Pictures

 

     I've decided that its ok to post some pictures without too much explanation, so from now on if I have a picture i like, i will post it; words or no words. So enjoy this picture and the mystery behind it.

Soccer

Haha I love this video, nothing better than watching a kids soccer game in the crisp morning air. Well, actually i guess there are quite a few things better than that, but when you add some inspirational music the mood tends to lighten up.

video

So i got my early christmas present this year, and i am more than impressed, if this works out, i can share all the videos i make. Enjoy!

Soccer

When he shows up to play, there is no messing around. This is do or die, its kindergarten soccer. You focus on the ball, not your toys. Its a game for the tough, and thats exactly what he is.

August

      I know it's late but i do have a picture for the month of August. Its not anything special, just a picture I took in the gravity bar on the top of the Guinness factory. I guess i didn't get on my blog much in August. That was sort of my feel bad for myself month. I didn't really want to do anything, and got really pouty. Now that school has started, and i'm back in the swing of things, it will get better.    I don't have much else to share, I just thought this was a cool picture that i might as well put out there. Enjoy.

Gum

     Like an idiot, I completely missed my picture of the month for august, but i do have it for this month. I've been busy with school for about a week, but today was the first official day at Hastings Senior High. After coming home i looked on my ipod and received this message from my dad. This picture of the Extra Dessert Delights Gum may not seem like much, but it represents our relationship perfectly. Roughly four months ago I saw this glorious package of mint chocolate chip gum and had to get it. Well, it gloriously sucked. But because I just had to get it, my dad made me eat every piece of it. Well, like i said, it was just plain terrible and i couldn't finish it. So when my dad brought it up at the end of the year, I told him that if he ever missed me or needed me while I was gone, he should chew a piece of that gum. Thats why today after school, when i received this picture, it wasn't a pack of gum. It was a sign of strength. We are at separate schools, living separate lives, but we are still together. So I hope that today when my dad tastes the mint and chocolate, he knows i'm there with him.  

Farewell

     This will be my last post for a little while, we are off to Ireland as of right now (for 9 days). Love this picture. And that was a great trip. (Alaska)

Songs

I have been feeling a sudden urge to write as many songs as I can. In the past I have been able to finish the lyrics or finish the music, but i have never put the whole thing together... until two days ago, and today. I finally finished  my first two songs and it feels great. Now that the whole first song thing is off my back i should be able to write with ease. I am very excited and i might even post them eventually. And the name of my first song ever is Everlong (I thing the picture is fitting)

Sunset

     I just realized i almost missed my picture of the month to talk about. I'm cutting it close but this picture is worth the wait. We went to Barcelona and Palma recently and i brought along the fancy cam. After a nice dinner at some touristy restaurant, we had a nice family walk along the path by the beach. The beautiful sunny day was coming to an end as a mixture of orange and pink filled the sky. I had my ipod out and listened to "Do You Realize" by the Flaming Lips. I didn't have headphones so i just held it like a cellphone, walking along like a dork. As I watched, the sun slowly started falling behind the mountains. I realized at that very moment that this was my chance to capture this moment forever. I let the Lips finish, and then i literally sprinted down to the beach where these tiki umbrellas were set up. I know I looked like an idiot, but who cares! The sun was sinking quickly, but I made it just in time to take this photo. It always feels nice to capture a little of earths beauty. I will see many more sunsets in my life, and they will all be beautiful in their own way.

German Playgrounds

      First of all, I apologize for the crappy ipod photo, but it's the best i have. Anyways, this is what a german playground looks like. A bunch of jagged wood kept together by some rusty nails. It is ridiculously dangerous, but i guess kids find it fun. A little down the road there is a park made up of only ropes attached to logs that have been wedged into the ground. The kids try to climb across the ropes to make it to the next safe zone. The only problem is that the Germans don't like their children to fail, so dozens of nettles wait below the ropes in case a kid falls. I remember playing don't touch the ground when i was a kid, but i guess they take it seriously over here!

Everlong

     Imagine being stuck at the top of this wheel, in a foreign place, where it all seems like a taunting déjà vu. You recognize it, you know you have been there before, but the memory melted and slipped through your fingers. The wheel is a safe place, you remember it, and remember the feelings associated with it, but the rest of this place is just a dreamlike remembrance of your past. It’s not hard to leave the top, but you can’t bring yourself to do it. The top is where you know you’re safe, but at the same time you feel trapped. The view is amazing from the top, everything is new and exciting, but at the same time everything is new. It’s not the old place you remember so faintly. The wheel is the only thing that hasn’t changed, but compared to the rest of the place, it’s merely a spot to rest and watch the excitement unfold. Unfortunately I have felt stuck in this place. I haven’t been able to bring myself to completely leave the wheel. Sure I’ve stuck my head out to get a breath of fresh air, but I haven’t truly left the wheel. Part of the reason I haven’t left is that I don’t feel a solid base. I feel like I have been floating in the sea, too deep to drop an anchor. I have been searching for the chain, long enough to sink my anchor deep into the solid ground of this sea. The other day while I was riding along, listening to the horrible U.S. pop on the Armed Forces radio station, I heard the first notes of a familiar song. It was a quiet little intro, but I recognized it. Soon it started to build until I felt the full blow of the Foo Fighters. I looked out the window and listened. Although I did not completely recognize the scene, it started to feel more like home. The fog was starting to lift over my memory. The chain became longer, and my anchor became closer to the bottom. Instead of longing to be home, I became more interested in rediscovering this faint memory. I felt more comfortable about leaving the wheel. It hasn’t happened yet, but I know once the chain is long enough, it will.

P.S. Thanks for the nudge grandma. Writing on this blog is just another link in the chain.

Oakley

I saw an Oakley add today, and I thought the model looked familiar...

San Francisco

     

                                  
                            

     I know it's been a while since we went to San Francisco, but I still think it is worth posting about. Ahh, San Francisco. Not very sunny, or warm, but it is still lovely. One of the days we visited the fog lifted unveiling the real beauty of San Fran. The Golden Gate was in plain sight, and Alcatraz was out on the ocean clear as day. It really is a neat city. LOTS OF HILLS, but it gives you some good exercise. Even with all of the neat buildings and colors, the hit of the trip (at least for John) was Mickey, the cute little wiener dog. Mickey was pretty funny. John would just sit there and throw the ball to Mickey. After Mickey was done chewing he would roll it back to John, and the cycle started again. They would have done that for hours. Amazingly, after all of that play with John, Mickey would still be afraid of him. As soon as John broke Mickey’s personal bubble, the little dachshund would scurry off and hide.

    The food there was excellent. It's on the coast so obviously there was some good seafood (which I had plenty of). We went to a great beach, but the water was way too cold. The Monterey aquarium was also thrown into the mix. The jellyfish portion was excellent. Those things really are amazing. John started his interest in photography at Napa valley. I love the picture of him above. I was just scrolling through, deleting the ones he took and i found this one. Nothing better than taking pictures of your reflection, the floor, and Mickey!  As for me, I basically just ate my way around, relaxed, and soaked in the excellent city of San Francisco.

Germany

A big year is coming up. I'm leaving again to go to my other home, Germany. There is a lot I'm leaving, but also a lot I'm going back to. The obvious negative of leaving my dad, and the positive of going to my mom, but there is a lot more than that. I've always been a different kid. I don't fit in completely to the teenage society of today. And I really don't want to. There seems to be a lot kids are missing. Perhaps I'm sounding like a stuck up teenager saying I'm different than the rest, but i really hope I am. I am constantly told that not a whole lot of kids would go to Germany, and take an opportunity like this. I just can't seem to understand why. The water might be cold at first, but you will get used to it. It might be hard for some to venture out to places they don't know, but how would you ever meet new people, or enjoy new things? If you constantly turn back when it becomes painful, you may never get to receive the benefits of what might have happened. John would runaway from the waves whenever they got too close because he was afraid of getting wet, and he didn't want to leave his comfort zone. But I feel differently. I will go all the way out to the waves. You can't tell what will happen until you do it yourself. Germany isn't completely a stranger to me, but cut me a little slack. I'm still going to a whole new school, lots of my friends have left, and i will have to rebuild a new foundation. It's definitely not an easy task, but it is worth it. I'm not caught up in the high school life. If I skip a year at Hastings, no big deal. I have heard that to some, high school is a high point in their life, and they have to have everything perfect. I agree 100 percent, but in a different way. The opportunities for me are once in a lifetime, and I am at the perfect age to enjoy them. To waste that would be just plain wrong. High school probably will be a high point in my life. Not because I was in the popular group, not because i was homecoming king, and not because i was the captain of the football team. Those things probably will not happen. Instead of striding to fit in, and be what kids my age like, I am just going to do what I like. That is the best way to make my high school years count. So in all honesty... Yes, I do want to go to Germany.

New Month

     It's a new month, and this is my new picture. To me it almost looks like The fire is burning through an old photograph. It is a very real picture to me. It's almost as if you can feel the heat coming off of it. It is just an interesting photo, and i'm glad I took it. I would write more about it but to be honest I am pretty brain dead right now. I finished my first day of finals and still have tomorrow to go. Hopefully after school releases me from its tight grip I can take more photos like this one. We will just have to wait and see.

Go For It

Unfortunately I am not smart enough to remember the right password for my blog, so i created this one. Everything is the same, it is just way better! Anyways, I got my green astronomy laser pointer the other day and it is pretty cool. It goes for miles and even my dad was impressed! This picture was taken inside a pitch black room where i had the camera stay open for around 6 seconds while i was drawing this image. I think this is a pretty neat result considering i didn't even know if it would work. I guess you just have to go for it sometimes.

Lake Calhoon

         Today seemed to have the illusion of being warm. After a wonderful meal at the bierstube, we decided to head over to Lake Calhoon to take a dip, or maybe rent a paddle board if we were lucky. The weather seemed nice, and the sun was shining bright. After arriving at  the lake, it seemed to be extremely windy and not even the slightest bit warm. Unfortunately the paddle boarding wasn't going to happen, so we just walked over to the beach. The instant my bare toe tapped the surface of the icy water, I started to think there wasn't going to be any swimming today. It was SHOCKINGLY cold. It wasn't just uncomfortable, it was numbing. Even the thought of getting in made me shiver. After a prolonged lay on the sand, I had to get in. I wasn't going to come all the way here for nothing! As usual i kindly allowed my father to be the first one in. When I saw that he hadn't been paralyzed from the extreme cold, I got in myself. When my face hit the water the cold swallowed me whole. The water was very cold, yet very refreshing. After a short swim I grabbed Tiffany's new camera. At this point my father had cashed in. When I get in the photography zone, I won't quit until i'm satisfied. I spent at least an extra 10 minutes of freezing my toes off to get these pictures. I can ask myself if it was worth it, or I can just look at the pictures and be glad I have them. I'd rather just look at the pictures.

Anticipation

It's a rainy saturday afternoon and the date is may 26. Soon my brother and mother will be here to greet me on my birthday. Not much else to say other than I am very excited.

Mornings

Mornings are very interesting. I hate them but at the same time it is always really nice when I finally drag my butt out of bed. Morning time is when i feel the most creative, and my brain just feels ready to go. The other morning i decided to get up pretty early just for the heck of it, and i took these pictures of sully (including the picture from my "Here We Go" post). These are probably my favorite pictures of sully and might be my best pictures. It's just strange to think that every other day I was sleeping while I could have been doing something a whole heck of a lot more fun. I wish I could get rid of that tired feeling in the morning. There isn't even a point! I got my eight hours of sleep so why can't I just enjoy the morning? Well, i guess that is just something I will have to power through myself. Every morning i get that sleepy feeling I will think of these photos and how it is so much better to just get up. Then again, look at him. Sully does look pretty snuggly.

Big Boom

There really isn't anything better than some m777s, an ice fishing hole, and the success of a lighter in below freezing temperatures. The reward you may ask? A very VERY big boom.

Photo Experience

So starting now, each month (or as often as i can), I am going to post a picture of mine that really catches my eye. It might be colorful, it might be artistic, and it might be like this one. I can't put a finger on what i like so much about this photo. Maybe it's the light, or maybe it's just the overall feel. That night was stormy and the rain was coming down hard. My friend matt and i were walking back from a long day of trampoline jumping and as we were jogging i turned to look at him. As soon as our eyes met, a giant bolt of lightning flew through the sky. The image of his face was imprinted in my sight for at least the next five minutes. It was a very odd experience, but it amazed me. when we got back to my house, we stayed outside to enjoy the moist air a while longer. What better way to have some fun than laser pointers right? I took a few shots in the rain and didn't think much about it. About a month later i went through the camera and found this. I guess it just reminds me of that night and how cool that storm was. Maybe it's not always the quality of the photo, but the memories that come with it.

Here We go

Well I guess i'll start a blog. Hopefully i can be able to write plenty and upload some photos. This will kind of be my experimental site for my photos and my thoughts. as i travel around i will keep this updated as best i can. And as for sully, welcome to the family of big noses.