I really like his teaching style.

That's it for now...Talk to you later.

Day 5 | Monday, January 5 | 2009

Fight the Rich...

Today is the first day of classes at OU.  Here are my classes for the quarter:

Personal Values in Media

Documentary Genres

Spanish American Civilization & Culture

Music Theory (2nd Level)

University Band

I have a lot of hope for the quarter but I also have a few reservations.  Here is to a low stress and successful quarter.

Day 4 | Sunday, January 4 | 2009

Solace...

Here's where I slept on and around New Year's eve/day 2009.  My parents have recently moved back to Ohio and this is the room in which there new living room will be.  I have always liked the idea of having as minimal amount of furniture as possible (maybe at least in the short term) so this was a neat experience sleeping in the empty house.  I would have been all by myself but my Uncle Jim was there with me.

Day 3 | Saturday, January 3 | 2009

Brand New Day...

I have never liked the Winter season but I have always revered the possibility of newness and of change.  Newness and change for the better, that is.  New years bring about resolutions in the general sense and here are some of mine for this year:

1.  To ride my bike more

This has several benefits for me -- one it will cut cost in gas prices and parking meter fares.  Also, it will be a source of exercise and activity in daily life.  Another benefit to riding my bike with more frequency will be to reduce any CO2 emissions into the atmosphere.  It is a small part but every little bit counts.

2.  To keep in touch with my family and loved ones better

I figure that I should just make a list of e-mail addresses of people that are close to me in my life and send out an e-mail or an eCard once a month.  Life is too short for me to lose connections with people who have meant so much to me.

3.  To keep a regular journal where I can record my thoughts

Here is where Beans with Garlic comes in -- I vow to take a photograph (and the quality just has to be somewhat present) everyday to record where I was, what I was thinking, how I was feeling, my hopes, my dreams, etc.  Perhaps that will help me feel a greater sense of direction.  Call it a work in progress.

4.  Manage my time better

There are many times where I have a lot of idle time surfing the Internet or just spending time badly.  I know this will be a hard habit to mend but I need to spend my time better.  There are courses at the AAC in the library that I should enroll in (or take survey in) that could help me with

5.  Grow in my relationship with Caitlin

We see each other most every day but it is important to me to keep this relationship strong and healthy.  She means more to me than anyone else in the world and I know this is something that is beautiful and good to me but it is also something that needs to be nurtured and worked at.  Simple communication, gifts, gestures, and reminders that I love her will be something that I will work towards.

6.  Have a healthier lifestyle .

I feel like in this past year I have been pretty unhealthy as compared to years prior.  I have gained somewhere between 17-19 lbs. (in just a year!!) and a lot of my clothes do not fit me anymore.  I really need to make a conscious effort to get back (a little more) to where my life used to be.  If I break it down, I could do things in smaller and gradual intervals.  I'll try to eat more vegetables, less fats and sugars, little or no alcohol, and make exercise a part of my daily routine.  

By the end of the Winter quarter, I'll try to lose 5 lbs.

By the end of the Spring quarter, I'll try to lose another 5lbs.

These are all pretty general and in no particular order.  I will come back to these in future entries to see where I am at.

Day 2 | Friday, January 2 | 2009

To a Happy and Safe New Year....

Here we are -- Uncle Jime, Gretchen, Dustin, Mom, Dad, Caitlin and Me standing in my parent's new house.  I hope this year is a good one.

Day 1 | January 1 | 2009

New Years Eve...

Caitlin and I spent New Year's Eve in West Chester with my mom, dad, brother, Gretchen, and Uncle Jim.  For the actual New Year's Eve countdown, we were at my brother's friend's house.  Here is a picture of Caitlin and I kissing underneath the mistletoe.

The Land of Enchantment part 2 (Ford Truck Special) -- Sept. 2008

Here is an awesome Ford truck my uncle Jim's friend owns.  It appears that this truck was built maybe in the 50s.  Unfortunately, I do not know much about automobiles or trucks, so I might be way off.

*****Door*****

*****Hood*****

*****From the right*****

*****Headlight*****

*****Bullet-hole*****

*****Change We Need*****

The Land of Enchantment part 1 -- Sept. '08

*****Uncle Jim*****

Every Friday night in Albuquerque Hector Pimentel plays at the Hilton.  Lately he has offered time for my uncle Jim to play as well.  I think this is a great outlet for my uncle and I am so glad he is doing it.  He used to be more nervous when it came to playing out in front of people but watching him perform made me so proud.  

*****Harry and Hector*****
Harry is playing the Requinta -- a smaller guitar tuned with the sixth string at an A so it has a higher-tuned tone as a whole.  Hector (pictured right) is a very impressive guitar player as well as showman.  There were, however, very cheesy moments in his set when he and Harry performed a soupy instrumental cover of "Dust in the Wind."  After the night was over, Jim, Hector, Carol (Hector's wife) and I all went to the Frontier restaurant down by UNM.  It is a 24 hour diner located in Albuquerque.  

*****Spray Room*****
Here is the first of several photos I took while on a break working for my uncle.  This is a paint gun I used while painting and priming cabinets.

*****Flammable*****

*****Workshop*****

*****Bookshelf***** 
This is a giant bookshelf we were building for a rich Astrophysicist.  It is hard to believe, but this bookshelf will fit in the client's home.

*****Drill*****

*****Bicycle*****
Here was a bicycle in DJ John's shop (where my uncle worked).  It is a vintage bicycle from the 50s (or so it appears).  I figured I would take some snapshots during lunch break.

*****More Bicycle*****

*****Close Encounters*****

On our way back from Odessa over Labor Day weekend, my uncle Jim and I stopped in Roswell.  I toured the International UFO museum but it was really disappointing.  It guided us through a timeline of the Roswell sightings but the visual models were really unexciting.  

August 13 - 18 / New York City '08

These are brief visions of New York City as I saw them in August 2008.  I had spent about five days visiting my brother and his fiancé, Gretchen.  They live on Roosevelt Island, which is on the other side of Manhattan (separated by the East River).  Time there was nice.  They have a little dog named Olive that likes to wake everyone up at 5 AM.  For me, dogs seem to resemble humans most of the time.  Why is it so strange that this dog looked like Sally Field?

New York is a bull whip of a town.  I have been lucky as to have visited the city on numerous occasion as a musician but this time it was as a tourist.  My brother (who was on vacation from his general law practice internship) and I got the chance to go to our usual watering holes (central park; McSorley's, etc..) but we also went to the Museum of Natural History.  There, we did Very Important Things like calculate our relative weight on planets like Mercury and Saturn.  

From Roosevelt Island, we can see the United Nations.  This is inspiring for me.

*****On Roosevelt Island*****

Taken from when Dustin and I were out walking the dog.  It was an overcast August day and we were going to go out on the town.

*****Pre-historic Shark*****
Nightmarish models in the Museum of Natural History.  My brother and I paid for general entrance and were later disappointed in the fact we could not enter the "Horses" exhibit.  WTF?!?

*****McSorley's Pub*****
The oldest tavern in America.  Whenever I see my brother in NYC (which is about once or twice a year) we go to this bar.  There are pictures and news articles inside that date from the 1860s.  There is a picture of Woody Guthrie that hangs in McSorley's -- he is playing guitar inside of McSorley's back in the '40s with a small crowd of gentlemen gathered 'round.  There are only two options of drink at this bar -- 'dark' or 'light' (dark or light beer).  I have always gotten the dark and I usually order some crackers and cheese too.  The style of the pub is very communal -- it is always crowded inside as such that you are forced to sit with strangers.  Strangers become long-lost friends within minutes and you become amazed on our ability of interconnectivity. 

*****Dustin*****

My brother in Central Park.  I am very proud of him and I love him very much.  He is just about finished with law school at New York Law School. 

August 2008

Electric Paris

Here are a few shots I took in Paris while experimenting with shutter speeds.  It was July 14 (Bastille Day) which is the French independence day.  Most of the light sources were streetlights or car lights except for the first, which came from the fireworks light.

*****Fireworks Display*****

*****Lynx*****

*****Determination of the Pisces*****

*****Let it All Hang Out*****

******I Found a Reason*****

*****Vietato Fumare*****

*****Gila*****